Flamingo Road

flamingoroadchurch.com

Derek is the dressed as the Easter Bunny for the church egg hunt.  Go Derek!:)


Flamingo Road Church


I really enjoy our church and so do the kids. Derek works the video and lights for the youth group and Madison helps teach 1st grade most Sundays. My two favorite things about our church is the free Star bucks coffee that is offered every service and Pastor Troy and his wife, Stephanie. They have a true understanding of what is happening in South Florida, the good and the bad. Pastor Troy offers a modern day approach to apply biblical advice about life and everyday situations. Their website offers a pod-cast filled with his series. Check it out!

S'mores Night

S’mores Night:

We have movie nights, game nights, different-types of food nights, but my favorite is S’mores nights. We just sit, eat, and chat by the wood-burning fire. Funny, the kids enjoy it as much as we do and like sharing about their lives, their thoughts, and their silly jokes. All they need from us are to have the items for the S’mores and for us to listen. The stories never end until bedtime.

Sarussi Cuban Cafe' & Restaurant

Sarussi Cuban Café & Restaurant

http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/index.php?/news/comments/sarussis/

After the 15-mile bike ride in the Everglades, our friends took us to get Cuban sandwiches at Sarussi. This is a family-owned Cuban restaurant located in Miami that has been in business for 40 years. I now understand why as It was the BEST Cuban sandwich that I have ever had. These sandwiches are 16 inches long and very plentiful. For six people, we ordered two beef and one chicken and no one walked out hungry. All were served on soft, warm Cuban bread that held a thin layer of their secret sauce, loaded with meat, and sprinkled with potato strings. YUM! Also, they brought us some fried bananas with a melted garlic butter. What a great mix! If that wasn’t enough, for dessert we ordered Tequenos or Ditos, depending on your background of Spanish. They are a dough-filled pastry with guava marmalade and cream cheese that is deep fried and served warm. Goes great with a shot of Café Cubano. If you are looking for a casual, authentic Cuban restaurant this is the place to try.

          

Cool Birds

                   

Shark Valley, The Everglades

Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

On March 6th, my husband and I got invited to join some friends and ride the 15 mile trail at Shark Valley, just west of Miami. Years ago, I had done this with parents, but never with DT and these friends. Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. we loaded our bikes in the truck and drove to the Everglades. WOW! We saw at least 100 alligators, and tons of beautiful birds, butterflies, and flowers; what a great bike ride. The trail is a 15 mile loop through the everglades. At the midpoint of the trail, there is a 65 foot tower which offers a spectacular perspective of the Everglades and offers semi-clean bathrooms. 3-hours later we arrived back to the car. My gluteus was numb and my stomach was growling, but I got some great pictures and spent a fabulous day with friends.

The Everglades

Unveiling the Beauty:


I must share that when I first visited the Everglades, I was not “awe-inspired” by the brown “River of Grass” and the swampy, muddy waters filled with frightening alligators. For me, the Everglades have been an unveiling of beauty starting with educating myself with the history and the importance of it and by observing the exotic creatures that call it home. A book I read, “The Everglades: River of Grass” by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, enlightened me to some of the history of the Everglades and of South Florida. Written in 1947, this classic helped focus world attention on the importance of preserving the Everglades. It is an interesting story. Along with studying the history, I have become a bird watcher. I know, doesn’t it sound funny…me a bird watcher. Wow, in South Florida we have some of the coolest birds flying around and I wanted to learn what they were. So above are some of my pictures of our flying stars. They are so cool!

Shooters Waterfront Cafe

shooterscafe.com

Shooters Waterfront Cafe

I love this Indoor/Outdoor restaurant located on the intracostal waterway. When we have new people in town, we always take them here. The attire is casual and the menu consists of deli fresh sandwiches, a variety of salads topped with their homemade dressings, fresh fish, and signature hamburgers. I have never had a bad meal at Shooters. Through the week, this restaurant is low-key, a relaxing place to eat and enjoy the beauty of the water. However, on the weekends, especially Sunday afternoon, the atmosphere becomes more exciting; the crowd is a bit wilder than the weekday crowd. A major reason is they share the outdoor patio with the restaurant next door, La Playa. La Playa is more of the “party” type place where on Sunday afternoons they play techno- music, they also hold a “hot body” contest. If you are looking for a “party” on the weekend, this is a great place to go. However, remember to sit on the Shooter side; the food is better, the price is better, and you still get to see the contest.

Water Taxi, Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal

http://www.watertaxi.com/

Fort Lauderdale is also known as “The Venice of America”, only the waterways are much more modern, they don’t smell, and they are even more beautiful. I never get tired of cruising the intracostal of Ft. Lauderdale. I like looking at all the beautiful mansions and the sleek yachts, stopping to have lunch at one of the restaurants on the water or go shopping at Las Olas, or taking the kids to see a movie at River Walk via boat. What a great way to spend an afternoon. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see Ft. Lauderdale. If you are traveling alone or in a small group, you can take the “Water Taxi”. An all day ticket is $15 and it drops you off and picks up at 14 different stops, allowing you to see the city at your own pace. A great way to see Fort Lauderdale.

Cruising Pelicans

Cruising Pelicans

We had some friends from Indiana visit on Friday so we took them on our boat for a nice, intracostal ride and to eat lunch in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a bit cold, but the sun was shining bright so with sweatshirts and blankets, it turned out to be a nice ride. Anyway, two Pelicans landed on our boat and rode on the back engine for at least 20 minutes. I guess even birds get tired of flying and just like a nice cruise.

Randi & The Blue Fire Band

http://www.bluefireband.net/

Randi &The Blue Fire Band


We have seen this blue’s/classic rock band a few times and always enjoy them. Randi is an amazing violinist and is hypnotizing to watch. Her and her “fiddle” add a new twist to the classic songs that we all know, yet, I can promise you have never heard them played like this group plays them. Go check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Irish Pub, Maguireshill 16

Maguireshill 16:

One of our favorite hobbies is to listen to live music and our second favorite is to eat! On Thursday, March 4th (our birthday), we went to listen to “Randi & The Blue Fire Band” and to eat at Maguireshill 16, an Irish Pub where they were playing. This was our first experience at Maguireshill 16 and we will definitely go back. If you want to experience a true Irish Pub, this is the place to go. It is owned by an Irish-family and they have done a great job of bringing a bit of the Irish culture to Ft. Lauderdale. Most of the staff speak like they just arrived from Emerald Isle and the pub is decorated with some cool memorabilia. The menu is full of tasty, authentic Irish dishes, such as bangers/mash, corn beef & cabbage, fish & chips and many more. Three times a week, they have live music of different styles and they have a small dance floor.

Paddle Boarding, Ft. Lauderdale

Have you heard of Paddle Boarding? I had not, but the opportunity presented itself to me while I was sitting on our boat one sunny day in Ft. Lauderdale. The lady Paddle Boarder jumped off her board and allowed my husband and I to try this new and exciting sport. The hardest trick of Paddle Boarding for me was moving from prone position to standing position without falling. This took me a few attempts, but after conquering the start position, I was a natural. The board is very stable and wide so balancing yourself while paddling is easy. I couldn’t believe how fast the board could move and how much fun it was. If I had more time this would be my new hobby. Lots of places by the beaches offer rentals for this water sport.  If you have the opporunity, I recommend that you try it!http://www.americanwatersports.net/paddle_boards.html

A day on the boat; Fort Lauderdale

We took the boat up to the Hillsboro Lighthouse Inlet, 10 miles away from Boca Raton, to meet up with some boater friends, cookout, and swim in the ocean. About five minutes after we got the boat anchored, we saw a family of Manatees swimming in the Inlet, so everyone put on their masks and fins and got to swim next to the Manatees for over an hour. The Manatees hung out in the inlet for most of the day and enjoyed the attention from the people. Manatees love to drink fresh water, so we turned on our fresh water pump and sprayed it into the ocean. The four Manatees followed the stream of water to the surface and came within 2 feet of our boat to indulge themselves with their favorite treat.  What an awesome day!

Hillsboro Lighthouse

I like Lighhouses and enjoy exploring them. There are many in South Florida and each have their own history and unique look. One that we discovered by boat is called Hillsboro Lighthouse,10 miles from Boca Raton, and is accessable by land at the Pompano Beach City Park or by boat at the Hillsboro Inlet.  Visitors can take tours of the lighthouse on selected days and it can be seen from many different areas while on the beach.  It has been helping mariners sail the ocean since 1901 and is still in use today and controlled by the U.S. Coast Guard.  This Lighthouse marks the northern end of Fordia Reefs and has the strongest light on the east coast.http://www.mypompanobeach.org/

Theater by the Sea

http://www.theaterofthesea.com/

For my daughter's 9th birthday, she wanted to swim with the dolphins so we took her to Islamorada, Theater of the Sea. It’s a beautiful marine and animal park that offers personal and up close performances. It is well shaded with King Palms and lush tropical gardens. It is a perfect place to swim with the dolphins because they are in a natural salt-water lagoon with the back drop being miles of ocean. The trainer gave her 30 minutes of educational lesson on the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and then allowed her to swim with them for an hour. She did a fin swim, a race swim, held the hoop while the dolphins jumped through, and received a kiss from the dolphin. She loved it. After her swim with the dolphins, we still had the rest of the day to see all the shows. I don’t know if it is because we paid for her to swim with the dolphins or because she is so cute, but she got chosen to touch a sting-ray, feed it, play catch with a sea lion, and help a parrot count to ten. It was a perfect day for her.

Molasses Reef, Key Largo

http://www.pennekamppark.com/

When I moved to Miami from Argentina 12 years ago, one of my first experiences was getting my diving certification. For a semi-adventurous person, this is a must do in the Keys. Key Largo is home to the best reef diving in the United States and ranks tops for some of the best reefs in the world. One of my favorites in Key Largo is Molasses reef, and it was my first dive. I was on Uncle Steve's boat and with my husband DT at 5:30 p.m.; the sun was sitting low but bright, the ocean was very calm, with good visibility for at least 100 feet, and the water was as warm as bath water. This was perfect conditions for a picturesque dive that gave me my first sight of a green moray eel and nurse shark. The rock stars of almost any reef you dive in the Keys. The multi-colored reef line that is protected by conservation law is home to an abundance of fish and is truly remarkable. A must dive for any level of diver.

Underwater Hotel, Key Largo

http://www.jul.com/

My daughter, who has been certified since she was 10 years old, wanted to stay at Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo for her 13th birthday. Wow, how could we say no to such an awesome adventure and the perfect gift for any dive enthusiast.(like her parents and brother) We headed to Key Largo to celebrate and to dive in the 21 foot deep Emerald Lagoon where the underwater hotel rest. Prior to becoming an underwater hotel, it was the La Chalupa research laboratory and underwater habitat. Since it sets in a lagoon, currents and rough conditions are not an issue for this dive site and the habitat is plentiful of small marine life and sponge. Although, it does not offer the beauty of a reef dive, its attraction is the novelty of staying in the only underwater hotel in the United States and a diver can log 22 hours in one night! After diving in the lagoon for twenty minutes we enter the air-compressed hotel by a special moonpool into the wet room, where we changed into dry clothes and watched "Open Water." Soon, they brought us pizza, drinks, and a birthday cake. We didn't stay all night; instead, we did the four-hour stay option. After the movie and pizza, we were back into our equipment to finish our dive in the lagoon. We all enjoyed are adventure and I think it is a must for any diver looking for something different.

POSTED BY SUNSHINE GAL AT 3:38 PM