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Monday, March 28, 2011

Living it up in LBK Part 4

If you didn't catch the beginning of the honeymoon:
We relaxed on a private beach and shopped: Part I
Visited with Harry Potter: Part II
Jet Skiing and Sunburns: Part III

On our last day of the honeymoon we got lazy - very lazy.  My fair skin couldn't take the strong Florida sun in July - and that was with already have a base tan and wearing lots of sunscreen.  I was so uncomfortable that I didn't want to put on any clothes that would touch my sunburn, which was on my hands, my arms and shoulders, my thighs, and a little on my stomach.  Needless to say I was not a happy camper.

The original plan had been to go kayaking in one of the many nature reserves in the area.  I think we might have already made a reservation, but upon waking up I knew that I did not want to be in the sun and did not want to move much.  So, we cancelled and decided to escape the sun and heat by seeing a movie.

It may seem lame that we were in Florida and had so many options of things to do, but the air conditioning and dark theater were awesome!  We even ate at Subway for lunch!  I just was not in mood to be adventurous at all.  That morning I don't think I even woke up until noon, which was the first time I had gotten any kind of sleep since like a week before the wedding, so we got a late start to begin with.  But since it is my honeymoon I can be as lazy as I want!

After the movie I was feeling better and it since the theater was a bit north up the coast we got to drive through the rest of Longboat Key and some of the neighboring towns.  There were some more beautiful beaches and views, and lots of large vacation homes.  We explored a bit of the area.

Another reason we didn't mind going to the movie, was the restaurant we wanted to go to for dinner was really close to it.  It was called Starfish, and if we hadn't been clued in to its greatness I am not sure we would have ever found it.

First, it was set back in a residential neighborhood.  I thought we were lost, but the sign on the main road pointed in this direction.
When we finally got there, we parked in the gravel parking lot and saw this tiny building that was a fish market.

We slowly walked up to it and saw a sign that pointed to the back for the restaurant. It was surprising to get back there and see a dock, a few wooden picnic tables, and a counter to order at.  This was not what we had expected to find, especially since the hubby family was raving about this place.

But we grabbed our picnic table, looked over the menu, and hubby went up to the counter to order our food. While we waited we took in the sights of boats coming in and dogs running around begging for food.  I even considered trying to get on one of the tours that was leaving right from our restaurant, but it is already getting late.

 The food came in to-go cardboard boxes, and the soda was out of the can.  It was so good.  Simple but good.  Nothing like eating fresh seafood right on a dock!

Afterwards we headed back to the private beach to play around for a little bit and try to be there for the entire sunset.






The sunset was not as clear as the night before - some clouds got in the way.  But it was still beautiful.


We sat out there on the dock for a bit looking at the sunset and just thinking about how much fun our honeymoon had been.  It was our first real vacation together with no one else tagging along.  The evening ended with a quick run to Ben and Jerry's.

Then back to the house to clean up a bit and get ready for our flight out of Tampa in the morning.

I loved Longboat Key and the time we spent there.  It was so peaceful and relaxing, but there was so much to do!  We are pretty active people who like to explore so it was a perfect location for us.  I am glad we decided to go there instead of some grand trip somewhere out of the country.  There was less pressure, and we were able to afford to do more since we didn't have to pay for housing or airfare! It was the perfect honeymoon and could not have asked for a better time with my new hubby!

Well, that was honeymoon #1.  Yes, we had a second honeymoon!  I can't wait to tell this story so make sure you check back for that later!

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