A Trip Down South

I don't think I've gone this long without blogging ever.  We just got back in town after a mini-vaca down in South Florida.  We were all geared up to head out early Friday morning and then found out that Kayla (the 16 year old girl visiting us) wasn't feeling well.  Her throat hurt really bad and considering Ollie had had strep earlier in the week we suspected that she had it too.  After a call to her momma on the west coast (very early for her), I decided to take her to the dr.  We ended up at the ER and her dad had to fax her insurance card as well as a letter giving the hospital permission to treat her.  We got to see our friend Dr. David who confirmed that she did indeed have strep.  So, we went home, ate lunch, and picked up her prescription and headed south.  We made it to the hotel around 6ish, Kayla decided to stay there and rest and the rest of us went to Bill Bagg State park where Ollie and the kids broke the rules by climbing over the sea wall and practicing snorkeling.  They saw some pretty cool things before we were asked to leave.  They were closing anyway but the ranger was truly shocked that they had gotten in the water right there.  In our defense there was nothing that said you could not swim there.  From there we found a Pollo Tropical and had some great cuban food and then back to the hotel.  While we were out I got a call from Kayla's mom that she might be having a reaction to her antibiotic.  She had some spots on her feet.  I had seen the spots and was pretty sure they were just skeeter bites.  But still picked up some Benadryl on the way home when we stopped to buy Joe shoes.  He had managed to leave the house for a two day trip with no shoes on.  Ugh!  We all got to bed very late and then woke up very early to drive to Pennikamp state park in Key Largo with the hopes of going snorkeling.  We were able to get on one of the first tours and were on the boat headed to the open ocean by 9 am.  I was pretty nervous, I am not a fan of swimming in the ocean when we were just at the beach.  Swimming in the open ocean? Scary.  We did it though.  All six of us.  We stopped at a place where there is supposedly a statue of Jesus underwater.  We didn't see it though.  We did see a lot of fish and coral though. AND--Grace and Ollie saw a shark!  Ollie said it was about 10 feet away from them.  I enjoyed the snorkeling more than I thought I would but if I do it again I'd like to go without four kids, one of them not mine!  The girls and I stuck together initially because Joe was having some issues with his snorkel and Ollie was helping him out.  We decided to swim out to where they said we could see the statue.  It was really hard!  There were small waves and I could only put my face in and swim a little ways before I popped up to count the girls around me and take a break from the snorkel.  It made me feel a little gaggy.  We went pretty far away from the boat before deciding to turn around.  The boat looked so far away and I thought we'd never make it back!  We were floating and resting when Ollie and Joe showed up.  I took Joe, Ollie took Grace and my group headed back to the boat.  On the way Hannah got saltwater in her eyes and had a mini freak out--in the open ocean, with me trying to keep up with Joe, Kayla, and her, with little swell after little swell causing some serious motion sickness for me.  It was a little crazy!  We finally made it back to the boat and I sat near the railing for the next ten minutes sure that I would be puking.  Everyone else got back on board and we headed for land, blessed land.  I didn't feel right the rest of the day but never did vomit.  It was an awesome experience and I'm so glad I did it.  I only have a few pics and I have to get them off of our video camera so I will share later.  I wish we had gotten an underwater camera although that would have been one more thing for me to juggle out there in the ocean.  After snorkeling, we spent some time on the beach and then out for lunch at Pollo Tropical again.  Then to the Fruit and Spice Park and then home!  We got in at about 10:30 last night.  Kayla's hives multiplied throughout the day and we will be picking up a new prescription for her this morning.  She was quite the trooper but I know she was glad to be "home."  Today, we go to church and rest!  Hopefully, I will get some pics posted from our adventures.