Good-Bye Miami, Hello Minnesota

Before we left Miami we got to spend a lot of time with friends. Here is Alex with her two little friends Kara and Kaya. We're so glad we got to spend time with them while we we're in Miami. It's so nice to have friends in a new city. Kara and Kaya's dad is a semester ahead of Keith in med school. He is doing some rotations in Miami and is planning to finish them off in Atlanta. Atlanta is one of the places we want to go too so hopefully we will be able to see them again, along with many of our other friends we met while in Dominica.

Homeless Voice

The day before I left I saw someone going around to cars at a red light and he had a Homeless Voice vest on, but he didn't have any newspapers so I rolled down my window to ask him about it. Apparently they we're out of newspapers and he gave me a few fliers instead and I donated 1.00. After looking into the newspaper a little more it seems like a great program. All the profits go to a shelter for the homeless and they employ the homeless to sell the newspaper.

I've seen an article about some towns trying to get them off their street because they don't want them hassling drivers and passengers for money. I don't know what they mean by "hassling" because I see them all the time and nobody has ever "hassled" me. If you can't read the fliers you can click on the picture and it will open the picture up in another page.

We are back home in MN now! It was a loooooong drive! We did it non stop. We left Miami at about four thirty in the late afternoon and finally got to my parents house about nine pm the following night. If we would of stayed in a hotel it would of taken more money and three days! Keith and I just traded off every few hours and drank lots and lots of caffeine!

Some Recent Videos

Here are some videos that I've uploaded to my youtube page:
This first video is of Alex and her friend Kara playing pretend at their pool in the Brickell area. They are sooo cute and Alex is so dramatic when she is pretending to read a book to hello kitty.

This next one is a short video of a crocodile monitor at the Miami Zoo:

The last video is the view of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, from the lighthouse. This is such a beautiful beach! I loved it!

Another Day at the Miami Zoo

Yesterday Alex and I went to the Miami Zoo again. It will be our last time. We've been here so many times before that I didn't take a lot of pictures of the animals unless they we're doing something fun. I did take a couple of videos that I will have to upload and post at a later date because I don't have time. We are packing to move back to Minnesota for a few months!

I've added some pics to the Miami Zoo set in Picasaweb. Click below to view the pictures:

2010-1-23 Miami Metro Zoo

Another Common Sight in Miami

The man above is one of the many homeless people in Miami. He is holding a sign that says: "Homeless, any help would be appreciated". When the light turns red he walks up and down the rows of cars with an empty cup for the drivers to put their change. There are a few of them that work this interesection and they are a common sight at the interesections of Miami. Not all of them carry signs, some of them sell juices and water and some of them sell "The Homeless Voice", a newspaper put out by the homeless of Miami. The Homeless Voice is a member of the North American Street Newspaper Association. I haven't bought a copy yet but I want to get one before I leave. I don't see them selling them a lot so I will have to try and seek them out. They are based out of Broward County and since I'm in Miami-Dade that is probably why I don't see it a whole lot.

Caution-- Manatee Area

One of the things I miss about Dominica is walking. I walked everywhere because we didn't have a car. If you know me, you know that I have my camera with me everywhere I go. So in Dominica I would stop and take a picture of one of the many rainbows I saw, or maybe a cow in the drive-thru of the KFC. Unfortunately, here in Miami, I can't do that because I'm driving.

I drive by this "Caution Manatee Area" sign everyday (and I drive by slowly because there is so much traffic here!). There is a sign on both sides of the bridge and many of the homes in the area have boats docked in this area. Everytime I drive by I always try to look for Manatee's but since I'm driving I'm never there long enough to take a good look. Keith and Jason drive by there when they have to go to the Hyatt for class and Keith is always the passenger and he tells me he has seen them. He see's them all the time!

So today when I took Alex to school I stopped (because of traffic) and took a picture. I only have few days left here so I hope I get to see one!

If your unfamiliar about Florida's Manatee's-- here's a website:
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/manatee.php#

South Beach

Today Alex and I went to South Beach with Lily, Min and their two children, Kara and Kaya. The girls had so much fun playing in the sand! The traffic on the other other hand was not so fun. With it being a holiday weekend it was pretty congested and parking was a hassle too.

Click below to see the pics I took today and further down is a video I took:

South Beach x2

Miami-Dade County Fair

Alex and I met up with Lily, Min, and their two children, Kara and Kaya at the Miami-Dade County Fair today. It was a perfect day for the fair! The kids went on rides and had soooo much fun! Alex has always been terrified of rides and today was the first time she went on rides without me (with the exception of the giant slide). I think it helped to have some brave little friends along. I really wished Keith could of come along because today was Alex's first roller coaster ride, swing ride, and a bunch of other rides. Below is a video I put together of Alex and her friends on all the rides and below that is the link to all the pictures I took. Check it out.

miami-dade county fair

Easter Egg Hunt

Earlier in the week when we we're at the Library I decided to sign Alex up for an Easter Egg Hunt they we're having at the Pinecrest Gardens. Alex's friends, Kara and Kaya, signed up too. Alex was sooooo excited!! The night before she actually wanted to go to bed because she knew she would be going on the Easter Egg hunt when she woke up. And of course the first thing she said in the morning was, "let's go to the Easter Egg Hunt!".

We got there a little early, luckily, because the line was long and the parking lot was full. I'm glad I signed up ahead of time because we already had our wristbands to get in, so we didn't have to wait in the mile long line! We went right to the Easter Egg Hunt for the 4-6 year olds. I was a little worried because they told me that I couldn't go in there with Alex. She was going to have to do it alone! I didn't think she would go but she did! She held onto her friend Kara's hand and went right in. Apparently last year they had a problem with parents pushing the kids around so they we're letting the parents in this year. Alex got more than a dozen eggs and was so excited to look inside them.

She is ready for her next egg hunt that will be at school this next Thursday. Of course she wants to have one again when she sees grandpa and nanna.

Click below to see pictures and scroll further down to see a video of the egg hunt.

Easter Egg Hunt

Jungle Island

This past Wednesday, I went with Alex and her classmates on a field trip to Jungle Island. Here is Alex above with her little friend, Kara, who also went to school with her in Dominica.

Before going on the trip I decided to meet Kara's mom, Lily, for some Cuban coffee and breakfast empanada's in the morning while the kids we're at school. Cuban Coffee is basically espresso with milk and sugar. I also had a cheese and guava empanada which was sooo delicious! They sell Empanada's everywhere here, coffee shops, grocery store deli's.. they are so good!

After coffee and breakfast we went back to the daycare to pick up the kids and follow the school bus to Jungle Island. The kids had so much fun. We watched a bird show and a reptile show, then had lunch and let the kids play on the playground for a while before heading home. This was Alex and my second time here so we really didn't feel the need to stick around. I have a few videos attached below of some of the birds we saw.

Stegosaurus Puzzle

Here is a video of Alex this past weekend at the Miami Science Museum. She is doing a Stegosaurus puzzle! She loves dinosaurs and wants to become a Paleontologist!

Cool-de-sac Play Cafe

This past Saturday Keith and I decided to take Alex to check out the "Brain Fair" at the Science Museum. It was a bit crowded so we didn't spend much time in that section of the museum. Alex did color a "Brain".


After that we left and went to the Cool-De-Sac Cafe in South Miami's Sunset's Place Mall. This place is really neat- check out their website. I really wish Minnesota had a place like this. It is an indoor play place for kids- they have everything from a play gym, to dress-up, computers with games, and Thomas the train sets, etc. They also had a full menu with wine so adults can go and relax with a nice meal while the kids are off playing.


The next day a friend called me and asked me to meet her there so Alex and I went back while Keith stayed home and studied. Alex had so much fun playing with her friend, Kara! They really enjoyed playing in the tubes! After playtime we decided to go out to eat instead of eating there (it is a little expensive). So we went to a place called "Five Guys, Burgers, and Fries". It's a chain that they have here in Miami and in other cities. Let me tell you the burgers were really really good!!!

Video of Alex and her Scooter

I forgot to post this on the blog- it's a video of Alex on her new Scooter. She loves it!

Another video I had not put on here is from the Miami Zoo and is of the Asian Elephants:

Miami Metro Zoo

Yesterday we went to the Miami Metro Zoo with a friend we knew from Dominica. The Zoo is so big that we decided to rent a cart/bike. Even though we we're there for 4 hours we didn't see the whole park. Alex had fun though! She went on a camel ride (I posted the video yesterday), rode the Merry-Go-Round, fed the giraffes, and saw lots and lots of animals! This time she wasn't scared of the Gorillas! I added more pictures to my "Miami Zoo" set on Picasaweb. Click below to see the pictures:

2010-1-23 Miami Metro Zoo

Today I forgot to dress up Alex in green for St. Patty's Day! Oh well, at least they we're putting on green nail polish at school. It sounds like they have a lot planned. They are going to eat green eggs for lunch and they are making green rice krispy bars!

Video of Alex at the Miami Metro Zoo

Miami Art Museum with Alex

This past Saturday was a family free fun day at the Miami Art Museum. So Alex and I went. We got to see the art exhibits upstairs which I thought was neat (from what I was able to see). Alex unfortunately was a little scared of one of the exhibits at the top of the steps so that was about as far as we got! I thought this particular exhibit was cool. I really wish I could of taken a picture of it but Alex would not let me set her down and would not let me near it. It was a made with a bunch of anchors. Click here to see a pic of it.

After that we went downstairs where they had a painting party for the kids. Alex made three paintings and went home with some watercolors! She just loves painting and doing art projects! She had a great time!

Below is a video of her painting:

Videos from Miami Seaquarium

Here are the two videos I took:

Miami Seaquarium and South Beach

Yesterday we spent the day at the Miami Seaquarium. It was a little cool out but it was still fun to watch the shows and see the sea animals. The kids had a fun time too. My favorite show was the Killer Whale show. Alex's favorite was the Dolphin show!

Yesterday was also my birthday so we went out to dinner at Mamajuana Cafe restaurant in Coral Gables. I ordered the Salmon which I thought was really good! Keith and my dad ordered the pork which they thought was way too much. I think their one meal could of fed all of us. We felt guilty not being able to eat it all. You'll have to check out the picture I took of Keith with his meal to see what I mean.

My family leaves today at 8pm (flying out of Fort Myers) so this morning after breakfast we went to South Beach. I have lived here for a few months and haven't gone there, even though it is a short drive. I wish I would of gone earlier because this is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. There was so much white sand and the water was clear blue! The beach went on for miles, as far as I could see. There we're so many shops and restaurants with outside seating! It was just so beautiful. We saw the Art-Deco area which is really an architecture which was kind of neat. We also drove by Versace's old house which is now a hotel, they call it The Villa by Barton G. Click below to see pictures. I'm also working on uploading videos from the seaquarium that I will post on here in the next day or two.

miami seaquarium and south beach

Historical Museum of Southern Florida

Well, we were planning on going to the Miami Seaquarium today but the weather reports weren't looking too good so we decided to do something inside. I looked on the internet for something for us to do and we ended up at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. I had never been there before and when we showed up we saw that the Miami-Dade Public Library and the Miami Art Museum we're all in the same location. So I got a pass for 10.00 to go to the Historical Museum and the Art Museum and there is no expiration date. They just happened to have a "Crime in Miami" exhibition going on that was really interesting. I wish I could of spent more time there but Alex and Zoe we're running all over the place. They had fun but weren't interested in reading all the plaques. The museum had a little booking station, fingerprint area, and line up area that the kids enjoyed.

After it rained the weather cleared up and the kids went swimming. Tomorrow we are planning to check out the Miami Seaquarium. It may be a little chilly but Zoe and the grandparents really want to go there.

Jungle Island, Little Haiti, and Little Havana

Yesterday we went to Jungle Island. Jungle Island is an animal park near the Children's Museum and near where the cruise ships come in. They mainly have tigers, monkeys, and alligators. Luckily I just happened to go on a day where they we're offering an annual pass with an admission ticket. So now Alex and I have annual passes for the science museum, the zoo, and now Jungle Island.

Alex and Zoe had such a great time! We saw lots of beautiful birds up close! They got to pet some big tortoises and baby kangaroos. We also saw a tiger show and a cute to creepy show where they showed monkeys and snakes. The kids really loved the shows! One bummer though was that someone stole our stroller as we watched the second show! Luckily we we're able to get another one. The park was a little smaller than I expected and I also felt the ticket prices we're a little high. But the park was packed full of people so I guess the ticket prices don't keep people from coming. I'm sure it helps being near a cruise ship port.

Today we drove to Little Havana and stopped at a cafe for some Cuban coffee. Cuban coffee is basically just espresso with cream and sugar in it. Very strong and very good! Little Havana in Miami is also referred to as Calle Ocho-- since it is located on 8th street. Today was also the first time I encountered someone who didn't speak English so I got to practice my Spanish speaking skills. After Little Havana we drove to Little Haiti. Little Haiti was not so pretty. It looked like a very depressed area. So we decided not to stop there. We headed up to Broward County and stopped at a Korean market in Sunrise, Florida. Lily, another Ross spouse here had told me about it and had picked me up some thinly sliced pork. Keith loved it so much that I had to go back and pick up a bunch more. Now that is all he wants to eat everyday of the week!

Afterwards we headed home and I took the kids to the park for a while. Then Alex got to go to Grandpa and Nanna's hotel room for a sleepover with Zoe. I hope she gets enough sleep tonight!!

I took a ton of pictures from the last day. Click below for pictures:

Jungle Island- Miami florida