West Palm Beach

Friday after work we flew down to West Palm Beach for a weekend of fun in the sun, continuing this summer's slew of amazing mini-vacations! Saturday morning we woke up bright and early, rented scuba equipment, and headed out with Dayton's brother on his boat for a couple dives. The water was very smooth, the weather absolutely perfect, and the sea life bright and plentiful! Our first site was an old Greek ship wreck about 90 feet down, where we saw tons of angel fish, grouper, trumpet fish, and tangs, Dannny's favorites! Next we headed just a couple miles over to a ledge area, where the reef life was abundant. We saw tons of little puffers, box fish, wrasse, parrot fish, and lion fish hidden in the corals. At our safety stop on the way back up there was a huge silver jelly fish glistening nearby. Danny could give you a more detailed synopsis with his keen knowledge of all things that swim. However, I can say that we were impressed with the variety and size of the marine life we saw, surprisingly better than our latest dive in the Dominican Republic. After we'd used up all the air on the boat we parked it at The Old Key Lime House just in time to see UF's first kickoff of the season. While still being partial to Auburn I can say that this "gator bar" was one of the coolest places to watch a game! Open air, on the water, and everyone cheering for the same team! Great food, drink specials; it was a nice way to spend the afternoon and get us pumped up for the start of football season. After cleaning up and a nice steak dinner at the Demmery's house we met our friends Shannon and Randy downtown to enjoy the nightlife on Clematis for a few hours.

Sunday after church and lunch with Dayton's family we met up again with our Atlanta friends at The Marriott's Vacation Club to spend some time at the beach and at the pool. Shannon's mom hosted a cookout at her house for dinner, and we attempted to play Trivial Pursuit (copyright 1981) during the evening thunderstorm. Monday we slept late (and believe me, we needed it after two exhausting days) and then Dayton drove us around glitzy Palm Beach so I could drool at the spectacular ocean front homes, including Donald Trump's estate, which has a "gold room" where everything is in fact made of gold. Obviously we didn't get to see that in person but I believe our trusty tour guide's description, as there was in fact a gold tower visible to those passing by.

We thoroughly appreciated the long weekend to be able to explore such a beautiful city, as well as Dayton's parents for providing us with a wonderful all-inclusive stay! Once again we are so thankful for great friendships, and the opportunities God presents to enjoy this life He has given us!