As promised on Tuesday, today is part two of my vacation spam…
THE STORY
…In Tuesday’s post, I just gave you general rundown of our vacation. We of course enjoyed a ton of excellent food (conch fritters anyone?), and some quality lounging in the pool time, but today I wanted to share two of my very favorite things that we did in Key West; visiting the Key West Butterfly Conservatory and going out on an evening cruise to see the dolphins, snorkel and watch the sunset. These two activities were definitely what memories are made of.
As soon as I walked into the Key West Butterfly Conservatory I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It’s no secret that I am no fan of insects and flying creatures, but butterflies are the exception. You’ll find them throughout my house in the decor, and I will follow after a butterfly when I see one like I would a puppy. I’ve been to other butterfly conservatories before, but the sheer number of butterflies in Key West was breathtaking.
They were flitting around everywhere; there were literally little clouds of butterflies that would surround you. I know that I looked like a little kid…I kept stopping and turning around in slow circles making all kinds of ooohhing and awwwing sounds…lol! I simply couldn’t help myself, there were so many and they were so beautiful it was hard for the eyes and brain to process it all. The conservatory also is home to a pair of flamingos named Rhett and Scarlett. They too were beautiful, but kinda freaked me out a little because you know, birds.
That same day we took a late afternoon cruise to “the dolphin’s playground”. And my friends, they did not disappoint! We found a pod of dolphins and then the boat was stopped and we just hung out with them. I got a few photos (none of them do it justice) and a short snippet of video which I shared on my Instagram stories, but I didn’t have my phone in hand for long because I simply wanted to watch, enjoy and be fully in the experience. Pictures are nice, but sometimes it’s so much more important to be completely in the moment.
If you ever get the opportunity to experience dolphins in their natural habitat, do it! They are such gorgeous gentle creatures. They swam right up to the boat and popped their sweet faces up to look at us. They played and jumped out of the water just like you see in movies and t.v. shows. There was even a much smaller baby in the pod; I told my daughter it was like seeing a puppy but in the water!
After we left the dolphins to go about their dolphin business we went snorkeling. My daughter had never been before, so watching her experience it for the first time was even better than the snorkeling itself. I’ve snorkeled before in the Bahamas, but this time they had us slide skinny pool noodles underneath our flotation vests. At first I thought that was a little redundant, but the actual reason was to help your body stay more level with less work while you had your face down in the water…it was pretty genius really.
We of course got to look at the coral reef up close, the various tropical fish and we also happened upon a lobster. This wasn’t your typical lobster though, it was actually pretty terrifying. Lobsters aren’t attractive creatures to begin with, but this bad boy definitely wasn’t winning any deep sea beauty contests. The boat captain explained to me that the lobsters that live off of Key West don’t look like your typical Maine lobster as they don’t have claws and their antennas look more like medieval weapons…take a gander at this beast and tell me it wouldn’t make you take pause if you ran into one…
Finally, the sunset over the water was incredible. The clouds weren’t necessarily feeling super cooperative that evening, but getting the chance to watch the sun quietly slip beyond the horizon to make way for evening while out on the water was definitely an awesome experience. It was one of those moments that serves as a reminder to simply slow down every once in awhile and take in the beauty that the world has to offer.
THE OUTFIT
I lusted after this floral boho maxi dress on Amazon for quite awhile before I went ahead and ordered it. I only hesitated because of the length (my elfin height makes longer dresses challenging) and the bust. Since it has no stretch I wasn’t sure what size to go with that would both accommodate the girls and not be too long. After much reading of reviews and internal debate I went with a medium which is typically what I wear. Lucky me, it fit perfectly. It’s a nice lightweight fabric so it’s floaty and soft and it honestly wasn’t too warm for the hot Key West temperatures.
The colors are vivid and beautiful, and as you can see above, bright enough to attract butterflies! It is low cut in the front, but I could have worn it without the bralette had I wanted too. However, and this is a big however, the back and sleeves are also cut deep so going with nothing would not be an option, unless of course you’re cool with having the girls out in the world. A regular bra wouldn’t work, as it is visible in the low v back so you’ll want either a pretty bralette or cami. Because of the back v, the ideal bralette would have been one with a lacy racerback since that is the area predominantly on display.
While this particular floral boho maxi dress was perfect for a tropical destination, it’s also comfortable and casual enough that I can see myself reaching for time and again this summer. As with many of my summer dresses I’ll probably be wearing it in the cooler weather too. The sleeves aren’t bulky so I’ll be able to throw a cozy pullover sweater on top, add leggings or tights and a pair of boots and it will be good to go.
I finished it off with my brown strappy sandals because as I said in Tuesday’s post, I packed light and these were the sandals that I took for more dressed up looks. I kept the jewelry light too opting for just simple hoop earrings and a light necklace. If it weren’t so hot outside, a belt would be a perfect addition to up the style factor even more.
THE TIP
One does not typically think Amazon when shopping for clothing, but they have really stepped up their game in that area. I have purchased many pieces from Amazon in the last few months, for example this jumpsuit which I have in two colors as well this dress and the backpack/purse I bought for vacation.
As with everything, they feature a wide variety of sellers, but they also have their own in house brands too. The reviews and question/answer section are a godsend; I recommend reading them carefully to get an idea in regard to sizing and quality because just like anywhere, the seller descriptions aren’t always completely accurate. I’ve had to exchange a few items and the return process has been easy as well.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Dress: Amazon; Sandals: Similar; Bralette: Similar
