My most recent trip (other than the quick 2 days to Santa Fe) was to beautiful, tropical Miami. My friend Janeska & her boyfriend Josh live there. She was driving back from her also native Texas & offered me a ride, I couldn't resist.

We drove a journey of 24 hours without sleep but arrived safely...well, I did get pulled over for going 40 MPH over the limit not far from our destination.  Luckily the officer was kind enough, after threatening jail (Florida's lawmakers don't mess around!), to let us continue on.

Ever since mãe (that's mother in Portuguese) put me in swim lessons at a very early age, it has been extremely difficult to keep me away from the water, it is not any easy task. When I am not there, I dream about it day and night (not exaggerating).

Miami is everything I had always imagined it being! It has the culture, music, parties, cuisine, weather, but most importantly the beach.
Did I mention there was a hurricane passing by the first few days I was there?

The first night, after recovering from the drive, we picked up Floyd and decided to head to South Beach so I could experience the whole feel and get a big taste of Miami lifestyle.

We decided on The Clevelander where a good friend of the gang works. I have never seen cigars being sold in a bar so it was only necessary to request a picture.

After job searching and apartment hunting the next few days, it was time to take a trip to Key West for a few days (i'll describe that adventure in another post).

We wake up to pack, waiting on Josh to arrive from work, when we smell something burning. We scramble around trying to find the curling iron or kitchen problem when Floyd looks out the door and the hallway is filling with smoke! We all freak out, grab our valuables and run out the door. Within minutes the hallway was completely seduced by the black smoke and was very hard to breathe. We get outside and wait over an hour for the firemen to put the fire out. Going back up to pack for our trip we discover the fire was just a few doors down. I am extremely thankful the entry sprinkler was the only one to go off in the apartment. After things are taken care of we finally set off for Key West for a few days of adventure. 

After arriving back in Miami the next few days included working out on the beach, relaxing, sunbathing, and lots of wandering.  Exploring is my favorite thing to do, and I will take up any adventure crossing my path!

Lincoln Rd Mall was on my list, so we went for the day to do a tad bit of shopping. 

It was a must to see DASH and ponder around to try and find something I could afford however, a simple logo tee was $50!

I also passed by the famous Miami Ink.

Then it was Halloween. We ventured downtown for a bit, the bars were nearly empty so we went on a quest for the party on Lincoln Rd and had success!

My last night in Miami we hit up The Clevelander once more for the last hurrah's. How ironic they were having a Brazilian party all Carnaval theme! After Eric got off work we strolled over to Mango's to get a little dancing in before the night fell into morning. 
 
I stayed in Miami for about a week and a half, contemplated on even coming back to Texas, but got a last minute interview scheduled the day after my flight so I decided to come on back. Might I add I regret not staying.


XOXO
M