The Sun Sets On Florida

Good news...I finally decided to stop sitting by the pool and catch up on my blogging. And not just with VIDEO CLIPS, highlighting the varied talents of our cast members. (Don't MAKE me re-post the percussion magic...)
So anyway...we had a great time in Boca. It's hard to believe that our 10 days there are done. Out of all of shows in Coral Springs, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, the audience of students in West Palm Beach this morning were the BEST! They were off the charts! Clapping...singing...whooping and hollering... One of those cheesy days that reminds us WHY we love doing what we're doing!
SO...let's take a look back at the highlights of this past weekend in Southern Florida. (BESIDES the fact that there was a Coldstone Creamery 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel.)

The sun sets on our time in Florida...

-My good friend, Nate Stansfield, flew out to visit from Salt Lake City. Nate and I met in Korea and have been friends for 11 years or so. His family was stationed in the military over in Seoul while I was teaching English...and we all met at church. I've loved the Stansfield Family since their home in Seoul became 'Little America' to me. Nate is the friend who is responsible for my 'Almost Death' in Hawaii on Manoa Falls. But that's another story. So Nate had some free time, and a free ticket, and he came out to Boca. It was SO great to see him and spend some time catching up with him. And all the girls were sweet on him, too. (They can't be FAR off, since he was one of Cosmo's 2004 50 Hunkiest Men in the USA. Nate was Utah. I was in the running for Idaho...but I wasn't living in the state at the time.) Thanks for coming to Florida, Nate! Congrats on the new job!

L-R: Jill, Nate, Elisa, Me and Jackie.

-Friday, after our shows and an afternoon at the pool, a few of us piled in Nate's rental car and headed up to Palm Beach, FL. We were going to check out the RITZY shopping district called Worth Avenue. That turned out to be a bust. EVIDENTLY, rich people don't shop after 5pm on Fridays. Everything was closed. Our back-up plan was to find a restaurant on Worth Avenue and have dinner. But since the 4 restaurants ON Worth required each of us to take out a small loan...we opted out of that plan, too. That took us to Plan C - drive down Ocean Drive, back towards Boca, and find somewhere to eat. And after a scenic tour of the biggest houses I have EVER seen, we arrived at Del Ray Beach and found a nice place to eat. (We did have a quick disappearance of Nate...for about 30 minutes...but he showed back up. Something about Cosmo fans stopping him everywhere he goes...blah blah blah....) It was a great night.

Sunset on Ocean.

Scenes from the beach near Worth Avenue. Yeah. Pretty much beautiful.

So we didn't actually STOP to take pictures of any of said houses...but here's a couple of drive-by shots. HUGE.

Some of the girls were plum tuckered out during our drive.

Umm....soooo.....does anyone else find this disturbing?

-Saturday was a day off, and so a few of us piled BACK into Nate's rental car and took a ROAD TRIP to the Miami area. Specifically, look out SOUTH BEACH, here we come. For those of you who have been there and really liked it, I'd love to hear why. To me, South Beach was something I'm glad I saw, especially since I was already in the area, but something that I just couldn't process. It was like the first 20 minutes of the movie Moulin Rouge...COMPLETE sensory overload! We walked around, ate, snapped some photos, did some shopping, watched people and finally crawled back in the car and hit 95 North back to Boca Raton.

Here's the REAL reason we hit South Beach! The Mexicans know how to party...

A little shopping-time in South Beach.

A look at the main drag, Ocean Drive, in South Beach.

BEWARE the South Beach Preacher Man. Jackie, Elisa and Eric watch, in stunned silence...

Celebrities ABOUND in South Beach. Nate catches Mr. Clause on his summer hiatus.

For fans of 'the show', you'll be happy to know I found it! The actual 8th & Ocean.

Our visit to the actual beach of South Beach. Where tops, we learned, are options. 2 out of 4 pictures above have a topless portion.

Elisa and Eric both enjoy their afternoon at the beach.

L: Jackie, me, Elisa and Eris posing as we leave South Beach. R: Nate hops IN and I hop OUT to photograph.

From the MAB&WC

I know the looks don't come through on film as bad on as they are in person...but I wanted you to get atleast a taste of the things I saw. So we did some drive my shootings and walk-by shootings, and now my eyes are burning.

WHAT? Jackie is asleep AGAIN? What a surprise....

-Today, at our 2nd show with the crazy kids, our good friend, Torg came to see the show and after we were done at the theater and the show was loaded out, we all went to lunch at O'Sheas Irish Pub before we left town. Always great to see Torg...and always great to try out another Irish Pub around the country!

Everyone kickin' it at Oshea's for lunch.

Torg and Emily just showing their friendship!

Tonight, we're in Leesburg, FL. It's halfway to nowhere. We stopped here on our journey out of Florida, up to Memphis. Tomorrow, we have a 9 hour driving day...and still only get to Dalton, GA. But soon, we will be kickin' it, Elvis-Style, at Graceland and on Beale Street.

I can't help falling in love with you...
Gussy