New Year's in Key West!

...aka the most AMAZING vacation ever.

(Disclaimer: I tried not to include nine billion pictures, but it's hard to pick my favorites so I pretty much failed. I think I took about 300 pictures of just the sunsets, so I did narrow it down!)

I am so bummed to be home, where the wind chill is making the temperatures feel sub-freezing. It's unbearable! It's almost impossible to believe that a little more than 24 hours ago I was on the beach!

Brian and I left home at 3 a.m. to catch our flight to Atlanta, and then hop on a smaller plane to Key West. When we got to Florida, we decided to try to check in to our hotel a couple of hours early. They didn't have any of the rooms we booked available yet, so we got upgraded for free! On the back of the door, the room rate was $1,000(!) per night. Needless to say, that is not what we paid!

The suite had a couch, a desk, two TVs, and a neat glass shower.  We even had a little balcony off of our bedroom overlooking the hotel's pool. What a great start to our trip...thanks, check-in lady!

As soon as we got settled and dropped off our luggage, we got to exploring! I absolutely loved Key West. The island is only about 4 miles long and everything is easily accessible, so we didn't have to rent a car. We got around on bikes, which was so fun and one of my favorite parts of our vacation!

We made sure to see the famous landmarks in Key West, including the buoy at the Southernmost Point of the Continental USA...

...and Mile 0, the beginning and end of U.S. Route 1, which goes all the way up to Maine!

Key West is also known for its chickens. Yes, chickens. They randomly wander the island, so every now and then we would hear a "cock-a-doodle-do"! Maybe I'm dumb because I totally didn't know this, but a rooster is a male chicken!

Brian and I were blessed with beautiful weather every day that we were in Key West. We woke up each morning and ate breakfast by the pool, and then set out to the beach! We spent our days at Smathers Beach and Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. Ft. Taylor is on the gulf side of the island, and the water was so blue! Brian and I had to keep reminding ourselves that it was the end of December, because it certainly didn't feel like it. Palm trees with Christmas lights were probably the only reminder that it was the middle of winter!

Key West is nicknamed "the home of the sunset," and watching the sun go down every night is a huge celebration, especially at Mallory Square! It definitely did not disappoint, and we made sure to make an event of it every night we were there.

One night, we took a sunset cruise on the tallest schooner in Key West. We drank wine while we sailed off into the sunset, and coming back we enjoyed a stargazing demonstration. Definitely another one of my favorite things about this vacation!

We also got to try out some amazing restaurants, including the original Margaritaville, Jack Flats, Willie-T's, Old Town Mexican Cafe, and, my personal favorite, the Southernmost Beach Cafe (which was really casual, but had the best view, the best food, and the best drinks we had in Key West).

On New Year's Eve, Brian and I watched the last sunset of 2009 from the beach at Ft. Taylor...

...and then braved the crazy crowds on Duval Street to see a conch shell drop from the top of Sloppy Joe's Bar to mark the beginning of 2010!

New Year's in Key West is absolutely insane. I've never been to  Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but that's what it reminded me of. The street was packed, there were beads everywhere, and Brian and I definitely saw some interesting things! We watched the conch shell drop, but at another bar on Duval, a drag queen in a huge high heel drops to mark the new year! We decided to stick to the "tamer" part of the street...if you could even call it that. :)

It was so nice to ring in 2010 together and share a kiss at midnight on New Year's for the first time!

I've never been sadder to see the end of a vacation. I could have spent another week there, and maybe more! Key West was amazing, and I think Brian and I want to go back ASAP. I definitely understand why birds fly south for the winter! Hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's...Happy 2010!