The Kinlaws Visit!

I haven't blogged in awhile because Krystal and Josh came to visit! So, we've been busy! YAY! We had so much fun :D

Krystal and Josh came in on the Wednesday before Memorial day. Little did we know that most of the groupons we had purchased for while they were here, couldnt be used during memorial day weekend :(  Either companies wouldnt let us use them or everything was booked up. I should have planned better- I still feel really bad about it :( We made the best of it anyways though!

Wednesday, I took a half day and picked them up from the airport.We grabbed John and then went straight to South Beach. Our first stop was Wet Willie's since they had never been with us. We had a yummy lunch and of course some delicious slushies! Then we went and laid out on the beach for a little bit, caught some sun and enjoyed the weather. When we came back Krystal surprised Carter with a really neat treat container with homemade treats! She also gave me some awesome NC State coasters she made! She is so thoughtful :D After, we took Carter for a walk and he got to play with another puppy named Buddha, he was part Pit- Krystal and Josh were really excited! Pits have a special place in their hearts :D When we got back we all hung out and talked for hours, it was nice to catch up and hang out like old times! We ordered pizza for dinner and then we all went to bed- were all exhausted and John had to work the next morning.

Thursday, I got up and took John to work in case we wanted to do something, but we were all so tired that we slept in and then lounged around and read our books. Haha. Krystal and I started a book together and for most of the trip we kept trying to catch up with each other. lol. A little later I took Krystal and Josh around campus, since they didnt get to see it while they were here last time. John came home while we were gone and since he was up so late and then up early for work, he took a nap. The rest of us showered and hung out for a bit and then woke him up. We had a groupon for a Cuban place- Savor Miami and we decided to do that for dinner. We drove all the way out to the place and found out that they are not open for dinner during the week- only Friday and Saturday- WHO IS ONLY OPEN FOR DINNER THOSE DAYS?! crazy. We decided on Scotty's Landing instead. We got great seats and looked at the boats. Krystal and Josh got seafood and John and I got burgers. Mine was stuffed (yes, stuffed!) with cheese and jalapenos. SO GOOD! Afterwards, we tried to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Miami Heat game and have some drinks, but the wait was ridiculous. We ended up trying a little place called Bougainvillas. We were all pretty wiped out still, so we ended up heading back after that and going to bed pretty early. We are getting so old!  

Scotty's Landing!

Friday, we got up, made some breakfast and packed for the beach. We went ahead and picked up John since he got off early and went back down to South Beach. It was Urban Weekend there for memorial day weekend, so we decided if we wanted to go back while they were here, Friday would be the last day we could go. There ended up being TONS of people over the weekend and they closed off streets- not our scene. Anyway, we went down to where the hotels have their lounge chairs and it's WAY less crowded. It was really nice! We didnt really have to share the beach with many people, the water was pretty, and we got a lot of sun- some of us too much (John!). After a few hours, we headed home and grilled out brats and made some twice baked potatoes- YUM. We also played some cornhole and relaxed.

Saturday, we lounged around some- Krystal and I read our books and the boys played Xbox. We made grilled cheese with avocado on them- SO GOOD! Then we decided to go bowling, since John and I had a free pass for up to 6 people. None of us had bowled in a LONG time. I didnt win :(. lol. After bowling we went back to the Cuban place for dinner. Driving there twice was TOTALLY worth it. The food was ridiculously amazing and there was TONS of it. The groupon we had came with a glass of wine each, 2 appetizers, and 4 entree's. The groupon was super cheap. We each got something different and tried each others. Seriously, all of the food was delicious. There was SO much that we were able to stuff ourselves and have another meal later. The food was incredibly cheap too. Talk about bang for your buck! John and I decided that we would definitely go back, at least a few times! It's kind of far, but the drive is worth it. We all got cafe con leche too (cuban coffee)- well Josh, John, and I did- Krystal is not a fan of coffee, but after telling her it would keep her up for hours and it's really small, she tasted it and we got her one too. We thought they were going to be like 3 or 4 bucks each- which is about what they are most places- nope! like 3 bucks for all 4! I love that place! We all left SO stuffed. We headed back home and had planned to take the metrorail downtown, but State was playing UNC in baseball, so we watched the end of the game. It ended up taking a LONG time for the game to finish and then we lost :(. It ended up being too late to take the metrorail, so we decided to just stay in. We played some games and hung out and stayed up WAY too late. haha. 

Bowling fun!

At Dinner- the inside was neat too and everyone was SO friendly!

 The guys :D

 Our cafe con leches, before Krystal got hers- so cute and little!

Sunday, we slept in and then got up and decided that we would go ahead and go to the Everglades! We had planned to go Monday, but it was such a nice day and we had the time that we decided we should go ahead and go. So we drove down there and stopped at the National Park Visitor Office. Apparently they need all kayaks back by 5pm. It was already 3 by the time we got there and the place that rented them was still an hour away :(. So we decided to hike some of the trails closer by. We drove to one spot and got out and sprayed ourselves with bug spray and sunscreen and loaded up my bag with everything we needed, then realized it wasnt that far of a "hike." haha. I dont even remember how far it was now, but after looking at everything- it took us probably an hour. We saw birds, fish, weird bugs, turtles, and alligators. I was walking down one of the bridges and all of the sudden there was an alligator in the water! It scared me to death! We ended up seeing about 3 alligators. The part of the bridge were we saw them dead-ended. When we were all on the end, one started moving onto the land! This one was in the direction of the way out- we were kind of scared to go past him. haha. Krystal was the fearless one! Then another one started to move to the ground behind us. I almost started crying I was so scared. We tiptoed past them. Thank goodness there was a rail, but I doubt that would really stop them/ When we finally made it away from them, it really wasnt a big deal anymore and we took some more pictures of them. But at first it was terrifying! I'm such a baby. We were seriously 3 feet from those things tho. Yikes! We ended up doing another trail, but it was wooded so there wasnt much to see. Overall, we had a good time! I'm glad we didnt kayak with them because I would have had a heart attack being in the water with them.

Checkin' out the facts about the Everglades at the visitor center

 SMILE!

 It was SO quiet out there

 Weird bugs- some kid walked around holding one...gross

 Turtle!

 The first alligator we saw!

 YIKES!

 The second- how scary do they look?!

 Then he moved to land..

 Fearless Krystal wanted a picture with him! Love this girl!

 Lots of Lily Pads! We really wanted to see a panther, but that didnt happen. I might have had a heart attack if we had though! haha

Sunday night we went out to one of John and mines favorite restaurants, Titanic. We knew they would like it since it's a local brew and they brew their own beer too! While we were there we found out it was karaoke night! John was joking around and said if they had Forgot about Dre- him and Josh would go sing it. I just had to go and check because he was certain they didnt- who has rap songs? WRONG! guess who sang karaoke! It was AWESOME! haha. So proud of them for doing that, because I am TOO shy to do that. haha. I didnt get any pictures of the karaoke- but I did get VIDEO! Oh man, my husband rapped in public..haha Click the link to see it!:  John and Josh Karaoke- Forgot About Dre

 Gangsta mode!

After Titanic we took them to Yardhouse for a few drinks and then headed back to the apartment to hang out and play games.

Monday, we slept in and then headed to a different beach. Everything was crowded, but we thought maybe Crandon Park Beach wouldnt be that bad- wrong. We still had a good time though. There is enough space on that beach to play bocce ball, so we laid out and played a few rounds of that before heading back. When we got back, we were all starving so I made some YUMMY nachos! Then we played some cornhole and cooked dinner. On the menu that night was ribs, asparagus, and mac and cheese! it was amazing. The rest of the evening we hung out and started making plans for our next big get together, which will be State's first game in the GA Dome! SO EXCITED! :D 

It's always sad to see friends go, but we were so glad to have them here. I know I always say this, but it really makes being here easier. It's nice to have a piece of home down here. Plus, they are our best friends, so we always have a good time! We love them so much and cant wait to see them again! which will be in July, then Sept, then Oct, then Nov, then Dec. HAHA SCORE! ;D