A very good day

We were greeted by this......and this...It was Uncle Shawn's boat, waiting to take us out for a ride on a gorgeous winter day in South Florida. January 2, 2012 couldn't have been more perfect weather-wise. The sun was shining and the winds were calm. Shawn agreed to take us all down to Alabama Jack's in the Keys for a special outing on our last day in Florida. For us folks from Texas that are lucky to see the ocean once or twice a year, this was quite the perfect way to spend the day.

We enjoyed watching egrets among the magroves......and the happy kids had a blast on Uncle Shawn's boat. Once we got moving at a fast-paced clip the sweatshirts made things more comfortable, hence Amelia's hooded and buttoned-down look below.I know Amelia looks like she is taking a trip to the artic, but really it was a lovely 65 degrees with bright sunshine out on the water! Below is a photo of Amelia and John with grandmommy and grandaddy Wilson on the boat with the last key bridge we went under in the background.
Scott's youngest brother Chris and his girlfriend Hazel are looking lovely just before we arrived at the restaurant.Arriving at Alabama Jacks...Lunchtime! John was quite the goofball. I loved this place. We ate conch fritters and watched the boats pulling up to the dock. The freshly grilled mahi mahi sandwiches were awesome, and it was fun to watch the Key rats hanging out at the bar. Spending hours on the open water relaxng and enjoying South Florida's finest are few and far-between for me, but they make me miss living in south Florida for sure.

After lunch Uncle Chris, Uncle Shawn, and grandaddy spent time teaching the kids how to fish.This was the first time that Amelia and John went fishing, and their uncles and grandad were awesome in ensuring that each kid caught at least one fish that afternoon.

John was so excited that he kissed his fish!And Amelia was thrilled to finally catch a fish...all the while acting like the queen of the arctic in her fitted hoodie! (By the way, that is actually my sweatshirt...and it is scary to me how well it fits her!). The fish were too small to keep so we threw them back in the water.

Below is a shot of the guys on the way back to the dock in Miami.. John is hanging with with his dad and Uncle Chris. John was so happy to be hanging out in the front of the boat with the big guys.

December 31, 2011 was spent as a day of remembrance in honor of Frances Johnson, Scott's beloved grandmother, also known as "Big Mama". Big Mama passed away on December 26, and our time spent in Miami was devoted both to her memory and to spending time with family remembering the good times together. Understandably, the first days after her passing were both sad and joyful at the same time, though the family's spirits started to lift a little on January 2nd, the day we were all together on the boat.

On that day, several hours after we were off of the boat and back at the Wilson's house, I remember being in the living room with Shawn and grandaddy talking about how much we enjoyed being on the boat that day. Grandaddy, a man who is typically very reserved and quiet, spoke to us all with a sparkle in his eye. He declared, "Today was a good day. A great day, in fact." I understood his comment to mean that despite our suffering over the loss of Big Mama, our family's being together on the boat, enjoying the fishing and the bright sunshine, was a sort of relief from the grief and a celebration of Big's life and lasting memory on the family. It was the type of moment that she would have enjoyed herself, and once that I am grateful to have been a part of.