We got up early and went to Ft. DeSoto Park to catch the ferry to Egmont Key. The 10:00 ferry was full, so we waited for the 11:00. It was cool though because we saw a dolphin in the wild. Egmont Key is sweet. I saw a little lizard who looked like he was doing pushups. That was funny! We also saw some tortises. We explored some of the island and its fort structures, then hit the beach in search of shells. There was a guy on the beach near me who reminded me of my friend who's funeral I missed because I was in Florida. I got a little teary eyed and said a little prayer for his family... then looked down and at my feet there was a tiny, still-intact clam shell that looked like a butterfly. (Backstory: when honey's mom passed away, the priest based his message around butterflies signaling someone going to heaven.) So I looked to the sky to say Thank You God, and I saw a rainbow in a half-circle around the sun, like my friend smiling down at me. I got a picture of the 'smile' and of the butterfly in my PhotoBucket album. We found some great shells and some sand dollars, too. Honey found a huge conch shell. It was a little rough, but for that size who cares! It is cool! It was a pretty hot day, so when the ferry took us back we left and went back to the hotel, got cleaned up and had dinner across the street at Bennigan's. Honey asked me where I wanted to watch the sunset. I told him Ft. DeSoto, so that's where we went. We found a picnic table nestled in some trees and set up shop. No one too close, but there were some people near. We watched a cruise ship sail off, racing the sun into the horizon. It got a little chilly with the stiff Gulf breezes. I regretted wearing my new Roxy capris, but was grateful I grabbed a hoodie. Once the sun went down, he turned to me and said, "Since this is our last sunset, we should make it special," and handed me a little box he had in his jacket pocket. I opened the box and was about blinded by THE ring. I just cried. I leaned on his shoulder and cried. No wonder Honey never offered me his jacket for my legs, but I never gave that any thought and would never think of asking for it because he needed it too. We took a cruise to The Pier (the big mall downtown St. Petersburg) but decided not to go there at that time, just went back to the hotel where I made some calls to spread the news, then we went to bed.
Woohoo congrats to you both! Egmont Key is cool... it's right off of Anna Maria Island where I spent many years. Many people don't know that the channel between Egmont and AMI is the second most populated area in the world for sharks during breeding season! when's the big day? where's the honeymoon? where's the reception!!!
