Hey Cuties,
I had a nice five-day vacation with my sister and cousins in Key West, Florida. This was our 2nd Cousin’s Trip; we had our first Cousin’s Trip in Williamsburg, VA back in 2004. Yes, it took us 12 years to get together again. I come from a family of girls, I am one of twelve grand-kids and of that twelve, nine of us are girls. Of those nine, seven of us make up the core grand-kids. By that I mean we are all 35+ and we grew up like sisters. The others are just as important but they are much younger. Can you imagine the hand me down rotation in a family of girls? Items frequently entered and exited a home twice. Before this trip, I didn’t think this was going to be as good as it was. We all chipped in when it came to planning the road trip from start to finish. As there was a lot of us, we thought the best idea would be to hire a van, where we were then able to consider getting an any driver policy, in case we were going to take it in turns driving. This was the best move we made, as it allowed each one of us to rest as one drove. There’s so much to tell you, but I am so happy with all the memories we made during this trip. We all have such a fun time that we are even considering planning future trips. I think this time if we were to go to places like New Zealand for example, having to get a motorhome hire could make it a lot less stressful, especially as there are quite a few of us. I know friends who have been on a camper van rental vacation in Iceland too and they say that sort of vacation is actually very enjoyable; so who knows, maybe we’ll venture out there someday soon. We’ve already checked out Rent.is and seen some amazing looking places we’d like to visit.
Growing up my first cousins were like extra sisters. We saw each other all the time and most of us have lived with one another at least once in our lifetime. Naturally as we became adults we got busy living our own lives. Then children and husbands entered the picture and we were all over the globe. Add in our children’s schedules and our own and that explains the 12-year gap. Okay, not exactly but life was happening.
Almost there…
Four of us came from DC and the other two came from South Carolina. We flew to Fort Lauderdale arriving within an hour of one another. Once everyone arrived I had already picked up our wheels and we were on our way. Our first stop was food… Then we had a 3 hour drive to Key West.
The Planning: Invite everyone, plan with those that are interested. Decide on a location, agree on dates and then find a place to stay. Our only stipulation is that everyone must be 21; everyone needs to be old enough to get into anyplace we go. Everyone won’t want to participate and that is okay. Go with the ones that do. Often times we don’t things because everyone doesn’t want to participate. Roll with it and the others might join down the road; if not that is okay too. Don’t lose sight of the original goal.
Reason #1: Car ride sing-alongs to your old school jams that you still remember all the words to while using your loudest volume. Classic!
Hello Key West!
We drove through all of the keys before arriving at our destination. Hello Key West. The view is beautiful but the one lane in and the one lane out at 35 MPH certainly tried it.
Map of Key West, Florida
Looking at Key West on the map is crazy. The top map is a look at all of the Keys. We drove thru every single one and stopped to snap some pictures. The middle image is the one lane road we were on; that route 1 goes from Maine to Florida. The bottom picture is a map of the island; you can see it isn’t that big. The lips are where our hotel was, you can see we were right on the water so it was easy to watch the sunrise.
Hyatt Windward Pointe
We stayed at the Hyatt Windward Pointe and it was beautiful. This was a residence property so we had a two bedroom apartment with a sofa bed. I don’t mind sleeping on a sofa bed and I’m quite tempted to buy one for guests staying in our home. I’ve seen some that I like on websites like www.moderndigsfurniture.com so I’m tempted to buy one soon! I’m happy to say we didn’t make a single meal in that kitchen; however, the mimosas were delicious. The living room gave us a beautiful view of our balcony and the water.
Hyatt Windward Pointe Property
The property was beautiful. The grass was perfect, the water was beautiful and the critters were plentiful.
Iguana
I mean seriously the critters were deep out there. This little dragon was all over the place. I could handle the tiny geckos scurrying to and fro but these things. No Sir.
Camo
Clearly, these dinosaurs are not to be trusted. If I’d put a toe in the grass I would have lost my ish. Look at this thing.
Reason #2: You stay up really late, sleepover style and chat over #FatSnacks.
Aqua, Drag Show
Our first night we enjoyed a delicious meal, we ate so well I’m going to share that in a different post. We followed up that awesome meal with a Drag Show. I’ve been to one before but it was the first time for a lot of the others. It was a good time honey.
Cousin’s At the Drag Show
The ladies came to slay that night. They kept us laughing; they even came to our table and had a little fun. Another guest snapped our picture and sent it to me. hahaha
Rise & Shine
Every morning I would step out onto the balcony and take in the view and take a picture. It was beautiful, I couldn’t resist.
Duval Street
On day two we tramped around Duval Street. That is the street with all of the action in Key West. They have shops for days, and we shopped for days. We had a field day purchasing Coach Handbags, Alex & Ani bracelets, souvenirs and Pandora bracelets and charms. Fun I tell you. This picture was taken inside of an art gallery; they have a lot of them in Key West.
Mile Marker 0.00
In true tourist fashion, we went to the Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.A. This spot is at the end of Duval Street, from this very spot I was 90 miles from Cuban. They had a little bit of history here and the invisible mosquitos feast on you while you snap your cute tourist pictures. You won’t realize it until 30 minutes later though.
High Five Bishop Albert Kee
Bishop Albert Kee and three generations of his family stood at this corner selling fresh conch, fish and conch shells for more than half a century. Bishop Kee was renowned for blowing his conch shell and welcoming tourist trains and visitors from all around the world. He became the “Key West Ambassador” and greeted about 11 million visitors.
The Cousin’s & Bishop Kee
If there is no picture then it didn’t happen.
Reason #3: You are forever bonded by first time experiences and the location.
Key West, FL
We woke up hella early, okay it was 7AM ish but we were up laughing and chatting until 3AM so that was hella early. We threw on clothes and walked across the street so we would witness the beautiful Sunrise we kept hearing about. It was beautiful I must say. We also got ate up a bit more by those invisible bugs. Post-trip research calls them no-see-ums or sand gnats because they are super tiny but will tear you up in a second leaving you scratching like you just received an incurable disease.
Pre-Pool Gaming with Mimosas
After the Sunrise we got breakfast, hit up a few shopping stores we found and came back to our apartment. We made mimosas and got ready for the pool. CHEERS!
Poolside
So we got all cute and hit the pool, we had our snacks ready and picked out our seats. After checking out the little dinosaur in the pool getting water it began to rain.
Then this happened and the girls took off running and screaming. You can’t take them anywhere.
About to make a run for it…
Then the slight rain turned into a torrential downpour and we had to put towels on our heads and make a serious run for it in flip-flops while dodging geckos and dinosaurs.
Reason #4: You will laugh until you fall out in the floor with tears running down your face. No seriously, that really happened.
Cousin Slay
Then you get dressed and slay Key West like the dragon outside of the castle where you are rescuing a princess. I’m so damn dramatic. Shout out to The LBD Print House {Tell him Mimi sent you} for our customized t-shirts. We freaking loved them and so did everyone in Key West. They kept stopping us to read each one, and comment on which one fits them the most. My cousin’s decided that my t-shirt should read “The Unfiltered Cousin”. My updated t-shirt is coming soon.
Miami Living
We left Key West for Miami. We dropped off two cousins at the airport and spent a night in Miami. We had an amazing time.
Reason #5: You bond, you pick up where you left off and you have the time of your life. We laughed and joked and joked and made fun of one another. We’ve decided to do it every two years. So look forward to another trip in 2018.
I always hear stories about people not wanting to get together with their family because of drama. Drama exists in every family, it will naturally happen when you put a bunch of people with different personalities together. It doesn’t have to define you. I’ve also traveled with my in-laws and had the time of my life. If you want to have a good time, a good time will be had. We don’t know how much time we have on this earth, soak it up. Do the things you want to do, stop putting them off.
Go to the place you’ve always wanted to go to. Eat the things that make your heart smile. LIVE, JUST LIVE! Even if you aren’t, just know that I am. 
Do you take trips with your extended family? Chat with me in the comment below or FB, IG or Twitter.
How fun! I love the T-shirts! And the drag show. Hey everybody, you will never have more fun than watching a drag show. That is HIGH quality entertainment.
For sure Paula, I’ve been to a couple Drag Shows now and they were both incredible.
All good reasons to enjoy the fellowship of those we love. It’s so fun to have girl time with food, fellowship, laughter and fun.
Yes Shirley, I love good girl time.
What a fun trip you took! I would love to go with a big family group down there! I have never been to the Keys before, but have always wanted to take a trip there! I looks like you got a lot of bonding time there!
We really did Jeanette. The Keys are really beautiful.
Oh my goodness, how much fun! A lot of my cousins were several years older than I am because my mom’s siblings were older. It still would be fun to be able to do something like this! I love all of the fun pictures! Don’t wait 12 years next time!
You are right Christy, you guys could still have a good time. We won’t wait 12 years.
What a super fun trip idea. Glad you have a group like this to enjoy life … family matters most and memories are important to make! Looks like a fabulous trip!
Thanks Sarah, at the end of the day all we have is each other.
What a fun trip! I have never been to Key West but it looks like you guys had a great time!
Thanks Lisa, Key West had a lot more going on then I thought.
It looks like you guys had a great trip! The Florida Keys is one of the most beautiful places we have visited. I love how much there is to do there!
Natalie it was beautiful, I would like to explore some of the other Keys.
I would love to go on a trip like this with my sister, we could enjoy some sun and some sand that’s for sure.
We hardly know our cousins and there are so many of us it would be hard to plan.
Heather you can start with a few and build on.
Sounds like you guys all had a blast on your cousins trip! I love traveling and traveling with family is always a plus.
Traveling with family means it is going to be a lot of fun. You already have people to hang out with.
You were able to fit a lot of fun into this trip! I know I’d be excited to spend time shopping on Duval Street.
We did and I wasn’t so sure we could pull it off. Shopping is always the best part.
Sounds like a lot of fun! Wish I was closer with my cousins and family to be able to do something like this! I would love it!
See if you can work on it Jeanine. If not grab some of your girls and go.
It looks like you had so much fun. I have mainly boy cousins, so I am a bit jealous of your family time.
Awww Jennifer. We could use more boys, in our bunch. We’ve learned to mostly manage all the estrogen.
We had an absolute blast and my cousin, Mimi, chronicled our adventure wonderfully. I can’t wait to do it again. I enjoyed hanging with my family. Now we have to plan a family reunion. By the way, I’m the Nerdy Cousin.
Awww thanks Keisha. I am so looking forward to our next trip, can’t wait to see where we end up. We are totally overdue for a family reunion, we need to work on that.
It’s looks like you really had all the kinds of fun here. From enjoying the outdoors to parties and even car ride sing-alongs.
We totally did Franc.
Seeing these pics remind me ho much I miss Key West. I need to get back soon. I can tell you guys had loads of fun just looking at the photos. It’s always a beautiful thing when family can come together.
You totally do Carlana; I’m so thankful we can have fun together.
My mother’s siblings did not have children until much later so I do not have first cousins who are close to my age. I think it is awesome you ladies made time to get together. I am embarrassed to say that even though I live in Florida, I have never been to Key West. I definitely have to get there soon, maybe I will see if one of my cousins wants to go too.
Tia most of us don’t explore our own backyards so no shade here. There are tons of things in DC I’ve yet to do.
Y’all should totally go, you won’t regret it.
Love Key West. It’s so much fun there. Glad to see you girls had a great time visiting Florida.
Thanks Michele, it was a good time.
Looked like your ladies had a wonderful time and I love all the images.
Waiting for your updated tees.
Thanks Adeola, we really did.
Awww this was so cute! I’ve been dying to have a cousins trip with my cousins but we can’t all get together at the same time. It’s hard for us to try and having dinner and cocktails. I’m the oldest grandchild on my mom’s side and two girls are underneath me, all are over 21. We’ve done family trips but never just them and I. On my father’s side there’s a lot of girl cousins, several are over 21. I’ll have a better time with planning with the cousins on my mom’s side than my father’s. After seeing this post, I will definitely try and give it a try with at least the two cousins. This is so inspirational because this has definitely been on my mind before. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Daria, start small if you have to. If only the four of you and make it work then the four of you should go.
This is a great post and reminder that I need to round up my cousins and make this happen. We tried last year, but with everyone’s come cousin’s money being funny or those just not seeing the value of a cousin’s trip made it not work. So, thanks for lighting the fire under my belly. 2017 goals!
Awww, go for it. Plan early so you only pay a little here and there. I can’t wait to hear about it.
OMG! I LOVE THIS!!! It must have been such a blast! Those t-shirts are awesome too, not to mention the look of those mimosas. How wonderful that you all get along so well..singing in the car?..yes all the way. You are all lucky to have each other.
It was like old times for sure Kem. Mimosas are always a good time, they make me feel like an adult. Thanks Kem, we are lucky to have each other.
How fun! My mom live sin Naples, FL, and my hubby and I are headed down there in a few weeks. It’s funny I saw this because we are planning on heading to the Keys, too! It looks like you had a great time!
Oh wow Alaina, this is right on time. Have a great time.
What a bunch of awesome fun. That must have been a blast! I love your pictures, the iguana looks pretty cool but I would freak out if I saw one in person lol.
Thanks Bonnie. The iguanas are fascinating for one second, then you run for your life. lol
What a great read Mi!! I relived each moment all over again!! Good times for sure!!! Excited about our next cousins trip 🙂
Thanks Faye, I can’t wait to do it again.
I absolutely love the shirts! I went to key west years ago and me and my family had fun riding mopeds around the city! I want to take a cousins girls trip, maybe one day we will get it together..lol
Tiffany we wanted to do mopeds too. You totally should.
Girl, we have been planning one for only a million years. Folks have coins issues so we never got one going. Glad y’all made it happen!
Thanks Tanya. Yeah a payment plan is the best way to go. If they can’t make it this time maybe they can join when they get the money.
Thank you for this replay of your vacation. I like the idea of a cousin’s getaway so I have taken a few notes. It looks like you all had an amazing time.
Thanks Arnitris, have lots of fun.
I love this idea! I wish I had cousins closer to my age! The matching shirts were super cute too.
Thanks Tia.
I wish more families spent time together in this way. My family never gets together. Thank you for being the example!
Me too LaQuisha. We are trying to be the example.
Ok, so this was such a fun read! I love the tshirts, drag show, and the fact it was a road trip is classic! Anytime with my family is the best!!
Thanks Tamika.
What a super great fun trip! It sounds like you guys have lot of fun. I love all the photos!
Thanks Jasmine, we had so much fun.
This is awesome! Id love to do this with the group of first cousins I grew up with but I’m the oldest. The second oldest just turned 21 lol. But maybe I’ll give her a trip for her upcoming college graduation. Thanks for the motivation!
Oh CJ I like that idea, as the others get older you can invite them in.
What a super fun trip. I love all the photos esp. the Iquana ones.
OMG Garf, the iguana are fascinating although I’m afraid.
i LOVE key west. i went there on my honeymoon and my mom just got back from there ahead of the hurricane lol. you make me want to call all my cousins for a get together. your t-shirts are perfection!
Oh nice Jennifer. Glad your Mom got out ahead of the hurricane. I was glad we went when we did.