A Little South Beach, Hold the Diet

J had another outstanding year with BIC and won the incentive trip with his company. He and I joined about 60 others in South Beach Miami at the Loews for some rest, relaxation and pampering. (taken by M.B.) (taken by M.B.) This was a gorgeous location. I was a little upset when I learned where the trip was headed. I figured from "hot and humid" to "hot and humid". Actually they had a nice weather break for a few days and the temps were perfect without being too humid. Our lone adventure was to find a local Catholic Church on Sunday morning. We were blessed to find St. Francis. It was cute little church that had two cousins making their First Holy Communion that morning. One thing that I found very funny was that even the candles were politically correct. More and more places are "outlawing" the use of real candles. They are being replaced by fake little flashlight bulbs in what look like candles. It just isn't the same. In the end I suspect it is cheaper, neater and more efficient. I hate it though. In fact I decided not to "light" a candle (or should I say turn it on) this time because of it. South Beach is known for the South Beach diet and I can't imagine why. Each night we ate at the finest of restaurants. Friday night was Joe's Stone Crab. Let me just say yum. Bib was not needed but fun to wear all the same. The next night we ate at Red. It is one of the towns most famous Steak houses. Again yum. I was a little upset when we were asked to hurry up and leave. They sit at least three times and our dessert was cutting into their third round for the night. It was a shame to head to the room too early cause we were looking good.The cab ride home almost got us killed. We beat everyone back, even those that left 10 minutes before us. Granted we had the smallest fee but poor J. He sat in the front seat and almost lost his meal. (taken by M.B.) Our last official meal together was at Emeril's Miami Beach and Bam it was good. We sat in the room that peaked into the kitchen. The food each night was wonderful. The drinks were not to bad either. Some friends would stay out later than us but we enjoyed getting up the next morning for a yummy breakfast. At one point we headed out and saw nothing but scooters everywhere. I guess that warm constant climate is a perfect place for a scooter life style. We spent our afternoons in the pool or at the beach. The sad news is that I had just purchased a waterproof camera but left it at home by accident. So no really cool shots, just phone camera shots. (taken by M.B.) The beach was gorgeous and so was the pool. Very relaxing. We spent a little time in the ocean on Friday afternoon and then again on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we were tired enough to just hang out by the pool. Each time we saw friends and had wonderful conversations. (Taken by M.B.) This was the shot taken from our Hotel Room. We were on the 18Th floor and I am amazed that we never waited long for the elevator. This last picture was taken by M.B. She is the wife of a co-worker at BIC. She was nice enough to grab some shots and share them with everyone. You can tell we got a little sun but it has faded fast. It was a wonderful time. Thanks to J for doing so well this year and thanks to BIC for recognizing and rewarding that with a fun and generous trip.