The Adventure Continues

I had high hopes of blogging about our time at home this past month. But as you can see, that didn't happen. It turns out we hardly had any down time at all, but that's the way we like it. We did have the best time these last few weeks with our wonderful family and friends, and I have a few pictures and stories to share (hopefully in the next couple days).

We had planned to be in Grenada by now, but the Lord had other plans for us today. The adventure began pretty early - at 5:50am to be exact. I checked our flight schedule before leaving for the airport, and saw that our flight to Charlotte was delayed by a couple hours, which would cause us to miss our connection to Miami. We decided to head to the airport and check in anyway and see what changes they could make for us.

The airline had no other flights they could offer us this morning, and so my Dad graciously volunteered to drive us to Charlotte. We left the house around 7:00am, picked up biscuits and coffee at McDonald's, and enjoyed a couple more hours of talking with him on the way to the airport. Once we got to Charlotte, it was smooth sailing (well, flying) to Miami.

However, we checked the screens in the airport after arriving in Miami, and saw that our flight to San Juan was delayed for about 3 hours, again causing us to miss our connection to Grenada. After walking for about 30 minutes to get to the ticket counter and talking to an agent for about 20 minutes, we ended up with a hotel and meal vouchers for an overnight stay in Miami. And we're scheduled to be on a flight directly to Grenada at 4:55pm tomorrow.

Although we probably wouldn't have chosen this little detour, it actually worked out quite well. We had a beautiful hotel room where we could relax this afternoon. And tonight we decided to explore a little of the city. We called for a taxi at 5:30 and made reservations at Emeril Lagasse's restaurant for 6:00. For some reason, our taxi didn't come until about 6:35 (we changed our reservation to 7:00) and arrived at the restaurant right on time. I wish we had been able to take pictures along the way, though. We passed the most exquisite waterfront homes complete with palm trees, manicured lawns, and luxurious yachts. I would have been content driving through those neighborhoods all evening. But instead, we enjoyed one of the best meals we've ever had.


The restaurant, located in the Art Deco district, is next to the beautiful Loews Hotel. We took a couple minutes to enjoy the scenery before heading in for dinner.




Inside, the setting was elegant, but comfortable. The kitchen was the main focal point of the dining area, but tables were also located in a couple private rooms and in the garden. We sat by a large fireplace against the wall opposite the kitchen.


While the main entrees were a little pricey (starting at about $30), we noticed Emeril's Miami Spice menu (available for only 2 months) where we could choose one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert for just $35! It turned out to be a great decision.

Our waiter served warm yeast rolls and sweet corn muffins throughout the meal. And the service was consistently prompt and courteous. The appetizers were probably our favorite course of the evening. Ryan ordered the New Orleans barbecued shrimp, and I had the rosemary roasted golden beets with arugula, bleu cheese, toasted pecans, and a tangy vinaigrette. The portions were quite large, and so beautifully presented.



For the main course, Ryan had the double-cut pork with caramelized sweet potatoes, and I had the grouper with heart of palm salad, rock shrimp, and watercress. Both were extremely flavorful, cooked to perfection, and too large to finish.



After dessert (lemon meringue tart and peanut butter chocolate mousse cake), we took another taxi back to our hotel. We spent our last night in the USA watching the greatest American sport - football. Tomorrow we plan on sleeping in, and then getting to the airport by 2:00pm. We're praying that our luggage (which went on to San Juan without us) will make it to Grenada tomorrow night as well.

This weekend will be quite busy as Ryan will be registering for classes and attending orientation meetings. I'll work on unpacking our room, grocery shopping, and organizing our life again. We're excited to begin this next chapter in our lives, and we look forward to sharing the journey with you!