Our Special Day

Since I've known Kelley Taylor, we've endured butt injuries, crazy ass tropical storms trying to drown us, and at-risk kiddos with their strange medical afflictions and even stranger questions. We've nearly peed our pants laughing together so many times I've lost count. It's been six months of friendship. Today we took it to the next level and tried to achieve the perfect day. Or as it was also called: "Busack and K-Bot's DAY OF FUN!!!"

We got up this morning on a mission: to squeeze as much fun and adventures into a day as we could. The following tale is the result.

STEP 1: One or both participants must get tattoos...

Kelley woke up on a mission this morning to get a tattoo. When the Alex patrol (Tiberio and Busack) came out to watch, she said "Ok, which one of them will be leaving with ink today?" Sure enough, by the end of the day, Kelley and Alex both had tattoos. Don't worry, Mom, it was the other Alex...

Brandon getting started.

Halfway done.

Alex surprised us later in the day with a text saying he had gone back...and presto!

STEP 2: There must be a roadtrip of some sort, preferrably with a view of bright blue/green water...

Yahtzee.

Driving with the top down.

STEP 3: Dolphins

I'd had dolphins on the brain for days, making it difficult to get any work done. So after extensive research (1o minutes online and then a recommendation from Jinky) we decided on the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL. It was a bit of a drive (see Step 2) but it afforded us the chance to not only see real live dolphins frolicking around, but creepy giant ones out front as well (see Step 6).

Creepy dolphins out front.

Making a break for it. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Guy smiley.

So happy.

STEP 4: Flowers

Take pictures of flowers that you see, whilst yelling "Flower day!" and drawing attention to yourself as you snap away.

STEP 5: Pie

When you're in the Keys, this can mean only one thing: Key Lime Pie. And holy hell did we stumble upon a great Key Lime Pie at Ma's Fish Camp.

STEP 6: Find a roadside attraction, preferably something terrifying

Fortunately the Florida Keys have abundant resources of such things. You usually have to drive no more than 10 miles north or south to find a critter or animal enlarged to epic proportions.

Lobster apocalypse? Not concerned.

STEP 7: Cap off the day with drinks during a SPECTACULAR sunset

Anything less than spectacular is unacceptable, so that magic hour on either side of 7:30 p.m. can make or break your perfect day. We lucked out this time, and were joined by some good friends at the Big Chill for appetizers and beers as the sun set over Florida Bay.

So now that the perfect day is over, what else do we have to look forward to? We asked ourselves the same question and decided that this will be perfect day #1 of 4 for 2012. We've decided to call it the FANTASTIC FOUR. Our next perfect day will take place in Kelley's home town of Boone, NC. #3 will take place in my hometown of Olympia, WA. And the grand finale is scheduled for somewhere in Belize. Stay tuned.