Everyday Outfits

{Zara Off-the-Shoulder Dress (similar dress in navy here), Vintage Bandana, Dooney & Bourke Crossbody Bag, Valentino Sunglasses, Keds Sneakers}

If today’s outfit looks oddly familiar, there’s a good reason for it. I’m all about easy-peasy, stress free packing whenever I go on vacation. And one of my secrets is starting with a central theme and/or color palette. It’s a simple way to make sure all of my  outfits and accessories can be mixed and matched, plus it helps a ton in clearing out the clutter and narrowing my choices while packing.

If you’ve been following along, then you already know about my current love affair with off-the-shoulder tops and dresses. I loaded up on plenty before I left, and they were the perfect thing to help me stay cool in South Florida’s hot, sticky climate. On this particular day, Eric and I put the top down on our convertible Love Bug before heading south to Key West (more details on that coming up soon). About halfway there, we made a pit stop at the Seven Mile Bridge for photos and to catch some rays.

{Zara Striped Off-the-Shoulder Dress, Club Monaco Straw Hat (similar), Cotton Bandana via Amazon, Salvatore Ferragamo Sunglasses, Chanel Espadrilles}

After waking up at the crack of noon on our first full day in the Florida Keys, we had a (super) late breakfast at Harriette’s Restuarant in Key Largo (where I had the most DELICIOUS pineappple upside-down muffin) before heading off to John Pennenkamp Coral Reef State Park. The first undersea park in the United States, John Pennekamp encompasses over 70 nautical square miles and is the third largest barrier reef in the world. Our original plan was to go snorkeling, but the waves were very rough that day. Undeterred, we decided to go with a glass bottom boat tour instead.

We rode out for about 45 minutes, and it was so relaxing to sit out on the deck, feel the wind and watch the waves go by. The weather was picture perfect, so of course we made time for a photo shoot! Once we made it to the reef, we were treated to about 30-minutes of narration as our tour guide described all of the different plants and aquatic life we were seeing. By the time the tour was over, we were famished, so we off we went to our next stop…

… Robbie’s Marina!

We enjoyed an amazing dockside lunch at the Hungry Tarpon. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, definitely try the Matecumbe Fish Sandwich with blackened Mahi Mahi. The seaood was so fresh… and very filling! After lunch was done and dusted, we bought a bucket of bait to try our hand at feeding the tarpon. This turned out to be more easily said than done with all of those greedy pelicans around. After almost getting my fingers bitten off by a pelican, we finally figured out a strategy where Eric would distract the pelicans and lead them towards  the opposite one end of the dock while I leaned over the edge to feed the tarpon.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful day spend outdoors enjoying the sun and the sea.