Each November my parents pack up the car and head south for a week away in the Florida Keys. A week later, my sister and I fly down to meet them along with a handful of our peeps for just over a week of unwinding.

We spend every day doing “not much.” What I mean by that is that we don’t sight see and we don’t explore much. We’ve been here enough times to have a handful of restaurants we frequent, a couple of bait shops that are our usual, and of course a Publix down the street (if you’ve never had Publix salsa your missing out- I LOVE the mango peach one. It’s one of my favorite things about coming to Florida). Each day is spent lounging in the sand, taking dips in the ocean and the pool, hopping on the paddle boards for a little ride, fishing, hot tubbing and the occasional boat rental.

The reason we all come together is for Thanksgiving. We used to go all out with turkey and all the fixings, but found that the left overs were just a waste since we had only 1 day left after our feast and after a long day in the sun with mimosas and beers prepping a full Thanksgiving feast became tricky some years. So we’ve switched it up a bit, we’ve subbed in crab legs instead of turkey, it felt fitting since our feast takes place just steps from the water. We still bring in the Thanksgiving sides though- sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, twice baked potato casserole and a few pies to choose from!

Fly down, drive back. That’s the tradition. Fly down, soak up the sun, then road trip back home to a chilly Wisconsin. We drive straight through, my parents are champs at tackling the 26 hour drive.

Coconut Scented Air Fresheners from Get Back Necklaces. Perfect for a beachy road trip!

There is one annual pit stop we make. Each year we drive the 3ish hours from Marathon up to Juno beach. We stop in at Loggerhead Marine Life Center to check out their turtle patients, then we check out the waves on the beach. Each year we crave one last dip in the ocean to catch a few waves, but time doesn’t permit. After the beach we head just a bit down the street, check out Locals Surf Shop, a family fav, then grab a quick bite to eat. Once our bellies are full, it’s a quick stop at Dunkin for Dad to grab a cup of coffee then it’s homeward bound!

A huge thank you to Get Back Necklaces for sending over their new earrings, some rad stickers, and beachy air fresheners to bring along on the trip! Head to their site to check them out and use “MADISYNJENSEN10” for 10% off your order and while you are there check out the post I did on their blog!

Florida Keys on Film