On July 9, 2005, Beth & Ben went on a vacation to visit Florida and Kentucky. Though Hurricane Dennis was floating about in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, the trip went on with no problems, although it was overcast and drizzly pretty much everyday except for one. But the trip was great! First up was New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where Ben's parents (Barb and Hank) live.

Here's Ben, Beth, and Ben's parents standing on the boardwak in front of Ben's parent's condo. Their condo is the one partly obscured by the top of Ben's head. For those of you wondering, it was windy, Ben's mom never has and probably never will spike her hair.

Beth and Barb relaxing in the kitchen, most likely hovering over the margaritas. It's a great place, and the 8th story balcony behind the camera is perfect place to watch and listen to the ocean.....

It's also a great place for beach time fun! Bikes were ridden, rafts were ridden, and beach bocce ball was played. Also note the cabana on wheels, which is great until the bottom falls out. All of this fun did come with consequences in the form of sun burns, especially on poor Beth. But don't worry, she felt better after several burny days and nights. Of course we can't wait until we have another *real* beach vacation, unlike the beaches out West.

Here's Ben and Beth bobbing in the waves of the Atlantic. Notice that Ben is both the protector and motor for Beth's craft, and that Beth, being a tad afraid of sharks and such, has her feet locked together out of the water, much to her pleasure. Or maybe they just look like a baited, chummy challenge to the predators of the sea. Fortunately, we'll never know.

Here's Ben & Beth on the morning of July 12, the day that they left for Louisville, KY for Ben's friends wedding. Time to avoid some more of the remnants of Hurricane Dennis. But Ben & Beth would meet up with Ben's parents in Kentucky. This is of course on the balcony looking out towards the rising sun over the Atlantic

Now for the reason for the Kentucky part of the trip. Ben's friend, Chris, decided he'd found the right girl (he's right) and take the plunge, and Ben was honored to be his Best Man. Here's a picture of Chris and his (at the time of the picture) bride-to-be Jennifer. They're a perfect couple, and as you can see, they have a lot of fun together. Here they are while hosting Beth and Ben at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Louisivlle. It was a great night, even with the country concert going on outside :) It was an interesting crowd indeed.

As noted above, Ben's parents met up with them on the day before the wedding. Ben's brother, Jason, and Jason's wife, Brenda, were also invited and fortunately, were able to make the few hour drive from Charleston, WV. Ben hadn't seen his brother in over 2 years, so it was a great treat to be able to have a mini-family reunion. Here's the gang having lunch at an Irish pub near downtown Louisville.

Chris and his boys hanging out and having fun while waiting for the wedding to get started. Chris is in white, and going clockwise, is Mike, Jason, Jeff, Ben and Jeremy. They look like a barber-shop sextet!