There are few ways better to start a week of Florida "fun in the sun" then with my 4am arrival with 2 barking dogs and "Finn" with all his stuff. Finn, topping out (at max) 17 pounds is our 5 month old who required 75% of the luggage space in the SUV, that I now have to drive to go on vacation. So, to a family place where we keep clothes in the drawer and the only thing I need is a toothbrush... Finn required 7 trip to and from the car this 4am.
By day three we've got freeze warnings in south Florida, we're bring plants inside at night, the high's are in the 50's and the wind is blowing 35 mph... Back home in NC their having a beautiful 12 inch snow fall (1st time ever on record for Dec 25) as for us in Florida, too warm to snow and too cold to go to the beach, but hey... only two out of the 7 of us are sick so far.
By day five we've made it to the beach one time, not taken the wind in to account, this 70' day was feeling more like 50'. So after 2 hours of hiding behind sand dunes we headed in. Hey why not by now 3 out of the 7 of us were sick.
By day six: Finn is sick, and i'm trying to find a Doctor's office that will take my insurance on a Friday before a holiday weekend. So we're not bring in the New Year in the local ER... Ok found a Doctor, oh yeah (just to keep you up to date) we are leaving the beach on the only warm, sunny, non-windy day to drive across town to the Doctor's office just to find out Finn has a cold and a flat head (per the Doctor "start letting him sleep on his side so his head will not be so flat") You have got to be kidding me!!!
Day 7: Ok Finn just has a cold (and a flat head) We are up and heading to the BEACH, beer in toe!!!! Looking warm outside, walking out the door, nothing going to stop us now... Then Andra our 12 year old 4 lb Yorkie gets sick, and off to the Vet we go. 4 hours and $350.00 later she's better and we're back with her. Over the course of days 7, 8 and 9 everybody gets sick... I made more trips to the drug store that week then a meth addict looking for Sudafed.
Determined that I WILL SIT ON THE BEACH THIS WEEK!!!! Sometime on day 8 we make it!! and this photo was taken....
Now you see... Shelby and Finn are cousins that were born 3 months and 450 miles apart. What you don't see in this photo is Finn's Cold, Shelby's ear infection, the 7 sick people, the 25 mph wind (that i blocked with two tents, pack n' play, and two wind walls) the sick dog, our 12 hour ride, Brad and Kristen 5 hour ride that lasted 16 hours and a night in Orlando, 7 trips to the car at 4am, freeze warnings, trips to the drug store or the 7 days of trying to get to the beach.
In fact 15 years from now, we'll look at this photo and remember none of that. Will remember the greatest vacation we had...
