Mid-Winter Florida Break

Well, it rained a good chunk of the time we were in Florida--but rain at 70 degrees is pretty comfortable. On Friday the sun came out and it was hot and it was humid and when my feet and hands swelled up to resemble tennis balls, I suddenly remembered how much I appreciated spending my eighth month of pregnancy at Utah February temperatures. My mom and sister, Sariah, (both from Idaho) and I kept complaining of how the humidity was wrecking havoc with our hair--and then reminding each other that it was part of the reason we came: to get a little summer in February!

Actually, it was more like spring in Florida. The redbuds and cherry trees were in bloom which created a fascinating contrast to the palms and fruit-laden orange trees. I didn't get a picture of the flowers, but here's a sample of the lush greenery everywhere. Many of the trees had new green leaves coming out.

In spite of the rain and the humidity, we had a great time. It was fun to see my sister, Tori, and her darling baby and her great husband, Ryan, who was good enough to play with Maggie when she was so homesick for her daddy. And it was so nice not to feel the pressure of a million and one things that need doing. Overall, it was a wonderful trip: exactly the rest and rejuvenation that I needed.

Maggie was a great traveling companion. She was so excited to ride on an airplane...until we sat waiting at the terminal for five minute while they prepped for the flight. Then she got "rolly, rolly, rolly scared" and started to cry and begged to "drive" instead--I think she was afraid the airplane was going to shoot off suddenly because she kept calling it a rocket ship. When I explained that riding in an airplane was just like riding in a really fast car, she calmed down and actually enjoyed take-off.

Thursday we went to Anastasia State Park and played on the beach a little until Maggie tripped in a wave and "fell off the water". She soaked her pretty dress right up to the neck, but luckily I'd brought a towel and change of clean clothes and since she hadn't gotten her face wet, she was okay. Right about then it started raining pretty heavily so we drove around historic St. Augustine admiring the ancient fortress, Mediterranean flavor, and beautiful old houses with these gorgeous private gardens before making the hour and a half drive back to Tori's house.

On Friday we headed to the Mall for some old-fashioned girl time. There are not many two-year olds who love to shop as much as Maggie. In an accessory store, she picked out giant sunglasses, a necklace, and bracelet and announced she was "ready to go". We managed to talk her down to a single hot pink bracelet (on clearance). She would not take it off for anything so grandma had to find an identical one to take to the cash register.

Maggie played hard at the mall playground for a few minutes and then we all headed to the nail salon for pedicures! Maggie sat on my lap while I had my feet done and kept asking when it would be her turn. The nail technician finished my toenails and announced he had a customer waiting for him and someone else would have to do Maggie's. After Aunt Tori and Aunt Sariah and Grandma were all sitting at the nail dryer, we finally found someone to take care of poor forgotten Maggie. "Whoo-hoo!" she whooped and galloped back to my pedicure chair for her turn. She was fascinated and very well-behaved while her toenails were painted red. The rest of the trip she hardly ever wore shoes because her toes were "so pretty".

While we waited for baby Owen to eat his lunch in the mother's lounge, Maggie and I played at the fountain. She had to see for herself when I told her I didn't have any more money left in my wallet (she'd already thrown in all my pennies and nickels). Big surprise, she found my dimes and quarters and they all went to Habitat for Humanity (if that's really where the fountain money ends up). That's what I get for being cheap...and a liar.

Thanks for a great trip, all of you who made it happen!