Monday, March 17, 2008

AND the winner is.....

.....Sanibel Island, FL.
.
The vacation poll is closed!
.
Yes, I shall welcome (?) my 40th by attending Easter morning Mass with the family, then hop on a plane and end it on a lovely, white-sandy beach, hopefully with some sort of umbrella-bearing cold adult beverage in hand.
For those who've never heard of it, Sanibel is a resort island in SW Florida, connected by a long bridge (causeway) to Ft. Myers, which is just over an hour south of Tampa.


I've been there twice, with friends whose parents owned a timeshare back in the mid-80's, and it was lovely. (And far less expensive!)

Sanibel is renowned for shelling...I still have a few good ones, and a lovely bit of fire coral, all these years later


I am taking the oldest child along....she's had a rough few months at school, having "outed" some of her peers for bullying. So now she's on the receiving end, feeling that she did the right thing, but being friendless at 14 is not easy. So a mini-break from the wretched she-dogs of the quasi-Catholic Jr. High will be good for her. She, being a major whitey, will be under the cabana, while I, with some strange ability to tan that comes every other generation in my Irish-German-Alsatian genetic stew, will be brown as a coconut within 48 hours. (Yes, I know we are not supposed to do that to our skin anymore, but given the long, dark, cold, snowy upstate winter, 1) don't really give a damn, and 2) let's just say I consider it therapy for my S.A.D. issues. Hmmmm.....I wonder if it's a tax writeoff....?)

So, I shall watch the sun set on my 30's and enjoy the halftime show for a few days, then back to reality.
(Nothing says "buzzkill" like 5 workers' compensation hearings in 2 days when I step off the plane!)

This was a painstaking process. I wanted to do something new and unusual. I very nearly chose 4 days in Iceland - yes, Iceland - because it was a strange and unique, once in a lifetime kind of trip, friends have raved about it, and hey, you only turn 40 once. But I had qualms about leaving the family so far behind.

Then I got some great info, and a killer potential deal on a Dublin package for St. Patrick's Day, staying at the Clarence with a potential "surprise" U2 appearance...but I could not stand the look of pain in the beloved's eyes at the thought of me doing that without him. He could not take time away that week. He was the baby seal, I was the club. Not right at all.

Last week was looking a lot like London - crazy cheap fares and a desire to take tea at Harrods, and then pop over to Harvey Nic's and look for Patsy & Edina. But then, I've done that (didn't find Patsy & Edina then, either...).

So, I ended up staying in the States, spending far less, feeling very little guilt, and will be going to a place I have fond memories of at the same age as the oldest is now. We shall have bonding moments, a convertible rental car, and be back in the wee hours on Thursday. (For those who are wondering, the 10 year old and I explored Charleston together last summer, so she is not being overlooked, but she's sure miffed at the moment. Sometimes a little one-on-one time with Mom - and Mom with girl - is a very good thing!)

I will take lots of picture and give you all a review when I return!

7 comments:

the mother of this lot said...

Kit, it all sounds wonderful! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time!

swissmiss said...

Ok, I voted for London, but given that the igloos around here have just started to melt, Florida sounds like a much better choice!

Have a great time and enjoy your birthday!

Cathy said...

Sounds great!
I hope you and your daughter have a fab time.

Tell her I know what it's like to be ostracized by the She-Devils at a quasi-Catholic school.

Ugh.

Adrienne said...

You have a wonderful, wonderful time. Don't you worry your little head about the rest of us stuck in the really crappy pre-spring weather. No siree - you just soak up that sun, enjoy your cocktails and swim like a porpoise. We will be sitting around in our lousy living rooms cheering you on (yeah, right) ooops! I meant to say yeah, right on.

Kit said...

Thanks all...oh, and Adrienne, I'll be thinking of you for activities 1 and 2, you got it. For 3, well, not so much on the porpoise thing, but I've got a screamin' orange bathing suit so no one mistakes me for a manatee and tries to roll me back in. ;-)

Cathy said...

If you see a porpoise in FL, I'll buy you a beer.

Dolphins is what you're thinking of.

;)

gemoftheocean said...

Good for you for getting your 14 year old the **** out of there too.

FWIW, if she reads this "Honey, 14 sucks for everybody. 10-1 Jesus hated it too. There was probably some brat snapping a towel at Him in the Jr. High locker room. Mary was probably surrounded by a pack of catty girls too at that same age."

You could wave a million bucks under my nose and say "Karen, you can have this million BUT first you have to relive ages 13 & 14."

I'd tell them where they could put that million.

Karen