Fun In the Sunshine State – Day 1

Brian and I arrived in Florida today for 12 days of fun and sun. I brought my laptop, of course, so I’ll be getting some work done while we’re here, but the main objective of this vacation is to, well, be on vacation.

I’ve mentioned before that Brian is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. He owns a landscaping company in RI and does construction work, so he’s up at the crack of dawn every day and is non-stop until he finally goes to bed around 11:00pm. He usually doesn’t even eat lunch – he’s too busy. Or if he has lunch, it’s a bottle of Gatorade. Not exactly ideal.

So the 12 days we come down to Florida in March (he has a timeshare here for the same 2 weeks each year) are his only “off” days all year. And let me tell you, he takes advantage of being off.

Sure, he runs and swims to keep up with his workout routine, but those things are done early in the morning. He’s usually finished exercising by 8:00am – and then it’s relaxation time.

All day.

I’m talking sit-on-the-lounge-chair-by-the-pool-and-don’t-move-until-it’s-evening kind of relaxation. Well, the pool is right along the ocean, so sometimes I can convince him to take a walk on the beach with me. Or he’ll take a dip in the pool or sit in the outdoor hot tub with me. But mostly it’s Brian, his lounge chair… and his Walkman.

Yes, you read that right. I didn’t say iPod. Walkman.

He must have had this thing since the mid-1990’s, but he breaks it out once a year – in Florida – and listens to it as he sleeps on the pool deck.

He pretty much goes from being 26 years old to 76 years old, but my attitude is that he can do whatever he wants. It’s his domain. He’s been coming here for 26 years. His mom literally took him here when he was just a few days old 26 years ago. So he knows this place inside and out. If he wants to Benjamin Button himself on vacation, so be it.

However, it’s only my second year coming down here, so I would like to take advantage of some of what the area offers. So I’ll just have to make some plans and pry Brian off the lounge chair to come with me. Ft. Lauderdale, Miami… here we come – sans Walkman. 🙂

Now, back to our first day here in Pompano Beach, FL.

If you remember from the post I wrote about flying last year, I hate it. I have a nearly debilitating fear of flying and I really don’t know where it comes from. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, though, I think it has to do with lack of control. Once those plane door close, that’s it – there’s no turning back. And for someone who suffers from panic attacks, having no escape route is a scary thing.

I do fly, though not often, and when I do I have to take medication. The last few times I’ve flown the medication helped, but I still felt very edgy, especially as we boarded and got ready for take-off.

So I tried a different anti-anxiety medication this time. I had taken this one a few weeks ago, prior to the MRI I had for my hip injury and it worked quickly and effectively – I was out like a light during the MRI.

Now, if you know me, you know I’m not a pill-popper. I don’t take drugs. I usually wait until I absolutely NEED to before I take any type of medication. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

By the time my parents dropped Brian and I off at the airport I had taken two of my anti-anxiety pills and was feeling okay. Brian and I took our seats at the gate and he got up to use the restroom. Before he came back, a friendly-looking flight attendant approached me.

“Are you Jane?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I hear you don’t like to fly,” she said. “Your boyfriend told me you like to sit in the back of the plane, and that’s where I’ll be. I’ll take good care of you.”

That Brian is pretty sneaky, isn’t he?

I appreciated it, in any case, and as I boarded the plane I did what I always do: asked to meet the pilots. For some reason I just like to be acquainted with the people who are manning the aircraft (although I did meet a female pilot once in my travels, so maybe “manning” isn’t the word).

I have to be honest here, a lot of the things that happened on this flight I remember… but kind of fuzzily. I guess the medication did its trick.

Happy pills make Jane happy

Luckily, it was an uneventful flight and I even got to fall asleep for a little bit of it. When we landed in Ft. Lauderdale, the friendly flight attendant and the pilots asked me how I was doing, which was nice.

As we got off the airplane I could see blue skies and gorgeous sunshine all around. It was 50 degrees back home in Rhode Island, which is definitely nice this time of year, but it was over 70 degrees here in Florida… and just beautiful.

Today we didn’t get to do much except each lunch, check into the hotel, lounge by the pool (of course) for a little while, then go food shopping. Oh, and we stopped at Dairy Queen for a quick dessert. YUM, Blizzard, YUM.

Tomorrow is a bikini-shopping trip, which will be torture for both of us. I speak from experience here and I’m definitely not looking forward to it. I doubt Brian is, either.

But I am definitely looking forward to a lot of this:

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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7 Comments

  1. 3.13.11
    Bari said:

    Scott is the same way. We don’t “go” on vacation a lot because of what we do in the summer (vacation $ goes there), so when we do go somewhere I like to check out the sites. His idea of vacation is sitting in one spot and not moving. I did laugh though…he got his first iPod last year. What did he use before? A Walkman. LOL Have fun!

  2. 3.13.11

    I am going to need more pictures so that I can be sufficiently jealous!!!

    Have a great time!

  3. 3.13.11
    admin said:

    I am officially envious! The deep blue skies, gorgeous sand and beach umbrellas are calling my name! But I’m extremely happy for both of you! Relax… although I guess I don’t have to tell Brian this! Love you! Mom xox!

  4. 3.14.11
    Kim said:

    Oh my gosh Jane you really do sound just like ME when it comes to flying! And, also with regard to taking pills. That was so very sweet of Brian to let the flight attendant know about your fear too. Anyway, glad you made it there safely and the pills seemed to help. The photo is beautiful. Now, you need a photo of that walkman because I can’t even remember what they look like 😉 Enjoy yourselves!!

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