Last week, my friend, Alison, and I went to Florida for four days to get out of the rain and cold and get into the Florida sunshine. We found roundtrip tickets from Pittsburgh to Fort Myers on Spirit. I have written before about how much I love Spirit and how if you buy your tickets at the airport counter you save up to $23.99 each way. I am not saying wait until the last minute and get your tickets. I am telling you if you know the dates you want to fly and are at the airport then go to the Spirit counter and buy!
It’s amazing how much weather can impact my mood. The week before we left Pennsylvania, it was cold and rainy. It seemed like it was never going to stop raining. Finally, it did but it was still cold. The sky was gray and my mood was down. Jeff was working, and I wasn’t motivated to go to the gym at all. It was too cold to go out of the house! Even though we only had a few weeks left in PA I was really glad Alison talked me into going to Florida for a few days. I couldn’t wait!
Alison and I went to Florida with no plans and no agenda except to get our boat home from storage. Our goal was to enjoy the sunshine, sit by the pool, and maybe go to the beach. I also wanted to work out and eat well.
We arrived late Sunday night and just went to bed. The next day we got up early, did a good workout in the garage, and got ready to go. Two of my husband’s friends were coming over to help us bring the boat home from storage. Because my husband always drives the boat, I wasn’t comfortable bringing it home by myself. I was glad we had some reinforcements. It was early in the morning and the Florida humidity was down so for us girls, it was a bit chilly! But the sunshine was out and it felt wonderful on our faces.
The guys made me drive the boat all the way home. I did a decent job although I did find myself out of the channel twice and in very low water. Oops! I need to get better at watching those channel markers! I got it all the way home but needed help docking it on our lift. Anyway, I definitely need more practice but I am usually having too much fun on the boat to drive. Plus, it is a center console and you can’t get much sunshine under the cover. So, usually, my Prince drives us around.
We made it to the gym every morning and had coffee by the pool. We saw some of the most beautiful sunrises (see featured image above). One of the days, we decided to head downtown. I showed Alison around Fort Myers, and we stopped by a few different bars/restaurants. Soon our afternoon was gone. I told Alison how Gramps always took us to a homemade ice cream shop called the Love Boat. We decided we had to go. So much for eating well 🙂
The next day we decided to go to the beach. It was a beautiful day. Not too hot or humid with a slight breeze. We found a little spot in between two restaurants. We had our chairs, our cooler, and the sunshine. It was a perfect beach day. It wasn’t overly crowded but it seems the snowbirds are coming back to Florida earlier and earlier and staying later and later every year.
That evening we met another one of my great friends (who was once Jeff’s wingman ) for dinner at a new restaurant in town called Oxbow. The restaurant is right on the river. We sat outside so we could enjoy the sunset and the water. The atmosphere was wonderful. The food was ok. I definitely would go back but hopefully, the next dish is more delightful. The three of us had such a great night talking, laughing, and being outside.
Later that night, Alison and I sat outside. We knew we were going home to snow flurries so we wanted to enjoy the outside as much as possible. We lit our little gas fireplace and talked the night away.
But soon it was time to go. I hope I always appreciate the sunshine of Florida even though we live there most of the year. It makes me happy to wake up to the rays coming through the window. It lifts my spirits. Even if you can only go somewhere for a few days, take the opportunity to relax and get some sunshine on your face. It does wonders for the soul.