Florida

Even though I was absent-minded enough to FORGET my camera, I'm still going to document my trip to Florida. You'll just have to trust me that it was AWESOME without any visual proof.

Anyway, I went to South Florida for 4 full days in January sans children. Not even one. Just me and a book on the 5-hour flight while Kjell manned the homefront. What a blissful, serene, relaxing, quiet, stressless flight that was...well I better move past the actual travel time or this will be a long blog.

Day 1 - I stayed at Uncle Greg and Aunt Molly's lovely home in Boynton Beach (insert imaginary picure here) where I enjoyed such delicacies as Key Lime Pie ice cream, pumpkin bread pudding, fajitas, gourmet burgers, pound cake, fruit, and other yummies thanks to Aunt Molly's propensity to use "Southern Living" recipes with the best ingredients. I didn't have to cook. Not once. Highlight of the day - My mom and her cousins (Bonnie Jo, Cissie and her husband Bill) came to Uncle Greg's house for a barbeque. It was fun to hear them all catch up (frequently referring to family members as "mother" "daddy" and "kid brother") while I had no diapers to change. There was an actual picture taken that evening on someone else's camera that might end up on the blog someday.

Day 2 - Uncle Greg and I arise early for some garage saling! I do come by it honestly. Best find - a beautiful framed oil of sailboats. Cost: $20. Coast to ship to Utah: $200. Whoops. Mom and I visit her old friend Kathy Mattingly in Palm Beach, where she makes us a yummy lunch and we reminisce about when I would stay with them at their house in the Keys when I was a kid. Next we head to Singer Island to visit with my Aunt Darcy, Richard, cousin Tom and his girlfriend Marianne. The ladies enjoy the afternoon going to thrift shops (where I buy Kjell the best Christmas sweater ever) and then out to dinner at a fantastic seafood restaurant. So good to see everyone!

Day 3 - Two words. Flea Market. This was QUITE the experience. The parking lot of a 13-screen drive-in movie was filled with booths selling, well, everything! What did I buy you ask? The most ridiculous thing I could find of course - a beautiful stained-glass pool table light for $25. Cost to ship: don't ask. Literally, when I brought it into the UPS store, the lady just shook her head. At this point I made a conscious decision to stop buying big, ridiculous things that are impossible to ship. Still, Uncle Greg and Aunt Molly helped wrap the light so I could check it as a piece of luggage. It was in many pieces when I opened the box in Utah. Fixable, but very damaged. Now my light is sitting in storage waiting for me to fork over $400 to get it fixed (note - a new light is between $500 and $600). Lesson learned. I also bought sunglasses for $1 - much more savvy.

Day 4 - Sunny Florida is sunny! The day is spent at the beach with my mom. We're later joined my Erin and Eden (friends of the family). Eden is 4 and has never seen snow, so we hope she and her mom will come visit soon. Of couse I leave the beach with a sunburn (when I get home, Marcus says "Mommy, why are you orange?"). Uncle Greg and I go to Goodwill that evening and we all enjoy dinner at Hurricane Alley.

It was so sweet to have Kjell pick me up at the airport with 3 cute little boys in the backseat who I missed so much! Still, it was nice to have a break, but next time I'm bringing Kjell.