You could say that my last vacation was created out of spur-of-the-moment-excitedness, and the availability of a great hotel room at a discounted price. It was located in a place that could be the picturesque epitome of a tropical getaway, and perfectly enough didn't include having to see relatives in the process. Don't get me wrong, my family is important to me and I love them beyond words, but going to visit them isn't necessarily what I'd define as a "vacation."
Each day consecutive to my family booking our hotel room, the hours seemed to welcome overcast, and the skies threatened us as they turned darker shades of grey. We were worried our investment wouldn't be worth the trouble the weather arose, but despite our attempts at a cancellation, we decided we might as well follow through with our original plans. The weather that determined how smoothly our vacation would go was controlled by Debbie Downer, the Tropical Storm that the Caribbean and Gulf Coast brewed up in time for our departure. Talk about smooth sailing.
Surprisingly it was. An hour into our ride south there was no evidence of raindrop suicide on our windshield, and with higher hopes, we decided to convince ourselves that it wasn't going to get any worse and we'd be lucky.
But what always happens to characters in movies that tell themselves that, "It can't get any worse!"?
It gets worse.
Almost immediately.
With each wheel turn South, the weather slowly but surely proved it's power and got worse.
And how perfect was it that we planned our weekend vacation to Sanibel Island, right on Florida's Gulf Coast, the exact weekend Debbie the Tropical Nuisance decided to come, uninvited, unwelcomed, and unwanted? In fact, don't even answer that, not even in your head.
We arrived at our hotel, and bolted to the beach desperate to get the pictures that everyone takes when you stand at a beach anywhere:
"Ok, now with the water behind you!"
"Take a picture next to your brother and stop making that face."
"Now switch shirts so when people see these pictures, it'll make our stay look longer."
It was when we really began to feel rain drops and sand being pelted at our face, that we decided it'd be best to get indoors, the room luckily being a short distance from the beach anyways. Although the rain prevented us from time spent in the water, I have to admit, the experience brought great family bonding. We traveled and laughed all the way there, discovered the best little Antique's shop (spent an hour in it) and spent time together; as a family that sometimes can be found in separate rooms. It was nice distancing myself from my laptop and social networking for two days, and enjoying the company of my family huddled for safety from the storm in our hotel on the beach.
I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have such an amazing family, and this trip helped our bond grow even more. It was truly a great family vacation.
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