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A Vacation I Will Never Forget

Ever take a vacation that you think about constantly, even years later? I had one of those.  I have taken many vacations throughout my life, but sadly, I don’t remember the fun ones I took as a child, except for bits and pieces of a Florida trip.

My husband is so obsessed with Florida that any free time we have for a vacation, we usually go there.  I admit, when I go on a vacation, I always want to go somewhere tropical and hot so I can tan and swim.  So I don’t mind if we usually end up in Florida.

In 2008, my husband’s brother decided to make a life-changing decision-he and his then girlfriend (now wife) decided they hated Wisconsin and took the plunge to move all the way South to Orlando, Florida.  They never looked back.  They left with nothing but a car and themselves.  We were skeptical, but also envious.

Nine years later, they both have amazing jobs, a huge house with a nice pool, and a precious little boy.  See!? It can be done!

Rewind to 2011, they got married in St. Petersburg; thankfully, we were invited.

We were ecstatic to get out of Wisconsin in April, when it is typically cold and rainy.  To be in heat and warm clothes was something we anxiously looked forward to.  However, little did I know this vacation would turn out to be the best I have ever had!  Here’s why:

1.We actually had money for this vacation.  We reserved a hotel room in Treasure Island which was the best because it was cheap (like $500 for the whole week), it was literally just across the street from the beach, and it was only about 10 minutes from St.Petersburg.  We chose the perfect location.  Our flights were also rather affordable.  Between the flights and the hotel room for the week, we spent just under $1000.  I also just earned a decent paying job, so we were able to save up some money for this trip, something we weren’t able to do before.  We were also able to buy a lot of treats for ourselves! I cannot count how many times we ate snocones (the BEST we have ever had were from there), coffee, pizza, etc.

2. We became “Yes” people.   We decided we would make this one of the best trips ever by actually getting out and being adventurous.  I told my husband (Andrew) that we have to just get out and say “yes” to activities we cannot do in Wisconsin.  Since we had more money, we were able to do things we have never done before. My husband’s best friend (David) and his girlfriend (Jen) at the time were also invited to my brother-in-law’s wedding, so we spent much of our time with them.  I got along very well with Jen; we had the same sense of humor and were interested in much of the same activities and food as well.  David is like a brother to me; we pick on eachother and just generally have a fun relationship.  Having them there as well made this vacation enjoyable!

3.We didn’t wait for anyone.  Too often, when we go on vacations, we wait around for others and as a result of some people taking too long or just simply changing their minds on certain plans, we would miss out on something fun.  This time, we ensured we did what WE wanted.  If our friends took too long, which they did in some cases, we said screw it and just went by ourselves and said they should call us when they were ready to meet up.  There was no way in hell we were going to put our activities and vacation on hold just to wait for others.  I am so glad we were “selfish” and didn’t wait for anyone because we did something absolutely amazing, peaceful, and unforgettable.

4.We went jet-skiing and saw dolphins! While our friends were busy in their hotel room, Andrew and I decided we were going to go jet-skiing. We called and told them our plans and invited them along.  They ended up taking quite a long time to get ready, so we finally said screw it, we’re going; come when you can!  We drove to the jet-ski rental, got our lessons on how to ride it and what not to do, and then we had to drive it around a marina, so we couldn’t go very fast.

This worked out to our advantage because while we were going slow, I looked out a bit ahead and in the distance I saw two dolphins jumping out of the water. I shrieked!! I couldn’t believe it!  I told Andrew and we decided to try and get real close to them.  So we drove to see them and at one point, one or two of them got so close to the jet-ski that I tried to touch its head.  It was probably a little intimidated by the jet-ski because it didn’t stay by us long and didn’t allow us to touch him.  But we were so damn excited that we got to see a real dolphin in its natural habitat that we kept driving around to try and find more.  And we did!

We had a front-row view of dolphins jumping in and out of the water.  It was so serene.  Imagine being surrounded by other boats, by beautiful palm trees, AND seeing dolphins play and jump out of the water not even 10 ft. away from us.  We were so elated that we acted like excited little kids!  It was the most amazing experience; when I close my eyes I can still picture the dolphins, the palm trees, and even the jet-ski.  But that wasn’t our only unforgettable adventure.

5.We went parasailing! My husband is afraid of heights; the guy can’t even fix our ceiling fan without nearly having a heart attack.  So imagine my confusion and joy when he said he wanted to try parasailing.  I still don’t understand it to this day.  But it was something he said he always wanted to do, but that we couldn’t ever afford.

Since we were able to afford it, we said “yes”!  Again, we went alone because our friends took too long.  We got to the boat which took us out in the middle of the ocean.  There were several other people on board anxious to go parasailing as well.  We watched as each couple took a turn.  You go up two at a time-riding tandem 800-1000 ft. in the air.  While we were waiting and watching the others, believe it or not, I was the one with anxiety and heights don’t scare me at all.

Soon it was our turn.  We got tied up, sat down and waited for them to push on the throttle.  Once they did, we kind of shot up in the air and kept climbing once we reached 800 ft.  When we did, it was the most incredible sight.  I couldn’t look down because I was too scared, but I did do panoramic views of St.Petersburg.  You can see sights you obviously cannot on the ground.  Also, because you’re so high in the air, you can’t feel how fast you are moving.  It was so calming and peaceful…until my idiot husband decided to shake back and forth and scare the living daylights out of me! Prick.  But it was still an experience we talk about to this day.  In fact, we have a picture of us being reeled back into the boat on our bathroom sink to remind us of that adventure.

6.We went kayaking in the ocean and I almost got eaten by a shark!

Okay, so that may be a bit dramatic.  But it could have happened, who really knows?

This adventure was not just unforgettable; it was also pretty f-ing hilarious.  I have a permanent “photo” in my mind of my friend Jen that cracks us up to this day.

We decided to go kayaking with David and Jen on one of the days we were down there.  It was something all of us had wanted to do.  I was a little more afraid because I am fearful of the ocean and sharks jumping and eating me (thanks Jaws), but again, I was determined to say “yes” to everything in order to have the time of my life.  So, David and Jen were in one kayak while Andrew and I were in another (two-seaters).  It was actually pretty wavy that day which made me even more scared.  I thought for sure we were going to be tossed over board.  And that’s exactly what happened, but HOW it happened was too goddamed funny.

While kayaking, we were fine for awhile, riding through the ocean laughing and having a great time riding the waves.  But then all of a sudden, a big wave comes out of nowhere and knocks me, Andrew, and David out of the kayaks and into the water.    Jen somehow was able to remain in the kayak; she was struggling a bit, arms flailing, but somehow she stayed in there!  Meanwhile, the three of us were struggling to get back into our kayaks because the waves just kept coming.  We were laughing so hard, which didn’t help because it made us clumsy.

After many tries, we realized we just couldn’t get back into our kayaks, so we had to swim back to shore.  There I was-sure I was going to be surrounded by sharks, Jellyfish, and every known animal in the ocean and get eaten.  I swam so fast to that shore!  But, before I reached it, I saw a kayak glide so peacefully right past me with Jen in it.  She wasn’t even paddling; she was just resting the paddle on her lap while the waves so kindly brought her back to shore.  She had the biggest, dorkiest grin on her face because she got a ride to safety while me, David, and Andrew were still fighting the waves and had to swim back.  We were laughing our asses off.

THAT is the picture I will forever have in my mind-Jen with a big, dorky smile on her face because she knew she was lucky, getting a ride back to shore by the ocean.  It was so hilarious.  We laughed about it the rest of the trip and still do to this day whenever we talk about it.  God I wish I had a camera with me then so I could have taken a forever snapshot of her face!

7. We ate at beautiful restaurants on the ocean.  One of the best things about Florida is that there many amazing restaurants right on the beach, overlooking the ocean.  There was one that my husband and I loved, but I forget the name.  We took David and Jen there to eat and it was just so peaceful.

The most beautiful sight to me is the ocean; it fascinates me.  I think about all the things that are happening directly underneath it, the animals unique to only the ocean, the ships that have sunk in years past, the coral reefs, etc.  So whenever we ate at Florida, we would always try to eat somewhere that offered the best view of the ocean.  I also prefer a restaurant that has party lights because they add more serenity to the eating experience.  So nearly every place we ate on that vacation was either on the ocean, had party lights, or both!

8.The wedding was gorgeous and I ate and danced my heart out.  I love weddings, but nothing beats a wedding on the beach, overlooking the ocean, on a beautiful, warm day.  This was what my brother-in-law’s wedding was like.  They literally got married right on the sand.  The chairs were on the sand, they said their wedding vows on the sand, and we sat and watched it all-on the sand.  What made this wedding even more beautiful were the palm trees surrounding them and the ocean in the background.  I was so jealous because my husband and I got married in my brother’s backyard.  Granted, it is huge and has a pond, but I couldn’t help but think a destination wedding would have suited us more.  Oh well.  That ship has sailed.

Here are a couple pictures of where the wedding took place:

Later that evening, while they were busy taking photos, Andrew, me, David, and Jen were eating appetizers and drinking.  We were stuffing our faces because they had such yummy food! There was a table just for unique candy desserts.  We basically hung around that table and sampled every food and were not at all ashamed!

Then we got to the main room-the presidential suite of a hotel that has walls of windows-offering a breathtaking view of the ocean, and then we sat at our table.  Here is a picture-the suite is at the very top.

Again, we drank, ate, and laughed.  I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in life.  Later, the party really started.  Jen and I danced quite a bit-I cannot express my love for dancing enough; it is something I do every day and with my kids, it makes me happy! So we danced our hearts out!

The wedding wasn’t just beautiful; it was also one of the greatest nights I’ve ever had with my husband and with my friends.

This was my Florida, 2011 vacation.  I have been to Florida three or four more times since then, and this vacation still beats all others!

So, here is my advice to you for your next vacation:

1.Save up plenty of money-at least $500-1,000 so you can do more without stressing out.

2.Don’t wait around for anyone and don’t be afraid to be “selfish”, afterall, it is YOUR vacation and YOUR memories.

3.Be adventurous and do activities you would typically say no to.

4.Eat at restaurants you don’t have in your home state.

5.Take lots of pictures and don’t worry about posting too many on Facebook-I wish had taken much, much more than I did!

6.Laugh and dance as much as you can!

This is the advice I will also take on my upcoming cruise in December! Cannot wait! I already have plans to do a couple things I wouldn’t normally do:  scubadiving and hanggliding! Cheers to living!

 

 

 

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