Evening Wyndham shenanigans

Our living room is quite large. The unit itself is oblong. You enter the front door and there is a narrow hallway with two bedrooms on either side of that. Keep walking and you enter the kitchen. The dining room and living area are beyond that, with the master suite to the left between the dining table and couch.

I We decided after our our restaurant eating Pompano Beach trip that we would cook all of our meals in the unit. On the drive over we each picked a night to cook and we made out a grocery list accordingly. Darcy's night is leftover night, or depending on that, maybe eating out. Susan cooked the first night as she left the next day for Jacksonville. She made pulled pork sandwiches and french fries. Madison cooked tonight and she made a one pan Mexican dish with chicken, black beans, rice, onions, peppers, and cheese. We slurped it right up. We do, however, have a few leftovers from it.

The master suite is the farthest from the front door. There is a sliding glass door that leads out to the porch area with lounge chairs. It overlooks the golf course. So far I've seen three groups play past our door. Last night I went to bed a little after one. Susan went early. Darcy and Savanna were in their room on their electronic devices. Madison was out in the living room working on her summer paper that is due in a few days.

At about two o'clock Maddy heard this banging noise. She looked up and thought, "What was that?" She waited and it came again. Bam! Bam! Bam! She wondered what in the world could be making that noise. Was it someone at the front door? She got up and went to the second bedroom to see if anyone was up in there. Savanna was.

Savanna: "Jeez, this place is noisy!"

Madison: "What is that noise?"

Savanna: "Just listen."

They did and Madison heard people talking on the other side of Savanna's wall and then they both heard people running upstairs right across the bedroom ceiling. Savanna told Madison that had been going on most of the night. Then they both heard Bam! Bam! Bam!

Madison: "What is that? That's the noise I'm talking about."

Savanna: "Did you look out the peep hole to the front door?"

So they both went to the front door and peeked out the peep hole. A man in a Wyndham shirt, carrying a walkie talkie, a tool box, and towels was standing outside the door. They both looked at each other and jumped when the man banged on the door again. Madison didn't want to answer the door nor did she want to wake me. She decided the hell with it.

Madison (relating the story the next morning): "I wasn't about to open the door to some guy in a Wyndham shirt at 2:00 in the morning."

Savanna was still watching him out the peep hole and she heard the guy talk into the walkie talkie. He asked the voice at the other end if he was in the right place. The voice responded with a yes to that number, but a different building. The guy outside our door said, "Oh." and quickly walked away. He should have been in the building next to us.

Madison: "I mean, really. What could he possible be repairing at that hour of the morning?"

So much for the adults in the unit. Susan and I slept right through it.

Summer Vacation - Orlando - Day 1

This vacation business trip was planned because one, Wyndham added a new resort in Orlando and two, I was desperate at the time of planning for a getaway. I told the girls they could each bring a friend, and I invited my mother-in-law to join us, but by the time the trip rolled around we only had one child, Savanna, joining us.

Maddy had too much summer work to finish and my mother-in-law decided to do some bathroom remodeling. Savanna's mother, Susan, had to be in Jacksonville for a work seminar from Thursday to Sunday so she asked if she could follow us on Wednesday to break up her trip. What the hell? The more the merrier.

I wanted this trip to be relaxing and without plans. Susan is the total opposite of that and she insisted I make a time to depart. We were only an hour off of the schedule by the time we gassed up the Caravan II, hit the bank, and loaded up the guests.

We set off, waving good-bye to Savanna's dad, Susan following us in her car. Orlando is a hop, skip and a jump from where I live and the drive is relatively smooth. We found the resort without any problems, but because we couldn't check in until four o'clock, we decided to find a place to have a nice sit-down lunch. Maddy and I checked our Around Me apps and voted on a Thai place a few miles down the road. We set off in the Caravan II following Siri's directions and ended up in Celebration, FL.

Celebration, for those who have no idea, is a town and community that was the idea of the Disney corporation. Disney designed and built the town in the model of its happy, go-lucky, greatest place to live philosophy. The homes are built in a twentieth-century architectural style and the whole area is idealistic and warmhearted with immaculate yards, grassy parks, and streets so clean you could eat off of them.

Much has been written about the rules and regulations and the residents who have had issues with them, but the town looks beautiful and very Disney like. Some people find it like a set out of a movie. Susan and Savanna had never been there before and I hadn't driven through it in years so we were quite happy to enter.

We found the restaurant, Thai Thani, in downtown Celebration and we were lucky to land a prime parking spot right in front of the establishment. It was quite a large restaurant with outdoor seating, a large bar, and cocktail area, and a huge dining room compared to the Thai restaurants we are used to in our area.

We were the only people in the restaurant since it was late afternoon and we were seated in one of the booths with the sparkly tables that we had read about on Yelp when researching the restaurant. The decor was beautiful with colored parasols hanging from the ceiling, hand-carved furniture and antiques. The iced Thai tea and coffees we ordered were sweet and just what we needed after a long drive on a hot, summer day. Complimentary Thai salads were brought to the table and the staff was courteous and attentive. We ordered two pad thai dishes, one chicken Panang dish, and one yellow curry with chicken. All of it was delicious and we exited with leftovers and full stomachs.

Savanna wanted to tour the town and I was all for that because as we had entered Celebration I had suddenly remembered that there was something I had wanted to do in Celebration. The problem was I had no memory of what that was.

So we set off strolling downtown past shops and restaurants heading toward the "waterfront area". The entire time we strolled, piped music played and people smiled and greeted us. Savanna found it all creepy, but Madison and I found it reminded us of Storybrooke from Once Upon A Time. And since that show is on ABC and that is a Disney company it wouldn't surprise me that the writers might just have done some modeling from Celebration.

The "waterfront" area is a man-made lake surrounding by umbrellas and benches for relaxing and talking. There is an area with a Disney-like-fountain, that popped up water spouts at random, and small children in bathing suits were squealing and running through it to cool off.

Darcy spied a Kilwins, the ice cream place for Pompano Beach and I screamed, "THAT'S IT." That was what I couldn't remember. Kilwins was in Celebration. I had seen it on Facebook and had made a mental note to get some toasted coconut ice cream while on this trip. Thank goodness Darcy saw it otherwise I might never have remembered. We go some ice cream despite our full stomachs and then headed back to the car.

The resort is in Reunion, FL one exit from Walt Disney World. The directions had me enter through the main gate, heavily manned by security who required my license and in turn gave me a pass and strict instructions on where to display it, and then proceed to the main hotel.

The drive through the area took us along the Arnold Palmer golf course, around a round-about, and up the hill to the massive, palace of a hotel where doormen whisked me into the air-conditioned lobby, bowing at the waist.

I had to go to the left to the Worldmark Wyndham where three desks were manned by smiling employees who offered me a seat. I was paired with James, a nice looking African American man dressed in a black dress shirt, a bright white sports jacket, and a black and white striped tie. He was a tad nervous, but I had him laughing in delight in no time.

He began by showing me a map of the over 2,000 acres within the resort with golf courses, a spa, tennis facilities, a hotel, homes, pools, etc. He explained that Wyndham only owned a small portion of the area, but that we were welcome as owners to use all the amenities. Then he did his thing of signing me up for a "free breakfast" where I would hear about some Margaritaville addition.

James: "You are familiar with Margaritaville, right?"

Me: "I am familiar with margaritas!"

James: (Laugh, laugh, laugh)

This free breakfast, along with the $100 American Express card he wanted to give me, would allow me to fill my stomach, ask questions, and party down later with the money. I told him I heard him, I understood his job, but that I was here for rest and relaxation, that I was here without my husband, and I didn't want to hear the salesman get annoyed when he discovered all of that.

James assured me that this wasn't the normal pitch and that it would only be 45 minutes and that I would be part of a group of singles (without spouses). I told him that if I got there and it wasn't all of that and I got stuck with an angry salesman that I would come down, find James, and drag him around by his colorful tie. He then whipped out a fake, paper car key and offered me a chance to win a brand new Lexus or $25,000 cash.

Me: "Just what I  need...another car."

James: "Some people take the $25,000 cash."

Me: "James, if I win $25,000 in cash I will split it with you."

James: "Are  you serious?"

Me: "I am dead serious."

He made me shake on it. Obviously, the man believed what he was selling.

I'm now stuck on attending a 11:30 breakfast on Saturday. Oh, boy.

James finished with me, walked me across the lobby, and handed me off to Bryan, the hotel registration guy, also seated at a desk with comfortable chairs for me to sit in. He gave me my keys and the directions to the resort and villa I was staying in. I went back out the lobby doors and we started our caravan of cars back to the round-about.

As we rounded it once more, to turn off on the third road, Savanna remarked that the area wasn't looking as elegant as the other areas. She was right. This section is close to the main interstate and under development with sandy, empty construction lots and empty development land.

Eventually, it got better as we found Wyndham and entered the Villas North. The buildings are three stories and designed in a modern, Virginia, country club-style centered around the golf course. Each level had three units and each villa had a pool. Our building was seven buildings away from the pool area which was a bummer, but we were on the ground floor.

All the units are three bedrooms and three bathrooms with a full kitchen, living room, and porch area. Our unit was over 1,500 square feet so we felt quite comfortable. Maddy and I took the master suite with a king bed and a large bathroom that came with a DOOR (something Kelly felt Wyndham needed to improve in its master suites). I immediately texted her a photo. Savanna and Darcy took the second bedroom with an adjoining bathroom that had two double beds. Susan took the third bedroom and bathroom with another king bed.

We looked around, left to buy groceries, returned to the unit, and ate dinner. Susan brought a very nice bottle of wine and she and I sat in the living room and enjoyed that and conversation while the girls entertained themselves in the other part of the unit. It was a nice evening and we retired to our rooms full and satisfied with our first day.

Good morning Tuesday

Last night Tom called as he was coming home from work. The time? Eight o'clock P.M.

He wanted to know if I would meet him with "one of those girl drivers" to pick up the van that had been repaired that day. I reminded him that meeting him made no sense since we would then have three cars and only two licensed drivers. He mulled that over for a while and then conceded I was correct.

He thought some more. Would I be ready and would I be willing to jump in the car when he pulled up to ride with him to pick up the van? I said, of course, being one who is always ready and willing, but then I suggested that we do the pick up the next morning seeing as how the window repair place was on his way to work. He mulled that over. And over.

I finally told him to think about it on the rest of the drive home and we hung up. By the time he got home he was all for my idea as long as "you can get up early".

I have never been one that can't get up. I may not want to get up, which is really what I'm sure he meant when he said that, but I am one of those people that can be up and ready in minutes. I don't need to shower as I do that every night before bed (OCD). I don't have to fix my hair or put on make-up. I don't have to worry about contacts. All I have to do is pee, wash the face, brush the teeth, and put on a bra. I even wear pajamas to bed that could actually be seen as an outfit so if I don't want to I don't have to change.

Can I be up early? Pfft. He knew that answer. Before I went to bed last night I asked him what time we would need to leave.

Tom: "Seven-ish...7:20"

Me: "Which is it? 7:00 or 7:20. There is a big difference between Seven-ish and 7:20."

Tom: "The difference is twenty minutes."

I walked away and set the alarm for seven and was ready by 7:08. We left the house at 7:17. He is Mr. Chatty in the morning and he drove and talked. I could not listen because his driving was atrocious. Madison had mentioned to me recently that she was concerned about his driving ability (this is what happens when teens become aware and learn how to drive). I lectured him on his speed through neighborhoods and his rolling stops through stop signs. He poo-poohed my lectures and defended himself. I continued lecturing and reminded him that he had teen drivers that needed him to be on top of his game.

Me: "I learned about all of these techniques in defensive driving school."

Tom: "And you were there because...."

Me: "I got a speeding ticket and didn't want points on my license."

Tom: "Exactly. I rest my case...."

We got on to the main road, one of the busiest in our county and currently under construction which makes it a nightmare. As we came upon a bakery, he swung into the parking lot as we "had five minutes".

He doesn't usually travel this way to work, but when and if he does he likes to stop at this bakery for their coconut cream coffee which is delicious. He has a punch card. I had started to suggest we do this earlier before we left, but didn't want to hear him talk about how he needed to get to work.

We got out and ordered two coffees. I love this place because they have flavored creamer and so I got my coffee and went to work opening up the little creamers and dumping them into the large coffee. He stood behind me waiting. I reminded him that I like a little coffee with my creamer and continued opening and dumping. He went outside. I was past his time limit apparently.

This made me nervous. I finished dumping, earlier than normal only five creamers instead of eight, stirred and replaced the lid. The coffee was damn hot. The cups are certainly not up to par with Starbucks and the little preventive piece of cardboard put around the cup to protect your fingers was not up to that standard either. I joined him outside and we got into the car.

I remarked, as I got settled into the seat, that the coffee was damn hot. He agreed, put his coffee into the cup holder, and suddenly began backing up. I couldn't put my coffee into the second cup holder because I had a cup of water in that one so I was attempting to switch the two so that I could dump the water out the side door when he began moving. I didn't even have my seat belt on.

As he backed out, he hit the brake so that he could put on his seat belt and this caused me to squeeze the coffee cup in my hand. The lid immediately popped off and coffee sloshed on to my leg, down the cup and on to the floor of the car.

Tom: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Me: "Damn! That is hot!"

Tom: "ARE YOU CRAZY? PUT THE LID ON!"

Me: (I had brought out napkins and began wiping my leg) "Oh, for heaven's sake settle down. I didn't mean to do that."

I took out the water glass and put it at my feet. I wiped the coffee cup and the surrounding area where coffee had spilled. I replaced the lid on the cup, and as I did, Tom lurched the car forward because he was in the entrance and someone wanted to enter. Of course, I squeezed the cup again and the whole scenario repeated itself.

This time coffee went everywhere; my leg, my arm, the floorboard, the middle console, even the steering wheel. Tom continued driving and more coffee spilled. I couldn't help it. I started laughing hysterically, which only made my hand shake and the coffee spill some more.

Tom: "PUT THE LID ON! OH, MY GOD! HOW HARD IS IT?"

Me: "Stop driving! I'm trying to get my seat belt on. That's more important then this spilled coffee."

Tom: "Put the lid on!"

I couldn't stop laughing. I was clicking my seat belt and wiping up spilled, hot coffee off my body, and off the console and off of his own coffee cup in the console. We were now at a light and he had to stop. He took out the rubber cup holder that sits in the holder in the console and made me put it on my cup so that it wouldn't be too hot.

He wouldn't listen when I tried to explain the problem wasn't the hotness of the coffee. I kept laughing and finally, he started laughing. We wiped up coffee and the light turned green. I put the lid on, put the cup into the holder, and proceeded to use Kleenex (having run out of napkins) to continue to wipe up spilled coffee. As I got to the floor of the car I noticed ice and realized that the cup of water that had been at my feet had totally turned over and dumped out all the contents there as well. I didn't mention that.

I finished cleaning up. He finished his tirade. We drove along talking. I reached for my coffee to take a sip and damn if the lid didn't pop off one more time. Thankfully the coffee didn't spill far this time having already gone down several inches, but it did spill. This set me off laughing again and him telling me to put the lid on, which only made me laugh harder. By the time we got to the repair place his nerves were rattled and I was wide awake and ready to face the day with or without caffeine.

He got out and moved his stuff to the van, swishing and swiping as he did so with a Kleenex on places he swore he saw coffee stains. I told him I would dutifully clean it up when I got home and not to worry about it. He remarked how the whole car would smell like coffee for days. I reminded him it was a nice smell. We kissed and got into our respective cars and I followed him out of the maze of the industrial park. He got into the right lane to turn right on the busy, construction road, and I went into the left lane. My light was red so I reached down to get my coffee and POP! Off came the lid and slosh went the coffee.

I started laughing again and lifted the cup so he could see that the lid popped off again. He didn't laugh this time and I could see him mumbling. I guarantee he was saying, "How hard is it to put the lid on the cup?"

I laughed all the way home.

5 things to start the weekend

1. Our neighbors are leaving. One by one they are putting up houses for sale or going off to visit children in other states for several months. It all happened at once it seems and it makes us sad. But then as usual, my husband, reverses things with his we-could-get-great-new-neighbors attitude, and I try. I really try to have that same this-is-a-new-experience set of mind, but I love my neighbors and don't want to see them go or lose touch with them in this new stage of life.
2. The girls and I are heading out again next week. I have a business trip. That is what I have decided to call it because in a way it just might turn out to be. My mother purchased Wyndham vacation owner points, tons of them, and now my brother and I are responsible for the monthly cost of maintaining this ownership property. I'm thinking this could turn out to be a business opportunity in that I can sell points to people looking to vacation at a nice resort. I already do this for family and friends, but to venture further out into the market I feel I must investigate some of the new resorts that are springing up. The girls are tagging along to help me in my research.
3. Kelly's father told her, when calling to wish her a happy birthday earlier this month, that 50 to 55 years of age would be the "greatest times of her life". I have discussed this with various people that I run into where health and age conversation pop up, and so far everyone past that age has agreed with her dad. I'm hoping that maybe this research and words of wisdom help me out of my yearly funk of turning half a century old.
4. We are planning a family reunion of sorts in South Carolina in November. It is something my mother always talked about us doing and now we are actually making the plans to move forth on it. Sort of bittersweet, but exciting nonetheless. I like that maybe I'm doing things in her memory, even though I didn't do it when she was alive.
5. We are in a terrible rut. We have been since the beginning of July. The summer blues have hit us and we stay up late, sleep all morning, and lounge around all day. I am determined to change all of that. But I'll start on Monday....

TP or not to TP

Warning: If you have aversion to discussing the back end, don't read further. Heck, probably might not want to even read this blog!

Awhile ago we had issues with our septic system, and after several visits and cleanings by our plumber, we switched to one ply toilet paper. I use to use Northern toilet paper and swore that not using it was the reason why Darcy had so many urinary issues as a small child. I started carrying a roll with us when we traveled and always purchased some wherever we landed. At some point Northern even offered up three ply paper, and I feel that might really be the reason why we had trouble. I never paid attention to that nonsense before our septic troubles, but after black, smelly gunk seeped up from the drains into our showers I took notice.

My mother had switched long ago to one ply after a recommendation from her plumber. She purchased Scott and I did not care for that at all. I always felt like I had to use twice as much to keep my cleans clean and it was scratchy and irritating. Scott was what my plumber recommended too, and when I told him my feelings on the brand he told me there were a couple of other brands out there. And so I headed to Target, my store of choice for toilet paper.

My Target has rearranged its store so that the toilet paper section is in the very back of the store in a corner and takes up both sides of an aisle, even snaking around the corner of one wall. I roamed up and down the aisle reading the labels of various brands of toilet paper until I discovered Charmin Basic. Charmin Basic is a one ply tissue sold by the maker of the "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" Mr. Whipple commercials of my day. Knowing that this brand, although not the one ply, was the brand of choice for my friend Kelly, I decided that I would try this brand first and threw it into my cart.

Success! The family loved it. The septic loved it. Charmin Basic was the winner before I even attempted another brand. Target sold it for a $16.79 for 36 double rolls which meant it was like having 72 rolls of toilet paper right there in your home! Charmin had coupons for $.25 in the Sunday paper and sometimes for $1.00. Target would put the brand on sale occasionally, but it was rarely lower than $16.00. My mother's grocery store would sometimes put a smaller version on sale for under $6.00 with a coupon, but that wasn't often.  Walmart did not sell the one ply in Charmin. All in all I was happy with this choice and happy that we hadn't seen our plumber in over a year.

Right before my family came into town I went to Target to stock up on paper as this was the Mason side of the family, and for those who know us, enough said. For those who don't, well, suffice it to say that the term "Mason Fecal Update" was coined about our family. I got to Target and went directly to the lets-put-it-back-here-so-no-one-knows-that-people-buy-toilet-paper ailse only to discover that THERE WAS NO CHARMIN BASIC. I didn't panic and figured they were out of it and would have it again in a week. Wrong! In a week I returned and there was no sign of Charmin Basic ever having been on the walls at one time. I thought it odd. I tried Walmart on the off chance that they had it suddenly, but no go. I even drove thirty minutes out of my way to the only KMart left in our area. Nothing. I was resigned to paying top dollar for a smaller amount at the grocery.

Darcy: "Why don't you buy it online?"
Me: "Please. Where would I find that?"
Darcy: "Amazon."
Me: "Amazon? Amazon isn't going to sell toilet paper. Pfft."
Darcy: "Amazon sells everything."
Me: "Who buys toilet paper online?"
Darcy: "Sarina's mom does. She buys all of their toilet paper online at Amazon."

Really? So I googled it, and of course I could buy toilet paper online. At Amazon! And a dozen more places that were willing to ship me cases of toilet paper or sign me up for monthly shipments at a discounted rate. I hadn't thought about businesses needing the stuff. The only problem that I saw with the online idea was the $9.69 shipping fee. There were various prices on the toilet paper itself and various prices on the shipping, but none was cheaper then what I had been paying at Target.

I panicked. My god! What would we do? My toilet paper was becoming obsolete. Charmin had decided to not produce it any more. Target wasn't selling it any more. Soon Publix would be out of it, I just knew it. Then what would happen? What would we do?

Me: "We are going to have to start getting more magazine subscriptions."
Darcy: "Why?"
Me: "To use the pages for toilet paper! Our toilet paper is no more!"
Darcy: "Ugh. Why would we do that?"
Me: "Because that is what people did in the olden days. They used pages from magazines."
Darcy: "They had magazines back then, but not toilet paper? Wouldn't that be scratchy and uncomfortable?"
Me: "This is why I'm so upset!"
Darcy: "We can just switch to Grandma's toilet paper. She has a bunch of it in The Condo."

Switch? To that awful Scott brand? It was unthinkable. I worried for days over this world ending dilemma, but those I told the story to didn't seem to share my concern. Then one day before our family arrived Darcy and I went into Lowe's to purchase a shower caddy. As we carried it up to the Self Check-out line Darcy suddenly stopped and a big, wide smile came over her face. I stared at her. What? She pointed behind me and when I turned around there, sitting on a wooden pallet in the middle of the store, was a stack of Charmin Basic toilet paper. Twenty-four double roll packs piled on top of one another for $10.

I bought several. Toilet paper at Lowe's. Who knew? Although I have the feeling this was a one time thing, I didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. We are saved! At least for a few more weeks. In the meantime, I'm sure I can find other significant things to worry about.

Round up of 2014 Pompano vacation

Best/Worst of Trip 

• Maddy - (Best) - "Well, I don't really know. I mean what did we really do? We went to the university. We went to the pool. I mean today is the best thing we did. We went out to eat. We swam. We walked around." (Worst) - "The worst thing? All the screaming and yelling that occurred. And the mall! The giant mall and the fact that we didn't do the Barbie Dream House. Oh, and my tummy troubles."

• Gabby - (Best) - "All of the water activities - going to the beach, swimming. The best meal was my salad at Burger Freak." (Worst) - "The Salt & Pepper Chef! Oh, and the spiders at FAU!"

• Darcy - (Best) - "The beach! The beach! I had fun last night at the Lauderdale place and at Mulligan's." (Worst) - "Bad mood that went around at times. The Salt & Pepper Chef, all those great reviews and ...."

• Susan - (Best) - "The beach. All the seafood. And the girl time! I don't get that often with girlfriends." (Worst) - Spiders and the The Salt & Pepper Chef. Oh, and NO CELL SERVICE!"

Maddy would like to express disappointment in everyone being on their phone, despite not having service, when they had the perfect opportunity to put their phones down and enjoy quality family time.

• Cara - (Best) - "The beach. Running into my relatives. Oh, and my frozen mojito tonight! AND seeing Diane Von Furstenberg (see below)" (Worst) - Those people downstairs by the pool who hogged up the entire area and blocked the bathroom. Driving out of our way to get here. The mall!"

• Kelly - (Best) - "Access to cable tv. A cool, refreshing pool. Time with all of the girls. Getting Darcy to consider a maxi dress. Buying Flowerbomb for $85. Mulligan's firecracker shrimp." (Worst) - "Poop trouble at the mall. The van being so cold on the way down. The brief, but tense interpersonal moments. Being excited about going to Salt & Pepper Chef based on reviews and then being soooo disappointed at the food and service. No or very little cell service. Sprint sucks!"

Best Line of the Vacation

The last night of the trip we decided to go out to dinner instead of eating in our unit like we had planned. We all showered and got ready. I pretty much had worn the same two outfits the entire trip because we had a washing machine in our unit and I just washed them both to wear again. They were nothing special, none of my clothes are. I was raised in a household where cosmetics and dressing sleekly daily were not part of the equation. I am much more at home and more comfortable in sweats and a T'shirt. I have tried, since having kids, to spruce up my wardrobe some, but I suck at it. Plus, I am not some cute, little thing that just looks good in clothes. I'm big, and lurky and well, better looking in sweats and T'shirts. I always feel inadequate next to my SIS, not her fault, who is cute, perky, and always fashionable.

I dressed in my tan skort and flowery top (see above) that makes me look fatter than I am. Kelly threw on jean capris and her flowery, fushia top from Walmart (see above). Then out came Susan dressed in white shorts and a black, dressy looking tank top with big, dangling earrings and her designer purse, and while she really wasn't dressed up per say, she just looked that way. She always looks that way. (Well, except when she wears her striped green shorts all the time) I use to get on her about dressing so nicely for simple outings, but she can't help it. She has a natural beauty and elegance no matter what she wears (except those striped shorts).

She came out and told us to snap to it. I looked at her and was glad I was at least wearing something close to resembling a skirt. I signed within and waited for everyone else to come out to the living room. One by one they appeared, Kelly bringing up the rear. She took one look at Susan - 

Kelly - "Where are we going? I thought we were just throwing on clothes to eat dinner. Now I have to change clothes. You people can't make up your minds. Are we eating outside or inside? I'm never going to be dressed properly."

Susan - "What? You look fine. Why do you have to change clothes?"

Kelly - "Fine? This isn't fine. I'm in my T'shirt from Walmart for god's sake. I just threw on comfortable clothes. I didn't get all gussied up like Diane von Furstenberg here in her tasteful, designer clothes looking like she is going to a party."

Best picture of the Trip

Our synchronized swimming shot taken by Kelly who came up with the idea in the first place. She was a part of our group until we realized it was picture worthy and she climbed out to get the shot.

Reviews of Restaurants

1. The Salt & Pepper Chef - 11 points out of 30. The restaurant was a cross between Spanish, Mexican, and god knows what else. Their was a bar with a tv blasting a Spanish channel, very little table seating, and it was very dark. The food was overcooked, dry, frozen, and barely edible. The service was minimal and she referred to all of the woman as "Mamas".
2. The Burger Freak - 25.5 points out of 30. Delicious! Exactly what it said it was. Tiny, hole in the wall place with only three tables for seating, but decorated with interesting posters on the walls. Tasty freaky sauce.
3. Mulligan's Beach House - 25.5 out of 30. Maddy feels she shouldn't really be included as she didn't feel well and only ate half of her sandwich. We included her anyway, but I think she means the score might have been higher if she had felt better. Food was delicious. Service was great.
4. 101 Ocean - 24.5 out of 30. Great frozen drinks. Fountain soda actually tasted like soda for the first time on this trip. Food was yummy. Atmosphere was interesting with all these waterfalls over everything, including the TV.
5. Kilwins Ice Cream - 26.5 our of 30. Best toasted coconut ice cream ever! Have I mentioned that? My mouth waters every time I think about it. Apparently, Susan has one in her area and she has never been there. Oh, my!

Burger Freak

From the travel journal - Day 5

Cara - We packed and cleaned out our unit and were on the road by a little after 10:00 a.m. I reported the shower/tub drainage problem in our unit, but other than asking me if I had reported it, the front desk clerk didn't take notes or seem to even care. Next visit to Pompano I shall try hard for the Wyndham Royal Vista.

Kelly took the wheel to drive. We had agreed to eat breakfast out and we had some trouble finding a breakfast place on the route we were taking home, different from the one we took to get here of course, but eventually we located an IHOP and sat down for brunch.

Susan - After we left IHOP and had been on the road for an hour and a half, Maddy needed a potty break and Kelly suggested we get gas. We saw an exit with a BP so we pulled off of it. I purchased and pumped gas while the others went inside for junk (and from the chatter I heard Cara spent $24 for all of it!). Once I was finished pumping I yelled for Darcy to bring out the keys so I could lock the Caravan II doors and join the rest of them inside.

I found the bathroom gross, but usable. I came out to meet the rest of them at the counter where they were shelling out lots of $$$ for their junk. I wasn't buying or paying for Gabby's (Cara did) so I asked Kelly for the keys again and walked to the the car with Darcy and Gabby. We opened the van doors and waited for Kelly to come out. Once she sat down in the driver's seat she tried to start the van. It wouldn't turn over. I knew this was not good. Then Kelly said, "The battery is dead!" I was worried how Cara would take it, but once we told her she asked for the owner's manual and did what the Boos family does -- researches books, internet, or youtube to find answers.

At one point I thought I heard her ask for one of us to ask one of the many men and their families for help. They were all pumping their gas or entering into the gas station. I asked a guy who was traveling with his girlfriend. I asked him if he could help us check our battery and that we thought it was dead. He walked over to the van and we informed him we couldn't find the hood release either! He pushed Kelly aside and then told Cara to "put away the manual before you hurt someone!" He popped the hood and immediately informed us that we needed a new battery. He, of course, had no jumper cables and told me where the nearest Walmart was. He said he was sorry he couldn't help more but he was late for work.

About that time I heard a woman two pumps over yell that she had jumpers, but didn't know how to use them. I said thank you, took them, and proceeded to seek out a man that could help us. About that time a nice older lady said, "Hey, if you have jumpers we can jump you!" They pumped their gas and then pulled up next to our car so our hoods were next to one another. Her husband got out of their car and he was so cute! He wore jean bib overalls, sandals, and a hearing aid. He looked just like a farmer from Indiana, but they turned out to actually be from Illinois. He attached the cables to both cars and VIOLA it started!

After saying our thank yous and returning the cables back to the nice woman in the other car we were off to Walmart in search of a new battery. On the drive to Walmart, Cara made the mistake of calling Tom. Making a quick decision is not what Tom does. We found the automotive area of the Walmart and I ran inside to ask:

1. Do you have a battery for a 2010 Honda Odyssey? 
2. How much is it?
3. How long will it take to put in?

The non-American man was very nice and answered my questions. He told me to pull around and he would get started. So we did! $120 later we were back on the road and hopefully we will be at Cara's soon!

Cara - Lord have mercy, but once again I have had car trouble while traveling. Just once I would like to vacation without issues. Earlier in this trip, my "low tire" sign came on for a day and a half and I had to constantly check my tires. Now, having stopped for a potty break we had a dead battery. Kelly discovered it. She got in to drive again and nothing turned over. I did not immediately panic as I normally do as I first thought she was kidding, but my stomach did sink when she showed me and all I heard were some clicks.

Having been in the back seat the entire way writing in the journal, I had absolutely no idea where we even were. In the middle of nowhere it looked. I messed around with the gas tank and tried the engine myself. Nothing. I began to panic.

I've always done that when anything happens in a subject that I'm clueless about such as automotive repair 101. I panic. "We are in the middle of nowhere!" I remember saying to Kelly before taking some deep breaths and talking to myself to calm down. I got the manual out as if I knew what to look for and then I suggested that Susan ask a man for advice. Nothing against Kelly's blondness and feminine wiles, but Susan is the perfect female to get men to help her; young looking, cutely dressed, perfectly coiffed hair, painted nails, and a sweet, little voice. She was dressed in short shorts and an aqua green, tight tank workout top that showed off her newly acquired, very Florida tan. She hopped out of the car and immediately had a male at our hood.

Unfortunately I had no idea how to pop the hood on the Caravan II. I have yet to use it. I looked everywhere where latch releases for hoods are suppose to be, but nothing. The male, a guy with longish, dirty blonde hair - honestly I could not describe him as my nose was in the car manual as using feminine wiles is SO over my head. I feel very inadequate asking for help, but Susan has no qualms. She is as good at asking for help as she is checking the oil on a lawn mower - something else I can't operate, but that's another story. The guy stood and rolled his eyes at our attempts. Darcy climbed over the back seat and attempted to find the latch, but she too struck out. Finally the guy moved over to the driver's side, pushed Kelly out of his way, edged his way between a concrete beam and the open car door, told me to stop reading the car manual, "Put that away before someone gets hurt" (which I admit made me snicker), and tried to find the latch himself. Even he had trouble. He grumbled some, but eventually located the lever. He got under the hood and said we needed a new battery and asked if we had jumper cables. I couldn't even answer that question. In the Caravan I have jumper cables, but in this van I have no idea what I have or where it might be so I texted Tom asking if I had cables. Here is his response:

Tom: "For you or the car?"

Tom: "Coffee or wires in the truck"

The guy didn't have jumper cables, but told us Walmart was right down the street and we could pick up a battery there. Kelly asked if anyone of us had Triple AAA and that made me realize that I had roadside assistance through my automobile insurance so I got on my phone to alert them. While I was on the phone giving them my cell number so they could access my location, Susan found jumper cables and an elderly couple to jump our battery. By this time I was on the phone with a human who assured me assistance would be there within the hour, and then I had this elderly man in overalls telling me to turn on the engine. I told the nice roadside assistance lady that I thought I might have help and she told me to call her back if it didn't work out. 

The little man got my car started and Susan and Maddy got directions to Walmart. Meanwhile I had Tom texting me to jump the car and drive it home. I called him to tell him we had gotten it started and were planning on getting a new battery. He argued with me, told me the car would be fine, and that he would replace the battery when I got ho. Susan was shrieking from the front seat at Tom asking him if he was going to come and get us if we broke down. Kelly was shouting out for directions. Maddy was trying to give them. I was holding the phone out from my ear while Tom told us we all needed to calm down. Tom insisted we would pay too much for a battery and would wait hours for someone to help us put it in. By this time we were at Walmart. I asked Tom what price was good and Susan hopped out to ask for assistance. I hung up with Tom and Susan was back in the van saying a battery was exactly the price Tom quoted and they would put it in now.

We drove around to the garage and a nice, soft spoken man tried not to get overwhelmed by all of us talking to him at the same time. He told us he would check the battery first and assured us that if it wasn't the battery they would jump us again and send us on our way. But of course it was the battery. All of the men that helped us had told us that. Susan asked again if maybe it could be the alternator and the kind man looked her in the eyes and said, "Ma'am it is your battery." And then he put in a new one and we were back on the road by two o'clock, an hour and ten minutes after we discovered our trouble. Tom couldn't believe it when I texted him.

Cara - "We are back on the road"

Tom - "Really?"

Cara - "Yep. Cheaper than we thought $110. We are driving home now."

Tom - "This is a good learning experience for the girls, young and old."

So, of course, I asked the girls what they learned from this experience. Immediately my two piped up with the same answer at the same time.

Maddy & Darcy - "Do NOT call your husband!"

Gabby - " Um, to always carry jumper cables."

Kelly took the wheel again and before we knew it we were back in Tampa Bay. We reversed our directions, dropping off Kelly, and then heading home where we unloaded and promptly made Tom take us to dinner. A nice ending to a typical traveling vacation with Kelly and family.

From the travel journal - Day 4 Pompano

Cara - I wanted to do the beach again the next day, but Kelly got exhausted just thinking about loading up her big bag (the woman brought 8 bras with her for a 4 day trip for god's sake!!), and Susan really just wanted to relax by the pool. Kelly also reminded us that we had not done our planned breakfast in the unit and she offered to do that so we did. Darcy and Kelly whipped up bacon, eggs, and fruit and we chowed down before heading to the pool.

I had not pooped the day before, maybe because everyone else was pooping so much with issues, so I stayed behind to clean up the kitchen and to finish my book and coffee in the hopes all of that would churn up some action. That happened sooner than I expected much to my delight, but the quietness of the unit made me want to sleep and the book I was reading was too good. So I hung around reading and when I finished my book I joined the others at the pool.

The pool, one of four here at Palm-aire, by our unit was in the shape of an + with rounded edges and a fountain at one of the T's. It looked like this (drawing in journal) or something close to it. Kelly can draw better than I can so perhaps she will do it more justice. (SIDENOTE: In looking back at our pictures I realize that I didn't have a clue as to the shape of the pool. This is why I make a lousy witness. The pool looked like this; move of an angel without a head:)

The pool rules sign stated the bathing load was thirty, which seemed on the low end to my vast pool knowledge. Lounge chairs were set up around the pool, and because the deck was tiny, the chairs were butt-up against the pool deck edge against the shrubbery, leaving very little space to maneuver. This is where Kelly's diagram would come in handy, but she is driving and can not draw now. I shall leave her room on the next page to draw it.

Kelly's diagram of the pool by our unit (when she gets time):



The first day we lounged by the pool Susan chose chairs by the stairs leading into the pool. My chair was on the end near the entrance and exit to our building and up close to the pool stairs. I felt very exposed as people would congregate at the stairs with their children and sales people would bring poor suckers stuck in those sales meetings past me to enter the building. I had us move closer to one of the deep ends (refer to picture above, to the angel's right wing) where we had more walking space and were closer to the bathrooms. This is where we ended up sitting the next day too.

This time a table for four had been added to our lounge space (see Kelly's not yet drawn diagram) and when I arrived I put my stuff down on the table. I had brought cards in the hopes we would all play games so I was excited about the addition of a table that was empty. Because of confined space the lounge chairs were literally next to each other so that we had to crawl from the bottom of the lounge chair to get to the head. Once there you sat elbow to elbow with the person on either side of you. Maddy had pulled her chair back some so she could maneuver and not touch her chair mates. I moved the table over some and then moved my lounge chair so I could enter from the side, not wanting the entire pool crowd to be subjected to my fat bikini clad bottom (kidding! I wasn't in a bikini. Relax) There was still plenty of room for guests to walk on the concrete walkway on the other side of the table to the bathroom.

There were few people there and we swam and read, and it was quite peaceful for a couple of hours. Because the pool rules said, "NO FOOD OR DRINK" we did not bring food down from our unit and the girls ate lunch in the grill. Everyone was happy and enjoying our time.

At about two o'clock the happiness ended for me. The group in the loungers on the opposite side of the bathroom walkway left. Slowly three women, one man, and two small children moved in. The kids were loud and noisy, as kids are, with the smallest one running back and forth on his tiptoes past my chair. He was wearing water wings and the older kid wasn't. The women stopped by my lounge chair and just talked, yelling at the kids to settle down. They kept pointing over to the other side of the pool where the other table was next to the grill. Another man appeared to join them with a teenager who didn't look happy about being there. She sat down on the lounge chair vacated by the people next to Gabby and Darcy and she pouted some.

I tried to keep reading, but they were too busy walking and talking past my chair and table. The teenager got up and walked over to the grill. Now several women and men had arrived at the grill and the women were arranging grocery bags on the table and the men were firing up the grill. A woman wandered up to my table and set down a large McDonald's cup on it. Behind her came two other women with grocery bags that they set down on the table next to my stuff and the McDonald's cup. Since we really weren't using the table, I moved my stuff to the chair that I was also using next to my lounge chair, despite the fact that no one asked me if I was using the table. Politeness is very easy. These people had none of it.

They paraded back and forth, back and forth, bringing more and more bags and food. They took the other three chairs that went with the table and began moving the lounge chairs so that they blocked the bathroom walkway. I had to walk through the shrubs and landscaping to get to the bathroom, and I was not happy about that. These people were rude, obnoxious, overbearing, and irritating - to me at least. At one point they pulled out onions and tomatoes and began cutting them on a cutting board, the smell of onions overpowering us. We tried to get away from them by getting in the water, but then the kids jumped in and the teenager joined them and then the men came in. We finally gave up and packed up our stuff. As soon as we stood up they snagged our chairs.

Another annoyance for me was that someone broke off the soap dispenser in the bathroom, or perhaps it fell off, but whoever was in the bathroom when it happened just left it lying in the sink where it either landed or was dumped. It was one of those automatic dispensers and probably expensive. Since I am an owner that incurs these expenses through my maintenance fee, I picked it up and tried to put it back on the wall. Unfortunately, that was impossible since the bolt in the wall was loose and rolling around in the plaster. I laid the dispenser on the back of the toilet.

When I lifted the dispenser out of the sink there was a pair of sunglasses lying underneath the dispenser. Really? What? The dispenser fell off the wall on to your head, knocking your glasses off? You were then too disoriented to retrieve them? Since the dispenser was to the right of the sink I thought this not a possible scenario. I tried the glasses on and thought they looked good on me so I took them back to my lounge chair. I thought about leaving them on the sink, but didn't trust that with the family outside and I thought about turning them into the front desk, but didn't trust them to even care. I decided I would take them to my chair and watch to see if anyone was searching for them. The glasses were by no means expensive, probably $10 from Penney's, but I felt guilty for having them. Then again if I had left them with anyone or on the sink someone else might have ended up with them too. I eventually forgot about them, as I did the dispenser, after the obnoxious group descended on us. Hopefully the Wyndham employees check or clean those bathrooms and will report to maintenance the broken dispenser. I won't hold my breath though and am thankful I don't own property there. The Palm-aire employees, except for Daniel at the front desk at check-in, were for the most part nonchalant and unfriendly. Not what I remember from my visit there under Fairfield ownership.

Our evening was pleasant. We went back to Lauderdale by the sea, figuring that if we went earlier it wouldn't be so crowded despite it being a Saturday night. We found parking closer than the previous night and ate at another restaurant, 101 Ocean, that was in the coupon book Lizbeth had given me upon check-in. We all enjoyed our meals, and I finally had the frozen beverage I had been looking for the entire vacation. It was a frozen mojito and delicious!

After dinner we went out to the beach to take pictures and enjoy the sunset. Again the water was flat. There were few people out there, most of them packing it up for the day.

Then we walked around the strip some, buying more ice cream from Kilwins (toasted coconut!), shopping, and watching a cute, little wiener puppy for sale at a place called "Diamonds and Dogs" poop in his little window seat/cage. I hate pet stores. I don't trust them and the animals always look drugged, but I really wanted to bring that little guy home with me. Maddy texted Tom a picture of it and told him I was buying it, but he ignored the message. I didn't buy him, nor did I buy any diamonds. Instead we went back to the resort and talked until one in the morning.

From the travel journal - Day 3 Pompano

Kelly - The next day everyone went to the beach except for Madison and me. I wasn't interested in being on a beach when my tummy was still unpredictable, and also I didn't want to be in a crowd of people I don't know. You know how I can be. I went down to the pool and read from Shakespeare's Star Wars and a mystery book, Killer Ambition, by Marcia Clark that Cara had given me. Maddy joined me after a while. 

The air and the pool deck were blistering hot. I got in the water often. Maddy had forgotten a towel and had not put on sunscreen. I offered her what little I had and worried about her burning. But she is 17 now. : ( She said she didn't need a towel. She went to investigate the other pool. When she didn't return for a long time, I thought about checking on her. Then I thought, maybe she wants to be alone. She had a room key so I packed up and went upstairs. Later I will write about our dinner in Ft. Lauderdale by the Sea.

Cara - Friday was a gorgeous day. Kelly and Maddy opted out of the beach so Susan, Gabby, Darcy and I packed up our beach bags and headed out. We could have taken the beach shuttle from our resort to the resort on the beach, but Lizbeth had told me I could park at the beach resort myself and the shuttle returned too early for us. My nephew, Jason, had told us it was very easy to get to the beach and he gave us directions which I remembered as; turn right on Powerline, right on Atlantic and it takes you to the beach where you turn right and go all the way down and the resort is on your right. Susan remembered some directions, but not really. Neither one of us was concerned and off we went. Either Jason gave us the wrong directions or we heard the directions wrong or we exited our resort in a different way from Jason because we headed out in the wrong direction. After driving for far too long we consulted Siri on our phones who wanted us to turn around and get on the interstate from where we were. We followed her directions, but as we came up the ramp it was stand still traffic on 95. I got off on the next exit to avoid that mess and we found our way by backtracking. We should have turned left on Powerline and then followed the rest of Jason's directions except the one where the resort was on the right. It was on the left. We were about thirty minutes later than we should have been, but Susan and I were proud of ourselves for not panicking or yelling, instead keeping our cool and figuring out how to get to our destination.

We parked at the Wyndham Royal Vista, a place I tried to book us into originally, but it was full, and we walked through the lobby, past the pools (one of which was closed), and out on to the beach. The Vista had a nice rental place where we could slap down cash for snorkels, jet skies, kayaks, boats, time on the water trampoline, umbrellas, and chairs. Susan got us an umbrella and two lounge chairs, and an aged, permanently bronzed cabana man took us to our set up...directly behind my nephew and family. "You following us," Jason asked, laughing. "Stalking you!" I replied. We all hugged the rest of the family, sprayed on the sunscreen, and while Susan and Jason's wife Brandy sunbathed together, the rest of us went into the water. 

The water was beautiful. My first thought as I waded out was how clear and clean the water was and then my second thought was shuffling. In our area on the gulf side we must shuffle in the summer when heading out into the water because it is stingray season. They hide under the sand close to shore, and while they aren't aggressive, they don't like being stepped on and will lash out with their stingers. I looked down as I walked, but all I saw were small fish swimming away as I lifted each foot. The water was flat, no waves, and I realized that this wasn't the gulf, but the Atlantic and where the hell were the waves? Every time I'm on the Atlantic side we spend hours riding the waves. Not this time. The water was as flat as the gulf. The temperature was perfect and it was so refreshing that I never wanted to get out. Even Susan went into the water and I don't think, in all the times I've vacationed with her on beaches, that she has ever done that. She got in twice!

Jason and company had rafts and balls and the cousins played and played in the water. Jason and I floated for hours talking, and occasionally Brandy and Susan would come out and join us. The only down side was the little nipping fish that would taste us as we stood. We swam, sunbathed, sipped drinks from the tiki bar, ate lunch from the Vista grill, and swam some more. We stayed until five o'clock and then agreed that we should all go to dinner together. On the way back to our car Susan and I stopped at the front desk and asked the helpful, friendly (take note Palm-aire) clerk where to dine. She gave us two places and enthusiastically told us all about them once she found out our preferences. Armed with that knowledge, we made our way back to our resort to join the others.

Everyone showered and we followed Jason and family to Lauderdale by the Sea, a small town with beach apartments, bars, restaurants, and tourist shops. Animals were allowed in the restaurants and there was a lot of oohing and aahing over the dogs we ran into. I decided it was definitely how guys picked up chicks in this town.

One of the restaurants the clerk had recommended was called Mulligan's Beach House and it had just opened a month or so ago. They could take us right away, it was now 8 in the evening and very crowded, and we sat at a table for ten outside, but under a roof, almost in a little enclave just for us. We drank $5.00 long island iced teas and sampled firecracker shrimp and calamari while we talked and talked. The adults enjoyed their meals. Susan and I had mango salsa mahi mahi and Kelly had more firecracker shrimp. Jason and Brandi had seafood pasta. The kids had odd things like flatbread, chicken fingers, and sandwiches. My kids, born and raised by the gulf, don't eat seafood. Go figure.

We finished up the evening with a stroll and the best ice cream, toasted coconut, that I have ever had (next to G.D. Ritzey's O-O-Oreo). It was a nice evening.

Kelly - Dinner in Lauderdale by the sea was very good. The waitress at Mulligan's was a no-nonsense, bleach blonde, middle-aged lady named Jennifer who managed ten people's orders and spoke loud enough that even the deaf people could hear over the roar of the traffic, crowds, and bar music. The firecracker shrimp was tasty. My crabby flatbread was okay. The pina colada was delicious. After dinner, it had started raining and we huddled under an umbrella by a beautiful light-up tree to take a group photo. I shook the umbrella by accident and little waterfalls of water fell down on all sides of the umbrella. The umbrella obviously collected rainwater on top. I found it so funny (it could have been the long island iced tea) that I couldn't resist doing it again. I shook the umbrella and water fell again. Shake. Waterfall. Shake. Waterfall. Brandy had this look on her face like, "Oh no!" Apparently I was sloshing water on another couple and on the waitstaff/maitre d . Sorry!

Wyndham Palm-aire in Pompano Beach, FL

Our room was a two bedroom deluxe in the Areca Palm building (or some such name, I could never remember it). There was a small covered garage there for maybe 12 cars and it had its own pool. We were put on the second floor facing the road, which wasn't very pleasant to look at when sitting on the balcony. The second floor had a lounge area with a piano and overlooked the pool area. Madison played the piano one night around nine o'clock and someone opened his door and shouted, "People are trying to sleep!" I later read that quiet time doesn't start until 11:00 p.m. and I was hopeful someone would yell at me so that I could make a remark about this, but alas, I don't play the piano.

The pool was outside our building and was very clean and cool. The deck area was small and there wasn't much space to maneuver around lounge chairs, which are stacked neck to neck so that you get to know the person  intimately lounging next to you.

Our unit was clean. I liked that we had a tile floor with an area rug instead of just carpet. I feel cleaner, although I'm probably not. The pull out sofa bed had a nice thick mattress on it and Darcy said she did not feel the springs while sleeping on it. The mattress cover did not fit the bed, however. I have read in other reviews that this seems to be an issue. Hmmmm...

The kitchen was a good size and had everything we could want or need. One of the things that Wyndham has added that Fairfield never had is little things like salt and pepper shakers, paper towels, and coffee filters. A plus in my book. We went to the grocery store the first night we arrived and bought breakfast foods and small snacks for lunch munching. We planned on one night having a baked potato bar, but we never got around to it. (I was vacationing with my SIS after all - Queen of Eating Out)

Susan, Maddy and I shared the second bedroom. I snore and snore loudly at times and Kelly has mentioned how this bothers her when sharing a room with me. I opted to give her the the King bed so that she could have a place to retreat to if the noise and teenager-ness got too much for her. We made her share the bathroom with the girls.

Things wrong in our unit

1. The shower in the second bathroom did not drain quickly. It filled the tub so that one was showering in a tub of dirty water up to his ankles. Once the shower was turned off the shower drained, but slowly. We reported this to the front desk, but if someone came in, he did not repair it. I mentioned it again at check-out, but the woman at the front desk did not take notes so I doubt that it will get fixed.
2. I pulled the small non-electric sweeper out of the linen closet one day to sweep up the area rug in the living room, but when I put it down on the floor the roller brush fell off. Now I understand why the vacuum was upside down in the closet. I tried to get the brush back in between the two rollers, but it was hopeless. I gave up reporting that one since we were leaving the next day.
3. The broom was terrible with strands pulled out and others going in all sorts of different directions. Makes it hard to tidy up.
4. There was a constant buzzing noise outside the entrance to the building. Made the people waiting for pick-up or drop-off crazy.
5. The mattress cover for the pull out sofa bed was a twin one and the mattress a full size. Again, we didn't report that because it was late the first night and we forgot about it after that.

Things Wyndham needs to improve 

1. Make a list of rules and regulations to be handed in at check-in. We are given a small list on the key card envelope, but they are rules pertaining to parking. The book in the room has a few, but not many and most are not worthy. The pool rules are on a sign at the pool and posted in an area not directly in viewing sight. Our pool rules were set back in the bushes. The pool rules said, "NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED" yet a grill was there poolside for use. We had one family that used the grill and then brought out a Thanksgiving feast complete with glassware from their unit, which went against the "NO GLASS ON POOL DECK" rule posted on the sign. Three different employees, one of whom was security, walked through the pool area and past the feasting family without so much as wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving, let alone admonishing them for rule breaking. Pass out a list and also post the same list in the unit.  And then enforce it!
2. Stock more items in the unit. I know that times are tough and waste is plentiful, but perhaps little bags could be made up of extra toilet paper, dish soap, and paper towels for those checking in with more guests. We have to write down everyone that is in the unit so if you see 6 people are checking into a two bedroom then hand them the extra bag. We had only three rolls of toilet paper for a five day visit. We were given more, but we weren't happy having to ask and the woman who brought it us was certainly not happy about having to do so.
3. Put mats or safety decals in the tubs. Our shower tub was not safe for entering, exiting, or frankly, for showering. There was no mat and no daisy decals on the bottom of the tub and it was SLIPPERY and DANGEROUS. Kids and the elderly should beware. Susan once left the lever to the shower up, thinking it would go down when she turned off the shower. It didn't and when I stepped in and turned on the water the shower came on scaring me. I forgot about the slipperiness and jumped back quickly to avoid the cold water and practically fell on my naked ass. Susan and I are lucky to have all of our limbs after four days of showering in that death trap.
4. Leave little maintenance calling cards when in the room. We had to call maintenance for our shower drainage problem. We asked if we needed to be there when they came and we told no so we left. When we returned we had no idea if maintenance had been there or not. The only sign we thought might have meant they had been in our room was that the drain to the tub was closed. The problem was not, however, fixed. If maintenance left a little card behind that said, "Maintenance visited to repair your problem. Your problem was repaired. If you still have issues, please dial "9" to report it and maintenance will be happy to come back." or "Maintenance visited to repair your problem. Your problem was not repaired due to the need for a professional, or whatever. We will continue to work on this between the hours of 11 - 2 tomorrow." Just something to let people know you give a damn. And I'd like to know what my maintenance fee is going toward each month if these units are still un-repaired when I stay there.
5. Employee attitudes. I only had one good experience with an employee and that was Daniel at the front desk who was polite, helpful, and cheerful. Everyone else was sullen, unfriendly, and acted like they hated their jobs. We had to go to the front desk twice during our stay and both times we were left standing for several minutes while the staff ignored us. When we did speak to someone she acted like we were bothering her and did not help us. This is unacceptable for the money I shell out in fees each month. Train these people. I stayed at that resort when it was Fairfield and had a totally better experience with employees that was a total 180 compared to this experience. 

From the travel journal (and more) - Day 2 Pompano

Susan - I am a blogger so I am expected to write in this journal (per Cara). I can not write as well as Cara or Kelly, but here goes. Today's plan was to sunbath by the pool (for me) and we did that until the storm moved in around early afternoon. Then we cleaned up and headed to Burger Freak (Cara's choice) recommended by our cousin Brandy. I liked the food (burger and fries), but didn't care for the atmosphere. I was smart and didn't eat all the meat on my burger - unlike everyone else. A Kohl's incident almost happened for someone in our party (not mentioning any names - Maddy!). Been there, done that. NOT FUN.  Cara - No one on my blog will understand that Kohl's incident remark, but trust me when I tell you it is a terrible, but sort of a snicker, incident that happened to Susan a few year's back. She has not stepped foot into Kohl's since then. Frankly, I think that is because her picture is hanging in the employee lounge as a person to stay far, far, far away from if she should ever step foot in the store.

After lunch our plan was to make Darcy and Gabby happy by shopping until we dropped. Accomplished! We arrived at Sawgrass Mill mall around 3 p.m. Cara suggested this mall because it is the largest mall in all of Florida with 600 stores! Once we found the parking space we entered the mall and I was in awe of its size. After exploring some stores I noticed that A LOT of people were pushing around large suitcases. I asked Kelly and Cara why this was. Kelly suggested that a lot of people were probably from South America here to only buy up all of our American products and ship them back to their country. After hours of standing in check out lines I would have to agree that Kelly knows her stuff.  No one spoke English.  NO ONE! Not even the cashiers! We finally met back at the Caravan II around 8:00 p.m. and I was pooped!

Kelly - The place is very nice. Cara insisted on me taking the king bed because she said I couldn't stand snorers and she and Susan were snorers. So she slept in a full size bed with Maddy and Susan slept on the other full size. Darcy and Gabby slept on the pull-out and I slept on the king. The king was nice, but I only slept on one side. I told Maddy that she could sleep with me, but she wanted to be with her mom.

The thing about the king room is there's no door to the bathroom. I see this a lot at Wyndhams. What's the scoop? A bathroom always needs a door, people! The girls were to use my bathroom, per parental instruction. For the shier girls, this means having to evacuate the bedroom. This closes off a toilet and prevents access to the Jacuzzi tub and bed. This seems like a bad plan for this room. ALWAYS put a door between the bathroom and the bedroom. 

The bed is comfortable enough, but most mornings my back is achy. I fall asleep watching TV - my FAVE thing! The coverage for Sprint is seriously lousy in Pompano Beach. Susan, Gabby, and I all have Sprint and it is difficult to text, much less post pictures on FB and Instagram. I like to Instagram my vacations and this is frustrating. Cara says we should not be on our phones anyway and why is the lack of coverage a big deal? She has coverage though and has been checking in on FB and posting pics. I am frustrated by the crappy service. We got a bit of service down by the pool and sometimes at the end of our hallway by a window.

It has been very hot and humid weather while we've been here. I am grateful that the pool next to our building has cool refreshing water. The pool is pretty small and sometimes with lots of guests a pool can turn into lukewarm communal baths, but not so this one! The water is super nice!

The trip to Sawgrass Mills was not my choice for two reasons. One, I didn't want to march up and down a a mall following teenagers shopping whims. Two, I didn't want to buy anything myself! I am not a window shopper. If there are things to buy, I will buy something. Cara's foot started giving her trouble right away. She decided to read a book in the food court. We went to the following stores: Beya (I bought 3 headbands for a $1), Burlington Coat Factory (I found a Lily Bloom backpack on sale for $20 but didn't buy), Nordstrom Rack (bought Philosophy shower gel and oil blotting papers), New Balance Factory Store, Forever 21, Aeropostale (Darcy bought a cute t'shirt), Perfumania (I bought Flowerbomb for $85!!!), Urban Planet (where the girls tried on strapless pantsuits and Darcy bought a dress), Churomania (guess what we got there? LOL), and RonJon Surf Shop (I didn't go in). I was pleased that I was able to keep going the whole time. My feet were hurting and I had to run to the bathroom once for a poop emergency, but I persevered until it was time to collapse into the driver's seat and take us back to the hotel.

The others have written some about Burger Freak. There have been implications that the food there made people sick. I would like to say that I enjoyed my burger and feel that if food made people sick, it was the food from Salt and Pepper Chef from the night before. I don't believe that food from Burger Freak would've had time to cause bowel trouble so quickly. Where food's concerned though, perception becomes reality.

Cara - Our first full day of Wyndham Palm-aire was busy. We sunbathed by our unit pool in the morning. There were only a handful of people there, the water was cool, clean and refreshing, and we had a nice, peaceful time. Then the rain and thunder rolled in so we showered and went to lunch.

Prior to our arriving here, we saw via social media that our relatives, my nephew and family from Indiana, were in the area. Knowing they had Wyndham ownership too, I suspected they were in our resort or the resort on the beach. They kept posting photos of a delicious burger joint that they highly recommended so we went there after googling the address and finding it five minutes away.

The Burger Freak was a small place in a strip mall and it had made to order burgers with a special "freaky sauce". It was scrumptious and just what I wanted, having wanted a burger the night before and getting instead the worst meal ever at another restaurant. I built my burger with pepper jack cheese, pickles, lettuce, and freaky sauce. The fries were the best that I have had in a long time and all of it made me happy.

From there we went to the Sawgrill Mill, a combination of outlets and stores that covered 2,384 square feet and is the seventh largest mall in the U.S. The information I read said it had over 600 stores, but after further examination it has over 350 stores. Since it was raining we drove there and spent five hours wandering. Darcy had wanted to go to a mall south of where we were staying, and Gabby had wanted to go to a mall north of where we were staying, so this mall was the compromise. It had been recommended to me by Lizbeth, of the conceige desk.

I folded early after standing around while the teenagers shopped. My numb foot (another story) was bothering me and so I spent three hours in the food court reading a book and people watching. Most of the shoppers were foreigners with large, rolling suitcases (larger than Kelly's purple one) to house their purchases. It looked like an airport with everyone passing by rolling suitcases as if they were scurrying to get catch a flight.

Kelly drove us back to our resort as my nephew, finally realizing from social media that we too were in the area, texted me. He and his family were in the building next to ours in the same resort so Susan and I met him down at the tiki bars for drinks when we returned.

We ended up talking until one o'clock in the morning. The girls and Kelly came along for one drink, but ended up retiring back to the room early. They are lightweights in the party department, although they were still awake when we returned.