When we were kids and teens and we vacationed by the beach my dad always forgot his swim trunks. Every time. Without fail. Every vacation he would disappear while we were playing on the beach to "buy some trunks" and every vacation he would return with the trunks, flip flops, and tons of other items that we would never use again. It got to be comical within our family.
Rusty returned from the sunscreen run with water shoes. He was quite proud of them as he strode up to our chairs handing over the bottle of sunscreen. He told us all about his bargain store find and then proceeded down to the water to try out his new purchase. I put on the sunscreen first. As I rubbed it into my legs I remarked about how dry my legs were as huge chunks of white began flaking off the more I tried to rub in the lotion. The lotion itself was thick like zinc oxide and it wasn't until Susan started her own sunscreen bath that we realized the flaking was due to the lotion. No matter how much we rubbed it refused to soak into our skin and caused white balls to flake off of our bodies. It was certainly a bargain store find and quite gross.
I mostly stayed under the umbrella. Gabby and Madison disappeared. Susan and Rusty walked the beach. By mid afternoon we packed up, showered off, and headed out to find a place to eat. After some arguing by the anniversary couple and a stop at a place we vetoed, we ended up at a great place that had actually been recommended to me by Jasmine.
She had told me about the place for watching the football game on Sunday before I left. The entire place was covered in Steelers paraphernalia except for one back wall that had hundreds of large stuffed characters. I ignored that wall and concentrated on the rest of the place.
The lunch was awesome. The sandwiches were huge. The fries were hand cut and homemade. The sweet tea was southern. We all agreed the place was a hit especially when we exited to find a putt putt course next door. Rusty talked the guy down to discounted tickets and we played eighteen holes.
We went back to the beach after putt putt and then back to the bar after the beach. We skipped dinner since we had eaten so late and we played cards well into the early morning. The next day the weather was cooler. I wore jeans. We spent the day at the Broadway on the Beach a sort of Disney Village tourist type place with kitschy eateries and shops.
In the evening we went to a small mall where I made Susan help Madison buy a winter coat and some boots. That took two hours. I should have stayed in the car with my brother. Shopping with Madison is a chore, but Susan had no trouble joining in the festivities.
We did find a coat and boots much to my relief. I've been worried about my poor Floridian daughter freezing this winter especially since I witnessed my cousin's first winter at Syracuse University after living in Arizona. We ate at a pizza place on the way back to the resort. It wasn't very good despite it being a local hang out. Cards were played again. The girls watched a movie, and Rusty and I watched football.
The next day Madison and I checked out of our room and spent the morning and early afternoon wandering the beach, the resort, and talking with the family. They weren't leaving until the next day, but I had to get Madison back to school. Our drive back to North Carolina was much easier than our arrival drive. I listened to football and Madison slept most of the way. We got back a little before seven. I checked into my hotel and then dropped Madison back off at her dorm. Saying good-bye this time was harder for me then when we did it the first time. I think it would have been hard for her too, but her roommate and friend were waiting for her in the dorm excited to see her and that helped. She will be home for Thanksgiving.
When I left for Florida the next morning it was 33 degrees. I was thankful Madison had a winter coat. My Steelers shuttle driver was there to pick me up from the rental car place just like he said he would be when he dropped me off that first day. We talked football all the way to the airport just like we did last time. He told me to look him up again next time I visited my daughter. The flight back was uneventful. The weather beautiful. When I got home my youngest daughter was there with her arms flung wide.
Darcy: "I'm so glad you're home. I was like one of those kids who secretly wishes she had parents to tell her what to do. Dad let me do whatever I wanted. I didn't like it. I needed some discipline. Don't leave me again."
So nice to be needed. I must take more of these business trips.
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