Last minute vacation

The end of summer hovered, and we just getting back into our daily routines of late nights and later mornings when my cousin's wife texted me to inquire about using some of our Wyndham points. I asked her for her dates, thinking the latter part of August, and she texted back that she was looking to leave in about five days. Yikes! Nothing like planning early.

I found a unit, not per her required "on the beach," but close to it in Pompano Beach. I couldn't get her in over the weekend but booked her for that coming Monday, and they decided to spend the weekend in Orlando. Two days later, I found myself in Orlando after Darcy talked me into a trip to GeekyCon. While the girls were off learning about social media entrepreneurship, I hung out with my cousins at their Orlando resort.

I met the newest member of our family. I actually had met him a year and a few months prior but didn't even know that I had met him. After having ten three children, his mother thought those days were over, and well, surprise. She was mistaken. She and the family were visiting us not long after she was given the news, and she was in denial, so she neglected to mention it to me. I thought she looked awfully pregnant while she was here, and I WAS RIGHT. She gave me the news after they left, and so I sent her this.

The newest member arrived in July of last year, so I spent his first birthday with him. (Sorry, Grandma!) He is the sweetest, happiest, inquisitive little guy, and it was a joy to finally meet him. Then because he was so cute and because I didn't feel we had truly had much time to bond, I invited myself along on their Pompano vacation. What were they going to say? NOTHING.

Darcy had to work, so she met the newest member at the birthday pizza dinner in Orlando. Madison and I took Darcy home, unpacked and cleaned our clothes, and then packed again and headed off to Pompano Beach, four hours south. 

We arrived hungry and tired. This is my third time at this resort, and while it isn't on the beach, it is a huge resort with plenty to do, and the beach is a short drive away. I spent some considerable time at check-in while the desk clerk worked hard at getting me to agree to a sales "breakfast," but having just been in San Francisco and Orlando, I begged off, telling him there was nothing new they could say to me. He was kind about it and worked hard at putting me in the same building as my relatives, but because I'm a Presidential member, he assigned that task to a manager. She didn't get the memo on the same building and put us in an older unit, albeit with a poolside view.

Now that I fork over the monthly maintenance few on these points, I've gotten stubborn and picky regarding my room. The pool view was nice, but the tower was older, and the room smelled. Madison told me I was overreacting and that the room smelled nice, and so I let it go...after half an hour or so. The room actually was spacious, but I'm over the carpeted units now since having tiled or wood flooring in the newer Wyndham units.

I went out onto the balcony to enjoy my pool view, and there was one of the cousins getting ready to go down the slide that was directly outside my unit. We hollered. He waved. He pointed out his parents down at the other end of the pool, and Madison and I went down to begin phase II of our vacation with the cousins. We had a blast.

We swam at the resort pool during the day, the later afternoon, and the evening. The main pool was outside our room and opened early. Every day at exactly 9:10 am. the music was turned on, and I enjoyed a coffee outside on my balcony listening to golden oldies and watching the early bird swimmers. At 10:00 am. I took my coffee, hiked through the pool area, walked through the main entertainment area, passed by another pool, and entered the building where my family was housed. My cousin cooked us all breakfast, and it was usually waiting for me when I arrived. He's not bad as a chef.

 

We visited the beach during the day and in the evening. I could only get in to pee up to my bandage (I had another relapse regarding my cyst), but everyone else got to dive right in to ride the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

We ate delicious food and imbibed on a few cocktails, yelped our restaurants, and tried new ones in the area. We walked the boardwalk and acted like tourists.

 

And we relaxed and talked and talked and talked. It was a great summer ending. Madison and I left them after three nights so they could have some family time, just the ten six of them. We didn't want butt in too much, but we did agree it was the perfect ending to what was a perfect summer 2016.