Last fall, my SIL Susan's niece, Leeandra, began planning a 50th birthday celebration for her aunt. First, she thought about a cruise and contacted me to include me in their family. While I was touched, I declined due to financial reasons, but when it was changed to a trip to Florida, well, that was easier as I'm already in Florida. Her niece planned the whole trip, including matching shirts, and we kept it a surprise until the reveal. Susan was very shocked.
Being the person in charge came with some drama (unintentional on her part) and, in the end, some trauma. Her mother went into the hospital two days before the trip, and because she is an only child, Leeandra had to forgo the trip to take care of her mother. Ugh, I know that feeling. But the trip was paid for, and heavy hearts Susan, her sister Gina, and I went on without her. We did include her every day as we enjoyed the trip she had planned. We toasted her, we thanked her, we wore our shirts, and we kept in touch. It was a nice thing to have done for her aunt, and I was thrilled that she included me as part of it.
Sanibel Island 2018 began for Susan and her sister on Wednesday in a hotel in Indianapolis. Their plane left the next morning at 5:20 a.m. I left my house at 7:00 a.m. for the two and a half-hour drive to pick them up at the Ft. Myers airport. The weather held, they made their connecting flight and arrived on time. I came a few minutes later, and we met up to begin the fun.
We ate breakfast and shopped for supplies in Ft. Myers and then headed across the bridge to the island, about a forty-minute drive. Because it was a Thursday, traffic wasn't bad, but I would hate to be arriving on a Friday, and I would hate to be a local during a hurricane.
I'd been to Sanibel before with my mother and her friend when I first moved here. It wasn't anything like I remembered. Sanibel is true to old Florida with no big businesses and minimal high rises. If you want gas or a grocery, you have mom and pop shops or go over the bridge. Bike and walking paths run along the road and have the right of way, and everyone is very pleasant. I could see myself living there.
Our resort was a beautiful place directly on the beach that had once been a condominium division. It went through a bankruptcy, and the resort came in and helped pick up the pieces. We had a two-bedroom condo package, and everything came with it, including chairs, umbrellas, bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, etc. We had wristbands and agreed we would try everything. Our room wasn't ready, so we got chairs and an umbrella and sat on the beach in our clothes and had cocktails from the tiki bar.
Our room was large and spacious. Susan and her sister took the master room because it overlooked the beach, and I got a room and bathroom to myself across the way. We had two living rooms, a kitchen, and a beautiful balcony that overlooked our pool and the beach. We took a lot of pictures from this balcony where we enjoyed our coffee every morning.
Our package included a $70 credit to the resort's Japanese restaurant, and we agreed we would go there that night. The room had four tables that allowed seating for eight. We went early and were joined by a couple from Canada. We chatted with them and the wait staff and had the room to ourselves for the first hour.
I'm not a fan of this type of place because I swear I got sick at our local Japanese restaurant, which has since closed. But this place was small and clean. Susan had lobster and scallops. Gina had chicken. I had chicken and shrimp. The lobster was from Maine and had arrived the day before, and the shrimp was from Louisiana and HUGE. It was the freshest shrimp I have ever put into my mouth, and I live in Florida. It still tasted of the ocean, I swear. The meal was delicious, and afterward, they brought Susan a piece of chocolate cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. The triple chocolate cake was SO GOOD.
We were stuffed after the meal, and so we walked around the resort. We discovered that breakfast was a buffet in the morning, starting at 6:00 a.m. We all agreed we would not be there at that time. Who goes on vacation and gets up before six to eat? Crazy people, that's who.
Me: "And old people."
Susan: "Well, I am turning, 50."
Me: "We aren't eating at 6:00 a.m. Forget it. We aren't crazy old people just yet."
The pool closed at dusk, but we did get to play some corn hole. I won. I'm letting everyone know that because, according to everyone that knows me, winning is important to me. I believe it is when competing because, uh, why wouldn't it be, but I don't get depressed if I don't win. Hmmm...well, maybe in certain games.
We ended the night by shopping in the little store at the resort with a few tourist things. Susan bought a coffee cup with palm trees. I left the store without my phone, and so we visited the store twice that night. We also outwitted a guy we were sure was following us. I used my FBI training to make him think we lived in a different resort.
Despite having been up most of the twenty-four hours, we stayed up late playing cards, laughing, and talking. We only had three days, so we were determined to make the most of every little second. We headed off to bed with plans to be up early to grasp Day 2, and all it would have to offer.
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