Vacation Breakdown

THURSDAY:After working 1/2 a day, I hurried home to pack up the luggage. Steffy, Ethan and I left the house slightly ahead of schedule so we were able to have a nice drive to the airport, without feeling rushed. Baggage check was a breeze; however security was a bit stressful with all the baby stuff we had. Stroller, car seat, food... I knew it would take a while, so we were ok on time. Once we cleared security, we headed for our gate. Since we were early and the plane was delayed, we opted for some "Cold Stone" ice cream. It was great. Ethan did great on the flight over and was entertained by the gentleman behind us. We landed in FL and was greeted by my good friend Stefani and Steffy's parents. Once we obtained our luggage, I said my good-byes and started my vacation. Stefani was awesome and allowed me to stay with her, so we headed to her place and turned in for the night.
FRIDAY:Stefani allowed me the use of her car, which saved me lots on rentals. I had a massage appointment at 9am that was AWESOME!!! Then I rested by the Ft. Lauderdale Beach. I had a great brunch at the Beach Cafe and sat outside under their covered dock area. Nice breeze, chatter of locals, wonderful food and a lot of ME time. I met a guy there and we talked about life and situations. It was good to reflect with him, amazing how you can open up to a stranger. lol I drove back to Stef's condo and go for a swim in the pool and enjoy reading my book. When Stef got off work we were gonna go to a concert at Hollywood boardwalk; however it was raining, so we didn't go. So we met her boss at Chili's and enjoyed dinner there. Considered a movie and missed the start, so we went to the Isle Casino instead. MORE FUN!!! HOWEVER I LOST $10.00 in the grand scheme of things. Once we got back home, we stayed up talking and that was great also.
SATURDAY:We slept in a little and then Stef made some breakfast for us. We adventured out to the Galleria Mall -- Godiva chocolate was our true destination. YUMMY! We also stopped by a tattoo place on Sunrise for a quote. *grin* Swing by the Swap Shop, we checked it out a little and got some fresh fruit. YUMMIE!!! I also brought a purse and a skirt. Buying a fresh coconut, they chopped off the top and gave us a straw. I have to say I am glad I was the one who bought it. No guilt in not drinking more than ONE sip. YUCK... not to mention, I forgot I am somewhat allergic to coconut. lol Stef tried some and then we had them put it in a bag to take home. (not wanting to be wasteful) We went home and freshened up a little before heading to Fort Lauderdale beach. Saturday Night Alive was the theme and there were tons of free entertainment. We had a GREAT TIME! Except for that guy peeing on the beach, YUCK! Later we enjoyed dinner at Bubba Gumps. THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING!!! We check out tattoo(regular and henna) places while we were there. After an awesome time, we headed to the Hard Rock casino. It took an hour to get in and park, the place was packed....We had FUN! HOWEVER I LOST $80.00.
SUNDAY:Happy Birthday to ME!!! WOOHOO!!! The church service was GREAT... "ARE WE SERVANTS OR GUESTS???" Afterwards, we went to the Promenade. I LOVED IT! We had dinner at Mama Noodles. MOUTH WATERING... OMG! We walk around there and talked after eating. Stef bought me two unique cupcakes to enjoy later. We went to the Festival Flea Market. INDOORS AND WAS GREAT! Picked up some local dried fruits to bring home and share. Later we saw "Bridesmaids" at movies with her boss, Jen. FUNNY MOVIE! I have to say this birthday was fabulous and ranks at the top! Who would have thought that number 38 would have been so awesome?!?!?! Thank YOU to Stefani for making it a wonderful week and to my hubs for his support in me going alone!!!
MONDAY:Spent all day at Ft. Lauderdale beach. Reflecting, reading, adventuring, praying... and getting a tattoo! :)LOVING THE TATTOO! That evening we enjoyed a Spaghetti dinner at home:) THAT WAS GREAT FOOD! Then we took a drive up A1A between Pompano Beach and Boca -- seen the Lighthouse on drive --> stopped at Target, too. THE VIEW WAS AMAZING, EVEN AT NIGHT!
TUESDAY:I met with Steffy, Ethan and Steffy's Mom, Michele for lunch at Chili's. SPENT ALMOST 3 HOURS WITH THEM AND THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT!!! Our evening was a movie night at home. So dinner and watch "Jane Austen Book Club" movie! WE ENJOYED SOME FRUIT, FISH AND RICE. RELAXATION is a wonderful thing!
WEDNESDAY:Winding down my vacation... I met my friend Pam for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. ANOTHER AMAZING FRIEND WHO'S TIME I ENJOYED! After I went to the store to pick up a couple ponchos incase it rained later and then went to the movies to see BAD TEACHER. Great movie! I met Stef at home and we got ready to see U2 in concert -- woo hoo!! Yeah for awesome weather during the concert. God was really holding back the rain for us and I am so thankful to him for that!!! WONDERFUL WEATHER AND WONDERFUL COMPANY!!! NOT TO MENTION A WONDERFULLY AMAZING CONCERT!!! Home by 2am. I finished packing and got a couple hours sleep before needing to be up at 5ish. *yawn*
THURSDAY:The flight back was a bit on the crazy side. They were there waiting on me when I got to the airport. I checked our luggage and then we started through security. That was such a process! I could tell her parents were not wanting to say bye... (sad for them, I know) So finally made it through the scans and detectors... whew, what a hectic event, it seemed. By the time we got to the gate... they were boarding! So on we went... Ethan was a little cranky but over all the flight was 'ok'. I had about 5 of those 'biscuit things' the airline gives you with a cup of coke. (Can you say 'running on fumes'?) So we were off the plane rather quick; however we had to WAIT for them to bring the stroller and car seat... so standing... waiting... Once that was obtained, we rushed to the other gate. Elevators were backed up... so we took the escalator (yes with the stroller)... we took a tram.... we took an elevator and then rushed toward the gate at the far end. (Isn't that how it always is?) We only had an hour for all of that. So I am thinking maybe, just maybe we can grab food... NOT! By the time we got to the gate... they had already loaded OUR zone. So on the plane we went and Ethan was not happy!!! Steffy and I were grumpy... so that makes THREE!!! lol Another up and then down.... 3 more biscuits and 1 more cup of coke later and we are touchdown in Indy! Rush to baggage claim.... then the three grumpies head to the jeep.... An hour after we land we are paying our parking fees and 'feeling' our way out of there. I head to the nearest restaurant, Denny's! After some time there, we head home and eventually I go to bed for a nap.

And that is my Vacation Break-down!