Anyone who lives on the East Coast of the United States
knows how wet and soggy this summer has been. Mosquitoes are flourishing while
crops are dying and people are getting grumpy (you know, light
sadness/depression/whatever-it's-called-that-I'm-sure-is-making-me-miserable).
So, then vacation came along.
YAY! Sunny Florida.
However, the rain followed us in our big Ford F-150. It
rained in North Carolina on the way down, South Carolina, and even Georgia
where we stopped for the night. Luckily, the wind swept away the clouds and we
were able to enjoy the natural beaches undisturbed by development . . . just
the way I like it!
My husband and I, along with our kids, found crabs scuttling
along the packed sand, marveled at the trees standing on the beach even though
their roots were above ground, and genuinely enjoyed the fact that the sun was
shining.
On Saturday morning, we loaded the kids up again and
ventured the remaining way to Florida (which isn't far from Georgia, but given
how far in the state we had to go . . . .)
And guess what?
You ever see Snoopy carrying an umbrella with the raincloud
following him around? Yep, that seemed to be our story. Rained on us the whole
way, which must have been why my daughters had to pee like every five minutes on Saturday.
But, again, we endured and arrived at Longboat Key, Florida
to sunshine, blue skies, and the smell of ocean. Also: too early in the day to
check into our condo.
.JPG)
We drove over to St. Armand's Key, which is a great shopping/eating
island, and found an awesome little restaurant called The Crab and Fin. So, we
sat—and ate. Our server informed us that we were in for a week of good weather.
The sun was supposed to shine every day, the beach conditions were supposed to
improve—all would be well.
Boy was he wrong!
Shortly after checking in and dumping off our truckload of
crap (seriously, who needs ALL that stuff?), we drove to Publix to purchase our
groceries and it RAINED.
.JPG)
I can't remember what we did on Sunday, but I think it
involved beach-hopping and avoiding rain. *Edit: Yes, I do remember what we did on Sunday. After all that beach hopping, I met with my Agent Marisa Cleveland and one of my favorite authors Jamie Ayres. Gah! We did so much on vacation that my brain can't process it all!*
Monday it rained ALL DAY, non-stop, heavy, soaking rain!
Although the beach was out of the question, we piled in our cars (my brother
and his family came to Florida, too) and drove to Tampa to visit the zoo. There
is no better time to visit a zoo than when it's raining. Here are my reasons
why:
1. Crowds are down
2. Animal poo does not smell nearly as bad
3. Do you REALLY need a third reason?
The day was awesome! Seriously. We even found this
"little" guy hopping around. *Note: Not a zoo exhibit*
Tuesday the sun peeked through the clouds and we found an
awesome little place to hang out at the North Shore of the island. We collected
shells and saw sting-rays and then visited with my sister who drove up from
another Florida island, and then we got rained on. Of course. We did see
dolphins while having lunch on a dry dock!
Wednesday we visited the Mote Aquarium and took their Sea
Life boat cruise (awesome, by the way). What happened? It RAINED. We were
soaked. Abby freaked out, thought lightning was going to strike us (I worried
about this too). But, when the crew cast their net and brought lots of fish and
sea creatures for my kids to HOLD and TOUCH, they couldn't care less about the
rain after that. If you ever visit the area, make sure you stop by this aquarium
and take one of their cruises.
Thursday was another rainy day. When a surprise storm chased
us off the beach, we waited in the car, had dinner in our folding chairs in a
parking lot (when the rain stopped briefly), then waited in the car some more,
then rushed out to the beach at the last minute and caught an amazing fireworks
display. Honestly, the best finale I've ever seen.
Friday the day started out beautifully, so my hubby,
brother, and all the boys went out on a fishing trip while the girls and I all
stayed pool/beachside. The guys didn't catch a thing—correction: my hubby
caught ONE fish. The girls and I had a relaxing day. Then it rained. A lot. We
sat outside on the balcony to watch the sheets of water blow across the waves,
and then a lightning bolt hit the ocean about 200 yards out from us.
Scary!
The afternoon cleared up, and so did the ocean. We were
FINALLY able to enjoy the Gulf Coast the way it should be enjoyed: wading in
shallow, clear waters. Amazing.
A soggy dinner out (yep, rainy dinner), and that was the end
of our beach vacation.
.JPG)
Effing East Coast weather pattern.
Anyway, I apologize for not posting more often or visiting
with everyone on Twitter and Facebook, but every now and then I have to take a
step back and appreciate what's important: Life Off the Computer.
Love you all!
<3 Krystal
Don't forget to download Wilde's Fire for FREE while you still can. And Wilde's Army is just 99 cents this week.
Don't forget to download Wilde's Fire for FREE while you still can. And Wilde's Army is just 99 cents this week.
