We were in Florida last week, into the weekend. Our niece (Frank’s) got married, hence the trip. It was a nice wedding. Lovely bride and ceremony, nice reception. Many Happy Congrats to the couple.
We left on Wednesday morning and got there in the evening. It was HOT. It’s hot in the Atlanta area, where we live near, but that’s NOTHING compared to S. Florida. :eyesroll: I lived there from 1979 to 1996. I know what it’s like. I never fondly recall the environs temperatures, and never really WISH to go there either, but have gone, due to circumstances that demand my attendance, and such.
When my husband and I got married we first lived in an apartment not far from the intercoastal, on the last canal (to the west) that leads to it. We could easily walk to the draw bridge that goes over the intercoastal, or keep going to the Atlantic (ocean) to the beach. The temperatures there are lesser than further west, but still stifling hot (sub-tropical is very intense, unlike other hot places in the south U.S. that are just plain hot.)
We stayed at a place that is across from the ocean, on the other side of the street, not right on the beach. It’s a place we’ve been to before, but not somewhere we’ll stay at again, since my hubby understands now how I want to be ON the beach easily, right from the room. In the off season that should be affordable somewhere down the South Florida coast. Well, we have no ultimate need for-see-able to be there again soon (no more weddings planned or for-see-able for a few years at best.) So if we just decide to take a few days and go visit hubby’s sister, we will try to find a better staying place. Then we can be at the beach when the sun comes up and not have to drag a bunch of stuff there and back. It’s a drag after playing in the ocean to have to drag youself and children and towels and toys off the beach, through a parking area, across the street, down to your hotel room. Ugh.
Sure others do it. So have we. We prefer to try to get it done another way next time. Whenever that is. The beach is horrid during the day in the Summertime. Early in the morning, from before the sun comes up to about 8am it’s nice. Warm, but the ocean is nice, and there isn’t any Sun to worry about (burning, and freckles, etc.) Then the sun is higher and the intensity ramps up to unbearable. Walking from an A/C room to a car outside, close, is more than I like to take. Sweat starts dripping and pouring off of you. Just a few seconds outside, that’s that. So then it’s in the room or in the car going to some other indoor place during the day, then later afternoon the beach is bearable again, as the sun moves to the western sky.
We went to the beach early on Friday morning. It’s the first time I’ve been IN the ocean in a very long time (used to go frequently when I lived down there.) I was in the ocean with two of my children, Victoria and Asa, they weren’t afraid to go out a bit and wait for a wave to come crashing in, and jump into it and ride it in some way buoyant fun. Baby Q wouldn’t come off the blanket, cried if his feet touched the sand, cried if you tried to put him in the water (after all, he hates bathtime too, and won’t walk on grass already.) Russell, our eldest, is afraid of water way more than his other two longer-time siblings. He’s quite shy about it, and is happy to stay on the beach and build with wet sand. He wouldn’t go much into the ocean with me, though I tried to get him to come in with us. He finally went in later when Frank went in and I went onto the blanket with Baby Q.
Friday evening was the wedding. We all got dressed up and it was a very nice evening together. That night I awoke in the middle of the night not feeling very well, and ended up very, very sick all that Saturday, until finally in the late afternoon, early evening it all abated a bit. Bottom line was, I had my worst migraine in years. What turned the tide for me was allowing myself to finally throw up … then I could rest and not be fully miserable, and the pain eventually subsided and all worked out by morning to be gone.
Originally we were to travel home on Saturday. Friday night at the wedding we decided to stay one more day and leave early on Sunday. Good thing, considering how I was feeling later. Our idea was to go to the beach early in the morning and later in the evening on Saturday. For me, I did nothing but stay inside and feel horrible and feel time crawling and having no comforts of home, and wishing time to fly and pain and miserable sickness feelings to fly away from me. Oh it was terrible. I had nothing to eat all day, any trials with water or Ginger Ale resulted in trying not to move so as not to throw up all day. Mid-afternoon I felt some better, and hungry as well, and I successfully ate a string cheese stick, and drank (sipped) some water just fine (though my head was still terribly painfully sick feeling.) Then within the hour I was sorry, and it was a couple of attempts of abating the ill feelings in my tummy, then within the next hour my body had had it and it wouldn’t allow me NOT to throw up. I’d fitfully napped here and there before that, all day, and after that finally slept in nappy ways more soundly. I was just dragging around and careful not to move much and slept mostly the evening and the night away, with a bit of being up around 10-11pm only. We got up Sunday morning and packed up and finally left for home. Hurrah!
We got home Sunday night and now have laundry to do, and other cleaning and organizing that we left behind to go to Florida. 
We came home to one of my birthday presents sitting on the front porch though. That’s is another post for later. 
