A few years ago, Chris and I spent a wonderful relaxing anniversary vacation on the beach. My great uncle allowed us to use his winter home in Florida for lodging. We have always wanted to return there but haven’t had the chance.
Earlier this year, Chris got a hankering for a beach vacation and thought again about Marco Island. He thought it would be an ideal situation for Avery: a low-key vacation spent at the beach and the pool. Then he had the fantastic idea to invite my sister, Karen, to join us. He not only wanted all of us to spend some quality time together, but he thought that with three of us and only one Avery, we could survive planes, cars, the beach, restaurants and melt-downs courtesy of our favorite 3-year-old.
My great uncle passed away a couple of years ago, but his son and family now own the house and even rent it to friends. When I contacted him this winter, I was pleased that they were willing to rent it to family for a considerable discount. It ended up being a fantastic six-day vacation. And we all lived to tell about it!
As you can guess, I took gobs of pictures and a few videos. So we’ll break up the festivities into several blog posts.
First up is getting to Florida. Chris had the brilliant idea to take a 6:15 a.m. flight. I’m not being sarcastic! It really was a good idea. Not only was the flight cheaper than later ones, we also expected Avery to be a little weary and sleep most of the flight. Plus, it would mean that we would arrive to our destination around lunch time, giving us an additional half-day of fun time.
Avery was such a trooper! She obviously was excited when we left home at dark o’thirty in the morning, but it was a quiet excitement. She didn’t have any problems with airport security and didn’t once complain about walking or carrying her backpack and baby Dora. Besides Karen, Dora was Avery’s best friend for the whole week.
Just before we left home, Avery had a minor cold. So the morning of our flight, Mommy followed our normal routine and gave Avery some cold medicine. But we didn’t think about putting some food in her stomach first! Avery got a little queasy at the airport. After we forced some granola bar and fruit snacks into her, she was fine the rest of the trip.
Look at that pitiful face! As we took off, she didn’t really know what was going on but she didn’t flip out either. (I think I held her hand tighter than she held mine!) I had great fears that she would be that proverbial screaming, obnoxious kid on the plane. I shouldn’t have doubted her! She slept for several 30-minute increments on the first leg of our flight. We had a stop in Tampa, but we didn’t have to get off the plane.
She had her choice of seats. She wanted to sit all by herself with Karen, but we all knew she’d want either Mommy or Daddy at some point during the flight. So Avery sat by the window, I was in the middle and Karen was on the aisle. Daddy had a row all to himself right behind us. I think he spent much of the flight working on homework. Or maybe he slept the whole time. I don’t know because I was more worried about Avery!
It was nice to welcome the day and watch the sunrise from the plane!
The second leg of the flight from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale was only about 40 minutes. By this time, Avery had caught up on some sleep and was acting more like herself. She loved eating the airplane snacks and drinking apple juice. I thought the flight attendants might fawn over her a little more than they did. But they were very accommodating and kind to her. In fact, during the whole trip so many strangers commented on how sweet and polite she is. I guess we’re doing something right as parents!
She only went to the bathroom once on the plane. I still don’t know how both of us maneuvered around in that tiny lavatory!
Once we landed in Fort Lauderdale, we picked up our rental car and headed to Marco Island. It was about a two-hour drive from the airport to the house.
Marco Island is south of Naples on the Gulf coast. It is only 17 square miles. I don’t know how my great uncle stumbled upon this beautiful island, but he picked a winner! The island obviously was a little quiet since the snow birds have returned home for the summer. That meant no waiting in lines at restaurants and being able to spread out at the beach.
The island is filled with restaurants, ice cream shops (Avery’s favorite), beaches, recreation areas and more. On our last trip, we spent some time in Naples. But this time, we only left the island once for dinner…and that was a five-minute drive to a neighboring island. We were perfectly content with alternating between the beach and the pool…and the dinner table!
This is the bridge you cross to get to the island.
Avery was excited about the pink car seat Daddy chose just for her!
Chris got a kick out of these signs on the roads through Naples. Yes, that says, “panther traffic.” Chris was really hoping he’d have a panther sighting but no such luck. Still, I wouldn’t doubt the validity of these signs!
I had to include this adorable picture of Avery on the flight back home. That time, she chose to ride with Daddy behind me and Karen. I think Karen and I both enjoyed that quiet flight home…until the two kids behind us started getting hyper and rowdy and simply wanted to get home!