Like I mentioned in my post yesterday, I was on vacation last week. I was so excited to have a week away in beautiful Orlando, Florida. Especially since the weather here in NC is getting cooler. Have I told you before that I despise cold weather? Well, I do! So if I start sounding cranky in my upcoming posts, I promise you it’s because of the weather!
Have you ever had one of those vacations where things didn’t go the way you had planned? Unfortunately for me, this was one of those vacations. ..
The week before we left was a super busy week for us. First of all, my niece had surgery in a hospital a few hours away, so I spent two nights out of town so I could see her before and after the surgery. I got back home on Friday afternoon, with just a couple of hours to get dinner ready since we were hosting a couple of friends for dinner. I know it sounds crazy to host a dinner the night before you are leaving for vacation, but these special friends are moving and we weren’t sure if we’d see them again before the move. We wanted to be sure and spend some time with them before we left for vacation! After they left that evening, I unpacked and repacked my bags and went to sleep with dreams of sun and more sun in beautiful Florida.
We got up early Saturday morning and headed south. I was so ready for vacation, and I couldn’t wait to get by the pool! We took our time on the drive and made a few stops to stretch our legs, so it was late when we checked in. We decided to go to bed early so we’d be ready to have fun the next day. When we woke up Sunday it was dreary and not very warm. It didn’t really matter since we were tired anyway and decided to just chill in our room and relax that day, but when I woke up Monday morning and it was drizzling and not pool weather, I started to get worried.
I wasn’t worried long, though, since I decided it would be a perfect day for my trip to Ikea. Well…one of my trips to Ikea. We live 5 hours away from the nearest Ikea store, so when we go out of town I absolutely have to plan a trip to my favorite store! It was fun shopping around to see what was new since my last visit, and I love checking out the holiday goods.
FINALLY the next day was perfect weather, and I celebrated the day at the pool. It was so beautiful and I was so thankful the week was getting better! That evening we soaked in the hot tub before heading back to the room. As we were leaving the pool area, my husband mumbled something to me, so I turned around to see what was going on. Imagine my surprise when I saw a snake! Yes, apparently we needed a snake bite to spice up our relaxing vacation. After initial panic (mine, not his!) we made it back to the room and saw that indeed he had been bit by the snake. We did our research and since he had no initial pain or reaction, we determined the snake wasn’t poisonous. What a relief!! Of course, that didn’t keep me from being concerned about him and watching him like a hawk all evening to make sure there wasn’t a delayed response.
The next morning, Errik was still alive and I was ready to relax some more, so we headed to the pool and enjoyed the sun again. In all, we had 3 beautiful pool days on our vacation, and I am so grateful for those 3 wonderful days. I love the feel of warm sun on my skin, and there’s nothing I like more than enjoying the beautiful sun and appreciating the beauty God has created.
We ended the week with a day of shopping. Yes, the sun went on hiatus again. What a way to end the week of vacation! But wait-I’m not done. Try driving from Florida to North Carolina with a urinary tract infection. Yep, that’s how my vacation ended. With me spending 4 hours at Urgent Care.
Oh, did I mention we left beautiful 80 degree weather to come home to a brutal cold front with temps in the 30’s?
Hmm….doesn’t sound very relaxing, does it? Sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way we’ve expected, and we have to learn to roll with the punches. I usually try to tell myself, “You’ll laugh at this one day,” when I have a week like this one. In fact, I’m already laughing about it! Thank God it’s over!
My mother used to tell me that we can’t choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we react to it. What’s important is that my husband and I spent a week together, learning how to react to unexpected circumstances in our lives. Guess what? We survived! Even though I wouldn’t wish a snake bite on anyone, the scare of it reminded me of how much I love my husband and brought us closer together. So, even though my vacation wasn’t what I had planned, a week away with my hubby turned out to be a good one. Any time we spend together is precious, even if the moments aren’t perfect.
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