Fun in the (blazing) sun!

We had an awesome time in Florida! It was SO good to get away and not think about work or packing or anything.

My friend Nancy and I stayed with my cousin, Marcy, in Sarasota.


Me and Marcy

Her new house is STUNNING. I mean, how many people have a pool AND a lake in their backyard?



She and her husband, Dave, were the MOST gracious hosts.

We flew into Tampa on Thursday and the first thing we did was stop at International Plaza, which is an upscale mall and shopping center right by Tampa International Airport. Customer service is dead most places but it was alive and well at the International Plaza. They even laid out a red carpet for us!

Isn't Marcy a doll?


Saturday, we hit Siesta Key beach.



Me and Nancy

It was overcast but I came armed with my SPF 30 and an umbrella.



I'm pretty sure my downfall was spending a little too much time in the water talking to some some guys we met from Akron and not enough time reapplying sunscreen.

Don't get excited...

There was no love connection but I did find out that I can fly from Youngstown to Florida for about $150 roundtrip. Now, THAT'S exciting! We flew out of Akron, which is almost as far as Youngstown and I thought I was getting a good deal at $250 roundtrip. See? Everyone comes into our life for a reason.

I got COMPLETELY roasted and looked like a lobster by the end of the day.



Luckily, the aloe vera plant on the side of Marcy's house offered some relief.

Friday night, Marcy's friends joined us and they were SUCH a nice group of women and so much fun! We went to St. Armands Circle for dinner and some window shopping (most shops were closed by the time we finished dinner).



Saturday we rented a boat and our captain, Nancy, guided us along Sarasota Bay.



The homes were AMAZING but this one was our favorite.


"Honey, where did you leave the boat?"

"It's on the deck."

"Okay, I see it now."

Oddly enough, there was NO ONE outside any of them. I guess they're spending too much time working to pay for these 3 million dollar plus homes to actually enjoy them.


Here's my bruise from trying to get back INTO a boat that didn't come equipped with a ladder.


We were all less than graceful getting back in and I'm quite sure the video is somewhere on You Tube as we speak. This time I used SPF 30, wore a hat, a T shirt and sunglasses but STILL got more fried.



I should have known that the vultures at mile marker number 13 couldn't have been a good sign!



Marcy said that her husband Dave was going to grill for us on Saturday night so I figured (VERY wrongly) that he would make steaks and baked potatoes. You know, typical guy fare. Well, this was before I knew that he went to culinary school. We dined on scallop and crab appetizers, filet, asparagus and sweet potatoes. WOW! It was DE-licious.



All in all, we had a really fun time but was I happy to leave and come home to my babies?

What do you think?