Favorite Lessons From Florida

Florida used to be the destination-of-choice when we lived in the Midwest and could drive down. Now the distance from my hometown in the Pacific Northwest is 3,251 miles and a full day of flying. Last week I was able to accompany my husband on a business trip to Naples. (We actually had layovers in Chicago and Dallas but the distance maps don't show that.)

Here are some favorite things about our trip, and lessons learned:

Comfy-wear for travel:

I love my black M Rena leggings. I bought two pair (capri and regular length) at a boutique in Carmel, Indiana. They are described as "tummy tuck" always a good thing, and they're perfect to wear under a tunic or long sweater. When you can't avoid that trip to the tiny jet restroom, not having to deal with zippers is also a win! I aways bring a blanket with me too, since plane rides can get chilly.

What to pack for wintertime in Florida:

I actually looked on Pinterest for ideas, and still wish I'd packed a bit differently... Basically I just needed my swimsuit, a cuter cover-up, one outfit to wear when I went shopping, and dresses and jackets for cooler evenings. I brought work-out clothes but only wore them on one walk. The weather was cool for Naples (70's) which is basically typical summer weather for where I live. I'm SO glad I packed a zip-up hoody sweatshirt for the windy afternoons!

My footwear needs an upgrade:

As I was choosing shoes for the cocktail party evening, I pulled out my nude heels to try on and realized they hadn't been worn since October of 2015 when my son got married. 

See that mud? It was an outdoor wedding and I helped aerate the lawn. I chose to bring my patent leather wedges instead. They were easy to walk in at the beginning of the evening~we had to run to the shuttle bus since we got confused on departure time. By the end of the evening I had blisters. As I looked around the room at all the other women's shoes I realized that my pair purchased YEARS ago at the junior section of Nordstrom was a tad out of date. One pretty wife had hot pink heels with her black dress~very cute. ALL seemed to be able to walk in heels. You'd think I would have learned by now since I'm over 50!

When riding with UBER, double check your driver:

I hopped in an Uber car and we headed off. It wasn't until five minutes into our ride that the driver realized he'd picked up the wrong person. That meant MY driver was waiting for me and HIS passenger was still waiting... It all worked out, but it was a good reminder to verify your name with the location you requested. EVERYTHING costs more in Naples, even Uber rides. I did have a nice time at the outdoor mall called Mercato. It had a Nordstrom Rack, Ulta, JCrew and Tommy Bahama. 

The saying calories don't count in a different zip code is a lie:

Before the trip I'd had a bit of self-control; I'd cut WAY back on bread, sweets and alchohol. I totally went off my diet once we arrived at the resort. I'd have coffee for breakfast (I refused to pay the exorbitant prices for yogurt), but over the course of four days I managed to pig out on truffle fries, chips and guacamole, frozen drinks by the pool and champagne during the Veuve Cliquot Happy Hour. Four days=four extra pounds...

Simple Pleasures:

We didn't rent a car and my husband was busy in meetings, so other than one shopping expedition I basically just walked to the beach, read by the pool, and got totally spoiled by a massage. Our big world sometimes seems small ...my masseur grew up in a town near my childhood home in Indiana. I was happy as a clam to be in beautiful surroundings with warmth and sunshine. My hats and sunscreen almost worked too well! I returned with barely a freckle...

I did NOT want to take the Everglade boat ride Saturday morning and risk running into these guys, so instead we chose to sleep in and go to the beach!

photo source:https://maryloudriedger2.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/img_8690.jpg

We walked the half-mile boardwalk to the shore.

The weather was perfect as we lounged by the ocean. The colors of the sky and sea were spectacular; I wish my phone camera could do it justice! God's masterpiece was glorious! 

The last two nights were spent at fun dinner events with all the Polymedco employees and their significant others. Saturday night's menu of Filet Mignon, asparagus and Key Lime Pie made this girl very happy! Our last morning we headed to 5th Ave for brunch before we had to leave for our flight home. Sitting outside in the sunshine watching expensive cars drive by was quite entertaining.

Because of the long day of travel and changing time zones, it was 3:00 a.m. to our bodies when we finally pulled into our driveway. Our pets were excited to see us! (They really did hop off the couch.)

Getting hacked is no fun:
I woke up Monday with a headache and that was before I realized my Instagram account had been hacked the day before. After four days of emails to the "help center" and a username change, I was finally able to retrieve my account. Read the fine print if you get an alert. Here is my post-vacation recovery kit...

I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to see another beautiful spot in our Country with my amazing husband, and hoping it won't be too long until our next adventure. 

Have you been anywhere warm lately?

In His Grip,
xo Jane