...and it feels so good!
We are so thankful to be back at home with our Livy Lou. I don't think Drew was quite as thrilled, just because he had to get up early, head back to work, and get back in the swing of things this morning. Luckily, I'm already retired, so I slept in. LOL
We did have an
awesome time on our mini vacation! Last year, we had a terrible time with our flights due to stormy weather causing delayed flights, causing us to miss connecting flights, causing us to make it all the way to the Virgin Islands without our luggage... but it was
nothing like that this year! We were prepared. We crammed everything we needed into our carry-on bags, so we never had to worry about checking our bags or dealing with baggage claim. It was wonderful. If you can, that's definitely the way to go!
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| I know this is super blurry, but we saw Anthony Bourdain at the Atlanta airport. He was on the same flight with us to Jacksonville! |
Thursday:
We got to the resort Thursday afternoon around 1 I think. We changed into our swim suits and headed toward the beach. Our resort wasn't on the beach, but it ran a shuttle back and forth to
The Cabana Beach Club, which is a private beach connected with the resort... just a 5 minute ride. We ate a late lunch at the restaurant there that overlooks the beach, and then we spent the afternoon playing in the ocean like some little kids. It was
freezing, but it was so much fun! That evening we had to be back at the resort for a "Meet & Greet." When we got back to our rooms that night, it was late, so we ordered room service, watched Full House, and cried a little because Michelle reminded us so much of Livy. (Drew is adamant that he did
not cry, but I know he wanted to...) :)
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| This really doesn't do the beach much justice, but somehow it's the only picture we took of the beach?! |
Friday:
We slept in a little, but then headed straight for the beach again. We didn't have to be back at the resort until about 5:30 to get cleaned up for dinner, so we wanted to soak up all the sun we could that day... and boy, did we! We went back and forth between laying out on the sand to beside the pool, and occasionally getting in the water, but mostly laying out, relaxing. At one point, I even dozed off while I was laying on my stomach.
Biggest mistake ever!
Normally, all the funny comments and conversations are reserved for Livy... but this one is all about Drew. We were each given a gift card to spend at the resort. We could either use it for a round of golf or use it at the spa, so we had been considering our options. While we were hanging out in the pool, Drew said:
Drew- "You need to take your feet and go get one of those... what are they called?"
Me- "Pedicure?"
Drew- "Amputation."
Hahaha! I laughed and laughed and laughed when he said that. My heels
are in bad shape from always walking around barefoot, but I was not expecting him to say that! It was hilarious! He has a way of making me feel so special ;)
That night we got all dressed up for the Central Region dinner at the
619 Ocean View restaurant at the Cabana Beach Club. The food was wonderful! Scallops, cold cucumber soup, filet mignon, asparagus, golden Yukon potatoes puree, cinnamon bread pudding... sounds fancy right? Some of it, I have never cared much for, but at this restaurant, it was
amazing!
When we got back to our room that night, we were both pretty sunburned. I think I was in a little more pain than Drew since I had fallen asleep while laying out. That night was pure misery. I was freezing because of the sunburn, but under the covers, it felt like I was literally
on fire. I couldn't even touch my legs together because they were so hot. I tossed and turned until about 3am. I got up to go to the bathroom, but I could barely even stand up. The back of my legs were so burned I guess my skin had tightened up, and I couldn't even straighten my legs out to stand. It felt like the entire back of my legs would cramp every time I stood or tried to walk. I eventually made it to the bathroom and put a cold wet wash cloth on the back of my legs... anything to ease the pain! I was just about to shuffle my way back to bed when this overwhelming sick feeling washed over me. And sure enough, I got sick. Oh, I was miserable! A few other wives got sick that night too, so I'm not sure if it was the food or too much sun?! Drew was sweet enough to put some more aloe vera on the back of my legs for me, then I stayed in bed until 11:30 the next morning!
Saturday:
When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt so much better, but I still could hardly walk! It was like a baby giraffe walking for the first time... miserable for me, but I'm sure hilarious to watch!
Drew went fishing early that morning with some other guys and
fell overboard! Ok, it wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, but he did fall off the boat! Lol! The boat was pretty small and there were no sides. They just stood right on the edge and fished. He said he had gotten his pole caught on some other poles that were stored above his head, and as he was trying to shake it loose, he lost his balance and fell right in. Haha!! I'm laughing as I type this. I
so wish I could've been there to witness it! Some of the guys got his picture, but none of him actually in the water... they were probably too busy laughing. Poor Drew ruined his phone and soaked his wallet, but he did catch some fish; and it's a great story, so all in all, I count it a success!
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| After the great fall... |
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| RIP iPhone |
Needless to say I did
not lay out
at all for the rest of the trip! Saturday afternoon, we took a shuttle over to
The Players Clubhouse and explored the place. Since The Players Championship was only 2 weeks away, we weren't supposed to walk around the golf course, but no one ever stopped us! Drew was determined to see the famous 17th hole... so we snuck down there. It was beautiful!
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| We made it to the 17th hole! |
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| This is the view from the back of the Clubhouse. |
That night, we had the awards dinner there. We actually ate in the very room where Tiger Woods made his famous confession about all his infidelities. Before the awards were given out, they had a cocktail hour... so Drew and I, having an hour to kill, decided to go explore the clubhouse a little more. A super sweet volunteer lady asked if we had any questions, we told her we were just looking around, so she said, "Well, come on, I'll give you a tour!" She took us to places that the public isn't allowed to see! The entire place was just gorgeous! She said they just remodeled the clubhouse back in 2007 for a mere $66 million! Shucks!
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| Since the 1970's, the champion of the TPC has donated a golf club. |
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| The President's Cup |
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| Inside the locker room at the Clubhouse |
After our tour, we made our way back upstairs to the dinner and it was time for the awards. In order to earn this vacation, the salesmen's rental revenue must be at least $2 million. Drew brought in $4.5 million last year... just in rentals! That's not even counting the equipment he sold! I could not be more proud of him. Watching him walk up to the front of the room to accept his award while everyone was clapping (and guys were hollering "Splash!" because of his fishing excursion)... I was just beaming with pride. I love him so much. He does work hard for us. Long hours. Little sleep. Very little free time. Unhappy customers. The sales world is a tough one, but he always handles himself like a champ, and I'm so glad he loves me even when I don't deserve it.
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| In front of the Clubhouse |
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| Awards dinner |
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| The same place where the awards were announced Saturday night, is where Tiger Woods made his "announcement" |
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| Dinner Saturday night |
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| Have I mentioned I love this man? |
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| The proud wives... I had such a great time hanging out with these sweet ladies! |
Sunday:
I started off my last day in Florida with a facial at the spa. It was so relaxing. Then we packed up, headed for the airport, and made our way back to good ole Magnolia to see our girl! It feels so good to be back home with her.
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I took a few million pictures from the plane to show Livy... |
