I took the girls on our first ever family vacation in the summer of 2022. It was a Christmas gift for them that I couldn't wait to go on and create memories. We had a countdown going from Decembet 25th to July 30th. My youngest has never been to Florida so I couldn't wait to show her the beach and ocean.
Our flight left at 6am on July 30th and nothing prepared me for the chaos that awaited. We go through security and I get pulled to the side and searched. Seriously, you pick the one adult here that has crippling anxiety to call out of line and search? My luck, right? As we are waiting for our flight we seperate as two girls want starbucks and the other two opted for dunkin. The lines were ridiculous at 4am. We tell every one to meet back at the gate once they get their stuff, so we can board as a group.
I am casually waiting in the seating section for the girls and I see them 45 min later in the distance. I'm starting to panic as it's close to boarding time. They make it and they have just enough time to create a tick-tok. The one girl went to pull out her phone, and guess what? It's gone! She can't find the phone. She says "I think I left it at starbucks", which is two miles away from our gate. They walk back to starbucks to find the phone and luckily it was there. They ran back to the gate in just enough time to board the flight. My nerves were shot thinking I was going to lose a kid at the airport!
They call our number (however it works I'm not a frequenent flyer). We all get in line and I looked over at my oldest who is having a full blown panic attack. Dude, what in the world. I'm trying not to be that mom who laughs and tells her to "man" up, but I was in fact that mom. Like what's the issue, we're all together and we'll be fine.
We board the flight and find seats next to each other. The oldest is hysterical, I'm exhausted, and contemplating a nap during the flight. I am trying to calm the oldest down, but nothing I said or did helped, so I just shut up! I am comfortable in my seat and anxiously waiting for take-off. All I could think about was the crystal clear ocean water and my feet in the sand. Siesta Keys is literally heaven for me.
The flight attendent speaks and I feel movement. Yes, this is it. In a few short hours i'll be beachfront in my condo with a drink in hand. We are headed for the runway, and guess what? I start to clench up, I am now having a mild panic attack! Serves me right for laughing at my BEB.
I finally calmed down and by 12pm I was walking through the condo doors. We unpacked, did some shopping, and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach. We went to a fancy restaurant to watch the sunset and when we got back to the condo we sat on the patio and listened to the pounding surf of the ocean. It was the perfect night for a woman who hasn't been on vacation in 20 years!
I shower and get settled in for the night. I call JM to let him know I'm going to bed and it's perfect. He tells me "have fun you deserve it". I hung up and slept like a baby that night. Six more glorious days soaking in the rays of the hot Florida sun. I'm not joking when I tell you this is my safe place. I remember laying in bed planning my Sunday and all the fun things I want to do. I've never been more peaceful.
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