Just ONE MORE Beach Trip...

I wasn't really ready to fly again...you know, after the "Costa Rica Incident".  But Robby had to go to Ft. Lauderdale for a meeting this week and he sort of LURED me there..."We can stay on South Beach for a few extra days".  Hmmm...Did I LOVE South Beach (or ANY beach for that matter...) MORE than I hated getting on an airplane so soon again???

OK...So, I couldn't resist.  Before my "Birthday Club Road Trip Weekend", I packed my suitcase in preparation to head our EARLY (5:50!!!) Monday morning for Miami.  Robby DID give me the option of a later flight, but as I thought about that crystal blue water and snow white sand, I opted for the early flight...I COULD doze on the beach all day.

As my girls' weekend was coming to an end, I clicked my computer on and saw something that panicked me a little more than getting on that airplane again...Her name was Irene...and she was a tropical storm that was expected to be upgraded to a hurricane by the first of the week (ugh...) and possibly headed toward Florida!  Robby and Justin had been in Mississippi all weekend at an annual golf tournament so I began sending him text messages about the possibility of running into some weather troubles on our upcoming trip.  I also got on the phone with Ryan.  Ryan (who lives on the outskirts of New Orleans...) keeps me updated on the status of ALL tropical storms and potential hurricanes.  You see, he is in dental school there and watches that sort of thing closely...he says he is "looking for a little tropical storm vacation" and wants to be the first one out of town.  He confirmed what I was seeing on The Weather Channel...There WAS a BIG storm brewing out there!

Robby decided that we would still go to Miami and just have an "escape plan".  Our return tickets were for Friday, but he also booked return flights for Thursday...just in case.  I wasn't sure about all of this; not sure if I could survive yet ANOTHER travel adventure.  Being thrown in the hoosegow in Costa Rica was enough adventure to last me a lifetime.  Being a "storm chaser"?  Definitely NOT my idea of fun.  So, as we prepared to leave on this last little beach trip of the year, I was feeling a bit conflicted.  Holding out my hands as if to balance the choices, I said to myself, "Beach Trip...Possible Hurricane...Beach Trip...Possible Hurricane."  Hmmm...in the end, the beach was just too enticing! I  decided I would go where the wind took me...Quite possibly LITERALLY!