Goodbye Snow Hello Sunshine
What do you do when winter has wore out it’s welcome in Michigan? You have a weekend getaway to sunny Florida! Yep that’s what we did, we road tripped to Florida for the weekend as a surprise for our parents, we didn’t tell anyone about the trip. Hubby’s mom lives in the middle of the state and my mom lives in the southern portion.
We had the trip planned to get up bright and early on a Wednesday morning and drive straight through to Florida, but plans changed. I woke up at 11:30pm Tuesday night with the flu, the vomiting and diarrhea type of flu and two hours later hubby also came down with it. Let’s just say we were thankful for having multiple bathrooms in our home. The symptoms lasted for 12 hours and then we got a high fever and horrible headache for 12 hours.
The truck was already load for the trip but there was no way we could travel in those conditions. I said to my husband I’m so glad we didn’t leave earlier in the day only to be stuck in a hotel with the flu, and the worst part about it would be hotel toilet paper (or sandpaper as we call it). We did get a good laugh out of that. On Thursday morning we woke up, I looked at hubby and said how do you feel, he said not to bad so we hopped into the shower and hit the road. Hubby started out driving but after about 2.5 hours he didn’t look so good so I took over. We traded off drivers every three house so the other person could sleep and recover. Finally at midnight we pulled into the town hubby’s mom lives in and grabbed a hotel.
We were back up early Friday morning and I grabbed a rental car and drove 3 hours south to my moms place. Just as I was pulling into the driveway she was coming out of her house getting in her car. I started waving, and she gave me a wave like who the heck is that. I started thinking maybe my surprise attack wasn’t such a good idea. I had to get out of the car before she realized who I was, and then her jaw hit the ground, I cried and we hugged so glad to see one another.
It was definitely a speedy, whirlwind of a trip but I did get a chance to visit with family, get to the beach, and enjoy the Florida sunshine. On Monday afternoon I headed back north, dropped off the rental car, hopped into hubby’s truck and headed back to Michigan. I never fully recovered from the flu the whole trip but it was so nice to enjoy family and not have to put on boots and a winter coat to venture outside. We are toying with the idea of spending a month in Florida next winter. My mom and stepdad spend a month at the cabin every summer, so we may just do the same with them in Florida.
I’m so glad you had a chance to get away for a few days to some warmer weather and get to visit with family. It will make the rest of the winter go by a little quicker. Living in Ohio I know that winter seems long. I also wanted to tell you that I made a batch of you Wild Rice and Chicken soup. That’s the soup both my daughter and I choose at Panera. Your recipe is a very good version of it. Thanks for sharing.
Karen, so glad you hear you tried the soup and liked it. It’s as close to Paneras as I can come. Yes I’m hoping our Florida trip can hold us over until spring arrives here in Michigan, but so far all this dreary weather isn’t helping. I did go out and clean all the dog poo from the yard on our 61 degree day, but other than that’s there’s not much to do outside yet.
I wondered if you’ve been ill. I had the flu last week and as soon as I was feeling well, my husband came down with it. You didn’t miss anything here in Michigan except lots of fog – for days!!! We visited with my daughter and son-in-law while helping them move from an apartment to a house on Sunday. Family is good medicine…and so is Florida sunshine. Hope you’re feeling a lot better today!
Jen I now realize we had the Norvovirus 🙁 My stomach trouble is still not back to normal. I can’t eat much and feel queasy every now and again. Maybe it’s a start to a new diet plan, lol. Well at least you had warmer temps for moving your daughter. I guess the fog is better than snow.
You poor thing! I hope you’re able to stay hydrated and are getting adequate rest….your husband, too!!
Jen I think we were both dehydrated but we pushed on and made the trip, LOL.
wow…a whirlwind…hope you and hubby are much better. We left Mich on Dec 30 and have been in Naples Fla for the month of Jan. It is beautiful here and Mich has been pretty warm for the month of Jan….
Jeanie I have family in Naples too. Yes my mom said that January has been abnormally warmer for Florida. Looks like we both had the same idea.
We had nearly a week of rain and we were going stir crazy. Lulu couldn’t figure out why she was getting wet when she went outside. I can’t imagine months of cold weather so I totally understand why you made your getaway. We have one house on our lane that is a year round rental and it is frequently rented to snowbirds for a month or two in the winter.
I hope you are all healthy now.
Carol we’ve had rain for a week here to and now everything is mud. I have to wipe the dog’s paws every time she comes in and I’m continuously mopping floors. Guess I should be glad we don’t have carpet.
Did any of your family end up with the flu also?
Nana both my boys had it before we left but we didn’t pass it on to the Florida group.
hope you have a nice slow rest of the week to recover. After my hubby retired 2 years ago (at age 55), we decided to spend part of the winter in FL. Especially after seeing friends our age come down with various terminal illnesses, we chose to do it now while we can as there’s no promise for tomorrow. The first year we spent 2 weeks, last year it was 4 weeks and this year 6 weeks in March and part of April. We’re in Ohio and by mid-April, things are warming up here too. It’s kind of the pits to return home and get bomblasted with snow, so we wait until March. You should definitely do it next winter!
Arlene good for you. We are only 50 and yes we’d like to enjoy the time while we can. Most of my family is all in the same neighborhood in Florida so I get to see everyone every day, so that will be nice. We may decided to take more time than a month but will try it next year and see how it goes.
Good morning Dawn, nothing is worse than getting sick before a trip:(. Why not stay for awhile next winter. I know from living here, including family from Wisconsin live here during the winter months. I bet your parents were happy to see you!
Kathleen in Az
Kathleen I guess with age we get tired of the winters faster than we used to. I think having a break from it for a month just may do the trick, and we get to be with family so it’s a win win situation.
What a wonderful get away. So glad you got to go and be with family. Winter is getting on my nerves now and I am getting tired of the cold. We have a lot of winter to deal with yet!
What a wonderful get away. So glad you got to go and be with family. Winter is getting on my nerves now and I am getting tired of the cold. !
Debbie yes Im ready for some warmer weather too. I want to sit out on my porch and read a book. I’m not looking forward to lawn care, but I’d like to spend some time outside.
I hope you are feeling better today! That stuff is the worst and I can’t imagine travelling all that way when you just didn’t feel at 100%. What a wonderful treat for your moms to see you both, I’m sure!
Susan, it was a miserable drive but me made it and survived it all. It was good to see family and be where it’s warm.
Dawn, so sorry you got ill before leaving…that so sucks ! ….but on a high note…lucky you that alot of your relations live in Forida. Both my husband and my families all live with in 4 hours with the majority living with in 1/2 hour. Since we live in Northern ontario Canada, we have no where to hide in Canada for warmer weather…except maybe British Columbia …and that does not even compare to Flordia. I’m all for breaking up the winter and heading South…at 55 the winters are starting to feel long.
Cheryl, Yes we are tired of the snow and need to spend some time where it’s warm. So that’s the plan from here on out to vacation in Florida for the winter.