We took our first sister-in-law trip to Sanibel Island in February....here is a re-cap of our trip!
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We then got on our flight to Charlotte and realized we would be cutting it very close to boarding the next flight. Emily and Ali concocted a plan where Holly would be a runner while they would casually stroll through the airport with our luggage. The minute the door to the plane opened, Holly took off like a bat out of hell to the furthest gate from the door. It was about at this same time that Ali and Emily learned from a gate officer that we missed our flight and the gate was closed. But, instead of properly informing Holly so she could quit peeing her pants while in a sprint looking like an idiot, they merrily made their way through the airport. Exhausted but excited to see the plane, Holly let the agent know that they made it and would be boarding the flight! She was promptly turned away, as the plane sat right in front of her nose.
We then re-booked a flight, and booked the sketchiest hotel we could find. We waited impatiently for a airport shuttle to take us to the hotel and off we went. Ali then informed Emily that Holly wasn't feeling well and had gas in the bathroom (we quickly cleared it up that those were fake farts).
The next morning, we got up for our shuttle to the airport, and had breakfast in the airport. As Ali, Holly and Emily discussed a few Dowling graduates, Emily was quoted as saying "Yes, I graduated with him. It's just that he's gotten to be so unfortunate looking."
We landed safely and Kelly was there to pick us up and delivered a whole bunch of sunshine too! We headed to the condo to say hello to Noel before heading out to soak in the sun. I believe this is the first time that Ali said "I think I'll take a nap on the way to the condo." We then had lunch at the Dunes pool, we laid out, we chatted, and Ali again said "I think I'll just take a nap while laying out." It was then that she was interrupted by a "black snake with just a touch of purple on it."
It was then time for the Segwey adventures! We were all very excited, given our natural athletic ability and coordination, we knew this would be a breeze. We got our lessons, and met Jackson and his mom, who accompanied us on our tour. Jackson was a complete dud, in Holly's words and Jackson's mom was weird, in Ali's words. As we took off out of the parking lot, a couple said to Holly "Go fast and take risks" and Holly yelled back "YOLO!" and laughed while Ali said "I love it when Holly laughs at her own jokes."
Our tour guide was goofy, according to Kelly. He was, however, a softball player. We couldn't resist engaging him in this, letting him know our Hall of Fame notoriety and asked what kind of softball he plays. This turned out to not be an easy question and he answered by holding up his hands estimating the size of the ball. It was clear he didn't have softball knowledge like we did. We also impressed him when we shared that Ding Darling was a Des Moines Register cartoonist and he should add that to his tour. Should also be noted that Sanibel is sorta like Manhattan. We really don't know the whole story on that. As Ali, Kelly and Holly tried to reach their full potential on the Segweys, Emily stayed behind and was quoted as saying "I am most comfortable at 2.8 mph." Following the Segweys, Ali announced again that she believed it was time for her nap.
We would have loved to have went to a late dinner and gone out clubbing, but Noel encouraged us to go to an early bird dinner at Doc Fords. We all ate plenty, and Emily specifically became part of the "clean plate club." Ali asked how you gain membership into that club (answer: by cleaning your plate.)
We headed back to watch the Olympics. This led into a discussion about vacations. The conversation went like this "Yes, this is where the Bush's go ono vacation." And Emily replied "Like the bean people?" Roll that beautiful bean footage.
Again, it was really time for Ali to nap so off to bed we went.
On Thursday, we drank coffee and watched the alligator off the deck. This morning brought another classic quote from Emily - "I was kind of a weird kid." No idea where the conversation went after that.
We then headed to a resort in Captiva for massages, pedicures and facials. We headed to the beach to peacefully wait for our appointment yet we were promptly kicked off the beach. They took our names, and called up to the spa to "tell on us." We got up for our appointments and all thoroughly enjoyed our time. Holly came out of the appointment with a wealth of knowledge about Sanibel - the school, the landscaping visit, average age of islanders, average cost of rent, housing options, etc. Kelly came out without even saying hello to her therapist. We went back to the beach to try to relax and were again busted at the beach.
We then hit up Key Lime Bistro. We had pie for breakfast, drinks and then ate lunch. We headed back to the condo to say hello to Noel. We then hit up Sundial Beach, where Ali admired the guy in matching floral bikini bottoms and top. A light mist forced us into shopping at Periwinkle Place. Classic quote from Emily: "My toes really hurt from that Segwey. Anyone else?" No, Emily, no.
That night, we went to Traders for dinner and we all became part of the Clean Plate Club again. We nicknamed Noel's scooter Rosie and made her part of the family. Kelly found a very beautiful set of earrings and necklace for the low price of $69. During dinner, we chatted about everything from politics to famous people we have met. Ali announced that she was very "POL-itical", Holly said she's met George Bush, and the whole table said simultaneously "You mean the bean people?" And, as we all shared famous people we've encountered like Brad Pitt, Ashley Judd, Arnold Palmer, and more, Emily announced she has met Dan Winters. Yes, the local television newscaster.
We finished up the night at the outlet mall. It blew Kelly's mind when Ali informed her that every store at an outlet mall is not necessarily an outlet. Kelly has lost trust in society.
On Friday morning, we had breakfast at the Island Cow. It was a great start to our day. We then headed to the kayaks for our morning exercise. Emily's toe was properly healed at this time so she was prepared for the journey ahead. After Emily's Segwey performance, it was clear no one wanted Emily in their kayak but Holly took one for the team. We saw a lot of birds and other kayakers. It was a nice slow ride until we got out into the open waters. At this point, Emily's arms were starting to ache. So, we quietly attached ourselves to Kelly and Ali and we didn't move a muscle for a good ten minutes while Kelly and Ali could not figure out why they were making such little progress.
We made it back to dry land and headed back to the condo to say hello to Noel. We hit up the pool, and had some snacks before Kelly took Noel to his appointment. The afternoon went fast by the pool, and we were grateful to run into "Gramps" and "
To round out this day, we got reservations at Sundial at the Hibachi Grill. One lucky couple from Wisconsin got to sit by us! We all ordered way too much food, and no one was a part of the Clean Plate Club on this night.
The next morning was departure day and it was a very sad day indeed. We biked to Sanibel Fresh for breakfast and had terrible coffee and delicious meals. We cleaned, we packed, and said our sad goodbyes to Noel and Rosie.
We got to the airport and it was very peopley. Long lines, slow security, and it was clear making our flight would be very difficult. Enter drug dog and that sped things along but JUST in time for us to make the gate. We properly warned Kelly to get to the airport in plenty of time due to the long lines.
Oh, she got there in time alright. With no lines. And, then she and Noel spent the entire day at the airport as the delays and cancellations came in.
Ali, Holly and Emily ate a quick bite with a waitress who may want to consider a different line of work, and Ali had a chance to do some D.C. sight seeing out the window. We arrived in Des Moines safely and came home to slush and rain and cold.
Kelly and Noel were sent back to Sanibel and tried again on Sunday!
All and all, this was an amazing trip.....a round-up of our favorite quotes include:
Roll that beautiful bean footage.
He's unfortunate looking.
Get up and do it.
badarburlabalublrewraphare. GET OUT OF MY WAY.
YOLO.
Breathe in the light.
Exhale the darkness
Mama.
Honey, I'm home.
Should we Yelp it?
Emily, I know we're saying a lot of bad things about kids, but we promise it's not all bad. I mean, for the most part, it's great. it's fine. We like our kids MOST of the time. And, we know it doesn't sound like we like our kids, but we do. It's gonna be fine. You're gonna do great. We are sure you will enjoy it. Even if we didn't. It sounds hard but it really isn't....for the most part. It's gonna be great. It really is. Promise.
Things observed:
Kelly thinks that crocs has a pair of fashionable shoes.
Ali has an "itch" and needs a project.
Emily knows exactly how to treat a 600-lb woman in her home
Dr. Pimple Popper not only pops cysts, but she changes lives.
Holly had never in her life heard of "Furries" and never wants to discuss this again.
Ali has an eyebrow growth problem stemming from her childhood insecurities.
None of us showered enough.
Emily feels like she definitely could have a body odor problem.
Ali is concerned about Holly's "lack of opinions on this trip."
Kelly owns a mug that says "Purrrrrr".
Kelly managed to hit Holly twice in a row while stowing Rosie away in the back.
Emily informed us that you pronounce opossum as "O-possum"
Kelly has Techno-elbow, and it runs in her family.
Best parts of the trip: Segweys, bike rides, sunshine, not cooking or cleaning
What would have made the trip better: One more day. Less travel woes. Susan being there to enjoy it with us.
And, that's a wrap folks! A HUGE THANK YOU to Kelly, Noel and Rosie for the accommodations. We can't wait to go back in a couple of years and listen to Emily talk about leaving the baby in the dust as she hits the beach!
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