SURPRISE Trip to Florida!

 Because I had BOTH of my vaccine shots AND it was 3 weeks AFTER my second shot, I decided to surprise my Mom for Mother's Day and fly down to Tampa!

I can't tell you how much anxiety I had over flying.  I already hate flying, and now you're gonna throw Covid into it... eeek.  But the airport wasn't too crowded.

In Massachusetts, you cannot go to a restaurant and just get a drink. You have to order food.  Give me a double with those French fries I just ordered.

I sat next to a nice lady who was visiting her new grand niece here in Winthrop, so I was showing her that we fly right over Winthrop on our way out - and right over Uncle Billy's house! (You can't see his house because it was to the right of this picture.)

One other thing you can see quite well when you take off in a certain direction from Logan is the entirety of Cape Cod!

I was super excited to land in Tampa!  I liked this pretty work of art made out of signs you might see around an airport.

I met my brother at the Feather Sound Publix and we (he) made a plan to surprise our mom. She was surprised to see him on this side of the bay, especially at night, so he told her he had just had dinner with an old friend who was in town. "You might know her. She says she remembers you!"

Surprise!  It's ME!  And boy was she surprised!

After a late night catching up on the couch, Mom and I went for a drive around midday.  This is just a picture of Aunt Sara's house.  My mom bought one down the road, is tearing it down, and is putting in a brand NEW house sometime in the next few months.

First, we stopped by and said hello to Aunt Barbara and Uncle Dan (who knew the big secret!)  Everyone was so impressed that Aunt Sara kept it a secret ha ha. Then we swung by my mom's old condo, which I never went to because we lived in Germany and then...Covid.  The place has the most amazing views of Sand Key and Clearwater Beach though!

THEN, we were going to check out the mad destruction of 540 20th Avenue, but there was beach traffic like I've never seen before. Of course, I haven't lived there in 26 years, but I have never seen the Belleair bridge backed up past the light at Indian Rocks Road - and the bridge is no longer a drawbridge so we can't use that excuse! Oh well, I guess we should swing by Bonefish and grab some cocktails!

Pineapple martini in the sun under a palm tree? Yes, please.

We went back to Aunt Sara's place only to find this guy across the street from her house!

And THEN, it was time for the BIG SURPRISE, PART 2!  Cory and Brie stopped by with the kiddos and they did NOT know I was going to be there!  I have never gotten such a massive hug as I did from Greta!  And look at my big dude James!  He might be the smartest (almost) 6-year-old EVER!

And look at my niece Greta!  She is so grown up! I feel like she was just born yesterday!

We piled into two cars and drove to Safety Harbor to get some dinner.  On my way out of Aunt Sara's (and now my mom's!) neighborhood, I spotted THIS. And this isn't even the only one I saw!  This is probably a common sight for the rest of my family but we certainly didn't see any of those in Germany and don't see any of those in Massachusetts.

We got to sit outside and enjoy a really nice meal at Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor.  The weather was actually nice - it was warm, but the humidity wasn't very high.  Cheers to the Swales family!

I probably should have used the panorama feature for this picture ha ha.

EEEK look at my baby Hattie!  I still can't believe this is the first time I met her. Natalie is absolutely dying to see these kids and she was really mad at me for going without her!  I want to eat this baby for a snack!

The bigger kids like to do selfies though, and we took a few when we got back to Aunt Sara's house.  I'm anticipating the day when they both ARE actually taller than me.

These are my other boys! I have two Massachusetts boys and two Florida boys!

I love my Florida family.

My brother and Brie had to get the kiddos home, but I promised to swing by the next day before my flight to say goodbye.  Mother Nature treated us to a really pretty sunset that evening!

Meanwhile, Aunt Sara, Mom and I sat on the couch and chatted all evening!

The next day, as I was about to leave to head over to Cory's house before my flight, Aunt Barbara and Uncle Dan stopped by. It was good to see at least two of my aunts!

Once I got to Cory and Brie's house, the kiddos wanted to play a little basketball with their new hoop that they got their mom for Mother's Day.  Meanwhile, I was in linen pants and wedges so you're not gonna get a good game out of Aunt Colleen!

While we ordered some Indian food for dinner, my furry nephew Einstein ate his dinner and promptly laid down.  Poor old man!

Chicken Tikka Masala!  YUM!  One of my favorites!

Finally it was time to go and head out to the airport.  On my way, I passed my mom's old office.  At the nearby intersection, there was a random grill sitting in the median.  Because, Florida!

It's a strange new world we live in when the Delta safety video shows people in masks!

Up, up and away!  It's hard to see in the middle of this picture (directly behind the well lit spot in the center which is Tampa International Airport) but that's Raymond James Stadium! Home of the Super Bowl Champion Bucs!

Until next time, Tampa!