Lessons Learned From Florida #4

While riding the beach trolley along Estero Blvd, Lisa and I were making plans to spend the day on Sanibel Island. Unfortunately, there is no public transportation across the causeway to get out onto the island. Taxi fares were astronomical and thus a rental was our only option. Having a car would also be very helpful in getting us back to the airport at 3:00 a.m. for our flight to JFK the day after. The only problem was the extra fee associated with returning the car to a place other than its origin. (it was just as much as the rental) Trying to vacation “on the cheap” meant having to rent a car from the airport. Our discussion quickly turned to purchasing a bus ticket back to the Fort Myers airport.



To our surprise, a homeless couple (who were sitting directly behind us) offered us their all-day bus passes. We objected…they insisted…we offered to pay…they wouldn’t hear of it. As we graciously accepted, they asked in return for a prayer on their behalf. They said that they needed our prayers far more than they needed our money! Honestly, that little exchange of courtesy was a good reminder to never judge a book by its cover. When they had gotten on the trolley with us, we were the only ones aboard. They chose to sit directly behind us and I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t appreciate it one bit. They were both shabbily dressed and in serious need of a shower. Their hair was long, greasy and the ends were matted in what looked like the beginning of dreadlocks. They smiled as us, but I didn’t read the friendliness in their eyes, I was too absorbed with the lack of teeth and the fact that the remaining ones were browner than the floor of our transportation. My head was racing with questions about their character and their intentions. Were they going to ask for money? Would the trolley driver step in if they proceeded to accost us? Why did they have to sit so close when there were plenty of other seats to choose from? Why did they seem so interested in our conversation?


Silly, silly me! Does it really matter what kind of package a gift comes in? Just because someone hasn’t showered in awhile doesn’t mean that they aren’t kind, thoughtful, or sincere. Just because their clothes are in desperate need of a good boiling, doesn’t translate into them not being decent people who contribute to society. (Just look at Lisa and I, we were in that same boat!) As it turns out, I’m glad they sat so close. I appreciate that they were listening intently. What a blessing it was to be given something as little and inconsequential as a bus pass because it brought with it a larger than life lesson. After arriving at the airport, we paid it forward by giving the bus passes to a couple of women who were desperately trying to come up with the correct change to purchase a ticket. And of course, there were many, many prayers said for this generous couple and faith that their altruism would be rewarded.

Lesson Learned: Never judge a book by its cover

Lessons Learned From Florida #3

Because of our gross experience with the bed and the couch, you would think that a long hot shower would be the first item of business that day.  Wrong!  That shower would have made a bad situation even worse.  I'm sorry, but when you're covered in dog hair, you do not want to add mold to the mix.  Time to once again pull up our big girl panties and figure out a solution.
1. Makeup remover cleansing towlette for a clean face?  CHECK
2. Extra deodorant to hide the B.O.?  CHECK
3. Clean clothes?  CHECK
4. Fresh breath?  CHECK
5. Hair?..............How 'bout a hat?

Lesson Learned:  Some people (Lisa) just look better in hats than others

Lessons Learned From Florida #2

Authentic [aw-then-tik] –adjective
1. not false or copied; genuine; real
2. having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified

Lisa’s main objective during our vacation was to experience something authentic. She wasn’t too concerned with the details pertaining to what we did exactly or what we ate, but she was determined to stay in an authentic cottage on the beach. In our haste to get out of the airport and to catch the last bus before dark, I rushed to secure a room at the Hampton Inn. (I needed that “cloud nine” bed experience after a long day of travel.) I had tried a number of cottages and bungalows on Sanibel Island, but they were all booked and thus, for two nights out of six, I actually got some sleep.  "Only two?" You question. "Oh yes." I say. The Hampton Inn was in Fort Myers and nowhere near the beach. And since our dream of staying in a little, authentic cottage in the sand did not go away we did some digging and finally found a place that fit the description.
The Anchor Inn was old, and so was the mildew. By the smell of things, it must have been flooded numerous times. When we pulled down the comforter to get into bed that first night, we nearly puked. The stench was awful! I quickly insisted that I would be sleeping on the couch and would allow Lisa the entire bed to herself. (Nice friend aren’t I?) Don’t worry I got mine……Because of the unfortunate state of the bed, I wasn’t about to pull out the sofa bed. Instead I decided to sleep sitting up on the couch. It was nice and toasty warm when I finally fell asleep, but it quickly turned chilly. In the dark, I made my way to the closet and felt around for something to keep me warm. The closet was empty except for one blanket on the bottom shelf. I was feeling pretty lucky as I returned to the couch to wrap up. Sadly, that feeling didn’t last. Each time I tried to pull the blanket around me I felt a sharp poke. I tried to figure it out and get to it, but couldn’t find the source of the trouble. After wrestling all night to stay warm, yet not get jabbed, morning finally came. Let me interrupt this story to say that “Paybacks bite!” In the light of dawn, I could see that the blanket was covered, not only in cockleburs but long, black dog hair as well. My eyes were swollen and goopy; my tongue felt as if it was five times larger than normal and I swear that dog hair was lining my throat! What’s more authentic than an unquestionable, verified, and oh so very real allergic reaction?

The Anchor Inn

Lesson learned: Never cheat a friend!

Lessons Learned From Florida #1

“Flying stand-by is not a good way to fly!” This advice was offered to me plenty of times as I shared the excitement of my upcoming trip to Puerto Rico with friends and family. I had been adequately warned, but didn’t bother to take that counsel seriously. Lisa (my good friend and roomate from college) and I were looking for adventure and I wanted an opportunity to see if I could handle whatever was thrown my way. It was time for me to pull up my big girl panties and prove that I could travel without the safeguarding of my OCD husband.

As we missed our first flight out of JFK I wasn’t disheartened, Jet Blue has a large terminal with plenty of flights leaving for the beautiful “Island of Enchantment”. I naively believed we would eventually get there but was all too soon schooled! You can’t just show up at any old gate and ask to be put on the stand-by list. The place was crawling with Jet Blue employees but not one of them could get you on the list except the person whose buddy pass you were using. Unfortunately, our buddy was back in SLC and was at that time “working” which means she could not answer our numerous phone calls for help. While in the “busiest international air passenger gateway in the United States” we met multiple people who were in the same predicament. A number of which had been trying to get to the P.R. since the day before. No problem, we can adapt! This is exactly the kind of adventure we were looking for! We considered staying in New York, but we had only packed beach clothes and it was currently in the low 40’s and would be the rest of the week. Miami was a bust as was Ft. Lauderdale (too many people on stand-by) the weather wasn’t promising in California and leaving the country was out since I didn’t bring my passport. Luckily, we were given a great piece of advice from a very helpful customer service rep. Tracy Taylor told us that Sanibel Island was a gorgeous, less popular Spring Break destination and that we would have an amazing time there. We decided that this was a recommendation that we were not going to dismiss. By a tender mercy from above, our buddy got us on the list as we sprinted for the gate that was just closing. Ft. Myer, here we come!


                                                               Fort Myer Beach

Lesson Learned:  "To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it." Wilson Mizner

03-13-10

To celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Chandler's special day, we headed through a snow storm to the community pool to party and play with the cousins.

The high-dive was a popular place to show off

(Congratulations on your temple sealing.  So happy to have been a part of it!  xoW.)