Since I was a child, Florida has always had a special place in my heart. Growing up, I would frequently travel from New Jersey to Florida to my grandparent’s winter home in the Tampa Bay area. (My mom’s parents)
This is where my love of the state had bloomed. As I continued to grow up, my love for Florida did too. Why? Maybe it was the influx of palm trees, the abundance of sunshine, or maybe just the fact there’s a lot of water. (I love water) I’m not quite sure what exactly it was/is about Florida that made me love it so much, but regardless, I do and always have. So, it came as no surprise that once I discovered I had some time off from work and some extra cash on my account; you better believe I called the grandparents and asked if I could come down for Easter Weekend. They said yes, of course; and I decided I wanted to share with my readers my four-day vacation to the Sunshine State!
To begin with my trip, I flew Allegiance Airline (Which is super cheap) so if you need to fly to Florida look into it. However, as I expressed to my grandmother, I could have probably flown better (No offense Mr. Pilot) but it wasn’t the best flying experience. The service was great, though, so thank you for that. Grandma and Grandpa got me roses (Love them) and we were on our way home.
Anyway, the following day after landing we went to the beach. Grandpa doesn’t do the beach, so my grandmother (who is a saint) went to a local beach which I’ve been going to since I was a child with her longtime friend. Thankfully the weather stayed nice and sunny for me (Thank you Jesus) and I swam in the Gulf, it was amazing; and then we finished off the day with some authentic Mexican food and some killer homemade ice cream from this local hole in the wall. Day one complete.
Day two started with some hardcore rain. A shit ton of rain. Like buckets of tears from Jesus. Anyway, this day was a themed day: GREEK DAY. What does that mean you ask? Well, everything we did and ate was centered on Greek culture. It was awesome. The weather held up enough for us to make our way to Tarpon Springs, which is a small Greek community right outside of Tampa, Florida. We ate some great Greek food, including OPA! (Which is cheese on fire) and I drank some Greek beer which tasted like Corona light. Next, we walked around the Greek village and did a little shopping. After, what better way to end the day than with a movie? A Greek movie.
We ended our Greek day with non-other than the new film, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.” It was hysterical, to say the least. I still like the first one better, but this one was just as witty and I must say I was impressed with how they got the whole original cast to participate. Day two complete.
Day three was a monkey day. All three of us went to the monkey sanctuary and enjoyed not only getting to see monkeys of all kinds but also hold an alligator. A baby alligator. Grandma and grandpa did it 1, 2, 3 with no fear. I myself on the other hand, not a big fan of reptiles.
I needed the man to help me while I held the tail end and that was about as far as I got. I did, however, get to hold the bunny they had and did fully enjoy watching the one monkey they had flip people off (yes he gave people the middle finger) and do backflips. Very talented monkey. We then ate at this restaurant outside and grandma and I finished the day with a few games of scrabble and boggle; because why not? Day three complete.
Day four, EASTER! Yay Jesus. We got up, drank some of that liquid gold (Coffee) and my grandmother had made me an Easter basket. It was the best feeling to see that. Not because of all the goodies, which are great too, but just because I spent last Easter by myself with my rabbit and I missed having my family around and waking up to getting an Easter basket. But grandma and Grandpa didn’t stop there.
Oh no, they gave me an egg hunt too. 20 eggs I had to find (Which Grandma hid pretty darn well) and then after we were headed to church. It was very nice, with lots of flowers and everyone was extremely welcoming to me. After, we headed home for a short break, then went to one of my grandparent’s friend’s country clubs for a very late brunch. (Literally 2-4 pm) But that was okay because we didn’t have to worry about the crowd or any lines in the buffet. (Which was great because they had jumbo shrimp and I ate probably 10 of them) Delicious. After brunch, we went home, stuffed obviously, and I decided it would be a good idea to walk to the end of Grandma’s road to the Gulf of Mexico to exercise. (I did not realize it was a mile and a half long and ended up walking it four times) urgh. Day four complete.
Day five was the day I had to fly back to Charlotte. Very sad day. I am very close with my grandparents, so having to leave them and Florida made me gloomy. So, this day was spent inside till I had to go to the airport. We watched all the normal shows together, “Let’s Make A Deal,” “Price is Right,” and of course a little “Dr. Phil.” It may seem boring to you, but it was very relaxing and enjoyable for me. Then day five was complete.
Overall, my little vacation was relaxing, filled with love, and gratifying. I already miss grandma and grandpa…but thankfully time flies by fast and I will be seeing them soon. Unfortunately, I don’t know the next time I will be soaking up the sun in the sunshine state…but till next time Florida.
With Love,
Lex Paige
