My husband decided to surprise me with an interesting birthday gift.
He told me that we would be going to Florida to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and precious grandson, and staying in a resort for four whole days. I was so excited! He rarely does anything like this, so I was really looking forward to it.
A few days before we left, we saw in the weather report where snow was predicted for our area and Florida was going to experience a cold front.
I checked the weather report in Florida for that day and the weatherman said it was going to be 84° outside and sunny.
But then I read the 5-day forecast which showed the temperature reaching a balmy 24 degrees, and I was absolutely shocked.
So I unpacked my bathing suit and filled the suitcase with long-sleeved shirts, sweaters and anything else I could find. I even got together hats and gloves.
So much for enjoying the outdoors in Florida and spending it in the swimming pool with my grandson. Now we were going to have to find something else to do in Florida with it so bitterly cold.
When we arrived, we were put in an older model Hilton hotel, which had seen better days 20 years ago. I just assumed that my husband had looked for a cheaper hotel and had come up with this one. But I was happy, and it was going to be a great trip.
Later that night we met up with our son and daughter-in-law and went out to dinner. Now, for Christmas my son had given us a $100 gift card to a Brazilian restaurant, and that is where my husband thought we should go.
If you've never been to a Brazilian steakhouse, it's quite an experience, especially for a meat eater. My husband and son, extreme carnivores, were absolutely thrilled. Every few minutes someone would come by our table with a skewer of meat and a knife and slice off great chunks of meat for my husband and son to devour.
I made short work of the giant salad bar and charcuterie board which was quite extensive.
The prices were outrageous, and that's the best I can say about that. Our waiter came up and offered us two choices, sparkling water or "still" water.
We all assumed that still water was just regular tap water; it wasn't sparkling. But when the waiter showed up, he brought a tall blue bottle with some foreign name. He opened the bottle and poured glasses of water for us. Okay, so it's just fancy water.
When the bill came, we were charged $25 for that fancy water!
More than a little miffed, we managed to scrape enough money together for the bill and practically ran out of the building. The food was good, but I was horrified by how much we had spent.
My true shock was yet to come.
My husband informed me later that night that we had to go to a presentation the next morning for an hour.
“A presentation?” I asked. “What kind of a presentation?”
“Well”, my husband said sheepishly, “we were offered the four days at this hotel if we would listen to a presentation about this vacation club.”
I just stared at him. Was he kidding?
“Whatever!” I said. “We will go and get it over with. But I'm not saying a word, and I will give it one hour!”
The next day, and 2 hours into this so-called 1-hour presentation, I had had enough. I was hungry, I had a headache, and I was fed up with the constant pushing me to buy into this vacation club.
I had also waited long enough for my husband to do the talking, which he really wasn't doing. So I took over the conversation.
“No, I said we are not buying, we will never buy, I have no intention of buying, I refuse to buy, and now we're leaving!”
On our way out the door I turned and looked at my husband with a nasty glare in my eyes. But he spoke up before I could say anything.
“I know, I know,” he said. "If I ever do this again you will never speak to me again. Right?"
“No, what I was going to say is that if you ever get us into anything like this again, I'll choke the very life out of you!"
The next day we bundled up in our best Arctic gear and went to Disney springs to grab some lunch and see the shops. I have never seen so many people doing their best to keep a smile on their face and have a good time when deep down every single one of them was completely miserable. It was freezing cold.
To make matters worse, you all know how much I love snow, and I had missed the entire event while I was in Florida. Wouldn't you know it. The only snowfall of the season, and I missed it.
When we finally drove up to our home that evening, I slowly made my way to the front door, and there it was. A small patch of snow still left by my front porch. Sadly, and with a bittersweet smile on my face, I walked up to the snow that barely covered the sole of my shoe and walked across it.
Sigh.
Well, I guess it wasn't the trip of the century, but at least I got to see my family, see a little snow and taste overpriced water.
What does overpriced water taste like?
Like water.
