Monday, June 30, 2008

Birthdays, Home and Family

One Wednesday, I will be 42 years old. Harley will be 1 on Thursday and Allen will also be celebrating his birthday on Saturday!



We will be celebrating by going to Fort Lauderdale.

For those of you haven't been on my blog for long, Ft Lauderdale is where I come from.

It is an utterly grueling drive. 11.5 hours in the truck, no matter how you cut it.

YES Florida is that big! We have to go all the way across the panhandle before we go down.


There are things about this city that I absolutely love:

And things I detest.

Traffic, crime, just the general hustle and bustle of millions of people squished into urban communities are a few. But there is something so charming about this city that you see only through a tourist's eyes.

BUT, it is where my mom is:

Where some of my oldest friends are:



In a way it is still home.

I am so happy to be going home.

The girls will be staying at Mother's. Allen and I will be at a hotel. There are many reasons for that, the least of all being my mother's condo does not accommodate all of us. The other being, my mother and I are totally different people. I love her with all my heart, but distance allows us to have a better relationship.

The last reason is that Allen and I get to only steal a few minutes to ourselves. This will be a vacation for us. We know that the girls will be with someone who loves them as much as we do, and we can go off and have a romantic weekend knowing we don't have to worry about them.

I'll let you all know how it goes!

Be safe and happy on the 4th ya'll!

6 comments:

hippo chick said...

Except for the ride (UGH!) it sounds perfect. Have a wondderful, "silly" and romantic time.

See you next week.

~hippo hugs~

Nancy said...

I LOVE Fort Lauderdale! We used to go to FL every year over Christmastime and usually ended up at the War Memorial Auditorium (which I understand has been demolished now)to see recording stars and to "rock 'n roll" the night away! The same families gathered at the same hotel every year, so all of us teenagers would get together and go our own way while all the parents would go to dog races and such. It IS a gorgeous city!!!

Have fun! Wish I was going! Don't envy you that long drive, though!

Happy 4th and a very Happy Birthday to you, Harley and your Most Handsome!!! 42? You're still a kid!!! Wait til you get Pam's and my age! LOL

(((HUGS)))

Renie Burghardt said...

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

We used to spend Christmases in Fort Lauderdale as well, back in the 70s. But haven't been there in ages. Bet it has changed a lot since then.

Enjoy your visit home. And have a great 4th!

Hugs,

Renie

Diane Meyer said...

Happy Birthday Michelle! Have a safe and wonderful trip!

Diane said...

Happy Birthday to everyone! LOL

We have close birthdays here too. Steve and Dad's on 7/2, mine on 7/3.

Have a wonderful trip! It is indeed a long drive, but once you're there with family/friends...you'll be happy! Glad you're getting a chance for a romantic getaway too.

Hugs,
Diane

Diane Meyer said...

Are you home yet??