7 days and counting!

In case it's not totally obvious, I am super-stoked about our trip to FL coming up in a week!  Yes, we go to FL at least once a year anyway, but this time it will be different and bittersweet...for many reasons.  Again, in case I haven't made it abundantly clear, Stephen and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and will be able to drop the girls off at his sister's and spend a few days in Captiva Island, just to the two of us!  This will be the first vacation in a l-o-n-g time for us and really the first time we have gone to FL to have a real vacation and not just visit family.  Now, don't get me wrong, we are very excited to see family this time around, we just won't be bound to traveling from one city to another to get certain time in with everyone.  But, this will also be my first trip to FL not seeing my G'ma.  I'm not really sure how I will feel when I cross the state line because usually as soon as we see the Welcome to Florida sign I feel at home.  Will I still feel that this time?  I'm afraid I will feel like a visitor/tourist this time because part of my 'home'...a big part.. is gone.  Then, what will happen when I walk through her house for the first time since she passed?  I'm either going to be emotional or I'm not and then I have a feeling if I'm not emotional I'll overthink that and think something is wrong.  Anyway, I am thoroughly excited to go home and to see family and friends.  And I hope that being at G'ma's house will be nice and healing and not overly sad.

This will also be the first time I'll be away from Annie for an extended period of time.  Don't get me wrong, I am not worried at all about her caregiver(s).  Angela is a w-a-y better mother than me, so again, no worries there.  But, I'm hoping that Annie won't really realize that I'm not there, but how can she not?  She's with me 24/7!  I'll be with her for about 24 hours at Angela's house before we leave, so hopefully she'll get comfortable fast.  


For those of you who read this and I will see in FL, I can't wait!  I miss you all and I can't wait to party!  For those of you I will leave behind in MI, I wish you could come with me and we could have a big fiesta on the beach!  I haven't decided whether I will post pictures and updates while in FL or just go completely unplugged and then post everything when we get back.  I guess we'll all know in a week or so!