My Spring Break

Spring break spent on a sunny beach in Florida plagues the dreams of college coeds everywhere. Doesn’t it? Or is that so 1990s?

Not that it matters. I didn’t get an entire week there, anyway, only four days. Did I mention that I’ve been dipping into the sunless tanning lotion again?

Sometimes I love my husband’s job. Right now is one of those times. When his cell phone goes off at midnight – not so much. Thanks to his employer, my husband will be in Orlando for a conference on the Monday – Thursday before spring break (from my job, I don’t actually get any break from my college classes.)

Thanks to budget constraints, the Friday before break happens to be one of the eight days cut from my work schedule. Consequently, I flew out of Portland on Thursday evening and  awoke to a Florida sunrise.

I told myself: “If I spend every waking hour beside the pool, it will be a dream vacation.” Unfortunately, the weather was feeling fickle. Apparently, that’s a Floridian quality, not just one reserved for Oregon. I spent two hours by the pool on two days, but the sky was partly sunny at best.

On the last day, an enormous storm blew in. It’s quite the adrenaline rush when the “Emergency Broadcasting System” tone comes on and is follwed by a tornado warning.

Sadly, I didn’t get to see any funnel clouds. The wind reached 86 mph. Rain in the amount of nearly two inches was dumped within one hour. Thunder and lightning accompanied the ferocious weather. We sat inside an ice cream parlor, next to the huge glass windows, and watched it all unfold. Awesome!

What’s your idea of a dream vacation? What’s your most memorable spring break?