Florida here I come!

Tuesday, March 12:  This is DAY ONE of my much planned-for vacation! I got up at 3:15 am, showered, gathered my already-packed suitcase and backpack, and headed over to the airport (via Dylan and Kelly, and my friend Margaret). It was 16 degrees in Grand Rapids, and outside my door was 6" of snow still on the ground with a pretty high pile of snow all around the road in front of my house ...

The plane had to be de-iced, but we took off without any problems or delays at 6:33 am. I flew through Charlotte, NC. These first two pictures, however, were taken somewhere over Kentucky (according to my phone). The sky was just so pretty as the sun was rising ...

I landed in Tampa at 11:15 and was promptly picked up by my dear brother. We hightailed it to his house, got a few things ready, and then launched his boat! We were out on the water by about 2:00 in the afternoon. It was a bit windy out, the water was rough, so we stuck to the intercoastal for our afternoon excursion.

 Very beautiful ... not as cold as it was last year (thankfully) ... but a tiny bit chilly out on the water.

 One of the many bridges we went under. Of course, I do not know the name of it!

 We just meandered down little canals and did some sight seeing. There is always beauty to see, every direction you look.

 See this interesting boat lift? In order to get to the next canal by boat, this is the ONLY way! Talk about a closed community!

 Still, it's a pretty nifty contraption.

This is one of the places were David launches his boat. It's about a 20 minute drive from his house. 

When we got back to the house, Carol had a wonderful roast dinner waiting for us. Speaking of Carol ... let me tell you something about her. She is a pretty special person. Before my trip, I had a tiny foreboding about taking David away from home, spending my vacation down with them, barging into their lives, etc. And I just felt a little bit like a "user." Three days before I came down, I got a phone call from Carol (and we don't usually talk on the phone) ... she was welcoming me AHEAD of time to their house and their lives. She said they were very excited to have me come. Wasn't that completely kind of her? I told her that I was feeling a little hesitant, and she told me that she and her mom were sitting at Duncan Donuts and she felt the Lord leading her to call me--so she listened, and called! It really was an answer to prayer, because it put my mind completely at ease. I told you she was special.