Debbie was the first mom friend I ever made, and we had a connection from the beginning. We share so many common ideas about how to parent, how to be a person in the world, and we enjoyed the same activities- we met at postnatal yoga, she got me into the pool with Abigail at a young age (I was terrified!), we did music class together, tried out a baby gym (and both didn't like it), and spent lots of time taking walks in our neighborhoods while the babies either slept or (later) held hands. We talked and talked and talked. Our kids loved each other and our husbands got along- it was a dream come true.
And then suddenly, she told me that she and her family were moving to Florida where her parents lived so they could be near the beach. It was where they always wanted to end up. It came as a shock to me, because I just assumed that we would always get to hang out, and I wouldn't have to date other moms anymore. haha!
Just as suddenly as she told me their plan, they were gone. I think they sold their house and were on their way within a month of making the decision- it was just after Abby's 2nd birthday. Communication fell apart for awhile after that. We tried skype but it would upset Neil too much. They were so busy getting their new lives set up and I was over here feeling sad and also dealing with miscarriages.
Recently she reached out and asked if Scott and I would basically audit a marriage counseling program she and her husband were putting together. We went through the modules and gave her feedback (mainly I told her about typos). It felt like we were connected again, like no time had passed. I knew we wouldn't be able to afford to go visit every year, nor would they, but it's nice knowing that there's someone out there in the world who is like you.
So I mentioned we would be in Orlando, and after some back and forth, we decided to extend our trip by an extra night, fly to Tampa instead and drive to her parent's house to stay for the night. We would hang out together and let Abby and Neil play.
We talked on Facetime a couple of times where Abby carried the phone around giving him a tour of the house (including a trip to the restroom) and he told her, "I love you, bye bye!"
Then a week before the trip, she sent me a message to say that she and her husband had to take a last minute work opportunity to drum up new clients for their business. I was so disappointed, I needed a little time to process. We'd already booked the flights, car, boarding for Brooklyn, and made all of the plans months prior. It seemed weird to stay with her parents if she wasn't there.
We talked again and her mom called me and we decided to go ahead with our plans. I had met her parents several times in the early years but I thought that it was different hanging out for a few hours vs staying with my whole family at their house. Her mom, Fran, put me at ease when she said, "I don't wait on anyone." Perfect!
The flight to Tampa was easy as pie- the baby slept the whole time, sister played quietly, and we made it all in one piece. We did decide on our next trip we will maybe eat breakfast in the car on the way there instead of trying to find food at the airport- it was rushed and not enough food for everyone.
We arrived in Tampa, ready to get our luggage loaded up and as we walked off the plane, I looked up and there was Debbie!
I was so surprised and excited- I knew they were flying out at the same time we were arriving but it turned out that they were leaving from the gate right next door to the one we were arriving at.
PLUS their flight was delayed and that's the only reason they weren't already in the air when we arrived.
Apparently the universe wanted us to get in a short chat and a few great hugs!
We got to ride a train to the baggage area and Abby wanted a picture of us riding on it.
When we arrived at Nick and Fran's house we unloaded and put the baby down for a nap- she does not sleep in the car longer than 30 minutes so counting on a car nap has never worked out for her.
Side note- Fran's full name is Francine and when she was a kid she was called Francie. The other funny thing is I told her how we named her Francine specifically in case she wanted to be a lawyer some day. Fran is an attorney!
We explored their awesome house- it has an elevator- and luckily the Grandparents took lots of pictures of Abby and Neil together. He loves babies and was excited to get his hands on a real one!
Just a little hang out in the closet...
Abby went out and fished and she caught one! She was so excited! That giant bird ate it. Super creepy.
This is one of those photos that we can all see being used in a wedding slideshow someday. All parents are crossing our fingers for this to work out somehow. hehehe!
We ordered dinner from a local joint and all ate together. With the time change and then time zone change our bedtimes were all crazy but we finally got the girls both asleep by about 8pm.
Bean and I sat up and chatted with Nick and Fran about all of the projects and remodeling work they did on their house and sipped on margaritas. We were exhausted so we tried to get some sleep before the next busy day.
When I woke up in the morning with Abby and Francie, everyone else was sleeping so I fed us some oatmeal and got us dressed. I reached out to Neil's Grandma that was staying with him at his house while Debbie and Ray were out of town and she said we were welcome to come over. I put Francie down for a nap and Abby and I headed over.
We didn't stay long because Neil wasn't feeling himself- he hadn't slept much at all the night before. I needed to get back to nurse Francie and Scott didn't have a phone so we didn't have an easy way to communicate, so we just left.
The goal was to get on the road just after lunchtime so any naps would happen during the 2-hour drive to Orlando. Abby was sad that she and Neil didn't get to hang out much that day but she understood he needed to rest.
After loading up all of our junk, we took Nick's lunch recommendation for a hotel on the beach so we could enjoy the view and also get our toes in the sand. The food was amazing, and Francie tested out how high pitched and loud her voice could go at the same time.
We walked out to get our toes in the sand for just a few minutes before we hit the road. Of course there were pictures.
Every parent's dream come true:
A simultaneous car nap. It didn't last long but it was glorious. Abby didn't like our music choice when she woke up so we captured the hilarious moment.
We fixed that situation by putting on our family favorite: Hamilton.
The trip started out so amazing, I knew it would be great all around- and it was. Their house was peaceful and beautiful and we felt relaxed even through taking care of young kids the whole time.
I loved seeing Abby with her first friend again, it felt like a salve to my heart.
This might just be the funniest picture of our whole trip. It shows their personalities to a T!
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