Happy Turkey Day!

Wishing family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a festive day surrounded by those you love!

Home Again, Home Again!

All good things must come to an end, right? Well, that's kinda how it felt when reality slapped me in the face this morning. Back to the rat race that is otherwise known as life in the Miller family! LOL. Our trip home on Friday went without a hitch -- albeit with just a little bit of stress getting to the airport on time. You see, we had to make that 'one last stop' at Stein Mart in Naples on the way to the airport to get price adjustments on the things we had purchased earlier in the week that were on sale during their annual 14 hour sale on Friday. It was well worth the effort - I think between the 3 of us, we recouped about $150. :o) But then, with all that newfound money burning a hole in our pockets, we just HAD to do a quick 'once over' the store to see if there were any buys too good to pass up. So, our departure from Naples was just a tad later than we had anticipated. :o) Jen piloted our Jeep Laredo on the way to the airport and she successfully delivered us with not one minute to spare. And yes . . . if you were wondering, we did manage to give back at least part of that $150 we 'saved' at Stein Mart (no surprise there, I'm sure). Once again, the Naples economy benefited from our visit. ha.

We were very happy that we were able to catch a few rays of that glorious Marco sunshine before we left the condo on Friday - although it was a bit chilly (I think the temp was about 68 when we ventured out to the beach at 9:30am), it quickly warmed up and we were able to soak up a couple of hours' worth before coming in to finish packing, 'close' the condo, etc.

All in all, a WONDERFUL trip. Good friends, good times, good memories, good food, good shopping, good relaxing ..... all good. :o)

Lazy Dayz in Marco

"The flip flop girls" enjoyed a leisurely, lazy, lounging day today. I took my morning walk (which is more like an 'almost run' - LOL) down to the last building and back, along with the fierce wind and chilly temperatures. Darn it, Hurricane Ida! I thought for sure the sun was gonna pop out for us, but it went in and out of clouds ALL DAY LONG. And instead of getting warmer, it got cooler as the day went on. So, we made the most of the situation and just hung around the condo watching movies (Mama Mia! and Twilight), various TV shows, and playing on our laptops (which is a luxury in itself since we don't typically have time to do these things in our 'real lives' - LOL). We ventured out for a walk late this afternoon and are now settling down to watch Flash Forward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. We head home tomorrow . . . and as usual, our departure brings mixed feelings. This week is just such a treasured time away for all of us -- let me tell you, a break from the usual stress, chaos, and hustle & bustle does a busy mom sooooooo much good. So, THANK YOU honey, for letting me escape on this trip year after year after year, and THANK YOU mom and dad, for opening the condo (my favorite little slice of paradise) to me and my friends. :o)

Already looking forward to next year's Flip Flop Girls Great Escape -- 365 days and counting.

Diary of a Shopaholic

Ummmmmm ... well, just take a look at the evidence and assess for yourself what has occurred during the last day and a half here in South Florida. :o) What else are girls supposed to do when a hurricane dampens our beach plans?!


Our itinerary:
Holiday House
Jet Set Surf Shop
Beall's Outlet
Best of Everything (Naples)
Best of Everything Gifts (Naples)
Stein Mart (Naples)
Joey's Pizza (dinner on Tuesday night -- at 10:30pm -- LOL!)
Walgreens (Jen had to pick up a prescription but still, we proved that you CAN shop - even at Walgreens!)
Best of Everything (Naples)
Marshalls (Naples)
Macy's
Gymboree
Bakers Shoes
Express
PF Chang's (lunch on Wednesday)
Marshalls (Bonita Springs)
Best of Everything (Bonita Springs)
Target
Stein Mart (Bonita Springs)
Marshalls (Bonita Springs)
Walmart

And now here we are -- back at the condo once again. We'll be visiting the local post office tomorrow to ship some of our special finds home. Our 'haul' was so significant we seriously had to use grocery carts to bring it all upstairs from the parking lot. LOL. In all honesty, though, I can't think of a better way to spend a day. :o)


Looking forward to more beach time tomorrow! Heaven knows our bank accounts can't handle any more shopping! LOL. I think Jen summed it up the best -- she said "every year we take fewer pictures, cook less, and shop more ..." Yes indeed! Bring it on! :o)

Another Day in Paradise

Still enjoying ourselves here in Marco! Although I have to say our weather has been less than perfect the past couple of days (thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida), we've still managed to catch quite a few rays of that lovely south Florida sun. Today, for example - the forecast was for clouds and possible rain but we planted ourselves on the beach despite what the weatherman said. And guess what? The sun came out! So, we soaked up what we could and then headed out for some afternoon SHOPPING! We hit two of our favorite spots in Naples - The Best of Everything and Stein Mart! Found great bargains and 'must haves' at both stores, so the Naples economy is a little richer tonight. :o) Sounds like it will be raining tomorrow, so we'll more than likely do a little more exploring of the shops, stores, and boutiques here on the island and in Naples. Fun, fun!!!

A few pictures from today:

Cool cloud formations in the sky

Mr. and Mrs. Seagull on the beach

Me standing outside of my ALL TIME FAVORITE STORE IN THE WORLD :o)

Signing off for tonight!

Marco Time!

Another GREAT day here in paradise! Actually, the weather didn't cooperate too well today - we're feeling some of the effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida, which is bringing clouds and lots of wind. Still, I spent most of the day at the beach and pool. Robin and Jen decided to check out some of the stores/shops on the island while I lounged. I didn't feel too guilty lounging because I started my day off with my favorite 3 mile walk down to the last building along the beach and back. :o)

Then later this afternoon, the three musketeers ventured out once again to a few more of my favorite shops. Based on the weather forecast, beach time tomorrow is questionable as well, but hey - in all honesty, we just don't care. This trip is not so much about coming home with a tan as it is about coming home rested, relaxed, happy, and stress free. Oh, and a few dollars poorer, too. (Can't forget about all that shopping! LOL.)

Didn't take too many pics today -- just a few random shots of palm trees.

More tomorrow!

Great Escape 2009 - Marco Island

Once again, we find ourselves in beautiful Marco Island, Florida . . . for a few days of total "girl time" . . . i.e. lounging in the sun, walking the beach, hunting for shells, surviving on a diet consisting mostly of cream cheese and sour cream based dips/appetizers & drinks with some sort of alcoholic content and, of course . . . SHOPPING. This has become an annual tradition for Robin, Jen, Heidi, and me. Unfortunately, a construction accident left Heidi's husband in the hospital last week so she was unable to join us this year. HEIDI, WE MISS YOU!!! We're here until Friday and are enjoying every single minute.

Let's see . . . we arrived in Fort Myers yesterday around noon. We leisurely made our way to the island (shopping started even earlier than usual this year! LOL) and got to the condo around 2:30pm. We unpacked, relaxed on the lanai for a little while, and then headed to Walmart for our weekly supply of food and drinks. We didn't do much last night, other than go out for dinner, because all of us were up by 3am Illinois/Iowa time in order to catch our flights. Needless to say, we were TIRED girls last night. I think we all were in bed by 11pm. At 4:23 this morning, we were roused out of bed by the complex's emergency evacuation system, which is broadcast VERY LOUDLY in each unit ... the broadcast sounded an (annoying!) alarm and played a repetitive message that the 3 of us will never forget - LOL. "Attention please - an emergency has been reported. Please leave the building immediately, using stairways and not elevators, blah, blah, blah...." We wrapped up in blankets and trudged down the stairs where we hung out with numerous other people staying at the Somerset this week. I felt so sorry for the families with young kids and for the elderly people. We were ultimately visited by police and the local fire department. Turned out it was all for nothing, so at about 5am, we headed back to bed.

Today was a "sun day" for a Sunday. :o) We lounged on the beach all day, chatting, napping, listening to music, and looking for shells. Ahhhhhh ..... paradise. Came in late this afternoon and had a scrumptious home cooked dinner (Italian Wedding Soup - yum), some drinks (of course), and we're now all 'playing' on our laptops. Again, paradise.

Looking forward to another day of the same tomorrow . . . and the next day, and the next day, and the next day . . . Well, actually, we'll probably do some shopping tomorrow afternoon and/or on Tuesday. More paradise.

Check back soon - I promise updates daily throughout the week!