In Ft. Myers FL - Day 1

After a long night of packing, checking the airline cancellation board, and about 3 hours of sleep, I finally made it to my vacation destination. I've never been to Florida and thought it's about time I remedied that. So after some searching and deciding on what I want to see, I picked Fort Myers.

I was very happy that my flight was not canceled or delayed much (the delay was only 45 minutes while the plane was being deiced). The flight itself was pretty easy and I managed to fall asleep. Though, after so little sleep at home, that wasn't such a feat.

Having my long sleeved t-shirt, sweater, and winter jacket on proved to be much more of a challenge since the weather here in Ft. Myers was in the mid-80s this afternoon.

After picking a car at the rental counter I headed to my hotel. I am so glad I made a list of the things I needed to pack. This way, I remembered to bring my GPS and didn't need to rent one at about $10 per day.

When I got to my hotel, the nice lady at the front desk upgraded me to a suite when I asked about a fridge and microwave in my room. The original room didn't have them and I wanted them in case I have leftovers. This also allowed me to go get some yogurt and keep it from spoiling.

Now this may sound odd to those who don't know me and completely normal to those who do. I love tea and decided to take my electric teapot with me. I also have a few baggies of loose leaf tea as well as a canister of Orange Blossom Organic Green Tea from Rishi Tea. But of course I forgot something. No, it wasn't the strainer; it was the cup. Oh well, I'll need a souvenir though I was hoping it wouldn't be a mug for me since I have way too many cups at home already.

I also took a pillow with my own pillowcase with me. It's a little pillow that's filled with buckwheat and is really great for traveling 'cause it's so small and is really good for my neck and back.

One of these days I'll take a picture of the suitcase I use; it's a carry-on and I've used it on long trips (1.5 weeks in Portugal and 2 weeks in Israel) and I'm using it on shorter trips (like this one) too. The reason I mention this is because the teapot took up about half the suitcase this time around. Can anyone recommend a compact version that's good for traveling?

After a leisurely lunch outside at the Lighthouse Restaurant (ok, how cool is it that I can have lunch outside and be in 80-degree weather in the afternoon while anticipating the biggest snow storm of the year so far in the morning?) I picked up the previously mentioned yogurt, water, mosquito repellant and some crackers at a local grocery store.

Since then I took the opportunity to nap (hey, I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep last night) and review a mountain of brochures. I haven't picked the specific things I want to do but a very vague plan is starting to form.

But for now, g'night.