Journey to Sanibel Island

Karmann meeting the puppies at Beth & Al Pontecore's house - Venice, FL

Beth & Karmann after dinner

Karmann's first time in a pool!

Karmann reading Oren the kid's menu in Sanibel, FL

Sara with her hands full!!

Kris & Karmann at the beach - Sanibel

Playing together

Two weeks ago, we drove down to Sanibel Island to visit our good friends Todd & Sara, who were on vacation, and to finally meet their son Oren. Sara was expecting the last time we saw them, so it was really great to finally meet Oren and have the two little ones get acquainted!

The drive is about 4 hours, but we also have good friends, Beth & Al, who live in Venice, FL, which is about at the half-way mark from Orlando, so we decided to pop in on them while on the way! We always enjoy hanging out with Beth & Al, who are basically an aunt and uncle to me (and now to Karmann too!) Karmann had a great time chasing the puppies around, and Kris even captured a few geckos out on the porch for Beth, too! (They were released from the vacuum alive and unharmed.) Though our visit was short, we look forward to seeing them again soon! I think Al got a group shot, so if I get a copy, I'll post it here.

By the time we got to the hotel (just on the edge of Ft. Myers), Karmann was ready for bed. You never know what she's going to be like in the pack-n-play in a hotel room - she doesn't have a good track record (refer to last year's marathon in Cocoa Beach). The first night wasn't too bad. The next day, we headed over to T+S's condo to go to the beach and hang out at the pool. Both Karmann and Oren had a great time! They even both took naps and were fairly behaved at dinner, too. Karmann started to get a little cranky by the end of dinner, but she'd had a fun full day, so we headed back to the hotel shortly after.

However, that night, she would not go to sleep. Kris and I were exhausted too, so we first brought her into the bed to see if she'd calm down. She did not. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect! So much that it reminded me of how she was on the airplane ride home (5-hour leg) just a week before! And, as a slight relief, Kris finally got to experience that side of Missy K in real life! It actually made me laugh as he was seeing this first hand. Finally, we turned off all the lights, put her in her pack-n-play, and we both laid still on the bed. Next thing I remember was waking up the next morning!! Sometimes you just have to let her cry it out, and before you know it - everyone gets a good night's sleep!

The next morning we had another quick visit with T+S+O, and then got in the car so Karmann could take her nap for the majority of the drive back. It worked out really well and she behaved when she was awake the last hour or so. It was a great trip and we look forward to doing it again soon! My only wish is that we had better pictures (and a picture of all 6 of us!!) But we'll try again next year!!