Remembering for the Both of Us

After leaving Charleston we made our way down to Florida; our ultimate destination being the Tampa area.  It is here that my closest, dearest and oldest friend (nothing to do with age) lives.  Trish and I met 25+ years ago while working at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant.  We both applied for the same position, one she was working as a temp employee but since I was a regular "permanent" employee, I had a leg up and was hired for the position.  She had to train me.  Yup, all these years later we are as tight as can be; she never was very good at holding a grudge.  Being married to a Navy man, she transferred to Spain, then back to Maine, then to San Antonio, Texas, and finally settling in Florida - just 15 minutes from where my parents spent their winters.  I visited Trish at each place and saw her every chance I got when we were in Florida.  Now, I go especially to see her.

As with prior trips down to the Tampa area, we would be staying at Trish's house and visiting other family and friends who live in the area.  However, on our way down the coast, we couldn't resist stopping at one of our very favorite places to visit: St. Augustine.  Here I captured photos of the sunset and sunrise over the intracoastal waterway and the Bridge of Lions.

Here's one of the lions guarding the bridge.

It was quite breezy that night as we were walking round the city.  I loved how this flag was whipping in the wind.

Our stay in St. Augustine was brief; however, most enjoyable nonetheless.  In addition to walking the city, we enjoyed shopping in some of the unique shops and boutiques.

Finally, on October 30, we arrived in the Tampa area.  As always, Trish immediately made us feel at home and we spent the next few days being chauffeured by her as we played tourist in an area we visit frequently.  We enjoyed Downtown Disney and Cirque Du Soleil, some shopping in Tampa, just hanging out, and, of course, the beach.  Here is one of only a few pictures Trish would allow me to take of her (actually, I caught her off-guard):

Trish is the one person who knows my whole story; she's "my person" as they say on Grey's Anatomy and her reasons for coming into my life all those years ago are demonstrated every time we're together and more so the older we get.  She is to me as Blanche, Rose and Dorothy are to each other.  There's one exception: when she and Steve begin plotting, I am only in their way.  They are two peas in a pod and when they conspire, I tend to be the one in trouble.

We were able to visit only a few of our family and friends; however, I was able to connect with a friend who happened to be in the same area at the same time, (see my earlier post called "Crossing Paths").  We did not get to see our good friends Ralph and Diane Aponte as they were on a much deserved cruise while we were there.  Because we needed to cut our visit short by several days, we also missed seeing Steve's long time (and my new) friends Owen and Vasso Unks.  Owen and Vasso are to Steve as Trish is to me and I'm very sad we weren't able to get together.  We will make visiting with both these wonderful couples a priority the next time we are in the area.

On November 6 we headed North to Virginia, back to Lyndsay's house where we spent a week.  I'd like to say it was a wonderful end to the perfect extended vacation; however, with me under the weather, and with Olivia cutting four teeth at once, it was a bit stressful for Lyndsay.  Okay, "a bit" is an understatement but she was my superhero and took care of us all.  Thank you, Kitten, I owe you BIG TIME for that.

Finally, on November 16 - exactly 40 days after leaving - we arrived home.  What an amazing adventure it was in more ways than I could possibly explain.  Many of those days were spent with family and friends just as we had hoped.  The bonus is that we were able to do some serious bonding with Olivia, who is separated from us in miles.  Thanks to Facetime and Skype, however, she is never very far away.

Now, for my "Academy Award" speech: We could not have done it without the support and encouragement of our family and friends; and also of my employer who graciously allowed me to take such an extended leave.  We traveled with "high fives" from Heather and family,

along with a plethora of well wishes.  We were able to leave all our worries behind, act like carefree kids again, and create many precious memories.  With the help of my old friend, Jeffrey Simpson, this blog will be turned in to a printed document; one that we can add photos and that we will cherish for a lifetime.

To Steve: you, my wonderful husband, are an amazingly brave man.  I am sure every day of this journey brought new challenges for you but you never, ever let them get the best of you or get in our way of enjoying every minute of this adventure.  We laughed, we cried, we acted silly and we acted grown up when we had to.  We walked hand-in-hand along the beach and through the streets of historic cities.  We wined, dined and slept like royalty.  We talked some and listened a lot.   We even argued a time or two.  Simply put, we had the time of our lives.  You are, and always will be, my hero.  You have given me more in the few years we've been together than I ever could have imagined receiving in a life time.  I am ever reminded, especially now, of the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning; the same words we spoke at our wedding: "How do I love thee?... I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."  When the day comes that you are struggling to remember, I promise you: I will remember for the both of us.  

                                                                                                 ~ forever yours, Penney