Clearwater Beach Vacation

[Mom&DadMulhern]

A WONDERFUL VACATION IN CLEARWATER BEACH!

It was an awesome vacation for Mike and I. We were invited to go along with Michael, Meghan and Sydney to Clearwater Beach, Florida for 5 days from September 9 through September 14th. Mike and I hadn't been on a vacation in so long, that we jumped at the chance to go. We decided to drive down and visit my (Laura's) relatives in Georgia just a few days before. Left Georgia very early Friday morning, September 9th and picked up Michael, Meghan and Sydney at Tampa Airport around 1:30. We had the Envoy packed, leaving just enough room for whatever Michael and Meghan had with them. We brought along a car seat for Sydney, sand toys, books for bedtime reading and some of her favorite Matchbox cars and airplanes (that belonged to her daddy) that she plays with when she comes to our house.

We arrived in Tampa with not much time to spare. Parked in the parking garage, and went inside to greet them. Here they came, and Sydney put on her shy act just as she usually does. No crying, though. She was carrying a new baby doll in one arm and her "ank" (blanket) in the other, and hid behind Meghan coming down the hallway. She was being shy, but grinning and giggling the whole time. We got her seated comfortably in a stroller that they brought with them. I didn't realize they would have one, so I also had an umbrella stroller ready. Sydney was happy for her doll to ride in my stroller and I pushed it along side of her to get the luggage and go to the parking garage.

It's a good thing we parked in the parking garage, because Nana and Papaw know very little about car seats and how they need to be tightly fastened, so it took Michael awhile to get it adjusted just right for Sydney. Once he did, we were off to Clearwater Beach.

It was under an hour's drive to get to Clearwater Beach. Meghan booked the "heavenly view" condo at Clearwater Beach, and it did turn out to be heavenly. Although not on the beach, the back deck overlooked the bay area where the boats were docked and the pool.
It was just a quick walk across the street to get to the beach. The condo had three spacious bedrooms, three full baths, a kitchen, laundry room and a living room. All very beautiful and modern. Soon after arrival, Sydney got turned around in the spacious condo and asked, "Where did the living room go?"

To our delight, Mike and I got the master bedroom, mainly because Michael and Meghan wanted the room just across the hall from Sydney. Sydney's room had twin beds in it, and she was thrilled to sleep in a big girl bed. I hope she adjusted after going home to have to sleep back in her baby bed again. Michael and Meghan's room was really nice, with a queen bed and really nice bath attached. Our bedroom, though, overlooked the bay and had patio doors directly to the deck. We also had two huge walk-in closets and an enormous bath suite complete with jet tub and gigantic shower. Sydney had a bath in the jet tub, but I really don't think she thought it was much to brag about. She didn't want the jets on, so a tub was a tub to her.

As we had arrived at the condo mid afternoon, we had time to find a grocery store. Michael bought some snacks, along with some milk, cereal, bananas, peanut butter, bread, and apple juice. We knew we would eat out most often, but needed some breakfast food, and snacks.

The first night there, we had dinner at Crabby Bill's, a bar/restaurant chain that we saw everywhere. I had mahi mahi tacos, which was supposed to be a favorite on the island, but my recommendation is to pass on those. I think the others enjoyed their food. As is usually the case when we go out with Michael, Meghan and Sydney, Meghan just gets her food and starts to eat when Sydney will no longer be cooperative. She has the shrillest, loudest, and most healthy little lungs I've ever heard. It's something to hear and difficult to ignore. We had Meghan's wrapped to go, and she took Sydney outside while we finished our meal. Sometimes I think the little squirt just does that to her on purpose. Anyway, we all went back to the condo, Sydney calmed down for the night, and we all settled in after a long day of travel.

Saturday morning about 6:00 the Sydney Alarm went off. I got up around 7:30, because I kind of didn't want to be in the way, plus 6:00 is far too early for us retired folks to get moving. Meghan had made coffee and Sydney had been fed by then and was a happy camper playing with the toys I had brought her. Sadly, outside didn't look so good. Clouds moved in, and we had a big storm. Yikes! Rain came down so hard, you couldn't even tell there was an ocean out there. Because it looked like the rain was setting in for awhile, we went across the street to the Hess Gas Station and bought Blimpie subs for everyone. There was also a little lunchable for Sydney that had grapes, cheese, apples & caramel dip in it. It was the perfect thing for a finicky little girl to have for lunch on a rainy day. We decided once the rain slowed down to go to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. It was a very small aquarium...mainly an aquarium hospital. The main feature there was that "Winter" the dolphin that stars in the new 3D movie, "A Dolphin Tale" was housed there. There were also sea turtles, fish and other dolphins there. Sydney was less than impressed. She was good, but didn't enjoy it too much. There was a really nice gift shop in the aquarium. I bought her a bangle bracelet that is a mood bracelet that turns colors when you touch it. She seems intrigued by that. It was cute to watch her put that on her arm, sling her little pink purse over one shoulder, and act all grown up. Also bought her a wooden puzzle of dolphins.

When we emerged from the aquarium, the rain had stopped, and we headed back to the condo. Meghan was very conscientious to make sure Sydney had her naps, so every day after lunch, we would be at the condo and either go to the pool or sit out on the deck and watch the boats go by. We even saw dolphins swimming in the bay on a couple of occasions.

Saturday evening, we met one of Michael's friends at a pizza and pasta restaurant. His name was Joe and he brought along a friend. Michael had previously worked with Joe on a project and, because Joe lives in Clearwater, he wanted to make sure we met up with him at some point in our time there. We were able to eat outside and although it was warm, fans were used and it seemed very pleasant. Sydney does a lot better at outdoor restaurants. She was her cute little self and made Michael proud. At one point Joe mentioned how sweet Sydney is, and Michael said something about yes, but you haven't heard her scream. At that point, Sydney gave a demonstration of how loud she could be. It was like it was on cue. We left shortly afterwards and went back to the condo.

It was not only a fun-filled day, but also my birthday. Won't say which one, but it is definitely one too many. Anyway, Sydney is really loving birthdays, and Meghan and Michael planned in advance to have a little birthday party for me after we got back to the condo. Michael had bought a white, fiesta cake at the store, and Meghan had a candle to put on it. After singing happy birthday, Meghan brought out two huge birthday bags. One for me, and one for Sydney. We opened them at the same time and to our surprise were matching pink nightgowns and pink fuzzy robes. Sydney was delighted! We put our matching nightclothes on, and from that point on, she was romping on the bed with me and squealing. So cute. While we were playing, I received two phone calls to wish me a happy birthday. Sydney was talkative, and didn't really want me to talk on the phone, so she talked with Aunt Linda and Grandma Mulhern a bit. I had a difficult time paying attention to my phone calls, so we cut those short. At one point while talking with Aunt Linda, Sydney got my undivided attention by looking under my nightgown and proclaiming that I had on white underwear. It was hilarious, and she was in rare form.

I put Sydney to bed that night. Read her several books that I had brought, and some that Meghan had packed as well. One of her favorites was a book I brought called, Biscuit and the Little Pup. She also likedTimmy the Turtle Learns to Swim. We stopped at three books. One book that I brought, I took back home with me. It was Timmy the Turtle and the Storm. She didn't like that one at all. It was about being afraid of storms, and she closed her eyes instead of looking at the pages. I cut that one short and didn't read it again. I had the pleasure of putting Sydney to bed on several occasions, and it was one of the fondest memories I will have of the trip. She shows her angelic side during bedtime.

Sunday morning, the Sydney alarm went off again bright and early. It was a beautiful day. No sign of any more rain. Today our goal was to go to the beach. We got all ready and with sand toys and towels in hand proceeded to walk across the street. Behind the Quality Inn was a strip of beach. Not very big or exciting. It's on an inlet, so no big waves and the beach was not very clean. It was hot, and you couldn't even feel a breeze off the ocean. Sydney was unimpressed with the water I think, but she kind of liked the sand and the seashells. Due to Sydney's very fair skin, we tried to do the beach in the mornings and evenings. Meghan made sure she was creamed from head to toe with sun block that worked very well. Michael commented that the beach was rather dirty, but I'd been to gulf beaches before and unfortunately, that is what you get. All the debris from the ocean washes up into heaps when the tide comes in. Wish it went out the same way, but it doesn't seem so.

After the beach, we went to the IHOP across the street for lunch. It was extremely hot, and an outdoor table was the only one available at the time. It worked okay, but Sydney was also hot and impatient, so we ate and left, taking most of Sydney's meal back to the condo. She was soon down for a nap, after which we all walked way too far to find a playground. Sydney was in the stroller, so she was fine, but it was so hot, and sadly when we got to the park, it was mostly in the sun. Very little shade. Still Sydney enjoyed swinging. There was also a public beach there that looked far more inviting than the little beach behind the hotel, but it was very crowded and very hot, so we didn't go there. We walked on further to find a place to eat dinner. We were all very tired by that time, and our quest to find sea food didn't turn up much. We settled for a bar/cafe where we could again sit outside. Although I'm sure it appeared to be a good choice for Sydney, it was football day and every TV was tuned to a different game. The place was noisy and smoky, even in the outside eating area where there were three TV's going at once, all turned to a different football game. The food was good though. Sydney did what she does so well. She waited for Meghan to get her food before she became loud and uncooperative. Felt bad for Meghan. She took her out, but was able to come back to (I think) finish her meal. We realized that we were a very long way from the condo. The plan was to take a trolley back, but sadly we found out it wasn't going our way. So we started to walk when we noticed a large golf cart that said, "Florida Free Rides" on it. I yelled over to ask how many people he could take and he said our lucky number 5. We jumped on. Sydney didn't think she liked it, but soon changed her mind. She and Meghan rode in the back and were riding backwards. She thought that was pretty cool, and we thought it was pretty cool too to get a ride back to the condo. Michael tipped the driver generously, and he must have been pleased because he presented his card and said he would pick us up anytime we needed a ride. Once back at the condo, Sydney went to sleep easily. So did we all that night.

Monday morning - Sydney alarm! But...I was learning to roll over and go back to sleep like I used to do with an electric one. Michael and Meghan soon learned that Mike and I don't do the 6:00 AM thing very well, so they decided to go to the beach really early with Sydney. They did that both Monday and Tuesday mornings. By the time they came back, we were just getting up. Looking back, they most likely needed the time together.

On this day, Mike and I had ventured out a little on our own and had driven across the bridge to the other side of the inlet. To our great surprise, we found the real ocean! It was at Sand Key Park, a really beautiful state park. The ocean water on that side was the blue/green that you imagine with the ocean, big waves, lots of white sand, and ahh, that ocean breeze. We also found a secluded playground in this park that we knew Sydney would love. We went back to the condo with this wonderful news. We had lunch at a nearby Gondoliers Pizza. Sydney was pretty good there. Even let Meghan eat. We went back to the condo and Sydney took a nap.

Today was the day that Meghan was going to have a phone conference and would need some peace and quiet from about 5:00 to 7:00. Michael, Sydney, Mike and I went to the big beach while she was busy. Sydney was very cooperative. She loved picking up shells and squealed at the snails that papaw found in the ocean. However, they put them in her pink sand bucket and she wasn't too sure that was a good place for them. She and I made somewhat of a sand castle. She just enjoyed bringing shovels full of sand and dumping them in the bucket. After about an hour, she was getting tired and hungry. We changed clothes and went to the playground we had found earlier. She really liked that. It was shady and cool. I had taken peanut butter crackers (which she called Papaw's orange crackers) and some apple juice. After a snack, she really enjoyed swinging and riding on the spring animals. She didn't want to leave, but we thought it best, as it was time to get back for dinner. We told Michael and Meghan we would sit with Sydney tonight and they could go out alone. Imagine that! Alone! We bought Blimpie sandwiches for Mike and I and bought another little lunchable for Sydney for dinner. Took them back to the condo where Meghan was finishing up her phone conference. Meghan and Michael were ready to go out and Meghan explained to Sydney that she would be staying with us tonight. All was okay until they got ready to leave. Sydney held onto Meghan's dress and started to throw one of her little wingdings. I pulled her off of Meghan and told them to just go, which they did. Sydney quieted down within a couple of minutes and sat and ate dinner with us. We then played with cars, read some stories and I tucked her into bed for the night. She went surprisingly easy, and Michael and Meghan enjoyed a night out, and Meghan was able to enjoy a full meal in peace and quiet.

Tuesday morning the Sydney alarm was quieter (or maybe I just slept through it?). Michael and Meghan all went to the beach across the street. They didn't get back until I was up and having my coffee. Apparently, the little one was not in a great mood today. We could tell that they all three were frustrated. For lunch, Michael went with us to the IHOP, but Meghan and Sydney stayed at the condo. We suggested that we all go back to the big beach and park where Sydney had enjoyed the day before. Meghan had not yet been there, and we thought she would be pleasantly surprised at how Sydney enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we were the ones who were surprised, as Sydney acted like she hated it as soon as we got there. She was just out of sorts the whole day. Although we all tried to have a good time at the beach that day, Sydney was determined not to like it and cried and cried. Talking to her didn't help. Ignoring her didn't help, and finally we all gave up, ordered pizza by phone to pick up, and headed back to the condo. It was our last night at the condo. I don't know if Sydney had just had enough vacation or what really was distressing her, but for her it was just not a good day. I felt so bad for Meghan and Michael, who were trying so hard to be the understanding parents. I think they both wanted to jump off the deck into the ocean and not come back up. I'm so glad they didn't.

Wednesday morning we were up as usual to the Sydney alarm, but she was in a better mood, and we were hurrying around to get things in order to leave the condo by 10:00, which was the designated time to be out. Trash needed to be dumped, some laundry done, and trying to get packed up. Mike did an amazing job packing the overloaded Envoy, as we did end up buying a few things while we were there, and seemed to have far more stuff leaving than when we came. Sydney was ready to go early. She had her baby doll ready, her purse on her shoulder and her sunglasses on top of her head. She probably didn't fully realize that we were leaving the condo and going home. Probably her most fun times on this vacation were spent in the condo. She loved it and was happier inside than outside. Her beach loving days will come, but just not at 2 years old.

Although we needed to check out by 10:00, their plane back to Chicago didn't leave until 2:20 PM. Meghan found a place to have brunch called Lennys (Dennys? No, Lennys), and we drove there and used up a lot of time. Sydney was very good, and Meghan finished her meal without having to get it to go. We left there and headed for Tampa's airport. Dropped them off at almost noon. Meghan had researched the airport and knew that it had a couple of play areas for kids, so they weren't worried about using up some added time in the airport.

Goodbyes were hard, especially for us, but we had such a great time with the kids, and we were so happy to have had the opportunity to spend some wonderful time with them.
I know first hand what it is like to have a difficult child, but I also know that they grow out of it, and Meghan and Michael's patience will pay off one of these days.

Mike and I drove back to Illinois after an overnight stay just north of Atlanta, GA. We got home on Thursday around dinner time. It was a long trip, and I miss my Sydney alarm in the mornings. A huge THANK YOU to Michael and Meghan for inviting us to go along on their vacation. We really enjoyed it.

Love you!
Mom & Dad

PS: I saw the pirate video. I wonder if she picked that up because we kept seeing the red pirate ship when we were there. We talked about it, but not directly to her. Little ears hear everything.

[mightymulhern]

One very memorable part of the trip was the birds. There were a lot of sea birds flying and walking around. The seagulls were everywhere as were some very large birds I can't identify.

Sydney is pretty much terrified of all animals, and was not happy that they were on the beach with us. They kept watching her and she them. If they got within 10 feet of her or were simply walking toward her from further than that, she was either whining or screaming. We spent much of trip explaining that the birds just wanted food and that they weren't going to hurt her. Sometimes in her braver moments she yelled at them.

One evening, we decided to have dinner on our balcony overlooking the water. We ordered a pizza and sat out there eating and chatting. At one point, Sydney shrieked and pointed toward the corner of the balcony near my dad. A seagull was literally hovering over his shoulder as if considering making a landing on our table. I yelled at the bird, waved my hands, and it reluctantly flew away. Had there not been a chair between the table and railing, I literally could have stepped forward and touched it.