Can I just swim in a big vat of apple cider? I'm in love with this organic brand of cider I bought from Whole Foods.  Too bad it was $6 and won't be getting it again :(

Black Friday

Deal of the century:  Beach, sun, and seashells.   Earlier in the day, Mike and I went out to Michael's and bought a few frames that were on sale.  We then ventured to the mall but we couldn't find a parking spot (%$#!). I looked at him and said screw this.  It's beautiful outside - a good day to relax at Lover's Key State Park.

After I collected a giant bag full of awesome seashells (I'm going to make some ornaments with them), we took a complimentary shuttle over to Ft. Myers beach to check out the sand castle competition going on.  It was very impressive.  I can't even imagine baking in the hot sun for days sculpting these things with just sand.  I don't know how they don't collapse!  Mike has a theory that the sculptors mix some glue into the sand to make it stick...who knows.   Get ready to be photo bombed!

The last one was my favorite.  Obviously, there were tons of sculptures, but I didn't really feel like snapping away the whole time we were there.  And, apparently, this wasn't even a big competition.  There is supposed to be an international competition at some point in the year that's supposed to have even more competitors.  Definitely looking forward to that one!

Thanksgiving

I spent hours and hours in the kitchen slaving away preparing a Thanksgiving meal for Mike and I.
Haha.  False.
We picked up our prepared stuffing and mashed potatoes from Whole Foods around 10:30 this morning.  Oh yeah.  We also got some of this.

I know.  I know.  Eating turkey gravy goes against being a vegetarian.  I hate myself for it.  But...But.  The vegan mushroom gravy that we bought last year tasted like soup and ruined my dinner.  And, I'm sorry, I need to gravy up my mashed potatoes and stuffing.  So, I went for it.  And I don't regret it.  It was delish.  And I can't wait to eat it again tomorrow.  

The rest of our vegetarian spread consisted of cauliflower smothered in cream sauce (home made), cranberry sauce, biscuits, and green beans.  Not the healthiest of meals.  I'd say we each consumed a quarter of a stick of butter.  I guess we'll be doing lots of biking tomorrow.

Not too shabby.  I also whipped up a home made pumpkin pie last night.  Honestly, pumpkin pie is the easiest pie in the world to make.  And one of the most delicious.  I kind of wish that I had made an apple pie too, or a lemon meringue pie.  That's one of the dishes I was most forward to eating up north. Grandma was actually going to make me a pie!  Oh well.  I guess one pie is enough for two people...Happy Thanksgiving all!

It's been a while...

And life has been...eventful.... painful.

Most of you reading this are already aware that our shore house was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.  It has been extremely difficult being so far away from home watching news reports, seeing footage and pictures, and listening to my parents sob about what was lost and has to be repaired.  It's heart breaking.

What's also heartbreaking is that Mike and I had to cancel our trip home for Thanksgiving this year as my parents had planned to have the holiday at the shore.  Since only a shell remains at the moment, we obviously can not go up there and were forced to cancel our flights (there are other factors that lead us not to rent a car for 5 days and drive it 2 1/2 hours to another home, but that's another story).

What a nightmare it has been trying to speak with a Spirit Airlines representative about our situation.  To save myself some time, I am copying the email I sent to Spirit in regards to our flight:

Dear --------, Prior to Hurricane Sandy, I had booked a trip into the Atlantic City airport from Fort Myers to visit my family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. However, the effects of Hurricane Sandy left my family's home devastated and uninhabitable. The home was submerged in three feet of water and all of its contents were disposed of. Since my home has been gutted, I will have nowhere to visit during Thanksgiving. This past week, I called Spirit Airlines to inquire about their cancellations fees expecting that there would be some type of compensation for those who were affected by the hurricane. After speaking with two representatives including a manager of the outsourced call center, I was told, "I'm sorry but Spirit's policy will not change for you." I am utterly distraught as it is being that my family's home is destroyed, and now Spirit Airlines, an airline that I have been a customer of for several years, will not do anything substantial for those of us who had plans to fly into what is now a "disaster area." I even asked to change the dates of the flights so it would be more manageable to rent a car and take it somewhere, but whomever I spoke with insisted that I would have to pay a cancellation fee, cancel my existing reservation, and then rebuy the tickets. What Spirit Airlines expects their passengers to do at this time, in my opinion, is unjust. After we spend the $115 per customer cancellation fee, we will be left with a credit to put towards our next flight. Well, our next flight would be into Atlantic City and I cannot predict when the Jersey Shore or my home will be restored. Let me make it clear that I am not asking for a 100% refund on our flight. What I am asking, however, is to speak with a representative from the United States who understands the injustice of this situation and willing to provide some type of reasonable financial compensation for a loyal customer. I hope to hear a response from you. I am more than willing to speak on the phone, however, am uncomfortable providing a contact number until I receive a response. Here is our confirmation number: ------- Thank you for your time, Michelle Conveniently (and over a week later), a representative from Spirit Airlines contacted me less than an hour after we cancelled our flight.  This was the email I received: Dear------- Thank you for your correspondence with Spirit Airlines regarding your reservation on Confirmation Code ------. We welcome the opportunity to address your concerns and understand the importance of having accurate information. We are ever mindful of the, unfortunate, circumstances and conditions you and your family are facing as a result of Hurricane Sandy and the Nor'Easter. We hope that every day is an improvement and your family is safe, secure, and warm at this time. Spirit Airlines did implement our Weather Buster Policy and made modifications to it as we monitored the weather conditions in the Northeast. We regret any difficulty you experienced when contacting our Reservations Center, but it is important to stress that our agents do have a protocol to follow. We are empathetic and understand your disappointment and frustration that our policy does not cover the dates you were scheduled to travel, Nov. 20-25, 2012. This is to acknowledge that you were, appropriately, advised and agreed to cancel your reservation via our web site, www.spirit.com, subject to the service and spoilage fees which were deducted. Thus, a Future Travel Credit, in the amount of $57.20 has been issued; its expiration date is Jan. 18, 2013. Please review the following link for details regarding the guidelines with which the Future Travel Credit must be utilized. http://customersupport.spirit.com/entries/21381958-how-do-i-use-a-future-travel-voucher-or-future-travel-credit While we are sorry that we cannot be of further assistance to you, we hope you understand that it is adhering to our policies that enable Spirit Airlines to provide ultra-low fares. Wishing you and yours all the best and hope every day is an improvement! Kindest regards, Susan Corporate Customer Relations Coordinator Spirit Airlines Great.  So we lost $180 EACH and now have $57 to put towards our next flight.  The kicker- Mike bought the tickets with his card, so only he gets the credit.   And the only place we would fly to on Spirit Airlines is Atlantic City....the place where our home was destroyed.  Nice job, Spirit.  May you and all of your employees  rot in a pile of pig shit and get food poisoning from your turkey eating this week.