People Watching in Florida

Went to Florida this past week for my brother Gary’s graduation from Physical Therapy school! Three cheers for Dr. Gary!

It was so fun to be there to celebrate that huge milestone in my brother’s life and visit with his sweet family. There is a really funny Cooper story from our visit…but I need to get permission from Katie before I share it…just know that everything that Katie has blogged about Cooper has not been exaggerated for bloggy effect in the slightest. That kid is a hoot and a half!

While in Florida my awesome sister-in-law, Katie, hooked us up with a really nice room at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel. Her sister works for Marriott so she scored us the “Friends and Family” rate. It is so nice to be well connected in this world. I worked really hard to get Katie and her sister into our family so I totally deserve these perks (NOT!)

Staying at the same hotel was a sweet, elderly woman who I saw in the pool (not at the pool – IN the pool) several times during our stay, and each time I marveled at her ability to keep her entire body submerged in the water while every single strand of her hair stayed completely dry. It was obvious that she’d been to the beauty shop before she got to Florida, and she was preserving that ‘do like nobody’s business. It was remarkable, really.

So the Saturday before we left I was outside walking around and I saw the older lady on the other side of the pool. I figured she had just walked up because she wasn’t in the water yet and was still wearing a very cute cover-up. She was visiting with her family, making sure everybody had enough water and whathaveyou, and as I walked in her direction I found myself thinking how sweet it was that she’d made the trip to Florida. She had to have been in her mid-80s, at least, but Granny was turning it out with some sassy swimwear and appeared to be all manner of adorable. Just watching her made me smile.

And then – when I were just a couple of feet away from her and her family’s table – do you know what I noticed? DO YOU KNOW?

Granny was wearing support hose underneath her swimsuit. Not medical hose – just really nice, sturdy pantyhose. In sort of a Travel Buff shade. Sandalfoot, of course – no reinforced toe. She was poolside, after all. And y’all (Remember that’s North Carolinian for you all) know that all I could think of was Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias: “I haven’t left the house without lycra on these thighs since I was 14.”

I’m telling you: Granny and her poolside hose blessed my heart. She looked fabulous. Her legs had a lovely, even tone, and quite frankly she possessed an air of confidence that I can only hope to have when I’m in my mid-80s. Now granted, she was probably burning slap up, but as we all know, fashion often requires sacrifices.

And honestly, those sacrifices are so much easier to make when you have a really good control top.