February

“I hate February.”

That was her text.

Coming from her it was almost shocking. She doesn’t “hate” readily. She’s a kindergarten teacher, pure as the driven snow, ethics and morals above anyone else you know, and yet on this one I give her a pass. In fact, I give her more than just a pass, I give her exoneration, a sling of holy water, and a microphone to say it all the more loudly.

She deserves it.

“She” is my sister. Toughest cookie I know. You have to be to be a kindergarten teacher. No bull is getting past her. “Cry about it later; go do what I told you to do,” is her mantra.

I stand in awe. I bow to her kindergarten prowess.

But, yeah, February sucks eggs.

My sister has never asked for much in life. Got handed some raw deals and came out stronger for it. But then ‘February’ started to happen. She lost her best friend February of 2008. Lost a mentor in February 2007. Lost her husband in February 2011. Lost another bestie just last week.

Can February slow its roll, please?

So, our sister solution? Leave town.

Yes, sometimes it’s ok to run. Run and hide someplace you’ve never been. Run from the yuck into a lovely distraction. Get out of Dodge. Planes, trains, and automobiles, and the occasional horse. Just go.

This year we stayed closer to home again. We drove over to St. Augustine to be cheesy tourists and soak up some sun. We didn’t tell anyone, didn’t post photos along the way, just hid out, ate too much, walked a ton, and saw cool stuff. A couple hours on the beach getting a good dose of vitamin D, and we were ready to come home and face the music – or kindergartners, as it were.

God love ’em.

If you’ve never been to St. Augustine, you should check it out. It’s a beautiful location with gorgeous beaches, an historic downtown, great restaurants, and a cool vibe. Near Jacksonville for all the big city amenities, yet far enough from it to feel quaint-ish. Great combination. Plenty of B&Bs to choose from and activities to keep you busy.

We’ve both been there multiple times in our lives. Our parents used to take us and we’ve been as adults, both for business and fun. This time was definitely all fun. The Lawyer let us use his Hilton status to score a sweet room on the beach, where we walked miles and miles and took some really cool photos. We walked more miles around the ancient city and hit some of the ridiculous tourist traps which took our minds off of any and everything important and/or dreadful in life. It was great.

We ate wayyyyy too much, drank all the coffee we wanted, and brought the wrong clothes for the weather, which made it all the funner. We stopped to eat on the way and I had stewed okra and tomatoes which were her husband’s absolute LEAST favorite food. In our family we eat this in honor of him. We’re like that. And the sister and I had our annual cake-pop tribute to him at the iconic lighthouse. We talked the paint off the walls, laughed at people, and slept like rocks. All-in-all it was a grand time.

While February will always be cloudy, it’s become a fun challenge to find someplace new to go to dull the ache and blur the memories just a teeny bit. Recharge, renew, and reboot, and pretend like it doesn’t still hurt like it was just yesterday is the goal. I hope we achieved it this year.

Nice try, February.