Sand, Sun and Safety Rules?

I need a shirt. One that says I survived yet another winter in the great state of Missouri or Misery. Spring is here and it turns out that damn rodent told a whopper..freaking ground hog. The blizzard like conditions mixed with kids out of school, a barfing baby and a family move just about pushed me right over the edge. However, there is a silver lining. The children are with their dad for spring break and I being the great soccer mom that I am and in true typical Queen Bee fashion will be headed to the beach!!! I am breaking one of my most cardinal rules. I am flying to a state that normally I wouldn't be caught dead in. Let's just say it's the large one, that's south...I'm not a fan, but to clarify the flight is only 2 hours. I made peace with this decision by deciding to stay out of the main part of the state. I will be going to an island. No, not Padre Island, Jesus what am I 22? Let's just leave it at that. This is my own mini version of an Eat, Pray, Love moment, without the year long sabbatical. Some of us have children and other things to tend to on a daily basis. A few facts about the trip.
1. This is the first time I am taking a trip solo.
2. I will be flying into the busiest airport in the United States and navigating from there. I mean...it's fine. I have that cool app on my phone that gets me anywhere when I am lost, locally.
3. I have to hide it from my kiddos. Yes, I have those kids. Seriously, if they could be one of those Pitt kids I'm sure they would swap lives in a second just for the amount of traveling/flying they do. They love it. I didn't mean to show them so much at such a young age..it just happened. Things could be worse. They could be addicted to chocolate or Ritalin or something else ridiculous.
4. My friends are kind of intense in the safety department. One friend..."Please remember Natalie Holloway." Um, okay rude. First of all...a. I think she sometimes forgets the fact that I'm a bad ass and b. this thing happens when you become a mom. It guides your every decision. It brings your carefree ass back to reality. It changes your life...in so many ways. Yes..wonderful and also sometimes taxing ways that I am so blessed to have, most of the time.  I remind her that I will not be putting myself in any of those situations and again I watch almost every crime show that is made for TV so she can RELAX. It's really cute though. One friend made me promise to fly home. I guess she thinks I'm going to go rogue and stay in the state that I cannot almost even admit that I'm going to.  Another friend stated that she needs a text every 12 hours or she's going to call the police :)  Those gals. I love them, I really do.
Anywhoo..I'm excited to go and I can't wait to post about my adventures. Secretly of course,  so my kids don't catch me in some sort of  traveling story mishap...Haters.

P.S. On a side note. One of my biggest pet peeves. "Oh, make sure you get all of your traveling out of your system when you are young. You won't be able to do that later on in life." To those naysayers....Agreed, it's harder later, but I'm glad I started traveling when I did. If I had began traveling at such an early age I'm pretty sure I would now be a professional cross country backpacker living some sort of nomadic existence, with a home base in Sweden..for real. I'm glad I made the choices I did at the times  I did...Life is short. If I live to be 100 (it could happen) I've only just  begun.