Today was the hottest day so far this summer in Chicagoland. It’s the kind of day that reminds you that Chicago really was founded on a swamp, complete with high humidity that makes going for a walk feel more like going for a swim. If you’re hoping for a breeze, you’re out of luck. There isn’t a breath of air moving. Not one.
Usually, I get a bit cranky in such weather, but not this year. And why isn’t this suffocating summer bugging me a bit? Because last week I received an invite for the Beaches Social Media on the Sand Conference.
That’s right, I’m headed to the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort in October for an invitation-only social media conference in paradise, where I planning on enjoying every single soft ocean breeze. The promise of Caribbean salt air blowing through my hair as I wander the 12-mile long beach makes up for the lack of any kind of air movement here in the Midwest.
This trip is more than a chance to experience perfect weather, though. It’s a realization of a dream that I had forgotten. Beaches Turks and Caicos has been on my radar for at least a decade. When my soon to be teenage daughter watched Sesame Street, there would be ads for the resort, which features Sesame Street characters.
Who doesn’t want to party on the beach with these guys? It looked so perfect and happy, and I’m an Elmo fan from way back. I wanted to go to there. I asked my family if they would want to travel there, and it just wasn’t feasible for us at the time. My divorce happened shortly after that and a trip to Beaches got pushed to the recesses of my mind.
And now, we’re going! My daughter, my husband and myself have our passports ready! It was a dream delayed, not denied. Good things come to those who wait, right? I finally get to be a Beaches Mom.
The dream has changed a little bit, but in good and expected ways. It’s possible that I’m now the biggest Elmo fan in my family. My daughter is very excited to check out the enormous Pirates Islands water park and teen club and my mom had her promise she’d try paddle boarding.
I can’t wait to see all the fun that we have and share it with you!
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