I'm in Florida...

Well, the moment I have been dreading since the beginning of March break is finally here: I'm in Florida on the crew trip. Now, before you go calling me spoiled because I'm complaining about being in Florida, let me just say that I'm not the Florida type. I understand that some people love it; I am not one of them, and I don't think I should have to love it just because other people do.
I'm here with 19 students for our annual spring training trip. We come to Florida and have two practices a day and we are staying for 10 days. It's not a horrible trip by any stretch of the imagination, but there are a few things about it that make me sad:

1. It interferes with my three kid-free weeks of March break. Again, before you say I am spoiled by a three week vacation (for which I am more than grateful), let me say that as boarding school teachers, the breaks we get are absolutely essential to our sanity and overall good health.
2. I am not a good traveler, for lots of reasons. I like to stay at home and enjoy doing all of the stuff that needs to be done/I want to get done.
3. I don't like hot weather.
4. My hotel room is musty and my bed is uncomfortable.
5. I really, really, really miss my husband.

That being said, I do have to say that the people on this trip are great. My head coach likes that I am around to help him coach this team, and in an effort to make sure I stick around, he is incredibly kind to me. He's always also grateful for anything I do, even though it is my job, and that kind of gratitude really makes someone feel good at the end of the day. I also truly think the kids that are here with us now are some of the greatest kids anyone can find, and I feel very lucky to work with them. They are kind, well-behaved, funny, hard working, and just truly great all around. If I have to spend some of my kid-free time with kids, these are the ones I would pick every time. As great as they are, though, their presence, especially away from campus, the dining hall, and the health center, makes us entirely responsible for their well-being, and that is frankly quite scary. I have a great job and I feel unbelievably lucky for all of the wonderful things it brings into my life, but sometimes when I stop and think about what rests on my shoulders, it scares the heck out of me. I am 27 years old and I am in one way or another responsible for the lives of 350 teenagers. Current and future lives. Mental, physical, and emotional lives. It just seems all the more apparent here.
Enough whining from me, though, because as many people have told me, I do get to come to Florida for free. So here are some things I am looking forward to that I am going to keep in mind on this trip:

1. I have an excuse to go to Panera as often as I want, since is the only restaurant within waking distance that sells some pseudo-healthful food options.
2. I may get something resembling a tan. (If I don't get a sunburn first. SPF 50, work your magic!)
3. I brought my next quilt with me, and I am looking forward to working on it.
4. We sometimes see dolphins while we are out on the water.
5. The scenery along the water where we row is truly beautiful. Gorgeous big houses everywhere.
6. When I get home, I will be even more grateful for what is waiting for me there.

So there it is. I resolve to be as positive as possible and have a good time, even at 7am practices. Even if the kids get sick. Even though I am already exhausted.
I still will really miss my husband the whole time.