Spring Break Disaster in Florida

Most students from Michigan State University LOVE Spring Break with all their hearts! Heading down to Florida mid-term is a wonderful escape from late snowstorms, constant studying, and life in general. It's really the highlight of the academic year. My first Spring Break coincided with my first year after leaving the US Army and coming home from 3 years in Germany. My vacation was free, other than a $156 plane ticket from East Lansing. The weather was miraculous and beaches filled with sunshine and other kids my age. What happened!? Find out if you can join me on a trip headed for disaster, back in 1980.

After completing my Army enlistment as a Military Police (MP) Specialist stationed in Ansbach and Erlangen, West Germany, I joined thousands of Vietnam era GI Bill earners in seeking a degree at a major university back home. I was able to save several thousand dollars during my enlistment, without sacrificing much in the way of travel and adventure in Europe. Coming home to Michigan, I jumped into my freshman year at Michigan State University with a passion, and experienced most of the highs and lows of any new freshman. To say I had a challenging relationship with my Dad and his second wife is putting it mildly. The short break before Fall Term began in September was challenging at best and Christmas "at home" was similarly brief and even more aggravating. With an "Army Buddy" and his family living near Tampa, I was thrilled to be invited to spend those 2 weeks near Clearwater Beach, with the last few days at my grandparent's trailer in nearby Bradenton. For me, it seemed like paradise in the making, after so many years in a northern climate. I had no premonition of pending doom awaiting!

The first part of my vacation was glorious! Lee Andersen and his family came to Germany shortly after my arrival in 1976, and I adored them! I babysat Adam on occasion and always admired Lee as the most intelligent, funniest guy I ever met. Although he and Laura tended to fight, they always seemed to make up. We went off to the beaches, played in the sand, and Lee's mom welcomed me into the household without reservation. I remember going to one of the first Bennigan's restaurants for a wonderful St. Patrick's Day celebration, meeting all their Florida friends. It was simply an enjoyable, relaxing vacation in warm weather and sunshine, and seemed to stretch out for a month! Finally it was time for Lee and Laura to drop me off at El Rancho Village in Bradenton.

I never met my Grandpa and Grandma Stone until after my mother died. They were two of the most wonderful people for my sister and I. They helped us over my mother's death and immediately made us feel like real grandchildren. George Stone was actually the second or third husband of my Dad's mother, a woman I never remember meeting and someone my own mother seemed to despise. His wife was the perfect grandmother, with white curling hair, a jolly disposition, and motherly demeanor. They took us to Disney World the year it was opened, and at least three times after that. They never tired of taking us to the beach, teaching us about their Cockatiel named Chipper, and introducing us to neat restaurants like "The Kapoc Tree Inn." I was looking forward to seeing them for the first time in nearly 5 years, and as an adult.

When I got out of the car, I knew there was trouble. I nearly rode back to Clearwater with Lee and Laura, and I almost cried when they drove away. Having imposed on their hospitality for a full week, it seemed unfair to have had them drive all this way and then not get rid of me. On the other hand, I dreaded the next few days, because my grandparents decided to surprise me by matching up my visit with my Dad and stepmother. I nearly fainted!

The visit was worse than I could have imagined! My Wicked Old Stepmother immediately went into her super-bitch mode, assigning me all the chores in the household. I set tables, washed all the dishes, vacuumed, dusted and all the while she followed me around pointing out any shortfalls or lack of energy and enthusiasm. Within about 48 hours, I woke up to excruciating throat pain and the worst case of strep throat I've ever endured! This earned me a never ending lecture about how ungrateful I was, how stupid I could be, and how I never should have imposed on my grandparents when I was sick.. I was shunted off onto a bed in the porch room, treated as if I had the black plague, and between spikes of fever near 103 degrees, I got to hear about what a burden I was on my grandparents. I couldn't afford a trip to the hospital and carried no insurance at that point in my life. I was too sick to do more than go to the bathroom, let alone get on a plane and get out of there. It was probably one of the worst experiences I ever remember, and even Grandma Stone apologized for the stepmother's behavior. She never realized what an awful relationship we had as a family until that trip.

When Spring Term started and I was back in East Lansing, I don't ever remember being so happy! I learned an important lesson and never went anywhere near my stepmother again on vacation. We had one or two brief meetings after that "hell trip," and by the time I graduated college, our relationship as a family was over. For some unknown reason, they actually attended graduation, and complained the whole time. I never went back to Florida for Spring Break again while I was in college. If I had it to do over, I would have just gone with my best instinct, and rode back to Clearwater with my good friends from my Army days.

I'd like to dedicate this tale to the Memory of Grandpa and Grandma Stone, who've long since passed away. I'd also like to remember my friends, Lee and Laura Andersen and their son Adam, as well as Lee's mother Vera Andersen, all of whom welcomed me into their family so many years ago.