I Cannot WAIT to go to Sanibel Island!

23 days before I leave. We did not go to any beach last year (Outer Banks, NC is a popular spot for my family and extended family). We went to Niagara Falls last summer. So, I%26#39;m extra excited not only because we%26#39;ve not been to Sanibel Island as a family (I was there for a day as a kid), but it%26#39;s been two years since I%26#39;ve been to a beach of any kind.

So, here%26#39;s where I need help -- what can I do to make the next 23 days go by quickly? I am on the edge of my seat with anticipation, and usually I am pretty good about delayed gratification. Some people like the anticipation. I want to be there now!

I Cannot WAIT to go to Sanibel Island!

Time is relative - it depends on which side of the bathroom door you%26#39;re standing - or whether you%26#39;re waiting for vacation or on it. :-)

There is no cure for what ails you. AFter you%26#39;ve been, you may find that it actually gets worse! Other think the quiet life on Sanibel is the worst thing in the world - boring. Those who love the islands treasure it.

Check out Cuisine Scene and read the menus. Check out everyones photos. Look at maps. Try reading some of Randy Wayne White%26#39;s book. Buy Fabulous Florida Shells and peruse the shell photos to help you get familiar with the varieties on the beach.

Hang out here and read trip reports. :-)

I Cannot WAIT to go to Sanibel Island!

Yup. Tourmaline%26#39;s got it covered. And when you come back you%26#39;ll continue to read these posts several times throughout the day and you%26#39;ll begin planning your trip back. One other thing that helps, check out the Holiday Inn%26#39;s live web cam. It makes you feel like you are there!

Tour - you are hysterical. ';what side of the bathroom door you are on';... lmao.

Steve - do all the above. I do something ';Sanibel'; several times per day - look at my favourite travel book, read about something online, look at photos, check out my shell collection.... Once it gets in your soul, you are hooked.

Ok I feel so much better- it is not just me and I am not losing my mind (well at least on this issue). I made it to my vacation reading and writing on these forums a few times a day. And yes since we have returned I do the same thing. Now I know others cope the same way I feel much better. I am beginning to like the regulars on this forum better than some of the people I see in ';my real life'; daily. (OK it has been a long couple of weeks what can I say!) Steve -I also searched the web for any and all tidbits, obsessively collected notes and maps and it does not get better once you are back! But now I have added looking and handling my shells to the mix. Is there a cure for this? (Moving there wouldn’t work for me as I hate really hot weather!)

BTW I just added pictures to my Ocean%26#39;s Reach review so you can look at the sunrise and sunset and count the days as they go by!

I know exactly how you feel. I leave for Sanibel on 6/17. I%26#39;ve been checking websites and looking at menus to pass the time. A good way to help pass the time is to set mini dates to help things go by faster. I give myself different dates on what I can start doing for Sanibel. For example, I will not check the weather reports until June. I didn%26#39;t visit Trip Advisor until the middle of this month. Reading the trip reports also help in reminiscing as well as planning.

This will be my 4th visit to the island. My girlfriend (now my wife) introduced me to Sanibel about 10 years ago and I%26#39;ve been hooked ever since. My father-in-law has been going since he was a child. We%26#39;ll definitely continue this when we have children and on to our grandchildren.

lmao, true. No one I work with gets my humour - but a FEW do here, so I also like people better here than real life :)))

OK - I worded that wrong. I like the people better here than the silly people I work with. There are many people in my real life I care deeply about :)

This may sound like an odd idea but I found that the best way to satisfy the Sanibel urge was to buy a condo there... Even when we are northerly snowbound there is a piece of us that has a sense of tangible presence there at any given moment.

That was my hope at the time when we were debating on taking the plunge but it has really panned out. Renting has been fairly easy and the day to day routine also keeps part of my mind on ';island time';.

I am not a realtor nor do I have an expert interest in these things, but if one keeps their eyes open, there are some pretty good prices that have come up here and there.

I know what everyone means about liking everyone here! You have to admit there are some awful nice people here. (Kissing up sound ) I thought it was pretty cool when Tour mentioned my kids in her answer to my airport post. I hadn%26#39;t mentioned them in the post. Not only does she know every single thing there is to know about the Islands, she also remembers facts about the posters!

DirrtyDirrty,

Looks like you and I will be there at the same time. We leave June 14. Check in June 15 and stay for 5 nights. Woo Hoo!

Can%26#39;t wait.

Thanks for appeasing me everyone by responding here. I am a bit obsessed at the moment about going there. I can%26#39;t imagine not loving it.

lips hurt during