Last week I was on my spring break and was fortunate enough to be able to go to Stuart, Florida with my family.

We had an amazing time. The men in my family are nature fanatics so we visited the Everglades. The wildlife that resides in the swamps attracts all kinds of visitors. We were happy to be among the crowds watching the alligators sun bathe and the hideous buzzards circle the skies as they scavenged carcasses. Though the buzzards landed too close for my mother’s comfort on many occasions, we all enjoyed ourselves there.

The rest of the trip we spent in and around the resort. We made some friends at the hot tub, and even though they were Mets fans, they were still pretty cool. On our visits to the beach my mother collected shells and I got some terrible sun burn. The sun has never been kind to my fair skin so at least I had expected it. I tore through the first Game of Thrones novel and had lofty aspirations of finishing the second one before season 3 starts March 31 on HBO, but those dreams have been dashed since then. My brothers and I fished one day, but it was just another day in the sun for me since nothing tugged on my line. Two manatees swam in front of my brothers while they fished. It made Adam’s day and I was jealous I missed them. My father gave Paul and me valuable critiques on our golf swings while we hit golf balls at the hotel’s lake driving range.

Though we had a great time in Florida, I always seemed to have something on my mind. I never have been a worrier, but now that the road trip is coming up, again, I am constantly afraid it will end up like it did last year. Every pain or strange thing I feel in my body makes me paranoid that it’s something more than it probably is. I try not to think about it, but it is driving me absolutely crazy.