Tuesday 2/16
Madi watching our bags at the airport in the cities.
Derek hates that we look like the Clampetts when we travel. Each of us had a carry-on and a backpack. We also checked one suitcase. Hey, there's six of us!
Highlights:
*Not having to rush.
*Getting to the cities with plenty of time to eat at our favorite places.
*Park and fly. Seriously....worth the money.
*The system that I developed of singlefileageorderducksinarow totally works for me.
*Getting to Florida with time to eat, put girls to bed and still catch a bit of the Olympics.
Learns:
*I DO NOT like sitting by the two little girls on a 2-3 hour plane ride!
*I get crabby when plans change without any communication.
*Traveling with kids ages 6, 8, 11 and 13 is WAY better than traveling with
babies and toddlers.
Madi watching our bags at the airport in the cities.
Wednesday 2/17
Our first full day. We kept it pretty low key.
Highlights:
*Sleeping in.
*Going to the temple.
*Wearing flip flops in February.
*No snow.
*Sunshine and blue skies.
*Going to the pool with the girls.
*Eating yummy food that I did not have to cook.
*Watching the Olympics.
Learn:
*Lower my expectations and go with the flow a little bit more. ;)
One of the highlights of vacation for me is the relaxed family dynamics.
It seems like vacation is where I see the girls bond and get along in ways that I don't see much of at home. Like this.
*smile*
Thursday 2/18
We got up super early and headed to Orlando for a little magic. After all of our hard work earning free passes through the Disney Give a day/Get a day program we finally got to go to the Magic Kingdom. It was truly a magical day. I LOVED it! We were there from 9am-11pm. A long day for sure, but one of the very best!
Highlights:
*Having a definite plan and having everything go according to plan.
*Getting to see/ride/do everything on my list and then some.....Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan's Flight, Pirate's of the Caribbean, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Mickey's Philharmagic, Space Mountain, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Hall of President's, Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, meeting Cinderella and Belle with Kamiryn, Wishes (firework show with Tinkerbell) and Spectromagic (light parade).
*The weather was perfect...a teensy bit chilly in the morning and after the sun went down, but just perfect all day long. High 60's blue sky and sunshine. My favorite!
*Being treated like a princess ALL DAY LONG by each park employee. We had big buttons indicating that we had volunt"ear"ed and we were thanked ALL DAY LONG!
Learns:
*Communicating my plans and expectations is HIGHLY effective!
*I LOVE Disneyworld! I seriously want to live there. Or go stay in the castle for a week each winter. That would work!
(Look how thrilled Miranda is!)
Highlights:
*Sleeping in.
*Having a low key, laid back morning.
*Seeing Derek and the girls get excited about all of the animals.
*The owls.
*Watching the Olympics.
Learns:
*I don't do well when I am not a part of planning our activities and the plan is not communicated with me.
*I'm not much fun when I'm fighting a migraine. Some might call me crabby.
*Pack more snacks.
*Manatees are not as cute and cuddly as I had previously thought.
*Hippos are gross.
*Flamingos get their color from all of the shrimp that they eat.
*Remember to hand off the camera and jump in the shot.
Saturday 2/20
Busch Gardens in Tampa.
Highlights:
*The birds.
*The giraffes, elephants and giant turtles.
*Perfect weather.
*Not too crowded.
*Kamiryn and Madison riding the Scorpion (with all the rest of us), their first ever upside down roller coaster ride!
*Jungala, this awesome rope, treehouse, up high, fabulous kiddie play land place.
*Being done by 6pm and heading to McDonald's for dinner.
*Making it home safe and sound through the scary-as-heck, pitch black, backwoods of Florida.
*Watching the Olympics.
Learns:
*PACK MORE SNACKS
*Take out a second mortgage to pay for meals in the parks.
*Busch Gardens is NOT Disney World. The employees at BG are about as nice
as those at the state fair....well maybe not quite as nice!
Sunday 2/21
highlights:
*Sleeping in.
*Having a laid back, slow kinda day.
*Going to a place called The Villages (It is like Disneyworld for old people.) with Bonnie while Derek and Warren golfed and the girls got lost in 3 hours of Disney channel.
*Meeting Donna Downey at She Scraps.
*Having yummy scallops and sweet potato fries for lunch.
*Hanging out at the pool with my girls in the afternoon.
*Reading my book.
*Watching the Olympics.
Learns:
*Make sure to read my Donna Downey newsletters more thoroughly in the future!
(I missed out on an AWESOME class.)
Monday 2/22
Sea World in Orlando
highlights:
*The whale and dolphin show. This was AWESOME!!!! I want to be a dolphin trainer when I grow up!
*Not too crowded! The forecast had called for rain this day so I think a lot of the locals stayed home. We got right on the few rides that are at this park and made it into every show on our first try.
*Seeing all of the shows.
*FEEDING THE DOLPHINS!!! So awesome!
*Leaving the park just as it was starting to rain.
*Eating dinner at Five Guys. Yum!
*Getting home with plenty of time to still watch the Olympics.
Learn:
*It is okay for me to be insistent about our plan and schedule....it all works out in the end.
Tuesday 2/23
Daytona Beach
highlights:
*It's the beach!!!
*My first time seeing the Atlantic ocean.
*Collecting seashells.
*Watching my girls have a blast.
*Taking LOTS of pictures.
*Seeing the countryside and small towns in Florida on the way there and back.
*Delicious fish and chips for lunch.
*Playing the "drawing" game in the car on the way home with Kamiryn to pass the time. Even Grammy, Derek and Miranda joined in. It was hilarious to see everyone's intrerpretations of the same thing. (Grammy's mermaid was the best!)
*Stopping for ice cream at dinner time.
*Taking the girls for one last swim in the pool as it was getting dark while Grammy whipped up a late dinner.
*Watching one last night of the Olympics and being sad that I was going to miss the last few days!
learn:
Don't worry. Be happy.
(Sometimes a little Bobby McFerrin applies!)
Wednesday 2/24
Going home. You can read this fun story in my other Florida post here.
Overall trip highlights:
Going home. You can read this fun story in my other Florida post here.
Overall trip highlights:
*Flip-flops.
*Not being responsible for the cooking for over a week (Thanks to Bonnie for cooking up yummy dinners!).
*Fresh fruit.
*Taking lots of fabulous photos outdoors in February.
*Watching the Olympics. I love the skiing and speed skating. Oh and snow boarding.
*Seeing my girls get along and have a good time together.
*Enjoying the relaxed feeling that comes with being on vacation.
*Visiting with Bonnie.
*Reading my book.
*Spending time together as a family without any pressing matters like chores or homeschooling.....IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!
7 comments:
What a wonderful trip. I have too many favorite moments to even mention. I admire your organization skills. You, my dear, are the bomb!!
yay! I've been waiting for the FL post! yipee! I LOVED all the pics of your cute orange toes lol! Looks like you all had a great time!
Ok, 3rd time trying to leave a comment...2 errors popped up...
so in a nut shell in case it doen't work...
LOve the post !
Your FL post was worth the wait and your pictures never disappoint! I think you should change the name from "singlefileageorderducksinarow" to "tallesttosmallestwiththebossbringinguptherear" tee,hee.
Great trip! Thanks for sharing, looks like it was wonderful.
Sounds like you had a FAB time !!!! Thanks for sharing it with us.
I am LOL at work about the Busch Gardens experience, LOL
Sounds like a great time, love your highlights and learned. :)
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