Last week we took a family vacation to Florida. WOW - what a week!! It was amazing and we all had a great time.
I kept saying I needed to blog about this so I can remember things for future trips. Maybe I'll make a list of those things at the bottom of this entry, but for now here's how the week went.
Saturday: We all got out of bed fairly early and finished with last minute packing things. Sam weighed the suit cases to make sure we were withing our 50lb limit.
Penn Valley was having its annual Yard Sale and we actuall made it to a few people's houses before we left. We were able to snag a couple of Adorondak chairs for the back patio for $10. Quite a deal!
My aunt came from Jersey to stay with my mom most of the week to take care of Hailey and give her a ride to and from work. I admire the level of commitment she has to family and is so willing to help any time she can. It makes me feel guilty at times that I put me and my family's comfort first.
Anyway around 11:00 Sam, me, Rachel and Sarh were on our way to Baltimore Internantional Airport. We stopped for lunch at an Arby's half way at which time I manage to drip something on my blue shirt - Rachel got chocoloate milkshake on her white shorts. LOL - we hadn't even made it to Florida yet and aleady we needed to change clothes..but oh well.
We got to Baltimore Long Term Parking - parked in area D2 (remembered by R2-D2) so funny how we thought that would be easy. To make sure I didn't have to rely on my memory I snapped a pic of the bus stop # to see where we parked once we returned (this came in handy - beleive me).
We had a connected flight to Florida. We had about an hour and half layover in Goergia. When the plane took off from Baltimore my stomach dropped, I was so nervous, but couldn't let the girls see that because this was their first trip on a plane. It was a bumpy ride and they didn't even appear nearly as scared as I was feeling. We all experienced pressure in our ears to the point of hearing loss. It was only an hour and 20 min flight.
Our connection to Florida went just as smooth. About the same amount of time and the same ear problems again. But I could tell the girls and myself were very pleased knowing we made our final landing.
So we all went to luggage claim and grabbed our bags. The bright green tags prooved to also be very helpful to identify our bags. We grabbed a mini-bus over to Thrifty. About an hour later we were headed towords our lodging at the Super 8 in our Dodge Nitro - referred to as Boxcar the rest of the trip.
The super 8 was actually half-decent. We got in so late around 9:30-10:00 all we wanted to do was sleep. So the next morning I manage to get a few snacks from the complimentary breakfast which later was swarmed with high-school seniors. May 21st appeared to be Senior week - ugh! They were rude and obnoxious so I had no problem getting out of there quickly.
Sunday: Morning we headed over to the resort - WestGate Resort. We swam for a bit at the main pool until our room was ready. Around 5:00 we finally were called that our condo was ready.
We got in and pulled our luggage from the car. Then went grocery shopping. Spent about $120 on groceries.
We did pretty good picking out things we would only eat and not waste, but still ended up with ketchup and lemonaide unopened during the week. And the trash bags weren't even needed.
Once we got back we went down to our pool and enjoyed a few more hours. But I could tell the girls had already gotten burnt because they didn't get their sunblock on quick enough earlier in the day. And I apparently had missed a spot on the back of both my arms and both my knees. OUCH! Then the fever blisters started coming in too...ugh why me?
Monday: I got up early - I could barely sleep Saturday night at the Super 8. It was noisy and Rachel was restless. I just couldn't get comfortable.
We had a little breakfast and then headed off to Animal Kingdom. It was a really good time had by all. Sarah went on Mt Everest with Sam. Rachel and I wondered off for an ice-cream cone, mmmm. Then we went on a bunch more rides. We got soaked on water ride too. That was great, cause it was a hot day! The Bug's Life show in the Tree of Hope(name??) was too cool. We laughed so hard.
We got back to our condo sometime around 6:30. We were wiped out but Sam and the girls went swimming anyway. I was tired and the fever blister was hurting REALLY bad.
Tuesday: We went to Blizzard Beach. Again we all had a really good time. Our locker was way fuller than we needed though. We never really used our towels. We sheded our clothes first thing an walked around with bathing suits and no shoes. So the only thing you really need are your sunglasses, sunblock already on and photopass. Locker rental was $12.00 for the large, so maybe next year we won't need a large one.
Wednesday: We finally made it to Magic Kingdom. Seeing the castle still gave me chills. :) I was able to go on a lot of the rides there except Dinosaur. I even made it on Space Mountain 6 months pregnant. Althogh I will admit it made me a little bit dizzy. They didn't have the light show parade which bummed us out, but we did catch the fireworks. Next time I hope we get out towards the main entrance sooner for a better view - this time we were right in front of the castle and it was extremely crowded.
Thursday: We took a day off to stay at the condo and rest. We did manage a trip to the outlets and go see Shrek 3 at the theatres. By this time of the week, the girls were arguing every chance they could get - it was really getting on my nerves.
Friday: we went to MGM - that was great. I rode the Tower of Terror, but not the Rock-N-Roll Rollercoaster. Sam and the girls went on that thing twice! We took a bunch of pictures and enjoyed some more icecream. The stunt show was really cool too. Next time I'd like to go to the 50's diner - I've been told they treat you like kids from the 1950's (eat your veggies and funny stuff like that) and the decor is 50's style kitchens.
Saturday: we made a trip to the local Mall. The girls were happy to see an Abercrombie and Fitch, Ltd. Too, and Hollister. So they did a few hours of shopping. We came back home kind of late and begin getting our things together to finish packing in the morning.
Sunday: was probably the earliest Sam and the girls woke up. Around 8:30 (most days they weren't up till around 10:00). Anyway - we manage to pack up the rest of our things and get out of the condo by 10am. All linen pulled from the beds, dishes in dishwasher and towels in pile in the bathrooms. We got to the car rental return early enough, then took the shuttle back over to the airport.
Our flight was direct back home, so it only took 2 hours. It was nice to get back and on the road to our comfy house. We stopped at Carrabas in york on our way back as well. It was VERY good.
By the time we got home it was almost 10PM. Hailey was glad to see us and Sam and I were happy to see the house was not only in one piece, but cleaned from top to bottom. Thanks Mom!! Next time I see her i'll have to remember to thank her personally. Would be easier if she had a phone of course, but oh well.
The girls spent the night Sunday and John picked them up Monday. Sarah had a scinece project due (observing how a banana ripens on counter vs. fride). We bought all the things to put the information together and handed them off to John Monday night. Sam started to come down with a really bad cold....
I won't go into the long details of the science project, but let's just say by Wedensday she STILL didn't have this project done. Good grief. I had to call John, tell him to drop off all the materials and put it together ourselves. Sam was still sick, but in less than 30 minutes we had all the pictures posted, hypothesis, variables, details and conclusions in writing and glued to her display as well. I swear its so frustrating when John does absolutely NOTHING to help them with projects like these. And Sarah should not have been so lazy with it herself. She just doesn't care and its painful to watch her be like this. Almost self-destructive.
I'll be glad for the summer break of not having to worry about homework for the girls anymore. Or bed times, or "what am I going to wear to school today". Yeah.... I need the summer break as much as they do. And so does Sam. He handles just as much of this (if not more) than I do. I really have a hard time seeing what John does for these kids. I suppose just being there as a father is all they really need and I am thankful he wants to spend time with them, but a few responsibilities would be nice too. Especially since he feels so compelled to complain when Sam does things... well HELL its because he doesn't do them, or even try!!!
Okay - can't be frustrated... its Friday. Its sunny. The boss was out of the office today. Again..another story I won't go into because it brings me to tears. I have never met someone so difficult in all my life. Evah!!!!
The good news of the week was that I had two interviews for BA3 positions and they both went very well. I hoep to hear something next week. And to top off the week I heard Elaine was retiring at pvest. Crazy. Not sure if I'll consider going back there - it would also depend on how Sam feels about it too. I could easily be lured back to a time of less stress and appreciation for doing my job so well. Especially at the pay I'm making now or even an increase. :) Happy thoughts!
Okay - that's the Disney breakdown. And now here's my list of things to remember about travelling to Florida or Disney.
Things to remember:
1) Pack light and try to keep space in suit case for returning souvenirs
2) Consider packing coffee filters, and bag of coffee even. Condo had plenty of papertowels, trash bags and TP. And soap.
3) Bring fever blister meds (oral meds and Abreva). Apply before even going into the sun! Make sure kids have sunblock on BEFORE they even sit out in their swimsuits.
4) Disney parks offer MAGIC shots at MGM (with Stitch), Animal Kindom (hold baby Simba) and Magic Kingdom (with tinkerbell in our hands)
5) If going to Blizzard beach - bring the room towels. You really don't need them and you can put them on chairs to reserver your spots at the wave pool.
6) MGM has a 1950's cafe that serves homemade like meals and the waitresses are entertaining.
7) At Magic Kingdom see if we can make a reservation for the resteraunt so we have some place to eat in the evening.
8) Make each kid bring their own back pack - preferrable with wheels.
9:20 a.m. - 2007-06-01
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