Vacay 2012

A play by play of the day by day:

Friday- We got kind of a late start. I spent all day packing and doing last minute laundry. I even tried to take a nap, but shut eye was not forth coming. Chris got home about 5 and we got busy loading my parents van. On our way to pick up the kids I remembered I forgot my ankle bracelet, seems trivial but I really wanted to take it, so we went back home to get it. Then we had to go pick Gabe's meds up from the pharmacy. Stopped to get something to eat for dinner and we were FINALLY on the interstate by 9 or a little after. Chris drove til we got through Atlanta and then I took over and drove til we were across the Florida line. Chris drove the last leg of the journey and we got to Pawpaw Sam's around 6 in the morning. Of course the kids were super excited and immediately wanted to go go go, but Chris and I HAD to take a nap.

Saturday- We woke up from the nap and Chris and I got the kids ready to go out for breakfast. Went to Cracker Barrel and really the only thing eventful that happened there was Gabe stood up to announce that he farted (loudly). We stayed with Chris' Pawpaw Sam. He lives right on Lake Wier. It's beautiful, he has brought in sand over the years and has a great setup right on the lake. Honestly, the kids have just as much fun there as they do at the ocean :) And we stay in a seperate little house he has for family or friends when they come to visit. So anyways I go to the store. Where we are staying also happens to be the largest retirement community in the country. They call it The Villages. The Villages is an old persons dream come true, I mean they even have stickers on their cars that say The Villages is where they came to croak. lol. They have their own radio station, happy hour (best margarita ever), tv station, ZIP CODE!!! They even have seperate lanes on the roads for golf carts and the Wal-mart even has a seperate parking for golf carts. No joke! So anyways I go to get groceries and it was so stressful b/c every isle I went down I had to dodge someone in a hoveround, and it was sooooo crowded. Anyways finally got back to the house and got to relax on the lake myself and we pretty much were beach bums for the rest of the day :) When the sun set we went out on the dock and ate some water melon. It was beautiful :) The only  thing that could have made it better was if the wind wasn't blowing so hard that every time you took a bite of your watermelon the wind didn't spray the juice everywhere. lol.

Sunday- It was so nice not to have to set an alarm clock and just sleep in til... 9. lol. Ate breakfast and went down to the lake. Chris' sister, mom, niece with son, and little niece were on their way down as well and the kids were axniously waiting on their arrival. Around lunch time they finally got there and the real fun began. lol. To be honest we didn't do a whole lot Sunday except lay on the lake. This is the day I got my first layer of burn. My legs mainly while I floated out on the lake, my thighs were a nice shade of hot pink by the end of the day.

Monday- Ocean day. Last year we went to an Atlantic beach but Chris' sister Carrie suggested we go to a Gulf beach since the water and sand is much cleaner and clearer, and the rip tide not near as bad. So we decided to drive to Clear Water, a 2 and a half hour drive. We made great time and the traffic wasn't bad at all til we got on the strip. The beach was crowded but not too bad and we ended up having a great time, it was definitely worth the extra time driving. The water was much clearer and the sand was softer and more shells on the beach. The kids fed seagulls and got chased and fun was had by all :) we left around 4 and no one thought about the rush hour traffic in Tampa :( Pressley our youngest niece (6) had decided to ride back with us and while we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic had a melt down and wanted to ride with her momma. Then Ethan is doing the pee-pee dance and near tears him self b/c his bladder is at max capacity. We are at the part of the interstate when all the by-passes and various interstates are criss-crossing each other and there is NO WHERE to go. So we had to push our way to the concrete wall in the middle of the interstate where Ethan opened the van door and pee-d then picked up a Pontiac car hood emblem which Chris made him put down. Finally we get out of the traffic and stopped for a happy meal and everyone is happy and no more tears were shed.

Tuesday- more lake and sun and relaxing and then in the evening Carrie (SIL) and niece Kayte babysat so Chris and I could go out to a romantic dinner :) We went to an italian place in The Villages called Red Sauce and it was delish. Very fancy. Then we got an ice cream and walked around the lake and the town square. They had some vendors set up in the square and I got a margarita while we walked around and looked at things. We found a vendor that made personalized banners with your choice of hip and cool border. We got Gabe a Thomas the Train, Mary a Tangled, Ethan a Spongebob, and Joey an Angry birds :) They are really nice and we plan on hanging them in their rooms. Also, I got a pair of flip flops that are super comfy at the Bass store. Chris didn't get anything for himself :/ He is a good dody to me :)

Wednesday- The 4th- We pretty much chilled all day, then later in the evening we had a cook out with tonssss of good food :) We were leaving that night but we had a great time and the kids were exhausted by the time we loaded up to leave. We were a few miles away when Chris' mom called and said we had forgotten Gabe's meds so we had to turn around. We were finally on the road again at 10. Driving home was much worse as far as being tired. Chris drove most of the way. Everytime my eyes shut all I saw was my comfy bed. lol.

Made it home and I thought I would have to blog soon so I  didnt forget it all. We had an amazing time and this isn't everything we did. I could probably write a book. I love making memories with my family. Time goes by soo fast and they will be teenagers in the blink of an eye, and then adults. I caught myself looking all round, at the kids, at Chris just trying to soak up the moment and willing myself not to forget :) I can't wait til next summer!

Also, I got bit by a leech.