Florida 2010

Now that we've had time to get back to normal every day life I have some time to write about our vacation to Florida. It was so nice to get away from NW Ohio, spend time with family, show the kids parts of the U.S., get my ocean fix, and of course work on the tan. I couldn't have done it without the help of my brother and Mom for helping out with my Lexi and our neighbors for checking on the pool, THANKS GUYS!
We left late Monday night, with Jason doing most of the driving. I'm not a night person at all. I helped out when I could, but he's uncomfortable being a passenger, so he was the main pilot. We arrived around dinner time, checked out my in-laws house, hopped into the showers, and then headed to dinner. Most of the people in this community check out the town square each night which offers different music acts every day of the year. It's really neat to see all these people dancing. Jakey is BIG into music and he actually wanted to dance, so we headed out onto the square and he lead me around the "floor".

The next day we were able to hit the pool and soak up some sun. Jakey took to the unfamiliar water very well and before knew it, he was doing cannonballs! Jojo was practicing swimming under water and treading water. They both did so well and I'm glad that they are cautious about the water, but then can have fun once they are comfortable. We went to the square again after dinner and then we found a spot that the kids could hunt for lizards.
We hit the pool again and waited for my SIL and nephews to arrive. I made dinner for everyone and then we went to the pool and the square again. It was so neat to have everyone together and to see the cousins have such a blast together. We took all the kids over to the "secret lizard spot" (as the kids named it) so that they could get some pent up energy out.

The next day we decided to head to the ocean. I was beyond excited because I haven't had my ocean fix in 11 years. On the way we passed Daytona Speedway and we had to stop for a photo op. We are big NASCAR fans and to see this Speedway was AMAZING! We have a 2 mile track not far from home and this track is 1/2 mile bigger (thanks for that tidbit of info Erik). This is when a panoramic camera would come in handy.

It was a short drive to Daytona Beach and I was instantly at ease and in a very calm place. The ocean has always done that for me. When we lived in VA and I'd get stressed, the dog and I would take the short drive to the ocean and just walk the shore line. The sound of the waves, the warm sand, the cool ocean breeze, felt so good!

We hit a fun restaurant for dinner and then just hung out at home that night.
The next day was our gator hunting boat ride. I must admit that I was very nervous about this expedition. I knew it was a pontoon boat, but I was fearful that the water would be VERY deep and we'd be idle in the water for a long time looking for gators. Those 2 things don't sit well with me. Once we got on the boat (and yes it was a pontoon), the captain started pointing out lifejackets and letting us know which ones would fit which child, etc. The nerves started to go into high gear. Then the captain says "If you do fall over board, don't panic, simply stand up!" I think the whole boat heard my sigh. LOL The deepest part of this lake was 9 feet and it was only a 12 foot section of the lake, most parts were between 3 and 5 feet deep. The captain was very funny and kept us all intrigued on what he would say next. He had info on real estate along the shore, who used to frequent the area, which movies were filmed along the lake and canals (African Queen and Cool Hand Luke), and of course the different wildlife. We were fortunate to see a 6 foot gator for a brief second before he disappeared under water and then we happened upon two baby gators, that were quite photogenic.

The next day we decided to hit the Gulf of Mexico, just the 4 of us. We didn't want to drive 3 hours to Tampa/St. Pete's so we decided to just head East and hope that we hit a nice beach. We lucked out and hit the only public beach for miles and miles around. The Gulf was very warm and didn't have any big waves (which Jojo wanted, but Jakey didn't), but we still had fun. We built sand castles and sandmen while Jojo decided to dig a gigantic hole. We headed back so that we could go with everyone to explore other communities. Most people use golf karts to get around, so we all piled into 3 and headed out to explore. The square that we went to wasn't nearly as packed or fun as the "home" square.
Our last day there we went to the pool and then we had reservations for a dinner performance. I wasn't sure how the kids would like it, but everyone had a great time. The 2 performers did impersonations of different singers and most of them were spot on. Everyone was laughing at the different costume changes, even the kids. Since it was our last night and no one had caught a lizard, we decided to take the kids to "their" spot and see what happened. My nephew Danny finally caught one!

Luckily I got this picture because right after Jojo asked if she could hold it. Danny tried to place it in her hand, she freaked out, screamed, and dropped the lizard and it ran home. lol At least we have proof that he caught one. Since we all had to leave early the next morning, we headed home to finish packing and to get to bed.
We left at 7 the next morning, ready to head home to Lexi, but not looking forward to the 17 hour drive. The kids are such good travelers and kept themselves occupied very well. I'm very fortunate that they enjoy traveling because I'd love to take them on vacations like this every year. I did it growing up and it's some of my favorite memories. We had beautiful weather the whole time we were in Florida and most of the way home, I knew it couldn't last our whole drive. I drove us through Lexington, KY, we ate dinner and then Jason said he'd drive because we were going to hit some weather. Well the some weather, turned into nasty, scary, thank-goodness-I'm-not-driving weather.

If I would have been driving by myself with the kids, I would have turned around and headed back to Florida. I didn't let go of my phone or the door handle for a long time. That last leg of the trip seemed very long, but we made it home safely. Lexi was beyond excited to see us and wouldn't leave my side. Three days later she still doesn't go very far.
Our next adventure is a concert with the kids in early July. Can't wait to experience that with them!