Florida 2018

Another memorable Florida trip is in the books! The weeks leading up to the trip were anything but fun, so it sure was great to have a week of relaxing in the sun! The month of March was spent with nonstop sickness in our home. First, it Tyler. Then, one week later, Joel woke up sick on a Monday morning and wasn't fully better until Saturday. The final victim, who almost never succumbs to the viruses passed around the family, was ME! The timing couldn't have been any worse. I was sitting at the car dealership on the Monday before our Saturday departure getting the oil changed and the sickness hit me like a ton of bricks! I had a low fever, aches, and nothing much more (a horrendous cough came on a couple days into it). The following day, the kids had off of school, so Caleb's birthday party was already planned. Thankfully, the most wonderful dad and husband in the world has sick days and was able to take on all that was planned for that day. I felt a bit better on Wednesday, but must have done too much because I was back in bed that evening with another fever. With only a couple days left before vacation and a million things to do, Tyler took Thursday off and helped out a TON. We managed to get ourselves packed and ready for our middle of the night departure Friday into Saturday. Unfortunately, the drive down was awful. We hit a massive snow storm throughout central Illinois that was terrifying to drive through and then hit insane traffic in Alabama (because, apparently, every single person from the Midwest converges on that one interstate to head south for Spring Break)! I was also still in major recovery mode and spent most of the drive sleeping on and off.

We couldn't have been more thrilled to pull up to our condo and get out of the car to feel the sunshine, warm air, and salty breeze! From that point on, we had an absolutely amazing time. The weather was gorgeous (one chilly day kept us from the water, but allowed us the chance to visit a local Air Force museum). The kids made fast friends with a set of siblings from Indiana. They all had a blast playing in the sand, swimming, flying kites, coordinating games of kickball or baseball in the courtyard, relaxing, and catching up on some much needed family time. We are truly thankful for Grandpa and Grandma making this trip happen year after year and helping to keep this tradition going. Our whole family LOVES this trip each year and we have so many memories to hold onto for life!