Gavin finding shells in the sand!
A little windy, but still sunny!
Gavin pouting because he is getting is picture taken.
Aimee and her girls!
Finding more shells
Trying to enjoy our new beach loungers! A little windy and cool, but still fun!
The girls!
Loving the beach!
Finally found the sweet spot with no wind and warm sun!
Posing on the beach!
We had a great day on the beach after we found refuge from the wind.
Since the weather was not the warmest (but warmer than MN so we weren't complaining) we spent a lot of time in the heated pool.
Gavin's favorite spot was the pool steps!
Steve throwing kaitlyn!
Kaylee on the floating turtle!
Nate trying to surf into the pool.
Steve's turn!
Ashlynn hanging out!
Gavin being silly!
Getting ready for the big race!
And they are off!
Goofy!
We ended up going through the strawberries in one day. They were amazing!
Gavin loved the big strawberries the best!
Cheese!
Aimee's dad's house was empty except for a dinner room table and 6 chairs. We knew this ahead of time, so we brought air mattress's, TV, cooking utensils, pots, pans, pool toys, and anything else we would need for the week. We were more or less camping in the house.
Our make shift living room with TV and TV stand.
The McNeilly's room! The kids made the beds for the pictures.
The Eggiman's grand palace!
We found another fun beach to go to! The weather was a little chilly, but we had so much fun watching the tide go out. When we got to the beach the water was right by us, but by the time we left it had gone out a least 30 feet. It was fun to walk out and see all the snails making trails where the water used to be.
Burying their feet in the sand and Gavin not wanting his picture taken.
Still not happy with all the pictures.
Kaitlyn posing on the sea wall!
The adults enjoying a fresh seafood dinner! It was amazing!
Best Buds - Steve and Nate!
Best Friends forever - Aimee and Nikki
We tried to find fun restaurants and activities around the area. We found a fun restaurant that looked out at an island where monkey's lived.
Kaitlyn and Kaylee - Best Friends!
Monkey Island is in the background!
Gavin finally wanting his picture taken!
It was time to go home. We packed up Friday night and left bright and early Saturday morning. We rolled out of town around 4:30 am for our journey home. We traveled all day and all night arriving back home around 6:30 am Sunday morning.
We stopped in Illnois to meet my Uncle Jim and Cathy for dinner. It was so fun to see them an enjoy an hour outside of the car. We didn't arrive at our dinner location until almost 8:30, so I am happy that my Uncle still was able to come and visit.
The way home Nate and I traded off driving more often then on the way to Florida. I took the last shift of driving and have to say that it was tough to stay awake while everyone else in the car was sleeping. A few things to remember for next time. 1. Bring glasses so when your eyes are tired of contacts you have a back-up plan. I had to resort to taking my contacts out while driving as they were making me very tired. (My vision is not that bad, but driving at night I had to squint to see the signs.) Good thing Aimee took the lead after I got off at an exit that didn't have a gas station. Remember it's the middle of the night so the first gas station we found didn't accept Credit Cards after it was closed. The good news is we found one after about 15 minute of searching. The crazy part that I think God had some control over is that about 5 minutes after we left the gas station we were passed by several cop cars... a few more miles down the road there was a rollover accident that just happened. If I had not turned off at the wrong exit or that it took us about 15 extra minutes to find an open gas station we could have been effected by the roll over. God was watching over us!
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. Nate had given me a few tips on how to stay awake. (Thank goodness he has experience from his long nights of plowing.) 1. Listen to upbeat music. Ballads will make you fall asleep. 2. Turn on the air conditioning. 3. Eat - Who knew eating would help you stay awake. We arrived home just as the sun was coming up. The good news is it was still dark enough that we told the kids it was still night night time and tucked them into their beds. I think it took me less than 1 minute to fall asleep once my head hit the pillow.
A few things I learned that I would like to remember: When traveling a long distance with small children. Leave so that you arrive at your destination in the middle of the night. The kids are sleeping during the toughest part of the drive. (This is the time when they can't handle sitting in the car any longer.) Yes, it's harder for the adults as they are awake all night, but at least you can get in a few hours of sleep in a bed before you start your day.
After the first 8 hours of the drive! Happy!
Nate not enjoying that I was taking his picture!
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After 15 hours in the car. Making faces but still having fun!
Half way!
Grand total for the trip! The good news is on Sunday when we arrived home it was 52 degrees out! We brought back the warmer weather.
We had an amazing trip! Thank you to the Eggiman's for letting us tag along on their Spring Break! Can't wait for our next road trip/vacation together.
