We took a road trip to Florida a couple weeks back to visit my grandparents in Sebring. It was such a nice little getaway. After completing the build of our house, our vacation funds were limited. So this was the perfect chance to spend some time with our missed loved ones while getting some inexpensive Florida sunshine.
The last two years we've taken a trip to Daytona Beach and decided to drive through the night terrified of how Everly would take the drive. It worked every time, for her. She always slept through most of the drive, but it was very hard on myself and especially Chad. I'm not sure what gave us the courage to give day driving a shot, but we did, and both girls were CHAMPS. They were so well behaved the entire 13 hours. Any time we could sense they were hitting their max, we would stop for a bite to eat, stretch our legs and reset. It slowed the trip down a bit, but was SO worth it. Clearly we put ourselves through unnecessary pain the last two vacations.
We spent the first couple days just relaxing and catching up with family. My youngest sister was in town doing a six week rotation. So it was nice to visit with her as well. We took the girls for a swim at the YMCA right down the road the first day we were there for some easy sunshine. Florida fitness centers are WAY cooler than they are in Kentucky you guys -outdoor pools, outdoor basketball courts. Chad and I went to the gym together more that week than we have all year. It used to be a ritual for us to exercise together and now we rarely get the chance. It was nice to do that again for a week.
After a few days we ventured to the coast and spent the day at Sarasota Beach. Everly loved it. She spent the entire time in the water. We could not get her to hang out under the tent for anything. Chad and I could hardly keep up with her. I fell asleep on the drive back I was so exhausted. Addison spent the day on a lounge chair under the tent (which was a HUGE life saver). I think she will be a beach bum just like Everly when she gets a bit older. You can tell how anxious she is to get up and get moving with her big sister. I cannot wait to watch them run around playing together. I will say though, what a pain in the butt it is to carry around all the CRAP that comes with two kids and a beach trip. Next time we plan a trip to the beach we are investing in a super handy wagon and a giant tent. Rookie mistake.
After another day of relaxing (we did a lot of that) we took a trip to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Surprisingly it turned out to be my favorite part of the trip, more so than the beach. The kids area was absolutely amazing. We had to force Everly to leave each section and check out something different. And every time we moved on to another part, she did not want to leave. Unfortunately it rained on us and we didn't make it to the actual tower. But if we are ever in the area I definitely plan on going back. Highly recommend if you have kids! The activities they had were enough to keep Everly entertained the entire day. And the grounds were just beautiful. I was highly impressed.
That was about the extent of our adventures. We spent as much time as possible visiting and letting the girls get to know their great-grandparents. We get to see them only a couple times a year. So we took advantage of every moment possible with them. Everly had so much fun, though. She still talks about Florida and Grandma Patsy and Grandad Jim's house. They definitely spoiled us for the week we were down there.
We have one more vacation planned for Gatlinburg in December. That will be our last hoorah for the year. Chad and I have agreed to make it a goal to go on more road trips/adventures in the future, especially now that we've learned our girls are rockstar car riders. Eventually we'd like to make it a tradition to go on one big family vacation, one Mommy and Daddy vacation, and then our annual Christmas trip with my extended family. It's easy to let the vacation fund fall to the bottom of the list, but we have vowed to make it a priority in 2018!
That was about the extent of our adventures. We spent as much time as possible visiting and letting the girls get to know their great-grandparents. We get to see them only a couple times a year. So we took advantage of every moment possible with them. Everly had so much fun, though. She still talks about Florida and Grandma Patsy and Grandad Jim's house. They definitely spoiled us for the week we were down there.
We have one more vacation planned for Gatlinburg in December. That will be our last hoorah for the year. Chad and I have agreed to make it a goal to go on more road trips/adventures in the future, especially now that we've learned our girls are rockstar car riders. Eventually we'd like to make it a tradition to go on one big family vacation, one Mommy and Daddy vacation, and then our annual Christmas trip with my extended family. It's easy to let the vacation fund fall to the bottom of the list, but we have vowed to make it a priority in 2018!
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