My parents have a timeshare in Kissimmee, Florida and we used to go every spring break when I was growing up. They (pretty much just my mom) still go almost every year, taking various configurations of family members with them. I hadn't gone since I was a senior, and we'd recently talked about going to Florida anyway, so this year we joined my mom and grandma in Florida. We were able to bring Jackson, and Brandon's cousin Noah came with us as well. Micah and Madison met us there for a week of fun in the sun.
We drove down with my mom and grandma in my parents' big van. We had to get down to Columbus in my tiny car, though, so we were packed to the brim - everyone had something on their lap. But we made it!
Brandon was amazing and drove almost the entire way down with very minimal stops. We drove through the night to get it over with faster and the rest of us benefitted from sleep while he kept himself awake somehow. I relieved him right in time to see the beautiful sunrise just across the Florida/Georgia border.
We stopped at the Florida visitors center and grabbed some fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice. It was still pretty cool in the morning, but it warmed up the farther south we went.
One of the reasons we decided to take this trip was to go somewhere where we could just chill. Go do activities if we felt like it, hang out if we felt like it. No rush, no sites to see. Just enjoying relaxing time together. This trip was perfect for that! We spent many days at the pool and on-site waterpark.
The waterpark has a lazy river, a few waterslides, and a huge splash pad. Unfortunately, we didn't have many hot days while we were there (mostly 70s), and the splash pad water was COLD. But the lazy river was warm and the boys enjoyed playing in the water, no matter the temperature.
My mom came through for us and brought some water toys. And the life vests at the pool made this non-swimmer a total fish!
One night, we left the boys with the grandmas and Brandon and I visited "Old Town" Kissimmee, which is a small stretch of shops and restaurants and some carnival rides. It wasn't much, but we had fun, and enjoyed the view from the ferris wheel. I love this good man.
Meanwhile, the boys had a double grandma date at the ice cream shop at the resort.
Tuesday morning, Brandon and I visited the Orlando temple with my grandma. It was such a precious experience to be in the temple with her. She initially was hesitant to go, not wanting to impose on our temple date, but I assured her we WANTED her to come. That was one of the reasons we were going - to go with her! She is such an incredible example of a covenant-keeper, and these moments with her in the temple are memories I'll cherish forever.
That afternoon, an intense thunder and hail storm rolled through the area. We didn't get it too bad, but Brandon and the boys had driven out to the coast to do some fishing and got stuck in it on the way back. The news was even reporting tornadoes in some areas.
Jackson was Noah's biggest fan all week. Anything that Noah did, Jackson did. Anywhere Noah went, Jackson went. Anything Noah ate, Jackson ate. Noah was incredibly patient with his little sidekick and he made Jackson's trip so much fun.
Micah and Madison both flew in very early Tuesday morning. Once they'd had a chance to rest, we headed to Cocoa Beach. It was windy and chilly, but we played in the waves and basked in the sun (whenever it was out). Brandon tried fishing, but wasn't able to catch anything. Even with the cold, it was still the beach and that's a good day!
After a short visit, we packed up and headed to a dolphin boat tour. We stopped at Taco Bell on the way for a quick lunch and it took 30 MINUTES to get our food. It was insane. We were then speeding to make it to the tour on time and praying the whole way that they'd wait for us. Fortunately, we made it, and enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the river. I, for one, wasn't dressed warmly enough for the boat, but we had some blankets and towels to help. I'm sure it would've been even more enjoyable if we'd been warm!
We were able to see some dolphins, but the manatees were gone because the water was too cold. I've never seen a manatee before, so I was bummed about that. But overall, we had a good time.
After the tour, we stopped for ice cream and visited Melbourne beach. It was such a better beach experience. It had warmed up a bit and the wind had died down. The beach sand was soft and the beach wasn't crowded. We wished we would've started at that beach!
Westgate (the resort) has so many amenities on-site that are free for owners. We weren't able to participate in all of them, but one day Micah, Madison, Mom, and I went for a bike ride around the resort. I don't love bike riding, but it was a beautiful day and it's a great way to see everything that had changed in the 14 years since I'd been there last. It's grown so much!
The lake right outside our window had a beautiful swan. We walked with Grandma down to the water to see where the fish were laying their eggs, and the swan swam right over to us! It was fun until he started snapping at our ankles, I guess because we didn't have any food for him. Best to admire him from afar, apparently.
We left Friday night and made the long drive home. Obviously the drive home is not nearly as fun without the anticipation of vacation, but it actually went faster this time around. Brandon was a rock star again and drove all but about 1 hour of it. We only stopped for food twice and both times ate in the car. It was a quick trip home, but it was so sad to leave beautiful Florida and such a relaxing week with some of my favorite people.
Micah drove back with us and stayed in Indiana a couple of days before flying back to Utah. Madison left from Florida on Friday.
And...we came back to this. Fortunately, we made it before things got very bad (although Brandon went right back out and drove for work in the snow...after driving 16 hours and only sleeping about an hour...he's superhuman). But we eventually got 10 inches in 24 hours. 10 INCHES. Such a bitter welcome back to winter.
Overall, we had such a amazing trip. The group we had was so easygoing and everyone gelled really well. We played games, ate, and relaxed. I can't wait to do it again!
