I feel like I haven't a moments rest since we got back from our vacation. Isn't it always that way? We were gone ten days and it has taken me ten more days to catch up on the laundry, chores, and the day to day ho-hum.
{Dallin, seeing that we were packing "the whole house" into the van, dragged his stroller from the garage and tried to put it in the back.}
{The boys}{pst...see that freeway? Trees, trees, trees. Are ya jealous?}
{The girls}
We had so much fun, by the way! Paul, myself, and the kids left Winchester at 5:30 PM and drove all night Friday to meet the rest of the gang (my parents, sister Kodi and her little fam, and tag-along nephew Joseph) at Siesta Key Beach, Florida by noon-ish. That was a long night. We stopped here and there for about four hours total. Once to get a REALLY expensive speeding tick...eh-hem...souvenier (me...I knew I should have set the cruise control, says Leadfoot). I will always remember Forsyth, Georgia. Once to stretch our legs. Once to try to get some sleep, didn't work. And one more time to sleep for 2 hours.
{Beach bums}
The beach was great, as usual. My two water babies (Paul and Dallin) had a grand ole time getting in the ocean. Ellie got in once and fell asleep to the bobbing up and down of the waves. My feet enjoyed to warm water, but that was about it. Dallin LOVED the sand as well! It was such a pretty day, too. The sun was definitely out! That night, we found out where our sunscreen was neglected. I personally have some great tan lines on my ankles, shins, and the back of my arms.
{Dallin made sure to leave her a little present so that she could always remember him, ie. crayon meets chair}
We made it to my Grandma B's house in Bokeelia that night. What a treat to see her again! We don't get to that often.
On Sunday, we went to my Grandma's church. It has been fun to go back there through the years and see all the same people. GREAT people. We wish they were all closer.
That night, we headed to Orlando, checked into our hotel, and headed to Dixie Crossroads. Some of the BEST surf and turf around! But, to our disappointment, the DC in Orlando was no longer open. (If you're ever in Titusville, FL, make sure to stop by the original restaurant.)
We all hit EPCOT Center the next day. The weather was great, not too hot, not too cold. And the crowds weren't bad, either. Most rides or attractions were only a 20 minute or less wait and we could take Dallin, baby Ellie, and baby Jake on all but a couple. What a perfect, fun day. The babies were happy, the toddler was happy, therefore the mommies and daddies were happy. I love the countries that they have in EPCOT. I got to eat Moroccan and Paul stopped in Japan for a bite. Dallin loved the Finding Nemo stuff, he pretty much loved everything. I am so glad we went to Epcot and that he was able to do so much there! They have quite a bit of activities for kids to do (FREE) like collecting certain "charms" at each country and at the various sections of the park.
{Fish are friends, not food}
More visiting with Grandma, more good food, more beach, more fun!
Then off to Savannah, Georgia. What a beautiful place! We only had about four hours to spend there, so I called up my brother, Mike, and he told us to go to River Street (Mike served a mission for our church in Georgia). We parked about a mile away at a visitors center and walked down to River Street. This place was so fun! We road a boat across the Savannah River and back. And then walked down Factors Walk where all the shops are. We went into Savannah Candy Kitchen where they made taffy, pralines, and caramel apples right before our eyes. We got to taste them, too. There was even a barbershop quartet singing away in the corner. Dallin was mesmerized by it all, and so were Paul and I. On our walk back, we took a detour a stopped by Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons. We didn't have time to wait the three hour wait to eat there, but it was still fun to see.
Our next stop in the way home was the Beacon Drive Inn in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This place was on the Food Network Show, Diners, Drive-Inns, and Dives. To order your grease with a side of food, you walk through the line, tell the "Caller" your order and he calls it out to the back kitchen. What a unique experience. I think I was grinning the whole time, you know, because I'd seen it on TV and all! On TV, it looked like you got a ton of food, "I'll have the Beacon burger A Plenty" so we only ordered one plate and it filled all three of us up! A double cheese burger with slaw (like coleslaw, but sweeter) and a PILE of onion rings and fries to fill the plate. SO tasty!
The next day, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina where Paul served his mission and went to Church. The church has grown quite a bit there since Paul lived there ten years ago. Back then, they just had a ward. Now, they have a ward and a branch. We drove around for a couple hours, Paul showing me his old apartment and a crazy house that a ward member built. We wanted to see the Biltmore Mansion, but at $40 a ticket, we passed. Paul was able to go ten years ago when the tickets were only $20 a piece. We stopped for some Japanese/sushi and went on our way again.
{The crazy house}
We made our final detour in Knoxville, Tennessee to see Alice Gold and her girls. Thanks for letting us pop in for a couple hours! It was so fun to visit and reminisce.
In total, we drove 2788 miles. Six years ago, Paul and I couldn't even drive from Orem to Cedar City without stopping for an hour. We were so proud of our accomplishments. Dallin and Ellie were pretty darn good the whole time, as well. We figured that in all the mileage we covered, only 100 of those was there crying!
In short, it was FUN, FUN, FUN!!!
