Florida Tripping
Not something I am necessarily proud of but I have spent most of my life a dependent.. I went from my parent's home to my married home.. I have never lived on my own.. apart from an internship or two I have never held an out of the home job.. I don't recall ever eating out alone either. I have flown 16 hour flights alone with D.. if that counts.
So when my parents proposed a Florida trip in January, a month when M is usually very busy at work and would not be able to take days off I was faced with a challenging opportunity. No I would not being doing it on my own per se but I was no longer the dependent. All these years I plan the trips and then the second we leave the house I put up my feet and M drives, takes care of car rentals, parking, pumping gas just about everything else...
I began to plan the trip.. we were to be in Florida for 5 days.. the first two days we would spend driving down to the Keys, stopping in the Everglades to catch an air boat ride and maybe spot a gator or two..and then driving back up to Orlando where M would meet up with us for the theme parks he managed to get a day off :) Those first two days involved a lot of driving.. with two kids in the car.. so I mapped and mapped and timed everything hoping we would make every where we needed to be on time and before dark..
It was an early am flight.. I drove, dropped off the car at parking, checked in, boarded and so far so good. This marked H's first plane ride..
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So when my parents proposed a Florida trip in January, a month when M is usually very busy at work and would not be able to take days off I was faced with a challenging opportunity. No I would not being doing it on my own per se but I was no longer the dependent. All these years I plan the trips and then the second we leave the house I put up my feet and M drives, takes care of car rentals, parking, pumping gas just about everything else...
I began to plan the trip.. we were to be in Florida for 5 days.. the first two days we would spend driving down to the Keys, stopping in the Everglades to catch an air boat ride and maybe spot a gator or two..and then driving back up to Orlando where M would meet up with us for the theme parks he managed to get a day off :) Those first two days involved a lot of driving.. with two kids in the car.. so I mapped and mapped and timed everything hoping we would make every where we needed to be on time and before dark..
It was an early am flight.. I drove, dropped off the car at parking, checked in, boarded and so far so good. This marked H's first plane ride..
And then the plane was delayed.. and the line at the car rental was long and it took me a while to figure out the new car all the while missing my car at home.. we hit the road an hour later than I had planned.. meaning we were minutes too late for the last air boat ride.. D was disappointed.. we started towards the Keys instead and it started to get dark and the road never ending... D and H stuck in a car all day started to get restless and I don't blame them. I was too busy blaming myself.. we arrived at the Sea Dell Motel around 8pm in Marathon. It was clean and basic.. just what we needed to spend the night. Everyone was exhausted so instead of eating where I had planned to eat me picked up some pizza across the street and ate in our room.. FUN!
The next morning I was determined to salvage day two.. what better way than to put on some lipstick and say cheese.. if nothing else at least the weather was warm and perfect.
We headed down to Key West for breakfast at La Creperie, where D decided he wanted to eat an omelet. The crepes were delectable.
While we had initially intended to spend a few hours in Key West.. with the long long drive ahead of us back to Orlando with a stop at Gator Park we thought it best to just hit the road.
If you really want to see the alligators.. Shark Valley is your best bet.. but you need a couple of hours for that.. with D and the time constraint I thought the thrill of an air boat would be something he may enjoy a bit more. Purchasing Gator Park tickets online enablde me to save a few dollars per ticket and D and H were free.
We saw a few alligators.. birds and tons of turtles.. the free alligator wrestling show was something we had no interest it.. but got sort of pushed into it anyway.. it was disappointing, sad and inhumane. The air boat ride itself and our guide were both great fun.
After which we hit the road again.. once again the plan was to stop in Downtown Disney for dinner, a way to get into the Disney mood.. but by the time we got to Orlando everyone was exhausted.. so instead we went to the hotel.. the Marriott Fairfield. Showered and relaxed until it was time to pick M up from the airport and I could go back to the passenger seat.
The first two days while in the end worked out okay.. in retrospect they were probably unneeded. We didn't get to spend the time in Key West we wanted..but hey.. we survived :) just in time for some Disney fun!
We are a travel loving family.. see where else we've been here
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That was a lot of driving! Years ago my parents and I went to the everglades and saw gators too. Can't wait to see your Disney posts.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'll tell you something...I've never been alone either. Not even for an internship or anything. So you're a step ahead of me there. :)
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear about the free alligator wrestling show. It's such a bummer. But overall, it sounds like you guys had an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing with us!
You are my hero! A plane ride with your two boys alone! Drivinga rental car! So glad it went smoothly and that you had a great time! Vacationing with the grandparents is something I am so looking forward to when Micah gets a little bit bigger!
ReplyDeletesounds like you had a good first trip as a non-dependent, haha! lovely photos, too:-) x
ReplyDeleteOh sounds like fun! And looks much warmer that it is here.
ReplyDeleteI have not traveled much but just enough to know that you can't know what to expect. The best laid plans and all that.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a great time. Vacations always seem to hit a few snags and you just have to roll with the punches. I love Florida! My siblings and I have road tripped down to Florida a few times and spent a week there each time.
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights
I'd feel the same about doing a 'solo' trip even with parents. I definitely rely on Chris a good deal,he's my rock. Plus, I don't want to drive that much ha. Too bad the timing got all wonky on the first day. But I looove the lipstick and smile pic and the omelet pic. So cute. I hope you had some Disney fun to make up for it.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like so much fun. I absolutely love that first photo of the boys on the plane. My grandparents live in Florida and I've only been there once, but I loved it there. I've never lived alone either; sometimes I feel a little regret about that.
ReplyDeleteYou are a brave mama to take your babies off on a road trip like that. I would need GPS as my sense of direction is bad. The farthest I've driven is 24 mi across the Golden Gate.
ReplyDeleteSo fun! This looks like an amazing time!
ReplyDeleteMelanie @ meandmr.com
Looks like some fun travels!! Those cute eyes on your son's first plane ride are too cute!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a great time. Ah, you're a brave one. The mere thought of travelling alone with my boys freak me out! And they're not even little!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how time flies away, I haven't been very regular on the blogger and voila, ur little baby is a real boy already (-: Lots of happiness in ur pictures xx
ReplyDeleteNice and cute family pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteTravelling with small kids alone, is not as easy as it may seem.. and you did it!
ReplyDeletei head there this weekend! to wdw that is!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Challenging yourself with two days on your own with your littles...that's HUGE! I find myself the dependent often as well. I take our two to a soccer practice on my own, or to the library, but I've never attempted a flight!
ReplyDeleteI love the pic of you and your little omelet loving guy. Lipstick makes everything better :) And your peasant blouse is lovely!
That sounds like quite the adventure! The crepes look delicious :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a lot of driving! Sounds like a fun trip... those crepes look amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't sound all that bad. I'm sure your husband faces most of those issues (certainly with the rental company lol) you've just never noticed before! BTW flying solo for 16 hours is a pretty big deal. I don't mind being alone and am fairly independent but I do hate travelling alone. I've done short ones and the longest was to LA which was around 14 hours. Nothing worse than flying by myself. I find it incredibly lonely!
ReplyDeleteSxx
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