Vacation!

Not wanting to blog while out-of-town, I took paper notes while on vacation. It then has taken me 3 weeks to sit down and type them out. (A few pictures below, more are here.)


Thursday, November 3

We left Indy for Florida late afternoon on the 3rd. Traveling with a 1.5 year old is a challenge. First of all, there is no longer advanced seating for families with small children. We had to lug our carry-on luggage, the car seat and the baby through the aisle with everyone else. We then got moved a row out of the row behind the exit row. This really jammed up traffic since we displaced other people. Hot and sweaty, we settled in for the 2-hour flight. Josh started kicking the seat in front of him. Ken offered to switch seats with the gentleman, but he refused. We then felt the need to distract Josh from kicking. We read, colored, ate, and then did it all over again. It was a really long trip.




Ken's dad, Chuck, picked us up from the Tampa airport around 7:30 and we drove the hour south to Siesta Key. We settled into the villa and tried to put Josh to sleep. He wouldn't sleep and woke up in the middle of the night screaming. It was a new place, so I slept in the room with him.


Friday, Nov 4

We took Josh to the beach. He LOVED the sand. He picked up two fistfuls and squealed with delight. The picture below is his reaction to seeing the ocean for the first time. We took him down to the water and he clung to my leg. I'm glad he had fear of the ocean. He doesn't have much of a fear of anything else.



Happy boy...


We swam in the pool. Josh enjoyed playing with the pool toys and riding in the "hippo boat".

Saturday, Nov 5- Happy anniversary!


Chuck noticed that MacDill base was having an airshow. Chuck had trained there 30+ years prior when he was in the service. Back to Tampa, we drove. It was fun to hear Chuck's memories of the Air Force. Josh did really well considering the show was right over nap time. We spread out a blanket with toys. Other children gravitated over to us, so we ended up with 5 playing with Josh's toys. It was fun watching Ken and his dad bond over their shared love of planes.





Sunday, Nov 6

We went to Tampa again to attend South Tampa Fellowship Church. The minister from our church in Germany is the head pastor there now. We went to church and then out to lunch with the pastor's wife, two of their boys, and another friend from Germany who was in the States to assist with their worship ministry. It was fun to reconnect with old friends.



Monday, Nov 7

We built sand castles on the beach. Ken said it best, "Going to the beach is so much more fun with a kid." After that, we showered and hit the pool. Josh and Ken took a nap while "Poppy" and Mommy took a 4 mile beach walk. My feet were sore after that one due to the exfoliating sand and shells.

Ken took me out for our anniversary dinner to the Columbia. It is a Cuban/Spanish restaurant. Chuck babysat Josh. The whole trip was a really good opportunity for Chuck and Josh to bond.

Tuesday-Wednesday

We spent more time at the beach and pool. I also walked Josh down to a community park. Unfortunately, the trip was cut short since the tree trimmers were dropping branches in the park. Tuesday, Mommy worked for an afternoon while Josh and Daddy played. On Wednesday, all four of us went out to dinner at Philppi Creek, Chuck's favorite local restaurant.

Thursday

We headed back to Indy. Fortunately for us, Josh slept most of the flight. We stepped out of the airport to snow flurries. Vacation over!