We made some fresh memories in Florida the past two weeks! It took us a bit to get our health to be good but after that ... we had a great time!
We flew with the whole family! Jeremiah and Hadassah and Matthew and Daisy ... plus Mike, Ashlyn, Austin and myself! We boarded the same plane as cousins. We didn't know this when we booked tickets months ago and it was a pleasant surprise!
Everyone travels with their own backpack and carry on! I like the window seat! We left bright and early and were out of the house by 3:45 AM!
We arrived safe and sound. Our AirBNB house wasn't ready for us to check in till afternoon, so we picked up the rental cars and drove off to the beach! The sun was shining and temps in the low 70's. Everyone was ready to be settled in and the older ones and I went out for groceries! This is always the biggest challenge for me when we vacation as a family. To stock the fridge with breakfast foods, snacks and beach yummiest is always carts full!
The boys had planned a fishing trip with Matt and his boys the very next day. What a great catch!
Traveling on Valentines Day had us pose at a booth at the airport and celebrate Jeremiah's birthday with angel food cake for dessert!
The weather in Florida was on the cool side. We didn't get higher than the low 70's but we had days of clear, blue skies and only one rainy day! We did get to the beach a few days. Mom Lapp brought this big shell back from the ocean and the kids were digging in it.
Mike was sick the first few days we were there. He was trying to get motivated and have fun but it really wasn't much fun for any of us till he was better! Health really does have a lot to do with our attitudes and moods. If I'm honest, I was let down, disappointed and not having real fun until he was well! I hated to do things with the kids while he was on the couch and not well. We had restless nights. He finally felt much better by day five!!!!
We grabbed Steak and Shake on night for dinner and we loved it! Especially the milk shakes!
Foods and fruits in Florida are the best!
When I reserved the AirBNB house last fall, I didn't know exactly where the house was located in Sarasota. We stayed in a very nice neighborhood and not far from the Pinecraft hub. There was a pond near the house and Matthew was stoked about that! He loves to fish. He could sit and fish every day! It's his favorite thing to do while on vacation. Mike and I went for a walk and delivered him a breakfast sandwich and walked up to him reeling this big fish in!
We had a pool at our house and the kids kept turning the water tempts up and we spent a lot of time outside!
Matt and Lena came over for a fish fry one night. The fish the boys caught on day two were delicious!
This was the scene for the first fews days of vacation. Mike laid in this screened in gazebo area and slept and tried to get well.
I scheduled a family photo session with Rita months before our vacation and I was thrilled to have us on the mend with our health for photo day!
Postal is a great place to grab a breakfast wrap and coffee!
Then the second family member got hit with an ear infection. We thought it was swimmers ear because of Austin enjoying the pool so much. We tried different drops, ear oil, ran out to CVS to get meds for his pain that began Thursday and by Monday morning, I was sitting in an Urgent Care to have his evaluated. He was fighting a fever and on Motrin around the clock. Miserable really! Austin had a middle ear infection and needed meds to fight it. He sat at the Publix's while we waited for his meds.
When the nurse said that he could else sit on a chair or lay on the bed while we wait for the doctor to come in to see him, he flopped on the bed. I was so ready for everyone to feel well!
We took a day to drive close to Venice and search the sands and water for shark teeth. The kids love to do this! It was a chilly day out by the water but it felt good to sit in the sun back against a sand bank.
We ate so much good food!
I grabbed a coconut shell to hold the shark teeth we found!
Austin and Mike were finally feeling much better and we decided to go mini golfing on a cooler day in Florida. I looked up mini golf and decided on a spot to go but we stopped to talk to a friend in Pinecraft and he suggested we go to PopStroke! We looked it up and decided to try it! We loved it there! Tiger Woods designed this place to be a mini golf for families that was similar to real golf. There was music and food and games and we bought a day pass for each of us and spent hours having fun!!!!
Hadassah and Jeremiah flew back home the night before but we knew they would have loved this place too! Austin had two hole in one and I had one! We invited Bryce along for the day!
Here's a quick glance at the house we stayed in. School papers were worked on the days Austin felt well.
Beside the pool, we had a patch of sandy grass and the boys all played football on afternoon.
Vacationing with cousins was so fun for Austin! He loves these boys as his own brothers!
PopStroke ... a place we will go to again! So fun!
Ritchie has this battery bike that we all took turns on! Mike loved to ride it around the neighborhood!
Bryce couldn't wait till Mike felt better and then have Coke and chips on the beach! 🥰
Our last beach day was spent playing in the sand.
Mike and I found this local coffee shop a few years ago while on an anniversary trip in Florida and we couldn't wait to go back! Perq is a great coffee shop with the best coffee in town!!!!
We love Florida and right here is where my roots begin when I begin my Florida memories as a kid! Daudy and Mommy D bought a home in Pinecraft years, years ago. When I was a little girl, we would go visit them in the winter! Mommy D still has her cute home but she's not well enough to be here anymore. That's sad. Ashlyn and I walked over to take a peak at her home and just remember all the fun we had here over the years!
Mommy Lapp also has a beautiful home there and she took the big girls for a bike ride the day we flew back home. Here's another home where we have lots of memories made!
When we flew to Florida, we kept it fairly simple. Everyone had a carryon and backpack. We checked in one big suitcase and the golf clubs. Jer and Das got a car rental, Mike and I both got a rental but on the way back to the airport, we only had one vehicle! Hadassah and Jer were already back home and Mike's rental needed to be at the airport early that morning. We laughed as Austin and Ashlyn peaked out over the luggage. How are we going to fit Matt and Daisy in here yet???
Departure day is my least favorite of any vacation. Everyone packs up. We clean up the house. Return cars. We were about to head to the airport when John Ervin said he just got an email saying our flight is delayed. What? I was so glad we knew about it before we got to the airport and now we had a few more hours to wait around. We enjoyed the sun at John Ervin and Anna Ruth's Florida home but we were all packed and just waiting around. Our flight never left till 10:30 PM instead of 5:30 PM. We rearranged our pick up at the airport and didn't get home till 3 AM Sunday morning. We were tired and so ready for our beds. We laughed and felt like we need a vacation after vacation!
Vacations seem to bring our the best and sometimes the worse out of me. I love to be with Mike and the kids! I love to serve them but it takes a lot of work to keep the groceries stocked and cook in a kitchen I'm not familiar with. My expectations are usually high and I want us to be together all the time! I've learned that sometimes expectations are hard to hold. Sicknesses come and go. Some want the beach, others do not. Some want to relax and watch TV while others want to bike and fish. Some want to eat out and others eat in. Being flexible is the main key! I felt like we got it figured out mid vacation and I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE A WONDERFUL FAMILY THAT LOVES ME AND VACATIONS WITH ME!!!! Mike and the kids are so fun and I am blessed to be able to do this 2024 Florida Vacation with each of them!
