Vacation

Hey Everyone!!! Let's hear it for the first post after Aug. 19! Yup, I'm finally here at *gasp* college, but before a post on that I'm going to write a post on our family vacation, leading up to this time.

Note Bene: This is mainly for the benefit of my family. Don't feel obliged to read the whole thing. If you do, don't be alarmed if you are so bored that a game of Monopoly seems fast paced and exciting. We had an excellent time, but I just wanted to share some reflections.

Day 1: Thursday
Leave at 8:30 (goal was 8), stop at Dad's parents at 1-ish, then go to Mom's parents for night. Arrive there 6-ish. (Make really good time.)
Highlights: Last visit before college...good 'cause it's been awhile; real beds and comfortable place to sleep; really good food.
Lowlights: Car...; seeing my poor aunt, saying goodbye.

Day 2: Friday
Leave grandparent's at 9:30 (aimed for 9). Travel stops here and there, until pulling into our hotel at close to 10 p.m.
Highlights: Bug-nicknames (mine was "Lizard-breath"); iPod; HOV lane; Starbucks : ); sleep; really comfortable bed at hotel*; 'You've Got Mail' on TV.
Lowlights: Really cramped legs; more goodbyes; really looooonnnnnngggggg day...

Day 3: Saturday
Leave around 9:30 again (goal 9). Travel travel travel travel...reach destination around 4:30-5-ish.
Highlights: fairly o.k. continental breakfast; lots of sleep in car; McDonald's coffee (ok, too bad Starbuck's was yesterday); lots of rain and thunder to drive through (pretty awesome); nice Applebee's dinner.
Lowlights: Not avery good place to be in (stuff falling apart, a promised room-switch tomorrow); don't feel too good; huge scary bridge to cross multiple times, missing crucial turn;...

Day 4: Sunday
Wake up around 9:50, church at 11, only Dad goes...walk, swim, rain, rain, rain, movie.
Highlights: Move to a slightly better suite (ok, so much better); quick swim in huge outdoor pool in the rain; drive to grocery store and get cool food; great spaghetti dinner; Whoonu game.
Lowlights: Still don't feel very good; a tired, lazy, let's-sit-around-and-talk-about-what-we-can-do day (but of course not really doing anything) (not my personality...).

Day 5: Monday
Wake up after 10, eat breakfast, plan to take a day out on the "town", beach, pool, another island for dinner/shopping.
Highlights: Scaring gulls into a very fast sidestep so they could get away but still keep me in sight (very funny...had to be there); fun gift shops; really warm ocean water and really hot exfoliating sand scrub for feet; beautiful sunny day (hurrah!!); good icecream at a quaint olde shoppe; flavored tootsie rolls (fav. vanilla); excellent dinner at a not-so-ingeneously named restaurant: Gnat's Landing; beautiful starry sky.
Lowlights: Head ache; late late late start to day; lots of driving and stopping and piling in and out of car...

Day 6: Tuesday
Late morning, beach at 12 until around 3, showers, minigolf, Outback, laundry.
Highlights: "The shelf" jokes; hole in one; bigger waves; large dinner; water (fresh); beautiful day.
Lowlights: Currently sporting the "Lobster-red" look, lots of icky sand and gross saltwater. (At the very public showers some girls offered me the use of their shampoo...very, very tempting.)

Day 7: Wednesday
Last full day, after we decided that driving 700 miles in one day was an insanity, especially for our family. (Good move, I say.) Sunrise (I slept through); 9 o'clock nature walk (slept through that one, too); breakfast; beach; fake nails; in-home dinner; packing; drive to driftwood beach.
Highlights: Beautiful day, saw another youthgroup on beach (good memories); called Lea; lots of pictures (beach mode works best); found a funny comic; good family time.
Lowlights: Deeper burn; soles of feet burned...ouch (don't ask).

Day 8: Thursday - Day 10: Saturday and Belhaven!!
"On the road again..."


*I had horrible sleeping time, so the times I got a good night's sleep are really important and monuemental (sp?) to my time...:)

I will post a slideshow as soon as I finish it.