Vacation part 2

Like I said in the first post I wrote about vacation, the fun really started on Wednesday last week.

Do you have some family members that are just fun on a whole other level? Or maybe crazy on a whole other one? We do.  & Wednesday is when they came.

.Huge family on the beach.

.cousins.

.Holes: beach version.

My mom's oldest sister is 20 years older than her & therefore, has a daughter who's only 2 years younger than my mom, my cousin, Suzie. 

Suzie is a party planner. It's what she loves to do. & I'm not talking like put on a little music and have a cookout, no ... I'm talking themed, games, coordinating food, the works.

Since 7 of the 21 family members who were at the beach with us have birthdays in July, it's the perfect time for Suzie to plan a party & that's what happens every year.

Not to mention, she has 3 girls who are seriously off the hook. 

One of my cousins who isn't related to them looked at me on the beach on Wednesday & said, "if you wanted to start your own reality show, you wouldn't even have to do anything. Your family is enough!" & it's true.

The party was vintage boardwalk themed so we played hot potato, bingo & rubber duck pull all before the corn dogs, popcorn & cupcakes came out. We listened to beach music & sang happy birthday.

.Bingo.

.Pretty cousins.

The party is cheesy overload every year & the youngest family members are 14 now & even they know it's a little silly now, but as cheesy as it is, we all have a lot of fun & make great memories.

.Mom & Brother.

 More great stuff happened (I shopped! A lot) Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday but you'll hear about it in part 3! 

I'd take another hit if I could ...

Well our week of sand & sun is over and it’s back to the ole’ grind but I refuse to lose the beach high just yet. 

Every single day started slowly with breakfast whether it be m&m’s or oatmeal (hi weight watchers! We’re meeting again this week!) & included walks, naps & playing on the beach. 

Some nights we went out to dinner & some we stayed in, but we always ended them with 8 people cozied up in a 4 bedroom house. 

Everyone in that little beach house had a super tough year - us dealing with Granddad & Alzheimer’s, my cousins having 3 deaths in their immediate family & moving - and everyone really needed the break.

I know I’m leaving refreshed & I’m sure everyone else feels the same. 

Just like the salty water clears my sinuses when it gets in my mouth or nose, the sea breeze clears my head. It’s magical.

We got to the beach on Saturday afternoon & the first few days there were really lazy. We ate dinner at home & didn’t go anywhere except the creamery for ice cream one night.

Tuesday night, we picked my mom’s boyfriend, Donnie, up from the airport to come share the rest of the week with us & as I expected, he was a total hit! Anyone who doesn’t love him is heartless, I think. 

Wednesday night is when the fun really started, but I’ll save that for another post ...

I hope your last week was as great as mine! Happy Monday! 

Toes in the water, Booty in the sand

It's the first day of July which means ... It's time for the yearly family vacation! 

Can I get a, "thank sweet baby jesus" in unison please?

While you're reading this I'm probably sleeping in the back of the car or maybe reading a magazine or watching a Redbox movie. (thank goodness for Redbox.)

Anywho, I'm going to try really hard to stay off my computer & cell phone while I'm on this trip and just totally soak it up. 

I can't promise you wont see some picture posts but this little space of the internet will be lacking words for awhile.

I need a break! 

But don't fret! I have some fabulous guest-bloggers lined up for while I'm gone. You won't be disappointed.

See you on the flip side!

Smoochies.

Day 2!

As I promised yesterday ... Day 2 of our vacation is here for your enjoyment!

Magic Kingdom, Disney World

Since we weren't staying on property, but an hour away from the park, we left the house around 8:30 every morning. It made for pretty early mornings since we had one bathroom & 4 people to get through the bathroom. Luckily, Drew & I always fell asleep on the way to the park. 

When we arrived, we took a ferry boat across the water & over to the park. The ferry boat is awesome because Cinderella's castle gets closer & closer and even for me at 19, I could hardly contain my excitement.  

When we got into the park, we rode a bunch of rides, Space Mountain & Thunder Mountain Railroad being some of my favorites. 

At 3, it was time for the parade. There was no way I was missing it, even though Drew was less than thrilled to be going to it. He kept reminding me that parade time would be the perfect time to ride rides since everyone was watching it, but I insisted & I think he ended up really enjoying it. 

We rode more rides, found dancing in the street & shopped in the plethora of stores on Main Street before heading home to gear up for day 3.

I left satisfied, feeling full of the magic.

Drew's best friend goes to golf school in Orlando, so after we left Disney, he met up with T and since I was tired, I went home with my mom & her friend. I thought it would be good to let them have some guy time anyway. 

Drew slept on a pull-out couch during the trip & I slept in a room with my mom, but I decided to wait out on the pull-out for him to come home so I'd know he made it. 

When he woke me up, it was 12:30 a.m. on February 12th, which meant it was my birthday!! He had flowers in his hand & a gift too. It was the perfect end to a great day!

Come back tomorrow for the last day, Day 3 ... Hollywood Studios!