The trip to Florida

After months of anticipation, the long weekend trip to Florida has finally come, and, sadly, gone. We left last Friday morning, and I got home very late Monday night. (2:30 a.m.; so technically, Tuesday morning). It was so nice to get away from it all, and just do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, on your own schedule. Though the weather wasn't all that warm, we braved the temps like any good midwesterner would. While locals walked around with their pants and jackets, we lay in those beach chairs with teeth-a-chatterin' and goosebumps the size of groundmoles in our vain attempts to leave with a bit of color and possibly a faint tan line somewhere on our bodies. Vacations are the only time where $5 beers and $8-10 fruity drinks seem like a perfectly acceptable price to pay. $23.95 for a pound of fudge? Of course, give me two pounds! In the end, it is all worth it and you never regret what you said yes to, even if it means three weeks to take off what you gained in those few short days. And of course, thanks to our families and friends, and especially husbands, who took days off and made sacrifices to help make this happen for us.

This next set of pictures requires a small disclaimer. You know how things that are actually really silly and juvenile can seem so much funnier after you've had a few drinks? That is sort of how these happened. I am not sure who started it (mom), but somehow once one was done we knew we all needed to take a picture with some variation of the bird. So, here you go...

While the trip was a wonderful break from reality, I was able to come home to a very clean house and a family who claimed to have missed me terribly. I even got these from my husband:

WOW! Who gets to leave for a long weekend away and then come home to flowers from your husband welcoming you back? I have a keeper!

I got an equally sweet treat when I checked on the boys after getting home late Monday night. I covered Luke up and kissed his cheek, and when I did, he opened his eyes, smiled and said, "Mommy!", and then closed them again and snuggled deep into his blankets. You couldn't ask for more than that.