HellOOOOO

Hi! Howdy! Hola! Hello! How the heck are you?!? It's good to be back to the blog! Whew, I have so much to say, so much to share, so many details and stories, you just won't believe it...

I have uploaded my 334 photos...I am currently uploading 100 and some onto slide to put on the blog...I think it says it should take 23 hours or so for that to be complete. As soon as it is...they'll be here for your viewing pleasure.

Now...a brief recap of the vacation, so that when you're looking at the photos, you'll have a clue of what you're looking at. For a helpful hint, you can position your mouse over the photo on slide and it will give you an image title to let you know what the photo is of. Cool!

Anyway....day 1 we drove from Illinois to just north of Atlanta

Day 2 we drove to Daytona Beach and stayed at an amazing Hilton right on the beach. The kids loved it. Hubby and I however realized that we are now way too old for Daytona, and although we love the beach there, we do not love the atmosphere. I believe Ocean City, MD is in our future as it is so much more family oriented than Daytona!

Day 3 we left Daytona and drove to Silver Springs, FL which is a nature theme park. We stayed there for the day and saw the park all donned in Christmas lights. It was very beautiful. That night we drove 4.5 hours to Sanibel and arrived at midnight.

Day 4 - sleep and lots of it...the kids swam, we explored the beach, hubby and grandma went to the grocery store. Took them two hours to go about 2 miles in the heavy heavy afternoon traffic. Ugh! Out to dinner at Cheeburger cheeburger, as recommended by Toot! We loved it!

Day 5 - Explored the island, shops, Ding Darling nature preserve, and Captiva Island. Relaxed, played games and watched movies at night. Ate at the Island Cow...not our favorite, but good :) I should mention here that my husband backed into someones car at the rental office. :( Didn't hurt our truck, but quite hurt her van...

Day 6 - Watched the sunrise at the lighthouse and went shelling. Found some beautiful shells and lovely birds, crabs, starfish, etc. Truly amazing! Cooked out on the grill--- yum.my Swam all day and played at the beach....this is the life! Tried to eat all the food we had purchased so we didn't have to haul it home. We were pretty successful.

Day 7 - Left Sanibel...sad to leave...stopped at Bowman Beach on our way out, drove to just south of Atlanta

Day 8 - Drove from Atlanta to Clarksville, TN...had dinner with my Mom's husband at a great pub in Clarksville. What a wonderful time!

Day 9 - Breakfast with Papa and then we're off to home...unpacked the car, started the washer, picked the dog's up from the kennel and here I sit.

Geez, it's cold here!

Did I mention every day we were in Florida it was sunny and 80? Not a drop of rain...it couldn't have been more lovely and we couldn't have been more pleased.

Those of you that know me well, know I'm seeking a beach home at least for a few months a year. Although I loved Sanibel, it is a very different lifestyle and VERY expensive...muy muy expensive. Whew! Did I mention it was expensive? So...although I believe we may vacation here again...it is not my future beach destination. Check one off the list...on with the search.

Tonight, I'm gonna play catch up with all of you. I was sad to not get a chance to see Sanibel Toot while I was there, since she was on vacation herself, but am glad to be home and able to catch up with all your lives! Happy New Year!