Our Arrival

Our plane didn't leave until 4:07 PM so we got in at about 7:00. Everything went very smoothly. The roads were bad, but we left plenty of time to get to the airport. Security went great. The worst part was getting every one's shoes off, coats off, laptop unpacked and placed on the conveyor. Then everything had to be put back together.
This went sooooo much better than the last time we went to Florida 4 years ago. That time we got "tagged" to go through the extra screening. Brianna's was less than two at the time. There is nothing like seeing your <2 year old getting patted down like a criminal. We were chosen before we even got to the airport. They hadn't even met David, yet! They just knew we were trouble.
Anyway, I digress. It was wonderful having older children this year. Everyone could help with the suitcases. This made things so much easier. The transfer to the rental car place was relatively simple. I sat with the kids while my husband was at the counter. Shannon was offered an upgrade (for a fee) and Shannon called me to the desk to discuss it. It was $100 dollars more, and I thought that he thought I might want a slightly bigger vehicle. To me, it was a "no-brainer", we do not need an upgrade for a dumb car. My husband still looked like he was debating it. This surprised me. We got an additional discount on the upgrade because of our B.J.'s membership. Shannon looked like HE wanted the upgrade so I told him to go ahead if he wanted, too. When I saw him pull up in the vehicle....I understood. The upgrade was not for a bigger van, but for a SUV. Our eyes met, and he gave me that goofy grin that says, "Yeah, I know, I've been caught." It tickled me, and we joked about it the whole vacation. The upgrade was my husband's souvenir. At least that's what I told him!
We were able to rent a house at a reasonable rate. The house had 6 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, heated pool, and hot tub. There was also an air hockey table and a pool table in the garage. My parents were already there with dinner waiting. An excellent way to end a day of traveling!

More to come...

This is where I plan on posting our vacation pictures. I wonder how long this will take me?