First Family Vaca {St. Pete, FL}

We took our first family vacation the last full week of July.  Kyle and I were SOO excited and ready for this trip! We hadn't been anywhere since our honeymoon to Hawaii 4 years ago. We were trying to save money so we drove.  We thought if we left early Friday evening (around 7:30), that Kayleigh would be tired from the day so she would fall asleep in the car and sleep most of the night. Boy, were we wrong!! Talk about a nightmare! She slept maybe a total of 3 hours the whole trip down there. It wasn't because she wasn't tired, but because she just could not get comfortable in her carseat.  I felt SO bad for her because she is so young and simply just did not understand that we couldn't get her out of her seat.  I'm pretty sure she cried through the whole state of Kentucky. Seriously. It was miserable! So miserable in fact, that we were seriously considering buying plane tickets and flying out of Nashville.  That's how far we made it before we were tired of it. But seeing how those were $1200, we decided to pass and tough it out. Eventually, Kyle did get her out of her seat for a little bit. I know, I know-so dangerous and I was a complete wreck driving while she was out, but none of us could take it anymore. That calmed her down for the most part and she was able to sleep for about an hour.

It was a 16-17 hour drive. I drove all but an hour. I. was. pooped!  We literally only made stops for gas most of the way. We stopped somewhere in Kentucky I believe to get gas and let Kayleigh stretch her legs for a bit. We stopped again at a McDonald's right before the FL state line in the morning to stop, stretch, and get something to eat. Luckily, we did not run into any traffic jams the whole way there. I was so thankful because I honestly would have just probably turned the car around and headed back home.

We got to our condo at 12:30ish and couldn't check in until 2, so we went to grab a bite to eat.  We still had a little time so we took Kayleigh to the beach for the very first time.  She was instantly not a big fan. We were hoping that it was just because she was so tired from the lack of sleep. We found out the next day that that wasn't it. She just flat out didn't like it. Didn't like the feeling of the sand. Didn't like how it stuck to her. Definitely did not like the ocean. The sound. The taste. The movement. Didn't like it. We were super bummed. She was a trooper for us though.

We hung out on the beach for a little bit that first afternoon, went and got a quick dinner, and went to bed early that first night. We were all exhausted. I was worried about having her sleep in the pack-n-play since she rarely is in it, but she had NO problems going to sleep any night we were there. Praise the Lord!

Our typical day there was as follows. Eat some quick breakfast. Get our suits and sunscreen on. Get the cooler, our beach bags, and chairs. Head to the beach.  Relax. Lay out. Drink. Get in the ocean. Lay out. Relax. Drink. Get in the ocean. It was AH-MA-ZING! The water was the warmest I have ever felt it. The weather was perfect every day. It did not rain once.  Usually in the afternoon we would go to the pool for Kayleigh. She liked that a lot better. It was a nice, heated salt-water pool, that had a ledge around the outside where she could sit and put her feet in.  She was also a big fan of the walk in steps which is where she spent most of her time.

It was honestly so relaxing and just what we had been wanting. We went to John's Pass one day and just walked around and enjoyed the little shops.  It was crazy. The last time I was there was with Jackie our Sophomore year of high school with the rest of the baseball team.  It brought back a lot of great memories!  We ate seafood at least for dinner every day. We were determined to get as much as we could and we did. It was so delicious! Other than that we were complete beach bums.

Most nights after we ate dinner we headed back to the condo.  Kayleigh would usually fall asleep on our way to dinner. Without her afternoon nap and being up and at it in the sun all day, the kid was just zapped. We were all nestled into the condo by about 7:15 every night, while she was dead to the world.

We ended up leaving a couple of days early because she had had enough, we had gotten enough R&R, and we didn't want to spend too much more money.  So we decided on Thursday morning around 10 to make the long, dreaded drive back.  Let me tell you-we were NOT looking forward to it.  All we could think about was how horrific the drive down was and how we hoped that would not be the case on the way back. Fortunately, Kayleigh was an angel the whole drive back.  She slept a little bit more, but was still up most of the time.  We were so thankful.  We got home around 2:30 in the morning and boy were the pups ready to see us. And Kayleigh was definitely ready to see them. Especially her Macky Boy. We got to see her really, truly excited for the first time ever when we got back. It was so sweet and precious. The expression on her face and her reaction to seeing the dogs was priceless.  I wish I had it on video.

Despite the catastrophe of a drive, we had a great time just getting away and spending time as a family. I think I finally convinced Kyle that vacations are good and he's already said that he's looking forward to going back sooner rather than later {flying, of course}.  I must say I agree.  We should've known better.

Enough from me.  Here's a photo dump of our 1st family vaca.

 Ready for our 1st full day at the beach

 The view of the beach from our condo. It was literally across the street! SO NICE!

 You want me to go in there?!

 Mommy's Girl 

 Love this one

 Yeeahhh...I'm not goin in there. Love her little toes here. She def. did not want them getting wet.

 One of the few things she liked at the beach

 She's just too cute for her own good.

 This will probably be a canvas in my living room soon.

 footprints

 Before we left

 Killing time before heading into the condo. 1st time at the beach.

 How we kept her entertained during the day. Thank the lord for the Leapfrog!

 She's become obsessed with alligators.

 Reading with Daddy

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

After 9 months of living in a nursing home and hospice care, my grandma, decided to finally get some rest yesterday afternoon and went to join my sweet grandpa in heaven.  She has been sick for quite some time with emphysema and colon cancer, but stuck it out much longer than I think any of us ever anticipated she would.  I'm sad to lose my grandma, but I know that she's in a better place now and can finally relax, which she hasn't been able to do in awhile.

I am sad to see the pain and grief that my dad is going through.  Nothing hurts more than losing a loved one and seeing those you love hurt. It breaks your heart. It makes you question everything. It makes you want to live life to the fullest each and every day. And it makes you want to hug those ones you love so dear even tighter.

My dad has now lost both of his parents. It breaks my heart. I know how much both of my parents mean to me and the thought of losing either of them someday, let alone both of them, makes me cry instantly. Other than my daughter and husband, they are my life. I can't even begin to describe my love for them. Hopefully those days are way far off, but dealing with death is making me question and think really in depth about life. And to be honest-it freaks me out.  I just took Kayleigh to the nursing home to see my grandma about 4 weeks ago. It's hard to believe how things can change so quickly in 4 weeks.  I am so grateful that I got to see her one last time, while she was feeling well, and so that she could see Kayleigh one last time since she's gotten older.  I know it's not something that Kayleigh will remember, but it's definitely one of those moments that I will think back on and say to myself "Man-I'm glad I took the time out of that day to go see her".

However, my fear is that the drama is just beginning. Relationships on my dad's side of the family definitely are far from ideal as far as his sisters go. Phone calls and comments have already been made that make my blood boil. I just hope and pray that my dad can be strong and hold his head high these next three days as we go through this difficult time and maintain the same restraint, pride, and maturity that he has had his whole life with his family. He truly is a class act and has always been the better person. I know that no matter what happens he will make the right decisions and do the right thing. I just hope for once his sisters can do the same.  It is, after all, a time for grieving, not for fighting.

Rest in peace Grandma. I love you!