OK, maybe she did not graduate from her infant swim officially and maybe I should not be encouraging this behavior but….how can you resist that smile???

No fear, she is certainly not her brother.

Even with gas prices as staggering as they are, it was still cheaper to drive to Florida than fly 4 people down for Easter. Well, that was our expectation. Then the mini-van’s transmission died and our “cheaper” driving option became a $5000+ ordeal. We probably could have chartered a private jet and gone down there South Beach style for that money.

We packed up the car and left after work on Wednesday. No sooner did we hit 65S than torrential rain dropped all around us. We grabbed our iPhones and tracked the storm, it was from here to Jackson and following our path to Florida. An elongated stop at Cracker Barrel did nothing to deter the rain and after weighing our options, we decided night, bad rain, and curvy mountain roads were not a good way to start the day. Eight miles and two hours into the trip we headed back home.

Bright and early and sunshiney we headed out first thing in the morning (yes, we actually did). Our goal was to take a leisurely drive and let the kids enjoy the trip so our first and major stop was at the Georgia Aquarium. Our visit there last year was amazing so we wanted to see what a year would do to spark their interest even more. They loved it again. We made it through most of the exhibits and some new ones. Thane and Mara both got to touch some of the play exhibits, including the sting rays and sand sharks. Mara of course was first to try, with Thane watching and then deciding it was safe.

The kids were ready for a sleep in the car when we started our travels again. The stop over cost us a good 4 hours but kept them dozing and entertained for at least that much. We made it to Ocala, Florida that night and spent the night at a nice hotel. When checking in, I asked the desk clerk:

Stephanie: “If we leave around 8, will we have any traffic?”
He thought about the question a moment and looked at me, with absolute sincerity and said,
“This is Ocala. We like to call it ‘Slow-cala.’ You won’t have any issue with traffic in the morning.”

Welcome to Florida, Fani.