Marco Island

Mark and I had a great time in Marco Island.  The girls had a great time with Nana and Papa.  All in all, it was a fabulous week away.  After eating fancy meals (without cutting up anyone else's food), laying by the pool (and reading books that don't include curious monkeys), and loving time with my husband (without little girls to pull me away), I am ready to return to my insignificant but oh so significant life.  Not to make you jealous, but here is a quick picture recap, courtesy of Mark's Blackberry....

The view from our room.
Imagine our delight when we woke up the first morning to feel the warm air and see this beautiful sight.  

The sand was stunning.  It looked and felt like flour.

The first night everyone was there, we had a party on the beach. 

We rode on an airboat through the Everglades, and saw alligators hanging out in a river.
Swamps freak me out.  Holding this little alligator really freaked me out.  But, I knew I would score with my girls and nephews.  

The week ends with a fancy dinner and dance.  I really wish we had a bette picture of us, and my dress.  I found it on the clearance rack at Von Maur and loved it.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to wear it again.

Really, the entire week was fancy.  You feel like you're in a different world.  We were there as hosts for Allied.  Our job was to talk to the 350 agents and their guests that were rewarded the trip, and to help them have a good time.  That gets absolutely draining for this introvert.  But, we are thankful for our time away to be revived as husband and wife.  

When it comes right down to it?  Our favorite place to be is with these lovely ladies....

Adventureland!

Last Monday was our first adventure in the land of fun. We've had discounted tickets all year, and have just been waiting for the right day. Monday was it. Most schools around here had started, it was the last regular season day for the park, beautiful weather, and minimal amounts of people.

We had an absolutely fantastic time!  Madeline surprised us with her bravery, going on all the big rides.  She did it all.  Cora did great hanging out in the stroller most of the day. 

Lydia and Anna rode all the classic Adventureland rides, causing Mark and I to reminisce about how all the rides seemed larger back in the day.  

We arrived right as the park opened in the morning and rode rides all morning.  We hardly had to wait in lines.  Then we had a late lunch under some trees out by the van.  The girls changed in to their swimming suits, and we headed to the water park.  We stayed until just about 5:00, enjoying every minute of it.  Our first family trip to an amusement park was a hit.

We're back!

We enjoyed a splendid week away. We did a lot of swimming, eating, golfing, shopping, and enjoying our family's company. I'll hopefully have more pictures coming soon. For now, here is a picture of our girls on the patio of our condo, right on the lake.

Isn't it beautiful? Yes, the lake and the girls.

I love traveling, but I also love coming home. Vacation is wonderful. But for a mom with young children, it is not necessarily relaxing. You know what smart thing I did this time? I washed all our laundry in our condo's washer and dryer. We came home with suitcases full of clean clothes. I love it. Today, instead of being swamped with laundry, I picked a bowl of green beans from the garden. The girls are tired and resting. Their toys seem new again. I am catching up on mail and computer stuff. I am planning for the rest of the summer. You know you've had a good vacation when you are ready to get on with life again.