My dad turned 80 years old on Feb. 21 and we were there to celebrate. Florida in February is a wonderful vacation...along with seeing my Dad and Step-Mom, of course. David and I left at the butt-crack of dawn on Sunday (literally the flight was at 5:30am) and arrived in Florida late afternoon to some chilly temps!! It was only 50 degree's!! Ummm...that's the temp I left at home. I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO A WARM PLACE AND EXPERIENCE THE SAME TEMPS! booooo! Luckily the weather only got warmer from there!
I have been a member of a large world wide IVF chat board since 2000. I was lucky enough to meet 7 of my fellow "sisters"! On Monday, I met Kristine and Lisa (and 5 kids) at the Clearwater Aquarium (the one where Winter the dolphin resides). 6 kids, 3 adults - as Kristine kept repeating, it was like herding kittens. LOL! We had a great time looking at the exhibits and even catching a show.
On Tuesday, grandpa, David and myself headed off to the Dinosaur Park. Loads of fun seeing all the different dino's in "life sized" versions. The warm weather was especially nice to be in.
By Friday, my sister, Karen, BIL Steve, and my brother Jeff were all in town. As we sat down for lunch, SURPRISE, my niece, Nina arrived!! Needless to say, my Dad was thoroughly surprised and thrilled. We spent the afternoon at the beach and playing in the waves.
Saturday was party day. Karen had an elaborate plan that because it was Dad's 80th birthday, and it was airplane themed, she would purchase a flight attendant costume to wear at the party. It was a huge hit. I supplied the airline peanuts (actual airline packaged ones - so fun!). My dad has been working on a commissioned project for the Tampa Historical Society to build a replica scale airplane of the Benoist (ben-wah), which was the first commercial airline to fly across Tampa Bay. Sylvia hired an historical actor to play the part of the pilot of that airline.
Our last day in tropical paradise (well, to us it was), David and I headed off to the beach. Too bad the sun decided to keep behind the clouds.
Florida 2013 was a HUGE success and lots of fun! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for having us!
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I know it's blurry, but it's the best one of those 2. Just squint your eyes and it's perfect! |