Vacation Notes...Part 1

  I believe that while on vacation the minimal amount of screen time should happen. The occasional pic on Facebook or Instagram. An email to let the folks at home know you are ok. And of course a quick check on the bank account. But that is it. So I guess you know what I have been up to these past three weeks!

  First, let me start by saying Happy New Year!!! I hope 2019 is filled with love, laughter, happiness and good health for you and your loved ones. Last year had its challenges but as a family, we persevered and maybe learned we are stronger than we thought. Always a good lesson to relearn.

  So vacation......it was very relaxing. Very. Not without its share of aggravation of course. We are traveling with our kids after all. But overall I feel refreshed, renewed and calmed. My ideal result. I think every one of us feels the same. Or at least I hope they do. I'll settle for John feeling rested. Which I know he is.

  We spent Christmas week in a condo in Orlando. The weather was perfection. Warm, sunny with a nice breeze. We could swim early in the morning or late in the evening. Shorts and capris were the norm and other than a light sweater during the first nights walk we never wore sleeves. Someone asked me if I minded not seeing snow on Christmas morning. The short answer....NO!

  Because we had a condo with a full kitchen we had our normal Christmas dinner of turkey, stuffing, and dessert. Except it was a turkey breast which I hadn't read was soaked in brine to "seal in flavor". That translates to salty for us but we ate it. Our Mickey Mouse tree had presents under it and Santa filled our stockings.  And the four of us were together which is all that was needed. 

  Boxing day we went shopping at the outlet mall. Now for those of you not familiar with Canadian traditions, December 26th is "the" shopping day of the year. Not only are all holiday decorations at least half off but most clothes and shoes are too. So we expected to find outrageous deals. But none were to be had. It seems that Black Friday is their equivalent. And we were over a month too late for that sale!

  The big adventure for the first week was Universal Studios. It didn't disappoint but boy did it put a big dent in our pocketbook. With a $730 US get in the door price tag and $5 bottles of water, it was by far the most expensive day. Was Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley worth it? Every single penny. It was magical, sorry to steal your phrase Disney, but it was. We had a blast and even went on a few rides.

   For the remainder of the days, we lounged in the sun. Absorbed the heat. Slept in and stayed up late. A perfect week. Sadly only one. Happily, week two had its own set of adventures which I will tell you about later.

  Time to take a short nap. 

  Ang