Magical

 No Disney this time, but the word that comes to mind when I think of our Florida spring break trip is 🌟magical! 🌟 It really was. Sure, there was squabbling and not enough sleep and different ideas about what is fun at any given moment. But I spent the months before our trip worrying about everything that could go wrong. My biggest concerns were somebody getting sick and major delays or cancelations with our flight. Both very possible scenarios. We had already hit a serious roadblock when, after booking a suite in the same little motel we stayed at a couple of years ago, our reservation was canceled a month before we left because of hurricane damage. The rental agency had been hopeful it would reopen before spring break, but no. With a little luck we booked a place down the road.

There was no real solution to the worry other than coaching myself to remember that the important thing was being together - likely Nellie's last spring break with us, and all - no matter what "adventures" came our way. And then...everything went just about as realistically perfect as possible! The backup condo turned out to be just right, and we loved being on the bay side so we could see the sunrise, sunset, and dolphins swimming by right outside our window. The flights were on time, all the late-winter illnesses we brought with us quickly resolved, everyone mostly got along, we didn't have any car trouble. It was CHILLY when we arrived in Florida, but it got warmer every day and it certainly didn't stop us from having fun.

If you asked any of the us, everything was a highlight. The sunshine, the food, shell hunting, dolphin seeking, the Tigers spring training game, Busch Gardens (definitely not as magical as Disney, and once was enough for me, but the kids loved it), the obligatory forced hiking trip (so hot and so many lizards!), walking for coffee and donuts, the rubber literally flying off our suitcase wheels in the airport because they'd been sitting in storage for decades, the teens bonding over The Office, waking up early and staying up late to soak up every bit of Florida beauty and fun, the pool and hot tub, accidentally bringing home a live conch (sorry, Fred!), ice cream, and shopping. It was all amazing and wonderful and yes, maybe a little magical!

Here is our trip, in pictures, more or less in reverse order. 🌞💖