Summer 2022 Roadtripping

 It’s been 4 years since I have visited this little corner of the internet. I miss it. I had been posting a lot of stuff on instagram and thinking I didn’t need this blog anymore. But, I stopped posting on instagram. I am losing memories of our family that are precious and need to be documented. I am going to try to start documenting here again. I am just starting fresh in the here and now. But, as I have time I will do some catch up. I’m going to call those posts the Lost Years. 

I’m not sure exactly how, but, somehow I convinced Dad to take us to Disneyworld again! We started planning a few months ago and I was in countdown mode all that time. Getting through real life with a countdown to Disneyworld. Man, do I love a countdown. 

We did 3 weeks on the road. We started July 5th after an epic fireworks showcase in our front yard the night before(more on that later). 

Car travel with teenagers is pretty chill. You kids napped, played games on your phones, listened to audio books, or watched movies. Dad can drive so many hours a day. We stopped for gas and short potty breaks and pushed through. We decided to drive the North route this time around. Northern AZ is much prettier than southern part of the state. We drove right through New Mexico and stopped in ? Texas the first night. The second day we drove to Arlington and stayed right across the street from Six Flags. 

We went for a night swim. The water was really warm. We were the only ones in the small pool. We worked on making a whirl pool for quite a while. That was fun and funny. 

We spent a hot day at Six Flags. You kids rode a lot of thrill rides. It’s not quite as magical as Disney but, it has lots of fun roller coasters. Because it was so hot we decided to take a break and go check out the Dallas Cowboys stadium. 

The next day we were on the road again. One of our favorite places in Texas is Bucees gas station. They have yummy treats and food, super clean bathrooms, and tons of fun shopping. We stopped there as often as we could. 

Once you get to Texas and keep driving East the country is so green and pretty. I loved seeing all the water and pretty places. 

We drove through to Florida in one day. We were excited to spend some time there. We stayed at our first hotel for 2 nights. It was so nice. We walked around Disney Springs and had dinner at our favorite restaurant there, Homecoming’.  

The next day we drove to Cocoa Beach. I was so excited to go to the Atlantic Ocean and an East Coast beach for the first time. The water was warm and the waves were mild. We played in the water, the boys dug a huge hole, and we enjoyed the beach for a few hours. Then we went and did a little shopping at the huge Ron Jon store. Gracie called us while were were there so we got a family picture at Cocoa Beach. 

That night we explored some more around the resort.

5 days at the most magical place on earth. We had THE BEST time! I love Disney World! We got up early and stayed late every day except 1. We walked at least 25,000 steps a day. We rode every ride we wanted to, ate so many yummy treats, watched fun shows, and did some shopping. We loved every minute. Can’t wait to go back. Florida is amazing!

Dad and I did a 90 minute time share presentation so that we could stay at the Marriott Vacation Club hotel. It was great. We had two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and laundry room. 

Gunnar got sick with a stomach bug after I think day 3 in the parks. He was a trooper and pushed through it on our park days. Bear ended up getting it too. 

We drove from Florida in to Louisiana. Dad had a couple of work days in New Orleans. We hung out at the hotel and caught a movie. New Orleans is dirty and has so many homeless people. So, we didn’t venture out of the hotel much without dad. We were fine with some rest days though. We were on the 27th floor and had the corner suite with the most beautiful views of the river. 

We drove back through Texas on our way home. We did a few hours at the water park while dad worked at the hotel. Hurricane Harbor in Dallas is a lot of fun. We stopped in Waxahachie to get Dad some Meat Church barbecue supplies. It’s a cute little town. We were able to meet up with some family that night at Six Flags. 

And just like that three weeks had flown by and we did one last 15 hour day in the car to get home. I was sad for it to end. I’m so thankful for our little family. We have so much fun together. I’m thankful that your dad loves us so much and works so hard for our family. He is always up for family fun. Thankful for you kiddos and your desire to spend time with us. Can’t wait to do it all again someday!