sunshine state

Every year my family & I go on a summer vacation together. Last year, we went to Cape May, NJ and Myrtle Beach, SC. The summer before that we went to Spain, it was amazing! This sizzlin' summer we vacationed in Florida, in Pompano Beach. Who wouldn't want to embark on a 18 hour drive in a cramped mini-van? I sure didn't want to miss it! In between sleeping as much as possible, we enjoyed our delicious fast food cuisine. Chick-Fil-A's smoothies are incredible, as well as their chicken sandwiches, of course. We ordered 4 milkshakes in one of our drive-thru meal stops. Vanilla was a bit bland, I recommend strawberry & chocolate, although peach was the tastiest by far. Georgia was my favorite state that we drove through. We made a small shopping detour at this really good outlet mall. Some great finds at gap. We bought some local grown Georgia peaches & boy were they good-should have gotten more! 

Eventually, we found our place & got settled in. It was a really nice resort with a HUGE fitness center, mini golf, two big pools, and lots of activities to entertain us for the week. Florida was quite the vacation spot. As my dad says, “its like a civilized third world county." The only thing that distracted me from the beautiful palm trees & sun was all the police action! We saw more in a day than we get to see at home in 2 months.haha no wonder the show Cops originated here. On our way back from grocery shopping, we ran into(not literally) the missionaries on bikes. We were getting lost & we saw them biking to a less-active member's home. what a small world. We invited them to dinner at our place after church the next day. 

What a cultural experience FL was-lots of Haitians, retired people, and a few Caucasians. All in all, it was a beautiful vacation spot.We celebrated two birthdays which was awesome-more on that later. On my birthday, we went to the beach for a few hours. It was gorgeous! 

My dad thought it would be a fun adventure if we rented a jet ski, so we did. I had to study a handbook to get a temporary Florida license to drive the jet ski. I took it seriously as I studied all the boating rules for about an hour. I felt like spongebob squarepants as I passed the written test with a little help. It was such a BLAST riding the waves on the jet ski. My dad took his turn first & the salty water splashed us as we took on the ocean. I was anxious to put my boating license to the test & drive the bad boy! We carefully switched seats & I was careful not to make any sharp or sudden turns...but somehow..I sort of capsized the jet ski & we both fell off and plopped in the ocean. I jumped right back on the horse, but one of the plugs was open & water started coming in and as much as he struggled, daddio couldn't get back on. One of the super dark guys working saw the damsel in distress & helped us get on his jet ski and get back to shore. It was unforgettable & the best birthday ever!

         We all got really burned from the beautiful beach & enjoyed the rest of our stay in FL and managed to come home safely in one piece. Can't wait for our next adventure in south carolineyy, I love myrtle beach!

yes, that is diaper rash cream on his face, if you were wondering.