I started this post Saturday night when we were finally home but I never got very far. So yes, we managed to brave the Saturday traffic to get home. Strangely enough, the only backup came in the form of four accidents between Orlando and Ocala. So it took us six hours to get what normally takes four. Not annoying AT ALL. /eyeroll

Our trip – aside from the driving – was great. We left Tuesday afternoon and though traffic was ok aside from one accident on 75, the real PITA was the rain! It had been raining for days anyway and this was just the worst it had been. Visibility was limited and I admit to being very stressed. Ash is a good driver but even he was particularly annoyed. I clutched the seat the entire way. We finally made it to my parents’ around 8:30 and once the kids settled into bed, I ate cheese and crackers and went to sleep!

Wednesday morning we did last minute shopping and the kids played and it was just relaxing. Had tacos for dinner; made a fire and had s’mores. Thursday, I woke feeling like we had to rush rush to get everything going but it actually wasn’t bad: turkey in the oven by about 11:30. My aunt had gotten into town around 10:30, my sister and her boyfriend around noon. I snacked way too much leading up to the meal but we aimed for somewhere between 4 and 6 and dinner was on the table by 5. Amazing! And everything turned out really well. I ate sparingly because of all the deviled eggs and stuffed mushrooms and celery and cream cheese. Oh, and this pumpkin whip my sister made. OMG, sinful. I can tell you that after my sister left and the kids were asleep, I promptly fell asleep on the couch. I was done!

Friday, we had been kicking the idea around of going to Animal Kingdom and we managed to make that work. My dad stayed home with Dakota and my aunt came with us. I have been to Disney many many times but never to that park. I was unimpressed. I mean, I liked what we saw and did but it wasn’t amazing. Ash is not a big fan of Disney but he did enjoy the Yeti ride (Expedition Everest) so that’s a plus. We ended in Dino-Land and the kids won a bunch of carnival games. It was a nice way to end. Well, aside from that nap I took on the 30 minute drive home. I love naps. That’s the one thing I will say about that trip: I did get to relax and forget about some of my usual duties. We didn’t have to participate in my online courses both Thursday and Friday and to just let that go from my mental to-do list was quite a relief.

All in all, I was glad to be home, glad to catch most of the FSU/UF game, glad to be back to semi-normal. We disassembled our big bed frame in prep for the arrival of our king sized mattress coming later this week. Then Sunday morning I got the tree and most Christmas things up and situated. I feel cozy. 🙂 Though, our temps this week are back to 50s/70s. The climate change from middle Florida back to North really did a number on 2/3 of the kids. Dakota and Elliot are all snotty and hacking. Gross.

**********************

Let the month-long Christmas theme begin!

I’m going to kick it off with a few songs from one of my all-time favorite holiday specials, Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. I love the message and the music!