Just a Few More Vacay Pics

If you look *really* close you can see the dolphin fins. Maybe squint a little...

Chloe, Halle and Landon in the "hot bathtub" overlooking the lake at Uncle Dan and Aunt Vicky's. Funny story- as we were leaving that night I asked Halle if she had to go potty and she said "no, I went in the hot baftub". I just dropped it and hoped that nobody heard her say it.
The "party patio" at the same place, oh, and um, Amanda too. There were no less than 50 people there that day. I aspire to someday have a place like that to have a party.

Vacation- The Finale

After we left the resort, we had 6 whole hours of just family time. It would turn out to be the only time of exclusive Button time we had for the whole trip- not including drive time, but that doesn't count, does it? We decided that we'd have lunch at The Olive Garden since we don't have one in Cool Springs, which I've always thought was weird. We seemingly have every other restaurant known to mankind tucked into every corner and crevice here- but no Olive Garden. So let me hop off my bunny trail here and back to Kissimmee. We decided earlier that morning that it just wasn't possible to go to Disney World. So instead we decided to spend some time and $$$ at the outdoor mall that was close by. It was hot. We were hungry. The mall was huge. We bought some cute stuff. We left. We had lunch.

We finally arrived in Riverview later that night and unloaded the car for the 3rd, and thankfully final, time. There were trips to see grandparents and a trip to beautiful Anna Maria Island. When I was a kid we spent all of our beach time at Siesta Key. My parents had a boat and we practically lived there in the summer. When I was a teenager we went to Cocoa Beach because my brother started surfing. When I started college I went to Clearwater Beach. But in my later years in college I started going to Anna Maria Island. So it was really nice to be able to visit there again. At the main public beach they have a little beach restaurant which is usually just a hamburger and hot dog stand. At this one you could get a chicken Caesar salad, fish and chips, crab cakes, etc. and the food was pretty good too. So we had lunch and hung out with most of the Johnson clan. Then later as the sun was setting we took the *free* trolley to an ice cream shop that was across the street from their historic pier. Travis and I walked on the pier for a bit and even though it was dark, you could see that the water was very, very clear.

A couple of days later we went to Trav's Uncle Dan and Aunt Vicky's house for a cookout. They live on a lake and have built a beautiful home in stages over a few decades. The latest addition was a screened in porch that rivals any type of outdoor space I've seen before. We always have so much fun when we go there. Travis always plays some sort of game with his brothers and Pop. This time it was extreme Frisbee. And the little kids made a swimming pool of their hot tub. The long drive to see them aside, it was a very relaxing day.

Then came our very last day and a trip to John's pass (the thing I've been waiting to blog about). Admittedly the area is touristy and there is more than one shop selling faces made of coconuts or Christmas ornaments made from starfish (which I personally think is a travesty) but they've added a whole new floor with a pretty cool rock-n-roll themed art gallery and a sunken pirate ship themed shop from which we bought a lighthouse Christmas ornament. Mostly because the guy was very nice and seemed a bit desperate to sell something. The main reason that I wanted to go there though is because my M-I-L told me that every time they go there they see dolphins. And my sweet Chloe wanted nothing more than to see dolphins. So after a bit of browsing and ice cream eating we walked the boardwalk while Travis and Chloe were feeding the parking meter. And of course that's the exact time that Joyce saw a fin break the surface of the water. We frantically called Travis to get back quickly but by the time they go there the dolphins moved farther out and every time they broke the surface Chloe couldn't see it- mostly because she didn't know what she was looking for. I started praying quietly that she would be able to see dolphins and I didn't know it but Travis and Joyce were too. I had to leave to take Halle to the potty and looked back and saw Chloe looking longingly and very disappointed toward the water. And I prayed some more. As Halle and I were coming back from the little girls room on the new 3rd floor, Travis and Chloe came running toward me excitedly yelling that they'd seen dolphins. A "bunch" of them! I was very happy for them but I wanted to see them again and closer up than I had. So I hurried to the rail overlooking the water and I saw them. Big beautiful dolphins that were so close I could see their faces when they broke the surface. There were 5 or 6 at a time and they seemed to enjoy the attention- as dolphins usually do. So we got what we went for. (I just tried to upload pics of that but there was an error and I don't have time to try again (a guy is supposed to come give me an estimate of how much it will cost to repair the driveway- I'm really nervous) so I will probably post those later).

The next morning we said our tearful goodbyes (especially Chloe, the poor thing was sobbing) and headed home. It was a beautiful yet thoroughly exhausting time that we probably won't replicate for a while.

More Vacation Days

I went outside a little while ago to plant some sunflower seeds and wouldn't you know it, that was the *exact* time that the rain decided it would *finally* like to make an appearance? We've been waiting on rain forever now and it has even been cloudy but the clouds haven't managed to squeak out more than a few measly drops and now it's a deluge. I will refrain from complaining though because I never complain about rain in the summer after the drought we had last year.

So this gives me time to sip a smoothie and talk about our vacation some more. So where was I? Oh, yes, we were leaving Lakeland and heading to the land of ubiquitous mouse ears. We got a later start than we wanted to but it has to be in the genes because we actually passed Shane and Angie on I-4 and Trav's parents, brother, sister and his brother's girlfriend were only 15 minutes behind. So we followed Shane and Angie to the Old Key West Resort and while the guys were checking in (don't you love it that "the guys" do that stuff? I really do and it's one reason I got married) the little girls decided a potty break was in order and I'm glad they did because we got to explore everything a bit. And in true Disney fashion the attention to detail was incredible. I'm pretty sure that the resort was built in the 90's though and I felt like that was pretty evident in the pickled oak cabinetry and the abundant use of peaches and greens in the room but I was probably being overly picky. As we searched around the check in area we quickly found out that they offer a complimentary boat service to Downtown Disney- so very cool! The girls and I decided that we'd be taking the boat that evening.

By the time we checked in the rest of the Johnson's had caught up with us and we all headed over to our room. It was funny but the two bedroom villa was 370 sq. ft. bigger than our house- with one less bedroom. But as you would expect, it was really nice. It wasn't incredibly luxurious but it was very comfortable and functional. And thankfully, it was roomy too. Because there were 15 of us packed into the living room. And, as per usual, it was *loud*. We don't see Trav's family often enough so when we are all together there's lots of talking and laughing and louder talking, trying to be heard over the other loud talking. I don't think we'd have it any other way. So we ordered pizza, scarfed it down and headed to the boat that would take us to Downtown Disney. Which didn't happen all that quickly because any time you have 4 small kids and a newborn baby in tow, nothing moves fast. But we made it to the boat and took the 20-ish minute boat ride to the shops. And if you liked you could take a boat from there to Pleasure Island (which I've always thought it was strange that they would name a place that. In Pinnocchio all the little rebellious boys went to Pleasure Island to drink and smoke and they turned into jack-asses- I'm just sayin') or to Disney's West Side. It would have been nice if we'd been able to go to the latter since they've got some great restaurants (Wolfgang Puck & Bongo's), Cirque du Soleil and a very large Virgin records but it just wasn't possible in the time we had and again, 15 people. So, everybody headed off and somehow we found the really large fountains that shoot up out of the ground for the girls to play in. While they were doing that, Amanda and I decided to head to the Bath store for a bath fizzie that I'd been dying to have and to get an ice cream cone for her. While we were in line at the Ghirardelli's I got a phone call from Travis who was trying to find us and then I heard "hold on, hold on!" and the line went dead. Criminy! So we set off to find Trav and the girls and to see what injury had just occured. And sadly that's the last time I saw my cellphone. I remember holding somebody that was crying, Chloe with a really big lump on her noggin and nothing else about my phone. Of course, I was so distracted that I didn't notice until we left the resort two days later that it was gone- serious bummer. My phone was in pristine condition and now I have to use Amanda's old phone that has been dropped 80+ times-sigh. We headed back to the boat just in time to make it's last run and headed back to the resort.

The next day was filled with swimming and enjoying the big waterslide that looked like a sandcastle. We all went down, including Halle who needed a little kick start (yes, I shoved her down the slide into the waiting arms of her daddy) and then I think we just chilled. I really needed to rest because we'd been moving fast forward for days but that's really hard with a room full of little ones. But we visited another resort that evening. Shane and Angie wanted to see if trading their points for a stay at Disney's Animal KingdomLodge would be worthwhile. It was pretty cool with all sorts of African wildlife roaming about a big plain but the resort itself wasn't really my style. All of the Buttons (especially very vocal Chloe) decided that it was just too dark for us. We like things lighter and brighter.

And that's all for today. This is starting to feel like it's taking as long as my actual vacation did.

Summer Vacation Days 2 & 3

I'm really antsy to write about the last day of our vacation because it's the one I remember the best but as I'm looking back we did a ton of fun stuff that I should mention.

After the 15 hour drive, cat drop off and trip to Lakeland we visited with my brother and his family for about an hour before collapsing into bed. I think we were both expecting to be able to just take it easy but as soon as we got up we found out that we were going to go to Orlando. Apparently our daughter that slept for 12 out of the 15 hours that we were traveling decided that we were going sightseeing. And since it was her graduation present we (mostly) happily obliged her.

Amanda's happiest memories are from her childhood in central FL and she's even considering moving back there. I really can't imagine her leaving us without a really good reason- college mabye- but she's still considering it; or Los Angeles. I bet you all can't wait until your kids grow up and think about moving other places. But back to the story. For most of the first 9 years of Amanda's life I was single and I took her *lots* of places but the place I took her most often was Downtown Disney. My parents took my brother and I there a lot as kids. I remember getting enormous lollipops that we'd try to eat and give up and stick it in the fridge where it would get all gooey until Mom threw them out. We always got one though- it was a Cezar thing. It was a quaint little village surrounding a lake. We called it Lake Buena Vista in the 70's and 80's. It became Disney Village after that and then Downtown Disney; it feels a whole lot more commercial now but it has fond memories for Amanda and me. And Amanda is very much wrapped up in nostalgia and happy memories so Downtown Disney it would be. Along with her *new* favorite place the Mall at Millennia.

We Found the Mall at Millennia last July when we stayed with my family in a rented house in Kissimmee. I wasn't all that excited about trudging all the way to a *mall* of all places after we'd driven all that way but when we pulled into the parking lot what did I see? Why, an Ikea of all things! Now, I don't know if you all know this about me but I'm a shopper, I like-no- I love to shop, if I have money. Anyway, so I was excited. *AND* they have a Crate and Barrel which I have loved for years but I've never been in an actual store. And their stuff was just as fabulous as I thought it would be. And they had a Pottery Barn bed and bath store. My poor husband was a really good sport about being dragged to those stores though. Ikea wasn't as exciting for me as it was completely overwhelming. Of course, anything that involves 14 people is usually overwhelming. They had some great deals on things I would have liked to have but I wasn't transporting anything home and I also wasn't spending vacation money on house stuff. It really was so big that I felt like I was wandering through a labrynth with a squirmy, cranky 3 year old and a husband that was becoming less of a good sport. Until we got to the kitchens....super awesome kitchens. Well, we only actually saw one because everybody was ready to go by then but it was still really cool. *Then* we headed to Disney village and took a lot of pictures. And the pictures of the sea serpent and t-rex are made out of Lego's. They have a huge Lego store there which isn't a big deal to me but Amanda loves it.

We didn't stay there for a real long time because we'd already been out and about forever so my brother's family + Chloe headed home and The Buttons and my parents and nephew Ashton headed out to find dinner. Which we did at Quiznos. A Quizno's you say? Yes. But it wasn't just *any* Quizno's- OK, yes it was- but it had an outdoor eating area with a beautiful fountain in front of it. So we sat outside in the late afternoon with an amazing breeze, palm trees, and the sound of a beautiful fountain and had a *great* time.

The next day was Memorial Day and my brother was up at 6am (all of the Cezar's except for me are early risers) to start smoking meat for a big cookout that day. I saw some friends that I knew as a kid that I hadn't seen in a really long time. The food was incredible and it was nice to see old friends. Then we got ready for the next day and our stay at Disney's Old Key West Resort....it was really nice.

Just Some Random Photos...

Have you ever thought that you had everything planned perfectly and then found out in the middle of it that you didn't take into account that you're human and might need some sleep? So yeah, our lives have been a hurricane of activity for the last 4 weeks and I'm kind of tired. We visited my grandmother in B'ham, did an insane amount of work on the house, our graduate graduated, and we spent 12 days on vacation. I intended for this to be a rest/laundry day but I didn't account for Chloe's birthday and the need for food so I'm putting resting off until tomorrow. I won't bother narrating the photos, I'll get to it tomorrow too. Needless to say, we had a great time.