The Big Trip

The much-anticipated Christmas vacation of 2011 has come and gone. Our big trip started at 2am on December 20. A mere 14 hours later we landed in Orlando, picked up a rental car and drove to New Smyrna Beach, Florida where we had arranged to stay at the vacation condo of my friend's parents. Upon arrival our jaws dropped to the floor. The condo was bigger than our house in Anchorage and filled to the brim with fine furnishings and artwork. It was easily the most comfortable place we've stayed for several years (or maybe ever).

After a night of sleeping like the dead and waking up to the sun rising over the beach, we hit the ground running. Day 1 was spent shopping till we dropped, literally. We hit the Orlando outlet malls hard. I spent my shopping allowance over the course of about 12 hours. Leigh put a nice dent in hers, but failed to find several things she had really hoped for. So picky.

We celebrated our gluttony with more gluttony by dining at the Melting Pot. We're never really big on chain restaurants, but when we travel Down South it's hard to not want to indulge in the things that Anchorage doesn't have. We had a delicious 4-course meal that was the perfect portion size for two hungry girls without pushing us over the edge. I had a glass of pinot noir too. Yum!

Day 2 was spent at Islands of Adventure. My dad bought us tickets for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as our Christmas gift (Thanks Dad!). We didnt' realize until we arrived at the theme park that our tickets gave us access to all of the Islands of Adventure! On the way to Harry Potter we passed through 3 or 4 different "islands." That was a fun surprise. At Harry Potter we toured Hogwarts, rode the Flight of the Hippogriff, drank butterbeer, ate at the Three Broomsticks and spent way too much money on t-shirts and such. It was really fun and the crowds were just barely tolerable.

Ah, refreshing butterbeer. OK, it was tasty, but way too rich. I took me nearly and hour to drink one mug of it.

Aside from Harry Potter, my favorite discovery at the park was Suisselanding, the Doctor Suisse themed "island." I even made Leigh ride the carousel of Suisse creatures. The colors and sounds were a feast for the senses. It was pretty amazing and reminded me how wonderful Doctor Suisse stories are. There was even a small forest of Truffula Trees from The Lorax, my personal favorite.

Truffula Trees

My parents and nephew met us at the condo that evening to hang out for the night and into the next day. It was great seeing my dad and having them there to enjoy the comfortable amenities with us. I hadn't seen my nephew in over two years, so it was fun to reconnect with him too. We spent a whole day enjoying the warm weather, the beach, and the little town. That evening we drove to Jacksonville, where my brother and his family live.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with my brother's family at his house in Jacksonville. They had decorated the front room and my sister-in-law had a huge meal planned. On Christmas Eve we sat down together to decorate a ginger bread house. I'd never done this before and it was actually really fun to have everyone work on a section and put them all together.

The Gingerbread house builders: Asa (brother), Leigh, Isaiah (nephew), Dad, me, Donna (step-mom) and Cilla (sister-in law, behind the camera).

The final product:
On Boxing Day Leigh and I got up at 3am or so to catch a flight to Greensboro, NC. We picked up a rental car and drove 4 hours to Vansant, VA to spend about a week with Leigh's family. Unfortunately both of her siblings had to go back to work pretty soon after we arrived, but Leigh got a day or so with each before they left. The rest of the week we mostly chilled out, watched movies, and ate way too much. It was great to see Leigh's family and for her to have lots of quality time with her mom and grandparents.

We are now back in Anchorage, tired, achy from flights, and a few pounds heavier. My house is slightly upside down from hosting 3 dogs while we were away (we had a house-sitter who very kindly watched Cannelle, a friend's dog and her own dog at our house!), I haven't unpacked and this first day back at work has been a slow one. This evening I'm getting a massage and chiropractic adjustment to undo the damage of 14 hour plane rides and sleeping on soft mattresses. Starting tomorrow hopefully my life will be back on track including a healthy diet, regular exercise, and a sustainable routine.

In all it was a good trip but, like all family-centered holidays, we came home feeling like we need a vacation. Good thing we have a weekend getaway planned for January 20 (our anniversary) and a trip to Seattle in the works for this summer or fall. Oh, and next year we're celebrating the holidays in Hawai'i!