Mar 29 2008
Florida Vacation and Gettysburg
The week before last we traveled to the Florida Panhandle for the kids school vacation. It was kind of a last minute decision as we were planning on staying closer to home and possibly staying at a resort near Shenendoah or near Williamsburg. As the time drew close, however, we didn’t find a resort that everyone could get excited about. I thought that maybe the kids might like to go back to Florida and visit their friends instead. The response was overwhelming, so I made soe last minute plans to travel to the Fort Walton Beach area.
We ended up staying at the Hampton Inn in Crestview, which was about a mile from the house we used to live in. Our very first night there, Delaney went to see her best friend Jennifer and ended up sleeping over at their house. Ben went and saw his best friend Matthew and he ended up staying at the hotel with us for a sleepover. As it turned out, the week was spent shuttling the kids to and from their friend’s houses so that they could get as much time with them as possible. Of course, the kids vacations don’t line up, so their friend’s were in school during the week. They were each able to get a day off from school in which we coud go do things together. We spent a lot of time in Destin at the beach, and at a small amusement park that has go karts, bumper cars, mini golf and more. We also went and saw Horton Hears a Who at the movie theater one day and did some bowling on another. All in all, the time flew by quickly and we all had some fun seeing old friends and looking at houses in the area (for fun). Click the picture below to see pictures from the trip.
We returned from vacation last Sunday, but I extended my leave through Monday so that I could take Delaney to a doctor appointment that we had scheduled at Walter Reed Hospital. The appointment ran long, and she had to fast before the appointment, so I took her and Karen to a late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It seemed a good reqard for having 5 vials of blood drawn. On Tuesday, my return to work was slowed by an early morning migraine. I ended up not going in until the afternoon after the worse had subsided. The meds I am taking for migraines are only marginally effective, especially if I wake up with a migraine already in full swing. That evening, I slipped and fell down the stairs and I think I broke my big toe! It was very stiff and painful for a few days and had swollen up and turned purple. It seems to be doing much better than the last time I broke a toe, so maybe I only sprained it.
Yesterday, I was a chaperone for Ben’s school field trip to Gettysburg. It was a great field trip! It took about 2 hours to get there by bus. Once we got there, we had a docent who got on the bus and gave us a tour through town and then through the battlefield. We would get off the bus at various points and spend time getting some history and hearing stories about the Civil War and the battle at Gettysburg. The kids had to learn how to march so that they could re-enact Pickett’s Charge in the afternoon. For the re-enactment, they were led by a Park Ranger who was very good at providing historical insights. The kids (and I as well) really enjoyed walking the 1-mile re-enactment of Pickett’s Charge in the soldier’s footsteps. It is hard to even imagine the carnage that took place there. I would like to go back when we have more time to see all of the monuments that are erected all over the town and throughout the fields there. Click the image below to see pictures from the field trip.
This weekend is a time to relax and get some work done around the house and get caught up on some cleaning. My parents will be stopping back in next Friday on their way back north after spending a month in Florida. They will probably spend about a week with us before heading back north.
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