Thursday, September 27, 2012

Florida Trip

I had booked a week off in September months ago and had full intentions of using that time to go to a cottage nearby and relax close to home, but Someone had a different idea.

At the end of August I found out that due to circumstances beyond anyone's control the cottage would not be available and just when I was ready to cancel my holidays my Mom and I were presented with the idea of spending a week in Florida and after one thing after another fell into place, we headed out on September 15.

It was a long day of travel with flights from Timmins to Toronto then Toronto to Charlotte, North Carolina and then Charlotte to Orlando, followed by a shuttle ride to Daytona Beach but I loved every minute of it.  Charlotte has the nicest airport I've ever been to, complete with rocking chairs free to use, and it was no sacrifice to enjoy a real southern lunch there complete with sweet tea.

In Daytona Beach we stayed right on the water and our room was bumped up to one with a fantastic view of the ocean.  What a view to wake up to every morning!


On Monday we spent a magical day at Walt Disney World.  The last time I was there was at the age of 8 and I was concerned that as someone in my twenties it would no longer live up to the hype, but it surpassed my expectations.  We spent a whole day exploring the Magic Kingdom and re-visiting some of my favorite childhood rides, along with some new ones like Pirates of the Caribbean.  The day ended off with the electric parade at night, followed by the fabulous Wishes Fireworks display which hands down is the best fireworks display I've ever seen and was quite a moving show with the combination of fireworks, music, and narration.



Most of the rest of our time there was spent lounging by the pool and playing in the ocean waves.  I loved riding them on my board and the water was so warm that it was like being in paradise.  


I'll be honest, it was really hard coming home at the end of the week.  And had it not been for the people and church I love luring me home, I definitely could have stayed there forever!


I'm very thankful for that trip.  

I only realized it after being there a few days, but I really needed that time away.  I'm heading into a period in my life where I'm facing a lot of changes and while they great ones, they still are changes and change can take its toll, especially when you know that some one of your upcoming decisions is going to be an unpopular one (MAD listeners worry not, I have no intention of stopping the show!).  That said it was so fabulous to be able to have a week where the only decisions I needed to make were which wave to hit or which pair of flip flops to put on.  

God knows what we need even when we don't and I praise Him for presenting me with this unexpected blessing.