Vacation Anticipation: Florida Bound!
Vacation has looked a little different for us this year.
Normally, we'd have something planned in advance (I’d say WELL in advance but that would be a lie!), but this year things came together pretty last minute. You might think that, as a financial planner, I’d have everything mapped out months ahead of time, but you'd be wrong.
For the last several months, Amy and I have been looking for a new house that better fits our family's needs. Since we weren't sure when we'd find "the one," we held onto our vacation time just in case we needed it for moving. As it turns out, we're still looking, so with less than a month to spare, we decided it was finally time to book a trip.
We'll be heading back to an area that's become our home away from home - the Clearwater area. This time we're staying in Largo, just minutes from Indian Rocks Beach. This past December, after our anniversary trip took an unexpected turn, we ended up staying near Indian Shores and completely fell in love with the laid-back beach town atmosphere. And I'll admit it...after experiencing the soft white sand and warm Gulf water for the first time in 2021, it's impossible to look at East Coast beaches the same way.
The kids already have their priorities figured out: pool time, floating in the Gulf, beach days, and making sure we eat at Frenchy's at least once. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty good itinerary to me.
We debated flying, but airline tickets for a family of five add up quickly. Instead, we're renting a van for the drive. Our Ford Explorer has been a great vehicle, but with nearly 130,000 miles on it, I'd rather not spend the trip wondering if every new noise or smell is going to strand us on the side of the highway. Sometimes you can't eliminate every risk, but we’ll try to control the ones we can.
One thing I've learned is that vacation doesn't really start for me when we leave the driveway. It doesn't even start when we get to Florida. It starts after we've unpacked, made our obligatory Costco, Target, Aldi, and Publix runs, and can finally sit down knowing there's nowhere we have to be and no calendar to worry about.
More than anything, I'm looking forward to slowing down. Between work, home, appointments, and everyday responsibilities, life gets busy. Our three girls each deal with their own health challenges, so having a week to change the scenery, spend time together, and make a few new memories feels especially important this year.
So for now, it's back to wrapping up projects at work, figuring out where we'll stop on the drive south, and intentionally trying to pack light. Soon enough we'll be trading schedules and to-do lists for sunshine, beach days, and family time. I have a feeling it's exactly what all of us need.
Ticket #T010999
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