I fully believe in the importance of taking a breather and finding some time to spend with just our family, the four of us. The chaos of our daily lives means that sometimes we are so caught up in our day to day activities that we barely have time to connect with one another. Whether it is just a day trip to a new destination or family movie night with take-out, the time spent as a family is essential for our overall sanity especially in a city like New York where sometimes the pace seems a wee bit speedy =)
This past weekend we were very fortunate to take an extended weekend and enjoy a sunny family retreat to Orlando, Florida. A positive side of Ron’s frequent travel is that every once in a while we are offered rewards from hotels that he has stayed at in the past. The Hilton SeaWorld Resort gave us a ridiculously low price on our one bedroom suite and well, it seemed like an offer that we couldn’t refuse. We hopped on a plane at JFK and 2 1/2 hrs later we arrived in hot and steamy Orlando.
We checked into our hotel and then made our way to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The girls were super excited to be back at Disney and couldn’t wait to go on all of the rides and see the characters.
Mickey showing his Hallowe'en spirit!
The girls with Mary Poppins
We had a fabulous day at the park, topping it off by staying late to see the Magical Parade of Lights and the Fireworks. You know you have lived in NYC for awhile when you happily plunk down on the curb side of Downtown Disney to watch the fireworks thinking that it is the cleanest sidewalk you have ever seen!!
The sun beginning to set behind the castle
The next day we ventured over to SeaWorld, which was just a short five minute walk from our resort. We had a lot of fun taking in the whale and dolphin shows and feeding sharks. We even braved Atlantis and got super soaked careening down the roller coaster’s fast curves into the water at the end. That night we ate poolside at the resort and shared a hot tub under the stars. Perfection.
Waiting for Shamu and being our normal crazy selves 😉
After two action packed days the girls decided and we happily agreed that they would just like to spend the next couple of days hanging out at our resort, swimming in the pool, playing some ping pong, trying their hand at pool and shuffling through shuffle board. It was wonderfully relaxing and best of all we were able to re-connect and have fun goofing around just the four of us.
The view from our balcony
A quiet moment (I didn't even want to take the picture for fear of ruining it!!)
My two little dolphins
I could get very used to this!
And now we are back to reality- Ron is out of town, there will be homework tonight and sisters will fight, dinner has to be made and laundry needs to get done. But, I think we all have a bit of renewed energy to tackle these tasks. Getting out of the city, recharging the battery, talking to the kids without hurrying them out the door and sharing a convo and drink poolside with my man was wonderful. Much needed family time, so incredibly important. Now, just remind me of this by Wednesday when I am trying to escape them all 😉 Have a great day and take some time to hug the ones you love.
And here we are being just as crazy in NYC- for you Chantal 😉
It's Always An Adventure 