Spring Break 2019, Part 1

A spring break road trip is something new for us.  We typically stay around the area, which has always  served us well since 3/4 of the city's population heads south to Florida.  We decided to be part of that 3/4 population this year and travel with the rest of Indiana to Florida.

All was going well until... Atlanta.  Ugh. How I have come to despise Atlanta traffic, and I have only truly traveled through Atlanta once.  On this trip.  3 hours (yes, you read that right)... 3 hours stuck in Atlanta traffic.

Turns out this happened...

Turns out someone robbed the local Walmart and then refused to comply with officers after they tried to apprehend him.

Once we navigated all the side streets to avoid the SWAT situation, we got stuck on the south side of Atlanta.  Ryan rolled down his windows, tried to take in some fresh air while we waited, and then we rolled up next to this...

Yep, a giant semi truck hauling bees that have somehow escaped their bee homes.  Bees were swarming everywhere.  So much for that fresh air. Ugh.

Aside from the debacle in Atlanta, the roads were packed and there were aggressive drivers all over the place. The long and short of it is this... we made it to Florida.  We made it safely and in one piece.   All that said, we will never, ever, ever drive to Florida for spring break again.  The cost of the plane ticket, whatever it may be, is well worth it!!

Despite all the headaches in traffic, the vacation was absolutely AMAZING.  

It is exactly what we had hoped for and then some!

Our first stop on the journey was to spend a few days in Clearwater/Tampa.  

Day One was dedicated to Clearwater Beach... after all, one of the main purposes of this vacation was to get the girls to the beach!  

Just to give you a snap shot of how wonderful it was... 

We got to dip our toes in the ocean, soak up the sun, and relax on the beach.  Who can complain about that!?!?  This was the first time the girls had been to the beach.  Quinn was most worried about getting a sand parasite (thanks, science teacher!) and really didn't want to go. Two seconds after being there, that fear went out the window and she enjoyed the beach.  Sullivan loved it so much that she may some day be a beach bum.  She was definitely in her happy place.

Day one... success.  Great times had by all!

More to come on our time in Clearwater/Tampa...