50 Years, 9 Nights, 5 Beds and 1 Big Fat Mistake

[Beckers 1,136]

I feel honored (or maybe it should be ashamed?) Dave felt I was worthy of the dirty birdie pic.

[Beckers 1,136]

I feel honored (or maybe it should be ashamed?) Dave felt I was worthy of the dirty birdie pic on FB.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Florida's Friendliest Hometown

 

Ok, let's hit the road.  

 

We had some time to play with, as the cruise was just 4 nights, from Monday to Friday.  That meant I'd need to take the entire week off work, but that gave us the weekends on each side of the cruise to plan other "adventures".  

 

I knew that we'd want to pay my parents a visit, as we would be literally driving right past them to get to Port Canaveral.  They live in the Villages, near where the Turnpike and I-75 join.  And they recently moved into a new house and wanted to show it to us.  I decided to visit them before our cruise, which would also allow me to be with my Dad on Father's Day.  

 

I don't do well with early morning departures.....I am a morning person and love driving early in the morning, but I tend to not sleep well (or at all) the night before an early trip.  So what works best for me, and has been our practice over the past 7 years or so, is to leave in the late afternoon after work and/or school and get several hours under our belts.  I somehow sleep much better that way after we've already begun our trip.  The kids aren't in school now, but I worked that Friday from home in the hopes that we could leave around 3pm.  Well, unfortunately we had a miscommunication with our dog sitter and it pushed our departure until 5:45, but we ate an early dinner from Publix before hitting the road so did not need a meal stop that evening.  

 

I had planned on going down I-24 through Chattanooga and 75 through Atlanta, but I checked Google traffic before leaving and it turns out that I-24 between Chatt and Monteagle was closed for 7 hours from a bad accident that afternoon.  So...I switched our plans to go the Alabama route down 65 to 231, which I find a bit longer but less stressful anyways.  

 

Our traditional first "potty break" along that route is the Alabama welcome center...for those of you familiar with this route, it's the one with the rocket.  

 

 

 

I was feeling the need for a caffeine boost as I wasn't sure how late we'd drive that night.  Unfortunately, my only option was coffee from a vending machine, as I don't drink soda.  Fortunately, I got to play Poker with the cup!

 

 

The caffeine gave me the necessary buzz.  So we continued on.  

 

The sun was setting over the Tennessee River when we crossed it.  

 

 

 

We drove as far as Montgomery and decided that everyone was ready to break for the night.  INC went on my Marriott app and booked a room at the Courtyard there....wasn't the best Courtyard but it fit the bill.  I set my alarm for an early wake up, but ended up not really needing it as.....yep, I didn't sleep.  I'm not sure if it was the whole trip thing or the evening caffeine.....I didn't give it a thought when I had the coffee but I don't do well drinking it in the evening, and it was after 7 when I had it.  Oy.  In any case, I woke the ladies up around 5:30 and off we went.  

 

We didn't go too far until we came upon a Chick Fil A in Troy where we stopped for breakfast.  

 

Anna is always happy with Chicken Minis.

 

 

One of my daughter's half eaten bagel sammich.

 

 

"Another picture, Daddy?"

 

 

INC and I had our usual breakfast of oatmeal.....no picture of that but you've seen oatmeal before.   

 

We got the kids moving again as quickly as possible and made good time.  Other than a torrential downpour in the usual rainy spot for us just south of Gainesville, we had good traveling conditions and made good time, arriving at the Villages by mid-afternoon.  

 

My mom had prepared a dinner of my grandmother's goulash recipe.  

 

 

 

My Dad is a retired farmer, and he always has to be growing something.  He currently has a nice pineapple plant, which produced some really flavorful fruit when we were with them last Thanksgiving that I soaked in rum.  Oh my!  Here is the plant now.

 

 

Just beyond the pineapple plant is a golf course.  My parents both play, and they can sit on their lanai watch people swat at balls all day.

 

 

After dinner, we left our 2 oldest girls to stay in their guest bedroom (middle daughter was with my inlaws) and took Anna and Stella with us to a hotel right in one of the Villages town centers.  

 

 

 

 

I always have lots of free night certificates plus a lot of points to use with Marriotts, so this didn't cost anything.  And it's a good thing, because this hotel is getting long in the tooth.  But it was comfortable and convenient.  

 

 

INC and I usually enjoy a bowl of cereal for an evening snack, so I walked over to the nearby Publix to buy some and we enjoyed a snack in bed.  Stella thought this was pretty awesome.

 

 

After a good night's sleep (thankfully), we were heading back to my parents' for Father's Day breakfast.  But before that, Stella availed herself of the free breakfast in the hotel and had a waffle.

 

 

I walked into my parent's house to the smell of this cooking.

 

 

My Dad also cooked up some eggs while I cooked a batch of hash browns.  We visited until mid-day, and then made the 2 hour drive over to Cocoa Beach where the 3rd bed of our trip awaited us.....as well as the Enhancement Enchantment of the Seas!  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Ooey and gooey is how i like it Dave.

 

I'm not sure I like the direction this has taken.   :rofl3:

 

I feel honored (or maybe it should be ashamed?) Dave felt I was worthy of the dirty birdie pic.

 

To be honest, I tried to make it visible to any Fiends who are my FB friends, while not making it visible to non-Fiends like family and people I don't really know well.  I have a Fiend group set up for posting to Fiends only....but like most things on FB there are glitches.  If you didn't see it it wasn't really intentional.  I just don't have the settings quite right.  And if you are offended by it....I apologize.  But in reality you should blame Royal Caribbean for designing a ship shaped like that.  

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

Did I make page 3?

Whatever, I'm just glad to be here :) looking forward to the cruise part of the trip. 

And pictures of cute girls...(that seems to be a thing around here)

[Beckers 1,136]

Ok now I get 5 beds. I'm thinking that's all you had on the cruise with all them people!

[lklasing 16]

I'm late but I'm in!   Can't wait to hear all about everything - the cruise and post-cruise; the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

I'm dying at the phallic ship.  And that you inadvertently showed it to your in-laws.  And that MIL is awesome.

 

That goulash looks awesome.  Same with the sausage pan.

 

Can't wait for more.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Finally made it.

Steve saw the traffic backup from the accident on I24 when he was coming back from Atlanta. It was actually slow west bound too. Hence our reasoning for heading towards Nashville to get to MD that night.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Stella is so cute. She looks like she loves food as much as me. Lol

I also noticed she got some new ink.

Grandmas goulash looks delicious.

Oatmeal! Yuck! Sausage, eggs, and hash downs good.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Dear Ray, 

I let you dominate page 2 while I was planning my last minute 4th of July trip to the Fort. Who won?  :jumpforjoy

 

 

I'm not sure I like the direction this has taken.   :rofl3:

 

 

To be honest, I tried to make it visible to any Fiends who are my FB friends, while not making it visible to non-Fiends like family and people I don't really know well.  I have a Fiend group set up for posting to Fiends only....but like most things on FB there are glitches.  If you didn't see it it wasn't really intentional.  I just don't have the settings quite right.  And if you are offended by it....I apologize.  But in reality you should blame Royal Caribbean for designing a ship shaped like that.  

 

I didn't see it. I'm not sure if we can still be friends. OK, maybe if you bring Anna to GA for hugs and cinnamon rolls. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Wow...okay, late to join, but excited to be here! :)

 

Love the pineapple plant!

 

It's been said before, but hey...it's true, your girls are adorable.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Dear Ray,

I let you dominate page 2 while I was planning my last minute 4th of July trip to the Fort. Who won? :jumpforjoy

.

Z wins.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Did I make page 3?

Whatever, I'm just glad to be here :) looking forward to the cruise part of the trip. 

And pictures of cute girls...(that seems to be a thing around here)

 

You did make page 3!  Thanks for reading!

 

Ok now I get 5 beds. I'm thinking that's all you had on the cruise with all them people!

 

LOL!  

 

I'm late but I'm in!   Can't wait to hear all about everything - the cruise and post-cruise; the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

I'm dying at the phallic ship.  And that you inadvertently showed it to your in-laws.  And that MIL is awesome.

 

That goulash looks awesome.  Same with the sausage pan.

 

Can't wait for more.

 

Hey Leslie!  Glad you joined in.  More will be on the way....

 

Finally made it.

Steve saw the traffic backup from the accident on I24 when he was coming back from Atlanta. It was actually slow west bound too. Hence our reasoning for heading towards Nashville to get to MD that night.

 

I have said it before, and I'll say it again.  I'll take driving through Atlanta any day over driving through Chattanooga.  It's not the volume of traffic, although that gets worse by the year, but the way I-24 plunges down the mountain into the city then snakes along the river.  It's a recipe for disaster.  Even though it's a little longer I think I'll go back to taking the route through AL in the future. 

 

Stella is so cute. She looks like she loves food as much as me. Lol

I also noticed she got some new ink.

Grandmas goulash looks delicious.

Oatmeal! Yuck! Sausage, eggs, and hash downs good.

 

You will be terribly disappointed in my breakfast choices in this report.  

 

Dear Ray, 

I let you dominate page 2 while I was planning my last minute 4th of July trip to the Fort. Who won?  :jumpforjoy

 

 

 

I didn't see it. I'm not sure if we can still be friends. OK, maybe if you bring Anna to GA for hugs and cinnamon rolls. 

 

Our paths will cross at some point....and it probably won't take too long.  

 

 

Wow...okay, late to join, but excited to be here! :)

 

Love the pineapple plant!

 

It's been said before, but hey...it's true, your girls are adorable.

 

Thanks Nacole!

 

Z wins.

 

It's good to be Z.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Z always wins.

It's too bad his name isn't Zod.

Because you could kneel before him.

Ok, maybe it'd good his name isn't Zod.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Thanks for the warning!  I think I do recall seeing that picture on FB and scrolling very quickly past it.

 

My favorite picture so far is INC and Anna at Chick-Fil-A.

 

Those sausages looked really good. Makes this cereal i am eating seem pretty boring.  But not as boring as oatmeal!  (On the other hand, you look great, so maybe the oatmeal is a good idea!

[jmaul 65]

Ooey and gooey is how i like it Dave.

TMI

 

I feel honored (or maybe it should be ashamed?) Dave felt I was worthy of the dirty birdie pic.

Dirty Birdie....funny

 

I'd hate to be on Deck 11 looking at the emergency exit route map while waiting for the elevator. Reading "You Are Here" would be geographically scary.  I know you're all going back to that picture....

 

 

Nice that you're able to incorporate all the family time in this trip.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You are killing it, Dave.

 

Good job!

 

Here's something strange:  When I was in Key West, on the very same day you were at The Villages, there was a guy walking down Duval St. with a giant balloon shaped exactly like Deck 11 on the Enhancement of the Seas.  I guess he had just gotten off that cruise?

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

No such thing as TMI when you're talking about cinnamon rolls JMaul.

I cant help if your mind concocts information on its own.

[Duane 152]

 

 

 

 

 

Dave, is that your "other brother Dave" in the background?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Z always wins.

It's too bad his name isn't Zod.

Because you could kneel before him.

Ok, maybe it'd good his name isn't Zod.

 

Probably a very good thing. 

 

Thanks for the warning!  I think I do recall seeing that picture on FB and scrolling very quickly past it.

 

My favorite picture so far is INC and Anna at Chick-Fil-A.

 

Those sausages looked really good. Makes this cereal i am eating seem pretty boring.  But not as boring as oatmeal!  (On the other hand, you look great, so maybe the oatmeal is a good idea!

 

Chick Fil A pictures always are a fan favorite.  And thanks for the compliment! 

 

TMI

 

Dirty Birdie....funny

 

I'd hate to be on Deck 11 looking at the emergency exit route map while waiting for the elevator. Reading "You Are Here" would be geographically scary.  I know you're all going back to that picture....

 

 

Nice that you're able to incorporate all the family time in this trip.

 

Definitely don't want to see a "you are here" map of Deck 11. 

 

You are killing it, Dave.

 

Good job!

 

Here's something strange:  When I was in Key West, on the very same day you were at The Villages, there was a guy walking down Duval St. with a giant balloon shaped exactly like Deck 11 on the Enhancement of the Seas.  I guess he had just gotten off that cruise?

 

TCD

 

I hope you didn't get a picture of that balloon.  Seriously, I REALLY hope you didn't. 

 

No such thing as TMI when you're talking about cinnamon rolls JMaul.

I cant help if your mind concocts information on its own.

 

Truth. 

 

Dave, is that your "other brother Dave" in the background?

 

I hadn't noticed my photobombing friend in the background.  Nice job spotting him!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I am short on time today with meetings and I am traveling later....but realized that I forgot one final photo from our stop in the Villages.  I want to get this posted before we move on to Cocoa Beach. 

 

My Dad has his first smart phone (and Lou and Bob, you should know that he is approaching 80.  He's rocking the iPhone and putting you to shame).  He wanted a Father/Son wallpaper pic, so I took a Father's Day selfie of us. 

 

 

 

I hope I age as well as my Dad. 

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I love the Father's Day selfie!

Safe travels today. We are headed out of MD at some point today.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I love the Father's Day selfie!

Safe travels today. We are headed out of MD at some point today.

 

I'm heading into MD and you are leaving.  I'll wave. 

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

I'm in on page 4. That's a thing, right?

 

comments...

1. Way to start of the TR, with a nice pic of Anna

2. Wow, that deck (double check spelling several times) is huge!  :rofl2:

3. I like the pineapple plant!

[disney4dan 68]

Great photo with your dad. I hope you both get many fathers days together!

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