June 25, 2010--The Kids' First Airplane Flight and Cocoa Beach

We pulled out at 3:58 am!  After a brief stop to appease my panic attack over not having my manila envelope with all our documentation in my flight bag and to reassure me it was in fact in my backpack where I had secured it, we were on our way.  We arrived at Chicago Midway at 5:15.  Right on schedule!  Thanks, Father!!

Breezed through baggage check and we all passed the security check.  Matthew kept running through the metal detector.  Then asked, "Why did they search me for metal?"  "They have to check everyone to make sure they don't have a knife or gun."  "Well, I don't have that!"

We then picked up some breakfast.  Matthew had his pancake burger from McDonald's.  Daddy got a burrito and coffee.  Amanda and I got croissants, mine had chocolate!  We found a table by the window where we could watch the planes take off. 

We pulled away from the gate at 7:40.  Matthew was bouncing!  We had our gum ready and we were off.  Smooth takeoff.  We climbed with little movement.

"What is the thing at the end of the the wing for?"  I was ready for that one and I still forgot to ask Dan the answer.  "I think the wind will blow on the window."  Going places with Matthew is always an adventure!

Matthew was hungry and right on cue we got our snack!  Pretzels and cinnamon crisps.  And, a Coke!  I needed that since I'd been up since 3!  We had fun trying to guess what state we were over.  Matthew liked looking for boats.

We landed at Orlando at 11:05, 10 minutes early.  Matthew and I waited for Dan and Amanda since they had to find seats near the back.  We were in front of the wing.  Much better for my ears.  First time I landed in Orlando with no pain and able to hear.  Kudos to Tylenol Sinus Relief Severe!!  We had a quick pit stop and then went to find our luggage.  The kids loved the tram over to the terminal.  4 bags arrived on the conveyer belt.  Now, I'm on vacation!  I knew they were in good hands in Chicago because the guy in charge of them liked my Sox bag tag.  6-0 today over the Cubs.  Woohoo!!

Had a small snafu at the Budget counter.  Our Ford Flex wasn't ready.  Then, we found out there was a safety recall that morning.  We'll take the Kia Sedona minivan, thank you!!  And, we got free gas for our trouble.  Bonus!

We had lunch at Wendy's.  Very uneventful.  Amanda got the cd she wanted.  Found our hotel, Courtyard by Marriott.  Beautiful!  And free with Dan's gift card from Bernard.  Our balcony overlooked the pool.

I quickly unpacked the beach gear and we headed to the hotel's beach access walkway.  The sand was so hot!  We could feel it through our flip flops.  Amanda and Dan went out in the waves.  This was Amanda's request.  The last time we were here in 2006, there was a tropical depression offshore and the waves were too big for wading.

Matthew and I hung out on the edge so the water cooled off our feet.  He decided to jump a wave, slipped and fell flat on his non-existent behind!  This meant that he was now going to have to wear tomorrow's clothes to dinner since he was soaked and very sandy. 

We came back to the room after a short visit and rinsed the sand off.  Have to protect the fair skin and we hadn't made our sunscreen run yet.  I repacked some things from the carry-ons into the suitcases.  And, we were off to Rusty's for dinner.

We arrived around 4:15 in order to watch Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas sail away.  I was so excited because in 24 hours it would be our turn.  She left about 20 minutes late.  Didn't bother us much since we were relaxing on the deck.  Well, Dan not as much as me since I was in the shade.  But, the misting fan was hitting him.  Amanda and I took some photos.  My dad and sister saw us on Rusty's webcam.  Pretty cool!  I enjoyed my shrimp.  Ahh, nothing like Florida shrimp!  Dan had a grilled grouper sandwich, another Florida staple.

We made our Publix run for sunscreen, sodas, and snacks.  The ship doesn't have anything salty.  So, I got pretzels and Pringles (my Purdue girls know I must have those!).  The kids wanted granola bars for our excursions.  Then, we stopped at DQ for dessert.  It is actually hard to find those in Florida.

Came back to the hotel and Dan took the kids to the pool.  I hung out at one of the tables and checked emails on my phone.  Matthew tried swimming without floaties and did awesome!  Amanda carried him around for a little too.

We turned in early since we had been up since 3 am!!