Family in Florida

I didn't bother to edit for typos, grammar, spelling etc. you said to just get up and write!!!! So forgive any typos! ;)

I will never forget my first real family vacation, especially since we only went on 4 family vacations throughout my childhood.... and well, the first holds many fun and vivid memories for me...

The year is 1984. I remember two weeks before the trip, my mom took my sister and I to Montgomery Ward to pick out swimsuits and towels. I had no idea what was really going on; just that we were going to Florida. It just so happened that Montgomery Ward was on Florida Blvd. in Baton Rouge, so I remember hearing my mom telling my dad "It's on Florida!" and thinking, "Yay, we're already on vacation."

Two weeks later, we're in the car, a 1980 powder blue Pontiac Bonneville, and it's early. I'm still drowsy with sleep and so is my older sister. (who is 9 years older than me, in high school and demands all things revolve around her) pushes me off the backseat and makes me lay on the floor of the car. I didn't mind all that much, because I rest my head on the hump and the lull of the tires on the road puts me back to sleep. Eventually, after a while, I wake up as the car stops.

Now, this wasn't just ANY bathroom break. We stopped at the Alabama Welcome Center... and it was so cool, or so it seemed at the time. After using the restroom and washing up, my dad took me (just me, not my sister) into the Welcome Center, where they gave out free Cokes! With that awesome crushed ice. And they gave me a sticker! I thought that place was so awesome! I kept that sticker on the inside of my Little Golden Book, The Pokey Little Puppy, for years after that trip.

Another hour or two passes, and we finally get to our destination... sunny and warm Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. We check into our hotel, the Holiday Inn, and it turns out all of my cousins and aunts and uncles from my dad's side of the family are there! My parents didn't tell me that! That means I'll have lots and lots of cousins to play with on this trip...

(Footnote: My dad has 6 brothers and sisters, and they all have at least 3 or more kids each, two of my aunts have 6 kids each)

We get into our room and immediately change into our suits and my dad takes me out to the pool! I'm so excited to put on my new blue suit with the white stripes! I just jump in and start playing with my pop. Meanwhile, my sister heads off to the beach, magazine and Hawaiian Tropic in tow. I'll never forget asking my dad, "Can I go with Vickie?" and seeing her turn from behind making that scowling face to my dad, like "DAAAAD, don't make me babysit while I'm laying out looking at guys!" So my dad tells me he'll take me later...

My mom is laid out on a chaise lounge, drinking a pina colada with my Aunt Louise while my dad keeps on playing with me and my cousins in the pool. The day was just perfect in the eyes of a 7 year old! As the day got closer to the night, my Uncle Stewart gave each of us kids a $10 bill to play in the hotel arcade and get slices of pizza while the grown ups went to eat dinner, leaving the younger ones in the care of the older teen cousins.

The next few days are a blur of swimming, hunting for seashells, tasting my mom's pina colada (which was non alcoholic) and riding the giant beach Four Wheeler. This thing was fascinating to a kid like me. It looked like a giant Four Wheeler, but you had to pedal it through the water on the beach. My dad took me for a ride on it, and boy did it wear him out!

That vacation will always remain my favorite of my childhood. I don't know if it was because it was my first trip or if because all of my cousins were there, but I had such a great time!