Day 1 - Friday December 14th
My mom, dad and I loaded my car and were on the road at 3:00 a.m. With one storm ending and another on the way we did our best to travel between them. For the first time in all my trips South I actually saw the sun in Pennsylvania. Light snow in New York and part way into Pennsylvania but then it turned much nicer. Lots of ice in the trees down to Harrisburg as well. We stopped driving around 5:30 p.m. and rested for the night in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. I was ready to see a bed.
Day 2 - Saturday December 15th
Up and on the road by 4am for another long day on the road. A little rain and heavy traffic at times but overall it wasn't a bad commute. I'm sorry ladies but I have come to the conclusion that the worst drivers on the roads are women. If it isn't the case, you certainly have plenty of fellow females who are adding some weight to the rumour. We arrived at Scott and Erin's at 5:20pm. Out for a quick supper at Outback Steakhouse...mmmm prime rib, and then home for an early night. Day 3 - Sunday December 16th
I slept in late and it was a quiet day. Shopped at the WalMart, played cards and relaxed. Also kept an eye on the computer to try and get news on the big snow storm hitting back home. I'm glad to be in Florida but wondering what's happening at the house.
Days 4-10 - Monday Dec. 17th to Sunday Dec. 23rd
Mostly shopping during these days and relaxation in the evenings as we continued to prepare for Christmas. I've come to the conclusion that it's much easier to spend money rather than earn it...but I think we all knew that already. WalMart is like a second home to me now and the massive malls are almost as familiar. Went to have the car detailed and it looks like new all washed and waxed and the inside cleaned.
Day 11 - Monday Dec. 24th
Scott and I were up early and on the road to join the masses for the final pre-Christmas shopping day. We traveled up the road, over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and into Tampa where we found the International Plaza Mall which is a gigantic two level mall. It's an impressive place but most of the stores were well out of my price range. The Apple store was nice to visit though. Erin had to work today so it was just the four of us for our annual Christmas Eve supper at Outback Steakhouse. We used to eat at Ponderosa but sadly they no longer exist anymore to keep that tradition going. It was a quiet evening at home as we prepared for a busy Christmas Day. Day 12 - Tuesday Dec. 25th
Up early for breakfast and then it was present opening time. It was a very good haul for all of us with lots of new toys including a new laptop for me, diamonds for mom, iPod and telescope for dad and two iPhones for Scott and Erin. We were spoiled as usual. It was then off to Erin's parents house for supper, more gift opening and a lot of laughs. Both sets of Erin's grandparents, mom and dad and sister Ashley were there. By the way it was in the 80's and sunny today...not what I'm used to for Christmas but I'm not complaining. Day 13 - Wednesday Dec. 26th
Scott and I went golfing today at Stoneybrook Golf Club just down the street from the house. The good news was I played better than the last time I played that course but the bad news was I still didn't play great. Scott had a good round though. It was nice to get out on Boxing Day to play 18 holes on a warm day and I got to work on my tan a little bit. I was quite sore in the evening since I hadn't played in almost 3 months. Day 14 - Thursday Dec. 27th
Most of the day was spent around the house relaxing. Late in the afternoon all five of us jumped in Scott's truck and headed for Tampa to watch the Montreal Canadiens play the Lightning at the Forum. It was a packed house with lots of Habs fans in attendance and of course we had our Montreal jerseys and hats to fit in and cheer our team on. Our seats were awesome and the Habs won 5-2. It was a fun night and worth the price of admission.
Day 15 - Friday Dec. 28th
More shopping on a very hot day. I actually got some tan this day as I spent time waiting for my parents to shop. It was a quiet day overall which is always nice.
Day 16 - Saturday Dec. 29th
Mom, Dad, Scott, Erin, Ashley and I hit the road for Tampa to spend the day shopping, or browsing as I would describe my involvement. It was a full day at the International Plaza and the place was very busy with lots of sales. Of course even the sale prices were more than I was willing to spend at this ritzy place. Supper was spent at The Cheesecake Factory which was very nice and very filling. The Tons of Fun Burger was truly more than a mouthful. It was a good day. Day 17 - Sunday Dec. 30th
Another quiet day mostly spent around the house. Watched some football in the afternoon and then a couple of movies in the evening.
Day 18 - Monday Dec. 31st
It was an overcast day with scattered showers so our plans changed and we didn't do much. Did a little shopping with Mom, Dad and Scott. We had a very good lunch in Sarasota at Cheeburger Cheeburger. It was very filling and tasty. In the evening Erin's sister Ashley joined us for food, games, cards and champagne as we rang in the New Year 2008 together.
Day 19 - Tuesday January 1st
Other than a quick outing to Walmart with Scott it was a day spent at the house watching college football, playing games and eating lots of food on this first day of the new year. Erin's sister Ashley and her parents Lynette and David also spent the afternoon with us. It was a small but nice gathering.
Day 20 - Wednesday January 2nd
Slept in a bit but got up and booked a campsite online at Presqu'ile for mom and dad for this summer. It seems so far away right now. Out and about with ma and pa on a much cooler day as we visited the Outlet Mall at Ellenton and checked out a few other places. Home for supper and a relaxing evening.
Day 21 - Thursday January 3rd
Woke up to a very cold morning for Florida as the temperatures were just above freezing. Thankfully it wasn't expected to last more than a day or two. Scott, Mom, Dad and I headed for Myakka River State Park to check out the wildlife and be one with nature. The gators were scarce today thanks to the cold weather but plenty of varieties of birds. We also made our way down to Lido Beach by St. Armand's Circle. After supper at Red Lobster it was home to watch TV and play a few games on the Xbox 360 before calling it a night. Day 22 - Friday January 4th
Woke up feeling a little ill today so I decided to spend a quiet day resting around the house and watching some movies. It is expected to be a busy day tomorrow for mom and dad's 45th wedding anniversary party here.
Day 23 - Saturday January 5th
This was a busy day as mom and dad celebrated their 45th anniversary today. I took mom and dad out for a little light shopping while Scott and Erin got things ready at the house. Upon our return we were joined by the Hinman's, Ashley and Grandma Lusk. We had a delicious turkey dinner, presents were given and emails from friends back home were read. Mom and Dad also received a letter personally signed by the Prime Minister and another from the Premier of Ontario congratulating them. After supper we played some games and then relaxed. It was a good day. Of course dad and I also kept an eye on the World Junior Hockey Gold Medal game which Canada won. They beat Sweden in overtime for their fourth gold in a row. Day 24 - Sunday January 6th
Another day of relaxation mostly. Mom, Dad and I went up I-75 to the Ellenton Outlet Mall for a quick visit and then to lunch before returning home. Spent the afternoon playing games on the Xbox 360 with Scott and then a quiet evening as we get prepared for the trip home.
Day 25 - Monday January 7th
Up fairly early and started to get ready to leave as we're expecting to hit the road very early tomorrow. We had a lot of stuff to pack and we managed to get a lot of it in the trunk of my car. Safe to say the load won't shift any as it is packed tight. Scott and Erin worked today so the folks and I did some last minute running around before coming home, having supper and calling it an early night.
Day 26 - Tuesday January 8th
Up at 3:00am, finished packing the car, said our goodbyes to Scott and Erin and on the road by 3:45am. Dad and I shared the driving duties as usual and the trip went well overall. Traffic was OK for the most part until we got up around Richmond, Virginia in time for rush hour at 5:00pm. The only problem occurred on I-275 when a dump truck went flying past us and kicked up a rock which hit the windshield and cracked it on the drives side. I was quite angry as you might imagine. The crack spread about 8-10 inches before it stopped. We decided to get off the road and grabbed a motel in Fredericksburg, Virginia as we figured 15 hours driving was enough for day one. The temperature was very warm and mostly dry the whole way which was nice. Day 27 - Wednesday January 9th
It was another early morning as we were up and on the road by 5:00am. It was a long day with the some rain to start and then sunshine and high winds the rest of the way. We saw several transport trailers and one fifth wheel camper that had been blown over by the winds. We lost a little time in Wilkes-Bare, Pennsylvania as we took an off ramp to get gas that didn't have an on ramp but thanks to my GPS we were able to go cross country a bit and back on to I-81. We also had a delay at the Ivy Lee bridges at the Thousand Islands. Due to the very strong winds the transports were not being allowed over and they were only letting vehicles over in one direction at a time. We finally make it to the house and got the car unpacked and relaxed.
Despite the cooler weather it was nice to be home again but I do miss the heat and weather of Florida already. It was a great trip and I only hope the warm weather returns to Canada sooner rather than later. I should also thank my employer for allowing me the time off. Luckily it was a slow time at work so I wasn't missed too badly.
And a reminder you can check out more photos from the trip by clicking Bundy's Photos in the right column.
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