flashback friday

some more Florida trip pictures::

flashback friday

Our big Florida trip :: the trip summary in pictures ::

{part I -- actually it's more like part II since it's the 2nd half of our trip. I guess we're going to do this in reverse and you'll have to wait until next week for the other half.}

numbers

We're home! It feels so good to be home again. There really is "no place like home"!

I now present you with our road trip 2011 in numbers ::

• gallons of gas used :: 247.8 gallons {at an average of $3.49/gallon that equals about $865 in gas -- WAY cheaper than flying 8 people to Florida and then renting a monster-sized van once we got there!}
• time logged in the van since we left :: 81 hours 39 minutes
• number of days away from home :: 15 days
• number of nights spent sleeping in a hotel :: 4 nights
• number of nights spent sleeping {or NOT sleeping} in the van :: 2 nights {while driving through the night}
  
• number of nights spent sleeping in our rental house in Florida :: 7 nights
• number of nights spent in a house en-route :: 1 night {with Kirby's grandma at her daughter's house in Indiana}
• number of different state license plates spotted along the way :: 44 states {we never saw Colorado, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Hawaii, Washington DC or New Hampshire -- we did, however, see a few Canadian plates, but we didn't have a handy dandy game thing to keep track of those}
• audio books listened to as a family :: 3 books
• days spent at a Walt Disney World theme park :: 6 days
• number of fireworks shows watched in Florida :: 2
• pairs of mouse ears purchased :: 6 pair
• number of fights between kids during the van trip involving hitting, kicking, pinching, yelling or hair-pulling :: too many to count
  
• loads of laundry done since returning home 12 hours ago :: 3 loads {with more to come and quite a few done in Florida as well}
• miles logged since we left home on June 14th :: 4,016.1 miles
• length of time our trip will stay alive through stories, pictures, jars of sand, thoughts and memories :: forever {at least that is the hope}
  

After nearly 2 years of saving, dreaming and planning, our big summer Disney vacation is already over. It really was a great trip and I'm so thankful that we could do it. {Many, many, many people helped to make it possible for us to go in one way or another.} I really do think the kids {most of them anyway} will remember it forever. But, it's so very good to be back home!

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1025. the beauty of falling snow
1026. my first shoveling stint of the winter {not-too-cold temps and light, fluffy powder}
1027. quick healing for my sister-in-laws broken ribs after a little {unplanned} tumble down the stairs
1028. coming upon scenes like this:1029. Christmas music {my current favorites are Emmanuel by Chris Tomlin and Winter Snow Song by Audrey Assad with Chris Tomlin -- gotta love Chris Tomlin and it goes without saying that I adore anything from Sara Groves' O Holy Night album}
1030. this face {couldn't you just eat her up?}::1031. a little Christmas crafting
1032. Sara finding her voice
1033. "snow" much winter fun {check out those snow banks}::


all that sledding will wear you out . . . good thing we're equipped with snow "beds"

1034. this silly girl::1035. her gangsta sister::1036. 2nd generation BFFs::1037. Joe's play that he performed for us {he's quite the ham, in case you weren't aware}::1038. a super-fun evening with some wonderful, wonderful life-long friends
1039. planning :: the anticipation is half the fun -- at least {our kids and the Newman's watching the Disney Vacation Planning video. They were completely engrossed and we weren't even really there. Can't wait!!!}::1040. 4 generations of my family lighting the advent {love} candle at church yesterday and that fact that all 4 generations of us worship there together each week
1041. children singing their hearts out for the Lord
1042. TONS of hand-addressed envelopes in my mailbox today
1043. online shopping {with free shipping -- and no crowds or malls!}
1044. my {can I still call it new?} camera

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.