Florida

Jeff, Alana, and I had a wonderful time in Florida! The drive to Largo was quite the trek. It took 14 hours (instead of the usual 7) because Jeff visited several customers along the way. Alana was a real trooper! When Jeff would leave us to meet a customer, Alana and I would get out of our seats and hit the activity mat in the back of the van. The crammed space didn't bother her a bit.


Betty was so excited to see Alana after almost two months. We were happy to see her, too (I wouldn't have made it through the first month of motherhood without her)! Alana got to meet her some of her "Greats" while at Betty's house-Jeff's Uncle Jack and Aunt Joan. She smiled and laughed upon meeting them and was quite comfortable in their arms. Betty prepared the most wonderful dinner for all of us (bacon wrapped filet mignon, veggies, potatoes, rolls- YUM!). Alana was also introduced to Sisty, one of Betty's good friends. Sisty hugged and loved on her like she was one of her own grandchildren. :-) It was sad departing. We look forward to Betty coming to Atlanta this summer.


To Orlando we went. Alana first met Herman, a good friend from church with whom we stayed that night.

Later that night, she met Helga, another good church friend who was in our wedding party. Unfortunately, Alana was ready for bed by the time Helga arrived, so she was less that sociable.
We went to Concord St. Church on Sunday. It was wonderful worshiping and visiting with all our old friends! We went to the Mongolian BBQ (one of Jeff's favorite O-Town restaurants) with some friends after church. Yum :-)


West Palm Beach was the next stop on our Florida tour. Alana got to meet her great grandparents-(Melissa's) Grandma Honey and Grandpa Charles.

She also got to meet some other family members on Mommy's side- Uncle Mike, Aunt Janette, Tessa, Charlie, Emily, and John.

She got to see Grandpa and Lori, whom she hadn't seen since she was a few days old.

She even got to meet Lori's daughter, Miranda.

Grandma and Grandpa had everyone over for a massive fish fry. Dad did the frying- it was soooo delicious (thanks, Dad)! There were bass, cichlids, tilapia, and catfish. Alana didn't eat any fish that day, but she did drink (or should I say, lap) from a cup for the first time.

The highlight of the stay for Jeff was probably going fishing with Grandpa and Dad. This is a picture of Jeff with his first cichlid.

Jeff enjoyed listening to Grandpa and Dad banter with one another like playful friends. He said there was a "competition" going on between them to see who could be the first man to drop his line in the water at each fishing spot.


Some of the things I enjoyed were getting to know my cousin Emily as an adult (we really hadn't spent time together since we were kids) and listening to Grandma's stories about her life in Germany. Gma and Gpa also told Jeff and me stories about their life on the farm in Illinois, their kids, married life, etc which was entertaining. I love family history lessons :-)

Dad (Grandpa) took care of Alana while Jeff and I were packing up the van for the trek home. She was so comfortable with him, it amazed me. Alana laid her head on his chest and snuggled (prior to-and since-Grandpa, she has only done this with Mommy). She eventually fell asleep on him. I felt the need to snap a picture...notice her thumb, still stuck in her mouth.

Well, the beach had changed a lot since we saw it last summer. It seemed like a good 20 feet of "sunbather's paradise" had been covered by the encroaching sea. More of Lake Worth Pier had crumbled, as well. Unfortunately, we didn't appreciate the sun and surf while squishing the sand between our toes...just from afar.

Basically, we parked, took pictures, and left. It was torture for me, but Jeff didn't seem to mind ;-) It was our last stop before leaving sunny South Florida.