Mom, can we use your beach home?

It was Sunday December 23, 2007 and about 22 degrees in Cincinnati, OH when I told my husband that we need to get out of here. I suggested that we go to Naples, FL where my parents have a beach home!

I didn’t really listen to his answer because it went something like this: “no way. It’s a 17 hour drive, we have to be here for Christmas, and we have to be home by New Year’s Day! And I will be the one doing all the driving!” After a little debate (that I won) as well as pleading with my parents to use their beach home, we decided to leave on the 26th and return on January 1.

Little did we know that on December 26, 2007 we started a family tradition that has been going strong for 6 years with no end in sight. At 4 AM, we loaded up the minivan with our two kids, my sister, her two kids, coloring books, iPods, DVD players, food to feed an army, and off we went.

Seventeen long hours later, we rolled into my parents’ beach home and our short vacation had begun. The long drive was worth it. Perfect sunny weather, long beach walks, relaxation, tiki bars, picnics on the beach, and outdoor fun. It doesn’t get any better than this. It may be 20 degrees back home but we were lovin’ the summer style down on the Gulf Coast!

The ride home was a different story. I guess we weren’t the only ones that decided to go down south for the holidays. Bad weather, bad traffic, and cranky kids helped contribute to a 22 hour trek!

I highly recommend a spontaneous trip with your family. However, there are several things that you cannot do without on a long drive: car charger for your cell phone, iPad/Tablet charger, headphones for kids unless you want to hear video games for hours on end, iExit app which provides great information about every exit on the highway (gas stations, restaurants, etc).

Luckily we quickly forgot about the long ride home and instead looked forward to our next winter getaway.

PS: Since my parents are kind enough to allow us to stay at their beautiful beach home, I intend to spruce it up a little on my next visit with a couple of these chic pillows!

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~Cindy