It’s a brand new year and we are ready set to hit the road to the unknown states! But first, let’s explore this state we’ve both lived in for a while in a more family friendly way. Since we’re in south Florida and we have an annual National Park pass, it only makes sense to hit up the Everglades. Did you know that this park pass is only $80 for the ENTIRE year and it’s good for however many people you can fit in your car! It’s an insanely great deal and it’s one of the first things we budgeted into our travel expenses. There are 423 National Parks in the United States alone and this pass pays for itself after about 3 to 4 popular parks.
When we got there, we learned just how large these national parks are. At the first visitor center we parked and went to find information on how to get to all the hot cool trails. We wanted to see as much wildlife as possible. We drove to the Royal Palm entrance that was closest to Homestead but still a little ways drive into the park and our dreams were crushed. We ignorantly didn’t realize just how large these parks were. From one part of the park to another was like 40 to 60 miles and that my friends was not going to work. If you remember, we have no gas gauge. We literally have been putting in enough gas where we *hope* we calculated correctly to make it 100 miles before we put gas in again. It would not be a smart decision to unintentionally end up camping out in the Everglades because we ran out of gas. We love life.
We explored a small part of the park during this Everglades stroll and we definitely had to have a conversation with Zo about her proximity to the alligators. She seemed to think she didn’t look like alligator food and was trying to get too close. The bird watching scene was also pretty popping as we started to realize just how many species of birds live in Florida (it’s at least 480!). It was a great educational trip and another great reminder that learning is all around us. After the Everglades, we dashed to Tampa to see our niece and nephews. They thought the RV was so cool and tried to move in immediately. Bae’s best friend was also in town and happened to have a room at the beautiful Thunderbird Hotel in St. Pete that he didn’t need one of the nights. The room was two flights of stairs and five feet from the beach. Thank you best friend. However, he will only give it to us on one condition- we break our celibacy.
Yep, you read that right. At this point in our relationship, we have been celibate for over two years. We have also lived together that entire time (minus like two months) The journey was hard. All puns intended. But at the same time, it also wasn’t. It was the most beautiful test of discipline and willpower. We did this for NO religious, spiritual, or marriage reasons. So why the heck would we do this? We simply wanted to challenge ourselves and we decided to make the commitment. We spent many date nights binging shows, planning the future, and perfecting our cuddling swag. But when Josh offered us the hotel room, we immediately took the key. It’s been two plus years ya’ll! He didn’t believe that we would actually do it so we told him a secret- we consummated the relationship the night before in the RV and it would be way better to have our second time be in an actual bed in a hotel on the beach. Thank you perfect timing! But there was another surprise I would later find out about that came with the hotel key. Bae was peer pressured into some “candy” that “guaranteed” a great LONG time - 70% of the time. The other 30 percent contains a risk of things not working properly.
After a VERY memorable night, (think 30%- a hilarious sex fail story) we were woken up by the kids yelling about the massive amount of kites outside. Turns out there was a kite festival! Now I’ve had a few kites in my day but THESE were amazing! We learned about sport kites, which are pretty much remote controlled kites in my mind, and watched an array of designs fly through the air while we walked along the beach looking for treasure. When we took the kids back to Tampa, we met up with best friend at the Hard Rock so the boys could play the gambling games and the girls could enjoy the amazing heated pool.
The next day we found out that the Glazer’s Children’s Museum was hosting a free Play and Learn event at the Gardenville Recreation Center. We love the word free and Zoey loves the word play so we figured it was a win/win. The event was definitely geared for children younger than Zoey and she kind of had the attitude that this wasn’t gonna be fun. We could have just left but we had no other plans and we didn’t want to look rude after the host said it would be fun for all. We had a conversation about just having fun and making the best of it and we found ourselves in the middle of A LOT of directed dancing. I’m talking galloping around like horses in a circle with 2 year olds and their moms to the beat of the music before switching to tip toeing like mice and whispering our shh’s. But in great fashion, we danced our hearts out and made it a point to be as silly as possible to ensure Zoey had a good time. So many parents commented on the energy we had and how we really knew how to play! It was exhausting!! However, Zoey had fun and we did too so that was all that mattered.
Staying positive even when you’re in a situation you may not want to be in can make or break an experience. Zoey thought it was gonna be a baby-ish thing and wanted to complain and leave until we talked about having to make the best of things sometimes. It’s hard raising a kid that will be a sweet, positive person but communication makes it easier. At the end of it, the host thought our traveling journey was super cool and invited us to come play at the museum. We scored three free tickets and we can’t wait to go! Zoey looked at the exhibits and she’s so happy we stayed. We are firm believers in when you put good energy out into the world, it will always come back to you. So even when life is a TRIPPP, remember to stay positive because you never know when you will be rewarded!!
Life is a TRIPPP, SO TAKE ONE!
🤎 😎 🤎 😎 🤎 😎 🤎 😎 🤎 😎 🤎 😎
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