The days leading up to the holiday probably accounted for our worn out personas. Deanna left for Florida around the middle of December while I stayed back in Mansfield to continue work at the church. The plan was for her to spend time with her family and then for me and my immediate family to join them right after Christmas to spend time at the beach and at Disney.
Consequently, on Christmas day my parents picked me up and we began the drive south. Below is the picture I made them take in our driveway before we left. Look how excited everyone is.
So for the first time in a number of years, I found myself sitting in the backseat of a car next to my brother, my mom and dad piloting our vehicle from the front. I've included a picture of him as well to really help you capture the moment.
It was actually really cool to make the trip and it was a nice moment to be with family like that again. I did have to share a bed with him at the hotel, but we set up a nice pillow wall in between us.
When we made it to Florida we picked up the kids and Deanna and headed to a borrowed condo in a local retirement community in Sebring. I resisted the urge to play Bingo the next morning and instead headed out for a round of golf with my dad. We are really the only 2 that play in the immediate family, so everyone else sat this one out. I should mention that my brother does play on occasion, but after 2 or 3 holes he's tired of picking up all the clubs he's thrown. I lost the pink ball I was using on one of the first holes, so from there on out I knew things were going downhill. I eventually lost to my dad, but bonded with the local environment.
After a day at the beach and watching my mom build approximately 27 sand castles with Elliana, we were on our way to Disney. We started with the intention of hitting Magic Kingdom first, but it was actually filled to capacity, so we ended up at Animal Kingdom on day 1. The crowds were pretty fierce and I did find out that the week between Christmas and New Year's is the busiest, so lesson learned there.
But we had a great time, got to go on the fake safari, see lots of animals, watch an amazing Lion King show, and meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy in person. The kids had a blast and it was the first time a lot of us had been to that particular park, so we really enjoyed it.
The next day was the Magic Kingdom and we rocked that park from open to close. We got to do all the main rides and attractions, and Elliana even braved Splash Mountain, marking her first ever sort-of-kind of roller coaster. The parades and shows were pretty amazing, and I'll admit it, I cried a little when they lit the castle lights at the end of the night. I was just so happy to see Cinderella get her wish.
After Disney my parents and brother headed back to Ohio and we spent 3 or 4 days at Deanna's mom and dads in Lake Wales. It was fun to be able to wind down from the constant movement and spend a couple of days just relaxing and hanging out with them. We are very fortunate to have 2 sets of parents that support and love us so much.
Now, vacation has passed and we are back in Ohio, picking up the fundraising trail and spending our last few months at the church in Mansfield. Our newest newsletter is coming out soon, so look for that with all the updated information on how our journey is going. I'd give you the bullet-points, but I don't want to spoil it.
We do now know that our final day at the church will be March 25th. There will be a service that evening, so if you're in the Mansfield area please come by and see us. Also, we are scheduled for our pre-trip training at Missionary Training Institute during the month of April. After that, Lord willing, it's Tanzania or bust in May.
As always, thanks for the prayers and support. We love you.
Scott
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