Spring Break 2021- Clearwater Beach, Florida

Never ever would have I imagined that when we planned this trip a year ago, that the pandemic would still be going on!  We like to take an annual trip together as a family sometime during the year and this time we chose Clearwater Beach, Florida.  We intentionally chose the week of March 20-27 because our daughter who is in college had that week off for Spring Break.  Well, her university cancelled Spring Break, but she decided to join us anyway and attend her classes virtually during the week!  Unfortunately, our third son and his fiancé couldn’t make the trip because they were finishing up college and clinicals. The other kids and grandbabies made the trip- Yay!!!

I had forgotten how much “stuff” you have to bring when you have little ones!! Gosh, the kids were troopers on the flight from Milwaukee to Tampa.

After a 45 minute wait at the rental car pick up, we noticed that while driving out of the airport parking lot that the low tire pressure light was on in the van.  We didn’t have the heart to turn around and wait longer to have it checked out and we were HUNGRY as it was 8:30 pm and we hadn’t had dinner yet. Needless to say, the next morning our tire was completely flat. Bummer.  The other van of family that we had rented arrived at the house just a little behind us that night.  Amid the shuffle, somehow “Sheepie” (grandson’s stuffed animal) got lost at the airport.  Double Bummer! Vacation sure hadn’t started out how we wanted it to.

Welcome to Clearwater, Florida!!!

Here is the house that we rented. It was only a block from the ocean, and had a private beach, so the  location was awesome.  I can’t tell you how nice it was to see the sun and palm trees! The first 2 days were cloudy and 54 degrees so when the sun came out, we sure welcomed it!! By the third day, it truly felt like Florida!

It was so fun to watch the “cousins” together!  They really enjoyed each other!!

These three drove to Disney for a day. They hit up Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Gma and Gpa were on kid duty!!

Did I mention that these stairs were one of the very favorite activities at the house?  Going up and down the wooden stairs was apparently SO FUN!  Even more fun was the light switch on the wall going up the stairs! Fun, Fun!  We usually had one of the adults chaperoning the tour up and down.

Each family took their turn cooking a meal that week….Our family sure knows how to cook and do it up right! As you can see we like Mexican food!! One night we even made brownies…with SPRINKLES!!

Hubby and I on the beach!  It was cold and windy that day!

Beach Sunsets were a favorite. We found shells galore, played frisbee, built “swimming pools” and watched the waves come in and go out.  I even got my shoes soaking wet by a sneaky wave during a picture!!

 

This little sweetie is going to be a big sister very soon!

Pier 60 is a big attraction in Clearwater Beach.  It’s a fun place to hit the beach, visit restaurants, walk around, play on the playground, and my personal favorite….watching the fishing boats come in and filet the fish that they caught!

The Pier

The pool at the house was well used & enjoyed! Swimming in the sun was popular during the day, but the hot tub was a BIG hit at night after the kiddoes went to bed! EVERYONE loved the water!!

Our daughter managed to keep up with her studies while going to Disney, enjoying the beach and relaxing in the sun.  She was involved in a zoom call with her class, which she joined from an upstairs patio at the house. She said the instructor could clearly tell that she wasn’t in Wisconsin. Maybe the palm trees were a giveaway???

About half way through the vacation, this little guy came down with a fever of 103.5.  He didn’t feel very good.  No other symptoms. Just lasted 2 days- they were suspecting teething might have been the culprit.

One night when we were playing cards, an opossum came to the patio door to check us all out! THAT was a huge surprise!!!I guess he was just making the rounds for the night.  As you can see below, our daughter got a little too much sun on her feet….OUCH!!

Fun memories from the trip!!

Two of the families stayed an extra 2 days, but Hubby, daughter and I headed back earlier. I don’t like to be away from our doggies too long. They’re family too!!

So glad we could get away for a bit….but there’s no place like home!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing our trip!!  Did you go anywhere fun recently? Or have a trip planned?  Let me know in the comments!!  XOXO