Final Goodbyes and Other Happenings!

I cannot wait for Saturday afternoon to get here. That means we will be done with packing...at least for a month or so. (I refuse to think like that, so I retract the last portion of the previous sentence.)

We are trying to make the most of our final days here in Florida. We have been playing with Max and Deckland (neighbors next door), saying goodbye to our friends at Chick-fil-A, going to the pool, and taking one last trip to "our" Target. (There will be one in Augusta, but there isn't one in Elizabeth City. Maybe I can start a "Bring Target to EC" petition...) I also spent a good portion of the afternoon yesterday in our hot, steamy garage vacuuming out the van to prepare it for our trip - there's nothing like taking a trip in a nicely cleaned van! Then last night, I vacuumed out Ian's rental car because he is returning it today - have I mentioned he had a minor accident in his rental vehicle days before having to return it? :( (I do mean minor, thankfully....)

This girl loves some mandarin oranges!

And this boy enjoys "samwiches"

Melissa and Marilenis

Adelle

Beachball outside Target

All the kids' toys are packed away (well, except the favorites, like Cayman's trains and his motorcycle.) My sweet new neighbor (so bummed they didn't move here long ago!) is coming over in a little while to shampoo our (once) white furniture. Then she will come over tomorrow evening to clean out our fridge and whatever is left over in the pantry after I pack stuff for our vacation, as well as get some of the bigger toys from the garage for her boys (our wagon and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...I'm curious to see if Cayman will realize it's gone). There are still clothes to be packed, but I'm trying to decide what box/bag/suitcase to pack them in. Bathrooms have been cleaned (only slight touch-up cleaning will be needed on Saturday), stairs have been vacuumed, TV console is clean as are the sliding glass doors, coffee tables, and outside table...Saturday morning will be spent washing the last of the sheets and towels. We sold some bigger kids' stuff at a consignment shop - the pack-n-play (after almost 3 years of use...everyday use for the past year...it had definitely seen better days...), the double stroller, the bumbo, the infant car seat (it's legal to sell them here in FL), some clothes, a baby tent (like the kind you use at the beach). Let's see, one load to drop off at Goodwill, then the massive stuffing-the-van-like-sardines-in-a-can can commence!

Vacation is only 1.5 days away...but boy, does it seem like an eternity!!