Days 12-13
Days 9-11
Days 6-8
Days 3-5
Days 2-3
Day 1
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Day 14: Ocala to Ft. Myers Beach
The next morning, we woke up and headed for our final destination on our vacation... Ft. Myers Beach. We had reserved a room for two nights at a hotel right on the beach called Neptune Inn! Now, we realized were going there on Memorial Day but we figured people would be leaving so we didn't think we'd have to worry about crowds.
Well... we got caught in a little traffic jam that afternoon on our way in because we had to go over a bridge, which just happened to be the only way on or off Ft. Myers Beach. That day was a little hectic, but we did finally get to the hotel and check into our room. We were so excited about our room! It was a little dated because it wasn't one of their new "primo" rooms, but it was great for us. We had two double beds, a bathroom with a tub and shower, a couch, a TV (which we didn't use much), and a kitchenette complete with pots, pans, plates, silverware, small fridge, stove, toaster, etc. It was great! We also had an incredible view of the ocean from our huge "wall" of windows! Here are some more pictures of our room:
James plays with his cars on the couch in our room while Daddy gets some reading time in. It was nice to have two double beds and a couch. Even though we didn't sit on the couch at all, James had a great time using it to play on.
Like I said before, the view from our room was incredible! Although the picture doesn't do it justice, you can see from this picture how close we really were to the beach. (Also, note the way the housekeeping ladies had made James' bed so nicely with his bear and glowworm under his blanket.) 
Daddy and James eating at the table in our little "kitchenette." It was really nice to have that kitchen space to use to cook and eat!
We weren't about to go back out and fight the traffic in our car, so we walked with James to a local grocery store to buy some things we needed for our two days of fun. I was excited to have the opportunity/resources to be able to make breakfasts and lunches and only have to buy dinners. So, we bought eggs, bread for toast/sandwiches, cheese, and bacon for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunches, and some fruit for snacks. We also bought some OJ, milk, and water bottles.
After returning to our room, we decided to get our bathing suits on and walk the 30 yards or so to the beach. It had been a while since James had been even near the ocean, so he was a bit intimidated by the waves crashing on the shore. He pretty much clung to Matt the entire time they were in the water and wanted nothing to do with even me! (I guess he just felt more secure in Daddy's big strong arms...) After about an hour or so in the water, we walked back to our room and got showers before heading to dinner. We didn't really want to drive anywhere because surprisingly the traffic was still not great so we walked to a little Italian restaurant just down the street that looked decent. Needless to say, we were quite underwhelmed by this place and decided we'd find another place to eat the next night. We went back to the room ready to get in our PJ's and get a good night's sleep.
Day 15: Our full day of fun in Ft. Myers Beach!
The next morning we got up and I made scrambled eggs with cheese, toast and bacon. Then we got our swimsuits on again and went to hit the beach before it got too hot. Since James was not thrilled with the ocean yesterday, we thought we'd try giving him his sandtoys first (which we'd also bought the day before, along with a water float, at the local grocery store) to see if he'd enjoy playing in the sand next to the blanket while we read and relaxed. He completely flipped out when we took off his shoes and his feet hit the sand; I guess he wasn't so sure about the feeling of the sand on his feet. (Might I add that the sand on the west coast of Florida is a wonderful, soft, powdery sand, so my feet absolutely love it!) What a weirdo! Anyway, we put his shoes back on (as you can see in the picture) and managed to get him to play for a bit in the sand, but the toys didn't keep his attention for long. We went back to the ocean to try once again to help him see how much fun it can be. He was a little better but still only wanted to cling to Matt.
The hotel we stayed at also had a couple pools, so next we decided to try playing with him in the pool. He loved his little float and, at last, really seemed to be having fun! We played in the pool for a little bit before heading back to the room to eat lunch of yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and get James down for a much-needed nap.
Later that afternoon when James woke up, we went back to the beach or pool for some more fun in the water. People were starting to pack up and leave that afternoon, so several really nice people came over to our blanket and offered us chairs, umbrellas, beach toys, etc. that they were leaving behind after using them for their week-long rental. It was crazy how many people did that... and they do it every year, I guess. (When you don't have room in luggage, though, I guess you do what you have to do.) So, James finally had the thing he needed to have fun in the sand-- a dump truck that he could put sand in and then dump it out! He played for a LONG time with that truck and a couple other toys people had given him. It was fine with us; we got to relax on the blanket and read our books. =o) After a while, we went to our room and took showers again before heading out to dinner at a place someone had recommended to Matt called The Parrot Key Caribbean Grill. It was a really yummy restaurant right next to a marina, so it was a nice atmosphere right on the water. It was casual and the food was great! We had a lot of fun and will definitely go back there if we ever visit Ft. Myers Beach again. Day 16: Ft. Myers Beach to... Hollywood (Home Sweet Home)
We'd had a lot of fun on our vacation and seen so many places, but by that morning, we were ready to enjoy the beach/pool one last time, get showers, and then pack up to head home. All in all, it was a great trip and a much needed rest for Matt who hadn't had a vacation in over a year (since he couldn't take a vacation while in police academy or during his training period once he actually started working for the police department). It was also nice to see all Matt's siblings and some of our other family and friends.
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