Welcome To Florida

Hey, y'all - 

You probably don't remember it because it was so long ago, but we went on an epic southern vacation this past summer. 

We're to the point in our traveling now when I could probably just hand you tickets and meet you at the destination because you know exactly what you're doing, pack yourselves, and never look back. As soon as Hagen can read the departures board, I can officially wash my hands of you people. 

Hagen got a set of wings from just about every Delta employee he encountered. To hear him tell it, "I got THIS one for being on time and THIS one for rescuing somebody and THIS one for always landing at the right airport." The faux medals would probably be more impressive if they weren't pinned to an inside-out shirt.

The inside-out-on-purpose thing is a new development. Hagen says he prefers to wear his shirts inside out because when they have characters printed on them, he can lift his shirt up over his face and talk to them inside the shirt. It's easier to have a private conversation with the Transformers on your shirt that way. I thought that was the wackiest thing I'd ever heard of, but since them he's gone through a solid-colors-only phase, followed by an "It must be symmetrical!" phase. 

For our visit, Peg Peg and Tex found a bike for Laney because they know she needs to be doing something ALL THE TIME. Just landed from a three-leg, cross-country flight? "But NOW what are we doing?!?" It was great to be able to tell her to go ride her bike when she was bored. She fell in with a pack of neighborhood girls almost instantly and they spent a lot of time biking the neighborhood and creating secret hideouts. Laney can make friends faster than anyone I've ever seen, which is a miracle considering her mother would be happy to only communicate via text message with the rest of humanity. 

Because we were in Florida, it's the law that you have to get up at 6am and speed-walk through the neighborhood, commenting on everyone's landscaping choices and how one neighbor has nicer curbing than another. We do not have curbing in Montana. Then again, your dad says Tyvek plastic is the final stage of Montana construction.

When you stay with your parents, you're instantly demoted to backseat status, which was a real drag. Doesn't matter that you're forty; comparatively, you're a kid and you belong in the back.

Before we left on our trip, Peg Peg would call me to discuss all things Disney, and I would remind her that we could just tell the children that her neighborhood was Disney and save ourselves a metric ton of money. You think Hagen cares? Hagen "Shady Pines" Burbach would be happy doing this 12 hours a day:

This is Hagen, describing his invention to Peg Peg, and me laughing, because I know we're going to be here at least another hour before he's done discussing the attachments.

Laney convinced Peg Peg to get out and play scoop ball...

...and we went to the pool every day. 

Y'all, Florida is ungodly hot. And so, so humid. By the time you walk to your car, you need to change clothes. I'd assumed Florida would be the most miserable, weather-wise, on our vacation until a few weeks later when Georgia was able to combine soul-sucking heat with apocalyptic swarms of gnats. Well, played Georgia. 

But you don't notice the weather when you're under water. That's my (new) motto. 

About once a year, Peg Peg calls me to talk about visiting Disney. And every time it happens, I tell her "NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. We were just there and we don't need to go back." And somehow, just as often, I find myself at the turnstiles at the front of the park, having my wristband scanned and I wonder how the heck I got there. 

I'll let you go ahead and guess what tomorrow's post covers. 

Love,

Mom