I guess we’ve started a tradition of boring Valentine’s/President Day weekends. Last year we headed to Jacksonville where hubby had meetings at our Alma Mater and though we had intentions of big adventures, hubby ended up sick and I ended up as an “Out of Town, Single Mom. “
This year we headed to Ocala (in the North central part of Florida) for a dance competition and convention. While I had a great time at the convention, there was unfortunately very little for hubby to do with the kids. Luckily our hotel had a very warm heated pool which we took advatange of, but aside from shopping and eating, there was little else for one parent and three little ones to do.
Ocala is known for horseback riding, natural springs, cave diving and mountain biking but none of those are conducive to a 1:3 adult-child situation! Poor hubby was left with the kids for nearly two whole days while I was doing my dancing thing.
Saturday he took them swimming in the morning, then we had lunch together. They ran a few errands (who doesn’t love Home Depot in a different town?) and came back to watch the end of the dance competition. The girls liked the dancing but it was too much for a sleepy Doodle so hubby ended up driving him to sleep while the girls and I watched the awards. We hit Sonic for dinner (my favorite but the closest drive-in is 25 miles in the wrong direction from home) and then wandered around Barnes and Noble to dwindle down the time before bed.
Sunday I had classes. During the morning classes, Doodle napped so hubby and the girls were stuck in the hotel room. We again had lunch together and hit Belk’s department store (a southern classic we liked in Jacksonville that we don’t have in our part of Florida) before I returned to classes. Hubby took the kids back to the hotel for a nap and we all went swimming before dinner. We headed to a local barbeque restaurant (can you believe we can’t find barbeque we like in South Florida?) and then back to Barnes and Noble.
Hubby did get to go mountain biking on Monday (the whole reason he agreed to come along to Ocala in the first place!), leaving me alone with the three which actually wasn’t so bad. We dropped him at the bike shop (after an impromptu play at the park since they told him the wrong opening time!) and headed to Hobby Lobby.
Oh my goodness, how I love and have missed Hobby Lobby! The closest to me currently is 60 miles away but having grown up with one right around the corner, I know that no other fabric or craft store even comes close!
I went a little crazy on Valentine’s (half off!), St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and even Halloween decorations that I’ve had trouble finding near home. (Though I saw they’re opening a Hobby Lobby by hubby’s office and I can’t wait!)
After Hobby Lobby we headed back to the hotel to swim and collect our last few things and then headed to McAlister’s, one of my favorite restaurants from our Oklahoma time which we don’t have in our home area either! After lunch we walked to the pet store and just wandered. Doodle loved the birds and the girls thought the mice running on the wheels were so funny!
It’s strange because looking back, we didn’t really do anything all weekend, but I think we all still had a pretty great time (I’ll have to check with hubby…) and while I don’t think we would choose to vacation in Ocala, at least while the kids are still little, it wasn’t as terrible as I expected (I had envisioned hubby and 3 children frazzled and losing their minds by the time I returned each day!)
