final vacation thoughts

This is it. Today we head back to the Buckeye state. I plan to be at Aqua tonight (7:00 p.m. in the Warehouse...college/singles...I hope to see you there). Our trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Here are some final thoughts/observations:

• Natalie is very good at miniature golf. She tied my score last night.
• Ben & Jerry have a new rival for our favorite ice cream. It's called Blue Bell. We first discovered it a Carrabba's. They have it shipped in from Texas. Florida supermarkets have it in the frozen food section. The homemade vanilla is unbelievable.
• We're using an airport transportation service to get us to the airport today. Which brings up the question: What's an appropriate tip for the driver? I did some research. The answer: usually about 15% of the invoice plus about a dollar per bag if he helps with them.
• We found a great restaurant last night: Mel's Diner in Cape Coral. No, we didn't see Alice or Flo...and it's much nicer than you're everyday diner. We all give it a huge thumbs-up. And the whole family at for under $30. The kids meals were only $2 and they included drinks and ice cream sundaes. What a deal! And none of the kids were able to finish their entree (generous portions).
• We probably hit six thrift stores over the past two weeks. Sometimes when we're out and we see one, we'll go check it out. We found a great Goodwill store last night. Thrift stores are like huge, organized garage sales. Here are some of our vacation finds: I got two pairs of jeans for $6 each. I got a very nice Ralph Lauren button-down for $4. We found a sweet life vest for Andrew to use at the beach for $5. The kids got knock-off Crocs for $3 a pair. I got several CDs for $4 each including Nora Jones, Fleetwood Mac, and Relient K (brand new...still in wrapper). Natalie got an Ambercrombie corduroy jacket for $3. A boogie board for beach use for $2. GAP jeans for each of the girls for $6 each...just to name a few. If you don't shop thrift stores, I'd be interested in knowing why you don't. We don't always find great finds but it's worth it to us to check things out every once in a while.
• Andrew drove his first go-cart by himself last night. No crashes.
• We finished season three of 24 last night. Somehow we squeezed those in after the kids went to bed in the evenings. Season three was good but man, did it leave a lot of questions unanswered.

That's it for now. See you at Aqua...or Married Life Live...or church this Sunday.