florida is calling to us

The winter weather has finally arrived, and although lows are only in the low 50s (for the most part), we are definitely feeling chilled to the bone. Perhaps I am no longer accustomed to the cold, like I was when we lived in Colorado and other colder climates. I remember going out in t-shirts when the weather was in the 50s and 60s, but now I feel like I have to wear a coat and cat. Either that, or this is just one of those effects that takes hold as you get older. Or maybe I'm not getting enough iron in my diet. LOL.

None-the-less, I am excited because our trip to Florida in January is only a little more than a month away. We've got everything scheduled and we are ready to go - all we'll need to do is pack our bags, drop off the dog at the kennel, and drive to the airport. We've got our airfare, hotel, travel insurance, Disney World park hopper tickets, rental car reservation - the whole kit and caboodle.

Although I used to enjoy taking unplanned trips, we find that it doesn't work out as great when traveling with young children. Their eating and sleeping schedules aren't as flexible. While we adults might get a little cranky waiting to eat lunch until 3 pm on any given day, the kids will get absolutely unruly. So we plan every trip in detail these days, and find that things go pretty smooth. It also allows me to use some of the free nights that I earn through various hotel frequent travel programs - most won't allow you to just drop in and use a free night. Either that, or they only have a limited number of free nights available for any given date, so if you wait until the last minute, those free rooms might be all booked up.

I'm wondering if this chilly winter weather has more to do with me, or if it a nationwide thing having to do with global warming in some way. Perhaps it is just more humid than usual for this time of the year, but I don't think that is the case, since my hands are feeling dry and I have noticed that lots of the kids in the area are getting those dry, chapped lips and runny noses.

None-the-less, we will hopefully be basking in some warmer weather in about six weeks.