Tampa Trip!

We spent the July 4th weekend down in Tampa, which is not a quick trip (7 hour drive) but an easy one to make.  We've got a whole lot going on this summer, so it served as a little summer vacation and getaway from all the hustle and bustle in Georgia.  The main reason for the trip to Tampa:  DUDE PERFECT, which did not disappoint.  (The secondary reason: to spend time with our favorite Florida family.  Unfortunately they came down with Covid so we did not get to see any of them)  :(

We got down there late on Thursday night after work, and were up and at 'em early Friday for a day full of activities.  We were perfectly located in the center of downtown, right on the trolley line, and rode it every chance we got.  The first morning we headed down to the aquarium, which we've not been to in 4 years!  The kids loved the interactive exhibits, touching all the stingrays and other creatures, and Mama enjoyed taking lots of pictures (and recreating the family picture from our 2018 trip.)

There is a great splashpad at the aquarium where the kids could run and cool off.  Since ours are bigger now, James and I got to enjoy watching them from the shaded patio, enjoying a cerveza.

We scrounged up $3 so the kids could experience a hurricane in the simulator.  Loads of laughs from these three, after they got over the initial concern and trepidation.

The downtown area has lots to do and lots to eat and drink.  We rode the trolley each day, found new ice cream places, walked around the river walk, and really enjoyed the family time.

JB and James (and cousin Evan) attended the Dude Perfect show on Friday night, joining 20K other fans (most of which seemed to be at our hotel) to watch them perform tricks, stunts, jokes and - what is very cool - talk about their faith and the Gospel.  JB has been a fan for a couple of years now, and it's on his "bucket list" (he says) to talk to them. Well he got to do just that!  Even got a high five from Coby, his favorite.

While they attended the show, the littler kids and I worked very hard to find a movie theater with tickets to see the new Minions movie.  I'm not used to living in a big city where opening night means sold out shows!  We finally found one and the kids loved it.  Because Mama was feeling extra go-with-the-flow (and also didn't want to try and find a restaurant), we enjoyed pretzel bites, popcorn, and sprite for supper.  

On Saturday we spent time going up and down the river on the boat taxi, escaping the pop up storms and enjoying beers and food along the way at various points.  We met up with one of James's good buddies and his son, and just generally relaxed and had fun.  Wesley made best friends with the boat crew and helped them any chance he got.

Wesley had begged to see the beach, even though we really weren't prepared to beach-it this trip, so we drove over to Clearwater on Sunday to walk around and take in the view.  (Of course, I packed changes of clothes, just in case, because I didn't trust this crew not to get into the water). The beach was crowded and definitely not the sleepy beaches we're used to over on SSI, but the water and sand were very pretty. We had an early lunch at a very happening beach restaurant, Frenchies, got some souvenirs (shark necklace for JB), and headed back to ATTEMPT a nap (which no one took).  

That night we went out for a sunset cruise on "a real pirate ship", ha, and we had a blast! The crew worked to make it fun for kids, with games and lots of dancing, and we got absolutely perfect weather.  

Such a fun trip, and so many special memories made while in Tampa. It didn't feel right to enjoy the city without our Tampa family, but we're more than ready to go back and see them again soon.