Check in at the Westgate Lakes Resort was quickest yet and we arrived at our newly renovated 2-bedroom suite. We unpacked a little bit but everyone was starving so we headed over to Tijuana Jacks for dinner… near Heather’s old salsa place, Rocco’s tacos. We then went to Walmart to get some groceries for the week. We came back and watched basketball. I was sooo tired I fell asleep at halftime of Duke vs Syracuse game in the Sweet 16.

Saturday (3/24)

I found out this morning that Duke won 69- 65 and will advance against Kansas in the Elite 8. Everyone got up early but I slept in til around 9:30a or so. Tay & Luis went to work out while Tess and mom walked around. We all had some breakfast and then headed over to the pool. Luis, Tess, and I played ball in the pool while Heather and Tay fell asleep while laying out. We then left mom at the pool and came back to the room and I fixed lunch for everyone. Then we headed over to the paddle boats and rode those for a bit. Luis had never been on one, so another first for him. Tess and I shared one which was a mistake due to the weight imbalance (check out the pics below), but it all worked out.

We then went to play putt putt. Dad, of course, won :-). We then went back to the pool to meet up with mom and then went back to the room. We rested a bit and then got ready for dinner. We went to Giordano’s and it was awesome!. It is one of my favorite places to eat when I visited Chicago because of the deep dish pizza. We then came back and streamed the Moeller state championship game where they won by over 20. We then watched some of the NCAA basketball and turned in.

Sunday (3/25)

We got up and went to the pool for a bit. Luis and I left after a few hours and left everyone at the pool. I had some work to do for my Managerial Econ class and Luis watched a movie. Oh, yes, I am getting my MBA at the University of Cincinnati. Everyone came back for lunch and Heather and Tay headed to the outlets. Tess, Luis and I stayed behind and just hung out. When the girls got back, we headed over to the resort bar to watch #1 Kansas take on #2 Duke for a ticket to the Final Four joining Michigan, Nova, and Loyola-Chicago. Duke loses by 4 in OT, but should have won in regulations when Allen’s shot went in and out at least 3 times. We then came back to the room and kids watched TV while mom and I worked.

Monday (3/26)

We spent the day at Disney.

Tuesday (3/27)

We spent the day at Clearwater Beach.

Wednesday (3/28)

We got up and had breakfast. Then Dad, Tess, and Luis went to fly the kites. There wasn’t really enough space and with the wind direction, we essentially needed to be standing in the lake. Since there are alligators there, we elected not to do that. We were able to get Tess’s kite up but not enough room for the stunt kite. We then all headed over to the pool all day. Mom made barbq and mac and cheese and we just had a lax day. Around 7p, we went to Coldstone Creamery. On the way back we ran into a little road rage from some wack job, but when we got up next to his car he only looked straight ahead with his middle finger staying up the whole time for us. Literally would not turn his head to look at us. True whack job. We then came back and watched some tv and turned in for the evening.

Thursday (3/29)

We got up and headed over to the activities center. The plan was for Tay & Tess to do paddleboats while mom, Luis, and I walked Brody, and then played tennis. Since the winds were so bad, the boats were closed. So Tess, Luis, and I waited and then played a little bit of tennis. We then rented bikes for an hour and rode around the property while mom and Tay went to the pool. We came back for lunch, and mom and I headed back over to the pool while the kids hung out and caught up on social media. We then came back and got final showers and packed up the luggage and loaded everything into the van. Tay, Luis and I went to the 2 story McDonalds’s of of International Drive while mom and Tess played putt-putt. We then took about a 40 min walk to the other side of the property to go out on the pier and watch the sunset. What a gem we found. It was a beautiful palapa with hammocks, cushioned furniture and a beautiful spot to see the sunset. It was called Sunset Key Island. We should have found this earlier. We need to stop by this the next time we are in town. Got some beautiful pics. We then came back and played board games and had snacks. We turned in early since we head out tomorrow morning for Cincy.

Friday (3/30)

St. Augustine and Congaree National Park.