Vacation

So John Michael, Ben, Bekah and I were in Florida for 2 weeks. We left early and Clint, Michael and Anna joined us later. How do I summarize 2 weeks into one blog entry? I've decided to use a few of the hundreds of pictures that I have (these were taken by several different cameras by different family members) be given.
The first week of vacation was spent with my family. My sister lives in Florida so we all travelled to spend time in the sunny weather with them. We rented a big 5 bedroom house, which was great for so many people. It was so wonderful to spend time with my family!! It's nice to be able to spend so much time with them and get along with all of them ... all week. :) I love my family!

Going to Big Olaf is a must! It's within walking distance of the house so it was a fun way to get some ice cream.
We attempted to go to Siesta Key Beach but it was so full we couldn't find a parking spot anywhere. It was a Saturday and the weather was perfect for a day at the beach and everyone seemed to have the same idea we did. So we headed to Turtle Beach. We had never been there before so we didn't know what to expect. It certainly wasn't the same as Siesta Key! But it was still "the beach" as opposed to the cold, wet Indiana weather. :)
John Michael was given the beach wheelchair for the day by a friend, Paul, who you will know more about later. The wheelchair was wonderful! Thanks Paul! :)
The family spent so much time playing shuffleboard in the back of the house... for hours everyday! It was a fun way to pass the time and to be able to just hangout together. All 24 of the family members got into it throughout the week.
This is our friend, Paul Schulte. Him and his wife, Meghan live in Florida and so we hooked up with them. It was a highlight of our week!! It was a great time of connecting with them and understanding each other. Paul has an injury like John Michael does. Paul's happened very much the same way when he was 10. As we talked with Paul and Meghan it was amazing to realize how much we have in common, but more than that, how much Paul and John Michael have in common. Even the personalities are so much alike! They are a huge blessing to our family!!!
(You will find a link to his website on the right.)
At the end of the week we took some family pictures at a park. Notice all the different jerseys? We are a diverse family. :)

After the family left to go back to Indiana, we, the Schwartz's, stayed and did a few other fun things. I will post those when I get the pictures ready to post... this week...