The Drive
Our vacation began on a rocky note this year. Trying to be preventative, we had an oil change and inspection the day prior to leaving on our long road trip to the beach. Excitedly, we got up at 4 am and hit the road before 5 so we could drop Lady, our pup, off for her vacation to the Valley. We pulled into J's mom's house at just before 7. As we were getting ready to unpack Lady's travel kit, a funny smell seemed to come from under the hood. As we sat there trying to figure out if it was our car, smoke began to ooze out from under the hood. After a frustrating hour it was decided that the only problem was that the oil cap was inadvertently left off after the oil change. (GRRRRR let's just say I called and spoke with the manager, only to be told we could have a free oil change when we return.. yeah right!) After waiting for a store to open so we could replace the oil that oozed out all over the engine, and finding a car wash with an engine cleaner, as to not smell burning oil for the entire trip, we left the Valley.

Jason drove all day and we reached the planned hotel by 7:00 pm. The Holiday In Express was fantastic with it's king sized beds and fantastic showers. If felt like we just hit the bed when the alarm, my phone ringing, let us know it was time to get back on the road. Jason and I got ahead of the pack, my families caravan, and got to the island after another 4-5 hours. Driving over the bridge to the island was beautiful! As soon as we crested the bridge, you could see the beautiful blue ocean. The island did not seem very wide, and it was like we could drive right into the ocean. It also seemed like it was all rentals and no homes, and we got a little nervous about what the beaches might be like.

We were early, and could not get the keys to the house, so we drove over and previewed the outside. The pool looked very inviting and the house was very close to the beach. I could not wait to get inside to see what it looked like, but we had over an hour to wait until we could get the keys.

Jason had already researched the area thoroughly, so we scouted out a Wal-Mart that was about 10 minutes off the island. My parents caught up to us, and we met to get the groceries for the week.