Holiday horrors and happiness!!!!!

If you have been wondering at the lack of new reviews here, it has been because my family and I have been enjoying a holiday to one of the northern states of Australia, Queensland.

It was an eventful trip for us in many ways and I am going to give you a glimpse of it at the urging of one Ms Tamara Leigh, who had a bit of a giggle over our exploits!!!

Here is a warning - it was a bit like a Chevy Chase vacation for us!!!

C (4) was unwell before we left but recovered pretty quickly so we didn't think too much of it. I should back track though! We haven't been ones to take many holidays and usually we just camp for a couple of weeks in January. As my hubby was retrenched last year we thought that once he was back in work and we still had some money left from his severance package we would take a "good" holiday so we booked this trip to the Gold Coast (the Florida of Australia, I guess!) to take the girls to the theme parks, etc. So anyway, plenty of expectation and anticipation comes along with that kind of history - can you tell it was a disaster waiting to happen!

We had a good flight until the descent when both E (9) and H (7) had bad trouble with their ears, despite precautions, and ended up in tears! We arrived fairly late (cheap flights, you know!) but the bus was there to transfer us to our apartment. The girls were ok by then but very tired and we just wanted to get to our apartment and sleep! We were literally 50 metres away when the bus driver realised he was in the wrong spot for another passenger but instead of dropping us off, he backtracked to another suburb before coming back to our place!!!

We arrived at our apt around 10.30pm and were pleased with it but one of our very tired treasures had had enough! The litany began ~ it was too hot, the bed was uncomfortable, she couldn't sleep, she wanted to go back home, etc , etc. Eventually she settled and all was well!

Morning came and I headed out to the supermarket for supplies, having left E feeling a little unwell! After arriving back home, my hubby told me she has vomited (great timing on my part!). Now, none of us cope with sickness well due to the rarity of us being unwell but we had planned a quiet day so we proceeded carefully! We did a little wander on the beach and E came good by bed time!

Wednesday morning H and I had an early walk along the beach, as she having woken at 5.03am!!! The sun rises very early in Queensland and the curtains are far from blockout! We hopped on the bus for a wonderful day at Warner Bros Sea World! Partway there H mentioned she was feeling a little off and sure enough, a few minutes later graces the bus with her tummy contents!!!!!! So here I am trying to comfort her while trying to soak up the excess rapidly running down the bus floor towards the driver's backpack!!!!! One ruined beach towel later and a hyperventilating H, we stumbled off the bus and headed into Sea World. Ended up racing H through the turnstiles (the attendant thought we were trying to avoid paying and H made another deposit just inside the entrance - LOL!!!!! She said she felt better so we carried on but of course, it was only temporary and she left a reminder around the park from time to time but was determined to stay (she is a real trooper!)

The drama didn't end there! Suffice it to say, I spent Thursday in bed similarly afflicted and hubby succumbed at 2am Friday morning!!! At his request the girls and I did Movie World on our own on Thursday (I am amazed how single parents manage!). Trying to meet the entertainment needs of a 9, 7 and 4 year old with only one adult at a theme park is somewhat difficult!!!

Saturday dawned and all tummies were settled finally so off to Wet 'n' Wild Water Park we went! A lovely day in the sun with fun rides, etc but yours truly had decided to wear a new pair of boardies (boardshorts) wanting to not look too middle aged! I had failed to wash them prior to wearing them and the combination of remaining wet all day and the continuous joining of one's not so skinny thighs led to a serious case of chafing!!! Getting caught in the photo shop we missed our bus! We were advised after a frantic call to the bus line, we could walk (remember those chafed thighs!) to Movie World and hopefully be in time for the last bus of the evening! So off we trotted to Movie World, a kilometre away! All was shut, as expected, when an urgent need from C arose and not of the liquid kind!!! So there I was pooper scooping for my 4 year old in the manicured garden beds of Movie World as the last bus pulls in!! We had the bus to ourselves with a lovely driver who chatted all the way so that was a nice end to my uncomfortable day :) Barely able to walk by the time we got to the apt, all chemists (drugstores) were closed, I ended up wearing my hubby's boxers to bed to prevent skin rubbing on skin. The following day I walked around looking like I had been riding a horse for three days straight!

After 5 less than stellar days of this great holiday, I let the emotion take over and became a bow-legged, blubbering mess! Time spent reading Malachi and some comfort from my dear hubby set me to rights and we enjoyed our subsequent days away - oh, there was that last day at Movie World when it bucketed rain the whole day but by then anything was funny :)

Seeing our girls and the other big kid in our family have a ball on the rides and sharing the experiences together has been fabulous. We have many memories to remember in the years to come although if I don't go on a carousel again, I won't mind!! It was C's favourite ride and i think she was aiming for the world record. As she was just under the height limit to go on her own I accompanied her most times!

But here is the biggest disaster ~ I read one, yes only one book, on my holiday!! (Tammy Leigh's Splitting Harriet which was brilliant, I might add!) That is unheard of for me so I will have to get cracking as I came home to a pile of packages with 19 books to read, review and give away (well, not all 19 but some of them, including a signed copy of Splitting Harriet!)

Well, if you have persevered this far with my story, I'm impressed!! Thanks for reading and letting me debrief with you! Now it is off my chest, I can return to reviewing some great books!