This was our first trip as a family of five. Leading up to it, I was excited but also nervous. We drove down to the 30A area of Florida and stopped at a hotel on the way. The idea of driving 12+ hours was daunting and parts of the trip lived up to my expectations - but overall it was much easier than I thought it would be. The first few days of our time at our Airbnb had moments of tension and a general difficulty getting into “vacation mode” but midweek the stress started to lift little by little. It definitely helped that we stayed with family and had many loving hands to help with the kids. People say traveling with kids isn’t a vacation, it’s a “trip.” But by the end there were glimpses of vacation. The glimpses of vacation really became more clear when I saw the trip through our daughter’s eyes. If it was a vacation for anyone, it definitely was one for her. She was living her best life playing with her grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon, a group of 12 sitting around the dinner table every night. A “core memory” being imprinted in her brain right before my eyes. How could I be stressed with that? #gayswithkids #twodadsww #familywalk #gaydads #beachvacation