Safely Back to Indiana

I was really glad that we stayed in Tampa last night as I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and couldn't fall back to sleep.  I was surprised as I had fallen asleep well before 9:30, but for whatever reason, I couldn't sleep more than four hours.  Thankfully, I did not have a long drive to the airport and was able to get my parents to Tampa International well before their 7:10 a.m. flight time.  In the end it worked out very well that we were early as I had never checked a bag at Tampa.  We found the Southwest counter fairly quickly and checked in their bags easily.  While we were there, I asked if I could get an all-gate pass to go with my parents to the terminal.  I had never tried before and was extremely pleased that they would allow it.  I knew that would make my parents trip through the terminal a lot easier.

I was surprised to see short lines at security as Orlando is usually packed first thing in the morning.  Fortunately, that was not the case today, and we found their gate without any issues.  My parents grabbed drinks once we arrived at our seats and enjoyed the muffins they brought.  I was happy to see that the plane was already there, so all we had to do was relax and wait for their A boarding passes to be called.  Once my parents scanned in, I headed back to the hotel.  I grabbed a bagel for breakfast and went straight to the room.  I was exhausted and ready for a nap.  

I was up and ready to go home well before check-out time at 11 a.m.  I called my parents once I got onto I-75 to see how they fared in the Indianapolis airport.  They had no issues finding the baggage claim, getting their luggage, and catching the shuttle to economy parking.  We had found a spot right next to the shelter two weeks ago, so I knew that they would find their car without any issue.  I was a little bit worried about the ice storm that hit Northern Indiana last night, so I was glad to hear that they did not have any issues on the way home.  

It had been a great two weeks with my parents here in Florida.  My dad was able to play a lot of golf and my mom and I had fun shopping.  Although I didn't win any games of Oh Hell, it was great to play one of our favorite card games. We tried a few local restaurants while they were here and enjoyed Doug's homecoming as well.  I especially appreciate all of the help around the house while they were here.  My mom and I replanted multiple outdoor pots and went grocery shopping multiple times.  My dad helped me replace all of the outdoor outlet covers, fix the doorbell (ok, it only needed batteries, but I still appreciated it), replaced my sink drain, repaired a leaky faucet, showed me how to replace an old faucet handle and encouraged me to try Lime Away on my water-stained bathroom countertop.  For less than $50, my bathroom looked fantastic for which I was extremely thankful.  Overall, it was a great vacation for them and a nice visit for us.