A few months ago, an unexpected opportunity for a week's vacation opened up and since it had been a few years since we were away with RJC, we made the leap. We planned a week to get away from the ice and snow and spend some time in a sunny, warm place where we had family. We rented a small condo, a car, made the airplane reservations (have to love those credit card points) and off we went!
Vacationing with our gal is fun, somewhat complicated, but well worth it. A change of scenery, new experiences, family she has missed, and the opportunity to practice and generalize all those life skills we work on at home means that it's a different sort of vacation than when hubby and I go by ourselves. She is the priority. It doesn't mean it's less important or less enjoyable, but it is certainly a different sort of experience. We plan our days around her preferences which also means there are people we would like to see but can't see and places we may have liked to have gone that aren't appropriate for her so we make the choice to skip them. For us, it's definitely not worth the stress on us to stress her out. On the positive side, we all enjoy sports and animals and there were plenty of places that have these activities.
First we had to actually get there and I was concerned about the plane ride. Previous plane rides weren't particularly successful (really loud screaming, airlines not particularly accommodating) and I wasn't sure how the TSA process would go. Happy to say, all in all things went smoothly. The airline was so much more informed this go around (I imagine they have had many experiences in the years we've not been flying with RJC) and we were all allowed to preboard together. TSA also did a nice job and at one point while she was getting a bit stressed and starting to script fairly loudly at having to be separated from her teddy bear, the TSA agent recognized the issue and immediately gave it to her after the teddy bear went through the screening machine, even before she and I had completed the screening process. He did so with a smile and with no prompting from me. I was impressed and grateful and the rest of the process went smoothly. She did not even mind taking off her sneakers or taking her iPad out of her backpack. We did give her a small bit of valium on the ride there, but we decided to skip it on the ride home (well, hubby decided, I went along hesitantly) and she did great. Next time we plan to get TSA preapproved (which was the plan this time, but didn't quite work out for various reasons). As a side note, one of the Flight Attendants has a very young, nonverbal child at home. She immediately spotted RJC so we chatted through most of the flight and departed with hugs, one autism mama to another.
Our condo had a small balcony, overlooking a very cool area of water. RJC loved sitting there and watching the wildlife. She would point out everything, especially the stingrays and a very interesting fish that would literally leap high out of the water and come down with a huge splash. The birds were pretty and quite loud, and one liked to perch just a bit to the left of us so we had an excellent close up view. It was mighty loud too, which she thought was mighty amusing. She was so relaxed and happy sitting there. It was great to be able to read or chat with my hubby while she was amused by all of the action happening on the water. There was also a small (maybe 6-8 tables), poolside restaurant where she would have a bagel each morning and I would get my coffee. There were usually one or two employees as well as the owner there, and they would chat with us. A few were from our area of the country and they escaped to the warmth! They became quite big fans of RJC. All were comfortable with her and she would shake the hand of whoever was working that morning, and order for herself. She'd bring her precious quarters in her tummy pack with her and put a few in the tip jar (with literally no understanding of what a "tip" is, but she did know it made people smile). It was nice to have a no pressure start to our day!
There were a few highlights of the week. For sure, seeing our cousins who used to live near us was a big hit with her (actually for all of us). When she asks to see them we remind her that they are an airplane ride away now, so she was quite happy when she saw them again. When we visited their homes, she found a spot she where she was comfortable and happily hung out just listening and popping into conversation here and there when she recognized a topic. We were also able to go to the zoo, attend an NHL hockey game, and play a friendly yet competitive game of mini golf and air hockey with them at various times during the week, so we all had quality time together. Oh! This was also when RJC beat dad in an arcade basketball game - by a lot! So. Much. Fun.
Hubby's cousins also made a bit of a trip to see us and they, too, were very accommodating in making sure it was a success! We met on an outside patio hotel to chat and catch up, then headed out for dinner to a family friendly spot that RJC and the little cousins could enjoy as well. This was my first time meeting some of them and even hubby hadn't met some yet, so getting to know this side of the family was very special. It is so interesting that RJC doesn't have an understanding of "family" per se, yet she does seem to have an understanding that there are people who mean something to us, and therefore they mean something to her. She was content to hang out and now there are more people in her world. Does not get better than that!
Other activities during the week included going to an Animal Sanctuary which had some interesting animals that were rescued. Some were quite exotic! Once again, one of her favorite things was to find a comfy spot and watch the various ducks and fish around a lake. We also went to the Florida Aquarium (their 4D theater showed two movies, SCORE) and they had a Dolphin Sightseeing trip which we took. Though we were told there was an 80% chance of spotting dolphins we did not see any. Not a one. Hubby said we should have warned fellow passengers that I was on the boat and that they shouldn't get their hopes up (we have an ongoing joke about the cloud that follows me) but it was a beautiful ride, even minus the dolphins, so I felt no need to apologize :) RJC was very content to sit and watch the waves and her smile told us all we needed to know.
Hubby and I are already talking about heading that way again next year. It is so nice to be out of the wintery mix of weather we have around here, even if only for a week. A huge bonus to hang out with family. Besides which, there is preseason baseball to be had so that may be the newest experience we will attempt! It is definitely easiest to find a spot and stay in the general area when we travel with our gal so perhaps we can figure out a way to see more family and friends. That tends to be my personal priority, however, whatever we do next year, it will certainly be with RJC's needs as our priority because that's the way we roll around here.
So there you have it. Vacation: RJC Style! One successful week in the books!
