My family's most memorable road trip wasn't even suppose to be that big of a thing.

     We live in Miami, Florida, and we were going to go to Naples, a city about two hours from us on the Gulf Coast (we like going to their beaches because of seashell collecting).  It was suppose to be a one day trip.  As we got there, the weather was not suitable for the beach.  So my father decided we'd travel a little farther up the west coast to go to Ft. Myers.  Then it became Sarasota.  Then I decided I wanted to see the pirate ship in Tampa Bay Stadium.

     So there we were: in front of Tampa Bay Stadium trying to eye the pirate ship (which wasn't visible from the road, unfortunately).  This is when my mother put in her two cents: we are up here anyway, let's just stay the night in Orlando (about an hour drive from Tampa) and go to Disney World tomorrow morning.

     As we pulled into Orlando, the sun had long since set, and we get a phone call as we try to find the hotel whose coupon I found at the McDonalds we ate at a while ago.  It was my uncle, who hadn't been told of our change of plans.  So he was at home, waiting for us to see if there was any plans for dinner.  He asked my father, "Where are you?!"  to which my father replied, with a big girn on his face "Orlando" .  We all could hear my uncle yelling in confusion as to how a small beach vacation became a weekend endeavor that caused us to be half way up the state.

     As we found the coupon hotel, we were told they were booked, but that their sister hotel will honor the coupon and gave us the address.  While we were expecting roughly the same type of hotel as the coupon hotel, we pulled up to a hotel I would find out later in life averaged about $200 a night.  After verifying the address at the front desk about 5 times, they did honor my little coupon, which was for $40 a night.  As we snuggled into our room for the night, so high up that my ears were popping, my parents congratulated me on my find as well as our luck.

     Although the following day's memories at Disney World has long since blurred with my other trips there, the trip is still talked about with much joy.  Now, a decade later and engaged, I have to explain to my fiance why I always pick up the coupon books at every McDonalds on vacations.  You never know when the next spontaneous moment will happen, and that's the whole fun of it!