The Best And Worst Vacation Ever [PHOTOS]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  That was truly the case during my family's recent vacation.

It started on Friday, December 30th as we loaded up the car and started to make our way south.  The next ten days provided experiences and memories we will not soon forget.

There were so many fun and chaotic things that happened, I'll have to share them with you over the next few days.

Obviously, traveling with three kids on a trip in the car that totaled just over 3000 miles can take it's toll.  My oldest and youngest kids, Ben and Parker, got sick several times on the way down.  We met up with some of our family members just south of Atlanta before we continued to Cape Canaveral.  We spent New Year's Eve in a hotel in Cocoa Beach, then woke up to board our cruise ship on New Year's Day.

This was my first cruise, and I was blown away by the size of the ship.  We had the full load of 2,052 passengers, and 920 crew members.  The first full day was absolutely amazing, with temperatures in the 80s and lots of sunshine.  Our first stop was Freeport, but we were only there for the day.  My wife and I decided to stay on the ship and take it all in.

In the days ahead, I will share more of the fun and chaos from our vacation, including when our ship slammed into the pier in Nassau due to high winds, our visit to my uncle's house on Sanibel Island, and the long grueling drive back to Flint!