Best Friend Visit Day One - Celebration

I am so excited...last night I picked up my best friend in the whole world at the airport! And as an added bonus, my boss was able to find someone to cover my shifts at work so I am off the whole time she is here!!!!!

So...on to day one:

Since moving to Orlando, I have really wanted to go to Celebration. 

But despite being only 15 minutes away, I just never got there.  

With my best friend visiting right now, it seemed the perfect opportunity to finally make the little jaunt.  

Let's just say it lived up to every expectation! The word that continued to come to mind was quaint. 

 In fact, I really want to live there someday.  Of course, not in one of the stately and colonial-style homes...but I would love to find a condo there.  

On the way to the town square, we were sidetracked by the fascinating homes and charming neighborhoods.All the homes look as if they were built around the turn of the century but, at the same time, are exquisitely maintained.  The only down side is that none of the homes had much of a yard to speak of.  

They were extremely beautiful though.  I'm sure we looked pretty odd driving down the streets at 5mph and snapping picture after picture.

We made our way to the Town Center, parked the car, and walked around.  Zack went and sat by the river while Carey and I looked around in some of the quaint shops around town. 

Movie Theater 

One of the stores was called Woof Gang Bakery 

It sells gourmet dog treats, among other things. The dog treats were unlike anything I had ever seen before. The frosting was made with either yogurt or carob.

Muttcakes - (lol)

I will definitely be going back...soon.  

Also on the agenda today was a shopping trip to Wal-Mart, dinner at the Golden Corral (crazy, crazy expensive!), and we wrapped up the evening by watching 3 episodes of Downton Abbey season one.  

A Stand for Humanity

Like the rest of the world, I woke up yesterday morning and read about yet another mass shooting.  

This one, however, was slightly different since it happened practically in my back yard  (about 15 miles from where I live). 

There are still many unanswered questions about this tragedy and, truthfully, some questions may never be answered.  

People may use this situation as a platform to reinforce their own agenda whether that be sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or gun control.  

But as far as I am concerned, this is nothing more than an act of hatred against ALL humanity.  

The truth is, every person who died, whether they were gay, lesbian, or straight...whether they were Jewish, Christian, or Muslim...whether they were pro or anti gun control...was treasured and loved by God.  They were also treasured and loved by their families, who now are forced to live without them.  

The truth is, God is bigger than any circumstance so I will not live my life in fear.  I choose to live my life in faith.    This world is sinful and evil but 1 John 3:8 states, "the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."  There is nothing that man can do to me that I fear for I know that my God will deliver me from this sinful and evil world and reward me with eternal life.  

The truth is, what the enemy meant for evil, God turns to good (Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good).  We are faced with situations that may overwhelm or seemingly defeat us but must remember to rely on the love, comfort, power, and wisdom of God.  And also, to let others see those qualities in us.  

Some may say, "where is God?" or "if there was a God, He would never let anything like this happen."  But the truth is, God's promises are not of THIS world.  THIS is not the world we should be longing for or clinging to.  

My prayers are for the comfort of those who lost loved ones.  The healing, both physically and emotionally, of those wounded. And for the wisdom of the authorities to uncover the facts involved.

I pray God will provide peace and unity and that His love will shine above all!  

Everyday Adventures of Living with Zack

Zack has a cold. 

 It got worse as the day went on yesterday and by bedtime, he was having difficulty breathing out of his nose. 

So, at midnight, before I went to bed, I asked him if he wanted some nose spray to open his nasal passages.  He said, "no thank you."  

Fast forward two hours...I am sound asleep...and guess who walks in my room and wakes me up to locate the nasal spray because he can't breathe out of his nose?  


UGH!!!!

Summer of Universal #4 (with an extra special surprise)

I 'm not positive this was time #4 but whatever...I'm going with it.

And this one was SUUUUPER great!  

After eating at Fuddruckers, we headed into Islands of Adventure and had just gotten in line for Spiderman when C.J. saw on his phone that they were having a soft opening at Skull Island: Reign of Kong.  Since we were close, we rushed over there and got in line and after only about a 20 minute wait...viola.  We were among some of the first people to ride it!  It was so exciting.  Even the queue was phenomenal and reminded me of HHN complete with hidden crevices where "scareactors" hide and then jump out and scare people.    

*All pics are from the queue*

The ride itself was great...but not for kids.  I'm pretty sure the 5 year old girl behind us will be traumatized for quite a while!  

I can't believe how lucky we got.  Today, when I was walking back to wardrobe after work, there were people standing in crazy long lines (in both directions too) and the ride was not even open nor had they announced any plans for another soft opening tonight.  I guess they were all just hoping for it.  I'm certain when it finally does open to the public, the waits will approach 2 hours.  But Universal has yet to set an opening date.  

*Repeat that we waited about 20 minutes!*

Video over at Orlando Weekly of the entire Queue AND the ENTIRE RIDE


Yes that giant Kong is impressive indeed.  His head alone is larger than 8 ft.  But unfortunately, the sound was not working when we went through that part so we did not get the "full effect"

After that excitement, we took the Hogwarts Express over to Universal and went on Mummy, Men in Black, the Twirl and Hurl, and ET.  And then called it a night.  

Laugh for Today

I saw this on FB yesterday and it gave me a good chuckle.  

It was posted by MarkNKelley. I have no idea who they are but the video now has 16 million views around the world so I am not the only one who got some good laughs over this.  

To maximize the hilarity, I have to relate the conversation that took place before the filming began.

An electrical contractor working in the field called

"Ma'am, you've got a dead horse in your pasture."

"No, I don't. He plays dead all the time. Is his leg sticking straight up in the air?"

 "Yes ma'am. I'm telling you he's dead.  The leg sticking up is because rigor mortis has set in, Ma'am.  I know horses. I own a few."

"Sir, my horse ain't dead. He plays possum. But I'm coming. Give me a minute please. 

And...the video  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVMXwkruidk

And this was earlier the same day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGrRRQmZnFw

This Has Got to be Recorded

Today, for the first time ever, Zack ordered a hamburger at a restaurant!  

As a baby, Zack was the best eater out of the 3 boys.  He loved vegetables more than fruit, and would eat anything I put in front of him.  But there were two things I could absolutely not get him to eat...bananas and bread.  

Yep, not a piece of bread - ever.  Never a sandwich, never a dinner roll, never a bun.  He has had hamburgers, he just would never eat them with a bun.  

So his restaurant choices have been limited to mostly chicken.  He will order fish if they don't have chicken, but chicken is his #1 choice always.  

Today, he asked me if we could go to Steak n Shake because he wanted a garlic burger.  Say what?  I had to clean out my ears and ask him to say it again.  

Well... we went.  And he ordered some garlic shooters. And he ate them. And I picked my jaw up off the floor.  





He still has a legit dislike of bananas though... or anything that has banana in it or anything banana flavored.  

So How is Life Going, Judy?

Geez, thanks for asking.  Let's just say I am on the verge of throwing a huge pity party for myself.  

I am living by Murphy's Law lately...you know, the one that states, "if something can go wrong, it will."  

Which is pretty much why I haven't blogged a whole lot lately... who wants all that negativity?  So I thought I would get everything out of my system in one, long, whinny, post! 

Here goes

1). Sports.  This seems frivolous and, yes, it really is...but it highlights Murphy's Law at it's best so I'm going with it.  The last couple weeks have featured finals for hockey and basketball.   
In Basketball:
- the Thunder vs. the Warriors
my pick: the Thunder
winner: the Warriors

- the Cavaliers vs. the Raptors
my pick: the Raptors
the winner: The Cavaliers

In Hockey:
- the Blues vs the Sharks
my pick: the Blues
the winner: the Sharks

- the Pens vs the Lightning
my pick: the Lightning
the winner: the Pens

And now in the Stanley Cup Finals
- the Pens vs the Sharks
my pick: the Sharks
um, yeah, the Pens are up 2-0!  

2). Medication
I ended up calling into work today for the very first time because when I went to CVS last night at 5:00 to pick up my medication, they wouldn't fill it for me.  Orange county laws governing controlled substances are ridiculous.  One thing that I absolutely CANNOT stand is being treated as a drug addict over this medication.  First of all, if I was a drug addict, I would have claimed the Lortab or Vicodin worked to control my pain, NOT this wimpy little Tramadol.  Secondly, no one has any idea of what I went through before I started taking this medication.  They don't know that I was within days of applying for disability.  They don't know that I cried some nights as I reeked of icy hot and wondered if life was worth living if I had to continue to live with pain day in and day out.  This medication has changed my life and I shouldn't have to BEG to get it.  
* Thankfully, this was rectified very easily today as I had the prescription transferred to Publix and they filled it - no questions asked.  I actually did not even need to take off work today but I thought maybe I would have to see my doctor today.  *

3). My best friend is visiting in a couple weeks so I went online and submitted requests for that time off - or so I thought.  As I was talking to CJ  about it yesterday, he told me that he did not think I submitted the request correctly so I went online last night to fix it only to find out that schedule was already out for that week...and that I am scheduled to work TUESDAY (the day friend is flying in), WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY!!!!!   What the what?  I never randomly work four days in a row!   It shouldn't be too difficult to give these shifts away but it is still a stress on me until I DO get rid of them.  

4). Last week I submitted over 40 resume's online for jobs anywhere between Daytona Beach and Tampa Bay.  My desire is, of course, to stay around Orlando, but I do not want to limit my options.  I accidentally submitted ONE application to a school in West Palm Beach...one guess which school has contacted me and seems the most interested!   I DO NOT want to move 3 hours away.  One school near here had requested an interview but it is for a preschool teacher and I do not know the salary.  The Lord will Lead.  


5). I have had THE most difficult time getting my Florida driver license. I have tried three times and struck out every single time by not having correct evidence.  This last time I went, I bought a "copy" of my birth certificate instead of the original.  After confirming that that was the last missing piece of evidence required, I looked online and filled out an application, printed it out, added the requested self addressed stamped envelope, and the $20.00 check.  Finally, I included a color copy of my Wisconsin driver license for the ID that was necessary, and mailed it out the beginning of the week.  On Wednesday, I got a message from the Waukesha County Courthouse returning my call about requesting the birth certificate.  As I listened to the message, she basically said to do everything I had done and then I heard, "and be sure to include TWO forms of ID with the application!"  I looked again at the website which stated that if you were using a driver license as an ID then you only needed to provide one form of ID.  I guess we will see if I get my birth certificate or get the items returned to me.  If Murphy's Law has anything to say about it.............

And with that, I will end.