Best Friend Visit - Day Four

Father's Day

We drove over to Daytona Beach to have pizza with my sister and my parents.  

We were fortunate to miss a huge, long, traffic tie-up at the I 4/I 95 interchange.  Thank goodness by the time we got there the accident had been cleared and all lanes were open again.  

After we ate, we went 20 miles out of our way (one way) so that Carey could see my mom and dad's house...my mom's idea, of course.  

At night, Carey and I watched a couple episodes of Downton Abbey in my bedroom so Zack could watch game 7 in the living room.  The outcome was not what he wanted so there was a bit of a "meltdown" before bed. I'm not sure how to help him handle these disappointments better. Truthfully, he reacted better to the Lightning's loss in game 7 than to this one! And it's not that he likes the Warrior's...he just hates Lebron James.  

He did eventually get over it.

Best Friend Visit - Day Three

I was able to get a comp ticket with no blackout dates so we could go to Universal today.The last time Carey had been at Universal was over 15 years ago (and in California) so she was excited to see what there was to do there.

I wish we could have had a better start to our day but, in the end, we had a great time so all turned out well.  

We decided to go around 2:30 or so and we started in Islands of Adventure.  I had heard great things about the raptor encounter and it just so happened that it was beginning as we were walking by it, so we decided to get in line.  After about a 20 minute wait (and it was hot, hot, hot!!!), we were second in line aaaand....they shut it down due to expected inclement weather...grr.    

Here is a video of someone else getting their picture taken with the raptor.

They did give us a password to come back at a later time and skip the line but we never went back.  

After the raptor disaster, we went to the Jurassic Center to wait out the expected "storm" which, of course, never came.  So after another 20 minutes of waiting for this storm so severe they shut down the raptor encounter, we walked through sprinkles to Hogsmeade and got in line for The Forbidden Journey, which turned out to be Carey's favorite ride.  

By this time, it was raining a bit harder but we had no time to stay still...C.J. was waiting for us at Spiderman. So Zack wore the rain poncho and Carey and I walked arm in arm and shared the umbrella.  We joked about how many people would think we were gay (not that there's anything wrong with that...ala Seinfeld).  

The wait for the ride was about 30 minutes BUT it pays to have connections and, after running into a friend of C.J.'s, we were taken to the front of the line. No wait...no fuss...no muss...done.  

This is where things turned "bad" again.  We decided to head over to Universal BUT on the walk over, it started to pour!    Needless to say, our shoes and socks were soaked.  They eventually dried out sothat they weren't making a squishing sound as we walked but they never dried completely.  In hindsight, I wish we would have walked to the Comic Strip Cafe (which was nearby) and had dinner while the rain passed but no one knew it would start raining that hard.

We did a little shopping at the store at the front of the park and then went to see the Horror Make-up Show and, after that, walked across the street to Mel's Diner for dinner.  

The rest of the evening went so much better. We went on Mummy, Transformers, Gringotts, Men in Black, Simpsons, the Twirl and Hurl, and E.T.   The lines were not that long as most of the people seemed to have left along with the rain.  The only ride Carey did not like was the Simpsons.  


Gringotts - Fire Breathing Dragon

We did some more shopping before we left and then made a disappointing stop at Menchies.  They were out of a lot of the ice cream choices and did not seem at all concerned about replacing them...I'm guessing because it was the end of the night.  Pretty lame.

Best Friend Visit - Day Two

Nothing picture worthy really happened today.  

After an unusual morning rain shower, we picked up C.J. and went to IKEA.  My  objective was to look at dining room tables.  I need something really small because of space issues here...and really, it's just Zack and me so we don't need anything big.  I think I found one (the table and chair set would cost $160 together) but I do not impulse buy so I am going to think on it for a little while.   

That was the only time we left the apartment today.  I hate Friday night traffic in Orlando so we opted to stay in.  We had bacon and pancakes for dinner, watched the second half of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, went to sit in the hot tub for a few minutes, and then came back and watched three more episodes of season one of  Downton Abbey.

And day two is in the books.

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!!!!