FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!
So Drew and I went on vacation with his family (mom, dad, and 2 brothers-Sharon, Keith, Dave, and Erik) to visit Keith's brother and his family in Orlando, Florida! Kevin, Chris, Tom, and Amanda live in a nice place called Winter Park, just outside Orlando.
Call us crazy, but we drove. We took two completely packed cars and drove straight through, only stopping for food and bathroom breaks. It was a long ride, about 22 hours, but we FINALLY made it! And I finally got to meet the Florida Barrons! What a great family.
We got ourselves settled in our rooms at the largest Econolodge in the world, and slept off our drowsiness and prepared ourselves for a fun-filled week!
On day 1, Friday, we headed out to Daytona Beach! Florida=amazing beaches! It was a little rainy that day and the clouds added a bit of gloom, but we still made it fun. We got everyone in the water eventually and had a great time riding the waves and goofing around-aren't adults supposed to be silly too? Drew and I really wanted to take a walk on the beach. So cliche, I know, but it was so beautiful. We walked down to the pier and back and talked and laughed and watched the kids play in the water. Later on, we left and went to eat at Cici's Pizza... not the best idea. An endless buffet can be really tough on your stomach!
Day 2, Saturday, we decided we'd put our 7-day Universal passes to good use and have an "exploring day", as Sharon called it, to better prepare ourselves for the following week when we'd be there a little more often. The boys couldn't WAIT to get on the rides, and I couldn't wait to get out of the heat!! It was scorching hot that day, so we ducked into any shade we could on the way to each attraction. Except for the heat and the crowds, I was glad we went out that day because we got a good feel for each of the parks and got stoked for the next few days (when we'd be able to get at every ride in sight)! We were so wiped that when we got home that we didn't even leave our hotel rooms. But we had definitely had a good day.
Day 3, Sunday, we decided to find an LDS church in the area. The address wasn't exactly correct, so we drove around a bit and finally found it. It was testimony meeting in the ward we visited and mostly youth got up to share their most recent experiences from Scout Camp, EFY, and a certain Young Men trip. It was interesting. But hey, it was church. When we got back, we called Keith's brother and his family and had them come and relax with us at the hotel. It was a really laid back Sunday. We sat by the pool, watched some sports (well, the guys did), and went out for Friendly's ice cream that night (sinners, I know). Chris had to work the next day, and they only had one car, so Kevin, Tom, and Amanda stayed at the hotel with us that night to go out to Universal Studios in the morning!
Day 4, Monday, another day of all things Universal. This time we had more Barrons and way more food. Oh my. WAY TOO MUCH FOOD. Since we got to the parks early, we decided that their "all day meal plan" would be for us. One price, one wristband, all we could eat, all we could drink. OH MY. We were so sick from trying to get out money's worth that we had to walk off the weight; the fatigue; the stomach ache almost immediately after eating! Other than the immense pain we were in from consuming too much food, we had a really good time with all the Barrons at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure! Everyone found their favorite ride and rode it at least twice. Sharon and Keith's favorite was the Spider-Man ride. I LOVED that one, too! It was a mix between an inside kiddie coaster, a simulation, and a 3-D ride. There was exploding fire, sprays of water, "electric jolts", and villains! I felt like I was in league with Spider-Man! : )
My favorite ride ended up being The Mummy. An inside coaster, this ride had it ALL. It was dark, creepy, and exciting! We went fast, backward, sideways, and were chased by flesh-eating Egyptian Scarabs, an army of mummified royal guards, and a resurrected mummy!! How could you NOT love that ride???
By the end of the night, I convinced just about everyone that The Mummy should be their favorite. Then again, there was the Jurassic Park ride too (a tour of a dinosaur world gone very wrong)! All in all we had a great time together, stuffed full with food, and headed home for a really great night's sleep.
Day 5, Tuesday, we headed out again to the fabulous theme parks! It was a really long day... we stayed until the parks closed and watched the fireworks!
Day 6, Wednesday, it was time to leave. We checked out and headed to Uncle Kevin's for the day. We spent some more time with the family, took some funny pictures, and packed into the car and were on our way back to New York!
No comments:
Post a Comment