Everyone Needs to Escape Reality Sometimes, Right?

We had been looking forward to our second Florida trip of the year for months. David was going to get to see one of the last shuttle launches and visit the Kennedy Space Center (his Disney), the kids and I were going to get a Disney trip and all of us would enjoy the beautiful beaches. I booked the flights, the resort accommodations and set our itinerary.

Our JetBlue flights were wonderful! It was a little over two hours from Austin to Orlando non-stop (sure beats a 20 hour drive) and the most comfortable flight we had ever been on. Even David, with his long legs, had enough legroom. The kids set back, snacks and drinks in hand, with their headphones on watching the FREE(!) tv/cartoons they offer. I didn't even have to reach for the "just in case" toys/coloring books/etc that I had packed to keep them entertained. From now on, if JetBlue flies where we need to go, I will be choosing them over Southwest or American!

We got to our resort, Mystic Dunes, a little after 10:30 pm. I had heard about how the staff at this resort wasn't that pleasant and how they would try to pressure you into buying a timeshare at check-in. This made me a little nervous, but the deal was a good one so we booked it. Once we got to our room I was less than impressed! Why anyone would buy a timeshare there I have no idea! Maybe I'm spoiled to the condo we stay in when we visit PCB, but this was nothing more than a glorified motel. Thankfully we didn't receive any pressure or timeshare speeches during our stay.On Sunday we got up early to make the hour drive to the Kennedy Space Center. We were there from 30 minutes after it opened until 10 minutes before closing. There is SO much to do and see there that you don't realize you've been there for so long. I wouldn't think you'd need more than a day there unless you are planning on doing one or both of the extra tours they offer.

First we took a bus over to the Launch Pad Viewing Deck where we could see Pad 39-A and 39-B. The Discovery shuttle, scheduled to launch the next afternoon, was on 39-A and covered by a metal casing so we couldn't get a very good look at it. Hayden didn't seem too interested...he'd rather chase the black birds around at the tower.

From here we took the bus to the Saturn V building. Since Nicholas is in the Saturn V program at school I thought this would be a good educational trip for him too. That rocket is HUGE (pic)! I knew it was big, but it was much larger than I had expected (not that I know a ton about space launching and rockets). In this building they had the Saturn V rocket, some Apollo artifacts, a moon rock, as well as all the different space suits from that time. There was also a show about one of the Apollo missions. It took place in the actual set up of Mission Control. It was all pretty interesting!























After lunch, which was school cafeteria quality and super expensive, we headed back to the KSC Visitors Complex. David and Nicholas went on the Shuttle Launch Experience ride while Hayden and I waited outside. Poor guy was about an inch too short to ride. We also saw the International Space Station 3D IMAX movie. It was pretty incredible! Hayden tried to grab all the things that were coming at him. I think he really enjoyed it.

























The last interesting thing we did was the Astronaut Encounter where we got to listen to Astronaut James Reilly, at Texas boy himself, speak about his time as an astronaut and his three space missions. He was really engaging and thoroughly answered questions from the audience, then posed for pictures after.







That night, since it was Halloween and the boys would miss Trick or Treating, we took them to the Cocoa Beach Riverfront Park Halloween Festival in their costumes. I expected it to be like the festival we had here in Buda this year...area vendors passing out candy, arts & crafts, etc. Nope, absolutely not. This one had a few activities for the kids to do, but they were closing up when we got there (almost 2 hours before it was over) and there was only 1 group passing out candy. The kids each took a turn in the bounce house, played for a few minutes at the park and that was about it. I was a little disappointed and Hayden had a meltdown in the car so we decided to make the hour drive back to the room and call it a night.




















The day before we left for the trip we learned the shuttle launch would be delayed by at least 24 hours due to air leak issues. So our Monday plans were switched around a bit. Instead of boating over to the island to watch the launch we took the kids to Lori Wilson Park at Cocoa Beach. I have to say, after visiting the Atlantic coast, I definitely prefer the Gulf side. The sand on the Atlantic side isn't as soft, the water isn't as clear and the waves are vicious. I thought it would be too cold for the kids to swim, but it wasn't too bad and they seemed to really enjoy it. Hayden stayed with me on the shore most of the time while David and Nich caught some waves. David and Nich also played with the coaster frisbee until it was lost at sea. Once we'd had enough of the beach for the day, we headed back to the room and had a pizza night in.






On Tuesday, we got news that the launch would be delayed yet another 24 hours because they wouldn't have the leak fixed in time to finish all the assessments. Now it would be a Wednesday afternoon launch time at the earliest. We decided to make the most of our day and head to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were originally only going to do one day at Disney and I thought this would be the one the kids would enjoy the most. At this park they had the Pixar movie characters that the kids know so well and less of the classics and princess type movies. We bought their autograph books and set out to find some characters! Our first visit was Tigger and Eeyore. Hayden got a hug from Tigger...so sweet! He was terrified of Mater and Lightening McQueen though. In his defense they did make some pretty loud grumbly noises.






















One of our favorite rides, although the line was an hour long, was Toy Story Mania 3D. The wait line was interesting though and kept us occupied. It led you through a building that was decorated with over-sized toys and games. There was, of course, the talking/singing Potato Head, but also Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, giant crayons, Domino,etc. Anyway, you ride around in these little two-seater carts with 3D glasses on and "shoot" balls at all these targets. You rack up points as it spins you around. Towards the end of the ride things start "flying" at you. I think I enjoyed it the most! Totally recommend this one!







We enjoyed the car stunt and Disney Playhouse Live shows,but Scary Sounds with Drew Carey was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen! I absolutely do not recommend wasting 20 minutes on this exhibit. I would've been highly upset other than the fact that we were escaping the rainstorm outside at the time. When the rain let up a little, the kids played around in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" park.

Unfortunately, the parade that was schedule for that afternoon was canceled. We didn't meet as many characters at this park as I was hoping nor did we ride Tower of Terror, but we still had a great day! ...and I must say that all the park staff was nice and very courteous.

Hoping for that shuttle launch on Wednesday, but once again it would be pushed back. This time because of electrical issues. So, again, we reorganized our itinerary and headed to Clearwater Beach. This was an hour and a half drive, but the beach was gorgeous so it was worth it! Nich, David and I had a good time throwing the football, watching the pirate ship and making sand castles with Hayden. There was a dad and daughter from Germany playing on the beach close to us. I think the girl was probably close to Nich's age, 10 or so. We know the dad spoke some English, but I'm not sure about the girl. She never seemed to answer any of Hayden's questions, but the language barrier didn't stop them from jumping waves and picking out seashells. Hayden had found himself a new little friend.




















On Thursday the shuttle was once again delayed because of a storm that was moving in. We had only planned on one day at Disney, but decided to go ahead and do another day now that we had time to spare.

When we went to Hollywood Studios we bought cheap tickets outside of the park. Apparently people buy 14 day passes and when they don't use them all they sell them to these other people and they turn around and offer them to you at a discount price. Illegal yes, but when it saves you $100 a day it's kinda worth the risk. The morning we headed to Magic Kingdom, we stopped by the same place to buy more. The guy didn't show up until 9am and we wanted to be at the park when it opened so we decided to go to a different place. David got our tickets and we were on our way. We got to the gate and our passes wouldn't work. The same thing happened at Hollywood Studios. You stick your card through the machine, then put your finger on the scanner. It doesn't actually scan your print, but rather the length and width. Of course ours didn't match, but the lady there didn't seem to worry about it and just let us through. The lady at Magic Kingdom wasn't as accepting. She questioned us for 4-5 minutes about where we bought the passes, when we used them last, etc. She knew we were lying, but eventually let us through anyway. Maybe it was because Hayden was already on the other side of the turnstile or she felt bad for us. Who knows.

So we got in the park, finally something Momma wants to do!! One of the first things we did, after taking our family picture in front of Cinderella's Castle, was the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor interactive show. David and Hayden were part of the "interviewed humans" segments. It was pretty funny and definitely entertaining, a must-do.

The kids really seemed to enjoy this park a lot more than Hollywood Studios too because there were more rides and things for them to do and see. We took a real steam engine train ride around the park. Hayden rode his first roller coaster, Goofy's Barnstormer, and LOVED it! He was giggling so loud the first time around! I think we ended up riding that one 3 times. The kids loved Splash Mountain, me not so much! I think our favorite ride at Magic Kingdom was the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster. Nich wanted to do Space Mountain so I took him to that one while David and Hayden rode the more mild Astro Orbiter. The one ride I do NOT recommend at this park is It's a Small World. It's a boat ride inside a building where you go through all the different nations and each one of them sings the song and little animated dolls dance in place. It's long and boring. Hayden wanted out not a minute into the ride.
























We met quite a few characters here and Hayden even got a kiss from Minnie Mouse! We toured Mickey's Clubhouse and Minnie's Country House, saw the Dream Along with Mickey show, the Electrical and the Celebrate with Mickey Parades. All of them were great!






After dark, and when the park is closing, they put on a fireworks show behind the castle. This was incredible! When it first starts, Tinkerbell is dressed in her costume, fitted with green lights, and flies down on a wire from the very top of the castle. Awesome! The castle was lit up, there was music and tons of fireworks. Just a great show!! At the very end it became a torrential downpour! Thankfully David had bought some ponchos earlier that morning, but we didn't have them on. By the time I got mine on it was already too late. My umbrella was leaking at the seams and I was soaked from head to toe! Guess that one was meant for shade only and I must have lost the instructional booklet it came with! As soon as the show was over everyone was racing to the exit. Of course you have to take either the ferry boat or the monorail back to the parking lot so there was quite a wait to get out of the park. The line seemed to move fairly quick though so it could have been much worse.






Our last day in Florida we were really hoping to see that launch. It was, after all, our main purpose of the trip. Sadly it has now been delayed until November 30th. While draining the fuel tank there was a crack in the foam. The launch window was passing so they scrubbed it all together. Maybe we can catch it online. Since we wouldn't be seeing the launch we decided to just take it easy. We took the kids to see Megamind at Disney's AMC Pleasure Island. Expensive, but the kids, and David even, enjoyed the movie. I fell asleep. It was just too cold in there!

Although we never saw the launch, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and can't wait to do it again someday!

PS. A huge thank you to my wonderful, loving husband for making our vacations possible and for being such a great parent. The kids and I love you and I know they will cherish these memories as they get older.

Sherman's Navy Boot Camp Graduation

I am not a fan of Chicago...just felt like I needed to state that first. My first visit there, for Chris' graduation, was less than pleasing so I was not looking forward to going back!

The trip didn't start out so great. I went through the gate for the long term parking at the San Antonio Airport and got my ticket. I threw it up on the dash and apparently there's a gap between my windshield and dashboard so....down went the ticket. We got out and looked everywhere for that stupid piece of paper, under the hood, in the floorboard, tried to stick our hands down the gap, but to no avail. I'd have to pay the lost ticket fee.

As we're walking through security I asked the FSA agent that was checking our boarding passes if I'd have to take off my walking boot. It's a pain to get on and off so I didn't want to if I didn't have to. She said I could leave it on. I proceeded through security and was called into the glass box they detain you in until an agent can check you. They pulled me to the side, wiped my boot and palms with some cloth and stuck it into a machine. I'm guessing they were checking for explosives. Then she looks at me and says, "Ok you can either take it off or we have to get x-rays of it". I took it off, but I was annoyed at this point because they had wasted another 10 minutes of my time when I was told it wouldn't be an issue.



We arrived at the Midway Airport in Chicago just after 9pm on Thursday. Gathered our bags and waited for Mom to get the rental car, which was a hassle! I still for the life of me haven't figured out why my mom didn't put the rental car in my name. She does not drive well in traffic and let me tell you...it's worse when she doesn't know where she's going! There were a few times Nichole and I were scared for our lives ;)

We wanted to grab Sherman a cake since his birthday was the Wednesday before so we headed out to Jewel Osco (Chicago's HEB) around 11pm. We were all hungry too so we stopped at the Wendy's there close by. That was probably the worst fast food ever! Our fries and chicken nuggets all tasted like deep fried, day old cardboard with a hint of flavor. Disgusting! Nichole must have really thought hers were bad because she decided to dump them all out in the passenger floorboard of our rental! Needless to say the birds were fed that night.

The next morning we were up bright and early, ready for Sherman's graduation. The traffic to get in the gate to the base was ridiculous! It took us over an hour to go 1.3 miles! No one was moving and we were getting close to the ceremony start time. We were starting to worry that we wouldn't make it.


Graduation was such an emotional event for all of us watching. At this point he had been gone for 8 weeks and we barely had a 5 minute conversation with him the entire time. I think I received one letter and we learned later that he hadn't received the majority of the one's we sent to him. Anyhow, graduation was long and boring, not much different than any other. Of course we were all crying by the end and couldn't wait to get downstairs to meet up with him. He did have to wear some ridiculous glasses though! They call them BCG's (birth control glasses).


That afternoon Sherman wanted Outback Steakhouse for lunch, but they didn't open until 4pm so Sherman insisted on Cracker Barrel. Not great! We had to take him back to base at 7pm so we just hung out at the hotel for the rest of the afternoon.


Mom left Chicago early Saturday morning so Nichole and I hung out with my aunt Sharon and her family for the day. We picked Sherman up from base around 9am. We had such a great time that day! We took a roadtrip to Wisconsin. On the way we stopped at Illinois State Beach on Lake Michigan. It is gorgeous there! The water is so clear and blue and the beach is kind of rocky, but sandy too. Just perfect!

We stopped in Kenosha, WI for the lighthouses and street festival. That was probably the smallest street festival I've ever seen, but everyone was really sweet and it was super relaxing. The lighthouses were a looong way from the road so we didn't walk up to them, but they were really cool. I just loved the area.

On our way back we saw a HUGE hairy tree (weeping willow) and I had to have my picture taken underneath it. We pulled into this parking lot in a minivan (there were kids with us) and realized we were in an Adult Video store parking lot. Awkward!


We finally made it to Outback Steakhouse that afternoon for an early dinner. The steak and garlic mashed potatoes there were awesome! Definitely one of the best I've ever had. I'll have to make it a point to go there more often...get ready for some date nights David!

Later that night we had to say our goodbye's to Sherman. Dad drove Brenda, Nichole, Sherman and I back to the base. Man was that difficult! I would be ok then I'd see someone else crying and I'd lose it again! I was glad we had the opportunity to spend time with him, but I hate having to say goodbye. I'm way too emotional for it!

After we dropped him off they decided they wanted Outback since they didn't have it that afternoon and insisted that Nichole and I go with them. It was kind of awkward to walk in and be greeted by the same hostess as 4 hours before. Anyhow, when my chicken tortilla soup came out I was fairly disappointed. I was expecting soup...you know, broth, shredded chicken, tortilla strips and some veggies. NOPE! I don't know if they got our order wrong or what, but Nichole and I received a bowl full of nothing more than a pureed chicken enchilada! The broth was replaced with some thick gravy type stuff. The veggies were huge chunks of celery, tomato and peppers. We each got one little piece of chicken, probably the size of our thumbs, maybe smaller and the tortilla strips were replaced with cracker like strips....the weirdest chicken tortilla soup I've ever had! It wasn't terrible, but it definitely was not great!



Nichole and I went to bed early that night since we had to be up at 5:30am to head to the O'Hare Airport. Little did we know this would be the start to a horrible morning! The American Airlines ticket agent was really rude to us and kept acting like we were the dumbest girls to walk the face of the Earth. She would turn around and start talking to someone else when we were in the middle of a question, just blatantly ignore us and had an attitude from h*ll.

We headed through security. Nichole forgot she had pepper spray in her purse so she was detained this time. She had to answer questions and sign some book that they wrote her name and incident down in. We joked and told her she would soon be on the "No Fly" list. We got to our first gate only to be told we would be moved to another gate at nearly the other end of the terminal. We boarded on time and waited for takeoff. 10 minutes goes by. 20 minutes goes by. 30 minutes goes by...and on and on. The pilot came on several times to update us on the situation, but it didn't make things any better. There was a mechanical issue with some washer on the wing of our plane that the mechanic was having a hard time replacing. What was supposed to be a 10 minute delay turned into over an hour! We were forced to sit on a hot plane at the gate the entire time.

Leaving the San Antonio Airport parking garage was a hassle. Remember that lost ticket?! It cost me $40 to leave and the lady at the booth was not very nice either. When I told her I had lost my ticket she huffed at me and said "I need your license and registration". I thought it was weird, but I looked for it. Of course it wasn't in the glove box so then she needed my insurance. I don't have the updated insurance card with the Acadia on it in the car yet either. I could tell she seemed annoyed, but I'm sure it happens more often than you think so I'm not sure what her problem was. I signed the stupid card and we were finally headed home.

I was so happy to get here, but sad that no one would be waiting for me. David had taken the kids to his soccer game so I had to wait a little longer to see everyone. I missed them!!

Beach Trip 2010!

Last year David and I took the kids on our first real summer trip. We ended up finding the perfect condo and absolutely loved it there so we decided to make it an annual tradition. With the Deepwater Horizon Oil tragedy we were worried our 2010 summer vacation plans may have been ruined. There were all kinds of differing reports and speculation as to when the oil would reach the Northwest Florida beaches or if it would at all. We decided to take our chances. Luckily, oil did not reach the Emerald Beach area while we were there, but did not long after we left.

Our 2010 Trip!
The drive to Panama City Beach is quite long, 13-15 hours depending on stops, but it's much cheaper than flying and I enjoy the family time we get to spend together. We planned to leave out just after midnight so the kids would sleep the majority of the way. After we made some last minute stops at the store for the few remaining items we needed and then the gas station, it was after 1am before we finally hit the road.

David drove first while the kids and I tried to sleep. I drove after we made it into Louisiana and up until Mobile, AL. I refused to drive through the underwater tunnel in Alabama! Nicholas and I tried to see if we could hold our breath for the length of the tunnel and surprisingly, we both made it! Even with David slowing down towards the end...little rat!

We checked into the condo around 2:30pm, got all settled in, changed and hit the beach! The kids had so much fun that first day! We took tons of pics and got really good use out of the waterproof case we bought for the camera.

That first night, not long after coming in from the beach Nich wasn't feeling well. He had been sick the week before and unfortunately wasn't completely over it before we left for the trip. He was up all night, poor guy. So Tuesday morning David took Hayden to the beach and Nich and I stayed in the condo watching tv and playing on the internet. Thankfully by the evening Nich was feeling a lot better and actually able to keep some food down even though he didn't feel like eating much.

Day 3 was my favorite day of the trip! We decided to take the kids on a dolphin swim cruise. I was looking forward to it, but David was, by far, the most excited out of our bunch! We booked the 2 hour excursion with Adventures by Sea and ended up on a boat with another very nice couple. Our tour guide was great! As we headed out to the gulf our guide told us all about Bay Point, an area where the wealthy of the PCB area live, Treasure ship, St. Andrew's Bay, and of course, the boom platforms for when/if the oil were to come in.

Not long after reaching the gulf we spotted a few dolphins. David and Nich jumped right in, no hesitation. David must have been super excited because he forgot the camera on the boat! I stayed back with Hayden so I took some pictures while they swam around. The other couple wasn't sure they wanted to jump in. I have to admit, it is a mental obstacle you have to overcome. Here we were in their territory, jumping in, just hoping they didn't find us to be a threat. They were all great though! So that group of dolphins left. David and Nich climbed back up and we were off to search for another group. This time Nich and I jumped in. At the beginning of our trip out our tour guide told the adults that we didn't have to wear a life jacket if we didn't want to. So I thought I would be fine, I can tread water, no problem. I WAS WRONG! I jumped off the boat and not 2 seconds later I was asking for a life jacket ;) I didn't realize how much different the ocean would be! The waves were smacking me in the head and here I was already slightly panicked because I was in open water with some huge animal! So he threw me a jacket and I held on to it, fighting it, trying to look for the dolphins...by this time they had all swam away. So I climbed back on the boat. When we found the next group Nich and I jumped back in. I was so excited about seeing the dolphins that I think I screamed the first time I saw one swim beneath me! This time, the husband from the other couple decided he was going in too. I'm not sure what happened leading up to the next turn of events, but I remember turning towards the boat to see him panicked and trying to float on his back. His wife threw him a life jacket, but it landed too far from him and he couldn't reach it. David gave Hayden to his wife and jumped in after him. All I could think was "great, this guy is going to drown my husband!" But my super hero husband swam over, gave him the life jacket and they both climbed back on the boat. Day saved!

There was a lot of jumping off the boat and climbing back in to go find the dolphins again, but I am so glad we were able to give Nich the experience! It's definitely an excursion I recommend taking!

That night we had homemade pizza. The kids made their own personal size pizzas and I made one for David and I. I love moments like these :)

Friday night was our last beach night. We waited until later in the evening to go out so we could enjoy the sunset and take it all in before we had to leave. We found some interesting creatures that night. The baby tiger sharks were up close to the shore again, there were hermit crabs, tiny white crabs and little orange crabs with spongy looking butts! David dove down around 12 feet and found a sea slug...that thing was gross!

The last day there was a sad one. We didn't want to come home and David and I talked several times about wanting to move there. We sadly packed all of our things and left the condo at 11am. On our way out of town we stopped at Pier Park. It's a shopping center just off the beach. There's a ton of stores, restaurants and some carnival rides. The kids and I rode the hot air balloons then we all rode the Ferris Wheel. The kids wanted to ride the fighter planes so they did that then we headed to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever had a more bland burger. Guess if you go there, only go for the wings! After lunch the kids went to the candy store then we headed home.

Our summer trip to Panama City Beach was over. We truly hope the oil spill does not ruin the beaches of Florida and we cannot wait until next summer! We have found the perfect beach location :)