Vacation to Florida!

Suitcase, check! DVD player, check! IPOD, check! Carry-ons, check! Diaper bag..............diaper bag??

Welcome to the story of our first airplane ride and trip to the great and beautiful city of Orlando, FL. As we arrived in Orlando, FL on Sunday night, the fun all began by around 10:35 Eastern time. We gathered our luggage and board the shuttle to good ole Thrifty. Anna and Ricky decided that a midsize sedan for 5 days was going to be a bit small so we ended up with a Chrysler Town and Country minivan fully equipped with power slider doors both driver and passenger side, power lift gate in back, and flip-down DVD player in the rear area. Let me tell you, that is a great investment in rentals for youngsters, Hannah in particular. She's 2 and loves Higglytown Heroes, "that's a handy-dandy idea there Twinkle, Oh Pickles"!!

The Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Course

After an eventful Sunday night/Monday morning, really eventful.....see www.cakevideo.com/blog for more details, we got some shut-eye and planned our next day. We basically took it easy Monday and vegged all day. That evening, we attended what we like to call the Arabian version of Dixie Stampede. We watched a very entertaining show called Arabian Nights and dined in an arena atmosphere. The show was sort of an Aladdin/Nutcracker/Christmas special. It was quite interesting and fun. To end the night, Ricky, Hank, and I departed to the World's largest McDonald's. It's whack!! They serve gourmet meals there, from Ravioli to Shrimp Pasta. I'll have the "regular" Cheeseburger please. If I want pasta, I'll go to the Wild Fork, or Olive Garden. Sadly, it wasn't the cleanest facility, and the Bubblegum ice cream isn't that great. Worth seeing though, just to say you've been there.

On Tuesday, we ventured off to Universal Studios and I must say, the parking there is very structured and planned. We appreciated that for a stress free start. Once in the park, all kinds of memories from TV came back that were once forgotten, The Lucy Show, Back to the Future, Jaws, and all kinds of other great TV legends that now seem lost amongst all the newest reality shows and what I call 1/2 star movies. They just don't seem as good as the old ones. Needless to say, Hank was gearing up for the Back to the Future ride, one of his favorite classics. The ride was fun, an actual simulated Delorean. The actual Delorean used in the movie sits roped off outside the exhibit. So much to see, yet so little time. So, we decided to retire from the park for the day and try again Wednesday.

On Wednesday, we headed back to Universal to fulfill our mission. Hank had to ride Earthquake, some fascination he had as a kid, still does kinda. Don't expect a great "thrill", but the ride was very entertaining and educational. Then, he and Ricky rode Jaws and MIB, while Anna and I walked around with Hannah. Anna and Hannah even did the "Conga" with Lucy and Ricky Ricardo! Fun day, still too much to see, but maybe we'll "fly" back to Orlando one day.

Thursday, time for the beach!! We set out for Cocoa Beach, FL, a beach almost due East of Orlando about 50 miles away. We drive more miles one way to work, so not a bad drive for us. Though we didn't get to spend but around 1 hour there, it was all worth it for our trip! Neither Hank or I have seen the ocean before, and this was our moment. It was so beautiful and the waves sound amazing. You really can't imagine it, and as cliche as it sounds, "a picture is worth 1000 words." It's surreal, and we definitely want to plan a vacation to the beach in the future. If you haven't seen the ocean, go! You must go and see one of God's many beautiful creations!

We were sad to go, but there is no place like home, and we'll always remember our first plane ride and ocean experience all in one trip! Now, to Vegas we go!!!!!!