To Florida and Back!

Well, we have been home since Monday but this is my first chance to sit down and blog about our trip to Florida. On Monday the 10th, we headed out from Bangor and flew to Orlando. Scott was really nervous about how Kirsten would do on the flight. Thankfully, none of his fears came to fruition. She did fabulous overall. She did get a little fussy, but that was because she was tired. So I nursed her, and she fell asleep.

Once in Orlando, we got our rental car and headed to our hotel. After a few minor disagreements, Scott and I decided to try and do our best to get along and not fight over silly things. So that night we got settled in the hotel, and then the fun began! Tuesday we headed out for our first day at Sea World. Based on the map I had, Sea World was very close to our hotel. And since we knew it cost $12 to park at Sea World, we decided to walk instead of drive. Well, needless to say, in 90+ degree heat and high humidity, this turned out to be a very sweaty walk! Scott was pretty soaked by the time we got there! Thankfully, we discovered a secret parking lot on our way back that afternoon, and the next day we drove instead!

Sea World was definitely one of my favorite places when I went to Florida as a kid, and it remains so once again! We saw all kinds of fun animals, from sea lions and seals to penguins and puffins to dolphins and whales. Since it was so hot out, we often visited the indoor attractions, such as the penguins, because there was AC in there and it felt really nice to cool off! Kirsten did pretty well, but did get fussy due to the heat and tiredness during the dolphin show. We endured a looooong walk back to the hotel, stopping off at McD's to get something cool to eat/drink. We first checked a "supermarket", but it was really sketchy and didn't have anything that we were looking for. That evening we were invited over to Sheila & Tim's condo for dinner, and we got to go swimming in the pool. Kirsten LOVED it!

The next day, we had breakfast and then DROVE to Sea World, parking in the "secret" lot. That meant that we started off much less sweaty, which was nice! On the second day we saw the killer whale show, "Believe", and it was pretty awesome. We also went into the Arctic Zone to see the Polar Bear, Beluga Whale, and Walruses. God's creation and the variety and intricacy is just incredible! We splurged and got Kirsten a little stuffed penguin to "remember" Sea World by. Plus, we videotaped and photographed tons, so even though she won't remember it, she'll be able to see what we did.

Wednesday afternoon we had to head over to the airport to pick up my mom. Then we rushed back to get ready for a special celebration that I had earned. Mom watched Kirsten while Scott and I attended. We got to see comedian/juggler Jeff Civilico, and he was pretty incredible and funny! Thursday through Saturday were full of training, workshops, etc, for my business. It was so much fun and a lot of exciting announcements were made. It re-confirmed my dedication to building this business, as I see how the company continues to grow and find ways to help the average person get ahead. Scott was amazing, taking care of Kirsten during the times that I was in my business sessions. There were a couple times that I had to leave to help him, but that was pretty minimal, and she was my priority, of course!

Sunday was our final day of "vacation", so we went to Aquatica with Mom. Aquatica is Sea World's water park, and it is tons of fun! We found a place to keep all our stuff, and then we rotated - 2 people going on rides while the 3rd person stayed with Kirsten. This worked pretty well, and we all got to go on several rides. The lines were pretty long, but we discovered a few that had fast-moving lines, and we went on those. I did wait really long to go on the "Dolphin Plunge" - that is the one that has a clear tube for part of it, and you actually slide through the Commerson's Dolphins' tank. It was pretty awesome, and I got to see the dolphins when I went through (not everyone sees them - it all depends on where they are in the tank).

The week ended on a great note, with Mom agreeing to watch Kirsten on Sunday evening so that Scott & I could go back to Sea World and do some of the rides (since we couldn't do them when we had Kirsten with us). We did the "Kraken" and "Manta", and both were CRAZY, scary, and fun!

Here are a few photos of the week: