Might as well recap before the Alzheimers kicks in.
Here's the Florida behind a nice, condensed cut. I'm going back to GA tomorrow afternoon.
DAY I
-Drove from Athens to Riverdale with my brother and Shartara in tow Saturday morning. Stopped at Aunt ZB's to drop of the cat. Drove to Mikey's to spend the night.
-Woke up at the ass-crack of dawn aka 5:30AM and got dropped off at the airport. I haven't ridden a plane in years and I've done it twice so of course I was mega-nervous the second I got there and didn't stop being nervous until I was in the truck with my parents in Tampa. Paranoid, who me? Everything went smoothly despite my panickyness.
-After my parents got us, we went to this incredibly awesome place for breakfast. Gotta find the name but it was really nice and the food was great. Then we went back to the hotel and then went to the movies. Bryan and Dad went to see The Crazies while Mom and I went to see Princess & the Frog. Afterward, we went to Five Guys for burgers and then went back to the hotel and passed out. I barely slept but that's redundant. I am incapable of sleeping like a normal person and have been for weeks now. Sigh.
-Monday morning we woke up and went to IHOP for breakfast. Then, the trip peaked. My parents took us to the Big Cat Rescue center. We took a tour and got to see ALL the big cats: lions, tigers, and bears, oh my, panthers, jaguars, leopards, the works. I was blown away. Those animals were so beautiful I nearly cried. And the best part is that it is a non-profit rescue center so the animals have great enclosures and are treated incredibly well. It's not like a zoo. My only complaint is that since it was a surprise, my parents forgot to tell me to bring my camera. All of the cages are only three feet from the walkway. I was three feet away from a Siberian tiger. AND I HAVE NO PICTURE OF IT. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD: Still, it was probably the best trip I've ever experienced and I have to go back to show you guys pictures of the animals. They are gorgeous.
-For dinner that night, we went to this awesome deli called Datz. They have fantastically huge sandwiches and subs and wings so it was really good. Then we went back to hotel and chilled. Dad eventually ordered a pizza so we pigged out on that.
-Today we had McD's for breakfast (we de-evolved in breakfast foods, as Dad put it xD) and then went to a tiny Photography museum and wandered around Tampa because my parents bloody felt like it. It was insanely boring and I'm on my period so all that walking was hell on my mangled uterus. Luckily, things got better after that. We drove a little way away from Tampa and went into a Gameworks: which is like Dave & Busters only more awesome. Then we went to this authentic Spanish restaurant called Columbia. The food...was so...amazing. I had a pasta dish that's these three thin tubes of pasta stuffed with lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, and cheeses all topped with a rich cheese-sherry sauce. Dear Lord. I am so stuffed from it. The meal was topped off with a Godiva chocolate mousse cake and a live performance by flamingo dancers. Freaking awesome.
-Today's my mom's birthday so that's why we went to Columbia. Just so you know.
Ack, the RandomChat has started. Ja ne.
DAY I
-Drove from Athens to Riverdale with my brother and Shartara in tow Saturday morning. Stopped at Aunt ZB's to drop of the cat. Drove to Mikey's to spend the night.
-Woke up at the ass-crack of dawn aka 5:30AM and got dropped off at the airport. I haven't ridden a plane in years and I've done it twice so of course I was mega-nervous the second I got there and didn't stop being nervous until I was in the truck with my parents in Tampa. Paranoid, who me? Everything went smoothly despite my panickyness.
-After my parents got us, we went to this incredibly awesome place for breakfast. Gotta find the name but it was really nice and the food was great. Then we went back to the hotel and then went to the movies. Bryan and Dad went to see The Crazies while Mom and I went to see Princess & the Frog. Afterward, we went to Five Guys for burgers and then went back to the hotel and passed out. I barely slept but that's redundant. I am incapable of sleeping like a normal person and have been for weeks now. Sigh.
-Monday morning we woke up and went to IHOP for breakfast. Then, the trip peaked. My parents took us to the Big Cat Rescue center. We took a tour and got to see ALL the big cats: lions, tigers, and bears, oh my, panthers, jaguars, leopards, the works. I was blown away. Those animals were so beautiful I nearly cried. And the best part is that it is a non-profit rescue center so the animals have great enclosures and are treated incredibly well. It's not like a zoo. My only complaint is that since it was a surprise, my parents forgot to tell me to bring my camera. All of the cages are only three feet from the walkway. I was three feet away from a Siberian tiger. AND I HAVE NO PICTURE OF IT. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD: Still, it was probably the best trip I've ever experienced and I have to go back to show you guys pictures of the animals. They are gorgeous.
-For dinner that night, we went to this awesome deli called Datz. They have fantastically huge sandwiches and subs and wings so it was really good. Then we went back to hotel and chilled. Dad eventually ordered a pizza so we pigged out on that.
-Today we had McD's for breakfast (we de-evolved in breakfast foods, as Dad put it xD) and then went to a tiny Photography museum and wandered around Tampa because my parents bloody felt like it. It was insanely boring and I'm on my period so all that walking was hell on my mangled uterus. Luckily, things got better after that. We drove a little way away from Tampa and went into a Gameworks: which is like Dave & Busters only more awesome. Then we went to this authentic Spanish restaurant called Columbia. The food...was so...amazing. I had a pasta dish that's these three thin tubes of pasta stuffed with lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, and cheeses all topped with a rich cheese-sherry sauce. Dear Lord. I am so stuffed from it. The meal was topped off with a Godiva chocolate mousse cake and a live performance by flamingo dancers. Freaking awesome.
-Today's my mom's birthday so that's why we went to Columbia. Just so you know.
Ack, the RandomChat has started. Ja ne.