Florida Trip!
So, I just got back from my trip to Florida with my family. We stayed at my Grandma's condo down there in a retirement community. XD All in all, it was a fun trip, but I missed home SO effing much. I'll put my experience in a cut, so it doesn't eat up all your FLs XDD
Sunday:
Okay. So we had to get up at freaking...5am on sunday to catch our flight out there. Five. ...In the morning... That was a real trial. x_x; I haaate getting up early. But the flight was nice and smooth. We got to my grandma's and everyone went to bed. Except me. Yay. So I read more Anita Blake books and played my favorite game (Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for the PSP) until they woke up. Then we went to Whataburger and had dinner, came back and all went to bed. Excitement. *sarcasm*
Monday:
'Twas my mom's birthday today, so we went to a place called Howard Park, which was aaawesome. (http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/06_howard.htm for those interested). It was a beach day, and it was very nice. We went and ate at Columbia Restaurant (an expensive Spanish place http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ybor.asp). I dunno...I feel bad, but I didn't really like what I tried, and I tried everything my family ordered as well. x.n; I did, however, get a really good mango daquiri and tried my dad's mojito. Those...were good.
Tuesday:
Today was a loaf day. We pretty much sat around all day and vegitated. It was really nice to be able to relax and kick back. We went to the pool at my gram's condo area thing, and it was nice. We met some of her neighbors and for old people, they were REALLY cool! They were nice, polite, and gave us tons of advise and stuff about what to go to while we were down there. We ate at Ali Gators and it was awesome! We tried fried 'gator. And let me tell you. If you haven't had gator, try it. It's REALLY really good.
Wednesday:
I saw mermaids. Haha, no, really. We went to somewhere called Weekie Wachee. (http://www.weekiwachee.com/) There were two mermaid shows that I attended. One of them was explaining how the 'mermaids' did what they did underwater. They breathed through air tubes and could both drink and eat while underwater. One of them ate an apple, the other one drank a coke from a glass bottle. It was impressive. The next show was "The Little Mermaid". It was so cute and corny. but I liked it a lot. We also saw a momma Peacock with three itty-bitty babies! Oh man, they were SO CUTE. There was a water park there too, and I rode all four slides. One was pretty much a straight drop down, the second was a straight drop while you were contained in a tube, the third was a twisty-turny slide that sloughed you around, and the fourth was a wavy slide that made you think you had gone airborne. It was a LOT of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Afterwards, we went to a local hotspot called the Crab House. It was...THE BEST...crab. I've ever eaten. Ever. No joke. We ordered Yingling beer, which was...really strong. Crazy strong. I liked it though, the taste was really good. Strong, but very hoppy.
Thursday:
...oh man. It was this day that taught me that I hate large beaches. Hate. We went to Clearwater Beach. (http://www.clearwaterbeach.com/) It was pretty. But after about five minutes, I was bored and wanted to go home. I finally got in the water after about an hour and a half and...augh. I found a lot of shells, but...sitting in a sandy beach when the tide is rolling you everywhere isn't my idea of fun. Especially when sand goes...places. Places that you can't clean unless you're somewhere private. And there weren't any private showers. So I was sandy, the saltwater dried on me and I was itchy, I didn't want to go in the first place, so I was so cranky. We went to Frenchie's Restaurant to see the sunset (http://frenchysonline.com/). I went to the car to get the camera when we arrived, and when I got back, this is what my parents said to me, no joke. "You seem really upset so we've come to a conclusion. We're going to get you shit-faced drunk!" Needless to say, I drank. A lot. I didn't get drunk though (somehow, I have a high tolerance). It was an okay day, but the night was awesome.
Friday:
OH MAN. We went to Busch Gardens today. (http://www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens_default.aspx) It was. Amazing. There was a big-ass storm that rolled in RIGHT when we got there, but we waited it out...it took about an hour and a half to finally pass. I rode ALL the roller coasters (except for one, which we couldn't find at all. I was sad about that, but it was SO much fun. I saw flamingos and zebras and gazelles and ALL sorts of neat animals. My favorite had to be the Shiekra. Jesus. It was 200ft high and it carted you all the way up, spun you in a u-turn (slowly) to let you see the sights. Then it slowed down at the edge and then stopped and dangled you for a second over the 90 degree drop STRAIGHT DOWN. Then it let you go. It was CRAZY and AWESOME and INTENSE. I've never been on such an awesome coaster. I rode it three times. Three. The last one was at 9pm so it was ALL dark. So much fuuun. We ate turkey legs there. They were fucking huge. Not 'effing' huge. FUCKING HUGE. Me and my mom split one and there was still some left over. We ended the night and mom made hot dogs at home.
Saturday:
Today was another lazy-ish day. Me and mom and my sister went to the huge flea market near my Gramma's condo (my dad wasn't feeling well). It was...gigantic. Most of it was touristy crap, but I found my niches. XD There was this awesome gem shop and I bought a garnet ring (teardrop shaped, so it looks like a drop of blood...very cool) for $18 (it had a flaw with the silver base, that's why I think it was so cheap...there's a ding at the bottom so now it looks more like a heart than a droplet...but from far away, you can't tell). I also bought a silver chain for my Goddess pendant. That was...expensive. Apparently, the cost of silver went WAY up, so it was $4/ounce. I ended up paying around $25 for the chain itself. The shopkeeper and I talked shop for awhile and he showed me some of his collection. And damn. He had a lot. He had a tray of star sapphires, star rubies, and one star silver/diamond (http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/gordonstarsapphire.jpg) and he had like...no joke...FIVE trays of opals. There was a black opal that was the size of a quarter and it was a deep blue with flecks of blue, green, and black that was GORGEOUS. I asked how much it cost and he said it ran him about $3,900. That's not market price. Market price would have been much more. I also went to the comic shop there and found TONS of neat figurines and stuff. I was most excited. We came home, packed, and then went out to dinner at a Greek place. We all got Gyros and made merry. <3 I bought lots of candy and a few tea balls that unfolded into flowers when put in hot water. Very nice.
Sunday:
We loaded up the car and drove to the airport (after much hustling and bustling and cleaning). We loafed at the airport and flew home. The ride into O'Hare was ridiculously bumpy. I was freaked. x_x I don't like flying. I got in and just...relaxed at home. It was nice to be back. I was SO glad to sleep in my own bed. The entire vacation I didn't have privacy for anything. Any room I went into, my family was there. I was very glad to have time to myself. Very. Also, at the flea market, there was a piercing place, and that rekindled my desire to get my tongue pierced. I wanted to for SO LONG. The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm SO scared that it will hurt really, really, really bad. x_x Everyone I've talked to that's had it done has been like "I've bitten my tongue and it hurt worse than that. The only thing that really hurts is the clamp". So...I'm considering it. x.n Let's just say that I'm doing lots of research beforehand and going to the place where my sister got it done if I do it.
And that's my vacation! I had a lot of fun, but like I said before, I'm VERY glad to be home. <3 ...very. I missed everything about it here. My own car, my own room, PRIVACY FOR GODDESS' SAKE, and friends. Most of all, friends. There was talk of moving down there, but I will REFUSE. I can't do it. x_x;; But yeah. n.n Congrats to everyone who made it all they way through my description XD If you did, I personally owe you a cookie. <3
Sunday:
Okay. So we had to get up at freaking...5am on sunday to catch our flight out there. Five. ...In the morning... That was a real trial. x_x; I haaate getting up early. But the flight was nice and smooth. We got to my grandma's and everyone went to bed. Except me. Yay. So I read more Anita Blake books and played my favorite game (Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for the PSP) until they woke up. Then we went to Whataburger and had dinner, came back and all went to bed. Excitement. *sarcasm*
Monday:
'Twas my mom's birthday today, so we went to a place called Howard Park, which was aaawesome. (http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/06_howard.htm for those interested). It was a beach day, and it was very nice. We went and ate at Columbia Restaurant (an expensive Spanish place http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ybor.asp). I dunno...I feel bad, but I didn't really like what I tried, and I tried everything my family ordered as well. x.n; I did, however, get a really good mango daquiri and tried my dad's mojito. Those...were good.
Tuesday:
Today was a loaf day. We pretty much sat around all day and vegitated. It was really nice to be able to relax and kick back. We went to the pool at my gram's condo area thing, and it was nice. We met some of her neighbors and for old people, they were REALLY cool! They were nice, polite, and gave us tons of advise and stuff about what to go to while we were down there. We ate at Ali Gators and it was awesome! We tried fried 'gator. And let me tell you. If you haven't had gator, try it. It's REALLY really good.
Wednesday:
I saw mermaids. Haha, no, really. We went to somewhere called Weekie Wachee. (http://www.weekiwachee.com/) There were two mermaid shows that I attended. One of them was explaining how the 'mermaids' did what they did underwater. They breathed through air tubes and could both drink and eat while underwater. One of them ate an apple, the other one drank a coke from a glass bottle. It was impressive. The next show was "The Little Mermaid". It was so cute and corny. but I liked it a lot. We also saw a momma Peacock with three itty-bitty babies! Oh man, they were SO CUTE. There was a water park there too, and I rode all four slides. One was pretty much a straight drop down, the second was a straight drop while you were contained in a tube, the third was a twisty-turny slide that sloughed you around, and the fourth was a wavy slide that made you think you had gone airborne. It was a LOT of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Afterwards, we went to a local hotspot called the Crab House. It was...THE BEST...crab. I've ever eaten. Ever. No joke. We ordered Yingling beer, which was...really strong. Crazy strong. I liked it though, the taste was really good. Strong, but very hoppy.
Thursday:
...oh man. It was this day that taught me that I hate large beaches. Hate. We went to Clearwater Beach. (http://www.clearwaterbeach.com/) It was pretty. But after about five minutes, I was bored and wanted to go home. I finally got in the water after about an hour and a half and...augh. I found a lot of shells, but...sitting in a sandy beach when the tide is rolling you everywhere isn't my idea of fun. Especially when sand goes...places. Places that you can't clean unless you're somewhere private. And there weren't any private showers. So I was sandy, the saltwater dried on me and I was itchy, I didn't want to go in the first place, so I was so cranky. We went to Frenchie's Restaurant to see the sunset (http://frenchysonline.com/). I went to the car to get the camera when we arrived, and when I got back, this is what my parents said to me, no joke. "You seem really upset so we've come to a conclusion. We're going to get you shit-faced drunk!" Needless to say, I drank. A lot. I didn't get drunk though (somehow, I have a high tolerance). It was an okay day, but the night was awesome.
Friday:
OH MAN. We went to Busch Gardens today. (http://www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens_default.aspx) It was. Amazing. There was a big-ass storm that rolled in RIGHT when we got there, but we waited it out...it took about an hour and a half to finally pass. I rode ALL the roller coasters (except for one, which we couldn't find at all. I was sad about that, but it was SO much fun. I saw flamingos and zebras and gazelles and ALL sorts of neat animals. My favorite had to be the Shiekra. Jesus. It was 200ft high and it carted you all the way up, spun you in a u-turn (slowly) to let you see the sights. Then it slowed down at the edge and then stopped and dangled you for a second over the 90 degree drop STRAIGHT DOWN. Then it let you go. It was CRAZY and AWESOME and INTENSE. I've never been on such an awesome coaster. I rode it three times. Three. The last one was at 9pm so it was ALL dark. So much fuuun. We ate turkey legs there. They were fucking huge. Not 'effing' huge. FUCKING HUGE. Me and my mom split one and there was still some left over. We ended the night and mom made hot dogs at home.
Saturday:
Today was another lazy-ish day. Me and mom and my sister went to the huge flea market near my Gramma's condo (my dad wasn't feeling well). It was...gigantic. Most of it was touristy crap, but I found my niches. XD There was this awesome gem shop and I bought a garnet ring (teardrop shaped, so it looks like a drop of blood...very cool) for $18 (it had a flaw with the silver base, that's why I think it was so cheap...there's a ding at the bottom so now it looks more like a heart than a droplet...but from far away, you can't tell). I also bought a silver chain for my Goddess pendant. That was...expensive. Apparently, the cost of silver went WAY up, so it was $4/ounce. I ended up paying around $25 for the chain itself. The shopkeeper and I talked shop for awhile and he showed me some of his collection. And damn. He had a lot. He had a tray of star sapphires, star rubies, and one star silver/diamond (http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/gordonstarsapphire.jpg) and he had like...no joke...FIVE trays of opals. There was a black opal that was the size of a quarter and it was a deep blue with flecks of blue, green, and black that was GORGEOUS. I asked how much it cost and he said it ran him about $3,900. That's not market price. Market price would have been much more. I also went to the comic shop there and found TONS of neat figurines and stuff. I was most excited. We came home, packed, and then went out to dinner at a Greek place. We all got Gyros and made merry. <3 I bought lots of candy and a few tea balls that unfolded into flowers when put in hot water. Very nice.
Sunday:
We loaded up the car and drove to the airport (after much hustling and bustling and cleaning). We loafed at the airport and flew home. The ride into O'Hare was ridiculously bumpy. I was freaked. x_x I don't like flying. I got in and just...relaxed at home. It was nice to be back. I was SO glad to sleep in my own bed. The entire vacation I didn't have privacy for anything. Any room I went into, my family was there. I was very glad to have time to myself. Very. Also, at the flea market, there was a piercing place, and that rekindled my desire to get my tongue pierced. I wanted to for SO LONG. The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm SO scared that it will hurt really, really, really bad. x_x Everyone I've talked to that's had it done has been like "I've bitten my tongue and it hurt worse than that. The only thing that really hurts is the clamp". So...I'm considering it. x.n Let's just say that I'm doing lots of research beforehand and going to the place where my sister got it done if I do it.
And that's my vacation! I had a lot of fun, but like I said before, I'm VERY glad to be home. <3 ...very. I missed everything about it here. My own car, my own room, PRIVACY FOR GODDESS' SAKE, and friends. Most of all, friends. There was talk of moving down there, but I will REFUSE. I can't do it. x_x;; But yeah. n.n Congrats to everyone who made it all they way through my description XD If you did, I personally owe you a cookie. <3