Orlando, FL - Vacation with Brad

Brad and I decided to go out to Orlando for a vacation the week after Christmas since we both get that time off of work! We didn't want to spend too much money (since we were poor from Christmas presents and such), but since we could stay at his parents house and use one of their cars for FREE (since they are currently living in Mississippi and the Orlando house is empty) and possibly get into some of the theme parks for free, it was a deal we couldn't pass up! The timing was a little awkward though since everyone assumed I was going out to "meet his family", but we decided we didn't care what anyone else thought and went anyway!

I am so glad we did! Despite everything being busy and super expensive (all of the freeways are toll roads), it was such a great time. Everything is beautifully green, and the weather was fantastic (despite the humidity giving me a giant afro)! There are lots of lakes everywhere, and moss hangs from the trees. We got a nice opportunity to check out some of the suburbs when we rented some bikes and rode down the West Orange trail.

There are some very rich areas with huge homes, but plenty of poor sections too. The swimming pools were all covered (I forgot why), and it just felt so home-y. Brad's parents (and brother, Wesley) ended up coming down to Orlando for the duration of our trip, so it was nice to meet them and they made us feel so welcome!

We took a day trip out to Kennedy Space Center to check it out since I hadn't been there since I went to Space Camp as a kid (yes, I know I'm a geek). I couldn't believe how much stuff was out there! It took us all day to do everything, and we still didn't cover it all. We got to see some of the neat stuff they are building to send up to the International Space Station, the shuttles, lots of rockets, and of course, enjoy freeze-dried ice cream. =)

Afterwards, we went out to dinner at a very "Southern" restaurant and Brad convinced me to try Gator tail! Not bad, I thought it tasted a bit like fishy chicken!

We spent several days checking out a bunch of the different theme parks - Universal's Islands of Adventures, MGM, and .

I wanted to check out Epcott too, but time just didn't allow for it. I got a chance to meet 2 of Brad's friends, Maurice and Andrew. The three of them turned into band geeks all over again, but it was really cute, and the guys were so nice. We really enjoyed all the parks, but did start to get tired of the crowds - esp. at MGM, as everyone had come to see the Million Light display!

We went to dinner at a BBQ restaurant, and I quickly discovered that any BBQ I've ever eaten in the past was a very poor imitation of the way BBQ should test. It could've had something to do with that fact that I was starving, but it was mezmorizing. I think I could eat BBQ like that every day and not get sick of it (though I'd probably get very fat)! After dinner we stopped and got gas, and I discovered that the gas stations reeked! Apparently Florida doesn't use filters on their gas, and it actually has a higher octane level than the stuff we get in California! Interesting... guess we get used to the things we see all the time and assume everyone else is strange!

On New Year's Eve, Maurice's family invited us to join them for a block party. It was a lot of fun with booze, games, and loads of fireworks! They are legal to buy and set off there! Brad was so sweet, and stopped at a stand and bought me a bunch of them (everything from sparklers to bottle rockets) and showed me how to set them off! He couldn't believe I'd never gotten to them before (always living in fire hazard areas) and was such a good teacher for his little pyro girlfriend. I was giddy like a 5 year old little girl - it was a blast!

Brad also was a good sport and went with me to some of the cheesier things I wanted to do like go to the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater. We were both a bit bummed though b/c we were expecting the normal show, but got theese corny Christmas show instead. Guess we should've figured, but were suprised it never mentioned it in anything we read!

We also tried to do an Indoor Skydiving Adventure, but unfortunately the air compressor broke right before we got there, and they were booked solid for the rest of our trip. Oh well, we found out there is one in LA, so we're hoping to make that a fun date night sometime when we get back!

Overall, a delightful trip back to Florida! What a great start to 2008! =)