florida bound
our flight from san jose to l.a. left at 7:55am and we needed to be at the airport with enough time so that we wouldn't be rushed. of course, at that time in the morning, the airport is almost deserted, so we had almost 2 hours to kill. we also had almost an hour to kill once we GOT to l.a. marshall took this time to grab sandwiches for everyone and we all were sweating bullets making sure all of marshall's family made on the flight. luckily, we all made it on and started the longest leg of our journey from l.a. to nashville. we didn't have to switch planes, so we just hung around until our next flight started from nashville to orlando. it was almost 9pm when we finally go to orlando. unfortunately, not all of our luggage made it: kylie's (marshall's sister) and chris's (marshall's brother) bags didn't make it all the way. susan (marshall's step-mom) decided to stay at the airport to wait for the bags, while the rest of us got the rental car and found the hotel. it took us FOREVER to figure out where our hotel was. yeah, it was simple getting to disney world, but once IN disney world - it was so difficult to figure out where anything was. everything is so spread out it's ridiculous. finally after driving around in circles for almost 30 minutes we finally found the place. we got checked in and found our rooms. after that we wanted to take advantage of the free meal we got with our hotel package at planet hollywood, we headed out again to downtown disney. sadly, we got there RIGHT BEFORE they closed so our meals weren't the greatest. i don't think it helped either that we were all pretty tired.
the exhaustion was still hanging around the next day while we were at epcot center. i had never been and i didn't realize how huge it is. there was so much to do. the weather wasn't favorable and it ended up pouring right before noon and we ran through it to get to a dry spot. we decided to wait it out and have lunch, but of course, that was everyone else's idea, so it was packed. the rain finally let up and we continued on with checking everything out. we got to learn about energy from ellen degeneres and bill nye (the science guy), we were sworn in as astronauts by gary sinese before we were "launched" into space and landed on mars. we also got to explore the coral reef with nemo and his friends. it wasn't until later in the afternoon that we made it to "the world", which was, by far, my favorite part and i still wish we could've gotten more time to explore. the majority of the time we spent there was rushing between each country trying to find a restaurant that wasn't booked solid so we could have a sit-down dinner (which was included in our hotel package). we couldn't find a place that wasn't already filled and ended up despondent and eating in "china" at the fast food place. it wasn't bad, but that pub in "england" would've been wonderful. i was sad that we couldn't stop and have a pint before leaving. unfortunately, there was some tension brewing in the family and chris ended up leaving us early. this put a slight damper on things for the rest of the night. the rest of us did, however, get to see a spectacular fireworks display. i had never seen anything like it before. it wasn't just boom-boom look at the pretty sparkles, but it told a story. it was so good that i was crying at the end. i've become such a crier in my old age. the theme of the display was the world and being one with the earth. the ending song for the finale was "let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me". it was just really touching. i've noticed this holiday season, in particular, there has been this overwhelming desire for peace. i mean, i noticed 2 stores, macy's and the gap, that promoted, in their commercial fashion, promoted peace. with the gap: peace, love and gap; and with macy's: love, peace, and macy's. but anyway, i think that no matter where your sympathies lie, i think everyone is praying for peace in one way or another. okay, i digress! this display took us to the closing of the park and we headed back to the hotel. after discussing what went wrong that night and what could be improved for the rest of the trip, we got to open gifts. marshall was practically the only one opening gifts. susan and his dad got him a ton of shirts for christmas, some that were cool and some that were not (we're returning those). all us "kids" got a spirit ball. susan takes crepe paper and makes this ball out of it and as it's unwrapped, money is found inside. it was really cool and this year i was included! i was so happy to have my own ball to unwrap - i felt so included. i also got 2 "friends" compilation dvds from kylie, which was totally cool.
the day after christmas was all about the magic kingdom - pretty much what disneyland is in l.a., but with one or to differences: there is no "french quarter" like in l.a., but something called "liberty street" or something like that. the haunted mansion, which is found in the french quarter in l.a., is in this liberty land in florida. also, tomorrowland does not contain star tours, which i absolutely love! no worries, there was plenty to do. we had a really good routine that day. we made sure that what we wanted to do as a big group we did and whenever someone wanted to do something else, we didn't need to make a big decision out of it, but that person did what they wanted and we would split up and meet up later. chris, marshall, and i did splash mountain and then kylie joined us for thunder mountain railroad. all of us met for lunch and then headed to see the mid-day christmas parade (which was really cute). tomorrowland was next and we were in need of something to do where we sat, so we all huddled in the revolving theater to see "carousel of progress", which USED to be in l.a. but because of lack of interest and popularity, it was moved to florida. it was corny, but the theater was warm and we could sit. we got our fast-passes for space mountain for an appointment time for 9:30pm, so marshall, chris, susan, bob, and i rode the "people mover", while kylie watched the "high school musical" show. after that, kylie and i were the only ones who wanted to go on the teacups, and i seriously canNOT go to disneyland without riding it. they didn't have the alice in wonderland ride, so i HAD to ride the teacups. kylie and i had a GREAT time on the teacups. we got a really good flow going and we were spinning faster than anyone there. i think marshall was able to catch a few pics while we were riding. we finally got reservations in advance for dinner, but unfortunately, this restaurant was outside of the park and 20 minutes away by boat. yes, boat. we had dinner at a buffet at "the campground" at fort wilderness, one of the disney resorts at the magic kingdom. the buffet was alright, nothing spectacular. but our waitress was amazing. i've never had a more attentive waitress, especially for a buffet. she was quick to refill drinks and clear dirty dishes. she was always making sure we knew when she would be available next, telling us that she'd get back once she took care of the arms-full of dishes she currently had. it was just amazing. we left her an extra tip, even though our meal package included a 18% gratuity, but she was really nice. after dinner, we headed back to the park and finished up the last couple of rides: space mountain and the haunted mansion. first, of course, was the magic kingdom fireworks display. this one was equally amazing, but it was more because of the synchronization between the music playing and the fireworks. everything was timed perfectly and made for a really awesome show. like epcot, i had never seen a fireworks show like this before. we even got a visit from tinkerbell as she lit up the castle. :) after the show, it was off to space mountain. marshall and i got split up from kylie and chris, but the ride only fits 3 people in-line in the rockets, so no worries. however, while we were mere moments away from boarding the ride, it broke down. when they turn on the lights at space mountain, the magic is TOTALLY lost. luckily, they were able to save the people that were on the ride AS it broke down and got things moving again. i LOVE that ride. for the first time, i sat in front and it was an amazing experience. so fun! it was much longer than i remembered. our last ride of the night was the haunted mansion that didn't have a line when we arrived. perfect! i'm not sure if there's a difference between the mansions in l.a. and florida, but this one wasn't as good as the one in l.a. maybe i just don't remember it well, but it just wasn't as good as i remembered. anyway, it was time to start heading to the entrance. we stopped at the emporium on main street to find a t-shirt. i ended up with a hoodie instead, which is really comfy. there was some confusion right before we left and half of us were left waiting while kylie got cheesecake from the confectionery. finally, RIGHT before midnight, we got everyone rounded up and on the monorail back to the parking lot. what totally sucked about this day was i was so ready for the weather to be warm and rainy, so i wore my jeans like capris and donned on my sandals. to everyone's surprise it was dry and FREEZING! i mean, northern california winter cold. plus, my sandal on my right foot was causing some major damage and pain to the top of my foot. this made it more and more difficult to walk as the day wore on. so, not only was a freezing, but i was in pain, too. i was regretting with every step my decision to wear insensible shoes. *sigh*
it took us almost 2 hours to drive from orlando to deltona, where we were staying for the rest of the week. we finally arrived at our hotel, a best western which marshall's family stays at every time they visit, and to our luck they only reserved 2 rooms, when we needed three. they were able to get a room for bob and susan, but unfortuantely, when they got into their room, it seemed it never got cleaned that day. there was trash in the bins and the bed was not made. they complained and got another room, which was clean. the room i shared with kylie (yes, marshall and i were separated on this trip) was a totally different story. we were next to marshall and chris's room, so we unloaded our stuff first. we got the bags out of the van and i was so happy to be at a room to sleep. i walked into the room and the overwhelming odor of freshly smoked pot met me like a fog at the threshold. kylie watched my reaction with amusement and doubled-over laughing at how quickly my facial expression changed as i walked into the room. it seriously smelled like someone or someONES had, within the HOUR, hotboxed our hotel room. i didn't want to make a big deal out of it and i sat there laughing out of amusement and exhaustion when bob asked me what was wrong. i told him nothing, because really it wasn't bad, it was just really funny. we finally got to bed, although this is after i noticed that the first pillow i tried was crunchy and lumpy (i seriously thought i was sleeping on a pillow stuffed with little baggies of ganja). we woke up early the next morning to meet marshall's grandpa, his grandpa's wife, and a couple of bob's cousins for breakfast. it was a nice breakfast and we had a great time. marshall's grandpa, bud, is adorable and quite the charmer, even for being 89. his wife, georgiana, was charming, too, and very personable. after breakfast, we headed out to st. augustine to visit the oldest city in the united states. we didn't get there until really late and only had a short amount of time to check things out. i would've loved to have stayed longer and checked out the winery there and more of the little shops and great historical buildings. unfortunately, when dealing with the elderly (i.e. grandpa bud), dinner is an early affair, and by the time it hit 4, we had to set off back to deltona to have dinner. the restaurant was the restaurant at our hotel. surprisingly, it was fantastic! you would've never have known from being a restaurant attached to a best western right off the highway. that night we ate in the lounge and got to hear one of the regular performers sing. it was really fun. we were all pretty beat, so bedtime was early. we woke up around 10ish the next morning and headed off on this highway tour georgiana found in the newspaper. the first stop ended up being our ONLY stop. why? the big attraction at this park and springs is the old spanish sugar mill. their restaurant boasts "do-it-yourself breakfasts". each table is equipped with its own electric skillet. each table is supplied with eggs, pancake batter (or french toast or regular toast, depending on what you order) and butter and you make your own breakfast. a place like this definitely has a reputation and the fact that you make your own food, makes the time for each party double in length. plus, with the amount of people that go there, it was a long wait. i don't mean 45mins to an hour, i mean, 2.5 to 3 HOURS. luckily, they had a snack bar and we got some fries to munch on while we waited. plus, there were canoes, kayaks and paddleboats to pass the time. susan wanted to kayak, but i like paddleboats better. marshall and i snagged one, while the remaining four piled onto another. it was really cool just paddling around on this huge body of water. near the restaurant, is a warm water springs and it flows out into the river and that's where you take the paddleboats. the landscape was breathtaking. it reminded me of the swamp tour i took while in new orleans. after an hour on the water, we headed back and only had to wait an additional 20 minutes for a table to open up. luckily, it was TOTALLY worth it. we all had a great time making our own breakfasts and the breakfasts were really good. unfortunately, by the time we ate it was 3pm and we had a dinner engagement again at 5:30. we couldn't fit another stop of the tour in our schedule so we headed back to the hotel. being that we flew southwest, we wanted to check-in online so we could have the chance to get good seats. they didn't have a community computer at the hotel, so they gave directions to marshall of a local library (considered a "regional" library, since everything is so spread out in central florida). it was a weekday, so their hours were later and we made it in time to check-in. sadly, everyone got checked-in except bob. (although, lucky for him, when he checked-in at the airport, he was given B status, which is not half bad!) dinner that night was great, again. i never eat that early normally and was surprised at how much time we had afterwards. susan REALLY had been wanting to go to a movie since we arrived, so we (minus chris) headed to the local cineplex (an old regal cinemas, in desperate need of renovation) and got tickets. marshall, kylie and i saw "the holiday" and susan and bob saw "eragon" (this was one of multiple viewings of the movie that susan had seen). we had some time to kill, so susan and bob snuck into "rocky balboa" and marshall, kylie and i headed to the bar next door. kylie was keen on seeing if she could pass for 21 based on looks alone, but ended up being too nervous to try. marshall and i got a couple of drinks and we chatted about colleges until we headed back to the theater. "the holiday" was so wonderful. i loved it! kate winslet was just great, for lack of a better word, and jack black was tremendous. he was doofy, but he wasn't TRYING to be, which made it even better. i don't normally like cameron diaz all that much, but she was good, too, and i found out that i really don't find jude law all that attractive (stubby fingers, so not attractive), although he is a good actor. overall, the movie was great and i'd definitely see it again (if only to see it in full: after 2 gin and tonics at dinner and 2 beers at the bar, i had to pee a lot).
our last day in florida started with a visit to blue springs and a view of the manatees. we were worried about this because normally, the manatees hang out at the springs in the morning when the river water, where they go to eat, is cold. once everything warms up, though, they leave to eat. luckily, a good load of them decided to keep to the springs. the ranger station at the entrance to the park had a sign that read "manatee count: 121". we made it out to the springs and saw a TON of manatees. the water is so clear and so shallow, that it was easy to spot these "gentle giants". they don't do much, really, just float around in the water. the spring water is a constant 74F, which is perfect for morning and nighttime when they need to stay warm. we saw pods of them just hanging out in the water. we spotted a few mamas with their young clutched under their front fins. i had never seen a manatee before and it was a great sight to see. the springs didn't become a protected place until the 70s when news of how human invasion of the environment almost wiped out the manatees in the area. they counted 14 manatees when they started protecting the area. since then the numbers have exceeded 200. boats and swimming aren't allowed in the springs anymore. it's sad to see the horrors that boat propellers have done to some of these animals. to also see the drastic change that human influence on just the vegetation in the area alone was almost sad. the area now is lush and green. visitors are made to stay on the boardwalk they've constructed and no one is allowed in the water. i loved watching these animals. they just look so peaceful. next up on the agenda was brunch at bud and georgiana's house. she put together a huge spread of fresh turkey and sandwich fixens, chips and dip, and fruit and yogurt parfaits (homemade, not from mcdonald's). it was nice to just relax and watch tv. we also got to pitch-in to fix things around the house. marshall and i moved the computer around, switches in the kitchen were fixed and the screen door for the front door was rehung. then, it was a family picture in front of the house and finally the ride back to the airport.
after 7 hours of travel time, we finally made it back to dry and cold california. it was funny to notice the change in temperatures as we traveled across the country. we started in orlando at 79F (yeah, it went back to warm, muggy and rainy after being dry and freezing for 2 days!), nashville was 65F, l.a. was 55F, and finally san jose came in at a chilly 45F. i think marshall and i were equally happy to be back at home. florida's nice, but, even if it comes to retirement, i wouldn't want to live there.
i can't tell you how great it was to sleep next to marshall again. i had no idea that being a room away from him and sleeping in separate beds was such a change. i knew that this was going to happen. marshall mentioned to me when we were first going out that if we were to ever stay at his dad's house, we wouldn't be able to share the same room or bed. we normally stay at his mom's house anyway when we visit and there we can share the same bed. i know that this is a personal choice that both susan and bob share. chris asked susan why at some point during the trip and even though i don't know why, i'm not going to question it. although, i feel that i will question this if marshall and i are married and we are separated then, too. but in the eyes of parents, we're still "kids" and boys and girls don't share beds because they might have sex and sex is bad. i doubt that's exactly how susan and bob feel, BUT i know when to pick my battles. they were generous enough to pay for our trip (and i mean our ENTIRE trip, they paid for EVERYTHING), not sharing a bed with marshall is not something i would jeopardize the trip for. i don't mean to diminish my relationship with marshall, but they paid and they make the rules. but when we got home that night, it was wonderful to fall asleep next to him and wake up next to him in the morning. i definitely missed that.
the exhaustion was still hanging around the next day while we were at epcot center. i had never been and i didn't realize how huge it is. there was so much to do. the weather wasn't favorable and it ended up pouring right before noon and we ran through it to get to a dry spot. we decided to wait it out and have lunch, but of course, that was everyone else's idea, so it was packed. the rain finally let up and we continued on with checking everything out. we got to learn about energy from ellen degeneres and bill nye (the science guy), we were sworn in as astronauts by gary sinese before we were "launched" into space and landed on mars. we also got to explore the coral reef with nemo and his friends. it wasn't until later in the afternoon that we made it to "the world", which was, by far, my favorite part and i still wish we could've gotten more time to explore. the majority of the time we spent there was rushing between each country trying to find a restaurant that wasn't booked solid so we could have a sit-down dinner (which was included in our hotel package). we couldn't find a place that wasn't already filled and ended up despondent and eating in "china" at the fast food place. it wasn't bad, but that pub in "england" would've been wonderful. i was sad that we couldn't stop and have a pint before leaving. unfortunately, there was some tension brewing in the family and chris ended up leaving us early. this put a slight damper on things for the rest of the night. the rest of us did, however, get to see a spectacular fireworks display. i had never seen anything like it before. it wasn't just boom-boom look at the pretty sparkles, but it told a story. it was so good that i was crying at the end. i've become such a crier in my old age. the theme of the display was the world and being one with the earth. the ending song for the finale was "let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me". it was just really touching. i've noticed this holiday season, in particular, there has been this overwhelming desire for peace. i mean, i noticed 2 stores, macy's and the gap, that promoted, in their commercial fashion, promoted peace. with the gap: peace, love and gap; and with macy's: love, peace, and macy's. but anyway, i think that no matter where your sympathies lie, i think everyone is praying for peace in one way or another. okay, i digress! this display took us to the closing of the park and we headed back to the hotel. after discussing what went wrong that night and what could be improved for the rest of the trip, we got to open gifts. marshall was practically the only one opening gifts. susan and his dad got him a ton of shirts for christmas, some that were cool and some that were not (we're returning those). all us "kids" got a spirit ball. susan takes crepe paper and makes this ball out of it and as it's unwrapped, money is found inside. it was really cool and this year i was included! i was so happy to have my own ball to unwrap - i felt so included. i also got 2 "friends" compilation dvds from kylie, which was totally cool.
the day after christmas was all about the magic kingdom - pretty much what disneyland is in l.a., but with one or to differences: there is no "french quarter" like in l.a., but something called "liberty street" or something like that. the haunted mansion, which is found in the french quarter in l.a., is in this liberty land in florida. also, tomorrowland does not contain star tours, which i absolutely love! no worries, there was plenty to do. we had a really good routine that day. we made sure that what we wanted to do as a big group we did and whenever someone wanted to do something else, we didn't need to make a big decision out of it, but that person did what they wanted and we would split up and meet up later. chris, marshall, and i did splash mountain and then kylie joined us for thunder mountain railroad. all of us met for lunch and then headed to see the mid-day christmas parade (which was really cute). tomorrowland was next and we were in need of something to do where we sat, so we all huddled in the revolving theater to see "carousel of progress", which USED to be in l.a. but because of lack of interest and popularity, it was moved to florida. it was corny, but the theater was warm and we could sit. we got our fast-passes for space mountain for an appointment time for 9:30pm, so marshall, chris, susan, bob, and i rode the "people mover", while kylie watched the "high school musical" show. after that, kylie and i were the only ones who wanted to go on the teacups, and i seriously canNOT go to disneyland without riding it. they didn't have the alice in wonderland ride, so i HAD to ride the teacups. kylie and i had a GREAT time on the teacups. we got a really good flow going and we were spinning faster than anyone there. i think marshall was able to catch a few pics while we were riding. we finally got reservations in advance for dinner, but unfortunately, this restaurant was outside of the park and 20 minutes away by boat. yes, boat. we had dinner at a buffet at "the campground" at fort wilderness, one of the disney resorts at the magic kingdom. the buffet was alright, nothing spectacular. but our waitress was amazing. i've never had a more attentive waitress, especially for a buffet. she was quick to refill drinks and clear dirty dishes. she was always making sure we knew when she would be available next, telling us that she'd get back once she took care of the arms-full of dishes she currently had. it was just amazing. we left her an extra tip, even though our meal package included a 18% gratuity, but she was really nice. after dinner, we headed back to the park and finished up the last couple of rides: space mountain and the haunted mansion. first, of course, was the magic kingdom fireworks display. this one was equally amazing, but it was more because of the synchronization between the music playing and the fireworks. everything was timed perfectly and made for a really awesome show. like epcot, i had never seen a fireworks show like this before. we even got a visit from tinkerbell as she lit up the castle. :) after the show, it was off to space mountain. marshall and i got split up from kylie and chris, but the ride only fits 3 people in-line in the rockets, so no worries. however, while we were mere moments away from boarding the ride, it broke down. when they turn on the lights at space mountain, the magic is TOTALLY lost. luckily, they were able to save the people that were on the ride AS it broke down and got things moving again. i LOVE that ride. for the first time, i sat in front and it was an amazing experience. so fun! it was much longer than i remembered. our last ride of the night was the haunted mansion that didn't have a line when we arrived. perfect! i'm not sure if there's a difference between the mansions in l.a. and florida, but this one wasn't as good as the one in l.a. maybe i just don't remember it well, but it just wasn't as good as i remembered. anyway, it was time to start heading to the entrance. we stopped at the emporium on main street to find a t-shirt. i ended up with a hoodie instead, which is really comfy. there was some confusion right before we left and half of us were left waiting while kylie got cheesecake from the confectionery. finally, RIGHT before midnight, we got everyone rounded up and on the monorail back to the parking lot. what totally sucked about this day was i was so ready for the weather to be warm and rainy, so i wore my jeans like capris and donned on my sandals. to everyone's surprise it was dry and FREEZING! i mean, northern california winter cold. plus, my sandal on my right foot was causing some major damage and pain to the top of my foot. this made it more and more difficult to walk as the day wore on. so, not only was a freezing, but i was in pain, too. i was regretting with every step my decision to wear insensible shoes. *sigh*
it took us almost 2 hours to drive from orlando to deltona, where we were staying for the rest of the week. we finally arrived at our hotel, a best western which marshall's family stays at every time they visit, and to our luck they only reserved 2 rooms, when we needed three. they were able to get a room for bob and susan, but unfortuantely, when they got into their room, it seemed it never got cleaned that day. there was trash in the bins and the bed was not made. they complained and got another room, which was clean. the room i shared with kylie (yes, marshall and i were separated on this trip) was a totally different story. we were next to marshall and chris's room, so we unloaded our stuff first. we got the bags out of the van and i was so happy to be at a room to sleep. i walked into the room and the overwhelming odor of freshly smoked pot met me like a fog at the threshold. kylie watched my reaction with amusement and doubled-over laughing at how quickly my facial expression changed as i walked into the room. it seriously smelled like someone or someONES had, within the HOUR, hotboxed our hotel room. i didn't want to make a big deal out of it and i sat there laughing out of amusement and exhaustion when bob asked me what was wrong. i told him nothing, because really it wasn't bad, it was just really funny. we finally got to bed, although this is after i noticed that the first pillow i tried was crunchy and lumpy (i seriously thought i was sleeping on a pillow stuffed with little baggies of ganja). we woke up early the next morning to meet marshall's grandpa, his grandpa's wife, and a couple of bob's cousins for breakfast. it was a nice breakfast and we had a great time. marshall's grandpa, bud, is adorable and quite the charmer, even for being 89. his wife, georgiana, was charming, too, and very personable. after breakfast, we headed out to st. augustine to visit the oldest city in the united states. we didn't get there until really late and only had a short amount of time to check things out. i would've loved to have stayed longer and checked out the winery there and more of the little shops and great historical buildings. unfortunately, when dealing with the elderly (i.e. grandpa bud), dinner is an early affair, and by the time it hit 4, we had to set off back to deltona to have dinner. the restaurant was the restaurant at our hotel. surprisingly, it was fantastic! you would've never have known from being a restaurant attached to a best western right off the highway. that night we ate in the lounge and got to hear one of the regular performers sing. it was really fun. we were all pretty beat, so bedtime was early. we woke up around 10ish the next morning and headed off on this highway tour georgiana found in the newspaper. the first stop ended up being our ONLY stop. why? the big attraction at this park and springs is the old spanish sugar mill. their restaurant boasts "do-it-yourself breakfasts". each table is equipped with its own electric skillet. each table is supplied with eggs, pancake batter (or french toast or regular toast, depending on what you order) and butter and you make your own breakfast. a place like this definitely has a reputation and the fact that you make your own food, makes the time for each party double in length. plus, with the amount of people that go there, it was a long wait. i don't mean 45mins to an hour, i mean, 2.5 to 3 HOURS. luckily, they had a snack bar and we got some fries to munch on while we waited. plus, there were canoes, kayaks and paddleboats to pass the time. susan wanted to kayak, but i like paddleboats better. marshall and i snagged one, while the remaining four piled onto another. it was really cool just paddling around on this huge body of water. near the restaurant, is a warm water springs and it flows out into the river and that's where you take the paddleboats. the landscape was breathtaking. it reminded me of the swamp tour i took while in new orleans. after an hour on the water, we headed back and only had to wait an additional 20 minutes for a table to open up. luckily, it was TOTALLY worth it. we all had a great time making our own breakfasts and the breakfasts were really good. unfortunately, by the time we ate it was 3pm and we had a dinner engagement again at 5:30. we couldn't fit another stop of the tour in our schedule so we headed back to the hotel. being that we flew southwest, we wanted to check-in online so we could have the chance to get good seats. they didn't have a community computer at the hotel, so they gave directions to marshall of a local library (considered a "regional" library, since everything is so spread out in central florida). it was a weekday, so their hours were later and we made it in time to check-in. sadly, everyone got checked-in except bob. (although, lucky for him, when he checked-in at the airport, he was given B status, which is not half bad!) dinner that night was great, again. i never eat that early normally and was surprised at how much time we had afterwards. susan REALLY had been wanting to go to a movie since we arrived, so we (minus chris) headed to the local cineplex (an old regal cinemas, in desperate need of renovation) and got tickets. marshall, kylie and i saw "the holiday" and susan and bob saw "eragon" (this was one of multiple viewings of the movie that susan had seen). we had some time to kill, so susan and bob snuck into "rocky balboa" and marshall, kylie and i headed to the bar next door. kylie was keen on seeing if she could pass for 21 based on looks alone, but ended up being too nervous to try. marshall and i got a couple of drinks and we chatted about colleges until we headed back to the theater. "the holiday" was so wonderful. i loved it! kate winslet was just great, for lack of a better word, and jack black was tremendous. he was doofy, but he wasn't TRYING to be, which made it even better. i don't normally like cameron diaz all that much, but she was good, too, and i found out that i really don't find jude law all that attractive (stubby fingers, so not attractive), although he is a good actor. overall, the movie was great and i'd definitely see it again (if only to see it in full: after 2 gin and tonics at dinner and 2 beers at the bar, i had to pee a lot).
our last day in florida started with a visit to blue springs and a view of the manatees. we were worried about this because normally, the manatees hang out at the springs in the morning when the river water, where they go to eat, is cold. once everything warms up, though, they leave to eat. luckily, a good load of them decided to keep to the springs. the ranger station at the entrance to the park had a sign that read "manatee count: 121". we made it out to the springs and saw a TON of manatees. the water is so clear and so shallow, that it was easy to spot these "gentle giants". they don't do much, really, just float around in the water. the spring water is a constant 74F, which is perfect for morning and nighttime when they need to stay warm. we saw pods of them just hanging out in the water. we spotted a few mamas with their young clutched under their front fins. i had never seen a manatee before and it was a great sight to see. the springs didn't become a protected place until the 70s when news of how human invasion of the environment almost wiped out the manatees in the area. they counted 14 manatees when they started protecting the area. since then the numbers have exceeded 200. boats and swimming aren't allowed in the springs anymore. it's sad to see the horrors that boat propellers have done to some of these animals. to also see the drastic change that human influence on just the vegetation in the area alone was almost sad. the area now is lush and green. visitors are made to stay on the boardwalk they've constructed and no one is allowed in the water. i loved watching these animals. they just look so peaceful. next up on the agenda was brunch at bud and georgiana's house. she put together a huge spread of fresh turkey and sandwich fixens, chips and dip, and fruit and yogurt parfaits (homemade, not from mcdonald's). it was nice to just relax and watch tv. we also got to pitch-in to fix things around the house. marshall and i moved the computer around, switches in the kitchen were fixed and the screen door for the front door was rehung. then, it was a family picture in front of the house and finally the ride back to the airport.
after 7 hours of travel time, we finally made it back to dry and cold california. it was funny to notice the change in temperatures as we traveled across the country. we started in orlando at 79F (yeah, it went back to warm, muggy and rainy after being dry and freezing for 2 days!), nashville was 65F, l.a. was 55F, and finally san jose came in at a chilly 45F. i think marshall and i were equally happy to be back at home. florida's nice, but, even if it comes to retirement, i wouldn't want to live there.
i can't tell you how great it was to sleep next to marshall again. i had no idea that being a room away from him and sleeping in separate beds was such a change. i knew that this was going to happen. marshall mentioned to me when we were first going out that if we were to ever stay at his dad's house, we wouldn't be able to share the same room or bed. we normally stay at his mom's house anyway when we visit and there we can share the same bed. i know that this is a personal choice that both susan and bob share. chris asked susan why at some point during the trip and even though i don't know why, i'm not going to question it. although, i feel that i will question this if marshall and i are married and we are separated then, too. but in the eyes of parents, we're still "kids" and boys and girls don't share beds because they might have sex and sex is bad. i doubt that's exactly how susan and bob feel, BUT i know when to pick my battles. they were generous enough to pay for our trip (and i mean our ENTIRE trip, they paid for EVERYTHING), not sharing a bed with marshall is not something i would jeopardize the trip for. i don't mean to diminish my relationship with marshall, but they paid and they make the rules. but when we got home that night, it was wonderful to fall asleep next to him and wake up next to him in the morning. i definitely missed that.