M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E (or how dad sings it M-O-N-K-E-Y V-O-M-I-T -very appropriate for our Thursday itinerary)

We spent last week in Florida. After all the crazy life changes in the last few months, not to mention a bout with shingles, it was high time to decompress. We played hard and didn't get much down time , but it was definitely an effective escape.

Sunday - Kennedy Space Center
We had planned on going to church Sunday, but the Space Shuttle Launch was moved up a day so in order to see it on the pad we had to get there Sunday. If you've never been here, I highly recommend it. It probably isn't something we would do again, but definitely worth doing once.


I seem to have taken more pictures at the Space Center than anywhere else. I guess it was just the first day of the trip and I was shutter happy (shuttle happy- haha).


Shuttle ready for launch


We all especially enjoyed stop 2 on the tour where you see Ground Control for the first moon rocket and they recreate the launch.


I wish I could have taken a picture of how huge this was. Amazing!


Isaac, Astronaut guy, Zane


We walked through this life-sized replica of the shuttle




Monday- Disney Quest
This is another thing I don't think many people do on a FL vacation. Darren's family introduced me to it a few years ago and I knew Zane and Isaac would love it. It's located on Main Street Disney and is five stories of video games. They have everything from Frogger to high-tech virtual reality games. You pay an entrance fee (we found discount tickets for $30) and then have free reign of the place all day.

A definite favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean game. You put on 3D glasses and go on a bow of a ship that is surrounded by a screen. One person is captain and steers the ship while the rest of you shoot cannons at ships and get their gold.

You can also design your own rollercoaster then ride it in a simulator. It was a fun (and loud) day. We took a break to walk out to the parking lot and see the Space Shuttle shoot through the sky.


All four of us did this ride. You get on a raft and paddle down rapids avoiding dinosaurs. It's a work out. It even sprays you with water.


Our favorite game- Pirates!


VR sword fighting game.


Tuesday- Disney World
This was the perfect time of year to go. We planned it to be after Spring Break and before anyone was out of school for summer. As a result, we hardly waited in any lines. Most were 5-10 minutes, one or two rides were a little longer, some we just walked right on to.

We started at Hollywood (MGM) and spent a half day mostly riding the Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster over and over. Then had lunch in the car while driving to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. We had a little rain in the evening, but mostly a perfect day. A half day at each park was perfect.


Aw, such a happy little family at the happiest place on earth.


Isaac was chosen to participate in a street show. He won the acting contest and was awarded a movie contract from the producer.


Outside of the Star Tours ride

Wednesday - Universal Studios
If you like a good roller coaster, this place is for you. Another day of short lines and fun rides. Our favorite was riding in the front row of the Dueling Dragon's coaster. You're suspended instead of sitting in a car so in the front row there is nothing in front of you, not even a track. It was a blast. The Hulk coaster was one of my favorites, but I don't remember it being so shaky. Perhaps I was getting a little coaster-overload by this time. Another favorite ride is Spiderman. You sit in a car with 3D glasses and feel like you're in a comic strip. Spidey lands on your car, you feel heat of flames, etc. Somehow, I got convinced to ride one of the water rides (I hate being wet). We tried to plan where to have me sit to get the least wet, of course, I ended up soaked! By the end of the day, I was in amusement parked overload. I let the boys reride a few favorites without me on the way out of the park.


Mummy ride


Zane


You stood in here and pushed a button. Mist would fill the area and cool you off.


Thursday- SCUBA
(my dad took some photos this day both above and below water- I'll have to post them later)

I was hoping this would be the highlight of the trip. All my boys certified in December and we have been looking forward to a real dive (meaning not Blue Lake or the Crater) for months. We decided to do it right and drive down to Fort Lauderdale where the diving was good (about 3 hrs away). We had heard about clear water, nice reefs/wrecks and 100 ft visibility. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. It was a windy day which really got the ocean churning.

The boat rode high in the water and we felt every wave. By the time we got to the first dive site (a wreck about 15 minutes away) half of the boat was sea sick. They explained how we were to exit the boat. Put on your gear, walk to the bow and when the boat dipped down with a wave, step off. It was pretty daunting as the waves were quite large. Isaac was done at this point and told Rick he had a stomach ache- I think more from nerves than motion. Rick decided to stay on the boat with him.

Dad, Zane and I all went down to the wreck. Visibility was maybe 30 feet. The wreck wasn't that interesting and I just felt stressed trying to keep track of Zane who was having a hard time staying down and coordinating with my dad where to explore. We were down 30 minutes or so then came up. I usually don't do well on the surface and with it being so choppy and the boat so high out of the water, by the time I got back on the boat the combo of nerves and motion sickness overcame me. I joined most of the rest of the passengers leaning over the rail.

Dive 2 was a drift dive on a reef. I was done for the day, as was Rick and Isaac. My dad was going to dive with another guy whose wife was too sick to go down again too. But then Zane pulled through. I'm so proud of him. It was a less-than-ideal first dive, something that would probably scare a lot of first divers away from diving ever again, yet he psyched himself to do the second dive. He made himself throw-up to settle his stomach, geared-up and jumped in. Then he had gear issues. His regulator started free-flowing air so after about 15 minutes he was almost out. He handled it perfectly, keeping track of his air pressure and signalling to my dad when he was low. He and my dad surfaced and hailed the boat. By the time the boat got there he was sharing air with my dad. Zane is tough. We bought him a well deserved t-shirt from the dive shop. They did say the second dive had much more to see and the reef and fish were beautiful.


Friday- shopping and home
We had a 5:00 pm flight so we spent the morning finding souvineers and checking out the Outlet Mall. We had a direct flight home which was great. It was especially nice to come home and have the weekend to do laundry and relax before jumping into life again on Monday.


Overall, the trip was great. My parents and family got to know each other better and we have lots of good memories of fun adventures.