are we on vacation again?

Here we go again.... After a 2 and 1/2 hour flight to Atlanta, we then took a 14 hour flight to narita.... I'm exhausted! I really didn't sleep at all, but I did watch some good movies. Bubba's going out with Judy and Lynne to get something to eat... I'm going to sleep!

So, today, on very short notice, we decided to go to DC. The weather last night said it would be in the low 60's, so I thought it would be the perfect place to be. On our approach into DCA, the pilot told us it was only 39. I was very disappointed! I was hoping we might get a preview of the cherry blossoms, but nothing was happening yet.... Too cold I guess. So instead of walking around the Tidal Basin, we went to the Botanical Gardens. It's always spring in there! We had lunch in the American Indian Museum, it was pretty good food, but way too crowded. I think there were more people in the restaurant than in the museum. It was a nice day, and in the sun it was tolerable to walk around with out my teeth chattering, all in all, we had a great day.

This is the beginning of yet another adventure. We flew to SJU on JetBlue today and we are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise. This should be fun, and it's not just Bubba and I this time, but Jimmy and Brian are joining us. We have some cool excursions booked, kayaking, zip lining and a tour through a cave. Hopefully it will be fun. We booked them all through the cruise ship, something we seldom do, so we'll see how many people are packed onto all the tours. We're staying at the hotel right at the airport, it's clean and it's attached to the airport. So we'll meet Brian in the morning and head over to the ship. Maybe we'll have time to go into old San Juan.. We'll see.... Ok, so I can't believe I skipped this whole vacation!  Well, in a nut shell, we had a great time.  We all got along well and had a lot of fun.  We went snorkeling and kayaking on Tortola, we went zip lining on St Kitts and went through a cave on Barbados.  In between we als...

Ok, I just wrote this and then lost it... How frustrating! We flew down to Orlando today to go to Seaworld for their Christmas celebration. And the great and unusual thing was that it was actually a Christmas celebration. There wasn't any of the usual "happy holidays", it was all "merry Christmas" , and it was loud and clear. We saw most of the shows throughout the park and I loved the "o wonderous night". It was the story of Jesus' birth through the eyes of the animals in the manger. It was great, and at the end  live animals paraded up on stage. There was everything from goats and sheep to doves and donkeys and even three camels at the end. What a great show! I am exhausted!

Ok, so where did I leave off? We went up to Jacksonville on Tuesday, because I had a groupon to a restaurant on the beach there. It was called Beachside Seafood, and the food was pretty good. Bubba had some kind of fish, and even though he can't remember what it was, he liked it. Wednesday we did the 2 hour trek back to Orlando again to go to Discovery Cove. Despite the rain, it was an awesome day. We got to swim with about 40 stingrays and tons of tropical fish. The lazy river was like being in a hot tub, it was a great day. We had to get out of the water for about 45 minutes because of lightening, but all in all, it was a great place. Later we saw Bubba's sister Carol and her husband Bill. We went out for Italian, and the food was yummy! Thursday was a rest day, and we walked around St. Augustine and did some shopping. Friday was Seaworld then later the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Oh my goodness, the rain was crazy. It was like a monsoon, but we're...

We flew into Orlando on Sunday and met Brian and BJ at Universal. There's a new ride where the old Hanna Barbera ride used to be. It's based on the minions in the "despicable me" movie. It was fun even though there was a 45 minute wait. There really weren't any lines anywhere else, so I guess we can't complain. Yesterday we walked around St Augustine for a few hours. It's a nice town, but it was hot and steamy. I thought it would be cooler by the middle of September. Last night we took a Ghost and Gravestone tour with Old Town Trolley around St Augustine. It was a lot of fun. There was even a crazed inmate at the jail. I would do it again if we came back. So far it's been a fun trip, but it's supposed to rain for the rest of the week, so we'll see. Tomorrow we are going to discovery cove, but we have to figure out what to do today....

Today we went to the Amish town of Shipshewana. It always seems odd to see horse drawn black buggies driving along the streets with all the cars and trucks. The town has a small central area that is full of shops. You could buy a quilt in any color of the rainbow, and some of them do have all the colors. They are kind of pricey, but if you think about how much energy it must take to make such an intricate work of art without electricity, can be just mind boggling. Furniture is another big one here, but it won't fit under the seat on the airplane. Today was Len's 70th birthday. Happy birthday Len! It's hard to believe I have a 70 year old brother! Well, we're leaving tomorrow, so it's off to bed....