Thursday, May 29, 2014

Orlando Part II

On day 2 we hit up Universal Studios. After having a true adventure at Islands, we were both utterly exhausted! I was sure one of my legs was going to fall off. Or at least one of my feet. Surely one of my toes.



There was a slight chance of rain but those wonderful blue skies were kinda hard to say no to.  It was also supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler, instead it was about 20 degrees hotter. It did rain though. :)
 Seeing this made me soo excited! A little pharmacy :)




Eek! This ride was amazing! Along with Marvel and Harry Potter, we love transformers!! The wait was sooo long but soo worth it. I wanted to pack this one up and bring it back to South Carolina with us. But I refrained :)


That gigantic cloud in the background is not a job even Photoshop could do. And yes, that is a 90 degree incline. I think God was trying to tell us something. Soon after I took this picture, it started to rain...and I dont mean a little tiny drizzle, we're talking a torrential down pour!! (So much for a 30% chance of rain) We got in line not once but twice and both times, the ride shut down due to the rain! 

 While it rained, we went on the Despicable Me ride It was so adorable.

This guy was a trooper! Love him to death :)

Day 3: Seaworld!
On this day there was another slight chance of rain. Surprise! But we were kinda prepared. Kinda

 First time ever seeing an Octopus!


These Beluga whales were cracking me up! I think they were showing off because they knew they were being watched! 



With the penguins! That is real ice and their little exhibit was in a sort of tunnel. It was FREEZING! Before we went in they made an announcement about the 'frigid' conditions as they were trying to make it as close to the actual penguin environment as possible. After this picture, I bolted like a maniac walked calmly for the door! 


 Shamu!

 Sea Lions Tonite. If you're ever in Orlando at Seaworld, be sure to go see this show! It was seriously the high light of my day..potentially my month. So funny. So so funny!
I mean, when was the last time you've seen a Walrus to sit ups and balance on his belly?!


Dolphin Nursery
There were also 2 roller coasters.. both of which span the the length of the park so it was virtually impossible to get a good picture.

Roller Coaster #1 Kraken

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It was still raining a little when they opened this ride back up. The ride itself was enough to send me into cardiac arrest but riding it in the rain...oh. my. lord. Definitely not an experience I will soon forget!  

Roller Coaster #2 Manta
Manta. Oh Manta. On this roller coaster, we had to lay on our STOMACHS as this thing flew across the park. I was sure I saw a bright light at some point. And I dont think it was the sun! While googling this image I just discovered it was the 2nd largest and fastest roller coaster. awesome.

After 3 full days of playing and frolicking we are tired to say the least. It was so much fun though! Here is Cubby after we picked him up from the daycare. He was so tired, he could barely keep his eyes open long enough to pant so he'd sit up to make sure he didnt miss anything haha. Love him!

For part I of our vacay click here
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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Orlando Part I

Before I begin, I would like to reflect on the life of an amazing woman: Dr. Maya Angelou. From an early age, she has been one of my biggest inspirations. She inspired me to write; as much as I do. I loved her work, and still do. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones as she was truly inspiring. She will be greatly missed.  Thank you Dr. Angelou for everything you've done.
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For Memorial Day weekend, Keith and I took a trip to Orlando, Florida! It was so much fun! 
Love him so much!

Before we left, we decided to drop Cub off at the kennel and he was sooo excited!



 This was the first time we decided not to take him with us on Vacay. But to him (and Keith), it really didnt matter. Meanwhile, I was trying to keep it together ;) 
Once we made it through Georgia, we made a little pit stop and I just so happened to buy a lottery ticket. Since I turned 18, I rarely ever play the lottery. Virtually never actually and I always, always get carded even though I am waaaay over the legal age haha.Anyway, while Keith was pumping the gas, I decided to go out on a limb and get a ticket and I won $5! I immediately felt better about having to leave Cubby behind. 

The Room was ahh-mazing! Keith did a great job booking it and was even able to get us a military discount! Yay!  We stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton at Seaworld.




Seaworld in the distance :) 


 If I am being completely honest, these pictures do the view no justice. Absolutely none.




 There were rooms around the outside of the hotel and in the middle it was pretty much a big huge party! Not shown in these pictures are the hundreds of people running around the premises. There were also three huge pools (not pictured) one of them even had it's own bar. But my favorite part, by far was....
 Starbucks!


On day one, we went to Islands of Adventures!
Boy was it hot! I was lathering on the sunscreen because I was sure we would melt. I just knew it!



The park had little sections that split up each theme! 

Marvel Super Hero Island

 It was so hot and sunny, every time I would take a picture, I wouldnt be able to actually see it until we went inside somewhere ha! But this ride was epic. Epically wonderful for Keith and an epic fail for me. I was a chicken about riding it and proud to admit it haha.



In the true fashion of a theme park, each attraction/ride had the most amazing props! This was from one of our faves...the Spider Man one. Both Keith and I are kind of suckers for Marvel movies :) 

Toon Lagoon

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We got Soaked on this ride. Soaked I tell you. But I loved it! Because it was super hot

Jurassic Park  


Harry Potter  
(Loved this part! We are Harry Potter fanatics around here and this part of the park did not disappoint. Love love love Harry Potter!) 

 Hogwarts!


Haggrid's House :)

In true Harry Potter form, we were able to walk through the halls of Hogwarts. It was super dark. Kind of like a cave The 'sorting hat' was talking which I thought was pretty cool :) 


For Part II click here