Back home

Sorry it's taken so long to write since we got back in town, but I've barely had time to breathe. Well, that's not entirely true. I've had time to go see Brandon, and work all day Saturday (ugh). I guess it would be more correct to say that I lacked the patience to sit here and write out what I had intended to say about our trip. So...here's a rundown of what we did.

Thursday- We left not so early in the morning and started driving. Had greasy fast food for lunch and found our condo, which is buried deep in the woods of Nowhere, Georgia. There are real houses with real people living their lives on the timeshare property, as well, which was new. And also the condo was actually a free-standing little house, up on what can best be described as concrete stilts. I had to sleep on the fold-out couch (*grumble*) because the loft that I was actually supposed to sleep in creeped me out. Heights. They bother me.

Friday- Went to the botanical gardens, got my shoes dirty and acquired the scent of dirt and plants on my clothes. Nearly had a heart attack trying to find the entrance to where we were supposed to work in some big arena. Sat around, bagged LifeWay merchandise very quickly for my mom and my aunt, and saw Priscilla Shirer speak. She was really cool. I would like to see her again, and I've reserved some of her books from the library. She was very funny and entertaining and had some powerful stuff to say.

Saturday- Got up very very early, went to the place where we worked, ate some breakfast and worked some more. Saw Kay Arthur speak (I didn't like her as much as Priscilla but I did appreciate the fact that her message included stories about how the media lies to us, a reference to Mike Huckabee, and stress of the genocide in our country that is abortion.) Mom ended up getting sick and then we went back to my aunt Krista's house where I got to take a nap (yay!) and had Chick-Fil-A for dinner (double yay!)

Sunday- Slept in a little, headed off on another little road trip with mom, dad, brother, aunt, and cousin in the minivan. Don't remember where all we ate on that trip. I think that was the night we had Johnny Rockets, which was not as good as I remember (but they made me a Diet Cherry Coke and I appreciate that). And it rained. And rained some more.

Monday- Had the wonderful opportunity to go to Orlando for some hours. What's in Orlando? Disney magic. We had lunch at the Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney (I had the "ultimate grilled cheese", which had brie, bleu cheese, swiss, bacon, and tomato. And it was good). I found some presents for my friends and for myself (some pins! Peter Pevensie and Prince Caspian!). We also visited the Virgin Megastore, where I found an awesome Hello Kitty bag, and then the Millennial Mall, which is the most expensive looking mall I have ever laid eyes on. There was a Sanrio store and I found a pretty necklace and bracelet- and a stapler. Hey, I needed one, and it's pink and cute. Whatever.

Tuesday- I think there was some beach visiting this day, and this might have been when we went to Aunt Catfish's restaurant. It was busy, and crowded, but the crab cakes were good and the buzzer to let you know when your table was ready was shaped like a lobster. Bonus points. I'm not sure what got into mom but she ordered an appetizer plate that had both shark and alligator on it. I tried them both. Shark was ok. Alligator not so much. I think I'd prefer not to have either of them again. There's a reason why we keep them in aquariums and zoos. Because they are not super yummy. This might have been the day that I picked up a starfish on the beach. I thought it was dead. I was wrong. Who picks up a dead starfish, anyway? I guess I was surprised. We never see anything other than a clam or two on our visits to the beach.

Wednesday- Started to head back home (or at least to my aunt's house to spend the night). While driving on the highway alongside the ocean, we saw a small pod of dolphins. Actually since they were kind of far off, they were more like happy black lumps with dorsal fins playing in the water. But since I know they weren't people, and I'm pretty sure sharks aren't that happy, I figure they must have been dolphins. We made a few stops at some historical sites, like a few forts and lighthouses. Also I broke a bottle of pecan syrup in a dirty, open-air souvenir and produce store on the side of the road. And I had to pay for it. Just so you know.

Thursday- Came back home! Very exciting.

I am still tired from all that spending time in the van, and the few minutes we actually spent at the beach. I wasn't sleeping before vacation. I didn't sleep during vacation. And now I'm not sleeping. Again. Oh well. At least I got this finished.

Here's a link to my pictures on facebook if you're interested!