Vacation! Part one - Orlando

What an amazingly relaxing vacation! I read two books and started a third, saw three movies, and was completely lazy all week long, and enjoyed (mostly) every second. I say mostly, because it did rain a lot. But let me start at the beginning.

We had a great time at Garage Sale Part Deux. We had more people show up in the first hour (though SEVERAL were early...which is annoying) than we did all day the previous weekend. Sold a lot, got rid of everything else, drank beer, had pizza, and shot the bull with good friends for awhile. Good times. I sobered up (mostly) and finished packing. Then it was off to Duncan for a visit with the fam before taking off for Lawton's airport on Sunday morning. Got there at 10 (my flight was supposed to be at 11:15) and found out the flight was cancelled. Nobody called me. Upsetting. They rebooked me on the 3pm, which didn't end up taking off until after 4, causing me to miss my original connection to Orlando. I managed to book it across the terminal and snag a seat on the next flight (barely). Got into Orlando at 10 and had to take a taxi to the hotel because it was so late, and Carol was busy studying for her class. You better believe American Airlines is gonna get a letter from me. I called them, but they were completely unapologetic about the cancellation. All I needed was a phone call. Sigh. What has happened to customer service?
The hotel was gorgeous! And on Monday morning, I had the pool entirely to myself. Glorious! After a few hours of pool time, I headed out to Lake Eola park, which was just a block behind the hotel. It started to lightly rain when I got there, but it didn't last long, and I was able to enjoy the scenery and the 1 mile stroll around the park. Had lunch at a little grill right by the water and then headed back to the hotel for a short nap before Carol got back.

We spent a little more time at the pool, and then went to dinner at Shari Sushi Lounge. It was AMAZING. Delicious sushi with crazy ingredients like mango and kiwi and cashews (I'm drooling right now) and a super swanky atmosphere. If you're ever in Orlando, you must dine there. Oh, be sure you try the Ginga Kogen beer. Delish.


Back to the pool on Tuesday morning, but only briefly, because a nice little rainstorm moved in. Booooo. Luckily there was a movie theater just a few blocks away, so I booked it on foot and was not too drenched by the time I got there. I saw Year One. It was a bit like Mel Brooks's History of the World: Part One ("It's Good to be the King"), except with Biblical stories, and (sadly) no musical numbers. But hilarious, in true Jack Black and Michael Cera style. I got soaked on the way back to the hotel and was in desperate need of a beer, so I stopped at the hotel bar. Bad decision. $5.17 for a Michelob Ultra. Are you kidding me? Ridiculous. It was good, but not that good.

Carol and I went to see My Sister's Keeper that night (sad!!) and had dinner at Kafe Kalik, a Bahamian/Caribbean restaurant. It was pretty tasty.

On Wednesday morning, Kristie drove up from West Palm Beach to pick me up and we wandered around Lake Eola Park for awhile.



After our park stroll, we had a quick bite at Chipotle and then Carol was on her way to the airport back to Abilene, and we were on our way to Stuart, FL.

Stay tuned for Part Deux - Kristie's Florida. :)