Orlando
The Nelsens have visited Universal Studios in Orlando several times and have invited me to join them, but there’s always been a schedule conflict. No schedule conflict this year!
Steve, Seth & I drove from Milwaukee to Chattanooga, grabbed a hotel, then finished the drive to the home they rented in Davenport, FL. Kellie & Jake arrived via plane that eve and we settled in to relax thru the next day. The home was SWEET! 6 bedrooms, arcade room, huge kitchen & LR, pool, grill – the works. I stayed with them for 3 days while the family stayed to relax another 10(ish) days.
After relaxation day came our day at Universal Studios – woot! I’ve been waiting for this experience for quite awhile….
Unfortunately the cold that hit Steve & Seth had passed to Jake, so Kellie & Jake stayed back at the homestead. They had multi-day passes, so K&J would still get to have their fun at Universal on this trip. I must say, the Harry Potter rides and attractions were freaking awesome. We covered a good chunk of the parks and the fast passes helped keep our ‘standing around doing nothing’ time to a minimum. (except on Hagrid’s – great ride, crappy wait!).
We caught up with K&J at home that eve and cooked some tasty grillables, after which I packed for part 2 of the Florida trip. The next day Steve dropped me off at the bus stop (thanks homie!), where I caught a cat nap en route to Daytona Beach.
Daytona
February & March are my least favorite months in Milwaukee, so visiting Dad & Janice in Daytona sounded like a really nice option as part of this excursion. Their place is bright & sunny, just like their disposition.
Dad picked me up at the bus stop in Daytona Beach, which was just 10-15 min from their condo. We were able to catch up over the course of 4 days, talking about the next chapter(s) in life, cooking more food than we could eat, playing ping pong & cards, etc. Did I mention how much I’ve hated being paid not to show up for work this week? I hope none of my friends at the office are being admonished for omitting the cover on their TPS reports…
