What I did on my summer vacay

it wasn’t exactly a summer vacay, but a few weeks ago, Entrepreneur and I met Army Wife, the Floridian, DJ and the grand loves in Orlando for some R&R. As usual, the Army wouldn’t let Army Guy off long enough to have a little fun in the sun.

This is how our day began.

It was dark thirty when our alarm went off to go to the airport for a 6:30am flight. But by the end of the day we were surrounded by (most) of our kids and grand loves.

The rest of the week was spent at the pool…Magic Kingdom…the pool…Sea World.…the pool…well, you get the idea. Now I’m going to turn into that obnoxious relative that hauls out the slide projector to show vacay pictures. The beauty of blogging is that you’re not held hostage on the living room couch and forced to watch.

So, stick around and see what we did on our summer vacay. You may want to get some popcorn. If you don’t stay, I won’t take it personally.

Our home away from home for the week was a free-standing 2-bedroom suite at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida. This photo is one of three…yes, count them…three pools! The resort actually has a water park on the property with a lazy river running through it. We succeeded in hitting all three pools during the week.

King of the…tubes?

Godmom and Goddaughter hangin’ out in the pool, spending some quality time together.

Nana and Peanut quality time.

DJ and Entrepreneur just chillaxin’.

Army Wife and her Bacardi Bucket-O-Fun…with just a teeennny bit of rum in her lemonade! Yeah, right.

The resort had a custom drink called a Thin Mint. It has Thin Mint and Oreo cookies, crème de menth, Bailey’s Irish Cream, some Kahlua (I think) and chocolate syrup. Top it off with some whipped cream and OMG. I had two.

The Floridian and DJ checking out the margaritas…I see a trend here, don’t you?

We hit a Japanese steakhouse and enjoyed the hibachi show. Our “Japanese” chef was a Latino man named Pete.

Yes, Peanut can eat with chopsticks. And she likes edamame!

Entrepreneur had a birthday while we were there so we all went to Downtown Disney for dinner. And thank you to the nice Aussie man whose wife volunteered him to take a photo of us all together. The Floridian and DJ had to leave the party the next day. Something about having to go back to work.……

Yes, let the memories begin. Absolutely.

It just doesn’t seem that long ago that we took our kids to the Magic Kingdom. And now here Army Wife is with hers.

Why oh why does this song get stuck in my head just looking at the entrance?

Characters don’t wander the park anymore. They actually have designated autograph signing areas now. And they have “handlers” that escort them to and from these areas. I must say, it takes away a little of the magic, but I guess it’s necessary to keep them from being mobbed.

But they are not stingy with their hugs.

First Visit buttons…are FREE! My surprised look prompted the store clerk to say, “We don’t charge for everything!” Could have fooled me.

And, of course, there’s always the 3pm parade!

Meanwhile, back at the pool. This water slide was the hit of the week. Peanut and BB went down it no less than 200 times each day.

Doesn’t everyone need a Panama Jack hat?

Sea World was next on the agenda. While Disney is pure magic, we luuuuv Sea World. And the work they do with wildlife conservation and education is truly spectacular.

The Shamu show is a must-see. It’s amazing how they can train these animals. They look so friendly and docile…it’s hard to remember they’re called killer whales.