Day 0: Texas to Tampa

If I am eating at Shake Shack it means one thing . . .

. . . I am at DFW with a long layover heading out on an adventure!  It is a short plane ride to position myself for the fun to begin tomorrow.  I am spending the day at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay which is lovely but still showing some signs of damage from last years hurricanes.  My view is lovely.

I was looking forward to exploring the boardwalk but well it has seen better days.

 

The hotel is made up of two areas; main hotel and casitas and each has their own pool which are rather small for such a big hotel.  I had a lunch reservation at OysterCatchers which has great reviews and prices too.  The shrimp remoulade roll and key lime pie were both delicious as was the service and views!

 

I headed back to the main part of the hotel to relax and hang out.

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Hail, Hail, the gangs all here! It’s been a bit since the party of 5 has all been on the same trip. Some how the kids grow up, have schedules of their own, and it is almost impossible to get everyone in the same city. But here we are in Cocoa Beach, Florida for an adventure. It is a hot day so we are hanging at the beach. We all love Cocoa Beach! 

We managed to get away to enjoy some of our favorite local places such as Oasis Shaved Ice and Papa Vito’s Pizza . . . but the real reason we are in the area? 

Birthday Weekend: Miami Beach, Florida

I love lazy wake-ups when you do not really have plans, but I could not wait to pull back the curtains and see the beach, ocean, and sunshine . . . 

GOOOOOOOD MORNING sunshine . . . well okay clouds . . . the only thing on my list today was plopping myself in a beach chair and watching the waves . . . but first it was breakfast.  A buffet breakfast was included at Ambersweet which I am not a big fan of buffets so I asked if it was possible to order from the menu.  It was; so I had Challah "Tres Leche" French Toast with Cherry Compote.  Can you say yummmy?

I walked to the beach as soon as I finished my breakfast . . . I am not sure what I was thinking but the news said it was a cold day today . . . it was 74 . . . so I did not wear my swimsuit.  After a few minutes, I went back to the room and changed.  I know, what was I thinking?  I was back at the beach by 1015am and would stay there until late afternoon.  It was so nice, relaxing, sunny, warm, not crowded . . . just a perfect afternoon.

The hotel has complimentary bikes to ride on the boardwalk so that was my evening activity.  I grabbed a bike and headed out to watch the sun set.

And then I had a bit of a mishap.  I fell . . . off my bike.  It was not as dramatic or exciting as it sounds but as I went to get off, I swung my right leg across the back and it hung on the basket that I forgot about.  My foot was caught and in super slow motion I was falling on the pavement as these two young girls watched.  All I could think about was protecting my head as I fell backwards.  The bike landed on top of me, my elbows and knees were scratch, and my pride was crushed.  I got up and the two girls asked if I was okay and then giggled.  Thankfully, I was returning the bike for the night  . . .  so on my last night of 49; I fell off a bicycle.  I returned the bike and went to my room for the rest of the evening.

Birthday Weekend: to Miami, Florida

So I decided to take a bit of time off from work and head out early to celebrate my birthday.  Not just any birthday but my 50th birthday!  I really wanted to go somewhere on my bucket list but time just did not allow me to skip work for that long.  For some reason I have become a bit wishy washy when it comes to booking my trips but a week before my birthday I decided to take a short cruise out of Miami.  I arrived after dark and decided that the Miami airport was just a mess, but when I walked outside and it was warm and humid, all was better.  When I left Texas we had terrible winter weather and it had been below freezing for 4 days.  Today was the first day in several above freezing, and I was extremely happy to be leaving that behind in Texas for a few days.  I booked a hotel on Miami Beach and was so excited to see how the hotel and beach looked in the morning!  I booked The Confidante Miami Beach Hotel which was a delight and large for one person!  I loved the mix of so many fabric patterns and the décor.

And to top off the night since I was in Miami, I watched a few episodes of The Golden Girls . . . this room reminds me of an updated version of their house.  Calling it a night!

Day 6: Ormond Beach to Orlando, Florida

Of course the teens were fast asleep so the moms went for their typical morning beach walk!  

We woke the kids, packed our bags, and checked out of the hotel.  I have a habit of keeping old shoes, taking them on vacation, and then getting rid of them.  When I know we are going somewhere that might be wet or rainy I pack those old shoes so that our better shoes stay dry.  It also means these old shoes usually have an awful smell . . . so we each left a pair of shoes behind.  Maybe someone will find a use for them and if not they can toss them.

And we were on the road back to Orlando where the youngest girl would be playing in a volleyball tournament tomorrow.  We enjoyed the afternoon by the pool . . . 

 

We headed over the Universal CityWalk for dinner at CowFish . . .

. . . isn't that a fun Bento Box of a mini burger (cow) and sushi (fish)!  Picked up a few Voodoo Doughnuts for dessert back at the hotel.

Colin was flying solo tonight on the Lego project . . .

. . . and just like that it was done!

Miles Walked:  5.0

Day 5: Ormond Beach, Florida

Surprisingly the teens were up and ready to roll well before noon!  Okay so maybe they had to be nudged a bit.  Today it was fun in the sun with a lot of beach time!

The beach was not crowded at all which was super nice!  There was a lot of time to listen to the waves and watch the yahoos ride the waves!

All that sure made us so hungry we were starving and what is better than a little fried chicken on the beach?  Well the teens insisted eating at a table by the pool because it was just too hard to eat at the beach . . . pppfft . . . kids!  I loved me some KFC on the beach by the sea!

It gave us more energy to do nothing but sit and talk and enjoy the moment!  Friends make vacation more fun! 

The beach also proves you are never too old to build a sand castle!

And just like that we left the umbrella and chairs behind . . . 

For a much needed shower and little rest and off to dinner for some yummy tacos!

There was more Lego building and it is starting to come along!

Miles Walked:  3.3

Day 4 PM: Orlando, Florida

REUNITED and it feels so good!  If there is one thing we missed the most about the lack of travel the last two years it was seeing our friends along the way!

These three yahoos have grown up together and spent a least two vacations a year together.  There moms are pretty good friends too (okay more than pretty good) and have weathered some major life events and survived.  Damn you COVID for taking away those times together and missing milestone celebrations together like the graduation of the oldest (middle in photo)!  BUT we are back together and enjoying every second we can!  This was one of those times where time just robs you of joy and happiness!  The boy decided to buy a Lego for them to put together on this trip too . . . his plan was each night they would put together a little and be done at the end of our trip.  The college yahoo wanted no part but the other two were all hands on deck!

Colin has been putting together Legos since he was very young and well his partner had never once done anything with Legos.  And this is where the funniest one liner came into play . . . she had done something wrong and Colin was giving her a hard time . . . when she said, "This says for 16+ and I just turned 16!"  We all died laughing because it was the funniest thing in the moment.  Colin came back with Adeline, I have been putting together Legos that are 16+ since I was 8.  We laughed and they continued on working way too late but who cares because it was time well spent!

Miles Walked:  3.3

Day 4 AM: EPCOT

Since we did not have any plans we took our time walking around the resort enjoying the decor.  I love all the larger that life toys!  We both have great memories growing up with a Big Wheel!  Colin wore the tires down and rode that things like crazy on our street! 

EPCOT can be reached from our hotel by taking the Skyliner so since we were at EPCOT last night and rode all the rides we wanted all we had left to do today was eat and just sort of waste time!  Again, it was H-O-T today!  The sun was just pounding down on the pavement and there wasn't a lot of share to retreat under.  I know I keep saying that but man it sure does make you want to just stay indoors.  We did escape for a couple inside rides to enjoy the air conditioning.  The one thing that I did enjoy today was the Flower and Garden Festival displays!

After a tasty late lunch at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada we packed our bags and headed back to the airport, but we would not be getting on a plane.  We would finally get to do something we have waited two years to do . . . and Colin has been counting down the days!

Miles Walked:  5.3

Day 3: Hollywood Studios and EPCOT

The heat yesterday was brutal!  I lowered my expectations for the rest of our time at Disney.  There were only two things I wanted to check out at Hollywood Studios; Toy Story Land and the much hyped Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride.  If you ever think you are going to just show up and spend the day at any Disney park you will be sadly disappointed.  Due to COVID not only must you buy tickets in advance you must also make a park reservation for each day.  When I started thinking about this trip back in April, many days in June were already booked with no reservations available.  I swear I have planned more for a Disney trip than multiple week trips to Europe!  True story I tell you!  Toy Story Land was just show up and wait in line but this Star Wars: ROR ride was no joke and required some planning and skill and luck too.  If you had a reservation for the day you could get on the app at 7am sharp and try to join the line . . . yes, I did and was ready to go well before 7am.  I hit join the line at 7:00am on the dot and within that second it was full . . . like FULL . . . no slots to ride the ride.  Thankfully, I was still in the bed in the cool, comfortable resort room.  So I went back to sleep knowing there was no sense of urgency to get to Hollywood Studios this morning.  We eventually made our way to the park and enjoyed a few rides like the no line Star Tours which was fun.  I lost my prescription sunglasses on the ride and realized it about 1 minute later so ran back . . . thankfully the person sitting on our row saw them and picked them up . . . we met on my frantic run back and he held them up.  I was so happy because man those things are expensive!  And then explored Toy Story Land.  I just love the Toy Story movies.

 

We were hungry so decided to put our name of the virtual wait list for one of the sit down restaurants, The Hollywood Brown Derby.  As we waited it was close to our final chance to get a boarding group in the virtual line for the Star Wars: ROR ride.  I swear at one second past 1pm there was a collective sigh and cheering . . . you knew who got a boarding group . . .

Now let me just say if we didn't get a boarding group it wasn't the end of the world . . . we would have moved along to something else and never knew what we were missing BUT we now had 280 minutes to waste.  First up was eating lunch inside with air conditioning!  Colin had a nice beef filet while I had a delicious Cobb Salad.  At this point, we had rode all the rides we wanted so we came up with the plan to walk to Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course.  It wasn't that far so off we went . . . we both get a little competitive and I have never been one to let my kid win . . . so it was game on!  And on hole 4, Mother Nature decided to strike with lightning which shut down the course.  We tried to walk to the nearest resort to catch the boat back to Hollywood Studios but that shut down too.  So it was off we went on our own two feet . . . about half way back the bottom fell out of the clouds and the wind was whipping but we pushed on in the rain laughing and trying to not get blown away.  We found shelter and let the storm pass before entering back into the park.  Outdoor rides were shut down but Star Tours was indoors with no wait.  I am not a Star War fan but the theming was super cool.

We found a few more indoor shows and just sort of hung out and FINALLY almost 5 hours later, it was our boarding groups turn.

I am not going to lie the hype was huge and I was going to be super disappointed if we had waited all day and this ride was not good.  It is all anyone talks about on travel and Disney sites . . . I was expecting it to be overhyped but well it was super cool!  The ride is in stages and from the minute we walked past Magic Band check it was 44 minutes long . . . there was some standing in line waiting of course but for the most part you move from room to room and then board the ride.  I am glad we did it but it wasn't like we need to do it again this trip!

Our tickets included the Park Hopper option which meant we could hop over to any of the other parks so Colin wanted to go to EPCOT.  The buses were a disaster, the Skyliner closed due to weather so we decided to walk . . . oh man we got soaked . . . our shoes and socks were awful but we had a goal and off we went!  All we could do is just laugh about and continue walking.  We rode every ride we wanted to ride because the wait times were like 10 minutes each or less.  The park was getting ready to close as we headed to the bus stop back to the resort.  There were literally hundreds of people in line and the attendant said it would be a least an hour wait just to get on a bus.  Umm no thanks so off we went to the ride share line and were back at our resort in no time!  Best $10 I spent so far.  Colin was starving and we managed to arrive back to the POP Food Court with two minutes to order food!    

 Miles Walked:  11.7

Day 2: Magic Kingdom

I know it might sound weird, but I just love Disney World.  My first trip was when I was 16!  I was old enough to enjoy it and appreciate the trip.  What I don't understand are people that take babies or little kids . . . I just don't understand who the trip is really for but to each their own.  Totally random but this made me laugh this morning.  Can you guess which towel belongs to me and which belongs to the teen?

I guess I should be happy it was hung up on the bar and not the floor!  Actually, Colin always hangs his towel at home because that is just how our house runs.  I started at an early age and it stuck.  So we are off earlier than I expected.  Let me just say it is H-O-T!  Wow, the heat and humidity are no joke, and I can already tell the day is going to be shorter that planned.  

Disney is also not a very economical trip no matter where you stay.  Tickets can be expensive but we are very thankful that Disney offers very discounted tickets to military families.  Yes, we qualify and I also take advantage of the discounted Disney Resort rooms!  Since we only have military ticket vouchers, it was required to check in at guest services and validate our tickets by showing the proper military ID card.  It really wasn't that big of a deal and there was no line!

I grab a map and off we go.  Colin's favorite part is Tomorrowland so we immediately head right after we enter the park and stroll down Main Street USA.   Magic Kingdom's capacity level is low and the crowds are not bad.  I mean the wait for Space Mountain was only 30 minutes so off we went.  If you have ever been you know that is super short.  We didn't believe it so we timed it, and we actually only waited 18 minutes.  We then headed to another one of Colin's favorites, Tomorrowland Speedway but we rode solo!

I just noticed Colin has on his A&M cap and is car number 12 . . . for all you Aggies could that be a good sign for the college application we will submit soon?  After two rides we both decide to lower our daily expectations.  I told Colin let's both pick two rides and call it a day!  He agreed.  Colin picked Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which I love too) and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.  At this point we are hungry and due to COVID the lines for food in park are insane and you must order quick service meals on the app . . . which is nice but it's hot and limited seating.  I made an executive decision to exit the park and catch a boat to the Polynesian Resort for lunch.  Best.Decision.Ever!  It was only 5 minutes and not crowded at all and nice and cold inside!  After a nice lunch with a lot of cold water, we were refreshed and ready to go back to enjoy my two rides and some of the famous Disney snacks!  I picked two classics that are super old but I just love them; Enchanted Tiki Room with a Dole Whip float of course and Country Bear Jamboree.

I loved my Dole Whip float and some how Colin managed to get two of his favorite churros!

 

We were anything but Disney warriors today but called it a day and headed back to the hotel to relax in the cold air conditioned room!

Miles Walked:  8.2