Let them eat Cake!

We have been having such great luck with our wedding planning and I am super excited about all of our vendors so far. My latest amazement was induced by our baker.

Now, we have been 'shopping around' for the cake for some time. I was having a very hard time wrapping my mind around spending hundreds of dollars for a cake. Costco sells them for like, fifteen bucks! But, you only get one wedding so I figured we give it a go at finding something that tasted as good as the price felt. We went to multiple grocery stores talking to their bakeries and bridal shows with "real" bakeries. I was quoted as high as $6 a SLICE! After our fifth failed attempt at a grocery store, we decided we might as well go with a standalone bakery.

We had talked to a bakery that seemed like they were reasonable and they said to come in any time to taste the cake. When they set the plate in front of us, let me tell you, I have NEVER tasted cake until this day. The cake literally melted in my mouth and I took the next bite so quickly I barely had time to swallow. At this point, I didn't care what the price was, I was ready to buy the bakery just to keep on eating this cake. Then my sugar high wore off, my vision began to clear, and we started talking dough.

 I started tallying in my head as the cashier tried to answer my questions as best she could. It was looking like we would be over the budget by at least $100 and still have to compromise on what we had wanted. We pulled out the calendar to schedule the appointment with the consultant, she would be able to anwser all our questions. And yet another blow, the consultant doesn't take appointments on Saturdays which would be the only day we could come. It was starting to look like we couldn't have our cake and eat it too after all. Just then, a small older women covered in flour came out to see how we were doing. I explained how much we loved the cake but we were not sure when we could come back without a Saturday appointment. She sat with us and chatted about how we were both working to pay for the wedding and trying so hard to stay within budget. When she heard Andrew was in the Navy, she mentioned her husband, now decorator extraordinare is retired Navy. She told us to come back next Saturday and she would help us out.

She was fantastic! I was sitting there trying to take things out to compromise and get the price down and she kept adding them back in at no cost. We got exactly what we wanted and she even helped brainstorm on the best way to make my custom cake topper. And when all was said and done, she brought out two big plates of cake to take home with us. Even though they were big plates, the cake didn't last long! Now, there will be plenty of tasty cake for everyone at the wedding. Let them eat cake!!!

Happy Friday!

I have officially completed my first week at my new job. I've been out of the office atmosphere for a couple years now and I forget how coveted Fridays are. Friday is a day to be celebrated. Every email includes "Happy Friday", every phone call ends with "Have a great weekend".  It is acceptable to be chatty for a good part of the day and even proclaim "I'm ready to go home" at 11am. I forgot how glorious a Friday afternoon can feel when you climb into your car and and say out loud, "It's the weekend Woohoo!"

Don't get me wrong, the new job is great. It was a very busy week in the office so my training was delayed a bit while business was taken care of. There is still much to learn, but the people all seem very friendly and with time I know that I will have no problem navigating the system. I am excited to dive right in and am looking forward to being challenged again.

I was slightly nervous last weekend, being the new kid all over again. Adapting to a new environment and becoming part of an already existing group doesn't happen over night. Anyways, time to enjoy my first official weekend in a long time. Happy Friday!!!

Big Changes

So.... I sort of got over the whole "blogging" thing for a while. It's been some time since I have even thought about it to be honest. Big changes have gone down for this Planner without a Plan. There will be tons of planning in my near future, I am getting married in August. Not only that, but I have accepted a Marketing Events Coordinator position and will be planning marketing events for a company in Hampton, Virginia. That's another change, I live in Virginia now.... has to do with the whole getting married thing. It's looking like I will be a very busy girl over the next 7 months or so...

Keep an eye out for outbursts about wedding drama, planning a wedding where ALL of the guests need to travel will be slightly challenging, especially since I know nothing about the area. Be ready for new job growing pains, and me learning to live with a spouse instead of a roommate.

And no worries, Clayton made the trip to Virginia with us... so he will be along for the whole adventure!

Spring is in the air...

There are these vines that grow up and over the entryways to the swimming pool at my complex. I never really noticed them before. I always walk under or run past them without a second thought. Yesterday, while making laps around the complex there was this amazing fragrance that I had never noticed before, a fragrance that had not existed before. On the next lap around I noticed tiny white flowers growing on the vines. I was so surprised that such small flowers could have such a strong scent. I noticed the same vines and flowers when I was walking around at the mall later that same day, but I noticed the scent before even seeing the vines. I found myself aiming to walk past them whenever I could.

People say that Florida does not have seasons. I have to scuff at that because those tiny white flowers definitely prove that Florida has a “spring”. These little fragrant flowers really got me thinking about it. The defense people seem to always use is that they “will miss the seasons”. I guess what they really mean is SNOW, because there are seasons here too. You know it is summer when it rains every afternoon, but only for 15 minutes. You know it is winter when the ocean water is cold and you find yourself gravitating towards long sleeves and pants. Who took it upon themselves to claim the word season and put the definition of “all the leaves have to die and fall to the ground to count as a season, and we have to be freezing cold and buried in snow for 5 months to count another”? There are plenty of places in the world that do not experience that, does that mean that none of those places can proudly say “this is my favorite season”?

I guess this is sort of a silly thing to rant about; I just really liked the flowers. So I am going to wrap this up with Happy Spring all!

Things I wanna do...

I really want to learn to play the ukulele! I think it would be neat. I’d like to learn Spanish too. I’d like to actually be fluent, not just master sophomore level vocab. I also want to live on a houseboat, or would that be IN a houseboat. Would you live on it or in it? Anyways, not something long term or anything, but for maybe a year. Something different, something new, something not everyone does.

So, one of the things that have been on my “things I wanna do” list for a long time is learn to surf. Ever since middle school I have wanted to be a ‘surfer’ but I had never even touched a surfboard. A couple years ago I went to Hawaii to visit a friend who moved there. Besides the fact that it was the most FANTASTIC vacation I had ever been on, I got my very first chance to try out surfing. More on Hawaii later… fast-forward a couple years, now I live in Florida. I’ve driven to the coast a couple of times and had the opportunity to rent a board to try out my skills.

Like anything, the more you do it the better you get. Using my logic meant that I needed to own a surfboard so I could go more often. I happened upon a surfboard without even looking for it. I found it in Costco of all places. An 8-foot foam board. Foam boards are a better beginner board for a couple of reasons: reason one and most important to me, they are cheaper! They are also softer when you land on them, you know if you happen to fall trying to learn to surf, that probably happens... Less upkeep as well, no waxing, no worrying about cracked fiberglass.

I looked at it a couple times before I actually bought it. I actually ran into a surfer in the store and told him about my background and how I wanted to learn. He told me “you need this board” and proceeded to put in into my shopping cart. Convinced by the “pro” surfer I clearly met at Costco, I took it to the beach the next day. I’ve got a long way to go, but I am on the right track now. At least I have actually touched and even SURFED on a board (I caught a couple of decent waves when I was in Hawaii). This will be ongoing and wish I were closer to the coast so I could go more often. Luckily summer is coming and the board fits into the back of my car with ease. Now, I just need Costco to sell a houseboat and I will be all set!

I'm an AUNT

Ella Grace Wynveen was born on March 14^th around 4am. Seven pounds seven ounces and 21 inches long; I am officially an aunt. If I see cute baby stuff, I will no longer be a crazy lady when I stop and linger or even buy things. Her picture is my background on my cell phone and if anyone seems even slightly interested I scroll through the dozen or so pictures I have of this seven-day-old baby. Everyone keeps saying what a beautiful baby she is. And I don’t think it is one of those times when people say she is a cute baby when really they are just afraid to say it like it really is… PEOPLE, there are ugly babies our there and we should just own up! BUT, this is not one of those times. She is really cute, just can’t wait to meet her in person. That’s only negative. She lives in Chicago. I can’t even argue that she should move here due to cold weather because it was 80 degrees the day she came home from the hospital.

In just 16 days I hop on a plane back to Chicago to meet my niece. I’m thinking I will spend the weekend sleeping on my sister’s couch just to savor every minute I can. I know those five days will fly by, then I will be back in Sunny Florida. I’m not worried about it though. Over the past year or so I have gotten used to cramming in my social visits and really cherishing the time we have. Of course I would always love to have more time, but I will definitely take what I can get. Because at the end of the day, I am still an aunt!

I am going to be an aunt?

As weird as it is, my sister is going to have a baby. I say it's weird because I just don't feel like we are old enough for all of that. Time has just flown by so much I sometimes forget that we are really adults. Don't get me wrong... I am SUPER excited. In every store I HAVE to walk through the baby section to look at all the cute stuff (although I'm slightly disappointed that I have found way cuter boy clothes than girls clothes but we will go with it). 

The baby is coming towards the end of March, so I just booked my flight to go home in April to meet her. Here is my concern... I will only be home for 5 days. How I am going to meet this new little person who is going to be fabulously amazing and then just say, 'gotta catch a flight, peace!'? The shower was a couple weeks ago, as you might have guessed it, I couldn't attend. It got me to thinking about the other events I won't be able to be there for. When she is actually born for one thing. But not just baby stuff that I am missing. There are birthdays, minor holidays and parties (Fourth of July for instance and the Superbowl), even when my mom and siblings just go out to impromptu dinner. 

This is why I have decided that EVERYONE should just move here too. I don't want to move back to Chicago, that actually isn't even a consideration at this point. I just want them all to come here. My new niece, siblings, mom, grandma, cousins, friends, everyone. I'll even help everyone unpack when you get here. Better get the show on the road though, because in March I am going to be an aunt and I don't want to miss that!

Happy New Year?

Happy New Year? Where did 2011 go?!? It's hard to believe that it was a year ago that I started to talk about my great escape. Last January I started telling people that I was moving out of the state in the summer. I started planting the seed throughout my family and friends so that I would have eventually told too many people to back down. I played a game of chicken with myself and I didn't swerve out of the way.

Thinking back on 2011, it was a big year for me. And I can honestly say when the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 2010, there is no way I could have ever dreamed where I would be just one year later. But when as the countdown got to one on New Years Eve, I was so happy. I felt like I really accomplished something, I felt like I actually moved forward instead of just standing still. I shook up the snow globe of my life and sand settled on the bottom. What a fantastic change of pace!

I'm actually not sure what the point of this post was.... I think it was to reflect on 2011 but I really want to just say how fantastic my New Years Eve was. Around my family and Andrew at the little motel we spent so many holidays when we were growing up. I wanted to freeze that moment and hold onto it, just as it was. But I think 2012 holds a whole new set of adventures, so we celebrate at midnight and we keep moving forward. Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

My Apologies

My apologies to all the bloggers and bloggees (a bloggee is someone who reads blogs... give me a minute and I will add it to Wikipedia). I have been TERRIBLE at blogging over the past month or so... really I haven't been consistent enough overall. I know "they" say you have to keep your audience engaged or you are going to lose them. Maybe I can claim writer's block!!! In reality, it was laziness and the holidays. Well, I am back in action. I have a whole line up of topics... don't get your hopes up or anything, I will be as equally entertaining as before... which I hope is at least semi. So, get ready to READ ON, my happy bloggees ('bloggees', it's gonna catch on!) 

Thoughts on an Airport from an Airplane

Can I just say a couple of things about airports? Some people dread the idea of the whole experience of an airport: lines for security, hours of waiting, giant terminals to navigate, extreme pricing on the most basic of necessities. But I enjoy my adventures to the airport. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I start my day in one place and end it somewhere completely different, but I really look forward to it.

I am not a patient person by any means. Anyone who knows me can vouch to that. But for some reason, I stay completely calm and relaxed at an airport, even waiting in the most ridiculous lines. I in fact enjoy arriving early for my flight, just so I can browse the terminals and read a book at my gate. I find that airport bookstores are so fascinating. I always find at least five books I would buy instantly if I had somewhere to store them for the flight. I guess it is because they only have a small space to work with and it is prime real estate so they have to have the most interesting of books, but I still can’t resist the gander. Speaking of books, I get the best reading done in airports and on airplanes. It is probably because I can’t feel guilty that I am just sitting around reading because, really, what else could I be doing at the time?

And I know most people don’t feel this way, but I really enjoy traveling alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love having right company with me, but traveling alone is some people’s worst nightmare. I find it relaxing. People watching is fantastic at the airport because you get some of the craziest people. I just today saw the worst sweater dress ever made!  You see businessmen and military men, you see families and college kids. And then you see sweater dresses…

But if you are friendly, people are generally friendly back. I am always talking to strangers at the airport. I’ve even met someone at the airport and became pen pals half way around the world! I had a man say to me today at the airport that I was too pretty to carry my own luggage, however, he did not offer to then carry my luggage for me for the remainder of my trip…

But thinking back to the beginning, I think my favorite part of the airport is that you end up somewhere else. I like seeing and experiencing new things that the airport is the best at facilitating that. I suppose it is less enjoyable when I am not really going anywhere.

Visiting “Home”

My first visit “home”… it is hard to put into words. I’m sure everyone who has moved away has experienced it. I’ve mentioned before how quickly the time has flown by and so when I rolled into Lake Zurich, it felt like I hadn’t been away at all. Everything was mostly right where I left it. Everything was as familiar as it had always been. But yet, it felt different. Even when I went away to school, when I came home, it was home. When I walked in the front door of my parents’ house, it all felt slightly off. The cat came around the corner and he looked like a different cat (honestly, he looked like the cat that came and ATE the old cat). My old room had none of my stuff anymore. But the weirdest feeling of all was the fact that it just didn’t feel like “home”. At one point I even said that I couldn’t wait to go home and sleep in my own bed.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved seeing my family and friends. Catching up on old times and goofing off with my siblings, those are things that I really do miss. I hate that I won’t be around when my very first niece is born. I hate that I can’t be home for holidays and get together randomly with the family. But this trip has confirmed for me, without a doubt, that this move was the right thing to do and it was the right time to do it. It was time for an adventure!

My first Turkey Day

Now, before I go any further, this was not Thanksgiving. This was me wanting to try to make a turkey. I was not going to be home for Thanksgiving and I even had to work, so I have decided to sweep Thanksgiving under the rug.


With that being said, I decided I wanted to make a turkey. Making a turkey is a HUGE undertaking and if not planned properly, can be a total disaster!!! I had never even made a whole chicken before, but as I was wandering through Wal-mart doing some grocery shopping, I decided I wanted to give it a shot. I figured it was my only chance at having some homemade turkey. The smallest turkey I could find was a whooping 15 lbs, which meant not only was there was going to be a turkey, but there were going to be guests as well since I surely couldn't eat all 15 lbs by myself.

As I invited people, I was asked "well, aren't you going to be make this and that as well?!?" All of a sudden I was making a feast! It took me three trips to the store and one last minute "wait, we need a meat thermometer to know when it is done?" trip before I had all my supplies for my NOT Thanksgiving meal.

Prepping the turkey was not the most pleasant of experiences. The wrapper of the 'bird' said to take out the gravy pack, neck, and giblets. I found the gravy pack and what I could only assume was the neck, but no giblets to be found. I eventually had to call my mom because I was just plain out of ideas of where to look. A word to anyone who has not prepped a turkey, they shove stuff in both ends!
Once that was straightened out I was off and running! I put the turkey in the oven at about 9:45am and got to prepping all the other things I was now responsible to make. After the experience, I would say that its not the making the turkey that is hard, it is the timing of all the other stuff that you are making. Everything has it's varying times, and you have to account for the fact that you only have one oven in your house. And for the record, craving the turkey is just as nasty as prepping it!

Overall, it was fun. I had about seven people over throughout the day and everyone enjoyed the food. Apparently I am able to cook a turkey. It wasn't what Thanksgiving at home would have been, but it was a fair substitute. I'm just pleased that I didn't botch my first turkey day!!!

Run as fast as you can...

A couple of years ago, Give Kids The World started having an annual 5K run to help fundraise for the village. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted to be involved since it was my first year here and I miss event planning. Plus, supposedly I am a "runner". As soon as I saw that the Gingerbread Run site was launched, I let the proper people know I wanted to help out and I joined the committee.

The whole committee experience is not worth talking about because nothing really exciting happened. I did learn a couple of things and it was worth my time because it was all for a good cause. But I did get acknowledged at the race, so that helped too.

Yesterday was the race. Now, I still stand by the school of thought that running is not fun but this race was a blast!!! What made the whole experience so exciting was the fact that there were SO many familiar faces. Well, first and most impressive was the fact that Heather heard about the race and just bought a plane ticket out here to run. She decided she wanted to visit and what better reason than to come out here and support a great cause. But even beyond her, there were my coworkers, my superiors, and even volunteers who I knew. Throughout the whole course, I had people cheering me on, cheering me through the village that I am so familiar with. It really makes a difference. 

Even the post-race party was a lot of fun. I loved that there were lots of characters there. I had a chance to get a picture with Mayor Clayton and Miss Merry, and even got a picture with the star of the race, Murphy the Gingerbread Man. Best of all, they gave me a gingerbread cookie at the finish line! I know, those aren’t the important things, those aren’t the “take away” from the race. The number one goal of the race was to raise money, and I did my part. But the “Fun”, that is important too. That is what gets people to come back year after year. That is what makes the event grow. And with growth, with more people, there is more money!

Overall, I am glad I was involved. It was really one of my favorite races I have done so far. And, next year I plan on running as fast as I can, I have to catch that Gingerbread Man!!!

We got a kitten!

In Florida, there are a lot of feral cats (that means stray cats... I'm not sure why there are two different names for them). Where there are a lot of feral cats, there are a lot of feral kittens. Now Florida is not really a safe place for kittens. First the extreme heat, then it gets rather cold at night once fall arrives. Kittens can't keep their temperature regulated. And, do I even have to mention the threat of getting eaten by alligators? I don't have any statistics on this, but I am sure that it is a thing.

We saw a cat wandering around at work and that's when I really started to consider the possibilities. Maybe we could get a cat. I floated the idea to my roommate and she didn't say no...

A co-worker found him one of the first crisp mornings we had. He came into a security hut to try to warm up. He had a big abrasion on his right shoulder and he only weighed about 2 lbs. One thing lead to another and now we have a Terror Kitty running around our house. Of course he is super cute... and I'm glad we have him, but I forgot how excited kittens always are and how clingy. He's a curious little thing and now there is an extra mouth to feed.

A kitten is really a long term commitment, but I think I am ok with it. I even find myself feeling slightly guilty when I am not home all day because I know he gets lonely... he is a people cat. But it is what it is now because WE GOT A KITTEN!!!

Andrew Visits!!!

I probably wouldn't have gone through with this whole move without Andrew. The morning that I packed up my car, waved to Chicago, and hugged my mom goodbye, he is the one who made it possible for me to get into the driver seat and actually pull away. Even though he couldn't come all the way to Florida with me, knowing that I had him to start the adventure made the whole experience more exciting. Even after arriving here, he has been my constant, the person that I rely on, the person I confide in. Without him, I would have probably packed my car up and headed back north. So, when we started to plan his visit here, I was more excited than I could ever put in words. I counted down the days until his arrival.

There were so many things that I wanted him to experiences, things that I wanted us to experience together. So, I started making a list, including a couple of volunteer shifts at the village so he could see what I did on a day to day basis. And even though Andrew insisted on "playing it by ear", I began to schedule out the week... I can't help it! 

We had a fantastic time while he was here. We went to the beach, the lakefront, we went out for the best tacos I ever had, and even went to Disney World! He came to the village to volunteer, and we went to this pirate dinner adventure... there was a pirate ship stage in the middle of the theatre!  It was probably the best week that I have had since I moved to Florida. 

Even when I got crabby or short, he stayed positive and we had a great time because of it. I am so grateful for the week we had together and the memories from the trip. Now, it is time to start planning his next trip here for New Years, I am already counting the days... 64 more days until Andrew Visits!!!

It's fall?

I'm having a hard time believing that this is fall. The four months I have been here have flown by so quickly that I hardly realized time passed at all. And since most days it is still in the 80s, how can I NOT think that it is still summer? Not that I am complaining, summer is my favorite time of year so I am definitely on board with the endless summer. But slowly I am noticing signs of fall around me. The "Halloween USA" stores and such have been popping up in abandoned store fronts. Wal-Mart has really starting pushing the giant bags of candy... I feel like every year, the variety of options continues to grow! Halloween hasn't really phased me this year. I was seriously considering just skipping it all together, no big thing. I usually really like to dress up and such, but I'm just not in the Halloween mood yet...

The other day I noticed some pictures that my siblings posted. The three of them all went apple picking together and were enjoying some delicious apples straight off the tree. They don't grow apples in Florida, so I am still paying it seems about a dollar an apple here, and definitely not enjoying it right off the tree. But the outrageous price of apples isn't what made me slightly sad. I suppose the fall is bittersweet. Halloween, apple picking, crunchy leaves, all great things about fall back home. Things that I will not experience here. But right after fall, winter comes and punches you in the face. So, I will skip apple picking, and crunchy leaves, and Fright Fest this year. This is what made me slightly sad... well the price of apples also is factoring in a little. 


Although it is sad, I am not upset by it. I have replaced these activities with other ones that I could not do before. For instance, I was just at the beach two weeks ago, it was already in the 50s back home, but the water was perfect here. I have also been going to Disney World, definitely not something that Illinois can offer any time of year. I will even be going to Mickey's Not So Scary! I'm not worried about missing the fall weather, because the way I understand it, Florida's winter weather is kind of like Illinois' fall weather. 


Anyways, I suppose fall is here, even though it doesn't feel like it yet. The moral of this story.... SEND APPLES!!!

I Lost my cookies...

I haven't talked much about the village in my blog. Great things are happening there every day and I wouldn't even know where to begin writing about it so I'll just talk about my volunteering experience. I try to volunteer whenever I can. With working nights full time there, it is hard to get in to volunteer more than once a week, but I do what I can.


I really enjoy my time when I am volunteering. Warning, I am going to sound like a terrible person in the next sentence. I never really was the kind of person who would volunteer. I didn't see how people could enjoy it. But volunteering at the Village is a lot of fun.


Slowly, I have been volunteering my way around the village. With being there 5 nights a week for work, it is hard finding time to get in there to work for free. But, there have been a couple of specific things that I really wanted to do, so I made it happen.


One of my MUST DO's was the Ice Cream Palace. There are not many things I am more passionate about than Ice Cream! Alright, that is an exaggeration, but it is one of the special things about the village and I wanted a chance to experience it with the families. It was really a treat because the day I was over there just happened to be the day that my favorite family came in (yes, I have a favorite! I haven't been so touched by another family before or since their visit. When I pass the villa they stayed in, I still call it "Alex's castle"). It was really fun. 


Another was the Pirate and Princess party. To be honest, I am really more of a pirate than a princess, but when they gave me a princess dress to wear, I really warmed up to the idea of being a princess. There was also the La Ti Da Spa, Breakfast cart, and the Horse and Pony rides. All a blast actually, even though it meant getting up early! It's funny, because when I go to the village for work, it does feel like work, but when I volunteer, not so much! It's weird how that happens...



One of my favorite volunteer stories (of course there are many more to come since I really just started volunteering a couple of months ago), was when I was on the Cookie Cart. That was another shift I kept talking about doing so when I had a free evening to do it, I jumped on it and talked about it all week. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be!!! Let me explain the Cookie cart, really, it is what is sounds like. A golf cart that plays cookie songs while you drive around and pass out cookies. You really have to push the cookies sometimes, you would think that people would really jump at the idea of free cookies... not always! Well anyways, I was making my rounds and a family stopped me, I hopped off the cart and walked around the back and stared in shock... my basket of cookies was missing! Apparently they fell off the back and I had not idea. I guess this had never happened to anyone before, I'm not sure HOW that hasn't happened before, but that's what they told me. To this day, I believe I am the only volunteer who has lost my cookies...

Kissimmee Lakefront

The other day in my wanderings, I happened upon the Kissimmee Lakefront. So, when I think of the lakefront, I think of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. The picturesque skyline in the background. Miles and miles of paths along the lake to enjoy the breeze and the sights. Thinking back, the lakefront is probably my favorite thing about Chicago. I've heard people talking about the Kissimmee lakefront, that is where people go for the fireworks on Forth of July and there are different "goings on" there as well. So, when I saw a sign pointing "this way" to the lakefront, I quickly redirected my trip in that direction...


The lakefronts here are NOTHING like Chicago. First of all, I wouldn't even call that a lake, it looked more like a swamp. There wasn't even a breeze coming off of the lake. I was slightly disappointed but I figured I'd hang around anyways and take in the sights. If I had never known the lakefront back home, I'm sure this would be just fine of an option. There was a little lighthouse and the end of this quasi-pier. There was a park with some swings and even an old train caboose transformed into a soda and ice cream shop. It was kind of cute once I threw out my preconceived ideas of what a lakefront was.

As I sat leaning against the lighthouse, I thought back to Chicago. I thought about some of really good times I had by the lake. A first date, my first race and many since, wanderings with siblings and friends. And for the first time, I actually missed the place, not just the people. Now, don't get me wrong, I quickly remembered the feeling you get when snow slips into the top of your boot and you have soggy cold socks all day. I don't miss it enough to pack it all up and move back by any means! Right now, the ocean front is about as far of a drive from my place as the lakefront was from my suburban home in Illinois. And, I definitely pick the ocean. I've actually visited the lakefront since the first visit and it has kind of grown on me.... but that may just be because of my never ending quest to chase alligators!!!

First Visitor!!!

My mom came to visit! She was my first official visitor! Of course, with my moving all over Florida in the span of 2 and half months, my official home wasn't ready for visitors. We just had a couple of big piles of boxes and I had a lamp. The rest of my things were located in numerous other locations to include, Davenport, Clermont, and the trunk of my car.


It was really nice to have my mom visit. We went out for lunch at a BBQ place, got fro yo from my favorite place, and did a little shopping. Checked into our hotel and then went swimming. It felt like a full out vacation! The next day we went to Disney World. It was so different from when we used to go to Disney as kids. We would get up at the crack of dawn and drive to Orlando (we usually stayed out by the gulf) so we could get there when it opened. We would trudge around all day, all six of us, trying to get everything done in one day, no matter what the weather was like. Then, when the parks closed, and only when ALL of them were closed, would we climb back into the car and make the hour or so drive back. Not that I am complaining, it was ALWAYS a blast when we were kids and I wouldn't have traded it. It was Disney World for goodness sake!!!

But this trip we woke up casually, got there when we got there and kind of just milled around. It was relaxed and fun. We actually even left the parks before dinner and went to our favorite (we haven't been to many) Disney restuarant, Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. They bring this GIANT loaf of this hybrid bread. It's like the love child of Hawaiian bread and sourdough. And they top it off with Mac nut butter. Yum! We were back in our hotel room in pjs by 9:30.


I'm not going to lie, I was very surprised when the next day it was so hard to say goodbye. It reminded me of my first day of college when I was afraid to face the unknown alone. Except, I had already done it. I have been living here for 3 months and hadn't really thought twice about it. It's weird how certain situations can revert you back to being a kid. Disney World with my mom was one of them. It was a big day for me. That was also the day that I bought my big kid mattress (yes, before then I was still sleeping on a TWIN!!!!) Now, I have a giant mattress that will NEVER fit into my car. It made being here a more permanent thing. I can't just pack my car anymore and go home. Not that it was the plan or anything, but it was comforting to know in the back of my mind I could always just pack it up and head back. That's not so much the option anymore and it stressed me out that day. So, I cried when I had to say goodbye to my mom, I'm not going to dance around it. Judge me if you'd like! I'm glad to have had my first visitor, I'm ready for some more. Come on down!!!

GATORLAND

Every time I drive/walk/run or even see a body of water (any body of water, including the drain ditches on the sides of the road) I scan for alligators. About two weeks after moving here, we went for an outing to the mall. As we were passing one of the retention ponds in the parking lot, Bill pointed out a six-foot gator skimming along the surface. I didn’t realize that they could be at the mall too! Since that day, I always look, hoping to see one. Maybe I haven’t trained my eyes to see them well, but I have yet to spot my own gator.

Well, I got tired of waiting and took matters into my own hands. At the Village we have tickets for a little place called Gatorland. Every day I passed the sign going to work and I pretty much decided instantly that I had to make a day of it. Our fabulous intern was sporting a Gatorland mug one day and I knew I could recruit her as my partner in crime.

We arrived right as it opened (me scoring the Florida resident discount, by the way). I quickly scanned the show schedule and planned out our visit. I mean, not to sound like a giant dork, but it was everything I could have dreamed of. After taking a gander at the pond of big gators, we made our way to the first show of the day, Close Encounters. I got picked to take secret box. I acted coy but inside I was jumping for joy, be an alligator, be an alligator. Friends, I must add a side note in here, I have interacted with alligators quite a bit in the past, so I myself am not sure why this is such a thing for me. Well, they ended up taking my box back because apparently it had a rattlesnake in there. BUT, at the end of the show, they had me come up and be one of the people that got to hold the giant snake. He asked me heads or tails… I picked heads!

 

We continued our way down the list of shows and of course visited the giftshop. We made our rounds throughout the land of gators and even came across a rather wide croc that I could sympathize with. All in all, it was a pretty “country” excursion. I really liked it! But, it still is not the same as seeing one in real life out in the open. Without a fence between us or its mouth taped. So, I will continue to scan the water, hoping to find my Florida gator