Last Few Days of Vacation

Lenny takes the boat out for lunch all the time. Here we are in Alabama.

Jimmy Buffet's sister has a great restaurant on the water. We go there every year.


Then, we went back to Lulu's by wave runner.


The next morning, we headed back to Palm City. The drive was long with Tinsel. Thank goodness for rest areas.

Speaking of rest areas, what's up with this sign?

"Beware of poisonous snakes"

Castle Cruz in Pensacola

More photos in the back of the Cruz's beautiful home. Sebastian the Crabbing boat is at the bottom and of course the dock hammock is a cool place for a nap.

More Pensacola Fishing

The porpoise were out in droves today. We saw hundreds today. Some spotted and some regular...dunno what types.

Tinsel did good today on the boat. She tucked up in the towel while we were moving and slept the rest of the day.

Pensacola Fishing Trip

Today we went fishing out over a Russian Freighter. Dozens of barracuda were circling the boat all morning. They even caught one of my fish on the way up. John managed to catch an Amber Jack and a grouper...both were short. Lenny caught an Amber Jack and a Kingfish on the way back in when we trolled.

Pensacola Beach Airshow

Here's Fat Albert, the transport cargo plane that accompanies the Blue Angels to all their missions. He is huge and always makes an appearance 15 mins prior to the Blue's entrance at each airshow.

Below---this photo illustrates how close the Angels get to each other. At times, they are as close as 18 inches. I think this maneuver was the Echelon. Each maneuver has a name...the diamond is another popular one.

Our summer trip to Pensacola

We talk about our friends' house in Pensacola all year long...it's here finally...our summer vacation to visit Castle Cruz.

On Jul 10, we went to watch the practice for the annual airshow. It was amazing. Everyone gets to the beach super early and brings coolers and umbrellas. We were lucky enough to share VIP seats with our friends. Here's John (above) keeping cool in the July sun.

The Blue Angels were the main act in the airshow. They perform each year in Pensacola Beach...their home base. Each plane is numbered and they are Navy jets...one of the 6 is a Marine pilot.


I set the camera on Sports mode which has a super-fast shutter speed. The effect is that motion is frozen, so in the photo above, you can see the pilots. See the bottom pilot looking up at the top one? More Blue photos in the next post...

Third Anniversary - Day 2 Continued

So, after our stroll through Central Park, we headed to the Museum of Natural History. John and I enjoyed the Museum enven though admission was kind of pricy at like $12-14 each. One of the highlights for me was the gem room. You can see below a variety of Beryl, which must be where Beryl March got her name. Interesting.

John really liked the ocean wing of the museum...it was indeed very cool.

After the museum, we headed off to Lindy's for lunch and cheesecake before going to the Ed Sullivan Theater to get our tickets for the show taping. We had to be in line by 3pm to get tickets and instructions on when to come back for the taping.

Linday's cheesecake was the best of the trip...even better than Juniors later that night (yes that's right, two pieces in one day).

Here we are at an Irish Pub near Times Square. We went there for a drink two times this day while we were killing time in between the Late Show lines. The drinks were cheap (relatively speaking) and the bar was really nice. The second time we went, it was slammed for happy hour. Lots of locals were there.

Our Third Anniversary - Day 2

Our first day in NYC was cold and windy...like 50mph gusts with 30-40 sustained. The temps were up to a high of 65 but the wind made it feel really cold.

Our first line of business was to take a walk in central park then waste some time before heading to The Late Show with David Letterman. We went to a taping of the Late Show the day we got engaged four years ago.

I was already starting to get sick as usual, so after I got some medicine/tissues, got a subway pass and headed to the park. We walked up the west side and saw Lennon's building, we saw the horse drawn carriages at Tavern on the Green, then we made our way to the Museum of Natural History.

John took a quick break to pose for the camera.

He's so trendy...four years ago, he was obsessed with listening to his iPod, as EVERYONE walking in the city has an iPod. This year, he was obsessed with updating his facebook wall...everywhere he went, he had to let the world know where he was. It's cute.

Our Third Anniversary - Day 1

John surprised me with a trip to New York! Since we got engaged in NYC on Valentine's Day of '05, he decided it would be a great gift to me to revisit the same places that we such fond menories of. His thing is that he always cooks a very nice meal on Valentine's Day. But since we were in NYC, he decided to cook the 10th, the day before our anniversary.


He updated the fridge magnets (cute).

The neighbor Jesse enjoyed a nice glass of champagne (sparkling cider) with us to kick off our anniversary celebration.

Here's the wonferful meal he cooked...fillet, mashed cauliflower, portabellas, zucchini, and artichokes. Yum.

Now we're off to the airport tomorrow!!!

2008 Buzz Bakesale

Yesterday, we went to the 2008 Buzz Bakesale. We had so much fun. They day flew by.

Above is a member of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. They were pretty good. Our seats were in row K of section 2. So, the seats were row 11, dead center.

Above is the lead singer from Savinf Abel. He was a great singer but he sat on a stool the whole concert. Maybe he was tired as it was pretty early in the day.

Above and below: I was backstage at the Real Big Fish Concert and had a blast. The SEC Championship game was on during the bakesale, so John asked his buddy if there was a tv anywhere at the venue we could take 4 hours and watch the game. He gave us these all access passes so that we could watch the game. We love this guy so much and believe the Gators won because we took the time to cheer hard for them even though we were at a concert. Thanks Joe, I guess we owe the win to you!


So, we learned that the passes were all access passes and that the tv room we were watching the game in was actually the VIP room where all the bands and crews eat dinner before/after the show. We saw all of the bands just being regular people eating and talking with their friends. It was the coolest experience ever! We didn't ask anyone for autographs or photos. We didn't even talk to them. So, I guess all we'll take away are the memories. We figured we were lucky enough to be able to eatch the game in such a cool place that we didn't want to jeopardize our opportunity.

The bands were very cool and did signings and photos with fans after their sets. They also threw out drum sticks and guitar picks (like they always do). Kendon and Bronco got to take home some cool stuff like picks, sticks, an autographed shirt, and even an empty tequilla box. Kendon even got his photo with the dummer from Atreyu, one of the two bands he REALLY wanted to see.

We posted video on youtube and photos on flickr.

http://flickr.com/photos/7920525@N07/sets/72157610861714158/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n2wvsmLhHw

What a great night! Oh, and Jim/Cathy and Don/Rene watched the house for us which was nice. I guess we had a lot of visitors since it was a weekend night. Tonight, I'm taking my QMB exam...on a Sunday night...why do they do this?! I gotta go study.

Lego Land at Downtown Disney

Matthew has always been into legos. He must have gotten it from Jonathan who is really good at building stuff.

He had a blast. He got a coast gaurd kit and had it put together in a few days.

We went to Orlando for the weekend and drove to Gainesville for a game on Saturday. We stayed at the Rosen Centre. It was cold this weekend.

The 4 Hr. Journey to Key West

John surprised me with a trip to Key West for my birthday!

We met in WPB and took one car down. We didn't hit any traffic but we did hit the most beautiful sunset headed across the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon. He couldn't have planned the timing any better if he'd tried. actually he did try to be down at Mallory Pier at Sunset, but we didn't want to rush. It was more pleasant this way.

This is some museum on Duval Street. It was prety cool.

Here we are at the Southernmost Point in the country. We had a nice tourist take our photo. John also got me a phone which I guess I needed based upon feedback about my always low battery. It was a good birthday!

Went to the Copeland's for a Party

Amanda and Peter had their engagement party this past weekend and Jim/Cathy hosted the party. It was probably the "funnest" part we've been to in 5 years! I'm still in the process of uploading all the photos. Here's the first one, courtesy of John and Jim.

Went to a Coldplay Concert

John and recently went to a Coldplay concert is S. Florida. We had a great time. We got the tickets from a local radio station, so for $20 in parking fees and a tank of gas, we had alot of fun.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency near the Bank Atlantic Center and were pleasantly surprised at how small and quaint the hotel was.

The seats for the concert weren't the best, but we had a much better view than most of the concert-goers.

The giant orbs that lowered from the rafters were expecially cool. They somehow had live video of the band embedded in them. It reminded me of seeing the Wicked Witch in the magic ball. The butterfly drop was pretty cool too. They dropped confetti from giant blowers in the rafters and turned all the lights on so it looked like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Fun at the Georgia Florida Game

We took a camper up to the Georgia Florida game and had a great time. The trip started off a bit chilly at The Landing on Friday night. We had a fun time watching all the great costumes. It was Halloween night. The cab rides to and from The Landing were a bit pricey at $7 per person per trip. Oh well, at least we didn't have to contend with driving, parking, and drinking.

Then, the next day began chilly but quickly warmed up to the point that we all had to change into regular shirts or we'd have baked.
The skies were overcast all day, so that helped keep it coller than it might have been.


The parking spot was just over a mile walk from the stadium, but the spot was great. It was at the L Rock and it only cost us one game ticket.

The gameday food was something to be mentioned. We started out with bacon/egg bagels, then lunch was grilled chicken and ribs. Dinner was burgers and dogs, and snacks were plenty. Bloody Mary's kicked off the cocktail party, margaritas rounded out the pre-game festivities, and wine/beer finished off the night. It was perhaps one of the best recent Jacksonville games we can remember.

Went to Gainesville and Orlando

We went to Gainesville this weekend for the Florida-LSU game. Final score was 51-21 I think. It was the first cool weather game of the season and Gainesville was beautiful!

We stayed in Orlando at Grand Cyprus, so getting back in to Orlando after an 8pm game was not fun. We had a nice dinner at Amura with Jim and Kendon.

We also went to Universal Studios with some friends. It was a fun day.

As we left the park, we saw the thousands of people lined up to get into Halloween Horror Nights. John tried hard to get me to go, but it was going to be soooo crowded. And, the tickets were the normal $30 or $40, but the express pass which is unquestionably a MUST was an extra $70. Then, each drink is $8-$14, so I was just as happy to save the money. We've been there and done that. Oh, and Billy brought Gator Tails to the tailgate party...delicious. I think we got to the tailgate spot about noon. The spaces are still $40 each. We got all 5 this time. He wants us to lock into every game for next year. I think we'll be finding a new tailgate spot.

Went to A Concert In West Palm Beach

We went to see Counting Crows and Maroon 5 last night. The seats were the best part of the whole night. We were dead center, in the second row. There were some folding chairs in front of us, but I could see the whole concert because no one was too tall....for once!


Counting Crows played first (but they were not opening...it was another co-headlining tour, like Weezer and Foo Fighters last year).
We took Amanda and Kendon. We got to hang out in the VIP area and get free food and a dry roof over our heads while we waited for the concert to begin. Augustana openend up but we missed them because it was pouring and didn't want to get soaked.

This was the last tour on their concert, so I think they were all much more relaxed and eager to get home. Both Maroon 5 and CC were very good. We had seen CC last year and really enjoyed them...that was the impetus for getting good seats for this year's show. We didn't know what to expect from Maroon 5. I really enjoyed them. They guy really can sing that good. He's not bad to look at either :) All the young girls were screaming for Maroon 5, but they hung out through CC and I think even enjoyed them.

All in all, it was good. We hit up Duffy's after the show like usual, then made our way home in the pouring rain. At least it was a comfortable temperature.
Oh, and when Adam began singing Sting's Roxanne, he rocked!

Went to A Concert In West Palm Beach

We went to see Counting Crows and Maroon 5 last night. The seats were the best part of the whole night. We were dead center, in the second row. There were some folding chairs in front of us, but I could see the whole concert because no one was too tall....for once!


Counting Crows played first (but they were not opening...it was another co-headlining tour, like Weezer and Foo Fighters last year).
We took Amanda and Kendon. We got to hang out in the VIP area and get free food and a dry roof over our heads while we waited for the concert to begin. Augustana openend up but we missed them because it was pouring and didn't want to get soaked.

This was the last tour on their concert, so I think they were all much more relaxed and eager to get home. Both Maroon 5 and CC were very good. We had seen CC last year and really enjoyed them...that was the impetus for getting good seats for this year's show. We didn't know what to expect from Maroon 5. I really enjoyed them. They guy really can sing that good. He's not bad to look at either :) All the young girls were screaming for Maroon 5, but they hung out through CC and I think even enjoyed them.

All in all, it was good. We hit up Duffy's after the show like usual, then made our way home in the pouring rain. At least it was a comfortable temperature.

Joey goes to New Zealand

Joey is in New Zealand right now. I received these photos the other day of the giant military looking cargo plane that brought him over there. He is going to be living in Antartica for several months at McMurno Station.

Went tot Gainesville for a Gator Game

So, we went to our fist big game of the 08 season. College Game Day was broadcasting from Gainesville...

I got to kiss Kirk Herbstreit!!! John and I had a great dinner at some steak house right on Main Street on Friday. Then, we got to our tailgate spot at 11am on Saturday. The game began at 8pm and it was the single hottest night game John said he's ever been to.

We won. Traffic back to the hotel wasn't that bad. Jim took the kids to Orlando and didn't get back until 2:30 am after the game. It was a fun weekend.

We usually get a bunch of gator garb at the local university stores, but this year, there wasn't much cool new stuff. We got a hat for Matthew and a little onesy for Nick Jr., but that's about it. John et al are a bit worried for the gators. Although we won, we apparently didn't look all that good. They are worried for the next game in Tennessee.

Just Another Day in Orlando

Here we are outside Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk.

We came up for a Gator Game (which we won) and a Labor day vacation. John's been making the yearly treck up to Orlando to watch the first game of the season at ESPN Zone at Disney's Boardwalk since before me. It's usually an early game...which is not fun in Florida in Augst. We are a bit on edge because it looks like Hurricane Ike is making a B-Line toward West Palm Beach as a category 4! We organized the hurricane shutters before we left, so if we need to shoot home early Sunday morning, we can get them up before any wind comes.

Tropical Isle in New Orleans, LA

I would imagine we were there less than 2 hours, but boy did Tropical Isle leave a mark on us!

We were ordering grenades all night. They must have eaten away at my stomach lining because my puke was tokic yellow later that night.

The bar tender would flash his illuminated Jaeger Shot $1 sign every so often, and like a dog salivates at the sound of a bell, Bronco was all over it.

It's always nice to sit on the ground in New Orleans.

We had fun dancing for an hour.

If I had only Known How it Would All End

I should have known by the way the evening began...

Here we are in the hotel lobby in New Orleans. It's about 6:20; we haven't eaten. We stayed at the Westin which was beautiful! John ordered a bottle of champagne which inadvertantly I kicked off the table. Next was tropical Isle...that was our second mistake of the night.

Pensacola Vacation - Fishing on I-10 Bridge

Apparently, the old I-10 bridge was hauled 15 miles offshore near the Florida-Alabama border.



We had so much fun thos morning. The sea was calm (once we got out there). A porpoise was swimming around the boat all day eating the cast-off fish that were too small to keep. We all got some keepers.

This baby grouper was lunch for the porpoise as soon as he returned to the water. Oh well.

Duck Pin Bowling in Maryland

Eric took us to Duck Pin Bowling tonight after dinner. Apparently, people up here don't bowl like us normal people. They share holeless balls with other bowlers, they score the game by hand, and they use very old equipment to operate the alley.



It was a lot of fun. Here's a shot of Joey's anklet that Bronco found in the duck poop at Reflection Pond today. He'll buy Joey a case of beer if he keeps it on for the duration of the trip. Joey will win.

Dinner was really good tonight. We all had pasta at some place by Eric's apartment. It was buy one get one for $3.95. After 6 miles of walking today, pasta and bread was a welcome sight.

More DC Fun

Me, Joey, and Bronco at Reflection Pond, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial.


Me, at reflection Pond, looking 180 degrees away from the Lincoln Memorial, toward the Washington Monument.


Me, at Reflection Pond, on a huge Oak tree stump, in the heat, looking at the sun. Why?


The gnome, at the Lincoln Memoria, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Who Says it Doesn't Get Hot up North?

Joey, Bronco, and I did the tourist thing today in Washington DC.



I lugged around the cameras, the gnome, and water bottles. Joey lugged around the big old handheld Garmin GPS device. We got out early today. We used the metro to go downtown, then used the Garmin to direct us to the White House. Then, we headed across the huge lawn of the National Monument, and toward the Lincoln Memorial. It was nice to do by foot because you have to walk quite a bit to get to each landmark. You can't just drive up to these things, see them, then get in the car and go to the next one. It's definitely a city to see by foot. I'm glad I brought my MBTs!

Bad Photos at the White House

So, these are a couple great photos to have live on through history. I should have taken a bit more time to get it right.

Our tiki hut

Test blog posting

Trip to Eustis, FL

so, I went on a road trip to Eustis today. It took about 3 hours to get there. The drive was great, but the radio choices really sucked.

I went up for a yearly gathering of fellow Christmas decorating enthusiasts. I can't hardly wait for Christmas now...I'm pumped.

Concert at Club Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale

Lastnight, we went to the concert which was the impetis for our visit to Ft. Lauderdale. The venue is very small...about the size of an average Starbucks. The max was 999 people. We stood upstairs along the rail where the air was cool and the view was amazing.


Here's the set as the band takes the stage. We were on the rails above the stage, and behind the curtain, so we got to see the entire set up process. It was really cool. Even though this is an internationally known band, their set is pretty basic. Those backdrops are attached to pvc pipe with black tape.


The average age of the crowd was probably 20. I guess if you are too young to drink, you'll act like a jackass and go buck wild to compensate. I didn't see too many drugs, which surprised me. Most of the fans were young girls in groups of 3-4 who must walk throughout the crowd holding hands, remiscent of a line of circus elephants all connected by tails and trunks.

The whole evening really was fun, despite the fact I've realized I'm getting old. Highlights included our front row parking space, leaving during the last song to avoid traffic, not getting pushed over from crowd surfers, and seeing a few good bands.

Pelican Bar at Pier Sixty-Six Hyatt Regency

The Pelican Bar is on the second level of a huge marina here at the hotel. The mega-yachts here are amazing. John loved the grilled watermellon salad we tried. It had a balsamic reduction with goat chese and a tomato.

Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six

When I saw these Song of India plants, I had to have a photo.

Above: a giant banyan tree outside the hotel.


Above: wild parrots are everywhere in Ft. Lauderdale. Parrot Jungle is only 30 miles from here.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six

We arrived at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six today. It took less than 2 hours via the turnpike. The top floor is circular and it rotates during Sunday brunch.

We checked in around 12:30 and headed out for a walk. Less than 3 hours later, we had been to the beach, Sloppy Joe's, and a scenic tour of the Las Olas area. The yachts down here are amazing. Our room has a marina view, and there's currently a super fast looking yacht 15 feet outside our balcony.

We're headed to Revolution to see a band called Say Anything. They're playing with Manchester Orchestra and Biffy Clyro. We're excited.

Valentine's Day Part 3

He'd purchased a very cute dress for me and told me we were headed out to a fancy dinner.

I quickly sipped my champagne, ate my strawberries, cheese, and crackers, and we headed off to dinner. We stopped at E Ocean Bistro for another glass of champagne before heading out to the beach road. We took the beach road up to Jensen Beach to have dinner at 11 Maple Street. The dinner was very good. John had some weird game and wasn't a fan of it. My dinner was good. John had told them it was out anniversary, so we had an ice bucket with champagne, a nice dessert, and a great server. Aside from the Valentine's Day that he proposed, this was his best yet!!!

Valentine's day trip to Stuart Part 2

My second destination was to Indian River Plantation Marriot. When I arrived at the front desk, there was a room key waiting for me.

I was greeted at the room door by John who had prepared crackers, cheese, iced champagne, and rose petals from a dozen roses spread all over the room. It was beautiful.

He had also wrapped two additional gifts that were labelled with #2 and #3 to continue my special mystery day. Each of the gifts were wrapped with Product(Red) paper, the card and little hang tags were (Red) also. He knows I love (Red), so it was a very special thing for him to give the wrapping paper so much thought. Scroll down to learn what (Red) is and to find out about part 3 of my wonderful Valentine's Day.

Product Red is a brand licensed to partner companies. It is an initiative begun by U2's frontman, Bono, and Bobby Shriver to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Each partner company creates a product with the Product Red logo. In return for the opportunity to increase their own revenue through the Product Red products they sell, a percentage of the profit is given to the Global Fund.[1]

Valentine's Day Trip To Stuart-Part 1

Each year, John tries to out-do himself when it comes to February romance. We were married a few days before Valentine's Day, so we always celebrate both our anniversary and V day...but he makes certain not to combine the two days because he wants each of them to remain independent and special in their own right.


This year, I received a card marked #1 along with his GPS device. The card instructed me to follow the directions to mystery location #1.



This was so cool because for the first time in a long time, I truly had no idea where I was going...not even a guess.


I ended up at my friend's studio. John had pre-paid for a facial and make-up application. She's a hot shot make-up artist who has famous TV clients in Miami. So, I was honored to have her do my make-up and give me another card that instructed me where and what to do next.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 2 (Orlando, FL)

Here are my first three courses

(above) 12:37 Proschuito-wrapped prawn, crab claws, crab ravioli, pizza, and cheese.

(above) 12:55pm caesar salad spring roll, chicken & spinach something, crab, proschuito-wrapped prawn, duck skewer, swirl with mozzarella, ham, basil, shrimp manicotti, tomato pesto sauce,


(above) 1:20pm pretty much the same stuff...added a crab cake, small piece of sticky bun, and pesto

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

We went to Grand Cyprus' Sunday Brunch. It's absolutely amazing. I could go on and on for 15 minutes, but I won't.

We had an 12:15am reservation. Here's John's 1st-3rd courses (not counting his dozen mimosas)

(above) 12:37 - raw oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab cocktail, caesar salad spring roll, variety of sushi, beef tenderloin, proschuito & basil wrapped with mozzarella, proschuito-wrapped prawn.


(above) 12:55 - Sea bass entree


(above) 12:55 - more sushi, more oysters, more crab and shrimp cocktail, more tenderloin, and one seafood manicotti

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Evening of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

After an amazing late night dinner at Bice, we ordered dessert. To our surprise, the server knew it was our anniversary and had the chef personalize our dessert plates with a chocolate message. Yes, I got cheese and fruit for dessert, and John's wearing Mardi Gras beads.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

After taking the ferry back to the hotel, we took some photos of the sunset and hotel, then headed to shower up for dinner at Bice.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Morning of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

We headed to Orlando on February 9th, a Saturday, even though our anniversary wasn't until the 11th. We'd never been to the Portofino Bay Resort before, so we had some lunch, then walked around for a while. We took the ferry over to CityWalk, and spent a few hours wandering.


Eventaully, we ended up at Margaritaville, and sat at the bar to watch the second half of a Gator basketball game. I had a delicious Uptown Top Shelf margarita, and we enjoyed talking to the bar tender.

An Evening at The Jupiter Lighthouse

We went to hang out in Jupiter tonight. I took this photo at 6:20pm from the Square Grouper. What a great night.

Orlando

The game started off a bit rocky, however we did score pretty early on, and things were looking okay.

Tim Tebow, having just made history by winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore wasn’t welcomed with a standing ovation, didn’t receive any special acknowledgement, and wasn’t even mentioned during the pregame, half-time, or commercial breaks, to my surprise.

The weather was a bit overcast, and a bit chilly, but was generally nice. The Citrus Bowl is in a bad area of downtown, and is a bit smelly, but we had an excellent parking space thanks to Jim. We were in the parking lot of the stadium on the bank of a small pond that [allegedly] housed a gator! In the second and third quarter, gator fans had lost hope of covering the spread, and were just begging for a win, which never came.

That evening, we followed Bambi to see Ron Lister’s Kissimmee home which just won second place in the national KFC Christmas Lights contest (I think). He visited with us for about 30 minutes. His house skill is top notch and his home is quite a spectacle. His website is ChristmasWonders.com.

Stuart To Orlando

We left the house around 9:30am and got into Orlando by 11:00am. I programmed Bambi (the new Garmin GPS navigation system) to go to the Hyatt Regency Orlando instead of Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. So, after a 30-minute detour through the airport, we arrived at Grand Cypress. We checked in and took a walk around to see the Christmas decorations.

They had a 30. Ft Christmas tree and a large gingerbread village with a Lionel Circus train.

Then, we went to Hooters with Mom, Dad, Jim, Cathy, and the kids for a late lunch. We sat at a table shaped like Mickey Mouse and talked about plans for the 2008 Christmas display. Then, Caitlin and I went to Super Target to get in some shopping. Mom and Dad took a nap, and Jim, Cathy, and Kendon went to Buffalo Wild Wings to play video poker.

We had a 7:15pm reservation at Benihanna, so we met Scotty and Al in the lobby of the hotel and took some photos before leaving for dinner.

We had a great dinner; John’s filet was one of the best I’d ever tasted. My sushi was good. Mom liked her steak, but had an upset stomach, so they left quickly after dinner and headed back to their hotel for the evening. We headed back to ours to get ready for the ball drop. Grand Cypress had built a huge, lighted ball atop one of the two elevators that would drop at midnight. They also had 10,000 balloons that would be dropped from the ceiling along with a band that played until 1am on the second story loft. We were on the 8th floor and had a beautiful view of the lobby.

Scotty and Al brought down a nice bottle of Perrier Jouet Champagne and we rang in the new year in style.