As a winter storm was approaching Baltimore, we were left with a cold rain. On Sunday it was still nice, but we opted to take in an IHL Ice Hockey game in Orlando -The Polar Bears. We have always wanted to catch a game, but it just did not fit into our schedule. This time it did, and it was right in the middle of the day. A nice way to spend Sunday afternoon at the Amway arena where the NBA Orlando Magic also play. And the best part of it, the tickets for Club level(cushy seats) were discounted to $10 in honor of the Orlando Night club shooting. Not sure I see the connection, but we liked the discount. We enjoyed the game, even though the Polar Bears are a bit rough around the edges when it comes to playing and sadly they lost. But it was fun! We drove back to Cocoa Beach and stopped into a Surf themed seafood restaurant where I tried Hog fish tacos. Delicious!
On Monday morning, Tom was up early and out the door for his presentation, just down the street from our hotel. I took my time getting up, visiting the Fitness center before getting dressed and having breakfast. I was disappointed that it was a bit too chilly to enjoy the outdoor hotel pool(not heated). Tom was done by noon and we decided to drive down the coast to Melbourne where we had a nice, late lunch in Olde Town out on the street. We strolled through some of the shops until it started raining and then headed back to the hotel. The hotel was right next to the Cape Canaveral Cruise Ship port. There was a huge cruise ship sitting out the back of our hotel. Apparently, many of the people staying in our hotel were waiting to board their cruise ships. Tom and I almost took a weekend Disney cruise before our scheduled week off, but we decided it would not be as fun without the kids along! Crazy. Sadly the hotel was not right on the beach. But the beaches on the Atlantic coast are a bit more wild and rough in that area, plus it was a bit chilly with a rain storm so we did not do much beaching. I really prefer the Gulf coast beaches. Which we were off to after Tom's conference!
Actually, Tom presented at the conference, but there really wasn't anything else that pertained to his profession for him to attend, so we opted for Disney World instead! We figured it was still early in the Spring Break time and during the middle of the week and hoped it would not be as busy. Plus the weather was a bit chilly and rainy. Apparently, the rest of Florida thought the same thing as they all had Resident discounts and the park was packed. And unfortunately, Disney is allowing its guests to download Fast Passes up to 3 months in advance for the rides! So after we purchased our ticket, we tried to download fastpasses for our favorite rides, however, most of them were already gone. Instead, you had to stand in line for several hours. We are just not used to that when we visit Disney! So we missed some of our favorites, like Space Mountain. My feet could just not tolerate any more standing in line. We even had to wait 1/2 hour just to board the Ferry to get into the park! And then wait in line to get tickets, and wait in line for security. But we still had a great time, the weather held out(not too hot or cold), and we saw a live Muppet show with Kermit, Miss Piggy and all the crew that replaced the Hall of Presidents while they are remodeling(don't ask).
On Weds we decided to tour NASA. We were supposed to see an IMAX movie and listen to a presentation by the pilot Sully who landed his plane on the Hudson river as part of Tom's conference. I really wanted to meet him, but we did not want to stay too long in the area since we were heading over to the other side of the state that night. So instead we did the tour ourselves and caught the IMAX movie on the way out. We had taken the kids to the Kennedy Space Center many years ago, but were surprised to see the changes they made at the facility and the activity that is currently ongoing, including active launch pads. We even tried to catch a rocket launch, but the weather kept post-poning the launch. Space Ex is busy sending rockets up to the International Space Center, including a cargo ship called DRAGON-just happens to be Allison's camp name. So of course we had to get her a tshirt. It was very exciting to get caught up with the NASA activities.
On Thursday we were back in Orlando and decided to visit Epcot for the day. We downloaded a few fast passes(not many left), and really enjoyed their Plant and Flower Festival, even though it was still a bit chilly. They had lots of Disney character topiarys. However, their poor butterflies in the butterfly house were freezing! We really enjoy visiting all the different countries in Epcot, checking out the souvenirs, films, and tasting the different foods. We just could not get into the new Frozen presentation in Norway(2 hr wait). Just not worth it this trip.
Friday were were driving down to Venice to visit with Tom's parents. I even spotted a few wild pigs along I-75! Never saw that before. Meanwhile, there was a Cobra on the loose in Ocala(a family pet). And we even had to drive by a large brush fire from Cocoa Beach to Orlando. Even with all the recent rain, it was still pretty dry in Florida. Never know what you are going to see down there.
We arrived at Tom's parent's place in time to head out to lunch. Dad Seitz took us all down to Englewood beach for a St Patricks Day fare-corned beef and green beer! Happy St Patrick's Day! Good thing the church let us eat meat on Friday during Lent for the holiday! We had thought we would stroll along the beach after lunch, but we could not even find a place to park! The beaches were packed. Instead, Dad gave us a driving tour of the coastline in Englewood(another area I have not visited). Very nice area where my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy usually hang out. We did manage to stroll Main St in Venice and along the fishing pier and stopped in for some Kilwins ice cream(just like up North!). Since we had some sunshine, I decided to visit Mom and Dad's heated pool in the afternoon before heading out to dinner that evening. Afterwards, we enjoyed a movie at home while I attempted to complete a 500 piece puzzle on my own-a vacation tradition. I really needed the kid's help! On Saturday we took a drive over to the cemetery to visit my Dad and other family relatives before catching up with Susan and John(Tom's sister and brother in law). We decided to take Mom S to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie after lunch. It gave Dad S some alone time. In the words of Mom Seitz "That was Something!". In the afternoon I spent some time at the Nokomis beach(again with most of the Florida residents!). I have never seen the beach so crowded. Tom came along and had to park on the canal side of the beach. He is not a beach guy, so he sat in the car and read his book and watched people not catching fish. Meanwhile, I watched two Manatee swim by along the shoreline! Never saw that before either! It was a bit chilly for swimming, but enjoyable to walk along the beach looking for shark teeth and shells, and listen to the huge drum circle. (very popular at the Gulf beaches). Lots of hippy looking guys playing bongos, dancing and singing on the beach. Very relaxing, especially while watching the sunset. However, I did not have time to wait for the sunset. I quickly strolled through the Art Fair that set up near the beach pavillion, and drove by the Bozyk Florida house for a quick look. Then we caught up with Susan and John to take all the men out to dinner to celebrate Birthdays. Afterwards, we visited at Susan and Johns house while catching up with the March Madness bball games.
On Sunday it was time to pack up and head back to Orlando for our flight home. We got to Orlando early, so we dropped in for lunch at Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs. They just remodeled so we wanted to check out the movie memorabilia spread throughout the restaurant, like costumes from Back to the Future or James Bond flicks. Or props from Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Very cool and a great lunch. We got in just as they opened which was great since there is usually a long wait. And the place has a large IMAX screen inside that plays music videos and movie clips. Very cool. So it was time to head to the airport. We still had a few hours to kill before our flight, so we sat at a table with a glass of wine catching up with some paperwork. I am getting ready to head to Philly for a conference and had a huge schedule to review. Tom was busy with homework from school. We had a wonderful flight home and got back in time for dinner with the kids.
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