Florida Trip - Day 3

We had a great night's sleep and actually got to sleep in! That doesn't happen in Utah as our kids get up at 7am everyday except Sunday. Go figure! Today was Supercross day! So, once we checked out and got some food, we headed north back to Jacksonville. It was a long drive. Didn't help that I didn't feel well either. Too much heat and being in the car for too long! We finally got to the Jacksonville arena around 3pm. We walked around for awhile and ate a late lunch. Supercross fans in Florida are a riot to watch:) I went back to the car to change into some warmer clothes and ended up taking a nap. Cory watched some qualifying races. This is Cory in front of the track. Our seats were just in front of the first turn, so we saw a lot of crashes!

I have to say that I really enjoyed the race. Between the crashes, fans and exciting finishes, I was entertained. Good thing because it was cold. I felt like I was in Utah watching the Supercross there. This is a bad picture, but #45 was on our flight out to Jacksonville. His name is Austin Stroupe. He came in second in the 250 class. Boy is he young and small too. I don't see how someone his size can even handle a bike. Boy, can he ride!

Again, another bad picture. These guys are fast, even around a tight corner. This is Ryan Villopoto. He won the 450 class.
This is Cory and I during the race, trying to keep warm. Take a look at the guy sitting behind us. He looks like he is having a lot of fun:)

The race was over by 10pm. It took us another half an hour just to get out of the parking lot and back onto the interstate. Then we had another half an hour drive to our hotel. It was a long, tiring day, so when we got to our room, see below, we crashed. I will tell you all about where we stayed in the next post:)

Florida Trip - Day 2

After a good night's sleep, we were ready for our first big adventure of the trip! A day in Walt Disney World. Oh yeah!! A few posts ago, you saw the lovely fleece blankets that I made. Well, they were our ticket into the park. We participated in Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day!" By something as simple as making blankets for a shelter, Cory and I each got a pass into one of Disney's parks. We choose the Animal Kingdom. It was a great choice!
Let me start by saying that I was very impressed with Disney World. The streets are so clean and things are really easy to find. This is what welcomed us as soon as we got off the interstate! I was so excited. I love Disney and always get goose bumps whenever I go. Even now as an adult! I am still a kid at heart:)

As soon as you get through security and the ticket booths, you are in a huge zoo, Disney style! As most of you know, Disney never does anything half way. And it goes for the Animal Kingdom! One of the first "take your breath away sites" you see is the Tree of Life, like the one in "The Lion King." It is huge! Looking close at the tree, you see all types of animals carved into the trunk! Amazing! Like how flat my hair is already? My hair and the humidity don't go well together at all! Click on the picture and try to spot some animals!

Next, we moved onto an African village and went on a safari! Fun! We saw hippos, elephants, lions, giraffes, and lots of other animals that I am too lazy to look up how to spell:)

After Africa, we made our way into Asia where we saw tigers and huge gorillas. I was really excited to go on the Mt. Everest experience. I saw a show on Discovery about the park's newest attraction and have been looking forward to riding the roller coaster ever since. At one point in the ride, the cars are going backwards. They go quite fast and you get whipped around. It was awesome! I could have gone on it again, but the lines were long and it was getting late. Plus, there was still so much to see and do. This is Mt. Everest:)

As the day went on, we rode a Dinosaur ride very similar to the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland. Very cool! At one point, you are face to face with a huge dinosaur that roars and makes your body shake! I am so glad that I don't live with the dinosaurs:) The parade we saw had some amazing animal costumes. Disney goes big with everything! Cory and I were able to see and do just about everything in the park. Of course, there was things for kids to do, but ours were in Utah with Grandma. I am sure if we ever took the kids to Disney World, we would need a couple of more hours in the park just for them!
The park closed at 6, which we were ready for. We headed for our room for the night, the Waldorf Astoria Orlando!

This is our room. The bed was like sleeping on a cloud. It was so soft and fluffy! Once you were in, there was no getting out without some help!

And this is the beautiful view from our room. In the background is Disney World. Some of the landmarks are too hard to see, but take my word for it, that is the park in the background. Cory and I actually went swimming after a full day in the park. The weather was so nice. A little cloudy in the morning, but by the afternoon, the clouds were gone and the sun was out. It was right around 80 degrees. Both Cory and I got some sun! The pool was relaxing and very refreshing!

For dinner, we went to Downtown Disney and ate at an Irish Pub! We sat at the bar because we didn't want to wait for a table. We were so hungry. The bar tender was super nice and recommended some great dishes! After stuffing ourselves, we walked around for awhile taking in all the sites. Boy were there some sites to see! I enjoy watching people! Then it was back to our room and to bed. HEAVEN!

Florida Trip - Day 1

Cory and I have been in Florida this past weekend. I plan to write about our trip a day at a time. It was so much fun and nice to have a little break from "life!" Warning: if your name is Becky, do not read any further! Go straight to Jason and tell him to read the next couple of blogs before you do:) Love ya Bec!!
Last Thursday, Cory and I were up a lot earlier than I am use to getting up at. We left the house by 6:30. I am barely awake at 7 to get the kids ready for school. We flew down to Vegas, then on to Jacksonville. Once we landed, we drove towards Orlando! Don't get me wrong with what I am about to say, I like Florida, but one can only take so much of driving on a perfectly straight road with nothing to see but trees! So, after awhile, we got off the interstate and headed for A1A, the scenic road along the Florida coast. This picture is sort of the what we looked at before we got off the interstate. The trees were very dense and there wasn't a lot of palm trees. Yes, it is beautiful, but like I said, one can only take so much of it. It's so different than what I am used to seeing here in Utah!!

We traveled along the coast for awhile until we were in Daytona Beach. Thank goodness we missed spring break and the weather was on the cool side. We managed to find the beach were all the cars are allowed to drive on and walked for awhile on it. We didn't stay for long, because like I said, the weather was on the cool side and very windy. This is Cory on Daytona Beach!

Then it was back on the road to Orlando. We passed through Daytona and right by the famous Daytona Speedway. It is huge! We actually drove the hour or so to Orlando in the dark. Good thing, because all I could see was the outline of nothing but trees. We spent the night in a "hotel" by the Orlando airport. That night, a storm rolled in off the coast bringing with it lots of rain and loud thunder! What a way to spend our first night in Florida!

Camping in March

Most of you know that our family is a little adventurous! This past weekend was no exception. We ventured out to the Knolls (30 miles east of Wendover, NV) for some camping and motorcycle riding. OH BOY!! It was so cold. We arrived late Friday night with just enough daylight to set up before we couldn't see. Then we ate dinner, hung out for awhile and went to bed. The wind howled most of the night, blowing in a huge storm.
Saturday morning, we were up early for Tim's race. It was COLD! He wore sweats underneath his gear and a heavy jacket over his gear. He raced with his snow gloves on and hand warmers in them. Such a die-hard.

Somehow I braved the cold to see Tim start the race. He was a little slow off the start, but he did finish! (Tim is the rider to the far right)

He raced through a blizzard! The snow was coming in sideways from the wind, and it was COLD. When he finished, he walked in the trailer covered with wet sand and he had a red nose. I would have taken a picture, but he was so cold that I had to help him get his clothes off. He took a shower and huddled in the sleeping bags for awhile. He held his finishing pin very tight the rest of the afternoon:)
Cory's race started around 12:30. Again, I ventured out into the cold, wind and snow to see him take off. In a weird sort of way, it was beautiful out there. Take a look at this picture with a dusting of snow on the rocks:) Cory is somewhere in this mass of bikes!

Cory's race didn't go as well as Tim's. He almost wiped out off the start. Another rider got in his way, throwing Cory off balance as he went over the top of a dune. All I could see was Cory's right leg flying up in the air to get him balanced! As the bikes came in after the first loop, (there was three loops total) I noticed riders that started after Cory and knew something was up. Then I saw him start his was down pit row. He was not a happy camper. Something was wrong with his bike. He was doing great in the slow, tight parts of the race, but out on the flats, his bike was actually slow down. Needless to say, he did not finish the race. He was ready to ride his bike off a cliff, he of course would have jumped off before going off the cliff himself.
After seeing some friends finish the race, we decided it was time to load up and head home. The girls were getting a little stir-crazy having spent the entire day in a trailer. We drove home through the wind, rain and snow. Did I mention that it was COLD too? Oh the memories we have! I am sure we will out again soon, and I will have more memories to blog about. Until then, take my advice; don't go camping in March in Utah!!

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Kelli's hair is perfect for attracting some electricity! The wind actually blew part of it over. All of it was standing straight up:)

The girls came home from school the other day sporting these "leprechaun-seeing" glasses that they made. Are they not the best glasses you have ever seen?