Florida Fun in the Sun

For Spring Break, Karen and I hopped on a plane (AirTran) and flew to Baltimore Washington International Airport. We didn't like the airport very much and we didn't know anyone in the area, so we decided to hop on another airplane (AirTran) and fly to Orlando. See, this makes more sense because Orlando is warm in March and we have loving family members who live north of Orlando, in a little town or spralling housing development called Debary. (Don't stress the "De" too hard or Paula will cringe.) Uncle Steph and Aunt Paula showed us many many beautiful sites in Central Florida, including many (hundreds of thousands) Harley Davidsons rumbling down the roads between Orlando and Daytona, probably causing the state of Florida to settle and sink another inch. They also showed us some natural springs, plenty of beautiful houses, (sub)tropical landscapes and the ocean.

Here's a picture of Steph and Paula enjoying the blooming bushes of DeLeon springs, after we ate a hearty meal of 5 grain pankakes!!

We met the emperor of the beach and Paula decided to feed the emperor some grapes.

We enjoyed the fresh fruits and vegetables.... mmm.... strawberries...

Brian was introduced to the Alliance Retirement Community, not that he is thinking about retirement, rather to show him where Karen's grandparents lived.



And he met Karen's grandfather's closest surviving relatives, who were preparing to travel to Japan

And Karen took a picture of Brian and his dream car, a LEGO Ferrari, at LEGOLand Disney!!

When we had seen and done everything in the Orlando area, we were ready to travel to West Palm Beach (Royal Palm Beach Gardens) to visit Karen's cousins and their adorable and lively (except when sick) children.

Caleb and Rachel were waiting on the sidewalk most of the afternoon for us to arrive.

We went with Jon and Aly on a double date to a Cuban Restaurant to have some Pork with Mojo Sauce and Rice and Beans. It was delicious. The next day, we went to the beach. Jon was planning to surprise everyone by taking a vacation day from school but Rachel surprised everyone when she awoke sick and couldn't go to the beach. In a selfless act, Jon stayed home with Rachel and the rest of us went to the beach. It wasn't as fun without them and we missed them as we played in the waves and Jacob chased the birds.


The final day of our trip was spent at Lion Country Safari. Caleb and Brian decided to become lions, but this didn't last too long because they missed their family members who didn't want to be lions.

The elephants were some of the most fun animals to see in the park. It seems that they are living any boy's dream, playing in water and then playing in the dirt:


Karen was asked to give the giraffe a birthday present and Brian tried to tell the 2 year old 11 foot tall toddler that the banana tastes better without the peel. But, the long purple tongue had already rapped around the fruit and it was probably being digested before he had a chance to finish the thought.


The lory was beautiful and we had fun feeding the pretty birds a tablespoon of sugar water.



We had a blast and enjoyed spending time with family. But, after a week of fun, it was time to hop on a plane and come back to Rochester, to finish our schooling and enjoy the coming signs of spring.