2014 Orlando Vacation - Final Days

On Saturday we decided to go to Hobby Lobby and look for a spinning organizer for Karen's craft desk and also check out Michael and another Tuesday Morning.

Hobby Lobby didn't have a spinner anywhere to be found but Karen picked up some nice little craft kits to take to the kids in the hospital. All I got was some metallic brads that were on sale that I was running out of. We went to Michaels and did find a spinner for her there and she was able to use a coupon. I got some Imaginisce Glam Rock pearls that were on clearance. Once again Tuesday Morning was a bust, didn't buy a thing!

I did find a sign at Hobby Lobby that I might cut out of vinyl and put in my office at school, although some might think it inappropriate for a counselor to have such a sign, I find it humorous! I already have two such amusing signs in my office, one says "Welcome to the nut house, where the nut doesn't fall far from the tree" and the other "Welcome to the Looney Bin, where abnormality is the normality in this locality". The kids have always found them funny, along with my coffee mug that is Happy Bunny with "I know how you feel, I just don't care".


After getting back home we made some shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta and taught ourselves how to devein shrimp. We also learned that you go from the underside instead of the top side, much easier! The rest of the evening was spent visiting, uploading vacation pictures to each others computers and me packing up my belongings to go home the next day, which you already read that story if you have been following along.

I always enjoy my vacations and look forward to them but sometimes I think I like them so much because it helps me appreciate the mundane normalcy of my every day life. I really don't know how people who have to travel all the time do it. I was thrilled to get back to work and I think most of my clients were thrilled to have me back, even some of the ICF/MR staff commented they were glad to see me return.

I have some crafty posts that I will be posting the next few days, actually some things I did before vacation but didn't have time to post.

2014 Orlando Vacation - Meeting Up With Friends

We were scheduled to meet up with some friends for lunch at a Bahama Breeze at 1pm the day we got off the ship so once we got back to Karen's we rushed to get showered and changed and head off for our luncheon.

A few people weren't able to make it that were going to be there but we still had a great turn out. I was thrilled to finally meet Enfys of Going Buggy, as we have talked via message boards, Facebook and phone over the years but had never met face to face. I had actually given up on ever being able to meet her since she had relocated back to the UK permanently and was no longer spending part of the year in Florida. It was fantastic when she was scheduled to be in Florida the same time I was going to be there. If you haven't already read the post Enfys made you really need to do so because she had a rather hilarious, well hilarious when she was telling probably not while she was living it, story about her travels to the luncheon. You can find her story at FLORIDA and in the post she shares her harrowing tale.

Here is a group shot of those who attended, all except for Ben who was nice enough to take the group pictures for everyone. Back Row: Enfys, Sheri, Debbie, Okie, Carol, Not sure, Not sure and Karen.
Front Row: Betty, Not Sure, Bethany, Rosemary, Renee and Pat.

The group played Dirty Crafter, which was played the same as I play Dirty Santa at my Christmas parties and we all had a great time with the game.  I think most everyone was there for at least a few hours and then a few of us lingered waiting for I-4 to clear out. We could see it from where we were sitting and it was looking more like a parking lot than an interstate for quite sometime. The folks at Bahama Breeze were absolutely wonderful with us and even moved things around us while we waited so they could get ready for the supper crowd that would be in at anytime. I guess that means some of us were there for almost 5 hours!

After getting back to Karen's I sat with my legs propped up because they were swollen. I really gotta do something about this crap because I do not like having cankles! I blame it on Karen because she keeps me running constantly when we are on vacation. Since she is a nurse she is use to being on her feet for 12 hours, I on the other hand am use to sitting on my arse for 12 hours. Actually my face and hands get swollen as well come to think of it. Karen fell asleep on the couch around 8pm and was out until the next morning.  I spent the evening watching a little TV and reading news articles on the internet before going to bed.

2014 Orlando Vacation - Bahama Cruise!

In order to keep things short I will make just one post about the cruise and not bore you with all the details, especially since I posted some of the information in my "Going Home" post.

We made it to the port just fine and the parking we used was great, it was very close to the port and the employees were very courteous, except the guy who took everyone's bag but our. We didn't tip him even though he was kind of standing there like he was expecting one.

It was rather cloudy and dreary when we got on the ship but we were just glad to be in the zone of relaxation.  We had some time before our room was ready so we explored the top deck a little, went and got something to eat and got a drink at one of the bars. This year we went on Royal Caribbean' Enchantment and last year we were on Carnival's Ecstasy, the ship this year was nicer than the one we were on last year and a bit bigger as well.

We decided to make our phone calls to home so we could put our phones away, Karen calling her mom and me calling my daughter. I snapped a picture right before we turned off the phones.









The cruise was nice, the food was okay but not spectacular. Our room steward, Sadat, was very friendly and helpful but I think they always are, aren't they? The shows were very good and I loved the outdoor movie screen even though I never watched a full movie on it. We did go to one of the indoor movies, Delivery Man, missing the first of the movie but it was still good. Karen took a nap during the movie, she does that during all movies unless she has food to last throughout the show.

We didn't get to make it to Coco Cay because of the high winds and the tender boats not being safe to use during such times so we headed on to Nassau and spent a day and a half there. We did take part in some trivia games in one of the bars and won at Tri-Bond trivia with the perfect score of 18, evidently the more alcohol I drink the smarter I get because at first I was stumped on a few but by the time I finished my Lava Flow I knew the answers. Our big prize was a pen and keychain, well we thought the big prize was actually knowing we were smarter than a 5th grader. The first day we walked around a little but most of the shops were closing up. Karen loves Dunkin Donuts and I had found out before going to Orlando there was one close to port and she was excited to get her ice coffee.





The next day at Nassau we decided to take a ferry boat over to Paradise Island and go to the beach. It took us forever to get to the free beach, which is Cabbage Beach, only because we had no idea where we were going and when we got to the end of an area they told us we needed to go back the way we came. Once we found the beach it was quite gorgeous. There were a lot of people coming up and trying sell things but if you told them no they were very polite and didn't seem to come back if they remembered you told them no the first time. The water was rough but the most awesome blue! We did get in the water and Karen got a kick out of me getting knocked off my feet and the water tossing me in backward somersaults. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't even answer a woman who was asking me if I needed help, she was laughing too though. I ended up with and in every part of my swimsuit imaginable. Our plan was to return to the ship, rest a bit, get cleaned up and then head out to the Fish Fry on shore. We made it to resting and Karen didn't get back out of bed until the next morning. I spent that evening going to a magic show, a game show and to the upper deck for the dance party.

Our day at sea was spent doing things on the ship. I took part in a cake decorating contest and my partner was an older man who just started throwing all the items on the cake. The cruise director was pouring alcohol on the cake making it hard to do anything with, it turned out to be a big mass of mush and needless to say we didn't win. We did a few other trivia games, which we didn't win but had fun anyway. We made sure we got our thing packed up late that evening before going to dinner and our luggage outside our cabin so we wouldn't have to worry about it. Since the ship was moving so slowly back to port the ship bobbed quite a bit even though the water was calm and several people talked about feeling woozy. I was actually okay and I must be getting use to the motions after being on several cruises. One poor girl was ready to get off the ship immediately and said something about rough seas and I had to laugh and tell her that the sea was calm and shared how rough the seas were on my first cruise where they had to lock the doors to the promenade deck because the waves were crashing over the railing. I'm not sure she will ever go on another cruise after I told her about that experience.

After making sure everything was in order for the next morning we went to bed so we could disembark the ship first thing because we had a luncheon to attend with some very important people...OUR WONDERFUL CRAFTY FRIEND!

2014 Orlando Vacation - Day 3 and 4

SATURDAY! We had thought about going to Daytona for the end of bike week and then going to New Symrna to the beach but opted to stay home and enjoy the pool.

I posted a picture of the pool with my freshly pedicured toes to make my daughter jealous and she sent me a picture of my yard that was flooded due to a huge storm that was occurring back home. Karen stayed out longer than I did since my stomach was bothering me, neither of us got very much sun even though it was shining brightly.

We worked on getting our stuff packed for the cruise and I read about some of the activities that were available on the ship so we could kind of decide what we might like to do. We also looked up what to do at Nassau as we knew the day at Coco Cay would be spent on the beach since it is a private island held by the cruise line. I got our boarding passes and luggage tags printed so we would have that out of the way.


I love going to Goodwill so on Sunday we went to two different Goodwills, which lead to us having to do some laundry and repack a few items. After the second Goodwill we were both rather hungry and found a little Chinese restaurant that was very good. It was also close to Karen's new job so she picked up a menu to keep in her car if she wants to order lunch there sometime. We also went to a mall, a HUGE mall. Karen said it would only take a minute and it likely would have if we knew where anything was or if there had been a map of the mall posted anywhere. We ended up walking quite a bit of the mall and still not finding what Karen was looking for, which was some kind of hair care product if I remember correctly. I did find a few undershirts and a new light weight sweater at Old Navy that will be good for spring time, although I am quite certain we are going to go from winter straight to summer at this point.

After making sure everything was packed and in order for our departure for the port the next morning we hit the hay to get some good rest, and of course I couldn't get to sleep right away because I kept worrying if everything was packed which once we got on the ship and it was time to take showers we realized we forgot to pack shampoo and conditioner *okie still wonders how that happened*.

2014 Orlando Vacation - Day 2

My second day started out pretty much like my first, with a cup of coffee out on the terrace, patio, lanai, whatever you want to call it. Karen only had to work half a day and I knew she would be raring to go when she got off work so a little relaxation was called for and I read more of my book I had started on the plane.

We had decided to go to Ikea and anywhere else that might look appealing. The weather was nice and Karen now has a convertible so we rode with the top down. I had to post a picture on Facebook for my daughter so she could be jealous. She never commented on my picture so I am not sure she saw it. I had checked the weather back home and I was glad to be in Orlando enjoying some much craved sunshine instead of in Oklahoma where it was cold once again.

I also learned that the I-4 in Orlando is rather unpredictable and can move smoothly and quickly at times but most of the time it is rather slow going. Karen informed me that most roads were toll roads so a lot of people take the I-4 so they don't have to pay. She a told me "people in Orlando can't drive, if it starts raining traffic stops", which I found rather ridiculous since I thought it rained there quite often.

My Aunt Carolyn kept posting stuff about wanting to go to Orlando so she could visit the Holyland Experience. I had no idea what it was but when we came across it on the interstate I had to take a picture and post it to her on Facebook to let her know I was driving by it. Evidently it is a something similar to a theme park, albeit a rather small one. My aunt posted back that she was jealous and one of her friends had called her recently about wanting to go some day.

We went to Ikea and I was going to grab a few of the small Bygel bars that I use for punches but we never found them and it was probably a good things since it would have cost me $50 to get them home! I did get two of the nice size Ikea bag to keep in my van for when I go shopping and it will be easier to carry things in the house. I did learn that Ikea is evil in that once you enter you cannot just walk out of the store. You must go through the whole store before exiting the building, which is probably a fantastic market strategy!

There was a Container Store along the way and we stopped in there where I found some things that I thought would work for Karen's paper and once we got back home I did find they worked nicely. They are a little snug at the bottom but it will be easier for her to flip through her paper now instead of having to grab the Iris boxes and look through paper that way. The bins were on sale and Karen got a few of the small and large ones.We also picked up some glass bottles to put sand in so we could make something to remind us of the cruise we would be going on *okie suddenly wonders where she put that dang bottle of sand*.


Pedicure's were in order after shopping and it was nice to sit and soak my feet after all the running around. One day I will learn to wear my most comfortable shoes when I am at Karen's, but it didn't happen this trip.

Back home we were ready to settle in for the night as we weren't quite sure what we were going to do the next day. I went to bed and read a little before going to sleep.

2014 Orlando Vacation - Day 1

Okie's log, stardate 20143.13. Our location is city Orlando *okie cracks up at her impersonation of a Star Trek captain and then realizes it is not quite as funny when no one can hear her*.

My first day in Orlando was quite nice and relaxing. Karen had found out the day before I got there that she was going to have to work Thursday and Friday, but only a half a day on Friday and that would leave me to my own devices. She did offer to let me take her to work and I could use her car to which I replied "if you lived in the back dirt roads of Southern Georgia I would take you up on that but there is no way I am driving in Orlando!". I told her I would be fine while she was at work and would find something to keep myself occupied.

This is the view I had while I had my morning coffee on Thursday and while it was a bit chilly by Orlando standards it was feeling pretty good to me since Mother Nature is being a bit Bi-Polar with our weather in Oklahoma. Heck I was just ready for some regulated temps that stay on a good average for more than 2 days, we had been going from the 70s down to the high in the 30's about every other day when I left Oklahoma.

After getting dressed I wondered what I could do and knew they had to have buses in Orlando, I mean every major city does don't they? I found a website and was posting on Facebook about maybe venturing out and taking a bus somewhere. I quickly got replies of panic from some of my friends who were telling me NO NO NO. My friend Carol was kind enough to say she would come get me and take me where I wanted to go but by that time I had decided to just read my book or venture into Karen's guest room and see what needed to be organized.

I had downloaded 12 Years A Slave and started reading it on my flight to Orlando and I really wanted to finish reading it. I don't read often because when I do I am so engrossed in the story that I don't want to do anything else. I haven't seen the movie yet but I sure want to now, even knowing the book are always better than the movies. I did read a little but thought I could do that at bedtime since I was almost done with the book.

Around noonish or so I walked into look at Karen's guest room where she has her crafty space set up. Now last year I spent quite a bit of time organizing her paper and some other things for her so I knew it wouldn't be a total wreck. As I surveyed the area I knew it was going to take some time for me to decided what was what and where it needed to go. It turned out that "some time" ended up being over 3 hours. I didn't realize it took that long until I started getting a little hungry. Went through her paper again and put her stacks away in her Expedit unit and sorted through some cardstock that had strayed to an Iris paper holder. I reorganized drawers in the plastic bins to where they made sense, adhesives in one drawer, office supplies in a drawer, vinyl in a drawer, etc. My friend Karen has a fetish concerning baggies, she loves the damn things and while her fetish is great when we go on vacation *okie makes a mental note to add a box of baggies to her luggage for her next travel adventure*, I just don't think they are a good method for organizing a lot of things. I gathered all her greeting cards and gift bags and sat in the floor and went about the task of putting them in theme categories. I also matched up all the cards with envelopes so she wouldn't have to search for one that fit when she needed it. When Karen got home I showed her and she was more worried about where her baggie where than how well I did on the organization. I quickly calmed her nerves by showing her I didn't throw away the baggies. She got nervou again when she saw I threw away her ATG gun box and said "HOW AM I GOING TO KNOW HOW TO LOAD THAT DAMN THING? IT TOOK ME HOURS THE LAST TIME". I quickly showed her which draw all her manuals and instructions were in.

We decided to go out for a bit as Karen was wanting a new carryon bag and went to a Tuesday Morning and looked around. Now here is where you might want to sit down...I walked out of there with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! They did have some papercraft supplies but none that I really needed or wanted. We actually went to another TM later and still once again I bought nothing!

We decided to go eat dinner and settled on Outback Steakhouse...it was H O R R I B L E! Never go to the one in Almonte Springs if you are ever there. After posting on Facebook there were several people who said that was the worst one they had ever been to. Long story short we got one of the meals taken off the ticket.

Back home we watched a little TV and went to bed. Karen still had to work a half a day the next day and I wanted her to be rested for when she got off work. Oh who am I kidding, I knew I would need the rest because Karen about runs me to death when I am in Orlando!

Starting With The Bad - Allegiant Air

I do plan on telling y'all all about my vacation but first I want to tell you about the horror story of coming home so we can get that horror out of the way and enjoy the rest of the story.

When I booked my flight going to Orlando I booked Southwest because not only is that what I usually fly but I had a $100 voucher I needed to use from when a flight got delayed last year. I do love Southwest and don't think I have ever had a negative experience with them, and if I did their customer service has always been very gracious and helpful.

For my flight back home I choose to go Allegiant Air because they offered a straight flight for a good price...or so I thought. When booking I found out they charge for a few things that I found odd, such as choosing your seat, using a debit/credit cart *okie wonders if it is free to pay in blood*, and of course baggage fee for checked baggage which is standard for most airlines but their fees are higher. I was willing to give it a try for a direct flight home.

I flew out of Sanford, which is a very small airport, even by my Oklahoma standards. I found the Allegiant counter easy enough and thought it odd I had to walk through the ribbon line and make about 12 turns to get to the counter when there was NO ONE in line. Matter of fact the couple that walked behind me even commented about the insanity of the ribbon lines.

Once at the counter the attendant, or whatever she was called, was very hateful. Now I am from the south and a greeting consists of of smile and a "hello" or "how are you today" and her reaction to this was to give me a sigh and frown and say "are you checking a bag". I gave her my info and put my bag on the scale. The weight came up 47.5 pounds. It was at that point I realized you need to read information carefully because Allegiant weight is 40lbs max. She looked at me and said "You are going to have to do something about that or I have to charge you $50". I think my eyes bugged out of my head and I said "you gotta be kiddin me". She gave me a look of disgust that let me know she was not kidding. I moved out of the way o the counter and stuffed some of my clothing in my overnight bag and hoped it would work. She was nice enough to say "if you can get that thing down to 42 pounds I'll let it go through". I put my suitcase on the scale and it came up 42.5 pounds and after shaking her head and pursing her lips she said "that is close enough now move on". I think I mumbled "thank you" and I might have added the thought hateful bitch.

Grabbing my carry-on and overnight bag I got on the escalator where I headed to the next floor up to security. I will say the security people were very nice and I was able to get everything in bins, my shoes off and moved through their little x-ray with no problem. As I got my stuff out of the bins I went to put on my jacket...my jacket...where was my jacket? HOLY SUNS OF BEACHES! One of the officers looked down through the plate glass and as she asked what it looked like and when I told her she said "yep there it is". So of course they informed me that I would have to take my luggage down with me to get the jacket and then come back through security again. I rushed down and told the lady at the counter "that is my jacket" and she gave me a sneer and said "WELL I CAN'T TOUCH IT". I told her "I was just letting you know I was getting it" and she rolled her eyes. Back up the escalator I went, running through the ribbon like I was in the Olympics and wanting to cross the finish line so I could get a gold medal, grabbing bins, tossing of my shoes, emptying my bag and shoving the bin to the x-ray machine. I stood waiting for the officer to tell me to step through the x-ray when he smiled and said "hey, did you miss me so bad that you had to come through again?". He was tall, dark and rather good looking and had I not been in a rush I would have probably given in a flirtatious smile and a few comments but since I was running late I just said "oh sure you got jokes!" and we both laughed.

I took off, walking briskly, to the gate number that was on my boarding pass. I still wasn't sure how far the gate was but wanted to try and get a drink for the plane ride. Once I saw the gate I saw people standing in line for boarding! I looked at my watch and thought "this can't be right, we don't leave for another 45 minutes". Well sure enough the plane was boarded and were were all buckled in 30 minutes before our take off time. And yes, we were told to buckle in. I noticed two of the flight attendants smiled a lot but there was one old hag who wore tons of make up that never smiled and always used a hateful tone.

The seats are extremely small and the leg room is horrible, especially if you have a bag that has to be stowed under the seat in front of you. As you can see from the picture the padding is almost non-existent! The child in the picture had plenty of room but I am no small child, or small anything for that matter. I was certainly glad I paid the extra money to choose my seat and was on an aisle seat however the broad shouldered man next to me probably wasn't too glad since he was a big squished between me and the other gentleman sitting by the window. I was texting my daughter and posting on Facebook that I was going to die in this cracker box of an airplane. Now I will tell you that I am not a religious person but I am a very spiritual person and I believe in prayer and believe me when I say I was praying hard before it was even time to take off!

Take off time came and went and were were all getting a bit antsy when the pilot came on to say they were still waiting for some baggage to be loaded and once the paperwork was there we would take off. As we waited some of us noticed smoking coming up over the vent area above the windows. I tried to get a picture of it but it didn't show up very well. We were told it was due to condensation and nothing to worry about. I should have taken a picture later because at one point it started to look like a fog machine.

We continued to wait and there was a guy in the cockpit that reminded me of Sesame Street skits where they say "One of these thing is not like the other" and I wondered if there was a problem. This was probably about 15 minutes after our time for takeoff. I am not sure how long he was there but long enough for me to start asking people on Facebook to pray!

I would say it was about 40 minutes past takeoff time that he told us there was a problem with the computer and they were trying to get it fixed. At no time did they ask if anyone wanted another flight nor did the flight attendant come and ask if anyone needed anything.

A little later there were several guys in these yellow vests getting off and on the plane. Every now and then the pilot would come on and say "we should be ready in about 5 minutes, we are just waiting on some final paperwork". All I kept thinking was "YOU ARE A LIAR! WE ARE NEVER GOING TO TAKE OFF! THIS IS THE PLANE FROM HELL!". Now you maybe asking yourself why didn't I get off the plane and find other arrangements and there is a good reason. I was in a small airport and I had no idea what other airlines were available or if there was even anymore going to Oklahoma and since no one else seemed to be getting off the plane I figured it must be just a one time glitchy thing that happens occasionally. I asked the gentleman next to me if he had ever flown with Allegiant before and he said "Just on the way out here, they will get you where you are going but that's about it".

Finally about an hour and a half after takeoff time we were ready to roll. My butt was already numb from sitting in the lawn chair seat for two hours and I was ready to get in the air so they would offer something to drink because I was thirsty by this point. We started doing the taxi down the runway thing when all the sudden the plane stopped. I just knew at this point the plane was going to burst into flames or a wheel was going to fall off. The pilot came on the intercom and said "ladies and gentlemen we had to stopped because there is turtle on the runway and they are trying to get him off there now". Being an animal lover I did not begrudge that turtle and I was glad the plane didn't flatten him. Peering out the window I saw a truck driving off and I guess they got the turtle because right after that we started going again and we were finally in the air!

After getting leveled off the flight attendants announced there was information in front of us that contained a price list for beverages and snacks. I figured it meant alcoholic but nope...even water would cost you $2 and they didn't take cash. I ended up paying $9 for a Diet Coke and a snack box that contained a little more than the equivalent of an Oscar Mayer Lunchable that cost $2 at the grocery store. Luckily I had chosen a book to read and was able to immerse myself in literature for the flight and escape the horror of the experience.

When we landed a flight attendant came on and stated "If you would please help us and adjust your seat belts back to their original length as we are immediately returning to Florida and will be flying with a full plane" and I said outloud to no one in particular "I'll gladly do that for a small fee of $35", a few people must have heard me since they chuckled and agreed. Once off the plane and entering the airport area I noticed there were people lined up looking more than perturbed and who can blame them because so far their flight was delayed at least an hour and a half at this point. It seems they don't get in a rush to unload the baggage either as I had to wait much longer than I ever had and I began to wonder if they sent our luggage to Bangladesh or some other absurd location since they didn't seem to be too concerned about anything else. I don't think I have ever seen people get so excited as when the conveyor belt started moving and I know it was because we were all wanting to get out of this group nightmare that had occurred over the last 6 hours.

After getting home I did a little Google search for reviews of Allegiant Air and I sure wish I would have done it before booking my flight as there were very, very, VERY few positive reviews and the majority said they were at least an hour late for takeoff. And with that I give you....

Okie's Top 10 Reasons To Fly Allegiant Air
1. You only take underwear on vacation
2. Paying outrageous baggage fees makes you feel good
3. You love rude flight attendants
4. You like being treated that even the act of breathing is annoying
5. You like arriving at your destination at least an hour late
6. You find sitting in lawn chairs for extended periods of time is stimulating and relaxing
7. You like paying $9 for the equivalent of a toddler's daycare snack
8. You have short legs
9. Dislocating your shoulders to avoid encroaching on the personal space of others gives you a personal thrill

AND

10. All possible modes of transportation including, bicycles, scooters or skateboards are not available!

I'm Going Home

Anytime I say that I automatically think of one of the last scenes in Rocky Horror Picture Show where Dr. Frank n furter is getting ready to leave earth but he is saying he will return one day and stay forever. Of course I do not plan on returning to Florida to stay forever *okie thinks after the I-4 where it took 1.5 hours to move 10 miles down the road she would likely never move to Florida* but I do know I will return again one day in the future. I guess another thing I don't have in common with that whole scene is how I would look in high heels and a corset. Tim Curry looked amazing and I would look something close to a train wreck, you wouldn't want to look but the sight would be so horrid that it would be hard to look away.


Not sure how that thinking all came about, but I am going home today.

I had another great vacation with BFF Karen. Our cruise was nice even though we didn't get to make it to Coco Cay because of high winds. We did find out we liked Nassau after all, last year we didn't think we did but that is definitely a whole notha story.We had a great day on the beach there and got our exercise in for sure...more details to come.

On Friday when we got off the boat we had to rush home and get changed and head over by Disney to meet up with a bunch of ladies, including the infamous Enfys, for lunch and a game of Dirty Crafter. We had a wonderful afternoon with them, which I will share in a later post. You will have to be sure to check out the stories that I hope Enfys posts on her blog, Going Buggy. You need to head over there and read her rather hilarious story about her arriving in the states.

I do want to brag on my self that I bought NOTHING at two different Tuesday Mornings! Now I did make a purchase in Hobby Lobby of some metallic brads, but I was almost out of those so it was a necessity. In Michaels I got some Imaginisce Glam Rock pearls that were on clearance and once again those are an item I use frequently and was almost out of!

My bags are packed up except the things I need today, change of clothes, computer, etc so I will be ready to finish getting my things together after I get out of the shower. Speaking of which, I guess I better get in the shower and get ready to head back to Oklahoma. As much fun as I have had I am so ready to get back home to the kiddo's and my furbabies. And besides...Walking Dead comes on tonight!

Arrived in Florida Safe and Sound

I got to Florida safe and sound, flights where rather uneventful which is a good thing. My flight from OKC to Houston was spent sitting next to a young couple that were heading to Galveston to visit the young man's parents. I am thinking the young lady accompanying him might have been a little nervous as they got drinks from the flight attendant and then she pulled out several small bottles of liquor from her purse and they commenced to mixing their drinks, either that or they were under age and weren't able to order the mixed drinks on the plane. I spent time reading 12 Years A Slave that I had downloaded before leaving home...excellent book by the way and I highly recommend it.

During my short layover in Houston there was a man who lost a bag from his luggage and he was walking rather quickly. I hollered at him and he was on his phone and didn't hear me. I swiftly grabbed the bag and walked toward him. I again hollered "SIR! You dropped something!". This time he turned around, looked at me and snatched the bag out of my hand. Another gentleman was walking by and noticed how rude the man was and smiled at me. I smiled back and said "I guess some folks don't appreciate southern politeness" and he laughed at that and the older gentleman gave me a look of exasperation. I was starving as I hadn't eaten much and it was late evening by the time I got into Houston. I was able to get a salad from Wendy's that was close to my gate. I sat to eat it and looked at the time and noticed it would be time to board my flight soon. I sat there looking at my salad wondering if I should toss it or take it  with me. It just so happened a pilot sat next to me and I asked him "excuse me, I hate to bother you but do you mind if I ask you a question" he said he didn't mind and I asked "am I able to take this on the plane with me and eat it? I don't travel much and am not quite familiar with the rules". This gave him a chuckle and he told me I was able to take it on the plane and eat it. Oh and if you haven't tried the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad at Wendy's then you should, that thing was awesome! Or maybe I was just really hungry.

Since I was flying Southwest I got to pick my seat and on my flight from Houston to Orlando I sat next to an older couple. The husband was reading a book about China and the woman and I chatted off and on during the flight. I am one of those type of people that if you sit next to me for more than 15 seconds I am going to start talking to you. I find people fascinating and especially when I am traveling. I always like to hear where they have been or where they are going, where they are from and if they like it there. I did find out the couple were originally from Pennsylvania and retired to Florida. They were returning from their grandson's graduation from the Navy in San Diego. The book the man was reading about China was for their upcoming trip in June, they went to Italy last summer. He showed me several things in the book he was excited to see such as the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army. I truly enjoyed my conversation with the couple and when we got off the plane I told them I hoped their trip to China was a good one and they got to do everything they planned.

While I might look confident walking through airports I am actually always afraid I am going the wrong way or going to get lost. Evidently my look of confidence is noticed by others because once getting off the plane in Orlando and heading to what I was hoping was the baggage area I was standing waiting for the little tram train thing and a man came up and asked me "does this go to the main terminal?". I smiled and told him "ya know, I have no idea. I am hoping it goes to the baggage claim and I am just following all the people that I noticed got off the plane I did". He gave me a bit of a look of perturbation, shook his head and walked off. I couldn't help but give myself a bit of a giggle and think why was he upset with me when he didn't know where he was going either.

I made it to baggage claim and asked a man if he was from the Houston flight and he said he was, I told him thank you and told him that let me know I was in the right place. Karen had texted me to let me know she was there and I told her just pick me up at baggage claim. I got my two bags off the belt and headed out the door. I only had to stand there for a few minutes before Karen pulled up to the curb in her new Volkswagen EOS convertible, which I almost didn't see because I was looking for her Mazda even though I knew she had gotten the new car.

By the time we were made it back to Karen's it was around midnight. We chit chatted for a bit but were both ready for bed. Karen informed me that she had found out earlier in the day that she was going to have to work on Thursday and half a day on Friday. She did offer that I could take her to work and then use the car to go do something to which I laughed and told her "if you lived in south Georgia on the back roads I might take you up on that but there is no way in hell I am driving around Orlando!". And with that we went to bed.