Today was to be our big spring landscaping kick-off: lawn mowing, trimming, flower planting, mulching, etc. However, mother nature had another plan. Starting at 7am and continuing for at least the last two and a half hours, we have experienced a full blown summer thunderstorm. No yard work today. At least, we all got to snuggle in bed when the kids got scared by the thunder.
The day after Disney we decided to head for the beaches of the Atlantic in Daytona. It was early summer, so there were not as many people as I expected.
DT tried his hand at boogie boarding. For some reason we didn’t use much, if any, sunscreen. We paid dearly.
Side Note: DT has his eyes closed. This is a very common occurrence for him during picture taking. And I think Megan has finally figured out a way around this…
At some point we went back to Orlando. We decided to head to Church Street Station for some food and fun. Derek gladly posed for a picture by an antique car…
And I was manhandled by a guy with a funny mustache while I was trying to play with his monkey, as his dwarf friend (himself with cool facial hair) looked on…
There are parts of this trip I am leaving out. Some you wouldn’t believe anyway (see DT’s hook-handed guitar player reference), some you would be embarassed for us (think daisy duke orange shorts), and some that would bore you (we found an Adidas outlet mall).
At some point we headed home. Derek drove from Orlando to Pensecola, and I drove (through the night) from Pensecola to Arlington. I got to sleep for one day, and then I was due to start my first youth ministry internship. So this trip took place in the last days before I met my bride and my current preacher.
We pulled into Pensacola very late in the evening. For some reason it never crossed our minds that two 19 year olds would have a hard time finding someone to rent them a hotel room. We finally found a dump that would take us, and the next day we spent some time on the white sands of Pensacola.
We moved on to Orlando where my Aunt and Uncle live and stayed in a guest room. My cousin’s girlfriend’s mom worked for Disney and got us both a free 1-day park hopper. So our goal was to see Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM in one day. We got through Magic Kingdom and Epcot but never made it to MGM.
We also parked for free b/c my cousin and his girlfriend knew a trick entrance that was supposed to be for people staying at the resorts. Also during our day I bought a 20 oz. Sprite. They were doing the twist-top-win-a-free-Sprite promotion and I won. I got my free Sprite and I won again. 3 Sprites for the price of 1. We probably spent the smallest amount of money anyone has ever paid for a trip to Disney World…less than $10 a piece.
(to be continued)
My name is Ryan Inlow and I am guest blogging for Derek while he is in Florida. While he is away I thought I’d share with you MY trip to Florida with Derek.
The summer of 1996 was only days old, and Derek and I hadn’t seen each other a whole lot during the previous 9 months, because he was a freshman at ACU, and I was a freshman at Harding. So we decided to road trip to Florida.
Derek’s mom let us take her Honda Accord, and that was exciting for two main reasons:
1) It was a whole lot more reliable than anything either of us drove.
2) Leather interior BABY!
Anyway, we were off on our roadtrip. DT drove some. And slept some.
We stopped in Louisiana so I could see the ocean for the first time in my life. We even drove by that battleship that DT, Megan and the kids saw yesterday.
To be continued…
While I’m away this week in Florida, you might be lucky enough to read a posting by a guest blogger. My best friend Ryan had an idea to start posting on my blog from time to time. So don’t be surprised to see someone new as author. I’m looking forward to reading his thoughts.