The week of... (part III)

On Tuesday, several people stayed behind to play around on the resort. We took our family, with Wes & Sharlyn, Robin & Spencer, and my parents to Universal Studios and their partner park, Island of Adventure. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! Island of Adventure had several fabulous and thrilling roller coasters, while Universal Studios had several shows, attractions, plus a few great rides. Tayson particularly enjoyed the Dr. Seuss Land. That evening, my dad, Clint, and my brother-in-law, Bryan went out for a round of golf on the resort, while the rest of us kicked up our feet and relaxed.

On Wednesday, our little family was divided. We needed a day off from amusement parks to recuperate, and Clint needed to catch up on some homework (seriously, who takes their homework on vacation with them?). My sister, Kristen, and her family, along with my sister, Robin, and her fiance, Spencer, made the hour-drive to the beach, with the intention of spending a few hours at the Kennedy Space Center, then going fishing in the evening. Clint went along so that he could go to the Space Center and the fishing trip. I really wasn't interested in any of it, so I stayed behind with the kids at the resort and hung out with my other sister, Kerilee and her family, and my mom. My dad, my brother, and his fiance, Sharlyn, made the hour-drive in the other direction to spend the day at Busch Gardens. The kids and I enjoyed a very relaxed afternoon at one of the resort pools, and cruising down the lazy river on a double innertube. I apparently didn't apply enough sunblock to myself because I walked away resembling a lobster. The kids, however, were fine.

My future brother-in-law, Spencer, used to live in the area, and still has some family there. He arranged an evening fishing trip on a flatboat on a shallow lagoon for anybody who was interested. Clint jumped at the chance, along with my brother-in-law, Bryan. They saw several large alligators swimming around their boat, along with some dolphins. I think the only luck they had as far as fishing went was some catfish and some stingrays. He still had a great time, though.

On Thursday, everybody but my parents and Robin & Spencer returned to Disney World to play at the Animal Kingdom. We all rushed through this park, hitting the main highlights, because we were all completely exhausted by now, and we knew we had to go home, pack all our stuff, and enjoy our last evening together before flying to our respective homes the following morning.

The flight home went even more smoothly than the flight there. Before takeoff, my brother purchases some suckers in a gift shop, and we gave one to Brennen during plane landings so that his ears wouldn't hurt so badly. It worked, too! An additional bonus was that on the last leg of the flight, my parents kept Brennen with them up in first class, and Tayson slept through most of the flight, allowing me to take a little nap of my own.