I've been really quiet for the last week because we've been out of town. I actually got a 9 day (plus) vacation! Overall it was pretty awesome. It actually started Friday night 3/6, the kids had a lockin at the church. After work we dropped them off with sleeping bags and their friends and everybody was poised to have a good time. That also meant that Kelley and I got to have a date night and pack for the trip in peace! Friday night was nice.
Saturday morning we picked up the kids, finished loading up the car and hit the road. Here's where the fun starts. There are going to be lots of pictures so I'll split it up into a logical organization of days.
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| Ella trying to stay warm |
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| Road trip!! |
It was 47* when we left Raleigh.
Our first stop was Charleston SC to visit my brother Michael for a night! Since we have a cat, Michael can't come to Raleigh so one of our goals for the year is to get down there more often to visit. Our girls absolutely adore their cousin and this was a perfect halfway point for us on the drive down to Orlando.
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| Summer, Ella, T-dog and Kelley |
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| Uncle Michael is actually a rock star with an accordian |
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| Evin Genius in a windowsill |
To say that the kids enjoyed Michael's house is an understatement. We actually had to convince them that leaving Charleston and going to Disney World was a good thing. Michael does have a really cool house and we do really enjoy getting to hang out with him and Summer and all of the kids. But come Sunday afternoon it was time to head to the next stop, Palm Beach FL.
We found a killer restaurant called TK's Seafood Shack in Palm Coast and got to explore the A1A for a bit to find it. Palm Coast is a killer cute little coastal town! That tree was in front of TK's. And after we got back to the hotel I hit the gym for some weights. That last pic shows how vascular my arms were. really cool! I don't normally see veins like that.
Palm Coast is only about 90 minutes from Orlando so Monday morning we rode into the resort and parked the car. It didn't move after that. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside resort which was really nice. After checking in and meeting mom and dad in the lobby we hit the busses to the Animal Kingdom! First day at Disney World here we come!
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| Lena in AK - she was scared of most of the animals so this was a rare smile |
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| In front of the maccaw's! Pretty birds flying overhead. |
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| The giant tree of life was really cool. Lots of animal carvings on there. |
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| Me and the kids, tree of life, photobombed by a big butt. |
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| That's a monkey's butt. A silverback's backside if you will. |
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| Ella being goofy on the bus ride to the park |
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| EG hanging with me and Johnny |
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| In an African drum circle |
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| Got my girl on the safari |
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| Rhino! and Ella! |
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| Mom and Ella |
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| Me and Ella on safari |
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| Dad, EG, Mom |
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| Rhino! |
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| Crocs! |
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| I cannot believe how beautiful this girl is |
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| Check out the antlers on that guy |
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| Red monkey butt! These are Mandrils |
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| Why so many rhino's? |
The first day was a rousing success. Remember that 47* when we left Raleigh? 85* and sunny in Orlando. It was a summer heat wave.
3 comments:
Looks like a great trip! That is nice that you were able to spend a little time in Charleston on the way, too. I am glad the weather was so fantastic - I bet the sun and warm weather felt AMAZING!
Loved the Animal Kindgom safari. We went to AK right after running the marathon because we heard it wasn't as crazy crowed as the other parks and boy was it nice to sit and enjoy that ride for a while. Plus the animals were amazing.
Looks fun!
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