Orlando ll- Taylor is Amazing

Andrew went off call and we headed down the road early on the 31st.

We were in Florida at 8:45am and Kaitlin was thrilled to be in the same state as Tim Tebow. As we drove to Orlando we saw cars going to bowl games in that area. We saw Iowa, SC, GA and MI State fans.

Taylor was given the task of finding out tickets prices for Universal and Disney. She found that at Costco you can buy a 3 month pass to Universal for 90.00. We were looking for 3 day tickets. As we were in line, getting our tickets printed with our names, we heard other's buying tickets at the gate. They were paying 95.00 for a single day ticket. Wow! How about a hand for Taylor!

Universal consists of two parks- Islands of Adventure and Studios.These parks are small enough to walk between the two. We began at Islands on our first day and stayed there all day. Our second and third days we hopped between parks starting at one and ending at another.

We stayed in a motel that was on the Universal site. This provided two big perks. We would walk to the parks and there was a special fast line at the rides for motel folks. We headed right to The Hulk. This coaster is unique in that the coaster is shot like a cannon ball not caught on a chain to get it's momentum.

Carl brought walkie-talkies with us to the park. He had one and Uncle John had the other. Uncle John rode the bench with me on most rides. Carl would let UJ know when they were on the next car and then I'd get the camera ready. This was so much fun. I felt sorry for the folks standing near us who kept wondering if their folks were on that car or maybe the next one.

They rode Dueling Dragons, the Mummy, Dr Doom to name a few. I could ride Spiderman as did UJ. One of my favorites.

Day two we headed back to Islands and rode lots of the rides using the fast pass line. We also had Uncle Charles and Aunt Frances with us now and they like to ride the rides too. The pictures below were taken by me as Kaitlin found the best place for me to be to get some good shots. Here again the wonderful walkie talkies helped as I knew exactly what cars they were on and that they were on the front.

I like to plan and I like to have a plan. It cracks me up folks that pay money to get into an amusement park and walk through the gates and stop and say to their group "What do you think we should do?" Really, it doesn't crack me up, it frustrates me. I want to say to them "Make a plan before you get here, time is precious and now, move out of my way"

I rode in a wheelchair for the whole trip. We brought one from LR. Someone at church told me to get a motorized cart and let my family have a vacation too. I gave that some thought and asked the fam and they were happy to push me. Kaitlin said that she was glad that I wasn't driving a cart so that my hands were free to hold the camera so it could be out lots. Andrew said that he was glad for the wheelchair because it slowed us down and he enjoyed the slower pace. Taylor's response to that was "THIS, is a slower pace!!!???" We laughed and told her, yes, this was slower. It was funny to me when I needed to get out of the wheelchair, it never stayed empty for long. Andrew, Kaitlin and John LOVED seeing how fast they could go, how tight they could turn corners, and how they could weave between people. When I was ready to get back in the wheelchair often we had to find them and make them get out.

Things I learned while riding in a wheelchair: Universal and Disney were beautiful at my eye level too. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion- Don't stop walking in front of a wheelchair-you will be hit. In fact, we all need to learn situational awareness. What you do affects those around you, so know what is going on around you and teach this to your children.

One last story on Universal. One night we ate at Margaritaville. This is a Jimmy Buffett restaurant. I love Jimmy Buffett music. And yes, you can get a cheeseburger and a cold draft beer, you can even find the lost shaker of salt! Music from Jimmy is played and it is an interactive experience. Singers are leading you so that you can sing too. My favorite song was Volcano. There is a two story Volcano on a wall. During the singing of the song it 'blows'. It was great. It went off twice while we were there. I had Mahi for supper that night and it was really good too.