SO! had an INCREDIBLE week last week. Ill recap: Flew down to Florida with the wife to spend time with my inlaws, all of em. Momma, Pop, Brother, Sisters, one of my nieces, one of my nephews. They are all truly the coolest, EVAAAAAAAAAAR. Before we flew, the wife and I stopped off for a good meal. I had a 20 ounce prime rib with double mashed and two tall beers….It was truly one of the best steaks I have EVER had. We then flew non-stop (NO connecting flight necessary-YES)from South Bend to Tampa in approximately 3 hours. When we got off the plane, the first thing we saw were palm trees.*Breathes deeply* Ahhhhhhhh. Not in any particular order; I got to swim in the Gulf of Mexico. It was windy that day, so laying out was a bust, but the water was fantastic. I swam out right to the point where my toes periodically couldn’t touch the bottom, and the water would lift me up and down with the waves. I saw a huge pelican fly directly toward me, and then banked and passed less than five feet in front of my head. Amazing. We went to a funspot amusement park with a couple of decent coasters. Nothing incredible, but it was fun. We went to Golden Corral. I know-WOW, right? Lol. But THIS Golden Corral was in Orlando, and was HUUUUUUUUGE. The selection was fantastic. Steaks cooked to order, barbecue chicken, clam chowder, great desserts, etc. etc. It was fantastic. My nephew, Jarrod has this three wheel bike, kind of like an ATV and a motorcycle mixed. He offered for us to try it, and at first, to be honest, I just kept thinking I didn’t want to spend the rest of my time there with a broken leg……lol. But in the end, I just HAD to try it. I’m so glad I did! I had that thing maxed out at 50 mph at one point! I drove it all the way to the highway, and then all the way back.My birthday is coming up, Hannah Canfield. *Hint hint, nudge, nudge, wink wink* And….we got to go to Busch Gardens.And I rode EVERY SERIOUS COASTER there. I rode Sheikra-Twice.As well as Montu, Kumba(LOVED IT), the Cheetah coaster, (0-60 in five seconds) and the Scorpion. All while screaming like a little girl and laughing my head off. Btw, anyone who has known me for awhile understands how amazing this is, since when I was little I had a huge phobia of roller coasters, lol. But I think my favorite part of the trip was when we went to one of the state parks there. It was a beautiful sunny day, absolutely perfect for it. We all started out together, but I started to lag behind as I stopped to take pictures and explore.(My fault) Before I knew it, I lost track of the group. I was all alone in a Florida State park. One where I had just passed a sign that read,” Some wildlife you may see here; Black Bears, Bobcats, etc., etc.”But the strange thing was, it didn’t bother me…I felt completely at peace. I walked for what seemed like forever, enjoying the silence, embracing it as it wrapped around me inside and out. A little further on, I saw a sign and a small path off to my left that read,” Outdoor Amphitheater”. So in I went to investigate. We all have those moments in our lives where for one reason or another they are indelibly imprinted in our minds, hearts, and souls. This was one of mine. The end of the small path led to a large clearing. There were rows and rows of benches that were set up. And then off to my right, there was a Wooden Cross and a carved chair and altar. So I had a seat in one of the benches and began to pray. It’s difficult for me to fully articulate how much I felt God’s presence that day. He wasn’t just there; He FILLED that place. And I am so thankful I got to experience it. After a time, I got back up, took a few pics, and left. I met up with the others shortly after this. Then, we went to the swampy portion of the park. I got to see a gator (about 8-9 feet) up close and personal just a few feet away. That was neat. As far as other wildlife goes, There were little lizards EVERYWHERE. And at one point, I saw something black move through the trees, I thought it was a bear, and I wanted to get a closer look.(I know, smack me later) So I moved ahead of where I thought it was going to be, and then I saw it; A black wild pig. Lol. Oink-oink. In addition to all of this, Games of Horse were played (basketball)., I WAS able to make one shot, and the crowd went crazy. I know, I know, no autographs, please. Many video games were played. Much outdoor grilling was had. And many cookies were baked. Snowball the Guinea Pig was fed and petted excessively. Wallabys were petted as well. Swimming in the pool while playing volleyball while wearing crazy neon glow stick glasses was done. Much beer was drunk. And the stars each night….were amazing. It was simply a perfect vacation. Thank-you Jesus. And thanks John, Belinda, Tish, Jennifer, Darcy, Hannah, Jarrod, and Christen. You just raised the bar on what it means to provide hospitality. You guys are the BEST. And thanks to you-know-who for house sitting while we were gone ;-) #Beyond Blessed ~Brent
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 02:53:14 +0000
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