Florida: Take Two

When we went on our trip to Florida with the Edvalsons in March, it was beginning to be apparent that we would need to make another trip down there for Evan's wedding sometime during the summer. Within a few weeks of returning, he and McKenzie were engaged, so after our March trip we went to Florida again in June, this time with the Stocks.

It was on this trip that we discovered the possibility of the overnight layover in Seattle. So on our stopover we got to visit many of the great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, and second cousins that we don't get to see very often. (Although Emeline is the only one who looks happy in this picture, I assure you they all had a good time together)

Once we got to Florida we met up with Hilary and Chris who came down from Maryland, and the girls were able to spend some quality time with their cousin Jack, who they also don't get to see very often.

While the March trip was all Disney, on this trip we went to see some of the non-Disney attractions in Orlando, such as SeaWorld. We all enjoyed seeing all the shows and aquariums.

And look how cool we all are watching the whales in our glasses.

Sabrina was a little timid in this slide too. She has a thing against theme park slides it seems,  but regular playground slides are fine.

Of course there are also several rides in addition to the animals. Our favorite ride there was Manta. It's a rather large rollercoaster with many twists and loops, but the thing that's different about this one is the way you sit. You get in your seat and pull the harness over your chest just like any other feet-dangling rollercoaster, but before you start, they tip you forward so you ride head first as if you're flying Superman-style, or swimming manta ray style. As you start to go down the first descent and you're already practically upside-down it seems like it's going to be really bad, but it's actually one of the smoothest, most comfortable rollercoasters we've ever been on. There's something about riding in the prone position that makes it much less stomach-dropping and neck-jarring that most. It was the only ride we kept going back to. We thought it was funny how Evan and I (Tom) are both making the same faces as each other in both of these pictures, despite making different faces from one picture to the next, and Marel looks exactly the same in both of them.

So we spent a day at SeaWorld, and the next day at Universal's Islands of Adventure. At the park entrance Celia checked to see if Sabrina was tall enough for any of the rides. Turns out she wasn't (except for the ones with no minimum height, of course).

The main purpose in going to IOA was to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was very cool. It felt immersive and authentic. We were actually somewhat glad it was rainy that day because the clouds and gloom really enhanced the mise en scène of the Hogsmeade set. It wouldn't have felt as authentic on a sunny day. While there we also got some frozen butterbeer. Everyone raves about it, and it pretty well lived up to the hype.

While we "big kids" went on some of the big rides in Harry Potter world and elsewhere in the park, Celia and Sabrina spent a most of their time in the Dr. Seuss-themed area of the park with Marel and Sue.

Of course we pretty well wore the kids out. Early in the day when they were bright and lucid they enjoyed sitting in the back of the van together.

But after dark they didn't seem to care anymore. It was also on this trip that we learned that Sabrina always puts her glasses on her forehead when she's ready to fall asleep in the car.

Though they were still awake enough for story time with Uncle Chris.

We stayed in a nice place big enough for all of us. We spent much of the time in the pool, and even had some poolside breakfasts.

Then at the end of the week came the wedding. Celia, Sabrina and Jack all rushed up to congratulate Uncle Evan and their new Aunt McKenzie.

At first the girls were pretty excited about their poofy skirts and their own little bouquets, but before long they began complaining of the heat and brightness.

And it was bright, we were all squinting pretty hard, though we did our best to keep our eyes open for the pictures.  The girls were cute, but in an "awww. put that poor girl in a swimming pool" sort of way.

At the reception later that evening (after a good afternoon of swimming at the house and taking naps) they had cotton candy, which was a big hit with the ladies. Celia even did a little dance with hers.

Then later during the couple's first dance, Sabrina must have thought they were being too mushy to watch anymore.

Everything there was pink and/or orange, including the cakes and cupcakes and most of the rest of the food.

There was also a photo booth, which was their other favorite attraction. Our family used it well more than our fair share, though it took the kids a few times to figure it out.

After a rousing celebration, we were back on an airplane early the next morning. So congrats Evan and McKenzie, albeit a few months late.  (And here's hoping we don't have to take that long airplane ride to Florida for a while now.)