Ahhh, it's good to be back! I hope you enjoyed last week's tour through the archives of some of my favorite and wacky posts.
Like that time
So what did we do this past week? Well, we decided to take advantage of Tom's Spring Break and paid a little visit to my parents. Plus the fact that they happen to live in Orlando, Florida just made our trip all that much sweeter. Helllooo, sunshine! It'd been awhile since we'd seen you!
We were so looking forward to sunshine and beaches, boating and grilling outdoors, that we were pretty bummed when we arrived and Orlando had a severe thunderstorm roll through town for a couple of days! I kid you not, there were hurricane-force winds (I didn't think it was that windy, but then again Orlando isn't even used to a breeze, much less the high mph winds that Omaha endures regularly!), and we woke up one morning to a tornado siren! Um, what?! I thought we were in Orlando here, not Omaha!
I grew up in Orlando (in case you didn't know), and had never, in all my years, heard a tornado siren until I left for college (in Oklahoma, where tornadoes are a yearly occurrence). So I was pretty sure I was dreaming I was back in Omaha when I woke up to nothing other than a tornado siren, of all things! I had to wake Tom up just to make sure I wasn't hearing things!
And in case you were wondering, yes, the tornado sirens in Orlando were real (although the rest of my family didn't hear them), and we found out that there actually were tornadoes in/around Orlando. I guess we brought some of our Omaha crazy tornado weather with us to Florida!
So, aside from the majority of the trip that was spent indoors because it was raining cats and dogs outside (with a few tornadoes thrown in for good measure), we still had a great time with family and friends.
For instance, we trekked out to Ikea for a shopping excursion one day when the weather wasn't too nasty:
And know I have even more Ikea envy of all you who live near one! I picked up some items I couldn't resist, so stay tuned for their appearances in the house.
Tom tried a true Florida delicacy for the first time - Alligator.
Tastes just like chicken!
We also had some fun with my Grandmother's costume jewelry. I think it's a great look for Tom. Don't you?
And Tom is probably going to kill me for posting that photo. Oh well, it was worth it, haha!
And we also had a Peep Jousting Competition. Wait - you mean you don't know what that is? Only the best Easter game competition ever!
You take two competitors (Peeps), and arm them with one toothpick each, which is their "lance". You pop them into an "arena" (paper plate), and start the competition with the push of the button on the microwave! As they get heated, they bloat up and one peep stabs the other with his lance - this is the winner!
It's some serious fun, folks, and is bound to be a big hit for adults and kiddies alike around Easter time.
But what am I still babbling on about this for? We took a video to show you one round of our "competition":
Yes, we're special.
So we found ways to entertain ourselves indoors, and then the weather even cleared up for the last 2 days of our trip. We made the most of it by going canoeing the first day (my butt and arms are still sore!).
I snapped this pic of my parents and Tom all standing precariously on a tree that fell in the storm in the previous day and pulling the canoe over the downed tree. Me? I was safely already across the tree and relaxing in my canoe while snacking on potato chips while I took some photos. And laughing at the parents. What? I think it's hilarious!
And this was the only photo I took. I know, I know, bad blogger - but hey, it's kind of difficult to take photos when your camera is secured inside 2 Ziploc baggies and you're paddling as fast as you can to not miss the bus to take you back to the car and you're trying not to tip the canoe at the same time! Oh, and fighting off tree limbs and bushes and spiders. Yeah, I was a just a little busy!
The last day we went out on my parents boat and drove down the river to a natural spring. It was a perfect day, and the water was beautiful!
Although I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see any gators this time. Oh well, I know they're there somewhere!
So that's our fun-filled and exciting trip in a nutshell.
Did you do anything fun for Spring Break?
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So YOU'RE the reason we had thunderstorms????
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a great time in your old stomping grounds, and good for you outting Tom's Mr. T tendencies! I can't wait to see the video from home.
Ok, Chelsea...after looking at the picture of Tom in your grandmother's jewelry and the video of the peeps fight, I'm thinking you've both been working too hard and need another vacation! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun and got your Ikea fix in as well!! That's crazy about the tornado sirens!!! We still haven't had spring break...can't wait!! We're going on college visits (not exactly a vacation but necessary). Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I missed Peep Wars. I'm a little jealous to be perfectly honest.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I believe you are the cause for the tornado that knocked trees down into our roof. Please refrain from bringing tornadoes home with you. K? Thanks. <3