9/26/2008

Please Vote!

I don't really like to get all political with anyone but my husband.. cuz, well I sometimes find it wrong,annoying,irritating and just generally messed up to hear others rant and rave about their views.

What I do want to say in this blog post is please VOTE. VOTE for whomever (whoever?) you feel is best qualified, but please cast your ballot. Elections in this country have been closer as of late than I think many people think that they really are.

Jim and I both cast our early ballots last Wednesday. I take great pride in the fact that this is one very important but very easy thing that I have the privilege of doing since I am a United States citizen. I know many many many people who don't vote. I hope that I can convince them to take the nation up on its open offer to have a stake in this election, and all the ones to come. I hear a lot of reasons why my friends and family members DON'T vote. Things like.. I don't understand the cantdidates...I don't feel educated enough to choose between these two... I voted back in the election between (x and y candidate) and then look how that turned out.. etc etc...

Please don't let these things stop you from voicing your opinion with your vote. There is a debate on all of the free tv stations starting in about an hour tonight. Watch it, study the candidates in the local paper, online, in person if you can make it to a rally... just take some time.. I really think that anyone who does this, and in the end (November 4th) casts their vote proudly for the person that THEY feel will best lead our country in these panicky, rough timese .. I think that they will feel good about that decision, and proud that they did what they could do to shape the future of our country...

*gets off of soapbox*

Ok.... so.. Thanks for reading this post, and I hope that everyone that is legally able to vote that reads this blog post GOES OUT AND VOTES :):) Happy Friday to all...

PS.. .voting is not painful. Most polling places don't even allow campaigning of any type within 100 feet of the polling place so you shouldn't even be hassled when you go!!!


my two cents..

Angel

9/12/2008

Vacation

We had a wonderful vacation. This was a great way to celebrate me turning 30!!

We did lots of things each day, I have listed some of the main places we went in case you want to take a look. There is so much to do in Orlando! Instead of sitting around in the evening saying to one another "what can we do tonight" ... "nothing" ... there was ALWAYS something to do or to look at in Orlando!

Jim and I went on the vacation with my Mom and Dad. They had a wonderful resort that we stayed at complete with pool, huge outdoor hottub, pizza delivery right there if you wanted it.. tennis courts.. the whole nine yards! It was a great place, and we used it for some lounging and pool time, but we were on the move most of the time.

Jim and I were on a budget on the trip as well, and we STILL had a more than spectacular time. A couple of the things we did, we had tickets in advance that we bought online. We found out that the dinner show we went to was regularly 55 dollars, and we got our tickets online for 24.00 a piece! I am going to make sure to see what I can save on online in advance of any other trips I take!!! We did not do any of the theme parks, but I think we saw a bunch of them. I kind of feel sorry for my parents when it is time to take the small grandkids, seeing as we wanted to see Epcot, and the tickets were 85.00 ... ouch.. good thing we are old enough not to need to see those things :):)

One night we went to citywalk, and drank hurricanes at Pat O'brien's. I had 3, and I should have only had one. Something they do with those drinks masks the fact that each 24 oz drink has 4 oz of rum in it!!!! The next day wasn't as pleasant as I had hoped... (read: I wanted to croak) ... but other than that one episode of bad judgement, we had a GREAT TIME..

We went to the Bass Pro Shop.. I even had fun there, looking around at all the animals they have set up and watching the catfish and such in the aquarium. I was surprised to see that they had a whole line of boats on display right in the store as well... talk about a big store!!!

There is a lot for a person who loves to shop... .we went to some outlet malls, and some higher end stores that I have never even heard of were there.. very cool to see all of that "big city" type stuff... reminds me that in little ol' South Dakota, we can be missing out on a whole lot... at the same time.. the traffic.. whew.. the traffic. I am not certain I could (or would want to) drive there. wowsers..

Ok, so my first time in the ocean was just awesome. I do need to get my "sea legs" though, because after about an hour of playing around and loving the waves.... well, I didn't actually get sick or anything, but I sure did feel like I needed to get out of the water and rest on the sand a bit. Then we took in the view from the tiki bar on the end of the pier, and got in the water again. I can see why Jim talks so highly of being able to go to the ocean whenever he wanted as a kid (in california) ... it really is a great way to spend a day. And works on muscles that I didn't know I had, too :):)

I would gladly go back to Florida anytime. I loved it. One thing that did surprise me was how humid it was every day, 24 hours a day, and how stifling the heat of the midday sun can be there. I mean, wow, South Dakota gets hot, and we complain about humidity.. but wowsers.. and we were not aware before we went that they have a slight rain/thunderstorm most days, seems to be around 4-6pm ish... now I am not sure if this is truly typical, but while we were there, it would cloud over, rain a bit, maybe some lightning, then clear up and you can go on with your day. Very diferent it seems than here, where a thunderstorm usually lasts a while, and ruins out door plans.



Where We Stayed The resort that my mom and dad own, they hosted us for the week.


Old Town We had a great time checking out all the rides and shops, and the "nostalgia" of this area.


Downtown Disney Tons of great shops and eateries, lots of must see for any Disney fan! (Slideshow from here below :-))


Cocoa Beach Pier One day we spent at the OCEAN. It was my first time. We even had a drink in the tiki bar on the pier. It was a great time!


CityWalk We came out here to drink and walk around all of the shops and nightclubs. I really never made it past Pat O's though...


Pat O'brien's @ CityWalk Just a hint... If you go here, and you want a hurricane drink... Only have ONE...


Arabian Nights Dinner Show This was a great fairy tale story told with beautiful horses. They also serve you dinner and soft drinks while you watch.. A must see if you are in Orlando!

Pointe Orlando At Pointe Orlando, there are a ton of neat shops to look through, and a GREAT pizza shop!


International Drive Shops International drive has more to do/eat/see on it than most anywhwere else I've been. We took in a lot of the shops.


Bass Pro Shop Normally I would not be a huge fan of a hunting/fishing store, but the aquariums and animals all over made it fun.


We also visited 4 huge Flea Markets: 192 Flea Market, Visitors Market, Main Gate Flea Market, International Drive Flea Market