Hello everyone! Even if you haven’t been listening to my knitting podcast, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been away for a bit. I promise. I’m okay. Just been busy. With What, You ask? Well, my mother, sister, and I recently flew down to Florida for a “girl’s weekend” with my aunt, my cousins, my grandparents, and various extended family members. We had SOOO much fun!! I’ll try and re-collect a bit of what happened. It’s been almost a month since we got back. So is life…

Here’s a note.  All names given are nicknames. I’m not awesome enough to have cousins named Rory and Lorelei, or a grandfather named Bob. Silver-Sis is also a pseudonym.  She is blessed with an awesome name too, but this is the internet, and I have to protect all of their identities.  You know how that goes… lol

 

So, Away we go!!!!

Sunday the 13th: Flight #1 Day.
Was up at the “bum-f O’clock” (4AM) for a 7:30 flight out of Bradley International Airport.

I think my mom was the only one REALLY awake when we left the house. Which is good, as she was the one driving. But somehow, Silver-Sis and I ended up staying awake to help navigate, etc.

I have to admit, I was kinda nervous about flying. Mostly because I haven’t flown in almost 15 years. Let’s just put it this way, 9-11 was many years away, and I was still in High School… So, yeah. That totally dates me, and I couldn’t care less… lol

To say I was nervous… I wasn’t nervous about the flight, but more of the security line. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was kinda stressed during the days leading up to it… I got lucky, and my mom was able to get us TSA Pre-Check, which helped us have less of a search and made things easier on  my nerves. I just wish I had known about that beforehand.

 

I would have kept the knitting needles with me and had something like a pacifier for me during the flight. It was a bit bumpy, but the pilot kept chiming in with regards to what was happening. Honestly, he was VERY personable, and the flight crew made sure that all new fliers were given special attention.  As we deplaned, we were even able to listen to a Flight Attendant talk about her reasons for going into her Career.

We used Jet Blue, and they had these awesome screens in the back of the seats. I was able to find a  live map option so I could watch our in-flight progress.  Never mind the three movies that they were playing on other stations. I wanted to watch the map.  I guess I was a bit more nervous than I let on at that point. It was pretty entertaining the way I kept checking the screen and then out the window.  Like I was trying to get both to match up or something, huh?  lol…

 

Once we landed and before we went to get our luggage, we decided to stop and take a “Ice Cream Tease” photo to send. 

My Aunt and my cousin (Nicknamed Rory)  picked us up. I have to say, it’s hard to believe that both my youngest cousins (Rory and her younger sister, Lorelei) are old enough to drive… But that’s just me, feeling old. They both are awesome drivers, but I have to say I DO appreciate them driving us places! 

Anyway, after they picked us up, they dropped us at the hotel so we could check in and rest a bit before my Aunt’s birthday party later that night. We found out where the free coffee was, and it was all over for me!  LOL…  I think I drank 3xs as much coffee as I normally do each day we were there…

 

Silver-Sis was the only one that napped. I actually knit through half-way through the heel on the first sock I had been working on for a client, and my mom decided to catch up on e-mails/FB, etc.

Close to party time, my Grandfather (we’ll call him Bob from here-on-out) came to pick us up. We took a few selfies while we waited to meet up with him.  here are a few that I like.

The party  was pretty awesome! I got to meet several cousins, aunts, and great aunts I had never met but on FB. Here, let me show you everyone that was there.

We all had a great time!

 

I was able to give the shawls I had been making for my Aunt and cousins (Rory and her younger sister Lorelei). I’ve found that they are VERY knit worthy. They definitely seemed to appreciate them, even if they can only wear them at night as the weather is still “only a bit nippy.”  

 

Monday the 14th: More Family Time!

Monday we got a chance to sleep in a bit and have a leisurely breakfast. Then we went back to the room for a bit and got ready for lunch with my dad’s parents. Well, first we hung about. Silver-Sis took a quick nap, Mom read a bit of her book on Light Pollution, and I finished the second part of the heel I started the day before.

When my grandparents arrived, we took a bunch of pictures together.

Then we walked to the Panera next to the hotel, and had a great lunch. I finally found out where I got my slight sensitivity to Gluten, and got some tips that my Grandmother has learned over the years. Heck, I finally revealed to my mom what I had recently learned for myself…

After lunch, we went back to the hotel and they played Gulf while I knit on the sock some more. At this point, I was starting to feel like a punk for working on the sock instead of playing games with my grandparents… However, my grandmother and I finally had a conversation about the differences in our knitting styles.  I think I finally understand why she’s always so fascinated in watching me as I knit. I always took what she taught me, became lazy and taught myself some hybrid of Continental and English knitting.  But this combo is mixed in with my over-crazy need to tension the yarn so that I’m in control of each stitch. What this means, is that I’ve become a REAL tight knitter, and my grandmother has been trying to figure out how my stitches are that tight.  I LOVE learning things!

After my grandparents headed back home, we got ready for a night out on the town with Bob, Mom, Silver-Sis, my aunt, and Lorelei at Manny’s Steak House.   We had SOOO much fun, and ate too much food.  In fact, on the way back to the hotel from the restaurant, I was thinking “Why did you let me eat so much?”

 

 

Tuesday the 15th: Epcot Day!

Tuesday, I spent with Bob, Mom, Silver-Sis, my aunt, Rory and Lorelei in Epcot.  Before we left, I had a POWERFUL breakfast of bacon and lots of coffee . For our Epcot journeys, I’m just going to show off some pictures with some captions. Pictures speak louder than words, in my opinion. We pretty much hit everything.  Spent a lot of time eating and drinking our way around the World Showcase.  Started in Mexico for lunch and went Clockwise.  Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them!  Then, there was good times as we watched the fireworks!  They Were AMAZEBALLS, as always!!!!   

 

After Epcot, we went out to eat at The Waffle House.  I actually drank more OJ than I ate, but that’s okay.  We still had fun! 🙂

 

Wednesday the 16th: Flight #2 Day.

This was another early day.  The 2nd flight was smoother, and seemed to go by quicker.  I got held up at security.  The lady that we had patted down my ankle quite a bit, like they suspected something…. I think that my ankle had been swollen by the day of walking in Epcot…  But who knows what it really was. I’ll admit, I was pretty confused… lol…

However, the flight crew and pilot weren’t as personable and attentative. I supposed we were spoiled the first time around.  LOL…

We stopped in the Dunkin Donuts for a last round of coffee, as Silver-Sis had to go to work later on in the afternoon.  Then we went to Roncari Valet Parking, where we had stashed the car on Sunday.  The ride home was all a blur, as I was pretty jazzed to get home and tell Emptyeye and Mario about my adventures. I’ll admit it.  I’m a homebody, who was anxious to get home.

 

I can’t believe how much fun I had. It was SUCH a whirlwind of a trip, but we made a lot of memories this trip out.  Emptyeye things we need to go to Disney soon-ish, so that’s something.  Right?

Well, until next time!

-Silver-