Day 3

Today Karen and I went to Epcot where they had the International Flower & Garden Festival. Everywhere you look there are Disney characters made out of plants and flowers. We walked around a lot, went on some rides to include Soarin' and had lunch in Mexico. After lunch we walked around more looking at all the different displays they had. We also went over to where they have the Segway area and got to try riding one. They are really cool once you get used to it. They also offer 1-3 hour Segway tours where you get to ride around Epcot on the Segway.

We headed back to the world showcase for dinner. We ate at Teppan Edo in Japan, which is a hibachi place. The dinner was just ok and no where near as good as Japan Inn or Kobe. Next time we want to eat at Germany. After dinner we show the fireworks show, which was really great and then it was time to leave and go back to the hotel.

Day 4

The next day we woke up and checked out of the hotel. Before heading home we went to the Florida Mall and walked around for a bit. Then once we got home we went to dinner with Karen's parents and her brother Rami and his girlfriend Emilia. After dinner the parents went home and the kids went to Jaxson's Ice Cream for dessert.

                               

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disney-vacation-day-2-ice-bar-a-must-do-BaAqerptIHiwjqEyumef.zip (56796 KB)

After Medieval Times Karen and I went to Ice Bar located on International Drive. Yes this bar is what it sounds like. A bar made from ice. It is basically a huge cooler where the walls, bar tables, and even chairs are all made out of ice! It is 27 degrees inside and they give you gloves and a heavy jacket before you go in. They also don’t let you in for longer than 45 minutes. And yes, we did last that long. O even the glasses and mugs are made out of ice. When you come out of the “ice bar” you enter the “fire lounge” which feels so good after being in 27 degrees for 45 minutes. It wasn’t too crowded, which was nice, so we hung out for a bit and then went back to the hotel to go to sleep…….and keep warm!

                                       

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disney-vacation-day-2-medieval-times-szomrueFaGaqhukhJikd.zip (68569 KB)

Tonight we went to Medieval Times Dinner show where we got to do Karen’s favorite thing. EAT WITH YOUR HANDS! The dinner included soup, garlic toast, chicken on a bone, and spare ribs; all eaten with your hands! What a fun mess. We sat in the yellow team area and got to cheer on our team. We didn’t win but it was fun anyways. The yellow night even gave Karen a flower!

                                     

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disney-vacation-day-2-magic-kingdom-uwnBlhpAhpxaBaEporcx.zip (68450 KB)

Today Karen and I went to Magic Kingdom where we decided to walk around and look in the shops instead of doing many rides. Although we did do a few, we spent most of the day just looking around. Karen tried on many tiaras and I tried on many different hats. Karen also got her face painted with a swan and got so many compliments on it. We watched the parade go down Main Street USA and also played the Buzz Light Year Game.

                                     

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disney-vacation-day-1-downtown-disney-ykHhqGBflFHztFopsgiB.zip (67844 KB)

Today we arrived in Orlando at about 6:00 pm. We checked into our hotel, The Country Inn & Suites and got settled into our room. We booked the Jacuzzi suite, which had a big Jacuzzi whirl tub right in the middle of the room. After we were settled in we went to Downtown Disney to eat dinner.

We decided to eat at T-Rex, a restaurant kind of like Rainforest Cafe, but themed around dinosaurs. The inside is amazing with moving dinosaurs and lights that make entire rooms change colors. Since there was an hour wait, we walked around the shops for a bit until it was time to eat. We finally ate dinner around 10:00 pm and it was very good. Dessert was even better. The portions were huge and we suggest going there with a bigger group because when we were done we were stuffed and still had leftovers. After dinner we walked around a little more and then headed back to the hotel.

                         

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gagi-s-birthday-cruise-day-3-CgsqfqatAHhkvsysFjpG.zip (52127 KB)

Today when we woke up we were docked just off the Great Stirrup Cay Island. This is a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. After breakfast we all tendered over to the island and grabbed a spot on the beach.

Karen and I already had our eye on something we wanted to do while there. Geocache! We had plotted out 2 geocaches that we wanted to discover so we decided to head out for an early hike before it got too late. We took Shely with us and headed out onto a dirt trail. After about a 1 mile walk we came to the opposite side of the island where we found lots of cliffs and a rocky beach area. The island had previously been a military base so there we reminiscence of old military buildings. Be hind one of them was the geocache!

We then headed out to grab the second one. Along the way we stopped and took pictures near the Great Stirrup Cay International Airport, which is just an old helipad. We continued hiking for about half a mile and found the last cache, an old abandoned lighthouse. In the area of the lighthouse was old homes and an old cemetery. After logging our find we took our 2 mile hike back. Once back at the beach we ate lunch and Karen played in a volleyball game with the guys. We then went swimming and snorkeling in the ocean and saw lots of colorful fish, along with a sting ray and shark. before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship.

Once back at the ship we had dinner and went to play the final BINGO game. We lost. After the game the kids went to watch/play The Quest. Basically they break the room into teams. The cruise director then asks each team all at once to bring up to him or do different activities and each team that does gets points. They asked for a guys shoe laces, out of the shoes. They also asked for to guys dancing, that would be Rami and Josi. the final "quest" was for one guy from each team to go on stage wearing boxers, a bra, high heels, and carrying a handbag. Josi ran up dressed like that and our team won the game! For winning we each got a Norwegian Cruise Line shirt. The Quest was hilarious and we laughed the entire time. After the game we went upstairs to grab a quick midnight snack and then head off to bed.

For the complete gallery of photos check our album here

http://picasaweb.google.com/fla030/Cruise12251229#

Today we got off the boat in Nassau and took a cab over to Atlantis. When we got there we walked over to the private beach where Josi, Tamara, Rami, Allan, and Jodi went jet skiing. Karen laid out in the sun and I went exploring the area. After jet skiing we walked onto the Atlantis property where we hung out by the pool and private beach. Karen and I then went back into town while everyone else snuck into Atlantis and rode the water slides, until being kicked out. We then went to Senor Frogs where we got huge yard drinks and lunch. It was soon time to board the ship and we all went back to get ready for dinner. After dinner we all went to the theater where Mimi and Mark played in the newlywed game. They didn't win, but it sure was funny. After the show we went to the pool deck where they had a "snow party" where everyone is supposed to wear white. We hung out and danced for a bit and then headed back to the cabins.

For the complete gallery of photos check our album here

http://picasaweb.google.com/fla030/Cruise12251229#

           

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Gagis_Birthday_Cruise_-_Day_2.zip (23013 KB)

Karen's grandfather (Gagi) recently turned 80 and he wanted to celebrate in a special way. So he took us all on a cruise to celebrate. There were 17 us of us......Let me see if I can get this right;

Gagi & Gima - the grandparents
Karen & I
Mark & Mimi - Karen's parents
Allan & Jodi - Karen's older brother and his wife
Rami - Karen's younger brother
Shely & Mark, Sofia & Shaun - Karen's aunt and her husband and their kids Sofia & Shaun (Josi & Sarita are also Shely's kids)
Josi & Tamara - Karen's cousin and his girlfriend
Sarita & Elan - Karen's cousin and her boyfriend

WOW think I got everyone. So on Friday we all embarked the Norwegian Sky at the Port Of Miami. The first thing we did was hit the lunch buffet and I found myself a Pina Colada, my favorite drink. Then we went up to the pool deck in our bathing suites and watched as the ship pulled out of port. I really like leaving out of Miami because you get such great views of downtown Miami. Before we knew it we were out to sea and they were calling for everyone to do the muster drill.

After the drill we went to Gagi & Gima's cabin because they wanted to surprise everyone with shirts to wear to dinner that night. Prior to going on the cruise, Gagi told everyone to wear jeans that night because he secretly had gotten us all matching shirts. When we got to the room they gave us polo shirts to wear to dinner. Guys got a yellow Lacoste and the girls got a pink Polo. They were really nice shirts! We stayed on Gagi's balcony for a bit while we watched the ship pull away from land and then went back to our cabins to get ready for dinner.

Just before dinner all the kids went to one of the bars where they had 2 for 1 margaritas. I again, had a Pina Colada. Then it was off to dinner. At dinner we had such a big group that they had to split us up at 2 tables. Most of the grandkids had to sit at one table and everyone else sat at another table. The dinner was good, but the service was really slow. After dinner the kids again went to one of the lounges and hung out for a bit before going to bed. Great first day!

For the complete gallery of photos check our album here

http://picasaweb.google.com/fla030/Cruise12251229#

             

Click here to download:

Gagis_Birthday_Cruise_-_Day_1.zip (24044 KB)

The last day of geocaching started out with a C.I.T.O. event. CITO stands for Cache In, Trash Out. Basically it means you always leave a cache site cleaner then when you found it. You can clean up a little at each cache site while you are geocaching, or you can even have C.I.T.O. events where lots of people get together to clean up an entire area. This particular C.I.T.O. event was put together to clean out all the vines and weeds that have been taking over the shore line of the Loxahatchee River. About 50 people showed up and we all started to pull out vines and weeds from along the river. In about 2 hours we pulled out almost all of the weeds. You could actually see the river now. After the event we hit the trails again to find a few more caches.

Everyone who camped out had to leave that afternoon but Karen and I stayed in Jupiter and extra night. So after we were done geocaching we headed back to the hotel and I took Karen to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant overlooking the intercoastal and the Jupiter Beach Lighthouse. We had a really great time and met lots of really great people. We got a total of 67 geocaches even though there were over 250 in the entire park. We plan on going back a few times in the next few months just to get some more geocaches that we couldn't get during the event. We also can not wait to go to Cacheapalooza 5!

           

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Cacheapalooza_4_-_Day_3.zip (20830 KB)

Saturday was the main geocaching day. We started early and head out to the trails. It rained all day long, but that was OK because it kept us nice and cool. We ended up riding our bikes 15 miles thru the woods and found about 45 geocaches. For dinner everyone that attended the event got together for a pot luck dinner and BBQ. About 150 attended and we had so much food. There was also a raffle going on during dinner and although we bought tickets, we didn't win anything. After the dinner we headed back to Steve and Sharon's camp site and lite a fire. It was freezing out so we kept warm by marking shmores. Later that night we attended another night cache which required us to use flashlights and find little glowing markers in the woods. We followed these markers for about 3 miles until we found the cache. We were the first people to find it out of a group of about 50 so we got to keep the actual cache container which was an old ammo can. At around 1:00 am, we made it back to the hotel, took nice warm showers and went to bed. One last day of geocaching awaited us.

                         

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Cacheapalooza_4_-_Day_2.zip (3999 KB)