The Amazing Diving Doggy!!

Okay this earns it's own separate post. Max's adventures with the pool this year. Every year we try and bring Max in the pool, and last year he even finally seemed to enjoy it. But a year goes by and he forgets, so he was leary again.

But as we swam one day and were splashing about, he would start running around the whole pool, barking and trying to "catch" the splashes of water with his mouth. We would start splashing water AT him and instead of running away like the years before he tried to bite the water, and started crying. He looked like he wanted IN! My Dad kept going up to him but he would back away. Dad dragged him in but it didn't seem good enough, so we put him out and splashed and yelled Max jump , because that is what he actually seemed to WANT, he kept getting close to the edge, his muscles would bunch but he would lose courage. So we jumped up and down splashing for 20 minutes and still, not brave enough to jump in. But he started using US to GET in. I flattened my back close to the ledge and
he walked on my back and then JUMPED in!! He loved it! He did it over and over!

When Kate got down, the first time she went swimming we planned on showing her what we had told her about and they were calling him to jump by himself, and he DID, he was so excited Katie was there, because he hadn't seen her in 5 days, he jumped straight TO her! He wouldn't do it again, but he used us, even when NOT prepared to be his launch pad. He ran up to Dad jumped on his shoulder and dove in over and over, the girls helping him find the step to get out. He would shake himself, I'd splash and bam back in again. He does have one bad habit. He bites the water as he swims AND has his mouth open to swallow as he dives in, he is a nut ball. He likes to drink the pool water. Oy, Max. And he loves when Mom and Dad decide he has had enough or we can tell he is now doing it just to please us, and they take him in a giant towel and dry him off sitting on a lounger inthe sun. He soaks it up, literally.

The last few days of the trip he got braver and braver. He would crawl on dad's back, now with a tee on because Max's nails scratch bad, and let himself be "ferried" to the other side. He would step off and run back to the other side to do it again. On another day he decided no one was close enough to the ledge so he jumped onto shoulders from a distance. Then he decided he did not care if there was someone willing to be his diving board, if he saw a HEAD, yeah a HEAD, he jumped ON your head and used you to dive in. Let me tell you THAT hurt, especially after my accident which will is in part 3 of my Disney Trip. Then he leapfrogged from the cement onto Dad's waiting back and then into the pool!! Then he leapfrogged onto Sandy, then leaped onto Dad then dove into the pool the next day! He was SO happy, the look of joy on his face every day he swam in the pool was priceless. His pool adventures are one of my favorite parts of the WHOLE vacation. On the last day before Dad and Kate left to drive him home...his LAST swim...yes I am sad...he did the unimaginable. He began diving in all by himself!! Over and over! We would hit the water near the steps and he would swim there...if he was finished with that swim. I splashed the most so he dove to me a LOT during the vacation, and the visual of his fave and body hurtling to me through the air was SO much fun and so cool (and don't worry animal lovers, Max has never been allowed outside, near the pool, alone. Even when he was terrified of water, he was only out there if someone else was, that goes quadruple now!LOL). It was amazing seeing him vault into the pool from the ledge all by himself, no help, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he grinned!! Max IS the Amazing Diving Doggie!!!

Florida 2009 Pt. 3 The Final Days

On Monday (the 23rd), we went to the Magic Kingdom, all of us. The park was packed. Uncomfortably so. Pirates which is a slow ride, but since the addition of Jack Sparrow, is now a hot commodity was a 30 minute wait...yeah not for me, I waited and shopped. The lamest ride in the park, It's a Small World (WHAT?! I have been going for 24 years, I am over it!!) was 30 too! Mom and I sat out. We went shopping, Mom got me her traditional Tinkerbell towel and perfume bottle...hmm I will have to take some pics of my perfume bottle collection. A lot are from Florida, some from birthdays, some I bought, etc. I got a Dole Whip, which I discovered last year. It is pineapple soft serve...it is magic in your mouth! It is so refreshing, I have a thing for pineapple so this was like a present! They also have Dole pineapple frozen fruit bars with real pineapple which I cannot find here anywhere so far! :( I need it!! And the whole bar was only 19 grams of sugar!! SOO yummy! About an hour into the day there I was separated from the fam I was with, I couldn't find them anywhere, I called on the cells and only got voicemail, I was very panicky. Finally Sam called me, saying she got no call (!!) and we met up again, but it really rattled me. We did Haunted Mansion, etc. I got this great shot of Dad in his car thing:

A few hours later, we had burgers in Tommorrowland and the girls and I walked ahead to get some Motrin, we found some and looked around and no one was there. All three of us began using our cell phones, calling Dad, calling anyone and no one picked up. We tried over and over, sometimes being kicked to voicemail because the others were already connected trying to get Dad to answer. I felt it inside, I had lost it. I sat on the ground, clutching my phone, calling Dad over and over and he never picked up. About 25 minutes passed and finally Sam got Dad and we waited for them to show up, but I was too far gone. As some of us got in line for Buzz Lightyear, I said I was taking one of the cars and leaving. Mom saw through me and wanted to know what was wrong, but I was angry. Have cells on at all times, and they had already told me I wouldn't be "lost" again after this morning so I was angry and anxious. I started crying in the middle of Magic Kingdom, wracked with sobs, I had a panic attack. It was just all too much, separated with no one answering any calls twice, the crowds, my feet and back killing, etc, it all got to be too much. And I sobbed at the Happiest Place on Earth. My Mom was done with the park and so was Sam, so we decided to head on out after I stopped crying, and Dad stayed with Kate, they stayed until closing and for the fireworks. As we three left, we stopped at the Candy store, so I could pick up beloved chocolate covered strawberries and fudge. We saw these cookies and could not believe it.
This is the (ex) country our name originates from! We have gotten them for Christmas from this guy before. Those who have emailed with me will see how my last name originates from the country. This is the country where I'd be a princess *sighs* if it were still around...too bad. LoL.

That night was a real bad one for me and it got worse. After Dad and Kate were home, I went to take a shower in my bathroom...I have felt it was scary since day one, the bathtub curves very quickly so when you are taking a shower there is only about 6 inches that are flat. Plus there is no traction so it gets very slick this whole 6 inches. And I lost balance. I felt my legs slip from under me, and my left thigh slammed into the bathtub wall at a weird angle which threw me back into the tub and forward where I slammed my haed into the water spigot and finally landed on my knees on the floor of the tub. No one even heard this happen. I sat in the shower stunned. While it happened so fast it had felt like it had taken forever. I HURT. But I finished my shower as no one was calling if I was alright or anything. Which didn't help. When I got out my head screamed and my leg was killing me. I went to the room the girls were staying in with mom, hoping to talk to Mom, but she was in the bath. Sam saw my face and when she asked what was wrong I started sobbing. With all my hair she couldn't see anything, but she wanted to see my leg and that was when we both saw this huge lump protruding from underneath my skin. When my Mom got out she examined it and told me it was a contusion. That was 2 weeks ago and me leg still hurts, though now it has a small lump and a dark purple bruise with a large yellow one surrounding it. But my head is a different story. Since that night, I have had what feels like a migraine every day, all day, getting worse as the day goes on. Shampooing even when gentle hurts. My Mom thinks I may have a hairline fracture, so I go to see my doc on Friday...yeah the earliest he would see me...thanks.

Anyway, on Tuesday all of us went mini-golfing at a place we had never been Jungle Golf. It was quite warm out, but with the breeze it was nice. And this place was gorgeous!!

As we got further through the course the sun started feeling HOT on our heads, and I saw that the tops of my feet were burning but not too bad. Dad was beat by 2 points, but it was my hole in one that got me a free game token. Yes! We went home and some of us sat in the frozen pool. Glenda after MORE calls from my Dad finally went over here ans tested the temp and got like 55 degrees. She found out the heater was BROKEN and suggested we get a hotel!! What the heck is wrong with her?!! A hotel for SEVEN and a dog?!! No! And she didn't offer us a new home (she is the manager of a bunch of homes so she should have, even my Mom was surprised) or the use of a pool from an unused house. This is why Glenda SUCKS. Yeah because 7 people and a dog and 100'f of dollars worth of groceries want to pack into a tiny hotel!! Agghhh!! We ate at the Outback but the soup sucked that day so ew. Mom, Katie and I sat down in the kitchen to finish the jigsaw puzzle. TADA we finished and here it is. LOL! Then Dad took Katie to see Witch Mountain and Sam went with them. Mom and I stayed a little longer because we were seeing Duplicity at 9:40pm. We bought some choc. strawberries at the Disney candy store next to the theater and we sat on the second floor balcony. Third floor was too far up, you were looking DOWN on the screen. I loved the movie, as did my Mom. But I noticed as the movie went on that my arms felt really itchy and stung. When the movie ended and we used the restrooms I SAW my arms...lobster arms, and they began to BURN so hot. They're still red but not THAT red. I was a FRIED, fractured (the shower the night before) fairytale!! :(

I woke up tired on Wednesday, I had stayed up way too late. So when Mom woke me up asking if I wanted to go with them to a lunch buffet I said no and slept. Besides me and a buffet? With my golfball size stomach? Nah, it was okay to sleep. I drove over to the Florida Mall with Mom and the girls. They helped me find some capri's to go with an outfit I almost had there. Mom went and had her hair cut and like within a half hour the girls were picked up by Dad to go back to Epcot. They were supposed to do the mall with me man! My Mom hates the mall and stood outside the stores or sat on chairs (they have stuffed nice ones in this mall!) so it was almost like being there alone again. We did have a decent meal at the food court, it was "chicken marsala" but tasted like chicken and alfredo sauce, and it was good! I bought stuff at Lush, Sephora, Penny's, and FYE. We went and got some groceries and then went back to the house and sokaed our feet in the pool. The COLD water felt good on the feet. I showered, very gingerly every day after the fall, and then I began to pack. Dad wanted our stuff by Friday and it was Wednesday night. We watched Bolt when they got back. I had never seen it, but I bought it and LOVED it, it was so funny!

On Thursday we swam with the Amazing Diving Doggie Max. (separate post) It is so fun to frolick even in that cold water with Max having such a grand time! We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch but things went downill, Katie was feeling the end of the vacation coming and she had a huge episode/attack soit got really weird. Back at the house they went off into a room and I was so stressed myself by then I had to get out and shop just to get my mind off what was going on. When I got back things were apparently better. We went to Houlihan's and I had my delicious meal I love. It felt like I was the only one who wanted to be there though.Which started bothering my brain. We were supposed to all go and see Knowing that night at a late showing, but Sam said it was too late for her. I was getting anxious by this point, no one seemed to want to go, but Dad said he was going with his Wendy, and Mom said she wanted to go and finally Kat said she wanted to go too. So we left, as we drove away, Katie looked odd, and didn't sound like she wanted to go anymore, so Dad turned the car around and parked in the neighborhood and they BOTH left. I was not expecting that. Dad said he was going with me. So I got in the drivers side and as I drove there with Mom I began to have a huge episode/attack myself. We didn't see the movie. We sat outside the theatre on a bench and all my worries and fears poured out as I cried. Hundreds of people walking by giving looks as the anger and hurt I felt, the feelings of being ditched and lied to poured out of my mouth. It was so embarassing. The looks people gave. Mom drove us back as I was in no ondition, she hated it, she loathes driving in Florida, which is why I do it. The guilt from having an attack started and when we got home Mom, Dad and I talked things out. I felt like they have been gipped by having me as a daughter. Look at me, I am a mess, what did they do to deserve me? They tried to get me to knowck it off but I still wonder. They are such good people...and me...I am a mess. I was so tired but I needed to do more packing. I knew figuring out what I could keep that can still be carry-on was key. I still had to have clothes for a day and a half after Dad left with the luggage, then I fell into a dead person's sleep.

On Friday we swam with Max for the last time. Packed...a lot of the stuff. We had Checker burgers for lunch before heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios. As soon as we entered I got so sick, I was in their bathrooms for over an hour, on the verge of tears, because getting sick in a park is so not fun. Finally though my stomach was steady. Dad bought me a Tink watch, he wouldn't take no for an answer, it is really sweet. And he and Mom got me a glass that lights up. I have this odd fascination with things that like up in your drink. Last year I bought a fake ice cube that was 8 bucks because it lights up!LOL! I skipped any rides that...moved. We did Muppet 3D, etc and after we saw Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular we decided to shop as we exited the park. Which was when I was finally allowed to eat something again, thus was when I experienced the awesomeness of the Dole pineapple ice bar...scrumptuous. We went back to the house, sat all 5...well with Max it is 5.5, in a row with out feet in the pool. We finished packing up the car and then watched Journey to the Center of The Earth while we ate a feast of the left over frozen foods and stuff. We had pierogies and lil tacos, etc. It was delicious!! I watched soaps in the living room so that I could be with Max as long as possible. I miss him terribly when we are separated!!

When Mom, Sam and I woke up it was just the three of us. We went down to Cracker Barrel and ate breakfast. Mmmm. Mom played that game and got down to ONE! Holy crap! She was so proud, can you tell?! LOL!Went back and swam, it was 90 that day so the cold water actually felt good! Sam got extremely silly and was splashing me constantly so what is a girl to do? I splashed back with Nooooo I will get an ear infection, every single time! She got me bad a lot so Sam who is scary ticklish on her feet, was in deep trouble. I went after the feet and she was trying to put me in a headlock, and was cutting off my air supply but I was determined and then it happened the shrieks of laughter as I tickled her feet, with her pleading me to stop. My Mom returned at that point and told us OUT. LOL, what?!! We went and saw 12 Rounds with John Cena which was really good, I like him as an actor, I own The Marine which he starred in and it was also good. The dude is a brick wall!! And yes we ate chocolate covered strawberries. And I bought a 4 marshmallows covered in chocolate thing which I was bringing home for me which Mom demolished so she bought me one after the movie. And we split one last churro...so good. We bickered on dinner at Logan's or Cracker Barrel, but they let me pick so Logan's it was. But it was busy, it was Saturday so we sat, and as we sat mucnhing on peanuts, looking at the menu, I realized only grilled chicken sounded good and at Cracker Barrel they had it and ood man and cheese, etc, so we lwft and went there, with no wait. They had a chicken and rice special which I got and loved. I pushed myself, food wise, whcih Sandy gets mad at me for. It was just so good and I don't get to eat much of it. It rocked though. We went back to "it" and showered and finished our packing. And then we watched the movie I had kept for us, Eight Legged Freaks which is NOT scary, it is so funny and has David Arquette and Doug E. Doug. And we took pills early and went to sleep. We had to be up by 5:15am, our flight was at 7:50 am and security at Orlando International Airport? Longgggggg. We did both flights, although the second was 45 minutes late, but somehow that second flight was over in like 30 minutes....how did they DO that and why don't they always do that?!! And we saw the GRAY skies of CT and the coldness seeped into our bones. Mom was able to sleep when we got home, but not me. I upacked and tried but no such luck. And we were officially....HOME.

The End.

Florida 2009 Pt. 1

Okay, so the night before our flight on the 14th, I was so good, I made sure I took my Ambien so that I would SLEEP before having to be out the door by 7 am...but of course my body wouldn't cooperate. I managed to get 2 hours which is better than last year when I got zero. Kate drove us to the airport since she had to stay because of those horrible teachers!! I DID learn accidentally since I was supposed to be surprised too, basically because I can't keep a secret, that Kate would be getting there Wednesday night instead of Thursday night. What can I say, I thought I could print out her boarding pass too and be all organized for her and my Mom was all NO, and I was like NO, I am going to, so she had to tell me, LOL. And I don't have all my pics yet, most are on my Dad's laptop so I may have to post some later than they should be posted.

Anyway, we got there with plenty of time, only our first plane was a baby plane. Not a propeller but there was only like 12 aisles and it freaked me out! The landing scared the crap out of me, too rickety!! The second plane was normal sized but we HAD to have drama. The plane was completely booked except for one seat. So we should be taking off right? Wrong. This woman a few aisles up from us, her seat was broken. So they had to get a crew man to try and fix it. It wasn't happening. And she wanted to sit THERE. But the seat was broken so they were discussing (not near her!) that she'd have to switch to the empty seat and this requires the flight manifest to be changed which has to go through al this crap, but she REFUSED, she wanted her window seat fixed!! So the crew man was back again and her seat mates had to stand in the aisle again. Still broken, hellooooo lady! It was 30 minutes past our departure time, we had been aboard for 45 minutes, when most of us learned she didn't want that other seat (a nice aisle I might say) because it was too close to the bathrooms!!! Agghh!! A man behind her in the aisle was like " I'LL TAKE IT!!!" and some of us cheered him, and I said thanks as he walked by. She never apologized to anyone!! What a shrew!

Budget Cars was a nightmare, they kept disappearing these workers so it would be like 2 or 3 people actually working and their computers were on the fritz so it took us an hour to get our car and we were lucky, as we went straight there, as Dad drove our luggage down with Max! We dumped our stuff at the house (which I call "it", as it is not very clean, I cleaned and washed my entire room before unpacking. Vacuming, dusting, everything!) and grabbed Dad who arrived first, and we hit the 2 stores we grocery shop at. We get as much as we can at the Super Walmart but the things we have to have at Publix. We were all so tired. Mom decided since Max was being antsy to put him inmy room with me!! Okay, I fall asleep on the couch every night at home with him sleeping behind my legs but sleeping in a bed with Max is different!! As I learned. He has to be touching you at all times or he gets restless, which woke me up all night long, and he likes to sleep between your legs which I cannot do, I have to be able to move!! So I got about 5 hours, my Dad could not believe Mom sicked Max on me because he was restless when she loves to sleep with him!! 7 hours in 48 hours had me ragged.

We went swimming for the first time when we woke up, it was chilly! And as I swam I kept feeling my bathing suit, it felt weird and looked odd. I realized I felt like I was wearing a dress, the top ended where the bottoms had originally and the botoms ended almost at my calfs!! And I could see through parts!! My one bathing suit had somehow deteriorated!! We had to return our car to Budget but in Kissimmee thanks to my bright idea, but the guy tried to charge us 12 bucks! Apparently for a rental under 48 hours you have to fill up the tank within 10 miles of the return area, and though it was full we had to drive to a gas station, my Dad pushing the car up and down until $3 finally went in, just so we didn't have to pay this fee we were never told about! We went to Walmart for bathing suits, Sam needed one too. No luck, Sam hated them all and me...well Walmart is not okay when you have big chest's and need a bathing suit. And we struck out at Lane Bryant, they don't sell them, but a girl there was all go to 535 they have a swim suit store there that has plus sizes....so we drove and drove....finally 411 told us no such store exists. So Dad drove us to the Florida Mall, but we didn't have to go IN the mall, Sam and I both found a suit at JC Penny's! Yay! We had Olive Garden for lunch, it was so good! Mmmm! They all wanted an evening in, but when in Florida, sitting around drives me crazy so I went to a different Walmart and went shopping. I got back, ate cheese and crackers, watched Fridays ABC soaps that I brought down with me, and fell asleep...for 10 hours!! It was so good!!

That morning, Monday the 16th, we sat by the pool and ate breakfast. The lady who manages "it" showed up and freaked Max for almost an hour. See "it" had a broken front door lock, the pool was really cold though we were paying for heat, etc, etc, so Glenda (hate her...you will see why) showed up. After they left we went to Epcot. We couldn't go on Soarin', we don't do 105 minute waits, and even fast passes were ALL gone! We ate at the Land though, it has so many choices now, from sushi to sammies to pastries, etc. I got cheeses (even a pink one, but it was good!) and grapes and a croissant! We went on Imagination and watched Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Then MORE calls from Kate. oh sorry, she had been calling at really late times the night before. She could not find her mouthpiece and was freaking out. She called at 11pm, 12 am and 1 am the night before! She made me wake Mom up, oy! She was just reallu upset and inconsolable, etc. So all through Epcot were calls from Kate, and TO Kate, did you look here or here or here? We went to Mexico where I ate a churro and their delicious black refired beans, the only place I like black ones! SO good!Shopped at China and saw a cool show (this is some pics I need right here...I WILL post, Dad bought me a cute Chinese hat) then went shopping at Japan and we ate there and I was so happy, like I said my fave meal there! But I do not need to go again next time. Yeah there tempura is as good as ever, but they no longer serve that fish broth soup I crave all year long, it is not even on the menu! And they changed their dipping sauce which is what I loved, so it was fine, but not like all these years before. Sad. And my Fam did it for me. They wanted to eat at a faster food but I knew I wouldn't return to Epcot again, I don't like that much there, so they set it up, they rock! Stayed for the fireworks, but Mom and I left my Dad and Sam to watch them, we were in agony, feet, backs, etc. We did see some from the car while we waited!LOL! Got home, swam in a still cold pool and showered and then I was out.

Tuesday was St. Patty's Day, and of course I brought green down! We went and saw the Race to Witch Mountain movie at my beloved AMC 24 Pleasure Islands theater (stadium seating, rocker chairs, which have arms that go up so you can stretch to 2 or 3 seats if you want and in 2 theaters there are 3 floors of seating!! Plus a bathroom every 20 feet!!). The movie rocked!! Haha...the Rock rocked! but it was a great movie and I am a fan of the originals too, so it was GOOD! Like a different movie completely but you saw similarities. We shopped at Virgin Records. I bought a totally LAME game for Sam's DS, Cooking Mama. I thought it would be fun like Hot Dish this PC game, but it is LAMEEEEE! 20 bucks I can never get back. I also bought a cool one but I bought it FOR Sam....crap!! LOL! It is fun though, it is the one Lisa Kudrow and her sister are playing in the commercials. We had IHOP for dinner and prepared the house for the invasion the next day. 3 more people in "It". Oh the horrors of "it" all. 7 people and a dog in this PIT of a house...oy vey!

Wednesday (18th) we went mini golfing. It was so gorgeous out, so balmy and gorgeous, just the most nicest day weather wise! I lost by 2 points! Dang it!! We ate at Stake 'n Shake (where Sam and I shared their 2 in 1 milkshake, You get two different flavors in one glass!) and went to the flea market. Sam got 2 new watches and I got one with different colored stones. And check out these killer shades we found there! Why are they bringing the 80's back?!!
The pool was perfection, it was all of a sudden the perfect temperature and swimming in it was pure heaven! We tried to get Max to jump in, which he has never done, but he wouldn't but he DID love being splashed at so much that he cried until we dragged him into the pool, and then he'd swim to the stairs, get out, shake, and we would begin all over, him crying to be splashed and brought in, SO much fun! We went to eat at Red Lobster, man I hate that place. But I got all hopeful, they now have a baked potato soup. I was like I love the salad, the biscuits, if they now have a soup I love I can eat here now!! But...the soup sucked. I didn't touch it. Even my Dad, who is very easy to please with soup wouldn't touch it after one sip. It was a nice meal though and I swear to you all, I have NEVER had such amazing service. The waiter was there like every two minutes asking if we needed anything, suggesting things we didn't even have to ask for, etc. My Dad did 20% tipping, he was as wowed as we all were!!

Everyone else was pretty tired. It was just me and Dad who went to pick up Katie at 11:45 pm. We told Dad that first full day about the surprise, it took him like 5 minutes to comprehend that we were not saying it wrong that Katie WAS arriving on Wednesday instead, classes be....danged!! She did the tests, etc. They pulled her aside to talk to her too THAT day, the day she was going to Florida which made her a wreck, even though it turns out it was like a "here's how you are doing", etc chat. Why couldn't they say that in the first place, so that she didn't sit there waiting for them WORRYING?!! Anyway, Dad and I had a really good church discussion on the way up to the airport, it just happened. We talked about the whole "Edith" thing too, Dad says I should ask the Bishop what the churches stand is on THAT ONE. LOL. When Katie was there we ran and hugged, she said she finally felt the excitement the minute she felt the rumble of the planes engine start the takeoff!Yay! My Dad thought she'd be too wired to sleep when we got back but I was right, she was exhausted and went to bed without even eating. And then I watched soaps and went to bed.

To Be Continued....

Puncture and Food

I don't care what anyone tells you, getting your finger punctured, never gets okay. Sure, you get used to it. I was terrified of getting my finger pricked, now I do it without flinching most times, but it is NEVER okay to have to draw your own blood, so a machine analyzes it! Sometimes I barely feel it now, but then I hit a spot on my finger never punctured before and it SMARTS! Freaking OW!

I have been "enjoying" a new glucometer in the last few months, the Accu-Check Aviva. Yup that IS it right up there. I gotta say, better than my last. It's lancet (sharp pricking thing) device is preloaded with six lancets, so I don't have to put in a new lancet and worry it will go off and shoot at my eyeball....yes I am morbid. I just have to turn the barrel and it switches lancets, so cool new feature. It also only takes 5 seconds and the blood sample is much smaller. There were times where I'd have to "milk" my finger to get more blood for the test strip which is NO fun I gotta tell ya. So far, I have had not ONE error message, so I don't have to re-prick my finger or "milk" the open wound. NOT ONCE. So I gotta say, for a glucometer, it rocks. You can even test on other parts of your body (like palms, forearms, calfs and ore), but I say that would hurt WORSE. I tried out a glucometer my Mom had to teach the nurses to use at her last job, and it let you test on your palms and forearms, it even had a special attachment to do so. So I thought, I have to teach this to MY Mom to teach to others, so I should know ALL the facts. So I did it on my forearm....oh my holy heck it hurt so BADLY!! Did I stop there and forget the palm? Of course not, I wanted to know what to tell my Mom. So I used my palm...saints preserve us!! It was SO extremely painful I almost cried, Think of it, your palm, well mine at least, is soft skin, your fingers pads are made of rougher skin, so people do NOT let them fool you!! Stick to the fingers! Am I going to try my new glucometer out on my calf or thigh or upper arm? NO!

Anyway, back onto my kick to get me excited for Florida. Food is what I am concentrating on tonight. To many of you, the places I mention are common to you, but we don't have them in my area, not even my state as far as I am aware.

I LOVE Logan's Roadhouse, it is my favorite place to go to eat when we are down there. I love eating all the peanuts I want, and they ARE good, and then throwing the shells on the floor. It is just fun. I know...yes from watching CSI, that Las Vegas has places like this, but to this CT girl, it was like WOW, I can throw the shells onto the floor?! Cool! They also have the BEST Baked Potato Soup (besides my Mom's homeade chicken noodle soup, baked potato is the only other kind I like!) and their made from scratch yeast rolls make me drool, they have melted butter on top, something sweet too I think and are heavenly!! And they do those mini dessert "shots" but in tiny buckets that you can take that say Logan's Roadhouse on them.

There is also Houlihan's which we have only been to once and I was the only one to love it, so I worry we won't be going back. Of course they didn't get the meal I got.(They stupidly had sandwiches, ugh!) I had the Baked Potato Soup (not as good as Logan's but not bad) and the garlic-herb cream cheese stuffed chicken breast, that was lightly breaded and served with Red Bliss mashed potatoes, it was to die for!! I only got like 1/3, because my Mom hated her meal but LOVED mine....I wanted to kill her for the food, LOL. I could have eatenmore even with my golfball tummy, but she really liked it and I love her, so....*sighs*. This is the one we went to too. Even the bathrooms were awesome...see how uncouth I am, LOL!

And of course we do the faves we can't afford too much normally. Outback Steakhouse where I get my beloved Baked Potato Soup (excellent) and Filet Mignon (fill-it mig-non...how we classy folk say it). Olive Garden where (since I can't eat regular pasta since my surgery so I had to say buh-bye to my love, fettucine alfredo) I get the chicken and potato gnocchi veronese with a parmesan cream sauce and NO to the red peppers. And that cry it is so good, Black Tie Mousse Cake.

For cheaper eating I have fallen in LOVE with the Champ Burger from Checkers. My Dad goes almost every other day, he loves it SO much. We would SO opena franchise up here if we had the dough, it would do amazing I tell ya! I also love Einstein Bagels, where I always get a toasted Blueberry Bagel with a shmear (their shmears are a LOAD of) of cream cheese...mmmmmm. There is one past security at the airport, but only if you fly Delta....grrrr. And one far away too, so I never get there, so Florida is it for me! Boo!
And I already talked about the Japanese restaurant in Epcot, which was remodelled so it is holy cow beautiful inside! And you need to eat at Sunshine Seasons at the Land in Epcot. It has sammies, soups, Asian food, grilled food, but my favorite stuff is the Grab 'N Go sections. Premade sushi, desserts, fruit platters, veggie platters, baked goods like croissants (with cream cheese, MMMM), Smuckers Uncrustables, puddings, etc. Plus all sorts of sodas, juices, milks, beer (I don't drink, it is just FYI) and etc. It is just easy to find something for everyone and as cheap as you can eat in a Disney park. Another cheaper place is Mexico's Cantina de San Angel. It has the best churro's and black refired beans, and man is their cheese quesadilla good! I can just eat the black refired beans though sprinkled with some cheese, SO good. And the SciFi Diner has THE best vanilla milkshakes EVER made. It is also cool to eat at since you sit in "cars" and watch clips from old sci fi movies and commercials! They have a righteous burger too! It looks like a NIGHT at the drive-in too, twinkling stars in the sky and all.Man...I am really hungry now... that wasn't planned. Well, I am looking forward to eating...bad bad Wendy!! Ah well, it is vacation, if you can't be bad then, when?!