suspenders & salutatorian

the last few days were amazing. i was so happy the entire time. it was go, go, go all weekend long but it was great. now that i've stopped for a second to breathe, i am absolutely exhausted! thursday i dragged mariajose and niza to animal kingdom so i could meet russell and dug from the movie, up. i was so excited, i was like a little kid again. while we were waiting in line, we were just watching them, and i fell even more in love with them, even moreso from when i fell in love with them originally in the movie. the line was long, and we were in the sun but it didn't matter. there was a store right across from russell and dug, so i decided to go and buy an autograph book. it definitely was an unneccessary purchase, but i NEEDED their autographs! when it was finally our turn, i wanted to cry. i was just so happy! each of them gave me a hug, signed my book, and took a picture. it was great. while walking to another attraction, there was a sign pointing to where pooh and tigger normally are, meeting guests. despite having met them already, we needed to go again, because eeyore was with them! i don't believe eeyore is normally there, so i ran to their little spot and waited patiently in line to get pictures and more autographs (i was so glad i bought that book!) afterwards, we went and watched finding nemo the musical because majo had never seen it. and then after that, we had planned to go on everest, the roller coaster, but we didn't have enough time, so we'll just have to go back and do it another day. i came home, and had a nap, and then worked, until the morning hours, and then headed home to try and get some sleep for the upcoming weekend.

friday morning, uncle paul, aunty mo and sammy came and picked me up and we drove to winter park. driving in the car with them was great, because when they're up here, they only listen to the country music stations so i was in my glory, singing my little heart away to all the songs. winter park is such a cute area. being there i felt like i was in a book or a movie. we parked by lake osceola, where we waited for our boat tour. the lake was beautiful and flat, and surrounded by tons of trees and the most beautiful houses. when our 'skipper' came to us, we couldn't help but laugh. his name was daniel, and he was an elderly man. the size of his stomach made him look like he could be related to humpty dumpty, and to top it off, he wore suspenders that had the pattern of a measuring tape. he was quite the character. so us, and four other gentleman got on the little water taxi and off we went. daniel was very informative, in his monotone and he cracked the corniest jokes, which of course, i thought were hilarious. the lake was gorgeous, and even though he told us snakes and alligators lived in it, there were people fishing, in their boats, and we even saw one guy paddleboarding. every house we rode by i loved, and i want to have a house on that lake so badly. i think it's breathtaking, everything is so perfect. after the boat tour was finished, and we got off on the dock, we went and ate lunch at a restaurant, taking in the surroundings and thoroughly enjoying the people watching. after that, we went back to the hotel, where we got ready for sammy's graduation from full sail. we were aware that sammy was going to be getting a couple awards, and i felt so proud that i was able to be a part of such a special occasion, even though she says it's not so special because full sails coordinates graduations (that's right, plural,) every single month. i was taken away by full sail. it so did not feel like a school. it was so cool. i saw a couple rooms and hallways and couldn't believe it. everything was awesome. after waiting around for a while, we went into the auditorium where the graduation was being held (after the previous graduation ceremony had finished.) there were four classes graduating at that time, and sammy's was the biggest, with about ninety people, five of which were girls. a couple people on the board spoke, and it was short and sweet. they called out the graduates names, and stating those who had won awards, and of course the valedictorians and the salutatorians (one right under valedictorian, so that person has the second highest gpa in the class.) sammy was a couple people away, and me, aunty mo and uncle paul got up, focusing our cameras in order to get some good shots of sam up on stage. after they called her name, they listed her awards. now we were a bit taken back, because she got THE MOST awards out of everyone in her class, including perfect attendance award, which is near to impossible to get. not only that, but she was chosen as salutatorian, which no one had any idea about! the three of us all gasped, and looked at each other in shock! it was amazing! unfortunately, due to our excitement, most of our pictures came out blurry. we got so emotional, and of course i was tearing up. i am so happy for her! after the graduation, we met a couple people, took a couple pictures and then headed back to the hotel, where we got ready for dinner. we went to ruth's chris and i felt like i was on a cruise ship when i walked in, but that was probably just because of the carpeted floor. it was probably the best steak i had ever had, and we were stuffed afterwards! after that, we went to a music store where sammy needed to buy a guitar case, and then we went to target for just a little bit. we went back to the hotel, and went to sleep preparing ourselves for the exciting day at universal on saturday!

we woke up on saturday morning, went downstairs and got our quick breakfast and headed off to universal. we got tickets for pleasure island, and went straight there. walking there, it was such a cool vibe going on and i loved it. before heading to pleasure island or universal studios, the area is kind of like downtown disney, which i love. once we got into pleasure island we headed straight for the harry potter ride. the line was long, but it wasn't too bad. i felt fine about going on the ride, up until we were right about to go on, where i started to feel nervous. uncle paul didn't come with us, so it was just the three of us girls. the ride was insane! i felt as if my shoes were going to fall off and there were so many scary creatures coming right up in our faces, that i had to cover my eyes. in fact, the picture of us at the end of the ride had me covering my eyes. the ride was exhilerating though. i will definitely do it again. when we walked out, uncle paul was waiting for us and we went and did the other harry potter roller coaster. he said that this one was little so he could do it. when it was our turn, we were so excited. he and aunty mo sat in front of sammy and i and off we went. the roller coaster wasn't bad, but it was a little more 'exciting' than anyone thought it was going to be. we were all in hysterics at uncle paul because i think he felt a little ill. i couldn't even scream because i was laughing so hard. i think that people who saw him must've thought he was insane. it was great. after that we went and bought some ponchos to prepare ourselves for the jurrasic park ride. sammy kept trying to convince us that we wouldn't get THAT wet, but i am so glad we got those ponchos because we got SOAKED! we decided to do the other water roller coaster because we were already wet and that one was even crazier! it was awesome. surprisingly, even uncle paul did those two and i was quite impressed. after that we went for lunch in jurrasic park and while eating, it got quite overcast. but because we were in jurassic park, i felt like the weather wasn't real. i felt like we were supposed to be in overcast weather so they just made it to seem like that. but trust me, the weather was very real. by the time we got into the harry potter area, it poured. and it poured and it poured. we were lucky to find an eve of a window of a store to huddle under. people were running from the rain and everyone was soaking wet. after a long time, it eased up and we left. it was sad that our day got cut short but it was still great. the rain was insane, but we got cozy in the hotel with hot chocolate and cookies. after a little while, we went to the movies to see 21 jump street. that was hilarious! i laughed throughout the whole thing.

on sunday morning we went to the prime outlets. sammy wasn't too pleased, but i was excited. we were on a mission to find things for stephie, but we all got a couple things for ourselves too. we spent all day there and then they dropped me home, with just enough time to get ready and leave for work. i was so not motivated to go to work because once i stopped going i was so tired. my eyes were burning from sleepyness last night while i was working, and my bumpout time couldn't come fast enough! i was really looking forward to a sleep in this morning, but of course they were power washing our building. but it's okay. i got up and went to company d so i could buy park tickets for when the fosters come to visit on wednesday! so much to look forward to! i'm a happy, happy girl:)