Orlando, Florida

Well, it has been a week since we left on our vacation. We've had a lot of fun so far. On our first day, Kev and I went to the Kennedy Space Center where we took a tour of the compound. The next space shuttle launch is currently scheduled for this coming Sunday, so the space shuttle Discovery was already on the launch pad waiting to be shot into space. We saw the original Saturn V rocket, and even toured the International Space Station Processing Center.

On Saturday and Sunday, we went to Daytona Beach, Florida and spent the days wondering around the Daytona International Speedway. We did the Daytona 500 Experience where we got to see the winning car of last year's Daytona 500 race and got to ride in a NASCAR simulator (where some lady hit me in the nose with the lap bar). After the Experience, we walked through the Midway where we got to walk through the sponsor and driver trailers. Kevin bought a few Jeff Gordon things and I bought some Mark Martin stuff for my step-dad. We also both each of our fathers a Daytona 500 shirt. After lunch, we ended up getting $130 tickets to the Nationwide Daytona 300 race for $20 a piece and went to that race. Watching my first NASCAR race was quite an experience. You never realize just how fast those cars go by until you are standing in the front row as the drive by. On Sunday, we watched the superbowl of NASCAR races, the Daytona 500. Kevin and I arrive really early. We bought fan zone passes and were able to go down to the in field and watch the pre-race car inspections. We also got to watch Keith Urban preform a pre-race concert. We even got to sign the checkered finish-line! Unfortunately, the race was cut short by 46 laps by rain and NASCAR officials decided to end the race.

On Monday, we took Kevin's Aunt Becky's advice and took the day off to scout out the various theme parks we were going to. On Tuesday, we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. It is just like Disneyland, but in minature. On Wednesday, we went to the Aminal Kingdom where we went on an African safari and rode the Mt. Everest Expedition. We saw alot of animals we would not see any where else. Yesterday, we spent the day at Epcot. We rode the Test Track, Mission Space (which really messed us up), Soarin' and the Nemo ride. When we got out of the Nemo ride, it was pouring rain. We decided to run back to our locker and get our rain pounchos. (Bad idea, we were soaked by the time we got to the locker.) After it finished raining, we decided we needed to go back to the hotel and change out of our wet clothes. After we took a short nap and changed, we went back to the park.

Today, we are taking another day off. We are both exhausted. We are going to relax and go to the Wide World of Sports to watch the Altanta Braves practice for spring training and hopefully find some mexican food for dinner.

We still have one more Disney park to go to and the Universal Studios and Sea World. And we have a little more than a week to go before we head home. I'll keep posting as the time goes by.

Leaving on a jet plane....

Well, vacation time has finally arrived. Kevin and I leave for Orlando tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. The original reason we are going so soon after our last vacation is because Aunt Becky and Uncle Mike got us tickets to watch the Daytona 500 with them. Well, you know me and Kevin....we don't like quickie vacations, so we are spreading this one out to two weeks.

In that time we plan to see the following sites:
1. the Kennedy Space Center
2. All four Disney World Parks and World of Baseball
3. Sea World
4. Universal Studios
5. Miami
6. Ft. Lauderdale
7. the Everglades
8. Tampa Bay...and, like we'd forget!
9. Baseball Spring Training Complexes!

We are both really looking forward to this trip. Keep checking back as we will be posting updates and pictures while we are gone.

See you all real soon!