My Adventures in Florida

All travel consideration provided by Experience Kissimmee.

I’ve been talking about my trip to Florida from the minute it ended. I was telling a TSA agent about my zip line adventures while she was giving me the opt-out patdown in the Orlando airport; I showed my “Experience Kissimmee” portable charger to the lady I was sitting next to on the plane and told her about how much fun I had on my trip. As soon as I walked into the PDX airport, I began telling Jai all about the details behind the activities he’d seen pictured on my Instagram account. It’s safe to say that I had a good time!

Fear on the Sky Coaster

Thank you to Melissa for this photo!


I purposely got out of my comfort zone on this trip and faced fears in the spirit of personal growth and adventure. The biggest of these – literally – was SkyCoaster, a ride that takes you 300 feet into the air in a harness, then cuts loose to create a swinging freefall. I was sick to my stomach just thinking about it, and although it was terrifying to do, I am so proud of myself for doing it and feel like it was a valuable experience!

Ziplining over gators

Photo courtesy Gatorland & Experience Kissimmee.

Somewhat less terrifying – but still really scary – was when I rode the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line over alligators!

Hot air balloon over water

But not every ride was terrifying! I had the opportunity to ride a hot air balloon at sunrise and it was amazing.

I also loved taking an airboat tour at Wild Florida to spot alligators in their natural habitat!

Leucistic alligator

Beeb holding a gator

Yes, this was a very alligator-filled trip! I stepped into a “Gator Wrestlin'” arena at Gatorland, checked out the alligators swimming in their zoo, held a small gator at Wild Florida, and fed a gator too!



Beeb feeds a dolphin

Photo provided by SeaWorld and Experience Kissimmee.

Actually, I fed a lot of other animals on this trip, too. I gave grapes to lemurs and also had a chance to feed dolphins and stingrays!

Orlando Premium Outlets

Thanks to Experience Kissimmee for this photo.

But it wasn’t just a non-stop adrenaline rush – we also got to enjoy more relaxing activities like shopping at Orlando Premium Outlets!

Medieval Times Group Photo

Photo courtesy Experience Kissimmee & Medieval Times.

We also ate a royal banquet fit for a king at ye olde Medieval Times!

Gator bites

As seems to be the norm on these type of vacations, I ate my way through the state at a number of wonderful places, trying everything from gator bites and cheese grits to Tiramisu!

Limo

Photo thanks to Experience Kissimmee.

No matter what activity we did – going to dinner, heading to Gatorland to wrestle alligators, or even make a pitstop at Walmart, we were chauffeured there in style by Southern Elegance Limousines.

All Star Vacation Home

At night, I relaxed in an All Star Vacation Home with all of the other bloggers who were on the trip. It was so much fun!!

Star Wars Home Theater and Gaming Room

We hosted a Twitter party at another All Star Vacation Home in conjunction with the Rock Your Vacation contest. In addition to have 9 bedrooms and bathrooms, this home also had a special Star Wars themed home theater and gaming room. Maybe I’ll stay here next time I’m in the area! 😉

My trip to Kissimmee was unforgettable; it’s amazing to think how many new and exciting experiences I had jammed into the course of a few short days. I had an incredible time!

Taxes, Blogger Friends & Dead Whales

Today has been quite interesting. I headed to my accountant’s office this morning to pick up my finished tax return so that I could mail it in time for today’s deadline – Jai dropped off my taxes while I was in Florida and this was my first opportunity to pick them up after I returned. After I got that finished, Jai and I met up with my friend Jen of The Mom Reviews, who just happened to be in town with her husband. It was so wonderful getting a chance to meet her in person and we had a lovely time over coffee!

After I got home, Jen sent me this link – apparently, a 40 foot dead whale had washed up this morning and was beached near the turnaround, while we were having lunch at Sam’s totally unawares. So, Jai and I headed back down to the beach. Since I’m pretty much the only blogger in Seaside at this point, I try to report on our local news. You’re welcome:

Dead whale in Seaside

Whale tail

Sad whale photo

Dead whale

No official word yet on cause of death or how the whale will be removed; hopefully, dynamite will not be involved.