Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer: an August Trip Report (Complete!)

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'll put in a plug for Siesta Key (Sarasota) on the left coast. It's about 90 minutes from Orlando; 30 minutes South of Tampa. We go there for a day every trip as we have family retirees who make it their winter home. The beach is the finest white powder sand (that reflects the sun and crisps you skin in minutes). March is still swimmable in the gulf; well at least for us thick skinned Canadians There were probably less than 20 people who swam on our stretch last trip, and we made up four of them. No colder than Lake Muskoka in June or September tho.

I am diligently making notes for the "next trip" (whenever it may be ). Siesta Key has just been added to the list .

My dad grew up north of Bancroft. I have thick skin as part of my DNA. My grandparents didn't have indoor plumbing until I was about 10, so yep....we used the out house in January. I often wonder how my relatives survived their childhoods .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Lets just say that a day of sunshine and swimming and fresh ocean air can really work up an appetite. By the time we arrived at Giordanos, we were all starting to feel the rumble of our stomachs.



We knew before we arrived that we wanted to try their signature menu item, the Chicago-style deep dish pizza for which they had become so famous. It just seemed sacreligious to have anything else!!



First impressions of the restaurant were excellent. A very Italian atmosphere.



We were seated immediately by our lovely waitress who provided excellent service from start to finish. With menus in hand, we set about deciding what we wanted to order.



Knowing that the deep dish pizza was going to take 40 minutes to bake, we decided to get some appetizers to start. First to arrive were the garlic parmesan fries and cheesy bread. HUGE and delicious!!!



Next up was the Fritto Misto platter. It included battered mushrooms, fried mozzarella, onion rings, and fried ravioli (the latter of which sounded very strange but were surprisingly super yummy!).



After devouring each of the appetizers, we were starting to feel a little full. You can imagine our surprise (horror?) when our main course arrived..the Meat, Meat & More Meat deep dish pizza. Oh. My. Lord.



A nice touch by our waitress was to serve each of us our first piece of the pie. The guys dived in. I was still trying to come to terms with just how THICK that sucker was!!!



Absolutely the biggest, cheesiest, heaviest pizza you could ever imagine. We ordered a large pizza to share, and it was WAY too much food with the appetizers we devoured. I couldnt finish even one whole slice of the pizza, despite my best efforts. I think Jake ate one entire slice, and Steve had two (or maybe one and a half). At any rate, we ended up with half or more of that big boy to take back to the villa with us. It would be come breakfast (and snacks) for the next several days.



We all agreed that Giordanos had officially become a must do on future vacations, but probably (a) without the appetizers&.except maybe the cheesy garlic bread and (b) wed likely get it to go and enjoy it in the comfort of our villa (just because pizza lends itself so well to that). Definitely a winner!

Back at the resort, we deposited the leftover pizza in the fridge, and spent the balance of that glorious summer night in the Super Pool. Hard to believe there were only two more full days of our vacation left before we made the sad trek home.

 

[Lynne G]

That pizza does look good! I'll have to see if there's one near the Residence Inn.

My kids are hoping we cruise next year. They had a really good time with the Disney Fantasy. I am not sure. The prices seem so much higher than what I paid last year.

It'll be just after our holiday vacation that I'll be thinking of our 2014 vacation. Depending on the crowds and tempature, we may stick to vacationing in the summer, the late summer. Only thing I have to check is the school calendar, and SW's ticket prices for MCO travel.

There's just so much to do in the Orlando area.

We actually like the Captiva and Sanibel Islands, in the Gulf, connected by a long bridge from St. Pete. Beautiful places. If I am going to the beach, I'd be on the Gulf side or the keys.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That pizza does look good! I'll have to see if there's one near the Residence Inn.

My kids are hoping we cruise next year. They had a really good time with the Disney Fantasy. I am not sure. The prices seem so much higher than what I paid last year.

It'll be just after our holiday vacation that I'll be thinking of our 2014 vacation. Depending on the crowds and tempature, we may stick to vacationing in the summer, the late summer. Only thing I have to check is the school calendar, and SW's ticket prices for MCO travel.

There's just so much to do in the Orlando area.

We actually like the Captiva and Sanibel Islands, in the Gulf, connected by a long bridge from St. Pete. Beautiful places. If I am going to the beach, I'd be on the Gulf side or the keys.

There isso much to do in Orlando and vicinity......that's the reason why we love it there, too. People keep asking us "How can you continue to go back to the same place all the time? Don't you want to try something new?". And we keep telling them....we do something new on EVERY visit!

Never tried a cruise just yet....Jake has zero interest (silly boy)....but I can definitely see Steve and I cruisig once the boy is all grown up.

I checked Google maps, and the closest Giordano's to the RI SW is the one we went to on South Apopka Vineland Road. It lists it as only 4.2 miles away (but that's via the I4, which might be a nightmare during the holidays). They very well might deliver, though. There is also one at Sand Lake Rd. & Universal Blvd.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Day 6 Thursday, August 29th.

Every day started bright and sunny. This one was no different.

Todays first (and only) commitment was courtesy of the good graces of my boys. Gosh, I love those two . Let me give you a little background on how it came about:

Its no secret to anyone that I *love* photos. I have taken a million of Jake from the day he made his debut in the world, documenting every single memorable milestone (and even some of the more mundane occurrences ) along the way. I have the camera forever at my side on vacation. If I came home from vacation with nothing but a memory card full of digital images, Id be a happy girl. The walls of our home are devoid of expensive paintings by notable artists, but are adorned with photos of our favourite vacation moments, sports accomplishments, school achievements, and loved ones that have passed on before us (RIP Dad.....you are forever in my heart ). Photographs are my treasures.

We used to have our family photographs taken quite regularly when Jake was small, but those kind of went by the wayside when he was getting yearly pictures done at school. When we went to Disney in 2009 (our first Orlando trip), we took advantage of the resort sessions that were being offered at the Polynesian, and it was so nice to have formal family portraits done after so many years.

Fast forward to August 2012, and again we had neglected having family photos done for the entire three and half years since the Disney session. Bad, bad, parents we are. Before our trip to Orlando that month, I snagged a Groupon for a session at Studio One to One at the Florida Mall which again turned out to be a painless and (dare I say?) enjoyable experience. The pics turned out gorgeous enough that we ended up spending an additional $300 on the session CD and prints not covered by the Groupon. And that's saying something...because I *hate* having my picture taken!! (for those that share my photo phobia, though, this is article is a must read....and what keeps me agreeing to "get in the picture" on a regular basis: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-tate/mom-pictures-with-kids_b_1926073.html ).

When we checked in at the Vistana, we picked up one of the flyers at the Welcome Center that advertised the resort photo sessions that were done by the onsite photographers. They were offering a free 5 x 7 just for having your session done, with no obligation to purchase. The boys spied the flier and asked if I wanted to have our pics done again this year (they knew how much the others meant to dear old mom). I hesitated, not wanting to put them out as I know its really not their favourite vacation moment, lol. But they continued to mention it throughout the week (hey, did you reserve us a time for a photo session yet?) so I figured they really must not mind as much as I thought. They are good men.

So&&Thursday morning was the day. I booked a time for later in the morning, 10:30, so we could all sleep in a bit and give the guys an extra few minutes to shave those fuzzy faces of theirs (Jake, in particular, was lookin a little scruffy by this point in our holiday ). We arrived at the photography desk and were introduced to Heather, who would be our photographer for the morning.





The pictures were taken around the grounds of the resort, which made for a wonderful, tropical backdrop. Hot as Hades, though, so Im glad we had a morning session and that Heather kept us mostly in the shade. We opted for casual clothes in bright colours as last years pics were all white shirts/dark bottoms with black and white backgrounds. The contrast between the two sessions would be a nice change.





Heather took some family pictures, some individual shots, and some of Steve and I together. She asked if we had any specific poses or locations that we were looking for, so Im guessing she would have been pretty willing to add in anything special if we so desired. That said, we were happy for her to take the lead and just smile when commanded.





The actual photo taking time took about 30 minutes, then an additional half hour or so to select our pictures for the prints we decided to purchase. We opted for the largest package at $79, which included the CD of all photos taken (61 different digital images), 6 portrait sheets of our choice (and you could combine multiple poses onto the same sheet, for example two different 5 x 7 images per photo sheet), plus the freebie 5 x 7. I thought the cost was very reasonable. Both the CD and the prints were ready for pickup after 6 pm the same day.

Hmmmm&.now what to do for the afternoon??

 

[dennise]

What a great idea. Most of our pics have one of us, rarely both. That may be on my list for our next trip. I had thought about it this fall as we just had our 45th anniversary last week. A photo with all. Seven Grandkids would be wonderful.

 

[shalom]

I'm woefully behind on the comments front but I did want to say how much I loved the swimsuit you had at BB -- I especially like that "Vanna White" shot of you beside the lazy river, and the last one in your BB report of all three of you.

But now I think I like the last pic of you and your hubby at the photo session best. You both looked so relaxed. Of course, Steve always looks relaxed. Jake may have a point about your trips without him being, er, a lot quieter.

So this, though it may sound silly, was an emotional moment for yours truly.

Looks like the Lori Wilson park was a great choice for "the big reveal."

Although living near the great lakes, you were more prepared than many. My brother and I were traveling with a friend from Colorado once, who'd grown up in Missouri, and we took her to Silver Beach in St. Joe, on Lake Michigan. She looked across the water and said, "Isn't Chicago across there? I guess it's too cloudy to see it or something."

We said, "No, you can't see it from here; it's too far away."

She backed up the beach three or four feet and said, fervently, "I am not ready for the ocean."

And the water? Well, let me say it was far, far warmer than I anticipated. A trip to North Beach Provincial Park (near my home) the week prior to our vacation had me turning BLUE in the water from the cold, and it’s just a lake…..so I figured the ocean would be freakin’ freezing. It was beautiful . Who’da thought?

September is the best time of year to hit the ocean, IMHO. It's been soaking up the sun all summer!


Huh, I thought toasted (aka fried) ravioli was a St. Louis thing. Maybe I need to start looking for them in Chicago!

After devouring each of the appetizers, we were starting to feel a little full. You can imagine our surprise (horror?) when our main course arrived..the Meat, Meat & More Meat deep dish pizza. Oh. My. Lord.

I was reading about all your appetizers and thinking, "Wow. Didn't they order a deep dish?" I haven't had Giordanos deep dish, but I've made Chicago deep dish at home, and we definitely don't have it with appetizers.

Never tried a cruise just yet....Jake has zero interest (silly boy)....but I can definitely see Steve and I cruisig once the boy is all grown up.

I'm with Jake -- I'm a claustraphobe, and those cabins are too small. And I don't like the idea that I can't "escape" if I'm bored or just don't like it. Which likely aren't Jake's reasons, going on his feelings about sharks.

 

[webcreatrix]

Jake’s request to visit here was not totally innocent. I knew he had an ulterior motive besides getting us some much-needed exercise. Call it “mother’s intuition” (or just that fact that he’s super-obvious at the best of time ). So I was well aware that this was the specific destination he had in mind:



His first stop was, not surprisingly to shoot some hoops at the 3-point competition outside. It cost him $8 (which he paid himself) but he would have paid $20 for the opportunity. Basketball, as he would tell you, is priceless…..and to play outside NBA City is icing on the cake.



After he was finishing balling, we headed in to the NBA Store (the other destination I knew he had in mind!) for a retail purchase or two. Despite it’s very commercial location in a generally over-priced tourist area, he never fails to net (pardon the pun) a great deal or two here on some team-specific merchandise that we can’t get back home. He was delighted to find the store jam-packed with NBA Championship merchandise featuring his beloved Miami Heat….LeBron James would have been proud of the selection.

Ah! I'm so glad I tuned into your report. My son is insane about basketball. I had seen there was an NBA restaurant at CityWalk, but I had no idea about the hoops or the store. He is going to be thrilled!

 

[webcreatrix]

Windsor Hills looks awesome.....its on my short list for a future trip. We actually checked it out for this past trip as well. The option of having our own splash pool was very tempting!

The splash pool is a great perk! My kids almost preferred that to the parks.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

What a great idea. Most of our pics have one of us, rarely both. That may be on my list for our next trip. I had thought about it this fall as we just had our 45th anniversary last week. A photo with all. Seven Grandkids would be wonderful.

45 years?!? Wow, that is awesome!!! Congratulations on such a wonderful milestone That definitely deserves a photo session in my book!

Ah! I'm so glad I tuned into your report. My son is insane about basketball. I had seen there was an NBA restaurant at CityWalk, but I had no idea about the hoops or the store. He is going to be thrilled!

You can even get your photo taken "with" your favourite player. They have one of those green screens where you have you picture taken against it, then when you view the photo, Lebron James (or whomever) is standing next to you.

Outside the restaurant, there are a series of basketballs that bear the handprint of various NBA superstars. Its kind of humbling to place your hand inside the handprint and see just how HUGE their hands are!

Definitely a good place to go for basketball fans .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm woefully behind on the comments front but I did want to say how much I loved the swimsuit you had at BB -- I especially like that "Vanna White" shot of you beside the lazy river, and the last one in your BB report of all three of you.

But now I think I like the last pic of you and your hubby at the photo session best. You both looked so relaxed. Of course, Steve always looks relaxed. Jake may have a point about your trips without him being, er, a lot quieter.

Looks like the Lori Wilson park was a great choice for "the big reveal."

Although living near the great lakes, you were more prepared than many. My brother and I were traveling with a friend from Colorado once, who'd grown up in Missouri, and we took her to Silver Beach in St. Joe, on Lake Michigan. She looked across the water and said, "Isn't Chicago across there? I guess it's too cloudy to see it or something."

We said, "No, you can't see it from here; it's too far away."

She backed up the beach three or four feet and said, fervently, "I am not ready for the ocean."



September is the best time of year to hit the ocean, IMHO. It's been soaking up the sun all summer!

Huh, I thought toasted (aka fried) ravioli was a St. Louis thing. Maybe I need to start looking for them in Chicago!



I was reading about all your appetizers and thinking, "Wow. Didn't they order a deep dish?" I haven't had Giordanos deep dish, but I've made Chicago deep dish at home, and we definitely don't have it with appetizers.

I'm with Jake -- I'm a claustraphobe, and those cabins are too small. And I don't like the idea that I can't "escape" if I'm bored or just don't like it. Which likely aren't Jake's reasons, going on his feelings about sharks.

Our server at Giordano's actually laughed at us when we placed our order.....I believe her comment was "wow, you guys are hungry tonight ". lol, that should have been our first clue that we overdid it a bit. But ya know, the guys loved having pizza for breakfast for a few days....I mean, its not my cup of tea, but they thought they had died and gone to heaven.

Jake's worries about cruising stem more from having to share a tiny bedroom with his Mom and Snorey McSnorerson (that would be Steve ) than sharks....but let's not remind him of that fact, either . And I think he wonders if he'd be bored.....I think it would make a huge difference if he had a similarly aged sibling or a friend along.

You had me laughing right out loud with the Vanna White comparison . OMG, I could only wish I bore her any resemblance!!!!! (but thanks....you are so sweet!)

 

[Girldreamer02]

Hello, I just sat here and read your trip report for almost two hours. I haven't been on the dis forever, but recently there have been some live online streaming by the dis podcast folks and I watched those and my obsession with all things disney is making a strong return. I am enjoying your tr and all of your stories. Its kind of funny to see you eat at places that I just take for granted. I am not big on eating out either since I am trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle more recently. I actually have a strong canadian back round and have visited before. Beautiful! I do have a question though about the mini golf. Was there a winner announced? You left us hanging

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hello, I just sat here and read your trip report for almost two hours. I haven't been on the dis forever, but recently there have been some live online streaming by the dis podcast folks and I watched those and my obsession with all things disney is making a strong return. I am enjoying your tr and all of your stories. Its kind of funny to see you eat at places that I just take for granted. I am not big on eating out either since I am trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle more recently. I actually have a strong canadian back round and have visited before. Beautiful! I do have a question though about the mini golf. Was there a winner announced? You left us hanging

Welcome, Girldreamer . Glad that you dropped in to join us!

lol, I know most of my American friends don't get the thrill from a Friendly's sundae or a bowl of soup from Olive Garden like we do, but let me tell ya, its fun to FINALLY get to eat somewhere that we've seen on TV for months . Every time a commercial for a Sonic pretzel dog comes on, the boys are ooohhing and aaaahhhing and making plans to move southward . Being so close to the Canadian/US border, well over half of our TV channels are US-based, so they tease and tantalize us with all the good stuff while we're stuck with the lesser variety (and higher prices!!) of our Canadian chains. That said, its probably good for my waistline that I don't live south of the border .

Ah yes, the mini golf score . Steve won. By about 5 strokes, dang him . I don't even want to talk about MY score......at least he and Jake were relatively close. I was a disaster .

But stay tuned....there would be a few more opportunities for a rematch in the next couple of days .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Following our photo session, no one was hungry for lunch just yet (can you BELIEVE it?!?!?). That leftover Giordano’s pizza was rather filling, to say the least. So what to do, what to do?

It dawned on me that there was one place I wanted to visit before we headed off property……I had noticed on the daily activity schedule that it was Farmers Market day at the parking lot of the Marketplace. I had wanted to check it out and explore what the local vendors had to offer (we spied the tents in the lot on Tuesday as well, but didn’t have a chance to get there as we were splishin’ and splashin’ at Typhoon Lagoon). So back to our villa we went, for the guys to have a little rest session in the A/C while I went shopping.



The Farmers Market was tiny but really kind of cute. The vendors were super friendly and every single one of them would have been quite content to chat with the resort guests endlessly…..and I probably would have indulged in that conversation a little longer, but OMG it was hot. There were wonderful hand crafted jewellery items (I bought a couple for some friends), fruits and veggies fresh from local farms, some unique snacks (boiled peanuts, for example) , and some custom clothing items as well. Very quaint, and a nice little addition to an otherwise quiet Thursday at the resort .



Following my tour of the market, I made the 60 second walk back to the villa and found the boys happily hydrating and watching the sports updates. They had missed their daily Sportscentre reports, and needed to know how their Blue Jays had been faring throughout our week. Still declaring it too early for lunch, Jake asked if we could make a stop at his final must-do shopping destination of the trip…..the Premium Outlets on Vineland. Being a very go-with-the-flow day, we had no reason to say no (and hey, he had been a good sport during the photo session, so this was a nice way to reward him). So that’s where we went.

Now let me tell you, this was a whirlwind tour…..he had a few specific stores in mind (Nike, American Eagle, and Lululemon for the girlfriend) and he didn’t waste any time. We valeted the Jeep ($7) as general parking was scarce by high noon, which was worth every penny IMHO. He actually buzzed round the mall so quickly that this is the only photo I took…..the boy was on a mission and it was hard to keep up!



All kidding aside, I was happy this was no marathon shopping session. It was very warm and very sunny, one of those days that made you tire with each step. So with bulging bags of purchases in hand, we beckoned the Jeep from the valet and headed up I-Drive for lunch.

And we ended up here:

Crap! Here is where the Sonic Drive In picture is supposed to be…..but apparently, I missed uploading it to Photobucket last night. I suck.

Sorry ‘bout that. You ‘ll just have to picture it in your mind.

We see the Sonic commercials on TV all the time. I think I can recite the pretzel dog ones by memory. The boys were adamant that we squeeze a Sonic meal into our plans, and with vacation time waning, it was almost now or never! It was delish…..and soooo cheap!....and was devoured before I could take any pictures.

With the balance of the afternoon ours for the taking, I asked the boys how they wanted to spend it. The looked guiltily at each other, and sheepishly declared that they wanted to watch TV. And nap . Nap?!?!?!? *sigh* That’s guys for ya . But this was our “relaxing” vacation, remember, which I wholehearted endorsed…..so who was I to say no?

Back at the villa, Steve stretched out on the big king bed, remote in hand, and promptly started to snore. Apparently the activities of the week had finally caught up with the old guy (or the Benadryl for his allergies was kicking his butt….or both!). Jake and I did “inventory” of his purchases from our various shopping destinations to ensure (a) they would all fit in our luggage and (b) that he hadn’t missed anything along the way (how that would have been possible with the number of retail stops we had made this far, I don’t know, but I indulged him on the idea anyway). Having happily surveyed his loot (and basking in the knowledge of how much he had saved versus the same items back home), he stretched out on the couch in the living room to catch up on more sports highlights from the various southern sources.

Me? I’m not a napper. Nor am I much of a TV person. So I opted for a stroll. August afternoon heat, be darned! This resort was just too pretty not to fully enjoy. And you know, with all the family time we had been enjoying, I must admit an hour or so of solitude was actually a little appealing (and I’m quite sure the guys were thinking the same thing to themselves).





Most of my walk was spent around the Spas and Cascades areas, as there is ample space around both regions to satisfy my need for some physical activity without taking me too far into the more unfamiliar resort territory. And both sections are so different yet so pretty. Absolutely the most relaxing span of time that I spent all week.







I half contemplated stretching out on one of the hammocks scattered through the resort. It looked like a might fine place to catch 40 winks, if I had been so inclined.



I stumbled upon the Cascades playground, all nestled in the shade. It’s too bad so many folks don’t fully take advantage of some of the great amenities here. Everything is so nicely done and such a fine quality.



Even the smoker areas have an unexpected sense of “beauty” to them. Nicer than many resorts’ picnic areas!



Eventually, I parked my fanny on a bench and just enjoyed the peacefulness and beauty of the surroundings, because you know, I really don’t people do that often enough. I sent up my little prayer of thanks for the blessings that allowed us to take this trip. I took a few moments to be grateful.



Late in the afternoon, I returned to the villa to rouse my guys. Rested and relaxed as promised, it was now time to make the most of the glorious evening ahead and take in an activity or two. We were Kissimmee-bound!

 

[Lynne G]

Wahoo! Waiting to see what else in in store.

We have a Sonic near our house. Not our favorite fast food, though we really like the tater tots. Those are something not found in other fast food places, and I won't cook at home. DD would just eat those, while DS and I don't mind the burgers. We usually have a coupon for the ice cream, and DD is usually the one who gets the free ice cream. Smart girl.

Found a way to the G's pizza place without having to go on 4, but under it. It may be a dinner local for us.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

It's funny how a day on the beach can be so tiring, even if you spend most of it just lazing around

I did wonder if you would manage the pizza when you pictured all the starters, we have done that before!

Just a little question, how do you manage straight hair in the humidity? Mine just frizzes as soon as I go out, so I give up and go 'natural' (curly that is)

Loving the report.

 

[dennise]

Gina, Another good place to eat, especially since you like the Golden Corral is the Wood Grill Buffet on International Drive. We drove by it several times before we ventured in. They had an antique car display in front of it, so we stopped and checked it out. One of the car owners approached us, said he didn't want to be insulting, but asked if we were seniors, of course anyone over 60 was a senior. He said to wait about 5 minutes and the senior prices begin. Who doesn't want to save a couple of bucks! He told us it was like an upscale GC, which it was. The ice cream was so delicious, and having a bit of a candy bar for toppings really sold me. We ate there 3 times.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Wahoo! Waiting to see what else in in store.

We have a Sonic near our house. Not our favorite fast food, though we really like the tater tots. Those are something not found in other fast food places, and I won't cook at home. DD would just eat those, while DS and I don't mind the burgers. We usually have a coupon for the ice cream, and DD is usually the one who gets the free ice cream. Smart girl.

Found a way to the G's pizza place without having to go on 4, but under it. It may be a dinner local for us.

That is awesome!!! I4 was a nightmare at times last Christmas....bumper to bumper and soooo slow.

You know what we enjoyed most about Sonic? The food delivery via rollerskates....very novel. Yep, we are easily pleased . But I have to agree with you on the tater tots...they were different. And yummy!

It's funny how a day on the beach can be so tiring, even if you spend most of it just lazing around

I did wonder if you would manage the pizza when you pictured all the starters, we have done that before!

Just a little question, how do you manage straight hair in the humidity? Mine just frizzes as soon as I go out, so I give up and go 'natural' (curly that is)

Loving the report.

Ugh, the hair thing drives me bonkers!!! I had some pretty frizzy moments, that's for sure (you just don't get to see any of them ) but I did manage better this year than in past visits.

I used John Frieda's frizz-ease shampoo and conditioner every morning:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/John-Frieda-Frizz-Ease-Smooth-Start-Shampoo-10-oz/15611065

After I towel dried my hair, I worked in some Dove anti-frizz serum:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dove-Style-Care-Frizz-Free-Shine-Hair-Cream-Serum-3.3-oz/20638711

Then I blow dried it and straightened it using my ceramic hair straightener.

I finished it off with Tresemme anti-humidity hairspray:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/TRESemme-Tres-Two-Extra-Hold-Hair-Spray-4.2-fl-oz/10319230

and overall, I didn't fare to badly .

One thing I did notice......the frizzyness lessened as the week went on (a direct result of the longer-term effectiveness of the shampoo and conditioner, I think). On a future summer visit, I would start using it at home about a week before, and build that resistence up before arrival. A big price difference for us in the cost of the shampoo and conditioner here at home, though, as opposed to in the states. $5 a bottle there. $9 here. Oye!

Steve and his balding head have it soooooo easy!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, Another good place to eat, especially since you like the Golden Corral is the Wood Grill Buffet on International Drive. We drove by it several times before we ventured in. They had an antique car display in front of it, so we stopped and checked it out. One of the car owners approached us, said he didn't want to be insulting, but asked if we were seniors, of course anyone over 60 was a senior. He said to wait about 5 minutes and the senior prices begin. Who doesn't want to save a couple of bucks! He told us it was like an upscale GC, which it was. The ice cream was so delicious, and having a bit of a candy bar for toppings really sold me. We ate there 3 times.

You know, I am going to start having to book 2-week trips with all these great dining suggestions. Or go more often. Hey, there's an idea!

LOL, poor Steve. He's going to start taking away my Disboarding privileges if I keep this up!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The jaunt to Kissimmee is a quick and easy one from the resort, so after the guys combed out their bedheads and refreshed themselves awake, we were there before we knew it. The dinner hour (or “time slot”) had arrived, and we were all feelin’ a little peckish again. Mercifully, lunch at Sonic hadn’t been a huge over-indulgence (for once), so we were actually feeling hungry. LOL, after 6 days of vacation, really and truly feeling hungry was getting to be a rare sensation.

There was still one major must-do on our dining list, so it was by unanimous vote that we pulled into the parking lot of TGI Fridays. We LOVE this place!

I have to give the servers here very high praise. They were, without a doubt, the happiest, most energetic and FUN set of restaurant staff we encountered during the entire trip. They enjoyed their jobs, they enjoyed their co-workers, and as a result, they provided an awesome dining experience for their guests. Two thumbs up all around for the four young people who so happily and effectively handled our table for the duration of our meal.



We opted to kick off the meal with some appetizers. Steve selected something dippy (can’t remember what, exactly) and maybe some sort of flat bread too? I know Jake helped him finish them both, but they weren’t my style.

Jake and I kept with family vacation tradition and ordered our TGI favourite, fried cheese .



For those who have not read any of my previous reports, you must know that our bizarre little family has a cheese-stretching “thing”. It’s something we do, almost without thinking. A food compulsion, if you will .

Jake shamelessly considers himself the champion cheese stretcher of all time, and foolishly challenged me to a dual after our appetizers were brought to the table. I happily accepted.

He confidently kicked off the dual.



Not bad…..but I can do better.



The boy was humbled in the face of my cheese stretching awesomeness. Lesson learned….never mess with the old girl, she has more tricks up her sleeve than the young’un would think.

Dinner arrived promptly after the entrees had been devoured. Steve went for steak dinner.



Jake opted for chicken tenders .



I had the bruschetta chicken pasta…..my favourite TGI dish.



But all that wonderful food aside, let’s be honest…..we hadn’t even made it to our favourite part of the meal yet. The best was yet to come. I seriously would make the trip from Canada all the way to Orlando just for this dessert…………its THAT good. And Jake and I were giddy when it arrived in all its sweet and chocolately splendour:



Reeses Peanut Butter Pie . Heaven on a plate . Go ahead, admire and drool.



Steve, silly boy, went for the vanilla bean cheesecake. My dad always said “if God meant us to eat sour milk, he would have soured it in the cow”, so cheesecake is not my style. Cheese is for pizza. Cheese is for lasagna. Cheese is not for cake. But for Steve, this was his little piece of heaven!



By the end of our indulgence (may God forgive me the calories, and may they not deposit themselves on my hips forever and ever) we needed some exercise. Time to revisit another family favorite, and inspire a little friendly (maybe!) competition. Are you up “fore” it?