Tidbits and Tiddlywinks

The weekend before last, I took my daughter, Shayla, and my mother to Orlando for a girl's weekend. I had originally planned to take my daughter and boyfriend, for some family time, but work got in the way. It worked out fine, though. The Lee/ Cancio girls had a blast.
On Friday, we checked into our four room suite at Vacation Village in Kissimmee, FL. What a great room! It was furnished with a king sized bed, in room jacuzzi, 60" HDTV, and a full kitchen and seperate living room. My mom and daughter enjoyed the pool while I finished my book that I had been reading. (Forgetting your swimsuit can be a bummer.)
After the pool time, we enjoyed the sight of an intense lightning storm from the safety of our room. You have to love summer weather in Florida. Pizza and a movie rounded out our first night at the hotel.
Saturday morning was bright and sunny. Shayla and I were excited to hit up Sea World in Orlando. I hadn't been in quite a while, despite having had season passes for several years. There was a new roller coaster I couldn't wait to try out, called Manta.
You are strapped in, then they press a button to make you horizontal. Flying like Superman, you are whipped around tight turns, get squirted with water, and flipped upside down.
I thought I'd be terrified, but when we arrived at the park, I couldn't wait to go get in line for Manta! While waiting in line, my mom took my daughter to look at the baby rays. I befriended the guys in line behind me, and we rode the coaster together.
Any coaster enthusiast knows that the best row is always the back row. You don't get the breaks as much, and are whipped around faster and harder. So, of course, we took the back row for our plunge, face first, toward the ground before the first turn. The wind in my face, I didn't scream in terror as I thought I might. The harness felt very secure, and I was not afraid. In fact, I am hereby deeming Manta the BEST RIDE I have even been on at a theme park!!!
The weather stayed pretty sunny, and very warm. We walked around and fed the rays, petted the dolphins, watched a few shows, and caught another epic lightning storm, while riding out the brief rain shower in the safety of the Shamu Stadium. Sorry for the long sentence. Any way,
we were treated to four, yes four, rainbows post-storm. I was able to snap a very pretty pic of the arch over the Shamu Rocks backdrop.
After a full ten hours at Sea World, we went back to our room. The jacuzzi was calling out to me and my sore knee, so I took a well earned dip. What a perfect end to a very fun day in Orlando. My daughter had purchased some goodies at Sea World, so we colored and ate some candy.
I passed out on the big bed with my little girl laying next to me with a huge grin on her face.
My mother opted to sleep on the pull out couch. I told her the bed was big enough to share, but Shayla is a mover, lol. I slept like a rock, so I wasn't bothered by my little wiggle worm.
Sunday morning, we went back to my mother's home in Tampa. We played a game called Dragonology. That was a lot of fun. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am a dragon fanatic. An unapologetic fanatic, at that. Jay, my wonderful boyfriend, supports my love for the winged creatures. He bought the game for me.
Speaking of games, Jay and I have also been playing a lot of games lately. We recently played a game called Dominion, and just this past Monday, we played one called Space Alert. I enjoy having Jay's nephew and his friends over for a game night. I like a good board game as much as I like video games. Maybe moreso, for the social aspect of a table top game.
Yesterday, I took my entrance exam for college. I did a lot better than I thought I would! I've been out of high school since 1994, and I was afraid of my lack of math skills. Turns out, I remembered quite a bit of it.
I'm excited to head back to school next month! My daughter will be a second grader, and I'll be a freshman once more. Her father is nearly finished with his second Master's, so I know that our continuing education will have a positive impact on Shayla. She even said she'd help Mama with her homework, lol. What a sweetie my angel is!
Today is my brother's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday, Michael! Tomorrow is my step-sister's 30th birthday, so Happy Birthday, Beth, too!
Tonight, I am just going to hang out with Jay and have some quality time at home. It's the calm before the storm, I think. Once I go back to school, and begin working again, I know I'll always have to be somewhere, or do some work, and I won't have the quiet time with my family like I have gotten to enjoy this last couple of months.
I mean, I need a job, and I want to go to school. I just want to also have SOME time for the people I love the most. I'm hoping the juggling act will be easier than I'm currently imagining.