We settled in for a relaxing evening and made sure we had finalized our suitcase packing for the flight to Florida the next day. We got to bed early and were actually awake before our alarm clocks went off at 4 a.m.
Our flight was to leave Dayton for Orlando via Atlanta at 7:45. We made good time getting over there just after six and found a parking place and grabbed the shuttle to the terminal. We checked in and were asked if we would like to change our flight to a non-stop. Uh, yeah! It was about 6:30 a.m. at this time and the flight left at 7 a.m., so we quickly checked our bags and headed for the gate. Of course, it was the furthest most gate, but we did have enough time. Just as we got there, we were checked in and boarded the plane. We took off on time and got in to Orlando at 9 a.m. We grabbed our rental car and headed to the hotel. Our room wasn't ready, but we got checked in and called Brandon. It was about 11:30, so we met him for lunch. That was really special because we hadn't planned to even be there by that time.
Afterwards we went back to the room, and crashed a bit, then met up with Megan and Brandon at his house. We got to see Jax, Brandon's dog, and he was his usual friendly self. Just a great dog. We went to Jason's deli for supper and enjoyed visiting with the kids. When we got back we visited for a bit then we drove back up to our hotel. The hotel, The Hampton, is the same one we will use during the rehearsal and wedding as it is close to the country club where the wedding will take place. So it was good to touch base with them. We were able to visit a few campgrounds in the area so that we would have information in the event wedding guests would like to use them. A few family members have RV's, so that might work out for them.
On Wednesday, we went with Megan to her wedding dress fitting. I was glad to go along and see her dress up close! I had only seen pictures of it. It is beautiful and she will be a beautiful bride. Terry sat out in the car and read his book as he was not as interested in the "girlie" stuff. Hah. Later we went back to the room and relaxed a bit. Terry was not feeling too well. He had his allergies start to bother him before we left Goshen and they were in high gear when we got to Florida. The warm weather didn't help, he just felt more miserable. We did get him some allergy tablets and orange juice and it did eventually work.
Wednesday afternoon, we went over to Brandon's a little early so I could wrap the gifts I had sent to his house. I got that done and visited with Diane, Megan's Mom, and the girls who had already arrived. They are a nice group of young ladies and many were excited to be there for the shower. The day after the shower they were leaving for a cruise. . .Megan's Bachelorette Cruise. So there was a lot of excitement in the air!
There was so much food to eat! Oh my gosh! There were two trays of sandwiches, taquitos, a watermelon whale,
a shrimp bowl, a sushi BOAT
, and a cake decorated to look like sushi.
The common theme here. . . SUSHI. . . happens to be Megan's favorite food! None of us went hungry, for sure. We played some games and ate and later Megan unwrapped her gifts. Jax kept hoping there might be some dog bones
for him, but there were none! Megan got lots of nice, useful gifts and they will be a big help to them both.
While I was busy with the shower, Brandon and Terry went out to dinner together and took a leisurely drive down the coast. They returned toward the end of the shower. We visited for a short time together because we weren't going to be able to see them again before we left. Brandon had to work and Megan was going on her cruise!
Our flight on Thursday didn't leave until 9 p.m. from Orlando. I had booked that flight because it was the only non-stop flight and I thought we might need the day to finish up last minute details. As it was, we had everything done and once we checked out of the hotel, we went in search of something to do. We first went to IKEA because we rarely get a chance to look there. Then we went to the outlet mall, then to the Florida Mall, etc. While there,
we visited the M&M's store and had our pictures taken next to 
Kyle Bush's #18 car. We just tried to find things to do to pass the time. Even though we couldn't buy anything because our luggage was full, Terry managed to find an adjustable rib rack for the grill he has been looking for. And I found a top so I now have an outfit to wear to the rehearsal and dinner afterward! I had been searching for something and found it at Macy's. I am really happy that we have our clothes all bought and ready to go for the wedding.We were debating whether or not to get to the airport. We were close, but didn't know what rush hour in Orlando was like. Just then, the "check engine" light on our rental car came on. It had been running badly since we picked it up. So we just headed the few miles down the road to the airport. We didn't want to take a chance on driving around more and perhaps getting stranded somewhere. And we had nothing to do, so we went to the airport. We checked in, went through security and settled down at the Outback Restaurant and ate a leisurely dinner. We were sitting right next to a large table of Australians who were having quite the time. How appropriate!
The flight back was smooth and it was neat to look out and see all the lights below. I always take the window seat and I enjoy watching the ground. Terry read a little, I listened to the IPod and we both tried to sleep, but didn't. We got back at 11:07 p.m. and made it back to the motorhome about 12:30 a.m. Needless to say, we slept in this morning!
Tomorrow we leave camp here and drive a few miles north to the state park where we are going to stay with friends Mark and Dave and enjoy the company of former colleagues at our annual Parkview Picnic. It should be fun. A little gathering of friends has turned into a yearly event and I look forward to it every year.
Next week we have our local doctor appointments. We will drive back up to Goshen next weekend to close things up, then we return here and fly to Houston for Terry's cancer check-up. Things will hopefully slow down a bit after that!
Till next time. . .
Dale
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