Florida adventure time

I have been absent for the past week because I have gone on a little vacation, which was severely needed after the Nemo snowstorm. I was excited for this trip because I was going to see family and get some sun and see my cousin, Claire get married!

We flew in and hung out with my Dad and Lousia. I miss these people so much!

 

The second day we were there we made the trip to Universal Studios, where of course we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The first time we went I had to make skip a lot of the stores because there were 2 hour waits to get into the shops! This time however, we made it a point to go on a weekday and we also got the express pass. We also ended up spending about $40 dollars on candy at Honeydukes.

That night we spent at my Aunt's house and we got to spend time with family! It was really nice to see everyone. I also fell in love with my aunt's dog, Wheeler. 

We then drove up to Gainesville and hung out with my brother Billy. He was excited to show us around the University of Florida. He showed us some neat stuff around the town. There was a bat house close by. When the sun went down we went over there and saw all the little batties waking up and fluttering around in the nighttime. The downtown area is also really nice and was a bit hipter-ish. He took us to Bocca Fiesta and had some pretty amazing food, including gator tacos. I passed out at around 12, while Billy and his roommates raged on into the morning. When we woke up a note was taped to the door, "Good luck waking up Billy" we found a mass of sleeping bodies and none of them were Billy. We eventually found him and made our way to Clermont to our hotel. 

The next day I helped my cousin, Melissa (Maman Jolie) and my Aunt Nancy (mother of the bride) set up centerpieces and other little tasks for wedding prep. I was also really nervous because I was doing a reading durring the ceremony! The wedding went off with out a hitch and despite a slight chill in the air  we all had a good time.

Melissa & Skye watering the center pieces

All of the cousins in birth order

After the big day my family went to congregate in the hotel and hang out for a little while longer. Its not very often that we get together. However, while I was enjoying my time with my Mom's side of the family, I received sad news from my Dad's side. My Uncle Sal had passed away earlier in the evening. It was a weird mix of emotions. For a bit it looked like we were going to be in Florida a bit longer than expected. However, we had to return the rental car, had no luck changing our flight and trouble getting off from work.

As bummed as I was feeling I had a nice pick me up while we spent our last day in Florida. Louisa's daughter Michelle stopped by with her adorable daughter Sophia. This is perhaps one of the silliest babies I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was fascinated by my iPad and showed Tim where his nose is.

Now to try and get back to normal.