I’d like to teach the world to sing

…in perfect harmony…  grow apple trees and honey bees and snow white turtle doves…

Remember that song?  For me, it always brings back memories of the 1970’s commercial for Coca-Cola.   That is something Coke does well – marketing.

We participated in one of Coke’s more interesting marketing strategies while in Atlanta, Georgia recently – The World of Coca-Cola (aka The Coke Museum).  This is not a place to go if you dislike pop culture or Coke products.   On the other hand, it’s a fun place to explore and enjoy some memories.   However, it does feel as if you are walking through one giant Coke commercial, so be prepared.

my favorite pop art!

a little nostalgia

 

even the exterior is artistic

an ode to Texas

American Gothic, Coke-style

Have a Coke and a smile!

 

Georgia Aquarium

I can’t believe summer break is already over and school is back in session.  We took a vacation just a few short weeks ago to Atlanta and Nashville.  Actually it was a road trip from South Florida!  We had a great time on the drive there since it seemed to pass quickly. The drive back home was much different -it seemed to last forever.  I guess we were so excited to get to our destinations on the way to Georgia and Tennessee that time passed quickly.  

One of our favorite parts of our trip was the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  It was just amazing.  The whale sharks are awesome.  If I remember correctly, there are 4 there.  They are enormous (17 – 22 feet long now) but are also so gentle.  I just stood there watching them for at least 20 minutes.  It was very relaxing to watch the tank where the whale sharks were.  First of all, it’s huge so there is no bad view.  Secondly, it’s just beautiful.  There is a variety of fish, rays, and sharks to watch as they swim around.  We timed it so that we could watch the feeding of the whale sharks which was very interesting.  I also enjoyed the beluga whales.  One of the volunteers told us that you can hear them communicating in the evenings or mornings when there are no visitors and they appear to watch the visitors as much as the visitors watch them!  I highly recommend this aquarium – I believe it is the top-rated aquarium in the nation.  

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pictures from the aquarium.

 

 

cute little fish

 

 

hammerhead shark

a wobbegong shark

a whale shark

Awesome  – they really are gentle giants.

 

Technorati Tags: georgia,aquarium,sea,creatures,life,atlanta,vacation,family,trip,whale shark,shark,hammerhead,fish,aquatic

 

A last hurrah

As the beginning of  a new school year approaches quickly, we decided to take a weekend trip to Orlando this past weekend.  Our friends (who have 3 kids) joined us on our trip.  Our original plans included one day at Aquatica and the rest of the weekend was supposed to be relaxing.  Our plans changed a bit due to rainstorms on Saturday, so what did we do?  We bumped a day at Aquatica to Sunday and spent most of the day Saturday (after the storms passed through) at Sea World! 

I had not been prepared for a day of walking at Sea World, so what did I do?  I made a quick trip to the local factory outlet stores to buy a new pair of walking shoes (as well as a new shorts and a t-shirt!).  I shopped in record time (about 30 minutes!) since the kids were dying to get to Sea World and our friends were meeting us there.  The shoes and shorts definitely paid off and we had a great time.  My favorite show was the “Believe” show with Shamu.

     

(Check out the trainer flying through the air!)

The kids enjoyed the “Pets Ahoy” show where animals adopted from the local humane society are the performers.  The animals actually live at Sea World upon adoption.  There were dogs, cats, geese, parrots, a rat, and even a skunk!  

We all enjoyed the chance to pet a dolphin. There were scheduled dolphin feedings – which we happened to walk up to – and were lucky enough to pet a dolphin as it swam near us.  Who doesn’t love dolphins?

The next day we headed to Aquatica bright and early – 7:30 am (that is bright and early on vacation).  We were told MANY times to arrive early as the park often closes to visitors by 10 am due to being at capacity.  THAT was a good tip!  We arrived by 8 am and were in the park by 8:15.  All of the chairs under large umbrellas were already taken!  The park had only been open for 15 minutes!!!  Oh well…we were lucky enough to find plenty of chairs out in the sun.  My favorite attractions was Roo’s Rapids.  I can’t tell you how much I laughed while floating around the loop of easy rapids with the family and friends.  Due to the high number of park visitors there were a couple of close encounters since the water shoves you along in some areas – without any concern for the man two inches in front of you who you are trying to avoid plowing into or the guy behind me whose feet ended up between between mine as we both tried to make an exit!  He said, “Sorry! I guess I misjudged that one!”   The kids enjoyed the wave pool, the slides, and all the rides.  We were there from 8:15 – 2:30.  I must have put on sunscreen (SPF 50) 4 or 5 times and still ended up with a sunburn.  It was worth it though since we all had a great time and it was our last hurrah for the summer.

 

Disneyworld in a day

The kids and I headed to Disneyworld for a day over the weekend.  Unfortunately, Dear had to work so we had to go without him.  We planned this trip in order to meet up with one of Aggie’s friends from Fort Worth, whose family was heading to Disneyworld for their first time.  We spent Saturday with them at Magic Kingdom.  It was really great to see them again and to enjoy some time together at MK.  The kids enjoyed these rides the most:  Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (twice!), Indy Speedway (go carts – twice!), and Cubs enjoyed Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean.  We all liked the Monsters Inc. Comedy Club / Mike’s Laugh Floor (a new attraction), Mickey’s PhilharMagic (my personal favorite), Alladin’s Magic Carpets, and the Jungle Cruise. 

  

Aggie and Cubs planning before the Magic Carpet Ride (“You turn this to make us go up and down and I will steer.”)

  Round 2 – This time with Aggie’s friend, Gabriella

In the past, Dear has joked about the wildlife (actually, they are quite tame) throughout the park such as birds, squirrels, and ducks.  He would tell the kids that they weren’t real, but rather, Disney Animatronics!  Here are a few examples:

  

We could have done without the Enchanted Tiki Room, though.   It was described as a sing-song animatronic show…and that is was.  We thought about riding Splash Mountain but by the time we made it over there during the late afternoon, the wait time was 90 minutes.    We thought about getting a Fastpass but we wouldn’t have been able to use it for several hours, so we passed on it.  We were walking (or standing in line at times) for most of the 10+ hours we were there.  Even though we were tired at the end of the day, we had a fun day overall. 

Fireworks at the end of the day were fun but we had to leave in the middle of them in order to get to our bus by 9:30pm (the next bus was at 11:00 and I knew I wasn’t going to have enough energy to stay that long!)

Cinderella’s Castle glowed in the darkness as it changed colors throughout the evening.

This was our third trip to Disneyworld (the first one since we moved to Florida).  It is about a 3 hour drive from Boca Raton to Orlando.  Previously, we stayed long enough to see each of the 4 parks and also stayed at a Disney resort.  This time, we stayed at a hotel not affiliated with Disneyworld.  It wasn’t bad.  We stayed at a Sheraton in Orlando – it wasn’t bad.  The hotel shuttle, though, is just not the same as the Disney buses which arrive every few minutes at the Disney resorts.  The drivers of the Disney buses often provide fun Disney facts and tidbits and tend to be Disney fans themselves.  The pool at the Sheraton was great – it has the “world’s largest python slide” (in case you forgot, I’m not a fan of snakes – but this one was immobile so it was okay by me).  The kids loved the slide – which is where we spent our Sunday morning prior to heading back home.  The trip was fast and furious – but fun!  The kids are already planning our next trip. 

 

We’re back!

We had a great trip to Sanibel over the weekend.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer.  We enjoyed a lot of time in the sun at the beach and hotel pool as well as bike riding, shelling, a sunset dolphin cruise, and we even squeezed in a 2 mile hike at an Audobon sanctuary. 

In case you are interested in a Sanibel/Captiva trip, here are my recommendations.

Stay at a hotel on the beach. Being able to walk to the beach from your hotel is so convenient. We were also just steps from the pool so we spent a lot of time in the sun.  Our hotel (Sanibel Inn) provided complimentary bicycles which we made us of one morning to ride to the lighthouse at the end of the island.  The bikes aren’t in great shape but they were fun.

Shelling:  Sanibel and Captiva are top spots for shelling in the U.S.  We found some great shells.  One evening, after an afternoon shower (which we missed because we had gone over to Captiva for the day) there was a huge drift of seashells up on the shore!  I had never seen so many shells in one place.  The kids had fun sifting through the shells to find “special” ones.  On Sunday morning, we headed out to the beach.  There was a sandbar you could walk to about 40 feet from the shore.  On the sandbar were huge sand dollars.  We ended up putting about 15 of them back in the water because they were still moving!  Someone on the beach during the prior the sand dollars could be collected since they will likely die if they have washed up on the sandbar.  So, we saved a few of them – at least for that day.

 

Shopping:  On Saturday night we decided to get some munchies from a grocery store rather than eat out again.  We headed over to Jerry’s Supermarket (in Sanibel).  The prices were a bit high but they had good choices.  The best part was the large cages outside the entrance where there were various parrots – what a fun surprise.  The kids really enjoyed seeing the birds. 

Dining:  Lighthouse Cafe.  Good food / good service.  We went for breakfast on Saturday morning and only had a 15 minute wait.  It appears to be a local gathering place.

Highly recommended:  Adventures in Paradise/ Sunset Dolphin Cruise.  This is a great adventure for kids and adults.  The sunset was beautiful.  We saw lots of birds – including a bald eagle!  We saw about 3 -4 dolphins – and only wanted to see more.  The captain and first mate were great. They were very informative and friendly.  As part of the cruise, champagne and sodas are provided on the trip. 

Corkscrew Sanctuary (near Naples):  This is an Audabon nature sanctuary.  It was well worth it.  The weather was nice and breezy.  There is a boardwalk that meanders 2 miles through forest and swamps.  We all enjoyed it and had some great photo opportunities. 

Okay, but probably not recommended:

Ellington’s:  This is a restaurant at the Sanibel Inn but it’s open to the public.  It was packed but there was no wait.  The jazz ensemble was great but the food prices were very high.  The food was good, just overpriced.  For example, Aggie wanted a side salad to go with her chicken tenders.  The chicken was priced at $5.99, I believe, but the side salad was $9.99!  The menu choices were limited as well.

R.C. Otters (restaurant) in Captiva:   Prices were average as was the food.  I would probably make another choice the next time. 

 

Planning

I have been busy this morning doing a lot of planning – which is one thing I enjoy doing because all the information I could ever want or need is right at my fingertips on the internet! 

Here are a few things I planned:

In October, one of Aggie’s friends from Texas is going to vacation at Disneyworld with her family.  Of course, we decided we would have to go too so we can visit!  We will be spending a day at Magic Kingdom with Aggie’s friend, Gabriella.  Dear thinks he will have to work so for now, it’s just the kids and me.  We have been to Disney World twice before.  Most recently we went in March of this year.  We stayed at a hotel for night before and after our days at the parks but while there, we stayed at Coronado Springs, which wasn’t our favorite location.  Before arriving at Disneyworld, we spent a night at a local resort (and got a great price on the internet) and it was very spacious and luxurious.  Upon arriving at Coronado Springs, it looked rather dated and the decor was sort of tacky (in my opinion).  I guess we had been spoiled at the local resort (which was less expensive than Coronado Springs).  Previously, we vacationed at DW about 3 years ago, along with Aunt Mindy and my friend, Denise.  At that time, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside which was nice (for a “moderate” resort – as Disney World refers to it).  For this upcoming quick trip, we will be staying outside of Disneyworld at a hotel.  So, I had to locate the hotel (at a great price of course!) and purchase our tickets. ….DONE!

Next, I was back online where I joined the National Association of Organizing Professionals (NAPO – not to be confused with the National Association of Pizzeria Operators or the National Association of Police Organizations).  This is it – my first step into my new career as a professional organizer!   I don’t know if this is how most professional organizers go about beginning their careers, but since I don’t know any personally, I have to just figure it out as I go.  I plan to take some of the courses offered online by NAPO over the next few months.  So…get ready for some organizing tips in the near future!!!!

Thirdly (yes, still planning), I searched the net and located a day cruise for our upcoming trip to Sanibel Island / Captiva Island.  If you recall, we made day trip there while we were in Naples recently (for Dear’s conference).  We loved it there.  So, we decided to take a weekend during the “off season” and before Dear’s work becomes really busy as “season” will begin here soon as well.  So, I located a sunset dolphin cruise which I think the whole family will enjoy!

I think that’s enough planning for one day, don’t you? 

 

I got some catchin’ up to do

Naples was a very nice town.  The beaches were really pretty and the weather was great while we were there.  We stayed at the La Playa Resort – very nice.  One day, I was able to partake in the “good life” as I laid on the beach in one of those white beach chairs with the blue and white umbrella shading me…and I even ordered drinks on the beach for me and the kids.

(Dear was attending his conference - poor thing!). 

Now, I tell you, it wasn’t cheap – but that was the first time I had ever enjoyed “service” on a beach.  The servers were very nice young men.  They even brought out trays of little cups of raspberry sorbet for everyone to sample (the kids loved that!) and later, they even brought around chilled towels (gratis!!!).  Very nice.  I could have stayed there all day…but we had to go explore the area.  One night as we drove around town, we found a nice historical area with the most beautiful old Floridian homes.  In the center of that area, there was a little town square with restaurants and shops that was so cute.  It was a place I’d like to spend more time.  The next day we drove to meet Dear’s boss, his wife, and some friends of theirs in Fort Myers Beach.  It is a definitely beach town with all the little t-shirt shops and motels near the beach.  We met there so that we could head over to Sanibel Island.  For those of you who don’t know, Sanibel Island is well known for its shelling.  It was really a great little island.  There were lots of cute beach houses tucked into a very tropical and lush area.  There were also a fair share of mansions tucked in there as well.  We made our way over to Captiva Island before we stopped to get out and walk along the beach.  The kids and I found some really great seashells.  We have begun quite the collection in the short time we have been in Florida. It was a very nice day.  We stopped off at a quaint gift shop before leaving the island to get a few things.  We will definitely return there in the future. 

Aunt M, my sister-in-law (I call her “aunt” because she is an aunt to Cubs and Aggie!), flew into West Palm Beach on the 8^th.  We met her there and spent the afternoon at the hotel pool before heading off to the John Mayer concert at the Sound Advice Amplitheater.  Now, I realize it is August and we are in Florida, and yes, it is going to be hot – but I didn’t know it would be THAT hot!  Whew.  It wasn’t too bad once the sun went down (yes, it was outdoors)…but it never really cooled off.  However, the concert was great.  John Mayer is one of my favorite artists.  I never get tired of his music.  This was Cubs’ and Aggie’s first concert.  There were a few issues of concern other than the heat…including pot smoking in the general vicinity (yes…lots of it), cursing (thank you Ben Folds (who opened for John Mayer), and extreme fatigue.  It really was a bit much for the kids – especially Aggie.  She should have been in bed around 8:30 pm given her mood from that point on.  I’ll just leave it at that and, let’s say, I’ll chalk it up to a lesson learned…  No more concerts with my kids.