Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I will never forget the first time I experienced the wide open blue; the smell of the ocean breeze, the sand beneath my toes, and the salty feel of the water.  We arrived early Sunday morning and found the perfect location to set up "beach" camp. Chairs, the umbrella, towels, a cooler of Island Coastal Lager, and my new pirate flag...you know, the essentials.  There was a slight breeze and the sun was just starting to warm the sand. 

Before too long, we all made our way into the water to cool off taking turns keeping an eye on our new little mermaid. I don't think I was quite as brave as my niece was as she didn't want to leave the sea and was swimming around like a little fish.  I am so happy she was able to go to Florida and spend a day at Clearwater, one of my favorite places to be.

After a few hours of swimming, building sand castles, and picking up seashells it was time for lunch. There is only one spot for this, Pearly's Beach Eats.  Fish tacos, nachos, and local beer by the Pair O' Dice Brewing Co. are the must-haves when you are visiting Clearwater.  We hit the local shops to pick up some new beach gear before heading to Pier 60.  The pier offers an outstanding view of the Gulf and it was perfect timing too because we were able to watch the afternoon rain showers as they made their way inland.

We headed back to The Plantation for our traditional evening golf cart ride followed by burgers on the grill.  And on our last day in Florida, we spent the morning playing Pickle Ball and relaxing from a busy past four days before catching our flight back to the Land of Oz.

Cheers to another successful Florida Adventure!

Shona

Follow Me ↠ #kcgypsea

Travel IG: http://www.instagram.com/dirtroadshighheels

Personal IG: http://www.instagram.com/shonamhouston

Sign up for blog emails here: http://www.thedirtroadshighheels.blogspot.com

The Magical World of Disney

It's definitely Magical and it has a whole section devoted to Pirates, but it's still one of those places that I have to remember to breathe; just like the last park this one is no different.  I get anxiety, the crowds annoy me, and you can not get anywhere fast because there are literally people everywhere.  On that note, every time I leave there, somehow the Magic overtakes all of those feelings and it's like I'm a kid again.  I'll get to that a bit later.

As we took the ferry across Seven Seas Lagoon, I couldn't help but think how much Remi was going to enjoy seeing Magic Kingdom and all that it has to offer.  We made our way into the park and toward the infamous Cinderella Castle where Mickey and Minnie were performing to classic Disney music.  It truly is like fairy tale and being we visited in October, the park was decked out with all of the wonderful colors of the Fall season.

Since this was our second park of the day, we were on a mission to ride as many rides as possible. Lucky for us, we had a couple of FAST passes, which allowed us to cruise right on by all of those people waiting and waiting and waiting.  Let me give you a piece of advice; if you are planning a trip to Disney, get the passes. You can actually sign up for them 6 months in advance and can easily do so by using an app on your phone.  We did ours literally the day before which is why we were limited on how many rides we could use them for.  Trust me when I say, this will save your life and your sanity.

Our first stop was Splash Mountain...it's a good thing this ride is super fun because we didn't have fast passes and we waited 2+ hours.  Let's just say I was losing my patience but forgot all about the wait as we made our big splash down the mountain all while I was trying not to get my hair wet.  Just being real here folks!  Next we headed to what I like to call, my home away from home, Adventure Land; which is where the Pirates and Rum can be found. This was my absolute favorite ride and I spent way too much time and money stocking up on Pirate gear.  My new mini Pirate flag will go perfect with Goldie my traveling airplane!  The Haunted Mansion was next on the list, a slow but fun ride through twists and turns of ghosts and darkness.  Since we had some time to kill before the nightly fireworks, we hopped on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin which was complete with water spitting camels. Remi somehow managed to make sure they always spit on me, which she found hilarious so how could I be upset with that?

Our last and final stop was Cinderella Castle, complete with about one million other people or at least it felt like that.  The show started promptly at 9 p.m. and last exactly 20 minutes. Twenty minutes of never before seen fireworks perfectly timed to the amazing music of Disney.  The castle was changing colors almost every single second and just before you didn't think it could get any better, the finale.  From the top of the castle Tinkerbell appeared; and she flew and she flew like she was flying to Neverland, the second star on the right and straight on until morning.

And this is where the goosebumps happened and I felt like a kid again in the most magical place on earth.

See you in another 5 years Disney

I've got one more niece that needs to experience you!

Shona

Follow Me ↠ #kcgypsea
Travel IG: http://www.instagram.com/dirtroadshighheels
Personal IG: http://www.instagram.com/shonamhouston

Sign up for blog emails here: http://www.thedirtroadshighheels.blogspot.com

Ice Cream, Animals, and Everest

The moment we arrived at Animal Kingdom my anxiety was rising.  I prefer to avoid crowds, I dislike waiting in lines, and oh my word I am surrounded by strollers.  But then, as I was following behind Remi, she started to dance to the music and in my mind I was thinking this girl has no clue what she is about to experience. It just made me so happy!

Right inside the gate was the infamous Tree of Life.  It's a gorgeous site to see and just beyond that, bright pink flamingos.  I could have stood and watched these birds for hours.  But, I was on mission. The first stop was for the must have Mickey-Shaped chocolate covered ice cream on a stick.  Second stop, Kilimanjaro Safari, because animals.  Lions, giraffes, elephants, alligators, more birds and many other species living in a place that protects them from being harmed.  Roaming the open lands, no chains, no fences, no restrictions.  Just 110 acres of a real like savanna of East Africa. Fun fact; the entire Magic Kingdom park could fit inside the Kilimanjaro Safari, put that into perspective.

Next up and one of my favorites, Expedition Everest.  This thrilling Roller Coaster is themed around the Yeti protecting the Forbidden Mountain next to Mt. Everest. Its cost to build was a cool $100 million and took 6 years to construct.  You do not want to skip this ride.  It's the first coaster to switch between backward and forward sections during the same ride. Trust me, it's cool. There are some really cool artifacts too while you are waiting in line that includes a costume and ceremonial mask used in the annual Yeti dance and remains that were left from the ill-fated expedition of 1982.  The only pictures captured were found on a mangled camera left at the ruined campsite.

Prayer flags adorn the top of the mountain coaster, right before you start to go backward.  These flags are flown to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind and are often seen along the mountain ridges of the Himalayas. I love the purpose of these and having a set of them was the perfect addition to my loft.

To be clear, I did not buy Mickey Ears...

See you this afternoon Magic Kingdom! 

Shona

Follow Me ↠ #kcgypsea
Travel IG: http://www.instagram.com/dirtroadshighheels
Personal IG: http://www.instagram.com/shonamhouston

Sign up for blog emails here: http://www.thedirtroadshighheels.blogspot.com