Dry Tortugas and Key West

Ok. It was a great last week. The first couple of days were all very productive school days and you could definitely tell by the green tests we accomplished. I’ve already started test 120 and started a new Calvert book that I haven’t been able to put down. It is called David Copperfield, a tragic story of a young boy in England in the 1800’s and all the clever things he must overcome from infatuation to an evil stepfather to the death of his loving mother. He overcomes the worst and the best with luck and a considerable amount of naïve style.

I set up a large scale Nerf Gun war with the kids at the local CYS (child youth services) so we had a lot of fun attacking and shooting at each other the next day. We had the most fun snorkeling at the Dry Tortugas National Park on Garden Key which is 70 miles west of the main land. So we packed up our stuff 2 days before and were going to call this a camping trip because we were going to camp there in tents because we obviously couldn’t take the R.V. out there. Finally the day came and we boarded the Yankee Freedom ll, the name of the ship, at 7:30 in the morning after we woke up at 5:30. We were very drowsy except for my parents who were quite ecstatic about the whole idea of camping on an island with an abandoned Fort Jefferson that held the 4 tyrants who helped John Wilkes Booth who assassinated President Lincoln. We went out there watching Coral Reef movies and looking for sea turtles and dolphins on that very large 2 story catamaran. While out there I ate a complimentary breakfast and lunch and read David Copperfield.

There was a real character named Tortuga Jack, real name no joke even if it is April Fool’s Day. He told jokes, stories, and the history of the Fort, island, and inhabitants. What a day! When we arrived we set up camp immediately and went snorkeling. Visibility: terrible for that hour. So while it was cloudy and cool we explored the Fort. And I myself explored the moat, island, all three stories and all three sides of the hexagonal Fort that was available for me and me being alone to explore. I read every history board, every sign and listened to every park ranger who told me about the Fort.
Then we did sea glass collecting, big hall echoing, and lots and lots of snorkeling as the weather got brighter and hotter as the ocean got clearer and clearer. Oh the things we saw, and the fish we met, and the coral we discovered! It was like the commercials and tourist trap advertisements. Come to think of it, they might have been telling the truth, huh. Well, we saw people fishing and sailing and kayaking. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of fun things and that is how I spent my Monday and Tuesday which was technically my weekend.

That’s the great thing about homeschooling. You can catch up on the weekends when you’re doing nothing, and do fun stuff on the weekdays when everybody’s at school or at work. You can take a recess whenever you want (If you’ve earned it and your teacher says so) as long as you work up to it and then catch up to it. For my break 4 days ago I went snorkeling in Key West and loved it! Where else in the world can you find a school system where you can do that! Well we have to move our R.V. to a different slot. The R.V. office says it’s time for someone else to get full hook-ups. Bye.

Key West, Florida

3/23/09
We’re just doing school, lesson 107 to be exact, and decided that while I’m waiting for Mom to finish with Will so she can finish review with me, I’m going to blog. Recent studies, my studies, show that I’m doing very advanced work. For example, for each lesson I get a mix Algebra 1, reading, grammar, History, Geography, vocabulary, spelling, science, and composition. For one subject, I received the following assignment; Write a five paragraph book summary on a non-fiction book that you have read recently using examples of why you thought it was a good or bad book and why. That is for ONE subject in ONE lesson, and it is NOT the only subject in the lesson. I also have Algebra, reading, spelling, History, vocabulary, and science. So those of you who think I’m slacking off or falling behind, start changing your mind please!


Now it’s time for some more pleasant news on our lives. We are currently in Key West for our fifth day, and we enjoy it greatly, even though we have to use expensive diesel fuel for the generator because we are in a military campground. Nonetheless it has no electricity or water or sewer. We are right on the Gulf of Mexico, but people pronounce it MEH-HE-CO. We rented a boat 4 days ago and went out snorkeling in the United States’ only living coral reef. The things we saw, oh! We had so much fun with no dive instructor and got to see all sorts of animals. We saw purple sea fans, which are not plants but animals. As I am interested in plants I took much surprise to discover that the purple color in the translucent fan is from a different formula than the Animal uses for photosynthesis. In other words, because it is an animal that adopted the use of the plant’s ingenious photosynthesis technique and it is not a plant, it must create a different formula to keep itself alive because the old formula (carbon dioxide + sunlight + water = sugar) couldn’t apply to the animal because it is not similar enough to the plant to use the same formula. So it devised its own, the new formula (sorry, I don’t know what it is). It’s strange enough being underwater; makes the plant turn a brilliant dark purple.

We also went on a bike ride to Fort Zachary Taylor State park. There we snorkeled, played in the sand, rode our bikes, and saw very strange art and a breathtaking sunset. The next day we came back to get some key lime pie and stayed for the sunset at Mallory Square, where there just happens to be about a thousand street performers. We saw dogs walk on tight ropes, men walk on tight ropes, men jump through hoops of fire and cats jump through hoops of fire all in hopes that you’ll leave a buck or two in their hat, guitar case, or bucket. We saw a guy get out of a chained straight jacket, and another juggle flaming torches. We went to the southernmost point in the US, and saw gold and treasure at Mel Fisher’s Museum. I held a finger bar of stamped Spanish gold that was lost at sea, and probably saw the world’s most expensive 3 ounce rock. It was an emerald and was worth more than three of our R.V’s and all of our stuff inside. Oh, my Mom’s ready for me now! I’ll save the rest for later. Bye!

Key Largo, Florida

Yesterday after I blogged we went snorkeling! It was in the United States’ first underwater state park! Usually state parks include lakes and ponds but not huge acres of the Atlantic Ocean. The state park is called John Pennekamp state park and it has a charter with a private diving/scuba/snorkeling business that brings tourists (that’s us) to the coral reefs and watches us as we safely snorkel around the coral shelf. We saw all types of coral that I had studied in a previous grade of school like Brain coral, Fire coral, and many other types.

The scariest fish that we saw were the barracuda, long menacing looking fish that can dart at speeds up to 60 miles an hour making it one of the fastest and deadliest fish, but none got eaten by the 3 foot long monsters. We saw beautiful parrot fish, with so many colors like the parrot and brilliant ones at that: green, blue, red, and yellow. What a sight! The water was slightly chilly but we had a great time swimming in the 72-74 degree water. Everything from fish like sticks, to conch shells, to the most graceful flying fish… everything was absolutely amazing!

After an hour and a half (but it seemed like 20 minutes) the captain’s mate sounded the horn and we all came in. Sam got in last and the dive master started making jokes about the last one back buys the first round of drinks at the local bar’s happy hour. But as I said, it was a joke. Then we went back and when that boat hits 30 miles an hour (fast enough to water ski behind) the bow tips up about 20 feet and you feel like you’re flying. When we got back we thanked the crew and went back to the R.V. park and went to bed. Well, back to school.

3/16/09
Alright, I have finished my green test for math and I am currently on lesson 101 in all my subjects except for reading, which I am on 103. Everything seems to be in working order. We pulled into a large county park with a driving range, (Yes Mrs. Clark, keep reading, for I know you will enjoy the following part about our two periods of G.E….Golfing Education of the year), water park, and sewer hook-ups right at the slots! That’s a treat not having to go dump black water (sewage) and greywater (dishwater, shower water, and sink water) every other day. I’ve taken a liking to Harry Potter books and finished the Half Blood Prince in two days.

The next day we went to the driving range, did school, and went to a local “Relay for Life” promoting how we should, wait, need to find a cure for cancer. We enjoyed every minute of it. Then we went back and watched a blockbuster movie called August Rush. Good movie, kid got separated from his mum and dad and got sent to an orphanage, musical genius follows the music in his heart and you’ll find out the rest if you watch the movie. The next day we went to the beach and I was introduced to the nicest family that my Dad and Uncle Clipper know. We played in the ocean with their adorable little children Luc and Lea. Mr. Pascal and Ms. Judy talked with my mom and dad while my brothers and I surfed and what not. When they left we stayed an hour or two longer and then explored South Beach. Those of you who know the place know that the strip of land is covered in expensive condominiums and girls in bikinis. Afterwards we went home and it was dark outside.

The next day we went to that water park and had a blast for about 4 hours, and then we went to the driving range with my dad and four brothers. We rented a 5-iron, 1 driver, and 2 large buckets of balls. (We originally bought only one bucket of balls, but the machine wasn’t very smart and gave us two!) We went to the bottom of the two levels and started taking lessons from our dad. After he was convinced that we were both good and safe enough to try by ourselves, or that we were just a lost cause, he turned us loose and I believe from the look on my dad’s face that I was doing better than he expected. (Unless he just set his standard really, really low). Finally, I got to try something other than a 6 or a 9 and tried a driver. I hit it pretty close to a chip and a putt from the blue flag out yonder; it was next to the 125 yard mark. I thought, my algebra teacher would be proud, because she loves to golf.

Then we met up with Colonel Tio, A friend of my dad’s. He and his wife had the most beautiful house and the tiger tail lilies matched the orange walls and everything. Gorgeous. We had dinner and met their children who are fully grown and have their own children, Ali and Gabe. We played in their pool and had a great time at dinner watching “Meet the Robinsons” and half of “Arthur and the Invisibles”. When we eventually went home after 9:00 we immediately went to bed. Today we left the park and came to our friends’ house, the family that we met at the beach. We are having fun playing with Lea, while Luc is off at school, and the lunch was spectacular. Well off to do more school. Bye!

Pembroke Pines, Florida

3/12/09
I know that I haven’t blogged in a long time and I keep using this as an introductory sentence, but I also know that I’m getting so bored that I’ve listened to the Mary Poppins soundtrack from my iTunes at least twice a day. That sentence was long wasn’t it? Oh a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine - oh forget it; I can’t type as fast as the song any who. I just finished putting the RV slides out, helping cook dinner, helping eat dinner, and finishing my green tests, Oh I’m just bored! School all day and the most fun that we had was washing the R.V. and jumping in the intercoastal waterway. It was actually warm though.

Now I’m blogging and the rest of my brothers are watching pinokeokeeo, did I spell that right? Can someone email me a comment? I want to do something other than the dreaded, dreadful green tests. I only have one left and it’s math. Actually it’s advanced algebra and I loathingly detest it! The Space Shuttle got delayed again today and everyone is disappointed. Can someone give me something to do or a flower to trim? I’m passionate about plants and it relaxes me to be around them and do them good, or well. Whichever is the correct term of grammar usage. I’m off to do more school, anyone going to stop me? (Imitating Robin Williams). No, No, don’t go, you’re going to drive yourself mad with all that school, you don’t have to be ahead of your brothers in a more challenging curriculum, don’t stress yourself, give yourself a break, not even a little rest? Nobody? Typical, I’m just wasting my time anyway. My eyes are brimming with tears, I’m going to sign off before I start to cry. Bye.

Long Point County Park, FL

3/4/09

We really haven’t done a lot since I’ve blogged last but lots of school. My mom wants to make it very clear that we aren’t free-loading this year and taking the year off. My school day is typically shorter than a day in public school, but I learn more each day, and I work at my own pace, which is above average. I get plenty done every day and because I have 160 days of school and public school has 180 it automatically becomes more challenging right? Well that is true but I wish it wasn’t, and plenty of times Ben or Sam burst into tears and tantrums wishing that they could give up school even if they had to give up the trip with it.

As much as I disagree, school is hard, and much more so than public school. Will’s learning about space, aeronautics, and atoms, as well as fission, fusion, and energy in just the 6th grade. I have to admit that I’m a little jealous but I’m learning American history and get a research paper about twice a week. Yesterday alone I had three! But I did four days of work in about a 9 hour period. I’m learning as much as I could at the moment, and find it challenging but exciting. Every bend around this crazy highway of life leaves something to explore, something to learn, something to discover, or something to enjoy.

P.S. Last night we went on a camping trip for Boy Scouts on a deserted island surrounded by water. We loaded all of our camping gear, and made trips back and forth across the windy lake to the bank on the other side. We had an enjoyable experience. It was just me and my brothers doing this, and my parents got to have some quiet time back at the R.V. I cooked Top Ramen for dinner along with some canned fruit, and Will cooked oatmeal this morning. We had a fun time and went bird hunting the next morning with a bb gun and high velocity pellets. We came back empty handed, but we had fun and I taught Ben and Sam some gun safety. And isn’t that what scouting is all about? Yea, well we had fun except at the end of the morning when Ben started yelling about Harry Potter and how Hermione’s parents are muggles and dentists and stupid things like that. He seems to be going through a phase where he can just argue about the silliest things. I hope that he’ll stop soon and Sam won’t end up like him.

Sebastian Inlet, Florida

3/1/09
And we’re still in Florida; we’re just having less fun. We’ve done nothing but school, and move the R.V. every other-day to a new slot, so is the campground’s policy. We’ve gotten ourselves up to lesson 96 and I believe that we’re going a little faster than the other students, or at least I am. I always seem to be ahead of my siblings. Except for Sam of course but he’s actually supposed to be in second grade. I got my green tests back today, and Mrs. Clark you did a wonderful job grading my tests. We enjoyed reflecting on all of our subjects and I have received my best grades yet! A’s and A-’s in all of my subjects. My mom is happy and my dad is happy and Ben isn’t, but nothing pleases him anyway.

I’ve explored the depths of my computer and have come across a wonderful gaming program with only the most fun and interesting games I’ve seen in a long time; none of the slow, rune-scape graphics on any of them. I’ve had a lot of fun doing them on my breaks and my dad says that I need to do more Piano, Boy Scouts, and Rosetta Stone. So it looks as if I’ll never get all the work done now, but it was fun while it lasted. I’m not like Ben who’ll say, “But I never get to do anything I like to do,” which you start to hear after awhile living with him. I can appreciate Mom and Dad’s caring and thoughtful capabilities and wanting us to get outside more, but Mom has really begun to detest anything electronic like game boys, (which I don’t play at all) Will’s Nintendo DS, (which I play very few times a month) or my computer (I can admit that I play this but not as much as other kids my age). We have no Play Stations, Xbox, or anything of the sort, but computers. I think a little bit a day is reasonable, don’t you? I played Port Royale 2 too much and I have about 2 hours of cumulative hours left of it so I’ll be playing for about two weeks. Not a lot of computer time. Everywhere I go I see kids playing games on their I-touch, or things like that and it makes me realize that I’ve been kept from all of that. I see how they’re obsessed with it and if it was up to me, I probably wouldn’t be much different. But my parents kept me away and I’m partially glad that I did and they did. Yet less than 25 minutes a day, while I do more school than a 9th grader, doesn’t seem fair. I’m probably boring you so I’m going to stop and do a lesson of Math. Bye!

2/26/09

Hi! We are still in Florida and just sent off Nana and Papa at the Airport. We’ve had so much fun. We walked on the beach and had barbeques. We went to The Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida and Aerospace travel is an interest of mine. We went on tour buses and saw the real crawler in the flesh! My NASA cyber class teacher would be so jealous. We saw real SRBs and ETs; not extra terrestrials or aliens, but External Fuel tank. We saw the Orbiter, or shuttle, Explorer. As well as the Pathfinder, the Fueled and valve-broken Discovery, and the Saturn V rocket, Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo space craft. We had a blast. Literally, we got to feel what a real shuttle launch experience felt like in their free simulator.

We did a lot of school and my dad had to fly to Baltimore for some post–Army stuff and VA or Veterans affairs stuff. But now he’s back and we’re driving to another campground off of Patrick Air Force Base, FL.

2/20/09
We left to a nearby Walmart for the night and got booted out by some security rent-a-cop. So we set off to another Walmart and got sent out of their too. We finally got to a third Walmart and didn’t get sent away till morning. Then we went to a campground on a military base called Patrick Air Force Base and stayed another night there. We drove around all day the next day looking for a good acceptable place where our grandparents could stay. We got one at a place called Royal Mansions.It has a cute small sized condominium with a pool, Jacuzzi, and beach access.

Then we stayed two nights at a county park called Long Point, with a river running through it and the ocean surrounding it. We tried fishing and failed, and I blew up our inflatable canoe and set off exploring just to find a bottle-nosed dolphin, to my mother’s great surprise. I fed the seagull’s some chex cereal for my break and set off some fireworks after dinner. But don’t forget school, school, and more …………..school! Then we went back to Patrick Air Force Base and then off to Royal Mansions. Nana and Poppa met us here later that day and we’ve been here ever since. We’re doing school, playing in the freezing ocean, and having fun.

Orlando and McDill Air Force Base, FL

2/16/09
The next day we all went to Magic Kingdom, We got to ride the monorail from the parking lot and it was a really fun ride. We walked around until we decided to go to Space Mountain for fast passes. We played around in Tomorrow Land until we got bored, then we went to Adventure Land and waited in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride for 20 minutes. We did some other minor rides, and got more fast passes and had more fun. Then we had lunch, boarded a train and rode to Space Mountain. We all had a blast, literally. It was supposed to be like a space launch, and we screamed as much as if it were the real one. Finally, we went back to the places where we had got our other fast passes at Splash Mountain and got really wet! Then we went to main street USA and watched Spectro Magic a show about all other Disney classics. Then we boarded another monorail and went home.
The next day we stayed at our condo with Matt and Julia. We played a complimentary miniature golf game, tennis, and raced in paddle boats that looked like swans. This was our last day with our friends at Disney World and we had so much fun with them! The next day they all boarded a plane that took them back to San Francisco. We miss them all dearly, and I wish that we never had to go back to school and our friends didn’t have to leave and we got to stay in our condo with an automated ice maker! But all dreams don’t come true, do they? Oh well, we left the condo the next morning and moved back into the coach. Then we went to Blizzard Beach, Epcot, and Disney Quest for one final bang and left Disney World for this time around.

2/13/09
My sore throat still hurts but I seem to be feeling better. Yesterday we didn’t do anything but school, a quick swim, and a visit with our friends from Alaska. Yea, The Hoseltons are from Fort Greely, the same place that we’re from! Mr. Hoselton is an amazing guitar player, and writes his own songs on the road. He played new songs for us, and we played at his hotel’s pool with his sons Parker and Jackson. Mrs. Tammy, Mr. Roger Hoselton’s wife, talked with my mom about Alaska. We had a really fun time. Then we packed up, said our goodbyes, and went back to the timeshare. See you later!

2/12/09
We haven’t done a lot, except for going to the greatest water park in the WORLD! There are two of them at Disney World. One of them is called Blizzard Beach, and the other is Typhoon Lagoon. We went to Blizzard Beach with our friends. The story behind this heated water park is that a freak snow storm blew in and made 8 feet of snow. With all that snow what do you do? Build a ski resort of course! So while the chairlift was built up, so did the temperature, and it’s now one of the world’s most gushiest slushiest water parks that looks like a ski resort in the world. We had a lot of fun on the double dipper and summit plummet, the only place in the world where you can travel straight down for 250 ft and go 64 mph sliding on your bottom. It was scary yes, but I’m not one to be afraid of heights. There were a couple of other rides that we went on but not nearly as good as that one. My bottom still hurts though. And that’s why I now prefer passing people on the lazy river. I’ll keep you posted.

2/11/09
Ok so even though I haven’t done a lot since I blogged yesterday my mom says that I have to blog everyday we’re at Disney World. So here goes. When I finished blogging yesterday we loaded up in our car and drove to EPCOT. We saw everything thing that we didn’t see last time we were at EPCOT. EVERYTHING. And some things that we had already seen last time we were at EPCOT. We had a lot of fun with our friends Matt and Julia, and their kids Alex and Sophia (But we call her Sofi). Then we stayed around for the fireworks and all in all, had a lot of fun. My favorite ride is still MISSION: SPACE but the most interesting ride is “living with the land.” We’re going to Blizzard Beach today even though I’ve come down with a sore throat the last few days and have been tough enough not to show it. I’m taking Ibuprofen now and seem to be feeling better, but let me tell you that I still stay as far away as I can from the stuff! Blizzard Beach is a giant water park that you can ride up to 60 mph on some of the rides before you can say “UUUUUUhhhhhhhhhh Where’s my bathing suit?” Time to go! Bye!

2/10/09
On February 8th our friends Matt and Julia came with their children, Alex and Sophia. We switched all of our food from the coach to the apartment/condo, and switched again because the people at the front desk made a mistake. So after we got settled in, we moved again…. pain in the butt by the way. My mom bought an extra carload of food for our friends and we couldn’t even ride in it because it was so stuffed. So while we walked to our new apartment, which was the same as the first, my mom drove off and we almost lost sight of her once or twice. Next, our friends arrived from the airport late at night and we went to bed earlier than we wanted to. The next day we all went to Hollywood Studios theme park in Disney World. It is my second least favorite of 4 parks. Although it has Rock and Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith (that can go 0-60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds) and the Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror, it still doesn’t beat Epcot (My first favorite) or Magic Kingdom (My second favorite). But it is a hair above Animal Kingdom because of nightly fireworks. They’re omitted in Animal Kingdom because it “scares the animals.” It also has Fantasmic, half fantasia and all fantastic. It’s a show where Mickey Mouse battles evil in this magic duel with fireworks and a water projectile screen. Dancers dance on boats and Ariel, Beauty, and Snow White fall in love, conquering all, the end. It was great. Today we’re going to EPCOT with our friends, and we still have 5 days on our tickets! See you later!

2/8/09
Of all the Disney theme parks that we have went to, none of them even compare to how amazingly great EPCOT is. EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow. And a small city it is! It has restaurants, lodging, roads, and parks. Even though they don’t have cars in the park, they do have Monorails galore and some things that a city doesn’t have. I’m mostly speaking of all the rides they have. And they aren’t based on a movie like in Magic Kingdom. No, these rides are there because they are the most high-tech, futuristic, and thrilling rides of all the rides at Disney. A perfect example would be MISSION: SPACE, an amazing ride where you get to feel the thrills of being in a real-life astronaut simulator. Everything is dazzling and razzling, especially at night during their IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth. This is where hundreds of fireworks are shot into the sky and synchronized with music to create a truly amazing experience that you’ll most likely never forget. Then after all of the fireworks burn out and there’s nothing but smoke in the night, they shoot laser beams through the smoke and you see a beam. Well actually you see hundreds of them as well as lights on the side of the lake, but whatever I tell you isn’t as good as seeing it yourself. There are all sorts of cool plants and fish in the LIVING WITH THE LAND ride. You get on a boat and slowly glide through all the exhibits of agricultural progress since farming was invented.

Everything is awesome and clean and beautiful. Frankly it’s too good for words and that’s without talking about the mind-boggling world showcase: 13 amazing countries, one after another, bordering a lake. All the cultures of Europe, the Middle East, Japan, China, Morocco, and even Canada are all within a small square half-mile. And each countries’ gift shops, restaurants, and street performers are manned by people from that country which is really cool too. So far my favorite country is China, and my favorite ride is SOARIN. We just left the Disney campground and are moving into a temporary hotel that my parents’ friends Mr. Matt and Mrs. Julia and their two kids, Alex and Sophia were kind enough to give us for one week of their timeshare. Mrs. Julia is also my God Mother and my Mom’s maid of honor at her wedding. Everything is wonderful, except for all of the school that we’ll have to do when this is over, and all the longing we’ll have to come back. But one of the greatest things about being here is that I’m here! You don’t understand? Let me explain. Everyone I know practically has gone to Disney World one way or another. But finally I’m here at the famous Disney World that is world famous. If you don’t believe me, talk to the multi-lingual people from China, Spain, and even Russia. There are 5 languages written on all the signs here so everyone can understand the message. All the games tell you to choose your language out of twenty, some of which I can’t even understand! It’s so cool and everyday I thank my parents for bringing us here for ten whole days! That’s all for now! See you soon!
P.S. The temperature has gotten up past the 60’s and into the 70’s, so we can go outside in shorts now!

2/6/09
We arrived at Disney World late at night and checked into Fort Wilderness Campground Resort. They have a heated pool…………….that’s heated a whole 40 degrees or something. We already figured that out. The first theme park that we went to was Magic Kingdom. It’s not the most interesting park, or the newest edition to Disney World, but definitely the most classic. We went on “it’s a small world” and Mom loved it. Sam’s and Dad’s favorite was Splash Mountain. Ben liked Tom Sawyer’s Island, and my favorite was Space Mountain. It’s an indoor roller coaster that’s in the dark. You keep on thinking (as you round hair pin turns) that some giant metal beam holding up the ride is going to come out of nowhere and take your head off. Nobody dares to put their hands in the air on this ride. We explored Tom Sawyer’s Island and had fun there. We saw bears sing, got wet, rode the big thunder mountain railroad, and even flew on a pirate ship. We took a lot of the tips that Charlie gave us in Maryland such as “get up early” and “go to the popular rides first.”

It rained on us and apparently it’s their value season, or opposite of peak season, so a usual 3 hour wait in line turned into a whopping 10 minute wait. We definitely had a lot of fun and rode Space Mountain 3 times. The line was about 3 minutes, and 2 minutes was walking through all the empty lanes. It was hard to imagine all those lanes filled with people. The next day was 2 lessons of school to take the place of the day before and the day, after that was our Animal Kingdom day. This was the biggest park with the fewest rides. We saw the Safari Tour in the Africa Section and Dinosaur from the Dinoland USA section of the park. Everyone’s favorite ride had to be EXPEDITION EVEREST. It was really neat and we almost got eaten by the Yeti. Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh Scary. Forward, Backward, side to side, straight down and straight up. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

When we were done with Animal Kingdom we went home. We planned to go to Epcot but Will woke up with a pain in his neck and the whole day we stayed at home and did school. We did school all right but we sure didn’t stay at home all day long. We went to a cool place called Disney Quest located at Downtown Disney. There it’s nothing but fun and games, literally. It’s a five story building filled to the brim with top of the notch gaming like Astro Blaster where you’re IN the Starship. It’s top of the line and all new, all interactive, and all cool. That’s all for now.

1/31/09
We got to Tampa on the 29th and set up camp at McDill Air Force Base 7 miles away. We met Mr. and Mrs. Miller and one of their 4 puppies, Rosy. While I finished up on my tests, my mom and dad “caught up” with their friends. Afterward I did the dishes and got to be surrounded by Ben and Sam a little (okay a lot) more than I wanted to. The next day we went roller blading into Tampa for a couple of hours and met some more of my dad’s friends. Will has been behind me and just finished up his tests and it’s really nice to know that it’s all behind us. We went sightseeing in Tampa and saw all the Steelers fans in black and gold jerseys. We met the Millers again and their son, Justin. We got to play with all 4 of their puppies and they cooked us a great dinner. We went home at 1 in the morning and got up at 10 the next day.

We drove to Orlando and got our Disney tickets at Shades of Green. We also went to “Body Worlds,” a human body museum that was all about the human body’s limits, health, and how to take care of it. All of the bones and kidneys and stuff were real people once. That’s right! Walking, talking people who died and were dissected and put on display for all to see. It gave me Goosebumps just remembering all the stuff that I looked at. But we also saw an IMAX DOME THEATRE movie called Extreme Sports.