June 28th

Well, today is our last day on our honeymoon! It is so hard to believe that the wedding and now our vacation is over. :(

This morning started off with an early morning walk on the beach. Dave took me to the "point of rocks". It's a beautiful area of the beach that is full of shells and large rocks. I really don't think I can explaing how many shells are covering this beach!!! It was really neat! After our walk we went back to our room to finish packing. We had to be out of our room by 9:30, but our plane didn't take off until after 6pm, so we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall in Ellenton. This place has a special meaning for Dave as his grandparents used to live in this city and his Grandma used to work at one of the stores in the outlet mall. We enjoyed strolling through the shops, picking up a few bargains along the way. My most priced souveneir from the trip is a brand new Coach purse and wallet! It's fabulous (if I do say so myself)!!!

The drive back was pretty easy and uneventful. We made it to the airport safely and found our gate. From that point on we just waited....and waited....and waited...for 4 hours! When we finally got on the plane, everything went smoothly and we were back in Houston before we knew it! Martha picked us up at the airport and drove us back to our new apartment!!! It was crazy to walk in the door since we only lived here for about 3 weeks before we left for WI! Anyway, we still love it and a big part of us was actually glad to be home!

I couldn't have asked for anything better than what this trip brought me...

-fun times with my family and friends in my home town

-the most amazing and beautiful wedding a girl could ever imagine

-a fun, exciting and relaxing trip to Florida with my new husband

-a glimpse into Dave's growing up while at Siesta Key

-and a beautiful apartment to come home to!

I couldn't be happier!

June 27th, 2007

Today started much like yesterday. We barely rolled out of bed and we were in our swim suits walking towards the beach. We spent the day going back and forth between the water and our chairs, however there was a slight difference. Today, our umbrella was up ALL day, due to our severe sun burn! Now, remember when I said that Dave is Mexican and I am not? Well, I say that because we only got SPF 4 sun tan lotion! How could we/I be that stupid??? I guess when you want a good tan, 4 sounds fine, but right now as sharp pains spread across my shoulders and chest, 30 looks a lot better! Dave’s isn’t quite as bad as mine and will probably turn to brown in no time due to his heritage (or at least that is what he claims). I just hope I can put on enough lotion to prevent peeling, or at least minimize it! It started raining mid-afternoon, so we were forced off the beach and back in to our rooms. We watched a little t.v, took a nap and then showered and head to the village for dinner. This time we went to the Daiquiri Deck. It was excellent! We also took a stroll through the local mall since it was still raining. By the time sun set came around, the sky had cleared up and we were able to watch the sun set from the beach! It was beautiful!!!!

June 26th, 2007

5am…alarm…we slowly rolled out of bed and finished packing. By 5:30, we were on our way to the airport to pick up our rental car. That process went smoothly, so we were quickly on our way to Siesta Key!!! It took us 2 hours to get there..1 hour west and 1 hour south. We first stopped at a local drug store to pick up some sun tan lotion and snacks. (Note for later…Dave is Mexican; I am not. You’ll understand shortly.) Once we were all stocked up with Coppertone, popcorn, cookies and water we checked in to our room. Picture several small streets, almost like alleys, with small motel-like “resorts” on either side; ours was called Captiva Beach Resort. We got our keys, lugged all our suitcases in the room, changed into our swim suits and were out the door! The beach is only about a half of a block from the resort. It was still early, so we were easily able to find a couple of chairs with an umbrella. We laid down for only a few minutes before Dave convinced me to go in the water. If any of you know me well, you know that I am terrified of large bodies of water and of course sharks! I have only gone in the ocean twice (actually the Gulf) and have gone in to my thighs and no higher. However, both those times I was with friends; this time I was with my husband and I think it made a difference. Dave was able to coax me to go as far as my chin without too much of a problem! I only had a couple of rules….Dave was not to go far from me when I was that deep and he was always to be the one further out. This insured the sharks would get him first!!!! He, he, he. Dave was very accommodating; which I am sure was partially due to the fact that he felt a sort of accomplishment that he was the one who helped me get over my fear (not completely though – I’m still not ready for a cruise)! Anyway, the day was great! We relaxed on the beach, soaked up some sun and did a lot of swimming. One of my favorite parts was seeing Dave care free and child-like with his adorable goggles on!!! Oh, and did I mention we saw dolphins???? Yeah, we did! It was so awesome and may have to be my favorite part over the goggles (sorry Honey). There were at least a dozen or more of them about 200 yards away from us! They were porpoising like crazy, which made it look as if they were playing! Dave let me get on his shoulders for a better view! I will never forget that moment…it truly was amazing! We got cleaned up for an early dinner at Phillippe Creek Oyster Bar. Dave and his family used to come here a lot, so it was highly recommended. I was certainly not disappointed. I had some wonderful coconut shrimp and Dave had the gator meal. After eating, we went shopping in the village. It was filled with all your typical tourist gift shops. Although, no matter how typical; it is impossible to stay away. We saw lots of Siesta Key t-shirts (Dave bought one); many swim suits, sunglasses and sandals; tons of shot glasses, mugs and cups; far too many trinkets with parrots, lizards and shells on them; more postcards than anyone could ever want; and of course any item imaginable that could be personalized with your name! It was great fun! We then drove around the island and the main land for awhile gawking at houses, resorts and palm trees. We finished the night with some great homemade ice cream! I was told that Dave and Matt got jumbo jaw breakers there once and couldn’t even make a dent in them! Lucky me…I get to witness this event because Dave bought one and is determined to get further this time!

June 25th, 2007

Now that all the parks are done, we were able to spend one complete day at our resort. We spent time laying in the sun, swimming in the pool, soaking in the hot tub, playing in the arcade, walking the trails, taking pictures and more! We had a couple drinks by the pool and then went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We decided to get a little more dressed up this time, which was a nice change from t-shirts and shorts. We dined at a place called Artist Point. It was beautiful! We started off with a glass of wine and a cheese sampler plate. Now, it’s not what you are thinking…no spreadable cheese and crackers. It was a long rectangular plate with a small triangular slices of aged white cheddar, blu cheese and an aged parmesan. In between the slices was a small pile of dried cranberries and a golden raisins soaked in wine! The blu cheese made us want to throw up, but everything else was good. Shortly after, our main dishes came to the table. Dave ordered a pork chop on top of a bed of macaroni. I ordered a roasted chicken with russet potatoes and snap peas. Both our meals were excellent!!!! At $28 a plate, they better be!!! For desert we shared caramelized peach cake in a cinnamon sauce with a small scoop of peach sorbet. After another glass of wine, we went for a short walkairport by the lake and then headed inside for some sleep before our drive to Siesta Key tomorrow!

June 24th, 2007

Today was our last day at the Disney Theme Parks. We finished Epcot and MGM, but still had Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom to tackle. We began at Animal Kingdom. We were there right when it opened and quickly made our way to the Dinosaur Exhibit. We thought it would be a walk-through, park-like exhibit of animatronic dinosaurs, but we were wrong! It was a ride! It took us through a dark inside replica of an island in the time period of the dinosaurs. It was extremely dark, so there were many unexpected twists, turns and of course dinosaurs! We both decided it was our favorite ride!!! We then continued through the park seeing many other animals like tigers, siamangs, bats, birds and more. We went on one more ride and called it a day. We went back to the resort, took yet another nap and got ready for the next and final park…Magic Kingdom! We were both very excited to go back! Although, I already saw Cinderella’s Castle, I was still thoroughly impressed! We hit up two areas we didn’t go through last time including Tomorrow Land and Toon Time Land. The latter was mainly for kids and didn’t have much for us. We did get to go through Minnie and Mickey’s houses which was quite cute, but the majority of our time was spent in Tomorrow Land. We went on a ride based on Lilo and Stitch where Stitch escapes and is running through the audience (which is in complete darkness). You feel him breathing on you, running on the back of your seat and even burping on you, which stunk like chili fries!!! We also saw an interactive comedy show based on the movie Monsters Inc. and a 3-D show with tons of Disney characters! Both were hilarious and very impressive! Most of the rest of our time was spent relaxing and taking in all the sights. We enjoyed some homemade candy, some shopping and a great dinner at the Plaza Restaurant. The best part of the night (and the best night time show of the trip) was the fireworks display called “Wishes”. Although, I did really enjoy Fantasmic a couple nights ago at MGM, Wishes far surpassed that show! It was amazing! We wondered around for a little bit after the show, but then head out. Dave had to drag me towards the door, all the while reminding me that we will be back one day with our kids, so I didn’t actually have to say good-bye!

June 23rd, 2007

Today was an incredibly relaxing day! We were out the door by about 8:30 heading straight to the resort pool. It’s a gorgeous pool surrounded by rocks, waterfalls and even a geyser! We hung out in the pool for awhile and then switched to the hot tub. It was a perfect time to go to the pool because most people are still getting ready for the day or are off to a theme park. The pool is barely tolerable later in the day due to the huge crowds! After we laid out in the morning sun for awhile, we proceeded to the boat rental area were we found ourselves in a Sea Raycer, a 2 seater baby speed boat! It’s like a mix between speed boat, jet-ski and paddle boat. We were told that anything over 320 pounds would affect speed and we confidently shrugged our shoulders as if that didn’t apply to us. Once we left the dock we realized that it certainly did apply to us! So, although we weren’t able to go nearly as fast as we saw others going, it was very enjoyable! The little lake our resort is on, is very, very pretty and provides a great view of Cinderella’s Castle! Once we finished with the boat, we showered and got ready to head to the Boardwalk! The Boardwalk is actually another Disney resort on a different lake that has lots of little restaurants and of course ESPN Zone (the main reason for our visit)! We decided to eat at the ESPN restaurant and were quickly glad we did. When we arrived the Bears Quarterback, Rex Grossman, was there. Although, we are Packers fans, it was still cool to see! He went into this sound proof, glass room to do an interview which was actually live and being played on tv’s throughout the restaurant. As soon as he left, another celebrity came in…Michelle Kwan! It was so awesome to see her in person! Although I don’t watch ice skating as much as I used to, I always loved her and she’s without a doubt, the most well known figure skater around! I got a few pictures and she walked about 2 feet in front of me, but I couldn’t actually get a picture with her; she was quickly being ushered out. When we were done eating we walked the Boardwalk a little and then came back for yet another nap! Once we awoke from our nap we headed towards Fort Wilderness Campground. It’s a short distance away and we were able to ride a ferry to get there. Once we arrived we made our way to the middle of the campground where we anxiously awaited a campfire. Unfortunately, the campfire pits were really small and the 2 fires were lit without so much a word. The whole experience was very disappointing. Even though we could buy a kit to make s’mores and there was a movie to be played on a huge outdoor screen within an hour, Dave and I decided to leave. It may have been our least favorite and most disappointing part of the trip…we both expected the largest campfire imaginable. We then walked through the trails of the campground back towards the lake and sat down for awhile. We had dinner reservations at the Trail’s End restaurant, which is an all you can eat buffet. We were very pleased with dinner. We both felt like we’ve been surviving on French fries and sandwiches for days, so it was great to get a home cooked meal. The buffet was filled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni, salad, skirt steak and much, much more! We ate like we’ve never ate before and then headed back to our resort for bed.

June 22nd, 2007

Well, today started a little different than the previous days. We got up at a decent hour and ate breakfast like normal, but luck wasn’t on our side this time. Our intention was to go to the Wide World of Sports, which we didn’t know anything about. Having “sports” in the title was enough for Dave. So, we excitedly hopped aboard a bus to MGM Studios, as no buses went directly there from our resort. Once there we thought we found the correct bus and away we went. However, when we got there and went inside, we discovered we were dropped off at the “All Sports Disney Resort”!!!! Although I did buy a cute shirt in their gift shop, they had nothing else for us. So, we found out that we should go to another central location to catch the right bus. This time we went to Downtown Disney. We stopped in a store to get a Christmas Ornament I wanted and then were back at the bus stops. We couldn’t find the correct bus, so we decided just to go back to MGM, which is where we intended on ending our day anyway. Unfortunately, they do not have buses that go from park to park so we had to take one to another resort, get off and get on another bus from there to MGM. This last part of the process took about an hour! By the time we got to MGM it was almost 1pm and we felt like we accomplished very little. Despite all this, we had a wonderful time at MGM because it was Star Wars Weekend! This was our main purpose for going, so we had no problem standing in the long lines for photos with famous Star Wars characters! We got pictures with a total of about 7 characters including, Luke, Chewy, R2-D2 (who I kissed), Storm Troopers and more!!! We also enjoyed lunch at the Sci-Fi Drive In, where we were seated in booths that were inside convertibles. The whole restaurant is made to look as if we were in a drive in movie, complete with a huge screen playing parts of classic movies and cartoons! After all this, we were once again pretty beat and although we found the correct bus stop for Wide World of Sports on our way out, Dave decided not to go. We went back to the resort for our daily nap. As we speak it is about 8pm and Dave is still sleeping! I’ll wake him up soon!

June 21st, 2007

Despite setting our alarm for 6:15 in the morning, we didn’t roll out of bed until 8:15. We were way too tired after traveling and our first day of parks to get up that early. After a quick breakfast we headed to Magic Kingdom, the ultimate Disney Theme Park. I was in awe when we walked up to see Cinderella’s Castle!!! The very venue you see on all the commercials, the Disney logo and all the merchandise. It was beautiful! And once again, we had great timing as we caught a cool dance show on the Castle stage right when we got there! We continued walking around the park enjoying the scenery and wandering in and out of shops. At this point, I was getting plenty of attention…yesterday, at MGM, Dave bought me Minnie ears with a veil! They are very cute and have provided Dave and I with a bit more attention than we anticipated! We also both were given "Just Married" buttons which provided us with even more attention! While hearing lots of “congratulations” Dave and I made it through about half the park. We rode the “It’s a Small World” and “Peter Pan” ride and saw A Tiki Show starring Zazu and Iago! We also were lucky enough to meet Timon and Rafiki and get a picture!!! Did I mention Dave got me a very, very large Princess balloon??? Yes, he did…and yes, I feel like I am 5 years old and I am loving every minute of it! We then went back to the hotel and planned the rest of our vacation with the concierge. We made reservations at several restaurants for the rest of our stay! We then proceeded to Epcot!!! We immediately went on the very cute “Nemo and Friends” ride and then worked our way around the "world"! Epcot circles a small lake and contains replicas of many historical buildings around the world. Each “country” has authentic shops, restaurants, grounds and even employees from the given country. We stopped at the Nine Dragons Chinese restaurant for our reservation! It was an amazing meal! After dinner we watched the incredible “Illuminations” light and fireworks show! It was one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen! We ended the night with a ride on a Test Track with a super fast race car and another ride on Spaceship Earth with an entertaining look at the history and future of communication. With sore chins, feet and backs we said goodnight to Epcot which we finished in only one afternoon!

June 20th, 2007

Well, the day started early as we headed to Animal Kingdom, our first Disney Theme Park of the vacation. We were able to get in early due to the “Extra magic Hours” offered to Disney resort guests! We ran to the back of the park for the Kilimanjaro Safari! We were taken on an interactive “safari” in a large jeep through the African forest and savanna! We saw rhinos, giraffes, impala, lions, hippos and much, much more! Then we continued through the park stopping for other animal exhibits including gorillas. My favorite part was the “It’s Tough to be a Bug” 3-D show inside the beautiful Tree of Life! We tackled half the park and came back to the hotel for a short nap. We’ll get the rest done on Sunday. After our nap, we headed to Disney’s MGM Park. As we walked in the entrance, a parade had just begun…great timing! We saw characters like Woody, Buzz, R2-D2, Darth, the Disney Princesses and many more! We went to several shows including Indiana Jones, Muppet 3-D and Star Tours! We stood in line for longer than I can remember for the big show of the night…Fantasmic! Despite the long wait, this water, light and character show was well worth it! To my amazement, a Disney employee convinced Dave to try the Aerosmith roller coaster!!!! For someone who LOVES Aerosmith and roller coasters, this couldn’t be a better combination, but Dave doesn’t like roller coasters, heights OR Aerosmith!!!! I was very excited he gave it a try and survived to talk about it! He says it was bland and too short, but that he would do it again! WOW! Maybe I’ll get him on all the roller coasters now!

June 19th, 2007

We were on a plane by 6am heading to our honeymoon location…Orlando!!! Relaxation here we come!!! Once we arrived at the airport we were greeted by “Magical Express” employees who told us that we didn’t have to even worry about our luggage. It would arrive at the resort later in the day! Talk about convenience. We then took the Disney shuttle to the Wilderness Lodge resort! It is absolutely beautiful! Our room is on the first floor over looking a calm and very quiet little pond. We have a patio that leads right to the pond! We were visited by ducks very early in our stay! We have much exploring of the resort to do over the next several days. After a nap, we got ready for Downtown Disney! We started by eating out at Planet Hollywood. Our VIP pass lead us straight to a table, avoiding the half hour wait! We had a wonderful meal and took home 2 souvenir glasses and 2 t-shirts. We then proceeded through the rest of the shops, buying more trinkets along the way and stopping for many photos! We will be going back later in the week to experience Downtown in the daylight! The night ended with a bottle of wine, balloons and a congratulations card from Mickey and Minnie waiting in our room! It was a wonderful first day!

Our Wedding Day

All the planning...all the appointments, phone calls and fittings and it is all over in less than a day! The good news is that it was all I ever dreamed and so much more! Dave and I could not have been happier with the way our day turned out! Everything down to the smallest detail was perfect! We pray that all of you that were able to make it enjoyed yourselves! I can't begin to describe the amazing feeling of having all our loved ones with us for such an important event!

I am not going to go through all the details of the day; all I am going to say is that it was the best day of my life! I am so in love and will never forget the day I married my best friend!