Home from vacation!

Florida was fabulous! I had never been there before and enjoyed it immensely. The drive down was long and tiring, but we made it in good spirits and didn't kill each other in the process. ;) We ended up  leaving our house at 3:40 in the morning (talk about early!!) and got to my aunt and uncles house at exactly six. That's even with us missing the exit the first time. ;) I was really amazed that we made it all the way through the crazy big cities without getting lost. Makes me think maybe I'm not such a lost person when it comes to driving places. ;) Our first day we did a lot! We went to the Navel Museum and  saw a ton of planes. That place is huge! If you ever go to Florida you should definitely check it out. Oh, and they had some awesome 360 simulators that we went on. Nate and I rode together and we each shot down an enemy plane. And we did a 360, which was pretty cool. :) Below is a picture my aunt took of us when we finished. We were pretty excited, if you can't tell. ;) Oh, and apparently the simulator isn't sound proof. I guess everyone standing around heard me yelling at the bad guys.... Nate was yelling too, so it wasn't just me. :)

We also went to the lighthouse which was nearby and climbed 175 (I think) steps to reach the top. The view was great and you'll see once I put pictures up. :) I've been working since I got home and haven't had time to edit pictures.
In the afternoon we went to the beach  and went parasailing. Which was totally awesome! I want to do it again. :) Our aunt and uncle had never been so it was something new for all of us. We bought water proof camera's as they dunk you in the water while pulling you back in. Yeah, there was no way I was taking my camera on it. :) I don't know how far up we were, but it was pretty high. And it was amazing how peaceful it was up there. Not a sound... well, except for Nate and I yelling at the other people parasailing. Don't worry, we didn't say anything bad. ;) The dunking part was awesome and Nate and I were both yelling at them to do it again. Of course, we were too close to the boat at that time and so they couldn't. :)
We were at the beach all day on Saturday and got to ride the jet ski most of the day. I would definitely be getting one of those if I lived by  a  lake or ocean. :)
We went to the beach every day except Wednesday, when Nate and I went shopping. :) We enjoyed getting something for everyone, and I think they all liked their gifts. :)
We ate a lot of seafood while there and I surprised myself by trying almost everything. :) The raw oysters were pretty sickening. I chewed it up and then spit it back out. First of all I never eat things that resemble brain matter and second of all, it was gross. You'll see from the pictures  (I'll eventually get them up;-), that I had quite an audience who all laughed when I spit the oyster out. :) At least I can say I've actually tried oysters and hopefully I will  never have to eat one again. Everyone at work has been telling me I need to try them again cause I might start liking them better. Anything that you have to acquire a taste for, isn't worth eating.
We left early in the morning (3:30) again on Thursday for the long drive home. It seems like the trip takes even longer when you're driving home and you know vacation is over.  Nate and I had both picked up colds and so didn't feel good. Which made the trip even longer and not much fun. But we made it and I was able to enjoy the evening with the rest of the family before I left to head back to Columbia. Working the day after vacation is rough. Especially when it's a 24 and you haven't had much sleep the last couple days. I made it through without dying so I suppose that's good. ;)

I was able to get all moved out on Saturday morning and into my new place. That was a very exciting time for me. :) I had less than 8 hours to get all my stuff packed up and moved all the way across town to my new place. Elisabeth helped me a ton and we were able to get everything to my room and my bed up and made. I even had time to take her to lunch and just spend time talking, before I needed to be back at work. I used my day off on Sunday to unpack everything and I'm happy to say that my room looks very nice. Just a few little touches to make it more homey and personal. :)

I'm  in the midst of my longest shift that I've ever done. I'm 23 hours into my 48 hour shift. Is it just me, or is that really depressing? I guess I'm almost half way through, but it seems like the hours creep by. I got a little sleep last night and I  took a nap this afternoon, so I should do okay if the night goes wacko. Lets hope that doesn't happen though. :)

Well, I'm signing out now... Believe it or not, but I started writing this on Saturday evening and have just now been able to finish it. So, if it sounds funny, blame it on that. I'm going to bed. ;)

Quote of the day: "If I'm not back in two minutes... wait longer." :)