Days 689-695! Sorry for another late blog post! Currently spending time with family for Thanksgiving, but you’ll hear more about that at the end of this blogpost and in next week’s post. This week I capped off a WONDERFUL week with Sophie and Paige, just truly so much fun. And then I got to spend time with my parents before heading up to Wisconsin to spend even more time with family for Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 20th kicks off this week, continuing our adventure in Orlando, Florida! Sophie and Paige both had work again today, so I spent it how I’ve spent my last couple… relaxing and reading!

I spent the morning finishing up Suzanne Collin’s Sunrise on the Reaping. It was such a dark book and depicted the back story of Hunger Game’s character Haymitch. It took me two reading sessions to read it fully, I couldn’t put it down! Strangely enough, the book’s movie teaser came out today… weird stroke of serendipity! The trailer has me very excited about the movie adaptation. The Hunger Games have always been, in my opinion, one of the most accurate book to movie adaptations. I still have yet to watch the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but the book is what got me back into reading!

After lunch, I spent the majority of the afternoon and early evening editing different parts of Travelie! I had fallen behind on updating the website and had plenty of “backend” work to do.

Sophie and Paige came home and we had leftover brisket for dinner. My parents had visited not too long ago and cooked it up for them. It was nice to have food cooked by family and I’m looking forward to having more home cooked food, with my parents, later this week!

After dinner, we watched Puss in Boots: the Last Wish. When this movie came out, three years ago, I was told it was a really good movie. It’s been on my list for a while and now that I’ve finally had a chance to watch it, I can agree with the reviews!

I know this is mainly a travel blog… but when the travel days are slow, it can turn into a book, tv show, and movie review blog!

It was a slow way to start off this week, but tomorrow had plenty in store for us.

We got up and left the house around 9am on Friday, November 21st. We had a full day of outdoor activity ahead of us.

We made our way on a half hour drive to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. If you’re ever in the Orlando area, I’d HIGHLY recommend this drive. Over the next couple hours we drove down a gravel road winding through repurposed farmlands that are now turned into wetlands. I believe there was a lot of water treatment done to the area too, but now the area is full of wildlife! There were tons of beautiful birds, like ibis, hawks, and great herons… there were also a BUNCH of alligators!

These pictures don’t even cover the amount of alligators we saw, or birds for that matter. We also saw a fair amount of turtles too, of all sizes.

We had the windows down the entire drive, listening to the bird calls and chatting to each other. We also excitedly pointed out hidden alligators to each other. After we wrapped up, we pit stopped at a Subway for lunch and then continued our day of nature.

Our next stop was Blue Springs State Park, which was around an hour away from where we were at. Blue Springs, during the winter time, happens to be the migration spot for manatees! Currently, there are so many manatees that they shut down the springs for swimming and kayaking. We were pretty excited to see manatees in the wild.

There’s a trail around the Blue Springs Run where you can spot the manatees sleeping and moving about. Apparently this part of the river is on the warmer side and pumps around 100 million gallons of water a day. Probably why the water is so clear! We spotted a number of manatees and their calves swimming about, sleeping, and drifting along the water. There were also a ton of fish visible with how clear the water was.

We didn’t notice this till later, but there apparently are scuba diving outings in this area! It’d be super cool to scuba with manatees… but not alligators!

Instead, after our walk, we hopped on a guided river boat ride which lasted an hour. Our guide took us down and back on a stretch of the river, pointing out wildlife, giving us a history of the river, and driving the boat.

Apparently the river used to be more winding, but because of the steamboats and other shipping boats, the navy/coastguard at the time came in and straightened it out. Which now means there’s lots of loops that shoot off the river that are great for kayaking and canoeing. On one of the smaller loops we actually spotted a manatee out eating! The adult manatees can last awhile in the colder water… but the calves can only last 6 hours. It was super cute seeing the snout of the manatee munching on the vegetation. I unfortunately couldn’t get a picture.

We saw a handful of alligators on the boat ride, some really small ones too! At one point, a protective mother alligator hissed at the boat for getting too close. On the subject of hissing, we also saw a brown snake curled up on a lily pad too. The feasting manatee made the ride worth it!

After the ride, we went to look at the manatees in the run again. Then, tired from our long morning and afternoon, we drove back home.

We chilled out for a bit, watching interviews of the Wicked movie cast. This got us all very excited for seeing the second part of the movie tomorrow! We then ordered Chinese takeout and on our way to picking it up and back, we drove by and admired Epic Universal. It’s home to a bunch of cool, new attractions… but is rather expensive. So this was as close as I was getting this trip!

We finished off the night with Sophie and I playing a bunch of MarioKart while Paige worked on her laptop. We played probably way too much and then we called it a night. Tomorrow was going to be another full day of activities!

Saturday, November 22nd started out with a drive to Disney Springs and a trip to AMC Theaters to see Wicked, For Good. The first half of the Wicked movie, that came out the previous year, was incredible and we were all excited for act two.

I won’t go into too much detail, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone… but it was very good! I wouldn’t say it was as good as the first, only because the first half of the musical is just amazing. I’d highly recommend seeing it if you’re a fan of musicals or great singing.

After the movie, we had lunch at a build your own pizza place in Disney Springs. While we ate, we had a lot to chat about and dissect about the movie. We moved on to our next adventure of the day post lunch, which was exploring Hollywood Studios.

There were three rides that were a must hit today: Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, and Rock n’ Roller Coaster. I was most interested in the Star Wars area of Hollywood Studios, so we headed there first.

I guess I should note that if you haven’t been to Hollywood Studios, I’m about to show pictures from inside the ride… which I’m glad I didn’t see before hand. Sooooo, there’s your warning.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance had a “short” queue time (I believe it was around 40 minutes), so we got in line for that first. And boy, was it worth it.

It felt like I was in the world of Star Wars… this ride was so immersive and the level of detail was insane. I really felt like I was in a star destroyer, especially when we first “entered” the spaceship and were looking out into space being stared down by a bunch of storm troopers.

The ride was very fun, I was also very impressed with the animatronics and how detailed they were. A big step up from It’s a Small World.

We wandered around the planet of Batuu for a bit, checking out all the nooks and crannies. We of course had to get some pictures with the Millenium Falcon too.

As we were wandering around, we saw a friendly furry face walking around. It was none other than Chewbacca!

Turned out, there was a little line forming to meet him, so we waited a couple minutes and then had our turn to say hello.

This was such a cute and funny encounter and the photographer did a fantastic job capturing the moment. Chewbacca was, of course, happy to see us and I went in for a big hug. I couldn’t resist the opportunity. He apparently liked my facial hair and then prompted me to give a Wookiee yell. To be honest, my first one was weak. But after doing another he was a lot happier with my performance.

This was definitely a highlight of the day!

Tower of Terror had a short queue time, so we made our way across the park to get in line for the ride. We pretty much walked right on, with only a short wait inside the building itself. I thought I had been to Hollywood Studios before… but I guess I hadn’t because I had never been on Tower of Terror (or any of the other rides here for that matter). But if I had rode this ride as a kid, it would’ve been very scary.

But as an adult, it was a ton of fun!

The doors to the outside of the “elevator” open up so people on the road can see into the ride. As you can see in the picture, we got blinded by the sun a couple of times, which was unpleasant but for the most part, it was a good ride.

We wanted to ride the Rock n’ Roller Coaster next, but it has an hour wait and the single rider line was closed. So we walked back to Star Wars land because the ride times were shorter there.

We rode Millennium Falcon: Smugglers’ Run, which was a simulator ride where you get to control the Millennium Falcon through a tough mission of stealing supplies from the First Order.

Sophie and I were piloting the ship, while Paige was our engineer making sure our ship’s shields were up even after Sophie and I flew into debris and other obstacles. Flying a spaceship with no experience is difficult!

When we got out of the ride, we realized that the Rise of the Resistance ride was a 25 minute wait, usually an hour plus, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ride it again.

There are two different carts on the ride and we were hopeful that we’d get the one we hadn’t been on. We didn’t end up requesting it and actually thought we got lucky and ended up on the one we wanted. But when the ride started, we quickly realized we were on the same track… oh well! It was still a blast to ride again.

Our next ride was Star Tours. This was another simulator ride and the first Star Wars ride at Disney World. C-3PO and R2D2 pilot you across the Star Wars universe along with cameos from classic characters. It was a nice, quick ride that had no wait at all for it.

We made our way across the park, once again, and got into the single rider line for Rock n’ Roller Coaster. It was a bit of a wait, but it was the last ride we were getting on today.

After the ride, we got dinner at the park and then headed to Magic Kingdom!

We thought about going to EPCOT again, but the lines for the rides were a lot longer and we had already done it… so why not go see the parade and fireworks at Magic Kingdom!

We arrived at the perfect time and the parade was just starting as we showed up. We watched a number of floats, decked out in bright lights and music. And of course, the corresponding Disney character dancing on top of the float. Before the parade, I wasn’t going to be too upset missing it, but afterwards I was glad to have seen it! It was a lot of fun to watch and also see how excited the kids around us were to see their favorite characters.

After the parade, we found a spot to stand and wait for the fireworks. Even with the mass of people, we still managed to find a good spot with a clear view of the castle. Also we were near the entrance to Tomorrow Land, which was where our last ride of the day would be.

Again, before the fireworks show, I wouldn’t have been too upset missing out on it. But afterwards… I was very happy to have seen it! Not only were there fireworks, but the entire castle had projections on it. It displayed all our childhood Disney characters and not just Cinderella and Snow White, but Aladdin, Lightning McQueen, and WALL·E to name a few. It was a very pretty show, filled with good music and nostalgia.

The firework show ended and we quickly walked over to Tomorrow Land and got in line for the Tron ride. Even with getting over to the ride early, we still had quite a long wait for it. But, as most rides this week, it was worth the wait. We zoomed around on light cycles, knocking out the competition with our light ribbons. Another very cool, immersive ride from Disney.

With that, our long day of adventure was over and concluded a WONDERFUL week with Sophie and Paige!!

We unfortunately had to wake up super early Sunday, November 23rd and head to the airport. Sophie and Paige drove me to the airport and dropped me off. We gave our final big hugs and I headed into the airport for my flight to Chicago.

The checked baggage drop for frontier had a long line, the first I’d experienced in a long time. And then my backpack got flagged at TSA for my kindle, which didn’t happen in San Jose… it was a weird start to the day. But the tone of the travel day shifted as I ended up with an entire row to myself on my flight!

I was able to stretch out, which is a luxury on these budget airlines, and I was able to sleep for the entire flight!

My parents were driving back home and made it to the airport just before I landed. They picked me up from baggage claim and we were on our way home.

Now I wasn’t thinking when I left Orlando… I was wearing my shorts and sandals still. When I stepped outside in Chicago, let me tell you, it wasn’t shorts and sandals weather. I’ve spent the past two years summer hopping… welcome back to winter Elie!

Before we got home, we stopped for lunch on Route 66 and once we got to Peoria, we went grocery shopping. Once we did get home, I took a nice warm shower and changed into warmer clothing. We watched a recording of today’s Packers vs Vikings NFL game, where the Packers trounced the Vikings. I played a couple hours of guitar, we had dinner and played some cards before watching a bit more TV and then going to bed. It’s very nice to be home!

Monday, November 24th was a fairly lowkey day. In the morning, my mother and I went on some errands before going to the gym. With the next 3 weeks out of the water and slowly starting to train to be a beach lifeguard, I worked out all my surfing and swimming muscles I won’t be using for a bit. It had been awhile since I went to a gym, and I sure missed it!

When we got home, I helped my dad rake leaves and then helped my mom peel sweet potatoes. Very Thanksgiving time activities. I played a couple hours of guitar and serenaded my parents. And that was pretty much the day!

I was very sore when I woke up on Tuesday, November 25th. So instead of doing anything, I just sat and read all morning. I’m slowly chugging along through the fifth ACATAR book. After lunch, I played cards with my mother. We always play a card game called casino when we’re together and keep track of who has the most wins. As of today, I’m up 2 to 1.

I played guitar until we set out to head to Morton, the town I went to high school in. My parents dropped me off at my friend Dylan’s house and they went to the movie theater to see the new Wicked!

Dylan is one of my best friends and we’ve known each other since around 8th grade! Every time I’m home I always try and get at least one hang out with him before I leave. We had a lot to catch up on over the past three months, since we last saw each other.

He had to pick up a prescription from Walmart, so I tagged along with him to get it. On our way home, he said he was feeling like going bowling. I was like… I just played a fair amount the other day, but I could be convinced to play a game. So we went to the local bowling alley to play a game. Luckily we were there about 40 minutes before tonight’s league play, so they let us on a lane.

We actually got in two games before having to leave. The first of which I bowled a 161! I was pretty happy about that, bowling a few strikes, spares and even a double. But the best part was hanging out with my friend Dylan. I really enjoy spending time with him.

We went back to his house and chatted for a bit longer until my parents came to pick me up.

We got home and had dinner. Then it was time for game playing! Tonight, we played 5ive Straight and I ended up winning two out of the three games. The second game I somehow picked all of the good cards within the first couple hands and won the game very quickly… it was probably the only time I’ve ever done that in this game.

We finished off our night with some TV watching and then called it a night. Tomorrow, we were headed off to Wisconsin to spend time with family for Thanksgiving!

I got up on Wednesday, November 26th and started my morning by working on my blog. I usually spend my nights working on the specific day’s section of the blogpost. But I had fallen behind over the last couple days.

I then was challenged by my mother to another round of casino. After a long fought game she won and we’re now tied 2 to 2. We then played a game of mastermind, where we each played as the pattern setter. We had two killer games! My mother got the pattern in 5 after a couple lucky guesses… I guess I felt the pressure was on and ended up guessing hers in 3! I got super lucky with my guesses… honestly not sure I’ve ever done that before or how I did it, but it made for a good laugh.

We had lunch and packed up the car, then it was time to hit the road! I read for most of the drive, as we headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As I’ve said, it was very cold today… but on top of that it was extremely windy. And I even saw my first snow flurry in almost two years! What am I doing in the cold and away from the beach!?

We arrived at our Airbnb, got settled in, and then after about an hour or two, we went out for dinner. We ate at a local favorite of ours, Kopps, which is primarily has delicious custard, but also burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, etc. After eating sandwiches, we enjoyed the tasty ice cream as well. I’m very lactose intolerant, but I risked it with a scoop of pecan praline pumpkin pie. Thankfully, it didn’t destroy me.

After dinner, we went over to my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin’s house. You might remember my cousin’s Ben, Mina, and Sam from my adventures in the US this summer, but this was their house!

We spent the night playing games, hanging out, and catching up. Game playing is a big thing in our family.

I ended up spending the night at their house, and slept in my cousins bunk bed, which brought back many memories of sleeping over when we were younger. This was a great start to what was going to be a fantastic food and family filled Thanksgiving weekend!

What an amazing week! I’m so happy I got to spend so much time with my sister! Even without going to the amusement parks and outings, I was glad to have the quality time with her. It’s not something I have done much or get to do often, but I’m going to try to make a point to change that! The amusement parks were a wonderful addition though.

It’s pretty crazy I already have a job offer for the spring and it’s in a city I’ve wanted to check out for a while! I haven’t accepted the offer yet, but I’m heavily leaning towards taking it.

I’m so happy to be spending time with my parents. I’m also really looking forward to this coming weekend of fun with my extended family! Next week’s update will be full of good food and stuffed bellies.

See you then!

– Elie