A Perfect Little Park

As soon as we flew into Orlando from Rochester, we hooked up the fifth wheel and headed north. We were very anxious to get out of the KOA and spend some time stopping places on the way back to New York.  Our first stop was in Brunswick, Georgia.  We had never been here before (we usually stop in Savannah).  We were pleasantly surprised.  We booked a site at Coastal Georgia RV Park. RV Park review rated it very high and they were right on the mark.  Before designing the park the owners, along with their children, rented an rv and drove cross country visiting many rv parks to get an idea of what was essential in the planning.  I have to say, the trip paid off.  All the pull thru sites were long and spaced well enough apart with landscaping between them for some privacy.

All of the hookups were conveniently located and there were several back-in sites as well that backed up to a large pond.

There was a very large pavilion with a nice kitchen for rallies and parties as well as a very large fire pit area and dock, not to mention a beautiful pool.

The park was very close to shopping and restaurants as well and we would definitely stay here again if we are in the area.

A New Bundle of Joy!

The month of March was a little bit of a roller coaster for us.  Lori was scheduled for a c-section in April but due to complications with her pregnancy, we rented a car and drove home.  We stayed at the house with them so that we could help out with Emma since Lori was unable to lift her at all.

Like Emma, little Owen James was not about to wait to enter the world.  He was born on March 30 and weighed in at 7lbs., 3 oz., a little bundle of joy!

You can tell from these pictures how much everyone already loves this little blessing.  He adjusted very well to his new home and his sister just loves him.

We were able to stay another 10 days to help out until Lori was back on her feet.  We flew back to Orlando knowing that we would be back soon for the summer.  Sure will miss this little guy!

Speical Birthday Guest!

Being that Ray's birthday is in January, we are never in New York to celebrate with the kids.  He received an email from Emma inviting him to a party to be held in his honor at the rv, but he would have to pick her and her mom up at the airport and provide lodging for them.  He was so excited that they were coming back to visit but a little nervous since they were flying alone and flying Allegiant (not the st safe airlines).  I don't think from these photos at the Rochester airport that Emma was very worried.

                                                     


 Keeping amused at the kids play land at the airport waiting to board











After spending so much time at the Disney parks, this was to be a relaxing visit for all of us.

Emma enjoyed taking walks around the campground, going for a royal breakfast at Burger King and her favorite, pizza for lunch at CiCi's.

The rest of the week was spent at the outlet mall, IKEA and other shopping areas.   We celebrated Ray's birthday at our favorite Irish Pub, Devenney's in Clermont.  Lori and Emma were scheduled to stay a week but Emma came down with an ear infection and bronchial virus.  We knew it would be tough for her to fly being sick so they were able to extend their stay for an extra week.  We hated to see her sick but we were glad to get a little more time with her.

                                                           

Exciting News

Although Raymond and Michelle could not spend Christmas with us, we were so excited to get a phone call Christmas Eve telling us that they got engaged.  We had never heard such happiness in Raymond's voice before and anyone knowing Raymond knows he does not get overly excited too often.  We could hear Michelle in the background telling her mom the good news as well.

The timing was perfect, as Michelle was going to Florida to spend Christmas with her mom.  This way she could show her the ring when she got there.  We were able to meet up with her and see her diamond and have a nice lunch with her mom, aunt and cousin.

The Happy Couple

We are so excited for them and so happy to welcome such a wonderful person into our family. Can't wait until the wedding next October!

One of their favorite hobbies....fishing

                       Out to dinner with us at Joe's Crab Shack to celebrate the big news!

A Special Visit

This year we stayed in Florida for Christmas.  Lori, Greg and Emma came to spend a week before Christmas so we celebrated then.  We looked so forward to their arrival.  It was the first time Emmalyn flew and she was a real trooper.  Rather than staying with us and being crowded they stayed at Orange Lake Resort, a beautiful resort about 20 minutes from our park and about 4 miles from Disney.  This was the entrance to the main building.

Emma seemed to really enjoy the condo.  She had such a big bed to sleep in along with so much room to run around with grandpa and a nice big pool to enjoy with Daddy.

The weather was absolutely perfect the whole week which was nice for Lori since she was seven months pregnant with Little Owen James.  She announced they were expecting a boy with this photo!

Their first day there we took them to Disney Springs. Her mom and dad thought she was a little too young for the Magic Kingdom considering its cost.  Emmalyn rode the little train, merry-go-round and just loved watching all the people and decorations and lights.

While we were at the Springs, Lori & Greg inquired about reduced tickets to the Magic Kingdom since she was pregnant and unable to ride all the rides.  They were so lucky!  The gentleman at the ticket counter said he was feeling generous and gave them two free tickets.  So off to the Magic Kingdom the next day.

We spent part of the next day at the Magic Kingdom.  Both the Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan malfunctioned while we were on them.  Lori commented that they really need to update the park as it hadn't changed much since she was young.  Emma was not too crazy about the Dumbo ride but someone else liked Dumbo!

She did enjoy the Tiki Birds as you can tell from her smile.

Once again the kids struck it rich.  Lori's friend works at Animal Kingdom and was happy to give them guest passes.  This was their favorite park by far.

Here is Emma on the safari ride.  She liked it, mom on the other hand not so much.  It was so rickety it made her sick.  That was the only ride we went on there but the kids loved just seeing all the animal habitats. I guess it was a long day for this little girl.

The last park we visited was Hollywood Studios, thanks to our friend who had guest passes.  Our kids were very blessed that week.  I think this park was best suited to Emma since they have the Disney Junior land. So many of the characters are ones that she watches on TV.  She was a little scared seeing them life size though.

This was the last year for the Osborne Light Show at Hollywood Studios so we were very excited to take the kids to see it and they were so shocked at how many lights there were.

The rest of the week was spent going out to eat, watching Emma so mom and dad could go to see Cirque du Soleil and just hanging out having fun!  We were sad to see them leave but so glad that they were able to visit.

Disney Mania

One of the first things we did when we got to Florida was purchase an annual pass to Disney.  After two visits they paid for themselves since they included parking as well.  We were staying only 6 miles from there so that was our go to place to walk and get our exercise (roughly 5-7 miles per day, about 4 days per week.  Our favorite park for walking was Epcot since it so wide open except on a hot day, then we went to Animal Kingdom which has more shade. The nice thing about having the passes was that we could go for just a few hours at a time and not have to waste money.

We also spent a lot of time at Disney Springs walking.  There were several additions made to the springs since we had last been there along with renovations.  It was also a great place to shop for the grandchildren.

We can't wait to see what will be new here next year!

Orlando Southwest KOA

We had decided last winter that this year we would try a new park that was a little more suited to our current budget.  After looking at several parks we chose the Orlando Southwest KOA.  Upon arrival we noticed that they had made several improvements to the park, especially the pool, office area and transients sites which were visible from the road.  The seasonal sites were towards the back of the park.  They were your typical KOA sites, very close together and very unlevel.

After spending a few months here, the thing we missed the most was the friendliness of seasonal campers.  We noted that in the six months we spent there, we only saw our next door neighbor three times.  There were some activities during the week, but very few people that took part in, and most days we were the only ones in the pool or outside.  It was definitely not the type of park we were used to.  We have decided that we will spend a little more next year and go back to Lake Magic where the park is nice, people are friendly and location is great.