(Since there's no internet access at the house we're staying at. I had to write an entry then post when I can find access. I'm currently in McDonald's paying $2.95 an hour for Wi-Fi Access. Grrrrrr!)
Got up early this morning. Good thing for me I packed the suitcases last night. My brother and sister-in-law and mom saw junior and I off to catch the train to Orlando. Stopping off to pick up something to eat almost caused us to miss the train. I didn't really want to stop, but the consensus of the bunch wanted to get some breakfast-so we stopped. We got to the Amtrak station at around 9:37 AM. There was no kiosk, so I had to wait on line for an actual person. By the time I got to the window, I had to show my ID, sign the tickets, then race for the train. As soon as we got the last suitcase on, we hugged and kissed everyone and scrambled on the train for our seats. Literally about 5 minutes later, the train was pulling out. The ride wasn't bad, for the most part I listened to my iPod while junior watched The Best of Power Rangers on DVD. Once on the train I noticed that I was in for a ride. For starters our attendant, reminded me of Niecey from Rio 9-1-1. She was a thick lady, with a short-cropped wig with platinum blonde highlights, nails so long they resembled the claws of a koala bear, with a homegirl attitude. With a lot of "honey this", "chile please's" and "baby that's". In front of me were two girls. They looked so much alike they had to be sisters, aged 11 and 8. These girls were so loud and unruly it got on my nerves! Not only did they fight each other, they kept letting the trays from in back of the chairs drop down with a loud BANG. Then walking up and down the aisles sometimes blocking people who wished to go to the bathroom. Dropping food on the floor and blaming each other. I wanted to bang both their heads and tie their limbs up with their fake hair! To the left of me, were Mr. and Mrs. Old Couple. The lady looked around every other minute like she was irritated with everything and everyone. Her husband didn't say to much to her as he was stretched out on his chair snorting every couple of seconds. It was really nasty sounding. I felt like throwing him a box of Kleenex! Needless to say, a fully charged iPod and working headphones were the perfect answer to combat my dilemma. 3 hours and 7 minutes couldn't come quick enough for me.
Once in Orlando at the train station, we quickly departed the train and headed toward the parking lot where we met Luis. A cab driver originally from Harlem in New York, who used to live in the Bronx (only me!). Luis drove a van. He took our bags and put them inside. He turned on the air conditioner and let us sit inside. It must've been about 92 degrees outside and sticky. That A/C felt good! About ten minutes later, he brought another bag inside the van and said he was getting another couple. As my day was going so far, was it no surprise that our fellow passengers were none other than Mr. and Mrs. Old Couple. Now the woman seemed to lighten up a bit. Perhaps she was put off by those rowdy kids (they were sitting directly in back of them). I learned that they were from Long Island. Luckily they got out first and Luis continued to take us to Orlando International Airport. The ride was about twenty minutes and he only charged me $25 bucks. At the airport, we went down to the Level 1 and headed to National Car Rental. With paperwork in tow, we headed across the street to the parking lot and was told to "pick one". Junior and I saw rows of SUVs. White, black, beige. The one that caught both our eyes was a gray Toyota Highlander. NICE! I could get used to that easily! We were on our way. Of course once on the road, it was no surprise that I heard the words, "I'm hungry." We stopped at KFC and I checked with our server for directions. We missed an exit, but were soon back on track. Now in the swing of driving, things started looking familiar. Once on Poinsiana, I made that left and turned right into Trafalgar Village in Kissimmee, Florida. I retrieved the code from an email that was sent to us and opened the door. We were finally 'home'. With sweat pouring down on us and the sun beating down, we both decided to take a swin in the pool. We undressed put on our bathing suits and stayed in the inclosed pool for about two hours. It started raining at first a light drizzle then a harder rain burst from the sky with the sun shining down the whole time. The devil must be beating his wife!
After we got out, we showered dressed and headed to WalMart. Bought only groceries that would hold us for the next 3 days or so (we'll be here for the next 7 days). I'll get only the necessities as I get paid on Friday-definitely want to hold on some cash. Been checking for over an hour for an internet connection, but all the ones I've found require a password. I'll try to hit Starbucks tomorrow, get an internet connection and add an entry and get one of my new favorites Venti Soy Chai (tea).
Throughout the day Tonio and I have been texting each other. I've missed the daily interaction. In the past 15 months, he's become so much a part of my life, that now I don't know what to do without him. In the evening I called him about 9:30 PM and we talked for about two hours. We talked about a lot of different things, including touching on 'us' without really delving into it. I had hoped the worst was over. Listening to him laugh and feel at ease, cracking jokes was good to hear.
It seems 'Vacation '08' is off to a good start.
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