Beaches & Space - Florida 2021

Ryan and I were in Florida for six days (give or take a few hours) and since I've already covered the first three days, I'll share about the second three days in this post! Can you say you've gone to Florida for vacation if you don't go to either the beach or Disney World? I mean - I'm sure you can - but on Saturday we decided to go to the beach for a portion of the day and I'm so glad we did.

 

My family isn't really big on the beach - but every once in a while I like to sit with my toes in the sand and watch the waves lap onto the shore. I'm also not wild about venturing too far into the ocean, but when Ryan does something he does it 100% - so he continued to pull me farther and farther into the ocean. He is always making me be just a little more bold... just a little more brave...

We had to check the Red Tide forecast and ended up at Fred Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs, which was a fun little spot to take in the sand, sunshine and surf. There was no red tide but there was some seaweed - but that's not too much of a bother! We were able to take the morning a bit slower, head to the beach and get some sun and sand in and then stop at Culver's on the way home! We also watched the movie Barb & Starr Go to Vista Del Mar on Saturday night - and all I'll say about that is: it's two hours and brain cells I'll never get back. *sigh*

Sunday - we went to space! Okay.. okay.. so we didn't literally go to space, but we did go to the Kennedy Space Center!

 

I have to say - if you are ever in the Orlando area and looking for something to do (beyond Disney and Universal...) - I cannot recommend the Kennedy Space Center more! I'm not even a huge fan of space; it seems like flying on steroids and I'm not much for flying - but the whole day was absolutely fascinating! We rode the bus out to the Apollo/Saturn Center and the videos they showed about the first trips to space almost brought tears to my eyes - it's all very inspiring!

 

 

Along the way to and from the Apollo Center we passed the VAB - Vertical Assembly Building - where the spacecraft are assembled. The space shuttles and rockets are moved by something called a crawler, that moves at about 1 mile per hour and moves the crafts into position to be put together and then sent on their way to the launch site - again at the breakneck speed of 1 mile per hour. Ha-ha! If you want an idea of the size of the building, that flag on the side? The blue portion is the size of an NBA basketball court... so it's not really a small building!

 

 

After returning from the Apollo/Saturn Center, we made our way into the Atlantis Space Shuttle building and after a short set of videos, the star speckled curtain rose to reveal the Atlantis in all it's glory, suspended from the ceiling. We wandered around the shuttle, reading about the mission, trying our hand at space walks, sliding down a slide that represented the 22" landing angle and climbing into a shuttle launch simulator. It was all ridiculously fascinating!

We grabbed some late lunch at the Space Café (naturally) and then watched an IMAX movie called Asteroid Hunters. I thought it was intriguing and took it all in... Ryan took a couple cat naps! Silly man. We watched a presentation about the potential for a mission to Mars and all the things that will need to happen before we can put people on Mars to explore - again, seriously wild to think about all these things!

 

Our final stop before we headed home was the Heroes and Legend Building which included the Space Exploration Hall of Fame, filled with greats like Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and so many more. We took pictures with John Glenn and Alan Shepard via a handy little projection screen and before heading for the exit, we grabbed a Christmas ornament for our travel tree and I couldn't resist getting a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich! I'm such a kid at heart!

We had dinner at an excellent Italian spot in The Villages and the sunset was beyond spectacular - I couldn't resist hopping up from the table and running to grab a picture of it. The colors were beyond vibrant and it just completely captivated me! My soon to be mother-in-law said she felt like Florida had the most extravagant sunsets and I might have to give it to her where this particular one was concerned!

Monday was a pretty relaxed day and I was so glad for that. We had such a wonderful time seeing all the sights and doing so many things but it was also nice to get to sleep in a bit and just end the vacation on a very relaxed note! I ended up spending almost three hours sitting on the lanai with my future MIL and chatting while Ryan was on a bike ride with neighbors and it was so wonderful to get to talk with her - truly! After exploring some shops at Brownwood Town Center and a quick snack at a Mexican restaurant, Ryan and his Mom showed me the Eisenhower Recreation Center - which is filled with military relics. It was fascinating! 

 

We visited with Ryan's Uncle and Aunt for a short bit and then headed to the airport in the rain to fly back to Virginia. We hugged and said our good-byes, made our way through security and grabbed some Wendy's before it was time to board our flight home. In a bold moment - I decided not to take the anti-anxiety medication that I've been dependent on for the last ten years or so and I flew home on a flight with a recent mechanical issue, that ended up delayed and then bounced through some weather - so I was pretty proud of myself!

And yes - my fiancé is making a goofy face in the above picture - sometimes he is a mess! We had such a wonderful time in Florida and I feel so blessed to get to spend more time with Ryan's Mom and see her life. We are already talking about a return trip and I look forward to getting to spend more time with her and in Florida for years to come!