After almost a 32 hour drive we finally made it to Florida. Because of a bad snow storm from Washington to North Carolina our drive was extended almost 6 hours. We were all in a great deal of discomfort after being crammed into such a small space for so long, not to mention completely exhausted. So our first night consisted of us checking into our hotel then going to get something to eat. My mom and Jeff really wanted to find a Golden Coral so off we went. Of course it would only be fitting for the one right around the corner to be closed for that night, but we managed to plug the address into the GPS and soon were sitting down to our first real meal in 2 days. After some much needed food and stretching it was off to the hotel to get some sleep. We said goodnight to my parents and tried to get ready to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Someone had come in to look at the heater/AC unit because it was not working. After about 20 minuets he pulled the entire unit out of the wall and said we would have to change rooms because this one was unsafe. So we packed up everything again and moved a few doors down. By this time we were so tired we didn't care where we went. We got Tyson settled down and were all asleep within the hour. The next morning we decided to go to a few flea markets to walk around then we went to Old Town so Tyson could go on a few rides. The place was pretty dead so he did not have to wait in any lines. Before we left I let him play one of those water games and he won a giant pink ball. That turned out to provide MANY hours of fun at the hotel and even helped him make a few friends on our floor.
The next day we decided to check out a few more flea markets along with walk along International Drive to check out the attractions. We walked over to the alligator golf course and found out that they usually had a demonstration with the alligators but because it was so chilly they decided the gators would not be in the mood. Somehow Tyson with his unique charm and millions of questions the guy decided to do the show just for him anyway. At the end of the show he even got to sit on a live gator. He was not scared a bit, just like sitting on a pony. Right before doing the trick with the guys chin on the gator's mouth he tried to make it a little more exciting by saying he had not tried it before and he was scared, so Tyson yelled to him "you don't have to do it if your scared". He told us later in the 5 years since he started doing it, Tyson was the only one to ever tell him he didn't have to do it. So cute!!!
The next day Jeff really wanted to go to the Spaghetti House, a restaurant he found online that serves a 15 layer lasagna, So we drove all the way to Tampa to go. Before heading over to the restaurant for supper we decided to hit yet another flea market along with the going to the beach. The flea market was kind of a bore so off to the beach. There Tyson got to run around collecting more shells then I know what to do with along with feeding the birds. He was a bit scared by the birds coming so close but he had a blast. He was not happy when we ran out of food for them.
After fattening up the birds he decided he wanted to go swimming, I tried to tell him it was cold but once a 4 year old has something in their head they are determined to do it. So off with the shoes and socks for about a 4 second run into the waves. After he decided on his own that it really was too cold he talked Papa into bringing him back to a playground he spotted by the parking lot. While he was off having fun, my mom, Jeff and I all walked along the beach for a bit longer before heading out to get Jeff his lasagna he had talked so long about. After what seemed like an hours drive we finally pulled up to this old brick building that did not look anything like a restaurant. In fact we had driven to the middle of no where on a one way street and I was a bit scared to even get out of the truck. After we finally saw a few people coming out with left over containers we made our way to the door. To my surprise it was a really nice place and packed full! After we sat down we got our menu's but we all knew what we had to order, the famous 15 layer lasagna. The waitress came over and to our complete anger Jeff decides to go with some chicken dish! I could not believe we had driven all the way from Maine hearing the entire time about this darn lasagna and he orders chicken! Needless to say we all gave him a hard enough time that when the waitress came around again he changed his order. Even though it turned out the lasagna was only about 5 layers, it was still really good. After that it was back to the hotel and some more sight seeing on International Drive. Tyson wanted to go see the giant sling shot ride that was right across from our hotel and while there we found a few rides for him to go on. He had so much fun on the trampoline and asked if we could get one for his house. At least I would know where he was during the day.
One of the best flea markets that we were able to go to had a little extra surprise for Tyson. An Elephant named Dondie has been a big attraction at the market for many years. At first I felt really bad for the poor elephant, he seemed to have only a little room to roam but I later found out that he actually lives on a huge farm. I always feel sad when I see animals being used for amusement but he was a rescue and his owners have loved him for over 30 years. They wanted to get Dondie a friend but because he has too much aggression towards other elephants, he has two miniature ponies that he loves. His owners even travel the country with him including a prison where his owners minister to the inmates. He said nothing gets men to Church faster then an elephant in the yard.
Out of all the fun things we were able to do while in Florida I have to say the helicopter ride was defiantly the most amazing. Tyson had watched the helicopters flying over the hotel and around Florida every day since we got there. He asked what they were doing and we told him you could pay to go on a ride. So after much begging my mom and I decided we would be brave enough to venture to the air with him. He was so funny the day we decided to go, he was not scared in the least. In fact he acted as though it was something he did every day. Even when we took off and hit a bit of turbulence he just sat there cool as could be. My mom and I were grabbing everything we could hold onto, but he was in love. We let him sit in the front so he could have the best view and he spent the entire ride looking around and talking to the pilot. He was so funny, he was comparing BoBo's with the pilot almost the entire ride. When we got ready to land I was praying that we would get on the ground safe and sound, Tyson was upset because we could not go longer. Here are some photos from our amazing ride.
Here we are safe on the ground. Mom and I look scared because the blades were still spinning.Us taking off......
Unfortunately Tyson's headaches did not improve at all while we were there and on the way home he had the worst migraine to date. Hopefully we will get some answers soon, but I think us getting away was truly the best thing for him and us. It has been such a long road and so far there is no end in sight but I am thankful for the time we got to spend as a family and even though his there was no change in his headaches, at least he got a chance to have fun and have two weeks where he didn't have to worry about doctors, needles and tests.
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