Yes, it is yet another Florida post! I believe they are winding down. Two left after this...I THINK! Ha! I am 4 years behind in scrap booking (Holden's entire life) and this is my main way of documenting everything as it flies by. :)
The night that we got back from Busch Gardens, Holden and I joined everyone at Bubba Gump for a late dinner while Jay stayed at the condo with an exhausted Hunter. (This is the sugar-coated version; let's just say that the GPS failed us on the way back from Busch Gardens, so what should have been a half hour drive was over an hour, Hunter was BEYOND done with the long day and was letting us know, and Jay and I were not umm...shall we say...seeing eye to eye on how things should be handled. I think if we had a video of us in the van they would be signing us for our own reality TV show for the pure entertainment!!!) I have always wanted to eat at a Bubba Gump; LOVE the movie and watch it every time I catch it on TV. I think I know the whole thing by heart.
We had quite the wait as everyone apparently had the same idea as us. :) Luckily there was lots to see and a cute little gift shop to browse. Holden liked following the smiley face path. 
I would highly recommend the restaurant. The food was awesome and had good prices; Holden's kid's meal came in a "Jenny boat" and included a drink, jello, fries, chicken strips, and a dessert for 4.95! I decided to be daring and try something new since we were on vacation. (See top left picture.) I got Mahi-Mahi with smashed potatoes and grilled shrimp. FABULOUS!!! Holden was thrilled with the stacked onion rings (he may be picky but he does appreciate the really good things in life!) and we all had fun answering the trivia questions about the movie that the waitress tried to stump us with. 
These pictures are a little out of sequence, since they were taken the same day as the Clearwater Marine. Some fishermen caught a shark and had it hanging at John's Pass. Apparently they hang them with the head down so all the blood can drip out into the bucket. GAG! Picture the fish smell times 10. It was pretty cool to see one up so close. Holden was actually scared of it at first. I had to convince him it was no longer living and could not attack us! He finally decided to poke it with one finger at the very end, so he could tell everyone he has actually touched a shark. Hunter had no clue what we were doing but I thought someday he'd appreciate the picture. 
Jet skiing was a new adventure that we experienced on this trip. Jay, Holden, Allie, Paul, Penny, and Jason all went out one day and had a great time. We found out that Jay, Holden, and I could all go together, so we went back and did that another day while Tami watched Hunter. It was SO FUN, even though Holden would not let us go past 7 miles an hour! Ha! In his defense, we took it out in the gulf and the waves already bobbed us up and down pretty well. I am sure to a 4 year old we were zipping along. :) The neatest experience was having dolphins swim so close we literally could have touched them. Besides that, we will also never forget the moment we were close to docking, and Jay decided to let Holden drive. The handles have levers that you push on (kinda like a bike brake) to make it go. Jay did not explain to Holden that the harder you push down, the faster you go. We were floating along on idle, I wasn't even holding on, and we went from that to full throttle in a matter of seconds. I was screaming for him to stop and Holden panicked and clamped his hands down as hard as he could on the accelerator! Jay had to literally rip his fingers off before we hit the dock. I am sure it was hilarious to watch. My heart was pounding so hard!! Holden turned around, gave us a grin, and said, "I was just trying to get us back faster!" Stinker! 
Penny, Tami, Allie, Jason, and I decided to go parasailing. Tami and Allie had gone before, but the rest of us had not. I have always wanted to do this! Here is our little group before boarding the boat. (I think there was a bird in the tree that Allie was looking at! Lol!) Holden snuck in. Can you tell he was ticked off that he couldn't go on the boat with us?! 
Jason and Penny went first. I love that the parachute was a smiley face.
Tami, Allie, and I 
Our turn! It was one of the neatest experiences I've ever had. I thought it would be more of a dare-devil type thing, but it seriously was so absolutely peaceful and serene floating so high in the air, with just the blue sky and water surrounding us. I loved it!! Coming back down was funny because Penny and Jason told the guy to "dip us," which he did several times; dunking us down into the water and back up again. I was soaked by the time we got back on the boat. So fun! 
When we got back to John's Pass, we lunched at Hooters. Yes, it's tacky and tasteless, but let's face it, their wings rock! The one thing I forgot to bring on our trip was bibs for Hunter. Not even A bib...I was stuck trying to tuck paper towels or napkins into his shirt everywhere we went. Memaw bought him a Hooters bib. Then Jay decided the boys needed "Hooters Wingman" shirts. They will NOT be wearing those to church or school!!! We did have a yummy lunch and I know the guys enjoyed the scenery. Funny side story that Allie will never live down: she actually got TURNED AWAY from entering by a HOOTERS GIRL! Hysterical!!! She just had her bikini on since we were right on the dock; most places don't care but evidently they have a "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy. Jay will never let her live down the fact that she was so scantily dressed that Hooters turned her away. I loaned her my cover up (soaking wet from our dip; she was freezing in the air conditioning!) and all was good. 
Next up: Holden's 4th bday (mini-golfing and a ride on a pirate ship!) and then a hodgepodge of everything else. Then we will be back to our regular broadcasting. :)
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