Like a blister in the sun

Yes, we are back, safe and sound. We traded sunny Florida for rainy Kentucky. But, none-the-less, we are glad to be home. It always surprises me that no matter how much you like getting away, there is a point when you are ready to go home, ready to hit the road, ready to pack up and vacate.

I wish I could tell you that we had an exciting trip, but in all honesty, if you don't go to theme parks or aren't excited by tourist traps, Orlando doesn't hold a lot for you. I suspect if you travel there with children, it's a magical, magical place. Alas, we have no children and there wasn't time to go to theme parks, so, we found ourselves seeking out good food, scheduling time in the sun and hitting a few outlet stores (which suited this low-key couple fine.)

Our trip got off to a bumpy start, as we sat in traffic on I-64 on the way to Louisville to catch our flight. Getting lost and stuck in traffic yet again didn't improve our moods. We've driven to this airport a million times, but differing opinions on which route to choose landed us on the other end of town and sitting still on the Interstate yet again.

We did, obviously, find the airport and eventually we were on our way (knitting needles and all.) We arrived safely to step out of the airport and into glorious sunshine and towering palm trees. (While waiting at the airport for the flight to board, Cynical, afraid we'd work through our carry-on bags of entertainment too quickly and be left to stare at each other, paced our fun and joy, only allowing us one distraction at a time ranging from photo books to Sudoku puzzles to Bazooka bubble gum comic strips accompanying rock-hard, break-your teeth gum.)

Upon arrival we meandered around the hotel and eventually met up with my other co-workers attending yet another conference. Following a feast at Landry's we went to downtown Disney where we went to a few comedy shows. Kinda cool and a great start for our trip.

On Wednesday as I sat in a room with 15 other people listening to a speaker espouse the benefits of his program, Cynical sat by the pool, worked out at the Y and generally relaxed. I drank lots of cokes and shifted continually in my seat.

In a quest to bring back bargains, we went to outlet malls that evening. Realizing once again that "outlet" doesn't necessarily mean "good buys", we retreated to dine on crab legs and fish.

The next day for me was a repeat of the previous one. Cynical, however, did some more exploring, watching of "Charmed" and "er" and general relaxing.

Thursday afternoon once the conference ended, we elected to avoid the temptation to roam in search for something to do, and sat by the pool: me knitting and consuming margaritas; Cynical basking in the sun and chatting. We ventured out to a restaurant that featured, you guessed it, seafood. We sat on the deck and listened to a guy with a guitar cover every song imagineable including, upon my request, "Blister in the Sun" which was on his song list he left at our table. I had to hear this guy do an acoustic version of such a, well, underground sort of song. It was well worth the four bucks. Upon remembering exactly what the song was about, I was a bit embarrassed, but it was truly a treat. Cynical ordered the largest platter of meat I have ever seen. Three different animals gave their lives so the dear boy could have a little variety in his quest to get ample protein. On Friday it was time to travel yet again. We began our morning with a hearty breakfast at IHOP before starting the trek.
We breezed through security, staked out our seats and commenced with killing time until the flight left. I knitted. Cynical searched for a battery for his MP3 player.

We finally landed in Kentucky, wishing within a few minutes we'd be at home, instead realizing we still had a two-hour drive ahead of us. Last night was consumed with lots of unpacking, multiple cats examining each and every article we removed from the suitcases, answering phone call after phone call and collapsing on the couch and watching the American Idol episodes that Cynical missed.