Foodie Chickie

Niel and I had a wonderful time in Florida. It really is nice to get away for a few days just to regroup. Our last weekend vacation was four months ago and our last long vacation was about a year and a half ago so we both needed some time to relax desperately. Granted our lives are not very difficult but they can be a bit stressful.
The trip to Florida was my husband's 30th birthday present. I know how much he loves the Mets and I thought it would be neat for him to see some Spring Training games and go to Disneyworld as a side trip. The areas of Florida we visited were Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie and Lake Buena Vista. The weather for the most part was warm but always sunny. Luckily we had missed rain coming in. Both of the hotels were also very good. The Best Western has very nice rooms that includes a fridge, microwave, free internet access, coffee maker, pool and a safe. The second hotel was the All Star Music resort and also had all the amenities plus free buses to the amusement parks. Can't beat that. Niel had fun seeing his beloved baseball team. The first game was a tie and the second the Mets won. Woo hoo. Before the second game we drove over to Dodger Town, a part of Vero Beach that hosts the Dodgers during spring training. We watched the Dodgers as they practiced. Niel got a big kick out it. It was nice seeing some other parts of Florida besides the Lake Buena Vista/Orlando area. We sort of had a mini road trip with all the places we got to see. I would like to see some other areas of Florida like Saint Augustine and Key West. Someday. Our rental car (Nissan) was so cool. It drove well, had good gas mileage and all these neat compartments. I think getting the chance to rent cars is a great way to find a new car. There was so much land, a lot of cows and of course orange groves. We also ate really well! There were also so many Cracker Barrels, Perkins and Dairy Queens, but we had eaten at those places in other states. So we decided to try Waffle House or as Niel enjoyed calling it "Der Waffle House" and a Shake and Steak. My husband had seen the signs for the Waffle Houses previously and we had finally gotten around to eating there. The food is fantastic!! I ordered a Texas Patty Melt. A food item I had been wanting to try! I highly recommend it. It is so flavorful. The food totally makes up for the lack of service and cleanliness. Trust me, its worth it. Shake and Stake was also another great place to eat at! I got to try a Chili five way. Being in Disneyworld was also neat but I think some of the employees and other guests regretted encountering all the teens on Spring Break. I know we sure did and are never staying at Disney the same week during Spring Break. The only proof that I have of our of our weekend getaway is a sun burn and our yet to be unpacked suit cases; otherwise it felt like it to be a lovely dream. We unfortunately came back to some really bad news. My grandmother has been hospitalized with walking pneumonia. She has water in her lungs and is 84 years old. We are all pretty worried about her. My mom didn't want to tell us in fear of ruining our trip. I am looking into airfare to try to visit her next week, after Easter. I really want to sooner than later. I was planning on visiting in the Summer during my cousin's graduation, but cannot really wait that long. My mom said that my grandma is in good spirits and was joking about how a burly male nurse gave her a sponge bath. But that is just the way my grandma is. And when I spoke with her she did sounded great. A bit hard of hearing but that comes with age. The next few days will be busier for me so I will probably just post pics of some of the foods and places we enjoyed.