Riviera Maya Mexico 2007

10 March 2007 - Grandma Maxine Kienert decided in the fall that it was time for another family vacation. The last (and first) one we went on was the Disney Cruise in 2000. She made plans for everyone who was available to go to an all-inclusive resort in the Cancun area, her treat. The week of March 11th was the week that worked best for everyone. And thus, Nick & I, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Dave, Kathy Josh, Ben, Cheryl, Steven, Erik, Rob, Stacey, Alissa, Tyler, Brian and finally Cassie met up in Milwaukee on a Saturday afternoon. A bunch of us watched the Badgers in the Big Ten semi-final tournament game in the afternoon, then ordered out for pizza in the evening. Spirits were high but little sleep was to be had that evening.

Mom & Nick kicking off the trip in style

11 Mar - The day started off at 2:45 am (1:45 am thanks to daylight savings time ending starting). After a round of jaegerbombs in the lobby (I did not partake), we were on the shuttle to the airport to being waiting in a series of lines. I was one of the lucky ones to be selected for extra screening when going through security. Oh well. We got on the plane around 6, and after a fairly uneventful charter flight, we landed in Cancun around 8:15 am local time. We got our baggage, made it through customs, assembled everyone, and we were finally on our way to our resort. The sky was partly cloudy, but it was already in the 80s when we landed. It felt so nice! Once we got to the hotel and got rooms (preceded by a complimentary glass of champagne), Nick, Cassie, and I took Grandma down to the beach and went swimming in the ocean. A little chilly to begin with, but it warmed up pretty quickly. It was a bit breezy, so there were some nice waves. We met up with some of the others going to eat lunch. This yummy buffet is going to do my figure no favors. After lunch, we managed to find the Badger-Buckeye Big Ten tournament championship game on our TV (kind of surreal - watching that here in Mexico), only to have the Badgers lose. I took a brief nap. A bunch of us met up later after Cassie and I got Grandma's room assignment and helped her to it via a wheelchair (her artificial knee's life is at an end). We had the buffet dinner again before heading up to Mom & Dad's room for one last beer. After that, Nick and I headed back to our room for a bit of reading before bed.

Pre-trip jaegerbombs (hard pass!)

12 Mar - This morning, I got up early and read for a bit outside. We met up with the others for breakfast, and then Mom, Cassie, Kathy, Josh & I took a cab up to Playa del Carmen. We walked up the main shopping strip, finding souvenirs. I ended up getting a silver necklace with an opal slider for $111, some painted bowls for for friends, and a little painted trinket box to add to my collection. We stopped for a drink at a bar that had swings, then went to Senor Frog's for a snack. That place was a lot of fun. Our table ended up winning a theme song contest and a free bottle of champagne. We took the long way back - getting detoured and ended up walking along the beach, and then back along the road. Not long after that, I took a walk with Brian so he could call home. We sat at the hotel bar with almost everyone else, got two shots of tequila in me (bad idea)  and had dinner at the buffet place. Some minor unpleasantness followed, but that was resolved. {Mom got mad that I (specifically me) hadn't called their room to let them know everyone else had gathered. Some unfortunate, knee-jerk things were said by both of us, but we eventually calmed down and talked through it.} Discussed some of our wedding plans with Stacey before going to bed.

Beach view

Hotel courtyard view

Josh & Cassie

Playa del Carmen

Swinging & drinking

Answer a question, get a shot!

Winning champagne!

Trees! Just in the middle of the road!

Grandma doing shots

Enjoying tequila just a bit too much...

13 Mar - I woke up this morning feeling terrible. I really didn't have a lot to drink yesterday, but the combination of what I had, being dehydrated and a bit upset the evening before probably caused my inability to keep any food in my stomach. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that I felt well enough to leave the room. I went down to the beach with Nick and swam in the ocean before getting some food to eat back in the room. Mom and I went to take care of some room and travel arrangements, then I came back to the room to relax with Nick. We met everybody before having dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant. It took a long time to get our food there, but we finally got it. It wasn't the greatest fish I had ever eaten. After dinner, Nick and Tyler played chess with a giant chessboard. I was still feeling a bit under the weather, so we went to bed early.

Tyler, Josh, Nick

14 Mar - We got up early this morning because we were going on our excursion today. Nick, Cassie, Braden, Josh, Ben, Brian and I decided to go on an adventure tour. We got picked up this morning at 7:30, then after picking up 6 other people, we were on our way with our tour guide Carlos and our van driver to Tulum, post-classical Mayan ruins along the sea. That was pretty cool to see. Lots of ruins, lots of lizards, and as we left, lots of people. The day started off cloudy, but it cleared up a bit and warmed up. We had some time after a tour and went down onto the beach. When we got back to where the van was parked, there were five guys dressed in traditional Mayan costume (voladores), who climbed up to the top of the pole in the middle of a clearing and lowered themselves upsides down from the top. Pretty cool. After some water and regrouping, we were back on the road (scary Mexican roads! They're perfectly okay with trees in the middle of city streets!) towards our adventure stop. We turned into a road by a sign that said "Hidden Worlds" and then had the bumpiest 20 minute ride I've ever experienced. It was like being on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Only much longer. I'm really glad we hadn't eaten lunch. Our first adventure when we stopped was snorkeling in an underwater cave. It was so cool. We got snorkels, life vests, and a bit chilled in the water before snorkeling through the cavern. We didn't see a lot of fish, but it was really cool to see all the stalactites and -mites around us. Carlos led us into a tiny cavern and turned our only light off at one point. We didn't snorkel for much longer. Our next adventure was going on the dry zip line through the jungle. we climbed up a two- or three-story  tower and then zipped through for about 100 meters. We didn't go very fast, but it was still fun. The next adventure was rappeling into the cave. I tried to go upside down, but I couldn't hold myself that way for long. After we had all pretty much dried off, we went on our final adventure - zip-lining into the cave. That might have been freakin' cold, but awesome! We got to do it again, only backwards this time. That was pretty intense - not being able to see where we were going to land. We ate lunch after that (Carlos' adventure #5). It was a simple taco spread, but it was so good. We drove back after that (and buying a CD of all of the pictures that were taken of us while we were there). Pretty uneventful drive back (but still mildly unnerving). Once we got back to the hotel, we changed our suits and headed out to the beach for a dip and an attempt to rived the waves that were coming in. Cassie, Braden and Josh came over to our room before dinner and relaxed a bit with beers. Mom and Dad joined us after a bit, then we met the rest of the family for a late (8 pm) dinner at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel. Since we were such a big group, they only offered us a few entree choices. I think everyone opted for the fajitas. Between the soup and the appetizer, I was stuffed before the meal came. We spent more time back in our room with the others and Kathy too, before they decided to call it a night around 11:30.

At Tulum

Josh, Cassie, Brian, Braden, Nick, Cara, Ben

Down we go!

Ah, so young!

Chillin'

Enjoying a nice Italian meal?

15 Mar - We got up later this morning, met with Mom, Dad, Grandma and Braden for breakfast. Cassie joined us, and then we decided that us older "kids" would go into Playa del Carmen so Braden and Nick would have a chance to buy some souvenirs. Braden, Cassie, Josh, Nick and I set off from the hotel on foot at around 10 am. The distance between the hotel and the shopping area didn't seem that far when we took a cab the other day, but with the sunshine and high temps (high 80s all week), we immediately regretted the decision. We walked for about 40 minutes before we got there, feeling all sweaty and gross. It was nice when we finally got into an air-conditioned shop. We looked around at some goodies, then walked up to the bar with the swings. Got a drink, then walked back towards Senor Frog's. We sat right by the rail and took advantage of a little shower. Mom, Dad and Kathy were going to take Grandma on the ferry to Cozumel and we saw them before they boarded. We ate lunch at Senor Frog's before walking back to one of the souvenir markets. I picked up four hand-blown glasses with cobalt blue swirls on them. Very pretty. Nick got gifts, too. We did the smart thing and took a cab back to the hotel. Once we got back, Nick and I rested before going out to the beach. we swam in the sea for a while before getting dressed for dinner. we had reservations for the Italian restaurant at 6:30. These restaurants had a big problem with handling a group of our size, which was annoying. They only offered one meal choice (filet mignon) at the restaurant, which Cassie and I don't eat, and it was like pulling teeth to get something we could (we ended up with chicken parmesan that tasted like baked cheese). Moral of the story - stick with the cuisine of the country you're in. After dinner, Mom & Dad, Braden & Cassie, Dave, Kathy & Josh, and Nick & I ended up at a table near the pool, having a few Dos Equises (yeah, I probably didn't spell that right), shots of tequila and a few Cuban cigars that Nick and Braden bought today. We played Apples to Apples and drank until around 1 am. After Tuesday, I made it a point to drink a lot of water. I think I downed about 3 L.

Sunrise or sunset?

16 Mar - After breakfast, Nick and I took one last swim in the ocean, and then took advantage of having some quiet time before we had to check out at noon. I took a brief nap because it was going to be a long day. We met up with everyone else in the lobby and managed to take a family picture. Braden's flight left earlier than ours, so his airport transportation left at 1:15. After Braden left, eight of us (Mom, Dad, Cassie, Grandma, Rob, Tyler, Nick and I) took taxis down to Playa to see if we could find a place to watch the Badger's first NCAA tournament game. We found one off the main shopping drag, when ate some lunch while watching (as much as we could) the Badgers be down by 15 at the half to winning by 13 against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. A storm blew in as we were about to leave and stayed overcast and cool for the rest of the day. After the game, Nick, Mom, Cassie and I picked up a few last-minute souvenirs (I got another silver and opal slider for my necklace). We took a cab back, and then waited in the lobby until our shuttle came at 5:40. We all got loaded, no problem. We had another couple to pick up at another resort, but they were late and we left without them. The bus ride to the airport seemed to take forever. We finally got there, got our seats, got through security, then waited for the plane. It was one of the most uncomfortable flights I'd ever been on. We sat in an exit row, so our seats didn't recline. I tried to sleep, but between the frat boys two rows behind me and a woman who would not stop talking behind us, sleep eluded me. Cassie, Nick and I drove back to Madison after getting my car back at the hotel. Nick drove and I slept in the back. After dropping Cassie off, Nick and I got home around 5 am. The kitties were very happy to see us and didn't let us have any decent sleep. Oh well. At least we've got a few days to recover.

Stormy day

Hint of a rainbow

Mom looking at the stormy skies

Assembled family

I'm not really sure why she picked Cancun, but I am very happy Grandma took us all on this vacation. Nick and I had a great time overall. There are always minor (and major) annoyances traveling with so many people, but I think it was worth it overall. Thanks, Grandma! Let us know how we can make it up to you!

{transcribed 1/28/2020}

2007 Capital One Bowl

31 Dec 2006 - This year, our Badgers wen 11-1 and ended up with a Capital One bowl berth. This year, Nick and I made plans to fly down with Cassie and Braden and stay with Mom & Dad at a hotel. we (Nick & I) drove from Madison to Milwaukee at 9 am, driving through rain the entire way. We met Cass & Braden in the parking lot, then spent the next few hours waiting for our direct flight to Orlando. Nothing special about the flight - just your typical annoyances and attempts to sleep through them. We flew in at 5 local time, and got our rental car. We finally made it to the 3-bdrm villa the folks rented around 6:30 pm. we relaxed for a while here before all heading out for dinner. Mom & Dad found an English Pub earlier in the week, so we went there for dinner. I got a yummy chicken curry, a Strongbow, and several coasters to add to my new-found collection. It was a very English pub - cricket, football and rugby on the telly, lots of British accents. Overal, pretty small and nice. From there, we drove to the Orlando Ale House to watch some football (American, this time). The last Packer game of the season (and perhaps Brett Favre's last game) was on, and the Pack defeated the Bears. we had a few beers and nachos. I was the DD for the kids, so I didn't drink too much. We headed back to the villa to count down to the new year. Had a little wine, played some Catchphrase, pretty nice way to quietly ring in the new year.

1 Jan 2007 - We got up around 8, and we were on the road to the stadium around 9. It was nice having done this last year, because we knew our way around this year. We parked pretty close to the stadium and set to work making a poster for nick. We wanted to wear his cow costume and hold up a sign reading "EAT MOR BAKIN", parodying Chick-fil-A ads, since we were playing the Arkansas Razorbacks. It was overcast and cool in the morning, but gradually warmed. Game time was 1 pm, so we had plenty of time to chill prior to it. People started coming over to get their pictures taken with Nick. We found out seats eventually and the game began. In between some minor sprinkles, we played a pretty good first half, leading 17-7 at halftime. The Hogs shut us down in the second half, but at least our defense held them to one touchdown. It was a nerve-wracking final six minutes, but we hung on for the win. We stuck around for 5th Quarter, and then many people in our section stopped by for a photo-op with Nick. Tailgated a bit afterward to let traffic clear, then promptly ran into a lot of it on I-4 as we made our way to the Ale House for dinner and to watch the second half of the Rose Bowl. We finally got there and ordered dinner (delicious blackened mahi-mahi over pasta for me). Michigan blew the game big time, and USC won. After dinner, we all headed back to the villa to chill. Watched more football, drank more beer.

Me, Nick, Braden, Cassie, Mom, Dad

2 Jan - We slept in a bit this morning, then decided what we were going to do for the day. We decided on Disney's Magic Kingdom. We got there around 10:30, paid $71 each to get in, and promptly began our hatred of strollers and inconsiderate people. We pretty much spent the day getting rained on (without ponchos, mind), standing in line for a ride and drying off, and then starting the process over again. We rode (in order) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean (now with Capt Jack Sparrow, Capt Barbossa and Davy Jones' characters), Space Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad one last time before we went back to the villa. For most of the rides, we waited over a half hour, so that took up a big portion of the day. It was nice to get a pair of dry pants and socks on after that. A quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some frozen pizza and wine {and a copy of the Daily Mail, apparently}, and then it was back for a nice, relaxing evening.

Found in my travel journal

{transcribed 1/27/2020}

Badlands & Black Hills 2006

21 May 2006 - Since Nick and I had a free week before starting our jobs (my full-time, his summer), we decided to take a road trip. We decided on South Dakota, where neither of us had been, and a trip that would be relatively inexpensive. Our trip started in Rapids, because we were there to celebrate my dad's birthday the day before. We left at 7 am, and had a pretty clear drive. I took the first leg, driving to somewhere in Minnesota (Austin, I think). Nick took over next. We listed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on CD, and I knitted a sock when not driving. I switched back off with Nick in Kennebec, SD. After that, the geography and topography started to get interesting. We finally got in to our hotel south of Rapid City. We stayed at Rushmore Inn & Suites (only $39/night) - clean but worth the price. We got dinner at a nearby grocery store, and headed back to the room to eat dinner and watch TV (Family Guy). Oh, and we stopped at Wall Drug, too. Got a shot glass, bumper stickers and a chocolate malt.

View from our hotel

22 May - We got up early and after partaking of the continental breakfast, we headed out to Badlands National Park. Nick did the driving on the way there, taking hwy 44. Beautiful views as we got close to the park. Almost ran over a snake, though (big snake!). We finally got there about 9 am. We first stopped at the visitor's center. Then drove up the amazing windy road past spires, to a parking lot. We first tackled Notch Trail, which took us through a valley and up along a ledge to a great overlook. Next, we walked the easy Window Trail, which had an amazing view of all sizes and shapes of an "intricately eroded canyon." It was getting pretty warm (it was mostly sunny out, with a projected high of 89°F. So, we found some shade (very rare at this park) and ate lunch. Next, we decided to take the Castle Trail from the parking lot, walk the Saddle Pass Trail and return via the Medicine Root Trail and first leg of the Castle Trail. We started off through the prairie and walked into a canyon. The formations were so odd. They seemed man-made, from gravel and mud. But no, mostly erosion at work. Though there was a nice, strong breeze, the sun was really beating down on us. We walked through prairies, past fantastic canyons, but we were plodding by the time we made it to Saddle Pass. We slowly shuffled our way down, sliding on loose pebbles and over ridges. We through maybe we'd walk the loop road back to the car, but the prospect was painful. I explained our situation to a couple from Georgia, and they graciously agreed to give us a lift. Thank goodness - we were running low on water and heat stroke seemed very possible. After arriving at the car, I ditched my shoes and we stopped back at the visitor's center to replenish our water. I also bought a walking stick as a souvenir. We continued on the loop road to the interstate, passing amazing and colorful canyons. We definitely recognized why they are called the Badlands. The drive back to the hotel was pretty easy. Got in ~3:30. Took much-needed showers and found all the places we missed when putting on sunscreen earlier. Relaxed and watched ESPN before dinner. We drove into Rapid City and went to the Firehouse Brewing Co. for food. I tried their red (okay), while Nick had their pale ale. I got a veggie burger for dinner, while Nick got prime rib. Pretty good. We were both pretty exhausted, so we read and watched some South Park. We learned watching the local news that there was a record high temp today of 91°F. Wow.

View from the Notch

Window Trail

Castle Trail

Bad lands indeed.

23 May - Nick and I decided to scratch Devil's Tower form our agenda when we found out it was going to be raining and it would have taken us 4 hours to get there and back. Instead, we tackled the Black Hills. Early this morning, with Nick driving, we took off toward Mount Rushmore. Very twisty, climbing and falling roads. We were content with seeing the monument from a distance, so we took hwy 16A. Beautiful views of the hills and area. It was also very windy - maybe 20-25 mph speeds. We drove south after that through Custer State Park. Awesome scenery - it would have been nice to stop, but we were on our way to Wind Cave. we had to be content with viewing burros, deer, and buffalo as well as the hillsides recovering from a fire in 1988, from the car. We got to Wind cave in time for the 10:30 tour. Our group was pretty large, and unfortunately, there was a whining/crying/just unhappy toddler on the tour as well. We got to see all sorts of boxwork formations (calcite lattices left over after the limestone was dissolved). The tour lasted ~75 minutes and it was definitely lunch time when we came up to the surface. After eating PB&J sandwiches, we drove towards Custer past prairie dog towns (we also trailed a prairie dog running across a bridge on our way to the cave). We then drove through the Black Hills and some rain. Nick & I switched drivers in Deadwood, and then I drove back to Rapid City through Sturgis. We stopped on the way at a grocery store to pick up a few beverages for tomorrow's drive home. relaxed with a little TV. We ordered pizza and watched more South Park. The wind was really howling out. We were pretty exhausted, so we went to be shortly after the 9 pm news.

Mt Rushmore barely visible behind us

Coming back from a 1988 fire

Wind Cave boxwork

Another view in Wind Cave

24 May - Up at 6 this morning, back on the road ~7. We switched off drivers more often, and with a strong wind at our back, we had excellent gas mileage (36 mpg last full tank). We got into Madison shortly after a strong storm dumped over 1" of rain there. It was a fun trip, but it was nice to finally be out of the car.

{Nick and I also had a fight that lasted for several hours on the way home. I honestly can't remember what about.}
{transcribed 1/27/2020}

2006 Capital One Bowl

31 Dec 2005 - The Badgers were invited to play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida (Barry Alvarez's last game as head coach). A group of us (my boyfriend Nick, Cassie, her boyfriend Braden, his roommate James and his girlfriend Lori) decided to get out of the cold and make the trip down to Florida. I have to ask - why do all these bowl games we go to have to start so inauspiciously for me? Nick and I got up at 4, me the others at Memorial Union to take the Van Galder bus to O'Hare at 5 am. We got down there about 3 hours before our flight left, but as I was attempting to check in automatically, I realized my walled (with the credit card I charged the entire trip on) was missing. After a few panicked phone calls to the cab and bus companies, my wallet was found on the bus. {which was then returned to me when the bus returned.} We were able to check-in and then setting in for a wait at the airport. We flew United ("Ted") direct to Orlando (uneventful flight) and stepped into the Floridian warmth (mid-70s). After an unexpected experience at the car rental place (we reserved two small cars, but somehow managed to get a Taurus and a mini-van, and then the ordeal of dropping the Taurus because everyone fit in the van - Argh!), we found our hotel and settled in. Everybody threw on their suits and headed to the pool. Almost like bathwater. Because it was New Year's Eve, the place was a bit more crowded than usual. Cassie and I took a drive to find a place to buy some beer. First we stopped at one of the scariest super Wal-Marts on the planet (everyone there had carts full of absolutely random stuff), before finding a grocery store. We ordered pizza for dinner, and hung out until a bit after midnight, when the number of hours we'd been up started to catch up with us.

James, Lori, Cassie, Braden, Nick, me

1 Jan 2006 - Got ready and got some breakfast before heading back down to the pool in the morning. After swimming, we went to International Blvd to find lunch and something to do. We found a place called Bahama Breeze that was pretty good. I got a chicken quesadilla, salad and a mojito. After lunch, we walked to a nearby adventure golf place. We had a coupon for half off, so we mini-golfed 36 holes for $8/person. That took a good 3 hours. I got a hole-in-one once. :) After all the mini-golfing, we decided to meet up with Mom and Dad who also came down for the game. We got our suits and headed to their hotel. There were (it felt like) a million preteen cheerleaders staying there, and all of them were in the swimming pool. We carved out a little niche for ourselves and swam a bit. We relaxed a bit after that, then headed out for some dinner. We stumbled upon an authentic English Pub (the Cricketers Arms in the Mercado), judging by the waitstaff and clientele. I had fish and chips, complemented nicely by a pint of Strongbow. We stayed for a while playing darts and talking to other Badger and Auburn Tigers fans. Mom & Dad left to go back to their hotel, and we went to Howl and the Moon, a dueling piano bar. It was a bit less exciting for me as the designated driver, while everyone else got louder and drunker. I had a headache, caffeine tummy ache and a short temper by the time we finally came back and turned off the lights.

{At the pub, we talked to a guy and his wife at the bar. He owned car dealerships in Miami and she had an enormous ring (causing us to recount this part of the tale by not being able to lift our hand from the table). They had Rapids connections. It was on this trip that it started to sink in that Rapids is the Center of the Universe...}

Mini-golfing

Cassie's drink

2 Jan - Owing to the previous night's experiences and the roughly five hours of sleep I got the night before, I wasn't the happiest camper when I woke up this morning. Because the 1st fell on a Sunday (NFL day), all traditionally New Year's Day bowl games were to be played on the 2nd.  As game time approached, my mood improved dramatically. We met up with Mom & Dada at a grocery store, then caravaned up to our parking lot. We got there about 3 1/2 hours before the game. Everyone else was pretty occupied trying to overcome their hangovers. I tried to get a bit of sleep. We met Jerry Fluno (as in the Fluno Center in Madison) and his son Brian. Jerry was originally from Rapids and knew the Dalys. {He invited to pay for us to go to the Alumni tailgate, but my hungover group couldn't be bothered. Still irked about that...} Just another one of those small-world coincidences. We ate some lunch, played Uno, then made our way in to the stadium. We (the 6 of us) were seated in the "student section" and mom & Dad were two sections over. Considering Auburn was ranked in the Top 10 and we have had no luck against SEC teams, I though this game would be a loss. Most of the sportswriters seemed to think likewise. What an extremely pleasant surprise it was when we caused two turnovers and scored 17 points to Auburn's 0 in the first half. {Big Bad Voodoo Daddy played the halftime show, along with way too many cheerleaders.} We had pretty good seats - I'd say they were equivalent to section P row 40 at Camp Randall. We students were loud and obnoxious as usual. I still couldn't believe it when the final score came down to Wisconsin 24, Auburn 10. I'm pretty sure all of us were pretty hoarse. Great 5th Quarter. We tailgated a bit afterward, then bid Mom & Dad adieu as we headed back to our hotel. We tried to find a place to watch the other bowl games, but it was too crowded. Ended up getting subs and heading back to the hotel. A little R&R in the hot tub and having a quiet rest of the evening.

Our view

Badger Fans!

 3 Jan - We slept in a bit more than we intended, but we were all ready in time to catch the early shuttle to  Universal Studios, if we had caught the shuttle, which we didn't. We ended up driving instead. It rained as we got to the park, but soon stopped. We went to Islands of Adventure. It was really nice - the weather ended up being sunny and about 80, and the park wasn't crowded at all. We went on the main roller coaster first (the Hulk) which had a really short line. Over the course of the day, we went on the Spiderman ride, Dueling Dragons twice, the Cat in the Hat ride, and saw the 8th Voyage of Sinbad stunt show. We also went on a Popeye-themed ride, which got us soaking wet. We spent the next few hours drying off. Nick and I bought Thing 1 and Thing 2 (me and him, respectively) t-shirts as souvenirs. We ate dinner at Margartiaville, just outside the park. I had yummy blackened tilapia. We had a little difficulty finding our way back home, but we eventually made it. I opted not to go down to take one last hot tub dip. I got enough water on me today. Nick & I talked a bit, then everyone else came up to watch part of the Penn State-FSU game and pack, because w were leaving the next day.

All wet after a water ride

Cassie and me doing our best Blue Steel.

Having some fun at Universal Studios

4 Jan - We woke up at 4 am, took the rental car back and just caught the airport shuttle that was about to leave. There were Penn State fans (victorious and exhausted) and Ohio State fans on the shuttle as well. We were delayed by ticket lines and baggage problems, but we eventually made it to O'Hare, where we had to wait for the next bus to Madison. I tried to sleep as much as I could on the bus. Finally pulled in around 2, and my roommate Kyle was nice enough to pick us up.

{transcribed 1/27/2020}