Mardi Gras In Florida?

Universal Orlando has been transformed into a Mardi Gras celebration every Saturday night through April 19. This is a Party that all ages can enjoy. And includes some hot musical performers such as, Third Eye Blind, Heart, L.L. Cool J and some old-school singers, Frankie Valli, Four Seasons, Smokey Robinson and Kool & The Gang.

From what I have read and heard this is one of the largest Mardi Gras festivals outside of New Orleans. This party presents an elaborate parade that features 13 animated floats covering all the French Quarter Courtyard. There are hundreds of costumed characters, a ton of beads, and authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine, ummm...

In a recent press release, Jim Timon, senior vice president of entertainment at Universal Orlando Resort was quoted as saying, "With our authentic parade floats, musicians direct from New Orleans, and, of course, thousands of beads, guests will be caught up in the fun of this party."

I think this is going to be a good time, so I’m going to take a ride up and make a night of it. My mission is to get as many beads as possible… remember, this is PG guys, so get your head out of the gutter!

You Animal You...

If you’re feeling like an animal then the Caribbean Gardens would be a great place to visit. It’s always a clean fun adventure. Some of their animals include the rare Indochinese tiger along with their cousins the lion and leopard. If you’re feeling a little warm, take a safari boat ride to encounter alligators, pythons, monkeys, lemurs, and many more along side several small islands. Once you are done with that adventure then it’s on to your next with live animal shows where they allow you pet various species. The last time we went, I ended up petting an alligator. I enjoyed asking questions at the “Meet the Keeper Series", rather then petting a nasty carnivore, however the kids love it.

You can easily fill a couple of hours here, unless you have kids with you, then I would suggest dividing the zoo into several days of sightseeing. There is also food on the premises, but packing lunches is nice because they have picnic facilities as well.

The Real Estate Menu Here In Florida

Okay, so we have had a tough time with the real-estate market for the past two years, but tough times are starting to look up. I am personally a real-estate junkie and I have found that prices are great and people are starting to look as well as buy. I’m also seeing pending and sold signs on several homes. I believe that, if the price is right then why the hell not? I’m sure everyone knows how interest rates have gone down immensely and depending on your credit the interest rates are now starting out at about 5% and that's on a 30 year fixed mortgage. This is crazy good!

I remember back in the day when I would say…if I only knew then what I know now I would’ve bought… Well that time is here and I believe it to be one of the reasons people are buying. It is actually exciting to hear from various realtors who have been in the industry for 20 + years that the time is now, today, not a year from now because in a year from now the prices and interest rates are going to go up. So all these signs point to buying, but is it to early to start buying? Or should we wait it out longer, what do you think?

Downtown Disney

The Downtown Disney area is a large village of entertainment within the realm of Walt Disney World. This is an accessible entertainment avenue without the price of an admission ticket. I personally enjoy shopping during the day at all the specialty shops. There are also restaurants and cafe/bars with recorded or live music.

Downtown Disney has three different parts to it which are…The Disney Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and Disney West. You’ll find it easy to see all three parts on an evening out. The Disney Marketplace and Disney West are fun places to go see for free with shopping, restaurants, and nightlife; whereas Pleasure Island is more of nightlife place where you pay one cover charge of $21 and then have access to many different clubs, also some with live music (rock, jazz, etc) and comedy. All three areas are fun and provide a high energy environment.

A few of my favorite things to see besides shopping, are Cirque du Soleil and the House of Blues. Cirque du Soleil is an amazing performance that is an artistic expression of the circus life. No it is not just another circus performance this is a performance like nothing you've ever seen before. It's sort of like a wonderful dream. The tickets prices can go over $100.00 per ticket, so purchasing them in advance would save you money. The House of Blues is another must see, the food is great and there is no admission to eat and watch the live bands play. This is especially nice for a evening out. I have been to Down Town Disney so many of times and it never seems to get old.

Is Summer Here Yet?

It’s time to start thinking about summer camp because in a few more months school will be out. Kids will have to start complaining that they're bored, so now is the time to register them for summer camp before they become to full. I have found a great new website that shows all the camps here in Florida. Some camps are doing things the old school style in wilderness and some are undertaking new adventures in some of the most unlikely places.... theme parks! A lot of these camps are counting down the days to when they can throw open there doors and start as many adventures for the kids as humanly possible. A few I thought were interesting are... snorkel camping, Tampa's Aquaruim camp, travel camp, Disney/MGM Studios film making camp, and so many more. I wish they had stuff like this when I was a kid. So, check out these featured camps and let me know what you think?

I'll Have Some Water Please...

Aquatica is a water park that Sea World built. The park features over 36 water slides, 6 rivers/lagoons, and a huge beach area to relax. I watched this video and that was it for me, I was sold and booked my family's summer vacation. This seems like so much fun. Have any of you been here or maybe heard about Aquatica?

Pour Some Sugar On Me...

Def Leppard with REO Speedwagon and Styx Concert at Germain Arena this Sunday.

The standard list for preparing for an 80’s concert…

First, one must have the hair, the BIG hair with lots or Rave hairspray. The Big hair must include one of these characteristics… feathered, stick-up bangs, mullet, multicolored, crimped, side ponytails, ultra-teased, platinum blonde, or just a ton of glitter in it.

Second, one must have a fully painted face, as if you were a person that juggles balls and goes to kids parties for a living. Oh and please don’t forget the fake mole.

Third, depending on the occasion please don’t forget the variety of tops such as…neon color shirts, leather jackets with chains, sleeveless shirts, crop tops, Ocean Pacific tops, and the off the shoulder look.

Fourth, the legs need a more subtle look like, spandex with leg warmers or any exercise gear, tight leather pants, parachute pants, colored hose with rips, super tight minis, and stonewashed jeans.

Fifth, accessorizing this look requires great detail here is the list…
~Clock Necklaces ~Friendship Stuff ~Many Swatches ~Swatch Protectors
~Plastic Charms ~Hoop Earrings ~Slouch Sock ~High Tops ~Puff Paint

~Safety Pins ~Beads ~Slap Bracelets ~Rubber Bracelets ~Jellies

~Big Hair Bows ~Neon color braces ~Neon rubber bands

~Croc Dundee Hats ~Rhinestone Glove ~Brimmed Hats

~Neon Book Covers ~High-tops

If you achieve any of these minor or shall I say fun/crazy looks you'll fit right in.

Dancing In The Street

Groove Street is a great little club in Ft. Myers that plays the 70’s up until to today’s music. Well, the other night I thought it would be fun for a few of us couples to get together and go dancing there. When we got there, we went straight to the bar for some lemon drops. After feeling a little warm from the lemon drops, we ran out to the dance floor.

While dancing, we noticed a costume birthday party and one girl was dressed as Sandra Dee from Grease. So, my friends and I had to request Summer Nights from the sound track Grease, it was only appropriate for the occassion. When the DJ decided to play Summer Nights our whole group happened to be on the dance floor and us girls split from the boys as we started to sing the lyrics to the boys. Well then, the cutest thing happened, the boys began to sing the lyrics to us girls and all the people on the dance floor created a huge circle around us. As we got toward the end of the song we went back over to our husbands and sung the ending into their eyes. Awe…

It was great because after it was all over with we received a round of applause for our improvish moment. I’ll tell you I felt like I was in the movie. This is a memory I’ll never forget and the best part is that everyone around us had a blast as well.

Live Blogging Brew Babies Style

8:14pm I walked into Brew Babies and noticed that because it rained the place wasn't completely full as usual. So, we actually got to pick where we wanted to sit. I felt a little uncomfortable pulling out my lab top, so I asked the server if it would be rude to get on my lab top and she said no, not at all.

8:18 I'm checking out the people, and across from us is a table of four. I'm trying to ease drop on their conversation and I hear some type of English accent, so I think they are from Europe?

There is also a cute old couple right next to us, who isn't saying anything to each other. They seem very interesting, the older lady is short and plump with huge black round prescription glasses. While the man is super skinny and tall with his pants all the way up to his chest area.

8:24 Their menu changes every week, so it's always a surprise to see what they will have...hum mm, very nice menu. I am going to have the almond crusted cranberry haddock and my husband is having the slow roasted prime rib, mm mm....

8:25 I just can't get over how the rain has dampened the amount of people who came this evening. Well I suppose that about 50% of the seating is underneath the stars. I asked the server after we ordered our meals what happened tonight as far as where all the people were? And she explained, that a lot of the reservations were for outside seating. The owners had to cancel the band because the rain. This means they called back all the people who made reservations and most of the people canceled at that point. I thought it was interesting that by calling all those people the owners sacrificed money for their reputation. To me this is what I call good business and that is why this place is usually packed.

8:27 A server brought the little old couple two salads. The old lady told the server they didn't order the salads. Then the server told them they can have them and there will be no charge. It was so cute because the little old lady gobbled down the salad while the old man seemed puzzled. The server asked if everything was okay, and the old man said very loudly, "no I didn't order the salad and I don't want it." His wife yelled at him, "Charlie."
I think she was embarrassed. The server took the salad from him and apologized for giving him the salad.

****I'm thinking...what the hell was that crabby old man thinking???

8:43 The food is here already??? WOW, mm mm.... I'll be back...

8:59 There is no way to describe what I just ate. I basically scarfed it down. As I was eating I noticed my husband didn't even stop to take a breath as well.

9:05 I can't really hear the Engish folks, but they are making some interesting faces as they are talking.

9:10 The server came over and asked if we wanted desert?...a chocolate Guinness cheesecake, chocolate cake, creme brulee, key lime pie, and carrot cake all made this morning by the way. We chose the chocolate Guinness cheesecake.

9:12 I noticed the little old lady was trying to ease drop on my husband and I, so I smiled at her and she smiled back. She then asked me what I was doing? I just replied, "working on school work." Then the server walked up to give them their bill. The old man Charlie looked over it and started to complain that the bill was to much and the old lady told him to shut the hell up and pay it...

*******She must be mad at him or something or maybe married for too long?

9:15 The server came over and set down our desert. We both took a bit and melted in our seats. We then finished it off.

9:19 I watched the old man grow impatient looking around for the server to pick up the bill, so they could go home. He then jumped up and walked over to her handing her the bill.
I feel so bad for that server. He is just standing there while he is waiting for her to ring it up.

9:22 Our bill comes and my husband hands the server our credit card.

9:23 The old man yells to his wife, "Betty get up and come on, lets go." His tone wasn't nice at all. She yelled at him, "shut the hell up, I'm coming."
The English people began to get quite and stared at her as she got up.
Little miss Betty looked over at them and said, "what." as she raised her hands.
They looked at one another and smiled, then telling her too have a most splendid evening and she said, "not with him." under her breathe.
They all kind of laughed and began back to there conversations.

9:29 The server brings our bill and tells us to have a wonderful evening. Now It's time to pack up, so have a bloody good evening as well!

Mystery Dinner Train Vegas Style

I kind of think of Ft. Myers as a place that has things to do you just got to look for them. So I made it my mission to find a new place to take my husband Stephen for his 30th birthday. When searching I stumbled upon the Dinner Train ride through a friend who was working on the there. My husband had no idea of where I was taking him and he was surprised to find that we were going on the dinner train. He also had no idea at the time I knew one of the characters. The plot was about a wedding in Vegas and the wife cheated on the soon to be husband with another man…well that woman just happened to be me and when I walked up from what my husband thought the bathroom, I claiming my love for Stephen. The face my husband made was priceless, he had no idea of what to do. As the scenes went on my husband was completly shocked, but Stephen continued to play right into the scenes. This ended up being a great success and Stephen never could get over it. He told me that this was the best unexpected birthday gift he had ever received.

Birthdays are a fantastic way to be creative and share memories that last a lifetime. Have any of you ever done something crazy that was memorable for someone’s birthday?

Will The Real Beef Restaurant Please Stand Up?

Bern's Steak House is one of Tampa Bay’s landmarks! This is my personal favorite place to go. This restaurant has been around for over 40 years and continues being owned and run by the founder's son David Laxier. The ambiance is as though you walked into a huge creepy old house. It is amazing the way they do business, the waiters train onsite and in their very own gardens for years before they make it to server status. Each and every visitor gets a tour of the kitchen and wine seller after dinner to see the fine quality in which the food is prepared. The wine collection is really tiny, there is over a million wines and over a billion dollars worth of inventory. Some of it is kept in the restaurant wine seller, and some in a secret wine storage facility nearby. The aged beef has led this restaurant to win many awards and tons of free marketing from its visitors. Get custom cuts ranging from an individual size to enough for an entire group. I happened to go with the sea food and have the tuna. By the way it was the best damn tuna I have ever had.

So… history, culture, incredible food and ambiance, this is definitely not your typical restaurant experience.…Oh and I can’t forget to tell you about the second floor desert room......each booth looks as though you stepped into a large barrel that has dimmed lighting and your own personal radio with various stations for your delight. The deserts are incredible and cigars are available as well. If your ever in the area this is a must, I mean, President Bush stops in now an then, so why not you???

A Breeze of Not So Fresh Air…

The other day I went to the Fort Myers Ale House for lunch. I thought taking my daughter out to lunch during school was a cool motherly type gesture. We end up getting there and were seated near the bar area in a booth. I’ve always been very weary of sitting near the bar with my daughter, but it wasn’t as if we were actually at the bar. So, Haley and I looked over the menu and were ready to order. I started to look around for the server and she was nowhere to be found. I took another look around only to discover a man lifting up his butt cheek and out came the utter sound of gas combustion flowing out of his nasty ass in a nonchalant manner. My daughter and I looked at each other with total disgust and laughed.

I always knew the Ale House wasn't fine dining. The Ale House however, has always had a great menu and is a clean place to eat. BUT... this whole let it out in public type of attitude makes me wonder if it's just a bar thing or the clientele in general? Which ever one it maybe, I know I won’t be sitting anywhere near that bar again because I'm scared for life. I often wonder now and then if it might be a good idea to have signs up similar to this one?

I Wannado What?

There’s one thing about Wannado city and that is... the parents aren’t allowed to be in the kids work space. And no exceptions! For example, I was an excited parent, as most are to see there kids performing a surgical procedure. So the minute I heard…

“Doctor Haley the patient is hemorrhaging!”

I walked up to see my daughter perform the surgery. The staff however, had to stop everything to ask me politely to go back behind the line. Haley looked up embarrassed because her mom was being escorted out of the emergency room by two eleven year old security guards, Haley replied, “nurse please hand me the scalpel” and shook her head finishing up the procedure.

So, there I was in handcuffs behind the line and at that moment I realized Haley will be on her own one day, making a life of her own. This was a difficult time for me as a parent to filter all these mixed emotions, but I was proud of her most of all.

The procedure was over and the security kids took the hand cuffs off of me, Haley ran over to me and said, “Mom you almost killed my patient, so please don’t do that again okay?”

Kids are so wonderful and it is amazing to see them grow into this magnificent little person who slowly becomes independent. Have any of you had any similar situations whether it is with your child or a sister or brother?

I Wannado Something New...

Wannado City is located next to the Saw Grass Mills mall in Fort Lauderdale. I highly recommend this park to parents with kid’s ages 5-12. Wannado City is a career role-playing theme park exclusively for kids. This park is great for teaching kids about various careers and how to manage money.

For each job your child selects, they will get paid at the end of their shift. They can use the play money through out the park for various things like making a bracelet, going to the amusement park with kid sized rides, using at the art academy, the rock climbing wall, or just save them for the next trip.

When entering the park, the kids go to the Bank and open up an account with a $150 voucher. Each time the kids earn money from there job, they can deposit it, or if they need money for various activities, they can withdrawal it.

Just to name a few employment opprotunities…there’s a Publix, an emergency room, newspaper, police station, court house, bakery, pathology lab, beauty salon, dance club, fashion show, circus, movie set, theater, CNN set, and so much more…

For the mom or dad there’s a cozy lounge upstairs where you can get coffee, bakery items, and surf the web. So if your child is running around like a maniac you have no worries because the kids also where a bracelet that has a GPS. If you want to see where your child is, just run your bracelet under one of the scanners through out the park and all that information will display.

I really wish they would’ve had this when I was a kid, maybe I would've had my chosen career path right out of high school.

Cracker Travels to Seven Sisters Inn Ocala, FL

The Seven Sisters Inn is a wonderful, relaxing get away. We had a great experience, seeing all the different rooms. Each room is decorated with themes and pieces from all around the world since the owners are pilots.

We stayed in Egypt because Paris was taken, but next time I’m thinking maybe China…trying to decide which room to stay in next time is going to be tough.

We had tea and appetizers in the afternoon which was a special treat. I had felt as if we were at the Mad Hatter’s very merry unbirthday party with all the neat decorations.

This B&B is a playhouse of it’s own with murder mysteries and resident ghosts. Oh, you may not want to ask about the ghosts if you scare easy because the creaking noises kept me up for parts of the night.

Breakfast in the morning starts with strawberries and cream then out came the delicious homemade waffles with warm blueberries on top and sausage on the side.

The hostess was wonderful and treated us as if we were family. This was a home away from home.

I just found out some interesting news, this B&B was voted at one time the "Inn of the month" by Country Inns Bed & Breakfast Magazine. How cool is that!

I’m interested to find out how many of you have stayed at a B&B before? And what was your experience like?

Lets Go Canoeing in Estero, FL

The Estero River Outfiters is a great place to rent canoes and kayaks for a fun day out in the sun with friends and family. They also carry bait for fishing and all types of books from fishing to the history of Florida.

The trail goes by the Koreshan State Historic Site up to the Estero Bay. You can go as long as you want, but be sure to remember the time you spend going up the trail, is the time you’ll spend coming back.

While you are canoeing you can take pit stops to venture through the turn of the century, religious settlement the Koreshan State Historic Site. The trail makes an interesting and easy one-day trip exploring mangrove coves and islands. The trail leads through subtropical hammocks that give way to mangrove swamps as the water becomes more brackish. This is a great place for lunch if you want to have a relaxing picnic.

Getting back on the rivers trail you can see some wildlife such as… great blue herons, hawks, spoonbills, eagles, manatees, and anhinga's these are a few I’ve seen. You can also look for mangrove cuckoo and black-whiskered vireo.

The trails are full of historical pit stops. After traveling through the Koreshan State Park the river will take you to Mound Key Archaeological State Park, this was said to be the ceremonial center of the Calusa Indians up until 1566, when the Spaniards brought disease. The bay is shallow, and the trail ends at Lovers Key State Park on Black Island.

Have any of you been canoeing before?... And if so when, where, and did you have an enlightening experience?

Extra Extra, Panera Bread's Out of Signature Bagels!

Panera bread is finally here in North East Cape Coral area right next to North Fort Myers. Panera Bread is one of my favorite places to eat because they have the asiago cheese bagel. This bagel is one of Panera’s signature bagels that keep people coming back.

I decided to try this Panera Bread out. So, I walked into the Panera on an early Sunday morning and tried to place an order for their asiago bagel, but they were out of it. I thought how can they be out of this bagel? Don’t they know how this business works? If they don’t have those bagels they won’t make money, especially on an early Sunday morning. They didn’t even have a back up plan. I was very disappointed in the management for not recognizing this huge problem. So, I asked them if they were going to be getting more in and they told me it would “only” take thirty minutes to bake them. “Only thirty minutes,” well why didn’t they think of that thirty minutes ago? I mean who’s the bagel checker?

It was apparent I could go off and have a full breakfast at this point, that is if I were to wait another thirty minutes. I kept thinking, but why? Why don’t they just have that wonderful tasting asiago… damn I really wanted that bagel. So, I ended up leaving with no bagel and an empty stomach. Don't you generally hate when this happens?

Food for thought, please always make sure you are stocked up for days like a Sunday or you may end up loosing people.

Traveling Cracker Escapes to the Gardens with Bush

Busch Gardens is a stop we make at least once a year. This is a great time. Where the beer is cold and the rides are fun. Well, they were fun until I went on the Gwazi. The Gwazi is Busch Gardens wooden coaster. It is told to be the biggest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the Southeast. I thought that it might be fun to have a few beers before riding the roller coasters. This would be a mistake on my part because the Gwazi is a very bumpy ride. The word Gwazi is defined as a lion with a tiger's head, in which should really mean don’t drink and ride. Okay, so the tigers head made me puke i'll admit it, but I don’t puke, EVER or at least I never have before.

Now, when things like this happen husbands or friends are good to have around. Reason being is because my husband held my hair back while people walked by whispering ewe and making faces. This was an embarrassing moment for me. So I realized I was never going to do that again, the drinking and riding thing that is.

So, why do they sell alcohol at theme parks again?

The Traveling Cracker off to Tampa, FL

Off to Tampa just trying to get away for the weekend. We stayed at Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts. Intercontinental has been newly renovated and as you walk in the rooms you automatically skim every inch of the contemporary styled room with delight. From the down feather sheets and pillows to the robe on top of the bed with crisp white slippers waiting to be put on. Oh, I can’t forget along side of the robes are chocolate mints that taste like Godiva.

Now, I did have a few problems, but they were resolved right away. We got stuck next to a dysfunctional ice machine and it made some crazy loud noises, so we had to move rooms. Hey it might have been a little bit of an inconvenience, but they made up for it starting with the second set of chocolate mints and not to mention there shampoo, conditioner, and lotions are from London, so I made sure to keep all those too.

This hotel is in a great location, right across the street is the West Shore Mall. This mall also has a couple of very well known restaurant's such as my favorite Maggiano's. Maggiano's is a little Italian joint with very LARGE portions. This is a great place to split meals and only spend about $30 with desert included.

Brew Babies Cape Coral, FL

I just happened to stumble upon this quant little restaurant while taking a detour because the art festival was going on in downtown Cape Coral. As I drove by the sign Brew Babies attracted my eyes as well as the cafe lights twinkling in between two small buildings, it seemed as if it were a courtyard setting. I stopped to check it out and a courtyard setting is exactly what it was, with vines going up columns and someone was on the microphone singing beautifully. It seemed almost magical with the lights sparkling and the servers greeting us as we walked up. We then went to sit down inside and the place resembled the café in “Friends.” I was amazed when the server said, they only serve fresh fish. So, of course I went ahead and ordered the cod fish. As I waited I couldn’t help but to ease drop on other people’s conversations around us, they were all very interesting characters. The food came out and it was fantastic, not a bad thing to say the fish had so much flavor. The evening came as a surprise and I’ve been back a couple of times for breakfast as well.

I will admit I never new of an enchanting restaurant living right here in Lee County. Places like this usually are in cities like Tampa or St. Augustine. Brew Babies is highly recommended, but please remember it is family owned, so please be patient and check the times they are open.

The Edison Festival of Light

Alright, it’s that time of year for the Edison Festival of Lights. This year will be the Edison Festival of lights 70th anniversary. The festival starts Saturday, February 16th in our very own downtown Ft. Myers, FL at 7 pm. This is a blast if you’re looking for a fun entertaining night with the family. I personally love to set my chairs up a couple of days ahead of time. This is so that my family will have a place to watch the parade because the crowds are very heavy. One of the best things besides the bands playing is the wonderful smell of carnival food, there are elephant ears, kielbasa with sauerkraut, candy covered nuts, and much more. Then at 7:30 pm the lit up floats come slowly down the blocked off streets. This is said to be the largest evening parades in the Southeastern United States. So pack up your chairs and I hope to see you there!