Day 14/15: Friends and Family and DISNEY!

QUICK REMINDER...you can click on any of the photos to get the full size and effect of what was intended...enjoy...

Sunday was a saying goodbye and picking up Sam's car and stuff from Greenville day. She had the opportunity to see her dear friends one last time. Peggy and I got to see the inside of a Best Western, the inside of the yukky continental breakfast room and the inside of the Waffle House next door. It was here that I unfortunately selected the hash browns...covered, smothered, etc. Jalapenos, chili, onions, mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes covered this dish... Not the smartest way to start 8 hours of driving...thankfully Sam drove her car with Peggy as a passenger, while I had the PT cruiser alone to provide sufficient time to work through breakfast...if you catch my "drift"...Arriving in Orlando, our dear friends, Stu and Lauren Benkendorf met us at their daughter's employer's hotel chain...a spectacular Marriott. The juice Stu has with the management entitled us to get an upgraded room with THE view of the trip...many pools, a golf course and a lazy river water feature that the day before had a bio hazard issue..closed for an hour, and we think it was a toddler providing a diaper less deposit...oh well! Here's our balcony photo...

All of this was the prelude to the entire trip...dropping Sam off at Disney World for her to start her internship...5 months of training at minimum wage to add something wonderful to her resume...we ran into many wonderful young adults who were pursuing the same dream...and this is definitely one great place...Sam's 1st Disney name tag!
Here are the 6 young women sharing a 3 room suite. They all seemed wonderful and they hail from Denver, Tennessee...and 1 was even from Bogota, Columbia. We left at 1pm, and Sam went to her first orientation meeting. She found out she will be working in her dream location...in Magic Kingdom at the Pirates of the Caribbean and the River Cruise attractions.
We continued driving south to Port St. Lucie where my brother met us for a few hours... He looks great and needs to succeed in his latest career attempt...On the side he still sells snakes...
For those astute observers you'll notice this is a bumper sticker on the rear of a 2002 Mustang convertible..who would have guessed that we drive the same make and model...it's in the Gubitz blood...
His actual license plate names his internet business, but why the cougar in the middle...hmmm...mixed metaphors....
Just a short drive further south, Peggy's sister, Kathy, met us at her apartment. What a treat to see 2 siblings in such a short distance...
We arrived before dinner to stay with Stu and Lauren (this is their photo portrait on the balcony at last night's Marriott Hotel...). They also are a great couple who we met and have been long time friends...all started at S.U.N.Y.A.
Remodeling their house in Plantation (just west of Ft. Lauderdale), Stu went all out...here's a side view of his bath suite...large 32" flat panel lcd screen... connected both to comcast cable and satellite....how much time does he spend in here? He stays in for an entire show...an hour minimum...wrinkley fingers, toes and ...
When he's done relaxing, time for a steam...
and after the steam, a dip in the classic Florida back yard pool...surrounded by a screen mesh to protect from the people sized palmetto bugs...
We finished the night off with a visit to one of 3 of Stu's Billiard Clubs...this guy is a real mover and shaker in the south Florida area...the guy even knows to have Bushmills on hand :)
Please keep praying for Sam's joy, friendships and impact for her latest chapter in the great adventure she's on...have a great day! Blessings to all....