Busch Gardens

While in Tampa, a coworker of Paul's scored us free tickets to Busch Gardens, right in the heart of Tampa!  (Which free-ness was incredibly wonderful, as the parking, food, and disposable camera almost cleaned us out as it was!)  I had a lot more fun than I was planning--as someone who doesn't really like roller coasters, I didn't know what to expect.

The cool thing about Busch Gardens is that it's a zoo and amusement park rolled into one...with some water and a bit of museum to it, too!  I had a blast.  We BOTH did!  I'll let the pictures prove it.

Weird guy on stilts that welcomed us into the park.

The train ride that takes you all around the park.

A crash of rhinos, sleeping!

Giraffes playing peek-a-boo behind the trees.  :)  They're my favorite.

Paul did this ride on his own!...

Yeah, not one but TWO 90 degree drops, and one of those they stop you at the top as you're hanging over it so you can really see how far down you're about to fall.

Then you go down into the water and splash innocent bystanders.

I mean, there is a WALL of water in that splash zone!

I DID go on this log ride with him.  :)

And the Grand Rapids ride...where I got soaked WAY more than he did!

As for the zoo, we got THIS CLOSE to a tiger (behind thick glass).

And right underneath him, too!

These cute little lizards are EVERYWHERE in Tampa.  I mean, EVERYWHERE.

We went on the skyride so we could see the park from a different angle.

Paul made me a little scared every time he moved to one side or the other to take pictures, so here he's making fun of me.  :)

What a view of the park, though, huh?

Those are elephants.

They had this recreation of King Tut's tomb that we got to walk through...it was pretty awesome.

And, of course, Paul made friends with the locals.  :)

We were pretty tired by the end of the day, but it sure was fun!

Show Off Saturday

Coming back from Tampa was really the start of my week.  And, of course, the karaoke party took up a day's worth of work, too.  In the middle of all that, I DID manage to do a LITTLE bit of crafting.  Check out these cute water balloon flip-flops and matching barrettes that I made for Caida...I think they just SCREAM summer!

If you want to make your own, check out THIS SITE, my inspiration--she's got a free tutorial for you!  All together it only took me an hour to make everything, and only cost $5 ($2 for the flip flops, $2 for 200 water balloons, and $1 for 3 cheap kids' barrettes).  That's my kind of craft!

Also, remember this?

My awful messy house got cleaned, TOP TO BOTTOM, in the last few days.  I mean dusting, scrubbing, vacuuming, the works.  And that messy room?  Organized.  Well, as much as it will be for a while, anyway.  Check out my "after" shots!

I'm pretty proud.  And exhausted.  And miles to go before I sleep...literally...I get to pick up Paul tonight at midnight!  :)  What have YOU been up to this week?

Chocoholics Anonymous

No big surprise to anyone that knows me, but I LOVE me some chocolate.  It's pathetic, really, just how much.  It's so bad that I was just thinking to myself, "Well, it's been FOREVER since I actually had any, though..." and then realized as I did the math that it was actually just the day before yesterday.  But it felt awfully long.  I need a ten-step program, but it's hard to admit a "problem" when it's just. so. tasty.

My sister doesn't eat chocolate, because she chose not to during high school, mostly to prove to herself after a seminary debate that she didn't need it.  I am a little envious of her stubbornness dedication--this from the child who, at age four, chose to become a vegetarian and hasn't touched meat since.  Also, one of her very best friends had some health complications arise that (gasp!) means she CAN'T eat chocolate anymore, even though she loves the stuff.  Oh, the horror!  And another close friend of hers says flat out that she thinks chocolate is "icky."  So there were THREE WHOLE PEOPLE at the party yesterday who, for completely different reasons, do not consume chocolate.

It's like being on a completely different planet.

I wonder if chocoholics like me, or those who abstain from it like my sister, subconsciously gather around others who are like us.  Like a sixth sense.  Can you smell it on another person?  Some of my closest friends also have an unnatural  unhealthy  absolutely acceptable addiction to it, although they all still somehow manage trimmer waistlines than me...but maybe chocolate is the real silent binding force between all people.  That would make perfect sense on MY planet...if you share a chocolate binge with me, we will immediately be friends forever.  :)  Just a thought.

Charissa's Karaoke party!!!

I threw a very low-key shindig for my sister's birthday today.  I can't believe my LITTLE SISTER is 27 years old!  :)  She's even older than Paul.  ;)

For the party, we invited a few of her closest friends and family to a karaoke party at Echo Karaoke.  This isn't your usual karaoke bar, this is authentically ASIAN STYLE!  In all the Asian dramas we watch together, when they do karaoke, it's in a private room with black squarish sofas and all the control is on YOU for your own private party.  When we saw this open up near campus about a month ago, we were STOKED to introduce it to everyone!  And it's super affordable ($4/hour on weeknights, $6/hour on weekends).  No, I'm not getting paid to put this plug in here, I really just love. it. that. much.

Caida loved dancing to all the upbeat songs!

Caida and Cerene singing "King of Anything"...Caida knows just about all the words to any Sara Bareilles song!  :)

Tanner and mommy (Brittany)

Sisters singing

The Watson sisters and their best friends singing "the best friends song" ("Livin' on a Prayer")

And, of course, I made a small Japanese/Karaoke themed cake.  It was uber-simple, and the icing was super melty between the July heat wave and the warmth of the kitchen, but still.  Pretty fun, and I'm kinda proud of it--especially the microphones and the chocolate color I achieved with food coloring (since my sister and one of her best friends can't eat chocolate).  One of these days I will buckle down and master fondant, but until then, the melty storebought kind will have to do.  :)

Charissa's cake was on FIRE!

She's so popular.  :)

We are so broke right now, especially after Florida, that I didn't have money to buy Charissa anything (after covering the cake and ice cream and admittance into the karaoke place for us and our other sister and niece).  But I DID have an old karaoke machine with two microphones and a whole BUNCH of karaoke CDs that we had been considering selling on Craigslist (who wants a karaoke machine anymore with games like Rock Band out there?).  It fit so well into the theme of the party, and I still wanted to get her something to open SO BADLY, that I decided it just seemed right for a gift.  :)

Like my handmade bow on the karaoke machine?  :)

Happiest birthday, Charissa!  I hope 27 is your year!!!