April 25-29, 2013, I flew out of Panama City Beach via Delta Airlines onto Tampa, Florida.
Chrissie (the friend I stayed with) and her family tagged me along their weekend trip to Orlando where we all enjoyed spending 2 days in Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.
It was my first time to go to a theme park aside from Enchanted Kingdom since it's probably the only theme park in the Philippines. Imagine my joy and excitement when it dawned on me that I will be getting a chance to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!! For weeks I have watched my Delta Airlines mobile app do its countdown as to when I will be boarding the plane and leave PCB (I have more than once shared with you all how I disliked Panama City Beach).
April 25, 2013
My flight was at 5 in the afternoon. I booked it at that time since I thought I had work that day. But since it turned out that I didn't, I had to wait for how many hours just so I can finally call a cab that will take me to the airport. After the long dragging hours was through and I was at the airport, I was glad that I only had my little personal bag with me and a small duffel bag that carried all my essentials for my 4-day trip.
I of course opted to wear comfortable clothes since I know that I'll just mostly wait around the airports and sit still in the plane. So I wore a Topshop cosmo leggings which I paired with an awesome Star Wars spoof shirt that I got from my workplace. I also sported my favorite Rue 21 hooded denim jacket and my comfortable Mossimo sandals.
Although Tampa is also in Florida, I did not get the idea of my flight having to take me all the way to Atlanta before heading to Tampa. Since there were time differences between the PCB, Tampa and Atlanta, I got disoriented and thought for a moment that I must've rode a different airplane by mistake (if that was possible). I didn't know that it was that short of a flight! Anyway, I arrived in Tampa late at night. So I didn't get to see the beauty of it until the following day.
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| The TRAINS inside Atlanta airport and other airports around USA never failed to impress me. |
April 26, 2013
Early on this day, we drove from Tampa to Orlando where we will be staying over night. Although we all lacked sleep due to my late arrival the night before, we were all excited and ready for an entire day filled with fun and adventure! It was great because although they lived near there, they haven't been to the places we'll be going to... so I had someone else to share my excitement with!
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| Beautiful sunrise of Tampa! ♥ |
Since we got up far too early, we all fell asleep in the car. Sweet Echo kept on giving me a pillow and covering me with a blanket so as to make sure that I remain warm. Even though I was asleep, I woke every now and then because I know that when the blanket slipped off or my pillow fell off, he'd just hand it back to groggy me. How sweet can he be? ♥
After an hour or so of driving, we finally arrive at our destination: Universal Studios Orlando!!!
Although we got lost in the process of looking for the parking lot (the place was HUGE enough to get lost around it even if you know you're already in the vicinity), we managed to get to the covered parking area and we each grabbed a bottle of water each and headed off to Islands of Adventure which is also part of Universal Studios but is much newer and comprises of different movie themes such as Harry Potter, Dr.Seuss, Marvel Heroes, Shrek's world and others.
April 27, 2013
One day is not enough to roam around Universal Studios. So we went back the following day and went to the Universal Studios Florida where all the classic and original Universal Studios attractions lay. I was ecstatic to see that Transformers NEST Headquarters was inside! Although it wasn't open yet, I loved walking by it because of the loud soundtrack it was playing and I really felt like any of the Autobots or Decepticons will come out any minute. Here we also got to experience life in the vintage days of New York, Beverly Hills and other places. The Minions Mayhem place was also here! Oooh how I loved it too.
That night, I asked if they can kindly accompany me to visit my Uncle (Mommy Annie's older brother) and Auntie who lived in a city beside Orlando. Thankfully, they said yes. I wanted to visit them because I haven't seen them for years and I know that they aren't intending to visit Philippines anytime soon so I might as well go to them since I'm already there. Right?
While we were there, I was silently hoping that Mommy Annie was still alive. She would've been happy and excited with the fact that I was in America and I even got to visit her brother and his wife. But I knew Mommy was just around there that day - watching us eat the delicious food that Auntie prepared for us and listening to Uncle as he shared his stories about when he met Auntie and when he wasn't retired yet. Their home was beyond lovely and their stories and prayers were all too warm. I knew they were family.
April 28, 2013
Before we headed back to Tampa, we went to one of the best places I was ever blessed enough to go to: Orlando Premium Outlets - International Drive!!! Everything there was 50-65% off with an additional 50% off! How awesome is that?? I wish they did that here in the Philippines. Not only were they on sale but the brands? To. Die. For.
I was able to buy myself a bag and a purse from COACH (which I can never afford under normal circumstances) and some clothes from Charlotte Russe (it has become my favorite US brand!). I wished I had more money while I roamed the halls of the outdoor mall. It was just like a dream come true for shopaholics like me.
April 29, 2013
Back in Tampa, I was able to tour around for a while and do a little extra shopping before I'd be dropped off at the airport to head back to PCB. I was overwhelmed and ashamed of the fact that after 2 months of staying in the US, I have never been to ROSS and TJMaxx! Good thing they brought me there... otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to buy half of the things I did over my entire stay in America.
And so, after quick goodbyes and lots of than yous, I had to leave Tampa. Everything and everyone involved in that 4-day vacation, I can never be thankful enough of. ♥
To Chrissie and her family, you all know how forever grateful I will be to all of you. Not just for welcoming me to your wonderful home but for also making me feel like I was part of the family and not a stranger. May God continue to bless all of you! You deserve all of it. :)
That concludes my short vacation in Tampa and Orlando. However, I will share more and be specific on my following posts! This is just too long as it is without all the details and specifics. So watch out for the next posts!
Have a wonderful day! Go find adventure. ♥
A.
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