Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts

Panic Attack Haunts


So I was cruising the net trying to locate yet another haunted house for us to go to & I stumbled on this one. OMG - so freaking worth the trip, you just don't even know!!

Ok, so we got down to the site early, no big, we are patient people (most of the time lol) so we get our tickets and get in line and the freaks come out. First it was a pair of creepy clowns that seemed to have a 6th sense when it comes to a victim, they were rentlessly attacking a chick that was evidently terrified of clowns.

So I was good until this ogre looking creature came out. At first I just turned my back to him, but evidently he caught on to what I was doing, and started like seriously haunting me. At one point, I swear, I could honestly smell his breath. YUCK!!! Well evidently he was actually a vampire, but he looked liked the ogre from Lord of the Rings.

After about 45 minutes in line, we finally got into the house and OMG it was soooo worth the wait. This attraction is absolutely amazing. It has scares for everyone! And it was high quality - makeup, costumes, and props. There were spiders and snakes, a yeti, SNOW!!

To the beach again

I figured it out the other day - I've been to the beach 4 times in the past 10 years (when I was with the Frog) and this year I've gone 3 times. I do believe the new BF is very possibly the best thing for me, because I took another trip to the beach!!! Well this one was inspired by my family, but still we went.

This trip was for the 26th Annual Seafood Festival.

Got off work Friday morning did some errands for the family, then back to the Magic Lamp for the start of our latest adventure. BF & I were to follow BIL down to the campground. Trip down was fairly unexciting, we did some talking, but mostly we just enjoyed the time together.

When we got to Goose Creek Resort, we helped BIL set up their camper, then did the same for the Rent's we they got there. Then diaster struck, I being the total blonde that I am, slammed my finger in the door of the jeep. Holy Mother of God did that hurt, and it put me on the injured list for the rest of the weekend (more like weeks, but we will see). Now I will be the first to say that I cuss - a lot. But I slammed the door and I, well it was like I went mute. I couldn't make a noise. I got the door open, walked around to where my mom was and she said hey what's wrong. I replied "I just slammed the door on my finger" and she goes "shhh not so loud". My brain went huh?

After everyone got set up, and I got ice for my injury, we just sat around and talked, until Sissy & Little Man got there. Then it was prep for dinner. Mmm - yummy - steak!! Well LM wanted to go fishing after dinner, so BF & I volunteered to for a bait run which turned into a bit of an ordeal because believe it or not, the gas stations don't stock bait down in that area. We finally found some at Walgreen's of all places, then boogied on back to the campground for dinner.


James at the dock
 After dinner, all of us headed down to the dock for some fishing (minus the Daddy cause he had to get some work done). We stayed on the dock for awhile, loosing bait & enjoying the breeze. Only catch for the night, was LM & a very small (around a half dollar size) blue crab. Well that is unless you count the crab getting ticked when LM took away the bait & catching him a Lucas finger instead. Oh my, you should have heard the screams & squeals that LM produced, but the funniest thing was "that is my least favorite crab eber!"

 Packed up the fishing gear and headed to the campers for the night. I don't know about anyone else, but I just totally passed out cold, until around 3a when I thought I was gonna die. Evidently I rolled in my sleep and hit my hand on the back of the couch, came too with a cuss and a moan. I thought I was gonna DIE!!! again.


Woke up super early Saturday and grabbed my ditty bag & change of clothes so I could hit the showers. The walk to the bathhouse was interesting, I just love campers. Most of them are extremely laid back and relaxed, perfectly willing to give you a wave and a howdy or morning. Got to watch Sissy & LM chase his Buddy around, cause they (she) forgot his leash so they were using a tie strap which kept coming loose. The shower made me feel a bit more human (hand still hurts massively, but that is the price I pay for being a bottle blonde lol). Made it back to the campers in time to help with breakfast.

Lucas Cooking Bacon


Sissy started cooking & sent LM to wake up his Daddy, telling him "tell daddy that mommy is burning the bacon so he needs to hurry up". LM comes back out laughing and says "Daddy says I cook better than you". So we gave him a shot and what do you know - he does.

After breakfast, we got motivated to head into town for the main event. The Seafood Festival. But we made a quick detour to Friendly's Farmer Market. Holy cow, I want one of these places in Fayetteville. Now don't get me wrong, I love the farmer's market here, but this place was stunning.


Then it was back in the van for the drive to the Seafood Festival, and let me tell you, that place is amazing. There were a ton of vendors - both food & kitsch. BF & I stuck with the main group for a bit then headed off on our own. I wasn't feeling the best in the world & was a bit snappish. Didn't help matters any that I'm used to holding hands with BF, but we couldn't because of my injured finger. Yes I know we could have switched hands, but that doesn't feel right. LOL. After walking around for about an hour, OTC meds were kicking in and I was feeling a bit better, so we found the rest of the family again. We spent an amazing 4-5 hours just taking in all the sights, sounds and the smells. OMG the smells. I love seafood, I don't get to eat it very often because BF hates it with a passion to the point he can't really even stand the smell.

Found a really amazing Native American booth that had a combo recorded/live music so we all took a break from the walking & the sun, hiding under a little pavillion of sorts, where a wonderful breeze came into the boardwalk and just relaxed. It was heavenly. I did just realize that I am massively guilty of not taking a lot of pictures. It could be because my hand was throbbing and holding the camera hurt. Heck, simply holding up my phone hurt, but I do have a few more I'll share, when I get the camera back from BF.

We left the festival around 5ish and headed back to the campground & LM pipes up with I wanna go fishing again. All the adult fisher type people agree, so we go back down to the dock (minus the Daddy-O & the Momma Love this time) where I must say, the fish were biting good. BF, BIL, Sissy & LM all caught fish. So that was almost perfect.

(After dark BF & I slipped off but you'll see all about that in another post - hehehe)

Sunday morning, up bright and early again. Breakfast, then back up to Friendly's for flowers, then helped get everything loaded up & then we took off early. Both of us have to work tonight, so it is best if we get some sleep. All in all - it was a short break (in more ways than one) from every day life and we enjoyed (most of) it.

Until next time!

2012 Haunted House Round 1


Okay so last year, BF & I did a haunted house or trail every weekend in October and since we had so much fun we decided to do it again. Maybe next year, we'll see if we can't get involved in an acutal ghost hunt. LOL. So this year, since we were down at the beach already, we decided to check out this one:


Now I for one must say that I was a bit leary when we got here, I mean - it's a transformed store front in a strip mall. Can you say cheesy? But I was very impressed with the interiors. They have 5 attractions & a discount for the combo pass. For $25 you get to see:

■Haunted Factory Tour - My favorite part about this attraction, was watching everyone freak out over the gas masked dummy being a real person - it was freaking hilarous.  Evil millionaire built his factory on the backs of hardworking people, causing death & destruction. So some of the factory workers took matters into their own hands & sealed all the doors (leaving a ton of their fellow workers inside) and set fire to the place. Not much affected me in this part (see note down below about keeping your fingers to yourself) except for this was our after 10p event & I was a little shocked to hear all the F bombs roaming rampart.

■Psych Ward Tour - (its added to the end of the Haunted Factory Tour FYI) Dude now this part creeped me out major. There is one guy in there & he is supposedly gutting a victim and holy crap, I swear he was about ready to take another one out of our group. He just looked scary freaking creepy!!!!

■The VOID - this section freaked me out. I am not usually afraid of the dark, but combine dark, creepy, sparks, and a passage way that feels like it is shrinking and man oh man - wig out time. Didn't help matters any that the creepy girl crawled off the bed and up the wall after me.

■The 3D Fun House - Squirrel is your guide/tormentor through this maze of 3D paint and drop walls and she will totally giggle you crazy. Out of all of them this was my favorite, but then I kinda like going oh shiny - squirrel!!!!

■The Mausoleum (A multi-level, crawl-through attraction!) - I was unable to go through this one, as it is impossible to crawl with a broken finger, however BF says it was a good one.

I honestly think my favorite part of the whole thing was the photo attraction in the gift shop, but that could be because the couple running it were just entirely too sweet. (Not exactly what you expect at a haunted house, but still fun).

Quick little side note: if you go after 10p these attractions go rated R so be prepared for adult lanuage and supposedly they grab you. But I never got touched. lol.

A word of warning for everyone going to out to spooksvilles this Halloween season - don't stick your hand in a coffin or a box while you are inside unless a guide tells you to feel something. A girl in one of the groups behind us evidently thought it was a good idea to stick her hand inside a crate gag (I'm unsure if someone was inside pull the latch or if it was hydrolic) and the lid slammed down on her finger smashing her ring and causing her a great deal of pain. Now you would think that I would have a bit more sympathy due to having just smashed my hand in a car door, but personally, I think she is a tweedle and should have known better than to stick her hand in a box in a creepy room.
Sorry there aren't any pictures, but most houses frown on flash photography inside and as stated earlier, this one isn't much to look at on the outside.

Myrtle Beach Day 2

OMG - last night was horrid. I am evidently allergic to the cleaning products they use here & spent half the night awake and coughing. Ugh!!!!

Finally, got to sleep around 3 and was up & ready to roll by 8. Hit the breakfast here at the Hotel. For a hotel breakfast it was truly stellar!!! Got scrambled eggs & ham. Due to rain, we spent the morning around the hotel and then headed out to explore this wonderful town. There is a freaking ton of things to do here, ranging from free to outrageous.

We went to

and it was amazing!!! My absolute favoritist animal here was the oh so adorable lemur. Every time we tried to take a picture he would run to the glass & stick his tongue out at us, so we never did get a good picture. LOL. But he was entirely too cute with his big doll eyes.

Dinner was at Captain Benjamin's Seafood Buffet and I don't particularly recommend it. For 30 bucks a person, you would think the food would be a lot better. The crab legs were over steamed and then left to cool before putting them out - ick!!

After dinner we went for a walk on the beach, then I went back upstairs & BF went shell hunting.

Myrtle Beach Day 1

Got up super early this morning to get all loaded up & ready to roll on out.


Got Divo down to the sitter's (Mom & Dad are tending to him) and headed out for a week at the beach. We made really excellent time, just driving & talking. We enjoyed ourselves.

Got down to the Beach in excellent time (even with James' slow driving). Spent a little while driving around this wonderful town. Enjoying the shift from real world to vacation land. We ate lunch at Krystals.

Finally decided to head to the hotel around 1p. Too early to check in, but I figured we could check out the Monterey Bay Suites. James had fun figuring out how he could get his Jeep into the parking deck, but we made it with no problems (even after all the horrendous reviews of the deck).

The front desk staff got us checked in, but we couldn't go up to the room until 3p. So we hung out on the pool deck until we moved up stairs to a table so we could play cards while waiting. Got our room right at 3p, but I was not impressed. I booked an oceanfront & we ended up with an ocean view, so we went back down to the desk, showed my reservation e-mail, and got transferred to a new room with an excellent view.



Well we got everything unloaded & set up at the hotel and then decided to hit MagiQuest for a fun couple of hours of Dragons & Fairies. Gotta say this is truly one of my favorite vacation activities. It gives you a physical & mental workout, lol.


For dinner we grabbed a Digiorno Pizza from Food Lion - cooked it up in the room's kitchen. Gotta say I love a room with kitchen. Cuts down on food cost & gives us a chance to spend time with each other.



Washington DC Day 5 & Headed Home



Woke up bright & early, packed all the gear & loaded up so we could hit Dunkin Donuts for coffee and breakfast! I’m so excited to be on our way home. I love traveling, but one of my favorite parts is coming home, always has been.

Anyhoo – we had a bit of an adventure this morning trying to escape DC, so let me tell you all about it. LOL. We took New York Ave back into the city this morning so we could go to DD, and we also wanted to check out a few other places, not stop, but just do a drive by so BF could see other places he might like to go on our next trip. So we get into DC just fine, then for the life of us we couldn’t escape!!! There was some type of marathon going on that had half of the city on shut down. And the half that wasn’t closed so people could run in a circle, was closed due to construction!! We must have circled one block like 8 times trying to find a road that would lead us out. Hell we were sitting at one stop light (trying to figure out where we were) and I’m pointing to the street sign because I couldn’t read it, there’s a cop laying back in his car seat looking like a thug, rolls the window down a crack, lifts his head a bit and shouts “You can’t turn here”. Pissed us off so bad, we were not in the turning lane, did not have our signal on, nothing to suggest that we were trying to turn the wrong way on a ONE WAY street, we were just trying to figure out where the fuck we were so we could get on the road back home.

Now I realize I’m from the south & people down here are a little different than most, friendlier you might say, but when you see someone who is apparently lost and have the streets are closed and you just so happen to be a cop – perhaps it would be beneficial for you to get up off your lazy, good for nothing ass and ASSIST them.

So any ways, (even without his non-help) I was finally able to navigate us out of the city and back on 95 headed home. We blasted the radio and talked the entire way home. It was a wonderful vacation!

Washington DC Day 4



I’m a big fan of taking a vacation day to do absolutely nothing & that is exactly what we did this morning. The Green Metro was down for track maintenance and New York Ave was closed due to construction so we hung out at the campsite playing cards and talking all morning. It was a good chance for us to connect with each other and just simply be together.

Faye called around 1p to ask if we wanted to hang out for a bit and we said sure. They came over to the campground and we went out to lunch. Totally amazing little hole in the wall place that had OMG yummy food. Then we went to the superstore of thrift markets and found some amazing deals on clothes. I picked up a dress, 2 skirts, and a shirt and for James a pair of jeans, and a jean jacket all for under $20. And for those of you who know me – I am a PSP, plus size princess, so finding anything to fit at a thrift store is amazing.

Then we returned to the campground to play cards & visit some more. All in all this was the most relaxing vacation day I think I’ve had. Lol.

Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$43 lunch (Reggie beat me to last night’s check so I was bound and determined to get lunch)
$17 thrift store

Washington DC Day 3





Well today we decided to do the traditional monument tour. Got up early and took the metro to Arlington National Cemetery. Did the grand tour, we saw the caisson in use (funeral on the grounds), John & Jackie’s eternal flame, all the pomp and circumstance of the clickety clack guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the double wreath ceremony and the sight of a preteen crapping his britches. Explanation, while at the Tomb, we noticed a couple of teen type boys joking & pushing each other, then one stepped over the barrier, the guard went from parade march to gun at the ready shouting step back instantly. The poor child could not move for a few moments as his bowels opened up and he soiled his shorts.

After we left Arlington, we took a tour bus across the George Washington to do the monument tour. Got dropped off a the new MLK monstrosity, then hoofed it over to the Korean wall and the soldiers trapped forever in battle (this monument always gives me the willies a little), over to the Lincoln Memorial (where it started to rain and we had a good laugh at everyone dashing for cover), then down to the Vietnam Wall (we were able to assist a gentleman who was trying to take a picture of his friends name – they shipped out the same day), leisurely stroll to the Washington Monument, and then some how we ended up on the street in front of the White House (we were trying to locate the CVS lol) and James got yelled at by a Police Officer.




Now here’s the background for that, as stated we were trying to locate a CVS because I needed a blister pad for my foot and the directions that we were given didn’t say anything about walking in front of the White House, but we ended up there any way. Upon seeing an officer standing in the middle of the street, James asked him if he could give us directions, the officer looked over at James and dismissed him. James thinking maybe the cop didn’t hear him, took a step closer and repeated his request. The cop exploded (I honestly can not think of a better word for it) hand on gun belt, unsnapping the latch thing and yelling “Step back, I have authorization to shoot”. James did not step off the sidewalk, he didn’t raise his voice, and he didn’t threaten the officer in any way, simply asked for assistance, he stepped back and the cop returned to statue mode. No fucking joke. We stood there for a few minutes having a conversation about said stupid tweedle and you could tell he wanted to say something, but since he was playing palace guard there was nothing he could do. Then we continued down the street in the hopes of finding the CVS.

And unfortunately the drama continues, somehow we ended up at a dead end, a smallish cul-de-sac made from fences and were like damn just what we need, a trip back by Office Stick in His Butt! We turned around and started back down the road and a very nice gentleman from a guard shack told us to go through a gate (evidently someone had position the fence the wrong way) & we’d come out on the main road, and that CVS was on the next corner.

*** Side Rant: I honestly think the police officers in DC are the worst on the face of the planet. We asked 2 different officers for directions (one to the CVS and one to get to 395) and they were the most uphelpful idiots I’ve ever met.***


So we found the CVS, got my foot patched up, and walked through the outdoor court of the Ronald Reagan Trade Center, where we found a small farmer’s market. I was massively impressed with the offerings and if we’d been on our way back to the campground then I would have totally bought a bunch of stuff lol. Next stop was the Museum of American History. James was blown away at seeing Archie Bunker’s chair. I honestly think that was the highlight of his trip.

Then we had to catch the Metro back to the campground to get ready for dinner cause we were meeting up with Faye & Reggie, two of my LARP friends at TGIF and I wanted a chance to get changed and freshened up a bit.

I must say I was totally impressed with TGIF (it was totally jumping) and the food was amazing!! Now I know it’s a chain restaurant, but we don’t have one in Fayetteville so it still counts towards my “eat somewhere new when on vacation” rule. I had an amazing time reconnecting with this wonderful couple and finding out what’s going on in their lives. We laughed and joked the whole meal.

Total Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$20 Metro Pass
$10 Bus Pass
$19.75 Lunch



Washington DC Day 2


So we got up early and decided on coffee/tea & breakfast danish, then drove up to the GreenBelt Metro station to take the train into DC. Had a very interesting conversation with another couple that was staying at the same campground.

First sight seeing stop of the day: The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
When we were trying to decided if going out of town was a good idea I asked BF what he wanted to do, his response was go to The Smithsonian. I don’t think he realized that it was multiple museums nor how big they truly were, because he looked overwhelmed today while walking through the history of flight. We got to see the Wright Brothers plane and read all about the history of flight. Enjoyed walking through the space exhibit. And we even got to touch a piece of the moon. Talk about cool.

Second sight seeing stop: The Smithsonian Natural History Museum
We walked into the museum and immediately stopped and started. The large elephant in the middle of the entry is truly spectacular. We had decided to eat here today, so our first stop was the Café in the basement and I think we both looked overwhelmed with all the choices, the food was stellar and filling (even if a little pricy). I loved the fact that all the trash cans were set up for compost, recycle & landfill so that even the act of throwing away your trash was educational. Then we went up into the museum and enjoyed a couple of hours of walking around. We saw dinosaurs and the Hope diamond and meteors from outer space, rocks that looked fuzzy and mummies. We talked and held hands and just simply enjoyed being with each other.

When we were done with the Natural History exhibits, we went out the “back door” and headed north to see if we could find the International Spy Museum. We walked around, enjoying the weather and the bustle of the city.

International Spy Museum:
Had a very enjoyable time talking with the security guard here. Joan was a very caring woman who truly made our day by treating us kindly and actually talking with us. James says I can make friends every where I go.

From the moment you step into this building you realize it’s something different. From the floor with its flashing lights to the elevator strobish type lighting. You are escorted into a room and asked to assume an identity (make sure you memorize the deets), then its on to your briefing (short film on spies), then it’s off on your mission.

When you step into the actual museum there are a bank of monitors that you are supposed to go to and answer the questions that pop up. This will give you a mission to follow. There are exhibits on lock picking, eavesdropping, ciphers and codes, spotting cameras, you name it. The major thing you have to remember when coming into this museum take your time, wander around and learn something. My only “big” complaint was the lack of attendants in the museum itself.

Make sure you take the time to enjoy the store too, there are some wonderfully fun souvenirs. I did most of my presents to everyone shopping here, but that is sp



Total Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$18 Metro Pass
$24 Lunch
$43 International Spy Museum

Washington DC Day 1

Gotta love getting a vacation and planning a trip. I had to take some time off from work (long story) and decided that a vacation was what was needed. Convinced the BF that DC was the place to see, loaded the camping gear & grabbed some groceries & headed out on an adventure!

I grabbed NightShade and made sure he came along for the trip.

We took a leisurely drive up I95, stopping at JR’s to look around, and then Denny’s for a late breakfast early lunch. Made it to DC in really good time and with the help of MapQuest mobile found the Greenbelt Parkway campground. We picked out a really good site, set up camp, then had to move to another site because a Momma Bird had taken over the grill with her nest, set up camp a second time, and got some sandwiches for dinner. While sitting down to eat, we decided to go drive around DC so BF could see all the sites at night. So off and running we went. We got into DC without any problem, but looking at the sites was completely out of our realm because of all the buses trying to squish us. We did manage to see the Capital Building all lit up and BF thought that was cool. After an eternity of trying to circle around the area & fighting the buses for a lane, we gave up and headed back to the campsite & safety. LOL.

NightShade kept the tent safe for us. We played cards for a little bit, and then it was off to sleep.

Total Cost of today’s Adventure:
$48 Gas
$19 Lunch
$64 Campground

Winter Weekend Get Away

Ok, so let me set the stage. I’ve lived in my Lamp for awhile now, and unfortunately, the water pump has taken a beating & started leaking. Google to the rescue and I was able to find the part & the instructions for installation. Well BF says he can do it, so I check on the order time & it was 3 weeks out for part delivery. Now I’m 100% sure that I can not go 3 weeks with out using the water and every time I use the water, it leaks. Camping World, Myrtle Beach has one, it’s on sale, and I’m off Friday & Saturday. Hell yeah, let’s drive down. So we booked a night at Palmetto Shores and since BF has never gone we decided to splurge on tickets to Medieval Times as well.

So we packed up, grabbed NightShade, boarded Divo with his grandparents, jumped in BF’s Jeep and started cruising (pit stop for gas & to visit his mom) then zooming down I95. Made decent time down, until we got caught in a stand still parking lot on hwy 501 in Conway. We just missed getting to Camping World by literally 5 minutes (we’ll catch them in the AM), so we got back in the traffic line and decided to locate the hotel, instead. Let’s just say wonderful pick off the net – because it is gorgeous!!!



So we get inside the main office to check in and Allison said SURPRISE! We gots a free upgrade, to an oceanfront condo! How totally cool is that. Since she’d been such a doll already I asked where she would recommend going for dinner – I wanted a real local type place because we had planned to do the touristy thing for Saturday, so she says “Soho I go there like 2 times a week, it’s my favorite place.” Sold – that’s where I wanna go for dinner BF and he goes “Cool”. Wrap up the check in process, pull next door, unload and let me tell you this place is Ah-mazing!! You step in and first thing you see the beds, beds
then it’s down the hall, hall
bathroom (I love all the little touches they put into this room, fan towels, shower curtain pulled back, and of course the toiletries), bathroom
then kitchenette kitchen
with Murphy bed, bed down
living room, LR
and then the balcony balcony.

After dropping off our gear, BF went to park the car and when he got back we sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the sense of being there – sight, sound, scent. Couldn’t really see much of the beach at this time of the night, but just knowing it was there made all the difference to me. (And just so you don’t think this is all wahoo & hell yeah there were down sides - tile floor is really uncomfy when you got to the bathroom in the middle of the night and there is sand all over the place! And the shower left a lot to be desired.)

So anyways hunger finally drove us off the balcony and we braved the beach traffic to locate the restaurant. Thanks to Allison’s wonderful directions we found it without much trouble and were immediately seated. (No interior pics cause phone was D-E-A-D! oh well) The ambiance was monochromatic and wonderful – I loved it all but especially the music! (BF had issues with the music and the dimness) Crystal was our waitress and she was right on point, she made recommendations and served us like a pro. You have to try the Sushi when you are there – it was a truly mouthwatering adventure. I got the Buddha Role and fell in love, while BF got a kinda ho-hum chicken hibachi with fried rice. Forty bucks for the two so extremely affordable for the yum factor of my meal alone. Left the restaurant and headed back to the hotel (had to play find a spot). Upstairs for a quick little snuggle on the balcony, then BF went for a walk on the beach, and totally tuckered out me curled up in bed and passed out.

Fast Forward 7 hours to Saturday morning ~ BF was so super excited to see a sun rise that he was up before dawn even dawned, but it’s all good, and if he ever needed proof that I love him I got up at 6:15a. No seriously, I was up and on the balcony with him, watching the sun come up and while it was truly spectacularly amazing, I think I would have liked to stare at the back of my eye lids for just a bit longer. Oh well, while I woke up (as much as I could with out coffee) and got dressed & made up and repacked us all up, BF took a walk on the beach. We both wrapped up almost at the same time, so we relinquished our beautiful room and went in search of caffeine (tea for him, coffee for me). Kimberly - morning front desk clerk- said that Starbucks was just down the street, and that suits me just fine, she also said she would pass on to Allison how much I enjoyed Soho.

Due to a marathon, getting around the oh so interesting Myrtle Beach may be a bit tricky today, as multiple roads were blocked off as routed runs, but we found the caffeine dealer and got charged up for the day. In transit to 501, we hit a couple of stalled patches, but thanks to quick thinking and the confidence in our ability to find our way some where (I never get lost I go sight seeing lol) – we got out of the boggy zones and found Camping World, but oops they don’t open for yet another hour. Okay so let’s hit Broadway at the Beach, so BF can figure out where he would like to have lunch & what type of fun he wants to get into.

Still wasn’t time for CW to open, so we decided to try and locate Medieval Times so we will know where we are going this afternoon, after a few false starts and interruptions (detours galore due to marathon & road construction) we located the make believe castle.

Headed back to Camping World when it opened – grabbed the pump and a few other things for my Lamp & the replacement power cord for Dad’s Motor home, checked out and headed back to Broadway at the Beach for lunch and the “childish” portion of our day.

I refused to pick either the place for lunch or the place for play, because I honestly feel like BF has never been allowed to choose, so I made him pick. The choice for lunch was a default choice because we were admiring the chairs outside Margaritaville when they opened and we were both starving.

(I just love these chairs and this is what I envisioned when I asked for one)

So BF said you want to and said I love their burgers & never ever say no to a margarita, so in we go. We get seated and our waiter Kyle comes over, flirts a bit, takes our drink orders and then wanders off – and BF is well, bewildered, is probably the best word. He just couldn’t absorb the ambiance that is Margaritaville, lol. Now to be honest, there is a lot to take in at this restaurant, and it probably wasn’t entirely too nice to take him in, but he did actually pick it out. I don’t think it helped any that Kyle was very clearly flirting, a little bit of harmless fun. We placed our orders and talked about all that we had already done, playing best/worst, just enjoying being together. Then with a bit more flirting, the burgers (Cheeseburger in Paradise for me & Shroom Burger for him) arrived with crispy seasoned fries & a crunchy dill pickle spear. MMMM, I am definitely a meatetarian.

The conversation turned to the fun choices for the day - Wonderworks, Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf, MagiQuest, or Ripley’s Aquarium. BF asked a little bit about each one, so I gave him a bit of a run down on what to expect at each location. Ultimately he decided that he would like to be a wizard for a couple hours, so he chose MagiQuest. So we settled up at Margaritaville and headed across the bridge.

(Side Note: MagiQuest is a live action role-playing game in which players take the role of magic users, called Magi. Magi use their wands to interact with the enviroment such as waving & pointing the wand at a treasure chest & it opens adding gold to your “account”)

We get to the realm and BF picks out his wand & topper (hey go figure he chose the Shadow clan and got a skull topper), then we get all signed in, receive our own Ancient Book of Wisdom (whatever you do, don’t lose this book - it’s your main resource in playing the game), learn how to use the wand (point & flick), and then head into the belly of the beast. There are kids running all around, noise level is elevated, and BF looks like someone hit him over the head with a 2x4, really he did. We ran over to the quest stones, sign him in with a wave of his wand, and select his first quest. The lightning quest:
Seek out the tools of the Warrior rede:
The armour, the shield, and the Warrior’s blade.
A Magi Warrior’s Code Book.
A book of great size.
Then report to thunder cave
To receive your valiant prize.

Using his Ancient book of Wisdom, we go looking for a suit of armour (its near the dungeon’s entrance), a shield (on the wall of the room filled with knowledge), a sword (stuck in a stone), and a book. Race against time, snag those 4 items, rush to find the guy at thunder cave, ta-da, the lightning rune! And then I abandoned him to his own devices. I grabbed the second book and continue my domination of the Master Magi quests. I had a wonderful time, running around and tackling the A-Z challenge. I think this one was designed to get a couch potato in shape. BF & I kept bumping into each other all over the game floor, but we had oodles of fun and for 2 hours we ran around like hamsters on a wheel – playing like children. After our time ran out on the main game floor, we dueled a couple of times, then checked out the magical store, and decided we needed to go ahead & leave. (FYI BF you went LARPing LOL)

We did a little walk around Broadway at the Beach until we ran out of time & had to book it to Medieval Times.

(Side Note: For those of you who don't know what Medieval Times is, its dinner and a show. The people attending the show are divided into 6 different groups to cheer & boo the six knights competing in the King’s Champion tournament and you get dinner: half a chicken, rib, half a tater, tomato soup, & garlic bread)

So after a bit of a wait, we get in, and are assigned a knight (Hell Yeah!! We got the Evil Green Knight), took a picture with the King and then headed into the building. We were looking around, walked around the dungeon (I think BF creamed his britches looking at all the gear that was featured in his torture book), checked out all the for sale memorabilia, then headed up to the bar for a round of drinks (Maiden’s Kiss for me & Strawberry Mango smoothie for BF) in souvenir glasses, claimed a table and did some people watching.

Pre-show hijinks – a knighting ceremony. The Herald kept trying to get us to yell louder, and finally hit on the fact that if he said North Carolina the crowd went wild. There were 2 boys from Georgia that were getting knighted & he was having some fun saying watch this “They’re from North Carolina! Well not really, but look how many new friends you just made.”

Then we witnessed a proposal
picture

and I’m pretty sure BF crapped his pants thinking oh man what do I do.

Then it’s show time as we got called into the dining area, and since we are on the Evil Green Team we got called in 1st. The Herald called for all of his Evilness drunken minions & I raised my glass saying “here here” – some lady from the blue team almost fell off her chair laughing. I can honestly say I got really (did I say REALLY) into it. We show our little ticket thingies to the guide and he sends us down to the front row in the second tier. Holy Crap! I’ve never been this close to the action LOL. It was out of this world amazing. (FYI – purchase your tickets on line & grab the free upgrade to royalty – it guarantees you seats in the first 2 rows)

So anyways – they put us in the Evil Green Knights camp & like I’ve said – I had entirely too much drunken fun cheering & booing. It was so bad that the Blue Knight, The Red Knight, The Green Knight & The King started laughing at different times. Yeah yeah – I know I’m supposed to boo the Red Knight, but I enjoyed booing every one. The Blue Knight rode by & I shouted booooo, then other people started booing, then he started laughing and rode back by, smiling directly at me (at least according to BF). The Green Knight did some posturing right in front of us and the crowd went wild. At one point the King got rude with my Knight – so I booed him, then EVERYONE in our section started booing and the King started laughing (not sure many people would boo their “host” oh well I’m an uncouth drunken Heathen) . Of course after much posing & fighting – it is revealed the duh-duh-duhhhhh the Green Knight is the bad guy, the Prince & the Black/White Knight battle him. (Point of pride – it took two of the suckers to defeat my Evil Knight) All in all, I got some good pictures & decent food, got ticked at BF for being a tool, then he pulled the stick out of his a$$ and started enjoying himself.

Then of course we drove home (3 hours after a fun filled weekend) – got some talking time in with BF & NightShade.

Giggle – and now that this post is like ten thousand words long. I’ll wrap it up with all in all we had a truly amazing time, probably spent way more than we should have on a weekend away, but hey all my bills are covered and I had the extra – it doesn’t hurt to splurge when you can.