An Adventure In Orlando

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As I mentioned yesterday, I've been down in Orlando for the past week for Thanksgiving. I flew down last Friday to come down for my friend, Christy's, surprise birthday party last Saturday (the 18th). We had it at Red Lobster at Crossroads, down near Disney. When I got there, they had the tables arranged with a hole in the middle, so I decided to hide under the table. When Christy arrived, everyone else surprised her while I waited until she sat down. Then I stuck my head up through the table and yelled "Surprise!" (Unfortunately, she was looking the wrong way at the time, but we still got her pretty good!)



Here's a picture of the birthday girl!



Gary and Wee-Gee also looked like they were having a good time.



It was also my first time meeting Will and Lynda's new baby, Katie!



After the party, Christy, Lisa, Colleen, Shawn, and I went out to Disney's Swan hotel to sing karaoke at Kimono's. Lisa and Collen sang "Dancing Queen" and got over half-a-dozen people up on stage dancing behind them while they sang. A ton of fun!



The five of us finished up our karaoke singing "I'm On Top of the World".



Walking back through the Boardwalk hotel. Lots of Christmas decorations already up!



Sunday, it was great going back to my old church and seeing dozens of friends, many of whom I've known for over a decade now. Afterwards, we went out for lunch and hung out for a while.

Since then, I've been spending all my time meeting friends for lunch, dinner, and coffee, and trying to find time to do homework in between.

Tuesday night, Sue had about a dozen people over to her place to hang out and see me while I'm in town. It's been great reconnecting with everyone. I've forgotten how much I miss them all.



Wednesday, I met Noriko and Hiroko at our favorite hang-out, Sushi-Tomi! I got my usual -- Gyudon with Tamago and Spicy Tuna rolls!



My favorite waitress, Akiko, was there. She reconginzed me, remembered my name, and knew exactly what I wanted to order! It's great being at a place where people know you.



That night, I met Fred and Brian, two guys from a Bible study group I used to lead. Brian is also a graduate of George Mason University. All three of us are Virginia boys.



The Shamey family had me over for Thanksgiving lunch yesterday. That's at least the second Thanksgiving I've shared with them. I've also spent at least one Christmas and possibly one Easter with them over the years. My friend Ayumi loves them because they "make her feel normal". As much as anyone in Orlando, the Shamey's are my adopted family down here.



Last night, Jaye and Colleen (friends from church) had a bunch of folks over for Thanksgiving dinner. We were over there until about 11 PM and had a ton of fun eating, conversing, singing, dancing, and just hanging out. Toby, Jaye's dog, was the center of attention for much of the evening.



I indeed had much to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!!!



Today, I am house-sitting and cat-sitting for the friends I'm staying with, Brian and Nichol, and working on a couple papers for Law and Econ and Public Choice. I will fly home Tuesday morning in time to make it to my Economics of Religion class Tuesday afternoon.

This trip has been a great reminder of the friends I have who are like family to me here in Orlando. I've haven't been to Disney yet or done anything touristy, but have just been enjoying sharing meals and time together with precious friends. I can't think of any better way to be spending my time. I can't describe how great it is to be around loved ones who also love you after being away from them for a long time.

While in certain respects, I have been surprised by how much I don't miss the city itself, I have been touched by how much I truly miss all my friends down here. No matter where life takes me in the future, Orlando will always be a home to me.