"He's skiing on one ski!"

So moving to Orlando has definitely had it's pros and cons. Here are a few things I've come to love and a few things I don't as well as some things I really miss from good ol' Arkansas.

New Favorite Restaurants:
Pei Wei: fast casual chinese from the creators of P.F Chang's. The food is SO good and falls under the Harkey Good Cheap Date place guidelines.

High Tide Harry's:We eat seafood at least once a week now and this is one of our new places to do it. Decent prices and fresh seafood, no more Red Lobster for me.

Saucy Bella: A local fast casual Italian restaurant where you pick the pasta, sauce, and topping. Fun atmosphere and The Vodka sauce is amazing! Also abides by the HGCDP guidelines.

New Favorite Dessert treat:
Jeremiah's Italian Ice: Less than a mile from our apartment. I cannot begin to describe to you how good this stuff is. Great refreshment for a hot summer night and it doesn't leave you with that guilty feeling like after a cup of frozen custard. Favorite flavors so far: Mango and Tropical Key.

New Favorite Grocery Stores:
Publix:After years of only having the options of shopping at Wal-Mart or Harps, it's been nice to have some new choices. I'm not sure why, but I love Publix. It's actually quiet in the store and the staff always seems to be in a good mood.

Whole Foods:If you haven't been to a Whole Foods before you are missing out. It's a natural foods supermarket that's almost too cool for it's own good. This is one of our favorite saturday brunch places. They offer wine tastings, various cooking and shopping classes, and they have the best Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies ever. Virginia, Elizabeth, and I went to a Shopping on a Budget class there a few weeks ago and it was a blast. It's amazing how comparable some of the prices are to other supermarkets. Plus you get the added benefit of eating more wholesome foods. They also have a Parent's Day out once a month where parents can come in and get a muffin and a cup of coffee for free. I don't have kids but I still think that's pretty dang cool.

Favorite Free Date Night:
Disney outside the Parks-There is so much to do at Disney that you don't even have to enter the parks to enjoy. Some of our favorites:

Downtown Disney-Tons of cool stores and restaurants with live street entertainment. There's a Ghiradelli store that is always passing out free samples of chocolate, which is always nice.

The Boardwalk-Modeled after Historic Atlantic City. It's similar to Downtown Disney but has a more relaxed feel. Great place to watch the Epcot Fireworks show without feeling suffocated by a crowd.

The Resorts-Last night we walked around The Swan and The Dolphin and were in awe. I've never seen so much decadence. The pool/grotto area was especially cool. All of the Disney Resorts are so meticulously designed. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is also really cool. It backs right up to a Savannah plain where you can watch Giraffes, bongos, and gazelle.

Things I don't like about Orlando:
The Humidity: It gets to the point some days where I walk outside and I feel like all of my energy is drained.

The Traffic: It's always there!!! And people around here drive like they're wearing blindfolds. It took me an hour and 15 minutes to get to class yesterday. A distance of 16 miles. C'est la vie.

Things I miss from NWA:
Taco Bueno-God bless you mexidips and chips. We'll meet again someday. My tears flow like the IBC rootbeer from the tap.

Slim Chickens: It's just that good. They do one thing and they do it freakin well. I think there is crack in the Slim's Sauce.

Hole in the wall Mexican Places: La Huerta I'm talking to you. The only good Mexican places around here are upscale and expensive. Plus your salsa is the best.

Driving through the Ozarks: Don't get me wrong, palm trees are cool, but they just can't compare to Arkansas in the Fall.

The Grove and all our friends: Yep, we're still missing you like crazy. Hard to believe it's already been over 2 months since we left. We're going to keep hasseling you to come visit until you do!.