It's been a beautiful weekend here in Central Florida (finally!) so today we decided to go on an Airboat Ride to see Florida alligators and other types of native Florida wildlife up-close and in person. This unforgettable adventure is something that Kam will never forget I'm sure. His smile was plastered across his face the entire time... either that or the intense wind froze it in that position. LOL It was a fantastic way to spend a gorgeous day in Florida away from the crowds of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. The historic St. John's River is right in the heart of Central Florida yet I rarely get to it. The airboat ride provided an enjoyable and educational experience exploring the marshes of the Scenic St. Johns River in the Central Florida Everglades. We got to see the unspoiled Florida, in all its splendor! Lots of photos were snapped and lots of gators were taunted by Kam (who'd have thought to shout "boo!" at a gator who is less than 6 inches from you?!). If you want a fun airboat ride WITHOUT the pretengious attitudes and structured tour guide information streaming through ear pieces - check out Captain Ray! http://raysairboatrides.com

Missy and I - I love that my sister has been on so many of these adventures with me!

LOTS and LOTS of these guys and gals around

Kam and Captain Ray hanging out

The gang at Jungle Adventures (Christmas, FL)

Yes, Virginia... there really is a Christmas. Well, at least there is a Christmas, Florida. Florida may not see much snow, but the small post office near the historical Fort Christmas sees plenty of activity year round. People come from miles around to have their Christmas cards and holiday mail postmarked "Christmas, Florida!" I’ve lived here in Central Florida for 12 years and have never bothered to GO to Christmas, FL. Can’t say that any longer. Christmas is located about 20 miles east of Orlando along Highway 50, which we traveled on to go Skydiving yesterday (2/20/10). So.. on the way back we made a stop to check out the fuss about this town. Gotta say… its small, simple and proud to be just who they are. On the eastern edge of town, Jungle Adventures Nature Park is a sad reminder of roadside America's glory days. The now faded larger-than-life alligator marks the entrance to the park where a number of exotic animals call home. We stopped for a photo op here but didn’t go inside. It’s too much like Gatorland, which is in our own backyard and visited often enough. As you can imagine, it isn't hard to find surprises in a community where it is Christmas all year round — from the large Christmas tree perched at the corner of one intersection to Santa's reindeer and sleigh atop a building in a RV park, it is easy to see that residents are all too willing to capitalize on the town's name. Missy, Jeff, Jordan and I roamed around for a bit exploring some of what the town had to offer. Glad for the experience.

Missy and I near the infamous Christmas tree

We're in Florida.. so we're surfing on the sleigh.. I know.. dorks. It's genetic.

The Orlando Art & Living Expo is a non-profit corporation with the mission to bring art and music together and enhance the quality of life in Downtown. After skydiving we decided to take a stroll across the street to check out the Art & Music festival taking place along Lake Eola. The event featured over 120 artist booths along with displays of glass, jewelry, fine crafts, mosaics, paintings, photography, pottery and sculpture. Lots of people enjoying the beautiful day on blankets in the grass, kids throwing bread to the swans and ducks and dancing taking place in the streets. What a fabulous day for this event (2/20/10). It's taking place today as well from 11am - 6pm - free admission.

The gang BEFORE our jump - all harnessed up and ready to go!

"Jumping is fun! Skydiving is not just falling; it is flying—the closest we have been able to come to free, unencumbered, non-mechanical individual flight," says Mike Turoff in the book The Skydiver's Handbook.

I have to agree with him because skydiving provides the maximum liberty that one can ever experience. The jump was planned for a party of six but my friends Kelli and Megan weren’t able to come, so it was Michelle, Missy, Jeff and I who were the brave souls that ended up going up. There are countless pages of information about skydiving on the Internet… but I refused to put too much thought into it ahead of time. I knew I wanted to go, and so I did. As simple as that. We got to Skydive Space Center about 9am and within two hours we had all signed our lives away, releasing them of any wrongdoing. There was so much paperwork I can honestly tell you none of us read any of it. I know, I know.. please don’t even say anything. But you wouldn’t have either. We got paired up with our tandem instructors (which basically is someone who knows what they are doing – there wasn’t a whole lot of instructing going on). The four of us were in the first flight up (or load as they call it). Basically my instructor (Dean) told me “when we get to the door, bend your knees a bit, and I’ll push us out. Once out, try to kick me in the butt, arch your legs back and your body and hold on to your straps. When I tap you on the arm, you can put your arms out.” That was the extent of our training. Easy enough… Dean has done almost 19,000 jumps. I can’t imagine the health insurance plan is very good through this line of work… who insures them?! Haha

There were no jumpsuits or helmets like indoor skydiving provided.. just you and your own clothing. We got into our harnesses and the instructors took care of everything. Since we each opted for a video (seriously – everyone does… why not capture this experience on tape?!), we were each assigned our own personal videographer. Pat (mine) was someone I’d met before in Orlando at Skyventure. He was fun and did my initial interview near the plane. When asked WHY I was skydiving, I told him about the 365 Challenge and how this was #44. Fun – all captured on DVD!

Me just before boarding the plane... ready to go!

My jumpmaster Dean and I before it was our turn

There were a lot of people there by the time we went up.. very popular place. Everyone kept up nervous chatter around us.. but we all seemed pretty calm. Oddly, I don’t think any of us were the least bit nervous. We boarded the plan (15 of us total, then of course the pilot). It’s a seriously intimate situation in that plane. Dean cautioned me at the halfway point… watching his altimeter to see check the altitude number as it was changing. I have to say.. it was just a cool experience. No one was nervous.. it was just a very relaxed atmosphere on that plane as we rose into the sky. We were all just looking at the view below grow smaller and smaller. I should clarify – I am only speaking for myself and the assumptions made from being there and talking to everyone afterwards. But overall, we were joking around and just having a great time. You can tell the jumpmasters all get along really well and love what they do.

Everyone all crammed in the place - the door is open and we're ready to go!

Once in position, movement started to take place. From our group, Michelle was the first to jump… then Jeff… then Missy.. then me. Jordan was back on the ground watching it all take place from the comfort of the grass. 15,000 feet to freefall. When it was my turn, Dean scooted us to the open door and postioned me in front of it. I didn’t think about it.. I just planted my feet in place like he had told me, and then we jumped. I remember just feeling like “wow! This is cool!” Sorta like a really intense roller coaster ride where you are going backwards (we flipped backwards right out the get-go). It was a chilly morning and my hands were a little cold but other than that it was perfect. Pat had jumped first so he was able to capture some neat photos of me throughout the jump. The view is simply breathtaking.. the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, the entire coast… it was just all so gorgeous. The sense of falling is hard to describe in this situation because falling usually results in landing.. and for those seconds you just keep falling and falling and falling.. it becomes very comfortable. Pat and Dean did some maneuvers where we spun around and floated. You hear the wind deep in your ears and you’re floating through it.

And we're out the door!

Freefalling was awesome!

When the ripcord was pulled – wow! That wasn’t the most comfortable part of skydiving. It hurt! The strap yanked up and about choked me. In the video there is a hilarious shot of me in that moment.. I look like I miserable. Hahaha.. Dean adjusted my harness so I could sit a little more comfortably as we floated the remainder of the way. The canopy flight, of course, was much slower than the free fall. Here I could see the beautiful environment from thousands of feet above at a really easy pace. When it was time, Dean calmly directed us to the drop zone and instructed that I lift my legs us. We smoothly landed on the ground where I was greeted by everyone else from my group. It was over! We picked up our stuff and I headed into the hanger to drop my harness off. Dean had another jump to do with another eagerly awaiting student so he was off after a quick hug from me. The four of us excitedly chatted about our experiences while waiting for our videos to be complete, then headed off to grab lunch and celebrate the adventure. I’m definitely hooked and plan to jump again. Who knows.. maybe I’ll jump solo one day. However, of course, my first jump will always be the most enjoyable and unforgettable one. If I were you, I would not waste any more time. I would sign up for a very first jump as soon as possible. I would like to give one more personal message: Skydiving is a must-do activity, and everyone must try it at least once in his or her life. I guarantee you that it will be an unforgettable experience for you, too!

Coming in for a landing - smooth and easy (who'd have thought?!)

The gang AFTER the jump - a little windblown but very excited.. ready to go again!

www.skydivespacecenter.com

I feel like most of this challenge has resulted in "new" experiences that involve food or cocktails... but eating and drinking IS an important part of our daily rituals and I am technically experiencing new places so it counts. Tonight is no different. Living downtown, 310 Lakeside is an easy option for happy hour gatherings or just a quick bite on a lazy Friday night. But have I ever made time to go next door (literally - next door)? Of course not. Tonight I did. Tonight was "Happy Hour Hotties" night and I got to experience this "new" one with three women who are fabulous in so many ways. We enjoyed wine specials and appetizers while sharing some hilarious stories. I'm sure our server will end his evening still shaking his head over some of tonight's memorable lines. Thanks to Kendra, Beth and Laura for a really great Thursday night and an even better "new" experience at 310 Lakeside. If you wanna check this place out, go to their website. www.310lakeside.net

I know, I know.. I was in Louisiana and I tried TWO new Sushi restaurants... but its so hard to find something "new" considering I grew up there. When my friend suggested Sake Garden I asked around and got rave reviews from several people. Yep... hole in the wall sushi restaurant but yummy sushi. Another new fav when I'm in town! Located off Hwy 190... definitely a little dive worth checking out if you're in the area.

Since I'm friends with literally hundreds of people from Louisiana on Facebook I get to keep up with some of the new places there such as restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. Osaka is a sushi restaurant I kept hearing about with rave reviews from my peeps. Well, I had to check it out. Yes I know crawfish season is starting.. but I LOVE sushi! Thankfully so does my friend Monica... so off we went for some sushi the day after the SuperBowl. Decent menu... great sushi. So glad I got to check it out.

It was a celebration that was 43 years coming... The New Orleans Saints won the SuperBowl this past Sunday and WOW what a party our city threw for them! Thousands of fans flocked to downtown New Orleans last night to see the New Orleans Saints Victory Parade despite the cold temperatures. Melissa and I were in the number marching towards Canal Street with one thing on our mind - the boys in black & gold! The parade was planned last week and was scheduled to be held whether the Saints won the Super Bowl or not. With the 31-17 Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts, the parade became a victory parade that drew a record crowd estimated to be over 800,000. That attendance number doesn't surprise me one bit - it felt like the entire state of Louisiana came out to watch this historic moment.

The entire team of the New Orleans Saints were on various floats donated from Mardi Gras organizations, as well as other members of the Saints organization. Tom Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints was also on board a float and throwing beads to fans along with all of the coaches.

The parade was broadcasted live from New Orleans television stations and others within the state of Louisiana, as well as national stations such as CNN. Many also provided live streaming of the parade on their websites.

Unless you were there its hard to describe the energy at the parade... it was an overwhelming feeling of pride. The energy was intense and people were happy. I'm so glad I changed my travel arrangements so I could be a part of that amazing moment.

The crowds on Canal Street

Gotta stay warm somehow, right?!

Cheese! My girl Melissa and I on Canal

Growing up, music was all around me... jazz, hair bands, metal, country, rap.. the list goes on and on. Formed in 1999, Five Finger Discount models its act on arena rock giants such as Poison, Def Leppard and Motley Crue. The stage attire includes sleeveless shirts, tight black pants and neckties -- think Green Day. Primarily a cover band, this group plays all over NOLA averaging about 70 gigs a year. I've heard of them.. but had already moved to Orlando by the time of their formation so I never had the chance to see them perform live... well, that has changed. I actually got to catch their show twice during this recent trip to NOLA. Saturday night some friends and I caught them performing at the Taproom in Covington, immediately following the Olympia parade. What a great night. Then last night they were performing again in New Orleans immediately following the Saints SuperBowl Victory parade. What a great night it was... dancing, jumping up and down, singing at the top of our lungs... Melissa and I joined huge throngs of people dressed in black & gold as we celebrated so many wonderful things about our city. Great band.

Five Finger Discount performing in New Orleans (2/9/10)

My old friend Bruce and I outside the Green Room Bar

Dinner with an old friend wrapped up at the Green Room this past weekend... and ironically this is one bar in Covington that I haven't been. Located off Boston Street in the heart of my old town... there is a definite underground feel to this place. It was a quiet night so it closed early and wasn't very busy, but I could see myself stopping in for a cocktail on my next trip to town. http://greenroomlive.net/

Of all the historic sites in New Orleans, none have witnessed more drama than the old exchange coffee house known as The Original Pierre Maspero’s Slave Exchange.

This Building is one of the oldest in the French Quarter, having been erected in 1788 by Don Juan Paillet. During the first decades of the 19th century this coffee house was a meeting place where brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte and their men met and planned escapes.

It was also in this historic site that Andrew Jackson met with the Lafitte brothers to plan the defense at the epic Battles of New Orleans. It was at this battle that the British surrendered to the American troops led by Jackson. America’s Independence was finalized and General Jackson went on to become the 7th president of the United States.

All that being said, Melissa and I decided to duck in before the Saints SuperBowl Victory Parade for a bite to eat... and how exciting was it when I discovered I could eat their Red Beans & Rice!! Yum! Having a dairy allergy makes it hard for me to enjoy most of my favorite foods when prepared by someone other than me... but not here! So that's what I ate... along with a glass of wine to get the parade mood started.

yummy! My red beans and rice

Cheers!

Italian, Seafood and Steaks... when planning to meet up with an old friend for lunch last Friday, she suggested Fazzio's in Mandeville. "THE best fried seafood" is what she said... and though I didn't order anything fried, it was delicious!! The company was even better. Glad I got to see Kristy Lloyd and her little man Tyler. Her mom Cindy was a fabulous surprise!

Growing up in Madisonville, La didn't provide a whole lot of options for dining out... but now its amazing! On this recent trip back home I had lunch with some dear friends at Orlando's Seafood. Despite the disappointment from not having any boiled (hot) crawfish.. and the mediocre service, I still enjoyed it. Wonderful lunch with Sheri and Cory Lang, Melissa Citron, Emily Acuff and the kids (Gavin and Taylor).

When I decided to stay in NOLA for the Saints SuperBowl Victory Parade, I knew I'd need to snag a hotel and fast. I normally stay at Hotel Montelone but because of this challenge I wanted to try something new. My friend Monica suggested the Frenchmen Hotel since a friend of hers works there (Thanks Chris for the hookup!). The Frenchmen Hotel is the quintessential New Orleans French Quarter Hotel located at the entrance to the main street of the trendy Faubourg Marigny. What's nice is if you book your reservation through Bookit.com you get free parking (which is a Godsend during Mardi Gras time) and a continental breakfast. Located on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans’ bohemian arts neighborhood, The Frenchmen Hotel is just steps away from some of the coolest live music venues and most talked-about restaurants in the city. It's a fabulous (safe) little boutique hotel... check it out if you ever go to NOLA and need a place to stay. http://www.frenchmenhotel.com/

ABA (The American Bus Association) is the largest conference for its industry.  What a site to witness!  A very long six days for sure, but such fun.  New friends made, lots learned, beautiful new experiences had.  Overall so glad I participated.