St Augustine

On Friday night, my family and I drove to St Augustine( nation's oldest city). There were many houses in which survived a long time, since the 1500s. Many of the buildings were built out of crushed shells and sand. 
We stayed at a hotel for one night and had breakfast down at the restaurant in the morning. Once we left the hotel, we firstly drove to the 'Fort'.
Information

 The Fort  is known as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It is the oldest masonry fortification in North America. It was constructed between 1672 and 1695 under the Spanish government with labor from the local Timucan Indians.  British forces obtained the fort in 1763 as a result of the French and Indian war, but the Spanish regained control in 1784 at the end of the American Revolution. Florida became a United States territory in 1821, and the Castillo, renamed Fort Marion, was used as a supply depot, a military base, and a Native American prison over the years. the fort was named a National Monument in 1924, and the National park service restored its original name, Castillo de San Marcos, in 1942. Today it is a immensely popular tourist attraction.

 When we reached the fort, we took photos and looked around the big marvellous castle. We were given an activity book with quizzes and hard challenges. We had to find out the information from around the different rooms in which displayed info and films. Once we finished the book, we received a badge and certificate. The walls of the fort were made out of crushed shells, rocks and sand. Did you know that cannons could fire more than just cannonballs? 
chain shot is two ironballs attached by by a chain. It is very good for destroying a ship's sails. 
Canister is a metal can full of musket balls. It acted like a big shotgun shell. Grape shot is similar to canister, but with small cannonballs and wrapped in cloth. It looks like a bunch of grapes. 
It was really interesting to go to the fort. It survives so many years!

The Fort

 After that, we went walking down the streets of the 'city'. Walking down the authentic and old buildings felt like traveling back in time. There were so many icecream shops and cafes. The weather was, as usual, muggy and hot so we bought an icecream. We had one scoop but they were so big! The name of the flavour, I chose, had crunchy caramel chunks, milky chocolate bits and nuts in creamy caramel and vanilla icecream. mmmmm! It was so delicious. There were so many shops!One of the shops was an indigenous kind of shop. There were animal skulls on the walls for sale and REAL alligator heads!!!! It was so scary and awesome at the same time! I bought a ring made from shells and one of those birds which can balance on one finger(made out of bamboo). There were also real butterflies pinned inside glass. Their wings were stunning colours. Some of which were the size of my hand. There were so many things in that shop. One of favorite shops was a jewlery shop. All kinds of jewelry were hung down the walls from the roof to the floor and across long tables. There were gorgeous necklaces with cute charms on them.  
At the end of the day, we were in the car just before the rain started pouring down. When we came to take photos at a lighthouse, the rain had stopped. We bought some homemade fudge at the gift shop and it was so yummy! 
After that we drove back to the house in Orlando Florida. 



http://www.augustine.com/index.php

Good times

A couple of days ago, my family and I drove to Sizzler for dinner. I have to say that the Sizzlers i've been to in Australia have much better food and desert, but it was better than nothing. Something so funny happened. When my mum handed my sister Eve to Jarom (across the table) her little floppy legs made contact with two half full cups of lemonade and spilt all over Jarom!! He was wet all over the front of his pants and crawled under the table to pick up the ice cubes while I nearly fell off my seat laughing! it looked like he wet his pants. 
After we ate, we went for a walk down the roads and came across this awesome building, which was upside down. It seemed the building would tip over as it was on a slight angle. We went inside and I found out it was a funhouse. We took a couple of photos of the magnificent sight! 
After that, we drove home and I was extremely tired and leaped onto the my bed. 


Another recent thing which happened, was my brother Ashton's birthday. After we had dinner and cake, we went to a big mini golf place. it was pirate themed but there were awesome courses in caves, on top of rivers and we walked across bridges. there was also a massive waterfall which came crashing down a cliff against the big rocks. It was tropical humid weather that night. 
After that, we drove to the 'biggest Mcdonalds in the world!'. It was two story high, including a big games room and the a playground as big as a single house. It was more than three times the size of a normal mcdonalds restaurant. I tried to get the whole building in a photo but it was too big to capture! The games room was much bigger than a mcdonalds restaurant in Australia itself! 
When we drove back to our house, it was really late!

pictures:

Birthday Cake

"Do you have to take photos..."

Mini golf place

Excuse bad quality photos from ipod:)

Biggest Mcdonalds in the world(it says it on the sign!)

Its so big, I couldnt get the whole building in the picture!

Cutiexx

Eve

She was very tired

Disney World

In the morning, the sky was blue with white puffy clouds. I was really excited as we drove in the car to Disney world. When we arrived, clouds started to build up. I was a little worried if it would rain, but nothing stopped me from going on the rides and shows. 

One of my favourite rides was the haunted house.  I was first escorted into a small room. cobwebs hung from the rusty chandeliers which hung from the black sealing of the mansion. Paintings of dead people were displayed on each wall which had authentic wallpaper. It was very dark which created the scary feeling. The first room was nothing compared to the highlight. Everyone hopped themselves into a black cart which travelled along a track. The carts made their way down the dark hallways and rooms of the haunted house. 3D ghosts popped out of no where and dark shadows were made on the high walls. In sight I saw an old-fashioned candle floating at the far end of a hallway. Loud booming noises and screeches made their way throughout the house and the carts twisted and turned to see a frightening zombie creep up at you out of the ground. The ghosts looked so realistic. I had no idea how they made them look so real! I can't explain fully how scary and frightening it was, but it was so fun. 

Rain was poring heavily at one point of the day. Several parts of the grounds were four inches up my ankles. I thought how it had to be the worst weather to experience in Disney World. I went on a twelve meter high ride, and the rain was pouring on me. I sat in a little 'rocket' seat and I was lifted high in the air and everyone in their seats span really fast. It was really cool to be up high.

 One of the best rides was Splash Mountain! My dad, my brothers and I hopped into a boat and we flowed along the water to a point where we zoomed down a long and steep hill. Water sprayed back at our faces and our clothes were soaked. Because many people had gone home, we went on again and again. We would have had to wait an hour for one ride. You learn patience at Disney World. Our photo was taken during the ride and my face was in shock as we started to zoom down the long water slide. 

My mum wanted to take us to "Its a small World". We were in a boat and the boat went along a river past many rooms which had its own country theme. The puppets were so adorable and cute, but my brother Carter looked at them and said "They either look creepy or scary".

Of course they were not creepy to me! they were sooo cute! The song (its a small world) was in my head for ages after that. 

We also went on a roller coaster ride. Jarom (my brother) and I were at the very front seat. It was so scary!!! I was in shock but I had so much fun. 

I went on so many rides that I can't remember all of them.

The rain began to stop. It was so surprising! 

When it got dark we went on a train ride around Disney World. When we came to a stop, we were just in time for the street parade. It was amazing! All the street lights were turned off, as different themed vehicles with sparkling lights in every possible place drove down the street with Disney characters waving on top. There was Pinokio, Cinderella, Snow white and the seven dwarfs and many others. Many characters from Disney movies were dancing along the road. It was so cool. 

After the parade, I had something to eat before getting a good spot to see the 'Disney fireworks spectacular'!!! 

The fireworks were right over the castle. The castle was lit up and changed into many colours. Before the fireworks, there was a big grand projection on the castle. Many photos, characters and themes were displayed on it.  At one point it looked like the castle was shredding to pieces, but gained its form again. It is very difficult to explain how wonderful it was. The fireworks then started! It was awesome. The whole entire sky was lit up with beautiful lights sparkling in the dark night sky. There were fireworks which were shaped as stars and hearts. The many colourful fireworks exploded in the air. during the spectacular scene, beautiful music was on.  It felt so magical!

We went on a couple of others rides after that. The day went so quickly! by the time we got home , it was one 'o' clock in the morning. I went straight to bed and crashed on my bed. That was how exhausted I was from the wonderful day I had!

Nasa(space centre)

All day, we went to NASA ( Kennedy Space centre). It was amazing. It had a space feeling to its shows and exhibits.
First of all, we watched an I-max movie called 'hubble'. It was so awesome to see all the space equipment and planets pop out of the screen as I looked through the 3D glasses. It was amazing to see stars, planets, solar systems and space. there were some marvellous pictures on screen. I love seeing I-max movies.

After that, we walked to the shuttle experience. We walked to the entrance and had our photo taken. We had the decision to buy the photo or not. They photo shopped it and put our faces in an astronaut suit. It was quite funny. We walked into the building and lined up for our turn to experience a pretend (but felt realistic) shuttle experience. When it was our turn, we walked into a room that felt like a rocket. A screen appeared and we listened to a man talk about the steps of a rocket reaching space. That wasn't the fun part, but it was cool when the ground rumbled, as a rocket appeared on the screen which flew into space. After the presentation, we walked into a room which looked like the inside of a shuttle. We sat in our own seats and clicked our seat belts on. Red and blue bright lights were flashing like a lighthouse  and the 'shuttle' began to vibrate and shake as the room tilted so we were sitting almost upside down. It felt so incredible as it felt the room was moving extremely fast. The roof started to open and it looked like we were appearing in space. Everything looked realistic. Tiny little lights, big and little, were on a black back round which looked like stars and we also saw a pretend version of Earth but it looked sooooo real!
When it was over, the room started to move back to normal and everyone walked out the doors down a long swirly ramp. It was so dark, as little light were flashing. At the very end of the ramp, there was a gift shop. I bought a 3D postcard just to keep as a memory. It looked soooooo cool.
As we were walking around the complex, we were taking photos. Minutes later, we lined up at the bus where we could go on a tour around other NASA buildings. We stopped at a massive building. Inside we listened to a presentation on Astronauts and moved on to another show. We sat down and looked at the computer screens and equipment which was set up in a very big room. We were looking at a show of how things were checked before the departure of a rocket. lights were turning on and computer screens automatically switched on with green lines racing across the screens in zigzags. Voices and talking came out of no where and a big screen appeared. When things were done it appeared on the screen. As the pretend invisible rocket lifted off, the room vibrated and explosion noises made its way through my ears. It was very loud and the back windows appeared red and looked like smoke outside of them. They shook back and forth, banging against the window screens. It was pretty cool.
After that, we walked into a massive hall, and an extremely big shuttle was in the centre of all the shops and cafes. My family and I took many photos. There was also a statue of snoopy in an astronaut suit(so cute!).
We went to the cafe and we had something to eat. The day was coming to an end, so we went home and relaxed.

Things on my mind...

I'm having a pyjama day today! Rain has made its way to Orlando and keeps pouring down. I was happy to come to America to get away from winter. The rain better make its way far from my presence. I would have liked to go walking at the lake. The rain is preventing me on going. Yesterday, I had some plain Greek yogurt, but it tasted like water and vinegar(yuck). My mum had some and didn't tell me it was gross! She told me it was yum because she didn't want to waste it. I miss some some food in Australia, but who am I to complain. I'm in America!
Yesterday, my brothers and I went to the pool. My mum took Eve and put her little legs in the water. She smiled a little and wriggled her legs. She is so little. She is only three months and started talking baby language. She wore a gorgeous hat that day.
Many things are on my mind right now. I will go to Disney World,when my cousin comes to stay for a week. I am so excited!! My dad found a voucher which includes going to all four theme parks for a good price. My mum didn't count on it. I don't know why. My mum and dad sometimes think differently.
I am sooooooooooo tired. I am exhausted after days of going inside M&M's world, massive malls and shops, the pool, plus another more shops and more and more !!!!

The pool

I love swimming in the pool. There is a lovely sensation of gracefully letting the water carry me over ripples and little waves. After getting changed into my swimmers, I hopped on the scorching hot concrete paths and walked to the pool. The sun beamed its light onto me as I jumped into the refreshing water. One day, my brothers were having a water fight and a lady was reading a book in the pool and got a little wet from my brother's splashes. she didn't look happy! I am allways willing to have a nice swim!

Our new 'home'

We moved into a new house today. It is such a nice house with unique qualities to its appearance but a totally different style to me. There are so many ornaments that could easily break so my mum put some away, just while we're living here. The thought of my brothers breaking one of those expensive vases or glass objects smacks me in the forehead. We live in a gated community with a nice pool down the road. There are tropical trees growing around. It is a beautiful sight to see sunlight passing its way through the leaves of the palm trees around the pool. There is a lovely lake as well to look at.'Florida is known for its many lakes',my dad had told me. During the day the sun is blinding to my eyes. I prefer swimming in the late afternoon. Inside the house we are staying in, there are four bathrooms. one of which has a spa. This house is a couple's spare house. Dust is not in sight at all. I try to imagine what the owner's other house they have would look like. The furniture in this house is Divine and good quality. The water is filtered and my room has a king bed with a bathroom. One advantage I have is that I don't have to share a room. I wouldn't think of sharing a bed with my brothers!! There is a table downstairs, where my brothers and I do schoolwork. Another joy of the house is there is a TV in every bedroom. There is also one in the lounging area, but we'll never use it, because of the  TV in the kitchen area. In my mum and dad's room, they have a bed which can sit up and vibrate, but we haven't figured out how to turn it on! They also have a massage chair, which indeed sits up higher and vibrates. It is so relaxing. Their shower is twice the size of the shower we have home and they have two sinks and mirrors  on two sides of the room, opposite each other. My brother, Jarom, has an electric piano in his room( which is why he chose that room). there is a piano downstairs in the lounging area. The outside of the house is a bit strange. A long carpet ramp leads down to the backyard ground and to the garage. the garage is at the back of the house. One scary thing in the house is the food waste disposer in the sink. My dad presented a "beautiful" description to me of what would happen to me if I put my hand down there. He talked about my finger chopped off with rivers of blood flowing down my bone, where my skin should have been,and other "lovely" stuff. I am grateful to be living in a lovely house.