Fun With Florida Wildlife

Boyfriend is very brave!

While I was away at work, there was a huge rainstorm. Jeremy was of course on the balcony doing something ridiculous with his plants, when he spied a large turtle trying to cross the very busy, 4-lane road behind our apartment. Because it was so wet and slippery, the poor thing couldn't make it over the curb, and he was going to get hit any second.

And this is where I'm proud.

Jeremy ran out, without shoes, in the pouring rain, in the middle of the road. He stopped traffic, and despite his deep terror of all reptiles, picked up the turtle and got him safely to the other side, and the turtle gratefully hurried off to the lake just beyond.

YAY! Now of course, I wish he had brought it in to live in our bath tub, but oh well.

Rhino Style

This new life here periodically amazes and awes me.

I went to Animal Kingdom about 2 hours before close, hoping to avoid the crowds.

I walked/ran to the Safaris, and was shocked to find myself walking right on with no wait at all.

It was evening right after a brief rain storm, so most of the animals were hiding, and so the trip was a bit of a bust. That is, until we reached the rhino area.

6 or 7 rhinos were grazing directly in the road, completely blocking our path. The Disney driver tried to drive up very close to them slowly, hoping to force them off the path gently, but the rhinos would have none of it. One actually laid down.

The driver explained that we would wait them out, and they should move soon. We spent the next 30 minutes an arms-reach away from the rhinos all around us, who determinedly stayed where they were.

Finally, the poor driver called the animal keeper, who came out with huge heads of lettuce. He rolled them out like beach balls, and to my absolute surprise, the rhinos BOUNDED on the lettuce like dogs chasing a toy. It was absolutely amazing to see the mammoth huge creatures move like that.

One of the absolute coolest things I've ever seen, and a very rare moment in Disney.

Frustrations

Oh Florida.

I finally got all my car stuff taken care of...license, insurance, registration. w00t! The license and insurance were super easy, but the registration is a nightmare.

On the Florida DMV website, it very clearly states that you have to bring a COMPLETED VIN verification form with you, and that it can be filled out by a dealer, Florida notary, or a police officer from any state.

When I got there, they of course told me a police officer can not fill it out, and more importantly, it shouldn't have been filled out at all. When I pointed out what it said on their own site, they just shrugged and said it was incorrect.

They then proceeded to tell me I should have done 294727498 other steps (not on the website), and when I said I had spoken to the manager there who had given me a rundown of the process, they said he didn't know what he was talking about. *sigh*

Whatever, it's over with now.

Anyway, boyfriend arrived Sunday morning, and of course, within an hour of his arrival we were at Disney World to get his annual pass. We had a great first night...we hopped on Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion, and gobbled a delicious Dole Whip.

Last night, because boyfriend was so excited he was acting like a toddler, we had to go to Hollywood Studios so he could get on Star Tours. He was speechless with glee for hours.

Fun fun fun

I survived my first week of work! And my first major event: Women of Distinction. It was just gorgeous.

And I finally got my Disney annual pass, and I started making good use of it. Last night I was terribly bored, so I drove over to Magic Kingdom, and hopped on Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion, then dawdled to see some fireworks.

Boyfriend arrives on Sunday, so then the Disney fun will really begin!