Lauren's First Weeks of Summer All Crammed into One Blog Post!

It's been an eventful week-or-so since summer vacation began, but my mad procrastinating skills have prevented me from sharing thus far. However, I shall take a stand now! It is time to get something accomplished... something other than the PSAT homework I am currently neglecting.

Here's the gameplan: I will divide this post by subjects on The List and attempt to write in a chronological-ish manner.


Have A Party 
Technically, I did not have the party. I was a participant, though. We celebrated our friend Cat's 16th year of life on this planet in a nerdy and spectacular way. It involved pasta, key lime pie, some highly amusing rounds of *ducky-wucky, presents, and, surprisingly enough, physical activity; some of our friends can actually kick soccer balls and throw frisbees (who knew, right?). All in all, it was a great way to ring in the vacation.

*Ducky-wucky is a game in which you must attempt to decline the offer to be someone's ducky-wucky without smiling or laughing— a near impossible task. WARNING: hilarity will ensue.

The shirt I got Cat for her birthday
Note: This is not Cat

Go On A Road Trip 
The very next day, my mother and I set off to visit UF, Rollins College, and Sea World (I firmly believe that all college tours should end with a trip to an amusement park). We packed the car with snack food, podcasts of  "This American Life" and "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me," and enough clothes to last us far longer than the three days we would actually spend away from home. Thusly, we headed off... and right into the path of tropical storm Andrea.

The lovely view from the front

   

The lovely view from the side

It was a rainy trip, but the company was good, the podcasts were entertaining, and I could practically taste my newfound freedom. I convinced myself that nothing would spoil my trip and nothing did.
So there. 

We arrived at UF in a drizzle rather than a torrential downpour, so we were thankful. We had our meeting, took the tour, and prepared to turn around and head back down to Orlando. Before we left, though, my mother and I did our own exploring in the comfort and, most importantly, the dryness of our car. We found a woodsy trail, Lake Alice, and the student agricultural gardens.

A few hours later, we made it to our hotel and met the nicest receptionist ever. Seriously, the next time you're in Orlando, stay at the Hampton Inn closest to Universal and find Jeremy. He'll chat your ear off and make you feel right at home.

We saw Rollins College on day two of our trip. It was basically the opposite of UF: a small, liberal arts college where football was little more than a footnote. I will say that both colleges offered interesting programs and opportunities and both had beautiful campuses. Everyone we met on our trip was welcoming. Plus, they both had pretty trees and omelette bars— my two must haves in a college! Yup, I know where my priorities lie.

Me and Mom

After our tour, we wandered around Winter Park (the town surrounding Rollins College). It's essentially a  long row of stores and restaurants, as far as I could see. We went to an AMAZING French restaurant for lunch. The food was just so so so good. We ordered one croque-monsieur and one sandwich au gigot d'agneau (one ham and cheese and one lamb sandwich) and then exchanged halfs. I kind of wanted to take a picture of my plate, but felt awkward doing it in public. It seemed too stereotypically teenager-with-electronic-device. As such, you will just have to imagine the meal we shared. Feel free to drool a bit. I also stopped into the candy store next door and sampled some taffy. The chocolate chip cookie one was definitely my favorite. We probably would have meandered into some more shops if I hadn't realized that my sweater was still at Rollins. Oh, the curse of the absent minded. We left shortly after finding the recalcitrant sweater, but all was not lost! I bought a pair of adorable French toast socks from the Rollins store. And I don't mean french toast the food, I mean toast that says "Bonjour" and wears a little beret! I am totally in love with them. I may never take them off. They are getting smelly...

Conquered the Kraken

My father joined us for the last day of our trip. We got drenched at Sea World, but not by Shamu; a thunderstorm rolled in around midday. It did not, however, dampen our fun. We scuttled from one indoor attraction to the next. We touched stingrays and dolphins, met a very friendly walrus, froze our butts off in the Antarctica exhibit, and saw tons of fish. By the time the roller coasters opened again, nearly everyone was gone. The lines were miniscule and I rode in the front each time. It was a blast!

I can't tell you much about the last leg of our journey. I was asleep for almost the entire ride home. 

Me, David, and a goblin at LaserQuest

Play LaserTag 

This past Sunday, a group of friends and I went to play lasertag. I lost every time, but it was fun. Lawrence reigned supreme, winning every round and getting the top score of the day. After lasertagging, we returned to David's house to watch Doctor Who and the Tonys— an unlikely pairing, but whatever. C'est la vie.

Volunteer for a Day

Well, I've been volunteering for the past five days at Camp DMC and will be for the rest of the summer. I would tell you stories or include pictures of the adorable children I work with, but there's the HIPAA law and other privacy issues to consider. You'll just have to trust me.

Bake Something
I made banana muffins from the bruised-and-beaten bananas we took on our road trip and forgot to eat. They were yummy!

And so, that's my summer so far. I apologize for the lengthiness of this post. If you have made it to the end, congratulations! You have a will of steel! Until next time, dftba.