Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hey Everybody!! I am officially back from my trip to Florida. It was amazing to say the least. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the parks seemed to be more magical than the last time I had been there. I love discovering new things with each trip. That's what makes it so exciting and unpredictable.

I loved going to MGM Studios above all the rest. We went to the Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme stunt show. They showed us how they create all of the high speed car chases and extreme stunts in the movies. Some of the stuff was pretty amazing, especially the drivers' abilities to operate the cars so smoothly while going backwards. It wasn't until they showed us the "movie magic" until we understood the trick...you don't think I'd spoil it for you. You'll just have to find out for yourself. We also went to The Magic of Disney Animation. Here they showed you how Disney Animators create characters for the movies and all of the behind the scenes goodies!! We even got to take a 10 minute speed art class. They taught us how to draw Minnie Mouse and you can just imagine how much fun I had!!

The cheerleaders made it into the semi-finals which were held on Sunday at the Disney Wide World of Sports Resort. Their routine was so perfect and they nailed every stunt. They ended up getting 3rd out of 21 teams in the semi-final round which secured a place for them in the finals. When all was said and done, the girls came out with 9th place in the nation. This is better than any other Bishop Guilfoyle squad in history!! We had about 60-70 fans that traveled down to Florida with the squad so the cheerleaders had an awesome cheering section. Several of us really got into the spirit and dressed like pirates because their mascot is a Marauder (land pirate). We wore bandanas, eye patches, earrings, and beads. Because the girls placed in the top 10, their performance will air on ESPN sometime in March along with our fans cheering and screaming for them. I am so proud of my sister. She and the other girls did such an amazing job. We also have a lot of prospective future Mounties in that crew!

It was a perfect vacation until we tried to come home to PA. Our flight was cancelled just as we were getting ready to board the plane because the Baltimore Airport was shutting down due to the weather. Most people would have loved to stay in Florida for one more day enjoying the warm weather and palm trees. However, by then I was ready to come back to the snow and to MAC. I was ready to get back to my classes and get the softball season underway. We eventually got a flight out the next day and made our way back home! :o)

It's great to be back!!

Laura