Weekend With Friends pt 1 Swamp Safari Excursion

Good Morning Friends,

I apologize for not updating this information more quickly, however, I have been a little busy and straight out procrastinating lately. Anyways, I had an amazing weekend with my two best friends Kelly and Tiffany. This past weekend 3/13/14 did something that we will remember for ever, We CAMPED IN THE EVERGLADES!

That's right, filled with angst, excitement and curiosity, we planned a surprise trip to Billie Swamp and Safari. The suprise was in getting our friend Tiffany to go. Basically we never told her where we were going. It was hilarious because Kelly and her boyfriend Dan and I, had to sneak and pack Tiffany's clothes and things into the car without her seeing. Once we arrived we pulled up to a camp of chickees (traditional Seminole Indian lodgings) and unpacks. It was hilarious seeing her face as she pieced together our overnight excursion. The accomodations were everything you'd expect, rustic, airy and free from electricity. Our Chickee had a deck over the swamp, and as we roasted marshmallows that night, became surrounded by gators gravitating towards the heat. I have to admit, I WAS FREAKING OUT!!!! Every coulple of minutes I made sure to shinne my flashlight around our lodging area to ensure that there were no gators creeping up on us.

Earlier that day, we met a family of 3 who told us about the 20ft (a length that seemed to get larger at each telling of the story ^-^) gator who met them in the middle of the nature trail! Of course when we asked the exact coordinates, they explained that it was near chickees 9,10 and 11.... we were in chickees 9 and 10 lol. The family explained how they were yelling for help for about 5 minutes, with the gator blocking their exit path and snapping its jaws shut. I would have been terrified... needless to say the nature trail was off for us lol. The other family enjoyed the rest of the Storytelling campfire with us and we all headed towards the nighttime swamp buggy ride. This ride was amazing, we were able to view plenty of animals within their natural habitats on the Seminole Tribes 2200 acre safari property. I was able to view, water buffalo, ostrich, coyotes, silver foxes, deer, panthers and more.

The time after the safari was filled with roasting marshmallows over an open fire and recounting the day with each other. Once we finally fell asleep in our Chickee, I was awaken throughout the night by the echoes of the wildlife outside of my hut... that and the constant turning of Tiffany due to her fears of being eaten alive lol. All in all it was an amazing night. My next post will detail out Saturday experiences ^-^

Concealed in Death (Book review)

    Intrigued by mystery? Addicted to trying to solve a case before the ending is revealed to you? actively invested in crime drama's? If this is you, I highly recommend reading "Concealed In Death" by J.D. Robb.
    I recently completed this book and found it absolutely entertaining. Growing up I've always harbored an  affinity for solving things, whether it was puzzles, riddles or the villain on Scooby Doo. With that in mind, I tend to gravitate towards any mystery/thriller piece of work.
    This installation stemming from the "In Death" series, follows Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she's faced with an unthinkable situation. Roarke, her billionaire beau is an accomplished professional who uses his business savvy by brokering a sweet deal for an abandoned building. With renovations at the fore front, Roarke oversees as his employees begun the demolition and reconstruction process.... when BOOM! The walls reveal a secret! A Body! But wait, there's another one.... and another... final count... 12! What sick creep would "conceal" 12 bodies in an abandoned building? That's what Eve and Roarke intend to find out.
    This novel touches on all of your typical core emotions, ranging from shock, and panic to passionate exchanges. I admit, I engaged in this world during my workday by downloading the audio book and listening to the story. No matter if you take the traditional method and read the book or utilize the audio book approach, you will not be disappointed. Some of the terminology that appears throughout the text can seem pretty cheesy for my taste, mainly due to the setting taking place in the future, however, the depth of the book is enticing and will grab the reader from page 1!