Shrek the Halls

Here it is Thanksgiving and our eldest son couldn't get away for the weekend, so the three of us travelled to Daytona Beach to spend the holiday with him and the rest of our family who live in Kissimmee.

Since Andrew is single again, I wanted to spend quality time with just the four of us.  Our first adventure was to see the Shrek the Halls ice exhibit at the Gaylord Palms Hotel.  40 artisians from China spent over a month carving the ice sculptures.  Our reservation was for 5:30, but we got caught in a traffic jam on I-4 and didn't make it until 6:30.  No problem.  We got right in.

When I pulled out 4 pairs of gloves the boys all poo-pooed me and said they weren't going to wear gloves in the Florida.  We each donned a shapeless blue coat with a hood and no pockets and as soon as we opened the door to the frigid 9 degree temperature, we all had our gloves on.  The sculptures were frozen solid and smooth to the touch.  The colors were vivid and the sculptures had a glow as if lit from within.

The Gaylord Palms is a huge square building with an atrium in the middle.  There are five restaurants, shops, waterfalls, ponds and walkways inside.  We stopped to see alligators and look for  polar bears hidden amongst the foliage.

The hotel is beautiful and worth the trip.  We were really in the holiday spirit by the time we left.

The Christmas tree in the atrium