The countdown continues...

Just found out today that I'll be staying in Leesburg/ working in Eustis for an extra five weeks. Wasn't exactly what I had planned for the next month, but it was the best way to ensure that I got the time off that I need for Camp Oasis in August. But it's not all bad, things haven't been as rough here recently...

I've been having good times the past few weeks...My mom came to visit two weekends ago and we had plenty of fun exploring the quaint little town of Mt. Dora. It's this little hidden gem that is so cute, with all the little antique shops and cafes and old buildings. When I'm there, I feel like I'm on a movie set, it's just so different than all the surrounding areas. Here's a couple pictures that don't do it justice, but at least give you an idea of what it's like.

The first one is the entrance to one of the antique shops and the second is a telescopic view of a brick walkway with all the story windows of the different shops on either side of the walkway. It's a lovely place that's only about twenty minutes from where I'm staying...I'm sure I'll be visiting again before I leave this area. The one thing I still want to do in Mt. Dora is try out some of the restaurants. There's a couple right on the lake that look promising.

Last weekend my friend Meredith came to visit, and we hit up the city of Orlando for way too much shopping and some really bad food. We went to one of the outlet malls for some designer jeans, then headed to the Mall of Millenia for the remainder of the shopping extravaganza. Our original plan was to finish shopping in time to head to Mt. Dora for a nice dinner, but anyone that knows Meredith and I knows things NEVER go as planned. We ended up spending a lot more time shopping than we had originally planned (who would have thought that could happen) and found ourselves still in Orlando at 9pm, so we had to make do with what was in our immediate vicinity...which happened to be a terrible steak and seafood restaurant called McCormick and Schmick's, but probably should be called McCormick and Schmuck's. Poor service, and positively awful food...but we still had a good time, as only we can.

Anyway, the last few weeks have been pretty packed, and I'm having more fun than I thought I could here in Leesburg. I'm also exploring some local backwoods, riverside, and roadside eateries with my friend Dana from work, who's up for anything. We even went to this place called Sinbad's yesterday for dinner, they actually had old pieces of carpet on the table as coasters!

Also, the "blind mosquitoes" that I talked about in my last post had left...and now they're back again and worse than ever! How many "seasons" can these creatures have! I actually have to try to get in and out of the door as quickly as possible and not to open it very wide or very often, and even still, I get tons of these things in my apartment every day. That is one thing about living here that I will definitely not miss.

The next few weekends look to be just as busy as the last few...this weekend I'm heading back to Orlando to exchange some of the items I bought last week...and for some shenanigans with Dana as well. I'm also working six days this week, as well as the week after next, to make up for the time off I'm taking next weekend to go to my family reunion in Indiana! I'm so excited for it, can't wait to see all my family and especially my awesome cousins, can't wait to sleep in a tent for four days, stay up all night and sleep all day, and eat home cooked food on picnic tables for every meal. Pictures to come...