Florida Trip: Day 9 - Dinner with Uncle Rich

Day 9

After a tiring day at Epcot Center where we each walked more than 25,000 steps, we decided to just have a rest day at home before meeting Uncle Rich's family for dinner.  So in the afternoon it was more Wii games.  M1 was so tired from the previous day, she fell asleep in the game room.  I, on the other hand, napped properly in my bed.  M3 also fell asleep - only M2 did not nap.

When we got up, we swam for a bit but it started to rain so we rinsed off and got ready for dinner.  Driving to dinner, the rain was so heavy, it seemed like we were driving through a waterfall.  At one point, we were under a bridge and the water could not drain into the sewers fast enough.  The water was probably two feet deep and cars looked like they were driving across a pond.

I dropped the girls off at the restaurant entrance and then parked the car so we didn't all have to get wet.  The water in the parking lot came up above my ankles.  So my socks were soaked.

Uncle Rich's family was already there - Auntie Celeste, Cousin Earl, his wife Grainne, and their son Connor.  After the greetings, I excused myself to go to the bathroom to take off my socks.  When I returned, Earl agreed that was a good move so he proceeded to remove his wet socks too.  Of course, he was scolded by Grainne for doing so at the dinner table.

We were at an authentic, upscale Chinese restaurant (a rarity in Orlando) owned by a business associate of Uncle Rich and Auntie Celeste.  They chose a Chinese restaurant because I said we hadn't eaten Chinese food in a week and it's difficult for M1 and me to go so long without rice.

It was nice to talk with them and get caught up.  Uncle Rich and Auntie Celeste always have interesting stories about their business associates and latest travels.  Connor, who was two year-old was currently into dinosaurs and mermaids - quite a strange combination.  When Earl told him that M1, M2, and M3 were actually mermaids, he promptly looked under the table to see their tails.

And of course the food was amazing!  In fact, the fried rice dish was called, "Amazing Fried Rice."  The menu was an 8-course meal which became 9 because they also cooked Uncle Rich's favourite dish, which wasn't part of the set meal.  There was Peking Duck, twin lobster, and grouper fish prepared 3 ways, just to name a few of the fancier dishes.

It was a hearty and satisfying meal and in the end, there was enough food left over for our dinner the next day.

Big Oh