Summer months are usually the busiest of the year for us: Camp Meeting, Sagola Summer Camp, VBS at L’Anse and Greenland, UP Camp Meeting, the canvassers, worker’s meetings, and ASI.  This year, instead of taking our vacation in the winter time, we decided to take it in summer so that our nephew Jacob would be out of school to join us.  Our little Ramos Family Reunion was held in Orlando.

Just a month shy of it’s thrid birthday, our Ford Freestyle hit 100k miles.  Add 300k airmiles in travel to the equation and you’ll come up with how busy the travel schedule for the Ramoses has been!  We’re looking forward to a break from all of that.

When we have nice, warm days in the UP, it becomes a huge thing.  We think to ourselves that we better enjoy the weather, because the snow will fall by tomorrow.  Somehow, Manu really got into waterballoons this summer.  So we went to Wallmart to get some.  We also got “water squirters”, but we returned them due to their horrible quality.
 

With the busy-ness of this summer’s schedule, we were only able to really take one day off at home.  Uncle Daniel joined the party.  It looks like he’s enjoyng himself 🙂

For VBS at L’Anse, we had a creation theme.  The messages were focused on animals in the Bible and other lessons were given on animals that defy evolution.  At Greenland, the theme was: Rome and the Underground Church.
Starring:

Brutus Flavius Marco — the prison guard that needs to be converted. 

And Paul — the prisoner of Jesus Christ unto those that are at Rome, peace be unto you.  As you can see, I had the ability to escape, but I chose not to.  Brutus even let me borrow his sword — hahahaha. 

Notice how Brutus is “gettin down” (as CD Brooks says) on the right. 

After the VBS programs, camp meetings, and worker’s retreat, we paid a visit to Orlando, home of the world’s most famous mouse. 

Me paying tribute to Mickey… Manu, trying to be cool like daddy.

Walking in downtown Disney (they own a whole city) with the Disney theme park behind us. 

One of our favorite places to visit is Gatorland. 

Many people don’t know that they house Gators AND Crocs.  They have a bunch of them!

   
They also have a “waterpark”
At first, Manu was afraid to run through these jets, but after watching cousin Jacob, he got the courage to stand (wanted to encorporate Oshkosh into this, somehow).

Abuelo teaching the boys how to swim.  Micah trying to recover from Cayman’s water nightmares. 

Underwater photography provided, in part, by world famous photographer: Israel Ramos

Tio and Cousin Jacob at “the largest pool in Central Florida”

Manu learning how to go swimming on his own, thanks to Tio. 

Cousin Jacob is teaching Manu how to go underwater. 

 
More awesome photography by the IR.

My dad.

Hahahaha.

Micah-likes

Manu sporting the goggles.  (this picture is sponsored by Speedo)

Talented mommy holding a baby IN THE WATER while taking care of other “personal” items. 

My mom is not teaching Micah how to swim, she’s holding on to the life preserver.  



Playing Old Maid.  Manu keeps on thinking that you win by trying to find and keep the OM. 

We met this friend of a friend of a friend that we’ll call Ray-Ray.  He used to work for Disney but is retired now.  He got us in at majorly discounted prices.  Here we are at the Animal Kingdom. 

The animal kingdom is like a wannabe safari/zoo.  Really nice.  We got pretty close to the animals. 

The hippo site. 

The mom was on the other side.  But here is her baby. 

At one of the exhibits, they had a 3D video on bugs.  This is Manu with his bug glasses on.  He took them off during the movie because he thought the bugs were going to eat him.

 
When we ate at a restuarant.  Some balloon guy came and made a race car for Manu.

 
The shark from finding Nemo.

 
Hahaha.  This is my brother holding up the ball.  Don’t post comments about his hand not “touching” the ball.  The “Hahaha” means that we recognize that. 

By the end of our vacation, Manu could go under the water without plugging his nose.  This is a such a cool pic.

Peace.  Love.  Harmony. 

– I’m o.u.t.