by SHANNON LEE: The Reason I Was in Orlando

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While Nicole and I did manage to squeeze in a totally awesome whirlwind two-day cousin retreat in sunny Orlando in January, the reason I was in Orlando was for a fantastic education technology conference for teachers, which started up the day Nicole left.

It was a really awesome tech conference!

The pictures from the conference are mostly of slides from presentations I attended, so I'll show you pictures "around" the conference.

I rode on the trolley from my hotel to the conference.

This is the trolley. Isn't he cute?

And, here he is in real life!

The trolley was my day-time transportation, and I would use the hotel drivers in the evening, because they were reasonably priced and I'm not stupid enough to wander around alone.

The conference centre was HUGE!

There were several thousand educators from all of over the USA, Canada and around the world at the conference.

While there was so very much to take in at the presentations, the connections and ideas from other teachers were just as valuable.

On my walk home each afternoon from the trolley, were these cute little guys, sunning it up on the sidewalk, and then hiding in the green on the side.

Hello, fella!

One of the first nights of the conference, was a Canadian gathering at Tommy Bahamas, which was a great chance to sit and chat with my new found teacher pals from Yellowknife.

We laughed so very hard at these heat lamps outside the restaurant!

It was 22 degrees outside that evening, and there were people wearing down-filled jackets huddled under the heat lamps!

It was a really neat little walking centre tucked in behind a busy business area of the city!

Eventually, Melissa made it down to the conference, too!

She was sick with a cold, and I could hardly talk from screaming on the Dragon Challenge roller coaster, but we were there together!

One evening of the conference, they arranged to us to be bussed to Epcot to take in the more "techie" Disney park and to enjoy the large fireworks display.

I got there a little earlier than Melissa so I could walk around the park (which I had never seen before), and to go on a few rides and see Mother Earth... also known as the giant golf ball.

Chip and Dale! Well, hello there!

From the far end of Epcot, as I made my way through the different countries, I could still see Mother Earth.

This giant globe grew even larger and was featured in the pyrotechnics display that night.

I had my picture taken with Belle for the girls.

She told me that Lumiere is quite the joker and likes to tell knock knock jokes, just like Miss A.

The conference lasted a few days, and I had a chance to get my picture taken with Moby from Brain Pop.

Then, my own brain nearly popped with all of the new information I had from the technology conference, and I am still sorting through all of my information and trying to digest it all.

I headed to City Walk the last evening of the conference with my Yellowknife teacher friends, and found Bubba Gump Shrimp.

I did not eat any (duh) but I did get a picture!

That night, Ed Kowalczyk of the band Live was playing in the lobby of my home in Orlando, the Hard Rock Hotel!

I was so excited to learn that we could to to this concert!

Here is a very fuzzy picture of Cheryl, Martin and I waiting for the concert to begin.

Just outside the famous Velvet Lounge. baby!

There's Ed!

It was so cool to hear Lightning Crashes, I Alone and Dolphin's Cry in such a small intimate setting.

I had seen Live live at Citadel Hill a few times while I was an undergrad student, but this concert was AMAZING.

Me and Ed.

This was taken on my last day in Orlando.

I had some tan lines, but considering the severe lack of sun that I have in Yellowknife for half the year, I think I'm totally justified in soaking in the sun!