Welcome to Florida! Where we have bipolar weather, the notorious "Florida Man", Publix quality sandwiches and chicken and home to Walt Disney World! After exploring the jungle in Africa and swinging from vine to vine finding the ruins of a lost city...
Welcome to Florida home to the popular parks of Disney World, Universal, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Orlando's Gatorland and also is home to the notorious Florida Man so be sure to watch your back.
Mavis and Jake made it to the state safely with their parents. "We should do a travel blog on St. Augustine we did one of a different part here in Florida when the twins were younger." Said their father, Charlie. Sophie shakes her head. "We're not just here for travel blogging, we're also here for the kids to meet with their grandparents." "I hope your mom doesn't egg on me like she did last Thanksgiving." He said recounting that memory. "We've been over this, mom was worried the dinner was gonna be a disaster and it wasn't." She said to her husband. "And grandma's pumpkin spiced cookies were really good and I think me and Jake still have that strong aftertaste." Mavis said slinging her purse over her shoulder. "I'm sure they're waiting for us in St. Augustine." Their parents rented a car and drove to St. Augustine after leaving the Orlando International Airport.
The drive also involved carpool car radio karaoke and Mavis screaming when BTS' latest song "Dynamite" came up on the radio which startled her dad who was napping in the passenger seat. The twins have a liking to Kpop. Jake did like girl groups and boy bands but not as much as his sister does. Car radio karaoke has became a thing in the family especially on long drives.
They arrived at St. Augustine to a nice house with a garden of rose bushes and peonies and behind the house is a large tree as well. Sophie knocks on the door and a woman in her mid-60's answered the door seeing her daughter, son-in-law and twin grandkids. "Mavis, Jake come give your ol' GiGi a hug!" The redheads embraced their grandmother with big smiles. "It's so good seeing you both!" An older man looked over holding a staff of sorts. "Sophie-Boo!" "Dad! It's so good seeing you again!" She said hugging him.
"You kids get settled in and dinner will be ready soon." She tells them. The twins went into the room for them and it was painted half fuschia half sky blue with a loft beds on each side. "Grandma what is this?" Jake said surprised. "I knew an interior design guy and revamped this guest room for you and the same for your parents." Mavis hugs her tightly and so does Jake. "A loft bed is so cool." Once the twins get settled in their revamped guest room he digs out the map from his backpack remembering they're in Florida to find the Fountain of Youth. "I hope we find it and we gotta bring like a bottle to collect some of the water from it." He said unfurling fragile map as carefully as he could.
Mavis took to the loft bed of her pink side staring up at the butterfly fairy lights strung up above her head with a soft yellow glow seeing how settled in she is. Their grandma knocks on the door, "come in," Jake said putting the map in Mavis' side of the room, "dinner time and you don't want your Pops to take the rest of fudge brownies I baked." Mavis gets up and jumps off the loft bed not bothering with the ladder and the bean bag chair softened the fall. "Sometimes you remind me of Sophie when she was your age." "Don't let Pops hog all the brownies!" Jake made a mad dash for the kitchen with Mavis following after him.
"No one makes meatloaf like you, GiGi." Jake grinned taking another bite. "I still got it." "So when are you gonna give me the recipe?" Charlie asked his mother-in-law. "I told you before, I gave it to Sophie and she made it for you." She said sipping her water. "Honey, I thought you had let this go?" She chided him quietly. "Guess time doesn't heal all wounds." He shrugged.
"So I heard you and my Sophie-Boo went to Africa for something." Said Pops "Harvey, Sophie, the kids and I traveled to Africa for our travel blog, we do travel blogs and it really pays." "That and Mavis brought home a black diamond the size of a cantaloupe!" Chimed Jake remembering their jungle adventure.
"Jake and I also swung from jungle vines and he hit a few trees face first." Added Mavis causing her twin to blush red in embarrassment. "Clam it, Mave." "Nothing but the truth." She said biting into a dinner roll.
The parents and grandparents laughed listening to their adventurous time. "So was that diamond really cantaloupe sized like your brother said?" Pops questioned having Mavis nod confirming that truth and it's not an exaggeration. "A rock that big could make our house better than those retirement joints and make the other seniors so jealous."
"Speaking of vine swinging, I had my share of that kind of experience back in the Amazon jungle." The twins couldn't believe their ears. Mavis almost dropped her fudge brownie and Jake nearly choked on his 2nd helping. "Tell us! Tell us!" They begged. The older woman laughed to herself knowing her two grandchildren can never get enough of the stories she and her husband tell them. "Tell you what, finish off these brownies and I'll tell the story."
They looked at each other then to the brownies. "Mom, you're gonna put the kids in a sugar-induced coma." Said their mother. "Mom, when have we ever slipped into a sugar coma?"
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The twins were knocked out on the couch after devouring their grandmother's freshly baked fudge brownies. "I told you so." Sophie said looking at the unconscious kids. "They won't be out for much longer." Their dad said shaking them up a bit. "Huh... what?" Jake rubbed his head and Mavis woke up rubbing her eyes. "See," he hands them both cups of water to wash down that sugar in their system. "I believe I owe you both a story." They sat up and got close to hearing the story being spun before them.
"I guess you can say that swinging from jungle vines looked easier in the stories." Mavis nods in agreement looking back at her brother when they swung through the jungle to chase their scheming explorer. "GiGi did you really stop that Amazonian drug cartel single-handedly?!" Jake asked wanting to hear more. "I had help from your Pops who was there with me and boy he was quick witted than ever and outsmarted the drug dealers. His wits are quicker than they are now when messing with your dad." They laughed hard they almost fell off the couch. "That's right and those drug dealers had no idea that I used their radio transmitter to bring the authorities over to that exact location." Pops said recalling that time.
"Okay now, as much as you and Mavis want to hear more stories, it's past bedtime for you kids." Charlie said leading them back to their shared guest room. "We had a pretty long flight and the kids need their rest before we go out into the old city of St. Augustine."
"Also, I feel a bit jet lagged and a good night's sleep is what we need after that long nonstop flight from San Francisco." Sophie said biting back a yawn.
Mavis and Jake are tucked in their beds looking forward to tomorrow's outing into the old city. This could also be their chance to find some leads and clues that could lead them to the Fountain of Youth.
