The Ice Bar! :)

During my stay in Orlando, I've been adjusting to humidity and warm temps. One place made me feel right at home though. Welcome to....The Ice Bar! A bar made of, you guessed it, ice.

But let me back up. Tana suggested The Ice Bar because I had yet to see really "touristy" areas of Orlando. (With a full time job and a three year old, it hasn't been easy for either of us to get out) On Friday night, Tana suggested we go out and have some fun. After dinner, Ethan was put to bed by Tana's lovely hubby and we got ready to leave. As I was putting on lip gloss, Tana walked into the bathroom and said, "You're still wearing the same shirt you had on today? No way. I have a better idea."

She would.

You see, Tana is....how should I put this?....adventurous. She's happy go lucky. She truly doesn't care what people think and she isn't afraid of being silly, no matter how old we are. When she was a freshman in college (I was still in high school), Tana conducted a social experiment where she put on orange jeans, an orange shirt, an orange cape, goggles, etc. She dubbed herself "The Orange Wonder" and we brought a video camera to the mall and taped people's reactions of her walking around. She loved it of course.

So you might imagine my hesitation (and tiny bit of wonder and excitement) when she suggested a new shirt.

"I have GLITTER SHIRTS!" She announced returning to the bathroom. She wasn't kidding. Since Tana is 5'10 and I am 5', I had my doubts on whether my shirt would fit me or not. Surprisingly though, it did.

The first thing you do when you're admitted into The Ice Bar is head to The Fire Lounge. The Fire Lounge is a room at normal temps, with a "pregame" bar. Only a few people at a time are allowed into The Ice Bar, and you have a 45 minute time limit because it's so cold. When your name is called, a bouncer fits you with a winter coat (according to your height) and gloves, then they lead you inside.

I was in shock over how much of the area was pure ice. The bar itself was ice, there were ice sculptures everywhere, and even our shot glasses were made of ice.

Tana and I sat down on ice thrones..At first, I struggled to get up on it. I kept sliding off so much that Tana and I began cracking up. The harder I laughed, the more difficult it was to get on the chair. Finally, I grabbed onto the back of the throne and pulled myself forward. By that point, we were both in silly moods.

Finally, we were able to catch up. I told her all about my upcoming travel adventure in Hawaii and my friends back home. She told me all about her friends down in Florida and all about her adventures of being a mother. It's amazing how much we've changed over the years and gone in different directions, but we're still close. I've felt a sense of relief that I was able to finally see my friend this year. By the time we left The Ice Bar, our toes were numb. But we both concluded that it was worth it.