Beyond Expectations

Expectations are a funny thing. We had few of them when we entered this crazy online contest. We thought mostly of the fun we might have riding roller coasters or of the serenity we might find basking in the Florida sunshine. We found ourselves wondering whether or not out wives were really ok with us taking off on this madcap adventure. Did we really believe we were the type of people they were looking for? As the contest grew closer these expectations were infused with anticipation of what we might experience while visiting Orlando. Would we get to go to Disney World? What types of restaurants might we visit? Is the ocean close by? In considering all these aspects of our upcoming journey we looked past what ended up being the pinnacle of our Orlando experience; time spent creating memories and sharing smiles with a group of truly extraordinary individuals. Thank you Orlando for providing the perfect setting that allowed us all to experience something truly joyful.

From Smiles to Memories

As our time in Orlando started to wind down we were lucky enough to have one last official event together as a group: Dinner at Ceviche, a well know tapas bar on Church Street. Have you ever been to a restaurant where everything was just right? Where the decor, the service, the atmosphere, and of course the food all coalesce to become one flawless dining experience? Well that was Ceviche. The Patatas Bravas and Calamares Fritos were just a few of the dishes we sampled and only hinted at the treasures to be found on their extensive menu.

A fine dining experience can go from pleasant to exquisite when you add the pleasure of good company. If there's one thing we learned throughout this entire endeavor it is this: Fun and adventure are most meaningful when shared. That is what makes Orlando such a special place. There are so many things to share with those you love that you can't possible visit without forming lasting memories. Memories that are like fine wine and will only get better with age. We have no doubt that years and years from now we will look back on our time in Orlando and it will still make us grin from ear to ear. In a short 67 hours we formed memories that we will cherish for a lifetime. They call Disney World the Magical Kingdom, but truly there is something enchanting about all of Orlando.

Downtown Orlando: The Beating Heart of a Vibrant Community

With our thrill seeking start to the week including things like hang gliding, sky diving, and roller coasters it had taken a large amount of our energy and we think the other finalists would agree that this was the perfect moment to slow the pace down and start to explore the little know gem that is downtown Orlando. We talked many times with the people we interacted with about the 67 Days of Smiles experience and what it had been like. One of several thoughts that kept jumping to the front of our minds was the things we were able to see and do that we never would have uncovered as a regular tourist, and that is at the heart of this whole contest. Our introduction to the culturally rich downtown area began with an opportunity to explore the Orange County Regional History Center and it's exhibits. Laid before us was the rich history of central Florida and some of the events that defined its evolution. Some things we might have guessed, such as the importance of the citrus industry, but others still were new and enlightening. The tradition of the Seminole Indians, the early cattle ranching, and the original court room remaining from the buildings previous life all added to our knowledge of the region. A fine way to spend the afternoon.

We "squeezed" in some time to learn about orange farming...and to come up with that corny joke.

You Sir, are guilty of having enormous amounts of fun in such a short time!

The history center was only one of many great things offered to those who will come and explore downtown. We had lunch in a fantastic mexican cafe, one of many, many, dining options, and we found there to be an equal amount of opportunities to experience art or theater. A beautiful lakeside park is host to farmers markets and joggers alike.The educational wrapped in the cultural spiced up by night life creates a mosaic in which one and all could find something worthwhile. A shame to have our appetites whetted with the smallest glimpse of the cities core. learn more @ http://www.downtownorlando.com/. As part of our downtown crash course we we treated to a lovely reception atop the Plaza near the cities center. Here we had the fortune to become acquainted with some of the minds and, more importantly, hearts behind the vision of downtown Orlando. It was evident that these men and women had invested themselves fully into this community and they displayed a passion for and a dedication to the development of the area. It isn't just where they work it is their home. I hope they are aware of the appreciation we have regarding their involvement and interest in the 67 days of smiles promotion. It would be a thrill and an honor to work further with these individuals.

One of the many unique downtown eateries.

It wouldn't be Florida if we didn't wrassle a gator!

Outside The Plaza.

Next Stop Universal Studios!!!!

As part of our 67 hour cram session in Orlando we could not go through our stay without experiencing one of the "Big 3" attractions as the locals call them. SeaWorld, DisneyWorld, and Universal Studios, everyone of them a magical place in their own way, are iconic in that peoples thoughts of vacationing in Orlando often gather round them. Many vacation plans begin and end with these three awesome entertainment complexes. As we would soon learn this phenomena was not without good reason and even though a big part of our Orlando experience was trying to look at the myriad of other amazing things there are to be done in Orlando the big 3 DO have a lot to offer. A whole heck of a lot. The group of 10 finalist pairs were to be split up into 3 teams in order to explore the different parks. Names were picked from hats and the roller coaster gods must have been smiling on Clay as he drew Universal Studios from the hat! Both of us, having previously been lucky enough to experience Disney and SeaWorld at locations other than Florida,were really hoping for a chance to see what thrills Universal had to offer. Boy were we in for the ride of a lifetime.

Clay and I along with 3 other finalist groups were dropped off at the gates of Universal Studios around 8:45 a.m. and asked to meet at the main gates for a 10:00 o'clock tour. This gave us a little time to see some of the CityWalk. The Universal experience began here and although the CityWalk is know more for it's hot music and dancing scene in the evenings hundreds of people were already streaming into the shops and restaurants lining the 30 acre entertainment hub. Here's hoping that the few minutes we had to poke around aren't the last we spend on the CityWalk. We also had a moment to swing by the Hard Rock Hotel. Wow! It was so cool to see all the epic memorabilia they had lining the lobby walls. A slick Eric Clapton guitar was Mikey's fav. We didn't make it over to the Portofino Bay Hotel or the Royal Pacific Resort but have no doubt that they are as luxurious as they come!

The CityWalk hopping from the first moments.

An altar to rock music outside of the Hard Rock Hotel

After some brief exploration we congregated at the main gate to await a member of the Orlando CVB team who was going to connect us with our tour. Oh did I not mention it was a VIP tour...don't believe me? Here's a breakdown of some of the people our tour guide Branden had taken around the park; Tiger Woods, Mariah Carey, and Yao Ming just to name a few. This tour is literally as good as it gets at Universal Studios. If the President was to visit the park this is the tour he'd take. So naturally we were losing our minds with excitement. The tour was spectacular. Without a doubt the preeminent theme park experience of our life times. We were lucky enough to bypass some of the normally long lines (our average wait time was about 47 seconds), go back stage on some of the rides like the amazing 3-D Spiderman ride and get an idea of how they work, and were given loads of insider information on the new Harry Potter world they are creating at the park...ok so we couldn't pry any Harry Potter spoilers out of Branden but the tour still rocked. Imagine this: Spiderman 3-D, The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, Dr. Doom's Tower of Terror, the twin coasters Dueling Dragons, Jurrasic Park, the classic Jaws boat ride, the Mummy in-door coaster, Men In Black interactive ride, and finally the brand new Simpson themed 3-D animated ride. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back. We rode some of the most awesome, gut wrenching, brain scrambling thrill rides on the planet...It would be a lie if we didn't admit we were close to passing out at one point. Totally worth it!!! Here's a taste of our experience as we hoped on Dr. Doom's Tower of Terror.

Graphic Photo Evidence of Our Universal Experience

Jaws has been hanging around since 1975...Ripe!!!

Our dynamite tour guide Branden (Clay and I flashing our new VIP credentials)

The Hollywood Rip Rocket...still under construction. Word on the street is each rider will get to choose one of over 30 songs to hear while he's screaming around this one. Cool!

Since Branden didn't want to lose his job by spilling the beans we took matters into our own hands. Peeking in on what will be Harry Potters world.

Hogwarts looking good so far.

Mythos: the #1 rated theme park restaurant in the world. The only thing keeping it from being 5 star is the inability to enforce a dress code....oooh swank!


We didn't see anyone who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. Tons for the kids to do in Seuss Landing. People of all ages could keep themselves busy all day for a week! I could just see my little girl Jordyn shreiking for joy as her favorite Dr. Seuss characters came to life right before her eyes.

Checking in for our VIP tour!

The gang backing up your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman

Breakfast AKA Rats In A Maze...

We had a small scheduling shuffle on Tuesday morning and ended up with a little free time. Due to Bryce's decisive vote we ended up at a nice little cafe called "FirstWatch" for some breakfast. As you may or may not know, by this time in the competition many of the contestants were already starting to feel the effects of little to no sleep. This was due to a VERY full schedule and the need to stay up late documenting our adventures. We were beginning to think we had become the subjects of some bizarre psychology experiment. Who wouldn't be curious to know what happens when you let a guy like Brendan have one hour of sleep then give him 9 cups of coffee then send him to ride 10 high speed rides in 4 hours?

ARRRRGGH you excited about Orlando yet?

Since we was lads we had always dreamed of taking to the high seas as members of a buccaneer crew riding the breeze to fortune and glory!! Alas, the geography of our homeland made catching on with a band of fearsome pirates difficult seeing as we are landlocked for a thousand miles in every direction. The dreaded Skull and Cross Bones never filled our skies and soon we lost heart, becoming true landlubbers as our boyhood dreams faded. Many years would pass before our inner scallawags would be uncovered once more! ARRRRRGGGGH! Pirates Dinner Adventure: Orlando brought to life the dreams of every little boy and girl who've watched the likes of Hook, Peter Pan, and the thrilling Pirates of the Caribbean. A more engaging, interactive, and action packed swashbucklers tale has never been told. Sword fighting, deceit, plundering, acrobatics, heroics, romance, and revenge were woven together through out the performance which also allowed the opportunity for crowd interaction that influenced the stories outcome. The impressive stage filled the building to the rafters with the sails and riggin' of a majestic pirate ship. That, combined with stunning costumes and special effects encouraged everyone present to remember their inner childhood cutthroat and live out a life long dream. Young children all around us screamed with joy and didn't take their eyes off the stage for fear of missing any moment of the action. For one night we were all little boys or girls again sailing the seven seas looking for adventure. We found all the adventure we could handle at the Pirates Dinner Adventure.

Our pirate Andre.
We cheered him on as he competed with the rest of the crew to fill the coveted post of first mate!


Take a look at this video for a sneak peek at the swashbuckling adventure:

THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hey everybody we really appreciate all those who are taking the time to follow the most action packed 67 hours the two of us have ever experienced. Our time exploring Orlando and some of the crazy fun attractions found there flew by at warp speed. Although fortunate to spend some time in elegant downtown Orlando it was barely enough to open our eyes to a vibrant urban neighborhood. We are sitting in the Houston airport waiting for our flight home already pining for the good ol' Orlando days. We've got so many stories to tell and we'll get right to it as soon as we have kissed the wives and children. Stay tuned for more to come tomorrow. Thanks again to all those involved in putting this contest together and best of luck to all the other finalists!

The crews last night together

TRAVEL UPDATE- Well, we just landed. In Houston. Again. After a delay of an hour on the ground they decided the plane was fine and we took off. Well, the duct tape must have fallen off, because we turned around about an hour in and went back to Houston. Our new estimated arrival time in Calgary is August. We declined to join the pitch fork and torch mob started by the other passengers because we are still feeling the residual Orlando effects. Stay tuned....

UP, UP, & AWAY

Things just kept heating up in Orlando today. It was warm and sunny and we were off to yet another awesome venue. This time it was another non-traditional way of trying out a proven adrenaline rush- indoor skydiving! Sky Venture Orlando were great hosts and the instructors were tons of fun. For those of you who were like me and had never heard of indoor sky diving I'll explain just a little, though it won't do it justice. Take a wind tunnel and tip it on it's end. Then get the air ripping through there at more than 200 km/h and jump onto the column of air to experience the sensation of free falling. The instructors work with you to get your form just right and you get to "fall" in a safe controled enviroment. Perfect for those aren't quite ready to jump from a plane trusting only a thin layer of nylon. Some of the group caught on right away like Lindsay from North Carolina. She was a natural! The vidoe below should give you the full effect so have a look. Once again there were members of the local media on hand to get a handle on exactly what the 67 Days of Smiles promotion was all about and we ended up in the thick of things as usual. Watch Mikey's cheeks for a good laugh.

Mikey, Bryce and Tanja locked and loaded.

The pace slowed down come lunch time but only just a little. We came from a simulated atmosphere at Sky Venture to a very real one at Taverna Opa. The greek cuisine was divine and the authenticity was wonderful. We got to sample a variety of items off their menu, which was excellent, and the service was top notch. The servers got us up out of our chairs dancing and having a great time. Lunch was definetly enjoyed.

Authentic Greek

Kate and Daz from Australia

The Start Of A Big Day.

Up before the sun we grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading off on our first Orlando experience. The weariness was non-existent as this was one excited group of people heading out to Wallaby Ranch for some hang gliding. Right now there's people out there thinking one of two things, both equally valid questions. One, how are you hang gliding in Orlando when there isn't a cliff or mountain for hundreds of miles? Two, Wallaby Ranch? What do Wallaby's, hang gliding, and Orlando have to do with each other? Luckily we got answers to both of these burning questions. First, Wallaby Ranch is home to the first full time aerotow hang gliding flight park in the world. They make use of ultra-light aircraft to tow the hang gliders to 2000 feet and then disengage. It's a hang gliders heaven. The answer to the second question came from Malcom who owns and operates the ranch. He was kind enough to inform us that much of the hang gliding culture originated in Australia and so he honoured that by choosing the kangaroo's smaller marsupial cousin, the Wallaby, as the namsake for his flight park. Mikey got the chance to try it out and from all reports the view was breathtaking.

As an added bonus the morning show The Daily Buzz was there and we had the opportunity to do a short segment of live television!! Weather man Mitch was there for the live interviews. The thrills just kept coming as were joined by a celebrity who got in on the hang gliding action. Check out the video clip to see who we got to meet.

Check out some photos of our day:

We weren't joking when we said daybreak. Here's an Orlando sunrise. Brilliant.

Clay showing off one of the hang gliders he hopes to be flying with.

Maximum hang gliding weight 240...Clay a little more than that!

Mikey and Eric his hang gliding pilot. Not a bad ride at all.

The crew of The Daily Buzz morning show picking the Canadians brains on national television.

The Gangs All Here!

After geting settled down in our sweet theme rooms we headed to a mix and mingle BBQ where we had the opportunity to get to know our fellow contestants as well as the Orlando team a little better. We enjoyed the pleasant Orlando evening swapping stories on the patio of the vaction home. Suffice to say that regardless of which pair is chosen to represent Orlando they will do a wonderful job at showcasing all that this area has to offer. There's Kyle and Trina from Omaha Nebraska, Daz and Kate the fellow Commonwealthers from Australia, and Neebavi and Renee from the bright lights of NYC just to name a few. Each group is so unique and interesting and we've really enjoyed rubbing shoulders with them thus far. We're sure to mention them all as we continue to document our adventures so check out all the great pairs here .

A group of cool people enjoying a cool place.

The finalist for "67 Days of Smiles" in all our glory.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together!

This morning we were met at the Orlando Airport by the Orlando CVB. Two of the other contestant pairs were there as well. What a great and funny group. We're excited to get to know everyone better and share some laughs. Our first contact with the CVB was Steve, a man much renowned and celebrated in Canada! Click Here to find out why. We didn't realize he was THAT Steve until we met him. And we thought we were hardcore hockey fans....
The Orlando CVB was kind enough to put us up in a spectacular vacation home from All Star Vacation Homes. We have to say these are some of the most exciting accommodations we have ever seen. We were so impressed we made a short video so you can share in our experience. We call this video "Bad Editing and Poor Lighting". We're pretty sure we're only a few ridiculously huge and unnecessary explosions away from being the next Michael Bay. Wait until you see our room, it is EPIC!

Tonight we have a group meet and greet BBQ with all the finalists and the entire Orlando CVB team. Stay tuned for pictures and more to come. We have received our full itinerary and let's just say you will want to check back often to keep tabs on our adventures!

BONUS PICS!!!!Backing up Miley


Mileys biggest fan! Literally! He's pushing 250!

Is this Heaven?

A Journey Of A Thousand Smiles Begins With A Sub-Par Inflight Meal

We got up bright and early this morning to start out on our trip to Orlando. Packed the bags, kissed the babies and the wives, and embarked on a unique experience that is sure to impact our lives in a significant way. It's still sinking in as we sit in the George Bush International airport in Houston; they picked us as potential ambassadors for the great City of Orlando!!! We are chomping at the bit to get our feat on Florida soil anticipating an absolute whirlwind of fun and exciting new experiences over the next several days. We literally racked our brains and couldn't for the life of us come up with a place we'd rather be heading to than Orlando (duh, who could?). The adventure begins in earnest tomorrow!

On a lighter note the curious/necessary process of flying stood between us and our adventure. Curious what that smell in the airport was? Necessary because try as we might we have yet to master cross-continent teleportation. The first adventure was the infamous in flight meal...Here's a glimpse of our day.

One of the few things Mikey can't do in Orlando- Get a goodbye kiss from his girl Jordyn.

Uncle Clay and Daddy saying bye to the girls. The wives declined the photo-op citing the early hour and lack of make-up.

Our last moments on Canadian soil.

In transit between Calgary and Houston, Texas. Starting to get excited.

It actually smelled really appealing....We'll leave it at that.

So after a 15 hour day, 2 hours of driving, 6 hours of flying, a 90 minute flight delay in Houston we have finally arrived in ORLANDO!!! Tired as all get out and hurrying to bed because tomorrow brings exciting things!!!! We'll keep you updated all the time as the thrills are sure to come fast and furious now. Looking forward to meeting everyone involved in the contest and getting out to see a little bit of why Orlando makes you smile.

Clay and Mikey's LIVE Radio Interview

Greetings all! We were lucky enough to have the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) show some interest in 67 Days. We just got off the phone from doing a live radio interview with Frank Rackow on their "Homestretch" program. This program is broadcast in Calgary and across all of Southern Alberta. I don't think Mikey and I have been on the radio since we won The Fan 960's 5 at 9! So our thanks to the CBC for helping us promote Orlando! I believe we are set up for another radio interview tomorrow morning, so stay tuned...

67 Days of Smiles Finalists!

We are elated to announce that we have been selected as finalists in Orlando's 67 Days of Smiles contest! To see what the contest is about check out their website. We will be traveling to Orlando this weekend to meet the other finalists and experience a small sampling of what Orlando has to offer. We will be blogging copiously so check back here often! Also, you can follow us on Twitter. For now have a look at the world premier of our application video:

Luckily for us they clearly did not take acting ability into consideration. Phew!

All Grow'd Up

Although we still play sports and still take in the occasional game, we have left most of our bachelor ways behind and have settled down.

2001. The Usual Suspects. We are always up for any sporting event. The hockey lockout was a very difficult and trying time for us. We vented at a major league baseball game.

Another mild Canadian winter.

Mikey with daughter #1- Jordyn.

The wife Brittany, Jordyn, and Sadie.

Clay and Erica dating.

We did grow up in cattle country and know our way around a brandin'.

Mikey was kind enough to M.C. Clay's wedding. If you notice the dead tooth it goes WAY back to a childhood hockey stick to the face from Clay. (Don't worry, he deserved it.) Injuries caused by blunt sporting equipment seems to be a recurring theme.

SHE FELL FOR IT!