Extremes

We have been at both extremes at Disney in the last month. As I wrote about last month, we took my 94 year old dad to the Animal Kingdom for his birthday. Now the opposite - we took our 2 great-nieces (ages 10 and 5) to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. We had an absolute ball!! We have been to the MK with them before, but their mom and dad were with us on previous visits. This was the first time we had them there by themselves!!!

Our day started out by taking a monorail ride from the Ticket and Transportation Center down to EPCOT and back (the girls wanted a LONG monorail ride first). We then took the ferry across to the Magic Kingdom. While on the ferry, we met a family from Poland, who now live in Colorado. Their little girl looked to be about the same age as our younger great-niece, so I asked how old she was (we also found out this was their first time at Disney). They told me she was 5. I asked them when her birthday was and they said July 2nd. I couldn't believe it! I told them that was Ashley's birthday also and they asked me what time she was born. I couldn't remember, but after a call to Ashley's mom, I said 1:40 AM which would have been 9:40 AM Poland time. Their little girl was born at 8:30 AM Poland time, so she was just an hour older than Ashley! What are the odds of that happening with all the people on the ferry!

The first thing the girls wanted to do was ride the train, so we took the train around to Frontierland. I was thinking we would eat at Pecos BIll's, but they didn't have chicken and fries (which the girls wanted) so we walked over to Colonial Harbor House where we ate lunch. The girls had never eaten there so it was a new experience for them. Both girls ate VERY well (in fact, they finished my lunch!).

After lunch we headed to Fantasyland on our way to Tomorrowland to ride the Speedway. However, on our way through, the girls decided they wanted to do some rides in Fantasyland. We hadn't ridden Small World since they refurbished it and I wanted to do it to see the changes. Initially, the girls were resistant, but once assured we would do what they wanted after Small World, they were all for it. As it turned out, both girls thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Ashley didn't know where to look and kept telling Taylor to look here, look there, etc. Taylor had fun naming all of the countries that the different rooms represented. There were only two that she didn't recognize. As the ride was coming to an end, Ashley said she wanted to do it again!

After Small World, we started to head to Pooh. While on the way, they saw the carousel, which both girls wanted to do.
After a ride on the carousel, we started to head to Pooh, but then Ashley saw Dumbo, so we did Dumbo. We can't remember the last time we did Dumbo, if we've ever done it at all! After Dumbo, we finally got to Pooh which of course both girls thoroughly enjoyed. We then headed to the play area where we spent time just letting the girls be little girls. They played in the water and got soaked! After 45 minutes or so, we got the girls dried off and changed and headed over to the Speedway. We got off the Speedway and headed back to Toontown to go through Mickey and Minnie's houses. After leaving Toontown, we took the "quiet walkway" on our way out of the park which was through Tomorrowland where we wanted to ride WEDWAY (also known as the TTA). After getting off WEDWAY, we headed for the exit on our way to meet their mom, who was getting off work (she works near Disney). On our way down Main Street, they announced the flag retreat ceremony which Taylor immediately asked if we could wait for. We said of course. The flag retreat ceremony is very patriotic and musical and was a wonderful way to end the day. We then headed to the monorail for one last ride to the TTC and our day with the girls was over :(.

We drove the 2 hours home reliving the day and though we were exhausted, we were so glad we had the opportunity to have spent the day with our precious great-nieces!!

Dad's Birthday at Disney

When we were in Tennessee, the beginning of September, Dad and I were talking about his trip south the end of the month. He wasn't going to come down for his birthday, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of spending his birthday with us. The week before he came down, Rick and Csilla were visiting and Csilla made the suggestion of going over to Disney for his birthday since he would get in free as part of Disney's promotion for this year. I broached the subject with Dad and he loved the idea and asked if we could go to the Animal Kingdom since he had only been there once before (we had gone to EPCOT when he was here in January). I wasn't sure how tired he would be after driving down the previous two days, but he was game to go.

We got up Wednesday morning and headed over to Disney. We stopped at a Burger King before arriving at Disney so we could eat lunch and not pay the exorbitant food prices at Disney. With our stomachs full, we drove the few miles over to Disney.
Upon arrival, we went and got Dad his "birthday button" which had his name on it. He thoroughly enjoyed all of the many "happy birthday's" that were wished him. When people asked him how old he was, they couldn't believe him when he said 94. Most of them thought he was in his 70's!!!

The first thing we did was go to the "Festival of the Lion King" show. He enjoyed the show, but the main thing he wanted to do was see the animals.
After the show, we headed for the Kilamanjaro Safari. We anticipated having to wait a short time, but the park was so uncrowded, we were able to "walk" right on to the safari vehicle. Among the animals we saw on the "safari" were lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and rhinos.




After the safari, we walked the Pangani Jungle Exploration Trail where we saw more animals - gorillas, meerkats and okapi.

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From the Pangani Trail, we started to walk to "Asia" to explore the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see more animals. However, Mickey's Jungle Jammin' Parade was occurring and the way over to Asia was blocked for the parade. We did not intend to stop and view the parade, but since we had no choice, we stood and watched. Many of the performers in the parade stopped and wished Dad a happy birthday. He was just thrilled!
Once the parade passed, we continued over to Asia. The tigers were magnificent and the birds were geautiful.

After taking the safari one more time and seeing more animals, we headed for the gate as the park was closing.

We had made previous arrangements to meet Rick and Csilla for dinner at Giordano's Restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner together and after a full, wonderful day, headed home.

Scrapbook Moments

Well, so much for my good intentions to blog more often. Somehow life has a way of getting in the way (also Facebook ;-) - spending more time there than here).

Bible study started September 10th. We are thoroughly enjoying Beth Moore's study on the book of Esther. We are midway through the study and the time has flown by. We'll be doing Beth's "Patriarch's" study starting in January.

My dad came down September 29th and stayed for 2 weeks, getting home this past Tuesday. While he was here, we made a trip to Disney for his birthday (he got in free because it was his birthday - we have annual passes) and also Sea World (he had purchased a pay for a day come back all year pass in January and he wanted to use it one more time - we also have annual passes).

I had an e-mail from my Uncle Don (mom's youngest brother) about a week before my dad came down. He said he was in Milton (a town near Pensacola in the panhandle of Florida) for the winter and wanted to drive down and see us. I wrote him back that my dad was coming down so his timing was perfect. Long story to say he came for 4 days the middle weekend of my dad's stay. The following weekend I hosted (at the Olive Garden) a birthday party for my aunt who turned 99 and my dad who was 94. While Uncle Don was here, we spent time at the nature preserve near us and also the DeSoto National Memorial which is also near us. Afte rthe party, our nephew, his wife and our 2 great nieces came to spend the night which made for a very full house!!!

I will do separate posts on each of the above occasions. If I tried to do it all in this post, it would make your eyes water reading it!!!

Has it been a month?

Again, time seems to fly and I haven't blogged in a month. Nothing much has been going on, thus not much to write about.

The main happening over the past month is we made a quick trip to the Chicago area and Indiana to visit our children and grandchildren. Our Indiana grandchildren are getting so big. Both are teenagers now and our oldest grandson has his own car and is driving. Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday he was starting school and now is in his junior year in high school. He is almost as tall as his dad was. His younger brother is now taller than me and is almost finished with middle school. It was also wonderful to meet E's new husband. Our Chicago area grandchildren are also getting big. Again where has the time gone? It is so hard only seeing them once a year (or less) but we know we're where the Lord would have us right now for this season of our life. On the way home, we were able to stop and have lunch with friends that moved from Florida to Indiana 3 years ago. The trip also included overnight stays at my dad's in Tennessee.

The only negative thing about the trip is somewhere along the line, I managed to pick up a cold which has kept me pretty much sidelined this past week. We were supposed to go down to Bonita Springs (about 2 hours south of us) today to visit friends, but I just wasn't feeling well enough to go. We have a busy rest of the week and I just felt it wouldn't be wise to overextend myself today. Tomorrow Aunti Vi has a doctor's appointment (follow-up) and Thursday Bible study starts. Right now there are 14 ladies signed up for the morning session and 12 for the evening session. I also know there are at least 2 that have called me about attending and haven't signed up. If everyone comes, I will have to make a trip to the bookstore to pick up more books - a wonderful problem to have!

I'll try to be more diligent about updating more frequently.

Been Awhile

Sunset on Anna Maria Island 8-10-09

As usual, it doesn't seem possible it's been three weeks since I last posted. We haven't done anything out of the ordinary, just life in general.

Some of our time has been taken up trying to get my aunt settled again after her stroke May 29th. She was discharged from the rehab center the end of July. We thought she would be going to the assisted living unit, but she has made such great progress that she has been able to go back to her independent living apartment with just 2 hours of companion help a day.

We've gone for walks on the beach and rides on our bikes. Bible study is just finishing up "Knowing God by Name - A Personal Encounter" by Mary Kassian. The last session is next week (August 20th). We start "Esther - It's Tough Being a Woman" by Beth Moore September 10th.

After two very stressful months, life is blessedly normal again!

A First

This past weekend we had the joy of having our 2 great nieces come and stay with us without mom and dad. The girls had been talking about coming over alone, but we didn't know if it was just talk or if they were serious. They had never been away overnight before.

Friday we met Rick and the girls at Fantasy of Flight which is about midway between our homes. After a leisurely lunch, we transferred the girls and their "luggage" to our car and headed home.

Once we got home, the girls changed into their swimsuits and we spent the next 2-1/2 hours playing in the pool. By now it was time for dinner so we asked the girls what they wanted. Both said fried chicken from the local grocery store. We brought it home and both girls ate well.

After dinner, we headed out to the beach for playtime and sunset. Both girls enjoyed playing in the sand, which is fine like powdered sugar, and also playing in the "waves." The gulf's waves are much gentler than the ocean's so the girls could really enjoy them without getting knocked over. Making "sand angels"

Much to the girls' chagrin, it was time to head home after showers at the beach. After showers again at home, the girls climbed into bed. When I checked on them 45 minutes later, they hadn't moved from the positions they laid down in!!! Between sun, sand and the late hour, they were exhausted!

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the beach again. We had breakfast on the beach with our Sunday School class and then headed down towards the water for more sand and playtime. We stayed at the beach for several hours until we heard thunder and saw lightning bolts. Dan headed for the car and I took the girls over for quick rinse off shower. As we were getting in the car, we heard the lifeguards' whistles signaling everyone needed to clear the beach. Dan and Taylor in the waterHaving fun in the water

By the time we got home and got the girls cleaned up, mom and dad were here and our time alone with the girls was over. We weren't sure how the girls felt - whether they enjoyed it or not, but 2 days after they got home we got a call from Csilla saying the girls want to know when they can come back and stay with us alone again. So I guess the "experiment" was a success. I know we sure enjoyed it!!

Another Disney Mini Vacation - Day 3

We woke up today knowing our time at Disney was ending. We drove over to Centertown and ate breakfast and took some pictures. The main pool area at the Caribbean Beach Resort is modeled after Old Port Royale. The children's play area is modeled after a pirate ship and includes a HUGE barrel that fills and then dumps. When we finished taking pictures, we went back to our room to finish packing.

After leaving the resort, we headed over to Disney Westside. Since we had about 6 hours to fill until we met friends for dinner, we decided to see the movie Ice Age 3 in 3D at the AMC theater. However, we were early and had about 1-1/2 hours before the movie. We walked down to the lakefront and saw there is now a water taxi between Disney Westside and Disney Marketplace. We didn't know how long a round trip would take, but since we love to ride the boats at Disney, we thought it would be a nice way to fill the time. It was fun seeing the Westside complex and the Marketplace from the water. The Characters in Flight balloon was not "flying" due to strong winds from the storms in the area. In fact, while we were there, they lowered the balloon even further to keep it out of the wind.It was also fun seeing Fulton's Crab House (which used to be named the "Miss Lillie" - after Walt's wife) "stern wheeler" from the water side.After the movie (which we think is the best of the three Ice Age movies), we headed to the restaurant where we had a lovely time eating and visiting with friends. Once we finished dinner, we headed home and our mini vacation was now officially over :-(.