Dress

Mila
Originally uploaded by Sirelroka

Roland's dad sent of over some of the pictures he took at Disney last week. This is one of Mila in a dress that I made! I'm so glad that it worked out that she was the right size in the right season. The day she wore this we went over into Mickey's Toon Town Fair to visit the play area and fountain there. And a lady even asked to take a picture of the dress so she could ask her mother to make one for her daughter. Too bad the place where I found this fabric went out of business.

Pudding

Pudding
Originally uploaded by Sirelroka

Roland and I got home yesterday from another trip to Disney. We spent a little time there with his Mom, Dad, sister, niece, and brother-in-law. It was a nice trip, although on the hot side. We don't usually visit this time of year and I had forgotten just how hot it can get out there in the sun. I much prefer the cooler months for waling around so much.

This was taken at the restaurant in Italy. Mila got the chocolate pudding with bananas. At first she didn't realize there were bananas in there, but when she did she ditched the spoon and went face first into the dish. It was awesome.

Whimsy

While we were at Disney I discovered a few more things to play with on my camera and one of them is a monochrome filter. So I took some pictures with it while we were there. When I was looking at them today to decide which one to put in my blog post I decided on this one. Part of that decision is probably because I miss him a great deal right now. It just doesn't seem fair that either I have to miss my family and friends, or I have to miss Roland. *pout* Anyway, here he is waiting for a motor coach back to our hotel at Epcot.

Thus ends the great Food and Wine Festival epic of aught seven.

Your Kerrygold, Sir

About half way through our vacation Roland's parents came down for a visit of their own. They stayed on after we left so the days where we were both there we got together. They flew in late one afternoon and got to their room around 7:30 or so, I think. Then they came over to MGM , where we had told them we were visiting that day and we actually ran into them in the street! I guess that's why it's handy to have a husband who is over 6 foot and has red hair. Pretty easy to pick him out of a crowd. Although this is also the reason why when ever there is a show that involves volunteers from the audience my husband disappears. Suddenly and without explanation. Anyhow, the first full day they were there we went over to the Food and Wine Festival again and tried some more food. In this picture Roland's mom is holding a packet of Irish butter so he can spread it on his bread. She said it had been a while since she had to do something like that for Roland :)

The next day we headed over to the Magic Kingdom and I actually managed to get a decent picture of the castle when there weren't too many people in front of it. I thought it turned out pretty well. There is a bit of a shadow on the lower half of the castle, but all in all, quite satisfactory.

Giraffe

This was one of the pictures I took on the safari ride at the Animal Kingdom (check out my flickr account for a few more). We actually saw more animals this time than any other time we have been at Disney. I guess Jason was a good luck charm! It also helps that it was starting to get cooler in the day time so the animals didn't have to hightail it back to the shade quite so early in the day. I especially liked this one of a baby giraffe. I tried to take it when you could quite see the Disney cheating, but if you look at the tree you can sort of still see where there is a feeding trough attached to the back of the trunk.

Green Archer needs food badly

One of our evenings was spent over at Downtown Disney. I think it was the day we spent in the Magic Kingdom. There are only a few places at the Magic Kingdom that we would choose to eat for dinner and one of them was where we had lunch and the other is seasonally closed. Most of the other places aren't terribly remarkable or have gone to character dinners that we try to avoid if possible. They tend to have way more kids around and be buffet style.

Anyhow, we arrived about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be at Raglan Road (our Downtown Disney restaurant of choice) so we meandered over to the arcade that was across the way from the restaurant. And low and behold we found this...Gauntlet: Legends. My all time favorite video game. I actually have this game for the PS2, but they changed it a bunch from this arcade game so I don't like it nearly as much. The next one they put out, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, is far more like the arcade version of Legends and hence far better. Upon spying this gem tucked away in the back of the arcade I made everyone play with me. Being Downtown Disney the machine took quarters, which was nice because we didn't have to go get tokens anywhere. It was a blast, but alas, before long we had to get on over for our dinner, but man was that a good time. It was especially nice because Roland and Jason are the ones who I used to play this game with in the first place.

As I mentioned our dinner was at Raglan Road. A seriously fine Irish Pub. When we have been there before it has been too early for the live entertainment so this time we specifically set a time that was late enough to catch the band and Irish dancer. And both were outstanding! We got seated directly in front of the band and I was a little worried about the volume, but it wasn't a problem at all. The Irish dancer danced very well and had a lot of single guy admirers (some of whom had a few beers under their belts I'm sure). Ragland Road has two beer flights and Roland got one while and Jason opted for the other. Then they decided that they each wanted another so they switched. For dinner I got the Guiness Stew, which was really quite good. Dessert was some bread pudding with two drizzling sauces. I think Jason like the sauces better than the pudding and after the pudding was gone ate all the rest of the left over sauces by themselves. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

Please stand clear of the doors

Another day at Disney World we went over to the Magic Kingdom. Apparently Jason had to conquer Space Mountain after a harrowing experience with it a couple of decades ago. He aquitted himself well, and also rode the other two mountains. Here you can see Roland and the back half of Jason's head (sorry about that dude) in the second row of the coaster. I didn't particulaly wan't to ride this one at the time, and this roller coaster happens to have a sweet picture taking spot. It's at the very end of the ride and the train is heading into the ending depot, but the track is designed so that if you watch you can identify which train your party is in and then be ready for a picture when they come back around. I'm not sure they did it that way on purpose, but given the thought they put into everything else at Disney, I'd have to guess that would be a yes.

After Splash Mountain we found were a bit wet (some more than others, sorry J) so we spent about a half an hour drying off. The place we found to dry off used to have tables in it, but they have since disappeared. On the up side it was right next to the Dole Whip joint so Roland and Jason both indulged in a Dole Whip Float. Over in Tomorrowland we went on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger spin and Jason tore it up! He always has been good at those shooting games. Apparently they are building a similar ride over at MGM with the other characters of Toy Story. I'm under the impression that it will be more along the lines of old school midway games rather than space themed blasters though. In other MGM news apparently they are going to be changing the name of it? I still find it hard to believe, but they are going to change it to Disney's Hollywood or something like that. Wierd.

On a silly note, on the monorail they repeat this phase (after the English version) at every stop. So even people who don't know Spanish, like Roland and I, get to know it pretty well. Roland has been saying it for a long time now at totally random times and places. Apparently he is not alone because now they have a t-shirt with it on it! I thought it was very funny, so I took a picture of it. The other wierd thing about it is that the voice on the monorail sounds a lot like Phil Hartman.

Aperitif

I think our vacation with Jason can be officially reported as a success. Every time we go somewhere with Jason I am reminded how vacationally compatible we are. We seem to move at the same pace and enjoy the same things. I just hope Jason feels the same! We had a lovely time wandering around enjoying good food and wine and not feeling the need to be on the go all the time and seeing every last ounce of Disney.

We started at Epcot this time. Usually when we have new people with us we like to start at the Magic Kingdom because that is the epitome of Disney. However, since we were all about the Food and Wine Festival this time we made an exception and started at Epcot. Pictured above, Jason bravely tries the Beverly, one of the interesting sodas of the world available at what used to be called Ice Station Cool. Then we moved on to the World Showcase and started eating our way around the world. It was very nice and the food was great. We also tried some interesting wines/drinks from other countries. I got to try some of the ice wine this year. I liked it, but I don't think we will be shelling out the money for any!

We were able to watch the candy lady in Japan, which is one of my favorite activities. And, thanks to Roland I was lucky enough to get a hummingbird from her. We also saw some of the bands around the world, including MoRockin' (I think Jason enjoyed the belly dancer), the British Invasion, and Off Kilter. I made everyone stop for a show with the Voices of Liberty too. Since Jason is a diver, we made arrangements for all of us to dive in the Living Seas. It was awesome, and neat to be able to show Jason. I think he agrees that the best part is playing with the people! Although many of the kids are a little freaked out when you come up to them. We were pretty lucky and the wildlife was fairly active while we were diving. A green sea turtle swam right up to us and gave Jason a good looking-over. After that it was over to the Rose and Crown for dinner. Roland and Jason both had the fish and chips (and I snitched a bit) and a beer flight. Add the Illuminations show and sticky toffee pudding for dessert and it was a wonderful evening.

Just stay between the green lines

We have returned. We spent a lovely week at Disney World soaking up the Food and Wine Festival. Jason came down to join us (woot!) and this year we actually participated in some of the events rather than just eating ourselves around the world. Although, we did eat ourselves around the world a good three time...just to make sure we got everything. As an added bonus Dave's parents flew down on Thursday for a vacation of their own so we got to see them as well. They are actually flying back on Wednesday, when I fly up to Michigan and they are going to meet me at the airport and drive me back to Muskegon with them. Then I'm going to spend some time with Dave's fam and my Mom is going to come pick me up there on Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing how much Mila has grown and hopefully I'll be able to spend a little time with Ryan and Laura while I'm in North Muskegon. Then I will be in Big Rapids and with a little luck will be able to borrow a car to be able to drive to see Henry and Katie in Grand Rapids, and down to Kalamazoo to see Jason and get back Roland's coat that he left there over a year ago (not much need for a winter jacket here in Florida). Who know's maybe I'll even get to see Shannon and Ronda!

Anyhow, there will be more posts about the Food and Wine Festival soon, along with some pictures!

World

I uploaded some more pictures from my Dad. This set is from Epcot, which we visited for two days on our vacation.


How does he do it? Another picture that looks like it should be a postcard.


Back in the World Showcase we saw some of the various performers, including the group that plays in the restaurant in Germany. They were one of the reasons I wanted to eat there with my parents.


And my personal favorite, the candy lady, Myuki. She makes these fantastic animals out of candy. Here she is making an octopus.


Roland and I also did the scuba thing and my Dad got this picture of me waving to them.


I took a piture of this green heron as well, but my Dad's is clearly superior.


We also ate dinner at the Rose and Crown one evening and I got something called a blue glowtini, which featured a glowing cube.


The theme of this years flower and garden festival was pirates, so the topiaries in Epcot were thusly attired.

Nerf Herder at 12 O'Clock

For pictures from MGM, again from the photo-master: Dad.


Another postcard worthy shot.


Here was a shot that really did the forced perspective in MGM proud. It looks pretty real from here huh?


One of my favorite shots of the entire vacation. I love it when my Dad gets silly.

Via Dad

I got some pictures from my Dad! Here are a few from the Magic Kingdom that were fun.


Is this not a beautiful shot of the castle? It looks like it could be a postcard. He also took another really nice one that includes the bottom of the castle, but of course there are people in that one, and this one had a better blue sky behind it.


I think this was while Mom and I were waiting for Roland and Dad to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I was holding onto Dad's camera bag for him and decided to try out his camera (which is totally awesome).


Dad and Goofy!


Oh Noes! Watch out for Emperor Zurg!

Engage

The third and fifth days were spent at Epcot. Here is where I hope to get a lot of pictures from my Dad. He took some really sharp ones of all the topiaries they have for the Flower and Garden Festival. Again, my pictures were mostly of people.


Mom and Dad over by Minnie's Butterfly House.


A green heron we saw in the ponds of China.


My parents in Germany where we ate lunch one day.


My parents in Germany when my Dad thought I wasn't ready with the camera yet.

Epcot was wonderful, as usual, my parents enjoyed Soarin' and the food was great. I think my favorite meal of the entire trip this time was the one we had at Bistro de Paris. I think I almost died over the dessert there. It's a tad on the expensive side, but boy howdy was it good. We also dined at the Rose and Crown and saw the Illuminations show from there. If you're very lucky (and Dad sends it to me) I'll even post a picture of my drink with the glow-in-the-dark ice cube. We also got to share our diving experience with my parents. I'm not sure what they thought, but it was fun to see them on the other side of the acrylic.

We also went to the Animal Kingdom for a day. It was by far the most crowded day. I'm not sure if we accidentally hit an extra magic hour morning or something, but it was a lot fuller than the other parks. Again, my Dad has even better pictures than mine, but here are some I took during the Safari drive.


I'm not sure, but I think this is the first time I've seen the mandrills out and about.






Various ruminants grazing on a hillside.


Some scimitar horned oryx lounging about.



All in all it was a fantastic trip. I think my parents were pleasantly suprised that the scope and quality of the whole operation. It was a hard sell to get them to come for as long as they did, but I'm glad they decided to. I'm not sure what I would have cut out!

Initial

You may have read we had a wonderful time at Disney with my parents. It was very cool to be able to share with them a place that I find fun and entertaining. Plus since I got my love of edutainment from them, they didn't even mind spending our extra time at Epcot (my favorite park). I think they really enjoyed themselves which is a relief since I wasn't sure they would dig it. They were totally able to embrace their inner silly!

As Roland mentioned the weather couldn't have been nicer, I think we saw it sprinkle once or twice, but we were at our hotel at the time. Temperature-wise, it got warm a few days, but nothing like what I was expecting. We also didn't really have to wait for much, by using the fastpass we were able to skip to the head of the line for the rides that were very busy, but other than that, we pretty much walked into most things, including the monorail and buses! My parents need to come visit some more, they are like a good luck charm or something. :)

Let's see, we started out at Magic Kingdom, because...well because it's the Magic Kingdom. I think my parents got off on the right foot because on our inaugural stroll down main street we ran into a sax quartet and a barber shop group. My dad has some pictures that I'm trying to weasel out of him to post here (plus I want to print some out to put in my Disney photo album). I did get a few pictures, but Dad has a mega-sweet camera and even if he had a disposable, he takes way better pictures that I could ever hope to. My pictures at the Magic Kingdom are of our little group: by Thunder Mountain, by the Tiki (tiki-tiki-tiki-tiki) Room, and just a random place in the middle of the park.


Here are my Dad, Roland (not looking entirely comfortable), and my Mom


My Dad, me, and my Mom.


My Mom and Dad being a little silly (yay).

At the Magic Kingdom I think my parents really liked Mickey's Philharmagic and my Dad like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. I was still to chicken to go on either.

The next day we headed over to MGM Studios. I'm not sure what they liked the best here, but I think my Dad really like the Rockin' Rollercoaster and the Star Tours ride. Unfortunately we didn't get time to go on the Great Movie ride, but we did go to the Fantasmic show, which is one of my favorite things at Disney.


Roland with my Dad and Mom waiting for Lights, Motors, Action to start.


My Dad on a speeder, although my Mom took a better picture that I hope to be able to post soon.

At MGM the good luck of having my parents with us really shown. Seriously, somehow it worked out that we would see Lights, Motors, Action walk over and sit down just as the Indian Jones Stunt Spectactular was starting and then head over in time to only wait like 10 minutes for Beauty and the Beast. It was crazy. I think the only show we didn't catch was the Little Mermaid.

Well, this is getting to be very long, so I think I will pause here and pick the story back up in another post.

Gone

We're off to see Disney World! I'm super excited to see my parents and hopefully share the wonder that I felt when Dave showed Disney to me. I think Dave is most excited about being able to splurge a little after our rather strict adherence to the diet eating plan. I'll admit that I am going to eat a dessert or two myself. I'm going to try to be reasonable about it, but we will just have to see how that goes...

Rama

My Mom emailed me the other day to ask for a packing list of the stuff I usually take to Disney World. I sent her one yesterday and it helped me realize, I get to see my parents in about 2 and half weeks! Yay for parents coming to visit. Yay for parents coming to visit at Disney World! I really hope they have as magical a time as I did when Roland took me for our honeymoon. I'm super excited about staying someplace new and being on the monorail line again - so convenient. We also have plans to eat at a couple new places which should be fun and exciting. Although I think Roland is still most excited about Boma, which we are going to for dinner on the day Mom and Dad arrive. Since it is way over in the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we would have to make a trek to get there from any park, we thought we would just drive straight there from our resort making the whole thing easier. Sometimes it is nice to have a car at Disney, but hey that's what they have us for.

I also got a call from my Sistrah, who would love to plan a trip down to Disney World this year as well. Apparently she got to go the Animal Kingdom for a meal at some confernece, but they just marched in, ate, and marched out. I'm not sure if they will be able to come this year because they have all sorts of other things they have to work out (it being her first year in a new job and all). But I'm hoping they can come this fall. First of all, four words: Food and Wine Festival. Second, the weather will finally be turning nice again in mid October though early November. Lastly, that would allow us to get the best use of our annual passes this year and then we could not renew them again to save a little money next year. Who knows, we will just have to wait and find out.

Promising

As Roland mentioned. My parents are coming down in May and we are going to meet them at Disney World. This will be their first trip to Disney World so I'm am geeked to show them around a place that I think is fun, but worried that they totally won't grok it. Since this is their first trip I'm not sure how much extra stuff we will do (tours and whatnot), but I'm thinking that Roland and I will go diving and we will probably go see La Nouba. The diving allows me to share my hobby with my parents a little bit, so that will be cool. And who knows with my Dad's camera skills maybe we can get a picture?

Delay

It's been a while since I posted last so I have a few drawings I've completed.

Daisy


Goofy


Pluto

Tough

Last night and tonight I drew Donald Duck. He turned out alright although the full body one is sort of wonky.

Splorch

Today I ran a bunch of errands including ordering a Kapoosh for Roland's new knives and visiting pretty much every store in the area that sells fabric. I'm on the hunt for some fabric to match some that I found at Walmart. The stuff at Walmart is one of the fabrics that Marcie really likes from the picture on a McCalls pattern. Unfortunately I can't find the main fabrics, only the one (4374-B) used on the crib skirt and the crib caddy. I also found some in a different series that I kind of like, but I'm not sure I like it as much as the My Blue Heaven ones. They are much darker and I think I like the lighter better. I also refinished our butcher block cutting board after I got home, so Roland should be in cutting heaven now.

This evening I had some more time to draw. They turned out pretty well, but somehow the full body pose turned into baby Minnie. I'm not sure which proportion is wrong, but she definitely looks like baby Minnie.

Voila

For Christmas I recieved some learn to draw books and a really nice Mickey Mouse sketch book. Tonight I cracked one open and drew a little. What do you think?



UPDATE: Anne asked if my sketch book has a cool cover, and low and behold it does.


Also Karl insinuated that I traced my Mickeys to which I have only one reply...ptthhhhbbbt!!!!

Honey is not made from nuts

Time for the food low-down. Here are a lot of the dishes we tried, however, Roland ate some things that I didn't so you will have to bug him for his input to be fully informed. This list includes items from all three* of our shared meals around the world.

From Argentina - Marinated Strawberries with Basil. Good, but the basil was very powerful, mostly just a cup of strawberries.

From Scandinavia - Kjottkaker (meatball thingy) and Lingonberry Mousse. The Kjottkaker was quite good, but the mousse stole the show for me. Somewhat sweet, somewhat tart, all super light and fluffy.

From China - Pot Stickers, Carmel Ginger Ice Cream, and a green tea plum wine cooler. The pot stickers were the only item I went back for seconds on. Seriously a must. The ice cream was okay for me, but Roland l-o-v-e loved it. We both enjoyed the plum wine. It was quite sweet, but light and refreshing.

From Thailand - Sweet Mango and Tapioca Soup. Awesome. This was a dessert soup, served cold and like the plum wine light and refreshing. Considering I don't really care for mango or tapioca I'm not sure why I like this soup, but it was great.

From Australia - Grilled Lamb Chop with Carmelized Onions. This was all me baby, I enjoy lamb a lot and Roland does not so when I get a chance to try some new lamb dishes I'm all for it. You may notice this a little later in the list. This was a small chop with a tangy sauce. Very good and very easy to eat while walking.

From Octoberfest - Pretzle Roll with Sauerkraut and Debreziner Sausage. I actually liked what they had here last year a little better, but this was delicious too. It was especially good with a little mustard.

From the Hops and Barley Markey - New England Crab Cake with Barley Salad. I liked this one a lot. The crab cake was tasty and the barley salad was served cold and made a nice contrast to the cake. Thumbs up.

From USA - Maine Lobster Roll and Blackberry cobbler. The lobster roll was served cold and I think since I was expecting it to be warm this was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure how I would have graded it if I had been expecting cold. It was good and all, just not what I had in mind. The cobbler was good, but the portion was a bit small.

From India - Curried Butternut Squash Soud with Naan Bread (although they were out of bread so I just had the soup). One of my favorite things. Seriously delicious. I wish I had a recipe for this, I would make it...a lot. The curry sort of cut down the natural sweetness that is usual for a butternut squash soup making it downright near perfect.

From Turkey - Vine Leaves Stuffed with Rice. Meh, this was pretty bland. It needed some sort of dipping sauce or drizzle to make it worth getting.

From France - Chausson au Frommage de Chevre. This was okay. The goat cheese was great but the pastry was a little on the greasy side. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm also glad that Roland ate more than half of it.

From Ireland - Potato and Leek Soup with Dubliner Irish Cheese Crisp and Lamb, Bacon, and Cabbage Stew with a Kerrygold Butter Scone. The soup? Big disappointment. I assumed this was the same potato and leek soup from last year and from the Rose and Crown. Nope. *pout*
The stew? Fabulous. Loved it and the buttery scone was awesome too.

From Poland - Beef Cabbage Roll, Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies, a Paczki, and some Rasberry wine. The first two were great I especially liked the pierogies. The plum paczki was a dissapointment because it barely had any filling. Seriously, I think they had a paszki filling breakdown. The wine was also nice.

From Canada - Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup and Maple Custard topped with Almond Crunch. I started drooling just typing in the name of the cheese soup. Yep it's that good. Roland really liked the custard, but I only had a little taste. Not my favorite.

From New Zealand - Lamb Slider and a Kiwi and Custard Roll. Both awesome. The slider was on a fairly dry roll, but the lamb and juices made it just perfect.


*Three meals? Yeah, and we still didn't get to everything.

Flight

Roland and I have returned from an awesome weekend at Disney World. It turned out to be one of the best trips yet. We chose this time because it was the Food and Wine Festival, because it was the annual passholder preview of the new Living Seas ride, and because we are getting into the "less hot" time of the year. We dropped Bleys off at the vet (where we board him) on Thursday morning and drove up to Disney. We visited the Magic Kingdom after we got there and then, following a lovely day there, we hopped over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. Just as good as last time, it was an awesome dinner. The soups and salads are my favorites there.

On Friday we spent the day at Epcot, which is probably my favorite park. We started by riding the new ride I mentioned earlier. They reused the path of the old ride that used to be in there, but totally redid it. New cars (clamobiles), new stuff to look at, and some wicked awesome visuals. Then we did lunch around the world showcase with all the wonderful foods. I love that you can get little samples of a bunch of different foods. When Roland and I share each thing it means we get to try a lot of different stuff without overeating. Check back soon for a post soon about all the great food. After lunch we rode some of the other rides, Soarin' and Spaceship Earth among others. Then we went diving and it probably the best dive there yet. The water was a little murky because of the recent construction, but murky at Disney means instead of unlimited viz you might only have 100' viz (rough life isn't it?). The guide who led the tour before the dive was nice and showed us a ton of stuff, the divemasters were great and the animals were extremely active. I ended up an arms length above the very large shark and all of the turtles were out and visible. We were also in the first dive group of the evening and so not too long after feeding time. Apparently one of the fish didn't get enough because my D-rings were irresistible and he followed me around for quite some time nibbling at them. We were lucky because our group was only 6 people and the next group was 11 or 12. Even so, the other four were a bit of a pain. There were very good at not paying attention to their fellow divers (me). It's really not that hard to stay at least a few inches away from other people so as not to kick them and whatnot. Then again they were all pretty flail-y in the water so they were probably not terribly experienced.

Saturday we went to MGM and then Pleasure Island for dinner. MGM was sweet as always. We saw the Lights, Motors, Action show and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. I made Roland go do the drawing thing three times and we got to draw Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, and as a surprise the last time we got to do Stitch! Way cool (for nerds like me). Dinner was at Raglan Road, which is the new Irish Pub over at PI. It was very good although I wasn't feeling super great so I only got a salad. Guess I'll have to go back. Then today we slept late, checked out and went over to Epcot for one last go at the Food and Wine Festival. I think we tasted most everything that was on our must have list, but we did have to leave quite a few untasted. Ah well.

Conflicted

So do you want the Good News or the Bad News first? The Bad News, okay then. I was at the vet yesterday and Bleys has a heart murmur. This is very common in Cavaliers (like hip dysplasia in labs) but I was hoping we would put it off for another couple of years. We are still in the diagnosis phase at the moment. They did some initial blood work yesterday and we are going in again today for some more specific stuff. Hopefulyl I will have a full diagnosis soon and we can start on whatever meds are appropriate.

Since I'm very carefully not thinking about the implications of so early a heart murmur, my biggest issue right now is that I'm getting shuffled of on a different vet today for the appointment. This happened earlier this year but the problem wasn't a big one (even a vet tech could have taken care of it) so I didn't mind. However, I went out of my way to find a vet that had extensive experience with Cavaliers. I got recommendations from local Cavalier breeders and showers and visited a bunch of vet offices to find one that suited me. I also drive about an hour to get there each time. I guess you could say I'm kind of picky, but after Doc how could I not be? Anyway, for now I'm going to assume that they just wanted to get all this preliminary stuff done as fast as possible, but when it comes down to cases I'm going to need to have my one vet or I'm going to need to find a different facility.

Speaking of Doc though, I did email her about getting a dental scraper for Bleys' teeth (which are not responding to the tooth brush so much anymore) and so maybe she will be able to shed some light onto the situation when I have some more information. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I have that connection. Being about to order stuff that isn't readily available to the general public is such a life saver. Thank you Doc! I miss you.

Okay onto the good news. For the past year Roland and I have had Florida Annual Passes to Disney World. For any who don't know, this means you pay a certain amount for a year long pass to get in the parks. There are a bunch of other perks as well, including cheaper room rates (especially in the off season), special deals they email you about, and currently the most important, you get into new/refurbished attractions early during special Passholder Events. We took advantage of this before Expedition Everest opened. The passholders got to go back over there and check out the area and ride the coaster during a special weekend a few weeks before it opened to the general public. That was mostly for Roland (I'm not so keen on roller coasters), but now it's MY turn. When our passes expire at the end of October we are planning on letting them lapse to save some money. We have visited Disney a lot this past year so taking some time off isn't so bad. However, one of my favorite things at Disney, the Living Seas, has been under refurbishment for over a year and is set to open in November. Grrrr, I thought I was going to miss it. However, we just got an email that they are having an annual passholder preview in mid-October. Woot! Not only will I get to see the Living Seas that is smack in the middle of the Food and Wine Festival that Roland and I love so much. Plus it is in the off season so there will be less crowds and the temperatures will be going down so it won't be quite so hot! I doesn't get much better than that! I'm very excited. Couldn't tell, could you?

Now with 27% more sequins

Another thing I noticed this trip was that Disney has been quietly updating some of their attractions. Well one of them not so quietly. They did update Pirates of the Caribbean and re-opened it when Dead Man’s Chest opened and they made sure everyone knew about that. The update there primarily involved putting audio-animatronic Captain Jack Sparrows in the ride (3 of them). They also added a really cool mist effect at the beginning with Davy Jones made the music better (remastered maybe?) and added some of the music from the new movies. All in all a very nice upgrade. What I hadn't heard anything about but immediately noticed was they have made some improvements to Fantasmic. Most of these changes are in the form of new costumes (Prince Eric's pants were blinding) and different Dragon wings, they also painted the mesh backdrop and changed some of the movie portions. They also freshened up the black light paint on the snake, which I had noticed last time was a little worse for wear. I also noticed that they changed the ending movies at the Great Movie Ride. They added some Pirates and some Narnia among others. I don't know the old one well enough to know what got cut out though. It was nice to see that they are always making improvements.

Buffet Madness

One thing we made a point to do this trip was to try some new restaurants. My favorite find was the place we went for our actual anniversary, Boma. It is a buffet style joint over at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We went to Jiko over there on our honeymoon and really enjoyed it but this time we decided to try Boma. Between us I'm pretty sure we tried almost every dish and I liked every last one of them. Some seriously good food. Some of my favorite items were the butternut squash and creamy corn soups, the calamari and curry noodle salads, the bobotie, the entire dessert table, and a bunch of other stuff. Then to add to the awesomeness of the evening our waitress brought us a special dessert for our anniversary. It was a square platter with some small specialty cookies and truffles and with Happy Anniversary written on it in chocolate, sprinkled with teeny tiny Mickey Mouse shaped sprinkles. It was a fantastic evening and I totally loved it. I highly recommend it.

One of the other new places we tried this time was also a buffet. We tried out the Biergarten over at the Germany Pavilion in Epcot. It was also very good (although my mom makes a better Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte - I think they didn't use any Kirsch or something. I especially enjoyed the various wurst and the braised red cabbage was good as well. It is family seating which means that your party will most likely be sitting with another family. The tables seat eight and they try to fill those up as much as possible. I think I would recommend going for dinner (we went for lunch) because then more people would be up for getting the giant liter sized beers that would be sure to liven up things. They had a good quartet that played a set during the meal including bells and Alphorn. They were quite good and even took a request from someone near the front. Our waitress even told them it was our anniversary and they gave us a toast.

It's just a different style

One of my favorite things this time was back at MGM again. They have this attraction back behind The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage called The Magic of Disney Animation. You can watch a short bit where a cast member interacts with Mushu to explain how characters come to life for a movie and then you can go through an exhibit about animators and characters. Then at the end you can go through a short little learn to draw a character segment. A person sits up front and goes through step by step how to draw a character. You can see how he or she does it on a camera and you try to imitate him/her. It lasts about 9 minutes and you have to be quick to keep up, and as I mentioned before they don't give you an eraser.

Now let's get something straight right here and now. I don't draw well. Never have, doubt I ever will. But I love this attraction. I don't care if half of my Pooh was totally bigger than the other so he looked a little trippy. I got to draw Pooh! Some of the young people (mostly middle/high school girls) get very upset if their drawing isn't up to snuff, but I eat this up. The bonus part is you can just do the drawing thing without sitting through the other stuff. I'’m afraid I made Roland do this a number of times while we were there. I got to draw Goofy, Pooh, and Minnie Mouse! It was awesome.

Thank you for asking

Later in the day at MGM we went to the Brown Derby for dinner. This is our favorite restaurant in MGM and they have the Fantasmic dinner package so that is a bonus. We don't really dig having to get to the theater and sit there for 2 hours so the reserved seating is definitely the way to go.

It was still in season so Roland ordered the gazpacho (which may well be his favorite thing at Disney World) and I had the crab cake for an appetizer. For dinner he had a pork dish with a delectable cheese fondue drizzled over the top while I enjoyed the grouper with onion marmalade. For dessert I tried the flourless chocolate cake and Roland went for some cheesecake. All of it wonderful. In the middle of dinner our waiter appeared with two glasses of champagne each with a strawberry on it. Once again to help us celebrate our anniversary. The best part? The waiter made me show my ID before he would give me champagne.

Tom

As I mentioned before we decided to try the ABC Commissary for lunch at MGM. We had never eaten there before and thought it sounded like a good option among the counter service restaurants. We walked in and began to contemplate the menu. We were just finishing the decision to get two different options to share and moving on to deciding which two options we wanted to share when a cast member approached us. He asked if we were on our honeymoon (I was wearing my Minnie bride ears, which Roland bought for me), and we told him we were celebrating our 5th anniversary and he offered his congratulations on that and the fact that we still looked like we were very happy together. He then asked if we needed any help with the menu, which is what I think he came out for in the first place. Perhaps it was in response to the new and interesting things people might not be familiar with. We thanked Tom, picked our options, and proceeded to eat our very good food. As we were finishing up our meal Tom appeared at our table with two chocolate mousse cups to help us celebrate our anniversary. He was so sweet and so sincere it really made my day. Plus the mousse was delicious! We made sure to stop by guest relations later in the day and compliment him.

Counter Service

I've been noticing it over the 5 years that I have been visiting Disney World, but it was on this trip that it really became obvious to me. Disney has some made a huge effort to have interesting and good counter service food. At the Pop Century cafeteria they now have soy burgers, ham and havarti flatbread sandwiches, vegetable lasagna, and some really good looking pizza among many other options. At the parks they now sell fresh fruit and the counter service food isn't just burgers and hot dogs anymore. Over at MGM we tried out the ABC Commissary and ended up sharing some curry chicken and a Cuban sandwich with plantain chips. I for one really appreciate the change, it makes eating at the counter service places a lot more enjoyable. Plus it is somehow easier to pay $7.50 for a Cuban sandwich, not so much for a hot dog.

I'm trying to think past the heat.

I found a website about the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot this fall. I really want my parents, and Anne and Karl for that matter, to come during that festival. It is in October (well, late September to mid-November) so the weather would be cooler. Although the threat of hurricane is a higher that late into the hurricane season, I think the trade off in not having to take any of us to the Mickey Mouse ER for heat stroke might be worth it. Plus, I think my parents would like the festival itself. Roland and I loved it last year, and I'm planning on making us go back this year (watch out Dave the puppy dog eyes are on their way). So I was perusing this site and found a bunch of really cool, but expensive things to do there.

First you've got your sweet bands: Survivor, Starship, Three Dog Night, and The Beach Boys to name a few.

Then there are five course dinners with a celebrity chefs, although it doesn't make clear how much of a presence they are.

On a slightly smaller scale, Lunch and Learn where you observe a guest chef prepare a three course lunch: Ming Tsai and Cat Cora among others.

A fun sounding buffet station type dinner with entertainment from Cirque du Soleil, La Nouba. That might get crazy.

Cooking school luncheons, how fun would that be?

Sweet Sundays - chefs make you three presumably insane desserts? Count me in...twice.

Spirited Ball - a masquerade ball (no costumes really, they just provide you a mask when you get there, although I suppose people kind of dress up and everything. On Halloween eve, spooky!

There is a lot more, but man does it make me want to go there. Last year we went at that time because we were escaping the aftermath of Wilma, so we didn't know what all was available. But the more I read, the more I think that is the perfect time for us to go there. Roland's parents have decided they are coming back to Disney around Thanksgiving. In fact I think they are flying in on Thanksgiving day, which means that we'll probably miss them that time.

Just to prove it to you

Told you so.

Follow me

Time for some more pics from Disney? Who's excited? *chirp, chirp, other cricket noises* Sigh, oh well, here goes anyway. Dad C was kind enough to email some of his pictures, and I must say they are quite good! First are some shots of the various topiary and garden accoutrements they added for the festival at EPCOT.

Donald and Daisy sailing through a floral Tunnel of Love.


Mickey and Minnie at the entrance to the World Showcase.


Some awesome pandas eating bamboo.


A troll outside of the Norway pavillion.


Then we jump back over to MGM on the Star Wars Weekend (where I took most of my pictures, see my previous posts).

Roland and I magically transported to Narnia (although we seem to have brought some fierce sun along with us).


Here is that picture of me with Mr. Incredible.


Dave and I with some ramdom storm trooper (Roland what are you doing? You look kinda goofy.)


And last, but most certainly not least Marcie with her prize!


Michael, Marcie, and Christie all asked for only one souvenier. A giant Mickey head rice crispy treat. Mmmmm, good thinkin'!

Some super-parents

One of the other cool things about MGM is their learn to draw a character thingy. It is unfortunately very short (you only have 9 minutes) and they don't let you have an eraser, but I have fun every time I do it. So far we've seen Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck. This time while we were waiting the Incredibles were hanging about and I got a picture of Bob, I mean, Mr. Incredible with my parents-in-law.



Mrs. Incredible was also around, as well as Frozone. My outdoor pictures came out so nicely that I was a little suprised at the wierd grainy-ness on these indoor ones. Theoretically there is a picture of me with Mr. Incredible as well, but it was on Dad C's camera so I don't have it. We'll have to see if he sends me pictures. Maybe there will be some other good ones as well.


Hey Roland! There's a hidden Mickey! Oh, and another one...

Everyone likes a parade

One of my favorite days at Disney this time was our visit to MGM on the first day of the Star Wars Weekends. Normally EPCOT is hands down my favorite, but this time MGM was pretty high up there. We didn't get to see the Lights, Motors, Action show this time, but that was because we decided it was simply to hot to sit out in the sun for that long. Plus MGM has the Fantasmic Show, which, along with the Living Seas are probably my absolutely favorite things at Disney.



It also being the Flower and Garden festival there was a cool Mickey topiary next to the sign on the way to the entrance. When you came into the park there were storm troopers watching over things (and heckling the crowd). I've heard that this is especially cool if you are one of those people who get there before the park opens and watch their whole act. We, however, are generally not those people.




I did insist that we get there in time for the morning parade. It was pretty cool, with a lot of different characters and led, of course, by Jedi Mickey.



The 501st Storm Trooper Legion (Vader's Fist) made a strong showing. Keep in mind that these people are just fans with sweet costumes. Rock star for a day! Due to shutter lag on my camera I didn't get pictures of all of them, but there were Storm Troopers, Sand Troopers, Jedi, bounty hunters and even an Ewok.



For the rest of the Disney supplied portion of the parade there were the usual suspects and some other cool characters.










I have a few more pictures that I will put up later and hopefully I will be getting a few more from Dad C. when he has a chance to send them!

Frothy

We have returned. It was a lovely week at Disney, although the high point for me was more about seeing Roland's parents this time. We stayed at one of the All Star Resorts (Sports) which was nice. Nothing special, but being one of the budget resorts that is to be expected. We visited all the parks except Downtown Disney, some more than once.

In the past we have taken some tours that were very interesting and fun so this time, being the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT, I wanted to go on the Gardens of the World Tour. Holy Giant Mistakes Batman! I think that tour could have been sweet...BUT, the guide was terrible and all she did was take us around the world and point out the things they put out for the festival (a lot of topiaries and whatnot). It was one of the most boring things I've done in a long time. I think it also sticks out so much because the other tours we've done have been so great. I got so bored during the tour that I was thinking about my boredom and the boredom of the people with me. So, to give myself something to do I decided to document this to show the world just how uninteresting this woman was.


Here are Chris and Jim listening to this women tell us that the flower we were looking at was an orchid (which was not only obvious from the flower, but the little placard they had posted right next to it also gave it away).



Jim almost looks like he is in pain, which on further consideration he probably was. Then we have Mom and Dad C. trying to find it interesting that "Orchids are beautiful, if hard to grow plants."



Other than that our trip was awesome...oh wait, except for where Roland got me sick and now I don't feel particularly well. Stupid germs.

Mic-Key M-o-u-s-e

I just emailed Shannon (woot-twins soon) about Disney and I got all excited about going there again. She is just as goofy as I am so we can relate about the fun of Disney together which is cool. I just really like sharing Disney with people who understand. I totally want Anne and Karl or my Mom and Dad to come so I can share it with them. The bonus with Anne is that she would enjoy the whole planning thing that Roland and I find to be a big part of the fun of the Disney Experience. Some people just sort of go there with a vague idea of what they want to do. Not Roland and I! Oh no, none of that for us. We go over maps and plan out where we will be eating and what fireworks show (or other fun evening thing) we will be doing. We go into the park with an idea of what fastpast to get first and what to do in the mean time. Not that we have every minute planned and we totally change our minds sometimes about what to do, when. But we rarely can't get into dinner where we want to, because we've called ahead the appropriate number of days (sometimes that's even as much as 90 days, or even 180 days in advance). We see a lot of people turned away and frustrated because they don't get to do what they, or their children want to do. Sometimes it's sad, disappointed child isn't cool, sometimes it's not, bratty whining child isn't cool either.

Anyway, this just makes me excited for Disney and lonely for the people from back home.

T minus 7

We are officially in the countdown to Disney. I'm getting excited about our trip next week to meet Roland's parents at Disney World. We are leaving next Monday (as early as I can manage to get my act together) and returning the following Sunday. The plans we currently have are mostly in the evenings to see the various fireworks shows. I found a new tour that might be cool, seeing as how it's the Flower and Garden Festival. It is the Gardens on the World Tour. Once again a tour that most people probably wouldn't really care for, but I think sounds awesome. I wonder if Roland would fall for the Puppy Dog Eyes of Persuasion again? Maybe we will have time to watch Miyuki for a while (if you're going to Disney you really should check her out. I could watch all day). Another mega bonus for the geekified like myself? Star Wars Weekend! This might actually get me to take my camera with me one day (at least for the parade). I really like my camera, but those super tiny cameras that can fit in your pocket are really tempting! I think this is going to be one of the warmer and busier times we've visited so that will be less great, but hey it's Disney so who cares.

Shannon, succumb to the siren call of the Disney, so I can come visit you there!

Tinkerbell was here

With my sistrah's last comment on my blog I got to thinking about taking someone around Disney for their first visit. Roland did this for me for our honeymoon and I had an incredible time and he says that watching me discover Disney was very special and entertaining for him too. I felt like I was eight years old the whole time we were there, it was indeed magical for me.

So what do you take people to? I have many favorite things that I would want to share. I think my top favorite thing there is probably the Fantasmic show at MGM. I like going to the Brown Derby and then over to the show. It's a really nice evening. Plus they have the Star Wars ride and the new Lights, Motors, Action show - how DO they drive like that?

My favorite park in all though would have to be EPCOT. I love the edutainment portions in Future World (the Living Seas, the Land, and all that) and the World Showcase is awesome to walk through and watch in performers and eat some great food. Although I've always wondered what people from each country think when they come through their fake country in EPCOT. Plus now they have Soarin' in the Land which is a freakin' sweet ride and I there is this tour you can do through the World Showcase on Segways which sounds like fun to me!

I also enjoy the Animal Kingdom but it's not my favorite (sort of surprising,) but EPCOT has more learny bits and the only time you can see animals out in the open is on the safari, which is short and on a time table so they can't slow down and let you see anything for any amount of time. I wish they had some sort of backstage tour that involved getting to see that for longer, but the only one they have is more the mechanics of how they feed and house the animals. Plus to see a lot of the animals you really need to get there early and go on the safari first thing because they go to sleep for the day when it gets too hot.

The Magic Kingdom is cool and has a lot of the must see old standbys of Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the Dole Whip stand, the Mountain Trifecta (Space, Splash, and Thunder), along with some new rides like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Plus dinner at Cinderella's Castle is pretty cool if you eat late and get to see the fireworks from inside. They also have that noodle stand I like for lunch...mmmm..pot stickers. Anyway, with the prospects of at sometime in the next couple of years showing my parents and my sister around Disney (albeit probably separately) is pretty exciting.

That's a deep subject.

Well, we're back from our weekend escapade and the house is eerily quiet. Bleys is still at the vet because they aren't open for pick up on Sundays. I will be going to get him tomorrow, so for the time being there is just the sound of the typity typing that Roland is doing. Disney was lovely as usual. The weather was nice (not blazing hot/no rain), and the crowds were minimal. Roland got to ride the new roller coaster and really enjoyed it. One bummer though, over in the Magic Kingdom the place you get noodles and pot stickers was closed. I hope it was closed for cleaning or something and not closed for changing the menu. I really liked that place.* We also encountered some of the worst service EVER on the drive there. I would say that the lack of competition at the service plazas on the turnpike (toll road) is causing some serious ruination at the Burger King. It was awful and kept us there for like an hour. I would think twice before stopping at the Fort Pierce Service Plaza!

I guess that Roland's parents are planning another trip to Disney in May, so I'm thinking/hoping we will go up and meet them again for a while. I had a good time in December so I wouldn't mind. We didn't do Dive Quest this time so maybe next time? By then I will have taken AOW so maybe I will have learned all sorts of new and exciting things.

Update: Apparently that place only operates seasonally. So it sucked that it was closed, but I'm glad that it isn't permanent.

Woot

Roland and I are going to Disney for the weekend. Annual passholder get some pretty cool perks, but this was one I didn't know was coming. They are opening an new roller coaster in the Animal Kingdom soon. Before it does though they are letting annual passholders get in to try it out. While I am not the roller coaster type, Roland is, and a weekend getaway always sounds nice to me! So off we go for a (hopefully) relaxing trip. I'm interested to see what the crowd levels are. I'm hoping the parks will be a bit slow and am thinking maybe that is why they are trying to lure people in? Who knows, we'll have to see.

Be sure to check of Shannon's new blog!

Swish

It has been a relaxing day in ye olde apartment. I slept about forever last night. Roland even got up before me, although he returned to the bed chamber later for a nap of rather long proportions for normal people, but of average to short length for him. I made some spaghetti for dinner and it turned out pretty well. We have the tree turned on and are watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. A fine way to spend an evening if ever there was one. I'm getting excited about my parents coming to visit and wishing that Anne and Karl (with a K) were coming with them. Maybe they will come later next year to visit his family, which happen to live only about a half hour to 45 minutes north of us (I think). They did just go on a honeymoon though so I don't know how soon they would want to go on a trip again.

While we were at Disney we saw a bride and groom on one of the white sand beaches getting their pictures taken and there in the background was Cinderella's carriage and its 6 white Welsh Ponies. It made me wish I was ultra-rich and could afford to think about such extravagances. One of our tour guides said that the ultimate in Disney wedding is in the Magic Kingdom with you getting married in front of the castle and as you walk down main street you get your own personal fireworks show and you get there in a coach and all that jazz. This gem will run you...wait for it...$95,000. That gets a big giant whatever. I'm sure it would be very princess feeling though.

Doo-ta-da-doooo and da-ta-da-daaaa

Lets get this out of the way first thing:

1. I am a certified scuba diver and would love to become a professional diver.

2. I have an extensive background in music, both instrumental and choral.

3. I enjoy Judo (only at a beginner level...so no Jason, I don't want to fight you, you can still kick my ass) although I haven't been able to participate in it for quite a while.

I am not a lesbian (oops, did having a husband give it away?)

4. I like puzzles.

5. I'm crafty in all kinds of ways including; sewing, knitting, cross-stitch, gardening (when I had a bit of earth), baking (no so much with the cooking), building things etc.



We have triumphantly returned (princess waves all around, elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist or whatever). Roland and I just got back from a visit to Disney World with his folks and two of their friends. It was a great time, but it was hard to leave. When we moved down here we knew in the back of our minds that we would get to go home for my sisters wedding and then see Roland's family this past week. My parents are coming down for a visit right after Christmas so at least there is that to look forward to. After that, no plans in the foreseeable future. It was so nice to talk to someone I know.

We also got to visit Disney so that was sweet. The living seas was open this time as we got to see Turtle Time with Crush which is absolutely incredible! This attraction consists of a smallish theater (maybe 100 people? I'm not great at that kind of estimating) and a giant screen at the front that shows a scene underwater. Then Crush (from Finding Nemo) comes along and talks with you. The totally awesome part? He is talking to you, the audience that is in that room. He picks out kids from the audience by appearance (the little dude-ette with the brown hair and red shell with stripes down her fins and so on). Then he takes question from the little ones and asks some of his own. It is very funny! I loved it. I think we went back 3 or 4 times. Definitely a must see...along with Soarin'. And Mickey's PhilharMagic is awesome too, yeah, pretty much the whole place.

We went on a Keys to the Kingdom tour in the Magic Kingdom and learned all sorts of neat stuff and a Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot and learned some nerdly cool stuff about the greenhouses. I can't remember which one, but one of the tour guides said they are going to change Soarin' here in Florida to either be flying over Florida or possibly flying over the world. So they will just have flying over California at Disney Land. Over at MGM we got a chance to see Lights, Motors, Action. Sa-weet. I haven't the foggiest how people can drive cars like that, but it sure is fun to watch. We also heard that they are planning on tearing out the coaster in Space Mountain and replacing it with a new one about a new mission to space, and tearing out the guts of Spaceship Earth (the giant golf ball one) for an update.

We did get to go diving again. I just love it, I come out feeling so relaxed. There were all sorts of people to play with and some great sharks (one almost 9 feet long). The giant sea turtle was being lazy and didn't come out to be seen, but the rays were very playful. I ended up swimming with a school of fish for a while which was way cool. They are still working on the new ride at the front of the Seas pavilion so that was closed off, but the observation deck was open and they have a couple of rehabilitating manatees that were pretty huge (they aren't in the tank you can dive in). They apparently recently got two more dolphins but we didn't see any of the four. The tour leader said they were spending a lot of time in their backstage tank figuring out their new pod pecking order.

Anyway, my thoughts are all jumbled together and not coming out very coherently so I'm going to take a breather. Later, dude!

It's my pot-pie

Anyway, we stayed at Disney's All Star Music in the Broadway area. It was no Grand Floridian, but it was still very nice, and we didn't spend that much time in the room anyway. I think the biggest difference for me was there were exponentially more children. Speaking of which we saw a LOT of people with very small children (like infants). I decided that if I ever had children I wouldn't take them to Disney until they were like 40" tall, so they could go on the rides. Also they would have to walk on their own, no strollers. When they were tired enough to need to be carried or strollered we would go back to the room and take a nap.

Perhaps this is why I'm not parent material.

We did go diving at the Living Seas, however it wasn't as cool as usual because the Living Seas was closed for refurbishment. It was still mega-cool though, I just like to play with the people in the viewing area. It is supposed to be open again by the time we are going back to meet Roland's parents. They have some new sharks in the tank which was awesome. All the animals were fairly active because of the low barometric pressures left by Wilma and that they were just fed about an hour before we jumped in.

We also were lucky enough to stumble into the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. What a genius idea! Each of the countries represented in the showcase, plus a bunch more, each had a little booth where you could buy small samples of different dishes at a very reasonable price. One of the highlights of my stay was the lunch that we had at the festival. We started lunch at 12:30 at one end of the World Showcase, walked around and shared a little of this and a little of that all the way around to the other end. Then we turned around and walked back and got little bits of dessert on the way back. By the time we were done it was 3:30! It was awesome, I had a really good time sharing food with Roland and trying all sorts of cool food items. We had some really good pot stickers, a very interesting spring roll that I absolutely loved. It was cold and in a clear-ish wrapper (sorry I don't know what it is called) and had mint in it. I could have eaten quite a few of them. At Germany we had some excellent sausage and sauerkraut, some great curry chicken (I think in Turkey), and for dessert we tried a kiwi custard roll (from New Zealand of course). It was fantastic. I definitely think we should go back (minus the hurricane extras - we were clearly not the only ones who fled to Orlando). Anyway, all this talk of food has gotten me quite hungry, so I'm off to raid the kitchen.

Snicker-Snack

Success! Roland and I finally successfully completed our get-Florida-licenses campaign and were awarded 100,000 experience points each (a little skimpy if you ask me). One thing I do have to compliment them for is that we walked out with our licenses. They print them on the spot, which is very nice. No walking around with franken-license for two weeks while they send it to you. So we trotted our shiny new licenses (seriously there is a whole lot of hologram going on) over to the AAA office and purchased our annual passes for Disney World. Woot! And I am obliged to say woot again all over the place.

And woot woot here and a woot woot there, here a woot, there a woot, everywhere a woot woot.

Sorry, short decent into nanny nanny boo boo to no one in particular. I am pretty excited about visiting there in December. We have a bunch of cool things planned. One pout-worthy item, Cirque du Soleil will be dark the whole time we are going to be there. Bummer, but now that we live in Florida we can go some other time to see that if we wish. Roland's parents found us Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party instead which looks pretty cool. Although I'm having some time displacement or something due to the heat here. It is still mid-August according to my heat index not just about October. I'm not sure what that is going to do to my holiday-sense but right now things decked out for Christmas seem very far away. But I still have two months to get a little closer. The next big hurdle is not being home for Anne's birthday and birthoween party. I don't think I'm even going to sew costumes this year.

Roland and I ordered in tonight, it was nice to eat all cozy at home and not have to cook or clean up. Now he is playing some on-line poker and looking at Fark and I'm avoiding finishing my puzzle because I'm pretty sure I'm missing at least 5 pieces. Grr and arg.

Hippity hop

Woot! My parents-in-law are planning a trip to Disney World in early December, and Roland and I are thinking about going to meet them! It would be after Roland is done for the semester (grades and all) so the timing is good. We were actually tentatively planning a trip there next year for our 5 year anniversary, and December is close to next year. Money, of course, is an issue, but I would really like to go. What I would really like to do is the Platinum Package. That package includes all the tours; including DiveQuest and a new tour in which you tool around Epcot on Segways. You also get to go on a cruise to watch IllumiNations and reserved seating at Fantasmic.

Unfortunately I can't find online if you can still book such a package and use the Annual Pass (which Roland and I were thinking of getting). We will have to call Disney or AAA or something to find out. I guess I really just want to do something that would make me feel better about moving to Florida. Right now all of the "but you can go scuba diving" and "we'll only be 3 hours from Disney" feel like placatitudes*. Well, I'm getting quite hungry and the smells emanating from the kitchen are mouthwatering, so I'm going to go see what's cookin'!

*No, this isn't a word. I made it up - a combination of placation and platitude.