To Read or Not To Read

Nov. 21 - Today I am thankful for...

Books.

I guess I could say that I'm thankful for literature in all of its forms, but I'm particularly fond of books. 

I've always been a reader. I grew up being read to, and eventually doing some of the reading myself. In second grade, I was reading aloud with my mom and she asked me to re-read a word. I didn't want to, because I knew what she wanted to hear. I had a speech impediment. When you make an "s" sound, your lips purse a little and air comes straight out from between your teeth, right? (Go ahead. Try it out.) Well, when I made an "s" sound, my tongue kind of took up the front of my mouth and the air came out both sides of my mouth. I sounded kind of like Sylvester, but with much less slobber.

That incident actually lead to me getting involved in speech therapy at school, which I thought would be terrible, but was actually pretty awesome. In third and fourth grade, I got pulled out of class for appointments with Dr. Scott, who was probably the nicest therapist I could have had. I got to play computer games and sometimes had sessions with other students. No trace of it these days, so it definitely paid off. And if I hadn't been reading aloud with my mom, who knows when it would've been caught.

Anywhoozles, that totally wasn't the point of this post. Moving on.

I love to read. Movies and video games are great, but if I truly want to escape, all I need is a good book and a quiet room. I can visit places, meet people, and experience things without leaving my house, and when I want to visit again, all I have to do is pick the book back up and read some more. It's a magical concept if you think about it.

I'm one of those people who won't get a Kindle because I like the smell of a new book and the feel of an old one. I have a habit of re-reading books; I've read my favorite book from my teen years at least 6 times, and I've read The Princess Bride (the abridged version) 4 or 5 times. Take me to a book store and I can spend all day (and a TON of money) there. Few things make me as happy as getting a new book to read. And for that, I'm very thankful. :)

One Last Magical Day

Sorry for the delay, folks.  I'm finally over whatever sickness it was that I had (we're thinking it was Strep, but I don't know for sure because I've never had it before), which means I've been furiously catching up with work, homework, and housework.  Doing pretty well on the first two, but our house still looks like a disaster zone.  Eh, we'll let this one go Meatloaf style (2 out of 3 ain't bad!).  

So, Friday the 9th was our last day of Disney.  We decided to try and make it as epic as humanly possible and our goal was to head to Downtown Disney for a few hours before spending the whole rest of the day at MK (minus our reservations for dinner at 'Ohana).  

Downtown Disney isn't really a park so much as it is its own little town.  There are three parts to DD, but we really only ventured through the Marketplace on this trip.  The Marketplace, as its name implies, is full of shopping.  There's a Lego store, a store dedicated to Christmas ornaments, another art store and, best of all, the World of Disney.  World of Disney is sort of like an entire mini-mall of Disney stuff.  They have clothes, toys, jewelry, kitchen stuff, food, books, movies, music...  I could go on and on.  Essentially, if you want it, they have it (with the exception of my puzzle; I'm not saying they didn't have it, necessarily, but I sure didn't find it there, and I looked HARD).  

While at Downtown Disney, my only true goal was to go to Wetzel's Pretzels.  You see, my last name is Hetzel (my married name, anyway), and I was determined to get a picture with Hubby and caption it "Hetzels Eating Wetzel's Pretzels."  Perfect, right?  The pretzels were delicious, and Bestie did snap a photo for us, though I have yet to see it.  My secondary goal was to get some good shopping in, since we were heading back to the resort before we went to MK.  

I may have gone a little nuts, but thankfully, we had saved up for this trip and Hubby is good to me. :)  I got Mickey ears that light up with fireworks, a picture frame, a Wall-E and Eve ornament (Hubby and I like to get ornaments whenever we go on a trip together; might've been inspired by Bestie and her hubby), a Cheshire Cat antennae topper, a Jungle Cruise glass and a t-shirt for hubby!  Woohoo!

While we didn't get over to Pleasure Island or West Side on this trip, it was still a successful trip.  While we waited for the bus, I asked Hubby if he had any money, as I was eying up the vending machine.  He said he only had two dollars, but that the pop cost $2.75.  It just so happened that I had grabbed 3 quarters from our change at the hotel that morning, so I figured it was fate.  I went and bought a Coke and just as I took a step away from the machine, a second Coke dropped out.  Cautiously, I grabbed the second bottle and as I walked away, a THIRD bottle dropped!  Holy cow, man!  I hit the Coke machine lottery!

Standing there with three bottles in my hands (and a confused look on my face, I'm sure), I said, "Would anyone like a Coke?"  A man in front of me shrugged and put out his hand.  He and his wife split it, and his wife was very thankful (she wanted to get something to drink before her kids insisted on sharing it).  I gave the other bottle to Bestie and C, and we all agreed that it was bound to be a good day.  

It sprinkled on us a bit at the bus stop, but eventually our bus came and whisked us away.  After a short break at the resort, it was off to MK!  The order of events is probably a bit off, but that afternoon, we did:

• The Monsters Inc Laugh floor - Like Turtle Talk with Crush, this is an interactive attraction that's bound to entertain you, no matter what age.  
• The People Mover - A slow, gentle ride that guides you through some of Tomorrowland.  
• Carousel of Progress - If you're ready to just sit in the dark for a bit, this is a perfect stop.  Just be warned that you will leave with a song stuck in your head.  "There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow..."
• Space Mountain - Only Bestie and I braved this one, but it was a blast!  I hadn't been on it since I was 17, and having Bestie giggling in the seat behind me the whole way made the ride that much better.
• Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - A pretty fun quick service restaurant.  There are 3 "bays" to choose from; one serves primarily chicken entrees, another is strictly burgers and the last is random sandwiches.  While you eat, you're serenaded by Sonny Eclipse, an alien lounge singer that looks sort of like a dinosaur with a bad hair piece.

Eventually, it was close to dinner time, and we took the boat over to the Polynesian resort.  'Ohana was the first place we ate on our honeymoon, so it was sort of fitting that it was the last Disney dining experience we'd really have on this trip.  As we promised Bestie and C, there was food galore.  Starting with coconut-pineapple bread, the food just keeps coming every 5-10 minutes or so.  There's a salad, pot stickers, chicken wings, veggies, lo mein noodles, and eventually some of the best meat you'll ever eat.  On ginormous skewers, Cast Members bring around shrimp, pork, beef and chicken, and slide it onto your plate so you can chow down without ever getting up.  

Dessert is an amazing bread pudding with caramelized banana sauce, served a la mode, but Bestie also got us some ice cream to celebrate (C had gotten a promotion while we were on vacay, and I had joined a national honor society just before we left for FL).  By the end, we were seriously stuffed.  

We wandered down to the beach to watch Wishes from across the water, then checked out the beautiful art store at the Polynesian.  When we took the boat back to MK, we were the only 4 people aboard.  Our captain was very friendly and knowledgeable, sharing with us that Cinderella's Castle is 189 feet tall.  Why not 190?  Because air space guidelines require that you put one of those red blinky lights on structures that tall, and Walt didn't want to have that take away from the magic.  :)

On our way in, we caught the Main Street Electrical Parade, which I don't think I've ever seen before in its entirety.  After that, I know we did Splash Mountain (which was just as fun as I remembered) and one last time on the Haunted Mansion.  We also tried to hunt down some more ice cream for Bestie, but we were SOL.  Boooooo.

We said goodnight and goodbye to MK and took our last bus ride back to the resort.  Since Bestie and C were headed out earlier than Hubby and I were, we had to say goodbye before we went to our room for one last sleep at WDW.   

Onward!

And so continues the tale of our awesome Disney vacation...

Sunday, we got up and ready around 8:30.  We came downstairs to find that I (of K & I) had made us an awesome breakfast of bacon, fresh fruit and cinnamon buns.  This is a man who knows how to play host!  We were sad to leave them (and their two little furbabies), but we were so appreciative of all they did for us.  We're already trying to plan another trip to the South so we can visit again!  

From Atlanta, it's about another 7.5-8 hours to get to WDW, so onward we went.  Hubby wound up driving the whole thing (because there was NO way I was driving in Orlando; I can barely handle traffic in Milwaukee!), and I played navigator.  I found it interesting that billboards in that area don't seem to be utilized in quite the same way they are up here.  Most of the billboards around us are for PSAs, cash for gold, chain restaurants, and clothing lines/stores I never knew existed.  But in that stretch, things were a little different.  

First, and most noticeably, only about half of the existing billboards were in use.  There were a TON with "Available Now" on them, and some that just had remnants of an ad from long ago (or maybe last week; it's hard to tell).  Next, of those being used, there were 3 types that stood out the most: religious/political messages, pecans, and strippers.  Pecans are, of course, very southern, but holy wow.  Every other billboard was for goo goo clusters or fresh pecan picking!  Kinda nuts (pun definitely intended)!  The ads for strippers were usually pretty hilarious.  There was one joint in particular that apparently had the motto, "Strippers: Need We Say More" and used it on every single board.  They also had deals (and parking!) for truckers, which I suppose is nice.  Cater to your audience, right?

But then... then there were the ultra-conservative, churchy ads that I just don't take kindly to.  And these made up a LARGE number of the signs along this stretch of the interstate.  "Prepare to meet thy maker!" one of them said.  Really?  Is that a threat?  Or...  I dunno.  The ones that really get me are the anti-abortion ads.  I don't want this to turn political (Puppies & Rainbows!), but suffice it to say I was ready to get out of there. 

When we finally started seeing the signs for Disney, I was beyond thrilled!  We were almost there!!  By the time we pulled into our resort, I was bouncing in my seat and grasping all my confirmation papers, because there was NO way I was going to screw this up, dammit.  I was at Disney, and I was there to stay.  End.  Of.  Story.

Thankfully, check in went quickly and soon we were in our room, unpacking for a week of magic and fun.  A nice cast member stopped by with some gifts for us (darn that bestie of mine!), including little Mickey and Minnie stuffed toys and a set of Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments.  We'd been told to text C's phone when we got there (M's hubby; M's phone was about to die), but hadn't heard back yet, so we just settled in and were pleased to be out of the car.  When our room phone rang, we both just looked at one another.  Hubby was closest, so after a few rings he answered.  It wound up being M telling us that they lost C's phone, but that M's phone was alive and we could call when we were ready to head to Magic Kingdom for the evening.

Words can't really describe the overwhelming feelings that followed.  I was reunited with my bestie after a year of being apart.  I was at the happiest place on Earth with her, her husband, and Hubby.  I had no work or school to think about for a week.  And I was about to go eat INSIDE the freakin' castle, FCOL!  For a few moments there, everything in the whole world felt perfect.  I don't think I could've stopped smiling if I had wanted to.

Dinner was wonderful and fun.  M and I each got a magic wand and the guys got swords.  We each got a wishing star and M and I got to keep our menus!  As we ate, princesses strolled around, visiting each table.  We were greeted by Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle during dinner, and had gotten our picture with Cinderella before the meal, so things were pretty magical from the get-go.  Even more magical was that a few tables over from us, a couple got engaged.  How freakin' amazing would that be??  (The sad part was that the bride-to-be didn't look all that excited; in fact, she looked pretty 'meh' about the whole thing.  Poor guy went through a lot of planning to get that put in place, and she just continued on eating after he put the ring on, as if nothing had happened!)

Magic was everywhere, and I was in such a good place.  So, it should be no surprise that when Wishes (the fireworks display set to Disney music and quotes) came on and we could see the fireworks from our table, I couldn't help but cry.  It was perfect.  Absolutely everything I had hoped for and more.  

After dinner, we did a few rides and found a few souvenirs, but we were all pretty exhausted, so back to the resort we went to get some sleep for a whole exciting day at Epcot! :)

For M's take on the day, check out her blog here.

D is for Disney, that's good enough for me...

Holy crap, the time is almost here, lovelies!  On Friday night, Hubby and I will drop the puppers off to be boarded and thus begins our vacation.  So close, but so far...

This will be my 5th trip to Disney World, kids, and I am so freakin' excited!  Even cooler is that this will be the second time I've been there with Hubby (the first being our honeymoon) and the second time I've been there with my bestie, M!  How cool is that?  

So, naturally, I've been thinking about past Disney trips.  My memories from my first 3 trips are fairly fragmented, but a few key points stand out from each.

Year: 1994

Age: 9

With: My parents

My first trip to Disney World.  Holy balls, was I excited for this trip!  Partly because I got to miss school for it (my dad's work didn't always line up with school breaks, and he was determined to take me there), but mostly because it's damn near every nine-year-old girl's dream to go to Disney.

Sadly, I only have a handful of memories from this trip.  I remember crawling around in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area, while wearing my Minnie Mouse headband.  I remember going on Space Mountain with my mom and barely being able to walk afterward (I felt so effing sick).  I remember eating dinner in France and that the butter was sculpted like a little man (a soldier, I think) and feeling so grown up.  I remember one night for dinner, all I had was a Nestle ice cream bar (I was pretty sure I was the luckiest kid ever).  I remember the day we left, I found a coin on the floor of the hotel closet (I still have it; it's from England!).  

The memory that stands out the most, though, is a sadder one.  Particularly for my poor dad.  We had a one room suite, so my parents had the bedroom and I had the sofa bed in the living room area.  One night I woke up and had to pee so badly that I couldn't sleep anymore.  The only bathroom, though, was in the bedroom, and I didn't want to wake my parents up.  So instead, I sat at the edge of the bed and waited.  I'm not sure what I was waiting for.  Morning, maybe?  Anyway, at some point, my dad woke up and came to check on me, only to find me perched at the edge of that damn bed, trying not to cry because I was nearly in pain from holding out.  When he asked what I was doing, I explained, and to this day, he says that moment broke his heart.  I can't even imagine how he must have felt.

The vast majority of the memories from that trip are pretty great, though, so no worries.  

Year: 2001

Age: 16

With: My high school cheerleading team (and my mom)

This is the first trip to WDW with M.  She and I were damn near inseparable at that point in time, and among the other team members were my boyfriend (the longest relationship I've had aside from Hubby) and a few other good friends.  This is the only WDW trip that I have an actual scrapbook from, and the pictures make it look like the trip was a blast!

The only problem was that it wasn't a blast.  I have a hard time pulling up positive memories from that trip.  I think one of my favorites was when we were trying to get a group picture, and one of our teammates was out taking pictures of us instead of being in the picture!!  It was so funny when we realized what was going on.  Being in my first national competition was a real rush, too (even if we did suck and took last place).  Oh, and swimming in February is a novelty that I don't think I'll ever tire of.  :)  

What went wrong?  Where to begin?

First of all, there was a rule that whenever we were on Coach's time, there were no couples.  My boyfriend had his 18th birthday in Florida and the best I could do was sneak a quick kiss before we headed out for the day.  We couldn't hold hands, couldn't hug, could hardly talk to one another without fear of being caught.  As if that weren't enough, Coach decided that M and I were going on too many rides together and were told to separate.  So, I'm at Disney World with my boyfriend and my best friend, and I can't hang out with either of them?  Awesome.  Thanks.

I won't go into detail about all the other things that sucked, but I do have to mention the one that really bothered my mom (who was one of our chaperones).  At DHS (or, at the time, MGM), there's only one thing I absolutely must do when I'm there.  It's the Muppets 3D movie.  I loved it when I was 9, and it's one of the few experiences that I was dying to repeat.  Coach promised we'd get to it, so, I was psyched.  Lunch came around, and mom reminded Coach about the Muppets (I wasn't the only one who wanted to go, so it wasn't JUST for me), and again, she said we'd get to it.  In the meantime, Coach kept asking our captain and another select few teammates what we should do or see.  We did all sorts of stuff, but we never got to the Muppets 3D movie.  I tried not to act too disappointed, but my mom was less than pleased, to say the least.  Favoritism is one of my mom's few hot buttons, but there wasn't anything she could do.

Year: 2002

Age: 17

With: My high school cheerleading team

If 2001 was bad, 2002 was an absolute nightmare.  For one, M was no longer on the team.  Another good friend, T, had opted out because of a bum knee (in reality, it was because she didn't want to go, but she really did have a bad knee).  So I was down two good friends, my mom, and my boyfriend (since we weren't together anymore and he was out of high school anyway).  The trip was so bad that I honestly don't remember much at all.  If I think about the 2001 trip, I can pull up little bits and pieces of standing in lines, eating in the food court area, waiting for the buses, etc.  When I try to recall the 2002 trip, I can't even tell you who I shared a room with.  I've blocked most of it out. 

I do have one good memory from that trip.  We were done at one of the parks and were heading to another to wrap up the day (it might've been our last night, even; I don't recall).  We decided to take the monorail, and I remember standing there with my friend A.  We were both pretty un-enthused (to say the least) and were standing apart from the rest of the team (A and I have been friends since I was 3; if there was anyone there I could connect with, it was her).  The monorail pulled up, and we hung back, letting people get on, when the conductor yelled that she had 2 spots open in the front.  A and I ran.  The front car of the monorail is awesome.  The conductor was there, doing her thing, and there's LOTS of room to spread out.  Especially since it was only the two of us and a couple from Tennessee on their honeymoon.  We got to ask the conductor questions about what she does, and she answered them all without any attitude.  When we came up on Epcot, it was just glowing and it took my breath away.  I went to grab my camera and the conductor asked if I wanted a picture.  When I said yes, she slowed down the entire monorail just so I could take it.  If ever there were a magical moment, that was it.  (I'm actually tearing up just thinking about it!)

I'm looking forward to another trip with M (one where we don't get separated) and another trip with Hubby (though, it will be hard to top our honeymoon).  We're staying at the same resort that I stayed at in 2001 and 2002, so hopefully this trip will get rid of the bad taste in my mouth that I've come to associate with that resort.