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.

Red, White & Drag Queen Bingo

This past weekend was, of course, Independence Day weekend.  And being that K is around, it was full of traditions and fun.

Friday night we did go see our new nephew at the hospital.  He.  Is.  Adorable.  No kidding.  I know I'm biased and all, but he's seriously cute.  I even held him for quite awhile, which is a feat considering I'm normally scared to touch kids before they turn two or so (that fear of breaking them, you know?).  It was a nice experience.  :-)  And no, it didn't make me want kids of my own.  Just made me even happier to be an aunt!

Saturday was the day for Rhythm & Booms, the best fireworks you'll find in the Midwest.  For those not familiar, the fireworks are (loosely at times) set to music.  You just tune in to the local radio station and enjoy the show.  Rather than going to the actual park for the event (which, IMO, is a clusterf*ck and a half), we always go to my old elementary/middle school and sit on the hill.  We can see almost everything (excluding a handful of ground display fireworks that don't make it above the trees), and though it's much busier than when we first started sitting there, it's not nearly as crowded as the park itself.  

Of course, with R&B comes a party with K.  She invites family and friends over to her dad's place for food and fun before the fireworks begin, and then it's just a short walk to the old school from there.  One of K's friends has an adorable 4-year-old son who kept us all pretty well entertained, but it was the adults who played with the bubbles the longest (as the 4 y/o got fed up with a bubble sword contraption he just couldn't make work).  It's just so easy to get caught up in the pure fun that comes with bubbles.

The fireworks were beautiful, if not a bit short this year.  Budget problems would be my guess, as I know they were seeking donations (I gave them $15 - I love those fireworks) and really pushing people to come down to the park to support the vendors there.  I'm hoping next year will be better, particularly because I hope the damn construction surrounding the park is done.  Talk about a mess...  Oi.  Oh, and just to confirm, Maxi handled the fireworks just fine, though she didn't watch with the same intensity as last year.  At least she didn't bark her furry little head off!

On Sunday, hubby dropped me back off at K's dad's place so K and I, along with another friend (P) could go on an Oddball Wisconsin adventure.  See, one of K's friends got her the Oddball Wisconsin book, knowing that she loves all things odd or offbeat that you might find while driving, such as a giant wooden nickel (outside of Iowa City, Iowa) or a buffalo made of chrome bumpers (somewhere in Colorado).  So away we went with the book and a map.

We ended up driving about 314 miles that day.  Starting in Madison, we headed to DeForest to see the pink elephant and its nemesis (or so we're told) from across the street, a cow at a cheese shop.  Then it was off to Spring Green to check out some (not so) acrobatic goats.  There were other things there to keep us entertained while we waited for the goats to wow us, but it just never happened.

After that we headed to Platteville to see the world's largest 'M.'  It's 241 feet tall and 214 feet across.  Trust me; it's a big 'M.'  After a quick stop at Culver's for some cheese curds (nom nom nom) it was on to Dickeyville to see The Grotto, an interesting experience for sure.  Then it was a LONG drive over to Delavan to see the clown-stomping elephant (we skipped the nearby concrete frog since it was getting late), and then it was back to Madison so I could see my puppers.   

On the 4th, K and I headed down to the neighborhood bike parade that we were part of for so many years.  Kids made a good showing this year and actually decorated their bikes with more than a tiny flag.  We gave this year's parade a solid 7.5/10.  After that, it was off to Henry Vilas Zoo and, of course, Ella's Deli!  We can't eat like we used to, I swear, but we still managed to scarf down all our cheese fries.  It's a tradition, after all!  

I spent the rest of my day bumming around at my parents' house.  We eventually ordered Chinese (nothing screams patriotism like ordering sesame beef) and hubby showed up to take me and the puppers back home.  On the drive home, we had to have encountered probably 10 different fireworks displays.  It was nice, and I appreciated being able to see some fireworks on the 4th.

The 5th was no longer the weekend, but K came out so we could go to Drag Queen Bingo at BTW Lounge with her cousins and aunt!  Drag Queen Bingo is pretty much bingo with the balls being read off by drag queens.  But, we also got performances between rounds, so it was pretty awesome.  Of the 5 of us, 3 won prizes!  Sadly, K and I were the only two not to win.  Boooooo-urns.

So, as you can see, the past few days have been pretty exciting for me!  I hope everyone else had a wonderful 4th and hope you all have an excellent rest of the summer!  :-)

Fireworks and Other Scary Noises

For whatever reason, our dog doesn't flip at fireworks.  She normally ignores thunder (which is more than I can do; thunder is scary, yo!) and doesn't mind the dishwasher.  As previously discussed, the vacuum is clearly enemy #1, but other loud noises that most dogs fear usually warrant an ear-raise at best.

Last night, however, our puppers decided to start barking at fireworks.  Never before has she cared about them, and these were a good 7 or 8 miles away.  But the *boom, boom, boom* that went on for 10-15 minutes was apparently more than she cared to deal with.  We don't think she was scared so much as curious, but it was strange nonetheless.

Last year was the first fireworks experience we had with Miss Maxine (having adopted her in November of '09), and it was actually pretty wonderful.  Since she doesn't shy away at thunder, we figured, what the hell!  We'll give it a go.  Not only was she not scared, she actually sat and WATCHED the fireworks for the first 5 minutes or so.  After that, she just curled up on the blanket next to us and waited for it to be over so we could give her our full attention once again.    

We're hoping this year goes as smoothly, but with last night's little performance, it seems only time will tell...