(Sea)Lions & Gators & Dolphins….Oh, My! A Halloween PTR/TR with a “wild” theme - Oct/Nov '18

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I am so sorry I have been absent from this report for SO long. I should have taken the time to pop in long before now and let you know what's been keeping me too busy to post, and for that I sincerely apologize. All is well . Crazy nutty chaotic, but good.

I actually had so many things on my personal to-do list after January 1st that I was feeling a bit buried for a while. I decided it was best for my sanity and productivity if I took a step back from all things that could wait and focused on taking care of a few of the tasks that were tops in priority. While I consider keeping up with my report to be important, alas it had to be one of the things I set aside while I took care of business.

So, over the last two weeks I've made some strides in getting caught up a wee bit. Our green card applications, which were the #1 thing we wanted to get done, have been completely filled out (all 33 pages....for EACH of us ) and submitted to the legal department at Steve's company's corporate office for initial processing. It's a LONG process to apply for permanent residency here in the States (we have been told to be prepared for a 3-year wait) so it was essential that we not delay any more than was necessary to get things started. Next will be getting everything together to renew our work Visas and my Employment Authorization Card, but thankfully we have a few months before those tasks rise to the top of the pile.

A few other things that have been keeping us hopping for the first half of January:

Steve bought himself a new vehicle (and I am shocked at how much time we ended up sinking in to researching our options and negotiating a good price!!):

.....we have committed to a couple of small home renovation/redecorating projects, including a full update of our guest room (please say a prayer that the new king bedroom suite we have ordered fits in the room!! ) and custom clear glass doors on our master bath tub and shower. I can't believe how much time was sunk into dealing with contractors for the bathroom! All of them needed in-home visits to measure in order to provide quotations, and then there were SO MANY OPTIONS (Glass protection? Frameless, semi-frameless, or full frame? Fixtures color? Glass height? OMG, my brain hurt). We finally made our decision and the glass is now on order. It should be ready to install sometime around the end of the month or early February.

I have finally finished off our photo book from our October trip (another to-do that was really bothering me) and am 90% completed on our general 2018 book. My goal is to wrap up that second book by the end of this week, assuming nothing unexpected arises.

We've managed to find someone qualified to file our 2018 taxes, have made a commitment to get back to the pool at least a couple of times a week (our May trip is roaring up and I don't want to be TOO flabby for that!!), and have scheduled our overdue dental appointments.

I'm actually quite pleased with what we've accomplished, especially since I've been running the show at work for the last two weeks while the owners have been away (one week on business, the other on vacation). My hours have been longer than I'd like, and I've been at the office pretty much every day, even last Saturday for a bit. I expect to have inventory complete by the end of this week, which will be another HUGE load off my shoulders.

Planning for October continues behind the scenes as well. We purchased our Universal annual passes , have secured a more reasonable car rental rate (on a larger vehicle, so double yay there ), and I've ordered a couple of fun custom shirts for us from some very talented Etsy crafters. We've pretty much narrowed down our general itinerary, so as soon as a couple of the meals we want to do (the Marvel Dinner and the Minions breakfast) open up, we can go ahead and book those as well.

So.....with a little luck (and no more unexpected surprises, such as the plumbing emergency we had three days ago ) I should be back to posting some decent updates within the next few days. I'm going to have to get cracking when I DO get back to things, since we will be doing the double digit dance for May by later this coming week .

I hope all of you have had a good couple of weeks. Anyone who is being hit by the big storm this weekend, stay in and stay safe!

 

[juniorbugman]

o.....with a little luck (and no more unexpected surprises, such as the plumbing emergency we had three days ago ) I should be back to posting some decent updates within the next few days.

Gee did the plumbing emergency have to do with your picture above? Maybe the cats were very very bad? LOL

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gee did the plumbing emergency have to do with your picture above? Maybe the cats were very very bad? LOL

Ha, no! Not this time . It had more to do with the incompetent people who installed one of the fixtures when the house was flipped. The cats were innocent .

 

[I-4Bound]

Right there with you...we've had the HVAC repairman and the dryer repairman over in the past 3 weeks. As friendly as these guys are, I'd rather not have them about! LOL. We got a new (to us!) car recently, too! I totaled my beloved Volvo in September, but with all the family illness issues we were dealing with, I couldn't find time to car shop until January. I got a Subaru, and I love it

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Glad to see you back Gina. How life gets in the way!!

 

[Callie]

Sounds like you have been busy! My mom really wants to go to the Henry Ford place this year, so I will for sure let you know when we head up that way! One of our credit cards gets us in for free the first weekend of every month.

 

[bankr63]

Congratulations to Steve (and you) on the new wheels. Great minds think alike:




Question: do you drive it? A+ still hasn't taken our new beast for a drive. Ours has been home since mid-November.

 

[Joanna71985]

No need to apologize! Adulting is never fun

 

[JenLanDisney]

Good to hear that all is well and on track.

I don't post often but I am so excited that we are taking a quick weekend trip to Disney. I can't stand the cold and snow any longer! It's just three nights but we'll squeeze in a visit to MK and EP.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Gina, did you see the MIMES are coming back to Sea World full time? SO exciting!!

 

[JaxDad]

Hey Gina! I’m glad you’re back!

Thanks for the note. If you do manage to get caught up, let me know what it feels like!

The Alaska trip planning is going well. I had some good advice from the Budget board and managed to save quite a bit of money on parts of it. It’s strange for me to lock things up so far in advance AND to actually plan for two whole weeks.

 

[pattyw]

Nice truck!! Joe would LOVE to have a pickup truck again someday!

 

[afan]

And just like ghiradelli samples are back https://wdwnt.com/2019/01/free-samples-return-to-ghirardelli-chocolate-shop-in-disney-springs/

 

[Pumpkin1172]

I am so sorry I have been absent from this report for SO long. I should have taken the time to pop in long before now and let you know what's been keeping me too busy to post, and for that I sincerely apologize. All is well . Crazy nutty chaotic, but good.

Don't be sorry for being absent. Life happens!!!!! We always think that it's going to be better after xmas. Nope...January is just as busy for us as Nov and Dec. and we really try to stay busy as Jan and Feb can be sooo hard to get through with the winter blahs. We try to hit up the big city for a weekend. It definitely helps to get through.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip though. Seeing those pictures of sun, palm trees and warmth are definitely helping with the -30 C days

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

At long last......

Tuesday, October 30th, continued: Disney Springs

We hadn't specifically planned to visit Disney Springs on that particular day, but we definitely needed to walk off our Boma gluttony and the weather was simply spectacular.....so we opted to drive straight there from AKL. Disney Springs is a good place to just hang out and people-watch, so we thought perhaps we'd enjoy a stroll then grab a ride on the Characters in Flight balloon if waits weren't too lengthy.

We drove to the Lime Garage and noted that there were spots still available on pretty much every level, but for a change we opted to go right to the roof. We almost had that entire level to ourselves!

While we didn't really feel any noticeable breeze while at Animal Kingdom Lodge that morning, we could definitely detect a bit of a wind (maybe even more than a "bit") while up on the roof of the garage. We hoped that wouldn't impact our plans to ride the balloon .

We took the elevator down to the second level, then descended the stairs to Disney Springs.

The Springs were awash with yellow and orange decorations to mark the fall season in Orlando. Even the fountains were decked out in seasonal wraps.

Crowds seemed pretty much non-existent on first glance, but we thought perhaps we'd encounter more folks as we made our way further from the garage entrance. We headed first toward Characters in Flight.

Along the way, we admired these Halloween-inspired pots outside one of the stores. I'm thinking I need to recreate these for my house next autumn....so cute!!!

Arriving at Characters in Flight, we noticed the crew all milling about on the ground, and spotted the digital message scrolling along the building that confirmed our suspicions: current wind speeds were such that the balloon was out of service to guests until further notice. Drat . That was disappointing!

We opted to tour around a little bit more and soak up some of that glorious Florida sunshine .

The Town Center area was, surprisingly, almost deserted. It was so empty, in fact, that Steve kept nudging me and saying "You should really take a crowd pic". He likes to have proof when people doubt us . So here ya go, a series of crowd pics! (all taken between 1:30 and 2:00 pm)

We popped into to some stores, window shopped, and just enjoyed the much-needed exercise on such a deliciously perfect weather day (minus that pesky breeze ). Oh, how we wish that Michigan fall was this splendid!

Steve was eager to check out the menu for Chicken Guy!, so we made a point of peeking at the new restaurant while we were in the area.

He's a big fan of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, so I expect that Chicken Guy! might be a stop on a future trip .

Eventually we both needed something to drink, so we decided to head to one of our favorite spots in the Springs: the Coke Store.

This is a must-visit for us on pretty much every visit. Great drinks + a gorgeous view = the best of vacation.

While we love their sample and float trays, floats were DEFINITELY not an option after such a massive morning meal. Steve decided to try something new and ordered one of their alcoholic cocktails, but I wasn't feeling anything that potent that early in the day. It was a Freestyle soda for me

.

Side note: Steve's drink was DELISH. I think we may have to Uber there some evening on a future vacation and just enjoy a few more of their selections while we watch the sun go down.

We kicked back, sipped our beverages.....

.....and enjoyed the view .

We may not have been able to ride Characters in Flight, but it was shaping up to be a perfect afternoon nonetheless!!

We relaxed on the rooftop patio for quite a while before we decided we should make our way back to the garage and return to SVR to ready ourselves for our night at Fort Wilderness. First, though, we had one more stop to make:

Hey, you didn't think I'd bypass an opportunity for a character meet, did you?

We actually had to wait a few minutes for the Coke Bear to return (he was on a short break when we first arrived), but that wait was made quite fun with all the trivia on their electronic displays. We even learned a little fun fact about our beloved homeland!

Another side note: Canadian maple syrup is truly da bomb . There's nothing like it. Not even here in Michigan.

And just like that, we were being ushered down the hallway to meet the store's special guest.

There was no Photopass photographer with the Bear this visit, but the staff member working with him was AMAZING. So much fun and more than willing to capture a few shots with my phone. The Bear was a hoot and interacted with guests so incredibly well. The best Bear meet of any we've had.

We got the "formal" photo:

....and then, a fun one too . "Everyone do your best bear growl! And let's see your paws!"

My day was made, right there .

We stopped by the Characters in Flight balloon on our way back to the garage (just to check) but wind speeds hadn't declined and it was still grounded. We would have to try again another day.

We made the quick drive back to the resort, took some time to freshen up, and readied ourselves for the continuance of our "Disney Day": tonight would be full of spooky fun at our first Return to Sleepy Hollow event.

Stay tuned!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I will try to get back to answer all your other posts later tonight!

 

[chicagoshannon]

We enjoyed Chicken Guy in September. It's on our list for this coming trip. I actually enjoyed the grilled tenders more than the breaded. And I LOVED the fried pickles!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Hey Gina!! I’ve been gone from the disboards for a LONG time too, so just now getting caught up. I can’t wait to hear more about your plans for this upcoming May and October!! I’m going to have to live vicariously through you this year as we have nothing in the pipeline for 2019.. but that’s because we’re expecting a little one in August (nothing has been announced on Facebook yet, but i figure telling you here for a bunch of strangers wouldn’t harm anything ) any plans on doing HHN this fall? I think that’s what I’m going to miss most about not going this year! Anyway, I’m back for the rest of your report, can’t wait to hear the rest!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Right there with you...we've had the HVAC repairman and the dryer repairman over in the past 3 weeks. As friendly as these guys are, I'd rather not have them about! LOL. We got a new (to us!) car recently, too! I totaled my beloved Volvo in September, but with all the family illness issues we were dealing with, I couldn't find time to car shop until January. I got a Subaru, and I love it

We saw some pretty snazzy Subaru's at the North American International Auto Show last weekend....which model did you get? My old boss was a HUGE fan of Subaru's and his cars always seemed indestructible.

I hope you had a wonderful mini-getaway to Orlando......Lord knows you deserved an extra long weekend of fun and relaxation. Here's to less stressful days ahead . And no more unexpected home repairs!!

Glad to see you back Gina. How life gets in the way!!

Thank you! It's good to have things feeling like they're getting back to my 'normal'. I hate it when I let responsibilities pile up and get me behind.

Sounds like you have been busy! My mom really wants to go to the Henry Ford place this year, so I will for sure let you know when we head up that way! One of our credit cards gets us in for free the first weekend of every month.

It would be so very awesome to meet you and your mom in person!! We are only 20 minutes from the Henry Ford so heck girl, we can even meet you there! It's an incredible place, I think you'll really be impressed by all the museum has to offer.

Congratulations to Steve (and you) on the new wheels. Great minds think alike:




Question: do you drive it? A+ still hasn't taken our new beast for a drive. Ours has been home since mid-November.

Sweet wheels, my friend!!! Love the blacktop version!!!

As for driving it, that would be a big HECK NO . I have no interest in trying to pilot such a massive vehicle. I drive a Fiesta sedan, so the Ram is a major size difference. I'm not a big fan of driving, period......I do so because I have somewhere to go, not because it ever brings me any kind of joy. But I'm weird like that. I fact, I'm weird in a lot of ways , that's just one of my many unique takes on life .

No need to apologize! Adulting is never fun

I hate starting things and not following through.....so knowing that this report was left hanging was driving me bonkers .

Good to hear that all is well and on track.

I don't post often but I am so excited that we are taking a quick weekend trip to Disney. I can't stand the cold and snow any longer! It's just three nights but we'll squeeze in a visit to MK and EP.

How fun!! When do you leave?

I'd give my eye teeth for a little getaway....to ANYWHERE. Florida, though.....well, that's just the best mini escape I could ask for. I'm so happy for you! (and a teeny bit envious.....the good kind of jealous, of course )

Gina, did you see the MIMES are coming back to Sea World full time? SO exciting!!

THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! How rotten that I probably won't get to see them, though . Our current AP's expire on our arrival day in May, so unless we can squeak in a few hours on the afternoon we get there, we won't likely have park passes again for at least a year. That said, I'm glad that the park management has decided to bring them back. What a great move by SeaWorld!

Hey Gina! I’m glad you’re back!

Thanks for the note. If you do manage to get caught up, let me know what it feels like!

The Alaska trip planning is going well. I had some good advice from the Budget board and managed to save quite a bit of money on parts of it. It’s strange for me to lock things up so far in advance AND to actually plan for two whole weeks.

What an amazing experience that will be for your family. Your kids are so fortunate to be able to visit such cool places at such young ages!

And to save some good $$$ at the same time? Well, that's just the icing on the cake . Gotta love the Dis community!

Nice truck!! Joe would LOVE to have a pickup truck again someday!

This is Steve's first truck, so its been a pretty big change for him. He's absolutely loving it, though.....especially now that winter has descended on us with a vengeance. Perhaps Joe should get an early Father's Day gift?

And just like ghiradelli samples are back https://wdwnt.com/2019/01/free-samples-return-to-ghirardelli-chocolate-shop-in-disney-springs/

Wahoo! The world needs more chocolate .

And you know, it was a relatively small gesture that gave visitors a really good feeling. I like to see those "little things" remain intact.

Don't be sorry for being absent. Life happens!!!!! We always think that it's going to be better after xmas. Nope...January is just as busy for us as Nov and Dec. and we really try to stay busy as Jan and Feb can be sooo hard to get through with the winter blahs. We try to hit up the big city for a weekend. It definitely helps to get through.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip though. Seeing those pictures of sun, palm trees and warmth are definitely helping with the -30 C days

Ugh, the weather has been SO dreadful here lately that I'm seriously yearning for our next trip. The cold, the snow, the freezing rain and the endless dreariness are so draining. I need sunshine and warm breezes . C'mon, May!!

We enjoyed Chicken Guy in September. It's on our list for this coming trip. I actually enjoyed the grilled tenders more than the breaded. And I LOVED the fried pickles!

I'm a chicken girl, so its definitely a place we have to visit at least once. I'll have to let Steve know about the fried pickles. I bet he'd love them too!!

Hey Gina!! I’ve been gone from the disboards for a LONG time too, so just now getting caught up. I can’t wait to hear more about your plans for this upcoming May and October!! I’m going to have to live vicariously through you this year as we have nothing in the pipeline for 2019.. but that’s because we’re expecting a little one in August (nothing has been announced on Facebook yet, but i figure telling you here for a bunch of strangers wouldn’t harm anything ) any plans on doing HHN this fall? I think that’s what I’m going to miss most about not going this year! Anyway, I’m back for the rest of your report, can’t wait to hear the rest!

OMG!!! Congratulations to you and Jeremy!!!! You must be just about bursting with excitement! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you both . How are you feeling? And when will you find out if you're having a little Harry or Hermione?

We will definitely be doing HHN on our October trip . We bought the Premier Annual Passes which come with an HHN ticket, so all we will have to purchase is an RIP tour. We are trying to do as much as we can with our year of admission.....we plan to do the Marvel character dinner and the Minions breakfast in May, HHN in October, and hopefully the Blue Man Group on one of those two trips (haven't decided where we will slot that one in just yet, but I'm leaning toward May). We are super excited to be heading back to Universal! I've been working on assembling a full slate of matching t-shirts for our May park days. Poor Steve .

 

[Joanna71985]

I really enjoy Guy's TV shows, so I can't wait to try the restaurant! I also need to visit the coke store