"When I went it was all lights, and music, and Mickey doin' his magic." — Aug. '18 Disneyversary TR — Completed (Finally!!) August 20, 2021

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[pkondz]

But what will Ariel say?

 

[Tracy161]

Thank you so much, Tracy!! I know you understand exactly how good it feels when all the hard work pays off!

I sure do! It's SO. MUCH. WORK! But so worth it in the end I've been out of school now for a year and some nights I still think "Ugh, how much homework do I have tonight?" Again, a HUGE CONGRATS!!!!!!!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hi Meghan!
Nice to see you updating again.
Congrats on the Masters degree. I can only imagine how much hard work went into it. I have to confess I had no interest in going back to university after my Bachelors degree.

I really like the idea of doing early morning magic. My family enjoys breakfast so I feel like we could get our money’s worth out of it.

 

[Steppesister]

Thank you! I'm definitely proud, and feeling very relieved to have it done!

As you should be!

Today, however, was probably the most fun I'd ever had with Merida

I loved my meet with her as well. Not any discussion so much as I just love the photo.

Stitch "licked" my face with a slurpy sound, and I told him I'd never wash it again

Awww!

In her thick-as-pea-soup southern drawl, she proclaimed: "When I went...it was all lights (laaa-eeets,) and music (meeeyooooo-sic,) and Mickey doin' his magic (maayuh-gic)!!"

That is so great!! I love to hear people's enthusiasm with things like this! Especially to Newbies.

I reached down into my shorts pocket for my nearly-dead cell phone to double check whether we were in our Splash Mountain FP window...and my hand came up empty!!!

1000% have done this EXACT. SAME. THING. 1st ride of our 2016 trip.... TT. Worse feeling EVER!!!

Suddenly, a break in the case! N's phone began to ring!

The plot thickens...

Before leaving for any trips, I had always changed my phone's lock screen to include a message that if it was found to call N's phone number. (I've since updated that message to say that it should be returned to an employee, or lost and found! Much more efficient! But, I digress.)

This is an insanely great tip. Totally going to do this!

I was feeling warm, dehydrated, and a bit nauseas from the heat and the panic.

Uh oh... a possible turn for a more dramatic story....

the absolute hero of this story. That man's name is Jim At Guest Relations. And he saved my life that day.

And a good story ALWAYS has a hero....

Crisis averted!

And a happy ending!

 

[MeghanEmily]

And didn't lose second or first breakfast!

He has a very strong stomach! I'm envious!

Maybe I should make a point of seeing her next time.

I recommend it. Though you may have to tread carefully since I know you have a special relationship with a different redheaded princess.

Certainly not shy, is he.

Stitch is many things, but shy doesn't seem to be one of them!

Awww... but with the accent, I kinda want to laugh, too.

I felt the same way. It was lovely, and also made me chuckle

Oh! Smart.
Maybe do both things? Have N's phone and instructions to bring to a CM?

Technically I actually have done both. I have instructions to return to a CM ("employee," really, as I've decided to leave this photo up full time, not just at Disney anymore,) and then also list emergency contacts below, including Nathan and another family member who doesn't usually travel with us. I figure it covers my bases in case anything were to ever happen when someone would need to know who to call, etc.

No, it's not just a thing. I mean, of course it is, but... think of losing your wedding photos. Or your home in a fire. Just things? Yes. But some of those things will be irreplaceable.

Very true.

Ohhhh... I'd love to do this some day. I've wanted to for decades.

I know it's hard to pull oneself away from the parks, but I'd say that it's really worth doing sometime when you have time! I hope you can fit it into your plans at some point.

mmmm!! Love BOG French onion soup! Only reason (no. really. only reason) to go there.

Soo good!! I don't eat it anymore due to allergies, but I still remember it. <3

Giant tadpole? What the heck is that?

It looks like it! Octopus...close enough.

But what will Ariel say?

I had the same thought!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I sure do! It's SO. MUCH. WORK! But so worth it in the end I've been out of school now for a year and some nights I still think "Ugh, how much homework do I have tonight?" Again, a HUGE CONGRATS!!!!!!!

Yes! I still occasionally have dreams about being in school, or nightmares about not having studied for an exam, etc.

Thank you!

Hi Meghan!
Nice to see you updating again.
Congrats on the Masters degree. I can only imagine how much hard work went into it. I have to confess I had no interest in going back to university after my Bachelors degree.

I really like the idea of doing early morning magic. My family enjoys breakfast so I feel like we could get our money’s worth out of it.

Thanks so much! And I completely understand that. I wasn't sure I'd go back after my Bachelor's either, and I took a couple of years off to work in between. (I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I finished my first degree!) But I fell out of love with my office job pretty quickly, and there's only so much you can do with a music degree if you don't want to teach or perform music for a living, so it was back to the drawing board! A long haul, but worth it

Yeah, I'd definitely recommend Early Morning Magic once things settle down and all the regular offerings come back to the park again. I'd say it's worth the cost, at least to try it once. We're big breakfast fans as well, so I loved that there were lots of good breakfast options included. (Though I'd say we actually preferred the breakfast offerings at the DHS EMM when we tried that one.)

I loved my meet with her as well. Not any discussion so much as I just love the photo.

Merida's the best <3 All that curly hair makes her especially photogenic in character photos

That is so great!! I love to hear people's enthusiasm with things like this! Especially to Newbies.

Agreed! It was so perfect!

1000% have done this EXACT. SAME. THING. 1st ride of our 2016 trip.... TT. Worse feeling EVER!!!

Oh my gosh, your stomach just drops. The very worst! Sorry that you've been through this as well.

This is an insanely great tip. Totally going to do this!

I forget where I originally saw this. Some travel website or something that said to put contact info on your lock screen in case the phone gets lost.

 

[pkondz]

He has a very strong stomach! I'm envious!

I bet!

I recommend it. Though you may have to tread carefully since I know you have a special relationship with a different redheaded princess.

I gots my chick and my side-chick.

Okay, that's... bizarre that people do that. I will merely maintain a completely responsible and non-marrying relationship with Merida. Unless Ariel slips out of my hands and swims away. Then all bets are off!

Stitch is many things, but shy doesn't seem to be one of them!

Technically I actually have done both. I have instructions to return to a CM ("employee," really, as I've decided to leave this photo up full time, not just at Disney anymore,) and then also list emergency contacts below, including Nathan and another family member who doesn't usually travel with us. I figure it covers my bases in case anything were to ever happen when someone would need to know who to call, etc.

I know it's hard to pull oneself away from the parks, but I'd say that it's really worth doing sometime when you have time! I hope you can fit it into your plans at some point.

I'd really like to.

It looks like it! Octopus...close enough.

Big chunk of octopus? That'd probably be a bit too much for me.

 

[Steppesister]

Just making sure I didn't miss anything. Hi Megan!

 

[MeghanEmily]

*yawns* hmmmmmmaaaaaaawwwhhhh! Morning, folks! How's everybody doing?....



....oh wait...you guys look different...

...Jeez...I feel like I've been hit by a truck...How long was I out for?

*crickets*

...wait? A YEAR??!?!!!?! It's been A WHOLE YEAR?!?!?!

I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN A WHOLE YEEEEEEEAARRRR???!?!?!

How in tarnation did THAT happen???

*takes a moment to look at my track record of coming back to write updates on this report with any kind of consistency...*

...yeah, no, that tracks. Never mind.

I mean, not like any of us saw this coming or anything. I did have high hopes...
​

Now that all that's said...let's see if I can actually get this TR wrapped up before the end of this monstrosity of a year called 2020...

Hah!
​

Yeah you're back!!!!!!!!!!! Now you better not go doing a disappearing act again.

HAAAHH!

Whoops! Sorry folks! It's been so long that I don't even remember what font/colours I was using. (Hopefully this will be close!) It's been so long that I had to give myself a crash course on how to multi-quote. It's been so long that I misplaced the external hard drive with the trip photos on it and had to go digging in that scary bottom drawer of my desk. *shudder* Hmmm...how do I insert photos again??....what photo hosting site was it that I used to use...hmmm..... But it's okay because I'm here now! And surely! Surely to god I can finish TWO MORE UPDATES before I crap out on you all again. Right? ....right?!?!

So since it's been a YEAR (oh gosh, I'm so sorry folks...) since I was here last...(I mean, technically it's actually been over a year, but I digress...) in case there's anyone still out there, I'll give a life update! I always used to do that in the blue text right? Gosh, I don't remember...it's been so long...gotta get back in the groove...



So last I left off, I had finished my master's degree in human communication disorders and had just become a full-fledged speech-language pathologist! Last summer I interviewed for a job, got one, lost it to the pandemic before the contract was sent out, and then interviewed for another job, then got it, and was hired on as a school speech-language pathologist. I did that all last year, which...let me tell you...last year was A TIME to start working in schools for the very first time! Oh boy! If you want to steepen the learning curve of your very first big-girl job, start working during a global pandemic!! But I really enjoyed my job and developed some relationships with some incredibly special kids. I still think about them all the time. My job last year was a term, however, so I needed to find something for this fall as well. My schools/team/boss seemed to like me alright though, so when interviews came around again this year, I was hopeful that I'd be able to secure something that would allow me to stick with the same school district. And lo and behold, this fall I'll be starting a brand new position with my school district that was designed to be filled by SLPs called "ASD (autism spectrum disorder) Early Intervention Communication Specialist!" It's a VERRRY long title, so that must mean that I'm a VERRRY important person, right!? RIGHT! It's also a full-time job—my last one was 70%—and I believe that it has the potential to turn into something permanent—my last one was only a 1-year term—and it's a 10-month position—my last one was 12-month—(meaning that I work a teacher's schedule now and will have summers off and have my 10 months of pay divided up over the 12 months of the year,) so I'm moving on up in the world!



<

Oh, also I dyed my hair back and grew it back out. Obviously. No more fun colours for me. At least...for now.

Since I GUESSSSSS this report is also about dear sweet N, I'll also update you a little on him as well. N continues to paint commissions, both in spray paint and acrylic, but to say that the pandemic didn't affect his business would be a lie. More important than the financial hit, he also misses doing events and shows terribly, and he loved travelling and painting from one city to the next. Just this summer, for the first time, small local events have started to pop back up again with restrictions in place, and he's been able to finally get a taste of live painting for an actual in-person audience again, and this has made him happy. In all the free time that the pandemic so kindly opened up for him, however, we both felt the need for him to get a "real job." N is a hard worker and very likeable, so he landed himself a couple of customer-support-type jobs right away doing phone support. This wasn't cutting it for him though, and he felt like his soul was being slowly sucked from his body. He's done a lot of this type of work over the years, but it's not really something he enjoys, so he was hoping to find something different. He kept looking and ended up landing a position before too long as an IT Support Specialist with my school district. They love him (because he's awesome.) He started in a casual position, but proved himself quickly and actually managed to move into a permanent full-time gig before I (the person with the master's degree!) did, which he thinks is hilarious. He'll always paint in some capacity, of this we're sure. Whether he will return to painting full-time again in future is yet to be seen. For the meantime, we're working, we're healthy, and we're both okay.



Oh! And Stacey! Well...let's see...Stacey J. Aswad is still a cat. She continues be to sassy. I still love her. That's all.



We actually attempted to rescue a second cat back in the winter. His name was Marty, (as in Martin A. Sklar,) and he was a serious sweetie. But Stacey absolutely wouldn't have it. We worried about both of their safety and happiness. After trying to carefully and systematically introduce them and make it work for about 2 months, we had to have the shelter find a different home for him. Stacey is a very dominant one-cat-home kinda girl, and we sadly needed to respect this. So it's still just the three of us, a girl, her husband, and their sassy Disney cat.



My niece ("I") will turn four this fall. She's becoming more and more photogenic for her "Auntie Mimi" every day!



On N's side of the family, our pandemic-baby nephew is somehow now 16 months old!? And we've just been informed that we've got another niece or nephew on the way! (My vote is for niece! Someone needs to keep all those three boys my sister-in-laws have birthed in line! )

Pandemic life has also meant that we've spent a lot more time appreciating our local area, rather than travelling longer distances. We've spent more time in nature, doing more walking, and frequenting local lakes and rivers (N taught me to fish!) and even bought a second-hand canoe. We've barbecued, enjoyed our family more, and tried to make the most of the fun things to do in our area and the provinces nearest us on the east coast.

















Last weekend we also took an overnight trip to Prince Edward Island, which is one of my favourite places to visit. We enjoyed the beach, good food, and a slower pace for a couple of days. I attempted to "vlog" our trip, but was terrible at it. I might edit the videos at some point anyway and share them, but we'll see. I know how it goes when I try to commit to any kind of vacation/trip reporting these days! But PEI was beautiful and we had a wonderful weekend away.



















I've kept in touch with many of the DIS folks I know more personally through social media, but there are still many folks on here who I haven't heard from or reached out to in a loooooooonnnggg time. If that's you, and we haven't been in touch much since my mysterious disappearance from the DIS (or even if it's not, I guess!) then please comment or reach out and let me know what you've been up to! Sometimes it's been hard to think about Disney trips over the last year, and I haven't had the urge to be here the way I used to in a long time, but regardless I've still been missing my sweet DIS friends. Also, feel free to post here and let me know if you have a new trip report going that I should follow! I'll do my best to check for some links in people's signatures and check in on what you've been up to, but if you want to make sure I don't miss you, then give me a shout! Since I've been struggling to DIS-it-up consistently over the last couple of years, and since I'm about to move into a full-time job in a few short days, I may not be a consistent follower and commenter. I'm hopeful, however, that I'll be able to at least lurk when I'm able. You may not "see" me much, but when I can be, I'll be there.

Finally, N and I celebrated our 4-year (4 "ear") wedding anniversary this week. And so I include a few of my favourite wedding trip photos again here because they make me smile.











And my astonishment that it had somehow been 4 years since we got married quickly gave way to my bewilderment that that meant it had also been 3 years since our 1st anniversary trip...and that I'd somehow STILL never finished that report...and so here I am...and the show must go on...or perhaps more appropriately, the show must conclude. I mean, it's time. It's really time.

And so without further ado...the final updates...​

 

[MeghanEmily]

"A Place Where Dreams Come True and Pennies Cost Fifty-One Cents"
Aug. 26—Part 3

My last update left off after a dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant, which had recently switched to a signature meal for dinner at that time. If you didn't remember that's where we left off, don't beat yourself up. It's only been a year, but that's fine.

Since this was our last night, we should have been resting up and going to bed nice and early, especially after having a really early start to the day with Early Morning Magic. Instead....we stayed at the park until late-ish and did a dessert party.

But first! After dinner we had time for some rides and things first. Our first stop was the Jungle Cruise, since it only had about a 20 minute wait. While they were loading the boat, the skipper was trying to get people to sit closer together in their parties to make space, and he began in with his witty banter, saying: "The family that sits together sticks together...it's called humidity! Welcome to Florida!...It's a place where dreams come true and pennies cost fifty-one cents!"







After our ride, I have a note that we headed toward the Emporium (stopping to photograph mini-Haynnk on the way, of course.)



I had bought one of those lanyards with the little plastic pouches that holds your ID/tickets/etc, and the pouch was beginning to break. I didn't have the receipt with me, but of course Disney customer service is amazing, and they took the old one and replaced it with a new intact one.

N loves looking at the art in the store across Main St., so we went there next. Then we booked [what I suspect were] same-day FPs for Dumbo, and then for Pirates. Time for a little Photopass I Spy! See if you can locate us on the boat!





We took a ride on Buzz once again...



...and then I tried to get some pressed pennies outside the ride. (I guess that comment about the 51-cent pennies was like advertising for my brain? )When my pennies came out of the machine, however, the print was offset and was cut off on one side. I mentioned it to a cast member I saw nearby, and they took me into one of the gift shops and replaced my messed up pennies with some shiny correctly-printed ones that they had in a stash in one of their drawers.

We stopped for a photopass photographer on our way back to the hub, and let me tell you, she was enthusiastic! I was just looking for a shot or two before dark, but this lady was ready to have some fun! She gave us all kinds of poses to try. Not everything worked out as well as I think she'd hoped, but there were a few cute pictures to come out of the experience, and we all had a lot of fun.







We even got this cute little Jack-Jack magic shot that I hadn't seen elsewhere:



This was back in the pre-pandemic days of dessert parties, and at the time you could book a dessert party in one of two possible ways: either to eat dessert before "Happily Ever After," or to watch the fireworks first and have your dessert after. We chose the "after" type of dessert party, even though we knew it would make for a late last night of our trip. I'd read reviews and had friends who'd done both, and the consensus was that the "after" party was nice because you could stake out a good viewing spot in advance, watch the fireworks, and then enjoy your dessert in a very quiet park as everyone else was leaving.



I had my new-at-the-time camera with me, and had packed a flimsy-but-very-collapsible-and-acceptable-for-the-parks tripod. I was still very much learning how to take fireworks photos with a tripod and remote for a longer exposure, but I wanted to give it a shot. We checked in to the garden viewing area just after 8:00pm and found a spot at the very back by the railing so I could set up my tripod without obstructing anyone's view.



Of course, two "shoulder kids" ended up plunking themselves directly in front of me with a few minutes to go before the fireworks started. But aside from that, this was an awesome space and was good for taking photos. Since I abandoned this trip report off and on for the better part of 2+ years, I never did get around to going back and editing most of my fireworks photos, but I'll post some here anyway.

While I'm certainly not a professional, and could definitely use to take a photography class or two, I still always enjoy the chance to take unique pictures on our Disney trips. I so cherish them when I go back to look at them and remember the memories we've made. I'm beginning to recognize even more so now how valuable these photos are to me now that it's been ~20 months since we've been able to take a Disney trip.



I really like Happily Ever After. It's grown on me since it first was introduced shortly before our wedding trip. I love the music, and I think it's got some really great moments. That said, it's never really hit me the same nostalgic way as some of the other nighttime shows I've really loved...Wishes, Illuminations, Fantastmic!, and even to an extent (don't judge me here...) EPCOT Forever. I'll always enjoy it, and I won't be upset if it comes back again in future years, but I'm also excited to see what's in the works for Disney Enchantment. (Hopefully it'll hang around long enough for our borders to be fully open and Canada-US travel to become more commonplace and encouraged again, so N and I can go see it someday!)

After the fireworks, it was time to check out the dessert offerings...coming up next!​

 

[MeghanEmily]

The Last Update
Aug. 26—Part 4

Alright, folks. This is it. The last update.

After the fireworks, we headed over to our reserved dessert party table for some treats.

N went up to the dessert tables and put together a couple of plates, while I spoke to a CM who disappeared to find me a separate allergy plate.

N's [often]gluten-containing desserts throughout the night looked like this...

And I was offered this massive plate of fruits, gluten free loaf slices, cookies, and mini cupcakes from Erin McKenna's NYC Bakery.

I have a note that it seems we were under some kind of air vent that kept dripping water on the chairs and tables? I have no memory of this now whatsoever, but I'm sure it wasn't the best part of the night.

We enjoyed ourselves at the dessert party, but I remember feeling like the clock was ticking on our last moments of our trip, which made it hard not to feel sad. We also felt like the desserts were fine, but nothing to get too psyched about. For the cost of the dessert party, we felt like we had to stuff ourselves with sugar to make it "worth it." (And after having a large meal for dinner, that proved impossible.) After all the amazing experiences we'd had on our anniversary trip...surfing lessons, Discovery Cove, early morning photo shoot, Early Morning Magic, some amazing meals, the Halloween party, tours, etc., the dessert party felt just okay, and like less of a value for our money than some of the other things we did. But it offered us a great non-crowded location to view the fireworks, and a little downtime with some decent treats. All in all, not a bad thing. We wouldn't make a habit of it in future, but maybe for a show we really cared about.

I also seem to recall that when we booked the "after" dessert party that it was slated to end after park closing, but that at some point before our trip the park hours were extended and we would now be getting out of the party before the park actually closed. (It's also possible that I'm remembering this incorrectly after *ahem THREE YEARS ahem* and maybe we just left the dessert party earlier than we anticipated or something? But I feel like it was the former option.) This put a damper on my plans of leaving a near-empty Magic Kingdom, feeling like we had the park to ourselves. But it also ended up being a good thing because it meant that we could sneak in one more ride on the Peoplemover.

We stuck around for the Kiss Goodnight, a lovely little farewell moment I'd come to look forward to after experiencing it on a previous trip.

When we returned to the resort, we still had to pack some things. I always leave this bit to the last minute. I hate packing when it means that the trip is over! But we gathered up our things and got to bed somewhere around midnight. The next morning it was time to go home, and we started to float back, in an overtired stupor, toward reality. N was painting at a show in Toronto that next weekend, so we just couldn't stick around any longer. I drove to Toronto with N and helped him out at his event, and then I flew home to be back in time for my first classes, while N made the drive home behind me.

Back at home, I gathered up the pins I'd bought on our trip, and combined them with the few I already had from previous Disney/Universal trips.

At the time I thought this was an insane number of pins. If I could have imagined how my pin collection would grow over the three years that followed, I would have been shocked!

And that's a wrap! If anyone is still here, thanks for sticking it out and coming back to read more whenever I found my way back for another update. I truly value you all so much, and it means the world to me that you've given me a reason to write these reports over the years, never letting me feel like I'm just typing into the void. I'm not sure how long it will be until we have the opportunity to visit "The Bubble" again. Back before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, we had a WDW trip booked for May 2020 and our first ever Disneyland trip booked for August 2020. Obviously those trips didn't happen. In the back of my head, I wonder if there could be a summer 2022 trip in our futures, but that's very much up in the air right now. My mom is also hoping to be able to take my niece for her first WDW trip sometime in the next couple of years, so we've tossed around October 2022 as a potential date depending on what the world looks like then. (Like most teachers, I won't really have the option to take vacation whenever I'd like, but I would consider going down and back for a long weekend in the fall if my family would already be down there.) Everyone is different, but my mom and I both tend to live on the more cautious side, as does N to a lesser extent, so we're all staying fairly close to home these days and waiting to see how things shake out over the next months. N and I also talk often about the other places we'd also like to travel—I know, blasphemy!—so it's hard to say where we might prioritize first when we feel able and comfortable to travel again. For now...

On behalf of everyone here at ["When I went it was all lights, and music, and Mickey doin' his magic,"] we thank you for joining us today for a magic gathering of family, friends, fun, and fantasy...Thank you, and goodnight.

​

 

[cindianne320]

I was so happy to log in and see your update! How fun to relive pre-pandemic memories!

Congrats on your new career! I am a 2nd grade teacher, and love our schedule!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I was so happy to log in and see your update! How fun to relive pre-pandemic memories!

So glad you're here! I'm so happy to finally have come back to finish it.

Congrats on your new career! I am a 2nd grade teacher, and love our schedule!

Thanks so much! The teaching schedule is fantastic I just switched into my new position as of August, and our school year starts after Labor Day, so I actually started "work" with half a summer's worth of vacation left! Grade 2 is such a great age.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ahh Meghan so nice to hear about all your new life and career adventures,
I hope we can meet up again someday at our Happy Place!
Good luck with your new position, so happy for you!
I miss the dessert parties in MK

 

[MeghanEmily]

Ahh Meghan so nice to hear about all your new life and career adventures,
I hope we can meet up again someday at our Happy Place!
Good luck with your new position, so happy for you!
I miss the dessert parties in MK

Thanks for coming back after all this time, Caroline! I've really enjoyed the couple of Dismeets we've been lucky enough to have, and I hope we get more again someday! (And I appreciate the great photos Andi took for us!) I know, I can't wait until some of those things are able to come back again. I know dessert parties are a big one for a lot of us. The things I want back are early morning magic, and also the H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[pkondz]

*yawns* hmmmmmmaaaaaaawwwhhhh! Morning, folks! How's everybody doing?....

The font is familiar, but I can't place the face...

...Jeez...I feel like I've been hit by a truck...How long was I out for?

427 days.

Not that I'm counting...

*takes a moment to look at my track record of coming back to write updates on this report with any kind of consistency...*

...yeah, no, that tracks. Never mind.

had to go digging in that scary bottom drawer of my desk. *shudder*

No! Anything but that!

Surely to god I can finish TWO MORE UPDATES before I crap out on you all again. Right? ....right?!?!

So last I left off, I had finished my master's degree in human communication disorders and had just become a full-fledged speech-language pathologist!

I do recall.

let me tell you...last year was A TIME to start working in schools for the very first time!

Of that I am quite sure.

My eldest DD started her practicum last September. They started her out with a mentor/teacher shadower but quickly gave her her own class when they split them into smaller sizes for social distance. Then in January, a different school called her university begging them for help and she was their first pick. She taught a 3-4 class independently for the rest of the year. (She was given an early "graduation" even though she didn't get her diploma until June.)
She did it all. Full class, split class, split class with in-person and video distance teaching. Baptism by fire.

But I really enjoyed my job and developed some relationships with some incredibly special kids.

I'm glad to hear that.

this fall I'll be starting a brand new position with my school district that was designed to be filled by SLPs called "ASD (autism spectrum disorder) Early Intervention Communication Specialist!"

Congratulations!

It's a VERRRY long title, so that must mean that I'm a VERRRY important person, right!? RIGHT!

You already were.

Look at you! You're hair is so long! Totally suits you. Love it.

Oh, also I dyed my hair back and grew it back out.

I thought that was the original hue.

N continues to paint commissions, both in spray paint and acrylic, but to say that the pandemic didn't affect his business would be a lie.

I would think so.

N is a hard worker and very likeable, so he landed himself a couple of customer-support-type jobs right away doing phone support. This wasn't cutting it for him though, and he felt like his soul was being slowly sucked from his body.

And... I can totally see that.

He started in a casual position, but proved himself quickly and actually managed to move into a permanent full-time gig before I (the person with the master's degree!) did, which he thinks is hilarious.

But good for him!

Aww, what a cutie patootie.

(N taught me to fish!)

Hey! And do you like it? (Or tolerate it?)

and even bought a second-hand canoe.

Very nice!
Youngest DD wants me to go halfers with her on a kayak. Have my reservations.
I'm sure I'll pay 50%, but she'll take 100% ownership.

Beautiful shots.

Last weekend we also took an overnight trip to Prince Edward Island, which is one of my favourite places to visit.

I'd love to go some day. I've been to Nova Scotia, but that's it.

mmmmmmm... yes please.

I've kept in touch with many of the DIS folks I know more personally through social media, but there are still many folks on here who I haven't heard from or reached out to in a loooooooonnnggg time.

let me know if you have a new trip report going that I should follow!

Nope! Same one. Believe you're caught up on it. I still need to put up another chapter, but I've been busy working.

And so I include a few of my favourite wedding trip photos again here because they make me smile.

Love your wedding photos.

 

[pkondz]

My last update left off after a dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant,

Oh, sure. I totally remember that.

Our first stop was the Jungle Cruise,

Just saw the movie a couple nights ago. Have you seen it?

"The family that sits together sticks together...it's called humidity! Welcome to Florida!

It's a place where dreams come true and pennies cost fifty-one cents!"

(stopping to photograph mini-Haynnk on the way, of course.)

But of course.

N loves looking at the art in the store across Main St

This surprises... no one.

See if you can locate us on the boat!

Last row!

Poor N fell asleep. You must've beat him handily!

...and then I tried to get some pressed pennies outside the ride. (I guess that comment about the 51-cent pennies was like advertising for my brain? )

We stopped for a photopass photographer on our way back to the hub, and let me tell you, she was enthusiastic! I was just looking for a shot or two before dark, but this lady was ready to have some fun!

Really like this one.

We even got this cute little Jack-Jack magic shot that I hadn't seen elsewhere:

Never seen that one either.

I'd read reviews and had friends who'd done both, and the consensus was that the "after" party was nice because you could stake out a good viewing spot in advance, watch the fireworks, and then enjoy your dessert in a very quiet park as everyone else was leaving.

Interesting.
I haven't done the after, but we did enjoy having dessert to snack on while watching from a nice table.

Of course, two "shoulder kids" ended up plunking themselves directly in front of me with a few minutes to go before the fireworks started.

Of course.

I never did get around to going back and editing most of my fireworks photos, but I'll post some here anyway.

Thanks for posting. You got some good ones!

I'm beginning to recognize even more so now how valuable these photos are to me now that it's been ~20 months since we've been able to take a Disney trip.

Oh, I hear you. And who knows when we'll get back again!

I really like Happily Ever After. It's grown on me since it first was introduced shortly before our wedding trip. I love the music, and I think it's got some really great moments.

I never really got the chance to decide if I liked it or not. I did see it a couple times, but... not enough to make a decision. Ah well, I'll never see it again, so shan't dwell on it.

 

[pkondz]

Alright, folks. This is it. The last update.

So soon? It feels like the first chapter was just the other day!

Ice cream?!?!? They had ice cream?!?!

And I was offered this massive plate of fruits, gluten free loaf slices, cookies, and mini cupcakes from Erin McKenna's NYC Bakery.

Not bad!

I have a note that it seems we were under some kind of air vent that kept dripping water on the chairs and tables? I have no memory of this now whatsoever, but I'm sure it wasn't the best part of the night.

Sounds... not great. But I guess it couldn't have been that bad if you don't remember it.

I remember feeling like the clock was ticking on our last moments of our trip, which made it hard not to feel sad.

I get that.

For the cost of the dessert party, we felt like we had to stuff ourselves with sugar to make it "worth it."

I actually felt I was paying for a nice place to sit, not be jostled and have a nice view of the show. The dessert was a perk.

But it offered us a great non-crowded location to view the fireworks

It's also possible that I'm remembering this incorrectly after *ahem THREE YEARS ahem*

Ah! There it is.

I hate packing when it means that the trip is over!

I KNOW!!!!

At the time I thought this was an insane number of pins. If I could have imagined how my pin collection would grow over the three years that followed, I would have been shocked!

If anyone is still here, thanks for sticking it out and coming back to read more whenever I found my way back for another update.

Still here. Always a pleasure to read your updates.
Thanks for coming back and finishing.

 

[docsoliday1]

*yawns* hmmmmmmaaaaaaawwwhhhh! Morning, folks! How's everybody doing?....



....oh wait...you guys look different...

...Jeez...I feel like I've been hit by a truck...How long was I out for?

*crickets*

...wait? A YEAR??!?!!!?! It's been A WHOLE YEAR?!?!?!

I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN A WHOLE YEEEEEEEAARRRR???!?!?!

How in tarnation did THAT happen???

*takes a moment to look at my track record of coming back to write updates on this report with any kind of consistency...*

...yeah, no, that tracks. Never mind.

I mean, not like any of us saw this coming or anything. I did have high hopes...



Hah!



HAAAHH!

Whoops! Sorry folks! It's been so long that I don't even remember what font/colours I was using. (Hopefully this will be close!) It's been so long that I had to give myself a crash course on how to multi-quote. It's been so long that I misplaced the external hard drive with the trip photos on it and had to go digging in that scary bottom drawer of my desk. *shudder* Hmmm...how do I insert photos again??....what photo hosting site was it that I used to use...hmmm..... But it's okay because I'm here now! And surely! Surely to god I can finish TWO MORE UPDATES before I crap out on you all again. Right? ....right?!?!

So since it's been a YEAR (oh gosh, I'm so sorry folks...) since I was here last...(I mean, technically it's actually been over a year, but I digress...) in case there's anyone still out there, I'll give a life update! I always used to do that in the blue text right? Gosh, I don't remember...it's been so long...gotta get back in the groove...



So last I left off, I had finished my master's degree in human communication disorders and had just become a full-fledged speech-language pathologist! Last summer I interviewed for a job, got one, lost it to the pandemic before the contract was sent out, and then interviewed for another job, then got it, and was hired on as a school speech-language pathologist. I did that all last year, which...let me tell you...last year was A TIME to start working in schools for the very first time! Oh boy! If you want to steepen the learning curve of your very first big-girl job, start working during a global pandemic!! But I really enjoyed my job and developed some relationships with some incredibly special kids. I still think about them all the time. My job last year was a term, however, so I needed to find something for this fall as well. My schools/team/boss seemed to like me alright though, so when interviews came around again this year, I was hopeful that I'd be able to secure something that would allow me to stick with the same school district. And lo and behold, this fall I'll be starting a brand new position with my school district that was designed to be filled by SLPs called "ASD (autism spectrum disorder) Early Intervention Communication Specialist!" It's a VERRRY long title, so that must mean that I'm a VERRRY important person, right!? RIGHT! It's also a full-time job—my last one was 70%—and I believe that it has the potential to turn into something permanent—my last one was only a 1-year term—and it's a 10-month position—my last one was 12-month—(meaning that I work a teacher's schedule now and will have summers off and have my 10 months of pay divided up over the 12 months of the year,) so I'm moving on up in the world!



<

Oh, also I dyed my hair back and grew it back out. Obviously. No more fun colours for me. At least...for now.

Since I GUESSSSSS this report is also about dear sweet N, I'll also update you a little on him as well. N continues to paint commissions, both in spray paint and acrylic, but to say that the pandemic didn't affect his business would be a lie. More important than the financial hit, he also misses doing events and shows terribly, and he loved travelling and painting from one city to the next. Just this summer, for the first time, small local events have started to pop back up again with restrictions in place, and he's been able to finally get a taste of live painting for an actual in-person audience again, and this has made him happy. In all the free time that the pandemic so kindly opened up for him, however, we both felt the need for him to get a "real job." N is a hard worker and very likeable, so he landed himself a couple of customer-support-type jobs right away doing phone support. This wasn't cutting it for him though, and he felt like his soul was being slowly sucked from his body. He's done a lot of this type of work over the years, but it's not really something he enjoys, so he was hoping to find something different. He kept looking and ended up landing a position before too long as an IT Support Specialist with my school district. They love him (because he's awesome.) He started in a casual position, but proved himself quickly and actually managed to move into a permanent full-time gig before I (the person with the master's degree!) did, which he thinks is hilarious. He'll always paint in some capacity, of this we're sure. Whether he will return to painting full-time again in future is yet to be seen. For the meantime, we're working, we're healthy, and we're both okay.



Oh! And Stacey! Well...let's see...Stacey J. Aswad is still a cat. She continues be to sassy. I still love her. That's all.



We actually attempted to rescue a second cat back in the winter. His name was Marty, (as in Martin A. Sklar,) and he was a serious sweetie. But Stacey absolutely wouldn't have it. We worried about both of their safety and happiness. After trying to carefully and systematically introduce them and make it work for about 2 months, we had to have the shelter find a different home for him. Stacey is a very dominant one-cat-home kinda girl, and we sadly needed to respect this. So it's still just the three of us, a girl, her husband, and their sassy Disney cat.



My niece ("I") will turn four this fall. She's becoming more and more photogenic for her "Auntie Mimi" every day!



On N's side of the family, our pandemic-baby nephew is somehow now 16 months old!? And we've just been informed that we've got another niece or nephew on the way! (My vote is for niece! Someone needs to keep all those three boys my sister-in-laws have birthed in line! )

Pandemic life has also meant that we've spent a lot more time appreciating our local area, rather than travelling longer distances. We've spent more time in nature, doing more walking, and frequenting local lakes and rivers (N taught me to fish!) and even bought a second-hand canoe. We've barbecued, enjoyed our family more, and tried to make the most of the fun things to do in our area and the provinces nearest us on the east coast.

















Last weekend we also took an overnight trip to Prince Edward Island, which is one of my favourite places to visit. We enjoyed the beach, good food, and a slower pace for a couple of days. I attempted to "vlog" our trip, but was terrible at it. I might edit the videos at some point anyway and share them, but we'll see. I know how it goes when I try to commit to any kind of vacation/trip reporting these days! But PEI was beautiful and we had a wonderful weekend away.



















I've kept in touch with many of the DIS folks I know more personally through social media, but there are still many folks on here who I haven't heard from or reached out to in a loooooooonnnggg time. If that's you, and we haven't been in touch much since my mysterious disappearance from the DIS (or even if it's not, I guess!) then please comment or reach out and let me know what you've been up to! Sometimes it's been hard to think about Disney trips over the last year, and I haven't had the urge to be here the way I used to in a long time, but regardless I've still been missing my sweet DIS friends. Also, feel free to post here and let me know if you have a new trip report going that I should follow! I'll do my best to check for some links in people's signatures and check in on what you've been up to, but if you want to make sure I don't miss you, then give me a shout! Since I've been struggling to DIS-it-up consistently over the last couple of years, and since I'm about to move into a full-time job in a few short days, I may not be a consistent follower and commenter. I'm hopeful, however, that I'll be able to at least lurk when I'm able. You may not "see" me much, but when I can be, I'll be there.

Finally, N and I celebrated our 4-year (4 "ear") wedding anniversary this week. And so I include a few of my favourite wedding trip photos again here because they make me smile.











And my astonishment that it had somehow been 4 years since we got married quickly gave way to my bewilderment that that meant it had also been 3 years since our 1st anniversary trip...and that I'd somehow STILL never finished that report...and so here I am...and the show must go on...or perhaps more appropriately, the show must conclude. I mean, it's time. It's really time.

And so without further ado...the final updates...​

Wow! Blast from the past. Hard to believe it's been 4 years since you and N got married. Congratulations! Also hard to believe it's been almost 3 since I moved down here. I don't do social media, so update for me isn't special...
Since the pandemic, I no longer have an AP. When they reopened, for a FL resident AP to get a reservation was nigh on impossible unless I wanted to stay at a resort (while living 30 min away). I don't think so. Now, with many of the money grab changes, not sure I WANT to get one again. Still kinda sad I never got to meet y'all before this mess started. Glad you found other things(including work) to do. For me, it's been pretty much work and work(yard/house). Did manage to take a few days to go to DVC resort at Vero beach. Otherwise, work, watch some TV, sleep, lather rinse repeat. Pretty boring life in other words.