natebenma
Beach Club Dee
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2008
Whistle While We Work
Thurs Jan 7-Mon Jan 11
This was an unexpected, bonus trip to Florida for me. A working vacation, so-to-speak.
My dear friend Teena, who has worked as a greeter in the lobby at the Beach Club for more than 10 years, was moving to Las Vegas to live with her daughter Jeanne and granddaughter Lily.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of Teena and me from previous trips
July 2009
July 2013
August 2014
Originally, she was going to be leaving in summer and then April, but after putting her Florida house on the market, she got an offer in mid-December from a family who wanted to move in by the end of January.
I had promised Teena that I would come out to visit her and help with the house before she left Florida. The best time for me turned out to be an arrival late on Thursday January 7 and returning home on Monday January 11. A huge bonus to this timeframe was that it was marathon weekend. No, I wouldn’t be running… but @MickeyT one of my very best Disney friends who I had not met in person yet would be there at the same time with his family. Some of my other friends were there for the marathon as well.
I would be staying with Teena at her home. Park time was not a priority for me- after all, I had visited Universal in February 2015, Disney in June for Ben’s 8th grade class trip, Universal and Disney/Beach Club in August with my Beach Club friends. But Teena planned for us to visit Magic Kingdom on Friday night after we had done a bit of work around the house. Saturday was another day to get some things done around the house and on Sunday, while Teena worked, I planned on hanging around the Beach Club- my home away from home. Instead, my friend surprised me with a voucher she had for a park ticket that was expiring soon, so I had more park time than I bargained for, and I was able to do something for the first time that I have wanted to do on my past couple of trips.
Thursday January 7
I felt badly that I was leaving my family, so I spent my final day at home cooking and cleaning so that things would be easier for everybody while I was away. I made chicken for dinner that night and I put together a meatloaf that they could bake off when they wanted it. (“Spoil”er Alert- the meatloaf was still unbaked when I got home so I had to throw it away). I made some banana bread for the family then chocolate chip and some almond joy cookies, both for home and to bring to Florida for Teena.
I hate paying the inflated prices for food at the airport, but when I fly with Mark, he doesn’t like to do anything that is out of the ordinary, so we don’t bring much from home. Since I was flying alone on this trip, I made a yummy sandwich from leftover pork we had the night before, on a ciabatta roll with guacamole, tomato and lettuce. I put it in the fridge until it was time to pack the treat in my carryon for the trip.
My flight was at 6:40 Thursday night. I wanted to see my boys for a few minutes before I left so I waited until they got home from school before leaving for the airport. I ran upstairs to get something and when I came back down, I saw my sandwich. On Ben’s plate for an afternoon snack. Guess I will be getting something at the airport after all.
I drove to the airport in the rental car. Rental? Yes. A couple of weeks before Christmas, some idiot backed his truck into my van while I was stopped in a turning lane in the road and he was backing up to park. The other driver tried to give a different version of what happened to his insurance company, but this occurred right in front of a police station and an officer was on the scene right away. The official police report agreed with my account of what happened.
Due to the holidays, and the body shop finding more damage than originally estimated, I did not have my van for over a month.
Does this look like over $4,000 damage to you?
The drive to the airport was mostly uneventful, except at one point I was blinded by the light of the setting sun. There were no issues at the airport or with my flight, except that our arrival in Orlando was almost an hour earlier than scheduled. How does that happen?!?
Manchester NH airport
I don’t usually fly into Orlando at night
Really bad Faux-No-Rail selfie. I’m not mad. Just tired!
Fortunately, Teena was monitoring the flight and was waiting for me at the airport.
As we drove to her house, we chatted. After we got into the house, we turned on the tv, but didn’t pay much attention as we chatted.
I don’t want to invade Teena’s privacy, so I’m not comfortable posting many pictures of her house, but I will say that there were more Disney touches than you will find in a newly renovated Beach Club Room. Disney shower curtains, soap dispensers and theme park pictures in the bathroom. A Disney lamp and Mickey Mouse tv in the bedroom (I have the same tv…). Disney artwork, Disney plates.
But my favorite thing of all- the Basket of Bands!
I want this!!!
Teena remembered I had brought a CD of the Photopass pictures from Jeanne and Lily’s Christmas vacation visit. We loaded the pictures onto Teena’s computer and she looked at them while I settled into bed.
The next day we would be getting to work early, then having some fun late.
Next up: This House is For the Birds and Whistle While We Work
.
Thurs Jan 7-Mon Jan 11
This was an unexpected, bonus trip to Florida for me. A working vacation, so-to-speak.
My dear friend Teena, who has worked as a greeter in the lobby at the Beach Club for more than 10 years, was moving to Las Vegas to live with her daughter Jeanne and granddaughter Lily.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of Teena and me from previous trips
July 2009
July 2013
August 2014
Originally, she was going to be leaving in summer and then April, but after putting her Florida house on the market, she got an offer in mid-December from a family who wanted to move in by the end of January.
I had promised Teena that I would come out to visit her and help with the house before she left Florida. The best time for me turned out to be an arrival late on Thursday January 7 and returning home on Monday January 11. A huge bonus to this timeframe was that it was marathon weekend. No, I wouldn’t be running… but @MickeyT one of my very best Disney friends who I had not met in person yet would be there at the same time with his family. Some of my other friends were there for the marathon as well.
I would be staying with Teena at her home. Park time was not a priority for me- after all, I had visited Universal in February 2015, Disney in June for Ben’s 8th grade class trip, Universal and Disney/Beach Club in August with my Beach Club friends. But Teena planned for us to visit Magic Kingdom on Friday night after we had done a bit of work around the house. Saturday was another day to get some things done around the house and on Sunday, while Teena worked, I planned on hanging around the Beach Club- my home away from home. Instead, my friend surprised me with a voucher she had for a park ticket that was expiring soon, so I had more park time than I bargained for, and I was able to do something for the first time that I have wanted to do on my past couple of trips.
Thursday January 7
I felt badly that I was leaving my family, so I spent my final day at home cooking and cleaning so that things would be easier for everybody while I was away. I made chicken for dinner that night and I put together a meatloaf that they could bake off when they wanted it. (“Spoil”er Alert- the meatloaf was still unbaked when I got home so I had to throw it away). I made some banana bread for the family then chocolate chip and some almond joy cookies, both for home and to bring to Florida for Teena.
I hate paying the inflated prices for food at the airport, but when I fly with Mark, he doesn’t like to do anything that is out of the ordinary, so we don’t bring much from home. Since I was flying alone on this trip, I made a yummy sandwich from leftover pork we had the night before, on a ciabatta roll with guacamole, tomato and lettuce. I put it in the fridge until it was time to pack the treat in my carryon for the trip.
My flight was at 6:40 Thursday night. I wanted to see my boys for a few minutes before I left so I waited until they got home from school before leaving for the airport. I ran upstairs to get something and when I came back down, I saw my sandwich. On Ben’s plate for an afternoon snack. Guess I will be getting something at the airport after all.
I drove to the airport in the rental car. Rental? Yes. A couple of weeks before Christmas, some idiot backed his truck into my van while I was stopped in a turning lane in the road and he was backing up to park. The other driver tried to give a different version of what happened to his insurance company, but this occurred right in front of a police station and an officer was on the scene right away. The official police report agreed with my account of what happened.
Due to the holidays, and the body shop finding more damage than originally estimated, I did not have my van for over a month.
Does this look like over $4,000 damage to you?
The drive to the airport was mostly uneventful, except at one point I was blinded by the light of the setting sun. There were no issues at the airport or with my flight, except that our arrival in Orlando was almost an hour earlier than scheduled. How does that happen?!?
Manchester NH airport
I don’t usually fly into Orlando at night
Really bad Faux-No-Rail selfie. I’m not mad. Just tired!
Fortunately, Teena was monitoring the flight and was waiting for me at the airport.
As we drove to her house, we chatted. After we got into the house, we turned on the tv, but didn’t pay much attention as we chatted.
I don’t want to invade Teena’s privacy, so I’m not comfortable posting many pictures of her house, but I will say that there were more Disney touches than you will find in a newly renovated Beach Club Room. Disney shower curtains, soap dispensers and theme park pictures in the bathroom. A Disney lamp and Mickey Mouse tv in the bedroom (I have the same tv…). Disney artwork, Disney plates.
But my favorite thing of all- the Basket of Bands!
I want this!!!
Teena remembered I had brought a CD of the Photopass pictures from Jeanne and Lily’s Christmas vacation visit. We loaded the pictures onto Teena’s computer and she looked at them while I settled into bed.
The next day we would be getting to work early, then having some fun late.
Next up: This House is For the Birds and Whistle While We Work
.
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