It's Sounds Time - Part Two!!

Apparently Everley is becoming a baseball fan, or maybe she's just becoming a fan of going to the baseball games. At any rate, when her mommy picked her up at school today, she announced that she wanted to go to the baseball game. Again. Which she did. Again.  And again, she decided to climb up the giant slide, decided not to slide down, and again decided to climb back down.

Once that was accomplished, we found our seats, ate hotdogs and Dippin Dots, and watched the game (sort of). Then Everley and I decided to go run in the grass (well, she did), take a rest on some random piece of plastic (again, she did), and throw the baseball she found in the grass. Eventually Maribeth found us and she and Everley went home. And hopefully into a sanitizing bath.  Anyhow, another fun night at the ballpark!!
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Today is a gift because: taking Everley to school and seeing Lindley; ball park fun; getting the house picked up and getting a few errands complete

It's Sounds Time!!

It's great to be back home. I actually got the suitcase emptied - possibly a record. I even got a task or two accomplished. Tonight we have tickets to another Sounds game (actually we have season tickets), so we have our evening planned. As did Everley once I picked her up from school this afternoon.

Tonight at the game there was a giant blow-up slide available for the kiddos. Everley, a fan of climbing, went to the top and slid down - once. The next time she went up, she opted out of sliding and climbed back down. Eventually we found out seats and watched (most) of the game, until Everley and Maribeth decided it was time to go home. The Sounds lost, but Everley had a great time, so the night was a success!!

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Today is a gift because: taking Everley to school with her banana chips; going to Sounds game with Steve, Maribeth, and Everley

Where Are The Wing Tips???!

Last night Steve, Molly, KB, and I completed the final Expedition Everest Challenge. With all the work going on at Animal Kingdom, the powers that be decided to suspend the race for awhile (we've heard that they will bring it back). Anyhow, the race is basically a 5K-ish run through the Animal Kingdom with three obstacle-ish (jumping over hay bales, crawling on the ground under a rope net, and walking through a tire maze) challenges. At the end of the 5K, you get clues that lead you on a scavenger hunt through the Animal Kingdom. Once you solve all the clues and get the final answer, you finish and get your medal. This year we managed to complete the whole thing in record time (for us) and get back to the resort before midnight (did I mention the race starts at 10pm?). And yes, there's a party after the race, but because the majority of our group is old, we skipped it.

Once we had a decent night's sleep, we got up this morning to go to the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. The food was amazing - it's a buffet of brunch food and tons of it. We ate and then waited for the concert to start. However, our table was right up next to the stage. As in right next to the stage. So before the concert started, I decided that it was not going to work for me being that close, and decide to opt out of the concert (especially since yesterday when we went to see the new Avengers movie, the only seats we could find were three rows from the front - which after about 10 minutes, I decided I could either (a) listen to the movie with my eyes closed, or (b) stand at the back. I stood at the back). Since Vertigo and I were still not speaking, I did not want any encouragement to invite her back into my world.

Being the loyal pals they are (or because they didn't want to sit that close either), soon Steve, Molly, and KB followed me out. We spend some time at Downtown Disney before we headed to the airport. As usual, we arrived in plenty of time. Our plane soon arrived and guess what - THERE WERE NO WINGTIPS!!!  Needless to say, I was not a fan of our intended ride home.

Our wait continued as the gate agent did not call anybody to line up for boarding. Eventually we heard the announcement that boarding would be delayed as our no-wing-tip plane was having issues with the radios. Great - no wing tips AND no radios. I was about ready to rent a car. Eventually we were told that Bessie, the wing-tip-less and radio-less plane, would not be ferrying us to Nashville, Instead, we would be taking the next plane in that was scheduled to spend the night in Orlando. In a few hours. Eventually it arrived (with wing tips), we boarded, and were soon back in Nashville - only three or so hours late (we did get a $100 for the delay - nothing for no wing tips). Another fun weekend in the books!!

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Today is a gift because: Gospel brunch minus the concert; nice table mates at brunch; shopping at Downtown Disney and charm from KB; voucher and tipped plane ride home; sleeping in my own bed

Disney Birthday Bingo Magic!

Molly and I decided to do something fun for KB's birthday. Molly created a Bingo game that would require KB to complete some tasks in order to get her birthday prizes. At the time, we thought all the squares would be pretty easy - which is why sometimes we need to think harder ...  However, thanks to some Disney magic, she eventually managed to cross off all her squares. And here's how ...

• One square required a Vinylmation trade (if you don't know what a vinylmation is, it's a little plastic Mickey-type figure). However, upon arriving for this trip, we found out that they don't do vinylmation trading anymore. However, pin trading was a square, and when KB traded her small collection of pins, she traded one for a vinylmation pin. Which she promptly traded for another vinylmation pin. Which, according to the wording, is technically a vinylmation trade!
• One square required a finding a cast member with the name "Karen." Which was proving to be more difficult than expected. However, as we were on a bus leaving the Magic Kingdom, a dude who was sitting next to KB asked her about her Bingo board. After talking a bit, he looked at her Bingo and said he was a cast member and worked with someone named Karen. We asked if he had a photo of her and he said he did! And we asked if the photo included her name tag, and it did! So we took a photo of KB holding Dude's phone with the photo of Cast Member Karen (and her nametag) on it. Which, according to the wording, is technically a photo with a cast member named Karen!!
• One square required viewing fireworks. However, we were too pooped to stick around for the MK fireworks, so we headed back to our resort. We thought they would have them at the start of the 5K we would be doing (they wouldn't). However, as we headed back to our resort, we had a great view of the Epcot Illumination fireworks. Which again, is technically seeing the fireworks!
• One square required getting a princess autograph. Which should have been easy-peasy since we had a fast pass to see Cinderella and Rapunzel. However, once we arrived at Fairytale Hall, we were told that there would be a 20-minute (at least) wait, even for the fast pass. We were getting hungry and didn't want to wait with the sad (and screaming) little ones, so we opted to go eat. Steve met us at Cosmic Rays, which is right across from Merida. Which had a long line, so we decided to eat (we have our priorities). After eating, we came out on the Merida side, and KB decided to ask the Merida handlers to see if they would just take the paper up to Merida and get an autograph. Unfortunately, Merida was about to go in for the night. However, Gracie, a magical moment cast member, listened as KB explained her quest. Gracie said she knew Cinderella, and if we would just wait a few minutes, she would go and get the autograph. And she did!! And you wonder why we love Disney!!

Anyway, eventually all the squares were filled. KB got her prizes and hopefully had a fun birthday weekend. I know we did!

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Today is a gift because: fun at Blizzard Beach; getting Run Disney shoes; Expedition Everest Expo; Bingo successes; finishing Expedition Everest 5K; seeing the new Avengers movie with Molly and KB; eating at the food trucks at Downtown Disney

That's No Way To Start A Vacay!!

Although we did stay up late last night retrieving Molly and KB from the airport, I was looking forward to a day of eating my way through the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. Okay, and maybe looking at a flower or two. However, as they say, best laid plans ...

I had already gotten up once this morning to go to the bathroom and all was fine. And then I decided to get up again and BOOM! An unwanted visitor decided to join me. And its name is Vertigo. In other words, I got up, sat up on the bed, and realized the entire room was spinning around me. As if I were in the tea cup ride (which I never ride - for this very reason). And so I went back to bed, hoping the room would stop. As in immediately. It didn't ...

I've had vertigo before several years ago. And I NEVER (and I mean NEVER) go on any ride that spins around very fast. I did that several years ago when Maribeth and Molly convinced me to go on some whackadoodle roller coaster type thing at Animal Kingdom. And then promptly spent the following hour prostrate on a nearby bench, begging for a case of Tylenol. In other words, Dizzy and I do not get along. So when its cousin Vertigo decided to pay me a visit, I was not a happy camper.

Meanwhile back at the ranch as I lay in the bed holding my head, Steve got dressed and left to play golf. He did mention to Molly that things were not going well in our room. Molly and KB arose from their slumber, asked if I needed help (to which I mumbled no thanks), and then left me to my misery in their quest of Epcot munchies. And perhaps a drinky or two. Which meant I would have total quiet to do whatever it would take to calm my spinning head.  Eventually after some Tylenol, sleep, quiet, sips and snacks of this and that, my head decided to return to some sort of calm. Steve, Molly, and KB returned from their adventures, bringing me various forms of support (meds, food, condolences, etc.). My vacay was back on track.

Since this is KB's birthday weekend, we had a reservation at the Hoop De Doo Review at Wilderness Campground. I am the only one who has attended, so the other three had no idea of what was in store. Which was basically all-you-can-eat fried chicken, baked beans, corn, cornbread, salad, beer, wine, and strawberry shortcake. All consumed during a hoe-down type show, full of singing, dancing, and corny jokes. For two hours. 

Once we wuz done eatin' and pickin' and grinnin', we headed for the Magic Kingdom. We saw some of the parade and had intended to watch the fireworks, but all that Hoop De Doo activity tired us out, so we headed back to the resort. I was hoping a good night's sleep would send Vertigo back to wherever she came from!!

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Today is a gift because: spending most of the day in bed getting rid of the dizzies; getting rid of the dizzies; Hooping with Steve, Molly, and KB