by Sarah | Jul 11, 2019 | All About Family, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, DisneyTips, Redefining Perfect, Universal
I haven’t been to Disney hundreds of times (yet. Give me a couple years), but I’ve been my fair share.
I’ve done it with crazy intensity, and in a casual jaunt.
I’ve done Disneyland (finally), and Disney World.
I’ve picked up a few tips along the way. And while there are blogs across the web, I wanted to hand out my own Disney advice I’ve learned along the way, and tips I’ll be learning as I begin to go more frequently.
This months tip is fun for a relaxing day. It’s also fun if you’re doing a “Florida” vacation instead of a “Disney” vacation, and want a ‘free’ day at the parks (outside food & souvenirs).
Hop around the World at the Resorts of Disney!
This is a tip I’ve not done until recently. It’s been on my radar for a couple of years, and I’d actually intended to do a holiday resort hop when I brought the girls down for Christmas a couple of years ago. For reasons that didn’t happen, though it probably will this year.
Anyhoo, I think this tip is great if you need a break from the parks, you’re curious about the resorts, or you’re more focused on a Florida vacation and don’t want to pay for too many park days, but still want to include the Disney experience.
It’s easy, relatively free, and has many different ways to do it all.
Now, I’m not going to give you a minute-by-minute breakdown of what to do and where to go for best resort-hopping adventures. I’ll leave that to the bloggers that have more experience in hopping, and link their guides below. (I may revisit once I’ve had a few more hops…)
The parks are awesome, for sure. But did you know that the resorts are just as much? Each one has their own unique flair and story, and in most of them the decor is beyond reproach (I’m still eh on the Swan & Dolphin).
From the grand luxury of the Grand Floridian, to the casual tiki vibe of the Polynesian, to the elegant tree-lined walkways of Port Orleans Riverside, and the fun and funky Pop Century. Denver and I went to all of these (and he got some great new pins for the effort), and so many more. We checked out the gift shops, the restaurants, glimpsed the pools and lobby decor. We wandered around Pop Century and read all the fun facts, dined on a plate of nachos as big as our heads (for dirt cheap) at Picabu in the Dolphin resort. We checked out the animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Our day cost us a combined $20 for lunch. We used his car to get around so it was quicker than using the buses, but that is a possibility. We didn’t visit every resort, but we got a fair few, and spent probably 5 hours taking in the Disney feel.
I can’t wait to go back and visit other resorts. I also can’t wait to go around the resort world at Christmas when all the decorations are up!
Have you done a resort hop day? What’s your favorite Disney resort?
For the record, my favorite resort to date is Fort Wilderness…but that may be more nostalgic than anything.
by Sarah | Jul 9, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Redefining Perfect, The Teenager
You know that sequels are always a crap-shoot.
They’re either really good…or really BAD.
With Denver – it was rough.
I mean, at one point we talked about shipping him off to live with his grandparents rough.
It’s made me terrified of this stage with the girls.
Legit.
Especially with all the horror stories of how girls are SO. MUCH. WORSE.
Except…
So far (knocking on every bit of wood here)…they haven’t been.
Despite puberty, moving struggles, teenage friendship drama, technology zombies, and a few bumps along the way…right now these two are the sweetest kids ever. They hug us and tell us they love us and they TALK to us.
Like, legit talk to us.
About everything.
Through the rough struggles with Denver we learned a lot. About how to approach them, how to have conversations about difficult topics, and how to discipline.
With these monsters we talk about everything.
Sex. Internet. Sexual preference. Bullying. Mental health. Religion.
It’s a whole new dynamic I never expected this time around. It’s happy, comfortable, full of laughter and honesty.
Don’t get me wrong…I know without a doubt this could all turn on a dime. I mean, they are teenagers, after all. Puberty could hit the little one harder than the bigger one. There could be an argument that could trigger a landslide.
But I am working to make sure that isn’t the case.
We’re finally on the rights with Denver and enjoying a pretty good relationship with him, but it took a long road and a lot of Disney to get us there.
I’m doing everything I can to make sure if there’s bumps, we handle them…so that we don’t end up having to navigate around a sinkhole.
by Sarah | Jul 3, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Book Reviews, I'm A Reader, Redefining Perfect
Well, May and June were halfway kind of a wash, but at the same time, not. I actually got a few read. I’m working on several others right now. Hubby and I found our local library. It’s not awesome, but we can request books from the more awesome larger county libraries so it’s not a total loss by any means. As my books are still packed, I’m going to be reading some I’d already bought, and library books while I get more settled in.
Oh, and in disappointing news, there is no Half Price Books in Florida…there is a Barnes & Noble relatively close, but I love the option to take and sell my books when I’m done with them. So, I’ll be searching for a local bookstore in which I can do that at the very least for store credit.
Anyhoozles, onto the list. More in what I’ve read than am reading, but there’s reasons. There’s at least one book I’m not listing for reasons and it’s taking up my reading time at work.
Some may interest you, some may not. I hope it gives you at least a few ideas!!
Onto the post:
What I Read
Okay, this one is a long one…but I had a 17 hour car drive to listen to it.
Reading, re-reading, listening, and re-listening to this series is one of my favorite things. It is my literary comfort food as none but the Little House series has ever been for me.
As always, Order of the Phoenix is no my favorite of the series, but it brings about several necessary transitions.
Now I wait on book 6…just a few weeks, and I will have it in my greedy little fingers.
I don’t even remember what made me put this on my list, but there it was.
It was an interesting, if mildly predictable tale of a young woman dealing with the secrets her father leaves behind, and the pain and turmoil she endures when her world falls apart upon his alzheimer’s diagnosis.
In parts hard to listen to, in others painfully real, it was an interesting story along the lines of which I don’t normally read.
It feels good to stretch my reading wings again.
Oh, I wanted this to be so much more than it was. I’ve never been a big Sherlock reader, but the premise of this intrigued me.
However…oh, however…
Every single character was a descendant of a Sherlock character…great…no problem…but they were an almost EXACT replica of their parent…except, BETTER. It was just…ugh.
Predictable, and predictable plot.
It was a quick read, at least. I’ll give it that.
A girl can cross the threshold between life and death after dying once herself and being saved by nothing less than a ghost.
Her parents, who are ghost hunters, don’t believe in her powers. They take her with them to Scotland, a land teeming with ghost stories and ghosts themselves to film a new TV show…
This leads to much mayhem on Cassidy’s part, and to her meeting another like her.
There were some predictable YA tropes involved, but it was a cute, quick listen.
I’ve been wanting to read this for a while now. I was glad to snag an audio copy from the library to listen to.
It was a delightful read, and the who-dun-it managed to surprise me, which is unusual enough.
The narrator was delightful, and the story was fun.
I’m looking forward to reading the next one when my books are uncovered again.
Unless I decide to get the audiobook for the next one, too.
I’d heard lots and lots about this one. I bought it a couple of years ago. I had yet to read it.
I decided to give the audiobook a chance, hearing that the audiobook had a cast instead of a single narrator.
The story itself was slow to take off, and I predicted the who-dun-it really early on in the story, honestly.
However, the story was good. None of the main characters was particularly likable, but I had a fair amount of sympathy for 2 out of 3 of them by the end (Rachel and Megan) – and I really hated Anna the whole time. Ugh, could not stand her.
So, it really played with my emotions, which I guess is a good sign.
What I’m Reading Now
I’m a huge fan of Splintered, so I’ve been curious about this from the start.
I know it is not one of Howard’s most popular, in fact I’ve seen some rather derisive reviews of it, but I want to give it a go anyway.
It’s a different, more modern take on the Phantom, where the story exists already in the world so I’m wondering how it will all play out.
It’s a library book, so I have limited time to read. Hopefully that means I’ll finish it or make a quick decision to quit it.
Pretty sure everyone and their mother has read this one and raved about it (at least amongst my friends).
I’ve been dying to read it myself, but it’s been cost prohibitive on the occasions I’ve seen it. I had a credit for Greats on Kindle, so I decided to use it for this one.
I’m excited to get started.
And so is my hubby.
So this may be next, even with another library book on my shelf.
This was a Christmas gift to me from myself. I had just started when the move happened and silly me packed it away, so it’s still in storage, but once I finally unpack I will happily dive back in.
It has good reviews and is self-described as helping one to carve their own path spiritually.
As that’s what I’m doing, I thought it would be a good read for me.
I’ll let you know when I find out. 😉
*~*
What are you reading these days? I’m always looking for suggestions!
Stick around…more updates coming soon!
by Sarah | Jul 1, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Pagan Me Happy, Personal, Redefining Perfect
Once a month I’ll be posting a new Spirit Animal. This is both for me to study and learn, but also to help inspire each month.
This month the animal made itself known to me within moments of moving into our new home, because they are everywhere around it.
The Butterfly.
Sure, it’s Florida. Butterflies are far more common, blah blah blah…but I mean everywhere around my house (which has no yard to speak of due to sandy soil and lots of shade, and some poison ivy)…but there is a bunch of undergrowth creeping in from the tree lines and the butterflies flock to them and dance along.
Then, as if to seal the deal, this happened—>>
That’s a red-spotted purple that was hanging out in my driveway. I held out my hand and it climbed on! Stayed there for probably ten minutes before it fluttered away! I mean, so cool.
Anyhoo…onto the meaning.
Which, I think is fairly obvious to anyone and everyone.
The Butterfly is about transformation – metamorphosis.
Freshly planting ourselves in a new home in a new state is a huge transformation. I’ve also recently come to a big decision about my future that feels like what is supposed to happen, though the transition itself will be hard work and exhausting.
Butterflies are also about a connection to the anscestors. They’re a totem for those who are in tune with the ancestors…which honestly I feel like I’ve been struggling with since I got here.
Our transition was NOT easy, it was not all sunshine and happiness, and the deep spiritual connection I feel I’d been working to forge before I got the job down here feels rather distant and disconnected. I’m working on learning how to establish a routine working on night shift and still including all that I need to with family, home, and spirit.
In other words, though we are in Florida, in this lovely new home, and in my new job…I feel like at this point we are the mass of goo inside the cocoon. We haven’t grown our wings, we haven’t flown yet…but I feel like it’s there. Though right now it feels like we keep saying “If this happens, then we…”
We are taking steps, though. We went to the beach. We’re going to Disney Springs. We have treated for the disgusting bugs. Hubby is putting out applications and has at least one interview set up. Things are happening to set up that final burst of transformation.
The most important lesson the butterfly has for me this month is that transformation isn’t easy. It hurts. It’s work. In the end, though? It’s totally worth it.
Life is beautiful on the other side.
We’re seeing glimpses of it.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone – and that’s where we are. It’s time to transform.
What animal is speaking to you this month? Do they have lessons for you?
by Sarah | Jun 20, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Florida Dreaming, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
Our road to Disney and Universal was not paved with flowers and sunshine. That goes without saying. I could go into logistics about Make A Wish’s former CF rules, refusals, and hope coming our way again, but that’s another story for another blog post. Suffice it to say, it was a bumpy, long road…until it wasn’t.
When the time came for us to approach the kids and say they were getting wishes, and to ask what they wanted, both of them thought pretty hard. I, myself, hoped for Disney, but didn’t push either of them in that direction. I did mention to the obsessed-with-Harry-Potter Kennedy that there was this magical place called Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, but we discussed other options. Things like trips in an RV, remodeling the bedroom were discussed among others.
When the day came, the wonderful Wish Granters asked the kids what they wanted.
Kennedy said, “I want to see Harry Potter World!” (It was only then that I learned when you wish for one FL theme park, you get both) I was not upset by this declaration.
From that moment everything flew by in an instant. Before any of us knew it, we were in the limo and on the plane for Florida.
Months of planning, talking, anticipation all came down to that one moment…
You know the one…
The one where we stepped through the brick passage and onto Diagon Alley.
Every moment after when Kennedy’s face looking like this —->>
Excitement. Spotting everything left and right, pointing out everything.
When Ollivander selected her and her sister (believing them twins, methinks) to get their own matching wands.
When she saw, and felt, the dragon breathe fire down on us.
When she sat in the sidecar (look how tiny, my goodness).
Every moment in Diagon Alley that day was so much magic we could have gone home right then and never complained a moment that it wasn’t worth it.
To see K become completely immersed into the world we both loved so much.
Every single second was one I wanted to bottle and hold onto.
That was the moment I knew magic was real.
And the look on her face made every struggle that led us up to and through the brick passage way was worth it.
So damn worth it.
by Sarah | Jun 17, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All About Ripley, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Florida Dreaming, Oola, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
It’s been over a month since the last update and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know where we are at.
WE ARE IN FLORIDA!!!
After my last post, things went very quick.
I moved ahead of the hubs and kids, and my first month here in Florida deserves (and will soon get) a post of its own. It was an adventure, I’ll give you that much. A good adventure, or a bad one, I still don’t even know.
Anyhow…the husband and kids have finally joined me.
We have a home.
We’re settled around The Villages area, which my self-adopted pops calls “Heavens Waiting Room”…and he’s not wrong. lol.
However, it’s beautiful here. Our new (rented) home is much bigger than our last, and though it needs a lot of work, we’re looking forward to making progress.
We’re still waiting on our main piece of furniture (another month, oy)…but otherwise we’re settling in.
Erik has a lead on a potential job in a surprising place (more when I know more. No jinxing it).
The girls have been granted placement in the charter school, I just need to get all of their paperwork together and get them in for physicals so we can make it officially official.
The girls have their own rooms, and I still have an office space of sorts.
I’ve been at my new job for a month, and it’s going well. I’m looking into some new possibilities in my plans for the future, and life is just opening all sorts of possibilities.
In short…life isn’t perfect (it wasn’t before and I didn’t expect it to magically right itself because of our location)…but we are excited to make it work.
So from now own, there will be no more countdowns, but plenty of updates.
I haven’t been to Disney hundreds of times (yet. Give me a couple years), but I’ve been my fair share.
