by Sarah | Jul 25, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal Studios Mom
Once upon a time, Denver was an adorable tot.
No, seriously, look at that face…how adorable??
Okay, okay, that’s a baby pic, but don’t you wanna smoosh those cheeks?
ANYHOOZLES.
Way off topic here.
He was cute. He was the only child, grandchild, he was spoiled…
Which meant for approximately 3 years when he fell in love with the movie Mary Poppins I watched that damn thing, at least in part, EVERY DAY.
Let me clarify this for you…
Every day. For at least 3 years. At least 1095 days. I watched at least 20 minutes of Mary Poppins.
I grew to hate that snobby bitch.
I mean, sure she’s great on the first watch. Maybe even the second. Then you begin to realize her ‘practically perfect in every way’ rhetoric is just SO ANNOYING.
(For the record, I have since watched the 2nd and I do love the fun Emily has with the role. No offense to Dame Julie Andrews, whom I adore, but it’s a LOT of Mary Poppins).
Fast forward to 2014. We are at Disney for Kennedy’s Wish…and innocently wandering through Epcot…
When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a beautiful Mary Poppins standing innocently in midst of the UK. Not surrounded by millions of people or a handler, just…there.
You KNOW what I did.
I mean, how could I not?
THREE YEARS, people.
You bet your butt I forced Denver to get a picture with her.
You can see his extreme joy at being forced not just into a picture, but one with Mary Poppins herself.
A mother’s memory is long…and revenge truly is a dish best served cold.
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.
by Sarah | Apr 29, 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
*disclaimer* I am writing this over a week before publication. All information is subject to change. I’ll try to update if that happens, but I’m packing and moving and all the things…sooo…
It’s been over a month since the last update and a LOT has happened.
I mean, a LOT.
Namely…
WE ARE MOVING!!!
After months of a lot of nothing and nowhere interviews…I had a great interview about two weeks ago that led to a job offer.
My notice has been turned in at work, I’ve worked my last day, Erik has turned in his notice.
I’m on a packing, cleaning, planning, freaking out, ecstatic, so much to do rampage…all while trying to spend time with hubby and kids before I go…
Yeah, before I go. The kids are still in school so Erik & the girls won’t be down for another month after I head down.
That means I get a month to explore, learn the ropes, and FIND A HOUSE.
Yeah, no house yet. No job for hubby yet either.
It’s gonna be a squeeze, but I know it’s going to pan out.
It’s time to move on, out of Indiana.
My target was June, 2019.
My entire family will be in Florida in June, 2019.
I love it when a plan comes together.
by Sarah | Mar 21, 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, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
Our Make A Wish trips to Disney were full of so much spectacular magic, fun, and family bonding.
It brought us our son back from his moody depths.
It kept ME off my computer/phone/internet/everything for a whole week without any signs of withdrawal.
We arrived home with tale upon tale of the amazing things that happened.
Then there was that one night.
See, at Disney we have a habit that isn’t the best.
We forget about food.
Yeah, I know. Weird, right?
We’re just so busy doing all of the things, that we forget to shove food down our gullets.
So on this one night we were at the Magic Kingdom and someone pointed out that they were hungry. Erik and I realized that the last time we’d eaten had probably been at breakfast back at the Village at about, oh, 8AM. We were staring down 6PM at this point.
Oops.
We were basically in the middle of the park at that point, trying to decide where to head. Two kids were staring at maps to see where we should go, when se spotted Casey’s.
Me? I’m not a big hot dog person. I essentially only like one brand of hot dog, and that’s it.
BUT…it was there. It was easy, and I figured a chili dog wouldn’t be horrible. We WERE dining at Disney, after all…
Right?
So, in we all traipsed, making a quick study of the menu and ordering our dogs and some drinks. We find a table in the bustling restaurant and hunker down to eat.
One bite in I realized that just because we’re at Disney doesn’t mean it’s good.
Slowly as we all ate, I realized I was not the only one wearing a “color me disappointed” face. We were all sort of dissatisfied with the hot dogs. They tasted like those pink dogs you’d get at a gas station. Utterly flavorless and dull. The chili didn’t even liven up mine.
We all just kind of stared at each other, and started chuckling.
Then Denver thought he’d salvage his dinner in some way. He asked for some cash to go get one of those brownies on the menu. Because it’s BROWNIES.
Can’t screw that up.
Right?
Plus, Denver LOVES him some brownies.
We continued chatting as he made his way through the line. Sipped our drinks and waited.
When he returned to the table, he had a sort of shell-shocked wide-eyed look about him.
Confused, I asked him what was wrong. Were they out of his brownies?
He held out his hand to reveal the amazing, spectacular brownie he’d gotten…
A Cosmic Brownie…in the wrapper.
I mean…
WHAT?
We all busted out laughing. I mean, seriously.
He ate his brownie, we went about our fun, still laughing about how horrible our dinner was…but at least our bellies had food in them again.
To this day, nearly 5 years later, all you have to say in this house is “The Worst Meal Ever” and we laugh and go on about it. It’s that familiar joke families bond with.
So while the food was NOT great and I never recommend Casey’s to people that ask for Disney suggestions…
The MEMORY is the greatest. It still bonds us in laughter and love.
That is the magic of Disney, folks.
Truly.
by Sarah | Mar 18, 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
*disclaimer* I am writing this over a week before publication. All information is subject to change. I’ll try to update if that happens, but I’m working a LOT, so it’s not 100%
It’s been a month of a whole lot and a whole lot of nothing.
Erik and I both got no’s from our interviews last month. However, they were exceptionally positive no’s as both of the managers liked us and wanted to hire but there were key things preventing it from happening. Both of us were asked if they could keep our resume, and keep in touch in hopes they could find the right fit.
So while nothing happened with those, they had positive feedback and left some hope that they could eventually work out.
I have had another interview in the interim. It went pretty well, but I have not yet heard back.
I’m not worried, though. Every time I think about the move and us getting to Florida I keep hearing “June. June. June.” Every single time.
So, I’m thinking June may be our month.
In the mean time we are starting the long road of packing up 16 years of our lives. I started on my office last week in some time off from work. Packed up all but a few books, with one last large stack to go to half price. I threw away three bags of trash in the process of cleaning out my office. It’s not done yet, but it’s close in there.
The girls took a cue from me, apparently, and cleaned/packed much of their room. I heard a rumor that several bags of trash went out during the process there as well.
No, we don’t have jobs yet. That means we certainly don’t have a house yet…but once things happen, they’ll happen fast and the more we prepare ahead, the less we’ll be pressured at that time. Well, that’s the theory at least. 😉
It’s weird living in a house of boxes…but it’s also nice to be just chucking so much excess we’d built up over the years.
So no major news yet…but it’s coming. In the mean time we are keeping the faith, keeping our hopes up, and keeping busy.
Once upon a time, Denver was an adorable tot.
Fast forward to 2014. We are at Disney for Kennedy’s Wish…and innocently wandering through Epcot…
