Lake Mary - Thursday, 28 February 2019

Great sleep again and the hives seem to be dissipating. C left this morning for a visit to a friend and N to work. After breakfast I headed to the patio - what a pleasant place to work. Created the outline for Teutonia's mini-lesson, worked on some citations, and then decided to read for a while. The Benadryl was making me a bit  drowsy and so reading turned into a bit of a nap. 

N got home around 7 and we had a glass of wine before heading out to dinner. We had chosen an Indian restaurant for tonight, Royal Rasoi. They have a BYOB policy with no corkage fee so we brought along a bottle of wine. Started the evening with a sizzling place of kabobs and vegetables. We only wanted to eat half of the platter, but you could make a meal out of them. 

 

Our entreés arrived along with the traditional basmati rice. I had chicken tika masala and N had a shrimp curry. The tika was absolutely wonderful, but the shrimp were a bit overcooked. N mentioned this to the waiter as a constructive comment. The owner of the restaurant came over and was very apologetic and offered to comp the shrimp dish. N & C frequent this restaurant and this was a good pr move. 

Back home about 10 and we sat on the patio for a bit and talked family and Pittsburgh. Bed at 11 for N, but I stayed up so I could post the Rabbit, Rabbit good luck greeting at midnight. 

Lake Mary - Wednesday, 27 February 2019

Good to get a wonderful night's sleep - very dark and very quiet. Got up and said good-bye to Norman and Catherine as they left for work. Shower and breakfast and then to work on the patio. Great office today.

Really got a lot accomplished today working on a client's family tree. It was just the right temperature until the rains came about 3:30 when it cooled down and I went inside. It was just so pleasant to have quiet and a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. 

C & N got home about 7 and Catherine started cooking. Picked their brains as far as places to eat in New Zealand and got a couple of good suggestions. We had a wonderful Lemon Chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Then it was some varmint hunting. Spotted an armadillo and raccoon in the back under the palm trees. Catherine scared them away in a timely fashion!

A couple of shows on TV and we were off to bed. Read for a while, but the Kindle fell from my hands and sleep happened. 

Disney World to Lake Mary - Tuesday, 26 February 2019

Another good night's sleep. We ate breakfast and then decided some pool time was in order. It was really overcast and a bit windy so we just sat and read and talked until we needed to check out and stow the luggage. Back to the pool until Amy had to leave at 12:15. The Magical Express came and she was on her way home. 

We had a wonderful weekend with memories that I will treasure and last the rest of my life. 

I returned to the pool area to wait and work on the blog until my time to leave. But there were some random raindrops and it was quite windy so I headed inside and got a chair and table in the food court near window and electricity. 

Called for my Lyft ride at 4:00 and headed to meet my brother. Ironically, as I arrived he was just texting me as to what my ETA was. And so we were off to his home and mine until Sunday. 

Great dinner of spaghetti and good conversation and then off to bed!

Disney World - Monday, 25 February 2019

After getting so little sleep the previous two nights, it was a treat to sleep through til nearly 8:00. What a feeling to wake up rested. 

Dressed, ate breakfast, and boarded the bus to Magic Kingdom. Our first Fast Pass was Aladdin's Magic Carpet. It was a fun one, but really geared for kids, although we had a good time making the carpet go up and down quickly. 

Mouse Ears and a Princess Medal adorned the Principessa today.

Fast Passes are great if you can plan ahead. Since I had only decided a couple of weeks ago to join Amy, we couldn't get on some of the really, really popular rides with a Fast Pass and the waits for some were over 3 hours. Too much time in line.  Our strategy was to check the wait times and head to the lowest ones as to not waste time.

Next up was the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was just about 11 and since the wait time was only 35 minutes, we opted that over the Fast Pass we had for 11:35. Probably the only wrong decision of the day. The wait was more like an hour and we missed seeing one of my former students perform at noon. But the refurbished ride was fun and entertaining and nice to see that it had been reimagined. Pirates now carry off buried treasures instead of women and Jack Sparrow has been added. 

Had a bit of free time to kill so we headed back to Fantasy Land and rode the carousel. Someone wouldn't turn around to get a picture. 

After checking wait times on the Disney app we headed to Under the Sea, the adventures of the Little Mermaid. How did I miss this movie. We named our pool cleaner Ariel at Amy's suggestion, but I never knew how infatuated she was with the character as a child. It was a cute ride in a clam shell and the music was taken from the movie.

We thought we could catch the Hall of Presidents, one of my favorite attractions so we headed back to Liberty Square only to find out that the show started in 19 minutes and was 23 minutes long. That didn't fit our time frame as we had to be at the castle at 2:25. So we moseyed around through the Christmas shop where I was quizzed on Disney princesses. I didn't do well, so I guess I have a slew of movies to watch. 

Then it was time for lunch with royalty. This has to be a dream for every little girl and, unfortunately, we never did it with Amy as a child. But her time had come and I was glad she could add me to her reservation. We entered the castle and waited for a bit until we met Cinderella. 

Cinderella was charming and transitioned so well from the little girls all dressed in princess costume to two adults like us. 

We were finally "invited" to dine and we went up to the royal dining hall. 

Our first course was the charcuterie plate with delicious cheeses and a bit of fig jam on one. 

Brought back memories of when Amy was Snow White one Halloween. The next course was Beef and Shrimp. This was absolutely delicious and the beef was so tender and cooked just right. 

Ariel was quite excited to see Amy's medal and to learn that she was Ariel for the Half-Marathon. 
Dessert was a citrus chiffon cake with raspberries for me and a chocolate mousse for Amy. It was just great to see that all that she ate was gluten free. 

Feeling quite full and not wanting to disturb the stomach contents we headed over to TomorrowLand and opted for the Carousel of Progress and People Mover rides. Both were calm and allowed for digestion. Feeling a bit daring and not seeing any rides that had short wait times we headed for the Astro Orbiter, a similar ride to Dumbo, Flying Carpet, etc. No one told us, tho, that if you choose 2 people in a car, that you would be pretty much like being one person. It was the epitomé of mother daughter bonding. 

Back to AdventureLand for our jungle cruise. What a hoot! The "captain" of the boat was just so punny that we groaned and groaned at her commentary. Really a good tongue in cheek attraction.

We had about 25 minutes before our last Fast Pass and the Tiki Bird Show fit perfectly. This was one of my father's favorite attractions as he loved Hawaii. It really hasn't changed since its inception. Only bad thing is that you get the Tiki Bird Song stuck in your head. 

And then it was time for Splash Mountain. This is a park favorite and was a great way bring our rides to the end. I am so surprised that this attraction hasn't been challenged considering is based on the Song of the South and Bre'r Fox and Bre'r Rabbit. It is a fun ride and interesting at night.  To say wet is an understatement. 

Time to hustle to see the fireworks, but first a little nourishment - Dole Whip Wins!
The fireworks also featured a light show on the castle. 

Back to the hotel talking about what a perfect and fun day that it was. 
Organized and packed to be ready to go in the morning.

Disney World - Sunday, 24 February 2019

It's race day middle of the night. Alarms were set for 2:50 am and 3:00 as a back-up. Amy was excited and got up fairly easily. It was recommended that she be on the runners' bus by 3:30. I left a half hour later than she did since all buses needed to be off the roads by 5. We had purchased access to the race retreat tent and for me a special section in which to get up and close to runners and a reserved space at the finish line!

Members of the ChearSquad were allowed in the tent at 5:30 am so I had a bit of time to kill. It was pleasant outside and I had brought my Kindle so managed to read a number of chapters in my book before going inside. (Was also stunned that the Pens had lost to the Flyers in overtime. Guess the injuries to Letang and Dumo were a major reason) They had a very nice continental breakfast set up, AC, and were televising the start of each corral with fireworks and all. After a bagel, some coffee (FINALLY), and fruit, I headed out to the Ticket and Transportation Center (mile point 3.8) where the first spectator vantage point was.

Race conditions were pretty good - nice breeze, overcast and temp in the low 70s. 

 Met some really nice people and got clued in on how to track the runners on a map rather than just the updates the tracking texts provided. So I knew when Amy would be coming past. She was running a good pace and I had bought some G-2 for her and asked her if she wanted it. She breezed past and said no. No time to take a picture. 

It was then a sprint to the monorail to Magic Kingdom where we had a special viewing area right in front of the castle. The tracking map must have been off, because I never spotted her. She really was moving fast. (Haven't decided what pics I want, so the race pics are still marked with "photo pass, but you can get the idea)

After I realized that she was ahead of the tracking app, I then returned to the Epcot parking lot and the race retreat tent. Went in and grabbed a diet coke and some water to wait for her to cross the finish line. Again, I spotted her approaching, but didn't get a picture face on. Glad the race photographers did. 

Amy with sparkle green skirt and purple top channeling Ariel!

She had her Finisher photo taken and then we met inside the Retreat Tent. Amy had a snack box from the race, but really needed some fluids. We saw that there was a bar setup and so I got in line to get a mimosa for her. Wouldn't you figure they ran out of champagne just as I got to my turn to order. So it was a diet coke instead with a side of some fresh fruit.

She was really pleased with her race time. I think she looks terrific and can't believe that she had just run 13.1 miles. We took some time for her to chill out and then went to get her medal engraved. Headed back to the resort about 11:30. By this time the sun was out and it had gotten very warm and we both commented that it was lucky that they only had to run about a mile in the sunny heat.

Back at the hotel we both flopped on the bed and just did some major decompressing. She had run 13.1 miles plus a few miles walking to the start and then to the bus to return. I had done about 4 miles just walking from viewpoint to viewpoint and then to retreat tent and bus. It felt good to stretch out.. 

Our next adventure was to Animal Kingdom. Amy had really done all the planning when she was coming by herself and it was lucky she was able to add me to her reservations and plans. We had a 3:00 Fast Pass to the Lion King Festival. We got there in good time and walked around before deciding that some nourishment was needed - Dole Whip found. 

The Tree of Life that anchors the park

A little mother daughter bonding time!

 It was a live show that features the music and characters from The Lion King.

The dancers were great with some tumbling and even a flame swallower. 

Browsed through some stores and tried to find another attraction to see, but a number of them were closed for refurbishment or because it as late in the afternoon. Our next Fast  Pass was for the Kilimanjaro Safaris. We boarded a overland vehicle an explored an number of different African ecosystems. Very lucky to see so many animals out and about. 

Okapi

Ankole watusi

Baby and mother giraffes

The Lion Sleeps Tonight!

Ostrich eggs - 1 is the equivalent of 14 chicken eggs and
are virtually crush poof

White rhinoceros

After the safari we had a few minutes to kill before the light show. That meant it must be margarita time. Sipped our drinks and enjoyed talking to a couple from Ohio. They have season tickets to Penn State football and said that we could contact them if we wanted to try to get tickets to the Pitt/Penn State game at STH prices. 

We used a Fast Pass for the Rivers of Light show that took place around the lagoon. During this 15 minute show we enjoyed music, spectacular lighting effects and and a bit of fire. No fireworks due to the proximity of the animals. 

It was definitely time for dinner and we headed to Tiffins for our 7:40 reservation. What an elegant restaurant. Amy had short ribs and I had a pan seared halibut with fingerling potatoes and green beans. Each entreé had a wine pairing that perfectly complemented the dish. The pic is a bit blurry, but you get the idea.

The park buses stopped running at 9 pm so we got a Lyft. I had 10 half price rides as a promotion so it was just over $3.00 to get a ride back to the resort. 

Quickly changed into pajamas and watched the Oscars. Gasped when Olivia Colman won Best Actress, which she deserved, and was glad that Green Book got the award for Best Picture. 

Pirates won another - on the road to 192-0! Finally bedtime!

Mars to Disney World - Saturday, 23 February 2019

Sitting at dinner after our Wine Flight on 6 February, Amy asked if I would like to go to Disney with her when she ran the Princess Half Marathon. You could have knocked me over with a feather, and I, of course replied that I would love to go, if I could make it work. I spent Thursday searching flights and trying to make it work, and I did. 

So dark and early today I headed to PIT at 3:00 am for my flights to Orlando. 

I couldn't believe the plane was absolutely packed. Who is crazy to fly at 5:15? Most people, at least those seated around me,  seemed to be heading to Jamaica. We sat on the tarmac for about 20 minutes while a mechanic was located to fix trim on a seat. Really - just move the person to an empty seat. It was a pretty choppy flight to Charlotte so they did not do any beverage service. Needed some caffeine. 

Made it to Charlotte just on time, which meant that I had to sprint to catch the flight to MCO. Only had about 40 minutes and that is just what you need to go from the end gate in one concourse to the end gate in another concourse. No time for getting coffee or snapping a departure sign

Flight to MCO was comfortable. Read a bit, dozed a bit and arrived a couple of minutes late, because it took forever to get to a gate. Baggage Claim was a bit of stroll. Not sure why I bothered to walk quickly since it took forever for the luggage to arrive. Then a short walk to pick up the Magical Express to All Star Sports Resort, my home for the next 3 nights. 

Amy met me in the lobby since she had arrived on Friday. Headed to our room where I changed clothes (ditched the sweater, long trousers, and heavy top, and got settled in. We headed to the race expo via resort bus where Amy picked up her bib, our wrist  bands to get into the race retreat tent on Sunday, and then browsed some of the merchandise. Then to another ESPN building to get her souvenir race shirt. It was very hot on Saturday and I was thinking how miserable that was going to be for the runners. 

We went back to the resort, hung out at the pool for a bit, and then changed clothes again for dinner. We then headed for Disney Springs, which used to be called Downtown Disney, the infamous spot where, when we were there 22 years ago Amy escaped from the WCSD Select Show Choir to go to an 18+ comedy club without telling the chaperones. But Disney Springs does not resemble in any way Downtown Disney from that many years ago. It is a pretty upscale shopping and eating area. 

We did a walk around for a bit and found ourselves with about a half hour before our dinner reservations so it was time for some refreshment!

Dinner was at an upscale Mexican restaurant. 

The margaritas were wonderful and the food was probably the best that I have ever had. I had a spicy chicken enchilada and Amy carnitas. All the restaurants at Disney are so attentive to people with allergens and have made sure she has had choices with gluten free food.

Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas Just-made corn tortillas,
chipotle chicken filling, guajillo chile sauce, Queso Chihuahua,
crispy onions, black beans refritos 

Totally full, we opted to walk through the opposite end of Disney Springs looking for a gluten free muffin for race morning. Did not find one so it was back to All Star Sports for race prep and an early bedtime. 

Watched a bit of the Pens game and felt fairly confident of the win when we went to bed. 

Pirates won their first Spring Training Game -YAY!