A Day at Disney

(Originally published on Wordpress in 2019)

My daughter is a roller coaster junkie. While living in North Texas, we visited Six Flags at least twice a year. Me? I'm not a fan. Amusement Parks aren't the best choice for someone who is afraid of heights, suffers from motion sickness, and who overheats as easily as I do. After becoming empty nesters, we visited an amusement park a total of zero times—until this year.

Our daughter is married now and has two kids. Shortly after she and her clan relocated to Florida from the West Coast, she bought a Disney pass and passed her love of dizzy, fast, stomach-lurching scary rides to her sons. Now, she and her crew visit a Disney park or two as often as they can. Because we're within driving distance, she decided we should, on occasion, accompany them.

Why don't we just refuse to go? Because we love our grandkids.

First, we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom for my oldest grandson's birthday. We'd never been, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleased that the landscaping was lush and shady, for though it was February, the temperature in Orlando was warmer than we expected. I wasn't pleased that my daughter had a bad habit of waiting until we boarded a ride before saying things like, "This one spins," and "This coaster goes backwards in the dark," while laughing malevolently. She's lucky I have a sense of humor. And Dramamine.

We did have fun, though, and we absolutely loved Flight of Passage, which I did not photograph as I was too busy enjoying the experience while telling myself I couldn't plunge to my death from the perceived great heights that my daughter failed to warn me about.

Mt Everest ride. The cars go backwards. In the dark.

At Animal Kingdom

As with our first trip to Disney this year, a grandson's birthday was the reason for a second trip to the happiest place on earth (if you spring for Preferred Parking.) This time, we got a park hopper. Over the course of nine hours, we walked twelve miles in three parks. It was hot, our legs hurt, and I had to consume numerous Dole Whips to survive the 100+ at times heat index (Epcot needs more shade.) But we had fun. My favorite ride was Soarin' Around the World, my husband finally got to ride Space Mountain, we spent an insane amount of money for a buffet with Disney characters roaming around, a treat that put a huge smile on my grandson's face, and—AND!—we visited Galaxy's Edge.

I've been a fan of Star Wars since I saw the later-titled New Hope at the theater in 1977. I cannot tell you how content it felt to stand in that alien environment and gaze at a replica of the Millennium Falcon.

It. was. awesome.

I have no idea who the man on the far left is, but I love his shirt.

At the end of the day, we limped back to our fabulous spot in preferred parking and went home. I'm not sure I'll be up for another Disney trip any time soon, but if my grandkids really want to go while we're in town, you bet we'll be there. That's how much I love my grandkids.

Thunder Mountain. Built in the style of Cinderella’s Castle (see last photo)

Mission to Mars, which I did not ride.

 Hollywood Studios at Sunset

Cinderella’s Castle. I tweaked the colors to make it look more Disney.

Year in Review - Journeys Expected and Unexpected

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

We traveled a lot this past year. More times than we'd planned. In February, we went to Florida to return my daughter's labs, who we'd been dogsitting while she and her family settled after a cross-country move. We also went to celebrate my grandson's tenth birthday. He wanted to go to Disney Animal Kingdom for his celebration. Since we love our grandson, we went. We had a good time and I loved the lushness of Animal Kingdom, but I learned never to trust my daughter when she said a roller coaster was fun. Moving backwards and getting jerked around unexpectedly was not fun!

We experienced another unexpected trip when we rushed back to the Sunshine State two months later after that same daughter underwent emergency surgery. Our presence relieved our son-in-law so he could return to work and the angst I felt being at being far away during such a time. She'll be dealing with some lifelong adjustments, but she's fine now.

In early summer, we flew to England to see our oldest daughter and her family, and to be there for the birth of her second son, our fourth grandchild. It was a wonderful time spent with family and visiting historic sites, including one tied to the great knight, William Marshal. Posts with photos here..

Sitting one the upper level of one of London's famous red buses for a tour of the city.

The Aforementioned Bus. While these tours provide an overview of London and some of its history, much of the city was blocked from view by the bus and other buildings. Next time, we'll walk.

Obligatory Photo of Stonehenge. Sheep really do graze nearby.

This past year, my husband celebrated his twelfth year at the church where he serves as pastor. After a dozen years in the pulpit, he needed a bit of a sabbatical, but with the birth and medical emergency, vacation time had to be reserved for family. Since the church office where I work was closed on Friday during the summer, we broke up that "sabbatical" into several weekends. We went to Edenton for Independence Day, the NC mountains, and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, where we didn't ride a single roller coaster. Been there done that this year. (Or so I thought. Read on!)

Verandah at the historic Barker House, Edenton, NC

The one we didn’t ride. 

For our anniversary, we made a quick loop around eastern Virginia, visiting Manassas Battlefield, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Mall in Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, and finally, Fredericksburg Battlefield. It was all interesting, but the battlefields were particularly poignant experiences. Standing where so much blood was shed for independence from tyranny on one side, and to preserve the Union on the other brought home the fact that this history, these people, these battles were real. This nation needs to remember that to avoid another such terrible war.

Statue of Thomas Jackson overlooking the Manassas Battlefield.

Looking down the Sunken Road in Fredericksburg.

Reflection Pool at the National Mall in D.C.

Obligatory photo of the Unknown Soldier.

We thought that would be it for travels this year, but Southwest Airlines had a fantastic sale on airfare, which would allowed us to fly to Florida for another grandson's birthday for a great price. We booked the trip for what later turned out to be the day Hurricane Dorian arrived. Southwest allowed passengers to change flights without a fee, so we left the day after. We would spend less than forty-eight hours there, but within that time, our daughter dragged us back to Disney, where we rode a few more roller coasters and walked twelve miles in three parks.

After a week in which Disney was practically empty thanks to Hurricane Dorian, thousands of other eager visitors converged on the park. Yay.

Now this was a treat for this Star Wars fan!

Yeah, we love our grandsons.

And that wasn't all. We also traveled to the mountains of Virginia for Thanksgiving with friends. It was too cold to do anything outside, but we enjoyed our time visiting with them.

It's our Florida daughter's turn now. In just a few days, they'll arrive to spend Christmas week with us. More family time, more memories. I can't wait.

Next Post: Goodbye and Hello

Year in Review: 2019 Goals

Like so many others, I'm astonished that the bullet train that was 2019 sped by as quickly as it did. On January 1st, it was my intention to slow down and enjoy each day. Time didn't slow as I'd hoped it would, but we made a lot of memories, most of which were good, one scary, and another sad. I'd hoped to add everything here, but doing so made the post ridiculously long, so I'll start with a review of my 2019 goals.

GOALS:

At the beginning of the year, I posted my 2019 goals: study the French language, be more diligent about practicing my flute, and "clean as I go," meaning declutter and keep things decluttered on a daily bases.

My French studies are going well. Je peux parler le francais maintenant? A bit, but I'm far from fluent. According to my Duolingo stats, as of last Monday (December 16th):

• I've learned 13,073 words, a good portion of which I actually remember
• I've completed 3,735 lessons
• I spent 249 hours on the app studying French (that's both good and sad.)

I plan to continue my studies throughout 2020, D.V. though perhaps not as intensely. At the beginning of 2021, I'll start on Spanish.

My decluttering efforts were also a success. We still have a few small piles of paper on our counter, but our house feels roomier and somehow lighter and airier. My musical goals suffered, though. After a month of practicing the flute, I gradually stopped. I need to improve on that front.

In my next post: There and Back Again--A Year of Travel, Some Unexpected

Character Sketches

My 2x great grandfather

I've spent years researching my family history, finding ancestors and solving family mysteries. While I can glean some facts about my direct ancestors--where they were born, where they lived, their occupations as they settled lands in various southern states--I know little about them. That is, their appearance, their likes and dislikes, what talents they had, and what their character was like. That information has been lost to time.

I journal at times, but I only include details about what my family and I do, and what's going on in our lives. Since this has been on my mind lately, I've decided to include in my journals character sketches about myself and family members, so if my journals do survive the years, my grandchildren, their children, and their children will know who we are, where we've been, and why their "Papa" went into the ministry.

Do you have plans to pass down information about yourself and your family to your descendants? If so, how will you go about doing that?

A Quick Update and Disney's Flight of Passage.

2019 is already down two months? How?? Several of us have been discussing the rapid (and frighteningly fast) passage of time. Don't take a moment for granted. It's gone in a heartbeat.

The busyness of our lives contributes to the perception of disappearing time. At this empty-nesting stage of my life, I'm not nearly as busy as younger parents are, but I stay busy enough. So how am I doing on my 2019 goals?

• I was consistent with my flute practice until a week or so ago, but I had a reason for the lapse. More on that in a minute.
  
• I study French on a daily basis. So much so, my husband is beginning to pick up a bit just from listening in. I've completed ten chapters in my Basic French book along with two reviews, and I'm working through the fifth level of the second set of subjects in Duolingo. One must complete a total of 60 lessons within each subject, so when I complete this second set, I'll have completed a total of 600 lessons on the app. This doesn't include all the reviews I had to take to "earn health" (if you make six mistakes, you either have to wait a few hours until one unit refills, refill your health with earned credits, or take a review to earn one unit.) J'étudie beaucoup (I study a lot.)

So what happened with the flute? We've been babysitting our daughter's very large dogs while she and her family relocated across country and got settled. The time finally came take them home. We picked a time near our grandson's tenth birthday and drove them to Florida.

My daughter decided to celebrate my grandson's birthday at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I'm not fond of large crowds and am prone to motion sickness. Consequently, I am not an amusement park person--I spent far too much time at Six Flags over Texas during my girls' childhood and teen years. but I love my grandson. So hi ho, hi ho, it was off to Disney I...went.

My daughter saved the best ride for last. If you're familiar with Animal Kingdom, you know this means the Avatar- (the movie) -based "Flight of Passage" ride. The line was horrid (a 2 1/2 hour wait. Every muscle in my legs and back hurt by the time we reached the ride) but the detailed graphics of a simulator that makes you feel as if you're really swooping through a valley on Pandora are incredible. I can't wait to see how Disney applies this technology to other attractions. I would love to feel as if I'm on the Moon. It's a must-see, but go with someone who can get a Fast Pass, otherwise, dehydrate yourself and plan to stand in close quarters with hundreds of others for a few hours.

Oh, and take Dramamine if rides make you sick. As I said, the simulator really makes you feel as if you're swooping through a valley.

This brings me to my goal of decluttering. With the dogs and their kennels, toys, and beds back with their people, I once again had access to our front room (formerly the dining room.) That room has been cleaned. I gave my daughter two of the four sets of crystal goblets my father-in-law gave us a few years back. My in laws purchased them while living in Europe, but never used them before my mother-in-law died. We use them, but the two of us didn't need forty-eight goblets. That cleared some cabinet space and a box in the attic. I still have to tackle the rest of the attic, and I'm not looking forward to that.

I read a few nonfiction historical books as well, but I'll discuss that later.

That's it for February. March brings us longer days and spring. Take time to enjoy the beauty that's about to surround us.

Redeeming Time

I've been out of the office lately, so to speak. My daughter and grandson flew in from the west coast, and for the first time in three years, we had the privilege of spending time as a family. If my son-in-law had been present instead of serving his country on deployment, we would have had the entire family together for the first time ever.

Because these opportunities are so rare, we make the most of our visits, talking, laughing, spending time outdoors. We went to the beach, the aquarium, a local waterfowl park. Shared meals. Left behind well-intentioned "jabs" and animosity so easy to harbor under different circumstances. It will be weeks before we see one daughter. Months before we can visit the other and our grandson. Perhaps years before we once again gather on the beach to enjoy the sun, surf and each others company.

I'm grateful my children have learned to redeem the time instead of taking it for granted.