Finishing Up 2014

     After returning to Texas, we settled in and started to prepare for the upcoming Holidays. Barb fired up her embroidery machine and made a multitude of Christmas gifts for friends and family. She also tried her hand at embroidering The Preserve logo onto some shirts for one of the employees. It turned out great!

     We spent some time decorating the place with Christmas lights and garland. Brad chainsawed  down a dead tree and then cut and split it up for wood to use in the fire ring. There were several nights where we built a fire and enjoyed the ambience and warmth.

     Thanksgiving was a quiet affair with just the two of us. We tried out a Bourbon brined turkey recipe for the Traeger and smoked our Thanksgiving bird. It turned out very juicy and flavorful but wayyyyy too much for just two people! Brad was "enjoying" all manner of turkey leftovers for quite a while.

     Our next big event was a trip to Orlando to meet our daughter and her family along with another family. Amanda (our daughter) had reserved a huge vacation rental home. It had seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, two living rooms, kitchen and dining room. It was ideal for the nine of us to base our adventures out of.

     We visited Universal Studios and all of the Disney Parks. We also took a day to drive to Crystal River and swim with the manatees. I'll post a separate blog entry to detail those trips.

     For our return, the youngest granddaughter, Belle, came back with us while her family flew back to Kansas. Belle spent the week with us and had a great time. She got to attend the annual Christmas Party at The Preserve and was overjoyed at receiving a gift. She helped us pack up and then drive back up to Kansas a week later, just in time for Christmas. We spent the Holidays in Kansas (Brrrrr!!!) and then attended a wedding on January 2nd in Liberty, Missouri.

Belle was the flower girl and her sister, Tori, helped with handing out programs. Then they partied into the night with the bridal party. Belle enjoyed sitting at the "Princess Table" (she got to sit with the bridesmaids whom she had wrapped around her little finger!). 

     The only downside to the trip was that somehow Misty dislocated her hip while scampering around at Amanda's home. After a late night trip to the veterinary ER, the hip was put back into place but it required her leg to be tied up in a sling for 10 days and she had to be quiet and rest. In the course of treatment, we discovered that the pain meds that she was prescribed caused her to become anxious and agitated. After a trip to the vet to verify that the hip was still in place, we took her off the pain med and things got back to "normal" (or at least as normal as it can be for a three legged dog). Prognosis for this type of treatment is no better than 50%. We're hoping that she is strong and fit and that she will be on the plus side of the 50%. If the hip dislocates again after being removed from the sling, then surgery is our next option. We'll see how she goes in the new year. 

     So that being said, we have put another year into the books. We have been from Texas to Florida, back to Texas, then to Arizona. Spent the summer in Oregon. Returned to Texas via California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The year ended up back in Florida then to Texas, and finally in Kansas. Whew!!!!! During this year we dipped our toes in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We went from almost the norther border of the U.S. to almost the southern one. We had a great time and look forward to what the New Year holds in store. 

DisneyWorld 2014

     Our next day found us making our first visit to DisneyWorld. It was the one and only day of rain and crummy weather that we endured. We started off at Animal Kingdom.

   
    Drizzly and cold did not deter the girls. Donning their ponchos and Mickey ears firmly attached they nabbed some autographs from Chip and Dale.

     On the up side, the cooler weather brought out a lot of animals on the safari ride! Giraffes, hippos, zebras, and these guys above were all out and about. The girls were selected during The Festival of the Lion King as part of the audience participation. They loved it!

Up close and personal

Jungle drums... the natives are restless!

     We rode several of the rides then we loaded up and headed to Magic Kingdom for the remainder of the day. This was Belle's first time that she could remember (she was there several years ago when she was just an infant).

At the entry to the Magic Kingdom

     My personal goal was to capture her first reaction to seeing Cinderella's Castle. Five years ago, when we were last here with them, Tori was about Belle's age. The look on her face was priceless but alas, wasn't captured in a picture. This time, I was ready.

Belle seeing the Castle for the first time

     A big part of our trip was planned to find, and get autographs, of the various Disney Princesses and characters. Unless you have been living under a rock this year, you know that the characters from the movie "Frozen" have taken the world by storm. Anna and Elsa have their own meeting area and the line forms early and grows throughout the day. In fact the reported wait time for the line routinely goes to 120+ minutes and stays there. That's longer than you will wait for most any ride on the entire DisneyWorld property!! But we had a plan. More on that later. 

     One of my personal favorites is Tinkerbelle. She jabbered constantly with the girls and was impressed to find out that Belle had the "same name" as her.

Nothing like the wonder of Disney through the eyes of a child!!

     Over the rest of this day, and the next three more, we explored the Disney parks. Amanda found that a great way to meet princesses is through the "Breakfast with the Princesses". This takes place in Epcot in the country of Norway on the World Showcase. Here while you enjoy a great buffet breakfast, a variety of Princesses come to your table to visit. Also throughout the meal there is a grand parade where the younger visiting princesses get to meet their adoring subjects. 

Aurora

Cinderella 

Snow White

Even the "Big Kids" get to meet their favorites. Ariel from The Little Mermaid

In the Grand Parade

     After breakfast, it was out exploring the rest of Epcot. 

Alice in Epcot

Mary Poppins in England

     And what visit is it without meeting the main Mouse and his sweetheart. 

A good day! Also bribery picture for the teen years.

     The next morning was dubbed: Operation Frozen. Amanda got up early and Brad drove her to Magic Kingdom before opening. Then he drove back to get the others. Meanwhile Amanda got in line and, upon Magic Kingdom's opening, she zipped over to get a place in line for Anna and Elsa's autographs. Brad picked up the rest of the crew and dropped them off to head to Magic Kingdom (while he parked the car and caught up with them later). Things didn't go quite as planned since they opened the gates earlier than posted but we still had only about a 45 minute wait in line. But we were successful!! Tori wore her Elsa dress, Haley dressed as Anna, and Belle as Rapunzel (complete with long braid).

The much anticipated and sought after Anna...

... and Elsa with her fellow princesses.

And Rapunzel

This one's for Brad. :)

     The lighting of Cinderella's Castle every evening is also a Frozen Spectacular. Here, after scenes from Disney classics are projected along the sides of the Castle, Anna and Elsa come out with their friends Kristoff and Olaf. Through an elaborate story, the Castle comes to light looking like it is draped in glimmering icicles. I've been to DisneyWorld many times over the years and this was, in my opinion, the most impressive display that I've seen.

What can I say but Wow!!

     On our last day we went to Hollywood Studios. Here we took a picture of the iconic Sorcerer's Apprentice hat. This turned out to be fortunate as we found out later that the hat is scheduled to be demolished later in 2015!

      Among the streets of the park are millions of lights and displays outlining the buildings. This is impressive to behold and periodically, snow drifts down over those assembled below. 

     Thus ended our trip to Disney. The next day we swam with the manatees in Crystal River. The air temp was cold but the water was a constant spring fed 75 degrees. Which is why the manatees come in from the ocean every winter. Our first stop was populated by hundreds of manatees that we couldn't see. There were so many that they had stirred up the bottom and visibility was next to nothing. We moved to a different spot that was much clearer. Here we met a manatee we nicknamed "Olaf" (in keeping with the general Frozen motif). We called him that because he liked warm hugs. LOTS of them. He approached us and had no fear whatsoever. He was right up in your space and loved to be rubbed and touched. He even would place your hand right where he wanted it to rub his belly! I think that Amanda crossed this one off of her bucket list.

Loved to have his tummy rubbed!

Approached us and loved the interaction.

     That evening we trooped out to Downtown Disney. A spot for that last minute shopping for gifts/trinkets, eating, and just generally having fun. The Lego store is a must see. Here there is every Lego part known to man and some very impressive Lego statues.

Buzz and Woody made from Lego's

     We took a day and drove east to Flagler Beach. Here the girls have some relatives that we visited. A great lunch on the pier then down to the ocean for some splashing around and building of sand castles. As you can tell from the picture, the girls had a great time.

Flagler Beach. Who can resist playing in the surf ???

     The next day we had to pack up and head our separate ways. We took Belle with us in the car and the others flew back to Kansas. Belle stayed with us in Texas for a week before we drove up to Kansas for the holidays. We all had a great time and I look forward to meeting up with them again in another five years or so and doing it all over again!!

Universal Studios 2014

     Early in December, we packed up the car, left the motorhome, and drove to Orlando to meet with our daughter Amanda, her family, and their friends Jeff, Susan, and daughter Haley. Amanda had rented a vacation home for the week that was just outside the maingate of Disney. While the rental rate was exorbitant for a single family, when you split it three ways it became an affordable option. You can't beat the convenience and it was much more comfortable than a hotel room!

Our temporary base of operations

Part of Diagon Alley (Universal)

Hogwarts (Universal)

     We first went to Universal Studios. The latest addition to this park is an extensive bit of acreage devoted to the "Harry Potter" lover. Those familiar with the books/movies can become immersed in a very detailed and realistic Diagon Alley, Hogwarts school, Gringot's Bank, and London train station with platform 9 3/4 (complete with a chance to ride the Hogwarts Express train). Those not familiar with the aforementioned Potter series should skip this portion of the narrative.

Inside Gringot's Bank

     The level of detail included in these areas and their rides is simply amazing. It's as if you have stepped directly into the movie and it has become real. You can choose a wizarding wand at Evander's wand shop. You can then use this wand throughout the area to make things magically happen. Looking carefully for a brass plaque on the ground, you are given the instructions as to how to correctly wave the wand. Done properly, things come to life in store windows. Young and not so young alike can be seen perfecting their wand wielding skills.

Tori magically makes a window display come to life

     Outside of, and on the peak of Gringot's bank sits the white dragon. As you sit there (off to one side) you learn the sound that he makes as he "wakes up" every 15 minutes or so. You then watch the unsuspecting "Muggles" (Potter-speak for non magical humans) get startled out of their wits when it spouts a stream of flame down towards the street. It is so big that the heat can be felt by those nearby!!

The Dragon Awakes!

     The rides through the Potter world are top notch and as detailed as the area in which they reside.  We all enjoyed ourselves and recommend it to anyone who is a Harry Potter fan.

The girls get their wands

Yes! The paintings can talk!

The spell has been cast! You will return to Diagon Alley!

     Near the world of Harry Potter is the world of Dr. Suess. Here all of the familiar characters from the Dr. Suess tales reside. You notice that the girls have "Thing 1" or "Thing 2" on their shirts (made by Nana of course!). In the world of Suess they got to meet the namesakes. What surprised me was that Thing 1 got to hug Tori and Haley while Thing 2 found Belle. The characters matched up with the logo on the girls shirts! Good job!

High Fiving the Cat himself

The Lorax dancing with Belle

One Fish, Two Fish ride... You WILL get wet!

Truth in Advertising

     Day 2 we returned to Universal. It was overcast and colder than the day before. We spent some more time exploring more intricacies of Harry Potter's world. Then it was on to ride rides and meet characters.

We all tried out to become a "Minion"

How many people can you trap in a phone booth?

Visit with Shrek... Karate pose

     While going through we came upon Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey. Donkey was very interactive and got a hoot about all of us coming to visit. The girls made quite an impression on Fiona as all of them were in matching purple shirts. Fiona suggested that instead of the usual "Smile and say Cheese" style photo, we get into our best Karate pose.

     The theme around the park was a Macy's Christmas. At various locations there were parade balloons that had been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In the late afternoon, a parade was held throughout the park and the balloons once again were shown off.

     As a part of the parade, Shrek and Fiona appeared. Surprisingly, Fiona saw the girls and recognized then from our meeting earlier in the day! She made a point to call them out and wave to them as she passed. 

     Nighttime found us watching some of an outdoor Christmas concert by Mannheim Steamroller. Then we trooped on back to our house for some much needed rest!