http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/ en Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:20:24 GMT vBulletin 10 http://sowal.com/bb/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/ http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/745-tigers-lion-kangaroo-me.html Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:07:40 GMT Life is strange at times.

One has to wonder if as Forrest Gump said, "Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time." Sometimes I wonder too.

I don't know if it was destiny that brought me to ARK R.A.I.N. Wild Animal rescue or did we just bump into each other while floating around in this thing called life.

Either way we found each other. Actually Disney brought us together. Which truly does not surprise me, Disney always has a way of bringing interesting things into my life.

I signed up for Disney's Give A Day volunteer program. I figured why not. I get a free Disney ticket which I will definitely use and volunteer to a worthy cause at the same time, it was a win-win situation.

I do volunteer work through our church and area schools, but when I went to the Disney site to look for opportunities, this one particular charity keep drawing me in.

ARK R.A.I.N. Wild Animal Rescue society. Interestingly this society is located about 40 miles outside of Memphis, but I was not familar with thier work. The more I read about them and talked to them, the more I was impressed at how much they have achieved with so little help from others and especially on such a very limited income.

"Ark R.A.I.N. Wildlife Sanctuary Inc. (ARWS) is a non-profit, 501-c-3 public charity. The Sanctuary is a "safe haven" that takes in animals for various reasons that are in need of special care and a loving place to reside the rest of their lives. For some animals ARWS is the last resort before euthanasia. We are currently home to around 60 species of rare, unusual, threatened or endangered animals, reptiles and birds from 6 continents. More than 160 creatures in all!"

Their mission is twofold:
"To Provide abundant love, protection, nutritional diets, natural habitats, specialized vet care, and quality rehabilitation for all of our animals."

"To help save rare, threatened and endangered species and the environment by increasing public awareness with outreach programs presented by Mobile Ark, the education department of Ark R.A.I.N. Wildlife Sanctuary."

If I was honest, I probably was going to do my time and get my free ticket and move on. That won't be happening now, these animals and the dedication of the two founders of ARK R.A.I.N. have touched me and I will be staying to try to help them raise funds and hopefully get a grant.

I know absolutely nothing about doing either, but I am truly hoping that out there in this big world, there is someone else floating around that will bump into me with an idea or a helping hand.

For 14 years we had as a part of our family this lovable, sometimes ornery cocker spaniel named Toby. Our lives were very empty when he passed.

This week, Toni, one of the founders of ARK R.A.I.N. contacted me about an urgent need. One of their tigers desperately needs a new water trough. The one they have is not heavy enough to prevent the tiger from tipping it over and therefore spilling all his water. To keep him hydrated they have resorted to placing a water hose with running water for him at his cage. Needless to say that is not the ideal situation, it wastes water and makes a mess, but the trough is very expensive. So I am working on raising money for a new heavy trough.

While gathering information about the situation, I asked Toni what was the tiger's name and she replied,.... "Toby".:wub:

Forrest, I do believe it might be destiny.

ARK RAIN

]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/745-tigers-lion-kangaroo-me.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/425-episode-6-adventure-ends.html Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:58:28 GMT Today is Thursday and our last full day at Disney World. The week has gone by very quickly, as is always the case when one is having fun. Since we were up late the following evening from our... Today is Thursday and our last full day at Disney World. The week has gone by very quickly, as is always the case when one is having fun.

Since we were up late the following evening from our Fantasmic experience at the Studios, Kat slept in and I went out for an early lunch with two of my favorite Disney friends. I love seeing them, catching up on their lives over the last year and seeing photos of their kids.

We had lunch at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club resort which is one of Disney’s most beautiful resorts. It has a 3 acre mini water park pool that is just fabulous. The resort is actually three resorts joined by the pool and common areas. It is home also to Disney Beach Club Villas, a Disney Vacation Club.

All three resorts were designed by renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern. The Beach Club reflects the beach cottage theme of turn of the century summer homes of Martha’s Vineyard, while the Yacht Club reflects a more sophisticated and elegant style of the late 1800’s seaside hotels.

After a fun lunch with friends I went back to our place to get Kat so that we could spend an afternoon at Epcot’s World Showcase. The World Showcase at Epcot is an area I never tire of seeing. I love the architecture of each county, the artwork, the authentic shopping and the interaction with Disney Cast members from all the countries.

We began at Mexico, moved to Norway to have some delicious pastries in their outside courtyard and enjoyed the attractions and shops at both of these pavilions.

We then moved on to China, viewing the attractions and browsing through the shops. “The Yong Feng Shangdian shop is one of the largest shopping destinations in the World Showcase. It has a wide variety of merchandise from silk clothing, lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay furniture, Yixing teapots and jade carvings, to stuffed pandas, incense, candles, and paper fans. Beijing Cloisonné Ware is one of the specialty items found here, as well as, Chinese lanterns, Oriental carpets and Jingdezhen Chinaware. In the jewelry section of the store you will find gorgeous coral, jade, and crystal pieces. After walking through the entire shop you exit into an open air market that offers books on meditation, calligraphy and the Chinese language.” I was not sure I would ever get Kat out of this shop, but we finally moved out into the open air market when I heard someone calling my name.

Even as big as Disney World is, 27,000 acres, I always see someone I know. It was the IBD family! After hugs shared by all, an update from little IBD about what she had seen and done that day and a few photos, they moved on to search for Donald Duck, after sharing a tip that I had seen him over at Mexico, Kat and I moved on around the World Showcase lagoon, to Germany. The shops here are some of my favorites so we spent a good bit of time just enjoying all they had to offer, the wine store is definitely a must do.

Next we moved to Italy and while Kat enjoyed the shops I made a phone call or two, enjoying the beautiful day and courtyard fountains and entertainment. I booked a dinner reservation at the Yacht Club Grill and just as I finished up, Kat came out and we moved on past the American Adventure pavilion. We had visited the American Adventure pavilion the day before and enjoyed the a cappella singing group, Voices of Liberty, performing American folk songs in the lobby and the presentation in the theater. The show is a patriotic look at the concepts America was founded on. Hosted by Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, the 29-minute show blends Audio-animatronics with images shown on a 72' rear projection screen. Neither Kat nor I had seen the show recently so it was very moving to see the updates to it.

Japan is next as you move around the lake, but considering we had spent hours there yesterday, I was able to keep Kat moving on to France with a brief stop at Morocco. One of my favorite trips of all time was to France, so I love this pavilion and could spend hours here. I did some shopping, and Kat really wanted to sample the delicious offerings at the bakery but the line was the longest we had seen all week.

We enjoyed a sneak peek at the Epcot’s Flower and Garden show with some beautiful floral displays throughout the Epcot grounds.

We had visited the United Kingdom and Canadian pavilions the day before so we moved on to the Yacht and Beach Club resort where we had dinner reservations. Both of these resorts are walking distance to Epcot’s World Showcase, which makes them very popular. Since Kat did not go to lunch with me, I wanted to show her around the resort area as this was one of the last deluxe resorts on our “to see” list. We toured the Beach Club and Beach Club Villas resort area first and strolled over to the Yacht Club as it was getting close to our dinner time.

The Captain’s Grill is a favorite eatery of my family in that the service is wonderful, food delicious and beautiful décor. It is a favorite for the Disney management and I usually see some friends while dining. We had a wonderful meal and a very personable server and it was the perfect ending to our day in the Epcot area. Their dessert menu offers a delicious key lime tart, large portion not miniscule, but we were so full from dinner we could not sample it and put it down as something to do in the future. I could tell Kat was beginning to get that Disney syndrome of IDWTL (I don’t want to leave) so I had planned something special for after dinner.

We only had two resorts left to visit, the Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge, which we were going to visit on our way out on Friday. So we drove over to the Polynesian resort to shop, have a dessert and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach. In the Polynesian shopping area you can send a handpainted coconut as a special postcard, so I sent one to my daughter at her restaurant. They teased her for days that her Mom went to Disney World and all she got was a coconut. But they all thought it was cool you could mail them. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful, magical week.

On our drive home we were already planning our next adventure.

Photos from our trip are available for viewing on my profile page. Here is the link:

Photo Album ]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/425-episode-6-adventure-ends.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/401-5-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:38:36 GMT Today is Wednesday, Feb. 25 and we have very special plans for the evening. We had brunch in the room eating leftovers from our meal at Wilderness Lodge. We were very frugal on our trip and only ate... Today is Wednesday, Feb. 25 and we have very special plans for the evening. We had brunch in the room eating leftovers from our meal at Wilderness Lodge. We were very frugal on our trip and only ate one meal out each day and almost always had left over for the next day. It was really convenient having the kitchen. My one stop to the grocery store on Monday lasted us all week.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous again today, in the 70s and a nice breeze with lots of sunshine. Our plans for today were to visit the Boardwalk area to meet a Disney friend of mine, Joe, and to have a late lunch before going to Epcot for the afternoon. Our evening would be spent at the Disney Studios viewing Fantasmic, with friends.

“Disney's BoardWalk contains more than 9,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and nightclubs. It encompasses Crescent Lake and is "a village on the water". This quarter-mile entertainment, dining and shopping area is also conveniently close to two Disney Theme Parks, Epcot and Disney Studios.”

“With sherbet-colored building facades, striped awnings, rising columns and archways, Disney's BoardWalk is designed after the boardwalks that were famous during the turn of the 20th century along such New England coastal cities as Coney Island, New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey.”

“Stroll along Disney's BoardWalk during the day to explore the unusual shops and restaurants. Nightlife at the Boardwalk includes street performers, food vendors, midway games and lots of live entertainment.”

We strolled along the wooden boardwalk enjoying the view and weather and visiting the shops. The Boardwalk is also home to two Disney deluxe resorts, the Boardwalk Inn and the Boardwalk Villas, which are part of the Disney Vacation Club.

They share a common lobby and all the facilities of both resorts. One of the most beautiful areas of the Inn is the inner courtyard featuring the two story garden suites, each having its own fenced landscaped yard. The other side of the resort is the Villas with one of the most unique pools, the circus-themed Luna Park Pool that features the 200-foot Keister Coaster water slide.

We had lunch at the Big River Grille and Brew Works, it was delicious and we had a great window seat on the water. After that we went to the lobby to wait for my friend Joe. The visit was short, but I was so glad to see him, he is one of my favorite Disney friends. After that Kat and I headed over to Epcot. From the Boardwalk you can take a leisurely walk over to the International Gateway which is the entrance exclusively for Epcot resorts or you can take the boat. We decided to boat over.

At this entrance you enter the park in the World Showcase between France and Great Britain. We knew we were going to come back to Epcot the next day and since we had to watch our time in order to leave to get over to the Studios for the Fantasmic showing, we decided to stay close and headed toward the Japan pavilion to do some shopping at the Mitsukoshi Department Store. The Tokyo location is one of the oldest and grandest department stores in Japan. You could spend hours browsing this store. One of the favorite features is the tank where you pick an oyster and see if you have a pearl. There is always a large crowd watching the procedure and the Japanese clerks make a huge show of opening the oyster, searching for a pearl and then presenting it. Then they clean it and measure it. Both Kat and I got one and mine was the largest pearl found that day. The store will set the pearl for you and I had mine set in a lovely sterling silver teardrop basket type setting. It ended up being really pretty.

We looked through a few more shops in the area and went to the American Adventure and saw the show there. By the time we got out of the show we realized we had better start heading toward the Disney Studios as we did not want to be late.

My Disney friend that had arranged our special seating for the Magic Kingdom parade had also arranged VIP seating for Fantasmic at the Disney Studios. Fantasmic is the 25 minute night-time fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show which includes 50 performers, amazing special effects including film projected on water, fiber optics and lasers telling the story of Mickey Mouse battling evil.

There were only two showings this week and the theater was packed. Since the reserved seating for VIPs is much larger than the Magic Kingdom area I was allowed to invite a few extra guests and was thrilled to include Inletbchdweller, her husband and adorable daughter. They had come for the week since most Louisiana schools were out for Mardi Gras .

We met them in front of the Villains gift shop and made our way to the stadium. Once we saw the massive crowds we were all glad to be able to walk to our seating and sit down without worrying about where we would find a seat and be packed in like sardines. The VIP seating is dead center and at the top of the stadium and our seats were great. IBD’s husband went to get refreshments and came back with a surprise for me. He had gotten me a plush Mickey Sorcerer; which now has the place of honor on top of my computer cabinet. He is just the sweetest guy ever. Little IBD was darling and having a child around is always great fun, they get so excited. She was sharing with Kat and I all the special things she had seen and done this week and was showing us some very serious Disney bling. Lucky girl.



The show was as spectacular as ever and even Mr. IBD was impressed. We all had a very busy day and were tired and said our good-byes and headed to our resorts. Kat and I suddenly remembered, probably because our tummies were growling that we had not eaten dinner so we stopped at the main building at Saratoga Springs and had a light bite to eat at Artist Pallette café. This is a beautiful decorated café with artwork and light fixtures created by local Saratoga Springs, NY artisans. It is a very relaxing place to dine.

Tomorrow I have lunch with two very special friends, then Kat and I journey to faraway places that include Mexico, Norway and France.

Additional photos are available for viewing on my profile page. Here is the link:

Photo Album ]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/401-5-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/397-4-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:44:59 GMT Today is Mardi Gras, Tuesday, Feb. 24. We did not set an alarm; we are on vacation and got up late. We had a late breakfast, early lunch in the room and got ready to go for some fun in the sun. ... Today is Mardi Gras, Tuesday, Feb. 24. We did not set an alarm; we are on vacation and got up late. We had a late breakfast, early lunch in the room and got ready to go for some fun in the sun.

Kat wanted to find a computer to use since I left mine at home, so we went over to the business center at Coronado Springs resort to use the computer. We checked a few emails, could not resist a peak at SoWal.com and then toured around Coronado Springs.

It is my favorite moderately priced resort and we have stayed there many times and really enjoyed it. This resort combines the beauty, fantasy and unique cultural elements of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. We had a look around and then moved on to the next stop on our journey.

Since one of the things Kat has never done at Disney is visit the Disney resorts we were trying to see as many as we could during our trip. Our next stop was Old Key West, a Disney Vacation Club resort and a favorite of my husband. The villas are huge, being the first DVC resort built and there is really good fishing in the area lakes and canals. Old Key West resort is a charming community that recalls the spirit of the Florida Keys. “Here you can immerse yourself in the tropical ambiance of a quaint Key West style resort in the early 1900s as you delight at the brilliant green landscapes, Victorian themes, soothing pastels and quaint details of this picturesque retreat”. There is a wonderful restaurant here named Olivia’s.

This is a large property so due to time constraints, we just did a drive through. There are seven Disney Vacation Club resorts, we visited all of them on our trip and hopefully one day I can take Kat back for a stay at each. That is our plan for the future.

Since today was Mardi Gras, I felt it was necessary to take Kat to the Disney version of New Orleans, Port Orleans French Quarter. “The fun and frolic of the New Orleans Mardi Gras combined with the romance and charm of the French Quarter is what you'll find at the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. The rooms are situated along quaint little "streets" decorated with mini wrought iron fences, cascades of bougainvillea and fountains. Strolls along the Sassagoula River pathways add to the charm of this quiet little resort.”

We toured the grounds and had beignets in the food court. The food court is themed after a warehouse storing large Mardi Gras float decorations which are suspended from the ceiling.



The pastry chef at Port Orleans trained in New Orleans so the beignets were really good. They must have been because Kat really, really liked them. She was a powder sugar covered Kat. After cleaning up we visited the shops and found some great items on sale and made some purchases.

After leaving Old Key West we headed to Disney’s most spectacular resort due to the detail of its theme, Wilderness Lodge. From the moment you drive under the welcome arches of the resort sign, you really feel you have left Florida. For one thing there is not a single palm tree on this property.

“This resort was inspired by Early American National Parks Service lodges. The lakeside lodge is an 8 story, log-structured building. The centerpiece of the Wilderness Lodge is the main lobby. A massive 82 foot tall, three-sided stone fireplace is surrounded by rustic-looking, wooden rocking chairs. Four large tepee chandeliers hang overhead and two 55 foot high totem poles stand guard at the entrance. The multi-colored flooring was inspired by Northwest Indian designs. A bubbling hot spring originates in the lobby and continues outside under a glass wall, where it is transformed into a roaring waterfall that "pours" into the swimming area. Follow the path behind the pool area to a 120 foot geyser that erupts hourly.”

This resort is definitely something out of the ordinary and word descriptions and photos simply can not do it justice. Disney did extensive research in the Pacific Northwest and hired local artisans to sculpt the totem poles and other unique features of the lobby such as the sculpted five story banded lodge poles, which support the roof. Throughout the resort you will find artwork, authentic Indian headdresses, and furniture that complete the theme. Even the music throughout is themed to décor of the resort.

We had dinner reservations for Whispering Canyon Café and as usual it was packed so we got our pager and started enjoying the atmosphere of the lobby and checked out the gift shop. Each Disney resort gift shop, in addition to the usual Disney items, have unique merchandise themed to each resort. At the Mercantile you can get a smaller version of the Disney totem pole.

It was a very chilly night, so the fire felt great and for a short time we simply relaxed in big wooden rocking chairs and let the music take us to a faraway place.



Soon our pager called us to dinner and we enjoyed one of our best meals. We got a great seat in the restaurant. Located at the back of the restaurant there is a very private area of 6 tables that overlooks the rear of the lobby. From this raised open seating with a railing you can see the lake, the waterfall and courtyard, yet enjoy the atmosphere and music of the lobby. It was perfect and we even had left overs to take with us for lunch the next day.

Tomorrow we visit the turn of the century Atlantic City boardwalk and go looking for pearls in Japan.

Photos from this episode are in my profile page album.
Photo Album
]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/397-4-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/384-episode-3-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:23:27 GMT After we got back to our villa Kat and I set up, planning our week, and still laughing over the teeny tiny piece of key lime pie. Kat said, “I can’t go to bed, I am stuffed from eating all that... After we got back to our villa Kat and I set up, planning our week, and still laughing over the teeny tiny piece of key lime pie.

Kat said, “I can’t go to bed, I am stuffed from eating all that Key Lime Pie,” of course that just set us off into hysterical laughter. I am glad the villas have really good sound proofing, or our neighbors would have probably complained about all the hooting coming from our room.

I wish I had taken a photo of Kat in her shiny red satin PJ’s, needless to say she was the Kat’s Pajamas in them, she was so fine looking, she keep offering to go get ice down the hall in them. I think I even heard a few cat calls along the way.

Today is Monday Feb. 23 of our adventure.

Due to our late night, we slept in and I woke up about 10am and decided to go get some groceries to stock the refrigerator. I checked on Kat and all l heard was purring come from that big King size bed, I could barely even see her under all the covers, so I quietly slipped out, left her a note on the foyer table and set out.

One of the nice things about going so often to Disney World is that I know Orlando as good or better than some residents. There is a great Winn Dixie just down the road and I went there for a few snacks and breakfast items.

As I left the grocery I remembered Kat said she needed some batteries for her camera so I went across the street to Walgreen’s. Of course, you know how you go to a store planning only to get one item and you don’t get a basket and suddenly you have an arm full.

Well of course that is what I did, and as I was juggling my items I got to the check out and realized the 3 packs of gum I picked up were missing. I thought, crap, I must have set them down somewhere in the store as I was looking for an item.

So the line was long and I hated to get out and go back, so I just decided to let it go. As I got my wallet out of my purse to pay, Oh holy crap, there was the gum in my purse!!!!. All I could think was here I am in Orlando, Kat is sound asleep and I was going to get arrested for shoplifting 3 packs of gum. I could see the local news, 50 something year old hormonally senile woman arrested at local Walgreen’s for stealing gum. Luckily the check out girl was very nice, said it happens all the time to old folks, and let me pay for them and go.

The most embarrassing part was Kat laughing her butt off when I told her what happened. So groceries put away and the almost stolen gum in my bag, we get ready to set off for our adventure to the MagicKingdom. At times though I swear we were as bad as Lucy and Ethel, it took us over an hour to decide what we were taking with us to the park and what we were leaving in the safe in the room.

And ever few minutes we would burst out giggling over nothing; I have not laughed that much in years. So as we leave the room feeling all smug about how prepared we were and go to get in the car, I realized the key to the room was in the room. Damn!. As I leave Kat laughing on the curb, I called the manager who had given me his business card the day before and embarrassingly told him, I was locked out of my room, something I have never done. I did decide that not having my husband with me to remind me of such things was something I missed. Kat and I were like the blind leading the blind. Her key was in the room too.

Having a manager ok housekeeping to come and let us in was a great time saver, otherwise we would have had to go to the Front desk and provide ID for security reasons, so the VIP status saved us.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, low 70’s and very sunny. We arrived at the MagicKingdom just as the 3pm parade was starting. Usually during a parade Main Street is packed but I was pleasantly surprised at how few people were watching the parade.

We watched some of it from the train station upper deck, because I wanted to catch the train as soon as the parade ended and beat the crowds over to Frontierland. We were going over to ride Big Thunder Mt. Railroad one of my favorites. Well the reason no one was watching the parade was everyone was riding either Big Thunder or SplashMt. and that area was packed.

The thing about going when the snowbirds are there is they don’t get in any hurry for anything and when you have masses of them together; it literally becomes a grid lock. We get in the line and my gosh we did not realize that they had all the queues inside open and after walking in and out those queues for over 30 minutes with no sight of the end, we bailed out. We had not eaten and both suddenly had a major headache.

The thing is once you get in, you can’t get out. Kat had this panicked look on her face, like oh my we are stuck, but there is always a way, I found a Disney employee, and he let us out. We got some very strange looks from all the people in line, like what the heck is wrong with those old women. I did feel like a Salmon swimming up stream though, as you have to exit through all the people trying to get in, not a good system in an emergency.

We decided getting something to eat was more important at that time than riding so we set out to search for food. As we passed that cart with those massive turkey legs, which I have been told are really not turkey legs, I looked at Kat and said, No, no way Jose, No, No, and No. She was still laughing as I pulled her away from the cart. That is one Disney experience I have no plans to partake of.

Due to the massive crowds in Frontierland we walked past the Castle and over into Tomorrowland to Cosmic Ray’s, one of the better counter service areas. There were many choices but in the end we chose, ………..roasted chicken, potatoes and mixed veggies. As we said down laughing about the fact we had once again gotten chicken, we did decide that Cosmic Ray’s was just as good as the very expensive roasted chicken at the Grand Floridian. Sadly they had no Key Lime pie and we passed on dessert.

The main reason we were in the MagicKingdom park was to see the nighttime parade SpectroMagic, a dazzling nighttime procession filled with brilliantly lit Disney Characters and floats. Half a million lights and miles of fiber optics cables light up the night during the "SpectroMagic" Parade to create miles of smiles for Guests of all ages. During certain times of the year and based on park attendance, certain things are scaled back. SpectroMagic was only showing two nights that week so the park was packed with guests hoping for a chance to see it. This makes finding a viewing area a major under taking, with many people staking out the prime spots over an hour in advance. There are very places to sit and watch the parade so most everyone has to stand.

One of my Disney friends had arranged for us to have VIP seating for the parade. So we had to make sure we were at the special seating area on time to get our seats. I have never done VIP seating for this parade as the seating area is small only 24 guests so I was as excited as Kat.

After getting something to eat we rode a few rides in Tomorrowland and looked through some shops. Kat wanted to check out the photo shop where they take your photo and they impose your face onto many images. The guy doing it thought we would make two very fine pirate wenches, but we decided no and passed on the photo shoot. It was good for another good laugh though. We probably should have done it, as it would have been a good laugh for everyone that saw it.

Kat had planned ahead and knew it was going to very cool, well almost cold when the wind was blowing as it got later and brought a jacket with her. I decided I was going to get really cold during the parade so we headed to Main Street to the Emporium to look for sweatshirts. I found a really cute hooded one with a Minnie graphic on the back and Minnie embroidered on the front, Kat insisted this was the one to get. The price was right, it was very warm and soft so I got it and immediately wore it out of the shop.

After looking at a few more shops we decided to head back to the area we were told would be the seating area for SpectroMagic. Since I had not done this before I decided we better get there a little early to make sure it was the right spot.

We located the VIP viewing area just before the bridge leading to Liberty Square and got the bench right up front and center of the roped off section. It was the perfect view. It is very hard to describe how great these seats were. We were so close we could have reached out and touched the floats and we got lots of attention and interaction from the cast and the Disney characters in the parade. We sat next to the nicest family from Dallas, with two adorable kids and it was fun to watch their faces, as this was their first Disney parade. I will let Kat tell you about her reaction to our special seating and the parade.

After the parade we moved over to an area in front of the Crystal Palace to wait for the nightly fireworks show,” Wishes”. “Wishes” is probably my all time favorite Disney event. I love fireworks and I love the story and music that goes with this performance. As we waited we talked to a lady who had brought her two young daughters, a single Mom and again it was fun to interact with those around us. Kat and I had gotten a great place to view the fireworks and we let the 2 girls stand in front of us next to the railing so they could have a better view. It was the best way to end the day. After the fireworks, it was getting really cold, so we headed out and back to our cozy villa.




Photos for this episode are available for viewing on my profile page. Here is the link:

Photo Album

Tomorrow we go on a Wilderness journey and I did not think I was ever going to get Kat out of the Wilderness. ]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/384-episode-3-kat-minnies-great-adventure.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/379-episode-2-kat-minnie-s-great-adventure.html Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:48:52 GMT One of the fun things about taking Kat with me to Disney World for the first time together was sharing things with her that I have done so many times before. My family first went to Disney World in... One of the fun things about taking Kat with me to Disney World for the first time together was sharing things with her that I have done so many times before. My family first went to Disney World in 1987 and my husband, daughter and I have gone every year for 22 years. We just kept going year after year and honestly I can say each year we found something new and exciting we had missed the previous year. It was great fun to share with Kat things I had enjoyed over the years.

What we love most about going is the opportunity to capture just for a few days that childlike happiness and abandon that is inside all of us, but gets pushed back at times by the real world we live in. We love the opportunity for a short time to experience Disney magic. It truly is an escape.

Over the course of 22 years we have made many wonderful friends at Disney. Many were working the front desk at the resorts 20 years ago and now are in executive management positions. Those friendships will play a large part in the magic of our trip.

Ok, now back to Saratoga Springs, we checked in and got our informational packet. It is always interesting at check in because my friends always make notations in the computer about my arrival and put me on VIP status and as the front desk agent reads the computer, you can suddenly see her eyes get large and then she disappears behind that door that one always wonders what is back there.

What is back there is the management team and the agent will return with a manager who introduces himself to Kat and me, gives me his business card, just in case I need anything while there. We were given our gold resort IDs which identifies us as VIPs and as I thank the manager for his assistance and gather our things, I turn and look at Kat and literally she is grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I asked Kat if everything was ok and she replied, “Oh my, are we really going to be VIPs?” I laughed and said, “for this week at least”. It was a wonderful start. I drove Kat around the resort property while our room was getting the final touches completed.

A two bedroom vacation club villa includes a master suite, with large spacious bath with Jacuzzi tub and 2 vanity areas and large walk in shower. There is a full size kitchen, great for breakfast and snacks, living area, dining, laundry and a second bedroom with large bath. Even though Kat protested greatly I gave her the master suite. I would like to say that was purely out of the kindness of my heart, but I prefer the queen bed when sleeping alone over the king bed. Kat seemed quite at home in that big bed. For a great slide show of photos of the resort click here:
Resort Photos

After getting our things unpacked and laughing at Kat a couple of times, for saying over and over, “all this room for just the two of us”, we made our plans for the evening.

Our first journey to explore Disney’s themed deluxe resorts was scheduled for dinner at the Grand Floridian resort. The Grand Floridian transports you to a world of Victorian charms and stately elegance. This resort delivers an opulent experience that begins inside the Grand Lobby, which stands over 5 stories high, sparkling with the light from 2 brilliant chandeliers. With its gleaming white exterior, intricate gingerbread trim and gorgeous stained-glass domes, the Resort is an architectural marvel. Due to the beauty of the grounds it is a favorite place for weddings.



In 1987 on a trip to Disney World, I met one of my dearest friends, Donna, who at the time was working at Disney’s Caribbean Resort. We have been close ever since. We were meeting her for dinner and I was thrilled as I had not seen her in over a year.

We had reservations for the Grand Floridian Café. The café is a favorite as it has floor to ceiling windows along one entire wall, over looking the beautifully landscaped grounds, pool and lagoon. If one is lucky and you get a window table you might get a glimpse of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. We had a short wait, as the café was really busy that night and while we sat in the outer lobby Kat and Donna got acquainted.

While they were chatting I participated in one of my favorite Disney World activities, people watching. There truly are some fascinating people that come to Disney from all walks and regions of the World. I always try to figure out where they are from and what occasion brought them to the World. It is also very interesting to note that at different times of the year, you get different types of guests. Being late February we saw many snowbirds, some in groups (flocks of snowbirds) and some with their grandchildren. Families with very young children, not yet in school and since bike week was coming up in Daytona, even some bikers. Due to that week being Mardi Gras, we saw many, many people from Louisiana, decked out in their purple and gold. Being an Ole Miss fan and us having won in football this year at LSU (which does not happen often), this turned out to be a funny occurrence, more on that later.

Our pager went off and as we were taken to our table, I knew this was going to be one of those trips where things would just go right; we got a table by the window. Considering the restaurant was packed, this was great luck. Of course Kat thought it was always that way when I go, so it was funny to inform her, no even at Disney World we have had a few trips from Hell. For one thing in going for 22 years you eventually end up at the hospital, experience a few hurricanes, including Charley and occasionally meet some not so happy people along the way. This trip however was blessed with everything being magical. I think I will take Kat more often, I think it was her good karma.

Our waiter was young, cute, (that never hurts) and even though the menu had great variety we all three ended up ordering roasted chicken, with potatoes and green beans. I have reflux so I always have to order something that will not bother me later, and I thought Kat and Donna were being nice and not ordering something I would drool over, but could not have, but they assured me they truly did want the chicken. Roasted chicken will be a frequent companion in our trip.

Besides Kat said, “we have to leave room for Key Lime pie”. Little did we know how funny that comment would be.

While we were eating I looked out the window next to our table and I see six beautiful white ponies coming down the walkway. I know immediately what this is, Cinderella’s coach going to a wedding. Kat had never seen them before, so she was thrilled, a magical moment that many never get to see. The little girls in the restaurant were so cute, oohing and aahing at the window.



The meal was delicious and the company the best and Donna and I enjoyed our time together laughing and sharing stories with Kat of past Disney trips. Just when I thought the evening could not be better we hear this loud boom and looking out our window we see fireworks burst across the sky. Many people got up from the restaurant and went outside to stand on the walkway to watch, but we were lucky to be able to see them from our table. Kat was as excited as the children. Disney does fireworks better than anyone.

After enjoying the fireworks, Kat and I decided since we were on a fun getaway, dessert was a must. The café offers a wonderful dessert sampler with four delicious mini desserts including a key lime tart, very reasonably priced for under $10. However we really only wanted key lime pie, so we noticed that they also offered a key lime pie slice for $ 3.50. So we ordered the pie slice. Well the funny thing was when the waiter brought out our pie slice, it was no slice of pie, it was the very same miniscule key lime tart offered on the sampler, but instead of paying $2.50 for it as part of the sampler we had gotten the same thing for a dollar more.

Kat looked at the postage stamp size tart and said, “Where the heck is the pie?” Donna and I just about wet our pants laughing so hard. Even our waiter agreed that it was probably the biggest rip off on the menu. If we had a camera with us we would have taken a photo, but we would have needed a zoom lens to even find it, being so small. But it was good for a laugh and through the week as Kat and I continued the quest for Key Lime pie, we laughed and hoped if we ordered some, we would at least be able to find it on the plate.

It was getting late and we decided to head back to the villa and said our goodnights to Donna. We needed a good night sleep because the next day was our adventure to Magic Kingdom, for a very special night.

Additional photos are available for viewing on my profile page. Here is the link:

Photo Album


For additional photos of the Grand Floridian Resort:

Photos ]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/379-episode-2-kat-minnie-s-great-adventure.html http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/377-kat-minnies-great-adventure-episode-1.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:45:58 GMT Several have asked Kat or me to write a trip report about our trip to Disney in late February, I got elected. So after delays in gathering photos, and computer problems, and life in general this is... Several have asked Kat or me to write a trip report about our trip to Disney in late February, I got elected. So after delays in gathering photos, and computer problems, and life in general this is it.

Warning, this is going to be a trip report that is, for lack of a better phrase annoyingly happy. Due to much stress in my life and Kat’s we set out on this adventure with one purpose in mind, to have as much fun as we could, and believe me we did.

Hopefully Kat will jump in and interject some of her personal comments and observations. Traveling with Kat is definitely an adventure and I say that with the greatest appreciation for someone that knows how to have a good time and appreciates the smallest things in a very large way. My life has been very blessed to become her friend.

I drove down from Memphis on Saturday, Feb. 21 after many road construction delays and detours I got to SoWal early evening. I called Kat to let her know I had arrived, checked into my room at the Marriot Sandestin, and got a quick bite to eat and settled in to read a good book.

Suddenly realized what it was I had forgotten; my laptop. Later decided this was probably a blessing, in that it removed me and Kat from all things such as email, etc. during our week at Disney. In talking to Kat we decided we wanted to get an early start, so I told her I would pick her up at 7am, and she was already ready to get on the road so I got to bed, to get a good night’s rest.

I was so excited, worse than any kid at Christmas so I woke up at 5am, watched some TV, loaded my things in my car, talked to some people I had met the night before from Germany in the parking lot and went to get a bite to eat before driving over to get Kat.

Well, at 6:45 I called Kat to let her know I was pulling out from the Marriot and I noticed on the phone she sounded a little groggy, when she sleepily said, “What time is it?

I replied, it is 6:45 and I am on my way to get you. She screamed in the phone, “Oh my, I have over slept and promptly hung up.” When I arrived, about 7:15 after taking a wrong turn at her street, I called to make sure I was on the right street and she was frantic, “Minnie, I promise I will be ready when you get here, please don’t leave me” Like I would, silly girl.

You should have seen her fly out of that house when I pulled in the drive way, I honestly think she was still putting things in the suitcase as she was walking out the door.

So the journey officially begins, and about five and half hours later we are driving onto the Disney property. We had beautiful weather driving to Orlando and took the scenic route from Tallahassee to Ocala, with Kat being on the look out for John Travolta; sadly we did not see him. We were both almost hoarse from nonstop talking along the way.

Kat has been to Disney World several times, but she had not stayed at the Disney resorts, so one of the things I really wanted to share with her was their themed deluxe resorts and therefore we made plans to have our evening meals at different resorts during the week and to visit the others to shop and enjoy the atmosphere.

Disney was one of the first in the industry to theme their resorts and their attention to detail is second to none. They do extensive research and travel to the actual locations to make each themed resort as accurate as possible. They even bring in tradesmen from the region to work on the resorts.

We have a membership in Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s version of a timeshare, so I had booked us a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. The grounds of Saratoga Springs are so relaxing with many beautiful places to walk and enjoy the landscaping. Saratoga Springs resort is themed after the turn of the century buildings and streets of Saratoga Springs, New York. There is a definite racing theme being carried out. Saratoga Springs resort is one of my favorites due to the décor and furniture and extensive landscaping; I could easily live in this villa for a long period of time.



In the next episode of Kat and Minnie’s great adventure, after getting settled in at our villa, we set out on the first leg of the quest for key lime pie.

Additional photos are available for viewing on my profile page. Here is the link:

Photo Album ]]> Minnie http://www.sowal.com/bb/blogs/minnie/377-kat-minnies-great-adventure-episode-1.html