Dec 22, 2021
Have you ever thought “tomorrow” was a calendar day later? For some reason, I thought today was the eve of Christmas Eve. In my head, I had all the things planned I needed to do today. It’s not until tomorrow that I need to do them. I have one more day to procrastinate. Yay!
To make things even weirder, I awoke with a start last night in a panic because I hadn’t purchased anything for Nanny to unwrap for Christmas this year. She died in 2009. I’m wondering if it’s possible to have COVID brain without actually having the virus.
Omicron… Smomicron. I thought we were almost done with COVID in May when vaccines became widely available. Then I thought we were almost done in August when numbers started to drop. And then, I thought we were almost done in October when boosters were available.
Yet… here we are in December… facing Omicron.
I have one friend that posts a prayer to God on Facebook (God reads FB in case you weren’t aware) everyday that always includes, “I ask that you watch over and protect those that are not awake yet. And that you grant them the ability to see and recognize what they are about to be shown.” Dude believes that some huge information dump is coming that will change the world… and maybe it is. 🙄
In the meantime, I’ll just keep washing my hands and wearing a mask when in crowds. I’m boosted as are all my immediate family and contacts. That’s as good as it gets for me, you guys. And we are having IN-PERSON Christmas this year! Yippee!!
Dec 21, 2021
Although Mr. Peskie and Perry took good care of my hounds, they sure were happy when I returned home from Disney. THEY MISSED ME!! I’ve been home over a week now and they’re still following me around. Not gonna’ lie, it’s making me a bit crazy. When experts claim that a pet can lower your blood pressure and offer other healing attributes — they don’t know my Merida. At least Dharma is a sweetie. 🙂
Gearing up for the holiday, I’m looking forward to seeing my favorite brother and sister-in-law. It’s sort of mixed up with Coco at her Mom’s this year for the first week of Christmas vacation, but we always make it work. Another Walmart discounted shopping spree with Katie is in the books. Jerilyn accompanied us this year and brought rain with her. We saved around $500 off our total bill thanks to Perry and Walmart!
Other positives include one friend that recently got a new job, I’m caught up on my work, and Perry’s up for a promotion. (Cross your fingers for him, please.) And then, I bought a scratch off lottery ticket…
TIL (Today I Learned): Death by Boiling is a method of execution where a person is killed by being immersed in boiling liquid. While not as common as other methods of execution, boiling to death has been practiced in many parts of Europe and Asia. (Sheesh… not much worse than that.)
Dec 18, 2021
Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, but even when we visited in 2015 it was a 1/2 day park. There simply wasn’t enough to keep us busy for a full-day outing. It’s not that way anymore! All the really amazing stuff that Disney has to offer is at my favorite park.
Our park hopper passes bumped us here multiple times this trip. Allow me to once again say that even though Disney is “limiting” the number of people at each park by requiring reservations in advance, that limit is set MUCH TOO HIGH for their “guests” to truly enjoy what’s offered. It was crazy busy at every single park on every single day. Animal Kingdom was no exception… although Magic Kingdom, it seemed to us, was the busiest overall.
The Tree of Life honors animals and the place they share in the circle of life. This 14-story bad boy has the images of more than 300 animals hand-carved into the trunk. Because we didn’t do Kilimanjaro Safaris or Kali River Rapids this time — it’s the closest we got to animals unless you count the caged monkeys, birds flying (macaws maybe?) and the one anteater that fascinated us.
Everything about this park is perfectly done. Joe Rohde was the lead Imagineer of Pandora and I think I might be in love with the old dude sporting tons of earrings. He retired January 2021 after a 41 year career.
Animal Kingdom also has popcorn — a staple of Coco’s diet!
Besides popcorn, here’s where you’ll find the Yak & Yeti Restaurant and Flame Tree Barbecue — both amazing. We ate breakfast at Yak & Yeti’s quick service more than once this trip.
We hit Pongu Pongu (“party party” in the language of the Na’vi) every single trip for the ‘Night Blossom’ drink with boba balls because Coco loves them and she’s the boss. Ben and I like them too, but sometimes opt for the alcoholic versions.
Of course, there’s a ton of snack kiosks that feature every kind of goodie you can imagine… including ice-cream. Ice-cream is messy business when it’s almost 90 degrees and you’re wearing a black skirt.
Ben and I always share access to the photos taken by the other via Google Photos when we’re at Disney World. I laughed as I browsed some of his shots. It seems Animal Kingdom is also a magical place to take selfies. 😉
And now that we’ve covered the food and park basics, tomorrow I plan to rave about the best ride on the planet earth and my second favorite ride — both located within Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Until then…
Dec 17, 2021
Epcot (my 2nd favorite park) is home to the World Showcase where you’ll find lots of shops and eateries. There are 11 pavilions that represent 11 countries positioned around a reflective lagoon. They are: UK, US, France, Morocco, Japan, Italy, China, Norway, Mexico, Germany and Canada.
Canada is where you can find my favorite restaurant on the planet — Le Cellier. Best. Steak. Ever. (Sorry Dad.) My more adventurous traveling partners love the Japan pavilion — both for food and for shopping. Even when we visit Japanese restaurants close to home, I’m the only one at the table with a fork. I’m no fan of sushi.
There’s not been one visit to Disney that we’ve left the Japanese pavilion unscathed. Who knew blue crocks are the perfect compliment to a kimono? 😉
We’ve gotten counter food at every pavilion at one point or another with the exception of Morocco. Not sure why, but we pass it up every single time. We typically have one sit-down meal in the China pavilion — Nine Dragons. It was closed due to COVID for over a year and just reopened a couple months ago. There was not a reservation to be had almost a month in advance. 🙁
While Epcot has around 40 attractions, there are only 10 rides — including the new one where you get to be a rat — Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Currently, there’s a virtual queue to ride it. Our assigned group was projected to board at 1:00 PM, but that got pushed to 4:30 PM – and then to after 5:00 PM. Good thing the “in line” wait was short. It’s a cute ride but not one I would wait over 40 minutes in line to ride.
Directly after the ride, we stood in line FOREVER to get crepes from La Creperie de Paris because they’re said to be amazing. People who claim that lied. Blech!
Mission: Space is a good ride, and I still love Soarin’ even though it was a bajillion times better before they upgraded the visuals. Although Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind is coming in 2022, it’s going to take more than that to pop Epcot to the top again in my book.
Good bye for now, Epcot…
Only “one more” for the nice list – sure hope it’s me!
Tomorrow’s post will be… drum roll please… Animal Kingdom. While Epcot has my favorite restaurant, Animal Kingdom is home to the best ride on the planet. Period. No room for negotiation!
Dec 16, 2021
Epcot is no longer my favorite Disney Park. Although it may be again some day, the current renovations leave paths from one destination to another with nothing of interest inside. It’s a walk-fest. In 4 days I logged almost 50 miles on my tired, old feet. Spaceship Earth looks better than ever now — especially at night. At intervals, background music booms as the lights move to the beat. It’s beautiful.
Lights shine from inside Spaceship Earth’s reflective panels as stardust emerges to symbolize beacons of possibility and optimism — beacons of magic, they say. Epcot wouldn’t be Epcot without Spaceship Earth — and a Disney trip wouldn’t be the same without photos in front of it. Even if you visit the park on more than one day, you get photos every single time if you’re dedicated. 😉
Another transformation is the reimagined fountain that stands where the old one was before. It’s 3 acrylic pylons over 16 feet tall with the park’s logo and awesome lighting at night. During the day, it’s still nice and warrants… yes… more photos!
Photos are required even if you’re worn completely out and masked up when it’s close to 90 degrees outside. Magic is expensive, but it’s also hard work. Especially when you’re over 60 and 11.
The fountain will all tie into the four new neighborhoods being created inside the park — World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase.
Check back tomorrow for highlights of the World Showcase and FOOD (Epcot has the best food experiences of all the parks), how it feels to be a rat, and more.
