Month: November 2016

Posted on in Uncategorized

Living in FL- 2 Years

I’ve lived in Central Florida for over two years now. We have had lots of houseguests and visitors. It’s exciting when someone who has never been to WDW or someone with young children come. Keeps the parks fresh. In the spring, I got to see small world through the eyes of a four year old. She was excited about the shiny walls before we even got on the ride. The carousel was magical again!

We don’t see too many guests in the summer. Way too hot for our northern family! Fall to spring seem to be the preferred visit times. I have actually gotten used to Summertime in Florida. It’s hot and I sweat. However, it does not keep me from having fun.

My oldest, Emily, has rediscovered her love for the parks and all things Disney. She was a repeat visitor this year. So was my younger daughter, Dea. My youngest son, Drew, just left after an 11-day visit. I think his highlight was meeting Chewbacca.

Of course no visit is complete without a trip to the All-Star Music Resort. This was a place where so many of our happy Disney memories started. We had to visit Art of Animation also as the theme in just can’t be beat for the young or young at heart.

In the last year we have moved, I have a new job, my husband Joe has a different position at Disney and I had surgery.  Change is good. I look forward to what the next year in Florida will bring!

Gina

Posted on in Uncategorized

Doing Disney Dinged Up

What feels like ages ago but in reality was just a few months back, I hurt myself. Well, not really. I rolled over in bed one morning and thought I pulled a muscle in my shoulder. This turned out to be a ruptured disk in my neck. So for a time before and following surgery, I visited the mouse in a wheel chair. It was mainly due to my general exhaustion, pain and fear of getting knocked into. Luckily this is a temporary situation that improves day by day. I have learned some lessons.


I actually felt almost guilty using a wheel chair at first. There was nothing wrong with my legs and you couldn’t tell by looking at me that anything was even wrong. I had no outward signs of what or how I was feeling. However, I got over that pretty quickly because I knew the only way I was going to enjoy the parks was sitting down and being pushed by my wonderful hubby. I have learned that you can’t judge outward appearances, so be kind. Always.
I really enjoyed the different point of view that I got to see. I loved riding on Journey into Imagination with Figment and Living with the Land right in the chair. How convenient and fun! I’m all about the details and got to focus on stuff I would not have seen before because of the height I was at. I also got to see children more clearly and you can’t beat that! The excitement and wonder on little faces is amazing!

While I was walking around post-surgery, I was surprised at how many people bumped into me even though I’m wearing a very noticeable neck brace. I’ve got a two inch incision on my neck that shows through the hole in the brace. I can’t turn my head and walk like a zombie. I thought this would have kept people away or at least to give me some space. Nope. It was a little scary to be honest.


Huge win – I’m pretty sure that Baymax liked me the best and hugged me the longest. Sure, he was nice to everyone else but he knew I needed the hug! Most of all, I have learned that you can’t always see someone else’s struggle so be nice, don’t judge and enjoy. If you’re at Disney World and someone looks like they could use a smile – give them one of yours!

Gina