12/19/08

We went out to dinner with our friends Dawn and Joshua. We went to the new restaurant at Downtown Disney the T-Rex Cafe. It is owned by the same people who own Rainforest Cafe. My last few experiences with Rainforest have kept me wondering why I keep going back so my hopes weren't high. I can tell you that we were pleasantly surprised and the food was quite good. We sat in the ice cave and had a great view of the meteor room.

12/18/08

Aubs had a Holiday Party at school. They made these little winter scenes. It appeared to be mostly edible but since she said they had used both glue and frosting we decided not to chance it.

12/17/08

I had asked Shawn to please take a picture of Aubrey signing the cards. She fell asleep before she could do anymore so this is the photo he took.

I Promise...

I will catch up on the photo a day. They are all still in my camera. I have taken them each day and today have tons of extras.

I just got back from watching Steven Curtis Chapman read the Christmas Story at Epcot's Candlelight Processional. It was amazing. To hear him speak those words, knowing all that he went through this year, and to see the joy in his face as he shared the story with thousands. It was indeed a special moment.

Photo Safari Four Park Challenge

I don't know what possessed me to try this. It was a very long day that consisted of the following:
3 Parking Lots
6 Trams
4 Monorails
4 Parks of Disney Magic
1 kajillion steps. I am sure this is what my pedometer would have said if I had remembered to wear it.
2 very tired legs

I have no idea how far I walked today. I decided before I started that I would walk every non attraction* section of each park. Between the walking, tramming, monorailing, and driving I am pretty sure I covered over 30 miles. I am basing this estimate on the fact that the Disney Marathon goes through and around all 4 parks without doubling back, like the trams and monorail trips.

I reached Animal Kingdom this morning at 10:30 this morning hence the safari title. I reached my fourth park at around 3:25 pm. Once I made it through the gate at Epcot, my last stop, I slowed down a bit. I no longer had to beat the sun for the perfect flashless photos. Once I got the additional challenge photos I tasked myself with I rewarded myself with a glass of Rosa Regale. Yum. The pictures below are some of my favorites. Once I realized that I would be able to make it through the park in record time since I was alone, I decided to up the difficulty. My three challenges were self portraits, trees, and Santa lookalikes.

I had so much fun I may come up with future Safari ideas if anyone else would like to play.

For a minute I forgot it was 80 degrees and thought I might be somewhere with real seasons. Our unseasonable weather has caused fall to come to Florida.

Me and Bill

Because during an escape to Disney one really needs to be reminded that they should have finished their Christmas shopping instead of a Photo Safari. I am just glad the Toy Soldier seems to agree. (At Epcot I managed to find a few gifts so that took the edge off a bit. Or maybe that was the alcohol.)

The Lilo and Stitch Tree. It was so cute. I had to have a picture. Okay, three.

*Animal Kingdom has some walking tours that I skipped. They do not usually decorate the animal enclosures. As I found out they also do not decorate Asia, Africa, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, or Futureworld.

Challenge #1 Self Portraits

Animal Kingdom walking in.

Hollywood Studios at a window display on Hollywood and Vine.

Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland.

Epcot in American adventure in front of the Giant Gingerbread House.

Oh, did I mention that I have lost 20 pounds? :)

Challenge #2 Trees

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

Each of the parks has a very large tree outside of or just inside the main entrance.

Challenge #3 Santa

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

After the first two parks had men that looked just like Santa I thought I should go for four. I am pretty sure the last one was the real deal. He was jolly, helpful, and wearing red.

I Am A Day Behind

I was unable to take a picture yesterday because I got up in the morning, got ready for work, worked all day, and went out with co-workers. So I decided to make it up with two pictures today. I will be having a marathon of sorts tomorrow. I am going to try to hit all four Disney parks and take pictures of the holiday decorations in each.

I have decided to take the ornaments on my tree and use them for a few of the Photo A Day. So many of them have great stories and I would like to turn them into a scrapbook at some point. Mom if you know more of the stories of some of the older ones can you help me out?

I believe the Santa ornament came from Avon. It is a scented ornament and around 20 years old. The reason I put this one on here is because when we pulled the ornaments out this year the whole box smelled like this ornament. I cannot believe that it has still held the scent.

I think the snowman toppers came from my Nana's house. If they did not they made their way to the house at the same time as the other Christmas items my father and his siblings thought I should have.

Saturday

Blogger has decided to post the pictures in the reverse of my choosing and also the reverse of how they happened. Today was an eventful day and we have not been home for too long. Aubs had ballet this morning and it was parent participation today. I asked Amanda if she would mind taking some pictures for us. Aubs and Jack are particularly close with two of the assistants and they played photographer for Mellie and me. Amanda may just be responsible for both the cutest and most embarrassing photos of Aubs and I ever taken.

We mailed a letter to Santa while we were at the mall with my cousin Danielle and her boyfriend. If you mail your Santa letter from Macy's they will donate $1 per letter up to 1 million to the Make A Wish Foundation.

We went to see the Nutcracker today. Don't worry photos were allowed. It was put on by a local company and was absolutely amazing. A coworkers daughter was Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. They told us she had an off night this evening but I honestly couldn't tell. If this was a bad night for her I cannot wait to see her on a good day. She was breathtaking and definitely had a presence on the stage.

Should I Be Concerned...

That my daughter is already practicing forging a parent's signature?

Dr. Seuss Tree

We have this tree growing in the corner of the yard. I have no idea what it is. To me it looks like it should be in a Dr. Seuss book instead of my yard.

Moon

The moon is really beautiful here tonight. There is a giant ring around it tonight. I tried to capture it on film but the telephoto was too close and my 18-55mm didn't quite work out. I did however end up with a lovely picture of the moon. Unfortunately I hadn't grabbed the tripod on the first trip out so to keep myself from moving I laid on the ground and held my breath. The other unfortunate part was that the neighbors drove up as I was doing this and since he is a deputy his mind went to worst case scenario and he almost called 911. We had a good laugh about this. I did not realize that so many fun stories would be generated by the Photo A Day challenge.

Happy Birthday Jake

Happy Birthday Jake. We love you and miss you.

I wanted to get a Marines ornament for our tree but have not been able to find one. I thought Patriotic Mickey would work for now.

Snowman Tree Take 2

Here is the current version of the snowman tree. I guess it is more of a table. While there are a lot of ornaments she also has some other great pieces. I wish you could have seen the look on her face when we told her she got a Christmas tree all to herself. It did take a while to convince her that it could not go next to the big tree. Once we got the placement figured out she was very happy to decorate all by herself.

We Needed A Little Christmas

We have been in a decorating frenzy this weekend. Aubs and Shawn put up the outside lights yesterday. Today we put up the family tree as well as all of the candle holders and little counter/table top items. We have had some Rudolph figurines up on a display shelf for a few years. We had been keeping them in the boxes because they are collectibles. This year we decided to take them out and enjoy them. We now have a little Rudolph scene under the tree.

Aubs ended up with a 3 foot tree for the snowmen. When we tried to put the snowmen on the tree I had bought for them we realized that it was not nearly big enough. We had a spare tree in the garage and put that up for her. I ended up using the IKEA tree for our Irish ornament collection.

I couldn't figure out which photo to post so I put two.

Happy Thought Request

If anyone reading could please send happy thoughts to my friend Charissa, it would be greatly appreciated. Her beloved cat passed away yesterday. She is one of the best pet moms I know. If you would like to send her a note of encouragement and love click here. Thank you.

Pretty In Pink

Here is Aubs getting ready for ballet. If you look in the background it appears that she placed a pillow under the snowman tree in case he decides to jump off.

Please pretend not to notice that I need to vacuum. Thank you.

Aubs

I realized I hadn't posted a new pic of the girl in a while. This is from Thanksgiving so it doesn't count for Photo a Day. She did her hair all by herself.

Reason #67...

...That I love IKEA. These delicious little cinnamon rolls from their Swedish Grocery section. I am not a big fan of icing on my cinnamon rolls and was very excited to find these. They are delicious. Aubs loves them too. I also threw in my coffee because I found a very yummy Christmas Blend at Barney's Coffee and Tea. It is a cinnamon amaretto blend. I don't usually like the flavored coffees but this one is just right.

In case anyone is wondering I most certainly put the cinnamon rolls on that plate for the picture.

Snowman Tree

My parents started a snowman collection for Aubs right around her first Christmas. I am pretty sure this has something to do with her needing to board a plane in order to see the stuff. Her collection has grown considerably and I have been trying to find a proper way to display them at the holidays. I was at Ikea last week and found these fun tree things. I wasn't sure what I needed it for then but realized today it would be perfect to hang up a few snowmen. Unfortunately the tree with two snowmen didn't photograph well. The past few years it seems when someone new comes into our family it has been a good omen when they give Aubs a snowman. Usually they do not know of her collection when purchasing the item. This snowman is from Christine, my father-in-law's fiance. She has never met Aubs except over the phone and sent her not only an ornament but a stocking adorned with a giant snowman. Welcome to the family.

So Far So Good

Alternately titled: Why I Am Pretty Sure My House Will Not Get Cleaned Today.

Eight Years

Today is our eighth wedding anniversary. Shawn brought me these flowers last night since I have to work this evening. With all the preparations for Black Friday I forgot to put in a request for today. We usually wait until the weekend anyway and I have Sunday off. I guess this is my public apology to my husband.

I love you baby. I hope we are together for many more years.

Holiday Magic

Okay not exactly but maybe just a little. I have noticed lately that the leaves are changing. We have had a much cooler fall than I remember. I have been meaning to take my camera with me for the past couple of weeks. I finally had it with me on Thanksgiving and pulled off to the side of the road at dusk and snapped a few shots.

I have also been wanting to do a fun handmade Christmas project. I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to make and today I decided to make another Advent Calendar. Aubs and I made one last year and had a ton of fun and ended up with a great keepsake. The numbers on the right side each contain a chipboard ornament that has been run through the Xyron sticker maker. I folded a tab so that Aubs can easily remove them from the pocket. I will try to take a picture on Christmas Eve so everyone can see the complete tree. I also added a picture of last years Advent Calendar.

I am also going to try to do a Photo A Day until Christmas. I have never done one of these before so we will see how it goes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a happy and thanks filled day. I slacked a bit on my daily posts so here is the list for the rest of the week, plus a few.

- My daddy being healthy. We had quite a scare this year and I am glad he is doing so much better.

- My Girl. I love my daughter and am so blessed to have her in my life.

- My honey. In five days we will be married for 8 years.

- My very brave cousins. Jake and Jesse we love you and are very proud of you.

- Jake, Jesse, and Sam. With the things we have gone through with Bob you wonderful men have stepped up and been there where my brother normally would have been. You will never know what it means to me. Aubs really loves her cousins and will do anything for you boys.

- The Cowans, Sweeney-Bells, & Carly and Robb. You are our "Florida" Family. My life would not be the same without you all.

I Am Thankful For...

... the internet. I know that most people have issues with a statement like that. I just wanted to say that thanks to my blog, facebook, etc. I have reconnected with some people I haven't talked to in years.

I figured I would try to post something I am thankful for each day this week.

Hypothetical Question

Why is it that one can have no desire to leave their house until they cannot and then they would like to be anywhere else?

Alternate Title: How Blogging Will Entertain When A Local School That Is Not Your Daughters But Located At The End Of Your Street Is In Lockdown.

A Guessing Game

One of the things Aubs' teacher told us they would be starting to work on would be finding patterns in words. She said that we can start this at home with her by having Aubs put together groups of words that rhyme and have the same starting letter. I thought a good way to practice this skill and to help her with her quick thinking would be to play Scattergories. I modified the rules slightly to make it less frustrating for the girl. I thought I would post some of Aubs answers and see if anyone could tell me what it is. I did tell her spelling didn't count since she did not have a teammate.

Mashtosits- A state
madl - something you throw away
micdonlds - occupation
mikrav - appliance


I will post a few hints sometime tomorrow if anyone needs some help.

*Anonymous seems to have gotten them all correct.

Aubs' Great Day

Aubrey had a fantastic day today. She won the cup stacking contest for her grade at school. Have no idea what I am talking about? No worries I only know because I saw this.

We also had her Parent Teacher conference today. It went really well and I am very glad that she has a teacher that is willing to make sure she doesn't get bored. She has a lot of ideas to allow Aubs to work at her own pace while sticking to the curriculum for the rest of the class. They are implementing a new computer program that will allow the children to move forward at their own pace.

Aubs was rewarded handsomely for her great day. I am lucky my child is so easy to please. A Martha Stewart Craft kit and dinner at Panda was all she needed.

Happy Veteran's Day

To all of my family members who are Veterans. Thank you for your service to our Country. Also thanks for being such great guys.

Here is a rundown of my family members who served and are serving:
Great Grandpa Morgan Navy
Grandpa Morgan Navy
Grandpa Alaburda Navy
Uncle Danny Missy's Uncle Danny Navy
My Father In Law Air Force
Uncle Mickey Navy or Marines
Uncle Gene Navy
Grampy Navy
Poppy Air Force
And our two newest members
Jesse C. Air Force
Jake A Marines

*Please see the comments for additional family. Thanks Maury.

Happy Birthday USMC

This girl and her family love and miss their Marine terribly. To any other Marines that may happen by here Thank you for all that you do. You are all so brave and our Heroes.

My Kiddo

Today Aubs was telling me some of the things she learned in school. She told me about how she uses her dominant hand for more that her non dominant hand. Someone also must have told her that the best way to learn Spanish is to practice at home. I asked her to please bring something blue to me and she asked me to please say azul.

Oops.

I knew I should not have turned on live TV. I had planned on watching Tivoed shoes and not checking the election results until later tonight or tomorrow. Now I am glued to the tv and laptop. I have tons of pictures from Sunday night which I will post later once I can get them off of the camera.

Here We Go!!

A Charissa Style Checklist

Shower - check
Clean Out Car - check
Pack - check
Pluck Eyebrows - check
Paint Toes - check
Bring Jenny to the concert she has been waiting to see since she was a tween - In Progress
Scream like a 13 year old girl - Will Commence at 7:30 PM

Yesterday

Yesterday was a fun day. Aubs' school had invited us to lunch with our kids and then to the book fair. It was one of those moments where the memories of elementary school came flooding into my mind. I think I can still describe the gym/lunchroom at Fishcreek with painstaking detail. The book fair had the same effect and I found myself upset at the lack of Mad Libs. Today is Storybook Day and Aubs is very excited to dress up as Pinkalicious.

Cookie Decorating

We went to SeaWorld today. They had their Halloween Spooktacular. Aubs went trick or treating, got to pet one of the Clydesdales, and we decorated a cookie. The cookie decorating may be one of my favorite things I have seen in a Theme Park. For $5 we got a cookie and toppings, chocolate milk, and a lunch box to take home. We had an absolute blast today.

Hero Worship

My Thursday

We had quite a busy day today. Here is the rundown of what Aubs and I accomplished:

- I voted. I did not want to take the chance that I would have to be late to work or adjust my schedule. Florida offers early voting so I took advantage. I will not go into which candidate I chose but I am happy with my decision. It really took me a while to decide.

- Aubs also chose her candidate. I tried explaining she is not old enough but she seems to be obsessed with him all of a sudden. She even taught the son of a friend who usually leans the other way of her candidate to say his name. The kid is just learning to speak and now has one new word that may cause me some trouble. I swear I had nothing to do with any of it. She asked me on our way out the door who was running, she decided on one person and that was that. She didn't even ask who my choice was first.

- I realized what a problem all the "Yes on 2" people are creating. It is not a gay marriage amendment. Even if it is why are people so afraid? Come on people read for your self. If you have any questions please go here.

- I filled my tank for under $21 I cannot even remember the last time that happened.

- We went to Target. That store has a way of sucking the money right out of my wallet.

- Aubs and I went to my work. She decided to play shy.

Apostrophe

Shawn and I think that today's lesson in Kindergarten must have been using the apostrophe to show possession. We have decided this because the following items were written on Aubs' dry erase board:

Aubrey's momy is home with her Daddy.

Aubrey's throt hurts.

She tends to repeat the lessons each evening to her invisible students. We have seen story webs, letter webs, and practice sentences almost every evening.

Raising A Child In An Internet World

Aubs has been playing on the computer most of the morning. She is home from school today with a bit of a cold. While she was asking the correct spelling of a website the following question popped into my head: Are teachers having a hard time explaining the difference between a dot and a period? I for one can see Aubs telling the teacher "No that is a dot. I use it on my computer all the time. You know like dot com?"

Ten

Dear Pat,
I miss you terribly. I cannot believe it has been ten years. I still remember every word of our last conversation. I can still see the tears in your eyes. As hard as that memory is, I am finally starting to appreciate the fact that we had a proper goodbye. People have told me how lucky I was and I just couldn't see it. I realize that even though we had tears we had a wonderful last moment. I look back and wonder where I found those exact words at that moment and thank God that I did and am pretty sure he had them for me. At the same time I have always had peace that I promised you I would see you again.
I am so glad you were with us that last summer. I remember so many random things from that summer it is almost as if I knew how important those memories would be. That was the summer we discovered we liked the same Canadian music. Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan still make me smile for that reason.
Today I am going to celebrate with Carly. The day you left us was the day she came into my life. I figured you would prefer it this way. Everyone at home is meeting for a football game. There will be tons of new faces, most of them very small.
I will try to find a vodka drink to have in your honor though I doubt they will have one mixed with Gatorade.
Love Always And Until I see You Again,
Missy

Great Day

Today Aubs and I went to the Southern Women's Show. It was really fun and Aubs got to meet some of her favorite people on TV. Jon & Kate Gosselin from Jon & Kate Plus 8 were there doing a meet and greet.

Welcome To Your Thirties...

My dearest Sister Helen. I hope your first day and all that follow of your thirties are amazing. We had a "math" lesson this afternoon and baked blondies in your honor.

Budding Fashionista Strikes Again

Aubs just told me I need to go on "What Not To Wear".