Saying Goodbye to a Wonderful Week

Since Cal and Maggie were busy until 1 p.m. today, Doug and I took advantage of our proximity to Magic Kingdom to spend the morning there.  We had a lot of fun looking at all of the Christmas decorations, riding Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean, eating lunch for the first time at Columbia House and doing a little bit of shopping before heading out.  While we were there, Meg and Nick had a first-time experience as well.  They got stuck on Dinosaur and had to evacuate.  Meg took some great video of the thrill ride with the lights on while walking to the exit.  

Cal and Maggie were at the Boardwalk pool when we arrived.  I wasn't sure that we would be able to get in to see them as the resorts had gotten extremely strict with visitors because of the holiday season.  Thankfully, it was no problem, and we enjoyed an afternoon in the sun by the pool.  The water was freezing, but that didn't stop them from trying out the slide and even Doug and I took a turn in the pool.  Between Disney and the Keys, I believe that I have been swimming more times this year than I have in the past ten.  

Meg and Nick joined us after they made it out of Dinosaur.  They told us all about their experience while the four of them got lunch from the corn dog cart.  I still couldn't believe it as we had never had to evacuate a ride in all of the times that we have visited Disney.  The good part was that besides the video, they also got a lightening lane for one of my favorites - Na'vi River Ride.  

The six of us stayed at the Boardwalk until after 4 p.m.  It reminded me of all of the reasons why this was our family's favorite resort.  I grabbed a holiday hot chocolate drink from their lobby before we left for Meg's and dinner at Gastro Pub.  Cal and Maggie had never eaten there.  They loved the food and the atmosphere as much as we did and I was glad that we were able to spend more time with them before their 9:00 p.m. flight. I was definitely sad when I dropped them off at the airport but didn't cry.  I was incredibly thankful for a wonder week with family and ready for some much needed rest before everyone came down for Christmas.  

Monorail, Monorail, Monorail

When Doug and I checked out of Port Orleans Riverside this morning, I was a little bit bummed. I loved that resort and thought maybe I made a mistake by changing to the Contemporary for tonight. Once we pulled into the deluxe resort, I was more than happy that we decided to switch. Not only was it the perfect spot for a tour of the monorail resorts this afternoon, but it was also beautifully decorated for the holidays. Our room was even ready which surprised both of us as it wasn’t even noon yet. I forgot how much I loved the Contemporary lobby, their restaurants and the Incredibles theme.

Since we weren’t meeting anyone until closer to 3 o’clock this afternoon, Doug and I used the extra time to relax. We had pushed ourselves pretty hard this week and it was nice just to take a breather. We found a quiet little spot at our resort to have a light lunch and watch the Ohio State vs Michigan football game.

After a relaxing lunch, Doug and I were definitely ready for a night out when Cal called to say that they would meet us outside of Magic Kingdom. That was the perfect spot for us as we could walk over from our resort. The Doyles wanted to go to Fort wilderness Lodge first to see their Christmas tree and gingerbread house. We had never been in the actual lodge since we had only stayed in the cabin area years ago with our own family. It was awesome. It reminded us a lot of great Wolf Lodge and the decorations were gorgeous. Mr. Doyle wanted to wait until the lounge open before we caught the boat back to the Contemporary. At first, I wasn’t sure it was worth a half hour wait, but once we tried the drinks and food there and felt the atmosphere, I realize that I was wrong. It was a lot of fun.

While we were all catching the boat to the Contemporary, Meg and Nick were arriving from their own hotel. Jack caught up with us there as well, and Nancy suggested that we try the DVC lounge at the top of the resort. Since we were not Disney vacation club members, we had never been there. It was by far one of our favorite spots of the weekend. It was decorated in a villains' theme and had a large alcove room for the nine of us. We tried small plates of pretzels and flatbread, which were excellent. Before we headed to the monorail for our next stop, we went out on the rooftop to see the Christmas lights at Magic Kingdom. They were beautiful.

For some reason, I mentioned that every time I took the monorail I got stuck, so of course we all got stuck. I didn’t mind because that gave me a chance to tell Doug how funny it was that someone on the escalator was singing the monorail song from The Simpsons. Meg always tells me every time we ride the monorail that we should sing “Monorail, Monorail, Monorail” from her favorite episode. To hear someone else do the same thing.

The monorail did finally start up again and our next stop was the Polynesian. They had just opened an outdoor bar where we could get food and drinks while watching the fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It was absolutely my favorite spot of the night. We had an awesome view, fantastic food, and so much fun talking about our favorite Disney moments. This definitely would be one of them. Once the fireworks were over, we made a quick stop at the Gand Floridian. It was nicely decorated too, but we didn't stay long as we were all tired and ready to head back to our hotels. 

Once Cal left with the Doyle family, Meg, Nick, Doug and I took the monorail back to the Contemporary. We grabbed a snack from the food court and hung out in the lounge there for an hour or so before they took an Uber back to their hotel. I was absolutely exhausted, but so incredibly happy that our day on the monorail had gone so well.

Sing Me a Song, You're the Piano Man

Both Doug and I were excited to be included in today's vacation plans for Maggie's family.  We hadn't seen them since last Thanksgiving and were looking forward to catching up and hanging out at Disney for the weekend.  Since it was their family's vacation time, we told them to choose the plans and include us in as much or as little as they wanted.  In the end, it worked out fantastically and we all had a great day together.

First on the agenda was finding a place to eat lunch and watch the Bears game.  I suggested Splitsville as they had televisions everywhere in their bowling alley themed restaurant.  The restaurant gave us a private room, and we spent several hours there enjoying our meal, watching the game and listening about their time in Disney with their great nieces and nephews earlier in the week.   It was a lot of fun and as an added bonus, the Bears won a close game.  

After dinner, the seven of us spent some time in Disney Springs shopping before heading to Port Orleans French Quarter for dessert.  Maggie's family had never had their beignets before and enjoyed them just as much as she did the first time we took her.  We ended the evening at Port Orleans Riverside piano bar, another first for the Doyle family.  We arrived early for the show, but the bar was already packed.  We had an awesome waiter who alerted us to a table up front that had an elderly couple getting ready to leave.

Although it was the perfect place to watch Piano Bob's show, I knew that because we were so close to the stage that there was a chance that we would be invited to participate in it.  When he came around to ask where we were from and to find out if anyone was celebrating anything, Tom told him about his and Nancy's 35th anniversary.  Piano Bob wrote that down and then asked Jack for his name.  I spent the next ten minutes telling Jack to be prepared because now that the Disney piano man knew his name, he would probably be called up on stage.  At first, I thought I was correct as Piano Bob announced Nancy and Tom's anniversary and then had Jack come up and participate in one of the songs.  From there the show just kept getting better and better and we all loved it.  

Unfortunately for me, all of my talk about Jack being a part of the show backfired when Piano Bob called me up on stage to be the rotating pear tree during the Twelve Days of Christmas.  At that point, I was very glad that I had had a Diet Coke and vodka beforehand, or I don't think that I would have been able to do it.  Thankfully, the rest of the Doyle family and Doug were asked to participate as well and the guys made great Lords of Leaping.  Maggie got some awesome video of everyone and a couple in the back even called out my name after the show was over to let me know what a great job I did.  I didn't mind as we had a fantastic day and I knew that we would remember our night with Piano Bob forever.  

Thanksgiving in Orlando

Cameron and I took Cal to Orlando yesterday so that he could meet Maggie and her family at the Boardwalk.  They had plans to go to dinner tonight at the Yacht Club and then to Magic Kingdom for Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. Before we dropped him off, the three of us met Meg for lunch at Polite Pig in Disney Springs.  It was packed, but we found a table without any issue and enjoyed a fantastic meal together.  

After lunch, Meg headed back into the crowds to do some shopping while Cal, Cameron and I went to Fantasia mini-golf to play the fairways course.  Cameron and I played it this summer with Cora and had a lot of fun.  Cal hadn't played it in years and since it was only the three of us, he really wanted to try it again.  The course was crowded, but we got on after only a short wait.  The couple in front of us was definitely not the typical fairways players, but once we got used to their interesting style of play, we had a great time.  I did not score as well as I did this summer, so both boys easily beat me.  That really didn't matter to me as my favorite part was watching their close match with Cal getting the better of Cameron by one shot due to a missed short putt on the last hole.  In the end, none of us cared who won.  We were just really happy to have spent the afternoon together.

Doug beat Cameron and I back to Ocala tonight as he got off of work at 1 p.m.  He went jogging and enjoyed some quiet time before we arrived home.  Cameron picked Cheddar's for dinner and board games for our evening entertainment rounding out an extremely busy but fun Thanksgiving eve.  

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane

Today, Grandma Jane turned 82, and although none of us could be there with her to celebrate, we all did our best to make her day special with calls, gifts and social media posts.  I had given her a photo album of Brett's wedding when I was out there two weeks ago.  It made her cry because it reminded her that she was unable to attend the ceremony, but she was very happy to have it anyway and loved all of the pictures.  She also loved the bag that Meg had sewn for her as well.  My dad got her the biggest gift of the year when he bought her the 75-inch television this month.

Out of all of the gifts, calls and posts, I believe that her favorite part of the day was when Grayson poked his head around the hallway corner to wish her a "Happy Birthday" in person.  He, Molly and Jaxson had the day off from school and Aunt Vicky had brought them over to hang out with their favorite great-aunt.  I was really glad to hear that they had visited.  This has been a tough six months for my mom, and a birthday surprise was just what she needed.  As happy as we were all to talk to her today and hear about her visitors, the best part was knowing that Grandma Jane had made it to birthday number 82.  Last June, none of us were sure that was possible.  

Enjoying Some Down Time

It has been a wonderful, relaxing two days in Ocala. Cal has been able to work from home and on his lunch breaks has taken long walks. Doug was also able to work at home today so that he could go to a couple doctors' appointments.  It was so nice to have everyone here. Cameron and I took advantage of the downtime to play multiple rounds of hands down Yahtzee and run to Wawa for specialty drinks. Cal and Cameron even had time for a few rounds of ping-pong at the end of the workday.

Last night, the guys picked Piesano’s for dinner and once again were happy with the "world’s largest pizza."  I found a much smaller cheeseless Margarita pizza that I really liked. The four of us finished the evening with an old Hitchcock movie called The Wrong Man which I had never seen. It was definitely interesting as it was based on a true story.

Tonight, Doug and Cal chose leftovers for dinner, but Cameron and I picked up something at Hiatus where we met Uncle Phil for a beer. We made it home in time for the season finale of Dancing with the Stars where no one was surprised that Robert Irwin won. Even though the outcome was predictable, it was still awesome to watch. We were also able to keep track of the IU basketball game by adding another TV to the living room for the evening making it an awesome end to two days of relaxing in Ocala.

WKRP in Cincinnati

Growing up, there were two television shows that my dad and I never missed.  The first one was Mash.  We watched every episode, much to my mom's chagrin as she could not stand "Hot Lips" Houlihan.  The second show that we watched religiously, WKRP, my mom condoned.  Not only was it really funny, but our family could completely relate to the show since my dad had worked in radio since he and my mom were first married in 1963.  As I had grown up at WKAM and eventually worked there during high school and college, the jokes, the people and even the DJ booth felt extremely familiar, and I never missed an episode.  

One of my dad's and my favorite episodes of WKRP was "Turkeys Away."  In it, Mr. Carlson, the station manager, decided to run a promotion to give away turkeys for Thanksgiving.  He kept it a secret from his younger staff, so no one but him knew that he planned on dropping the turkeys out of a helicopter believing that they would fly safely to the ground and those in attendance would be able to take a live turkey home to cook for the holidays.  There was only one flaw in "The Big Guy's" plan - turkeys can't fly.  The first time I saw the episode I laughed until I cried.  Watching "Les Nessman" report live as the turkeys were falling from the sky was one of the funniest scenes in television history and my dad and I watched it every November since it first aired in 1978.

This year as we got ready to watch my favorite Thanksgiving episode, I had a surprise for everyone.  For my birthday, I had bought myself a new shirt to honor not only my 57th, but my 48th viewing of "Turkeys Away."  Everyone got a laugh out of it, especially my dad.  In honor of "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly," I have decided to make the shirt my new holiday tradition.  

A Small Thanksgiving Celebration

When we found out that Brett and Karen were staying in Indiana this Thanksgiving to host her parents and that Cal would meet up with Maggie's family on Wednesday of this week at Disney to spend the holiday with them, Doug and I decided to have our family Thanksgiving meal today.  The bad part was that Nick would miss out on our family celebration, but the good news was that he and Meg invited Cameron, Doug and I to join them for Thanksgiving in Orlando on Thursday.  Although these plans were vastly different than any Thanksgiving that we had had in the past, I was excited for the week of celebrations instead of just one day.

Once the plans were made, the next decision to be made was what to have for the Thanksgiving meal at our home.  Doug suggested lasagna, but Cameron really wasn't interested in that.  With Meg and I cutting out dairy, it didn't make a lot of sense anyway.  Turkey was the next suggestion, but Doug wasn't excited about cooking a large bird for only six people.  I saw that a lot of stores were advertising turkey breasts this year, so we decided to look into that as our main dish.  After checking them out at Publix, Doug and I were excited about trying one this year and added ham to the list as well just to make sure that we had enough meat for everyone.    

This morning, Doug was up early to start the cooking.  Since Meg and I had already made desserts, we headed to church while he was busy.  Cal and Cameron had decided to spend their morning taking advantage of the beautiful weather by going on a walk and a run.  Meg and I made it home just as the Bears game started this afternoon.  Doug finished the mashed potatoes, noodles, oyster dressing, homemade bread and Caesar salad just before Phil arrived.  The meal was absolutely delicious with everyone going back for seconds.  We saved dessert for after I cleaned up the kitchen and enjoyed it while watching the Bears win an extremely close game.  We ended our holiday with a few rounds of Chameleon before Meg and Phil had to headout.  Even though everyone couldn't be with us, we did have a wonderful day, and the best part was that we would have plenty of leftovers for the guys to eat throughout the week.

And Then There's More

This morning, Meg, Cameron, Doug and I went to Ocala's Downtown Market.  I didn't realize that tonight was Light Up Ocala which filled the entire downtown area with vendors and shoppers making it very hard to find a parking place.  Thankfully, we did get a spot and enjoyed the market very much.  I bought Christmas gifts that I had been wanting to get everyone.  Meg and Cameron both purchased jewelry and got a peach fizz from a food truck owner that gave out Thanksgiving jokes for free.  Listening to the jokes were worth it as the drink was fantastic.  Although there was a lot of food at the market, we decided on Mellow Mushroom for lunch as it is Cameron's favorite place to eat in Ocala.  The guys ordered a white sauce pizza while Meg and I tried a cheeseless vegetable one.  Both were very good.

After our trip downtown, I dropped Meg, Cameron and Doug off at home and headed to Tampa to pick up Cal.  It had been a year since I had been at the Tampa airport and forgot how easy it was to get around compared to Orlando.  Cal's flight was on time and soon after I arrived, we were heading back to Ocala.  I enjoyed hearing all that Cal had been up to lately and his thoughts on IU football, work and the holiday season.  

Doug made brats, chicken sausage and potatoes in the oven for dinner tonight which were delicious and went well with the desserts that Meg and I made.  We spent the rest of the evening playing games, watching football and hanging out at home.  We also tried Cal's wine from Italy.  It was some of the best that I had ever had, and I could see why he raved about it this summer.  Overall, it was a wonderful evening, and I enjoyed having Cal, Meg and Cameron with us very much.  

Shopping

Cameron enjoyed sleeping in this morning while I used the quiet time to get a few things done for our Thanksgiving celebration this weekend.  Once he got ready, we headed to PDQ for lunch.  I hadn't been since the last time he was here and forgot how much I liked their grilled chicken sandwich.  From there we headed to the mall to do a little shopping.  Cameron didn't need a lot but wanted to get Christmas ideas for everyone.  I had several birthday rewards that were about to expire and was happy to use one of them on a Christmas shirt and sweater at Belk's.  Cameron found the perfect burnt-orange three-quarter zip on sale as well. Before we left, he went into Hollister to window shop, and I picked up my birthday candle from Yankee Candle.

Our next few stops took us to Heathbrook Square, my favorite shopping spot in Ocala.  We checked out Dick's, Home Goods, and Barnes & Noble before heading home to meet Doug.  Dinner was at Gators Dockside which we all really enjoyed.  Meg arrived shortly after we got back ready for a fun weekend.  We spent the rest of the evening playing ping pong, catching up and watching football on television.  It was a great first day of Thanksgiving break and I look forward to many more.  

He Made It

After a grueling thirteen weeks of I-Core classes, Cameron took his last final this morning at 8 a.m.  It wasn't just the early waking time that he had this semester that made it his toughest one yet, but the heavy load of classes, the internship with the athletic department, his job as a TA, being a director on Student Athletic Board and interviewing for summer internships that had completely wore him out.  I was extremely proud of him for finishing strong as I knew last weekend, he was ready to throw in the towel.  Cameron wouldn't find out the grades for his finals until next week but felt confident that the worst that he would finish with was a 3.7.  He still had a case study to complete when he returned, but that would be easy in comparison to the classes.  

It hadn't quite dawned on Cameron that he was done with the hardest part of his semester when I picked him up at the Orlando airport this evening, but the closer that we got to Ocala the happier he became.  I listened to Cameron talk about everything that had been going on in his life these past few months and was glad to hear that he did have several fun activities planned after break like attending the IU-Purdue football game and going out for a steak dinner with Cora to celebrate their one-year anniversary.  By the time we arrived home, Cameron was ready to have a small celebration of his own entitled "Thank God, I made it to Thanksgiving break."  Fortunately, I had the cooler stocked with beer and seltzers for him so that we could toast his achievements and finally relax.  It was a wonderful way to end a looooonnnngggg thirteen weeks.

What Does the Fox Say?

Several weeks ago, my Ring doorbell camera went off in the middle of the night. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my phone to see a cat walk across our front porch.  Animals setting off our Ring doorbell didn't end there.  While I was driving to Syracuse from Indianapolis a few days before my birthday, I got another notification that motion was detected.  I pulled over and stopped the car to see a lizard hanging out on the camera.  It looked creepy up close, but not too ominous.

Last week, my doorbell went off in the middle of the night once again.  I wasn't too worried as I figured that it was the cat returning for an evening prowl.  The animal this time was on the sidewalk a little bit further away and on the camera only for a few seconds.  I wasn't quite sure what it was at first but knew that it wasn't the same cat and definitely wasn't the lizard that I saw earlier in the month.  I was too tired to figure it out that evening but after watching the video multiple times and blowing up the picture, I finally decided that it was a fox.  At first, I was a little anxious about having a fox in our front yard but relaxed once I realized that foxes were harmless to humans. 

Hopefully, the next time my doorbell camera rings at night, it isn't something that is more dangerous.  Meg saw three bears on her drive home from church not too long ago.  A bear on my front porch would definitely be something to worry about.

Thankful for a Day at Home

I was up early this morning and out the door before Meg left for work.  Bible study had been cancelled for the day, but I still wanted to get back as soon as I woke up so that I could get started on my first full day at home in a long time.  With our family Thanksgiving planned for this upcoming weekend, I had a lot to do before Cameron arrived on Thursday night.  It didn't help that I had been in Indiana four of the past five weekends.  

Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of cleaning done today.  I was also able to make a list of everything that I needed to finish before Thursday night.  I had decided with all that I had going on to cancel on Thursday night's CCW meeting.  I would have only been able to stay for an hour before I had to leave to pick up Cameron, plus they were playing BINGO and having a pajama night, two of my least favorite things. In the end, I felt good about all that I had accomplished today, and by the time Doug arrived home for dinner, I was ahead of schedule and ready for a fun night of watching Dancing with the Stars.  

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys were playing at Epcot's Eat to the Beat this weekend and Meg wanted us to see them as she had already been to two of their concerts.  I was very excited to go but worried about making it work after our busy travel week in Indiana.  Getting home early yesterday really helped, but once I saw the pictures of the crowds at Epcot waiting for the concert, my anxiety about going grew increasingly.

Thankfully, everything worked out perfectly and tonight, Nick, Meg, Doug and I were able to see one of my brother's favorite bands live.  Mike Love was the only original member still touring and his voice no longer sounded like it did on 45 in our home on Jackson Street in 1974, but it was still so much fun.  The band played all of our favorites and as an added bonus featured John Stamos on drums who also sang Meg's wedding song, Forever.  Meg and I enjoyed it very much and the guys appreciated one more trip around the countries for the last week of Epcot's Food & Wine Festival.  

A Weary Traveler

Doug and I decided yesterday that we would try to get an earlier flight if possible.  I was tired from the past ten days and the flight we were scheduled on wouldn't arrive in Orlando until 8:30 making it a late night for both of us.  Brett and Karen had plans for the day and Cameron was studying for his ICORE finals, so there was really no reason for us to stay in Southern Indiana any longer.  

I had tried multiple times over the past few weeks to change our flight and thought that with the government shut down, it would be easier to schedule a different departure but had no luck.  Fortunately, that changed at 12:30 a.m. when I woke up out of a dead sleep.  Changing our flights must have been on my mind as I had just gone to bed at 11 p.m.  Even though I was slightly disoriented, I was still coherent enough to look at the Southwest app and find earlier flights for Doug and I.  Normally, I would only be able to list us as stand-by passengers, but with the changes to the Southwest schedules since the government shutdown, they allowed me to pick an earlier flight without charging us any fees.  I was thrilled and chose the 9:45 a.m. flight before going back to bed.  

Doug didn't know anything about the changes in flights until I woke him up at 6 a.m. this morning.  He was happy to hear that we would be leaving early as he was ready to spend a day at home as well.  The only downside to our change was that we had C boarding passes and wouldn't get to sit together.  It was an easy flight, so that didn't matter and as an upside we were able to check our bags for free.  All of it was worth it to be home by lunch time today.  For me this wasn't about getting back from a ten-day trip but more of taking a long break from traveling after constantly being on the go since June.  I needed some time to rest and relax before going anywhere outside of Florida anytime soon.

Another positive about getting home early was that Meg and Nick stopped by on their way home from Tampa.  Meg was finally able to give me the birthday gift that she had been talking about all week.  It was a handmade beaded plant that she had worked on for a month.  I absolutely loved it and appreciate all of the work that she put into it.  It fit my title of "crazy plant lady" well.  Nick surprised me with a gift as well - a glass chicken from his Grandpa Leroy's collection.  It was awesome and even had room for a tealight for a fun nightlight ambiance. My final gift was from Doug - Tom Petty's Wildflowers vinyl.  What a wonderful way to end an awesome birthday celebration.  

A Wonderful 57th Birthday

To know me is to know that I love celebrating my birthday.  In fact, most of the time, my birthday becomes a weeklong celebration.  Thankfully, this year was no different.  My parents started the party this past week, and it carried onto today and doesn't plan on ending until I open Cal's gift during Thanksgiving break.  I appreciated everyone remembering and making a big deal about my 57th.  It made the number not feel as old as it sounds like.  

By far, this was the best year for birthday gifts that I could ever remember.  My started it off with a framed picture of Cal and Cameron from the UCLA with Hoosier the Bison and the words "The Bison Boys" printed at the bottom.  Then my mom gave me extra birthday money to help with my travel expenses this week.  Next, Brett and Karen presented me with a statue of Mary last night that I loved, and Cameron topped it off with a surprise gift this evening at dinner - an Elijah Sarrett t-shirt that I will proudly wear on all game days the rest of the season.  Meg promised me the best gift that I have ever gotten when I arrived back in Florida tomorrow and Cal had his and Maggie's gift already packed for his trip down next weekend.

The best part about my birthday, however, wasn't the gifts.  It was the love that I felt from my family and friends.  Spending the day at Memorial Stadium with Doug watching the Hoosiers defeat Wisconsin on a beautiful, sunny afternoon was fantastic.  Seeing Cameron work B-Town Boulevard and catching up with him after the game outside Assembly Hall made the time in Bloomington even more special.  Calls from Cal and Meg on our way to Nashville for dinner were very much appreciated as were all of the text messages that I received from close friends and family.  Finding a new place to eat in a very crowded downtown Nashville that had just enough room for Brett, Karen, Doug, Cameron and I was absolutely fantastic.  The dinner, the conversation, the gift from Cameron on an uncharacteristically warm November evening was "icing on the cake" for a perfect birthday celebration, one that I will never forget.