Hollywood Studios

The four of us were all up before 6:30 this morning to take advantage of the early morning magic hours at Hollywood Studios.  It was one of the perks of staying at a Disney resort and we wanted to make the most of it.  The bus arrived as soon as we made it to the station and by 8 a.m. we were all in Brett's favorite park in line for Slinky Dog Dash.  We hoped that they would let us on the ride before the 8:30 start time, but in the end were just thankful for the early access to the ride.  We were done with the roller coaster and in line for the new Runaway Railway before those staying off property were admitted into the park.

Runaway Railway replaced The Great Movie ride in March of 2020.  We were said to say goodbye to one of our favorite rides in the park, but did enjoy the adventure with Mickey and Goofy on the new one.  After the train ride, Brett, Cameron and I headed to Millennium Falcon while Doug took a few calls from work.  The ride was as fun as we remembered and Brett and Cameron were glad to be pilots on this flight.  We reconnected with Doug afterward and made time for Star Tours, Muppets 3-D vision and Toy Story Mania before catching the Skyliners to EPCOT for lunch.

We arrived at EPCOT before the 2 p.m. park hopper passes started, so we walked over to Beaches and Cream to check out their famous shakes that I had heard a lot about them from Disney Food Blog.  We were definitely impressed with their size.  The boys and I shared a 50th anniversary one that was topped with a slice of cake.  It was delicious.  

We arrived at EPCOT at 2 p.m. ready to tour the countries and all of the food booths of the Food & Wine Festival.  It was hot and the lines were longer than we expected, but we still got to try a lot of different dishes.  Cameron enjoyed the sushi in Japan the best while I liked the chicken from India.  Brett and Doug were pleased with the new beer from Germany and we all split a giant German pretzel as well.  While we were touring the countries, Cameron looked for the Remy characters hidden throughout the park.  We found quite a few, but not all of them by the time we left EPCOT for the afternoon.

Doug and I headed to the hotel after lunch.  I wanted to rest and Doug had to work for a little while.  The boys chose to go back to Hollywood Studios.  They didn't get to ride Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster before we left this morning and were hoping to catch them on their return trip.  Fortunately, the lines had receded and they were able to ride both within an hour's time.  They stopped back at the hotel for a little while before we headed out for the night.  

Dinner was once again at EPCOT as we checked out all of the booths that we missed at lunch time.  There was no contest tonight on my favorite.  It was the chocolate cake/pudding dish from Ireland.  After we ate, we watched the new EPCOT show, Harmonious.  We all thought it was wonderful.  As it was ending we got in line for the Frozen ride.  We were thankful that we did as it started to fill up immediately after the fireworks show ended.  Since we were staying in a deluxe resort we could access the evening extra magic hours as well.  In the two hour window we were able to not only ride Frozen, but Test Track, Mission Space and Soarin' as well.  It was after midnight when we caught our bus back to Sarasota Springs.  Although we were all tired, we were extremely happy with our first full day at Disney World.  

Disney or Bust

Last weekend our trip to Disney World looked a little uncertain.  We had everything planned and paid for, but Southwest had had trouble with their schedules and over 30% of their flights were cancelled or delayed.  Both Brett and I were worried about our trip as flights were still being affected last Tuesday.  Doug and I weighed through our options.  We could cancel our trip (which no one wanted to do) or we could watch the flight schedules and weather patterns on Friday and Saturday.  Then if it looked as though our flight out of Cincinnati would be affected, we would leave Saturday after the game and drive the 13 hours to our resort.  

Thankfully, in the end we had nothing to worry about as our flight took off exactly as scheduled this afternoon and we actually landed in Orlando ten minutes early.  The magical express area had changed and I was disappointed not to get a Disney bus.  Overall, however, I was glad for a free ride to our hotel.  We had never stayed at Saratoga Springs before and were happy to try out the resort.  Our room was perfect for the four of us with plenty of space and a balcony as well.  We had a small kitchenette which we filled with the snacks that I had packed, and the sink was helpful for rinsing out our refillable resort mugs.

Once I unpacked a few items, the four of us headed to Disney Springs.  Part of the reason that we picked Saratoga Spring was the ability to walk to our favorite shopping/restaurant area in Orlando.  Brett and Cameron were completely impressed with the Disney Springs renovations as a lot had changed since the last time they had been there.   There were definitely more stores to look through and restaurants to chose from for our dinner plans.  

My first stop was Gideon's Bakery.  We hoped to purchase cookies for breakfast, but they had no spots left in the virtual queue.  We also struck out with Wine Bar George as they had a private party scheduled for this evening.  Neither of these were too big of disappointments as we had plenty of other choices and we enjoyed walking up and down the paths of Disney Springs.  In the end we chose Splitsville for dinner as they had outdoor dining and a variety of food on the menu.  Brett picked his usual, fish n chips, which he really liked.  Cameron ordered a club sandwich and Doug and I split the nachos.  We all enjoyed our food very much and the service was fantastic.

We spent the rest of the evening shopping.  We stopped in the M & M store, the Coke store, the Irish gift shop, World of Disney and the Pin Traders.  The boys each had fun looking for gifts for their friends.  As much as they liked the Disney stores, I believe that the Coke store may have been their favorite of the night.  No one really bought much as we knew that we would be back to Disney Springs later in the week and wanted to wait and see what else we found at the parks.  We did make a big score for breakfast.  We were able to pick up donuts at Everglazed.  I had always wanted to try it and we had never been able to get in to it before.  Cameron chose a coconut mounds donut; I picked the peanut butter explosion and Brett found a chocolate extreme one.  We were all thrilled with the first leg of our trip and talked about our plans for the week as we walked back to our resort.  

IU Football vs MSU

It was the perfect day for an IU football game.  The weather was in the mid-60s with a lot of sunshine and we had plenty of tailgaters stop by our IU tent.  I appreciated that Doug and Cameron were there early to set up for everyone as the grass lots were pretty much filled by 8:30 a.m.  Since Brett was available to drop me off before work, I didn't have to be there quite so early.  Doug and Cameron had fun throwing the football until we all got there.

I was the first to arrive, around 9:30.  Doug's shredded potatoes in the crockpot were delicious and the new suggestion for cooking the antipasto squares made them even better than last time.  Cal and his friends were next to arrive.  It was fun catching up with Jayce, Mark and Riley as well as Cal.  We also got to see some of his roommates from years past as well.  Everyone enjoyed giving Cameron a hard time about the Lions and he was pleased that he got several of them to try the new Pepsi Mango flavor (his least favorite one.)

Meg and friends arrived shortly after Cal's group.  They were five of them in total and they added pumpkin donuts to our food table.  It was fun talking with them as well.  They enjoyed the food, drinks,  IU tattoos and several games of washers as well.  Cal's group was the first to leave as they had another tailgate to stop by this morning.  Only two of Meg's friends joined her at the game and they left early to print one of their tickets.  We had just enough time to pack up before we needed to head into the gates as well.  

We knew the football game would be a tough one for IU as Michigan State was ranked in the top ten this week.  IU was used to being in that position as their three previous losses were to top ten opponents as well.  We were pleased that IU scored first and were extremely impressed with their defense.  By halftime we thought that there was a chance that the Hoosiers would pull off the upset.  We loved the halftime show as the IU marching 100 even spelled out "Tom Allen" during their performance.  We had company for the second half as the Eagans joined us.  They had come down for homecoming as well and were glad to see us sitting so close by their seats.  We enjoyed catching up with all of them and had fun cheering for IU.  The game remained close, but unfortunately, IU just couldn't pull out the victory losing 15-21.  We were disappointed, but happy to have watched in person.

Cameron and Meg hung out at her apartment after the game while Doug and I cleaned up from the tailgate.  It had been extremely muddy at the grass lot, but with a little bit of effort I was able to clean everyone's shoes as we needed them for our Florida trip.  Once Brett got home, the five of us headed to Kirkwood for dinner.  It was absolutely packed with the football crowd.  We tried several different restaurants, but they couldn't guarantee us timely service especially if we sat outside.  We gave Cafe Pizzeria a chance and not only did they have an outside table for us, but provided excellent service as well.  As soon as we sat down, Cal and Mark walked by our table.  They had been enjoying the early evening at Kilroy's.  They didn't want to stay for dinner, but stopped to talk for awhile.

The rest of the night was a quiet one.  Meg went home to study and the four of us played Ticket to Ride.  Brett walked with Cameron back to Meg's afterward, and Doug and I watched  a Clint Eastwood special.  By the time Brett got back "Every Which Way But Lose" was on and we started the first part of the movie.  None of us were up for a late night this evening and turned in well before midnight.  It was definitely a busy day in Bloomington and one that we all enjoyed very much.

Worst Pharmacy Ever

I used to have a love/hate relationship with CVS in Syracuse.   I hated the slow service in the pharmacy department, but had learned to live with it, because I loved the convenience of having a pharmacy incredibly close to my home.  Plus, I appreciated the money that I saved with their rewards and coupons.  In the past six month, however, my tolerance for the pharmacy has completely waned leaving me with only a hate relationship for the store that I used to stop by almost daily.

This week was a perfect example of why I no longer have any interest in shopping at CVS or using them as my pharmacy.  Meg had a prescription that she needed refilled and since we were coming down for the weekend, I offered to get it for her.  I used the automative system and was told that her prescription would be filled by 1 p.m. the next day.  It used to take only a few hours for a refill, but I understood that with the current employment shortage in our area that times had change for that and was just happy that they could get it ready before we left on our trip.  I showed up to the pharmacy close to 3 p.m. on the day that the prescription was to filled and was disappointed to see a long line of customers with no one helping them.  I didn't understand what the problem was as they had four individuals working and had closed the drive thru, so we were the only ones needing help.  I knew the prescription was important to Meg, however, so I waited (and waited . . . and waited.). Finally, I was next in line and was greeted with, "Your prescription is not ready."  I asked why that was as it had been promised to me on the phone.  I was then told, "Well, you used the automated system."  I wasn't sure what that meant, but asked if they had a time that it would be finished.  I was rudely told that I could wait in the store and they would get it ready soon, but if I left the store they could't make any promises on when they would get to it to me.  As I had already waited twenty minutes, I asked them to just cancel the order and we'd try in Bloomington.  I then had to wait for her to verify that this would work.  

All in all I spent a half hour at the pharmacy and had nothing to show for it, thus, increasing my low opinion of the store.  I do understand the employee shortage situation in our country as it affects our day to day life with business closures and reduced amenities in stores.  This doesn't excuse CVS, however.  The pandemic wasn't to blame for their current issues as they have been providing poor service for years.  Even the $6 I saved on my hair color didn't improve my opinion of them.  Guess it's time to find another pharmacy even if we have to drive a little further.  Thankfully, the Bloomington CVS was able to fill Meg's prescription, so at least we got that taken care of for now.

A Day Just for Packing

I have always hated packing for trips, but today's felt even more overwhelming.  Not only did I have to pack for our five days in Florida, but I also had to pack for five days in Bloomington.  Since the weather forecasts were extremely different, I couldn't overlap packing clothes at all.  We will also be tailgating at both upcoming IU games, so we had to plan for those as well.  To add frustration to today's packing adventure, my lower back started hurting and it was really hard to stand or lift much of anything.

Thankfully, Doug and Cameron were more than willing to help pack tonight.  That made a big difference in getting everything ready well before bed time tonight.  In fact with their help we got so much done, Doug and I had time to play Ticket to Ride after dinner.  Brett took advantage of a free night after work this evening to pack his suitcase as well.  He called when he finished and we agreed that we were all ready for our fall break adventure next week.  We still have to get everything in the Pilot tomorrow and that may mean an afternoon of playing "Jam Pack Van", but I feel positive that we will be able to "win" that game this trip.

A Plan for the Antiques

After cleaning up our antiques a few weeks ago, we finally decided what to do with them.  We had talked about a wide variety of plans from putting them on Ebay to selling them to an antique dealer.  I had a friend who's daughter was interested in them, but the price was too steep.  Doug said that he was willing to give them away when we moved if we didn't come up with a better idea.  

In the end we asked Brett if he wanted the dining room set and/or the nicest of the barrister bookcases.  He was more than excited to take those and he and I spent the afternoon today measuring and planning for moving them.  We definitely figured out that they would fit in his apartment, even the large buffet that he would repurpose as a dresser.  We will have to move the desk out of the kitchen area,  rearrange the bedrooms and move some posters, but overall we were both pleased with the ideas that we came up with today.  Once Brett takes the dining room set, we will then move the poker table up from the basement.  It would work perfectly for the three of us and would be great place to play cards or Ticket to Ride this winter.  We would bring back Brett's table to use in the basement until we moved.

Doug and I also decided that we would sell the remaining antique furniture pieces and silver plated tea service sets at a garage sale in the spring.  We just don't need them and we do not want to move the cumbersome, heavy pieces.  The two pieces that we would keep from the Heinisch/Brucker families would be Cameron's bedroom set and the piano.  Overall, I was very happy with the plan and am looking forward to the downsizing process.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Tonight was Bethany's annual parent-teacher conferences.  We had requested any time after 5 p.m. and were surprised to see that we got the 8:10 - 9:00 time slot as neither of us realized that conferences were scheduled that late.  In the end it worked out well as Doug had to work, and in all honesty, we were just thankful that conferences were in person this year.

Cameron had suggested that we meet with five of his seven teachers this evening.  Since we had talked with Aaron, his band instructor, several times before, Cameron felt that a conference with him wasn't necessary.  I had also talked with his anatomy teacher multiple times this fall at tennis, so neither Cameron nor I were worried about that one either.  

Doug and I started in Pre-Calculus with Renae.  We were pleased to hear that he was doing well in the class and that Renae had started some calculus concepts with the students as well.  She was also excited to hear about Cameron's new role as statistician on the girls basketball team since she was extremely involved with the team as well.  

Our next stop was Brent's US History class where we talked about Cameron's analytical analysis of the four presidents who were impeached, and the current Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day debate.  Cameron obviously enjoyed the history class very much.  From there we headed to Calvin's room and found out that Cameron has been excelling at chemistry.  Therefore, we spent our conference time instead focusing on what classes Cameron could take next year in the science department that would prepare him for college.  

The fourth teacher on our list was Michael.  Before we talked about English, he wanted to catch up on what Meg had been up to at IU.  Afterward, he filled us in on the book that they would be reading for the next quarter and Cameron's ability to express himself in writing.  The last room of the night was Spanish.  We had not met Gabby before as she was new last year.  Once again, we were pleased to hear how well he was doing in Spanish 3 and how he was putting his new language skills to good use.  Overall, it was a great night and we were more than pleased to hear how well Cameron was doing in his junior year of high school.