Summer Vacation 2019

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, can you believe summer is almost over and the kids are getting ready to head back to school? Where does the time go? This week, in the vein of summer (at least for those of us here in the Northern Hemisphere) I figured I would share with you all a little about where I went on Summer Vacation.

This July Eric and I packed up the car, plugged in the iPod, and headed to southern California for a week away at the happiest place on Earth. This trip was special as it was Eric’s birthday and we haven’t gone away for his birthday in quite a few years. So, this year we splurged and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and we set up some amazing dinning reservation for the week. As many of you know we go to Disneyland when we can, but this year, like I said we did some things we don’t normally do, and we had an absolute blast.

Staying at the Disneyland hotel we got lucky and stayed on the club level, which granted us access to the E Ticket Lounge on the 10th Floor. The lounge had amazing views of the park and offered heavy snacks and adult beverages throughout the day, which was fantastic. It was especially nice with the heat and humidity that was going on while we were there.

Disneyland may be the happiest place on Earth, but not so much when it’s in the 90s and 100s (32c – 38c) and hovering around 50% humidity.

Because of the heat and humidity we would get to the parks early then leave when it got hot. Our plan was to return to the parks in the evening when (in theory) it cooled off, it didn’t work as planned most days.

Did I mention we got to do things we don’t normally get to do? Well we did, we got to ride in the back of the monorail, when we were heading to the park. So cool!

One of the big reasons for going to Disneyland was to check out Galaxy’s Edge and ride Smugglers Run. Galaxy’s Edge was amazing. The whole land, was incredibly detailed and I could spend hours getting lost in all the scenery. While there, we didn’t really eat anything, but we did manage to try the blue milk and green milk, which was good. Personally, I liked the blue milk more, but they were both tasty. We also got a Tatooine Sunset, which was yummy. Of course we managed to ride Smugglers Run twice (we were Engineers both times) and overall we did quite well. I still can’t believe that Eric got 100% accuracy… whatever.

No, we didn’t get lightsabers or droids, but we did explore the shops and interact with the natives, which was fun. Sadly, I didn’t see Rae, nor did I get to see Kylo Ren, but you can’t have everything. Next Trip.

While we were they, as I mentioned, we set up some great dinning reservation. We ate at the Napa Rose, Carthay Circle, and Steakhouse 55. The food was amazing and I think Eric enjoyed himself.

This trip we also got to spend a couple days with my amazing cousin, which is always a blast.

As you can see, me and the hubby had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed our time away, despite the heat and humidity. Where do you like to go on vacation? Did you go anywhere this summer or do you travel at other times of the year? Let me know in the comments below. In the meantime have a great week and see you next time.

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Random Wednesday

I want to try something new.  If you guys like it, I’ll do it every so often.  Today, I thought I would share five personal facts about myself. Let’s get going shall we.

Fact Number One:
When I was in High School, back in the mid to late eighties, I had the opportunity to become a foreign exchange student.  I was in my Spanish class and my instructor mentioned being an exchange student to the class.  I made a few notes thinking it might be a fun experience.  Fast forward a few months, and I was selected to be an exchange student to West Germany.  I spent over three months in West Germany living in a small town southeast of Frankfurt.  This was the year before East and West Germany reunited. And it was also the summer between my junior and senior year.

My time in West Germany was amazing.  I learned the language (somewhat) and I went on a weeklong bicycle trip with my host-brother we rode our bikes from our small town of Mainhausen to the Starnberger See. The trip was long and parts of it were grueling, but I managed it and I have great memories from that trip. 

While I was there, I started a journal, and that is where the seeds for my writing were planted.

Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to return to Germany, but never back to Mainhausen or to Starnberger See, I hope to get back there again. Who knows, maybe one of my future books will have a shout out to that beautiful part of the world.

Fact Number Two:
I’ve hinted at this several times, but I want to mention here, loud and proud, because I do enjoy it.  I love cooking.  It’s a lot of fun and I enjoy trying new and different recipes.  On the weekends if I’m not writing or if we’re not out and about I cook. I’ll make a big Sunday meal.  I’ve done everything from homemade Lobster Risotto to Lasagna with homemade focaccia bread.  It’s a lot of fun and everything tastes better when it’s homemade.

Along with cooking, once a year, at Christmas, I spend a full day baking (well me and a few friends and family).  We will make anywhere from six to eight different Christmas Cookies.  We end up with hundreds of cookies, almost all I give out as gifts.  It’s fun and people actually make requests as soon as August.

Fact Number Three:
All Things Disney. I love Disney.  My favorite characters (and I will limit my list here) are Chip & Dale, Jack Skellington, and the Hitchhiking ghosts. There are others, but I’m keeping the list short.  Eric and I try to go to Disneyland or DisneyWorld once a year. If we don’t make it to a Disney park we aim for a Disney Cruise.

When you walk onto a Disney property, it’s like the world outside vanishes and it’s wonderful.  We’ve met so many great people on our Disney vacations, it’s always hard to leave. My goal is to get to all the Disney parks at least once and experience their differences.

At the parks, my favorite attractions are the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. There is something about both dark rides that brings a smile to my face; it takes me back to being a kid with my Donald Duck hat.

If you have a sharp eye, a reference to Disney is made in all my books.  It’s a fun little Easter Egg I add in to see if folks pick up on it. 

Fact Number Four:
Next up, my amazing family.  I grew up with wonderful parents and quite possibly the best older sister in the world.  There are eight years between my sister and I so when I was a kid my sister spoiled me. The deal was; First, if I didn’t cause trouble I got to go with her to do fun stuff. And, second If I didn’t tattle to mom and dad then I would get to go out with her and friends (keep in mind we did nothing bad, but that was the caveat for everything we did). Oh, the college parties I went to… what fun.

My luck with my family didn’t stop at my parents and sister, my extended family is pretty freaking great.  My Grandmother had a huge family (16 brothers and sisters) so we had family coming out of the woodwork.  Like all families as time goes on people pass and people move, but I’m lucky because I’m still in contact with a lot of my family, even if we don’t get to see each other that often.

Some of my best memories from being a kid was when my family would go on trips with my grandparents.  It was always a lot of fun and something I’m lucky to have experienced.

Fact Number Five:
Dragons. I love them. The mythology that surrounds them is incredible.  Part of why I wrote A Dragon for Christmas (haven't read it click here) was because of my love of dragons.  They are freaking cool. It would be amazing to ride one, of course they don’t exist but still I would love to have one.

Several people, over the years, have brought me different items with dragons on them.  In my office, there are several dragons out and about.  They are my protectors and guardians.

There you have it.  Five ‘fun’ facts about me.  Honestly, I thought this would be a lot harder to write, but it wasn’t and I found it kind of fun.  If you have questions about anything above ask in the comments below.  I hope you enjoyed this Random Wednesday.  Don’t forget to like and share it does indeed help.

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