Josh’s Farewell Party

I thought I’d use Memorial Day to write about Josh’s Going Away Party. Saturday, May 19 was the big day to celebrate my amazing husband. It wasn't to celebrate the fact that he was leaving. It was to celebrate the fact that he is serving our country, the sacrifice he is making, and to let him know how much he is appreciated and loved by family and friends.

Me & My Man

Some of Josh’s family was able to make the trip to Moline. His Mom, Dad, Sister Michelle, and Uncle Bud traveled to Illinois to show their support. I was so grateful that they were here. My Dad and Step-mom also came from Colorado for the party. It really meant a lot that these people traveled all this way for Josh’s send-off.

It was an all-American party, from the Coast Guard service-member to the décor! Fun note: the signs on the drink coolers were labeled VETERANS (Adult Beverages), ENLISTED (Soda), and RECRUITS (Water). I’m telling you, when I pick a theme, I stick with it!

We had so much food! There was enough to last all day with plenty leftover! My Dad was the grill master with the hot dogs, and I had lots of help with the food from my Mom and Grandmas. We even had a teamworking cookie machine the day before the party. Josh made the batter and then the cookies were baked by Cindy, Michelle, and Connie.

Speaking of cookies…

Cookie Bar

Josh isn’t much of a cake man so we decided to have a cookie bar for dessert. My grandma even made a huge batch of her chocolate chip cookies that she always makes for Josh. And we ordered a giant cookie instead of a cake.

It was quite the turnout. So many people came to show support for my man. I was so proud. He even got some special drinks and a cigar from some of the guests. Sometimes he is a little too humble to be the man of the hour, but he certainly deserved it this time.

I was happy to have several of my friends there to show support. Jon, Colleen, Erin, Tricia, and Breanne all came. I know that handful of friends are going to be the ones who are going to be here keeping me occupied over the next year. I’m really lucky to have their care and support.

Breanne, Colleen, Anika, and Tricia

Colleen and I shared a couple awesome moments. She had all her kids with that day and our children were bonding like crazy. While we were watching Dylan push Tyler around on one of his toys Josh came up behind us and said, “You two have been waiting for this moment for about 15 years, haven’t you?” Yes, yes we have.

Dylan & Tyler

Dylan also had a quiet moment with Kiley that I was really excited to catch with my camera.

Kiley & Dylan

Dylan had way too much fun at the party. I'm sure he thought the party was for him. There ended up being a lot of kids there.

He was also getting awfully spoiled by Poppy (my dad). He took Dylan for a walk across the street and bought him an ice cream cone! Good thing he was still in his swim gear because I think he got more ice cream on this clothes than he did in his mouth.

Dylan may have thought the party was for him, but Josh was obviously the man of the hour. I think he told the same stories more than a dozen times. When he was leaving, where he was going, about the kind of ship he'll be on. I even saw him with his phone out at one point, showing a map of where to find Bahrain.

Talking to B-ry

Overall, I think the party was quite a success. The kids seemed to love the Kids Zone in the back yard and it looked like the adults had fun too. So many people came to support Josh and wish him good luck. It was a great send-off. Josh even got support from California - Bryan called that evening.

I need to thank my Mom for weeks of help leading up to the party. She was there for me the whole time and I couldn't have gotten the party together without her and Bob. And a big thank you to everyone else who helped make the party such a success.

Anika: Wife, Mother, Party Planner :)

On Memorial Day today, I'm thinking even more of my amazing husband and all our friends who have or still are serving. That small percentage of our Country's population deserves more than a few special days a year when everyone remembers the huge sacrifices they are making (or have made).

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~Elmer Davis

Happy Memorial Day!

Our Busy Last Day in the QC

The day before we left Moline was Bob’s Birthday. (Funny note about this post. Even though it was Bob’s Birthday, all of the photos I have from this day are with my Dad’s side of the family. Interesting)

Bob took the day off of work, so we hung out with him all morning. We even treated him to his favorite Birthday meal. “Dead chicken from Jim’s Rib Haven.” Josh and I had to get ribs, but Bob got his favorite Chicken Dinner with hot sauce. He was a happy guy.

Even though it was Bob’s birthday, today was the only day that my Dad was going to be in town while we were (He drove from Colorado and got in early that morning) So after lunch, we left the house to meet up with him and Connie for the rest of the afternoon. We met them at the Mall so Josh and I could finish our Holiday shopping, and Dylan could wear out Nana Connie at the kids’ play area in the Food Court. Dylan was so excited to see his Nana. She had watched him the day before while Josh and I had a movie/dinner date.

Grandpa, Dad & I at Grandma's grave

When we left the Mall, Dylan was passed out in the backseat (too much Nana fun!). We drove to the cemetery to place a Christmas wreath at my Grandma’s grave. Remembering Grandma, she absolutely loved Christmas Eve with our family. She is missed so much at Christmas and all through the year. When she died, someone wrote in a condolence note to me, “Grandmas are so special.” It’s such a simple statement, but it’s so true.

After a couple hours at Grandpa Charlie’s house (where Dylan unwrapped a CAT tractor toy and tool box from Grandpa & Joanie), we headed to Harris for dinner with my family. Yup, we had Jim and Harris in the same day. QC food overload (but well worth it)!! Nana Connie and Poppy Steve showed Dylan how the pizza guys toss dough and throw flour at the window where the kids watch. Dylan loved it!

Dylan with his Poppy Steve

After dinner, we went back to my Aunt Karen’s house to open some more Christmas gifts. Once again, we were totally spoiled. Our families are incredibly generous. Dylan got toys and lots of books and some really cute outfits. He also got some fun wrestling time with Poppy.




It was a wonderful day with so much of my family. I think Dylan had too much fun!

Disney Christmas Memories

While working the other day, I was updating some Christmas at Disney details and started getting into the Holiday spirit. I started reminiscing about my favorite things about Disney at Christmas time and about some of my favorite memories from when we lived in Orlando. I thought I’d share some of my memories and photos. I figure that it might bring back some Disney Holiday memories from some of you. I'm only posting a small selection of my photos and memories - If I didn't put a limit on it, I could be doing this all day long!

Animal Kingdom 

Our first Christmas at Disney was in 2004 during our College Program. On one of our days off work, Josh and I headed to the Animal Kingdom. On our way out of the park, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy were all there in their holiday/winter gear. This photo of us with Santa Goofy is one of my favorites.

Hollywood Studios

Photo by my dad, Steve

That same year (2004), my Dad & step-mom came down to visit in early December. We went to the Studios one night and wandered around the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. My Dad took this photo of one of the sections of lights. It’s so hard to get nighttime photos of lights, but I think he did a great job on this one. You actually get an idea of how many lights there really are there.

One of my favorite Christmas things at the Studios isn’t there anymore. I’m just a sentimental girls, but I liked the Hollywood Holly-Day Parade. They don’t do it anymore because it was just the Christmas version of the Stars and Motorcars parade (which is no longer there either). There was just something a bout it that I liked. Maybe it was the variety of characters…maybe it was just all the classic Christmas songs. Either way, it was very Christmas-y.

Epcot

I absolutely love walking around the World Showcase at Christmas. Every country has it’s own flair with decorations. I really like Italy. It is so beautiful and classy (especially at night!)

The Candlelight Processional is one of those things that I’m glad I did at least once. The first time I saw it, the Narrator was Marlee Matlin. I enjoyed the whole thing, but it wasn’t until the very end when it started to snow that I started getting teary-eyed. Even though it was fake snow, it was the perfect ending. Especially for a Mid-West girl who wasn't going to see snow that Christmas.

Grand Floridian

In 2005, I started working at the Grand Floridian. And if it’s not famous for it’s bright red rooftops, or fancy restaurants, or expensive rooms, or weddings with Cinderella’s coach…you can bet that people think it’s famous for it’s ridiculously huge lobby tree and annual Gingerbread house.

They put up the tree in the middle of the night in one night, so it magically appears when people wake up one morning. It is the most overwhelming tree you will ever see in your life. And the (what seems like almost lifesize) Gingerbread house is always awesome. There’s even a little sales counter in it where you can buy goodies. Doesn’t Disney think of everything? To top it all off, there is a live band that plays Christmas Songs in the evening from the second floor balcony. If you can't get in the Christmas mood here, it's not likely to happen at all!

Disney Resorts

AK Lodge tree decoration (Photo by Erin)

Throughout more than one Christmas season, I decided to make the rounds to the Disney Resort Hotels to check out their decorations, trees, and gingerbread. As a matter of fact, in 2009, my Mom, my friend Erin, and I did a Disney Girls trip and made a point to visit all the resorts. Between all my holiday seasons at Disney and the hundreds of photos my mom, Erin and I took on that one trip, I would have enough photos of the resorts to overload this website. So I’m only posting a few. But there are so many amazing things to see everywhere. If you are a sightseer/explorer, you would love a resort holiday adventure.

In addition to themed Christmas tress, all of the resorts have their own Gingerbread display. Aside from the huge house at the Grand Floridian, another extravagant one is the gingerbread carousel at the Yacht Club. There’s even a scavenger hunt list and hidden Mickeys!

Magic Kingdom

Saving the very best for last…the Magic Kingdom. I mean, “Magic” is in the name. How could it not be amazing? The whole park always looks amazing and puts you in an incredibly festive mood. But my favorite part? That’s easy. I am a total sucker for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade. It...is...Awesome!

If you are ever there over the first weekend of December expect to see the taping of the annual Christmas Day Parade (aired on ABC on Christmas morning). It’s usually chaos, but it’s kind of cool to see parts of the parade come together. When I was there with Mom & Erin, we were passing Main Street right as Santa’s portion of the parade was about to be taped. I was about 6 weeks pregnant at the time and a bit emotional. But seeing Santa with the Castle behind him was pretty awesome. It didn't hurt that Santa waved right at me (Yes, I do have a photo of that too, but I thought the one with the castle in the back was better to share).

Photo by Erin

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the castle all lit up with Christmas lights at the end of the night. It couldn’t be a more perfect and beautiful way to finish up your festive day at the Magic Kingdom.

I’m so happy that I got to spend as many holidays as I did with the Mouse. I know there are many people out there who dream about a Christmas Disney trip. I’m pretty sure I used to be one of them. It truly is magical. Even though I worked there for a couple years and my job now is still all-Disney-all-the-time, I have never lost that magical feeling that Disney gives you. I really hope I never do.

What about you? Do you have any magical Christmas memories from Walt Disney World? I can't be the only one! :)