A Whirlwind of Moving

Even though I don’t have the time to write a post right now, I am allowing myself the escape in order to clear my mind and try to relax for a minute. Things have been absolutely crazy around here for the past couple weeks. Not only am I missing my husband (and Dylan is very obviously missing his Daddy), trying to prepare for the move, and trying to complete a few large projects with work before they turn my internet off…Dylan was sick for about a week!

I think the root of his sickness was the fact that he was trying to push 6 teeth out! You read that right, my poor little guy was struggling with sore gums because SIX of his teeth were trying to cut through at the same time. This lead to not eating, a runny nose, and an off-and-on fever for days. I also think his immune system was down and there was a bit of a cold too. He now has a really nice cough too! But those teeth finally pushed through and he is finally eating again!

Since my little man wanted more Mama time than usual, I wasn’t getting as much done as I needed to. So, now I’m running around like a mad woman trying to get our life in a somewhat organized fashion before the movers walk through my front door. Movers ETA = 4.5 days.

Perfect Valentine's Day shirt!

The good news is that I survived two weeks without Josh that were jam-packed with holidays. Super Bowl (yes, I think it is a holiday), Josh’s Birthday, our 5-yr Anniversary, and Valentine’s Day. Yes, there is the argument that I wasn’t alone and I had my own little 19-month old Valentine. And, it‘s true, he was my little sweetheart all day. I thank God that I have him. But, I still wish my husband could have been around for the Day of Love.

While talking to Josh on the phone yesterday, we realized that we’ve had more Valentine’s Days separated than we have together. We decided it’s the other 364 days that count. But, again, I am a hopeless romantic and did find myself wishing for the dream instead of yesterday’s reality. A girl can dream right?

Can I blame Disney and fairy tales for my hopeless romanticism? Maybe it’s dangerous that I work for a company completely devoted to Disney World. Disney gives me all those thoughts of happiness, and dreams coming true, and memories of our lives in Orlando. On the other hand, maybe having Disney on the brain every day while working for the next year will help while Josh is away.

The Disney Company stated this today (which made me smile), “On this day in 1950, Walt Disney Picture released ‘Cinderella,’ reminding little girls everywhere that the right shoe can make all the difference…”

Okay, I have to get back to my whirlwind of a week. Where is my Fairy Godmother when I need her? I’d wish for all of my lists to be completed with the snap of a finger! Or wait, do I need Mary Poppins instead?

To keep with my Cinderella theme I have managed to conjure up today, this is my Smile of the Day. As with the last one, I saw this on Pinterest and feel it needs to be shared. It‘s just great!

Disney Days - Welcome to Hollywood! I mean, Hollywood Studios!

Theme Park #3 = Hollywood Studios. Or as known by people who haven’t been to Disney in a few years - MGM Studios.

Us with June

We started our morning off with a character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine restaurant. I think that in the past, I had eaten at every place in the Studios except for this one! Of course, knowing that there are Disney Channel characters here for the Breakfast and Lunch, I was probably avoiding it in my pre-Dylan days. But now that we are actually watching those shows in the morning, I was probably more excited than Dylan was!

Us with Leo

We arrived about an hour before the park opened and headed to Play & Dine at Hollywood & Vine. There are always 4 characters at Character Meals in Disney World, and our 4 were Leo & June from Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and Special Agent Oso. We don’t watch Little Einstiens, so I wasn’t terribly excited about them, but Dylan liked them. They were the first two to come visit our table.

Handy Manny

Dylan didn’t want to hug anyone or be in the middle of the photos. But he was really excited to give everyone a high five! I liked this photo of Dylan with Handy Manny. He pointing just like Manny. Always trying to be one of the big boys…

Special Agent Oso

And finally (saving the best for last) Oso came to see us! My mom was giving me a some grief for being more excited than Dylan about Oso. Dylan didn’t really care about Oso, but REALLY liked Paw Pilot. I think he just wanted to snatch Oso’s Paw Pilot button and take off! Oso let Dylan play with Paw Pilot a little bit and touch the buttons. Score!

Of course, now that our trip is over, Disney has announced that Leo getting the boot and will be replaced by Jake (from Jake and the Never Land Pirates). If you remember, Dylan’s Birthday Party was a Jake & the Never Land Pirates Party. So now I’m a little bummed that Disney was about 3 months late on that one!

Later that morning we had to go see my main man…Sorcerer Mickey. I’ve toned down my obsession a bit, but several years ago (about the time I was on the College Program) I LOVED Sorcerer Mickey. What can I say? I do still get choked up and teary eyed every time he pops up on top of the mountain in Fantasmic. Oh man, I have to stop talking about it now or I’ll get verklempt!

Watching the Disney Jr Show

To continue our day of Disney Jr splendor, we had to make a stop at the newly revised Disney Jr show. Fortunately, Jake was already in this show. Mickey & friends, Jake & friends, Little Einsteins, and Handy Manny. It’s a Disney Channel morning fan’s dream! Dylan really liked the show. There was music, dancing, singing, and so many of his favorite friends from Disney Jr!

Michael and I actually got some “work” done (although I feel guilty calling it that. Enjoying time in the Disney Theme Parks? Whew, what a tough job!!). We did the newly revised Star Tours ride, found out details about a few new policies throughout the park, watched the I-can’t-believe-I’m-standing-in-the-sweltering-heat-for-this “Disney Rocks” street show, and lots of other stuff.

And then it was time for more Disney Channel characters. Only this time it was Superstars. That’s right everyone…I met Phineas & Ferb! Unfortunately, Dylan had already been having so much fun that he was passed out. But in all honesty, there’s no way he would have been anywhere near as excited as I was to meet those two.

I love how they were making the "Shhhh!" sign with their hands. So cute! But maybe they should've decided to invent some sort of machine where when Dylan woke up, he could re-live that moment with them, and Doof, and Perry, and Isabella...Wow, if you have never seen that show, you are probably really lost right now, huh?

On a funny side note, Michael got roped into being a part of the pre-show thing while we were waiting in line for Phineas & Ferb. Yup, that’s him as a Tiki God with all the little kiddos. The badass girl in front of him with the sunglasses was hilarious…she was clearly ticked off that she was up there. I think those sunglasses were hiding a glare with the power to freeze us all! She was a highlight of my day.

That night after a much needed afternoon break, we headed back into the park for some shopping and my absolute favorite thing in Walt Disney World…Fantasmic! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that show. From going for fun to taking my VIP tour families there. It never gets old, and I always, always get excited as soon as the lights go down. But before we headed into the Amphitheater, we did some strolling through Sunset Boulevard.

The only downfall of Fantasmic was trying to keep a 14-month old entertained and occupied for the 40 minute wait. I was not above taking him for walks, buying a light-up toy, and feeding him a Mickey Mouse Sugar Cookie. But see how happy he looks? Once the show started, he was entranced for almost the entire 27 minute show. But I’m not surprised. He is, after all, my son.

I could have ended my Disney trip there. Seeing Fantasmic is an ideal end to a trip for me. But wait…we still have Magic Kingdom! Woo-hoo!

Josh's Orders

Orders are in, so it’s time to put the word out. This announcement is a bit delayed because, as Josh put it, “it’s still so far away!“ But it’s about time to put the word out, I think. We already told our close family and friends, so anyone reading this probably already knows, but here is more detail anyway. Although Josh didn’t get his official orders until last month, we have been operating under the knowledge of his future location for a while now.

The acronym for Josh’s future is PATFORSWA (Patrol Forces Southwest Asia). He is going to be assigned to USCGC Wrangell in Bahrain for 12 months starting next summer.

A couple years after Josh and I got married, one of my close friends said to me, “Anika, I always knew you were going to be a military wife.” I paused for a moment and then smiled and nodded saying, “I get that.” I’m not sure why he always thought that, but I understood it. I didn’t know how I was going to get here, but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

It is so hard to explain to people why I am excited for my husband. How do you tell people that you are happy that your husband volunteered and has been selected to serve overseas for an entire year? Maybe “happy” isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s just that I get it. I support him in his decision, and I am so proud to be married to a man that wants to serve his country.

How can I not be supportive, when he is serving such an amazing country? It may not be a perfect country. Our economy has been through the ringer, and sometimes I want to put most of our bickering politicians though the ringer…but I am so proud to be an American. I am so proud that my son will grow up as an American. I am the woman who gets teary-eyed during the National Anthem, who feels a sense of pride when I see my 1-yr old waving an American Flag, who is a huge sucker for all of those sappy shows on TV about American Pride. I love my country. And I love my husband for serving our country.

Josh played all of his cards right to get my support for this overseas tour. He told me about this opportunity about four years ago. And then about a year later, we told our families. So there has been plenty of time to prepare our hearts and minds to this possibility. Not that I am ever going to be completely, 100%, ready for him to leave for a year, but I think I am as mentally and emotionally prepared as I am ever going to be.

Between now and when he reports to his ship next summer, Josh has 3 schools of varying lengths (He already completed one 2 week school in October), and 2 months of Pre-Deployment Training he will need to attend. So, even though he isn’t leaving the country for several months, he is still going to be gone…a lot!

Over the next several months, this website will most likely evolve to a “Survival while Separated” blog and will be a connection to my distant husband. Not only will it keep everyone up-to-date with all of the latest news from me and from Josh overseas, but it will also be an easy way for Josh to have an every day update on his family back home. I apologize in advance if I start to post more mundane updates and simple photos…but I want Josh to feel included and be updated on everything even from across the world.

So that’s the news! Congratulate Josh…and wish me luck!

Harry Potter & Coronado Springs

Right after we got back from Michigan, Dylan and I only had a two day break before getting back in the car and heading South to Orlando. I had a wedding to go to over that weekend, so I figured that I would make it a working trip as well! It just really stinks that  my job requires me to go play at Disney World! Oh, darn!

But since I knew it was going to be really hard to do all of Disney with a 1-yr old, I asked my mom if she wanted to do Disney with us! And she also brought a family friend, Cindy, with her! But I’m getting ahead of myself. Mom & Cindy didn’t show up until Friday evening, and Dylan and I headed down on Wednesday so that we could go to Universal on Thursday with Mike and Terry.

I hadn’t seen any of the new Harry Potter stuff yet, so I asked Mike and Terry if they wanted to make the journey through Hogsmeade with me! They had been there before, but they were more than happy to take the venture with Dylan and me.

My honest review? What was there, was done really well. It looked amazing and there seemed to be no detail missing. But, I think I was under the impression that there was more to it! There was the main attraction (the ride inside Hogwarts), two rollercoasters (one of which was not a new ride, it as just rethemed to Harry Potter), one restaurant, and only a couple shops. Although, I have been told that there will be more in the future. I guess Universal is even contractually obligated to build more!

I think my favorite detail, or styling choice, is that they chose to make it Winter. Since there will never be real snow in Orlando, it was really neat to see it on the buildings throughout Hogsmeade. In true never-missing-a-detail fashion, they even made sure that the snow sparkled in the sunlight, just like real snow.

Me & Mike with our Butterbeer

We also had to make a stop at the Butterbeer cart. They serve Butterbeer two ways, frozen (like a slushy) or carbonated (like soda). We, of course, got both to get the full experience. The vendor told me she liked the frozen one better, but I think I liked the carbonated one. They were both really good, but I feel like you got more of the flavor with the carbonated one. It tasted like Cream Soda with a butterscotch twist. REALLY good! I didn’t get a chance to try the Pumpkin Juice, though…maybe next time!

Dylan at the Three Broomsticks

We had lunch at the Three Broomstick, which was really good! Funny fact: they don’t serve soda in the Harry Potter area. I guess it was a decision made my JK Rowling. She was, apparently, very specific on what kind of food and drink should be served. We had a really great lunch before heading out of Harry Potter World.

We had to make a stop in the Dr. Seuss area to try a ride for Dylan. He had never been on anything, so I was excited to try. We headed over to the Carousel. He was really excited about all the bright colors and music and just wanted to get on one of those crazy looking creatures! We mounted him up on the blue animal thing that he was pointing at and strapped him in! He like it…until it started going. He FREAKED!! But we had to suffer through the whole ride because the animals go up and down and he had a safety strap on. When he realized that I wasn’t going to rescue him, he leaned out screaming with is arm wide open to Terry hoping that he would help. Poor Dylan! At least we got a couple cute photos before it got scary.

Later in the afternoon, Dylan and I went to Matt & Brittany’s apartment and got Matt to go swimming with us! Dylan is such a little fish! Then the 3 of us headed out for dinner with Phil & Natalie (the soon-to-be-wed couple) and their families. We stopped back over at Matt & Britt’s after dinner because Brittany was finally off work and Dylan needed to use up some of his flirtatious energy on her! It was such a busy day, but we had so much fun!

Coronado Springs Resort

The next day, we checked into Coronado Springs Resort. I had never stayed there before, but Matt used to work there. So he stopped over to give Dylan and I the grand tour. I had never really explored there before so it was nice to have someone around to take us around all the cute courtyards and pretty spots. I’m so glad that I got some Matt-time in. He’s the brother I never had - I’m lucky to have him as one of my closest friends. (Thank goodness he found such an awesome wife so I can love her too!!)

Mom & Cindy at the hotel

That night, through rain delays and crazy crowds at the airport, we finally picked up Mom & Cindy! We took them back to our hotel and took them for a twilight tour of the grounds. I’m so happy that my mom and such a great family friend could be there for this trip. Dylan was incredibly spoiled with two Grandma’s around all week! Now it was really time for me to get down to "business"…and for us to get into some Disney fun! Stay tuned for more Orlando stories…

Work at Home Mom

I am a Work at Home Mom. Before Dylan was born I had a work-at-home job, now I have a Work-when-I-can-find-a-minute job.

Just in case you need a refresher of what I do. I am the Online Administrator for TourGuideMiKE.com. It is a third party website for Walt Disney World that gives you every piece of detail and advice that you would need to plan a Disney vacation. As you can imagine, Disney makes changes or new announcements every day and my job is to keep the website as up-to-date as possible. My boss and I are basically the only ones who work on content to the site, so it’s a big job. And we each are responsible for certain areas on the website. I LOVE what I do. I understand Disney, I know how to do my job well, and it is stress-free most of the time. I know I am very lucky to have this job - now I just have to make sure that I work enough and do a good enough job that I can keep this great job!

I actually get offended when Josh calls me a Stay-at-Home Mom. That usually happens when I am complaining about the ratio of his and my diaper changing numbers and he says that I made the choice to be a Stay-at-Home mom. What? You think I only have one job??

Let me be clear, I don’t get offended because I think that it would be bad to be a stay at home mom. Being a parent is exactly how it is described on tv -  a full-time job. You get one or two “breaks” at day (during naptime) and finally get to take your focus off of the job after 8pm or so. And unlike some other jobs, your brain needs to present basically 100% of the time. I have had jobs in the past where it was easier to get online and check my email or play around on face book than it is with a kid! I have total respect for all those Stay-at-Home (SAH) parents out there.

I wish that I was a SAH mom! Then I wouldn’t have the added stress of thinking all day long - when am I going to find time to get on the computer and actually work! For example, let’s take last night. Josh had to work over night so it was just me and the little man. I got a series of texts from my boss around 8:30pm to inform me about some updates for the website. I know that they are time sensitive and I am the kind of person that doesn’t like putting off my work. So after Dylan finally went to bed (around 9:30 - I swear he knew I wanted to get to work so he decided to get a second wind!) I finally got time to work. So at 11:00pm last night, you could walk by my window and see me sitting the dark typing away.

But I know how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be home with my son every day. I have seen all the little changes that he has gone through, I’ve celebrated each time he does something new, I’ve seen almost all of his ‘firsts.’ I don’t take for granted how blessed I am to experience motherhood this way. And I feel that I am giving him so much by being able to give him so much one-on-one interaction and teach him as much as I can.

My proud Mama moment of today happened this morning while we were reading a book. Dylan LOVES reading books. He’ll go pick one out and bring it to you reaching it out to you as far as his little arms will go. Today we were reading a 'words' book that has one picture on each page and the word of what it is. The first page is Teddy Bear. So I was pointing to the page saying “Teddy Bear,” and then I would grab his stuffed Teddy Bear and say the same thing. We read the book twice and put it aside. About 20 minutes later he picked up the same book so I opened it, pointed to the picture and said, “Teddy Bear.” He looked at me and smiled, looked at the picture and then crawled about 2 feet to his stuffed Teddy Bear, picked him up and hugged him. I was so proud!

Whatever you do, don’t make me chose between my two jobs because I really like the extra income that we get from my Work-when-I-can-find-a-minute job. And, for the record, I would chose my son any and every day of the week.