Disney Days - An Epcot Kind of Day

Our second Day of Disney parks was full of Epcot! I always have fun at Epcot.

Maybe it’s all the memories of Drinking Around the World with our friends while we lived in Orlando, or maybe it’s the huge variety of things you can see and do there. Maybe it's because it's the only park I can usually get Josh in without a bribe of some sort! :) Regardless, it’s always a good time.

Dylan and I had a little ‘us time’ while the rest of our group went to fly on Soarin’. I remember when Soarin’ opened, my first thought was, “My mom would love this ride.” And she does. It was Cindy’s first time on it, and she loved it too. Once again, it is a must-do, if you’ve never experienced it. (And be sure to check out the hidden Mickey on the golf ball. You can only see it for a split second, but I swear it’s there!).

Dylan & Cindy checking out the Seagulls

After that, we headed over to the Seas. I love the Seas. Even before Crush and Nemo & Friends joined the party over there, it was still one of my favorites. Does anyone remember the old ride and Sea Base Alpha? Now it’s even better with Crush’s Turtle Talk and the fun Finding Nemo stuff inside. Even the seagulls out front are cute. Dylan was all about those seagulls. Cindy helped him get a better look. Let’s just hope he doesn’t pick up on their mantra - “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!”

After riding our clam-mobiles inside, we went to see Turtle Talk (Another must-see!). Dylan and I sat down in front for our visit with Crush and he really enjoyed it. But, as you might have guessed, he didn't really have and questions for the “totally awesome” sea turtle. And afterwards we, of course, had to take the traditional photo in Bruce the Shark’s mouth! Dylan look a  little apprehensive, though, doesn’t he? Maybe it was those huge teeth!

"Ahh! There's an alien on my head!"

After venturing back to dry land, we finished off the other side of Future World. Dylan, Grandma Linda & I explored the awesome Mouse Gears store while Michael, Terry, and Cindy thrilled their way to Test Track. My mom and I always visit Mouse Gears. ?There is so much cute stuff in there! And why wouldn't we try on hats and other awesome stuff while we were there?

Okay, it’s after 11am! That means it’s time for the World Showcase! Woo-hoo! Dylan’s very first Disney character photo was with… Snow White! We figured starting with “face” instead of “fur” was a safe bet. She was very sweet with him, even though he was a little nervous. Grandpa Bob would be so proud considering I think he’s always had thing for Snow. I’m sure he’s say, “Atta boy, Dylan!”

After a nice lunch with Michael and Terry in Italy, they headed off and we continued to explore the World. One of the things my mom was really excited about was the Caramel Shop in Germany. I’m not sure if you know this about my mom and I, but we are definitely on the Caramel team when it comes to Chocolate vs. Caramel. As a matter of fact, I will eat the chocolate, just to get to the caramel inside! Anyway, if you are another Team Caramel person, you should check out this all-caramel bakery…It. Is. Awesome! Dylan even had a treat. He enjoyed his Jumbo Krispy Rice Treat with Caramel Topping!

While we were Germany, we ladies decided to stop for a shot of wine. Yup, we splurged on a shot each! Actually, we split a wine flight there. Cindy got the Schmitt Sohne Eiswein (Ice Wine), Mama got the Two Princes Riesling, and I got the Madonna Liebfraumilch.



Our Scandinavian heritage wouldn’t let us miss Norway! So the Swedish and the Norwegian tend to be rivals - but Norway is as close as we can get at Epcot! We couldn’t miss the opportunity to take the standard photos! (Btw, is it just me, or is the troll about to grab Cindy’s behind?)

On our way out of the World Showcase for our afternoon break, we had to stop in Mexico to get a photo with Amigo Donald!  Donald Duck is Josh’s favorite Disney character, so I never miss an opportunity to get my photo taken with him. I have

to admit, for some reason, I never full appreciated Donald until Josh turned me onto him. That duck is one funny guy! So even though I may not understand what he is saying most of the time, I tend to like the guy!


Later that evening, I had a business dinner to go to, so Mama & Cindy took the little man back to Epcot. Apparently, they had a great time! They explored some more Countries, took photos with some more characters, Dylan rocked out to the band in the U.K., and they watched IllumiNations.

I arrived back right after IllumiNations ended and met them on the bridge heading over to The Boardwalk. Cindy had never walked the Boardwalk before, and considering it's a very special place to me, I wanted her to see it. I can't tell you how many Tuesday nights I spent there when we lived in Orlando. Not only is it home to one of my favorite places (Jellyrolls), it also is the spot where Josh proposed. I just had to show them 'Our Bench.'

It was a full, but very fun day. And I know that Dylan had a great timetime with the two Grandmas that evening!

Cindy, Dylan, and (a very pretty) Belle!

Grandma and Dylan with Tigger & Pooh!

Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween was a little bit off this year. Josh was in California for two weeks for a training school and only got back on Oct 29. So he missed the Trunk or Treat on the base, we didn't have time to plan and prepare for a Halloween Party (like last year), and I didn't want to do the Halloween event at the Zoo without him. But at least he was here for Trick or Treating on Halloween night.

At first, we weren't sure of the plans or if Josh was going to be around, so Dylan and I planned costumes together and let Josh do his own thing. Dylan was a huge inspiration for his costume this year. He is a wild man and is ALL BOY! So what better costume for him than the super strong and outgoing Bam Bam Rubble. And Betty is adorable, so I was all for it!

The bad news was that I could not find a cute Bam Bam costume anywhere. All of the ones online looked a little ridiculous! So, that meant I had to stretch my creative powers and try to put something together. Thankfully, Dylan is the cutest little guy ever and wears anything well. I think it turned out pretty decent. And he even carried that club around for the first hour! Way to play the part, Buddy!

His "club" was his tee-ball bat, the "fur" sash was a scarf made by my Grandma Gisele, and the bone was drawn and cutout on thick Styrofoam posterboard. His vest was a bit too small, but I figured if that was the one thing that went wrong, I was still doing okay.

Josh kept up his Superhero streak and went as Clark Kent. I think he pulled it off really well. Doesn’t he look really different in those glasses? Hummm…maybe Lois Lane wasn’t quite the idiot we make her out to be! Regardless, he was a stud. My hero!

We went over to the Runnels’ neighborhood because they really go all out over there. The Scott’s came too, so we had a 2-yr old Elleah as a clown, 1-yr old Bam Bam, and 4 month old Lily the Owl!

Dylan did great while Trick or Treating. Just like the big boy that he is, he walked most of the way! But, just like the rebel that he is, he wanted to go his own way, on his own terms. So, we ended up having to carry him for most of the second half of the neighborhood.

Overall, it was a successful night. Dylan’s pail was full from making the rounds...so that made Daddy really happy! When we finished our loop of the neighborhood, we all went out to dinner together.

Our Halloween ended with cuddling on the couch while watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” What a way to spend a holiday! I hope you all had a fun and frightening Halloween!

Disney Days - Animal Kingdom

Back to the summary of our Florida Vacation from September! Holy cow, I’m behind! But this trip was so cute and so much fun that I just can’t ignore it!

Our first park at Disney World was Animal Kingdom. We couldn’t miss this park because Cindy had never been there before, and it’s the home of one of my favorite things in Walt Disney World, Festival of the Lion King. If you have never seen this show, you are completely missing out on a true Disney World treasure. As a former Cast Member, a former VIP Guide, and a current Online Administrator to a third-party Walt Disney World Website, my professional opinion is…“Go see this show!”

Anyway, back to our Animal Kingdom day. Although it was threatening to rain on us that morning, we stayed dry and enjoyed a beautiful day at the park. It wasn't really a successful “ride” park for Dylan. The only two rides he went on were TriceraTop Spin and the Kilimanjaro Safari. He did okay on Tric-Spin until the very end where it automatically makes you go up and down - there was some nervous yelling! And he fell asleep on the Safari in the first two minutes. Let me tell you, my arms were so tired after that bumpy Jeep ride!

It’s obvious that my son is my son because I think the highlight of his day was the Lion King show. He woke up right before it started and was entranced throughout the entire thing. One of the Tumble Monkeys even came over and ruffled his hair. He was more amazed than freaked out. He clapped and smiled and danced his arms around through almost the entire 25 minute show. HE LOVED IT! Just like I did.


Overall, we had a really nice half-day at AK. I even banged the drums in Africa with Dylan for a while. He’s such a boy! Being encouraged to bang on something? Yay!

After our fun day in the park, we had lunch at the Rainforest Café, where Dylan loved the loud monkeys and animals. Whenever the monkeys started making noise and swinging in the branches, Dylan would point and grunt back at them. I think he wanted them to join us at our table for lunch! Dylan also got a round of good ol' spoiling from Grandma Linda. She bought him an AWESOME giraffe. He helped pick it out by giving it huge hugs!

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!

Nana Connie comes to GA

This week, my Step-mom (Dylan’s Nana) came to visit for a few days. Connie gets lots of Dylan time, Dylan gets lots of spoiling, and I get lots of relaxation…everyone is happy! She came for a 5 day vacation, which we all agreed is not long enough! Next time, we will know better.

We picked her up on Saturday, just in time for her to come to the ‘Trunk or Treat’ on base with us and the Runnels Family. I didn’t have Dylan’s costume ready so he just wore a “I heart Mummy” shirt - and I think he looked adorable! I’m not sure if he was scared or amazed at all of the costumes around him. In this photo, I couldn’t get his attention because I think the Mario Brothers were standing behind us!

‘Trunk or Treat’ went up one road and back down the other, and there were lots of trucks, cars, and even boats all decked out in Halloween decorations. It was sunny and gorgeous out, which meant that LOTS of other people were there at the same time as us. The line to walk up and down the street was really long! But we still had fun.

Dylan really liked the big blow-up lawn ornaments. Every time the spider would move his head from side to side, Dylan would laugh and clap. I guess he didn’t get the memo to be scared around spiders that are bigger than your car.

He also liked the giant black cat. His head moved back and forth too. After clapping for a while, he went over to pet the kitty. But that one wasn’t as cuddly as Oscar.

All of the cars had different themes and cute stuff. Dylan liked the Pirate themed one (of course) and tried to steal some treasure instead of candy. He knows what he likes!

Us with Katie & Elleah

I’m so glad the Runnels let us tag along with them and their little half angel- half devil. The only down side was that both of our kids didn’t take good naps that day, so neither one of them was energy packed and ready for fun. At least there was no screaming and crying! Now we’ll just have to hope that our group Trick-or-Treating night goes well!

Dylan has been having so much fun with Nana Connie. I think they are both going to be sad when she leaves. At least he got a huge amount of spoiling squeezed in the past 5 days. Between all of the hugs, and long walks through the neighborhood, and book reading, and snuggling, and presents (more on that later)...he has been one lucky little fella!

Dylan & Nana Connie