This time last week, when I started writing this blog, about 2:15 pm, I was napping because we were back in our hotel, taking a small break from the fun craziness of Walt Disney World! Now, some of you may be wondering why on earth were we resting when we could have been at the park doing fun things, like waiting in line. Well, we did that because the book told us to!
I'm referring to the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2012. The first time we went to WDW was in 2000. The 2000 book recommended a break from the park in the middle of the day, and the 2012 book still carried the same suggestion.
Traveling to a very busy theme park with more than one location and more things to do than are possible to do in one day requires a guide, especially if you are a type A personality who wants to ensure family enjoyment as much as possible (like me). This particular guide books covers EVERYTHING from picking a hotel, to golf to things to do outside Disney. There are maps galore. Comments, negative and positive, from people who used the book are also included. The whole purpose of the guide is "to provide the reader with the information necessary to tour Walt Disney World with the greatest efficiency and economy and with the least hassle" (p. 1). My family would say they succeeded!
There were quite a few parts of this guide I skimmed, simply because I did not need all the information and was most interested in the Touring Plans. These single page plans made for cutting out of the back of the book, tell you how to get through the park, allowing you to wait the least amount of time in line plus see the things considered must-sees. The method behind the madness is to circumvent the way Disney tries to control the crowds by criss-crossing the park instead of traveling through the park clockwise or counterclockwise.
In conjunction with the book is TouringPlans dot com. At this website, I learned beforehand, what parks had early morning opening times. If I had wanted to purchase the subscription, I could also have found out what the estimated crowd size would be for each day we were in the parks. That information can be found elsewhere for free so I did not get a year subscription. Really, the crowd size didn't matter at this point because our hotel reservations had been made and we were going. In a couple years when we go back, we will be much more interested in crowd size estimates because we are people who like to go to places when other people aren't there. We'll go in September after Labor Day or the two weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas but no way ever would we go at Christmas!
Knowing which park opened early set the plan in place. What a difference that made. Getting into Animal Kingdom an hour early meant we had NO WAIT at Expedition Everest. And when we got off, we got right back on! Then when we headed over to Primeval Whirl, again, no wait! We walked over to DINOSAUR and again, no wait. How fun is that?! Wait times in WDW can be excruciatingly long but not if you have a plan. We walked by Bug's Life and even though it was later on the plan, we took the opportunity to see it; we did have a small wait - maybe 10 minutes but what is 10 minutes compared to 100 minutes! The whole philosophy of the touring plans presented is see if the wait is less than 20 minutes: if not, ride; if so get a FastPass and go do something else. That was how we rolled, at all four parks and it worked for us!
We had gotten up pretty early to shower and eat breakfast before we left our hotel to make it to Animal Kingdom so we set a time for when we would leave, based on what we wanted to see and do before we left and what we would do when we came back. We all rested and felt much better, ate dinner and then headed back to the park. We pretty much followed this routine for all four days.
When we got to Hollywood Studios on Day three, our touring plan fell apart because Rock' n' Roller Coaster was down. However, my ever resourceful mom downloaded the Ride Wait time App from iTunes. We were able to use that to help us see when to return to rides we wanted to or when to get Fast Pasess. We also used it quite a bit at Magic Kingdom on Day 4! So after you buy the Guides, download the Ride Wait Time App! It was extremely helpful.
Now there was one part which I did not read about in the Guide, but it was in there. The Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom is discussed over several pages in the guide. I missed them. Our time viewing the parade could in no way be considered Magical. The parade itself was wonderful. The people who stepped on us, shouted at us, threatened to take our seats, booed when the American flag went by and generally crowded so close to us we could smell their body odor, well, that was not so wonderful. If I'd followed the suggestions in the book, we'd have watched the parade from Adventure Land or Frontier Land with, perhaps, a lot less rudeness from those around us. As soon as the parade was over, there was a crush of people coming down Main Street towards the Castle to try to get seats and spots for the fireworks. We were like salmon swimming upstream trying to get out of there. That was our worst experience but it was a lessoned learned and therefore, valuable! We will certainly not repeat that mistake.
So enjoy Walt Disney World but do it by the book!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Happy Birthday Mom!
Today is my Mother's birthday. She is 17 years older than me. She finished high school, married and pregnant with me. Then she went to college, pregnant with my brother who is 18 months younger than me.
Next my dad went to college while she taught, in an inner city school in Nashville, Tennessee. She broke up a fight in the middle of the street. The little black VW bug she drove caught on fire and made the morning traffic report. She took us to Shakespeare in the Park; there's a newspaper clipping with a picture of me and my brother -I wonder if she still has that. She took us to the library but would make me put my books down to go out and play. There was this place called Steiner Lift, an old warehouse where fabric could be purchased cheaply. I spent a lot of time in the car waiting for her as she shopped inside because kids weren't allowed in (if she did that today, someone would have called CPS!). Mom made a lot of my clothes back then. She sat with my brother when he fell out of the tree and had to spend the night at the hospital. She wasn't too keen on football but she went to my brother's games and cheered him on.
Then we moved to Warsaw, Indiana. She got a job teaching and even though her school was way out in the country, she still managed to find out when I screwed up and got in trouble; that's some network. We rode our bikes to the lake and walked to the grocery store, and the library, of course. She would fix breakfast for the swim team at 0-dark thirty, then drive to her school and teach. She'd grade papers in-between my swim events. She made my Senior Prom dress.
Our family hit a rough patch when I went to college. We didn't get along very well for a few years. And thank the Good Lord, we came out on the other side, a little worn and a lot weary but still in tact, still a family, albeit a scarred one. That which did not kill us, made us stronger.
Her next destination was Virginia Beach, Va. She'd been there a couple years when I made her a mother-in-law. She wasn't quite hip on my choice of a husband until she saw him holding my head out of the toilet when I was having a case of morning sickness that lasted a long time. She made maternity clothes for me. Ten months later, she became a grandma. She was still teaching but this time it was teaching teachers how to integrate technology into their lessons and classes. After her first grandson was a little older, she'd take him on trips with her. She dyed his hair blonde and listened to his secrets. When she found out she was going to be a grandma for the second time, she got the first grandson a dog. Somewhere in there, she got a job working for a fruit company.
She was in the Labor and Delivery room when second grandson joined the world. She kept him at home when he was a year old and his daddy's ship was coming home in bad weather; and when we went on a Dependent's Day Cruise and he couldn't go because he was too little. One Easter she hid eggs in her condo for him because, again, the weather was too bad for Easter egg hunting. She's played countless rounds of The Ladybug Game. She bought a Wii, just for the grandkids - she's not above bribery! She's been to lacrosse games and even more football games, not to mention countless piano recitals. She's traveled with Grandson 2, taking him wonderful places and making memories with him, just like she did and still does with Grandson 1.
I have learned so much from this wonderful woman. I am thankful she is my mother. I hope I'm as good a grandma as she is. I love you Mom.
And today, her birthday, we are at the most Wonderful Magical Place on Earth eating our Ghirardelli's Hot Fudge Sundaes and celebrating - Her!
Next my dad went to college while she taught, in an inner city school in Nashville, Tennessee. She broke up a fight in the middle of the street. The little black VW bug she drove caught on fire and made the morning traffic report. She took us to Shakespeare in the Park; there's a newspaper clipping with a picture of me and my brother -I wonder if she still has that. She took us to the library but would make me put my books down to go out and play. There was this place called Steiner Lift, an old warehouse where fabric could be purchased cheaply. I spent a lot of time in the car waiting for her as she shopped inside because kids weren't allowed in (if she did that today, someone would have called CPS!). Mom made a lot of my clothes back then. She sat with my brother when he fell out of the tree and had to spend the night at the hospital. She wasn't too keen on football but she went to my brother's games and cheered him on.
Then we moved to Warsaw, Indiana. She got a job teaching and even though her school was way out in the country, she still managed to find out when I screwed up and got in trouble; that's some network. We rode our bikes to the lake and walked to the grocery store, and the library, of course. She would fix breakfast for the swim team at 0-dark thirty, then drive to her school and teach. She'd grade papers in-between my swim events. She made my Senior Prom dress.
Our family hit a rough patch when I went to college. We didn't get along very well for a few years. And thank the Good Lord, we came out on the other side, a little worn and a lot weary but still in tact, still a family, albeit a scarred one. That which did not kill us, made us stronger.
Her next destination was Virginia Beach, Va. She'd been there a couple years when I made her a mother-in-law. She wasn't quite hip on my choice of a husband until she saw him holding my head out of the toilet when I was having a case of morning sickness that lasted a long time. She made maternity clothes for me. Ten months later, she became a grandma. She was still teaching but this time it was teaching teachers how to integrate technology into their lessons and classes. After her first grandson was a little older, she'd take him on trips with her. She dyed his hair blonde and listened to his secrets. When she found out she was going to be a grandma for the second time, she got the first grandson a dog. Somewhere in there, she got a job working for a fruit company.
She was in the Labor and Delivery room when second grandson joined the world. She kept him at home when he was a year old and his daddy's ship was coming home in bad weather; and when we went on a Dependent's Day Cruise and he couldn't go because he was too little. One Easter she hid eggs in her condo for him because, again, the weather was too bad for Easter egg hunting. She's played countless rounds of The Ladybug Game. She bought a Wii, just for the grandkids - she's not above bribery! She's been to lacrosse games and even more football games, not to mention countless piano recitals. She's traveled with Grandson 2, taking him wonderful places and making memories with him, just like she did and still does with Grandson 1.
I have learned so much from this wonderful woman. I am thankful she is my mother. I hope I'm as good a grandma as she is. I love you Mom.
And today, her birthday, we are at the most Wonderful Magical Place on Earth eating our Ghirardelli's Hot Fudge Sundaes and celebrating - Her!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
It ain't just about the fish! Part 2
Let's jump right in!
The format of a Precepts study is such that you do 5 days of homework and then watch a video led by Kay Arthur. The video is a further explanation of what was studied with additional information presented. Kay's teaching is amazing. Here's a brief list of some things I learned from her teaching and the homework:
* God appoints. There is an incredible list of things our Sovereign God controls in Jonah.
* You cannot flee from the presence of the Lord.
* Cry out to God in our distress. He hears!
* Ninevah was a real place with real people who were very wicked but they repented.
* So God relented. Read that again. God RELENTS when we confess our sin and turn from our wicked ways.
* He will not bring the calamity if we truly repent. If God loved the Ninevites that much, how much more would He like to do that for me and you?
* The book of Nahum is also about Ninevah.
* Is my heart aligned with God's heart?
* Be more compassionate. God is.
* First time obedience isn't just a parenting technique. How much would I have been spared in my earlier years if I had only obeyed God the first time? How can I communicate that to my kids?
In the first week's video, she examined several verses that discuss how important it is to fear God, not like a little child is afraid of punishment but a respectful, trusting, honoring fear of someone who knows who God is treats Him accordingly. She then asked 10 questions that deal with your fear of God based on an understanding of what it means to fear God coupled with examining Jonah's actions. Poor Jonah, he was a prophet who didn't really fear his Boss, much like pastors of today who preach sermons they themselves don't even believe in for a God they don't believe in! However, that one finger pointing at those preachers reveals three fingers pointing back at me. My Fear Quotient certainly isn't what it should be.
In the middle of Jonah 2, there is a little verse that really seems out of place: "Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness . . . " What? Jonah has been praying, repenting and praising God and then there's this vain idol thing. While it may not seem to belong, Kay eloquently asks "What lures you to the world away from God?" Vain idols mean empty vanities. Does my ambition or trinkets or a desire for worldly or Christian fame or some other THING in my materialistic world draw me away from my faithfulness to God - what is that vain idol? Ouch.
In the middle of Jonah 2, there is a little verse that really seems out of place: "Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness . . . " What? Jonah has been praying, repenting and praising God and then there's this vain idol thing. While it may not seem to belong, Kay eloquently asks "What lures you to the world away from God?" Vain idols mean empty vanities. Does my ambition or trinkets or a desire for worldly or Christian fame or some other THING in my materialistic world draw me away from my faithfulness to God - what is that vain idol? Ouch.
In the second week's video, she ties in the love of things very well with our lack of compassion. Do we have compassion on THINGS or on people? Jonah had more compassion for things that made him comfortable then for the lives of a lot people and children who were about to be destroyed. Double ouch.
As Kay was wrapping up this video, she quoted from a book called The Emancipation of Robert Sadler. Since my book club is reading Roll, Jordan, Roll (see sidebar for link), I was very fascinated by the fact that Sadler, in 1911, well past Emancipation, was sold into slavery by his own father. IN 1911. Wow. I'm definitely going to be adding this book to my reading list.
As Kay was wrapping up this video, she quoted from a book called The Emancipation of Robert Sadler. Since my book club is reading Roll, Jordan, Roll (see sidebar for link), I was very fascinated by the fact that Sadler, in 1911, well past Emancipation, was sold into slavery by his own father. IN 1911. Wow. I'm definitely going to be adding this book to my reading list.
In her closing prayer, Kay neatly ties it up with a bow on top when she quotes James 2:13(b), "mercy triumphs over judgement." I say neatly because the study we had just finished was Beth Moore's James: Mercy Triumphs. God weaves together His word and my daily life in such an interconnected, economic, efficient, teachable way that I am always amazed!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
It ain't just about the fish! Part 1
Have you ever really studied the book of Jonah? I just completed a Precepts study on those 4 little chapters, and let me tell you, those were the most jam-packed verses! I learned so much.
If you've never done a Precepts study, you can learn more about them here. I find these studies to be very intellectually stimulating. Plus, it involves coloring and marking in your Bible, like this:
If you don't like to mark in your Bible, you can purchase an Inductive Study Bible or you can simply use the Observation Worksheets that come with each study, the book of the Bible to be studied, typed, and double-spaced to give you room to mark. My friend Yvonne uses this way of marking exclusively, while I use an Inductive Study Bible for this. Mine is the older version, International vs. New, with wider margins which I really like; Pastor Brett's blog has a great post that shows the spine of the Bible I have plus a picture of the markings in his Bible. This Bible doesn't include notes because you are making the notes through your observations of the text and it does have verses for cross-referencing. It also has blank charts called "(book of the Bible) At A Glance" to fill in the Chapter Themes, Segment Divisions and anything else you've learned while studying that particular book. There are wonderful maps, timelines and pictures to help understand the geographical, chronological and historical aspects to the books of the Bible. For example, the timeline of "The Rulers and Prophets of Jonah's Time" shows that God used the Ninevites to capture the Northern Kingdom of Israel but then a hundred years later, Ninevah fell to the Babylonians.
And as a disclaimer, I don't always mark like the above picture shows; sometimes I am just color-coding words. Some people don't do Precepts because they feel the marking itself can be overwhelming or become an idol. I get that. Personally for me, this method of study coupled with the leading of the Holy Spirit, really challenges and teaches me much.
At the end of my ladies' Bible study, we were discussing some of the things the ladies had learned about Jonah. We came to the conclusion that the Veggie Tales Jonah movie was a lot more Biblically and historically accurate then we all thought when it came out.
So before you read Part 2 of my fishy tale,
watch the video with your kids and then
color in your Bible,
Precepts style!
If you've never done a Precepts study, you can learn more about them here. I find these studies to be very intellectually stimulating. Plus, it involves coloring and marking in your Bible, like this:
If you don't like to mark in your Bible, you can purchase an Inductive Study Bible or you can simply use the Observation Worksheets that come with each study, the book of the Bible to be studied, typed, and double-spaced to give you room to mark. My friend Yvonne uses this way of marking exclusively, while I use an Inductive Study Bible for this. Mine is the older version, International vs. New, with wider margins which I really like; Pastor Brett's blog has a great post that shows the spine of the Bible I have plus a picture of the markings in his Bible. This Bible doesn't include notes because you are making the notes through your observations of the text and it does have verses for cross-referencing. It also has blank charts called "(book of the Bible) At A Glance" to fill in the Chapter Themes, Segment Divisions and anything else you've learned while studying that particular book. There are wonderful maps, timelines and pictures to help understand the geographical, chronological and historical aspects to the books of the Bible. For example, the timeline of "The Rulers and Prophets of Jonah's Time" shows that God used the Ninevites to capture the Northern Kingdom of Israel but then a hundred years later, Ninevah fell to the Babylonians.
And as a disclaimer, I don't always mark like the above picture shows; sometimes I am just color-coding words. Some people don't do Precepts because they feel the marking itself can be overwhelming or become an idol. I get that. Personally for me, this method of study coupled with the leading of the Holy Spirit, really challenges and teaches me much.
At the end of my ladies' Bible study, we were discussing some of the things the ladies had learned about Jonah. We came to the conclusion that the Veggie Tales Jonah movie was a lot more Biblically and historically accurate then we all thought when it came out.
So before you read Part 2 of my fishy tale,
watch the video with your kids and then
color in your Bible,
Precepts style!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
This is the life part.
This has been a very busy week in my house. My Dear Husband turned in the last of his assignments, and he will be graduating on Saturday. I am so incredibly proud of him! He worked full-time and went to school full-time. Some of his classes were online and some on campus.
I am participating in a Focus Group tonight, my first ever.
All that to say, sometimes life happens and blogging doesn't. But that's okay.
I think next week's post will be my observations on The Hunger Games movie.
Celebrate something this week!
I am participating in a Focus Group tonight, my first ever.
All that to say, sometimes life happens and blogging doesn't. But that's okay.
I think next week's post will be my observations on The Hunger Games movie.
Celebrate something this week!
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