Goodbye, Florida

Today, my three-week retreat in southwest Florida is coming to an end....

I leave with mixed feelings...on one hand, I am sad to leave. I love my house here in Fort Myers. I love the layout; I love the view out my back window; and I love, love, love the feeling I have while I’m here...a feeling of zen and peaceful serenity that is hard to say goodbye to.

On the other hand, I’ve been alone (for the most part) - and I miss my family back home in Kansas City. I miss my hubby; I miss my kids; and I especially miss my kitty cats, as much as they drive me crazy sometimes.

My life in each of these two houses is as different as it can be...my life in Florida: quiet. Not busy. Peaceful. My life in Kansas City: busy. Busy. Busy. Errands. Chores. Appointments.

In some ways, my life reflects the Zodiac sign that I was born under: Gemini. Sign of the twins. Dual existence. And in my case, so, so true - two separate lives, with different agendas, different friends, different everything....

I’m fortunate that I can balance these two sides of my life, and I’m not complaining...just reflecting.

So...goodbye, SWFL...and hello, KCMO.

I’ll be back.

Rude, Much??!!

Sometimes, the things in life that are “supposed” to make our lives easier, actually lead to more frustration.

Such as autocorrect.

Today, I was texting with one of my sons...I’m trying to set up a photo shoot with my kids, and I was attempting to tell my son the location of where I wanted the photo shoot. There’s a beautiful park close to our home, with an enchanting waterfall...the park is located at the corner of two streets, Pryor and Chipman Road.

Which is what I was trying to type.

Autocorrect wasn’t having any of that, though - “Chipman” doesn’t exist in Autocorrect World, as I found the hard way:

How rude!

I really DO hate autocorrect sometimes.

Sigh.

FanGirling at the World

Last week, I spent some time at Walt Disney World, along with about 999,999 other people. Seriously - it was CROWDED. And I speak from experience, as I visit WDW about once every three months, and this is the most crowded I’ve seen it in awhile. Maybe it was because of Mardi Gras? Spring break? Or just people trying to escape the frozen polar temperatures from up north? Whatever the reason, it led to some serious changes in how I “do” Disney....

I normally can hop in relatively short lines, and enjoy the likes of my favorite roller coasters on property, such as Rock ‘n Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios, or Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. And although I WAS able to get “some” rides done on these, it wasn’t as much as I am used to. So - that led to Plan B - which was focusing on doing some character meets.

Meeting characters at Walt Disney World is always fun - although some interactions/characters are more fun than others.

For instance, meeting Baymax at Epcot was an absolute delight:

He’s all soft and squishy and huggable - like a giant Pillsbury Dough Boy - and although he doesn’t speak, he definitely communicates with his eyes, and leaves you feeling very, very loved.

Along that same line is meeting Olaf, from “Frozen”:

Olaf gives good warm hugs, and he always makes sure you’re using sunscreen. Wouldn’t want those snowflake arms to burn, right??!!

Meeting the Princess at Walt Disney World takes a bit more effort - some Princesses can only be found at restaurants, while others have a dedicated meeting spot. Here are some of the Princesses I met last week:

...because meeting Cinderella is a MUST at Walt Disney World, duh!!

Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” - she didn’t talk much, but looked very pretty in her yellow ball gown....

Snow White sounds EXACTLY like she does in the movie...go figure!!

Elsa is explaining how Olaf’s nose will fall off if he gets to sneezing too much in the flowers....

Anna actually told me the same thing about Olaf - and his carrot nose - so I guess it must be true....


Of course, there’s more to meet than Princesses...I also spent some time in a galaxy far, far away:

On my last visit with Chewbacca, in September, I did NOT have Chewie represented on my skirt. He was not happy. Well, I found different material this time, and made SURE I had Chewie on my skirt - and he was now a very happy Wookie.

And here I am, pointing out to a DROID, that he, too, is represented on my skirt. Sigh.

And then there’s the awkward character greeting:

Kylo Ren. Who will not let you tough him, hug him, high-5 him, or basically, be nice to him. He paces. And he paces some more. And he says weird things...leaving me always wondering that the heck to say and/or do. Most of the time, I just skip meeting him, but for some reason, I thought maybe he’d changed this trip. He hadn’t. #AWKWARD


One of my favorite interactions this trip was with Edna Mode, from “The Incredibles.” She’s new, and I had worn a button with her picture on it specifically for her. She was THRILLED!!!

Seriously, she was jumping up and down with joy when she saw the button - which is really out of character for the always suave, always cool Edna - but hey...I loved it!!!


Sometimes, people ask me why I go to Disney so much, and I guess these character meetings are a big part of it. A part of me reverts back to being a 6-year old girl when I’m actually hugging Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with feeling like a kid again!!!

Let me know if you ever need any tips and/or advice on the best way to meet anyone at WDW; I think I’m pretty much an expert at this point, and would be glad to help!!!

Magical greetings,

That Time the Fire Department Called Me to See If I Was Alive

I’m still currently at Disney World, on a fabulous solo trip...which is usually a ton of fun, but today - led to a bit of trouble.

See, last night I went to Hollywood Studios for an event called “Disney After Hours.” For extra $$$, Disney will sell you a ticket that lets you stay in the park for 3 hours after the park has officially “closed” to other guests. Estimates are that they only allow about 2,500 - 3,000 guests do this, which makes for a near-empty park - and some great riding ability on the best rides with little to no lines. Last night’s event ran from 8:30 pm until 11:30 pm, and I was there for every fun-filled minute - and slowly staggering back to the bus near 11:45 pm to take me back to my hotel.

After getting to my room, I collapsed into bed - sometime around 12:30 a.m.

However - it was Daylight Savings Time.

Clocks moved forward.

So, it was kinda’ 1:30 a.m. before I fell asleep.

I was EXHAUSTED.

So...I turned off my phone before I went to bed, and made the executive decision that I would sleep in today - which was a great plan, in theory - but unfortunately, that was not to be.


At 9:00 a.m. or so - while I was in a deep, deep sleep - the telephone in my room rang. LOUDLY. Nearly scared me to death, as that phone hasn’t rang all week.

I sleepily fumbled for the phone, and groggily mumbled, “Hello?”

A very-official sounding man on the other end said, “Is this Sherri?”

“Yes.” (I’m so tired, I’m not even asking who it is on the other end.)

The man than said, “This is the Reedy County Fire Department - and we’re doing a welfare check on you. Is everything okay?”

Well.

He’s got my attention now.

“Um, yeah - I’m okay. I mean, I had a late night, and I was sleeping in, but I’m okay.”

The man then asked, “Do you know a Mike?”

“Yes - he’s my husband.” Oh NO! Is something wrong with MIKE??!! (My brain is still a bit groggy.)

“Well, he contacted us, ma’am, because he’s been unable to contact you. You might want to give him a call.”’

OH. MY. GOD.


So, I called Hubby, who said that my phone tracker (yes, we all track each other on our phones) had me at the Fire Department near Walt Disney World since 10:30 p.m. the night before - and he was frantic. Was I sick? Was I injured? Had I been kidnapped by a fireman? And when I didn’t answer my phone, Hubby was certain that I had fallen to nefarious shenanigans and needed help.

Here’s the photo of where the tracker said I was:

I have NO idea why the tracker was so wrong in where I was - but how strange!!!

Needless to say, I was fully awake by now - and thought that perhaps a solo trip wasn’t in my best interests, and maybe next time I should take Hubby WITH me so he doesn’t freak out when I don’t answer my phone!!!

Mr(s) Cellophane

One of the best Broadway musicals EVER is “Chicago.”

Between the plot, the choreography, and the music - the entire show is nothing short of perfection.

There’s one particular song that really doesn’t get the love that it deserves, and I have an entire new appreciation for it after some recent experiences while visiting Disney World.

The song, “Mr. Cellophane”, basically is a lament by one of the male characters in the show, about not really being “seen” or appreciated by...well...just about everyone.

The chorus goes something like this:

“Cellophane, Mister Cellophane
Should have been my name, Mister Cellophane
'Cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me and never know I'm there.”


So, I’m down at Disney World this week for another solo adventure, and I’ve been having a great time, riding rides, noshing on delicious food, and sipping some enticing drinks. The other morning, I rode the highlight ride at Magic Kingdom, the Seven Dwarves Mine Train roller coaster, and I had to laugh when I saw my ride photos:

That’s me. In the “cellophane”. Which is really a giant poncho, that was flying in the wind and rain that was hitting us at the moment. There’s another funny photo:

But my FAVORITE photo of me this week was captured after I rode the Buzz Lightyear ride in Magic Kingdom:

Going back to the lyrics of the song, “You can look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I’m there.”

I died when I saw this photo. I died.

So, I’m feeling very Mr. Cellophane-y while here, but I can promise that I really AM here, and having a great time! More photos, stories and reviews to follow!