Our Quick Weekend Getaway

I just couldn't resist the pull of one more trip to Disney before our annual passes expire in September!   I'm not entirely sure how it started (maybe a Southwest ad on Facebook?) but I was sitting at my computer on Thursday night and got the idea to do a weekend getaway to Disney World since William had an in service day on Monday.  I took a quick peek at flights and saw an awesome deal so just booked them!  30,000 Southwest points and $34.50 of taxes later, and we had three tickets to Orlando departing in 36 hours!   Luckily since it is hurricane season, I also got a steal of a passholder rate at the resort I wanted!  

We stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, which is where we stayed on our very first trip in September 2012.   I chose this resort because of the pool which has a sand bottom and play area, as well as an amazing slide.   That was our first stop when we arrived on Saturday.   We even enjoyed our lunch (amazing chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets, beer and margarita at our lounge chairs. . . .seriously, we were in heaven). 

 

 

Over the course of the weekend we ate two times at the Crew Cup Lounge which had an AMAZING cheeseburger (as I'd read about on various blogs) and beer selection.  It was there we learned cheeseburgers are William's newest favorite food.  We also got a "to go" No Way Jose sundae from Beaches and Cream to eat at the pool.  Chocolate and vanilla ice creams, peanut butter and hot fudge, chocolate and peanut butter chips, and whipped cream.  Oh yum!

 

After a few hours at the pool on Saturday afternoon, we cleaned up and walked over the Hollywood Studios to use our Fast Passes, have dinner and watch the new since our June vacation Star Wars fireworks.  It did rain on us as we were walking, but that gave us a chance to walk through the stores before our Tower of Terror ride.   Now that William is out of the stroller we pack very lightly (the boys carry nothing, and I have a small purse), but I always remember a "purse poncho" i.e. gallon size Ziploc bag to cover my purse in the rain or water rides.  You can see it below.

When the Studios closed we waited in an incredibly long and slow bus line to take us to Animal Kingdom to ride Everest.  We got a few rides in, then did Kali River Rapids (all was pure walk on), and then got sweet treats to eat before bed.  I only shared one slice of my caramel apple!

Sunday we spent most of the day at EPCOT.  We didn't wait in line to see Baymax but did get this picture as he was coming back on to meet people.  The big draw for EPCOT was to see the new Soarin' Around the World that the guys had not seen yet.    And of course we had to ride Spaceship Earth.  William always rides in the front by himself while John and I nap in the backseat!

 

 

For dinner we went to Disney Springs to eat at Art Smith's new restaurant, which was only ok.   I expected more from Oprah's buddy!  We did enjoy shopping at the Lego store (where we saw the new Cinderella's Castle set) and World of Disney store.  I stocked up on more Christmas ornaments (my tree will be full of all things Disney soon!) and used my internet sleuthing skills to hand-pick the "right" blind bags of Disney mini-figs.   We ended up with Donald and Daisy Duck on accident but Stitch, Buzz, Maleficent and Hook were all intentional picks.

 

 

 

Monday was our last day, so we got up early for Magic Kingdom rope drop.  The Seven Dwarves Mine Train was the only "must ride" that I couldn't get a Fast Pass for on such short notice, so we had to be among the first in the park on Monday morning to ride it with a short line.  We were! After riding it, we rode Space Mountain walk on twice with no lines and then retired to Starbucks for breakfast. It was a good thing we got our Space fill, because when our Fast Pass time rolled around it was closed, so we swapped it for the Speedway.   We did get some pictures of Space Mountain with the light on though by riding the People Mover through it twice.  

 

 

 

As we were leaving, the tropical storm was approaching.  I got this photo from the castle looking toward the front of the park.  We got out of Orlando before the storms hit, and made it home without any issues.  I usually labor and plan over our Disney trips months in advance, but this trip - booked on 36 hours notice - was really one of the most relaxing and fun trips we've ever had.  Probably because we were just so giddy to get away and spend time together!

 

Second Grade

The rest of summer flew by!  William had summer camp through the first week of August, and then was home - mostly watching ipad and playing video games for another week - until school started.  He was excited to be back with his buddies!  His teacher is going to retire at the end of the school year, so we're excited to see what she has planned for her last year.

New York in Summer

From Las Vegas, I flew directly to New York for a client meeting and to spend time with my brother.   I flew into Newark and couldn't believe the traffic back up in the Holland Tunnel at 1 a.m.!  Luckily my meetings weren't until lunch time, so I got to sleep in a bit, and I woke up to a beautiful day in lower Manhattan with views of Freedom Tower and the river (with New Jersey behind). 

Thursday I had meetings and went with my clients to a New York Yankees game.  It was the final game of the Subway Series against the Mets, and the Mets won 4-0.   Since many of the people with us were Mets fans that worked out just fine!   After many years of watching Freedom Tour being built from my view from hotel rooms, I finally went to tour at Ground Zero. The day was gorgeous and the tribute was beautiful.   The foundation of each of the towers is a water fall/reflecting pool.  Around the outside are the names of all of the 9/11 victims.  They are grouped according to relationships:  first responders from the same unit; employees from the same company in that tower; the victims from the Pentagon; the victims from the Pennsylvania plane.   I walked the grounds but did not go inside of the museum.

 

 

Later in the day I ventured to Midtown with my giant carryon bag (I packed for 6 days in an overstuffed carryon) to meet up with Ryan at his office.  Since I was lugging that bag, we decided to just head to Queens to his condo and decide next steps from there.  His unit has a great balcony and building a beautiful rooftop from which I snapped a lot of pictures.  He and Tarek took me out for a delicious Greek dinner and gourmet ice cream in the neighborhood.   I continued my culinary quest on Saturday morning with a Brooklyn bagel (plan with bacon, honey, sriracha schmear.   We rode bikes to the East River to eat them.   It was a lovely first visit to their new home in New York! 

Goodbye Top Teeth

William lost the first top tooth en route to the Wichita airport while visiting Grandma and Grandpa.  The second came out about two weeks later.  I was out of town, but the tooth fairy delivered him some pound sterling coins! 

Side note:  this tooth fairy of ours is a little goofy. . . . tooth #1 was 5 gold dollar coins; tooth #2 was a $2 bill; tooth #3 was one gold dollar coin (which is what I would have expected all teeth to be. . . .); and tooth #4 was a two pound coin from the UK. . hich looks a lot like a gold dollar coin in the dark!

Las Vegas Celebration

Each year we have a celebration of the newly promoted female partners and managing directors joining Deloitte Tax.  This year I was one of the 13 new female partners being honored in Las Vegas!  It was a great way to kick off my first year as partner: with 400 of my closest friends!  Before dinner there was a slide show with pictures that we submitted.  I took a picture of the screen with my pictures - the family at Hollywood Studios, and with my friend Michelle on a Thames river boat cruise.  I was so glad Michelle was there in Vegas to help me celebrate; she was promoted to managing director two years ago so knew the ropes to help me this year. She helped me a ton last winter as I was preparing for my presentation.  

 

 

During my two nights in Vegas, I didn't have an occasion to leave the hotel.  Not to mention it was hot so who would want to??  As I left for the airport,  I noticed the combination Starbucks/margarita bar across from the hotel.  I'll be back in Vegas this winter for another internal meeting and be sure to look for it!