My First Trip to Walt Disney World

My husband and I are planning a trip to Walt Disney World over Christmas and New Year this year. This will be our first trip back since October 1983 when my husband made his first visit to this magical place and my first trip to Epcot Center (now just Epcot).

Many things had changed between my first visit to the park and the one in 1983. In fact, the first time I visited as a child, Walt Disney World was not much more than a visitor's centre (above) and, well, swampland. I still remember how excited my brother and I were when our dad said we were going to Walt Disney World. We had always dreamed of visiting Disneyland but since it was all the way across the country (we were living in Toronto at the time), there just was never time to make the trip. But here was our chance to experience the magic that we had so eagerly watched at every opportunity on tv.

Imagine our surprise when Dad drove us into a parking lot where a short and unimpressive building stood; right in the middle of Florida swampland, piles of dirt and construction equipment! Now I must admit my brother, who was about five at the time, was very excited to see the earth movers, caterpillars and back hoes up close, but an eight-year-old girl is not so easily impressed. Our dad on the other hand, was totally enthralled as he spoke with construction workers about the plans for Walt's dream. It turns out he had worked with some of these fellows on other jobs and this was the reason we went there for a visit.

Our mom knew we were visiting the building site but somehow the message had not gotten through to two youngsters with stars in their eyes who had dreamed of this visit for weeks. Fortunately, there was a film and a construction model that I seem to remember lit up somehow. Then, off to the gift shop where I was allowed to choose a jigsaw puzzle of Disneyland to take home. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the picture on the cover of that box, just thinking of how wonderful it would be when The Magic Kingdom was finally complete.

Over the years, we visited Walt's park many times. During each visit, we would carefully plan what attraction would deserve our treasured "E" tickets and how we would use up the "A"s and "B"s that always seemed to be left in your book at the end of the day. And no trip was complete without an evening trip down the river on the Jungle Cruise (one of our mom's favorites).

Planning our trip has brought up many wonderful memories of family vacations at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, including our first visit to Disneyland where we arrived after a long day of driving and were simply driving up to the gate to see what time they were open the next day. As it turned out, there was an after-hours event that was sponsored by a local corporation and you could go on as many rides and attractions as you wanted, and had time to fit in, until the park closed. We take it for granted now but the freedom of not having to "budget" my tickets was like a dream come true. We just couldn't believe our luck. We had so looked forward to this visit and we were not disappointed. I guess it's like Walt said, "When you wish upon a star..."

I can hardly wait for Christmas :)

miss kimmy

Congratulations Mr. President

Well here I am at only 9:24 pm local time and the election has been called. Congratulations to President Obama and all of the hard working campaign workers and volunteers. Congratulations too to my Democratic friends in the US. I must say I am surprised that the presidential election was decided so early (it seems Mitt Romney is as well and is refusing to concede at this time). But then again perhaps the talking heads have it right...many Americans were afraid of the tea party side of the Republican Party and this image was not helped by the abundance of negative advertising that flowed throughout this campaign.

I don't mean to take anything away from the support for President Obama or from the very well organized and effective Get out the Vote program that his organization runs. I have to admit, I am on his email list and am always impressed by his messaging and ability to get people involved and make them feel a part of the team.

Will it be an easy road ahead, certainly not? Has the electorate decided to stick with what they know and trust that things will get better...it looks like it.

With the Senate and House not changing, I truly hope there is a move toward constructive bi-partisanship in the style of Ronald Reagan. As Vice President Biden said in the debate, he was there, he worked with President Reagan and while the two men did not see eye to eye on many issues, Vice President Biden should take a page from Reagan's book and work with those across the aisle for the best of his country.

Having worked in a minority government, I know just how hard it can be to get things done when the opposition is sniping and grumbling across the aisle, never allowing a political opportunity to go by without making the most of it. Unfortunately, this does not benefit the country. Thankfully, we now have a strong, stable, majority, conservative government in Canada (ok, I couldn't resist throwing that in). Our Prime Minister, cabinet and caucus have worked very hard to keep our economy strong and as my daughter tells me repeatedly, has made things much better for Canadian families.

I guess the point I am making is that politicians of every stripe must remember why they were elected. This does not mean governing by polls, this means making the tough decisions and making things happen for the benefit of your electorate. This won't be easy after such a nasty and angry campaign but the for the good of our closest neighbour, I sincerely hope it will happen.

miss kimmy

A Few Thoughts on the US Election

Here it is, only Day 6 and I am already behind in my goal of posting everyday. Maybe I can play catch up and post again tonight once the election returns start to come in.

I don't know about you but I am very happy that the US Election Day is finally here. As I have heard from many of my friends, on both sides of the 49th, it seemed as though the campaigning was becoming nastier and nastier as time went on.

At the end of it all, I was beginning to wonder what any of the candidates stood for. Oh, it was easy to tell who they were against, you'll note I didn't say what they were against, that was a little hard to tell as well. During one recent commercial break, I learned that two women did not like each other and from the sounds of it, neither one deserved to be elected, that people in Michigan really don't want easier travel to and from Ontario (that is what they mean by voting against the new bridge, isn't it? It couldn't be that the owner of the current bridge is afraid of losing revenue... ), and that Emergency Managers are really dictators and don't help people at all. No wonder voters are confused!

In California there are 11 propositions this elecction. In Michigan, a much more manageable seven. Easy, peasy...now what did I hear about human slavery while watching Leno the other night...?

I shouldn't pick on these two states, I have no animous toward Michigan and I quite like visiting California. It just happens that I watch their stations more than others.

For the voters in these states (and others I am sure), the negative campaigning must become white noise, or at least close to it. In class last night we were talking about how people tend to notice the ads and verbiage that are closest to their own views. It would seem then that these ads only serve to solidify the opposition that already exists against certain candidates and may not really be effective in swaying the undecided to your side. An interesting premise for sure.

I saw a social media post last night that urged those who are still undecided to stay home and not vote. I can understand the sentiment, if you haven't been able to decide at this point in time, you are most likely going to choose by the last message you hear. This is great for the campaign who has a good GOTV (Get Out the Vote) program that has identified the undecided, but does it really support the idea of democracy in the form of an informed electorate.

Yes, I am sounding somewhat jaded. I really do encourage all eligible voters to get out to the polls today but I also urge them to read up on the issues, check the candidates records for yourself. I know it isn't alwasy easy to dig through all of the verbiage but the internet has made this information readily available to anyone with access to a computer (even one at a local public library).

So there is it, my rant against negative and confusing election advertising. My message to my American friends...GET OUT AND VOTE! If you don't, I don't want to hear your complaints for the next four year :)

miss kimmy

Scrapbooking and Memories

After admiring a beautiful scrapbook that my cousin put together for my aunt's75th birthday, I decided to begin putting together a memory book of my own. Something for our grandson to look through when he was older that would help capture some of the special moments in our lives.

First stop, the local craft store where I was overwhelmed with the number of choices of papers and glues, not to mention stickers and trims that are available to "pretty up" your book. Before I could choose the paper, I had to decide what size I wanted my book to be. Not knowing what would look best; I erred on the side of caution and picked one of each (they were on sale after all). That was easy, a bunch of papers that I like, some acid free glue sticks, a package of photo corners, and I'm ready to begin.

Where to begin? Photos. Good plan until I began to look through the thousands of images (yes thousands, aren't digital cameras wonderful) on my laptop and got lost in the memories they evoked. The night our grandson was born, so tiny I was afraid I might snap his legs the first time I changed his diaper. His first ride at an amusement park, Dollywood, where I learned it is not a good idea to take this opportunity away from a child's mother (but he really wanted to ride on the cute little pigs and she was on the roller coaster at the time). His first trip to Disneyland where his delight at meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time couldn't help but remind me of his mother's first visit there. You get the idea. Suffice it to say, little progress was made on the newly purchased books.

I have a new admiration for my cousin and her ability to decide which photos were worthy of inclusion in the birthday book. I do not share her discipline and find it hard not to become immersed my daydreams and memories.

This project is proving to be more difficult than I thought and it certainly isn't the "scrapbooking" of my childhood where my grandma and I clipped pictures of movie stars from magazines and pasted postcards received from relatives in the mail onto the manila pages of a book she had bought at Kresge's just for this purpose. Oh how I enjoyed those afternoons.

So now on to Plan B, print a bunch of photos, gather up ticket stubs and programs from our travels, put on a fresh pot of tea and invite my daughters to work on the book with me. Yes, that's what I will do. No matter whether or not we create a beautiful book to rival the birthday inspiration, we will share old memories and create new ones.

miss kimmy

Chinook Winds are Blowing and the Trees are Crackling

Have you ever just listened to the world around you, I mean really listened to all of those noises and sounds that make up the background symphony of our world? The honking of horns in downtown traffic, the whoosh of air brakes as a bus pulls away from the curb, children's laughter in a nearby playground, you get the idea.

Tonight the trees are noisy out in the country. The promised chinook winds have finally arrived and the trees are rapidly dropping their uncharacteristic coats of ice. The sound reminds me the tinkling of broken glass Christmas ornaments as they hit the ground. A soft, sparkling tinkle that is pleasant to the ears, even though it means something has broken.

We haven't really had autumn in Calgary this year, just a quick drop in temperature that brought with it freezing rain, ice pellets, and trees encased in a thin veil of ice. Not the early winter we are accustomed to on the prairies. We are prepared for the dry snow and cold winds but not for this foreign, eastern kind of ice foggy mornings and crusty banks of snow. Is this what they mean by climate change?

I find it interesting that a little change in the weather pattern can cause so much discussion of , well, the weather. This topic is usually preserved for coffee shops populated by retired men and not typical water cooler conversation. As our neighbours to the east and south struggle to overcome the devastation created by hurricane Sandy, many of us have moved on and are once again focused on how the weather is affecting our lives.

This brings me back to my original question, do we ever really listen to the world around us or has it become white noise to us. Does the enormity of the devastation make us want to push it aside? Now that the storm is past, things must surely be back to normal...aren't they? We aren't seeing crashing waves on the evening news anymore, now it's back to election news and ads filling the airwaves.

But there are still families dealing with the aftermath, not only the struggles of power outages and gasoline rationing but also the families of the 103 people who lost their lives during this natural disaster. These families will never forget this tragedy and will be forever changed by the premature loss of their loved ones. Somehow the inconveniences of an early, icy winter suddenly seem much less important now don't they.

miss kimmy

If You Could Live Anywhere, Where Would it Be?

Here it is Day 2 and I'm relying on the daily BlogHer writing prompt. Yes, I admit it, after working all day and stopping at two different stores for the shopping, I have run out of creativity for the day. That said, today's prompt is a good one that makes me think about the priorities in my life.

If I could live anywhere, where would it be? Well, as an avid Disney fan (and D23 gold member), my first choice would have to be the apartment above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland. The idea of waking up in New Orleans Square and seeing the sunrise over Sleeping Beauty's castle is like a dream for me. And ending the night with a front row seat at Fantasmic would be, well, fantastic!

But then again, I have always thought it would be wonderful to live in the Great Smoky Mountains. Whenever I visit this area, I can't help but feel closer to God. There is just such a feeling of peace in these mountains and their perpetual mist. I can see myself settling down and joining the community where the pace of life is a little slower and the people friendly and warm.

Hmmm, as much as I love Tennessee, I also love the bright lights of Hollywood. There is something about feeling the warm sunshine of southern California on your face that can't help but make you feel alive. If money were no object (we are dreaming here after all), I can imagine relaxing out by the pool of my home in the Hollywood Hills as I sip a nice Pinot Grigio or perhaps looking out over the bright lights of LA while enjoying a glass of merlot following dinner.

So many places, so many dreams, if I could live anywhere, where would it be? That's easy, I know it sounds cliché but I would live where my heart is. As much as these places are fondly in my dreams, I would never trade my life here in Alberta with my family. With my husband who never complains when it's snowing and I ask him to feed the chickens because I don't want to go out in the cold. With my daughters who, I am sure, think I'm a little on the crazy side but never fail to encourage me in my writing and going back to school. And my little grandson who breaks out into song at any given moment (Johnny Appleseed and O Canada seem to be his favorites right now).

I'm not saying that I wouldn't want to live in any of my dream locations, any of these places would be great if my family were there with me. Disneyland? Don't think I would get an argument from any of them. Great Smoky Mountains? Just think of the family Christmas celebrations. The Hollywood Hills? Who doesn't love LA. Yes, I think I am safe with my choices and as soon as I win that lottery...

In the end, it doesn't matter where I live, as long as I'm with my family, I am right where I want to be.

miss kimmy

Another November, Another Attempt at Daily Writing

Here we are, November 1st and I am once again taking up the BlogHer challenge of daily writing and posting. Yes, I did give it a try last year, but what can I say, life got in the way.

Writing is one of those things that I love to do but always seems to get pushed aside. I don't mean the writing that I do for class or for work, but the creative side of writing and even the writing down of memories that I keep planning to do...one day.

So today, I am once again sitting down and taking up the challenge. Maybe this time the habit of daily writing will stick :)

Just think of the possibilities, if I can actually get pen put to paper (or fingers to keyboard as the case may be) I might finally get all of those family stories written down, the ones that I'm afraid may be lost just as we have lost our loved ones over the years.

Writing down these memories and family history are important. It may seem silly or lame but think of what we would have lost in our world had our ancestors not felt it was important to chronicle the important moments of their lives. These family memories help to humanize the history of our world and let future generations get a better sense of what life was really like "in the olden days".

But I'm getting ahead of myself, for now just getting a post written today before I nod off is a victory, one I hope will be repeated for the next 29 days!

miss kimmy