Tag Archives: Old Key West

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To Everything There Is a Season

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Today I traveled home from Walt Disney World. It’s always a bittersweet day. After eight nights in Florida, I was ready to be home. But home meant saying good-bye to Emi and family for several months, and that is always difficult.

They are back home in England safe and sound. Jake and family are safely back in Illinois. And Mike and I are home tonight also. Mary Ann, our cat, greeted us with loud meows and lots of close contact. So, it’s good to be home after an incredible vacation. So thankful!

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Love, Tears and Thankfulness

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Today was our last full day at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. We had tickets for a park, but only Jake went in today. He chose Disney’s Hollywood Studio so he could ride Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, his favorite ride. As he entered the gate who should he see waiting there? Daniel Carlson, a dear family friend! What are the chances?? They chatted for a bit as Daniel waited for his friends to show up. Incredible! It’s a God thing.

The rest of us stayed at the resort to chill and begin packing. Ida seemed to have a low-grade fever and Linnie is still recovering from the flu. It was a nice low key day.

Then it was time for Emi, James and Ida to catch the bus to the airport. With plenty of hugs and tears to go around, I thanked God for this time together. I’ll be looking forward to our next time together, perhaps as soon as March.

Mike, Jake, Eliza, Linnie and I wandered up to Turtle Krawl for dinner. With burgers, chili dogs, and pulled pork sandwiches for dinner from Good’s Food to Go and drinks from Gurgling Suitcase we whiled away the hours in the warm evening Florida breezes. It was a perfect ending to an emotional day.

Well, Dear Readers, I am one Disney-exhausted camper. So delighted for this incredible adventure. And yet ready to go home tomorrow. Home, where Mary Ann, our kitty cat, waits for me.

Until the next time…meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Magical Halloween Fun

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What an incredible evening we had at Magic Kingdom last night! Mike, James, Ida and I had dinner at Be Our Guest. It was so delicious! I highly recommend the filet mignon for a main course which comes with mashed potatoes and al dente green beans. My starter of cheese and fruit was perfect for the meal that followed. And the dessert was just plain fun! A mini white chocolate “Chip” cup filled with “the gray stuff”, a raspberry macaroon with raspberry jam and fresh raspberries, and a chocolate truffle. So cute and so sweet and so delicious!

And that castle! Just Holy Wah! It is truly an enchanting place to dine. Ida was nervous about Beast, so she was happy to only see him from across the room. She liked the big music box with Belle and Beast dancing. And she thought the rose was very pretty.

Then James and Ida legged it for the bus back to Old Key West Resort. Ida has a cold and was tired and a bit cross. But in her defense she has a nasty cold that she has been fighting all week. Bless her little heart!

Jake, Eliza, and Linnie spent the evening at the resort as Linnie has her first case of the flu. They took her to Urgent Care earlier in the day (a four hour ordeal) and got her a prescription and some pain meds. She seems quite a bit more herself this morning, but will have a quiet day today.

Our evening continued with rides: Mad Tea Party, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We did quite a bit of Trick or Treating, and received a mountain of candy. We caught the end of the Hocus Pocus Spelltacular, just in time for “I Put a Spell on You.”

We ended our evening by finding a spot on the bridge between Tomorrow Land and the central hub. Emi went to Plaza Ice Cream and picked up some treats for us to enjoy as we sat and passed the time. We watched Boo to You Halloween Parade. And finished off the evening with HalloWishes fireworks. We had a great time just being together in such a beautiful place.

Feeling very blessed this morning! Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Magic Kingdom Day

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Day two of our Walt Disney World adventure has been so incredible!

  1. Character breakfast at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. Ida was completely traumatized by the arrival of Winnie the Pooh. “Too big!” She begged to be cuddled by her mum and hid her face until Pooh went away. Tigger-same thing. Piglet-a little more interested. Eeyore-not so scared, and Ida didn’t hide her eyes.
  2. We rode Peter Pan’s Flight, and Ida and James were a bit scared. “Too dark.”
  3. We rode it’s a small world next. Ida dug it!
  4. We rode Winnie the Pooh. Ida thought it was OK, but a bit too bumpy.
  5. Finally we rode Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid. When we finished, Ida said, “Really cool!” Success at last!
  6. We finished our day with a swim and dinner at Olivia’s.

What an incredible day! What an incredible time with family! What a beautiful place!

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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We’re Here!!

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We are at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, all settled into our villa. Thank you, Jesus!! Three years of planning all come down to this day. Our flight was good. The Conch Fritters at Good’s Food To Go were delicious! Our luggage showed up at our room as if by magic. And we’re getting groceries delivered any minute now. Emi, James and Ida are due soon. I am so grateful! More news tomorrow.

Come on down and meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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One Day More

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Tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya. Tomorrow, you’re only a day away…

So today is crazy, busy getting ready to go day. As I sit here watching “The Real”, I am sipping my Airborne which I hope will help to boost my immune system. I don’t want to pick up any nasty germs on the plane tomorrow.

Tomorrow afternoon, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I will be sipping a Diet Coke and sharing an order of Conch Fritters on the small boardwalk at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Jake, Eliza and Linnie are scheduled to arrive in Orlando within a minute of our arrival, so there’s a good chance that we will ride the same Magical Express bus to the resort. That would be a little extra magical, right?

I’m packing a swimsuit in my carry on, so if our room isn’t ready when we arrive, I may just take a dip in the main pool. It’s a very nice zero entry (beach entry) pool that I can walk right into. No ladder to climb, nor even steps. My kinda pool!

I can hardly believe it’s here at last. Three years of waiting is down to one day more. I won’t lie to you; I’m feeling blessed!

Meet me at the Kingdom. Tomorrow!

Donna

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Two Days!

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In two days I am going to Walt Disney World! I can hardly believe it’s so soon.

Yesterday, in the nick of time, the rest of our luggage tags for Magical Express came in the mail. We have to attach these tags to our luggage to have it delivered to our room by Disney. Jake’s, Eliza’s and Linnie’s tags had not yet arrived, but they finally showed up. And since today was one of my days watching Linnie for a few hours, Eliza slipped the tags into the diaper bag so they would be sure to make it home with them.

Whew! That is calling it close.

Tomorrow I finish up my packing. My whole day will be dedicated to finishing up with my suitcase, organizing my Disney purse, and filling up my carry-on.

Every vacation I over plan and over pack. And this time will be no different. Every vacation I over think all of this. Too much planning, too much plotting. Too much, period. When all that really matters is occupying the same space as some of my favorite people on the planet. That is what this reunion is all about. Sharing time with those we love. What a blessing!

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Making Lemonade from Lemons

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There are only seventeen days until our Old Key West Family Reunion. Seventeen days until I can hug my daughter, son-in-love and granddaughter. How exciting!

I am exhausted tonight:

  1. My increased walking has my muscles sore and tired.
  2. I watched my sweet baby granddaughter today, so I am weary.
  3. I tried a new recipe tonight for dinner, which took way longer than I expected, so that by the time we finally ate, I was super hangry (hungry + angry).
  4. And I am grieving for our dear friend and patron who passed away two days ago.

But here’s the thing:

  1. My muscles are sore, but it’s good sore. They are sore from exercising, instead of sore from being sedentary. Result!
  2. Each minute with Linnie, my baby granddaughter, is precious. It’s exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I always feel so blessed after my time with this amazing baby!
  3. I tried a new recipe (my assignment from Noom) from Diabetic Living Magazine called Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole. There was a lot of pre-cooking, chopping, measuring, mixing, and finally baking. We ate over an hour later than usual, and by then I was cranky and famished. But dinner was absolutely delicious, and it turns out, well worth the wait. I will make this recipe again and again. It will be perfect for a cold winter’s night.
  4. I am grieving, This recently departed soul gave us so much, including a wonderful place to raise our kids and encouragement for Mike to be the best furniture designer and maker possible. But I am not without hope. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”-Romans 5:5

And so I carry on. Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

PS: I highly recommend Diabetic Living Magazine. It has been such a help for healthy eating. And Noom is working out very well, too.

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FastPass+ Anticipation

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We head to Walt Disney World in just 65 days. This means I’m just five days away from scheduling our FastPass+es. We are choosing kid friendly rides so the grandkids can go on them. Rides/attractions like Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Peter Pan’s Flight, Na’vi River Journey and Festival of the Lion King, Frozen Ever After and The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Toy Story Mania and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

I sure hope we get them all. Although my favorite thing for this trip will be sitting in the same general area as Mike, the kids, their spouses and the grandkids. What a joy it will be! I’m especially looking forward to hanging out at the pool together at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Ahh… Instant stress relief.

Meet you at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Carrying On

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Hello Dear Readers,

I hope this post finds you healthy and at peace.

In just 5 days I will call Disney and schedule our next trip to Walt Disney World. We hope to go on October 20 of next year. Because we are Disney Vacation Club members, we can call and book our home resort, Old Key West, 11 months in advance. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, we will have 8 nights and 9 days at Disney: Mike, Emi, James, Ida, Jake, Eliza, Baby Jarvi and me.

This time it won’t be so much about time in the parks, although we will have tickets for 5 days. This time it will be all about the babies. Ida will be 2 & 1/2 and Baby Jarvi will be 8 months old. Dumbo, Prince Charming Carousel, Meeting Mickey, It’s a Small World and splashing in the water fountains will be the focus of our days. Probably just a few hours in the parks and then time at Old Key West.

I take none of this for granted. I know that if we are all there it will truly be a gift from God. I am doing my part to be there. As of this morning, I am 54.4 pounds down since May. I am learning how to eat as a diabetic. Now I just need to start moving more. Please pray that I can and do move more.

May God bless and keep you, dear Readers. Meet you at the Kingdom.

Donna