Hello from sunny Florida!

Yes, it's sunny and warm (relatively speaking; to someone who lives in WV, it's nice and warm) here, and it's been a wonderful, relaxing time with my family.

It only rained Friday night as we were leaving Disney World--a downpour that started after we got off the monorail to walk to our car. I've never been in such a deluge without a raincoat or something. I just totally freak out when water gets into my eyes; my glasses were wet, water dripping into my eyes, and I can't take that. B2 didn't mind at all; he was standing in the deluge shouting "Over here, guys, it's the tram! Hurry, guys!!!" jumping up and down, totally enjoying the experience.

But we weren't taking the tram, dammit; we had to walk every bit of maybe 1/4 mile to the car. We were all soaked to the bone, squishing in our shoes, but not cold. Can you imagine? It was November 14, 7 p.m., we were soaked, and we weren't cold. It was maybe 75 degrees, and the rain was fairly warm.

It had been sunny and warm all day, a perfect day to play at the Magic Kingdom.

J and I did some Christmas shopping there. Since I won't be here at Christmas, we had our Christmas early, and I got to watch the kids when they got their gifts. Nice for grandma.

It was hot on Saturday, too, with a little rain in the morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon. We played outside and made videos, which I edited (badly; my first experience with Windows Movie Maker) and burned to dvds which we then watched on tv. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast. We did the same on Sunday, which was cooler, but we were still outside and comfortable in our shorts, t-shirts, and sandals.

Today is a little warmer; it was entertaining to watch kids run into school wearing their winter coats, hats, and scarves, while it was maybe 55 degrees, which is a heat wave where I live. This afternoon the air is a little chilly, but the sun is warm and I enjoyed some time outside.

In a few hours I leave for Richmond and will spend the night with Mom and Dad. That means leaving their house at 5 in order to get to work on time, but since I get into Richmond late, it's a better option than driving to Hburg.

I'm so glad that I had this little vacation in the sun with my daughter and her family. Who knows when I'll get down here again, so I made the best of it.



P. S. TJX continues the firings at Tom's former work. People are scared that they'll be next. With good reason, it seems. Merry Christmas, employees, and you're fired. Woo freaking hoo.

That's my boy!

Poor A has the flu, and she had the luck to be struck while on the Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day ride at WDW. Twice.

B2 was a great help, as he always is when bossing is needed. J's email:

"We did go to Disney yesterday. A kept saying she was feeling better... she threw-up on the Winnie the Pooh ride- yep- people were sitting right behind us...then she threw-up when she got off...they gave her a voucher to buy new pants! We obviously went home at that point.

Flu, I guess. Great. B2 will have a wonderful time when he gets it. Yesterday he LOUDLY kept telling A "GET IT ALL OUT A! JUST THROW UP- IT OKAY A- JUST GET IT ALLLLLL OUT!!! JUST THROW UP!!!" Uggghhhhhhhhhhh...

She got a pair of ugly pink stoned Princess sweatpants and changed into them there. Yuck. She even insisted that I push her out to the car in a wheelchair after I could no longer carry her on my back. (While B2 is yelling "LOOK OUT PEOPLE!!! WATCH OUT EVERYBODY!!!" in his bossiest tone, trying to keep his hands on the wheelchair the best he could.)

To quote B2, 'Good times, good times.' "

For some reason I keep picturing Disney World as being this huge petri dish......

The big day

Monday was Hannah Montana day for A, her first concert. Okay, if you want to get picky, she did drop in on a Juice Newton show (free) at one of the Disney Parks last year; Juice was big (temporarily) in the 80s when J first started paying attention to music, so they listened for a while, primarily to sit down and rest.

But HM is the first big star A's gone to see; I think I was as excited as she was, maybe more, since it was so difficult to get tickets to the show, and I did it. (Why yes, I'm proud of myself, why do you ask?)

Unfortunately, my son and his family were in Orlando for a few days, and A was torn between spending one last evening with them and going to the show. I mean, it's not unfortunate that the family was all together, that was great, just the timing of the concert in relation to their visit.

The kids (and parents) had spent four days together at the parks having a blast. I'm so glad that they were able to spend that much time together, since they live 1000 miles apart and have seen each other for only a couple of hours in the last 2.5 years. A and B are 7 weeks apart and were inseparable their first two years; R and B2 are 6 months apart and never got to know each other, since they were both very small when J and family moved, first to Virginia Beach, then to Orlando.

J's daddy took her to the concert; I think he was as excited as she was. Before they left, A begged me to stay up till she got home so she could call and tell me about the show. I agreed, even though my bedtime is before 9 most nights.

It was 10:40 when A got home, and she was wound up. The show was glitzy and flashy (lots of lights and special effects) and loud, and there were lots of little girls there wearing their Hannah Montana wigs and headsets. I wish I could have seen it! We talked for half an hour before I could persuade A that I really had to go to bed. B2 got on the phone shortly to tell me he'd ridden Tower of Terror that night, then he got into bed and pulled up the covers. He's a man of few words--occasionally. And "Tower of Terror" is always among the words!

So then I was wound up and couldn't sleep.

The price we pay!

Random fun

I can't find my photos of my latest sock knitting, so for now I'll bore dazzle you with some photos of the fun we had while I was in Florida.



B2's favorite game--playing "Tower of Terror". Disney, anyone?



A's taking gymnastics.



Hannah Montana!



B2 entertains himself.



What can I say?



I really can't explain this one. A decided it was Nanamarana Day and I was Nanamarana. She took photos of me with about 15 of her stuffed animals.





Then A is Nanamarana.



Spaceship Earth at Epcot



Too loud!



Ice castle



Pole dancer



And last, Orlando Christmas.

Grand Marshalls at the Magic Kingdom

Friday was a pretty cool day. Not the weather; that was perfect--low 90s, nice breeze, lots of air-conditioned shops and rides.

A and several of her pageant cohorts were awarded the honor of being Grand Marshalls of the "Dreams Come True" parade at the Magic Kingdom that afternoon. Even though A and B2 get to go to Walt Disney World fairly often, being in a WDW parade is pretty exciting for a kid. (Their MomMom, too.)

There were the obligatory photo ops, but they were gotten out of the way fairly efficiently, and we had a few hours to explore before the parade. B2's favorite rides are the People Mover and the Carousel of Progress, conveniently located adjacent to each other. While A, Jennifer, A's friend A2, and Tina, A2's mother, all rode Space Mountain (panic attacks, people. I will Never. Ride. That. Again. I decided that last time I rode it, and no amount of A's wheedling will get me back on that thing.), B2 and I did the People Mover and C of P.

The C of P was made by Walt Disney for the 1964 World Fair. It's nothing but a bunch of rooms with rows of seats that rotate around a core of vignettes of America's technological progress, from the early 1920s to, supposedly, the present (or was it supposed to be the future? The fixtures in the "future" are a little dated now.). B2 laughs and sings and would sit through the presentation over and over, if anyone would consent to it. I like it because there's rarely a line for it and it's always cool (temp-wise, that it) and there are seats.





The People Mover is just a bunch of conveyances that go around and through a number of Tomorrowland's attractions. B2 would ride it all day if he could. He always laughs and repeats "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress" when it's announced.

I like it because it's covered and it has seats.

We also rode Buzz Lightyear, which is really a lot of fun for me, too. He's not so interested in the "laser" guns that blast moving targets in a series of rooms. He likes the colors, the movement, the noise, the lever that twirls the pod around in jerky circles. I like it because it's fun, it's got a/c, and I like to shoot the lasers. And I love to watch B2's excitement.

The parade was over before it began, pretty much. Here come the singing man and woman carrying the "Grand Marshall" sign, then the family who won a night in Cinderella's Castle's suite, then the buggy carrying the five girls. Boom, there they are, and there they go. I shoved B2 back into his stroller (he's already worn out one, and he's too big for this one, but for heaven's sake, he's only 3!) and ran to the front of the park so I could take some photos. A looked absolutely radiant and was so happy. She was given a certificate to authenticate the occasion.



We shopped a little, and A and A2 were chosen to participate in a "Magical Moment" (what, you don't pay attention to WDW commercials?). They got to accessorize a child-size Cinderella doll in the Emporium, then they waved magic wands and sprinkled pixie dust (Cinderella carriage-shaped metallic confetti). They were each given a fancy Cinderella pen with feathers and a light, with metallic turquoise ink.



Back into the park for more rides, then around 6 p.m. we left for home. It was probably my nicest day at WDW. We were all in good moods (even at the Happiest Place on Earth, there are a lot of screaming, whiny kids and screaming, pissed-off parents), the weather was nice, and the kids had a blast.



So did I.

A dream come true

A and several of her friends will be grand marshalls in a Magic Kingdom parade this weekend.

What could be better for a child who wanted to grow up to be Tinker Bell?

Found: One Grawnpah

My youngest grandson, B2, not quite 3, has been speaking in full sentences (paragraphs, even) for over a year. Problem is, most of the words are in his own language and we haven't been able to tell just what it is that he's saying. Now most of his words are understandable, and we've had fun (and some of those Huh? moments) deciphering his speech.

While I was visiting in August, we went to Walt Disney World a few times. My daughter, J, works there (if I told you what she does I'd have to kill you) so we get in free on visitors' passes. B2 gets in free anyway, at least until he's 3. On the way home one night, J said that B2 has been asking where "Grawnpah" is. (It's said as if it's a French word, and he has the accent and speech pattern down perfect.) J has told him that he doesn't have a Grawnpah; M's dad is dead, and J's is dead as far as she's concerned. (She didn't tell that to B2; it's just an explanation for those not in the know.)





(These photos were taken that weekend at Disney-MGM Studios while B2, veteran that he is, was waiting for MuppetVision 3D to start. He went straight in, picked up his 3D glasses, and put them on--upside down. Mr. Cool.)

That night, on the way home, B2 was tired and crabby, so J tried to distract him. Unfortunately, it backfired. She asked him where Grawnpah was, and he, in a very casual way, said "In the front." She asked him in the front of what? "In the front." That went on for a while, with B2 getting more and more irate at not being understood. He was finally yelling "IN. THE. FRONNNNNTTTTTT."

We left it alone until we got home, when B2 stalked into the living room, found a DVD, stabbed his finger onto the logo of Cinderella's Castle, and again insisted, "Grawnpah. In the front." Then he tossed the DVD cover onto the floor, sat in his little recliner in front of the tv, and asked his mommy to turn on the DVD.

It was a WDW video, showing the different parks. B2 watches this thing over and over. Suddenly he triumphantly yelled, "THERE's Grawnpah!"

We came running into the room, and this is what we saw:




Walt Disney is B2's Grawnpah. We should all be so lucky.