Sappy Pine

Ebe was visiting us on Friday...we had an Emmaus team building meeting in Ventura early Saturday morning and she was already in South Pasadena for work, so it just made sense to have her come over, enjoy the company and save herself a loooooong drive in the morning (she did still get the mileage in going home on Saturday night, but at least it wasn't in traffic!)

We (mostly I) did not put on the best hostessing show. I was late getting home from work, so they ended up going out for KFC (and a special stop at Chipotle for me since there isn't a single entree that I can eat at the jankety-chicken place). Dinner was served in front of the TV (we are still working through all of the I Love Lucy DVDs) and predictably enough, I fell asleep in the chair. Quite the evening out for Ebe!

I managed to wake up in time to join a conversation about fire pits, burning wood and smokey fires. Holly was recounting a time that she was at a party at a friend's house where the wood in the fireplace was creating so much smoke out the chimney, the fire department was called. We debated the reasons that this happened...wood too wet, wood too dry (is there such a thing?), and then David's contribution...sappy pine.

Perhaps it was the delirium of being too tired, but that hit my funny bone and we started using "sappy pine" in every context imaginable...with contempt, excited, scared, maybe even as a swear word. I don't think that it translates as well in writing, but I am telling you, we had a good laugh about it.

It was a sappy pine evening for sure!

Sorting the Dogs

Holly took the initiative to sort the laundry before I got home tonight, resulting in several piles across the family room floor. Our house is a pretty decent size, with plenty of places (and beds) for our dogs to lie and relax.

Why would it be that of ALL the places to flop down, they would all choose to do so in a pile of laundry? At some point in the evening, each one of the pups found a pile that they preferred and claimed it as their own.

Freddy and Penny are pictured here, but Charlie has laid claim to his own stack too.

I am going to teach all of them how to run the washing machine.

Swirling Sensation

Thursday was a long yet strangely satisfying work day at the yogurt place. (I avoid using the name, as there are a number of us at the office who utilize Google Alerts to search out Big-Brother style any news articles, listing or blog posts talking about our brand...separation of work and life, you know!)

We were invited back to the Santa Barbara Film Festival for the 3rd year in a row to hand out cups of goodness...I was recruited again because I have worked it before (you know, experience) and because since I am a salaried employee, the price is right (chances are, the real reason!)

After spending about an hour swirling, we got a triple shot cappuccino and walked across the street to get things started. The event started at 10 pm, and as the attendees started to arrive, the DJ got the tunes bumping and we were off and running! Eric and I entertained ourselves (and the people around us) by dancing along to the music. Maybe it was the caffeine, or maybe just our natural charm, but we did draw quite the crowd.

Giving away yogurt MIGHT have had something to do with the people lining up around us, but it is certainly fun to believe that it was our fine choreography that entertained the masses!

Be Well

I received a nice bit of philosophy from an unlikely source - a parking valet - while out the other night.

My car rolled up to the curb of the restaurant I had attended for a work function/dinner. I stepped around to the driver side to hand over my claim ticket and valet tip, and as the valet and I exchanged pleasantries, he sent me off with an unexpected, "be well."

it kind of took me by surprise (at least I was listening and it registered!), so I just said, "thanks, you too." and hopped in the car. Props to the valet driver for saying something that really stuck with me. I have no idea if that is something that he always says to people, or if it was my own special little message, but it struck me as a very authentic and caring thing to say.

That or he knows something about the food at El Cholo that I don't!

This Does Not Suck

I made mention in an earlier post that I had the opportunity to work from Santa Monica this week, in a converted house that is used for a multitude of meeting spaces. The house was built by William Randolph Hearst (of the Hearst Newspaper and self-named Castle fame) for his not-so-secret "companion" Marion Davies. That whole story is one sordid affair, so I will focus instead on the scenery.

I must give props to the City of Santa Monica for operating one great little area. We have actually used the whole Annenberg Community Beach House for a couple of past events and are signed up to host a conference here later this year. The space is so well integrated to the beach, it is hard to feel like you are really "going to work", it is far more a vibe of "I am at the beach and, oh yeah, I've got some work to do."

Easy to say when you don't have to own any content or sit in a meeting, I suppose. At any rate, I made the bold declaration on my Facebook posting Tuesday that working from the beach tops the list of things that do not suck. I don't think that many people would disagree with me there.

Clean Start

Yesterday was a very productive day, highlighted by the fact that I was able to test out a theory that I have had for a while...it is possible for me to work out at a semi-reasonable hour in the morning (as in, not before 5 am) and still beat the traffic to get into the office early.

I helped to coordinate a series of meetings off site in Santa Monica at the Annenberg Community Beachhouse, a state-owned, public space that can be rented out for meetings and events. We were over in the guesthouse, which opens right up to the beach. This was certainly an inspiring and enjoyable venue for the day, but not the secret to my productivity.

I have been thinking for some time that there has to be a way to leverage all of the gorgeous beach mileage along PCH for a run...the challenge is how I would shower, dress and get to work without going all the way home. There are surfer showers outside of the bathrooms along the beach front...the plan is brewing!

I had an early conference call, so I got up, dressed in my running clothes, packed my stuff for the day and drove to the beach. I took my conference call (notes & all!) from the parking lot, then when we finished up at 7:30, off I went. It was a great run (a fast 5K, I just did a 13.1 miles the day before yesterday), and when I finished, I changed into my flip flops, grabbed my towel, a bag with some shampoo and sauntered over to the showers.

If you have not ever stuck your head under a shower head at the beach on 60 degree morning, I might warn you to prepare yourself for the shock of the cold. I have no right complaining because our friends are in sub-zero temperatures back east and I CHOSE to shower at the beach, but wow. Cold is not quite the word that sums it up. This is a blast of icy that will make even the heartiest of ocean-swimmers hyperventilate.

The good news in this story is that I showed up to the meeting nice and clean (and wearing a fleece jacket, I am sure that several people were wondering why) and have decided that this will be a ritual that I repeat. I might, however, wait until things warm up just a little bit more here on the gentle west coast.

Snack Salvation

I am not one for squirreling away snacks - I am trying to do 6 small meals a day and as such, don't find the need for little treats too often.

Interestingly enough, I was searching in the pantry drawer for my trail mix this morning when when I found a bag of Dove dark chocolate. They are left over from Christmas (our delicious peanut butter blossoms got an upgrade this year from the run of the mill Hershey Kiss!) and because David & Holly are partial to milk chocolate, the dark chocolate sit unattended. I can't begin to tell you what I was thinking when I grabbed two squares - it was 4:45 am - and I threw them both into my purse without any purpose.

Enter the later part of the afternoon. I have successfully (perhaps relative, but for the sake of this conversation let's say it was successful) completed 6 of the 7 MUST DO tasks that I had upon my arrival in the office today. The last one looms and is going to take me a while...it is about 12 hours since that unconscious moment in my kitchen. I am sitting at my desk, trying to get my groove on, wondering what it will take to power through it when suddenly I remember...I have dark chocolate!

I am happily savoring the 2nd square now as I type this. I even had two different messages inside the wrappers...the first one said, "Do all things with love" - good advice. The second one was custom made for me - "Take a deep breath and exhale."

I did just that, chocolate breath and all!

The Season Has Begun

Sunday launched the 2011 event season in a very grand way...the Carlsbad 1/2 marathon. Dubbed my favorite course of all run so far, Kris & Elizabeth decided that they needed to check it out and see what all of the fuss was about. Lynne also joined us, a milestone because this was her first 1/2 marathon, with her longest run to date having been a 10K back at Thanksgiving.

The weather and course did not disappoint. It started out a bit chilly, but by about miles 2 or 3, we had all stripped off our gloves, sleeves and sweatshirts and were ready for some serious mileage. Lynne had a beeper thing that chimed at 4 minutes (running time) and then again at 2 minutes (walking time). We made it through what I think was about 12 rounds of that before we opted to just turn it off...it was far too much a distraction than it was helping and quite frankly, I think that it was putting undue pressure on the group to be structured. We finally settled in on a pace that allowed everyone to be comfortable and enjoy the run, or walk, or whatever you wanted it to be.

Things always get a bit grueling (in my opinion) after about 10 miles, and if you are experiencing any aches or pains (as Lynne was with her knees), they are magnified about 100 times at this point. We shuffled along a bit, chatting it up and trying to distract until we landed on the ultimate game...Better Than.

A friend of mine that we bumped into before the race talked about this game - when you get to the point where you are just about over the whole running/race thing, compare the things that your run is better than. We started out easy (being poked in the eye with a stick, getting hit by a car) and then we got incredibly detailed and specific (scalding your tongue on hot coffee and then getting a paper cut when you lick an envelope). The best part about our little game besides entertaining the people around us? The finish line was suddenly upon us and we completed our 13.1 miles!! Lynne cried a little bit.

The season has officially begun!

One Book, One Life

Last night, I went to a benefit show for a program called One Book, One Life. In addition to being a great show with 3 different bands, starting from the Youth band to our worship music director all the way to "Steve" and his daughter (I am sure that his band had a name, but I didn't catch it and everyone kept referring to how much they liked "Steve", so that is the extent of my education on who was playing). The point is that we had some great entertainment and spent a couple of hours with some great music - both familiar standbys and some new, original material.

Impressive to me is the formation of this organization - these are all what I would call kids (between 20 and 23 or so) who had a vision for making a difference in our world and took that vision to action. Most adults struggle to do something like this, making this even more special.

Each one of the 4 officers in the organization got up in front of the audience near the end of the concert and gave thanks and praise for the work that has been done so far, and it is clear that much more work will be done this year and moving forward.

I love to see how amazing things can happen with the right attitude and mindset.

Abundant

This has been a full week and admittedly it started out with my head in the wrong place - I was feeling cranky around how many demands are placed on my time at work and in that I was losing sight of everything else that I have going on and just HOW MANY great people that I have in my life to enhance, enrich and make it fun.

I squeezed in a dinner with my Emmaus peeps on Wednesday, had a couple of GOOD belly laughs in a few different quick conversations on the phone with David, Holly and a couple of other friends over the course of the week, I made it out to SOTHUMC Friday night for Centering Prayer and then met with some old friends for dinner and then I attended my first training of the season with the MIMs this morning!

Add to that a benefit show tonight, a 1/2 marathon in Carlsbad tomorrow, lunch with a friend and her kids, followed by a visit from an out-of-town friend...whew! There are a couple of key words that come to mind..Blessed. Lucky. Abundant.

There are a lot of great people in my life, all of whom add amazing diversity, dimension and joy to my days. If you are reading this, you are one of these significant people in my life, so thank you!

Treats for the Soul

I must declare my love for 3 things this week (beyond of course the very long list of things that I already love!) 1 - Annette; 2 - Cookies; 3 - Facebook...and in that order.

I have put myself on a 2x per day Facebook check. I don't leave it open anymore because all too often I will get distracted if I see something pop up and then I realize that I am cutting into my brilliant efficiency by goofing off and scrolling through posts. I did the same with my personal email account, because good grief...I get a lot of email. At any rate, the point of me describing my daily routine is to identify how I came to this love of 3 things on Thursday.

I start work in the office at 6 am on Tue and Thu (conference calls with our new international markets in Europe), so the posts that are listed when I check early in the day are often from the previous night. There was a posting by a lovely General Manager who works in the 3rd Street Promenade store, proudly displaying her cookies and asking anyone if they wanted one. Jokingly, I commented on Annette's post that if she was going to drop by the office, I would love one, then I signed off and thought nothing more of it.

Imagine my surprise (and delight) when Annette showed up at the office at about 4:30 pm with a bag of 6 super sized cookies in tow. Super cool! I made 5 new best friends by sharing these AWESOME cookies and had a rather enjoyable visit with Annette who really wowed me with her good baking and thoughtful gift.

These are the kind of treats that are good for your stomach AND your soul!

Urban Dictionary

A co-worker sent this email to me on Wednesday, and for some reason it hit my funny bone:

"Urban Dictionary should put my picture up next to the definition of this phrase:"
Premature Exasperation - becoming upset about something before knowing all (or any) of the details

In addition to being funny, it is TRUE! We work in an office filled with anticipators, ready to fly off in a rage or emotional rant well before any actual facts are introduced into the situation. It simultaneously frustrates and amuses me, but this new definition (and the thought of my co-worker fully admitting his leading role in this) puts a far more entertaining spin on the whole situation.

A little bit of humor, a little bit of sad truth and a little bit of sarcasm mix in for the whole Urban Dictionary experience. I may not enjoy all of the crazy definitions that are out there, but for the most part I have to admit that they get it right on!

We REALLY Love Lucy

While in Orlando, the Schnoogs and I got into a long conversation about Lucille Ball - I think it was while we were eating dinner in the Brown Derby, recalling the whole episode where Lucy stalks Bill Holden - we agreed that not only was she brilliant at taking the mundane or ordinary and making it funny, but also how her humor endures...minus the overly demure housewife stereotypes that were typical of the early and mid 50's.

In classic Schnoogs form, she came home and found a complete set online, sweet-talked David into getting it for her and BAM! Upon my arrival home Tuesday night, there was the set and the first DVD was already loaded in the player.

The pilot was (in Ebe-speak) fascinating. The set was very temporary and small, there was a lot of focus on Ricky's performances and singing, it was an odd 33 minutes long, but when all is said and done, it launched a whole new generation of entertainment to the world.

Vitameatavegimin is among some of the first episodes, I can't wait for that!

Grubbin' on Grapefruit

I have been reintroduced to the delectable treat of grapefruit. David comes across a fair number of fruits, vegetables and flowers in his line of work, so we periodically benefit in the form of something fresh and organic grown to abundance by a customer and shared with us.

A bag of grapefruits materialized at the house while Holly and I were gone in Orlando and while they smelled very good, it wasn't my first inclination to eat one, but after David issued a ringing endorsement, I decided to section one and give it a try. WOW. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe, it was awesome and a great element of my "on the road" breakfast.

I brought a whole one to work today to enjoy at "breakfast 2". I subscribe to the six small meals a day program when I can, which means it seems like I am always eating something...not a bad deal! At any rate, I had a strange combination of a chocolate pomegranate Vita Top, a piece of string cheese and a grapefruit. Not to be eaten all at once, but it was good and it was yet again a reminder of just how good these grapefruit are!

I have already placed my request for another bag for as long as the bountiful harvest lasts!

Making the Magic Happen

I am sorry to report that I did not realize that I had completely zoned on blogging yesterday until just a few minutes ago...I am not yet in the disciplined state of consistency as my friend Elizabeth, who is on track to complete an entry every day for the month of January...and then I am sure she will carry forth into all of Q1, the first six months, and eventually the whole year. Let's just take it a day at a time here.

The day was long yesterday and admittedly, I was not in the most delighted of moods at the prospect of coming back to work after a SUPER fun week with the Schnoogs in Orlando and quite frankly, just some time away from the crazy yogurt place where everything is a burning priority.

I decided after the incredibly long day yesterday and early start today, I need to think about what is right with this scenario rather than what is wrong. I sat at my desk for a moment and just took it all in and realized that, while things do go at a frenetic pace all day long and I am continuously interrupted with questions, requests, demands, inquiries and solicitations, I have created a pretty nice space for myself that both represents who I am and keeps me grounded in what is important.

Two computer monitors (phenomenal for multi-tasking, you must consider trying it!) sit amongst the basics I need for answering the however many questions I get a day, but if you look closely, you can also see nestled in amongst the required desk items a few pictures and tokens of what keeps me ticking - the faith hanger that a co-worker gave to me, pictures of the dogs, Holly and us as a family, my ever-full cup of tea and bladder-buster cylinder of water, a silly business definition of "job spill" (I live it!) - these are the things that remind me constantly that life is good and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Yep, this is where I make the magic happen. I will not deny however that it will be nice next week when I make that same magic happen from home, a far more enjoyable work environment in my humble opinion!

The Routine

Trying to get back into the routine of things after having a full week of vacation. A bit of a slow start this morning, as I intended to run first, but got caught up in my book (really the kindle, but the end result of reading is the same!), then decided to check some Facebook stats, see what blogging activity has gone on, and took a peek at the number of emails that await for review tomorrow (it is still loading, so I shudder to think about what that number is going to net out to) and get a plan going for the day.

It is always interesting to me to realize just how much I pack into a "normal" week and what my routine really looks like some days. You might say crazy, I prefer "full". At any rate, the full day is about to commence and when the sun sets, I will have run a 10K, gone food shopping, shopped at Target, done the laundry, cooked 3 of the dinners for next week, vacuumed and walked the dogs (the evening walk only; I missed the am walk at the beach).

Glad to be back in the routine!

Bold

Now that I have returned from vacation, today has been all about focusing on preparations for the first teambuilding session for our upcoming Walk to Emmaus in March. Always a great experience, this specific (Walk #44) one is going to be particularly significant for me as I have been asked to serve as Lay Director.

Getting further and further into this process, I have to wonder if the Board of Directors for the Channel Islands chapter really knows what it got itself into. (I serve on the board but was politely asked to leave the room while my appointment was considered...they should have had me stay, I could have provided some perspective that might have been helpful!) This is one of those journeys that I will look back on and realize just how much it moved, changed and grew me, but right now, in the thick of it...whew!

The verse that was placed on my heart for this Walk is 2Corinthians 3:12 - Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

Hope isn't going to get it all done, but it is a good start and I will certainly provide as much bold as I can!

One Awesome Trip

Orlando...day 5...the final chapter.

The EPIC vacation is winding to a close and we only technically have a 1/2 day to squeeze in one more trip to the Magic Kingdom...fortunately both Holly and I have the skills to make the most of our remaining time!

I signed us up for a return trip and luggage service, so we received confirmation that we were signed in at the airline and once we stopped by the kiosk at the front of the hotel to show our ID and drop our bags, all was complete. We got up early, packed and made our way over to the front of the resort (about a 1/4 mile walk from our room) at 7 am. Might I add that it was 30 degrees. Isn't Orlando supposed to be the Sunshine State?

We were at the Magic Kingdom, queued up and ready to go by 7:45. We enjoyed the benefit of early arrival (8 am), so we were among the first 25 people to ride Space Mountain, not too shabby!

A ride on the People Mover was a must, since Schnoogs has never experienced that ride in the CA park. We enjoyed several other rides and attractions before seeing too many other people in the park. We also hit up most of the rides in Fantasy Land and I must say, that Winnie the Pooh ride is pretty darn cute!

We managed to successfully squeeze in EVERY ride we wanted to by 10:45, just about the time that the park was really filling up. We were still FREEZING, so we made our way out front to wait for our bus and entertained ourselves in the shade for 30 minutes while we watched bus after bus pass us by, but none were headed back to the Coronado Springs Resort! The truth is that we have become so accustomed to just having anything that we want or need just about any time it was needed that this wait seemed so foreign!

We skidded in at exactly 11:45 to catch our shuttle to the airport. The return home took 2 airplanes making a total of 3 takeoffs and landings, so once we walked in the door (a full 13 hours after we drove off the Disney property in Orlando), it was all we could do to hug David, greet the dogs and go to bed.

That was one awesome trip.

Harry'd Travelers

Orlando...day 4...the highly anticipated trip to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I am not sure that I can adequately capture the essence and experiences of today. Holly was GIDDY from the moment we got on property. It was 32 degrees and we had to cool our heels (literally and figuratively) at Starbucks on CityWalk for some time until the ticket windows were open. The gates were opened about 15 minutes early and I have NEVER seen Holly walk so fast as she did once she had access to HP.

Located in the back of the park, the strategy was to get back there as quickly as possible, get in line for the Forbidden Journey ride and begin the excitement. I have to say, the moment the castle came into view, I felt a little overwhelmed. Seeing the whole thing live before my very eyes, having Holly be SO excited and happy and realizing how lucky we are to be here on this trip...it was a bit much.

I can't even adequately describe the ride. Part simulation, part animatronics, part film and part movie set, this is the most amazing thing I have ever riden. We get to travel through the floo network, get chased by a dragon, fly through a quidditch match, have dementors chase after us and all through the way we have Harry, Ron and Hermoine along for the ride too. Suffice it to say that we ended up riding it twice in the morning and came back at closing to ride it one more time. Hats off to the designers for pulling this together, it is going to endure for a LONG time.

We did go over to the other park and did some other things, but really...it was all Harry all day. We of course took a bunch of pix and posted them on Facebook, if you haven't seen them yet and just can't imagine life without our photo collection, here they are.

Tomorrow is packing and travel home day, but not without one last shot at Magic Kingdom again. It would appear that we are getting our money's worth out of this trip!

Greetings from Future World

Day 3 and no signs of stopping...Orlando.

Holly scheduled us at Epcot today so that we could take advantage of the Magic Hours perk, so we were in the park by 8:00am. Breakfast included a planning session, for we identified the attractions we wanted to see, but we hadn't seen where they were in relation to one another on the map.

This place - like all of the Disney properties - impress me. There is such an attention to detail, things are done on such a grand scale, it really is amazing.

We spent until 1:00pm or so in Future World where in addition to riding anything of substance or interest (and yes, a space flight simulator too), we found a cool ride inside Innoventions called The Sum of All Thrills that allowed us to design and create our own adventure course (Holly selected a jet because naturally, it goes the fastest), load it up on the computer, name it (SUPERSONIC STUNTMASTER), and then get into the simulator and ride it. No surprise, Schnoogs torqued it up so we did 2 complete rolls.

I made it out without crying or barfing, so then we ventured into the World Showcase. We spent quality time in 7 of the 11 countries featured, and really had a great time! Lunch was at a great place in Italy and once again the food, service and company were all fantastic. The good life is certainly alive and well on this trip.

After we spent some time in Canada, Holly was ready for another round in the Orange Team Intense Training Mission Space ride, so Mommy opted to ride in a nice boat back around to Germany where she sat on a carefully scoped-out bench to save some prime viewing seats for Illuminations. It was actually a very nice time to sit in the park, as I watched the sun go down, talked to a variety of people who shared the bench with me and just enjoyed some quiet time.

Young Schnoogums showed back up at about 6:30 or so and we chatted the time away, with me making a couple of trips to various shops and restaurants for some tea, some wine and then a nice fleece blanket. Who says money can't buy you happiness? For $20 I got a blanket that made us both sooooooooo happy as we sat together nice and toasty and Holly wore it out of the park, right up until we got back to our hotel room.

Illuminations was of course an amazing show and while I (surprisingly) did not cry during the fireworks, I was certainly awed and inspired by just how lucky I am to be here with my girl and what a great kid she is. We are officially celebrating her birthday on this trip; we have been fortunate enough to have the Schnoogs enriching our lives for 20 years now. I expect that the word from my future world is that Holly continues to grow to be a happy, healthy and significant person...she certainly is all of those things today!

I have posted some pix on Facebook. If you haven't already done so, check them out (but leave yourself some time, as we are crazy picture takers and the selections included are only a small part of the massive collection on my camera!)

Motion Madness

Orlando...Day 2.

The day started early with a bus ride to Animal Kingdom, early entry and a mad dash to Asia so we could ride Expedition Everest. Word to the wise, riding a C-R-A-Z-Y forward, backward and steep sloping coaster is not the smartest thing to do on an empty stomach, especially if you are a little prone to motion sickness! I should be embarrassed to admit it, but I am telling you that I nearly cried...it was just that kind of an intense ride!

We made it off the ride and Holly immediately wanted to ride it again. Mommy loves the Schnoogs...but wasn't willing to get back on that crazy train, so Holly rode it again and I sat down at the bottom of the big drop along with all of the other un-hip parents who just couldn't handle it.

We took in several other attractions (none involved me riding anything) while we were waiting for our reservation time at breakfast - it was a character breakfast! I successfully embarrassed Holly by shouting out to Goofy (multiple times, she says that was what put it over the top for her), "Hi Goofy, come over here!" and then, in a nice loud voice, "I KNOW him!!!!" We did get some nice character photos.

We rode all of the cool rides (Dinosaur was great!), saw several shows and decided as the first giant drops of rain started to fall that it was time to go back to the hotel for a nap. We dodged the monsoon downpour(s) and enjoyed a 1-hour power nap. Back up and out the door by 3 to Hollywood Studios. The sun was shining and the clouds had cleared, the second half of our day had begun!

I made reservations for us at the Brown Derby and although it required us to double up on our Disney Dining credits, it was totally worth it! Holly declared herself in heaven more than once and the whole meal was enjoyable from the food to the company...it goes on the record as a very memorable meal.

We hit the ground running and saw lots of shows, attractions and more rides. I chickened out of nothing and even though we somehow ended up with 2 radical rides at the end (Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster), I sucked it up and went on them. Holly did point out that I screamed on the entire coaster, even when it wasn't going too crazy, but I stand firm on the simple fact that I went on it and deserve many points for it.

We've got Epcot tomorrow, no radical rides, thank goodness!

The Same, but Different

Orlando observations, day 1.

We arrived without any incident, but with a plan. We walked off the plane, followed our rehearsed and orchestrated plan, walked straight onto our shuttle, picked up our resort key and packets (online check in, thank you very much) and left for the bus stop, knowing that our luggage would be dropped off soon and we could enjoy our time at Magic Kingdom hassle free.

Things were a little slow in getting to the park and getting a bite to eat, but we made it past all of the regular tourists who had to leave at 8:00pm after the fireworks show, grabbed a bite (we even have the Disney dining plan, a pretty good deal, I might add) and off we went in search of adventure. As resort guests, we have different hours in the parks each day, so tonight things stayed open for us until 11:00pm. Holly has our whole itinerary planned out based upon these Magic hours.

There is indeed an odd sense of familiarity to this park. Patterned after Disneyland, Magic Kingdom has a castle, Cinderella's Castle, to be exact (pop quiz, who's castle reigns over the Anaheim, CA location...anybody?) and many of the same rides that we know and love from our lifetime of visits to the original park. We went on several of them tonight - Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Stitch's Adventure (well, that last one is not a West Coast standby, but it is cute).

The interesting thing about all of these is how at first glance they are exactly what you think of when you mention them by name. Look around a bit, or get further into the queue, and you start to see some differences, some large (Space Mountain has two tracks that run through the ride AND the coaster is set up more like a single-rider rocket so you follow behind one another, you don't sit next to each other), and others subtle, it kind of messes with your head a little bit! As our boat launched through Pirates, I leaned over and said to Holly, "It's the same..." she was right there with me, finishing my sentence, "...but different!"

Two parks, two dining reservations and less than six hours of sleep beckon, more tomorrow!

A Kid After My Own Heart

It is now official...Schnoogums and I are less than 24 hours away from our flight departure to Orlando (actually, first to Phoenix and then to Orlando, but that is just a technicality at this point) for the belated celebration of her 20th birthday!!

It is no secret that we are big Harry Potter fans, having read all of the books (more than once!) and also holding a strong tradition of standing in line for every movie after the first one. Holly is about the same age as all of the kids in the movies, so it has been fun watching them all grow up together and having our enthusiasm for the franchise grow too.

The trip was originally intended for the destination of Universal and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but it quickly grew to a full 5 days of Orlando and most things Disney. We are staying at the resort (with a water view room!), have Park-Hopper tickets, meals, transportation to and from the airport including bag service and of course the tickets to Universal.

Where my pre-planning ends, Holly picks up. I was greeted to a packet of papers on my desk last night including a cover-sheet with a typed agenda detailing each park that we will go to each day, based upon the extra "Magic Hours" we will enjoy as residents of the resort.

There is no doubt about it...she is my kid!!

Significant

Thank you to my fine friend Ebe for gently reminding me that one blog posting does not effectively support a return from hiatus! It was after this not-so-subtle reminder that I learned that I fell asleep at the switch because we both had a posting idea about church last week and because I have not been disciplined about blogging...she has beat me to the punch!

Not to worry. There is a lot of good stuff between the two of us and after I finish typing this, I am going to go read hers, just to compare our interpretation and take-away. This is the beauty of independent thinking, we all have our opinions and beliefs, few of which match exactly and all contribute to the rich tapestry of our lives.

With that fine preamble, let's talk about being significant. Craig challenged us on January 2nd to make a difference in the Kingdom of God. Not in 7 decades, 7 years or even 7 weeks but in 7 days, as in this week. A daunting task, but as I listened to his message and thought about how we put so much emphasis in being successful vs. significant, I really felt as if all at once I had a crystal clear picture of what I need to think about each and every day when I get up in the morning (or the middle of the night, depending upon what 4 am feels like to you).

It is really quite liberating, really. Successful is trying to live or measure up to someone else's expectations. Significant is using your gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. Some people get the flashy tasks, but for the large majority of us, significance is found throughout the ins and outs of daily life...being fully present and fully engaged.

I like this living significantly approach; let's watch the difference unfold in the world around!

The Sabbatical

It has been a year since I last did any work around the blog and while the break may have been something that was needed for a variety of reasons, it is certainly good to be back! I have heard from the whole group of 5 of you following the Newton Family Adventures that you have missed not seeing regular entries, so thanks for the shout-out and support!

I am indeed back with a new look and photo for the blog, and of course a whole new perspective on life and what is happening in our world. It is always an adventurous ride, thanks for coming along!

Happy New Year and here is to a truly blessed 2011 for us all.