A little bit of everything I like, which is a bit of a lot of things. Good guesses: photography, travel, history, general hospital, dogs, family, disney world, mental health, doctor who...
I have been to London twice, and both times I have stayed here, at St Paul's YHA.
I'll always love that area because after spending most of my life dreaming of visiting Great Britain, it was the first place I actually got to explore. And "living" there meant it became the kind of home away from home you make for yourself when you're traveling.
The hostel isn't exactly nice, but look at that building. It started life as a place for the kids in the choir (or choir school?) at St Paul's to live. It was gorgeous. Also it was also incredibly inexpensive. The first time, when I was traveling alone, I shared a room for 8 girls. When I went later with Hannah we had a room for just the two of us.
See the face in that ariel shot of the cathedral? That's where I was standing when I took the below photo of the hostel. The location was pretty great, too. Being that close to St Paul's also means being that close to the Millennium Bridge and everything at the other side of that (The Tate & The Globe right away, for example).
That's Queen Anne. She was the Queen at the start of the 1700s, and the great grandmother of George 3, who sent a fully armed battalion to remind us of his love.
When I was there in late April, flowers were blooming all over and it was beyond gorgeous. Just to the right of the cathederal there was a walkway and gardens that I fell in love with.
I mean look. And they smelled like peace and heaven.
Ok but back up to the photo before this. Look way to the right. See the little silver door? It was a tiny little pay toilet.
I love noticing the differences between American and British culture. They're really similar in so many ways, but there are little things. One of them is the toilet. Most people would agree that British people are more polite than we are, but not, it seems, when it comes to the toilet.
We never call it the toilet in American unless we are specifically talking about a piece of plumbing. And I know, not NEVER but come on, we don't. We call it the bathroom or the restroom or the ladies room or lots of things, but none of them specifically state the main reason you're going there. We don't like to talk about that.
I get why it's different in England. The toilet is not always in the same place as the washroom or the bathroom. But it still gives me signs when I see "toilet" so blatantly on signs everywhere.
I mean come on. Don't announce what I'm doing in there.
Anyway. Right next to St Paul's was this handy little stand alone toilet. It was a pay toilet and I was being super cheap on that trip so I am sorry I can't show you what it was like inside. If I see one again, though, I'll splurge the pound or two and check it out.
Across from the toilet is this lovely space. I sat on on of those benches for a minute every day I was there. A couple days I stopped by the Marks & Spencer to grab what was to become my favorite lunch all across England and eat it there.
I cleverly took this picture of said lunch after I was done eating most of it - earlier it had been a delicious pasta salad with spinach, little tomatoes and pine nuts, a chocolate elcair and a square bottle of water.
I loved that pasta so much I tried to recreate it several times after I got home, but it was never the same. I don't know if they still sell this pasta salad, but I will definitely be checking.
Things are a bit crazy around here as I get ready for my next trip to London. I leave two weeks from tomorrow. But I've been enjoying looking at old pictures and reminiscing and wanted to share.
Unless you watch my Instagram stories, you didn’t know I was even thinking about it, but I was.
A couple weeks ago, around the Ides of March, I was thinking a lot about Rome and said to my friend, “I can’t believe I’m not going to to go Rome.”
The other day I was looking at old Europe pictures, and there was Rome. All Romey and glorious. I made the mistake of looking up how much it would cost to visit if I flew there from Paris when we were done and then flew back to London. It was not much. At all. I checked my favorite hotel in Rome (it’s the only one I’ve stayed at but I love it) and it was not even expensive.
So I was seriously thinking about it. If I stayed two or three nights I could easily spend time in all my favorite places. Rome is so magic you guys, I was dreaming.
Most of my friends encouraged me to just go for it. Of course they did, they’re my friends. I understand and love their support for living life hard. I could go, and I would see some of my most favorite places, but I don't think it is the best choice. I think I would end up wearing myself to the point my ability to enjoy the rest of the trip might suffer.
The smart part of my brain keeps reminding me of a few things I promised myself after my last trip to the UK -- I wanted to stay longer in fewer places, and I swore I’d stick to one country.
I’m trying to pay attention to that part of my brain.
Because listen to all the things I’m doing:
I fly into Philly, where I will visit historic places, including a Hamilton Tour (beause of course). I'll spend 2 nights in an airb&b that looks incredible.
Then my friend Eben and his family will drive into Philly to fetch me. We might do stuff in the city or we might go back to their house. I’m hanging out with them for a couple days. I don’t really care if we do anything, it’s just visiting time.
I’ll leave Eben’s for NYC to spend the weekend visiting people, doing another self guided Hamilton tour, and as many NYC things as I can squeeze in before I leave for London.
A few days after I get to London, we’ll see Hamilton, and if I manage to live through that we’re spending the weekend in Paris.
After that I’m going to head north with a friend from high school. She teaches Latin to British children and offered to go to Hadrian’s Wall with me. I feel wildly lucky to not only have a friend to go with, but a friend who knows way more about Roman Britain than I do.
I’m going to the Lake District after that. I am a hard core Dorothy Wordsworth fan. I like her brother William a lot too, and I want to see their house and more importantly - walk around some of the places they walked around. I have a theory that there’s something in that part of the planet that creates incredible writers. I’m going to test it.
After that I am going to bravely rent a car and drive around Salisbury (and Somerset?) to see ancient sacred places like Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow and Stonehenge. I think I want to visit Bath again but if I have to cut something out, that will go first. I’m planning to stay in Glastonbury though for sure because I love it.
Another friend from high school lives in Devon, and that’s where I’ll head next. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do there yet, but we both have some ideas. I’ve never been to that area of England before so I’m excited to see that.
On my way back to London, I’ll stop by Chichester, where my sweet friend Jen used to live. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay or if I’ll get to visit her family or not, but that stop is truly a must do.
this is my friend jen's bench
Oh and I didn’t even mention all the things there are to do in London.
See what I mean about busy?
It’s a lot of really great stuff.
And it’s 6 weeks. 6 and a half if you're counting.
So yeah.
I think Rome will wait until next time. (I live by Rick Steve’s advice to always assume you’ll be back.)
i've been psyching myself up for the last week to buy my tickets to London (and back), and tonight i finally did it. did i make good choices? well i don't know. only time will tell, but i made choices and that was good.
so now it's on. i kinda think it might be all europe all the time from now until i get there. it's 84 days till i leave america, so 70some until i leave kansas (i haven't picked a day for that quite yet).
here's a picture of glastonbury tor from my 2007 visit, and a list to get me started planning.
places i hope i get to go and things i hope i get to do:
not pass out or cry too loudly when we see Hamilton
the tower
the museums
hang out around the river
st paul's
hampton court
hever castle
all the london walks
a river cruise
oxford & cs lewis spots
the globe
kew gardens
glastonbury, and the tor
my friend jen's garden and her family if they're around
vindolanda/hadrian's wall with my high school friend
the lake district to obsess over everything william & dorothy wordsworth did and wrote about
drive around somerset and see all the very ancient british places. sleep in a b&b on the tor.
I'm writing this from my Aunt's couch in Weatherford, Texas. It's only 50 degrees, but it's 37 at my house so I'm not complaining. I did complain yesterday though when it was warmer at home than here.
We stayed in all day for that mess. Luckily we are a family of talkers and story tellers so it was still a fun day.
On Tuesday we went into Ft Worth to visit my cousin who works at Texas Christian University. We had lunch at a tasty place just off campus and then we visited some iconic TCU spots like these fountains
and this adorable Super Frog who is their mascot.
We had plans to have dinner with that cousin and her sister in Ft Worth later that night, so between meals my aunt and I went to the Kimbal Art Museum.
My favorite might have been this Munch painting called Girls on the Bridge.
That night we had dinner at one of my favorite places to eat in Louisiana or Texas, La Madeleine. Not only did I have delicious pasta and my own tiny baguette, I bought a giant jar of soup to take home and a pastry for the next day's breakfast.
Last weekend I was in Wichita Falls. On Sunday my friend Deb and i drove north to the Texas/Oklahoma border so we could visit the Wichita Mountains.
Did you know there were mountains there? I certainly didn't and I've spent my whole life in Kansas, one state north. They're really gorgeous. We visited the prairie dogs
and then drove up to the top of Mount Scott. It was chilly and windy up top, like it is on top of a mountain, but the view was so gorgeous.
I took this picture of Deb and I that we took at the Prarie Dogs. it might be my favorite picture of us ever, which is saying a lot because we've been taking pictures together since 1979. So I'm showing it to you.
Tonight I'm having dinner with another friend from high school. Tomorrow I head to Austin for the last stop of this adventure before I head back home. It's been a great adventure so far. I'm excited about the rest of it.
Last summer, at my family vacation I told my cousin Doug, who lives in Austin, I was going to come see him this fall. And I told my aunt who lives around Ft Worth I would stop to see her on the way. And then I told my best friend who moved to Texas I would stop at her house and of course I told my sister in Tulsa the same thing.
I didn't forget about it. When I saw that auntie last month I told her "oh yeah, I'm definitely coming." I just never really picked any dates or made any plans. But I kept saying I was going to Texas in October or November.
It was getting towards the end of October and I realized if I was going to go I'd better get on about it. I messaged everyone on my route. Picking dates was hard because everyone wanted me to visit on the weekend. I mean of course they did. The thing is, they put these pesky work days between every single weekend and I could not figure out how to work it. Eventually I decided I'd just spend all the week days with my freshly retired auntie (AJ) in FT Worth. I settled dates and rented a car (more on that later) and packed my bags and here I am.
Right now I'm sitting in my friends back yard. It is 86 degrees and sunny. At my house, it is 50 and overcast. It is the perfect time to come.
Deb and I met in 8th grade, which for us was in 1979. Just a minute ago she pointed out that in 2019, less than 2 years from now, we will have been best friends for 40 years. And wow, let me just say that is trippy. I was trying to figure out when we went from being friends to best friends. Does anyone really know when something like that happens? I guess maybe, if there was some kind of event that bonded you maybe. But I think most of the time it's more gradual than that. It happens when we didn't notice. She asked if I remembered the first thing we did together socially and I do not.
We went to a school that started in 8th grade and met each other then.. We had Debate and Band together (we were flutists who sat next to each other). But for most of that year, we each had other best friends and other crowds that we hung around with. That summer though we started going to Worlds of Fun, the semi-local amusement part, together a lot and we for sure became best friends then.
A few years ago she moved to Wichita Falls for work. I miss her terribly. I'd rather she still live in KC, but since she doesn't I will say I like that she lives here in a warm place that I can drive to and visit when I need the sunshine. It's not always warm here - but it's always warmer than Kansas.
On the way down here I stopped in Tulsa to stay with my sister.
I wanted to see her and needed to see her babies, who are also my nieces. One is 5 and one is not quite two. The older one already loves me but the younger one is not quite sure yet since we don't see each other enough and I wanted to try to win her over. I think I did. At least for now.
I had a great time in Tulsa. I played with the kids, visited with my brother in law and talked to my sister about everything. We visited the Golden Driller, a must stop on any visit to Tulsa,
had Oklahoma Joe's BBQ in actual Oklahoma, and went shopping at her Target where they always have way cuter clothes than they have in my town.
We also visited our cousin and his family that live on the other side of Tulsa. We didn't stay long - there were 4 kids under 6 and it was a school night - but oh my goodness I enjoyed it so very much. I love those guys. It was the first time I had visited their house and I promised to do it again any time I was in Tulsa.
Yesterday I left there for here. I didn't need to be in this town till dinner time and a friend of mine at home had encouraged me to stop at the Modern Art Museum on Oklahoma City to see their collection of Chihuly art so I did!
And I'm so glad I did. That museum is going to get a post of it's own, so for now I'll just show you this.
Monday morning I'm headed off to Ft Worth. I'll be staying with my aunt, and visitng with at least some of her kids. Which is awesome. One of her daughters is one of my best cousins and I really never get to see her.
And yeah, I did say best cousins. At my Tulsa cousin's house, he told his baby "Watch out for cousin Shelly, she plays favorites." He's not wrong. And he knows this because he is one of them.
(It's not really favorites though. Just like with non-family friends, some you click with more naturally than others. I love my cousins, every single one of them.)
I'll be there all week. And dig this! A girl I went to high school with lives in Abilene. I was trying to work out stopping in her town to spend the night with her, but it wasn't working. Sad. But not! Her son has a football game in Ft Worth that week! So we're going to hang out that night and I am so super excited about that!
Then I'm off to Austin. I have never been to Austin before, but it certainly seems like the kid of town I'll love. I actually imagine it's like a bigger, cooler LFK where people have accents and say y'all. I think(hope) we're going to hear some live music on Friday but otherwise I could not possibly care less about what we do because I just love those guys (the cousin and his wife) and want to sit around and talk to them. And hopefully listen to Doug play guitar and sing. And laugh a lot.
I mean seriously guys? I love my family so much and feel so lucky I was born into it. It is full of interesting people I love to hear tell stories. There are so many people I'm related to that I truly enjoy spending time with and so many that just make me feel the love. I am old enough to know that doesn't always happen and consider that to be such a precious gift. Seriously.
After Austin I'm heading home. It's a long trip. I am planning to stop back for one night in Tulsa on the way home, but it's also possible I'll just do the 10 hour drive straight for home. I'm going to wait on that decision.
And that's the trip so far!
If you want to see more about this trip as it happens (and I mean why wouldn't you), I'm posting about it some of Facebook, but more on my Instagram stories because I am in love with Instagram stories. This morning I learned how to share those same stories on Snapchat (I mean kinda. Snapchat is really not that intuitive to use.) so if you want to follow me on either of those -- I'm shellycentral on both.)
Last Tuesday, I was at Hannah’s house meeting her cat. You may have seen a picture I’ve posted. Here’s another one, just in case.
We were hanging out, watching the kitten when I got a text from my cousin Pam who lives in London. This is what it said.
Yeah you guys.
That’s what it said. Did you see it?
A long time ago my cousin said they were doing a thing so they’d be in virtual line to get tickets when they went on sale and wondered if I’d be interested in going, so I kind of knew it could happen, but it was a long time ago and I pretty much never thought about it so it was such a surprise. Seriously.You see my reply.
But then I remembered I do live in the real world and need to give it a bit of serious thought. I came home, talked to Danny and realized I could actually do it. I mean I have been saving and always trying to figure out a way to go back to Europe, so I was feeling like Abraham Lincoln:
And so yeah. I’m going to Hamilton.
In the West End. Of London. With my cousins.
I spent the first couple days stuck in “Is this real life?” mode. And then I started telling people. I got the same excitement adrenaline every time I told it. But now I want to start talking about it (maybe all the time and obsessively, I’m not sure yet) so there you go. That’s probably my biggest news this year. That might even be like top 3 best news I’ve ever heard? Is that crazy? I don’t know man but top 5 for sure.
I don’t know much about this trip yet. I know which day I will for certain be in London. That part is easy. And I’m pretty sure I’ll do that at the beginning of the trip. It’s also possible that I can work it to fly roundtrip to NYC for free with miles - a flight from there to London is much cheaper than from Kansas City. Not only would that be cheaper but I’d get to see several friends that way. Seeing friends is one of the very best parts of traveling - the fact that I’m going to spend time with family I love that I rarely see is a huge part of what makes this so fun. (And honestly the fact that my cousin loves me enough to think of me and make that offer makes me feel super loved you guys.)
So! Now I get to plan. When I’ve gone to Europe in the past I’ve spent over a year planning the trip and now I’ve got a handful of months! But I really love the planning parts. I tend to make the people who see me regularly crazy by telling them too many details of my plans so I think I’m going to try to get all that excitement out here and tell you guys. Because you can opt out if/when it gets to be too much and maybe they won’t get so tired of me that way :).
Oh also, of course I have been on Hamilton overload for the last week. Don’t be shocked when you see me re-obsessing. (That poster came from here.) In fact you should expect it.
The rest of my story about my most recent trip to Orlando -
We left off Monday morning with a Game of Thrones hangover and nothing on my schedule all day. I spent most of it wasting time in some of my favorite ways - talking about tv on twitter, eating donuts I only eat on vacation, petting the dog and chatting with people via the (type)written word. When Adrianne got home from work we ran to Publix to get stuff for dinner.
My brother grilled out in the crazy rain for us and we tried to find a movie he wanted to show me. It was his bedtime before we made it through one. I curled up with my iPad and read every twitter post about Game of Thrones while I continued to listen to podcasts.
On Tuesday morning, my first friend from the DCP Adam brought his wife and his super tiny baby to pick me up and take me to Disney breakfast.
We ate at The Wave, an underhyped restaurant tucked away on the first floor of the Contemporary. We had talked about eating there or at Trail's End. Both are buffets that cast members get a good discount on, but they had never been to The Wave so that seemed like the best choice. I've done their breakfast buffet a few times in the past and am a fan of the sweet potato pancakes. It was good and they were glad they tried it, but unanimous consensus was Trail's End is better (just in case you were looking for a Disney breakfast recommendation).
Dianne came to pick me up that night when she got off work. We were looking for something quick and tasty for dinner so she took me to Tijuana Flats. Delicious giant tacos, great guacamole and an entire hot sauce bar to can check out. I didn't even think I liked hot sauce until I tried some of those.
On Wednesday, we went back to the parks. My two Disney goals for this visit were to see the new fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and check out the new land of Pandora at the Animal Kingdom. I was determined to get both done that day.
My DCP roommate Dianne (who I was staying with) had to get a different roommate since I left so now shares an apartment with a guy who works in the Festival of the Lion King show at the Animal Kingdom. He's one of the always entertaining Tumble Monkeys, and he is such a sweet guy, he put us on a VIP list for the show.
We sat on the front row and this was our view. I've seen this show many times but wow, it looks different from down on the floor. I mean it's always fantastic in this theatre, but the different perspecitve was exciting. For example I noticed the costumes in that show. They are so intricate and fascinating. It's the kind of attention to detail that gives things depth and make them interesting.
After the show we were rushed out by an usher behind the theatre for a chance to chat with these kind animals and have our pictures taken with them. Huge thank you to these guys (who will never read this). That stilt walker? Yeah. He's way up there.
After the show we rushed to Pandora to ride Flight of the Navigator before we headed out. I wanted to slowly wander around the new area, drinking it in, but it was way too hot for that kind of nonsense. Next time I go I will check out every inch, but in August? No thanks. So we headed straight for the ride.
The wait time was over an hour, but we were prepared for that. I'm pretty sure it's always that long. Since the main point of my trip was to visit we figured chatting in line (and we had some great chatting) instead of in her living room would be fine.
On the left below you'll see a hidden Mickey Dianne found. It's in the queue, near the entrance. The other shots are from inside.
Let me just say that ride was incredible. Incredible. I screamed and laughed and had the best time. It was way worth the wait and I can not wait to ride it again.
After the ride we headed out to the Magic Kingdom. It didn't feel anything like fall but I love these decorations the most
We realized we hadn't eaten. Fireworks time was close so we decided to eat at the closest place - Cosmic Rays. Not either of our favorite places but they have chicken and fries so there we were. It was insanely crowded. Beyond. Dianne was going to grab something somewhere else and meet me back there but decided not to because of the crowds. She hung out with me while I ate but as we fought the crowd back to Main Street she decided she was going to bail. The crowds were pretty out of control, but I was willing to endure them for new fireworks.
I found a pretty good spot in the middle of the street outside of Starbucks. It was so hot I found myself wondering "Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I passed out right here" but I was fine.
The fireworks were amazing. I am a fan. I didn't take any pictures because I wanted to just experience it since it was my first time. It was gorgeous. I felt inspired. And fireworks!! There were lots and lots of them. I loved it. And honestly, seeing fireworks all alone on Main Street is probably the very best way to see them.
I knew Dianne had been waiting for me. And I know right after fireworks at the MK is a crazy rush time, especially with this many people watching. But I also knew I as already halfway down Main Street, and I knew that one person in a hurry can cut through crowds pretty quickly when motivated. I didn't leave early, but as soon as the show was over I booked it out of the park and out toward the ferry. I made it on the first boat out of the park, and then onto the first tram to the parking lot. Trust me, I was super proud of myself. I told just about everyone about it and no one seemed as impressed as I was. Whatever. I consider that quite an accomplishment.
I was firework drunk by the time I made it to Dianne's car. I was still so excited and in love with everything. Dianne said later she had never seen me like that and I admit it was kinda crazy. I couldn't stop smiling. I was glowing. I was in love with the world. And I wouldn't stop talking. We were in our pjs checking FB one last time and I kept stopping her to tell stories about every friend who had posted. Firework drunk. It's a thing.
Good day!
There were a couple places I was hoping I'd get to eat on this trip. One was Flippers, another Via Napoli, and another D'Luxe Burger. None fancy, but oh so good. My flight out wasn't until early evening so Dianne suggested we stop by Disney Springs for late Burgers!
We left for the airport after that. She dropped me at the skycap and he got me all checked in. I hate saying goodbye, but it helps knowing I'll be back in January.
I had to check in with a Princess before they let me leave the city.
Oh and here's my favorite TSA story ever. The lines were crazy. Once you got past the person who looks at your id the line snaked around for about ever. There was a sign that said the wait was about 45 minutes. I like to be super early to everything flights so I wasn't worried but I bet some people were. I heard a worker guy ask someone how long the line was, and then he shouted out for everyone to empty their pockets, keep their laptops on their bags and leave their shoes on because they were bringing in a canine unit!! The mood of the crowd instantly changed. A dog? Suddenly we were all excited and chatting with each other. Really? We can leave our liquids in our bags as long as we get sniffed by a dog? What's the bad part?
When we made it to the dog, he was inside a little rectangle made from the stanchions. His handler was there and the dog would walk around sniffing us as we made our turn past him. After that the rest of security was as breeze. Can was always just have dogs? Seriously.
Hello people! I am currently in Orlando, sitting on my couch while all of my Orlando friends are working or getting ready for work. It’s Monday, and I’ve been here since late Friday night. Let me catch you up with how it’s going.
I almost take early morning flights. Flights, Dr appointments, whatever - I like to do it early and get on with it. But this flight (determined by the which one was the cheapest that day) didn’t leave till 4 and reminded me why I like to fly early. I was ready to go before lunch and anxiously waited till it was time to leave for the airport. The flight from KC to Orlando is usually pretty smooth we made it 25 minutes early. My friend Dianne pulled up right as I walked out the door.
She knew I missed dinner so she brought some snacks in a cooler. She had my favorite treats waiting at her apartment - including a nice cold bottle of Moscato. We enjoyed that as we caught up until about 1am. We talk through technology of course but nothing is as good as face to face with a friend.
We slept in on Saturday, but after we were up for a while (and registered for the DCP reunion coming in January), I realized how close I actually was to the Magic Kingdom. Suddenly I needed to be there asap. Neither of us have passes right now, but my brother had offered to get us in that weekend so we made plans for him to pick us up. We walked under the train and into the park just as Festival of Fantasy was finishing up.
Since it’s still August, I didn’t realize the parks would be decorated for Fall already, but I love the fall decorations and was happy to see them!
But you guys - I really did not understand how hot it is in Orlando in August. I mean I did intellectually, but Oh My Goodness. It was a stormy day, so it wasn’t the sun beating you hot we get in Kansas, it was like walking into a sauna. I mean I grew up with 80+ percent humidity and everyone in Kansas thinks it’s super humid there in the summer but it is nothing compared. It’s crazy, and everyone who lives here said it wasn’t really that bad this weekend. So wow.
We didn’t stay long because sitting around outside, which is usually one of my favorite parts of a Disney visit, wasn’t quite the same in the heat and it was also stormy. Wait times for even the least popular rides were crazy long. We had lunch at Pecos Bills where I ran into some long time Disboard friends completely at random. That was some lovely Disney magic. We made one trip around the park and decided that was enough. As we were headed out the rains started so I think we had pretty good timing.
Here are a few park pictures:
Everything is always good once you see the castle.
On a day that hot, Mickey's Philharmagic is, well, magic.
Had to take a shot of my favorite view.
You just can't walk by the purple wall without a photo.
See ya real soon, Mickey!
That night Dianne and I had delivery from my favorite pizza place with her roommate. We talked until he went to bed, and then we talked some more. Like you do with friends you don't see nearly enough. We were up late, but not nearly as late as the night before.
Sunday morning we met our best girl Monica at Boma for a giant brunch buffet and it was so good. The food - but I mostly mean hanging out with my girls again. Seriously, that time made me feel like everything was right with the world again I love them so much.
Later I had plans to meet up with my brother and his girlfriend again to visit Epcot. I wanted to visit my old store and friends working there, and we had reservations to eat at my favorite Disney restaurant Via Napoli. I was still so full from brunch I ended up bringing most of my dinner home (for lunch this afternoon). We finished just in time to find a spot for the Epcot fireworks and then came back to their house.
This is the store I worked at on my Disney College Program.
There was a 10 minute wait for Ana and Elsa, so I got in line. I became quick Disney friends with a family from England, so we had our picture taken together.
My brother and the inappropriate troll.
Moscato in fake Italy!
Via Napoli probably isn't the best restaurant at Disney world, but it's my favorite. These arancini are my favorite appetizer (they were better when they were smaller and there were three).
The main event - spicy Italian sausage pizza with my favorite wine.
It was late, especially for them since they aren’t on vacation and still have to work, but we all went straight for the tv to watch the Game of Thrones finale. That’s another post but I’ll just say I was not disappointed. I stayed up to an insane hour reading and posting about the episode and eventually fell asleep listening to an instant take Game of Thrones podcast about.
And now we’re back to Monday morning. I really slept in this morning, which was quite nice. In a little bit Adriane will be home and we might run back to Epcot so I can see another former coworker I missed yesterday. Or we might stay where it’s air conditioned. I’m not really sure what the plans are for tonight.
Tomorrow I’m having breakfast with Adam, the 3rd of my best DCP friends. Dianne will pick me up after she gets off work and Monica might come over late when she’s done working. Wednesday morning we’re going back to parks so I can see the new land of Pandora. Dianne’s roommate has us on a VIP meet and greet for after his show which sounds super cool, and we’ll close out the night seeing the new Magic Kingdom fireworks.
And then Thursday night I’ll leave. I know 6 nights is probably the average length of a vacation, but man this seems short and rushed. I predict I will not even be ready to go home by then, but I’m so grateful for this impromptu get away I won’t even be mad.
Well I say "just back" but honestly we got home on Tuesday. It's just taken me that long to get it together enough to write and share this. I think I'm finally glad to be back.
In case you didn't know, I was at a family reunion in the mountains of Colorado. I have learned that 130 people from the same family spending a week together on a regular basis is a little unusual, but this is the family I came from so it really shouldn't surprise anyone. We've been doing this since 1977, although we've had to change locations a couple times, all but once it's been in Colorado. Some things change, most things stay the same.
We spend time doing regular tourist activities like horseback riding and whitewater rafting. I skipped both of those this time, but one morning someone asked if we wanted to go take an easy hike along the trail in a town called No Name. A few people turned into a nice group. It was beautiful, and really not rough - although when the trail started getting narrow and there was nothing on one side but a drop to that stream I was a little nervous.
We have a fishing competition, and tournaments for Mahjong and Horseshoes. I got volunteered into the horseshoes which was pretty funny because the only other time I've played horseshoes was at our last reunion. I'm pretty bad at it. One time I managed to toss my shoe into the other pit (which I called a "sandbox" until some people laughed at me and set me straight), but about half time time I didn't make it to any pit at all. It was still fun (and funny), and I ended up talking with a cousin I had never talked to before. I was hoping he'd win the tournament so I could tell people, well, I lost to the champ, so... He didn't win (his grandpa did), but he did really well. Go Ian.
So we do that, but we also add in more unique things like a family No Talent Show, and giant sing alongs (that's my favorite). I don't know how all this sounds to people who aren't us, but we love it and anxiously look forward to it for all the 3 years in between.
And each reunion, someone gets awarded the "Golden Cow Patty" award. It used to be a real cow patty (ie: poop) that someone spray painted gold, but these days it's a novelty clock from a mail order place. The criteria for who gets it seems pretty vague, but I think it has something to do with the person who had the biggest pile of cow patty to deal with in regards to the reunion. The last person to receive the honor gets to choose the next recipient.
This year, I was in charge of dealing with our reunion tshirts and to say it was a giant mess is kind of an understatement. Believe it or not it wasn't even my fault. The struggle was real, and so my cousin passed it on to me. Several cousins told me to just stick in a drawer until the next reunion. One told me I was required to hang it in my living room. I compromised and put it here. I'm calling it the poop clock.
This time (and last time) it was at a hotel in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It's a lot like any tourist town in the Rockies. Their special attractions are a lot of natural hot springs and best of all an Adventure Park at the top of a mountain. We had dinner for 100 up there. Not only did I ride the ferris wheel and the "alpine slide", one of my aunties convinced me to do the zip line! I am afraid of heights so bravo to both of us. I had quite the adrenaline rush for a while after that, so that was fun.
The best parts, though, are the times there are no activities and we all end up together anyway, talking and listening to the stories we all tell. I am lucky that most of the people in my family are people I'd want to know even if I weren't related to them. They are funny and interesting and I feel lucky to know them. They have fantastic stories to tell, and our family is full of people who know how to tell a story. Knowing them my whole life (or their whole lives for the younger ones), and sharing our rich history and years of memories - well nothing beats spending quality time with these people.
I did not take nearly enough photos on this trip. I was too focused on chatting with my family. I did make a lot of short videos, and it's slightly possible I'll do something with those.
Every 3 years, my extended family gets together in the mountains of Colorado for a week long family reunion. This is the magic year, and the week starts at the end of this month! That means it’s time to get the planning into high gear and start getting ready.
I’ve already started of course. Road trips take a little extra planning, and I’m not very familiar with the place we’re going (we’ve gone there once, at the last reunion 3 years ago).
Making any trip longer than it started out is my super power. So with the blessings of Danny & Hannah, I started trying to figure out what we could reasonably add to this trip.
The before part was easy. A few months ago the three of us were talking about the reunion and H asked if we had one time gone to a Mexican restaurant where people were doing high dives off cliffs. Oh yes, Casa Bonita. Maybe the weirdest restaurant I have ever been to. She asked if we could stop there again this time, so we'll be driving to Denver the first day and sleeping there.
this is me, on a horse, at a reunion in 1979
There were conversations between the 3 of us about driving to the Grand Canyon after the reunion. We've never been and we all want experience it. Checking out some of Route 66 on the drive back sounded really fun to me, too. But we eventually decided it was a bit too far to add to this trip.
Instead we’re going to spend a couple nights in Manitou Springs after the reunion. Danny and Hannah have never been! I love that place (and nearby Colorado Springs) so much. When I was a little kid we went every summer, and since I’ve been grown I’ve gone several times on my own. It’s full of fun memories for me. Garden of the Gods. The Cliff Dwellings. 7 Falls. All the funky water. I love it all. (I do not love Cave of the Winds but that is another story.) I’m hoping to take the Cog Railway to the top of Pike’s Peak and even though it’s far away I’m going to advocate for doing the train through Royal Gorge.
Glenwood Springs
We're staying in the town of Glenwood Springs. It's gorgeous (this is the view from their "Adventure Park" at the top of a mountain), but it's small so there's not a lot to do. It works out fine though because the week is really about visiting, keeping relationships alive and enjoying each other's company.
It's less than two weeks away, and just like before every vacation I've ever taken, I do not feel nearly ready. I'm trusting I will by the time we take off though. I'll be sharing family parts with our family, but I'll be sharing vacationy bits as well, mostly on my Instagram. I've recently become a big fan of Instagram stories. Follow me over there if you want to see.
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