Brandi’s Visit

I will add each day to this entry as each day passes… or something like that.

It will be great to see Brandi again… this time for a 5 day visit. When she leaves, Bri will go home with her. Bri has been with us to finish her Disney Vacation (shortened last spring)… and it’s time for her to return home again. A great way to end her visit with a visit with Brandi.

Day “0” - Tuesday : Brandi arrives on a late flight to Orlando, picks up a brand new Kia rental car from Enterprise, that we found for $19/day, no mileage. Since it is very late she drives to her best friends house for the night… she get there at midnight.

Day 1 - Wednesday: We’re off to an early start and get to Magic Kingdom when they opened. Hoping to avoid the crowds and avoid the heat. Neither the crowds or the heat proved to be a factor. Stayed in the 70’s most of the morning and attendance was extremely light. Walked right onto every ride… longest wait 10 minutes… wow. Even the ever popular Splash Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight was less than 10 minutes. Come Sunday they will be 90 minutes plus with the Easter crowds. A extremely pleasant day. We all had a great time, got on all the rides we wanted to do, had an early lunch at Pecos Bills and Ice Cream on Main Street and watched the Celebrate Party Parade (not the big 3pm parade) and left early. Brandi had seen most of the attractions on her last visit, so this was more or less a “mopping” up visit… just to see what see didn’t see on her first visit. So a short day in the park and off to the pool to relax and beat the heat. Even by 1pm the heat wasn’t too bad, and relaxing by the pool finished off the mid day time together. Back to the Rv at Deer Creek… a short visit and Brandi was off to spend some time with her friend Nicole. They planned a dinner and evening together. Dinner for us at home, relax, and we were so tired. OMG… it’s only 5:30… fighting to stay awake… too late for a nap… to early to got to bed. A little computer time, Tv time, and relaxed outside… beautiful evening ‘bout 72°, beautiful sunset, and played with Bri with RC cars and had some fun with the hose and making Bubbles. There’s something so simple and enjoyable about bubbles. Watching them, catching them, popping them, or simply seeing them float away on the breeze… kinda like the white feather in Forrest Gump. We even wet the pavement and watched the big bubbles set on the ground looking at all the swirling colors atop the bubbles as they reflected all the colors of the evening sky. Yep… lots of little special moments all day long… a great first day.

Day 2 – Thursday: Going to Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast. Than onto Blizzard Beach for a day of fun and relaxing in the Waterpark. It has a winter theme, so there’s snow everywhere… maybe that will make us feel cooler. Relaxing today should get us charged up the the next three days at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Studios. Okay… Breakfast at Boma. Traditional breakfast items served with an African Flair for Flavor. The were also plenty of American favorites, but something new is definitely the spice of life. Wow… where to start… beautiful atmosphere and great service… and onto the menu. Everything was buffet style… so it was all you cared to enjoy… and enjoy I did.  There was way to many choices to try everything… but there’s what I tried. I had the Fresh Corned Beef and Glazed Ham that was cooked over open flame pit and carved to order… great with the special African Spicy Mustard Sauce. The stewed tomatoes were also a tasteful treat. Seasoned home fries, scrambled eggs or omelets made to order, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, and many , many different kinds of other items with special sauces and topping that I didn’t have room for. I did save room for the fresh fruits of which I enjoyed the pineapple, strawberries, and ripe watermelon. The house juice was also especially good… I forgot to ask but I think it was a papaya mango orange blend… really different and good. Than there was the breakfast pastry table… everything to did for. I think you could go there several times, enjoy some favorites and have several new things to try each time and still not sample everything. Everything was excellent! … and our 50% off cast member coupon made it all the better. Than on to the water park… Blizzard Beach. It was our first time there. The rather warm day and  clear weather seem to bring out the crowds… we saw more crowds there than we had in Magic Kingdom yesterday. We used our free  Cast Member Passes which  were going to be blacked out in two more days… so I guess lots of other cast members also had the same thought and went to the water park… adding to the crowds. Shelly, Brandi, and Bri enjoyed doing all the water things… I enjoyed just resting and listening to music. Nice relaxing afternoon. It was a short visit to the park… less than 4 hours… but we were all pretty much ready to move on. A quick bite on the way home. Brandi & Bri left to spend the evening at Nicole’s. Bri will be there the next two nights… Friday is “Adult Day” at Epcot. Time for a restful evening and a good nights sleep. By the way… the snow capped mountains and villages at Blizzard Beach did very little to make me feel cooler… even the ice cycles hanging from the edges of the roofs didn’t bring any relief either… wishful thinking on my part.

Day 3 – Friday: Adult Day at Epcot. Early to bed, early to rise, into the park early … before it gets too hot & crowded… makes for an early finish or a long day!  We arrived at Epcot shortly after opening. Shelly and Brandi, our friends Bob & Glenda, and me. It was still in the mild 70’s when we arrived. First stop, fast passes for Soarin. The Flower & Garden show was in progress so this was a double treat… lots of flowers and topiary everywhere. Next stop Mission Space, the Green Team… Flight Training on the new X-2 Star Shuttle… and a flight to Mars. The blast off was precision perfect followed by 3 months of hyper sleep… than an emergency landing on Mars.  What a epic journey. Today’s adventures also included a stop over at Test Track, a bite to eat at the Electric Umbrella and a hang gliding trip over California on Soarin. Than a leisurely trip around the world showcase. Mexico. China, Germany, Italy, America, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Lots of special booths for the garden show, and lots of beautiful flowers and gardens. Nice in the shade but the afternoon sun was getting pretty warm as the afternoon wore on… and before we knew it… it was after 4pm.  Still 5 hours before the main event fireworks, but time to call it a day. Bob & Glenda elected to stay for the rest of the evening… and we headed home. A great day out for the adults. A quiet evening at home resting up for Animal Kingdom tomorrow.

Day 4 – Saturday: Early start at Animal Kingdom. Planned to get to Animal Kingdom at opening… 8am… ran somewhat late getting there at 9:30. First stop, Safari Fast Passes, then to see Festival of the Lion King Show at 11pm. Always a great show. Went back to Africa to go on Safari… fast passes are always a good idea… waited 5 minutes instead of 60. Safari is always a little different every time you go… some animals closer, sometimes more numerous, and sometimes… better luck next time. Today was really good, lots of animals close up an more clusters of animals together. Walked around a bit then went to “Bugs Life”. By now it was getting on to 1pm and even though it wasn’t as hot as yesterday, everyone was feeling a little hot and wore out. We left the park with plans to eat off property… and then go swimming. The choice for rest and nap time prevailed… so all went to the coolness of home to relax and nap. Not a bad idea… this brings us to 6:30 pm… and still 85° outside. A nap was certainly better than ‘No Shade Available” pool fun. Rest of the evening… movie time… outside fun (when the sun sets)… and another movie time… we get to stay up late! … we all took a nap.

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Day 5 – Sunday: Planned to go to Hollywood Studios. --- FLASH --- Plans changed again. I’ve noticed this week that plans are a highly fluid situation and change with the direction of the wind. Who knows what Sunday will really bring… planned as a day to relax and just spend time together. Doing what is yet to be seen. Hey… I’m the husband… I don’t make those decisions… to just go where I’m told to go… stay when I’m told to stay ( that’s easy enough )… and nap when left alone… life’s perfect that way. (lol).

Day 6 – Monday: Gonna meet Brandi & Bri for an early breakfast at Denny’s as they head to the airport. Another tearful scene on a public parking lot. Vacation over… Monday evening we punch the clock at Disney for the last time this season.

Tuesday & Wednesday: Rest and prepare Rv for travel… leaving Orlando for the season.

Thursday: One day drive to Sunset King Lake Resort in the Florida Panhandle to visit family & friends… then onto Texas!

Not really sure where 7 months here this winter went to. 3½ months with Brianna… not sure where that time went to either. Life goes by so quick. Sometimes I take a real good look in the mirror and wonder who that old guy is… yep… life goes by fast… even faster when you are over 50. So make good use of your time… it’s just like the sand in the hour glass… it only runs one way… and the top has less and less in it.