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Oh Well Hello There! (Multimedia)

22 January 2011 / disney world, pictures, vacation, videos, yay

Wow, it’s been a very long time since I’ve updated. I’ve just been busy working and relaxing and OH YEAH I WENT TO DISNEY WORLD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH I guess I forgot to mention that, huh?

Sorry about that. Seriously, this working full time (more than in most cases)–well, I’d put the deposit on the trip in September of 2010. Then fourth quarter started. Then there were the holidays. The days went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I had to rush around preparing for the trip. It was crazy–a Disney trip has NEVER snuck up on me like this. I’m usually on pins and needles counting the days for it to hurry up and get here!

So, Disney World came upon us FAST. We had a blast. 🙂 I spent most of that first day in denial and in a daze, but that might have been because I was so darn tired cause I couldn’t sleep the night before! I didn’t start to feel like it was real until after the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade!

We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter, which is one of the moderate resorts. (We usually stay at Pop Century, a value.) OK, I got spoiled. The bus stops were close to the parks, the resort was small and quiet, there was a hot tub, and it was just pretty! (Check in was super slow, but we ended up meeting some people from Columbus OH who just happen to be now living in the house that Chris grew up in. How is that for coincidence? Guess who was singing “it’s a small world” all afternoon after that?) Anyway, Adam and I decided that it’s worth the extra $$ a night for all the extras we got out of it. We’ll be staying there this June as well.

(God, imagine if I ever get to stay in the Polynesian! Talk about spoiled rotten, right? But that won’t happen for a long time, not with rooms starting at $400 a night. Yowsa!)

Almost every character I met hugged (or kissed) me, some more than once! I even got a hug from Tinkerbell. The hugs from Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen (the highlight of my trip) were the best, though.

Did I mention that Tiana is my favorite Disney princess? Oh well, now you know. 🙂 On Sunday, our first day there, we were going around Magic Kingdom, and I’d mentioned to Adam that meeting Tiana and Naveen would make my trip. It would make my YEAR. We couldn’t figure out where their meeting place was, but we’d been planning on hitting MK the next day, so we figured we’d look for them there. Well, Adam and I got to the park at Rope Drop (I highly recommend doing that–it’s awesome so early in the morning!), and we ended up RIGHT BEHIND THEM as they walked down Main Street. When we got to their meet and greet place, they let me take pictures with them and chatted with me and it was like, amazing. I was like this when it was all done:

Yea, that was a pretty awesome day in the Magic Kingdom, even if it did rain quite a lot. It was warm, and I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice (ended up riding it five times total during the trip), and it was the day of the Main Street Electrical Parade, where Adam and I were quite entertained by a total brat who was 11-years old and acting like a spoiled princess (she had visited the Bippity Boppity Boutique at some point during the day–she was ALL done up). Adam and I nicknamed her Veruca Salt. 😮

Although we had a great trip, I don’t know if I’ll go in January again. The crowd level was pretty great for the most part, and soaking in the hot tub in the evening was nice, also. But a couple of days, it got pretty cold, and that’s not what you want to have to deal with when on a vacation in FLORIDA. We only had one day of rain, though, and one day it was absolutely perfect out. So the weather is hit or miss, and a lot of things were being refurbished or fixed up. Tarpilicious! Not that I noticed…too much. I was too busy gawking over the fact that Christmas stuff was still up for the first few days of the trip. I was thrilled, to be honest, because dude, I might still have my Christmas decorations up, and I figured if DISNEY didn’t have theirs down, then I shouldn’t feel bad. (Of course, once I came to this conclusion, all the decorations were gone the next day. Even the poinsettias that had been planted were changed to purple and pink and yellow flowers.)

You know what this means right? I really have no excuse. I have to get the Christmas decorations down. And I will… sometime next week. Maybe.

ANYWAY.

Here are a few more picture highlights:

And you can see many more pictures here: Disney World 2011
(YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THEM!)

It was nice seeing Adam’s family at various times throughout the trip as well. Eli ran the Goofy, Melissa ran the half-marathon, and Adam’s parents were there for cheers and support. Also, Cassidy brought little Lola which was awesome because she seemed to enjoy the park in the best way a little baby could:

We ate good food (Liberty Tree Tavern, Garden Grill, and Boma FTW), saw parades and shows, rode rides (yea Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock N Rollercoaster [twice], Space Mountain [twice], and of course, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), and really had an amazing time. I cannot wait to take Aidan this summer. Because OH YEAH we are going again! Twice in one year for me, and Aidan too, because his father is taking him in August. ROCK.

Oh yeah, I have six words for you: GIANT CHOCOLATE AND M&M COVERED MARSHMALLOW.

So getting another one of those when I go in June. Mouth is watering just thinking about it.

OK, that’s enough for now. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed my short recap. Talk to you soon… but first, I leave you with some LOLz for days:

Okee dokee, artichokie. I’m gonna sign off before I get tempted to add more gifs. I am tired. I did four yoga sessions today and attended a kirtan. I should sign off. But I might play a game or ten of BeJeweled 3 before I actually turn in.

Byeeeeee!

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Happy Ronni is Happy! (Multimedia)

7 June 2010 / body and soul, geekalicious, happy, life, living in chicago, music, pictures, videos, yoga

It has been a few weeks of friends old and new, family, pampering, love, delicious anticipation, and spiritual fulfillment. 🙂 Let’s see. My last update was May 23rd. Since then, Adam and I have decorated the back porch. He stained the wood, we got some flowers and hanging plants, and new chairs.

Butterflies like my new flowers, too.

It’s such a nice place to sit and read when it’s warm out. Helps that we got some new neighbors who are cool and friendly. The yippy dog from next door moved to California, so it’s been pretty quiet around these parts. That will change Tuesday, when AIDAN gets here!!!

He gets into town Tuesday morning. Tomorrow will be a busy day of trying to meet up with (more) old friends, a doctor’s appointment, and the finishing touches on Aidan’s room. It should go fast. Then, Wednesday, Eli & Melissa get into town, so we’ll all get to spend time together. I’m excited to see them! I haven’t seen them since January 2009, and they’ve never met Aidan. I’d better get my cameras all charged up!

My friend Claudia Gray flew off to Rome for the summer last week, but the Friday before she left, she came over for dinner. Adam grilled steaks and veggies, made homemade mashed potatoes (honestly, are there any other kind?), and corn on the cob. For dessert, we had shortcake cups, fresh blueberries and strawberries, French vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. We ate VERY WELL. We also talked muchly about yoga, and watched Doctor Who. While she was here, apparently Critical Mass took a turn to my neighborhood. I have never seen so many people riding bikes before in my life. They just kept coming and coming and coming, and yelling “HAPPY FRIDAY.” Some had on weird hats. Some rode funny-looking bikes. It was mind-blowing. You can see the video here. You’ll hear me yelling and see Claudia’s lavender nails make a few cameos. 🙂

It was a great evening!

Earlier that day, Adam and I went downtown to meet Angelo, one of my best friends, who was in town for the weekend. We had lunch at Chipotle, the first time I’d eaten there in years:

Angelo & Me

Saturday the 29th, I went to the Moksha Yoga in Logan Square to support my friend/teacher trainee Cassandra who was doing a video review. It was a free class and an easy train ride, so why not, right? It was great. Then after that, Adam and I went to Margie’s Candies where I had my favorite Swiss Miss sundae. This sundae is so good. I’m sure you remember me going on about it in the past, right? You two scoops of ice cream, whatever flavors you want (I always get chocolate and vanilla), whipped cream, nuts (which I pass on), a wafer cookie, and a cherry, and warm chocolate-marshmallow sauce. HEAVEN! The first picture is my ice cream pre-sauced. The second…well, you know. Yum.

Last week was a spectacularly good week, with the exception of me forgetting about my emusic.com downloads and losing $6.50 for the month. I was annoyed at first, but chalked it up to a lesson learned. DON’T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD MY 12 SONGS FOR THE MONTH. Actually, last month it was 22 because I’d gotten the 10 free ones, but I think I’d gotten a few at least. Still. Oh well. Let it go. Om.

Besides THAT little hiccup, I had a good week. Wednesday, I got a pedicure and a massage, went to meet some other creative folks, and had a fun evening. Thursday was a yoga class with Cassandra that was the perfect length. Just as I was starting to get very tired, it was time for Savasana–Corpse Pose. There are some poses I am not a fan of (ahem, most standing poses except Wide Leg Stretch–Prasarita Padottanasana and Intense Forward Stretch–Uttananasa), but I do them because I am getting stronger physically and mentally. My favorites are sitting or lying down poses that twist and stretch me (I like to kick, stretch, and KICK!). Backbends, and Shoulderstand–Sarvangasana, make me all kinds of happy, too. I guess I could say yoga makes me happy, even when I am in the middle of a Triangle-Side Angle-Warrior II sequence and my arms are SCREAMING at me. I plan to take a class with master teacher Seane Corn this summer. How amazing will that be?

Anyway, Thursday night, had a delicious dinner of hickory-smoked tilapia and creamy parmesan risotto. My mouth is STILL watering thinking about it. So OK, the really good risotto might be $3 a box, but it’s still cheaper than eating out, and it’s good for us, right? (But now, I’m obsessed with grain. I got some couscous and other grains at the store today. Can’t wait to NOM!)

Friday, Adam and I went to the library. I love the library. I’ve already read some of my books. :O Speaking of that, I finished reading my 100th new book of 2010 today!! *golf claps* I wonder if I can get to 200 before the year is out? That would be a personal best. Friday evening, I went to the Life Force Arts Center to see my friend, my favorite gypsy, the amazingly talented musician and performer S.J. Tucker (aka s00j). She was so awesome! She is so tiny but her presence is so big, and her voice. It’s like angels. I could listen to her sing all day. It’s just so flawless and beautiful. To top it all off, I got to bask in many, many, many s00j hugs. They *should* hold me over until November, because I am definitely going to see her perform with her band Tricky Pixie at Windy Con. It just has to be done. The decision’s been made, there’s nothing I can do. If you heard their album Mythcreants (which, OMG you can hear in its entirety on that nifty little link there… and holy bananas and chicken, there are several FREE downloads there. I recommend Daughter of the Glade.), you’d understand why I am so adamant about attending to see them live. Adam and I had to miss OVFF last year which we are still sad about (because everyone we love was there: Tony & Vixy, Seanan McQuire, and s00j!). But we’ll get to see Talis Kimberly at DucKon in a few weeks, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

Here are a couple of photos of s00j:

And here’s me, basking in some s00j love:

Saturday was… wow, I can’t remember. Just relaxing inside, I think. Oh, and I managed to eat an entire pint of organic strawberries in one day. How awesome is that? I mean, they’re good for me, right? *innocent look* Speaking of being good to my body, I haven’t had McDonald’s since May 8th, and I haven’t had pop since April 4th. The McDonald’s fast MIGHT get broken on Tuesday, though. Every time I go to the airport to get Aidan, I crave the stuff. We’ll see if I can resist!

OK. This entry has gone on long enough. ‘Til next time! 🙂

P.S. Just found out they played a Deathly Hallows trailer on MTV tonight. Seeing as we don’t have cable, I had no clue. But I saw it on YouTube. Very excited about this movie! OK, good night/morning. 🙂

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The Winding Down of Summer (Long, Multimedia)

27 August 2009 / aidan, disney world, family, pictures, vacation, videos

I can’t believe how fast the summer went. My mom was here for a week; that sped by. I can’t believe I’ve already been home from Disney World for a week. Life’s too short, babe, time is flying….

My mom was here and that was cool. She made us fried chicken and meatloaf, and she bought me a new doll. (I am up to 11 dolls now–and just when I think I have enough, I find out that a bunch of new ones are coming out next week. Aye yi yi.). Here is my mom, Aidan, and me at McDonald’s for lunch one day:

Isn’t my mommy pretty?

And here are a bunch of pictures from the week she was here. She had her first Chicago hot dog, she spent lots of time with Aidan, and even went to American Girl Place with me. We also went to Naperville, where I love to go to get away from the city and shop at the indie stores, especially Anderson’s Bookshops.

New doll, Sonali

After my mom left, it was time to throw ourselves into preparing for Disney World. That meant last minute trips to Target for stuff, laundry, and packing. And then, the night before, the neighbors behind us had a guest who was drunk and yelling from 7pm until 5am, when I had to get up. I got NO sleep. I’m pretty sure they were still yelling when we left at 6am for the airport. I thought, foolishly, that I’d get to sleep on the plane. Nope. I mean hello, a flight to Orlando, where Disney World is? Kids and babies. Babies hate flying. Babies were screaming the whole time. My iPod Skullcandy ear buds were pretty good but I still didn’t sleep well. Fortunately, I had enough adrenaline running that I was able to hit the parks at about 2:15pm and I kept going until 1am, when the awesome Extra Magic Hours ended. Woohoo.

We really are having fun. It’s just that the sun is all up in our faces.

A few highlights that we didn’t get video of pix of. On our first night, we were eating at Liberty Tree Tavern. There were LOADS of people celebrating birthdays. There was a birthday in our room. After everyone sang Happy Birthday and applauded, Aidan yelled out the biggest YAY I’d ever heard. My first instinct was to be kind of mortified, but then the entire room burst out laughing. Another thing happened at LTT. Aidan had asked for a root beer and was given a Coke. I told him to ask the server nicely for a root beer instead, which Aidan did. Not only did the server replace Aidan’s Coke with a root beer, he gave it to him in one of the $7 souvenir cups with a light-up Lightning McQueen!

Watching Aidan during the parades was SUCH a treat. I remember how I felt the first time I saw a parade, but it was nothing compared to watching Aidan see Celebrate a Dream Come True and Spectromagic.

Aidan also got to help the, well, I call them Magic Makers. They’re the guys with fancy brooms that paint Disney characters on the ground with water.

Aidan was so enthusiastic during the shows that he got singled out at Crush’s Turtle Talk, and it was hilarious. He was next to the man who got picked on during Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor so he was on the big screen quite a bit. During two parades/parties, he was pulled out into the street by characters and performers to dance, and at the end of the Toy Story Block Party Bash, he got a little Nerf ball that says “Block Party Bash” on it. He was terrified of Soarin’, but when we got off, he said he loved it and said “Can we do that again???”

Garden Grill, as usual, was a pleasure. The characters there are TOP NOTCH, you get to see them tons of times, and the food is outstanding, especially the blueberry buckle. YUMMMM. 1900 Park Fare’s characters were hilarious. And autographs are fun.

I watched the High School Musical 3 show, and we got to meet the $heriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood and Marie from The Aristocats. And THE FAIRY GODMOTHER!

But you don’t want to read my jabber. You want to see MORE pictures, right? Here goes!

Here’s a slide show of the whole trip, minus the Photopass pictures, which are not here yet:

DISNEY WORLD!!!

And if you’re still reading, I encourage you to check out this video of highlights I made of the trip (if you haven’t seen it already).

About halfway through the trip, Adam said “We’re coming back next year.” Wheeee! He mentioned trying out Chef Mickey’s, and I sure do wish we could stay at the Polynesian, but hey, I’ll be happy with Pop Century again if it means having more money to spend in the parks. Shopping for Disney stuff is FUN (especially during the parades when the stores are pretty empty)!

Aidan went back to Ohio on Sunday. Fortunately, he didn’t cry at the airport. When he cries, I cry. Or at least a lot worse than normal. But when he doesn’t cry, I feel OK. It’s been so quiet here, though. I miss kissing his little cheeks, and I keep watching videos of him over and over just to hear his voice. He started first grade yesterday. Apparently, he’s popular. Kids leaping out of their seats because they were so excited to see him! How fun is that? Today, he rode the school bus to school. I can’t believe my baby’s a first grader now. First grade is like REAL school, you know? Next summer should be fun, with all the reading he’ll be able to do.

OK, I guess this entry is long enough. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go and continue recovering from a busy August. I’ve been hit with a cold or mini-flu or something and I’m been drained. Hope you enjoyed my recap and my Disney memories!

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Aidan’s Really Cute

21 August 2009 / aidan, videos

Aidan’s really cute. He’ll tell you all about it here. :O

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I Am The Firebird’s Child! (Videos)

5 July 2009 / aidan, life, living in chicago, videos

S.J. Tucker is in town today and I didn’t get a chance to go to see her sing. *sniffle* Next time. Definitely next time.

I had a yummy July 4th. Tried to get a nap in, but it was hard as Aidan had lots to talk about. Jeff and Deborah came over and we had good food and walked to watch fireworks. We also had Italian Ice. Adam had pineapple, Aidan and I had cherry, and Jeff and Deborah had blue razz. Yummy.

Baked beans are full of win. Especially with a grilled hot dog. Oh yum.

Of course I took video of the ridiculous neighborhood fireworks:

Next weekend, Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson will be here! *insert fangirlSQUEEing here* I am already nervous about it. I’m thinking that Aidan and I will head out to Naperville early and kind of make a day of it… I want to get PRIMO seats, and OMG OMG OMG SARAH DESSEN you guys.

Adam and I paid off our Disney World balance on July 1st. Now all I have to do is wait for all the fun stuff to come in the mail…then go on the trip! Aidan and I went online and customized maps, and we talked about which things we want to ride. As the trip gets closer, the real hard core planning comes. He said he wants to do autographs, which will be new for both of us. We’ll see how it all goes! Autographs tend to annoy me, unless they’re at the character meals. They really hog up a line, especially if a mom brings up eight books or something like that.

I guess I don’t have a whole lot to say. Just wanted to show off the fireworks video, and the video of Aidan kicking his own butt, right here:

Ta ta!

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