Capitol Mission

Hello everyone! It is that time again that I start blogging. It is much easier to blog in the summer! I have been busy with my class, family, friends, and trip planning so I haven't had time to blog lately. I'm finishing up last details for the summer road trip that is going on in July and the beginning of August. Many friends have asked where we are going this year! Well... I can't tell you everywhere otherwise our Postcard Challenge game won't be fun! I can tell you that we are going East and then going North! This trip will take us through 23 states, 1 district and 15 capitols!! After this summer I will have only 9 capitol buildings to get to.

My mom will have passed away 3 years ago on June 26. I can't believe how many capitols I have already seen since her passing. I can still remember talking to her during chemo about the capitols and her telling me "the United States is so unique and each state has such rich history." From what I have seen already she was spot on! Unfortunately she was unable to make it to all 50 (51 if you include DC) capitols before Breast Cancer stole her life. I can't wait to accomplish her dream for her and fulfill my promise.

So, where do you think we are going? Follow me as 2 of my greatest friends and I travel about 4,500 miles this summer. I can't wait to meet new people, try new foods, see new places and of course see the capitols of 14 states and the US capitol!

2015!

Happy New Year 2015! Another year has passed and it is time to look ahead and make new years resolutions. I've seen so many Facebook posts on this subject (in between Cowboys posts) and every post I have seen is about being healthy. I wanted to go a little more than just "being healthy." So, here it goes.... my resolutions!

1. Healthy Eating - I would love to make more food with veggies and fruits! I'm going to utilize Pinterest more and buy a couple cook books. I'm a pretty good cook when I put my mind to it.

2. Get organized - I'm going to throw out a lot of stuff this year. I also want to sell a bunch of stuff. To do that, I need to go through EVERYTHING! I have a spare room with a closet full of stuff that I have not touched in YEARS! Get ready for a sale!

3. Walk - I'm going to be taking walks every day. Sydney needs it and so do I. I don't have time to go to the gym so why not do some free exercise and walk?? I have a nice walking trail at my apartment and it will give me quality time with Sydney.

4. Use my time efficiently - It's time to leave work at a decent time. Ha! How about we make it realistic... I'll leave Tuesdays and Thursdays by 4:30 and the rest I'll leave by 6... That is going to me that I can't socialize as much at work. How about we make time to hang out outside of the school? Like Bingo, Happy Hours, Movies, Dinners, etc?? It's time for fun outside of work!!

5. Travel - Last year I made it to Disney World... that was it!! I can't believe it!! This year is going to be different. I have a trip planned for the end of February, the end of March, and this summer so far. Where all do I need to go this year????

6. Read More - I've gotten out of the habit of reading and I miss it. It's time to get a little smarter this year and read at least one book a month!

7. Be Kind - It seems so simple. I'm a pretty kind person, at least better than I used to be.

8. Photography - I was given a beautiful new camera by Santa this year and I want to learn how to use it to take great photos! I've always loved pictures and now I have a great camera to get the best photos. I'm going to try to take some classes on how to use it -- shutter speed and other functions.

9. Volunteer more - I want to become involved in my community. You never know who you will meet or whose lives you will change unless you volunteer. My mom was the queen of volunteering. I hope to be a lot more like her.

10. Keep the above resolutions. Hopefully this is the year to accomplish my resolutions!!!

Let's Bring Back Summer!

How early is too early to plan your summer vacation? Well, for me, I have started to plan the summer road trip with some of my favorite people! The last road trip I took was an epic trip where we went to 20 states in 20 days and saw 13 capitols and went to Canada. I still can't believe we did that! As of right now the goal is to make it to 24 states and 14 new capitols... holy cow! Is it doable? Are we crazy? The answers are yes and yes!!

Now, I'm not going to give any hints on where our journey will take us as we will play the postcard challenge on Facebook.

The "Gypsy Girls" are going to be on the road again and we have a new companion this year! If everyone can pray that gas prices stay low I would be very grateful! Also, if you have a couch or spare room we could use leave me a comment! I'll contact you if we are headed your way :)

I'm also looking for a catchy hashtag for the summer. If you have a good idea just let me know! Maybe we can get on Ellen??? Her comedy sure does keep us entertained!

Off to bed. I have to entertain 20 kindergartners the day before a holiday break. #lovemyjob #readytosleepin

#Magical30

Hello world! I haven't blogged in a LONG time! Between work, social life, and family I have not found the time. I'll try to be better! I'm sure you will see a couple of blogs before school starts and then I will TRY to blog about some of the cool things that happen in my classroom. I love to get ideas from other people so why not write about some of the stuff we do!

Birthday Dinner at Be Our Guest

Back to today's blog. For my 30th birthday I wanted to go to my most favorite place in the world -- Disney World! I've only been there about 20 times in my life so I wanted to go somewhere I knew I liked and would enjoy. Everyone always asks "Why do you go to the same place all the time?" Easy answer - I'm happy there! You get to escape from reality during your vacation and enter a fairytale! So, here are some highlights of the trip and new things we experienced!!

1. Frozen! This movie is HUGE! At Magic Kingdom we met Anna and Elsa by using the coveted Fastpass. We waited about 5 minutes and were able to meet royalty. You can also see a bunch of Frozen stuff at Hollywood Studios. On July 5 they started "Frozen days of Summer" where there is a royal procession, a special store, ice skating, special photopass opportunities, and special fireworks at the end of the day. They make it snow at the end of the fireworks! It was sooo magical!

 

2. Festival of Fantasy Parade  - I got to see this parade 3 times and it would have been 4 if it had not rained! The floats are out of this world and the soundtrack is incredible. The dancers are so talented and dedicated. It was HOT in Florida when we were there and I can only imagine how it is to wear those costumes and dance the entire parade (which probably lasts about 50 minutes from start to finish if you are performing). Here are a FEW photos that don't even give the parade justice: 

3. Memory Maker - This is an amazing add on to any vacation package. It is $150 and you must purchase it more than 30 days before your trip. You get every photopass picture from the park including ride photos and some dining photos. All they do is scan your magic band and voila! You can download every picture from your trip. I have downloaded more than 500 photos (I added borders and stickers to some of them to make them more magical) It is worth every cent. Here are a couple examples of what you get! 

4. Tusker House - This is a great restaurant in Animal Kingdom. This is my first time to ever eat here. This is a buffet. We ate there for breakfast and had a great time. We got the first seating (8:05 am) and were greeted with characters right away. We met Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey. You also get a picture before your meal at the front of the restaurant. What I liked most about this is that you get into the park before it opens and then you can be first on the rides! We were able to do everything we wanted before 1:00... Then the rain came. 

5. Character Palooza - This happens at Hollywood Studios and it is not published in the guides. I heard about it from the blogs I follow and I was NOT disappointed! For us it happened at 6:00 on the Streets of America. We met many rare characters. The characters are different every day (of course some may be the same) but it is soooo cool! We met 6 characters in 15 minutes! The leave just as fast as they show up. Here are the ones we met: 

6. 4th of July - We spent the holiday at Epcot. This was the best park to see fireworks because you get the Epcot fireworks and you can see the fireworks from Hollywood Studios. Two shows in one! You have to get a spot like 2 hours early if you want a good area to see from. Also, Voices of Liberty have a special show on the 4th at the American Gardens Theater. It is Spectacular! Voices of Liberty can be seen at the American Adventure everyday but this special 30 minute show is only on July 4th. Get there early for a spot in the shade! They also have the characters in their American attire. 

7. Meeting some of the Villains! - Villains are super funny because they are bad! These actors were great at their role! 

8. Character Meet and Greets - Our Autograph books are filled minus about 4 pages! The key to meet and greets is to know when the characters will be out and where! Then, if you arrive about 10 minutes early you will be at the front of the line and can maximize your park time. Here are a couple of M&G I have not done in awhile! 

9. Starbucks!! Yep, that's right! Starbucks has come to Disney :) There is one on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot near the Fountain of Nations, and one at Downtown Disney! 

10. Dapper Dans - If you love Barbershop you will love the Dapper Dans! These guys are amazing singers and very entertaining. They tap dance, make jokes, sing, and play some pretty cool instruments. I forgot to ask Celeste to take my picture with them! However, Celeste got to take one with them! 

11. Art of Animation Drawing Class - I had never done this before but I had read about it on the many blogs I read about Disney World. This is a must do on my list now! It happens every 1/2 hour on the 1/2 hour and you need to be there about 15 minutes early to guarantee a spot in the class. If you don't arrive early you risk not making the next class and you will have to wait 30 minutes (which isn't too bad considering the lines and time of year we went). We ended up just making the class -- a magic moment for sure! We got to draw Tigger :) I just realized I don't have the pictures on my computer... they are on my phone... when I figure out how to get them to my computer I'll add them. 

12. Ride Photos - Like I said before about memory maker; the ride photos are included! Here is one from Tower of Terror after my dad had left. Celeste and I are like "Where did he go?" and the guy behind us joined in the fun! We are on the right if you have not already found us! 

That is our trip in a nutshell. We had the best time for 10 days in Orlando. I wish I was still there (there is never enough time!) If you need help planning your next trip I always love to talk about Disney World. We had NO problems with FastPass+ or dining reservations. Our Magic Bands worked perfectly. Thanks for reading!