Disney Trading Pins

I seldom use this platform anymore, but today's post feels like it fits here the best. I want to address something regarding the Wishes Candles that I LOVE and sell. Not the candles themselves, per se, but the collectible hidden Disney Trading Pins inside them. 

Yesterday I shared some pictures of some the hidden pins I've gotten and that many of you have gotten and shared with me. It didn't take long before my Instagram post got majorly hijacked by a self-proclaimed "Pin Expert". I admit, I did start to take the bait, but I thought better of it. Instead I deleted all of his comments, his message and blocked him and moved on. Essentially, I was told I was a lying charlatan that was peddling fake pins in order to exploit people that didn't know any better and I should be publicly flogged for my deceit. Nice, right?

I chose to be the better person and walk away from the fight, but I haven't been able to shake it. So I did more research. (I spent a lot of time researching the company before I signed up for this.) Have they been accused of putting out fakes? Yes they have. Many companies (outside of the immediate Disney family) have been accused of fakes. Have they knowingly passed along fakes? No. I believe 100% that their pins are genuine.

There are a lot of "How to spot a fake Disney Pins" guides out there online, but let me address some of the easiest ways to tell a real pin here & whether the ones sitting right in front of me pass the test.

1) Fake pins are made with inferior metal that is almost always magnetic, real ones aren't. --> Not magnetic.

2) Real pins have a "Pin Trading" Mickey Logo as well as Disney Logo on the back --> Check.

3) The closure on the back of a real pin will always be a metal prong with 1 or 2 tiny little "nubs" on each side of the prong on the back of the pin. (They keep the back from spinning when it's attached to something.) The post on the back will also be welded onto the back, not glued --> Check

4) Coloring - if the coloring seems screwy or if the eyes are missing color, it's a fake. Remember when you are looking at a picture online, you are looking at a picture that was taken in who knows what kind of lighting with who knows what kind of device and transferred who knows how many times. You can't judge coloring based on an online picture. (My pictures have an overlay on them as do most professional pictures online) --> Coloring consistent and as it should be, no hollow eyes.

5) Real pins have smooth edges, fakes have sharp, rough, uneven edges --> smooth as a babies butt.

6) Mickey "waffling" (the teeny, tiny, embossed Mickey heads on the back of the pin) should extend over the edge of the pin if it's real AND should cover the entire back of the pin, not just part of it --> check.

7) Smooth, high-gloss finish is an indication of real pins. Fakes are dull & matte usually. --> Shiny & smooth!

8) Misspellings & typos don't happen on real pins --> Spell-check

9) Hidden Mickeys on the front are a little harder to see because they're so tiny, but if you look very carefully you should see a well-defined shape and the paint color (they're often silver, but not always) should not look smudged at all --> crisp edges, no smudging

10) Weight...fake pins are light-weight while real ones have a heavier, sturdier feel to them because they're made with a much higher quality metal --> no light-weights here.

11) The pin backs. First, these should be black Mickey heads with the Disney logo printed on the underside. Secondly, they should be sturdy, but not hard - they should be pliable rubber. --> check.

12) Common sense goes a long ways in determining fake vs real. If it looks fake, it probably is. If it has all the indicators that it's real, it probably is. I trust my source and I think that's a big part of it too.

Unfortunately the internet has created a culture where everyone is an expert on everything and they often come with a loud mouth a keyboard warrior mentality. This guy yesterday was a "professional pin trader" (that probably still lived in his mom's basement) that was just looking to start a fight. Sadly, there are more out there. 

I didn't take the bait, but it was a good opportunity for me to take a step back and learn. In doing so, I hope that my learning will help you as well. Do I know of an absolute 100% certainty that there will never ever be a fake pin in one of these candles? No, but I do believe this is a good company that vets their sources and has a reputation they work really hard to maintain. I also believe that if a fake were to appear, they would immediately make it right. 

My experience with Wishes Candles have been 100% positive. I love the candles, the scents, the company and the pins that I believe with everything in me are genuine Disney Trading Pins. I'm sorry that there are people out there that are so quick to throw mud and cause fights without doing any research or having first-hand knowledge.

Hot Chocolate

 

Pretty sure that smile says it all! Sometimes the only thing you need to fix whatever ails you is a good warm cup of hot chocolate. Were you aware that January 31st is set aside as National Hot Chocolate Day? Yes, it is. There's the excuse you were waiting for! (You're welcome!)

I know there are people that will argue that there's a difference between Cocoa and Hot Chocolate. Here's the truth: those people need to chill out and have a cup of whatever they want to call it. Ha! It's chocolate, it's made from cocoa beans and it's served hot. Same thing in my book.

To honor this day, I'm including our go-to recipes for Cocoa/Hot Chocolate. The first two are mixes. These are the kind that you make in bulk and store in an airtight container and use as you want. They make fantastic gifts too! A fancy jar with some homemade cocoa mix and a bottle of flavoring or a bag of marshmallows? Definite winner!

The third is a beautiful variation of the Cocoa you'll find at the Happiest Place on Earth.

All of these are basic recipes that don't require a lot of ingredients. They really are a blank slate that you can build upon. Like peppermint cocoa? Add Candy Canes or Peppermint Schnapps. Mexican Cocoa? Cinnamon & Cayenne. Coconut? Coconut syrup. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination.

Basic Cocoa Mix

Sugar Free Cocoa Mix

Hot Chocolate

Nightmare Before Christmas

Let me let you in on a little secret...this family LOVES The Nightmare Before Christmas. Like a lot. The music, the animation, the storyline, the characters...everything about it. And what makes it even better? When you decorate for Halloween, guess what? You get to leave those decorations up through Christmas. How can that be wrong? 

Another secret? I grew up with a mom who was a professional special events decorator so I'm kind of a "theme snob" when it comes to decor. Most things, no but something like decorating with a theme, yes. Thankfully, she's the same way. Ha ha! Enjoy some pictures of our homemade Nightmare decorations!

Dr. Finklestein

Yes, that's an outdoor projector

Because there HAS to be an inflatable

Jack Wreath

Lit up Jack Wreath

Jack Post

Lit up Jack Post

The Great Jack o'Lantern

The Great Jack o'Lantern lit up

Yes, that's a Lava Lamp with Santa tied to the top

30ish year old Mickey Village on the fireplace

Christmas 2020

This afternoon I did something I haven't had a chance to do in a long time, I sat down and turned on the TV. It seems like that seldom happens anymore. And with all of these choices available to me what did I choose? I went to YouTube and turned on videos of the Christmas decorations at the Magic Kingdom.

A little while later my husband pulls himself away from the project he's working on, walks in the living room, sits down and asks what I'm watching. I tell him and offer to change it.

Slight diversion here. My honey and I started out our relationship (23 years ago) with polar opposite views of Christmas. I grew up in the family that made a big deal out of the holidays, serving others, being an anonymous Secret Santa to a new family every year, lots of family and friends, decorations, singing, goodies...it was a special time. Even in those years where we didn't have much we still found the joy, the beauty and the magic in Christmas. It never occurred to me that anyone wouldn't feel the same way. Then I got involved with Scrooge himself.

His childhood & family was nothing like mine and his view of Christmas was quite the opposite of mine. I swore someday I'd change his mind. I even went so far as to take him to Disneyland (for his very first visit) for Christmas 4 years into our relationship. The iceberg cracked a little, but I definitely still had my work cut out for me.

Over the years, little by little, he started to come around. Then we had our first son and I made it very clear that our children were going to grow up knowing the magic of Christmas whether he liked it or not. I didn't care if he embraced it, but he wasn't going to ruin it for them. (He never did ruin it.) It didn't take that long to change his mind once he saw it through those sweet little eyes. Once in awhile he still gives me grief over my love of the holidays and he seems to think we can't put decorations up until after Thanksgiving, but it's half-hearted and to be a stinker more than anything.

Fast forward to this afternoon. Instead of changing what I was watching, he sat down and watched it with me. We sat and talked about a lot of things and one thing we talked about was how people were embracing Christmas early this year: sales, lights, decorations, Secret Santas, Christmas Trees going up, movies, Christmas songs...it's not just a few people either - it's wide-spread. 

Then he said something that absolutely turned on this lightbulb for me. (I'm never going to live it down when he reads this, huh?) He said this year, more than ever, we need what Christmas is. I asked him what he meant. He said HOPE - the core of Christmas is Christ and people look to Christ for hope. 

That started the wheels turning in my head as I realized just how truly, deeply right that is. Think of your own Christmas. What is the hub at the center of your Christmas Wheel formed from? For some it's Jesus Christ, for others it's Santa, for some it's the Spirit of Christmas and for many (including us) it's a combination of all of those. The embodiment of all that is good and right about Christmas is based in the principle of Hope.

Regardless of how the elections turn out, if dinosaurs come marching through our subdivision, aliens invade, giant winged snakes take over New Mexico or what other surprises this year has in store for us, we all need to HOPE for better. We need to feel like this is temporary, this too shall pass. Christmas is the physical expression of that hope.

So my focus is going to be on creating Christmas in our home, our lives, our hearts and I hope that you will too. If you see me in my yard putting up Christmas lights and singing, stop and sing with me. Then go home, turn off the news and put your tree up, make crafts and cookies with your kids.

May you and yours find the HOPE that Christmas brings and may you embrace that and share it with those around you. No, 2020 is not a "normal" year by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't mean we can't look forward to the future with HOPE growing in our hearts. 

Disney Inspired Cinnamon Rolls

 Sometimes, no matter how good your own recipe is, you just NEED something a little different. Today was a Cinnamon Roll kind of day and I tried a new recipe.

Normally I take a recipe, play around with it, rework it a little and make it "mine." Not this time. Our friends at Disney Food Blog shared "Walt Disney World's Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Rolls." This recipe is all them and needs not a smidgen of adjustment. It is SOOOOO good! (This recipe is straight off their web site - see below, under the pictures for some links)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (room temperature)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

Cinnamon Rolls

1. In small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar.
2. Stir until dissolved and set aside.
3. In large bowl, mix pudding according to package instructions with milk.
4. Add 1/2 cup melted butter, egg, and salt. Mix well, then add yeast mixture and blend well.
5. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth.
6. Place in a very large greased bowl.
7. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size.
8. Punch down and let rise again for second time.
9. Roll dough on a very large floured surface.
10. Dough should roll out to a long rectangle, about 34 x 21 inches in size.
11. Take the 1 cup of melted butter and use a pastry brush to spread over entire dough surface.
12. In small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
13. Sprinkle over top of buttered dough. Roll dough up like a jelly roll.
14. Measure dough every 2 inches and cut with a knife.
15. Take each roll into the palm of your hand and gently pack the roll (this keeps it from coming apart during baking).
16. Place each roll in a buttered baking pan and allow to rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
17. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown in color, about 15-20 minutes.
18. Frost rolls while still warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.
2. Spread on the very warm rolls.

You totally CAN cut this recipe in half, but why would you do that? Don't fool yourself - these will get gobbled up so fast! I got 19 out of the recipe when I made them today. Yes, they take a little work, but it's worth it. I promise.

Check out our Friends at Disney Food Blog for all things Park Related! (Including incredible food!)

Disney Food Blog

Is It Too Soon To Plan A Disney Trip?

 I think I woke up this morning with a little bit of a bug. No, no, no...not the one that’s been all over the news for the first 712 months of this year...I woke up with a TRAVEL BUG!!!

So how early do you think is too early to start planning our next trip? Early in the year we were planning a trip to Disney to celebrate my parent’s 50^th Anniversary. The plan was originally Disneyland for Halloween, but the kids worked on them and they agreed to Disney World & the cross-country trip that came with it. Enter the pandemic and the whole world shut down. I won’t get into the ins & outs of the decisions around the pandemic because that’s not relevant and this isn’t the place for it. Here we are many, many months later and I would love to start planning again. I’m, quite frankly, going a little stir crazy. Is it too soon to plan? Does anyone really know?

As you can imagine, I’ve been watching Disney World super close and from my perception it looks like they’ve gone above and beyond implementing safety measures. I’ve heard great things from people that have gone and had a wonderful experience. And I have to admit, I would LOVE to be in the parks when they’re less crowded than they usually are.

Our friends at Disney Food Blog are absolutely the epitome of knowledge when it comes to what’s happening at Disney World and right now is no different. If you’re even considering a trip, spend some time on their website or link into their youtube channel and watch some super fun videos. They sell some of the most amazing and THOROUGH travel guides (plus they’re super reasonably priced). Check them out here:

Disney Food Blog Link

Even if you’re not planning a trip right away, it’s a lot of fun to read their books. And if you’re planning something “at some point” it’s never too early to start researching.

Ready to jump in and go? Awesome! Need a referral to do some price comparisons? Going direct through Disney is great, but I totally understand that’s not always an option and our friends at Undercover Tourist are a great alternative. They have some awesome deals and discounts.

Undercover Tourist Link

Of course you can buy all sorts of souvenirs at the park, but I also like to over-plan things so I tend to pre-purchase some of the essentials to take with me. There are tons of options out there. Literally tons. Here's a few to get you started:

Matching Shirts

Olaf Backpack

Masks

The Child Hat

Maleficent Ears

If there's even the slightest chance of rain, take a poncho!

Need just a little more inspiration? Check out my amazing recipe that was inspired by everyone's favorite churros.
Kim's Kitchen Churros

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Beignets

Yes, I said Beignets. If you have never had a beignet before, you truly don't know what you're missing. Not just any beignet, but a GOOD beignet. Oh yes, there's a difference.

So what is a Beignet? It's basically a sweet, light fried dough covered in powdered sugar. What makes a beignet different than a doughnut? I don't know what science or the experts would say, but my answer? It just is.

How in the world does a girl from Idaho manage to find a love for these delicious southern treats? Check out my travel musings - one trip to the south and I was hooked. After that trip, I made it a mission in life to go home and try to recreate some of the amazingness I tasted in Louisiana and Disney World. 

• 1/2 tsp. Yeast
• 1/4 C. Warm Water
• 1/4 C. Sugar
• 2 T. Shortening, melted
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 C. Heavy Cream
• 1 Egg
• 4 C. Flour
• 1/2 C. Hot Water
• Oil for Frying
• Powdered Sugar
• Strawberry or Raspberry Jam, Optional

In a small bowl, sprinkle Yeast over Warm Water and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes.

In large bowl (or stand mixer) combine Sugar, Shortening, Salt, Cream, Egg, Flour & Hot Water. Stir in yeast. Mix dough until combined and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll to about 1/4". Cut into desired shapes (you can also use a cookie cutter to make shapes) and set on cookie sheets or just leave on counter. Once all the dough is cut, cover with a dish towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size. (Takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

In a deep pot over medium high heat, warm your oil to 350' (at least 3" deep works best). Carefully fry beignets until golden brown, turning as needed (about 3 minutes). Remove and place on paper towels to drain.

Dust your warm beignets with powdered sugar. They can be served with Strawberry or Raspberry Jam for an added treat.

Epcot In A Heatwave

 Let me preface this post by saying that Florida heat and Idaho heat? Not even close to the same beast! 102 in Idaho is hot and miserable, but mildly tolerable. The same 102 in Florida with around 50% humidity? UGH!!!!!!!

Tuesday finds us at Epcot. It’s hot & miserable, the crowds are pretty big and some crazy person picked the largest park to do on the first day. (Whoops…)

Epcot is HUGE!!! Holy cow – there is no way in the world we’re going to get through everything we want to do here in this crazy heat, but we’ll do what we can.

Lots of pictures of the amazing topiaries. We’re here during the International Flower & Garden Festival and my husband is such a nerd about plants and flowers – he’s loving this! It’s beautiful for sure.

Our first ride (which we have a Fast Pass for) is Soarin' so off to “Future World West” we go! After we got off that one, we made a beeline for our second Fast Pass, The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The Manatees and the Coral Reefs in the Nemo area were really awesome!

After that ride, we did a few other things in that area of the park and waited in line for a crazy long time to meet Baymax. When the kids were about 5th or 6th in wait line, it was time for Baymax to take a 30 minute break. UGH!!!!!! It was at that moment that I fully grasped why some families choose to use their Fast Pass options to do character meets. If you have a child that just HAS to meet a character, it might be worth booking the Fast Pass for it. That was super frustrating, but it happens.

Picking Fast Pass options at Epcot is overly complicated. Options are done in tiers so there’s no way you’ll get Fast Passes to all of the ones you really want, but after standing in a few of those lines I’m still grateful for the ones we had. That being said, we weren’t too far away from the allotted time for our next Fast Pass so it was time to head towards World Showcase.

We had a little bit of time so we took our time to appreciate the topiaries and the magnificent flowers everywhere. I can only imagine how much time and work goes into making everything look so perfect! We stopped for drinks and donuts from a food cart along the way (ehhh…not the greatest) and we got to meet Daisy Duck. (Apparently she’s a coffee drinker too! Ha ha!)

On the way to Norway, we spent some time in Mexico. I loved that portion of World Showcase! The music, the costumes, the Mariachi Cobre with Coco dancing in the streets – so much fun! Then we went into the pyramid of El Castillo. What we didn’t realize is what a completely immersive, vibrant Mexican street scene was kept secret in there! It was absolutely other-worldly. We escaped into there out of curiosity and for the air conditioning, but discovered a beautiful escape. The Three Caballeros ride was a well done ride reminiscent of many of Disney’s Dark Water rides too.

After begrudgingly heading back out into the heat, we made our way to Norway and our last Fast Pass: Frozen Ever After. (Yes, I’m sure you can imagine how super excited my 12 & 13 year old boys were at this one, but I didn’t give them a choice!) This was one of those moments when I was so happy we had a Fast Pass – that line was insane! If you have any inkling at all that this is a ride you’ll want to do, get a Fast Pass. No way would I have stood in that line otherwise. It was a lot of fun and very well done.

After this ride, we have a family meeting to re-evaluate the rest of our plans. The plan was to keep going around World Showcase then go back and finish in Future World East. There was no way – it was too dang hot and humid. The hope was that we would do part of it, go back to the resort and rest a little, then come back.

So off to Future World East and Spaceship Earth, Mission Space & Test Track it was! The kids had a blast, but I was, admittedly, kind of an “old fart” and didn’t do everything with them. Not only was I miserable from the heat and humidity, but my new shoes were not working out so well. (My feet had to have been swollen when I bought them and as I wore them, they stretched out and by the end of the day would be easily a size too big.) The kids had a great time and I loved seeing all of the amazing things in that corner of the park.

The kids weren’t thrilled we were going back to the hotel, but by the time we got there and got some food in us and relaxed a little, it was obvious we weren’t going back. We were all over-heated, sunburned and suffering from heat exhaustion. We had reservations that night for dinner and to watch Illuminations, but I called Disney and told them what had happened and we just didn’t have it in us to go back. They were so nice about canceling our reservations and they didn’t have to be. We were well past the time to cancel, but they canceled and refunded the money for the reservations. That was a pretty great surprise.

That evening consisted of hanging out at the pool (after the sun went down), food at the resort and watching movies in the air conditioning. Not the end to the day we’d envisioned, but it was a great day regardless.

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Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

 I can’t even begin to tell you how much time and work went into studying the layout of Disney World. None of it could even come close to preparing us for the absolute enormity of this place! It’s not a theme park, it’s not a few blocks, it’s not a one-stop destination. When they say Disney World is a destination, that’s no exaggeration. As we passed under the welcome to Disney World sign, I was completely overwhelmed by the size of this place! Thank heavens for Google Maps, the My Disney Experience App (a MUST have!) and lots of signs.

We followed the simple and concise directions straight to the building we were staying in at the Caribbean Beach Resort (naturally we’d pick one of the most spread out, massive resorts). One of the absolute coolest things about how Disney makes the magic happen? Between the app and our Magic Bands, we had everything we needed right there. We didn’t have to go to the lobby to check in, we didn’t have to wait for our room, as soon as we parked, I clicked on “check in” and boom! We were able to scan the door lock with our magic bands and we were in. It seemed too good to be true, too easy, but honestly the entire trip was like that. They really do take the worry out of keeping track of things. As long as I could find one of our magic bands or my phone, I had everything I needed.

Our room was so awesome! We stayed in the Trinidad building which was really far away from the lobby and main pool, but it was right next to the Spyglass Grill, the bus stop and the Trinidad Village Pool which we utilized frequently. Why so far away from the center of the action? Duh…Pirate Rooms!

Not just a pirate shower curtain or picture on the wall, but full-blown Disney Style Pirate decorating! The beds were pirate ships, the lights were lanterns,  the carpet was a world map, the curtain separating the bathroom was a skull and crossbones, mini fridge was a whiskey barrel, TV stand was a crate,  the table top was Jack Sparrow’s compass, pirate ships on the shower curtain, pictures…wow! Only Disney could pull something this amazing off. Honestly, the only complaint I can muster is that I wish the beds had been Queen beds instead of Double beds. That is the very reason I only booked 2 nights here. I knew after a couple of days in the park we’d need a little more space.

Long drive, need to stretch and relax…hmmm…let’s go to Old Port Royale (aka the lobby, giant pool and center of the action)!

Again, no one does scene setting and decorating like Disney. No one in the entire world that ever lived can do what they can do and this pool was no exception. Not one, but two water slides (one through a dark tunnel), cannons, forts, hammocks, palm trees, sandy beaches, a light house and a gigantic pirate ship play area. I’m not a kid, but even I got a little giddy at the sight!

The kids hit the pool and Dad & I meandered on over to the oh so conveniently adjacent Banana Cabana. (Thank you Disney for thinking of the parents too!) I don’t remember what my husband had (other than they were out of Kraken Rum so the bartender more than compensated with something else) but I had their signature drink, the Banana Cabana, and it was out of this world good! Kids can have the pool –let me soak in a pool of this stuff and mama will be happy! Ha ha!

Everyone that we talked to was so friendly and nice – it was such a change from other places we’ve traveled. It took literally minutes to realize we were in a totally different world here and it was an amazing world. One of the neatest things happened to us here. We paid for our drinks with a Disney Rewards Redemption Card (Chase gives you a kickback from all of your purchases if you use a Disney Visa and you can roll that onto a rewards card to spend in the park – highly recommend!) and somewhere between the bar and our lounge chairs, we dropped it without realizing it. There was about $300 on it so someone could have really had fun with it. Someone found it, picked it and returned it to the bar. The bartender left her post to come find us and return it to us. Not even kidding – does that kind of honestly really exist still? Apparently here it does.

After swimming, it’s getting late so we head into the lobby to grab something to eat at the Centertown Market. Food was good, not spectacular, but good (burgers, Cuban & turkey sandwiches) but the best thing we purchased was refillable mugs for all of us. I flinched at nearly $20 each, but I guarantee you that they will pay for themselves over and over!

During the remainder of our stay, we utilized the pool right outside our building a couple of times but we made good friends out of the folks working at the Spyglass Grill! It was super convenient, the food was good and fast, plus they had a refill station for our mugs! Oh and those Magic Bands? My oldest son discovered a deep, deep fondness for non-alcoholic Pina Colada’s, the Grill had those and he could just swipe his Magic Band to pay for them. Over and over and over and over….but that’s another story! Ha ha! My food picks for the Grill? The Taco Trio (especially the fish taco!) and the Chorizo Burger with the side of Plantains & Yuca. Different, but really good.

We stayed here two nights and it was such a neat experience. Truly was a good introduction to the Magic that IS Disney World, but I’m glad that we did a split stay. If we could have done it, I’d love to stay 2 or 3 days at every resort. Maybe after I win the lottery!

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We’re Driving Where?!?!?!?!

My family thinks I’m crazy. They might be right this time, but the elephant is already in the room – we can’t really ignore it now.

{REWIND: We’re planning an epic trip – one we’ve been saving for a long time to be able to do – and we’re in the planning phase now. Super excited. What would make a trip to Disney World even more fun? Driving from Idaho to Florida. Yep, I said it. “Let’s drive – it’ll be fun.” Just under 3000 miles one way, leaving home on Memorial Day Weekend  – what could go wrong?}

Our journey finds us starting out the evening of the very last day of school. The plan is to drive all night long (Friday), taking turns and go as far as we can towards our first real stop, New Orleans. Sure there are quicker routes to take but if you’re going to be that close, you kind of have to visit the Big Easy. For the first leg of the journey, nothing is set in stone and it’s constantly changing due to the weather (tornado season is in full swing). We’re leaving on Friday night and we have to be in Orlando Monday. No problem.

The first part of the journey is relatively uneventful. We leave Idaho, stop in Utah to grab dinner, continue on through Wyoming and Colorado. We were making pretty good time and stopped somewhere in Southern Colorado at a Subway for breakfast to go. (Gotta keep moving!) I’m pretty sure one of the requirements to work there is you had to be high. No joke, but hey the sandwiches were good! Ha!

On into Oklahoma (with me singing songs from the musical and my kids groaning in the backseat) and down into Texas. We’ve been watching the sky pretty closely – we’re well aware of where we are, what time of year it is and the dark clouds not too far away. As we’re driving through Dumas, TX I hear something I’ve never heard before – tornado sirens – and I have no idea what to do. We pull over, listen to the warnings and decide to go for it. (My husband is a former truck driver so he’s done this before, me not so much.) There’s a pretty good chance if we stay where we are we’re going to be directly in the path, but if we keep going there’s a good chance we’ll miss it. Yeah…in theory that was a good idea.

I drove as far as I could on the freeway that was covered in water and getting deeper by the second, with windshield wipers that couldn’t even make a dent in what was pouring from the sky, gale force winds and then the hail started. All around me everyone is stopping. Not pulling over, not looking for a side road, just stopping wherever they can so I do the same. I will never forget looking in my rearview mirror and seeing the look of terror on my kids’ faces and knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to protect them from the beast that was tearing things up outside the passengers side window. I don’t know if it touched down, but we watched it spinning and spinning and moving back towards Dumas. My car (over a year later) is still covered with dents from the hail and how my windshield didn’t crack from the ferocity of those giant ice balls is nothing short of a miracle. I don’t know how long we sat there, but it honestly felt as if time stopped. I do not ever want to experience anything like that again and my heart goes out to the people that live under the threat of those things year after year.

As soon as I could make out some semblance of a road, I took off and got out of there as fast as we could! We got lost in Amarillo, got stopped in another flash flood in Vernon, almost ended up in a nasty pile up on the freeway in Dallas and found the very last hotel room available in Terrell on Saturday night,  but we survived our first 24 hours on the road. Whew!

The next day found us in Louisiana. Now let me tell you, that state was nothing at all like I had imagined it would be. It was gorgeous – such a beautiful, lush, green, farmland filled area. (Much like East Texas – who knew???) We drove South as soon as we hit Louisiana and traveled across the Gulf. It was a beautiful drive.

New Orleans…ahhh….what a town! I’m glad for the experience, but I’m good with not going back. First, those above ground cemeteries? Ummm…no thank you! I kept envisioning them in a hurricane with crypts flying everywhere!  We finally made it through the crowds to The French Quarter and Bourbon Street. By the way, apparently Memorial Day is also Pride-Fest down there. I am NOT judging anyone for anything, but let me just say some things will never be unseen. Ha ha! The architecture was incredible, the people were crazy and Bourbon Street really does smell like 100 proof! After a little time there, we headed onward. So we thought. I may have taken a wrong turn and ended up somewhere I really didn’t want to be. Whoops! On the plus side, in our driving all over we had to stop so Kareem Abdul Jabar could cross the road in front of us. For reals – man, that guy is tall!

Out of the chaos, we discovered the Gulf Coast and followed it around into Mississippi. We ended up having dinner at sunset at Shaggy’s on the Gulf. It was here, the love of the Shrimp Po’ Boy was born! It was also here that we discovered remoulade. The waiter explained what it was and I replied "Oh so like a kicked up fry sauce?" He looked at me like I was speaking in a foreign language. Ha ha! I forget fry sauce is kind of a regional thing too. But yes, remoulade is a kicked up cajun-ified fry sauce. And it's good!

That Sunday night we bedded down in Pascagoula after watching a scuffle at the gas station next to our hotel with a convenience store clerk and someone trying to pass fake $5 bills…we headed for the hotel as soon as the cops started pulling in. Never dull with us.

Monday morning, let’s get this party on the road! Off through Alabama (the welcome signs actually say “Sweet Home Alabama”! Love it!) and on into Florida we go! Are you aware that not only can you buy a freeway pass at the welcome center, but they also have vending machines with ICE CREAM in them? Yeah! Stopped and ate BBQ along the way, but it was a relatively uneventful drive to Disney World in what was blossoming into a genuine heatwave.

Idaho to Orlando in 3 days, totally do-able. No problem. Ha ha!