We were in Disney February last year and it just happened to be one of the “special” weekends in Disney, ESPN The Weekend, at Hollywood Studios. It was totally unplanned as far as the event went, we just wanted to use our annual passes one more time and renew them while we were there. We had gotten there for rope drop and noticed something going on off to the side of the parking lot, some sort of run, so I Googled it when I got back to a computer and found out that they had a 5k run that morning before the park opened that went through the park. So this year our passes needed renewing at the same time and I was still interested in the run, so I booked a trip the same weekend and registered for the run. Read more

Continuing the odd events of 2009, we had only one of our four total kids at home on Christmas eve/morning this year for the first time ever, and likely last until they are adults. The older girls had gone skiing the whole week and Marc Jr was coming the week after Christmas so it worked out to be just Kellie here to open presents alone. Linda had been stuck with us for 2 weeks already, since before the Disney trip, because of her road being in such bad shape from the almost unending rain we’ve had this December, the road was just impassable and the news even did stories on it. Read more

One of the best times to visit Disney is during the holidays because they really go ALL OUT with decorations there, every little thing gets the full Disney treatment. We’ve been before at Thanksgiving a few times as well as early December, but this year we figured out a way to go the week of/before Christmas. There are many “must see’s too; Main Street at Magic Kingdom, the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, the Wilderness Lodge Lobby, and tree lighting at EPCOT are just a few. But the one must see has got to be the Osborne Family Lights at Hollywood Studios. We’ve been before several years ago before Lights, Motors, Action when the old Residential Street still existed and that was what got decorated, but since it was removed, they now decorate the Streets of America. We actually went in between years, the one year they didn’t have it at all which was sad to miss because we hadn’t been back at Christmas since whenever that was. Read more

Another new first for a Disney trip this time around. Usually Kriss and I go to the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival alone. We’ve been with other adults in the past, friends and family, but it’s our one trip a year where we are able to get away without any kids because we plan it on a weekend that the oldest three are at their other parent’s houses and Kellie stayed with my grandparents. Unfortunately both of them passed away this year so we decided to take Kellie with us. We’ve also added another adult going with us, Kriss’ mom Linda. This year we are also meeting some of their family from Boston, Mandy, Donna, and Joe. Again with time constraints of work and kid sitting we planned the trip to be a Friday-Sunday trip. Read more

Just over a year ago, the Disney Vacation Club announced that members staying using their points could access the internet from their room for free, and being able to telecommute, we’d always thought it would be nice to go spend a week or more at Disney and I work from the room and then enjoy Disney when I didn’t need to work. So finally this July we decided to try it before Kellie started back to school, just her Kriss, and I. Read more

We usually take at least one Disney trip in the winter during January or February and with annual passes and other membership cards expiring, we decided to go the last weekend in February. I had also thought it may be a slower weekend since Valentines/President’s Day week is usually very busy. Kellie had a Dr appointment at 7:30 Friday morning so as soon as we were done with it we headed south. We got in to Orlando just after 1:00PM at Disney’s Old Key West, one of our favorite places to stay, checked in and grabbed a bite to eat at Olivia’s for lunch. We stayed at OKW on our last trip to Food and Wine Festival in October and actually got the same room both times, studio 3316, by chance. Read more

Back in December Kriss won tickets to see Rascal Flatts in Charleston at the North Charleston Coliseum this past Saturday night. She originally thought they weren’t great seats when she looked online but she said they ended up being fairly decent. I only wish she had take a good camera, this pic was taken with her camera phone. Unfortunately she missed the second night of my class reunion with her new friends, you would think they had gone to school together, but they both said this was probably the best concert they had been to.

A joke I have heard my whole life that continues today about Disney is how you wait in line for 60 minutes to ride a ride that’s all over in 60 seconds. Disney can’t hold a candle to Christmas. For weeks and months (maybe only days for a few husbands) we shop, and cook, and drive, and agonize over what to get our family and friends for Christmas. Then in the blink of an eye, three little Tasmanian devils tear through their packages like a tornado through a trailer park. The kids were all pleased with their gifts that Santa brought as well as what Kriss and I got them. I was advised that the two older girls were up at 3:00AM with the tree turned on as well as every light in the living room looking to see what Santa brought. He brought Erin and Kellie bicycles and Alyssa a Vera Bradley bag. I think Erin likes her bike most of all but Kellie really hasn’t ridden hers yet. Alyssa got a stack of books she is in to now, all the Wicked, Twilight, and other vampire craze that’s going around now. Read more

Every Christmas eve we spend the evening at my grandmother’s house having dinner and exchanging family gifts with her and mom. However many kids we have that year come along so we load up 5-6 of us in the car and drive to Windsor Forrest. We usually have some type of non-traditional Christmas meal like chicken from KFC and last year I made BBQ, this year was no exception with spaghetti although there was a ham since Kellie doesn’t eat pasta or noodles of any kind and Erin just prefers ham. It was a quieter year since there were fewer of us, only Kriss and I with the three girls along with mom and granny and the kids are all getting older. Cathy, Tommy, and Gabe couldn’t make it.

Afterward we exchanged gifts and the highlight was mom opening our family portraits we had done. This is the first year we’ve had Marc Jr available to get all 6 of us. The girls all got purses with money which they LOVED Kriss caught this photo at the best time when mom realized what she was opening. I wish it had been with a better camera but I don’t think we could have captured the moment if we had planned it.

Today was the last day of school for all of the kids here in Bryan co. They were all excited but Kellie was very excited to have her first Christmas party, especially since she missed the Halloween party since she was sick. Kriss and I went up to the school to take treat bags and help out. Another parent brought these tree hat kits, that’s what she is decorating in the picture. You glue ornaments to it and then roll it up and it looks like an elf hat. They all had fun and were surprisingly good the whole time, not once did they get rowdy. We were trying to hurry though because Erin’s class was having a party too and her school is right next door within walking distance so I ran and put Kellie’s stuff in the car while she and Kriss went to Erin’s class. We should have gone there first because they had pizza. It also looked a little rowdier there but she was smiling and having fun.