It's My Life

Disney World. Some parents cringe at the sound of it. Some parents tolerate it for the love of their children. Then there are the category of parents like I am in. I live for visits and trips to the Happiest Place on Earth. And our countdown to return to this magical place just hit single digits! Hot on the trail of our last Disney World trip (March 2013 ) I began making plans to return with some good friends of ours. They have a little girl the same age as The Short Chic and thought it would be awesome to go as a group so their daughter would have someone to share the experience with. As we began planning and decision making (on property vs off property/ driving vs flying) my husband suggested we reach out to a friend who has a Disney time share. He had offered us some time in the past. Not only did he agree to sell us some points he also agreed to go with us. That is how we became #DisneyPartyofTen ! Slowly we have observed milestones in our countdown. We customized our ...

I am not sure what year it was when I first visited Yellowstone National Park. I think I was between the ages of 12 and 15.  It was the only vacation my entire family ever took.  Maybe that is why it stands out in my memory. We were the Griswald's before there was the Griswald's. Mom, Dad, my brother, and our dog {No one would dog sit for us} in a beat up old station-wagon headed West to visit my uncle who lived in Cody, Wyoming. I have wanted to return for so many years. So when Doctor J and I decided we could drive through Montana the next logical step was Yellowstone National Park. The second day of our journey found us in Gardiner, Montana at about 1:00 in the afternoon. We stopped in at the Ranger Station and chatted with the Park Rangers, hit up a local grocery store for lunch and excitedly entered the park. Technically, we saw wild animals before we even hit the park's archway.  The animals do not recognize the same boundaries as we do. Several cow el...

I have a bucket list. I started it a few years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer. Visiting Pike's Market in Seattle, Washington has been on my bucket list for a long time. When I first started mapping out the route Doctor J and I would take from Portland to Yellowstone, I was looking at following the Columbia Gorge. But, Doctor J suggested going north from Portland to Seattle and then heading east. I thought she was crazy to go three hours out of our way, no matter how much I wanted to visit Seattle, but Mapquest agreed with her. The drive from Portland to Seattle was quick and beautiful. I was taken by the bright yellow flowers that lined the drive. Doctor J told me there were actually an invasive species that grows uncontrollably in this part of the county. Driving into Seattle on I-5 this is the first view of the city that you get. The Space Needle sticks out. Maybe on my next visit, we will be able to visit the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass. We...