I certainly had High Hopes for writing more on this website last year. I suppose it's easiest to blame it on the pandemic, but that wouldn't be completely accurate.
family
Thanks to everyone who sent along condolences for my grandma. I wanted to post the eulogy I gave at the funeral to show our gratitude for her life.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ben, and I am Tiny’s oldest grandson. Despite being her oldest grandson, I sort of felt sometimes that she thought of me as her son. But maybe that’s just because she frequently called me Doug or Rusty.
When we booked our Disney trip, we didn’t consider too many hotel options. Once we made the decision to stay onsite, we looked at the cheapest Value resorts - All-Star Music, All-Star Movies and All-Star Sports. We had all but settled on All-Star Music when I found the Summer Quick Service Meal Offer. At the time we were booking, this deal was available only at Pop Century, a Value resort that is priced slightly higher than others.
Before reading too far into this post, I should first let you know that if you need details about many Disney World food establishments, you will not find that here. When doing research for the trip, one of the more universal tips from bloggers regarding saving money was to bring in your own food, snacks and drinks. Outside of glass containers and alcohol, everything else is fair game to bring.
As someone who likes the optimize as much as possible when it comes to vacation, I cannot stress enough that it's impossible to optimize fully the Disney experience (especially when your three children are 7, 5 and 2). There are so many variables that can happen during the day that over-planning can backfire. As our trip's primary planner, I divided my objectives into the following categories:
Our family just returned from Walt Disney World. While there are more comprehensive blogs and posts regarding WDW, I thought it might be worthwhile to include some of our experiences here. I'll try to keep them succinct, although I may go off on tangents, so be prepared!
By Ava
Once upon a time, there was a girl who is a princess named Ava. There is also another princess named Lily. There also was a princess named Clara, and we all played on the playground. And then, there was a mommy and daddy. There also was a playground where we can all play. The end.
By Ava
Once upon a time there was a princess named Ava, and she had sisters named Lily and Clara. Her mom and dad were thinking about a party for her. And then she went outside so her parents couldn't see her.
And then she decided to make a birthday cake for herself. And then there was a monster. That monster almost got her, but it was only a person.
It was one of her sisters. It was Clara. And Lily was a princess, so she went back into the castle, and she started writing. And then there was another thing that she wanted to add to it. Her sister was in the picture.
By Ava
Once upon a time, there was a princess whose name was Ava. And then there was a horse. And then the horse had a prince on it. And then the prince told the princess how to do art. And then she already made art. And then she showed the prince her art project.
THE END
I haven't had a book event in some time, so I'm headed over to Owensboro on July 1 to catch up with friends and sign a few copies of Corporate Ties. From 6-7 pm, show up at Gambrinus Libation Emporium for a free book with a $10 purchase. If you already have a book, stop by and meet the family!