Hi All,
Robin thanks for the links to the various trip reports. I haven't looked at them all but I did put in some quality time with the one from Carolanne. All I kept thinking while I was reading it was "Gee, I wish I was on that cruise..." and then I realized that in just a couple very short months I will be! Oh happy, happy, joy, joy!
I read the taste of Alaska menu aloud to the DH and his only comment was "Wow, that's a lot of food. I don't think I will be able to eat all that..."
As for me, I am already gearing up for those crab legs and that salmon spread. I too will be trying the elk (after all, when in Rome or Alaska...).
I need to get serious about working on my FE. It looks like I will be making not only our own but also one or possibly two for other families in our group. Fortunately I only have to help construct them not provide the goodies they will be giving out so that makes things easier. Boy, it sure is a good thing I am a bit crafty, huh?
As for being at WDW all I can say is that I wish I were there. I haven't been there since the early 70's when I was a very little girl and it was a very new park. I actually went to WDW before I ever set foot in
Disneyland. Which wouldn't be impressive unless you realize that I am a native Californian and I grew up less than 45 minutes from the park.
I hear tell that they have done a little growing down in the swamps in the past few years. I have a trip on my radar for sometime in the future. Possibly next year as my Real Estate firm Keller Williams will be having their annual convention in Orlando so I might be able to combine business with pleasure. We will have to see what this year brings, but it would be nice to be able to roll a trip to WDW into a trip for business and effectively kill two stones with one bird.
On another front, the DH and I went to the second class in a three part series on photography. We both spent some quality time with our exposure compensation settings and our white balance so hopefully by the time we are looking at Mendenhall Glacier and Tracy Arm we will both be sufficiently skilled to ensure that the whites are truly white and the blues are truly blue.
I did a little practicing toward that end last week when we were on a mountain top not far from here near Wrightwood. There wasn't much snow left, just a smattering really but I did have a chance to play with my camera settings and practice getting the "right" and the "creatively right" exposure settings.
Tomorrow I will be doing headshot's for a bunch of folks in my office. That should be interesting. Since I need pictures for my portfolio I am offering my services cost free in exchange for the right to use the pics on my website, etc. I have also offered limited retouching on a "pay what you think is fair" basis with the funds being donated to charity. I hope my services are useful, that I get some good shots for folks and that we raise a goodly amount of money for the cause.
I have also been digging up pins and the like to bring with us on the cruise. I hope to do some trading with folks. I don't have any "rack" pins since my entire collection was stolen a few years ago but I do have castmember only items from my days working for the Mouse so that should make folks happy. Especially since they are all pretty much award pins that you had to earn. I helped design most of them so that makes getting them into folks hands doubly special for me.
I hope we will be able to get one of the Alaska pins as that would be a nice momento but I expect the competition to purchase them to be fierce.
I am going to try to make a trip to the Disney cast store before we set out but the last couple of times I was there I didn't find much of interest (amazing, huh?). Hopefully things will have improved. They did have some of those Vinylmation things but I just can't get excited about them in the least. Still, if I do make it over there and there is anything good to be had I will see what I can do about getting it to add to the FE loot.
Oh, and speaking of FE's, I saw that the question of when to cut off entry into the group was asked. I shan't cast a vote on that one as I will go with whatever the populous decides.
Hmm, just looked at the clock and realized that I need to trudge through the wilds of the backyard to my office since I have some printing to do and that is where my printer lives.
Take care all, help lots of people and have a "Wonder"ful day!
Tisza
YO ROBIN - Don't you have a life? (lol) I was just noticing how long you've been on the Disboards & how many posts you have.
....I am a stay home mom and also very involved with volunteering at the school. You will notice not many posts after my kids are home. Bummer! 
Lucky you, have a wonderful magical time! 
