Antics of the Orange Banded Monkeys: Heartbreaking News June 2017

Battle of the Network Stars! That is a blast from the past! I have a brother-in-law that used to love that show.

Great pics from your early morning stroll. I admire people who find the time to exercise while on vacation. I figure I get enough walking in to rationalize that as exercise.

Yacht Club is such a lovely resort and that wedding gazebo is so drool worthy. Can you imagine getting married there?

I have never flown out of WDW in the morning. I usually book flights leaving between 8 and 9pm so I can get the most out of the day.
 
Battle of the Network Stars! That is a blast from the past! I have a brother-in-law that used to love that show.

Great pics from your early morning stroll. I admire people who find the time to exercise while on vacation. I figure I get enough walking in to rationalize that as exercise.

Yacht Club is such a lovely resort and that wedding gazebo is so drool worthy. Can you imagine getting married there?

I have never flown out of WDW in the morning. I usually book flights leaving between 8 and 9pm so I can get the most out of the day.

I know, right!?! Of all the shows in the history of time, it was a shock and a blast to watch that. I'm not sure if ESPN Classic is even one of the bazillion channels I get through cable but don't watch (the dial pretty much lands on Food Network when I am watching)

If you are going to keep up an exercise regimen, then the running path along the EPCOT resorts, out to HS is a pretty decent trail.

I haven't seen a wedding taking place at the gazebo, but it is definitely a bonus of the rooms that overlook this area. My DH and I have a good chance of getting one of those rooms based on the category we booked for October. That is the first time I have gotten close up to the wedding gazebo. What a great view as you are saying your vows.

:love::love:

We have flown out at all different times from Disney/Florida, but we are just starting to feel more comfortable flying out at night so that we can enjoy more park time.

::yes::
 
FREAKING OUT!!!

So in the host chat this morning on the Kelly & Michael show, with guest host Anderson Cooper, they were discussing Battle of the Network Stars.

Guess it is a thing now!

:rotfl2:
 


Final Goodbyes, Tragical Depress, Déjà vu and A Wing and a Prayer

When my lovely stroll around the Yacht and Beach Club was done, it was sadly time for me to face the sad reality that my trip was over.

:sad1:

My monkey friends were staying on a few more days. They would be heading over to the new villas at the Poly and I was jealous! But my boys were starting school the next day and that evening was an open house for my incoming freshman. Ben wanted me to go to that with him.

I suggested that dad could bring him, but he said "That's not ok!"

:lmao:


I returned to the room to gather up my things. I packed a few of the cookies ~Ninjamom had made for a snack on the plane. I had a few minutes to sit out on the balcony to talk to Rebecca, who was the only monkey awake.

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I left the room and went down to the lobby to wait for this:

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As we drove by Reedy Creek Fire Department, I took a picture because of the story I had told the students on the class trip a couple of months prior.

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We stopped at another resort to pick up passengers (CBR?), and then the driver announced that we would be returning to the Beach Club because they had forgotten to put one of the suitcases for a passenger on the bus.


Déjà vu- Maybe it is a sign that it really wasn’t time for me to leave yet!!!


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But they didn’t let anyone off the bus, so once again we were underway.

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And arrived here:

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It wasn’t too busy at 11 am on a Tuesday on the first day of September.


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I went in to one of the gift shops and look what I found:

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I miss my monkeys!!!


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A Wing and a Prayer

Mark really does not like to fly Southwest. He does not like taking a chance with where he will be seated and especially who he will be seated with. I don’t really care. If I end up with someone I don’t know for 3 hours, I just read and enjoy some quiet time. It is a short-lived thing. So on the return flight, Mark and the boys signed up for the early-bird seating, I did not. I was flying alone so I didn’t care.

But Mark got me a pretty good number- A something.

I boarded the plane on Tuesday and found a window seat. Nobody sat with me for awhile, then a woman about my age came and sat in the aisle seat (that annoys me- they are doing it with the hopes nobody sits in the middle and it makes it tough for people to find a seat). An older woman and her husband came by. The woman says she will take the seat after she gets her husband settled into another seat further back.

She sits and we don’t interact much. I glance over and see she is reading a Christian magazine. I wonder if she is a holy-roller zealot or just a kind, religious woman. In the last hour or so, we chatted about where she was headed (do you live in Manchester or visiting?) The woman and her husband were visiting friends who would be taking them to Acadia State Park. I told her we may be going there in November as we look at colleges (U Maine and Unity) for my son.

I had purchased a sandwich for lunch and had packed cookies that ~Ninja made. I asked if she would like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and she said “This is my FAVORITE kind of cookie!” She raved about it. Rightly so. They really were good!

At the end of the flight, she asked what my son’s name was. I told her Nate. She said she would pray for Nate as he goes through his college quest.

I told her thanks and if she could throw in a request for a couple of A’s, I would appreciate it.

She laughed.

Nate has had an excellent senior year so far and just committed to attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall, so it looks like she held up her end of the bargain.


paw:


I’ll conclude this story with the Facebook post I wrote at the airport on the way home:

On my way home from an unforgettable trip to Florida. We had an incredible family trip to Universal then I continued on to the Beach Club with friends. We shed tears of laughter followed by tears of sorrow when our dear friend's husband left his family too soon. I learned how important it is to spend time with people who mean the world to me and to tell them I love them. And that there are secret bathrooms in Epcot. But mostly the love thing.

:love:


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Thank you, dear readers, for following along with this report. I appreciate all the comments and likes along the way. It was a difficult report to write at times, but with my fun group of monkey, some of it just wrote itself. I only needed to post the pictures.

Are you sad that this is over, or relieved to finally have a break???

Well, don't walk away just yet.

I'll post some pictures from the Continuing Adventures of the Orange Banded Monkeys Minus One here.

And I just posted the first update in my report from the trip to Teena's house in Florida, and there is more Disney thrown in than I expected.

Grab a broom and dusting cloth so we can

Whistle While We Work


:grouphug:
 
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It's over already....

Departure day is always the saddest day. I'm glad it was relatively easy for you though.

I've never flown alone so I've never had to make conversation really. I'm glad Nate's got his college future figured out. I'm sitting here trying to go through my options. I've been accepted to three colleges and wait listed at two other ones. My number one of course I was wait listed at. Now it's trying to decide which will be my final choice. Anyways enough of my rambling I really enjoyed your report as I always do.
 
Departure day ... so sad :(

I love your airplane story! I'm always afraid of sitting next to someone who wants to talk to me too much about things I don't care about (or worse ... sitting next to someone I know and don't want to talk to, which happened to me once), but sharing cookies and prayers for good grades are always nice! (And congrats to Nate on UNH - hopefully he'll learn a lot there and have a great time!)

Thanks for sharing this story and report with us ... the monkeys are so much fun, and I enjoyed laughing along with your story!
I'll go check out the January report now ... I'm interested to read your experience as a non-runner that weekend!
 
What an emotional final chapter. You had some amazing highs and one very sad low :hug:with the fabulous monkeys. Glad you made it home safe and sound and you even managed a smiley selfie in the pretend monorail :thumbsup2
Thank you for bringing me along for the ride. Heading over to join you at your new place, Teenas :goodvibes
 
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What a fantastic trip! I adore my family, but sometimes it's nice to have girltime with your friends. What better place to have a girl's getaway than Disney!

Why is it that kids don't think their dads can handle something like an open house? My girls were the same way and it drove me nuts.

I understand your thoughts about the woman taking the aisle seat, but I can't stand the middle seat. I would choose window first, then aisle. The middle seat makes me feel claustrophobic.

The lady next to you sounds lovely. That always makes a flight pass along more quickly.
 
Sad to see the trip report end, but thanks for giving us the gift of a new trip report to follow! :thumbsup2

Well done on squeezing every minute out of this trip - even managing to use your solo freedom to take many airport pictures. :)
 
Sad it is over, but I enjoyed all of the good times you all had. And the love shared between you monkeys :grouphug: and extra :hug: for our Teena!
 
Over, you left? You went home? Even monkeys at the airport, Monkeys everywhere.

Great job Dee. I enjoy reading your writing. Your FB post sums it up very well. Until next time. :hug:
 
My monkey friends were staying on a few more days. They would be heading over to the new villas at the Poly and I was jealous!
I was jealous of their stay at the new Poly DVC studio, too. We flew home later that day. :( But we returned to the BC in October and ran into Nannette at F&W, which was fun. I'm hoping that some decent discounts will come out for October so that we can join you again. Stupid Disney - why didn't they include October in the bounce back offer? :(

I had a few minutes to sit out on the balcony to talk to Rebecca, who was the only monkey awake.
We had a room just a few doors down from this room back in March 2014. The woods view rooms at the BC are truly woods view. ;)

Nate has had an excellent senior year so far and just committed to attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall, so it looks like she held up her end of the bargain.
That's your Alma Mater, isn't it? That is nice to have the decision made. :)

I'll post some pictures from the Continuing Adventures of the Orange Banded Monkeys Minus One here.
I'm looking forward to it. :)
 
It's over already....

Departure day is always the saddest day. I'm glad it was relatively easy for you though.

I've never flown alone so I've never had to make conversation really. I'm glad Nate's got his college future figured out. I'm sitting here trying to go through my options. I've been accepted to three colleges and wait listed at two other ones. My number one of course I was wait listed at. Now it's trying to decide which will be my final choice. Anyways enough of my rambling I really enjoyed your report as I always do.

Thank you for following along, and for your kind words!!!

On this trip, departure day was not as sad as the previous day had been. :(

Thinking of you as you are making your college decision. Exciting times ahead! Please let us know which school you end up choosing. They will be lucky to have you!

They had an open house for the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (CoLSA) on Saturday and we were very impressed with the dean of the school, the teacher who spoke and the students who described their field of study. There are a lot of opportunities for hands-on research and in the field study in the first year or so. And one of the possibilities for study abroad is New Zealand!

We all left the school on Saturday knowing UNH was the right choice for Nate.

:teacher:

Departure day ... so sad :(

I love your airplane story! I'm always afraid of sitting next to someone who wants to talk to me too much about things I don't care about (or worse ... sitting next to someone I know and don't want to talk to, which happened to me once), but sharing cookies and prayers for good grades are always nice! (And congrats to Nate on UNH - hopefully he'll learn a lot there and have a great time!)

Thanks for sharing this story and report with us ... the monkeys are so much fun, and I enjoyed laughing along with your story!
I'll go check out the January report now ... I'm interested to read your experience as a non-runner that weekend!

Well, this is my normal traveling situation with my DH:

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It is always funny what you end up talking about with people you have never met before, you can have some interesting things in common if you are able to find the connections.

We are all understandably excited and nervous about the next phase of Nate's life!

I am so glad you joined in on the report- you caught up quickly, just like I suspect you do when you run.

:cheer2:

I was at EPCOT on Marathon day, so I definitely have some pictures and thoughts to share about it (mostly impressed).

I will also have another airport story in the other report, but that will come at the end.

:goodvibes


What an emotional final chapter. You had some amazing highs and one very sad low :hug:with the fabulous monkeys. Glad you made it home safe and sound and you even managed a smiley selfie in the pretend monorail :thumbsup2
Thank you for bringing me along for the ride. Heading over to join you at your new place Teenas :goodvibes

Thank you for being in our trip in spirit and for joining along in the re-telling of the story.

See you on the other side!

::yes::
 
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So awesome Dee, I loved it!!

I thought it was going to end with you busting through the ME bus door and running back into the BC lobby when they had to circle back for the forgotten bag!

Can't wait to see the rest of your pics!! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!!

Jay
 

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