Doing WDW Han Style...SOLO!!

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That's right boys and girls! Just me, ATG, heading to Walt Disney World all by myself!

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(This would be me, licking my lips in anticipation)

...'cause DH was NOT interested in going to Destination D: Walt Disney World.

When am I going? May 12th-17th
Where am I staying? Coronado Springs (this MAY change, depending on hotel availability. I'm trying to get into the Contemporary for at least Sat/Sun - the event days).

...and I have nuthin' else! I'm going to be frantically trying to get some decent dining reservations. Last time I went to WDW ('08) half of my travel companions had no interest in sit-down dining. They were all fast food, counter service folks and I'm a sit-down and bring things to me kinda person.

Plus DH and I are hoping to bring the nieces to WDW next Jan./Feb. so, I'm calling this a 're-con' mission. I'll scope out places to eat, places to stay, and fun girlie things for them to do* !

(* yeah, for the nieces...sure it is!)

Suggestions?

 

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So, I'm slacking. Not a single rezzie yet. Very bad. I'll be eating popcorn for dinner for sure!
Until I get it together, here are pics of a chocolate tasting I went to at my hunny's work. I may not be in the mood for sweets for some time:

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The toffee talk table:

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Toffee Talk Treats by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

I'm not usually a toffee fan but, they had a red walnut that was heavenly!

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Red Walnut Toffee Sample by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

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Barlovento Samples by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

Too many chocolates make me giddy with glee (and sugar).

 

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Somehow I'm not seeing my pics...hmmm. Perhaps I am doing this wrong...I'll have to figure out how to post pics here...

 

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I still don't see images. I'm using flickr - anyone have suggestions?

 

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Okay, so...an update of sorts. Still no luck turning my Coronado Springs reservation into one for the Contemporary. I'll keep trying on that front.

In the meantime, I have, at last, procured my dining reservations. Took me long enough to get these going!

I arrive around dinner time on the 12th so, I opted to jump right over to the Magic Kingdom for some fun and food. I'm trying The Plaza Restaurant. I'm thinking I could use a burger and a shake right about that time. Yes, I could have gone to Beaches & Cream (and I thought about it, hard) but, I wanted to jump RIGHT into the parks (Must ride at least ONE ride on my first 'day' at WDW!! MUST!) so to silence my inner 8 year old, it's food and fun IN a park.

I have ALL day free on the 13th so I'm going to play at EPCOT! Lunch will be at the Coral Reef in the late afternoon and dinner will be at Bistro de Paris! I tried to get in Le Cellier but, no luck for ATG (frowny face). The 14th & 15th I'll be at Destination D: WDW so I didn't bother to make a rezzie for those days. On the 16th I'm going to try Yak & Yeti at AK for lunch. I'm planning to spend my evening at DHS. The two places I wanted to try: The Brown Derby and the Sci-Fi were not available for any of the times I wanted. Instead, I'm going to Jiko for my dinner!

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my selections. Now my tummy is grumbling so, I should really eat something (all this talk of food, you know...)

 

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A table of chocolates from Chocolatier Blue: PB&J hearts, Honey & sage truffles, passion fruit truffles (not my favorites. No fruit & chocolate for me!)

 

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Fixed the pic links. Huzzah! Getting so much accomplished today! Enjoy the chocolate goodness while I attempt to change hotels and maybe restaurants....

 

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Nothing new to report. I still can't move to the Contemporary or the Poly. The only thing open is The Grand Floridian - that's not happening!

I got my Magic Express stuff in the mail. I gave all my flight info but, it wasn't on the slip. Le sigh. I have 10 days to keep trying (well, slightly less than that)!

 

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Tomorrow, I make my last attempt to switch to the contemporary! Wish me luck!

 

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For my epic adventure to begin, I booked a flight from SFO on Virgin America. Wow! Can we just get them to fly everywhere? Fantastic flight! At the last second, I upgraded to the 'Main Cabin Select' and I'm so glad I did! I got to jump the ENTIRE security line at SFO - which saved me oodles of time. If only the lounge had been open when I was there! Instead, I grabbed a cup of coffee and some breakfast (I had plenty of time to sit and eat thanks to the aforementioned line skipping).

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Here's my bear, Humphrey sitting in the empty middle seat. We got free headphones in this section so Humphrey could enjoy all the free movies he wanted. Can I gush a little more about Virgin America? LOVED the ordering from the screens! No waiting for the drinks cart to cycle through! Just order additional water or snacks whenever you wanted! And when you're sitting in Main Cabin Select, all the stuff is FREE! Best airline EVER (Sorry, Southwest).

I arrived in Orlando later than I expected (silly ATG, forgot to add correctly for the time difference). This jacked my idea of dinner at the Magic Kingdom so, I cancelled it. That gave me a chance to relax and just get to the resort. Humphrey liked the ride.

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Coronado Springs was beautiful! I was staying in a Casitas room in section 5. A bit of a hike from the check-in but, what a hike! If I had thought to take pictures of my epic stroll, you'd have been amazed of the views! Lovely water (with cool breezes) and soothing colors. A great start to my trip!

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Humphrey makes himself comfy. He'll be crashing here all week. Lazy bear.

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Coronado Springs Casitas room by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
The view from the door. Humphrey has staked his claim.

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Coronado Springs Casitas room by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
The view from the bathroom/closet area.

Lots of fun details in the room:

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Tiles around the mirror.

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Dark wood headboard

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'Hidden' Mickey in the wood work along the bathroom mirror. Ole.

After I unpacked I ambled along to Downtown Disney for dinner. I ended up eating at Portobello (no pics, was starving by this point). I wolfed down the meatball sliders - a chicken, a spicy pork, and a beef/veal combo. Very good! The salad was just ok. The surprise for me was the dessert! My server brought me a taste of the pistachio gelato and one scoop of the espresso toffee chocolate gelato. Both were exceptional! I couldn't have picked a favorite if you'd begged me to!

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The place I DID NOT eat! It's a joke with a pal of mine that we ALWAYS eat here whenever we see one. It did NOT happen this time! Mwuahahaha!

Next Up: EPCOT and YUMMY FOOD!

 

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Let me know if you can't see the pics. Flickr is weird now...

 

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Breakfast in (EPCOT) Paris by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
The best part of waking up is a fat pastry at EPCOT Paris! The 'not so best part' the slushie coffee crap they called an 'iced cappuccino' blurgh

Day two dawned hot as all get out. I eagerly jumped outta bed and raced to the bus (I did not rent a car to facilitate my park adventures. Lesson learned). The wait wasn't long but, it was meltingly painful. I was wearing a GIANT hat AND carrying a parasol AND a fan - I got lots of funny looks for said outfit...

My first stop was the World Showcase to pick up a little passport thingie for the "Race Around The World...showcase" deal. You visited certain lands and scored a sticker in the Kidcot section. Once you had them all, you turned them in for a prize. Here's the prize:

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Yeah...not really worth the trek in the boiling heat. Thanks anyway...

That was the bulk of my day. Pounding the pavement to collect stickers. I ignored my camera as I was too hot to bother taking it out. I was busily fanning myself with every step!

I did take a different bear to the 'Cool Zone' to sample the Beverly (a soda I actually like). This is my first ever puppet and the toy I've had the longest. I took her to DL with DH once for a laugh and we had such fun taking photos of my silly toy that I HAD to take her to WDW. It wasn't as fun without DH...so...I didn't take as many as I had planned.

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Here, try this, Berrie...

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What is it?

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It's a soda called 'Beverly'. It's good!

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Good thing I'm a puppet, or I'd have hurled all over you. That stuff is GROSS!

I got a kick out of watching two teachers with a school group rope their kids into sampling the Beverly. The guy filled all the cups and lined the kids up against a wall (Like he was lining them up for some kind of soda firing squad). His cohort busted out a video camera and they had them all drink at the same time. The looks on their little faces were priceless. They all looked so shocked. Like 'why would you make us drink this?!? I will NEVER trust again!!' I left them to it and continued on my sticker quest.

Once I'd collected my button (and texted a pal I bumped into in Japan to warn her not to bother getting one for her DH), headed out for my lunch ADR at the Coral Reef.

I'd never been but, wanted to try this place to see if it would be worth it to bring DH's nieces to dine here next year. I'm not sure if they'd like the food...and unless we could guarantee a seat by the tanks, I think I'll skip it.

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There are supposed to be fish in here, right? Anybody see Steve?

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Berrie, you want some fish? 'No thanks, I'm already stuffed.' Wokka-wokka!

I was so happy to be sitting in the sonic arctic death blast cold at last! I was just still too hot to really eat (even though I hadn't had anything since the pastry in Paris). I opted to try the appetizer sampler for two. It was very good but, there is NO WAY that would have been a meal on any other day except this one! It's sooo tiny! I loved the variety and the fact that I got to try a lot of stuff...but, if I hadn't been hot enough to cause my stomach to recoil from food, this would have been laughable!

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Coral Reef lunch by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Yum! Lobster bisque, fried shrimp, and crab cakes! A feast for a 'Little' or a 'Smurf'!

After a long lingering sip of iced tea, I made my way to the Monorail to begin the trek to the Contemporary Hotel where I'd be meeting a friend (Hi, Lurkyloo!) and company for dinner at the California Grill.

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We met up and I introduced myself to some new pals - who I spent the weekend with line-sitting for Destination D! Thanks Dis pals! Dinner was great. I will eat here again!

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California Grill cuisine by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Filet with mascarpone potatoes and a veggie garnish.

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Goat Cheese Polenta by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Lurkyloo suggested the polenta in lieu of potatoes. I couldn't give up the potatoes and ordered the goat cheese polenta as a side. Yeah, the clear winner! Next time, listen to Lurkyloo!

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Coffee for dessert by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Too stuffed to eat sweets but, can't really move yet. Time for coffee!

It started to rain. Phooey. We held out hope that it would let up enough to grab a few shots outside on the lovely deck. It did!

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California Grill view 2 by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

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California Grill view by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Thanks new zoom lens!

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That was a very tasty meal! Whew, I'm really stuffed now! (that jokes getting old, huh? And it only day TWO!)

After that a few of us headed for the buses at the Magic Kingdom. We saw the fireworks as we walked and hoped to beat the crowds to the loading area. No such luck. I didn't wait too long for my bus but, I was beat by the time I got back to the resort.

Up Next: Destination D: All Sitting All the Time!

 

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So it begins! D23's Destination D: Walt Disney World!

...and I'm running very late! I woke up late! NOOO! Luckily, I'd already 'packed my bag' for the day so I threw my gear on and raced out the door to the bus stop (here, again, is where I curse myself for NOT driving). A bus pulls up in mere moments and it's heading to the Magic Kingdom! PERFECT! I jump on and we go STRAIGHT there, no stops past our resort. Huzzah! When I get off the bus, I think to myself 'I can run (ha!) along the path to the hotel, or take the Monorail. Hmmm' and a Monorail pulls into the station! Monorail it is! I race up the ramp to the resort Monorail and get there...just as it's pulling away. D'oh! Instead, I find another one creeping along right behind it! I'm on the Monorail! YES!
I arrived at the Contemporary at 8:05am. I got there in just under 30 minutes using Disney transportation. Write this day down, folks!
I didn't see Lurkyloo or any of the dinner gang in line - which hadn't gotten too long just yet. Just as I was heading to the end of it. I ran into Marty - who I'd met at Destination D: Disneyland last year! He waved me over and was very pleased to hear that Lurkyloo was going to be around too! Slowly our gang showed up and we made intros. Everyone, it seemed had slept in but, NO ONE had my freaky good luck with transportation!

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Nice shirt(s)! Can I get those in the store? Oh, I can?! Thanks!

Steven Clark welcomed us to the weekend event. He had a wicked cold (so I avoided going up to him at any point that weekend. Much good it did me) but, he managed to model some of the excellent D23 swag that was for sale! I brought the WDW shirt for my DH and the Orange bird shirt for me!

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Up next Becky Cline and Paul F. Anderson regaled us with more 'Weird Disney' stuff. I thought it was basically a retread of their excellent DL Weird Disney bit from last year's event. They did managed to include some new stuff:

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Here they are sporting some fun stuff! Paul is rocking a home-made necklace full of veggies and fruits. He chanted "Veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit" and got the whole crowd going!

They gave away some prints based on the excellent 'fish tote' you used to be able to get when you caught some fish with poles! At the park. I want them to make a fish tote to SELL to D23 members. I would SO buy that tote!

The only thing I was missing was Paul's spear! He'd grabbed one at last year's event and it became a running gag for the weekend. My guess was that he couldn't transport it to WDW and then...

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YES!! It's not the same spear (Paul later confirmed that to me) but, it is A spear! I was so happy my pics came out blurry (sorry!).

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Up next was "Walt Disney World: The Way We Were" with Dave Smith - that I did NOT take a single picture of. Sorry. We took a lunch break and I ducked out to save us all a spot for the afternoon events. I was FIRST!! The next thing I have any photos of was the "Epcot: Walt Disney's Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" with Steven Vagnini and Paul F. Anderson (sans spear).

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Here they talked about Walt's plans for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. I've always been so disappointed that we didn't get this original idea but, after seeing all the plans and hearing Walt talk about it - there's just no way it COULD have been built without him.

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Walt's sketch for his ideas for 'The Florida Project'. Amazing!

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The shopping/financial district is ENCLOSED! Awesome!

 

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We continued on our merry discussions of EPCOT as it COULD have been. In that awesome domed section was 'international' street - which would be like the World Showcase - in that the shops were from all around the world. A great idea. And one I'm glad we get to visit, in a sense.

How would you move around such wonders, eh? They had real nifty plans for that (which I have poorly photographed! HA!)

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There were three levels for transportation on for trucks, one for cars, and one on the 'street' level for public transportation!

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Here you can sort of 'see it in action' the truck are barely glimpsed below. The cars are right under the street and the Monorail and PeopleMover are the main sources of public transportation.

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They showed video of Walt describing EPCOT. It was from his last day of recording anything for the company. The photo is a still of the studio set up (you can click on it to go to my flickr page and then look at a bigger version of the pic. It's still kinda bad as I was hurrying to snap them before they took them off the screen). That's when I realized there was just no way EPCOT as it was envisioned originally could ever have existed without Walt to guide it every step of the way. I mourned his loss all over again. What a visionary.

Next up was some very fun stuff: "Past Forward: Walt Disney World on Television" After that Tony Baxter gave a brilliant presentation on "The Walt Disney World Resort That Never Was" and I could have SWORN that I had pictures from these two events. Instead, I'm thinking I was pretty enthralled with them and didn't raise my camera (or phone) even one time. It may be that we were instructed NOT to take any pictures of these two events (they did that occasionally). Tony's presentation was my favorite! He showed us amazing pics and even video of the model for the Western River Expedition ride! I WANT that ride!

After that it was time for the dinner break! We took turns holding our line space and grabbing food. I was NOT first but,we were in the front part of the line.

The evening event was "Walt Disney Resort on Film" and featured some HIGH-larious bits of promotional stuff!

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Forgive the blurriness. I was busily laughing at the 'Yes we can!' song documenting the building of WDW. With cameos from Michael Landon and good ol' Burt from Mary Poppins! Seriously!! They showed the opening day film for WDW! It featured more marching band than Main Street could handle!

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and it had dialogue that NO one would EVER say! I'm sorry Julie Andrews but the line "...a place where men point their space vehicles to the stars..." is SO not EPCOT! Who talks that way?! A great end to a fabulous first day!

I joined two new pals on a quick jaunt to Downtown Disney for a sundae! I had to be done! I snapped ONE picture of that trip and it's blurry because everyone was moving quickly away from me as I wolfed the cold sugary goodness down as fast as I could!

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Thanks peanut butter and chocolate, for existing!

Up Next: How I Slept Thru All the Good Stuff!

 

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How could you sleep through all the good stuff?!? I loved the pics of the stuffed critters enjoying the vacation, well, maybe not the one who was forced to drink the Beverly...

 

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How could you sleep through all the good stuff?!? I loved the pics of the stuffed critters enjoying the vacation, well, maybe not the one who was forced to drink the Beverly...

I swear, I really love that stuff (Beverly)! I think I'm the only person who does! And as for sleeping through the good stuff, I have special skillz!

 

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Waiting for the start by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

I had spent a late night on Saturday eating ice cream after Destination D: Day 1. I crawled into bed, setting my alarm for bright and early. I had considered trying to set up a wake up call as a back up for my alarm. I did not. Mistake. BIG mistake! My alarm went off and I snoozed away. My pals started texting me to make sure I was okay. Still, I snoozed. I snapped awake at the sound of house-keeping knocking on my door. 'Oh no!' I thought, 'I overslept! It's got to be around 9AM! I had planned to be up at 7!' I jumped out of bed and grabbed my phone. It was just after 11:00am. My phone was jammed with a boatload of text messages (mostly from Lurkyloo) all wondering where I was and if something happened to me.

I rushed to the bus and waited and waited. No luck like yesterday's luck!

I made it just in time to get in line for the afternoon session. Nice. I grabbed lunch and relieved my line buddies.

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Marty & Me by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
Hi, Marty! Thx for hanging with me again, pal! See ya at EXPO!

The afternoon sessions were: "Creating a Whole New (Walt) Disney World" (a panel with Marty Sklar, Debby Dane Browne (the first WDW Ambassador), Orlando Ferrante, Bob Foster, Bob Gurr, and Ron Logan. The last afternoon session was "Making the Magic Happen" a panel with Tim O'Day, Jack Lindquist, Bob Matheison, Tom Nabbe, Charlie Ridgeway, and Bill Sullivan.

They announced a autograph session when we wrapped up, with a very complicated line set up!

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At the end of the second session they brought both groups out for a fantastic photo op!

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Stage full of legends by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

The group headed in a couple of directions, a few went for the autographs, a few went for food, and a couple of us held our space in line.

I took a jaunt to the small archive display set up. They said I could take photos but, by the time I learned that, the room had gotten full so I didn't go back to document the beginnings. Instead, I snapped a bunch of pics of the animatronics on display. They didn't all come out great.

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Figment! by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]

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The HIGHlight for me, however?

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The Spear! by A-T-G, on Flickr[/IMG]
THE SPEAR!

A little while later, look who I ran into!

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As I proclaimed my love of the spear and my utter joy at seeing it again (and in the ARCHIVES, no less!) Paul told me about making this one to bring to us. What a champ! I assured him of the deep affection many of us felt for the spear and the fact that it just wouldn't be Destination D without it's appearance! He was so sweet and funny! and he let me HOLD the spear! AND he decked me in his Veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit necklace!

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My new look! And my favorite picture!

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Gimme that delicious grape jelly!

The evening session was going to be great! A concert with Richard Sherman and special guests! I, however, was feeling really tired and my chest was feeling full. I was thinking I had some 'con crud in my chest and maybe, just maybe...it was time to get out of the hotels and arctic death blast A/C. So, I...skipped the concert...to go to the Magic Kingdom.

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom until 2AM! Bliss!