MAY 2020 WISH Challenge - Anything is Possible

[MickeyMom76]

jigsaw puzzles and Netflix - my distractions from stress this week

Also thankful for puzzles and Netflix! We watched Outer Banks, which is partly the reason we booked a vacation there after cancelling our Mexico trip. We’ve been there many times before and it’s actually where my husband and I went for our anniversary. And we’ve completed 2 Disney puzzles during quarantine. Here’s our latest...

 

[MickeyMom76]

We are in York County-still red. People are getting testy. We’re fortunate to be able to stay home and we have an income coming in. Even if things ease up it will be a while before I feel like eating in a restaurant or going to a hair or nail salon.

My husbands best friend lives in York. Yes, everyone here in Bucks county is getting testy too. But in my town, the number of cases is just starting to increase. So I actually hope they keep restrictions a little longer. But overall, I think I’ve heard the number of cases in the county is starting to decrease.

 

[PollyannaMom]

What’s your favorite park? Animal Kingdom
What’s your favorite land in Magic Kingdom? Adventureland
What’s your favorite pavilion in World Showcase? Germany
What’s your favorite thrill ride? Splash Mountain
What’s your favorite show? the Main Street Electrical Parade
What’s your favorite restaurant? Skipper Canteen
What’s your favorite snack? Dole Whip
What’s your favorite Disney World Resort? Generally, whatever one I've just been to!

 

[Oneanne]

I also think that about people not processing the reality of it all - and it also partly comes down I think to how they think towards others for social responsibility. I mean I could say that everyone has their own personal risk threshold that they are prepared to take for themselves and may be why some don't care about precautions - but in that mix is the result of their actions on others which is the biggest issue.

I think there are some similarities on general phased plans between our countries - but the difference of course is the size and density of our populations and the fact that despite some bigger concentrated outbreaks we have done astonishingly well in getting our numbers down relatively quickly. But we have had a reminder again how easy it can pop up. One of our regional areas hadn't had a case since 13 March - then yesterday they got a positive test - it was a nurse who had traveled to Brisbane (the capital city of our state) - to a hospital for an specialist appointment - so from an area that seemingly had none - she went to an area where there were hundreds of cases plus a hospital - she has now taken it back to the regional area AND she worked in a aged care home - so now it is in lock down and everyone in the region is being asked to get tested even with the mildest of symptoms. She must have had permission to travel that distance for a necessary reason (doctor) because only this weekend is travel opening up to 150km from our homes for leisure. Supposedly in my region we have only 1 active case at the moment - but I am still very uneasy. Yesterday after the walk on the beach we stopped to get takeout - fish and chips and while I was at the counter - the woman who approached behind me was way to close for my comfort - there were crosses on the floor - I think she was not on it - but also - I look at the spacing of some of these floor indicators and don;t think they have been measured correctly - or maybe I just want a bigger buffer zone! Masks are not expected to be worn by general public here - suggested if you are ill - with anything I think that is - as if we have coronavirus and we have to isolate - they do random checks and you get fined if you are not in the home. I just saw on TV that our most conservative state for re-opening - Victoria - opened up testing for any teachers before they return to more open schools in about a week. So far 1200 teachers have been tested - not sure if all their results are in yet though. I think that is a great idea.

I think "won't happen to me" levels of denial are a big part of it. But also here in the USA, the actions required to contain the virus go against the grain of the national psyche which is built on personal freedom and individuality. I'm OK with people protesting and pushing back, that's how we find balance in the middle, but do it smartly like some of the businesses that are opening early, but following all the health protocols to keep their employees and customers safe. Last time I was at the hardware store two older guys, without masks, were talking in line behind me and one said he just didn't like wearing them... that I can't support, just not doing what needs to be done because it inconveniences you.

 

[sjrec]

My husbands best friend lives in York. Yes, everyone here in Bucks county is getting testy too. But in my town, the number of cases is just starting to increase. So I actually hope they keep restrictions a little longer. But overall, I think I’ve heard the number of cases in the county is starting to decrease.

We are going into the yellow phase next Friday-it was announced yesterday. The biggest change being larger (25) groups allowed and stores reopening with limited patrons. I still don’t feel the need to be in stores and will visit only with my daughter’s family at the 6 foot guidelines.

 

[Oneanne]

What’s your favorite park? EPCOT... I usually end up there most evenings.
What’s your favorite land in Magic Kingdom? Adventure Land... walking over the bridge from the hub, when you start to hear the music is one of the "I'm really here" things that triggers the happy tingles. Plus I love the attractions there.
What’s your favorite pavilion in World Showcase? Tough one now that Norway is gone, that little village at the end of the ride was a favorite. I also love walking thru the "alley way" in Morocco, looking at all the tile work. Hanging out by the fountain in Germany was a favorite thing I did with my Nephew (he was really in to pretzels at the time, so naturally we had to get one in Germany), so I like to do that each trip and remissness.
What’s your favorite thrill ride? I've done Everest five times back-to-back, but I also love Big Thunder.
What’s your favorite show? I do Lion King a couple times each trip, and try to do Hoop de Doo every other trip, last summer it was so hot/humid that I saw Nemo for the first time in 10+ years and loved it.
What’s your favorite restaurant? Flying Fish
What’s your favorite snack? Dole Whip, with rum
What’s your favorite Disney World Resort? Well I stay at POP the most, so it is a true home-away-from-home for me. But some day I do really want to stay at a delux, just once would do, either The Poly or possibly the Boardwalk.

 

[sjrec]

My favorite park is Animal Kingdom-l love the Safari ride!

My favorite land in the MK is Fantasyland. So many wonderful memories of my daughter and grandson experiencing the rides for the first time.

My favorite pavilion in Epcot is Norway. We enjoy cooling off and having lunch in the quick service restaurant.

My favorite thrill ride is the 7 Dwarves Mine Train. The theming is so good and my grandson would scream with joy when we ride together!

My favorite show is The Lion King. I never get tired of it-the performers are amazing.

It’s hard to pick only one restaurant! For breakfast the Crystal Palace, for lunch, any hotel quick service by the pool, and for dinner California Grille. Can’t beat that view!

Snacks are tough as well-does the Grey Goose slushy in France count?

We have never been disappointed in any of our resort stays but I think my favorite is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sitting on the balcony watching the animals is such a treat and it’s such a beautiful resort.

This was fun to think about! We still have reservations for August and October, but not making any decisions yet.

 

[Oneanne]

My day trip yesterday was wonderful, exactly what I needed. I went down to the beach at Ft Warden and wandered around for a while. There were a couple older guys on the beach fishing, it always blows me away that there are so many older men in PT, I'm pretty sure my boyfriend lives there . I drove past the house that was for sale that I was interested in, there's an offer on it already but I wouldn't have bought it anyway because there are too many really tall trees around it, and tall trees over the house is something I just can't do.

Then I went over to my Niece's for our socially distant visit. I talked to them about their house buying experience and she's going to give me the name of her mortgage broker, because they were thrilled with the job he did for them. I need to map out a concrete plan for the next year, to get myself in position to buy. My big challenge is that I also feel like I need to suck it up and get a new car, but trying to do both within a year is too much, as I want to pay cash because I don't want a car payment and I want to set myself up with a mortgage payment that'll work on my retirement budget. Lots to think about.

The cloud cover did burn off the clear blues skies and the drive back was beautiful. Plus I had just missed a boat and had to wait at the ferry dock for a while, which I really enjoyed... it was interesting to sit on that side and look across the water to my neighborhood.

 

[Summer2018]

What’s your favorite park? Magic Kingdom

What’s your favorite land in Magic Kingdom? Fantasyland

What’s your favorite pavilion in World Showcase? Norway. I'm half Swedish, and it reminds me of when we were in Sweden. I miss the 2004 version. It changes every time we have visited, not in a good way, and even though I like the Frozen ride, I miss the old one a lot. I keep hoping that the proposed Mary Poppins area in England comes to fruition, but with the pandemic and financial hit that Disney is taking, who knows.

What’s your favorite thrill ride? I don't do thrill rides.

What’s your favorite show? Lion King, although I really enjoy any show.

What’s your favorite restaurant? Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. California Grill or Narcoossees for dinner. 'Ohana is great for breakfast or dinner. Sorry. It's so hard to pick one.

What’s your favorite snack? Mickey Rice Krispie Treat.

What’s your favorite Disney World Resort? Polynesian. I wish I could take Beach Club's pool, Stormalong Bay and move it to the Poly. We also love Contemporary, but not as much as the Poly. The entire vibe is so relaxing and chill.

 

[4Mickeys]

We watched Outer Banks, which is partly the reason we booked a vacation there after cancelling our Mexico trip.

DD and I binge watched OB together last week I told her yesterday you were planning a trip there. Hope you enjoy it. DD and I have a plan that when we can afford it we want to come back to the US and do a big holiday visiting all the places we have gotten a taste of through favourite tv shows or movies - the South will be a huge part of that. Plus other iconic places but its nice to have a mix of experiences in there - touristy and not so touristy. I find that whilst the tv and movie places might inspire a visit you get to see so much more along the way on your journey there. For example when we were in LA - I wanted to visit some of 'The OC' locations - which took us wider of LA itself to Redondo Beach and down to Palos Verdes area - A great day - the food at the diner on the Redondo Pier was yummy and the views from the chapel and the drive along there were gorgeous - we loved seeing all the different styles of houses and things like that as we drove along.

I'm pretty sure my boyfriend lives there

Lots to think about

So many exciting things ahead for you A lady I used to work with - decided to move interstate - when she did she went on a dating site and 'met' someone in the area she was moving to before she even left! They chatted and met up - they got married and she was happier than she had been in years. I wonder sometimes if that mind-shift that can happen with a big move opens us up to other new situations and people too

 

[Flossbolna]

Flossbolna, I saw you popped in and liked a couple posts-hope you and your family are all good. I am a big admirer of Angela Merkel and from news reports it seems she has Germany in a good place. Stay well.

Hello! Yes, I am still reading on here. My family and I are doing well. But I am still very emotionally drained by it all and seem to lack energy for posting (or caring about my weight). But it felt that if I at least react to posts, I am slowly getting back into things.

We had a huge scare in March here in Germany because the skiing resorts in Austria worked as the incubator for many parts of Europe. That’s why cases exploded so quickly despite having a pretty good testing, tracing and tracking system in place from the start. But it seems that the measures were taken just at the right time. And even though we have started opening up, cases are still declining.

It’s really interesting how different one’s leaders can be perceived from abroad. Merkel appears to be far more popular in the US than she was in Germany for most of her time in government. But then President Obama has something like an approval rating of 80% among Germans. If you don’t see the nitty gritty stuff of daily politics it’s easier to approve. But I do agree that our government has had a very good strategy in general. We did have our missteps (not enough PPE in stockpiles, but levels weren’t catastrophically low) and since Germany is a Federal Republic, a lot of the response has been on state level. But Merkel was incredibly important to get all 16 governors to work as much as possible in lock step for a common response and she was vital in getting the message through about how serious this is. She actually did her first ever televised address to the nation in March besides her annual New Years address. And most of our economic response is dealt with on the federal level.

All in all, I feel we are starting to be set up sensibly for the long long months to come where we need to prevent a resurgence of the virus. We are opening up slowly and differentiate between areas which are more and less affected. We also never locked down fully. Schools, restaurants, most shops and nearly all public places (with the exception of parks) closed. But most of Germany never had a stay at home order, only a contact prohibition. Not meeting anyone inside privately that wasn’t a member of your household. Outside two people could meet when keeping 5 feet distance, but not more than two.

I have to admit that it scares me to see that Florida, which currently still has 4 times as many daily new cases per 1 million people as Germany Is starting to open up quicker than us. That’s where my husband is currently with his mother and brother. He has been splitting his time between there and here for the last years and this virus made that now so much more difficult. Neither of us is keen for him to get on a plane at the moment to come here for 4 months to then fly back again... But not seeing each other until there is a vaccine? And what if one of us goes get sick? Or his mother gets sick while he is here. That’s where most of my current stress is coming from...

But I am getting better! Yesterday I went on a bike tour with a friend and her son to an asparagus farm and afterwards we had coffee on their patio (still keeping the 5 feet distance!) and it was so nice and do good for my mental wellbeing!!

 

[Flossbolna]

What’s your favorite park?
Animal Kingdom. I love how complex it is. I find it to be the most detailed and seeing the animals is always different. I make a point to visit the walking trails every trip. And the attraction line up is really good, too.

What’s your favorite land in Magic Kingdom?
Frontierland. I kind of think of Liberty Square and Frontierland as one big land and I live the kinetics of the river

What’s your favorite pavilion in World Showcase?
Japan. I just live browsing the store!

What’s your favorite thrill ride?
Tower of Terror!

What’s your favorite show?
Festival of the Lion King. I used to not be a show person, but this one I fell in live with immediately.

What’s your favorite restaurant?
It used to be Flying Fish, but our last meal there was only so/so. Maybe it’s the Boathouse now... Ultimately I have many restaurants that I like, but none is a must do for me.

What’s your favorite snack?
Chocolate covered marshmallows from Goofy’s Candy Company. And just behind: the orange/vanilla swirl from the MK (I think it’s now in the old Dole Whip location as they swapped places).

What’s your favorite Disney World Resort?
AKL. Ironically my DVC points are at Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge though. Which I love, too. But AKL was my first love!

 

[MickeyMom76]

Hello! Yes, I am still reading on here. My family and I are doing well. But I am still very emotionally drained by it all and seem to lack energy for posting (or caring about my weight). But it felt that if I at least react to posts, I am slowly getting back into things.

We had a huge scare in March here in Germany because the skiing resorts in Austria worked as the incubator for many parts of Europe. That’s why cases exploded so quickly despite having a pretty good testing, tracing and tracking system in place from the start. But it seems that the measures were taken just at the right time. And even though we have started opening up, cases are still declining.

It’s really interesting how different one’s leaders can be perceived from abroad. Merkel appears to be far more popular in the US than she was in Germany for most of her time in government. But then President Obama has something like an approval rating of 80% among Germans. If you don’t see the nitty gritty stuff of daily politics it’s easier to approve. But I do agree that our government has had a very good strategy in general. We did have our missteps (not enough PPE in stockpiles, but levels weren’t catastrophically low) and since Germany is a Federal Republic, a lot of the response has been on state level. But Merkel was incredibly important to get all 16 governors to work as much as possible in lock step for a common response and she was vital in getting the message through about how serious this is. She actually did her first ever televised address to the nation in March besides her annual New Years address. And most of our economic response is dealt with on the federal level.

All in all, I feel we are starting to be set up sensibly for the long long months to come where we need to prevent a resurgence of the virus. We are opening up slowly and differentiate between areas which are more and less affected. We also never locked down fully. Schools, restaurants, most shops and nearly all public places (with the exception of parks) closed. But most of Germany never had a stay at home order, only a contact prohibition. Not meeting anyone inside privately that wasn’t a member of your household. Outside two people could meet when keeping 5 feet distance, but not more than two.

I have to admit that it scares me to see that Florida, which currently still has 4 times as many daily new cases per 1 million people as Germany Is starting to open up quicker than us. That’s where my husband is currently with his mother and brother. He has been splitting his time between there and here for the last years and this virus made that now so much more difficult. Neither of us is keen for him to get on a plane at the moment to come here for 4 months to then fly back again... But not seeing each other until there is a vaccine? And what if one of us goes get sick? Or his mother gets sick while he is here. That’s where most of my current stress is coming from...

But I am getting better! Yesterday I went on a bike tour with a friend and her son to an asparagus farm and afterwards we had coffee on their patio (still keeping the 5 feet distance!) and it was so nice and do good for my mental wellbeing!!

So good to hear from you and how things are in Germany. That must be stressful with your husband here. I’m so glad you were able to get out with your friend!

 

[MickeyMom76]

It’s Self Care Sunday!
What are you going to do for yourself today?

 

[MickeyMom76]

Even if you’re busy (or maybe I should say...especially when you are busy),here are some quick self care ideas!

I started by letting myself sleep in today to catch up on much needed rest! I’m going to make breakfast now. Then our new Sunday routineof watching our church service online followed by Some Good News by John Krasinski. And I’m going to get outside for a walk or bike ride with the family.

Hope you all have a peaceful day!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Self-care today started with couple TV time. (We DVR Council of Dads and tend to watch it over coffee on Sunday mornings.)

After checking in here, I will probably take the cat out for a walk. (Yes, she's weird.)

Middle of the day is up in the air. I was supposed to be going over new course materials with DS, but he got called into work early.

This evening, we are ordering Thai food to celebrate our anniversary. (I also woke up to a lovely card DH made! - #newquarantineskills)

 

[Oneanne]

Self-care today started with couple TV time. (We DVR Council of Dads and tend to watch it over coffee on Sunday mornings.)

After checking in here, I will probably take the cat out for a walk. (Yes, she's weird.)

Middle of the day is up in the air. I was supposed to be going over new course materials with DS, but he got called into work early.

This evening, we are ordering Thai food to celebrate our 23rd anniversary. (I also woke up to a lovely card DH made! - #newquarantineskills)

Happy Anniversary!

 

[Oneanne]

My self care today is to finish up in the craft room, and move the desk in so I'm ready for work tomorrow. I'll have a much nicer backdrop for video calls, since I've arranged a couple pieces of art on the wall behind where I'll sit.

The weather is still drippy this morning but expected to burn off mid-day, so I'm waiting to go down to the beach until early afternoon. This will probably be my last beach walk until next weekend, so I'll make it a good one.

And I'm going to do more research on buying a first house, so I can have some questions in mind when I talk to the mortgage broker. Yesterday I pulled my credit report for the first time in forever, and it's very good but there was a recommendation to have a few more credit accounts to make it even better. So I opened an Alaska Airlines miles card, something I have been thinking about doing anyway. I'll need to get into the habit of using it, instead of my debit card, and paying the balance off every month. My Niece said this is the card they got when they started building their credit and that it has a category budgeting feature that they use... it is going to be very interesting to see where my money is actually going. There's a 40,000 mile bonus for signing up and I've decided to redeem some of those points to upgrade my WDW tickets to first class... it'll be the last trip I take for a while, so I want to make it a blow out! Plus, I figure there are fewer people and more space in first class.

 

[sjrec]

Hello! Yes, I am still reading on here. My family and I are doing well. But I am still very emotionally drained by it all and seem to lack energy for posting (or caring about my weight). But it felt that if I at least react to posts, I am slowly getting back into things.

We had a huge scare in March here in Germany because the skiing resorts in Austria worked as the incubator for many parts of Europe. That’s why cases exploded so quickly despite having a pretty good testing, tracing and tracking system in place from the start. But it seems that the measures were taken just at the right time. And even though we have started opening up, cases are still declining.

It’s really interesting how different one’s leaders can be perceived from abroad. Merkel appears to be far more popular in the US than she was in Germany for most of her time in government. But then President Obama has something like an approval rating of 80% among Germans. If you don’t see the nitty gritty stuff of daily politics it’s easier to approve. But I do agree that our government has had a very good strategy in general. We did have our missteps (not enough PPE in stockpiles, but levels weren’t catastrophically low) and since Germany is a Federal Republic, a lot of the response has been on state level. But Merkel was incredibly important to get all 16 governors to work as much as possible in lock step for a common response and she was vital in getting the message through about how serious this is. She actually did her first ever televised address to the nation in March besides her annual New Years address. And most of our economic response is dealt with on the federal level.

All in all, I feel we are starting to be set up sensibly for the long long months to come where we need to prevent a resurgence of the virus. We are opening up slowly and differentiate between areas which are more and less affected. We also never locked down fully. Schools, restaurants, most shops and nearly all public places (with the exception of parks) closed. But most of Germany never had a stay at home order, only a contact prohibition. Not meeting anyone inside privately that wasn’t a member of your household. Outside two people could meet when keeping 5 feet distance, but not more than two.

I have to admit that it scares me to see that Florida, which currently still has 4 times as many daily new cases per 1 million people as Germany Is starting to open up quicker than us. That’s where my husband is currently with his mother and brother. He has been splitting his time between there and here for the last years and this virus made that now so much more difficult. Neither of us is keen for him to get on a plane at the moment to come here for 4 months to then fly back again... But not seeing each other until there is a vaccine? And what if one of us goes get sick? Or his mother gets sick while he is here. That’s where most of my current stress is coming from...

But I am getting better! Yesterday I went on a bike tour with a friend and her son to an asparagus farm and afterwards we had coffee on their patio (still keeping the 5 feet distance!) and it was so nice and do good for my mental wellbeing!!

Good to hear from you! Isn’t it nice to “see” other people and just get out?
The Florida situation will bear watching. Hoping you can get together soon!

 

[sjrec]

Self-care today started with couple TV time. (We DVR Council of Dads and tend to watch it over coffee on Sunday mornings.)

After checking in here, I will probably take the cat out for a walk. (Yes, she's weird.)

Middle of the day is up in the air. I was supposed to be going over new course materials with DS, but he got called into work early.

This evening, we are ordering Thai food to celebrate our anniversary. (I also woke up to a lovely card DH made! - #newquarantineskills)

Happy anniversary! We also celebrated ours last month in quarantine with carry out and a Netflix movie!