The Widow, the Spinster, and the Missus take on Disneyland - The Widow and the Spinster back again! - 9/9

[franandaj]

Interesting turn of phrase, there.

I don't get it?

So... at first I read "spinster" as "stingy"...
I don't know Jill, but that surprised me until I read on... "Oh! Spinster... okay, then."

Nice! Company's coming.

Canadians even!

Wasn't it Mark who first called your friend Bob?

Yeah, and I just liked that...so I ran with it.

I just couldn't. Brunch is too much food and/or too late for me to eat and then have the room and/or desire to eat a fantastic meal.

Well it really wasn't "Brunch" except that Jenny ordered a Mimosa with Cranberry Juice. I think she just likes to call breakfast Brunch cause it sounds fancier. We ate at 9AM so plenty of time until our 5PM reservation.

mmm...
Thing looks massive!

Yes, it was. I only ate half of it.

Then that's a good thing.

It depends... If I'm eating it with eggs and pan fries/hash browns/whatever, then I want regular bacon. But if I'm tasting bacon as an appy, then bring on the maple syrup (or pepper or whatever flavour you got.)

I just didn't care for the heavy maple taste of this bacon. I do love Peppered bacon though.

Huh. Surprised by that. I'd not touch something unless it was a very easy fix. Wouldn't want to call my landlord and say "There's a problem... but don't worry, I made it worse, so now there's really a problem."

I think it was an easy fix. I think the deadbolt wasn't lining up with the slot and it just needed an adjustment to put it back.

Have you sold off all the mugs you wanted to divest yourself of?

Not even. I have a guy who's taking care of that for me. He takes 40% and does all the work. He writes me a check about once a month.

Hi, ladies!

Looks like he saw you too!
Actually... that's a pretty accurate Jack Sparrow. Looks just like him.

I think actually he was looking past me. I was pretty far away and zoomed in on him.

Um... isn't that it there? Or was it gone and you missed it, but now it's back?

A few years back it was gone for a very long time.....

Had no idea.

I think I ranted about it in one of my posts back in January.

Oh boy. Talk about going from one end of the experience line to the other! Club 33 one day. Hazardous waste recycling the next!

Well when Jill visited in May I had about 10 laptops laying around the house. She removed the hard drives on them, but we still had to smash them before taking them to hazardous waste. I also had some sharps containers with all the needles from Fran's Lovenox injections. They will take those things, but they had to be in an appropriate container. Fran had put them in V8 jars, so I had to get an appropriate container. I think that was it for what we had to take there. Then she replaced my taillight.

Nice shot of you all.

Thanks!

This really hit me.

I always enjoy comparing my picks to yours... and was always very close to matching Fran.
As soon as I saw the menu...
Well... just made me sad and miss her all over again.

I know. One of the servers who knew us came up to our table and made the heart symbol with her hands, and I kind of lost it for a little bit.

That's the second time you've mentioned SHAG... had to Google. Now I know.

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of his style of art, but when there is a mug, I want one for the collection.

My pick for first course.

I thought about that one, but I love scallops.

Although this was a very close second.

It was really good.

Looks like I'm on the same page as Jenny, this time.

Hmmm....I didn't even consider that choice.

I don't know what sounds better! The meal you were served or what you turned it into!

It was way better as the rib eye, but it did make a pretty good little Roast Beef and Cheddar sandwich.

Nope. This time I missed on all three. I would've picked Lillian's Lemon Cake.

I'd had that one before and didn't care for it so much.

I don't know what I would've done. I usually don't carry cash, either.
Hmmm... maybe ordered a drink or something after and paid for that, plus add the tip?

That thought crossed my mind....

 

[franandaj]

What a great start to the trip report! The food looks delicious

Thank you, it was very delicious!

 

[franandaj]

What a fun Disney day, full of delicious-looking food and wine!

I'm so glad you have two such terrific friends to help you enter this next chapter. And there couldn't be a better backdrop than Disney! Looking forward to hearing more of your day-trip adventures.

I don't know what I would do without these two ladies to keep me in good spirits, and have things to look forward to!

 

[franandaj]

I'm in for allllll the fun Disney shenanigans you ladies get up to

Hopefully there's lots of fun shenanigans!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Here for the fun!

 

[pkondz]

I don't get it?

Some people believe in reincarnation. So after Fran's passing, and now you mention the next incarnation of the TR.

Well it really wasn't "Brunch" except that Jenny ordered a Mimosa with Cranberry Juice. I think she just likes to call breakfast Brunch cause it sounds fancier. We ate at 9AM so plenty of time until our 5PM reservation.

Fancy breakfast.

I think it was an easy fix. I think the deadbolt wasn't lining up with the slot and it just needed an adjustment to put it back.

Easy, then.

A few years back it was gone for a very long time.....

Ohhh...

Well when Jill visited in May I had about 10 laptops laying around the house. She removed the hard drives on them, but we still had to smash them before taking them to hazardous waste. I also had some sharps containers with all the needles from Fran's Lovenox injections. They will take those things, but they had to be in an appropriate container. Fran had put them in V8 jars, so I had to get an appropriate container. I think that was it for what we had to take there.

10 laptops?!?!?!?

Then she replaced my taillight.

Sounds like she's pretty handy to have around!

I know. One of the servers who knew us came up to our table and made the heart symbol with her hands, and I kind of lost it for a little bit.

Awww...

It was way better as the rib eye, but it did make a pretty good little Roast Beef and Cheddar sandwich.

mmmm...

I'd had that one before and didn't care for it so much.

Then you had the advantage.

 

[franandaj]

Great start to your trip report. The food looks so good.

Thanks! The food was good!

 

[franandaj]

This looks like a lovely start to your new adventures - following along!

It was a great kick off! More adventures to come!

 

[franandaj]

Here for the fun!

 

[franandaj]

Some people believe in reincarnation. So after Fran's passing, and now you mention the next incarnation of the TR.

Ah, well I believe in that, but I think it takes a while. I think she is still out in the whatevers out there, waiting to come back.

Fancy breakfast.

10 laptops?!?!?!?

Well, we brought them with us when we moved from the old place. We really didn't know what to do with them, data wise and everything. So it was probably 10+ years of computers.

Sounds like she's pretty handy to have around!

Yes, she is! She can fix things!

Then you had the advantage.

 

[franandaj]

So this next update has some background to it that I’ll have to get into. Besides, it leads up to my next big Trip Report (which will not be on a Disney trip), but I’ll get there eventually. Bear with me, there’s going to be a lot of words before the pictures come. This update has a guest appearance from Anita and Marc from Kansas. She hasn’t been on the DISboards in a very long time, so not sure if many of you know her. Anyways, let’s get on with the story.

For those of you who do not know this yet, Jill and I are planning a trip to Egypt. She booked the trip way back in 2022 as a birthday present for herself. She was just planning on going solo, and then Fran passed away. I was talking about needing something to look forward to and so she just put it out there, “Would you like to come to Egypt with me?”

I was not expecting that. This was not like anything that Fran and I had done in many years. In the beginning we did all kinds of interesting travel, but as her health declined, we stuck mostly to cruises and Disneyworld for big trips. This would be very out of character for my recent self, but would certainly be something exciting and something to look forward to!

After careful consideration and much research, I decided to go on the trip to Egypt. There were lots of details that I needed to attend to. In early May when Jill was staying with me before our 21 Royal visit, we booked all the necessary flights. I started on my Global Entry application. Jill already had Global Entry, and evidently it makes your return to the states much easier and far less waiting in line. Our last day of the trip to Egypt is very long. It starts with a 7AM plane out of Cairo with a layover in London and arriving in Denver at about 4:30PM. Waiting in a 45 minute+ line after all that will not be pleasant.

The online application for Global was easy, just pay some money, answer a few questions, hit submit, and then wait for confirmation. The next step was significantly more difficult. You need to schedule an in-person interview where you get fingerprinted, have your passport scanned, and show documents for proof of residency and income. I started checking for availability and Los Angeles could get me in about 11 months later in April 2024, same for San Francisco.

I started checking places like San Diego, but I couldn’t even get any appointment times to show up. I can’t remember all the places I looked, but I tried a ton with no success. They were either just scheduling appointments after my trip would be over or not even scheduling because they were booked so far out. I was considering flying wherever there was an available appointment. Then I looked at Calexico, they had an appointment in early August on a Thursday. Calexico is a small border town in California, located about ⅔ of the way from San Diego to the Arizona border. It’s a two hour drive from Palm Springs area, and I figured that I could drive out to Palm Springs, stay overnight, drive to the interview and back, rest for a night and drive home. So I booked it.

What I didn’t realize at the time, was that Anita and Marc were planning to visit Disney that week, so I decided that I would stop by Anaheim Friday on my way home from Palm Springs to see them. Things got more confusing when Jill realized she had two days of PTO that she needed to use up before September, so she booked a trip out to Anaheim. She put in a waitlist at the Grand, but also booked a room at the new Westin on Katella where the old Anabella used to be.

Are you following all of this? There are lots of moving parts. Don’t worry there will be pictures coming soon!

So Jill offered to let me stay overnight in her room that Friday after we met up with Anita so I didn’t have to drive home. Jill got free breakfast for two, plus a $100 food and beverage credit included in her stay. Every other time she stayed there, she left the F&B credit “on the table” so to speak. So I cleared the extra night with my cat sitter, and a plan was starting to form. I could certainly help to use up that Beverage credit!

Anita and Marc arrived in Anaheim on the Sunday night, before all this travel that Jill and were planning. One of the things that Fran left me with plenty of, is what we called, “Big Meats”. For the last month, I’ve been having “Big Meat” Dinner parties. I invite over some friends and make a Prime Rib, a Turkey, a Ham….not all on the same night, but one for each group of friends. So for Anita and Marc I did “Easter in August” and made what I might consider an Easter dinner. In addition to Marc and Anita, Jenny (the Missus) was also in attendance, but we didn’t take any people pictures.

For these dinners, I get to use my best Disney Dishes!

The main attraction was the Ham.

But I also served Scalloped Potatoes.

Summer Salad

Asparagus

Jenny brought the rolls

And of course the ham sliced:

For dessert I made these lovely Chocolate Pots du Creme. They’re super easy in my cooking blender. Just add chocolate chips, sugar, creme, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Press Sauce/Dip and in 30 minutes you have this super yummy custard. Just portion it into cups and place in the fridge for a few hours and Shazam!

Top with whipped cream and you have a super tasty dessert with no effort at all!

After dinner, I had set aside all of Fran’s Disney shirts from the garage sale a few weeks before. As you all know she was a large economy size kind of gal, but she enjoyed wearing men’s fashions instead of women’s. Well Marc also wears the same size a she did, so we spent about an hour of him looking through all her clothes that would have otherwise been donated, and wouldn’t you know? He took nearly all four boxes of shirts!

The next day was my day for band rehearsal, but on Wednesday I set off on my trip to the desert. It was supposed to be 111° out there, and I didn’t want to be driving in that sort of heat. I left just before 10AM and arrived by noon. I arrived in greater Palm Springs just in time to catch a 12:30 showing of Oppenheimer. What do you do when it’s that hot out? Sit in an air-conditioned movie theater for three hours!

By the time I got out of the movie, I was sure my room was ready. The hotel looked nice enough on the outside, but once I got to my room there were some things that were quite amiss. Just to put this in perspective I had booked the Embassy Suites Palm Desert, so I was expecting more than just a place to crash. There are two rooms, living room and bedroom, and neither TV had a satellite signal. I called about it, and they said that they would send someone up.

It took a while for the guy to get there, and they ended up moving me to a new room. Then I went down for the complimentary Happy Hour, and they had Ruffles and Ranch, Tortilla Chips and Salsa (which is fine, most places don’t go all out for the free happy hour). The bartender was 15 minutes late to serve drinks, and I had somewhere to be. I ended up with this.

I had plans to meet my friends from Rancho Mirage for dinner. They had attended Fran’s memorial, but I didn’t have time to catch up with anyone there. We were looking forward to getting together. At the movie theater, I’d eaten pizza and popcorn, and I think my breakfast was a Ham and Cheese Croissant, by dinner I was feeling pretty scurvy-like. For dinner I ordered a Cobb Salad. It was fantastic, but such a large serving!

When I got back to the room, I realized that while the TV got the ABC channel (which I like for news), many other channels were still lacking a Satellite signal. I found a Castle marathon, so I amused myself with that. Jill mentioned that if I wanted to come a day early I was welcome. I told her that with the temperature in the desert and the quality of the hotel, I was seriously considering it.

The room wasn’t unclean, but the couch was fairly uncomfortable, and unlike other Embassy Suites all the rooms opened up to the outdoors. I’m sure it’s beautiful in January, but in August it’s fairly unbearable. I brought my swim suit, but I didn’t even want to go outside it was so hot.

I decided to pack up all my stuff in the morning and once I finished my interview, I would decide if I were up to driving to Anaheim or if I would just go back to the hotel, and I drifted off to sleep with that thought.

I woke up nice and early, took a bath and a shower so that I would be presentable for the agent. I went down to breakfast just before 8AM and got the made to order omelet while I picked out the rest of my breakfast choices. There was no fresh fruit. The pastries on offer were similar to grocery store pastries cut into pieces, and everything was just under par for what I expect at an Embassy Suites. My omelet was excellent and perfectly cooked (even though technically what they serve is really a folded frittata). This is what I ate. And no, there is nothing wrong with it, I am just spoiled.

So I was off to Calexico before 9AM and was actually pulling into town just after 11AM. Here’s where things took a wrong turn. The signage was poor and before I knew it, I was on my way to Mexico, literally going through the border. At that point I started freaking out. I still had plenty of time before my interview, but what if I made a wrong move? A corrupt police officer took me into custody? I turned out onto the road/highway just south of the border and found a place to make a U-turn, came back and tried to get in the line for general border return. For some reason the guy directing traffic made me go in the lane for people with special papers. When I got to the agent who asked for my papers, I explained that they guy told me to get in this lane, but I didn't have any papers, just a passport. She waved me through a little annoyed that the guys on the other end were doing that, but there wasn't much she could do.

Here I am waiting to get to the actual border.

When I got there I told the agent that I was just here for a Global Entry interview, and he said that it happens all the time. He gave me very specific directions as to where to go and I found my way easily. I checked in half an hour early, and I barely had time to go to the bathroom, sit down and get my tablet out, when my name was called. It was a quick process. The biggest problem was my hands were clammy (probably cause of my nerves from that quick trip to Mexico), and my left hand fingerprints were coming out blurry. We got it all fixed and I was done and in possession of my new PASSID before noon!

I had decided waiting in that line to get back over the border, that I was definitely going to Anaheim today! After that terrifying experience I needed some drinks with my friends!

While I was going through all that, Anita and Marc had picked Jill up from the airport and whisked her off to Glendora to get a peach filled donut. They ended up going to the parks for a few hours.

When I mapped it, Google told me it would be 3 hours and 39 minutes to Anaheim, what that didn’t say was that was using toll roads. It ended up taking me about 5 hours, with a stop for gas in El Centro and another stop for potty at the Aliso Creek rest stop north of La Jolla. It was an interesting drive that I had not made before. I drove through some very beautiful desert rock mountains, and saw some stunning views. As much as I could while keeping my eye on the road! This was basically my route for the last two days or 31 hours.

While I was driving like a crazy woman, Jill took Anita and Marc to their first ever meal at the Plaza Inn. Jill enjoyed the winner winner chicken dinner!

They stopped at the Jolly Holiday Bakery to pick up some treats to bring back to the room, and decided to take an afternoon break. When I finally exited the freeway, I texted Jill from a stoplight that I was almost there. She said that she would meet me downstairs, and pretty soon we were parking the car, getting it “registered” and all that.

We decided to try our luck at DCA, and we were able to get table at the bar near Carthay and met up with Diana and Marc. I ordered my normal Vodka Gibson Up. Jill and Anita got Pineapple Daiquiris, and Marc got an iced tea.

I’m not sure what they got to eat but Jill and I split the Filet Mignon Beef Skewers, Aji Amarillo, Peruvian Stewed Beans. This was super good, and something that I could probably eat myself as a meal.

I was still hungry, and Jill said she would help me so we also got the Vietnamese Twice-cooked Beef Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple-Mint Salsa. These were also really good and I ended up eating most of them.

Since we had a few drinks under our belts, it was time to go on a few rides. Buzzed Guardians is always a hoot! You can see Marc and Diana next to Jill and I so, “Pictures, it happened!” And of course we got the Jackson Five, “I want you back.”

Then we went on Radiator Springs Racer. I think we won the race.

I don’t remember if we rode Soarin’ or not before taking off to go home. I do know that Jill and I tried to go up to the rooftop bar at the Westin, but it was basically shutting down, it was way too cold up there, and we were both about 25 years too old for that crowd, so we decided just to kick it in the lobby bar. I had a couple more of my drinks (sans the onion as they didn’t stock them), and I think Jill had one. At their prices, we pretty much used up the majority of her F&B credit, and went up to the room to go to bed.

Both Jill and I slept in until 8AM which is not usual for either of us. While I don’t get out of bed before 8AM, I’m usually up, playing on my phone or tablet, but I had evidently needed that sleep! Our plan today was to get some rides in at DCA, and then see the 12:30 showing of Rogers! The Musical.

The previous evening we had asked Anita if they were interested in seeing it with us. Her answers clearly indicated that she was not a Marvel fan, had no knowledge of what we were talking about, and would not at all enjoy a Musical based on the Marvel Universe. So we decided to meet up with them sometime in the afternoon.

First order of the day was breakfast. As you can see from my plates, this breakfast was far superior to the one I’d had at the Embassy Suites the day before. They had real mini pastries and not “chopped up grocery store pastries”.

And these pancakes were amazing, especially for buffet pancakes!

Fully stuffed we were ready to hit the parks! Our first stop was Webslingers. Now you know that you’ve been on the ride a lot of times when you stop taking pictures of this part of the pre-show. I had to go all the way back to 2021 to get these pictures of the full pre-show.

The pictures I took on this day actually focused on this region of the show.

Now I tend to focus on the minutiae. It's so funny all the stuff that the imagineers come up with. These post-it notes are cute.

These lockers are so cool. They represent a lot of lesser known Marvel characters. I don’t know who most of them are as I can just barely keep up with the folks who are in the actual movies.

Jill and I were placed in a car with two other people, while we both whooped their butts. As she usually does, Jill served me a big ole can of whoop-A$s!

I’m going to leave it off here for now. Up next, How quickly can you condense the Marvel universe into a 30 minute musical?

 

[jedijill]

A

Yes, she is! She can fix things!

And I can leave presents including the loose screw in the tailgate so Alison is reminded of my handy skillz every time she opens the liftgate!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

I'm so glad you decided to join me in Egypt (and Jordan!) and my birthday. It's going to be rough turning 30 again!

We had so much fun with Marc and Anita. Apparently the donut place has been featured on The Food Network and is a big deal! The peach donut was delicious! Sorry I missed Easter in August...the ham looked amazing!

We had so much fun...I'm glad you came directly from the desert! And I'm pretty sure we did ride Soarin'!

Jill in CO

 

[pkondz]

Well, we brought them with us when we moved from the old place. We really didn't know what to do with them, data wise and everything. So it was probably 10+ years of computers.

Still works out to 1 laptop/year. Even considering you both each had your own, that's still one new laptop every other year!

Besides, it leads up to my next big Trip Report (which will not be on a Disney trip)

What? Is this possible?

Bear with me,

For those of you who do not know this yet, Jill and I are planning a trip to Egypt.

I started on my Global Entry application.

Thanks for the reminder! I read this and immediately applied for Nexus. Wait times are a year, but...

The online application for Global was easy, just pay some money, answer a few questions, hit submit, and then wait for confirmation. The next step was significantly more difficult. You need to schedule an in-person interview where you get fingerprinted, have your passport scanned, and show documents for proof of residency and income. I started checking for availability and Los Angeles could get me in about 11 months later in April 2024, same for San Francisco.

We'll see how soon I can get in. Like you, I think if I venture afar, I'll get it more quickly.

but also booked a room at the new Westin on Katella where the old Anabella used to be.

Oh! The Anabella was where I first stayed on my first visit to see you.

Jill got free breakfast for two, plus a $100 food and beverage credit included in her stay.

Nice!

I could certainly help to use up that Beverage credit!

Can you now?

The main attraction was the Ham.

All of it looks good, but that ham, especially. Yum!

For dessert I made these lovely Chocolate Pots du Creme. They’re super easy in my cooking blender. Just add chocolate chips, sugar, creme, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Press Sauce/Dip and in 30 minutes you have this super yummy custard. Just portion it into cups and place in the fridge for a few hours and Shazam!

Easy!

Top with whipped cream and you have a super tasty dessert with no effort at all!

Real whipped cream??

. Well Marc also wears the same size a she did, so we spent about an hour of him looking through all her clothes that would have otherwise been donated, and wouldn’t you know? He took nearly all four boxes of shirts!

Score for him.

I arrived in greater Palm Springs just in time to catch a 12:30 showing of Oppenheimer.

How was it?

For dinner I ordered a Cobb Salad.

mmm... Love a good Cobb salad.

in August it’s fairly unbearable. I brought my swim suit, but I didn’t even want to go outside it was so hot.

If it's too hot for you, I'm pretty sure a Canadian would burst into flames.

My omelet was excellent and perfectly cooked (even though technically what they serve is really a folded frittata).

But glad it was cooked well.

The signage was poor and before I knew it, I was on my way to Mexico, literally going through the border.

I've done that. Except it was a wrong turn on a bridge in Canada and no way off until the US.

We got it all fixed and I was done and in possession of my new PASSID before noon!

Does that mean you have your Global Entry? Or is that something else?

a peach filled donut.

Whoa! Want!

When I mapped it, Google told me it would be 3 hours and 39 minutes to Anaheim, what that didn’t say was that was using toll roads.

You can set it to avoid toll roads if you want.

Jill took Anita and Marc to their first ever meal at the Plaza Inn. Jill enjoyed the winner winner chicken dinner!

mmmm... that was sooo good.

I’m not sure what they got to eat but Jill and I split the Filet Mignon Beef Skewers, Aji Amarillo, Peruvian Stewed Beans. This was super good, and something that I could probably eat myself as a meal.

I'd probably not want the beans, but the rest sounds good.

Since we had a few drinks under our belts, it was time to go on a few rides. Buzzed Guardians is always a hoot!

I don’t remember if we rode Soarin’ or not before taking off to go home.

Don't remember, huh? Those drinks must've been good!

I do know that Jill and I tried to go up to the rooftop bar at the Westin, but it was basically shutting down, it was way too cold up there

Cold? You were just saying it was over 110 degrees! How cold was it???

And these pancakes were amazing, especially for buffet pancakes!

Pretty rare to see pancakes at buffets

It's so funny all the stuff that the imagineers come up with. These post-it notes are cute.

These lockers are so cool. They represent a lot of lesser known Marvel characters. I don’t know who most of them are as I can just barely keep up with the folks who are in the actual movies.

I'd probably do as well or worse than you at knowing them.

 

[rentayenta]

Dinner was fabulous and it was so nice to meet Anita and Marc! You are an amazing host!

 

[tiggrbaby]

What an exciting destination! Can't wait to hear about that trip!

Love, love, love your plates!

Scary trip to the appointment but glad it went well. I didn't know that you needed proof of income. I'm going to have to figure out how to find proof!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hi
I found your report and I am really enjoying reading along. I’m so sorry for your loss!

I know you have chimed in a few times on
my WDW reports!

I have met Jill in 2019 on our epic trip at the California Grill brunch. It was a wonderful brunch! I wish that would come back!

I love to hear about all your travels and especially DL since it has been years since I have been!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hey, I'm here! Just haven't read and caught up yet.

 

[franandaj]

And I can leave presents including the loose screw in the tailgate so Alison is reminded of my handy skillz every time she opens the liftgate!

Yup. I hear it rattling around in there every time I open and close it.

I'm so glad you decided to join me in Egypt (and Jordan!) and my birthday. It's going to be rough turning 30 again!

It should be an epic trip as long as we don't catch Catarrh! (that's something in the book series I'm reading that newcomers to Egypt can experience.) They don't use the word anymore, now it's just an excess of phlegm.

We had so much fun with Marc and Anita.

We did!

Apparently the donut place has been featured on The Food Network and is a big deal! The peach donut was delicious!

Huh. Perhaps sometime I'll have to try it when I'm out that way.

Sorry I missed Easter in August...the ham looked amazing!

One of these days we will have another big meat fest when you are here.

We had so much fun...I'm glad you came directly from the desert! And I'm pretty sure we did ride Soarin'!

I thought so, but I was pretty brain dead from all the driving that day.

 

[mvf-m11c]

It was nice meeting up with you again last week. Excited that you and Jill will be going to Egypt. Always interesting to read about your adventures.