Luv (Chris) and I are finally unpacked, and she's back at work. I'm back to household chores, running, biking, golfing, and minor yard work.
Overall, our trip was superb, and I'm going to continue to update my TR that I started before leaving for FL for those of you who have been following along. However, for those who haven't, I'll give you a pared down version of the trip.
HIGHS
- the event itself, first and foremost
- having our families together
- beauty of the Lodge, especially for the ceremony
- CRT for the first time
- my oldest daughter and her hubby getting to see Wishes for the first time (from the WL beach)--she loved it!
- Roaring Fork staff. They treated us so well, even wanting to take a picture with them. Very fun bunch!
- snagging a walk-on to TSM at DHS. It had been shut down when we first walked by around 11 (FP times already at 8:25 p.m.!), but when we came back on the way to TOT, the ride opened just as we strolled past the queue rope. On and off in 15 minutes!
- CL room the night before heading to cruise--perfect views of Wishes! The room was quite lovely, too. Dee, one of the CL staff, magically delivered to us a chilled bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.
- our one-night stay at BLT after returning from the cruise--5th floor, overlooking the pool and Bay Lake studio. . .very nice though the BLT is not my style
- watching Wishes with piped in music from TOWL terrace
- walking to Queen Anne's Steps in Nassau
- Remy!
- seeing "The Long Ranger" on board the Dream. . .we thought it a cute, engaging movie despite the poor reviews. . .and it was "free"
- beginning the rest of our lives together
LOWS
- in a word, crappy. Lots of rain (though we pixie-dustedly managed to not get rained on for either our photo shoot or the wedding ceremony itself) and overcast skies, including on the cruise
- crowds. We knew it would be crowded, but the most annoying part were the foreign student tour groups. Yikes! I mean them no disrespect and am sure they enjoyed themselves, but they have group mentalities, and there were literally dozens of groups there the week we visited the parks. Attempting to navigate through them was nearly impossible, and they had a bad habit of letting others in their group get in line with them ahead of other people who were waiting their turns. Well, some let them get away with it.
- VWL room location. No pixie dust there. We had dearly wished to stay in an atrium room, pool side, or at least as close as possible to one. How about halfway down the hall? Oh, well, it wasn't a dumpster view, and you could still see parts of Wishes. Still, our check-in desk woman said this about our room when asked, "Oh, it's the perfect location! You will love this room; it's just what you wanted!" Uh, no.
- Hate to say it, but AP. It wasn't terrible, but it just didn't have any pizzazz to it despite us being a wedding party of 10, open menu, and guaranteed tip. Service was fine, but the manager (with whom we'd met earlier in the day) didn't seem enthused by us being there, and some of the dishes fizzled (My pork was overdone while luv's buffalo, though cooked properly, was stringy. Others had minor issues, too). The inconsistency of AP is maddening as it's our sentimental favorite.
- Getting spanked by Chris both times we rode Buzz Lightyear. First time: 999,999 (the counter doesn't go higher) to 185,000-ish. Second time: 899,999 to 367,000-ish (my highest score ever). Methinks she has some secret she's not telling me.
- The drive home, not only because we hated to leave, but it was long, too. I-4 was a near parking lot all the way to J'ville (two hours!) and I-95 wasn't much better until we neared SC. Scatter in torrential downpours that slowed us to 20 mph with hazard lights blinking, and you get the picture.
I have no photos uploaded, but as soon as I do, I'll provide some pics.
Have a great week everyone!
plus, now with kids, we want more culture, a better education, diversity etc.... And we are in a very "remote" area (not far from Canada) and miss a more urban atmosphere. NC seems to be able to offer many of these things, and still have the mountains and beach. We were on the coast 2 weeks ago and even though we were just outside of Camp Lejuene I know we will love it. 
How in the heck is this going to happen? I can't so much as cut his toenails. 
no experience here, but maybe find some really awesome (but diabetic friendly) treats? To make it not so bad after.... Good luck to you and your poor pooch....
