Trish - love your pictures, especially the zebras. I have a soft spot for zebras. We've never seen the flights of wonder show. Need to make a point of that the next time we go to AK. We don't get over there that much anymore. It's not really our favorite but maybe on the next trip.
So we're back. It was too short, but we had a great time. Weather was hot but not unbearable. After last Aug.'s visit I don't think anything will seem unbearable again! Loved the 1 BR at OKW! I heard they were big but holy moley! They really are huge compared to other 1 BRs. If only they had the extra bathroom like Kidani they'd be perfect. OKW is definitely a great place for an extended stay or non-park visit. We did get our requested Turtle Pond section. We were in building 35 across from the bus stop (which we never used) & around the corner from the pool. I think I would have preferred one of the buildings in the 40s to be closer to the pool, but it might have been noisy over there. Our unit was very quiet & peaceful. We did make it over to the Lodge for a short visit.
We also did something we've never done before (we try to do one new thing every trip). We rented those 2 person boats (ski racers?) from the Poly. That was a lot of fun, but yikes you need to be careful on the Seven Seas Lagoon side! We went over to the Bay Lake side & it was much more enjoyable. That could be because we idled in front of the Lodge to take pics for a few minutes.
Sadly no meet with either Corrine or Stopher.
Stopher & I kept texting back & forth on Sun. night but by the time we were finally ready to pick the time & place for some reason I didn't hear when I got his texts. By the time I got them it was late & he was getting ready to head out. We thought we were too, but after a Dole Whip & an ice cream sandwich at MS bakery we got a 2nd wind & stayed til closing at 3:00 a.m. Corrine left her cell in her room to charge so we didn't connect until the Mon. & by then it was too late.
Hopefully we'll get another chance in the future.
So now that we're back I have some news & I'm looking for advice. We might have some life changing news soon. We're seriously considering relocating. Don't really want to get into all the reasons on a public message board (even though I know I'm amongst friends) but there are many. You can PM me if you really want to know. We're still in the considering stage & we really have not narrowed down where that relocation might be. But now that school is about to end the discovery phase will be ramping up into high gear. We would never consider moving without DH securing employment 1st. So, obviously wherever we might go needs to have a somewhat strong job outlook. Is there such a thing these days? I know that's not the case in MA. Next on the list would be excellent schools with especially good SPED laws. We're used to a pretty high cost of living but a lower cost of living would be ideal. We're hoping to be no more than 2 hrs. from either the coast or mountains. I could not see myself living in the middle of the country (no offense to those that do!). The only exception I might make to that is Colorado. Love it there (mountains!). We're pretty much open to anywhere along the Atlantic coast at this point with the exception of New York & probably New Jersey. I just don't like NY.
Now the problem (one of them anyway) is going to be narrowing it down. Several years ago we considered moving to Maryland (back when DS12 was about to start kindergarten). We took a trip down to Annapolis & Baltimore to explore the area & look at the housing situation. We really liked the Annapolis area. It reminded us very much of Martha's Vineyard. Baltimore we didn't like as much. Other than that the only place we've been on the east coast is Florida. Ideally I would like to go someplace that has little or no snow, but as long as it's not more than what we're used to here I could live with it. I don't love the extreme heat in the south but I could get used to it I think. In my mind I'm thinking mid-Atlantic states would be ideal, but I'm keeping an open mind as we'll have to for employment purposes. So groupie friends please feel free to sing the praises or negatives of where you live! I'm interested in all opinions.
As I sift through my 2,428 pictures that I took on vacation I can post the absolute favorites if you are interested. 
Hoepfully they will keep you in a good mood at work.
Bone tired, some one should really out law any flight over 3 hours in coach.. it is a clever disquise for hell.
I like your version of "welcome home" much better. 
