Hi Groupies! 
Well, we're back in cool and comfortable Ohio!
In a word, our trip was
HOT Oppressively Hot, Unseasonably Hot, Hotter than H--- Hot! We were definitely not expecting to have this kind of heat. 90's+ every day with horrid humidity. We could tolerate the heat OK, but the humidity took its toll on our (asthmatic) daughter and my mom.
We found the park crowds to be manageable. Certainly heavier on the week-ends than the week-days. We walked on Toy Story Mania 3 times with only about a 25 - 30 minute wait.
Our son is now home on R&R from active duty in Iraq. Unfortunately he did not get home in time to make the trip with us, so my mom took his place.
Heat aside, this was a GREAT trip! Ranger Stan greeted us upon arrival! We made his acquaintance and invited and encouraged him to come to our Groupie meet in December. Convinced him he is a legend on the Dis and everyone would welcome the opportunity to spend some time with him. We also were able to take his Lodge tour later in the week. Today, prior to leaving, we were the Flag Family and again had the pleasure of Ranger Stan's company as we stood on the roof top, raised the flags and enjoyed the scenery. What an experience! Today is his birthday. We even sang to him for all the world to hear!
It was a pleasure to meet Jimmy, Tammy, Chase, Kris, horselover and AnniversaryGuy. The cake was huge, beautifully decorated and absolutely delicious. It was almost too pretty to cut! Of course, the meeting location couldn't be beat! Thanks for sharing your evening with us! And thanks, Jimmy for posting the pictures!
For those of you that inquired, the design is
not cross stitch. I have several computerized embroidery machines. This is an embroidery file. If you have a machine, send me a pm and I can send you the file. This particular design is fairly dense. I do have it on my shirt, though wouldn't recommend it for a shirt. Dizny Dad has a different design on his shirt.
We took the 'Magic Behind the Steam Trains Tour' on Dizny Dad's birthday. We appreciated very much going to the round house and having a first hand look at the different trains and to have the opportunity to sit in the firemans seat. Our tour guide gave a full, wonderful history of Walt Disney, his formative years, his passion for trains and their role at the parks.
WELCOME to those new folks that have wandered over to our little part of the Dis.
Eliza, I think you had asked about Artist Point? We have eaten there on several occasions. The food is wonderful! Our daughter had the scallops and while they had superb flavor, there were only 3 of the little buggers and she left hungry. Should you decide to go, ask for a window seat when you check in for your reservation.
If anyone is still concerned about the 'Swine Flu' - there is plenty of Purell available for use and for purchase. We all carried small bottles of the stuff and used it frequently. Twice during our stay, we did receive a notice under our door as a health update.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We were in room 2545 - a dedicated 2 bedroom with a lake view - well you could sort of see the lake through the trees. The room was ready upon arrival, was clean with everything in order. We found 2 of the 3 remotes to be non-functioning. A single call and 5 minutes later, new remotes were given.
Sorry Muush, to hear about Mr. Muush!
TammyNC - So nice to see you over here and a pleasure to meet you, too.
Di
We have always wanted to see the Christmas decorations, so as of now we have AKLV for Dec 1-5 and SSR for Dec 5-10. We are waitlisted for VWL for the SSR days (everyone keep their fingers crossed). Hopefully if ya'll do the meet during the time we are there, we could join you and I could also put faces to names!! 
Now, I confess I am a last minute packer but this was bad, even for me! 
