What Time is the 4 o'clock Rain? -- Updates 11/2-4 -- Tim's surprise and Marco&Recap

[goofy4prez]

They have taken my brother down for procedure. It's been a strange morning as our other brother who I have not talked to in 4 years is here.

I don't know how I missed this comment? I can relate to this Kathy. My biological father was out of my life from the time I was 7 years old until I was 33 years old. Never heard from him and found him by accident. Anyhow, a somewhat, semi relationship developed and then a few years ago nothing again.

When my brother died in May 2011 we invited and to our surprise my father showed up for the funeral (He lives in Cary N.C.). My mother had not seen him in over 40 years, I had not talked to him in two years, and I had a half brother (whom I never knew about until 10 years ago and have become very close to) at the funeral who never met our father. Talk about the poster child family for disfunctional.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Glad everything went well with your Brother! Hope the awkwardness subsided with the rest of the family...

As for Mark.. Maybe this is a sign to move to Florida a little sooner then planned?!?!

Space Mountain is a little scary with the lights ON! YIKES! as for the rain! WOW! did you start to grow webbed feet?!?!

Here's to Thirsty Thursday.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Thank you, Mark. And thanks for the virtual drink. I think I will not make it to Delaware and back to get Mark's pork chops cooked for dinner.

What??? Pork chops??? He might just bring that drink and come to you for some good pork chops.

I'd go pretty far for some good pork chops.

Yep, can never get enough of this ride:

I can't get enough of the Peoplemover either.

Look what had it's lights on:

Any time I see pictures of Space Mountain with its lights on, my first thought is: how does anyone not hit their head on that ride?

Mark wasn't starving, so he got the kids meal with the PBJ:

He just had an official Oblivious Family Vacation Meal!

Yes, he beat me this time but not nearly as badly as I beat him the first time.

The official story is that you let him win.

So where would we go? Well, I promise Mark that I will take a slow boat to China once per trip and this was as good of time as any since it was still raining out.

IASW > being drenched in rain. Got it.

We got as far as the train station, and this happened:

We ended up with a driver who had only been to OKW once before. So instead of a 20-25 minute trip to our resort, it took over 45 minutes.

That was quite the ordeal. If it rained like that for 40 minutes, that was quite the storm, too.

 

[that's nice]

He just had an official Oblivious Family Vacation Meal!

REALLY? And all this time I thought the official Oblivious family meal was hamburgers.

 

[norybell]

I was a few days behind...

I'm so happy to hear that your brother's procedure went well.

I'm so sorry to hear about the situation with Mark's job. I'm sure you two will figure something out, and hopefully it lead to something better, as crises like this often do, but it must be incredibly stressful right now. Hang in there, you know we're all pulling for you.

That was some rain! Bummer you had to cut your MK evening short, but at least you didn't drown!

 

[Woth2982]

Oh My! Holy Monsoon Batman! I don't think I have ever gotten into one of those storms in Disney.....here yes....and always while I am driving on the highway! Gives me anxiety attacks for sure!

Looks like you had a great end of the day despite the rain. Bummer you didn't beat Mark on Buzz again Next time!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Procedure was a success and Bob is already on the way home with my other brother (after they stop for medication).

They are putting him on a toxic medicine which could cause liver, thyroid and lung problems…but only for a couple of months because it helps strengthen heart muscles. After a couple of months on that, they will put him on another medication. This has a good chance of working and, hopefully, a heart transplant will not be needed in the near future.

Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes.


Responses and an update will be coming a little later. I need a drink!

I know I told you before, but the situation with Mark and his job just really stinks!!! So glad to hear things went well with your brother's procedure!!! Continuing to send thoughts and prayers!

Love the quickie update........lots of hats and the castle! Can't go wrong with that!

Haven't had a chance to see inside SM with the lights on before. Not at all what I would expect..........although I'm not sure WHAT I would have expected really.

Never thought about trying the PB&J at Cosmic Ray's, but might be a pretty good option for a quick snack sometime.

That was SOME crazy rainstorm you had to endure! Having to choose between getting soaked or riding IASW must have been one difficult choice........

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

REALLY? And all this time I thought the official Oblivious family meal was hamburgers.

That's when we want to splurge.

 

[KatMark]

Loved the update!!! Someone looks very serious about beating out the competition on Buzz. (either one of you fit that description)

I thought Mark looked bored or like "I know I'll beat her this time."

Never been in SM when the lights are on. Pretty cool.

It sure lets you know just where that ride goes.

Ponchos and Pooh Bear! Great combo!

Anything wth Pooh is a great combo.

On to IASW (otherwise known as that song that will be stuck in your head for hours).

I don't if I hate that song more or It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

PP always has a forever stand by wait. I just don't get the appeal. Only with a FP, will I ride that ride.

I'm with you; unless we get on it first thing in the morning or get a Fastpass (which I hate wasting on Peter Pan), we skip it.

That was some rain "shower" Bummer when the evening plans are ruined.

I hated that our evening was ruined (especially as you will see later on in the TR we never got to see Wishes ).

I am glad your brother's procedure went well. Is your mother still living with him?

Thank you; yes, he still lives with my mom.

Great update but too bad about the rain. Since we have always gone in Jan or Feb we never see rain like thy. Sometimes there might be showers. I wonder what we will have in Dec?

The rain was unreal. We had NO rain at all last December and I'm praying for the same.

You had a great start to EMH at least, with lots of good attractions getting ridden.

We did hit a lot of stuff; just too bad we couldn't finish out the night after Mark had a good nap.

That rain is crazy, I remember you posting about it on Facebook. Wasn't that the night that half of MK lost power too due to the storm? Sorry your bus driver didn't know where he was going and took so long, but at least he had the decency to turn off the AC so it wasn't a freezing, long ride there.

I believe you are right, Stephanie. I know there was power outages in a couple of spots. The bus driver told us that they have to learn 192 stops (or something like that) in three weeks. They are NOT allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel (there are at least eight cameras on every bus and they would be caught if they did and that is reason for being fired) so they can't look at notes, etc.

Goodness gracious! That's quite some rain that you guys got stuck in. I bet you were happy that the driver turned off the air in the bus otherwise, you'd have frozen to death during that stupid 45 minute drive to the resort.

I couldn't figure out why he drove right past our resort to Saratoga Springs until he told us he'd only been to OKW once and didn't know where it was (although we passed the sign when he turned onto the street ). He then had to go all the way through Saratoga and take different roads because half of them were flooded.

Kathy, I am so glad to hear about your brother, Bob and his surgery. He will continue to be in my prayers.

Thanks, Bob.

Last night when I was watching the Indians game I thought of Andy's girlfriend, especially when my Indians hit the two out, two run, walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth; loved it. (Go Tribe)

Go Tribe! It is making us very happy that our Cubs, although in last place, don't have as bad a record as the White Sox.

I saw your pictures of you and Mark on the tea cups (by the way, what time was it raining on this ride, 4 o'clock-LOL). I know you won't believe this, but I have yet to ride on it. I usually don't like spinning rides all that much but I'm guessing I'm going to have to add the tea cups to my bucket list and just do it.

Oh, it rained at 4 p.m. when we were at resort and just continued the whole darn night. You must do the tea cups...just don't spin them.

Wait... where are the feet propped up on the seat photos from People Mover?? I thought that was mandatory? I swear I need to time my PM ride when Space Mtn is down. I've never seen the lights on and I'm determined to get that photo some day!!

The feet were propped up in the first picture and our shoes were wet...we were being considerate. And if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you. This was the second time we've seen the lights on in Space Mountain.

Parts of IaSW remind me of going on the safari at AK. Other than the animals are fake and there is a sound track playing kids singing over and over and over....

Very funny!

That was a monsoon it looked like. Yikes. At least the bus driver turned off the a/c on the ride back. I would have been a frozen pop.

It was cold even when the air was off; but we had some fun people on the bus and we were laughing and joking, so I didn't think about it much.

Ohhh I can't wait to see who you meet for your next day!!

Gee, I wonder who?

I hope you are having a great day!!

Thanks; yesterday was a good day and so far today is too.

 

[KatMark]

I'm back and all caught up!

Good to have you back; love the wedding pictures.

First of all, I missed the whole thing with your brother, I'm so glad everything went well with his surgery. Also, I will keep you and Mark in my thoughts. What a horrible thing for his company to do to him! Made me mad thinking about it!

Thank you; hopefully this will work for a long time for my brother. I don't even want to think about those jerks at his company right now. And they are going to be really ticked off soon. They were mad that he went on vacation the end of August and came back one week before their trade show. Our December trip we get home the day before the trade show! And I don't care.

I loved your morning at MK, I hope we have good luck with lines next month. I'm especially hoping for nice weather so we can ride Splash. It's been either two cold or closed my last three trips so I haven't ridden it since 2011.

We could have actually ridden Splash in December, so you should be good in October.

Your LTT lunch looks yummy! I definitely know what I'm getting for dessert in October!

They only have that cake at lunch so I hope you have a lunch ADR.

Cute hat pictures as always. I kept hoping that the Pluto one behind him would end up in a picture. I'm sure he's tried that one on multiple times though, I think it's been around forever.

I will try to remember to make sure that he tries on a Pluto hat in December.

What a bummer that you got rained out for EMH. I've been anxiously watching the hurricane forecast for October hoping we won't end up with huge amounts of rain.

I was sad as I wanted to see the parade and Wishes.

Wow! That is some serious rain. We were already back at the Poly before the skies opened up thank goodness....another reason to love the monorail resorts...you are back in your room before most people are even on a bus yet.

I was just grateful we hadn't driven that evening. Can you imagine how wet we would ahve been if we had to take a tram and then walk to our car? That is the only reason I love the monorail resorts...how easy it is to get to them (although we still would have had to walk through the rain to get to the monorail.

We were there that night too. We left right as they were officially calling off MSEP. We must have been on PeopleMover just before you. Never seen Space with the lights on...not sure if I would want to. Doesn't it kinda ruin it?? Oh, you don't do Space anymore do you?

They must have called off MSEP while we were in IASW or I just didn't hear the announcement it was cancelled. Nope, Space Mountain is a no-no for me UNLESS Cayley and Avery beg me to go (I'll do anything for those girls!).

Anyway...great update with lots of pics. I just love the one of Mark playing in the Pooh line.....this is why we all love you two! So much fun!

Thanks, Suzi; yep, we do have our fun at DW.

Can't go wrong with some PBJ!

Mark will make that when he has four or five games on a weekend and put it in his cooler. Not me...I hate peanut butter.

Wow... did you even try this time?

Yes, I did try; but he kept spinning the car on me because he is a brat!



I have to be nice once in awhile since he works all summer to pay for these trips.

So... you were having so much fun that only one camera wasn't enough to capture all the awesomeness of the ride???

No silly, I was trying to post updates on FB too.

What a disappointment. That is some ridiculous rainfall though... a little more than your standard "4 o'clock" Disney summer afternoon rain.

It was insane! And trust me, we have not seen the end of rain on this trip.

Really??? How can it be that difficult??? I've never been to OKW and I'm sure I can get there in way less than 45 minutes from the MK.

He totally went by our entrance (see above response). It was unreal.

Hi Kathy
Playing a bit of catch up here and it sounds like you've had a stressful few days at home
Hope everything works out well for you all and I am sure your positive attitude will help that to happen
Love the latest pictures ..... Wow, that's a lot of rain and that's coming from a Brit

Linda, thank you. I refuse to let this get me down; we will figure out something and Mark will be happier for it. Wow...we had a lot of rain if you are saying so.

So sorry to read your disturbing news. I hope you get some pixie dust soon and things will be looking up. Prayers to you and your family.

Susan

Thank you, Susan.

These are the exact 2 comments I was going to make.

Don't you love when some of us think alike?

I'm really enjoying your TR. The rains certainly were torrential.

Thank you, Dee.

I see a distinct similarity between these two photos.

Oh my, God, MaryEllen. We could be a set of twins!

Space Mountain really looks pretty crazy when the lights are on, doesn't it? Hard to believe its the same ride.

It really does make you think twice about riding it again.

 

[KatMark]

Looks like a good day until the floods came down! Wow that was a lot of rain! Sorry to hear you missed the parade, fireworks and EMH.

Thanks, Doreen. I should have had a bar of soap with me...I could have taken a shower.

Great pics. Love that Mark got a kids meal! Great pics on the TC and PM. Ack the rain, that was way worse than the rain we had. I am crossing my fingers for no rain and highs in the 80s for Dec.

Mark can be quite a happy camper with a PBJ. I couldn't believe it, especially after how it rained on our MK day.

We've experienced Florida rains like that, too. Soaked to the bone rain. Getting back to the room for a warm shower and relaxing in bed is so nice!

It is the perfect way to get rid of the chill.

Isn't it great when you can say it's all okay because you still have plenty of Disney days?

It sure is.

Double yay for two DIS meets!

DIS meets have become some of my favorite Disney memories.

Y'all look so cute with your ponchos donned while on the tea cups.

Thanks, Camille.

Y'all got a lot done that evening before the monsoon hit! Of course I love your hat pics.

We did accomplish a lot so I wasn't too upset...especially since we had gotten a lot done that morning andwould be back again later in the week.

Sorry about the rain.

Yep, most rain we've ever had at Disney.

Okay, caught up on the banter......

Ms. Kat, I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Marks job. Can he retire early so he doesn't lose his retirement he's been working towards? I'd say that's your safest bet from losing that. <sorry if I'm over stepping here>

No, he's only going to be 61. If we have to dip into his 401, I'm not too worried because I have one as well, plus I have a very generous pension from my company and I am under the "old" plan as I've been here 38 years.

And I'm so happy to hear your brother (posted a praise on FB but wanted to say something here too) has had a procedure that wasn't a heart transplant!!

I'm happy too; I hope this does the trick for him.

Kathy I am so sorry for what Mark is going thru !!! How can they say they are not paying him???? At 66 I m still working and so far no one has even hinted that I should retire , who the heck would run all the meetings I do for the individuals !!I will be praying that everything works out for you and Mark!!!

Thanks, Rosie. Unfortunately, a lot of companies do this because they can pay the younger people a lot less money.

 

[KatMark]

Great Hats Mark!!I liked the braids one the best!!! Really cute MK pix of the 2 of you!!!

Thank you, Rosie. I thought Mark looked pretty darn good with braids.

Wow, what a great first day at HS and EPCOT!

They really were.

Always nice to visit with some old favorites- Living with the Land, Nemo and Figment- before a spectacular dinner. We have never been to the Rose & Crown, but your meals looked fantastic. I would gladly sample everything you had that night.

We really, really enjoyed Rose & Crown this trip.

You did ok dodging the rain that day. Hope that keeps up.

Umm...yes and no.

Always good to see someone enjoying a Turtle Crawl!

Boy, I could have sure used a couple of those this week. One of the best drinks at Disney.

Glad your brother's procedure went well!

Wow, that is some crazy rain!!

Thank you, I am too. I hope this keeps his healthy for awhile. It was definitey crazy rain.

I whole heartedly agree, Lisa.
I have a siblings I'm in the same boat with, I can totally sympathize.

Ms. Kat, I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through that day with a brother who doesn't see you and love you for the amazing woman that you are. He doesn't deserve you.

Camille, thanks. We've never gotten along and it had just gotten worse over the years. I have no qualms about my decision to basically cut him out of my life. I just miss being in touch with my niece and nephew because of it.

wonderful news Bob's procedure went well, continued prayers he will get stronger!

Thank you, Lisa.

sorry about the issues with your older brother...family just sucks sometimes doesn't it.....I can send my stupid sister in law to him, they sound like two peas in a pod

I truly believe there is one in every family. I have a sign in my house that says: Friends Welcome; Relatives by Appointment.

OMG so much rain! looks like a curtain, sorry you had to cut your fun short that night, but knowing you too, you made up for it!

The worse rain I've ever seen. It did look like a curtain. We tried to make up for it later in the week.

I was able to book all of our FP+ today will send you and Mary our AK day picks to see if you want to try and get the same times...if not no problems!

I sent you a PM about this.

hope you get a peaceful nights sleep

I slept like a rock last night.

Caught up on your MK day.

Good to hear....you should now be totally caught up.

Love the pictures in front of the castle on the way to breakfast. Very cute hats!

Love our ears and I will never "lend" mine to anyone again since I didn't get the last one back.

You got some great pictures with the characters at CP! Who took the pictures? Fellow guests or CMs at the restaurant?

Our server took the pictures...she was one of the best servers we had the entire trip.

Great call on going left, Mark! Looks like it was pretty empty in Adventureland.

At the time we got there, which was shortly after the park opened, it was very empty; I think everyone else when to the right.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures from your meet & greets with the circus characters when the photopass CD arrives.

I just heard from the gal we did the share with and I should have our CD sometime next week. I'll do an update with photopass pictures up to the point where I am in the TR.

The waits for the rides do not seem bad at all! Well, except Peter Pan, but that is always a killer line.

I just don't understand WHY that ride always has such a long wait.

What a great picture of Pooh! So clear. The ones in It's a Small World are great too.

We got stopped at that point and I think that is why my Pooh picture turned out so well.

Also LOVE the picture of SM with the lights on from the Peoplemover. Very cool!

Thanks; it's a little weird seeing it all lit up.

Oh, I was hoping you wouldn't get caught in the rain, but it looks like you encountered a soaker!

Yep, a soaker...took 2 days for my gym shoes to dry out; thank God I always bring an extra pair.

Great that your brother's procedure went well !!!As for Facebook I am seldom on it so O problem !!!

Thank you, Rosie.

 

[KatMark]

How come every time I have to catch up it is like 10 pages worth?

Because it takes you a week to come back? Beware...another update or two coming tonight or tomorrow; I've got a PTR I have to start soon before the holidays hit us.

That just plain out sucks. I guess you guys will be moving to Florida a few years ahead of time...

If only we could; it might turn out that we'll have a "commuter marriage" for awhile.

In all seriousness, if he is let go, I hope there are some doors that will open for him- and you too.

Something will turn up...I'm not worried (yet!).

I'm glad that everything went to plan.

We are too.

I was gonna say that but I see you had it covered.

Love how you guys ALL think alike.

I think IASM is growing on you... no mention in the update about you hating it.

Ummmm....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Just figured I'd not complain so much this time around.

Wow.. that is some serious rain. reminds me of when we saw this a few years ago....

I remember when you posted that photo. It was unreal.

Only us could get a bus driver who didn't have a clue.

Obviously, I used your links to catch up, so I missed the post about Mark's work and about your brother's surgery. My thoughts are with you as you deal with these life challenges. I'm glad to hear things went well with your brother and hope that he is on the road to better health.

Thank you so very much...I just hung up with him. The meds are still making him nauseous, but he's not struggling with breathing which is great. I agreed to do his laundry this weekend as he has to go up and down two flights of stairs. I want him to take it easy through this weekend.

Awesome TR! We were at MK the same day as you, in fact we may have been on Dumbo the same time as you! The band marched past us as we headed to the big top gift shop lol! You were lucky to leave when you did, my wife went for the exit around 9 I think and said that Main Street was flooded, we hung out inside Pecos Bills for some yummy (gag) chili fries while the Powere flickered! I look forward to more!

Thank you so much for joining. That's too funny that we ight have been on Dumbo at the same time. Yep, we left around 8:30 and it was flooded then and I imagine it only got worse (the water was up to my ankles as we ran to the bus). Gag on the chili fries is right! Thanks again for joining...happy to have you along.

here's to a beautiful new day
great about your brother continued prayers for everything

Thanks, Ruthie.

I am very relieved to hear that your brother's procedure went well. I was thinking of you all day yesterday.

D, thank you for thinking of us.

Yikes!!! Yah - we saw a bit of rain like that... It was crazy. I don't think you are at a point in your TR where we've arrived yet though?

This was our first Sunday there...I don't think you arrived yet.

Looking foward to your next update, and I am praying that life stops throwing it's curve balls soon. (((Hugs)))

D~

I hope it stops throwing curve balls too.

I don't know how I missed this comment? I can relate to this Kathy. My biological father was out of my life from the time I was 7 years old until I was 33 years old. Never heard from him and found him by accident. Anyhow, a somewhat, semi relationship developed and then a few years ago nothing again.

When my brother died in May 2011 we invited and to our surprise my father showed up for the funeral (He lives in Cary N.C.). My mother had not seen him in over 40 years, I had not talked to him in two years, and I had a half brother (whom I never knew about until 10 years ago and have become very close to) at the funeral who never met our father. Talk about the poster child family for disfunctional.

And I thought my family was dysfuntional? There's one in every family, I swear.



Rest of replies later...have to run to train and grocery shopping.

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

After 40 minutes, we decided to make a run for it to the bus stop. And when we got there, we were saturated all the way through. While waiting for our bus:

Holy Backside of Water KatMark!!! I guess there's more than one place at Disney you can see it!!

It's a bummer that your evening was cut short, but you would not have gotten much done in that weather.

I've never seen the Cosmic Ray's pulled pork sandwich before, I may have to try that in February.

 

[englishrose47]

Still hoping for the best for Mark!!!Maybe they will offer a GREAT retirement plan !!!! I understand it is tough as you are content and secure in your job and while Florida is in the future plans , not quite yet I assume !!Although I think Mark could have a calling at Disney as a Hat Salesman !!!

 

[elaine1109]

Kathy, I know you know I keep up with your reports but rarely post. Just had to stop by and let you know how sorry I am about Marks situation. When Bill was forced out of IBM after 31 years we really were unsure of our future but lo and behold 10 years later there is life after IBM!! Things will get better I am sure of that. Saying some prayers for 2 very nice people. Elaine

 

[IheartDDuck]

The tiny top hat is definitely the best picture.

Mmmm. Starbucks. I know there are mixed feelings on it, but I'm so happy to have good coffee options in the World now.

Yum, Cosmic Ray's. Good old standby if you don't know what to eat, that's for sure.

Boo to summer rain at Disney! We were so fortunate in July. I was expecting it, but it never happened.

 

[KatMark]

Glad everything went well with your Brother! Hope the awkwardness subsided with the rest of the family...

Thanks, Mo. Unfortunately, the awkwardness will never subside.

As for Mark.. Maybe this is a sign to move to Florida a little sooner then planned?!?!

Maybe for Mark....but not for me. I've committed to my boss for 3 more years, but I may try to talk him down on that. We will see how things go.

Space Mountain is a little scary with the lights ON! YIKES! as for the rain! WOW! did you start to grow webbed feet?!?!

Very scary with the lights on; I was beginning to think I would have web feet.

Here's to Thirsty Thursday.

I like that...Thirsty Thursday.

I'd go pretty far for some good pork chops.

You are welcome any time; and I'm guessing since there were no leftovers, they were pretty darn good.

I can't get enough of the Peoplemover either.

A good place to just watch the world go by.

Any time I see pictures of Space Mountain with its lights on, my first thought is: how does anyone not hit their head on that ride?

Seriously, you would think you'd be hitting it on almost every turn.

He just had an official Oblivious Family Vacation Meal!

I'll have to tell him that...he will be honored.

The official story is that you let him win.

Darn, I forgot again.

IASW > being drenched in rain. Got it.

Although if we had gotten stuck on the ride, I probably would have wished I'd stayed out in the rain.



It was nasty rain.



That was quite the ordeal. If it rained like that for 40 minutes, that was quite the storm, too.

Trust me, it rained MORE than 40 minutes.

REALLY? And all this time I thought the official Oblivious family meal was hamburgers.

Good one, Tim (since that seems to be what Mark orders ALL of the time.

I was a few days behind...

I'm so happy to hear that your brother's procedure went well.

Thank you, Nory.

I'm so sorry to hear about the situation with Mark's job. I'm sure you two will figure something out, and hopefully it lead to something better, as crises like this often do, but it must be incredibly stressful right now. Hang in there, you know we're all pulling for you.

I know that I have all of my DIS friends there...that's why you guys are all the best!

That was some rain! Bummer you had to cut your MK evening short, but at least you didn't drown!

It did cut the evening short, and I'm very happy I didn't drown.

Oh My! Holy Monsoon Batman! I don't think I have ever gotten into one of those storms in Disney.....here yes....and always while I am driving on the highway! Gives me anxiety attacks for sure!

It was nasty; I hate driving in storms like that. I think it was last year when we were about two hours from Marco Island that there was a storm like that. We actually had to pull off the road because you couldn't see a darn thing in front of you.

Looks like you had a great end of the day despite the rain. Bummer you didn't beat Mark on Buzz again Next time!

I'll get him in December on Buzz!

I know I told you before, but the situation with Mark and his job just really stinks!!! So glad to hear things went well with your brother's procedure!!! Continuing to send thoughts and prayers!

Thanks, friend.

Love the quickie update........lots of hats and the castle! Can't go wrong with that!

Can't let our readers down with hat pictures (although we may not do many in December as we are going to be on a tight schedule since we are there for only 4-1/2 days and have a lot we need/want to do.

Haven't had a chance to see inside SM with the lights on before. Not at all what I would expect..........although I'm not sure WHAT I would have expected really.

The first time we saw it with the lights on I was kind of shocked at what I saw.

Never thought about trying the PB&J at Cosmic Ray's, but might be a pretty good option for a quick snack sometime.

It's a good staple and not too filling when you aren't too hungry; or so I'm told...I don't eat it.

That was SOME crazy rainstorm you had to endure! Having to choose between getting soaked or riding IASW must have been one difficult choice........

It really was; but it was only drizzling when we got on and I didn't want to waste any of our precious time on Thursday going on IASW.

That's when we want to splurge.

Wow...good to know if you ever visit Chicago again.

 

[GrammyJudy]

Kathy I did our magic bands last night for our Dec trip. It is getting close I know you have a short trip in Dec but hope we get to meet

 

[KatMark]

Holy Backside of Water KatMark!!! I guess there's more than one place at Disney you can see it!!

It is the backside of water! Good catch there.

It's a bummer that your evening was cut short, but you would not have gotten much done in that weather.

You are right, we couldn't have done anything as I think everything shut down except maybe the shops.

I've never seen the Cosmic Ray's pulled pork sandwich before, I may have to try that in February.

I've had that pork sandwich a couple of times. Be prepared...it is messy (get a fork...it helps).

Still hoping for the best for Mark!!!Maybe they will offer a GREAT retirement plan !!!! I understand it is tough as you are content and secure in your job and while Florida is in the future plans , not quite yet I assume !!Although I think Mark could have a calling at Disney as a Hat Salesman !!!

Thanks, Rosie. Mark has already started looking at things in Florida, at Disney and here.

Kathy, I know you know I keep up with your reports but rarely post. Just had to stop by and let you know how sorry I am about Marks situation. When Bill was forced out of IBM after 31 years we really were unsure of our future but lo and behold 10 years later there is life after IBM!! Things will get better I am sure of that. Saying some prayers for 2 very nice people. Elaine

Elaine, thank you very, very much.

The tiny top hat is definitely the best picture.

He looks kinda cute in that one, doesn't he?

Mmmm. Starbucks. I know there are mixed feelings on it, but I'm so happy to have good coffee options in the World now.

I'm delighted they have a Starbucks. Haven't heard people complain so much about their being alcohol served in the MK which I am having a harder time wrapping my brain around.

Yum, Cosmic Ray's. Good old standby if you don't know what to eat, that's for sure.

We always eat here or Columbia Harbor House. But we knew we were having CHH during our tour, so Cosmic Ray's it was!

Boo to summer rain at Disney! We were so fortunate in July. I was expecting it, but it never happened.

I'm glad you didn't get the rain; it must have saved itself for us in August...because we GOT a LOT of it.