Rounding Out The Year

Another act we managed to catch at the Eat to the Beat concert series was 38 Special (http://38special.com).  This was our first time seeing this Southern Rock group, and they were awesome!! There was very little chit chat and lots of rockin’ music with such hits as Hold On Loosely, Caught On You, and Rockin’ Into The Night.  They said they like to “keep the intensity at every live performance” and they definitely did at both shows we experienced!  Think I’m becoming a rocker in my old age!

On our way into the park that night we experienced another first, the Muppet Mobile Lab featuring Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker.  This 6 - 8 minute comedy show takes place out in the open at Epcot and is a free-roving, audio-animatronic “puppet-show-on-wheels” with the characters interacting with guests.  There’s nobody hidden inside and you don’t see anyone using a remote control, but obviously there’s one somewhere … or is it just Disney Magic?!

Halloween was just around the corner which meant the annual golf cart parade and costume contest here at the resort.  After the parade, we met Paul and Anne at the clubhouse for snacks and to check out the costumes though you can see we didn’t really dress up.

The very end of November brought another visit from Russ’ sister and her husband.  They came down to celebrate her 60th birthday with us and Disney!  Christmas decorations were already up, and we always enjoy checking them out especially the gorgeous tree at the Grand Floridian Resort.

We took the monorail around to the Polynesian for a drink, and then to the Contemporary for a drink and to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their roof.  The next night we joined them for her birthday dinner at The Boathouse (www.theboathouseorlando.com/) in Disney Springs with a nice table near the window and some huge portions!

Afterwards, we wandered around, listening to the many musical groups set up here and there as we made our way in and out of stores, and then decided to check out the new Christmas Tree Trail.  This walkway was decorated with 15 different 7 ft. tall Disney themed trees, and if you’re lucky, you might even experience some occasional light “snowfall”!  As we were making our way back to the car, we stopped for a bit to watch these

golden living statues.  What a hoot!  They look amazingly like real statues until someone stands in front of them to get a photo taken and then they spring to life.  They took this young lady’s book right out of her bag!

The next day we met up at Epcot for our traditional margarita in Mexico, checked out all the shops along the way, had dinner at Nine Dragons Chinese Restaurant (first time for all of us and very good!), enjoyed the Candlelight Processional with Whoopi Goldberg

      as narrator, and ended the evening watching the Illuminations fireworks.  All too soon it was time for them to head back north, but what a fun time we had celebrating her milestone birthday.

   The rest of December brought lots of activity like the surprise I got at at work one morning. I had been nominated for the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association’s Golden Pineapple Award that recognizes front line employees for superior guest service, and my co-workers had selected me for Outstanding Front Office Employee of the Year! (Winners would be announced at a banquet in January.)

This was also the month when we would say goodbye to our wonderful J-1 interns at work.  What an incredible group of young people who left friends and family in the Philippines to work in the U.S. for a year, and who became like family. Having completed their internship, we celebrated their 

“graduation day” and though they would soon be heading home, they will always be in our hearts and a part of us.  Then it was time to party and celebrate at a nearby restaurant! I didn't get a photo of the whole group, but at one point there were about 35 of us.

The rest of the month flew by and included Omni’s annual holiday party for all of its employees with fabulous food, music, fun, and a photographer for a "professional" photo.  This year’s theme was Viva Las Vegas! so there were plenty of casino games but it wasn’t our lucky night, not even on the raffle drawings.

My good friend, Linda, drove over from Tampa for a girl’s day out, Russ and I made another trip to Epcot for the Candlelight Processional with Meredith Vieira narrating, and we spent Christmas Day at the Omni with friends Donna, Barry, Judy, and Bob

   enjoying a delicious Christmas buffet. Though we may not have traveled this year, it was still busy and fun.  Here’s to another one!