Olympics

Oh, how I love the Olympics!!!

I love the sound of Bob Costas's voice.  I love the Opening Ceremonies.

I love that, every 2 years, I think "America" is going to be one of the first countries in the Parade of Nations and then I realize that its the "United States of America" and I grab some magazines to entertain me until 12:30am.

I love that there is ALWAYS some story that makes the entire world cry.  That little gymnast, Carrie, that hurt her foot but stuck her landing for the gold.  Or, some runner falling but another runner giving up his chance at a medal to help him cross the finish line.  <SOB!!!> 

I love that we go into the games with no knowledge of the contenders but that, within 2 weeks, they are celebrities and kind of our friends.

I love how I have spent a total of 20 minutes of my life on a diving board...most of it crying that I can't jump before I take the walk of shame back to safety (last summer was a tough summer, okay)...and YET, within 2 weeks I'm saying things like, "Oh, she hardly made any splash! Excellent."  or "Tsk, tsk, he is going to get a deduction for that sloppy pike position."

In 1984, when I was 5 years old, I was totally enthralled with this lady...

My sister and I totally had that leotard.  I think my sister wore it for an entire year.  I suddenly begged my mom for Wheaties and even took gymnastics for a couple years after that.  That endeavor went the same way as my diving career.

I love how, although Coke is the official sponsor of the Olympics, we all know that those little Goody barrettes are the unsung hero of Gymnastics.

This girl obviously held back on the Goodys...maybe she was throwing off extra weight for the Uneven Bars, I don't know. 

I also think, every year, that they do the measurements wrong for those leotards.  Doesn't it seem like they are just an1/8 of an inch too short from top to bottom? 

Can those poor girls stand up straight in those things without giving themselves a crotch wedgie??  It makes me uncomfortable every year.  Almost as uncomfortable as typing the word "crotch" in my own blog. 

Crotch wedgie or no crotch wedgie,  I am counting the days until the Olympics.   I love the back stories!  I love the historic pieces about the host nation.  I love learning about exotic, far flung locations like...London.

I LOVE THE OLYMPIC THEME SONG! 

 Daaaah Daaaah da da da da da.  Daaah da da da DAH da da diddy da da DAAAAAAAAAAH.

Come on, you all know exactly what that sounds like. 

A Dad Story

I could share for pages and pages about the awesomeness of my Dad.  My Dad cries over Baseball, America, Jesus, and his grand kids.  I was beyond irritated with his strict rules but knew, deep down, that he was an excellent father and that the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him. 

But, instead of picking apart what makes him a good Dad, I thought I would share a story.  Its the defining story for me.  It will always be The Story of My Dad.

I can't remember the year, but I was having a rough time in high school.  We moved to a small town half way through my freshman year.  The kids were nice, but they had all known each other since Kindergarten and I could not break in.  I had made friends with some kids that weren't "bad", but were bringing me down and causing me a great deal of drama and heartache.  I walked away suddenly from my group of friends and found myself with no one to say "Hi" to in the halls.  No one to giggle with in class.  And, worse of all for any student, no one to sit with at lunch.  There were nice kids all around me, but I became crippled by fear and insecurity.

Every lunch, I would sneak into the library, wedge myself between a window and some bookshelves so that no one would KNOW I was eating in the library, and wallow in my misery.

On top of this, I had just spoken out against a teacher that I dearly respected but was teaching some things that greatly insulted my faith.  I'm a public school girl.  I can handle Evolution and existential discussions in English Class.  But this particular set of lectures was too much.

So, I was The Girl Who Stormed Out Of English Class on top of everything else.

One morning, I remember getting ready in the bathroom.  I remember it was still dark outside and very early in the morning.  I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, "God, I can not do this again.  I can not get up and face another day at this school."  I was sick in my stomach.  Filled with dread.  Trying so hard to be strong but ready to lay down my sword and crawl back into bed.

I trudged downstairs.  I remember being in the kitchen, in total darkness.  I heard something.  It was a low, soft sound.  It was someone muttering.

I followed the sound through the parlor and to the door of my Dad's study.  He had a glass door.  As I peaked in, I could see my Dad, literally on his knees, his arms resting on the seat of his desk chair, praying.  Praying very intensely.  All I could hear were low muttering sounds and then, every so often the name, "Sara".

I turned away from that glass door a changed girl.  I was strong again.  I could handle whatever came my way.  I suddenly remembered a lesson from my mother, that I don't need to worry about making friends, but about being a friend.  I charged that day at high school armed and dangerous.  Equipped with courage and confidence.  I had a new outlook, and a spring in my step.

Because My Dad was praying for me.

The Bump and the Friend

Once upon a time, I was on a touring team that went around to churches performing dramatic programs.  My first year of Tour, we were all over the Northeast, including the hills of Pennsylvania.  How a sensible state like PA can be so populace and yet feel so isolated and filled with crazy people, I do not know.  But Pennsylvania is filled with crazy people. 

That's another story.

We were driving on these hills in the middle of nowhere, when we saw a yellow caution sign that simply said "Bump".

We were like, "Huh, what on earth does that..."  BAM!!!!!  Our 16 passenger van plus trailer gets catapulted into the air and slams back down again.

Then we were like, "Oh....bump"

As we drove on (trust me, we had done worse to that poor van), we jokingly created a scenario from which the "Bump" sign could possible derive.  In our minds, a backwoods county meeting took place.

One guy says, "We need to fix that there bump by Old Man Higgin's cabin."

The Committee of Weird People for Bump Removal decide that its not a good idea on account of the fact that "We don't feel like it."

So, everyone shrugs and agrees, "Hey.  Why fix the bump, when you can just put up a sign that tells people its there."

That was 13 years ago. 

2 years ago, I met a new friend at the mall for a play date.  She was lovely and quirky, my favorite!  She did something super dorky (which I totally would've done, which gave me a Love Burst for her) and, instead of acting embarrassed, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "Sorry.  You should know...I'm sometimes very socially awkward."

And just like that, I had an epiphany!  The bump and my honest friend seemed to defy the Time-Space Continuum and arrive at the same place through the Delorian of my brain and made me realize...

I need to just Own It.  Why go through life feeling ashamed or embarrassed by my foibles?  Instead, I will just create "Bump Signs"

For instance, I am faithful at going to the dentist but detest flossing.  So, I announce as soon as I sit down.  "I didn't floss again...ever...for 6 months...and I never will."  SO MUCH EASIER than quickly flossing for 2 days prior!

I LOVE leading worship.  Worship I can do.  But I am not a musician.  This used to make me feel horribly inferior when I would walk into a praise band practice.  Now, I just announce, "I do no understand what any one of you are talking about, just tell me where my note is."  Liberation!

For the first couple years of motherhood, I tried to be a Family Fun Mom....you know, Family Fun...the magazine birthed from the depths of Hell to make all moms feel bad about themselves.  Its a treasure trove of fun, easy ideas that any idiot could do.

Family Fun's "Easy Cinderella Cake"

   Except me.  A sinking pirate cake, a "princess castle" that looked more like it was discovered by archeologists 400 years later, and a dozen failed craft attempts with my kids later... I raised the white flag and installed my Bump Sign.  It reads:

SARA EDWARDS DOES NOT "MAKE THINGS"

Freedom!

Yankee Peach-style Castle Cake. 

The facets of my life on which I can now limit my efforts are limitless!  There is no end to the countless ways that I do not need to challenge myself!  At any point, I can take a Bump Sign down...as I do EVERY BIRTHDAY to re-attempt a cake...and then put it right back up when I start feeling bad that I cannot help my daughter weave a potholder.

As I am writing this, my son walked by and said, "Oh, I remember that cake...so weird."  And my daughter just said, "Yeah...that was a really bad one."

The Bump Sign might be indicating a trip to the Publix bakery section next year.

Magical Journey, Part 1 - "When"

Well, the Edwards family is planning a trip to Disney World.  If anything will inspire me to start blogging again, it will be Disney!  In fact, we used to have a Disney blog.  We took a huge trip in 2010, fell in love, and could not get enough of all things Mouse-related.   We even got free press passes to Disney events in the Atlanta area!  It was glorious.

Dang...I may need to start that thing back up again...

Anyways, I will attempt to walk you all through the beginning to end journey of planning a trip to Walt Disney World.  It can be confusing.  It can be overwhelming.  It can make you cry...but not the good kind of cry like when you are 31 years old and Cinderella gives you a hug and you don't care that you are 31 years old because CINDERELLA JUST HUGGED YOU!!!

BEFORE you start researching where to find Cinderella for your hug or which rides are best for your 3 year old or your 13 year old, stop.  Take a breath.   Calm down.

Simply determine when to go.

Some of you can't help it.  You get one week off and its in July or December and the crowds will swallow you up.  That post will be for a later date...I can help you! And, you will still have a magical time.

But, for most of you...you just want to go to Disney.  You want it to be inexpensive and worry-free.

Fortunately, inexpensive and worry-free (read:  "crowd-free") go hand in hand at Disney.

1.  Go during the "Value Season"

We once found a chart, buried at the bottom of the internet, in the same place where the government keeps the Indiana Jones Ark, that had all the room rates and the different "seasons" for Disney.  When I find it again, I will post it for you.  But, until then, just know that Summer is NOT a "Value Season".  September, October, parts of November, January and February have majority "Value Season" pricing.  But, the prices per night goes up slightly ($20 or so) for weekends and the price goes into another category of season if its near a Holiday or 3-Day Weekend.  So, even though school is in session and crowds are typically light in September, the week of Labor Day will still be more expensive.

I have got to find that stinking chart...

(Edit:  Here's the link to the chart and a great Disney website)

2.  Avoid Holidays and 3-Day Weekends

As mentioned above.  February is a fantastic time to go!  Except for President's Day weekend.  October is beautiful!  Great weather!  No crowds!  Except for Columbus Day. 

If you aren't certain when to go, just Google "WDW Crowd Calendar 2012".  Lots and lots of people have tracked the crowds for you already.  It will give you a good idea for your trip.

For instance...

                      

This is December.  Yellow =Heavy.  Red = Out of Control  Purple = We warned you!  Black = Crushing Crowd.

Do not go the week of Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's July

  See?  Holidays are evil.  Weekends are also not awesome.  Even yellow means 30-90 minute waits for rides, or longer for the major attractions.

Now, follow me to Disney heaven...

                                                  
Ahhhhh, Sweet September. It even looks calm, doesn't it?  Green and blue mean, "Come on in!  The water's fine!  Want to ride Peter Pan 3 times in a row?  Sure!  What's stopping you?  Want to eat lunch when you are hungry without waiting in a 30 minute line for a lemonade?  Of course!!!  Right this way..."

"But Sara!" many of you are saying, "My kids will be in school!"

Um...yeah...so??  Its totally worth it.  At least when the kids are young.  My children go to a VERY academic school.  However, its still only Kindergarten and Pre-k.  I asked my friend, a 2nd grade teacher, and she said that its often better to give the teachers the option to collect the homework while the kids are gone.  I guess collecting as the class works is easier than putting together a gigantic packet ahead of time.  Our teachers have always opted to do a packet ahead of time and our kids did not miss a beat when they came back to school.  I am SURE this gets harder when your kids are middle school or high school, but most Disney trips are for the young 'uns, anyways, right?

3.  Try to avoid weekends

Even during September, we were SHOCKED to find we had to wait 30 minutes for Peter Pan when we went to Magic Kingdom on a Sunday.  We'd just been on Thursday and had the run of the park.  However, 30 minutes would be a dream come true for someone going the week of Christmas, so its all relative.

4.  Consider Extra Magic Hours

If you stay on Disney Property, you get to use Extra Magic Hours.  You get to enter certain parks on certain days an hour earlier than opening or stay up to 3 hours later after closing.  Our favorite is Sunday...Magic Kingdom's Extra Magic Hours that mean getting to stay in the park until Midnight.  Our 5 and 3 year old were full throttle the entire day and Disney truly is Extra Magical at night.

HOWEVER, when you are planning which parks to go to on which days and are staying off Disney Property...avoid those days like the plague.  They are busier.  This is not such a big deal in "Value Season" but it is a MUST to avoid a park with Extra Magic Hours during busy seasons...and that includes people staying on Disney property. 

Here is the current Extra Magic Hours schedule (although Disney likes to change this frequently):

Morning
Mon.   Tues.       Wed.     Thurs.     Fri.        Sat.    Sun.
AK       Epcot         X           MK             X        HS        X

Evening
Mon.    Tues.       Wed.     Thurs.     Fri.          Sat.     Sun.

HS          X             X            X             Epcot          X      MK

(AK=Animal Kingdom, MK=Magic Kingdom, HS=Hollywood Studios)

5.  Hidden Obstacles

We did our research last year and picked a pleasant little weekend in March for a quick Disney trip.  Our first day was splendid.  The 2nd day, although the Crowd Calendars predicted a very slow (on a scale of 1-10, it was a 2) day, it was CRUSHING!  It ended up being a 10 day crowd!  And the park was only staffed for a light crowd.  Turns out it was Mardis Gras weekend and New Orleans schools bussed ALL (apparently) of their kids over to Disney World to escape the madness.  We were constantly in line behind groups of 50-100 kids all in coordinated shirts from different schools in Louisiana.  Avoid Disney the weekend of Mardis Gras.

Also,  if going in the Fall, get on Disney's site and look up the "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween" calendar.  Starting in Sept, on selected days, Disney kicks out the Magic Kingdom visitors at 7pm to allow in the guests for the special Halloween event.  You may inadvertently pay for a full day at MK only to get booted out of the park 2 hours early.  Technically, you can stay in the park, but you won't be allowed on any rides without the special "Not So Scary" stamp on your hand....which will cost you dearly to get ($50-$70/person).  We plan our Sept. trips around this Calendar more than any other.  The same will be true in Nov./Dec. for "Mickey's Christmas Party".

SO...

That is the theory.  Here is the practice.

The Edwards family Googles "Crowd Calendars", does some research, discusses what WE want from our vacation, then make a calendar in Excel of September...we write in the different Crowd Calendar numbers, EMH days, and Mickey's Not So Scary days on it. 

We pick a week in September that avoids Holidays....it will still be HOT...but so be it.

Saturday - Travel
Sunday - Magic Kingdom (love Extra Magic Hours!)
Monday - Epcot (don't need EMH...Epcot is huge and my kids will be exhausted before the end of the day)
Tuesday - REST (ALWAYS REST.  That's a post in itself)
Wednesday - Animal Kingdom (park closes at 5 so there's no need to consider PM EMH)
Thursday - Hollywood Studios
Friday - Magic Kingdom (we always do MK twice.  Future post again)
Saturday - Travel

PLEASE contact Yankee Peach if you have questions.  Is this a record long post and there is still so much to consider.

My family has now moved on to Determining Our Budget, Where to Stay,  Considering the Dining Plan, Arguing over If Our Kids Need Naps, and are ALMOST to the fun part of Where To Eat and What Rides to Ride.

You will be a part of all of these choices in an effort to help you plan your trip to the MOST Magical Place on Earth!