Travel – Page 14 – Karla's Cottage

Adventuring with Grand Fairies- tips and tricks for Disney with little girls

celebrations, Dew Drop, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 7, 2017

The Grand Fairies and I went on an adventure.

The 3 of us flew to Orlando together and spent a couple of days at Disneyworld. I was impressed with how smoothly it all went, considering it was spring break time, and we weren't the only ones who had the idea of going there then.

There were a few struggles, but nothing we couldn't handle.

Lost rental car keys? Take a bus. (There is great, free transportation from the Disney hotels to the park, it was actually easier than driving)

Chilly weather? Lots of layers. Lots.

Bag too heavy? Rent a stroller to carry it.

Kids too tired? Trade that single stroller in for a double and push those kids around, remembering to call it a carriage, NOT a stroller. Who cares if they are "too old" to be in one, it made the day much more pleasant for us all, and those strollers glide so easily, that it was no problem for me to manage it. It was actually more convenient to have the girls seated together as the day progressed and the crowds grew larger and larger and larger and larger.

Crowded restaurants at lunch time? Find a kids' zone to color in and wait til it clears. Patience and distractions got us through wait times, along with a bag full of snacks, and water bottles.

We took breaks and kept it as chill as we could. We arrived early to our scheduled events, like our dinner at Cinderella's castle, and read books or played games on ipads to rest up before the party started. For the "Wishes" fireworks show, we found a cozy spot with a family chock full of little girls nearby and hung out for an hour before the show began, for a perfect view, enjoying just BEING there, while making friends.

Our sidewalk neighbors were Muslim (I'm guessing on this) and didn't speak English, I'm not sure where they were visiting from, but I got a kick out of watching Dewdrop befriend them, even with a language barrier. They were joined by a couple Hispanic girls behind us, and it became a little United Nations of princess talk and giggles.

One trick I regret not using on this trip, was watching the parade from Frontierland instead of Main Street. It begins in Frontierland and the crowds are much smaller there. We didn't have a good view this time, and it was my own fault for not getting to a good spot early. Because it is hard to see the show if you haven't staked out a place ahead of time.

My thought is that a trip to Mickey's place isn't a contest to see how much you can do to "get your money's worth", a day in the park is meant to be completely enjoyable and fun, not rushed and crazy.

I plan ahead as much as I can to make the most of the time, but we leave plenty of space for just plain old sightseeing, hanging out, and rolling with the day. We spent the entire day in Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land, without seeing a single other area, and didn't care. So what if we didn't see it all in one day?

What we saw, and what we did was amazing!

My biggest tip for a good day at the park is to make the most of fast passes and use the Disney park ap on your phone to keep them updated, as you use them up, you can book more. Also you can check wait times on all rides so you know where you can get in quickly without waiting for crowds. We never waited more than 10-15 minutes throughout the day, unless we were purposely taking a break.

And if you can't get reservations for the meals you want, keep trying. Even during spring break's larger than usual crowds, we were able to dine at Cinderella's Castle as well as in Belle's. Both were full up when I first checked, but I made a point of looking online for openings periodically the month before we left and eventually, spots opened up both places we wanted to go.

(okay, I admit that I was a bit obsessed with that, and some days, I checked the dining reservation site 5 times a day)

Another tip that I found helpful was dressing the girls alike. I dread the day they won't let me do this anymore, because it sure makes it easier to find them in crowds. I always make sure I am wearing something colorful myself, so they can spot me easily too. When they get too sophisticated for twin outfits, maybe we will all chose a family color to wear when we go to zoos or amusement parks.

I have never splurged on taking the girls to the Bippity Boppity Boo salon, but I do buy them each a new dress for our visits. Kohls has the cutest Disney lines of clothes, and with their sale prices, I got two dresses from the Beauty and Beast collection that will be worn over and over and over for much less than I'd have paid for a gown from the salon. And I knew the girls would be comfortable for the day. Some of those gowns that are sold in the park are too flimsy to be warm in the early mornings and after dark, but look hot in the middle of the day when the sun is out.

We went on St Pat's day, and I checked out the Dollar Spot at Target before we left for some light up necklaces and crowns to celebrate in an affordable way. We also packed glo-sticks from the dollar store to give us some sparkle once night time came.

If you want to get into the park early to get decent photos of the castle before Main Street becomes shoulder to shoulder traffic, you should go early and be there when it opens (or before). We were lucky that the Extra Magic Hours (a free hour to go early or stay late at a park) happened to co-inside with Magic Kingdom that day. Sometimes the park that has the Magic Hours isn't the one you have tickets to, they change daily. And you have to stay at a Disney hotel to get that free hour.

Or you can book a reservation at a restaurant in the park, for an early breakfast and get in early that way. When you go early, you can often walk right onto rides, no line at all.

We had no waits at all for Winnie the Poo, Small World, and the merry go round, all in about 35-40 minutes or so. We even rode Small World twice. And you are welcome for the gift of that song in your head for the rest of the day, it is still in mine, we rode it later that day too. Twice. Yes, it will be in my head til the end of time after that, but I kinda like it, so didn't mind.

Here is another tip- if your kids are into gymnastics, and trapeze like mine are, please council them before getting on the carousel about not standing up and doing tricks on the horses.

The operator stopped the ride to talk to these two after they were caught showing off their circus skills as the ponies went round and round. And funny enough, they hold the ride up for a LONG time talking to the kids, they didn't simply tell them not to do it, or to get off. I was surprised by the length of the lecture. Or did it just seem like it was forever because they were all pointing to me in the crowd as the reprimand was going on?

A lot of time waiting can be spent looking for Hidden Mickeys too. I don't know if this counts as one, but it was delicious anyway.

This was the first time we used the Disney dining plan, we chose "quick service" which is the lower end one. And we were not able to use it for the upper priced meal at Cinderella's castle, so we had extra meals on it. The quick service plan was honored at Belle's castle tho, and the meal even came with this bonus tray of pastries.

We also shared two meals three ways a couple of times. And didn't really buy much in the way of snacks. So, was purchasing the meal plan worth it? Well, it ended up being so for us, because we met up with Dewdrop's mama the day after we went to Magic Kingdom and I paid for them to go to Animal Kingdom together, and the credits on the meal plan carried over for them to use. The points were good until midnight the day you check out of the hotel and could be used at Disney Springs too. Sugarwings and I went there to hang out, had some dinner, and bought snacks to go to use up some of the credits. We ate caramel apples at our beach hotel for the next couple of days.

But for just one adult and two little fairies, for just two days, it wouldn't have been a good deal, it was too much food for the three of us. I don't know if I'd do it again or not.

Check out was at 11, and we were able to get a later one, (request a later check out upon checkin, don't wait!) so we spent time at the pool at our hotel, then spent the rest of the day at Disney Springs, seeing Beauty and the Beast and having dinner. That gave us an extra day to use up the meal plan, and we shared it with Dewdrop's mama, but it was still hard to finish up all of the credits without stuffing ourselves.

Here is something I learned about the dining plan we were on. 10 years old is ADULT PRICED! But- when I used the dining plan, it wasn't divided up between "adult" or "child" meals. There were two credits each, each day for just a meal, plus snack credits and a refill cup good for use at the hotel only, but it was great for refilling with ice water- free at any counter service restaurant.

We could order two adult meals and split them three ways, and could order the highest priced meals on the quick serve menu.

BUT- you have to purchase a meal plan for each person in your hotel room. So, the only way I see doing this again would be if I had two separate hotel rooms, and we shared a meal plan somehow. Or once the kiddos are older and eat more, it would be worth it. For now? Not for us.

We stayed at one of the "value" priced hotels and it ended up being the favorite of any we'd been at. At least from the kiddos point of view. (I've stayed at the Animal Kingdom resort with my sis, Terry, and I can't say any hotel anywhere is better than that one!)

This one, Art of Animation, was over the top gaudy, bright, fun, and full of 3 story high characters the kids love. So, it was an ideal choice, was much less expensive than any of the other hotels I've stayed in there, and it made the grand fairies VERY happy. The pools were such fun that we wished we had more time to stay there. The hotel itself was a blast for the littles, although it might have been a bit much if my husband had come along.

It was at least $150 less per night than the medium value hotel we usually go to (Caribbean Beach). That alone was good for me, the girls loved the Ariel decor, and the bus to the Magic Kingdom was direct and quick.

A tip I got from my sis, the Disney master (Terry) is to get a fast pass to see Belle's tales. It is a cute, interactive play and every child gets to be in it, meet Belle, and get a free book mark. That is much more interesting than simply standing in line to meet a princess.

If you do a character meet and greet or one of their meals, pick up a note book from the Dollar Spot at Target, or somewhere else with bargain prices so the kids can collect autographs. No reason to buy one for $10 or more at the park. And Target has Disney themed books that are every bit as cute. My girls saved the signature pages to make a scrap book with the photos I took of them meeting their royal friends.

Here is another tip- pick up extra maps, they get torn up, lost, and fought over if you don't. No reason to play tug of war with one if there is an unending supply.

Another activity to keep busy between rides is Pin Trading. The grand fairies like doing it so much, they even traded back and forth with each other all day.

We had the best time with our stay. I wish it could be longer, I've never taken the little ones when we could go to the park more than one day, the timing just never works out for us. This time, we had an afternoon and evening at the hotel, then a day at the park, and another night at the hotel, then a late check out.

Here is another tip- don't over do it!

We probably could've squeezed in one more day at a park before driving to the beach to meet up with my husband after checking out of the hotel. But, as tempting as it was, I knew I'd be exhausted if I spent another day in one of the parks, then had a two hour drive to get to our beach hotel afterwards. Hanging out at the pool and at Disney Springs for a couple of hours was ideal for us, plenty more Disney fun, and no more ticket purchases. There are a lot of fun things to do in the area without buying a ticket.

These are all tips that I've learned after taking children a few times, and I know that I am in no way an expert. I just wanted to pass on some things I've learned along the way.

Rainforest fairies

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / April 17, 2017

The origin of our trip to Florida was to drop off Dewdrop to her mommy for Spring break. It grew from there, with heading to Disney for a couple of days, to my husband and Sugarwings both joining me while I waited for the week to end and to pick up our littlest fairy after her visit.

My husband travels a lot for business, and his points on Southwest add up fast. So, with the flying part free for all of us, we decided to make a special 10 days of Florida fun out of the trip.

I'd hoped to spend more time with our Gypsy, who now lives in Sarasota, but ended up getting some sort of bug while there, and having kind of a laid back trip while at the beach. We met up at Disney, and I arranged for her to spend a day there with her little one, then had another day together at the Botanical Garden.

Which was filled with laughs.

And rainbows.

Even though I was feeling a bit peaked, (and looked it) it was good to hang out with someone special that I see rarely.

And to see our littlest fairy so happy to be in her mommy's arms.

There is a fantastic, kids' area there, with drums and chimes to play, trees to climb, dress up things, swings, and a rope bridge.

Along with the gorgeous gardens and statues, that all made it an ideal spot to spend an afternoon.

There were pretty paths, benches in the shade, and a view of the bay. Plus a cute, little French Bistro with an outdoor seating area.

A beautiful day with beautiful company!

Sea Shell Fairies on Siesta Key at Siesta Sands on the Beach

sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / April 13, 2017

As I love to do when I visit a beach, especially my beloved, Siesta Key, I leave behind a thank you fairy after collecting shells during my stay.

I wonder if anyone ever sees them? I always hope a small child finds her and feels the joy I put into her.

This week, I had a never ending slew of shells to chose from, and took advantage of that by making a second sprite.

Sugarwings loves this beach too. We got in too late on Saturday night to get out in the sand, but the minute we woke up, we were out to greet the day at our home away from home for the next week.

Have you ever flown a kite at the beach? This was a first for us, but will be a tradition from now on.

(This is the yard of our condo, perfect for its beautiful views, and for providing space to play in, far enough away from the Gulf that I don't have to worry about Sugarwings being tempted by the water)

The first day, I had my eye on this umbrella that the wind had taken up into the brush. It was there all day, no one claimed it by dark, so I sent my husband through the scrub and sticker plants to scoop it up for Sugarwings to play under. It was slightly broken, I guess the original owners didn't want it. (We did leave it out in case someone was looking for it)

Their loss, our gain! It was just what we needed for her to stay in the shade to play in the sand. We also purchased a couple of folding chairs, and that made the trip much more comfy, for sitting out by the water and reading. I don't know why I've been too cheap to do that in the past. Low beach chairs are about $10-15 at Walmart, and we could use them all week.

It always seemed wasteful when I'd thought about buying one in the past, but isn't when I realized that when I go to other hotels that have chair rentals, I pay $25 for one afternoon to borrow them. Silly that I hesitated to purchase a seat for less than I'd rent one.

I might even buy an umbrella next time, since chances are we won't be lucky enough to have one blow our way again. And it made the trip so much better for my grand fairy.

Sugarwings was as dedicated to shell finding as I was. We bought her a boogie board, but the waves weren't cooperating. She used it instead as a shell transport system, pulling it behind her as she searched for treasure in the shallow water and then placing them on the board to bring them back to shore.

We didn't have Dewdrop with us by the water, she was spending the week with her mama who lives in Sarasota. How lucky for me that I needed to deliver her on Spring break to my favorite city in the world?!

We had a very laid back week, with some chilly temperatures that required jackets on the beach a couple of days, and I picked up a slight illness that slowed me down, while my poor husband had a horrid bought of the flu with on and off fevers. Still, if you aren't feeling your best, where better to rest up and take it easy? We sat by the water in our folding chairs, watched the waves and our pretty grand fairy.

I'll miss you, Siesta Key!

Painting at the shore

paintings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / April 4, 2017

Our time at Siesta Key was the best.

As always.

We like to stay at a place right on the sand, and while it isn't fancy, it is my idea of a dream vacation spot. When my sisters and I stay there, we like to craft and look out the window at the waves. Sugarwings and I took it a step further and did our artwork out on the patio, listening to the ocean as we painted our view.

We found a sea sponge on the beach to use in texturizing our pictures. It was just what I needed to paint the sand, along with a few splatters from a rough brush. Sugarwings got into the splattering too, I'm glad we were using watercolors, or we might have had some issues with the management…. As it was, I had to ask her to do her splatters away from me, I was getting a few extra on my own painting.

This one is sunset with a wet on wet watercolor sky.

Same view, different angle, so that the small rise seems bigger, almost a hill. I worked from photos that taken on my ipad, and then propped up on the table to look at. I know there was a big ocean right in front of me, but I prefer using the photos.

The lighter green in the water is the sand bar and the area to the right is where we spread my Dad's ashes a few years ago.

This is one that I painted with acrylic paints after I got home, from a quick, watercolor sketch I did that day on the patio.

These are small, 9×12", and I'm not sure what I'll do with them. They are kind of small for the wall since they wouldn't show up in detail from across a room. The size isn't standard, I'd have to custom frame them. They aren't that good to spend too much money on getting them framed… so, I don't know if I'll spring for that. Maybe a standard frame with a custom cut mat is more affordable, then hang in a small area, like the bathroom?

They might just go into a scrapbook as a memory of a lovely time with my grand fairy at one of our favorite places.

A Sea Shell Fairy Controversy and some disappointing shell searches

guncles, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 15, 2017

Over the years I've developed some vacation traditions. One is that I wear this necklace with charms and a moonstone from my sisses every time I go to Florida. (I also wear it when I'm feeling homesick for family too)

Another is making a sea shell fairy for every beach I visit. This trip was bi-coastal with a tour of Clearwater before driving to spend the night in St. Augustine, driving up to Jacksonville for guncle time then a trek up to Charleston for a mini family reunion on Sullivan Island.

It was also a quick trip. We arrived from the airport in time for lunch with a view of the sea, but then didn't get to the hotel til after dark, because my husband had some visits to make. After breakfast the next morning, we quickly strolled along the beach at Clearwater, but didn't have enough time to gather shells. I wish now that I'd made the time, because that was the most perfect weather I'd had that week.

And there was a plethora of shells to be found.

I shoulda, coulda, woulda stopped and snagged some if I'd known how the next few beaches would go….

Jax proved to be barren of shells for the day, and it was COLD. Too cold to try to get enough together to make a sprite, because it might have taken hours to find what I needed. And for some silly reason, I'd packed sandals and Ugg boots only. No shoes to wear, so my tootsies weren't happy with a beach stroll.

(yep, my eyes are closed)

There was time before breakfast to make a shell fairy on St. Augustine Beach, and I was soooo happy to be playing in the sand and day dreaming about happy little fairies. Till I posted the picture online of the little gal that I'd created, that is.

Soon, I got messages saying that my fairy looked a little "too happy."

When I realized what they were seeing, I deleted the Facebook and Instagram pics. Ooops! I showed it to a few more people and they agreed. Do you see the problem? If not, I won't mention it.

By the way, THAT IS AN ARM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, I had a chance of vindication at Charleston, right? Nope! It was beyond cold there. Too cold to even stand on the balcony and look at the beach, let alone walk down to it.

Well durn- 4 beaches, 1 fairy.

One that was accidentally R rated.

Luckily, I did have a picture on my camera of this version of my little fae.

And here is an edited version that I hope takes away the optical illusion??

Or should I just write her (him?) off and delete all the photos? It all made me feel sad, I adore making little sea shell girls and this time it just didn't go well. Although, everyone I showed the photos too, got a huge laugh out of it.

Sugarwings earns tickets for good behavior in her class and can use them for purchases at the end of the day. She'd over heard me saying that I was sad about the shell fairy that I'd made and that I couldn't make another one.

So, she used her tickets to buy some shells for me, and we made these three in the dining room at breakfast. There wasn't a shell for the wings, so I cut up the tissue paper they came wrapped in.

I've made quite a few water sprites over the last few years, but none that were as sweet as the ones that I made with real life, grand fairy.

Seawitches

holiday decor, Travel

By Karla Nathan / November 20, 2016

Our Sister Trips to Sarasota always include crafting time. And lots of Halloweenish witchy things too.

This year, we turned some black hats covered in sheer fabric into seawitch hats. I dyed them before I packed, and threw bags full of goodies into my suitcase for doctoring them up. (witch-doctoring, I mean)

I whipped mine up fast, thinking I would be using it as my beach hat all week, since it was so comfy and soft, plus had a wide brim to keep off the sun.

Once it was shell and flower laden, it wasn't nearly as comfy. It tended to list to the heaviest side. So, not a good sun hat, unless I wanted to tie it on like a bonnet.

While they didn't end up being our full time beach hats, we still got to play around and wear them sometimes.

And they made great silhouettes against the sunset.

And some of our condo neighbors told us they liked them too. And we overheard others whispering, as they pointed at us, "Those are the ladies that turn into witches!"

Of course we do! Being a sister seawitch is the BEST!

a sorry attempt at sand scuplting

Travel

By Karla Nathan / November 18, 2016

The sand at Siesta Key was the perfect texture to play with. I decided to make some Halloween pumpkins from it.

Bobbie found this fish part that made ideal teeth for a creepy smile.

And a barnacle covered shell made a good, warty looking nose.

They were easy to make and I got cocky. Sissy and I missed our pups and I thought I'd make us a little sand Yorkie.

Well, a ball for a pumpkin is a little more simple than a dog's face. I had a cute one done, and its muzzle kept falling off.

After trying to rebuild the snout a few times, I gave up and pretended it was a kitty.

To give her a Halloween feel, I threw in a witch's hat. I should've made a seaweed broom to go next to it, huh?

There is something to be said for sitting in the sand and building stuff with it like a kid. I sure missed my grand fairies, while doing it, but sure had fun on my own.

Seashell fairies and a day that turned into a Stephen King horror story

sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / November 16, 2016

In October, I got to spend a few days at the world's prettiest beach, Siesta Key. And in appreciation of my wonderful time there, I left a little fairy near the waves as a thank you.

Honestly, it is a beautiful, beautiful place to be, and not just in my mind, it is always winning America's top beach lists, like this one.

Of course, are there any BAD beaches on Florida's Gulf coast? I'd be surprised. There are grains of sand in every type, and as much as I love the powdery, cool sand of Siesta, I enjoy wiggling my toes along other shores too. This fairy was made as a thank you to Turtle Beach, a little way south of where we stayed in Sarasota on Siesta Key.

We had more to be thankful for there than just a pleasurable stroll in the sand…. we were grateful to get home safely!

In the search for more shells than we'd been able to pick up where we were staying, I looked online and saw that there was a slightly deserted area at Midnight Pass, south of Turtle Beach where shells were abundant, if you didn't mind a bit of a walk. So, we drove to the end of the road, and took off walking along the beach, down the sand to what looked like the end of civilization and filled our bags with pretty shells. We also lost track of time, and realized it was getting late as we headed back. So we trudged through the sand back the way we'd come.

And we trudged.

And trudged.

Then trudged some more. And I regretted my decision to not bring a water bottle thinking it was a pleasant day and we were only going on a short walk. (Kind of like a 3 Hour Tour).

We hadn't picked a landmark when we left our car. So we kept on a trudging and tried to find where we'd parked it. We were getting a little worried, tired, hot, thirsty and bug bitten by then.

As the sun was setting, we came across a couple who told us we'd walked way, way too far past our car and needed to turn around. They said the easiest way back was to follow the Yellow Brick Road.

?????

And then showed us the way through their condo complex, which was actually a side walk with yellow bricks that led to the road, which led us back a mile or more to our car. Much easier than walking through the sand. And much better than walking the wrong direction.

(this is a preliminary sketch for my art journal, not done yet)

Here is the co-inky dink part- I live in Kansas, and if you've read my blog, you might have noticed that I'm a big fan of Yellow Brick Roads and all that goes along with them. This guy who helped us lives in Florida, but was actually from a town nearby me in Kansas.

And he told us that we'd walked by Stephen King's beach mansion down at the tip of the key. Well, it was Halloween week, and we'd been totally immersed in "Fright Fest" on AMC, including a day long Stephen King marathon the day before! Here we were lost in the dark, practically trespassing in the yard of the king of horror.

But that wasn't the end, as we finally neared our car, and thought the saga was over, we heard a terrible fight and a woman screaming for help in the clump of trees on the other side of the empty parking lot. We were in a isolated area, at night, creeped out and tired. But we called 911 and locked our doors, waiting for a policeman to come and save the poor screaming woman, whose cries stopped as a man drove off on a moped. We didn't hear her after that, and hoped she was safe. The officer sent us on our way and went looking for her with a high powered flashlight.

I hope she is okay. I tried to look up Sarasota 911 reports but had no luck. We went back to our happy, cozy, Siesta Key condo on the sand, hoping for the best for that poor woman who had screamed with such fright. And our own trek through the sand as we searched for our lost car in the dark for hours didn't seem as bad any more. We were safe and I sure hope she is too.

Tri-Unity

celebrations, family, Sacred Circus, Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 2, 2016

Isn't this cute as a bug?? We got it so we could go to the performances that our kids do at festivals.

I even hippy-ed it up with some swirly lights for the weekend that we were at Tri-Unity.

It is small, only 16', but with a canopy and a pop up tent out front, we had plenty of space. Will I fix it up? I'm not sure. After the big remodel job we just went through, redoing something isn't feeling all that enticing right now. We'll see after I recover. For now, it's pretty cozy and nice inside.

And when we will camp, we won't spend much time inside. I know we didn't this time. The grounds were beautiful, and the event was child friendly, with a cute area set up just for the little ones.

And it was even prettier at night.

The Sacred Circus rig was under a lit tent and the silhouettes of the performers were mesmerizing.

Watching the aerialists through the tent was almost like watching mermaids swim in a colorful sea. Their movements were graceful and flowing.

There was non-stop entertainment, too.

A series of musicians filled the stage late into the night, and the day was started with a drum circle.

During the days, there were workshops. I took the nature walk and learned about edible plants. You could learn to belly dance, hula hoop, fly through the air on a trapeze, meditate, drum, among a few dozen other classes.

Or just hang out with the kids and get your face painted.

And then join them in a parade.

And relax with yoga.

I liked watching the many painters, and petting dogs.

There were some interesting painters there.

But the best part? Time with family.

And friends.

I'll leave you with some more pictures of the weekend, and will show you the circus performance in an upcoming post. Be prepared for lots of grammie style gushing over grand fairies!

Between the Beach and the Hard Rock- thanks to Gloria Gayner, I Will Survive

celebrations, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 25, 2016

Our trip to Orlando started with a drive to Cocoa Beach. Years ago, we started going there because it was the closest ocean access to Disney. Now, we go because we really like staying at the La Quinta by the pier. It isn't a fancy hotel, but has a beautiful balcony view of the water, and is a comfy place.

This year, Sugarwings was old enough to rent a boogie board. Kia and I mostly bopped up and down with the waves and played in the surf. She kept trying to catch tiny fish in her hands and actually managed to do it, too. I told her that she'd be perfect to be stranded on a deserted isle with. She can catch fish bare handed, plus is a vegetarian and doesn't eat them, they'd all go to me.

My handsome husband isn't an ocean guy, so he didn't get in much. He is more of stroller along the shores than a swimmer.

And our oldest teen? She refuses to let sun touch her body. She is an expert at staying lily white. Which I wish I was at her age, then maybe I wouldn't be so wrinkly and spotty…

Due to our flight being cancelled on the way out (we had a fun day in KC, going to movies and lunch while waiting for another flight), our time at the beach was cut short. We had a full day there, then moved on to Universal Studios.

If you stay at one of the on site hotels, you get a free pass to skip most of the lines. Or you can buy one for EIGHTY NINE BUCKS. geesh!

Good thing we got free ones, because if I'd bought those, I'd have been sad, many attractions didn't even have lines and we wouldn't have needed them anyway. There were times I was very glad to have them, and they were helpful. And we were thrilled with the Hard Rock Hotel. My sweet husband, who is not a fan of Disney, puts up with a lot of princess foofala on trips, and since it was Father's Day week, we thought he should have a place he would like to stay.

It was one of the nicest places ever. The pool was ideal, Sugarwings and I hardly left it when we weren't at the park. She participated in all of the poolside games and contests that she could.

Avahnni even entered the hula hooping event. Sugarwings won the hula hoop water relay twice. So, when the DJ asked for adult volunteers, I figured that I'd get up on the stage and maybe be in a water balloon toss, or something along those lines.

But dang, once I was out of the water, chosen as a volunteer, I discovered…

oh my…

It was a lip sync contest.

oh noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I don't sing. I can't remember words to songs. I have no rhythm. I dance like Martin Short, if I'm at my best.

The other contestants were cute college girls, swaying to the music and holding up their cocktails. Girls who knew how to dance.

When I was asked what genre of music I wanted, I requested "grandma music". Maybe something from a cartoon or from the 70s? I was given Disco. Oh no. I do not Hustle. Panic was setting in.

Then, I looked around and realized that while there might have been 200 people there, Sugarwings was the only one I knew. So, I went for it. I went as silly and dramatic as I could.

I let the Martin Short in me come out full strength in my dancing and that won the contest for me.

It was a highlight of my trip. Thank god there are no photos. I still am surprised that was me, up there in front of the crowd in a swimsuit, dancing and being silly. My mom would've loved it, she was goofy too.

As much as I loved the Wizarding World, I could've been happy at that pool all week. It even had night time family movies, with underwater speakers.

No matter how much fun a trip is, it is wonderful to be home. And to see progress done on the new room while we were away.

When Sugarwings started reading the Harry Potter books, I told her that I'd take her to Universal to see Hogwarts when she finished them.

Then, her Daddy married the mother of the biggest Harry Potter fangirl ever. So, we decided to change the trip to a "Welcome to the Family" vacation for the fangirl and her sister.

We are lucky to have these two girls in our lives. They are smart, polite, talented, funny, sassy, and cute as can be. We love it that they are such good influences for Sugarwings and Dewdrop.

And we love it that they are now our very own grand fairies.

Plus, I got a bonus trip to Florida out of the deal!! I'm missing those seashells already. Tell me again, why do I live in Kansas instead of near a beach?