Thursday, December 27, 2012

Welcome back to our redesigned blog! Dan & I have big news-we are moving back to Europe! In 2006, we moved to London for three years and I blogged about all of our travels (on a now-defunct website). Upon our return to the United States we had every intention to continue blogging, but life just got in the way sometimes...between becoming new parents and working full time, we didn't keep up with our blog.

However, on our new adventure to Europe, we plan on blogging about all of our experiences along the way! Please follow us as we discover new cultures, eat exotic foods, experience all the mayhem that comes with traveling with a toddler, & much more! Dan will be heading to Wiesbaden, Germany before me so he can begin the house hunting process and I can close up shop here. Follow along for the ride-it should be interesting!!!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Walt Disney World Trip Day 3

Day three started out with an early wake up call from Stitch of all characters and not the cute cuddly kind from the movie, rather the annoying obnoxious version found all over the parks. After I hung up on him we quickly woke up and got ourselves ready and out the door with plenty of time to make rope drop at the Hollywood Studios. There were a decent amount of people there and they had a guy and camera trying to get the crowd excited about the American Idol experience and it was entertaining enough and made the time go by until they let us onto Hollywood Blvd.
Once inside the Studios we watched from afar the wonderful show they put on to open the park. They use several of the streetmosphere actors and it really gets your revved up for a day at the Studios. As soon as the rope dropped most people went straight towards Toy Story Mania (us included) and the cast members make sure everyone stays on a specific path and they don’t let anyone take any of the shortcuts to get over there. It was a madhouse over there and as soon as we arrived we quickly decided to break off and let me get the fast passes while Becca got in line. After waiting for a tour leader to collect at least 35 passes (I am not kidding about this) it was finally my turn. I quickly grabbed my two and was off to meet Becca in line. We had about a 15 minute wait that early and for the first time EVER, I beat Becca in this game. It was such a good feeling as she typically cleans the floor up with me and now my time had come!


After I reminded her who was boss and took over gloating to a new level, we were off to Sunset Blvd to ride Tower of Terror and get a fast pass to Rock N’ Roller Coaster. Tower was only a 5 minute wait and we were on enjoying the fourth dimension (not present in the California & Paris versions) and the random drop sequence. After giving Becca just a touch of nausea we waited about five minutes until we could get another fast pass, which we got for Rock N’ Roller Coaster.


Since we only had a Pop Tart in the room before leaving for the park, we decided to grab a quick bite at Starring Roles. Becca had a bit of a run in with a lady that swooped into the table she was waiting for and when she confronted the lady, she told Becca to “call the police, everyone does it.” We went to sit on a bench when a nice lady who saw what happened came over to tell us she was leaving and we could have her table. You have to love that at WDW some people can be so selfish and mean, then someone will come around and make up for it.

After we eat our bagels and muffin we realized the first American Idol Experience was about to start for the day so we decided to check it out since it was new to us. We actually pretty surprised at how well the show was done. The show quality and the scripts were pretty well done and thought out and there was only a small bit in the middle when the crowd is supposed to get up and sing that get a little cheesy, but otherwise a nice addition to the park. Oh, and the talent was pretty decent. The guy that won our show had a great voice and could totally make it to the Hollywood round on the show. After the show we walked by the American Idol merchandise and found a very funny Randy Jackson themed Goofy plush and tee shirt that we just had to buy.
After helping the next American Idol on his way it was time to get another Fast Pass and we made our way back to Toy Story to pick up another one, giving us two for later. Next it was time to see our favorite Muppets (we are kind of fond of Beaker) at Muppet Vision 3-D. We saw the whole entertaining pre show and then enjoyed the movie, although it does seem to need an update as some of the effects don’t work and the film is looking its age. After escaping the Swedish Chef’s destruction of the theater we decided to get over to the other side of the park and cash in our Rock N’ Roller Coaster fast pass. We had a lot of fun riding through LA traffic and it seems each ride I manage to catch some other small detail that I missed before when I would keep my eyes firmly shut.
It was just about time for our lunch ADR at 50’s Prime Time Café. We sat in the back room and had Cousin Richard as our server. He was very funny and we did get yelled at a couple of times for having our elbows on the table. We both had the fried chicken and I had a cherry coke Becca a chocolate shake. The food was good although the corn was pretty bland. We topped off our yummy lunch with a Brownie Sunday and as we walked out into the hot summer Florida heat decided it was time for a break back at the Kidani Village. First we split up and I got Fast Passes for Rock N’ Roller Coaster and Becca bought the American Idol items I talked about earlier.


We made our way back home and as soon as we hit the room the bed was just calling to us and we quickly took a much needed nap. I did set the alarm to give us some time before we had to pack up and head back to the parks. After the nap I did a little blogging and then it was back to the Studios. As soon as we got back in the park we cashed in one of our Toy Story fast passes and I some how took Becca to the cleaners yet again. I’m getting good at that game/ride.

We decided to have a bite to eat for dinner and Backlot Express was close so we had some BBQ pork subs. After dinner we rode the Great Movie Ride and had a fun jaunt through some movie history and got caught up in a gangster shoot out. Next, we cashed in our last fast pass for Toy Story and I made it three for three as Becca has apparently lost her edge over me. We walked down Sunset Blvd to use our last fast pass of the day over at Rock N Roller Coaster where we enjoyed our second high speed ride through LA traffic to the Aerosmith concert.

People were already lining up for the second Fantasmic and the first showing was still running. The schedule change where Fantasmic is now only shown on three nights a week as opposed to every day has really messed the crowd situation up and the number of people in the Studios on Fantasmic nights makes it very uncomfortable and hard to catch the show. The told us they would not let anyone in until 9:30 and we still had about 40 minutes, so we decided to “drop” into the Tower of Terror since it only had a 20 minute wait (it was really more like 10).


As soon as we walked out of the attraction, the first Fantasmic was letting out and we got stuck in the herd as we made our way around the front and then into the line the was waiting for the next show. We stood for about twenty torturous minutes as we were sandwiched in with hundreds of people. We finally made our way the nearly mile long walkway to the theater and found a seat right in the middle section towards the back row. We waited the twenty minutes until the show started and had some pretty nasty stale popcorn and some pretty decent nachos. We enjoyed the show as usual and there is nothing better than a Fantasmic to top off a wonderful day at a Disney park. I think I would watch that show every day. Great stuff!!


Just when we thought we were done for the day we decided to race out of the park and make our way over the Magic Kingdom for some extra magic hours (the park was open until 1AM). We got to the TTC and walked to the monorail where we were required to take the resort monorail, which slowed us up a little. Then once we got to the gates of the Magic Kingdom we noticed a long line to get in, and the line was not moving. It turned out that the main entrance had lost power and they couldn’t scan anyone’s ticket. After a five or ten minutes the line started to move and they resorted to just stamping peoples tickets. Even know we had annual passes, the guy for some reason still stamped our ticket with the days date.


Once inside the gates we got immediate “magic in our bellies” and strolled up Main St. excited about the prospect of an hour and a half of late night fun in the Magic Kingdom.


Our first stop was Pirates of the Caribbean where there was a decent size line considering it was the second half of a late night extra magic hours. Next, we worked our way over to Haunted Mansion, but not before stopping for a midnight Dole Whip and this time we got the classic pineapple. We decided to stay on this side of the park and took fun late night walk one rides of Thunder & Splash Mountain. It was just about 1AM and started to make our way toward Main Street via Liberty Square when we heard a cast member yelling out that the last show of the Hall of Presidents was about to start. We were very excited as we had not seen it since the recent refurbishment and thought it was closed for the night much earlier. We ran into the theater with about a dozen other guests and thoroughly enjoyed the newest rendition of the show. The new audio animatronic of Barack Obama was unbelievable; I mean they really nailed his mannerisms and everything. Bravo Disney on a great refresh of a classic attraction.


We slowly walked down Main Street at 1:30AM and enjoyed the ambiance of a truly magical environment. We made the very long journey back to Kidani Village and collapsed with exhaustion after a wonderful day of Disney magic where we acted like two kids sans parental oversight.


Monday, September 7, 2009

Walt Disney World Trip Day 2

The second day of our trip began with yet another early wake up call, I think this will be a running theme on this trip. Our plan was to check out of the Doubletree, load up our luggage into the car and drive to the Magic Kingdom where we had 8AM breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace. We got our of the hotel pretty quickly and it took us very little time to get over the Contemporary to park (we made lunch reservations so we could use the lot). We walked over to the Magic Kingdom at about twenty minutes before 8AM and there were about eight people in front of us at the entrance for character dining. They told us they were going to open up another one of the entrances and Becca and I were the first to get in that line. We stood there for about ten minutes when they said we could put our tickets through the turnstile. We were the very first two in the park that day it was a really cool experience. They held us just before the train station for a couple of minutes until the park was cleared and we were then permitted to enter Main Street. We were the first people to walk up Main Street and we took some great pictures and video. It was awesome and I recommend everybody make a morning reservation like that so you can get into the park before anyone else.

After we spent some time enjoying the largely people free Main Street and hub area, we check in for our breakfast at the Crystal Palace. This breakfast is a buffet with Winnie the Pooh characters. The food is your typical American fare with the likes of pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, etc. Let’s just say we really enjoyed our first meal in the “no calorie” zone. After we munched on America’s classic breakfast goodies and took some pictures with the characters (why not we’re there??), we made our way into the castle just moments before rope drop.

While we were waiting the cast members were trying to get us all pumped up and were asking who was going to which attraction and when they asked who was going to Peter Pan Becca and I went crazy. The cast member was all excited and told us to follow her when the rope dropped. As we raced with our new friend to Peter Pan we were met with a bunch of cast members standing outside and cheering with their white gloves and we gave them high fives and cheered along. It was very magical and the energy level was high as we got to be the second and third people to ride Peter Pan, some lady somehow made her way around us.

After our flight over London and around Neverland, we rode Snow White and Winnie the Pooh to complete the Fantasyland dark rides. They really need to add a dark ride or two to keep up with the other Magic Kingdoms around the world. To round our time in Fantasyland we rode It’s a Small World to we could insert that song in our heads for the rest of the day. So, in less than 30 minutes we completed all we wanted to do in Fantasyland. Perfect.


Next, we made our way deep into Frontierland and grabbed Fast Passes (FP’s) for Splash Mountain and jumped on since it was pretty much still a walk on. After we Splash it was already time to get another Fast Pass so we got one for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And set off for Adventureland. On our way we ran into our favorite Disney character (which some of you may know), Goofy and we love it when Goofy is themed and here he was “western” Goofy. We took a picture with Goofy and got him excited with our baby goof plush (I know were nuts, get over it!) and my Goofy shirt.

Once inside the Adventureland it was time to take our first turn on Pirate’s of the Caribbean. This version is so short compared to California and Paris and is missing whole scenes and the ones they share are much smaller here. But, I’ll take any Pirates over no Pirates. As we exited the attraction we found a new plush to add to our collection. They now have a Davey Jones themed Goofy (from the Pirates movies). He is so funny with the tentacles around his neck and claw hands and a peg leg. Good stuff.

Just down the way from Pirates is the Jungle Cruise and we had a good ride with a decent skipper. After our two week journey through the jungle we needed a little refreshment as it was starting get pretty hot and muggy out and what better place than the Dole Whip stand. We had heard about a new orange flavor Dole Whip that tasted like a dreamcicle. We each got one and while the rumor is true and it was good, it still was not a Dole Whip and I was kind of regretting not just getting a regular pineapple Dole Whip.


After our refreshing break we crossed over into Frontierland and over to Liberty Square to ride Haunted Mansion. Since the latest refurbishment, this is now the best of all the mansions. The surround sound in the stretch room and the endless staircase scene alone propel this version to the top of the list. We continued around the park and ended up in Tomorrowland where with Space Mountain and Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) down for refurbishment there was not much to do. We jumped on Buzz Lightyear where this version is inferior to the one at Disneyland as the guns are attached to the ride vehicle and the scenes and targets are not as detailed.

It was now 1:30PM and we were getting very tired as the two early wake up calls and the travel over from Phoenix began to take its toll and we had to go check into our DVC unit over at Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Before we left the park we decided to grab some lunch at must stop every Disney World trip, Casey’s Corner. This was where I worked when I was on the college program a couple years ago (Ahem, 13 years ago to be exact). The hot dogs are not as good as they used to be and they give you less fries, but still a good meal and time for me to reminisce about my time there.


After lunch we walked back over to the Contemporary and picked up our car and drove over to Kidani Village. We arrived and parked under the main porte-cochere where a Cast Member said we only had 10 minutes or we’d have to move and I politely told him that there were no spots in the short term parking area so I had no choice. He told me they had to hold my keys and he was not terribly nice about it, not a great start to our “Welcome Home” from DVC. Anyway, we brushed it off and headed into the lobby to get our keys since we checked in online.


This was our first time trying this out, so I wanted to see how it would go. There were no guests waiting at the front desk and we walked right up as I did not see a separate area for online check ins. The girl was very friendly and appeared new to the job and it took a while for her to find our reservation and for a moments or two her and her colleagues thought we might be over in Jambo House (the main Animal Kingdom Lodge building) which we knew was not the case since we specifically booked Kidani since it was the new dedicated DVC section of the resort.


After a couple of minutes she found our reservation and got our check in packet which was waiting in another area. I’m not sure if it was because she was new, but the online check in did not seem to save us any time. We drove around and under the building where they have all the parking and found a spot near our section. We took the elevator up to the fourth floor and then it was a short walk to our room. We booked a studio savannah view room and the first thing we noticed once we got in the room was how it seemed smaller than the one we had back in November over at Jambo house. The bathroom area and hallway seemed a bit bigger, but the bed and sitting area seemed a little cramped. Becca called down to the front desk and inquired as to the size difference and they told us that these rooms are actually ten square feet bigger. They offered to try and move us over to Jambo House if we wanted, but refused as we wanted to check out this part of the new resort.


We quickly unpacked all our stuff and creatively crammed everything into the small storage space afforded us and then took a long look onto the savannah from our patio. There were only a couple of zebras walking around down the way but we knew not to get too upset as we have had a savannah view three times now and new the you have to be patient and the animals we come and go. We did notice that it was a much smaller savannah and the building seemed closer together so the noise reverberated off the buildings making it pretty loud. It seems every time we are out on our balcony we hear lots of people and we don’t remember that so much the last two times.


Not very long after checking out the savannah our bodies informed us it was time for a shut down so we closed the drapes and took a much needed nap. After about and hour and half of deep sleep we awoke to the sounds of people in the hallway (also not a good thing) and started to get ready for our return to the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, my stomach was giving me fits (maybe a just bit too much sugar and bad food?) and this slowed us up a bit for a couple of hours in the evening.
I did not want to miss the Wishes (fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom) dessert party that we booked. We ended up walking around the park for some time before we finally settled on Cosmic Rays where we shared some chicken nuggets (not so good) and fries. After I responded to my bad stomach with some more crappy food (now who’s boss??) we decided to cash in our Fast Passes for Peter Pan and took in another Fantasyland favorite that we did skip in the morning, Mickey’s Philharmagic. On our way to the dessert party we stopped in a Buzz Lightyear and I got my behind whooped for the second time at the hands of my quick draw wife.
Over at the Tomorrowland Terrace is a blocked off seating area with a perfect view of the castle and the fireworks (Wishes). It was here you can book a table for your party with a buffet style dessert spread to enjoy while you wait. Spectromagic (the nighttime parade) was passing by as we began to over indulge our sweet teeth with all they had to offer. The spread had everything from cheesecake, strawberry shooters, brownies, cupcakes, pistachio crème brulee, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate moose, tiramisu, canolies, cookies, iced tea, lemonade, and much more. The food was all very good and after several trips to the spread (the plates were small, trust me) we were very satisfied and took it all in before the show started. We enjoyed a very magical showing of Wishes and then just relaxed as they don’t kick you out and they keep the food after the show. So, while most people were jammed pack making their way out of the park we just kind of relaxed and enjoyed the ambiance.


We did a little browsing down Main Street and enjoyed one of our favorite times in our favorite park. There is nothing like Main Street at night, so magical (am I overusing that word?) We made the tiring drive back to our home and passed right out to dream of our next exciting adventure at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

That’s it for now, more to come soon.



-Dan

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Disney World Trip Day 1

The first day of our trip started out with an early wake up call and it did not take long to fully arise once the realization that this was the day of our departure that we had been anticipating for a long time. My parents arrived at 6:30 to give us a lift the airport. Once we said our goodbyes and dropped off our luggage we quickly learned that apparently those flying first class on US Airways do not get access to the lounges. What is the deal with that? Airline service has really taken a hit in recent years and they are even taking it out on their frequent flyers. Only if you are flying on a full fare first class international flight can you use the lounge unless you are a paying member. What a joke. So, we were forced to take a seat down with the other hordes of people trying to get away for Labor Day and wait out the hour and half until departure.

We boarded our Airbus A320 and took our seats in row two and got settled. As everyone was boarding, the flight attendant took drink orders and of course to go with the theme, they do not carry champagne so we could not have mimosas. We had screw drivers instead and that will get you kick started for a journey, it if it is nine in the morning. The flight was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that for about three of the three and a half hour flight the seat belt sign was on meaning all visit to the bathroom involved severe risk to life and limb.

The excitement started to build as we got closer and closer to Orlando and as we made our final approach I searched out the window for Disney World and sure enough I made out Spaceship Earth and the Contemporary and Bay Lake. I took a few photos and before I know it we were on the ground. As soon as we hit the main terminal Becca and I split up to save time and she went to wait for out bags while I got the rental car. This worked out great except for the fact that the bags were very slow to arrive.
Less than two hours after the wheels touched down in Orlando we arrived on Disney property. Our first stop was to the hotel for our first night, the Doubletree at Downtown Disney. The building was not very much to look at as the architecture was straight out of the 1970’s and looked dated. The inside is much nicer as they obviously have done a refurbishment and except for a kind of mildew type smell inside was quite nice. The staff was very friendly and we got checked in pretty quick. We parked the car, which is $7 a day, and took our luggage up to our seventh floor two room suite. The room was very nice and although the décor was not to my taste, it was clean and sizeable. The first room had a kitchenette with a small fridge, microwave, and coffee maker, a table with four chairs, a sofa, and a flat screen television. Past some sliding doors was the bedroom where a nice big king size bed sits with another flat screen television and a closet and bathroom. For $79 a night this was an excellent value and worked out perfect for our situation. I would not want to stay here for a whole trip as I really like Disney themed hotels and immersion, but this is a great budget alternative if you can get a good rate.
After dropping off our bags and settling in a bit (like two minutes) we left to get our annual passes from Epcot. Everything went very quickly and once we had those tickets in our hand and turned around and saw Spaceship Earth right there in the front of the park just staring at us, we had to head in and take in our first ride. We enjoyed every second of our trip through the history of communication aboard our time travel vehicle and after sending our goofy picture home via e-mail at the exit, we made our way to Downtown Disney as we had 8:00PM reservations at the Irish Pub Raglan Road. We walked around enjoying the ambiance and live music at Downtown Disney until our reservation time.
This was our first time eating at Raglan Road and was excited to try it as we have just recently moved back to the states after three years living in England. We traveled around Ireland for two weeks during our time overseas and were pleasantly surprised to see the amount of detail was put into creating this Irish environment. They had some live music as a family of about 10 siblings performed a bunch of traditional Irish music and dance and it really added to the ambiance. We had a strong nostalgia for our time in Ireland. They had two beers we both enjoyed while in Ireland, Smithwicks for Becca and Magners for me. The food was also outstanding. I had the Shepherd’s pie while Becca had beef stew. Both were very flavorful and did not disappoint.

After we forced ourselves out of Raglan Road so we could head to our traditional start of a Disney World dessert place, Goofy’s Candy Company. We stopped in the World of Disney retail shop and browsed until the hordes of people caused enough discomfort to warrant our exit. At Goofy’s they have this set-up where you can pick a pretzel rod, rice krispy treat, or marshmallow and then add toppings and they make it right there. You fill our a piece of paper, drop it off and let them work their candy making magic. Becca and I both got marshmallow with chocolate (white for here and dark for me) with reesie piecies all over them and then a sprinkle of chocolate on top. Yummy!!


After our sugar come wore off, we walked around the Art of Disney shop dreaming about all the stuff we wanted if independent wealth ever found its way to us. We then drove to Walgreens to pick up some stuff for our home away from home as the next day we would be checking into Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

It was a long but magical day and we look forward to sharing all our adventures with those who will listen. I will post some picture on this blog tomorrow as I get the pictures uploaded. We have 16 more days of magical adventures ahead so stay tuned because there will be much more to report on. See ya real soon.

- Dan

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Day 0 - Pre Trip Thoughts

Well, it’s the day before our trip and the excitement is building. How much does that last day of work before a two week holiday suck? Not as bad as that first day back after a two week trip, but still painfully slow and torturous. This time tomorrow we should be boarding our flight from Phoenix to Orlando and thankfully I have enough miles to score an upgrade to first class, so we should fly comfortably. We are flying US Airways and for some reason they decided to take all the movie equipment off all their planes that fly domestically, so for a 4 hour flight we have no movie. We are planning on bringing our laptop and some movies, so I’m sure we’ll break that out during the flight and enjoy a flick. There is something about movie watching that helps pass the time on a long flight, so it’s essential.
A rough sketch of the trip begins with our arrival in Orlando where we will pick up our rental car and head to our first night hotel, the Doubletree in Downtown Disney. Shortly after checking in we plan on heading to the Epcot to pick up our annual passes, then back to Downtown Disney for some dinner at Raglan Road. After some desert at Goofy’s Candy Co. and much needed sleep, we move over to our home away from home and check into our DVC (Disney Vacation Club) resort for the first part of the trip, the new Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We play in the parks for a week, switch to All Star Sports for one night before we drive to Port Canaveral to join up with our first ever chartered DVC Cruise aboard the beautiful Disney Wonder for a four night voyage with two stops at Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. There are sure to be many surprises and interesting events aboard, at least there better be since we are missing the first ever D23 convention at Disneyland for this trip. To be fair, we did book this before D23 even existed, so how would we know? After the cruise we head back to Disney World to check into the Boardwalk Villas for a three night stay to round out a great trip.

We intend on blogging as much as we can along the way, but of course we may get slowed down by all the fun we are having. Please check-in from time to time if you are interested in what we are up to and we will try and update. That’s it for now because as the song goes:
“There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrowShining at the end of every dayThere’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrowAnd tomorrow’s just a dream away”
- Dan

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

3 Days....the holiday commences!

After three years of constant travel, the last five months have been, well, more hectic than usual-without any travel! We have not been traipsing abroad, instead we have been busy with car shopping, house shopping, furniture shopping...and job hunting for me (it was a success on all accounts!)

About a year ago we planned a fantastic 2 week trip to Disneyworld, with a 4 day cruise on the Disney Wonder (two stops at Castaway Cay-Disney's private island!). We planned it so far in advance because the cruise is a specialty cruise for Disney Vacation Club members.

So while I was job hunting, I had to make sure any job I took would allow me time off for a pre-planned two week trip-I am very lucky to work for some great folks who totally understood and gave me the time off!!!! So, after five months, we're finally going away again!!! I realize in America having a 2 week vacation 5 months after the last one seems excessive, but for these marriedtravelers....well 5 months is a LONG time! Last summer we did 2 ten day trips and 4 or 5 long weekend get aways!!!

I've also not been very motivated to write-we've had so much going on but because I put so much time and energy into themarriedtraveler website over the last three years, and in an instant it was all lost to the website devils...well I felt like it was a lot of wasted time and energy I will never get back, since I will never see my lost blogs again.

(Quick recap: Globat, who hosted my site, changed servers in May, and when they changed servers, my website had some sort of virus on it and they were unable to retrieve the old website, before it had the virus). Long story short, they were not very helpful and I lost 3 years of blogging).

But onto more pleasant topics...the holiday!!!!!! We leave on Friday and spend the first week at Disney World! Yay! Can't wait! We're staying at the Kidani Village-a brand new resort we have not stayed at yet. It's the sister hotel to Animal Kingdom Lodge's Jambo House-which we have stayed at. Kidani is just like Jambo-but newer! We'll have a savannah view of the animals (zebras, giraffes, wildebeests-oh my!) and an all african vibe going on-can't wait!

We plan on blogging throughout the trip-so feel free to follow us here or on facebook!
I hope we can post some pictures too....

The Married Travelers live on! For all that have been following over the years-thanks for checking back in and for all the newbies-welcome aboard the traveling train-sadly, we won't be going at the same pace as we were in Europe...but we'll never stop our adventures!!!

Cheers,

Becca

Friday, August 21, 2009

Welcome To Our Blog

Welcome everyone to the continuation of our adventures as Becca and I attempt to update all on the happenings in our life and of course talk about any and all travel experiences. We have been living in Arizona for 4 months since our return from England and it has been an interesting experience trying to fit back in with the people and place. We have returned changed people and the experience has been very weird to say the least.

It's probably strange to see me blogging now as I had all the intentions of blogging over the last three years and for whatever reason (laziness) I left this task up to my beautiful wife. Unfortunately, upon our return and the lapsing of our old website we lost most of the wonderful blogs Becca wrote and it will be tough not being able to look back at the words she wrote during that time. Warning: avoid using globat to host your website, they are kind of sucky!!

I felt that we could start again, don't worry I'll save them this time, and I would try and contribute to the blog. I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures and look forward to our updates. Please post your comments (if they are nice) as we would love to hear from everyone and get reactions from our observations.

That's all I got for this first post, but stay tuned as Becca and I will be taking our first real vacation since returning home as we head to Walt Disney World to stay at our Disney Vacation Club (DVC) (Disney's timeshare for those not in the know) home away from home and also enjoy the DVC member cruise. We are very excited and looking forward to enjoying one of our favorite places on earth.