Almost There

Wow. How giddy am I right now?!  

Here is the back story: 

With a big summer ahead of us, Lisa in her new role at Meredith College, TJ starting a real paying job as a Camp Counselor, Grant heading off to Camp for a month, and me heading to Kentucky for a summer assignment, there isn't a lot of down time for Lisa and me.  A modern family with teenagers, we are busy!

Nonetheless, I was able to find three days on the calendar for Lisa and me to get away after the boys were gone and before I go to Ft. Knox.  I hinted to Lisa that we should use our Disney Vacation Club membership to go to Walt Disney World for a few days and spend a day at Epcot. Lisa said yes under the condition that we could stay at the Polynesian Resort - a very exotic, and very hard to get resort. Lisa picked it because she hung out in the resort's lobby back in February when I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  She commented along the lines of, "I want to stay there!"  I went on the website and was Waitlisted - the Disney equivalent of "nice try, but sorry, no."  Then two days later I received an email that our reservation went through for a suite with a view of the lake and Magic Kingdom!  This was a win. 

However, as they say in the commercials, "Wait! There's more!"  

Moving forward, I made reservations at some awesome Epcot restaurants. Pizza in Italy. Steak in Canada. We even scored a reservation at the Villian's Lair, a DVC member only lounge at the top of Bay Lake Tower about thirty minutes before the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Everything was looking up for a short and wonderful DWTK (Disney Without the Kids) trip.  

Then came Tiana's Bayou Adventure. 

For the uninformed, Tiana's Bayou Adventure replaces the former Splash Mountain, a log flume ride with a 50' drop. Splash Mountain was problematic with its theming - or at least the history of the film the theming was taken from, Song of the South - and it was ready for an update.  Honestly, retheming the ride based on the Princess and the Frog makes perfect sense. The water, music, and characters from the movie easily fit into a get-wet ride. 

The refurb has been closely watched by Disney Files for months. Because it rises high into the sky it is easy to see over the construction walls around it and fan pages and blogs are full pictures and theories of the ride's story line.  There are official videos out there demonstrating the state-of-the-art animatronics.  Then, Disney released the official opening date for the end of June. 

This week Samantha told me that DVC members have an opportunity to preview the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure, two weeks before the official opening. And it turns out, it is on one of the days that we will be there! 

Fittingly, Juneteenth. 

I found the registration page and with nervous anticipation, I watched the timer on the window count down from the 3 hours and some odd minutes when I first entered it to 0:00 and was redirected to the website. Starting at 352 in line, I watched the number quickly go down until I was in and entering our information and clicked submit.  

We. Got. In.  

It makes me grin just thinking about it. Disney has always been a member of this family. The Brown family has had many wonderful memories with Disney: races, cruises, vacations, holidays and even nights in front of Disney+. We are looking forward to another one very soon! Some of the very first people to ride a new Disney attraction!

In fact, we're almost there!

Spring Break 2024: Isla Mujeres, Mexico

2024 was the best Spring Break! It was out first international trip AND Samantha was able to join us (sadly, duty called Mitchell away).  We flew to Cancun, Mexico, took a taxi to the pier and then took a water taxi to the tiny island of Isla Mujeres, the eastern most part of Mexico. With Sam's impending deployment, this trip was the last time we were together for fun. 

The island was a geographic dichotomy, with one side being jagged rocks and cliff faces and the other side being some of the most pristine beaches in the world.  It is just a little over five miles long and less than a mile wide. We spent the first day at Punta Sur where the ocean crashed right over the walking path. Unlike Angel's Landing - there are no chains to hold on to here! It was a little wild and slightly dangerous as we dodged big waves splashing over the path. 

We traveled by foot or by golf cart everywhere. We found a cantina on the south side of the island called,  El Borracho Burro, or, The Drunk Donkey.  The food and the drinks were amazing. The tacos and adult beverages with fresh fruit were amazing. The live music was great. They played in the shade of a sun screen and trees making the sun a little less intense. They played Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, even Frankie Valie - "Grease is the word..."  But what happened next was beyond anything we could have imagined...

We saw him on the side of the stage and could not help noticing that he looked a lot like Michael Jackson. He seemed to be lurking. Then the band stopped playing and he got into costume.  He went on stage with a CD player. At first we thought he was going to sing over MJ's songs. Oh no. Not that. Instead, he danced to the King of Pop's music. At first we thought he was young but as he got closer we could clearly see that this guy was in his 50s. At least.  And he looked like a very scary version of the dead pop star.  We nicknamed him Miguel Jackson and he was the highlight of the trip.

Isla Mujeres does not have mega resorts like Cancun. In fact there are no brand name chains anywhere on the island. This adds to the charm. We stayed in Mitchell's grandmother's villa. A place she owns and rents out like Vrbo or AirBnB. A full kitchen allowed Sam to teach the boys how to make guacamole. The veranda gave us an amazing view of the ocean.  The entire island was vibrant with color. Everywhere.  There were gorgeous murals on many of the walls, or just entire buildings in bold, beautiful hues.  

Without a doubt, chartering a sailboat for sailing, snorkeling, and sightseeing was the best excursion of the trip. We motored to the south of the island. Grant looked every bit the intense sailor that would make his mother proud, while I just held the wheel and looked good.  Samantha was a natural.

I loved this trip with the five us. I know these opportunities are few and far between.  These people are my tribe and I love them so.

March of the Penguins

It was a week for the penguin suit!  

Lisa is always able to find a gem of a deal.  She found a formalwear warehouse that sold gently used tuxedos and gowns for a third of the price of renting one! She bought a nice black tuxedo for TJ for his prom and I was so intrigued by the idea that we went back the next week and bought one for me!  Although I have the option to wear my military uniform for a formal event, I am trying to distance myself from that persona. A $100 tuxedo was a great idea.

On Saturday, Lisa and dressed up for the Inaugural MMIA Gala. Lisa crushed it in her black dress (and Texas hair) and I wore my new grey tux. I tried the suit with a red bow tie but I looked like Pee Wee Herman. Once I did the voice, Lisa gave me hard No. <Laughs like Pee Wee, "Ha, ha, ha.">

Six days later I was in another tuxedo for my brother's wedding in Florida! The rental company initially dropped the ball by giving the suit to another customer named Brown but recovered by emergency FEDEXing another one in less than 16 hours. Thankfully, the remeasured me and suit I picked up fit better than the one I would have gotten. 

Twenty fours after Andy's wedding we had driven back up I-95 to home to see TJ and his friends get dressed for their first prom.  Coming straight from a Track Meet, TJ got ready at Zach's house with Jack and Owen. All of the parents were patiently waiting downstairs until TJ called out to me for help with his cufflinks.  It was then I looked at all of the boys and realized none of them had their cufflinks or buttons on...because no one had ever showed them! 

After a little help they got it figured out and came down looking their best for pictures by the pond before heading to dinner and Marbles Museum for their prom.  No dates, this is 2024. Everyone goes with friends and very few couples go together. However, I did ask TJ if he was going with a girl next year and he replied, "that's the plan."

Looking good in the neighborhood!