Gamer Mom & Other Wacky Quirks

Way back when…long, long ago, I took a semester off from college and drove down to Florida to work for The Mouse. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’d go back to work there in a heartbeat, but the stars won’t seem to align that way for me. Instead of working there, I visit at least once a year. I look forward to that trip all year long. My kids look forward to it all year long. My husband [won’t admit that he] looks forward to it all year long. It’s a million things at WDW that make me love it. The weather, the smiles on my kids’ faces, the break from work, the rides and especially the cast members.

The whole atmosphere is, well, magical. I even find myself slipping back into cast member role and doing things that hubby finds rather odd, like offering to take pictures for strangers so the whole family can be in the shot. Hubby has suggested more than once that I get a tattoo that says “CM4L” (aka Cast Member For Life). I guess if I ever got a tattoo, that’s probably what it would say.

NOTE: Not a real tattoo

I’ve visited a ton of Disney sites and I belong to a mailing list which offers tons of great tips and news from the World. Today I was looking at a site I had been to many times before and I noticed something that I had never seen there before…I have no idea how I missed it…it’s as big as day on the main page! It’s just really cool, they have “Cast Member Appreciation Cards” that you can print. I know that in the past, if I’ve come across a great cast member, I’ve gone straight to Guest Relations and let them know about that person. I think in the future, I’ll do that AND give the cast member a little note.

I think that part of what I like about that is it seems that no one appreciates anything anymore. “Thank you’s” are in short supply lately. I think things would be a lot nicer if people expressed their appreciation more often.

Well, I'll be out for a couple weeks. I may find a minute to post a bit here and there while I'm gone, but I can't make any promises.

Ah Disney World! My favoritest place. Here's a few Disneyfied clickies for you to check out while I'm gone...

In case you're a troll and have no idea what I'm talking about, here's Wikipedia's entry on Walt Disney World.

I'm on this website's mailing list and they have plenty of useful info.

This website is all about the Hidden Mickey phenomenon. Don't know what a Hidden Mickey is? They'll explain.

Disney Trivia

Walt Disney World Trivia

The Unofficial History of Walt Disney World

And finally, I can't even compete with The Disney Blog.

So, Hubby and I decided to get outta Dodge and take a long weekend vacation sans kidlets. We went to Charleston, South Carolina and I HIGHLY recommend that everyone visit that town sometime. It's one of those places that has it all. History, entertainment, relaxation, fun...you name it, you can probably do it there. If I could ever figure out how to load photos here, you'd see some of the great shots we took. In the meantime, you'll have to look them up here and here and this site has some photos after an earthquake struck in 1886.

I mentioned in my "100 Things" that I love going to Disney World and while the hubby continually insists that each trip will be the last for a while, we still go every year. This year, we’ve decided to drive down, rather than fly. It was the way I used to travel to the Sunshine State as a kid and now that we have 2 kids of our own, the cost to fly is becoming prohibitive. But, I digress… We also have a trip to Charleston, SC coming up in July and because of the two plans, I’ve been spending a LOT of time researching hotels, car rentals, ticket prices, local attractions, etc. In my clicking around I found a few super cool websites that I just had to share.

First up is Motel Americana. Now, we probably won’t be taking the byways to visit the featured motels, but it’s so fun to check out the kitschy places that are out there (at least the ones visited by the couple who run Motel Americana).

That fun website led me to explore some more and I wound up at Road Trip USA. This website is dedicated to traveling the country via America’s finest 2 lane highways.

And finally, I couldn’t resist spending (a little too much) time at Roadside America. It has tons of great information on the wacky tourist traps that have survived the ages and continue to draw crowds. No matter where you’re headed on the road, or even where you live, you’ll probably find a great Mystery Spot or Paul Bunyan statue or Caverns or Whatever.

So, before you head out on the road, don’t miss your chance to do some homework and see the little things that you won’t want to miss.