Alive and kicking....recap time!

The last two weeks have flown...we survived our Disney trip, got done with a few more doctor appointments and are preparing to bring our new puppy, Sadie, home.

So, flash back two weeks....on Sunday the 22nd I flew from Baltimore to Atlanta where I spent the night with my youngest daughter. Had a nice time with her and my three grandkids.

On Monday Stu and his granddaughter, Olivie (Livie) flew from Baltimore to Orlando and I flew from Atlanta to Orlando with my grandson, Joshua (Josh).

We met at the airport and headed out to Disney on their Magical Express bus (no luggage hassles...nice). We arrived in time to grab some lunch and then head out to Disney Marketplace. The kids really enjoyed LegoLand and got their first Disney items - sunglasses and hats.

The rest of the week took us through Magic Kingdom (twice), Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The weather was hot and humid until lunch Friday when the rain set in (and the kids took 3 hour naps to make up for the previous busy days). We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort (a Value Resort) and it was great. The kids had fun on the playground and really loved the "Iceberg" kiddie pool.

The kids both had a great time and we had very few meltdowns....way less than we saw in other families. They were best buddies most of the time and played really well together.

We settled on one stuffed animal souvenir as well as lanyards for pin trading. They both enjoyed finding cast members and trading pins with them. They both ended up with a nice little collection and each managed to trade for one firefighter-related pin!

We all flew out on Saturday with Stu and Livie returning to Baltimore while Josh and I returned to Atlanta. I stayed a couple of extra days so I could visit more with my daughter and her family.

My daughter is currently working for a casting company doing extras (walk-on) casting for movies and television. On Monday I went on the set with her, they were filming a mini-series for Lifetime, Marry Me. They were short extras that day so wardrobe "dressed" me and I got to spend the day walking in the background. It was interesting and I had a good time. Got to see Lucy Liu, the lead in the show.

Tuesday found me flying back to Baltimore...it definitely felt good to get home! Stu had his appointment with the orthopedic surgeon to go over the MRI on his knee. He has torn the meniscus so first line of treatment was a shot of cortisone and a knee brace to wear. He goes back on the 11th to see if he needs to get it scoped.

The rest of this week has been filled with eye doctor, hearing and dental appointments. All went well, the only surprise was my being referred to a retinal specialist to see about any treatment for my floaters (which have gotten much worse in the last year). That appointment is on the 12th.

Tomorrow we head out for the annual Red Helmet ride. This will be Stu's 4th year and my 3rd. (2008 - 2009) This year we will be riding with Stu's youngest daughter, Melissa. This will be the longest ride she's ever done. Since they have moved the times to later in the afternoon, we will be staying over and coming back on Sunday. We have plans for Sunday lunch with one of my grandsons that I haven't seen since he was maybe 8 years old. Looking forward to the weekend!!

Monday we will pick up our new family member, Sadie. Today we got toys, food, carrier, ID tag, etc for her. We are both very excited! We've had a couple of visits to check on her and her siblings. They are growing fast.

On the 15th we'll be attending a fund raiser for a firefighter friend who has been battling a very severe virus. He's been in the hospital for weeks, fighting for his life.

Needless to say, we aren't heading to TN just yet...not sure when we will head out. It depends on the results of both our doctor appointments. We'll get there eventually...just has to be before the snow starts! LOL!!

For those who are gluttons for punishment (or relatives....) all the Disney photos are HERE.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu