New Year's Eve 1996

Fifteen years ago tonight I married my best friend; my soul mate; the one that makes me laugh and the one that has been there for me every step of the way. We have cried together and we have laughed together. I'm just thankful that we have laughed more than we've cried.

Things I remember from that day:
1. I rubbed my finger raw after tying over 400 balloons.
2. I threw up.
3. I ran a red light on the way to church.
4. The girl that was to give me her earrings for my "something borrowed" wouldn't let me borrow them because she wanted to wear them.
5. Since we were married at night, the girls and I had sandwiches while we got ready. Don't worry, we sent some to Erin and the boys too.
6. I did a champagne toast with my girls before walking down the aisle.
7. I lost my voice that day.
8. Most imporantly, I married my Prince Charming!

Everyday is an adventure and as Jack Sparrow has said, "It is not the destination so much as the journey."


I thought I'd put a little slide show together of pictures from our wedding up until our last trip to Walt Disney World.

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

In case you're wondering what exciting thing we have planned for tonight well we are spending our anniversary doing what we've done over the past several years....watching the Twilight Zone marathon.

Deep Voices Are So Sexy

Just for fun I thought I'd list the Top 5 deep voice actors (or at least what I think are the top 5). Deep voices are so sexy and I get weak in the knees when I hear them speak.

#5 Geno Segers

#4 Ving Rhames

#3 Michael Clark Duncan

#2 Vin Diesel

And the #1 Best Deep Voice
Actor is.............

JAMES EARL JONES

Do you agree with the list? Who do you think is missing or should be higher or lower in the ranking??

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

First off I would like to say how proud I am of my husband for running his first half marathon!!

Now my take on the Wine and Dine half. It can be summarized in two words: IT SUCKED! Not really but I will say it was the hardest race I've ever done and that's including when I did the half with a stress fracture. See I was training really well in the spring but my feet were bothering me really badly so I went to the doctor. I found out I had planter fasciitis and was told to take it easy on my feet. So I did and even went to therapy and had special inserts put in my shoes. After a few months my feet started feeling better and I started walking again.

We arrived in Walt Disney World a few days before the race to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival and hang out with friends. After being on my feet more than usually they started to hurt again. I did try and take it easy and take rest breaks throughout the day to help. The day of the race was also the 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. We got up early and headed to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours but left the park by noon so we could rest and relax.

We chilled out in the room for a few hours and then ate at T-Rex and the relaxed some more before heading out for the race. We met up with the WDWRadio running team before the race. I tried to sit as much as I could before the race started but you know how that goes. Your friends are around and you're standing talking and laughing.

Erin and I were in corral D which meant our start time was 10:15. Starting a race at that time of night is not something I've ever done. I've always heard that night races are harder than morning races. Boy were they right!! Erin and I stuck together for the first mile but then I told him to just go ahead. My run pace is almost a fast walk for him and I didn't want to hold him back so off he went. The race was going good until about mile 6. My feet started hurting and my right hip was bothering me. By mile 8 it started to get worse but I keep pushing on.

Mile 10 came and all I wanted to do was sit in the middle of the course and just cry. I was in so much pain with every step I took. I really didn't know if I was going to make it to the end and at that point I really didn't care anymore. I slowed my pace down and figured as long as there were people still behind me I was ok. I think going through the Hollywood Studios was the worse part of the course. You do a lot of weaving back and forth through it but seeing the Osbourne Lights was rewarding!

As I made my way towards Epcot I would try and stretch my hip and my feet in hopes of some relief. At one point I even stopped for some Biofreeze for my leg. About 1/4 mile from the finish line I saw some friends cheering backstage and I just started to cry. I didn't want to go anymore but they told me I was there, just to go. So I hobbled my way to the finish line and crossed it. Tears were flowing and all I cared about was seeing Erin and taking some Tylenol. I must have looked bad because a volunteer was trying to get me to go into the medical tent. I knew if I would've sat down in there I wasn't going to get back up and make it to the UK to meet up with the running team.

Erin was also a little sore in his hips since he ran the whole race and his longest training run was 4 miles. We must have looked pretty bad walking back to the UK to see everyone. The pain was getting worse and I almost said screw it and left but I really wanted to see my friends. Plus Mojo was texting me telling me the "Box People" were asking about me and wanted to see me. Mom being one of them. We made it there and I said HI to everyone. Talked to fellow team members and friends. Snapped a few photos and then left......very slowly!




A few side notes: Most of you know that I love Disney races and I have fun during them and take lots of pictures. In this race I only took a few and didn't even stop to take character photos. There is a sign of how much pain I was in.

I heard and read all the bad reviews from last year's race but from what I could tell this year's was a lot better. Bag pick up was easy and not crowded. I think the changes they made were great but I don't have anything to compare it to. Only thing I would like to see is that the race started at 9 instead of 10, but then again it doesn't really matter because I don't plan on doing it again.

The food booths were crowded and had long lines. I was telling people I would give them $20 to go get me food but no one would. As we were leaving, Erin stopped at Argentina and grabbed us some beef empanadas.

I'm not a beer drinker or a Coke drinker so I would like to see a liquor option after you cross and claim your drink coupon. A little rum to mix with that nasty Coke, maybe??

I know one thing for sure, I will cherish this medal the most!! Along with my first half marathon medal and my Coast to Coast medal!

Here We Go Steelers!!

August 18th turned turned out to be one crazy day. Not only was it our first Steelers game, our car broke down. At least the car broke down in Pittsburgh right as we got to our hotel. The sad part about the car is that we had just fixed it a month ago and here we were again getting it towed. I've been a member of AAA for years and never had a claim and now I've had two within two months. Anyone looking for a used VW Jetta Wagon??

Back to the good part...WE'RE GOING TO A STEELERS GAME!! They were playing the Eagles that night. GREAT because I am not an Eagles fan and even more I am not a Michael Vick fan! We have a friend that has season tickets so we met him and his wife for dinner at Jerome Bettis' grille 36 before the game. The food was amazing and my drink was even better! Who wouldn't like a liter of multiple rums with fruit juice?

After dinner we walked to Heinz Field which was only a block away from Bettis' place. You could feel the excitement in the air. Everywhere you looked it was a sea of black and gold. People we buying programs, buying t-shirts and getting their faces painted. We found our way to our seats. I have a problem that when I go to a concert or something like a Steelers game I want great seats close or I don't want to go. I found us seats online for a good chunk of money but still not badly priced for preseason tickets. We were in section 137, row C! Being 3 rows from the field was amazing!! It was thrilling be so close to the players to take pictures. Cassidy was in awe of Hines Ward. I think if she could have rushed the field to hug him she would've.

I won't go into details about the game other than we won and I got to see my man, Troy, get an interception. One thing we didn't realize since it was our first game was that during half time and at the end of the game the players go back into the locker through steps that happened to be in from of our section. This gave us the opportunity for some good photos. At the end of the game they will throw their towels and gloves up into the seats. Sadly we didn't get anything, but there is always next time.

The next morning we waited to hear from the garage about the car. Around noon they called to say that they couldn't fix it so I called mom and dad and they got a car dolly and headed to Pittsburgh to get us. Since we had 3 hours or so till they got there we decided to take the Heinz Field tour. The tour was better than I could have expected. We went to the club level, suites, press box and learned a lot of Steeler/Heinz Field history. The best part was that we got to go in the locker room.

In the locker room there are 2 huge logos on the floor. One says "Steelers" and the other is their logo. You are not permitted to step on them and even the players avoid them. We didn't have much time in the locker room but I did get my picture in Troy's locker and Cassidy got hers taken in Hines'. When we left the locker room our guide took us down the hall and out the chute where the players come out for a game. That was really neat! We got to be on the field but only the one corner of it. It was an amazing to look at the stadium from the field.

If you are ever in Pittsburgh or plan to be, visit www.steelers.com and see when they are offering tours. It is worth the time and money and it wasn't really that expensive. Plus it's right beside the Carnegie Science Center.

After our tour and lunch at the Tilted Kilt we grabbed a cab to the auto shop and waited for mom and dad there. Of course this was the day that it was storming off and on in Pittsburgh and right when they arrived it rained so bad that there was flash flooding in area. Thank the Lord above that we weren't in those areas. After we hooked up the car we started the long drive home. THANKS MOM AND DAD!! WE LOVE YOU!

I created a slideshow from our trip. I hope you enjoy it and GO STEELERS!!

This slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Don't always listen to Mom!

Mom is what I like to call my GPS. Why Mom, you ask? Well, it's because she likes to tell me what to do. Just kidding! Mom knows I like to kid her. Anyways, on a trip to Long Beach on Long Island several weeks ago I didn't print out directions and decided to follow what "mom" said to do. BIG MISTAKE!!

She took me thru the Holland Tunnel and into Manhattan! Funny thing is about an hour or so before that I was saying that I never wanted to drive to or in NYC. I think I jinxed myself! My "city driving" kicked in and I was cutting people off and turning on red with the best of them.

At one time we thought we were going to see an accident and all I did was cover my eyes and say "I didn't have time to witness anything today." Later we joked that covering your eyes was how you drive in the city.

About an hour or so later we finally arrived at our destination with the help from a new GPS called Pat! Cassidy had quite an experience that day but laughed all the way. Of course now she wants to stay in NYC someday and not drive through it.

I think I've lost count

Thursday was spent getting more ink put on my body. I love spending time in the tattoo shop. It is unique in its own way. I went to http://blackthorngallery.com/home.html in Mechanicsburg, PA. If you are even in the area you should check them out. Even to just look around the shop.

The first one I received is based on my Coast to Coast medal I earned in 2009. It's on the back of my right calf. I'm hoping it brings inspiration and motivation.

The second one is the old Epcot Center logo but we added color to it. The colors were taken from another Epcot logo. I'm sorry that I don't know what year it changed to this:

So there you have it. I think that makes number 17 and 18 but honestly I'm not even counting anymore. Are they my last? Who knows! I don't even know when I'll get bit by the tattoo bug again. Could be next week. Could be next year. All I know is there are lots of great Disney ideas out there that can be immortalized on my body.

TODAY IS THE DAY!!

It's pirate day in this house. Actually it's pirate weekend!! Tonight we plan on dressing as pirates and seeing it in our little theater. Then on Sunday we are heading to Tarentum, PA to see it in IMAX 3-D!! Captain Jack on the big screen! Can't get any better than that!!

Let me know what you thought of the movie! Don't forget, drink up me hearties!

Two More Days!!

This is one of my favorites! Especially when it's on the big screen at the end of the Great Movie Ride.

Almost there!

Someday I'll own one of these!!

ONE WEEK!!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is one week away!! I can't wait!!

Single Digit Dance!! Nine Days Till PIRATES!!

If you've ever ridden Pirates in Disneyland you'll recognize this picture. Another amazing picture by Marc Davis. I think she kinda looks like me! Would be a cool tattoo someday. Nine more days!!

Pirates Picture #2

HELLO, MR. TURNER!!

Two Weeks Until Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Being the pirate fan that I am, I can't wait for the new POTC movie to be released in 2 weeks. I thought over the next several days I'd share a few of my favorite pirate type pictures with you.

Picture #1: the basis for the Deck 7 Cool Kids logo!! As seen on many pirate crew during the WDW Radio Dream Cruise.

The Countdown Begins!

Only 572 days until I'm back on The Disney Dream for Lou's Cruise 2.0!! It's time for the Deck 7 Cool Kids to start planning and plotting our takeover again!!

And the winner is...

Congrats to Saundra on winning the DCL tote bag!!

Presenting Our Contest Photos

First of all I have to say how disappointed I am that out of the 400+ people on the cruise only 3 of you submitted a photo for my contest. Plus the fact that I personally knew well over 200 of them makes for a cranky pirate!! Oh well, rum helps with the crankies.

Here are our entries:

Angela

Cheryl

Saundra

Voting ends on April 10th at 11:00 pm. Good luck everyone!

Aye be havin' a contest!

As you know I recently went on my first Disney cruise during the WDW Radio Disney Dream cruise. While I was on the cruise, myself and many, many friends took thousands of pictures. Pictures of the Dream. Pictures of friends. Pictures of food. Pictures of everything. Now here is your chance to pick your favorite/best picture.

If you were on the WDW Radio cruise please send me your best picture. I will select the top 10 photos and post them here and leave it to the readers to vote (hopefully a can create a poll again).

Rules:

1. Photos have to be from the WDW Radio cruise Feb. 27-March 3

2. They can be of food, friends, the ship, Castaway Cay, Nassau, drinks....ANYTHING!

3. Photo must be yours and not stolen off of someone else's Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Photobucket..... account.

4. Only one photo per person

5. Please keep photos sized to 640x480

6. Anyone scallywags breaking the rules will have to walk the plank!

THE PRIZE: An awesome DCL bag

Please email photos to wewantstheredhead73@gmail.com no later than April 2nd.

Our first Disney Cruise

We just returned from a great cruise on the Disney Dream. I'm not going to go into details about it other than to say it was amazing! The ship is stunning and the staff is beyond amazing! We can't wait to go back in January 2013. I hope you enjoy the slideshow.

Photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

Max....We Miss You

Christmas Day is usually a happy time for most people. Presents, food and family. For us, this past Christmas wasn't so great. Our first dog, Max, passed away. We're really not sure what happened to him. Maybe just old age. He had just turned 14.

We got Max about 6 weeks after we were married. He was a Husky/Shar Pei mix but looked mostly like a Husky except for his floppy ears. Plus he also had two different colored eyes. That really freaked a lot of people out. Since I'm a big fan of the Little Mermaid we named him after the dog from the movie not knowing that Max is a very common name for a dog. I picked him out because he gave kisses. But the whole ride home he kept biting me. That should've been a sign that he was going to be Erin's dog.

Overall, Max was a great dog. Although he was a chicken when it came to thunderstorms and he hated getting wet. He never grabbed food from your hand. He ate it like a danity old lady. And he always liked it when the neighbor lady walked her Husky, Willow, down the road. We always said that she was Maxie's girlfriend.

He never wanted to stay in the yard so we kept him on a runner during the day. He seemed to like that. But if he got loose watch out! He would be gone for hours but always stayed close enough to home that we could see him. If we tried catching him he would just run farther away, so we stopped. When he was ready he would come home. As he got older, we would let him romp for about an hour then go out to the car. If he saw you get in the car he would come running and get in. So then we always had to take him for a ride around the block. It seemed to satisfy him. He would look at the other dogs with a "I just got a ride" kind of look to his face.


I always laughed that most of the time he ignored me. I would make kissy noises at him and if Erin was sitting there he would turn his head away from me and kiss Erin. What a snot! Yet when I would be away for a few days, he would lay by the door and wait until I came home. He was very protective of me when I was pregnant but once Cassidy came along he always looked at us like "who is she and when is she leaving". Although he always kept an eye on her when she was small.

His favorite snacks were M&Ms and peppermint. If you had M&Ms he would get up in your face while you ate them and try to take them as you were putting them in your mouth. He would also paw at your hand until you gave him one. My mom is always chewing peppermint gum so he really liked her when she came for a visit.

I could go on and on about Max but instead I'll leave you with this:

My best friend closed his eyes last night. As his head was in my hand, he must have been in pain, for it was hard for him to stand.

The thoughts that scurried through my head, as I cradled him in my arms, were of his younger, puppy years, and OH...his many charms.

Today, there was no gentle nudge. With an intense "I love you gaze", only a heart that's filled with tears remembering our joy filled days.

But an Angel just appeared to me and he said, "You should cry no more, GOD also loves our canine friends, HE's installed a doggy-door"!

Scrapbook personalized with Smilebox

Deck 7 Cool Kids Shirts!!

FRONT


BACK



The shirts are unisex. They are 100% preshrunk cotton and they run good sized, they do not run small. The youth sizes are small is a 6-8, medium 10-12 and large is a 14-16.

Shirts are $12 which includes shipping. For XXL shirts please add $1.50 and for shirts XXXL add $2.00. If you are overseas, please contact me first.



Shirts will be mailed out no later than February 14th.


Payment will be thru Paypal and invoices will be sent out after order is received.


If you are interested, please send an email to lori@wdwradio.com with the following information:

Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Quantity:Shirt size:(For child's sizes please put "child" before the size)

Date Arriving in WDW:


Deadline to order is January 25th!

Zeus, a girl's best friend

Recently myself and a friend lost our dogs. It's been a very trying time but with the support of each other we are getting through it. Below is her story. Mine will be posted soon.

Zeus, my doggie, my son, my best friend, rest in Peace! By Darlene Nagi

Zeusywoo came in to our lives in the summer of 1999. We went to see him & my hubby put him in my arms. That was it Zeus put his paws around my neck & his head on my shoulder Keith said we’ll take him it’s a done deal. We choose to get a second puppy to keep my Louie (Rottweiler ) active. It worked for about a year as Lou died the next summer

.

Zeus was my dog, a girl's best friend. He was my alarm clock in the morning. He was my companion when hubby & daughter were out. We had an exercise schedule in the morning. He helped me with my sit ups, LOL. Then his walks after I got home from work. Then relaxing watching tv together & then going to bed. Keith introduced him to the bed when he was with us the 1st night home. Well he still slept in bed all the way up to 11 ½ years & 92.5 lbs. Yes he was a big boy. He also listened to me when I spoke & no one was home. He was a great listener. He helped me though a lot of lonely days. He let my daughter, hubby & myself dress him up! He loved to pose for pictures like his momma.

His favorite things to do were take walks, take rides in the car anywhere, visit with people & be outside. He had a special attraction to playing with a silver bowl outside & inside. He would kick the bowl until he found a reflection. That would occupy him for hours on end. Once he had some teeth removed the bowl went bye-bye, but we played with a flash light so he could chase that & he begged to have it continue even though he was tired. We even bought him a laser that played on the walls & he thought that was awesome.

My baby was an active guy even up to the day before his last. My daughter & I took him for a car ride to the bakery. My hubby & I took him for a walk in the snow storm & he found 1 deer to try & catch, which he didn’t. He slept a lot after that last walk. But it was the best last day of his life. As I tear up writing this last line I know my baby boy is at peace & playing with his bowl in heaven again pain free! I will love & miss him every day of my life as he was the best dog I could ever have!