Tag: family

I’m Still Here

I just realized that I haven’t even touched the post button on here in a while. I guess that’s what happens when life gets busy. Several fun and exciting trips coming up soon that I will blog about later though. Recently though, I just got back from Lake Hubert, MN for the 105h Anniversary of Camp Lincoln. It was a great weekend up north at the cabin and catching up with some old friends and spending time with Mom and Dad. I also did a 5k while up there and my body is still recovering! Anyways, that’s it for now. Sorry it’s so short. Here are some photos from the last trip for your viewing pleasure. Until next time.

 

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Visiting our Nation’s Capital

IMG_20130209_095100So I’m just getting back in to town after a fun boys weekend with my best friends Jason and David visiting Washington, DC. We totally lucked out and just missed the massive snowstorm the hit just north of DC the day we arrived. The weather for the trip was pretty cool but, at least there wasn’t any snow. We had a full schedule with hitting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the National Archives right off the bat on day one. OUr second day started early in the morning with a visit to The White House where we got to take a tour inside of it and then off to the Old Ebbitt Grill for a great brunch.

After lunch we continued a nice walk over to the International Spy Museum which not only had the cool history of spy gadgets but, also included a great exhibit on 50 years of Bond Villains with props and gadgets from the films. This was far worth the cost of admission.  After the Spy Museum, it was off to the National Air and Space Museum to start our two day adventure in to the history of flight. After the museum, it was time for a quick nap and then off to dinner with my cousin LIsa and then drinks with my buddy Chris and his girlfriend Nicky before calling it a night. Talk about a long day!

IMG_20130210_120817Sunday was probably one the highlights of the trip, The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air and Space Museum. This place is simply massive! I don’t know how else to explain it. There are so many amazingly cool planes and aircraft to see from the SR-71 BlackBird to the Concorde and the Space Shuttle Discovery. I don’t think it can be any more breath taking when you see these beautiful planes almost with in touching distance from you. standing under Discovery was truly an awe-inspiring moment. Thanks to my buddy Chris for the drive out there. I can write enough about how amazing this place is. It is definitely worth the visit to. After several hours of visiting the museum, we took a late lunch in Fairfax with Chris before returning back to the city for a nap and then dinner with Jason’s cousins and my friend Wes.

IMG_20130211_134620Our last day proved to be just a busy with a morning tour of the US Capital and then an afternoon visit to the National Botanical Gardens before heading to grab a bite to eat at one of my all time favorite places from living in England, Pret A Manger before heading the final tour of the weekend, the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress was actually pretty neat and I couldn’t help but think of where the President’s Book of Secrets might be thanks to National Treasure. We had planned to visit the Air and Space Museum again before hitting the airport but, due to flight changes, we ended up having to rush back to the hotel and hit the airport much quicker and earlier than we had planned to.

Overall, it was a very fun, yet tiering, weekend with some great fiends to a great city that is loaded with exciting treasures to discover and see. Glad we were able to get up to Washington for a visit and for those the follow my blog regularly, I think I have proved that I don’t always take cruise vacations 🙂

Here are the photos from my latest trip:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2013/02/visiting-our-nations-capital/

Goodbye Camper

Goodbye Camper. You will always be loved and missed.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2012/06/goodbye-camper/

Oh There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Well, it’s that time of year where everyone seems to be traveling, myself included. I have been fortunate enough to do some amazing trips over the last year and am feeling right at home here on the plane and at the airport. Surprisingly, the airport in Orlando wasn’t too busy this morning but I’m sure it will only get worse as the day goes on. Sitting on the plane now cruising to Minnesota and enjoying the free WiFi that is offered. I’m not complaining.

Work is going well the last few weeks as the parks are starting to pick up and get busier for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. I’ll be home in Minnesota until Monday enjoying the time with the family before returning back to do my part to help with the craziness. If anyone in Minneapolis area wants to meet up, let me know. I can try to squeeze it in. Just text me.

Back to the relaxing flight and a nap. No coffee this morning at the airport due to the long lines so dragging now. Family Christmas party tonight which will be fun. Safe travels to anyone else that is traveling this weekend.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2011/12/oh-theres-no-place-like-home-for-the-holidays/

I Can Hear The Bells

So I am just settling in back home in Orlando after a great weekend back in Minnesota. Not only did I get to spend some time with the family, I had the great please of serving as an usher for one of my best friends Scott who got married this past weekend to the amazing Caroline. You two are perfect for each other and I am so lucky that you asked me to be a part of it. In additional to being in the wedding, I will also take some credit in the engagement as one of the ideas I gave to Scott is what he ended up using 🙂

Normal next couple of weeks back at the office until traveling again. My cruise docs came while I was gone so it’s just one step closer to the trip of a lifetime thus far. Now back to my DVR and catching up with Teen Wolf and The Glee Project. Congratulations  again to Scott and Caroline and I hope you have many wonderful years.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2011/08/i-can-hear-the-bells/

Always on the Go

Well, it’s been a little over a week since I posted from the Disney Magic. and I’m actually home for a weekend before traveling again. I had a great 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise and would jump again at an opportunity to do another 7-Night voyage or longer. I made some really great friends on the trip and came off the ship with a lot to think about on where I want to possibly take my career. Last weekend I had a great visit ton Minnesota to see Mom and Dad for mother’s day and had a great visit with some old friends as well. Today I am finally playing catch up with house work before I pack again to go on the beautiful Disney Dream again on Thursday for a 3-Night voyage. It will be short but it will be fun. Tonight I will be going back to the Dr. P Phillips YMCA for a scholarship campaign that I will be helping with and to top it off, I was also chosen as Member of the Month! Look for pictures from my last cruise to be posted shortly.

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Sailing the Dream

So I am one of the lucky few that were able to experience a preview cruise on the beautiful Disney Dream from Disney Cruise Line. I am enjoying this relaxing two days with my brother Tim for a nice and relaxing brothers getaway. I am sitting on our veranda right now looking out over the pier at Disney’s Castaway Cay after a relaxing morning at the beach and by the pool. The weather has been a mix of sun with a few showers here and there. It looks like it will be a rough night though when we head back to Port Canaveral.

As for this ship, it is beautiful and big. You cannot explain how big this is until you experience it. For those used to previous Disney ships, you will find things are very similar but, just more spread out. I’m still finding my way around to new places it seems whenever I turn a corner. We had dinner last night in the new Animators Palate which has almost the same menu as the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. The new atmosphere is much more bright and warm. There are hints of Mickey Mouse but, the main star of dinner is Crush from Finding Nemo. He swims around the restaurant and interacts with dinners just like Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot® and Disney California Adventure® . This is fun but, can become sort of annoying if you are trying to have a conversation.

After dinner we checked out The District, the adult entertainment area on the Disney Dream. This area contains several different bars/lounges each with a different theme including one that makes it feel like you are in a champagne bottle and another that is a high end pub overlooking various skylines around the world. Then there is Evolution which is the night club of the ship. There was quite the party last night in there and it reminded me of Pleasure Island in its high days. This was great to see but, I hope that it continues to stay busy as my experience on the other ships is that these clubs aren’t usually full.

This morning as I mentioned earlier in the post we arrived at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. The new additions to the island for the larger ship are complete at this point and everything was open for guests to use. Water was a little too cold for Pelican Plunge but several brave souls tried it. Back on the ship, most people are hanging back by the pools and waiting to ride the AquaDuck which is a water coaster at sea. Tim and I did this twice last night and I do have to say that it was quite fun and even takes you over the side of the ship! This is a must do when you go on the ship.

Tonight we are dinning in the Enchanted Garden which is themed after the gardens in Versailles. This is a new restaurant so I don’t know much about it yet. After dinner will be fireworks for pirate night and then packing for debarkation tomorrow morning. That’s all to report for now. I will post a bit more once I am back on land and have all 300+ of my photos uploaded. I was hoping to post some now but the wifi is very slow via satellite. Time to get back to relaxing now.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2011/01/sailing-the-dream/

Minnesota or Florida?

Well, the holidays are here and the differences between Florida and Minnesota seem to be very slim. For those that don’t know, Florida has been in the 30s and 40s the past couple of weeks. Just getting back in to the grind at work after a great couple of days at home for Christmas. Minnesota was nice with lots of snow as you can see below and Camper and Scooter were just like always, fun to be around. Lots of nice time with the extended family which is also nice. I’m just taking it easy around the house tonight and finally unpacking and getting things put away. Parks are busy as always so avoiding going out to them. That’s it for now so here are a few fun pictures for you all.

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Keeping Busy

Well, things are finally all getting in to a usual grove for me these days. I’ve got a great schedule with work and head to the YMCA almost every day after work. It’s nice to have a job that I love what I do and really enjoy what I do to keep things exciting. I’m also keeping busy with traveling and visiting family in Naples. I was down there last weekend with Mom, Dad and my brother and will be down again this coming week for Thanksgiving with my cousins. It’s always nice to get away for a weekend and relax. Yesterday I had a nice visit int he parks with my college roommate Aaron and we couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise and attendance wise in the parks.

Today I am just relaxing and cleaning around the house. Not much to watch on TV so I have been flipping though Netflix on my Apple TV looking for something good to watch. So far, nothing that is peaking my interest yet. Time for more laundry and ironing. Anyways, just a quick update for now.

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Weekend with Dad and another Cruise

Well, work has been going great. I am still very much loving the new role and to date, could not be happier where I am at. It’s also been a nice relaxing last couple of weeks. First, Dad came down for a father and son weekend which was nice and relaxing and included a relaxing visit to Eckerd College, Ft De Soto State Park and the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Here are a few pictures from the visit to St. Petersburg.


So what else can make last week better? How about finishing it off with a 3-Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Wonder? My friend Brian and I took a last minute cruise deal and decided to head to the Bahamas for the weekend. Pictures are up below. That’s all for now folks. I’m back to cleaning house and getting settled back in to dry land.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2010/10/weekend-with-dad-and-another-cruise/