It's freezing cold, but we're

It's freezing cold, but we're home.

Back in NJ and in

Back in NJ and in last stretch.

Going pass the stadium where

Going pass the stadium where the Eagles are tanking. What a great welcome. With the the delays, we won't be home til 9 - 10.

Passed the Iwa Jima memorial

Passed the Iwa Jima memorial near Quanthco. So beautiful at night.

Stop for dinner

Taco Bell: not exactly dinner at Epcot, but filling the belly.

We had to get the winter coats out for the first time in 10 days. Our sweatshirs weren't enough anymore. Anyone know where I put my gloves?

Virginia! And Rodney Dangerfield on

Virginia! And Rodney Dangerfield on the radio!

Backseat drivers

Backseat drivers, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

It's a good thing John has all that help.

Just passed a bad accident:

Just passed a bad accident: car flipped over. Looks like no one was hurt, thank goodness.

At least weather is better.

At least weather is better. Sun is out here and Lewis Black on CD. Stupid colds, though, knocking us out.

Oh man, we're 2 hours

Oh man, we're 2 hours behind schedule. I had gone in the back for a nap. Didn't know it, but John pulled over to sleep. just wok

Storm just hit.

Storm just hit.

Sky is turning BLACK! Uh

Sky is turning BLACK! Uh oh....

Apparently we left a 8:00 wakeup call

And its name is Casey "the Little Dog" Blackwell. Equally apparently, the wakeup call is only for us because Casey, Elphie, and Morgan are back in bed!

By the way, John gave me his cold. That's a heck of a thing to give your wife for Christmas!

Drove further than originally planned.

Drove further than originally planned. Now stopped for the night at a Howard Johnsons. The campground where we had planned to spend the night closed its office before we got there.

The town where we're staying is Lumberton, the same town name where I worked. The woman at registration has the same last name as us. Ah, irony.

Watching Polar Express. I'd so

Watching Polar Express. I'd so be perfect to work on that train.

South Carolina! Had dinner and

South Carolina! Had dinner and will stop for the night when we hit North Carolina.

1220081651a.jpg

1220081651a.jpg, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

We saw a pup so small, it could get its butt kicked by a hamster!

We just ledt Disney property

We just ledt Disney property, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Sniff... The signs are green!

Lunch!

Lunch!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Getting something to go with our last dining credits

Goodbye Fort Wilderness

Goodbye Fort Wilderness, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

We'll miss you.

Have to pack up and

Have to pack up and leave. Dammit.

Now for one of the

Now for one of the most important events: thedogs meet Santa.

Castle lighting!

Castle lighting!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Parking my butt here

Parking my butt here, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

To wait for the castle lighting ceremony

John may have flu

John may have flu, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Webcam is up!

More of a view across the trees with the beach beyond. Very peaceful.

In fact, I think I'll take a nap. :)

LATER:

OMG, I really did fall asleep! LOL! The cord got kicked out and the battery ran out. What a goober!
Here's the video if you've missed this broadcast:
Live TV : Ustream

You can also see any of the Fort Wilderness webcam videos that I recorded here.

Everyone sing!

Everyone sing!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

That will be in your head all day

Paddle wheel

Paddle wheel, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Riverboat cruise

Riverboat cruise, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Perfect day..

Mmmmmm!

Mmmmmm!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Mickey bar!

Up early for breakfast

Up early for breakfast, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

So we can get in the park before it opened & get good pics!

Wishes from Fort Wilderness!

Just saw Wishes from our beach path... wow.... I'm speechless

I got my niece her

I got my niece her Christmas presents: I have her for our family pollyanna. I know she'll love 'em because I'd love to get 'em!

More lights

More lights, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Osbourne Lights in the snow!

Osbourne Lights in the snow!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

I'm in heaven!

Taginators look!

Taginators look!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Woman had this at Epcot!

Carolers!

Carolers!, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

At Trails End in Fort Wilderness

Laptop battery dying

Looking for plug!

Animal Kingdom tree

Animal Kingdom tree, originally uploaded by eblackwell.

Close up

John is still sick

He's been sleeping, but he's starting to feel better. I gave him cold medicine and liquids for dehydration. He's hungry, so I'm going to make Trails End reservations.

I hope we can still see Osbourne Lights tonight; it's my only chance. But we'll have to see how things go with dinner and him.

Webcam is up!

I'm broadcasting from our golf cart: the view is of the Fort Wilderness marina including a parasailor!

LATER: If you missed this broadcast, here's the video from it. You can even see me frolic! LOL!

Live TV : Ustream

John called: Casey's sick too.

John called: Casey's sick too. Sick husband, sick dog... I'm headed back.

More: the CM called me

More: the CM called me their Christmas angel & the boys kept chanting We love you!

We have extra counter credits

We have extra counter credits because we kept sleeping through breakfast. So I just treated a teacher & 4 students 2 lunch.

Woman took off pants in

Woman took off pants in ladies room to dry them under hand dryer!

Going to AK, home of

Going to AK, home of best pastry ever: the bear claw! Got lots of night shots yesterday. Today: oasis, paths, & safari.

Waiting for a Saratoga bus

Waiting for a Saratoga bus so we can go Downtown. I thought they gave DVC faster service. They must know we're frauds. Lol!

Gorgeous!

I forgot how beautiful it is here at Animal Kingdom during the dusk and night time. The lighting is so gorgeous.

Time to say goodby to

Time to say goodby to Epcot. Sniff...WAAH!

Sitting on a bench in

Sitting on a bench in Norway before movie. 'people' are talking in houre about

Now we're doing Epcot countries

Now we're doing Epcot countries and their holidays!

John collapsed so I'm organizing

John collapsed so I'm organizing photos and trip notes. It's a beautiful night & I'm watching Mary Poppins. Just need Internet.

That exceeded my expectations! Gave

That exceeded my expectations! Gave a good way to see pavilion details, unepextected interaction, and missions differ per guest.

Almost got myself killed getting

Almost got myself killed getting a pic of a Disney cruise bus. the things I do for my obsessions.

Going to Pepper Market for

Going to Pepper Market for breakfast & then Epcot. Hope to do holidays in the countries.

Boma is a buffet. John

Boma is a buffet. John A. took my hubby John to the check-in desk and said, "You're losing money tonight!"

Headed for Boma in Animal

Headed for Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner with friends. It's our last with them: they go home tomorrow. I'm sad.

All of a sudden, I

All of a sudden, I am really tired. I slept in too, but I'm going to go back and relax a bit.

On our way to Magic

On our way to Magic Kingdom. John just told me we're not coming next year, so I'm going to absorb as much I can now.

Our Mickey lamp post is

Our Mickey lamp post is shattered! we can't fix it! John says I didn't secure it enough and a breeze got it

Gary and Carol said the

Gary and Carol said the new Canada is much better. 'They don't show us all as lumberjacks anymore!'

Hanging out at Le Cellier.

Hanging out at Le Cellier. Our res is for later, but we're enjoying chatting with our friends who have an earlier one.

How many times do John:

How many times do John: my fat is not a toy! he keeps making my waist a puppet: hello, my name is Roley!

I'm so glad Disney has

I'm so glad Disney has healthy food options now. I'm eating a double chocolate muffin.

On our to Capture the

On our to Capture the Magic - the photo scavenger hunt! My competive juices are already erupting! That's sad. :)

Waiting 4 Illuminations. I have

Waiting 4 Illuminations. I have light up ears and a blanket tied like a cape. I am a fashion statement.

Rosebud made hand puppet of

Rosebud made hand puppet of John in his Hershey Park dress!

Now in Mexico, my fave

Now in Mexico, my fave pavilion, with mango marguerita!

Overslept! To make res, I

Overslept! To make res, I had to pass up the MouseGears store! ME!

Headed for mega meet. This

Headed for mega meet. This is where all the travel agents, authors, sites, and forums gather for the public. I'm with All Ears.

OMG, what am I doing

OMG, what am I doing up at this hour?! Photo tour of the Boardwalk! (The moon is still out!)

Rock n roller coaster! 2nd

Rock n roller coaster! 2nd row!

On the way Studios then

On the way Studios then to Gaylord Palms!

We're ok! Neighbors said we

We're ok! Neighbors said we never took care of dogs making them bark all day. Threatened to call humane society. we're happier

Nightmare neighbors!

We just went thru a nightmare. Neighbors complained we were neglectful to dogs. Disney stuck up 4 us but we moved sites. Tired!

Back at Fort Wilderness. walked

Back at Fort Wilderness. walked the dogs and will relax before going to dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

Eggrolls, haunted mansion, and so

Eggrolls, haunted mansion, and so many laughs! What a great time! When we finish here, it's tomorrowland time!

Raining but it's not stopping

Raining but it's not stopping us! And it's supposed to clear up. Hanging out with cruise people hearing about Deb serving them!

Headed for the Contemporary. we'll

Headed for the Contemporary. we'll get something to eat and then mousefest 101. It'll explain the special events this weekend.

Signing off!

We're headed for the beach to see the water electric parade.

Webcam up!

It's the people from Tagrel for our lights tour!!

LATER: If you missed the webcam live, here's the video:

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

This is fantastic! 77 people!

This is fantastic! 77 people! We haven't seen in a year.

We're here!

I don't know why Flickr didn't post the video of us coming here. We got in around 11:45am. I even had a video of Elphie and I driving around in the golf cart.

We didn't get the site we wanted, but we got Internet!

AND WE'RE IN FORT WILDERNESS!

That's the important thing. We got here safely and we'll have a good time.

The webcam is up and we get organized. I'll move it outside as we do decorations.

My chin got a zit!

My chin got a zit! John's already teasing that he has to buy my friend a drink!

Stop for the night! We

Stop for the night! We actually got here awhile ago and are figuring out dinner.

Georgia! Yay!

Georgia! Yay!

Hello from Subway sandwich in South Carolina!

A free wi-fi network somewhere around here has put us online. I have a little free program called The Go Button that finds them and logs us on. We're stopping here for lunch. I could start the webcam, but do you really want to see us eating sandwiches? I thought not.

Getting the van and RV washed put us a little behind schedule, but we're cool with it. We're around mile 150 in South Carolina which is halfway I think. Then Georgia and we stop for the night. The weather is still good; it's nice to be in a t-shirt again!

Ugh, I hate this part of the drive. These two states take so long to get through. And Rte 95 is really bumpy in the Carolinas. You need a sports bra to ride comfortably in these states.

Trucks all around. It's like

Trucks all around. It's like the monster car episode of speed racer.

Sun's out! Temp is gorgous!

Sun's out! Temp is gorgous! Stopped at rv wash: john wanted to do this at home but weather was frigid.

Stop for gas. I drove

Stop for gas. I drove thru NC while John slept. See, I am a good wife!

Ugh! Casey got the gas.

Ugh! Casey got the gas.

Getting breakfast and gas. Hopefully

Getting breakfast and gas. Hopefully the gas is for the van.

Welcome to NC! I've been

Welcome to NC! I've been asleep. I'm a bad wife, but John says it's ok. He's used to it.

Girl at gas stop has

Girl at gas stop has my mickey pj pants & steals ahead to the ladies room! I'm taking her down!

Videos from Flickr

Videos that I post from my phone through Flickr might first show up as private. After 30 minutes, they will show up as the Play button. I'm sorry for the bug; Flickr is working on it.

The webcam page is up! This time, we're doing video!

I'm going to try ustream.tv for the webcam this year. I updated the webcam page with the new dates, an embedded screen for the video, and kept the last 6 pictures from 2007.

Just click on the link in the right column. I'm playing around with it, using it as we decorate the house, so I can get comfortable with it.

I know we have wi-fi when we stop for the night on the 9th; as for Fort Wilderness, our friend Gary was talking about setting up a wi-fi router, so we'll see. I'm hoping we'll have Internet this trip! I'd especially like to get people as they come around for our Fort Wilderness Christmas lights tour.

Our plans

Here's what we have planned for our trip. If you see something called a "meet", it's a get together with our friends for MouseFest. The fest is a get together of Disney people: travel agents, forums, artists, and authors. It's also a chance for people to not only meet them, but to see each other after talking remotely online. John and I have met people who have become good friends this way, and it'll be great to see each other again and share in some great experiences.

Tuesday, December 9th:

• Leave home in early AM
• Stay at Kingsland KOA

Wednesday, December 10th:

• Check-in at Fort Wilderness Campground Resort
• Have dinner with our friends at the Trails End Restaurant
• The Fort Wilderness Lights and Dogs Tour! We're hosting this meet with our friends Gary and Carol from Canada; we giving a tour of all the holiday decorations in the resort, the official ones and the ones everyone put up around their sites and cabins. Afterwards, we're going back to our sites for dessert, featuring goodies you can only get from our region and their home region in Canada. At the end, we're going to the beach for the fireworks and water electrical parade. We also have a few gifts for each of our guests, including a button/pin I designed. I can't tell you how excited I am about this! And just as thrilling are the people who have said this is one of the things they are most looking forward to doing.
  

Thursday, December 11th:

• Welcome meet: this is an All Ears Net event along with the PassPorter authors. This has grown so large, we have to be at the Contemporary. They used to just get together at the Tomorrowland Noodle Station.
• Dole Whip Meet
• Tomorrowland Big Three Meet: we see how much we can risk getting thrown out of the Magic Kingdom by going into the Carousel of Progress and singing along; riding one of our all time favorites, the couch with a breeze, the PeopleMover (or TTA); and finally, John and I resort to our full level of maturity by cheating and screwing with each other so we can try to win at Buzz Lightyear.
• Dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe; it'll be our first time dining at this hotel. Of course, we want to see all the decorations in each hotel, including the Floridian's full size gingerbread house that has a store inside. On the way back, I want to stop at the Contemporary's fireworks balcony to see Wishes at the castle. They pipe in the music like you were in the park.

Friday, December 12th:

• Deb Wills' Africa meet in AK
• Everest meet
• Studios - Toy Mania meet
• Stop, Drop & Roll Meet: a bunch of us are riding Rock N Roller Coaster & Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

John and I then separate out of necessity. He's:

• Eating at Mom's Prime Time with a number of friends.
• Ho Ho Ho Lotta Lights meet: we were both co-hosts for the Osbourne Lights and I adore the Lights, but I became an All Ears Net team member and we're having a team function. So I'll catch the lights later.

I'm heading for:

• The Gaylord Palms: Deb Wills and her All Ears Team are having a get together to celebrate a good year for the site and the holidays together. And I am so lucky to be part of them! We're having dinner and then touring ICE! Everyone who has seen it has told me this is fantastic! What a great treat! ICE! has a webcam so if you're looking at it starting at 9pm on Friday night, you might see the All Ears team going through!

John and I then meet up again for:

• The Gift Exchange: a big number of us are doing a Yankee Swap. We're meeting at the Yacht Club for it. We got a couple good gifts, including a piece of Disneyana!

Saturday, the 13th:

John knows what a great morning person I am - NOT! But when we saw who else was doing this, we signed up for -

• The PhotoWalk Meet: our friends Barrie and Lisa are wonderful photographers. They're taking us around the Boardwalk resort area for a photo tour. We're finishing at the Bakery for coffee and pastry!
• We volunteered to help at the big gathering: the Mega Meet. I'm also going to be at the All Ears table, plus greeting at the convention center entrance. This year, besides all the other great vendors, we're meeting Lee Cockerell, Former Executive Vice President, Operations at the Walt Disney World Resort; he's written "Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney." and will be signing autographs.
• After collasping -- :) -- we're having dinner at the San Angel Inn.
• Illuminations dessert party with friends
• KARAOKE meet! LOL! At Kimonos lounge in the Swan. See Johnny Black sing Mack the Knife!

Sunday, the 13th:

Things slow down as far as meets. But it's a classic!

• Capture the Magic! A photo scavenger hunt! Last year, our team won first place. The best part is the fun in taking pictures as you try to convince strangers to do things like hoe-down at Country Bears while you trash talk with other teams!
• Dine at Le Cellier with our friends.
• Deb Will's Illuminations party

Monday, the 15th:

MouseFest is over at this point.

• Hollywood Studios day
• Lunch at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian with friends
• Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with our friends

Tuesday, the 16th:

• A Magic Kingdom day
• Dinner at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge

Wednesday, the 17th:

• Animal Kingdom Day! Including evening Extra Magic Hours! (Which means only a limited number of resort guests can stay late). The lighting here is fantastic!
• Lunch at the Pepper Market in the Coronado Springs
• Dinner at the new Tusker House buffet in the Animal Kingdom

Thursday, the 18th:

• Epcot! Seeing the Holidays around the World!
  
• Late lunch at Chefs de France.
• Candlelight Processional!

Friday, the 19th:

• Breakfast at the Crystal Palace before Magic Kingdom opens! I want to get photos before the crowd comes in.
• Play around in MK during the morning.
• Studios in the afternoon!
• Fantasmic to close the vacation

Saturday, the 20th:

Pack, leave, and cry!

Of course, we'll be visiting Downtown Disney throughout the trip and the Christmas Chalet which is taking dogs this year! We are really going to miss the Adventures Club though! It was a big part of our vacation!