Disney Soccer Showcase

As the time drew near for the Disney Soccer Showcase, and the chaos of the holidays intensified, many of us started to regret the decision to participate in this event. While we love the Disney parks, I started to wonder if we’d even be able to enjoy them due to the anticipated crowds. And with a limited roster, we worried the games would be tough and, frankly, not fun for the guys.

Turns out that we had a fantastic time, and while we were exhausted (and broke!) by the end and ready to head home, we were all really glad we went. 

Danny’s team had a magical run, making it to the semifinals despite having just 12 players. “Twelve guys and a dream” was the phrase coined by one of the dads, and it was perfect.

Meanwhile, the girls and I had a blast at the parks, especially our first day at Magic Kingdom. We rode everything we wanted to - TRON two times, loved the fun Christmas version of Space Mountain, and had a delicious dinner at the Lady & the Tramp restaurant, too. EPCOT and Animal Kingdom had their highlights, too. After dinner in Morocco in EPCOT, we persuaded Tim to return to Magic Kingdom with us  on Thursday night (Danny was with his boys). I think Tim reached his fill of crowds before we did, but we’re glad he joined us!

We were really impressed with the Coronado Springs Resort as well. A huge property that featured several restaurants, a great pool and hot tub, and some lovely views.

We’re blessed that Danny’s team is comprised of some really lovely families. While I was off at the parks for the most part with the girls, Tim enjoyed meals and drinks at the resort bar with many of the parents. As always, who you’re with is the most important part!

Christmas 2023

It was a very Florida Christmas this year, thanks to needing to be in Orlando by the evening of 12/26 for the Disney Boys Soccer Showcase. Karen, Brian and Ryan came down from DC, and we all descended on Donna and Larry’s generous hospitality for a few days! 

We enjoyed warmer weather, walks in the rain, MANY rounds of Uno, and a round of golf for the guys…plus so much delicious food. A Merry Christmas indeed!

The Great Tree

I made no bones about the fact that I was disappointed with last year’s Christmas tree. It was simply not big enough for our high ceilings - this room demands a BIG tree. While we usually try to go together to choose the tree (from Home Depot, of course), our schedules didn’t really permit that this year. So, Tim gave his blessing for me and Laura to select one.

It took us maybe 5 minutes to zero in on the behemoth that we now behold. It took a lot longer for the one-man show to get us checked out and loaded, but soon enough we were on our way home, where Danny helped me bring it straight into the living room and into the stand. Where it immediately fell over. Oops. 

To his credit, when he got home, Tim skipped over the “what were you thinking?” line of questions and went into “let’s make this work” mode. While it turns out that Danny and I had not put the tree into the stand straight, he also decided to anchor it to the wall to be certain it would hold. 

And in an act of true love, he and Danny put the lights on the tree after I went to bed - a chore I had been dreading. They’re the best!

We had Grammy & Grampy over to help us trim it, along with our usual feast. We had college football on in the background, the combination of which Danny declared to be his favorite day of the year.

It’s definitely our biggest tree ever, and I might go so far as to say it’s our best, too!