Gigs Galore

Since this new year began, I have been blessed enough to be just about in constant rehearsal for gigs from the start, and there are no signs of my slowing down any time soon!  First was the latest in a collaborative chain of performances for the Orange County Library System.  Last year around this time--when I had just bought my equipment and gotten my act together (literally)--I answered a post on CraigsList seeking musicians for Music in the Library, a celebration of National Music Week, at each of their branches.  I did a set in the study room at the Southwest branch in Dr. Phillips (kind of ironic to have some lady banging on a piano and screaming into a microphone in a library at all, much less a study room, huh?), and then another at the downtown branch on Central Avenue.  Jimi (spelled like Hendrix), the library's incredibly friendly and fun Community Relations liaison, recommended my services to his college roommate, who just happens to be Chef Chris Lacey of Jack's Steakhouse in the posh up-and-coming neighborhood of Baldwin Park.  As a result, I have gotten to play several sets at Jack's, enough, in fact, to cover the cost of my entire system--speakers, stands, mics, table and all!  So anyway, Jimi was nice enough to recruit me for another gig at the library, Dr. Phillips High School's Art Expo.  There were lots of nice comments and even a booking for a Friends of the Library event this December.  Mark your calendars!

Meanwhile, Eric and I were both tapped by Encore to perform in a small group of singers for Transitions Optical's annual international Academy at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.  The performances was for their 2009 Lab of the Year Awards ceremony, with a theme of "Never Lose Sight...of the Possibilities" (Get it?), so we were asked to sing a few inspirational numbers to open and entertain throughout the show: a Queen medley of We Will Rock You and We are the Champions, Power of the Dream from the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, and a beautiful part-a cappella arrangement of Go the Distance from Hercules.  Our final selection was Defying Gravity from Wicked, and I was so excited to sing a solo!  Transitions Optical was nice enough to provide a costuming and cosmetology team for us, so I had a beautiful costume, amazing updo, and incredible make-up to wear!

Me as Glinda with Beth Neel as Elphaba

Then, just about the day after that event, I received a phone call from Mad Cow Theatre about a callback I had attended in December.  I was on their alternate list for the chorus of Bizet's Carmen.  Someone had dropped out at the last minute so they invited me to join the cast!  The performances will be Friday, February 26 at 8:00pm and Sunday, February 28 at 2:00pm at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, which means I will be learning the entire role in less than three weeks!  I consider the entire experience to be a very exciting challenge, and I am thrilled to have my first theatre contract!

Coming up next will be the second annual cabaret featuring singers from Encore.  Like last year, all the proceeds from this year's show, called Time and Music, will go toward our budget for the summer production.  The goal is to keep making the summer show bigger and better so we can raise more and more funds for our selected charity recipient, which this year is the Make a Wish Foundation of Central and North Florida.  The cabaret starts rehearsal the first of March and goes onstage on March 11, 13, and 14 at the Odyssey Restaurant at Epcot. 

Finally, to keep me booked until May 16, I have just been cast in Garden Theatre's community production of good old Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Back when I was a big fish in a little pond, I played the Narrator in Ware County High School's production, so it'll be a fresh and new experience this time since I'll be playing one of a few wife-y type chorus members.  Hopefully in the meantime I'll get a chance to be a judge again at East Ridge Idol, the annual fundraiser for my friend Gretchen's chorus program.  I'll have to double check my schedule.

As always, you can get the latest updates about my career by visiting my website.

House Hunting Update

We're well into our house hunt by now and there have been a few updates.  First of all, we've had a hard time remembering which house is House A, House B, and House C, but we've had a few nicknames stick to them throughout the process.  Secondly, we went to see a few more houses today (which would have been Houses D and E) and we have two more to see soon.  So House A has become the Hospital House because of the stark white tile and walls.  House B is now the Red Door House for obvious reasons, and House C is the Toothpaste House because the exterior was recently painted white with mint green accents. 

The Hospital House is still in the running as a more-than-acceptable back-up.  Though the Red Door House is within our price range, for the price it's not as irresistable a value as many of the others in its size range.  House C had been the front runner, but sadly when we went back to take a second look, we discovered that a not-so-well repaired leak in the roof had resprung.  Factoring in the roof replacement, mold removal, and paint and drywall reconstruction--not to mention risking the possibility of the leak re-respringing in the future--at this point it doesn't seem smart to take on the property. 

House D--the Yellow House, that is--has a great big back yard with a pool and it's situated on a quiet cul-de-sac.  There's a nice big dining area and tile throughout.  However, it's a foreclosure property, and the former owners must've been a bit incensed when they left because...it's kind of a mess.  There's also no fridge.  Yep, they must've been pretty mad.  It's also backed right up against the main road, so there's quite a bit of noise. 

House E used to be a model home in our neighborhood, thus its nickname of the Model.  It probably fits our needs better than anything we've seen so far--a comfy price, proximity, size, and condition.  It has high ceilings and even a few furnishings, an open floor plan, and lots of curb appeal.  The back yard is about the same size as our current yard, but it seemed puny compared to the Yellow House's massive yard.  We'd have to provide a washer and dryer, and the wallpaper in the kitchen is seriously hideous.  All of these obstacles can be overcome though, so we'll see what happens next!

House Hunting

Eric and I have decided we'e had enough of the renting lifestyle and we are looking to join the ranks of the homeowners.  We've been saving long enough that we think we can safely make a solid down payment with a nest egg to spare.  We took the first steps by getting pre-approved for a loan at our bank and opening a savings account at Partners, the credit union for Disney cast members. Then today we went out with a realtor to look at a few homes in our area!  Here are the highlights of our favorites so far:

House A is in the neighborhood where we currently rent, so we'd save a lot of miles on the moving truck!  We really enjoy living in this community except that frisbee-ing is not allowed in our park (whose idea was it to make that rule?).  It has a big yard and the pool was recently redone and looks great.  Unfortunately, there's no fence and, though the exterior has just been painted, it's kind of a weird color.  It's pretty roomy with lots of closet space, and there is a neutral color palette so it'll be easy to customize it with our touch. 

House B has a cute red door but also sports an unappealing color combo outside--like rye bread with butter.  Inside, though, it's been recently painted a lovely gold color and you can tell it's been taken care of well.  There's no carpet, only tile, so we could toss out our vacuum and get a Swiffer!  This one also has a large yard and a pool, but it's a little further from where we work.  There also isn't much room for a formal dining area, just a little breakfast nook.

House C sits in the community adjacent to House B but is quite a bit bigger than its neighbor.  Although we were pretty excited at the prospect of 4 bedrooms and both a formal and casual living room, we can't decide if we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot by taking on more square footage to cool and heat.  It's definitely a home we could grow into as we build equity.  There's a pool, hot tub, and fountain, and vaulted ceilings in front.  The carpet needs some work though, and we might have to provide a new fridge, washer, and dryer.  The kitchen is spacious though, with lots of cabinet space, and a grand piano might fit through the double front doors someday! 

We're still trying to figure out the logistics--like the first-time homebuyers' tax credit (since Eric is technically not a first-timer by their definition until June 3)--but hopefully we've gotten the ball rolling enough that by the time our lease is up, we can move in to a house of our very own!

Holiday Season Recap

We have officially survived the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, and we have a few photos to prove it.  My first act during the holidays was to attend a book signing of the new Ridley Pearson-Dave Barry collaboration at Downtown Disney.  It was very exciting to meet these two literary legends, but I couldn't even yet tell the two people who would most share my excitement--my parents--because I asked Dave Barry to sign a book for each of them as a Christmas gift!  Didn't want to ruin the surprise :) The inscriptions (his idea, not mine)?  "To Terry, my idol," and "To Sharon, a goddess."

Here's a photo from the Singing Christmas Trees, featuring my talented friend Rachel Scott as the mother Mary.  Believe it or not, all of those hundreds of "ornaments" on the trees are choir singers! 

Check out our fancy new robes for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot!  They look a little funny up close, but from a distance in a tree-shaped clump, they look pretty spiffy!

Here's a photo I found online from our performance with Celine Dion for the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.  Can't find us?  Look more closely. 

Okay, I'll give you a hint.

Look how festive our house looks when decorated for the holidays!  We had a little get together to celebrate.

We partied for Eric's birthday, too!  How funny are these cupcakes!

The Young Alpha Chis went on an outing to Kimonos for some sushi and singing!  Rachel and I did a little number together.

We both had to work on Christmas morning, but at least Eric got a chance to wear the new shirt my parents gave him!

It was pretty slow at Saratoga, so he spent the morning making this pretty incredible ballon hat with his cast members.

And here we are, newly arrived home from our respective jobs, ready to open our stockings and read the Christmas story.

The Decade in TV and Film

So, you know I'm into movies and tv and stuff.  And I'm into reading.  So that means I read a lot about movies and tv and stuff, and almost all the stuff I've been reading lately has been lists of the top movies and shows of the decade (even though, since the millenium technically lasted until the end of 2000, I'm guessing the decade probably lasts until the end of 2010, but who's counting?).  So I thought I'd make my own little list, especially since most of their lists (especially the movie lists) are composed of total downers that nobody except movie critics have ever seen.  So anyway, here goes: a list of my favorite films and television from the oughts. 

20 Favorite Films

1. Almost Famous (2000)
2. Amelie (2001)
3. Bruce Almighty (2003)
4. Death at a Funeral (2007)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
6. High Fidelity (2000)
7. In Bruges (2008)
8. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
9. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
10. Minority Report (2002)
11. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
12. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
14. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
15. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
16. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
17. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
18. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
19. Tropic Thunder (2008)
20. Wall-E (2008)

20 Favorite TV Series and Mini-Series

1. Angels in America (2003)
2. Arrested Development (2003-2006)
3. House, M.D. (2004-present)
4. Monk (2002-2009)
5. Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)
6. Project Runway (2005-present)
7. Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
8. The Office (2005-present)
9. Three Sheets (2006-present)
10. Ugly Betty (2006-present)
Honorable Mention: FlashForward (2008-present), too early to tell if it'll define a decade for me or not

5 Favorite TV Series not originating in the oughts

1. Futurama (1999-2003, 2010-present)
2. Inside the Actors Studio (1994-present)
3. Sex and the City (1998-2004)
4. Roswell (1999-2002)
5. The West Wing (1999-2006)
Honorable Mention: The X-Files (1993-2002), even though the seasons that aired in the oughts sucked

Disclaimer! I still haven't seen Sherlock Holmes, Extract, Wonder Boys, Freaks and Geeks, Punch-Drunk Love, The Hurt Locker, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Extras, The Hangover, or Avatar, all of which may have broken the list if I had seen them during the oughts.  But now it's the...teens (?) so I guess they're ineligible.  Along with Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel.  And I know you're asking, "Where're 30 Rock and Lost?" but I don't watch those shows, so... :-P

Christmas Eve

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I've been reflecting on our holiday season so far. I just returned from the Christmas eve candlelight service at our church and an open house at the home of the associate pastor and his wife. My favorite part of the party was listening to the partygoers' (church members') old stories. And the Baby Jesuses in a Blanket.

We've been keeping ourselves pretty busy preparing for the holiday and hob-nobbing with friends all over town. Our friend Kevin hosted a winter frost party so we frosted ourselves (meaning we wore white, blue, and silver outfits) one evening--there was a show and everything! We went to see Ice at the Gaylord Palms again this year, this time with our friends Jimmy and Becky, the newlyweds, and Paul and Missy. We all had fun and Eric and I wore our Smittens (mittens that allow two people to hold hands inside), except when we were on the slide (once you're in the mittens, you can't rightly let go).

A few Young Alpha Chis from our alumnae chapter got together for sushi, sake, and singing at good old Kimonos, and I got to spend a lot of time with my friend Rachel, but unfortunately I had to cram in the time because she is moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a civics career. We connected very well and really enjoyed spending time together, so we'll have to reconnect sometime in the near future.

On Sunday afternoon we left for Waycross to have Christmas there and spend a few days with my family. We had our usual traditions of caroling to a few friends, having Christmas breakfast together, and reading the Christmas story. And opening gifts, of course. I got Photoshop from my parents, and Eric and I got a karaoke machine. Party at our house!

Let's see, what else? Our little holiday party was a success. We had lots of jolly guests and even more food. I'll be performing at the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach with my friend Dick on New Year's Eve next week, but more on that in a later post. We performed together at the church's Christmas dinner as well. Tomorrow we each have to work on Christmas morning, but hopefully we'll each be done in time for lunch. Then we'll unwrap our gifts (the ones Eric hasn't opened already), watch A Christmas Story, and go out with Paul, Missy, Jimmy, and Becky to the China King for dinner. We'd host dinner at our place, but the kitchen's a mess and the fridge is in the living room. (It's a long story but the short version starts with the dishwasher leaking, continues with mold growing in the kitchen, and ends with the bank paying to have all the walls torn out and cabinets replaced, the epilogue being that the fridge is currently in the living room. So now I'm sitting here watching In Bruges (it's technically a Christmas movie) eating Christmas candy and waiting for my husband to get home so we can snuggle and cuddle in front of the fireplace all night long. A very festive way to spend our Christmas eve, I'd say.

More Singing with the Stars

'Tis the season! With the Disney parks nearby, it begins to look a lot Christmas right around November 1st, but it never feels like Christmas to me until I get to sing some Christmas music! In college, I always had our candlelight concerts to look forward to and to generate holiday cheer, and now we have Epcot's Candlelight Processional to take its place. This week Eric and I sang in the cast choir in our first show of the season with John O'Hurley as the celebrity guest narrator. He interpreted the Christmas story wonderfully. By the end of the show, it really felt like the holidays were on their way!

Then last night, we got to see the Singing Christmas Trees at First Baptist Church in Orlando. My friend Rachel was playing the part of Mary in the show so she graciously invited us to the opening night! It was an amazing spectacle--literally two 40-foot tree-shapes full of hundreds of choir singers and thousands of twinkly lights!

Tomorrow I'm attending my first holiday function of the season, a brunch with the ladies of Alpha Chi Omega, and we'll be stopping by a few other soirees throughout the season and probably even hosting one of our own. Then the next two Sundays will be the Christmas cantata at my church. And, of course, today we had the filming for the (newly renamed) 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade with Celine Dion! Rainy weather forced us out of the Magic Kingdom, but we ended up at the beautiful Grand Floridian hotel for the performance. Everyone involved really came together (and quickly!) to make everything go smoothly. Celine (we're so totally on a first name basis now) was amazing and totally gracious--she even gave Clay, our director, a much-deserved shout-out at the end of the shoot. Plus she looked fabulous!

EDIT: Here is a link to a post on the official Disney Parks blog about the taping. You can't see us in the picture, but it still looks cool!

If you're looking for us on Christmas morning, we're the very last number on the program, O Come All Ye Faithful. Nick Cannon--who's co-hosting the parade this year with Kelly Ripa--even announced the name of our group, Encore Cast Choir! The whole choir is in gold robes, and Eric and I are on the far right side of the group when you are looking at the whole group on the screen. I'm the one with a giant grin on my face! Hopefully we'll get some face time on ABC--we were all feeling very Hollywood today. The most ironic thing is that we don't have cable so I hope they put the video online so we can see ourselves!

All in all, it's been a very eventful (and exclamation point-worthy!) week and we're definitely in the holiday spirit now. The house is decorated, the shopping is underway, and, of course, there will be lots more singing. Here is our tentative Epcot Candlelight Processional schedule for this season:

• Monday, December 7 at 5:00pm with Anika Noni Rose
• Sunday, December 13 at 6:45pm and 8:15 with Vanessa Williams
• Tuesday, December 15 at 5:00pm with Abigail Breslin
• Friday, December 18 (Eric's Birthday!) at 5:00pm with Whoopi Goldberg
• Monday, December 21 at 5:00pm with Brian Dennehy

Entertainment is subject to change. While supplies last. Void where prohibited. All rights reserved, y'all.

Our 15 Minutes of Fame!

There haven't been many posts lately because since we got back from vacation, we've basically just been settling back in and catching up on real life...until we got an email from Encore, the charity choir we sing with during the summers. We've been asked to appear in the Christmas Day Parade being filmed at Walt Disney World and airing on ABC! The coolest part is that we'll be singing in the finale as back-up singers for a famous singer! The celebrity's identity was very hush-hush and we were all trying to guess who it might be until our first rehearsal last night when it was revealed to be the fabulous, the incomparable, the outrageous...Celine Dion!!

She's just as shocked and excited as we are! We are taping our segment this Friday on the Cinderella Castle stage! So if you have a DVR (or if you have nothing better to do on Christmas morning than to watch TV), tune in to the 26th-annual Emmy award-winning Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade to spot two of your favorite Browns!

2009 Ship's Log

Our Disney cruise to the Virgin Islands was excellent! We got back on Saturday and we're still adjusting to being back on dry land. But don't worry--we took lots of pictures as promised, and I kept a ship's log like last year so I wouldn't forget any of the exciting activities and adventures we had! This year's log was in time-saving bullet-point form, so I'll elaborate here upon our daily events.

EDIT: I've added links to a few photos into this post. If you want to see all of the photos, not just the highlights, you can find them here at my Flickr site.

The Magic itself was amazing, the appropriate definition of "ship shape." Improvements were being made every day of the voyage to keep her at her best. Our stateroom was incredible, every bit as spacious and comfortable as I had imagined an onboard cabin could be. The service was second-to-none, especially our serving staff and stateroom attendant and the ever-cheerful cruise staff. The food was delicious; we were fed three times a day and then some, one of those daily meals being a four-course dinner! There were lots of opportunities just for grown-ups, a night-life area, designated pool and hot tubs, and lots of adult activities. We kept ourselves busy enjoying the sights, tastes, sounds, and even smells of the Magic and its exotic ports of call.

Saturday, October 10 - Day 1 - Port Canaveral

Aunt Robin, Uncle Jerry, and Cousin Melissa gave us a lift to the port (thanks, y'all!) where we checked in, saw Mickey and Pluto, and explored the terminal until it was time to board. Our first view on the ship was the beautiful lobby atrium, complete with a colorful pop art chandelier, glass elevators, and grand staircases. After we were announced ("Please welcome aboard, Mr. and Mrs. Brown!") we ran straight up to the Vista Spa and Salon book a massage first thing. On a tour of the spa, Eric won an additional free treatment! Then we went to take a dip in the adults only pool, Quiet Cove. What a nice amenity! Afterward, I went to the salon for a hair consultation; the stylist recommended I trim a few inches off the bottom and incorporate a few long layers (which I did...after we got home...for $6.99 at Great Clips!).

Next was our couple's massage, which (differently from the usual, and fortunately for us) took place in one of the luxurious private spa villas since it was empty; I guess everyone else was still exploring the ship! Later we relaxed on deck, had a delicious dinner at Lumiére's restaurant, and got to bed early to prepare for the next day at sea.

Sunday, October 11 - Day 2 - At Sea

First thing after breakfast, Eric dragged me to a fitness seminar on Secrets to a Flatter Stomach. I was so bored that I left 15 minutes later to attend Disney's Art of Entertaining seminar on Dazzling Desserts. Hey, I was on vacation. Later we visited the Port and Shopping show to get some tips on what shops to visit in St. Thomas and St. Croix. At Quiet Cove that day, the cruise staff held a pool golf game and Eric won a Drink of the Day by sinking a hole in one!

That evening was our formal night, so we got dolled up and went to meet Mickey in his finery and our captain, Tom Forberg, in his spiffy uniform. We were also treated to the Golden Mickeys show, an amazing Broadway-caliber musical presented in the Walt Disney Theater and honoring the musical and storytelling heritage of Disney films. Later we had our formal night dinner at Animator's Palate, a restaurant known for its ability to change colors throughout the meal, but on this evening it remained black and white to match the tuxedos worn by the wait staff and many of the excited guests.

Monday, October 12 - Day 3 - At Sea

On Monday we enjoyed Mickey's Island Jam for breakfast, a character dining experience at Parrot Cay restaurant with Caribbean-style cuisine and the opportunity to meet and greet with all our favorite Disney friends. Later that evening we got to go back to Parrot Cay for dinner, but for most of the day we spent lots of time relaxing and enjoying events onboard. We won our first trivia contest of this year's vacation, Cruisin' for Trivia 2! Then we also watched Who Wants to Be a Mouseketeer, Disney Innovations in Animation, and Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story at the Walt Disney Theatre. We also found Daisy Duck in her island attire, played a round of jackpot bingo, observed the onboard art auction, and lounged in the jacuzzi at Quiet Cove. We fit a nap in there too.

Tuesday, October 13 - Day 4 - Frederiksted, St. Croix

Early Tuesday morning while I was still asleep, Eric enjoyed his spa treatment prize, a seaweed wrap! Then we got ready to spend the day ashore in St. Croix, a small peaceful island rarely visited by cruise ship passengers. We shopped the local vendors' souvenirs and handmade items and strolled on the beach collecting sea glass and enjoying the sun, sand, and sea. That afternoon, we took an exciting ATV tour of the island, enjoying beautiful tropical and historical sights like the remains of Butler's Plantation and an old Dutch sugar mill, Mt. Stewart, and St. Croix's very own rainforest(-ish)!

We elected to walk a mile back from our drop-off point to downtown Frederiksted so we could enjoy the beach a bit more. Back onboard, we won Cruisin' for Trivia 3 and then got ready for the Pirates IN the Caribbean Party! This included a delicious dinner at Lumiére's (complete with limbo!), Disney characters (along with us) dressed in pirate garb, and the famous Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party. The deck party features a fireworks display, the only one on the seven seas! Later that night we brought the house down at Krazy Karaoke singing Summer Nights--even though it was really fall, it felt like summer!

Wednesday, October 14 - Day 5 - Havensight, St. Thomas / Cruz Bay, St. John

Because of their close proximity to one another, we got to enjoy St. Thomas and St. John in one stop. I heard that the best snorkeling in the area was at Trunk Bay at Virgin Islands National Park in St. John, so we quickly took a taxi and ferry and another taxi to VI National Park. It really was beautifully preserved--clear waters, brightly colored plants and sealife, majestic rock formations, and soft sand. One of the highlights of my trip was snorkeling over the coral reef and watching a parrotfish having lunch. It was so peaceful at this locale that I could actually hear him crunching down on the coral with each bite as I observed him underwater. Wild!

We got back to St. Thomas in time to check out its famous shopping opportunities before going back on board. That evening we went on the Trick or Treat trail around the ship and competed in the adult costume contest. We also got to watch Alfred and Seymour, a hip-hop comedy duo, and won Disney Tune Trivia. We also got to dine at Animator's Palate once more, and this time we got to watch the restaurant transform from black and white to color right before our eyes!

Thursday, October 15 - Day 6 - At Sea

Another relaxing day at sea (my birthday!) began with an informative Q&A with members of the entertainment cast and technical team at Walt Disney Theatre. We also won Crusin' for Trivia 5 and had a delicious lunch at Lumiére's. Then we watched Disney Innovations in Theme Parks and saw an ice carving demonstration on deck. Later we took an Art of the Theme ship tour and a walking tour of two of the ship's galleys. (They were sparkly clean!) That night we saw the signature show, Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic. Then we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Palo, the adult exclusive restaurant, for my birthday! I had a tasty beef tenderloin with rich gorgonzola sauce. It was fabulous. We had a view of the sunset and terrific service.

Later Eric went back to see Alfred and Seymour perform their adult cabaret while I went to the piano bar, Sessions, to enjoy a set of songs from Broadway, television, and movies. Then that night was the moment we had all been waiting for: the Captain's Dessert Gala at Lumiére's, otherwise known as the chocolate buffet! Otherwise known as my birthday party with 2500 of my closest friends.

Friday, October 16 - Day 7 - Castaway Cay

On Friday, we enjoyed a day ashore at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private Bahamian island. Eric is hot and he knows how to make me laugh. while on the island he found a huge hermit crab and carried about 100 yeards to show me. then he put it next to two old ladies to see if they would notice; however the crab flipped when the wave hit it and it was stuck upside down. Have you noticed that Eric has written the last three sentences in my voice? It's Katie, again, and I was getting to that part. Before Eric found his new friend, we did a bit of snorkeling at the family beach. The visibility was not so great, but we were still able to locate the statues of Mickey and Minnie hidden underwater! After popping a few postcards in the mailbox at Castaway Cay's own post office, we took a little tram to Serenity Bay, the adults-only beach at the other side of the island! (I tell you, we pretty much forgot that there were any kids on this voyage.) This is where we explored far out into the open ocean without our feet leaving the bottom, enjoyed a barbecue lunch, and Eric stumbled upon his house-toting buddy. Biggest. Hermit crab. I've ever. Seen. We also watched a hungry pelican divebombing face first into the ocean. He didn't seem to be having much luck, though.

Pretty soon we decided to make our way back to the ship to prepare for our last night onboard. We packed quickly then got back out there to meet Mickey and Minnie in their cruising attire, win a round of The Wheel, enjoy one final dinner at Lumie's, and...experience Pub Night, a special treat for the adult passengers presented by the fabulous cruise staff. To future passengers I highly recommend it (if you aren't easily offended). Then we stuck around dancing into the night before our eyes wouldn't stay open and our feet wouldn't hold us up anymore.

Saturday, October 17 - Day 8 - Port Canaveral

We collected our trivia prizes--four Winner caps, three I'm a Winner medals, and two Champion buttons--and displayed our regalia at one final breakfast with our tablemates, also Disney cast members, from Dallas, LA, and Orlando. Our servers and head server came by and said we all have to come back, bringing bambinos with us next time! After saying our final goodbyes, we left the Disney Magic, hopefully to return someday soon.

A Somber-ish Separated at Birth

Eric...and his trusty pug Winky back in New York?

When Eric moved to Florida, he left behind his little one-eyed pug doggie, aptly named Winky, with a family across the street. He was Eric's camping buddy, bedfellow, even wingman from time to time. We still thought about Winky from time to time, but today we got word from New York that Winky died after being struck by a car. His new family was pretty sad, but Eric is taking it pretty well, even though he says, "Winky never saw it coming." (Okay, it's a little funny.)

Bye, Winks. Here's hoping all dogs go to heaven.