Today I visited Epcot, again. I wanted to take in the Christmas smells and decorations and ride a very popular attraction, Test Track.

Test Track is an incredibly fast ride with a top speed of 65mph !! 2/3 of the ride is inside a 3-story building & the last 1/3 is outside on a race track. Pretty cool ride ! I’m very glad I decided (at the last minute) to take off my hat, otherwise it would’ve been history !!

My next stop was France where I visited a French Pastry shop. As I perused the selections, a Beignet called out my name 😂 ! Back home I always said MaryAnn Donuts was the best, and, I never thought I would say this, but, this Beignet was pure heaven ! Way better than any donut … EVER !

This month Epcot is celebrating the International Festival of Holidays. An event where you can savor the sights, sounds, cultures & flavors of the season in each of the 10 countries that are showcased in the park. Each day promptly at 11am they do a countdown to officially open the festival (see video).

Next, I stood in line (for 25 minutes) with a lot of screaming kids just so I could get a photo with Santa & Mrs Claus ! 🤣 It was definitely worth it !!

In Germany, they were selling $10 soft pretzels that were the size of 2 heads 😳 !! P.S. I did not buy this pretzel, I just stopped a stranger and asked if I could take a pic of it 😂.

For the next 1.5 hours I continued to stroll & window shop through the other countries on my way to my final destination … lunch reservations at the Nine Dragons Chinese Restaurant. For 9 months, I have been craving a good Chinese meal and finally today that craving was satisfied ! Lunch was outstanding & very reasonably priced ! YUM !

On my way out I stopped to listen to some very talented street performers (see videos).

Farewell Epcot !!

The Fort is offering plenty of activities for all ages on Christmas Eve & New Years Eve …

Anyone want to join Sadie & I ??!! 🐶🐾🎄🎉😃

Can’t wait to experience Disney’s New Years Eve fireworks display 💥 !!!!

Cinderella’s Castle located in our campground loop is finished !

You have to look hard to find us, but, just to give you an idea of how massive this is … Sadie & I are standing (I am holding her), in between the right side of the castle & the left side of the carriage !

The section of the castle with the wreath has to be 20 feet tall & 30 feet wide ! Although you can’t see their RV, the creators of this art are living behind this structure in their 35 foot Coach RV. It’s amazing that they towed behind their RV, an enclosed 10 foot trailer from their home to here, with all the decorations & tools required to construct this castle & the carriage.

It’s incredible how passionate & dedicated Disney campers are when it comes to decorating their sites & golf carts !! A tremendous amount of time and money go into creating these displays !! Some folks spend thousands of dollars !!

Like they did at Halloween, the campground is having a campsite decoration competition & a Christmas decorated golf cart parade the week of Christmas. I will post photos afterwards.

My ex-neighbor & dear, funny friend Carmen sent me a video today that her brother Arnaldo created for me … it’s really cute, so, I had to share it with y’all !! The video is a gift from Sadie !!

Merry Christmas 🎄

Enjoy !! 😂🤣🐶🐾

Two weeks until Christmas !!!!

Today was gorgeous but unusually warm with little to no humidity, so 86 degrees was pleasantly tolerable.

Sadie met a Disney horse today and I swear they had a conversation because they stared at each other for at least 2 minutes before the horse belted out a neigh (or whinny, if you prefer), and Sadie exhaled a grunt noise. They definitely discussed something !! 🤔😂

My camping loop is getting a lot of attention. Neighboring campers are flocking in to see the Christmas displays via golf carts, scooters, bicycles & vehicles. My decorations are slim to none. But, my immediate camping neighbors are definitely in the Christmas spirit ! One of them is in the process of constructing a HUGE Cinderella Castle along with Cinderella’s carriage 😳 !! The structure is not yet finished, but, when it is, I will share that photo with y’all. In the meantime, I attached daylight & nighttime photos.

By the way, my journey to the west coast is on hold until spring as I decided to spend the winter in ☀️ FL. I’m comfortable living here plus I have many familiar friends nearby & there is a constant flow of old PA friends vacationing here. More importantly, Sadie is happy here too!! There are many places in FL that I still need to visit. So, for now, FL is the right place for us to hang out over the winter.

Donna & Sadie 🐾

Part 2 of yesterday’s adventure …

Yesterday was an eventful, fun day. Lori & Mike picked me up & we headed to Gaylord Palms Resort where we met an ex-colleague of ours, Cindy & her husband Jerry. I can’t remember exactly, but, Cindy & I know each other for at least 20 years!!

The Gaylord is known for their extravagant indoor Christmas decorations of 2 million lights, poinsettias & a Christmas tree trail. They also feature an indoor ice skating rink, 8 lanes of snow tubing and a Cirque Dreams performance, as well as many other kids activities! The temperature in the area that showcases these adventures is a frigid 9 degrees 🥶. Funny to see folks walking around outside in 75 degrees with winter parkas & knit hats. And if you don’t have a winter coat, no problem, you can ‘borrow’ one of their used parkas 😳. No thanks ! 🤣

We had lunch at Wreckers Sports Bar. Mike & Lori had their first taste of my Impossible Burger, but, neither have any intentions of saying goodbye to an all beef burger ! 😂

The next leg of our adventure took us to Disney cast connection where cast members & their invited guests can shop discounted Disney merchandise 👍 … Thanks Lori !!

Next, we headed to my fave town, Celebration where we enjoyed homemade ice cream in waffle boats at Kilwins. YUM !

Then the highlight of the evening … Celebration buzzes with the holiday spirit ! Every night they offer train rides, ice skating, horse drawn carriage rides, photos with Mr & Mrs Claus & falling snow !! YES … Falling snow … well, actually falling suds !! 🤣 My inner child woke up & enjoyed the festivities !! See pics !!

Lastly, we enjoyed the synchronized lights, holograms & music on individual houses on Jeater Bend, a small residential block of neighbors that offer a 360 degree Christmas display that proves teamwork can put a smile on all visitors faces!

Thanks Lori, Mike, Cindy & Jerry for a great afternoon/evening !!

Enjoy the pics & videos !!

Today I attended a campground woodworking session, where we crafted Disney Fort Wilderness solid pine plaques. During this 2 hour course we learned how to transform a plain piece of wood into an RV keepsake. We were also treated to cocktails & appetizers.

If you’re faithfully reading my blog, you may remember 3 weeks ago I won a BeKind box from Ellen via social media. Well … The box arrived today. It was filled with organic health & aromatherapy beauty items as well as a white noise sleeping machine & an inspirational book. Cool items that I will definitely use.

It’s been a tad chilly in the morning here in central FL, and Sadie is loving it !! She is spunkier than ever !! As soon as the sun comes up, we are outside breathing in the fresh air & enjoying the calm before the campers wake up. Every morning she looks forward to & enjoys a brisk 2 mile sniff & walk. 🐾

Speaking of sunrises, fun fact from my friend Mary & another good reason to move south … Did you know that FL has an hour more daylight every evening than our friends up north because FL is closer to the equator! 👍😃

I cannot believe it’s December 1st!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day that I would love to seal into a bottle and send to my friends up north who are currently dealing with freezing rain, accumulating ice & snow from winter storm Ezekiel! 😳❄️

Today, Disney weather offered a warm sun & puffy baby clouds with a slight breeze and a high of 83 with a real feel of 84.

I owed Sadie a fun day since she was upset with me because yesterday I tricked her into getting a bath.

It was the perfect day to walk 6 miles & take Sadie for a long golf cart ride so her ears could “fly” like wings on a plane 🤣 (see pic).

While cruising the campground, we made a quick pit stop at the dog park. A very quick pit stop 😂 (see video). She likes visiting the park, but, once she is in there, she sniffs for a bit then abruptly wants to leave … maybe she doesn’t like some of the dog smells ?! IDK 🤷🏻‍♀️

To my friends up north, please take your time & be safe driving!! And, remember to walk like a penguin!!

It’s increasingly becoming difficult to meet awesome camping neighbors, then have to bid them farewell after a week.

Allow me to introduce you to (from left to right) Tristen, Larry (the Oger), Michael & Paddy from Louisiana. Definitely fun people !

Larry saw me carrying around my Dad’s old 9 iron for protection from snakes & wild turkeys. So, on Thanksgiving, he gifted me with a hand whittled 5 foot solid oak walking stick that he made and said it would be better protection than that skinny old beat up 9 iron. I had him autograph the walking stick that I will treasure … Thanks Larry !

They did invite me to their “swamp” when I pass through Louisiana next year. Thus the reason why Larry is nicknamed the Oger !!

Thanks guys & safe travels !!

Donna & Sadie 🐾