Tough Times

For several months now we have all watched and wondered what the future will present to us as a nation and as individuals faced with everday challenges. We now have a new president who has yet to prove himself to the nation and the impact for success or failure that he can make. Our financial institutions are failing, governmental agencies are crying for more funds, large businesses are saying we won't survive without govermental assistance and we, the individuals continue to wonder what is in store for us.

This past week has been a stressful week for me personally. Even before the Thanksgiving weekend, I knew that we would have to make changes in personnel at work and had made the necessary preparations to start the "triming back" after the holiday. Monday, needless to say came too quickly. Monday, I laid off two engineers with a reduction in force. Tuesday, one more engineer laid off with a reduction in force. That now accumulates to 4 engineers laid off in the last month. Tough times bring tough and uncomfortable decisions.

Everyday, the media is blasting us with the "bad news", more lay-offs, more business failures, and bigger deficits and downturn in the economy. How can anyone not ignore the obvious? I'm afraid that we are just seeing the start of something more large than we want to all imagine.

Just as we are faced to make the tough decisions with our business, we should all start making tough decisions in our personal lives, too. I hope that each of my family members will evaluate their needs and wants at this point in time and determine what they can do in their own families to prepare for a rough road ahead.

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" Let's all prepare ourselves, make the necessary adjustments and look for opportunities. Even in tough times there will be opportunities presented that will bless our lives and others.

Kicking the Bucket List

I realized while browsing on my blog site that my "Bucket List" is now out dated. Yup, Cheryl and I went to Disney World which means that we can now Kick the Bucket. "DING"

Hm, maybe I need to spend some more time and create additional bucket list items to accomplish. As one item comes off, we need to replenish the bucket to make sure that it is never empty. I guess if it becomes empty then it's really time for me to kick the bucket.

Home Again Home

We arrived back home last night late and have just kicked back and tried to catch up on the much needed rest that we went on vacation for. Hm...

Things we will not miss: Baby Strollers, scooters, wheelchairs and the Florida Drivers.

Here's a cheer to all of our friends, THANK YOU

The Last Hurrah

It was a busy last day for the Mickey and Minnie scouting expedition. Hm, where do I begin. First, since we our on vacation, we decided it would be good to get some R&R so we slept and lounged around our base camp until 1:00 pm. A bit hungry by then we ventured to the local Waffle House for a bite to eat. It was time to now exert ourselves and so mustering all the energy we had left we stopped by Downtown Disney for a last and final shopping spree. Exhausted by now with all of the activities of the day, we went back to camp and strategically made plans for the evening. At 19:30 hour, we moved out and arrived at the Grand Floridian Resort. 19:45 hour, we began the countdown for the launching of the space shuttle. Sky line begins to turn bright orange. 19:55 hour launch time and the space shuttle Endeavor takes off on it's last journey; and Houston we have a problem. It began to rain, by time we got back into the resort, we were soaked. Half hour later a bit drier we moved down the path to the Narcoosee Restaurant for a most excellent adventure in dining. What a way to conclude our grand tour, dinner on the bay and watching the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Couldn't ask for anything better than this...okay, maybe a longer vacation.

Troops Slow Pace due to Exhaustion

Hm, found out today that we came all the way to Florida so we could have the opportunity to soar along the California coast line. Hm, as Crush would say, "No way, Dude."

It was a long night, I think Mickey and Minnie are exhausted. We finally rolled out of bed around 10:00 AM and ventured over to the Epcot Center.

Final attractions included Living with the Land Tour- interesting and very educational into what we can do to live within our environment;





The Sea with Nemo and Friends -good for the little ones; Turtle Talk with Crush- fun interactive presentation especially for the little ones and Cheryl found her lost soul mate Dory; Ellen's Energy Adventure- a 45 minute ride with Ellen DeGeneres that was informative and entertaining; and finally Soarin - a ride that takes you flying along California.

Dinner at Spoodles on the Disney Boardwalk was okay and then we caught a showing of La Nouba Cirque Du Soleil a foregin circus troupe with lots of flying trapazee and acrobats.

Rock n' Roll and the House of Blues

It was MGM Disney Studio Tour today. After refusing to go on the Tower of Terror(remember vertical drops and my stomach just do not go together.), Minnie braved the ordeal herself and reported that it wasn't "bad." Hm, up, down, three times in a row and free falling too. No thanks!

But when it comes to life in the fast lane, Mickey was ready to rock n' roll. Don't miss the Limo ride that takes you into the fast lane and more.

Lights, Camera, Action - time to participate filming in another movie of Raiders of the Lost Ark and then rushing over to the back lot we watched another car chase scene being filmed.

Both events are a big hit and you don't want to miss.

You may even get to see Herbie!

You may even get to participate in the Raiders of the Lost Ark stunt men act. They recruited a dozen volunteers for the filming. Lots of action, just be careful.

Yes of course this is me in the black car. Who else would it be?

I tried to volunteer for the car chase scene but they said I didn't know how to drive. Huh? Who are they kidding. Sorry to say we had to call it short due to rain however, I think that I have pulled almost all of their stunts off once or twice.

Another great classic was the Great Movie Ride. Fun to go back and see the great movies of all time and even get caught up in the actual scenes.

Finally we need to report on how meals today. Great food at Prime Time Cafe in the Disney Studio Land. Just remember to keep your elbows off the table and absolutely no texting at the table. A step back into time.

Concluded the day with dinner at the House of Blues, a canjun style restaurant, with great food. Minnie's pork chop was delicious and my Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya was fantastic.

We have now visited all of the Disney World Locations and have two more days in the field to see what else we can discover to perfect the vacation to Florida.

Mickey and Minnie went a Lion Hunting

We're going on a Lion Hunt! Got our bows! Got our arrows! Let's Go!!

Okay, first off we must maneuver the parking attendants and zoo keepers at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Once safely inside the gates, it's off to a quick climb up Mountain Everest. Don't miss this thrilling ride! If you get a bit queasy; it's okay but only once.

Once over Everest, the real safari begins. We must find Nemo, then moving into Discovery Island we discovered "It's Tough to be a Bug". Warning! Warning! Small children might become frightened at black widows, bee stings, and stink bugs.

We're getting close now. Look its a Tiger! but keep focus let's not loose our goal to find a lion. I know what will help us let's have a "Festival of the Lion King". Great show and it put everyone in the mood for hunting lions.



Quick catch the jeep safari. Go across the river and watch out for the rhinos and hippos. Moving out into the tall grass we see giraffes and elephants.

Cheryl! Watch out behind you're about to get wet!


Man, I'm tired. Hm... I wonder if I can get Momma to carry me. It would sure take a load off my feet.


Wait a minute what is that on the hill side all sprawled out. It's a Lion! Run for your life!










Beep Beep Beep NEWS FLASH Beep BeepIt has been reported that Mickey and Minnie ran into a huge lion. It was first believed that no one survived. However, the Silver Back Gorillas report that Mickey and Minnie did survive the Lions and were last seen heading for Epcot Center. According to sources Mickey was muttering "something about that it was safe there."


Out Lion Hunt ended today with a tour of Canada, Morocco, and France. A quiet and safe dinner in a french restaurant was a fitting way to end the day.

The Fine Print:
Actual sequencing of events did not occur in the order as reported. Please note that the events noted were worth visiting.

Chronicles of Mickey and Minnie's Travels

As you can all see, Mickey and Minnie stayed plenty busy or should I say we partied all day at Disney World.


This morning, Epcot Center was our mission to explore and conquered we did. Here is the quick list of don't miss:




*****Fast Track- what else can I say. It's great







**** Mission:Space- give a space ship a try. See if you can land on Mars. I did.

**** Honey, I Shrunk the Kids- Lots of fun. Beware small children may be frightened at some of the 3D effects.

**** World Showcase- plenty to offer from around the world. Don't miss out on some yummy food and performances.

Don't miss the USA showcase and the American Adventure. Chinese acrobats are also spectacular to watch.



More still to come from Epcot another day.

It was back to the Magic Kingdom this evening. Now here is a tip for all. If you can pay a bit extra you can get Mickey Mouse to close the park down and allow you access only. Oh yea, and the other 100,000 visitors who did the same for the Christmas Celebration. Did I say Christmas before Thanksgiving?

We purchased tickets to the Mickey's Christmas Celebration where only visitors with the special wristbands were allowed to stay in the park after 7:00 pm this evening. It was worth every penny. Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and The Haunted Mansion we did in less than 20 minutes each. No lines to worry about.

In between all the rides we experienced the Mickey Mouse Christmas Parade, Twas the Night Before Christmas Performance and found the perfect location to watch the firework display too.

Capped the evening off with a snack at the Cosmic Ray Dining Hall where we joined Pluto, Goofy, and Chip and Dale in an range of music and dancing. Another great tip for parents do some research and find the location where they are teaching the kids to dance and sometimes the Disney Characters will join in too. It was great dancing on the floor to YMCA, Blue Brothers, and the Crazy Chicken.


Yup, we're living in the fantasy life. Left the park at 11:30 PM exhausted but fully partied out.

Daily Mickey and Minnie Report

Hm, today started slow and ended pleasantly pleasing.

First, on your trip to Disney World a event that all shall probably experience at some time; but is not recommended, is the visit with the resort sales people convincing you how you cannot afford to not purchase a timeshare. If you don't have the money then do it for the love or your family. Now remember the simply word "No" and be prepared to say it over and over again. If at first the salesman does not achieve he will try try again until he does. "Let's see you don't have the money for my first proposal, I'll tell you what I can do to help. I'll give you another deal for half the price. Oh, still too much, okay, give me some of your money 10% down and I'll give you 18 months to decide if you want to buy or not."

Hm, let's see I have said no to them three times now and their now sending in the big guy to talk to me. "We're sorry folks that you can't afford to buy at this time; however, give me $200.00 dollars now and pay me on a monthly basis for the next 18 months and when you decide to buy we will apply that to your purchase or that's what we will charge for you to come and stay with us again." Hm, do I have STUPID written on my forehead, I don't think so. I already have one timeshare what would I do with a second. The offer was tempting and we did like the flexibility of the plan; however, no means no.

Oh, and by the way thanks for the $100 dollar cash card for any of the Disney attractions. We will try not to feel to guilty as we spend every dime of it.

Traveled to Wesley Chapel and had dinner with the Reeves family. Mark, Jenny, Nicole, and Jacob; David, Marcie, Sydney, and Joshua; and Dale and Faye. A definite must see. Enjoyed visiting and talking to them all.

On the way home, we stopped by Downtown Disney and spent the evening walking about and visiting the shops. We might have purchased a gift or two you never know, but I won't tell. Take some time and stroll the downtown and observe the displays.

Where's Cheryl ? Make sure and see the Lego displays of a family walking their dogs, a dinosaur, a robotic man, and a sea dragon right there in the bay. So when you plan your trip to Disney World and you have a evening free spend it relaxing and taking in the atmosphere of Downtown Disney. Plenty of good restaurants and plenty of shops to browse.


Last bit of warning. Be careful of the Floridan drivers. Never know what they will do. Speed limit says 65 MPH you could be doing anywhere from 50 MPH to 80 MPH and occasionally they will switch lanes on you, even if you are right next to them. Hm, I wonder what he saw when I swerved into the emergency lane to avoid the collision. I guess he thought that I would just move over too. Just be careful out there.

Tomorrow we venture to Epcot Center. More to come tomorrow

Mickey and Minnie

The Mickey and Minnie Chronicles

It's been a good 36 hours now since Papa (Mickey) and Grammy(Minnie) began their so called Lewis and Clark Expedition to Florida to scout out the Wonderful World of Disney and so forth. Last night we caught a "redeye" flight to Florida. In other words, we departed at midnight and arrived in Atlanta for a 2 hour layover this morning around 5:00 AM and then caught our final flight leg to Orlando at 7:00 AM and arrived in Orlando at 9:00 AM. Needless to say we of course got a great nights sleep to start the day. Yea, right!

Drove out to our resort and as fortune would have it we were able to check in and catch a nap before venturing to the Magic Kingdom this afternoon.






Explored the Magic Kingdom and recommend the following for all to try at some point:







****Splash Mountain- go prepared to get wet a bit; especially if the people in front of you are short.



****Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- an exhilarating wild ride lots of fun.

*****Mickey's PhilharMagic- a don't miss it was by far the best of the day.

***Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin- fun ride and of course Mickey scored the highest with his sharp shooting abilities.

**Sitch's Great Escape- Hm, a amusement with a twist. Caught us off guard. It was okay.

***Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - Fun show be prepared you might even be part of the act.

So stay tuned for additional reports this week as Mickey and Minnie explore Disney World.

Scary Times 2008

It's that scary time of the year when ghost and goblins begin to appear or is it the scary fact that people begin to look more like ghost and goblins. Hmm...

Dad and Mom hosted the annual Clyde Family Halloween bash and everyone dressed for the occasion. Let's see we had the Alladin Family in their home spun costumes with Princess Jasmin and Aboo. We also had King Triton and Ariel,Indiana Jones, Hanna Montana, and Star Wars too. A Mexican dude and some ugly looking witch too.














Don't forget the Joker, a safari couple, a BYU player, and Cleopatra.

Wait is that the Clue Family with Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Miss Peacock, Mr. Green, and who's that with them? John, Wendy, and Tinkerbell?




I want to know who brought the crazy chicken was it Davy Jones and his pirate in arms, Patricia? Davy did keep mumbling something about Lehman Brothers being the real pirates of the century.










But best of all were Belle and her Beast and Lumiere.



The party was great and we all fun. Thanks Mom and Dad!












And Who did bring the crazy chicken anyway?



Yup, as I said it's that time of year to be scared of who might show up at your door.


Knock! Knock!...