ependydad...Doug

Today is for celebrating!  Congratulations to you all!

Love It!! Can't Wait To Share My Bethanie's Story.

Now that's a great update!
 
Is that photo on the bench from the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West?
 
TCD

I Got All Teary Eyed With Your Daddy Daughter Dance Story. Sweet Cherished Moment.

Congratulations on the milestone....We wish her MANY more HEALTHY years !!!

Best update ever!!

I am so happy to see the 10 years! 
May there be 10 times more years to come.

She just flashed me on her phone, but I'll look for something like it.
I think this was it:

From:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/06/vintage-walt-disney-world-sunset-boulevard-emerges/

I am not sure if you're a brand new member, or an old member who created a new account, but that's a great post, and I gave you an up arrow for it.
 
After my post that you quoted, I thought about what others were saying, and I then posted that I understood what others were saying.  See my post #40 above.  It appears that Chef TJ is doing what Disney expects him to do, and is doing it well enough that he has been recognized as an exemplary castmember.  As I said above, I am glad that guests with special dietary needs are being accommodated in a way that most other businesses would never do. 
 
I am glad that Disney gives its castmembers the leeway to take the initiative and create magical moments for guests.  And I hope that it continues.
 
Another thing that crossed my mind is that the Chef is actually bringing in untapped revenue to Trail's End.  He personally invited DIT to dine at Trail's End.  I doubt Dave would have bothered to go absent that invitation.
 
One thing I really like about our discussion board here is that we don't have to always agree with each other.  We wouldn't have anything to discuss if we did.  In this thread, I expressed some of my opinions, and the posts from others, like yours,  pointed out some things that I wasn't looking at.  I truly appreciate that, and I hope that you keep on posting.
 
TCD

Ok, to follow up- we did NOT let my daughter drive.
We let my son drive instead!

(Just kidding! We were very responsible drivers.)

I saw people staying at the Walmart in Clermont. Here is probably the best Walmart parking resource:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/walmartrving/info
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For those that end up using it- the valet had no problems with our dually. And, had I read the back of the ticket they gave me- I would have found out that you can text them when you're on your way for your vehicle and they'll have it ready for you when you arrive.

For those that end up using it- the valet had no problems with our dually. And, had I read the back of the ticket they gave me- I would have found out that you can text them when you're on your way for your vehicle and they'll have it ready for you when you arrive.

I generally prefer a size 10 hook (and use 10-14 for trout fishing). I also completely agree with smashing the barbs down. I've done catch and release exclusively for years- it really helps to not tear up the fish so much.

Also doing breakfast at the Boardwalk Beach Club (is it?). I'll post after our day of Disney dining.
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Ok, so the "Favorite Things Your Kids Have Said" thread sent me looking for old stories that I wrote to my family about my daughter. Fortunately I have used GMail for a long time and have actually saved them off in a special "Daughter Stories" folder. Here's one where we tried our first backyard camping before I would commit to taking DD tent camping.
 
I sent this to my Dad back in 2007 (she was about 4 at the time).
 
---
 
Dude - I never realised how smart I was as a kid -- I viewed you as some kind of superman that could do, build, accomplish anything.  I was (and still am) right. I knew we went camping - and, looking back, I don't remember many details.  I just know that we'd get there, I'd play, I'd eat and I'd have a place to sleep.  The details... well, they just took care of themselves.  In the last 8 or 9 years or so, I've learned that camping takes a fair amount of work - to keep it running. But, all of my camping has been in groups of adults and things just get done. Then, in my infinite wisdom, I think - "hey, I have Wednesday (July 4) off - Daughter and I should camp out in the backyard."  I should put "camp out" in quotes, as my goal was for us to simply sleep in the tent.  No food, no fire, nothing.... except for putting up that tent. I've done this a million times, I think:   - lay it out   - slide the poles through   - stick one end in   - shove the other into the pocket   - repeat on otherside   - throw rain fly overtop   - presto, chango, done. Thats where things got interesting.... I knew my 3 year old would want to help.  In fact, I was counting on it - those poles don't just stay in the pockets themselves. Except.... "Don't walk on the tent." "Sweetie, get back here - you're supposed to be helping." "Don't pull on that." "No, don't push that either." "Here, just hold this." "Hey, get back here..." "Wait, slow down..." "Yes, put your foot there." "No, the dirt won't help you." "Yes, you can do it." "Really, you can." "Oh crap, the other end popped out." "Hang on." "Sweetie, come back, please..." "Ok, hold here." "Yes, the worm is still in the grass." "Will you hold it?" "Ok, so you're telling me you want to know where it is, see it, possibly threaten to poke it, but will yelp when I pick it up to show you?" "Wait, come back - we're putting the tent up." "No, you can't hammer without my help." "Yes, this really is a tent." "No, it's not supposed to be flat - that's why we're erecting it." "'Erecting' means - 'putting it up'." "Oh damn, the pole popped out again." "Come on, come back!" (continues grunting, child is on the playset, I have 4-inch holes in my yard somehow) she says: "Wow, dad - a tent!  Can I get in it?" By this point, I'm pooped.  I still have to put the rain fly on, lay down the rules (no shoes in the tent, don't lay on the sides of it, don't trip over the guide strings, etc., etc.), get the bed, inflate the bed, make the bed, inflate HER bed, make her bed. I finally broke down and asked (well somewhere between demanding and begging) wife to help.  She took care of inflating beds and collecting stuff. Ultimately, in the tent we had:  - 2 beds  - 7 pillows  - 3 blankets   - 6 bags that stuff came out of  - 6 shoes  - 2 flashlights  - 3 people    - 1 extension cord  - 1 cpap machine  - 3 baby dolls  - 1 stuffed fish (which, mind you - we lost somehow) We attempted to sleep for 2 hours and ultimately gave up. Lesson learned?  Dad was a freakin' superhero.  Where do I get these special powers? Me. 

Ok, so the "Favorite Things Your Kids Have Said" thread sent me looking for old stories that I wrote to my family about my daughter. Fortunately I have used GMail for a long time and have actually saved them off in a special "Daughter Stories" folder. Here's one where we tried our first backyard camping before I would commit to taking DD tent camping.
 
I sent this to my Dad back in 2007 (she was about 4 at the time).
 
---
 
Dude - I never realised how smart I was as a kid -- I viewed you as some kind of superman that could do, build, accomplish anything.  I was (and still am) right. I knew we went camping - and, looking back, I don't remember many details.  I just know that we'd get there, I'd play, I'd eat and I'd have a place to sleep.  The details... well, they just took care of themselves.  In the last 8 or 9 years or so, I've learned that camping takes a fair amount of work - to keep it running. But, all of my camping has been in groups of adults and things just get done. Then, in my infinite wisdom, I think - "hey, I have Wednesday (July 4) off - Daughter and I should camp out in the backyard."  I should put "camp out" in quotes, as my goal was for us to simply sleep in the tent.  No food, no fire, nothing.... except for putting up that tent. I've done this a million times, I think:   - lay it out   - slide the poles through   - stick one end in   - shove the other into the pocket   - repeat on otherside   - throw rain fly overtop   - presto, chango, done. Thats where things got interesting.... I knew my 3 year old would want to help.  In fact, I was counting on it - those poles don't just stay in the pockets themselves. Except.... "Don't walk on the tent." "Sweetie, get back here - you're supposed to be helping." "Don't pull on that." "No, don't push that either." "Here, just hold this." "Hey, get back here..." "Wait, slow down..." "Yes, put your foot there." "No, the dirt won't help you." "Yes, you can do it." "Really, you can." "Oh crap, the other end popped out." "Hang on." "Sweetie, come back, please..." "Ok, hold here." "Yes, the worm is still in the grass." "Will you hold it?" "Ok, so you're telling me you want to know where it is, see it, possibly threaten to poke it, but will yelp when I pick it up to show you?" "Wait, come back - we're putting the tent up." "No, you can't hammer without my help." "Yes, this really is a tent." "No, it's not supposed to be flat - that's why we're erecting it." "'Erecting' means - 'putting it up'." "Oh damn, the pole popped out again." "Come on, come back!" (continues grunting, child is on the playset, I have 4-inch holes in my yard somehow) she says: "Wow, dad - a tent!  Can I get in it?" By this point, I'm pooped.  I still have to put the rain fly on, lay down the rules (no shoes in the tent, don't lay on the sides of it, don't trip over the guide strings, etc., etc.), get the bed, inflate the bed, make the bed, inflate HER bed, make her bed. I finally broke down and asked (well somewhere between demanding and begging) wife to help.  She took care of inflating beds and collecting stuff. Ultimately, in the tent we had:  - 2 beds  - 7 pillows  - 3 blankets   - 6 bags that stuff came out of  - 6 shoes  - 2 flashlights  - 3 people    - 1 extension cord  - 1 cpap machine  - 3 baby dolls  - 1 stuffed fish (which, mind you - we lost somehow) We attempted to sleep for 2 hours and ultimately gave up. Lesson learned?  Dad was a freakin' superhero.  Where do I get these special powers? Me. 

You took the words right out of my mouth! These would be a nice compliment to my Limoncello!
 

Since it's at the Fort and we just went, I'm going to review Mickey's Backyard BBQ. It's also going to be my first post with pictures. IHere we go....
Mickey's Backyard BBQ is at the Settlement at the Fort. It's an open air pavilion, so I’ve heard it gets hot during the summer, but we were comfortable at the beginning of April. For us, the show started at 6:30. We heard we should arrive early, so we got there at 5:45 and were early arrivers. That said, we got there just as Goofy, Chip, and Dale stopped taking pictures, so if you want to pose before the show, get there earlier. While waiting, they have activities for the kids like sidewalk chalk, drums, etc. We also carried in a cooler of beverages for the wait.
See, the kids are happy to wait...

Here's one of the photo ops we missed, but our friends who got there just before us were just in time.

The all you can eat menu consist of ribs, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, sides, watermelon, ice cream bars, and BEER and WINE. If you like Trails End, it's the same beans and some other sides as much as I could tell. We got in the area early, so we didn't have to wait in line for food. They served drinks for a time, and then you had to get your own. The food isn't gourmet, but we enjoyed it.
We got a seat around the main stage, but any seat near a white taped off area is a good seat. When the show starts, the characters rotate around to those areas and dance with the audience. There is a band, plus a cowboy who does rope tricks and brings kids from the audience into the show.

Yep, that's me in the white skirt being a dork in my son's cowboy hat, but look how much fun he's having with Goofy and me.

The character interaction was great. They really had fun with the kids, joking around and dancing with them. Even my small 3 year old got a lot of time and wasn't pushed out of the way. Autograph books aren't allowed, and there aren't big breaks to pose for pictures, but you get great candids, dancing and having fun is really the focus.
After the show (did I mention all you can eat Mickey bars?), Mickey and Minnie come out for pictures. There was a pretty big line, and we felt we'd had enough time with them, so we skipped that part.
Overall, it's not something I'd do if it was just my husband and me, but both our teenage daughter and 3 year old son enjoyed it, as did the other family with us. I think getting there early to get a good seat and skip the long food lines are important. If you want seconds or thirds, the lines are gone by then, so no worries. It was expensive, but we did eat a lot, and aren't Disney beers around $6? If so, we got our money's worth. I think we will do it again at least once while our son is young because he is still talking about it, and keeps asking to see pictures about it.
PS- Bring cowboy hats. We got cheap ones for a couple of bucks from Oriental Trading, and it made for cute pics. It helped that he had just had a cowboy birthday party.