wallyworld 2.0....

The adventures in Florida continued this week.  What an amazing experience so far. 

Dec 22 - We slept in this morning and then spent a couple of hours at the resort using the waterslide, lazy river and pool that is as warm as a hot tub.  We then drove to downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Cafe which was a throwback to our last trip to Florida in 2007 when we ate here.  We walked around Downtown Disney and then headed back to Universal studios to do the wet rides.  we had been avoiding some of these rides so that we didnt have to walk around the park soaking wet.  we did blutos barge, thunder falls and the jurassic park ride.   the kids liked blutos barge the best so we went on a few times.  we then rode the hulk roller coaster to dry off before heading home.  This was a good full day and everyone was exhausted by the time we got home. 

Dec 23 - We planned to get to the park early this day as the christmas crowds are starting to form, but we ended up sleeping in a bit.  we were at the park by 9:45 but the crowds had already started.  we hit a few rides that we had not been on yet including transformers, ET, and shrek.  the lineup for despicable me ride was over 2 hours.  Luckily Cheryl chatted up a team leader and he managed to sneak the 5 of us in the express pass line saving us over 2 hours of wait time.  Chery's friendly nature and ability to chat up strangers sure paid off here.  The kids were super impressed.  we went on a few rides and left by mid afternoon before the biggest crowds hit.  Then we came back to the resort and went to the pool where the kids played and cheryl and I split a pitcher of draft.  we ordered a pizza from the resort which was great and watched tv with the kids. 

Dec 24 - Christmas eve.  We spent the day at wet n wild which was amazing.  It was like magic mountain only 10 times the size.  it was a great day, but because the locals find it cold this time of year there were not lineups.  We hit every ride in the place and there were some crazy rides.  The kids made friends with another group of kids from saudi arabia and we hung out at the park until mid-afternoon.  We stopped at popeye's chicken and ordered a big pile of food for Christmas eve.  We spent the evening watching  christmas movies as a family including the new annie movie, elf and christmas vacation..

Dec 25 -  we were at the park early and ate at the Harry Potter Resaturant, the Leaky Cauldron.  Good food and Cheryl was able to get the traditional breakfast which included blood pudding.   we hit all of our favourite rides one last time.  favourites include the rocket roller coaster, the hulk roller coaster, the dragon challenge roller coaster, the mummy, the simpsons ride, men in black ride, gringotts ride, harry potter hogwarts ride, hogwarts express, and despicable me.   We also went to the fear factor live show which was pretty cool.   We left the park around 3:00 and everyone agreed that we didn't need to go back for our last day.  We took our tickets back to a used ticket broker and got $35 back for the remainder of our 14 day pass.  Not much, but considering we were going to throw out the tickets it was better than nothing.   We ate leftover popeye's chicken for supper and  watched movies with the kids.  Talked to Dad who is in Toronto for Christmas as well as Chris & Jackie.  Everyone had a good Christmas but it was certainly different as it was the first Christmas without mom. 

Dec 26 - It is going to be a quiet day.  We are hoping the weather is nice so we can make use of the pool.  This is going to be a day for packing and any last minute souvenir purchases before our 8 am flight home tomorrow.

I can't stress enough how good this vacation has been for all of us.  I didn't take much vacation this summer and this break from dec 15-jan 5 is much needed.  As Andrew moves into residence in january and dan has been accepted to upei in the fall, I really see this time as a transition time for the kids.  This will probably be our last real family vacation with just the 5 of us as the kids branch out and start their own separate lives.  I am so glad that we were able to take our kids on this trip so that they will have these memories of our family adventures. 

Wallyworld part 1

 



Well.... the Griswold.... I mean Wartman Christmas vacation is at the halfway point and it has been an amazing experience so far.

Dec 15 -  Up at 4 am and on the road to Boston.  Beautiful day for a drive.  Sunny and +7 degrees which made the driving quick and easy.  We crossed the border with one minor issue.  We didn't realize that the Nexus line was for VIP only and a cranky border guard started the vacation off on the wrong tone.  Once that issue was settled things went smooth.  We stopped in Clinton, Maine so that Vicki could go to the bathroom and realized we were 5 minutes from Jenny Galusha's store so we stopped in for a quick visit with her and Jay.  We stopped for lunch at Buck's Naked BBQ along the way.  The name is misleading, but the bbq was awesome.  Great pulled pork and a variety of sauces.  We stopped at the liquor store in NH and managed to find the zaya rum that Mark Wells and I had been looking for for years.  Made it to Boston airport around 6 PM.  Man it was crazy traffic leading up to the airport.  The last 20 miles was gridlock.  Valet parking at the hotel was great as they will bring us our car when we return instead of us having to dig it out.  We had a great evening watching the original national lampoons vacation and having snacks as a family.

Dec. 16 - Up early and ate at the breakfast buffet at the hotel.  Great made-to-order omelettes and a full breakfast got us on the right track to start the day.  Check-in at the airport was smooth and the flight was great.  we had 3 rows of seats between the 5 of us, so vicki got her own row to stretch out.  We upgraded our rental car to a dodge avenger so that the kids would have a bit more room in the back seat.   We went to lunch at applebees and then checked in to our hotel.  Picked up some groceries and had a quiet night. The townhouse is great with lots of room for everyone.  3 bedrooms upstairs, and a living room, dining room and kitchen downstairs.  Vicki has her own room with 2 twin beds, the boys are sharing a room with 2 twin beds, and cheryl and I have a room with a king bed and a separate en-suite bathroom.  so far so good.

Dec. 17 - Up early and spent the day at universal studios. Spent much of the day doing Harry Potter rides including escape from gringotts, the hogwarts express, hogwarts, the dragon challenge, the simpsons ride.Tried butter beer, had a duff beer, and ate lunch at diner in marvel world.   Home by 6 or so and realized that it was the finale of survivor, so we all watched as a family and Vicki won the $20 which she insisted should be paid in american money. 

Dec. 18 - Steve and Debbie showed up at our townhouse around 8:30.  we give them the tour and then Steve drives all of us to universal studios.   Steve and Debbie mistakenly buy the VIP pass which entitles them to everything in the park.  We spend much of the day at the harry potter sections of the parks and eat a great lunch at the three witches restaurant.  We ordered the family feast which came with ribs, chicken, corn, potatoes, salad and veggies.  Great meal and we were all stuffed.  Lots more rides in the afternoon including the hulk, the mummy, and the macy's day parade.  We left the park as it closed at 8:00.... we sure got our money's worth.  Everyone was exhausted when we got home.

Dec. 19 - We headed for Kennedy Space Centre as there was a launch scheduled for 1:20.  Unfortunately the launch was scrubbed, but the day was still great.  Cheryl was in full geek mode as we took the 2 hour tour, watched the imax movie about the hubble telescope, and various exhibits on the space program and the moon landing.  The original plan was to hit cocoa beach for the afternoon as it is near cape canaveral, but we spent more time than anticipated at kennedy space centre.  We stopped at cocoa beach anyway and managed to catch the sunset while walking on the beach and got some great pictures including the one above.    

Dec. 20 - Slept in this morning as everyone was tired.  Went up to the pool & waterslide area where we went down the slide a few times, went around the lazy river, enjoyed the pool which felt like a hot tub and laid out on chairs and enjoyed the sun.   This reminded me of being down south with the palm trees and pool area.   After lunch we took a drive and got Dan a new laptop charger at Best Buy, stopped at a knitting place in Winter Haven for Cheryl where the kids and I walked around an open market area.  We then made our way down to zephyrhills and found steve and debbie's place.  had a great afternoon with them and met their friends dan & marie and estelle moore stopped in to say hi.  We then went to the golden coral buffet for supper where we all ate way too much.  the food was delicious, but we all felt tired and too full on the ride home because of it.  dan and vicki got a ride with dan and marie in their mustang convertible.  we took a tour around the trailer park with steve and debbie looking at all of the christmas lights that were up.  it is really different seeing the lights and hearing christmas music in the sunshine.  every day we have been listening to the christmas radio station as we drive to our destinations.

Dec. 21 - Started the day at the resort pool where we spent the morinig swimming and relaxing by the pool.   Still reminds me so much of our resorts down south.   We stopped at walmart and the kids bought some souvenirs.  We ate at 5 guys burgers for lunch which is almost exactly like boomburger.  great food.   We then went to universal to hit some of the rides we had missed.  we did the terminator ride, the twister ride, shrek, and the largest roller coaster the rocket..... it was pretty fast.  We got caught in a downpour of rain.... the only rain so far on our trip, but it was well timed as we were on our way to see the Hobbit in 3D at the Imax....  we were a little wet for the show, but it was a great movie and so amazing to see it at universal in Imax 3D as the whole family is a fan of the series.

We have 5 full days left here in Floriday and we leave on the 27th.  Overall, the trip has been great, although the 3 kids in the backseat has proved challenging at times.   I am glad that we were able to swing this last big family vacation with the kids as I am sure it will be one they will remember when they are older.   Looking forward to the second half of our vacation!

Things are good....

Things are going well.  Andrew has started Holland College and seems to be doing well.  Daniel has been accepted to UPEI for next year, although he is still not certain that is where he wants to go, and Vicki is doing well and school and is really excelling in her swimming.  Cheryl got to see astronaut Chris Hadfield yesterday and she was pretty excited to meet him. 

Things are pretty quiet for me.  I am trying to get to the gym more as I seem to have lost motivation for running.  Dan & I are acting in "plays in a day" next weekend which involves the development of several short plays in 24 hours.

I am going to try to start including a specific memory at the end of each of my posts to ensure that they are written down somewhere and not forgotten.

Memory:  Mom was a leader for beavers when I was a kid.  For most of my life, mom was not very involved in my activities, but I specifically remember her as a beaver leader.  I believe they started the beaver group in Wilmot. 

Epic Guys Weekend!

September 12-14 was possibly the most epic guys weekend ever.  5 of us from PEI and 2 from NS met up in Sydney to see the Trews, Slash & Myles Kennedy, & Aerosmith.  We had planned to stay at a dive motel, but at the last minute we managed to get 2 rooms at the Cambridge Suites in Sydney.  We had been on a waiting list for months.  Not only was the hotel great with a rooftop lounging area and hot tub and sauna, it turns out we were staying at the same hotel as Slash & Myles Kennedy.  We even managed to snag a few pictures with Myles. 

 

 

 

While meeting Myles Kennedy and seeing Slash were both amazing, everyone got along great and everyone had individual adventures and highs and lows over the weekend.  It was great to get away and to re-connect with a lot of these guys that I had not seen for most of the summer.  My only complaint is the 6 hour drive from Charlottetown to Sydney! 

 

 

I think that the "Guys Weekend" concept is one of the best ideas Jason & I had.  We started it over 20 years ago realizing that as we get older, we get tied up with families / jobs etc. and therefore we should set aside a regular meeting of guys to get away and reconnect.  These weekends have taken the form of concerts, cottages, farm houses, tenting, hotels and we have had anywhere from 2-15 guys depending on the weekend.  I always have a great time and leave with a renewed sense of appreciate and love for my family.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I hope that these weekends continue as I think good friends are key to a healthy lifestyle.



Busy Summer

Another summer is almost finished.   Overall, it was a good summer, but quite different from previous summers.   Andrew was unemployed as he is waiting for his computer course to start in September which meant that he was home a lot this summer.  Daniel planned to get a job, but as he held out for Mr. Sub, it became apparent that this was not going to pan out.  Now he is waiting until school starts and will be looking for a part time job.  This meant that he was also home a lot this summer.  Vicki volunteered for a few days at camp Seggie and did some babysitting, but she, too, was home a lot this summer.  Cheryl was working half-time this summer, which meant there were many days when she was home.  I found myself more frustrated than usual this summer, as I would get up and go to work, while the rest of my family stayed home, seemingly playing computer games and watching tv.  I am looking forward to everyone getting back to routine over the next weeks. 

The good parts of this summer include a great bbq at Steve & Debbie's with Dad, Chris, Jackie & all of our families.   A nice trip to Pictou for Melody & Jeff's wedding.  There was some great relaxation & down time if only for a couple of days.  Mark & Samantha Sambrooke's wedding was absolutely beautiful.  This included a great reunion of many of my class of 1991 friends and French immersion friends. Dad & Cheryl & I attended a Meaghan Blanchard concert at Victoria Playhouse which was really nice.  Cheryl & I are booked to see Lennie Gallant's show "Abegweit" next week.

It was an extremely busy summer, and I am reminded that I should take the first week of August off, regardless of any vacation plans.  Within a 10 day span we had lots of friends visiting PEI (Rod & Tanya, Erin & Seb, Colin & Janet, Willy & Kelly, Jason & Beth, Gerard & Rhea, Samara & Mario) and it is just impossible to visit with everyone and still work all week.  I think the lack of vacation this summer and the string of visitors was quite overwhelming.

Tonight is our tech rehearsal for Much Ado About Nothing and opening night is in 48 hours.  I think we are ready, although we could use a few more rehearsals to tighten things up.  It has been great working with Dan this summer, as this is typically when teenagers start to distance themselves from parents.  Dan also just passed his drivers test yesterday, which is another sign that the kids are getting older. 

Willy Boyles dad, Ron Boyles, passed away last week and it was just another reminder of how short and fragile our time on earth is.  I am trying to enjoy my time as much as I can and focus on friends and family rather than work and money.  It is a constant struggle, though. 

I just recently finished filming a new documentary about the fathers of confederation that will play at province house as a vignette for tourists visiting the historic venue.  It was great to be part of such a historical event, event as a recreation, and it is great to know that my kids, grandkids and friends and family that tour province house will see me in the role of Alexander Tilloch Galt for years to come. 

Finally, I took a break from running over the past few weeks as I let my foot heal and get used to running with an orthotic.  After my play is done on September 1, I am committing to running regularly to get back into shape. 

Much ado about summer

Well, it's been a crazy few months.  Daniel got back from Quebec and he had a great trip.  Vicki went on her class trip to Montreal and Ottawa and had a blast.  Andrew is no longer at Advantage Communications, but is starting computer networking technology at Holland College in the fall and is hoping that Skills Development will be assisting with funding his program.  Cheryl is now working half-time at UPEI which will hopefully give her a chance to figure out what she wants to do next.

It is hard to believe that it has been almost 5 months since mom died, but things are getting a bit easier.  We held her burial on May 22 which is Mom & Dad's anniversary, and it was like tearing open a wound.  I found it very tough re-visiting emotions as well as seeing family and friends in such an awkward situation. 

On a positive note, I accepted the role of Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing this summer and I am looking forward to getting back into theatre.  It looks like Dan will be a part of the show too, providing his work schedule allows.  He is still waiting on a job for the summer, but Mr. Sub that is opening up near our house is sounding positive. 

I finally went to the doctor/physio/orthotics to check out my foot issues and it turns out I have a dropped metatarsal on both my feet.  I have ordered orthotics for my feet and I am hopeful that I can run without pain soon.  It has been over a month since I went for a run and it has been tough.  I did not realize how much stress relief it provides for me.  Fingers crossed.

I think this will be a different summer as we are not planning much of a vacation.  Instead, we are hoping to drive to Florida in December for a big family vacation.  

20 years and counting....

Well,  after all of the lows of the past few weeks, Cheryl and I got to celebrate our 20th anniversary in Jamaica with our good friends Mark & Cathy.  It was so nice to get away from PEI for a bit to get some clarity and perspective on Mom's passing.  It also doesn't hurt that we missed 3 snowstorms while we were away. 

It's hard to believe how fast 20 years have gone.  I surprised Cheryl with a recording of the song I wrote for her for our Wedding in 1994.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmrpCvObsNc

It was amazing as I sifted through all of our old pictures to see how much we had accomplished over the past 20 years. 

Jamaica was amazing.  We stayed for the second year in a row at the Bahia Principe at Runaway Bay just outside Montego Bay.  The Jerk Chicken, Rum, Sun, food, and friends were amazing. We even spent our last day on the beach with musician Bruce Guthro and his family.  Great people. 

I said last year about our trip, that you get out of the trip what you need to.  I think I am still processing this trip as I was trying to forget about all of the lows of the past month, and focus on the highs of celebrating my 20th anniversary, but somehow my thoughts regularly drifted back to Mom.  I had a beautiful moment running on the beach in the morning when a rainbow appeared over the beach while I listened to the song "Say Something" and it was very cathartic.  I think, overall, that this was one of my favourite trips as there were so many good things.  Nobody got sick or too crazy.  The food was amazing, the weather was amazing, the beach was great, and because we already knew the resort we were able to settle in to our routine quickly:  Run, Breakfast, Beach, Bar, Jerk Chicken Lunch, Pool Bar or Beach in the afternoon, Siesta, Great Supper, Drinks & Show.

RIP Mom

Well, it has been one of the toughest weeks of my life.  On January 31, 2014 I said goodbye to my mom, Brenda Eileen Wartman.  After a long battle with COPD, her body finally gave up fighting.  Her battle started in 2009.  After a lifetime of smoking, her lungs finally had enough and she was hospitalized.  Over the past 4 years she had her ups and downs and there were a few times when we thought the end was near.  However, she fought hard and managed to achieve her last few milestones.  The birth of her 10th grandchild, David Gallant; her 65th birthday, alongside my grandmother who celebrated her 93rd birthday; her first old age security cheque, and our entire family together for Christmas. 

The past week has been an emotional rollercoaster, with the lows of realizing that my mother won't be around to watch her grandkids grow up, to the highs of seeing the support of my friends and family coming together in an outpouring of compassion and love.

While the funeral itself was brutal, I found the wake strangely comforting and empowering.  I gave Dad a piece of advice before it started, saying to "try to gather a bit of strength from each person coming through the line" and I think that's what we all did. 

While I appreciated everyone who was there, I found that those people who had lost a parent seemed to have an intrinsic understanding of the pain I was dealing with and were able to offer a deeper empathetic response.  I am hopeful that I, too, will be able to better offer my sympathies when dealing with others pain in the coming years.   One of the nuggets of wisdom that stood out for me, was from Jason Arsenault who lost his dad to cancer 2 years ago.  He said it took him a solid year to come to terms with his dad's death, and one of the things he realized is that life is too short to be doing things that you don't want to.  He ended up started a new career because of it.  While I don't think I will be leaving my position anytime soon, I am hopeful that as I make choices in the future, I will have a better clarity and perspective.

RIP Mom.  You will be remembered as a strong, determined woman who loved her family.