Sun Rail; Leg Room; Disney

SUNRAIL: I just witnessed a historic event here in Central Florida - Governor Crist just signed a bill to get commuter rail started -- apparently it's been a big fight here for several years. Of course Jon was stoked. I decided to go so I could see our oh-so-very-tanned governor in person.

LEG ROOM: I wanted to share with you all a little tip. If you ever have to fly Allegiant Air, make sure you get a seat on the side of the aisle where there are only 2 (not the other side, with 3). The 3-seat side has the seats much closer together. The 2-seat side has more leg room than I have ever experienced outside of first class. Jon thought he had died and gone to heaven! He was even fine in the window seat! Here is a picture for proof.

DISNEY: Jon and I went to Magic Kingdom for our first time on Sunday. It was fabulous. The Christmas decorations were wonderful, and our longest wait was 20 minutes. Peter Pan was a 35 minute wait so we skipped it even though I remember loving it in Disney Land. We played in Magic Kingdom till about 2pm, then hopped on over to Animal Kingdom (where I've been before) so we could go on Everest and the animal safari. Then we tried Hollywood Studios but weren't overly impressed. We decided to go to Disney because we have had two free park-hopper tickets sitting in a drawer for over a year but kept forgetting about them. They expire December 17 - so suddenly we had to hurry up and use them. A great (and cheap!) date!!!! I can't say I understand why people would want season's passes though -- that's a whole lot of money and Disney is TIRING! Next date: foot massages for two! :)

Our first!

This is our first Christmas tree! The last couple of years we settled for rosemary trees, but those always died before the 25th. So this year I talked Jon into getting us a real one. We only have a few ornaments, but we think it looks pretty. The cats think that all the Christmas decorations are new toys for them, so every morning I have to re-hang ornaments and stockings.

P.S. Erika - notice the Angel on the top of the tree - its the same one I made from paper the first year we were in Korea! Haha - remember all of our origami ornaments! Good times.

Who says our cats aren't cuddly!

Alright, so often people mention that our cats are not cuddly and they don't "curl up on your lap like cats should". Whatever people. Our cats are wild, and that's all there is to it. But they know who their mom and dad are and that's what's important.

When we leave on vacation, the cats are ridiculously loving when we get back. Snuggly and a little clingy.

Here is a picture for proof - Jon and Fallujah.

Thanksgiving in the Midwest

We spent a week in the midwest with Jon's family over Thanksgiving. We started out in Chicago and spent time with all three sisters over amazing food. Jon felt "free" again in the big city, and all of his "big city accents" started coming out. As you can see - it was pretty grey and cloudy and I was COLD!

The next stop was Muskegon, Michigan to visit Jon's grandma (his mom's mom). We swung by Lake Michigan for a few photos:

On Tuesday morning we were headed to Grand Rapids. As we drove into the grey, foggy abyss, I thought: why on earth would we ever want to move here????? (yes, we are still considering GR as a possible "home")

But there are some nice things in Grand Rapids. We actually had a great time. We were on our own for the first couple of days, and then Jon's family came in for Thanksgiving and the weekend.

For Thanksgiving meal, Jon, his mom, his sister Allison and I went to an amazing buffet at Charley's Crab. Look at that dessert spread! His other sisters and Dad had not come from Illinois yet - we ate great food with them the next two days!

The main reason we went up to Michigan was for Jon's grandpa's 90th birthday celebration. He is an amazing man with an amazing legacy! 6 kids, 24 grandkids, 20 great-grandkids - so many of them doing remarkable things. The Ippels have changed the world for the better, folks!

Hanging out with some cousins after the birthday shin-dig. The one picture is of me and two of the other ladies married into the Ippel family. We are proud to bring the freckles into the mix!

No trip to GR is complete without a snack at Yesterdog! Ah - brings back memories of hot dogs at two o'clock in the morning after night of studying at the library! (or NOT studying at the library!