Lesson 310: The Land of Stories

Weekend greetings, Readers!

Welcome to the Lamp Post,

the Land of Stories.

(Thanks for the book 4th grade Abigail!)

Speaking of stories, I just finished this set.

Very good for Princess Wannabe's with an American twist.

I had a book hangover for a day or two, until

Student Abigail rescued me with a fairy tale read.

Back story on Snow White?

Written by one of the Glee actors?

That sure was a remedy for the Book Blues.

Eloise didn't want to tip the scales too far with children & teen fiction,

so I downloaded this on my Kindle.

Holy.  Cow.

It's a must read.

And if you don't read----

THE MOVIE IS COMING OUT ON CHRISTMAS DAY!

(Louie cheers!)

For the movie trailer CLICK HERE

Angelina Jolie is directing the film which tells the story of Louis Zamperini.

Mr. Zamperini was an Olympic distance runner,

and POW survivor in WW2.  

The past tense is used in the prior sentence as Mr. Zamperini passed away

a little over a week ago on July 2, 2014 at the age of 97.

Here is a synopsis of his life as it appeared in the New York Times.

CLICK HERE for a summary of a remarkable life lived

Rest in peace, Louis.

Because of you, we are free.

Perhaps you'll give one of my book suggestions a whirl.

Maybe my suggestions don't strike your fancy.

In either case, you may like this site sent to me by Cousin Bonnie.

What a NOVEL idea! CLICK HERE

Simply.

Brilliant!

No story is ever as good as your story, however.

We all write our own day after day.

Eloise has often thought of starting a business called Tell Me A Story.

I'd invite you to the Lamp Post.

There we'd sit, side by side on moderately uncomfortable lawn chairs,

having drinks while poking sticks in a campfire.  

There, over the quiet background drone of my favorite tunes,

you'd tell me YOUR story, and let your life unfold.

I'd write it up for you with a sprinkle of Eloise Spice,

and Wa-la!

Your story is recorded for all time.

All stories come from experiences.

In the end, it's always better to know what you DID

rather than what you HAD.

Summer 2014 Part One has been chock full of those rich experiences.

Eloise will be full of stories for years to come.

From the unusual

to the unexpected.

From the gratifying,

to the mortifying.

From the hardy hellos,

to the long goodbyes.

The past weeks have been fun,

and I'm looking forward to even more of it

 in

Summer 2014 Part Two.

Stay tuned.

I'll be tuned in more ways than one if I plan on surviving it.

For starters, I have to find my Challenge Erie hidden blue stakes.

Dr. Krauza, Erie Chiropractor, hid 10 blue stakes around our community for participants

to find.

He gave us a set of clues to follow in May,

and plenty of teaser photos on the Challenge Erie facebook page.

Challenge Erie 5

 

I've found a few, and narrowed the location of my hunts to several others.
Blue Stake Location #8 has me stumped.
Erieites, can you help me?

Here are the clues:

• A popular location from 8 a.m. on the first Saturday after April 11, to midnight, Labor Day (but mostly in April and May due to colder water temperatures).
• This isn't Braves or Huskies territory, however if you were a member of the largest cat species, you'd be among those who love you at this location.
• Kenny Rogers knew when to hold 'em and knew when to fold 'em, but did he ever bluff?
• Entry to this location has you driving your car down a winding road.
• Once in the parking lot of this location, park near the restrooms and look for the trail to the right.
• Come to a T in the path.
• Turn towards the lake.
• Continue down a steep hill to find the stake

I'll also be training for The Barber Beast on the Bay.
That is always fun.



...or not.

My Team Captain, Steve Krauza has challenged
Kenyan, my speedy fast sister and her team of beautiful runners to
.....hmmm.....
something so long ago.....
I can't even remember now what the challenge was.

All I know is that the smack talking continues.

Steven Krauzaposted to‎Karen Overdorff Groshek

2 hours ago

You may be playing nice with our team rivalries, but I haven't forgotten the kidnapping and all the unpleasantries you subjected me to while in captivity. I'm still going to beat you at the Erie Marathon...as well as bury you in the sand so you can't finish the Beast. — drinking Whiskey.

LikeLike · 

• 

  Karen Overdorff Groshek Blah blah blah!! Keep drinking that kool aide captain!! I'll be sure to have it chilled for you when I'm waiting for you at the end if the race !!!

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Steven Krauza As long as you can reach 88 mph and your flux capacitor is functional, I you'll have to time travel into the future to watch me cross the finish line. No worries, I'll have a tall glass of kool aid waiting for you.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Karen Overdorff Groshek We will see about that! 

  about an hour ago · Like

Lord, help me.
Please.

So, with my only sibling and my good friend going at it, I should have plenty to keep me busy for the second half of the summer.  Between keeping tabs on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and all of the happenings here at the Lamp Post, I will be a busy gal.  

I was secretly hoping that my parents would behave.  You know, act like the old, retired farts that they are and just stay out of my hair.

Daydream interrupted.

Ain't happening I guess.

I found this sign at their cottage when I went to visit them this evening.

Thank God it was a bit chilly tonight.

Sigh.

Time to toss back a greenie or two and forget I even wrote the end of this post.

I'm heading out to build a fire and pull up a couple of moderately uncomfortable lawn chairs.  Who is coming to sit with me and let ME talk?  And when you do my write up, make a spectacular ending to my story. Just make sure my hair isn't a mess and that I am skinny, of course.

Enjoy this week's photo video set to Phillip Phillips's song Raging Fire.

XOXO,
Eloise

Lesson 309: Magical

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope you are having a magical weekend, Readers!

Eloise has just returned from a family vacation in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

It really was a magical experience.

If there is one thing I believe about magic, it is this:

My sister Kenyan's family came along with the Fab Five,

and we worked together to make the magic happen.

My brother in law made, who works in the manufacturing business and travels often,

made the flight arrangements and planned and efficient trip.

It was Sam's first flight.

As soon as we left Pittsburgh and rose above the cloud cover,

Sam whispered, "I see Heaven."

He was just as excited on our return trip on the Fourth of July.

Sam, a fearless flyer, was hoping to see fireworks, but we had a day flight.

Instead he played chess against Mickey.

Florida sure was hot for the northerners.

Our hottest was 95, and the highest humidity reading was 88% during our stay.

Too humid for the cactus, but this one seemed to be thriving in the Animal Kingdom.

Look what I found hiding in this one!

The hubby was a bit of a prickly cactus himself a few times.

The Old Boy doesn't take the heat too well.

Here he is cooling off in the shuttle bus.  

He acclimated to the heat after a day, 

and enjoyed the food more than anything.

Here we are at our $32 a plate character lunch.

....and here's Sam's plate.

Here was Ellen's reaction after she peeked at the bill.

She just had to see again at the Crystal Palace, also.

 Our girl got a little lesson on savings accounts and vacation planning. 

Here we are, our party of 10,

upon entry into the Magic Kingdom.

Our first photo and we get photo bombed!

Sam was frowning because Jack, my 14 year old nephew told him we were

headed to meet the princesses.  Cinderella did not top Sam' list of

Must Sees.

My trio really enjoyed their experience.

Photos were easy as they were all smiles.

 Sam loved his autograph book and meeting the characters best of all.

Ellen anticipated the trip the most, 

as she had some memories of our first trip to Disney in 2006.

However, she became a player in her own Anxiety Game, 

and began to worry about all the possible disasters.

Been there.

Done that.

She faced her uncertainty with bravery and grace.

Ellen was able to calm her stomach and eat in the airport prior to the flight,

despite being surrounded by fear.

She even conquered Everest with Aunt Kenyan!

With a Disney coaster under her belt, she was a big shot

on the carousel.  She even rode no-handed!

 Natalie and Erik love carousels.

The entire party rode with them.

 The experience was extra good for Natalie and Erik.

Our entire family has the warm fuzzies because they were so successful.

Part of the magical formula was this pass.  

It gave them an instant Fast Pass at most rides and attractions.  It was not an automatic "Cut to the Head of the Line Because You are Disabled Pass."  They had to wait, too, but not as long, and not in a long, tight line.  They could wait comfortably under the shade of a tree, and we came back to the attraction at a scheduled time.

Here they are enjoying It's A Small World.

Here is Natalie with the Minnie she asked for distinctly and purchased with her own money.

She has not put it down in 3 days.  I just checked on her, and she's sleeping with it.

Given Erik's level of need, Kenyan took along a helper.

Erik would not have been able to get through the trip without Miss Candace.

She never left his side and seemed to put up with my family well.

I told her right before the plane took off on Day #1,

"I hope we are still friends on Friday, but I completely understand if we aren't."

 Jack gets the Brother of the Year Award for pushing his brother around day after day.

Even Sam took Erik for a spin,

albeit a bit jerky and fast.

With planning, accommodations, and a helper,

this vacation left our families with permanent smiles.

What did Eloise like best?

This ride for sure.

Other than that, it really was ALL GOOD!

My time spent with them is always my favorite.

 What did I take with me to read on the airplane?

These books.

They are my top summer book picks for chicks.

 What did I immediately download onto my kindle after the trip?

This one.

Eloise was flabbergasted at the attention to detail and had to learn more.

What did I leaf through at the airport news stand?

I tried to get my hubby to buy it, because there were a couple of articles I was very interested in.  I'll let you decide which ones were of the most interest to Eloise.  Message me your guesses, and I may or may not use them on a future blog depending on the content of your responses.  

So now that I've become a Seasoned Traveler,

(being in five airports in less than two weeks qualifies me),

I ask myself,

I've already decided when I'm returning to Disney World.

2021.

You're all invited.

I mean it.

I hate leaving anyone out.  

In seven years, Eloise will be turning 50, 

and so will Disney!

The park opened on October 1, 1971, seven months after my birth.

 I think that's a great way to celebrate my half a century, don't you?

Disney is always building new things.

These were being constructed and we caught a glimpse of them while on the ferry.

They are right along the water.

Perhaps this will be the place I stay next time.

I have seven whole years to think about it.

To summarize, it was a trip best described as Magical (with a capital M).

Now that we've been home for six hours, some of that magic is beginning to fade.

I believe the other half of my personality said to my clan,

I'm sick of your sour breath (Hubby),

your gunky teeth (Daughter #1),

your smelly pits (Daughter #2),

and your bad gas (One and Only Son).

Go to BED!

Speaking of bed, it is time for me to go there, too.  It's late, but I was still too wound up from all the excitement to sleep.  The impending post vacation crash is coming tomorrow.  I can feel it.

Enjoy some more shots on this week's photo video.  You will see some nature shots and a parade of lamp posts!

Have a magical weekend,

Eloise