Has it really been that long since my last post? I apologize for my absence. And I have plenty of excuses! (A trip to Florida, the holidays, other website obligations, getting ready to move, and… an online feud!?) But there is so much other stuff to get to that I don’t want to spend too much time dawdling on those issues. So let’s discuss the last few months so I can move on to all the things coming in what will hopefully be a very big year for us!
DISNEY’S 50th ANNIVERSARY TRIP
When I last wrote, my wife had finally gotten over her bout of COVID and we were about to head out the door for Florida so we could celebrate with Disney on the actual date of their 50th anniversary, October 1, 2021. It was a great trip! And I’m going to do a fuller write up later, so let’s move on to…
POWER TRIP
I don’t want to spend too long on this because I don’t want to get back into it and because I know how stupid it sounds to have let it get to me! But this is the main reason I didn’t post here during the two months immediately after our October trip, so I’ll quickly explain.
About a week after the anniversary trip, I posted something Disney was doing for the 50th (and included a link to a photo of the official Disney announcement to prove it was authentic) on Reddit’s WDW section. Long story short, a moderator of the subreddit all but called me a liar publicly and deleted my posts. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with the regular posters there. But this moderator soured my mood for all things Disney for several weeks. Every time I would sit down to write about the trip I would get furious all over again, and slam my (metaphorical!) laptop closed.
Again, I know it was stupid to get so upset about it, but I couldn’t help myself. I love the regular folks there willing to answer questions and give opinions. So I’m not suggesting the actions of one or more power-tripping mods should stop anyone from using them. Just watch your step apparently!
VOLLEYBALL
For the past 15 years, I’ve run a blog that reports on a local college volleyball team. I’ve had a blast doing it! I love the sport, I love running the numbers, and I love traveling to follow the team across the southeast! But due to our upcoming move I made the difficult decision to end the site after the 2021 season. It takes a lot of my free time from September to December every year to run. And without getting to see the team in person anymore, I decided the time commitment wasn’t worth expending — especially since the whole point of moving to Florida is to spend time doing new things there. So I really threw myself into running that site knowing it was my last season. The team had one of their best runs in years, and I got to follow them to several new places I hadn’t visited before. It was very bittersweet when it all came to an end. I’ll still be a huge fan from a distance. But I’m looking forward to finding new things to do in the fall starting in 2022!
THE HOLIDAYS
September through December has always been the busiest time of year for me. The aforementioned volleyball site was a part of that. But three big holidays, both children’ birthdays, and my wedding anniversary all falling within those dates make it feel like a non-stop carousel of things to plan and do. This year was no exception. In fact, since 2021 was the last time we were going to be doing all those things here in Tennessee, all the stress and pressure was even more ramped up!
Other than the volleyball site, all my obligations seem to get short shrift during those months. Though I was happy to have taken care of something that usually gets lost in the shuffle: my health. Every year I start counting my calories in January and do a pretty good job losing a few pounds over the course of the first nine months. But every year for the last decade, I’ve gained weight during the last three months of each year. 2021 was the first time in the ten years I’ve been keeping track that I didn’t gain a single pound after October! Granted, I didn’t lose anything either. But that’s still a win for me during the busy holiday season!
2022 FINALLY ARRIVES
The biggest thing to happen since my last post: the arrival of 2022, the year we plan to move to Disney! After years of dreaming of, talking about, and planning for it, the time is finally here! It’s been 3 years, 8 months, 17 days since my first post on this site. And we’d been discussing the idea for months before then. To actually be here, in the year we plan to move, is almost unbelievable!
It’s also unbelievably scary! We have so much to do. But we have started. We’ve still got a several months to go until the summer, when we’d like to be leaving. But we’ve begun boxing things we won’t need until then. In fact, our den now looks more like a storage unit rather than a living space. We’ve started the process of getting some of the last big projects the house needs going.
Most importantly, my wife has started her job hunt. Things in that regard are very different from the last time she was looking. Everything is online through third parties, resumés have to be parsed through algorithms, and job searchers have to figure which listings are real and which are not. Why would anyone want to put up fake ones anyway!? We’ve weeded most of those out but I think we were suckered in by one that, looking back, seemed too good to be true. Luckily, she is also in touch with a recruiter now who sends actual job listings her way. One she received this week is very promising. Overall, spirits are high. Fixing the house up and packing boxes are one thing. But finding a job will be the first big tangible step towards making our dream a reality!
MOVING FORWARD
Looking ahead, we have much to think about, look into, and do. And with my schedule (and my mood!) clearer than it has been in months, look for things to pick up quickly as far as updates to this site go.
