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Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

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Believe in the Magic Traci Diary
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  • The Way Down

    06/10/2017

    Join me on Saturdays where I’ll share my photos from my road trip with my mom.

     

    During my spring break, Mom and I took a road trip.  I allowed my mom to pick where we were going to visit.  She decided on Berea, Kentucky because she had a friend who lives there.

    Berea is an hour south of Lexington.  It’s located off of Interstate 75.

    We opted to take a different route instead of taking the more direct route of Interstate 75.  It took longer to get there.  However, we were glad we took the indirect route because we got to see some interesting places on our drive down.

    Jungle Jim’s is a favorite of ours.  I was so excited to see the other Jungle Jim’s because I had only been to the one in Fairfield, Ohio.  The second stop of the day was at Jungle Jim’s.  (The first was the McDonald’s in Waynesville.  My mom had never been to Waynesville which is a cool little town.)

    Mom opted to wait for me in the car while I ran into Jungle Jim’s since I was going to go in and out.  Enjoy the photos of my quick visit to Jungle Jim’s.

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    The next stop on the way down was at Ulysses S. Grant’s birthplace in Pt. Pleasant.  The house was closed for the season so we were unable to visit the house.  However, we enjoy seeing the outside of the house.

    The original bridge over the creek next to his house was built in Brookville, Ohio.  My mom lived in Brookville for 20 years so that tidbit was interesting.

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    We continued down the Ohio River scenic byway.  Mom and I enjoyed reading the different signs.  One of our favorites was “Fat Man’s Dream Restaurant.”  We also saw a house that looked like a steamboat.  I wish there was a place to stop and take a photo of that house.

    Our next stop was Ripley, Ohio.  Ripley is known for the John Rankin house.  John Rankin with the help of John Parker helped slaves escape from slavery.  It was one of the most active stops on the Underground Railroad.

    We did not stop at the Rankin House because we knew it was closed for the season.

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    While we were om Ripley, we stopped at a place called Rockin’ Robin.  It was an old fashioned soda parlor.  Soda jerks made the sodas just like soda jerks did back in the 1950’s.

    I ordered a marshmallow Coke.  It was delicious.

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    We did not stop anywhere else during our drive down to Berea.

    Join me next Saturday for more of our visit.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

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  • My Top Ten Disney Movies

    06/09/2017

    I got a new book called “My Top Ten.”  It’s a journal with topics such as “My Top 10 Favorite Artists” or “My Top 10 People I Would Have Lunch With.”  I bought it to help with possible blog topics.

    I’ve decided that every Friday I’m going to share a list from the journal.

    (more…)

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  • Love in the Scottish Highlands

    06/08/2017

    4. Book review!

    Have you ever fallen in love with a book that you are willing to read over and over again?  A book that makes you want to travel to a foreign land just to see the sights that are mentioned.  A book that makes you meet your own Jamie.

    I have read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon over and over again.  I’m currently listening to the book on Audible once again. (more…)

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  • Random Photos From Our Thanksgiving Trip – The Way Down

    06/07/2017

    I’m not including the these photos in the Universal/ Disney blog post series.

    Sometimes the trip back and forth to your destination can create some of the best memories.  That is certainly true for our trip in November.

    We left for our trip 10 minutes after I arrived home that Friday.  We watched the sunset while on the road, got stuck in a traffic jam in Cincinnati, and then had my skid plate half fall off in Kentucky.  We had to stop at 3 different exits to try to fix it.

    Here are photos from the first part of our trip down to Florida.

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    The sunset between home and Cincinnati – And the traffic jam in Cincinnati
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    Our stops in Kentucky – We were also listening to Harry Potter in preparation for our trip to Universal.
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    Tennessee – It was midnight when we got to Chattanooga. They still insisted on reading before falling asleep.

    The next morning was freezing.  We drove through Georgia and Florida before reaching our destination.

    The Imaginative One and I enjoyed eating breakfast together and then he had to show off how tall he is by stretching out on the bed.

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    We weren’t far from the Georgia border so one of our first stops was the rest stop to get photos with the Welcome to Georgia sign.

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    We did not have good fall foliage in Ohio so I was glad to see pretty fall foliage in Georgia.  As we were driving through, I took a lot of photos of the trees.

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    Some random dude walking on the side of I-75

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    The drive through Atlanta was not that bad.  We do not like stopping in Atlanta because of the crazy traffic.

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    We decided to stop at a Zaxby’s for lunch.  The Zaxby’s was about 9 miles away from I-75.  The drive to the Zaxby’s was absolutely gorgeous.

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    The Zaxby’s was located in Jackson, Georgia.  Jackson is located in Butts County, Georgia.  We had some fun with the sign at the welcome center.

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    Photos of Jackson, Georgia and the drive back to I-75

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    Finally we were in Florida.

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    Join me next Wednesday when I share photos from our trip home from Orlando.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

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  • Summer Reading Program

    06/05/2017

    Every year, the boys sign up for the summer reading program.  We try to do as many of the programs as possible.  However with our schedule and the fact the boys are considered teens, they won’t be doing a lot of their programs this year.

    The Imaginative One signed up on the first day of the program and was the first child to finish the first 8 hours of reading.  He did it withing 2 days of the program starting for the summer.  The librarian knows him so she did not doubt the fact he read 8 hours in 2 days. (more…)

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  • Officer Percival Peabody

    06/04/2017

    April 4 (35)

    In Hollywood Studios, there is a street show on Hollywood Blvd.  The cast of characters is called the Citizens of Hollywood.

    This is one of my favorite shots of Officer Percival Peabody,

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  • Wishes and the Water Pageant Parade

    06/03/2017

    Join me on Saturdays to see photos from our Universal Studios/ Walt Disney Resort vacation during Thanksgiving.

    1. Cabana Beach Bay Resort – Part 1
    2. Cabana Beach Bay Resort – Part 2
    3. Cabana Beach Bay Resort – Part 3
    4. Islands of Adventure – Part 1
    5. Islands of Adventure – Part 2
    6. Universal Studios – Part 1
    7. Universal Studios – Part 2
    8. Characters in Flight
    9. Disney Springs
    10. Port Orleans – French Quarter
    11. Pop Century
    12. Art of Animation
    13. Animal Kingdom Lodge / Entrance area of Animal Kingdom
    14. Boardwalk / Entrance of Hollywood Studios
    15. Yacht and Beach Club
    16. Contemporary / Entrance to Magic Kingdom
    17. Polynesian
    18. Grand Floridian
    19. Wilderness Lodge / Entrance to EPCOT
    20. Wishes

    (more…)

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  • My Goals for June

    06/02/2017

    I’m going to be gone most of the month.  First I’m visiting my friend that I met when we did the Walt Disney World College Program.  I have never been to upstate New York so this should be fun.  Okay I’ve been to Niagara Falls, New York but that was only for the night.  On our way up there, we ended up driving through a little bit of upstate New York.

    Then during the days, I’m home I’ve got a lot of my plate.  Dance rehearsal practice, dance recital, Kung Fu practice, dental appointments, and Vacation Bible School.

    After all of my craziness of mid June, we are leaving once again.  This time it’s the whole family who is going on vacation.  We are going to Greensboro, North Carolina, Folly Beach, South Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

    So what are my goals for June 2017?

    • Before I leave for my first trip, I need to make sure I have food ready for the family.  They will need to be fed while I am gone.  Instead of a lot of processed junk, I’m going to get some food ready for them.
    • Between the two trips, I need to make some freezer meals to take down to the beach.  I need to get dry ice to put in the cooler to keep the food cold.
    • I also need to pack the boys and my clothes for the trip to the beach.
    • Lastly, I need to remain sane during the craziness.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

     

     

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  • I’m The Third Tallest?!?

    06/01/2017

    4. Write a blog post the ends with the sentence: I had a feeling that would happen.

     

    Three years ago, the Imaginative One and I spent the last full day in Disney together.  We went to Animal Kingdom and then EPCOT.

    While we were in EPCOT, I decided to get a photograph of him and I together. (more…)

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  • The Imaginative One’s Confirmation

    05/29/2017

    Last Sunday, the Imaginative One was confirmed at our church.  He was the only 7th grader.  The other two young men that were confirmed are in the 8th grade.

    When I was confirmed back in 1988, I was a 7th grader and the other ones were 8th graders.  I think it’s cool that we both had similar confirmations.

    From January until last week, Nick was on hiatus from weekend camp trips so that he did not miss very many classes.  He ended up missing two because of an ear infection and then for his cousin’s confirmation. (more…)

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