Day 1376: Hello Hurricane

In the weeks leading up to my October 2016 trip to Walt Disney World, the thought of a hurricane never really crossed my mind. In fact, I was so busy with school that I didn't even really realize that there was a hurricane heading our way until we were already on our way to Florida (my dad brought it up on the drive to the airport). Anyone who knows me knows that I hate storms too, so I'm pretty sure I lived in denial of an actual hurricane for the first couple of days of our trip. 

Once the rain really started though, it got harder to deny the seriousness of the situation. 

Hurricanes, like other natural disasters, are not something to be messed with, and everyone in Florida was blessed with Matthew's shift to the East late the night before landfall. If not for that shift, much of the state would have been dealing with a direct hit, and while it was definitely still close, things could have been a lot worse. 

I guess I didn't really know what to expect though. In Wisconsin we have snowstorms and blizzards, which are probably the closest we come to a hurricane, and Matthew didn't prove me wrong. The stores, as far as I could tell, were cleaned out and the roads were filled with people evacuating. At Disney, the announcement that the parks would be closing didn't seem all that odd, despite the fact that it's only happened a handful of times in history. The winds didn't really throw me for a loop either, and neither did the rain, because that was exactly what I expected from a hurricane based on prior knowledge. 

The most surprising part, I suppose, was the attitude toward the storm. On one hand you had government officials insisting that "this storm will kill you," and on the other hand you had the cast members at Disney keeping everyone calm and reassuring everyone that everything would be fine. After a few hours of watching the news in our wonderful room at the Boardwalk, it got sort of confusing as to what to believe, but I know for a fact that that was just a part of being a Disney Resort guest during the storm. 

When the curfew was lifted, we did venture out to various locations around Walt Disney World, specifically the nearby resorts and, in the evening, a brief trip to Disney Springs, which was crowded with resort guests wanting out of their rooms. Aside from some down branches and bark from the trees and the lingering wind and dark skies, everything seemed, once again, normal, and that was a trend that only continued over the following days. 

Overall, living through a hurricane wasn't anything what I expected it to me. I spent a good portion of the night, when the worst of the storm passed by, up terrified by the wind, but that's more due to my extreme fear of tornadoes and storms than anything else. I know for a fact that outside the limits of Walt Disney World, the story could have been and was entirely different, but I'm thankful that the damage from Hurricane Matthew, at least in Florida, was less than expected. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1252: Tropical Storm Colin

As it turns out, it doesn't matter if I'm in Florida or Wisconsin, because the storms and the rain seem to follow me wherever I go. I suppose I feel some comfort in the fact that it's not just storming wherever I am though, because while it was storming at home for me, Florida is also preparing for a storm.

Down south, a tropical storm off the East Coast showed progress as it approached Florida and Georgia, and my Dad had to call and tell me the name because he knew I would appreciate it: Colin. I guessed it before he even told me (because I happened to know that the previous storm name started with a B), but I definitely still enjoyed the fact that it was a name that I could relate to. Of course, tropical storm Colin brought plenty of rain to Florida, and from the pictures I saw, there was definitely enough of it to go around.

Back at home, we were heading back to my new apartment when dark clouds approached and the wind started to pick up. My brother, who was back at home, actually called us to tell us to get inside because of the wind, and if you don't believe me, here's a picture he took of our backyard during the storm:

And for us in general, it actually caused a bit of damage, which doesn't usually happen for us during storms. According to my parents (I haven't been home since the storm), there were quite a few branches down, and some of them were rather large: 

Some of that above picture is a bush, but a lot of it is also a branch that fell partly onto our garage. Everything is alright though, as there wasn't any damage...at least to our house. The tree didn't fare as well. 

All in all though, it's just been raining a lot since I got home from Florida, and it really reminds me everytime of the downpours that occurred while I was on vacation. It just never seems to stop, and it pops up randomly in the middle of the afternoon too. If I wanted to be in Florida I would have stayed in Florida (I really should have), but I don't think Mother Nature fully understands that. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1213: Stormstruck

I've only seen Stormstruck once.

That one time was more than enough for me.

As long as I can remember, I've been terrified of tornadoes, and really, thunderstorms in general. As a kid I would sleep on the floor in my parents room, surrounded by as many pillows and blankets I could find, as well as usually a pair of noise canceling headphones. When the weather reached severe levels, I would really start to freak out. Where this fear came from I actually have no idea, but my friends and family can back me up in saying that when I freak out during circumstances like that, I freak out.

So as you can imagine, something like Stormstruck isn't exactly where I want to spend my time. I mean really? A 3D simulator that imitates a perfect storm? No thank you.

It's why of all the attractions at Walt Disney World, it's probably the only one I refuse to go on simply because I'm too terrified to even consider it. And just to make sure I'm not making things up and remembering the attraction incorrectly, I watched a recording of the entire show on YouTube, and I was just as afraid this time as I remembered, and here I was just watching it on my computer, much less being in the middle of the storm. I mean, I honestly believe Twister to be the most terrifying movie in the world, so does it surprise you that I wouldn't enjoy Stormstruck?

If you've experienced Stormstruck in Innoventions at Epcot, what did you think?

Have a magical day!

Day 1100: Hot or Cold

Leading up to every trip, regardless of where I travel, I tend to check out the weather forecast for while we're there, and thanks to technology, you can often check up to ten days in advance...although it's usually not correct that far out. This trip is a perfect example of incorrect weather forecasts, simply because they change by the day.

January in Florida seems to be notorious for changing weather, much like Wisconsin is all year long. As you can see in the picture, last January when we were there we went from shorts and t-shirts to bundled up in as many layers as we could find, and it seems that this January won't be much different...just with more of the bundled up part. After last year, Frank and I have decided that we're not traveling in winter without our coats again, so at least we'll have those along this time in case Mother Nature decides it's time for Florida to have a cold spell.

This back and forth weather does cause a few problems when trying to pack though. I honestly feel like I have half my closet in my suitcase, and even with trying to wear my thickest sweater on the plane, it's still pretty much filled up. We may only be staying in Florida for eight days this trip, but it seems like I have over two weeks worth of clothes, simply because I need layers upon layers to make sure I'm set for anything the weather might throw at us.

How I'm going to have room for all the stuff I'll buy, on the other hand, I'm not too sure.

Have a magical day!

Day 738: Weather Extremes

People often say that Wisconsin weather changes by the second, and I suppose they're right. We can go from 80 degrees to 20 in just about a day, with rain, sleet and snow all mixed in between that. It's crazy and ridiculous and really windy from time to time, but honestly, I'm starting to think that Florida might rival my home state when it comes to weird weather extremes.

As you can see at the beginning of the trip, it was pretty warm. We were all wearing shorts and tank tops and a cardigan here and there for the cold of the early day and night, as you can see here in this picture of me outside of Victoria & Alberts:

But by the end of the trip, even my leather jacket and multiple layers wasn't enough to keep warm:

By the last day of the trip, I was wearing a total of six layers and was still cold as I headed out in the morning. 

And people say Wisconsin is crazy. 

In fact, during the middle of the trip, Florida was actually under a hard freeze warning, which apparently means that it reaches the 30's in Florida, and while that seems silly to me, sitting in my College Library as the outside temperature is barely in the teens (it was below zero while we were gone), I was absolutely freezing while in Florida. It only takes a day or two to be adjusted to that warmer weather, and once you are, there's no going back! 

Originally, I was going to bring my winter coat, as temperatures around Christmas were in the 50's and 60's, but things grew warmer and settled in the 80's, right where it was for the beginning of our trip. It was all great until the end got back into the 50's, and everything was just COLD! Granted, by the time we got back to Wisconsin, I couldn't really feel my toes when I walked outside, but still, next time I'm listening to myself and bringing my coat. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 12 due to the Disney Trip!)

Day 443: Warmer Weather

I'm not gonna lie, one of the best things about Disney in March is the weather. Here in Wisconsin it's still very much winter, although the calendar tells us that it's finally spring. Yeah, it is most certainly not spring around here. It just isn't. But in Florida...yes, there it is spring.

Which means that, now I'm back in Wisconsin, I am a very unhappy person. It was so absolutely wonderful to be able to wear shorts for a couple of days when here you still need a winter coat! It's ridiculous!

In all honesty, I've realized that I can add "dislike of the cold" to the list of reasons I am similar to Jennifer Morrison. Now people are always like "You're just making that up cause she's your favorite," but I kid you not...the list is long. Either way, she doesn't like the cold, and I thought that I was ok with it...until I went to Disney and realized that 80 degrees is very much shorts weather and I miss that kind of weather. I JUST WANT TO GO BACK!

On the second day of our trip, however, we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. I also made a bit of a side trip over to Epcot, and we ended the day at Downtown Disney...so let's just say that 7 buses is a lot to ride in one day. Although I also don't suggest walking all the way from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. I mean you can do it, and it's not all that hard...but if you do, really, seriously, don't walk the long way over to the Beach & Yacht Club and THEN over to Hollywood Studios. Please...cut through the Boardwalk. I mean, I was maybe going to take the boat from the Beach & Yacht, and that's why I walked that way, but when the boat wasn't anywhere near there yet when I got there I figured I'd just keep walking.

Bad idea.

When I DID finally get to Hollywood Studios, I then spent over an hour filming for band stuff. I mean, it was kind of fun, and I did meet some really cool people, including a cast member at the Great Movie Ride who is also a YouTuber. It was a good time.

And then I got lots of really awesome pictures from the park, including my new profile picture and cover photo on Facebook and Twitter. I haven't changed my one on Facebook since July when I was there the last time. The irony of the whole thing? All four pictures (the two from July and the two new ones now) are taken in Hollywood Studios, and they'll stay like that until June when I go again. It's just comforting to have Disney pictures there on my social media all the time. Why ironic? Because if you've been reading my blog for a significant amount of time, you might remember when I talked about how I used to hate Hollywood Studios, back in the day. It was for various reasons, and I don't really hate it anymore.

Plus, I got to take pictures "with" my heroes, Walt Disney and Harrison Ford...so that's always fun. And the whole park reminded me why I can't wait to show my friends everything Disney has...or at least everything we can fit into a few hours in each park. But still, I'm excited. Also...the sunset was super pretty that night. Just saying.

Pictures from Day 2:

Have a magical day!

(Note: This Blog post was written on March 26 due to Midterms & Travel)