We went to a surprise party on Saturday night.  A surprise retirement party.  The guest of honor isn’t retiring retiring.  He’s not old enough for that yet.  What he is doing is retiring after twenty years of military service.

The party was pretty cool in that the retiree legitimately had no idea that he was walking into a party.  In his honor.

Have you ever been to a surprise party in which the surprisee is actually surprised?

I can’t say I have.

Until now of course.

I learned a few things at the party.

I thought I’d share.

And no.  It has nothing at all to do with the fact that 22 days into this posting-every-day-thing I’m having a hard time coming up with blog-worthy posts.

Nothing at all to do with that.

On to my observations though.

1. “Keggers” just aren’t the same after the age of 30.  Back in the day, the cops would have to come by at least half a dozen times requesting peace and quiet before you actually canned the DJ.  Post 30 partiers?  Out the door by 9:45 so as to avoid paying the babysitter for an extra hour.
2. Twenty years of military service results in a much deserved celebration.  One that includes a conga line.  Countless shots.  And too many old people trying to shake their groove thangs on an impromptu dance floor.
3. Many a chiropractor will benefit from the next-day injuries of aforementioned groove thang shakers.
4. That “I love you guys” line that drunks always say in the movies?  It really happens.  And it only takes 6 beers and 3 rounds of whiskey shots to get there.
5. When attending a surprise retirement party in Tucson, there will be a very boisterous response to the loss of a U of A game after it went into OT.  Loud enough to drown out the DJ’s artfully spun version of “Baby Got Back.”

And you thought Baby Got Back went away with the 90′s.  Think again my friends.  We 30-something partiers have immortalized it.

You’re welcome.

PS.  If you’re looking for a well-qualified Systems Admin in the Tucson area, I could totally hook you up.

Just sayin’.

If you are a frequent reader of my blog you know that I don’t typically post on the weekends.  So you might be surprised to see me here.  I’m a little surprised myself actually.

It is, however, NaBloPoMo (or National Blog Posting Month for those of you who don’t speak blogese).  NaBloPoMo bills itself as the “epicenter for daily blogging”.  I’m told that there are bloggers out there who post every. single. day.  And for this month at least, I’m trying to join their rankings.

So far so good.  Of course, we’re only six days in.  But six days is six days.  And as of right now, I’m on track.  Can’t ask for more than that.

I’m taking an easy out tonight.  Because I’m tired.  And because I’ve been thinking of initiating a shout out feature for some time now, and just haven’t gotten around to doing it.  You know what they say though: nothing like NaBloPoMo for motivation.

What?  Don’t they say that where you come from?

Anyway.  Here are some of the pages/sites that I’ve been reading this week.

Enjoy.

Design Dazzle – This is a great {design} blog.  I’ve wasted away several hours this week drooling over their fun party themes, decorating inspiration, and fabulous themed kids’ rooms.

Amazon Bean Soup Recipe – I made this for dinner last week.  It’s a keeper.  I’ll probably give it a better name before I copy it into my cookbook though; “Amazon Bean Soup” makes it sound like it calls for Anaconda or something.

The Sounds We Hear – Lots of times Kristen’s posts make me wonder if she’s somehow picking my brain and writing down exactly what I am thinking.  This one is no different.  Only she said it much more beautifully than I could.

99 and 100 – My friend Becca hit a big bloggy milestone this week.  Won’t you click over and congratulate her?

Walmart Pre-order Movie Deal – You can score a sweet deal on hit movies like: Night at the Museum 2, Four Christmases, and My Sister’s Keeper.  Each one is under $10 and shipping is free!  Knock knock – Christmas is calling.

That’s it for now.  But stay tuned; NaBloPoMo has only just begun. :)

Yeah.  So where were we?

Oh yeah.  You all were berating me for not including a photo in the skinny jeans post.

I had good reason.  You see, I’m not a fan of flash photography.  And by the time I realized what I was going to blog about, it was too late to take a photo of me wearing aforementioned skinny jeans.  But I wasn’t about to leave you wondering.  Promise.

See?

Here I am in all my skinny denim glory.  Pardon the photo.  This was the best I could get.

What’s that you say?  My hair?  Why yes.  I am a brunette now.  Thanks for noticing.

I’m going dark for the winter.  What do ya think?

You won’t believe this.

I wouldn’t believe it myself had I not been been the one to do it.

I bought something.

Something I never ever in a plazillion years would have thought I’d buy.  Last week, though, I found myself out shopping.

Out shopping specifically for this item mind you.

It was like two universes collided out in the depths of space somewhere and, as a result, all my fashion sense went out the window.

Except for one thing.

Once I found what I was looking for, I felt exactly the opposite.

Like all my fashion sense had been in hiding, and it suddenly came into light.

Like my super-fly fashion potential was unlocked.

Like I should sit by the phone and wait for Mr. Armani to call.

Okay.  Maybe that’s taking it a tad too far.

But still.

So.

You wanna know what I bought?

Okay.

I’ll tell you.

It was jeans.

Of the skinny variety.

Yes.  I’m serious.

And when I wear them I feel like one of those catwalk models.

Only much shorter.

And thicker.

And happier.

But totally hip nonetheless.

Oh wait.  It’s so 1990 (or 1975′ish) to say hip.

Totally sick then.

Sick like hot, not sick sick.

You know what I mean.

Anyway.

My purchase was in preparation for another trip to Walt Disney World.

I’m leaving this weekend.

Alone.

For three glorious nights.

I’ll be representing the Disney World Moms Panel, and meeting a fabulous group of blogging mamas.

And then, collectively, we’ll be meeting one of Disney’s new VIP’s.

As in, Very Important Princesses.

She’s gorgeous, by the way.

Her dress puts my new skinny jeans to shame.

On the bright side though – all I had to do was shell out $80.

She kissed a frog.

Who came out ahead in that deal?  Ahem.

What a great weekend we had.

In spite of the record high temp of 99 on Saturday.

Even the heat, though, didn’t stop the celebrating.

What are we celebrating, you ask?

Well, psst….they say it’s my birthday.

Not this past weekend.

Not today.

Not even tomorrow.

It’s Wednesday.  As in a couple days from now.  But any excuse for a date night is a good excuse for me.  So celebrate we did.  Including a double date with our friends at a nice restaurant.

We enjoyed delicious food, good wine (well, some of us), and great friends.  And this is a keeper of a restaurant.  Know how I know?  They brought out a little somethin’ for me at the close of the meal.

It was panna cotta.  And it was heavenly.  Made even more so by the fact that nobody sang.  Nobody clapped to an obnoxious beat.  And nobody made me put on a funky hat and pose for a Polaroid that would later adorn the wall.  Just a simple candle (albeit one of those trick ones that re-lights) and a delicious dessert.  Now that’s my style.

We attempted to go see Couples Retreat after dinner, but promptly asked for a refund once we discovered we’d have to sit in the front row.  We tried to pull a quick switcheroo and go see Paranormal Activity instead, but it was sold out.

So we busied ourselves with other activities.  Which I’ll spare you the details on.

You’re welcome.

But I will tell you that it was a great night.

And I have the picture to prove it.  Any night that ends like this, is a good one indeed.

I’ll be sharing more trip stuff this week.  Including lots of cruising topics.  Stay tuned!

{Me waving}.

Hi strangers.  We’re back from our not so little trip.  And yes, it was simply magical.  Or, as Mary Poppins would say, practically perfect in every way.  Want to hear about it?  Okay.  Twist my arm why don’t you?

Our journey spanned sixteen nights.  It started here.

Once we arrived, we enjoyed accommodations that varied from rustic and woodsy to distinguished and grand.

{photo courtesy of Panoramio.com}

Our nine nights at Walt Disney World were filled to the brim with my favorite things.  Starting with family.

And friends.

Food. {And wine of course}.

Plenty of fun and laughter.

And even a little bit of fame sprinkled in.

We met favorite characters.

But most of all, memories were made.  And that’s exactly what we were aiming for.

The best part though?  Once it came time to load up our minivan and head out, we weren’t Arizona bound.  Not yet.  Because our magical journey had really only begun.  The time had come to set sail on this.

With this guy.

Our seven days at sea were simply dreamy.  And port days were filled with adventure…

And, of course, plenty of relaxation.  The likes of which I’d only dreamed of before.

All in all, our trip was truly {truly, truly, truly} fabulous.  Absolutely magical.  Completely memorable.  In short, practically perfect in every way.

I have a lot to tell you.  But it’s Monday.  And there is a two-foot tall pile of mail beckoning.  Not to mention the twelve loads of laundry waiting on me.  The fourteen {yes, really} suitcases to be unpacked.  And countless other back to reality type tasks.

I’ll be sharing stories and pictures all week.  And for Disneyphiles like myself I’ll also be recapping highlights on my Disney with Darcie show tomorrow.  I’d love for you to join me, especially if you have questions about planning a trip of your own.

I can hardly wait to tell you all about it.

It’s that time again.

Disney time, that is.

In our house, the end of September can only mean one thing: Mickey!

My lack of posting as of late has been due to a lengthy list of to-do’s including: packing the absolute maximum number of bags we’re permitted to bring, getting rid of the perishables in the fridge, washing sheets for our very appreciated house sitter, making t-shirts, planning, errands, and blah blah blah.

I won’t have internet access.  But I will have my phone and plan to update my Facebook and Twitter status regularly.

I know you’ll miss me.

And I’ll miss you too.

Somehow, though, I think all things Disney will cheer me up.

TTFN.

See ya real soon, pal!

This blog has opened many a door for me: I’ve been given the opportunity to review some great products, I earn a (very) modest bit of spending money, and I have a pretty decent outlet for just about anything I want to say.  But the coolest thing–for sure–about “the Spot,” is the friends I’ve made.  Friends I likely wouldn’t have otherwise.

Some of them live (or once lived) close by and I’ve had the chance to hang out with them in real life.  Others live clear across the country and we’ve yet to meet face to face.

Oh.  But how quickly that can change.

Like it did this past weekend, when I met and hung out with Allison {Slice of Heaven}.

It was nearly a year ago that Allison and I began a virtual friendship.  It was an easy one to cultivate, considering the mutual soft spot we have for all things Disney.  Beyond that though–as I got to know Allison better through her blog posts–I discovered someone so incredibly kind and thoughtful.  When I heard she’d be attending D23, I added that to my list of reasons to go.

I’m so glad I did.

Allison, her mom, Francie, and I met for dinner on my first night there.  And within minutes of sitting down we became engrossed in conversation.  It was like we’d been high school friends and this was our reunion – that’s how familiar it was.

Allison had sent me a card prior to our meet up.  And in it, she’d said she had the feeling that once we met in person, it would be like we’d know each other all our lives.

She was right.

I’m calling the next one though.

Something tells me that our D23 introduction was but the first time we’d meet for a meal.  A glass of wine.  Laughter and dessert.

Next time…I’m thinking pedicures.  Shopping.  Typical girl stuff.  And, of course, there’s always room for Mickey.  ;)

Heads up everybody – I’m leaving on Thursday for Anaheim.  Why, you ask?  I’m headed for the pixie dust capital of the land – Disneyland that is.  I’m headed to the D23 Expo for what promises to be a simply magical time.  I won’t be updating the blog until I get back, but I will be providing live updates via Twitter and Facebook – so be sure to check in there.

Gotta get to packing.

See ya real soon!

Yeah.  So we had a certain celebration here on Friday night.

One that included a certain cake.

A certain cake that may or may not have necessitated me spending nine hours in the kitchen on Thursday.  Ahem.

But you know what’s funny?

What’s funny is the number of emails/comments I got asking that I post pictures of aforementioned cake.

As if I would seriously spend nine hours slaving in the kitchen and neglect to post pictures of the fruit of my labor.

Clearly you don’t know me that well.

Without further ado, though…

It really was a happy birthday.

Good thing.

Because that fondant cake?  It was no joke.

Next time I’m totally getting Duff on the phone.