Another Busy Week!

Another busy week has just passed by, and here we are, facing a new very full week.  So full, that I wasn’t even able to get to writing this until late Monday night… usually I write it over the weekend to post Monday morning. 

I spent my weekend in the woods at a Scouting event.  Specifically a Firecrafter event.  Firecrafter is a Fraternal Honor organization within the state of Indiana for the Boy Scouts.  It’s a really neat organization that I’ve been a part of for the past two years, and I always enjoy going to the different events.  The high ideals of the organization (friendship, leadership and service) all come into play in so many different ways throughout the weekend event.  The activities are fun, the hours are long, the memories are lasting.  I never get much sleep on these outings, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Needless to say, when I got home late Sunday afternoon, my mind was not on writing something for stopher’s stuff, especially since I wanted to watch the closing ceremonies of the Olympics!  Now that that’s completed, I can’t wait for the winter games in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.   

Next weekend will be another Scouting event, although that one will take up not just Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but also Monday.  It will be filled with Wood Badge training – the highest level of training an adult can get within the Boy Scouts - though I’m not going to receive training, rather to help provide the training.  I’m on staff.  I completed my own course in Wood Badge in 2010, and completed my ticket (or project) in early 2011.  It was an honor to be asked to be a member of the staff, and I’m looking forward to seeing it “from the other side” this time around.  Watching the participants as they arrive, and then working with a group of them throughout the two different weekend events and all that they need to do to complete their ticket, is something I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time.  I love teaching and mentoring people, and this is a great way to give of my talents and time. 

So here we are once again looking at the start of school.  My kids are both excited and not-so-excited about it beginning once again. However moving back into the regular routine that the school schedule brings will be nice for all of us.  It was strange to my wife and I when we first came to Indiana for school to begin in the middle of August, but we’re very much used to it now.  Growing up in Southern California, our schools didn’t begin until early September – either the day or two after Labor Day, or even the week following Labor Day – so yes, mid-August was a bit strange at first. 

All in all, extremely busy weeks of late.  Here are just a couple of things that I wanted to share from the goings-on in the Disneysphere.   Old news to the various blogs and websites, but I’ll mention them anyway. 

Construction on Disneyland’s new Fantasy Faire area is progressing nicely.  This new area replaces the long-standing (since 1956) Carnation Plaza Gardens.  Personally it was a sad day when the closure was announced (that’s where I got my start at Disneyland).  But the concept models, shown here, look really nice.  It will be strange seeing a bit of Fantasyland OUTSIDE the castle by the hub, but at least the imagineers have done a really nice job with the theming.  This new princess meet & greet area will no doubt be popular when it opens in early 2013. 

Construction on the Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland is definitely progressing well.  The Grand Opening date of December 6th was set, which will officially debut the new attraction Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid; new restaurants Be Our Guest and Gaston's Tavern; new shop Bonjour! Village Gifts, and meet and greet locations Enchanted Tales with Belle and Ariel’s Grotto.   Add all of these to the already open Storybook Circus water-play area and the twin Dumbo the Flying Elephant spinners, and the soon to open Pete’s Circus meet and greet area, and you can see there are some very exciting things going on at Walt Disney World.  The final new attraction in the New Fantasyland project Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will open in 2013, and with the new princess meet and greet area inside the now removed Snow White's Scary Adventures building will complete the massive undertaking of New Fantasyland.  

Alright, that’s about it for now.  As Mickey likes to say, see ya real soon!

Until next time,