Gary and Rhonda Forever

GARY W. WILLIAMS TURNS SIXTY-FIVE YEARS YOUNG: Wednesday, May 6, 2015

We head for Houston on May 6th, where we enjoy several movies followed by a tasty meal at Saltgrass Steakhouse. It's a nice, relaxing day. But this is not the end of Gary's milestone birthday celebration, which spills over into the weekend with Kristen's family in Frisco. Fun activities include attending Justin's amazing band concert, seeing the movie "Avengers: Age of Ultron," spending Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Aquarium and eating a yummy dinner at West End's Spaghetti Warehouse. We can't wait for a slice of Kristen's homemade German chocolate cake (Gary's favorite) for dessert on Friday and Saturday evenings!

Celebrating Sixty-five Wonderful Years

Buhler Family with Our Birthday Boy during Gary's First Visit to Dallas Aquarium

Friendly Cheetah Takes Instant Liking to Justin!

Playful Otter Circles Around and Around -- Greeting Seth Over and Over Again

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FUN IN ORLANDO WITH ALLISON AND ETHAN: May 23-30, 2015

We are so excited to spend a week at Disney World with Allison and Ethan Brown, who fly from Columbus to Orlando on Saturday, May 23. What fun, adorable, well-mannered kids!! Good work, Kim and Tyler! For each of their days at Disney World, Allie and Ethan are up before dawn. They don't get to bed until well past 10 pm. Still, their energy seems endless. These kids are not intimidated by any Disney ride or show. We are continually impressed with their consistent "thank yous" following each meal, treat or souvenir purchase. It's a true pleasure to spend a special week with these two wonderful kids!! We laugh and smile so much our faces hurt. :-)))

Saturday, May 23: Arrival in Orlando

Ethan Charges Out of the Gate at Orlando Airport

Allie and Ethan Choose Chick-Fil-A for Their First Meal in Florida

Refreshing Evening Swim in Fantasia Pool at Disney's All-Star Movie Resort

Enroute to Mighty Ducks Pool, We Appear on Dalmation TV

A Big Hello to Humongous Pongo!

Who Is the Goofiest Goalie at Mighty Ducks Pool?

Sunday, May 24: Church, Orlando Temple, Downtown Disney

Sunday Stroll through All-Star Movie Resort before Church

Beautiful Orlando LDS Temple Grounds

Two New Characters Steal the Show in Upcoming "Frozen" Sequel!

Allie and Ethan Meet Winnie the Pooh and Friends at Downtown Disney

We Never Miss a Photo Op with Downtown Disney's Lego Dragon

Monday, May 25: Magic Kingdom Day One

Allie Arrives by Bus at Magic Kingdom Entry Plaza

Ethan Shows Off His New, Blue Magic Band

First Ride at Magic Kingdom? Space Mountain, of Course!

After Battling Zurg, We Cool Off at Splash Mountain

Allie and Ethan Enjoy Grandma's Favorite -- Big Thunder Mountain


Swiss Family Treehouse ... then Pirates and Lunch at Pecos Bill's

We're Off to Laugh Floor, Winnie the Pooh and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train


Philharmagic; Peter Pan; It's a Small World; Tea Party; Speedway; Little Mermaid

We eat dinner at Columbia Harbor House, where Grandma's missing camera is found in Allie's backpack. (Grandma put it there during a restroom break and has been looking for it ever since.) Our final rides are Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise. It's the end of our first magical day at Walt Disney World!

Tuesday, May 26: EPCOT

Allie and Ethan Wait at EPCOT for 8:00 AM Early Opening

Test Track, First Ride of the Day at EPCOT, Is Definitely a Favorite!

Second Ride of the Day -- Mission Space

Next Rides: Living with the Land; Soarin'; Nemo; Turtle Talk with Crush

We Visit Universe of Energy and Spaceship Earth, Then Find a Long Line at Imagination

We Skip Imagination for Now ... Instead, We Head to Mexico

After an American Adventure Lunch, We Explore Norway

We See Acrobats and Circle-Vision 360 Film in China

Kids Pause for a Quick Photo in Germany

We Eye a Gelato Stand in Italy but Wait Til Morocco for Ice Cream


We Spot Aladdin and Jasmine in the Expanded Morocco Pavilion

We See Pearl Shoppers Open Clams in Japan's Mitsukoshi Store

After Ice Cream Swirls in Morocco, We Opt Out of Pastries in France

We Spot Alice in Wonderland beside a Thatched House in England

We Enjoy Canada's Waterfalls and Gardens! Then We're Off to Imagination!

Two Hot and Tired Kids in Front of Spaceship Earth

Allie and Ethan each fill a bag of pick-a-mix candies in the Future World gift shop, then we park ourselves by World Showcase Lagoon to wait for Illuminations--EPCOT's amazing nighttime extravaganza. In the tradition of Jacob, Allie and Ethan pass the time by telling one joke after another. It's definitely a magical evening. Like cousin Jessica, Allie puts fingers in her ears to filter out noise from the fireworks.

Wednesday, May 27: Disney's Hollywood Studios

8:00 AM Early Entry ... A Race with Teens and Tweens to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

We Bypass Tower of Terror - But FastPass It Later On

Allie Is a Rebel Spy During Her First Ride on Star Tours!

We Do Every Show at Hollywood Studios, Including Lights, Motors, Action!

We FastPass a Long Line at Toy Story Mania, Thank Goodness!

Frozen Sing-Along -- A Huge Deal at Hollywood Studios These Days!

Great Movie Ride Line Is 60+ Minutes -- Our Longest Wait Ever at Disney!

We take many more photos at Hollywood Studios than can be posted here. These kids rarely take a bad picture. Allie and Ethan love the evening extravaganza at Hollywood Studios, Fantasmics, which many consider to be the best theme-park show ever! We eat hot dogs and chips while waiting for Fantasmics to begin. We snack on caramel popcorn during the show. Do I need to say it? There is no doubt about it. This was definitely another very magical day at Disney World!

Thursday, May 28: Magic Kingdom Day Two

On this second day at Magic Kingdom, we do everything we missed our first day here and repeat our favorite rides. We watch the afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade from atop Walt Disney Railroad's Main Street Station. We see both the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular from the greatest viewing area -- directly in front of Cinderella's Castle. The plan works well -- so eat your Disney hats, Carter and Jacob. ;-) With crowds and costs at all-time highs, it's more important than ever to plan ahead for Disney these days. Here are some highlights from Magic Kingdom Day Two:

Another 8:00 AM Early Opening Day -- Tired, But Still SO Excited to Be Here!

Kids Decide Tomorrowland Speedway is a Must-Do

Astro Orbiters Have an Unusually Short Line -- So On We Go!!

30-Minute Stand-By Time Is Bogus ... Dumbo Line Is Only 5-Minutes Long

The Astounding Donaldo Charms Ethan

Minnie Magnifique Greets Allison

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Is Kids' Unanimous Favorite Ride ... Until Everest!

Just Rockin' Back and Chillin' - Tom Sawyer's Island

Allie and Ethan Leave No Stone Unturned - Tom Sawyer's Island

We Lucked into a Great Spot for the Castle Show!

Thoroughly Soaked at Casey Jr.'s Splash and Soak Station

Oh, Yeah! Another Relaxing Spin on Dumbo

We FastPass Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 5:30 PM

Still Time to Visit Haunted Mansion before Our Splash Mountain FastPass

Final Ride on Splash Mountain at 6:30 PM

After Riding Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Kids Pose by Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Last Day at Magic Kingdom Ends with a Big Bang!

Friday, May 29: Disney's Animal Kingdom

Sadly, our last day at Walt Disney World is also our shortest day at a theme park. Animal Kingdom closes earlier than Disney World's other parks, which allows us to return to the hotel with plenty of time to swim and pack. But this is an exciting day, nonetheless. Allie and Ethan both love "Finding Nemo--The Musical" at Animal Kingdom. Both also place Expedition Everest at or near the top of their "all-time favorite ride" lists. I'm in total agreement! Expedition Everest ties with the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland as my all-time favorite.

Approaching Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest Is Our First Ride at Animal Kingdom

And They're Off!

Allie at DinoRama - DinoLand USA

Festival of the Lion King's New Theater in Africa

Grand Finale at Festival of the Lion King

Can You Hear the Native Drums?

Erin's Photo Spot in Harambe ... Sniff, Sniff

Kilimanjaro Safaris, Here We Come!

Hold On Tight! We Have a Trainee Driver!!

Tree of Life Appears through a Break in the Forest

Packed and Ready for Kali River Rapids

Kali River Is Kind to Allie, Ethan and Grandpa ...

Their Seats Were On the Dry Side of the Raft

Tree of Life - Discovery Island Viewing Area

So long, Animal Kingdom! Allie and Ethan were here and had a great time! Many thanks to Kim and Tyler for allowing these cuties to join us in Florida! And thanks, too, to Allie and Ethan for taking such a big leap of faith -- leaving Dad, Mom and your sibs; flying as unaccompanied minors; hoping Grandpa and Grandma would be at the airport to meet you; hoping Grandpa and Grandma would take good care of you; hoping that Grandpa and Grandma would be nice to you! We had the best time with you guys. We love you with all our hearts!! We hope you will always remember the week we spent together at Disney World.