My Birthday

I went up to Andrea’s the Friday before my birthday and she suggested I fly to Orlando on Monday to celebrate my birthday. We looked it up and the flight was a good price and at a good time.

I arrived later on Monday night. I visited Yanbin’s family and then, I spent the night with Mireya. Both are friends from the MBA program. During my visit, I visited many friends and used my birthday rewards. On Tuesday, I ate at Einstein Bagels and Sweet Tomatoes for free. I met my former boss and a former colleague for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.

On night, Bev received free Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Tickets. Bev, Rusty (her son), and I arrived at Magic Kingdom around 5 p.m. and ate at Casey’s Corner. I had a plant based hot dog. We rode Big Thunder and Splash Mountain as the wait times were less than 10 minutes. Then, we walked around collecting candy until the parade. We probably received about half a bag’s worth of candy.

The parade and the fireworks were the highlight of the night. The grave diggers shovels spark when they hit the cement in the parade. It is pretty cool. The fireworks are as good at the Fourth of July fireworks. There is also a villain show, but I haven’t seen too many villain-related Disney movies. It was a fun night. When I first went, it was around $35. Today, the early parties start at $80 and are as high as $130.

On Wednesday, I went shopping. I received my free birthday meal at IKEA and IKEA also gave me $15 towards a purchase. I bought this great raccoon night light. His heart beats red. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luriga-led-night-light-white-raccoon-70424270/

I went to Disney Springs. I can’t remember, but I am sure I got a drink at Coke World. I love that place. I think I had a Cherry Zero Float maybe. For a late lunch, I met Bev and Rusty at another favorite place, Wolfgang Puck Express. And finally, I met Robert at Geyser Springs at Wilderness Lodge, another favorite spot. Wilderness Lodge is my favorite. We saw the water parade and the Magic Kingdom fireworks. I spent the night at Carol’s, a former colleague.

On Thursday, I met a friend for breakfast. Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival opened, but I no longer have a pass and spending $116 to get in alone didn’t seem worth it. I did walk around and I walked over to Hollywood Studios to see if I could see any Star Wars Fans. I didn’t see much. I saw Disney testing the Skyliner which opens in late September. I stopped by Jason’s Deli for a free strawberry shortcake and then, I met Mireya at Hawkers, another favorite place.

Friday morning, I met an old friend at First Watch. Then, I left for the airport. When I arrived back in Cedar Rapids, Andrea and I went to Blackstone for my birthday.

Wow. I saw a lot of friends and I ate too much food. I gained close to 5 to 7 pounds. It was a nice birthday though.