Even though the newest thrill ride at Sea World Orlando does not officially open to the public until May 22, I got to ride it today! Manta is on soft opening. That means they are up and running, but testing various aspects of the ride, like line timing and such.

I went to Sea World as a chaperone with some of the kids from my high school. It was mostly Biology and Marine Science students and this particular trip had an overload of people volunteer to chaperone initially. I’m not sure what happened, but about a week ago they ended up with too few chaperones. I was not even going to ask to go, but I’m thrilled it worked out. I’m not sure I will ever have another opportunity to go to Sea World for free. ?

Anyway, I’m sure you are much more interested to hear about Manta. It is amazing. I am a roller coaster fan and have never really played on anything quite like this. Besides that jolting second loop, the ride is smooth, freeing, and made me laugh with pure glee the entire time. I rode Manta with a couple of other teachers, one of which was dead set against going when we got to the park that morning. I think she just experienced so much enthusiasm throughout the course of the morning that she got all caught up and in the end she was the most excited person in our group.

I know Sea World is not known primarily for the thrill rides, but I think they made a brilliant move when they brought this one on board. It’s worth the entire price of admission. Well, that and those super cute puffins.

It does not matter if you are single or married, a mother or childless – women need to give themselves the time to spend with other women in a social setting, free of stress, and focused on fun and relaxation. When I was newly married, I went out with girlfriends who were also newly married. When I had my daughter, I made time to go out at least once a month with other moms from my MOPS group.

Essentially, I feel like it is important to spend time with other women who share your current life situation. I’m not discounting friendships with people who are in different places in their lives, those are also important relationships. However, you just can’t blow off steam the same way you can when surrounded by girls who really get where you’re at in life right now.

I’ve got a couple of single friends I went thought my teacher training program with a couple of years ago. They are both a little younger than me, but most of the of the women in that class were married and don’t take the time to get out with the girls very often. I’m having dinner with these two girls tonight.

One also works in the same sort of teaching position that I do, but at another school. The other is looking for teaching work, but toughing it out at a publishing company right now. She and I have similar degrees from back in college. In any event, we are all pretty close to the same place in life. Of course, I am the only one with a daughter, but that is not what we focus on when we go out together.

I can talk to my other friends until the cows come home about the shortage of jobs in education right now, but they don’t fully understand. My teacher friends get it, but you only want to do so much venting with co-workers. I try very hard not to gossip in the workplace and once you start talking about the job situation, someone inevitably brings up one or more of the teachers at school that they do not think deserve to be teaching. It’s never safe territory once that topic arises.

Makes sure you are getting out of the house with your friends from time to time, ladies. A husband or a boyfriend should indeed be a best friend to you, but there is nothing like sharing time with like-minded women. They will understand you on the most basic level and that is important.

A garden is a wondrous thing. My mother always had a garden in our backyard. Actually, she had several. She would plant a vegetable and herb garden. She had one side of the house where she cultivated amazing roses. She also put several amazing flower gardens in at different places all over the front and back yards. I think she got her green thumb from her father, who always put in acres of vegetables and came from a long line of hobby farmers.

The focus of my fascination when it comes to gardens has always been when people come together in urban spaces to create a community garden. Not only is that garden going to brighten the neighborhood, but it also facilitates relationships between neighbors that may not otherwise spend time together.

I’ve been reading tonight about one of the coolest grant projects I’ve ever heard of. It’s called the Fiskars Project Orange Thumb grant. What this grant does is provide up to $1000 in green goods and up to $1,500 in Fiskars gardening tools for garden projects in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Gardens or gardening projects that focus on community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture, or horticultural education qualify – and that includes schools! As soon as I read through the site I immediately thought of my daughter’s school and the HUGE courtyard area they have in the middle of the campus. Some of it is bricked, but there are these patches of grass that are perfect for a school wide gardening project.

Of course, not only future projects are eligible. You can apply for the grant if you have an existing garden or gardening project that qualifies. I just printed out the main page of the site to send to the school and I want to encourage all of you – my readers – to apply for projects in your community. The application deadline is February 17, 2009 so you have plenty of time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that others at my daughter’s school will be as excited about this as me.

I’m here in Florida this particular Thanksgiving, but whenever I make it back up north for Thanksgiving, I’m surrounded by family. I have my mom and sister here, but nothing like my huge family up north.

I’m thinking about Thanksgiving today, because my family here is celebrating today, Saturday. The family tradition of someone being very ill each Thanksgiving played out as usual this year and so we simply moved the festivities to today. I can smell the onions and celery parboiling in the rich broth that I will use for the herbed dressing. The free-range, organic turkey is in the oven and making the entire house smell amazing. I could go on and on.

One thing that is different about Thanksgiving up there is that during hunting season, family gatherings inevitably turn to conversation about hunting. Various family members own a lot of wilderness land and take game hunting seriously. I have always benefitted from the meat they fill my freezer with after a good season. I miss that part of living closer to the bulk of my family

So, in my own wandering way Thanksgiving makes me think about my family and their penchant for hunting and hunting stories (the one that got away, the most points, etc.). Well, not so much my dad as my uncles and numerous cousins. But that is beside the point.

Now that I have linked Thanksgiving with hunting season, let me also link Black Friday to hunting. The Nikon Black Friday Promo is their Ultimate Hunter’s Package brought to you by Nikon Sport Optics, NikonProGear.com and Lee and Tiffany Lakosky (of the Outdoor Channel’s “Getting’ Close”):
-ProStaff 3-9×40 Riflescope with BDC Reticle
-ProStaff Laser Rangefinder
-Silent Technology Rangefinder Case
-Mastering a Long-range shot with BDC DVD
-$50 NikonProGear Gift Card

When you buy the package together, you end up saving $144.90. Hurry, though, this pricing will only last through Cyber Monday on December 1.

Isn’t it a breath of fresh air to see a Black Friday promo that is not focused on toys or televisions?

Wow. Michael Phelps earned his 11th career gold medal today. That’s five now for the 2008 games. You know, 11 Olympic gold medals are more than anyone in US history. Plus, the guy seems to be breaking world records left and right. The guy can swim, baby. He even pretty much swam one of the contests with his eyes closed, due to a goggle malfunction. He might be a little awkward looking, but he is morphing into a heart throb more and more with each win.

And we need the momentum Phelps is giving the US in the Olympics, because I am watching the girls do gymnastics tonight and China is kicking our cute little butts.

We live within about an hour of the Walt Disney theme parks and yet we only find our way over there about once a year. It is not because I don’t like the parks. I love them, especially Epcot. It is because it is just way too expensive to go more often.

For a family oriented travel destination, Disney is sure not wallet friendly. The park tickets are enough to choke an elephant. When you add in hotels, food and gas then the whole things becomes daunting.

If I lived a little closer, I would buy a Florida resident annual pass, but I don’t live quite close enough.

So, I find ways to make the trip worth it. We go each year for the night time Pirates & Princesses Party, but even those once-reasonable tickets have gone way up in price. This year we stayed an extra day at the parks, but that was only because my friend got us all in on an employee pass for one day and the parks were free for us on Saturday.

I’ve just been trying to work it out with my sister how she and I will allocate the funds to take our kids for my daughter’s next birthday. And in the face of all that – Disney has just announced they are raising prices starting today!

As of today (August 3, 2008), The Walt Disney Co. is raising one-day ticket prices. Tickets for anyone 10 and older to Walt Disney World in Orlando will rise from $71 to $75. Tickets for kids 3 to 9 will go from $60 to $63.

Tickets in California are a tad more reasonable. At Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, one-day prices will go from $66 to $69 for 10 and older and from $56 to $59 for children 3 to 9.

It’s not just the one-day passes that are increasing in price. Multi-day and Hopper passes are also going up.

I happen to live here in Florida, but for those who are driving or flying to the area, there is already the high travel costs involved. Hotels are not getting cheaper, and food is decidedly more expensive all around. It seems a slap in the face for Disney to decide they will contribute to the rising costs of American life. Recreation is one thing most Americans agree they can cut out of their budgets. And, it seems most Americans are indeed cutting recreational activities. There will come a time where the Disney parks will primarily serve non-American visitors. Seems a waste of American real estate.

I am one of those people who sit and stare when I pull up to t red light and end up beside someone riding a Harley-Davidson. I could care less if they know I am gawking. I am not only admiring the bike, but also the perceived freedom and adventure of the rider.

Believe me; I would rather be riding a Harley out on some back road instead of putting around town in my van while I run to the library, grocery store, school, and other assorted errands.

While I am pretty sure I will never have the nerve to budget money to actually BUY a Harley, I still may have the opportunity to spend a vacation riding one. EagleRider is the leader in Harley-Davidson motorcycle rentals and guided motorcycle tours. And, they don’t stop at Harleys – they also rent all manner of motorcycles, ATVs, dirt bikes, scooters, snowmobiles, and watercraft.

My heart tells me I just want to pick up and book a self-guided tour, but I think the logical first step would to be part of one of EagleRider’s guided Motorcycle Tours first. I’ve never really ridden and I think I would feel more comfortable learning in the company of others.

I know – some people dream of cruises and back-packing in Europe. I just want to get on a Harley and feel the wind on my face.

I say Time for Wimbledon for two reasons. First of all, I’m excited that it’s almost time fro Wimbledon again. In fact, it begins June 23. I also used Time, because as much as I like to watch the tennis at Wimbledon, I rarely actually have the time to see everything I want to see.

Of course, Wimbledon for me still means Boris Becker, but the new players are almost more powerful and dynamic.

How cool is it, then, that MediaZone is working with the Wimbledon Championships to give us what they like to call “Wimbledon LIVE”? What is it? It’s an online service that gives you a way to watch live and on-demand Wimbledon matches. In fact, you can watch up to EIGHT courts at the same time. Seeing Wimbledon live won’t even bring you that kid of perk. You can get a super package rate for only $24.99 and even go back and watch last year’s matches if you need to catch up on your Wimbledon.

Tennis has been on my radar since I was very young. In our neighborhood, tennis lessons were right up there with ballet and piano as the must-have lessons for your children. It was simply a part of daily life for me growing up.

Tennis gained sex appeal for me when Boris Becker came on the scene. In 1985, Becker won at Wimbledon at the amazingly young age of 17. I was almost 15 at the time and he all but glowed with a supernatural light in my eyes. (Boris actually got to Wimbledon at the age of 16, but his win did not come until the flowing year.) He was amazing to watch, both because of his powerful playing style and his looks. His career was a fast-paced series of exciting wins and losses, but for me it was always about Wimbledon.

Everyone has that list of things you want to do before you die. Recently a movie came out called Bucket List, so I suppose bucket list is the correct term. My bucket list is pretty long, and getting over to Wimbledon has been near the top for most of my adult life. This summer, I will be watching the championship tournament on TV, but when it really comes down to it, I want to be there in the stands, snacking on strawberries and cream at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London. I’ve been to the U.S. Open, so I have one of the four Grand Slams marked off on my list. Still, Wimbledon is the most appealing of the four for me.

Where there is a will, there is a way, right? It won’t be long before my daughter will be old enough to appreciate watching tennis tournaments with me and at that point I am going to just bit the bullet and get my hands on some Wimbeldon tickets. And, I will probably go all out and enter the draw for the really great tickets.

I live in Florida. As you know, we are pretty much surrounded by water. On top of that, there are the lakes and the river. There is a lot of water and therefore a lot of boating. If you look around my neighborhood, you’ll see that pretty much every other house has a boat parked in the back yard or the driveway.

There are also a lot of boating accidents in Florida, and often in the end it turns out that alcohol is involved. In fact,  a third of all fatal boating accidents nationwide are alcohol related. In states where boating is a year-round activity, those stats are highter. In Arizona, 50% of all fatal boating accidents were alcohol related in 2007. That led Arizona to put a lot of effort into educating the public about boating safety and boating operating under the influence.

It’s appropriate, then, to look at the issue of boating under the influence of alcohol. Not only is the issue about safety, but operating a boat while using alcohol is just as illegal as drinking and driving. A lot of great information about this issue can be found on a website set up specifically by the Arizona Game & Fish Department for issues surrounding Arizona boating. The fact is you don’t have to go any further than your computer to find out everything you need to know about alcohol and boating. Getting boating education online is just another one of the great things about the web. You don’t have to leave your house to learn the facts that can save your life.

Here is a general boating safety video that’s being used in Arizona right now. Why is this video so useful? Studies show that educated boaters are 70 %  less likely to be involved in a boating accident:

I was in college when I first became aware of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). I never became involved, but I flitted on the outskirts of the world so many of many friends created for themselves in the fantasy of Renaissance life. Along the years I have attended my fair share of Renaissance festivals in many states. I have enjoyed the benefit of having friends who have closets full of enchanting costumes and practiced mannerisms that nearly sweep one back in time.

It’s not like you can just walk into your local Galleria and find the bodices, bloomers, and surcotes you need to fully realize a believable character. A lot of my friends sewed their own costumes, or had other friends make them. Most of them, though, would locate the proverbial needle in a haystack and track down a retailer that sold the right costuming elements.

I went to college before the internet was a full-fledged phenomenon, so finding the costume retailers was a feat. Now, you can just logon and find sites like The Renaissance Store. It’s like a dream come true if you are planning a costume for a RenFest or the like. And, I finally found a believable pirate costume for my nephew that we can use for next year’s Pirate and Princess Party at Disney.

I’ve done OK in the past when buying cars, but my experiences have always been rather stressful and no matter what anyone says – most car salespeople are looking at me as a single woman and trying to use typical tactics on me.

One time I was shopping at a dealership and the male salesperson came out with his boss, asked me to sit down, and then provided to stand over me as he talked. I tried to stand as well, he “politely” asked me to relax and have a seat. I asked them to sit with me and they said they would rather stand. It was a positional power play.

When I bought my van, I specifically told the salesman I would wait a year if fold down back seats were going to be on the next year’s model. I guess he really wanted to make a sale THAT day, because he swore up and down those seats would not be out on their vans for years. I had not had my van more than a few months when I started to see TV commercials fort the new model – with fold down seating in the back. Grr.

I could give you dozens of other examples, like trying to hide national rebates. I always prevail, but it takes a lot of work and energy.

Tell me some of your car buying horror stories, won’t you? Maybe I would feel better knowing I was not the only person people take for a chump.

I’m intrigued by the Car Buying Concierge service The CARCHEX Advantage™. They are a free nationwide service (I love free services) that acts as a car buying agent for you. They work with you to find out what it is you are looking for in a car and then they negotiate with multiple dealers or private sellers on your behalf. They will work hard to strike the best deal for you when it comes to price, trade-in value, financing terms, and pretty much anything else that will give you the most for your purchase money.

Best of all, CARCHEX does not partner with just one manufacturer or dealership, so you can be sure they are going after what is best for you. And, they have a proven track record as a consumer-focused company through their work in car inspections.

It is Spring Break and I want to make sure that since we are not taking a vacation and going out of town that we still remain active.

Monday we went to the beach with friends. It was a lot of fun and did not cost anything at all. Parking was free, since we chose a state park with a wonderful white sand beach. I brought drinks and lunch food, so eating did not add any expenses to the day.

Yesterday we spent a good deal of time at the library and then we met friends for coffee and browsing at Barnes and Noble. It was a day all about book, which is something my daughter and I both enjoy a lot. Although it was not a particularly active day, it got us out of the house and into social situations.

Today we are playing with dolls together, but we will be going bowling later. I have free passes that one of the bowling alleys issues to students to use during Spring Break.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with some friends to go strawberry picking out in Dover, FL. The berries cost $1 for two quarts and of course we will have top buy gas to get there, but overall it should be a fun day for very little cash.

Yes, I would love to know that one day my daughter and I can plan luxury vacations for things like Spring Break and Summer Break, but in the meantime the togetherness and the little fieldtrips are just fine and we are making great memories.

It might be April Fool’s Day tomorrow, but it is also audition day for the Swashbuclers – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ cheerleading squad.

If you’ve ever thought it might be a great gig to cheer for the Bucs, head out to the Academy of Holy Names, 3319 Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa from 6 to 7:30 and from 8 to 9.

I’m assuming my two-year-old niece is too young to qualify, even though we bought her the cutest little Bucs cheerleading outfit for Christmas this past year.

I was never much a Disney fan until I moved to Florida. And then, when I had my daughter the Disney-mania really kicked in and took over in my life. My daughter is obsessed with the Disney Princesses and we go to the annual Pirates and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando for her birthday every year. And, when we can afford it, we enjoy the other parks as well. My personal favorite is Epcot.

You may be aware that Disney has been doing this Year of a Million Dreams promotion for more than a year now. People win random awesome prizes on a daily basis. Well, a Florida teenager won the ultimate prize last year – an around-the-world tour of all eleven Disney theme parks.

Joshua Peterson of Eustis, FL is only 18, but a visit to Epcot last year put his in the right place at the right time and he was given the “grand marshal world tour” prize – which makes this teenager a world traveler. His whole family will go along for the ride. It all begins with a parade at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday. Then, the Petersons get to visit the three other Disney parks in Florida, followed by the parks in Anaheim, California; Hong Kong; Tokyo; and Paris.

Yep. I’m just a tad jealous.