End of an Era

It's been 10 days since the roster of the San Jose Sharks was forever changed.  Ten days since Sharks Territory collectively wept as we said goodbye to our captain.  And ten days since my heart broke and a small part of me became a Dallas Stars fan.

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On July 1st, the NHL's free agency period started.  On that day, our beloved leader Joe Pavelski signed a three year contract with the Dallas Stars.  Since then, it's taken me these 10 days to fully process everything.  The stages of grief are real, and although it may seem strange to mourn losing a player who is simply going to play for another team, this is what happens when you grow attached to them.  Just this past year alone, Eliot and I watched these guys almost every other night for 6 months straight, plus every other night in the playoffs.  They become family.  And this one really hurts.

Joe Pavelski is one of the main reasons that I fell in love with hockey as well as the San Jose Sharks.  I've watched him since the beginning of his career and he's always been one of my favorites.  We're the same age, both born in 1984, and I think that made him relatable to me.  (Side note: Today is his 35th birthday.  Happy Birthday Joe!)  I've always marveled at his career and the milestones he'd hit along the way.

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And what a career it's been so far.  For 13 years he's donned teal.  For 13 seasons, he's and skated through the giant Shark head at the beginning of every home game.

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Some people might not have expected much from the seventh round draft pick, (2003 NHL Draft- 205th overall) but for the past 13 seasons he's proven them wrong over and over.  The numbers speak for themselves: 963 games, 355 goals, 406 assists, 761 points and 60 game winning goals.  He's been selected to attend three NHL All-Star games.  He's scored 100 points in 134 playoff games.  Pavelski is the Sharks second ranked goal scorer, third in assists, third in points and that's not even scratching the surface on all of the other records he holds in the Sharks organization.

Through the years, he's been known by different names- from "Little Joe" to "The Big Pavelski" to "Captain America."  The guys on the team simply referred to him as Pavs.

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He's been captain of the Sharks for the last four seasons including 2016 when we went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time.  He was also the captain of Team USA (hence, Captain America) in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.  I've always been proud to wear the "C" on my many Pavelski jerseys the past few years.

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Days Leading up to July 1st

I think that I went through some of the stages of grief before July 1st.  I was dreading the first day of signing.  As each day passed without any news, I knew the possibility that he'd be leaving the Sharks was growing even though I was in denial.  Sharks fans were getting restless and unfortunately, I allowed myself to get sucked into it. 

Rumors were flying around left and right.  It was rumored that the Sharks weren't offering him the term (length of contract) that he wanted and that it wasn't about the money.  Not going to lie, I was really frustrated.  In reality, all we could do was wait.  

No one really had any insider info until a few days before July 1st when Pavelski and his wife were seen in Dallas and in Tampa.  He went to visit both teams to meet their management team, coaches and to see their facilities.  I was pretty discouraged at this point.  It seemed inevitable.  This was really happening and there wasn't anything we could do about it.  There were photos of him out to dinner in Tampa.  As of the night of June 30th, multiple reports stated that he was going to sign with the Dallas Stars.

July 1st, 2019

The morning of July 1st, I woke up with a pit in my stomach.  Free agency started at noon Eastern time.  I found out that he'd officially signed with Dallas about 20 minutes after noon while sitting in the parking lot of Michaels.  It was done.  I talked briefly on the phone with Eliot before returning home.  I spent the afternoon watching the Sharks littlest (and cutest) team member Finn and his nine siblings on the live puppy cam.

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At first, I was numb to it.  I had felt it coming, but now that it had I didn't really know what to think.  I was obviously sad, and from what I saw online, I wasn't alone.

Doug Wilson, the Sharks general manager, said in his statement that Pavelski had "earned the right to become a free agent".  Joe deserves to get paid what he's worth. He deserves the freedom to sign a contract for the length that he wants.  The Sharks weren't willing to offer him that, and I don't blame him for finding a team that would.  

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In the end, I can't blame Pavelski or Doug Wilson... losing players in a necessary evil in the world of cap space.  There's only so much money to go around.  And big name players demand big numbers.  After signing Erik Karlsson to over 11 million a year, the Sharks only had so much money left.  Pavelski wasn't going to get what he deserved.

Still, it's a hard pill to swallow.  I think the thing that has brought me most comfort is hearing Joe talk about signing with Dallas.  In an interview that he did right after signing with them, he talked about his reasoning behind it.  As much as it hurts, the Sharks weren't offering him 3 years and that was his number one priority.  Obviously the money was also a contributing factor, but it was the length of term that the Sharks and he couldn't come to an agreement on.  Then, he also wanted to go to a team that was going to to be a Stanley Cup contender.  He said that all of those things were why he thought Dallas would be a good fit for him.  It sounds like it was.

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The fact that it was an educated decision to sign with them makes me feel comforted too.  It's not like he was backed into a corner.  Reports stated that he had multiple teams reach out to him (supposedly in the double-digits) so he could choose which teams he wanted to visit and look into.  I'm glad he was able to find the right fit for him.

I have to admit this is way easier than if he would have been traded.  Players depart teams on less than good terms all the time.  Although, I'm sure he was disappointed the team he's played on for 13 years couldn't match the offer Dallas gave him.  Plus, with the Seattle expansion draft coming in the next few years, it would have been devastating if we weren't able to protect him and he got taken from us that way.

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Now that I've had time to process it, I feel like I'm on my way to acceptance.  I can't change anything; it is what it is.  I still love my Sharks - that hasn't changed.  I do know what seeing Pavelski in a Dallas uniform for the first time is going to be really hard.  I'm already having a hard time picturing him in anything other than teal #8.  But, maybe it won't be so bad.  He's already going to be without the number 8.  (It's already been retired in Dallas so he can't pick that number.)  By things I've seen online, he's going to wear the #16 jersey instead.  The Dallas Stars' colors are green and blue and those combine to make teal.  Their home uniforms are the pretty green color.  Plus, this could be worse.  He could have signed with a team I totally despise.  So there's that.

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The Future and Upcoming Milestones

According to what I've seen over the past 10 days, most Sharks fans are still taking the loss pretty hard.  All of the posts the organization posted about Pavelski (on both Facebook and Instagram) were flooded with comments: thanking him, how much he'll be missed, how he was so many people's favorite player, how he really needs to come back to SJ in three years and wishing him and his family luck in Dallas.

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In fact, I think fans are taking this loss harder than losing former long-time Shark, Patrick Marleau.  (Ironically, Marleau is now free to re-sign with the Sharks.)  "Jumbo" Joe Thornton wants to return this year... so much for getting the band back together for one last run at the Stanley Cup together as the team we've loved for so long.  I have absolute confidence in our guys... but when/if it happens, it'll be hard to win a cup without Pavelski there to raise it with us.  It would be even harder to watch him win it in Dallas.  Although, I'd still be cheering him on and be really happy for him.

Nevertheless, there will be plenty of other hard moments ahead of us:

Pavelski is quickly approaching his 1,000th NHL game played.  (He's only got 37 more to go.)  I was looking forward to watching the ceremony for it after seeing Brent Burns celebrate his 1,000 games this year.  It's depressing that Joe will be celebrating it with a new team after only 37 games when he spent 963 of those 1,000 games in teal.

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Joe Pavelski's return to the Tank will be January 11th when there will most likely be a video tribute of his 13 seasons in teal.  Patrick Marleau's return to the Tank was emotional.  After seeing how fans rallied behind Pavelski when he was injured in the playoffs, I'm sure this will be ten times more emotional.  (I know it will be for me.)

The Dallas Stars play the Boston Bruins on February 27th.  Eliot's already promised me that we can go as it's likely the only game where I'll see him play in person all next season.  I've already vowed to wear my teal #8 jersey.  I've got a brand new one that I wasn't able to wear to one of his games.  I'm looking forward to wearing it then.

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And, at some point, Eliot and I will make it to a Sharks away game in Dallas.  (We want to visit all of the NHL teams' arenas.)  Hopefully, we'll be able to do the Dallas road trip sometime in the next three years while Pavelski is still playing there.

Memories

Of course, you can't look ahead to the future without looking back at the past.  I've already done a pretty extensive recap of this past San Jose Sharks 2018-2019 season, so I won't go into too much depth on that here.  Over the past week and a half, I've seen a ton of videos of his years with the Sharks.  There are a lot of great memories.

This past season was especially memorable for me.  Eliot and I saw him score his 700th career point live while at a game in New Jersey.  I got a hockey puck from him when he tossed it over the glass to Eliot in Tampa.  We watched him participate in the 2019 All Star Weekend in San Jose back in January.  And the highlight- when Eliot and I met him, got autographs and I got a photo with him in March.

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The 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs had so many memories:  Taking a puck to the face and scoring a goal off it.  Losing a few teeth off that goal but coming back to the game a few minutes later.  Getting knocked out on the ice in Game 7 against Vegas and having Joe Thornton, Evander Kane and Brent Burns helping him get off the ice. #BeatTheAvsForPavs.  The rally towel waving during Game 5.  Returning to play in Game 7 against Colorado and scoring the first goal of the game.  And May 11th, when I attended Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals where I saw him score what would be his last goal as a Shark at the Tank.  (Ironically, I actually video taped the fans and the celebration after that goal.  I'm so glad I did.)

I'm thankful for all of the great memories.  Still, there are so many things that I'm going to miss now that he's no longer a Shark... the stupid things like being in the silly Sharks television commercials and holiday videos.  His positive outlook in his post-game interviews.  The absolutely crazy tip-ins from Brent Burns while in front of the net.  The sexy slap-shot goals.  His heart and how much he clearly loves the game.  His hockey IQ.  His leadership.  How he kneeled and pumped his fist during his goal celebrations.

But above all that, his infectious smile is what I'll miss the most.  I think that's one of the biggest reasons that I've enjoyed watching him all these years.  You can feel the emotions flowing off of him in those moments.  You can tell how much his teammates meant to him when his face would just light up when they scored their first goal of the season, or after they hadn't scored one in a while.  I'll never forget the night during the playoffs when he came out of the tunnel and was waving a rally towel to SAP Center with a giant grin across his face.  Those are the moments that I'll miss the most.

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The End of An Era

It truly is the end of an era in San Jose.  We're all really going to miss our captain.  I am so appreciative of everything he's done for the San Jose Sharks over the past 13 seasons.  It's clear that Joe Pavelski has been a well-respected and incredibly loved member of the Sharks organization and the San Jose community.

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Happy Birthday Pavs!!!  Good luck on your next three years in Dallas.  Sharks Territory will never be quite the same.  I'm really going to miss seeing you skating in teal but even that won't stop me from cheering you on.  No matter where you play, I'll still be rooting for you.  I'll forever be grateful for your part in making me fall in love with hockey and the Sharks and you'll always be my favorite player.  So long partner.  °o°

Live Action Mulan Trailer

The official teaser trailer for Mulan was released over the weekend and all I can say is "wow!"  If you haven't seen it yet, here it is!

I know reviews of the trailer have been mixed.  I've personally enjoyed all of the live action movies that Disney's made so far, some of them more than others.  (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are my top favorites right now.)  But, there is still something about this movie that really excites me.

This movie looks like it'll be more historically accurate to the time in which the movie took place.  Like all of the other live action movies, I've enjoyed the authentic costumes and scenery.  This looks like it'll stray more from the animated version's storyline, but I'm willing to give it a chance.  I'm sure it'll work with the essence of the original movie.

As far as most of the complaints, people are probably correct in the assumption that this live action movie probably won't feel as "magical" as some of the others, but I'm ok with that.  Mulan is about her being a warrior and while I'll miss Mushu and the songs, I think this will still be a great movie.  I'm confident that they'll still have an instrumental version of a lot of the songs anyways.  But, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss "I'll Make a Man Out of You"... that's my go to butt kicking song.

The answers to our questions will be answered in March of 2020.  In the meantime, I'll be over here singing "Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns..."  °o°

Remembering Cameron Boyce

I'm sure by now you've heard the news about Cameron Boyce.  The news traveled quickly if you follow Disney sites on Facebook or Instagram.  In fact, I woke up this past Sunday to a flood of posts about the news.  I'm always sad to hear news of a celebrity's passing, but sometimes it hits closer to home than others.  This one did.

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Over the weekend, Cameron Boyce passed away at only 20 years old.  (I can't even fully wrap my head around that... he's Elissa's age.)  The morning of July 6th, he passed away in his sleep after suffering a seizure which "was the result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated," according to a family spokesperson.

I've watched Cameron in numerous roles throughout his career.  He's most commonly recognized for playing Carlos, the son of Cruella De Vil, in the Disney Channel Descendants movies as well as his role as Luke Ross on Disney Channel's Jessie.  

I was a fan of Cameron's in both those roles.  He's always made me laugh with his characters' antics.  He was incredibly talented and he could act, sing and dance.  It made him perfect for the role of Carlos in Descendants.  Eliot and I loved the first two Descendants movies (They're my favorites of the recent Disney Channel movies.) and we're both really looking forward to the premiere of the third movie in August.  It's going to be hard to watch it knowing it was one of the last things he acted in.

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Aside from his acting roles, Cameron was a great humanitarian.  He believed in giving back to the community and he wanted to make the world a better place.  He worked with many organizations in order to give back.  (Read more about that here.)

Another thing Cameron was well known for was how close he was to his family.  In fact, his grandmother was a member of the Clinton 12 and one of the first black students to attend an integrated public school in the south.  I remember seeing her story in a short clip on the Disney Channel.  It always struck me how close him and his family seemed.  I'm so devastated for their loss.

After the news spread, Cameron's co-stars, friends, directors and fans all took to social media to share their memories of him.  They all had nothing but good things to say about him as they spoke about his kindness, light and heart.  (You can read more about what the Descendants cast said here.)

My most fond memory of him is more personal.  I actually met Cameron briefly while at the D23 Expo in 2017.  I haven't really done a recap on that trip, but the short story is that Eliot and I, along with his sisters Sara and Elissa, were all able to take photos with the cast of Descendants 2.  When it was Eliot's and my turn, we walked up to the cast and Cameron came up to me and gave me the biggest, warmest, most genuine hug.  I remember being a little bit startled that he was so willing to give a complete stranger such a warm hug.  And his smile was electric.  The cast was all so warm and kind, but my experience with Cameron stuck out to me.  I'll always cherish that memory.

This past weekend, the world lost a bright light.  Rest in peace Cameron.  °o°

A Hometown 4th of July

Hi friends!  I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day holiday weekend!!!

This year, Eliot and I visited my parents and Nana in Bar Harbor for the 4th!  I'm really thankful since last year both Eliot and Jeremy had to work the following day so I made the trek alone.  My brother Jeremy wasn't with us this year (he had to work Friday), but we still had a good time while there!

On the 4th, we stuck to our usual traditions.  My family went into town to enjoy the annual Bar Harbor Fourth of July festivities- including my favorites the parade and fireworks!  Or course, Eliot and I both wore a red, white and blue Disney outfit for the occasion!  Earlier last week, I got us cute Toy Story patriotic shirts at Kohl's and I knew they'd be perfect!  We got so many compliments on them!

We watched the parade in front of my grandparents' old store.  After the parade ended, we headed down to Agamont Park to people watch and relax.  Then, Eliot and I also got lunch at the Epi like we always do!  Then, we headed home for a nap since we hadn't gotten home until 1:30 am the night before.

This year, Eliot and I had plans to meet up with my best friend Katie to watch the fireworks.  After waking up from our naps, we drove over to her house so we could drive into town together.  We went to dinner at Bar Harbor Beerworks.  The three of us split a giant pretzel as an appetitizer.  Then, both of us girls had blueberry martinis... yum!  I had a giant grilled shrimp salad for dinner with blueberry vinigrette dressing and it was so good!  After, we headed over to Agamont Park to enjoy the fireworks!  They were really spectacular this year!  The "grand finale" lasted forever!!!

Friday, Mom, Dad, Nana, Eliot and I continued another family tradition and went into Acadia National Park and over to the Jordan Pond House for popovers.  I was so busy stuffing my face with popover goodness that I didn't even take any pictures this year!

On Saturday, Eliot and I drove back to down to Portland later in the day.  The plan was for Mom, Dad and Nana to drive down as well, and for Jeremy to drive up from New Hampshire so we could all meet up for an overnighter.  We all met up at the Longhorn Steakhouse near the mall around 9:00 pm.  Then, they went to their hotel and Eliot and I went home for the night to sleep in our own bed.

Sunday, Eliot and I got up and went over to their hotel to go swimming.  Afterwards, we got ready before heading over to Old Orchard Beach.  We all walked down to the beach to enjoy the view.  The beach was crazy busy so we enjoyed the view from the boardwalk area.  The sun was hot but there was a cool breeze coming off of the ocean and it felt so good!  After, we found a bench in the shade on the main street and had some fries from Pier Fries... another family favorite.  I also had a frozen banana with rainbow sprinkles before we left the main street.  It was delicious!!!

Afterwards, we went mini golfing at Pirates Cove.  We usually try to go to the one in Bar Harbor, but we decided to try something different since we weren't able to go while we were all home over Labor Day.  It was a lot of fun!  Dad and I both won while tied at 50 and Eliot had 51.  Then, Mom and Jeremy finished a few points behind.  After our game, we all said our goodbyes and headed home in our respective directions.

It was pretty low-key but it was a lot of fun to enjoy a hometown 4th of July weekend.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with celebration and fun!  °o°

Tennessee Travels

There you have it!  I hope you've enjoyed reading about our adventures in Tennessee!

In case you missed one, here are the different blog posts I recapped our trip in:

Part 1: Dollywood
Part 2: Welcome to Nashville
Part 3: She's Gone Country
Part 4: Settling In
Part 5: We're Going to the Zoo

I really had so much fun.  I definitely want to go back and explore more of Nashville and Tennessee. We weren't able to do all of the things that I had on my to do list, and we also discovered a few more things that we'd like to see more of next time.  Plus, there were a few places I'd love to go back to!

I didn't realize how much I would fall in love with the Nashville Zoo.  I didn't really get into it so much in my recaps, but it was the most beautiful zoo I've ever been to.  Rick and Elissa thought it was partly because they had so much land to work with.  It reminded me more of Animal Kingdom than any other zoo I've seen.  The gorgeous landscaping, beautiful buildings and details completely drew me in.  They even had footprints in the walkways just like Animal Kingdom.  They also played music in the background at the front entrance.  If you didn't know any better, you would have sworn you were at Walt Disney World.  I definitely want to go back to the zoo again!

While in Nashville, I had figured that we'd make it to the Country Music Museum and Elissa and I probably could have gone but it didn't make sense.  Eliot would love to see it, so I decided it was best to wait to do that with him.  We also never got a chance to do the hop on, hop off bus tours.  This seemed like a great way to see the city and the major sights.  I'll definitely plan ahead so we can do this next time.

I also didn't get a chance to go to the Gulch to see the wall murals.  I thought about doing it while I had some time on Monday, but it was so hot and I didn't have anyone to go with.  Driving into the city alone didn't really sound very enticing.  I had wanted to check out the popular Instagram locations, but it also seemed silly without having someone to take pictures for me.  I probably would have found someone there, but it was so hot and humid while we were there; it just seemed silly to take pictures of myself looking like a hot mess.  Not very Instagram worthy... haha!

Eliot and I really want to go explore more of Centennial Park.  The park was gorgeous and I'd love to walk around it more when it isn't so warm out.  We'd also like to go back to do a tour of the Grand Ole Opry.  As I mentioned in my recaps, Eliot never made it to see Bridgestone Arena (where the Nashville Predators play) or to Broadway either.  It would be great to go catch a hockey game at the arena and then go check out one of the bars or restaurants on Broadway afterwards.

We'd also like to return to the Opry Mills Mall.  I'd like to check out the Aquarium Restaurant.  Eliot and I are fans of Rainforest Cafe so this would also be a fun one to try out.  (There's also a Rainforest Cafe there too.)  In addition to that, it would be fun to see the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  I'm sure there are a bunch of country music stars in it.  Eliot would love it.  We went to the one in Las Vegas 10 years ago and had a blast taking pictures.

Finally, Eliot and I would really like to return to the Pigeon Forge area.  Other than going to Dollywood, we didn't even scratch the surface on what it or Gatlinburg have to offer.  We could probably spend a good part of a week just exploring out there.  I'd also really love to go to Dollywood again.  It's country charm and gorgeous location in the Smoky Mountain foothills definitely hooked me in.

Thank you Tennessee for showing us a good time and for making Eliot and me excited to come back again!  You've got a special place in my heart!  °o°

We're Going to the Zoo (Nashville Part 5)

My last two days in Nashville, I wanted to enjoy myself as much as possible...

Monday, June 10th

Monday started early as both Elissa and I got up for the first day of her internship.  By the time I rolled out of bed at 6:00 am, she was dressed and almost ready.  I got up to see her off and take a picture of her in her uniform.  Then, I handed Elissa her lunch and off she went to the bus stop for her first day!

I was settling back into bed about 10-15 minutes later when I got a phone call.  Elissa had just realized that she missed the bus.  Apparently, the bus was scheduled for 6:17 am that morning instead of 6:24 and neither of us realized it had changed.  I told her it wasn't a big deal.  Lesson learned.  That's why I insisted that someone stay with her in Nashville for the first two days of her internship anyways... we wanted to work out the kinks while I was still there.  I threw some clothes on and drove her over to the zoo.

I got back to the apartment and was pretty awake at that point.  I ended up laying in bed playing on my phone until about 9:00 am or so.  Then, I was starting to get tired again.  I set my alarm for 2 hours later and went back to sleep.  I must have needed the sleep because I slept through my alarm and woke up closer to noon.

I rolled out of bed and decided to do a few things around the apartment before heading over to the zoo.  I called my Mom and talked to her while I did the dishes.  Then, I tidied up around the apartment a little.  After hanging up with my mother, I used my laptop to pay a few bills online.  Once I was caught up on "chores" I jumped in the shower.  By the time I got out of the shower it was already 2:00.  I got dressed and ready, grabbed the trash and finally left the apartment at 2:20.

I had considered going back into the city, but I really didn't have anything that I wanted to do badly enough to go by myself.  Instead, I wanted to explore the zoo at a more leisurely pace.  We had the membership so it didn't cost anything.  (Plus, I didn't really feel comfortable driving into the city alone.)  I was happy with my plan though.  On the way over to the zoo, I stopped at Hardee's for another cheeseburger.  I had to get one more before I left Tennessee!  It was delicious!

I finally arrived at the zoo just after 3:00.  No sooner did I approach the front entrance then Eliot called me.  I talked to him on the phone for a few minutes while sitting outside the entry.  After talking with him, I took a few pictures of the entrance before heading going inside and making my way to the giraffes.

I had noticed there were benches at the giraffe exhibit when we visited the zoo a week prior.  I had been planning on going back to that exact spot for the past week.  I ended up finding a bench on a side trail in the shade and it looked like a nice quiet place for me to sit.  I ended up sitting there watching the giraffes from my bench for over an hour.  There was a really nice cool breeze that kept coming up.  If I'd known how gorgeous it was outside, I would have gotten myself out of the apartment a bit quicker.

It was so peaceful and relaxing to just sit there and watch the giraffes.  When the breeze blew it rustled the leaves in the trees.  The only thing that interrupted the peace was the occasional zoo guest passing and the train whistle off in the distance.

Eventually, Elissa text messaged me to let me know she was done with her first day and heading towards the bus.  My plan was to head out of the zoo a bit behind her so we'd both arrive at home about the same time.  I sat and enjoyed my little slice of heaven on my bench for a few minutes before saying goodbye to the giraffes.

On the way back towards the front of the zoo, I noticed the rhinos.  The other day we had only seen two but there was a huge group of them today.  I took a quick detour by their exhibit to take a few pictures of them.  Then, I made a quick stop at the gift shop to make a mental list of the things I still had to get before heading back to the car.

I was surprised when I beat Elissa back to the apartment.  I hadn't seen her when I passed by the transfer stop so I assumed she was ahead of me.  I was starting to wonder where on earth she was when she sent me a text.  She had accidentally got on the wrong bus at her transfer stop.  The nice bus driver was going to loop back to her stop, but she had to go through the other bus route first.  I told her it was no big deal and that it was good to learn these things now.  (Neither of us even realized there was another bus with the same number... gotta love public transportation!)  I hung out at her apartment until she arrived home about an hour or so later.

I was excited to hear all about her first day at the zoo.  After giving me an overview, Elissa took a quick shower to clean up.  We had decided to take ourselves out to dinner to celebrate her first day.  She chose a Longhorn Steakhouse not too far from her apartment.  We drove over there and enjoyed a nice meal with plenty of leftovers.

When we got home, Elissa was exhausted and ready for bed.  I bid her goodnight and went into the bedroom to pack some of my luggage up.  I quietly talked to Eliot on the phone for a little bit while organizing my stuff.  Then, I answered a few more customer messages on Etsy before calling it a night and going to bed.

Tuesday, June 11th

Elissa got up by herself the next morning but poked her head into the bedroom to let me know she was leaving.  I was half awake waiting for her text that she made it to the zoo ok, then I dozed off and staying in bed until about 9:00 am.

When I got up, I went straight to work packing and organizing everything that I needed to bring home.  I packaged up the box I was mailing home to myself.  Eliot and I had bought a snow globe at the zoo and I wanted to mail it instead of packing it in my luggage.  Once I had everything pretty much packed, I started in on a few other chores.  I had breakfast and then I did all of the dishes.  I didn't want to leave Elissa a pile of dishes to clean.  Then, I took a shower and left the apartment around noon.

My flight wasn't until 7:00 so I had most of the day to enjoy.  I had decided to go back to the Nashville Zoo for a few hours.  On the way to the zoo, I stopped at the post office to drop my package off.  When I arrived at the zoo, it was packed!  I had gotten there so late the day prior that I got a parking spot right out front.  Today, I ended up circling the parking lot twice before parking in the back parking lot.

I had planned to go back to the giraffes, but since I spent so much time there the day before, I headed in the other direction.  I went to see the kangaroos and the line to pet one took up half of their exhibit.  I took a few pictures before continuing along the path to the zebra, ostrich and antelope exhibit.

Then, I spent a bit of time at the tiger exhibit.  One of them was sleeping right up against the glass.  I found myself stuck in that corner for quite a few minutes as family after family of small children gathered around to watch and I couldn't get myself back out.  While there, Elissa text messaged that she was on her lunch break.  Eventually, I slid out between a few people and made my way over to where she was eating.

I found her and we sat and talked for about 45 minutes of her hour long break.  She told me about her morning and I let her know my plans for the afternoon.  When her time was up, we parted ways with plans for me to pick her up later in the day.  

I headed over to watch the meerkats for a few minutes.  There were quite a few moving all around though their dirt tunnels.

After that, I decided to make one last attempt at visiting the kangaroos.  Most of them were awake this time.  They had gotten a bunch of tree branches that a few were munching on.  The line to pet them was still incredibly long so instead I stood there and watched them for a few minutes before leaving.

On my way out of the zoo, I stopped at the gift shop to grab the last of the items I needed to get.  Eliot and I both wanted t-shirts and I decided to get us a plush giraffe and zebra to remember our trip to the zoo.  Then, I also bought a Zooper Heroes magnet because it was Captain America and I love tigers.  It was meant to be!

On the way back to the apartment, I took a quick unplanned detour.  The Ellington Agricultural Center wasn't far from Elissa's apartment.  She and Rick had gone over the other day on their way back from trying out her bus route.  She said it was cool so I decided to drive up there to see it quickly.  I didn't have any time to explore, but I did get to see the barn where they keep the horses.

Then, I headed back to the apartment to get the rest of my affairs in order before I needed to leave for the airport.  I stopped at the front office to print a note that I'd written the night before to leave for Elissa.  When I got back to her apartment, I set the note on her kitchen counter along with the extra Merida Disney Princess necklace that I'd secretly purchased at Hot Topic when she wasn't looking.  (She had been admiring it, but put it back since she was going to behave.  When she was looking at something else, I slipped an extra one into my pile of necklaces without her noticing.)

I ate my lunch, which was basically the last of my leftovers of everything that I hadn't eaten yet.  Then, I changed into my swimsuit so I'd have just enough time for a quick dip in the pool to cool off.  When I arrived at the pool by the fitness center, it was empty and I was so excited... until I went to open the gate and discovered it was locked.  The pool was closed.  Then, I drove back to her apartment and tried the pool near the playground.  It was also chained up.  Disappointed, I walked across the parking lot and went back to the apartment.  So much for my last swim in the pool before going home.

Instead, I jumped into the shower to rinse off before changing into my travel clothes.  I then finished packing the last of my stuff into my luggage.  It was all I could do to drag my giant LL Bean bag up the stairs and to the rental car.  It weighed a ton.  Next, I brought up my carry on and backpack.  Finally, I checked the bedroom and apartment one more time before leaving it for the last time and heading to the zoo.

I arrived a little bit before Elissa was going to get out so I sat in the air conditioning and ate the rest of the snacks I had brought with me.  I checked in with both Eliot and my mother so they knew that I was on schedule.  Eventually, she got out and met me at the car.  We drove home through the rush hour traffic, which was busy but not too bad.

I parked in front of Elissa's apartment building and got out so I could give her a big hug goodbye.  I swore I wasn't going to cry, so of course I did.  It was hard to leave her there, but I also knew she was going to have such a good time this summer.  This internship is a great opportunity for her and another chapter that gets her closer to her dream of working with animals.  Still, leaving her in Nashville was bittersweet.

After saying goodbye, I got back into the car, took a deep breath and made my way over to the airport.  I basically knew where I was going but I had the GPS on just in case.  Besides almost missing my exit, I made it there in one piece.  Thankfully, getting to the rental car return parking garage was very easy.  I unpacked my luggage and waited to find out what I had to do.  I was ready to leave the keys in the car like everyone else when I discovered the Hertz guy.  I waited until he came over to check the car over and give me my receipt.  Then, I was good to go!

Somehow, I made it over to the airline check in.  My luggage weighed a ton, but I made it.  Of course, it was overweight, but it was what it was.  I didn't have anywhere else to put it so I just paid the extra fee.  Then, I headed through security and got settled in at my gate.  I checked in with Eliot, my Mom and Nori to let them know that I was there ok.  Elissa had texted to thank me for the note and necklace so she and I texted back and forth for a bit.  Eventually, I boarded my plane and said goodbye to Tennessee.

I slept during most of both flights.  I had a layover in Baltimore that provided me with enough time to go get something to eat.  I opted for Cinnabon since we don't have any back home.  After enjoying my two mini cinnamon buns, it was time to board my plane to Portland.  Before I knew it, I was back on the ground in Maine right at midnight.

Eliot was at the bottom of the Portland Jetport escalators waiting for me.  He took my backpack from me and we made our way to the luggage carousel.  After approximately forever, they finally loaded it so we could get our luggage.  Eliot took me to McDonald's because I was really hungry- even though it was past 1:00 am at that point.  By 1:45, we arrived at our house and my Tennessee adventure was officially over.  °o°

July 2019 Calendar

Hi friends!  I'm taking a quick break from my Nashville trip recap to make sure that I get my calendars posted on the first of the month!  I can't believe it's already July.  The year is officially halfway over.  Eliot and I have done so much traveling so far this year; I barely feel like we've been home!  Thus, I've been working on a lot of stuff around the house the past few days.  Hopefully, I can get working on my 2019 Goals since I now have half the time to finish them.  (Yikes!)  Anyways... here are my free calendars!!!

I'm so humbled and honored to continue the tradition of posting my free printable calendars for other Disney fans to enjoy.  This is my 5th year!!!  I started making these back when I started my blog in 2014.  I first designed them as a way to track Eliot's and my RunDisney training and it's come so far!  I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to share them with everyone else.  To date, my printable calendars have been used for Disney trip countdowns, Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the July 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank July 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2019.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)