Florida: The 5 to 7 Year Plan

By Nick

This past weekend my wife Barbie and I hit a local antique shop where this little kitchy Alligator thermometer caught my eye.

I initially passed it up, but then, while I was across the room looking at other items, Barbie called out, "Did you see this?" I walked over and had another look.

We both agreed it had a certain appeal, and asked how much. $3. Sold.
As a bonus, the thermometer works!

When we got it home and set it down, I realized what I liked so much about it. It just screams "HOME" to me. I don't live in Florida mind you, I live in New Jersey. So, why does this have the appeal it does?

Both Barbie and I have every intention of calling Florida home in the next 5 to 7 years.

I'd like to say this timetable is driven by our desire to stay close to family and friends, but that would be untrue. It's strictly financial.

I've worked for the same company for nearly 25 years, and am hoping to receive a pension at 30 years. I say hoping because, well, I don't want to get into too many details, but nothing is written in stone, and my employer doesn't have the same concern for my future that I do, and 5 years is a long way off!

But let's just say I make it to that goal. Within 5 years my wife and I will be looking at homes in Florida! Indeed, we are looking now, and I'm not entirely convinced that we wouldn't buy a home if we found one with the perfect appeal as well as the perfect price, despite neither of us wanting to worry about the care of 2 homes, especially one so far away.

We've also discussed being snow birds, perhaps getting a condo or townhouse in Florida now, and then, after retirement, living there 6 months and coming back to New Jersey for the other half of the year. There are several issues with this scenario, however. The biggest one is property taxes in New Jersey are outrageous. Secondly, Summers here can on occasion be just as hot and humid as in Florida. And finally, as I mentioned above, we don't want to have to care for 2 homes.

As for employment, we hope to work part time for, well, you can probably guess.

Do you have a plan to move to Florida, and how close are you to this goal?

When it rains, it pours!

by Gaylin

Walt Disney World is in Florida and according to Google, it is 'humid subtropical', a fancy way of saying, hot, humid and rainy. I have had vacations at WDW with nary a drop of rain and then there have been vacations where there was a rainy period every day.

In May of 2014, it was hot and humid the whole time I was there. On my last day at the Magic Kingdom there was a little bit of relief, it rained!

I was near Space Mountain when it started and I decided I wasn't going to get my rain poncho out, I went in the store at the end of Space Mountain and found not only a place to sit but I had free entertainment when a group of teenagers decided to wait out the rain by charging their phones.

When the rain stopped I got right back outside to enjoy those few minutes when it feels cooler before the sun comes out again and steams up the rain water and raises the humidity again!

Afternoon rain showers are common at WDW, you can be prepared with a plastic rain poncho and just keep going, often the ride line-ups thin out when it rains. Or you can duck into a store and do some shopping. I have heard a lot of people complain that rain just ruins their vacation . . . it doesn't have to, have a rain strategy and the magic never has to stop!

If you want a great idea of what to do with your Disney Poncho when you get home, check out this article, also by Gaylin.-Nick

A Winter Summerland at Walt Disney World

By: Nick

You're in Walt Disney World. It's Christmastime. You need to escape the crowds. You could go back to the resort pool...again.

Or, you can do something different.

Miniature golf at Disney's Winter Summerland is an enjoyable respite. Located next to Disney's Blizzard Beach, this mini golf spot actually has 2 courses, one a beach theme, and one a North Pole snowy theme.

And, as you'd expect from Disney, these course are not only wonderfully themed but have an imaginative back story.

One Christmas Eve, as Santa was flying over Florida, he discovered a snowy spot in this tropical locale. After investigating this anomaly, he decided to build a vacation spot for his elves to enjoy on their downtime. A Winter Summerland!!!

Apparently some elves wanted to enjoy a more authentic Floridian vacation, so they built the Summer side of the course.

Other elves recreated a more "homey" course, complete with a, ski slope, ice fishing pond, a snowman, and even a snow castle.


My wife, friends, and I played the winter side. It is great fun, and there are plenty of surprise effects throughout.
You will also find a few of your Disney pals around.



Signs are at each of the 18 holes to give hints of how to play that hole, and give a hint at what effect you may encounter.






You start at Santa's "Elfstream Winterbago," a converted trailer home, gift shop and snack stand.



Santa even left a sleigh for photo ops! That guy thinks of everything.


This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.
For more on Winter Summerland, please check out this great post from Gaylin.