Category: Story-time Sunday

Let’s take a break from the movie-themed macabre, shall we? Halloween is less than a week away, and I’ll be sure to post the rest of the spooky cinematic deep-dives between now and then! For now, something a bit more fluffy: last Monday was Aaron and I’s one year anniversary! His parents and brother have moved down to be rid of the harsh Vermont winter, leaving us with someone to watch the cats so we could go away for a night.

Cats and family notwithstanding, there’s still a pandemic. We elected for a stay-cation at –you guessed it– Disney World Resort. We stayed at the Yacht Club Resort as opposed to returning to a hotel we’ve been to already. It was huge! It’s themed like a yacht club, as you would expect, with cartography art and carpets. The hotel sits on the edge of Disney’s Boardwalk, which has four hotels and a few bars and restaurants connected along the path leading up to EPCOT. We went for a walk around the boardwalk and then headed into EPCOT while we waited for our room to be ready! 

At the France pavilion, I enjoyed the Escargot (a forever favorite of mine) and Aaron had the duck confit. We split an order of Pão de queijo at the Brazil pavilion and Aaron had some spicy Hummus Fries in Morocco. Morocco also had a tropical mimosa that made my stomach hurt (I am not good at drinking) before we headed into the Japan store. I had wanted to get Jjapagetti and Neoguri to make Jjapaguri, aka Ram-don from “Parasite,” courtesy of Binging with Babish, and hoped that considering they had Top Ramen and Cup O’ Noodles amongst all the traditionally Japanese snacks, they might have OTHER versions of Ramen, too! No such luck.

After that, we went to the America pavilion for me to enjoy a Lobster Roll. While in America, we received word that our room was ready! We headed back to the hotel to drop our bags off at the room and enjoy Aaron’s favorite part of staying in a Disney resort: watching some of the new Mickey Mouse cartoons. They’re like a fever dream and they’re amazing. I took a power nap and then we returned into EPCOT to enjoy some of Aaron’s Food and Wine favorites! We picked up a box of Lapsang Souchong tea for his brother, who catsit for us during the days we were gone. We headed over to the Festival center, where Aaron got pierogies from the Festival Favorites booth. I got the spanakopita (are you seeing a pattern for what I like? Garlicky, savoury breads). We then walked over to Canada, where Aaron got the cheese soup. We then went into the main square, where I got a vegan meatball from their Active Eats booth, and Aaron got a slider from the Hawaii booth.

We walked over to the China Pavilion, where I bought Aaron some egg rolls while I purchased myself a Boba tea, my absolute favorite. That was the last of our day in EPCOT! We’ve been so often that we do not need to go to each booth, nor each ride to enjoy ourselves.

We went back to the hotel and sat by the pool. When I say pool, I mean Stormalong Bay, which is likely the best pool experience in all of the Disney hotels. It has a zero entry “tide pool” with a sand bottom, and a “sandbar” where kids can make sandcastles. There’s also a lazy river, waterfall fed pools, and a separate pool just for volleyball. Did I mention the near-300 foot water slide shaped like a shipwreck? After I went around in a loop on the lazy river, Aaron and I soaked up the last few minutes of sun deciding what to do for dinner. I had booked us at Beaches and Cream, where they have traditional diner food, but the real coup de grace is the heart-attack sundaes and milkshakes. Aaron was fine with the sundaes, but thought our anniversary deserved slightly above average burgers. With that, he put his magic powers to work. He is somehow able to get us last minute reservations, fast-passes at Disney, you name it, every time. It’s a gift. Sure enough, we got ourselves a reservation early in the evening at the Ale and Compass, their New England themed restaurant (which seemed perfect, considering our intention for an anniversary trip back to Vermont prior to the pandemic). Aaron had a maple old fashioned (which was his signature cocktail at the wedding!) and I had a Woodchuck Cider (brewed in Vermont!). I had the catch of the day, he got a strip steak, and we split an order of yummy dinner rolls. We went back to our room to channel surf (Aaron made fun of me because apparently I don’t do a good job), and then we headed over to Beaches and Cream. I got the Fudge Mudslide, and Aaron got the No Way Jose. The family next to us had full on dropped-jaws as they brought over our sundaes. Aaron was horrified, I was enamored, and the husband of the family next to us asked the name of mine so he knew what to order next! 

We passed out watching Mickey cartoons almost immediately after getting back to the room. Luck was on my side, because I had purchased a small roll of Tums in case the combination of food from EPCOT and Beaches and Cream came back to haunt me in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up to my standard Monday alarm, delighted to turn it off and roll back to sleep. Aaron ended up sleeping in while I went to the jacuzzi at the quieter pool on the hotel property by myself for a while before we packed up the room and headed to Animal Kingdom. We beelined to Pandora and waited only an hour to ride Flight of Passage, which I would say is second only to Rise of the Resistance (second to Carousel of Progress, which is the best experience at Disney World, fight me cowards) in terms of best rides at Disney World.

From there, we ordered lunch at Satuli Canteen, the quick service restaurant in Pandora. We were lucky– just as we sat down the skies opened up and it POURED. It managed to lighten up to a light drizzle as we walked from Pandora to Africa, where we went on the safari ride through the on-site preserve. We saw lots of the animals, but it was exciting to see so many rhinos out and about on the ride we did! To boot, we saw baby zebras and baby giraffes. As well, every time we go on the safari, we always see a nest of ostrich eggs but never any ostriches. This time, after being passholders for nearly three years, we saw three ostriches! Aaron predicted, based on the time of day, that we had arrived just as feeding time ended (which would explain why there were so many vultures surrounding the major carnivores in the preserve… hoping to get some delicious, sweet carcass, perhaps?). We then walked through the preserve and saw some of the gorillas. Aaron needed his afternoon coffee, so we walked over to the Asia section where we were hoping to ride Expedition Everest, the yeti-themed coaster, but it had been off-and-on during the day because of the weather. It was still down, so Aaron and I found a little alcove for him to enjoy his coffee. On the walk over, I went to buy some popcorn! The woman selling it smiled at me and handed it over and said “the box is wet from the rain, so it’s on the house.” Disney magic! Free popcorn! 

After Aaron and I had our treats, we decided to head home. We managed to get to the car and onto the main road just as it started to really pour again! I don’t know how we managed to dodge bad weather twice. When we got home we immediately hugged Jake and Rosa. I took a nap while Aaron played video games for an hour before starting on dinner. I had suggested he make pizza, one that was half-his favorite flavor from American Flatbread (a pizza restaurant in VT) and half my favorite flavor from Leonardo’s Pizza (my go-to takeout place the year we started dating)!

We then opened gifts. We stuck to the anniversary gift-giving tradition of paper and clocks for the first year. He got me a watercolor of the state of Vermont with our wedding date on it, and I got him a biking tour guide of the world (he flipped through the pages quickly pointing out the ones he could do now and ones he wanted to do after he got more mileage under his belt). He also got me a photo frame clock set with a photo from our wedding in it. I got him a clock with a backdrop of constellations of what the stars looked like on the night of our wedding when we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Brunet. Aaron also got me a lovely sparkly card. It made my heart smile. 

With that, we had some of our wedding cake! You read that right. Our cake chef preserved our wedding cake top for us to have a year later. It wasn’t the same apple cake, but it was the same maple frosting. We toasted with champagne, then watched Star Wars together before going to bed. 

All things considered, we had a great anniversary celebration, even if it wasn’t the one we had in our minds. I’m hoping that by next year, the world returns to normal! Then we can go back to Vermont… or maybe Italy. Bueno sera! 

I had the opportunity to study abroad in London in the spring of 2015. I spent five months walking the streets of London, visiting museums and meditating in Regent’s Park. I spent all my extra money putting myself on planes, trains, and ferries across the country and continental Europe. I went on a lot of great trips but a favorite memory was my solo trip to Liverpool. Growing up I was a big Beatles fan (still am, of course), and I wanted to spend the day learning all I could about the Fab Four up close in their hometown. I woke up before the sun to board a train to Liverpool, arriving in town at around 9 AM. I had only my phone to guide me through the city, and I stopped at a local diner to have the breakfast of champions: pancakes and a cookies and cream milkshake.

Eventually I meandered over to “The Beatles Story,” a museum on the main dock of Liverpool dedicated to the band. I remember seeing the massive line of people who hadn’t pre-ordered their tickets. I thought to myself “Pfft. Amateurs,” as I walked past them to exchange my pre-purchase ticket for access into the museum. It was a “long and winding” museum that took you through their history from their humble beginnings all the way through to John Lennon’s “Imagine” period. There were guitars, original album pressings, Yellow Submarine figures, Eleanor Rigby’s tombstone… they even recreated the club where The Beatles first started to play and gain popularity! You weren’t allowed up on the makeshift stage though, I remember wanting to get up there and pretend to be a rock star. It was very surreal to see all of that history for four of the greatest musicians. Did you know Ringo voiced the narrator on Thomas the Tank Engine + Friends? Wild!

There was a neat cafe and sitting area with Beatles lyrics all on the walls. I want to recreate that wall in my house one day. Or at least, something similar. I then boarded a bus that took me around Liverpool and showed me a few legendary Beatles locations. We saw Penny Lane (yes, THE Penny Lane), John’s childhood home, and Strawberry Fields, among other cool places. We also stopped off to go see Paul’s childhood home, where we were greeted by the caretakers of the house. They were locking up because they had just let in Mike… as in, Paul’s brother, Mike. I was. Shook. Chills!

The tour concluded at The Cavern, where the Beatles first performed. Back then, they were still the Quarrymen. They were first found by Brian Epstein in the Cavern, who signed as their manager and rocketed them into stardom within months. We could get a free postcard in exchange for the ticket from the tour. I bought my first beer in that club! I was on borrowed time by then, because I needed to catch an early evening train back to London. I listened to the band and soaked up the surreal reality of that moment, in all its glory, and downed almost all of my beer and ran outside to find the train station.

I was twenty years old, in a city I’d only been in for seven hours, half drunk off my first “pint”. I ran around for ten minutes in a blitzy blurry haze, not wanting to waste money on a cab to the train. It was less than a mile away, according to my map! I just couldn’t read the map.
Eventually I gave up and hailed a cab… I was in it for roughly two minutes. I had literally been around the corner. I was overwhelmed and it was dark, okay?!

It was a 3-pound trip but I gave the driver a fiver, forgetting that you don’t tip in England. I remember he had a smile in his voice when I said “Keep the change” and he said “Oh, thank you!”

I raced up the stairs, at 5:18, with a train leaving at 5:21 (give or take). My tipsy dumb self still turned at the top of the stairs and yelled “LIVERPOOL I LOVE YOU! GOODNIGHT!” to the city below and then sprinted to the correct train track. I got on and the train actually departed a few minutes late.

Remembering that day brings back really good memories. I had only spent a day in Liverpool but I remember really liking it, winding and rainy and all. I remember thinking “If I ever need to escape it all and hide, I’m moving to Liverpool.” So if I ever vanish without a trace, assume I’m there. I hope I can go back someday without a timeframe to keep in mind.

I didn’t remember this but I just googled it: George Michael bought John’s piano and gave it to the museum when it went on auction, because he feared it would be put in storage by a random collector. What a guy.

I will close this storytime with this incredible line from a mildly good movie:

I’ve decided to kickstart a new initiative, where I share a fun anecdote about me! I’m going to begin this with the craziest thing I’ve ever done:

It was Labor Day Weekend in 2015. Three friends and I decided to go to the lake to swim and… cliff dive?! I figured it’d be a nice bonding day with the girls, all of whom I’d known since two years prior. We had to walk through some woods and up a hill to get there.

One of the girls had insisted that everyone went there, and I figured “Okay. It’s not like people have died doing this. We’ll be fine.”

I was proved right when, as we neared the drop-off point, we started passing others leaving the lake with speakers, chairs, and towels. We got to the drop-off point where people were slipping into the water and jumping off the rocks. I was scared of slipping in my shoes and spraining my ankle, so I basically slid in on my butt!

Meanwhile, the bravest of us girls quickly climbed to the biggest rock and jumped in feet first. I was impressed, but not impressed enough to try it myself. I was scared I’d slip and get hurt.

Ironic, considering what happened after that!

We had basically been swimming around some bigger rocks at the edge of the lake, but there was a legitimate 70 ft cliff. There were a group of probably ten people our age, maybe a few years younger or older, crowded around watching other people jump. Only one or two of them had gone for it.

I decided to walk up, on my own. I slipped out of the water unnoticed and trekked up to find the group of people, all huddled around the edge, the majority too scared to jump.

I was scared to jump. I thought I’d hit a rock going down and break my neck, or end up paralyzing myself and drowning.

This is probably the worst time to think of this quote, but a Taylor Swift line flashed in my head: “Fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear. It’s having the fear but jumping anyway.”

The Hell with it, I thought to myself. Either I live and I can say I did it, or I die and I don’t have to pay my student loans. Win-win. 

I took a step toward the edge of the cliff. One of the girls in the group was filming on her camera and asked if I was going to jump. When I said yes, she and her friends cheered. I told her my name and to tell my mom I loved her.

They counted me down 3… 2… 1…

I jumped.

Holy heckin’ bob, my heart’s pounding just remembering it. Have you ever played a video game where a character does a big leap, and you watch them slowly fall in the air until they stick their landing? That’s how I felt. For what felt like a full minute, but was probably barely five seconds, it was absolute silence. I wished I could control gravity, so I could have stayed floating in midair, looking at the sparkling lake from that point of view.

Then the water came.

I cut into the lake like glass and felt pain rising up into my body. I hadn’t seriously injured anything, but going that far that fast isn’t like jumping into the pool from the low diving board!

I felt my entire bathing suit slip, both the top and the bottom. I was shocked to feel my bikini bottom falling off, because that had never happened ever! I hoisted them up as I rose to the surface, and clung on to the top of my bikini to make sure I didn’t flash any nearby swimmers. I cheered and the group up top cheered too, seeing that I was alive!

I paddled over to a nearby swimmer and asked them to reclasp my swimsuit and they did. That was nice. I dog paddled back to the other side of the water to tell my friends that I had done it!

I probably should have brought one of them along for evidence. Who cares though, right? I know I did it.

The next day, my body took no time in reminding me that I had done it. EVERY body part felt bruised. My arms, my legs, my chest… even where my bikini bottoms covered felt sore! I remember going to the gym, promising to take it easy on myself, and then nearly sliding off a workout bench with the pain of sitting on it!

Naturally, though, the pain was worth it. That day was just a part of an even greater summer. Now, I can say I’ve done cliff diving, at least once. I never have to do it again.

With that in mind, does that mean I need to go sky diving, or shark diving? Either way, it might be time for another high-stakes jump!