The 6 BEST HOTELS IN THE USA

I have had the luxurious pleasure of saying in all of the following resorts and hotels. I HIGHLY recommend each of them to not only enhance your vacation but to make your vacation. Click on each link to see gather more detailed information and see some stunning photos.

1. THE HOTEL HERSHEY

                                               2. ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE RESORT

                                                        3. HYATT AT THE ARCH 

                                                                4. INN BY THE SEA

                                                       5. THE INN AT 909 LINCOLN 

                                                               6. KONA VILLAGE RESORT 

UP and down

2014 certainly has not been dull. It's been a roller coaster of highs and lows.

I got a new car. Chrysler 300 S. It is the nicest, smoothest, sleekest, smartest vehicle I've ever been inside, I love it! I could live in that car.

In the winter I took my daughter to a play area in a mall, this winter was just too cold to even spend much time playing in the snow so we spent a lot of time at the mall. My daughter pushed...lightly...another little girl-this set off the other mother into a bizarre fit of rage. The woman began screaming, cursing and threatening me with physical violence. And she was dead serious. I was very cautious of how I handled this situation but I suppose ultimately I did the right thing seeings that everyone left unharmed, though this ridiculous spectacle did end with a police report filed against her and not surprisingly was broadcast on a local news source. One of the things that upsets me the most is that this 'woman' was so aggressive and violent towards me- there was at least one hundred people in the very nearby area and not one single person did or said anything to help out a mom with a child. Watching an adult behave in such a way is still and forever will be very hard to even believe.

On the lighter LIFE LISTING side, we went to Disney on Ice, I took a French Cooking Class with my long lost girlfriend and ran into another old friend there. We're on our 7th Hula Class getting ready for our 3rd my show this summer. We survived a polar vortex, arctic blast and pothole purgatory. We paid off my braces and I completed my invisalign treatment to which I'm very happy with my teeth and too afraid to fix the few small things I don't like since the last time I got a new retainer it chipped my tooth! My husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary at the shooting range where a complete ass who was standing right next to us, with zero muzzle discipline, pointed his handgun directly at my head standing about 2 feet away. Like my husband says "Never point your gun at something you aren't willing to destroy." If I ever see this nut again I'm going to engrave that on a wristband to serve as a daily reminder to just be PLAIN RESPECTFUL towards people who ARE NOT attacking you!

We booked our cruise to the Bahamas and our good friends surprised us and are coming with! We're all very excited. I think the only thing missing from our trip to Disney last year was that we didn't have anyone with us so this ought to be an ever better trip!

We've been internationally spoiled, my Indian student and his roommates cooked us, my Brazilian friend hand made us sushi, my Russian student brought us a bunch of treats on her recent trip to Europe.Then another friend cooked me a traditional Filipino meal! One of my student's mothers sent me my very own Sari from India, which was a terrific surprise and not to mention a LIFE LIST item of mine!

We gutted our bathroom...it's about 400x the amount of work I expected it to be but it'll look great when it's done. We had our mud room, living room and main hallway repainted and it looks great, we're very happy with the new look.

I had some problems at work which was extremely stressful but thankfully things have calmed down now.

I think I had about 9 different viruses and colds....severe headaches...but feeling very good now!

I am no cook. I just don't see the point. Everything I make tastes terrible. I'd rather just make some toast...or a juice. But one day I got a little overzealous and attempted to make guacamole. It was so hot I felt dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. The volcanic eruption of heat did not end there...apparently I am the only moron who does not know that when you're cooking with hot peppers YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THE SEEDS...but I didn't just 'touch the seeds...incidentally I chopped them up and added them to the guac....but that's also not where I stopped either...since I obviously do not have the correct instruments with which to make guacamole I had to use an improvisational method of turning it into a paste..so I used my bare hands. That's right I squished all those ingredients together and smashed jalapeno pepper seeds deep into the pours of my hands. For 9 hours I felt as if I was holding a scalding curling iron in each hand. Just imagine that...picking up the hot end of 2 curling irons...and sitting on the couch watching TV while you hold them in your hands...for 9 hours. At 3h in the morning I was laying in bed with winter gloves on my hands which were resting on ice packs whimpering and praying for it to go away. I finally passed out from shock of this incendiary vegetable. I guess I learned a lot that day.

My family met up in southwestern Tennessee....last minute my mom convinced me to take my daughter-we made it to southern Kentucky. A series of events forced me to turn around. We ended up staying the night in Dayton Ohio. Initially, I was disappointed but my daughter frequently talks about our 'bacation' to the hotel with breakfast and swimming. So, the fact that she had fun on our very busted trip makes me smile.

Then we hosted Easter dinner at our house which included my parents, my sister, the Brazilian family, the Russian student, the Indian student and all his roommates. It was 9 internationals to 6 Americans...and it was the best Easter we've ever had.

I've got a ton of things in the works and I'm juggling a million different ideas, plans and adventures! But, right now things are really great and I'm very excited about the rest of the year!

Surviving the Polar Vortex in Pictures

 

Feels like -34....yea...I remember that day.

After this snowstorm above in March I learned that we were just a few inches away from breaking the record..now, naturally a LIFE LISTER like myself would want to live through the SNOWIEST AND COLDEST MICHIGAN WINTER IN RECORDED HISTORY....

so I prayed. I prayed my little heart out...

             

An April Miracle. Thank you Jesus.

                     

 

So then the snow melted...and began POTHOLE PURGATORY!!

This extremely harsh winter took a toll on Michigan's already notoriously bad roads...but this was unbelievable. It got to the point where I wouldn't even go to certain places because as it happened...we decided to buy a brand new car at the worst time possible and these sinkholes were causing major damage to vehicles. 

Well...congratulations Michiganders...WE DID IT! We survived....well most of us...and we deserve this summer, Lord Almighty make it a good one! 

Standing Ovation

I love watching others complete their goals, learn new talents, take on challenges, chase their dreams and help others. I want to share with you some of these of people I know who I find inspirational and amazing in the hopes that you will too. I am lucky to know the following women and it's exciting to follow their life journeys. These are the type of people the world needs more of and they deserve a standing ovation for their recent accomplishments. The following ladies have fearlessly changed their lives and others. I am inspired by them, I'm proud to know them, I admire them and I applaud them.

Michelle-Michelle is an acquaintance of mine, I don't know her well, she's actually the woman who recruited me to become a blogging partner with The Oakland Press and from who I adopted my second kitten. Tomorrow Michelle will be donating a kidney to her friend...this type of selflessness and generosity we don't see very often. So many lives will be changed for the better because of outstanding gift and what an incredible person her friend must be for Michelle to be so willing and happy to go through this for. You can follow her story here. Both ladies will be in my thoughts and prayers all day tomorrow.

Michelle on the right and on the left her friend whose life she will change.

Jayvee- Jayvee is a new friend of mine, I haven't known her long but I'm pretty sure that I've met Superwoman. Among being an excellent mother of 2 under 3, plays the ukulele, speaks 3 languages and Hula Dances this very talented woman makes the most beautiful costumes for her daughter and recently made one for my daughter. I casually mentioned that I was going to buy my daughter an 'Elsa' dress for Valentine's Day, without blinking an eyelash she said "Oh no, I'll just make her one...I'll bring it next week." I am so blessed to have her friendship and I adore watching the little bond between our 3 year old daughters blossom. One of the things I greatly appreciate about Jayvee is that she's a 'doer' not a 'talker' and can do it all! I am in awe of her many talents and her positively delightful personality.

The Frozen dress she made for my daughter.

Shannon-Shannon has been my best friend since we were 7 years old, we met during our figure roller skating lessons. A year ago she was a waitress at the Rainforest Café, had to move back in with her parents at 30 and was desperate to change her life. She bought a ticket to Chile and has lived there for over a year now, has become nearly totally fluent in Spanish, she's in a relationship with a wonderful man she met there, has a housekeeper, teaches English and enjoys travelling all over the Chilean countryside. I miss my friend dearly but I am so proud of her and happy for. She has completely changed her life for the better by hard work, determination and one gutsy move. I love watching nestle into the life that was meant for her.

What a difference a year makes....

Haha! Though with your boyfriends outfit above I know where he could find a job!

LIFE LIST: Disney Restaurant-1900 Park Fare

When: August 2013

The Grand Floridian Resort

Where: 1900 Park Fare inside The Grand Floridian

Cost: Included in our Disney Deluxe Dining package, and this was easily the fanciest meal we had and the one that stood out the most. It was buffet style dining and as I've mentioned before I am not a fan of buffets but like everything in Disney it was top notch! This buffet was the largest and had the widest variety of food.
*Reservations MUST be made in advance-ours were made 5 months in advance.

Why this is on my list: I like any sort of themed restaurant and if characters are involved- even better! I had NO CLUE how incredibly decadent this resort would be, just waiting in the lobby was worth the trip here! We walked into the most grand lobby I've ever seen at a hotel and the first thing I noticed was a gentleman playing the grand piano and wearing tails, it was exquisite! The restaurant inside, 1900 Park Fare was also equally enchanting with life size carousel horses and over sized chandeliers.

Will I do it again? YES! This resort is incredible and 1900 Park Fare left us not only with the greatest memory from the trip, but one of the greatest moments of my life-my daughter was so excited to meet Prince Charming and ask him "to be married" then he said she could have his first dance after Cinderella. Our sweet little 2 year old was perfectly in her Cinderella dress danced with Prince Charming, it was ABSOLUTELY the most precious thing I've ever seen in my entire life, then at the end of the dance, the Prince bowed and on cue my little darling curtsied. It was the magical moment you see in commercials for Disney World. All of the characters were wonderful, Cinderella gave my daughter special attention but my biggest thank you goes to Prince Charming for giving us this memory that will last forever.

The Ultimate Life List is now on Facebook please like it!