Author Archives: Sunny

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

by Sunny

Most 8 year old girls are easily won over by the following: mermaids, kittens, dolphins, and unicorns.  MJ recently discovered the movie Dolphin Tale, which tells the true story of a young dolphin named Winter who was found caught in a crab trap and rescued. Her tail was later amputated due to the amount of damage from being tangled in the trap.  She learns to swim without it and is also given a prosthetic tail so she could once again swim like a dolphin. MJ has seen it at least 20 times. And counting.  I had remembered seeing it years ago when it was first released, but hadn’t really sat down to watch it with MJ, yet.

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3 Tips for Booking a Walt Disney World Vacation

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @sunnylooksleaps

  1.  Research on the website – And be sure to look at ALL of your package options.  We had received a coupon code in the mail for up to 30% off select rooms during the time we were hoping to visit.  Other deals on the website included Magical Holiday room deals, and Room Only deals. However, the deal we settled on was the basic Room and Ticket Package.  It got us the room we wanted for the price we wanted.  You see, the specialty deals, like the one we got in the mail, greatly limits the amount of rooms available for the discount.  So unless you act quickly (as in the day you receive the mailing) your choices will be extremely limited at best. If you have a specific resort in mind, like we did for our upcoming trip, it’s best to scroll through the “View Offers” feature directly above the Available Rooms descriptions on the website.  Had I not used this tool I would have either grossly overpaid or not gotten into Animal Kingdom Lodge at all.  So first lesson learned: be open to all of the offers, not just that enticing advertisement with your name  on it.

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A Meal Fit for the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @sunnylooksleaps

First things first…no season 7 spoilers ahead 🙂

Maybe you don’t have HBO or enjoy 1,000+ page books and you’ve never heard of/seen Game of Thrones. You’re not sure what the hype is about.  All of the Tweets and Instas of Game of Thrones watch parties and countdowns to Season 7 baffle you.  Well, whether you’re new to the game or a diehard fan, I have a fun story to share about a Game of Thrones themed dinner Jimmy and I attended the night before the Season 7 premiere.

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Coronado, California

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @sunnylooksleaps

Every year, we vary our Spring Break destination and are rarely disappointed.  This year was no exception.  Originally planning to stay in San Diego, Hotwire had different plans for us.  When we spotted the mystery resort on the “island” of Coronado at a heck of a price, we decided to go for it.  Coronado was charming, relaxed, convenient, and beautiful – the perfect California getaway. We fell in love with Coronado, California during our 4 day trip in April. Here are our top 6 reasons to love Coronado

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Family-Style Paris

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @sunnylooksleaps

This was the year: our first family trip to Paris! Jimmy, MJ, and I were excited to embark on our first family adventure overseas.  While this was uncharted territory for us, luckily we had my sister, Wendy,  a Paris veteran, join us on our journey.  The trip was amazing and memorable.  As the trip approached and we started sharing our summer trip plans with friends, the general reaction was, “And you ARE taking MJ?!”  I guess for many, Paris is one of those romantic couples vacations, or a high school graduation type trip. Nothing wrong with either of those, but Jimmy and I love to travel and to share travel with MJ.  Not only did our 7 years old get to see France with her parents, but also her fabulous aunt.  Here are some of our tips for visiting Paris family-style!

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Down to the (Hot)Wire

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @SunnyLooksLeaps

For Spring Break 2017, MJ and Jimmy voted on going to Minneapolis to reprise our Mall of America trip of February 2016.  I voted for Vermont (read Wendy’s post here), but I was apparently not very convincing. Long story short, we ended up in neither destination.  Due to our loyalty to nonrevving, we decided less than a week before our trip to cancel our Minneapolis plans and head out west where the flights looked more promising.

Less than a week.

Before Spring Break.

One of THE BUSIEST times of year for air travel and hotel booking.  We literally came right down to the wire when it came to getting a decent place to stay. Then how did we score a four-star resort hotel in Coronado, California on our Minneapolis budget?  One word: Hotwire

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The Evolution of a Disney Fan

by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @sunnylooksleaps

Earlier this year when packing for a trip to Disneyland, MJ announced that she would no longer like to dress like a princess at the park.  “I still want to wear Disney clothes,” she added, “I just don’t want to be a princess.”  I knew that the princess dresses wouldn’t last forever, and while I loved seeing her dress up and enjoy being a princess in the park those ball gowns have their drawbacks in the suitcase and on the rides.  We still attended a princess breakfast.  She posed for pictures with them and asked for their autographs. She still loves them; still watches all their movies.  They are Disney characters after all, and we are a family that loves Disney.  But just like MJ changed her mind about being a princess, so does Disney also evolve and change to adapt to a new generation of fans while still making their seasoned veterans nostalgic. Continue reading →