July 28, 2013: World Milk Chocolate Day

Today is World Milk Chocolate Day. I love chocolate, it’s not something that I eat every day but I really enjoy it. As a diabetic I have learned that foods are not generally forbidden for me but there are foods that I cannot partake of in unlimited quantity. Chocolate is one of those, something that I must enjoy in moderation. I like dark chocolate and milk chocolate but my wife, an avowed chocoholic, hates dark chocolate and will eat only milk chocolate. If you are at Walt Disney World, try Ghirardelli’s at Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs). Don’t be dismayed if you can’t make it to Downtown Disney, don’t worry; there’s chocolate everywhere and hot chocolate available for the refillable mugs at the resorts.

Today is Parents’ Day. There are a lot of parents at WDW because there are a lot of kids at WDW. In fact, parents, and other adults, can have a marvelous time at WDW with or without the kids. We have never made a trip to Walt Disney World without our children but over the last several years we have been freed up from the kids and they have been freed up from us. I remember the days with walkie-talkies and Deana being with the kids while I went to get Fast Passes; Channels with numerous people speaking numerous languages and all of us trying to communicate with each other over the multi-lingual chatter. As time progressed, we switched to cell phones, which made communication more efficient, and then the next thing we know the kids are 21 and 16. On our last trip in June, for the first time, we scheduled separate evening meals, with Deana and I eating together and the kids eating at a restaurant of their choosing. Our kids ate at Kouzzina on The Boardwalk and Deana and I ate at Bongo’s in Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs). It was nice. You can enjoy be parents at WDW but there are many different ways to enjoy a break from being parents as well.

Bud Luckey was born on this day in 1934 in Billings, Montana. Bud has worked for years as a character designer, working on: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. In 2011, Bud contributed the voice for Eeyore in Winnie The Pooh. There’s no park that you can visit that wouldn’t serve as a tribute to Bud: The Magic Kingdom, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor; The Animal Kingdom, It’s tough to be a Bug; EPCOT, Ratatouille in the France Pavilion; Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Midway Mania. That’s just for starters.

Remember, your best excuse is always; waiting for your dreams to come true.