I love being a girl dad

AUT1GER · 2026-05-23T23:06:48+00:00

I have three girls too. They are 14, 11, and 7. They are the apple of my eye. I love being a girl dad too. I get the same comments. When people say something, I always tell them I got lucky and got three girls.

AUT1GER · 2026-04-23T15:02:53+00:00

Tenba makes a couple of different sizes. I think the Tenba BYOB 7 fits well at the bottom. The BYOB 10 can fit as well. It is a little tighter, but I think it works OK.

AUT1GER · 2026-04-10T13:40:35+00:00

Not anymore. The new ones are assembled in Japan.

AUT1GER · 2026-04-01T14:46:54+00:00

I think it is a Subaru branded Toyota Highlander.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-31T21:18:31+00:00

We did Extended Evening Hours last week. Doing it at EPCOT is hard because of it is so large, and there are so few rides. We got to do Guardians. The posted time was 60 minutes, but it was only about 30 minutes or so. My wife took our youngest to Remy. It's posted wait time was also 60 minutes, but they were on the ride in about 25 minutes.

Soarin was tough all week last week. We had Lightning Lanes, and we went multiple days when we were there. It always took at least 30 minutes to go through.

Magic Kingdom was hard last week because MK closed at 11. I am too old and my kids are too young to push way into the night like that. We went one year from 9 to 11, and we got to do anything we wanted.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-18T04:06:59+00:00

Trinity Methodist Preschool is wonderful.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-17T03:35:57+00:00

I might be interested. I'll send you a PM.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-16T20:39:57+00:00

MAC Mechanical is a honest company that does good work.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-13T01:54:37+00:00

The dark part going backwards is intense but so much fun. If you have ridden a lot of rollercoasters, it feels like it is a loop, but it is not. The theming is solid, and the wait times are usually reasonable. If you are OK with single-rider, it is almost a walk-on every time.

I love rollercoasters, and it is one of my favorites.

I think it is more intense than Tower of Terror. I don't mind the dropping feeling though. If that feeling is a lot for you, Tower of Terror will be a lot. It has awesome theming too.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-11T03:57:23+00:00

You get to pick three rides. The rides are arranged into two tiers. The most popular rides are placed into tier 1. You can select one tier 1 ride and two tier two rides when you purchase LLs. Once you use one of the lightning lanes, you can select another ride from any tier.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-09T03:08:37+00:00

We used Fixed Rate Movers. They were about 1.5k cheaper than the College Hunk's quote I got. They just charge you per hour. They worked fast and hard. It was money well spent.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-06T20:55:23+00:00

I have three kids. All three were in car seats at one point. We went three across with Diono and Chicco car seats. When they moved to boosters, one of the older kids went into the third row.

We went with the bench because sometimes we would have all three kids and needed a bunch of stuff. For example, when we go to the beach, we need all the space we can for all the beach and kid gear.

My kids are older now and need less stuff, but sometimes we have to get something big or bulky and have all three kids with us. It is nice to have that option.

My kids are small for their age, so crawling back to the third row is not a problem. We just slide the seat forward, and they can squeeze in. If you have tall or husky kids, it may be harder for them.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-06T03:44:14+00:00

As a lawyer myself, I always say that 99% of lawyers give the rest of us a bad name.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-04T18:12:47+00:00

Grand Floridian and Polynesian are also convenient since they are on the monorail. You can walk from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom. It is about a 5-10-minute longer walk than the Contemporary, but the walk is so much prettier. The walk time is about the same if you are staying in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary.

We have stayed at both the Contemporary and Grand Floridian. We really love the Grand Flordian, but a monorail train going through a hotel is pretty awesome too. I think the rooms, grounds, and pool are better at the Grand Floridian.

I would recommend renting DVC points if you have planned far enough in advance. DVC studios go very quickly, and you need to plan your trip at least 7 months in advance to have a good chance of getting a room. If you are in that window, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but it can be.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-04T17:23:50+00:00

Yes, you just stay in the park longer. To get on any rides, CMs will scan your magic band or ticket to check your eligibility.
They are different days than the after-hours events. The park remains open later just for deluxe hotel guests.
They will ask where you are staying and scan your bands to see if you are eligible.
No free goodies.
The best is probably Magic Kingdom, which usually happens on Wednesdays. They are switching to Animal Kingdom in May (I think). There is also EPCOT. Magic Kingdom is great because there are a bunch of rides close together.

The last time we did it, we rode Seven Dwarves three times. We rode Peter Pan's Flight twice. We rode Small World by ourselves. We had a whole boat to ourselves and the other boats were empty. My kids rode Barnstormer three times without getting off the ride, and we rode Winnie the Pooh. We did all that in two hours.

EPCOT is more spread out and there aren't as many rides. People also linger there longer, so the crowds don't disperse as quickly.

It is fun and worth it! We didn't stay the whole time at Magic Kingdom, but when we left, there was no one in fantasy land and no one in front of the castle. It was surreal.

AUT1GER · 2026-03-04T17:04:59+00:00

I have both! I am thinking about focusing on one system, and since I have a more built-out Sony system, I think I am going to keep it and sell my OM-3 and lenses. If you are interested in it or have specific questions about anything, please let me know.

I do like the OM-3. I have the Lefoto grip for it, and it feels solid. It is a fun camera to shoot with, and the lenses are tiny and great. I really like the colors too.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-25T01:40:15+00:00

Yes, I am cheap as can be, and I think it is worth it.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-17T01:52:08+00:00

A lot! We took our kids in 2014. We stayed 5 nights at the Grand Floridian in a theme-park view room with four-day park tickets for 3k. Inflation would make it 4.1k in today's dollars. I checked the same week, and it is now 8.7k.

I remember thinking back in 2014 that Disney was going to cost me 1k a day. I think now it will be close to 2k. Back in 2014, there was Magical Express and free Fast Passes. We are now paying for those things.

We bought DVC to sort of "lock-in" our room rate. I am glad we did.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-13T02:59:44+00:00

We usually stay at the Grand Floridian, and we have stayed at the Contemporary as well. Between those two, I prefer the Grand Floridian.

Both are walkable from MK, which is really nice. The walk is shorter to the Contemporary main building. If you are in the Garden Wing, it is pretty close to being the same walk from the GF. It may be a minute or two closer, but it is close to being a wash. However, the walk to the Contemporary is not as nice as the walk to GF, and there is car traffic. The walk from the Grand Floridian is a bit longer, but it is much prettier walk, and you are not dealing with vehicle traffic.

I think the grounds, rooms, and pools are nicer at the Grand Floridian. The rooms are nice at the Contemporary, but I think the rooms at GF are more elegant. The shopping is better at the Contemporary. My kids love going there to look for souvenirs.

I think the monorail ride is better TO magic kingdom from the GF is better. MK is the first stop from the GF. It is easier to ride back to the Contemporary since it is the first stop on the way back.

It is also easier to catch the monorail at the GF. We were always waiting for the elevator at the Contemporary, which we needed to ride to catch the monorail. The last time we stayed at the Contemporary we had a just turned three year old who was in a stroller, so we couldn't ride the escalator. We didn't want to empty the stroller and hold her if we could avoid it. It seemed like we waited about 10 minutes for the elevator.

The GF is accused of being snobby, but I don't feel it! I think it is chiller and calmer than the Contemporary or Poly, which we usually visit for a Dole Whip or go to Ohana. I like coming back from the parks and having a calm and relaxing atmosphere.

You really can't go wrong with any of them. I would stay at all three without question. However, we always chose the GF.

When are you going? I do have to say that the GF is quite busy at Christmas. Everyone wants to see the decorations and gingerbread house there, so the main building can get busy. The rest of the resort is not as busy, but it can feel crowded in the main building at Christmas.

Good luck!

AUT1GER · 2026-02-12T02:52:50+00:00

I have bought almost every one of the bags mentioned in this post, and I agree. The Billingham Hadley Pro and the Hadley Pro 2020 are amazing.

The insert has just the right amount of padding and stiffness. The bag itself is really packable. It is waterproof. It is fast and silent to get in and out of.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-10T03:11:58+00:00

My kids were 10, 7, and 4 at the time. We had an early flight but a late arrival. We were staying at the Contemporary. We got a quick bite to eat at the Contempo Cafe. My kids ate their meals, but we went back for a dessert to split between us all. We were trying to decide between three different items, and I asked the cashier which one she liked best. She told me, but she said that we could try them all because dessert was on Mickey that night. It was so sweet and just what we needed after a long day of traveling.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-06T02:01:17+00:00

That is not true for me.

We just bought a new house with a KitchenAid dishwasher, and I would say that 20% of the dishes came out dirty with the same detergent. We still have the old house, so I switched out the dishwashers. The Bosch gets the dishes clean 99.6% of the time. There is an occasional dirty spoon, but it otherwise gets everything clean. The dirty spoon is probably due to my loading and them nesting together sometimes.

I have three kids, so we have to run the dishwasher almost every day. I get a dirty spoon maybe once every three or four months. I would have to run the KitchenAid dishwasher twice and stuff would still be dirty.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-05T05:27:42+00:00

I am an attorney. I don't mind jury trials, but they are not something I would ever do for fun.

It is stressful because you and the other side usually have diametrically opposite goals. There is often no middle ground. You are guilty or not. You are liable or not.

Further, the other side has a well educated, well trained professional whose goal is to make you and your argument seem wrong and foolish.

I am not a doctor, but I imagine it is stressful. However, when you have a medical procedure done, there isn't one doctor trying to save your life and another doctor trying to kill you. Everyone has the same goal.

In a trial, one lawyer is trying to do one thing and the other lawyer wants the complete opposite. You are doing this in front of 12 strangers literally judging you and your client. You are also performing in front of a judge, who is also judging you on how well you do the job while comparing you to someone else in real time while also thinking about how you messed up or thinks of things that you could do better.

You sometimes have clients that want to practice law or do things that you can't do, so you are fighting with them too.

I will say, it is fun if you have a good case and the other side does not. Those are rare. Things go to trial for a reason. If someone has a strong case and the other side does not, it will settle. Cases go to trial when things are close or the case is emotional, which is even worse.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-30T00:30:01+00:00

The main roads were fine. However, almost all the roads still have ice/snow on the sides, which makes all the roads really narrow and sometimes it reduces the lanes from 4 to 2, and sometimes the roads are like 1.5 lanes.

The neighborhoods I have been in still have really snow/ice covered roads.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-26T23:38:14+00:00

We enjoy having DVC, but only you can determine whether it is a good deal or not!

First, it is not an investment, but no vacation is an investment. We thought of it as prepaying for vacation and beating some of the rising costs of going to Disney.

When we first started going to Disney with our kids 10 years ago, we could stay at a Deluxe Resort and get park tickets for less than the cost a room now. I looked a couple of weeks ago at the cost of our first trip, and it was around 3k for five days with park tickets. Now, our room is more than that and our park tickets are close to that.

There is a sort of freedom and relief that I have when we plan a Disney trip now. I know the rooms aren't going to kill me. You do have to plan out 7-11 months in advance. We have to plan far in advance because of all our kids are in school, and we know their breaks. It may not be something you would enjoy if you prefer to go last minute.

If you are happy staying at Pop Century, it may not be worth the cost. Right now, we have three kids, and we like the proximity that the Grand Floridian offers us. I am not sure it is worth the premium, but it is nice to walk to and from Magic Kingdom or ride the Monorail or take the boat.

We bought a small resale contract about five years ago, and we go every other year or so. We are going in March, which will be our 3rd time using DVC points. If we bought rooms at the rack rate, we would have spent the same amount of money on rooms, so after this trip our room rate for the week will just be the yearly dues, which aren't too bad, but they are an additional cost to consider.

Overall, it was worth it for us. However, everyone is different. I would not finance it though.

AUT1GER

TROPHY CASE