639. Initiative

639. Initiative
Definition: (n) the ability to assess and start things independently
Location Placed: Starbucks, Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 3/1/15 at 6:25pm





I am so happy that I was able to take a long weekend down in the Orlando area. We had been talking about doing it, but hadn't gotten around to it. Although I definitely wish it would've been longer (so many more rides to ride, so many more meals to have eaten), I feel like it was a good length of trip to escape the cold and snowy/icy winter we've been having here. I certainly hope we've experienced the last of it. If not, well, I know there's always a place for me back in Florida.

638. Constructive

638. Constructive
Definition: (adj) serving a useful purpose
Location Placed: Sid Cahuenga's Antiques and Curios Store, Hollywood Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 3/1/15 at 2:35pm





We had a pretty brief trip to Hollywood Studios as the lines without fast passes for the major rides happen to be 1.5 hours or more. So we took a quick tour, Star Tour, did a few other smaller rides and headed out. Although I always remember a building being at the entrance, I don't remember actually looking at Sid's in the times I've been there. I'm not sure how long it's been there, but I know I've never gone in. And I've not gotten much further as we were headed back to the Magic Kingdom, where we had been able to score fast passes for the "mountain" rides.

633. Courteous

633. Courteous
Definition: (adj) polite, respectful, considerate
Location: Starbucks, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/27/15 at 10:42pm





I definitely don't recall there being a Starbucks in all the Disney parks last time I was here, but that now seems to be the case. We all know I enjoy a nice warm beverage but I just wanted to stop in to see what the inside looked like. Definitely looked pretty futuristic compared to some of the other Starbucks' I've seen. I enjoyed popping in for a quick peek. We didn't stop in Animal Kingdom, but I'd be interested to see what the one there looks like if there is indeed one.

632. Dignified

632. Dignified
Definition: (adj) having or showing a composed manner that is worthy of respect
Location Placed: Morocco Pavilion, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/27/15 at 10:19pm





We didn't really have a lot of time to explore after dinner in the Germany Pavilion. So I basically just did a whirlwind walk through the pavilion to look at the remaining open shop. Most of them had closed down at 10 or were in the process of closing. I had eaten at the pavilion back in 2009, but don't remember doing much exploring when we went that time. I definitely want to poke around a bit more next time I am in Epcot.

631. Team Spirit

631. Team Spirit
Definition: (n) feeling camaraderie among members of a group
Location: China Pavilion, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/27/15 at 7:09pm





Sometimes I find myself really glossing over the pavilions in Epcot. But there are so many little nooks and crannies filled with lovely things! I definitely want to spend more time in Epcot just looking at all the little things each pavilion has to offer. The China pavilion had a whole little subsection that I didn't even know existed! It was really cool to see the Terracotta Warrior exhibit as well as lots of good information about it.

630. Reflective

630. Reflective
Definition: (adj) thoughtful
Location Placed: Mexico Pavilion, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/27/15 at 6:45pm





We took a quick long weekend trip down to the Orlando area in order to hit up the Disney Parks, as well as Universal, which I hadn't been to since I was 9. We stopped in the Mexico Pavilion in order to see what sorts of goodies they had and look at the exhibit information they displayed. Had we a bit more time, we definitely would've went on the ride in the pavilion. I had completely forgotten it existed! They definitely had a lot of lovely and colorful things there. But I had my eye set on the origami paper in the Japanese Pavilion, so I held out.

566. Rescue

566. Rescue
Definition: (v) to save someone or something from a dangerous or distressing situation
Location Placed: All-Star Movies Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/23/14 at 4:10pm





In looking back, this placement bring a smile to my face. I used to love the movie Fantasia when I was a kid. My favorite were the Pegasuses and the ballerina hippos (to the point that one year I was a ballerina hippo). The brooms that are behind the crane actually used to scare me. I was afraid one would come alive in my house and brush me away. But Mickey in this scene required serious rescuing. He was in WAY over his head being a magical apprentice. Thankfully he was rescued because it was looking quite bad for a while. Excuse me while I go re-watch Fantasia.

565. Nestled

565. Nestled
Definition: (v) settle or lie comfortably against or within something
Location Placed: All-Star Music Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/23/14 at 2:56pm





The word nestled always reminds me of Christmas. I cannot associate it with anything other than being snug in bed with visions of sugarplums. It's kind of funny how some words are so strongly attached with meanings or concepts that it's hard to think of them in any other way. Sure you could be nestled in a cave. Or an animal could be nestled in a tree for winter. But I cannot picture anyone thinking or dreaming of anything other than those good ol' sugarplums. (Has anyone even had a sugarplum? I doubt I could pick it out in a candy store without explicit signage!)

564. Ebullient

564. Ebullient
Definition: (adj) cheerful and full of energy
Location Placed: All-Star Sports Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/23/14 at 1:41pm





I had never been to any of the All-Star Resorts at Disney so I decided to take the little Disney bus to them, hoping I could easily walk from one to another and place a few cranes. Well, I was able to walk between them all but my terrible sense of direction failed me! I did end up getting a little lost and wandering by several resort pools in hopes of finding either the main desk, a gift shop, or a flat surface that wasn't at risk of getting wet. This picture was taken by one of the Disney Cruise ships that they have.

563. Sunny

563. Sunny
Definition: (adj) cheery and bright
Location Placed: Coronado Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/23/14 at 1:08pm





I wanted to check out some of the resorts I've either not yet seen or hadn't seen in some time. The last time I had been to Coronado Springs was on my trip to DisneyWorld in August of 2008. We had stayed there for the second half of our trip when the time share we had bummed off a family member of a friend had run out. Coronado Springs definitely had a nice feel and I enjoyed being able to overlook the water. I don't think I've seen a resort yet that I've not liked!

559. Reassure

559. Reassure
Definition: (v) to say or do something to remove doubts from another
Location Placed: The Grand Floridian Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 2/22/14 at 4:14pm





The Grand Floridian was one of the resorts I had never been to at Disney World. I had seen it from the monorail, but had never gotten the opportunity to stop in. My friend had booked us all in for an afternoon tea at the resort and it was absolutely wonderful! The tea was delicious. The sandwiches and pastries were wonderful. And the absolute cherry on top was the "dessert" portion, which I sadly couldn't finish. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to enjoying some afternoon teas when I am finally able to make my way to England again!

230. Peachy

230. Peachy
Definition: (adj) fine or excellent
Location Placed: Disney Quest, Downtown Disney, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/11/11 at 2:32pm





Like all good things, my vacation to Disney World had to come to an end. This is the last vacation crane I placed. We spent the day in Downtown Disney checking out some of the shops (and of course I bought several lovely soaps from Basin) as well as Disney Quest, which is a 5 story video game arena. To not draw too much attention to myself, I had to leave the flash off. (Disturbed video gamers can get quite rowdy!) Hopefully the person that found that crane had as great a time in Disney as my group had.

229. Mesmerized

229. Mesmerized
Definition: (v) holding the attention of someone to the exclusion of all us
Location Placed: Italy Pavilion, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/10/11 at 9:23pm





Although I couldn't capture it and the crane in my photo, behind the crane is the replica of the Piazza San Marco from Venice. I really wanted to release a crane in this pavilion because I really enjoyed my visit to Italy several years back. It was beautiful in so many different ways and I really recommend going if you can. If not, Epcot was a lovely little slice of Italian culture and architecture all rolled into one.

228. Child-like

228. Child-like
Definition: (adj) marked by trust, innocence and ingenuousness
Location Placed: Teppan Edo, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/10/11 at 8:41pm





I always have enjoyed hibachi style restaurants. I like the show they put on while cooking your food and it's always nice to see what's going into it. My favorite parts of the show are usually when they a.) make a smiley face and set it on fire and b.) when they make the steaming onion volcano. They didn't do a. this time but they certainly made the largest steaming volcano ever! Hibachi always brings me back to the pleasant memories of college where we celebrated nearly everyone's birthdays at the restaurant by our school.

227. Exuberant

227. Exuberant
Definition: (adj) filled with lively energy or excitement
Location Placed: Japan Pavilion,Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/10/11 at 7:07pm





The Japan Pavilion store was absolutely wonderful. It made me want to visit Japan even more. I happily found just the right sized paper to make some of my cranes out of! So you guys will be seeing cranes that are made from the paper in this store in the near future. They also had a lot of wonderful other things that I would've bought had I more room in my suitcase.

226. Jovial

226. Jovial
Definition: (adj) cheerful and friendly
Location Placed: Hall of Presidents, Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/10/11 at 11:15am





Originally I had wanted to place this crane in Cinderella's Castle, until I realized that the only think inside of it that was open was a restaurant. Since it wasn't covered as a lunch on our meal plan, I opted to put it in the Hall of Presidents. I had never been on it before but found it to be a wonderful show. Probably not terribly entertaining for young children but I felt suitably moved.

225. Youthful

225. Youthful
Definition: (adj) vigorous and fresh
Location Placed: Splash Mountain Photo Area, Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/10/11 at 10:22am





Nothing like a water coaster to make a person feel young. Roller coasters actually give me slight anxiety but I couldn't avoid watching and listening to the story of Brer every animal. Plus a little chance to cool off by being splashed never hurts either.

224. World-Famous

224. World-Famous
Definition: (adj) known extensively and thoroughly
Location Placed: Finding Nemo Aquarium, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/9/11 at 7:27pm

222. Spectacular

222. Spectacular
Definition: (adj) beautiful in a dramatic and eye-catching way
Location Placed: Fantasia Minigolf, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/8/11 at 10:56pm

221. Glorious

221. Glorious
Definition: (adj) Having splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration
Location Placed: France Pavilion, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date Placed: 6/8/11 at 8:09pm





Dangerously, we found out that our daily snack swipes could be used in the pastry shop found in the French area. A good chocolate croissant or eclair here or there won't hurt. But one everyday? We didn't even stand a chance. They were too gloriously delicious to avoid.