Our November Vacation Part 1

For this vacation, I'm going to start with my time with Cherie. I'll wrap things up by talking about my travel at the end in whatever part that will be. So for part 1, I'm starting off with Dapper Day Eve.

I had gotten to the hotel pretty late the night before due to a delay out of Denver. So I decided to sleep in a bit Saturday morning. Cherie wasn't going to be there until the afternoon and I didn't have anything planned for myself in the morning. Sleeping in was a good choice. When I finally got up for the day, I headed on downstairs to have a lovely breakfast. I love the breakfast at Ayres. It's probably the best hotel breakfast I've ever had. They always serve it. It isn't a buffet style like other hotels. I asked for everything...LOL

After breakfast, I think I may have gone back to my room for a little bit. But then I ended up relaxing in the lobby. They had the fire going and some classical music. It was a very peaceful way to catchup on reading. I took some photos and a video of the fireplace. And then I went back up to my room to relax a bit more. The travel day before was a very long day...hehehe I also did some research into an issue I was having with Apple CarPlay with the truck we rented. I employed Google Gemini AI to help save the day...LOL And it worked for the rest of the weekend.

At about that time, Cherie was beginning her journey on the train. It was such a rainy day. It sounds like she was soaked before she even began her journey...LOL Her socks and shoes, at least. She had a lovely umbrella to keep the rest of herself dry. But I'm sure her bag got wet too...hehehe The pour(ed on) deer...hehehe I felt bad for her. It never rains on our adventures. It was bound to happen eventually, I suppose.

As her second train was getting close, I made my way over to ARTIC to greet her and begin our vacation together. I brought Bingford along. He took some selfies and made comments about how long it was taking Budford to arrive...LOL I had to explain how trains work...LOL j/k Bingford sure is a handful...HAHAHA j/k

I imagine the rain had something to do with it, but her train was a little late. But that's okay because we were finally together! Yay!!! At ARTIC, Budford and Bingford did some catching up and downloading new mischief for each other...LOL Theirs was a funny reunion. Two pals reunited, and it felt so good ❤️

Cherie gave me the chicken, rice, and veggies she prepared for me to have for dinner that day. And she checked into the hotel. We parted ways to have our dinners and prepare for Dapper Day Eve. When I was getting my dinner ready, I noticed a little note inside. At first, I thought it might have been a note from her. But it turned out to be from her mom! It was a lovely note that I'll always cherish. It is tucked safe and sound with other memorable keepsakes that I cherish from our deer friendship ❤️ And the chicken and rice dinner was incredible! I absolutely loved it! And it has inspired some changes I'd like to make to my rice ❤️

I suppose it was just before dinner when I noticed the sun was coming out. I mentioned something to Cherie over text and she sent me a photo of a rainbow just outside her window. I'm so glad she did because I would have missed it otherwise. She inspired me to go have a look out another window and I saw it as well. It was like a message from God that everything was going to be okay.

Once we were ready to begin our evening, we met up in the lobby for our prayer time. And she gave me a beautiful stocking she had made for me. It is Dodger blue with a white collar. In it, she had some treats and gifts for me. I ate the treats throughout the weekend and the photos are in with my deer keepsakes. They were a pair of photos she had taken of herself just before our very first time together in July 2024 ❤️ And she gave me a pair of crocheted coasters to keep my coffee mugs cozy ❤️ My heart is so happy ❤️

From there we headed to Downtown Disney for Dapper Day Eve. There wasn't a lot of dapper going on at DTD itself. I'm sure the rain played a role there. But we walked around and checked out some stores. We also headed over to the Dapper Market at the Grand Californian. There was a lot of dapper going on there...LOL We loved it! I took some video of that with my SJCAM. I haven't looked at the footage yet to see how it came out...hehehe

We went back into DTD and walked around and shopped some more. And we went over to the live stage and watched the Sugarplums perform. I loved dancing with my deer friend again. We didn't dance a lot, though. The music wasn't all danceable...LOL Just before their performance, we took a selfie video to have some fun and get some photos of that evening's dapper attire.

Thankfully the rain wasn't a major factor for us. We didn't even use umbrellas that night. We went to an art shop that neither of us had noticed before. There was a painting in there of Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure with all of the iconic things in it. I noticed a little mountain on it that looks like an animal. I hadn't seen it before and made a comment that it didn't exist...LOL She said it actually did and talked about where it might be at DCA. So we made a mental note to be on the lookout for it the next day so I could see it for the first time. So, more on that later...hehehe

At the Dapper Market, we picked up some pins to commemorate the occasion. And they also gave us the traditional Dapper Day buttons they give out for free each time. Someone complimented me on my sleeve garters...hehehe Not many men where them for dapper these days. I love doing it and have it as part of many of my outfits. We were both complimented on our attire throughout the evening. I love that we dress to express...and match while doing so ❤️

We walked around the Grand Californian for a little bit too. We saw the Christmas tree and the gingerbread house in progress. We briefly stepped out in the wooded area to see what that looks like at night. It was beautiful! I really want to stay there someday...hehehe Maybe we can do that once we are both millionaires! j/k

There were more firsts this time. It was her first Dapper Boutique (the market). It was both of our first time seeing Christmas at Downtown Disney. It was our first time dancing aside from Cher-Boom. It was our first time at the art shop. And our first time doing DTD at night together. Firsts are very important. And I'm grateful to have so many with her ❤️

When we left, there must have been some sort of issue with my debit card. The parking was $10. But something happened and the gal told us it was going to be free this time...LOL I guess Mickey was buying for us that night...LOL j/k We got back to the hotel in plenty of time to rest for the evening and prepare for the big day that was ahead ❤️

My heart was so happy that day. It was great to see Cherie again. And Budford, of course...LOL It was so wonderful to spend the evening all dolled up for a night at Downtown Disney with my deer friend. It was a night of firsts with dreams of more firsts to come the next day. So, stay tuned for part 2!