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Category Archives: Welcome!
Bun Bun Visits Disney!
This past week the fam and I were off to sunny Florida to finally meet Mickey Mouse! None of our crew had visited Disneyworld so it was quite the memorable experience! We landed early Saturday morning and were greeted by a nice warm breeze and a beautiful clear, sun-filled sky – nothing like what we had left behind in chilly Toronto! We stopped at Applebees for some lunch and then continued on our way to our new home for the week!
The house we rented was beautiful! It was spacious, had a pool and plenty of bedrooms! But we didn’t plan on being there much, there was too much we wanted to see and do!
After getting a good night’s sleep we were off on our first adventure – to SeaWorld! The younguns are all animal lovers and were really excited about seeing everything SeaWorld had to offer! There were massive aquariums with rays that swam over your head and sharks that swam around you. The dolphins were always popping their heads up to say hi, the seals loved to show off and there was even an octopus that contorted itself to fit in to tiny tubes and behind rocks! Without doubt, the highlight of the day was seeing the gorgeous killer whale show where they happily did flips, jumps and dives.
Next up we visited the Polar Express that began with a short movie, then opened up to Santa’s Village where the sky was full of the Aurora Borealis, the air smelt of cinnamon, there was real ice to touch (us Canucks weren’t as thrilled about that as fellow Floridians), you could meet Santa and the belugas swam around us! For the first time we got to see rescued manatees and sea turtles, some who would recover and be released and some that would spend the rest of their life away from harm’s way at SeaWorld. We were also really impressed by SeaWorld’s conservation efforts. They really seemed to take care of their in-house marine life, but have also rescued and rehabilitated thousands of animals since the park opened. They encouraged recycling, only consuming sustainable seafood and keeping the beaches and oceans clean.
Our next adventure was to Magic Kingdom! We boarded a ferry on the mainland and set sail towards Cinderella’s castle! Main street was decorated for Christmas and a wonderful site to see. Then, just as we approached Cinderella’s castle, a Celebration parade broke out! What an amazing experience!
We spent the remainder of the day touring the kingdom and going on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder and Space Mountain. The parentals had a ton of fun on Space Mountain! They’re still talking about it!
We ended the night with a spectacular light show and an amazing display of fireworks! What a magical day for us all!
After all of that hustle and bustle a therapeutic shopping day in Downtown Disney was in order! The Lego store was a site to see! There were life size Lego versions of Woody and Buzz Lightyear and even a Lego monster in the lake!
The Disney store left us all speechless and we spent a few hours shopping in there! I got to see the crocodile that ate Captain Hook’s hand. I’m glad he wasn’t the real thing though!
The next day we set off to see the world at Epcot. What a unique experience! We went on a tour of the land, found out what it was like to be a viking and went Soarin’ in the clouds!
Not having travelled too much, I especially enjoyed getting a glimpse of each piece of the world with replicas of many featured monuments of the world. We also loved that the cast members at each section of the world were actually from there!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon back at Magic Kingdom, doing a few more rides we had missed!
Our final Disney day was spent at Animal Kingdom! We started with a safari through Harambe! There were lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos and a giraffe we could have touched it was so close to the vehicle! I didn’t see any bunnies though! Next we visited the Tree of Life which is over 145 ft. tall and has over 400 animals carved into it. What a beautiful masterpiece!
Just beyond that we met up with Rafiki, got soaked on the Kali River Rapids and found the Yeti in Mount Everest! What a day!
Our last day was spent back at Downtown Disney where the fam picked up those last few things they wanted and where they had hoped to go on an air balloon ride but it was too windy. It was too bad, I hadn’t been on one before and was looking forward to it! We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool, going for a walk around the resort lake and then out to dinner for our final Florida meal. What a memorable and magical experience for all of us!
xox Bun Bun
Q&A Part 3
You asked and I’m still answering! This is Part 3 of my Answers segment.
Q&A Part 2
You asked and I’m still answering! Here is Part 2 to my Answers segment.
Q&A Part 1
You asked and I answered! Here is Part 1 of my Answers video.
Thank You To All Of Our Followers!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for following BudgetBunny! In the last year the website, our YouTube account, Facebook and Twitter have grown tremendously! Below is a video I made this morning with Rocky & Honey for entertainment!
BudgetBunny Book Review
If you’re thinking about a rabbit, you don’t know the first thing about your new pet or you’re always interested in furthering your knowledge on the subject then watch the video below in which I talk about my favourite rabbit resources. These books and magazines have helped me to become a bunny expert, given me some great ideas to enrich my rabbits lives and helped me remain calm during an emergency situation.
Bunny Luv
Since returning from vacation life has been hectic. Struggling with laundry, unpacking and re-tidying cages and the house has kept me busy, not to mention July is a busy birthday month in my family. So for the first day or two my poor bunnies failed to get all of the attention they deserved. I was excited to see them again after being away but just didn’t have the time to dedicate to spending a lengthy snugglefest with them.
I resolved that Wednesday and Thursday would be strict bunny loving days! I decided this late Tuesday night and got so excited I couldn’t sleep! It had been less than a week but I missed spending time with them! First thing Wednesday morning, I put aside the muchly needed vacuuming our carpets desperately needed and the tidying here and there I had planned to do and just got down on the floor with the Buns for some much needed bunny cuddling!
I’ve read articles about how animals have been proven to calm people, change a bad mood from good and even help lower blood pressure but until you’ve lived with them, it’s hard to explain that feeling to others. While I watched Willow binky in delight at being out and Ollie heading right for his favourite toy – The Bunny Loot Bag– it made me feel content to know I had provided that for them. Willow started zooming around at high speeds with occasional leaps in the air and as Ollie tried very unsuccessfully to keep up with her, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Later when I brought out Honey and Rocky, I got to watch the ultimate bunny snugglefest – those two are just so in love it melts my heart! After giving them some free time I scooped Rocky up for a cuddle of my own and he was nice enough to return the favour, nestling comfortably in to my lap while I pet his favourite spot right between his ears. Honey is still nervous around me but once I gave her a few kisses and started petting those giant floppy ears of hers the nose stopped moving so quickly. Without me trying to sound conceited, I think she may have started to like me a bit!
Life just seems more peaceful when you enjoy the small things it has to offer. Anyone with a rabbit knows they’re proof of this. It doesn’t take much to make them happy – a paper towel roll here and there, some fresh foods, a space to run and jump, and of course your love are the best remedy to a happy life living with rabbits.
Farm Sanctuary…among other things.
Hubby and I just came home from a 4 day mini-vaycay in Watkins Glen, New York. Located in the Finger Lakes, Watkins Glen is home to wineries, rolling hills, gorges, waterfalls and Farm Sanctuary. We picked this place to celebrate our 4th Wedding Anniversary because we have always been intrigued by the work they do at Farm Sanctuary and wanted to check it out for ourselves.
This trip combined my favourite passions – photography, animals, food, wine and of course my Husband! We stayed at the Harbor Hotel with a balcony that overlooks Seneca Lake. I was excited to see that all of our supplied toiletries were fully biodegradable, recyclable and cruelty free. I love seeing such large establishments trying to minimize their impact on our planet.
Our first day there, the weather was pretty iffy. It was hot, humid and muggy and at any minute it looked like it was going to rain. Fortunately for us, this gave us the perfect conditions for photographing waterfalls. Waterfalls are tricky – the long exposures required to make the water look like silk usually mean getting up early before the sun is on them or snapping shots at dusk unless they’re deep in the forest. The sunshine can also cast harsh shadows which ruin the image. We hiked through Watkins Glen State Park which was absolutely phenomenal. We couldn’t get over the beauty and splendor of the place and best of all, other than a few minutes of rain, the hike was perfect!
After a swim back at the Hotel I couldn’t wait any longer to visit Farm Sanctuary. Farm Sanctuary works to abolish the suffering and pain of farm animals by encouraging vegan living and exposing the truth behind factory farming. All of the animals that live at Farm Sanctuary began their lives in the most unspeakable abuse and living conditions but were all rescued by this wonderful organization to come live the peaceful life they deserve. The tour began with a short educational video. The majority of it was uplifting, how Farm Sanctuary began and their cause but of course there was a short part exposing the brutality farm animals face on a daily basis. As soon as this came on I looked at the floor and cried. I didn’t need to watch it to know it was despicable, especially when I heard my husband clench his teeth in disgust.
The remainder of our tour was spent meeting the animals and walking around the farm. I couldn’t get over how friendly they were! We met the special needs cows, some sweet goats that loved getting their antlers pet, some sleepy piggies that dozed with smiles on their faces and my favourite – the turkeys! When we got in to the turkey pen I was a little scared. I love Ella our Parrotlet, but she can give one hell of a bite and she’s only 5 inches tall! These turkeys of course were much larger than that and walking right towards us gobbling! Hubby kind of stood away looking uncomfortable so I tentatively held out my hand and began petting one turkey’s back. Well I guess that’s what all of the fuss was about – she just wanted some love! It was really humbling to see that even a turkey could have so much personality and be so incredibly friendly. Meeting the animals was really the perfect way to strengthen my vegan roots, it showed us that every animal has feelings, their own unique personality and deserves to live just as much as we do. Leaving the gift shop, my husband announced he was ready to become a full vegan.
If you’re interested in learning more about Farm Sanctuary or going veg visit their website.
The rest of our vacation included some fine vegan dining (the best part about Farm Sanctuary is that many restaurants in the area offer a couple of vegan options), a visit to some local wineries, walks on the pier and some good ol’ fashioned R&R. I of course have to say that first day at Farm Sanctuary turned out to be every bit as moving as I’d hoped it would be and made the entire trip worth the long drive!
And don’t worry bunny lovers, BudgetBunny will of course be returning to it’s regular self shortly!