Agree! I'm in the same place. If I'm close, I usually use gems to 'complete the mission.' But this will be the first time I'm close and won't do that: I can't justify 50 bucks for a griffin.
Suggestion to Storm 8: Let's have a "Summer Completion Festival" where all the old events are brought back at the same time---for a limited time--- to allow us to complete some of the unfinished things in our kingdoms. Give us a week or 10 days to work on all the quests we failed to complete: gazebo, stargazer's ridge, etc. It would be a really neat "free for all" - and we would have to pick and choose what to complete... and those of us who really wanted to could get out black and orange ink up to 99, as well.