At the end of last school year a letter was sent home asking if any of the kids in 5th and 6th grade wanted to participate in the reading competition team for this year. Alex was very excited and read 5 books total. He only had to read 2-3. The team had 13 kids sign up and the schools Pssa coach was supposed to be in charge of the team.
Fast forward to this school year. I run into the PSSA coach at the beginning of the year and she tells us she is at a different school this year and isn't sure what will happen with the reading competition. So November starts and we get a paper home saying the date of the competition and that is all. The kids never had a meeting. No organization etc. Competition date comes tuesday and half the kids have dropped out because the person in charge told no one anything so they where clueless and didn't want to deal with it anymore.
Alex and 5 other team mates showed up. They tried their hardest but since they where 2 kids short of a full team they where docked 2 points each of the 3 rounds and added to that they hadn't read all the books on the list because they where supposed to be spread out between all the members. Alex had read the most of the group but that still didn't help them with other 15 books on the list.. The kids tried and they showed up when they said they would and worked har. So Kudos to them.. but I would sure like to kick a certain member of the school district who was supposed to help these kids get ready and didn't do ANYTHING~!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Unpacked!
Well the bags are empty. The shorts are in the laundry and then will head to the attic for the winter. So I guess we are officially home from vacation! :( Jason and Alex are both off today. Alex had inservice day and Jason was off work. So we hung at home this morning. Then the kids therapists came and they worked for a few house. After that we headed out to dinner for some Olive Garden. Stopped at the movie theatre when we where done to find out why my Harry Potter tickets are printed out as Child tickets. The guy didnt know why it happened but since the prices are the same he said he didn't matter. One week! Woohoo..
After the theatre we had to go to Walmart. We needed more packing tape and our duct tape seems to have disapeared off the face of the earth so we needed more of that. Got some baby wipes cause Alex needs them to clean his fingers that are sticking out from his cast. After that we stopped at mcd's to wait for one of Jasons former employees because Alex got her a stuffed Pokemon when he was @ Epcot center. She was soo happy with her gift. After that we headed home and Jason and I are catching up on the DVR and Alex is finishing up some more of his makeup work from the time he was out.
After the theatre we had to go to Walmart. We needed more packing tape and our duct tape seems to have disapeared off the face of the earth so we needed more of that. Got some baby wipes cause Alex needs them to clean his fingers that are sticking out from his cast. After that we stopped at mcd's to wait for one of Jasons former employees because Alex got her a stuffed Pokemon when he was @ Epcot center. She was soo happy with her gift. After that we headed home and Jason and I are catching up on the DVR and Alex is finishing up some more of his makeup work from the time he was out.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The mean bird and the fish with the indentity problem
So now that I have all the days of our trip out of the way I am going to try to fill in with some of the little stories etc from along the way.
This first one happened on our second day there. That's the day we went to Downtown Disney and played Fantasia mini golf. The story starts at our hotel. Jason went to the desk to ask the cast member at the counter how to get Fantasia Mini-Golf. Well the girl told him the wrong directions. She told him how to get to Winter Summerland. Which involved going to Blizzard Beach and walking to winter summerland. The only way to get to Fantasia from there would be to hike 5 miles down the highway. lol.. Thankfully I figured out along the way what was happening. So we stayed on the bus. Problem is the busses at Disney do some wierd things. So when we left pop we got on the blizzard beach bus, but when we left blizzard beach the bus had changed its route. So it was now a bus to Poly.. Sooooo.. we get off the bus at Poly and walk to the ticket and transpo center next door and take the bus to the Swan.. this is the bus that you ACTUALLY take to get to Fantasia mini golf. So after we get there we walk what is a fairly long walk to the mini golf. We had a great time so it was worth it. On the way back we went a diffrent path and came through the middle of the swan and dolphin resorts and went through the swan lobby to get the busses out front. Well when you exit Swan they have some of those spinning glass doors. Alex and I walked up and the door stopped. So we stepped in. All the sudden the door decided to start again and slammed right into Alex's shoulder. He was hysterical and crying. Thankfully it was not the side with the cast but I don't know how much better that made it cause then he was crying cause both sides hurt. From this point we where supposed to take the bus to downtown disney and then to Coronado springs so we could have dinner at the Pepper market. But since he was crying and we where tired we just headed back to pop and ate at the food court.
From that day on each time Alex saw the big swans overhead on the top of the resort he would hiss at them like a cat attacking the mean birds.. Then he would point out that the dolphins on the top of the dolphin resort sure didn't look like Dolphins they looked like fish. So he kept calling the hotels "The mean bird and the fish with the identity problem. I will add this post to the day it happened in a bit ... but gonna leave it here for now so that you can read it! :)
This first one happened on our second day there. That's the day we went to Downtown Disney and played Fantasia mini golf. The story starts at our hotel. Jason went to the desk to ask the cast member at the counter how to get Fantasia Mini-Golf. Well the girl told him the wrong directions. She told him how to get to Winter Summerland. Which involved going to Blizzard Beach and walking to winter summerland. The only way to get to Fantasia from there would be to hike 5 miles down the highway. lol.. Thankfully I figured out along the way what was happening. So we stayed on the bus. Problem is the busses at Disney do some wierd things. So when we left pop we got on the blizzard beach bus, but when we left blizzard beach the bus had changed its route. So it was now a bus to Poly.. Sooooo.. we get off the bus at Poly and walk to the ticket and transpo center next door and take the bus to the Swan.. this is the bus that you ACTUALLY take to get to Fantasia mini golf. So after we get there we walk what is a fairly long walk to the mini golf. We had a great time so it was worth it. On the way back we went a diffrent path and came through the middle of the swan and dolphin resorts and went through the swan lobby to get the busses out front. Well when you exit Swan they have some of those spinning glass doors. Alex and I walked up and the door stopped. So we stepped in. All the sudden the door decided to start again and slammed right into Alex's shoulder. He was hysterical and crying. Thankfully it was not the side with the cast but I don't know how much better that made it cause then he was crying cause both sides hurt. From this point we where supposed to take the bus to downtown disney and then to Coronado springs so we could have dinner at the Pepper market. But since he was crying and we where tired we just headed back to pop and ate at the food court.
From that day on each time Alex saw the big swans overhead on the top of the resort he would hiss at them like a cat attacking the mean birds.. Then he would point out that the dolphins on the top of the dolphin resort sure didn't look like Dolphins they looked like fish. So he kept calling the hotels "The mean bird and the fish with the identity problem. I will add this post to the day it happened in a bit ... but gonna leave it here for now so that you can read it! :)
I am sure I should feel bad that there are two suitcases in my living room. One nearly full and one completely full. I so don't lol! I did empty the one with dirty clothes and the carry-on bags. So that's a plus right.
In my defense my knee is still killing me and I do great after I walk around for a while but the first few minutes are horrible and It feels so bad. The house needs cleaned up. We have done some of the work, the basics etc. That just doesn't feel like its done yet. I still have some vacuuming to do and some misc other stuff. Also need to go get a shower in a few.
Unfortunatly all that will probably have to wait because we have to leave in a bit under and hour to go pick Jason up. Today was his first day at his brand new job. He had to do a day shift because it was orientation etc. Starting sunday evening he will begin his regular shift. 11-7 each day with both volunteer and mandatory overtime. The pay will be a vast improvement over what he has been making and the job is union so the benefits are nice as well. His last day at McD's is today. He works the closing shift and then he is off both jobs until he officially starts sunday at 11pm. I am trying not to stress over all the days with no work. The first 3 days of our vacation only two of them where his vacation week one was a day taken off. Then the next week was vacation. Then he has only worked 3 days this week but one day is both jobs so technically its a 34 hour week. Which is 6 hours short and since its a new job they will hold his check so his first real check from the new job won't be until the 25th of November. I have all the bills set out and taken care of, so thats all ok. It just puts a pause in the daily spending cash as well as Christmas money. I did get Alex's two big gifts out of the way with the money we had left from vacation. We had taken 100$ a day for spending cash and didn't spent 5 days worth of the money. So we used that for his bigger gifts. I have about 6 smaller gifts.. So.. don't need much more because he decided he would rather have a few big gifts this year instead of a bunch of small ones! I Hope he is happy with what he gets! I think he will be..
So, off to watch some more of the tv that we missed while we are gone.. lol.. We missed alot.. I have gotten through all the shows I watch alone. Watched a show with Jason last night that we watch together and I am trying to catch up on Grey's right now. Which is one we do watch together but not always... so its hit or miss. Catch you later!
In my defense my knee is still killing me and I do great after I walk around for a while but the first few minutes are horrible and It feels so bad. The house needs cleaned up. We have done some of the work, the basics etc. That just doesn't feel like its done yet. I still have some vacuuming to do and some misc other stuff. Also need to go get a shower in a few.
Unfortunatly all that will probably have to wait because we have to leave in a bit under and hour to go pick Jason up. Today was his first day at his brand new job. He had to do a day shift because it was orientation etc. Starting sunday evening he will begin his regular shift. 11-7 each day with both volunteer and mandatory overtime. The pay will be a vast improvement over what he has been making and the job is union so the benefits are nice as well. His last day at McD's is today. He works the closing shift and then he is off both jobs until he officially starts sunday at 11pm. I am trying not to stress over all the days with no work. The first 3 days of our vacation only two of them where his vacation week one was a day taken off. Then the next week was vacation. Then he has only worked 3 days this week but one day is both jobs so technically its a 34 hour week. Which is 6 hours short and since its a new job they will hold his check so his first real check from the new job won't be until the 25th of November. I have all the bills set out and taken care of, so thats all ok. It just puts a pause in the daily spending cash as well as Christmas money. I did get Alex's two big gifts out of the way with the money we had left from vacation. We had taken 100$ a day for spending cash and didn't spent 5 days worth of the money. So we used that for his bigger gifts. I have about 6 smaller gifts.. So.. don't need much more because he decided he would rather have a few big gifts this year instead of a bunch of small ones! I Hope he is happy with what he gets! I think he will be..
So, off to watch some more of the tv that we missed while we are gone.. lol.. We missed alot.. I have gotten through all the shows I watch alone. Watched a show with Jason last night that we watch together and I am trying to catch up on Grey's right now. Which is one we do watch together but not always... so its hit or miss. Catch you later!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
November 8th Ohana Breakfast Downtown Disney and Checkout
Got most of the bags packed before we had to leave in the morning. So that was a help. We had to be at the bus stop by 7am so we could get to the Polynesian for the Ohana breakfast. Now this isn't my favorite meal by far because I am not a breakfast person. So I was very very hungry when I got done.
When we where done there we headed out front and caught the bus to Downtown Disney. The guys went to the lego store to build mini figures while I tried to sort out why I was having a problem with Disney Bags paying for my luggage. They kept saying my credit card was denied even though it clearly was fine with money and in order etc. Seems they didn't have my info all in the system right so thats why it was bouncing it out.
After Lego we stopped at Goofys candy company and finished up our snack credits on fudge, marshmellows, strawberries and pretzel sticks. Yum.. well worth the credits.. we still have fudge left.. yummmmy.
We had to head back to the room then because the latest check out we could get was 1pm. So we got our stuffed packed and left Alex in the room while we headed down to check our bags. Credit card scanned fine with no problem and fees where paid bags checked. Then we headed to the room and rested til about 1245 til we had to check out. Took our carry-ons down to Pop and found a table with nice cushy benches to sit down at and chill. After we did that Alex stayed with the stuff while Jason and I did the check out process. Then I sat down on the bench with our stuff while Alex and Jason went and played in the arcade. Then we got something to eat around 130. Cause we still had like 8 meal credits left.. lol. Then we chilled. Talked and hung out for awhile. Alex wandered around trading pins with castmembers in the store and Jason and I just hung at the table. Around 5 we got more quick service meals ate fast and then headed out to the bus for pick up at 5:45. We ended up not leaving until 615 but we had plenty of time so it was ok. Rode the express to the airport. Since the bags where already checked we just checked out the stores. Earport etc for a while. Had Alex take his bedtime meds and then headed through security. They where a bit of a pain in the butt this time. They have to scan Alex's cast seperately and kept pulling him away from us instead of letting him know what was going on like pitt does.. Then they decide to do a random screening on Jason and left me locked behind the security door which freaked Alex out and he was getting teary. After that was over we got him calmed in about 15 minutes and headed to our gate to wait. Wasnt too long of a wait and he played while we did. Flight only had 26 people on it so that was nice. Not too many people trying to get on at once. No real rush. The flight was uneventful and the view as always was nice. All those pretty lights in the citys are so nice to look at. Slept for a bit and before we knew it we where landing in Pittsburgh.
Got our luggage, called the lot our car was at and headed to the doors for pickup. They where already there waiting. Loaded us up and off we went. The lot is valet so they had the car already up front and headed and waiting for us when we got there.. All told maybe 5 minutes from arriving at the lot til we where on the road. It was great. The drive was good. No traffic from the Steelers game since it wasn't quite over yet before we got out of Pitt. It had been a long day though so about 45 miles from home we pulled over for a quick nap and 30 minutes later we where back on our way home. Got here around 3:30. Cleaned up after the cats as best we could. They made a heck of a mess of paper and stuff .. but all told it was ok.. Sorted some of the mail and then we both headed to bed. Alex slept the whole trip and was only awake long enough to walk in the house. So there ends our Disney trip. We have a lot of laundry and unpacking to do. A lot of pictures to print out but other than that we are home and done. Alex went back to school today and now he is off for a 4 day holiday weekend. lol.
When we where done there we headed out front and caught the bus to Downtown Disney. The guys went to the lego store to build mini figures while I tried to sort out why I was having a problem with Disney Bags paying for my luggage. They kept saying my credit card was denied even though it clearly was fine with money and in order etc. Seems they didn't have my info all in the system right so thats why it was bouncing it out.
After Lego we stopped at Goofys candy company and finished up our snack credits on fudge, marshmellows, strawberries and pretzel sticks. Yum.. well worth the credits.. we still have fudge left.. yummmmy.
We had to head back to the room then because the latest check out we could get was 1pm. So we got our stuffed packed and left Alex in the room while we headed down to check our bags. Credit card scanned fine with no problem and fees where paid bags checked. Then we headed to the room and rested til about 1245 til we had to check out. Took our carry-ons down to Pop and found a table with nice cushy benches to sit down at and chill. After we did that Alex stayed with the stuff while Jason and I did the check out process. Then I sat down on the bench with our stuff while Alex and Jason went and played in the arcade. Then we got something to eat around 130. Cause we still had like 8 meal credits left.. lol. Then we chilled. Talked and hung out for awhile. Alex wandered around trading pins with castmembers in the store and Jason and I just hung at the table. Around 5 we got more quick service meals ate fast and then headed out to the bus for pick up at 5:45. We ended up not leaving until 615 but we had plenty of time so it was ok. Rode the express to the airport. Since the bags where already checked we just checked out the stores. Earport etc for a while. Had Alex take his bedtime meds and then headed through security. They where a bit of a pain in the butt this time. They have to scan Alex's cast seperately and kept pulling him away from us instead of letting him know what was going on like pitt does.. Then they decide to do a random screening on Jason and left me locked behind the security door which freaked Alex out and he was getting teary. After that was over we got him calmed in about 15 minutes and headed to our gate to wait. Wasnt too long of a wait and he played while we did. Flight only had 26 people on it so that was nice. Not too many people trying to get on at once. No real rush. The flight was uneventful and the view as always was nice. All those pretty lights in the citys are so nice to look at. Slept for a bit and before we knew it we where landing in Pittsburgh.
Got our luggage, called the lot our car was at and headed to the doors for pickup. They where already there waiting. Loaded us up and off we went. The lot is valet so they had the car already up front and headed and waiting for us when we got there.. All told maybe 5 minutes from arriving at the lot til we where on the road. It was great. The drive was good. No traffic from the Steelers game since it wasn't quite over yet before we got out of Pitt. It had been a long day though so about 45 miles from home we pulled over for a quick nap and 30 minutes later we where back on our way home. Got here around 3:30. Cleaned up after the cats as best we could. They made a heck of a mess of paper and stuff .. but all told it was ok.. Sorted some of the mail and then we both headed to bed. Alex slept the whole trip and was only awake long enough to walk in the house. So there ends our Disney trip. We have a lot of laundry and unpacking to do. A lot of pictures to print out but other than that we are home and done. Alex went back to school today and now he is off for a 4 day holiday weekend. lol.
November 7th Hollywood Studios and LeCellier.. YUMM
As I mentioned Jason was up early today because there are ride at DHS that he wants to ride that we don't and so we learned last time that the best way to do it is for him to go over before us and go through the single rider line over and over and over and over lol. He rode Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster 4 times each and had a blast. He said he stopped when he started feeling like he was going to be sick. Lofl.
We got there around 1230. Saw a showing of Indiana Jones and then headed over to have lunch on Sunset Blvd. After that we checked out Planet Hollywood for a few and then it was time for Beauty and the Beast. The thing I thought was neat about this theatre was that the Handicap seating was front row instead of way in the back so we got a really nice view of the show and really enjoyed it. Cept the fact that the guy who played the prince was kinda fugly and I am sure Belle had a better deal when she was in love with the furry version.. lofl..! ) All told we enjoyed ourselves. Then we headed over to Backlot tour. One of my favorites. I don't care whether we do the ride itself but the queue when comeing and going is just not to be missed. So it was fun to read all the tags and see where everything had been. We had planned to do Little mermaid and Lights Motor Ation stunt show but time was just not on our side and we really wanted to see the new improved One Mans Dream. So we did that instead. I am glad we did as we all really enjoy a good trip through the making f the man and the mouse.
We also took some pictures of the Christmas decorations at DHS and that was a fun passtime as well.
Now we where headed to the front of the park and caught the Friendship boat so we could head to Epcot via the international gateway. We really wanted to try all the diffrent types of transportation Disney offers and this was so much nicer than riding the cramped busses. After we got to the gateway we stopped a store and got the 4 Parks 1 world CD so Alex could have the song from Carousel of Progress. Then we wandered our way to Canada for our dinner. We stopped outside to listen to Off Kilter and really enjoyed that . Went inside and got the CD of them as well.. Now it was only 7pm at this point and our ressies where for 8 so we had a wait but we thought we would ask if we could get in early. We lucked out and where seated by 7:30.. Loved all the food. Alex and I got the Filet Mignon .. I got it with the risotto. yum.. Alex got fries.. we both loved the Truffle butter. Jason got the prime rib as part of the 3 course meal. He got an appetizer of the chorizo sausage and I got a cup of cheese soup( HOLLLLY YUM) between the food and the bread we where in food heaven. The dessert was just as good and I savored mine knowing this was my last Creme Brulee for the trip :( So sad.. I LOOOOOVE Creme Brulee.
Since we got in early we where able to be done in time to see Illuminatons. So we got a spot outside Canada and watched the show. It was a really nice one and its so funny to see how all the birds around epcot behave while its going on. They stop like they are watching it.. lol.. too adorable.. Then itwas time to head out of the park. We got seats by the bus and waited out I think 3 busses until the time came when there was not full one so we could actually sit down.
When we got back to the hotel we stopped in at Pop to say goodbye to our favorite Cast member ( her name is Jennifer and she goes to Ohio State.. but we will forgive that since we liked her so much.. lol) Then it was back to the room where I worked on packing.. Alex went to bed and Jason worked on studying the back of his eyelids.. lol. Check out tomorrow :(
We got there around 1230. Saw a showing of Indiana Jones and then headed over to have lunch on Sunset Blvd. After that we checked out Planet Hollywood for a few and then it was time for Beauty and the Beast. The thing I thought was neat about this theatre was that the Handicap seating was front row instead of way in the back so we got a really nice view of the show and really enjoyed it. Cept the fact that the guy who played the prince was kinda fugly and I am sure Belle had a better deal when she was in love with the furry version.. lofl..! ) All told we enjoyed ourselves. Then we headed over to Backlot tour. One of my favorites. I don't care whether we do the ride itself but the queue when comeing and going is just not to be missed. So it was fun to read all the tags and see where everything had been. We had planned to do Little mermaid and Lights Motor Ation stunt show but time was just not on our side and we really wanted to see the new improved One Mans Dream. So we did that instead. I am glad we did as we all really enjoy a good trip through the making f the man and the mouse.
We also took some pictures of the Christmas decorations at DHS and that was a fun passtime as well.
Now we where headed to the front of the park and caught the Friendship boat so we could head to Epcot via the international gateway. We really wanted to try all the diffrent types of transportation Disney offers and this was so much nicer than riding the cramped busses. After we got to the gateway we stopped a store and got the 4 Parks 1 world CD so Alex could have the song from Carousel of Progress. Then we wandered our way to Canada for our dinner. We stopped outside to listen to Off Kilter and really enjoyed that . Went inside and got the CD of them as well.. Now it was only 7pm at this point and our ressies where for 8 so we had a wait but we thought we would ask if we could get in early. We lucked out and where seated by 7:30.. Loved all the food. Alex and I got the Filet Mignon .. I got it with the risotto. yum.. Alex got fries.. we both loved the Truffle butter. Jason got the prime rib as part of the 3 course meal. He got an appetizer of the chorizo sausage and I got a cup of cheese soup( HOLLLLY YUM) between the food and the bread we where in food heaven. The dessert was just as good and I savored mine knowing this was my last Creme Brulee for the trip :( So sad.. I LOOOOOVE Creme Brulee.
Since we got in early we where able to be done in time to see Illuminatons. So we got a spot outside Canada and watched the show. It was a really nice one and its so funny to see how all the birds around epcot behave while its going on. They stop like they are watching it.. lol.. too adorable.. Then itwas time to head out of the park. We got seats by the bus and waited out I think 3 busses until the time came when there was not full one so we could actually sit down.
When we got back to the hotel we stopped in at Pop to say goodbye to our favorite Cast member ( her name is Jennifer and she goes to Ohio State.. but we will forgive that since we liked her so much.. lol) Then it was back to the room where I worked on packing.. Alex went to bed and Jason worked on studying the back of his eyelids.. lol. Check out tomorrow :(
November 6th Magic Kingdom Ohana and Wishes Dessert Party
So this is one of my favorite days of the trip. It was cooler than the previous days had been. Low 60's so we could wear our hoodies and pants. That was nice. What we where hoping for weather wise. We had a long day planned today so we headed into the parks later in the afternoon than we normally do. Had lunch burgers and nuggets I think.. Then it was time to ride some rides. Started at Adventureland and rode pirates and jungle cruise. Rode Thunder mountain, skipped splash cause it was cold out and we had along day ahead. After that it was time to head out to Ohana. So we got back on the train. Alex had an incident along the way with a guest hitting him hard in the arm and was crying when we got to the train station in Frontierland. They let him be guest conductor the whole way to toon town and he had a blast. Then we sat down and rode the rest of the way to Main Street before heading up the monorail. At this point Jason asked me to please get a wheelchair again so we did and he pushed me up to the monorail where you leave the chair til you get back or they take it at close.
Dinner at Ohana was wonderful. I love the style with the skewers and the all you can eat feel without walking around to a buffet. This is def a redo meal next time we go.. maybe even a two time meal next time.. lol. After dinner it was back to Magic Kingdom. We rode rides for a bit. Chilled out and relaxed til 9 when it was time to line up for the Dessert Party. Now we had skipped dessert at dinner so we would have room and boy where we glad.. the food was sooo yummy. We where frozen solid but the desserts and great fireworks where really worth the temps. We had planned to stay in the park til the 1am close but it just wasn't going to happen. Alex and I rode buzz lightyear while Jason exchanged the wheelchair. ( its wheel was berzerk) and then we all went on carousel of progress again. Alex's favorite by the way. Not sure why but he loves it. Loves the show.. loves the song everything. Afterwards it was back to pop and bed for the the night. Jason has an early morning but Alex and I get to sleep in. Yay! til like 10.. lol..
Dinner at Ohana was wonderful. I love the style with the skewers and the all you can eat feel without walking around to a buffet. This is def a redo meal next time we go.. maybe even a two time meal next time.. lol. After dinner it was back to Magic Kingdom. We rode rides for a bit. Chilled out and relaxed til 9 when it was time to line up for the Dessert Party. Now we had skipped dessert at dinner so we would have room and boy where we glad.. the food was sooo yummy. We where frozen solid but the desserts and great fireworks where really worth the temps. We had planned to stay in the park til the 1am close but it just wasn't going to happen. Alex and I rode buzz lightyear while Jason exchanged the wheelchair. ( its wheel was berzerk) and then we all went on carousel of progress again. Alex's favorite by the way. Not sure why but he loves it. Loves the show.. loves the song everything. Afterwards it was back to pop and bed for the the night. Jason has an early morning but Alex and I get to sleep in. Yay! til like 10.. lol..
November 5th Animal Kingdom and Dinner at Epcot
Today we had a lot to do so we had to get up and going early to get it in. We planned to finish the stuff we missed at Animal Kingdom today and that was a lot of show and walking paths as well as another shot at the Safari. We went the oppisite way this time and did Festival of the Lion King first. This is one of my very very faovorite shows at the park and I would have been so sad if we missed it. It was great as expectd. After that we headed to the Kilamanjaro Safaris. It was good and bad for viewing as is pretty normal . We saw a glimpse of zebra but lots of gators out today. So it hit and miss but good overall. Then it was time to head to the Maharajah jungle trek because we skipped it the first day. Alex loves this park becuase they have soooo many birds to look at. We saw the tigers and the other animals then he got his bird chart and we sat on the bench while he searched out the birds he wanted to see. He was pretty pleased with the results and then we where on our way. Next stop another trip on Everest. Jason got a shirt when we where done and Alex got a yeti shaped like a stuffed ball. He loves it.. lol. Then we headed over to Finding Nemo the musical and waited for the show to start. We enjoyed that as well. Had pretty good seating and where impressed with how much we didn't notice the people. After it was over we headed out to the exit and made our way back to Pop. We hung at pop for a few hours before heading out to Epcot for our dinner at Teppan Edo. This was one the guys where both really looking forward to but to be honest I felt so bad at this point from falling that I almost sent them on ahead. Jason coviced me to rent a wheelchair and he pushed me to the restaurant for dinner and back again when we where done. So glad he did because I really don't think I would have made it otherwise. Now this meal was pretty neat but we all agree we wouldn't do it again. The amount of food per person just wasn't there for us since we don't really like the veggies they served ( squash and mushrooms) So when we where done we headed out and stopped at pop for some more food.. Only to see the couple who sat next to us at Dinner right there next to us at the Pop food court eating their second dinner too. Lol.. Glad to know it wasn't just us.. The dinner was great for the experience though and I am glad we did it.
Overall a really good day. Legs where still killing me and my feet are so swollen that I can only wear my ugly mickey crocs.. but I am making it. The wheelchair was well worth the 12$ .
Overall a really good day. Legs where still killing me and my feet are so swollen that I can only wear my ugly mickey crocs.. but I am making it. The wheelchair was well worth the 12$ .
November 4th Animal Kingdom Lodge and Epcot
So today was the day we finally got to go check out a resort we really had been wanting to see. So around 10:30 we took the bus to downtown disney and then caught the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We where really impressed by the resort and enjoyed our visit. Checked out the overlooks and saw some animals. Mostly hoofed and winged creatures. Then we headed down to Mara for lunch there. Jason and Alex got burgers but I got a flat bread pizza which was really really yummy. In addition we where able to get Zebra Domes for dessert which was a really big part of wanting to head over there. Yum Yum they where sooo good. Lol. Jason and I ate ours and Alex took his with him cause he was too full from his burger.
After we ate lunch we caught to Epcot and spent time there until dinner. We went on Ellen's universe of energy and rode spaceship earth again as well as test track. Then it was time for our dinner at Coral Reef. Like I said earlier we much preferred the lunch environment to the busy dinner one but the meal was good either way. Alex was still full from lunch so we paid out of pocket for him to get a kids meal and then we saved the credit to use for Ohana breakfast! ( We had planned to pay out of pocket for one of the meals so this was good for us) After dinner we headed out of the park. We wanted to catch illuminations but it just wasn't to be tonight. We will try again later in the week. After we got back to the hotel we stopped at the hotel store while Jason ran to our room to get our refillable mugs. We chatted with the cast members we talked to each night and then it was back to the room to call it a night.
After we ate lunch we caught to Epcot and spent time there until dinner. We went on Ellen's universe of energy and rode spaceship earth again as well as test track. Then it was time for our dinner at Coral Reef. Like I said earlier we much preferred the lunch environment to the busy dinner one but the meal was good either way. Alex was still full from lunch so we paid out of pocket for him to get a kids meal and then we saved the credit to use for Ohana breakfast! ( We had planned to pay out of pocket for one of the meals so this was good for us) After dinner we headed out of the park. We wanted to catch illuminations but it just wasn't to be tonight. We will try again later in the week. After we got back to the hotel we stopped at the hotel store while Jason ran to our room to get our refillable mugs. We chatted with the cast members we talked to each night and then it was back to the room to call it a night.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
November 3rd- Animal Kingdom and Whispering Canyon Cafe
So, on the plans for today (we are at November 3rd btw) was Animal Kingdom. We hadn't been there this trip yet so we had lots to do still. We started by checking out all the animals on the Oasis then headed off towards Dino land. We had planned to do Nemo today but the schedule just didn't work with ours. So we headed to Everest next. We narrowly escaped the yeti and then headed on our way to the Flights of Wonder. Both guys where looking forward to this as they really really like birds.. me? not so much but being the kinder of the group i wqent anyway. Alex got chosen to be the one to pull the curtain which also won him front row center seats. HOLY Creepy birds. lol.. they loved the show and then it was off to Kilamanjaro Safaris.
So I think the Safari was pretty nice this trip. The weather wasn't too hot so the animals where out during a time when they normally are hiding. We got a great view of the mama and baby Giraffe. Can't wait to share those photos with you. We didn't see the Alligators during this trip to the Safari but we did the next time. The elephants where out but hiding a bit. No zebras today :( Stubborn animals. The cheetahs where sleeping in the field so we saw a bit of them and the same with big papa lion. He was laying out sunbathing! After this we checked out the pangani exploration trail and then made our way to the front of the park. Then we caught our bus to The Wilderness Lodge so we could eat our early dinner (645 tonight) at Whispering Canyon Cafe. The meal was great. We all had the skillet and enjoyed it along with our bottomless sheriff shakes. We had planned to head back to Epcot for the extra magic hours after this but since my legs where killing me at this point we bought some supplies in the lodge store and then headed off on our way to Downtown Disney so we could head back to pop. This worked out the best for all of us cause we where beat and we really didn't have much left that we hadn't caught in Epcot at this point.
So I think the Safari was pretty nice this trip. The weather wasn't too hot so the animals where out during a time when they normally are hiding. We got a great view of the mama and baby Giraffe. Can't wait to share those photos with you. We didn't see the Alligators during this trip to the Safari but we did the next time. The elephants where out but hiding a bit. No zebras today :( Stubborn animals. The cheetahs where sleeping in the field so we saw a bit of them and the same with big papa lion. He was laying out sunbathing! After this we checked out the pangani exploration trail and then made our way to the front of the park. Then we caught our bus to The Wilderness Lodge so we could eat our early dinner (645 tonight) at Whispering Canyon Cafe. The meal was great. We all had the skillet and enjoyed it along with our bottomless sheriff shakes. We had planned to head back to Epcot for the extra magic hours after this but since my legs where killing me at this point we bought some supplies in the lodge store and then headed off on our way to Downtown Disney so we could head back to pop. This worked out the best for all of us cause we where beat and we really didn't have much left that we hadn't caught in Epcot at this point.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
November 2nd Hollywood Studios and Yachstman Steakhouse
So today was our 2nd day at Disney Hollywood Studios. Today we slept in because we where beat. Then headed to the park around 11 or so. It was lightly raining so we took bags for the camera and Alex's cast. We went to get lunch at Pizza Planet but at this point Alex was starting to feel bad so we went and sat down while Jason got our food. Alex didnt eat but we got some water in him which helped. We did a bit of shopping and then headed over to midway mania. We rode it and then headed outside where it was pouring down rain. This is where the day turns down hill. So like I said. When we came out of midway mania is was raining hard. I had Alex's arm covered and my camera covered. So at this point we tried to hurry along to someplace covered. Unfortunately I hit a really slick spot and came crashing down.. Once i got back up ( with the help of Jason and some guests cause the cast members standing 10 ft away did nothing) we headed out of the park to first aide. They got us towels and ice and an ace bandage. Once that was taken care of we headed back to our hotel to rest before dinner. We where really looking forward to this meal as it was our first signature @ Yachtsman. It didn't disapoint. Alex and i shared a porterhouse ( so saving his 2 credits) and it was well more than enough for the two of us. We also got the cheese tasting platter andd each of us found something new we really enjoyed. Afterwards it was back to our hotel so we could turn in
for the night. We plan on Animal Kingdom tomorrow.
for the night. We plan on Animal Kingdom tomorrow.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
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November 1st Lunch @ Epcot and MNSSHP
So we where going to head to magic kingdom first thing this morning. The plus of such a long trip is the time to be lazy if you want. So instead we slept in til about 9 and then headed over to Epcot for our lunch reservation at Coral Reef. We are also doing dinner here later in the week. I can honestly say though looking back I wouldn't do dinner again. 11:40 reservation here with an early arrival was the best choice ever.. We where the first table seated and where put at at table right next to the tank in the window where the sea turtle hangs. Except for a few breaks for air he hung next to us the ENTIRE meal. It was incredible and Alex was in love with the whole experience. It a boys version of a character meal to be sure. We had more steak here .. Yum, we aren't seafood people. We where here for the experience.
After lunch we headed out to transportation and headed back to our hotel to relax and get ready for the Halloween party. We got changed. Alex in his Jeff Hardy get up and Jason in his budget ninja shirt. Got camera and goodies bags and headed off around 5 to the parks. Got our bracelets and headed in. Rode a few rides, went to the candy stops and then found our spot for Hallowishes. Oh my wonderful. It was every thing we had hoped it would be and really where not dissapointed. I have TONS and I really mean TONS of pictures. Afterwards we moved over for the late parade. It was great as well and I have tons more pictures to share of that too. The plan of doing November first to avoid the crowds was a great one and it was a nice relaxed feel. All the other parties during our visit where sold out but this one wasn't and you could really tell. The people where much more sparse. Still rude as always ( we had A LOT of rude people this trip and I was really disapointed in that) but all in all we where still at Disney. When it came time to leave I found myself wondering why we even bothered with the treat trails. Since it was the last night they park had candy to kill and they had cast members at the gates with boxes and boxes and bins and vats and tubs.. All told I think we had over 50 lbs of candy.. No joke. We left half in the pay it forward box and brought the rest with us. So, Overall.. Love the party.. Def would do it again!
After lunch we headed out to transportation and headed back to our hotel to relax and get ready for the Halloween party. We got changed. Alex in his Jeff Hardy get up and Jason in his budget ninja shirt. Got camera and goodies bags and headed off around 5 to the parks. Got our bracelets and headed in. Rode a few rides, went to the candy stops and then found our spot for Hallowishes. Oh my wonderful. It was every thing we had hoped it would be and really where not dissapointed. I have TONS and I really mean TONS of pictures. Afterwards we moved over for the late parade. It was great as well and I have tons more pictures to share of that too. The plan of doing November first to avoid the crowds was a great one and it was a nice relaxed feel. All the other parties during our visit where sold out but this one wasn't and you could really tell. The people where much more sparse. Still rude as always ( we had A LOT of rude people this trip and I was really disapointed in that) but all in all we where still at Disney. When it came time to leave I found myself wondering why we even bothered with the treat trails. Since it was the last night they park had candy to kill and they had cast members at the gates with boxes and boxes and bins and vats and tubs.. All told I think we had over 50 lbs of candy.. No joke. We left half in the pay it forward box and brought the rest with us. So, Overall.. Love the party.. Def would do it again!
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