My Gran

The following paragraphs were written about 5 weeks ago...

 

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My Grandma is dying. She was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in April. We were told not to expect her to live passed May, but at the first of July she perked up quite a bit. She no longer used her walker, she defied her hospice nurse and walked up the stairs to sleep in her own bed instead of the hospital bed that was set up for her in the dining room. She went to church services and out to dinner with family. She attended the 46th annual 4th of July picnic with her church and to my daughter's third birthday party over Labor Day weekend. She travelled to Arkansas to visit her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, and then to Ohio to visit her brother and sister and their families. Her summer was more active than mine had been! We all had hope that maybe she had been misdiagnosed...surely someone who wasn't supposed to live through the spring wouldn't be doing this well all summer long??

On October 6th, the day before her 67th wedding anniversary, she had an 'episode'. We thought it was a stroke, but then the docs said maybe it had been a seizure caused by swelling in the brain (one location of her cancer was originally on the exterior of her skull), but really we don't know what happened. She spent a couple of anxious, nerve wracking days in the hospital, then went home. She still went out to eat, she still went to every church service that was offered (twice on Sunday and on Wednesday evenings), yet she was different. She stopped being talkative and only spoke when she was asked a direct question. Sure, she still smiled and acknowledged all who came to visit, but there was no conversation anymore. She started sleeping more throughout the day, eating a bit less than she did the day before. She is dying.

I'm not delusional. I know my grandparents will die. I know my parents will die, and one day I will as well. However, I've had THIRTY YEARS with my grandparents. Both sets, actually. I can't imagine a world in which they aren't sitting on their porch watching the birds and the cars go by.

So for now, I won't focus on the fact that she is dying. All I want to do is go to their house and watch Gran. Just watch her and listen to her voice and commit every little detail to memory.

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Last night, my Gran went to be with the Lord. She didn't struggle, there wasn't a fight, her spirit just peacefully left her body. In all of my thirty years on this Earth, I have never had someone close to me die. I had never witnessed death to the extent that I did yesterday evening. I've been to funerals...lots of them, really. They were mostly distant family, church members, or family friends that I never really knew. I will never forget the sadness, the complete feeling of helplessness and loneliness that I felt as I sat beside her bed.  All around me were aunts, uncles, cousins, my parents and my sister. No one in this world knows me better than the twenty or so people that were in that dining room. How can one feel so lonely in a room full of the people who know them the best? How can one experience the same event as so many other people, but feel so totally isolated? In all the years that Hubs and I have been together, I have never cried the way that I did last night. I hate crying. I hate showing emotion. I prefer to be happy and silly and care-free. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond happy that Gran's struggle with cancer is over. Part of me is even a little jealous that she gets to look on the face of Jesus, kneel at His feet, and never feel any ounce of sadness or worry ever again. Yet, a majority of my heart is selfish and just wants her back. Just to talk to her again...to hear her sing next to me in the church pew...to hear her laugh at something my kids said or did.

All of the grandkids and great-grandkids were asked to share a memory or a quote from Gran to include in the funeral program. I couldn't think of the first word to say. How do you put into words how much you love someone who is gone? How much you're going to miss them? What they meant to you?  I wrote a few lines about the little day-to-day details that I remember and will miss, but it all sounded like rubbish to me. What it all boils down to, is that I loved my Gran. I loved her more than I even realized. I kept thinking that the length of time that she had been sick would ease the pain of her passing and that I would be soothed by the knowledge that she is now beholding sights unimaginable, but it didn't. My heart broke just the same. I held her hand, whispered to her that I loved her, and thanked her for loving me as much as I know she did. I thanked her for allowing me to be a part of her wonderful family without any prejudice or exclusion. One by one, her family trickled into the room, and with me holding one hand, and my cousin Annette holding the other, Gran left us.

I love you, Gran. You were always kind, welcoming, and generous. You endured some of life's hardest trials, and greatest joys, and you did it all with class, grace and style. You will forever be the example that I strive to emulate.

Velma Elizabeth Price

March 10, 1923-November 13, 2013

Vacation Re-Cap: Cocoa Beach

I feel like this post will be on the shorter side, but I'm super chatty, so maybe I'm lying. Who knows? It will be a surprise!

On Wednesday of our vacation, we drove to Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side of Florida. I married a SoCal boy, and K is taking after her Daddy, so they just HAD to play in the waves!

 

My Pretty Girl!!

The town of Cocoa Beach is about an hour or so East of Orlando if you take the toll roads. We are cheap, so it took us about an hour and 20 minutes. We were driving straight into a great big rainstorm, and I was so upset! But, true to Florida reputation, I stuck around for a bit and the weather changed. Blue skies, warm breezes. We found a public access beach and unloaded the kids. The idea of bringing our own beach chairs and our SuperBrella had been thrown around, but I'm really glad we didn't. There was a nice guy sitting at a rental stand just a few steps from the public access parking lot and for a mere $30 we got 2 padded lounge chairs under a big shady umbrella! That's a small price to pay for extra trunk space! The water felt great, the breeze was amazing...K and Hubs had a great time boogie barding (2 boards were also included in the $30, PS), and A and I unsuccessfully attempted to build sand castles.

Stop taking pictures, Mom!

The peace and quiet was just what we needed at this point in our trip. It felt like we had been non-stop adventurers since our arrival. All I wanted to do was lay on my chair and close my eyes. Except I didn't want A to drown, so I stayed (partly) vigilant. The peace was broken when we noticed several jelly fish on the sand close to our chairs. Upon asking the nice guy at the rental stand, we learned that they were moon jellies and that their sting, although irritating, wouldn't do any damage.

This wasn't even the biggest one!

At this point, surprise surprise, A was scared of them and wouldn't go in the water anymore. K had so much time with Hubs, that she decided she wanted me to take a turn out on the waves. We got out about 10 yards and I saw a jelly floating on the water and chickened out. So Hubs took one for the team and headed back out with K. They each got stung (Hubs twice, K four times), but were completely elated that they got to ride the waves together. A spent her time digging for sand crabs, building sand castles, and chasing the birds that landed close to our chairs. She went into the water for a while before the jellies, but that was enough for her.

 

Chasing birds

 

Me and my baby! Check out her Cindy Brady pigtails!

We were all exhausted by the time we started the drive back and the girls slept almost the whole way back. Quick tip: get gas before jumping on the toll road. We decided that we would rather spend some cash to get back to Orlando in quick order. I don't recall how many tolls there were, but it took us more than $10 to get back. Anyway, there really aren't too many places to stop and get gas. I seriously thought we were going to have to call a tow truck to come and get us.

We finally made it back to the resort and K wanted to eat in the food court, while Hubs and I were kind of craving a restaurant that was not located on property. So, Hubs went to pick up some Chili's (chips and salsa, holla!) while the girls and I hung out by the pool and watched The Little Mermaid on a giant inflatable movie screen. That was really fun! We got our blankets from home and cuddled up on some lounge chairs. I seriously love spending cuddle time with my girls!

After the movie, the girls and I went back to the room to wait for Hubs to get back from picking up the food. I pulled my blankets back on the bed because A wanted to cuddle some more, and a COCKROACH scurried right by my hand and hid under the blanket!!! I straight flipped out! I kept trying to call Hubs, but he didn't answer and I thought I was about to have a coronary! Once he opened the door, he found the girls and I on the other bed, huddled together, with me shaking and A hiding her head. He found the offending creature and caught it in a cup and called the front desk. Omg, every time I saw it, I almost died!! Apparently, in Florida, they are called "Palmetta bugs" because they live in and around palm trees and in the much beds that are in the landscaping. I don't care what you call them, Mr. Maintenance Man, a cockroach is a cockroach and I hate them! They offered us a different room, but I really didn't want to pack our stuff up and move it. But I told him if I found any more "Palmetta bugs" I was going to throw a royal fit. Luckily for him and everyone else, I didn't see a single one after that. I swear nature was trying to attack me on this trip!

What is a vacation without a few snags? Just because nature hated me this time doesn't deter me from planning another vacation down the road. All the "Palmetta bugs" in Orlando can't keep me away! OK...maybe they can...*ick*...There aren't usually cockroaches, sorry, "Palmetta bugs" on cruise ships are there??

Vacation Re-cap: Blizzard Beach and the Luau!

I had to take a few days off from blogging because this week has been so busy! I've had to work all kinds of overtime, and my schedule has been a little all over the place. Plus, K had a project due and homework and all kinds of stuff, so.....sorry. I know you've been waiting on pins a needles to hear all about the rest of our trip! *sarcasm* Since today is super chilly and blustery, I think it is the perfect time to reflect on gorgeous weather and warm temperatures, just to take the edge off.

Tuesday of our vacation didn't start super early. We had planned to go to Blizzard Beach and it didn't open until 10am. The mornings weren't warm enough (I thought) for swimming, so I was fine with not getting there right when the park opened. In case you didn't know, Blizzard Beach is one of two Disney waterparks. The other is Typhoon Lagoon, which I've wanted to go to since I was probably 7-years-old, but it was closed for repairs and refurbishment. *Sigh*...Such is the (only) downfall of hitting up WDW in the off-season. BB was really fun, though, and all had a great time.

We arrived around 11am and staked out a spot near Tike's Peak (the area for smallish ones). The areas for sitting and relaxing are numerous! We picked the area that we did because we figured that one parent or the other would be with Little A in that area most of the time anyway. In these areas, there are lounge chairs, regular pool-type chairs, sand and lots of shady places. There are little deck areas scattered around that one can rent so that one's family can have their own space. Some of the lounge areas a little too out-of-the-way for my taste...almost remote. But if you have a large group (and no valuables) this may be a better choice for you. These out-of-the-way areas are so peaceful and you would almost never even feel like you were in a waterpark. There is Christmas music playing all day, which was a little odd for me, but it was all Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet-type island music so it was kinda fun.

Little A kept wanting to play in the sand, and that's pretty much all she wanted for a while. I coaxed her away from our things and over to the chair lift that takes you to the top of the 'mountain'. (BB is themed to look like a ski resort that had gotten too warm and all of the snow had melted down the side of the mountain to create the slides.) At the top of the mountain are three big slides, Summit Plummet, Slush Gusher and Teamboat Springs. Two of them (SP and SG) were closed, but that was ok by me because they were those great big steep ones that you go down at hundreds of miles per hour, which I don't like anyway. Teamboat Springs is one of those half-pipe slides that requires a tube with 4-6 passengers. This isn't too crazy of a slide, so I thought A would be alright on it. There wasn't a height requirement, the sign just said 'no infants'. Hubs and K got on the ski lift first, and then I panicked a little because how am I supposed to get a toddler on a ski lift and then get myself on without falling (the lift doesn't stop, of course)?!? I was in a bathing suit, with no shoes on...I saw this ending badly. Fortunately, luck was on my side and we were soon gliding up to the top. I'm not the biggest fan of heights, ps, so I kept my hand on A the whole time (she hated that). At the top, we reached the entrance to the slide. Hubs sat down, K across from him, and then A and I next to each other (so I could hold on to her, duh). A hated it. She was terrified and screamed the whole way. It wasn't that crazy, she's just scared of everything. Other than that, the rest of us loved it! It's a really good family-type slide.

After that first slide, A and I went to Tike's Peak and B and K went to hunt down some racing slides (toboggan Racers). I won't go on these because you are going face-first at breakneck speeds down a waterslide on a slippery mat. No. Just no. As a family, we enjoyed Meltaway Bay (wave pool) and Cross Country Creek (lazy river). A loved Tike's Peak, although after the family tube slide, she wouldn't touch the extremely tame kids tube slide with a 10-foot pole. She also enjoyed the pool (with a swim vest) at Ski Patrol Training Camp (the pre-teen area). That area is pretty cool. There are slides that are bigger than the Tike's slides, but tamer than the great big ones throughout the rest of the park. There is an over-the-water zipline, and an 'ice bridge' to cross.

Lunch was giant turkey legs and hot dogs. My turkey leg, which I'd been craving since our last trip to Disney, was too dry. I was a little disappointed in that. It made me want to get another before we left property. There are several little walk-up food huts around the park advertising turkey legs, sandwiches and ice cream, and there are even a couple of booze stands for the parents.

K and I got to go off on our own for a couple of big slides that were fast and one (Downhill Double Dipper) that made me feel like my bathing suit would always be stuck in my hiney. Perhaps my greatest adventure for the whole day happened when K and I were looking for Hubs and A. We had walked, seemingly, all over the place looking for them. We trekked up to the top of the hill in Tikes Peak to see if they were at the top playing in the little splash pool. During this trek, I saw something out of the corner of my eye fall off the chest-high rock wall that bordered the path. It. Was. A. Snake. It fell a mere foot from my person and I almost died on the spot. We beat it out of there real quick.

When a voice over the park-wide loud-speaker came across telling us that the changing rooms would be closing in 15 minutes, I felt that it was time to go. Hubs and K were off squeezing in another death-defying turn town the racing slide, so I dressed A quickly at our little spot in the sand, then made a mad dash for the changing rooms. I was surprised that there were any open. Yet again, something that we didn't have to wait for. After a quick change for the other two, we were back outside the gates waiting on the bus back to our resort.

We had a couple of hours to have a small snack and get changed into some nicer attire before dinner. Hubs found out about the Luau at the Polynesian months ago, and that was really the only meal he was psyched for and had insisted on. The Luau took 2 table service credits because it is a dinner show and is 'all you care to enjoy'. We drove to the Polynesian with only a couple of snags (missing our exit and a small meltdown from me), and had our picture taken upon entry to the show. It was $35 for an 8x10 and 4 5x7's, but it was a cute picture and one of the few of all four of us, so it was totally worth it for me. The storyline for the show is kind of cheesy, but I hear it's been the same for at least a decade. However, the dancers after the story are amazing! There were a LOT of women screaming over the men in Polynesian get-ups. I did not scream. I wanted to, but my children were present. We enjoyed the food (ribs, roasted chicken and pulled pork) and the entertainment thoroughly, and given the chance, we would probably go back again sometime.


I know I said that there would probably be only 2 more posts, but I'm fairly certain it might be 2 more after this one. I can't help it...I'm a little bit of a Chatty Cathy. Until next time!

Mrs. W

Vacation Re-Cap: Magic Kingdom!

Just in case you haven't had enough details about someone else's vacation, I thought I'd provide you with more bathroom reading material. What? You don't read blogs in the bathroom, you say? Huh...I thought everyone did that...

Day three was Magic Kingdom day! Planning this day was huge for me. So huge that when things didn't go 100% how I had planned them, I started to have a little bit of a Disney Breakdown, or DB as I like to call them. Usually you see children having DBs throughout the day from being over-stimulated or under-rested. However, at the end of the day, you see parents and grandparents suffering from DB because they are trying to fight the massive exodus of people during parades or fireworks. That was me. I am not proud of it. It's my disdain for not having control of a situation, and my expectations that I've built up in my head falling short of what I was, well, expecting.

We went into the park knowing that the hours were from 9am-9pm with extra magic hours for resort guests extending to 11pm. Hubs and I decided to nix the wake-up call at 6:30am, because we were out late the night before and we didn't want our kids to be the ones suffering from DB. So instead of arriving at MK in time to see the opening ceremonies, we arrived around 10am.

When we first arrived, we decided to meet Mickey on Main St because the line wasn't that long. A was fine until we got into the room where he was...then there were tears, then screaming, then flailing the closer we got to him. So I just stepped to the side and tried to reassure her while K got her autograph book signed and had her picture taken. It's pretty cool because, unlike when I was a kid, Mickey interacts with the guests by moving his mouth, blinking and speaking. He even did the Hot Dog dance with one of the little girls. So cute, but not for our little one, unfortunately. On our way out, we purchased super cute purple leopard print Minnie ears with feathers on top for K. She was so happy to wear them all day!

Scared

Terrified

Only one child in the picture

 

After Mickey, we spent the morning in Tomorrowland. Since I had figured out how to do the fast passes on the My Disney Experience App, I set our first fast pass for Space Mountain and we got a parent swap ticket for Hubs to ride with K after she and I were done. I don't know if I've made this clear yet, but A is afraid of EVERYTHING so one of us had to stay with her while the other rode with K. Parent swap is great! Once the first parent gets off the ride with the older child, the second parent can get in the fast pass line and the older child can ride again without waiting in line a second time. We hit up Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Hubs and K went on Stitch's Great Escape and then the girls and I boarded the Astro Orbiters. Riding on the Orbiters with my dad back in 1988 when I was 5 is one of my most vivid memories of Disney, so of course I wanted to take my girls. A started out a little scared (surprise) because she's really sensitive to motion (you steer these rockets up and down like Dumbo), but she got over it pretty quickly.

From Tomorrowland, we took the back path by Space Mountain to the new Fantasyland. By the time we did this, A was asleep so she missed out on a few things. We decided to get lunch and move on, then come back when she was awake. I wanted to eat at Be Our Guest, but the line was SO long! We ate at Pinnochio's Village Haus instead. Hubs and I had flatbread Italian subs and K had flatbread pizza. We were all very satisfied with our meals, they were tasty and very filling! We couldn't have been happier with the quality. Once A woke up, we caught the Celebrations Parade. She was ok with the parade at AK because all of the characters were on floats, but that was not the case for this parade. When Goofy approached her, she was literally screaming terrified. I have a picture of this happening and it is hilarious! The rest of the parade was great, K, Hubs and myself enjoyed the whole thing. I especially loved Peter Pan and Mary Poppins because they are my faves.

Absolute TERROR

Checking to make sure Goofy is gone...

Of course we hit up the carousel, Dumbo, Mad Hatter's Tea Party, It's a Small World and met Cinderella and Aurora while we were in the area. A second Dumbo ride was added next to the first one, with a large indoor playground (equipped with AC!) between them. If there's a long wait, you can go into the tent, get a pager (like at a restaurant) and sit and relax while your child plays until it is your turn. Pretty clever, Disney!

On Dumbo

Waiting to meet Princesses with my Princesses

Trying to pull the sword from the stone

Frontierland is next, with Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. K wanted to ride all four mountains, so that's exactly what we did. She even got to ride them all twice (BTMR like 6 or 8 times) because of parent swap. We skipped Tom Sawyer's Island because K isn't really into just walkin around. She needs action!

We had reservations at Tony's for dinner, which I loved because I love Lady and the Tramp! Dinner was good, but it wasn't our favorite of the whole trip. A and I got Spaghetti and Meatballs (duh, you have to), K got Shrimp Scampi, and Hubs got Braised Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto. A loved her spaghetti, but I think I would have liked it more had I just got meatballs instead of one meatball and one Italian sausage. K liked the way hers tasted, but it didn't treat her tummy well. Probably because we'd eaten a lot of heavy food and we don't usually do that. Hubs liked his short ribs, but he was expecting his risotto to be the same as a local restaurant that we go to at home. We all took desserts to go (pumpkin cheesecake and tiramisu) because again, we just couldn't finish it all. We walked back to Tomorrowland to ride on the Speedway...K is an awful driver, PS. Way too much over-correcting.

In Adventureland, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, which A was surprisingly ok with. Later on in the evening she actually requested a second ride! It was almost time for the light parade so we took a breather and staked out a good spot. The electrical parade is another vivid memory I have from childhood. <3 I had bought A a glowing fairy wand right before the parade started and from her float, Tink told A she liked her wand. Too cute! Poor K just kind of sat for a minute to let her tummy settle. Afterwards, we got kind of swept up in the crowd making their way to the front of the park to see the fire works. This is where I had my DB. I wanted the girls to see Tink fly down from the castle (another of my vivid memories), and to see the fireworks because that was one of mine and Hubs' favorite parts from our last visit. Cast Members were telling us not to stop, to keep walking and we couldn't turn around because of the crowd. When we finally got to stop to watch everything, the girls had barely gotten a glimpse of Tink and we were watching fireworks through tree branches. I started to lose it. I know it sounds silly, and it totally was, but at the time, I was super bummed. Hubs got pretty annoyed, K apologized that I was upset, then I felt bad.

We made our way to the Haunted Mansion not knowing whether or not A would be ok with it. Surprisingly, she was alright. There were short times of burying her face in my arm, but for the most part, she handled it like a champ and came out smiling. I count that as a win!  By this time it was approaching 11pm, so we made a mad dash to Fantasyland so K could go on Goofy's Barnstormer with Hubs and A could go on Under The Sea with me. It was so cute riding that ride with A. She danced to Under the Sea, and held her nose because we were "under water". My heart melted! On our way in, I asked a CM what time the park closed and she said extra magic hours were until 1am. WHAT?!?! Bad mood over! K and Hubs were so psyched to hear the news! We rode Dumbo again, and then The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A LOVES the Winnie the Pooh song, so this ride was one of her favorites. On our way out, both girls just HAD to have an Eeyore (or Eewore, as A says). Hubs really wanted to ride Space Mountain again, and that led to a second ride on Buzz Lightyear.

Super concentration

Me too

We trekked back to Adventureland for the Jungle Cruise, got a delicious Dole Whip, went on the requested second ride on POTC, and then we climbed up into the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (great views from the top, by the way! Totally worth the climb!). At this point it was about 12:30am and Little A was the leader of the pack. She held up the hem of her Minnie Mouse costume dress as we climbed the Tree House, she was wide awake and alert and in a great mood! K wanted to ride BTMR again, and we actually fit 4 more rides in for her on that. Then we slowly and leisurely made our way to the entrance, taking pictures the whole way.

After the fireworks were over, we basically walked on to every ride we went on. The wait times were great all day, actually. The longest we waited was to meet Mickey (25 minutes) and Cinderella (30 minutes, even with fast pass). I will never go back to MK in the springtime like we did last time we visited. Autumn is SO much better! The weather is better, the crowds are better, wait times are next to zero.

Aw I sure hope so!

 

 

I already can't wait to go back to Disney! I get a little Moused out, sure...But I would take it over work any day!

 

Mrs. KDub

Vacation Re-Cap: Animal Kingdom Park and Downtown Disney

So was my last post too lengthy?? I sure hope someone found some helpful information in there somewhere! Sit back and buckle your seatbelts, space cadets, because here is DAY TWO!!

Sunday we went to Animal Kingdom. None of us had ever been to this Disney park, but we were told by several people that we would never spend all day there because there wasn't enough to do. The park was only open from 9am-5pm, so we figured we would leave around 3 and change for our evening at Downtown Disney. We ended up staying until the park closed and as it turned out, we could have spent way more time at AK!!

On the bus, there is no smoking, no eating, and no cassette tapes?

We took the Disney bus (about 15-20 minute ride) and we arrived right as the park opened, which made me super happy because we are never on time for anything! We headed straight for Africa the board the Kiliminjaro Safari, since it is one of the most popular rides and we didn't want to have to wait forever. I had signed us up for fast passes for the day (3 per day, per person, per park), but I did it poorly because I had never done it before, so we just headed straight for our #1 pick. I had read on one travel blog that sometimes one can hear the lions roar in the morning, but unfortunately we didn't. There was so much to see and so much information that was passed on to us on this attraction! We saw elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, zebras (a herd of which is called a 'dazzle'!), and hippos to name just a small portion of the wide variety of animals that live there. Some of the more docile animals (giraffes, antelopes, ostriches) even ventured up close to the safari vehicles. Definitely a must if you or your kiddos are into animals at all.

They are just so cute!

My girls love elephants!

Little A and I spent some time in Dinoland USA while hubs and K went on Dinosaur which is a more intense ride. Dinoland is really kitschy, and made to look kind of like a carnival that was dropped in a parking lot. A is pretty much terrified of everything, so we only went on the TriceraTop Spin (like Dumbo, but dinosaurs) while waiting on the others. We missed out on the Primeval Whirl coaster and the Boneyard playground for A (she was asleep).

We traveled via the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch where the kids got their Wilderness Explorer activity books and spent some time at the petting zoo. A was WAY into the petting zoo (and the train, she loves trains!). They completed a WE badge and got a sticker in their books, then we went back to the main park. There was a lot more to see in this area that had to do with conservation and whatnot, but it was approaching lunch time and A was starting to get a little testy. That was too much information, and not enough activity (I thought at the time), but I would like to go back and check it out next time.

We ate lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue. K got the 1/2 slab of ribs and hubs and I each got the chicken and rib combo. All were served with beans and coleslaw and we got fruit and key lime mousse. I loved the chicken and I thought the ribs were pretty tasty too. Hubs liked the sweet and spicy bbq sauce, and K LOVED her ribs. The slaw was great, but I never got to try the beans because I was too full. A just ate some of our chicken and my grapes.

After lunch we headed to Asia. We walked along the Maharajah Jungle Trek to check out the tigers and the bats with 6-foot wingspans (ick), among others. The way that this area was decorated and set up was amazing. Tibetan prayer flags, Indian prayer shrines. It's really top notch!

Tibetan prayer flags

Bats...Ick...

K loves water rides so of course we hit up the Kali River Rapids. She was a little disappointed about the lack of soaking that we received. I was secretly super relieved! I hate wet clothes. Exploration Everest was SO exciting! It was the first thrill ride I've been on in almost 3 years, so I was really psyched! There are big drops, crazy turns, some of it is inside the mountain so it's in total darkness, and you also go BACKWARDS. It was fabulous! I was really sick so my voice was super scratchy, but it sounded way worse after all the screaming I did on that coaster!

K and Hubs with Exploration Everest in the background

A closer shot of EE!

 

We checked out Discovery Island to see It's Tough to be a Bug. It's a 3-D show with added affects like water spraying on you and smelling stink bug smells. We all loved it except for A, who was terrified (are you sensing a pattern here?). It was funny and really unexpected, and I would recommend it to anyone!

At some point in the day, we hit up Camp Minnie Mickey to meet some Disney Characters. The girls had made their own autograph books and we bought special markers. A's favorite cartoons are Donald Duck, so we thought she would be thrilled. She was actually terrified. So much so that after Donald, she didn't want to meet any other characters except Pocahontas, which we did. K and I hit up Chip and Dale and then I headed over to meet Baloo and King Louie because I love Jungle Book. No one wanted to come with me, but I only felt silly for a minute. :)

One of the many terrified faces of A.

Pocahontas was more her speed...

We love these silly guys!

I <3 Jungle Book!

The very last thing we did was catch The Festival of The Lion King. Amazing! The guy who designed the Lion King Broadway show designed this one as well (from what I gathered from the cast members). It was kind of like a Cirque de Soleil show with acrobatics and dancing. The costumes were amazing, though I wasn't super impressed with the singing. However, we caught the last show of the day, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. It was totally fabulous, and even though A was scared in the beginning because Timon was walking around as part of the show, she ended up loving it (as long as Timon stayed far away).

A learning the Hakuna Matata Hand Jive

We missed so many things that I wanted us to do...Flights of Wonder, Finding Nemo the Musical, Primeval Whirl, various animal exhibits, the Jammin Jungle Parade (hubs and A saw the parade while K and I were on a ride), the Discovery Island Trails...I definitely want to go back and visit again. I also would have liked for the kids to do more with the WE badges, but there just wasn't time.

It's always a good time for a Mickey ice cream bar!

Since we stayed at AK until the park closed, we didn't have time to go back to our resort before dinner at Rainforest Café at Downtown Disney. We took the bus to DD (20 minutes approx.) and then took the water taxi over to the other end of DD, which was a great decision after walking all day! It's a tradition for us to eat at the Rainforest Café in DD. The girls love it, it's casual, and we get to hang out at DD, which we love! Since the Café is on Disney property, it counted as part of our Dining Plan, so the only thing we had to pay for was A's meal, and really she could have eaten some of our food. Hubs got the Big Easy Chops, I got the Taste of the Islands and K got the Fried Shrimp. K ate all of hers, plus some of my Coconut Shrimp (thumbs up from her!), Hubs wasn't a huge fan of the chops. he said they were kind of dry (he's just used to the awesome chops I make, you know!), I loved my Dynamite Shrimp and Coconut Shrimp (even though I don't think I was supposed to get that with my meal), and the blackened tilapia was good, but by the time I got to that, I couldn't eat any more. We got cheesecake and chocolate cake to go and then went to the shops, and checked out the live entertainment. This is always one of our favorite parts of the trip. Just going at our own pace, checking things out and being together!

For those of you who haven't seen Hubs' silly side...

As with the last post, I hope this was helpful for someone!
Until next time!

KDizzle

Vacation Re-Cap: Reviews of the Resort and Dinner at Sanaa

We are HOME! Part of me is glad (I missed my bed and my shower), and part of me wants to re-pack all of my stuff and go back (we went from 90 degrees yesterday to 40 today. Boo!). I've really been struggling with how much of our vacation to share. I mean, I care about the details, I know my family is wanting to hear how everything went, but will my other readers give a flying rats rear to hear about our back-to-back activities? Do I even HAVE any other readers? Probably not... So I will break it up in to chunks with the park or activity listed in the Title line, and you can decide if you want to read it, skim it or skip it altogether. Sound fair?

First of all, I really have to say that the trip down wasn't all that bad. We left our house at around 5:30pm on Friday evening. The kids fell asleep between 9 and 10. The only emergency car activity I had to pull out of my "Mom Bag" was Halloween window clings. I let the kids decorate the back side windows and they loved that! The rest of the time they watched movies. Bryan and I didn't talk for the first 2 hours because we were just reveling in the silence. It. Was. Amazing. We stopped around 4am to sleep, and got back on the road at about 7am when Kennedy declared nap time over because she couldn't sleep any more. Once we started driving, she was asleep. Figures. Without stopping, the road trip would have taken 14 hours, roughly, but it took us about 20 since we stopped to sleep and to let Little A have a potty break every so often.


We got to Disney's Pop Century Resort around 1pm, and we immediately loved the lobby. Super fun in décor, they had games for the kids to play while the parents were checking in, and everyone was amazingly helpful. ** TIP: Check in on-line in advance. All I had to do was show my ID, and they gave me our room keys and a map and a few other bits of info. ** The pool was shaped like a hippy flower, and there was fun 60's music playing everywhere in our area. There was a giant statue of Baloo and Mowgli that my inner child was super-psyched about. The rooms had an exterior corridor, which I kind of hated. Pop Century is a value resort, so it is on the bottom tier price-wise (along with All-Star Sports, The Art of Animation and All-Star Movies). The beds weren't very comfortable, but after full days of parks, we almost didn't even notice. I feel like the rooms were right on par with a nicer Motel. It's a lot cleaner and the service is, of course, way better than one of those sorts of properties, but that's just kind of the feel I got from it. The beauty of Disney properties is that even if you are staying at a Value Resort, it is kept up and cleaned just as well as a Deluxe property. We had our first Disney meal (counter service) at Pop Century and we were all pleased. K got pizza with Ceasar Salad and there was PLENTY to share with Little A, Hubs got a Jalapeno cheeseburger that he was delightfully surprised with, and I got the Cuban sandwich. We all got bottled sodas, a cup that was refillable for the entirety of our stay, and cheesecakes or fruit for dessert that we saved for later. We got to 'pay' for our meals with our Magic Bands. (I explained them in a previous post.) Upon check-in I declined the ability for K to charge things to our room via the Magic Band, but she could still use it to get snacks and meals if she wasn't with us (which, of course, she always was). That first afternoon we basically just hung out at the pool, explored the resort to get our bearings, and checked out the gift shop.

Sky writing over the Hippy Dippy Pool

** We chose to take part in the Disney Dining Plan for our stay. Hubs, K and myself each got an entrée, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage (with refills) for every meal. Each day we got a Table service meal, a counter service meal and a snack. Little A ate off from our meals sometimes and at other times we ordered off the kids menu for her. The DDP was offered to us for FREE during October so it felt like a no-brainer to us. We rarely ever finished all of our food because the portions were pretty big, and sometimes we took dessert to go and ate it for breakfast the next morning. I would use DDP in a heartbeat for our future trips!! **

We chose to take the Disney transportation throughout our stay, but there were a few places we decided to drive after checking out this site. It tells you approximately how long Disney transportation will take to get you from one place to another. It was a HUGE help to us in the planning stage of our trip!

Little A, myself and K at Kiwani Village

On our first night, we visited Kiwani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Sanaa (we drove our own vehicle, as it was only a 15 minute drive, but on the Disney bus, it would have taken about 40 minutes). The kids thought that it was pretty cool that as we waited for our table (not too long since we had reservations) they got to check out some cool animals from the Animal Kingdom park. I definitely want to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge sometime in the future!

Sanaa takes it's menu from different regions of Africa with hints of Indian flavors. K and I ordered the slow-cooked butter chicken and the braised short ribs and it was served with your choice of rice. Hubs ordered the NY Strip over potatoes and vegetables, and Little A got the kids fish with rice and mixed veggies. K closed her eyes in absolute kid-foodie delight when she tasted her meal. The chicken had hints of curry and the short ribs tasted almost like there was cinnamon in the background. I was kind of surprised that she liked it so much, until I tasted it myself. Good. Lord. Hubs wasn't super impressed with his steak...It was cooked well, but the seasoning wasn't quite to his liking. When they brought the steak out it was a little over-cooked so he had to send it back. Little A ate almost all of her fish, and a lot of her rice, but she's not a green bean person and since there were green beans in the mixed veggies, she pretty much left those alone. We all got the same dessert: a plate with chocolate mousse, chai cream and coconut cheesecake. I seriously couldn't eat it all, but I really REALLY wanted to.

I know that this post was super long, but I just have SO much in the way of information and reviews that I want to share with all of you! I planned this trip for almost seven months, and darn it, I want to re-live it as much as possible!! Stay tuned for more (unless you're already bored, then don't...)!!

Kinda worn out,
KDub