Wow. We really did four parks in four days! After that whirlwind, it was nice to sleep in a bit. And did I mention that Andrew got sick in the middle of the night? I guess it was just too much excitement. He hadn't eaten anything weird. Just more sugar than normal combined with less sleep and lots of excitement. Brian cleaned him up in the bathtub while I stripped the bed. Mousekeeping arrived with new sheets and mattress pad, and we tucked him back into bed. And wouldn't you know, he did it again! Another call to Mousekeeping; another bath. We finally all got back to sleep around 3am.
So it was especially nice to sleep in. We ate a low key breakfast in the room, and packed our things. I called to accept the bounce-back offer we were given for free dining next year. But much to my panic, there was a problem with the computerized reservation system. I spent the better part of an hour on the phone, as they wrote all our info down by hand. You have to book a bounce-back before you check out of the property. I had a really bad feeling about this...
Andrew seemed to be feeling back to normal, so we headed out to Downtown Disney around 11:30am. (After leaving a fat tip for the wonderful Mousekeeping staff.) We went first to the Lego store. It's set up with all these building and racing stations for the kids. The boys could have stayed here all day. We did settle on Andrew's souvenir: he spent his $10 of allowance he saved up, combined with the $10 Grammy gave him to purchase a Lego Creator set. It could be built into a jet, hovercraft or helicopter. It was a really big set to be priced at $20. Score!
Brian - the Lego pushover - also sprung for Andrew to build 3 Lego men, choose a large cup of random specialized pieces, as well as an Lego Advent calendar. That was one happy kid :)
From there, we went to Earl of Sandwich. They have indoor seating & loads of yummy sandwiches. My club panini was outstanding. The kids didn't eat much of their grilled cheese, so we may try Wolfgang Puck Express next time. The Maurers raved about the amount of food they give you there. Anyway, we headed over to Once Upon a Toy to shop for Lauren. We played with the ponies, the crowns, the light sabers, the potato heads, etc. She finally landed on a Cinderella crown and a plush Tinkerbell.
Truth be told, I was beginning to get cranky myself. I was over the shopping. Ready to get on the road. But, I knew we needed to hit Goofy's Candy Co. We had lots of snack credits we needed to spend. And, had I been able to muster the energy, I would have gone to guest relations to convert our CS credits to snacks to spend at Goofy's as well. But did I mention, I was over it?! Especially when we had to wait 25 minutes for BDV's custom rice krispie treat. I know that's the best snack on the DDP, but next time, order it first thing!! The store was crazy busy. The kids were whiny. Brian was taking way too long. But we did finally get out of there (w/nine free DDP snacks!). I took the kids into Rainforest Cafe for a bathroom break, and we hit the road.
I was texting with Andrea en route back to Atlanta, and she told me the reservation system was back up. I called back & finalized everything (hey, it's 8.5 hours home... when else will I not begrudge another hour on the phone?), and we both re-upped for free DDP 2009! We're pushing it back a week, hoping for cooler weather. And we booked All Star Music Family Suites. It's a value, so no waterslide. But it's twice the room: 2 bedrooms (a queen bed for us!), 2 bathrooms, 2 tvs, a kitchenette, etc. At the same cost as a moderate. We booked a suite for us and for the Millers. The kids are already talking about showing their cousins around Disney next year! Loren & Sharon will probably come for part of the time too. And of course, we're stoked to be with the Maurers again as well. You know I'm already planning our ADRs :)
Bottom line: it was a huge win for our family! We had fun with our kids, our friends, and with each other! The Volks love the Mouse.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #5 Magic Kingdom Part 1
It was the Extra Magic Morning Hour at Magic Kingdom & this one really counts. We left for the MK at 7:30am, hoping to hit Space Mountain and Fantasyland before the park opened to the public. We rode the buses this morning. As we arrived, we saw the characters waving from the train for rope drop. Right on time. Brian grabbed our stroller, and I took ADV to the bathroom. We loaded them in and pulled out the video camera to capture LRV's first glimpse of 'Cindralella's Castle': priceless!
Brian suggested we take some pics while everyone was fresh; we got some cute shots with us and the Maurers. Then it was off to Space Mountain. We decided to hit that first while Andrew's excitement was high. The dads took the boys there, while the girls rode Buzz Lightyear. Good ride; distant second to TSM, tho. Unfortunately, just before it was the boys turn to ride, they shut down Space Mtn for 15 minutes. Andrew took a bathroom break and the nice folks in line let him back in. He loved it. Big winner!
While the boys were stuck in Tomorrowland, the girls headed over to Fantasyland, walking thru the castle. We went to Cinderella's carousel first. Andrea and I actually rode a horse. Can't think of the last time I rode on a carousel... Then we went to It's a Small World. Lauren loved it. She more or less stood next to me in the boat, clapping and pointing excitedly to all the things she saw. She particularly liked the can-can dancers in France. (should i be concerned? :) It was really cute. Watching her enjoy everything made the annoying song worth it.
After IaSW, we rode Winnie the Pooh. Another great pre-school ride. LRV thought it was cool to ride thru Pooh's dream. So fun seeing everything thru her eyes. It's like living your life over again... Anyway, after the Pooh ride, we headed to Pooh's playground to let the girls run around a bit. We checked in with the boys who headed our way. They hit Dumbo while the girls played. The Maurers led out on a morning snack break of popcorn and lollipops. Then we all rode the Tea Cups. Fortunately, no casualties.
We FP'd Peter Pan who already had an absurdly long line -- what is it about that ride? Then we headed to Philharmagic. It was maybe half full. We got good seats in the middle and settled in. Lauren wouldn't keep her 3-D glasses on, but Andrew was all over it. Watching Donald Duck get into trouble chasing that hat just cracked him up. I got a cute pic of him in a sorcerer mickey hat in the gift shop.
Next, we walked down to Liberty Square and rode the Haunted Mansion. Bad call. Much scarier after the refurb. Lauren curled into me with her eyes closed the entire time. 'When will the scary ride be over, Mommy?' I'm thinkin' we'll skip that one next time. Well done, but less emphasis on the 'happy haunts' and more weight on the fright factor. It was nice to get back out into the sunshine.
We walked over to where a silhouette artist was stationed, hoping to get profiles done of LRV & ADV. Mine and Brian's parents had ours done when we were pre-schoolers. We thought it would be fun to have a complete set. The kids were impressively compliant. Will and Sam sat very still setting the bar high, and Andrew rose to the occasion. While Lauren and Lilly were taking their turns, we saw Sleeping Beauty quietly make her way to a secluded courtyard fifty feet away. Andrea & I got in line while the kids played. We waited all of five minutes. Watching Lauren meet Sleeping Beauty was a highlight of our trip for me. We got it all on video too which is awesome! That's LRV's favorite princess; she was positively beside herself. Lauren kissed Sleeping Beauty's hand. She was just in awe of her. It was a magical moment for Lauren.
Next we headed to Peter Pan as our FP window had opened. I rode with Andrew. He picked out Ariel the mermaid, and laughed out loud at Capt. Hook in the jaws of the crocodile. I'm glad I got to ride that with him.
Afterward we headed to Pinnochio Village Haus for an early -- 11:30am -- lunch. I took Sam and Lauren to the potty while the dads got a table. Then I ordered lunch. Only time I ordered a CS meal, I think. You can get strawberry yogurt at PVH (for a kids dessert), but our kids ate it as their entree. I ate the kids meal turkey rollups. The kids ate yogurt plus some pizza and fruit. Everyone wins. Lilly and Robbie headed back to POR for a nap. While the rest of the kids finished up, the dads picked up the silhouettes of the kids. Oh my goodness.. they were TERRIBLE. All five kids had a Pinnochio nose. They looked nothing like our children. It was really quite funny. Jay and I walked back and returned them. The CMs didn't bat an eye. I wonder if they get a lot of returns? I mean the ones of Brian and I as kids are spot on. Maybe our girl was still training...
Next we FP'd Big Thunder Mtn Railroad, then walked over to Pirates of the Carribean. We just walked right up. Can't beat that! The Davy Jones waterfall projection wasn't working, so it was kind of random that you just floated in the dark for a while. But that not withstanding, it was a pleasant ride. The kids enjoyed the animatronic characters. There was a big back-up of boats at the end of the ride. LRV was very concerned that boats kept hitting each other...
Then we walked over to Aladdin's Magic Carpets and rode those. The kids thought it was cool that there were 'jewels' in the pavement. ADV tried to free several. There's no relief from the heat on that ride. Full sun. It was hot. The kids cooled off in the tiki misters. Then the boys headed to BTMR while the girls went to the Tiki Room. It's amazing how that song comes right back to you.
We then cut thru the shops to catch Woody's Cowboy Camp parade in Frontierland. Lauren got really into it. She didn't want to participate in the parade, but she sang and danced around near us. We met up with the boys and walked toward Jungle Cruise. But the lines were long and the kids were melting down. The Maurers stopped for snacks - eggrolls!? - but our family was done. We turned in our stroller and bussed it back to POR.
Brian suggested we take some pics while everyone was fresh; we got some cute shots with us and the Maurers. Then it was off to Space Mountain. We decided to hit that first while Andrew's excitement was high. The dads took the boys there, while the girls rode Buzz Lightyear. Good ride; distant second to TSM, tho. Unfortunately, just before it was the boys turn to ride, they shut down Space Mtn for 15 minutes. Andrew took a bathroom break and the nice folks in line let him back in. He loved it. Big winner!
While the boys were stuck in Tomorrowland, the girls headed over to Fantasyland, walking thru the castle. We went to Cinderella's carousel first. Andrea and I actually rode a horse. Can't think of the last time I rode on a carousel... Then we went to It's a Small World. Lauren loved it. She more or less stood next to me in the boat, clapping and pointing excitedly to all the things she saw. She particularly liked the can-can dancers in France. (should i be concerned? :) It was really cute. Watching her enjoy everything made the annoying song worth it.
After IaSW, we rode Winnie the Pooh. Another great pre-school ride. LRV thought it was cool to ride thru Pooh's dream. So fun seeing everything thru her eyes. It's like living your life over again... Anyway, after the Pooh ride, we headed to Pooh's playground to let the girls run around a bit. We checked in with the boys who headed our way. They hit Dumbo while the girls played. The Maurers led out on a morning snack break of popcorn and lollipops. Then we all rode the Tea Cups. Fortunately, no casualties.
We FP'd Peter Pan who already had an absurdly long line -- what is it about that ride? Then we headed to Philharmagic. It was maybe half full. We got good seats in the middle and settled in. Lauren wouldn't keep her 3-D glasses on, but Andrew was all over it. Watching Donald Duck get into trouble chasing that hat just cracked him up. I got a cute pic of him in a sorcerer mickey hat in the gift shop.
Next, we walked down to Liberty Square and rode the Haunted Mansion. Bad call. Much scarier after the refurb. Lauren curled into me with her eyes closed the entire time. 'When will the scary ride be over, Mommy?' I'm thinkin' we'll skip that one next time. Well done, but less emphasis on the 'happy haunts' and more weight on the fright factor. It was nice to get back out into the sunshine.
We walked over to where a silhouette artist was stationed, hoping to get profiles done of LRV & ADV. Mine and Brian's parents had ours done when we were pre-schoolers. We thought it would be fun to have a complete set. The kids were impressively compliant. Will and Sam sat very still setting the bar high, and Andrew rose to the occasion. While Lauren and Lilly were taking their turns, we saw Sleeping Beauty quietly make her way to a secluded courtyard fifty feet away. Andrea & I got in line while the kids played. We waited all of five minutes. Watching Lauren meet Sleeping Beauty was a highlight of our trip for me. We got it all on video too which is awesome! That's LRV's favorite princess; she was positively beside herself. Lauren kissed Sleeping Beauty's hand. She was just in awe of her. It was a magical moment for Lauren.
Next we headed to Peter Pan as our FP window had opened. I rode with Andrew. He picked out Ariel the mermaid, and laughed out loud at Capt. Hook in the jaws of the crocodile. I'm glad I got to ride that with him.
Afterward we headed to Pinnochio Village Haus for an early -- 11:30am -- lunch. I took Sam and Lauren to the potty while the dads got a table. Then I ordered lunch. Only time I ordered a CS meal, I think. You can get strawberry yogurt at PVH (for a kids dessert), but our kids ate it as their entree. I ate the kids meal turkey rollups. The kids ate yogurt plus some pizza and fruit. Everyone wins. Lilly and Robbie headed back to POR for a nap. While the rest of the kids finished up, the dads picked up the silhouettes of the kids. Oh my goodness.. they were TERRIBLE. All five kids had a Pinnochio nose. They looked nothing like our children. It was really quite funny. Jay and I walked back and returned them. The CMs didn't bat an eye. I wonder if they get a lot of returns? I mean the ones of Brian and I as kids are spot on. Maybe our girl was still training...
Next we FP'd Big Thunder Mtn Railroad, then walked over to Pirates of the Carribean. We just walked right up. Can't beat that! The Davy Jones waterfall projection wasn't working, so it was kind of random that you just floated in the dark for a while. But that not withstanding, it was a pleasant ride. The kids enjoyed the animatronic characters. There was a big back-up of boats at the end of the ride. LRV was very concerned that boats kept hitting each other...
Then we walked over to Aladdin's Magic Carpets and rode those. The kids thought it was cool that there were 'jewels' in the pavement. ADV tried to free several. There's no relief from the heat on that ride. Full sun. It was hot. The kids cooled off in the tiki misters. Then the boys headed to BTMR while the girls went to the Tiki Room. It's amazing how that song comes right back to you.
We then cut thru the shops to catch Woody's Cowboy Camp parade in Frontierland. Lauren got really into it. She didn't want to participate in the parade, but she sang and danced around near us. We met up with the boys and walked toward Jungle Cruise. But the lines were long and the kids were melting down. The Maurers stopped for snacks - eggrolls!? - but our family was done. We turned in our stroller and bussed it back to POR.
First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #5 Magic Kingdom Part 2
We sat with Jen & the boys on our bus back to POR. Noah was fast asleep. Too much fun! We got to our room and jumped into our bathing suits. This afternoon, we headed over to Port Orleans French Quarter to check out their waterslide. Those two 'sister' resorts are the the only ones you're officially allowed to pool-hop. We couldn't resist. Cute resort. The pool is about the same size; big on the mardi gras gator theme. There is a lizard whose large body bisects the pool, creating two bridges. The back of the lizard serves as steps up to the slide, which is the lizard's pink tongue. Our kids thought that was super-cool. And unlike the Riverside slide, this slide's current pushes you right to the edge of the pool; so you hop out next to the steps and slide again. Lauren and Andrew could each do this completely unassissted. I think they did it continuously for the forty minutes we were there.
So it was a fun break at the POFQ pool. We returned to Acadian House and dressed for dinner. Tonight we had 7:10pm reservations with Tigger & Pooh at the Crystal Palace. We surprised Lauren with the princess Minnie Mouse ears Aunt Rhonda had picked up for her. Big hit! And Andrew got a Capt. Jack Sparrow lego set. (an extra party favor saved from LRV's bday). We waited with the Maurers at the bus stop for maybe 15 minutes before a MK bus arrived.
When we got back to the park, we picked up the strollers and broke into groups. Andrea and I took Andrew back on Space Mountain. He was dying to ride again & the moms wanted to use our fp. The dads & Robbie attempted to take the rest of the kids to Buzz Lightyear, but it had closed for the day. So they hung out in front of Crystal Palace, feeding the ducks popcorn.
If my favorite MK moment with Lauren was watching her meet Sleeping Beauty, then my favorite Andrew moment was riding Space Mountain. Walking thru the queue, he was telling me how cool the ride was and how brave he was, etc. He pointed out the shooting stars while we waited for our rockets. He wanted to ride in the front of the car. We ended up with me & Andrea in the front car; ADV was in the front of the second car. Which was 'totally wicked' for him. I loved hearing his happy screams behind me throughout the ride. It's really cool to share experiences with him. I am enjoying age 5 so much!
We met up with the dads just a couple minutes past our ADR. We were seated immediately at the front two tables next to the pooh & friends topiaries. Pooh came almost immediately. Andrew gave him a huge hug; LRV held back. But we were off to a good start. I put together a plate for Lauren, then took Andrew up to the buffet with me to make his choices. We ended up with chicken nuggets and pineapple. I actually enjoyed this buffet. There was a great romain salad with blue cheese; also, a spicy pasta. (I even went back for seconds -- shocking!) We marched around the room with Piglet's parade. Then the kids finished out their meal with soft-serve icecream sundaes. LRV loves her some sprinkles. Tigger came by to visit & we got more good pics. However, we hadn't seen Eeyore. And for some reason, it was really important to LRV to meet Eeyore. Fortunately, right as we were leaving, we saw him. Brian & LRV dashed back inside & got a picture.
The Spectromagic parade was well on it's way when we left at 8:20pm. We cut over to Liberty Square to catch the bulk of it. We stood up on pilings on the landscaping, holding our kids up. Gosh, they've gotten heavy! I even stood Lauren on top of a trash can when my arms gave out. Anyway, they loved Spectromagic. We'll have to eat dinner earlier next year, so we can get better seats. Lauren especially latched onto Ariel, Tritan & Ursula; Flora, Fauna & Merryweather; and Tinkerbell. She was amazed that they had lights all over them!
After the parade, we wandered back to the CP, and discussed how to kill 20 minutes til Wishes. We ended up just staying put. No one was hungry, and there wasn't really time to ride a ride. Crossing the crowds at Main Street seemed rather daunting. So we ate lollipops and hung out. Wishes was great. The kids wore glow necklaces and watched the castle in fascination. I got a little teary thinking that this was one of those parenting dreams that had come true for us... thank you, God :) Andrew's favorite part was the scary part with Maleficent --he tells us later -- when the look of terror had passed. LRV's fav part was Tinkerbell, of course. Next time, we'll make the effort to watch from Tomorrowland so we can see her fly overhead.
After the show, we moved with the masses out of the park. Had our kids been older, we could have stopped for icecream or shopped around. But these kids were done. I think it must be a parenting rite of passage to lug your sleepy, cranky child out of the Magic Kingdom. I definitely felt 30 :) The lines for the buses were insane. And I swear, POR was the worst. The bus queues are done in a row. Well POR's queue was at the end of the row of six or so, but it's line was past the first resort's queue. It was bad. It took a good 30-40 minutes to wait for the bus. Our family was the last one dropped off. The Maurers had gotten off at the main entrance bus stop, but we took the bus over to Acadian House's stop. I just wasn't up for hauling Andrew any further than I had to... and the kids slept in their clothes that night.
We weren't sure if waiting until the fourth day for the MK was a good idea. But it turned out great. It was like the crescendo for the vacation. What an exciting, exhausting, magical day!
So it was a fun break at the POFQ pool. We returned to Acadian House and dressed for dinner. Tonight we had 7:10pm reservations with Tigger & Pooh at the Crystal Palace. We surprised Lauren with the princess Minnie Mouse ears Aunt Rhonda had picked up for her. Big hit! And Andrew got a Capt. Jack Sparrow lego set. (an extra party favor saved from LRV's bday). We waited with the Maurers at the bus stop for maybe 15 minutes before a MK bus arrived.
When we got back to the park, we picked up the strollers and broke into groups. Andrea and I took Andrew back on Space Mountain. He was dying to ride again & the moms wanted to use our fp. The dads & Robbie attempted to take the rest of the kids to Buzz Lightyear, but it had closed for the day. So they hung out in front of Crystal Palace, feeding the ducks popcorn.
If my favorite MK moment with Lauren was watching her meet Sleeping Beauty, then my favorite Andrew moment was riding Space Mountain. Walking thru the queue, he was telling me how cool the ride was and how brave he was, etc. He pointed out the shooting stars while we waited for our rockets. He wanted to ride in the front of the car. We ended up with me & Andrea in the front car; ADV was in the front of the second car. Which was 'totally wicked' for him. I loved hearing his happy screams behind me throughout the ride. It's really cool to share experiences with him. I am enjoying age 5 so much!
We met up with the dads just a couple minutes past our ADR. We were seated immediately at the front two tables next to the pooh & friends topiaries. Pooh came almost immediately. Andrew gave him a huge hug; LRV held back. But we were off to a good start. I put together a plate for Lauren, then took Andrew up to the buffet with me to make his choices. We ended up with chicken nuggets and pineapple. I actually enjoyed this buffet. There was a great romain salad with blue cheese; also, a spicy pasta. (I even went back for seconds -- shocking!) We marched around the room with Piglet's parade. Then the kids finished out their meal with soft-serve icecream sundaes. LRV loves her some sprinkles. Tigger came by to visit & we got more good pics. However, we hadn't seen Eeyore. And for some reason, it was really important to LRV to meet Eeyore. Fortunately, right as we were leaving, we saw him. Brian & LRV dashed back inside & got a picture.
The Spectromagic parade was well on it's way when we left at 8:20pm. We cut over to Liberty Square to catch the bulk of it. We stood up on pilings on the landscaping, holding our kids up. Gosh, they've gotten heavy! I even stood Lauren on top of a trash can when my arms gave out. Anyway, they loved Spectromagic. We'll have to eat dinner earlier next year, so we can get better seats. Lauren especially latched onto Ariel, Tritan & Ursula; Flora, Fauna & Merryweather; and Tinkerbell. She was amazed that they had lights all over them!
After the parade, we wandered back to the CP, and discussed how to kill 20 minutes til Wishes. We ended up just staying put. No one was hungry, and there wasn't really time to ride a ride. Crossing the crowds at Main Street seemed rather daunting. So we ate lollipops and hung out. Wishes was great. The kids wore glow necklaces and watched the castle in fascination. I got a little teary thinking that this was one of those parenting dreams that had come true for us... thank you, God :) Andrew's favorite part was the scary part with Maleficent --he tells us later -- when the look of terror had passed. LRV's fav part was Tinkerbell, of course. Next time, we'll make the effort to watch from Tomorrowland so we can see her fly overhead.
After the show, we moved with the masses out of the park. Had our kids been older, we could have stopped for icecream or shopped around. But these kids were done. I think it must be a parenting rite of passage to lug your sleepy, cranky child out of the Magic Kingdom. I definitely felt 30 :) The lines for the buses were insane. And I swear, POR was the worst. The bus queues are done in a row. Well POR's queue was at the end of the row of six or so, but it's line was past the first resort's queue. It was bad. It took a good 30-40 minutes to wait for the bus. Our family was the last one dropped off. The Maurers had gotten off at the main entrance bus stop, but we took the bus over to Acadian House's stop. I just wasn't up for hauling Andrew any further than I had to... and the kids slept in their clothes that night.
We weren't sure if waiting until the fourth day for the MK was a good idea. But it turned out great. It was like the crescendo for the vacation. What an exciting, exhausting, magical day!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
First Trip To Disneyworld -- Animal Kindom -- Day #4
Ahh... So nice to sleep in a bit later this morning. We left for Animal Kingdom with the Maurers around 8:30am. We were following Jay. We got a little bit turned around. A CM on his way to work saw us in the left turn lane with our right blinker on... He jumped out of his car and handed us this really great map. How thoughtful & prepared was that!?
I ran over to the Maurers car & told Jay to follow us. And then I led us the wrong way... And then we turned around for the second time. Swallowing your pride tastes bad! When I apologized, he said, "Oh, I knew you were wrong. I just thought I'd let you figure it out yourself!" So smug, Jay Maurer. So smug.
Well we finally made it to Animal Kingdom. And it was nasty, nasty hot. We parked in unicorn and rode the tram to the entrance. We arrived just after rope drop. Not bad! Jay took our tix to FP Expedition Everest. The rest of us headed to Kilamanjaro Safari. We made good time, but Jay's FP line at Everest was like a 10 minute wait -- to fast pass! So, the moms took the kids over to the Pangani Exploration Trails. We saw monkeys in trees, snakes in cages & turtles in aquariums. We were just killing time, but I think the kids enjoyed it. Jay came as fast as he could. Brian waited for him, and then rounded us up.
The line for the safari lasted about twenty minutes. Probably one of our longest lines of the trip. But the kids were still fresh, and attitudes held up pretty well. And the payoff was worth it. This was by far the best safari experience I've had. Brian and I have done this ride 4-5 times, and we saw more animals this trip than ever before: a male & female lion who were both awake and looking regal; lots of elephants - including a baby; the elusive white rhino, a dozen hippos, countless crocs, antelope, wildebeasts, zebras, giraffes - including a baby; i could go on! It was phenomenal. The kids loved it. Andrew got really into the storyline with Baby Red and the poachers. Lauren was a little afraid, but Brian talked her through it. She'll tell you it was one of her favorite rides now.
After a super-successful first ride, we headed over to Everest. We dropped off the dads and Sam. Then we headed over to Dinoland. Will stayed us, which turned out great for Andrew. He thinks Will is the coolest kid ever. They rode Triceratop Spin together with the moms and little girls. The dads returned with Sam all excited about Everest. Will couldn't let his little brother 'win', so he joined Andrea and I on Everest. We walked right to the front with our fast passes, and sat in the back car. It was so fun to watch Will's fear turn to excitement. He thought it was the best coaster ever.
The dads had the little kids over in the Boneyard Playground. We texted them to come meet us at the Nemo show since it was about 20 minutes out. It was too full to get seats together, so we split up by families for that one. Just as the lights went down, Andrew announced he needed a bathroom break. Brian was ticked. At first the ushers said they wouldn't let them back in, but they eventually did after the opening song. Lauren sat in my lap so she could see. She loved the show. I knew she would; we had a great experience with her at The Lion King at the Civic Center back in April. And the opening song has all of those fish on poles that swim out over the audience, similar to the Lion King opener. I got a little teary. It was one of those dream coming true moments... So everyone loved the show. As they should... it's fantastic!
We headed over to Pizzafari for lunch. Apparently so did everyone else, because it was quite crowded. But we scored a big table and it all worked out okay. Jay's folks met up with us again at lunch. The Italian sandwich is yummy, and I love a frozen lemonade for dessert. After lunch we headed over to Festival of the Lion King. Stopping to revel in the mister fans along the queue. Love those!
Show, lunch, show is probably not ideal. But the kids did really great. Of course the FotLK is another excellent show. (These two & Fantasmic are my faves.) The kids got a kick out of the acrobat monkeys and circus atmosphere with all of the familiar music. Lilly fell asleep on her grandpa's lap. But Lauren was standing in her seat, clapping and dancing. That was probably Brian's favorite memory with her. She was just having the best time. Rapt!
We headed back to Dinoland for another Triceratop Spin, but quickly realized our kids were done. We said goodbye to the Maurer clan & headed for the gate. However we did stop for a few photopass pics in front of the Tree of Life. We look pretty sweaty, but I'm glad we remembered.
We hit the pool as fast as we could. It felt so nice to cool off. Brian then ran some laundry while I played with the kids in the quiet pool right outside our door. Such a great resort.
We brought the Maurer kids over to our room around 6:15pm. They played legos for 20-25 minutes, then we headed to Boatwrights for dinner at 6:50pm. We were a little worried about taking five kids to a table service restaurant with just the two of us. But things went surprisingly smoothly. There were at least three rounds of potty breaks. (Sam took his time in the men's room.) But the kids were content coloring their pirate ships and looking at the unfinished boat suspended over their heads. It was burgers and chicken nuggets for the kids. Brian had the filet. I ordered the pork chop over maque choux. The food was average at best. Glad we didn't pay out of pocket for it. The stand-out was definitely the kids 'make your own sundae' dessert. They loved combining sprinkles and syrup and cherries.
After dinner, we let the kids watch 20 minutes of Star Wars the Clone Wars cartoons, then divided them up for bedtime. I took the Maurer kids back to their room. They changed into jammies and brushed their teeth. Then we read our copy of Sorcerer's Apprentice for a bedtime story. It was new to all of them, and they ate it up -- especially considering the Fantasmic Show. The boys went right to sleep. And I lay down with Lilly until she fell asleep. (Actually we both fell asleep :) The Maurers seemed to have a really nice date night at Narcoossee's at GF. It was great going with another family so we could each have a night off!
I ran over to the Maurers car & told Jay to follow us. And then I led us the wrong way... And then we turned around for the second time. Swallowing your pride tastes bad! When I apologized, he said, "Oh, I knew you were wrong. I just thought I'd let you figure it out yourself!" So smug, Jay Maurer. So smug.
Well we finally made it to Animal Kingdom. And it was nasty, nasty hot. We parked in unicorn and rode the tram to the entrance. We arrived just after rope drop. Not bad! Jay took our tix to FP Expedition Everest. The rest of us headed to Kilamanjaro Safari. We made good time, but Jay's FP line at Everest was like a 10 minute wait -- to fast pass! So, the moms took the kids over to the Pangani Exploration Trails. We saw monkeys in trees, snakes in cages & turtles in aquariums. We were just killing time, but I think the kids enjoyed it. Jay came as fast as he could. Brian waited for him, and then rounded us up.
The line for the safari lasted about twenty minutes. Probably one of our longest lines of the trip. But the kids were still fresh, and attitudes held up pretty well. And the payoff was worth it. This was by far the best safari experience I've had. Brian and I have done this ride 4-5 times, and we saw more animals this trip than ever before: a male & female lion who were both awake and looking regal; lots of elephants - including a baby; the elusive white rhino, a dozen hippos, countless crocs, antelope, wildebeasts, zebras, giraffes - including a baby; i could go on! It was phenomenal. The kids loved it. Andrew got really into the storyline with Baby Red and the poachers. Lauren was a little afraid, but Brian talked her through it. She'll tell you it was one of her favorite rides now.
After a super-successful first ride, we headed over to Everest. We dropped off the dads and Sam. Then we headed over to Dinoland. Will stayed us, which turned out great for Andrew. He thinks Will is the coolest kid ever. They rode Triceratop Spin together with the moms and little girls. The dads returned with Sam all excited about Everest. Will couldn't let his little brother 'win', so he joined Andrea and I on Everest. We walked right to the front with our fast passes, and sat in the back car. It was so fun to watch Will's fear turn to excitement. He thought it was the best coaster ever.
The dads had the little kids over in the Boneyard Playground. We texted them to come meet us at the Nemo show since it was about 20 minutes out. It was too full to get seats together, so we split up by families for that one. Just as the lights went down, Andrew announced he needed a bathroom break. Brian was ticked. At first the ushers said they wouldn't let them back in, but they eventually did after the opening song. Lauren sat in my lap so she could see. She loved the show. I knew she would; we had a great experience with her at The Lion King at the Civic Center back in April. And the opening song has all of those fish on poles that swim out over the audience, similar to the Lion King opener. I got a little teary. It was one of those dream coming true moments... So everyone loved the show. As they should... it's fantastic!
We headed over to Pizzafari for lunch. Apparently so did everyone else, because it was quite crowded. But we scored a big table and it all worked out okay. Jay's folks met up with us again at lunch. The Italian sandwich is yummy, and I love a frozen lemonade for dessert. After lunch we headed over to Festival of the Lion King. Stopping to revel in the mister fans along the queue. Love those!
Show, lunch, show is probably not ideal. But the kids did really great. Of course the FotLK is another excellent show. (These two & Fantasmic are my faves.) The kids got a kick out of the acrobat monkeys and circus atmosphere with all of the familiar music. Lilly fell asleep on her grandpa's lap. But Lauren was standing in her seat, clapping and dancing. That was probably Brian's favorite memory with her. She was just having the best time. Rapt!
We headed back to Dinoland for another Triceratop Spin, but quickly realized our kids were done. We said goodbye to the Maurer clan & headed for the gate. However we did stop for a few photopass pics in front of the Tree of Life. We look pretty sweaty, but I'm glad we remembered.
We hit the pool as fast as we could. It felt so nice to cool off. Brian then ran some laundry while I played with the kids in the quiet pool right outside our door. Such a great resort.
We brought the Maurer kids over to our room around 6:15pm. They played legos for 20-25 minutes, then we headed to Boatwrights for dinner at 6:50pm. We were a little worried about taking five kids to a table service restaurant with just the two of us. But things went surprisingly smoothly. There were at least three rounds of potty breaks. (Sam took his time in the men's room.) But the kids were content coloring their pirate ships and looking at the unfinished boat suspended over their heads. It was burgers and chicken nuggets for the kids. Brian had the filet. I ordered the pork chop over maque choux. The food was average at best. Glad we didn't pay out of pocket for it. The stand-out was definitely the kids 'make your own sundae' dessert. They loved combining sprinkles and syrup and cherries.
After dinner, we let the kids watch 20 minutes of Star Wars the Clone Wars cartoons, then divided them up for bedtime. I took the Maurer kids back to their room. They changed into jammies and brushed their teeth. Then we read our copy of Sorcerer's Apprentice for a bedtime story. It was new to all of them, and they ate it up -- especially considering the Fantasmic Show. The boys went right to sleep. And I lay down with Lilly until she fell asleep. (Actually we both fell asleep :) The Maurers seemed to have a really nice date night at Narcoossee's at GF. It was great going with another family so we could each have a night off!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
First Trip to Disneyworld -- Epcot Day #3
The alarm went off at 6am this morning. Yikes! Aren't we on vacation?
It's Extra Magic Morning Hour, people! If you stay on property, you get to visit the parks either an hour early in the morning, or stay three hours after closing at night. They rotate EMHs among the parks. As we were traveling w/the preschool set, we planned around the two morning EMHs offered during our stay: Tuesday @ Epcot and Thursday at MK.
While we were all a little groggy, we met up with the Maurers to depart at 7:30am. The Colwells decided to mix it up and hit MK twice on their trip. They headed there instead of Epcot that morning. So, we pull up to the "biggest golf ball i've ever seen" (ADV). We waited for five minutes at the gate before they admitted us to rope drop. We picked up our strollers and actually parked at the rope. There was no show this morning, but they did drop the rope and create a wall of cast members to set the pace for the masses surging toward Soarin'. We were ready. We FP'd Soarin'. Showed the cast member (CM) the little girls to get the rider swap passes. Then the dads, boys & Robbie rode standby.
Andrea and I took Lauren & Lilly to the kidcot station to let them color. Then we traded out with the guys to ride Soarin' ourselves. Our wait was double their time which was frustrating for the dads I think. But they took all the kids over to the Lion King movie and did potty breaks. (sidebar: Andrew is now all into recycled materials... totally due the Lion King flick at the Land.)
We checked the clock & realized that our EMH was over. We used it all on two rides of Soarin'! Next we headed over to Test Track. Once again, the dads, boys & Robbie rode first. Andrea took Lilly to go climb around in the cars at the exit, but LRV preferred to look around in the gift shop. The boys loved TT. They all got to ride together in one car. They were ready to go again... but after patiently waiting for three rounds of rides, we decided the little girls needed a ride that worked for them too.
So we headed to Mission Space: the big ball. I rode w/LRV. She was not really into the ride until we got to the 'planetarium' portion where you see all the stars. There she was awestruck. However, the anamatronic history lesson really didn't do much for her. But I enjoyed the fact that we held hands the whole time :) (she isn't a big fan of the dark.) She enjoyed the cartoon 'us' at the end. She thought it was hilarious that the stick figures had our faces.
After MS, we headed to another kid friendly spot: The Seas. We walked right up to The Seas w/Nemo & Friends. Cute. It had the music from the Nemo musical at AK. Then we wandered around the aquarium. We missed two Turtle Talk w/Crush shows. They cut the line off a lot earlier than you would guess. So we took ADV's pic inside Bruce's mouth and then got in line super early for the next TTwC show. The kids sat right up front while the adults sat on benches. The TTwC technology is amazing. Andrew was actually the first kid Crush tried to talk to! But ADV was totally off in space and not paying attention. So Crush cracked a joke & moved on. Later in the show, he did talk to Will. Will was totally stoked. (TTwC turned out to be Will's favorite show at the parks.) Worth the wait... but don't wait to long to queue up.
We were closing in on lunch & headed over to Electric Umbrella. Not the most glamorous eatery, but convenient & air-conditioned. Pizza, burgers, & grilled chicken salad for our family. While we were eating, Jay's parents arrived. They surprised Jay & Andrea by mentioning that they might head down to WDW so they could experience it with the kids. So it was a party of twelve that headed into World Showcase.
Our first stop was Mexico. I love this pavillion. I've heard sketchy things about the TS restaurant, but I might have to try it some day b/c it's just so beautiful there. Perpetual twilight. We walked right on the newly updated boat ride. Mellow & relaxing. The kids enjoyed it. Although Brian was miffed when I agreed w/ADV that it wasn't a real volcano we passed. The fireworks made an impression on LRV too. She liked them b/c they weren't loud.
Big success. So we continued the boat ride theme to Norway. We snapped some classic troll pics in the gift shop. After initially balking, we even got ADV to put some viking gear on and pose. I'm pretty sure we'll be back to Norway for a multi-princess meal next trip.
We kept walking... waved at China... waved at African outpost. Stopped for a minute in Germany. I learned that Maurer means 'wall' in German. And Andrew found our name on one of the shop signs: Volkskunst. They sell cuckoo clocks. He was pretty impressed. Sometime I would like to eat at the German restaurant. Looks like a good time. Wonder if/when our kids would be up for that...
Italy was next. Tutto Italia looks like another yummy restaurant. So many good TS options in World Showcase! We saw a photopass photographer & hoped to get some pics in front of the fountain. But that's when meltdowns began. ADV hit his wall. hard. So we said goodbye to the Maurers and planned to bust it back to the car. But surprisingly watching the drummers in Japan chilled him out.
As we passed thru Morocco, we saw Jasmine & Aladdin posing for pics. Lauren decided she wanted to meet them, so we got in the back of the line. The boys wandered around killing time. We waited for 15-20 minutes with LRV in a happy mood. Then when it got to be her turn, she freaked out. She was suddenly scared of Jasmine & Aladdin and didn't want to smile for the camera. So, we've got a pic of her hiding her eyes and refusing to look at Jasmine. Classic.
At this point, we were all hot, tired & ready to go, so we blew thru the rest of the world & headed back to POR. Brian decreed mandatory rest time for about 45 minutes, then we explored the themed Old Man Island pool at our resort. Andrew loved the water slide. Lauren worked up her courage and tried it too. And then she was hooked. The little monkey would jump to the front of the line every time. Not sure if older girls were encouraging her to go first b/c she's small or if she just plopped herself at the front with a smile... But impressively, ADV waited his turn pretty well in spite of his sister's free pass. So, Brian and I more or less stationed ourselves at the bottom of the slide to catch the kids as they flew off the slide. Lots of fun.
Up next -- date night at Epcot!
It's Extra Magic Morning Hour, people! If you stay on property, you get to visit the parks either an hour early in the morning, or stay three hours after closing at night. They rotate EMHs among the parks. As we were traveling w/the preschool set, we planned around the two morning EMHs offered during our stay: Tuesday @ Epcot and Thursday at MK.
While we were all a little groggy, we met up with the Maurers to depart at 7:30am. The Colwells decided to mix it up and hit MK twice on their trip. They headed there instead of Epcot that morning. So, we pull up to the "biggest golf ball i've ever seen" (ADV). We waited for five minutes at the gate before they admitted us to rope drop. We picked up our strollers and actually parked at the rope. There was no show this morning, but they did drop the rope and create a wall of cast members to set the pace for the masses surging toward Soarin'. We were ready. We FP'd Soarin'. Showed the cast member (CM) the little girls to get the rider swap passes. Then the dads, boys & Robbie rode standby.
Andrea and I took Lauren & Lilly to the kidcot station to let them color. Then we traded out with the guys to ride Soarin' ourselves. Our wait was double their time which was frustrating for the dads I think. But they took all the kids over to the Lion King movie and did potty breaks. (sidebar: Andrew is now all into recycled materials... totally due the Lion King flick at the Land.)
We checked the clock & realized that our EMH was over. We used it all on two rides of Soarin'! Next we headed over to Test Track. Once again, the dads, boys & Robbie rode first. Andrea took Lilly to go climb around in the cars at the exit, but LRV preferred to look around in the gift shop. The boys loved TT. They all got to ride together in one car. They were ready to go again... but after patiently waiting for three rounds of rides, we decided the little girls needed a ride that worked for them too.
So we headed to Mission Space: the big ball. I rode w/LRV. She was not really into the ride until we got to the 'planetarium' portion where you see all the stars. There she was awestruck. However, the anamatronic history lesson really didn't do much for her. But I enjoyed the fact that we held hands the whole time :) (she isn't a big fan of the dark.) She enjoyed the cartoon 'us' at the end. She thought it was hilarious that the stick figures had our faces.
After MS, we headed to another kid friendly spot: The Seas. We walked right up to The Seas w/Nemo & Friends. Cute. It had the music from the Nemo musical at AK. Then we wandered around the aquarium. We missed two Turtle Talk w/Crush shows. They cut the line off a lot earlier than you would guess. So we took ADV's pic inside Bruce's mouth and then got in line super early for the next TTwC show. The kids sat right up front while the adults sat on benches. The TTwC technology is amazing. Andrew was actually the first kid Crush tried to talk to! But ADV was totally off in space and not paying attention. So Crush cracked a joke & moved on. Later in the show, he did talk to Will. Will was totally stoked. (TTwC turned out to be Will's favorite show at the parks.) Worth the wait... but don't wait to long to queue up.
We were closing in on lunch & headed over to Electric Umbrella. Not the most glamorous eatery, but convenient & air-conditioned. Pizza, burgers, & grilled chicken salad for our family. While we were eating, Jay's parents arrived. They surprised Jay & Andrea by mentioning that they might head down to WDW so they could experience it with the kids. So it was a party of twelve that headed into World Showcase.
Our first stop was Mexico. I love this pavillion. I've heard sketchy things about the TS restaurant, but I might have to try it some day b/c it's just so beautiful there. Perpetual twilight. We walked right on the newly updated boat ride. Mellow & relaxing. The kids enjoyed it. Although Brian was miffed when I agreed w/ADV that it wasn't a real volcano we passed. The fireworks made an impression on LRV too. She liked them b/c they weren't loud.
Big success. So we continued the boat ride theme to Norway. We snapped some classic troll pics in the gift shop. After initially balking, we even got ADV to put some viking gear on and pose. I'm pretty sure we'll be back to Norway for a multi-princess meal next trip.
We kept walking... waved at China... waved at African outpost. Stopped for a minute in Germany. I learned that Maurer means 'wall' in German. And Andrew found our name on one of the shop signs: Volkskunst. They sell cuckoo clocks. He was pretty impressed. Sometime I would like to eat at the German restaurant. Looks like a good time. Wonder if/when our kids would be up for that...
Italy was next. Tutto Italia looks like another yummy restaurant. So many good TS options in World Showcase! We saw a photopass photographer & hoped to get some pics in front of the fountain. But that's when meltdowns began. ADV hit his wall. hard. So we said goodbye to the Maurers and planned to bust it back to the car. But surprisingly watching the drummers in Japan chilled him out.
As we passed thru Morocco, we saw Jasmine & Aladdin posing for pics. Lauren decided she wanted to meet them, so we got in the back of the line. The boys wandered around killing time. We waited for 15-20 minutes with LRV in a happy mood. Then when it got to be her turn, she freaked out. She was suddenly scared of Jasmine & Aladdin and didn't want to smile for the camera. So, we've got a pic of her hiding her eyes and refusing to look at Jasmine. Classic.
At this point, we were all hot, tired & ready to go, so we blew thru the rest of the world & headed back to POR. Brian decreed mandatory rest time for about 45 minutes, then we explored the themed Old Man Island pool at our resort. Andrew loved the water slide. Lauren worked up her courage and tried it too. And then she was hooked. The little monkey would jump to the front of the line every time. Not sure if older girls were encouraging her to go first b/c she's small or if she just plopped herself at the front with a smile... But impressively, ADV waited his turn pretty well in spite of his sister's free pass. So, Brian and I more or less stationed ourselves at the bottom of the slide to catch the kids as they flew off the slide. Lots of fun.
Up next -- date night at Epcot!
First Trip To Disneyworld -- Day #3 -- Date Night at Epcot
One of the things we like about traveling with friends is the opportunity to break each other for date nights. Ours came up first. We chose Chefs de France in World Showcase. I love French food. Plus this restaurant had the magic combination of a cheese plate for me and a filet for Brian. Perfect!
We left the kids with the Maurers around 6:15pm, showered and ready to play. They met up with the Colwells at the POR cafeteria for chicken nuggets. Then they ran around at the playground.
We drove over to Epcot and had some photopass pics taken as the sun was going down. We shopped around England and picked out some Mr. Men books to surprise the kids. We had hoped to catch the British Invasion, but no dice. We crossed the bridge to France and took a few more pics. I got a glass of Vouvray. I can't resist; reminds me of our trip to Vouvray and Sancerre.
Our reservations were for 8:30pml a late dinner just feels decadent to me. Plus I knew it would coincide with Illuminations. And it did. While we were eating, there would be these bursts of color from the fireworks filling the windows. Magic.
As I mentioned, I love a good cheese plate. This was a generous, if standard, offering. Of the four cheeses, the goat was the stand-out. Brian started with french onion soup. He loved it. We both ordered the filet mignon with potato gratin & hericot verts. It was good -- not great -- but very good. Dessert was creme brulee and profiterolles. The park was closed as we left around 10pm. It was a beautiful night and a treat to have some time together as a couple.
We left the kids with the Maurers around 6:15pm, showered and ready to play. They met up with the Colwells at the POR cafeteria for chicken nuggets. Then they ran around at the playground.
We drove over to Epcot and had some photopass pics taken as the sun was going down. We shopped around England and picked out some Mr. Men books to surprise the kids. We had hoped to catch the British Invasion, but no dice. We crossed the bridge to France and took a few more pics. I got a glass of Vouvray. I can't resist; reminds me of our trip to Vouvray and Sancerre.
Our reservations were for 8:30pml a late dinner just feels decadent to me. Plus I knew it would coincide with Illuminations. And it did. While we were eating, there would be these bursts of color from the fireworks filling the windows. Magic.
As I mentioned, I love a good cheese plate. This was a generous, if standard, offering. Of the four cheeses, the goat was the stand-out. Brian started with french onion soup. He loved it. We both ordered the filet mignon with potato gratin & hericot verts. It was good -- not great -- but very good. Dessert was creme brulee and profiterolles. The park was closed as we left around 10pm. It was a beautiful night and a treat to have some time together as a couple.
Monday, September 15, 2008
First Trip to Disneyworld -- Hollywood Studios Day #2
Hollywood Studios here we come!
We arrived at the park at 8:30am; it opened at 9am. Perfect! Brian took Lauren to rent the double stroller. Andrew came with me to get first visit buttons. Then a pit stop. Then we were headed thru the gate for rope drop. Unfortunately, there was a problem with Andrew's ticket. We went to guest services & got it straightened out in less than 10 minutes. (Our helpful CM also gave ADV Buzz & Woody stickers for being so patient -- love those thoughtful touches!) Now we joined with the masses & easily caught up to Brian heading to Toy Story Mania.
It was so fun to watch the kids' wide-eyed wonder: "Mom - it's the hat! It's Sorcerer Mickey's giant hat!" Jay FP'd TSM & we lined up to ride stand-by. (It was 9am, and we were already sweaty. It was low 90s all week!) The queue is amazing. And Mr. Potato Head is entertaining. The Maurer, Volk & Colwell kids were dancing around in line & taking pics of everything. After 20 minutes, we picked up our glasses & we were off. Andrew decided he wanted to ride with Mom. He did really well with the blaster gun. It was an awesome ride and the perfect first attraction!
The kids were jazzed. We loaded up the strollers and headed to Star Wars. We waited around for the 9:55am Jedi Training Academy, but none of our kids got picked. Next year :) So we got in line for Star Tours. Andrea & I did the child swap w/Lilly & Lauren. That way the boys (& Robbie) got to ride it twice. They had fun announcing what was going to happen next. Then it was on to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. It worked out great. The kids got to run around in the shade while I ran to FP Tower of Terror & RocknRollercoaster.
Then it was off to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We got there just a few minutes before it started. Far house left, but on the eighth row. It was nasty hot. It's an outdoor amphitheatre, but it does have a roof. However, the fans on our side weren't operating, so it was this stagnant, heavy heat. Gotta love Orlando... The show itself was only a moderate success. The boys were into it; the girls were at times bored or scared. And we were all so hot! I'd imagine LRV will want to pass on this one next year.
After the show, the Maurers & Volks led the crowds to Pizza Planet. (The Colwells had a noon reservation at PrimeTime Cafe.) We were all ready for a break. It was nice to be in air-conditioning. Jay & I got a table & did bathroom breaks while Andrea & Brian ordered the food. As long as you beat the crowds, it's a great lunch place. Service is a little slow, but big portions. Pizza, salad & fruit all around.
After lunch & more potty breaks, we headed over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I hadn't seen it before. Cute, but a little dark. The Volks & Maurers headed back to POR after the show. We hit the quiet pool right outside our door for 45 minutes. Then showered and met up with the Maurers to return to Studios at 4pm. We had 4:50pm reservations at Hollywood & Vine for the Fantasmic Dinner Package.
While H&V gets pretty low marks on the discussion boards, we really wanted the FDP. It ensures reserved seats for Fantasmic. You can show up 20-30 minutes before the show and have a place to sit. So much better than waiting in line for 90 minutes. Kinda like a FP I guess :) But the restaurant exceeded my expectations. I'm not a buffet fan; I'm snobby about sneeze-guards. However, I found turkey breast w/red wine sauce, juicy pork tenderloin and a yummy salad. Robbie & Andrea raved about the spoonbread.
After dinner, we hit TSM again w/our FPs from earlier. Maybe a 10 minute wait. This time I rode with Lauren. Her score improved from 0 to 500. Mine went from 60,000 to 80,000. Brian smugly broke 100,000. That ride is so great! Then we broke out into guys & girls. The girls walked right into the 6:15pm Playhouse Disney Show. I was super-impressed. They knew their audience & paced it just right. You quickly hit Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Tigger & Pooh and Handy Manny. Bubbles & confetti fall from the sky. You get to sing & dance to all the theme songs. I would guess this was Lilly's favorite thing all week. She & Lauren danced and sang with huge grins.
After PHD, we met up with the boys at Tower of Terror. I could not believe it. They ALL went on it. Andrew was so proud of himself! Apparently when the lights went down, Brian asked Andrew how he was doing. He said, Good, but can I hold your hand? Afterward, he said it was fun and terrifying, and declared he would never ever do it again. But all with a huge smile and lots of pride. The boys took the kids while Andrea & I rode RocknRollercoaster. Still my favorite coaster in the parks. So fun. And a relief to have a break from the kids for a bit :)
The dads & kids went to Narnia. It must have been a bust, b/c they definitely weren't excited about it. Robbie, Andrea & I took the little kids to our VIP Fantasmic entrance around 7:50pm. The dads and Will rode RRC. I got snacks. Then Andrea got snacks. The only time I ever got nervous was when I had four kids by myself. But the dads returned w/Andrea just a few minutes before showtime.
While we had been waiting, I had talked to the little kids about what was going to happen. I told them Mickey has a dream w/all the good guys in it. But then the bad guys get together to make it a bad dream. But good is stronger than evil, so the good guys win in the end. But you will see a snake and a dragon that breathes fire. So remember when things get scary, that good always beats evil.
It seemed to work. No one got freaked out. We talked them thru the scary parts. Lauren loved seeing the princesses dance on the boats. And everyone loved it when Sorcerer Mickey appeared at the end. Huge success. And no nightmares that night! Everybody wins :)
Hollywood Studios went so smoothly. It was a great park to start with. We did a lot. But there are still lots of things we skipped; lots that will be new to our kids next time. Couldn't have been more pleased with our first full day at WDW :)
We arrived at the park at 8:30am; it opened at 9am. Perfect! Brian took Lauren to rent the double stroller. Andrew came with me to get first visit buttons. Then a pit stop. Then we were headed thru the gate for rope drop. Unfortunately, there was a problem with Andrew's ticket. We went to guest services & got it straightened out in less than 10 minutes. (Our helpful CM also gave ADV Buzz & Woody stickers for being so patient -- love those thoughtful touches!) Now we joined with the masses & easily caught up to Brian heading to Toy Story Mania.
It was so fun to watch the kids' wide-eyed wonder: "Mom - it's the hat! It's Sorcerer Mickey's giant hat!" Jay FP'd TSM & we lined up to ride stand-by. (It was 9am, and we were already sweaty. It was low 90s all week!) The queue is amazing. And Mr. Potato Head is entertaining. The Maurer, Volk & Colwell kids were dancing around in line & taking pics of everything. After 20 minutes, we picked up our glasses & we were off. Andrew decided he wanted to ride with Mom. He did really well with the blaster gun. It was an awesome ride and the perfect first attraction!
The kids were jazzed. We loaded up the strollers and headed to Star Wars. We waited around for the 9:55am Jedi Training Academy, but none of our kids got picked. Next year :) So we got in line for Star Tours. Andrea & I did the child swap w/Lilly & Lauren. That way the boys (& Robbie) got to ride it twice. They had fun announcing what was going to happen next. Then it was on to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. It worked out great. The kids got to run around in the shade while I ran to FP Tower of Terror & RocknRollercoaster.
Then it was off to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We got there just a few minutes before it started. Far house left, but on the eighth row. It was nasty hot. It's an outdoor amphitheatre, but it does have a roof. However, the fans on our side weren't operating, so it was this stagnant, heavy heat. Gotta love Orlando... The show itself was only a moderate success. The boys were into it; the girls were at times bored or scared. And we were all so hot! I'd imagine LRV will want to pass on this one next year.
After the show, the Maurers & Volks led the crowds to Pizza Planet. (The Colwells had a noon reservation at PrimeTime Cafe.) We were all ready for a break. It was nice to be in air-conditioning. Jay & I got a table & did bathroom breaks while Andrea & Brian ordered the food. As long as you beat the crowds, it's a great lunch place. Service is a little slow, but big portions. Pizza, salad & fruit all around.
After lunch & more potty breaks, we headed over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I hadn't seen it before. Cute, but a little dark. The Volks & Maurers headed back to POR after the show. We hit the quiet pool right outside our door for 45 minutes. Then showered and met up with the Maurers to return to Studios at 4pm. We had 4:50pm reservations at Hollywood & Vine for the Fantasmic Dinner Package.
While H&V gets pretty low marks on the discussion boards, we really wanted the FDP. It ensures reserved seats for Fantasmic. You can show up 20-30 minutes before the show and have a place to sit. So much better than waiting in line for 90 minutes. Kinda like a FP I guess :) But the restaurant exceeded my expectations. I'm not a buffet fan; I'm snobby about sneeze-guards. However, I found turkey breast w/red wine sauce, juicy pork tenderloin and a yummy salad. Robbie & Andrea raved about the spoonbread.
After dinner, we hit TSM again w/our FPs from earlier. Maybe a 10 minute wait. This time I rode with Lauren. Her score improved from 0 to 500. Mine went from 60,000 to 80,000. Brian smugly broke 100,000. That ride is so great! Then we broke out into guys & girls. The girls walked right into the 6:15pm Playhouse Disney Show. I was super-impressed. They knew their audience & paced it just right. You quickly hit Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Tigger & Pooh and Handy Manny. Bubbles & confetti fall from the sky. You get to sing & dance to all the theme songs. I would guess this was Lilly's favorite thing all week. She & Lauren danced and sang with huge grins.
After PHD, we met up with the boys at Tower of Terror. I could not believe it. They ALL went on it. Andrew was so proud of himself! Apparently when the lights went down, Brian asked Andrew how he was doing. He said, Good, but can I hold your hand? Afterward, he said it was fun and terrifying, and declared he would never ever do it again. But all with a huge smile and lots of pride. The boys took the kids while Andrea & I rode RocknRollercoaster. Still my favorite coaster in the parks. So fun. And a relief to have a break from the kids for a bit :)
The dads & kids went to Narnia. It must have been a bust, b/c they definitely weren't excited about it. Robbie, Andrea & I took the little kids to our VIP Fantasmic entrance around 7:50pm. The dads and Will rode RRC. I got snacks. Then Andrea got snacks. The only time I ever got nervous was when I had four kids by myself. But the dads returned w/Andrea just a few minutes before showtime.
While we had been waiting, I had talked to the little kids about what was going to happen. I told them Mickey has a dream w/all the good guys in it. But then the bad guys get together to make it a bad dream. But good is stronger than evil, so the good guys win in the end. But you will see a snake and a dragon that breathes fire. So remember when things get scary, that good always beats evil.
It seemed to work. No one got freaked out. We talked them thru the scary parts. Lauren loved seeing the princesses dance on the boats. And everyone loved it when Sorcerer Mickey appeared at the end. Huge success. And no nightmares that night! Everybody wins :)
Hollywood Studios went so smoothly. It was a great park to start with. We did a lot. But there are still lots of things we skipped; lots that will be new to our kids next time. Couldn't have been more pleased with our first full day at WDW :)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
First Trip to Disneyworld - Sunday 9/14/08
So we left right on time - thank you, Brian!
The night before we left, we gave Lauren her (birthday) gift from Miss Marie (Uncle Matt's fiancee). She had written a letter as Snow White talking about how excited she was for LRV to come visit her at WDW. And she had wrapped up the DVD of Snow White. The kids were stoked. We had rented a bunch of Disney movies they hadn't seen before: Bambi, 101 Dalmatians, Disney princess sing-a-long, Star Wars Clone Wars vol. 1, etc. So they were enthralled in the movies & it made the trip faster for them.
But the drive to Orlando took 8.5 hours. We stopped for 45 minutes at McDonalds for lunch. Randomly, we had noticed the Maurer Yukon next to us on the interstate. So, we more or less caravanned w/Jay & the kids most of the way. Andrea rode with her mom. Jen & the boys left on Saturday to pick up her sister Erin in South Carolina. But the plan was for all of us to meet up at 5pm at Port Orleans Riverside (POR).
We called Al as we got closer, and he told us the back way from the turnpike. Even still it was after 5:30pm before we reached the property. Jen & the boys had been waiting for half an hour, but were super gracious. We knew we needed to check-in together to reassign who was in what room and all that. Check-in took less than 15 minutes & we were off to our rooms: Acadian House in Magnolia Bend (The Mansions of Riverside), 8070 & 8071. Our rooms were on the ground floor w/excellent parking access.
The Maurers arrived soon after. We had a short pow-wow and decided to leave for dinner at the Grand Floridian (GF) at 7pm. We had an hour to unpack and shower. The kids were bouncing off the walls; and who could blame them? We were finally at WDW!
Dinner on Sunday was set for 7:30pm at 1900 Park Fare. It was a character dinner featuring Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drisella. Lauren came decked out in her Cinderella finery. She and Noah danced around the lobby as a pianist and later an orchestra played while we waited. They were too cute! It was maybe a 15 minute wait.
We were divided into two groups: the Volks & Maurers were at a table for 10. The Colwells were at a table for four. We were seated at a prime round table right by the buffet in the center of the room. Cinderella and Prince Charming had their dance right next to us. All the kids were overwhelmed by the characters. For LRV especially, this was THE Cinderella. It was all very real to them and very overwhelming. Anastasia came by our table first (I think). None of the kids were keen to meet her. All except Sam & Will were hiding in their parents’ arms. Poor Prince Charming also got rejected.
But they warmed up over dinner. (The only thing memorable about dinner was the strawberry soup.) And by the time the meal was over, Andrew interacted with the Stepmother. The girls met Drisella and Cinderella. We even managed a couple of pics.
After dinner, the Colwells headed back to POR; we and the Maurers decided to hop on the monorail and make the loop around Seven Seas Lagoon. Lauren talked non-stop about Cinderella and her castle. You would have thought they were best friends, although starstruck Lauren barely said a word to her. But anyway, meeting Cinderella was a big deal to LRV and she was super happy about it -- after the fact!
Unfortunately, Wishes (the Magic Kingdom fireworks show) was just ending and the crowds were letting out. So much for riding up front... Our monorail was jammed with tired families, so it wasn't the relaxing end to the evening we were hoping for. But the kids got to look out the window and see Cinderella's castle and blow thru the Contemporary. After another pit stop at the GF, we were headed home.
It was 10pm before we were in bed. So excited about our first day in the parks tomorrow!
The night before we left, we gave Lauren her (birthday) gift from Miss Marie (Uncle Matt's fiancee). She had written a letter as Snow White talking about how excited she was for LRV to come visit her at WDW. And she had wrapped up the DVD of Snow White. The kids were stoked. We had rented a bunch of Disney movies they hadn't seen before: Bambi, 101 Dalmatians, Disney princess sing-a-long, Star Wars Clone Wars vol. 1, etc. So they were enthralled in the movies & it made the trip faster for them.
But the drive to Orlando took 8.5 hours. We stopped for 45 minutes at McDonalds for lunch. Randomly, we had noticed the Maurer Yukon next to us on the interstate. So, we more or less caravanned w/Jay & the kids most of the way. Andrea rode with her mom. Jen & the boys left on Saturday to pick up her sister Erin in South Carolina. But the plan was for all of us to meet up at 5pm at Port Orleans Riverside (POR).
We called Al as we got closer, and he told us the back way from the turnpike. Even still it was after 5:30pm before we reached the property. Jen & the boys had been waiting for half an hour, but were super gracious. We knew we needed to check-in together to reassign who was in what room and all that. Check-in took less than 15 minutes & we were off to our rooms: Acadian House in Magnolia Bend (The Mansions of Riverside), 8070 & 8071. Our rooms were on the ground floor w/excellent parking access.
The Maurers arrived soon after. We had a short pow-wow and decided to leave for dinner at the Grand Floridian (GF) at 7pm. We had an hour to unpack and shower. The kids were bouncing off the walls; and who could blame them? We were finally at WDW!
Dinner on Sunday was set for 7:30pm at 1900 Park Fare. It was a character dinner featuring Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drisella. Lauren came decked out in her Cinderella finery. She and Noah danced around the lobby as a pianist and later an orchestra played while we waited. They were too cute! It was maybe a 15 minute wait.
We were divided into two groups: the Volks & Maurers were at a table for 10. The Colwells were at a table for four. We were seated at a prime round table right by the buffet in the center of the room. Cinderella and Prince Charming had their dance right next to us. All the kids were overwhelmed by the characters. For LRV especially, this was THE Cinderella. It was all very real to them and very overwhelming. Anastasia came by our table first (I think). None of the kids were keen to meet her. All except Sam & Will were hiding in their parents’ arms. Poor Prince Charming also got rejected.
But they warmed up over dinner. (The only thing memorable about dinner was the strawberry soup.) And by the time the meal was over, Andrew interacted with the Stepmother. The girls met Drisella and Cinderella. We even managed a couple of pics.
After dinner, the Colwells headed back to POR; we and the Maurers decided to hop on the monorail and make the loop around Seven Seas Lagoon. Lauren talked non-stop about Cinderella and her castle. You would have thought they were best friends, although starstruck Lauren barely said a word to her. But anyway, meeting Cinderella was a big deal to LRV and she was super happy about it -- after the fact!
Unfortunately, Wishes (the Magic Kingdom fireworks show) was just ending and the crowds were letting out. So much for riding up front... Our monorail was jammed with tired families, so it wasn't the relaxing end to the evening we were hoping for. But the kids got to look out the window and see Cinderella's castle and blow thru the Contemporary. After another pit stop at the GF, we were headed home.
It was 10pm before we were in bed. So excited about our first day in the parks tomorrow!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
First Trip to Disneyworld - Pre-Trip Report
Let me start by saying that I got really into planning this vacation... some might say obsessed. But I really enjoyed preparing for it!
It began a year ago in September 2007, when my boss took our entire LTR team to WDW. It was all about creating environments, engaging crowds, communication, excellence, etc. We did the backstage magic tour; he created a booklet w/notes and discussion questions; it was thorough. So there were eight of us at WDW, and most of us have preschoolers. Pretty sure we were all planning our next family trip.
Evan & Al took their families back in November. Mauro took his family in April. But MC, Andrea & I decided to hold out for the free dining plan offerred in September. The free DDP dates would be released in mid-April. Going on in the background is MC's battle w/cancer. He found out before Christmas that some tests came back questionable. Then he was having surgeries removing tumors and later was scheduled for brain surgery. Planning and talking about WDW became an escape, a relief from what had become his reality. We were going to take our families the same week. We put money on what day disney would make the free DDP announcement, etc.
My friend MC passed away on May 4th, 2007. He wouldn't be able to take his family to disney like we had all planned. I didn't want to think about our trip after that. It was all wrapped up in my grief for MC. Over the next few weeks, Brian and I were trying to think of a way to honor him. And in one of those God things, we both came up with the same idea on the same night: let's invite Jen and the boys to go with us in September.
So, we called Disney to see if we could add them to our reservations, make sure they would get the free dining, etc. It worked out to where all they would have to pay for were their tix to the parks. I called Jen. She thought about it & accepted. And we all cried. Bittersweet for sure.
But as you can imagine, trip planning took on new meaning. It gave me something constructive to do with my grief. So, I got into it. It would be the Volks, Maurers & Colwells after all. I was coordinating three families itineraries and it was fun.
Dining reservations (ADRs) were fun. What worked well in 2007? Which character meals would our kids enjoy? What was on the kids menu? Which park will we go to which day? What are the extra magic hours? What are the strategic routes thru the parks? Where will we be on our routes around lunch time? Could we do date nights? I'm a producer, what can I say. I love coordinating moving parts.
I had fun discussing strategies w/Al. And Evan laid out the plans in a booklet like LTR had in 2007. I so appreciate everyone's help. I know they especially wanted to maximize this trip for Jen, Kaleb & Noah. We all hoped it would be a chance for them to make some family memories in 2008 that were happy.
So I joined discussion boards, read trip reports, collected tips and watched the weather. (I probably got a little too into it :) But come September, we were primed for a great trip. (Don't worry; I didn't boss everyone around. I just gave them a strategic plan they could adapt for their family.)
We packed the car the night before & were on our way to Orlando at 9:06am Sunday, September 14th.
It began a year ago in September 2007, when my boss took our entire LTR team to WDW. It was all about creating environments, engaging crowds, communication, excellence, etc. We did the backstage magic tour; he created a booklet w/notes and discussion questions; it was thorough. So there were eight of us at WDW, and most of us have preschoolers. Pretty sure we were all planning our next family trip.
Evan & Al took their families back in November. Mauro took his family in April. But MC, Andrea & I decided to hold out for the free dining plan offerred in September. The free DDP dates would be released in mid-April. Going on in the background is MC's battle w/cancer. He found out before Christmas that some tests came back questionable. Then he was having surgeries removing tumors and later was scheduled for brain surgery. Planning and talking about WDW became an escape, a relief from what had become his reality. We were going to take our families the same week. We put money on what day disney would make the free DDP announcement, etc.
My friend MC passed away on May 4th, 2007. He wouldn't be able to take his family to disney like we had all planned. I didn't want to think about our trip after that. It was all wrapped up in my grief for MC. Over the next few weeks, Brian and I were trying to think of a way to honor him. And in one of those God things, we both came up with the same idea on the same night: let's invite Jen and the boys to go with us in September.
So, we called Disney to see if we could add them to our reservations, make sure they would get the free dining, etc. It worked out to where all they would have to pay for were their tix to the parks. I called Jen. She thought about it & accepted. And we all cried. Bittersweet for sure.
But as you can imagine, trip planning took on new meaning. It gave me something constructive to do with my grief. So, I got into it. It would be the Volks, Maurers & Colwells after all. I was coordinating three families itineraries and it was fun.
Dining reservations (ADRs) were fun. What worked well in 2007? Which character meals would our kids enjoy? What was on the kids menu? Which park will we go to which day? What are the extra magic hours? What are the strategic routes thru the parks? Where will we be on our routes around lunch time? Could we do date nights? I'm a producer, what can I say. I love coordinating moving parts.
I had fun discussing strategies w/Al. And Evan laid out the plans in a booklet like LTR had in 2007. I so appreciate everyone's help. I know they especially wanted to maximize this trip for Jen, Kaleb & Noah. We all hoped it would be a chance for them to make some family memories in 2008 that were happy.
So I joined discussion boards, read trip reports, collected tips and watched the weather. (I probably got a little too into it :) But come September, we were primed for a great trip. (Don't worry; I didn't boss everyone around. I just gave them a strategic plan they could adapt for their family.)
We packed the car the night before & were on our way to Orlando at 9:06am Sunday, September 14th.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Kindergarten
Wow - we just wrapped ADV's second week of kindergarten. he's such a big little guy now.
We decided on private school at least for now. Fellowship Christian is halfway between home and North Point, plus we'd heard all kinds of good things about it. Several friends at work have their kids there, plus we are friendly with the principal, former headmaster, etc. But what sealed the deal for me was the fact that Coach Kinsey has switched from Eastside over to FCS. I thought the world of him growing up. And now ADV has his wife for afternoon enrichment.
Another big plus was one Mrs. Tomberlin. She's got this incredible reputation as a kindergarten teacher. And apparently has a special place in her heart for immature boys (like ours!). We got to observe a class and I think she is what sold Brian. Mrs. T has the right balance of love and firmness. So we were thrilled when ADV got her for a teacher (thank you, K. Teston!).
Brian volunteered to run the morning carpool shift. He and ADV leave at 7:30am to make it to FCS by 8am. Brian went to chapel on the first day of school w/Andrew. Apparently, he was all smiles joining up with his class. The first real drop-off was Tuesday morning. Brian said Andrew jumped out of the car, gave him a thumbs up, and hugged the P.E. teacher as she walked him into school. Couldn't have gone any better! What an answer to prayer. A lot has changed since last fall's crying, begging not to go to school & frequent meltdowns at the door. I'm so proud of him.
ADV is in Mrs. Tomberlin's class from 8-12n. Then the kids who stay for afternoon enrichment join up with Mrs. Kinsey for lunch, rest time, etc. I pick him up at 3pm. Which means LRV and I have an hour to kill between her pick-up time at 1:30pm (M, T, Th) and Andrew's carpool. We've had fun shopping and discovered a park close by FCS.
I feel like such a grown-up in the carpool line. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was the one being picked up, and now I'm driving. Wow.
So, we haven't been able to get much info out of Andrew. "Yes, Mom. I had a good day. Now can I please have a snack?" is about all I can get. Except last Friday, he came home with a picture of two new friends. "Mom, this is Grace. She's in Mrs. Kinsey's class. She's going to be my girlfriend. This is Stephen. He has red hair. He's going to be my boyfriend." "Um, NO. He's going to be your friend. Your BEST friend. Boys don't have boyfriends..." That's been the gem so far.
We decided on private school at least for now. Fellowship Christian is halfway between home and North Point, plus we'd heard all kinds of good things about it. Several friends at work have their kids there, plus we are friendly with the principal, former headmaster, etc. But what sealed the deal for me was the fact that Coach Kinsey has switched from Eastside over to FCS. I thought the world of him growing up. And now ADV has his wife for afternoon enrichment.
Another big plus was one Mrs. Tomberlin. She's got this incredible reputation as a kindergarten teacher. And apparently has a special place in her heart for immature boys (like ours!). We got to observe a class and I think she is what sold Brian. Mrs. T has the right balance of love and firmness. So we were thrilled when ADV got her for a teacher (thank you, K. Teston!).
Brian volunteered to run the morning carpool shift. He and ADV leave at 7:30am to make it to FCS by 8am. Brian went to chapel on the first day of school w/Andrew. Apparently, he was all smiles joining up with his class. The first real drop-off was Tuesday morning. Brian said Andrew jumped out of the car, gave him a thumbs up, and hugged the P.E. teacher as she walked him into school. Couldn't have gone any better! What an answer to prayer. A lot has changed since last fall's crying, begging not to go to school & frequent meltdowns at the door. I'm so proud of him.
ADV is in Mrs. Tomberlin's class from 8-12n. Then the kids who stay for afternoon enrichment join up with Mrs. Kinsey for lunch, rest time, etc. I pick him up at 3pm. Which means LRV and I have an hour to kill between her pick-up time at 1:30pm (M, T, Th) and Andrew's carpool. We've had fun shopping and discovered a park close by FCS.
I feel like such a grown-up in the carpool line. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was the one being picked up, and now I'm driving. Wow.
So, we haven't been able to get much info out of Andrew. "Yes, Mom. I had a good day. Now can I please have a snack?" is about all I can get. Except last Friday, he came home with a picture of two new friends. "Mom, this is Grace. She's in Mrs. Kinsey's class. She's going to be my girlfriend. This is Stephen. He has red hair. He's going to be my boyfriend." "Um, NO. He's going to be your friend. Your BEST friend. Boys don't have boyfriends..." That's been the gem so far.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Videos from Hilton Head Island
Lauren and her cousin Hailey enjoy a little beach time at Hilton Head.
Andrew and Lauren buried in the sand.
Andrew catches a wave.
Andrew and Lauren buried in the sand.
Andrew catches a wave.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Lunch at HOME
After offsites and mission trips, the majority of LTR was back together this week. (Evan, we missed you!) Al asked that we block off Tuesday lunch to celebrate spring birthdays and catch up as a team. Shara popped into my cube with a big smile on her face and told me she'd planned something special. But refused to tell me what. Closing out our morning meeting, Al announced 11:30am reservations at HOME - the new restaurant operated by Chef Richard Blais.
I immediately start laughing and cheering (meaning giggling and rambling)! As a big fan of Top Chef, I am beside myself. Al totally outdid himself on this surprise! This way makes up for being a month late, and even the Joe's Crab Shack fiasco from a few years ago. Shara had the idea and totally ran with it. (love her!) So, we pile in the cars and drive down to West Paces.
Our host seated us at a table in a nook with three porthole windows into the kitchen. When asked if Chef Blais was in today, he gave us a mysterious face and an evasive answer. Which I immediately took for a 'yes'! So, like the over-eager fan that I am, I took Mauro's cell phone & tried to discreetly snap some pictures of the kitchen. (I know... I'm such a dork!) But then our server, seeing my stalker actions, came over. She offered us drinks and informed us that Chef Blais was not in fact on the property.
Discouraged that we wouldn't see the chef, but excited to try his food, we turned to the menus. Shara and I couldn't make up our minds, but on the promise that we could share, here's where we landed: I ordered shrimp and grits. Shara and Chris got the fried duck w/truffled mac and cheese. Stuart ordered the arugula salad with sea bass. Al, Mauro and Melinda all got the pimento cheese burger.
While we waited, we enjoyed biscuits with pepper jelly. They went over great. I think Chris contemplated licking the jelly dish clean.
While we were waiting, Chef Blais arrived at the kitchen. Imagine me with a camera phone pressed up against our little window. So subtle, and yeah, Blais saw me. He came right to our table grinning. Dressed casually with his trademark faux-hawk, he welcomed us and started chatting. Someone mentioned it was my birthday, and he wished me the best while I grinned like an idiot -- totally starstruck. So much so that I forgot to ask for a picture! Anyway, he was super nice and friendly and humble. He also looked exhausted. But he moved on to another table where a twelve year boy was eating with his family. The kid looked even more awestruck than myself, and Chef Blais invited him back to the kitchen. That kid was over the moon.
My entree came with five enormous shrimp with a cajun rub, sitting in a bed of organic stone-ground grits, and sprinkled with andouille sausage, corn and scallions. The flavors were simple and straight-forward. I would have preferred a bit more heat or spice on the shrimp, but the most interesting flavor was the grits. They had a light sweetness to them. Our server said it was apricot. It was very good, but i was expecting a bit more punch. (Michael Ivan's recipe remains my favorite.)
Chris & Shara both had the duck. The plate surprisingly lacked any form of presentation. Both ate a bite of mac & cheese first, and were taken aback by the sharp flavor. It was shells flavored not only with cheese but also cauliflower mash and truffle oil. Extremely rich, strong flavors. However, by eating a bite of the mild, moist duck first, it provided a good counterpoint to the rich mac and cheese. But truth be told, I think they were a little underwhelmed.
When asked, Stuart said his fish and salad were good. Clearly, he wasn't blown away either. The burger was probably the biggest hit. Al said he would come back for the burger. Mauro & Melinda liked that the cheese added good flavor. Chris finished the second half of Melinda's burger & seemed to enjoy that more. It came with rather bland french fries. I would have thought to pair it with something more original -- even sweet potato fries would do. So, over-all, we were somewhat underwhelmed. It was a good meal. But not a great meal.
We ordered two desserts to share: red velvet cake with cream cheese ice cream and a moon pie with a cardamom ice cream float. Finally, a little of the willy wonka style we were expecting. The red velvet was fine, and I enjoyed the sour cream ice cream. The moon pie was unremarkable. I think Chris compared it to a 'little debbie'. Definitely the cardamom ice cream was the most interesting. We all enjoyed that. It's an unusual spice and certainly not something you would think to connect to ice cream. But it totally worked. Thank you, Chef Blais!
And a big thanks to Al and Shara for a surprise that made me feel celebrated. 'Cause even though this was technically also for Mauro and Stuart, it was really for me! Thanks for indulging me & trying something new. I love my job and the LTR team! And let me say, that I have eaten extraordinarily well in my 30's so far -- ya know, all six weeks!
I immediately start laughing and cheering (meaning giggling and rambling)! As a big fan of Top Chef, I am beside myself. Al totally outdid himself on this surprise! This way makes up for being a month late, and even the Joe's Crab Shack fiasco from a few years ago. Shara had the idea and totally ran with it. (love her!) So, we pile in the cars and drive down to West Paces.
Our host seated us at a table in a nook with three porthole windows into the kitchen. When asked if Chef Blais was in today, he gave us a mysterious face and an evasive answer. Which I immediately took for a 'yes'! So, like the over-eager fan that I am, I took Mauro's cell phone & tried to discreetly snap some pictures of the kitchen. (I know... I'm such a dork!) But then our server, seeing my stalker actions, came over. She offered us drinks and informed us that Chef Blais was not in fact on the property.
Discouraged that we wouldn't see the chef, but excited to try his food, we turned to the menus. Shara and I couldn't make up our minds, but on the promise that we could share, here's where we landed: I ordered shrimp and grits. Shara and Chris got the fried duck w/truffled mac and cheese. Stuart ordered the arugula salad with sea bass. Al, Mauro and Melinda all got the pimento cheese burger.
While we waited, we enjoyed biscuits with pepper jelly. They went over great. I think Chris contemplated licking the jelly dish clean.
While we were waiting, Chef Blais arrived at the kitchen. Imagine me with a camera phone pressed up against our little window. So subtle, and yeah, Blais saw me. He came right to our table grinning. Dressed casually with his trademark faux-hawk, he welcomed us and started chatting. Someone mentioned it was my birthday, and he wished me the best while I grinned like an idiot -- totally starstruck. So much so that I forgot to ask for a picture! Anyway, he was super nice and friendly and humble. He also looked exhausted. But he moved on to another table where a twelve year boy was eating with his family. The kid looked even more awestruck than myself, and Chef Blais invited him back to the kitchen. That kid was over the moon.
My entree came with five enormous shrimp with a cajun rub, sitting in a bed of organic stone-ground grits, and sprinkled with andouille sausage, corn and scallions. The flavors were simple and straight-forward. I would have preferred a bit more heat or spice on the shrimp, but the most interesting flavor was the grits. They had a light sweetness to them. Our server said it was apricot. It was very good, but i was expecting a bit more punch. (Michael Ivan's recipe remains my favorite.)
Chris & Shara both had the duck. The plate surprisingly lacked any form of presentation. Both ate a bite of mac & cheese first, and were taken aback by the sharp flavor. It was shells flavored not only with cheese but also cauliflower mash and truffle oil. Extremely rich, strong flavors. However, by eating a bite of the mild, moist duck first, it provided a good counterpoint to the rich mac and cheese. But truth be told, I think they were a little underwhelmed.
When asked, Stuart said his fish and salad were good. Clearly, he wasn't blown away either. The burger was probably the biggest hit. Al said he would come back for the burger. Mauro & Melinda liked that the cheese added good flavor. Chris finished the second half of Melinda's burger & seemed to enjoy that more. It came with rather bland french fries. I would have thought to pair it with something more original -- even sweet potato fries would do. So, over-all, we were somewhat underwhelmed. It was a good meal. But not a great meal.
We ordered two desserts to share: red velvet cake with cream cheese ice cream and a moon pie with a cardamom ice cream float. Finally, a little of the willy wonka style we were expecting. The red velvet was fine, and I enjoyed the sour cream ice cream. The moon pie was unremarkable. I think Chris compared it to a 'little debbie'. Definitely the cardamom ice cream was the most interesting. We all enjoyed that. It's an unusual spice and certainly not something you would think to connect to ice cream. But it totally worked. Thank you, Chef Blais!
And a big thanks to Al and Shara for a surprise that made me feel celebrated. 'Cause even though this was technically also for Mauro and Stuart, it was really for me! Thanks for indulging me & trying something new. I love my job and the LTR team! And let me say, that I have eaten extraordinarily well in my 30's so far -- ya know, all six weeks!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday: Tavern on the Green & Central Park
After a late night on Saturday - 2:30am, i think?! We slept in past 10am Sunday morning. We had late brunch reservations at Tavern on the Green at 11:45am. So we dressed, packed and left our bags with the bell desk. We caught a cab to Tavern and took a table in the main dining room. It's such an iconic NYC landmark. We would have eaten in the center courtyard, but it was actually quite warm and sunny. But we had a view of the courtyard with the floral Chinese lanterns and flowers galore.We started with the crab cake for an appetizer. Andrea had a brie and blue crab quiche with salad. Leigh Ann ordered eggs Benedict. I chose brioche French toast. The French toast would have been a lot better to someone who liked raisins. But the quiche was delicious. And the eggs Benedict were so rich!
We wandered through the Park on our way back to the hotel. I just love Sundays in Central Park. It was an idyllic morning/afternoon. We returned to our hotel, picked up our bags and cabbed it to LaGuardia. Where we picked up the latest entertainment magazines and flew business class back to the ATL.
I can't imagine a more wonderful birthday. It had it all: incredible theatre, fantastic food, and fabulous friends... Happy 30th to me! It's been the best birthday of my life. Thank you - thank you - thank you, Brian! You are the best husband ever!
Saturday - part 2: Boeing-Boeing & Cafeteria
Following Gypsy, we succumbed to a nap back at our suite. We woke up still full from lunch, and decided to eat dinner after our evening show. We dressed and headed to the Longacre, stopping next door for candy and Red Bull. Our seats were fabulous: 5th row center. We were so excited to see Bradley Whitford, Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Gina Gershon, Kathryn Hahn & Mary McCormack. The curtain goes up, and there's Bradley Whitford! Just 20 feet away... amazing...Boeing-Boeing is a romantic farce set in 1960s Paris. We laughed hysterically. Mark Rylance was fabulous. I hope he takes the Tony. It was beyond perfect. Absolutely one of my favorite nights at the theatre ever! We were close enough to be sweat on... Christine threw her cigarette away to the girl sitting in front of us... we saw Mary lose her composure while sparring in German... we saw Bradley Whitford split his pants while they danced the curtain call... absolutely amazing!
And did I mention that John Cleese was sitting diagonally in front of us? Mr. Monty Python himself. He was very tall, and looking quite his age. We also saw Swoosie Kurtz and Edward Norton. (Did you know he's the new Hulk? random) And we decided to wait outside the stage door like stalkers to see if we could meet the cast. Which we did. Every last one! They were all very gracious, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Mark Rylance had this cool fold-up bicycle that he carried. And it was amazing to see Kathryn and Gina just melt into the NYC crowd.
Anyway, we waited around to see Bradley. Much of the crowd had dispersed, and I found myself face to face with him as he opened the stage door. I proffered my playbill, and started gushing about what a fabulous job he did and how it was one of the best nights at the theatre ever. He handed me back my playbill, locked eyes with me and said, "Well, you're subtle!" Then Leigh Ann raised her camera and we posed. Bradley said, "Ready girls? Cheese!" in a high-pitched teasing voice. I thought Andrea was going to explode. We rushed off like giddy teenagers, completely starstruck. Except Leigh Ann. She plays it cool.
By this time it was 11:30pm. We'd missed our dinner reservations at Thalia, and they had actually closed the kitchen... So, Plan B: Leigh Ann knew of Tyler Florence's all night eatery in Chelsea called Cafeteria. It's where the girls in Sex & the City met for breakfast, and continues to draw a super-hip crowd. Perfect for three suburban moms, right? We thought so!
We arrived at midnight, and the place was hopping. We took a table downstairs in the lounge. Our waiter was friendly and chatty and generous. I had the doughnuts, Leigh Ann had a cheeseburger and Andrea had a wedge salad with french fries. It turned out to be the perfect late night meal. I don't think I'd ever eaten dinner after midnight. But we were so wired from Boeing-Boeing... it was fantastic!
Saturday was a fabulous day with two delicious meals and two incredible shows. We did it up big on Saturday!
Saturday - part 1: :craftbar & Gypsy
We slept in late Saturday morning. It was beautiful. No kids. No demands on our schedule... After grabbing a bagel we headed to TKTS to pick up tickets to a matinee. We were debating between several shows, but decided we couldn't pass up the chance to see Patti Lupone in Gypsy. And now that the Tony nominations are out, we knew we'd get to see her even at a matinee because the voting is currently going on. Leigh Ann was super-excited.We then hopped in a cab and headed back to the Village for our 12n reservations at :craftbar. This is the casual restaurant operated by Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio. His veal ricotta meatballs are legendary, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to check it out. We were 25 minutes early and decided to walk around a bit. We found ourselves in Grammercy Park, the last privately-owned park in the city. It was beautiful, and it was locked. But we did see Teddy Roosevelt's home and the former mayor of New York's residence. It was a gorgeous day.
We returned to :craftbar and decided to do lunch tapas style. We began with my all-important cheese plate: a caciotta (nutty) and a fourme d'Ambert (bleu). Then came the pecorino-stuffed risotto balls, chickpea fries with black olive aioli, polenta fritters with coppa and golden raisins, and sausage-stuffed sage leaves with a lemon sauce. (Leigh Ann definitely had a lemon theme going after those gnocchi at Perilla.) Followed by pecorino fondue with honey and hazelnuts, my veal ricotta meatballs, and the standout dish in my opinion: the duck proscuiutto bruschetta with duck egg, salad greens and orange puree. Fantastic! We ate ourselves silly and actually left food on the table. It was delicious.
We realized we were running late and started hoofing it back up to Times Square. We arrived at the St. James just as the lights went down and the curtain went up for the overture to Gypsy. It's the closest I've ever cut a show. I didn't connect really to the storyline, but it was cool to see Patti Lupone belt out 'Everything's Coming Up Roses'. I had no idea that the story ended with burlesque. That was a little crazy. But how could you miss the all-star, tony-nominated cast? Patti was born for the role and knocked it out of the park. I'm glad I got to see her.
Friday Night: Avenue Q & Sweet Carolines
Following dinner at Perilla, we hopped in a cab and headed to the Golden theatre for Avenue Q. There's just something so wrong about dirty puppets... Leigh Ann had seen it a couple of years ago, but assured us she would happily see it again. Apparently the first time she saw it, she and her friend laughed so hysterically that the actors were teasing them from the stage... We knew it would be fun and silly and inappropriate.It was. The sarcasm, the puppet hanky-panky, the witty songs... it was so great! We just laughed all night. Great dinner. Great show. What to do next?
One of mine and Brian's favorite night spots in the city is Sweet Caroline's, a dueling piano bar off West 46th. The show runs 10pm-3am. The girls and I arrived around 10:30pm. The bouncer waived our cover & we grabbed a table down front. Shortly after our drinks arrived, the lead piano man asked if anyone was celebrating a special occasion. Leigh Ann and Andrea promptly nominated me to go up on stage. Thanks, Ladies! No, it was fun... I may post pics later...We all had a great time. The club filled up. It was fleet week, so lots of sailors and marines looking to have a good time. We sang the classics: Billy Joel, Elton John, 'Joy to the World' complete w/the club's crazy hand motions, and of course 'Sweet Caroline'. So fun! We returned home around 1:30am.
Friday - dinner at Perilla
Harold Dieterle, the winner of Top Chef season one, has opened his own place in the Village: Perilla. It was one of the ten best meals of my life. What a way to ring in my 30th birthday!We cabbed it down from Times Square and arrived right on time. Perilla is on this tiny little quiet street: #9 Jones Street. It's a small restaurant; it seats 60 people max. Very simple decor: minimalist with arts & crafts touches. We had a table near the back. Leigh Ann chose the black olive poached Kingfish with Meyer lemon gnocchi. Andrea ordered the pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin and the faro risotto. I went with the sheeps milk ricotta ravioli in truffle butter. Oh my gosh - amazing!
Leigh Ann's Kingfish was prepared beautifully, but it was the gnocchi that made the dish. You bit into them and they would melt in your mouth. Then at the end, there would be this surprise pop of Meyer lemon. Incredible.
My sheep's milk ricotta ravioli was beautiful. It's prepared with fiddlehead ferns, mushrooms and English peas. The ricotta filling is a rich explosion of flavor. The broth with truffle oil is both light and complex. It's a perfect combination. I loved everything about it.
Andrea's pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked, but the faro risotto stole the show. This is by far the best risotto I've ever eaten. Probably one of the ten best things I've ever tasted. It's prepared with artichoke and parmesan cheese. On top sit sliced grapes. The grapes lighten up the rich dish. It's nice with and without the 'chili grape salad' on top. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! That rich, buttery, parmesan cheesy risotto. It alone is worth the price of admission! I will absolutely be back to eat that dish again. Bravo, Chef Harold!
To close out our meal, we tried the vanilla scented doughnuts with Meyer lemon curd and dark chocolate ganache. They brought it to the table complete with a birthday candle. It was a yummy ending to a fabulous meal. I cannot wait to return to Perilla!
Best Birthday Ever!
I never thought that turning 30 would be the most fun birthday of my life... but it's true!Brian gave me a trip to NYC with a couple of girlfriends: Leigh Ann McIlvain & Andrea Maurer. We had the best time. And now I plan to break it down in detail!
Friday morning we met at NP and Brian chauffeured us to Hartsfield. We ate an early lunch at ABC and boarded the plane to LaGuardia. We hailed a cab & made our way to the heart of the city. Brian had booked a suite at the Doubletree Suites Times Square which is literally 100 yards from the foot of the big sign... Broadway at 42nd Street. Legally Blonde is currently playing next door at the Palace Theatre. Ridiculous location!
And there was some sort of special blessing on this trip. Everything worked out so smoothly - like magic! We never had to wait for anything. Timing worked perfectly. There was never a lull on this trip. Just perfection! Anyway, we scored the last double suite at the hotel; as opposed to one large king bed. The suite had plenty of space with a living room, a bedroom with two double beds and a good-sized bathroom. We put our bags inside and headed to TKTS.
There was no line at TKTS. Seriously - no queue! We walked right up to the box office. I'm serious - the heavens were smiling on us. We wanted something light and funny, so Leigh Ann graciously agreed to see Avenue Q for a second time. We went back to our hotel & changed for dinner. We were able to get reservations at Perilla down in Greenwich Village for 6pm. And that is where i will end my first installment. Perilla deserves it's own post :)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Dad's adventures with the kids
So Katherine is out of town this weekend, up in New York. Or as Lauren puts it, "Mommy goed to I Love New York."It sounds like she's having a fantastic time. Me? I'm really looking forward to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, when I'll be picking her up at the airport. Until then, Dad is on call 24/7. I often struggle to find ways to keep everyone entertained, but with the beautiful weather we've been having, the kids and I have had more options available to us. And yet, most of our time centers around four activities: eating out, riding in the Mustang with the top down, playing "Mousetrap," and watching Tom & Jerry. At least it keeps everyone happy. Yesterday we did McDonalds and Bellacino's. Today it was Chick-Fil-A and the park.
The park was our real adventure. Both kids fell asleep late in the naptime schedule, so while they slept, I put together a picnic dinner we could take to East Cobb Park. They were delighted to have dinner outside at the picnic tables, but a little too distracted to actually eat dinner. The playground was in Lauren's line-of-sight, while Andrew was enthralled by a father and daughter playing badminton a few yards away. We finally gave up on dinner and went exploring, which entailed walking a ways down the path that connects East Cobb Park to Fullers Park. Along the way they got to drop small rocks off a bridge into the creek below, stop to look at maps, and have the general sense of being real adventurers.
The highlight came when we arrived at the place where the path is blocked, but you can climb down a small embankment to a very shallow stretch of Sope Creek. Tonight was our second trip to this spot, and this time I came prepared. In my backpack (the first step toward being prepared) I had brought along three plastic lids from Kool-Aid containers, each marked with a different colored marker—it's time for our boat race! We ran three heats down a 20-yard stretch, with Andrew releasing them from an island upstream and me catching them down where the water starts to get knee-deep (for me, that is, almost waist-deep for the kids). Despite Andrew's best efforts—switching boats, changing the order in which he releases them, etc.—Andrew's boat finishes last each time. He was about to lose his cool until he discovered that he could load the boats up with dirt and rocks, and the more he loaded them, the more they sank and the slower they moved. I thought he was about to rig one final race in his favor, but then both kids were hit suddenly with the urge to pee.
Sadly, I knew this was coming. Despite all my efforts to have the kids go before we left for the park, then again before we started our adventure, the juiceboxes from dinner didn't hit them until we were as far away from the public restrooms as possible. So I showed Andrew how to take care of business behind a tree. Lauren is another story. Since she's fairly newly potty-trained, I actually have to hold her up while she does her thing. This is actually the third time I've been faced with the choice of either (A) helping my two-year-old daughter urinate in a semi-public place, or (B) let her wet herself and deal with a soggy and very angry toddler. Like I said, this time I came prepared. I at least had wipes in my backback. Good times!
By this time, it was 8:15 and the sun was fading fast, so we headed back to the main part of the park for a little bit of playground time before heading home. (When they take late naps, tiring them out before bed is critical.) It hit me as we walked that at the very time I was wiping messy faces and backsides, my wife was enjoying the opening scenes of "Boeing Boeing" on Broadway, with an all-star cast including Bradley Whitford, Gina Gershon, and Christine Baranski.
This trip to NY—which was my gift to Katherine for her 30th birthday—is actually a double-gift. Not only does she get away for a weekend of Broadway shows, fine dining, and a little pampering, but she also returns to a husband who has a renewed appreciation for what she does every day. Happy birthday, babe! I love you!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Indiana Jones, I always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door.
This afternoon Andrew was officially introduced to Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., better known as "Indiana Jones."Between the Indy-themed Burger King ads and those for the Indiana Jones series of Lego sets (of which Andrew received several for his birthday), he has been fully immersed in Indy-mania for weeks, and he has been asking about seeing the "real" Indiana Jones movie (as distinguished from the Lego version). With Katherine out of town this weekend, it sounded like a good opportunity for male-bonding, but I also knew that I would want to screen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before he sees it. So instead, I expanded my DVD collection with the addition of Raiders of the Lost Ark. When Lauren slept during naptime and Andrew didn't, we had our chance. I opened with the disclaimer, "Now listen bud, there are some scary parts, so if I tell you to cover your eyes, you need to obey, okay?" He insisted he likes scary parts but would obey if I really told him. The first booby-trap scene with a skeleton arrived before I knew it, and he was remarkably unfazed. I decided to let him cover his eyes on his own, with the exception of the face-melting scene near the end. I went with the rule: if Indy says we need to close our eyes, then we need to do what he says. Andrew could live with that.
He now thinks Indiana Jones is just about the coolest hero there is—not that he's wrong—and he wants his own whip and fedora. I sense a Halloween costume idea fast developing. And I've gone ahead and added the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to our Netflix queue.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Alas, poor Bradford! I knew him well.
So I'm heading home for small group last night, and as I turn onto our street, I can immediately sense that something's not right. It looks like a tree is eating my lawn. And the branches are going in the wrong direction. As my eyes followed the branches back to their point of origin, I realized what had happened. The large Bradford Pear tree in our front yard had split, and about 40% of it was now laying on the lawn, extending all the way to the street.While the sight was somewhat shocking, the fact that our tree bit the dust was not. Our tree, which I would assume to be about 15 years old like our house, had gotten huge. It was the largest of its kind in our neighborhood, and over the last few years it had become far too large to effectively trim by myself. It had also grown to where it was about 30 feet tall, but probably 40 feet wide. You see these things split all the time, particularly in the winter after an ice storm, when the weight of all the outstretched branches become too much for the trunk to bear. We had a big storm on Tuesday night, with lots of rain and wind (even a Tornado warning and some hail). I imagine it was weakened by the heavy winds and finally cracked under the strain on Wednesday. The weird thing is, we didn't hear it break. You'd think we would have, given that the part that broke was probably a foot in diameter.
I'm definitely bummed that the tree broke. For one thing, of the four trees visible in our front yard, that was the one that I didn't want to get rid of. It was nice looking and its branches were high enough off the ground that it didn't pose a problem when mowing the lawn. Andrew is very disappointed, because that was his climbing tree. He was even a little worried that his climbing might have been the cause. Given that he weighs all of 38 pounds, I highly doubt that.
Now we need to figure out: (a) how to get rid of the part that has fallen, (b) what to do about the part that remains, and (c) where Andrew is going to do his tree-climbing now, and (d) how to pay for (a) and (b). Actually, (a) might not be that bad. I'll borrow a couple of chainsaws and enlist the guys in my small group, and we'll hack it down to manageable pieces. That could even potentially be fun.
Goodbye, fair tree. We knew ye well.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Oh, The Places You'll Go!
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This Thursday marks Andrew's final week in North Point's Weekday Preschool program, and two events from Monday sort of crystallized the idea that a chapter in his life is closing.On Monday morning we met with Ms. Sherrie, Andrew's lead teacher in his Pre-K class. We were so encouraged by what she had to share. At times this has been a challenging school year; there was a stretch in the fall and early winter where he hated school. Every day he would ask whether it was a "home day" or a "school day" and when it was a school day he would start to cry. On the green/yellow/red day scale, he had more yellow and red days than green days. These days, not only is he far more excited about school, but he has shown marked improvement in so many areas, from attitude to writing to coloring in the lines to using scissors. He is ready for Kindergarten, which was very much in doubt six months ago.
On Monday evening, the Pre-K classes held their "graduation" ceremony, which was kind of like their Spring Show mixed with highlights from the year. The kids were also presented with their diplomas at the end. In past shows, Andrew has been either severely stage-frightened or highly distracted, but in this show he did an incredible job. He knew and sung all the words, did the hand motions, stayed quiet when he was supposed to, and smiled the whole time. We are SO proud of him.
We have been very blessed for Andrew to participate in the Weekday Program over this past five years, and we are incredibly grateful for all those who have invested in him and loved him, both in good times and in hard times. A huge, heartfelt thank you to:
- Ms. Sherrie and Ms. Vickie (Pre-K)
- Ms. Jen and Ms. Kathy (Pre-K)
- Ms. Linda and Ms. Melissa (3's class)
- Ms. Kris and Ms. Janis (2's class)
- the various women who cared for Andrew between birth and 2's, whose names I don't know, but whose impact was very significant.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Where a kid can be a kid
Andrew's "birthweek" concluded on Saturday with a party at Chuck E. Cheese. I have mixed feelings on the CEC birthday idea. One the one hand, it can be fun—and potentially a lot cheaper—to plan and execute a kid's party on your own. On the other hand, after we handed our check to Andre our party liaison, our responsibilities were complete. No cleaning up, no putting the house back together, no looking for spots where red frosting is actively seeking its way into the very fibers of the upholstery or carpet. That's a huge benefit.The party itself went well. This was the first year where it was a true kids' party. In years past, we have planned what would probably best be described as family parties with some friends in attendance. This time, the kids actually outnumbered the adults 13 to 10. For the most part, Andrew really enjoyed himself. As part of the party package, we received TONS of tokens—we still have 100 left—so he got a pocketful of tokens to spend however he wanted. His favorite games were air hockey with dad and a "game" called Tower of Power, where you try to hit a button at just the right time to earn lots of tickets (but you win some tickets every time). That's the kind of game that drives me nuts normally, because you blow through your tokens at about 15 seconds per token, but when you have a seemingly endless supply, it gives the kids a chance to build up a long, unbroken string of tickets. That also led to Andrew's self-declared favorite part of the whole party, which was feeding his tickets into the Ticket Muncher machine. He hasn't even opened the prizes he bought with his tickets, but he loved to watch that machine munch his tickets.
The only drama of the day came when it was time to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles. The way CEC does it is they have multiple parties going on at parallel tables, and they do one giant song and have all the birthday VIPs blow out their candles at the same time. Problem is, Andrew was still working on his pizza and was not ready to blow out his candles yet. He just about lost it, but did manage to recover. He's just not a kid who likes to be the center of attention (unlike his little sister, who LOVES it).
I'm thinking next year we may do a smaller-scale party with just a few friends. As Katherine and I were talking about it, we were hit with the strange realization that we don't know who those friends will be. Some of the kids at the party—like Sam Maurer, C.J. Woodruff and Ian Reyes—Andrew has known since they were babies, and they've been going to school together for years. But most of those friends live an hour away and everyone is headed to different schools for Kindergarten this fall, so Andrew will have to make some new friends. It's weird to think that this party (Kaleb Colwell's party next month) will be sort of a "last hurrah" for a lot of these friends, who I know Andrew will miss seeing three times a week.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Best. Dinner. Ever.
Katherine's birthday is just a week away, and one of her favorite things to do is to go out for a fancy dinner to celebrate. We have become big fans of the Buckhead Life Restaurants, who have run some pretty cool promotions over the past few summers. These promotions are a great idea, because eating there at full price can make one feel a little guilty, but with a gift card or a special deal you feel like you're not only getting a great meal, but you're saving money too!The most recent promotion is Ultimate Restaurant Week, which is good at all of their restaurants and runs for two weeks. To celebrate their 29th anniversary, each of the restaurants is offering a prix fixe three-course meal for $29. Considering that an entree at one of these restaurants can easily exceed $30 by itself, that's a pretty good deal. We really enjoy several of their restaurants, but there are some dinners we've had that stand out more than others. One such dining experience came at Chops last summer, when the chef's special of the night was a trio of beef tenderloin medallions in three flavors: Pepper Steak, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, and Cipollini Onion. This special was offered as one of the Entrée choices on the Week 1 menu, so we knew we had to go.
We came in with very high expectations, based on our experience last summer, but this meal completely exceeded those expectations! Each bite of steak was an absolute delight (and I'm not even someone who uses words like "delight"). The mean was so tender and cooked to perfection. Any one of the three medallions would be enjoyable enough on its own, but the variety offered by the combination of three truly enhances the experience. The Cipollini Onion medallion has a rich, savory flavor and is served with a delicious juice/sauce (I'm not quite sure how to describe it—it's thicker than an au jus, but thinner than most sauces). The Pepper Steak is just the right amount of spicy, encrusted with cracked black pepper on top and served with a creamy peppercorn gravy. My personal favorite is the Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, with the cheese seemingly baked into the top of the steak. My mouth is literally watering as I type this. With each bite, we found ourselves saying, "Oh my gosh - that's amazing." This is where the brilliance of offering the three of them together comes in. After you take a second or third bite of one and the novelty of the deliciousness begins to wear off, you switch to another flavor and are wowed once again by the tastes.
Simply an exquisite meal, and the perfect way to celebrate an exquisite woman.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
A boy and his Legos
Andrew turned 5 yesterday, but somehow things have morphed from birthday into birthweek. We celebrated with my side of the family on Monday night, with our immediate family yesterday morning, we'll get together with Katherine's brother and sister-in-law on Friday night, and his Chuck E. Cheese birthday party is on Saturday.So far, for him, it's been all about the Legos. He got his first Legos back at Christmas, but those were just the basic non-themed starter pack. Then in February, we joined GameTap and discovered a computer game called Lego Rock Raiders. This opened up a whole new world for Andrew, who began to grasp the concept of creating a story for his Legos. Unfortunately, because many GameTap games are older, I had unwittingly introduced my son to a really cool Lego theme... that was discontinued three years before he was born. Thanks to the magic of eBay and BrickLink.com (an online marketplace dedicated exclusively to Legos), however, we were able to track down almost the entire line of Rock Raiders Legos, which we (along with his aunt, uncles, and cousins) gave him for his birthday. We turned his train table into a Lego table that he how calls "the Rock Raiders planet."
In the midst of gathering the Rock Raiders sets, Lego introduced a bunch of new sets in the Indiana Jones series, which is advertised relentlessly on the Cartoon Network and NickToons. Andrew's godparents Craig and Anne, who were in town on Saturday, and my folks both gave him some really cool Indy sets. In about a week's time, he has developed an impressive Lego collection. He LOVES building, inventing new vehicles, and creating stories for his Legos—and I must say, he's got a talent for it. Putting together sets designed for kids "ages 8-14" has been no trouble at all for our boy who just turned 5.
Is it possible that I'm a little too excited about this? Perhaps....
Friday, May 9, 2008
A day of goodbyes
Some days leave an indelible mark on your soul. For me, Friday, May 9, 2008 will be one of those days. We said goodbye to some good friends today, one of whom we won't see again this side of eternity.Our friend Michael Colwell ("MC") went to be with the Lord on Sunday night, and his memorial service was held this morning. I had the privelege of working with MC for two years, and maintaining a friendship with him for almost three. Katherine, too, worked with MC for about four years. His wife Jen was Andrew's teacher for most of this school year, and their boys are in the same preschool classes as our kids. Their family holds a special place in our hearts, and there is no one who we, as a family, have lifted up in prayer more than the Colwells. MC fought bravely against cancer for much of the last couple of years, but ultimately lost his battle.
MC was an amazing man. As I contemplated my friend's life for a letter I was writing to his boys, I was struck by how true this is. We all have a tendency, when we lose loved ones or friends, to remember them with rose-colored glasses. Every tribute, every quote from those left behind, typically speaks of the deceased in glowing terms, to the degree that I tend to view such statements as hyperbole driven by respect for the dead, or a longing to remember them well. But as I made notes for my letter, I found myself humbled by my friend's life.
Here was a man who earned Master's degrees in two vastly different fields—theology and electrical engineering. He was almost absurdly overqualified for the position he held at North Point; and yet, in that role he was able to have extraordinary impact. Through his writing, editing, and project management efforts, he contributed to small group curriculum that will touch the lives of more than 100,000 people. Despite these accomplishments, what I will remember most about MC is his unwavering faith and his devotion to his family.
I must confess that watching the decline and death at a young age of someone like MC—someone who has been devoted to and has served the Lord for almost his entire life—has at times rocked my faith. I have a very strong sense of justice, and to me, it did not seem fair that God would allow this to happen to MC. This week marks the first time in almost 10 years that I have cried—not just getting misty-eyed, but honest-to-God weeping. But what I've seen over the last couple of days has reminded me about who this God is. And while my heart still aches for Jen and the boys, for MC's parents and sister, and for all his friends who, like me, deeply miss our friend, I am finally at a place where I can celebrate a friend who finished his race strong. The memorial service this morning was at once amazing and heart-breaking. Through stories, photographs and even video, it was awesome to see the evidence of a life well-lived. When the picture of our LTR team at Disney World last fall appeared on the screen—the last chance I had to spend extended hang time with MC, since I left Staff that same month—I cried uncontrollably. Generally, I love it when a memorial service closes with a time of worship, because I love to see the focus drawn back to the One who has defeated death. But when we sang the song "Blessed Be The Name," I struggled. When we reached the bridge, I literally could not sing; between the intensity of my sobs and the challenge of believing what I was singing, I could not get the words to come.
You give and take away.
You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say,
Lord, blessed be Your Name.
I will never forget seeing Jen Colwell stand and raise her hands, praising her God in the midst of deepest loss. Jen's example affected me powerfully, and reminded me what it means to trust in Jesus Christ. Still, leaving the memorial service this afternoon was difficult, as it lent a sense of finality to a sad goodbye.
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When we returned, depleted, from MC's memorial service, more goodbyes awaited us. Phil and Elisha Walsh have been our next-door neighbors for five years, but today they leave the neighborhood for the next chapter in Wilton, CT. Our first interaction with them as friends was almost exactly five years ago; we went out to dinner with them the night before Andrew was born, and he will turn 5 next week. The Walshes have been great neighbors—fun to be around, witty and engaging, willing to help and accept help, and patient with the occasional delinquency of my yardwork. But they have not only been neighbors; they have been partners in ministry as well. In our previous small group (January 2006 - July 2007) they were our Apprentice small group leaders, and in this group they have been our Co-Leaders. Over the past couple of years, we have really "done life together," sharing prayer requests, both the "bad" ones and the "good" ones. That's why we can celebrate this move; we know that this move represents an answer to something we've been praying for with them for more than a year. This awesome opportunity for Phil at Deloitte's headquarters will not only advance his career, but will also improve their chances of landing a desirable assignment back home in Michigan. So when Phil, Elisha, Sean, and James stopped by on Friday afternoon, we said goodbye with hearts that are happy for them and sad to see them go.
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To MC and the Walsh family:
I thank my God every time I remember you. - Philippians 1:3 (NIV)
-Brian
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