The Volk Family

South Africa: Day 2

2011-04-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

The alarm came early this morning. After a 7:30am breakfast, we headed over to Southpoint. Pam greeted us with hugs and a tour of their Waumba Land and Transit space. Jana and Jamie had come over before, and introduced us to lots of folks. It was so cool to see all of the NP branding and environments working in Cape Town. One thing they are doing differently is combining KidStuf with the worship service. So the first 15 minutes is all about the big idea of 'Easter'. Kathy Gibb did a great job hosting and illustrating the gospel with the same photo developing chemicals Mike Tamborello used at NP two weeks earlier. So, after the KidStuf portion wrapped, the elementary kids and their small group leaders headed back to the UpStreet wing. It made for an unusual start to the worship service, but kudos to John and his team being willing to take risks and try new things. We then moved into worship, followed by John's Easter message and then we closed with communion. It was a beautiful opportunity to celebrate our risen King in a setting both new (Africa!) and familiar (NP environments). The world felt smaller and God felt bigger!

After the service, Derek & Wendy Coleman and their boys Brad & Daniel took us to lunch in Simon's Town. Our table faced the bay with the beach dotted with colorful cottages. So, Easter lunch consisted of fish and chips while watching the waves roll in. Love it! We talked about Derek's role as the layman in charge of community groups for SP. He is clearly a competent and capable leader, and it was great to hear his story and get his perspective on church and social issues in South Africa. Wendy is super-mom and provided the color commentary and translated the South African slang for us. We all smiled as we watched Brad's crush on Quincey develop. By the end of the day, Chris had christened him Anakin :)

It turned rainy, but we still managed to see some penguins at Froggy Point on the way to preview the retreat facilities in Rocklands. (Sidebar: what we call African penguins in the States are called Jackass penguins in Africa :)

We walked around the retreat center and got a feel for how we wanted the retreat to flow. It was a beautiful, albeit rainy, drive all along the coast on the way back to Cape Town. Derek pointed out the headquarters of the royal navy in Simon's Town and the shark spotters at Muizenberg's great surfing beach.

After our jaunt out to Rocklands, we unpacked and then met up for dinner at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront. There is an indoor mall as well as outdoor market stalls, restaurants and the ferris wheel. Due to the rain, we opted for Primi Pizza & Pasta inside the mall. (sidebar: in addition to driving on the left side of the road, general pedestrian traffic flow in SA is to the left side as well. So you have to re-orient your mall window shopping habits, or you're like a salmon swimming upstream.) After dinner we picked up a few souvenirs and headed back for an early bedtime.

South Africa: Day 1

2011-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids are in school five days a week, a new world of possibilities has opened up. Not the least of which is an opportunity to leverage my skills and experiences toward a short term mission trip. Last year, when Brian returned from a business leader development trip to Indonesia, he told me that 2011 could be my year!

And when I was asked to join the team going to South Africa, it lined up with the wish list I'd given God:
1. English-speaking country. Yes! Because my years studying Latin provided me no useful spoken language skills...
2. An opportunity to invest in leaders. Yes! Southpoint church is bringing together all their small group leaders -- high school, college & adult community groups -- to a retreat where we can cast vision and develop leadership skills in a fun environment.
3. A role where I can add unique value. Yes! We are producing a conference for small group leaders using content I helped develop and am passionate about. And it's my favorite event format: half training time; half round-table discussion where leaders can interact over how these big ideas actually play out in group life.

So, I am beyond excited to be a part of this team. We leave Good Friday and take the 16 hour flight to South Africa, where we arrive the midnight going into Easter morning. We will worship Easter Sunday at Southpoint Church and then work with the team to prepare for the retreat. The conference will run Tuesday - Thursday. And then I begin the return journey on Saturday, April 30th.

Day 1
Cant believe it’s here: today I leave for South Africa! I pack in the morning & then mom picks up the kids at 3pm. Brian graciously drives me to the airport after we stop by Target. I inadvertently lose my phone while trying on purses. We have to turn around and go back for it, but it’s there in one of the purse rejects. First moment of panic – check! …. so, that’s out of the way.

We meet at Hartsfield at 5pm. Our team is led by Jana Guynn, director of Married Life -- who is also bringing her 16 yo daughter Quincy; Chris Kim -- LTR teammate and director of Theopraxis who will be communicating; Jamie Waddy -- singles coordinator at Buckhead Church who is known for her dance moves as well as being a utility player -- she'll be hosting; and me. I'll be producing.

Jana & Quince were flying on buddy passes. But Chris had set the rest of us up on window seats. Fortunately it was not a full flight & the middle chair was open for all three of us. Jana & Quincy lucked out and got upgraded to first class and the fully reclinable bed/chairs! The flight is smooth. One Ben Stiller movie & four chapters of a new book later and it’s midnight… I decide to try and sleep. Dude on the aisle has restless leg syndrome, so I more or less dozed for 6 hours. (At 3am, they serve breakfast, which feels a bit cruel even though it’s 9am in SA.) But somehow I manage to sleep really well from 6-8am.

At 8am ATL/2pm SA, I ate a pizza “breakfast.” After watching 'Letters to Juliet', we landed in Johannesburg. Two of Jamie’s friends who live in SA were waiting to meet us at the gate. We hung out at the food court for an hour talking tourist attractions, and then it was time to board the 7:40pm (SA). flight to Cape Town. While Jana & Quincy lucked out on the 15 hr. flight; Jamie, Chris & I were upgraded by some friendly ticket agents on the 2 hr. flight to Cape Town.

So it’s 9:30pm SA/ 3:30pm ATL when we land, and we are a bit loopy. We meet up with the amazing Pam Stabler & the wonderful Coleman family who are there to greet us and take us to our hotel. You would think we would crash, but after taking much-desired showers, we discover we are really hungry and have a second wind. So at 11:30pm (5:30pm ATL), Chris gets behind the wheel & we decide to explore Cape Town.

Believe it or not this town shuts down at 10pm… everything was deserted. No late night restaurants… no fast food… just the gas station convenience store, baby! And yes, we did get dinner there: chips & ice cream. Classy, huh?! But the hour we spent driving around the docks & empty streets let Chris practice driving on the left side of the road. And that turned out to be a very good thing.

The three of us returned by 1am. But Jamie & I stayed up chatting til 3:30am. And then the alarm went off at 6am (12m ATL). Happy Easter!!

WDW 2010 Day 5: Hollywood Studios

2010-11-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

This morning we arrived at studios just after rope drop. Andrew & brian split off immediately to queue up for jedi training academy. Lauren, my folks & I joined the crush headed to tsm. (the volks & millers slept in). I got in the fp queue while my folks took Lauren to the standby line. Then I jumped in with them. The line was out the door, but moving steadily. Mom rode w/Lauren & I schooled dad. Then we hightailed it over to jedi training academy. They had Andrew & brian wait in line the whole time: 9-9:55am. Brian said adv was nervous, and started to freak out a couple times… but talking to the other boys made it better.

We arrived just in time to see Andrew don his hood & hit the stage. The show was great. The instructor was funny & good with the kids. He taught them a series of moves, then had them practice. And then vader walked out with two storm troopers. Andrew’s eyes got real big, but he held it together. The kids then battled vader individually with the instructor reminding them of the sequence as needed. Andrew worked his way to the back of the line & was the second to last padawan. I could tell he was intimidated, but he held his own. It was so cool watching him be scared but brave and do well. What an awesome thing. So glad he had the opportunity.

Afterwards, we walked down to tower of terror. Lauren was pumped to ride this ride. She had apparently told all her friends she would. She knew it would be scary, but she was ready. It was cool hearing her self-talk her way thru her fear. We walked on & she sat right in between us on the middle row. She grabbed my arm & hunk of brian’s shirt & chest hair ☺ when we got off, she told us that the ride made her legs shake, but it seemed to be the ghost & lightning parts she disliked the most. You could tell she definitely didn’t want to ride it again, but the more we praised her for her courage, the more proud of herself she became. And by the time she reached my parents, she was excited she had ridden it.

Andrew had gotten a smoothie with mom and dad while we were on tower of terror that looked really good. So brian & I picked some up and we headed over to the beauty and the beast show. The volks & millers arrived as well & sat on the house right front row handicapped section. We were about eight rows back in the center with mom & dad. The show was great as always. But gaston seemed to be about 45, which lent it a creepy dimension… but the gparents all loved it.

So we rounded up the gang & headed to toy story mania. We wanted loren & Sharon to take a spin, so they took the four grandkids. Unfortunately, they separated loren from the rest of the group, so Sharon had the four kids by herself. Loren was pretty miffed about that. He wanted to ride with Andrew. But anyway, while they were riding, steph & I got in line for the kids to meet woody. The timing worked out great & as soon as they got off the ride, matt brought them over to andy’s room for a woody meet & greet. For some reason, Andrew didn’t want to participate, but the younger three enjoyed it.

After toy story, the volks & millers headed to prime time café for their 12:50 adr. And we headed to the great movie ride with my folks. Mom was looking forward to this one. We were in the front row of the car. If we had been in the back, it might not have been so scary. But Lauren and Andrew were both freaked out by the gangster shootout where the mobster hijacks your car. and the western shootout. And of course the alien scene. And then we were right next to the wicked witch. So, the great movie ride now ranks as one of their least favorites. It was fine, but it’s so dated. But mom liked it…

Now it was time for lunch. Brian & Andrew peeled off to watch the lights motor action stunt show; the rest of us went to primetime café. We were seated back by the kitchen, but we did get a tv table. Unfortunately, we got a grumpy server too. But she did start us off with some homework: think of 17 disney animated films with a one word title. It took awhile, but with a few hints, we finally got it. Lauren had the hotdog with apple juice. Mom had the pot roast with a smoothie. I had the pot roast with their yummy pnut butter & jelly milkshake. Dad had the meatloaf with a chocolate milkshake. The food was delicious. And so was dessert. Lauren enjoyed designing her own sundae. I had the smores (meh), and mom & dad had the boston cream parfaits. The waitress really didn’t do anything funny other than chide my folks for putting their elbows on the table. She didn’t bring out any dessert or sing for my dad’s bday, even tho he was wearing a bday button. (not that we needed any more desserts, but the thought would have been nice.) unfortunately, tho, I forgot my room key to charge our meals to. So brian & Andrew headed over after their show to rescue us. And finish our milkshakes ☺

WDW 2010 Day 4: Magic Kingdom

2010-11-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

We made rope drop this morning at the magic kingdom. We then snapped several variations of family pics and went to space mtn. the refurb had made it more intense for sure. Neither of the kids liked it even tho it was advs fav two years ago. So, kind of a rocky start. Nana and grammy rode too, and they werent’ big fans either. Oh well. We then split up & nana and papa joined the millers for bfast with tigger & pooh at crystal palace. We took our kids to meet tiana & naveen. Then we walked thru the castle to mickey’s philharmagic. Big crowd pleaser.

next, the kids wanted to explore tom sawyers island & that was pretty fun. Adv loved the fort and barrel bridge, but really didn’t like the caves. But Lauren was a champ; she loved exploring. And even a spill on the bridge didn’t keep her down. It was something new for us & we enjoyed it. But man, the heat was kicking in. we then had lunch at pinnochio house. Pizza & salads all around. The millers had wrapped up bfast so we met them at splash mtn. nana &papa wanted a break, and headed back to the hotel. so it was ten of us. We had a log to ourselves. I think everyone really enjoyed that ride. It was another first for most of us. Steph even bought the pic. Lauren thought it was awesome: water rides seem to be her favs.

We walked down to the shooting arcade & let the kids play. I picked up some frozen strawberry lemonades & we enjoyed some shade. We split up from the millers who were headed for lunch. Our fam headed to big thunder mtn. mom & dad sat that one out. so it was just the four of us. That was really fun. I sat w/lrv & she loved it. LOVE that girl.

Then we decided to split boys & girls. dad, adv & bdv went to pirates, swiss fam treehouse & then adv designed his own mouse ears at the chapeau. The girls hopped the railroad (first time) & headed to toon town (first time). we braved the hour long line for tink. Lauren was a champ. But wow that was a wait. She got super shy around the fairies, but I think she enjoyed it. After that we chose a baby jasmine souvenir & took some pics the three of us in front of the castle. We stayed about an hour too long (it was 4:30 back at hotel) but Lauren had a fantastic day. And that’s what it’s all about!

We headed back to the magic kingdom about 6:30pm. The plan was to ride buzz lightyear, get dinner & find a good fireworks spot. My parents, papa & Andrew went on carousel of progress while the rest of us battled zurg with buzz lightyear. Then we went to cosmic rays for dinner. The plan was to get it to go & eat while watching the fireworks. But man, the park was jammed, the restaurant was slow & there were no good spots to be had. The fireworks began while I was carrying the food out. with no good place to put it. So everyone watched fireworks standing in front of the bathrooms outside cosmic rays. We ate inside rays after they were over.

Then we tromped over to frontierland and shopped around before the mainstreet electrical parade. We bought a set of star wars pins & split it btw the kids. Andrew is content to never trade again, but Lauren found several castmembers w/baby princesses to trade for. Time went pretty quickly & then the parade was upon us. I held Lauren who stood on some barrel planters to see. Mom & dad stood with us. Brian and Andrew were content to play checkers while the parade passed by.

Afterward, the boys decided to stay, since Andrew is such a night owl. They rode tomorrowland speedway, the peoplemover & astro orbiter. My folks and I took Lauren on home. She was fading fast & I ended up carrying her from main street. The bus lines weren’t long, but it took the guy 30 min. to load two ecvs. Seriously. So it was 10:45 before we got home. And we went straight to bed. Andrew woke me up at 12:15am with a whispered “good morning mom. I stayed up til midnight!” he was super-excited and clearly they had had some good guy time. Plus they brought me back a cinnamon roll for bfast. Love my boys ☺

WDW 2010 Day 3: Boma dinner

2010-11-25T14:21:00.001-08:00

My parents, aka Grammy & Granddad, arrived this afternoon. The kids were thrilled. the whole group of 12 went to dinner at boma in the animal kingdom lodge. i was very much looking forward to this meal, and seeing AKL.

It was beautiful, of course. the weather was clear & looking out the window in the soaring lobby, you could see giraffes roaming the savannah. we ate at a large table right next to the hostess stand. i sat at one end with my folks & in'laws. brian was at the other end with the kids and millers. the volks enjoyed relaying stories from the past two days. mom asked lots of questions :)

the food was great for a buffet. plenty of choices with a good mix of new and familiar. loren & i especially enjoyed the peanut butter rice. there was also a watermelon rind salad that was unusually good. a procession came thru around 8pm with a drummer and some singing/chanting. the kids thought that was cool but a little scary.

afterwards we walked down by the pools and found the spot where you can look thru nightvision goggles to find animals on the savannah. we saw a wildebeast, a giraffe an a zebra. but honestly, it was easier to find them without the goggles. so, that was kind of a let-down. but a neat idea. the kids played on the playground for a bit and then we headed back to the hotel. a great day full of firsts. and we were all excited for tomorrow and the magic kingdom!

WDW 2010 Day 3: Animal Kingdom

2010-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

We started out today ready to go on safari & we were not disappointed. We saw lots of animals including some adorable babies. A baby giraffe came right up to the truck & put her head in. one brave soul even petted her on the nose. Then his mama called him and he returned & started nursing right there next to the truck. After that we saw lots of mandrills, rhinos bumping horns, and Lauren’s fav: two baby elephants. One was only 4 mo & still fuzzy.

On our way from Africa to Asia, we saw DeVine. Andrew was super excited as she features in the kingdom keepers book he’s reading. They weren’t offering fps for kali, so we fp’d everest & then caught the 10:30 nemo show. Love it; i get teary every time. Papa said that was his fav too. After the show, the kids were ready to play. so steph took the lil three on triceratops spin while bdv & adv & I went on primeval whirl. Big hit. He loved it & was so glad to ride it. Then we headed over to boneyard & let the kids run off some energy before lunch.

Lunch was flametree bbq. Food was meh, but the view was spectacular: in front of the lake with everest soaring in the background. From there we went to the 1pm flights of wonder show. It was fine. But I don’t think we’ll see it again. After that, there wasn’t consensus on what to do next. We wanted to hit the 2:30 lion king show, but what to do until then. Brian & I left the kids w/nana & papa & rode everest w/hardly any wait. When we got out, the kids were still where we left them eating icecream w/nana & papa.

hailey REALLY wanted to ride kali. The wait was 50 min. her mom explained that it was kali or FoLK & she chose kali. so matt took her & ben to do that. As we were walking back toward discovery island, adv had a change of heart & decided he wanted to ride kali instead of lion king too. Not to be left out, lauren wanted to go too. Of course the other grown ups didn’t want to get all wet. So, lucky me. Which meant that it was just bdv, steph & the volks for lion king. I think Loren & Sharon were disappointed that the grandkids ran off. later, brian and I had words about not taking the kids away from their gparents so much. But I digress…

kali river rapids has a long but beautiful queue. Even tho the wait was posted 50, more like 35 minutes, we were constantly moving. Of course once Andrew saw the ride, he had a complete meltdown: I don’t want to get wet!! Well buddy, its called kali river rapids. You will get wet. I finally had to squeeze his arm to chill him out. fortunately lauren’s good spirits never wavered. The ride was fine. We all got soaked. Lauren loved it & said it was her new fav. Andrew hated it & kept going on and on about how much he despised it. Lovely.

Soaked to the skin we met up w/the millers at the exit. With half an hour before the lion king got out, we gave the kids the choice to go to tough to be a bug or meet characters. Matt took hailey & adv to bug. Ben and Lauren came with me to meet Minnie, goofy & mickey. They played ring around the rosie with goofy & Lauren told him a joke. The interaction was great. Then she gave mickey flowers. Too cute.

Besides bdv’s frustration over splitting up the family. It was a pretty good day. But man it felt good to get back into dry clothes again ☺

WDW 2010 Day 2: Epcot

2010-11-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Friday, September 24th.

So the 6:45 alarm came early. But everyone was fresh & excited for our first full day in the parks. We pulled up front & center with our handy handicapped passes around 9:15am & made our way to soarin. Oh my goodness, everything was walk on! 10 min wait for soarin. Love that ride. Nana sat with Lauren & I could hear her telling her all about her favorite ride & all it’s wonderful smells ☺ Andrew has developed a fear of heights, so sitting next to a super-happy hailey was the perfect cure. And of course we were all thrilled that ben has hit the magic 40”. It was his first ride & he loved it. Especially sitting next to papa.

Following a great first ride, we made our way to test track. We used fast passes, but it only saved us 10 minutes vs the 20 min walk-on line. Both kids were skiddish, so Lauren sat up front btw dad & aunt steph. I kept an arm around Andrew in the back. Lauren loved it by the end. Jury is still out on Andrew. We’ll see if he wants to do it with my folks on Tuesday.

We played around the playground at the mission space. Andrew was the only kid tall enough, and he wasn’t in the mood. So instead, we headed toward check in for our KP mission. On the way we saw Rafiki, the queen of hearts & posed for a pic with Aurora. She left a big lipstick print on Ben’s face. He was so proud.

This time, Andrew, Lauren & Hailey each got their own KP assignments. But we had 30 min to kill before they began. So we hit the 3 caballeros ride. This is hailey’s fav. She hugged Lauren (who was certain there would be evil trolls) the whole time. It was so cute watching her point everything out to her cousins.

Then we picked up our kimmunicators & we were off to save the world. Lauren & I headed to china. We’ve never explored this pavilion before. Lauren took her assignment very seriously. She was ever vigilant looking for monkey fists’ minions. Seriously. But we gave our code to a certain shop attendant who gave us a fortune cookie with a key inside. Lauren enjoyed her first fortune cookie & then discovered that she is a rooster in the zodiac calendar. A rooster’s big trait is decisiveness. Sounds about right & a lot like her mom ☺

Then we noticed a certain princess moving quickly to her meet & greet spot. Lauren was first in line to meet Mulan! She told her all about the mission and Mulan mentioned that Ron Stoppable was too busy to help b/c he was eating his way around the world showcase. Lauren thought that was hilarious. So then, we finished our mission, by rescuing the jade monkey. It was really well done.

Then we made our way to France for our 12:30 adr. On the way we passed snow white, jasmine & Aladdin; but stopped for a pic with belle.

The boys met us in France and told us all about how they rescued Norway. Now, I had made the adr at chefs de france b/c I thought the kids would love to see remy from ratatouille who makes appearances at lunch only. I hadn’t mentioned it to the kids & I’m so glad. B/c remy was on vacation. Bummer.

I love chefs de france. It’s a beautiful restaurant with my fav kind of food. But I wouldn’t say my kids agree…. The kids werent’ into their cheese pastry apps. But brian & I enjoyed French onion soup & lobster bisque. The kids had chicken fingers. We had croque monsieurs. Yum. And then to finish off the adults had crème brulee & profiteroles. Lauren had vanilla icecream & Andrew had a choc chip cookie the size of his head ☺ the kids did enjoy watching serverur amusant thru the windows. They couldn’t get over the fact that he could balance on top of 7 chairs. Anyway, I definitely prefer dinner & I definitely prefer adults only!

We dragged out our lunch b/c there were two torrential downpours. As luck would have it, our timing was perfect & we were able to avoid the rain almost entirely. We decided to make one final stop and it turned out to be a huge win.

Sum of all thrills is a simulator where you build your own rollercoaster, jet or bobsled experience. Andrew was the only kid tall enough, so we left it for the end of the day. He and Brian waited 20 minutes & designed a jet flight pattern. In the meantime, Lauren & I explored the rest of the innoventions pavilion. Lauren created handmade paper, took part in a build your own safety kit game, and then as luck would have it, we were able to watch the boys in the simulator. Andrew LOVED it. It was just perfect for a smart & creative 7 yo boy! Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it again on Tuesday. I’d love to watch him in action.

We chilled in our hotel from 3:45-6pm. The kids journaled their fav experiences of the day & watched tv. Before long, it was time to head back for Mickey’s Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill. Our first stop was pics: you can’t skip the classic ‘hold the world up’ pose. Then we were off to spaceship earth. Andrew & I rode together & it is just amazing how smart that kid is. He was telling me how the word alphabet got it’s name from the first two letters of greek: alpha + beta. My 7 yo! After a wonderful future under the sea, we found an energy game kind of like shuffleboard. Big hit with the kids.

Before long, it was time to hit Garden Grill. This restaurant inside the land slowly rotates thru the environments of the boatride down below. We waited 45 min. for a table and then the meal moved pretty slowly. We weren’t out of there til 9:25 even tho we had a 7:20 reservation. With both a slow lunch in france & a slow dinner, I think the kids did pretty well, but by the end they were tired. But the character interaction was pretty fun. Lauren loved meeting Chip & Dale. She discovered if she rubbed Dales’ back, he would shake his tail. She thought that was awesome. we also saw Mickey & Pluto.

The food was fine. It’s served family style: salad, turkey, tilapia & beef. The chef was super accommodating and made chicken fingers, fries & broccoli for our kids. The usual chicken drumstick wasn’t doing much for them. We ate with loren & Sharon but with loren needing to be on the end to prop his leg up, and the kids needing to be on the other end to get up and down for character hugs, it was hard for anyone to really chat with them besides brian, as we were all facing outward in the same direction. But they seemed to have a good ‘visit’ as my mom would say.

All in all, a great day with soarin & sum of all thrills being the highlights ☺

WDW 2010 Day 1: Hollywood Studios

2010-11-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010

After a year of planning, this is the trip where we introduce both sets of grandparents to Disney World. The trip unfortunately began with a little setback. My dad got sucked into an audit at work & couldn’t get away until Saturday. So, that was a bummer. But the rest of us set out at 8:30am on Thursday, headed to the most magical place on earth. We more or less caravanned with a stop at cfa for lunch. Then we pulled into all star music around 5:45pm. We got papas scooter, untangled our room reservations and headed to the third floor to check out our suites. After a quick change of clothes we were ready to head to the parks for fantasmic!

sidebar: traveling with papa = handicapped parking passes = awesome.

We arrived to a packed out Hollywood studios. We entered at 7:15pm, and the 8p fantasmic was already full. So instead, we headed to Magic of Disney Animation and took pics with the mouse himself. It was almost 8p & every counter service was closing with one exception: the dreaded ABC commissary. Oh well. Brian & I shared a burger & the asian salad with ginger & edamame. The kids ate chicken nuggets, fries & apple slices with choc milk. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Ben even branched out with a chicken curry… that kid eats everything ☺

After a quiet dinner, we headed to voyage of the little mermaid (nana loved it!) while papa, matt & bdv got in line for fantasmic’s 9:30pm show. And it was a packed house too. Standing room only for the second show. We were extreme house left in the last section, but we could still see most everything. Brian broke out the glow toys & we prepped the kids, since that show is pretty scary. But they love it . and of course the power of imagination won again this night.

It was 10:30 when we returned to the hotel; everyone was tired but happy.

Disney 2009 - Day 6 Downtown Disney

2010-09-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

We slept in, packed the car, checked out & headed to DownTown Disney. We have the kids wait until then to choose souvenirs. Lauren knew just what she wanted: a baby Ariel doll. And of course, Andrew wanted Legos. We ate lunch at Earl of Sandwich, then headed off to make our purchases. Lauren wore her Tinkerbell dress and still had her hair up from BBB. We played with the Mr. Potato Head & My Little Pony costumes. Then spent a solid hour at the Lego store. Fortunately, they have a playground, so Lauren was occupied. Andrew chose a starfighter & I picked up an advent calendar. (Love those!) Then it was time to hit the road.

It was a great trip packed with magical moments. And I had eight hours to plan next year's trip on the way home. That always makes the drive back easier :)

Disney 2009 - Day 5 Magic Kingdom end

2010-09-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

We returned to the Magic Kingdom that evening. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean and possibly the Tiki Room. Then we headed over to Pinnochio Haus for dinner. We took our food to go, and headed to the hub to meet up with the Maurers. They were hanging out with some neighbors and saved us a spot. I don't remember too much about Wishes & Spectro. Only that it was really crowded around the hub, especially with ECVs.

I do remember that leaving was a nightmare. Lauren was dozing in my arms while we waited forever for buses. You know how your kids can get super hot, tired and dehydrated, and it's just a puke-fest waiting to happen? I just remember asking God to please not let her throw up on me in line. By God's grace we made it back to the hotel with no one getting sick. Andrew was a true champ. I think it was 1.5 hours from joining the bus queue to getting to our hotel room. Never again. It will be a taxi next time!

Disney 2009 - Day 5 Magic Kingdom cont'd

2010-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

After our wonderful lunch with the princesses, we headed toward Tomorrowland to meet up with the boys. We weren't able to get ahold of them, so we took the girls on to Monster's Laugh Floor. The girls thought the show was okay, but they were more interested in princesses at the moment. After the show, we were waiting over by Push the Trashcan. He told Lauren she looked beautiful. It made a big impression. She told me later, "Mommy, even the trash can thinks I'm beautiful!" Too cute.

Well, you won't believe what I did next. Stephanie was talking about re-applying sunscreen on Hailey, rooting around her bag looking for some. I was reorganizing our stuff on the stroller, and when I looked up, I saw a blob of white goo on Steph's shoulder. Thinking it was sunscreen, I began to rub it across her back. It was NOT sunscreen. Yep, I wiped bird doo all over my sister in law's back and shoulders. She was laughing so hard, she was crying. Oh my. I may never live this down...

The boys found us and we headed back to the hotel. But first we stopped for one last picture.

Disney 2009 - Day 5 - Magic Kingdom

2009-09-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

This was the most amazing day at Disney yet!

We woke up bright and early to get to the Magic Kingdom close to rope drop. Dumbo was top priority! Andrew missed It's a Small World last year, and was excited to see it after reading Kingdom Keepers. We knocked out most of Fantasyland during our Extra Magic Hour.

Then mid-morning, the moms & girls went to Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique. The three girls went into the dressing room to choose their princess outfits from the wardrobes the moms had packed. When they realized they each had a Sleeping Beauty dress, it was a done deal. We had three precious pink princesses!

Hailey & Lilly got started first. But that worked out great for Lauren in the end. Everyone was there to watch & celebrate her big reveal. That was my favorite moment of the entire trip. Lauren's fairy godmother sprinkled some pixie dust, said the magic words, turned her around to face the mirror & see her transformation. Her expression was priceless!

Then we surprised the girls with lunch at Cinderella's Castle. They were beside themselves with excitement! We waited for our names to be called over near Cinderella's fountain. The girls made a wish and tossed in their pennies. Well, Lauren looked around and said, "Where's my cat?" What? "Mommy, I wished for a kitty cat. So, where's my cat?" I was so not prepared for that. I had a hard time choking back the laughter & thinking up a coherent response. It came out something like, "Well, since Mommy is allergic to cats, I'm afraid that's a wish that can't come true. It's a good thing you brought Hello Kitty all dressed up like Sleeping Beauty."

Fortunately, our buzzer went off, and we were whisked inside the castle to meet Cinderella. We posed for pictures individually & as a group. I loved that they let us do that.

We walked up the spiral staircase to the dining room and were seated at our table. The girls sat on the outside of the table, so they could get up and down to meet the princesses easier. The moms sat on the other side with our cameras ready :) Lunch began with a wishing ceremony. All the girls were given a magic wand and a wishing star. They each made a wish and then waved their magic wand over their star. Once again, Lauren started asking about her cat. She climbed around under the table, certain that it must be around here somewhere. She even asked our waiter if he had seen one. Fortunately, the princesses started coming fast & furious. We had just enough time for hugs, autographs & a picture. Most of them fawned over the three matching princesses & the girls just ate it up. Belle was super-sweet and took some extra time with them. And of course Aurora just loved that they all matched!

It was an absolutely magical lunch!

Disney 2009 - Day 4 - Hollywood Studios

2009-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

We headed back to Hollywood Studios on Wednesday. There were no extra magic hours that morning, so we enjoyed an extra hour of sleep. Hailey wasn't feeling well, so Matt took her to the doctor; they caught up with us later that morning. We went straight to Toy Story Mania, fast-passed it, and rode stand-by. Lauren and I rode together; she scored a big round zero, but had a great time.

Next we went to Star Tours, which had the longest, slowest line of the trip. I'm not sure what happened. It was labeled as a 10 min. wait, but took 40min. Anyway, this is one of Andrew's favorites, and hearing him laugh out loud in the middle of the ride is such fun! Lauren was glad to be one of the big kids and experience it for the first time. Judging by her face, she wasn't exactly having fun; but she's determined to be a big kid and enjoy everything her brother likes.

We headed to the honey, I shrunk the kids playground. It was a zoo that day, but the kids definitely needed to run around. After 20 minutes or so, we rounded the kids up and headed to the Beauty and the Beast show. We met Hailey and Matt at the theatre. She was peaked, but feeling better. Brian had stopped off at RocknRollercoaster for fast passes on our way to the theatre. He was running late, and ended up on the end of the row. I think he was pretty disappointed not to sit next to Lauren. This was our family's first time to see the show. One of my closest friends in school was a B&B fanatic; I can't tell you how often I've seen the movie & heard the soundtrack. Plus Brian and I saw the musical on broadway. So, I was really hoping they would do a good job. It didn't disappoint. They shortened and skipped and rearranged, but all in all, a great 30 min. show. I was glad we had packed teddy grahams, juice boxes & fruit snacks; it was a nice way to recharge on a hot day.

After a great show, we went back over to toy story mania. I rode with Lauren again, but this time, she scored 100 points. She was SO proud of herself! We posed for pics with Lightening McQueen & Mater. Then it was off to Pizza Planet for lunch. It worked great to go upstairs and do bathroom breaks while the other parents ordered the food. Lunch was yummy & we were ready to head back out into the fray.

At Fantasmic, Sam Maurer had been excitedly telling Andrew all about his new favorite ride: RocknRollercoaster. Andrew was fresh off the thrill of Everest, and ready to tackle the next big challenge. We decided to take turns with the Millers, so they took Lauren to the Little Mermaid show; we took Andrew to RnR. Sadly, he was just shy of the measuring stick. We encouraged him to stand up straight: he's taller than Sam & Sam was able to ride. But it was not to be this year. He didn't handle it all that well. This was a definite low point. Brian talked him down & sent me on to ride in the single rider line. Then we switched out. I thought Andrew might enjoy doing a ride no one else was doing, so I encouraged him to try the Great Movie Ride with me. But something rubbed him wrong about the queue, and he threw a huge fit: an on the floor, two-year-old tantrum. Not our finest moment. But I was desperate for him to have something to redeem the day. Fortunately, we ran into a green army man outside Toy Story. Andrew mimicked his pose & they saluted the camera. Then Andrew asked for an autograph. All we had was an orange sharpie, and the green army man made a big deal about having to write with orange ink. Andrew was laughing again, and all was well.

We rejoined the Millers, and took the kids to the Playhouse Disney show while they rode RnR. It was fun to see the cousins dancing around; they all enjoyed it. We got to meet a few Little Einsteins, and that reminded us to take some photopass pics. Ben passed out in Stephs arms, but we've got pics of the eight of us; each family separately; and each with Stitch.

It was an exhausting day. The highs were Beauty & the Beast, Lauren's high score on TSM, and Andrew meeting the green army man. The biggest low was Andrew's disappointment & meltdowns over RocknRollercoaster. Ah well, now it's time to hit the pool and chill for a while.

Disney 2009 - Day 4 - Date Night

2009-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

After a wild day at Studios, Brian and I were definitely looking forward to our date night. The kids were going with the Millers to Whispering Canyon Cafe, which we had heard would be lots of fun. I told Matt to ask for extra ketchup, refills, etc. I love these pics of the kids at dinner; Ben had clearly had enough!

Brian & I had decided to book Citricos at the Grand Floridian. They first seated us at a table right by the kitchen. And it's an open kitchen, so you hear chefs shouting, pots banging, etc. It was not the romantic atmosphere we were gunning for. So after about two minutes of stewing, I asked our waiter if we could move to a quieter table... much to Brian's deep embarrassment.

I wish I could say it was worth it. We were seated at a lovely table right by the big windows. However, our neighbors were a rowdy group - from Spain maybe - celebrating a birthday. The children in the group were running around & the whole party was just loud. So, despite Disney's best efforts, it still wasn't the quiet evening for two we had hoped for.

The food was fine. I started with the cheese plate (my fav!) & Brian had a salad. We both ordered the Sicilian filet. And we wrapped up with cheesecake and creme brulee. Everything was good but not unbelievably amazing. I'm sure that's due in part to the restaurant noise. I think next time we'll try a different restaurant. Disney has so many fun ones to choose from.

Disney 2009 - Night 3 - Epcot Fireworks

2009-09-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night was the Miller's date night at Chefs de France. Brian and I planned to take the four kids to Biergarten. Originally, Brian's folks were planning to join us on the trip, but were unable to do so b/c of health reasons. I thought it would be great to hit Germany & learn more about Papa's heritage and all that. But now with only two adults, it seemed a bit dicey. But the kids were in a great mood and we were feeling brave, so we went for it. I'm so glad we did!

The Millers returned to the World Showcase with us. Once we checked in at Biergarten, Matt & Steph headed off to enjoy their evening. We were seated at a table on the front row next to the water wheel. The show was in full swing when we arrived, so there was lots for the kids to watch. Brian and I took turns filling plates at the buffet. I think Andrew only ate pretzel bread and apples, but the rest of the kids enjoyed the sausages, etc. I certainly wouldn't return for the food, but we had a great time on the dance floor with the kids.

Afterward we popped the kids in the double-strollers and headed for the gate, only to realize that Illuminations was about to begin. Since the night was going so well, we decided to stay. We wandered back over to Germany and some nice folks made room for us right at the front. The kids just sat in their strollers and enjoyed the view. Biergarten & IllumiNations: two more firsts for the kids.

Disney 2009 - Day 3 - Epcot

2009-09-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lauren was tall enough for Soarin' this year, and we were super-excited about our family getting to ride this one together. We fastpassed it and then rode it stand-by. Lauren was definitely nervous, but it turned out to be her favorite ride at Epcot. And her favorite part was not the flying thru the air, or seeing Tinkerbell in the fireworks, but the smell of the orange groves. She is super-sensitive to smells, and just loved that scents were incorporated into the ride.

For some reason, they opened Epcot in stages this morning, so while we had hoped to head over to test track & mission space, they were delayed another hour. I think we did spaceship earth next. And then we split up. The moms took the girls and ben to the living seas while the boys did mission space. We rode Nemo, saw Turtle Talk with Crush and then met up with the guys at the aquarium. Then we headed over to Innoventions and checked in for a Kim Possible mission.

At this point, the three families split up for lunch. We headed into the World Showcase. I picked up ham & cheese baguettes for Brian and I in France. Then we saw Belle. She called Andrew a handsome prince and showed him how to bow to a lady. He was smitten. Lauren asked for her autograph and Belle asked her a favor. She told Lauren that when she visits her friend Mulan to give her the message 'Tag- you're it!' The kids thought this was so funny. But unfortunately, we didn't make it over to China...

Next we headed over to the USA pavilion for lunch. Brian and I ate our french sandwiches while the kids ate hot dogs and chicken nuggets. We got to see the fife and drum core & learned that the colony of Georgia had a snake on it's flag originally. Andrew thought that was pretty cool.

After lunch, we began our KP missions. One took us to Germany, where we visited Volks Kunst for clues. The kids thought this was so cool. Brian and I were really impressed with how they incorporated clues into the countries - esp. the clocktower in Germany. Our next KP mission took us to the UK on the trail of Duff Killigan. There we took a few pics with Alice, and then headed back to Future World for one last ride: Test Track. Andrew & Brian had ridden this last year, but it was Lauren's first time. She was not a fan. To redeem the situation, we headed back to Soarin' and ended on a high note. She just loved the orange fragrance.

We remembered to get some family pictures on our way out. I love the ones of Andrew 'holding' the Epcot ball & Lauren holding Tinkerbell.

Disney 2009 - Night 2 - Chef Mickeys

2009-09-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

After some downtime at the hotel. (And oh my goodness - I loved having two bedrooms!) We were excited to take the kids to Chef Mickeys. Brian and I had been with LTR in 2008, but it was the kids first time. I knew it would be a hit!

Somehow, Andrea and I got our wires crossed on the time of our ADRs. (Did I mention that she scored our reservations for Chef Mickeys, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Cinderella's Royal Table? So awesome!) Anyway, the Volks & Millers arrived thirty minutes early for Chef Mickeys, so we shopped around for a while. We bought the kids an autograph book to share & that turned out to be a big hit.

At Chef Mickeys, we were seated right across from the kitchen on a curved banquette. Not ideal, but the characters came right to our table. Andrew & Lauren worked out a deal that he would get the boy characters' autographs; she would get the girls. At dinner, the kids scored all of the fab five's autographs. They really got into the napkin twirling and character interactions... and icecream sundaes. I vaguely remember drama - needing to get ice for one of the kids - i'll have to check with Brian. Mostly what I remember is the kids laughing and smiling and hugging the characters. And I'm kicking myself for not getting the picture of our whole group. It turned out to be the only picture of all thirteen of us together.

After dinner we rode the monorail around the loop and watched the fireworks in the distance. We put the kids to bed smiling; it was a great day.

Disney 2009 - Day 2 - Animal Kingdom

2009-09-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

After a late night at Fantasmic!, the 6am alarm came early. But I'm a rope-drop girl. There's just so much more you can see & do if you arrive early. Don't get me wrong; i look forward to having pre-teens who like to stay out late & sleep in. But with pre-school & early elementary age kids, we arrive early.

I like to give the kids little gifts on our Disney trips. Today, I gave them a starter pin trading set. It was a lanyard that came with two pins. My kids were a little hesitant to trade, but not Hailey. She was all about her princess starter set. So, they followed her lead and tried something new. The baby princesses were definitely Lauren's favorite. I have a feeling they will really enjoy this even more next year.

So after the rope drop show, i ran to get Everest fast passes while the rest of the Volk & Miller crew made there way to the Safari. We met up and had a great safari: lions, hippos, zebras, even the cheetahs! along with a very slow moving ostrich who decided to hang out in the road for a while. It was so fun to watch the kids. Andrew was the self-appointed expert. And Ben was super-excited.

We let the kids run around awhile at the Boneyard while the grown-ups rode Everest. I was so proud of Andrew - he rode with Brian & his Aunt Stephanie. Then Matt & I took a turn. He was so impressed with the theming and the ride. We might have ridden it twice using the single rider line too...

And then we hit a bump. After the momentum of Everest, we decided to try Dinosaur. Wish we hadn't. It really freaked the kids out. Lauren refused to open her eyes. Andrew wanted to get off. And the rest of the trip, they talked about how awful that ride was. Oh well, we'll try again in a couple more years.

Then we headed over to meet up with the Maurers at the Nemo Show. I just love that show. I sat with Hailey, and it was great to see it through her eyes. The Maurers tried Flametree BBQ for lunch, but we returned to our old standby Pizzafari with the Millers. And then it was off to Festival of the Lion King. I was craving a frozen lemonade and made everyone late I'm afraid. Brian reminded me that that's the second year i've done that... but we got in.

We had talked about riding Kali River Rapids this year. Matt & I had even tried to score fastpasses after lunch, but they were out. Note to self: fastpass Kali before lunchtime. But as we left Festival of the Lion King, it started to rain. Not a downpour, but significant. We took that as a sign that it was time to leave. All in all, a good day. High: Everest, Low: Dinosaur.

We still have yet to try Kali Rapids, Primeval Whirl or take the kids to Tough to be a Bug. That's what I love about Disney: so many fun opportunities! We also forgot to get pics this day. But we did some pin trading :)

Disney 2009

2009-09-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Volks returned to Disneyworld, this time with the Maurers and the Millers. Andrew (6) and Lauren (4) loved going back to WDW with their friends Will (9), Sam (6) & Lilly (3) as well as introducing their cousins, Hailey (5) & Ben (2), to the magic of Disney.

We stayed in the AllStar Music Family Suites this year. While we missed some of the extras - especially the water slides - it was fantastic to have two bedrooms & bathrooms plus a kitchenette.

The Maurers went down a day early to hang out with neighbors at Hoop De Doo. We met up with them Sunday night at Fantasmic. But before the show, we made a stop off to see the Mouse himself.

Lauren ran right into Mickey's arms -- so sweet! After a few more pics with the Incredibles, we headed toward Rosie's & Eddie's to get take-out to eat at the Fantasmic Amphitheatre. The boys got the food; Lauren & I met up with the Maurers who were holding seats for everyone. We had fantastic seats: front & center. Despite a tray of food getting dumped onto another party, the plan worked pretty well. We occupied the kids with glow necklaces & candy, and prepped them for the scarier storylines of the show. Everyone engaged & seemed to enjoy it. I'm so glad we were able to fit in Fantasmic!

Andrew turns 6!

2009-05-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Andrew's sixth birthday on Saturday, May 30th at East Cobb Park. Grandparents staked out a small pavilion behind the playground.

First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #6 Downtown Disney

2008-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

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.

First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #5 Magic Kingdom Part 1

2008-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

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.

First Trip to Disneyworld -- Day #5 Magic Kingdom Part 2

2008-09-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

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!

First Trip To Disneyworld -- Animal Kindom -- Day #4

2008-09-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

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!

First Trip to Disneyworld -- Epcot Day #3

2008-09-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

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!

First Trip To Disneyworld -- Day #3 -- Date Night at Epcot

2008-09-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

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.

First Trip to Disneyworld -- Hollywood Studios Day #2

2008-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

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 :)

First Trip to Disneyworld - Sunday 9/14/08

2008-09-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

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!

First Trip to Disneyworld - Pre-Trip Report

2008-09-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Kindergarten

2008-08-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

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.

Videos from Hilton Head Island

2008-07-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Lauren and her cousin Hailey enjoy a little beach time at Hilton Head.

Andrew and Lauren buried in the sand.

Andrew catches a wave.

Lunch at HOME

2008-07-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Sunday: Tavern on the Green & Central Park

2008-05-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-05-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

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 :)

Dad's adventures with the kids

2008-05-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Indiana Jones, I always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door.

2008-05-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Alas, poor Bradford! I knew him well.

2008-05-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

2008-05-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Where a kid can be a kid

2008-05-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Best. Dinner. Ever.

2008-05-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

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.

A boy and his Legos

2008-05-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

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....

A day of goodbyes

2008-05-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

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.

**********

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.

*********
To MC and the Walsh family:
I thank my God every time I remember you. - Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

-Brian

The Lion King Show

2008-04-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night, we took the kids to see the touring show of Disney's The Lion King (part of the Atlanta Broadway Series). We had originally bought the tickets back in November, but the wait was worth it. This was there first experience with theatre, and we definitely picked the right show. There were transfixed by the animals brought to life by the actors/dancers/puppeteers—especially the giraffes, hyenas, and of course Scar. They were enthralled by the whole experience, from the drive into "the big city," to sitting in the balcony, to getting a close-up view of one of the chorus as he waved a bird through the air on a long, flexible pole.

We were taking a risk, because the show started at 8pm, which is when we normally start bed time. Including Intermission, The Lion King takes a solid two hours. Both kids made it well into the second act, with Lauren konking out about halfway through the second act and Andrew holding on until the penultimate number.

Ever since that night, both Lauren and Andrew have frequently burst into song, in particular the introductory chant from the opening number "Circle of Life." According to the CD's liner notes, the chant (which I believe is in Swahili) goes:

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba

Their rendition is remarkably close.

The Playbill advertised that the Broadway musical rendition of Disney's Tarzan will begin its touring run in Atlanta next January. We can't wait.

HHI - day 4 & 5

2008-04-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we went straight to the beach. We built sandcastles, played in the waves, picked up shells... it was exactly what you hope for when you imagine a beach vacation with pre-schoolers. Perfect. Plus more dolphins!

Last night we went out for minigolf. It was both kids' first time. Andrew did okay with the game. Lauren was way more interested in exploring the theming elements. When we called her name, she'd just walk over to the hole, drop her ball in, pick it up & say 'I did it!'. I was totally kicking Brian's butt in minigolf, until the very end. He passed my score on the very last hole. The best part for the kids was the pirate flags and eye-patches they were given at the end. We managed to make it home with both.

This morning we returned to the beach to play, and saw more dolphins! is that normal? Then we packed up and headed home. It was a great trip. I think i can handle this family vacation thing, afterall.

Andrew, by the way, insists that we're going back to the combo next week...

HHI - day 3

2008-04-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

The sun came out today! We went to the beach first thing this morning, and had the best surprise: dolphins! And they were so close to the shore, maybe 50 yards out... amazing. Of course the kids were more enamoured with the dead jellyfish that had washed up on the beach. It was the size of a dinner plate -- and like Dory and Marlin from Nemo -- they knew they were safe to touch the head, but not the tentacles. It was pretty cool.

Andrew was anxious to return to Harbour Town to explore the lighthouse. It's a new lighthouse, designed as a backdrop to the 18th hole of the golf course - cheezy, right? But it was just the right size for 2.5 & 4.5 year olds. There's the obligatory gift shop at the top, and ADV managed to break a Christmas ornament. We hastily paid for it and left. Fun times.

After a few more runs around the playground, we headed to the Salty Dog for lunch. Brian was a little underwhelmed, but it was nice. We sat by the windows and watched the kayakers and sea gulls. We bought t-shirts, and the kids picked out salty dog jibbitz for their shoes.

It was a low-key night. And I've got a good book...

HHI - day 2

2008-04-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

We knew it would be chilly today, so we planned to take the kids to the Sandbox: children's museum. They have this huge sandbox of mood sand which Lauren loved. Andrew made a beeline for the trains. They both enjoyed wearing hard hats and experimenting with pulleys and pipe fittings in the construction area. And dressing up like pirates was another favorite. I can still hear the incessant clanging of the bell on that pirate ship playground...

Later that day we headed to Harbour Town. We climbed trees and ran around the playground, then ate dinner at the Crazy Crab. Afterward, Greg Russell was playing a concert for the kids under the large live oak. So fun! Andrew still sings the 'unicorn' song. It was another great day. I can see why families vacation here year after year. It's so perfect!

Our first family vacation: Hilton Head Island

2008-04-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

Brian's parents gave us a generous deal on their timeshare down in HHI this week. We left Sunday afternoon and stopped for dinner at the 'castle burger king'. An accident backed up traffic, and it was well after 10pm when we arrived at the condo.

This morning, the kids woke up to discover their very own tv in their bedroom. The condo - or combo as Andrew insisted on calling it - was an instant success. It was a cool day, but we walked down to the beach. Lauren got to see the ocean for the first time. Love at first sight! The great thing about Hilton Head is that the waves are only 1-1.5 feet tall; so the kids aren't afraid of the water at all. They splashed in the waves until their jeans were soaked.

Later, Lauren and I went down to the activity center at the Waterside resort and painted sand dollars. Then we met up with the boys for lunch at Mellow Mushroom. We returned for nap time. Then after dinner at the condo, we capped off our day with Horton Hears a Who.

What a great day. Maybe this family trip will actually feel like a vacation!

Joseph Volk: 1914-2008

2008-04-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Joe passed away last Monday in Seaside, CA. I have been fortunate enough that three of my four grandparents have survived until I was well into my thirties. My paternal grandmother passed away almost 25 years ago, but then she did bear 10 children—8 of them after she had turned 30—so I suppose there's only so much a body can take before it begins to break down. My paternal grandfather lived to be 93, and my maternal grandparents are both still alive at 85 years old. Good genes!

As my grandfather lived an extraordinarily full life, always surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I found myself more inclined to celebrate his life than mourn his passing. I will miss seeing and talking to him, but dementia had begun to slip in over the past few years, and since I only make it to the Monterey area from Atlanta every two or three years, it had been several years since I truly had a conversation with him. My most vivid memory of Grandpa Joe from my adult years came when Katherine and I stopped in Monterey in 1999 on our way back from our honeymoon. We went to breakfast with Grandpa at The Breakfast Club, and while his mental faculties were still fairly sharp, his hearing was not so good. The upshot was that he kept making comments that he thought only I could hear, but which, in fact, entertained everyone within 20 feet. This included Katherine, about whom the most entertaining comments were made:

"You married a young one, eh? That's good, she'll keep her figure longer."

"You've got to watch the blonde ones though, some aren't too sharp. Especially if they're good-lookin' like her."

Katherine, who had lost both grandfathers by high school, did not have much experience with old men evaluating her, and was rather amused. Needless to say, she is both good-looking and incredibly sharp.

In most of my memories of him from childhood, he seemed rather tired and worn out (10 children and almost 30 grandkids will do that do you). But as he got older and the filters came off, I saw a much more lively man. It was great to be at the Rosary service and funeral, because I got to hear more stories about what he was like as a younger man. And it was incredibly cool to hear his children, one after another, talk about how he instilled in them a love for Christ and a dedication to the Church.

Enjoy your well-earned rest, Grandpa Joe. I will remember you, now, every time I eat a Hershey bar.

His obituary appears below.

******

Joseph John Volk

December 15, 1914 - April 7, 2008
Joseph John “Joe” Volk passed away peacefully at his home in Seaside on Monday, April 7, 2008, at the age of 93, surrounded by his family. He was born on a farm near the small town of Sherwood, North Dakota, on December 15, 1914 to John and Caroline Volk. He worked on the family farm for a number of years but hopped a freight train headed west at the age of 18 as the Great Depression and Dust Bowl drought gripped the Great Plains. After a variety of jobs in the early and mid 1930’s, Joe joined the U.S. Army in 1937 at Fort Lewis, Washington. There, he met and married Vera Linnea Fata of Port Angeles, on June 5, 1940. He served at Fort Amador, Panama Canal Zone in World War II. He was transferred to San Diego after the war and then to Fort Ord in 1947, where he settled with his family in Seaside. While stationed at Fort Ord, he served in Korea and after that conflict, managed the Bakery, Commissary and Post Exchange at the busy training base here on the Peninsula. After he retired from 23 years active duty, Master Sergeant Volk continued to serve at Fort Ord as a civil servant another 13 years, and worked with partners in retail and landscape businesses in the Monterey Peninsula area. Joe was a founding member of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Seaside and a Life Member of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 5261 of Seaside. He played baseball as a young man, was an avid bowler and is a member of the American Bowling Association Hall of Fame.

Mr. Volk joins his beloved wife Vera, who passed before him in 1984 and is survived by his brother, Leo Volk of Sherwood, North Dakota, and 10 children, 31 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren. His children include Linda Ciandro (Nick) of Monterey, Loren Volk (Sharon), of Marietta, Georgia, John Volk (Mary) of Redding, Esther Goes (Harley) of San Jose, Karin Perkins (Ed) of Seaside, Carolyn Blackmore (Wayne) of Sonora, Dennis Volk of Seaside, Teresa Bennett (Tim) of Marina, Tim Volk (Cami) of Ceres, and Reverend Michael Volk of Seaside.

In celebration of his life, a Visitation will be held at Saint Francis Xavier Church on Friday, April 11, 2008 at 5:00 pm followed by a Rosary Vigil at 7:30 pm. Mass of the Resurrection will be on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:00 am. In lieu of Flowers, the family suggests donations to the Joseph and Vera Volk Parish Renovation Fund at St. Francis Xavier Church, 1475 LaSalle Ave., Seaside, California, 93955.

facebook: Okay, I'm in

2008-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, facebook, I'm in.

For the longest time, I subscribed to the theory that, since facebook and MySpace were created to help college students connect, it would be creepy to have my own page with "friends" and all that when I'm married with two kids and solidly into my mid-thirties. But by now, facebook seems to have spread to a much broader audience, and it's now almost a must for keeping in touch with friends, especially those who are not local.

Next thing you know, I'll be blogging.

Wait a minute....