We have a new minister of education at our church. They just moved into their brand new house, and today is their first day in the house. There are boxes everywhere! They invited Victoria and me over today to hang out and see the house, so we went. I noticed a dark cloud but didn't think much about it since we often have dark clouds that don't do anything at all. We looked around their house and had just gone upstairs when I saw two huge bolts of lightening. Then we learned that a big storm was supposed to blow through. Sure enough, as we had gone back downstairs to talk while the girls hung out upstairs, it started to rain. Boy was it a rain! It poured and poured. There were winds of 60+mph! The winds were blowing the rain so hard, the visibility was diminished to practically nothing, and we couldn't even see the house across the street! It was crazy! There was lots of thunder and lightening, buckets and buckets of rain and a ton of wind. It blew over their brand new little tree in the front yard which was staked up and being held up by chains! It was really wild. Then I noticed the port-o-potty. Let me explain...
They are in a brand new neighborhood with construction going on all around them. Therefore, there are port-o-potties around for the construction workers. There just so happened to be a port-o-potty next to their driveway. The wind blew it over. GROSS!!! I noticed that the port-o-potty was lying down behind my car. So, we went upstairs to look out of the window to get a better view. We knew we'd have to check it out and see if it had hit my car. We were hoping and praying it didn't.
The storm got worse, and it started hailing. Oh my! We kept asking God for no hail. He is so good, and it was tiny hail that didn't last long. Finally, the storm calmed down some, and during the calm, I decided to leave with Victoria. We all went out with umbrellas to see if my car was okay. Sure enough, the port-o-potty had hit my car. There is paint missing on my back left side. Michael won't be too happy. Thankfully, a guy with the construction company pulled up. He saw the knocked down port-o-potty and asked if it had hit my car. I said it had. So, he said he would call his manager and let him know. We took pictures of the knocked over potty and the damage on the car. Praise God, the damage is extremely minimal, but I still don't want it there. So, I am hoping the company will pay to have it painted and looking good again. Please pray for us and that it will all work out okay.
I'm sure I will find this very funny one day. How many people have had a port-o-potty fall on their car?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Surviving Deployment Pre-Trip Report (TR) - part 2
I have made changes to our ADRs. This time, they are firm. I did some tweaking and moving around so hopefully it works with our days better. So, here are the updated ADRs.
Day 1 - Dinner at 1900 Park Fare (no change)
Day 2 - I had an ADR to Kona for dinner before we go to MNSSHP. I have canceled this ADR, and we'll get to the MK at 4 p.m., and eat CS in the park.
Day 3 - Previously: Chef Mickey's for dinner. I canceled this ADR to go to Kona instead. This gives us a little more time to drive back from Tampa.
Day 4 - I added another ADR for lunch at Sci Fi. We love Sci Fi, and I can't imagine not eating here at all. We are still going 50's Prime Time for dinner.
Day 5 - Chefs de France for lunch and Tutto Italia for dinner. I canceled the 5:30 p.m., ADR. I talked to Victoria, and she thought the later meal would be better.
Day 6 - Previously: Dinner at Coral Reef. I canceled CR and changed it to CRT. I'm pretty excited about closing out the MK and being one of the last in the park. :D
Day 7 - Dinner at Le Cellier (no change)
Day 8 - Breakfast at Crystal Palace, and I added lunch at Chef Mickey's. I previously had CRT for dinner but canceled that one. We'll eat CS for dinner.
Day 9 - Lunch at T-Rex (no change)
So, those are our new ADRs, and I feel really good about them now. I did all the changes online and got to search and search and pick and choose, and I LOVED being able to do this. Then, I called Disney Dining and canceled the ones I didn't want.
Hopefully, that's all the changes in our dining plans. :D
Day 1 - Dinner at 1900 Park Fare (no change)
Day 2 - I had an ADR to Kona for dinner before we go to MNSSHP. I have canceled this ADR, and we'll get to the MK at 4 p.m., and eat CS in the park.
Day 3 - Previously: Chef Mickey's for dinner. I canceled this ADR to go to Kona instead. This gives us a little more time to drive back from Tampa.
Day 4 - I added another ADR for lunch at Sci Fi. We love Sci Fi, and I can't imagine not eating here at all. We are still going 50's Prime Time for dinner.
Day 5 - Chefs de France for lunch and Tutto Italia for dinner. I canceled the 5:30 p.m., ADR. I talked to Victoria, and she thought the later meal would be better.
Day 6 - Previously: Dinner at Coral Reef. I canceled CR and changed it to CRT. I'm pretty excited about closing out the MK and being one of the last in the park. :D
Day 7 - Dinner at Le Cellier (no change)
Day 8 - Breakfast at Crystal Palace, and I added lunch at Chef Mickey's. I previously had CRT for dinner but canceled that one. We'll eat CS for dinner.
Day 9 - Lunch at T-Rex (no change)
So, those are our new ADRs, and I feel really good about them now. I did all the changes online and got to search and search and pick and choose, and I LOVED being able to do this. Then, I called Disney Dining and canceled the ones I didn't want.
Hopefully, that's all the changes in our dining plans. :D
Thursday, July 30, 2009
WDW Pre-Trip Report :o)
I love writing trip reports especially when they are Disney vacations. So, I am going to write a trip report on my blog, complete with pictures (when we take the trip). I am a HUGE planner and love every minute of it. I have even planned trips for a couple of friends before. Just give me a call if you need someone else to plan your trip. Hee hee! So here goes...
I haven't been to WDW in FOUR years! OH MY! It is about time I get back there. I could go multiple times a year, but Michael on the otherhand...
This trip came about for several reasons:
1. I NEED to visit my Happy Place again.
2. Victoria needs to visit, too.
3. Disney has a great military deal going on right now that simply can't be passed up.
4. Michael is deployed to Iraq. Now, we were actually hoping he would be able to join us, but alas, his R&R didn't work out, and he won't be able to go. So, it will be just Victoria and me.
So, the non-deployed people on this trip are:
Me (Laura) - 38. I've loved everything Disney my whole life.
Victoria - 14. Brought up on everything Disney.
My cousin, Jennifer - 26. More on her later! Hee hee!
WHEN: The middle of September during FREE DINING!
Victoria and I will be experiencing a lot of firsts on this trip:
1. We get free dining which we've never done before.
2. With that, we are eating at a lot of brand new restaurants for us.
3. We are also going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (referred to as MNSSHP from now on) for the first time. We went to the one at Disneyland in California and loved it and know that WDW's will be even better.
4. We are also staying at Pop Century for the first time.
5. We have always driven to WDW, but it would be a two-day drive now that we've moved to Texas. So, we are flying for the first time.
6. Therefore, we are using Disney's Magical Express (DME from now on) for the first time.
7. The biggest new experience is this will be the first time going without Michael. It will be strange without him, but it will be a great opportunity to get away with Victoria during daddy's deployment. Hopefully it will break up these longs months without him, and we'll be able to share our vacation with him through our pictures and videos.
As for our plans:
Day 1 - Fly out of San Antonio and arrive in Orlando at 10:47 a.m. Take DME to Pop Century and see if our room is ready. I doubt it will be, but it will be worth a try. Today is going to be a day exploring resorts and Downtown Disney (DTD.) We'll have lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express and have Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) at 1900 Park Fare at 5:55 p.m., for dinner. Both of these restaurants are new for us! At 1900 Park Fare, we get to have dinner with Cinderella, the Prince, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella, and the Fairy Godmother. It should be fun!
Day 2 - Once again, we are going to enjoy resort hopping and DTD and probably some miniature golf. We'll have lunch at Earl of Sandwich and dessert at Beaches and Cream. We have ADRs for Kona at 5:10 p.m., for dinner before we go to MNSSHP. However, if they let us into the MK at 4 p.m., for MNSSHP, we will skip Kona and eat CS in the park. Here's crossing my fingers.
Day 3 - As part of the active military, we get to go to Busch Gardens or Sea World free once a year. Since we have never been to Busch Gardens in Tampa, we are going there. We'll get up and get our rental car and drive to Tampa to spend the day at Busch Gardens. Since I didn't have to buy tickets, I bought an All-Day Dining Deal. You get an armband and can grab an entree, side or dessert, and a drink each time you go through the line at a participating restaurant. I thought that was a really good deal, even if we just grab a drink when we go through the line. I think it will be well worth the money. We'll drive back from Tampa straight to the Contemporary where we have ADRs for Chef Mickey's at 7:50 p.m. Have I mentioned that this entire day will be a brand new experience for us...from Busch Gardens to Chef Mickey's. At Chef Mickey's, we get to eat dinner with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald.
Day 4 - Finally, we are spending time in the WDW parks! Today is our Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) day. We'll eat a counter service (CS) meal somewhere for lunch and then have an ADR for 50's Prime Time Cafe at 5:15 p.m., for dinner. 50's PT is one of the few places we have been to before. We didn't have a good experience the first time and are ready to give it another chance.
Day 5 - EPCOT day! We plan on getting chocolate from every country. We have a lunch ADR at 12 p.m., for Chefs de France in the France pavilion and dinner at 8:45 p.m., at Tutto Italia in the Italy pavilion. However, I also have an ADR for Tutto Italia at 5:30 p.m. I don't know if it's enough time between noon and 5:30 p.m., to eat again. I have to decide what to do.
Day 6 - This day is up in the air. DHS has Early Entry Hours (EEH) for resort guests at 8 a.m. It is really up to Victoria as to which park she'd like to do. We'll eat CS whichever park we're in. But, we have 4:10 p.m., ADRs at Coral Reef. We've never eaten here before.
Day 7 - Today is Animal Kingdom day! EEH is 8 a.m. Unfortunately, we'll be headed back to EPCOT for dinner since it was the only day we could get Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion. Our ADR is for 4:15 p.m. But, I am stoked about Le Cellier since we've never been, and I only here the best of reviews of this restaurant. This is THE MOST POPULAR restaurant in all of WDW.
Day 8 - Magic Kingdom day! I wanted to end our trip at MK. We have ADRs at 8:05 a.m., at the Crystal Palace (This will be out of pocket (OOP) unless we miss Kona on Day 2.) and dinner at 5:10 p.m., at Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT)! We have never been to CRT, and I am so looking forward to it. We really enjoy Crystal Palace (CP) as it is one place I can hang out with my beloved Eeyore. Also there is Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. Spectromagic will be on this night, too, and we have never seen it.
Day 9 - We fly home today. We'll have breakfast at Everything Pop, and then we have lunch ADRs at T-Rex in DTD for 11:30 a.m. I have a gift card to use there. T-Rex is a brand new restaurant from the same people who created Rainforest Cafe. We are really looking forward to it. Our flight doesn't leave until 5:55 p.m., so we can enjoy DTD for just a little while longer.
So, those are our plans. Unfortunately, I couldn't get Boma during this stay. We've never been there either, and I was really looking forward to it. Oh well! It will have to be another time unless I can snag an ADR somehow.
It will be very weird traveling without my precious husband. We've only taken short trips without him, and he will be dearly missed. But, the place he said he wanted to go after he got home from his deployment is Disney! So, we are planning a trip for 2010!
I haven't been to WDW in FOUR years! OH MY! It is about time I get back there. I could go multiple times a year, but Michael on the otherhand...
This trip came about for several reasons:
1. I NEED to visit my Happy Place again.
2. Victoria needs to visit, too.
3. Disney has a great military deal going on right now that simply can't be passed up.
4. Michael is deployed to Iraq. Now, we were actually hoping he would be able to join us, but alas, his R&R didn't work out, and he won't be able to go. So, it will be just Victoria and me.
So, the non-deployed people on this trip are:
Me (Laura) - 38. I've loved everything Disney my whole life.
Victoria - 14. Brought up on everything Disney.
My cousin, Jennifer - 26. More on her later! Hee hee!
WHEN: The middle of September during FREE DINING!
Victoria and I will be experiencing a lot of firsts on this trip:
1. We get free dining which we've never done before.
2. With that, we are eating at a lot of brand new restaurants for us.
3. We are also going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (referred to as MNSSHP from now on) for the first time. We went to the one at Disneyland in California and loved it and know that WDW's will be even better.
4. We are also staying at Pop Century for the first time.
5. We have always driven to WDW, but it would be a two-day drive now that we've moved to Texas. So, we are flying for the first time.
6. Therefore, we are using Disney's Magical Express (DME from now on) for the first time.
7. The biggest new experience is this will be the first time going without Michael. It will be strange without him, but it will be a great opportunity to get away with Victoria during daddy's deployment. Hopefully it will break up these longs months without him, and we'll be able to share our vacation with him through our pictures and videos.
As for our plans:
Day 1 - Fly out of San Antonio and arrive in Orlando at 10:47 a.m. Take DME to Pop Century and see if our room is ready. I doubt it will be, but it will be worth a try. Today is going to be a day exploring resorts and Downtown Disney (DTD.) We'll have lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express and have Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) at 1900 Park Fare at 5:55 p.m., for dinner. Both of these restaurants are new for us! At 1900 Park Fare, we get to have dinner with Cinderella, the Prince, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella, and the Fairy Godmother. It should be fun!
Day 2 - Once again, we are going to enjoy resort hopping and DTD and probably some miniature golf. We'll have lunch at Earl of Sandwich and dessert at Beaches and Cream. We have ADRs for Kona at 5:10 p.m., for dinner before we go to MNSSHP. However, if they let us into the MK at 4 p.m., for MNSSHP, we will skip Kona and eat CS in the park. Here's crossing my fingers.
Day 3 - As part of the active military, we get to go to Busch Gardens or Sea World free once a year. Since we have never been to Busch Gardens in Tampa, we are going there. We'll get up and get our rental car and drive to Tampa to spend the day at Busch Gardens. Since I didn't have to buy tickets, I bought an All-Day Dining Deal. You get an armband and can grab an entree, side or dessert, and a drink each time you go through the line at a participating restaurant. I thought that was a really good deal, even if we just grab a drink when we go through the line. I think it will be well worth the money. We'll drive back from Tampa straight to the Contemporary where we have ADRs for Chef Mickey's at 7:50 p.m. Have I mentioned that this entire day will be a brand new experience for us...from Busch Gardens to Chef Mickey's. At Chef Mickey's, we get to eat dinner with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald.
Day 4 - Finally, we are spending time in the WDW parks! Today is our Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) day. We'll eat a counter service (CS) meal somewhere for lunch and then have an ADR for 50's Prime Time Cafe at 5:15 p.m., for dinner. 50's PT is one of the few places we have been to before. We didn't have a good experience the first time and are ready to give it another chance.
Day 5 - EPCOT day! We plan on getting chocolate from every country. We have a lunch ADR at 12 p.m., for Chefs de France in the France pavilion and dinner at 8:45 p.m., at Tutto Italia in the Italy pavilion. However, I also have an ADR for Tutto Italia at 5:30 p.m. I don't know if it's enough time between noon and 5:30 p.m., to eat again. I have to decide what to do.
Day 6 - This day is up in the air. DHS has Early Entry Hours (EEH) for resort guests at 8 a.m. It is really up to Victoria as to which park she'd like to do. We'll eat CS whichever park we're in. But, we have 4:10 p.m., ADRs at Coral Reef. We've never eaten here before.
Day 7 - Today is Animal Kingdom day! EEH is 8 a.m. Unfortunately, we'll be headed back to EPCOT for dinner since it was the only day we could get Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion. Our ADR is for 4:15 p.m. But, I am stoked about Le Cellier since we've never been, and I only here the best of reviews of this restaurant. This is THE MOST POPULAR restaurant in all of WDW.
Day 8 - Magic Kingdom day! I wanted to end our trip at MK. We have ADRs at 8:05 a.m., at the Crystal Palace (This will be out of pocket (OOP) unless we miss Kona on Day 2.) and dinner at 5:10 p.m., at Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT)! We have never been to CRT, and I am so looking forward to it. We really enjoy Crystal Palace (CP) as it is one place I can hang out with my beloved Eeyore. Also there is Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. Spectromagic will be on this night, too, and we have never seen it.
Day 9 - We fly home today. We'll have breakfast at Everything Pop, and then we have lunch ADRs at T-Rex in DTD for 11:30 a.m. I have a gift card to use there. T-Rex is a brand new restaurant from the same people who created Rainforest Cafe. We are really looking forward to it. Our flight doesn't leave until 5:55 p.m., so we can enjoy DTD for just a little while longer.
So, those are our plans. Unfortunately, I couldn't get Boma during this stay. We've never been there either, and I was really looking forward to it. Oh well! It will have to be another time unless I can snag an ADR somehow.
It will be very weird traveling without my precious husband. We've only taken short trips without him, and he will be dearly missed. But, the place he said he wanted to go after he got home from his deployment is Disney! So, we are planning a trip for 2010!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Getting Ready for Disney
Victoria and I are headed to Disney in about six weeks. We are so excited. I have done a heap of planning, as I always do. All of our dining reservations have been made, and we are going during FREE DINING! You read that right. We will be eating for FREE while at Walt Disney World. If any of you have been, you'll appreciate my list of reservations:
This last picture is one Victoria drew from a book. It is incredible to me, and I just had to post it. The "judge" is the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.
Le Cellier at Canada
Teppan Edo at Japan
Tutto Italia at Italy
Chef Mickey's at Magic Kingdom
Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom
Sci-Fi Dine In Drive In at Disney's Hollywood Studios
50's Prime Time Diner at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Kona at the Polynesian Resort
1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort
Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort
T-Rex at Downtown Disney
Phew! We are so excited about all this free food! That doesn't even cover all the counter service meals we get to go to. I think I am most looking forward to Wolfgang Puck Express at Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station at Magic Kingdom as far as counter service meals go.
Did I mention that it is FREE? Needless to say, time is beginning to slow down as time draws nearer to our vacation.
We love meeting the characters, and we both have our favorites. I love Eeyore, and Victoria loves Tinkerbell and Aurora and Prince Philip. Although, we'll never get to see Prince Philip. But we will get to see the others. Well, Victoria loves to sketch. She was sketching some Disney characters, and I told her that we should take her sketch book and have the characters autograph the page their picture is on. She loved that idea and said she'd rather have a book specifically for the Disney characters and autographs. So, we went to Barnes and Noble and bought her a new sketchbook, and she is creating her own autograph book. I took some pictures of a few of her sketches. She is very talented.
This last picture is one Victoria drew from a book. It is incredible to me, and I just had to post it. The "judge" is the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.
So, that's it. We are totally looking forward to our trip, and Victoria's autograph book is going to be incredible!
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