Sunday Kris and I spent a couple of hours attending a class by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We had to do this because I volunteered to be an aide for Alison's Sunday School class. For whatever reason, Kris was the one who ended up being roped into doing it. With Kris's work schedule having to work on weekends, she can't make all the classes, which is why I was supposed to be the one doing it.
I told Kris I would take care of it, but she agreed to split the time. So I will be doing it on the weeks where she is working. I may help out on the other weeks as well, I'll have to see how things go. But the class we had to sit through was for providing a Safe Environment. This is apparently some charter that has been dictated by The Vatican, so anyone who is in contact with children is required to sit through this training (Thank you very much you pedophile priests!). It wasn't a bad class overall. It is probably something that I would recommend. It was ways to identify behavior in adults and in children that may give warning signs of possible sexual abuse. The videos contained actual offenders describing how they would manipulate children into situations to provide them opportunities. Actually, some of the stories were rather reprehensible.
But we finished our "training" and now will never have to do it again. Sunday School starts in two weeks and I'm not quite sure what an aide will do, but stay tuned for details.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Brewers Game
Kris and I decided to have a little fun Saturday for a change and go to the Brewers game. Kris found out that her boyfriend, Chris Capuano, was getting a start and since Milwaukee was playing the Pirates we had at least a 80-20 chance of winning, I decided to see what kind of seats we could get on short notice. Turns out that I found a pair of diamond box seats for $50 each, which is half the face value, in the second row right behind the plate. I couldn't pass those up.
Here was our view:
And I didn't quite get it but Prince launched a 450 foot bomb the pitch after I took this:
Cappy dug a pretty big hole (6-2 after three innings) but the Brewers chipped away and tied the game late to force extra innings. The Brewers eventually won 8-7 in 11 innings, though Kris and I left after the 10th because we had been at Miller Park since about 4:45 PM (we left at 10:20) and we wanted to get home to the girls (Sarah was babysitting) before they burned the house down.
Overall, pretty good seats. I wasn't sure what I was expecting; I thought I'd be able to hear the players talking, like the catcher saying things to the hitters as they came up to bat. I was very surprised at how loud it was. Kris and I needed to practically yell in order to hear each other. Plus, I found it very hard to judge distances; I thought there was a very strange sense of depth perception. I think in the future sitting up a few rows might not be such a bad thing.
Here was our view:
And I didn't quite get it but Prince launched a 450 foot bomb the pitch after I took this:
Cappy dug a pretty big hole (6-2 after three innings) but the Brewers chipped away and tied the game late to force extra innings. The Brewers eventually won 8-7 in 11 innings, though Kris and I left after the 10th because we had been at Miller Park since about 4:45 PM (we left at 10:20) and we wanted to get home to the girls (Sarah was babysitting) before they burned the house down.
Overall, pretty good seats. I wasn't sure what I was expecting; I thought I'd be able to hear the players talking, like the catcher saying things to the hitters as they came up to bat. I was very surprised at how loud it was. Kris and I needed to practically yell in order to hear each other. Plus, I found it very hard to judge distances; I thought there was a very strange sense of depth perception. I think in the future sitting up a few rows might not be such a bad thing.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Cheer Season Begins
You know school is near when the cheer season starts. Friday night was Junior Indians night at halftime of the high school football game (sorry, no pictures, though I may look for a place to post the video to link). Today Sarah had her first football game. this year they have to be at the field by 10:00 AM. We had a couple of things to to so Sarah got dropped off but we made it back before the start of the game.
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay because we had to run Alison to the doctor. She had been complaining of her ears begin clogged which is in addition to almost two weeks of nasal/sinus congestion. We ended up calling the doctor and had to take Alison to get checked out. Turns out she has a sinus infection on top of swelling from seasonal allergies. This is what was causing the ear congestion as well. So now she is on a two week cycle of antibiotics as well as a prescription for Flo-Nase. At least in a week or so she will be able to breathe again.
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay because we had to run Alison to the doctor. She had been complaining of her ears begin clogged which is in addition to almost two weeks of nasal/sinus congestion. We ended up calling the doctor and had to take Alison to get checked out. Turns out she has a sinus infection on top of swelling from seasonal allergies. This is what was causing the ear congestion as well. So now she is on a two week cycle of antibiotics as well as a prescription for Flo-Nase. At least in a week or so she will be able to breathe again.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Locker Drop Off
Today was Sarah's Locker Drop Off day. She was able to bring all of her supplies to school and organize her locker. This year she gets a locker entirely to herself rather than having to share one. I don't know how she did that last year. Plus, I think I wrote about how she got stuck with a rather undesirable partner. I was so glad when she got moved.
Sarah is really excited this year because she can personalize her locker much more. She gets to decorate it as she sees fit, stickers, magnets, pictures, all of it. I even had to take her back this evening because she wanted to move around some of her stick-on mirrors and add some more of her drawings to the inside of her door. Sarah also got to meet her homeroom teacher (or as they call it their "Flex Class teacher") tonight, which I think is a good thing. It is always good, especially in a big school, to make sure that your teachers know who you are.
She also took some of her friend's things to put in her locker because she is gone in Washington DC until the weekend. If the kids don't go over the next couple of days, they can't do it until the first day of school, which would be a lot of stuff to haul. So Sarah offered to bring in a bunch of things for her. Of course she had to check to make sure that nothing got moved from earlier in the afternoon, since she and her friend are the only ones who know the combination.
Sarah is really excited this year because she can personalize her locker much more. She gets to decorate it as she sees fit, stickers, magnets, pictures, all of it. I even had to take her back this evening because she wanted to move around some of her stick-on mirrors and add some more of her drawings to the inside of her door. Sarah also got to meet her homeroom teacher (or as they call it their "Flex Class teacher") tonight, which I think is a good thing. It is always good, especially in a big school, to make sure that your teachers know who you are.
She also took some of her friend's things to put in her locker because she is gone in Washington DC until the weekend. If the kids don't go over the next couple of days, they can't do it until the first day of school, which would be a lot of stuff to haul. So Sarah offered to bring in a bunch of things for her. Of course she had to check to make sure that nothing got moved from earlier in the afternoon, since she and her friend are the only ones who know the combination.
That Time Of Year
It is the time of year that all parents dream about. I am talking, of course, about back to school time. Summer vacation is finally over! We have been getting ready since we got from vacation, checking supplies, making sure the girls had all their school clothes, trying to get them back onto the school year schedule rather than the summer vacation one.
We only have a week to go and Kris and I still need to finalize how Alison is getting to school. With the redistricting we now are no longer getting bussed to school. The cutoff point is one mile from school and we are about .9 miles by the district's calculation (even though the route I drive comes out to a mile). Right now Kris will be driving Alison and picking her up every day. Hopefully we will be able to find someone in the neighborhood to carpool with on a regular basis so we don't have to do it every single day of the year.
We only have a week to go and Kris and I still need to finalize how Alison is getting to school. With the redistricting we now are no longer getting bussed to school. The cutoff point is one mile from school and we are about .9 miles by the district's calculation (even though the route I drive comes out to a mile). Right now Kris will be driving Alison and picking her up every day. Hopefully we will be able to find someone in the neighborhood to carpool with on a regular basis so we don't have to do it every single day of the year.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
New School
Wednesday we had The Back to School Fair at Alison's new school. Boy! What a difference from Riverside. Things ran like clockwork at Riverside. We had our forms ahead of time, everything was filled out so that all we needed to do was hand the forms over at the various stations to be reviewed and pay whatever fee was needed. Not at Shady Lane. We got our packet and had to fill out all the forms there, in the gym (it was a good thing that we went early when it really wasn't too crowded).
After filling out all the forms and going from station to station they told us that Alison was missing a shot (one in her DTAP series). This resulted in a small discussion with whoever was manning that table. So after about a half an hour, we leave and get home and then realize that we did not get Alison's school pack. Kris decided to purchase all of the needed school supplies in a pack, but there was no sign directing you where to go to pick them up. So we had to go back.
When we got there we realized they had all the school packs behind the table with all the spirit wear. So apparently we were just supposed to know that was where wee were supposed to go. Kris asked the person at the table about it and she got our pack. She asked the guy who was also there and after giving him our name and Ali's grade, we received out school pack. When we got home I decided to open it up and checck it just to make sure everything was there. When I opened it, the tag said "3rd Grade Boys". When I asked Kris abou tit, she said no, it was supposed to be a girl's pack. This now required a third trip to Shady Lane to get the school pack we should have received in the first place.
So all in all, not a pleasant introduction to our new school.
After filling out all the forms and going from station to station they told us that Alison was missing a shot (one in her DTAP series). This resulted in a small discussion with whoever was manning that table. So after about a half an hour, we leave and get home and then realize that we did not get Alison's school pack. Kris decided to purchase all of the needed school supplies in a pack, but there was no sign directing you where to go to pick them up. So we had to go back.
When we got there we realized they had all the school packs behind the table with all the spirit wear. So apparently we were just supposed to know that was where wee were supposed to go. Kris asked the person at the table about it and she got our pack. She asked the guy who was also there and after giving him our name and Ali's grade, we received out school pack. When we got home I decided to open it up and checck it just to make sure everything was there. When I opened it, the tag said "3rd Grade Boys". When I asked Kris abou tit, she said no, it was supposed to be a girl's pack. This now required a third trip to Shady Lane to get the school pack we should have received in the first place.
So all in all, not a pleasant introduction to our new school.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Random Things About Vacation
There were lots of little things I noticed while in Florida that were not really enough to make a full entry, so I thought I would combine them all into one, large, random entry.
First, while at Epcot, Sarah and I were waiting for Kris and Alison. There was a squirrel running about and some kid was trying to feed it. Sarah tried to give it a few pieces of popcorn. Well after a minute or two is decided to bolt. There was a guy walking toward us, and he saw the squirrel. He freaked because it was running right at him. It was funny because this guy looked like a "barbell boy" and here is was running like a little girl from a squirrel.
He looked at me and said, "what's the deal with these crazy squirrels around here?" I just said, "I have no idea man." Then he turned to find his wife and kid and started telling them about the crazy squirrel that was after him. I just had to laugh. DUDE! It was a squirrel! You could have just stepped on it for cryin' out loud! Grow a pair why don't ya?
Next, fire ants. My dad was telling me all about the fire ants he gets in his grass and that if we go walking in the grass, we would need to watch out for them. Well it is a good thing. I had always thought fire ants were much bigger. But one night Ali wanted to go swimming after the pump had shut off, so I asked my dad where the switch was to turn it on manually. Sarah went out the door of the lanai and says to me, she thinks there is fire ant nest there. I told her that she was ridiculous, that I didn't see anything. Well I walked over closer, and there was one there, just starting. Dad got out his Othro and gave it a good blast. But the next day we were taking a few pictures outside, and we came across another one. I tried to take a picture, but I don;t think you can see the ants very well.
I don't know how you live with that. Every day there is a new ant hill and if you forget to look where you are stepping, you can be in a world of hurt. No thanks!
Next, I have to say I was rather surprised at the size of the crowds at the Disney Parks. It did not seem to be crowded at all. I was expecting with the start of school right around the corner, that the attendance at the parks would be huge. But the longest we had to wait in line was about 30-40 minutes. Most waits were in the 15-20 minute range, if we had to wait at all. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or if that is what it is like there every August.
Also, we had our picture taken at EPCOT by one of the photo pass photographers. She asked where we were from, were we enjoying our stay etc. Kris happened to mention that we were just hoping the rain held off. She said the day before they had no rain at EPCOT. But at the Magic Kingdom, it poured a couple of times. Amazing that only a couple of miles away they had none.
The weather in Florida was very tropical, clear skies one moment, 15 minutes later, torrential downpours. It reminded me of the weather in Jamaica on my honeymoon. I was just happy that it was warm this time.
This was the first time that we have flown Southwest. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it really wasn't all that bad. we got on quickly, and got off rather quickly as well. The seats were a little bit cramped, but overall I can't complain. I would consider flying Southwest again.
While walking down at Sumter Landing, we saw a couple of big snapping turtles in the weeds along the boardwalk. Not that this in itself is very surprising, I just can't remember the last time I had seen a snapping turtle. I believe they were alligator snapping turtles. At least they weren't alligators right?
Kris and I took a walk around The Villages Friday, first at Sumter Landing early in the day and then around Spanish Springs later in the evening. The people we ran into were all very friendly. everyone was saying good morning, or hello. I guess they deserve to be called Florida's Friendliest Home Town.
We stopped in a shop called Nantucket Bay Friday looking for a present for Kris's friend for watching Gizmo while we were gone. The woman behind the counter was very friendly, like all the other residents we met. When it came time to pay, Kris gave her a rebate debit card that we had with her name on it. The woman looked at it and asked if our last name was Hahn. I wanted to say "DUH!", why would we be using a debit card with someone else's name on it, but I just that would be just rude. But it was interesting to find out that Hahn was the name of her first husband (she was from Virginia). She asked if it was an uncommon name where we were from because she had never just run into any other Hahn's. She then told us that her son's name was Dennis, Dennis Hahn. Again, only interesting because I don't have that common of a name.
Last, but not least, I swear Florida's economy is being propped up by pawn shops and tattoo parlors. When we were driving around outside of the Villages, it looked like about every other block contained one or the other. I guess the people don't have anything to do except sit on their buts and collect welfare, OR go take their welfare checks and get themselves a tat.
That is all for now.
First, while at Epcot, Sarah and I were waiting for Kris and Alison. There was a squirrel running about and some kid was trying to feed it. Sarah tried to give it a few pieces of popcorn. Well after a minute or two is decided to bolt. There was a guy walking toward us, and he saw the squirrel. He freaked because it was running right at him. It was funny because this guy looked like a "barbell boy" and here is was running like a little girl from a squirrel.
He looked at me and said, "what's the deal with these crazy squirrels around here?" I just said, "I have no idea man." Then he turned to find his wife and kid and started telling them about the crazy squirrel that was after him. I just had to laugh. DUDE! It was a squirrel! You could have just stepped on it for cryin' out loud! Grow a pair why don't ya?
Next, fire ants. My dad was telling me all about the fire ants he gets in his grass and that if we go walking in the grass, we would need to watch out for them. Well it is a good thing. I had always thought fire ants were much bigger. But one night Ali wanted to go swimming after the pump had shut off, so I asked my dad where the switch was to turn it on manually. Sarah went out the door of the lanai and says to me, she thinks there is fire ant nest there. I told her that she was ridiculous, that I didn't see anything. Well I walked over closer, and there was one there, just starting. Dad got out his Othro and gave it a good blast. But the next day we were taking a few pictures outside, and we came across another one. I tried to take a picture, but I don;t think you can see the ants very well.
I don't know how you live with that. Every day there is a new ant hill and if you forget to look where you are stepping, you can be in a world of hurt. No thanks!
Next, I have to say I was rather surprised at the size of the crowds at the Disney Parks. It did not seem to be crowded at all. I was expecting with the start of school right around the corner, that the attendance at the parks would be huge. But the longest we had to wait in line was about 30-40 minutes. Most waits were in the 15-20 minute range, if we had to wait at all. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or if that is what it is like there every August.
Also, we had our picture taken at EPCOT by one of the photo pass photographers. She asked where we were from, were we enjoying our stay etc. Kris happened to mention that we were just hoping the rain held off. She said the day before they had no rain at EPCOT. But at the Magic Kingdom, it poured a couple of times. Amazing that only a couple of miles away they had none.
The weather in Florida was very tropical, clear skies one moment, 15 minutes later, torrential downpours. It reminded me of the weather in Jamaica on my honeymoon. I was just happy that it was warm this time.
This was the first time that we have flown Southwest. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it really wasn't all that bad. we got on quickly, and got off rather quickly as well. The seats were a little bit cramped, but overall I can't complain. I would consider flying Southwest again.
While walking down at Sumter Landing, we saw a couple of big snapping turtles in the weeds along the boardwalk. Not that this in itself is very surprising, I just can't remember the last time I had seen a snapping turtle. I believe they were alligator snapping turtles. At least they weren't alligators right?
Kris and I took a walk around The Villages Friday, first at Sumter Landing early in the day and then around Spanish Springs later in the evening. The people we ran into were all very friendly. everyone was saying good morning, or hello. I guess they deserve to be called Florida's Friendliest Home Town.
We stopped in a shop called Nantucket Bay Friday looking for a present for Kris's friend for watching Gizmo while we were gone. The woman behind the counter was very friendly, like all the other residents we met. When it came time to pay, Kris gave her a rebate debit card that we had with her name on it. The woman looked at it and asked if our last name was Hahn. I wanted to say "DUH!", why would we be using a debit card with someone else's name on it, but I just that would be just rude. But it was interesting to find out that Hahn was the name of her first husband (she was from Virginia). She asked if it was an uncommon name where we were from because she had never just run into any other Hahn's. She then told us that her son's name was Dennis, Dennis Hahn. Again, only interesting because I don't have that common of a name.
Last, but not least, I swear Florida's economy is being propped up by pawn shops and tattoo parlors. When we were driving around outside of the Villages, it looked like about every other block contained one or the other. I guess the people don't have anything to do except sit on their buts and collect welfare, OR go take their welfare checks and get themselves a tat.
That is all for now.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Trip Home
The trip home from Florida was rather uneventful. I say rather because we had a couple of incidents on the highway to the airport. Once we got into Tampa we hit some traffic. A pickup cut in front of us and my father, who was driving us, decided to switch lanes to go around it. One problem, someone from the very right lane decided to head into the middle lane as well. Nothing like swerving to avoid an accident and making the tires squeal at 70mph to make your heart stop. After we righted the ship, we missed the turn off for the airport because we were being overly cautious watching some dude on a Harley, making sure we didn't take him out.
Once we got the the airport, things went pretty smooth. We checked in curbside, and went to find our gate. We got backed up at security when the line we were in go installed when some women tried bringing some big bottles of body lotion through. Ali was actually a little scared because the procedure was a little different than in Milwaukee. The TSA worker actually helped her by joking around with her as she went through the metal detector. Then as we were getting our shoes on and filling our pockets with all of our stuff, one of the women who tried to "smuggle" the lotion through was having her entire bag pulled again, the second time, and being emptied. She was not happy, and actually very vocal about her displeasure. I felt bad laughing at her. Well, ok, not really.
We got the B boarding group (at that is with paying the extra $$$ for the early bird registration) so we could all sit together on the plane. Kris sat two rows behind and across the aisle from Sarah and me. At least Ali was able to get a window seat. The people in front of Kris were sort of jerks. They were sleeping, then not sleeping, and reclining their seats so Kris couldn't get at her carry on bag. They were also hugging, snuggling, and just being generally annoying. I sat in the middle seat and Sarah was on the aisle. The guy who was sitting next to the window was not friendly at all. He even decided to close the window and sleep (so we couldn't look out). And he had in ear plugs, so the flight attendant couldn't wake him when she brought the OJ that he ordered. Nice. Other than that our experience with Southwest wasn't too bad.
Gizmo was happy to see us when we got home. The minute the door opened, he was at the door chirping at us. Then the start of the real stress started.... unpacking. It took a bit, but we finally got it finished and then had to run to the grocery store. After getting everything we needed to get (milk, eggs, bread, etc.) and getting everything unpacked and laundry sorted, I think we are ready for another vacation.
Once we got the the airport, things went pretty smooth. We checked in curbside, and went to find our gate. We got backed up at security when the line we were in go installed when some women tried bringing some big bottles of body lotion through. Ali was actually a little scared because the procedure was a little different than in Milwaukee. The TSA worker actually helped her by joking around with her as she went through the metal detector. Then as we were getting our shoes on and filling our pockets with all of our stuff, one of the women who tried to "smuggle" the lotion through was having her entire bag pulled again, the second time, and being emptied. She was not happy, and actually very vocal about her displeasure. I felt bad laughing at her. Well, ok, not really.
We got the B boarding group (at that is with paying the extra $$$ for the early bird registration) so we could all sit together on the plane. Kris sat two rows behind and across the aisle from Sarah and me. At least Ali was able to get a window seat. The people in front of Kris were sort of jerks. They were sleeping, then not sleeping, and reclining their seats so Kris couldn't get at her carry on bag. They were also hugging, snuggling, and just being generally annoying. I sat in the middle seat and Sarah was on the aisle. The guy who was sitting next to the window was not friendly at all. He even decided to close the window and sleep (so we couldn't look out). And he had in ear plugs, so the flight attendant couldn't wake him when she brought the OJ that he ordered. Nice. Other than that our experience with Southwest wasn't too bad.
Gizmo was happy to see us when we got home. The minute the door opened, he was at the door chirping at us. Then the start of the real stress started.... unpacking. It took a bit, but we finally got it finished and then had to run to the grocery store. After getting everything we needed to get (milk, eggs, bread, etc.) and getting everything unpacked and laundry sorted, I think we are ready for another vacation.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday
It's our last full day of vacation, and we spent it relaxing, or at least trying to. Kris and I started with going to a few more of the little shops at Sumpter Landing and I wanted to take some pictures of The Villages.
When we got back I went swimming with the girls again. But before we could, we had to wait for the rain to stop. It rained on and off about 5 or 6 times Friday. So we would swim, get out, swim, get out...
Then for dinner we went to the Orange Blossom for a fish fry. Amazing that they would have a fish fry in Florida. After dinner we went to Spanish Springs to see Scooter. Mom had been talking about taking the girls there all week. Alison was very hesitant to go dance at first, but as soon as we got there and she heard the music start, she was out there with grandma doing the macarena and the cupid shuffle (among others).
We finished up the day with a late night swim (if 8:45 can be called late). And then to bed early to get ready to head to the airport in the morning.
What a great vacation.
When we got back I went swimming with the girls again. But before we could, we had to wait for the rain to stop. It rained on and off about 5 or 6 times Friday. So we would swim, get out, swim, get out...
Then for dinner we went to the Orange Blossom for a fish fry. Amazing that they would have a fish fry in Florida. After dinner we went to Spanish Springs to see Scooter. Mom had been talking about taking the girls there all week. Alison was very hesitant to go dance at first, but as soon as we got there and she heard the music start, she was out there with grandma doing the macarena and the cupid shuffle (among others).
We finished up the day with a late night swim (if 8:45 can be called late). And then to bed early to get ready to head to the airport in the morning.
What a great vacation.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Blisters
Another good reason for not spending Wednesday at Hollywood Studios was the fact that I got a couple of blisters on my feet walking around Monday and Tuesday. I made the mistake of wearing a new pair of shoes to the parks without breaking them in first.
Tuesday night, I popped one of them... big mistake. I could barely walk on Wednesday, and Thursday my foot still hurt, but by the end of the day Friday I had progressed to the point I could at least walk normally without a sharp, stabbing pain in my toe with every stride.
Note to self... Do not wear brand new shoes when doing 18 hours of walking and standing. And do not pop blisters prematurely.
Tuesday night, I popped one of them... big mistake. I could barely walk on Wednesday, and Thursday my foot still hurt, but by the end of the day Friday I had progressed to the point I could at least walk normally without a sharp, stabbing pain in my toe with every stride.
Note to self... Do not wear brand new shoes when doing 18 hours of walking and standing. And do not pop blisters prematurely.
Lost in Central Florida
When we left the Old Key West resort, I thought I'd just follow the signs to get back to hwy. 192 and then hwy. 27. The roads around Disney are just a maze, and if you miss a sign, you're screwed. I made sure that we read every road sign and was sure we were going in the right direction, West, when we got off of I-4. I was sure we were on hwy. 192, and figured we were heading in the right direction. We even passed the "big wizard T-shirt shop" so I KNEW we were going the right way.
After about 8 or 9 miles I said to Kris that none of this stuff looked familiar and I noticed the hwy. 192 sign said "East". I thought, that's not right. So we pulled into a parking lot and dug out the Garmin and set it up. We made a big U-turn and headed back in the opposite direction.
I felt stupid. I should have realized that we were driving into the sun, and that it wasn't at our backs. Once we got the Garmin going it was easy to see where we were. ON the way back, I saw why I got turned around. There is a second big wizard t-shirt store. When I thought we were going the right way, we weren't because of the second store.
After about 8 or 9 miles I said to Kris that none of this stuff looked familiar and I noticed the hwy. 192 sign said "East". I thought, that's not right. So we pulled into a parking lot and dug out the Garmin and set it up. We made a big U-turn and headed back in the opposite direction.
I felt stupid. I should have realized that we were driving into the sun, and that it wasn't at our backs. Once we got the Garmin going it was easy to see where we were. ON the way back, I saw why I got turned around. There is a second big wizard t-shirt store. When I thought we were going the right way, we weren't because of the second store.
Day Five
Thursday was supposed to be a relaxing day. I went swimming with the girls and we drove down to Sumpter Landing to do a little shopping. The girls wanted to look for things like t-shirts from The Villages. Kris was also looking for a couple of gifts for friends. We walked around a few shops, and the girls found a couple of things. I just can't look for things with the girls so I waited until Kris and I were alone.
We came home with the girls and then went back out by ourselves. We had to run to Publix for my mom, and then when we got back home, we dropped off the things for my mom and then went back to Sumpter Landing. On the way back we had to hurry because there was some heavy rain on the way. We were in my dad's neighbor's golf cart, which happens to be gasoline powered rather than electric. As such, it moves much faster than my dad's. I had it up to 29 mph trying to beat the rain (but I won't admit that in court).
After dinner, we went back down to Sumpter Landing for "Vendor Night". Kris ended up finding a nice gift and we sat down and watched some of the dancing and listened to some of the music. I have to say, it was sort of entertaining watching some of the people, and also kind of disturbing. There was one guy who looked somewhat drunk, and was trying to put the moves on the old women there. At least that is what it looked like. I could be wrong, but it still looked creepy. Kris agreed. But it was entertaining enough.
When we got back the girls and I went for a quick swim before bed under the stars. Not a bad ending to a sort of crummy day.
We came home with the girls and then went back out by ourselves. We had to run to Publix for my mom, and then when we got back home, we dropped off the things for my mom and then went back to Sumpter Landing. On the way back we had to hurry because there was some heavy rain on the way. We were in my dad's neighbor's golf cart, which happens to be gasoline powered rather than electric. As such, it moves much faster than my dad's. I had it up to 29 mph trying to beat the rain (but I won't admit that in court).
After dinner, we went back down to Sumpter Landing for "Vendor Night". Kris ended up finding a nice gift and we sat down and watched some of the dancing and listened to some of the music. I have to say, it was sort of entertaining watching some of the people, and also kind of disturbing. There was one guy who looked somewhat drunk, and was trying to put the moves on the old women there. At least that is what it looked like. I could be wrong, but it still looked creepy. Kris agreed. But it was entertaining enough.
When we got back the girls and I went for a quick swim before bed under the stars. Not a bad ending to a sort of crummy day.
Leaving Disney
The original plan was to go to Hollywood Studios Wednesday and then head back to my parents' house. Unfortunately, because of Kris's legs, we had to skip it because of the rash and resulting swelling on her calves and ankles. She was willing to put up with it, but I decided I would rather just go back to my parents' house and have a doctor take a look at her legs and see if there was anything she could get to make it go away.
This is what her legs looked like at about 10:00 Tuesday night, only 6 hours after the pictures at EPCOT:
It was even worse in the morning, so I think we made the right call by not going to Hollywood Studios.
This is what her legs looked like at about 10:00 Tuesday night, only 6 hours after the pictures at EPCOT:
It was even worse in the morning, so I think we made the right call by not going to Hollywood Studios.
Pool
Since we are not going back to Disney, we will just be staying at my folks' house in The Villages for the rest of our vacation. I think that at least Alison is happy with this because she gets to swim. I think she would spend the entire day in the pool if she could.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Trip to the Doctor
Once we got back to The Villages and after unpacking the car we got the girls set up with lunch. While the girls ate we checked on where we could go to have Kris's legs looked at. There is an Urgent Care Clinic at Sumpter Landing, so we hopped back in the car and took a drive there to see a doctor.
After filling out all the paperwork and waiting, Kris finally got to see the doctor. The diagnosis - Contact Dermatitis. She ended up getting a shot and prescriptions for some steroids and hydrocortizone creme. From the time we got there until the time we got her prescriptions filled was two hours.
We still have no idea with what she came into contact, but at least we have something to help clear it up now.
After filling out all the paperwork and waiting, Kris finally got to see the doctor. The diagnosis - Contact Dermatitis. She ended up getting a shot and prescriptions for some steroids and hydrocortizone creme. From the time we got there until the time we got her prescriptions filled was two hours.
We still have no idea with what she came into contact, but at least we have something to help clear it up now.
EPCOT Part II
Once we finished with The Land, it was time to head over for our Test Track fast passes. We had five minutes to spare. When we go there however, Kris commented about her legs burning. A quick inspection showed a couple of red spots on the backs of her calves. At first, Kris thought it was just a razor burn, so we got in line for the Test Track ride.
Alison was hesitant to go on since she saw how fast the cars were running. She is a little frightened of rides with high speeds, but I am working on fixing that. But here she is looking a little apprehensive as we wait in line:
Kris and Sarah thought it was fun, Ali was still a little scared and was screaming at the turns and high speeds... Personally, I wasn't too thrilled with it. I thought it was a little too hyped. Afterward, as with all the Disney rides, you get channeled through the gift shops. The test track moved us through a small automobile show room. We got to look at some new cars, and as much as I disagree with GM being owned by the government, there were some good prices on a couple of their cars ( I am beginning to shop for a replacement for my car). And, Kris got to actually sit in a new Camaro. Of course as soon as she did, a salesman was there to ask if we wanted any info on the new Camaro.
Once the Test Track was over, we went back over to the Nemo ride in the Seas. It took longer going through all the turnstiles than it did to actually stand in line to wait. Ali wasn't very impressed with it, but I told her at least we were inside in the A/C. Not that it was all that bad. The heat was actually pretty good, it was the humidity that was a drag. But I have to say even that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was much worse at the Magic Kingdom the day before.
When we had finished the Nemo "ride" itself, we walked around to look at the aquariums they have full of tropical fish and the manatees. Ali wanted to go do the shark area, so we let her run around there for a little bit and take an interactive shark quiz.
After the Seas, we walked over to "Ellen's Energy Adventure". I remembered being on it back in 1984, but that was well before Ellen DeGeneres redid the movie. We got there about five minutes before the movie started. I didn't realize how long it was until we got there and saw the signs that said it was a 45-minute moving theater experience. I thought that would be another nice, long A/C ride during a hot part of the day.
When we finished, we walked over to Mexico to see if we could eat in the Mayan pyramid for some good, authentic Mexican food. When Sarah saw the menu, she decided she didn't want to have Mexican food for dinner. So I guess Mexican food in Wisconsin is a lot different than actual food prepared by Mexicans. We ended up getting a big plate of nachos, and Sarah settled for a churro. Ali wanted none of it. She actually said she had had enough of Epcot, was tired, and wanted to go back to the resort.
As we got our food and were walking to a table to eat. We came across Three Caballeros Donald Duck. It was my goal to have my picture taken with a character, and since there were only about five people in line, I set our food down and I took the girls to go have their picture taken.
I just had the Disney photographer take my picture, since I was trying to be quick and keep the pictures moving so the other little kids could continue having their pictures taken.
When we got back to the table with Kris, she remarked that her legs were still really burning. A check of her legs showed that there were now several more red spots all over her legs.
Her other leg looked pretty much the same. So since Alison wanted to go, and Kris's legs were to the point of not being able to walk since the heat of the sun and the heat coming off the pavement just making the burning sensation worse. Sarah wanted to have her picture taken over in the World Showcase in France so we decided to walk over there and then call it a day. We walked through Canada, and England on our way to France. I was hoping to get a little better picture of the girls in front of the "Eiffel Tower", but this was about as good as we could get:
Once Sarah got her picture, we started walking out. We were originally going to go around the World Showcase so we could go through all the countries, but because Alison was so tired and Kris's legs, we took the short way out.
The longest line we waiting in was about 20 minutes, and the crowds were very manageable. Just like the Magic Kingdom, not at all what I was expecting.
Alison was hesitant to go on since she saw how fast the cars were running. She is a little frightened of rides with high speeds, but I am working on fixing that. But here she is looking a little apprehensive as we wait in line:
Kris and Sarah thought it was fun, Ali was still a little scared and was screaming at the turns and high speeds... Personally, I wasn't too thrilled with it. I thought it was a little too hyped. Afterward, as with all the Disney rides, you get channeled through the gift shops. The test track moved us through a small automobile show room. We got to look at some new cars, and as much as I disagree with GM being owned by the government, there were some good prices on a couple of their cars ( I am beginning to shop for a replacement for my car). And, Kris got to actually sit in a new Camaro. Of course as soon as she did, a salesman was there to ask if we wanted any info on the new Camaro.
Once the Test Track was over, we went back over to the Nemo ride in the Seas. It took longer going through all the turnstiles than it did to actually stand in line to wait. Ali wasn't very impressed with it, but I told her at least we were inside in the A/C. Not that it was all that bad. The heat was actually pretty good, it was the humidity that was a drag. But I have to say even that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was much worse at the Magic Kingdom the day before.
When we had finished the Nemo "ride" itself, we walked around to look at the aquariums they have full of tropical fish and the manatees. Ali wanted to go do the shark area, so we let her run around there for a little bit and take an interactive shark quiz.
After the Seas, we walked over to "Ellen's Energy Adventure". I remembered being on it back in 1984, but that was well before Ellen DeGeneres redid the movie. We got there about five minutes before the movie started. I didn't realize how long it was until we got there and saw the signs that said it was a 45-minute moving theater experience. I thought that would be another nice, long A/C ride during a hot part of the day.
When we finished, we walked over to Mexico to see if we could eat in the Mayan pyramid for some good, authentic Mexican food. When Sarah saw the menu, she decided she didn't want to have Mexican food for dinner. So I guess Mexican food in Wisconsin is a lot different than actual food prepared by Mexicans. We ended up getting a big plate of nachos, and Sarah settled for a churro. Ali wanted none of it. She actually said she had had enough of Epcot, was tired, and wanted to go back to the resort.
As we got our food and were walking to a table to eat. We came across Three Caballeros Donald Duck. It was my goal to have my picture taken with a character, and since there were only about five people in line, I set our food down and I took the girls to go have their picture taken.
I just had the Disney photographer take my picture, since I was trying to be quick and keep the pictures moving so the other little kids could continue having their pictures taken.When we got back to the table with Kris, she remarked that her legs were still really burning. A check of her legs showed that there were now several more red spots all over her legs.
Her other leg looked pretty much the same. So since Alison wanted to go, and Kris's legs were to the point of not being able to walk since the heat of the sun and the heat coming off the pavement just making the burning sensation worse. Sarah wanted to have her picture taken over in the World Showcase in France so we decided to walk over there and then call it a day. We walked through Canada, and England on our way to France. I was hoping to get a little better picture of the girls in front of the "Eiffel Tower", but this was about as good as we could get:
Once Sarah got her picture, we started walking out. We were originally going to go around the World Showcase so we could go through all the countries, but because Alison was so tired and Kris's legs, we took the short way out.
The longest line we waiting in was about 20 minutes, and the crowds were very manageable. Just like the Magic Kingdom, not at all what I was expecting.
EPCOT
Tuesday the plan was to go to EPCOT. We had planned on going a little later (around lunchtime) so we wouldn't burn out like we did the day before at the Magic Kingdom. Well it wasn't so much burn out as it was finished everything was wanted to do. But when we checked the weather, it was supposed to be rainy in the afternoon, so we decided to hurry up and get ready and get to the park as soon as we could before we lost too much time to the rain.
We ended up getting there at 10:15 (the park opened at 9:00). After a long line waiting for bags to be checked, we got into the park and Alison wanted to go right on Spaceship Earth. She also wanted to take a picture of it so I let her have the camera.
The girls actually liked Spaceship Earth, which was a surprise to me. The whole history of communication through time was something I thought the girls would have no interest in whatsoever. But Ali said she actually like the ride. I think she liked the animatronics more than anything else. We went on it six years ago and it was good to see that it was actually changed from the last time we saw it.
After Spaceship Earth, Alison wanted to do the Kim Possible challenge. We ran our tickets and got our assignment, which was in Norway after 12:00. We had about a half an hour or so to kill so we decided to try the GM Test Track. But the wait was actually over an hour so we got fast passes instead and went over to the world showcase in Mexico.
Ali had heard the story for years about how the last time we were at EPCOT we got stuck on this ride. I actually like the Mexico pavilion anyway. I love looking at all the crafts and jewelry. So we went on the ride and showed the girls the characters from The Three Caballeros. I think when we get home I may break out the DVD to show the girls. But I think they liked it.
After Mexico, we went to Norway and got our Kimmunicator and assignment. Then we went on the Maelstrom . Sarah had told Alison all about it and had her all freaked out before going on. Then when we did it, it was pretty tame. In fact, it changed just slightly from six years ago as well. As soon as we got out, we started the Kim Possible mission and right when we did, the sky opened up and it POURED on us. We had to hang out in a little Norwegian cafe for about 20 minutes while we waited for the rain to stop. In the mean time I got the girls a cookie and I had a cinnamon roll.
Once the rain stopped Ali finished her Kim Possible mission. The only problem was she wouldn't let Sarah help her. So this caused some fighting and pouting. After Ali was done I told her that was it, because we wanted to walk around the park and not spend all of our time doing Kim Possible things. Besides, the things they had us doing were really kind of lame. Sarah didn't miss much.
When we turned in the Kimmunicator we started over to the Land of Imagination and the Figment ride. Once again, the wait was only about five minutes. Alison thought the ride was rather neat. The only thing that sucked was all the Kodak things at the end (making pictures editing them) were not working right. After trying for five to ten minutes we gave up. We stayed a little longer just because the rain had started again.
Once it had let up we went over the The Land. Soarin' had a long line and we couldn't get fast passes because we still had the ones from the Test Track so we went on the boat ride there. I forget what it was called exactly.
End of part one of EPCOT. More to come tomorrow.
We ended up getting there at 10:15 (the park opened at 9:00). After a long line waiting for bags to be checked, we got into the park and Alison wanted to go right on Spaceship Earth. She also wanted to take a picture of it so I let her have the camera.
The girls actually liked Spaceship Earth, which was a surprise to me. The whole history of communication through time was something I thought the girls would have no interest in whatsoever. But Ali said she actually like the ride. I think she liked the animatronics more than anything else. We went on it six years ago and it was good to see that it was actually changed from the last time we saw it.After Spaceship Earth, Alison wanted to do the Kim Possible challenge. We ran our tickets and got our assignment, which was in Norway after 12:00. We had about a half an hour or so to kill so we decided to try the GM Test Track. But the wait was actually over an hour so we got fast passes instead and went over to the world showcase in Mexico.
Ali had heard the story for years about how the last time we were at EPCOT we got stuck on this ride. I actually like the Mexico pavilion anyway. I love looking at all the crafts and jewelry. So we went on the ride and showed the girls the characters from The Three Caballeros. I think when we get home I may break out the DVD to show the girls. But I think they liked it.
After Mexico, we went to Norway and got our Kimmunicator and assignment. Then we went on the Maelstrom . Sarah had told Alison all about it and had her all freaked out before going on. Then when we did it, it was pretty tame. In fact, it changed just slightly from six years ago as well. As soon as we got out, we started the Kim Possible mission and right when we did, the sky opened up and it POURED on us. We had to hang out in a little Norwegian cafe for about 20 minutes while we waited for the rain to stop. In the mean time I got the girls a cookie and I had a cinnamon roll.
Once the rain stopped Ali finished her Kim Possible mission. The only problem was she wouldn't let Sarah help her. So this caused some fighting and pouting. After Ali was done I told her that was it, because we wanted to walk around the park and not spend all of our time doing Kim Possible things. Besides, the things they had us doing were really kind of lame. Sarah didn't miss much.
When we turned in the Kimmunicator we started over to the Land of Imagination and the Figment ride. Once again, the wait was only about five minutes. Alison thought the ride was rather neat. The only thing that sucked was all the Kodak things at the end (making pictures editing them) were not working right. After trying for five to ten minutes we gave up. We stayed a little longer just because the rain had started again.
Once it had let up we went over the The Land. Soarin' had a long line and we couldn't get fast passes because we still had the ones from the Test Track so we went on the boat ride there. I forget what it was called exactly.
End of part one of EPCOT. More to come tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Magic Kingdom Part Two
After the Haunted Mansion we decided to take a ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat since there was no one on it and it was leaving in about five minutes. Ali was mad because she wanted to go to Big Thunder Mountain. But I managed to convince her we would go there next.
When the boat ride was over, Ali had to go to the bathroom, so while she went I wandered into a gift shop. I ended up finding the limited edition Silly Bandz that are sold "exclusively" at the Disney parks. When Alison and Sarah made their way into the shop, I pointed them out and they nearly hit the ceiling. Sarah bought the Fairy set and Alison got the Fairy Set and a Disney character set.
Once that was done we made our way back over to Big Thunder Mountain. We happened to walk by the Pirates of the Caribbean and right across from it, Jack Sparrow was doing a sword fighting demonstration, so we decided to watch for a couple of minutes.
When we were done we noticed the wait time said five minutes for Pirates, so we went there next. When we were done with Pirates we stopped to get something to for lunch.
At this point Alison started her whimpering, saying she was scared to go on Big Thunder Mountain. I did what I could to try and convince her during lunch and when we left, she was still whining about being scared. We made it over there, and I made her ride it. She screamed during the ride, but she enjoyed it. If you ask her, she'll say she is still scared, but the truth is it was fun for her.
On the way to Big Thunder Mountain we saw Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. I wanted to have my picture taken with Woody, but the line had to be at least 50 people long. I was not about to wait in line to have a picture taken with a guy in a costume! I figured I would just wait and if the opportunity presented itself where we didn't have to wait, we'd jump at it.
After Big Thunder Mountain the Girls wanted to go to the Tomorrowland Speedway. Both Sarah and Alison wanted to try their hand at driving. Let's hope they get better because they are not going to to women drivers any favors. Ali was with me and Sarah drove Kris.
When we were done driving we went over to Tommowland to do a couple of things we had never done, the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and The Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (Note, I scored 105,500 on Buzz's challenge, though in all honesty, Kris and the girls didn't get what was going on at first). After the Buzz Lightyear ride, the sky opened up again and we took cover. When it finally let up we went to the Tea Cups. This is one of (if not THE) favorite ride of Alison. I swear, I remember the ride lasting longer. But I let the girls start out spinning the cup. They didn't do too bad, but then they asked me to do it. Let's just say they were staggering a little when we finished. I was pulling the wheel so hard, I split my cuticle. I don;t know how that happened, but my finger was bleeding when we were done.
From there, we went to Winnie the Pooh. pretty boring, but it was nice to be inside in the air conditioning. It was really sticky after the rain.
After Pooh, we were about done. The girls wanted to go on the Dumbo ride, but the wait was 75 minutes (why would people like that ride?). So instead we walked over to the Aladdin Magic Carpet ride. It's teh same ride, just a different look for the "car" you sit in. the wait there was only 15 minutes, so Sarah took Alison while Kris and I waited.
While we waited I saw we only had a 20 minute wait for the Jungle Cruise, so we hit that next. After the Jungle ride, we had done everything we wanted to do at the Magic Kingdom, except for the Parade and fireworks. We had almost three hours to kill before the Electric Lights Parade, so we decided, it's just a parade... time to go home.
And as luck would have it, as we were leaving, we ran into a parade on Main Street. So Ali did get to see a parade, just no the electrical parade. She was fine with that, and we planned on seeing the fireworks at EPCOT the next day.
End of Day One at Disney
When the boat ride was over, Ali had to go to the bathroom, so while she went I wandered into a gift shop. I ended up finding the limited edition Silly Bandz that are sold "exclusively" at the Disney parks. When Alison and Sarah made their way into the shop, I pointed them out and they nearly hit the ceiling. Sarah bought the Fairy set and Alison got the Fairy Set and a Disney character set.
Once that was done we made our way back over to Big Thunder Mountain. We happened to walk by the Pirates of the Caribbean and right across from it, Jack Sparrow was doing a sword fighting demonstration, so we decided to watch for a couple of minutes.
When we were done we noticed the wait time said five minutes for Pirates, so we went there next. When we were done with Pirates we stopped to get something to for lunch.
At this point Alison started her whimpering, saying she was scared to go on Big Thunder Mountain. I did what I could to try and convince her during lunch and when we left, she was still whining about being scared. We made it over there, and I made her ride it. She screamed during the ride, but she enjoyed it. If you ask her, she'll say she is still scared, but the truth is it was fun for her.
On the way to Big Thunder Mountain we saw Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. I wanted to have my picture taken with Woody, but the line had to be at least 50 people long. I was not about to wait in line to have a picture taken with a guy in a costume! I figured I would just wait and if the opportunity presented itself where we didn't have to wait, we'd jump at it.
After Big Thunder Mountain the Girls wanted to go to the Tomorrowland Speedway. Both Sarah and Alison wanted to try their hand at driving. Let's hope they get better because they are not going to to women drivers any favors. Ali was with me and Sarah drove Kris.
When we were done driving we went over to Tommowland to do a couple of things we had never done, the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and The Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (Note, I scored 105,500 on Buzz's challenge, though in all honesty, Kris and the girls didn't get what was going on at first). After the Buzz Lightyear ride, the sky opened up again and we took cover. When it finally let up we went to the Tea Cups. This is one of (if not THE) favorite ride of Alison. I swear, I remember the ride lasting longer. But I let the girls start out spinning the cup. They didn't do too bad, but then they asked me to do it. Let's just say they were staggering a little when we finished. I was pulling the wheel so hard, I split my cuticle. I don;t know how that happened, but my finger was bleeding when we were done.
From there, we went to Winnie the Pooh. pretty boring, but it was nice to be inside in the air conditioning. It was really sticky after the rain.
After Pooh, we were about done. The girls wanted to go on the Dumbo ride, but the wait was 75 minutes (why would people like that ride?). So instead we walked over to the Aladdin Magic Carpet ride. It's teh same ride, just a different look for the "car" you sit in. the wait there was only 15 minutes, so Sarah took Alison while Kris and I waited.
While we waited I saw we only had a 20 minute wait for the Jungle Cruise, so we hit that next. After the Jungle ride, we had done everything we wanted to do at the Magic Kingdom, except for the Parade and fireworks. We had almost three hours to kill before the Electric Lights Parade, so we decided, it's just a parade... time to go home. And as luck would have it, as we were leaving, we ran into a parade on Main Street. So Ali did get to see a parade, just no the electrical parade. She was fine with that, and we planned on seeing the fireworks at EPCOT the next day.
End of Day One at Disney
Magic Kingdom
Monday was spent at The Magic Kingdom. We got there early, right when the park opened. I had to fix a small issue we had with our tickets. Once that got straightened out we went to the back of the park (Fantasyland) and the plan was to work our way back around the park methodically. Sarah wasn't too keen on that as she wanted to go to the Pirates of the Caribbean first. This lead to some big time pouting.
We started at Snow White. As soon as we got in line, the rain started. Luckily, we were under cover waiting in line. By the time we were done, the rain had stopped (about 15 minutes). After Snow White, Sarah wanted to go look in one of the shops and Alison wanted to ride the Merry-Go-Round. So while Kris took Sarah to look at shirts, Ali and I rode the Merry-Go-Round.
After the Merry-Go-Round, we went to Peter Pan. In between Ali saw a stand selling mouse ears so we took a look and she found a pair that she wanted. I told her we'd come back later and get them. We got lucky that when we got in line for Peter Pan a mom handed us her fast passes. They had just gone on and they had mistakenly gotten fast passes. So she asked if we wanted them. Instead of waiting 10-15 minutes to get on, we were on in about five minutes.
After the ride we went back and got Ali her mouse ears:
Sarah got her Happy Birthday ears and Kris got a hat too since the humidity had just destroyed her hair. We took a few minutes to plan our next move and then we went over to the Haunted Mansion. It was all of about a five minute wait to get in. I was very surprised. I couldn't believe how uncrowded the park was about an hour and a half after opening.
More on our day in a little bit.
We started at Snow White. As soon as we got in line, the rain started. Luckily, we were under cover waiting in line. By the time we were done, the rain had stopped (about 15 minutes). After Snow White, Sarah wanted to go look in one of the shops and Alison wanted to ride the Merry-Go-Round. So while Kris took Sarah to look at shirts, Ali and I rode the Merry-Go-Round.
After the Merry-Go-Round, we went to Peter Pan. In between Ali saw a stand selling mouse ears so we took a look and she found a pair that she wanted. I told her we'd come back later and get them. We got lucky that when we got in line for Peter Pan a mom handed us her fast passes. They had just gone on and they had mistakenly gotten fast passes. So she asked if we wanted them. Instead of waiting 10-15 minutes to get on, we were on in about five minutes.
After the ride we went back and got Ali her mouse ears:
Sarah got her Happy Birthday ears and Kris got a hat too since the humidity had just destroyed her hair. We took a few minutes to plan our next move and then we went over to the Haunted Mansion. It was all of about a five minute wait to get in. I was very surprised. I couldn't believe how uncrowded the park was about an hour and a half after opening.More on our day in a little bit.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Happy Birthday
Today was Sarah's 12th birthday and she spent it walking around the Magic Kingdom. She even found a cute pair of mouse ears:
Since she had a button from Disney that announced "It's My Birthday" plus the ears, the Disney people were wishing her a happy birthday all day. Short of a little rain and fighting with Alison, I think she had a pretty good birthday.
Since she had a button from Disney that announced "It's My Birthday" plus the ears, the Disney people were wishing her a happy birthday all day. Short of a little rain and fighting with Alison, I think she had a pretty good birthday.
Off To The Park
We're off to the Magic Kingdom to celebrate Sarah's birthday. Check for pictures and stories later tonight.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Downtown
Sunday night we decided to go to Downtown Disney. We had a couple of hours to kill after we checked in and thought we would check out the shops etc. they had there. Well after getting there we found one of the parking lots was FULL. After driving around we would have ended up having to park about a half a mile away from where we wanted to be. This is essentially a shopping mall. I refused to walk that far for a freaking mall! Sorry.
Maybe we'll try and hit it again before we leave, but there is nothing there I want to see that badly.
Maybe we'll try and hit it again before we leave, but there is nothing there I want to see that badly.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Car Trouble
Yesterday on our way back from the beach, we had to stop and fill up the gas tank of my father's car. First we, and by we I mean I, messed up the pay at the pump with my credit card. When I put the card in I was asked to put in my zip code. Not realizing this was some kind of security check, I punched in my parents' zip code. This resulted in locking up the pump and having to go inside to see the attendant.
I thought screw this and left, and went to a different gas station closer to home. This time I got the zip code thing right and filled up. I wanted a receipt, and pressed "yes". The display then says "your receipt has printed inside please see the attendant". Now if I wanted to go inside, I would have just went in to pay in the first place. So after being forced into going to a different station, and having the receipt not print, I was starting to get frustrated. Then as we pull out of the gas station, the car sputters, jerks, and dies. I start it again thinking I just didn't feather the engine enough. We pull out and get going, and the car again, sputters and lurches. So I decided to pull it into a parking lot, park, and call my father for help since we were only five minutes from home.
Once dad gets there and takes a look (I was hoping that I didn't do something that caused his car to die) and the same thing happens for him. So the car got parked, and we took the neighbor's car home. The big problem is this was to be our transportation to Disney. After dinner we went back to see if letting the car sit and cool off helped. It didn't. So now we are getting a rental to take to Disney. What else can go wrong? It seems like we always have problems when we come here.
I thought screw this and left, and went to a different gas station closer to home. This time I got the zip code thing right and filled up. I wanted a receipt, and pressed "yes". The display then says "your receipt has printed inside please see the attendant". Now if I wanted to go inside, I would have just went in to pay in the first place. So after being forced into going to a different station, and having the receipt not print, I was starting to get frustrated. Then as we pull out of the gas station, the car sputters, jerks, and dies. I start it again thinking I just didn't feather the engine enough. We pull out and get going, and the car again, sputters and lurches. So I decided to pull it into a parking lot, park, and call my father for help since we were only five minutes from home.
Once dad gets there and takes a look (I was hoping that I didn't do something that caused his car to die) and the same thing happens for him. So the car got parked, and we took the neighbor's car home. The big problem is this was to be our transportation to Disney. After dinner we went back to see if letting the car sit and cool off helped. It didn't. So now we are getting a rental to take to Disney. What else can go wrong? It seems like we always have problems when we come here.
Day One
Day one of our Florida vacation was very busy. Alison's original desire was to go to the ocean on her birthday. So we were planning on heading over to the Atlantic today. For whatever reason, after breakfast, she decided she didn't want to go and ran into the bedroom. Sarah however was now looking forward to going so we ended up talking to Ali about it and convincing her to go. To convince her, we had to promise that she didn't have to go in the water. I'm not sure why but she was set against going in. She said all she wanted to do was collect shells. We told her fine.
This presented another problem though. We were planning on going to New Smyrna Beach on the Atlantic Coast. This however, from what we could see, was not a very good place for collecting shells. We had gone to Honeymoon Island State Park the last time we visited my parents and we knew that there were tons of shells there, so we made the decision to go there today. And it turned out to be a good thing. When we got home, we found out there was an EF0 tornado that went through New Smyrna Beach this afternoon. I am glad Alison wanted to get shells instead today.
This presented another problem though. We were planning on going to New Smyrna Beach on the Atlantic Coast. This however, from what we could see, was not a very good place for collecting shells. We had gone to Honeymoon Island State Park the last time we visited my parents and we knew that there were tons of shells there, so we made the decision to go there today. And it turned out to be a good thing. When we got home, we found out there was an EF0 tornado that went through New Smyrna Beach this afternoon. I am glad Alison wanted to get shells instead today.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Alison!
Today is my baby's 8th birthday!
Ali got her present ahead of time so she could listen to music on the plane, but we thought she should still have a card to open on her birthday. We also gave you a pack of silly bands. Apparently they are the big fad this year. She proceeded to open her package and put all 25 of them on.
Once Ali got dressed she decided to take a picture of herself:
Lots of running today though. Time to get moving.
Today is my baby's 8th birthday!
Ali got her present ahead of time so she could listen to music on the plane, but we thought she should still have a card to open on her birthday. We also gave you a pack of silly bands. Apparently they are the big fad this year. She proceeded to open her package and put all 25 of them on.
Once Ali got dressed she decided to take a picture of herself:
Lots of running today though. Time to get moving.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Florida Trip
We are on vacation! YAY!
My parents are treating us to a trip to see them (our Christmas gift from them last year). The girls decided they wanted to see their grandparents in Florida for their birthdays this year, so we are on our way to The Villages for the next nine days. Everyone has told me that we are going to melt there at this time of year. I have been watching the heat indexes in Florida and that just may be. They have been over 100 degrees for the last two weeks. It looks like we will be spending a lot of time in my parents’ pool. We are also going to go to the Disney parks Sunday night thru Wednesday. Hopefully we’ll be able to take the heat walking around the parks. Keep checking back for photos and descriptions of what we did that day. I am going to try and keep things updated daily on or trip.
My parents are treating us to a trip to see them (our Christmas gift from them last year). The girls decided they wanted to see their grandparents in Florida for their birthdays this year, so we are on our way to The Villages for the next nine days. Everyone has told me that we are going to melt there at this time of year. I have been watching the heat indexes in Florida and that just may be. They have been over 100 degrees for the last two weeks. It looks like we will be spending a lot of time in my parents’ pool. We are also going to go to the Disney parks Sunday night thru Wednesday. Hopefully we’ll be able to take the heat walking around the parks. Keep checking back for photos and descriptions of what we did that day. I am going to try and keep things updated daily on or trip.
Girl Scout Week
This week was girl scout day camp week. The theme this year was Lights, Camera, Action. Again this year the girls did not get the chance to design the Camp Patch, which is sort of a bummer. I really liked when Sarah was able to do it. This year was the latest camp had been since Sarah had been a scout, and I think it was because they couldn’t get anyone to volunteer to be camp director. By the time they had someone, all the weeks had been reserved. As a result, it was HOT, and because of all the rain we had this summer, the camp was infested with mosquitoes!
Sarah was a PAIT this year, which stands for Program Assistant In Training. Next year she will be a Program Assistant, or PA. As a PAIT Sarah shadowed the PA’s, learning what she was going to have to do for next year. Tuesday night was Sarah’s overnight, and it left a little to be desired. She found out that the tent cabins they were supposed to be sleeping in were full of mice, which meant they couldn’t sleep there, and instead they had to go sleep on Sunset Ridge.
Alison’s group this year was about half the size it had been in the past which was good I think. The fewer girls there are the more the leaders are able to control them. Kris went one day with Ali’s troop this year. It was good because she was able to help Alison with the mosquitoes. The first couple of days of camp the girls were eaten alive. Alison must have had 50 bites on her arms and legs. And she even had them on her face. They were horrible this year with all the rain we had. We learned that the bug spray needs to go on BEFORE the sunscreen in order for it to be effective. Plus, the pump spray bottles are not as effective as the aerosol cans. We fixed this Wednesday and Thursday. I think Alison said she got bitten three times in the last two days as opposed to the fifty+ bites she got the first two days.
The same happened to Sarah. The building they slept in on their overnight had mosquitoes on the inside, and they (Sarah and the rest of the PAITS) got bitten up pretty good while they slept.)
And mud and dirt? Every day the girls came home looking just a mess. We ended up just throwing out socks because they were so wet and muddy, they just wouldn’t come clean.
The girls ended their camp this year a day early, because of our vacation. We are heading to Florida Friday morning. Hopefully next year’s camp experience will be a little better.
Sarah was a PAIT this year, which stands for Program Assistant In Training. Next year she will be a Program Assistant, or PA. As a PAIT Sarah shadowed the PA’s, learning what she was going to have to do for next year. Tuesday night was Sarah’s overnight, and it left a little to be desired. She found out that the tent cabins they were supposed to be sleeping in were full of mice, which meant they couldn’t sleep there, and instead they had to go sleep on Sunset Ridge.
Alison’s group this year was about half the size it had been in the past which was good I think. The fewer girls there are the more the leaders are able to control them. Kris went one day with Ali’s troop this year. It was good because she was able to help Alison with the mosquitoes. The first couple of days of camp the girls were eaten alive. Alison must have had 50 bites on her arms and legs. And she even had them on her face. They were horrible this year with all the rain we had. We learned that the bug spray needs to go on BEFORE the sunscreen in order for it to be effective. Plus, the pump spray bottles are not as effective as the aerosol cans. We fixed this Wednesday and Thursday. I think Alison said she got bitten three times in the last two days as opposed to the fifty+ bites she got the first two days.
The same happened to Sarah. The building they slept in on their overnight had mosquitoes on the inside, and they (Sarah and the rest of the PAITS) got bitten up pretty good while they slept.)
And mud and dirt? Every day the girls came home looking just a mess. We ended up just throwing out socks because they were so wet and muddy, they just wouldn’t come clean.
The girls ended their camp this year a day early, because of our vacation. We are heading to Florida Friday morning. Hopefully next year’s camp experience will be a little better.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Oil Spill?
Here is something else I get to look at:
BP has nothing on the amount of oil that my neighbors have dripping from their cars. And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything to help that.
BP has nothing on the amount of oil that my neighbors have dripping from their cars. And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything to help that.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Shaming The Neighbors
To go along with the mice that I think are being brought in by our next door neighbors, I though it would take a second to describe what we are dealing with here. First, I posted this about 6 or 7 months ago. They had actually cleaned out their garage, and had room to park their cars.
Well only a short six months later this is the view I have from one of my family room windows. I absolutely can’t stand looking out the window at their cars. And why do I have to you may ask? It’s because this is what their garage looks like again:
Now add to it the condition of their yard...
I hope you can see why I am not happy. There is actually about four to five feet of my property on the opposite side of my fence. Of course I cut it, make sure it is weed free, etc. and of course their grass is as crummy as their garage. The back behind their garage is nothing more than a field of creeping charlie. I have actually taken to spraying their grass with weed killer (and the guy behind me) in an attempt to keep it from infesting my grass. I wonder if I can get in trouble for that? Also, I sprayed the grass with mosquito spray. I got bit about ten times the last time I cut the grass because they let it get so long, and it was just a breeding ground for them. Again, is that something bad? Could I get in trouble? The bigger question should be do I care?
Well only a short six months later this is the view I have from one of my family room windows. I absolutely can’t stand looking out the window at their cars. And why do I have to you may ask? It’s because this is what their garage looks like again:
Now add to it the condition of their yard...
I hope you can see why I am not happy. There is actually about four to five feet of my property on the opposite side of my fence. Of course I cut it, make sure it is weed free, etc. and of course their grass is as crummy as their garage. The back behind their garage is nothing more than a field of creeping charlie. I have actually taken to spraying their grass with weed killer (and the guy behind me) in an attempt to keep it from infesting my grass. I wonder if I can get in trouble for that? Also, I sprayed the grass with mosquito spray. I got bit about ten times the last time I cut the grass because they let it get so long, and it was just a breeding ground for them. Again, is that something bad? Could I get in trouble? The bigger question should be do I care?
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