We thought we'd take the Disney route over to Liki Tiki.
My all time favorite route!
We decided we really needed to stop at Pop Century and get some reusable mugs! We had so much fun doing that in 2007, and we all loved the slushies.
I was pleased that Brian agreed to stop with no convincing!
Lydia took a little nap on the way
Corey thought he'd do a bit of Twitting on the way in. (OH he HATES it when I say Twit and not Tweet!!!)
(No, we did NOT park in that spot!)
I decided to see if they had anything that Lydia could take back to her class, so I stopped at the concierge desk. The CM was very friendly and asked if we were staying with them. I told her that we were staying off property, and she was STILL friendly! You have to love the true Disney attitude! She told me that she had some little activity books that she could give to Lydia's class. So, she went and got some and even made sure there were enough there for Corey and Arminda! And, she put them in a bag so they wouldn't get wrinkled. She was so sweet, it was just a wonderful change after our Alberto experience!
We were all happy and in a good mood as we entered the Food Court to purchase our mugs. We decided that we would all get our own mug this year. I love using my Disney mug at home so, I considered it a reasonably priced souvenir. We bought our mugs and then looked for the slushie machines!
Well, guess what! We couldn't find them, so I asked a CM if they were there. He happily told me to come with him, and then proudly displayed to me the Ice-Tea machine (slushie, ice-tea, they kind of sound alike, I guess!) He showed me that there were three, or was it four? different kinds of tea, and then waited there while I picked one! He was so sweet, I filled my mug up with some ice tea! Not that I don't like ice tea, but I would have rather had some pop!
We made another round and discovered that the slushie machines were nowhere to be found!
Who takes out a slushie machine??? WHO?????
So, I drank my tea then went back for some pop,
then went back for some hot chocolate,
then went back for coffee,
then some pop...
then Lydia and I made a run to the bathroom!!!
As we made the mad dash to the potty, I noticed a flash of a lime green Mickey Head on the camera bag of a woman in the lobby! There was no time to stop to talk to her though, so I was hoping she would be there when I came back out!
Lydia took a long time in the bathroom, so I figured there was not much chance of her still being there, but I looked anyway. And was excited to see that yes, she was there! So, I went over and talked to her. Her userID is Disnee9, she was very sweet and told me that this was their last day and they had been there for their anniversary. I told her that we were just getting there and we chatted for a bit.
Lydia and I then headed back to the food court through the gift shop. While walking through, i noticed a very distraught woman talking to a CM. So, I walked (eavesdropped) nearby and heard that the woman was looking for her little boy. She had turned around for a minute and the little boy was gone. I went over to the Mom and asked if we could help her. She told me what he was wearing and what he looked like. I went to our table and told Brian what was going on. Arminda decided to walk around with me and help me look.
We passed the Mom a few times and she was crying. I sent Corey into the restroom to look, but we couldn't find him. I was in tears trying to find the little boy! It's every mother's worst nightmare. And, I didn't even want to think about the pools that were so close by.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Mom found the little boy. He had went into the arcade to play some games! The Mom thanked us for helping her look, and I was relieved that he had been found safe and sound!
As we were leaving the food court, I spotted the Disnee9 again and we chatted some more. She was really a very sweet lady!
We then headed back out to the van and drove on over to Liki Tiki Village.
Arminda got out with me to check in. She was very impressed with the decor of the lobby.
She took a picture of this statue
and was a little freaked out by the eel in the aquarium!
So was I!
We were checked in quickly and given our keys.
The room was on the top floor, but there were only two floors, so that was ok.
There was a private bedroom,
a full kitchen,
and a pull out couch.
There was also a balcony that overlooked a little pond.
(That's the balcony, not the pond)
Brian went out to the balcony right away and began pondering whether or not he could cast from the balcony into the pond.
Have I mentioned that Brian REALLY likes to fish??
There was a coffee pot in the kitchen, so I started a pot of coffee as I unpacked. I also started a load of laundry in the washer that was in the bathroom. I just LOVE having a washer and dryer while on vacation! I am amused easily!
After the coffee was done, Brian and I sat out on the balcony together and drank our coffee.
A hotair balloon went by
Oh, so romantic, aww....
Then, Lydia came out....
Then Arminda came out...
Then, Corey got some coffee and HE came out....
So much for romance, it's family time!
Lydia and Arminda were rather enthralled with a pony tail holder that was stuck in a palm tree just outside of the balcony. They speculated on how it could have gotten there.
Lydia was pretty sure someone had been climbing up the tree and it got stuck.
Arminda however was confident that someone had been going DOWN the tree.
After awhile of this fascinating conversation, we decided to run to the Bass Pro Shop and then Target to get a little cooler to put some lunch in. We were going to the parks in the morning.
But, first, I put the clothes in the dryer and turned it on.
Brian dropped the girls and me off at the outlet mall and he headed for the Bass Pro Shop. We had cellphones his year, so there was none of the confusion of last year!
The girls found these cute My Disney Girl dolls for $12. I loved their little hats! They even came with little autograph books!
However they were extremely poorly made, and I think $12 was about right!
We were done shopping early, so the girls and I walked around for a bit. It was REALLY windy out!
Brian called and picked us up and we went to Target.
It wasn't easy finding a nice cooler bag for not a lot of money! I finally went with a cute brown number with polka dots.
Brian of course, felt the need to buy more groceries. He really likes to buy groceries.
But, not as much as he likes to fish.
And, I'm PRETTY sure he likes ME better than fish.
I think.
I'm ALMOST positive about that.
But, just to make sure, sometimes I make fishy faces at him.
A girl can't be too careful.
Um, where was I????
Oh yeah Target! Grocery Shopping!!! OOOH!
We loaded up the groceries and drove on back.
Brian bought steak, so he fixed that up for us. We at it out on the balcony. It was really good!
I went to take the clothes out of the dryer and noticed that they were just as wet as when I put them in the dryer! Uggh! The dryer wasn't heating. So, I had to call maintenance to come fix it.
Brian thought this would be a great time to, what else???
GO FISHING!
I warned him to watch out for alligators and he happily skipped out the door and down the steps.
I'm pretty sure I heard him whistling the Andy Griffith tune.
I cleaned up and waited for the maintenance guys to show up.
Boy, wasn't this installment REALLY worth the wait! Such excitement you just couldn't imagine!
They guys showed up and fixed the dryer. Just as they were finishing up, Brian came back and they talked appliance for awhile.
Brian has absolutely not interest in appliances, but he does like to be polite.
And, when our dryer at home did the same thing last month, I knew what was wrong.
I got our clothes all ready for our park day and then got the kids all ready for bed.
Corey was not pleased when he found out he would either have to sleep on the fold out couch with Lydia or Arminda or on the floor. He chose the floor. I made him a nice comfy looking bed out of the couch cushions and tucked in all three kids for the night. It was going to be an early morning so we could get to the Magic kingdom at or near opening!
As I was crawling into bed, Brian (who was already there) told me,
"I'm going fishing in the morning, is that ok?"
(in my head
WHAT!??!!! Are you INSANE!!! It's a DISNEY DAY!
Outloud:
"Um, sure when are you going to be back?" is what I actually said.
He assured me that he would be back and ready to go by the time I was.
He was late for every single one of our dates....
He is often late for work.....
He is always getting home late (but often shows up with a fish)....
He was late for our WEDDING!!! (long story, remind me to tell you about it sometime)
BUT!
He
better
not
be
late
for
DISNEY DAY!
Not if he knows what's good for him!
We kissed and I tried to sleep.
But, there was a light that was shining directly into the room through the vertical blinds!
GRRR....
After awhile I couldn't take it anymore and hung up an extra sheet on the blinds to help block the light!
Next thing I remembered the alarm was going off and Brian was gone.
Up Next: We FINALLY get to a park!