Canadian Buffoon's Disney With a Teen Vacation - 08/13 - The Wrap

So... Maui.
Yes... back on topic...

Less than two weeks away.
And I can firmly say that I am in no way shape or form
remotely ready.
Let's see... what do I need to do still....
Hmmm... only everything!
Holy crap! 2 weeks! Where did the time go????

Hang on... Gotta check if I closed all my parentheses...
Okay. I'm good.
Excellent use of parentheses. :thumbsup2

The joys of being short staffed.
Don't feel too sorry for me.
We get well compensated for our labours.
If they weren't well compensated would you keep going back?

But I am looking forward to A WHOLE SIX DAYS OFF!!!!
Who doesn't look forward to that???

Well, okay. It's quite possible, but I just prefer not to.
(This in no way should be interpreted to mean
that I am running another contest.
I don't know yet.)
Excellent use of disclaimers. :thumbsup2

So I'm basically telling you... nothing.
So, just another typical @pkondz post.

So those already exorbitant excursions have just gone from
ridiculously expensive to Bill Gates-would-think-twice expensive.
Will we do any? At this moment right now... I don't know.
Honest. I really don't.
Who needs fancy excursions anyway. You're in Maui for crying out loud!

I think my brain is telling me it wants to stop thinking.
I agree with my brain.
This is important.
This is a first.

Nope. Not buying it. You and your brain agree to stop thinking quite often.

Anyway... Speaking of Netflix,
I just finished watching Tomorrowland.
I know, I know.
Not the greatest movie ever.
Only three stars on IMDB.
Heck, I've basically heard... it sucks.

Well, to those of you who've said as much.

pbbt_zpsvira1kam.gif


I really liked it!
I've heard this from a few people. I really want to see it, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I wonder if it is something like the Lone Ranger... it just got blasted to the point that nobody really wanted to make an effort to go see it, but it really isn't all that bad of a movie. When we finally saw Lone Ranger, I actually liked it.
 
Well it was our silver anniversary last year,
so that works.

Nice.

I got a personal guide the first time (well... 2nd if you count when I was 10 or so)
I went to Montreal.
A guy on our course was from there,
so the four of us piled into his car and we headed out.

Well that worked out well for you.

Oh, people would believe.
The stuff that was on that thread was incredible.

Though it's not unbelievable, one of my favorite stories was when my FIL was laid out on the ground. I think he had broken his pelvis in a fall, the paramedics came, and they were standing over him. One of them was Asian, as they were trying to get him on the stretcher, he looked at the guy and said, "You know we whopped your behinds in the War!" And he didn't say behinds! :rotfl2:

You mentioned something like that on your TR
and I think you're right.
If you're there and "claim" it,
others might shy away if they don't know better.

It would be nice, but then again, it may possibly be too cold to sit out there anyways!

:laughing:
I might... but I won't. At least not on my iPod.
If I have my laptop... maybe.
But I don't think I'm bringing it.

I wrote most of my current TR on my phone and then emailed it to my computer where I added pictures edited the text. It has made this TR a breeze because I don't have to remember all the minute details since I wrote them down while they were happening.

I was wondering how you'd respond to that.

How did I do?

Well that was forced on us.
This isn't.

There is that.

Cancel both.
You'll stop feeling guilty about skipping the gym
and eventually they'll auction off the storage units.
Problem solved!

Ha! And lose all that valuable precious items. The gym. Meh.

:laughing: I wouldn't recommend Canada in Winter
unless you have a burning need to see what freezing
feels like.

No. No I don't.

This is a jacket:
jacket_zpsk0u0w8o1.jpg

Good for cool evenings in the Spring/Fall or on windy days.
Also called a wind breaker.
Useless in winter unless you're wearing it
over several other layers of clothing.

OK, see we have those here. We keep them in our closets in case of emergency.

This is a winter coat:
coat_zpsfxlb24km.png

Wind proof, down filled, insulated.
It'll keep you warm on the cold days for a good while.
If it's really cold, then you better wear other stuff underneath it.
Pretty typical what you'd see an adult wear.

This is what people who ski own.

Kids wear a lot less...
because they want to look cool when they freeze to death.

Makes sense. I see them going around here in tank tops and shorts on days when I'm considering getting the emergency jacket out.

And for more extreme temps or longer exposures:
parka_zps0be77v9x.jpg

This is a Snow Goose parka (pretty much the best you can get... yes I have one)
Wearing this I have no problem sitting in a snow bank in -40 temps for an hour...
in a T-shirt.

I've seen those in movies!

Don't ask me why I'd sit in a snow bank for an hour...

Yes, I was going to ask you about that!
 
Well, hi there Betsey.



Oh, no. Sorry to hear that.
Glad to hear he's doing better... but what does "for now" mean?
(If you feel like sharing.)




:laughing:



Absolutely.



Won't be much longer before we're winging our way to Maui.

will be looking forward to the maui report. ok so no I don't mind sharing but I warn you this won't be pretty and hope I don't depress you all.
for the last few months my oldest child Max aged 32 has been having stomach issues. he has moved back here and is staying with scarlett and "those folks she lives with" (daughter shawndell and son in law randy) after a pretty nasty divorice. but as he was trying to pull things together this issue started up. we nagged him into signing up for insurance and told him that he pretty much had no choice. 3 weeks ago it got so bad he agreed it was time to go to the emergency room. they did a ct scan. found a mass on his colon. sent him on his way with some motrin for the fever and pain. told him to get set up with a primary. they said that takes some time and when we explained what he needed(colonoscopy) they said well that would take a month or two. at that point I was done with the run around done with max telling me to "calm down mom jeesh" and randy and I took him out to the Veteran's Hospital (he is an Iraqi vet) he was not happy but at that point he knew it was time. the mass had perforated causing him to go to septic shock, emergency surgery, couple days in ICU, and while in there they put some cameras in to take a better look at that mass. when he got out of surgery he was still pretty out of it, but the surgeon told us that they will be taking the colon out and it will be "a big" surgery.
again he is 32. this is going to be a rough road for him. with all the bad press the V.A. has gotten in the past I will say that the one out here is amazing. they were all over this. they are taking great care of him. he should be home in a few days and we will have to build him back up to be strong enough to make it through all they are going to have to do to him during the next round.
they are pretty darn sure with what the cameras showed this is pretty darn bad. so for those of you who have your docs telling you to get screened do it,
his father passed away from this when max was 7 the rule of thumb is to start screening 10 years before the age your parent was diagnosed, max is a few years shy of that
hey call this the silent killer by the time you get symptoms things are already happening. hence the screening. do it for your self do it for your spouse do it for your kids and grand kids. caught early this can be dealt with.
for now if you are the praying kind please pray for Max
 


And yes. Axes is the plural of axis.

As someone who majored in math in college, I appreciate your careful use of parentheses and terminology.

:rotfl:

My boys watched the documentary "Why Planes Crash" the night before one of our Hawaii flights.

If I don't make it back here before your trip, or if you don't- have a fantastic time!

:beach:
 


Lol. I could spent ages upon ages talking about my time in Europe!

popcorn::

Dh was supposed to get a trip to Europe in college that fell through, so he never lets me forget that when we talk about vacation planning. I can't say that I *owe* him a trip to Europe (I didn't even know him back then!), but it is definitely on the list. (Although, he's been to Hawaii and Vegas, and I haven't.)

Sure you can owe him a trip.


But then he owes you two trips.... muahahaha.


they gave us 3 2-week breaks,

Nice.

plus a 4 week break, that were meant for us to travel.

Nicer!

How do I get on this course???


We were then graded on our sketchbooks from our trips.

So, so hard.
"You must travel Europe and take the time to see beautiful architecture!"

My first trip was to Spain and Portugal (Barcelona, Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Lisbon and Madrid), where I developed a life-long love of Gaudi's architecture.

oooohhhhh.... Barcelona. Extremely high on my bucket list.
I would kill to see La Sagrada Familia.


Our first day, we climbed to the top of La Pedrera (4 story apartment building, iirc about the height), with our full backpacks. We may have been just a little bit nuts. I was in way better shape back then - we basically walked constantly, everywhere. Commando touring at its best - but in Europe!

Did you visit the attic? Or the courtyard too?

We were all in better shape back then.


My second trip was a little more off the beaten path.

Do tell.

See, at the end of sophomore year, I started dating a senior, who was joining the Peace Corps after graduation. He was assigned to The Gambia, in West Africa.

Cool! Seriously.

So, I visited him over Winter Break, flying into Senegal (which is French-speaking).

I actually knew that....
now if I could only figure out how.


He met me at the airport, and then we took a jitney cab sort of setup to The Gambia. I got to see the capital, and also his small town where he was living in a poured concrete house with a thatched roof - no running water or electricity.

Did you sketch it?

Now, you can't just leave it at that.
Did you fetch water from a well head? The river?
How long were you there?

My best friend when I was young spent a year in Zambia and a year in Nigeria.


The third trip, in February, was to Germany, Switzerland and Austria (Vienna). Since we traveled by train, we didn't get to see much of the pretty countryside - which also wasn't nearly as pretty in February as it was in your photos!

Just a tad.... whiter?

We visited Berlin, Munich, and a few other cities. The youth hostels all had the huge breakfasts you showed, so we had our huge sandwiches for breakfast, and snacked on pastry during the day (going through the process of Pastrification, as we called it!), and then had a big dinner.

So you didn't go full local by having your big meal at lunch?

I loved Germany... Torte every day at 3!


That trip was with 3 male friends who were all tall - 6'-0", 6'-2", and 6'-3". One of my most vivid memories is following behind them, saying, "Wait for me!!!"

:lmao:

We also visited Neueschwanstein, but only one guy paid to go inside. The rest of us just spend the afternoon hiking around.

Oh, you should have gone inside!
It's really something to see.


My last trip was Italy and Greece, in May. One other girl and I started in Vienna (she hadn't been yet), then Venice, Florence, and Rome. Then, we took a boat to Athens, where we met up with more students for a guided trip where we learned to do watercolor landscapes

Wow. Sounds amazing. I'd love to do that tour.

We went to Mykonos, Crete, Santorini, and back to Athens for the Acropolis.

My folks still talk about Santorini... and they were there over 25 years ago.

(Rome was the only place where people looked at us like we were crazy when we said we were going to walk places instead of taking a bus, fwiw. I would never, ever want to drive in Rome. People drive like maniacs there!)

Really? Why? They didn't walk much? Or they were really far away?

Yeah, probably. ;) Without a doubt.

::yes::
 
Thanks? {I think...:rotfl2:}

You're welcome! Maybe! I don't know!

Consider those questions bonus points for those that read and remember your ptr. :thumbsup2

I've already said too much!

:rotfl: Hince where the parental veto and the ground rules that plans must be things that EVERYONE would enjoy. Or make them make a list of suggestions with those guidlines in place and then a night or two before you leave sit down as a family and decide. Then no one can complain! :thumbsup2

I like my way better.
"Keep quiet and sit down! We're doing what I want to do!"


you can find them in a lot of places but the talk of costco made me remember the super fresh ones we found there. YOu can even find places that sell them with Ice cream inside them. Those are my favorite.

Oh! So I might find them at Costco.
Ice cream inside???? Whoa. Want.


Lets just say life is better with them there and us.... NOT. We like our ocean and a continent of separation! :rotfl::rotfl2:

There've been times when I've wished for an ocean between myself and my MIL.
Thankfully, not often.


Except they make them baked as well. Think hawaiian sweet roll swapped for the steamed bun... :cloud9:

If you are sushi / nori person DH would say I'm being remiss if I don't point you in the direction of Spam Musubi. It's not my kinda thing but I hate nori so... there you go.

Read about Spam Musubi.
Not a huge Spam or Sushi fan.
I do occasionally eat Sushi... but I'm not crazy about it like some.


Edit: DH is now demanding that I make sure you also look for Malasadas (The puffed french toast at crystal palace reminded him of them)

We had those last time we were there.
Got them at... Leonard's Bakery.
 
Yes... back on topic...

Oh... all right.
But spitballing is so much fun!


Holy crap! 2 weeks! Where did the time go????

One week to go.

Excellent use of parentheses. :thumbsup2

I'm parenthetically gifted.

If they weren't well compensated would you keep going back?

no

Who doesn't look forward to that???

That was kind of a dumb statement, wasn't it.
I do that a lot.


See?


Excellent use of disclaimers. :thumbsup2

I'm declaratively gifted.

So, just another typical @pkondz post.

Pretty much, yup.

Who needs fancy excursions anyway. You're in Maui for crying out loud!

I hear they have less snow there than we do.

Nope. Not buying it. You and your brain agree to stop thinking quite often.

This would imply that it starts.

I've heard this from a few people. I really want to see it, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I wonder if it is something like the Lone Ranger... it just got blasted to the point that nobody really wanted to make an effort to go see it, but it really isn't all that bad of a movie. When we finally saw Lone Ranger, I actually liked it.

Interesting. I've seen most of it (missed a bit at the beginning) and I liked it too.
 
Well that worked out well for you.

Better than I hoped.
He knew the best deli... and the best strip joint.
Two key ingredients for making a great trip.


Though it's not unbelievable, one of my favorite stories was when my FIL was laid out on the ground. I think he had broken his pelvis in a fall, the paramedics came, and they were standing over him. One of them was Asian, as they were trying to get him on the stretcher, he looked at the guy and said, "You know we whopped your behinds in the War!" And he didn't say behinds! :rotfl2:

:eek: Holy CRAP! :faint:
He's lucky he didn't get accidentally "dropped" once or twice.
"So Sowwy. Ever since we lose war. We so clumsy!"

And the "Asian" guy may have been more American than your FIL.


It would be nice, but then again, it may possibly be too cold to sit out there anyways!

So you're saying no one would be using it except for Canadians.

I wrote most of my current TR on my phone and then emailed it to my computer where I added pictures edited the text. It has made this TR a breeze because I don't have to remember all the minute details since I wrote them down while they were happening.

I take notes on my iPod, but I hate typing with the little keyboard.

How did I do?

Not too shabby.

Ha! And lose all that valuable precious items. The gym. Meh.

How precious is it?
Are you planning on taking it out of storage after you're done moving?


No. No I don't.

Few do.

OK, see we have those here. We keep them in our closets in case of emergency.

Ice ages and the like, huh?

This is what people who ski own.

Yup.

Makes sense. I see them going around here in tank tops and shorts on days when I'm considering getting the emergency jacket out.

I see these kids standing at the bus stop.
Obviously miserable and slowly dying from exposure.
But they look "cool"!


:sad2:

I've seen those in movies!

Come to Churchill... In winter. You won't see anyone without one.

Yes, I was going to ask you about that!

Good thing I had that disclaimer.
 
will be looking forward to the maui report. ok so no I don't mind sharing but I warn you this won't be pretty and hope I don't depress you all.
for the last few months my oldest child Max aged 32 has been having stomach issues. he has moved back here and is staying with scarlett and "those folks she lives with" (daughter shawndell and son in law randy) after a pretty nasty divorice. but as he was trying to pull things together this issue started up. we nagged him into signing up for insurance and told him that he pretty much had no choice. 3 weeks ago it got so bad he agreed it was time to go to the emergency room. they did a ct scan. found a mass on his colon. sent him on his way with some motrin for the fever and pain. told him to get set up with a primary. they said that takes some time and when we explained what he needed(colonoscopy) they said well that would take a month or two. at that point I was done with the run around done with max telling me to "calm down mom jeesh" and randy and I took him out to the Veteran's Hospital (he is an Iraqi vet) he was not happy but at that point he knew it was time. the mass had perforated causing him to go to septic shock, emergency surgery, couple days in ICU, and while in there they put some cameras in to take a better look at that mass. when he got out of surgery he was still pretty out of it, but the surgeon told us that they will be taking the colon out and it will be "a big" surgery.
again he is 32. this is going to be a rough road for him. with all the bad press the V.A. has gotten in the past I will say that the one out here is amazing. they were all over this. they are taking great care of him. he should be home in a few days and we will have to build him back up to be strong enough to make it through all they are going to have to do to him during the next round.
they are pretty darn sure with what the cameras showed this is pretty darn bad. so for those of you who have your docs telling you to get screened do it,
his father passed away from this when max was 7 the rule of thumb is to start screening 10 years before the age your parent was diagnosed, max is a few years shy of that
hey call this the silent killer by the time you get symptoms things are already happening. hence the screening. do it for your self do it for your spouse do it for your kids and grand kids. caught early this can be dealt with.
for now if you are the praying kind please pray for Max

Betsey,
First off, thanks for sharing. I like to think that this forum isn't all about me, but is a shared endeavour between me and my readers. I just steer a little. Second of all, no, you didn't depress us... or at least not me. Sometimes it's good to just say stuff and get it off your chest, and I'm glad I and this TR could be an avenue for that. I'm sorry to hear what your son and you and your family is going through right now. Bad enough that this is happening, but throw in the nasty divorce too. Rough. You're right... 32 is way too young to have this happen, but than again, is there any age where it is? Probably not. But it's worse when you're young, isn't it? Sounds like a real close call with him going into septic shock and the emergency surgery. Thank God for your insistence on going to the Veteran's Hospital. Prayers and thoughts for Max and you and your family.
 
As someone who majored in math in college, I appreciate your careful use of parentheses and terminology.

Just for you.

Otherwise it'd be all over the place!


My boys watched the documentary "Why Planes Crash" the night before one of our Hawaii flights.

Perfect timing.
Kids crying as you drag them to the airport...


If I don't make it back here before your trip, or if you don't- have a fantastic time!

:beach:

Thanks, Dee! :)

Then I'd say its probably quite skippable.

I might try it if I see it.
I like trying new things.
 
Sure you can owe him a trip.


But then he owes you two trips.... muahahaha.

Lol. It might take a few trips to Europe to catch up. But that's ok. Now we just need the time and money...

Nicer!

How do I get on this course???

Well, first you get to go through the year of sophomore year architorture studio hell - and if you survive, you have the option of going to Europe! But they moved the program to somewhere in Spain a few years ago, sadly. So you might need a time machine, too.

oooohhhhh.... Barcelona. Extremely high on my bucket list.
I would kill to see La Sagrada Familia.

It looks a little different now than it did back then!

One of dd's friends is considering studying to become an architect. She was over at our house, and I was telling her how she really should go into something a little more dependably lucrative. Then I showed her the big book of Gaudi architecture. Oops!

Did you visit the attic? Or the courtyard too?

We were all in better shape back then.

Well, we went up on the roof where all the cool chimneys are. I tried googling for photos, but none of them seem to be from the vantage point I remember!

Did you sketch it?

Now, you can't just leave it at that.
Did you fetch water from a well head? The river?
How long were you there?

I did sketch the house! I don't think my professors were very impressed, but my sketchbook is somewhere buried in a box in the basement. There was a well not too far away, but my then-boyfriend took care of getting water. I did have to do laundry by hand, which I did not do a very good job with! The women in the compound were very amused by my efforts! That was during a two-week break, but I only spent a few days at the house - I forget exactly how long. We also visited a Peace Corps couple further down the river for a day or 2, and a few days in the capitol at the Peace Corps office.

Just a tad.... whiter?

Whiter as in snow, or people? ;) For the weather, I remember it mainly being very grey, actually. Rain more than snow - especially in Munich.

So you didn't go full local by having your big meal at lunch?

Wait - we were supposed to have a big lunch, too? :faint:

Really? Why? They didn't walk much? Or they were really far away?

It seemed like everyone assumed people would drive or take buses. Rome is bigger than most of the cities we visited, but really, not *that* big for where we wanted to go.
 
Lol. It might take a few trips to Europe to catch up. But that's ok. Now we just need the time and money...

Ah yes.... money.
Why don't we all have more than we can possibly ever use!!!!


Well, first you get to go through the year of sophomore year architorture studio hell - and if you survive, you have the option of going to Europe! But they moved the program to somewhere in Spain a few years ago, sadly. So you might need a time machine, too.

This seems do-able.

It looks a little different now than it did back then!

::yes::

One of dd's friends is considering studying to become an architect. She was over at our house, and I was telling her how she really should go into something a little more dependably lucrative. Then I showed her the big book of Gaudi architecture. Oops!

Yep. That'd do it.

Well, we went up on the roof where all the cool chimneys are. I tried googling for photos, but none of them seem to be from the vantage point I remember!

Still... you were there!!

I did sketch the house! I don't think my professors were very impressed,

:laughing: "And now, presenting one of the great hovels of Africa!!"

There was a well not too far away, but my then-boyfriend took care of getting water.

He deprived you of the full experience!

I did have to do laundry by hand, which I did not do a very good job with! The women in the compound were very amused by my efforts!

:laughing: Yeah, but you could show them how to set the time on a VCR!

(You could... right?)


That was during a two-week break, but I only spent a few days at the house - I forget exactly how long. We also visited a Peace Corps couple further down the river for a day or 2, and a few days in the capitol at the Peace Corps office.

Cool.

Whiter as in snow, or people? ;)

:rolleyes1

For the weather, I remember it mainly being very grey, actually. Rain more than snow - especially in Munich.

Wait - we were supposed to have a big lunch, too? :faint:

::yes::

It seemed like everyone assumed people would drive or take buses. Rome is bigger than most of the cities we visited, but really, not *that* big for where we wanted to go.

Interesting.
I've yet to visit Rome.

Yes... it's on the list.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top