Y.E.S. we are going to the Food and Wine Festival

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 16 nights!!!!! Our Schedule is starting to look pretty good. This is what we have so far:

Saturday - In the morning I will go to weight watchers to get weighed in before vacation. After that I will head home because we want to leave my house by 8:30 AM (My Mom will have driven in from Maine the night before). I will drop everyone off at the airport with the bags and stroller and I will then head to Cambridge to park where I have a monthly pass at a garage. I will take the subway to the airport to meet up with everyone.

We will check into Airtran. This is our first time flying with them and our first time traveling with carry-ons only. It is a little scary but I just couldn't stomach the price to check-in bags. We will either have an early lunch or find something to bring on the plane. Our flight leaves at 11:55 AM with one layover in Atlanta. We will arrive in Orlando at 5:05 PM.

We will pick up our rental van and head over to the condo to get settled. We rented a condo at Fantasy World Resort and we are super excited becuase it has 2 bedrooms and a full kitchen. My mom has to meet the people dropping off her scooter but afterwards we will head to the market to stock up for the week. I have a groupon for Larry's Giant Subs so we will stop there on the way back to the condo to pick up our dinner.

Sunday - Animal Kingdom Day - 9:00 - 5:00

Possible Lunch options are Resaurantosaurus or Flame Tree Barbeque. I definitely want to get a zebra dome somewhere.

Dinner: Reservation at 6:05 at Boma - We are very excited about this one. We have heard so many good things about their food. In fact one of my co-workers used to live in Orlando and he highly recommends this restaurant.

Monday - Epcot Day - also known as eat are way around the world day! 9:00 - 9:00

Riley has his Y.E.S. class this day from 8:30 - 11:30 - Making Waves with a Marine Career. I am so excited for him to take this class.

Lunch: Food & Wine Festival

Dinner: Food & Wine Festival

I would also like to get a margarita at La Cava del Tequila and there are a couple of bakeries I would like to hit up. I would like to go to the caramel shop in Germany and get school bread in Norway. I will probably bring these desserts back to the Condo to enjoy later in the week.

Tuesday - Rest Day

Morning - We will have pool time and enjoy the resort. For lunch we want to go to http://www.amazonaslatingrill.com/. We went last time we were in Orlando and there food was amazing. Even now we drool over the menu. I will either go pick it up if we want to continue swimming or we will all go together if we are done.

Afternoon - About 2 we will head over to DTD. We have a reservation at 3 for T-Rex Cafe. I plan on just getting an appetizer for us to share. Mostly I want the boys to be able to experience the restaurant. Although I have been eyeing that Cotton-tini. Afterwards we will shop in DTD. There really isn't much that I want to get. The only thing on my list is mickey ice cube trays.

Evening - We will stop at Whole Foods on the way home to pick out our dinner (this is always a fun and easy dinner for us). Riley's grandfather and wife will also visit us this evening for cocktails and appetizers.

Wednesday - Halloween and Beach Day

Morning - Head to Ron Jon Surfshop and Cocoa Beach. Gabrian loves the beach and constantly asked to go this summer . This will be such a treat for him to be able to go one more time this summer.

Afternoon - We want to have lunch somewhere on the beach. Possibly we will head to the Cocoa Beach Pier. It seems like they have a couple of good options. Then we will head back to the condo to relax and possibly swim in the pools.

Evening - Halloween at Cranes Roost 5:00 - 9:00
Riley's Grandfather will meet us there to see the boys in their costumes. Gabrian will be a dragon and Riley will be a dragon trainer. This festival sounds pretty awesome. They will have vendors, trick-or-treating, and music playing. It will be a really fun way to spend Halloween.

Thursday - Hollywood Studios 9:00 - 8:00

Possible lunch options: ABC Commissary or Backlot Express
Definitely want to get a cupcake

Dinner: Pizza back at the condo

Friday - Magic Kingdom - Our last day

Lunch options: We have a reservation at the Plaza Restaurant but I am definitely leaning towards Columbia Harbour House. I want to get corn dog nuggets at some point and definitely a coke float.

Dinner: Eat Left-overs that we have at condo

Saturday - Go to Weight Watchers in the morning (this should be scary after all that eating...hopefully the walking will help counter-act that). Go swimming if the boys are interested. Head out to the airport. Have lunch and then our flight leaves at 2:40 PM. We have a layover in Baltimore and will arrive in Boston at 6:31 PM. I will go get the car and then come back to pick everyone up. We will pick up Chinese on the way home and then our vacation will be officially over. I am sad just writing about it .

I am anxious to hear about everyone's thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. I don't get many responders and am hopeful to get some this time. Thanks!!!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 13 nights before we leave!!! It is getting so close that I almost can't believe it.

I am not sure how well you can see this but we only have 13 more circles to cover!!

I have been doing some last minute shopping before the trip. It has been exciting to get stuff in the mail. I will bring my nook for Gabrian with the hope that he can watch movies from Netflix while we are on the plane. Airtran is supposed to have wifi and I hope to take advantage of it. I needed to get earphones for him so he didn't bother anyone else. I ended up getting...

I got them from Amazon for $14.99 with free shipping and so far he is completely in love with them. He is a huge cars fan. In fact I just got him new sneakers from stride rite and he had to have the cars ones. My only complaint about the earphones is they seem to be very low. The volume does not get very high. It doesn't seem to bother him.

I also wanted to get a new pair of crocs for Gabrian. They are great as water shoes and an easy pair of shoes to slip on. He wanted the cars ones but since I was paying I got my way .

These are beyond adorable. Riley even wished they had the in his size. They are on the big side so I am not sure how much use he will get out of them while we are there. I wish crocs wouldn't have them run as 2 sizes. I got him the Child 10/11 but he is really a 9 1/2 shoe. The 8/9 was just too small. I figure at least I will be able to use these next summer.

I wanted to get Gabrian an autograph book. I don't think he will be that into autographs but really think it will make a great keepsake if I was able to put in pictures of the character meet with each autograph. I had checked out ebay but wasn't in love with anything they offered. I went to Michael's today with lofty ideas of making my own but think I found something better.

It originally sold for $12.99 and was 40% off plus I had another coupon for 20% my entire purchase including sales. It was a great deal. I love on the bottom the characters will have a place to sign and then I can match up the picture when I get home. I can put in pictures of the rest of the trip in the remaining room.

I almost bought a scrapbook today but felt I was spending enough money. I would like to start some type of crafty hobby but just haven't found my niche. I am open to any suggestions (although I am pretty sure no one is reading my report so I am not anticpating any ).

Lastly, Gabrian's Dad recently bought him a backpack and I think I will bring this instead of the diaper bag.

I am debating because I really love my Vera Bradley diaper bag. However, Gabrian loves the backpack. I guess once I have everything gathered I can see which one will be the better fit.

I still have to decide which purse I want to bring. I am debating between my vera bradley hipster and mini hipster. Once again I will have to gather everything I want to fit in it and see which one will be the better fit.

That is all for now. I am sure in the next couple of days I will have more to add.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 11 nights until our trip!!! I can't believe how fast it is coming up. I am not as organized as the people I read on the other PTR so my packing won't start until this weekend. I have a general idea of which bags I will use and I have started a list but haven't got very far. I am determined to buy no groceries other than fruit and milk this week. I would love to have that grocery money for the trip. Plus my pantry is a mess and it would be nice to get it more manageable.

I am finding it very hard to concentrate at work this week when I just want to be on the internet planning the trip. This week I have Thursday and Friday off so at least it is a short week. I have to head up to my Mom's house in Maine to get some stuff done so hopefully it will be a pretty drive.

Today I would like to start making a list of attractions that are a must do and then ones that would be nice to do. Once I have the list compiled I will post it. Does anyone know if they have the times of the Character meets posted online? How do you know when they are doing them?

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

I looked at the food offerings for Food & Wine Festival and it may have been a mistake. I started a list of all the things I would like to try and there is no way could I eat it all or afford all of it. Our plan of action is to get one and all of us share it. If we absolutely love it we can always go back for another.

This is the list of things that I would like to try:

Argentina

Beef Empanada $4.00
Grilled Beef Skewer w/Chimichurri Sauce & Boniato Puree $5.00
Terrazas Reserva Malbec $3.50

Australia

Shrimp on the Barbie w/Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze $4.75

Mexico

Crispy Shrimp Taco* $5.25
Natilla de Cajeta $3.00

Scandinavia

Swedish Meatballs w/Lingon Berries $3.50

China

Mongolian Beef in a steamed bun $4.50
Chicken Satay w/Spiced Peanut Sauce* $4.25
Mango Tapioca Pudding $3.25
Happy Lychee w/Vodka* $7.00

South Korea

Lettuce Wrap w/Roast Pork & Kimchi Slaw $3.25
Mung Bean Pancake w/Shrimp & Kimchi Sauce* $3.00

South Africa

Spinach & Paneer Cheese Pocket $3.25
Seared Filet of Beef w/Smashed Sweet Potatotes* $5.00

Cheese

Cheese Fondue w/Sourdough Bread $3.25

Germany

Schinken Nudel $3.25

Poland
Kielbasa & Potato Peirogie $5.00
Zapiekanki $3.00

Hops & Barley

Lobster Claw Cuddler $6.50
Pumpkin Mousse $1.50

Florida

White Corn Arepa w/Mangalista Pork Rillette $4.00

Japan

California Roll $3.95
Sukiyaki Beef Pan $4.50

Singapore

Beef Rendang w/Jasmine Rice $3.25

Morocco

Kefta Pocket $5.00
Baklava $2.95

New Zealand

Seared Sea Scallop $4.25

Belgium

Belgian Waffle w/Berry Compote $3.00
Seashell Truffle $1.75

France

Escargot* $5.25
Coq au Vin sur Gratin de Macaroni $5.50
Creme Brulee $4.00

Ireland

Lobster & Seafood Fisherman Pie $6.00
Cheese Selection $3.50
Lava Cake $3.25

Canada

Cheddar Cheese Soup* $4.00
Chicken Chipotle Sausage $4.25
Apple Ice Wine $5.25

Greece

Griddled Greek Cheese w/Pistachios & Honey* $3.25
Chicken Souvlaki w/Tzatiki* $4.25

Desserts

Dessert Trio $3.75

Hawaii

Kahlua Pork Slider $3.25

I put an asterik next to everything that is a must try. I am open to any suggestions. What should I not bother with? Is there anything that I didn't list?

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

ok...I just made an inpulse purchase on my iPhone. Gabrian loves the car movie. In fact when we talk about Disney he mostly talks about meeting Lightening McQueen . I ended up buying the bundle on the phone for $24.99. We now own Cars and Cars 2. I am hoping this keeps him entertained. We are going to Maine tomorrow to visit my Mom so we will test it out to see how it goes.

I am very undecided about which shoes to bring with me. I have been trying out different options but nothing has worked out so far. I know I will bring some sandals but I am not sure about the shoe. This weekend I will have to make some decisions because I am going to try and get most of it done on Sunday.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 6 nights until Disney!!!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. On Thursday we drove to Maine to visit my Mom and get a few things done. I am hoping to relocate to Maine in the near future. I would really like to live in the Portland area so I have been doing a little scouting. Here are a few picture of our trip. I am sorry that I was unable to resize them. My computer is acting funny and keeps kicking me off the internet every time I try to play with them. I hope to get a new computer soon.

Gabrian in the car as we got ready to leave for the trip.

At a reststop. I think it is funny how big the backpack looks on him.

Gabrian just finished getting his pullup changed. Potty training is not going well at all. He is so stubborn and doesn't want to use the toilet.

Riley at lunch. Doesn't he look thrilled. How come nobody tells you that your cute baby is going to be 14 at some point. He is a great kid but boy you sure can tell he is a teenager.

Gabrian thinking about his lunch.

Gabrian excited about something.

Beautiful foliage near my Mom's house.

This is back at our house. Gabrian sure loves playing with his cars.

Gabrian and I did some Disney shopping this weekend. We started off at the Dollar store and got these items.

Halloween decorations for our windows. We are going to bring this with us on the trip and decorate our windows at the condo. I will make sure to take a picture of them on display.

A cars tissue box. Gabrian was so excited about these.

We also went to Wrentham Village outlets yesterday. The Disney Store Outlet had their grand opening there yesterday. We didn't get there in time to get the free ears but that is ok because we will get the real deal in about a weeks time.

We were able to get some pretty good deals there.

Cars camera. It was $2.99 with 30% off.

They also had their toddler dinner ware on sale. It normally sells for $5.50 each but they had it on special 4 for $10. I am putting these away for Christmas for Gabrian.

In the clearance section they had Flip Flops for $1.99 and 30% off, so only $1.40/each!!

In fact it was such a good deal I got Gabrian the next size up in the Cars one too.

Finally in the clearance section I got this mug. It was $4.99 with 30% off.

I feel like we got some really great deals. I am now going to start packing. I will try to check in later tonight with my status.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 4 nights before we leave!!! I cannot believe how close we are. This time next week will be our pool day. We will be enjoying all the offerings at our resort.

I have discussed with Riley Disney Quest and he is super excited. I don't think he has met a video game that he doesn't like. My thought is while the rest of us go to T-Rex cafe and then go over to AoA to check out Radiator Springs, he can be enjoying the games. I figure if he can be there for about 4 hours he can get his money's worth out of it. I have offered to pay half of the admission for him. I started to explain to him what it was and he told me he didn't hear anything after video games . I also think he will enjoy some alone time. Being with a 3 year old 24/7 isn't always super fun for a 14 year old.

I managed to break Gabrian's suitcase on Sunday while packing. He had this kids suitcase which really was too small anyway. I had tried to stuff and and when I tried to zip it up, I completely busted the zipper. This used to be Riley's suitcase so I am guessing it has lived it's life. I went to Target and was able to get one for $29.99. It was able to fit everything I wanted to bring for him and still have some spare room. I made sure to check the measurements before purchasing. We are doing all carry-ons this year and this is something super new for me. I am usually an over-packer. I have to keep reminding myself that we do have a washer/dryer at the condo. Part of my problem is that I have all of these clothes for Gabrian that I would like him to be able to wear one more time. I know come next year they will not fit.

I am almost done with the packing and need to start concentrating on the cleaning of the house. I want to make sure I am able to come back to a clean house. That way on Sunday I can just relax and catch up on television when I am back.
I better get logged in at work!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Down to 3 nights until we leave!!!!

Honestly people, I would love to hear from you. It is no fun talking to myself. I would love feedback and comments. I am still committed to making a TR this time but am hoping to get more of a response.

We were short 2 stickers for the countdown calendar so I had to stop at Michaels on the way home yesterday. I didn't want to spend a lot on stickers so I was able to find a package of 2 pumpkins for $1.29. While they are not Disney, they fit into the Halloween theme. Gabrian was excited to put one up last night.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We are down to 2 nights!!

Hurricane Sandy is starting to make me a little nervous. So far it looks like we will be ok. It will be moving out on Saturday when we arrive and it will hit near our home while we are gone. If this happens then it will be perfect. The only other bummer is right now they are predicting that Tuesday will be 69. That will be pretty chilly for our pool day. Hopefully they are wrong and it will be warmer that day.

Today is my last day of work before the trip. I am having such a hard time getting any work done. I resent anyone that asks me to do something. I just want to read trip reports and pretend I am there.