1 crazy family+2 resorts+5 parks+1 snake+1 surprise=A Mickeystoontown report 4/3x2

[mickeystoontown]

Oh wait! I forgot to mention two things. They are both pretty darn cool and I can't believe that I almost forgot to tell ya'll.

First, did ya'll see the Doritos commercial that aired during the Super Bowl where the little boy had the time machine? The guy who helped produce the video grew up in our church! Can you believe that? Super proud of a local guy!
Here's a video of the reactions of the people at his Super Bowl party.
http://vimeo.com/85780572

Second, the other day during orchestra, the orchestra teacher had to leave the room for something. Hunter, being the funny guy that he is, went to the podium and told everybody that he was going to direct them. He said it semi-jokingly but everybody picked up their instruments and Hunter directed them through the entire song. Hunter said that the teacher walked into the room halfway through, leaned up against the door and nodded for Hunter to continue. When they were done, he praised Hunter for taking the initiative to get up there and direct. He also told him that he thought that he had a future in music. Made Hunter feel pretty proud!

Okay, shutting up and getting to work on the update.

 

[BridgetR3]

Enjoying your trip report!! We did the pick a pearl once in Japan and it is so nice!!

Glad mama survived her cruise. Did she enjoy herself?

How cool of the music teacher to encourage Hunter like that! He must have some serious talent!

Sad that your sweet girl can't join you in May. I hate when adult responsibilities get in the way of our fun!

 

[pktbMouse]

finally caught up!!! awesome trip report Lisa! I just love reading them
We are starting to get our next trip together ...we might have to wait to first week in June this year and we are usually May goers..bummer. My oldest is in middle school now and dosnt finish till end of May. Have you always driven down?? have you ever flown? We flew last year and this year the great debate is on whether to fly or drive...we just bought a brand new Toyota sienna van which would be perfect to drive..but it is quicker flying...hmmm the debate continues!!

 

[KatMark]

One of these days I'm going to take the time to Pick-a-Pearl. I keep saying I'm going to do it and then never do.

Way to go Hunter. That son of yours has some real talent.

Must admit, we skipped most of the commercials (saw the Budweiser one on FB and deemed it the best and couldn't care less about the others) because we turned the game off and watched Dirty Dancing.

 

[jedimeg16]

I'm just joining in, so I still have a lot to catch up on, but I was drawn in because of Pick-A-Pearl. I had really wanted to do it during our trip last April, but it wasn't in the budget. I think I'll have to make certain to do it the next time we can afford a trip.

 

[scottny]

Sorry that happened with the weather but funny with the reps names and all.
Too bad they had to cancel their Disney plans but yeah for a new jeep.
Nice pearl.
All caught up again.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Enjoying your trip report!! We did the pick a pearl once in Japan and it is so nice!!

Pick a Pearl is such a unique experience!

Glad mama survived her cruise. Did she enjoy herself?

Mama did enjoy the cruise but said that she'd think twice about doing it again. I think it has something to do with her fear of water and claustrophobia.

How cool of the music teacher to encourage Hunter like that! He must have some serious talent!

I thought that it was pretty darn cool too!

Sad that your sweet girl can't join you in May. I hate when adult responsibilities get in the way of our fun!

Yep, sometimes being an adult sucks!

finally caught up!!! awesome trip report Lisa! I just love reading them
We are starting to get our next trip together ...we might have to wait to first week in June this year and we are usually May goers..bummer. My oldest is in middle school now and dosnt finish till end of May. Have you always driven down?? have you ever flown? We flew last year and this year the great debate is on whether to fly or drive...we just bought a brand new Toyota sienna van which would be perfect to drive..but it is quicker flying...hmmm the debate continues!!

Hey and welcome back! We always drive to Disney because it's so much cheaper than flying. The best airfare that we can get is at an airport which is about 2 1/2/3 hours away and then it's still high.

Oooh, a road trip in a new van sounds fun! But, we like road trips so who am I to say that?

One of these days I'm going to take the time to Pick-a-Pearl. I keep saying I'm going to do it and then never do.

Way to go Hunter. That son of yours has some real talent.

Must admit, we skipped most of the commercials (saw the Budweiser one on FB and deemed it the best and couldn't care less about the others) because we turned the game off and watched Dirty Dancing.

Hunter was very pleased by the orchestra director's praise.

I didn't even watch the Super Bowl nor did John. We flipped channels and would stop on it every now and then.

I'm just joining in, so I still have a lot to catch up on, but I was drawn in because of Pick-A-Pearl. I had really wanted to do it during our trip last April, but it wasn't in the budget. I think I'll have to make certain to do it the next time we can afford a trip.

Welcome aboard! I've always been able to pick the pearl and get it set for the $50 that my Mother gives me at Christmas. If it's ever in your budget, I say do it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry that happened with the weather but funny with the reps names and all.
Too bad they had to cancel their Disney plans but yeah for a new jeep.
Nice pearl.
All caught up again.

I wish that we could have gone to New Orleans but I guess Mother Nature had it in her mind that we shouldn't.

I loved picking the pearl and hope to do it one more time in May.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Would you take a look at that! It's a-maz-ing cool!

Ticket to pick up my pearl an hour later in hand, we went outside to see that the candy lady was out. Looks like Jesse was amazed:



She does do amazing work and we had a pretty good view even though we were standing off to the side:







Looks like John was playing a came of peek a boo:



Since we had some time to kill, we looked around in the stores in Japan a bit more and then walked over towards France. Somewhere along the way, I spotted what I believe is a Hidden Mickey:



Looks like we made it to France:



I believe, but I don’t have picture proof, that we went to see the movie in France. I’m thinking that we did because I was a bit surprised that John didn’t take a nap (or at least a full-on-nap) and actually saw some of the film. I know that we also went into the store near International Gateway even though we really weren’t looking for anything in particular...just killin’ time. Once the hour was up, I went back to pick up my pearl and it looked so good in the small gold setting. I was given instructions on how to care for my pearl and the castmembers thanked me again for picking a pearl. They are all so nice there (and enthusiastic).

We had a dinner ADR at the Coral Reef so we started making our way towards Future World. At some point in time, we must have left Lacey and Jesse behind because you can see them (well Jesse and part of Lacey’s hand) in the next picture:



I’m sure that we zigzagged into both the United Kingdom and Canada but, again, no picture proof. I do know that we did come across this:



Yep, that’s a-mazing cool! Actually, not quite that amazing since it’s just a bunch of trees set up along the walkway but it did remind me a bit of a maze. From what we could tell, there had been some sort of display there during the Flower & Garden Festival but they were in the process of disassembling it. Drat! I wish that they would extend the festival to the end of May so that we could see it again. I loved seeing the park with all of the bright flowers and topiaries.

**continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

We were at the Coral Reef a little early but I figured we’d go ahead and check in and see if we could be seated. They allowed us to check in but there wasn’t a table open so we had to wait. And, what’s our family to do while waiting? Take funny pictures, of course:







What cha looking at kid?



Gosh, it looks like I’m ready to sock the you-know-what outta somebody. I was just kidding though. We didn’t have to wait long before a hostess greeted us and took us to our table. This is what you get when a 16 year old has control of the camera:







It felt good to sit down in the air conditioned room and watch the various fish swim by.



Our waiter was the same one that we had the year before and he was super nice and came by our table often. No sooner than he had taken our drink order did he come back with them and a basket of rolls:



We ordered our entrees and they came out within a very reasonable period of time. John ordered the lobster pasta:



Mama and I ordered the steak:



Hunter ordered the steak and substituted the side for fries:



Lacey ordered the salmon minus the sauce and substituted the side for fries:



And I have absolutely no clue what this is other than it’s Jesse’s entree:



Everything was delicious. The only complaint that I had (and it’s just a personal thing) is that the veggies were a bit on the hard side. I usually cook my vegetables until they are slightly mushy. Again, it’s a personal thing.

Our waiter checked on us throughout the meal to refill glasses and see if we needed anything. Once we were done with our entrees, we placed our dessert orders and I have no clue who ordered what so you’re just going to get pics of each. The chocolate wave dessert which everybody raves over (it’s a little too chocolatey for me):



An orange cheesecake (?) I didn’t care for the gelatin stuff on the top but it didn’t stop me from eating the rest:



This is the Bailey’s something or other mousse thingamabob. Not to be confused with the Bailey’s something or other mouse thingamadilly. Got that? Good! Remember to go in there and order that exact thing next time you visit.



As I said, everything was delicious and the service was good and it was nice to sit down together and talk about our day. But, our day wasn’t over just yet. The park was still open and we intended to shut the park down!

**Up next: Do you want your face to freeze like that ‘cause it will!

 

[GrammyJudy]

It's funny but on this trip report you keep mentioning the heat. I don't remember it bothering you before and I know you are used to heat and like it. That is why I can only go to Disney in the winter. I hate the heat even more than I hate the cold.

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's funny but on this trip report you keep mentioning the heat. I don't remember it bothering you before and I know you are used to heat and like it. That is why I can only go to Disney in the winter. I hate the heat even more than I hate the cold.

It did seem hotter this trip than during past trips. I'm used to heat and humidity and had been working in the yard and garden just prior to going to Disney. It was just plain old hot sometimes. Wait until you see a picture of us at the Magic Kingdom. I had a red face from the heat!

Great update!

Thank you!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

So funny in the picture of Jesse being so amazed with the candy lady that Hunter is quite the opposite. "yeah, I've seen it before... Let's see if any of my firends have updated thier FB status in the last few minutes."

Can I just say that your trip reporting skills are impeccable! I cannot wait to someday try the Bailey's somethingoranother mousse thingamabob!!!

You crack me up!

 

[mickeystoontown]

So funny in the picture of Jesse being so amazed with the candy lady that Hunter is quite the opposite. "yeah, I've seen it before... Let's see if any of my firends have updated thier FB status in the last few minutes."

Can I just say that your trip reporting skills are impeccable! I cannot wait to someday try the Bailey's somethingoranother mousse thingamabob!!!

You crack me up!

Yep, they had the complete opposite reaction the candy lady didn't they?!

Hey, I got skittles....I mean skills. Just make sure that you don't order the Bailey's somethingoranother mousse thingamadilly. That's a whole 'nother dessert.

 

[shan23877]

I think I'm all caught up Lisa!

Sorry to hear about the oven, but new appliances are always fun! (I think that's when I first knew I'd grown up-appliance shopping was fun).

I wish that Lacey and Jessie could join you, but it sounds like they're doing what's best for them. I'm sure it makes you proud to see them making such smart financial decisions. We're in the same boat with my little brother-he was going to join us this year. The beauty of being a WDW nut is that there will always be other trips!

Glad to hear that Mama got home safely, but too bad about your weekend away. That's disappointing.

Pick a pearl is on my list of things to do. I keep waiting until Maddie is older and we can do it together though-maybe after she ages out of BBB? It looks like such fun, and a unique souvenir.

I think we are finally going to try Coral Reef this year! Maddie is not understanding the concept of "aquarium walls" so I'm going to show her your pictures when she gets home from school!

 

[KatMark]

So where's the picture of the pearl in it's new setting?

Nice pictures walking around Epcot. Love the Hunter hat picture in France.

Thanks to you, we went back to Coral Reef a few years ago and we really enjoy it (the girls and I will be eating there in June). I love the Chocolate Wave and will gladly have one for you too.

 

[DisneyJo]

It's a shame they won't let you keep the shell but I suppose it's saving me money

My kids don't want to watch the candy lady now that she doesn't give it to the audience, they're all about the free stuff

 

[pktbMouse]

"This is the Bailey’s something or other mousse thingamabob. Not to be confused with the Bail’s something or other mouse thingamadilly. Got that? Good! Remember to go in there and order that exact thing next time you visit. "

oooookk....got that!! I will order that thingamabob and not the thigamadilly for sure!! LOL

( at last someone that speaks my launguage!!!)

 

[jenseib]

MMMM, that food looks really good. I am so hungry today for some reason..probably because I am trying to diet.