A Tale of [family madness in] Two Cities - Final Thoughts & PTR Link!

[jenseib]

I don't watch lost either! I think if I started now I would be....."LOST"

 

[brookelizabeth]

Totally agree! Oh, and I'm 100% certain that a woman came up with the dress over the pants outfit look. Why, you may ask? Because then you don't have to shave your legs to wear your dress! That's a million dollar idea!

Have a great time on your church retreat. I'm a thinkin' that I need one myself!

I love your theory! You are probably RIGHT! And the "new" (though, I VERY much remember wearing this in the late 80s!) style with the leggings under a dress too. I can't bring myself to wear it though, I think I would look like an adult trying to be hip. I'll stick with the jeans!

I was behind.

Oh my goodness those Kidani pics-we did not pass POFR on our AKV contract yesterday but are filing a new contract tomorrow. I really hope that we pass this time cause I want to stay there at Christmas sooo bad!!
I also loved all the pics of the lights, Handy Manny and that o so ummy cupcake. What a nice night that was!!
Have a fun retreat!!

I hope you pass this time! It's a beautiful resort, and LOVELY at Christmas time with all the decorations. Third times a charm, right?

Then, I start looking for someone to discuss it with and counting down the days until the next episode.

2 days until the next episode!!!! I actually read a blog about it, http://longlivelocke.blogspot.com/ She is a great writer and does GREAT recaps and no spoilers.

Have a great weekend! Someone else cooking and cleaning up the mess will be a good beginning. Hope you meet some fun new people.

Thanks! It was a very nice weekend. The food was soooooo good and I really got to know a couple ladies a lot better. My roomie, whom I only spoke to a few times ever...turns out we have a ton in common and spent the entire time together laughing and chatting. I enjoyed all the lessons too, I needed some of that small group/one on one time!

Everybody is talking about Lost around here, too, but you know something...
I have never seen it.

Me either...........

Add me to the list ..........

I'm on that list, too!

Jeeze! I'm glad I'm not the only one! I truly thought I was! I've seen part of 1 episode. That's it! I know lots of people who love the show! Maybe one day I'll find to rent the DVD's and watch them!

I don't watch lost either! I think if I started now I would be....."LOST"

You don't watch Lost?!?!?

Just kidding! The first time I saw an episode I thought the friend who had me watch it was crazy, I thought it was SO STUPID! But I watched it anyway, to spend time with my friend...and got totally wrapped up in it. When I married Joe, I got him hooked! But you really have to watch it from the very start to get it, it's so crazy!

I'm way, way, way behind! Just read the first set from DHS. Awesome on the no crowds...sorry to hear you missed rope drop. Henry's pics with the cars were great. Hoping the fast pass woes with the two tics works out! That'd be a bummer!

Okay....gotta go read some more. Great job on the photos BE, Poppa & KK!

Just read about the mail at 50's Prime Time - loved the photos. Poor Poppa! Sounds like you had a great meal! I'm working from home now and have both laptops online so I can't spare the bandwidth to pull up the videos, but I will be going back to them!

Loved the Kidani photo tour. It was awesome! Good job BE!

Hey GB! Working from home, eh? Very nice! I sure hope work calms down for you a bit. However, if you are pulling overtime, I bet the paychecks are pretty nice. Perhaps nice enough for a return of the Biscuit's to the World?

Glad you enjoyed the updates and the pictures! It's fun having access to Poppa and KK's pictures as well, but it makes my updates loooooooooonger than the already are! Not a bad thing around here though!

Henry and I are home from church today. He caught a cold on Thursday and it was hitting him hard yesterday. When I got home from the retreat he was just miserable with a fever. So, we are laying low today, just chillin', eating some applesauce. I hope to do an update today too. Currently Henry is asking that I join him on the couch to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Duty calls.

 

[MeMom]

Henry and I are home from church today. He caught a cold on Thursday and it was hitting him hard yesterday. When I got home from the retreat he was just miserable with a fever. So, we are laying low today, just chillin', eating some applesauce. I hope to do an update today too. Currently Henry is asking that I join him on the couch to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Duty calls.

Enjoy snuggling with your boy. I hope he feels better soon.

Henry, here are some cars for you. Hope they make you smile.

 

[Disney owl]

starting to read & enjoying it

 

[disneyfan61]

I used to watch Lost but when I started to feel lost I stopped watching it. I don't like the feeling of being Lost My DH is watching the episode he taped this week.

I hope Henry feels better soon!! Lots of colds & bugs going around here. I just sat down & did my DS's tax return & ours. Now going to sit & watch Angels & Demons. Have a great week!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Brook, great DHS update! How wonderful that you could sneak into Playhouse Disney with Henry.

I am with you on this dress over jeans style, I never really got into it. But it is very popular here in Germany as well, as are the leggings. I can't really see myself wearing them, but the great thing about Berlin is that here even women much older than me dress like they are 16, so I wouldn't have to worry about that!

I am looking forward to read about your Cali Grill dinner!

And I hope Henry will feel better soon. At least you got to enjoy your retreat before having to deal with a sick toddler.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I love your theory! You are probably RIGHT! And the "new" (though, I VERY much remember wearing this in the late 80s!) style with the leggings under a dress too. I can't bring myself to wear it though, I think I would look like an adult trying to be hip. I'll stick with the jeans!

Henry and I are home from church today. He caught a cold on Thursday and it was hitting him hard yesterday. When I got home from the retreat he was just miserable with a fever. So, we are laying low today, just chillin', eating some applesauce. I hope to do an update today too. Currently Henry is asking that I join him on the couch to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Duty calls.

Oh, I was a HUGE fan of oversized sweaters/dresses with leggings! In fact, I think I wore the same outfit every single week for my whole 8th grade year! The 80's were such a strange time for fashion and don't even get me started on the hairstyles!

Poor Henry! So sorry to hear your little guy is sick. I'm sure he was very glad to have you home then! Yup, sounds like a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Handy Manny lounging-on-the-couch kind of day. Hope he feels better soon. When my youngest is sick, she literally wants me to sit with her for the whole day, like we're glued together. We watch tv, read stories and sleep. Colds are no fun.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I will have to check out that blog! Thanks for the link, Brook!

Hope Henry feels better soon!

 

[thegreggersmom]

Yes! I will need some info on St. Louis! I have never been there...and we are just starting to plan some now. We will be there in July, so far we don't know the exact dates, but the wedding is on Saturday the 17th, so either a day or two before and/or a day or two after. We are trying to avoid staying two weekend nights in a hotel to save money - we have a free room in Chicago with my Aunt. So might be driving down on Saturday DAY, depending on when the wedding is, and then staying a couple nights. Any ideas/suggestions you have will be welcomed with WIDE OPEN ARMS!

You bet! I'll PM you.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Enjoy snuggling with your boy. I hope he feels better soon.

Henry, here are some cars for you. Hope they make you smile.

I will show him those in the morning! He will LOVE them!

starting to read & enjoying it

I used to watch Lost but when I started to feel lost I stopped watching it. I don't like the feeling of being Lost My DH is watching the episode he taped this week.

I hope Henry feels better soon!! Lots of colds & bugs going around here. I just sat down & did my DS's tax return & ours. Now going to sit & watch Angels & Demons. Have a great week!!

I have to read a blog (or two) to help make sense of the show! We also tape ours so we can pause and discuss to remember things together! It's such a complicated show.

Hi Brook, great DHS update! How wonderful that you could sneak into Playhouse Disney with Henry.

I am with you on this dress over jeans style, I never really got into it. But it is very popular here in Germany as well, as are the leggings. I can't really see myself wearing them, but the great thing about Berlin is that here even women much older than me dress like they are 16, so I wouldn't have to worry about that!

I am looking forward to read about your Cali Grill dinner!

And I hope Henry will feel better soon. At least you got to enjoy your retreat before having to deal with a sick toddler.

Hey there! I haven't been on the DIS the past few days due to being away, so I haven't gotten caught up since you've been back on your PTR, but welcome home! I can't wait to hear all about your adventure!!

I can do the dress and jeans thing - and found out Joe actually really likes it, so I'm starting to do it more often! But the leggings...I just can't do it. I've seen gals my age wear them and look great, and others just look silly, so I'm too scared I'll be on the silly side...!

Oh, I was a HUGE fan of oversized sweaters/dresses with leggings! In fact, I think I wore the same outfit every single week for my whole 8th grade year! The 80's were such a strange time for fashion and don't even get me started on the hairstyles!

Poor Henry! So sorry to hear your little guy is sick. I'm sure he was very glad to have you home then! Yup, sounds like a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Handy Manny lounging-on-the-couch kind of day. Hope he feels better soon. When my youngest is sick, she literally wants me to sit with her for the whole day, like we're glued together. We watch tv, read stories and sleep. Colds are no fun.

I wore giant sweatshirts with leggings my entire 6th grade year. Giant earring to match! And the big 'ol bangs. It's strange to see some of that come back, isn't it?

I will have to check out that blog! Thanks for the link, Brook!

Hope Henry feels better soon!

Your welcome!

You bet! I'll PM you.

Thank you!!!!


Henry update: He went down for his nap around 1:00 pm. At 6:30 he was STILL sleeping. He was coughing a bit so I went in to check on him and he wanted to get out of bed, so we came out to the living room and I noticed how hot he was. A little firecracker! I took his temp....104! I called my Mom, who has been a nurse for 35+ years and asked if we should do the E.R. or wait until tomorrow for the clinic. After hearing him cough, and asking a few other questions, she suggested we go to the E.R.

2.5 hours later, Henry is diagnosed with RSV. They took his blood, gave him an IV of fluids and took a couple x-rays to make sure it was JUST RSV, and thankfully it's not paired with anything like pneumonia. Since he is 2, the risk factors with RSV are greatly decreased, it's basically like a really, really bad cold. The doctor and nurses were very glad we brought him in though. They expect he'll have another rough day or two, then we'll see improvement. We just have to monitor and control his fever and keep up his fluids.

Thank you everyone for your concerns, words and prayers! I'm certain we'll have our normal little boy back in just a few days!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

We last left off, which now feels like a zillion years ago!, leaving DHS - Joe and I were off on our own for a date night to the California Grill!

So off we went. To the front of the park and out. Thank you again Heidi for the excellent suggesting of getting a cab to CR - that is just what we did.

A short 10 minutes later we were at CR. I stepped out of the cab and oh so gracefully bonked my head on the door...which stunned me and made me drop our camera.

On the cement.



That woke me up out of my daze real quick!

Thankfully the camera (and my head) was fine and we made our way into the resort

Tree in the lobby

and up to the check-in desk. We were told they were running about 25 minutes behind. That was okay with us because we were hoping to stay for Wishes at 10:00 pm, and we weren't starving yet due to the giagunda cupcake.

We went up the "special" elevator with another family, this was their 4th trip to CG, they said "everything is excellent."

We'll seeeeeeeeeee!

We got our little pager, hung out by the wall and chatted for about 2 minutes when our buzzer went off! So much for the wait!

We were led to a table for two right next to the window with an awesome view of MK! It had to be one of the best tables. It was beautiful!

Our view!

I kinda like this one, our view and the restaurant

The bar/lounge area

Our waiter came. His name was Topher. He is from Wisconsin, so when he found out we were from Minnesota he made a football joke. In which we stared back at him blankly. It made him laugh. He was cool. I warned him I was thirsty and "part camel". He promised he would keep my water glass filled - and he did! I cannot even count the number of glasses of water I drank. At one point he said it was number 5.

Joe ordered a flat bread for his first course. He was adventurous (for him) and chose one with chicken and apples and goat cheese on it. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of it and I don't see it on the online menus.

We both liked it, but he wasn't crazy about the goat cheese.

I chose the Spicy Kazan Roll. Crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce. A recommendation of the check-in desk downstairs.

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeelish!!!! I ate every single bite and wanted to lick the plate!

Worthy of a second picture, without flash this time...

I heart you!

And now it's time for the main course...

I chose the Spiced Tuna. Spiced Tuna with sweet potato puree, mustard greens, red wine braised beef rib raviloi.

I haven't a clue what came over me.

I felt like walking on the wild side I guess! Tuna is wild for me. I normally don't like it! I was thinking about the comment from the elevator, "everything is excellent" and I thought I'd put them to the test! If I liked this, then I would know this place was good.

And the result?

Excellent! Seriously good stuff! I ate almost every thing on the plate, I just had to stop myself with about 2 bites left before I burst though.

Joe went traditional and got the Oak-fired Filet of Beef, with sour cream mashed potatoes, roasted baby zucchini and teriayaki barbecue.

This too was very, very good! He cleared it away without a problem, loving the tenderness of the meat.

The elevator people were right.

We ate slowly and really enjoyed the meal. We wanted dessert but after all that, all the desserts just seemed overwhelming. The Valrhona Chocolate Cake was catching my eye...warm chocolate cake with molten center, house-made peppermint ice cream. Drool....

Joe said he would be able to eat ONE bite. He was that full!

Continued in next post

 

[brookelizabeth]

Continued from previous post

Sooooooo, we asked to just get the peppermint ice cream. Paired with a cup of coffee (NOT Nescafe, their own blend that they grind there ), this was just what we needed as a sweet ending to the meal. It was lovely.

Mmmmm.

Simple and satisfying.

As we were eating we watched this:

In case you can't make it out, that blurry picture is the Electrical Water Pageant.

It was around this time that Topher came by and encouraged us to stay in our chairs for Wishes, which would be starting shortly. Oh, twist my arm. Okay!

After just a short while, the bar lights went dim. I was hoping the rest of the restaurant would as well and that things would sorta pause for the event, but it didn't. Just the bar lights were down, but the restaurant was still buzzing with people.

But even with that, it was very enjoyable! We were warm and cozy at our table, coffee flowing. Holiday Wishes started and was incredible....even with the slight glare on the glass from the lights of the restaurant.

We tried REALLY hard to get a decent shot...but it just wasn't going to happen. We gave up shortly into the show and just soaked it in instead.

The atmosphere was different than I had imagined. For some reason I had thought it was going to be more intimate, but as most people know-it's open air. So it was noisier than I expected. But, that didn't detract from the experience at all.

All the food we ate was....excellent! Topher gave us superb service.

The only thing we would change is that we would like the restaurant to be dimmer and quieter for Wishes. While we determined it is not our favorite spot to watch Wishes, we are glad we experienced it from here, it was a unique experience at a different angle. And we both agreed, that night was chilly - it was nice to be indoors, warm, with a hot coffee in hand enjoying the show!

Overall we fully enjoyed our meal here. And would not hesitate to eat here a second time. I think I would try for an earlier ADR to experience the sunset that Flossblona spoke of in her Dining Reviews...it just sounds amazing!

I have to say though, the best part of the meal though is that it was free. We used our Disney Rewards Card. Woot!

After our meal I changed back into my jeans and we connected with KK via phone. We had plans to meet up at MK for "Space Mountain or Bust!" during EMH - the park was open until 3:00 am, surely we could get on before then....right?!

Joe and I slowly made our way to MK...it felt good to walk off some of that dinner, we were stuffed!

We wandered into BLT. It was locked, but we just shimmied in after a guest and mumbled something about "We are members, we just want to see the lobby" as he breezed past us.

Those chairs were so funky! Yet comfy!

I love this mammoth wreath on the CR!

Soon enough we were at MK. Directly after I swiped my cards to enter, I heard my name being called - there was KK, just 2 people behind us!

 

[Flossbolna]

Wonderful update!! At least the text... Can't see the pics for some reason.

I am impressed that my dining review is quoted. We will have a new CG review coming soon - it will include the same server you had! I think we very much agree on the Wishes experience at CG: Wishes was designed to be seen from Main Street or the Hub, not being there takes away from the show.

I am so glad that you enjoyed your meal, even when you ordered something not usual for you. I tried something very new this time as well and loved it a lot.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Dinner at CG looks just phenomenally delicious, but the part that made me drool the most was the special coffee and housemade peppermint ice cream!!! Yum, yum, yum!

Do they pipe in the music for Wishes?

Cool pictures from BLT! Hope you get your ride in on Space Mountain!

Thank goodness you took Henry to the ER and found out what was wrong. It is always so scary when you don't know what is wrong. Lots of prayers that he starts feeling better soon!

 

[MeMom]

Henry update: He went down for his nap around 1:00 pm. At 6:30 he was STILL sleeping. He was coughing a bit so I went in to check on him and he wanted to get out of bed, so we came out to the living room and I noticed how hot he was. A little firecracker! I took his temp....104! I called my Mom, who has been a nurse for 35+ years and asked if we should do the E.R. or wait until tomorrow for the clinic. After hearing him cough, and asking a few other questions, she suggested we go to the E.R.

2.5 hours later, Henry is diagnosed with RSV. They took his blood, gave him an IV of fluids and took a couple x-rays to make sure it was JUST RSV, and thankfully it's not paired with anything like pneumonia. Since he is 2, the risk factors with RSV are greatly decreased, it's basically like a really, really bad cold. The doctor and nurses were very glad we brought him in though. They expect he'll have another rough day or two, then we'll see improvement. We just have to monitor and control his fever and keep up his fluids.

Thank you everyone for your concerns, words and prayers! I'm certain we'll have our normal little boy back in just a few days!!

Just got finished writing about Henry on our TR after having seen your FB post. Hope he is running around the house 'vrooming' his cars again very soon!

That's a cool picture!
I think you guys were here the night we were meeting Wigd and Shocker in DTD.

 

[All7OfUs]

What an amazing evening you and Joe are having! What a beeeeeeautiful plate of sushi that is! I simply can.not.wait for our Sept/Oct (?) Ladies meal there. I think I'm going to get both a sushi platter AND a cheese board. I know, funky combo, but both sound so yummy!!

I always imagined the atmosphere/ambiance to be more subdued too, but now I'm adjusting my expectations somewhat. Yours is not the first review where the busy-ness has been commented on. Tis OK. Just the view sounds so lovely and unique!

 

[Flossbolna]

now I can see the pictures!! makes the post even better!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great update! The view at California Grill looks amazing. How cool you got to stay to see Wishes too.

That's funny about how you just followed some other guy into BLT because that's exactly what we did in August. Hey, we wanted to see the lobby too!

 

[MEK]

Great update Brooke. You must be uploading to Flickr cause I can see all your pics. We sat in almost the exact same table as you. I think Denny sat in the chair behind yours.

Your meal looks delicious. That flat bread looked amazing and so did your appe. So glad you got to stay right in your seats for wishes. What a great way to end the night. But....oh wait....you did not end the night. You are going for space mtn or bust!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Fabulous update! CG looks amazing, the view alone would be worth going IMO. SO glad you and your DH had a relaxing time. Although I'm a little disappointed you didn't get that chocolate cake, it sounded heavenly!

I'm so glad you went with your mommy instincts and took Henry to the ER. He must have been feeling miserable. Poor baby! I'll be praying for his speedy recovery! Sounds like you might be watching some more Mickey House Clubhouse for the next few days too. One year, we all had what I call the 'great flu of 2003'. It was baaaaad and my middle daughter and I spiked 105 fevers! My DH was the only one who didn't get it so he took care of us all. We still talk about it like we survived the bubonic plague or something! Get better soon Henry!!

ETA: Dear Henry, my 3 little girls are sad to hear you're not feeling well. Here's some balloons from them to cheer you up!