April 21, 2007 -- Western Magic -- anyone?

[ohMom]

i'm here i'm here!!!

been a busy week but i'm not ready to leave yet either!

paula -- thanks for the summary of the CM Q & A, keep 'em coming as you remember it! i really wanted to go -- i can't believe i forgot to turn my watch ahead!

val -- i felt unsettled about you guys being at a table alone, i apologize i wish i would've taken the whole linking the group one step further and requested that no family be at a single family table.

photo mats -- actually i'm happy with mine -- but i was my usual anal self -- i had bought 4 mats and a large pack of multi-colored sharpies. I put each photo mat it a big baggie with 3-4 sharpies and a note that said "Classic characters please and thank you" and the same one for princesses and one that said "as many characters as possible" please and thank you for all of course ;0) BUT -- taylor did say that when they took them to the GS desk, the CM was really helpful, he tagged them all with the form and then on the one that said as many as possible, he wrote in some like "Woody, Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, Stitch" not all signed but maybe it helped? mine turned out really good, i'll post a pic if anyone wants to see for future?

tastings -- Corryn i think we learned a lesson. it worked out fine for us too b/c we had some fellow DIS friends, but Preston went to get the tickets while i checked our dining rotation and things got confused there b/c tea with Wendy conflicted with one of the tastings. i tried to switch but by then the thursday wine tasting was full. like i said it worked out fine, but we had the confusion at boarding too. he was trying to help, just not as informed i guess

i saved my margarita tasting placemat for the recipes too! hehehe Val i bought some chombard on board too. hey val, did you recover for Palo that night? I saw your photo in shutters (not stalking just saw it ) and you both looked good and like you were having a great dinner! and i did get pictures, but i'll look at my group photo and make sure everyone's pearly whites are showing and no blinking eyes!

i want to play with my pictures if I can get a couple hours to sit and play! it's going to be a beautiful weekend and I really should be doing yard work!!

anything to burn calories -- i must've gained 8-10 lbs!

 

[ohMom]

hey what's a LGMH? and thanks to whoever put the pirate green mickey head on my door!

 

[alikat99]

HI guys!! I'm not going anywhere either!! I've been super busy this week with getting ready for a scrapbooking retreat this weekend, unpacking, Emily was sick for 2 days and I substituted at the girls preschool for 2 days too. But, I promise to still be around, if you guys are here!!

Things for the tastings got all mixed up for us. Chris got the tickets and he didn't really get what I wanted, but oh well. I did go to the wine tasting on Thursday and the martini tasting a little later that day (right Cindy & Eric ). I totally missed the margarita tasting (which I probably would have loved the most)!!!

And, for anyone heading down to WDW or central FL, please let us know. We're only 1.5 hrs from WDW, and we have made many trips to meet friends over there. Heck, this coming week friends from our previous DCL trip will be at WDW, and we're trying to find a way to go visit them while they're here!!

 

[alikat99]

And, here's a photo of one of our pillowcases for the girls. Chris brought them down to GS and he said that the CM filled out the form and then added a bunch of names at the bottom, so ours ended up pretty filled. And, on the back, a lone signature, Captain Jack Sparrow.

 

[Corryn]

hey what's a LGMH? and thanks to whoever put the pirate green mickey head on my door!

Molli, re-read your sentence L (lime) G (green) M (mickey) H (head) LGMH.....You're a DIS'er!!! Were you kidding?!?!?!

Amy, Cindy and Eric, I was at the wine tasting on Thursday....I really get tunnel vision. I wear contacts and I have trained my eyes not to go all over the place while wearing them because they slide around when I do that, so once I see what I need to see, unfortunately, my peripheral vision goes blind.....We sat allll the way in the forward area. My MIL/FIL were sitting with another couple that we had met in GC and I sat next to them with Eddie and Mike. Did you notice my SIL and her friends sat all the way across the room from her mother She was sitting in the front by the doors......

Well, I'm off to tan! I just can't let this go! and maybe we'll check out Spider Man 3, then I got presents to buy for all the birthday's we missed and then I got to study. Maybe I'll talk with you all tonight

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

val -- i felt unsettled about you guys being at a table alone, i apologize i wish i would've taken the whole linking the group one step further and requested that no family be at a single family table.

Molli, don't feel bad at all! That first night, Justin was pretty seasick and wasn't very good company, so we thought that would be just fine with us to sit by ourselves, especially since mealtime can be quite a challenge with the boys (last week, though, the challenge was trying to keep them awake instead of trying to get them to eat!) By the middle of the week, though, I was feeling a little envious of the tables that were grouped together. We still had a great time, though! It would have just given us more opportunity to get to know the others! Please don't feel bad!

i saved my margarita tasting placemat for the recipes too! hehehe Val i bought some chombard on board too. hey val, did you recover for Palo that night? I saw your photo in shutters (not stalking just saw it ) and you both looked good and like you were having a great dinner! and i did get pictures, but i'll look at my group photo and make sure everyone's pearly whites are showing and no blinking eyes!

By the end of the tasting, I didn't have enough common sense to think about saving my placemat! I barely recovered for Palo! (Remember, we did have the beer tasting after all that tequila, too!) I was still loopy when we got to Palo but I sobered up very quickly when Justin gave me an anniversary present--a 1.5 ct T.W. diamond ring! It has three square-shaped diamonds representing the past, present, and future. He started working on having it custom made several months ago, and I can't believe he kept it a secret all this time! Such a sweetie!

i want to play with my pictures if I can get a couple hours to sit and play! it's going to be a beautiful weekend and I really should be doing yard work!!

I need to do yard/garden work, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of time this weekend to work on pictures instead...we're supposed to have severe thunderstorms and hail this afternoon/tonight/tomorrow. It sounds like we missed out on a heck of a storm while we were gone, too--4-5 inches of rain in a matter of hours with 45 mph winds!

hey what's a LGMH?

You're kidding, right?

Nah, I'm just kidding! I only found out shortly before we left, too.

and thanks to whoever put the pirate green mickey head on my door!

I'd like to say thanks for the anniversary wishes and ribbons on our door, too! I only know who did it because I caught him/her doing it for Chris' birthday! (Don't worry...your secret is safe with me! )

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

So is anyone else besides Amy doing a trip report? I don't know if I could remember everything well enough to write it all down! Maybe if I use my photos and Navigators as guides...but if anyone else is doing one, please post a link or just let us know! I'd love to read them!

What did all the Grey's fans think of last night's episode?
I'm so sorry if I ruined it for anyone! I didn't even think about that! I deleted what I wrote before so I don't spoil it for anyone else. After anyone has had a chance to watch it, let me know what you think.

BTW, yes, it is 2 AM. We just got done watching POTC2. I think I liked the first one better overall, although this one had some good and funny spots, too. Lots of weird spots, too. Justin had watched it in the BV theater on pirate night, and since #3 is coming out in a couple weeks, we thought we would rent it so I can be ready for it, too. Actually, I saw the first hour of it on the ship, too. Since the OC wasn't going to be open late enough to take them there, we brought pillows and blankets for them to sleep during the movie, which worked pretty good until Hudson woke up crying because it was too loud. So I took them back to the room and went to bed while Justin finished watching it.

 

[ohMom]

oh LA LA LA LA LA LA LA (inserting fingers in ears)

haven't watched Grey's yet -- DVRed and ready for me.

i'm working on photos tonight -- watch your email

Corryn -- i don't think i really have any? i just have the kids on the stairs the night we took pics. sorry!! do you have some??

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I'm finally getting around to editing my sig and posting a few photos. Sorry they're such huge photos!

Here's our tequila group:

And here's the silly pose for the Friday night DIS group photo:

I don't think I've ever seen a photo posted of this since it's not a DCL food, but here's the incredible chocolate-dipped frozen key lime pie in KW. I don't think I would have tried it but Justin wanted to, and I'm so glad he did! It was soooooooo good! It's like cheesecake! I was expecting it to be more like lemon meringue pie or something, but this is heaven!

Here's the Pfenning Pfamily on formal night in front of Walt:

And a reminder of what we did in Coz Mex--drink Dos Equis on the beach! (And happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone, too! Anyone else having margaritas and/or tequila and/or Dos Equis tonight?)

We got sick of hearing the boys complaining about walking, so we rode a buggy. Our horse didn't have a sombraro on, but most of the others did.

And the final sight before leaving the ship (the tears were welling up at this point):

I'm uploading some photos from Cap'n Marvin's now, too, so when they get done, I'll post those for Amanda, Amy, and Tricia.

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Here's some from Stingray City:

These first three are mostly for Amanda and Amy's families, but Tricia and Jennifer are in them, too.

These are for Tricia:

 

[ohMom]

val! keep 'em coming those are GREAT!!

how sweet.....Vallen kisses Wendy for the silly pose

i've got a little more decluttering to do so i can dig into pics too
it's raining now....so long yard work

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

how sweet.....Vallen kisses Wendy for the silly pose

I noticed that, too! I was going to do bunny ears, too, but I didn't have Justin there to do it to. It looks like I could have done it to Paula! Then he took the photo too fast for me to think of something else to do.

I wish Justin and Lennon would have been in it, too, but when "dooty" calls, you gotta go (actually, Lennon ended up not even going...just trying--sorry, TMI, I know!). I wanted to tell him to just hold it, but then we probably would have been in trouble!

 

[cnj]

Val, your pics are great. It seems like everyone had such a great time. We were so exhausted that every night we were in bed by 9:00 (except for pirate night). So, maybe that is why we never saw anyone. We ate at topsiders almost every morning. We had 5:30 dining (APL) and we were in room 6616. We NEVER made it to the goofy pool or the adult pool or to any of the clubs downstairs (except for martini and beer tasting). When we got to our room, each of our neighbors were smoking on their verandahs, and so we couldn't really use our verandah the whole cruise. I was in a funk for about 2 days so maybe that is why I didn't really see anyone. In Key West, we did the butterfly and aquarium tour. Then Casey and I went to the Blonde Giraffe for the Key Lime pie on a stick (great picture of it Val! YUM!). In Grand Cayman, we did the rum point beach excursion. That was the worst excursion I have ever been on. You have to take a 10 minute bus ride to this ferry and then a 45 minute ferry to rum point. Stay about 3 hours and then repeat. To top it off, half of the boat was full of the most obnoxious people I have ever seen. Since this was the day I was most looking forward to, I was a little upset. Cozumel was perfect, we took a taxi to San Gervasio ruins and then we shopped and ate great mexican food with HUGE strawberry margaritas. YUM! I really wanted to take the horse carriage, I am jealous, Val. Every time we saw one, they were full. We all dressed up in pirate gear for pirate night, but we were so tired that we got in our jammies and were going to miss the party, when I made everyone get up and go up there. I actually wore my nighty with jeans and a jacket, and Riley was asleep for the whole thing. In Castaway Cay we parked ourselves 3 umbrellas down from the dj tent. It was so convenient for restrooms, shopping and eating. We did the crab races. We were crab #2. I LOVE Castaway Cay. It actually made my husband say that the plane ride was worth it. On a side note, one of the best things for me on the cruise was this drink that Resty the bartender (at plutos) made. It was a pina colada with chambord in it. YUM! So, if you go back you have to try it.

Anyway, sorry so long, I just wanted to see if maybe anyone else did any of those things, so that I could try to remember people.

We still haven't watched our tvoed Grey's Anatomy. I can't wait. We have been watching Entourage season 3 on DVD instead. We are also rooting for Blake on American Idol. Tonight Casey and I are going to see Kathy Griffin at a casino near us and then we are eating dinner. Yeah for date night! I gained 3 pounds on the cruise, so I have to be good though.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Jenni

 

[cnj]

Val, I forgot to say how great Justin is! That is so sweet that he hid the ring from you for so long. Happy Anniversary!

Jenni

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Jenni! I'm glad to see you're still around! I'm so happy you came up to us on that first day! And I LOVE your purple! I know what you mean about being exhausted. We got more sleep on the cruise than we do at home. I usually only get 6 hours at home, but we were getting 10 hours some nights! We never made it to the Goofy or adult pool either. The Mickey pool was our big hangout. The only time we were in the bar areas was for the tastings (and the trivia game between the tequila and beer--cheers to group 4!) I'm sorry to hear about your smoky verandah. I'm sure our luck would have been the same if we had one. We were completely happy with our porthole. I wanted to do the aquarium on KW and thought the boys would have wanted to also, but that didn't work out. KW was kind of a disaster for us. All they wanted was the Mickey pool and ice cream. After a couple hours, we finally gave in. That's too bad your GC excursion wasn't so good, especially when you have such high expectations, but it sounds like Coz made up for it! It was one of our favorite ports, too. That and CC! (I want to Double Dip so bad!) Were the strawberry margaritas at Coz just as good as the one at the tasting? I think we just lucked out by getting a carriage. We decided to do it, but then couldn't find an available one. We walked about halfway back to the ship and finally found one with no driver (he was in a nearby shop), so we tracked him down but were on the opposite side of the street, so we rode all the way back up the street we had just walked down and then down the other side. It was kind of spendy but was definitely worth it! We purposely made the boys take naps on pirate night so they wouldn't miss the show, but they STILL fell asleep at dinner! They woke up just in time for the fireworks! YAY! We had a great spot for them. We were as close as anyone could get--right at the blocked off area on starboard side aft. PERFECT! Justin laughed at me when I got teary eyed from them. It's hard getting back into old eating habits, isn't it? Justin gained quite a bit ~7-8 pounds (but he ate two main courses and desserts almost every night! Shame on the wait staff for bringing things you don't order! ). I feel like I gained some, but my scale says otherwise, so I'm going to believe it. I find myself eating all the time here at home, though, so it looks like I'm going to be getting some extra baggage after the cruise! Time to get back on the elliptical!

Hope to keep seeing you around here!

 

[ohMom]

3 lbs............oh my i probably gained 8 or 10! seriously

i'm detoxing sugar as we speak

Val -- i meant to say too -- your ring is GORGEOUS! thank you for making a point to show me, my mind was going in a hundred different directions then, but it is and should be one of the most sweetest gestures. and custom made, all the more special b/c of the thought he put into it for YOU! you deserve it all and more......

ok, finished my chores and off to play with pictures i'll try to post a few

and val -- one more thing -- "Blaze of Glory" was the correct answer i think, we answered the title of the movie instead of the song. remember I kept saying, that's not the song title.......but i couldn't think of it. Young Guns the movie maybe?

 

[ohMom]

look at us posting at the same time

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Val -- i meant to say too -- your ring is GORGEOUS! thank you for making a point to show me, my mind was going in a hundred different directions then, but it is and should be one of the most sweetest gestures. and custom made, all the more special b/c of the thought he put into it for YOU! you deserve it all and more......

Thanks so much! You're so sweet! Believe me, I still can't believe he did it! He thought he was risking it with the princess cut (square), but that's what I love so much about it! The different shapes are always appealing to me (my wedding ring has a heart-shaped diamond).

ok, finished my chores and off to play with pictures i'll try to post a few

I can't wait to see more from everyone else, too!

and val -- one more thing -- "Blaze of Glory" was the correct answer i think, we answered the title of the movie instead of the song. remember I kept saying, that's not the song title.......but i couldn't think of it. Young Guns the movie maybe?

They said on AI the other night that it was written for the movie Young Guns. But what they didn't say was that it was his first hit as a solo artist! They still made it sound like it was a Bon Jovi song--not a Jon Bon Jovi song! (That was the question, right? It's still a little fuzzy. )

 

[ohMom]

yes -- you did remember!! together we equal one sober mind

i LOVED the princess cut -- very elegant

i'm going to post a few pics and then i must shower for church

 

[ohMom]

our favorite water activities

Taylor at the dolphin swim -- foot push

Paige crash landing at the end of her foot push run

Both girls getting a dip at the end of their parasailing ride