Delicious Indeed!

[Nermel9]

Wow, your timeshare is so nice! I would definitely do the same thing with the dishes, wash them all first. Yeah, they're supposed to be clean, but I'd feel better knowing I cleaned them! Then again, I'm weird about hotels (can't say timeshares, since I've never stayed in one!)...I won't sit on the comforter of the bed, it always has to be pulled back first, I won't walk around on the carpet in my bare feet, or socks even, I need slippers or flip flops on...I have problems!

Oooh, can't wait to hear about Publix! I love Publix!

 

[wingedjojo]

Hi! Just joining in~

Your trip sounds super fun so far. I love train rides and if I could catch one from the west coast all the way to Florida, I so would (I wonder how long that'll take?).

I love the vinylmation that Howard got. I'm too scared to randomly pick a box and then not get what I want. Then I'll have to keep buying them until I get what I want. Then they'll come out with a new series and the same thing happens all over again. That's a lot of money to invest.

Anyway, can't wait to read more!!

 

[RachelNinja]

The timeshare looks really nice! I was kind of the same way when my sisters and I went since that was the first time going without our parents. Having to do the check-in was kind of weird! LOL.

I don't know why checking in always seemed so complicated when my parents did it! It's not like you need to know anything in advance. The person asks for the credit card and this and that. HAHA, I can't believe I was worried about it. Next vacation I'll be doing check-in will be for the Disneymoon! It'll be another first too - staying on Disney property!

Oooh, the timeshare looks nice....plenty of room and pretty too.

Definitely! It says that it can fit 8 max (2 in each of the beds + 2 on the pullout sofa in the living room), but it was just perfect for the 5 of us. When we initially started off as a group of 6, the 3rd guy would've been on the pullout sofa.

I love how front and center of the picture of the kitchen is a tub of Clorox wipes! I do the same thing!

I also comes from a family that washes dishes before using them (when we stay at a place with a kitchen).

Haha, I love how you knew it was Clorox wipes and not Lysol wipes! You know your sanitizers! I just feel a lot more at home when everything's wiped down. I later went to wipe down the bathroom stuff even though Dani and Nik had already taken showers. I don't want to touch the sink handles when I'm brushing my teeth or taking out my contacts if it's not cleaned!

Phew, it's not a weird thing then! And in reality, there was one dish that had crud on it, so who knows how clean they really are!

What time share is that, it looks familar?

Oh girl I love outlets and Target as well! Im a shopaholic so outlets are perfect for me. Did you go to the Prime Outlets? Stuart Weitzman shoes, Juicy, Victoria Secret (1 of only 2 V.S outlets in the world) Columbia, Oakley, North Face, Dooney and Bourke and a Disney outlet ( I got a beautiful throw for like $12 here). My bday was about a week and a half before we went last Sept, I told DH not to get me anything I just wanted to shop, it was fantastic!

Where is that Target I have to go there and how was the prices on the to go coffee mugs and stuffed animals? I need a new coffee cup for the car and I want a minnie, she is my girl!

The timeshare used to be called Orange Lake Country Club. Orange Lake Resort (I think that's the new name) is part of Holiday Inn Vacations now.

Yup, we were at Prime Outlets! I actually don't like the outlets much just because I don't shop at those stores. I'm a Kohl's kind of girl mainly because I just need business casual sweaters for work! My students notice everything I wear though, so maybe I should mix it up a bit!

The regular mugs were decent priced. I think they might've been $4-$5? I don't remember for sure, but I know the prices were better than the $12+ mugs that are in the parks. I have an awesome insulated cup for the car and traveling. It has all the different characters from the movies on it. Of course, I haven't used it yet ... haha. I don't want to ruin it! It was from the Disney Store, so it was a little pricey for me, but I didn't want to go back and not be able to get it all, so I bought it without a sale!

I consulted Google maps, and the Target we go to is indeed off Irlo Bronson Hwy, but there is also another Target off Irlo Bronson Hwy on the other side of WDW, so I still don't know if it was the same one or not. I do know, that our Target was sort of by a Krispy Kreme.

Your timeshare looks really nice. I would never have thought to wash all the dishes first, but it does make sense, once you think about it. Which Disney fireworks could you see from there? Illuminations, probably?

It might be a different Target then because I don't recall seeing a Krispy Kreme. Of course, I'm not a KK girl, so I might not have noticed! I think my other vacationers would've said something though if they saw it! I'm a Dunkin' Donuts girl, but that could be because we only have DD in my area. PLUS, I get a lot of DD gift cards from students!

Before we leave the timeshare when we check out, we have to put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turn it on to wash. If that's the case, someone has to empty it out and put them in the cabinets. I don't know if that person has clean hands! Or what if the previous people ran it in the dishwasher without soap?! Haha, I got the whole being-a-stickler thing from my mom.

This is a spoiler, but I actually don't know what fireworks we would be able to see because we never were there to check! We were home one day at that time, but we were in the middle of a movie. I don't think it would've been the same though because we would've been missing the music!

Wow, your timeshare is so nice! I would definitely do the same thing with the dishes, wash them all first. Yeah, they're supposed to be clean, but I'd feel better knowing I cleaned them! Then again, I'm weird about hotels (can't say timeshares, since I've never stayed in one!)...I won't sit on the comforter of the bed, it always has to be pulled back first, I won't walk around on the carpet in my bare feet, or socks even, I need slippers or flip flops on...I have problems!

Oooh, can't wait to hear about Publix! I love Publix!

I don't think you're weird about it at all! I don't do bare feet or socks either! My whole family has flip-flops! We all had slippers there, even to use in the shower! I know it can be kind of silly considering we have to walk barefoot and step everywhere when at the pool, but still! Why risk germs or infections and just general yuckiness if you don't have to?! I do, however, sit on the comforter of the bed if I'm wearing "outside" clothes because I figure I'm sitting everywhere else with those pants. I won't do it with pajamas though once I'm showered. I don't understand how people lie down on the comforter! Haha, I should've taken a picture of where Dani and Nik's ended up! Since they pulled it back to the foot of the bed, it fell down after one night, and it was just there on the floor by the door for the entire trip.

Hi! Just joining in~

Your trip sounds super fun so far. I love train rides and if I could catch one from the west coast all the way to Florida, I so would (I wonder how long that'll take?).

I love the vinylmation that Howard got. I'm too scared to randomly pick a box and then not get what I want. Then I'll have to keep buying them until I get what I want. Then they'll come out with a new series and the same thing happens all over again. That's a lot of money to invest.

Anyway, can't wait to read more!!

YAY! I love having new friends join in on the adventures!

Ooo, I can't imagine how long a train ride from the west coast would take! That would definitely call for a ticket in the sleeper car because I'd definitely need the privacy! I can't even imagine just how gross the public restroom would be for such a long stretch of time! Ugh, just thinking about that stench grosses me out! Haha.

The wonderful thing about Vinylmation though is the fact that you can trade them! That's a big part of the fun! Disney is just fantastic at finding ways to get you to buy their merchandise!

Don't worry. I'll have the next update tomorrow morning!

 

[RachelNinja]

Sunday, February 20: Food for Thought? Nope, Food for Our Stomachs!

In the last update, I mentioned how we decided what to order from Cracker Barrel so that we could call it in while we were at Publix. I forgot to mention that we also discussed some of the things that we needed to buy at Publix. I wrote that down in my trip notebook too! Here is most of that list:

We based that list on how many meals we needed to make and what I had brought from home. Our pre-trip Florida email had a "schedule" of all our meals. I had written down our scheduled ADRs and other planned meals. For example, we knew that we were having Hamburger Helper on Tuesday night (I brought it from home since it was on sale; that's why we need HH side dishes), so that's why we needed the chopped meat. I had also brought potato pancake mix from home as well. We knew we wanted to have breakfast burritos, so that's why we had the breakfast stuff. The Lactaid was for both Howard and me because we're lactose intolerant (haha, it'll be easy when shopping when we're married!).

The word "choy" means vegetable in Chinese, and that was needed and much requested by Ray! We were cracking up when I wrote that list because I had asked, "What do you mean by 'choy'? Did you want like, cauliflower/broccoli kind of stuff?" Ray replied that he wanted greens, so I had to add "green" to my list! For the rest of the night, we would call it "choy ... green."

Oh, and the last thing I'll write about is Fuzzy Navel! It's a tradition with my family to get the 4-bottle case of Seagram's Fuzzy Navel (peach flavored wine cooler, minimum alcohol) when we're in Florida. It's the ONLY place we get it! I wanted to share that tradition with Dani and Nik, and they were very excited to try it! And we were being healthy too by having Florida OJ! Yum! I love getting a gallon of that stuff.

It was a good thing we had the list because it helped us keep track of what we needed! We did split up a few times to look for separate things, but for the most part, we were together or at least in the same section. It was actually rather fun! Since we knew what we needed, we didn't have to worry about forgetting anything. That meant that we could also look at random things! Quite a few random things were added to the cart!

This wasn't one of them, but I just had to take a picture of it because I had never seen this before! I love Honey Bunches of Oats, but I don't think I could eat JUST the clusters. I like being surprised with a cluster in a bite of flakes!

This, however, was the stuff we had in our cart! You can see 3 tubs of spinach, Ore Ida home fries to cook on the stove (we thought we'd get something to stick in the oven, but I didn't bring foil and it made no sense to buy it), ice cream and sorbet (the latter for Howard and me), and not only Seagram's Fuzzy Navel but Wild Berries too!!! I was so excited about that since my dad always has us get Fuzzy Navel despite the fact that I'm usually the one that drinks most of it and I always wanted to try something new! What you can't see in this pic is something we ended up LOVING ... Paul Newman mango salsa! We devoured that in one night with Tostitos Scoops!

At this point, we were pretty much done shopping. It had taken a good amount of time going all over the place to find what we needed and looking at all the other stuff that we'd have fun eating. Dani called Cracker Barrel at that time to place our order. I was glad she did it because boy, I hate making phone calls!

You can see in this picture that she looks all fresh and clean! That's because Dani, Nik, and Ray took showers once we got to the timeshare. Howard and I were still grimy from Amtrak, haha. I wanted to load the dishwasher first to get that done. I also Clorox wiped all the surfaces in the kitchen and cleaned the stove. I didn't want to shower and then do all that stuff. I was fine though since I knew a shower would be on its way in just a few hours!

We went to a checkout lane to pay for the stuff. Oh, I forgot to explain how we split up the costs of everything! I suggested to everyone in the pre-trip email that we all chip in money to put in a "pot." I said that one person should carry an envelope of the money to pay for shared expenses like groceries, gas, and Disney parking! I was designated the money holder because I'm "good at math" (what, just cuz I teach it doesn't mean I can do it in real life!) and because I'm the oldest, haha. I didn't mind though because I was able to keep track of all the receipts for meals that were charged on credit cards (Dani, Howard, and I all charged different meals) so it wasn't an issue trying to figure it out later on. Our first pot was $20 from each of us, so we had $100 at first for groceries.

Well, as we waited for our turn (and waved at the cute baby in front of us in line!), we made "bets" (haha, not real bets) about how much our groceries would be. I was pushing the price higher up than the others just because I knew how much each thing cost and because I knew how quickly things add up when shopping at Publix when things aren't necessarily on sale! I think Ray was the closest with his guess though because our cost came out to be a little over $120! I put in an extra $20 from my money, and then a few days later, counted that for the next "pot" collection.

Oh, another random thing ... I had fun because the lady asked to see ID since we were getting the Seagram's! In my entire life, I have only ordered one alcoholic drink. I was with 3 other girls at Chili's celebrating Cinco de Mayo (haha, we really weren't; we just wanted some nachos and junk food), and I had a strawberry margarita. Our server just asked us if we were old enough, and we said yes. That was it! I wanted to be carded! Haha. Well, since I never had the experience, I was really excited to show my ID that day! I wanted to say, "Yes, I know I look 15 with this outfit and the glasses, but I really am 26!"

As we loaded the car with all the groceries, we were starving and ready for some food! Cracker Barrel was next! YES!!!

 

[bluejasmine]

LOL I get carded every time buy or order a cocktail and Im 36! I chalk it up to being "asian" my father was Indonesian and I was born in Okinawa..Plus Im pretty short..
My teens are all taller than me even my baby who is 14..

Loving the TR and I have to say it sounds like so much fun, every one staying in one condo, cooking and eatting together..

 

[SoonerGirl]

Ooooo, I tried Just Bunches one time because I love Honey Bunches of Oats, and yeah, I was not a fan, good thing it didn't end up in your basket.

 

[Jennifer48]

Your condo looks nice and homey...I like it!

I didn't realize how many meals you would be eating there.

Which fireworks were you able to see from your condo?

mmmm Cracker Barrel!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Your condo looks very nice! Do you have people come in every day to clean your beds and common areas? I know some timeshares do that. It looks very comfy.

Haha, I chuckled when I read "choy-green" on your list. I'm glad you explained it!

Wow, that cart turned out to be $120??? Woah. Great idea with the pot thing.

Mmm, mango salsa. I gotta try that this weekend.

 

[RachelNinja]

LOL I get carded every time buy or order a cocktail and Im 36! I chalk it up to being "asian" my father was Indonesian and I was born in Okinawa..Plus Im pretty short..
My teens are all taller than me even my baby who is 14..

Loving the TR and I have to say it sounds like so much fun, every one staying in one condo, cooking and eatting together..

Today at school, there were kindergarten kids who wanted to know how old I was. They were guessing that I was 16! I said, "Nope, I'm older," and then they said, "17!" Silly kiddies! I know I'll appreciate it when I'm older; that's what everyone says!

Yup, it definitely is a lot of fun! It's much different than having to get 2 separate hotel rooms. This way, we were all together yet we still had privacy. And of course, we had 2 bathrooms!

Ooooo, I tried Just Bunches one time because I love Honey Bunches of Oats, and yeah, I was not a fan, good thing it didn't end up in your basket.

Interesting! It would seem like it's a good thing, but it's like, too much of a good thing maybe!

Your condo looks nice and homey...I like it!

I didn't realize how many meals you would be eating there.

Which fireworks were you able to see from your condo?

mmmm Cracker Barrel!

It was definitely the kind of place to let us relax! Plenty of space as opposed to the squishiness of hotel rooms.

Yeah, we wanted to save as much money as possible. All breakfasts were eaten at the condo, and we had dinner there a few times. It was more relaxing than sitting at a restaurant or waiting for a table.

I don't know what fireworks were visible because we actually didn't check ... whoops!

Your condo looks very nice! Do you have people come in every day to clean your beds and common areas? I know some timeshares do that. It looks very comfy.

Haha, I chuckled when I read "choy-green" on your list. I'm glad you explained it!

Wow, that cart turned out to be $120??? Woah. Great idea with the pot thing.

Mmm, mango salsa. I gotta try that this weekend.

Nope, no one comes to clean up. I think there's the option to pay for someone to come in the middle of the week to clean and change towels, but we never do it. We have the sink, dishwasher, and laundry machines, so there isn't any need for it. Plus, our stuff was spread out all over the place! I think we'd have to tidy up to have someone come in to tidy up!

We didn't really spend much else in terms of groceries for the rest of the week. I mean, later on we went to get more gallons of water and a bottle of ketchup (haha, seems random), but other than that, that first cart was our only cart. Spending $25 per person on groceries on vacation for a bunch of meals, desserts, and snacks was definitely more worth it than eating out each time!

YES, mango salsa is definitely worth the try!

 

[jane2073]

I am totally the same way about wiping bathroom handles (toilets, counters, remotes, phones, door handles...) when I go to a hotel.

I am really enjoying your report and you aren't even in the parks yet!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Oh man, now I REALLY want to try it! I don't like buffets where I feel like I have to eat meat and whatnot because of the cost. I want to just go and not have to make an excuse that all I want is soup and salad! Do you get to try ALL the soups?!?

You can eat as much of everything as you want. You go through a big line for the salad first, and grab that. Then you pay. Then, once you're on the other side, there's all of the soups, all of the breads, all of the sides, the drinks, and the desserts. It is a little on the expensive side, but I think it's worth it.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Love Cracker Barrel!

You are so organized with the shopping list and your "pot" for money. So much better than I would be.

I totally know what you mean about Newman's mango salsa. It's pretty awesome!

 

[RachelNinja]

I am totally the same way about wiping bathroom handles (toilets, counters, remotes, phones, door handles...) when I go to a hotel.

I am really enjoying your report and you aren't even in the parks yet!

When I'm with my family at a regular hotel, we put the remote control in one of those baggies from the plastic cups! Haha, you just don't know what people have done with them! And don't forget light switches!

Thanks! Especially with this vacation, every moment (even the mundane) was really fun!

You can eat as much of everything as you want. You go through a big line for the salad first, and grab that. Then you pay. Then, once you're on the other side, there's all of the soups, all of the breads, all of the sides, the drinks, and the desserts. It is a little on the expensive side, but I think it's worth it.

So after you pay and eat what you want, you can go back and get more? Yeah, I see that it can be a bit expensive considering it's "just" soup and salad, but I really want to try it at least once! I guess if you eat a good amount, it's worth it. I mean, salads at the chain restaurants aren't that inexpensive anymore.

Love Cracker Barrel!

You are so organized with the shopping list and your "pot" for money. So much better than I would be.

I totally know what you mean about Newman's mango salsa. It's pretty awesome!

Mmm, I could go for some chicken and dumplins right now! And it's breakfast time!

I think I'm a rather organized person because my job as a teacher requires it, but on vacation, I still had to have that "cap" on since I was the oldest! I don't think I could turn off that organizing and worrying anyway, haha. It's just part of who I am!

Haha, I could go for some salsa now too! We got medium, and it wasn't the least bit spicy! It was just refreshing!

Sorry, guys! I know I usually have an update to post in the morning, but I don't have one today. This past week was pretty busy with tutoring every day after school for 4 days in a row. I usually only have Monday and Tuesday. After I got home yesterday, I barely did any work at all! I couldn't even concentrate on a trip update. Sorry! I'll try to write one later tonight so that I can stay consistent with posting every day of the work week!

 

[dancin_princess]

It's been awhile since I've had time to DIS on a regular basis. I'm joining in here (and will go back to your PTR to catch up if I get bored). So exciting to be taking a trip as an engaged couple with your friends!

I like Flat Weird and Ninja's costumes. I think it would be fun to take a train ride. But I would be extremely frustrated with walking back and forth between the front and the back.

Ahh, the train station brings back many memories (funny because I've never been on the train) but have dropped and picked up several family friends from there.

I can't believe that creepy man tried to take something from Nikki.

That is a cute bag and a good deal. I would have got the pink because I wear A LOT of pink.

That Target is the Target I went to when I lived with my dad. I'm most certain because I passed your timeshare often. I love Target already but like this one because of all the Disney stuff and Starbucks.

Can't wait to hear what happens on your Cracker Barrel/Publix adventure.

 

[kathleen27]

I'm really enjoying your trip report!

It sounds like the train went mostly well. You seemed to have a lot of fun! You all seem to have a great time together!

The vinylmation video is great, I like that you start out saying you spent enough money, then end saying lets go buy another! It was a good price though! I'm glad you found the bag you liked and bought it, can't believe there weren't any when you went back!

That jumping through the target photo is great! Impressive timing with the photo, and impressive jump.

We said the same thing about the sun on our first day! It was so bright we couldn't even see.

The timeshare looks really nice! I missed our time share a little bit this trip! As much as I loved staying on site, I really missed the 2 bedrooms, living room & kitchen!!! I really want to stay on site more, but also want that space!!! I also feel nostalgic about our timeshare since we've had it for over 25 years now!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Don't worry about not having an update up!!! I'll still be here waiting patiently!

Btw, I found only one jar of mango salsa over the weekend, but it had cilantro in it, which I'm allergic too =( I SO wanted to try it, but I was so disappointed. I need to look for it in other stores

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm all caught up now. Your target trip sounds like fun, I love target! Your condo is super cute too! Definitely a home away from home. Hehe your mom sounds like my mom. She runs the dishwasher too at these condos. LOL Guess it's an Asian mom thing?

Yuummy, can't wait to see what you guys cook during the week! And I do love hamburger helper. It's my guilty indulgence one in a while, Haha.

Oh and Cracker Barrel! I LOOOOVe it. I am so sad there is not one closer to the city. Otherwise Id be there all the time! Its so cheap too!

 

[RachelNinja]

Real Life Update: Wedding Planning Stress

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates lately! I don't know when I'll post the next one. Wedding planning and wedding stress has really made my weekends terrible! Howard and I will plan one thing. Then we'll get the okay from our parents. Once it's done, then they decide to change their mind! There have been arguments and fights, which then makes me a very angry girl! I don't know how many times I've cried about this wedding so far.

Only yesterday I changed it from a daytime reception to a nighttime reception despite the fact that it's $50 more (and I had already secured daytime with the venue!!!). Howard and I WANT a daytime one (12-4pm) because it's brighter. I was told not to worry about the cost of changing it to night, so I didn't really seem to have a choice. I know everyone tells us that it's our wedding, but it's especially important in the Chinese culture to do what the parents/in-laws say.

Before I switched it, I had Howard confirm that it was indeed okay since it was a ton more money. We have about 150 guests invited to the reception only so far. Well, that caused a major flip out because they were unaware that there were that many people. They thought we wouldn't even have 100 people. And of course, it makes it worse that both sides of my family are much larger than his so it isn't "fair."

After all the arguments and yelling, it was settled that his parents would cover 100 guests (it's Chinese tradition for the groom's parents to pay for the wedding as opposed to the American tradition of the bride's parents), and I'll just cover the rest myself.

It's completely ridiculous that this is what's happening considering we chose a daytime one to begin with to save money! We could pay for all of it ourselves and make all the decisions by ourselves, but again, it's a Chinese thing that we have to follow.

I am so sick and tired of this stress. I'm the one planning this wedding and having to deal with everyone changing their minds. If you've been following my TRs or if you're one of my Facebook friends, you might be able to tell that I'm fairly low maintenance when it comes to fancy-shmancy things. Give me my jeans and a t-shirt! I'm way more easygoing than this wedding planning is making me out to be. I am NOT a bridezilla type of person. I mean, I'm going with the nighttime reception just because our parents want it. I'm sacrificing what I have ALWAYS dreamed about (natural lighting!) just to please them. What gets me really upset about it is that they put me through so much stress and tension as they approve one thing one day and then change their mind the next.

If you say it from the start and tell me, "Howard and Rachel, I know you want a daytime reception, but we would really prefer the nighttime one. We can't help you out financially with all of it, but we'll help you a bit more than if it were daytime. I know it costs more, but it would mean a lot to us if you would do that." But do we get it that way? Nope. We get a "Do whatever you want" and a "Yeah, daytime is fine with us," but only until I book the place do they decide to change it on me.

The worst part of all of this is that because of all the drama, Howard and I are arguing and fighting. I think I'm getting angry at the messenger because he has to tell me what his parents say. I'm also probably partially angry at the fact that he's not doing anything to make it better, but in reality I know there is nothing that he can possibly do. Welcome to a Chinese family!

On a lighter note, I'll leave you with 2 pictures from the day we went to check out the venue:

I can't wait to get wedding pictures here! I already got a hold of the photographers we want, and they're available on that day!

Here's the GORGEOUS reception site with BEAUTIFUL natural lighting. Of course, with a nighttime reception, it'll be dark, and there will be no reason for those windows!

 

[GaRain]

I would say do what you want, its your wedding - but I understand tradition.
That is a beautiful location and the windows are awesome - but I bet they can make it look great at night with the right lighting!
And by the way, just bunches are awesome with some yogurt and fruit - its like granola....

 

[mickeystoontown]

I am so sorry to hear about the changes to your wedding plans. My daughter is getting married in Georgia (where she attended Master's Commission but is a 10 hour drive from Louisiana) in August. She is living with us in Louisiana while she finishes school. Her fiance is living in Tennessee with his parents while he finishes school. We are having three receptions just so everybody can celebrate. So, my daughter and I can certainly sympathize with you about the stress of planning a wedding. We have had only one little argument and that was at the very beginning of the planning stage.

I hope that the stress factor goes down now that you've given in a bit.