DISLand (cont'd)

[Marshay]

So I'm making one of those Rainbow Jello Salads ... you know the kind that has one layer then some "white" stuff (I'm using sour cream) and then another layer, etc, etc.

I've never made this before and my it takes a while to do! I'm starting it today and hope it gets done by our party on Wednesday at 10am. Each jello layer needs to set (1-3 hrs? I need to check on this...normal jello is 4 hours but this is a lot thinner), then the sour cream needs to set for 1/2 hr and you repeat this 4x. I'm mixing vanilla ice cream with the jello and adding food coloring to get the colors I want for Halloween -- bottom to top is: purple, green, black and orange.

Then I should top it all off with some candy corn and candy pumpkins or maybe I'll use mini decorative pumpkins instead...still deciding. Of course, I'll post a pic!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

I've been busy on photobucket and you know what that means! BAM! Beach pics coming up~

We drove out to the Outer Banks and our first stop was in Nag's Head for lunch. I didn't take pictures!

From there we drove north to Kitty Hawk to the Wright Brothers Monument. They have a museum in an airplane hanger kind of building. Here are the kids posing in front of a replica of the WB airplane that they made the historic first flight in. (Look like you love each other! )

Then outside... you can climb this huge hill...

to see this up close.

Here are the boys at the top. Check out that view behind them!

We spent a couple hours there. Tom and the boys enjoyed it especially since they all have the "transportation gene".


After we were done there we drove up to the hotel in Corolla. If anyone is planning to take a trip to this area, I highly recommend the Hampton Inn! It was really nice, and right on the beach too! And there was nothing next to it on either side for 1/4 mile or so. This was the view from our "partial ocean view" balcony.

The kids were out on the balcony and Abby gasped. I came running and she said, "A fox!" Naturally it was gone by the time I grabbed my camera. I saw it 2 or 3 more times but never while I had my camera!


Anyway... we spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the hotel and then we decided to find some dinner. Maybe we could try here~

Actually we ate at a place near Sharky's called the Tomato Patch! I got a secret little chuckle out of that to myself. I forgot to take a pic. Anyway... attached to the Tomato Patch was a bar called Dr. Unks (get it... Dr.unks )


The next day we went to the Currituck Lighthouse.

Inside the base of the lighthouse:

See how hard Abby is trying to "look like you love each other"!


You can climb it!

All 219 steps!


For reference... here is the caretaker's cottage from the ground:

And from the top of the lighthouse:

More views from the top~

And Abby spotted a Hidden Mickey! I hugged her and proudly said, "Good Disney child"!

Also on the grounds was an outdoor education center kinda place to explore.

Look out for that bear!

There was also a boardwalk through a salt marsh that ended on a dock over the Currituck Sound.

The boys on the boardwalk:

And Abby on the dock with me pointing the camera back inland.

I think I'm getting close to my pic limit... cont'd next post.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

After the lighthouse we were hot and tired! The kids really wanted to get in the ocean so we headed back to the hotel. It was so nice to sit on the beach without a gazillion people around!

To our right~

And to our left, the one other family on the beach~

Nice, huh?

And it was just right temperature-wise. It wasn't so hot that you got all sweaty and not too cold either. The water temp was 75... about the same as the air temp. I thought it felt cold on my feet but the kids didn't care a bit!

There were a lot of mermaid's purses on the beach.

Abby picked one up and asked what it was. I said "Mermaid purses" and she said, "Huh?". Then I said, "Shark eggs." She screamed and threw it away from her!



After they had lots of fun dodging waves and building a sand castle (behind them in the pic above) they wanted to get in the lazy river at the hotel. So we rinsed them off in the outdoor shower and let them hop a tube and float around.

By this time it was nearing 5 and I thought it was chilly. In fact, Tom and I enjoyed a cup of hot coffee while they swam! When they started to look a little blue I lured them out with cups of hot cocoa!



After that we got ready and went out for my birthday dinner! I didn't take any pics at all... I guess I just forgot. We went to a place right on the water on the sound side of the island.

We skipped dessert because the kids really wanted to get me a cake at the grocery store. We got to the store and all the cakes were frozen. Not ice cream cakes either... just frozen. We settled for Dairy Queen.



Anyway, the next day we packed up and sadly left our beachside hotel behind. On our way home we stopped at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island since we can get in free with our NC Zoo membership!

A couple shots from there:

And that concludes my mini-birthday-vacation trip report!

 

[dancin_princess]

I'm kind of mixing it up a bit. My MIL bought me the curves book and I'm also on www.sparkpeople.com

That's a free diet web site. It's actually very cool. It gives you all sorts of recepies, exercises, exercise videos, helps you keep track of the food you eat every day and all the water you drink and all the exercising you do. You should check it out.

I'm gonna put a ticker on my siggie tracking my progress so if you wanna put one in yours too and if we see each other slacking we could say something and try to motivate.

sounds like a plan.

u'll probably have to "yell" at me a lot

 

[dancin_princess]

yes I do. I used to HATE running. But now that I know how to train my body and not kill it with running it's fun and a great way to exercise the whole body at once. You're right, it really does help get the body moving better. It is said that it strengthens your core and that is one of the most important groups of muscles in your body.

i hate running too. I usually put on some of my fav songs and just dance to them for about 30-45 mins, even if im not dancing i keep myself moving for at least a whole 30 mins, that way i know i burn off calories.

 

[dancin_princess]

You can climb it!

All 219 steps!

talk about a work out

 

[kaoden39]

Love, I enjoyed your trip report. And I am glad you had a good birthday trip.

 

[dancin_princess]

Hey Leger, i signed up. My username there is use2ba125dancer (its all i could think of, and i figured that name would motivate me everytime i log in)

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Love, I enjoyed your trip report. And I am glad you had a good birthday trip.

Thanks Michele!

 

[kaoden39]

Thanks Michele!

You are most welcome.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

You are most welcome.

How has your day been? I've had the glamorous experience of doing laundry all day!

So, I was just pricing a trip to WDW next October. I see they've been tinkering with the DDP again! I doubt we'd ever use it now.

 

[dancin_princess]

how are they changing the DDP now?

 

[kaoden39]

I'm okay. Just running around after my kids. I am totally mad at the band at the highschool. We are being forced into a fund raiser, and get this what they don't sell we have to buy. I told Kacy and Kody both they had better become saleswoman at school. It is snacks so it shouldn't be so bad.

I keep looking at taking a weekend after the first of the year to go to Disneyland. I figure I can better afford a weekend trip than a week trip.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

how are they changing the DDP now?

Don't quote me because I just scanned it over but now you can choose between a quick service plan or table service plan. With the QS you get 2 counter service and 2 snacks plus a refillable mug. TS is 1 CS, 1 snack and 1 TS.

So with QS you don't get sit down meals and with TS you don't get lunch or breakfast (you choose, I guess). If I'm going to pay for DDP I don't want to have to pitch in for a meal. KWIM?

And what's with getting the mug with the cheaper plan and not with the one that costs more?

Bah... my boys are too picky to use the plan anyway. We'd waste a lot of food and therefore a lot of cash.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

I'm okay. Just running around after my kids. I am totally mad at the band at the highschool. We are being forced into a fund raiser, and get this what they don't sell we have to buy. I told Kacy and Kody both they had better become saleswoman at school. It is snacks so it shouldn't be so bad.

I understand the importance of fund-raising but when it is shoved down your throat I get a little bent outta shape too! Sell, sell, sell Kacy and Kody!!!

I keep looking at taking a weekend after the first of the year to go to Disneyland. I figure I can better afford a weekend trip than a week trip.

I wish we were close enough to WDW to do a weekend but alas... we are not. Unless we flew... but with 5 of us... not gonna happen.

 

[dancin_princess]

IMO, you should get the mugs no matter what plan you have.

 

[kaoden39]

DDP at WDW is still better than what they have at Disneyland. Flying fo us is way out of the question for us too. With my Mom who goes with us every trip (whether I want her to or not) there are 6 of us. Much cheaper to drive, we are like 425 miles away so it's not that bad of a trip.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

With my Mom who goes with us every trip (whether I want her to or not)

This made me !

 

[dancin_princess]

 

[dancin_princess]

i got a "diet" question. Can i still eat the foods i love (in smaller portions and not as often) and still lose weight?