Divas, Zebra Domes, and Pixie Dust! A Week in an African Paradise! New TR Link Pg.145

[jewels1916]

Hi Jackie! I have finally caught up on everything! I love Chelsea's box that she made! And super exciting to be going back for F&W!

 

[MEK]

Charles thought maybe we should do Brown Derby again since those of us that ate there raved about it -- I pointed out that we were not going to DHS on this trip so he was out of luck! LOL!

You know what I have to say to this......You Snooze.....You Lose!

 

[praisehisname]

Hi Jackie! I've spent the last few days catching up on your report. Can't wait to read more!

Denise

 

[Lady Lallie]

Oh my!! The Princess & The Frog looks AMAZING! I can't wait to see it!!

 

[jenjolt]

Thanks for the link Jackie!! I really can't wait to see that movie!!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Here it is all finished and pretty:

Very cute!

Can you believe that someone actually wears this on his head?!

I would not be happy about Brown Derby.... Waiting to see what happens!

Kathy

 

[Megablocks]

Hi Jackie! I finally caught up again...vacation and that silly thing called work got in the way of my DIS time.

I love the box that Chelsea made, it came out so cute. I'm also dying to hear about Brown Derby -- when we go in February, each of us is picking a place to eat, and I have yet to decide where I want to go, but that's on my list.

I hope the first days of school went well and I hope you guys have a great weekend!

 

[ladybugmom]

Awww!! What a pretty box!! Chelsea did a GREAT job on it!! We are also VERY excited about The Princess and the Frog!! Ally can't quit talking about it! We are counting down the days until Dec. 11th!!!

 

[SunnieRN]

You know what I have to say to this......You Snooze.....You Lose!

too funny!!

I took Connor to see UP and they had the little teaser for the Princess and the Frog movie!! Unfortunately he didn't seem to interested.

Congratulations on making it through your first week back to school!

 

[Happydog]

Hi Ya Jackie!! I just finished catching up with your TR, We made those boxes at home at one of those paint your own cafes, but what a great idea to do it there on vacation, a great activity and what inspiration!!! SO fun! And I too can't believe you were "minus one" for dinner at the Derby!!! Gasp! Well... I am interested in hearing how that all unfolded! I am looking forward to seeing more AKL pics and also more about your trip. I will be trying to read more this week! Also, best wishes for a start of the school year

 

[Charleston Princess]

That movie looks fabulous, I can't wait!

Me neither! The kids and I were ticking off all the Disney movies we have to look forward to in the next year -- the Toy Story Double Feature (October 2), The Princess and the Frog (December 11), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (March), and Toy Story 3 (June). Disney should make a lot of money off of our trips to the movie theater.

That new movie looks adorable! I can't wait for it to come out!

I hope the 1st day of school went great for EVERYONE!

PS; I noticed the Vera Hipster in all of your pictures. How do you like it? I was thinking about getting a Hipster, plus a mini-hipster. What do you think?

Chelsea and I are very excited to see it!

The first day of school went very well for all of us! Thank goodness!

I love the Hipster -- the mini Hipster is adorable but very small -- I wish I could use it but I carry too much stuff for it.

ah drat, I'm all caught up! LOL. Loving the report! I can't wait to read more.

Oh, and I didn't read all of the comments, but a brown peacock is a girl peacock- or a peahen. I don't know if someone else noted that, but there you go. LOL.

Thanks for the peacock/peahen clarification!

I totally know how you feel. Your Friday night crash night will be feeling gooood!!!

And crash I did!

I'm with you on the new movie. It's nice to see a good old 'cartoon' movie after so long. I love the Pixar ones, of course, and I'm super-excited about Toy Story 3 coming out in June, but I'm also old school, so the trailer made me smile! We saw a poster for Cars 2 while we were in WDW, too.

Oh, I didn't know they were making a second Cars! I guess I should watch the first one! Chelsea and Connor have both seen it though.

Have a good Friday, and an even better Frinight!
Wonder how late you'll sleep in the morning? Maybe all the way until 6:30 or so? I wish my body knew how to sleep late when given the opportunity, but it doesn't know how to do that at all!

Thank you! I actually managed to sleep until 7:00 this morning. Do your students come back next week, MeMom?

Oh, Charles. Silly, silly, man.

I've never checked out the teen boards but maybe getting Chelsea into DISing is the answer to her wanting to start blogging? It's kinda like that. It would be fun to hear her point on view on your trips!

He is a silly man.

I think it would be funny to get Chelsea's perspective -- there is no telling what she would say! LOL!

Man, I still can't believe school has already started for you guys!

Those first few weeks are so hard, getting back into the routine, meeting the kids, all the other behind the scenes work.

Update when you can. :

The hardest part is getting back into the routine of getting up and out early in the morning -- I haven't gotten used to that yet.

Glad to hear your first day of school went well! Schools around here don't start until after Labor Day....but I'm guessing you get out quite a bit earlier than students here who have to wait until early June.

I hope your Friday goes well, and I look forward to the update!

We get out very early -- this year it will be May 21.

Friday went really well -- I hope that means the rest of the year is going to be a breeze!

I think that the Princess and the Frog has lots of potential and I'm looking forward to seeing it...

hmm...

speaking of the south and since I'm feeling to lazy to pm you-I have a ?-since you are the "Charleston Princess" and I'm trying to convince DH to change a anniversary get away weekend in October to either Charleston or Savannah-I'd just have to figure out drive time unless we could get really cheap air out of Philadelphia...

have you been to both/either and which do you think would make a nice weekend...

We have to go to New Orleans sometime where the Princess and Frog takes place-see I brought it back around to topic....

Ummm....Congrats on starting a new school year...

...We haven't even had our vaca yet... but soon....

I grew up in Charleston and have visited Savannah several times over the years. Both are lovely, but for obvious reasons, my heart belongs to Charleston -- there are so many things to do there, and October would be a perfect time to visit (as long as there aren't any hurricanes in the Atlantic)! If you decide to head there and need any ideas on places to stay, places to eat, or things to do, feel free to ask! I always love giving advice for visitors to my hometown!

Charles and I loved New Orleans when we went in 2004. I would love to take the kids there someday -- especially after they see The Princess and the Frog!

Hi Jackie! I have finally caught up on everything! I love Chelsea's box that she made! And super exciting to be going back for F&W!

Welcome Back! Did you have a wonderful time in Spain? I cannot wait for our October trip to Food and Wine!

You know what I have to say to this......You Snooze.....You Lose!

Mmmhmmm, that's right, and I am pretty sure I said similar words to Charles.

Hi Jackie! I've spent the last few days catching up on your report. Can't wait to read more!

Denise

Denise! Thank you for reading!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh my!! The Princess & The Frog looks AMAZING! I can't wait to see it!!

I am super excited about it -- it just looks like it will be wonderful!

Thanks for the link Jackie!! I really can't wait to see that movie!!!!

I figure December will be here before we know it!!!

Very cute!

Can you believe that someone actually wears this on his head?!

I would not be happy about Brown Derby.... Waiting to see what happens!

Kathy

Every time I see the mask in person, I marvel at the idea of someone wearing it! It blows my mind away!

I was not happy...

Hi Jackie! I finally caught up again...vacation and that silly thing called work got in the way of my DIS time.

I love the box that Chelsea made, it came out so cute. I'm also dying to hear about Brown Derby -- when we go in February, each of us is picking a place to eat, and I have yet to decide where I want to go, but that's on my list.

I hope the first days of school went well and I hope you guys have a great weekend!

Hi!!! Thank you! How exciting that you are headed back in February! Have you all decided on a place to stay yet? We are off to a good start at school, but I am a little shocked that my weekend is already half over!

Awww!! What a pretty box!! Chelsea did a GREAT job on it!! We are also VERY excited about The Princess and the Frog!! Ally can't quit talking about it! We are counting down the days until Dec. 11th!!!

Thank you! Chelsea and I are, too! We love that we are going to be introduced to a new Disney princess!

too funny!!

I took Connor to see UP and they had the little teaser for the Princess and the Frog movie!! Unfortunately he didn't seem to interested.

Congratulations on making it through your first week back to school!

My Connor didn't seem too interested either -- he watched the trailer and seemed to enjoy it, but he is much more excited about Toy Story 3 -- he keeps bringing that one up!

Hi Ya Jackie!! I just finished catching up with your TR, We made those boxes at home at one of those paint your own cafes, but what a great idea to do it there on vacation, a great activity and what inspiration!!! SO fun! And I too can't believe you were "minus one" for dinner at the Derby!!! Gasp! Well... I am interested in hearing how that all unfolded! I am looking forward to seeing more AKL pics and also more about your trip. I will be trying to read more this week! Also, best wishes for a start of the school year

Hi, HappyDog! Thank you for the wishes -- we are off to a great start -- let's hope the whole year goes as smoothly! Hope you are having a great time in Oregon!

 

[Charleston Princess]

“What do you mean you aren’t coming to dinner?”

I believe those are the exact words I said when Charles informed me that he wasn’t coming to the Hollywood Brown Derby with us, and for no good reason other than he just didn‘t feel like eating there that night.

I was livid.

As the kids and I were leaving, Charles asked if I would call him when we were finished, and he would meet us at the park. I retorted, “No, but Chelsea might.”

As we walked down to the buses, I decided I was no longer going to let Charles’ non-participation in our vacation get to me. I was at my favorite place in the world with my children, and we were going to have a great time no matter what -- with or without Charles.

Waiting at the bus stop, I was astonished to see one of my students, Ashlyn, and her parents getting off the Epcot bus! I called her name, and she and her family came over to chat for a few minutes. It was so funny to see her at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and her mother and I kept laughing over the coincidence.

Once at the Studios, we had enough time before our reservation to go get Connor’s Bucket of Little Green Men. He was so excited to have them.

Then it was time to dine like the stars!

I loved the map of Hollywood which hangs above the celebrity guest book. Sadly, I didn’t recognize the signatures displayed that day.

Our dining experience at the Hollywood Brown Derby was my favorite of the entire trip. The feel of the restaurant is so elegant and glamorous -- it just makes you feel like someone important. The only thing I would do differently next time is request one of the booths -- we were seated at one of the tables in the center of the room, and I did catch myself looking longingly at the booths from time to time.

I told Chelsea and Connor to pose like movie stars as we perused our menus and nibbled on the delicious crusty rolls.

I ordered a Hollywood as my drink, and it was just perfect.

For dinner, I ordered the Cobb Salad as my entrée (I know, I know -- not a wise use of my dining plan credits but that’s what I wanted), Chelsea had the steak which was excellent (I had to have a couple of bites), and Connor ordered the grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup (he wasn’t happy that there were bits of celery in his chicken noodle soup. My Cobb Salad was divine -- I think I could happily eat it for lunch every single day (or dinner).

Since we were eating at the Brown Derby, I HAD to order the famous grapefruit cake. Holy Wonderful Cake! I deemed it delicious enough to preserve it forever in our photographic memories! I also thought it was a neat touch that they had done the 20th anniversary logo on the plate (it was edible, by the way).

Chelsea ordered the Crème Brule -- she kept saying it tasted like a roasted marshmallow -- which is a good thing in Chelsea’s book.

Connor had the Hidden Treasures -- cookie, ice cream, and gummy worms. While we were waiting on our desserts, Connor had a grand time arranging his Little Green Men on the table (yes, we are a class act at fancy restaurants ).

Our dinner was absolutely delightful, and we would revisit the Brown Derby in a heartbeat!

As we were finishing up dinner, Charles called Chelsea to let her know that he was on his way to meet us. Chelsea and he were going to ride Rock n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror together.

Sure enough when Charles met us, he had low blood sugar because he hadn’t eaten dinner. He ate a pretzel and drank a coke before he and Chelsea headed off to ride their thrill rides.

What would Connor and I do in the meantime?

Well, we gazed at the hat for a moment while sitting and discussing our plans.

We wandered over to the Great Movie Ride, but the line was rather long, so we examined the opening day memorabilia from Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book (one of my favorite Disney movies -- who doesn‘t love Baloo scatting with King Louie?).

Connor realized he needed a restroom so I momentarily blanked and we headed for the one near the entrance. Afterwards, we visited with Sid and checked out all of his movie memorabilia. Connor attempted the Star Wars trivia quiz they had posted, but didn’t know the name of Darth Vader’s ship (I didn’t even know it had a name).

Then we wandered down Sunset Boulevard, soaking in the atmosphere and browsing through the shops.

Rebecca is another of my favorite films -- I love Alfred Hitchcock’s movies!

Connor wanted to pose by the car, and so did the Little Green Men. I did, however, manage to convince them that only a few needed to make an appearance.

By the time we reached the end of Sunset Boulevard and the hulking menace of the Hollywood Tower Hotel loomed before us, Charles and Chelsea had finished getting their thrill on and met back up with us.

We headed back to the hotel and I unthawed a bit towards Charles -- in part because I could tell him that he had indeed missed the best meal of the trip. At some point in the evening we went down to the Mara so Charles could get a chicken Caesar salad for dinner. As we walked back to the room, a small garter snake crossed our path. I think I jumped about six feet in the air! Charles could not stop laughing at me, but I promise you, I shuddered all the way back to the room.

My beloved Animal Kingdom Lodge had snakes! I felt like Indiana Jones, “Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?”

UP NEXT: I Make a Blunder and Connor is NOT Pleased!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Oh my goodness, Charles was being a bit of a pill.....
I'm with you 100 % on that Cobb Salad, yum, it was my winner of the trip as well. The grapefruit cake was pretty darn good too!
Have you ever tried making the Cobb Salad? I've looked up the recipe but have been a chicken to try it. One of these days though...
I love Connor's little green men, too cute! The pose by the car is priceless! He will be so proud of it in a few years.
I'm glad Charles met up with you all and he and Chelsea got their thrills completed.
So tell me about how long was that snake?

 

[Lady Lallie]

I can't believe he missed Brown Derby.

To that I say....

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!

He didn't know what he was missing!

I'm so glad that you were able to make lemonade out of lemons and enjoy your meal at Brown Derby. I'm very happy that you loved it, isn't it the best? I agree with requesting a booth. Jen and I just happened to get one but I would GLADLY wait longer to get one in the future, it makes a big difference.

Love the little green men.

 

[MeMom]

Exactly what I will have whenever I eat at Brown Derby - Cobb Salad, Grapefruit Cake, and a few bites of someone else's steak!
And if I can get away with it, I'll have a bite of their creme brulee, too!

It is hard to believe someone would pass up Brown Derby, isn't it? Oh well, to each his own. I guess the pretzel and Coke saved you a few bucks, didn't it?

I love the little green aliens! Has he seen the big remote control alien they sell at Once Upon a Toy?

At one point during this trip, I was sitting in our Wilderness Lodge room with the sliding glass doors opened out to the patio. I thought about the 'Snakes in Resort Rooms' thread and decided I had better pull it shut. We weren't far away from a thicket that was probably home to a snake or ten, so I only left it open after that when there were a bunch of us sitting around outside.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Jackie! I can't believe you started school last week. What happened to Summer? I was MIA at church Day Camp, but i'm all caught up.

I love Chelsea's little box - AKL has such fun activities for kids!
I also loved all the little green men - looks like they enjoyed your dinner

I'm glad you liked HBD - it is our all time fav so far, too! Curious that Charles didn't feel like eating, then had low blood sugar - maybe it was the heat?

 

[debraW76]

OMG I can't believe he didn't want to go to THE brown derby. You handled it well I see a lot of people favor the grapefruit cake - Does it taste like grapefruits? Grapefruit in a cake just doesn't sound appealing to me?

How neat to run into a student!

 

[IluvXU]

Well I give to to Charles... what man misses meals? No way my husband would miss a meal, especially a sit down one, that is what he likes!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

The box Chelsea made is really cute. My DD would love to do that. And where did ya'll get the little Toy Story aliens? My youngest would flip for those! They're so cute. (And we'd be lining them up on the table too...) By the way the dessert over there looks YUMMY!