Excuse me, you'll need to see security. What has Mickeystoontown done? Update 3/25x2

[mickeystoontown]

Love the Christmas pictures with the family.

But I have to laugh at you with the ice. You should have seen our ice storm on Sunday.

I just love John....that man can sleep anywhere. And I really like the "small" sombrero...he looks so cute.

Thanks Kathy! We had so much fun together at Christmas.

Did you take pictures of the ice storm? I wanna see!

They had a sombrero that was even smaller than that. We said that we were going to buy it and take it home to our niece-in-dog. Yes, I said dog. They love to dress Gracie (that's the dog's name) up in sweaters. We said that she needs a sombrero to top off her outfit.

 

[KatMark]

Thanks Kathy! We had so much fun together at Christmas.

Did you take pictures of the ice storm? I wanna see!

They had a sombrero that was even smaller than that. We said that we were going to buy it and take it home to our niece-in-dog. Yes, I said dog. They love to dress Gracie (that's the dog's name) up in sweaters. We said that she needs a sombrero to top off her outfit.

No, I didn't get pictures. It was too darn cold and windy out...even the dog didn't want to go out. I did watch out my front windows as cars drove down the street and as they took the turn in the curve by my house they were swerving from one side of the street to the other.

That's too funny about "Gracie." When Mark and I were in Naples last April, the hotel we stayed at had a bunch of "older" women with their dogs and every single one of them was dressed in a different outfit every day; some even had their own little "strollers."

 

[rndmr2]

Looks like your family had a nice Christmas. It was always our family tradition that we got new PJ's on Christmas Eve, too. Maybe that inspired me because I just LOVE PJ's, I have so many but I am always looking for new ones, LOL

Wow you really did have some ice! We usually get ice like that, too, this year it hasn't been so bad on the trees and plants but we had bad icicles on our house, here's a pic:

We have only had one really significant snow so far this winter, we got a foot just after Christmas. We usually get quite a bit here, we had some really cold days last week or so (single digits) but today it is 52!! Crazy!

Love your new decorations, I just love snowmen!

Going back to read your update, I wanted to post these before I forgot.

 

[cmaee]

Isn't Mama the sweetest thing ever? She loves my kids with all of her heart and seeing this smile on her face is priceless to me.

Yes, Will did eventually get off the phone. He and Ashly are my sister, Lois' kids. Because they are children of a divorce, they have multiple family functions on holidays and he was trying to get in touch with his other Mamaw and dad to coordinate a time to get together that evening. But, he did stay on it playing games too. I hate cell phones!

I remember being hooked on your trip report on your past trip when you were talking about how you were letting Hunter have more freedom in the stores and then she would follow him around pretending she was looking at some item so it wasn't so obvious she was keeping tabs on him in the store. That is exactly something my grandma would have done!

My kids are children of divorce now and I do not look forward to the time when they have to coordinate times to get together with their family. Right now, their holiday visitation is set out in writing, but when they are older...not looking forward to that.

I hate cell phones too. Nothing worse than trying to have a conversation or watch a movie or eat a meal when the person next to you whips out the phone and starts playing with it. Be present is what I always say. I don't want to miss out on anything by having my face stuck in the phone. I went to Pittsburgh last weekend to watch Les Miserables at the Benedum Center. And some lady two people down kept whipping out her cell phone to check something. Well, the screen is quite bright and when the Theatre is dark and you are trying to enjoy the performance, it is incredibly distracting!

 

[eandesmom]

Pretty ice pictures!!!!!!!!!

And wow....Santa is VERY good at your house.

fun update.

 

[shan23877]

Thanks for sharing the Christmas pictures Lisa! My grandma used to spend Christmas morning at our house too. Now that she's gone those are some of my favorite memories.

OMG!! Those pictures of John are priceless!

 

[MEK]

I missed your Christmas pictures.

First of all - I LOVE Kirklands and could live there (or visit every day). You got some cute things.

Love your tree and all the pretty packages. Yup - I would say the kids got some great loot!

Love Hunter's new hat. that really is too cute.

Love all the ice pictures. I am not envious because I hate when we get that type of ice, but the pictures certainly are cool. OK - now its time to read your trip update!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Awww, too bad John didn't get to take his siesta! Love the Mexico pavilion, that's one of my favorites! I love that it's always twilight there, so pretty!

 

[pwdebbie]

Is Lacy a cake decorator? Couldn't help noticing the different cake pans. My oldest DD is 13 and VERY into the Cake Boss. She got a Cake Boss cookbook and a cupcake decorating kit among other things for Christmas. It has been fun to be her guinea pigs when she tries all that stuff out on us!

I used to decorate cakes but found that too many people started thinking that I could just drop everything and make a cake for them because they have an event tomorrow and forgot to order a cake. So, I gave it up. But I started decorating cakes when I was about 15. I so clearly remember hearing one of my cousins saying (he thought I was out of earshot), "Looks like Debbie made the cake again. Do I have to eat it?" Yeah, in those early days, the cakes were a work of art on the outside but the inside might as well have been styrofoam!

I shan't mention names (and this person is on the DIS), but I have an in-law that works for the Cake Boss.

 

[mickeystoontown]

No, I didn't get pictures. It was too darn cold and windy out...even the dog didn't want to go out. I did watch out my front windows as cars drove down the street and as they took the turn in the curve by my house they were swerving from one side of the street to the other.

That's too funny about "Gracie." When Mark and I were in Naples last April, the hotel we stayed at had a bunch of "older" women with their dogs and every single one of them was dressed in a different outfit every day; some even had their own little "strollers."

Now that's the kinda Winter weather I do NOT want to experience!

Gracie is a small little thing so they usually carry her around if they go out. I can't imagine somebody pushing a dog in a stroller. That's going a little bit too far.

Looks like your family had a nice Christmas. It was always our family tradition that we got new PJ's on Christmas Eve, too. Maybe that inspired me because I just LOVE PJ's, I have so many but I am always looking for new ones, LOL

Wow you really did have some ice! We usually get ice like that, too, this year it hasn't been so bad on the trees and plants but we had bad icicles on our house, here's a pic:

We have only had one really significant snow so far this winter, we got a foot just after Christmas. We usually get quite a bit here, we had some really cold days last week or so (single digits) but today it is 52!! Crazy!

Love your new decorations, I just love snowmen!

Going back to read your update, I wanted to post these before I forgot.

Holy cow! Those are some major super duper icicles!

When I left work yesterday, the temp was 76. Last night, we had major major storms and I swear a tornado passed over our house. Today, the wind is gusting and it's cold.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I remember being hooked on your trip report on your past trip when you were talking about how you were letting Hunter have more freedom in the stores and then she would follow him around pretending she was looking at some item so it wasn't so obvious she was keeping tabs on him in the store. That is exactly something my grandma would have done!

My kids are children of divorce now and I do not look forward to the time when they have to coordinate times to get together with their family. Right now, their holiday visitation is set out in writing, but when they are older...not looking forward to that.

I hate cell phones too. Nothing worse than trying to have a conversation or watch a movie or eat a meal when the person next to you whips out the phone and starts playing with it. Be present is what I always say. I don't want to miss out on anything by having my face stuck in the phone. I went to Pittsburgh last weekend to watch Les Miserables at the Benedum Center. And some lady two people down kept whipping out her cell phone to check something. Well, the screen is quite bright and when the Theatre is dark and you are trying to enjoy the performance, it is incredibly distracting!

I wouldn't trade my Mama's watchfulness or her spoiling my kids for anything. As you well know, it makes for wonderful memories.

Cell phones aren't my favorite. I still have an old slider phone. Maybe, just maybe, one day I'll grow up and get a big girl phone. I've already told Hunter that the cellphone earpiece will not be stuck in his ear the entire vacation. Nope! Nada! No way!

Pretty ice pictures!!!!!!!!!

And wow....Santa is VERY good at your house.

fun update.

I'm such a sucker for spoiling my kids! Aren't we all?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Thanks for sharing the Christmas pictures Lisa! My grandma used to spend Christmas morning at our house too. Now that she's gone those are some of my favorite memories.

OMG!! Those pictures of John are priceless!

It does make wonderful memories, doesn't it?

John was being a nut that day for sure!

I missed your Christmas pictures.

First of all - I LOVE Kirklands and could live there (or visit every day). You got some cute things.

Love your tree and all the pretty packages. Yup - I would say the kids got some great loot!

Love Hunter's new hat. that really is too cute.

Love all the ice pictures. I am not envious because I hate when we get that type of ice, but the pictures certainly are cool. OK - now its time to read your trip update!

Everything that I bought at Kirkland's was on sale and then I had a $10 off $50 coupon so it made it such a wonderful deal that I couldn't pass it up.

Another place that love, love, love is Hobby Lobby! I could wander up and down the aisle for hours.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Awww, too bad John didn't get to take his siesta! Love the Mexico pavilion, that's one of my favorites! I love that it's always twilight there, so pretty!

Believe me, John would have taken a siesta in that corner had we left him alone. The man can fall asleep anywhere.

I used to decorate cakes but found that too many people started thinking that I could just drop everything and make a cake for them because they have an event tomorrow and forgot to order a cake. So, I gave it up. But I started decorating cakes when I was about 15. I so clearly remember hearing one of my cousins saying (he thought I was out of earshot), "Looks like Debbie made the cake again. Do I have to eat it?" Yeah, in those early days, the cakes were a work of art on the outside but the inside might as well have been styrofoam!

I shan't mention names (and this person is on the DIS), but I have an in-law that works for the Cake Boss.

Some people just expect you to do things, like you said, at the drop of a hat and they take advantage of you. That always makes me angry.

Ooooh, did you give your cousin a sock in the eye? He might would have come out with a good old black eye if it were me. Nah, I wouldn't want to start a family ruckus.

Are you S-E-R-I-O-U-S? Works for Cake Boss? Without saying too much....can you tell us if they are seen on camera?

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Aww...love the Christmas pictures! Your family always makes me .

Your ice pictures are beautiful. We live in the snowy NE so that is just the tip of the iceberg (lol) for us, but I won't tease you!

LOL..John is so silly! I love that he embraces his silliness and isn't afraid to let it out!

 

[pwdebbie]

Are you S-E-R-I-O-U-S? Works for Cake Boss? Without saying too much....can you tell us if they are seen on camera?

Not as far as I know. I do know that he can't post any pics anywhere as everything is licensed to the Cake Boss.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Why don’t we fry them up now and serve them with chips?

We had a bit of time before our dinner ADR but, since it was at the front of the park, we made our way towards Future World:

Our destination?

Yep, we were going to check out Nemo and his fishy friends! Not the “I Smell Something Fishy” kinda of friends but, rather, the good kinda friends like Dory and Marlin and Crush. I’ve never been able to get good pictures of the scenery once you board your clamshell but that certainly doesn’t stop me from trying:

We walked into the exhibit area and the first place that we went was the small tank area where the eels, rockfish and seahorses are. A couple of years back, the room was lit with normal lighting and I could get some fairly decent pictures. But, this trip, I noticed that the lighting was blue and all of my pictures turned out badly:

I know that we walked around the entire pavilion looking at the various fish and the Nemos and the Dorys but I can’t find any pictures. So, either they were so bad that I deleted them or I simply enjoyed myself and forgot about taking pictures. Either way, our stomachs told us that it was time to get to our ADR. We had a couple of choices: 1) We could either catch a fish or two from the tank and fry them up or; 2) Go to the restaurant. We chose the restaurant which was probably a big relief to the fish swimming around in the tanks. Where were we going? The Coral Reef:

Before we went in though, I noticed that the “cotton tree” was blooming and I wanted to take a picture. When Mama last went with us, we tried our best to figure out what kind of tree this was and ended up just calling it the “cotton tree”.

Pictures taken, we went on in to check-in for our ADR. Cute seahorse door handles:

Neat light fixtures in the waiting area:

We were given a buzzer and found a seat to wait. A castmember asked if we wanted a family picture and I told him, yes please!

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Our buzzer went off less than ten minutes after we checked-in. Just long enough for potty stops and picture taking. We were shown into the dining room and were given a booth which provided a pretty good view of the aquarium:

See the family in the picture I just posted? Turns out that they were from Louisiana too and we had a nice chat with them. She even mentioned the Disboards but I didn’t get a chance to ask if she was a member. Our server came and it was the same one that we had the year before so we knew that service would be good. He put the napkins on the table and took our drink orders.

He came back with some plates:

And warm rolls:

Oh and at some point, he gave us menus to look over. Our drinks arrived and we placed our entree orders. Not long after the order was placed, our food arrived. I went to the allears site to get descriptions and it appears that there’s been a menu change. Guess I’ll just have to post pictures. Jesse’s entree which I believe was the sustainable fish:

Lacey ordered the salmon and substituted fries as her side dish:

John and I ordered the steak with potatoes:

Hunter ordered a grilled chicken breast with a side of fries. If you have a picky eater, it always pays to ask if they can grill a chicken breast for you. At the time, it wasn’t on the menu but the server said it wasn’t a problem.

Everything was very good and, because we had been walking all day long, almost every morsel was consumed. It was time to order dessert!

John and Jesse ordered the Bailey’s and Jack Daniels mousse with chocolate pearls:

Lacey ordered creme brulee:

I ordered a mango sorbet:

Hunter ordered the chocolate wave:

During the course of the meal, I tried to get pictures of the sharks and rays and other fish as they swam by:

Everything was very good and the service was exceptional as it has been in the past. We’ve been to the Coral Reef the past three or four trips and have another ADR for our May, 2013 trip. Not only is the food and service good but the atmosphere is neat.

**Up next: Why are there trees in Epcot anyway?

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Love your Coral Reef pictures! The update I'm doing tonight on my TR is also going to be my lunch at Coral Reef!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

We went to Coral Reef on our first visit and really enjoyed it!

The Seas is one of my least favorite spots in Epcot, but my boys love to explore the aquariums. I just take the opportunity to rest my tired feet!

Cute family pictures!

 

[KatMark]

Another fun update, Lisa. I love the Nemo ride (and I can never get good pictures in there). I noticed the different lights in September.

I'm so glad you had another good meal at Coral Reef and you had the same waiter. I'm not sure we're going to do this in August as we want to try something new, but it's definitely on our list to return to. And Hunter is a guy after my heart...LOVE that Chocolate Wave.