Family, Friends, & Celebrities- A MAGICAL Birthday TR!!! *UPDATE*8/27! Final thoughts

[All7OfUs]

and a real question. Does Mel ever take a BAD picture?

I was wondering the same thing!! She is so smart looking in every single one!!

 

[that's nice]

We were all packed in the car after a cool, cloudy day at AK heading over to the Contemporary for our ADR at Chef Mickey's. I could of valet parked but it really was a process getting everyone in and out of the car. I wish we could have had someone tape us. I'm sure we would of had a laugh watching ourselves.

Surprisingly when we arrived at CMs there was only 1 other person in line. Our ADR wasn't till 6:30 but we were able to check in at 6.

We took our picture and we sat down for only a minute or two before it was our turn to be seated. We were shown to our table and I went to get Juliana's food. Once I made it back to the table, Donald was coming over to visit.

Alex was becoming a pro at this character stuff!

Juliana double fisting. I wonder how milk and water tastes together?

As Minnie was walking over to us, Juliana rushed to get out of her seat hit her head on the table pretty hard. She was really hurting.

She was feeling better by the time Mickey visited.

The Goof putting the moves on Melody.

I love this picture of Alex looking at Pluto.

Pluto is our pal too.

The food was good but I liked CP better. I felt like there was a lot of starches and the veggies all had sauces on them. I rather have grilled or steamed veggies. Once again we ate a ton of peal & eat shrimp, and I liked a cold seafood salad that had scallops, shrimp, and calamari. One thing that we like is the Mickey head shaped food.

Juliana got birthday cupcakes. One for her and one for Victoria & Alex.

I'm not sure but I think MJ was hungry for dessert. He was hidden the whole meal till now.

Some of the desserts.. I do like the deserts here.

The kids were getting more and more tired by the minute. As you can see, the girls were at the top of their game. I can't wait to break this pic out in 15 years.

All 3 kids were reaching their limit. We had the wives get the kids out to walk around while Dave & I waited for the check. Lucky for us, Minnie paid us a visit while we were waiting.

You don't think it is weird for two grown men to take a few pics with Minnie, do ya?

We paid our bill and met everyone in Fantasia. Mel & Branda were itching to spend more money. I had to try on a hat or two.

Everyone was tired so we called it a night. As we were walking out of the hotel Wishes was just starting. If I knew the MK schedule we could of stayed up on the observation deck and watched them from there. I didn't realize they were going to be starting at that time. But we all stood next to the car and watched. It really wasn't too bad though. We could hear the music from the Contemporary. It did seem that the fireworks were extremely loud from here. Of course, I had to hold Juliana.

When we made it back to the house, i immediately went to look in our bathroom to see if the shower curtain was changed- and it was. I went out to feel the pool and it was still cold. I tuned on the jets to the jacuzzi to try to warm it up. Mel & Branda got the kids bathed. They told the girls if they behaved themselves they could have a sleep over. Juliana ended up sleeping in Victoria's room. They were so excited. They must of been beat though. Once we closed the door, they didn't make one peep.

The kids were in bed at 9:15, the earliest in the last 3 days. They really needed it. To tell you the truth, the adults need them to be sleeping too. We needed a little time to unwind. I remember Mel mentioning to me that her throat was starting to feel sore. I hope she wasn't getting sick. I checked on the jacuzzi- still cold. UGHHHH

Dave and I made a few cocktails and went out to the garage to play some pool. Dave brought a few cigars and figured what better time than the present to spark 'em up.

We were playing pool, having drinks, and just having a great time. You know, where ever there is a great time to be found, MJ isn't too far behind. He had to get into some of the action too.

We had another great day and Dave & I had a busy Wednesday. We were going to see a Mets/Braves spring training game at the Wide World of Sports while the wives and kids got a chance to hang out and possibly attempt to swim in a chilly pool.

This was my post on my PTR before bed.....

Thank all of you for posting!! I am reading all of them I just don't have a lot of time to respond to all of you! Juliana was awake at 6:40 this morning (all on her own... believe me) and we hit AK. It was cloudy today and temps around 72. I have some really funny pics to show you guys, but they will have to wait till the TR.

We had a nice dinner at Chef Mickey's and even had a little treat after dinner. Played some pool tonight (in the game room at the rental). After a call to the management company today the pool heat still isn't fixed and tonight would of been the perfect night to chill in the jacuzzi. I am kinda mad (pi$$ed even) about this... I'll be calling again in the morning.

Tomorrow is a needed day off from the parks. The kids are exhausted and so are we. Hopefully they sleep in a little (yea right!). Dave and I might head to the Poly and rent some searaycers before the Mets/Braves game. We'll see... Melody and Branda are going out at night to relax and have a drink or 2.

We are having a great time!!!!

Up next... Searays, baseball, and a cold pool....

 

[All7OfUs]

My two favorite shots are the one where Alex is framed in Mickey - very creative Tim!!

I also LOVE the one of Mel with Goofy! Like Cynthia says, she just never takes a bad photo!

I can totally tell the kids are D.O.N.E.!! They are more than cooked, and it's time to chill. I"m so glad you can all just chill the next day.

If cigars taste as vile as they smell, I can't believe you guys enjoy them!!! Bleck!

 

[that's nice]

There are goblins in sewers more evil than the Dark Lord Sith himself, especially when a paving crew comes along and dumps the extra asphalt into the manhole and seals them in.

That sounds scary!!!!!! Sounds like they have the public works down.. are they union workers??

Type like the wind, young man! Just keep the wind fresh.

Well, I'm sitting here by myself...

I'm caught up, finally!

So much to comment on but I will leave it at....

LOVE the girls ears.

MJ



Egg Rolls and African Amber

HEY!!!!! You have a good reason! Hope you had a wonderful trip!

and a real question. Does Mel ever take a BAD picture?

I was wondering the same thing!! She is so smart looking in every single one!!

The reason is, I am not allowed to post any picture that isn't approved by her!

Just kidding.. She is just very photogenic. Thank you two for the complement!

 

[All7OfUs]

That sounds scary!!!!!! Sounds like they have the public works down.. are they union workers??

Well, if they aren't drunk, they are inept.

Lazy might describe them as well.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you pump instead of suck and there's no outlet between them and the house, the waste is coming straight up the toilet- right??

They paved our road last year (and dumped the extra down the manhole), but 6 months later dug it up because they forgot that the gas lines were going in. They never did come back and repave. Morons.

 

[that's nice]

My two favorite shots are the one where Alex is framed in Mickey - very creative Tim!!

He was just sitting across from me and I saw him through the Mickey. I had to take the pic!

I also LOVE the one of Mel with Goofy! Like Cynthia says, she just never takes a bad photo!

I think Goofy was getting a little comfy with Mel. LOL

I will let her know you guys thinks she never takes a bad pic. I'm sure she will disagree.

I can totally tell the kids are D.O.N.E.!! They are more than cooked, and it's time to chill. I"m so glad you can all just chill the next day.

Done. Cooked. Fried. No doubt about it!

If cigars taste as vile as they smell, I can't believe you guys enjoy them!!! Bleck!

I smoke about 2 cigars a year. This (vacation) was an occasion to smoke one. Actually these cigars (ACID blue- the brand) uses a Connecticut grown wrapper. It is very mild and great tasting. CT has some of the worlds best and well renown cigar tobacco.

 

[that's nice]

Well, if they aren't drunk, they are inept.

Lazy might describe them as well.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you pump instead of suck and there's no outlet between them and the house, the waste is coming straight up the toilet- right??

They paved our road last year (and dumped the extra down the manhole), but 6 months later dug it up because they forgot that the gas lines were going in. They never did come back and repave. Morons.

I'm sure you can't wait to be able to 'do your business' in a commode that will not return your deposit- or someone else's for that matter (no fecal). This is what you have to look forward to- (taken from AOL news)


Deadly Airborne Fungus Spreading Through Oregon, Northwest

By Catherine Donaldson-Evans Apr 23rd 2010 2:55PM



A deadly new strain of fungus is spreading in the air in Oregon, killing a quarter of the people known to have been infected and inciting panic in the Pacific Northwest.

Called Cryptococcus gattii, the fungus likely originated in the tropics -- though its exact source is unknown -- and later migrated into Vancouver, Canada; Washington state and now Oregon.

So far it has killed 5 out of the 21 patients in the United States who have gotten sick by inhaling its spores, according to LiveScience.

The new strain of C. gattii, VGIIc, has also affected dogs, cats, porpoises, elk, sheep and other animals -- and it could move into California and other neighboring states.

But an infectious diseases doctor said there is no reason for widespread alarm, as most of the people falling dangerously ill from exposure to the fungus have a preexisting condition like asthma or a severely weakened immune system from HIV, cancer or other reason.

"The vast majority of people affected probably have a chink in their body's armor for fighting infection," Dr. Frank Esper, a physician at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, told AOL Health. "It's probably the worst of the worst who are dying."

Still, doctors couldn't find any underlying medical problems in about a quarter of the patients who were treated for but did not die from the disease caused by C. gattii, Esper said -- which is worrying.

"If it's true that this is causing disease in people with no known condition like HIV or cancer, then this is a concern because it puts everyone at risk," he said.

Because the fungus lives in soil, bushes and trees, and infects people who breathe in its spores, early symptoms are respiratory in nature -- coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and sharp chest pains. People affected might later experience long-lasting headaches, sore eyes and extreme sensitivity to light.

Those who become sick from C. gattii and are left untreated will develop severe pneumonia and, in rare cases, meningitis, if it gets into the bloodstream and settles near the brain, according to Esper.

People near construction sites in the areas where the fungus has turned up might be at greater risk, since stirring up soil will send more of the spores into the air, he said.

 

[All7OfUs]

I would NEVER have pegged CT as a place for growing tobacco!! Serioulsy, I thought that was more a southern thing!

Who knew?!

I'll take your word on how good they taste. I can say that they reek.

THis pool thing has me agitated.

 

[that's nice]

I would NEVER have pegged CT as a place for growing tobacco!! Serioulsy, I thought that was more a southern thing!

Who knew?!

I'll take your word on how good they taste. I can say that they reek.

THis pool thing has me agitated.

Connecticut wrappers are shipped all over the world- even to the dominican.



Connecticut Yankees are a no-nonsense, superstitious lot, and that tradition lives strong inside the tobacco barns lining the Connecticut River Valley.

We don't have a touch of blue mold this year," says Stanton Brown, the patriarch of H.F. Brown Inc., which planted its first Connecticut-shade crop in 1938. The word mold is fresh on Brown's lips as he looks behind him for a thick beam of wood, which he knocks several times with his knuckles. The tall man, his face hidden well by a weather-beaten baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses, peers down at a visitor. "We don't count anything until it's in the shed."

Brown is standing in the gloom of a hot tobacco barn. The leaves of Connecticut shade hanging above him are considered by many to be the finest cigar tobacco in the world. Connecticut shade is wrapped around Macanudo, Davidoff, Montecristo, Ashton and Fonseca cigars, among many others.

Cigarmakers say aficionados buy with their eyes, and nothing seems to draw them in like oily, golden-brown Connecticut shade. "I would estimate that 50 percent of the handmade cigars sold [in the United States] are made with Connecticut-shade tobacco," says Theo W. Folz, the president and chief executive officer of Consolidated Cigar Corp.

The uninitiated are amazed that cigar tobacco grows so far north of the Caribbean, but native Americans grew tobacco in Connecticut before the arrival of Europeans, and historians say locals have grown cigar tobacco there since the 1600s. Tobacco is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. Seedlings a few inches tall are placed in the soil in May, and by Independence Day the plants will have soared to nine feet. By the end of August, when the final priming is harvested, a Connecticut-shade tobacco plant might stand 12 feet tall.

The soil around the valley is silty, the product of glaciers that scraped the northeastern part of America as they crept down from the Arctic. People have planted Connecticut seeds in various parts of the world--Ecuador, Honduras, even Canada--but only tobacco grown in this small valley looks and tastes like true Connecticut shade.

"A lot of people mistake Connecticut-seed tobacco grown in other parts of the world for Connecticut shade," says Brown. "But Connecticut shade is only grown in the Connecticut River Valley."

Wrapper is the most expensive type of tobacco, and no wrapper costs more to grow than Connecticut shade. "It's the most expensive, most labor intensive, most risky type of tobacco to plant," says Folz. The highest-grade shade tobacco from Honduras retails for around $20 to $25 a pound, while top-quality Connecticut wrappers sell for $45 to $50 a pound.

 

[All7OfUs]

I can't believe the wealth of info. I've picked up here from my DISPals! From strudel to peeling asparagus, and from tabacco to the science of flutulence.

Amazing!

Thanks for those articles. Coincidentally, tobacco came up in my daughter's geography today, and CT WAS mentioned!

 

[praisehisname]

Great shot!

It probably wasn't cute at the time, but I love this pic!

I checked on the jacuzzi- still cold. UGHHHH

This is so frustrating; I hope you let them know how upset you were!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I could of valet parked but it really was a process getting everyone in and out of the car. I wish we could have had someone tape us. I'm sure we would of had a laugh watching ourselves.

Let's see, there were what, 7 of you? And 3 car seats? Yeah, clowns and Volkswagons come to mind.

Juliana double fisting. I wonder how milk and water tastes together?

That's easy: skim milk!

You don't think it is weird for two grown men to take a few pics with Minnie, do ya?

Why? Do some people think it's odd?

Oh man, do I have to blur this one too?

 

[carissanboys]

I definitely prefer CP over Chef Mickey's. Poor Juliana bumping her head.

And what is up with that jacuzzi!!!

 

[stopher1]

The kids were getting more and more tired by the minute. As you can see, the girls were at the top of their game. I can't wait to break this pic out in 15years.

That'll be fun for you! Already my 14yo is embarrassed whenever his buddies see something on our screensaver slideshow of some of his photo-antics from when he was that age. It's only gonna get better when he's dating, etc.

You don't think it is weird for two grown men to take a few pics with Minnie, do ya?

Why ever would you think that?

We paid our bill and met everyone in Fantasia. Mel & Branda were itching to spend more money. I had to try on a hat or two.

Hey, you found my halloween costume from the past 4 years.

We were playing pool, having drinks, and just having a great time.

Nice. Nothing quite like a little pool and a good cigar.

 

[KatMark]

Alex was becoming a pro at this character stuff!

I love this photo--planned or unplanned.

As Minnie was walking over to us, Juliana rushed to get out of her seat hit her head on the table pretty hard. She was really hurting.

Poor Ana...I hope she didn't end up with a bump.

The Goof putting the moves on Melody.

Does Mel EVER take a bad picture?

I love this picture of Alex looking at Pluto.

This is a great shot of Alex...I love it.

The kids were getting more and more tired by the minute. As you can see, the girls were at the top of their game. I can't wait to break this pic out in 15 years.

The two Princesses look tired. I wonder if it encouraged Ana NOT to wake up at 6:30 any more????


Dave and I made a few cocktails and went out to the garage to play some pool. Dave brought a few cigars and figured what better time than the present to spark 'em up.

Mark loves to indulge in a good cigar every once in awhile. However, the dog and I feel the same way about them -- I make him smoke them on the patio and the poor dog is the one who suffers.

Great update as always.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Alex was becoming a pro at this character stuff!

Nice picture! You getting artsy-fartsy on us here?

The kids were getting more and more tired by the minute. As you can see, the girls were at the top of their game. I can't wait to break this pic out in 15 years.

Nobody ever wants to be "that" family in the restaurant...

 

[Believeinfairytales]

I'm with the majority, the pic of Alex Framed in Mickey gets (four thumbs up!)

Barry - you crack me up wanting to edit that photo of MJ and the pool stick!

Poor Juliana bumping her noggin on the table. I bet Minnie felt so bad.

Cigars - they stink. Ugh - really bad! But you got some great shots of you guys smoking them! And as long as you enjoyed them, that's all that matters!

I am getting mad that the pool and jacuzzi has not been warmed up, now. I'm guessing you got some sort of reimbursement for this inconvenience????

 

[tinkgurl]

Yay, Chef Mickey's update!

You know this is one of my fave places. All the pics turned out great...except when poor Ana hit her head on the table when Minnie was there.

OMG- you have to blow up that pic of the girls both crying when they graduate!

Oh bummer, Wishes would've been great on the observation deck. There's always a next time to try that!

 

[that's nice]

I can't believe the wealth of info. I've picked up here from my DISPals! From strudel to peeling asparagus, and from tabacco to the science of flutulence.

I learn a lot from your PTR too. LOL

I guess all this great info keeps us well rounded.

Thanks for those articles. Coincidentally, tobacco came up in my daughter's geography today, and CT WAS mentioned!

Glad I could help! (with the help of google )

Great shot!

Thanks!!!!!

It probably wasn't cute at the time, but I love this pic!

It is funny now to look back on it- not so funny at the time.

This is so frustrating; I hope you let them know how upset you were!

More on that to come......

 

[that's nice]

Let's see, there were what, 7 of you? And 3 car seats? Yeah, clowns and Volkswagons come to mind.

Exactly! Wonder if anyone snapped any pics of us... it was quite the scene.

That's easy: skim milk!

She'll be a pro by the time she goes to college.

Why? Do some people think it's odd?

I'm sure no one here would think that... I think I was directing that question to non-Disney lovers. Come to think of it, would they be here reading through this if they weren't?

Oh man, do I have to blur this one too?

That is a POOL STICK! MJ's pants were up and buttoned!!!!!