Feeling Hot Hot Hot! The Rain Curse is Broken! Two Weeks of Fun in the Sun! COMPLETE

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I think its hilarious that your dad bribed your brother with IHOP! Seriously, all you would have to do is say the word "winery" and I'd already be waiting in the car!

We aren't big drinkers in my family and I think Erich drinks the least out of all of us. A road trip to see the scenery and visit wineries is a pretty boring day for him.

It looks like you had a really nice time (except for the whole Step-mother exchange ) and made some great wine choices!

I haven't had any of my wine yet. I am going to spread it out over the next year so it lasts awhile.

Oh, and I think those new Disney princess shirts are awesome, I might need the Jasmine one for my disney shirt collection

I want all three!

I love the new Disney princess line. I want all of the shirts and the nail polish.

Me too!

Love the pirates pics. Your brothers are funny guys. Do they ever pose for a serious pic?

Very rarely

I MET THAT ARIEL AT AKERSHUS IN JANUARY!
That parade holds a special place in my heart... and I haven't even seen the whole thing yet! You'll read about that in the next tr though
Eww that tattoo is gross.
I love Pirates league... it's like Jack Sparrow came to life! ahhh...

Yeah, I don't like tattoos in general. A small one in a discrete place is okay but I don't understand permanently marking up your body like that, especially with tattoos that cover a whole body part. Some people cover their entire body in tattoos, I don't get it. It's not going to look good 20 years down the road when your skin stretches or gets all wrinkly, heck, it probably doesn't even look good now! That is my own taste though and I shouldn't judge.

we love wineries as well, but we are a stay around 12 dollar a bottle sort of people.

I think the bottles I bought ranged between $19-$30. Not too pricey.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The Crazy Stepmother Chronicles: August 2011

Day Five

Another no hiking day, sorta. We were taking it easy as we would be leaving very early the next morning to start our hiking/camping trip that would last for 4 nights/5 days. We had to decide what to bring with us (had to keep it at the minimum since the car was going to be jam packed. This was really hard for me as I am an overpacker! Maria also wouldn't let me use my little rolling suitcase as she said it would take up too much room so I had to pack my clothes in plastic grocery bags as they were easier to cram into the car. I ended up with two grocery bags of clothes and one bag with toiletries and a towel.

Back to what we did this day. The morning was pretty boring. Dad, Alek and Erich played the most boring game on the planet, Squad leader also known as ASL, while I checked the boards and Facebook etc. You are probably wondering what squad leader is as it is not well known, probably because it is really boring!

Here is the description from Wikipedia:

Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer John Hill and focuses on infantry combat in Europe during World War II.

Pieces in Squad Leader represent regular squads (rated for firepower, range and morale), weapon and vehicle crews, elite squads (with high firepower and morale but shorter range - used to represent paratroops or combat engineers armed with sub-machine guns), individual leaders, support weapons, and vehicles. The original game contained counters representing the German, Russian and American armies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_Leader

If that somehow seemed fun/interesting to you you can read more about it in the link I posted above.

Squad Leader is Dad's one true love. He has played it pretty much my whole life, he even has a piece in the game named after him. I don't remember what he did to "earn" that but he is SO proud of it. He has "friends" around the world that he would play with when he would travel for work. He plays games over e-mail and every time we visit he has to play a short scenario with Alek and Erich.

The only thing that Mom and I have in common with Maria? We all HATE Squad Leader.

That afternoon we visited Grandma. We didn't tell her we would be leaving for a few days as it would have upset her at the time (she gets worried when people travel) and she would have forgotten by the next day anyways so we figured it was better not to mention it. She also didn't know that Great Aunt Mary (her sister) was coming to visit as Dad wanted to surprise her.

After visiting Grandma we made our way over to Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park which is located in Dad's town. You can see the tip of the lake from Dad's balcony. It is the lake on the far left. We were taking Marcus to the dog beach.

Dad had said it was a short 1km walk to the beach so I wore jeans thinking it would be okay. I was wrong, it was HOT! It was also really dusty on the path and there was a bit of a climb. I regretted the jeans.

Marcus kept running into the grass which made me nervous as we were in rattlesnake territory.

Don't you just love the colour of the water? Kalamalka Lake is such a lovely shade of blue. It is absolutely gorgeous!

We threw some sticks out into the lake for Marcus to fetch.

He lost one of the sticks and I think he would have kept swimming out into the middle of the lake to find it if we hadn't called him back, silly dog!

Since it was so hot and the water looked so enticing I decided to wade in. I took off my shoes and rolled up my jeans to my knees and made my way in. It was a bit tricky as the beach was rocky but the water felt so nice!

Dad and the brothers sat on the beach while I played with Marcus.

Video: The Marcus Play Dance

Video: Marcus Playing

Well, despite rolling my jeans up to my knees they still got soaked thanks to Marcus jumping all over the place and splashing me. I was lucky he didn't jump me like he usually does or I would have ended up sitting in the lake and would have been thoroughly drenched. Getting a little wet was okay though, it would keep me cool on the "hike" back to the car.

Another dog eventually showed up to the beach and he and Marcus made friends and chased each other around. It was adorable!

The walk back to the car was really tough on me as it was so hot and I was super thirsty. I ended up with a headache by the time we got back to the car. It quickly went away once we got home and I chugged down some water.

Maria had almost finished packing the car by the time we got back. We just had to add our clothing bags and it would be ready to go. I took a look in the car and it was overflowing with stuff. Remember, we were taking "The Beast" on the camping trip, the car that would supposedly be so much roomier. Yeah Right! What the heck did she pack? We would only be gone for four nights?! You will just have to wait and find out. Hahaha!

We ate out for dinner that night, dinner was at Boston Pizza, and we made a short stop at the grocery store to pick up a few food items for the trip. Mostly bread products and fruit.

That night the boys played Squad Leader a little bit more and then we watched Shrek 2 (we had introduced Dad to Shrek the summer before). We told him not to waste his time watching the other Shrek movies.

Then it was off to bed for one last sleep in a comfy cozy bed before I would have to rough it for four nights. Would I survive?

 

[mom3sonstt]

I'm with Erich - I would take an IHOP over a winery any day! I have never learned to like wine...or beer for that matter. I tried to like beer it just never took. And I never really understood the concept of "having to acquire a taste for it". If I don't like it, why should I force myself to I do like fruity drinks....probably more for the fruity than for the alcohol itself.


Marcus is a beautiful dog! He looks like a blast to be around.


From your description your dad's game sounded like "Risk" (or was it "Stratego" ?) that my oldest step son used to play. But the pictures are nothing like it. I remember when we first got married, Steve would have been 15, my brother moved back home from Georgia (Bret would have been 26) and him and Steve discovered they both liked that game. Bret would come over and they would set it up on the dining room table and sit there for hours. I don't know what they accomplished, because it seemed like the game was never finished. What was funny would be when Steve would ask if Bret could come over and play.....sounded like a 3rd grader asking if his buddy could come ride bikes or something.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm with Erich - I would take an IHOP over a winery any day! I have never learned to like wine...or beer for that matter. I tried to like beer it just never took. And I never really understood the concept of "having to acquire a taste for it". If I don't like it, why should I force myself to I do like fruity drinks....probably more for the fruity than for the alcohol itself.

I don't much care for beer. Wine, some I like, some I don't and I have to be in the mood to drink it.

Marcus is a beautiful dog! He looks like a blast to be around.

Yep, we love Marcus! It is too bad that we have to leave him behind in BC when we go home although I am sure that our cats are happy that he doesn't come home with us.

From your description your dad's game sounded like "Risk" (or was it "Stratego" ?) that my oldest step son used to play. But the pictures are nothing like it. I remember when we first got married, Steve would have been 15, my brother moved back home from Georgia (Bret would have been 26) and him and Steve discovered they both liked that game. Bret would come over and they would set it up on the dining room table and sit there for hours. I don't know what they accomplished, because it seemed like the game was never finished. What was funny would be when Steve would ask if Bret could come over and play.....sounded like a 3rd grader asking if his buddy could come ride bikes or something.

I have heard of Risk, not my kind of game either, yawn!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hurray, the first week of school is over! I have about a million pages to read this weekend but I can do that at work!

 

[KatMark]

Love the update, Lessa. It looks like Marcus was having a really great time at the dog beach. And that water is simply beautiful...so pretty and blue and clear.

Can't wait to see how the "four night" camping/hiking trip goes with your Stepmommy.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Love the update, Lessa. It looks like Marcus was having a really great time at the dog beach. And that water is simply beautiful...so pretty and blue and clear.

I always love arriving in BC as the drive from the airport to Dad's house runs along the lake. I just stare out the window at the pretty water the whole way to the house. A beautiful way to start a trip.

Can't wait to see how the "four night" camping/hiking trip goes with your Stepmommy.

It was certainly an interesting experience in many ways. It was the first time Alek, Erich and I had ever been camping.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

May 16th continued

After Alek and Erich finished playing around in the Pirates gift shop we made our way over to Big Thunder Mountain.

The line was really long but we could snag a fastpass return time for 40 minutes later. We opted to grab some fastpasses. What to do to kill 40 minutes?

Can't go on Splash, line is too long

Well, we ended up going to an attraction that I never thought we would be visiting again, Country Bears. It drew us in for a few reasons 1)It was nearby 2)It was air conditioned 3)It didn't involve standing in line.

We had to wait about 10 minutes until the next show so we grabbed some seats inside. Ah, wonderful air conditioning!

Well, the show was not as bad as the first time we saw it. They had fixed the speakers so we could actually understand the words to the songs. I still think some of the songs are a bit inappropriate for little kids...

Once the show let out we could use our fastpasses so we fought our way through to crowds as we made our way back to Big Thunder. It was insanely crowded in the park this day judging by the congestion around Splash and Big Thunder.

Despite having fastpasses we still had a 15 minute line to stand in.

The ride stopped for about two minutes in the middle of the ride.

Alek waved to his adoring fans as we flew around the track.

It was a fun time as usual but the jerkiness of the ride made Mom feel a bit ill. That was a big issue for her on the trip, she has become much more prone to motion sickness than in the past.

[post=42589032]Click here to continue[/post]

 

[KatMark]

Country Bears -- you either love it or hate it. Seriously, some of those songs are so corny and I cannot remember the last time they changed it. But it is a great place to get some "cool air" for a short bit.

Sorry your mom had some issues on Big Thunder...it is a jerky roller coaster, and one of my all-time favs.

 

[jelloarms]

Do you know if anyone waved back to him?

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I just found your trip report today and have caught up on the whole thing! Your family seems to be having a great trip! I can't wait to hear about Harry Potter!!

 

[jenbear123]

Country Bears? Well, despite your lovely review of the show, I still have no interest to see it. How is it inappropriate for kids? Bad topics? Too bad it was so crowded. I know how your mom feels with the motion sickness. I remember a time when I could go on all the crazy rides and not feel a thing. Then I didn't go on rides for a couple years so when I started up again, my stomach was crazy sensitive! I'd feel every drop. I guess your body changes all the time

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Doing a bit of catching up right now. Darn school! ...

Oh, I hate how the American Publishers changed it from Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone... I mean, I've grown up reading Sorcerer's, but getting really into it and discovering that isn't the original name, I wasn't very happy and how we're the only country who calls it that... Yeah, not very happy. Like, why that one word? Because it sounds cooler or something along those lines? It's how J.K. Rowling wrote it and should REMAIN how she wrote it (though the US is probably where majority of people read her books), don't get it... just don't get it... I will have to read it with it switched in Philosopher's Stone just cause... sorry had to rant on that too.

Oh, I LOVE the Poly! That is my dream resort, it is my dream to stay there. Ever since my first encounter with the monorail, I've always loved that place. It is so peaceful. I think my favorite part of it is the lobby, the waterfall is so pretty. Though I also want to go to Yacht Club, so... you have a tough decision to make for your next trip... good luck

Ooooo... those paintings are just gorgeous! I'll have to go find the other ones since you took all of these ones. Not cool Lessa, not cool... At least I get to see the lovely pictures of the sweet Dole Whips... mmm... I so need to try one of those! And that dress totally works for Alek

Love your pictures of Celebrate A Dream Come True, such a great parade! I'm so glad they've added Naveen and Tiana to the parade. Ironically, I'm watching Princess & the Frog, when I read this update lol Besides them, the parade is just awesome

Wow! What is with those tattoos?! That is just a strange place to put them and a strange design. Some people I just don't get, though it's not my place to say anything. Whatever they want to do, they can do

Oh my gosh, those pictures of your brothers I'm always amazed how you are so efficient when in the parks and you have those two guys always entertaining They are... just great lol

WHAT?! You don't like the Country Bears? Sorry, that was my first show I saw in Disney and I've just loved it ever since though it is hard to understand what they are saying and maybe some of the stuff are too adult for younger kids, but still it's a cute show At least, you did give it a chance on this trip

Love your pictures on BTMRR! That would definitely be the ride to take some "on-ride" pictures on. And did any of Alek's "fans" wave back to him?

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Country Bears -- you either love it or hate it. Seriously, some of those songs are so corny and I cannot remember the last time they changed it. But it is a great place to get some "cool air" for a short bit.

Sorry your mom had some issues on Big Thunder...it is a jerky roller coaster, and one of my all-time favs.

Yeah, she used to love it but now it makes her sick.

Do you know if anyone waved back to him?

I honestly don't know but it would be hilarious if they did!

I just found your trip report today and have caught up on the whole thing! Your family seems to be having a great trip! I can't wait to hear about Harry Potter!!

Welcome! You won't have much longer to wait! I should be getting to the Universal updates in the next week or two.

Country Bears? Well, despite your lovely review of the show, I still have no interest to see it. How is it inappropriate for kids? Bad topics? Too bad it was so crowded. I know how your mom feels with the motion sickness. I remember a time when I could go on all the crazy rides and not feel a thing. Then I didn't go on rides for a couple years so when I started up again, my stomach was crazy sensitive! I'd feel every drop. I guess your body changes all the time

Here are the lyrics to one of the songs. This is the one that stuck out to me the most:

Everytime I meet a guy who gets me shook,
All I ever get from him's a dirty look.
It's the same way, everywhere I've found.
All the guys that turn me on, turn me down.

All the guys that turn me on, turn me down.
Nothing works for me that I found.
It's the same way everywhere I see.
Nothing ever seems to work for me.
Nothing ever seems to work for me.


Snippet from another:

My woman ain't pretty, but she don't swear none.
She's kinda heavy, don't weigh a ton.
She's my woman, through and through.
I lover her only 'cause my heart is true.


Another:

Mama don't whip little Buford.
Mama don't pound on his head.
Mama don't whip little Buford.
I think you should shoot him instead.

Here's the link where I found the lyrics http://wdwsongarchive.blogspot.com/2008/01/country-bear-jamboree.html

Maybe it is just me but I really don't think it is appropriate for kids.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Doing a bit of catching up right now. Darn school! ...

No kidding! One class has me reading 286 pages for Wednesday! Crazy! That is just one class!

Oh, I hate how the American Publishers changed it from Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone... I mean, I've grown up reading Sorcerer's, but getting really into it and discovering that isn't the original name, I wasn't very happy and how we're the only country who calls it that... Yeah, not very happy. Like, why that one word? Because it sounds cooler or something along those lines? It's how J.K. Rowling wrote it and should REMAIN how she wrote it (though the US is probably where majority of people read her books), don't get it... just don't get it... I will have to read it with it switched in Philosopher's Stone just cause... sorry had to rant on that too.

They changed the title because they didn't think Americans would understand the name Philosopher's Stone even though it refers to a mythical object that has been talked about for centuries. It was not some random thing that she made up for the books. Here is a brief snippet from Wikipedia:

The philosopher's stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum) is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals (lead, for example) into gold (chrysopoeia) or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as the Magnum Opus.[1]

Here's the link if you want to read more about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher's_stone

They also changed other words in the books for the American publication because they didn't think people were smart enough to understand.

example: Jumper turned into sweater

Just little stuff like that was changed which is not too big a deal but I think it is rather insulting to the American public and takes away from the fact that the characters are BRITISH and should speak as though they are BRITISH!

If you are really interested in all the changes between the original and American versions you can check out this page: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/differences.html

There are a few changes that I like. I think that the American artwork for the books is nicer and also the American books are larger (physical size and print) which makes them easier to read, especially when they started to get REALLY long.

Oh, I LOVE the Poly! That is my dream resort, it is my dream to stay there. Ever since my first encounter with the monorail, I've always loved that place. It is so peaceful. I think my favorite part of it is the lobby, the waterfall is so pretty. Though I also want to go to Yacht Club, so... you have a tough decision to make for your next trip... good luck

A tough choice indeed!

Ooooo... those paintings are just gorgeous! I'll have to go find the other ones since you took all of these ones. Not cool Lessa, not cool... At least I get to see the lovely pictures of the sweet Dole Whips... mmm... I so need to try one of those! And that dress totally works for Alek

So sorry but you know I had a couple extra grand just lying around so I figured why not buy a bunch of Disney paintings to decorate my house.

WHAT?! You don't like the Country Bears? Sorry, that was my first show I saw in Disney and I've just loved it ever since though it is hard to understand what they are saying and maybe some of the stuff are too adult for younger kids, but still it's a cute show At least, you did give it a chance on this trip

See my response to another poster above for my comments on Country Bears.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I nearly busted a gut when I read that you weren't allowed to bring your little rolling suitcase, and instead had to pack your items into grocery bags. Seriously? Evil, evil woman.

I'm with you on the Country Bears. I love the show, but the songs really aren't appropriate in any way. Just makes me chuckle really.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I nearly busted a gut when I read that you weren't allowed to bring your little rolling suitcase, and instead had to pack your items into grocery bags. Seriously? Evil, evil woman.

Yep, and you know how easily those plastic grocery bags rip? By the second day they were in bad shape and my clothes were falling out all over the car.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The Crazy Stepmother Chronicles:August 2011

Day Six: The Camping Trip Begins!

We woke up bright and early at 5:30am. Dad wanted to be out of the house by 6:30. We left closer to 7.

It was a grey dreary day as we set out and the forecast for our destination that day was cloudy with a 30% chance of showers.

Where were we headed this first day of the camping trip? Glacier National Park (not to be confused with the park of the same name in Montana).

We would be camping for the night in the Illecillewaet campground. This would be the first real camping experience for Alek, Erich and I. How would we fare?

That morning we crammed our last few items into the Infiniti aka The Beast. It was nuts how packed the car was, what on earth had Maria packed? There was only a little bit of space for her to see out the rear window. Luckily the car has one of those fancy shmancy cameras that turn on when backing up that help guide the car and give you a full view of what is behind you no matter how full the trunk is packed.

The car has three rows of seats. Erich and I sat in the middle with Marcus and Alek sat in the back where he was surrounded by all the junk we were bringing along. The back row is a bench seat that seats three. Maria had folded down the bigger section in order to fit more stuff in the car so there was only a single seat back there left for Alek.

See how the "luggage" has shifted and is now basically covering Alek?

I couldn't help but laugh at him, he was not pleased with the situation. It was just so ridiculous to me that we were bringing so much stuff.

We made a pit stop in Revelstoke to get gas, use the potty and buy some breakfast at Tim Horton's. We are Canadian and it is impossible to make a road trip without at least one stop at Tim Horton's.

Marcus was adorable during the car ride. He was not content to lay on the floor during the trip, he had to see what was going on outside! He couldn't stay stable standing on his own so instead he would seat his rear end on the seat with Erich or I for support. It was too cute, you had to have been there to see it.

The drive to the campground was about three hours. We decided to set up the tents before heading off on our hike just in case it started raining. We figured it wouldn't be too much fun setting up tents in the rain.

Flowers at our site

The tent that Alek, Erich and I would be sharing

Fire Pit

After everything was setup we clambered back into The Beast and headed ten minutes down the road to the Rogers Pass visitor center. The trail we would be hiking started off in the parking lot.

Maria and Marcus were not going on the hike, instead they were going to stay at the visitor center and wait for us to return, Dad said we would be gone for about 5 hours. We were hiking the Balu Pass Trail.

I was hesitant about going on the hike. It had started to drizzle when we arrived and Dad said that it was bear territory which is why he wasn't bringing Marcus along, dogs aren't allowed on the trail. We started off on the hike despite the drizzle.

The first part of the hike is steep and goes through a heavily forested area. This initial part was hard for me and I had to keep yelling at the others to wait for me. Oh well, the yelling would warn the bears that we were coming!

After a bit the trail heads out into an open valley and the climb continued but it was a more steady incline rather than the steep climb back at the start of the trail. Dad said this was the area where it was really important for us to make noise as there was a loud river running through the valley which bears like to frequent.

Continued in next post

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

About an hour into the hike we spotted our first marmot of the trip. I named him Herbert.

Our second marmot spotting, Erich named her Petunia, can you spot her peeking out at us?

Third Marmot, Alek named him Tyrone

The higher we climbed the windier it got and the harder it started to rain. We were freezing. Dad and I had each brought our coats with us on the hike and Dad had an extra one that the boys shared. Despite my warnings to them when we packed for the trip Alek and Erich did not pack coats.

We were 3/4 of the way to the top when we decided to turn around and head back. The weather just kept getting worse and the cloud cover was so bad that Dad didn't think we would be able to have much of a view of the Pass when we got to the top anyways. He was disappointed that we didn't finish but we can always go back on another trip as it isn't that far from where he lives. Dad has hiked the trail before and he said that the view from the top is worth a return trip.

Looking back at the valley we had hiked through. As you can see the visibility was not that great so it wasn't likely to be any better on the other side of the pass.

It started to rain less and less as we made our way back down and by the time we made it back to the forested part of the trail the rain had pretty much stopped.

Maria was surprised to see us back two hours early and said that it hadn't rained at all down in the parking lot.

Coming Up: Our first day of camping continues

 

[AKL LOVER]

I'm finally all caught up...a couple of things I wanted to comment on:


And I also agree that the lyrics to the Country Bear's songs are rather inappropriate for kids...good thing they don't usually catch them all. I've only been to the Country bear show once and don't plan on going back. It's not our cup of tea and we weren't a big fans. In fact the only reason we went in the first place was because my mom dragged us there as she remembered going to see that show the year Disney opened and she hadn't been back since.


I cannot believe that the girl in that pic had those lines or whatever tattooed on the back of her leg!!! Seriously bad idea!


Was it just me or did you also think that the Ariel in your parade looked rather scary??? Yikes!