Flowers, gardens, Monkees, food, wine, MNSSHP and tae kwon do

[TokyoDina]

Very cool! I love the photos of your cruise! I want to go on a Disney Cruise so bad!!!!!

 

[glennbo123]

I thought it might be something like that, but didn't have the gumption to go on an internet hunt to find out if there's a competition held at Disney.

It definitely sounds like something he'll enjoy and probably a lot more convenient to catch it there than to make a special trip to a competition.

 

[kcandbella]

How exciting! I am sure Charlie will love it. Works out perfectly that its at Disney!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the link to TKD! Fantastic timing for Charlie.

 

[kangaand2roos]

I think he'll love it! I'm sure Annika and I will too. There is a night time showcase on Saturday night. That looks like our best bet. It'll be more of a performance than a competition an will likely keep the kids' attention for longer!

Annika and I spent the afternoon at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Yesterday and stayed in a hotel. We got a great hotwire rate on the Hilton and she got to swim last night. It was a nice girls' getaway. John and Charlie did the same thing, only they went to a Hershey Bears game and slept in Hershey.

I think when I get home I might write up a few "Greatest Hits" stories from past trips to fill time until more planning for the upcoming trips is needed!

 

[cdotla]

Jumping on board! So great to find all my fellow May trippers!

Where exactly have I been these last few months anyway - LOL!

Looking forward to reading all about your trip and getting caught up as we prepare for the countdown to May!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Hi there Stacey! I've been making the rounds today trying to get to know some of the other DISers that will be at the Cinco de Mayo meet.

I'm so jealous that you've been to WDW so many times!

Your kids are adorable, I love their curls!

 

[kangaand2roos]

Jumping on board! So great to find all my fellow May trippers!

Where exactly have I been these last few months anyway - LOL!

Looking forward to reading all about your trip and getting caught up as we prepare for the countdown to May!

Hi there Stacey! I've been making the rounds today trying to get to know some of the other DISers that will be at the Cinco de Mayo meet.

I'm so jealous that you've been to WDW so many times!

Your kids are adorable, I love their curls!

Welcome to both of you!! I'm getting pretty excited for the Cinco de Mayo meet! There are going to be quite a few of us! I'm glad there will be other kids too! Should be a great time!

 

[kangaand2roos]

As promised, I figure I'll get started on my "greatest hits" report of some of my memories of past trips. Some will be vague, others fairly detailed. This will help y'all get to know me and my family a bit better. I kind of divide my trips, in my mind, into 3 categories: Childhood years, Young adult/adulthood years, and Parenthood years.

I'll start with the first trip. I sort of touched on it in the first post, and I don't remember that much more, but I can flesh it out a bit.

The trip itself was in either January or February on 1972, just a few months after the Magic Kingdom opened. I was about 5 1/2 and my brother Andrew almost 3. My mother was quite pregnant with my sister Jennifer who would be born that May. My father is in the standardbred race horse business and for most of my life he has traveled to the Orlando area on business each winter as that is where many horses train during the winter months. He had been to Orlando in November or December of 1971 and one of his colleagues, an Orlando resident, took him to WDW. MK was spanking new and I remember Dad telling me that the lines to get into the parking lots were over a mile long! Nonetheless, they went and he enjoyed himself immensely! So much so that He wanted to take us to see it.

As previously mentioned, Mom was quite pregnant, and really didn't want to traipse off to Florida with two young kids and a big ole belly, so Dad volunteered to take us. Now, I have the greatest dad in the world, but back then dads' roles were much different than they are today. Dad didn't change diapers or do much of the day-to-day maintenance required for young kids, so this was a BIG undertaking for him! It was also a combined business/pleasure trip.

The first day we were there, Dad took us, along with some paperwork out to the hotel pool (NO idea what hotel) so we could swim. Neither of were swimming independently at the time, but Dad brought our life jackets along (these were no water wings- they were full-fledged, around the-neck-and-strapped-at-the-middle life jackets. I can still picture them_ Mine was red with white stripes, Drew's orange with white stripes) We were safe as can be, so we could swim while Dad did some work! Or so he thought...

 

[kangaand2roos]

We were splashing happily in the pool, floating around in our mega-preservers as dad worked. At some point Drew started drifting toward the deep end. Now, he was never in any danger, but he PANICKED, and his panic caused Dad to panic and he jumped into the pool to "save" my brother.

Oh...did I mention that he was fully clothed?!

I think he might have kicked off his shoes first...

That is probably my most detailed memory of my first visit to WDW!

The day we went to the park is less clear, more a montage of images, most of which I mentioned earlier, but will repeat now:

The 3 rides I remember from that trip are the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I LOVED the Jungle Cruise! We are some animal loving people in my family and this ride was just the bees knees! I specifically remember loving the hippo "attack and the captain shooting at them to protect us, and the elephant bathing pool. This ride remains a favorite and must-see attraction to this day!

The only thing I specifically remember about the Haunted Mansion was the Hitchhiking Ghosts. My brother sat in between us, and it was pretty funny that a ghost sat on his lap! Though I don't remember a lot of specifics, I do remember that I had an overall amazement with the place! I still do!

The third ride I remember was Mr. Toad. I remember this mainly because for most of my childhood, my dad reminded me that I couldn't get a driver's license until I was 40 because I drove us into a train on MTWR! I kind of remember "hitting" the train, but not much else. Though we don't have this ride anymore, I always make sure to ride it when we go to Disneyland, and I always visit Mr. Toad in the HM pet cemetery. The kids also love to find the picture of him and Owl in the Pooh ride!

Back in the day, characters used to freely roam the parks and encounters with them were serendipitous, not planned. One of these encounters was with Eeyore. We came upon him and I was waiting my turn to meet him, and when it came to my turn, he didn't see me and almost stepped on me (I don't know if I was behind him, or just too close.) He clearly felt bad about it and was extremely nice to me, offering extra hugs to make up for his near miss! Eeyore is still my favorite Disney character.

Conversely, we encountered Pinocchio and he must have been off to be in the parade or something. I went to go see him and he sort of waved and ran off. I'm pretty sure he didn't have a handler to explain why he was blowing me off, and I was kind of hurt.

I have never quite forgiven him.



The only other specific thing I remember about that trip is that we ate at the Waffle House a few times. One day my father had a steak for breakfast, and then eggs for dinner. I thought that was the funniest thing I had ever seen!

Oh, and I think it was this trip, but I remember watching magic tricks in the old Main Street magic shop. And I think I picked an orange off a tree by the side of the road, but those might have been another trip...not sure!

We made it home safely, and I don't think Dad was too scarred by the trauma of traveling alone with two young kids! As a mom now myself, I'm sure my mother probably loved the time to herself (esp. with another one on the way!)

So that's my first trip to WDW. Stay tuned for more

 

[swwake]

Love your stories! I wish I had such a vivid memory!

Conversely, we encountered Pinocchio and he must have been off to be in the parade or something. I went to go see him and he sort of waved and ran off. I'm pretty sure he didn't have a handler to explain why he was blowing me off, and I was kind of hurt.

I have never quite forgiven him.

This one made me

 

[cinderella crazy]

We were splashing happily in the pool, floating around in our mega-preservers as dad worked. At some point Drew started drifting toward the deep end. Now, he was never in any danger, but he PANICKED, and his panic caused Dad to panic and he jumped into the pool to "save" my brother.

Oh...did I mention that he was fully clothed?!

I think he might have kicked off his shoes first...

The visual of a man fully clothed jumping in the pool for some reason made me laugh out loud. That's good stuff!

I too remember riding HM while I was younger and I was awed by it. I never remember being scared by it. Just really curious. It's still one of my favorite rides.

 

[kangaand2roos]

Love your stories! I wish I had such a vivid memory!

This one made me

Thanks! My memory has always been one of my best talents. That's why this whole getting-old thing really s--ks! I can remember what color my life jacket was when I was five, but can't remember why I walked from one room to the next, two minutes later!

 

[kangaand2roos]

The visual of a man fully clothed jumping in the pool for some reason made me laugh out loud. That's good stuff!

I too remember riding HM while I was younger and I was awed by it. I never remember being scared by it. Just really curious. It's still one of my favorite rides.

Yep...it was pretty funny!! It was especially funny in light of the fact that it was completely unnecessary as Drew had on a very good life preserver! Dad just freaked because Andrew did.

My kids were never really afraid of HM either. I suppose that is because they went on it so often from birth on. Annika actually used to fall asleep on it all of the time!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Love your first trip memories! And way to go Dad being the brave enough to venture to Florida on his own with two little ones, I'm quite certain my Dad wouldn't have been so daring!

 

[kangaand2roos]

The next installation will be the Ferguson trips...

I'm not sure if I mentioned that my parents are originally from Montreal. I was conceived there, but born here in Pennsylvania. My dad came to the States to work at Hanover Shoe Farms, the worlds largest horse breeding farm. He is a genius in his field and will be inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of fame this summer. (He was inducted into the Canadian version about 7 years ago.) Dad's career has brought us many perks. I've already mentioned one of them...he traveled frequently to Orlando on business. Gotta love that one. Also because of his job he (and sometimes we also) has gotten to meet some major and minor celebrities because many athletes and and some actors own and race horses. My dad is in the PR/sales part of the business and therefor is sort of the face of the farm and sales company.

One of these celebrities was John Bowie Ferguson (Google him if you don't know him!) Older (especially Canadian) hockey fans will know him as the notorious enforcer for the Montreal Canadiens, mostly in the 60's. He held Montreal's penalty records for decades.

I knew him as Uncle Fergie.

On the ice he was as mean and scary a guy as there ever was. Off the ice, I don't know if I've ever met anyone nicer. I say this in the past tense because a couple of years ago Uncle Fergie lost his battle with cancer and passed away. I only usually saw him once a year, but I always looked forward to that and I dearly miss him, but that is another story.

In addition to being colleagues, Dad and Fergie became good friends and our families likewise bonded. His 3 younger kids were similar in age to the 3 of us, and we all enjoyed each other. Some winters Fergie would bring his family with him to Florida to see the horses train. My dad did the same with us. I'm not sure how many Disney trips we did with the Fergusons. There were at least 2 and maybe as many as 3 or 4. My memories of these trips are also not very specific, just a blur of images and very warm feelings. These were special friends who lived far away, and we only saw them once or twice a year most years, and getting to hang with them was as exciting as going to WDW. Getting to do both together was just amazing!

I do have a few specific memories of those trips. We stayed at the 8 Days In/Lodge a couple of times. We had mini suites with kitchenettes. Ours was next door to the Fergusons. One year we were there for Easter, and the Easter bunny brought all 6 of us Disney mugs filled with candy. I remember that Dumbo was on the mugs, and I remember jelly beans. I think that might have been the year that we found several ENORMOUS black spiders in our room. The thought of them still runs shivers down my spine!

One year, Johnny, the boy of the family, about a year younger than me, got a rubber snake at WDW. It was his prized possession! Somehow the tongue got pulled out and he was distraught! His mom, Aunt Joan, put the tongue in her wallet and promised to try to repair it when they got home. At some point during the trip, her wallet was stolen (I think from the hotel room, but I'm not exactly sure.) Of course we were all upset about a theft, but Johnny was only upset that the snake's tongue was gone for good!

One of the Ferguson trips was the trip when my brother ended up in the lost kid area. We were a group of 4 adults and 6 kids, and it could be chaotic at times. The kids followed the adults, and my brother was young and therefor not very tall, so he just followed the pair of jeans in front of him. He thought they belonged to my mother, but they didn't. Somehow he was rescued by a CM and brought to missing kids. The adults were frantic and eventually Dad and Uncle Fergie made their way to missing kids and found Andrew happily playing with the toys. Until they got there, that is. Then he started to cry! I guess the true nature of his lostness didn't sink in until he was rescued!

One of those trips occurred during Space Mountain's first year. Only the boys, Dad, Fergie, Johnny and Drew braved this ride. I remember sitting on a bench (I'm not exactly sure where, but I think maybe the Hub, waiting for them to finish riding so we could leave the park for the night.

I remember riding Delta's If You Had Wings, (now the home of our favorite Space Ranger) and being AMAZED at how much it really felt like we were flying! I think we rode it several times. I also have vague memories of riding Carousel of Progress and whatever Circlevision film was playing at the time.

I also remember my baby sister being kind of freaked out by the "gunning" at the Mickey Mouse Revue and on Pirates.

One night we ate at King Stefan's (I think that is what it used to be called) in the Castle. That was cool!

Somewhere I have pictures of us visiting the race track with our dads and petting goats and the Blue and Gold Macaw, Rocky, who lived at the track.

Those are the specific memories of the Ferguson trips, but as I said, I have an overall memory of wonderful times with even more wonderful friends!

 

[kangaand2roos]

I just thought I'd throw this out to anyone who might be at WDW on May 5 and who has not yet heard about it. We're having a meet at La Cava del Tequila at noon on May 5. Here is a link to the official thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403199

Come on by to have a Margarita and some DIS fun!

 

[glennbo123]

Sounds like some wonderful memories. I'm not all that into hockey, so I'd never heard of your "uncle Fergie" but it's interesting to hear about people who can be so intimidating doing their thing on the ice (or field, court, ring, etc.) and so personable outside of it. That's a talent.

 

[swwake]

I remember riding Delta's If You Had Wings, (now the home of our favorite Space Ranger) and being AMAZED at how much it really felt like we were flying! I think we rode it several times. I also have vague memories of riding Carousel of Progress and whatever Circlevision film was playing at the time.

One night we ate at King Stefan's (I think that is what it used to be called) in the Castle. That was cool!

I love your memories because they mirror mine! I can remember that song from the Delta ride. It was kind of like the precursor to Soarin'. Remember how it went into a big Circlevision room at one point?

I can remember (and love!) the song from CoP. "Now is the time... now is the best time.. now is the best time of our lives..." And how they sang it every time they rotated the theater to a new scene and how amazing it seemed that everyone was getting older.

Do you remember the exit to Space Mountain back in the 80s where there was this styrofoam-like home of the future with (gasp!) microwave ovens and remote-control TVs?

I think we ate at King Stefan's for my honeymoon in '89. I remember the pewter plates and cups and I immediately went home and bought some pewter cups to drink ice cold cokes from!

 

[kangaand2roos]

Do you remember the exit to Space Mountain back in the 80s where there was this styrofoam-like home of the future with (gasp!) microwave ovens and remote-control TVs?

LOL, that's funny! I don't remember it because I never rode SM as a kid. I was terrified of roller coasters until high school, AND I got very motion sick. I got over the fear and mostly grew out of the motion sickness. Unfortunately I have begun to grow back INTO the motion sickness and have to wear a scopolamine patch at the parks, and STILL can't ride things like R&R, SM, and MS. It has been years since I rode SM...13 maybe?