Gas up the car & point it towards Florida! Road Trip, July 2012!...UPDATE 8/5/12

[Leshaface]

Oh yes, we are already well underway with SING! 2012!! We already auditioned and chose our student producers for the shows, and today, tomrorow & Wednesday we will be auditioning the rest of the leaders (band leader, director, chorus leader, choreographer, etc.). So I am staying at work until 6pm today and tomorrow, and coming in early Wednesday morning for the remainder of the auditions. Then, the auditions for actors will be in mid-December, the week after my school puts on their Winter musical ("Kiss Me Kate" this year). In the mean time, we will begin working on our Playbill, trying to get sponsors to buy ads, ordering the shirts, etc. It's a lot of fun!

Yes, these were real Dole Whips! The Dole logo and everything! It is a stand that serves only the Dole Whip soft serve, and floats. It was awesome!

OK, you talked me into it...I will do an adult-only TR! For a preview, here;'s what's on our agenda for that weekend:

Friday, Nov. 11th: bring the boys to my sister's house at 9am, then drive to Foxwoods (around 2 hours, maybe a little more); go to lunch when we arrive; check in (room guaranteed by 4pm); go to the casino and play some blackjack and slots...not too much though ; dinner at one of the casual restaurants (not sure which one yet); we have tickets to see Jim Breuer's comedy act that evening at 8pm!...then probably go to one of the bars or lounges.

Saturday, Nov. 12th: we have a dinner reservation that evening at the Paragon restaurant, which is supposed to be the best one of their gourmet restaurants! It got AAA awards and everything! The rest of the day and night, we will be spontaneous!

Sunday, Nov. 13th: we have reservations for the prime rib brunch at David Burke steakhouse. The ressie is for 11:30AM. So we will stuff our faces and then head home!

Notice I said "spontaneous"?! Yes, ME! I am going to make sure to be spontaneous on this trip. I want DH and I to sleep in, then figure out what we will do that day!

Oooh sounds like some fabulous plans indeed! You two are going to have an amazing time. I've never been to a comedy show before (unless you count the ones on the cruise) and would love to go one.

Prime rib sounds amazing right now (DROOL)

 

[bangzoom6877]

Oooh sounds like some fabulous plans indeed! You two are going to have an amazing time. I've never been to a comedy show before (unless you count the ones on the cruise) and would love to go one.

Prime rib sounds amazing right now (DROOL)

Comedy shows are awesome!

We're really looking forward to our weekend trip in a couple of weeks! We both have definitely earned it this time!

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a wonderful trip Bonnie! Have a great time!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Sounds like a wonderful trip Bonnie! Have a great time!

Oh yes, this trip is looking better and better to me! Only 2 weeks to go!

Things have been so busy at work that when I get home, I feel like my head is spinning. It's a good busy, but busy nonetheless. Between teaching my 5 classes, mentoring my student teacher and administrative duties for SING!, my days are very full and I am always on the go. But as I said, a good busy...I love it all!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Our weekend trip to Foxwoods in Connecticut is only 5 days away!!! (Soon to be just 4 when we wake up tomorrow!)

We decided that we will surprise the boys on Friday morning and take them out for breakfast before we bring them to my sister's house.

So, today I printed out everything...the hotel confirmation, voucher for tickets to Friday night's comedy show, and restaurant reservation confirmations. I also tried to snag an earlier brunch ressie for Sunday, and I got it! So I cancelled the 11:30am ressie, and we got the 10am one, like we originally wanted. So, our itinerary looks like this:

Fri., 11/11/11: Breakfast with the boys at our fave local place (there WILL be food porn!), around 7:45am; drop the boys by my sister's at 9am, then head to Foxwoods; check into MGM Grand; lunch at the resort (or snack), dinner at one of the casual restaurants (no ressie...because of comedy show); comedy show (Jim Breuer) at 8pm; hit casino!

Sat., 11/12/11: Wake up WHENEVER! (I LOVE THAT!!!!! ); grab breakfast somewhere; do whatever we want all day...gamble, not gamble, relax, whatever! Dinner at the Paragon at 7pm (AAA 3-diamond award winner); Do whatever for the evening!! They have lounges with live entertainment, so we will check some of that out (no cover charge!)

Sun., 11/13/11: Check out of hotel; Prime Rib Brunch buffet at David Burke Prime at 10am; drive home and take the kiddos home!

Now...everything at Foxwoods Resort is indoors, and we don't have to leave at all for the 2 days!

And yes, there will be plenty of food porn! I already warned DH that I will be that crazy lady taking pics of food again! I think he expects it at this point!

So, just a few more days...we haven't gone away just the 2 of us in a little over 7 years! It feels weird but really nice at the same time!

 

[Leshaface]

Our weekend trip to Foxwoods in Connecticut is only 5 days away!!! (Soon to be just 4 when we wake up tomorrow!)

We decided that we will surprise the boys on Friday morning and take them out for breakfast before we bring them to my sister's house.

So, today I printed out everything...the hotel confirmation, voucher for tickets to Friday night's comedy show, and restaurant reservation confirmations. I also tried to snag an earlier brunch ressie for Sunday, and I got it! So I cancelled the 11:30am ressie, and we got the 10am one, like we originally wanted. So, our itinerary looks like this:

Fri., 11/11/11: Breakfast with the boys at our fave local place (there WILL be food porn!), around 7:45am; drop the boys by my sister's at 9am, then head to Foxwoods; check into MGM Grand; lunch at the resort (or snack), dinner at one of the casual restaurants (no ressie...because of comedy show); comedy show (Jim Breuer) at 8pm; hit casino!

Sat., 11/12/11: Wake up WHENEVER! (I LOVE THAT!!!!! ); grab breakfast somewhere; do whatever we want all day...gamble, not gamble, relax, whatever! Dinner at the Paragon at 7pm (AAA 3-diamond award winner); Do whatever for the evening!! They have lounges with live entertainment, so we will check some of that out (no cover charge!)

Sun., 11/13/11: Check out of hotel; Prime Rib Brunch buffet at David Burke Prime at 10am; drive home and take the kiddos home!

Now...everything at Foxwoods Resort is indoors, and we don't have to leave at all for the 2 days!

And yes, there will be plenty of food porn! I already warned DH that I will be that crazy lady taking pics of food again! I think he expects it at this point!

So, just a few more days...we haven't gone away just the 2 of us in a little over 7 years! It feels weird but really nice at the same time!

Yay! Wow, it came up so quick. Although it's been a while since we talked.

How's SING coming along?

 

[franandaj]

Bonnie, you two have a GREAT time!

I thought of you last night. Fran was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives and he went to a place in Tampa. Do you ever visit the places on that show? I would imagine that driving down to Florida you would pass through a lot of places that he has vitisted.

When we go on road trips we like to try and hit places he's been if we can. The ones I've been to so far have great food.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yay! Wow, it came up so quick. Although it's been a while since we talked.

How's SING coming along?

Hi!! I can hardly believe myself that Foxwoods is this Friday! I can't even believe we are 2 months into the school year already, and that on the 18th, I will be married for 10 years!

SING is coming along just fine so far. The kids who I am working with have been terrific, getting everything together and staying organized. I'm meeting tomorrow with the faculty advisors to come up with a schedule for auditions and rehearsals. On Thursday we will have the complete song lists for both shows! The next thing to do is order our sweatshirts, and then work like crazy on the Playbill! It's kind of like planning a wedding...you know there will be a glitch somewhere, so it's best to prepare for it very early so it can be fixed!

Bonnie, you two have a GREAT time!

I thought of you last night. Fran was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives and he went to a place in Tampa. Do you ever visit the places on that show? I would imagine that driving down to Florida you would pass through a lot of places that he has vitisted.

When we go on road trips we like to try and hit places he's been if we can. The ones I've been to so far have great food.

I never did go to any of the places from that show, but I sure love watching it! Do you by any chance remember the name of the place he went in Tampa? It would be great to be able to fit in a restaurant from the show and then report back here about how it was! I will have to do some research online and see if I can find a list of places he has been to, that are along our route to FL!!

I hope that Fran is doing all right...still thinking about you two!

 

[franandaj]

I never did go to any of the places from that show, but I sure love watching it! Do you by any chance remember the name of the place he went in Tampa? It would be great to be able to fit in a restaurant from the show and then report back here about how it was! I will have to do some research online and see if I can find a list of places he has been to, that are along our route to FL!!

I hope that Fran is doing all right...still thinking about you two!

Check out this website http://www.flavortownusa.com/Locations.aspx

You can sort by state. There are two in Tampa that he went to. The one I saw last night was the Tampa Taco Bus. I think the whole show was about restaurants in trucks or buses. Definitely report back if you get to any places!

Fran is improving. I just hope the nurse gets here soon to take her injection port out....

 

[bangzoom6877]

Check out this website http://www.flavortownusa.com/Locations.aspx

You can sort by state. There are two in Tampa that he went to. The one I saw last night was the Tampa Taco Bus. I think the whole show was about restaurants in trucks or buses. Definitely report back if you get to any places!

Fran is improving. I just hope the nurse gets here soon to take her injection port out....

I'm glad to hear that Fran is improving!! Soon you will be able to put this all behind you.

Thanks for that website. I'm going to check it out and see if there are any places we can hit on our journey next summer!

Oh and by the way...I LOVE food trucks! One day in August, the boys had a birthday party at the Prospect Park Zoo here in Brooklyn. It was a drop-off party, but there were all kinds of food trucks just down the road from there, so DH and I took a nice walk and we saw some amazing things! We ended up sharing a nice thick Belgian waffle from a truck called "Wafels and Dinges", and this spread called Spekaloos (sp.?)...it's the consistency of peanut butter but tastes like gingerbread! We LOVED it!

 

[Leshaface]

3 days to go!!

 

[bangzoom6877]

3 days to go!!

I know!!! I put the address into the GPS this morning!

DH is happy because at Foxwoods, everything is all in one place and he won't have to drive the whole weekend!

 

[Leshaface]

I know!!! I put the address into the GPS this morning!

DH is happy because at Foxwoods, everything is all in one place and he won't have to drive the whole weekend!

DH is the same way! He hates having to drive to new places. So whenever we're at Disney World or San Francisco, he loves it because we just take the buses/subways Are you all set to leave?

 

[bangzoom6877]

DH is the same way! He hates having to drive to new places. So whenever we're at Disney World or San Francisco, he loves it because we just take the buses/subways Are you all set to leave?

DH is OK with driving...in fact, I always offer to do some of the driving when we go on a road trip, but he insists on doing it himself! However...he LOVES the idea of not having to worry about driving...because then he can have a few drinks!

I'm pretty set with most things for Friday. I printed out the hotel confirmation, put the address into the GPS, our restaurant reservations are set for Saturday evening (7pm in one of the gourmet restaurants) and Sunday's prime rib brunch buffet. I was actually able to switch our 11:30 brunch to 10am (the original time we wanted)...so we will be able to come home a little earlier than we originally thought...this is a good thing since we will be able to spend some time with the boys that afternoon, have dinner with them, and because work and school are the next day.

I didn't make any dinner reservations for Friday because we don't want to feel rushed, since we have the comedy show at 8pm. But it's killin' me...not knowing where we are going to end up for dinner! I keep looking at the menus of the casual restaurants over and over again, and I know I am going to forget at least half of what I read!

I am also doing mega loads of laundry. I finished the boys' clothes, but ours is still in the wash. I have DS6's clothes all laid out to pack for my sister's house. I still have to take out clothes for DS4, and pack myself. But it's only for 2 nights, so I'm not too stressed about that.

My sister already has a whole menu planned for the boys this weekend! She was telling them about it today...they may not want to come home!

 

[franandaj]

So I thought I would bring this thread back on topic!

Bonnie, I know you've been very interested in the new Fantasyland, this came from a DVC group that I am on

Fantasyland Construction

I thought you might like to see it.

 

[Leshaface]

DH is OK with driving...in fact, I always offer to do some of the driving when we go on a road trip, but he insists on doing it himself! However...he LOVES the idea of not having to worry about driving...because then he can have a few drinks!

I'm pretty set with most things for Friday. I printed out the hotel confirmation, put the address into the GPS, our restaurant reservations are set for Saturday evening (7pm in one of the gourmet restaurants) and Sunday's prime rib brunch buffet. I was actually able to switch our 11:30 brunch to 10am (the original time we wanted)...so we will be able to come home a little earlier than we originally thought...this is a good thing since we will be able to spend some time with the boys that afternoon, have dinner with them, and because work and school are the next day.

I didn't make any dinner reservations for Friday because we don't want to feel rushed, since we have the comedy show at 8pm. But it's killin' me...not knowing where we are going to end up for dinner! I keep looking at the menus of the casual restaurants over and over again, and I know I am going to forget at least half of what I read!

I am also doing mega loads of laundry. I finished the boys' clothes, but ours is still in the wash. I have DS6's clothes all laid out to pack for my sister's house. I still have to take out clothes for DS4, and pack myself. But it's only for 2 nights, so I'm not too stressed about that.

My sister already has a whole menu planned for the boys this weekend! She was telling them about it today...they may not want to come home!

For dinner on Friday, are you eating at one of their restaurants? Do you not need a reservation? If you don't, could you print the menus out and take them with you and read them to your DH for some entertainment? This would give you both the opportunity to see what you really feel like eating.

 

[bangzoom6877]

So I thought I would bring this thread back on topic!

Bonnie, I know you've been very interested in the new Fantasyland, this came from a DVC group that I am on

Fantasyland Construction

I thought you might like to see it.

Thanks so much!! Awesome photos!

I don't think the Beast's Castle will be open by the time my trip comes...we will just have to wait until our 2014 trip to go there. By then, the boys will be 7 and 9, and I am hoping they would still enjoy it!

For dinner on Friday, are you eating at one of their restaurants? Do you not need a reservation? If you don't, could you print the menus out and take them with you and read them to your DH for some entertainment? This would give you both the opportunity to see what you really feel like eating.

Foxwoods has a few gourmet restaurants, some casual restaurants, and some express ones (like Subway, Dunkin Donuts, etc.). Reservations are recommended at the gourmet restaurants, not required at the casual ones, and are typically available last minute if we decide on a specific one tomorrow afternoon or something.

I discovered that one of the steakhouses has a lounge with a very nice menu. It's a casual atmosphere, and they have items like lobster salad roll, hot lobster roll with melted butter, shaved prime rib sandwich, some of their signature steaks, appetizers and desserts. Prices are very reasonable too. I told DH about it. We might end up there for dinner tomorrow night, before the comedy show.

DH hasn't been feeling too well all week (on and off sore throat, some coughing, run-down and tired), and last night he had a temperature of 100. He couldn't take off of work today (he had a suspension hearing to go to, then a very important meeting), but he was able to go to the doctor on his way home from work. The doctor said it's a virus that has been going around and he has seen a lot of patients all week with the same thing. DH was feeling much better today thought, so it appears that this thing already hit its peak. The doctor told him that it's fine to go tomorrow, and to just take it easy the rest of today and drink plenty of fluids. So that is exactly what he is doing. But thank goodness he is feeling much better, and he sounds and looks better too. Yesterday he looked miserable and he went to bed at around 7pm...for the night!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh gosh! I REALLY hope he'll feel completely better by tomorrow. But if you said it already hit it's peak, he should be doing tons better by tomorrow.

Wow! Tomorrow! Just in case you don't get on tomorrow, I hope you have an AMAZING time! I hope it's rejuvenating and relaxing for the two of you. And try not to worry about your kids too much. They're in good hands. And eat LOTS of yummy food!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Oh gosh! I REALLY hope he'll feel completely better by tomorrow. But if you said it already hit it's peak, he should be doing tons better by tomorrow.

Wow! Tomorrow! Just in case you don't get on tomorrow, I hope you have an AMAZING time! I hope it's rejuvenating and relaxing for the two of you. And try not to worry about your kids too much. They're in good hands. And eat LOTS of yummy food!

Well, even though DH felt better earlier, it got worse tonight. At 7pm, his fever was 102...he said he felt OK, but hot in his upper body and cold feet. He took some Tylenol, and it made him feel better. Temperature is still 101 though...but these viruses tend to make the fever peak at night, go up and down, and I am hoping he is much better in the morning. He said he was so sorry that this weekend won't be exactly as we had planned, but I told him not to worry. Even if we just take the weekend to relax over at Foxwoods, sleep late on Saturday, take naps if we feel we need to...we can be in total peace and quiet if we want. And I'm sure he will be much better by Saturday. The doctor gave him an antibiotic to prevent secondary infection (Zithromax), so we won't have to worry about that.

I packed the kids' things, and laid out my clothes. I know I know...I normally pack 2 days before a vacay, but this is such a short trip compared to Disney trips. I was stressed earlier about all that I had to get done, but now I am much calmer. I also had to put in my report card grades because they are due on Tuesday morning, but I won't be around this weekend, and Monday begins the new marking period which means it will be totally chaotic at work. Normally I would have had my grades done today at work, but SING now takes up some of my work day when I am not teaching a class...so I had to finish the grades at home. But I just finished and emailed them to the assistant principal! So now I feel like a heavy load has been lifted off my shoulders, and now I can relax this weekend. And hoping that DH feels 1,000% better when he wakes up tomorrow morning!

Just in case I don't get back over here before tomorrow morning, have a great weekend! I will take food porn pics, starting with breakfast tomorrow morning at our local place that we love!

 

[Leshaface]

Well, even though DH felt better earlier, it got worse tonight. At 7pm, his fever was 102...he said he felt OK, but hot in his upper body and cold feet. He took some Tylenol, and it made him feel better. Temperature is still 101 though...but these viruses tend to make the fever peak at night, go up and down, and I am hoping he is much better in the morning. He said he was so sorry that this weekend won't be exactly as we had planned, but I told him not to worry. Even if we just take the weekend to relax over at Foxwoods, sleep late on Saturday, take naps if we feel we need to...we can be in total peace and quiet if we want. And I'm sure he will be much better by Saturday. The doctor gave him an antibiotic to prevent secondary infection (Zithromax), so we won't have to worry about that.

I packed the kids' things, and laid out my clothes. I know I know...I normally pack 2 days before a vacay, but this is such a short trip compared to Disney trips. I was stressed earlier about all that I had to get done, but now I am much calmer. I also had to put in my report card grades because they are due on Tuesday morning, but I won't be around this weekend, and Monday begins the new marking period which means it will be totally chaotic at work. Normally I would have had my grades done today at work, but SING now takes up some of my work day when I am not teaching a class...so I had to finish the grades at home. But I just finished and emailed them to the assistant principal! So now I feel like a heavy load has been lifted off my shoulders, and now I can relax this weekend. And hoping that DH feels 1,000% better when he wakes up tomorrow morning!

Just in case I don't get back over here before tomorrow morning, have a great weekend! I will take food porn pics, starting with breakfast tomorrow morning at our local place that we love!

Yikes, poor guy! I'll be thinking about you guys and hope that he's feeling much better tomorrow morning. And you're right, you guys can just relax and hang around Foxwoods, doing nothing! That's always nice to do.

Glad that all your work is done so you can totally concentrate on your nice relaxing weekend!

Drive safe and can't wait to read/see all about your trip!