Geen Yight - She's Out of Sight: A Trip of Leaps and Bounds

[MeMom]

Zebra domes, giraffes, and the thought of the smell of Boma...need I say more!

I'm thinking this would have been a good week to be in Florida! We could have just read about these storms in the paper and not had to experience the craziness firsthand.

uncw89: Glad to hear you made it through the storms ok. It was scary for sure and I hope it is done and over with for this year!

Memom: Does it make me weird that I like those beaded flamingos? I still don't like the yard ornament ones, but those beaded ones are pretty cute! I'm a total sucker for a flamingo anyway. Flamingos and palm trees... two of my favorite tropical things!

I hate to hear that Jill can't go on your trip. I know she hates that, but a Memom and me trip will be fun too. Looks like we will miss each other by just a few days.

I like the beaded flamingos, too, so if you are weird, then I guess I am weird with ya!

Jill doesn't have the luxury of the long school breaks like I do. I hope someday she will be able to work in the girls' school in some fashion, so she'll have the nice breaks. She could get off if she pushed it, but she said she'd rather save her time and money for the Christmas trip. She still has lots of time to change her mind, anyway. The room is there. If we do go, we'll purchase plane tickets later, too, so there's nothing solid that she's not going, at this point. There's also nothing solid that Brooklynn and I are going, but if I can squeeze the money out, I would really like to have this special time with her.

Oh Zebra Domes....how I love thee!!! I might drive over to AKL in July just to get those!!!

They are worth the drive!

Drove to work in a tornado this morning! Was halfway to school before I got the message that we were delayed. Went ahead and came on in. Girls are watching a Disney movie in the hallway adjacent to my office. We are supposed to get horrible tornado weather this afternoon so I am anticipating an early dismissal.

Stay safe, Jill!!!!

Be safe! I have no idea what is going on this year! We haven't had a spring like this in a long time. I, for one, would love for the bad weather to go back into hibernation!

Saying some stay safe prayers for you and your family. We're supposed to get tornadoes south, north, east, and west of us, but not where we are! Although, we are supposed to get sever t-storms.

Jill I will be praying that you all will be safe today. Memom, I may be able to meet you in Oct. If I can find someone to split a room with then I will be going to WDW in Oct.

Oh goodness We don't have such great weather happening here today but not so bad...I'll be praying for sunny skies for you!

Everyone take care out there

Praying for safety!! Stay safe and if you get dismissed early be careful on the drive home!!!

She certainly had the drama yesterday, didn't she? Her little town took a beating!

pooh'smate, we'll plan on that meet if we both get there.

What a great AKL update! I just love that resort! You are right BOMA smells amazing! You can just smell it as you walk through the doors!! And Zebra domes oh how I loved them!! I finally had my first taste in January and they were AMAZING!!! SO GOOD!!!

When we stayed there, every time we'd walk toward our elevator to go to our room, we were greeted with that wonderful aroma.

Mmmmm the smell of the Jambo lobby, sounds of the music and drums and then a nice stop downstairs for some zebra domes! Sounds perfect! I had a candle once (from Bath and Body Works) that smelled very similar to the lobby....I think it was called fireside and was not available this past winter season
I have those two AKL prints. They make me smile every time I walk by them

Tracy

That's too bad about that candle. If it comes out again, buy it in bulk!

I love AK and AKL music. I have the AK CD, and if you play it on a steaming hot summer day after an afternoon rain shower, I feel like I am almost there.

 

[MeMom]

Glad the two big girls braved the Yeti. He's kinda cute. lol!! I love Animal Kingdom Lodge! I've only visited once and really loved it. I'm trying to decide between a Boma or 'Ohana dinner ADR for our girls' trip in October. Which do you prefer MeMom?

The little stuffed guy in the gift shop is kind of cute. The ride is a little too intense for me. I'm sure I'll do it again someday with the girls, but for now, I am happy just being the person who waits for the riders.

I have not had an 'Ohana dinner. We've just had breakfast there. We're having dinner on July 4th, so I'm no good on an opinion until then. It may depend on the experience you are going for. 'Ohana might be a more fun atmosphere, but Boma will have a lot more variety. Boma will give you that incredible dessert selection, too. Maybe you could show the girls the menus and the resorts and let them choose.

I have a friend that lives in Blountsville that had a tree come through her bathroom this morning. She also has no electricity. It took her son that lives in Arab over 5hrs to get to her traveling blocked roads then cutting through the trees. She is fine, but he is taking her back to his house. She is in her eighties.

It took John a long time to get home, too. He said at one point he ended up going back to work to kind of regroup and figure out what to do. I am very glad your friend had her son close enough by to come and get her.

Yikes! Stay safe!!

When she wrote about her morning, she had no clue what her evening was goin to end up like!

Birmingham and Tuscaloosa got the worst of it, I think. Northern Alabama has some pretty messed up spots right now, and there were deaths, unfortunately.

Wow...hope all is ok. My daughter saw this morning on tv that it was supposed to be storming here today....and she promptly made her "are you serious?" face....she doesn't like it when it storms when she's at school, cause she has to go into the boys bathroom

Our kids hate tornado drills, and I can't blame them. They are on their knees with heads down all squished up in the hallway. It's not fun for anybody.

We got tons of rain with our storms. There's some very high creeks around here right now.

Looks like you had a very nice Easter! You would have to hide the devil eggs from me too...but labeling them as cookies wouldn't help!

Enjoyed catching up on the trip report and all the other fun things that have been happening.

Too bad I can't hide food from myself!
We have sure enjoyed the Easter leftovers this week, too.

Enjoyed those AKL photos One of my favourite resorts to visit, and one day I'd love to stay in one of those beautiful rooms overlooking the savannah and stand out on my balcony in the mornings with just a coffee and the animals for company


We've had dinner a Boma with my two girls who can certainly be picky eaters at times, but that doesn't mean that they'd rather be eating typical 'kid' food. There was so much choice that I remember them eating better here than in many other places! They both love hummus and found lots of things to dip into it (including a few different types of bread), sampled some of the couscous and salads, as well as some straightforward chicken strips and mac n cheese. I really enjoyed the food here too! I'm sure you'll find something for everyone, and the setting is just lovely.



Hope everyone has stayed safe today

On our AKL stay, we had a pool view. We would sit out on the balcony and eat breakfast, and it was really hard to get motivated to want to leave to go to a park.

Jill, hope the weather passed you by.

Memom, love the last installment (odd word - but brain is fried from battling high schoolers all day.)

I love Mara! I think I will be popping over there sometime this summer on an AK day like you did!

I think we are in the clear now, and the next few days look lovely on the forecast.

Yep, just a five minute ride from AK to some AKL happiness.

MeMom and other teacher friends,

I am reaching out for help once again. I have some school safety interview questions that I need some volunteers to answer for a paper I am writing. If you're interested in helping me out, let me know here or on FB. Thank you so much.

If you can wait until tonight, I will get back with you. Things are too chaotic here right this second. I'll be glad to help you when I have a minute to really give it the attention you deserve.

Teachers, can you give dancin_princess some input on this?

 

[MeMom]

I saw on tv they were predicting severe weather for your area so I started praying then for all of you.

Praying for everyone to be safe during this crazy weather.

Hi guys. First time posting here but have read most of your reports. Just wanted to say that I think you have a wonderful family, and that Brooklyn and Bella are two of the cutest kids. But also wanted to say that I hope your doing ok with the weather you all are getting down there and I hope you stay safe.

That's so scary. I hope Jill and the girls get home safely.

Stay safe in that ugly weather!

Hope you guys are staying safe in this crazy weather!

I just looked at the weather chanel Take care!

I hope everyone is safe.

Saying prayers and hoping the storms pass through quickly and everyone stays safe!!!!

I hope everyone stays safe. Look bad on the radar.

I will probably have the radar up most of the night. Just like Jackie.

Right now the mountains are keeping it on the TN side- Sorry MeMom-
We usually get weather that goes through Atlanta. Last night prediction was 3 or 4 am. I really would like a good nights sleep so I hope it blows through before that.

Thinking of Jill and the girls!

Stay safe

Birmingham is getting crazy bad weather right now. Please keep Jill and the girls inyour thoughts as they ride out this storm.

I hope she can check in to let us know she is OK.

I don't know if I feel better but I just saw that she is in Huntsville/Harvest area.

Saying a prayer and hoping everyone is safe.

Things are starting to rev up here in Georgia. Church let out early tonight so we could all get home before the storm comes. I can hear thunder in the distance. We have dodged the storms this week at our house. I am hoping we continue that trend but I have a feeling we will get the bad weather tonight. I hope everybody is safe tonight.

MeMom, saying prayers for you and everyone else in the path of this crazy weather. My Aunt & Uncle live in Gainesboro, they said it's gotten pretty bad there.

Thinking of all of you - hope you make it through the storms safely!

Saying prayers and waiting to hear everyone is ok. That's some scary weather. Heading our way tomorrow.

Have you heard from Jill yet? Hope all is well!

We are under a Tornado watch and I hope it stays that...a watch! It is until 3am this morning...that soo makes me nervous of storms during the middle of the night.

Optimistically waiting to hear that you are all safe! (and saying prayers too!)

Saw on Facebook that MeMom did hear from Jill, and they are safe. Being from the northeast and only having witnessed some blizzards and a couple of hurricanes I seriously cannot even imagine dealing with the crazy weather down there. Hoping everyone else is safe and sound, too!

So glad to hear you are all ok. I've been praying for you. Remember us tomorrow morning as it comes through here.

I am so glad that Jill and the girls are safe and hope that John makes it home unharmed.
They just reported two tornadoes in central Virginia but say that they are not headed here to the coast. It was 3 years ago tomorrow that a tornado hit here in Suffolk.
I guess I will head to bed so if the storms hit and wake me up at least I'll have a little rest.
Stay safe everyone!

So glad everyone is ok. Been worrying since I saw Jills post on FB. So far 3 different parts of my family tree have been threatened by tornados in three different states (Athens, Al, Chattanooga, Tn and now just out of Atlanta, GA) today/tonight/ soon tonight. So far everyone is ok. Hope Jill and the girls get some good sleep tonight! Everyone out there stay safe.

Glad to hear that Jill and the girls are safe. They were showing live coverage of that huge tornado going through Tuscaloosa on our local news and I wasn't sure how close to there she lived. Scary stuff!

Glad to hear everyone is safe. I was watching some video on the Weather Channel website earlier, scary stuff down there. It hasn't hit here yet, we're under a flood & tornado watch, but it's not supposed to be near as bad here as down south.

Wishing sweet dreams for the girls.

So happy to hear you all are ok. I've been watching the weather channel most of the night and it's crazy out there. Hope everyone else stays safe and hoping the weather isn't too bad up here tomorrow when it rolls through. Not a fan of storms and probably won't get much sleep tonight.

I'm glad Jill and the girls are ok and I hope John has made it home by now.

I'd appreciate any extra prayers or thoughts anyone has. My sister lives just outside Birmingham but I can't get ahold of her or her husband. She sent me a message on facebook 4 hours ago because she couldn't respond to a text I sent. I know Birmingham got hit pretty hard and there have been several deaths reported in their county, so I'm trying not to freak out too much. So far it's not working.

Thoughts and prayers for everyone in this horrible weather. I hope John makes it home safely and there is no damage or flooding. I pray it moves out and dissipates quickly. Even all the way up here in Ontario we've had severe thunderstorms all afternoon and evening.

All of your thoughts and prayers were and are so appreciated. I told Jill about her DIS friends inquiring about them, and she got texts from several of you. She said there would be no service for a while, then she'd get a batch of texts, but with most she couldn't get her answers to go back out. She will be touched when she reads all of this for herself.

The plan is for them to just sleep in this morning, if they can, and then come up here to stay until they can get power there. Luckily, there doesn't appear to be damage to the house. The trampoline next door blew into their yard and into Jill's car, but that's all she could see. John didn't get home until after dark, so he will assess the house this morning. If there is roof damage or anything, insurance will cover it.

The University of Alabama campus is a huge mess. It will take a long time for them to get that place fixed up. When Trent's college was hit by a tornado, it took about a year and a half for them to get it cleaned up and rebuilt.

Welcome to our new DIS friends that have joined in the conversation. We're glad you have enjoyed other reports and are following along with us on this one. Please always feel free to join in. We love getting to know new DIS pals.

Everyone be sure to let us know about you, your friends, and relatives that were hit by the storms in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

I just saw on the Weather Channel that there have been fifteen confirmed deaths in Tuscaloosa. Prayers for those families and their friends.

 

[MeMom]

When I posted my question earlier, I didn't read the posts before me. Hope no one thinks I was being insensitive. I am glad to hear Jill and family are alright. Keeping Georgia friends in my thoughts and prayers.

I remember your zebra domes melting. Such a shame.

Sad to hear that Jill may not be able to go on the October trip but it would be fun for you to have your MeMom and Brooklynn trip.

No problem. We know you had no idea of the magnitude of what was going on here. I know Jackie's crew is safely at home, and I am hoping to hear soon from all of our friends in the south who had this storm system come through.

I think Brooklynn would love a trip that was all about her. She'll be five, which will be a great age for her to get to dictate what we do. Of course, it won't be the same without Jill and Bella. The perfect thing would be for us to all go together and then Jill could return home early to go back to work, leaving Brooklynn to have some special time for the last 2-3 days.

I don't think we will ever forget the sight of those poor zebra domes.

 

[k_reile]

Well I have been up this morning since 3am when the wind started. The news reported winds of up to 65 miles an hour and its probably accurate. Our power went in and out every couple seconds...to finally going out for a minute...then back on and flickered every couple seconds for about an hour and a half...I finally just got up! I turned off all the appliances/items that make noise when the power goes on and off...but there is something with our power supply that is makes a loud noise when going on/off...so it was hopeless. DH fell back asleep and luckily Caleb slept through it all...but not me!

I do not like storms especially in the middle of the night. I am very afraid we would not wake up in time to hit the basement! Luckily it doesn;t look like we have any damage but its not light yet. I made DH put Caleb's playhouse back in the garage so hopefully that at least saved that!

Too bad the Royal wedding wasn't this AM but I guess I wouldn;t have been able to watch it with the satelite going in and out! :-(

Today might be a very long day!

Hope everyone made it through the storms safely and with minimal damage!

Have a great day!
I saw the footage of Tuscaloosa on the weather channel...wow...it looked like a war zone! How scary.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Oh my goodness! What an evening for you. So glad Jill, John and girls are safe. I can't even imagine what that must have been like. It's making 4' of snow look pretty good!

So nice they are able to come and stay with you until power is restored to their area. Hoping there's no damage to their house!

As MeMom said, hoping all other DIS friends are safe too!

 

[disneyfan61]

Thinking about all of you. Hope you are all safe. Seeing the devastation on tv is so scary. I guess the cold & snow here is not so bad after all.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

I'm so glad everyone is safe this morning! I apologize for not knowing this was happening to you all.

Such scary stuff for little kids, I'm glad the girls were able to go to sleep.

I feel so bad that John was stuck and couldn't get home...he must have been so worried.

Thank goodness for modern technology and cell phones...so families can stay in touch.

I hope there's no damage to the house this morning.

I'm glad everyone will be coming to stay with you until they get power restored.
I'm sure you will be happy to have a full house.


It's a bummer you changed your October dates and Jill and Bella won't be joining you.
I think a Memom & Brooklynn trip does sound wonderful.
I hope this new plan will work out for you.

I'm very curious about the AKL smell you are talking about.
I may add dinner at Boma to our fall trip if we end up adding days on.
I've still never had Zebra Domes yet...gotta try them....it seems everyone loves them.

Be safe all my DIS friends! I will say prayers for all of you.

 

[momof2TNboys]

I am so glad that Jill, John, and the girls are safe. Alabama was hit so hard. It was scary seeing the massive tornadoes going through the area. It was very scary here too. It just seemed like we kept getting pounded. Luckily, no damage to our house. We had to sit in the closet under our stairs for awhile. The boys were scared at first, but I convinced them we were in our secret hideout and they watched Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the Ipad. I just got to my office and it looks like the trees have been twisted around. Leaves everywhere and light poles leaning. I am so glad to have this storm through and everyone I know is safe. I am keeping those who lost loved ones in my prayers. It is so sad.

 

[kschafer]

I'm so glad Jill and the family are all safe!! I was just watching the news reports and feeling so awful and helpless for everyone affected

 

[PrincessEmma630]

My mom is trying to get ahold of my Aunt & Uncle in TN right now. Nobody has heard from them yet. I'm hoping this is because they live in the middle of nowhere and just lost communication.

 

[DWGal210]

I'm so happy Jill & her family are safe. I saw on the CBS morning show they were reporting from Harvest & it looked terrible, I felt so sorry for those folks. We had a bad tornado here about 3 yrs ago & I'll never forget those images.

MeMom, if Jill or any of her friends need anything, please let us know. I'd be happy to send clothes, money, whatever they needed.

 

[jenjolt]

Caren, thank you for your updates! I'm so glad that Jill and the girls were able to stay safe throughout the evening! I hope they will have no trouble getting up to your house!!!! Will be praying for them!

 

[DWGal210]

PrincessEmma, I'll be praying for your family too. ((hugs))

My mom is trying to get ahold of my Aunt & Uncle in TN right now. Nobody has heard from them yet. I'm hoping this is because they live in the middle of nowhere and just lost communication.

 

[mickeyfan71]

Glad to hear John, Jill and the girls are okay!

Thanks for the AKL pictures! I will be visiting there for the first time in Oct! Having breakfast on my bday at Boma! Can't wait to get some zebra domes for the ride home! They look so good!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Glad to hear that everyone is okay! I was wondering about you when I saw the news late last night.

Praying that Jill and family makes if safely to you today.

 

[Shannon84]

Glad to hear that everyone is safe!!

 

[slightly_obsessed]

Birmingham did get hit hard, slightly_obsessed. I hope you get word from your family soon.

My sister got word out this morning that they were ok and that tornado hit about 5 miles from them. Too close for comfort if you ask me. Their power is out and there is no word when they will get it back. Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I followed your posts on FB last night MeMom and was so worried about Jill and her family. I was so happy to see posts from her this morning! Be safe everyone. Bad weather is so scary.

 

[blueskiesandsunshine]

oh my word! so much going on over here!

glad to know everyone is safe from this crazy weather! (no tornado warnings here in PA, but we are supposed to get wild winds)

memom, at least you'll get to have some quality time with your girls 'til this thing blows over...