Are water shoes highly recommended or more of a preference?
I’m thinking now is a good time to pick some up on clearance for next April (for those of us that our feet are done growing...)
Any recommendations on type?
For Discovery Cove, we consider water shoes a must. The Wind Away River has some uneven and rough bottoms, so we wear them at DC on every visit. They also keep your feet comfortable on the pavement if it happens to be a VERY hot day. Even the sand can get uncomfortable in the searing heat.....so water shoes it is
.
We've purchased the more expensive kinds and the cheapest of the cheap from Walmart.....and those cheapies do the trick just as well as their pricey counterparts. I think we paid about $6 a pair in the spring (thinking we could just toss 'em after the trip if they fell apart), but they held up perfectly. We'll be using them at Aquatica in October. I was even able to get the Walmart cheapo's in a size 15 for Steve!!
I do this, I mix up the chocolate chip recipe without the egg, just means less flour. Then I can snack as I like. However, my mom does sometimes buy the premade stuff to snack on. It's ok but I prefer the mix my own because it tastes better and I can control the amount so I can make less so it's around less time than the store bought. If I could just figure out a way to do this with brownie batter and maybe vanilla cake mix...
You can freeze cheese. When I lived in NC and could only get Tillamook at Costco that's what I would do. They only sold it in the pre cut sandwich slices, still a medium cheddar not like Kraft American, so I would use the vacuum sealer to make smaller packages. I eat more when I have a block than the slices though, but I also got cheese for at least one birthday when was growing up from my grandma because I'd always eat cheddar for a snack.
Carrots are gross as are most vegetables and fruits close behind. I did successfully cut my mac & cheese recipe down to 1/4 size so I could make it in just a bowl and have it for dinner one night when I was craving it. Made me feel better than having enough for 3-4 more meals. And of course I added extra cheese to the sauce. I also use butter, so really homemade is better than the box because I'm using all real ingredients and it has dairy and a grain, so total food groups
You can freeze cheese? No kidding? Something I've never tried.....but I'm willing to give it a whirl. Does it go all weird when it thaws?
I'm getting better with my veggies.....while carrots are a big ol' no (unless they are mixed in with an other vegetable), I do like some of the more typical standby's: peas, corn, asparagus, broccoli, squash, and even some beans (pretty much any type that are not green). Nothing raw, though. I hate it when I can hear them crunching in my ears when I chew
.
Your pictures of the entry way bring up great memories, and even greater anticipation for our trip, which is only 5 weeks away now! That is a bummer about the lack of souvenir photo, that was a nice little extra. We got the full photo package the last time we were there, but thanks to our air conditioner deciding since we didn't have to work labor day, neither did it, our trip just got put on a very tight budget. I could use a mimosa (or 5) right now, crappy or not.
Aw man, I am so sorry to hear about your air conditioner
. We almost always get hit with an unexpected, substantial expense before each trip
....it's maddening, and I can definitely appreciate your frustration. I hope the photo package is the only aspect of your vacation that will end up getting the ax to offset the repairs (or did you have to completely replace the whole unit? That would REALLY suck!).
The pictures look lovely!! I can't wait to see more
Have you bit the bullet and booked a day there yet??
Oh, I buy it. Ain't nobody got time to make that from scratch! I buy it! It's in the refridgerated section by all the other pre made just pop it in the oven cookies/pie crust/usually near the butter area. But rather than the break apart ones that are in a bag, I just buy the whole container.
Also, I'll give you a pass on hockey, it's fun to watch (but I don't understand all the rules and plays like I do for football). And baseball is fun in person (but Lord help me to ever watch a game on TV ) . But basketball?!?!?!
. If you watch a game with me I promise to explain it all so it makes sense! And it's so much fun watching how emotional invested I get (but really, only for my Utes....or Alex Smith,
who plays the same position as Mr. Farve once did, but for a different team) .Plus we can go somewhere where
is also involved. It's all so much fun!!!
You don't like basketball?
Tell me is isn't so! That's my FAVORITE sport to watch.....the game is so fast and I love the strategy that goes into a game. And as an added bonus.....you don't get cold watching it
. What more can you ask for?
I *love* to bake, so I would totally make time to whip up a batch of fresh cookie dough. I'm weird like that, though....cooking brings me joy. Tonight, I came home from work and just decided to make a fresh blueberry pie. A trait I picked up from my momma......she was a rockstar in the kitchen!
I made choc chip cookies over the weekend and DD7 ate some batter but will not eat the cookies.
I think for most flavors of cookies I make she eats batter over the actual cookie.
is the best part of watching football. As much as I don't want fall to be here, I was happy to see college football return.
I keep trying to figure out hockey....... a few years ago we did this animal dress up contest at our county fair. All the kids were San Jose Sharks players because my FIL shares the same name as one of their more notable players. We made the cow into a zamboni. So I spent time looking for logos, slogans, etc and actually watched some games. I want to like it, I think I would if I understood the rules better. I think maybe it is one of those things that is better in person?
Okay your pictures of the entrance to DC has me so excited now. I can't wait to read the rest. I like the Uber idea. I will have to think about that.
Going to to a car rental check now.
BTW, I am not sure if anyone here uses Ebates. I was pleasantly surprised that SeaWorld and Discovery Cove were available on the ebates website. I want to say I got 2% cash back but maybe it was only 1.5%.
I love, love, LOVE Ebates! Got a cool $110 check on the last issue, and have another $30 accumulated so far. I never earn cash back on my SW tickets or tours (you become ineligible for cash back if purchasing with the passmember discount, which make sense...no double dipping) but I do from Groupon and even sometimes on a car rental. And you can get $25 for referring a friend, which adds up huge. I have justified many vacation add-ons with "But its double cash back today on Ebates, so it would be wrong NOT to buy it!"
.
Uber was only about $10 each way, with gratuity. Cash well spent and super easy to book on their app!
Hockey is a pretty easy sport to pick up: it's basically "Don't let the puck go into your net, but make sure it goes into the other team's as many times as possible"
. If you can learn what icing and offsides are, then you're golden. I can't tell you how many Saturday nights in my lifetime have been spent watching Hockey Night in Canada. I know Steve misses that tradition terribly now that we've moved across the border. Being 25 minutes from the Little Ceasars Arena (the new home of the Detroit Red Wings), we can of course get lots of games here on Michigan stations.....but its just not the same when Don Cherry isn't yapping away in Coaches Corner in a crazy printed suit.
Love Discovery Cove!
Too bad they did away with the free picture! We went a few years ago but I'd love to return! I'm hoping that when we get our Sea World AP's they may offer a nice discount! I'm actually considering waiting until the Blue Friday deals comes out to get the AP's. I wanted to add SW to our upcoming trip, but it may be better to save the $$ now and wait to see what they offer in November!
DC discounts were pretty good again this year if you were going in the off-season. Our day resort admission was only $99 per person, which has been the price for the last several years (I suspect we may see that increase in 2019.....but that's just my gut instinct).
AP discounts on the Blue Friday sales haven't been as good as they were in year's passed (oh, how I miss the BOGO annual passes!!) but they are generally the best offers of the year. I will keep my fingers crossed that the prices are awesome and save you some cool cash!
. I have been known to eat peanut butter by the occasional spoonful 
but cookie dough sounds even better.
