Houston, We Have A Secret: A TX Vacation With A WDW Surprise ...aaand Done! Page 43

[KatMark]

No worries if you can't make it...but it would be nice to meet Madison and Bambi.

I'll be back to read your update later. I'm behind on so many because we made some major changes yesterday to our September trip.

Happy Anniversary to you and Bambi.

 

[glennbo123]

Whoa, I was a couple of updates behind but am caught up now, and they were tremendous!

I laughed out loud at Evan's finger boo boo.

I've had to deal with "perfectionist" young artists in the Animation Academy also. Oy.

 

[KatMark]

Love this photo.


Just kidding. He talked to her about drawing and practicing and working at something over and over and over until you get it right. He pulled out stacks of paper and showed her how he was trying to draw Mickey Mouse as Thor, but couldn't get it right. He showed her pages and pages of messed up drawings - but explained that he learned something from each failure, kept trying, and eventually got one that he really liked. (I wish I had taken a picture of it - it was totally bad a**.) So despite not getting a perfect drawing of Minnie on her first ever try, she did get a nice chat with an animator and learned that no one ever does it right the first time.

Very cool of him to do.

Having met Evan, this is so "him!" And I love it.

We ended up in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids archaeology dig. Really, what kid born in the past 10 years even knows what a film canister is or has played with a Lite Brite?

Lord...how I hated this spot. It was ALWAYS so hot in there. Another one of those things I don't miss going to.

It was pretty warm out that day. And Evan needed a little cooling off. In a way that only Evan would.

Way to go, Evan!

Great update, Barry.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Soon thought, it was Strawberry Smelling time:

He’s one of the few villains that you’ll run across at a meet-n-greet.
It’s the “cuddliness” factor that makes him so diabolical.

Since we were in the front, I took Madison up to show her drawing to him, and in true Disney fashion, he completely blew her off and didn't say a word.

Just kidding. He talked to her about drawing and practicing and working at something over and over and over until you get it right. He pulled out stacks of paper and showed her how he was trying to draw Mickey Mouse as Thor, but couldn't get it right. He showed her pages and pages of messed up drawings - but explained that he learned something from each failure, kept trying, and eventually got one that he really liked. (I wish I had taken a picture of it - it was totally bad a**.) So despite not getting a perfect drawing of Minnie on her first ever try, she did get a nice chat with an animator and learned that no one ever does it right the first time.

That’s better. I almost believe you there for a minute
(and for that I should be ashamed )

That... is an awesome picture

We ended up in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids archaeology dig. Really, what kid born in the past 10 years even knows what a film canister is or has played with a Lite Brite?

Heck… you might not be old enough for those references to really apply.
I… on the other hand

That will do even better as a candidate photo for blackmailing a teenager then the “great finger image”.

Keep track of that one for later use.

Up Next: The last day of magic.

Say it ain’t so…

 

[dvczerfs]

great pics and update barry!!! when you have to cool down, you have to cool down.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great update! That was very sweet of the animator to show Madison his drawings of Thor Mickey!

 

[E3yore]

First, the kids definitely take after Barry. Evan is practically a mini Barry so I will say they are trying to take over the world.

Second, it would have been great that the animator talked to them if Madison was not such a perfectionist. She did not believe him no matter how many drawings she showed him. I know this because well I guess that will be in the summer trip report. If Barry ever gets to it.

Third, as for the rest of the day...we went to dinner. Nothing special we went for pizza at Pizzeria UNO. Then we went shopping.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Or maybe they just trust anyone who smells like strawberries?

Hard to argue with that logic...

Having now met your kids, I will believe it's the former explanation, of course. Then again, look who their father is... But Luke turned out good even though Darth was his daddy. I dunno.

Seems like no matte how hard I try to correct him, Evan keeps calling him Dark Vader. Although to be fair, "Darth" is a pretty hard name to pronounce. Now, maybe if his name was Garth Vader it would easier to say. But I'm now sure how the cowboy hat would work with his breathing mask.

Sounds a lot like my daughter. It's either perfect the first time, or it's not worth trying.

Did he crumple up her drawing and throw it in the trash too?

No, but I'm pretty sure he was about to spit on it.

Very nice! The Thor drawing sounds really cool. Sounds like it was a good experience for Madison...although sometimes as a parent, my pride kicks in and I want to say, "NOW you listen? I've been telling you this for years!!"

I hope she go something out of it. The jury is still out, though...

Impressive. Evan's got some power.

It's from all the cheese.

Shocking! My kids would never do that!

You're right. The ones at DHS don't put out enough pressure.

Then why don't they give him a ride over on the front of a garbage truck?

Now THAT would be awesome in a parade! I forget are you flying or driving in November? If you're driving, you've got to strap one to your car!

Do they tend to take after you or Bambi more? That might give us some insight as to which option it is.

My kids are totally awesome. Clearly, they take after Bambi.

Awesome! I always love to see CM's that are willing to go that extra mile. I'm sure that really meant a lot to Madison to see that even a professional doesn't always get it right the first time!

Oh, and I wish you would have taken a picture of Mickey Thor too. You think to take pictures of off pattern tiles on a bathroom floor, but not a totally bad a** Mickey Thor???

Sorry. I wish I had too, but I was too preoccupied by trying to prevent Madison from spinning down into full out rage over not drawing a perfect Minnie.

You make an excellent point. Time for a little bit of updating???

Yeah. How about sliding down an SD card and crawling around a Nintendo DS game cartridge?

Somebody needs to give that kid a camera and teach him to take embarassing pictures of you.

He'll get his revenge when he gets to pick my nursing home.

I guess Bambi will have to save the day and tell us if anything exciting happened that you forgot about.

That's what I'm hoping too...

You are clearly a crafty Ninja.

Shhhhh...

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I think it's sweet that kids can get over Lotso's evil way because I know I can't

We've explained to them that the Lotso in the movie was bad because of all of the bad things that happened to him. There are lots of different Lotso toys in the world and they aren't all bad.

I've always wanted to try the drawing class . Looks like fun. It was so nice of the instuctor to talk to Madison and show her his trial drawings. Definitely a good life lesson learned there that probably wouldn't have sunk in coming from Mom or Dad.

It was really pretty fun. Aside from making it fairly easy to draw, the animator gave a little history of the character.

And I agree about kids not knowing what a film canister is but they do still play with light brites.

Really? I'll have to check Toys R Us for one. The kids would love it!

Whoa, I was a couple of updates behind but am caught up now, and they were tremendous!

Oh, there you are Glenn.

I laughed out loud at Evan's finger boo boo.

(So did I!)

I've had to deal with "perfectionist" young artists in the Animation Academy also. Oy.

I hear you, brother.

Having met Evan, this is so "him!" And I love it.

Yup. With Evan, what you see is what you get!

Lord...how I hated this spot. It was ALWAYS so hot in there. Another one of those things I don't miss going to.

I didn't notice the heat so much - they have several fans in there circulating the air. The problem I have with it is that its so tight in there. Which is really cool for the kids because it helps make them really feel like they have been shrunk down. But for every kid in there, there is at least one parent following them them around so there is never anywhere to go.

Way to go, Evan!

See my previous response regarding Evan.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

He’s one of the few villains that you’ll run across at a meet-n-greet.
It’s the “cuddliness” factor that makes him so diabolical.

I've looked at that picture at the top of the entry dozens, if not hundreds, of times. He looks so cuddly and soft and huggable. Then you look into those eyes - and you see just a hint of evil deep down inside. Kudos to Disney's costuming department. They really nailed that one.

That’s better. I almost believe you there for a minute
(and for that I should be ashamed )

Could you imagine if a CM actually did that?! Hope his resume is up to date, because he'd be submitting it to Universal the next day!

That... is an awesome picture

Thanks!

Heck… you might not be old enough for those references to really apply.
I… on the other hand

Oh no, I remember film. Back in 99 we went on a East Coast Road Trip with Bambi's family. We went out a whale watching boat trip. The girls were snapping away as fast as they could, then handing a full camera to me to reload with fresh film while they kept shooting with another. It felt like back in the revolutionary war where the soldier would hand an empty musket to the womenfolk to reload while he shot with another.
Now, if you really wanted to date yourself, you would talk about how all the young'ens used film. We only had stone tablets, hammers and chisels to take pictures with in my day....

That will do even better as a candidate photo for blackmailing a teenager then the “great finger image”.

Keep track of that one for later use.

I've got quite a collection going for both kids.

great pics and update barry!!! when you have to cool down, you have to cool down.

You know it, Dave. You've probably done it yourself, haven't you?

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Great update! That was very sweet of the animator to show Madison his drawings of Thor Mickey!

It really was. They don't have much time between classes so it was really cool that he spent that much time with her.

First, the kids definitely take after Barry. Evan is practically a mini Barry so I will say they are trying to take over the world.

Well....if you insist.

Second, it would have been great that the animator talked to them if Madison was not such a perfectionist. She did not believe him no matter how many drawings she showed him. I know this because well I guess that will be in the summer trip report. If Barry ever gets to it.

I'm working on it, I'm working on it.

Third, as for the rest of the day...we went to dinner. Nothing special we went for pizza at Pizzeria UNO. Then we went shopping.

Oh yeah. Across from Downtown Disney in the Crossroads shopping center. Pizzeria UNO - where none of us ordered pizza.

 

[glennbo123]

Oh, there you are Glenn.

I'm sure you were lying awake, wondering.

 

[afwdwfan]

Now THAT would be awesome in a parade! I forget are you flying or driving in November? If you're driving, you've got to strap one to your car!

Driving... but I'm not sure I want to spend the money to buy a Lotso just to have it coated in a possible layer of road salt. We'll see what we can do though.

Yeah. How about sliding down an SD card and crawling around a Nintendo DS game cartridge?

That would at least make it current for the next 6 months or so.

He'll get his revenge when he gets to pick my nursing home.

Good point. Payback will be a beverly.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

The old saying goes, "The Early Bird Gets The Worm."
Well, there's another old saying that doesn't get quite the same amount of attention. "Worms taste nasty". So, instead of getting some worms when I woke up early on Saturday morning, I grabbed the camera and went for a walk down by the Savannah.

Sunrise:

Looking back at the lobby

The balconies

An ostrich was out picking around for some food. Then he saw me, shrieked and stuck his head in the sand. I wish I could say that was the first time that ever happened...

After shooting several rolls of film (just kidding -it's digital), I headed back up to the room. We got everyone up, fed and ready, just in time for Grandma & Grandpa to show up and give us a ride over to the Magic Kingdom. And here is where the debate usually starts. Monorail or Ferry? Highway in the Sky or the call of the open sea? Since it was a beautiful morning with a nice breeze blowing, we decided on the boat. We can enjoy the nice air conditioned Monorail on the way back when we're hot and sweaty.

Sharp eyed readers will notice that Madison is wearing the same dress here are she was on our first day at the Magic Kingdom. And that the rest of the pictures of her from today will be in a different dress. That's because I didn't have this picture from Photopass when I did the earlier entry. So I'm sneaking it in here, hoping you won't say anything about the dress difference.

I love how Tink's wings are translucent, allowing the different colors and shadows to come through.


Now, for those of you that have followed my previous TRs, you know that Bambi and I usually take a pass on the next ride and let Grandma & Grandpa take the kids. Honestly, Bambi and I just can't handle it. It's too fast, too extreme, too high. But we toughed it out and rode it, for the kids' sake. I only threw up twice, though.

After the ride, Evan and Grandpa found a new way to entertain themselves. The spitting camel!

Is that all you got? Come on, bring it!

And then I noticed that Evan wasn't just playing in the water. He was showing off and flirting with a few older women...

<--tears of pride.


Once Evan was done strutting his stuff, we headed to another favorite:

Arrrrr!

I'll end this entry here, because the next one has a lot of pictures to properly tell the tale of singing, dancing, heartbreak, sadness, but ultimately - Complete Disney Magic.

Up Next: Dancing our Tears away

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I'm sure you were lying awake, wondering.

Just every night.

Driving... but I'm not sure I want to spend the money to buy a Lotso just to have it coated in a possible layer of road salt. We'll see what we can do though.

If it rains, the salt will get washed off.

That would at least make it current for the next 6 months or so.

You're right. Hologram chips it is!

Good point. Payback will be a beverly.

Eww... you think nursing homes in Italy server Beverly?

 

[afwdwfan]

"Worms taste nasty".

Gummy worms taste good.

Monorail or Ferry?

You mean it is actually an option? Monorail every time for me!

So I'm sneaking it in here, hoping you won't say anything about the dress difference.

I'm pretty observant, so I'm confident I would have caught it if you hadn't mentioned it.

Now, for those of you that have followed my previous TRs, you know that Bambi and I usually take a pass on the next ride and let Grandma & Grandpa take the kids. Honestly, Bambi and I just can't handle it. It's too fast, too extreme, too high. But we toughed it out and rode it, for the kids' sake. I only threw up twice, though.

You're a brave man. I'm sure that Evan and Madison will be eternally grateful.

And then I noticed that Evan wasn't just playing in the water. He was showing off and flirting with a few older women...

<--tears of pride.

I'll end this entry here, because the next one has a lot of pictures to properly tell the tale of singing, dancing, heartbreak, sadness, but ultimately - Complete Disney Magic.

Wow, those pictures must say more than 1000 words. That's a lot of stuff.

 

[dvczerfs]

great update barry. nice pics. evans the man!!!

 

[middlepat]

An ostrich was out picking around for some food. Then he saw me, shrieked and stuck his head in the sand. I wish I could say that was the first time that ever happened...

Female ostrich I presume.

We can enjoy the nice air conditioned Monorail on the way back when we're hot and sweaty.

I wondered how OBA got its smell....

Now, for those of you that have followed my previous TRs, you know that Bambi and I usually take a pass on the next ride and let Grandma & Grandpa take the kids. Honestly, Bambi and I just can't handle it. It's too fast, too extreme, too high. But we toughed it out and rode it, for the kids' sake. I only threw up twice, though.

You're just doing this taunt Captain O aren't you... bravo sir, bravo!.

And then I noticed that Evan wasn't just playing in the water. He was showing off and flirting with a few older women...

<--tears of pride.

I'm sure the FreezinRafiki genes will kick in soon and those women will soon be burying their heads in the sand too.


Great Update. Can't wait to virtually dance our way through the MK with you on the next installment.

 

[glennbo123]

The balconies

Our room from last summer is right there! See it? See it?

Sharp eyed readers will notice that Madison is wearing the same dress here are she was on our first day at the Magic Kingdom. And that the rest of the pictures of her from today will be in a different dress. That's because I didn't have this picture from Photopass when I did the earlier entry. So I'm sneaking it in here, hoping you won't say anything about the dress difference.

What?! This is the most deceptive TR since, well, since...Capt. Oblivious'.

Now, for those of you that have followed my previous TRs, you know that Bambi and I usually take a pass on the next ride and let Grandma & Grandpa take the kids. Honestly, Bambi and I just can't handle it. It's too fast, too extreme, too high. But we toughed it out and rode it, for the kids' sake. I only threw up twice, though.

I'll bet that hat came in handy.

And then I noticed that Evan wasn't just playing in the water. He was showing off and flirting with a few older women...

<--tears of pride.

I'm sure he got the digits. Good job Evan.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Nice moves, Evan!! Ladies find Mickey t-shirts irresistable!!!