Just a silly little TR - Run Away!!

[smidgy]

ok, leaving for work now.. (my last night of work for 12 days! yay!) just wanted to say I'm in for this TR, and I'll read all of it when I get home. oh boy!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Have a safe and wonderful trip, Nebo and Smidgy. Looking forward to hearding all about your adventures when you get back.

 

[smidgy]

Boy, you know it's bad enough that I have to get up LATE Saturday night to meet the taxi at 3:30 in the morning, Sunday,
then leave the safety and comfort of my own home to have to go and travel on the ATOD in order to keep my wife company as she visits a vermin in another state, but the least you could do would have been to have a real chapter up for me to enjoy before this ordeal.
Ok, maybe you're working on it right now.
If not, that's allright, I've been disappointed before, and I'm sure this won't be the last time. Like there was that time when I was 12 and both my parents,,,

 

[nebo]

Boy, that Smidgy and the computer are such jokesters,, heh, heh,,, but I agree with everything Smidgy just said, it's almost like she took the words out of my mouth!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Have a Sunny D (or 4) on the plane, Nebo and you will be alright!

Safe travels and lots of fun!

We expect a full report when you return.

 

[buzz1121]

Well Pkondz, you sir have outdone yourself! I thought your gift was the TR itself and a reunion of the Neboites. Seriously, I'm a little verklempt, gosh everyone's here!

But then you go and give us what appears to be a great cookie recipe! Seriously, DS and DD are cookie MONSTERS! I will be trying this recipe very soon my friend.

I can't wait for the next installment!

 

[smidgy]

back from work!!! and posting as I promised.(this is REALLY me this time!!)
I am curious to hear about Hawaii... neer been there.. (nebo won't allow us to go anywhere wxcept WDW.. although he is intereted in a trip to DL some day!!!)

I want a cast of characters!!!! ps picutres help!

 

[Heluvsme]

Have a safe and fun trip Nebo and Smidgy!!

Don't forget your bag of tricks this time, the plane won't turn around for that!!

~Dawn

 

[pkondz]

Yay, it's started!! Another TR from a NOTB'er. Just moseyd (mosied? mosey'd? moishied?) Sashayed over from DisneyFreak06's TR to DL all the way from PEI. (She went there from PEI, not me coming from PEI, sheesh!) Whoa! Now that's a long trip! That girl can take pictures; now I want to go there too...

All caught up and ready to get started, let's get this boat floatin' off to Hawaii...

Hey bankr! Nice to see you. Thanks for coming!
My turn for a guess.... Maurice?
Bad news I'm afraid. No boat... but planes a plenty!

ok, leaving for work now.. (my last night of work for 12 days! yay!) just wanted to say I'm in for this TR, and I'll read all of it when I get home. oh boy!

Smidgy! Great to see you! Thanks for joining in! You have to work the evening shift and get up crazy early Sunday? I do not envy you! Have a terrific trip though!

Boy, you know it's bad enough that I have to get up LATE Saturday night to meet the taxi at 3:30 in the morning, Sunday,
then leave the safety and comfort of my own home to have to go and travel on the ATOD in order to keep my wife company as she visits a vermin in another state, but the least you could do would have been to have a real chapter up for me to enjoy before this ordeal.

You poor, poor man. I feel so sorry for you! You have to get up so you can go to the happiest place on earth. Oh, the tragedy! Why?!? Why?!? Why did it have to happen???

Seriously though. I agree getting up before 3:30am is inhuman, but I'm sure once you get on ME and see the first Welcome sign it'll all be worth it.

As for a new chapter before you fly off into the wild blue yonder... your wish is my command.

Well Pkondz, you sir have outdone yourself!

Thanks!

I thought your gift was the TR itself and a reunion of the Neboites. Seriously, I'm a little verklempt, gosh everyone's here!

I know! Isn't it great?

But then you go and give us what appears to be a great cookie recipe! Seriously, DS and DD are cookie MONSTERS! I will be trying this recipe very soon my friend.

I think you'll like it. It's really good!

I can't wait for the next installment!

Coming right up!

back from work!!! and posting as I promised.(this is REALLY me this time!!)

Are you sure?

I am curious to hear about Hawaii... neer been there.. (nebo won't allow us to go anywhere wxcept WDW.. although he is intereted in a trip to DL some day!!!)

I want a cast of characters!!!! ps picutres help!

Okay. Okay! Read on...

 

[pkondz]

We’re going to Hawaii!!

Well!

So I’m busily typing away at the keyboard with hopes high…

I know. I know most people use their fingers, sometimes more than one, to type. I prefer to do it with high hopes.

And low expectations.

So sue me.

And just who is this sue that wants to be me, anyway?

So…

And no I don’t. I don’t knit, purl or crochet either.
But I will play croquet if you give me a hammer.
Or build a deck.

And why is it pronounced crow kay and not crow kett?
I’ll tell you why. ‘Cause it was invented in France (maybe. There’s some debate. Nevermind.)
And then the French came to Canada and we say ‘eh’ not ‘ett’.
O kay?

Now that I’m totally and hopelessly lost, let’s begin again.

Well!
I started the TR with high hopes. “Maybe I’ll get a reader or two. That’d be great!” Then all these people show up and I’m blown away. So thanks everyone for joining in and I’ll try not to disappoint too much.

We ended the last chapter with me asking a couple of questions. What’s my fave ride for you purist TR types. (6 points up for grabs) and a trip that shouldn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t happen but did.

First the dutiful answering of the question:
For those of you who missed it, HM is for sure my fave ride.

PrincessCaitlin wins the 6 points.
Honorable mention to Sandy Mouse for picking a top 5 (BTMRR) and jakeybake for just mentioning Zebra Domes.

mmmmmm…. Zeeeeebraaaa Dooooooommmmmesssss.

Hang on, I’ll need a minute here.
mmmmmmm………..

Okay, I’m all done… nope. Hang on.

mmmmmmmmmmmm……

Okay, I think it’s out of my systemmmmm now. Oops.

And I’ll give a nod in Nebo’s neck of the woods for mentioning Crush. Not a fave ride, per se, but I do think the technology behind it is awesome. How do they do that?? (And, no, I don’t really want to know. It’s magic, don’tcha know.)

So, we bought a new house and there won’t be any trips in the foreseeable future.
Kinda sucks, no?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. “But you got a new house! Aren’t you happy? You could be living in a van down by the river.”
Of course I’m happy, but why can’t I have a new house and a trip to Disney World too? Is that asking too much? And while you’re at it, throw in a Ferrari or two, a barrel full of cash and maybe rugged good looks that the women can’t resist.

Ow!

Sorry Ruby, shouldn’t have mentioned that last one. Wives are pretty sensitive in that area, no?

Ow!

Now right about now, some of you are jumping up and down in front of your computers, iPhones, ipads, iDon’tknows or whatever. “A name! He dropped a name!!!” (and for you Nebo TR followers, "He got hurt! Yay!... bloodthirsty bunch.)

Let the merriment begin.

And some of you might think you’ve got it all figured out.
“Okay so we’ve got pkondz as the husband/father, Ruby as the wife/mother and at least two kids.”
And some of you might be thinking, “Hunh? How do we know there’re at least two kids?”

Because in chapter one I said, “We had another kid. We didn’t have a lot of room.” Ergo, ipso facto… that implies that there was at least one before we had this one.

However!
Did anyone ever consider that perhaps pkondz was a woman and that Ruby is my partner and we adopted some rugrats?

No?
Why not? Nebo did! (Hi Nebo! )

Okay, okay. I set him straight so I’ll clear the air here. Yes I’m a dude married to a dudette. The hombre to my hombrette. The… you get the idea. And now I’m in trouble again for calling Ruby my hombrette.

But she is.

So Ruby comes home one day about 6 months ago and says to me. “Honey? Umm… we had a meeting at work today. And you know how I took over the job for Jainey when she took maternity leave?”

“Sort of.” Now that might sound kinda cold. “The dude doesn’t know what his own wife does for a living! That’s cold, man!”

1. I do too know what she does!
2. I’m not cold, just dense. There’s a difference.

“Well I did.” She continues. “Do you know that she goes to conferences every year in other cities?”
“Okay, didn’t know that (not dense… new info ) but now I do.”
“So, I’ll probably get to go this year.”
“Uh, huh.” At this point, as all you ladies know, the male attention span can be divided into two categories:

1. Sports. If there’s a playoff game of some sort on TV, a man can stay focused for upwards of 12 to 13… weeks.
2. For everything else, a man can stay focused for… I just noticed that my typing is getting faster. Cool.

What?

“Focus honey, I’m losing you here. Look over here. See the pretty shiny thing?”

“Huh? Whatchoo say?”

“I said (this is usually after the ever so appropriate sigh of resignation) that I’ll probably get to go to a conference this year. It’s in different cities.”

Now at this point I’m thinking two things.
1. The conference is a one day affair in Upper Nowheresville, North West Territories. And;
2. What is that shiny thing anyway?

“So where is it?” I ask, trying desperately to sound enthusiastic.

“Honolulu. For one week.”

Hmmm…. We’ve got a small town called Miami here in Manitoba about an hour and a half drive away. There’s an Enterprise in NWT and did you know there’s a Vulcan in Alberta? And that Leonard Nimoy has been there? Or that there’s a …. Oooh, shiny thing.

Honolulu? Honolulu, Hawaii?

“Where did you say that was, again?”

“Oh, so I’ve got your attention now, do I? Yes, you heard right. Honolulu. Sun, sand, ocean… Stop jumping up and down and making that horrible whooping noise! It’s not a done deal! It has to be approved by my boss, then his boss and then head office.”

“Oh, so it’s not likely to happen, then.”

“I didn’t say that. It probably will happen, we just can’t count on it quite yet.”

So here we are with Ruby getting an all expenses paid trip to Honolulu… and us having just recently bought a house with no cash to spare!

“Well… if we eat Kraft Dinner a lot, don’t go out at all and generally just scrimp, save and belt tighten… and since the airfare would be three tickets and not four… and since the hotel is usually one of the biggest expenses and it’s paid for… Let’s do it!!!”

She told me when we were alone so the kids wouldn’t get too excited and then bummed if it didn’t happen. Which was a very real possibility at the time. Besides, it’d be a lot more fun to tell ‘em, if and when.

Time marches on. I start doing what I do when it comes to trips. Over plan the heck out of it. She does what she does best when it comes to trips… let me over plan the heck out of it. Every few weeks Ruby’d come home with a “Guess what?”. And each time it was one more hurdle… umm… hurdled. One step closer to the holy grail. One hop skip and a jump closer to the finish line.

At some point, with oh, I don’t know, maybe four months to go? We decided that things were looking pretty good. It wasn’t a done deal. Not a sure thing. Not a guaranteed bet… but let’s tell the kids anyway!!!

Okay. I never said patience was one of our strongest suits.

So I guess I’ll end the chapter here.




What. Still here? You want to know how that went, do you? Oh, all right.

We were sitting down for dinner and had decided that we would break the news after we had eaten. About two forkfuls into the mashed potatoes later, Ruby says, “So? Do you want to tell them?”

Did I mention that patience is not our forte?

I tell her it’s her news and she should be the one to tell them. Now both DDs our looking at us with suspicious eyes.

Yes I dropped another factoid. We have two girls. I’m guessing (and this is just a guess… could be wrong) that the ladies are going, “Awww… a houseful of young ladies. How lovely.”

The men are basically saying, “You poor schmuck.”

I will admit that there are times when the oestrogen levels get a little high in the pkondz household.

Ruby knows this.

And laughs at me.

Heck even the dog is a girl.

<sigh> Okay let’s get this out of the way. There’s me, Ruby, DD15, DD11 and the dog. There’s also a hamster and a fish. And if DD11 gets her way, a gecko is in the near future. And when Kay sets her mind to something, it usually, inevitably, inexorably happens.

<sigh> The other one is Elle.

Happy now?

Now both DDs are looking at us and waiting for the bad news. When Mom & Dad start a conversation with, “So? Do you want to tell them?” it can’t be good.

“Okay… it’s not a done deal yet so don’t get too excited… but it looks like we’ll be going to Hawaii.”

Pandemonium, and bedlam ensue! Elle goes running around and around the room flapping one arm at her side while fist pumping the other in the air. Kay swings from the chandelier. They both chant, “Ha Wa EE, Ha Wa EE, Ha Wa EE…”

Well, maybe not quite.

We don’t have a chandelier in the kitchen.

But suffice to say, there were two pretty pumped people participating in a plethora of pleasurable platitudes pertaining to packing for paradise at the table that evening.

Eventually, all the approvals came in and we knew we were going.

The next few months were a combination of reading about Hawaii, talking about Hawaii, planning for Hawaii, buying supplies for Hawaii and, of course, saving for Hawaii. I’ll spare you the details. Time to get this party started!

Coming up…
We start the trip! Or do we???
And… wait for it…. Pictures.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Just finished reading the next chapter. Glad we finally know the complete cast. I'll do a break down later on tonight. Have yard work to do today. I want to comment on a few responses though.

 

[Thumper_Man]

The best cookie recipe I've got:
Mrs. Field's Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
2 1/2 C. alll purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. Dark brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/2 C. white sugar
1 C. Salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pur vanilla extract
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300°F

In medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well with wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour misture and chocolate chips and blend at low speed until just mixed. Do not overmix

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2" apart. Bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool surface with a spatula.

Lady H, Smiley Queen, T_Man's Wife, Mrs. T, DW (we'll see what other nicknames others come up with for her this round) is the baker of the house. She might be willing to give this a try.

One of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes we ever got was from WDW. Anyone ever seen the cookie recipe displayed in a book, in the Mainstreet Bakery window? I don't know if it's still displayed or not. We saw it on our last trip. Took pictures of it and Lady H made them. They came out really good.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Boy, that Smidgy and the computer are such jokesters,, heh, heh,,, but I agree with everything Smidgy just said, it's almost like she took the words out of my mouth!

Was just telling Lady H it's like the Twilight Zone in here. Seems the mixed characters carried over from your TR to this one. Role reversal's. Let's just hope the Mayans aren't right.

 

[Thumper_Man]

back from work!!! and posting as I promised.(this is REALLY me this time!!)
I am curious to hear about Hawaii... neer been there.. (nebo won't allow us to go anywhere wxcept WDW.. although he is intereted in a trip to DL some day!!!)

I want a cast of characters!!!! ps picutres help!

Lady H and will make it to Hawaii one of these years. We're making it to DL this year. Pretty close to the same time you're taking Jackson to WDW. I think we go a couple of weeks after you.

Anyways, have fun at WDW.

 

[Thumper_Man]

OK, I'm here too, YAY!

I have to admit, I read the first couple of sentences and had to stop to get a glass a wine (ok, a refill...). This should be fun

None for us?

I love this, just like a party with old friends. Old in meant in the not age way of course!

Geez, a guy just turns 40 this month and he's already considered old. So about that about that glass of wine. If this going to be a party, you'll need to break out several more bottles.

 

[pkondz]

A quick FYI for all you budding bakers out there.
The cookie recipe was copied right off an internet site but is a copy of the one I use... minus the typos.

Except I'm a sucker for milk chocolate so I substitute milk chocolate chips for the semi sweet ones.

It's a really easy recipe. Mix everything up, throw blobs on a sheet and toss it in the oven. Elle makes them by herself now.

 

[pkondz]

Nebo and Smidgy, I might not get on here again before you go so...

Have a great trip!!!

 

[dana0801]

We can't all be like Nebo and Smidgy and go twice a year. Take it where you can get it.

Amen to that brother. It's been 5 years (6 by the time we go) since I was there last.

I have to say that you, the Mrs. Thumper Man, Pkondz, and Jakeybake make reading these trip reports fun and easier to wait out the time but MAN I want to go NOW!

 

[dana0801]

Hey! Great to see you! With a ticker too! Good for you! Hopefully your upcoming trip will be a lot less eventful then your last ones!



That's why I convinced them to go! At least there I can keep an eye on them.

 

[nebo]

Hey Ponzi, thanks for the send off.
Read your new chapter, and,,,,

excellent!

And really wanted to comment on quite a few things,
but I can't right now.
Can't sit here, at the confuser.
Forgot the suitcase was on the bed last night when I turned in.
Grabbed it to throw in the corner.
Yes, you surmise correctly:

Threw my back out.

Figures.

I'll comment when I get back.