Know where my FAVORITE place in the world is, Mommy? I'm OUTTA HERE!!! Dude OUT!

[scottny]

my feet are not a croc free zone. i love my crocs.

politics for hours, thrilling.

 

[Phibbles]

my feet are not a croc free zone. i love my crocs.

Scott, why is it okay to discuss YOUR feet over here?

 

[camelotcats]

Well at least your son will be DIS-worthy with his crocs. I saw the green ones, but just couldn't bring myself to buy them. I figured that I would wear them at home and didn't really want green ones. Let me tell you, I wear them all the time around the house. I can't stand not wearing shoes and my crocs are perfect to wear while cleaning the house, etc. They're starting to wear out though, so I'll probably have to get new ones before our October trip...

Yeah, you can seem y son's crocs form a mile away. I tried on the pale lime green croc mary Janes, as those are the least ugly, but they were soooo uncomfortable to me. I guess I just have weird feet.

my feet are not a croc free zone. i love my crocs.

politics for hours, thrilling.

HHBG loves his crocs too. He got the "off road" version.

We're pretty sure my dad is starting to lose it. The political ranting was excessive, even for him.

Scott, why is it okay to discuss YOUR feet over here?

No feet are off limits here.



Mine have pretty french nails on the toesies, myself....and NO CROCS!

 

[scottny]

Scott, why is it okay to discuss YOUR feet over here?

because they r inside my crocs and not out for the world to see. I was talking about Crocs, which feet go into
I do hate feet, they r just nasty.

 

[camelotcats]

Day One Million three hundred and Eighty Two.....AKA What do you mean you don't have any Port!?!?!

HOW long have we been here??? I'm ready to go home.

OK, Thursday:

We started off the day with a lovely breakfast of banana for me, cereal for HHBG and B, and EGGS for S.

We were going to go to somehting called the "mystery Castle", which is actually a house that a guy built from slavaged materials in the 1930s and 40s for his daughter who he had abandoned. (it's actually a pretty cool story...e had TB and didn't want to infect his family so he left, and built them a home to live in after he died)

Unfortunately, the mystery castle was not open to visitors for the day. So, we decided to go to the AZ science center.

After we finally figured out where to park at the science center, we walked over tot he entrance into a sea of children.....apparently, it was field trip day. Oh well, we were already there, so we might as well go in. HHBG wanted to see the Mars Rover IMAX film, so we bought tickets for that, and went int o check out the exhibits....

The first couple we looked at were WAY too crowded. Kids were running amuk everywhere!

Finally, we ended up at the "about your body" display. WHO decided this was child friendly?? A movie about "where do babies come from"???? a "lifestyle" questionnaire that includes questions about smoking, drugs, and sex??? WE hot-footed it out of there.

They had the traveling Titanic display up while we were there, but we have already seen it, so we wandered around some more, avoiding running elementary schoolers, and then went to see the IMAX.

The movie was pretty neat, if not a bit self-congratulatory. Just to stay on topic, I'll point out that the film was made by Walt Disney Pictures.

We ended up not spending a whole lot of time at the Science center, and decided to go to my sister's to drop of the kiddos. My folks and sister offered to take them over night so HHBG and I coud have a date night for late-Valentine's Day.

WE picked up some drive through MExican food on the way :, and called my brothr, who met us there, Much eating and political talk later, and HHBG and I were sneaking away to get ready for dinner.

We hit the timeshare, got dressed, and set the GPS on HHBG's phone for the restaurant.

It took us about 30 minutes to drive there, and we missed the entrance FOUR TIMES. We are so bad about that! The entrance was tucked next to this dry-cleaners, and we were sure that was the entrance for the dry cleaners and not the restaurant. oops.

***warning: food-snob restaurant review upcoming******

We walked in and were immediately seated. We each ordered a glass of champagne, and looked over the menus. They weren't awesome looking, but we made our decisions. But first, we asked the waitress a few questions.

The menu was set up with Roman numerals over the courses (I,II,III, IV). we wanted to know if the portions were set up where you would order one item from each section, or if they just put niumbers instead of "salads, soups, etc"? The waitress said that, though the portions were small enough that we COULD do that, they were just numbers instead of the types of courses. OK.

We decided to each get an appetizer, a soup or salad, and an entree....then we planned on dessert.

HHBG started with the Venison appetizer. I got the sweet potato raviolis. Both were excellent,and paired well with the recommended wine....but the portions were bigger than we were expecting. Hmmmm.....they weren't huge, but I was concerned about eating 3 courses and dessert.

Next HHBG got the signature salad, and I got the Thai coconut and Shrimp soup. The salad was a good size, but the soup wsa a full Entree size. It was delicious, but I only ate about a third of it, trying to save room. Both of us were starting to fil up.

Our entrees arrived, and were so big, I doubt I could have eaten either without ANY appetizers. I hate when restaurants do that, but I hate it more when I get dishonest wait-staff who tell me the portions are small, so order a lot of courses. I really think she was just trying for a bigger tip....that or she eats like a horse.

HHBG got the duck breast, and I got the Ostrich and Kangaroo. The duck was perfectly cooked, and the ostrich was excellent. The kangaroo was gamey.

After dinner, (Which we each ate about half of), we decided to get the cheese plate. Both HHBG and I love cheese plates, so we figured we would split the plate and each get a glass of port to eat with the cheese.

Well, the waitress got a "deer-in-the-headlights" look, and said she'd be righ tback. She came back after talkingot the sommellier/manager and said that the recommended wine with the cheese plate was a white wine, and would we like that? HHBG agreed, but I said, no, I wanted port. It turns out, they DIDN'T HAVE ANY PORT!! Who has a cheese plate and doesn't serve port?? They had a 20 page wine list,a nd no port?

I had to get a madeira (which is kind of like a port), and we got our cheese plate.....

There were three pieces of nearly identical cheeses on it. There was not a selection of a f ew different types of cheeses. No Choices of cheese. No selection to eat from on the plate. No there were three Brie-like nearly identical pieces of cheese and a half a strawberry....and they should have been served with port. . THIS was the highly touted cheese plate?? HHBG was also ticked because his wine didn't work with the cheese at all. My madeira was pretty good with it.

HHBG said that if they had come out and said "NO, we don't want port with our cheese plate" and then had put togehter a plate of cheeses that went with a different wine, that would have been fine, or even kind of cool, but it wasn't. I know we're food snobs, but it messes up the experience for me, when a restaurant doesn't think about things like this. Why have a type of cheese, and only that type of cheese that is typically served with a certain kind of wine, then not carry that wine??

We finished off our meals with cappucinnos, paid the bill, and drove back tot he room, where HHBG decided he was too tired for "hot tub time" We went to bed, and actually slept until 8 the next morning....ahhh, the bliss....

Tomorrow (today??): WE retrieve our children and is that a Carl's Jr. I see before me??

 

[scottny]

the Titantic exhibit sounds nice.

the sweet potato ravioli sounds good.

 

[ncsjodi]

because they r inside my crocs and not out for the world to see. I was talking about Crocs, which feet go into
I do hate feet, they r just nasty.

I agree with you Scott. I hate feet too! I can't stand it when DH puts his feet on my leg or even touches me with them. It really grosses me out.

However, I love getting foot rubs and pedicures. In other words, it's not my feet that are gross, just everyone else's feet (except my DDs -- they'res are too small).

 

[irene_dsc]

Sorry, but I am over your cheese plate review!!! I have to admit, I've never actually ordered a cheese plate at a restaurant, and wouldn't necessarily know which wine goes with which cheese, but I know I'd be peeved at least about it being identical cheese!!!

Ok, now I want a cheese plate. Naturally, at home, all I have are some mozzarella cheese sticks. Ok, and cream cheese, but that doesn't exactly count! Darnit, dh forget to pick up any brie at Trader Joe's the other day!

 

[Tanya90210]

I have to agree...

 

[scottny]

I agree with you Scott. I hate feet too! I can't stand it when DH puts his feet on my leg or even touches me with them. It really grosses me out.

However, I love getting foot rubs and pedicures. In other words, it's not my feet that are gross, just everyone else's feet (except my DDs -- they'res are too small).

exactly everyone else's.

 

[jordanyosh]

It's less about you being a food snob and more about you understanding how restaurants work. It was poor menu planning by the executive chef.

 

[DisneyJo]

OMG I hope there aren't any repercussions with S eating just eggs

 

[camelotcats]

the Titantic exhibit sounds nice.

the sweet potato ravioli sounds good.

It WAS good. Most of the food was good. I was cranky about the things that went wrong, but the food was good.

I agree with you Scott. I hate feet too! I can't stand it when DH puts his feet on my leg or even touches me with them. It really grosses me out.

However, I love getting foot rubs and pedicures. In other words, it's not my feet that are gross, just everyone else's feet (except my DDs -- they'res are too small).

I love pedicures. I am rough on my feet. I am not too grossed out by feet. I AM grossed out by my kids biting their toenails, and S sucking his big toe (when we get his thumbo out of his mouth). I KNOW I used to bite my toenails when I was their age, but it is still SOOO GROSS!! YECH!

Sorry, but I am over your cheese plate review!!! I have to admit, I've never actually ordered a cheese plate at a restaurant, and wouldn't necessarily know which wine goes with which cheese, but I know I'd be peeved at least about it being identical cheese!!!

Ok, now I want a cheese plate. Naturally, at home, all I have are some mozzarella cheese sticks. Ok, and cream cheese, but that doesn't exactly count! Darnit, dh forget to pick up any brie at Trader Joe's the other day!

Me likee cheese. Must buy cheese.....

Some days HHBG and I will just have cheese, fruit, and wine for dinner.

I have to agree...

exactly everyone else's.

It's less about you being a food snob and more about you understanding how restaurants work. It was poor menu planning by the executive chef.

I think it was poor planning too, but I am still kind of food snobby.

Welcome back, BTW!

 

[camelotcats]

WE are home, BTW. WE had a 2:30 AM wake up, so I am kind of out of it and trying to power through until bed. I'll post Friday and hoemcoming probably tomorrow....Then....


BACK TO THE WDW TR!!

 

[ncsjodi]

Welcome home! I'm sure you're glad to be back in the cold and snow, right?

 

[jordanyosh]

Welcome home.

 

[camelotcats]

Welcome home! I'm sure you're glad to be back in the cold and snow, right?

Oh yeah....thrilled.....

Welcome home.

Thank you.

 

[camelotcats]

FRIDAY....The Last Day.....

So, back to the AZ mini TR.....

Friday started with HHBG and I "sleeping in" until about 8:30. woohoo!! 4 extra hours of sleep!

We got up, showered, got dressed, and had a lazy breakfast. When we had decided that rush hour was probably over, we drove back down to my sister's house to retrieve the children from my parents.

The kids were watching Alice in Wonderland (see, more WDW relevance!!). They were engrossed, so we decided they could watch the whole movie. We talked some more with my folks, and side-stepped their requests for dinner that evening (we had dinner planned with my sister and maybe my brother WITHOUT parents). I got tp hear about how much my kids had to be disciplined the night before, also. (nothing huge, except S made himself puke int he kitchen when my mother tried to make him taste something... )

The kids' movie ended, and B threw a fit that she didn't want to go home to NY, and wanted to live in AZ forever. We got through that, and got all of the kids presents together to bring home and pack. We said many goodbyes to my foks, and made plans to see them when they get home....probably we'll spend Memorial Day weekend with them.

We made the drive back to our timeshare,a dn HHBG and I set about trying to pack everything into manageable amounts. I ended up packing EVERYTHING while HHBG retrieved it all, and gave me a big pile to pull from. the man just cannot pack efficiently.

We had 6 suitcases!! That was TOO many, with the car seats and carryons. I needed to figure out how to pack suitcases, too! I managed to pack ALL the new stuff, and the suitcases, one suitcase ending up like one of those Russian nesting dolls with a suitcase packed inside of a suitcase which was inside of a suitcase!

Once everything was packed, I called my sister at work, and asked her when she was coming up for dinner. We were supposed to go to a cowboy cookout restaurant near us. Sis said she was going to get here around 6:30. That is too late for our kids, who never adapted to Arizona time. I asked her to come earlier, if she could get out of work earlier. She said she didn't think she could come earlier, but she would try.

Later, I got a text from her letting me know that at 3:30, she was leaving work. I assumed she was coming up for dinner,a dn go teveryone ready to go out. Nope. It turns out, she was headed to THE GYM to WORKOUT for an hour and a half before coming to see us, and that was what she had had planned all along.

So, her plans to work out were more important than having dinner at a reasonable time for my kids. She finally got to us at 6:45. The kids were freaking out. We ended up having to order pizza for the adults, and feed the kids breakfast cereal. No Cowboy cookout for us. HHBG said we should have gone when we had gotten ready and just met up wit her later.

My brother called around 6:45 and asked where wew ere at dinner. I told him we were abot to go get pizza, so he drove up with his girlfriend to visit with us, since we were leavign in the morning.

Well, my brother and sister ended up talking about "inside" stuff about people only they knew the whole night while HHBG and I jsut sat there and listened and were confused. Oh well.

they left at about 10, with promises to come see us this year in NY, and we went to bed.

 

[Tanya90210]

Well that doesn't sound like a fun last day with the family

Love the suitcase story hehe... nesting suitcases hehe

 

[camelotcats]

Saturday: The long flight home....

Saturday morning we got up at 2:30AM, got showered and dressed, and loaded up the car. Once we were sure we had everythign together, we went and each grabbed a child. After making the non-awake children use the toilet, we loaded the still-pretty-much-sleeping kids into the car.

We returned the rental car, and woke the kids up, since we couldn't transport all of the luggage AND carry the kids. We got our boarding passees reall quickly and got into the security line.....

Where we waited.....

And waited......

And waited......


They had ONE security screening open!!!

Then they opened another.

But we were still waiting.....

and waiting....

and listening to people whine and bad mouth us, because the kids were coughing (they always cough for about an hour after they wake up).

Finally, we were about 10 people from the security line, when they stopped the line for a bag check.

And they OPENED a third line, and let the people from the back of the line forward to that line. So those of us who had been waiting in the ONE then TWO security lines still had to wait.

FINALLY we got through security, grabbed some breakfast, and got onto the plane. We had been worried about the flight, since there had been a lot of snow in NY the day before, but, even though the flight AFTER ours was cancelled, ours was running on time.

We boarded the flight, went ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK, and sat down. apparently, they had moved more people than jsut us, because of the other flight problems,a nd had decided to sit all of the families with all of the stuff int he back where there is NO ROOM in the over head bins. Airlines confuse me. We ended up with all of our stuff under the seats in front of us.

Both kids slept through the flight, and were crazy while we waited for our bags on the otehr end. While I watched the crazy children, HHBG waited for the bags, and had an VERY unpleasant experience.....

HHBG grabbed what he though were our carseats, and a lady began to freak out. Apparently, we had grabbed her carseats (which were IDENTICAL to ours). All of their bags had come out already, and she wanted to leave, so she decided we had taken her carseats MALICIOUSLY. Obviously, we had our 4 and 5 year old and no carseats, so we decided to take hers....BTW these are $20 carseats (boosters). After basically accusing us of theft, finally getting out the baggage identification and seeing that, yes they WERE hers and not ours, she basically snatched the carseats from HHBG and she and her husband stormed off, before we coule even apologise for the mix up. Literally 2 minutes later, the other carseats came out of the baggage area. whatever. Silly lady.

It's like our carseats just ask for trouble in airports. First they get forgotten, then they nearly go home with the wrong people. Naughty carseats. I blame them. Good thing we will be bussing/boating it in WDW.....

WE got all of our bags, got turned around tring to find the monorail back tot eh parking garage, found the monorail, REMEMBERED EVERYTHING this time and got int he car to go home. $193 for parking later, we were on the road home with two sleeping children.

We got home without incident, HHBG shoveled the driveway, and I started some laundry. THE END.

I'll have some final thoughts, and take some pics later or maybe later int eh week. Thanks for reading along with my mini-TR.

NOW: Back to the WDW planning. Have changes been made????