Thursday through Monday - our Disneyland vacation:
Thursday - we barely make the flight...Up at 4am - on the road at 5am and traffic is already snarled. It is normally about 25 t0 35 minutes to the airport but it takes up over an hour. We get to the long-term parking at 6:10 - our flight is at 7:20! My parents are besides themselves wondering if we are going to make it. We get through security (about 20 minute line) and walk up to the plane just as they start boarding. No checked baggage - but my shoes aren't on comfortably after have to take them off to go through security.
We are on-time to SNA - Orange County, pick up the van at Avis (great deal through Hotwire - saved about $100 over the Avis web price) and drive down to see DH's brother's new orthodontic office in San Clemente. Lunch at Wahoos for fish tacos (yes-too many carbs but worth it) and back to check in to the hotel Desert Palm Inn & Suites before picking up the nieces at the airport. The hotel has just finished a major renovation - our two-bedroom suite has 4 queens, 2 bathrooms, in-room fridge and microwave and looks out over California Adventure. The pool is the only thing not finished in the renovation (the girls swim at the Jolly Roger across the street). We grab "breakfast for dinner" at I-Hop across from the airport. I had an omelette and gave up my pancakes to my mother - all 90 lbs of her. The girls flight is a little delayed but we finally head back to the hotel - Mickey D's in hand for them. I can't believe how much they've grown! Allysa is 6 and Charly is 12.
Friday - up bright and early (we had picked up cottage cheese for my breakfast along with diet coke & bottled water on Thursday). Breakfast (cereal, toast, fruit, OJ, milk & coffee are included with the rooms) at 7:30 am and off to the parks. We spend about 2 hours in DL - fantasyland, haunted mansion & slash mt before heading over the California Adventure for the day. Crowds are extremely low. Walk on everything - no real wait. Really enjoyed the Electric light parade. Lunch for me is chicken & apple salad in a bread bowl (skip the bread) and ice tea. Dinner is an open faced burger w/bleu cheese and onion rings...not exactly altogether low-carb but doing the best I can.
Saturday - we're back over a DL. It's a much more crowded day. We are not at the park for opening (8am) but get there about 8:45 - that 45 minutes makes all the difference I'm convinced. Line are long - have to pick and choose which we'll wait for and which we fast pass instead. (Still the longest line we wait in is about 35 minutes - I know we're spoiled.) Lunch is Bengal BBQ - the spicy beef kabob, grilled vegatable & bacon wrapped asparagus - YUM! Dinner is at the Plaza Inn - I have the potroast. I tell the CM I'm avoiding the high carb foods and she doubles the serving of meat and doubles the serving of veggies (green & wax beans), no biscuit, no mashed potatoes. DH went down to see his brother on Saturday night - the rest of us hung out and watched the late parade and booked over to see fantasmic! I hadn't seen the parade before and really enjoyed it. Fantasmic is better at DL (IMHO) - nothing like seeing it from down low and all the extras the river of the americas bring to the experience.
Sunday - at Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's has some great coasters - older niece is just now getting brave enough to try them. We had to beg, plead & drag her on Xcelerator. After the first time we couldn't get her off of it. Crowds were very low at Knott's. We had the chicken dinner for lunch over in the Mexico section (not the Mrs. Knott's restaurant because they were still serving brunch). I would have liked the restaurant better. Still I could order ala carte and get just salad and chicken breasts. Sunday night, DH and I took a break from family and headed to House of Blues for ribs (again very accomodating to low-carb eating). We shopped at DTD and headed back to the hotel.
Monday - last day. The girls wake up begging for Goofy's kitchen. I call exactly at 8am and can only get a 10:50 PS for the 6 of us. We head over to the park at 9:15 and do a little more shopping on main street. It is more crowded than on Friday. We ride the materhorn one more time and then get on the monorail for the ride over to the DLH for "brunch". Goofy's kitchen is really fun. The character interaction is great - it's uncrowded and we get lots of time with the characters; Goofy, Pluto, Aladin, Baloo, Mulan & Aurora. The food is wonderful - made to order omelettes and lots of low-carb choices. I break down and have a lemon bar for desert. We head back over to DL about 12:30pm. We ride Small World and get in line for the new Snow White show (very good). Afterwards we end up in the longest line we've waited in for Roger Rabbit and get on the train to New Oleans square for another ride on Splash (DH heads back to get the car and meet us at 4pm for the ride to the airport.)
The weather was beautiful, sunny, not too warm and only rain while on splash and our dash out of the park. I'm missing my nieces terribly already and I'm hoping their dad's will let us see them during spring break - otherwise it will be summer before we get any time with them.
Along with Space Mt being down (until 2005) - big thunder is down until March 11 and Indiana Jones until March 8th or 9th. Tower of Terror opens in May. There is still plenty to do but it's strange to have 3 E rides down at the same time.
I put on 1 lb (I'm sure it's water weight, given how tight my ring is right now - air travel always does this too me.) So I keep my 5 lb clippie but don't get my 10 lb clippie yet even though my jeans are so loose from all the walking.
Thursday - we barely make the flight...Up at 4am - on the road at 5am and traffic is already snarled. It is normally about 25 t0 35 minutes to the airport but it takes up over an hour. We get to the long-term parking at 6:10 - our flight is at 7:20! My parents are besides themselves wondering if we are going to make it. We get through security (about 20 minute line) and walk up to the plane just as they start boarding. No checked baggage - but my shoes aren't on comfortably after have to take them off to go through security.
We are on-time to SNA - Orange County, pick up the van at Avis (great deal through Hotwire - saved about $100 over the Avis web price) and drive down to see DH's brother's new orthodontic office in San Clemente. Lunch at Wahoos for fish tacos (yes-too many carbs but worth it) and back to check in to the hotel Desert Palm Inn & Suites before picking up the nieces at the airport. The hotel has just finished a major renovation - our two-bedroom suite has 4 queens, 2 bathrooms, in-room fridge and microwave and looks out over California Adventure. The pool is the only thing not finished in the renovation (the girls swim at the Jolly Roger across the street). We grab "breakfast for dinner" at I-Hop across from the airport. I had an omelette and gave up my pancakes to my mother - all 90 lbs of her. The girls flight is a little delayed but we finally head back to the hotel - Mickey D's in hand for them. I can't believe how much they've grown! Allysa is 6 and Charly is 12.
Friday - up bright and early (we had picked up cottage cheese for my breakfast along with diet coke & bottled water on Thursday). Breakfast (cereal, toast, fruit, OJ, milk & coffee are included with the rooms) at 7:30 am and off to the parks. We spend about 2 hours in DL - fantasyland, haunted mansion & slash mt before heading over the California Adventure for the day. Crowds are extremely low. Walk on everything - no real wait. Really enjoyed the Electric light parade. Lunch for me is chicken & apple salad in a bread bowl (skip the bread) and ice tea. Dinner is an open faced burger w/bleu cheese and onion rings...not exactly altogether low-carb but doing the best I can.
Saturday - we're back over a DL. It's a much more crowded day. We are not at the park for opening (8am) but get there about 8:45 - that 45 minutes makes all the difference I'm convinced. Line are long - have to pick and choose which we'll wait for and which we fast pass instead. (Still the longest line we wait in is about 35 minutes - I know we're spoiled.) Lunch is Bengal BBQ - the spicy beef kabob, grilled vegatable & bacon wrapped asparagus - YUM! Dinner is at the Plaza Inn - I have the potroast. I tell the CM I'm avoiding the high carb foods and she doubles the serving of meat and doubles the serving of veggies (green & wax beans), no biscuit, no mashed potatoes. DH went down to see his brother on Saturday night - the rest of us hung out and watched the late parade and booked over to see fantasmic! I hadn't seen the parade before and really enjoyed it. Fantasmic is better at DL (IMHO) - nothing like seeing it from down low and all the extras the river of the americas bring to the experience.
Sunday - at Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's has some great coasters - older niece is just now getting brave enough to try them. We had to beg, plead & drag her on Xcelerator. After the first time we couldn't get her off of it. Crowds were very low at Knott's. We had the chicken dinner for lunch over in the Mexico section (not the Mrs. Knott's restaurant because they were still serving brunch). I would have liked the restaurant better. Still I could order ala carte and get just salad and chicken breasts. Sunday night, DH and I took a break from family and headed to House of Blues for ribs (again very accomodating to low-carb eating). We shopped at DTD and headed back to the hotel.
Monday - last day. The girls wake up begging for Goofy's kitchen. I call exactly at 8am and can only get a 10:50 PS for the 6 of us. We head over to the park at 9:15 and do a little more shopping on main street. It is more crowded than on Friday. We ride the materhorn one more time and then get on the monorail for the ride over to the DLH for "brunch". Goofy's kitchen is really fun. The character interaction is great - it's uncrowded and we get lots of time with the characters; Goofy, Pluto, Aladin, Baloo, Mulan & Aurora. The food is wonderful - made to order omelettes and lots of low-carb choices. I break down and have a lemon bar for desert. We head back over to DL about 12:30pm. We ride Small World and get in line for the new Snow White show (very good). Afterwards we end up in the longest line we've waited in for Roger Rabbit and get on the train to New Oleans square for another ride on Splash (DH heads back to get the car and meet us at 4pm for the ride to the airport.)
The weather was beautiful, sunny, not too warm and only rain while on splash and our dash out of the park. I'm missing my nieces terribly already and I'm hoping their dad's will let us see them during spring break - otherwise it will be summer before we get any time with them.
Along with Space Mt being down (until 2005) - big thunder is down until March 11 and Indiana Jones until March 8th or 9th. Tower of Terror opens in May. There is still plenty to do but it's strange to have 3 E rides down at the same time.
I put on 1 lb (I'm sure it's water weight, given how tight my ring is right now - air travel always does this too me.) So I keep my 5 lb clippie but don't get my 10 lb clippie yet even though my jeans are so loose from all the walking.
) get better soon. It's gotta be a very frustrating situation for you! Wish I had some words of wisdom for you 
. sorry about the new guy at work. hope he ends up getting what he deserves.
. you're doing a really good job of keeping it together though, even though i know it's really hard. i'm going to send you some extra 
to help you get through all of this, and a big 
It may ease your finances and siding worries though. You've got to protect the investment in your home! 
