~~~ May 16, 2009 ~~~ Western Magic ~~~

[tinkattude6]

Jordan- I think a photo the last night is a great idea. Yes we will be tanner and when i'm tanner i look skinnyer. I think thats a the best time for a picture lol.

Shawan- Awh thanks! I wouldn't wanna miss this trip and miss out on meeting all you great people.

Kim -That has to be one of the Best and Funniest B-Day gags i have ever seen lol.

Oh BTW i'm a hugger also! I'm getting more excited. I went out and bought three new dresses last night. I actually think two of them looked ok. I hate clothes i mean trying them on. If i could just lose 10 more lbs . Wishful thinking ,but i'm up for the gym or walks as long as you all head me in the right direction. Last time hubbby and i were running the wrong way on the cruise everyone got a kick outta of it. I was just so tired and hadn't had my coffee yet.

 

[SpeedFigure]

So, it was my good friend and co-workers birthday on Tues. and we planned an awesome surprise for her. We have a tradition at our office of "getting" people on their birthdays here. In the morning when she arrived we had trashed her office with streamers, confetti and Happy Birthday signs. She thought that was it. It wasn't. A local church in town does a fundraiser involving flamingos -- a flock of flamingos. We set it up and we took my friend to dinner. When she came home she saw this:

Side view

And the after effects of that many flamingos. It looks pretty sad:

Just thought you'd like to see the pictures. They were too funny not to share. Some of the flamingos are even wearing happy birthday party hats!

It's getting closer to CRUISE TIME and Disney. I put up the countdown chain and now I have a very, very excited 4 yr. old. Her Mom's pretty excited as well!

Kim

HAHAHAHA LOL

I have a thing about flamingos...my first skating dress was this pink crushed velvet (loved that thing) and EVERYONE used to saw I looked like a flamingo.... LOVE the idea of flamingo-ing someones yard.
Great job!!!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Kim the flamingo pictures are hilarious!!!!

 

[aimathy]

Hi Everyone!
I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I only had a minute before DD wakes up from her nap, and didn't have time to research more! Is there a benefit to having one dining rotation over another? Does it matter? Help! Thanks!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi Everyone!
I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I only had a minute before DD wakes up from her nap, and didn't have time to research more! Is there a benefit to having one dining rotation over another? Does it matter? Help! Thanks!

I havent cruised before, but from what I have picked up there is no real advantage - same menus and you still get to see the shows as they are on twice each night. I think people with children generally try for early in case the children are tired later on - I think thats the real benefit!!

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

The flamingos are SO FUNNY!!!


TA called & has my cruise docs!!!

Holy buckets, Sonya! It's taken Justin nearly 20 years to work up to that much vacation...and he's one of the owners of the company!!! Actually, he ends up with much more every year because he keeps rolling several weeks over from one year to the next because he's "too busy to take time off." Plus they work 50+ hrs a week, so as long as he works at least 45 hrs earlier in the week, when he takes a Friday off, he doesn't have to use a vacation day. I think he's got a stash of at least 6 weeks right now. Then there's me...I hate taking days off because then I have twice as much work the next day since I have no one to cover for me. I'm really dreading those first few days back from the cruise. Six days of dictation for 5 docs piling up is going to be a mountain of work. Blech! But it'll be worth it!!!


princessljw--why did you drop your TA? Did you lose out on any OBC?

Thanks, Andy's dad, for the # for movies. I've been meaning to do it but just haven't yet, so here they are:

• Wall-E
• Swingvote
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua
• High School Musical 3
• Bolt
• Hannah Montana 3D concert
• Bedtime Stories
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Jonas Bros 3D concert
• Race to Witch Mountain
• Hannah Montana (the one that premieres May 10th)
• Disney's Earth (premeired yesterday)

Amy--there used to be a benefit in the different rotations, but not as of the last couple weeks. The Magic used to stagger their dining times, but now it sounds like all 3 rotations are at 5:45. Here's how they used to be:

• PLAAPLA 5:30 and 8:00
• LAPPLAP 5:45 and 8:15
• APLLAPL 6:00 and 8:30

I preferred the APLLAPL because 1) it was the latest of the early times, 2) it put us in Lumiere's for formal night, and 3) the character breakfast is Sunday morning.

 

[austin77]

Ashley is REALLY excited for the movie Earth. lol Shes a huge animal person!

 

[lucky1]

used[/I] to be a benefit in the different rotations, but not as of the last couple weeks. The Magic used to stagger their dining times, but now it sounds like all 3 rotations are at 5:45. Here's how they used to be:

• PLAAPLA 5:30 and 8:00
• LAPPLAP 5:45 and 8:15
• APLLAPL 6:00 and 8:30

I preferred the APLLAPL because 1) it was the latest of the early times, 2) it put us in Lumiere's for formal night, and 3) the character breakfast is Sunday morning.

Val - Is there a link describing to the character breakfast or how that works? What days based on which dinning rotation.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tinkattude6]

Hi Everyone!
I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I only had a minute before DD wakes up from her nap, and didn't have time to research more! Is there a benefit to having one dining rotation over another? Does it matter? Help! Thanks!

I personally like early. I have children DD18,DS15,DD10 and we have done both. We find we are all so tired and hungry cause late you sometimes don't get Dinner until almost 9pm. I also feel if you wanna try the late night buffets or dessert buffets then i think early is the way to go. Crystal,

 

[lillygator]

I am hoping they premiere the new Tom Hanks movie!

 

[dznyacct]

That's a good thing!!! I'm hoping to get to Epcot by about 3 or so. We don't land until almost noon and I'm not sure how long check in will take at POFQ.
Thats fine hunny. Whatever you need to do, just let me know. I do understand if you guys have other plans. But yes!!! It would be perfect to have my first vacation drink with my sweet Mati!!

We too will be in Epcot on Friday (woohoo, 3 weeks from tomorrow !!). I would love to meet you all before the cruise, but I'm not sure if we will be able to. Thanks to my wonderful friend who works for WDW (Robyn at Yak and Yeti, formerly at Fulton's), she is getting us all one day park hoppers and she and her boyfriend are spending the day with us. We have dinner reservations at 8 p.m. at Chefs de France (Jake's FAVORITE place to eat in all of WDW , a picky eater who loves French food?!?!?!?). I know for sure that I will have my butt parked at the Off Kilter stage for at least 2 or 3 shows (yes, I am a middle aged groupie who lusts after Jamie the bagpiper, and I'm proud to admit it !!). More than likely I will be carrying my red small LL Bean backpack with a lime green ºoº Home Depot paint chip sample hanging from the front. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE come up to me/us if you see us. I'll keep up on the meeting place(s) times as the trip gets closer, in case we can meet up with everyone. Is anyone else getting butterflies when they think how close we are to this trip?!?!?!?!?

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Val - Is there a link describing to the character breakfast or how that works? What days based on which dinning rotation.

I think they've gone back to the "old" way, like it was for us in 2007 with a sit-down breakfast in PC where the characters coming around for photo ops at each table. Shortly after our last cruise, they changed it so that there was more of a dance party in the middle of the restaurant where all the kids went to boogie with the characters, but I think they had so many complaints that they went back to the old way (I'm hoping anyway). The CB is on KW day (since all ashore time is early afternoon) & also on sea days, and your rotation depends on when you go to it. I can't remember for sure how they determine when each rotation has it (does anyone else know for sure? It's probably in the PassPorter, so maybe I'll look later tonight if I get a chance.), but we had APLAPLA (a slightly different rotation that they had at the time) and had ours on Sunday morning before KW. If it's any later in the week, my boys will drive me crazy asking about when it is because they're already excited for it again!

I am hoping they premiere the new Tom Hanks movie!

Oooh! What is it?!?!


Okay...back to house duties.

 

[ottermouse]

The flamingos are SO FUNNY!!!


TA called & has my cruise docs!!!

Holy buckets, Sonya! It's taken Justin nearly 20 years to work up to that much vacation...and he's one of the owners of the company!!! Actually, he ends up with much more every year because he keeps rolling several weeks over from one year to the next because he's "too busy to take time off." Plus they work 50+ hrs a week, so as long as he works at least 45 hrs earlier in the week, when he takes a Friday off, he doesn't have to use a vacation day. I think he's got a stash of at least 6 weeks right now. Then there's me...I hate taking days off because then I have twice as much work the next day since I have no one to cover for me. I'm really dreading those first few days back from the cruise. Six days of dictation for 5 docs piling up is going to be a mountain of work. Blech! But it'll be worth it!!!


princessljw--why did you drop your TA? Did you lose out on any OBC?

Thanks, Andy's dad, for the # for movies. I've been meaning to do it but just haven't yet, so here they are:

• Wall-E
• Swingvote
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua
• High School Musical 3
• Bolt
• Hannah Montana 3D concert
• Bedtime Stories
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Jonas Bros 3D concert
• Race to Witch Mountain
• Hannah Montana (the one that premieres May 10th)
• Disney's Earth (premeired yesterday)

Amy--there used to be a benefit in the different rotations, but not as of the last couple weeks. The Magic used to stagger their dining times, but now it sounds like all 3 rotations are at 5:45. Here's how they used to be:

• PLAAPLA 5:30 and 8:00
• LAPPLAP 5:45 and 8:15
• APLLAPL 6:00 and 8:30

I preferred the APLLAPL because 1) it was the latest of the early times, 2) it put us in Lumiere's for formal night, and 3) the character breakfast is Sunday morning.

We got our cruise Docs todaywoohooo we just can't wait this cruise is well deserved and needed.

 

[Disgirl83]

That's cool! I saw in our church bulletin that our youth group was doing this at one point, but I didn't realize how many they put out! I'm sure she loved the surprise!

Yes I LOVE the flamingos!!! I think our youth group did something similar but with painting toilet lids. Now that I think about it that really makes me sound like a WV hillbilly, lol!

Ashley is REALLY excited for the movie Earth. lol Shes a huge animal person!

I will be right there watching it with her!!! That is if I don't breakover and go watch it first.

I think I'm going to go try on some summer clothes I've had packed away upstairs (although I hate to, blah). I'm hoping that my 2 hour workout slimmed me down a little.

 

[suezyq50]

The flamigos are a hoot. I saw this a lot when we lived in Birmingham. Here in Rome, its toilets!
We are not big talkers nor huggers.
I have a notebook, as others have mentioned. No spreadsheet though. My DD sent an email today stating my DSIL is afraid I am going to be so organized and filled with info, I won't be able to enjoy the cruise! I am not worried about it.

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

That is what my wife thought when she opened up the package but they are actually 2 long luggage tags for each person

Ok, now that I've looked at them closer, that does make sense.

So, it was my good friend and co-workers birthday on Tues. and we planned an awesome surprise for her. We have a tradition at our office of "getting" people on their birthdays here. In the morning when she arrived we had trashed her office with streamers, confetti and Happy Birthday signs. She thought that was it. It wasn't. A local church in town does a fundraiser involving flamingos -- a flock of flamingos. We set it up and we took my friend to dinner. When she came home she saw this:

Kim

Thanks for the pictures - What a great idea, hmmm....I'll have to keep that in mind.

:rotfl2Thanks, Andy's dad, for the # for movies. I've been meaning to do it but just haven't yet, so here they are:

• Wall-E
• Swingvote
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua
• High School Musical 3
• Bolt
• Hannah Montana 3D concert
• Bedtime Stories
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Jonas Bros 3D concert
• Race to Witch Mountain
• Hannah Montana (the one that premieres May 10th)
• Disney's Earth (premeired yesterday)

Cool a couple of movies that we want to see (especially the Earth movie). Wish we knew when they were playing so we could plan our schedule.

We too will be in Epcot on Friday (woohoo, 3 weeks from tomorrow !!). I would love to meet you all before the cruise, but I'm not sure if we will be able to. Thanks to my wonderful friend who works for WDW (Robyn at Yak and Yeti, formerly at Fulton's), she is getting us all one day park hoppers and she and her boyfriend are spending the day with us. We have dinner reservations at 8 p.m. at Chefs de France (Jake's FAVORITE place to eat in all of WDW , a picky eater who loves French food?!?!?!?). I know for sure that I will have my butt parked at the Off Kilter stage for at least 2 or 3 shows (yes, I am a middle aged groupie who lusts after Jamie the bagpiper, and I'm proud to admit it !!). More than likely I will be carrying my red small LL Bean backpack with a lime green ºoº Home Depot paint chip sample hanging from the front. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE come up to me/us if you see us. I'll keep up on the meeting place(s) times as the trip gets closer, in case we can meet up with everyone. Is anyone else getting butterflies when they think how close we are to this trip?!?!?!?!?

Kathy - We always make a point to hit Off Kilter. We will try and swing by on Friday and see if we can spot you. We have reservations at Yak & Yeti on Monday. If I see a Robyn I'll check to see if its your friend.

I hadn't thought of hanging a tag from my bag, but its a good idea.

I stayed late at work today and finally was able to work on my magnets (we have a laminating machine). I'm thrilled to be able to cross something off my list.

 

[SpeedFigure]

Still no cruise doc's for us!!
If I don't receive anything in the mail tomorrow, I'm calling Travelocity. UGH! Maybe should have not booked through them as they are a pain.

Thanks for the movie listings, wish the 3D concerts were replaced with other REAL movies..oh well.
Oh and my recommendation is don't bother going to see Confessions of a Shopaholic..I saw it twice (not on purpose) and both times it was soo BLAH! Wasn't about fashion, all about debt- made me depressed.

 

[princessljw]

this is where I SPENT PART OF MY DAY ON THURSDAY AT A LOCAL REST.
Our TA was no help at all did not pay off our cruise for 8 months after we gave her final payment, among other things!
how do OBC work as far as from a TA anyway, just something some give or should we get them also she never mentioned them?
goodnite all its been a long day

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

this is where I SPENT PART OF MY DAY ON THURSDAY AT A LOCAL REST.

OMG! The irony is funny, but I hope no one got hurt!! Are you a firefighter or paramedic?

Our TA was no help at all did not pay off our cruise for 8 months after we gave her final payment, among other things!
how do OBC work as far as from a TA anyway, just something some give or should we get them also she never mentioned them?

Wow. Not good! Reminds me of an article I read in my paper yesterday about a local travel agency that filed for bankruptcy recently and never bought show tix, etc., for people that paid for them MONTHS ago! Unfortunately, they're out their money. Anyway, I would think you can call DCL to find out about the OBC that's listed on your acct. I would think they could tell you that without having to go through the TA. BTW, is it a well-known agency? AAA gives $150 OBC, DU has a set amt, etc.

 

[tsarina13]

I've been really busy at work and when I get home my husband is hogging our brand new computer so I haven't written lately. BTW, we've started to get gabbier than usual!

We had Bring Your Child to Work Day yesterday and it was AWESOME. I manned the table where we took about owl pellets. For those of you who don't know, it's those lovely hairballs with the fur and bones left over from their dinner. In other words, puke. It stunk to high heaven, but the kids enjoyed it.

Then I went to an awards dinner last night for work. My company has placed 18th in the best medium sized companies to work for in NJ. YEAH! I love my job.

Books. I'm currently reading Sookie Stackhouse #6. I ran into a problem - evidently the author has written Sookie short stories for several anthologies, and there's a short story that is background for the action of book #6, so I'm feeling a little lost. I don't think you can compare them to Twilight, it's a completely different feel. A lot fluffier, more romance-novel romance.

For those of you who enjoyed Harry Potter and would like to try other kids books, look for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson novels (the first one is The Lightning Thief), and Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (the first one is Wolf Brother).

For another teen book, try Life as We Knew It By Susan Beth Pfeffer. Apocolyptic novel, scared the bejezus out of me. I'm getting ready to buy a wood burning stove and stock canned goods just in case a meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit.

I haven't received my cruise docs yet, but since I filled out everything online it sounds like I won't be getting much of anything anyway. All I know is that in 3 weeks we will all be together, drinking the island drink of the day, lounging by the pool, and pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist!