Mexican Riviera Cruise with WONDERful Souvenir in the Works! 6/7 PTR Link!

[Dream426]

Oh no. I am so sorry. That sucks. He is so adorable. Would he def. have to have the surgery?

 

[franandaj]

I am definitely not happy right now.

We took the puppy to the vet and he's saying we would probably need to have orthopedic surgery on him.

I'm afraid we're going to have to give him back to my cousin. She's supposed to call me back and I'm dreading talking to her. I'm so nervous because i'm not sure how a return works for a dog. Not sure if we're supposed to get our full money back or partial, or if we're even allowed to take him back??

I'm so sorry to hear this.

However, I can tell you as the owner of a special needs cat, you don't want to set yourself up for many years of expensive veterinarian bills, and potential heartbreak with inevitible medical treatment and even the possibility of early euthanasia. It sounds like the whole family of dogs has problems, with everything you've described.

I know it's awful, but perhaps you are better off not to travel any farther down this path and try and find a dog in better condition. It's really sad because it's easy to get attached to them so quickly. I hope you end up finding peace with your decision.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Have you ever tried Starbucks Chantico before they discontinued it?! It was a drinking chocolate that only sold in a 8 ounce cup..Holy moly, it was the thickest hot chocolate i've ever had. It was thick and luxurious and good! They even used to make a Signature Hot Chocolate that was also very yummy, but not as thick.

I made this not too long ago and it was excellent!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/hot-chocolate-recipe/index.html

Speaking of a thick hot chocolate...if you ever make it to Brooklyn, NY...there's an area right near the Brooklyn Bridge that has a great chocolate store, Jacques Torres (he's on the internet too, I think mrchocolate.com). He also has a store in Manhattan...amazing chocolate! Anyway, a few years back (2004), I had some cousins visiting from Canada and DH and I were taking them around Brooklyn. We went to Jacques Torres, and since it was March, it was still pretty chilly out. DH and I decided to try the hot chocolate. Now, DH is not usually a picky guy, but with hot chocolate he is. He prefers Godiva (or some other higher-end kind), and it CANNOT be made with water, only milk! Well, he fell right in love with this, and so did I! It was like a melted chocolate bar in a cup! So rich and delicious! We STILL talk about that!

I am definitely not happy right now.

We took the puppy to the vet and he's saying we would probably need to have orthopedic surgery on him.

I'm afraid we're going to have to give him back to my cousin. She's supposed to call me back and I'm dreading talking to her. I'm so nervous because i'm not sure how a return works for a dog. Not sure if we're supposed to get our full money back or partial, or if we're even allowed to take him back??

I'm so sorry about that...it's sad. It's hard to give up a pet, even if it is a new one you had your hopes up for...we had to give up a dog (German Shepherd named Odie...like the dog in "Garfield") when DS6 was a baby. We had the dog for 4 and a half years at that point (since he was a puppy), but he started to get very jealous once we had a baby. We still made sure to give the dog plenty of attention, but he did not respond well. One day when I was at work (DH was still working as a massage therapist and had the day off), DH was home with our son and the dog. The dog started snapping at DH, and at one point, he went over to the highchair where our son was taking a nap and started growling at him. We immediately knew we couldn't keep him any longer. Our son was 8 months old at that point, and we knew that once he started walking and crawling, things would not be good and we couldn't take any chances. So, DH called the local animal shelter, brought the dog there, and there was a man that would adopt German Shepherds, and he didn't have any children...the people at the animal shelter called this guy, and DH spoke to him. He said he was going to go there and pick up Odie the following morning (he was at work and couldn't leave early enough to get him that same day). We still hope and pray that this is what happened, and that Odie ended up in the right place for him. But it is sad that we will never truly know. DH and I still talk about it from time to time, and DH still has a picture of Odie on his nightstand.

 

[Pinkocto]

Oh no I'm so sorry. What happened with your cousin? Come to think of it, my friends have a dog with her right paw the same way and they didn't have to do surgery. The vet thinks it's that bad? Sorry to question, but I was so hoping everything would be alright.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Get on that ship already!

I'm so excited for you! We leave in 57 days. You are 7 day countdown, how fun!

 

[bangzoom6877]

6 days to go! 6 days to go!

So, how excited are you?

 

[heathsf]

Oh my gosh, I feel like I am constantly falling behind on your PTR! It's been so hard to keep up with everyone's TRs (including mine) since going back to work in September. Well I'm all caught up now (at least with yours). I hope you're feeling all better from being sick last week. I came down with something yesterday and it is seriously no fun.
Bowler is so cute. I'm so sorry to hear about the tough situation you're in with him. I hope you can work it out without too much heartache. You'll have to let us know what happens when you talk to your cousin.
Your DL trip looks like it was a lot of fun. I never really consider going to DL, or really even have a desire to, except when I'm reading your TRs. Maybe one day I'll get to experience it! For now I'm just hoping I get another chance to visit WDW in the next year or so. It's not looking likely though So I'll just have to keep living through other peoples' experiences on here! Like yours when you go on your cruise in just a few days!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh no. I am so sorry. That sucks. He is so adorable. Would he def. have to have the surgery?

I'm so sorry to hear this.

However, I can tell you as the owner of a special needs cat, you don't want to set yourself up for many years of expensive veterinarian bills, and potential heartbreak with inevitible medical treatment and even the possibility of early euthanasia. It sounds like the whole family of dogs has problems, with everything you've described.

I know it's awful, but perhaps you are better off not to travel any farther down this path and try and find a dog in better condition. It's really sad because it's easy to get attached to them so quickly. I hope you end up finding peace with your decision.

Speaking of a thick hot chocolate...if you ever make it to Brooklyn, NY...there's an area right near the Brooklyn Bridge that has a great chocolate store, Jacques Torres (he's on the internet too, I think mrchocolate.com). He also has a store in Manhattan...amazing chocolate! Anyway, a few years back (2004), I had some cousins visiting from Canada and DH and I were taking them around Brooklyn. We went to Jacques Torres, and since it was March, it was still pretty chilly out. DH and I decided to try the hot chocolate. Now, DH is not usually a picky guy, but with hot chocolate he is. He prefers Godiva (or some other higher-end kind), and it CANNOT be made with water, only milk! Well, he fell right in love with this, and so did I! It was like a melted chocolate bar in a cup! So rich and delicious! We STILL talk about that!



I'm so sorry about that...it's sad. It's hard to give up a pet, even if it is a new one you had your hopes up for...we had to give up a dog (German Shepherd named Odie...like the dog in "Garfield") when DS6 was a baby. We had the dog for 4 and a half years at that point (since he was a puppy), but he started to get very jealous once we had a baby. We still made sure to give the dog plenty of attention, but he did not respond well. One day when I was at work (DH was still working as a massage therapist and had the day off), DH was home with our son and the dog. The dog started snapping at DH, and at one point, he went over to the highchair where our son was taking a nap and started growling at him. We immediately knew we couldn't keep him any longer. Our son was 8 months old at that point, and we knew that once he started walking and crawling, things would not be good and we couldn't take any chances. So, DH called the local animal shelter, brought the dog there, and there was a man that would adopt German Shepherds, and he didn't have any children...the people at the animal shelter called this guy, and DH spoke to him. He said he was going to go there and pick up Odie the following morning (he was at work and couldn't leave early enough to get him that same day). We still hope and pray that this is what happened, and that Odie ended up in the right place for him. But it is sad that we will never truly know. DH and I still talk about it from time to time, and DH still has a picture of Odie on his nightstand.

Oh no I'm so sorry. What happened with your cousin? Come to think of it, my friends have a dog with her right paw the same way and they didn't have to do surgery. The vet thinks it's that bad? Sorry to question, but I was so hoping everything would be alright.

Get on that ship already!

I'm so excited for you! We leave in 57 days. You are 7 day countdown, how fun!

6 days to go! 6 days to go!

So, how excited are you?

Oh my gosh, I feel like I am constantly falling behind on your PTR! It's been so hard to keep up with everyone's TRs (including mine) since going back to work in September. Well I'm all caught up now (at least with yours). I hope you're feeling all better from being sick last week. I came down with something yesterday and it is seriously no fun.
Bowler is so cute. I'm so sorry to hear about the tough situation you're in with him. I hope you can work it out without too much heartache. You'll have to let us know what happens when you talk to your cousin.
Your DL trip looks like it was a lot of fun. I never really consider going to DL, or really even have a desire to, except when I'm reading your TRs. Maybe one day I'll get to experience it! For now I'm just hoping I get another chance to visit WDW in the next year or so. It's not looking likely though So I'll just have to keep living through other peoples' experiences on here! Like yours when you go on your cruise in just a few days!

Hi everyone!

So sorry i've been neglecting my thread. Too much has been going on with the puppy, trying to get more Christmas shopping done, being sick, working, trying to have a social life, etc.

I'M LEAVING IN 4 DAYS! Gosh it came fast! I think with all the nonsense that's been going on around here, time has flown by, but now I need it to slow down a tad. I just got done creating my packing list and things are always being added, as i'm forgetful

Puppy - we gave Bowler back on Friday when we were told his legs may need surgery. Just today, my cousin sent me a picture of him and his legs are completely straight! I guess the vet was right, we just needed some time for his other arm bones to catch up. It seems as if they may want to keep him now, and the thing is, I don't want to take away the puppy from the family, especially their little girl. They were supposed to take care of him while we were gone, but that's another week for them to get attached to him. I told her to think it over and to let me know what she wanted to do and either way we would be happy. We're just happy that his bones are normal now. So we'll see what happens with that!

I'm going to get the rest of my Disneyland trip out right now!

 

[Leshaface]

This part doesn't have any pics

I left us off at the Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian Hotel.

After our drinks, we all split up. I think Dsil wanted to go see the parade that would be showing soon, and we (me, Dh, DM) didn't feel like seeing that.

Oh forgot to add, DH's mom and dad were going to be in Anaheim Christmas shopping (found out later, it was for us! ) and they wanted to get together for a drink or dinner.

So the three of us decided to just hang out over at DCA and see what we could do.

We ended up riding the new Little Mermaid ride (really cute and fun, but not something I'm dying to do again) and we got to do Goofy's Sky School. My mom really enjoys going on this ride and so do we! It was now around 5pm and we decided to head to Downtown early to try and get a table at Tortilla Jo's.

Good thing we left early! The wait was about 45 minutes, around the time my in-laws were about to show up (ended up being an hour wait ).

We haven't eaten there in sooooo long. It was really fun, they had a girl mariachi band walking around asking for requests. So if you haven't noticed my mom is full Mexican and so is my MIL. Well, the mariachi group comes over and asks if there was something we'd like to hear. My MIL couldn't think of anything, then my mom asked for this popular Mexican song. They started singing it, and I look over and my MIL is bawling. I wasn't sure what was happening and some of the group members kept looking at us, like, do you want us to stop?? But they kept on going and when she was finally able to talk she said this is her mother's favorite song - her mom is in a convalescent home right now and she has Alzheimer's. It's really difficult to go and take care of her mom, when her mom doesn't recognize her half the time. After they were done singing, my poor mom kept apologizing and of course she had no idea, so it was all fine. Dinner was very good by the way.

After dinner, it was around 7:30, time to get in line for WOC! I was so excited to see it again! So we actually got in line at 8ish for the 9:15 showing and we were one of the first in line. Yes. We waited in line for about an hour! And it was well worth it! Our seating (or standing rather ) was PERFECT!

I didn't take any pictures because I just wanted to stand there and be amazed by what was going on.

After the show, we were pretty tired and cold, so we headed back to the hotel, where we met up with Dsil and DB and went to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a FUN but wet day!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm glad things seem to be ok with the Bowler situation. I'll be curious if they'll give him back or you'll have to go on another puppy hunt. Will you still get one if they decide to keep him?

Tomorrow you'll be leaving in 3 days!!!

 

[Leshaface]

I'm glad things seem to be ok with the Bowler situation. I'll be curious if they'll give him back or you'll have to go on another puppy hunt. Will you still get one if they decide to keep him?

Tomorrow you'll be leaving in 3 days!!!

We may get one if they decide to keep him. I think we'll just have to talk about it....over drinks on the cruise!!!!

Have you gotten more packing done yet??

 

[Leshaface]

Today was Sunday. And we know what happens on Sunday right?!? FOOTBALL! So DH agreed if he went to the park for an hour, we'd go to ESPN Zone to watch our Packers play. And I agreed.

So we went on the Haunted Mansion (again!) and met up with everyone at Indiana Jones and grabbed FP's for later. DH kept saying, "We need to leave by 9:30 to get spots at ESPN! It's going to be so busy!" ALRIGHT! We still had time to get on one more ride with everyone...


VIDEO


DH is behind me and my mom, DB and DSIL are in front of us, and in front of them are DSIL parents. The sound kind of cut out from my phone. sorry!



And as you can see from the video, DH has his sweatshirt on ready for the big game!

When we got, we walked very fast to ESPN Zone, because it was now after 9:30 am and guess what...there were plenty of seats at the bar!

It's almost 10am and I ordered this:

We ended up staying there for the entire game having drinks and eating. The bartender was super nice. He kept giving me free 'samples' of beers. And his idea of a sample was half of that mug in the picture. Sitting behind us at a table was this guy and his family:

DH was like, "Hey, it's your favorite guy behind us."

He's the old Colts coach, Jim Mora, and he's the guy on the Coors Light commercial that says, "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! PLAYOFFS!" and I absolutely HATE that commercial with a passion and DH knows it!

After the game we decided to head over to DCA and do our own thing. We were feeling VERY good at this point and what does one do when you have a few drinks?! DRAW CHIPMUNKS OF COURSE! We were right on time for the Animation Academy.

Here's mine. Kinda looks like a hobo for some reason? Must be the ears.

And DH's. He always puts his signature "1 of 1" bit on there He looks like a pilot of some sort.

We went through the Sorcerer's Workshop, stopping to do the "Who are you most like" quiz. Can't remember what we got!

I really wanted to go watch Muppet Vision 3D in preparation for the movie, so we headed over there.

And DH's glasses broke. Of course the movie was great, but by the time we got out, HOLY MOLY...it was raining. HARD! I called my mom to find out where they were and they were at the Cove Bar hiding from the rain and getting drinks, so we headed that way.

My mom, DB, and Dsil's father was there having drinks, so of course we got obligated to have some too. I'm not sure what I got, but I think it was a Long Beach. And it was good. My brother was talking to a guy sitting next to him and he tells him he's being shipped out to Iraq next weekend and he was here spending some time with his family. My mom overheard this and bought me, my DB and the gentleman a shot of patron. He was very grateful for this and we wished him well. By this time it was freezing!

It was still somewhat early, but we didn't know what we were going to do for dinner, and we knew that sit down restaurants would start getting packed. We decided to see what the wait was at Storytellers Cafe located in the Grand Californian Hotel. There was only a 30 minute wait, so DH and I went up to the room really quick to change our clothes since they were soaked and went back down. By the time we made it back to our party, our buzzer went off!

Everyone at our table wanted to buffet so that's what we all did!

The bread:

Some plates of food:

DESSERT!:

Everyone was SO tired after our meal. But DSIL wanted to go ride It's A Small World and DH despises that ride, even the Holiday Layover version. So I volunteered to stay back with him. It worked out well anyway. We got to take our showers early and lounge around watching tv and talking. They got back about 1 1/2 later and by that time, we were already passed out.

Tomorrow: Will I get a meet with Jack?!

 

[Dream426]

So glad the puppy seems to be ok. I hope you are able to take him back but if not I can understand feeling bad about taking him away from the little girl. Great update on your Disneyland trip. Can't wait to see if you met Jack. I hope you did. That would be really mean to lead us on like that if you didn't.

 

[Leshaface]

So glad the puppy seems to be ok. I hope you are able to take him back but if not I can understand feeling bad about taking him away from the little girl. Great update on your Disneyland trip. Can't wait to see if you met Jack. I hope you did. That would be really mean to lead us on like that if you didn't.

Hi Gina!

I had the whole update written up and my computer quit on me! So i'm re-writing it right now. I hope I get to meet him too

 

[Leshaface]

Today was our last day at Disneyland and I was sad. But I still had half a day at the park. And if you know me, you know that I love to go to the Magic Mornings that are offered when you’re a guest of the hotels. Well, since we didn’t go on Saturday or Sunday, Dh said we could go at park opening today!

We left the hotel around 7:40am and we were in the park by 7:50. The first thing we did was head to Guest Services to see if Jack was going to be doing Meet and Greets. She looked at her list and said, “I don’t see him on here today. He’ll be here tomorrow for sure. You can ask the Cast Members at the Times Board and see if they know.” I was a little let down. I was so excited to see him and he may not even be out.

DH and I found ourselves on Main Street with lots of others waiting for the rope to drop since we still had a few minutes. Once the ropes were down, we headed to Star Tours. Dh’s request. We grabbed FP’s just in case we had time to use them for later.

On the way to the Times Board I took some pictures of the gorgeous flowers. Hopefully DH will get some inspiration and ideas for our own home.

At the board are two CM’s and I ask the female CM if Jack is out today. She didn’t see him on the list of characters and that she would call and find out for me. Meanwhile, DH is talking to the other male CM and DH asks, “How many people play Jack here?” The CM replied quickly, “Oh, Jack comes all the way from Halloween town to visit with the guests.” Dh looked so confused and I just started laughing like crazy! I love how the CM’s don’t break character, even for adults. The female CM got off the phone and said YES! He would be at New Orleans Square at 9am. I thanked her and off we went to NOS. It was still a bit early, so DH went to the restroom while I snapped some pictures.

By the time DH came back there was still no Jack. We decided to get on the Haunted Mansion, and hopefully he’ll be there by the time we got off.

I love this ride so SO much!

I took a picture of the Gingerbread house since it changes every year. It smells so good and fresh! Sorry it looks so bad - no flash

We excited the ride and what to my wondering eyes should appear?!

YAY! He was here! ….and there was a crowd around him! Not even a line forming. It was kind of like a free for all and there was no way I was going to be pushing kids out of the way to get to Jack. I asked if there was ever going to be a line and she told me they were going to let him roam free for a bit before asking people to line up. Well within a minute there were tons of people trying to get at him. Luckily I was right by the handler when she announced to start lining up, so I was third in line!

He was awesome! He asked me, “Why are you wearing a noose? Do you plan on hanging around?”

Ahh I love Jack

 

[Leshaface]

After my heavenly meet with Jack, I really wanted to see if I could get a picture with Santa (since Jackson's Grammie was the one that reminded me). But it was still too early for him to come out, so I took a picture of the pardoned turkey instead.

It was around this time where we went back to the hotel to take our luggage to bell services so we could hang out a little while longer. A few more shots from the room:

And leaving the hotel into Downtown Disney:

We decided to go back to Disneyland to use our FP's on Star Tours, so mom came with us, and DB and DSIl went to DCA.

After our tour to the Wookie planet, we wanted to browse through the shops. I had seen these AWESOME Christmas houses in one of the shops and DH promised he would get me one. So DH bought me one, AND my mom surprised me and bought me one too!!

I love them so much! They are my first houses and I plan on adding more throughout the years.

After we purchased these, the one thing my mom really wanted to do was to eat at the Wine Country Trattoria over at DCA. So that's where we headed to lunch.

I usually get their salad, but today was a little chilly and I wanted something substantial and yummy. DB always gets the lasagna so I ordered one and oh my goodness. The best lasagna! You know how when you put your fork into one and they layers all fall apart?! This one didn't. It was delicious, creamy, and cheesy!

My DB said there was a lounge somewhere around there, so we asked the waiter and said it was upstairs but it was closed. But we could go up there anyway. Wow! Tons of chairs and tables and a bar up there!

You can even see into Cars Land...well a little bit.

Lunch was over and we were ready to head out. My brother wanted to get a few things he had seen over at the World of Disney and mom wanted to buy some socks at Miss Matched. DH and I sat and just watched people walk by. Then I got bored. Then I remembered that a CM had given me some stickers at the DVC desk at the GCH.

Stickers + Boredom =

I had asked him to get up and throw something away for me so I could take the picture. Don't worry I eventually told him about it and he laughed when I showed him the picture. He felt nothing when I was putting them on him!

Everyone finally came back and we went and picked up our stuff from Bell Services, loaded up the truck, and headed back home. And this is when I started to feel sick. Can't believe I still have a bit of a cough. It's been a couple weeks now!

Anyways, sorry this took so long trying to get updated! But it's finished and now I can focus on my new TR for when I return!

Only a few more sleeps!


Oh, forgot to mention, we MAY head down the night before and stay near Disneyland. This is a huge maybe though. If we do decide to do this, we'll be making the reservation the night before we head down so stay tuned!

 

[Dream426]

YAY!!! You got to meet him. I knew you wouldn't disappoint us...LOL I am glad you finally got to meet him though. Love the Christmas houses your husband and mom got for you. They are so cute. Hope you are feeling better. So exciting you leave in a few days.

 

[LuvEeyore]

You must be so excited!! Only 4 days to go.I hope you have a great and relazing time.

 

[heathsf]

Looks like a great trip! The stickers on DH's back made me laugh out loud!

 

[Shannon84]

We just watched Nightmare before Christmas last night!! Jack looks SO cool in person On the DVD they had a bonus feature showing you how they decorate each year and you get to ride through it virtually...I was so excited!! And it looks amazing!!