CheshireMelanie
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2004
- Messages
- 70
Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay. Our house is on the market and that has taken top priority.
More soon!
Cast
Melvis (a.k.a Melanie) Me (39 dangerously close to 40th birthday, which may have something to do with buying the Mazda Miata convertible and convincing all immediate family that we needed to spend an early holiday with The Mouse.)
Dr. D my dear, DH (54); purports to be Grumpy by wearing considerable items of clothing bearing said image, however, by nature, much more like Doc.
Deanster DSis (34) total princess with an amazing, creative brain secretly wishes to be Ariel if only to find her Prince Eric. Professional independent photographer.
Big Cal DFather (64) absolute salt of the earth. Would go anywhere, do anything just to please his wife and daughters (and to get them to be quiet!). Big Cal is 6 5.
Mini Maureen DMother (NOT 64!) I have acquired my best queenly skills by watching her all my life. Best thing she makes for dinner is reservations. She is 5 1.
12/15/04
Just to recap
Were at MGM and
ITS COLD!!!
and Deanster, Dr. D and I have decided to tough out the night time temps.
As the sun was setting we thought we might shop a bit.
Have a great time at Tatooine Traders. Dr. D eyes the Sith Baseball Jersey with VADER across the back. Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, his nickname at the University was Dr. Death. He has since mellowed A LOT, but nevertheless, I think it would be a hoot for him to get it. He starts looking for his size and then notices the price tag - $175. Once I pick him up off the floor and assure him that we can probably find in on Ebay, he feels a little better.
This is the same face he made when he saw the pricetag
We still have some time to kill, so I take point position and start toward Hollywood Blvd. Fist jammed into pockets, scarf in a noose around my neck, head down and walking fast.
Dr. D says that I have a super hero attribute of being able to dematerialize at will. He relies on his cell phone at malls, Super Targets and Lowes to locate me on the radar when I do this. I was never aware of my superpower, so obviously Im not very good at controlling it. It annoys the heck out of him when I disappear.
On a side note, it annoys the heck out of me when he gets LOST!
Well, plummeting temperatures seems to make me even more transparent. I swore that one minute I glanced over my shoulder and he and Dean were 5 feet behind me and the next I looked, they were gone.
Great now my plan of ducking into an interesting shop to thaw is now out of the question because then they REALLY couldnt see me. Dr. D doesnt have his magic cell phone and Deansters roams at about $172 a minute. (We had been warned to use it ONLY in an EMERGENCY! i.e. blood loss, hospitalization or Prince Eric sighting)
So I stand on the sidewalk and wait .
and cough .
and blow my nose
(feel sorry for me yet? Yeah, nobody else did either.)
They finally show up and now Dr. D has made a believer out of Deanster as to the validity of my powers.
I make an edict we HAVE to stay together. I dont want to wander around in the cold AND the dark looking for them. They vow to stay close and then look at each other and giggle.
Great.
They browse, I thaw and all is right with the world.
Deanster in front of her next camera aquisition
We decide we should do Osborne Family lights as soon as it was turned on. Even though it had been a light attendance day, we could tell more people were arriving in order to see it and Fantasmic.
Well, let me just tell you about the pride that swelled in the heart of this native Arkansan. Deanster and I were both born in Little Rock and there is nothing like a little Hillbilly excess.
Banjo music please
(Now, everyone knows that I mean that in the nicest sense of the word. No hate mail please!)
Dr. D is totally impressed. He believes outdoor Christmas lights and frippery to be an art form unto itself. His ultimate dream is to have a manger scene on the front yard with a motion detector that would activate a pop-up baby Jesus
(wait for it )
.that waves at the passing cars.
Thats just the kinda guy he is.
This is the first and only time that we encounter any kind of crowd. Its packed. We hug the right hand curb to stay out of the milling throng. Deanster weaves in and out, but does a good job of keeping up with us. (Shes afraid Ill call her cell phone.) It snows (or rather foams.)
You know, it just doesnt have the same WOW impact in weather that is already conducive to that type of precipitation. On second thought, at what temperature does it foam?
Having had our Griswold Christmas experience fulfilled, we trek back. Deanster has become captivated by Graumans Chinese Theatre. She took, hmm maybe, I dunno, A ZILLION pictures of it throughout the day.
One of my favorites
And of course has to get the ultimate pic of the icon.
We are excited about seeing Fantasmic after all the hype and publicity. On the way, its time for some warm beverages and a little nosh for me. We grab some coffee, hot chocolate and a kids meal at one of the counter service areas on Sunset. It hits the spot Mac and Cheese, coleslaw, grapes and juice for $3.00. Just right for my very nondiscerning and cheap palate.
We do our best cattle impersonation and follow the crowd to the amphitheatre. I really didnt quite know what to expect, but I must say it was worth the cold. Very inventive and imaginative. Cant you just hear the imagineer that first came up with the idea pitching it to his boss?
OK first you build a lagoon thats big enough for party barges and a steamboat to travel on then you need, like, a mountain thats at least 5 stories tall, and then, ok, maybe we can edit all the major Disney movies and project them onto the mountain, nooooo wait a minute we spray WATER and show them on that
Dr. D got all analytical and started discussing the acting styles and the historical significance of performing in an amphitheatre.
I got all schmoopsie when Snow White showed up and they played Someday my Prince will come.
Weve been married 14 years. Go figure.
Me and my prince
We now do what we have named the exit shuffle walk until our teeth chatter, duck into a shop, thaw. Walk until I cant feel my feet, duck into a shop, thaw. This southern girl just doesnt handle cold well at all.
The best thing is that the Villains are well represented at MGM. I especially enjoy
This is by far our favorite park. Dr. D is all about the attention to detail at Disney in general, but especially here.
We are glad that we toughed it out. Fantasmic was great and the park was just beautiful lit up with all the decorations at night. Dr. D and I are looking forward to returning on Friday for our lunch at the Brown Derby with an Imagineer.
On the way back to CSR, I start thinking about tomorrow. Its my big day to do the Dolphin Encounter at the Living Seas in Epcot.
Better take a double dose of Robitussin so I can sleep .
[thread=706844]Chapter 1 - The Prequel[/thread]
[thread=707410]Chapter 2 - T minus 48 Hours[/thread]
[thread=707456]Chapter 3 - 3,2,1 - We have Ignition[/thread]
[thread=708708]Chapter 4 - Together at Last[/thread]
[thread=709177]Chapter 5 - The Call of the Wild[/thread]
[thread=711162]Chapter 5.1 With Apologies to Rudyard Kipling[/thread]
[thread=713380]Chapter 6 Winter in the World Showcase[/thread]
[thread=717154]Chapter 7 MGM the Day of the Ugly Pictures[/thread]
Chapter 7.1 - YOU ARE HERE
[thread=891702]Chapter 8 News from the Dolphin Tank and the OEFYO Syndrome[/thread]
[thread=925117]Chpt. 9.1 Lunch with an Imagineer & The Final and Mad Dash[/thread]
Sorry for the delay. Our house is on the market and that has taken top priority.
More soon!
Cast
Melvis (a.k.a Melanie) Me (39 dangerously close to 40th birthday, which may have something to do with buying the Mazda Miata convertible and convincing all immediate family that we needed to spend an early holiday with The Mouse.)
Dr. D my dear, DH (54); purports to be Grumpy by wearing considerable items of clothing bearing said image, however, by nature, much more like Doc.
Deanster DSis (34) total princess with an amazing, creative brain secretly wishes to be Ariel if only to find her Prince Eric. Professional independent photographer.
Big Cal DFather (64) absolute salt of the earth. Would go anywhere, do anything just to please his wife and daughters (and to get them to be quiet!). Big Cal is 6 5.
Mini Maureen DMother (NOT 64!) I have acquired my best queenly skills by watching her all my life. Best thing she makes for dinner is reservations. She is 5 1.
12/15/04
Just to recap
Were at MGM and
ITS COLD!!!
and Deanster, Dr. D and I have decided to tough out the night time temps.
As the sun was setting we thought we might shop a bit.
Have a great time at Tatooine Traders. Dr. D eyes the Sith Baseball Jersey with VADER across the back. Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, his nickname at the University was Dr. Death. He has since mellowed A LOT, but nevertheless, I think it would be a hoot for him to get it. He starts looking for his size and then notices the price tag - $175. Once I pick him up off the floor and assure him that we can probably find in on Ebay, he feels a little better.
This is the same face he made when he saw the pricetag
We still have some time to kill, so I take point position and start toward Hollywood Blvd. Fist jammed into pockets, scarf in a noose around my neck, head down and walking fast.
Dr. D says that I have a super hero attribute of being able to dematerialize at will. He relies on his cell phone at malls, Super Targets and Lowes to locate me on the radar when I do this. I was never aware of my superpower, so obviously Im not very good at controlling it. It annoys the heck out of him when I disappear.
On a side note, it annoys the heck out of me when he gets LOST!
Well, plummeting temperatures seems to make me even more transparent. I swore that one minute I glanced over my shoulder and he and Dean were 5 feet behind me and the next I looked, they were gone.
Great now my plan of ducking into an interesting shop to thaw is now out of the question because then they REALLY couldnt see me. Dr. D doesnt have his magic cell phone and Deansters roams at about $172 a minute. (We had been warned to use it ONLY in an EMERGENCY! i.e. blood loss, hospitalization or Prince Eric sighting)
So I stand on the sidewalk and wait .
and cough .
and blow my nose
(feel sorry for me yet? Yeah, nobody else did either.)
They finally show up and now Dr. D has made a believer out of Deanster as to the validity of my powers.
I make an edict we HAVE to stay together. I dont want to wander around in the cold AND the dark looking for them. They vow to stay close and then look at each other and giggle.
Great.
They browse, I thaw and all is right with the world.
Deanster in front of her next camera aquisition
We decide we should do Osborne Family lights as soon as it was turned on. Even though it had been a light attendance day, we could tell more people were arriving in order to see it and Fantasmic.
Well, let me just tell you about the pride that swelled in the heart of this native Arkansan. Deanster and I were both born in Little Rock and there is nothing like a little Hillbilly excess.
Banjo music please
(Now, everyone knows that I mean that in the nicest sense of the word. No hate mail please!)
Dr. D is totally impressed. He believes outdoor Christmas lights and frippery to be an art form unto itself. His ultimate dream is to have a manger scene on the front yard with a motion detector that would activate a pop-up baby Jesus
(wait for it )
.that waves at the passing cars.
Thats just the kinda guy he is.
This is the first and only time that we encounter any kind of crowd. Its packed. We hug the right hand curb to stay out of the milling throng. Deanster weaves in and out, but does a good job of keeping up with us. (Shes afraid Ill call her cell phone.) It snows (or rather foams.)
You know, it just doesnt have the same WOW impact in weather that is already conducive to that type of precipitation. On second thought, at what temperature does it foam?
Having had our Griswold Christmas experience fulfilled, we trek back. Deanster has become captivated by Graumans Chinese Theatre. She took, hmm maybe, I dunno, A ZILLION pictures of it throughout the day.
One of my favorites
And of course has to get the ultimate pic of the icon.
We are excited about seeing Fantasmic after all the hype and publicity. On the way, its time for some warm beverages and a little nosh for me. We grab some coffee, hot chocolate and a kids meal at one of the counter service areas on Sunset. It hits the spot Mac and Cheese, coleslaw, grapes and juice for $3.00. Just right for my very nondiscerning and cheap palate.
We do our best cattle impersonation and follow the crowd to the amphitheatre. I really didnt quite know what to expect, but I must say it was worth the cold. Very inventive and imaginative. Cant you just hear the imagineer that first came up with the idea pitching it to his boss?
OK first you build a lagoon thats big enough for party barges and a steamboat to travel on then you need, like, a mountain thats at least 5 stories tall, and then, ok, maybe we can edit all the major Disney movies and project them onto the mountain, nooooo wait a minute we spray WATER and show them on that
Dr. D got all analytical and started discussing the acting styles and the historical significance of performing in an amphitheatre.
I got all schmoopsie when Snow White showed up and they played Someday my Prince will come.
Weve been married 14 years. Go figure.
Me and my prince
We now do what we have named the exit shuffle walk until our teeth chatter, duck into a shop, thaw. Walk until I cant feel my feet, duck into a shop, thaw. This southern girl just doesnt handle cold well at all.
The best thing is that the Villains are well represented at MGM. I especially enjoy
This is by far our favorite park. Dr. D is all about the attention to detail at Disney in general, but especially here.
We are glad that we toughed it out. Fantasmic was great and the park was just beautiful lit up with all the decorations at night. Dr. D and I are looking forward to returning on Friday for our lunch at the Brown Derby with an Imagineer.
On the way back to CSR, I start thinking about tomorrow. Its my big day to do the Dolphin Encounter at the Living Seas in Epcot.
Better take a double dose of Robitussin so I can sleep .
[thread=706844]Chapter 1 - The Prequel[/thread]
[thread=707410]Chapter 2 - T minus 48 Hours[/thread]
[thread=707456]Chapter 3 - 3,2,1 - We have Ignition[/thread]
[thread=708708]Chapter 4 - Together at Last[/thread]
[thread=709177]Chapter 5 - The Call of the Wild[/thread]
[thread=711162]Chapter 5.1 With Apologies to Rudyard Kipling[/thread]
[thread=713380]Chapter 6 Winter in the World Showcase[/thread]
[thread=717154]Chapter 7 MGM the Day of the Ugly Pictures[/thread]
Chapter 7.1 - YOU ARE HERE
[thread=891702]Chapter 8 News from the Dolphin Tank and the OEFYO Syndrome[/thread]
[thread=925117]Chpt. 9.1 Lunch with an Imagineer & The Final and Mad Dash[/thread]
). Good luck on selling the house and the move! 
. (I'll be 52 next month).
