Mixed Marriage 2: The Conversion Continues..... now complete

[TwinkieMama]

I am back! Thank you all for waiting patiently! I am pleasantly surprised at the low level of trip report mayhem that went on... I guess I am going to have to cancel some of the stuff I planned for UM's trip. (bummer)

Speaking of Utahmama- she had sent me a mystery package to the resort and inside she had put together the most awesome lime green with glitter and fur trim basket full of your Disney anniversary vacation essentials (twinkies, candle, LGMHPC, bottle of bubbly, bath salt for tired toesies and much much more).... it was wonderful! Thank you Utahmama and all the Utah clan!! I am posting this a teaser for the trip report that will be coming.... what happens when you carry a lime green basket covered with giltter and fur trim through your Disney resort, Magical Express and the Orlando airport????????????? during a period of heightened security????

If you ever feel that you do NOT have enough attention in life you should try it.

Welcome to all the new friends- Kpk so good to see you here. Your first trippie was the first I read after a very long DIS break... because my DH has always called me "Mean Mama" so I knew we would have something in common. Where is this top secret Viking union? I am certainly long winded enough to fit in... also I rode Maelstrom twice on my most recent trip, both times using a Fastpass and both times bypassing large crowds... and singing the soundtrack to Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who don't Do Anything" CD which is currently recieving a LOT of play time in the TwinkieMobile.

 

[kccmommy]

She's back! We missed you!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Welcome home Twinkie Mama...........
What a great surprise from UM. It's getting close to her trip.
Hope you had a very magical time.

 

[Liz]

Welcome home TwinkieMama! I'm glad to see you back!

I just got caught up on your latest installments of this TR as I took a break myself to take my oldest to college. Lots of crying but now I'm back to enjoy more Twinkie stories!! Welcome home!!

 

[S.Poppins]

I read all of Twinkie's other TR and I am half way through this one. I can't help but wish I was blessed with Twinkie's gift of very eloquent gab - it would be very helpful in my online graduate courses! Glad you are back Twinkie - I guess I had better hurry up with this TR so I can read your new one.

 

[UtahMama]

Are you talking about the pirates who dont do anything? they just stay at home and lie around? AND if you ask them if they do anything...they'll just tell you...WE DONT DO ANYTHING!!! Thanks so much for perma-bonding THAT infernal SONG into my skull!!!

We are so glad you are back safe and sound!

PUH-LEASE dont do too many teasers....unless you are in cahoots with Sorul82? to drive me crazy with impatience. Just do a little sumpin'-sumpin' BEFORE I go in NINE (9)!!!! DAYS! That would be delightful.

 

[CPer'sMom]

TwinkieMama ~ Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful time - can't wait to read all about it. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a last minute Disney trip -- *last minute* trips are definitely not my style; normally I'm planning at least 6-8 months ahead. But an opportunity came up to go and I just couldn't pass it up!

So, unless you post tonight, I'll have to wait until I come home to enjoy another tr from you .... I'm hoping for at least a couple of installments by then!!

 

[TwinkieMama]

So in our last installment, I was helping DS (then 6 years old) spend his Disney Dollars on a few pirate themed accessories for the growing boy. Meanwhile, the man of the house was in a pirate themed shop. Unsupervised.
He decided that he needed a pirate t-shirt. One that said “Yo Ho Ho. A pirates Life for me” and had Mickey and the gang as pirates. (This was 2000 remember…. Johnny Depp was not yet a Disney character.) So $21.20 later we are proud owners of said t-shirt. Well the he part of we had a shirt. The me part of we still had nada. But I was secretly pleased with his choice. When a grown man wears Disney apparel it means something right?
Anyway he asked me if it would be weird if he changed into his new t-shirt. Right now. In the park. (Well in the restroom in the park.)
Would it be weird to wear a Disney t-shirt in the Magic Kingdom when you are 32?
No, honey haven’t you seen the t-shirted camera clutching tourists? Dodging the strollers of doom? And the lanyard wearing, fastpass hogging vets as they skedaddle to their next must-do? I point out that it might be weird if wears his new t-shirt to work when we get home but today would the be perfect time to break it in, so to speak. He tells me that it is his Disney shirt that he is only going to wear in the parks because he is not goofy enough to wear it in the real world. Um, excuse me, dear…. You are planning to have a special Disney themed wardrobe to be used exclusively for Disney vacations???? Who is Goofy now? Not TwinkieMama that is for sure.
(Actually, I am sure that many of you subscribe to the vacation wardrobe philosophy…and I am not knocking it. I just don’t wear t-shirts. Ever. It is not that I am too classy. It is that while I look relatively normal. I am hard to fit. People don’t believe me until they shop with me. They just haven’t invented my size. It should be Jumbo Petite. Because I am short but not small… also I have presence. People think I am much taller than I am….. Until they stand behind me and realize that their view is not blocked at all. I also think that I am much taller than I am. And I used to be. I was the tallest kid in my kindergarten (except for the girl who had flunked twice)... and I started 7th grade as the third tallest girl in the class (which meant I was roughly twice the size of most of the football team, 7th grade being what it is) but somehow I ended the year as the third shortest girl. And I haven't grown much since. I do stand nice and tall because I hear that it makes you look thinner. I don't know about thinner but it does help me reach the peanut butter in the pantry. So while I would love to have t-shirts that say things like “a pirate’s life for me” and “it was all started by a mouse” I either look like I am playing dress up in a grown up’s clothes or I stole my clothes some unsuspecting third grader. As I am just back from a trip to the World, I can report that many people are apparently stealing their clothes from kindergarteners around the world. It is hip to give the world a view of your hips, and belly button and back rolls. But as I have ample hips I prefer to keep them covered and since I am old fashioned and therefore believe that stretch marks, love handles and undergarments should not be displayed you will not see me wearing the trendy belly baring fashions. All this to say that I save a lot of money since I don’t buy or wear t-shirts.) Wear was I? Oh yes… leaving the pirate ride gift shop laded down with packages. It is getting late and we are getting hungry. I want to hop over to Epcot to introduce the boys to the Living with The Land boat ride and pick up some dinner so we wend our way to the park entrance.

 

[smwf71]

I'm glad you're back - can't wait to hear about a trip without kids. We are wanting to do that, but keep thinking we'd constantly say, "Oh, I wish DDs could see that!" Have a great day!

 

[javamom]

Heh, Tiwinkiemama, I don't understand the "let's show off your worst features" line of clothing, or "the folks that wear them that shouldn't" either.


I figure why pay good money to look awful????

 

[kimbac3]

Yah!!! You're back!!!! And writing more!!!!

Kimba

 

[sorul82?]

UMama,

Aren't you proud of me for keeping your basket a secret?


Twinkie,

I looked all over MK and MGM for lime Twinkies.....at least when I wasn't trying to "lose" the in-laws. Hmmmm, I do remember a phone user on one of the busses which just prompted us to get louder.

 

[TwinkieMama]

It is always hard to leave the Magic Kingdom knowing that you will not be back this trip… but the pain is mitigated if your Disney vacation is not, in fact, over. It is kind of like the first Christmas after you first get married… your time with your parents is the ‘real’ holiday but the post holiday blues are kept at bay by knowing you will spend next weekend with your in-laws. It isn’t the real deal but a nice little celebration and it means that Christmas isn’t already over. So we were headed over to Epcot because we had neglected some important stops on our first evening- namely the Land. Also I wanted to see the Tapestry of Nations again because it was a limited edition parade and I knew I would have a chance to see the evening parades/fireworks in the Magic Kingdom sometime again (but when???). We take the monorail over to Epcot (hooray another ride!) and head for the Land. Remember that this is 2000…. Pre-Soarin’ so the Land was absolutely dead. We ate at the Sunshine Season Food Fair… I don’t remember what we had but it was good, non-hamburger counter service. We bought 3 meals at 3 different lines and spent $7.16, $6.63 and $6.31. We were full and it felt good. It was time take the boat ride. Now I love Soarin’ and I love that it is helping my beloved Land pavilion but I miss the experience of a near empty boat in the early evening skippered by a CM who was knowledgeable and eager to answer unscheduled questions as you journeyed through the Land. I fell in love with this attraction on my first visit to the opening of Epcot when I was in the first grade. In fact it sparked an interest that stayed with me and lead to my degrees in Botany, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology. And while the technology no longer seems so cutting edge (well it has been almost 25 years), I think that this was exactly what Walt had in mind- a place where young people could be exposed to new ideas and technology and with a dash of imagination and magic be inspired to use their life to make something of the bright new tomorrow at the end of every day. To me, using science to ensure a safe and plentiful food supply for today and ways to equip the pioneers of tomorrow, is one of the most romantic (in the true sense of the word… the way life SHOULD be) ideas. The Living with the Land boat ride celebrates this idea and gives you some cool views of hydroponics. Since this ride is so important in the path my own life has taken I couldn’t wait to hear what my DH thought of it as well. At the time he was also in agricultural research- not because of any deep desire on his part but because his Dad had connections that got him a sweet job during the school that turned into a full time gig after graduation. The point is he was raised around farms, extension agents and the world of crop improvement.
So the Twinkie Family got in line and hopped on an empty boat. Our guide smiled and began the spiel. Little did she know that when she paused for questions we would not be asking your basic “are these REAL plants?” type questions. We discussed root rot, nutrient allocation, pollination issues, amyloplast formation under low gravity situations and potential commercial applications. Really we gave her an A for effort and an A plus plus for traditional Disney friendliness and aplomb when she realized she had been snookered. She recommended the Behind the Seeds tour but alas time and budget did not permit. Up next “Food Rocks”

 

[TwinkieMama]

Wish I could have run over you (oh wait I was strollerless) or into you Sorul82?..... I did spend an entire bus ride on the phone with U-mama and I wondered if others were judging me for being on the cell during vacation. I don't think you were the Loud family next to us though the had an annoying MIL with them as well..... but they were clearly not Southerners so it couldn't have been the Askew family who, I am told, were eating grits out of a tin pie plate and drinking sweet tea out of mason jars during the morning bus rides.

I also spent bus rides on the cell checking up on my offspring. So judge away. I used the phone on vacation. And I didn't bring the kids. And I went to Disney. Again.

 

[sorul82?]

Actually, I was relatively quiet on the busses. I didn't talk to the in-laws much because I didn't want people to know that I was "with" them.

Here's a shocker for you....I don't like grits!

 

[PrincessV]

TwinkieMama , a note that you're home AND two new installments??! Who could ask for more!
Hope you guys had a fabulous time

 

[UtahMama]

Wow! That IS interesting! You get to be my Phone-a-friend if I ever make it on Millionare!

I am so glad you, a grown woman, didnt get a women's size 4T T-shirt to squeeze into (with short shorts with a thong hiked up to heaven for the world to see!) It's nice to know people have values and modest taste!

S'latey! I am most pleased you didnt ruin my basket surprise! If I didnt confide my secret to you I would have bust! I DO have a lil' sumpin'-sumpin' for you too but I want to hand deliver it when I crash your vacation! The best part is airposrt security thinking she has a lime green bomb!!! Priceless!

Cell phone use durring bus rides to DIS or check on kids is called "Multi-tasking". I did have to refrain from CONSTANTLY calling you and asking what you are doing! That would betray the circle-of-trust (insert "I'm watching you" sign language from Meet the Fockers).

 

[mikayla73]

So does this mean you are working on two TR's? WOW talk about queen of the multitaskers!

 

[sorul82?]

UMama,

I picked up a little "treasure" for you from South of the Border. Sirius had his arms full of stuff for you that I had to veto. Hmmm...I have another addiction to post!

 

[chucklhd]

I want to hop over to Epcot to introduce the boys to the Living with The Land boat ride and pick up some dinner so we wend our way to the park entrance.

LIVING WITH THE LAND!!!! YEAH...I was so sad last week when I hopped onto the line free ride ready to "listen to the land that we all love, nature's land will rise above ...listen to the la-aaa-and, listen to the land" and THEY GOT RID OF THE SONG! What a sad sad day for me...although not quite as bad as when I found Mr. Toad replaced by pooh a few years back.

I couldn't agree more with the concern about the visitors who are convinced Disney is a clothing optional resort. There was more meat hanging out than on a butcher's store front. And did you notice that inevitably it is all beat red, because for some reason (vanity's sake I am guessing) the only time said skin sees the light of day is in Disney. It is out there frying in the August Florida sun for all to see, with no concern for how scary it might be for the kindergarteners of the world who had their wardrobe pilfered. Being a woman of former ample size (and now just slightly less than ample) I knew to keep the unearthed skin covered. No one needed to see that ever, let alone small children.

Welcome back, you were missed!