Mommy and Jack's 2nd Fall Adventure is canceled!

[stephielela]

disneyland
disneyland
disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I said I am not posting anymore trip updates, so that's all I am going to say for now.

 

[stephielela]

So for those of you not aware, I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding this past weekend! It was in a small town near New Orleans, the bride and groom are currently living in England, so most people had a bit of a commute to get to the event!

This was an early morning start! Luckily I was off the day before, so I actually got a few hours of sleep! My flight was at 7:05am and since I live near the airport and our airport is very travel friendly, I didn’t have to get up until 5:30! My dad dropped me off just after 6, I dropped my bag at curbside check in and breezed through security with just my dress and my purse! Once I located my gate, I located a Quiznos and ordered a “Hotzi” breakfast sandwich and an OJ. The sandwich wasn’t bad, but it was super greasy! I almost took a picture but I caught a guy giving me funny looks and chickened out!
Soon it was time to board! I had A33 as my boarding number. I headed towards the back of the plane hoping it wouldn’t be a full flight and I might score an extra seat for my dress, but unfortunately it was indeed full. I held the dress on my lap and read my book. I am not very social on flights, for fear I might be stuck talking to a crazy person, or someone with bad breath for the whole flight. I know, it probably seems rude, but I like my peace and quiet time on my flights.

We had a stop in Nashville, but no plane change, so I took that opportunity to move to the third row (easier exiting) and to find a safe place to put my dress in the above storage.
Ok, so some of you are going to roll your eyes when I admit this, but I seriously thought that Louisiana was on Eastern time… so an hour ahead of me. So naturally I set my watch ahead an hour, which led to a lot of confusion, but I just figured that I was just tired and didn’t think much of it. We landed in New Orleans right on time and I called my ride, who was the best man and his girlfriend. He said his girlfriend would come find me my baggage claim!

I stopped to use the restroom and HAD to take a picture of this- automatic toilet seat covers!! I have never seen this before!

Of course, this is when my bag would take FOREVER to get unloaded… I seriously waited at least 15 minutes, which I am not used to. Finally it came and I found my ride and we piled into the car for the hour long ride to our rental house!
So this house was crazy. Evidently the owner ran a construction company, and when the weather was bad and his crew couldn’t work, they would come over to the house and just add on rooms. Seriously. Consequently there were bedrooms scattered all over the place, 3 kitchens, random living rooms etc. I was sharing a bedroom with a girl from California who was super sweet.
Our room

Living room off of our room

Behind those blinds is a wall sized window

Mud room area

Main kitchen

I was just grateful to have a bed, it was pretty crowded! The whole wedding party and some extra family was staying there, so it was a party atmosphere, but very fun. I had met most of these people in the past, so it was like a mini reunion!
Once we got settled we headed around the corner to the brides grandparents house. We chatted a bit, ate some lunch (red beans and rice) and then headed out to run errands!
The bride was basically doing all the wedding stuff herself. The decorations, the food, everything was planned and delegated, so it was super low cost, but still exactly what she wanted. Our first errand was to go to the grocery store to pay for the kegs for the wedding and pick up adult beverages for the game night we were having in lieu of a bachelor/bachelorette party that night.
Then we headed to Wal-Mart for some last minute decorations for the bridal shower the next day. Next was the Harley Davidson store to get something to use as a topper for the Groom’s cake. We also had to stop at the cake place to pay off the cake too.
Once we got back to the house we got to work making tissue paper flowers for the shower. I am not a creative person, luckily the girl from California knew exactly what she was doing. All this time more and more people are arriving. We finished the flowers just in time to start putting in the frozen pizzas!

This is the bride's little sister and the Maid of Honor (there was a maid, matron, and me). I have known her since she was a silly little girl, and now she is all grown up! She is only 19, but I had a great time hanging out with her and her friend (girl in the right side of the picture) despite the age difference.

The evening was a pretty big success, there was a lot of mingling and chatting (and drinking) as we learned how to play Bunco (I have NEVER played before). Everyone had a good time, and we all went to bed later than we should have!

Up next: Busy day! Swamp cruise, bridal shower, and rehearsal/dinner/dancing!

 

[jenseib]

Did you officially book yet?

Sounds liek a fun time. That house looks crazy!

 

[stephielela]

Did you officially book yet?

Sounds liek a fun time. That house looks crazy!

No I haven't booked yet... I am waiting till I can book flights. I want to make sure it won't cost me any extra for my "free flight" to CA as opposed to FL... Then I will decide for sure! I am still very conflicted about the decision, which I know is silly.

 

[stephielela]

Friday was an early morning. We had to leave for the Swamp Tour by 8 am or so, so I had taken a shower the night before. I figured with all of us only sharing 3 bathrooms, we needed to space out our showers as much as possible.

I woke up, rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes. I managed to get a cup of coffee before we all took off for the swamp!

The groom (on the right) and his son

The bride

The whole famly

The brother of the bride, and my "groomsman"/escort whatever

Those knobby things are called the "knees"

There are natural gas pipelines throughout the swamp. Some are still active, some aren't.

This is a green backed something or other... obviously I didn't get the picture of his back!

Those big darker green plants are called elephant ears

The stuff growing on the water is called water hyacinth. The Cajun Man said that it can grow so thick that boats can't get through!

And these pretty purple flowers grow on it!

Bald Eagle (I kept thinking of Sam from the Muppets!)

The Cajun Man playing the Cajun Accordian

Then he sang for us!

He sang "You are my Sunshine" for the bride...

Here comes the Gator! Her name is Nicky!

I really enjoyed the swamp tour. I think I was worried it would be smelly, but it was a beautiful day, low 70's and sunny and not buggy or anything! The man running the swamp tour was really informative and funny. It was like a Jungle Cruise, but with fewer corny jokes (note, I said fewer, not none!) I had the chance to chat with some people I hadn't talked to much the night before, and we girls talked about our hair etc.

 

[stephielela]

After the tour we went back to the house to get changed and then headed over to the grandparents house to get ready for the bridal shower.

We played some classic shower games...

The shower started right on time at 1 pm. The groom made a surprise visit in the middle to bring all of us ladies yellow roses.

He sat down and told everyone the story of how he met the bride, and then he left and we finished opening presents. We were on a tight schedule because we had to be back at the house for rehearsal. We cleaned up and rushed back. I decided to wear my actual shoes to the rehearsal, just to make sure I could walk etc in them. Everything went pretty quickly, but there were some last minute changes, which would be confusing later...

Then it was time to rush to the rehearsal dinner! It was a place called Big Al's, in which the Al is short for Alligator! For apps they had fried alligator and fried onion (whew) and then for entrees we had a choice of fried catfish, crawfish or shrimp, boiled crawfish, and chicken. I do not eat water dwelling creatures... I don't have any moral issues with it or anything, I just don't like seafood. So I had the chicken and french fries, as well as two peach daqueris, which were delicious!

After dinner we all went to a place called the Jolly Inn for dancing, cajun style (and more drinks!) I got dragged onto the floor more than I anticipated, but it was fun.

We headed back the house and I actually managed to get to bed at a decent time, which was essential since the next day was... Wedding day!!!

 

[stephielela]

I FINALLY applied for a new job here at my company... AND GOT IT!!!

I have applied for things before but it never works out, but this did! I start when I get back from my vacation! More money, no union dues, better hours!!!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

YAY! Congratulations!

 

[stephielela]

We actually got to sleep in a bit later this morning! We had nail appointments for 9:40 am, which is before the place actually opened. On the way we stopped at Wal-Mart for a few last minute things. I decided to get silver flip flops for after the official wedding stuff was over. After all, I knew my 4 inch heels would only last for an hour or two!

Then we headed over to get our mani's/pedi's. I had gotten my nails done with a new gel thing called shellack (sp?) before I left, but I had messed up 2 of them, so I had them just fix those. We all did french pedicures, and my toes have held up surprisingly well!

The girl I was sharing the room with had brought these apples from the weekly market in California. They are dipped in chocolate and covered with heath bar pieces! They are delish! One was dark chocolate, one was milk, and we cut them into slices and ate them while we got our toes done.

Once I was done I went off insearch of a clip the bride needed for her veil, and picked up a few cheap silver bangle bracelets from Claires.

We all headed back to the big house to pick up our stuff and then we went to the granparents house to get ready! There was a girl coming in to do hair and makeup, but we were obviously only going to get done one at a time, so the brides sister and I went to pick up some lunch from Sonic, double sided tape to hold down the table cloths, and some Daqueris to pass the time

When we got back it was time for hair!! Even the brides brother got his hair styled!

I am not sure why I was making a wierd face... but I was very happy with the finished product!

I was pretty happy with mine. We don't have the professional shots back yet, so I don't have any really good shots to share...

After we all had our hair done, she did our makeup. We bridemaids were not thrilled, in fact we "lightened" it up a bit ourselves, it was way too dark. She only did our eyes, we did everything else thankfully!

After we were all beautiful (or more beautiful than usual ) we had some pictures taken, Then we headed over to the house for the ceremony!!

It was a bit of a rough start, since after the rehearsal the bride and groom decided to rearrange the chairs... with the music and everything, no one was sure exactly when to start processing down the aisle, so eventually we just went. We ended up out of order, but it all turned out ok.

 

[stephielela]

The ceremony was short and sweet and beautiful. The flower girls ended up standing next to me the whole time and they were adorable.

After we went a little farther out into the trees for pictures. An naturally, I stepped in an ant hill. Thankfully they werent' fire ants, but my feet started to feel wierd and I looked down and sure enough, there were ants everywhere. We only had to do a few pictures and then I ran inside to change into my new flip flops. So my shoes only lasted about 40 minutes.

While the bride and groom finished up with pictures we mingled around a bit till it was time to be announced. All of a sudden, the groom's son, one of the groomsman, said "It really sucks we have to dance for this..." Umm what? Dance??

Now don't get me wrong, I am a pretty decent dancer. But I am NOT a waltzer. And I haven't been in any other weddings, so I didn't realize we would be dancing as a bridal party... and no one esle did either. We quickly started to practice, and my escort and I decided on a box step (since that was all I could accomplish on such short notice). Then the wedding coordinator said he thought we would be dancing later, so we all breathed a sigh of relief. Then we were announced right after the bride and groom. My escort and I came out, and stood awkwardly in the corner till the bride whispered and asked us why we weren't dancing as well We quickly got our act together and of course, he tried to make me waltz. I almost killed him. It probably wouldn't be so bad except he is like 6'5" and I am 5 feet tall, even. Finally he gave up and just started spinning me and "fun" dancing which was much better. From what I hear, none of the couples looked very good anyways

And here I am, laughing with relief that it's all over!

The dinner was great, buffet style with plenty of Cajun classics.

The cake was one small cake on top and carrot cake cupcakes below.

Groom's Cake

We all danced and had a good time, and plenty to drink. It got pretty buggy so someone produced a can of Off for everyone to use which really came in handy. Later on in the evening someone also made a daqueri run

I finally went to bed about 1 am, and got up at 4 to help drive people to the airport. Luckily there were plenty of other people going, so I took that quiet opportunity to take a cold shower (it was super hot and muggy) and take down my hair. Then I went back to bed for a couple more hours. I got up in time to say hi to everyone in the morning and scarf down some pancakes before heading off to the airport!

(By the way, this is the creepy picture I had to sleep under!)

I got to my gate with about 10 minutes to spare. I was still tired, and I read the whole way back. Of course, due to weather, our flight was an hour and 25 minutes longer, so I was late getting in, and consequently late to work, but oh well.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend. It was so nice to see so many people I knew, but hadn't seen in a while, and I was super excited to share in my friends special day

 

[stephielela]

YAY! Congratulations!

Thanks!

 

[stephielela]

Well, it has definitely snuck up on me, but it's almost time for us to leave to start "Our Summer Vacation"!!

Our flight leaves for San Antonio at 6:35 am on Friday... which means we have to be there around 5:30 am... and I have to work till 11:30 the night before! Oh well, at least I am going on vacation!!!

I have all of my stuff out and ready to pack. I am waiting on Jack's because naturally it's been super hot all week, so he has been wearing all the shorts I need to pack. Tomorrow we are going to sleep in, and then I will finish packing and paint my nails. I am not taking Jack to daycare until right before work, so he won't nap there, so hopefully he will get to bed early.

I have managed to get our friend to take Zsa Zsa to the kennel and pick her up, which will save me 2 days and $40 in kennel charges! I have to go by there tomorrow to give them her latest shot records etc, and if possible prepay for her stay.

Today I managed to track down a charger for our portable DVD player! I don't know how we lost the first one (the one that plugs into the wall) but we did, so I decided it was worth buying a new on, so that Jack can watch movies at the hotels without me paying an arm and a leg, and if we need downtime in the cabin on the ship, we will be able to watch there too. Plus we can keep it charged for our flights.

I feel pretty well prepared for this trip, I know I have bought plenty of clothes I am so ready to relax, and now with the news of the new job, I am so ready to CELEBRATE!

 

[photographymom517]

disneyland
disneyland
disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I said I am not posting anymore trip updates, so that's all I am going to say for now.

Hmmm....wonder what this means?!?


I loved the wedding update!! It was so much fun to read!!!! I really want a peach daquiri now (sorry I can't spell alcoholic drinks very well -- lol). The swamp cruise looked so neat -- but I would've completely freaked if that alligator was anywhere near me or the boat!!! Yikes!!!

Your dresses were all beautiful & it looks like the bride & groom were sooooo happy!!!

I can't wait to hear about your vacation!!! I can't believe you are leaving Friday!!!! This trip really came quickly! I think between that & your new promotion at work, it will really make the time fly by for your upcoming Disney trip. (Notice, I said "Disney" and nothing more specific than that! LOL)

Oh, one more thing. I forgot to tell you that if you do decide on DL, I will be hiding in your suitcase! I've been trying & trying to convince my DH we need to go there within the next 2-3 years, but he doesn't seem interested at all

And...most importantly....

CONGRATS ON YOUR PROMOTION AT WORK!!!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Congrats! on the promotion!!! how exciting!!!

great pictures of the wedding!! looks like a lot of low key fun!! (that is what I keep trying to talk my daughter into--I'm sure it is coming in the next year).

happy and safe traveling! can't wait to hear all about it when we get back!

 

[stephielela]

Hmmm....wonder what this means?!?


I loved the wedding update!! It was so much fun to read!!!! I really want a peach daquiri now (sorry I can't spell alcoholic drinks very well -- lol). The swamp cruise looked so neat -- but I would've completely freaked if that alligator was anywhere near me or the boat!!! Yikes!!!

Your dresses were all beautiful & it looks like the bride & groom were sooooo happy!!!

I can't wait to hear about your vacation!!! I can't believe you are leaving Friday!!!! This trip really came quickly! I think between that & your new promotion at work, it will really make the time fly by for your upcoming Disney trip. (Notice, I said "Disney" and nothing more specific than that! LOL)

Oh, one more thing. I forgot to tell you that if you do decide on DL, I will be hiding in your suitcase! I've been trying & trying to convince my DH we need to go there within the next 2-3 years, but he doesn't seem interested at all

And...most importantly....

CONGRATS ON YOUR PROMOTION AT WORK!!!!

I can't spell daquiris either, I just had spell check inform me I had it spelled wrong in 5 different places!

I haven't booked a different Disney trip yet I will wait until I get back and my flight credits are bookable... then I will make a final decision, but let me tell you it is a HARD choice!

I'm glad my wedding update was entertaining, it was a fun weekend!

I can't believe my vacation is finally here!!! I promise lots of pictures and details!

I am so excited about the new job! I have been in the same job for 2 1/2 years, so something new is necessary!

Congrats! on the promotion!!! how exciting!!!

great pictures of the wedding!! looks like a lot of low key fun!! (that is what I keep trying to talk my daughter into--I'm sure it is coming in the next year).

happy and safe traveling! can't wait to hear all about it when we get back!

Thanks! I am super excited about learning a new job!

Everyone had a really great time at the wedding, and I say if you can do it on a smaller budget and still ahve everything you need/want, do it!

I hope you have a great trip too! I am looking forward to comparing notes etc!

 

[stephielela]

I cannot believe I will be at the airport in less than 9 hours!!! Which means I will be getting not a lot of sleep... but it's vacation so it's ok!

Here is our brief itinerary...

Friday~ Arrive in San Antonio at 9:35 am
Breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus (they have bacon pancakes )
Check into hotel
Swim and nap
Mini grad party at the hotel with other family attending

Saturday~ Graduation at 10:30am
Free time- which will be used to find Earl of Sandwich! I haven't managed to eat there at DTD yet...
Grad dinner at my fave San Antonio restaurant, La Margarita!

Sunday~Breakfast with family
Drive to Austin
Fly to Ft. Lauderdale, check into hotel

Monday~ Take shuttle to Miami to get on ship!

Tuesday~ Day at sea(= relaxing!)

Wednesday~ Grand Turk, snorkeling

Thursday~ Half Moon Cay (private island)
We rented a cabana here so we will have soft drinks, snacks, snorkel and float equipment as well as 2 lounge chairs, table and chairs, mini fridge, and shower

Friday~ Nassau
My dad and sister are parasailing and then we are all going to Senor Frogs for drinks

Saturday~ Miami
Fly home


I am so looking forward to a nice relaxing vacation. Don't get me wrong, I love my Disney go go go vacations, but this is a whole new kind of trip. There is daycare (Camp Carnival) for the kids, and I am sure Jack will love it, so I will actually get some "down" time!!
Sunday~ begin mini TR!

 

[jenseib]

I missed you! Have fun! I know you will!

 

[stephielela]

I am posting from my sisters grad ceremony. It's dragging on...
This afternoon i am taking Jack on a boat on the riverwalk! It doesn't look like we are going to make it to Earl of Sandwich today. Oh well I am sure some good tex mex accompanied by a few margaritas will suffice!

 

[photographymom517]

I am posting from my sisters grad ceremony. It's dragging on...
This afternoon i am taking Jack on a boat on the riverwalk! It doesn't look like we are going to make it to Earl of Sandwich today. Oh well I am sure some good tex mex accompanied by a few margaritas will suffice!

Hey Stephanie! Sorry I didn't post yesterday to wish you a good trip! But I'm here now! I hope you have a wonderful time!!! Your trip plans sound so exciting & I can't wait to read your mini-TR when you come back home! It sounds like such a relaxing trip!

Have fun!!!!

 

[stephielela]

Just a quick update... We are heading to the ship in about 30 minutes!

We started this trip off at 5 am, heading to the airport to catch our 6:30 am flight to... San Antonio! I LOVE San Antonio. I love the food, the weather (usually), the shopping, the atmosphere. My sister has spent the past 4 years at Trinity University in San Antonio, and this leg of the trip was for her graduation. I can't believe she has actually graduated college! That means I am old, since my 5 year college reunion is this fall...

We have family in Texas that joined us for the ceremony and festivities, and some of my grandparents also made the trip, so we had a fun group to celebrate with. We stayed at a beautiful Embassy Suites downtown, right off the Riverwalk area. This hotel is pretty new, and it was very lovely. The happy hour each night included beer, wine, plus sangria, rum punch, margaritas etc. The breakfast was amazing, made to order omelets that were perfect, plus all the normal hot breakfast items, as well as pastries, oatmeal, cereal and fresh fruit. The pool area was also fantastic, but since Jack threw up next to it after our first swimming foray, we stuck with dangling our feet in the water for the rest of the trip. On the upside, I have learned I have excellent cat-like reflexes when it comes to vomit catching! After all, I did not want everyone to have to get out of the pool due to a bio hazard!

The ceremony itself was very nice, the student speaker was pretty good, and the commencement speaker was great. Very insightful, but still light and funny! Naturally it dragged on after a while, but that's pretty typical. We had our celebratory dinner at our favorite San Antonio restaurant, La Margarita! The food and drinks were amazing as usual, and while the service wasn't stellar, he got the job done, and wasn't rude or anything.

Sunday it was back to the airport for our second (mini) leg if the trip. We got on our afternoon flight to Fort Lauderdale right on time and made it here about half an hour early. We got our luggage and boarded our shuttle to the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport- North.

I selected this hotel because I used to work at one, right as it began its renovations to become a "Hyatt Place". I knew it had decent amenities, and the rate was pretty cheap, so we were able to get 2 rooms. Upon arrival, it was obvious that this place has ahd some wear and tear, but the staff is friendly and it has everything we need. Jack had a chance to swim for a bit, and then we headed over to the Outback for dinner right nearby so we could walk. The food at dinner was great, and I got to try something I have heard about on Twitter and Facebook, but never seen in real life- A Red Stag Lemonade. I definitely get the hype, it was darn good. Unfortunately the same could not be said for our waiter, who was very busy, very forgetful, and very forgettable. After dinner we walked a bit farther to get some frozen yogurt for dessert. We finally made it back and into bed. Of course Jack had a bad dream so he ended up sleeping with me in a double bed, so while the bed was comfy and nice, it was crowded.

This morning we slept in a bit and got some pretty random (though free) breakfast. Now I am utilizing the free Wifi (which is a bit spotty) to check on things before we head off on our 3rd and final leg of our journey... our cruise! We have a shuttle picking us up and taking us to Miami where we will board the Carnival Destiny for 5 relaxing nights in the Bahamas! I haven't decided yet if I will pay the steep fee for internet on the ship, so everyone might just have to wait till we get back to hear more about our exciting summer adventure!