Not-So-Scary Eat & Drink Until We Drop PTR...TR link pg.9!

[aprilisis]

I don't know the rules about posting Youtube videos, but I made this from photos of our February 2009 trip. I apologize if I'm not supposed to post Youtube videos!
April & John in Disney World- February 2009

 

[aprilisis]

In case you didn't have it & are interested: A link to the Food & Wine Festival brochure pdf

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey, just popped over to say hi...

I watched your utube video-you really are quite a good photographer...

I have a nasty cold and desperately need a nap but I will come back to tell you about AKL's activities-although I don't know if they do anything special for Halloween but they have a really full normal scedule...

 

[aprilisis]

Hey, just popped over to say hi...

I watched your utube video-you really are quite a good photographer...

I have a nasty cold and desperately need a nap but I will come back to tell you about AKL's activities-although I don't know if they do anything special for Halloween but they have a really full normal scedule...

Thanks for such a nice compliment!! I hope you feel better soon. BTW- I am LOVING your trip report!!!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Hi April, I've seen you post on Lisa's thread and I think (if I'm not mistaken) were were on Intercot boards too? I just right now noticed your pretip link so thought I would join in. You have wonderful pictures. All of them. I love your Isis. I have a picture of my Princess on my TR. I would love to go during W&F. I know Don and I would love it. I will pop in and check on you every little bit.

Welcome to the Dis. We do have a good time and we do have a talkative group of friends.

Ginny

 

[aprilisis]

Hi April, I've seen you post on Lisa's thread and I think (if I'm not mistaken) were were on Intercot boards too? I just right now noticed your pretip link so thought I would join in. You have wonderful pictures. All of them. I love your Isis. I have a picture of my Princess on my TR. I would love to go during W&F. I know Don and I would love it. I will pop in and check on you every little bit.

Welcome to the Dis. We do have a good time and we do have a talkative group of friends.

Ginny

Thanks!!! I just followed the link to your trip report & I am subscribing. It looks like I have a LOT to catch up on- 50-something pages! I used to go on Intercot, but haven't been back much since I started reading & posting here. I love these boards! Thanks for dropping in.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Thanks!!! I just followed the link to your trip report & I am subscribing. It looks like I have a LOT to catch up on- 50-something pages! I used to go on Intercot, but haven't been back much since I started reading & posting here. I love these boards! Thanks for dropping in.

It's only because I talk a lot. And we had a big group at the time. This board is a fun one. I thank Lisa for that. She is the one who got me to start a TR. She is a good person and I love her family.

 

[vladimir10]

Well, April, I must say, you take some very nice photos!


You found my PTR, and here I am at yours! Yep, it does look like you guys are getting 2 days after we leave..


Looks like your going to have a good time. Lots of good ADRs, and MNSSHP to look forward to! It's amazing how quickly it's coming up...

I've subscribed, so I'll keep checking to see how it goes!

Again, Love the pics, keep them coming!

 

[aprilisis]

I mentioned at the beginning of this PTR that the past few years have been tough due to some losses in the family. I have been blessed with a huge & wonderful extended family. My parents divorced when I was young & both remarried a few years later. I was pretty close to all of my 4 families. I also get very attached to my pets & consider them part of the family. I thought I would share some of the photos...
In 2002, we lost our dog Daisy (the yellow lab) & in 2005 we lost Lady:

In 2001 we lost my Grandfather (my stepmom's dad); in 2002, we lost my Grandfather (Father's biological father); in 2003 we lost my Grandfather (Father's stepfather); in 2004 (in the same week & the following week my bf dumped me & I had to move back in with parents!!) we lost my grandmother (Father's mother) AND my Grandfather (stepfather's father)- see photo below:

In 2005, I lost a friend to cancer & my Aunt who was only 39-see photo below:

A little while after that, I had another year-long relationship end. I had a cancer scare for myself thrown into the mix last year, too (I'm ok now). What killed me on top of all of this- My mother's parents have lived next door to us forever. There were times we even lived with them, so I have been closer to them than anyone besides my mom. Well, in June 2006 I lost my Grandfather & in December of last year I lost my Grandmother. I wasn't even aware that my Grandfather was sick- he didn't let anyone know how bad he was feeling. Well, since National Grid took a zillion years to get our electricity back on in the awful ice storm this past December, my Grandmother had to go to the hospital (she was on oxygen). She stayed for a few days & they sent her home because they said nothing is wrong with her. She had to go back to the ER within 2 hours! We had 2 different doctors in the ER say 2 different things. One said (in front of her) "Send her home- we can't do anything. It may be 2 weeks or 2 months, but there'd nothing we can do to help her." The other doctor said she can't leave. She died the next day in the hospital. For both of their services, I made a huge board with a ton of old photos of them with family and friends. I used to have a photo of them, but I can't find it. Some photos (I love the old ones!):

Then...one of our cats cats who was 19...died a few months ago. (he is the one in the photo with the crooked tail.

Now that I have thoroughly depressed all of you, I will end here. I just wanted to let you know why I really need a vacation. I say that I need one, but I bet Isis needs one, too- she has been there to make me feel a little better through every single one of these awful events. You know how a dog can just lie down next to you while you are crying & put their head on your lap & suddenly remind you that they love and need you? That always makes me feel just a little better. No amount of therapy could help me as much as she does sometimes! Wow...sorry for venting so much! I feel like I have been living a soap opera for the past 8 years, though. I need a break.

 

[aprilisis]

It's only because I talk a lot. And we had a big group at the time. This board is a fun one. I thank Lisa for that. She is the one who got me to start a TR. She is a good person and I love her family.

Lisa seems very nice & so do you! I started on your TR- I am halfway through it- not bad for 1 day, huh??

Well, April, I must say, you take some very nice photos!


You found my PTR, and here I am at yours! Yep, it does look like you guys are getting 2 days after we leave..


Looks like your going to have a good time. Lots of good ADRs, and MNSSHP to look forward to! It's amazing how quickly it's coming up...

I've subscribed, so I'll keep checking to see how it goes!

Again, Love the pics, keep them coming!

Thanks for reading!! I'm looking forward to reading more from you, too. BTW- that fruit from the restaurant on your birthday looked really awesome! That was such a creative presentation.

 

[vladimir10]

Lisa seems very nice & so do you! I started on your TR- I am halfway through it- not bad for 1 day, huh??



Thanks for reading!! I'm looking forward to reading more from you, too. BTW- that fruit from the restaurant on your birthday looked really awesome! That was such a creative presentation.

It was really good! And a total suprise. I loved it. We ate every bit of it! And, it was the first time I ever had kiwi. It was great! One of the sushi pieces I had was a spicy tuna roll with mango slices on it. It was spectaculr! The spice and sweet worked so well together. Well, if you asked them, they made anything you wanted, so I asked for another one ( I ate SSOOO much, but it was SSSOOO GGOOOODD), and the one they mad was AWESOME! It had some extra fruit and they drizzled some fruit sauce over it. I loved it! It was a fantastic b-day dinner!

I love your dog, by the way. Very cute, and photogenic!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Lisa seems very nice & so do you! I started on your TR- I am halfway through it- not bad for 1 day, huh?? QUOTE]

Did you skip through all our chit-chat? Thank you for that comment. I try to be a nice person. We all know you get a lot further with nice than mean.

ginny

 

[aprilisis]

Lisa seems very nice & so do you! I started on your TR- I am halfway through it- not bad for 1 day, huh?? QUOTE]

Did you skip through all our chit-chat? Thank you for that comment. I try to be a nice person. We all know you get a lot further with nice than mean.

ginny

No way! I love the chit-chat!!

 

[vladimir10]

There is a lot of chit-chat, i will agree with that...


I admit, I am reading them all, though....

 

[aprilisis]

So I took out my mom, stepfather, grandma (stepfather's mom) & John to dinner for my mom's birthday & it was a lot of fun! John just naturally fits in with my family so well. I am home now...reading reports on the Dis (on my Palm centro- not easy, btw ) while John is snoring like a maniac, with Terminator 2 on the tv. I just have to say again that I really enjoy everyone's ptr's & tr's- I wish I could read them all!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

So I took out my mom, stepfather, grandma (stepfather's mom) & John to dinner for my mom's birthday & it was a lot of fun! John just naturally fits in with my family so well. I am home now...reading reports on the Dis (on my Palm centro- not easy, btw ) while John is snoring like a maniac, with Terminator 2 on the tv. I just have to say again that I really enjoy everyone's ptr's & tr's- I wish I could read them all!

Sounds like you had a wonderful evening. So glad that you have John in your life. I'm sure he feels the same way about you.

Have a wonderful Saturday.

Ginny

 

[aprilisis]

Sorry it has been a little while since I have posted. I finally met John's family last night & they are an awesome bunch of people. I can see that I will love them as much as I love him someday. It is funny- I'm from a Scandanavian family that isn't very affectionate, so to get thrown into a Greek family was so awesome! They are very happy & affectionate. I loved it!
As far as WDW- I have 27 days to go! I just got in an order of some t-shirts from the Disney Store online that I bought for the trip, so I am getting even more excited to go (if that’s possible). Hopefully car repairs don’t cut into trip spending money. My car started to make a new weird & LOUD noise this morning. Since my commute is an hour (one way), any car repairs must be taken care of immediately. Thanks goodness John is great with cars!
Have I mentioned before that I LOVE to carve pumpkins?? Does anyone know if WDW sells pumpkin carving patterns? Does anyone else like pumpkin carving or am I a huge dork? Wait…don’t answer that.

This one is a random zombie:

Freddy:

Scar:

This one is pretty self-explanatory:

This one is of Yoda, though it is tough to see:

I finally found the photo of the board that I put together for my Grandmother’s memorial service. It also included a few things that she wrote (that we found in the days before the service):

I guess I will stop here for now today. I may need a little help from all of you to choose some Halloween costumes after I narrow down the choices. I am THE most indecisive person in the world!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Good morning Apil. That is great about meeting John's family. My family is so affectionate and Don's was not so much. But over the years his family has really come around and they are great. I knew I could wear them down. Love the punkins

Ginny

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hello! April,
Followed you over from Ginny and Lisa. I have REALLY enjoyed your photo essay and your youtube photos. I can not wait to hear about your trip that is just within DAYS!!! we have not decided when we are going back next year and the week you are going is right around one of the weeks we are considering.

Your Pumpkins are AWESOME!!
If we do one it is just an old fashioned run of the mill jack o lantern. I may have to give a design a try this year. Ashton would love it!!! The last 6 years or so I just put out some ceramic ones I have and light those up!!

I love the story of Isis; we have three dogs; our poddle is 13 yrs old and everytime we leave her for a week she is so excited to see us that she will jump eye level than once we get her home she sulks for a day or so. It is so funny! You and your BF John seem to have a great match going except for the food part I actually LOL when you mentioned meeting his family; while reading the part about your family I said out loud and he is "Greek"!

Thank you for sharing your family story with us...it was very touching to read and share your photos with you!

Looking forward to more and your TR (you are going to keep up with us so we all have a place to CHIT CHAT!) and hearing how this time of the year is at the world! As for any tips sorry I can't really share; I like to consider myself a Disney know it all to my friends but never on these boards; just learning more each time I go! BTW my DH,DD, & DS17 love Universal/IOA we did everything in both parks that they wanted to do (I missed the Barney show for DS3) and we did not have the express passes. So I know you can do it if you have the Express passes! They are not really big parks!

Have a great one!
Connie

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey April,

I realized that I forgot to post the AKL activities-I don't know if they do anything specifically for Halloween...but they have a really nice amount of activities that they do, do...

The beginning activities are the kids type activities-the "free"ones that they do every day and you can collect beads for...(I've seen adults do them too though...

Bead Activities-(you show up-most are about 20 minutes and if you complete them-they give you a bead-that is put on a string-so if you collect more you wind up with a kind of bracelet-it works for boys too-it isn't a overly girly bracelet...)

These are held everyday btw...(These are taken from the August 2009 sheet) You could spend a day doing everything or break them up through your stay...my kids and I really enjoyed them and the beads...)

Flamingo Activity (Uzima Flamingo Pond) 9:30 am
(Interact with animal experts to learn more about the feeding strategies of flamingoes and pelicans)

Animal Tracking (Arusha Rock) 10:30-12:30
(Help track our friend Donald using scientific research equipment)
btw-this isn't a 2 hour commitment -you go when you like during that time-you do need about 20 minutes to do it...

Hidden Habitats (Uzima Flamingo Pond) 2-4:30 pm
(Explore the interactions between the plants and animals around the Uzima Springs Pool...)
Again you go when you can during that time period...

Music of the Savanna (Sunset Lounge)- 5 pm
(Learn to play an African instrument and play your part in the circle of life)

Wildlife Games (Sunset Lounge) 6:30 pm
(Test your animal knowledge with our wildlife experts...)

I have a mediocre photo of the bracelets my kids made a couple of years ago-they are basically the same now...

look on the front left side-admittedly not the best photo but it gives you an idea at least...

There were a couple of other really cute/worthwhile kids activities-these are NOT bead activities...

Cookie Decorating at Boma 1:00
(this was really fun-they give each kid a cookie to decorate and keep...)

African Folktales (Arusha Rock Firepit) 7:30
(Take a seat around the Arusha Rock Firepit and enjoy an African folktale.)

Primal Parade (Arusha Rock Fire Pit) 7:50
(Shake, Beat or Rattle African Instruments as you follow our parade through the lobby)

& last but certainly not least-great for everyone in the family

Animal Viewing with Night Vision (Uzima Lounge) 8:30-11 pm
(Spend some time with our savannah guides using night vision google to view the savanna



Pay for Activities (I have no experience doing these-but I've heard good things

Ceramics Activity (Simba's Clubhouse) (Tues & Fri. 10 am-1 pm)
Join us for the ceramics activity and create your own work of art. This is a paid craft and prices will vary. Pieces are picked up the following day.

Make your own Beaded Jewelry (Simba's Clubhouse) (Wed. & Sat. 10-1)
Meet at Simba's Clubhouse to create your own beaded necklace or bracelet.
FOR AGES 13 & ABOVE...

Arts & Crafts (Uzima Pool Deck) (Sun., Mon. and Thu. 11-1)
Join the Recreation Cast on the Uzima Springs Pool. Deck near the arcade for arts and crafts.

2 interesting adult activities...

Culinary Tour (Boma Podium) 4 pm
Join a cultural representative on a tour of a award-winning restaurants, Boma and Jiko, and discover the flavors of Africa
***THIS IS REALLY FUN-I DID THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO-IT WAS ABOUT 45 MINUTES AND YOU TASTE LOTS OF SAMPLES...

Cultural Safari (Sunset Lounge) 8:30 pm
Join our cultural representatives on a 20-minute tour of their native homeland.

April- I hope you find something you like...