Pie That Brownie, Fruitcake! Updated Post #1832 - The End

[Timon]

Bendy,

Just wanted to send you some extra to get through this very difficult time.

 

[oybolshoi]

Good evening and happy Friday, friendies.

First of all I want to thank everyone from the very bottom of my heart for your good thoughts, kind words, and prayers. I'm humbled and grateful for the friendship and concern you've shown these past few days ... I don't know exactly what I did to deserve such a gift but I appreciate it more than I can ever adequately express.

As for Grimmie ... she was sent home earlier today with a fist full of prescriptions, a new diet, and an exercise plan. She had two heart attacks - one last Friday and one Tuesday night. Turns out that she had 99% blockage in the primary left artery - the ones that doctors like to refer to as the widowmaker. She's lucky that she didn't end up with a starring role at her own funeral this week. Her heart sustained about 35% damage and she will be limited to moderate exercise going forward but we're hopeful that if she sticks to her diet and gets in the walking she needs to get in on a daily basis that she will be around to gamble for years and years to come.

She has to be feeling better because she asked the cardiologist today when she could go back to the casino.

Thanks again to all of you - you're the bestest food-n-booze lovin' friendies a girl could ask for!

 

[cwat212]

Coming outta hiding to heave a big sigh of relief! Here's hoping her new exercise plan involves pulling down the arm of a slot machine.

 

[praisehisname]

Wow, she is very fortunate! Gotta love that she was super concerned about getting back to gambling!

So glad she is gonna be OK.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Oh my goodness! I'm glad she's doing better, what a lucky lady. You and your mom were in my thoughts! Hope she can use some of her luck at the casino

 

[allshookup]

Brenda sorry I've been MIA with lots homework & studying, but just wanted to give my best wishes to you & your mother. I hope she continues to recover & does well.

 

[oybolshoi]

Now that my bronchitis seems to have cleared up (for the most part) Jay and I went out for a brisk 3-mile walk around the neighborhood because the weather is just gorgeous today - nearly 70 degrees!

The only problem is that we kept looking for food & wine booths to stop at and the ditches around here are wet and dank and don't offer any tequila at all.

 

[onelilspark]

Glad to hear things are looking up (I would have passed along well wishes earlier, but I was away from the DIS all week...)

Strangely enough, none of the ditches around here have tequila either...hmmm, odd

 

[praisehisname]

The only problem is that we kept looking for food & wine booths to stop at and the ditches around here are wet and dank and don't offer any tequila at all.

 

[sunny04]

I'm glad your mom is doing better. Heart attacks are just scary - my father-in-law has had a few, as well as open heart surgery a few years ago. I'm glad your mom didn't have to go through that, and hopefully she'll stick with the diet and won't ever have to!

Glad you're feeling better too! Get some rest!

 

[hmgray95]

Glad to hear that Grimmie is on the mend!

 

[adsrtw]

I'm glad things are looking better!

 

[jakenjess]

Now that my bronchitis seems to have cleared up (for the most part) Jay and I went out for a brisk 3-mile walk around the neighborhood because the weather is just gorgeous today - nearly 70 degrees!

The only problem is that we kept looking for food & wine booths to stop at and the ditches around here are wet and dank and don't offer any tequila at all.

That's what the ditches need around here -- tequila!!

I'm so glad your mom is doing okay and that you're feeling better!

 

[kabuki]

Now that my bronchitis seems to have cleared up (for the most part) Jay and I went out for a brisk 3-mile walk around the neighborhood because the weather is just gorgeous today - nearly 70 degrees!

The only problem is that we kept looking for food & wine booths to stop at and the ditches around here are wet and dank and don't offer any tequila at all.

Jason and I have been sitting in the ditch at our curb all day waiting for someone with a menu and margaritas to show. All we have is asphalt
butt and a cramp?! Why is life so wonderful and perfect when we live in DVC land with Jay and Brenda?! Why can't we live that way all the time! Help -we are in the real world and want to go "home".

 

[dizneeat]

Finally all caught up again! This is what I get for going away to spend the weekend with Mickey and having two large piles of test books to correct! - I am 10 pages behind on your reviews!!!!

I am glad that your mum is doing much better again - nothing worse than having to worry about a loved one!
And I am glad YOU are feeling better too!

Your reviews are fab. Can't wait for the rest!

 

[PNO4TE]

Jason and I have been sitting in the ditch at our curb all day waiting for someone with a menu and margaritas to show.

 

[oybolshoi]

Wednesday, October 14th - A Warm & Sticky Wishes Dessert Party

Before I get to the dessert party I thought I'd share a cautionary travel tale with you. We discovered last year that alcohol constitutes a clear plastic baggie carry-on as long as none of the bottles holds more than three liquid ounces and they can all be crammed into one plastic baggie that can be ogled and mocked by the TSA screeners. Since I have to put all of my prescriptions in one baggie to be screened, Jay always gets the pleasure of putting the booze-baggie through as his own. As we were pushing all of our stuff through the machine one of the screeners picked up our precious cargo, took a long look, and then said to Jay, "You guys have good taste in booze."

Well of course we do; life's too short to drink swilly alcohol!

I breathed a sigh of relief because I'd realized once we were in line that I'd shoved all the alcohol into a one-gallon baggie instead of the one-quart mandated by TSA and I was crawling with fear that they'd confiscate our liquid crack. But then as I was putting my shoes on I noticed that the employee manning the machine was running the bag o' booze repeatedly through the x-ray. She was frowning and gestured to another employee and then together they frowned at the televised images of our premium travel-sized mini-bar. After several excruciating moments one screener held our baggie aloft and asked, "Who's the alcoholic?"

I stepped forward with my hand extended, "I am; may I please have my booze back?"

He gave it to me, but I had the distinct impression that he disapproved. I don't think he would have believed me if I'd tried to explain that alcohol at Disney World is expensive and the experienced, booze-reliant Mouse Trap visitor has little choice but to pack provisions.

Jay always manages to make me laugh in situations like this and he said, "Alcoholic implies that you have a problem ... you're just a drunk!"



Don't come between Bendy and her booze!

If you're curious about the baggie o' booze, it included travel sized bottles of the following: Cirroc vodka, Grand Marnier, Navan, Remy Martin cognac, Bailey's, and two different Scotches. I strongly advise you to visit your local purveyor of alcoholic bliss and stock up on minis before your next trip ... and don't leave home without it! But make sure that you use the correct sized baggie or your bliss could turn to sorrow in the blink of an eye.

And now, back to the reviews.

As you may or may not remember, Jay and I had just finished a quick snack and drink in the Tequila Ditch. We decided to go ahead and make our way over to the Magic Kingdom so that we could get there with plenty of time to spare before the Wishes Dessert Party that I'd booked for us late in August. Now that the heady rush of vacation planning has receded, I can objectively state that this really was not the best use of time or money for Jay and me, but I was in the zone when I booked it and my inner Gollum was hissing in my ear ... "We wants it; we needs it; we must attends it!"

And so the deed was done.

We were looking forward to the dessert party because it was a totally new experience for us and it had been years since we'd actually stayed to watch fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. I may be the only person on the DISboards who can't stand the Wishes soundtrack ... I resent the perfectly recorded, emotionally manipulative score that never fails to make me cry for all kinds of reasons that you really don't want to know anything about. And I was truly curious to know which we would find more cloyingly sweet: the dessert buffet or the musical score!

It was a very humid evening so we decided to wander through some of the stores on Main Street as we made our way towards the castle; people were also lining up for the parade so it was easier to avoid the masses by dodging into the shops. For some reason (probably the tequila) we thought these Disney characters posed as iconic Star Wars characters were absolutely hilarious.

Ride, ride, ride; hitching a ride!

Freeze dried foie gras...

Nothing can redeem Jar Jar Binks, not even Goofy.

We eventually found the Tomorrowland Terrace where we were supposed to check in for the party. When I booked the event the CM told me that we should be there by 7:45PM for the 8:00PM start time. On our night it didn't really matter - no one was even allowed into the reserved area until 8PM and we had to wait for everyone ahead of us to be checked-in, given a wrist band, and escorted to their table. We probably made it to the front of the line by 8:15PM, and despite the very vocal concerns of the lady behind us in line, there was still plenty of food for everyone.

I hadn't really given much thought to the event after booking it. A friend of mine from work had attended one of these parties with her family over the summer so I felt like I knew what to expect. And while Jay and I can certainly pack the food away with the best of 'em at times, a dessert buffet in 90% humidity in the middle of Florida is not our preferred method for storing up fat for the cold winter months to come. In other words, if they ran out of something we weren't going to throw a tantrum over it.

A very nice CM explained how the buffet was set up as he led us to our table. He pointed out the serving station and drink area, the photopass photographer who would be more than happy to take our picture, and then the amazing and unbelievable table that had been reserved for us. I am not joking or exaggerating when I tell you that we had the best table in the house - at the very front of the entire terrace directly facing Cinderella's Castle. The wire that Tinkerbell flies down at the start of Wishes ... it ended on the roof just above our heads.

Jay looked at me with a huge grin that I knew was mirrored on my own face. "What did you do to get us a table this good?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea other than calling to book it the same day that it became available."

For some reason we were lucky and since pixie dust like that doesn't fall on us very often we said a quick "thank you" to the universe and then wandered off to scope out the buffet. I liked that the tables were all pre-assigned and that the placeholders on them were taped down - no chance for them to blow away while we were loading up our plates with sugar, sugar, and more sugar.

For one night only it's our table!

Since there have been so many reviews posted of this event I didn't go to the trouble of taking pictures of the actual buffet. There are many people here on the DIS and on other sites who have already posted incredible pictures of the entire spread that Disney lays out for this event and I'm willing to bet almost everyone here has seen them. In addition, some of the items available were so commonplace that Jay and I didn't even bother to sample them. Keep in mind - it was oppressively humid that night and even remorseless eating machines like us have our limits. We tried to choose one of each item that seemed interesting or new and washed it down with plenty of cold water.

Plate #1

Plate #2

My plate included creme brulee, cannoli, key lime pie tartlet, cheesecake, and something like a chocolate mousse. Jay's plate included a chocolate-banana tart, a chocolate-peanut butter tart, a mango shooter, and various chocolate truffles.

Items that we decided to by-pass included fresh fruit, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and chocolate covered strawberries.

We thought the food was pretty good and the presentations simple and attractive - our favorite dessert was the peanut butter-chocolate tart which was like eating a gooey peanut butter cup turned into pudding. Our least favorite was the mango shooter which was too thick and overpoweringly strong ... dare I say, GACKY!

The CMs working the dessert party were all very friendly and helpful and we never noticed that buffet items weren't being replenished in a timely fashion. And most of the guests were well behaved. There was one family that decided Jay and I needed a close-up of their collective behinds ten minutes before Wishes began, but a few well chosen words made them realize that we really didn't want their hindquarters in our laps or on our table and they very kindly gave us some breathing room. That, I think, is the one potential problem with the viewing area and the dessert party that CMs don't have much ability to control. It's understandable that people sitting at tables in the rear of the terrace want to move forward to better see the show, but some of them do it without being considerate of their fellow guests who have just as much right to enjoy an unobstructed view as they do.

A little corn-sideration goes a long way, but I've found that people who act like jerks on vacation are usually jerks when not on vacation, too. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you just need to be prepared for the possibility that some guests at the dessert party may think that they deserve a better view than you and everyone else in attendance and they are willing to go to great lengths to get it. These people cannot be reasoned with and may even be dangerous - they are hepped up on sugar, toting their body weight in electronic and / or digital equipment, and actually sweat a cinammon-scented glaze that allows them to stick in place directly in front of you until the fireworks have ended.

Confront them at your own peril, my freinds.

So, what's our final assessment? It was fun and the desserts were good, but we just don't care enough about seeing Wishes or Spectromagic to fork out the money again for endless dessert and a table that may or may not have a prime view of the evening's festivities. I would never tell anyone not to book the dessert party because we all decide to attend these things for our own reasons; Jay and I were happy to give it a try this one time, but once was definitely enough for us.

And now, please enjoy some slightly blurry pictures of Cindy's castle from our primo table ...

Jay and Bendy's final rating: The Wishes Dessert Party earns a Batmanuel for uniqueness, nice variety, excellent service, and a pixie dusted prime table for the almost-birthday girl and her lovey!

 

[adsrtw]

Looks good. I can see trying the dessert party for the sake of trying something new Thanks for the alcohol tip!

 

[d'Isigny]

She has to be feeling better because she asked the cardiologist today when she could go back to the casino.

Thanks again to all of you - you're the bestest food-n-booze lovin' friendies a girl could ask for!

Hey Brenda...sooooo glad to hear your Mom is doing better. We will continue to keep her in our hearts and prayers during her recovery time.

 

[BriarRosie]

I would have loved being the lady in the Cheetos commercial who hugs the smarmy braggart mother of an overachiever by schmearing her cheesy orange hands on the back of the white blouse.

Except chocolately hands, schmearing the back of the loser who decided he was better than you were and had to block your view.