Stop and Smell the Roses But Watch Out for the Bees! July '12 It's a Wrap Folks! 2.23

[TinksThree]

Just stopping by to check in on you. Hope y'all are faring well over there. Looks like the MS coast got hit hard along with LA's low-lying coastal areas. I just saw a pic on Facebook from Plaquemines parish....the homes are almost under water. So sad for those people. The west side of the storm hasn't been too bad....so far. We've had high winds & some rain since yesterday. But, it looks like the bad portions of the storm are just about to hit us. We'll probably get most of the bad stuff tonight & tomorrow. This storm is moving so slow!! Well, I better go catch up on the DIS before it does get bad here.

I had looked at the weather map not long ago and was wondering how you guys were fairing! So far it has been mild here but the bands are starting to really come in so the wind is picking up and light rain. They say tonight and tomorrow will have torrential downpours and winds but I am beginning to wonder how bad it really is going to be. I saw on my WWL alerts pictures from Plaqueman's Parish and that is so sad. My cousin lives in the Gulfport area and has been saying they are getting pounded and lots of tornado warnings. Could be a long night! But my kids are loving being out of school!! I hope ya'll continue to fair well also!!!

 

[saintstickets]

Just stopping by to check in on you. Hope y'all are faring well over there. Looks like the MS coast got hit hard along with LA's low-lying coastal areas. I just saw a pic on Facebook from Plaquemines parish....the homes are almost under water. So sad for those people. The west side of the storm hasn't been too bad....so far. We've had high winds & some rain since yesterday. But, it looks like the bad portions of the storm are just about to hit us. We'll probably get most of the bad stuff tonight & tomorrow. This storm is moving so slow!! Well, I better go catch up on the DIS before it does get bad here.

I had looked at the weather map not long ago and was wondering how you guys were fairing! So far it has been mild here but the bands are starting to really come in so the wind is picking up and light rain. They say tonight and tomorrow will have torrential downpours and winds but I am beginning to wonder how bad it really is going to be. I saw on my WWL alerts pictures from Plaqueman's Parish and that is so sad. My cousin lives in the Gulfport area and has been saying they are getting pounded and lots of tornado warnings. Could be a long night! But my kids are loving being out of school!! I hope ya'll continue to fair well also!!!

It's coming your way Tinks! It hasn't stop raining down here in Hattiesburg since yesterday at noon. No loss of power yet but with this much rain and wind, trees will start toppling soon.

Glad you've been okay so far amandaw. I just wish Isaac would go on and move out. He has out-stayed his welcome!! (not that he was welcome in the first place!)

It's been a roller coaster two weeks for us - 8/18-daughter married, 8/23-death in family, 8/28-30th anniversary, 8/29-hurricane Isaac, 9/03-leave for Aulani!! Whew!!! Who needs BTMRR with this much ups and downs!

 

[TinksThree]

It's coming your way Tinks! It hasn't stop raining down here in Hattiesburg since yesterday at noon. No loss of power yet but with this much rain and wind, trees will start toppling soon.

Glad you've been okay so far amandaw. I just wish Isaac would go on and move out. He has out-stayed his welcome!! (not that he was welcome in the first place!)

It's been a roller coaster two weeks for us - 8/18-daughter married, 8/23-death in family, 8/28-30th anniversary, 8/29-hurricane Isaac, 9/03-leave for Aulani!! Whew!!! Who needs BTMRR with this much ups and downs!

Wow what a roller coaster 2 weeks!! I thought that Aulani vacation was coming soon!! I bet you'll be ready for the relaxation of warm Hawaii breezes! Have a safe trip!!

I was just talking with my cousin in the 'Burg and he said the wind was really picking up. It didn't even start raining here until around 2 or so. Winds were breezy but no big deal but all of that is changing now. We were just sitting on the porch watching the trees blowing and the rain hasn't let up much in the last few hours. And we still have lots to go! Watching the coastline and what people are going through is sad. I hope you guys stay safe and dry in Petal!

Oh and football countdown is going strong!!! I remember one year ago this weekend sitting in a Tropical Storm (Lee??) watching the Golden Eagles!!

 

[TinksThree]

Hello from America's newly discovered Land Mass-Mississippi!!!! If no one knows what I am referring to...the Weather Channel made comments this past weekend that our newest unwelcome visitor, Isaac, was projected to hit the area/land mass between Mobile and New Orleans. Last time we checked that would be Mississippi! It has become the biggest thing since electricity and automobiles in these parts. I just thought all of the hoopla was hilarious, some were very offended though and the Weather Channel Facebook page got ugly....and now we count the number of times the Weather Channel folks can say "Mississippi" in one sentence!! Can you tell I am bored?!

Thankfully we are just getting rain and very high winds. It appears our Labor Day holiday will be spent laboring in our yard because overnight limbs and small trees have fallen and we still have at least 12 hours at least left. But I got off work since the schools all closed down!! Thankfully we are not having the issues those to the south of us are and I hope no one takes my above comments as being inconsiderate because I have lots of family and friends dealing with flooding and tornadoes so I take none of this lightly. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with everyone because it is such a devastatingly sad situation!!

So I thought since I am off work and the weather is not suitable to enjoy being outdoors I would attempt an update and hope my electricity remains on long enough! Here is a picture I took Tuesday morning before Isaac even decided to finally make landfall. This is from an outer band and I thought it was cool

Alright, I left off with the completion of Indiana Jones and trying to decide where to go next.....

So what do we do next? Well, if you have read any of my TRs before this one then you know there is only ONE answer to this question: TOWER OF TERROR!!!!!!

We head off down Sunset Blvd and as we get about half-way down the street, Keith notices a Streetmosphere act going on. He wants to stop so we do and we enjoy it immensely!! In this particular one Lenny is the head supervisor for the Public Works crew. Their job? To spray the trees with chemicals!

He gives instructions to his two employees which are not the brightest crayons in the box! They were really a few fries short of a Happy Meal! You get the idea!

Lenny refers to them as morons a lot. Now I tend to overlook a lot and things like that do not bother me however I know people who really don’t want their children to say or refer to others in a derogatory way (and by no means do I want my children, I am just saying that this is a skit so I see it for what it is). I could see parents not wanting their children to sit there hearing this over and over though.

We, on the other hand, stand there and enjoy their antics. The instructions are that they are to spray the chemical up and down, not side-to-side. This was really hard for the two guys to understand! So they would spray the chemical side-to-side resulting in a nice cold dousing! But then they would shout “Save the people!” and have to spray another chemical to counteract. This went on and on trying to get the guys to understand! And the crowd was encouraged to shout “Save the People!!”

At one point during the instructions, Lenny decides to demonstrate once again. He turns his back to the two fellows and tells them to “pump it up” which results in the two demonstrating some very bad dance moves.

Eventually a poor man is pulled from the audience and told to show them how to “pump it up”. The poor soul gives the demonstration until Lenny discovers he too is dancing!

By the end a chase ensues and water is sprayed everywhere and no one is safe! The water is very cold though and feels refreshing on this hot afternoon….needless to say, I had no problems being sprayed!!

Moving on down the road we finally make it to Tower of Terror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Tower of Terror is actually seen from the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot when looking towards Morocco. The solution? They made the back of ToT to look like Moroccan architecture. Once I knew this, every time I saw the “backside” I could tell the difference! Look next time!

The Stand-by time says 20 minutes. As we enter the gates a man is coming out with his family declaring there is NO WAY that line is only 20 minutes. I decide to time it just to see. I have seen the line worse and it only took 40 minutes to ride!

Of course I must snap a few pictures of the queue area!!

Enjoy your ride!!!!

From the time we entered the line until we were standing on our little squares was 17 minutes…so that man made his family miss out on an awesome ride for no good reason!! Okay by me….that was one less group standing between me and my ride!!!

Of course ToT did not disappoint and we went up and down and up and down all screaming at the same time….FUN!!!!! I love it!!!!

My redneck picture (Chris is trying a trick by holding your ankles as you drop: you stay in the air 30% longer and it really works! Madison and I are recreating the "Superman" pose from March. Keith is just holding on I guess but he is always grinning massively in the pictures so I know he loves this ride too!!!:

Chris and Madison survived their "fear"!!

We decide we need to make our exit. This little sudden change was a very, very good one!!! On the way out a few final pictures:

Next is 'Ohana but I am going to post this first just in case we lose power...my tv is currently yelling at me in a high pitched voice that warnings abound!!

 

[TinksThree]

It is getting a little late by this time maybe 4pm or so and we have reservations at 5:10pm at Ohana! We have been going strong and no midday break as I had planned so we decide that we can find chairs at the Poly to relax! So we hit the buses and soon we have landed at the Polynesian! I love this resort and it is one of my favorites. One day I hope to stay here but Boardwalk is #1 and now Beach Club has entered the list so it may be a while before I have this luxury!

We find a couch and chair and have a seat! I believe we sat here for about 30 minutes before I went and checked us in. While we waited we rested our eyes, played with our phones, and having a drink.

I had the PinaColava which is really good! I had this one year at the POR pool and loved it!

And yes, they will bring you whatever: water, cokes, tea, alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages! There are waitresses that walk around and you never have to move your lazy bum that has been park hopping all day!!

Two side stories during this wait time: 1) While we “rested our eyes” there was one poor woman who could not stay awake and I really never knew a head could lean that far back!! Plus her mouth was WIDE open. I don’t mean just a little bit but WIDE OPEN!! She looked like a baby bird waiting for a worm!! Every once in a while her husband would kick her leg, she would jump and then 30 seconds later…..head back, mouth open……. And 2) When I went to check in the signage is not very clear…especially when people decide to use said signage as a leaning post! So I stood in the “stand-by” line for 10 minutes before the person removed himself from the sign showing “stand-by” this way and Reservations” that way. I huffed (because yes I do “huff”! ) and went and checked in where I was supposed to!

I snapped a picture or two out the windows

Nope my family is not tired at all!!

and then the wait staff did an opening celebration thing before officially opening up Ohana’s for dinner!!

It wasn’t long before our buzzer started buzzing. Our waiter took us around since it was our first time and showed us the ropes so to speak! We sat down and soon the food started coming! Once again my fellow Dissers did not let me down! The entire family loved this place! And I think that is an accomplishment! Sorry, it was so good I couldn't leave the suspense hanging!!

First thing to come out was the bread….yummy!!!

We had three loaves of this stuff!! The butter is delicious!!!!!

Keith had to "model" his beer again.

Views around our table:

Then came the salad which I almost forgot to get!

Next came the noodles and pot stickers. I could have eaten the pot stickers only and been one happy girl! The noodles were the only thing we weren’t really into and very few were touched! They were sticky and bland. Not worth the calories, fat grams or space in the tummy that they would take away from the other delicious food!

The wings came out also and we ate on those some. They were very tasty too!

Then the meat started coming….chicken….pork……steak……shrimp. The steak was way too done for me. I like some mooing going on and this was well done…..way too chewy so I ate a bite or two and handed it to Madison who prefers her beef to be like charcoal. The others enjoyed the steak, it was only too done for me. So don’t think I was saying it was actually bad or anything!!

The chicken and pork were excellent though. Very tender and juicy!!

The shrimp was by far the favorite and we asked for seconds and thirds on this!

Finally the dessert came out and let me say that bread pudding is as good as everyone claims!!! I have the recipe and I will attempt sometime!!

The service was good. Our waiter was pretty attentive but better in the beginning. It wasn’t a big deal though. We weren’t in a hurry and it wasn’t like he disappeared for the amount of time that we really, really missed him!

My biggest disappointment was hearing the coconut race events happening but we could see none of it. Since it was my first time, I would have liked to have seen what was happening. And I guess if that was my biggest disappointment then this meal earns one HUGE A PLUS!!!!!!

I constantly am checking for a cancellation for October but there is only one at 9:45pm. Keith requested going back and I would have no complaints! I will keep checking until D-Day comes!!

After stuffing ourselves senseless, we waddled to the monorail and went back to the resort via Magic Kingdom and the buses. While waiting Madison took over the camera...

Still surviving that bee sting but the site was extremely sore when touched!

Now it was still kind of early—6:30pm. MK had EMH PM so Madison and Chris planned to hit the EMH. Keith and I planned to go to Epcot and then to Jellyrolls.

More to come!!!

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all had a great day!

The street performance sounds really cute & funny!

I think a lot of people who don't frequent WDW can be easily put off by what lines look like. But so many times they look worse than they really are.

You know I'm excited to hear your glowing review of dinner at 'Ohana! That Pina Colava drink looks delicious! Now, I don't know if I want to try that or the Lapu Lapu. The food sounds so yummy....especially the shrimp! I could seriously eat my own weight in shrimp.

Can't wait to see if y'all ended up following y'alls plans for that night!

I had looked at the weather map not long ago and was wondering how you guys were fairing! So far it has been mild here but the bands are starting to really come in so the wind is picking up and light rain. They say tonight and tomorrow will have torrential downpours and winds but I am beginning to wonder how bad it really is going to be. I saw on my WWL alerts pictures from Plaqueman's Parish and that is so sad. My cousin lives in the Gulfport area and has been saying they are getting pounded and lots of tornado warnings. Could be a long night! But my kids are loving being out of school!! I hope ya'll continue to fair well also!!!

Your storm cloud picture is cool! That's about what it looked like here on Tuesday & Wednesday. I couldn't get over how low the clouds were. It was a little freaky. The wind picked up a bit here last night & it rained but never horribly. The only thing I was concerned about was the wind whipping around the stop sign/street sign that is in the corner of my front yard. But, some how, it stayed in the ground. Everything around me is pretty much getting back to normal. But, my mom & step-dad & some of my friends (they all live east of Baton Rouge), are all without power. I've offered my home to anyone who wants.

I feel so bad for so many people in the low-lying areas, both LA & MS. They had to evacuations out of LaPlace, I was reading this morning. And then I read about the dam in MS that is about to fail. We're very blessed. I hope y'all are continuing to be safe.

I saw all of that mess on the Weather Channel FB page! That was just ridiculous how they referred to MS. I mean, really? And the coast of MS got hit just as hard as a lot of areas of LA. Kind of reminds of something that happened during Gustav in 2008. We lived in Denham Springs at the time & were hit very hard. Lost power for a week, no running water for 2 or 3 days, no land line for 3 weeks. Anyway, my dad lives in Georgia & was having trouble getting through to us. He finally reached me on my cell phone & was so mad that I just wasn't answering since everything was "okay". I asked why he thought we were ok & nothing had happened. Well, because all of the national news showed that nothing had happened in New Orleans. Really?!? Do these news agencies not realize there are more cities than just New Orleans in LA? It's so frustrating when they minimize the impact of storms on other areas & people.

It's coming your way Tinks! It hasn't stop raining down here in Hattiesburg since yesterday at noon. No loss of power yet but with this much rain and wind, trees will start toppling soon.

Glad you've been okay so far amandaw. I just wish Isaac would go on and move out. He has out-stayed his welcome!! (not that he was welcome in the first place!)

It's been a roller coaster two weeks for us - 8/18-daughter married, 8/23-death in family, 8/28-30th anniversary, 8/29-hurricane Isaac, 9/03-leave for Aulani!! Whew!!! Who needs BTMRR with this much ups and downs!

Thank you! Hope you & your family are safe as well. This storm has been ridiculously slow moving.

What a couple of weeks for y'all!! You definitely need your vacation at Aulani! I bet that will be wonderful. Hope y'all have a safe & magical trip!

 

[TinksThree]

Hey just popping in real quick...I thought I would share pictures of my hometown where 95% of my family lives. It is a little bitty place of about 2000 people. They are flooding and people are being evacuated due to a dam about to break. This is north of New Orleans on the MS/LA line. Prayers and thoughts appreciated!!

These are from a friend on Facebook and I told my kids this is why you need to be careful what you post online...I took these with my phone! Thankfully we are experiencing a break here!

 

[TinksThree]

Sounds like y'all had a great day!

The street performance sounds really cute & funny!

I think a lot of people who don't frequent WDW can be easily put off by what lines look like. But so many times they look worse than they really are.

You know I'm excited to hear your glowing review of dinner at 'Ohana! That Pina Colava drink looks delicious! Now, I don't know if I want to try that or the Lapu Lapu. The food sounds so yummy....especially the shrimp! I could seriously eat my own weight in shrimp.

Can't wait to see if y'all ended up following y'alls plans for that night!

We don't seem to run into the Street Performers much for whatever reason but they were really good1 I think Keith looked even harder for them after that!

I tried to stay vague on your TR but it was soooo good!! We loved it!! (of course) I haven't tried the Lapu Lapu but I want to! I can recommend the Pina Colava highly though! And shrimp is my most favorite food on this planet!! I could eat it fried, boiled, with grits, grilled, coconut shrimp...Bubba had something going in "Forrest Gump"! Seriously though shrimp is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! And the shrimp there was delish (but it is different than how Cajuns cook it!)

Your storm cloud picture is cool! That's about what it looked like here on Tuesday & Wednesday. I couldn't get over how low the clouds were. It was a little freaky. The wind picked up a bit here last night & it rained but never horribly. The only thing I was concerned about was the wind whipping around the stop sign/street sign that is in the corner of my front yard. But, some how, it stayed in the ground. Everything around me is pretty much getting back to normal. But, my mom & step-dad & some of my friends (they all live east of Baton Rouge), are all without power. I've offered my home to anyone who wants.

I feel so bad for so many people in the low-lying areas, both LA & MS. They had to evacuations out of LaPlace, I was reading this morning. And then I read about the dam in MS that is about to fail. We're very blessed. I hope y'all are continuing to be safe.

I saw all of that mess on the Weather Channel FB page! That was just ridiculous how they referred to MS. I mean, really? And the coast of MS got hit just as hard as a lot of areas of LA. Kind of reminds of something that happened during Gustav in 2008. We lived in Denham Springs at the time & were hit very hard. Lost power for a week, no running water for 2 or 3 days, no land line for 3 weeks. Anyway, my dad lives in Georgia & was having trouble getting through to us. He finally reached me on my cell phone & was so mad that I just wasn't answering since everything was "okay". I asked why he thought we were ok & nothing had happened. Well, because all of the national news showed that nothing had happened in New Orleans. Really?!? Do these news agencies not realize there are more cities than just New Orleans in LA? It's so frustrating when they minimize the impact of storms on other areas & people.

I completely agree! You would have thought New Orleans was the only place to have any problems. Everyone else gets ignored, even the southern LA parishes. It is very frustrating and most people just brushed it off until they started reporting the Land Mass!

I am glad you guys haven't gotten it too bad! I have friends in Baton Rouge and they have been posting some things....then they lost electricity and I haven't heard anything else. And phones are dying! I remember Gustav. We had slight weather from him but I had friends in BR and they wound up here!

It looks like people along the Tangipahoa River just south of the MS/LA line are being evacuated due to the dam breech.

 

[amandaw]

I completely agree! You would have thought New Orleans was the only place to have any problems. Everyone else gets ignored, even the southern LA parishes. It is very frustrating and most people just brushed it off until they started reporting the Land Mass!

Yeah, if New Orleans is ok, it's like they don't care as much. It is ridiculous. I'm glad people called them out on the FB page on the whole "land mass" thing.

I am glad you guys haven't gotten it too bad! I have friends in Baton Rouge and they have been posting some things....then they lost electricity and I haven't heard anything else. And phones are dying! I remember Gustav. We had slight weather from him but I had friends in BR and they wound up here!

Yeah, we've been very lucky with this storm. I told Ed that we had rain storms in June that were worse & had caused more flooding. It's crazy what a difference a few miles can make in a storm.

UGH....Gustav! We were hit so hard. Reid was 5 1/2 months during that storm. He was cutting his first 2 teeth & had a stomach virus. Not fun!

I hope your friends in BR are okay. I was just texting with my friend (the one who made my Wendy costume). She is still out of power.

It looks like people along the Tangipahoa River just south of the MS/LA line are being evacuated due to the dam breech.

I just got an alert on my phone from MSNBC about this! I feel so bad for them!

Those pictures you posted are so scary and sad. What town is that?

 

[TinksThree]

I'm on my phone so I hope this works! We spent two weeks without electricity during Katrina...I can't imagine doing that with your situation! Yikes!!!

The town is Magnolia in Pike County. The Percy Quin Park lake is about five miles from my parent's house. It is pretty scary! My sister said the water is breaching all creeks and river beds right now. They are on higher ground but sometimes that doesn't mean much! Also friends in Mandeville, LA are being evacuated. They were given 90 minutes to get out. There has been so much rain! Not the way a little town hopes to be on national news!!

 

[shan23877]

I"m so excited that you all loved 'Ohana!!! It's one of the rare places that (IMO) actually lives up to the hype. We adored it, and like Keith, Bryan now wants to dine there every trip.

You got some really great photos at the Poly! It was always my dream resort, but I too am leaning more toward the BC now. We stayed at BWI on our honeymoon and loved everything about it. You can't beat that walk to Epcot and DHS!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the night. I hope you guys made it to Jellyrolls-we've always had a great time there.

*************

I hope that all of you and your families are safe through the storm. Keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[amandaw]

I'm on my phone so I hope this works! We spent two weeks without electricity during Katrina...I can't imagine doing that with your situation! Yikes!!!

It was not fun, I'll tell you that much. Thankfully, I had a microwaveable bottle sterilizer & we would hook up our microwave to the generator when we ran out of bottles & needed more cleans ones. Oh and it was a lot of fun getting to mop up my kitchen by lantern light after Reid had another vomiting episode. I wouldn't wish any of it on my worst enemy.

The town is Magnolia in Pike County. The Percy Quin Park lake is about five miles from my parent's house. It is pretty scary! My sister said the water is breaching all creeks and river beds right now. They are on higher ground but sometimes that doesn't mean much! Also friends in Mandeville, LA are being evacuated. They were given 90 minutes to get out. There has been so much rain! Not the way a little town hopes to be on national news!!

Ok....I know where that is. Poor things! I hope they're okay. Is your family staying put? I really hope they're okay.

It seems like Lake Pontchartrain & Lake Maurepas are both creating a lot of flooding situations. I didn't realize they were evacuating Mandeville. Man, I feel bad for those people. Are you familiar with Middendorf's Restaurant down in Manchac? I saw a picture on FB....they are flooding bad down there, too. Of course, it's so low down there. But still...I always feel bad for everyone who floods.

 

[mickeystoontown]

First off, prayers for your family! I hope that everyone is safe and sound and that their homes don't suffer too much damage.

Back to the happy stuff....Disney. I love the Streetmosphere actors at Hollywood Studios. We saw those same guys doing another skit when we were there and we laughed so hard.

I'm so so so happy that you guys enjoyed Ohana. I sure hope that you can get an earlier ADR for when ya'll go in October. I have been saying that I'm going to try and make the bread pudding but haven't done it yet. I did try making the bread and it turned out horrible. But, in the recipes' defense, I can't bake any kind of bread to save my life.

 

[sherylcin]

Really glad your family is ok and hope you stay that way! Saw some of the flooding pictures on the news tonight. Oh my!! Praying your mom and other relatives stay safe as well. That water just seems to rise so quickly..........wow!

I knew it! I knew you would head for TOT! Seriously, since you all enjoy it so much I don't blame you! Pretty cool picture of the "ghost in the tree" too. How'd you do that? I also never knew about the back of TOT and Morocco. I'll be checking that out in January.

Glad to hear you enjoyed O'Hana. Would like to try dinner there sometime but in January we're doing breakfast which I'm also excited about. I agree with you about the Polynesian. It is a beautiful resort! Lots of us hope they build some DVC there after the GF addition.

 

[TinksThree]

Thanks so much for your thoughts and kind words! It has been a somewhat stressful afternoon but it appears things are going to be okay at least for now with the dam! It has been weird flipping through every national channel and seeing your little stomping grounds having so much focus! It seems that had the dam broke then towns farther down the river would be flooded so it was reported that they were going to compromise the dam to prevent this but this would flood out 20-30 homes and a few businesses locally. Seems there were a lot of this and that going on between officials (imagine that!) but now the National Guard is working on some things so they can make a controlled break tomorrow or Saturday...all of that to say thankfully it doesn't appear that issue will affect my parents' house. The town flooding was beginning to recede some due to rains finally ending. Again, thankfully my parents live in a higher elevation and weren't threatened but my dad told me some sad stories (happy endings but sad none the less!)!! We had a sunset here! We are watching college football!! And now I am moving on to happy Disney stuff!!!

I"m so excited that you all loved 'Ohana!!! It's one of the rare places that (IMO) actually lives up to the hype. We adored it, and like Keith, Bryan now wants to dine there every trip.

You got some really great photos at the Poly! It was always my dream resort, but I too am leaning more toward the BC now. We stayed at BWI on our honeymoon and loved everything about it. You can't beat that walk to Epcot and DHS!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the night. I hope you guys made it to Jellyrolls-we've always had a great time there.

*************

I hope that all of you and your families are safe through the storm. Keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers.

I was so afraid Ohana wouldn't be as good as I had heard but it really was!! And when Keith gives his approval it must be good!!

Boardwalk was the first Deluxe I ever set foot in and fell in love immediately! Then later that trip I went to Poly and could not decide which of the two were my favorite. I'm like you now though, now, since we went to BC and I just really loved it!! So many choices!! Hopefully I can get the evening report up this weekend!

Ok....I know where that is. Poor things! I hope they're okay. Is your family staying put? I really hope they're okay.

It seems like Lake Pontchartrain & Lake Maurepas are both creating a lot of flooding situations. I didn't realize they were evacuating Mandeville. Man, I feel bad for those people. Are you familiar with Middendorf's Restaurant down in Manchac? I saw a picture on FB....they are flooding bad down there, too. Of course, it's so low down there. But still...I always feel bad for everyone who floods.

At first they were possibly going to have to evacuate when they "blew" the dam but then when that information came out as erroneous, they are good!

I love Middendorfs!! I have been there more times than I can count! That used to be our stopping place as we head to Saints games. I saw a picture from there also. So sad. It will take a while to dry out!

I think the Mandeville issues were due to a certain area. They live right on the water by Ponchetrain. That was another sudden rising!

First off, prayers for your family! I hope that everyone is safe and sound and that their homes don't suffer too much damage.

Back to the happy stuff....Disney. I love the Streetmosphere actors at Hollywood Studios. We saw those same guys doing another skit when we were there and we laughed so hard.

I'm so so so happy that you guys enjoyed Ohana. I sure hope that you can get an earlier ADR for when ya'll go in October. I have been saying that I'm going to try and make the bread pudding but haven't done it yet. I did try making the bread and it turned out horrible. But, in the recipes' defense, I can't bake any kind of bread to save my life.

Thanks so much! How did you guys fair? Some of Keith's co-workers were talking wind but I never heard much on the rain!

Those guys were so hilarious! We actually saw them later in the week and stopped again to watch...they were that good!

I really was excited after your review of Ohana from last year and it lived up to the hype!! I keep hoping for an October opening, I just keep checking! I cannot make bread very well at all but I do hope to try the bread pudding. Of course I always say I hope to make something and never do!

Really glad your family is ok and hope you stay that way! Saw some of the flooding pictures on the news tonight. Oh my!! Praying your mom and other relatives stay safe as well. That water just seems to rise so quickly..........wow!

Thank you! Some of the pictures from the coastal areas are unbelievable! Some places were just getting back good from Katrina and flooded again!

I knew it! I knew you would head for TOT! Seriously, since you all enjoy it so much I don't blame you! Pretty cool picture of the "ghost in the tree" too. How'd you do that? I also never knew about the back of TOT and Morocco. I'll be checking that out in January.

I know!! When you commented I thought how transparent (or extremely clear) I am on my love of ToT!! That ghost picture is my own photographic secret..... They had the fog machines going and it was very mood setting! I couldn't resist snapping that picture and then it actually came out!

Glad to hear you enjoyed O'Hana. Would like to try dinner there sometime but in January we're doing breakfast which I'm also excited about. I agree with you about the Polynesian. It is a beautiful resort! Lots of us hope they build some DVC there after the GF addition.

We have eaten breakfast at Ohana a lot and love it!! The dinner was just as good only in a very different way!! The Poly is the one monorail resort I would want to stay at. The Contemporary is to modern for me with DVC and the GF is too stuffy, although I love going there and walking around!!

 

[saintstickets]

Are you familiar with Middendorf's Restaurant down in Manchac? I saw a picture on FB....they are flooding bad down there, too. Of course, it's so low down there. But still...I always feel bad for everyone who floods.

Speaking of Middendorf's

Some of the best fried catfish around! Well....it used to be! Sighhhh

 

[IheartDDuck]

All right, here we go. Getting all caught up!

Wow, that's crazy that a policeman pulled up when you were loading the car! That is a way to make you feel safe for sure.

Tolls are ridiculous. We paid one in France that was 14 euro!

Okay, I'll play the what if game, even though I know I'm late. I would pick the Grand Floridian Cafe. It's a really great location, the atmosphere is nice, and if you time it right, you can watch Wishes. (That might not be in the plan, but I'll got with it).

Gotta love the Beach Club. Great place to start.

Mmmm. Everything at Cape May looks good. That was one ADR I lost last year that I really wanted to get back but I couldn't when I switched our dates around.

Room ready at 7:45am! That's a score for sure.

I'm so excited for you having a F&W trip. You're going to have such a good time.

You're going to love staying at POP. It's a great resort and I do love the food court for sure.

Yay, Soarin'! Favorite ride at Epcot.

That Brave sand sculpture is so cool.

That fish and chip debate is so funny. Chips in England are fries. I constantly had to remember that when I was there. Oh people confusing things.

OMG you got stung by a bee! I would be freaking out. They terrify me.

OH DEAR GOD! You just freaked me out with that picture of the hornet. Ggggaaaahhhhhh!!!! I'm brushing myself off furiously right now.

That's awesome that you got in at Via Napoli on a walk up.

That pizza looks amazing!

Wow, look at Keith getting all park hopping crazy. It's slowly but surely sinking in.

I wish Harrison Ford was actually there too. Circa Raider's of the Lost Ark.

How is it out there in that newly discovered land mass? It's probably rough huh, being so new?

Streetmosphere is one of my favorite things at DHS. It's so much fun.

We used to hold our ankles on one of the roller coasters at Six Flags. It totally gives you a great amount of hang time.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed Ohana. In all my trips, we've never eaten dinner there before.

 

[solana131]

Never before have I even wanted to go near O'Hanas (always been a Kona girl), but your pictures make me want to try it next time. I wonder if I can request a table off to the side and out of the craziness.....that's why we never wanted to go there.

Hope you and your family are all safe and sound. Has Isaac moved out of town yet? (Sorry, we don't get much news of it up here in ME).

 

[amandaw]

Speaking of Middendorf's

Some of the best fried catfish around! Well....it used to be! Sighhhh

Poor Middendorf's. Makes me so sad anytime I see them flood from a bad storm. Hopefully, they'll be able to bounce back like they have in the past.

 

[Angies1274]

Glad you liked 'Ohana! We tried it for the first time on our trip as well. I agree about the pot stickers! They were definitely my favorite! Yum! I found the recipe for the bread pudding when we got back too. I'm hoping to give it a try sometime this month!!