Surprised the kids, wife, and my readers w/ a 2 week trip to AoA!(*NEW* 11-7)

[Trentmom]

Great Update!

Sugar Ray is great!! That is awesome you are taking her to see Blake Shelton. I love him on the Voice.

That is cute about him waving to her . She looked so excited

 

[englishrose47]

Very nice necklace !!! I love the pick a pearl !! The girls have done it there too !!!

 

[Aburns8]

Thanks for the update! Food and Wine has the best line up for concerts. Looked like you had a good time, especially Candi!

 

[Poolrat]

Finally playing catch up after a busy weekend.



So cool that Candi got waved at ...

I may need to have a beer day at F & W next time. Since I usually partake in the cocktail area - I don't switch to beer while I am there.

 

[marvali]

thanks marv, she has a wise person telling her about the ugly ones.

So you're saying you've had a lot of practice convincing her to pick the "ugly one".........????




Nice update! I know I have heard Sugar Ray's "Fly" but I don't recognize the names of the others. Guess I will have to check the others out on the internet and see if I just don't know the songs by their names.

Cool that Candi got waved at. And even cooler you are taking her to hear Blake Shelton!!!

 

[glennbo123]

didnt you get a necklace for your ladies when you guys did it?

No, I told them about them but they didn't want to wait (we hadn't planned on doing pick-a-pearl ahead of time) so opted to get rings right there.

Sugar Ray would be a good Eat-to-the-Beat show, more current than say "Herman's Hermits" and a few hits that people know. That's awesome that Candi got a shout-out from Mark McGrath, but gee, first Chip and Dale, now Mark McGrath -- are you getting jealous? Who's next? One of the Jammitors???

Actually, I've heard Mark McGrath interviewed on the radio and he seems like a very cool, down to earth guy.

Gosh, if you don't like Samuel Adams are you un-American? Maybe with all of those varieties I could find one, but I didn't like their regular lager when it first came out.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

We saw Sugar Ray when we were there too. Candi is lying. Everyone and their mother had a HUGE crush on Mark McGrath back in the day including myself. She's really never been to a concert?? My first concert was when I was 7. New Kids on the Block. Oddly enough I'm going to see them in again in 8 days I have 3 more this summer. It's one of my favorite things about the summertime.

really i didnt know that, maybe she did have a crush on him.

nope no concert yet for her...3 new kids concerts? or other people?

That looks like it was such a fun time! The concert pictures are great. I loved that you guys had room to stand and dance.

I love Angry Orchard beer! It's probably one of the alcoholic drinks I really miss while being pregnant.

DH would like the Hops booth!

i think it helped it just got done raining so not that many people were around yet.

it is a good beer for the summer time,

giving up beer for a while is worth it when you see that little one for the first time.

when are you due again?

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Great Update!

Sugar Ray is great!! That is awesome you are taking her to see Blake Shelton. I love him on the Voice.

That is cute about him waving to her . She looked so excited

we are really excited to see him, he is really funny on that show, and we like his music so im sure it will be a good time.

she was VERY excited.

Very nice necklace !!! I love the pick a pearl !! The girls have done it there too !!!

you have never done it rosie? i think you would enjoy it.

you could give them your wooden spoon to beat the drum with.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Thanks for the update! Food and Wine has the best line up for concerts. Looked like you had a good time, especially Candi!

i have never really payed attention to who has played there in the past, but we were happy with who was playing the day we were there, we knew all there songs they played.

Finally playing catch up after a busy weekend.



So cool that Candi got waved at ...

I may need to have a beer day at F & W next time. Since I usually partake in the cocktail area - I don't switch to beer while I am there.

a beer day would be fun for you since you dont want to mix and i already saw the pics of how much of the other drinks you have, you might not make it out of WS on your own power.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

So you're saying you've had a lot of practice convincing her to pick the "ugly one".........????




Nice update! I know I have heard Sugar Ray's "Fly" but I don't recognize the names of the others. Guess I will have to check the others out on the internet and see if I just don't know the songs by their names.

Cool that Candi got waved at. And even cooler you are taking her to hear Blake Shelton!!!

well she does know you so she has experience with ugly ones.

hte other songs i mentioned are ones you will know for sure, they are his more popular ones.

we are pumped for the concert this summer

No, I told them about them but they didn't want to wait (we hadn't planned on doing pick-a-pearl ahead of time) so opted to get rings right there.

Sugar Ray would be a good Eat-to-the-Beat show, more current than say "Herman's Hermits" and a few hits that people know. That's awesome that Candi got a shout-out from Mark McGrath, but gee, first Chip and Dale, now Mark McGrath -- are you getting jealous? Who's next? One of the Jammitors???

Actually, I've heard Mark McGrath interviewed on the radio and he seems like a very cool, down to earth guy.

Gosh, if you don't like Samuel Adams are you un-American? Maybe with all of those varieties I could find one, but I didn't like their regular lager when it first came out.

you didnt tell me hermans hermits was playing there, i would book a trip for sure.

nope not jealous
if they keep coming at her, i might get some free passes out of it.

im sure you would like some of there beers, i like at least half of hteres that i try, some dark ones some lighter ones.

im not a fan of ther regular one as well, but there other flavors i like.

there summer beers are pretty good this year.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

we actually went into the festival center to buy a bottle but they were sold out. they told us it was one of there more popular ones, and that it was a mix of 5 different sangrias, hence the class 5 in the name i am assuming.

5 sangrias? Interesting. I know my DW would be interested.

and then it happened.

i put the digital camera down and pulled out the regular camera as soon as i turned it on, i here and video mark, on stage say "i see you baby" and waves.

i turn to candi with the camera and low and behold its her that is waving at him to cause him to wave back and call her baby...she is now all giddy and smiling from ear to ear.

she still talks about it and how it was soooooo cooooollll that he called her out and waved to her.

So what did you do? Heckle him? Storm the stage?

thats my wife, gets joy out of everything, but to really fix the situation, we have now booked tickets for her first "real" concert this summer we are going to see blake shelton in concert this summer and she is very excited about that.

Should we expect to read about you getting into a fight with Blake Shelton next?

the drink list at the american hops booth. detailed what each drink is like.

I'm going to take a wild guess that this is sponsored by Sam Adams.

 

[Weluvdisny]

I love all the info about F&W! This will be our first time going in October and I can't wait to experience it all.

 

[rramsr]

First another apology for taking so long between updates, was really busy lately and was gone for 5 days at the indy 500 (which was a blast)


Chapter 54. My Precious

It had come time for the long awaited destination for epcot.

Even though we did not allow each other to buy something for an anniversary gift that was one day before we left on the trip, i still broke the rule and bought her something.

My gift was the pick a pearl for candi.

She was really excited.

Before we left i had given her a necklace to put the pearl in, but that will come later after the other pictures.

So we went inside and paid for the pick a pearl.

We were given a number and told there was 4 others in front of us...

So we walked around the shop for a few minutes and what seemed like less than 10 minutes we were having our number called to come back up for the event.

The area around the pick a pearl was packed.

But not with people waiting there turn just people trying to see and push in on everyone to get close.

We had to nicely (which translates to asked a few times nicely then ask a few time not as nice to tell people we need to get through to pick the pearl, and if they wouldnt mind moving over so our family could see the whole event.

Finally we were able to make enough room for candi and parker to see, and i was just to the side with noelle in the stroller.

basically it started with candi picking a pearl, i told her about picking ones that are not as pretty which i had heard translates to ones that are better than others.

not sure what she was saying here, i have it on video but not with me. so the next few will just be part of the ceremony

the next one she had asked her if she sees the pearl, candi said no, then she moved the things in the shell around a little and showed it to her.

here she is digging it out of the oyster

and showing the pearl to candi.

what is left of the discarded oyster after the pearl was taken out.

this was a extra picture so i could remeber the price in case anyone wanted to know the price of the pick a pearl.
also because her pearl is now sitting in the salt/what crystal stuff to clean it off the rest of the way.

and banging the mighty drum after her pearl was out.

marking the bag with the size and bagging it up for her.

she got a 7 1/4 mm pearl, which the lady said was bigger than normal.

and here is the necklace that i got for candi before we left, she loved it, it is the Cinderella carriage for her necklace, it opens up and then clasps shut with the pearl inside it.

good thing her pearl wasnt any bigger as the cage did not close all the way but i was able to get the necklace through the part in the top that holds the cage shut so there is no way it can come out now.

candi was thrilled with it.

in case you cant tell from this expression.

we did run into a drunk lady at the pick a pearl that almost ended up in the pearl tank she was wobbling so much.

but despite that we had a great experience there and i would recommend it.

if you want info on the necklace just let me know ill send it to

from there we went outside and stopped at the japan booth.

i think candi was still on cloud 9 after her pick a pearl cause she walked up to these girls to order her sandwich and they said they dont work there just eating there food, there was another stand on the other side they pointed her too that was open.

after going to the right side, she then proceded to get her snack.

it was a very good sukiyaki beef pan, which is a marinated thinly sliced rib eye with sauteed onions and teriyaki sauce...we loved it.

the picture didnt turn out the best but that sandwich was awesome we both loved it.
it started to spit rain a little bit so we rushed over to the japan store area in the back by the kid cot station...i had never been over here before and it was neat to see what was around.

since we were in the area we stopped so the kids could do there kid cot station.

since it was pouring out pretty good parker was able to color a good amount of his duffy and noelle lost interest pretty quickly so she entertained herself by playing in the window sill

the rain didnt last long and soon enough we were ready to leave for our next spot.

Hi. Wow, what a great report. I have been reading it since yesterday and will be staying at AoA in August, love the pictures.
Last year in Disney I did the pick a pearl and got the same size, if you don't me asking what price range was the necklace? Did you get that in Disney? If so where? Thanks

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

5 sangrias? Interesting. I know my DW would be interested.



So what did you do? Heckle him? Storm the stage?



Should we expect to read about you getting into a fight with Blake Shelton next?



I'm going to take a wild guess that this is sponsored by Sam Adams.

she gave me a drink of it and it was pretty good, but sadly we did nto find it at the center to buy a bottle.

no no fight i let her have her moment

no fights with blake, i think he would be cool to hang out with, he can call her out in the crowd if he wants.


highly sponsored by mr adams...

I love all the info about F&W! This will be our first time going in October and I can't wait to experience it all.

thanks for reading along, and glad your are getting some helpful information for your trip.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Hi. Wow, what a great report. I have been reading it since yesterday and will be staying at AoA in August, love the pictures.
Last year in Disney I did the pick a pearl and got the same size, if you don't me asking what price range was the necklace? Did you get that in Disney? If so where? Thanks

thanks for reading along, im glad you are staying at AoA i think you will love it, it is a really fun resort.

ill send you a PM with the information where i got it from.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Chapter 56. No time to stop we are looking for something.

This chapter entails not a lot of stopping more drive by picture taking than anything we were on a mission. While waiting and watching the sugar ray concert parker informed me he was hungry for ice cream.

so who am I to deny my little buddy a tasting for a mickey bar.

when we left the american adventure, i had already checked all the food places there and found no such luck in acquiring a mickey bar for paker. you would think, america would have some but nope, what is more american than ice cream.

so on to the next stop it was.

Italy did they have ice cream?

nope not a mickey bar, but a cannoli. not a mickey bar, he was no go.

but a ravioli did temp the adults and noelle into trying some.

and why stop at just the ravioli when you can have the sweet italian sausage and peppers.

parker was not to thrilled that the three of us stopped for more food and didnt find his mickey bar yet, so we ate our snacks, and ventured on looking for that mickey bar.

poland didnt have it, i almost got a pierogie, but passed on it this time.

somehow he had time to admire the trains though and forgot all about his mickey bar when we went by germany though.

what can i say the kid loves trains.

which in all fairness was fine to stop as it gave us time to pick out our glasses at the germany glass stand like we have been doing the last few trips, we get a glass with a different character on it, and have the date of the trip engraved on the back as a memento.

this years was toy story for me and the castle for candi.

i really wanted the brat in pretzel roll here, but with the looks that i was getting for not finding the mickey bar, i passed on it.

right across the pathway was the cheese cart, and the cheese fondue was in my sights, but that mission for the mickey bar, that none of the last 3 food carts we passed had was still out there and we were hunting.

despite the beer stand the brewers collection in germany REALLY calling my name, i knew that getting the beer would not be a wise choice, and the line was really long for it anyway, you could tell the locals were starting to come out in epcot that night as the lines were all getting really long at this point in the evening, it was just after 5 so people were coming to the nations for the evening.

between germany and china were two other food boths that didnt have a country to tie to them so they were just on the pathway.


nothing peaked my interest to much at south africa.

same with south korea, but i still took a picture to make sure i hit every sign that they had to fully show all the options for people out there, and from my investigating work, it seems that they have basically the same menu each year at each country so if you are going this year hope the pictures help out.

still no ice cream stands in our horizon.

but he did see china and wanted to stop here and do the kid cot station, i guess he pushed the ice cream want to the side for the time being.

noelle just enjoyed the freedom of being out of her stroller while parker colored she had no interest at all coloring and sitting again, jungle gym time on the stroller was in her future.

working very hard on his masterpiece.

with coloring done in china we stepped back outside to see there food booth.

i really wanted a steamed bun, but that might have steamed up the younger crowd...so a picture and moving on it was.

norway was next on the list, and of a kid cot stop was in the cards as well...the CM's here were more intersted in coloring there own duffys than interacting with the kids, but parker didnt seem to notice at all, which was good, but us parents did take note of it.

noelle once again was in hyper mode and took to grabbing stuffed animals and sprinting across the store to me to show them to me.

one more picture and one more swing and a miss with getting a food item...no swedish meatballs for me on this trip.

so one more country left before we hit future world again, will mickey bars be in our future tonight?

find out next chapter.

have a great weekend everyone.

 

[mrsdrake625]

Have been lurking a while but wanted to say - your trip reports are SO fun and your kids are adorable. They make me look forward to taking our own kiddos to Disney one day!

Thanks for sharing the pictures of the food booth menus - some really tasty looking stuff on there.

I'm so surprised there were no Mickey bars in America...

 

[eandesmom]

I am hungry now and sad for Parker but also amused at what he did find time for

Fun update!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Trentmom]

Poor Parker

Guessing you had to venture out to Future World to get him his ice cream bar

I am a picky person, but after looking at your food signs, a lot of that food actually looked really good

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So many yummy looking food choices, and I see some of my favorite wineries there, too - you showed a lot of restraint holding out for that elusive Mickey Bar!