UKANGEL
Champagne Girls Rule!
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2002
- Messages
- 2,808
....the Pre-show...
Directed by:
Angel (Mandy) Control freak, veteran of 14 trips, organizer extraordinaire
Chunkster20uk (Mark) also a control freak, and chief driver
Produced (& financed) by:
Dad Grandpa Clampet lovable, impatient & grumpy
Mum Grandma Clampet also loveable, much more patient and not so grumpy (but very hard of hearing)
Choreography:
Isobelle (Izzy) age 12, already a Diva
Chief Jester:
Elliott age 14, a lovable 6ft 4inch streak of lightning
..and starring..
Becky 19 my dd, beautiful, talented, takes after her Mum
Paul 22 - Beckys bf, no idea what hes let himself in for .
Tracey my little sis, hates planning, and being told what to do
Chris BIL see above
Jess 17 chief mourner, pining for her bf back in Swindon
All the holidaymakers have done Disney before, sis & family just once in 2001, for Mum & Dad its their 4th visit in 6 years, Paul was here 10 years ago and Mark, Becky and I have racked up nearly 30 trips between us ..
Day 9
Saturday 27th October
Some time on Saturday morning we wake up, and surprise, surprise we have something of a hangover. Theres a mammoth shopping trip to Florida Mall planned for today so we have to shake those cobwebs right out of our heads as quickly as possible. Nothing stops a girl and her shopping!
Chat with the family about their evening yesterday and find out they went to eat at Carrabas on the 192 and had a good meal, even Becky enjoyed it. BIL managed to pick up some MNSSHP tickets at MK yesterday fort 9 of us so were all set to trick and treat the following night woohoo! (Or should that be Boo! To you!? Theyve also been up to the clubhouse to report the dirty dog, and found hed been at it again this morning! Great!
As usual we leave first taking Paul & Becky with us (the lure of shopping has an amazing effect on my daughters morning habits!) and we arrange to meet in the mall later. Izzy is hoping shell get to do some shopping with Becky & I as she shares our shopping passion. I dont imagine my Dad will last very long I cant believe hes actually coming shopping at all, it must be a first!
We arrive at the mall around 10 am and have a bit of a shock when we see all the building and knocking down going on .I have a small panic attack at the thought of my favourite mall being closed!!! The weather is rubbish today so it seems to be a good day to be inside .any excuse! Hot Topic is our first call as always, but we are slightly disappointed this time as they seem to have a smaller selection on offer, the staff arent as friendly as usual, and even Becky isnt impressed. I do manage to buy some pretty white feather Angels wings that I intend to wear at Mickeys Halloween party tomorrow, and the kids, Mark and I buy a couple of band t shirts each.
Torrid is my next stop, HTs sister shop for us curvy but funky ladies. I manage (easily) to spend $270 here (and thats with my discount), on some great trousers, tops, a belt, undies and other bits and pieces. Then its on to Gap where I spy my Clampet sister and her dds. I also meet up with Mum briefly, but she than disappears and gets lost for 30 minutes or so, I have no idea how! Mark buys a couple of jumpers in Gap, and I buy a vest top and some socks, and we need some sustenance after that. Meet up with rest of the gang (and eventually Mum turns up too, looking very stressed) and show Izzy and Elliott Hot Topic, where Ell is very impressed by all the Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise, but Izzy is upset because they have no My Chemical Romance Ts.
Our tummies are rumbling by now so we all agree we need food, heading to the food court as we dont want a big meal (were sorely tempted by Bucco de Beppes though). Not quite sure what happens here, but one minute were all heading the same way, next its just us and Becky & Paul! Afterwards we find out the rest thought it was just too crowded for them *shrug*. Whatever!
I find a table for 4, as I am a wiz at this .I can smell a vacant table & chairs at 100 feet ..and Mark queues at Taco Bell, and dd & Paul at the Health Food place (they do vegan options here which is handy.) After a satisfying lunch (if not too healthy) its time to find Old Navy & Sephora. We had originally planned to go straight from here to Mall of Millennia, but even my supersonic shopping powers are depleted by now and we decide we may have to call it a day after this.
Old Navy is disappointing this time, all the XXL womens stuff seems to have disappeared, but I make up for it s lack in Sephora where I bump into Becky and we have some what of a spending spree. Shes a well brought up girl! I snag a Benefit make up set Ive wanted for a mere $20, instead of £25 in the UK, some Clinique moisturizer for just $11 and various other bits and pieces, while Becky spends nearly $200 on all her favourite make up which would have cost her double in the UK. What can I say we have expensive taste!
The boys have left us and popped round to Xtreme so Paul can see the mini surf pool in action, and also buy some gear. Then its off to Sketchers for some trainers for Mark; theres a great deal as usually where you can buy a 2nd pair for half price but I just cant find any I like enough .very disappointing! Pac Sun, the CD shop, Journeys, then Macys to look at perfume and were done for. Mark actually ends up buying my Calvin Klein Truth from the stall by Hot Topic as its pretty cheap there .and certainly cheaper than Duty Free or the dept stores (or of course the UK). Im a happy little shopper now and its getting on for 4 pm so time to head back.
The traffic is awful on the way back (as is the weather). By the time we reach the villa the rain is torrential once again, this has been a real bummer all holiday. The others arrive and are a bit fed up as Dad really wanted to go to Boggy Creek but was outvoted apparently (good job as it rained). They took him to have an ice cream at Friendlies instead which cheered him up.
We all lazed around; some of us swim, and we all have to have a fashion show of our purchases. Izzy has bought 3 pairs of jeans and some t shirts so Im very proud of my niece! Mark then drives some of us in Big Red over to DTD. Weve decided we want to eat at the Rainforest Café and Becky & Paul, Tracey & Izzy, have joined us. Of course, its awful weather, and Saturday night so DTD is hell on earth! (As was the journey over) Parking the van will be a monumental task so us girls all get out and leave Mark & Paul to find a space somewhere that will accommodate the Clampet bus.
Over to the café and we are given a wait time of 2 hours!!!! Thatll be 10.15 before we eat then yikes! Just then a little man asks how many are in our party and when we tell him 6 he says if the rest can arrive in 10 minutes he has a table right now .great, but where are the boys??? A nail biting 15 minutes later they turn up but were sure weve had it by now woohoo! Our friendly little man spies us all and waves us inside to a table all ready for 6 people thank you so much Vim (like the cleaner he says).
Really enjoy it here, though I always forget how cold it is inside. Need a couple of margaritas to warm up and they really seem to help. Vim is really funny and has a very dry sense of humour which we love. He is fast and efficient without ever seeming to hurry us. As usual we all order far too much food; Tracey and I have the China Chicken salad which is wonderful but we could easily have shared one! Izzy is beaten by the half rack of ribs (it was never going to happen poor little mite) and Becky is felled by a vegan version of another wonderful salad. Only Paul manages to finish his steak dinner; that skinny boy should be the size of a house I reckon! Mark carries manfully on but eventually admits defeat. He ordered a couple of starters plus a Caesar salad for his main course .BIG mistake .and I mean BIG mistake there was enough food for the 6 of us! He tried really hard though! With all our drinks (3 drinking alcohol) and all that food the bill was still only $240 which I thought was great for what we had. Sis and I took our salads home in doggy bags, but we ended up throwing it all away the next day anyway.
Pop into a couple of shops, waddling all the way, before heading back to the villa, tired and stuffed. Were declaring tomorrow a rest day (for Mark and I anyway), before our Halloween party. Something has to give!
ps..... just realised we have no photo's for that day...so here's a sneak preview of tomorrow instead!
Directed by:
Angel (Mandy) Control freak, veteran of 14 trips, organizer extraordinaire
Chunkster20uk (Mark) also a control freak, and chief driver
Produced (& financed) by:
Dad Grandpa Clampet lovable, impatient & grumpy
Mum Grandma Clampet also loveable, much more patient and not so grumpy (but very hard of hearing)
Choreography:
Isobelle (Izzy) age 12, already a Diva
Chief Jester:
Elliott age 14, a lovable 6ft 4inch streak of lightning
..and starring..
Becky 19 my dd, beautiful, talented, takes after her Mum
Paul 22 - Beckys bf, no idea what hes let himself in for .
Tracey my little sis, hates planning, and being told what to do
Chris BIL see above
Jess 17 chief mourner, pining for her bf back in Swindon
All the holidaymakers have done Disney before, sis & family just once in 2001, for Mum & Dad its their 4th visit in 6 years, Paul was here 10 years ago and Mark, Becky and I have racked up nearly 30 trips between us ..
Day 9
Saturday 27th October
Some time on Saturday morning we wake up, and surprise, surprise we have something of a hangover. Theres a mammoth shopping trip to Florida Mall planned for today so we have to shake those cobwebs right out of our heads as quickly as possible. Nothing stops a girl and her shopping!
Chat with the family about their evening yesterday and find out they went to eat at Carrabas on the 192 and had a good meal, even Becky enjoyed it. BIL managed to pick up some MNSSHP tickets at MK yesterday fort 9 of us so were all set to trick and treat the following night woohoo! (Or should that be Boo! To you!? Theyve also been up to the clubhouse to report the dirty dog, and found hed been at it again this morning! Great!
As usual we leave first taking Paul & Becky with us (the lure of shopping has an amazing effect on my daughters morning habits!) and we arrange to meet in the mall later. Izzy is hoping shell get to do some shopping with Becky & I as she shares our shopping passion. I dont imagine my Dad will last very long I cant believe hes actually coming shopping at all, it must be a first!
We arrive at the mall around 10 am and have a bit of a shock when we see all the building and knocking down going on .I have a small panic attack at the thought of my favourite mall being closed!!! The weather is rubbish today so it seems to be a good day to be inside .any excuse! Hot Topic is our first call as always, but we are slightly disappointed this time as they seem to have a smaller selection on offer, the staff arent as friendly as usual, and even Becky isnt impressed. I do manage to buy some pretty white feather Angels wings that I intend to wear at Mickeys Halloween party tomorrow, and the kids, Mark and I buy a couple of band t shirts each.
Torrid is my next stop, HTs sister shop for us curvy but funky ladies. I manage (easily) to spend $270 here (and thats with my discount), on some great trousers, tops, a belt, undies and other bits and pieces. Then its on to Gap where I spy my Clampet sister and her dds. I also meet up with Mum briefly, but she than disappears and gets lost for 30 minutes or so, I have no idea how! Mark buys a couple of jumpers in Gap, and I buy a vest top and some socks, and we need some sustenance after that. Meet up with rest of the gang (and eventually Mum turns up too, looking very stressed) and show Izzy and Elliott Hot Topic, where Ell is very impressed by all the Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise, but Izzy is upset because they have no My Chemical Romance Ts.
Our tummies are rumbling by now so we all agree we need food, heading to the food court as we dont want a big meal (were sorely tempted by Bucco de Beppes though). Not quite sure what happens here, but one minute were all heading the same way, next its just us and Becky & Paul! Afterwards we find out the rest thought it was just too crowded for them *shrug*. Whatever!
I find a table for 4, as I am a wiz at this .I can smell a vacant table & chairs at 100 feet ..and Mark queues at Taco Bell, and dd & Paul at the Health Food place (they do vegan options here which is handy.) After a satisfying lunch (if not too healthy) its time to find Old Navy & Sephora. We had originally planned to go straight from here to Mall of Millennia, but even my supersonic shopping powers are depleted by now and we decide we may have to call it a day after this.
Old Navy is disappointing this time, all the XXL womens stuff seems to have disappeared, but I make up for it s lack in Sephora where I bump into Becky and we have some what of a spending spree. Shes a well brought up girl! I snag a Benefit make up set Ive wanted for a mere $20, instead of £25 in the UK, some Clinique moisturizer for just $11 and various other bits and pieces, while Becky spends nearly $200 on all her favourite make up which would have cost her double in the UK. What can I say we have expensive taste!
The boys have left us and popped round to Xtreme so Paul can see the mini surf pool in action, and also buy some gear. Then its off to Sketchers for some trainers for Mark; theres a great deal as usually where you can buy a 2nd pair for half price but I just cant find any I like enough .very disappointing! Pac Sun, the CD shop, Journeys, then Macys to look at perfume and were done for. Mark actually ends up buying my Calvin Klein Truth from the stall by Hot Topic as its pretty cheap there .and certainly cheaper than Duty Free or the dept stores (or of course the UK). Im a happy little shopper now and its getting on for 4 pm so time to head back.
The traffic is awful on the way back (as is the weather). By the time we reach the villa the rain is torrential once again, this has been a real bummer all holiday. The others arrive and are a bit fed up as Dad really wanted to go to Boggy Creek but was outvoted apparently (good job as it rained). They took him to have an ice cream at Friendlies instead which cheered him up.
We all lazed around; some of us swim, and we all have to have a fashion show of our purchases. Izzy has bought 3 pairs of jeans and some t shirts so Im very proud of my niece! Mark then drives some of us in Big Red over to DTD. Weve decided we want to eat at the Rainforest Café and Becky & Paul, Tracey & Izzy, have joined us. Of course, its awful weather, and Saturday night so DTD is hell on earth! (As was the journey over) Parking the van will be a monumental task so us girls all get out and leave Mark & Paul to find a space somewhere that will accommodate the Clampet bus.
Over to the café and we are given a wait time of 2 hours!!!! Thatll be 10.15 before we eat then yikes! Just then a little man asks how many are in our party and when we tell him 6 he says if the rest can arrive in 10 minutes he has a table right now .great, but where are the boys??? A nail biting 15 minutes later they turn up but were sure weve had it by now woohoo! Our friendly little man spies us all and waves us inside to a table all ready for 6 people thank you so much Vim (like the cleaner he says).
Really enjoy it here, though I always forget how cold it is inside. Need a couple of margaritas to warm up and they really seem to help. Vim is really funny and has a very dry sense of humour which we love. He is fast and efficient without ever seeming to hurry us. As usual we all order far too much food; Tracey and I have the China Chicken salad which is wonderful but we could easily have shared one! Izzy is beaten by the half rack of ribs (it was never going to happen poor little mite) and Becky is felled by a vegan version of another wonderful salad. Only Paul manages to finish his steak dinner; that skinny boy should be the size of a house I reckon! Mark carries manfully on but eventually admits defeat. He ordered a couple of starters plus a Caesar salad for his main course .BIG mistake .and I mean BIG mistake there was enough food for the 6 of us! He tried really hard though! With all our drinks (3 drinking alcohol) and all that food the bill was still only $240 which I thought was great for what we had. Sis and I took our salads home in doggy bags, but we ended up throwing it all away the next day anyway.
Pop into a couple of shops, waddling all the way, before heading back to the villa, tired and stuffed. Were declaring tomorrow a rest day (for Mark and I anyway), before our Halloween party. Something has to give!
ps..... just realised we have no photo's for that day...so here's a sneak preview of tomorrow instead!
