The Disney-fication of our Non-Disney Vacation...an October 2013 TR

[KatMark]

you are at your park day!

Epcot is a lovely choice. You would THINK after all the time they had Test Track down for that they would have figured out by now why it keeps breaking down. I'm sorry it did, but glad you did not wait in line longer than you did.

Mark loves riding The Land; I could skip it every other trip, but he likes to relax on the boat ride. LOVE Soarin'!

There is always someone in the group, no matter the size, that isn't looking at the camera.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Yeah for your parks day finally! Boooooo though that Test Track was down.

that LWTL ended up being your first ride of the trip. I like LWTL but there are definitely other rides that are better. Great pictures from the ride. I always try to get pictures of "Jim's" chickens in that first part but it's just too dark. Of course I did have my new camera this last trip so maybe I got some? Cliff hanger for my TR!

So glad you made it onto Soarin' even if you had to wait a while. That ride is just so awesome. How were the black spots for you guys?

Can't wait to read all about your F & W experience!

I honestly didn't notice the black spots. I think I was just so excited to be ON the ride, that nothting could have put a damper on the magic I had running through my veins by that time.

Sooooo, you caught me on a good day and I am EXTREMELY antsy, so guess what.....


Another update coming up!!!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

you are at your park day!

Epcot is a lovely choice. You would THINK after all the time they had Test Track down for that they would have figured out by now why it keeps breaking down. I'm sorry it did, but glad you did not wait in line longer than you did.

Mark loves riding The Land; I could skip it every other trip, but he likes to relax on the boat ride. LOVE Soarin'!

There is always someone in the group, no matter the size, that isn't looking at the camera.

Well, I am all for relaxing a time or two while at the parks, too...but first ride of the trip? NO THANK YOU!

I have no idea WHAT Charity was saying or doing in that one group photo, but she would probably KILL me if she knew I shared it with the Dis-world!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I'm all on board for DIS DAY!!! Screw the hump day hoopla! i want to DIS!!!


and your all playing with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


Love your update what's up with TT?? Zack will flip if it's down at out trip!!! He.. Will.. FLIP

i love the picture of Gabe.. that cracks me up.. so does you going on the land... never did it... don't wanna...

 

[oopsiDAISY]

So, since I am apparently very hungry, and just CANNOT wait to talk about food, you all get a bonus update today! (Besides, I must ALWAYS post my food pictures about an hour before Pluto0809 takes her lunch break, )

After leaving Soarin' we could not get over to WS fast enough!!! This is what we had dreamed about ever since we had decided in March 2012 to start taking our trips in October instead of March....this was IT...this was Food and Wine Festival!!!!

We started on the Mexico side. There would be five of us sharing our samples, so be prepared, because we tried LOTS of stuff! After getting our passports, we wasted NO time getting our first sample:



We started out with the Pork Slider from Hawaii. Jillian was a little wary of trying it, because she is not a "sauce" kind of person. She likes her sandwiches plain, she doesn't dip stuff in sauces. But I talked her into giving a try anyhow...all for the sake of adventure. Brian and I have always liked to be adventurous with our dining, and we have raised our kids to be this way as well. So, Jillian tried it.... and it got a unanimous nod of approval from the oopsiFAMILY!

Next up was Brazil:



Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Onions, Avocado & Cilantro. I really liked the Pork Belly and the Black Beans, but I was not crazy about the Avacado concoction on top. The kids felt the same way I did about the avacado stuff, but Brian liked it. Overall, we liked it...but not a favorite.

Australia was the next booth that caught our fancy. This is one Brian was really excited to try. He loves Lamb, and does not get to have it very often. So, he was delighted to make this purchase:



Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto & Potato Crunchies. Do those look like potato chip crumbs on top? Well, they sure tasted like crumbled up potato chips. We could have done without that. This dish was super yummy. Again, we were not crazy about the mint pesto on top, but the lamb chop was ever so good! This one got one of these from the oopsiFAMILY:

We had reached Mexico by this time. While we knew we would not try their culinary offering, we DID stop for a fun photo:



Somewhere in a family photo album my mom has a picture of an 8 yr old me with one of those giant sombreros on!

Next up was Singapore. None of my family was very interested in what they had to offer...but I saw something I wanted to try:



Lemongrass Chicken Curry with Coconut & Jasmine Rice. The family all had a nibble, and said it was pretty good....but I LOVED this. This turned out to be my favorite sample of the Food and Wine Festival. I still dream about all the yummy flavors in this dish. So from ME, this gets:

From here we headed to Africa. Gabe took the time to play around while Brian and my dad went to order food:



Something funny happened then. My dad decided that his sample looked REALLY good, so he took a bite on his way over to us...all of a sudden we hear him coughing, and hacking, and really raising a ruckus! He said..."This stuff is HOT!!!" Here is the offending food sample:



Berbere Style Beef with Onions, Jalapenos, Tomato, Okra & Pap. We soon figured out that he had bitten directly into one of the Jalapenos. We all tried it. It was indeed spicy, but if one avoided the jalapenos, you would be fine. Brian didn't care for the "Pap", it was similar to grits, which he does not like. Again, we thought it was good, but not a favorite.

Well, it is time for me to head over to the Christmas luncheon, so I will leave you hanging from here...

 

[Pluto0809]

Luckily I didn't see your update till after I ate lunch! I was too busy talking food over on Mo's PTR.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a picky eater. All of that stuff looked really good but I know I wouldn't like most of it. The only one I wished I would have tried was the lamb chop. Next time I think I'll start the other way around. We headed to Canada first because I was beelining for the Mushroom Filet!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Just realized I was so antsy to get some updates done that I had not posted replies...sorry everyone!!!

I hope Gabe is feeling better soon... Poor guy.

Looking forward to hearing the end of this TR - because I am ansiously awaiting all of the juicy cruise details!!

I was wondering what that was the just flew past my window.... It's windy up here in MN and I think it was part of your brain scatterings. ;O)

D~

Gabe is indeed feeling better, he went back to school today. Brian had planned to stay home with him yesterday, then school was called off since we had a dusting of snow. So, Brian got to stay home with all three kids yesterday!

I wondered where those pieces of my brain went! Those were the pieces that would have let me know I forgot to post comments this morning.

I didn't even realize that you had this trip report going. So, I spent my lunch hour over a chicken pot pie and your trip report. Gotta say, I enjoyed the report so much more than my pot pie.

Your son reminds me so much of Hunter at his age. From the day Hunter started watching cartoons and movies, he had to have a costume and "props" for every single show or movie.

You guys are doing an awesome job at Disney-fying the trip so far! Looking forward to reading more.

MMMM~ love me some chicken pot pie, especially if it is homemade! Glad you are enjoying the TR. Yours are fantastic!

Yay~ I hope that means Gabe will turn out to be just as fun-loving as Hunter! I love my daughters, but I must say sons are just something special, aren't they? I just love his very funny, imaginative, creative, and wonderfully affectionate nature.

I'm back and trying to catch up.

Sounds like a lovely Thanksgiving weekend and the kids looked like they enjoyed themselves. Men=football. There's no getting past it.

What a nice "date night." Now that you mention it, I've never seen a review of Bongos (Mark and I did peek at the menu in August but there is nothing there I would eat). I'm glad you had such an enjoyable night together.

Welcome back, Kathy!!! I may or may not be stalking your FB to find out when you start your TR....

 

[missangelalexis]

Lovely start to your Epcot day (Except for TT being down). And such yummy foods! I absolutely loved the pork slider, it was one of my faves!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

I'm all on board for DIS DAY!!! Screw the hump day hoopla! i want to DIS!!!


and your all playing with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


Love your update what's up with TT?? Zack will flip if it's down at out trip!!! He.. Will.. FLIP

i love the picture of Gabe.. that cracks me up.. so does you going on the land... never did it... don't wanna...

I must agree that today has been a fantastic Dis Day!!! I am so over work right now...I sent Brian a text this morning that said, and I quote:

"Can it be Christmas already? I am just over this whole going to work every day stuff!"

We were definitely NOT happy with TT being broke. But, the good news for you is that you will have more than one day to do the parks of your choice. So, if it does have issues you will have time to catch it later. That was our one and only chance this time around.

Gabe is the king of the cheesy grins and funny pictures. Are you referring to the oversized sombrero he is hiding under? Because if you are, there will be more of that type of shenanigan coming up later...

Yeah, yeah...if you ever make it to the World with "older" folks you too will have to do "fun" things like LWTL...

Luckily I didn't see your update till after I ate lunch! I was too busy talking food over on Mo's PTR.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a picky eater. All of that stuff looked really good but I know I wouldn't like most of it. The only one I wished I would have tried was the lamb chop. Next time I think I'll start the other way around. We headed to Canada first because I was beelining for the Mushroom Filet!

We paced ourselves so that we could make it all the way around WS to Canada...

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Lovely start to your Epcot day (Except for TT being down). And such yummy foods! I absolutely loved the pork slider, it was one of my faves!

You must have been posting this comment while I was commenting on the other comments!

Yes, that slider was really yummy. We all liked it a lot. It makes me want to put pineapple in my pulled pork when I make it at home...not sure my family would think it was okay to do at home, though. They thought it was good there, but something tells me they would feel differently about it if I tried it here at home. Kind of like the pork belly and black beans...it was adventurous and fun there, but if I tried to fry up a slab of that at home it would get quite the different reaction, you know?

 

[DMGeurts]

I cannot believe that your very first disney ride was broken down- what a shame! I know you all only had this one day in the parks, and I can only imagine your urgency to do as much as possible - so that had to be such a disappointment. However, I am glad you didn't waste anymore time in line than you did.

LOL about not being able to get family pictures... I think it's pretty cute actually.

I think Living with the Land gets a lot more "visibility" than prior to Soarin' being there... I think most everyone waiting for their FPs goes there - which is a good thing. It's a very interesting ride, IMO.

Loved all of the food pics - as usual, you don't disappoint. I am not sure which my favorite would be? I LOVE curry - so that would have to be some where at the top, I am sure. I am like Brian - I love lamb too - but I rarely get it (ahem, the last time I had it was for my 21st birthday - I think I am due? LOL)... I love the mealie pap at Tusker House... MMmmmm... I could go for some now... I know it's not the same thing - totally a different recipe, but I'd be willing to try it just for the pap portion.

THanks for the text about the update yesterday... I am finding my Dis time to be very short these days, since DH is home for school every. single. day. for the next 2 weeks... Sigh. So, anything I need to get done on The Dis, I must do right away in the morning.

Thanks for the great update - you have NO idea how WONDERFUL it is to see the Oopsi family enjoying their day in Disney!

D~

 

[Chicago Mo]

I LOVE your rating system!!! <-- i am stealing this idea too..

yes the sombrero picture is a HOOT!!! you have a wonderful family and it shows in each picture!!

You didn't get the soup? i forgot where.. Canada?!? Kathy would know.. so would Ariana.. they have become my foodies..


I hope you have another DIS day.. because i need warm thoughts with the -94586702957 outside..

 

[Pluto0809]

I LOVE your rating system!!! <-- i am stealing this idea too..

yes the sombrero picture is a HOOT!!! you have a wonderful family and it shows in each picture!!

You didn't get the soup? i forgot where.. Canada?!? Kathy would know.. so would Ariana.. they have become my foodies..


I hope you have another DIS day.. because i need warm thoughts with the -94586702957 outside..

Yep, the cheese soup is in Canada.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

I cannot believe that your very first disney ride was broken down- what a shame! I know you all only had this one day in the parks, and I can only imagine your urgency to do as much as possible - so that had to be such a disappointment. However, I am glad you didn't waste anymore time in line than you did.

LOL about not being able to get family pictures... I think it's pretty cute actually.

I think Living with the Land gets a lot more "visibility" than prior to Soarin' being there... I think most everyone waiting for their FPs goes there - which is a good thing. It's a very interesting ride, IMO.

Loved all of the food pics - as usual, you don't disappoint. I am not sure which my favorite would be? I LOVE curry - so that would have to be some where at the top, I am sure. I am like Brian - I love lamb too - but I rarely get it (ahem, the last time I had it was for my 21st birthday - I think I am due? LOL)... I love the mealie pap at Tusker House... MMmmmm... I could go for some now... I know it's not the same thing - totally a different recipe, but I'd be willing to try it just for the pap portion.

THanks for the text about the update yesterday... I am finding my Dis time to be very short these days, since DH is home for school every. single. day. for the next 2 weeks... Sigh. So, anything I need to get done on The Dis, I must do right away in the morning.

Thanks for the great update - you have NO idea how WONDERFUL it is to see the Oopsi family enjoying their day in Disney!

D~

Thankfully TT would be our only big disappointment that day. We weren't able to do AS much as "normal" because we split the day into two parks, so Fastpasses were pretty useless. We did do some long standby lines, but other times we lucked out. Overall, we were all satisfied that we got to do what we REALLY wanted to do that day...other than TT.

The group shots were funny, I agree. We are definitely a group of characters!

So much good food...and I am just getting started, girl! We took full advantage of the F&W festival. Can you say over $100 for lunch? And there were not alcohol purchases...

I LOVE your rating system!!! <-- i am stealing this idea too..

yes the sombrero picture is a HOOT!!! you have a wonderful family and it shows in each picture!!

You didn't get the soup? i forgot where.. Canada?!? Kathy would know.. so would Ariana.. they have become my foodies..


I hope you have another DIS day.. because i need warm thoughts with the -94586702957 outside..

We will make our way over to Canada...worry not, my friend! Hmmmm...I may just be in the mood to get my Dis on again today...

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Well, it's December, and that means....

Christmas with the oopsiFAMILY!!! We have been up to the usual early December shenanigans:



Gabe is such a cheeser when there is a camera around! Am I the ony one who has daughters that insist on wearing crazy socks that don't match? I know it must be a trend since there is that Miss Match store at DTD...but does it drive any other Moms crazy?

Jillian got to put the Angel on top of the tree for the first time this year, and it was a big deal to her:



The finished tree:



I get to do the Nativity every year, because I have had the set for 16 years and I do not trust munchkins with it.





And speaking of Munchkins...isn't this one just adorable?



And this is where the Santa hat lives now:



Our halls are decked now:





And of course December means the start of something else very special to our family:



We love Advent season.

Then, just for the heck of it...here are some shenanigans that took place last night while I was cooking dinner:

 

[Chicago Mo]

WHAT A RIOT!!!! Looks amazing your tree is so pretty! Nativity scene is precious.

looks like you guys have fun!!!

I had to pull teeth with Matt his year to help decorate..

 

[DMGeurts]

Great update! I always love seeing pictures of your house, it's always immaculate and not a dust bunny to be found anywhere.

Yah, my girls never ever wear matching socks... Many days, I am lucky to get them to.wear socks at all. And coats... We just won't go there.... Sigh.

Your tree is gorgeous... Your nativity is beautiful, and I don't blame you for setting it up yourself.

Love the shenanigans from last night. Happy holiday season to you and the family.

D~

 

[Pluto0809]

Cute Christmas pictures! I love all of your decorations.

I don't think there is anything wrong with two different socks. The trend when I was in school was to wear multiple pairs so they were layered with different colors. I have no idea how I stood that much material on my feet!

I love Gabe's choice of sports pajamas with the camo robe.

 

[KatMark]

I love your tree! It's beautiful. And the family pictures decorating are so much fun.

Love the silly pictures too.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

WHAT A RIOT!!!! Looks amazing your tree is so pretty! Nativity scene is precious.

looks like you guys have fun!!!

I had to pull teeth with Matt his year to help decorate..

We really do have so much fun together as a family. Jillian and I had that conversation over the weekend. After harsh words were spoken and apologies were given all around, we talked about how special our family is...how much we love and ENJOY each other. We are blessed!!!

Great update! I always love seeing pictures of your house, it's always immaculate and not a dust bunny to be found anywhere.

Yah, my girls never ever wear matching socks... Many days, I am lucky to get them to.wear socks at all. And coats... We just won't go there.... Sigh.

Your tree is gorgeous... Your nativity is beautiful, and I don't blame you for setting it up yourself.

Love the shenanigans from last night. Happy holiday season to you and the family.

D~

Our house is FAR from immaculate, but thank you! I despise clutter, so I stay on top of everyone to keep things picked up...but, as for the dust bunnies....I just artfully avoid them when taking pictures.

The COATS!!!! Let me guess...your girls don't want to wear coats, right? I have to NAG the heck out of Jillian to get her to wear a coat. Somehow she thinks a hoodie is just fine for keeping her warm...and then she ends up with a cold!

Gotta love 'em!

Cute Christmas pictures! I love all of your decorations.

I don't think there is anything wrong with two different socks. The trend when I was in school was to wear multiple pairs so they were layered with different colors. I have no idea how I stood that much material on my feet!

I love Gabe's choice of sports pajamas with the camo robe.

OMGoodness, Ariana....I wore the multiple socks too...with Candies high tops, right? yes, I guess we were guilty of some ridiculous fashions, too weren't we?

He loves that robe....9x out of 10, that robe is part of whatever costume he puts together, too.

I love your tree! It's beautiful. And the family pictures decorating are so much fun.

Love the silly pictures too.

Thanks, Kathy! I let the kids do the tree completely now each year. With Jillian as the supervisor/ re-arranger, it turns out beautiful every year!