Weird and Ninja’s Pre-Disneymoon [Completed!]

[HowWeird]

Wow, it looks like a ton of people were concerned about the hash brown! If he wasn't so baked, he would've seen me with all those eyes!

---- now where is that cricket smiley ... ----

Those JR signs are the best. I think I learned that if you repeat a sign enough, it'll stick. I mean, now every time I hear the word cigarettes, I think, CHEAP! And of course, whenever I have the need to shop for porcelain dolls, it's off to JR I go!

Haha, it's hard not to accidentally slip and put a spoiler in here, so I'm not going to! I'm just going to enjoy the ride __

Yes, that is a smushed hashbrown.

 

[TokyoDina]

Wow I should have made a request for you to pick me up so crocs! I'm still thinking about getting some. I wonder if there is a croc store in town. I don't want the yucky clog ones the fashionable ones will do!

that was a lot.

I love southern advertising!

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Wow, it looks like a ton of people were concerned about the hash brown! If he wasn't so baked, he would've seen me with all those eyes!

---- now where is that cricket smiley ... ----

Those JR signs are the best. I think I learned that if you repeat a sign enough, it'll stick. I mean, now every time I hear the word cigarettes, I think, CHEAP! And of course, whenever I have the need to shop for porcelain dolls, it's off to JR I go!

Haha, it's hard not to accidentally slip and put a spoiler in here, so I'm not going to! I'm just going to enjoy the ride __

Yes, that is a smushed hashbrown.

The things we entertain ourselves with on long drives!

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Girl, you were serious about saving your money for Disney! Five dollars for a book is pretty good!

I know just what you mean about crocs. They look too big on my feet, too, so I don't buy them. I haven't tried any other ones than just the standard ones everyone seems to have, so you have inspired me to look a little deeper into the croc world and see if there is something for me! I am all about a comfortable shoe.

My guess is your dad caved and let you eat at the Cracker Barrel.

 

[Bridora]

There was a caption I saw that made me LOL:

"Let's eat Grandma!"

vs.

"Let's eat, Grandma!"
At the bottom it said, "Punctuation - it saves lives!" LOL!

I am still laughing from this! I think I need that on a t-shirt! I am pretty picky about those things, too, but I have no shame in my exclamation point overuse!

Don't worry about it taking a few installments to get to Florida. It makes us feel like we are right there with you. And I am enjoying the ride! (Hash brown roadkill and all)

 

[irky416]

I also have Cleos that I love! I also have 2 pairs. I can't wear the regular Crocs, because I am very picky about what goes near my toes (for example, I wear the seam of my sock across the top of my foot rather than on the tips of my toes!) and one of the holes on the regular Croc kept touching my pinky toe and made it feel like it was going to poke through and it was just awkward.

I love reading young adult literature, too. Have you read the Uglies series or the Georgia Nicholson series? They're two of my favorites!


*groan* to Weird's hasbrown joke!

 

[Brave teacher]

I love that there was a wall of rainbow colrs of crocs. So great! It sucks though that they didn't have outlet prices.

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, it looks like a ton of people were concerned about the hash brown! If he wasn't so baked, he would've seen me with all those eyes!

---- now where is that cricket smiley ... ----

Those JR signs are the best. I think I learned that if you repeat a sign enough, it'll stick. I mean, now every time I hear the word cigarettes, I think, CHEAP! And of course, whenever I have the need to shop for porcelain dolls, it's off to JR I go!

Haha, it's hard not to accidentally slip and put a spoiler in here, so I'm not going to! I'm just going to enjoy the ride __

Yes, that is a smushed hashbrown.

Haha, no spoilers! You can add your two cents once in a while especially when we get to the parks though

Wow I should have made a request for you to pick me up so crocs! I'm still thinking about getting some. I wonder if there is a croc store in town. I don't want the yucky clog ones the fashionable ones will do!

that was a lot.

I love southern advertising!

The websites online sometimes have much better deals! Wait for one of the "buy one get one" deals. Those are GREAT!

The things we entertain ourselves with on long drives!

Weird and I can come up with the silliest games. When I'm working and I have to finish a certain number of things (ex. just before I had to finish writing up questions for a quiz for 10 chapters), he'll give me a top 10 list. Just now he gave me the top 10 list of ways/places/methods he will NOT propose!

Girl, you were serious about saving your money for Disney! Five dollars for a book is pretty good!

I know just what you mean about crocs. They look too big on my feet, too, so I don't buy them. I haven't tried any other ones than just the standard ones everyone seems to have, so you have inspired me to look a little deeper into the croc world and see if there is something for me! I am all about a comfortable shoe.

My guess is your dad caved and let you eat at the Cracker Barrel.

And trust me, I spent it! Not as much as I set aside, but I didn't feel bad buying the things I wanted because I knew I saved it. Plus, with the extra after school tutoring that I picked up, I had cash to spend!

I'm really glad crocs is branching out to make better looking shoes. Flats are just the worst thing for back support, so even just a little bit helps. The greatest part was that many of my students asked me where I got my shoes when I first started wearing them (they notice everything right away). They didn't believe me when I said they were crocs until I showed them the back! They were amazed!

I am still laughing from this! I think I need that on a t-shirt! I am pretty picky about those things, too, but I have no shame in my exclamation point overuse!

Don't worry about it taking a few installments to get to Florida. It makes us feel like we are right there with you. And I am enjoying the ride! (Hash brown roadkill and all)

Yup! Exclamation points show up EVERYWHERE on DIS! I can't help it. Once I'm on this site, I'm just excited!

Thanks for still following. I'm glad that people are still along for the ride despite the length of it!

I also have Cleos that I love! I also have 2 pairs. I can't wear the regular Crocs, because I am very picky about what goes near my toes (for example, I wear the seam of my sock across the top of my foot rather than on the tips of my toes!) and one of the holes on the regular Croc kept touching my pinky toe and made it feel like it was going to poke through and it was just awkward.

I love reading young adult literature, too. Have you read the Uglies series or the Georgia Nicholson series? They're two of my favorites!

*groan* to Weird's hasbrown joke!

Yup! I remember asking you about your Cleos. Haha, the pinky toe thing conjures up a funny image!

Ooo, I haven't heard of those series. I should look into them! I'm always looking for books to use in class, and just to keep it easier, I read the ones that have won awards. Plus, those are the ones that are sold at our book fair, and students buy them for me because teachers create wish lists. It limits the choices since our fair is small, but I've still come across many great books that way.

I loved The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt; I actually just finished reading it the second time. It's about this kid who has to stay behind with his teacher on Wednesdays since he doesn't go to Hebrew school or catechism. His teacher starts making him read Shakespeare, and each chapter/each month is one play that he actually finds a way to relate to his life without even realizing it. Plus, it takes place during the Vietnam War, which is interesting since it's not a commonly used war in books (I've done a bunch of WWII/Holocaust books). I think it's so well-written, and it's funny too! I'm having my incoming 8th graders read it over the summer. I know they won't all appreciate it the way I do, but it will expose them to things they didn't know beforehand especially with the social context.

I love that there was a wall of rainbow colrs of crocs. So great! It sucks though that they didn't have outlet prices.

The store also had these signs above the shoes that used crocs in many colors to create a larger image. Like if they were to make a rainbow, they'd use like, a hundred red crocs, a hundred orange ones, and so on and so forth to actually make the rainbow. Those were so fun to see!

 

[RachelNinja]

A Napoleon Dynamite Non-Update

It's 11:45pm on April 22, 2010, and I'm sorry to say that I do not and will not have an update. I really wanted to post one every single day, but I've finally come across the first day when that won't be possible.

As I was driving home from work, I felt slightly sick and also really confused. I don't know what happened, but it took a lot out of me to concentrate on driving to get home. I've dealt with many health issues in the past, but they've always been physical things. Today I only felt slightly physically ill but who knows what was going on in my mind! There's no other word to describe what I was feeling except confused.

Because of that, I came home and took a shower and went to bed. When I finally got up, it was time for dinner and then lesson plans! Now it's time to head back to bed.

I won't leave without a picture though. I don't want to post any spoilers, so here's a random picture of Weird and me.

This was taken (one-handed, haha) on our 4th date when we dated the first time when we were both still in college (probably 2006?). You can see that we changed a bit since then. Look at Weird's hair! Look at my non-eyeliner-ed eyes!

Don't you love my hairstyle though? Napoleon Dynamite anyone? Weird and I were watching the movie, and in the middle of a scene, I ran to the bathroom to fix my hair in this style a la Deb!

 

[Cat0727]

Hope you're feeling ok, Rachel!

LOL! Your hairstyle is classic! Napoleon Dynamite is hilarious I wonder what happened to all those actors- if they've done any more work after that movie.

 

[tinkgurl]

Your mom goes to college!

 

[dellasgirl]

i edit because i can

 

[Believeinfairytales]

That's scary about your drive home yesterday! I hope all is okay!

Oh, and you guys look adorable in that picture. You know, eighties are coming back, so you could totally get away with that hairdo now.

 

[Cinderella16]

Hope you are feeling better! Take care of yourself, we'll wait!

 

[irky416]

Feel better! This week at school did me in and I am feeling much the same way.

Cute hair!

 

[RachelNinja]

Hope you're feeling ok, Rachel!

LOL! Your hairstyle is classic! Napoleon Dynamite is hilarious I wonder what happened to all those actors- if they've done any more work after that movie.

Thanks! I feel better today, so I'm hoping it was just a fluke.

I think the craziest thing is that I "knew" Deb from the movie Corrina, Corrina with Ray Liotta and Whoopi Goldberg. It slightly bothered me to see her as Deb; I couldn't accept it! But then she was also on Veronica Mars, so then I got used to seeing her elsewhere!

Jon Heder/Napoleon did make other movies afterwards. A funny movie that I enjoyed was Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell! I watched it when I was sick and sitting on the recliner in the living room, so the fact that I was still able to watch it and laugh while sick was a good sign!

Your mom goes to college!

I always wondered why she would leave her boondoggle keychains after that! Haha, take it with you!

hope you are feeling better today Rachel

Thanks so much! I'm feeling better than yesterday. My parents had to go pick up my aunt from the airport (she was stuck in Europe because of the volcano ash), so they dropped me off at work. It was nice not having to think about driving today just to give my mind some rest in case I wasn't feeling well again.

That's scary about your drive home yesterday! I hope all is okay!

Oh, and you guys look adorable in that picture. You know, eighties are coming back, so you could totally get away with that hairdo now.

Thanks! I hope it never happens again!

Haha, I'll dig out my leggings (the ones that have the strap to slip under the feet) and my Keds as well. Gotta find a big sweatshirt that falls off my shoulder.

Hope you are feeling better! Take care of yourself, we'll wait!

Thank you! I knew that today I had to write a good installment after missing yesterday, so I finally have the Cracker Barrel one to post!

Feel better! This week at school did me in and I am feeling much the same way.

Cute hair!

If you saw my Facebook status, you read that I had a better day because the 7th grade went on a field trip. I can't believe that one class being away could make my mood change considerably! I'm still fatigued, but at least I'm not as frustrated as I usually am. Weekends were created for teachers. How else would we recharge to go back on Mondays to the hectic chaos that is middle school?

 

[RachelNinja]

Saturday, April 3: The Much Awaited and Anticipated CB Meal!

Many Disney vacationers look forward to their favorite table service meal in the park. That could be Le Cellier, The Hollywood Brown Derby, or Cinderella’s Royal Table. The meal I was anticipating considering all those enticing billboards was Cracker Barrel! Thankfully, my dad was okay with eating there when my mom asked. I was ecstatic! He’s not a country food kind of guy. Since he didn’t really enjoy the meal he had the one and only time we ate a Cracker Barrel in Virginia, I knew it was really a 50/50 chance that we’d get to eat there. My mood was definitely uplifted!

I love the feel of the place even when walking in the General Store. Look at all the decorations! Many restaurants hang things up on the walls and from the ceilings, but the choice of décor at CB doesn’t seem as “loud,” if you know what I mean. Even though it’s busy, I don’t get the feeling that there’s TOO much stuff to look at. It’s still a little bit more subtle than other restaurants, in my opinion.

This old-fashioned Coke display was cute! I really enjoy those little touches.

We didn’t have to wait for a table so that was a plus. The only bad thing about the restaurant is that they have an animal head above the fireplace! Ahh, why must they do that?!? Thankfully, we were seated in the last “room” so that the partition blocked my view of the animal.

First order of business was to peruse the delicious menu! This is just the middle portion where I saw the dish I knew I was going to get – the Chicken n’ Dumplin Platter for $8.29! The menu says, “Each day we start with chicken tenderloin “the best of the breast” and our own rolled by hand, made from scratch dumplins. Both are slow simmered in our own chicken stock right in our kitchens. Served with your choice of any three country vegetables.”

The other items I was considering were the Chicken Fried Chicken (I’m bad because I love the thick crunch of this kind of fried food and then add gravy on it?!? YUM!) and the Farm-Raised Catfish Platter. Weird ended up ordering that, so I knew I could have the opportunity to try it!

Of course, considering the picture of the sign that I got earlier that said … well, it said PART of “dinner by lamplight,” I had to take a picture of the lamp! Our table’s light, unfortunately, wasn’t lit! The memory attached to this pic is of Weird saying, “Why is it off centered?” Haha, I was attempting to be “artistic” with it and also get the game in the shot. When he saw the full picture on the computer, he said he understood why I did it, but who knows if he was just saying it, hehe. It’s okay, I like my odd picture and the memory of taking it!

We had some fun looking at the back of kids’ menu because we know people at our church with those names except for Jill. The only Jill I “know” is MeMom/BrooklynnsMommy Jill!

Here’s a picture of Weird and me at this wonderful dining establishment. Don’t you agree that we fit in? Shouldn’t we move to the South?

Here are Dad, Mom, and Matt on the other side of the table. As we were sitting there, my mom kept saying that she couldn’t believe that Weird was actually with us! She never thought that would happen before we got married. I also realized that it’s odd that I call Matt by his real name, but I still call Howard “Weird” when on DIS!

This was my thirst-quenching beverage. That’s the point of a glass of water. Of course, I don’t drink much, so it wasn’t really quenching my thirst because I didn’t have any thirst. The straw had the little paper on the tip because Weird did it for me! I like it when the straws have that there or they give the straws with the wrapper still on. I mean, have you ever put a straw in your mouth that tasted salty because someone touched it? I have! It was so gross!

This picture is to show the difference between how much Weird drinks and how much I drink. This is only a minute or so after we got our water. My boyfriend is strange. I don’t know why he has this thing for staying hydrated.

Dad had a side salad instead of the 3 country vegetables/sides. There just wasn’t anything on the list that he liked, so he got this instead. I think one day on the road already made him want some sort of fresh veggies. It was a good amount too, so mom and I helped him out and ate. I dunked it in the dressing since I’m into dipping, as you already learned from my “lunch at Wendy’s” commentary!

Here’s Matt pointing to the cowlick boy on the kids’ menu. Matt’s hair is usually atrocious when it’s longer because it sticks out every which way! He got a haircut right before our vacation, so that’s why the pictures were okay.

These Westminster Crackers came on the side of the salad. We thought it was funny that they were called all natural squares.

Matt wanted them because he likes saltines in packages for some reason. He doesn’t eat them at home from the big package, but the little packages call out to him! Well, he ate one of them, raved about it, and made my mom try it too. There was one cracker left that he insisted Weird and I try. WOW, what a cracker! I don’t even remember it that well because it was only a quarter or so that I tried, but it was really good. It was fresh and crisp and not like the typical saltines. If you look at the Coca-Cola display picture again, you’ll see that they sell them in boxes at the General Store. I would’ve liked to know the price of it! (Oh wait, they sell it at their online store! Westminster Cracker - http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/onlin...4172&mscssid=VCC6KQTX3N738GTQWKEFJ5XNJW9A065C)

Weird’s dinner choice! Look at the yummy catfish. He chose corn and macaroni and cheese as two of his sides. Unfortunately, I was feeling kind of full-ish after the salad and some of my food, so I didn’t actually try his! I wasn’t in a mood at that point. He enjoyed it though, so I was happy about that. This is also what my dad had, but he had the grilled version of it.

His third side was the dumplins since I kept raving about it. After his first taste, he said, “Now I know why you like it so much.”

Mom had the Saturday special which was chicken with wild rice with a mushroom sauce. Okay, that was going by memory, and I actually feel as if I should look it up on the website so I will. Hers was the Chicken n’ Rice. The website description says the following: “Our chicken tenderloins simmered in a hearty mushroom gravy served on top of a bed of seasoned rice along with two vegetables.” As you can see, she chose corn and fried apples.

I think she said it was good, but it wasn’t fantastic. When it arrived, it wasn’t exactly what I expected either. Mom doesn’t get the cravings like I do; she always doesn’t have those foods that she absolutely loves, so that’s why it’s difficult for her to choose what to order. The mushroom gravy thing enticed her as it did me. I think I would’ve expected it to have a LOT more gravy. But then again, you all know the thing about me and my dips, dressings, and now sauces!

Matt was extremely happy to get his chicken n’ dumplins meal! Now that I come to think about it, I think they gave us an extra corn. That’s what Matt ate. I just checked the menu, and it doesn’t come with a side. Oh well, it made him eat some veggies! He thoroughly enjoyed his meal and actually ate ALL of it. If you knew my brother, you’d know that this was an incredible feat! It’s so difficult to get him to eat.

This was my meal. There are the chicken n dumplins that I had been waiting for! For my sides, I got the carrots and the hashbrown casserole.

I also got steak fries. Look at that delicious potato-ness. It amazes me that we get to pick three!

Unfortunately, I have to say that I didn’t enjoy my meal as much as I thought I would! The last time we had CB, I had the sampler for dinner (dumplins meatloaf, ham with 3 sides), so I only had a little bit of the chicken n’ dumplins. I knew I wanted it again, which is why I ordered only that. I don’t know if I remembered the dumplins being thinner or if it was just too much of a good thing that caused me to get tired of eating it after a bit. The carrots, which I do remember as being soft the first time I had them, were a bit TOO soft and just not sweet enough. The hashbrown casserole was much better than the first time, so I was glad that there was an improvement there! First time was only okay just because some parts of the potato tasted undercooked. The redeeming part of my dinner was the steak fries. It broke up the monotony of the chicken n’ dumplins.

While everyone else enjoyed their dinner, I tolerated mine. It’s not that it was bad; it was probably due to the fact that I had built up the memory of the chicken n’ dumplins into this insurmountable experience! I was afraid that the image that I had of CB was now tainted!

Well, I won’t make you wait for this part since you know the pace of my trip report by now. We did have CB again on our way back to NY, and that meal was delicious! I think that from now on, dumplins have to be a side like Weird had them. Whew, thank goodness! Haha, and I didn’t want to leave you hanging on that note. Trust me, I am a full believer in the wonders of CB, and I still want to move so I can be closer to one!

 

[TokyoDina]

I love CB!~~!!! Geez your mom hasn't aged a day from the pictures you posted of her from you PTR! Haha! She looks the same! I never get dinner or lunch there. I only get breakfast. I think it's something about having breakfast anytime of the day there is what attracts me to eating there!

 

[dellasgirl]

 

[momof2TNboys]

The CB pics are hilarious. I love CB because it reminds me of food from home but my husband only tolerates it. Breakfast there is yummy!!
If you like the dumplings from CB you should try some real southern homemade chicken and dumplings!! Yum! Yum!