Wendy's "I'm Going to SCOTLAND!!!!" Weight Loss Journey(Scotland Trip Report Pg 10)

[whgrn]

I slept like a log, with no leg cramps, and woke before the alarm, at 8:05. Laura was still sleeping, so I made my breakfast in the dark before waking her up. (such a nice Mommy!) We went up to the front porch to eat, and I was glad I'd brought my own, since the offerings were the same boring choices as yesterday. I only managed to eat about 3/4 of my breakfast before feeling stuffed--I guess this is going to be a tiny pouch day!

After breakfast I headed up to the Engine Room Bar for a game of Trivia. Now, I'm usually really good at this stuff. But alot of the questions this time were about steamboats, a subject about which I know very little. I managed to get only 21 right out of 43, and was feeling pretty lame, until the winners turned out to have only gotten 27 right! I actually did better than most of the people there! After trivia, I knew my poor little pouch had had enough, and, sure enough, back in my room, I revisited my breakfast.

Feeling MUCH better, I wandered into town. It was a tiny, run-down, town that looked like it was stuck in the 1950s. But Daddy had found a computer store with internet access, so we went in and got online for awhile--long enough for me to log in some food and exercise. We went back to the boat for lunch, and I was fine that time around, having a yummy chicken Ceasar salad.

After lunch, Danny and Gordan and I headed back into town. I'd seen some guys with their old Model A Fords offering free rides. So we went for a ride in a 31 Ford that looked like an old gangster car. It was so cool! Dan, our driver, was great, and told us all about the car and it's history. After the ride, Danny and I went to check out the town's greatest claim to fame--the Mothman Museum. Apparently, back in the 60s 2 couple were up at the local parking spot, and saw something that they described as half man, half insect. And so, the legend of the Mothman was born. The following year, a bridge collapsed, and they blamed it on the Mothman. Since then, movies have been made about it, including one starring Richard Gere! (give me a break!!) We got some postcards, and of course, Danny had to have a T-shirt. Then we headed back to the boat.

OK, so now I've got intestinal stuff going on, and I'm running to the bathroom. What's up with THAT?? I relaxed for awhile up in the Chart Room, just reading until I really felt OK. Then I headed up to the gym to spend 45 minutes on the elliptical. After a nice relaxing shower, I really wanted to go to sleep! But I went to dinner, and was so glad I did! We had this AMAZING Butternut Apple soup. It was like eating dessert! I can only imagine the calories, but it was worth every single one!! I asked if the chef would share his recipe, and he will! So not only can I calculate the actual calories, but I can make it myself! Mom asked to have it for Thanksgiving. Sounds good to me!

After dinner, we headed up to the Front Porch to watch the river. We went through a lock, which was really fascinating. You sail into the lock, and are literally "locked in" by gates in front and behind the boat. Then they raise the water level, and the boat rises up too. When you're equal to the water upstream, they open that gate and you sail on! COOL!! We ended up staying on deck watching until nearly 9:30, which gave a late start to our movie time. But it was well worth it. By the time I fell into bed about 11, I was ready for some serious sleep!

 

[whgrn]

I slept well again, and was up at 7 for an early tour. We left at 8:15 am to go into Marietta, OH for "Locks, Packards, and Soda". Odd name for a tour, but actually quite descriptive!

First we went to the Wilson Island Lock and Dam. Mark from the Army Corps of Engineers took us around and explained everything we were seeing. It was cool!! We saw a towboat go through the lock with a 15 barge tow. They have about 3 feet of clearance total on the sides. Not easy to steer that big load into a small space! In the 2004 flood, the entire lock was underwater, waist deep where we were standing up on the wall! It was really interesting to watch from the perspective of the lock as opposed to the boat.

From there we went to the Marietta Brewing Company. Kelly, the brewmaster, was brewing ale. He explained the process, which is actually quite simple. Everything you ever wanted to know about brewing beer! The odor was very strong, but we got used to it. He brews his own root beer too, and they passed out root beer floats for everyone. I skipped it, of course, and Laura had mine as well as her own! But, since the root beer is made with sugar, not HFCS, I did enjoy a 2 oz jigger of plain root beer. It was YUMMY! This was the "soda" part of the tour.

The "Packards" part was last, and turned out to be a funeral museum!! Yup, the Packards were hearses! It was really pretty interesting. The ones we saw were from an old horse drawn one, up to one from the 1940s. We also learned something very interesting. In the olden days, they used baskets for caskets. If a doctor came to see a patient, and the patient was beyond saving, the doctor would say "he's a basket case", meaning he would soon be in a basket (casket)!! On the way back, we stopped at a tiny little chocolate "factory", which consisted of a little shop with a few countertop appliances for melting the chocolate. Laura got some peppermint patties, and I took a tiny nibble of one--it was SO good!! That tiny bit of mint and chocolate packed a LOT of flavor!

Back on the boat, we had lunch (a yummy salad with shrimp), and then I headed to the gym for half an hour of elliptical. After that it was BINGO time again! Danny won $5 for the "stinky card" BINGO. Then I went to the movie to see "The Bucket List". I've always wanted to see it, but missed it in the theaters. It was great, but I had a hard time seeing because heads were in my way.

When I came out, it was pouring and thundering. We were going through a lock and I could hardly see with the rain! I got a cup of tea and sat in the Ladies Parlor to reed until dinner. For dinner we had yummy beef, and raspberry sorbet for dessert.

I have to say, the bag I bought for this trip and Scotland (an Overland Donner bag from the Sierra Trading Post) ROCKS!!! I can carry 2 water bottles, 2 books, my Longaberger travel mug, PLUS all the regular stuff (camera, wallet, sunglasses, etc.) AND it's comfortable across my shoulder. I LOVE it!

The kids are having a great time. Laura has a buddy, Joe, who is a server in the dining room. On Sunday at lunch, he made her a fabulous ice cream sundae, and she was hooked. Now, every day, he makes her something special. He even loans her his PSP for the afternoons! I think my baby girl has a bit of a crush! Danny, meanwhile, is the darling of the boat! Everyone thinks he's just so cute (which he is). He's been exploring all over the boat, and asking tons of questions, which people are more than happy to answer. He also has a buddy, Alicia, from the Front Porch. She noticed how he drinks tea all the time (he was up at 5 am Sunday and drinking already!), and how I make him have decaf. So today in town, she got him a travel mug and a box of decaf tea! He's just eating up all the attention. I guess it helps that they are the only kids on the boat!

We sat up on the front porch after dinner and looked at the schedule for tomorrow. There is so much to do, as it's a river day with no stops. After the movie, we went to bed, knowing we could sleep in a bit in the morning.

 

[whgrn]

Today we slept in, since we had nowhere we had to go. It’s a river day, with no stops anywhere. We decided to have a “luxurious” breakfast in the dining room, rather than the informal “fast food” atmosphere of the Front Porch. Instead of my usual yogurt with Cheerios and apples, I opted for a plain bagel with cream cheese. It was really good, too!

After breakfast, we went to hear Jim, our Discovery Guide, give a talk about the river. He’s a funny guy, and told jokes along with his stories of life on the river. After that it was time for BINGO! I came SO close to winning—just one number away a few times. But Laura won $40, and Gordan won $65, so we are still batting 1000 with a winner every day! We’ve all won now!

I checked the lunch buffet in the dining room. It was a picnic theme. An unhealthy picnic! Fried catfish (barf!!!), fried chicken, ribs, pork & beans, cornbread. NOTHING that I could eat. So I checked the Front Porch. Nope. Hot dogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, corned beef on rye. Not gonna happen. So…I returned to the dining room and requested a special meal. A nice turkey sandwich. I put all the meat, the lettuce and tomato, on half the bread (basically ONE slice instead of 2) and was happy as a clam.

After lunch I went up to play the calliope. It is NOT as easy as it looks! For starters, it has only 2 octaves, which limits what you can play. Also, when you press the key, there is a delay before the sound comes out. The best I could do was “Old MacDonald”! I was laughing so hard I could barely play at all! I actually got a certificate for playing, and it wasn’t even for the World’s Worst Calliope player!

Next up was the “Not So Newlywed” Game. It was such fun! There were 3 couples—married 20, 22, and 52 years. The questions were funny when the answers didn’t match from one spouse to the other! After that was the chef demo. Not all that thrilling, until he passed out recipes, including the wonderful Butternut-Apple Soup!!! I checked out the numbers, and it works out to just 221 calories per serving, with 4 grams of protein. OK, so it’s got 16 grams of fat, so I’d make it with Half and Half instead of heavy cream. So exciting!!

Naturally, I had to make my way to the gym for my daily elliptical time. I did an hour, since we didn’t do much walking today. I felt so good, and I even broke a sweat! Fortunately, I followed that with a nice hot shower. Dinner was a nice piece of swordfish, something I haven’t had in quite awhile. (I wonder why, since I really do like it) I even had berries with a bit of vanilla ice cream. Joe made Laura an amazing dessert—3 cookie and ice cream sandwiches! Each one was 2 big chocolate chip cookies, with a different kind of ice cream in each one, all topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and cherries! It was enough for 3 people and then some! Obviously, she did NOT eat it all, but she sure made a big dent! I do believe this guy is trying to fatten up my little peanut!

We only had a short time between dinner and the show, so we sat out on a private porch to watch the river. The show was a guy who, if I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn was actually Mark Twain! He looked, dressed, and talked the part so well it was amazing. He told all sorts of stories, it was really interesting. Laura fell asleep—no surprise there! We watched our nightly movie, and got to bed a bit early for a change.

 

[whgrn]

Louisville, KY today! We got to sleep until 9, then had a quick breakfast and took a taxi to the public library. I spent an hour online—heaven! Then we took the trolley to the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was so cool! They have a gallery with baseballs signed by every president from Teddy Roosevelt to George W. Bush, with a little info about when they threw out a first pitch. Out front they have the world’s largest baseball bat. It’s about 3 stories tall! We took the tour of the factory and saw how they make bats. It was really interesting! We each were given a mini bat as a souvenier. You can buy a personalized bat, but since we were flying, I didn’t want to have to take them on the plane. I’ll order them as Christmas presents instead.

We had a late lunch—it was after 2:30. I had a very yummy turkey salad. Then Danny and I walked to CVS (about 1-1.5 miles!!) to get decent shampoo, since the stuff on the boat is horrible on my hair! We took the trolley back to the waterfront, and then walked along the river to the boat. I noticed so many blind people today, on the trolley, on the street, everywhere. I was thinking, “why so many blind people here?” DUH! The Louis Braille School for the Blind is here in town! We probably walked at least 2 miles today, so I skipped the elliptical.

Back on board, I rested in the room for a bit. I was pleased to see that my Sketchers held up really well. Since they are my “sightseeing shoes” for Scotland, I was glad they got a try-out! Before dinner, we took family pictures on the steps near the dining room. Danny was in quite a mood, and his behavior at dinner was atrocious. So much so that I had to ask him to leave the table. He really was out of hand. I know how much that upsets Daddy, and Gordan was quite unhappy too. Guess I should have left him home as I was going to do.

After our movie, I did some pre-packing of things we aren’t using anymore. About 11, I heard something outside, and went out in my PJs to check. They were tying off the boat on the shore. I saw some other people out there, including Gordan, so I went to ask what was going on. Turns out, we’re here already for tomorrow. Welcome to Madison, IN!!

 

[whgrn]

I woke up early for some reason, and had my usual breakfast. Then I went to do the Pilot House tour. It was really interesting. We met the 2nd captain, who seems like a nice guy. He will now be on the boat until early September! That’s a LONG time! The Pilot House is on an elevator, and can move up and down as needed to go under some of the lower bridges. Pretty cool!

We took a taxi into town, since Mom was with us. We went to the library, which was a cute, small town sort of place, and used the computers there. Amazing how disconnected I’ve felt this week without my laptop! Then we walked back through town to the boat. We stopped and got a vanilla milkshake for Danny, who had slept late (no one dared wake him, lest he be in a mood again!) and missed breakfast. It’s a sad little town, sort of shabby but quaint.

Once again, lunch was not going to work for me. So I got a salad, and requested a plain chicken breast, which I cut up and put on the salad. It was yummy! I went into the store and got more water, and a Tshirt, that I can wear at the gym. Then I headed up to the Front Porch and got some vanilla soft serve! Mmmmm, what a treat!

In the Grand Saloon, Jim gave a talk on the history of the riverboats in this company. It was very interesting. The Delta Queen may have to retire, because the exemption from the law against wooden vessels is about to run out, and the stupid congressman who heads the Transportation Committee refuses to let the renewal come to a vote. Why? Because the company is non-union, and he’s in the pockets of the big unions, so he’s blocking it. The law should never have applied to riverboats anyway, since they are never more than ¼ mile from shore, and even in the case of a fire, could get everyone off safely. It really applies to ships that sail miles out in the ocean, but when it was written, they forgot to put that in there, so they’ve just gotten the extension each time it came up. But not this year. So they have a petition to Save The Delta Queen, which we all signed, and we took copies to bring home and get people to sign them and help. It would be such a shame to see that piece of history come to an end, especially for no good reason, just politics.

Next was the Disembarkation Talk, or “How to Get off The Boat”. There are 2 ways, the dry way or the wet way. I’ll go with the dry way, thanks! We have to be dressed, fed, and ready to go by 7:30 am. YUCK!!! I went up to the room after that and packed a little more, since our bags have to be out before we go to bed tonite. We played BINGO again, and Laura was the big winner with $114!!! So we’ve now won $304 as a family! I went up to the gym for 30 minutes, and watched the kids and Gordan in the pool, then took my shower and wrote notes to go with the extra tips for special service from Joe, and Shannon, our server.

I still had A LOT of calories left for dinner, so I splurged a little, and even had ice cream for dessert. (twice in one day!!) Ron and Jewel didn’t come to dinner. We figured they’d probably had enough of Danny the night before, so they found a better table to sit at. Daddy ordered fried oysters, and Laura tried them and loved them! Who knew?!? We sat on the Front Porch for one last time. It’s so pretty along the river. This is definitely the way to travel! We watched the last episode of “The Flame Trees of Thika”, and then went to finish packing and put our bags outside the door. I could see from the luggage how few rooms were occupied. Out of 14 on our side of the deck, only 6 were in use. I was sitting outside the door, just watching the river until it was time for bed. Hard to believe it’s our last night aboard already. I wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to do it again, or if this is the end of riverboats.

 

[whgrn]

Danny woke us up at 6, but I’d already been awakened at 3:20 by a LOUD hissing sound. It turned out to be the steam from the calliope “statue” on the dock in Cincinnati. We arrived in the middle of the night. Whose brilliant idea was THIS, having this noise next to people trying to sleep?? I went back to sleep until 6:30, but then we had to get moving. We went to breakfast, and Danny was worse than the other night. He is SO not going on another family vacation!!! I had grits for breakfast, and they were pretty good! We went and waited in the Grand Saloon until they called our bus. Then we went out to ID our luggage and make sure it was placed under the bus. We had a real grouch for a driver, and an annoying tour guide. When we passed the stadium where the Bengals play, she said “watch out for our Bengals!” like they were gonna be the champs this year. Helloooo? Sorry lady, we’re from GIANTS country!!!

We stopped at a hotel to pick up some other people, but never did get anyone else. The whole time, the driver left the bus running, with the door open, behind another bus whose engine was also running. We finally complained about the smell, and he closed the door. One guy said, “Hmmm, I wonder what HIS carbon footprint is?” We had a good laugh at that. It’s sort of a gloomy day, but hopefully the rain will wait until we get to the airport.

We went to the Cincinnati Museum. It’s at the old train station. The place is beautiful! All art deco, built in the early 30s. They have a “whispering gallery”. If you whisper into a water fountain on one side of the huge room, a person at the fountain on the opposite side can hear you! It was cool talking back and forth to the kids. Then we went to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum. It was really interesting. It told all about the tragedy of slavery, how it began, etc.

We got to the airport about 12:30, and our flight was at 4:35. So we had lunch at Moe’s—a nice pubby sort of place. We went to our gate, and checked to see if there was any internet access place. They did have Wi-Fi in some of the terminals (not ours, of course), but no computers, so without my laptop, it was useless. Danny discovered a massage chair, so I sat and had a 15 minute massage. No big thrill, but it felt good. We went to look for something to bring on the plane for dinner, and they had a Quiznos. I got a turkey sub and some fresh fruit. Our flight was delayed twice, but we finally took off about 6. The plane was freezing, even with my sweater on, and a blanket. My dinner was disappointing, and the fruit was awful.

Our bags all made the trip safely, so we loaded up the limo and headed home. We got in about 9. I did a load of so we’d have clean underwear, unpacked and repacked, and read the mail. I finally got to bed about 12:30, knowing I’d be up early tomorrow to drive down to Williamsburg.

 

[whgrn]

Well, I slept FAST! Got up at 7:30 and left at 8:05. We stopped at Dunkies for breakfast—1/2 a bagel with cream cheese for me, and the cottage cheese I’d brought along. We stopped to pick up Gordan on the way, and the kids got to see his house. Last time I was there I think was before I got married! He’s got almost no clothes in his closet, but he’s got TONS of LEGOs!! Thousands of them, all sorted in plastic bins by color, shape, size, etc. Too funny!

It was a LONG drive. We stopped for lunch in Delaware, at a Wendy’s. I got a large chili and ate the whole thing, I was so hungry! Mom and Dad ended up at a Friendlys about ¼ mile down the road, without even realizing we were at Wendy’s! It seemed like we drove forever. My butt was actually getting tired!

We stopped for gas in Maryland. Gordan had to pump it, since I’m a Jersey Girl, and Jersey Girls DON’T pump gas! He took over the driving there, since we had to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I cannot even look while we’re going across! I sat with my head down and read stuff on Williamsburg. We finally arrived at the resort about 5 pm. It had been 9 HOURS! This was supposed to be a 6 hour drive, so even with lunch and gas stops, it should not have been more than 7.5 hours. Next time I’m flying!!

We checked in and went to find our room. Uh oh. Problem. It’s on the 3rd floor. With no elevators! This is NOT good, and it ain’t gonna work! So I went back to the front desk to see if we could change. Deb and Toni arrived while I was there, and they were on the 3rd floor too—not a good thing with all their luggage. So we both switched. Now Mom and Dad have a ground floor room with ramp (it’s actually ½ a flight below the ground level) in one building, and the rest of us are next door (it’s like villas, not big buildings) with me on the ground floor (just a few steps down, no ramp), and Deb on the middle floor, about 8 steps up. It wasn’t the best start to the vacation, but we worked it out ok.

This place is BEAUTIFUL!!!! The rooms are awesome! We have a 2 bedroom suite. Laura and I have one room with a king size bed, Gordan and Danny have the other room with 2 doubles, and we each have our own bathroom. In between there is a huge living room with a dining table, and a full kitchen! I unloaded my cooler into the fridge—water, apples, yogurt, cottage cheese. I came prepared!!

At that point, it was time for dinner (we’d made reservations for 6:30 pm). We went to Eagles, which was in the golf course clubhouse. The service took forever—we were there over 2 ½ hours. But the food was delicious. I had salmon, which was great, and ice cream with berries again for dessert. I was very full, and still needed to have my snack, but I skipped it, so my protein was a little low for the day. I finished unpacking, and hooked up my laptop. We have to pay $24.95 for 3 days, and it’s well worth it! I NEED it!!

 

[M&N]

Loving your report...sounds like food went good too.
Please drink lots of water in Wmburg...of course it's going to be the hottest this year. Hope you waved to our TKers in VA Beach as you crossed bridge tunnel.

 

[whgrn]

I slept really well—the bed was so comfy! Even with Laura tossing and turning beside me, I was fine. I got up at 8:10 and took a shower, then ate my breakfast. The kids went up to the restaurant with Mom and Dad. I sat at the table with my laptop for company!

I met up with the others and we headed into Colonial Williamsburg. We bought our tickets at the Visitors Center. Thank goodness for AAA, which saved me 10% on the price! We took a shuttle into town, got off at the wrong stop, and had to wait for another shuttle. Not off to a good start! No one seems to know where we’re going or what we’re doing, and trying to steer 10 people is HARD! It’s like being clueless at Disney—we needed a touring plan! Finally we ended up in the right place, just as it was starting to rain. So we bought some ponchos (we already had umbrellas) in case Daddy was right and it poured in the afternoon. We wandered around a little, and stopped to hear “George Washington” make a speech. He was so good, and so appropriate for today’s political climate! I think I’d like HIM for President!!

We went to the Kings Arms Tavern for lunch, and pot pie seemed to be the big hit, since 6 of the 10 of us chose it! (2 veggie and 4 chicken). I got a salad with chicken, goat cheese, parmesan, and bruschetta. YUMMY! I never thought to use bruschetta as a salad topping!

We saw various shops and other places, and then headed to the Governor’s Palace. It was HUGE! The foyer is full of guns and crossed swords, all used as decoration, but ready to be grabbed for defense in an emergency. The place was so opulent, it’s hard to imagine someone actually living like that!

We went to see the hospital of 1773, which turned out to be an early mental hospital, NOT what I’d expected. It was scary. Mom was in the wheelchair, and it was not easy pushing her, especially on unpaved streets, and on uneven brick walks. Colonial Williamsburg is decidedly NOT handicapped accessible!

We returned to the hotel to regroup for dinner. We didn’t want a repeat of last night, and the other restaurant here at the resort was closed, so we went to an Italian restaurant in town. I had Mussels Marinara over spaghetti, and it was great! They gave me WAY too much pasta—probably 5 cups or more! But I’d thought to have them bring the sauce on the side, so I separated out about a cup for me, and poured all the sauce on top of that. After dinner we stopped at the grocery store next door to get more water, and stuff for the kids for breakfast. Just milk, OJ, and cereal—I think they’ve had enough of the big, fancy breakfasts for awhile! I got some cherries for me for my snack, and they were great.

Back at the hotel, I ordered Mom a new walker with a seat. I’d seen a really great one several months ago and wanted to get it, but she didn’t’ seem to like the idea, so I didn’t. But now Daddy ordered her one for $25, which will obviously turn out to be a piece of junk! So I got her a good one. Hopefully it will get here on time for our trip to Scotland.

 

[whgrn]

Today I got to sleep in a bit, since I didn’t have to get to the spa until 10:45. So what happens? I wake up early! I sat down with breakfast and my laptop, wrote up a blog, and lost it. So I gave up, got dressed, and headed to the spa to see if I could use the gym. I could, and so I got in 30 minutes on the elliptical. The gym was kind of small, and the machines were sort of old, but they had my elliptical, and that was all that mattered to me!

When I finished, I headed to the spa itself. I undressed, and put on my robe. It was one of those “one size fits all” numbers, and guess what? It was true! It fit ME!! That was pretty cool. The spa was really pretty. First I had a pedicure. I hopped right up on the chair—it seemed so easy! I don’t do polish on my toes, so it took a little less time than usual, but now my feet are smooth and soft, and my toenails are nicely trimmed.

From there I went back to the lounge to wait for my facial. Deb was there drinking water, and she told me to try some. I did, and it was so good! It had cucumbers floated in it, and they gave just a hint of flavor. Very refreshing! She said in Turkey they drink it with cukes and lemons, and Toni even adds fresh mint leaves. I have GOT to try it—it sounds great! My facial was nice too, and left my face baby soft. I spent the time thinking about all the stuff I needed to do once I get home!

Finally I had my massage. It was wonderful, and loosened up my tight shoulders very nicely. I realized as I was lying there on my back that my stomach was completely flat. Nothing sticking up except my pelvic bones! COOL!!!

We all finished, paid, and headed out to lunch. It was 2 pm, and we’d already decided on Wendy’s, knowing I could have chili. Mom and Deb had salads. The girl at the counter was a complete airhead. Deb ordered ceasar salad, and when it was time to give her the dressing, she said, “oh, we don’t have any ceasar dressing”. Well, Deb told her in that case, she didn’t want ceasar salad, and the girl made it seem like it was a big deal and Deb’s fault! She switched to the mandarin chicken salad, which Mom also got, and was very pleased with it.

We came back and all gathered in my living room with our laptops. It’s so funny when we do that—we can socialize back and forth as we’re online. Deb found a place where we could get Mom’s walker for $20 less, and only $24,95 shipping. I called, and we can have it Friday, or Monday at the latest, so I ordered it! And cancelled the original order which was iffy on the delivery date. So now, Mom even gets her color choice of blue! We also made the necessary changes for our Scotland trip (airport hotel, transfers in Edinburgh).

The kids had gone to the water park with Toni for the day, and they came back about 4. After they showered, it was my turn, then I just relaxed until dinner. We ate at the Bray Bistro. Once again, the reservation people hadn’t relayed our reservation to the restaurant! Fortunately the place was empty, so we had no problem getting a table. I had sort of a mish-mosh of things—salad with candied pecans, bread and butter, chicken with a yummy apple-raspberry chutney, fresh pineapple, and some strawberries with a little of Daddy’s whipped cream and a little of Toni’s ice cream! Once again it was over 2 hours for dinner, but I just enjoyed the company. For once, it’s not all about the food!

We came back to the room and it was time to pack. Somehow it was a lot easier this time, and only took a few minutes. So except for the stuff we need tonite and in the morning, I’m all done! Ahhhh! I can relax a little until bedtime!

It’s hard to believe that our family vacation is over already. The 2 weeks have flown by so fast! Tomorrow we’ll make a short stop in Jamestown, and then head for home. And then I have 3 days to get the kids ready for camp!

 

[whgrn]

Loving your report...sounds like food went good too.
Please drink lots of water in Wmburg...of course it's going to be the hottest this year. Hope you waved to our TKers in VA Beach as you crossed bridge tunnel.

If I drank any more water, I'd have floated down the street! Don't worry, I was getting my 10 glasses! And it wasn't a hot day--pretty decent, and not sunny either.

 

[racetrack18kb]

Oh my, after reading your trip report, I'm tired. You're going to need a vacation just to relax from this one.

Glad you are having a good time and everything has sounded like so much fun. How did your kids like the water park? I haven't been to Williamsburg since...well, too long to say really.

Sorry about Danny's attitude. I know how it is. I've done the "never going on another family vacaiton thing too". Could it have been all the traveling and change that made things worse for him?

Enjoy the last of your trip!!!!

 

[whgrn]

Oh my, after reading your trip report, I'm tired. You're going to need a vacation just to relax from this one.

Glad you are having a good time and everything has sounded like so much fun. How did your kids like the water park? I haven't been to Williamsburg since...well, too long to say really.

Sorry about Danny's attitude. I know how it is. I've done the "never going on another family vacaiton thing too". Could it have been all the traveling and change that made things worse for him?

Enjoy the last of your trip!!!!

They all loved the water park! Naturally DD didn't wear enough sunscreen, and now has a slight burn. If it weren't for the risk of skin cancer, I'd say it serves her right. But with her fair skin, I really worry!

I don't know what the problem with Danny is. He's just as bad at home, so it's probably not the vacation thing. I think he does alot of it for attention. Not sure why, since he gets plenty of attention when he's being good too! I think his ODD is getting worse. Fortunately, he sees the psychiatrist tomorrow, and the counselor Friday (getting it all in before he leaves for camp!)

 

[whgrn]

I was up at 8:30, and all packed & ready to leave by 9:15. We left at 10:40. Why? Because my dear mother is SLOW!!!! She takes forever to do anything (guess it’s the age thing…). Anyway, we didn’t even reach Jamestown until after 11, so we were a bit rushed. We spent about 2 hours there—I could have spent 5 with no problem, there was SO much to see, and I’d never been there!

Around 1 we left for Yorktown. Now, Daddy and I wanted to be on the road at 1, as in, the road HOME. But Mom wanted to stop at a store in Yorktown that was all patriotic stuff. I really did NOT want to go, but since I had Gordan with me, and he was the one showing Mom and Dad where the store was… Ah well, you gotta do what ya gotta do! After all, the woman DID give birth to me!!

We found the store, and right next door was a restaurant that looked good. The food was great, the service was slow, and we didn’t get out of there until 3:00!!! (But the raspberry dressing on my salad was AWESOME!!) So here we are 3 pm, 8 hours or more from home. It’s gonna be a late night. We decided not to go up via Washington DC, because we’d hit the Beltway at rush hour—NOT a good thing. So we were going back the way we came, across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There was a ton of traffic around Norfolk, and the signs were the pits—confusing, contradictory, a mess. We got lost finding our way to Route 13 North, but finally got there. By the time we hit the bay bridge, I was pretty high strung. Enough so that I decided to drive over it myself, rather than letting Gordan drive while I cowered in the passenger seat, refusing to look out the window. I figured, they have emergency pull of spaces every ½ mile or so, so I could always bail.

Well, I DID IT!! I drove across the entire bridge. Mostly I focused on Daddy’s car in front of me. I tried very hard not to look at the water, everywhere, as far as the eye could see, no land in sight. Now, that’s a fine view if you are on a cruise ship, but, I’m sorry, on a bridge it is NOT what I want to see! In any case, I made it! It was a white-knuckle experience, but I DID it!

We followed Mom and Dad up through VA, MD, and into DE. Good thing I inherited Daddy’s lead foot! We were doing close to 80 most of the time! We stopped for dinner at 7:15 at the same Friendlys Mom and Dad stopped at on the way down. Now, I’ve not been to Friendlys for quite a long time. It seems their menu has changed a bit. As in, there is not ONE single healthy thing on the menu! No cool salads. No turkey dinners. Nothing. The best I could do was the Monterey Chicken from the Senior Citizen’s menu! I got it with no bacon, no sides (well, Daddy took my coleslaw). It came with garlic bread, which I was just hungry enough to eat. And since I got free ice cream with the meal…a cup of soft vanilla please! And I STILL stayed within my calories for the day!!

It was a long, long drive. After we split off from Mom and Dad to cross into NJ, I had to pull over and let Gordan drive the rest of the way to his house. It was 10 pm, and I knew I had 2 hours to go, and my eyes were drooping! So I slept for about 50 minutes, and then we dropped him off and I drove the rest of the way. We got home just after midnight (had to stop at 7-11 to get milk!). I couldn’t go right to bed, or I’d “drive all night”, so I finally hit the sack at 1 am. Another family vacation has come to an end! Now all that's left is the

 

[racetrack18kb]

You made it across the bridge!! Funny thing though, the afternoon before you posted this, I had been up to my dad's to talk about vacation and he mentioned about taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to come home from Disney. Of course, I had to spend 1/2 hour argueing what roads you took to get there from 95 and what road you take afterwards. I was right.

I do have a question for you. You mentioned having the Overland Donner bag. With all that you carried, was the bag heavy at all? I have a bagellini and sometimes it is just a pain to carry. I almost felt like it was too big last year. Oh, and one more question and I know a mom would understand this one. With all that you did carry in the bag, would you have also had enough room to fit 2 small pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of underwear? My youngest are 5 and 7 and well sometimes you just never know.

 

[whgrn]

You made it across the bridge!! Funny thing though, the afternoon before you posted this, I had been up to my dad's to talk about vacation and he mentioned about taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to come home from Disney. Of course, I had to spend 1/2 hour argueing what roads you took to get there from 95 and what road you take afterwards. I was right.

I do have a question for you. You mentioned having the Overland Donner bag. With all that you carried, was the bag heavy at all? I have a bagellini and sometimes it is just a pain to carry. I almost felt like it was too big last year. Oh, and one more question and I know a mom would understand this one. With all that you did carry in the bag, would you have also had enough room to fit 2 small pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of underwear? My youngest are 5 and 7 and well sometimes you just never know.

The only time it seemed heavy at all was when I had the 2 full water bottles in it. Otherwise it was fine. I carried it for long periods of time too. I suspect the shorts and undies would fit fine, esp if they were the little tiny stretchy shorts (as opposed to bulky denim-type) They would probably fit in one of the water bottle slots with no problem.

I LOVE the bag!!!

 

[Pikester]

Sounds like you had a really good time Wendy! Kudos to you for sticking to your healthy eating and exercising (and for allowing yourself a few treats)!

I was really happy to hear about the Donner bag as I have not had a chance to try mine out yet. Which color did you buy? I think you told me but I can't remember.

You did a great job with your trip report. I can't wait to hear about your trip to Scotland!

 

[whgrn]

Sounds like you had a really good time Wendy! Kudos to you for sticking to your healthy eating and exercising (and for allowing yourself a few treats)!

I was really happy to hear about the Donner bag as I have not had a chance to try mine out yet. Which color did you buy? I think you told me but I can't remember.

You did a great job with your trip report. I can't wait to hear about your trip to Scotland!

I got the black Donner bag--goes with everything!!!

 

[racetrack18kb]

The only time it seemed heavy at all was when I had the 2 full water bottles in it. Otherwise it was fine. I carried it for long periods of time too. I suspect the shorts and undies would fit fine, esp if they were the little tiny stretchy shorts (as opposed to bulky denim-type) They would probably fit in one of the water bottle slots with no problem.

I LOVE the bag!!!

Thanks!!! I can always just carry those type of shorts to make it easier. Going to have to look and see if I can find any deals.

 

[whgrn]

We’re off!! I can’t believe today has finally come!!! We drove up to Newark Airport to the Marriott Hotel, our home for the night. It’s very nice. We had a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant. I had a yummy tomato salad with blue cheese, the lobster tail from Deb’s surf and turf, and a bit of a baked potato. I notice that my pants are a bit loose. Hope that won’t be a problem. There are only 2 pair of my pants that can be worn with a belt. Mom was walking behind me earlier and commented about how “tiny” I am! Gotta love it!

Mom was having a really hard time trying to get everything in a suitcase the size of a carryon. WHAT?!!? Is she crazy?? So Deb found a bigger one, and she and Mom packed it, put it in the car, and never said anything to Daddy! Even now, in the room, after trying to unlock that very suitcase, he hasn’t noticed!

I was 215.2 this morning. That’s nearly 5 pounds below my goal of 220 for Scotland!! I decided not to obsess about food on this trip. No counting protein and calories. No book. No logging food and activity into SparkPeople. I know how to do this on my own. I figure, my BMR is 1715, and I know I use at least 100 more on activity. So at 1800 calories, I should at least be able to maintain. So we shall see in 2 weeks how I do!