Where Sparty Meets The Mouse New Years 2011 TR -**NEW 4/17 Arriving at MK**

[ashleighbass06]

Day 3 cont.

When we got back to the condo, we had a quick lunch and decided to take a walk on the beach. After testing the water, Chris decided to splash around. Me? I screamed and ran out as quick as I could!

Us

A sandcastle that Andrew and his dad made:

I have to say that I loved the area their condo was in. It wasn't too touristy and the beach wasn't packed with people (it also wasn't very warm...I'd be interested to see what its like at the busier times)

My message in the sand:

Chris' message in the sand (taken from the 11th floor balcony...yes it was huge!)

GO SPARTANS! by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr

The condo in daylight:

Walking inside from the beach:

After we came back in, Andrew really wanted to play with us so we decided to all go swimming! We played Marco Polo for awhile until he accused us of cheating then we headed in for dinner.

Continued in next post

 

[ashleighbass06]

Day 3 cont.

Our dinner began with cooked artichokes. I had never eaten artichoke before and it was definitely an experience...and a messy one at that, but it was good! The main course was steak which was also tasty.

After dinner I went out to the balcony to capture the sunset and I caught some birds flying by:

Birds in the Sky by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr


Orange Sunset by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr

That night, we were invited to a New Years Eve party in the penthouse. I won't go into details, but I will say that my aunt, uncle, Andrew, Chris, & I were the youngest ones there (it was kind of awkward)...we pretty much just hung out with the kid until he fell asleep then we spent our time on the balcony until my aunt & uncle took him downstairs to bed.

The view from the Penthouse balcony:

A couple of minutes before the clock struck midnight we struggled to wake up Andrew (apparently last year he slept through it and gave my aunt a hard time for almost a year) but he was out cold. So the rest of us went out onto the balcony and banged pots and pans to ring in 2011!

I, of course was busy with my camera, trying to capture some distant fireworks:

After all that excitement, we went straight to bed (or in Chris' case, Balcony ). We had to get up early the next morning!

I hope you don't mind that I rushed through this day, but I didn't want to bore you all with the non-Disney details! As always, thanks for reading!

UP NEXT: The Capital One Bowl

 

[dawnbu40]

Glad you survived the Snowpocalypse and got a relaxing day off from classes

Nice updates! Sounds like a nice day and I love the "go spartans" written in the sand! Very cute

 

[ashleighbass06]

Glad you survived the Snowpocalypse and got a relaxing day off from classes

Nice updates! Sounds like a nice day and I love the "go spartans" written in the sand! Very cute

Thanks! It was the best snow day ever!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Hello everyone! It is the weekend and I have a paper that I don't want to write, so what does that mean? Its time for an update in this exciting trip report!

Yesterday I picked up my new glasses, so I took this POTD:

New Glasses by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr

I don't know about the rest of you midwesterners, but it is 33 here, the snow is beginning to melt and it feels like spring. I LOVE IT!

Before I go too far, I just want to tease you some more I have a BIG announcement that I will share with you all on Tuesday, so stay tuned and be excited!

Anyway, on to the most depressing part of the trip. The Capital One Bowl Massacre (If there are any Alabama fans reading this, I will try to be nice. I'm just glad I didn't have to write this the day after, I probably would've lost some readers )

Day 4
So we woke up bright early so we could get to Orlando, park, and get to the stadium and not have to stress about time. So, we parked and took the shuttle to the stadium where we found the drumline (behind a fence no less)

Sparty was conducting and dancing

Then we pushed and shoved our way into this tailgate-party-tent thing and watched the team walk through:

After that, we went in and found our seats:

I was SO happy to see this:

and this:

We had boomsticks at our seat!

It was funny, these guys sat down in front of us and one of them was looking at the stats on his phone. They were talking about the Rose Bowl that was going on later that day and they noticed that Wisconsin had one loss and they wondered who beat them. When they discovered it was US, the SPARTANS, he said, "Huh, so why aren't they at the Rose Bowl?" and I thought (although this is hard to say after knowing how terribly this game ended) "My sentiments exactly!"

Then the team came out:

And the band took the field:

Continued in the next post

 

[ashleighbass06]

Day 4 cont.

I didn't take any photos during the game, just believe me when I say it was bad. We went into half-time having no score when they had like 30 or so. I will admit, I didn't think we were out of it yet. My Spartans are good at comebacks, in fact we have the record for biggest comeback in NCAA history against Northwestern in 2006.

Anyway, it was half-time and the Capital One halftime show was bizarre and involved lots of cheerleaders and dancing mascots:

Then, the SMB came out for the REAL halftime show (IMHO)

Then the team was back out and it was apparent that we were not going to win this game. Around half-way through the third quarter, Spartan fans were leaving left and right but Chris wouldn't go because we traveled all this way to see this game (I think we all know why I traveled all this way, but nonetheless...).

After countless injuries we finally scored in the fourth quarter, but it was still a devastating loss at 49-7 What can I say, when Spartans win, we win by a little and when we lose, we lose by a lot.

In the end, I can't be too upset, we still had the best season in Spartan football history with 11 wins. This was only our second loss of the season (the first was against Iowa and was very similar).

But, leaving the stadium I realized that there was only one thing that would make me happy, DISNEY WORLD!

Up Next: Dinner at Kona

 

[eeyore7360nc]

Sorry you didn't enjoy the game. Look at it this way, we Bama fans needed something to distract us From Auburn winning the championship.
I am loving all the pictures.

 

[dawnbu40]

That game was painful to watch at home so it must have been really rough in person

On the bright side though.....your pictures are great and even though they lost it got you to Florida!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Sorry you didn't enjoy the game. Look at it this way, we Bama fans needed something to distract us From Auburn winning the championship.
I am loving all the pictures.

To be honest, knowing that Michigan lost too, make it hurt just a little less so I can kind of see what you're saying lol

On the bright side though.....your pictures are great and even though they lost it got you to Florida!

Very true! Going to WDW for dinner that night and the next day helped make everything better!

 

[ashleighbass06]

So, I told you I would have an announcement for you on Tuesday (and no I did not get engaged on Valentines Day ) so here it is!


I am the co-host of a BRAND NEW DISNEY PODCAST, Generation Mouse, where we bring you the young adult perspective on all things Disney! You can find us at generationmouse.net and search for us on iTunes!

I hope you check us out and enjoy!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Generation Mouse has now released our second episode, snacking around World Showcase! You should totally check it out and bring your appetite!

Today's POTD (after a couple days of memory card problems):

Scarf by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr

ON TO THE TRIP REPORT!

DAY 4 Cont.
Where I left off, I was depressed after a devastating loss at the Capital One Bowl. Chris & I picked up our friend Lisa and we were heading to dinner at the Kona Cafe!

I was SO happy to see this!

I hadn't been to the Poly in years so it was nice to soak up the atmosphere...and the smell everyone always talks about...*sigh*

We got our pager and waited for a bit for it to go off. We were thinking about browsing the gift shop, so I went up to the podium to ask how long they thought it would be and at that moment it started buzzing! So, they took us to our table.

I had never been to Kona before and I was kind of surprised at how small the restaurant was. But, our server was very friendly. After that game, we felt like a stiff drink. I got the sangria and OMG it was tasty! Chris described it as dangerous because you had no idea there was alcohol in it...it kind of tasted like Hawaiian Punch but better lol


Chris ordered the Chardonnay...he does not normally like Chardonnay, but he enjoyed it.

In the background you can see Lisa taking a video of her Magical Star Cocktail (which she just ordered for the glue cube lol). Here's a link to that video: http://www.twitvid.com/LYQXR

The bread was a pineapple bread and it was served with a coconut, macadamia nut butter that was TO DIE FOR! I wanted to order more and take it home in my pocket! Nom nom nom!


Chris got the 3-course Chef's Experience and he started with the potstickers. Which were a nice way to start the meal.


For his entree, he had the Shrimp Pan Asian Noodles. It came with a lot of shrimp and he enjoyed it!


Lisa is a picky eater and she decided to get sushi. She got the California Luau Roll which she said was like a normal California Roll but with Pineapple. She really liked it!


I decided to get the Coconut Almond Chicken and let me tell you, it was SOOO good! This is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten...if you go to Kona (and like coconut) you HAVE TO GET THIS! The chicken is on a bed of greens that had a nice dressing and mandarin oranges that really complimented the taste of the coating on the chicken. Yumm...


For dessert we split the Kilauea Torte (pronounced like killer whale) which was good, but nothing really memorable...I have to say it looked beautiful!


Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant! The atmosphere was nice and the service was great! If you like coconut, I urge you to get the coconut almond chicken! I honestly have dreams about this dish...and now I'm drooling...

UP NEXT: WISHES

 

[DaPanMan]

Just found your TR. I'm enjoying it.

My aunt and uncle went to the Capitol One bowl too cause they are snow birds and live down in Fla during the winter. I wanted to go sSSOOOO bad, but was happy I could turn the channel. It definately was hard, brutal, to watch.

Now, cheering on both basketball teams.

I love your shots around campus and town. Hoping you post more.

Since I'm busy at work....working - I'll have to check out the podcast later. I'm not a hip young adult anymore, but I may be a little hip old adult now.

Maybe I'll bump into you or Chris at Beaner's....Biggby - whatever. I visit the Okemos one quite often!!!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Just found your TR. I'm enjoying it.

My aunt and uncle went to the Capitol One bowl too cause they are snow birds and live down in Fla during the winter. I wanted to go sSSOOOO bad, but was happy I could turn the channel. It definately was hard, brutal, to watch.

Now, cheering on both basketball teams.

I love your shots around campus and town. Hoping you post more.

Since I'm busy at work....working - I'll have to check out the podcast later. I'm not a hip young adult anymore, but I may be a little hip old adult now.

Maybe I'll bump into you or Chris at Beaner's....Biggby - whatever. I visit the Okemos one quite often!!!

Thanks! I was glad to hear that the women's bball team got their first outright Big10 title! And I'm hoping the men's team can make it into the tournament

If you listen to the podcast, I'd love to know what you think! We're still new at this and we appreciate all the feedback we could get!

That would be crazy if we ran into you...I love my Biggby coffee

 

[schoen]

Another Spartan here!!!! My husband and I both went to msu. He was in James Madison and I was secondary Ed- so I know all about the mttc that you just took. I hope it went well for you.

I just found your trip report and wanted to say hi because we're both Spartans. My husband and I never left so we are neighbors too!!

Love your pictures of campus and your report

We watched the game at the Harrison roadhouse pub-our bar of choice in the area. I will admit that we left during the third.... It just wasn't fun to watch!

GO GREEN!!!!!!!!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Another Spartan here!!!! My husband and I both went to msu. He was in James Madison and I was secondary Ed- so I know all about the mttc that you just took. I hope it went well for you.

I just found your trip report and wanted to say hi because we're both Spartans. My husband and I never left so we are neighbors too!!

Love your pictures of campus and your report

We watched the game at the Harrison roadhouse pub-our bar of choice in the area. I will admit that we left during the third.... It just wasn't fun to watch!

GO GREEN!!!!!!!!

YAY! I love hearing from other Spartan fans!

I probably wouldn't have stayed if that wasn't the reason for our trip!

 

[msuslash]

Another Spartan here as well (can't you tell by my handle?) I was in the SMB in 98, gosh I miss those days! Keep up the good work and GO GREEN!!!

 

[ashleighbass06]

Another Spartan here as well (can't you tell by my handle?) I was in the SMB in 98, gosh I miss those days! Keep up the good work and GO GREEN!!!

Love to hear from another Spartan! So sad about last night's game but I guess I should be glad we made it into the tournament, right?

 

[ashleighbass06]

Wow, my Dis Friends, it has been awhile! Before I get to the trip report, I have a big announcement! Chris & I went to St. Louis for Spring Break and GUESS WHAT?! HE PROPOSED!!!

Today's photo of the day:

MSU Sign Re-explored by bassclarinetgrl, on Flickr

Day 4 cont.
Where we left off Chris, Lisa, & I finished dinner at Kona and we had about an hour until Wishes. So, we took a ride on the monorail:

Lisa said it made her want to go back to Disney World, so I think I did my job lol

After we got off the monorail, we found beach chairs and got ready for the show!

After Wishes we headed over to Downtown Disney so Lisa could pick up a souvenir...that was a BAD idea! We drove around for 20 minutes looking for a parking space and by the time we finally got one, there were SO many people in there! I almost started to hyperventilate in World of Disney it was so packed! But, Lisa found something and we had a nice chat with the cashier who goes to Central Michigan.

Then, we ran back to the car, dropped Lisa off at the Peabody and headed back to the beach. We got back around midnight and we could barely keep our eye open! But, we had to get to bed, we were headed to the parks nice and early!

NEXT: Did we make rope drop?

 

[dawnbu40]

Congratulations on the engagement!! How exciting!

Nice update We've always talked about watching Wishes from the beach but never have (although I do remember seeing them from the beach as a kid) Your photos are great though and make me want to fit it in

 

[ashleighbass06]

Congratulations on the engagement!! How exciting!

Nice update We've always talked about watching Wishes from the beach but never have (although I do remember seeing them from the beach as a kid) Your photos are great though and make me want to fit it in

Thank you!

I would absolutely recommend watching Wishes from here. My one complaint (which I forgot to mention) is that it was hard to hear the music if you are close to the water (the speakers must be on the buildings). But besides that it was a great way to see the fireworks from a different perspective (and for free, which is always nice )!