Who Knew We Were Virginians?

[littlenellbell]

I'm really enjoying your report so far! Claire is adorable and it looks like she is really enjoying getting spoiled at the American Girl store! I love how she picked the cast and braces! Too funny. Alexa also got Caroline for Christmas!

I'm currently driving a Chevy Cruze as a rental. The transmission in my 2012 vehicle went out! Luckily it's still under warranty. Anyway, I really like the Cruze...it's identical to your "Tom" same color and everything.

Yes, you were the one to tell me about Marie Grace on sale. See what you started! Although it was bound to happen eventually, my sister and I have AG dolls from when we were little and it's something I was excited to share with Alexa.

The girl doing Claire's doll's hair was actually our waitress in the Bistro. She told us she recently switched. It was sooo slow when we were there as well. Our waitress was very sweet and did a good job, but said the kitchen is small which was the hold up. Anyway, she played with Alexa and her doll's tea set and played that game at the table were you read the cards...so that kept Alexa and us entertained. But the food was slow coming out. I can't believe how small the Bistro is for all the people coming into that store! I was also surprised at the bathroom and how small it was!

I might be emailing you in a couple weeks about a Disney Cruise for Feb 2015. It looks like we might be going with some family members as well. I'll be in touch.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey Jen! Thanks for the link to jump back into your TR for the AG part of it. I'm actually farther into your Williamsburg report than you think. I started catching up a couple times, but kept going for the gold, wanting to catch completely caught up, only to get pulled away again before I got comments posted.

What an awesome and memorable day at AG! I better not show Katie the photo of Claire's haul. She's done with AG now (sigh) but would totally feel like she had been slighted in her own shopping experiences! She'd probably have to go to therapy and I'd have to take her to the store of her choice at the local mall. It really was a great run while it lasted though. She got an AG doll from Santa 3 years in a row. And *poof* just like that it was done.

You do know you're making me REALLY hungry, right? First the Cheesecake Factory..... then the lobster and the sharkfin dessert.

The Conservatory looks gorgeous! I would have enjoyed being there with my camera. Looks like you did too!

I'm loving the various "Give me a pose!" shots you got with Claire!

 

[MEK]

As the mom to two boys I have to say I am a bit intrigued by the AG store. It's probably a little girl's paradise.

In this part of the country malls are all inside and anything that is considered an "outlet" is outside. That does look like a beautiful shopping center. Such pretty colors.

I absolutely hate paying for food that is just average or sub par. It annoys me, although that little bistro is adorable.

Your dinner looks good, but its just not cool to serve cold food (no pun intended).

Yay for a successive shopping day.

Back to read.

 

[MEK]

Love the pictures from the conservatory. You know that kind of stuff is right up my alley.

Oh Claire!

 

[jenseib]

We moved on to some outdoor areas connected to this greenhouse. The map kind of showed us the direction to go to see it all.





















This was part of the Munro exhibit and would light up at night over the holidays.





I bet they were just beautiful.





I zoomed in on this. It was toward the back of the property and I never did see exactly how to get there, but again never tried very hard to find it either.









That particular greenhouse housed palms, but it was closed for a private party that day. I tried to take a peek inside and it looked really neat.

 

[jenseib]

I would have never known what the heck or who Chihuly was if you hadn't written it. Yep, I'm from the backwoods. The glass sculptures look beautiful and I am sure that they were amazing to see up close.

I wouldn't have known him really if i didn't know he did the stuff for Disney. But now that I have seen some of his stuff and pictures others have posted, I really am a fan.

I'm guessing the navigational device in the car is called "Suri"




What an awful drive to start your trip! Traffic and Truckers and Rain, Oh my!

Then the last thing you needed was to be passed over at the restaurant.

I think the only time I have been to a Cheesecake Factory was when I was working, before the boys were born, a lifetime ago!


************************************************************************************************

That was quite an outing at AG.

Hairstylings and Ear piercings for your doll. What else can you have done? Mani/pedi? When my Barbie needed a new hair style it was just me and a pair of scissors and she was never the same!

Love the accessories you can get!

YAY for the new doll!

Lunch would have annoyed me! I hate places that don't seem organized.

I'm glad it had stopped raining- the outside spaces of the mall look very pretty.

*************************************************************
Another less than perfect meal at the Fish Market, but at least nobody got sick!

Amanda- aren't sticks and berries supposed to be served cold?

A great dessert can wipe away a lot of sins with the meal!

*************************************************************

They have some beautiful Chihuly glass sculptures in Atlantis and I knew a couple of cruise ships have some spectacular ones as well.

The conservatory looks beautiful. How did Claire like it?

Well my phone has "Siri". And I did use her!!!

The drive was a little mind wrecking and the worse one we ever made to her house.
Dinner was good, even after the wait. You need to find one and go!

It's amazing the stuff they have for these dolls. And I get roped right into it too! I am so glad Claire is girly though. Paige wasn't at all and even if we had the opportunity to do some of these types of things, I don't think she would have wanted to. I get to keep young with Claire.

LOL...I'll have to tell Amanda that one. The poor girl has gone through so much and come a long way. For quite some time she just kept saying "shoot me"! Now she has to get her tonsils out in a few months. Every adult I have known to have it done has suffered quite a bit and she knows it too. She is not looking forward to it at all.

I did not realize Chihuly had some in Atlantis too. I am thinking if we take the Magic in March of going to Atlantis, so I might have to look for those.
Claire seemed to enjoy the conservatory. Of course it was not action packed and she liked to go a bit faster than the rest of us, but she does enjoy seeing things like that too.

I am in Chihuly heaven. This first piece is one of the most stunning of his pieces that I have seen.

Corinna

I knew you would like those. I agree. I thought that was amazing!!!!

 

[jenseib]

I'm really enjoying your report so far! Claire is adorable and it looks like she is really enjoying getting spoiled at the American Girl store! I love how she picked the cast and braces! Too funny. Alexa also got Caroline for Christmas!

I'm currently driving a Chevy Cruze as a rental. The transmission in my 2012 vehicle went out! Luckily it's still under warranty. Anyway, I really like the Cruze...it's identical to your "Tom" same color and everything.

Yes, you were the one to tell me about Marie Grace on sale. See what you started! Although it was bound to happen eventually, my sister and I have AG dolls from when we were little and it's something I was excited to share with Alexa.

The girl doing Claire's doll's hair was actually our waitress in the Bistro. She told us she recently switched. It was sooo slow when we were there as well. Our waitress was very sweet and did a good job, but said the kitchen is small which was the hold up. Anyway, she played with Alexa and her doll's tea set and played that game at the table were you read the cards...so that kept Alexa and us entertained. But the food was slow coming out. I can't believe how small the Bistro is for all the people coming into that store! I was also surprised at the bathroom and how small it was!

I might be emailing you in a couple weeks about a Disney Cruise for Feb 2015. It looks like we might be going with some family members as well. I'll be in touch.

I am so picky. I had 3 things I wanted on the car and would settle for 2. I wanted red, a sunroof and a spoiler.....well to find something with a spoiler wasn't easy, so i was OK without one. I do like the car. It's not perfect, but I am happy with it and it gets much better gas mileage too.

My niece has picked the braces and crutches too (according to Amanda who went with them as well). It's funny how they have to have the dolls injured.

Hey, If I have to go through it all, then I am dragging all other Moms of girls with me!!!

I think our waitress said something about the kitchen being slow too. We played the games at the table too. Thats funny that the girl switched. She must've not liked doing hair...I didn't feel like she did at least.

Email away....I love emails from you! You always have such fun ideas and things going on!!!

Hey Jen! Thanks for the link to jump back into your TR for the AG part of it. I'm actually farther into your Williamsburg report than you think. I started catching up a couple times, but kept going for the gold, wanting to catch completely caught up, only to get pulled away again before I got comments posted.

What an awesome and memorable day at AG! I better not show Katie the photo of Claire's haul. She's done with AG now (sigh) but would totally feel like she had been slighted in her own shopping experiences! She'd probably have to go to therapy and I'd have to take her to the store of her choice at the local mall. It really was a great run while it lasted though. She got an AG doll from Santa 3 years in a row. And *poof* just like that it was done.

You do know you're making me REALLY hungry, right? First the Cheesecake Factory..... then the lobster and the sharkfin dessert.

The Conservatory looks gorgeous! I would have enjoyed being there with my camera. Looks like you did too!

I'm loving the various "Give me a pose!" shots you got with Claire!

Now how do you know what I think? I do that too when I am really behind....it might take me weeks to catch up and then I get more behind because people keep posting. But I do read...even when I am quiet about it.

I am sure I was slighted as a kid... I need some retail therapy too...but then that will depress me because I can't fit in the size I want to.

I could go for both too....the dessert parts mainly!

The conservatory was really fun and a great place for new pictures.

Claire gets tired of me asking her to pose now....She needs to get in practice for March though.

As the mom to two boys I have to say I am a bit intrigued by the AG store. It's probably a little girl's paradise.

In this part of the country malls are all inside and anything that is considered an "outlet" is outside. That does look like a beautiful shopping center. Such pretty colors.

I absolutely hate paying for food that is just average or sub par. It annoys me, although that little bistro is adorable.

Your dinner looks good, but its just not cool to serve cold food (no pun intended).

Yay for a successive shopping day.

Back to read.

It is a little girls paradise. I can't even imagine my Mom ever taking me there, yet she spent a couple of 100 on the grandkids that day.

We used to only have indoor malls for the most part in the Toledo area, but they keep buidling new ones outdoors now. Who is coming up with this idea? I just read this thing with the 20 coldest cities in the US...Toledo is #11!!!

The prices were not even cheap either for such basic food at the Bristro....but like Disney, you are paying for the experience. They need a few characters to come around!

Dinner was decent, but yes, it would've been better had it actually been warm. Claire's was really cold and I probably should have sent it back.

Love the pictures from the conservatory. You know that kind of stuff is right up my alley.

Oh Claire!

I know!!! When I saw your Gardens pictures it reminded me so much of this place too!

 

[Kitchensink]

I read your entire Williamsburg trip report yesterday thanks to this lovely Ohio winter weather. I've read some of the other trips reports you've done as well - yes, I'm a lurker! The trip to Virginia was really interesting and I enjoyed the photography as well. By the way, I grew up in Tiffin, Ohio, and Toledo was the "big" city to our northwest.
Karen

 

[dolphingirl47]

Yes, both Atlantis properties (Nassau and Dubai) have Chihuly chandeliers. I have not visited the one in Nassau yet, but unfortunately the one in Dubai is in an area of the hotel that can only be accessed by hotel guests - and yes, I did beg if they could not make an exception.

The gardens look amazing.

Corinna

 

[jedijill]

Yes, both Atlantis properties (Nassau and Dubai) have Chihuly chandeliers. I have not visited the one in Nassau yet, but unfortunately the one in Dubai is in an area of the hotel that can only be accessed by hotel guests - and yes, I did beg if they could not make an exception.

The gardens look amazing.

Corinna

The ones in Nassau are publicly accessible. I believe there is one between the lobby and the casino and there is another one in the casino itself. They are stunning!

Jill in CO

 

[dolphingirl47]

The ones in Nassau are publicly accessible. I believe there is one between the lobby and the casino and there is another one in the casino itself. They are stunning!

Jill in CO

Suddenly Nassau has gone up in my estimation.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

I read your entire Williamsburg trip report yesterday thanks to this lovely Ohio winter weather. I've read some of the other trips reports you've done as well - yes, I'm a lurker! The trip to Virginia was really interesting and I enjoyed the photography as well. By the way, I grew up in Tiffin, Ohio, and Toledo was the "big" city to our northwest.
Karen

thanks for reading...and lurking!!!!
This weather is awful School is already canceled for tomorrow too.
Yep, Toledo is our big bang city as well. I live West of it, and it's not too hard to get to, but in this weather it's not easy right now.

Yes, both Atlantis properties (Nassau and Dubai) have Chihuly chandeliers. I have not visited the one in Nassau yet, but unfortunately the one in Dubai is in an area of the hotel that can only be accessed by hotel guests - and yes, I did beg if they could not make an exception.

The gardens look amazing.

Corinna

Interesting. I probably read that somewhere once and lost it in the back of my head. Too bad they wouldn't let you go take pictures.

The ones in Nassau are publicly accessible. I believe there is one between the lobby and the casino and there is another one in the casino itself. They are stunning!

Jill in CO

Great.....I am pretty sure we'll make a stop to Atlantis then.

Suddenly Nassau has gone up in my estimation.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

I took a few more pictures in that area we had been in to start with and then moved on to the next section.















Another shot of the hanging bulbs in the main area.



And then to a cave! Who doesn’t love a cave?





This room was really neat and the lights (part of the Munro exhibit) were supposed to be like rain.







And then we came upon a miniature village.



I quickly realized that this village was themed to fairytales and many were Disney themed. This one has Cinderella.



A train circled around it.



Some of them we weren’t exactly sure which fairytale they represented…..we thought maybe the cow was for Jack and the Beanstalk.



Rapunzel.



Old lady in the Shoe…and not sure of the Rabbit…maybe Peter Rabbit?



Little Red Riding Hood.



Pinocchio!



Snow White



3 Little Pigs



Cinderella again

 

[dolphingirl47]

I love the glass spheres peeking out of the greenery and the fairytale village is just precious.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

I love the glass spheres peeking out of the greenery and the fairytale village is just precious.

Corinna

They reminded me of big giant Easter Eggs

 

[jenseib]

I don’t think we ever figured this one out. I think that is a cat, but it could be a bear. Perhaps Goldilocks and the 3 Bears?



This one was 3 Little Kittens who Lost their mittens and if you look closely you can see mittens strung on a line.





It was really a neat display and we did take our time standing there and looking it over, but we did need to move on to see the rest.















There were so many neat flowers that I kept stopping and taking pictures of them.





They had a couple of birds in cages, but it was next to impossible to get a good picture.



The next room we went into was like a southern dessert.









This one looked like snakes to me.





Come on Mom!!!! Stop taking so many pictures!!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I've got to go to the conservatory one of these days. I'll just tell my DH if we go, afterwards we eat at Schmidt's. He'll be rarin' to go!

I love fairy gardens, I made a small one last summer, but making one like their's would be a major undertaking!

 

[jenseib]

I've got to go to the conservatory one of these days. I'll just tell my DH if we go, afterwards we eat at Schmidt's. He'll be rarin' to go!

I love fairy gardens, I made a small one last summer, but making one like their's would be a major undertaking!

It was such a neat place. I am glad we went there. I knew there had to be more than just shopping in Columbus!

 

[dolphingirl47]

The close ups of the flowers are really stunning.

Corinna

 

[scottny]

I wish I was the one with the idea for American Girl shops. LOL.
LOL. The plate and cup for the doll. Cute.
MMM, lobster. Love lobster. The dessert sounds good.
The conservatory looked beautiful. We have the botanical gardens and every year they put on a train display for the holidays like the fairy tale one but of NYC made out of wood. Very pretty just like those.
Great updates and pics.