Wordless Wednesday - I need a vacation

Wishing I was boarding a plane on Friday morning, headed to Orlando for #EpicOctober2011.
I need a vacation.

Back from vacation....buried in laundry

[Sigh]

We're back from our amazing Disney vacation. Isn't it incredible how it takes forever to plan a trip (we started planning LAST June) and then it takes forever to count down the days until you leave and then the entire trip rushes by in warp speed?

I really think that you should be able to freeze time when at Walt Disney World.

Anyway...I have a gazillion loads of laundry staring at me (OK, it's really just five or six)...so I'm not posting much now.

I'll have some trip report posts coming up.

See ya real soon!

Wordless Wednesday - Where I'd rather be

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Home...and very exhausted

We're home!

(OK. That exclamation point was added for your benefit, not mine. Quite frankly, I'd rather be at Disney World. But as it is, we are home.)

The trip was amazing.
It was magical.
It was just what we needed.

The girls had so much fun.
Olivia is at the PERFECT age to really grasp the magic of Disney. And she was so brave - riding the roller coasters with no fear!
Emma was in awe of the characters....she ran to them every chance she had.

Me? Well, I was in my happy place.
Which means I cried a lot of happy 'mousetears'.
I cried when we first made it to the gates of Walt Disney World.
I cried when we walked through the gates of the Magic Kingdom and saw the castle.
I cried when Cinderella showed up at our princess lunch in Norway.
And of course, I cried during Spectromagic and Wishes. (That is always a given!)

When we left Saturday morning, I cried sad tears. Especially when Emma said, in her sweet little sleepy voice, "Bye-bye Disney World." (Cue the waterworks).

And Olivia is a true Neurotic Disney Kid....she looked for hidden Mickeys everywhere (and usually found them!). And, as a true Disney fan, she called the Monorail trains by their "proper" names (the color of their stripe). I didn't have anything to do with that....she just started doing it all on her own: "Look mommy! It's Monorail Yellow!" So proud of her.....

OK...that's all for now. I have days of blogging to work on .... the trip report will be posted over at the 'Disney blog' (Travels with Kids).

And for those of you who followed by adventure via my tweets...thanks for following and sharing in the magic! :)

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

Honest to goodness, I need to work on blogging.

It appears I skipped this entire week -- only posting one thing on Monday. Oy.

And, it wasn't a bad week. Or that busy. I have no excuse.

So, without further ado, my Feel Good Friday on Saturday.

In no particular order, these 5 things made me feel good this week.

1. Friends
It's funny how a glass of sangria, some tapas at Poco Piatti and a hour of good conversation with a good friend can make all the difference! I had been in a blah funk/mood for most of Tuesday (a serious lack of chocolate combined with a general frustration will do that to you) and after having dinner with a friend all was right again.

2. Spur of the moment decisions
So...we're taking the kids to Disney World next month. We decided last weekend - rather suddenly - that we were just going to do it! We had a good price on a complete package and well, we're going to Disney World! The girls are VERY excited. (So am I).

3. Party!
Tonight my sister and I are throwing our "New Moon" viewing party. We're having "Team Edward" (blue) and "Team Jacob" (red) Jell-o shots, a birthday cake (for Bella's birthday), and lots of other yummy foods. (Also for fun: muffins in honor of the wolf pack, marshmallows because Mike Newton is "a marshmallow" and Lemon Drop martinis because they are sunny and yellow...just like Jacob is Bella's sunshine.) Yes, we are total dorks. Thanks for noticing. :)

4. Naps
You know sometimes you just have to nap. For example, when it's cloudy and rainy and cold and dreary like it was on Thursday and you have a splitting headache and the kids are resting and you think "gosh, I could fold the laundry or just take a nap right here on this couch" and well, the nap wins out. Yeah. Naps rock.

5. Twitter
I am a huge fan of Twitter. I could go on and on...but let's just leave it at that. I love Twitter. And I love the #Disney community on Twitter.

OK...that's it. Feel Good Friday on Saturday.
See you next week!


And with that, I have to go deal with @VerizonSupport on Twitter. I am hating Verizon online right now - they are in the midst of some 'big switch' from VerizonYahoo! to verizon.net for email services and everything is an epic #FAIL.

We went to Disney World!

Enjoying our whole fish at Kouzzina.

Kevin and I just returned from our whirlwind, mini vacation to Walt Disney World. We had so much fun and some unwanted "adventures" in our travels to and from Orlando. [A disclaimer: this post might be a bit long, so you might want to get a snack before you sit down to read.]

Sunday, January 17th
We boarded our flight at Detroit Metro, full of excitement and anticipation - after all, we were going to Disney World! I should note there that I am OK with flying - except during take-off and landing. So, once we were up in the air, I settled in and started reading a magazine. And then the craziness started.

Suddenly the flight attendants are making an announcement asking for any doctors, EMTs or nurses on board to come to the front of the plane. I look up and see a woman in the aisle crying and freaking out and a few people leaning over a man in the middle seat.

This was not a good sign.

Then, the small crowd starts walking down the aisle of the plane, with a very pale looking guy in the middle. And then, the pilot announces that we're making an emergency landing in Cincinnati due to a medical emergency on board. And that's all the information we get.

Soon, we land in Cincinnati and taxi to the gate, where the plane is met by an ambulance, fire truck and police car. The paramedics and police board the plane and the next thing we know, the sick guy is WALKING OFF THE PLANE. That's right. I said he was walking off the plane of his own accord. No stretcher, no oxygen. Nothing.

And then, we sit at the gate. For an hour. They tell us nothing other than "we'll be leaving soon." Oh, and they give us WATER. Just water. Nothing else. The flight attendants claim they can't open anything else. Whatever.

Finally we're back up in the air, headed to Orlando. Then we hit horrible turbulence at 27,00 feet - and the pilot announces "well, it's a bit rough up here so I guess the Delta/Northwest weather guys were wrong, so we'll be heading up to 36,000 feet and see if it's less bumpy up there." Um, OK.

As the flight attendants come around with the beverage carts we're told that they are giving the alcoholic drinks for free but still have to charge for the food because "it's from a different vendor." Now I'm sorry, but after an emergency landing and an hour long delay at the gate in Cincinnati, the least they can do is give me some free M&Ms.

And if all that isn't enough .... when we are landing in Orlando the plane hits an air pocket or an updraft or something and suddenly the entire plane tips to the left (and I'm sitting over the wing and suddenly see the ground move very fast toward the tip of the wing!) and then we tip violently to the right and then we bounce down once and then back up and then we finally land (very HARD landing) and then the pilot slams on the brakes. It was THE WORST LANDING EVER. When we finally made it to the gate the entire plane broke into a round of applause - presumably because we were still in one piece.

So, after all that drama we were finally on our way to our Disney resort. Let me just say this - Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is gorgeous! We had a lake view room and it was so beautiful. As quickly as we could we boarded the bus to Epcot - where we explored the World Showcase and had a delicious dinner at Kouzzina by Cat Cora (which is located on the Boardwalk, outside the gates of Epcot). We got a bit brave at dinner and ordered the whole fish - and oh my gosh it was so yummy!

Monday, January 18th
On Monday I headed to the Magic Kingdom by myself! My favorite part of the morning was riding in my very own boat (all by myself!) in it's a small world! Kevin joined me later in the morning and we decided to ride the things we never ride when the kids are with us, like Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. And we also met one of my Disney friends from Twitter and his wife! We ended up talking for two hours over Dole Whips - so much fun! Our magical day at the Magic Kingdom ended with Spectromagic and Wishes.

All in all, I spent 12 hours at the Magic Kingdom! That's right - 12 hours without taking a break at the hotel. My feet were killing me. (I should note here that the shoes I wore ended up being an epic failure when it comes to comfort. I will never wear them to Disney again.)

Tuesday, January 19th
Oh goody. Another day of travel.

First, they change our gate at the airport. Then, as they start boarding and we're walking down to the plane the kid in front of us vomits all over the walkway! Oh. My. Gosh. I had to hold my breath until I boarded the plane. And wouldn't you know it, vomit boy is sitting behind us. And as he gets out of his seat to go to the bathroom he TOUCHES THE HEADREST ON MY SEAT! With the hand that was just covered in ick. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't change seats because the flight is full. So for the entire flight I had to lean forward so that I didn't have to lean my head on the headrest (which I had doused with antibacterial hand gel).

This was NOT going to be a good flight.

We are supposed to leave at 1:55 p.m. We don't. At 2 p.m. the pilot announces that there's a mechanical issue and they have to turn off the engines and oh by the way, he's sorry that it's so hot on the plane but we have no A/C due to the issue and well, if we just shut the window shades it might be OK.

So, we're stuck at the gate on a plane with no A/C and a kid with vomit potential sitting directly behind us. Yep, we are in travel hell.

Finally, at 2:35 p.m. the pilot says we are leaving.
Which means we'll be late arriving to Detroit.
Oh and he's really sorry.

So, I spent the entire flight worrying that the kid behind me was going to be sick again. (He wasn't. And I should mention that his genius parents bought him a bag of peanut M&Ms. WTH? Who does that?)

We finally land in Detroit and had the only good moment of the entire flight - a totally perfect landing. It was as if the pilot had landed on a cloud. I wanted to hug him.

I grab a Starbucks and limp to the baggage claim and then, finally, we are in our car - headed home to our girls. Exhausted, but happy to be back home.


I have to say, that despite all the travel nightmares and delays and vomiting kids, Kevin and I had a magical two days at Disney World. It was definitely worth all the headaches.

A few 'staycation' pictures

This was not a fun ride. It spun around. Ugh.

Emma...not sure what the frown is about.

The girls at Camp Snoopy.

Miss Olivia Rose

Miss Emma Grace and her daddy
(and Nana is in the background).

Get to the point!

(oh my gosh...look how LITTLE emma is!)

....Cedar Point, that is!

Yep...we're headed to America's RollerCoast this weekend. For the entire weekend. My parents are taking all of us and we're spending two nights at the Hotel Breakers (it's like Disney World all over again...).

And, once again I'm packing for four people. My mom said last night "I have no idea what I'm packing. I'll figure that out Friday morning." Um yeah....that's easy to do when you only have to pack for two people. ;)

Right now I have two suitcases partially packed. Itried to use one suitcase, and it wasn't going to work. I am one of THOSE moms who pack more than the necessary number of outfits for the kids. I always have at least one extra outfit per child per day -- because you just never know if you'll need it.

And we have a duffel bag full of beach towels.

And a BIG diaper bag full of Pull-Ups, wipes, a big tub of antibacterial Wet Wipes (c'mon ... how gross are amusement parks? ugh!), band-aids, Neosporin, sunscreen, and more.

And....a few bags of snacks for the kids (no reason to pay out the nose for amusement park food when you can take Goldfish and Cheez-its).

And with all that...I'm not done packing. I still have to pack all the 'toiletries' for four people. And make sure we have the 'right' stuffed animals and blankets and Crocs and rain ponchos (just in case).

Whew. I'm already tired...and we haven't even stood in any lines yet.

Back to reality

Well, I'm home from Disney. Not much more to say about that part.

The trip itself was AMAZING, WONDERFUL, FULL OF FUN...and all that stuff. The weather was perfect all week -- not one drop of rain fell! The crowd levels were great....and Olivia and Emma had so much fun.

A few highlights:

- watching Emma's reaction as she met the characters for the first time (she was only 8 months old the last time we went)

- Olivia being transformed into a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

- watching Olivia and Emma dance the waltz w/ Cinderella and Prince Charming

- seeing Olivia meet Prince Caspian (from The Chronicles of Narnia)...oh what a story I have for that

OK...I would love to post more, but I am exhausted and still unpacking. I will be journaling about each day on my other blog (Travels with Kids) ... so once those are up, I'll post a link if anyone cares to read about our adventures.

Oh, and I should mention that I took 1,025 pictures during our week-long trip. And four full video tapes. Yeah, it might take a few days to post any photos. :)

Yes!

So, I am now officially on vacation -- we're leaving tomorrow to head up to Detroit Metro and then our flight is Saturday morning (we're staying @ The Westin....much easier than getting up at 4 am and rushing up to the airport on travel day!).

And, to add to my GREAT mood....

I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's for a Marketing/Communications Manager job...and the job duties are pretty much exactly what I do now. Except for more money. And it's full-time. And would be AWESOME.

So....I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.

Wish me luck!

I met Capt. Jack Sparrow!

How could I forget to mention this?

We met THE Capt. Jack Sparrow at

The Magic Kingdom.

He was so cool.

Although, he did try to get my diamond

ring off my lef hand.

Once a pirate, always a pirate, I guess.

Say "cheese!"

Olivia, Emma and me with Eeyore!

Olivia and Belle

Emma!

Kevin & Olivia at the hotel

Our first day at the Magic Kingdom!

THIS is supposed to make me feel safer?

There was one low point in our trip. And, of course, it happened at the airport.

We decided to spend one night at Detroit-Metro Airport (at the Westin)...to alleviate any morning-of-trip stress and because they have a great park and fly package with valet parking.

So, upon arriving we decided to get a security clearance pass and eat dinner in the Northwest terminal. What a mistake.

First, we stood in line for AN HOUR just to get our TSA pass. Yeah, an hour. The airport cop who was filling out these documents wrote so freakin' slow it was unreal. After finally getting our documents we had to walk back up to the main security checkpoint because the Westin's security area had closed while we were in line.

As soon as we walked into the security line one of the officers said "follow me." I thought, "gee, how nice. They have a special line for people who aren't flying."

Yeah. I wish.

No, no, no.....we had just been selected. To be searched.

We put the shoes, stroller, purse and diaper bag through the x-ray machine and then were corralled into a small, plexiglass "holding cell" (for lack of a better term). After a few minutes we were "released" so that we could be frisked. Patted down. ALL FOUR OF US.

That's right folks, after they did the "pat down" on me and Kevin, they did it to Olivia. And then Emma. Now I'm all for security, but they FRISKED MY 8 MONTH OLD BABY. And we weren't even getting on a damn plane. We were just trying to get some dinner.

This is the world we live in now.

[The best part? The next day as we were going thru security to actually board a plane, the security agent says to me, "Ma'am you have an excessive amount of baby food in your carry-on bag, but I'll let you through." -- Yeah, OK...so I packed half the baby food in my carry on and half in my suitcase...and apparently the rule is enough baby food for the duration of your FLIGHT. Whatever. The point is, I had obviously "broken" a rule, but no matter, I was allowed to go right on through.]

Yep. I feel safer. How about you?

Reflections on a vacation

Well, we're back and exhausted and a few of us (not me) are even a bit sick. (Emma and Kevin are both suffering colds right now).

The trip was wonderful. Amazing. Fun. And not very relaxing. :) It's hard to relax when you're getting up early to make it to the parks by 8 or 9 a.m. But it was all so very worth it!

The weather was wonderful. Only a little rain here and there -- thankfully, that tropical depression thing stayed north of Orlando, so our rain and wind was minimal. More like annoying drizzle with a nice breeze.

I discovered that there are several things EVERY parent says to their kids while visiting Walt Disney World. These include:

- "Stop crying or we're leaving."

- "Stop crying or we're going back to the hotel for the rest of the day."

- "Why are you crying?"

- "Get back in your stroller. NOW."

- "Stop running."

- "Get back here. NOW."

- "Don't touch that!" (normally overheard in the bathroom)

I heard these statements repeated over and over again, in several accents, during the course of our vacation. It was nice to know that it wasn't just us saying those things!

Olivia had a blast chasing down all the characters, armed with her autograph book. I think we were able to get an autograph from just about everyone, except Ariel (the Little Mermaid). They keep that girl under lock and key, I think!

Emma...well, she slept a lot and when she did meet a character, she normally cried out in terror. I suppose a life-size Mouse is scary to someone that small. But she was the recipient of many "oooh's and aaah's" for her cuteness (especially when she was dressed as Tinkerbell!).

Photos to follow soon.

A much needed vacation

Vacation, time to get away!!!!

As of Friday afternoon, all I have to say is:

Disney World here we come!

Will blog when I get home.

147 days

One hundred and forty-seven days until

we land at the happiest place on Earth.

Vacation Wrap-up

Well, we're back home in the flatlands of Northwest Ohio...and amazingly enough, it was actually spring-like when we got here today. No snow, no freezing temps...highs in the 50s and storms on the way.

Of course, we'd rather be in Florida on the beach...but we are glad to be home. Especially after the drive we had today. Suffice it to say, driving thru downtown Cincinnati in the pouring rain is not fun. It rained today for three hours (and we were only in the car for 8 hours) -- the sun finally came out somewhere near Lima. It made for a very long day.

All in all, the vacation was wonderful. A few highlights:

• Driving down to Florida sounded like a good idea - we thought we'd save some money or some crazy thing like that. Note to selves: next time, fly to Florida. At it's cheapest, gas was $2.15 a gallon. And then there was the SWAT team in Kentucky. Long story short: we stopped for gas, but the station we were going to stop at was surrounded by members of the local SWAT team, with guns cocked and ready to shoot someone in either the gas station or the Waffle House next door. We didn't stay long enough to find out.

• The traffic on I-75 is incredibly BAD. The speed limit in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida is 70 mph -- which of course means we should all go at least 80 mph. Very scary to say the least.

• Florida was warm, sunny and wonderful.

• Olivia had her first trip to the beach -- we visited both Clearwater Beach and Siesta Key Beach. We saw 5 or 6 dolphins in Siesta, which was very, very cool. Olivia was a very brave little girl -- she had no fear of the ocean. (She hasn't seen JAWS yet, give her time!).

• We visited the manatee viewing center in Apollo Beach. Each winter manatees come into the warm waters of the discharge canal of Tampa Electric's Big Bend Power Station when the water in the bay goes below a certain temperature. I highly recommend a visit if you're down there in the winter or early spring. (Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center.)

• And of course, there is Disney World. Olivia met Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore, Piglet and many other Disney characters during our visit. We rode a few rides -- the best was "It's a Small World" (mainly because that's the only one where Olivia didn't cry). We had dinner with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. The only bad thing about this part of the trip, was that we needed more time at Disney. Time really does fly when you're having fun.

On the road again

Feels as if we've been driving for an entire week. We finally made it to Athens, TN on our way home from Florida -- after some rather nasty traffic down Atlanta way. We have vowed to NEVER drive to Florida again. Not sure what the hell we were thinking when we said "hey, let's save money and drive to Florida with a 2 year old"...but nonetheless, we will be flying next time.

The vacation was wonderful, despite the drive. The weather was warm, sunny and perfect every day -- a far cry from Ohio weather this time of year. The best day was our trip to Disney World. Olivia had such a good time meeting Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Mickey, and friends. It was such a joy to see her face light up when another character would come around.

Made a few minor mistakes at the Magic Kingdom. Note to others: don't take your 2-year-old on Snow White's Scary Adventures. Guess we ignored the "scary" in the name...our kid screamed thru the whole ride. Bad choice. Of course, after Snow White, Olivia was afraid of the dark on every other ride, including Winnie The Pooh and The Jungle Cruise. Not our brightest shining moment.

Now we have about 8 or 9 (or 10...) more hours of driving ahead of us tomorrow. Totally dreading it. The way people drive on I-75 is, in a word, terrifying. The speed limit is 70, which of course means that the trucks must go at least 80 mph. It's not a good scene.

Anyway, I will post photos of the trip once we get home. I would have posted more blogs, but I was stuck with a computer that ran with (I think) a hamster on a wheel all week (dial up!) and the damn hamster wouldn't run fast enough for me to post anything.

I'm going to Disney World!

Well, we're all packed and ready to go. Heading down south tomorrow for a week in Florida. I so need this vacation....the past 2 months have been nothing but stress and studying and now that it's all done all I wanna do is have some fun!

Really excited for our trip to Disney..can't wait to see how Olivia reacts when she sees "the happiest place on Earth." I'm sure the photos will be great. I'll post them once we get back home.

A much-needed vacation

If anyone says to me at the end of Feburary "so what are you going to do now that you've finished the bar exam", I can say "I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!" -- and really mean it.

Yep, we're going on vacation. And it's not going to cost too much either. My in-laws are snowbirds in Florida, so we're going to stay w/ them. We're driving, so no airfare to deal with. And we're getting some "travel money" from the in-laws to help w/ gas and other necessities.

And, we're going to Disney World!!!! We booked a room at a "value" hotel on site at Disney World and we have a one-day pass for the Magic Kingdom.

It's nice to know that after all this stress, I actually get to have some fun on my spring break (yeah, I still get spring break...it's a bonus of being a college instructor!).