Wild ON Disney...

This could also be titled, "In case you thought I forgot about posting trip updates..." or "No, my head didn't actually REALLY explode..."

Our washing machine that's only a year old decided to cease breathing the DAY before I have to leave for my 20 year class reunion and the weekend that my son is in a wedding there. Of course, we have like 10 loads of laundry "in the cue" and so it is panic city here.
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So, the Animal Kingdom. What was there NOT to love? In my mind, the Magic Kingdom may have edged out "AK" a little maybe because of the sheer size and variety of things, but Animal Kingdom was a close second.

Where else can your eight-year-old stick his head in something like this:

Where can you find the most enormous (and fake) tree with gorgeous animals carved into its trunk?

And where can you take an actual safari ride where you see all sorts of wild animals up close. Yes, we got lots of animal pictures, but I'm from Texas y'all. And, this is what really caught my attention:

That's a freakin' ant hill. I kid you not. We get fire ants hills here in the Lone Star state that I thought no one could rival. Apparently, I was wrong!

So the safari ride was great. Very realistic. In fact, when our driver got a simulated radio call in and began racing to find baby elephant poachers, I had to explain to my son what a "poacher" actually was and that none of this was real. He was quite concerned!

Token animal photos--

Can I get a little whoop, whoop for the Rhino?

The arrogant ostrich that decided to walk more slowly when it realized we had to stop and wait for it to cross our road. It's hard to see with the shadow, but there's a very smug look on his face...I swear!

And, Mr. Tiger's in the haaawse....

One honking big bat:

Coolest looking character we met at Disney--Rafiki from The Lion King. Or, as my four-year-old calls him, "Fee-key."

What girl doesn't want to be Pocahontas, I ask you? Her show was really neat.

Lunch was at the Rainforest Cafe, which we even have in Texas. But, my kids had not been and loved it. My son still talks about the erupting chocolate volcano dessert that we didn't get. I have to admit, I considered skipping lunch and just diving into that!

Great rides--roaring rapids and the a rockin' coaster that we didn't get to ride, but I vow to next time. Expedition Everest takes you through a wild ride, stops when you meet the "Yeti" and then slams into reverse and takes you all the way back through the ride backwards.

But, my favorite thing about this park we got the worst pictures of, unfortunately. And, that was the Lion King show. I don't know if this is part of the broadway show, but it was stunning and we all loved it.

Ok, so, that ends our journey to the Animal Kingdom. I hope my over-abundance of pictures dazzled you and made you forget how long it has taken for me to post. More updates someday.

But, for now, I leave you with my favorite photo from AK. I don't know why, but his grin just makes me crack up and I feel like I should end with this:

Th-th-th-that's ALL FOLKS!!!

MomCat Goes to Disney World - Part I

At long last, it is the much delayed summary of our Disney World trip. I'll try to keep this as short as possible (for me) and entertaining.

The first day of traveling from Houston to Orlando I learned that my four-year-old daughter really hasn't reached the low-maintenance point when it comes to airflight. While my son sat peacefully playing his PSP and reading books with my husband, I was paired in a seat next too Squirmy McWiggleton and her ever changing bag of charms. Packing a lot of things to entertain her was good in the sense that it kept her occupied, but bad because that occupation typically lasted for, oh, around 5 minutes. Then, we'd have to switch to the next thing.

I also learned that Squirmy had an issue with volume control. OK, I knew this before. But, it was magnified in flight. It felt like the entire passenger load of people knew every word that my daughter said both to Orlando and back.

We arrived at Disney, and quickly got our bags and surprisingly our car, thanks to my smart thinking (thank ye very much) that we split up and Hubs take Squirmy to get the rental car while I wait on the bags with my son. Before we knew it, we were at our hotel--the All Star Sports Resort, waiting in a small, but very slow line to check in. Here's a shot of our hotel from the main entrance:

The hotel was kind of nifty on the outside, not so spectacular on the inside. I should say here that I'm a big of a hotel snob. We typically get suites when we can so the kids have a separate room to sleep in from us. Well, this place was clean, and acceptable with decent amenities, but the room was sooo tiny. We knew this going in--our logic was we'd just be there at night to crash so who cares about all the fluff. (For the record, I learned...fluff is good... even if it is just in the evening. I like me some fluff. So sue me.)

Each section of the hotel was dedicated to a sports theme. We stayed in the baseball section. The football was by far our favorite because it had giant helmets on either side and a mock football field complete with yard lines and giant X's and O's and goal posts. But, the kids found their favorite part of our section was the stairs disguised as a giant Coke cup. They had me take pictures of it even.

At long last, we grabbed a less than average lunch at our hotel and made it to the park. Our first stop was Disney Hollywood Studios. One of the first things we saw, was one of the best this day--the live action stunt show. It was so interesting seeing how they film action scenes in movies and watching the car chases, fake falls from buildings and even a guy catching on fire! And, of course, we loved the cameo role by Herbie the Love Bug.

Most of this park was all about shows. We saw a Little Mermaid interactive show that was neat, enjoyed a blast from the past by the Muppet's 3D show, and walked around. It was interesting explaining to my kids just WHO the Muppets were. It makes me sad that they've lived their life without knowing such lovable friends as Fozzy, Beaker or seeing a single episode of Pigs in Space.
By the time we left, it was well into the evening and we were completely fried from the flight and park activities. So, we gladly took our rental car (the best thing we ignored friends' advice on and went ahead and got) and drove to a great little Italian joint and had a fantastic late dinner before crashing.

Tomorrow, I'll update you on our first full day at my favorite park, The Magic Kingdom. Stay tuned for parades, princesses and pirates...oh my! Here's my cute kid pic of this day--because while I don't normally show my kids here, I can't resist sharing this shot of my son and his little sister looking up at him adoringly:

Everyone--Jazz Hands for Disney!!!

Ok, so we're back from Disney and the trip was wonderful. I will write more about it in detail. But, today due to unforeseen circumstances, I've got to leave you with two short snippets to tide you over until I can write my usual lengthy details. First, a little ditty for you:

Went to Disney all last week,
doo dah, doo dah
Two queen beds--kids kicking feet
oh, dee doo dah day...

We got no sleep,
arrived to a 6 ft ceiling leak
Family arriving late this week...
oh freakin' doo dah day...

And, now my weird observations of our Disney World week. While at Disney, we noticed a freakish number of the following classes of people all week long:

Canadians
About 50 percent of the license plates in the parking lots were from Canada.

Morbidly Obese People
Suddenly it became evident why to other countries we have a reputation for being a fat nation. I don't typically notice overweight people, being a little pudgy myself. This was extreme cases of obesity. Hey, wait...maybe it is CANADA with the weight problem. Yeah, that's the ticket!!!
Oh, and did I mention, I'm officially on a diet now?

Crazy Elderly Lark Riding Maniacs
We're talking folks who didn't mind taking out you and your kids to push their way into lines. (Seriously, I have a bruise the size of a quarter on my thigh and the hubs foot got ran over by one cranky old woman.)

Dancing Feet Light in the Loafers
Lots of...how do I say this, flamboyant performers with excellent jazz hands. In fact, almost all of the male entertainers we saw were of the "jazz hands" variety and damn good dancers to boot! Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you...(grin)

Teen Volunteers
At our hotel, freakishly large packs of older high school students, all wearing Special Olympics tees roaming around unchaperoned. However, no handicapped people there at all. Maybe a trip reward for volunteering? How did all of these kids get out of school so early?

A Leafy Walker
My favorite oddly weird sighting was this Leaf Lady at the Animal Kingdom.


This woman wove around blending into shrubs and then walking out to surprise people. I'd have traded 10 Disney Princess meetings to get a shot with this character...she was SO cool! Here's a video of her I found on YouTube where you can see her odd way of moving.

I'll try to post some daily updates based on our experiences, later tonight. Please say a prayer for my air conditioning unit. While the ceiling damage isn't pretty, home girl just needs some cold breezes en su casa. This is Houston for goodness sake--late May feels like July in most places!

Making Peace with Mike

Now, that I've talked out my anxiety about Disney, I'm making peace with Mike. I've printed off his suggested agendas for reading on the plane. I'm now just more ready to go more than anything. I thought I'd share my memories of Disney from the one trip I made as a teen.

At 12, I was really too old to get super excited about Walt Disney World, and yet I really was. My parents rarely took trips and were just fine with that. I had always had the itch to travel. An itch that stays with me today. I look forward to my retirement/empty nester years because I hope to be able to travel to all the places I've never seen. I find myself envious of friends who have the finances and freedom to take spontaneous trips. Not that we haven't taken some great family trips in our past. When you have kids, especially school-aged kids, and you've been on one income (mostly) for more than 8 years, well you have to pace yourself and spontenaity is a thing of the past.

My sister was 4 at the time of our trip. I remember we both were excited about stopping off to see our family in Fort Walton Beach before we drove the rest of the way to Orlando. My mother was not, and let us know that quite often both on the way to Florida and even while we were there. Her lifestyle didn't mesh with my Dad's families really. There was too much drinking and telling of the same stories over and over again. Me, I just thought about the two story dock at my grandmother's house on the water. And, the special platform bed she had in her guest room that closed up like a closet. It was the coolest thing ever!

The long drive to Florida took about a day and a half, so we'd get to stay in a hotel and do fun things like eat in waffle houses and eat all the fast food we could ever want. How perfect is that for a preteen, I ask you?

My sister and I always had trouble with fighting with one another, even back then. But, what remains in my head about this trip was not squabbling. It was silly memories of just having fun with her. The 8-year age gap went away for us during that trip, and I find myself feeling happy when I see this going on these days with my son and daughter who are five years apart in age.

I remember blasting music in the back speakers of the van we'd taken on our trip to Disney, a demo van my Dad had borrowed from the current dealership he managed. We loved how the van had seats that could lay down into a flat bed in the back and you still had bucket seats in the middle. During one song as we drove through either Alabama or Mississippi we would recline and sit up the buckets seats to the music. I am sure it drove my parents nuts, but we laughed and laughed. Another stretch of road we got to get out and tour a Coca Cola bottling plant. When we hit a long patch of heavy rains, we'd wait until we went under the over passes when the rain sound would cease for a few seconds and flop back our bucket seats and sigh, "AHHHHH" and then giggle each time.

Disney turned out to be a lot of fun. I have a lot of special memories from that trip, including a fishing trip with my Dad that I've talked about on here before. Our family grew closer during that trip, even with my parents' squabbles over the map, my Dad shouting back to us to be quiet when he got in traffic, and my mom's getting frustrated that he didn't allow enough potty breaks for all the rest of us girls in the car.

So, this Disney trip for me, and some of my anxiety about it I suppose, is that I look forward to that family bonding that only a family vacation can bring you. I crave that right now. And, I think my entire family really needs it. It might be something that helps us through a very difficult place. On the negative side, the stress of it could be very detrimental as well. But, I like to think it could make all the difference in the world...and bring a little magic to our lives again. Everyone needs a little magic now and then, don't you think?

Down with Tour Guide Mike

I haven't posted here in a full week. Is it because I'm devastated at the loss of Aggie dread-locked, Vinnie-Babarino-like Jason Castro from American Idol? Noooo...happy about that one...

Am I still reeling from the latest and most confusing episode of "Lost." Neh, but if you can tell me where we've seen that odd black man that popped up this episode, DO comment because it is driving me CRAZY trying to remember!

Do I have life outside of TV? Why, heavens yes! Although, I admit it doesn't always sound like I do from this vantage point.

Actually, I have had a very energizing and anxious week. I started back with my personal trainer and have dedicated myself to getting back in great shape and losing the pounds. Oh, and I'm also planning next week's family vacation to Disney.

We leave Monday. I just found out last night that all of my in-laws are in town this weekend for Mother's Day and my niece's birthday. Lovely. I have nothing planned for either. No gifts. No flowers. No cards. And, worst of all, no time to get/do any of those things.

Now, in addition to that kind of stress, I've been having what some might call Pre-Disney Jitters. I am nervous as heck about our trip because I am not prepared whatsoever. And,little things like, oh finding out you have to make reservations for all the coolest dining places in the evening which I, of course, have not. We will probably be eating funnel cakes and corn dogs every night and our closest character interaction may be sitting next to a Mikey Trash Can at the snack bar, as far as I can tell.

If you've picked up on some anxiety, you completely correct. And, adding to my anxiety is this little fella'. His name is Tour Guide Mike. He looks friendly enough, doesn't he? Don't be fooled...
Tour Guide Mike dazzles you with the vault of information and advice on his website, but really he's sent from the "Debil" (in my best Kathy Bates from The WaterBoy movie voice) to torment virgin Disney trippers into feeling like there is no way their trip is going to turn out great without memorizing every fact he preaches to you.

I first learned about Mike at the Scout meeting Wednesday. Apparently, Mikey boy gets around. He's well known among the suburban Disney vacation planners circuit, which I wasn't even aware was in existence. You've not truly done Disney, unless you've done Mike first. (Uh, wait, that came out wrong...)

"You mean, you haven't booked any character dinners yet? Oh, no..."

"You ARE staying on property right? You simply MUST..."

"Do you have your itinerary planned out yet? You must get that planned before
you go!"

"Are you doing the park-hopping, fast-passing, magic extended hours
route?"

Yeah, I haven't a clue, people. So, when another mom told me about Mike's site, I immediately bought into it. And, that is, literally I bought into it. The site cost about $20 and this guy gives you the dirt on the best rides to ride and when, when to see the parks, and everything from which places to eat to what time to eat and when to get up and hit the park.

Seeing as we leave Monday and I haven't done jack-you-know-what, well I quickly entered my credit card info and put my trust whole-heartedly in Mike.

Mike is not helping me. In fact, Mike is stressing me out more. With all of his you MUST print this out and you MUST read this, and take your laptop with you so you can review my suggestions while you're there. Be sure to print your itinerary and follow it to a "T."

Dude, I just wanted to go to Disney, ride some rides and see some Mouse action! You know? When did all of this get so complicated? I am a planner, but not like this, and I'm just not good with travel plans. So, last night, I gave in. I sent the Mike link to my husband with my password. There was NO way I could cover all Mike had to say between now and Monday morning.

And, as it turns out, at least one member of our family doesn't want to assassinate Mike. Hubs stayed up last night and learned all kinds of info. We've now rented a car and he's talked about how certain days we have to hit certain parks, when we want to do the magic extended hours. In summary, hubs is DOWN with the Disney force and is Mike's new best friend. And, me, I'm still floundering around trying to let it absorb in my head, much like I'd be doing if I was left to take care of...oh, say, our taxes.

So, instead of fighting it, I'm going to just try to accept Mike for what he is and take what I can from him without letting him get under my skin too much. I can only do so much, Mike, and I hope you can understand that.

Today, I have to take my son a lunch treat at school, help out with his lunch duty for his teacher's birthday, go to lunch with my husband (Thai is a high priority in our lives), pick up the daughter, deal with two simultaneous playdates (two 8-year-old boys who want to build a Lego kingdom in my living room and two 4-year-old girls who will bother them the entire time), wash laundry and try to start packing, find a birthday gift for an 11-year-old niece, find mothers' day gifts for my mother-in-law and my own mom, make dinner and squeeze in time to watch something nonstressful on the DVR tonight (No Country for Old Men awaits its second viewing, but I don't know if I can handle that tonight.)

So, Mike the Tour Guide may just have to take a backseat to my life right now. And, horror of all horrors, reservations may not get made until we hit the park. Let's hope he understands...

A milestone...pathetic, but a milestone...

I had this trip this weekend that I was all sort of anxious and happy/excited about. It was to a church conference of my church's diocese. I was flattered to be nominated to be a representative and while I didn't win the vote, I still got to go as an alternative and have my registration paid.

So, driving there yesterday, I kept wondering, why I am feeling so giddy about this? The trip was only to Galveston, no more than an hour or two away.

Then, something I am almost embarassed to admit came to me. I am a 37-year-old woman who has never checked into or stayed in a hotel by myself!

I am dead serious.

Every work excursion I've taken was for a conference where we always shared a room. I've traveled all over Texas to see friends, and even flown to visit a few. I never stay alone. Scrapbooking retreats--I've driven all over Texas...to stay in a cabin with other friends.

The realization of this made me feel sort of pathetic and weak, actually...but also quite determined to enjoy it.

The irony is, I barely got to do that. After packing bubble bath, a ton of magazines I've saved up to read, a few good books and making plans to just veg and totally enjoy myself, the conference opening service ran very late that evening and after a short social hob-nob time I didn't get to my room until around 10:30 p.m. Then, after calling the hubs, getting ice and a drink, unpacking and trying to wind down, I didn't get to bed until close to midnight thanks to being in a different surroundings. I had to get up at 6:30 a.m., but was woken up by neighbors at 6 a.m. by their repeated flushing of the toilet. (Someone had major cloggage next door!)

So, I had around six hours of alone, independent woman time...during which I was sleeping! Not enough for me, actually. I can't tell you the number of times as a mom of young children I have fantacized about just planning a time when I could check into a semi-foofy hotel and just sleep, tub soak, and read to my heart's content in the silence of my room. Not that I don't love my family--but I have always been the type who needs some solitude time. I'm not sure why.

Now, that I have had a mini-taste of this, something tells me I'm going to want more of that sometime again! Hmm...a scrapbooking weekend by myself in a hotel room? I'm thinking I'm on to something here!!!

On an unrelated note...have you ever caught yourself aging yourself forward by mistake? I am 37 and turn 38 at the end of July. I swear I have been telling people (and maybe even on this blog) that I am 38 for several months now. What the hell? I could at least get it wrong by making myself younger! More proof I need a vacation...right? (wink, wink)

Mine was great, how was yours?

Some positives and negatives from my very short weekend jaunt away to see a dear friend.

• Getting a row to myself on the plane.
• Vegging to my favorite new artist on my IPod.
• Soaking in the most gorgeous August weather I have ever experienced, in one of the most beatiful landscapes I've ever seen. (Geesh, how did I not know about summer in CO!)
• Staying up until well after 2 a.m. catching up with my friend.
• Sleeping in (well 9 a.m. is sleeping in for me!) and not having to make anyone's breakfast the next day.
• Shopping for almost a whole day with no timetable, no stress, and a friend who will be honest if something doesn't look good on me.
• Meeting a really cool blogging friend in person, enjoying her blog's "namesakes," and chowing her husband's great cooking!
• Eating s'mores on the side of a mountain while unexpectedly catching a very long and impressive fireworks show in the distance.
• Enjoying my last 1/2 day with a great breakfast out, window shopping in Boulder and enough time for a "pedi!"
• Mistakenly getting in the frequent flyer's line and not seeing the HUGE waiting line for regular passengers. Being allowed to check in anyway and making my flight right on time.
• Walking off a plane to my normally self-conscious 8-year-old literally running to give me a great big hug. Wow...that was the best feeling ever!
• Coming home to flowers from my better half.
• Enjoying the evening with my family and NOT working.
• Discovering a great place to live, reconnecting with a great friend again, and recharging my mom battery just before school starts.

Now, negatives...
Oh, wait! I guess I have NO negatives from this weekend! Hope yours was great as well! Now, your turn...DO SHARE...