Thursday, June 12, 2008
Slog Blog #4
This post isn't going to be very long. It's about 10 at night and we've had a long day of packing up stuff and moving things around. The trailer arrives tomorrow and we start loading it up full of stuff. Hopefully we get all of our stuff out of the house by Sunday evening. Notice I keep saying, "stuff". That is how I feel about our stuff right now. And I can't even imagine how other people would feel if they had to do a DITY with the full weight that they are allowed to move according to their rank and be reimbursed for. Yowch. We don't have that much stuff. But it's enough to become really tedious and boring after a few days of putting stuff into boxes. Now it's time for me to stuff it and take myself off to bed where I can stuff myself under the covers and go to sleep. And I can dream about all the stuff that still needs to be put in boxes and all the stuff that still needs to be taped up and all the stuff that needs to be loaded onto the trailer tomorrow morning. And not to forget, once we arrive at the other end of our journey and close on our new house, we will have to unload all of our stuff off the trailer once it arrives and stuff it into the new house. Stuff me and call me done!
Joella's Birthday
For someone who doesn't play or watch baseball, she sure picked an interesting place to have her birthday party. That's right, Joella chose to have her birthday party at a baseball game! We arranged for Joella to have a party with Big Mo and the Montgomery Biscuits during one of their home baseball games. This minor league team has a really nice stadium. The best thing about the stadium for the children is the inflatable playground. The day we had Joella's birthday party happened to be Children's Day at the stadium, so there were all kinds of things going on. The local zoo had some animals at the stadium for viewing. There was a balloon guy who made AMAZING balloons. I am talking wa-aay better than your standard balloon poodle. There were also some craft tables set up and best of all, the children got to run the bases after the game. That was really enjoyed by all. Joella received a game ball signed by various players from the team mascot who looks like an elephant, sort of, named Big Mo (he's really an anteater). She also got to go down on the field during one of the innings to be recognized as the birthday girl. Grandma Timi spoiled Joella rotten and took her shopping at the Biscuit team store. She got some pom poms, a mini pink baseball bat, a case to keep her autographed ball in, and two stuffed dolls. One doll was a biscuit and the other doll was the mascot. Joella was not the only girl to be in the limelight. Noni had her time on the field too! She, along with Ray, were chosen to compete in the Baby races. I must say that Noni did VERY well. I say she should have won because she was the only pre-walker in that group, AND she stayed in her lane!! She was cheated!! :) Joella had such a wonderful time that she is already planning her 9th birthday! So far, she has talked about Paris, French pastries, pink poodles, and the like. Oh boy!
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| Joella's Biscuits Birthday Bash |
Joella's First Communion
Joella's First Communion was the weekend of April 19th. Some special people traveled a long way to attend. Grandma Jeanette and Aunt Summer (Joella's Godmother!), along with Cousin Giulia, came all the way from California to Alabama. Papa Steve and Grandma Timi also traveled to Alabama, though not quite as far. They traveled from Nevada! Joella's First Communion at St. Bede Catholic Church was lovely, and Fr. Carucci celebrated the Mass. It was very well done. Everyone enjoyed donuts and lemonade at the brief reception that followed. We took Joella out for a celebration meal after her First Communion. She chose a tea house for her celebration meal. The name of the tea house is Gracie's. Wow! Everyone had a lovely time gorging themselves on delicious tea and succulent food. It is hard to pick a favorite. I really liked the cinnamon scones and Ray says the cucumber sandwiches were good too. The peach mango tea was wonderful, though my mother says she really liked the Buckingham Palace tea. I think that is what it was called. The kids got to try on hats while at Gracie's. They behaved so well!
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| First Communion |
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Our Trip to Disney World
We just recently went on a week long trip to Disney World.
By the end of the week, we were all definitely ready to come home.
We left early Monday morning for the long 8 hour drive to Orlando. The kids did great with the drive. Once we arrived, we had time to check in, put up the tent, and then it was off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat at Boma and then spend a couple of hours in the evening at the Animal Kingdom.
On Tuesday, it was off to the Magic Kingdom. Dumbo was the first ride of the day. Because we stayed at a Disney Resort, we got to use the extended hours perk a little bit, where they open the park one hour early and keep it open three hours after closing for hotel guests only. We were able to do all the rides in Fantasyland and Toon Town that morning.
In the afternoon, we went to Epcot. After character dining at the Akershus Royal Banquet, we checked out the Future World portion. The Akershus Royal Banquet is located in the Norway Pavilion and features Princess characters. The surprising thing about all the character dining restaurants that we went to is that they offered adult choices and the food was actually quite good. The Akershus had norwegien food. Ray had some kind of lamb stew while I had a salmon dish. We also had an appetizer sampler of different kinds of herring, mackerel, and beet dishes. Our favorite rides from Future World are Mission Space and Test Track. All the kids really enjoyed Journey into Imagination with Figment. It is a ride that is followed by a few interactive activities the kids can do.
On Wednesday, we went to the Hollywood Studios (or MGM Studios) park. We spent the whole day there. Colum and Joella really enjoyed on going the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Rock n' Roller coaster rides. We saw a lot of shows on this day, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets 3-D, Playhouse Disney Live, and Beauty and the Beast. We had character dining at the Hollywood Vine where they served up American fare and Playhouse Disney characters. The foods were good there too. Like I said, good adult choices were always offered. The dessert there was excellent. I really enjoyed their pecan bars and carrot cake. Wow! I think the kids' favorite part of the park was the Honey, I shrunk the Kids play area. They could pretend to be miniaturized and play among the life size grass, cereals, trash, etc. The kids did a good job of staying together and coming back to us after their time was up. Colum and Joella went on the Star Tours ride together because they did not do Rider/Baby swap. We were very surprised at that. It was the only ride at all four parks that wouldn't allow that. I don't know why. We finished off the day by eating at the Toy Story Pizza Factory and playing some arcade games.
On Thursday, we went back to the Magic Kingdom in the morning to do Tomorrowland and Adventureland. It was also the only breakfast character dining we did. We ate at the Crystal Palace, dining with Pooh and friends. In the afternoon, we were back at Epcot, touring the World Showcase. We started in Great Britain and worked our way around to Mexico. We tried to eat our way through the World Showcase, but after Japan, we gave up. It was just too much food! We thought ordering just one entree per country would be enough to feed all of us. Wrong! There were some shows going on as we traveled through the various countries. We saw some English comedic theater, belly dancing, Japanese drumming, and heard some music. The week ended on Friday with the day spent at the Magic Kingdom going to Frontierland, Liberty Square and Fantasyland.
Saturday, we packed up our tent and hit the road after stopping at Downtown Disney to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express. WOW. The food was excellent and I forced myself to eat the Key Lime pie, even though I was quite stuffed. I can tell you quite honestly I gained 3 pounds in one week of eating at Disney World. The shocking thing is that we had one fast service, one table service and one snack a day.... and it was TOO much food for us!! We had two adults and three kids that we paid for and even with Therese helping Liesl to eat her food, it was still too much!! Definitely get your money's worth when you get the meal dining plan. We did not have to buy any food or drinks while at Disney World since it was already prepaid for.
I think, if one wants to see ALL of Disney World and enjoy it, then one would have to go there for two weeks. It's amazing how big and spread apart everything is. It really makes Disneyland in California seem small and crammed together by comparison.
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| On the way back home |
By the end of the week, we were all definitely ready to come home.
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| Swampy Campsite |
We left early Monday morning for the long 8 hour drive to Orlando. The kids did great with the drive. Once we arrived, we had time to check in, put up the tent, and then it was off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat at Boma and then spend a couple of hours in the evening at the Animal Kingdom.
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| Animal Kingdom |
On Tuesday, it was off to the Magic Kingdom. Dumbo was the first ride of the day. Because we stayed at a Disney Resort, we got to use the extended hours perk a little bit, where they open the park one hour early and keep it open three hours after closing for hotel guests only. We were able to do all the rides in Fantasyland and Toon Town that morning.
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| Magic Kingdom |
In the afternoon, we went to Epcot. After character dining at the Akershus Royal Banquet, we checked out the Future World portion. The Akershus Royal Banquet is located in the Norway Pavilion and features Princess characters. The surprising thing about all the character dining restaurants that we went to is that they offered adult choices and the food was actually quite good. The Akershus had norwegien food. Ray had some kind of lamb stew while I had a salmon dish. We also had an appetizer sampler of different kinds of herring, mackerel, and beet dishes. Our favorite rides from Future World are Mission Space and Test Track. All the kids really enjoyed Journey into Imagination with Figment. It is a ride that is followed by a few interactive activities the kids can do.
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| Epcot |
On Wednesday, we went to the Hollywood Studios (or MGM Studios) park. We spent the whole day there. Colum and Joella really enjoyed on going the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Rock n' Roller coaster rides. We saw a lot of shows on this day, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets 3-D, Playhouse Disney Live, and Beauty and the Beast. We had character dining at the Hollywood Vine where they served up American fare and Playhouse Disney characters. The foods were good there too. Like I said, good adult choices were always offered. The dessert there was excellent. I really enjoyed their pecan bars and carrot cake. Wow! I think the kids' favorite part of the park was the Honey, I shrunk the Kids play area. They could pretend to be miniaturized and play among the life size grass, cereals, trash, etc. The kids did a good job of staying together and coming back to us after their time was up. Colum and Joella went on the Star Tours ride together because they did not do Rider/Baby swap. We were very surprised at that. It was the only ride at all four parks that wouldn't allow that. I don't know why. We finished off the day by eating at the Toy Story Pizza Factory and playing some arcade games.
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| MGM Studios |
On Thursday, we went back to the Magic Kingdom in the morning to do Tomorrowland and Adventureland. It was also the only breakfast character dining we did. We ate at the Crystal Palace, dining with Pooh and friends. In the afternoon, we were back at Epcot, touring the World Showcase. We started in Great Britain and worked our way around to Mexico. We tried to eat our way through the World Showcase, but after Japan, we gave up. It was just too much food! We thought ordering just one entree per country would be enough to feed all of us. Wrong! There were some shows going on as we traveled through the various countries. We saw some English comedic theater, belly dancing, Japanese drumming, and heard some music. The week ended on Friday with the day spent at the Magic Kingdom going to Frontierland, Liberty Square and Fantasyland.
Saturday, we packed up our tent and hit the road after stopping at Downtown Disney to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express. WOW. The food was excellent and I forced myself to eat the Key Lime pie, even though I was quite stuffed. I can tell you quite honestly I gained 3 pounds in one week of eating at Disney World. The shocking thing is that we had one fast service, one table service and one snack a day.... and it was TOO much food for us!! We had two adults and three kids that we paid for and even with Therese helping Liesl to eat her food, it was still too much!! Definitely get your money's worth when you get the meal dining plan. We did not have to buy any food or drinks while at Disney World since it was already prepaid for.
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| On the way back home |
I think, if one wants to see ALL of Disney World and enjoy it, then one would have to go there for two weeks. It's amazing how big and spread apart everything is. It really makes Disneyland in California seem small and crammed together by comparison.
International Culture Day
The international officers from Ray's class at the Air Command and Staff College, along with their families, hosted an International Culture Day for all the families to attend. Each international officer put together a booth of tasty foods, pictures, brochures, cultural items, and the like.
We started at one corner of the room and worked our away around the room. About three hours later, we were seriously lagging and could not cram any more food into our stomachs. All the food that the international officers and families had to share were very tasty. There wasn't really anything yucky or scary looking. After about 30 minutes of sampling foods, the kids were tired of it (and full, probably) and went off to bounce in the bounce house and play with friends while Ray and I continued sampling our way around the world. Now I just look forward even more to the day when Ray retires and we can go travel abroad!
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| Internatio |
We started at one corner of the room and worked our away around the room. About three hours later, we were seriously lagging and could not cram any more food into our stomachs. All the food that the international officers and families had to share were very tasty. There wasn't really anything yucky or scary looking. After about 30 minutes of sampling foods, the kids were tired of it (and full, probably) and went off to bounce in the bounce house and play with friends while Ray and I continued sampling our way around the world. Now I just look forward even more to the day when Ray retires and we can go travel abroad!
Easter 2008
Easter was nice and warm this year. The kids went to an Easter Egg Extravaganza on base sponsored by the Youth Center. They got to enjoy various crafts, activities, and the bounce house. There were also a couple of easter egg hunts for various age groups, from just walking up to 12 yrs old. It worked out great because we could take pictures of the kids hunting eggs one at a time. Hot dogs, drinks, and chips were available. Liesl won a consolation prize for guessing how many jelly beans in a jar. That, too, was broken down by age groups. In her age group, 4 to 5, there were jumbo sized jelly beans in a small jar. I was very impressed when Liesl told the lady, after some deliberation and peering intently into the jar, that there were 26 jelly beans in the jar. Wow! How did a 4 year old decide there were 26 jelly beans in a jar? It was a very reasonable number and logical. Even the lady was quite impressed. An older kid won the contest.
On Good Friday, we spent some time dying easter eggs and decorating them. We took the finished results with us to Disney World and ate them for breakfast the first two mornings.
We also had our own family Seder meal and I did not think to take pictures. Nevertheless, it was a yummy meal. The lamb chops were very good as was the haroset. On Easter Sunday, the kids woke up to a coffee table laden with goodies. Liesl made herself sick eating a lot of M&Ms from the special candy bowl. She spent the afternoon in bed after throwing up once and went to bed early. She was much better by morning and ready for Disney World, thank goodness! Hopefully, that taught her a lesson (not!). That you shouldn't overdo it with junk food! Anyway, the kids looked quite nice in their Easter finery.
On Good Friday, we spent some time dying easter eggs and decorating them. We took the finished results with us to Disney World and ate them for breakfast the first two mornings.
We also had our own family Seder meal and I did not think to take pictures. Nevertheless, it was a yummy meal. The lamb chops were very good as was the haroset. On Easter Sunday, the kids woke up to a coffee table laden with goodies. Liesl made herself sick eating a lot of M&Ms from the special candy bowl. She spent the afternoon in bed after throwing up once and went to bed early. She was much better by morning and ready for Disney World, thank goodness! Hopefully, that taught her a lesson (not!). That you shouldn't overdo it with junk food! Anyway, the kids looked quite nice in their Easter finery.
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| Easter 2008 |
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