Grandma's Place

Ok so Monday we went to the pool here at the complex.   Not crowded at all.  I was able to read a book while the kids went into the pool.  Stephen left after 40 minutes.  He felt the pool was too dirty.   I understood his concerns but did not agree with his assessment.   The rest of us stay for 3 hours.  It was a nice relaxing time.  The only thing was that the sun block lotion was almost empty so there are some spots/blotches of sunburn on my body.   

I still have a lot to accomplish since getting back home from vacation and leaving soon for Ohio to pack up the house, but I figured all those things will still be there tomorrow and then some.  Let me take the kids to have some fun.

Tuesday's thought was to go visit Grandma and Aunt Dee.  This was a good idea.  The kids got to share all their fun moments from our vacation.   They even got to swim before the sky opened up and rain poured down hard and fast.   We even tried to play croquet.  We did not get too much done but had a little fun.    The kids even got Aunt Dee to play some cards.  It was a good time for them.  The time went very fast as it always does.  

Back to the grind!

Saturday was spent in the van on the road.   As much as you like the idea of vacation it is amazing how much you forget about the drive home.  We did not arrive back in the apartment until 1:00 am.   We would have arrived about 30 minutes earlier but we missed an exit and ended up driving through DC.  Not fun when it is late and you just want to crawl into bed.    The rest of the ride was very uneventful which is always a plus.   

But now it is back to real life and all that needs to get done.  With the sale pending on the house my list has grown exponentially.  I am eager, excited, and exasperated just thinking about it.   I am very happy with our realtors.  They are on the same page and I look forward to closing this deal so we can move out and on.   

Lets head to Hollywood (again)!

Yes, since my family loves Hollywood Studios we went back.   A big part was due to the fact that we had a very sad Joshua the other day when we could not get into his show.   So, today we tried and succeeded.  We also tried for the Toy Story Mania ride and we were successful there too!   (We waited in line for over 90 minutes.  I have never waited that long for any ride anywhere.)  However, we did not count on the DOWN pour that got us soaked to the bone upon arrival.  I mean we were barely inside the park when the sky opened up.  There was no warning.  Love the Florida weather.   The worrisome part came though because they will close the Lights, Motors, Action show due to wet roads.   I mean it is an extreme stunt show!! 

Since we did not have to be at the park for opening we went to Bob Evans.  It has been awhile since we visited one - they are not that available in NJ.   We really enjoyed the breakfast.  Funny enough we made it into the park 30 minutes earlier than the other days.  Go figure!  

We had an extremely happy boy after the show!!  He was the happy, smiley boy we all know and love.   

We went to eat at one of the counter-service places as we still had some money left on our rewards card.  We needed to use it or we lose it.   Can't have that.  The only trouble was that the food was mediocre at best.  The nicest part was that we did get indoor seating and we were able to kick back and relax some.  Still having some money left on said card we headed to the stores.  Found some fun mugs.  (Just in case you don't know - I am a mug aholic.  I always like to get one from wherever I am.)  Well luck would have it that the Pixar Parade was starting just as we were checking out.   Very cool!!!  Lot's of fun.  

After that we came back to start packing up.  We did take some time to get over to the community pool here as I thought that would be nicer than the pool here.  While the pool here was great to have and I know we would have used more if there was less rain, I know how much my kids are like "fish" when it comes to swimming so off to the pool.   

Before we knew it it was time for dinner.  Bill checked online and thought it would be fun to go over to Florida Mall.   He just forgot to really check how far away it was.    35 minutes away.  Not too bad and I know we are on vacation, but I still had wash and packing to complete.  Plus, I am not a mall person so going to one is not that appealing to me.  It was very interesting to see "normal" life in Orlando area.  You see it is not like Disney.   

Funny statement from Bill this week - "I don't have a Disney body."   He is referring to all the aches and pains we feel at the end of the day.   Where you ask?  arms, legs, feet, back, neck, etc... you get the picture.   We are definitely getting old for this.   Did we have a good time?!  You bet!!  I would not suggest this time of year for new comers though.  It is veeeeeerrrry crowded and hot.  People are trying to fit in everything and they are not so nice about it.   I noticed that the cast members aren't as effective or good as they used to be.   They ignore A LOT and allow a lot more than in the past.   My theory is that the shear numbers make it impossible for them to really monitor it.  Some do try but when the people just ignore and blow right pass them, I don't think they know what to do.   I was all up for some complaining (remember I do that well) as we were leaving but got sidetracked.   I guess that is a good thing.  But I do believe I will write when I get home just because you do spend lots of money and they say it is the "happiest place on earth."

Breakfast at Bob Evans

Soaking wet!

Very very wet.  He is very unhappy here.

Toy Story Mania

Toy Story Mania ride.

Lights, Motors, Action.  Just look at Josh's face!

Parade

Dancing in the street.

Pool slide fun.

This rhino beetle was the size of my pointer finger

and as thick as two fingers.  It was very gross and cool.

A girl found it poolside and I asked if I could show

my family and then Abs needed a picture.

Joshua still learning.  He is so nervous!

At M&M World - Bill couldn't resist.

And yes I bought over a pound of m&m's.

Josh does have red m&m ears on.  

Animal Kingdom

Today was meant to be a light day and yet we still did not get home until after 9:00 pm.   We went over to Animal Kingdom and we had an agenda.    We knew we wanted to ride Expedition Everest, Kilamanjaro Safari, and  Kali River Rapids.  Plus see the newest show Finding Nemo the musical.   We were happily able to get to all of them and then some.  We made it over to Dino land where we got on to Dinosaur and did some dino digging at the playground.   We also had to walk around for Miss Abigail "nature girl" to see all the different animals.   

We were very very hungry at this point so we ventured out to Downtown Disney for some shopping (like to shop at World of Disney to get the discount via the Chase Visa) and dining.   We got there early enough that we were able to get right in to Planet Hollywood.  The kids had a great time at this restaurant, especially Stephen.  He really enjoyed the music videos and all the movie memorabilia.  I liked that it keeps them busy and happy while we are waiting.   The food was so-so.   I felt my chicken was a little dry.  And I also had some type of allergic reaction.   Can't figure out what though!  

After shopping we had to have some Ghiradelli ice cream.  Yummy!   I ordered a banana split and I probably will not do that again.  I am not a big fan of fruit in my ice cream.   The children and Bill enjoyed theirs as they all wore part of their choices all over their faces, arms, and hands.   And yes, I am including Bill in that comment!!

Here are some photos.  My camera battery had to be charged so I could only use the camera on my phone.   Not such good photos.  But a little glimpse into our day.

Finding Nemo Muscial

Watching the musical

In line for Kali River Rapids

Dinner at Planet Hollywood.

Hollywood Studios

My all-time favorite park.   I just love all that Hollywood Studios has to offer.  From the rides to the various shows it is just packed with loads of fun for me.   And for my family too!   Joshua and Abigail were 1st time riders on the Rockin Roller Coaster.   They enjoyed it very much.   We did get the souvienir picture in 8X10 as it is priceless!   Bill was unable to go on the ride with us as we were pushing the fast pass time.   You see, when we arrived at the park we went straight to the fast pass lines of Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster.  Luck would have it that RRC's fast pass machine was broken giving us the opportunity to get one from ToT.   Then we realized we wanted to try and make reservations at Mama Melrose's (a great Italian place we love).  So Bill scooted off to guest relations while the kids and I headed back to Star Tours only to be distracted by Tigger and Eeyore characters for prime picture taking.  We waited in line there for about 10 minutes and then ventured to the ride.  The timing was perfect as Bill was completed with his mission.   The snag was that the lunch reservations occurred during our fast pass times.   The cast member gave an excellent idea that worked but in our craziness we ordered dessert which required the kids and I to run to the ride in order to make it, while Bill waited behind to pay the bill.

We did get to do many things but also missed out on two we really wanted to see.  Joshua cried as we were not able to see the Lights, Motors, Action show.  It has fast cars, need I say more.  We were all disappointed that the new Toy Story Mania ride was well over 1 1/2 wait.   We were not up for that.    

Walking to the rides

Rockin Roller Coaster

Tigger and Eeyore

Cute Abigail sneaking in

Getting wet on the Back Lot tour

As you can see we had lots of fun.   I can hardly believe we are halfway through our vacation.  It has been a great time as a family bonding together.  We only have two days left.   

Epcot

Our entrance to Epcot was marked by some confusion.  Number 1 - we did not memorize where we parked when we got on the tram.*  Number 2 - they took down an addition to the Epcot ball.  They added the extra piece back for year 2000.  Some of the Cast Members felt it was time to go back to the original look from 1982.  So they took and vote and off it came!   At first, I did not like it - being someone who had not seen the original in person.  But now after spending 9 hours in the park, it grows on you.    Number 3 - there were plenty of changes to the rides throughout the park.   We were pleasantly surprised.  The last and final surprise was not park related.  I had a very bad sinus/migraine attack.  I just wanted to find a bed in a dark place and lie down.   Since that wasn't happening I popped some much needed meds and just waited for them to take affect.  (As I type this there is a little throbbing occurring.)  These headaches are no fun whatsoever.  And they can surely dampen a fun vacation.   I was able to push through it and we stayed and ate some pizza at the Boardwalk.  

*All went in our favor when we departed the park and rode the tram to find our car.  We chose correctly and found the van - in a sea of cars - very quickly.   It is amazing what the mind remembers even if you don't store it intentionally.  Also, God is so good!

Bill in his new shades.

Stephen and Abigail going into Journey into

Imagination.  One of Abs' favorite ride.

Joshua with his new hat and shades.

Abigail our map reader.  She always needs to know

where we are and where we are going.

Ride in Mexico

Joshua moments away from riding on Test Track!

Abigail and Joshua looking for critters in the water.

She was way more interested in the animals and plants

as we walked around Epcot.

Magic Kingdom

After driving to Downtown Disney to cash in our rewards we headed off to Magic Kingdom. Partly because they no longer cash in Downtown - we actually can do it at guest relations at any park. Who knew?! The crowds were amazing and astonishing. We have never seen these numbers. And we have been here a lot. Over 7 times. Surprisingly it did not take us that long to accomplish our task of getting our tickets. Only about 30 minutes.

Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. Then off to Splash Mountain - waaaay to long we fast passed that. Waited in line for Big Thunder Mountain RR. Joshua's favorite ride. Believe it or not is was time for lunch. Off to one of my favorite places. Columbia Harbor House - they used to serve different types of sandwiches, their menu has changed. It was a chicken tender meal for all but me, mine was a hummus sandwich. Over to Tomorrow Land for some fun rides and shows. Some ice cream for snack. Haunted Mansion, back to Splash Mountain to use our fast passes. Then to dinner at Noodle Station. Indy speedway and then home to relax in the pool and get ready for bed. The day flew by. But then again they always do when your having fun!  Here are some photos captured throughout our day:

Waiting at house to depart

Stitch as Elvis!  Ab and Josh looooove him.

Splash Mountain

Even caught part of a parade.

Stitch has a glitch ride.  (Not a fan!)

Indy Speedway!

Ferry boat at end of day.

Finishing the day in the pool at the rental.

We are here!!

We finally made it here safely.   It was a long one!  We made more stops than usual and much longer than usual.  I think it was because we were all sooooooo tired.  Well at least us adults were.  But we pulled in safely.  The place is very nice and much bigger than the apartment.  I will post pictures tomorrow.   It is time for bed!!

Happy Fathers Day.

Eating at Ruby Tuesdays in South Georgia. Sooooo very close.

We are now in NC eatin some lunch here at Bojangles. We tried some sweet potato pie. Yummy.

Been on the road for two hours. We r in Maryland.

Rainy day BBQ

Bill was up and out early as he attended the men's breakfast at church.  He also was bringing the french toast casserole.  He even made one for us so we too got to have a delicious breakfast today.  It is super easy to make and super good to eat!!   Everyone wanted lots.   

While Bill was out, I continued with the packing.  I tend to pack everybody as I just find this easier.  I do ask them to pick out their outfits and lay them out and I then come along and pack them up.   

After lunch, we took Abigail Seidle home and went off to a bbq for a colleague of Bill's former work.  He even knows him from JP Morgan Days - how crazy is that!!  Anyway, they live in Bloomfield, NJ which is an hour away from us and with all the traffic and rain it did take longer.  Yes, he planned for the rain very well they had two different tents/cazebo type things on the porch.  We also floated into the house!   They have this really cool home that is over 70 years old.  3 stories and a basement!   The top floor was my favorite.  They use it as an office space and a play area.  The entire floor has these wonderful skylights.  It was truly beautiful.  I told Bill if we had a house like that I would be tempted to put our Master bedroom up there and just look out into the sky.   (Must file that for when we look at houses!)   They also had a spread of food that was super fantastic.   The very last thing was this amazing steak appetizer.   It was beef tenderloin, herbed butter spread (home made) on Italian bread that was lightly toasted.  YUMMY!!!   

Home to more packing and organizing for our departure!   4:00 AM.

Crazy busy day

It was a crazy busy day here for me.  I awoke early with the thought of just relaxing when I remembered all the chores waiting for me.   Bills to pay, accounts to transfer, ss numbers to find and email, doctor's visit, bank, shopping for bathing suit for vacation, packing, piano class, pick up package from main office, dinner, Stephen to youth group, pick up Abigail Seidle for a sleep over, attend home fellowship, pick up Stephen from youth group, go to grocery store for items for men's breakfast, more packing, Bill cooking, and off to bed.    

There will be blood tonight

It was a bloody day today!!   I had an appointment at Quest Diagnostics to have some blood drawn for the doctor.  I believe I mentioned before how thorough this doctor likes to be and for that I am grateful.  But today I had to have 7 vials of blood.  The phlebotomist was excellent.  She put the needle into the arm without any problems or pain on my part.   

For lunch and dinner I consumed red meat again.  For the past three weeks I have been off red meat for medical reasons but due to our pending vacation I have jumped back on the red meat wagon.   (I will revisit no red meat when I return home.   Again all for medical reasons.)  I truly love red meat and yes I did miss it!!  BTW it was bison not beef.  I do try to limit the beef intake due to the fat.

For the afternoon we ventured over to my Mom's to visit with her and my Aunt Dee.   They are quite a pair together and make the time enjoyable.  We wanted to see them before heading out knowing that we will only have a little time after vacation before we head back to Ohio.  

On the Ohio front we are in the sale pending stage.  YEA!!!!   They will be conducting the inspection this coming weekend and we are scheduled for closing on the 31st of July!!!   I still feel like the other shoe will drop, as we have been on market for over 13 months and this is the first offer.   We are all elated here and can't wait to be moving.   I am not looking forward to packing up a house and will be ecstatic when it is done!   

Morning Movie

The local AMC movie theater is running a special for the summer and only charging $1 per person for movies.  The movies are all older family-friendly ones but it is a nice way to break up the week.  Today we say Space Chimps.  We have seen it already but felt it was a good thing to do for only $4.  The positive to it being at 10 am is that I don't need to buy any snacks.  It was terrificly cheap.  We met the Seidle's there, as usual.   They had not seen it.   I imagine that throughout the summer we will be visiting a movie here and there.   

Books, books, books

I am a bookaholic.  I love books.  I love buying books.  I love looking at books.  I love love love reading books.  So when I got the email from Scholastic that they were having a warehouse sale, I just had to see how close one was to me here in Jersey.  To my delight it was only 25 minutes away!!  I left the kiddos home and off to the book sale.  This warehouse was bigger than the one I would visit in Ohio and the kicker is they are moving to an even bigger place.   I got a little worried but all is well - they are not moving that far away.  The other nice thing about the move is that most items were 50% off.   Oh the joy!  I spent well over two hours shopping the aisles.  I only went looking for one item - which I found - but walked out with 24 items.  I have some birthday presents for Abigail and Joshua!   Now comes the hassle of finding out where I am going to put all these books.   

Could be

This could be the day in which we will accept an offer on the house!!  Please PRAY HARD for this to happen.

Thanks!!!!  :)

New Jersey

Our last and final field trip of this school year was to the NJ State house.  We are very fortunate that we live very close to Trenton.   Once again we went with the Seidle's.  The tour guide was great.  She was very understanding and worked well with all the ages.  They are used to taking 4th graders as that is the grade where they learn about the state ad nauseam.   With us having 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades being represented, she was fabulous.  The tour was just a little over 30 minutes.  We were also lucky to only have one other couple in our tour.  They were from Louisville, Kentucky.  They have been traveling to different State houses.   We learned a lot - not being from the state and all.  And not having studied it yet.  Really cool info about the building itself, such as Abraham Lincoln visiting to ask for their support with the Civil War.   The dome on top is painted with gold leaf so it can stand out in the distance.  There are stained-glass windows which have the state seal on them.  Very cool paintings inside the senate chambers.  

Lots of useful good information.  What I liked most was that my kids understood what the State house is all about.  That in itself is a great place to start.  

Went back to Barb's house for some more bonding.  Our family really does not get enough of each other.  How cool is that?!?!  

The Wedding

I had to get out of the house early as I needed to exchange my dress. Yup, last minute Annie here, went shopping Friday afternoon and did not try on dress. Well Saturday morning "fitting" revealed an improper fit. I dashed out the door to exchange. The store did not have the dress in the size I needed. That meant more shopping and yes trying on of dresses. Five or six dresses later I was able to leave the store with one in hand. The upside to this is that the second dress is cheaper and lots more comfortable. The downside is that is more of a plain Jane dress. Oh, well!! I will be comfortable though. On my outing Friday I was able to procure a beautiful, sexy, and comfortable pair of heels.

Off to the grocery store after shopping to get some breakfast goodies. Back home to make the breakfast. Then showers all around. Dressed and out the door.

Since the church was a 2:00 p start we had to leave here right in the midst of lunch time. We has some hungry folks. I threw some bars, crackers, and apples into a bag for us to eat on the way.

Ceremony was funny. That Father-in-law of mine is a real comic. He is a deacon so he helped officiate the wedding ceremony. We were laughing, so was the happy couple.

Well the wedding has finally arrived. They have been engaged for over a year - come to think of it it might even be closer to two!

With Bill in the wedding and 3 hours between ceremony and reception, my Mother-in-law gave me the key to their hotel room. We had packed the kids' bathing suits and used their room to change and play poolside. It was the best way for us to use our time. We had the hotel pool all to ourselves for 1 1/2 hours. (We chose not to stay at the hotel as we only live 45 minutes away.)

At 6:00pm, the cocktail hour began. This was extremely helpful for my hungry crew. They had a pasta station, cheese, and some fruit. As well as servers walking around with all sorts of goodies. 7:00pm was the start of the reception and more eating. The dinner was a buffet which had roast beef, chicken, and salmon; roasted veggies, carrots, and salad. Lots and lots of food - I am certain I gained lots of weight. (Hopefully all the dancing took it off!)

My children were danceaholics. Especially Joshua, he was so funny and adorable to watch him "cuttin a rug". He would just go up there by himself and dance away. I think I need to call him the dance machine. The DJ did this game for someone from each table to take home the centerpiece. Well, I won!! I had to do some crazy dance with the other table winners. It was fun! and embarrassing all rolled into one!

It really was a great time and we were happy we got to visit with family that we don't get to see too much. I am very happy to say I have another sister-in-law, she is a hoot!