WDW trip report - Saturday, December 9, 2006

My little sister had done some shopping at the resort the day before and gave DS and DD each a Pal Mickey. What a cute and neat little gadget - the kids really liked Pal Mickey and played with him all day long while we were at Animal Kingdom. When switched "on", Mickey plays different games like "Mickey Says" (similar to Simon Says) and when he wants to tell you something about the park you are in, he'll shake and jiggle until you squeeze his hand.

BIL has to go back to the lobby this morning to have his parkhopper pass fixed since it didn't let him into the park yesterday morning and he was issued a temporary park pass. We take my mom, sister and the twins with us to Animal Kingdom via bus this morning but they don't have their park hopper passes when we arrive because BIL had taken them with him. We agree to meet in the park later when BIL gets back to join them so we head into the park with almost no wait at all, make a pit stop at the bathrooms, and DH goes into the photo store to find a battery for his camera. We're a little late for my RideMax itinerary (about 10:30 am) so we skip the Discovery Island Trails and head to Kilimanjaro Safari first to get fast passes for us. DH, MIL, FIL, and the kids head into the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail while I wait for my sister and her family to meet us. We get them all fastpasses and wait for my family to get back from the Exploration Trail which they thought was very cool. I'd never been on this trail and didn't get to this time either. Oh well.

We finally re-group at Rafiki's Planet Watch where the kids stop to do a "scavenger hunt" at the kids' station and the adults relax for a little while. The scavenger hunt is cute - the kids are given booklets and they must find each creature listed by looking around on the ground, on rocks/bushes/trees, etc to find the "animals" which are little pastic animals cleverly placed all around.

When they finish their scavenger hunt and find all the animals, their booklets are stamped. We move on to the Conservation Station where the kids explore for quite some time. DS is fascinated by the video monitor stations where you can control the actual monitors in the animal enclosures of AK zooming in and out and moving them about to see the animals. It's hard to tear him away from this station.

The kids find a demonstration given by a CM with a large rabbit. As she explains about the rabbit, she pulls DD from the audience and asks her to hop like a bunny rabbit as far as she can to demonstrate how far a human can jump vs a bunny rabbit. For being the CM's "helper", DD receives a certificate and a special Conservation Station button. She's happy as a clam for being picked not to mention her impressive jumping ability.

DS wants to go into the Rainforest sound booths so DH, DD, DS, MIL, and I all pile into the booth and listen to a narrative about the Rain Forest. When the door is shut and we've put on the headphones, we push a button and the lights dim. DS suddenly gets a little frightened but we convince him to stay and leave his headphones on. The program is very well done, of course, and reiterates the importance of conservation and recycling. We all enjoy the presentation. Soon, we head outside and visit the petting zoo. After washing hands all around, we head back to the train to get some lunch at the Tusker House restaurant.

We had eaten at Tusker House 2 years ago and I really enjoyed the roast chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. There's a ton of food to go around including dessert of chocoate cake and cheesecake.

At this point, my sister is tired and heads back to the resort. We take our time with lunch and get done after 2 pm then head to Kilimanjaro Safari to use our fastpasses. The wait is very short and we board our expedition vehicle and the kids are laughing hysterically at every bump (and there are a lot of them!) the bus hits. It's a fairly warm day especially compared to the very cold evening we had last night. The animals, though, are not terribly active but we do see a lot of them.

After Kilimanjaro Safari we walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek which is also something that I've never been on before. The fruit bats were fascinating but it's hard not to be a little repulsed by them - they are huge and dangling by their toes with their wings wrapped around them resembling a caccoon.

We see a beautiful tiger on this trek too and DH stops frequently to take pictures of the various plants and trees.

At this point we are ahead of my Ridemax itinerary and as we scope out a spot for the Jingle Jungle parade at 3 pm, we decide to leave the kids with MIL/FIL and my mother so DH, BIL, and I can go check out Expedition Everest. Ridemax suggested getting in line at 4:50 pm (10 minutes before park close) but DH and BIL don't want to wait that long so we find Expedition Everest and decide to wait the 40 minutes in line to ride it. The ride was thrilling - especially the backwards part and we enjoyed it a lot. We meet up with everyone else at the Boneyard in Dino Land and leave all of our bags with the grandmas so that DH, FIL, and I can go and ride Dinosaur. BIL has decided that he wants to try and rent a car to drive down to Cape Canaveral for the launching of the shuttle so he leaves the park. After the Dinosaur ride, though, he calls back to tell us that he's changed his mind and we meet up with him at the exit of Dino Land. We head out of the park along with all of the masses and see CM's standing on a bridge over Dino Land waving goodbye to everyone.

We make a bathroom stop outside the entrance and stay to watch a show put on by some musicians from the Andes who play Christmas tunes on their pan flutes. We really enjoy this performance and appreciate that even though the park has closed, Disney still provides entertainment. It's not quite 5:30 pm and our Hoop De Doo Revue show doesn't start until 7:15 pm.

We get on the bus for Fort Wilderness which is quite crowded. As we get off at the bus stop, I have to ask several different drivers how to get to the show. We catch another bus that's even more crowded and after multiple stops, we finally get off and head towards the show. The ride is interesting to me because of the Christmas lights scattered throughout this campground - all provided by the people staying here. Some of the lights are really extravagant complete with lighted characters/yard art and decorated golf carts - more than the lights that I have on my whole house!

We are very early for our show so we take the kids to the playground where they quickly meet new friends and expend some energy on the equipment. At about 7 pm we head back over to where the show is and I have the CM at the window credit back 2 TS credits because my sister isn't up for dinner this evening. We find the CM to check in with and take our group photo. Our table is assigned so it doesn't matter where we are in line. The cast soon come out and ring the dinner bell and invite us all in for "vittles". Our table is very close to the stage and the show is very cute. The kids love the corny jokes.

The food is quite good and I especially enjoy the ribs and the corn bread. I'm definitely not a cornbread fan but this is the BEST cornbread I have ever had and I can't seem to get enough of it. During the show, the CMs announce DH and my anniversary coming up on Tuesday to the audience and we are given special "Happy Anniversary" buttons to wear. They also announce birthdays and any other special events during the show.

The show was very good but our server is a dud. He seems rushed and not at all friendly during the show. I'm disappointed after reading about CMs who really get in on the act and play along with the show cast. The server at the next table over is quite funny and when the singers are performing while the food is being brought out in buckets, this server literally plops the food down on someone's plate with a loud "CLUNK" and we're rolling on the floors because it's so funny. For dessert we have strawberry shortcake which is very good. For the finale, the servers all hand out washboards to the kids and they "play" their washboards with their spoons. They have a great time being a part of the act.

We find the dock and take the boat back to the Magic Kingdom where we then catch a bus back to SSRS. This is much better route to take. LESSON LEARNED - take the boat to Fort Wilderness and avoid the buses.

After 2 nights in a row of DS vomiting, I'm a little worried that he's going to throw up again but my working theory is that he is waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and getting disoriented. I make sure he empties his bladder before going to bed and, this time, he gets through the night without incident.

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WDW trip report - Friday, December 8, 2006

We started the day very early because of our 0825 ressie for Cinderella's Royal Table. The alarm went off at 6:20 am and we rolled out of bed. Getting Rhys up was a trick - he was very tired and it took several tries to get him out of bed despite enticing him with breakfast at the castle. Amina was already up and dressed as was Mimi and Papa. We quickly gathered our things and I knocked on my sister and BIL's door - they were almost ready. Today, we were wearing our gold "Duck, Duck, Goof" shirts but the highs were only predicted to be in the 50's so we wore t-shirts under them and brought along jackets and gloves. Those gloves proved to be life-savers.

We headed out to the bus at just past 7 am giving ourselves plenty of time to get to MK. My sister forgot the twins' autograph books and went back to the room to get them as the rest of the family headed for the bus stop which was at nearby Congress Park. Just as my sister, BIL, and I arrived at the bus stop, we could see the MK bus pulling up. Loading my sister's scooter on the bus was a little interesting and time-consuming. We were soon on our way to MK and were the only ones on the bus. MK was a good 20 minute bus ride away and when we arrived, more waiting as the scooter was unloaded from the bus and my sister/BIL tried to decide what to do about their double stroller. In the meantime, 2 more buses pulled up and a large crowd poured out of them. After having our bags checked, and spending a little time at the turnstiles because BIL's park pass wouldn't work, we were finally on our way down Main Street.

The Christmas decorations were beautiful but we were a bit disappointed to see a large crane behind the castle which detracted from the few pictures that we took of our group.

We headed for the castle and could soon start smelling the scent of bacon in the air. Rhys was extremely happy to hear about (and smell) bacon - one of his favorite breakfast foods and one that we have all but given up in the name of healthier eating habits at home.

We arrived at CRT about 20 minutes early and they checked us in right away and directed us towards the line for pictures. We waited for quite some time to have pictures taken with Cinderella and when our turn finally came, we were allowed 3 poses for our party of 11. We had a picture done of our kids, Sister's kids, and then all the kids together.

The CM had already taken our autograph books and had them signed as we waited in the picture line. Cinderella was very gracious and played her role beautifully.

We headed up the stairs/elevators and when we reached the dining room, the kids were bestowed with plastic wands (the girls) and sword (for Rhys although his cousin, Rebecca, later traded her wand in for a sword too) in addition to be given a small plastic star that said "Magic Wish" on it. The kids were thrilled. We were shown to our seats - 2 tables - so we split up from my sister and her family.

Orders were placed and I opted for the "healthy" breakfast consisting of yogurt, granola, and fruit rather than the stuffed french toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, and potatoes.

We were served coffee, more fruit, and a basket full of pastries including the BEST biscotti I have ever tasted - so incredibly buttery. MIL asked for more biscotti so we could save them for later and our server was more than happy to oblige. The kids were served french toast sticks with dipping syrup, bacon and eggs - but no sausage. The adults had more than enough sausage to go around.

Soon after sitting down and receiving our food, an announcement was made that the characters had arrived: Mary Poppins, Belle, Snow White, and Fairy Godmother who made their way to each table while we ate. After they had visited each table, they led the children in a special wish-making ceremony which only consisted of the children waving their wands/swords in the air, holding their "Magic Wish" star, making a wish, and then some lights blinked in the room. We were a little disappointed with the ceremony as they made such a big deal out of it during the announcement: "Look for a big surprise after the children make a wish". The big surprise was the just some lights in the room blinking like stars.

The last time we were at CRT, DD got to see Aurora but this time she was nowhere to be found. She didn't complain, though.

We made visits to the bathroom and then headed out to the park at just around 9 am. At this point, my sister declared that she was going to take her scooter back to the resort to get some rest so the rest of us continued on to our first ride. I had printed out a RideMax schedule just focusing on Fantasyland, Toon Town, and Tomorrowland today. Our first stop was the Peter Pan ride although I hadn't scheduled our first ride until 9:30 but we got done with breakfast quicker than I had anticipated. We located the ride and within an hour, we had gone on Peter Pan, IASW, Snow White and Dumbo. We were a little worried that the twins might be scared by the Snow White ride but they did just fine. While DH, our kids, the twins, my mom and BIL were in line for Dumbo, I went to get fast passes for Winnie the Pooh. The fast pass machines for WtP were not operating properly and after several tries, the CM was able to get a few fast passes for me and then printed out a few extra ones since I needed 10 of them. I headed back to Dumbo and got FIL to climb into the stationary Dumbo replica for a picture. I also got to snap pictures of everyone as they loaded onto Dumbo.

The ride was extremely short and were soon on our way to Toon Town after stopping for autographs and pictures with Donald Duck.

We headed for Goofy's Barnstormer first and Amina decided that she did not want to ride any roller coasters - no matter how small. So, DH and I took Rhys while my mom and BIL took the twins. The girls LOVED it so much that we got off and got right back on again to ride it a second time. I'm amazed because it's past 10 am and besides Dumbo, we have not had to wait more than a minute or two in line for a ride. Mickey's Country House was next which we explored for a bit and then finally met the Mouse himself in the Judges' Tent. We get our first Photopass card here and decide to combine both family's pictures into one Photopass number.

After a very disappointing fast walk-through of Donald's Boat (with NOTHING to do!), we headed to Minnie's Country House which was very cute but there was no character in her backyard in the gazebo. In the past, we had seen Pluto here. It was still quite cold, though.

At this point, we just need to pick up Buzz Lightyear fast passes and are well ahead of schedule being only about 11 am so we take time to ride the Walt Disney Railroad all around the park and back to Toon Town. It was really chilly but the kids enjoyed riding a real steam train. We walk from the train station to Tommorowland and get 10 Buzz Lightyear fastpasses but the stand-by line is only 10 minute so we get in line and enjoy Buzz a little early. Hands down, the winner of this round was DH whose score was over 70,000. I only scored about 12,000. We would surely have to do a rematch later in the afternoon. We're still a bit early for lunch so the group splits up with Mimi, Papa, and my mom taking all the kids on TTA while DH, BIL, and I go to Space Mountain. The stand by line is only 20 minutes.

It's noon and we decide to get some lunch. I had checked the menus and wanted to give the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station a try but as we find it, it's completely deserted and the sign says "closed". I had no idea that this counter service would be closed so we quickly decided to eat at Cosmic Ray's which proved to be quite busy. The counter service restaurant was divided into 3 "bays": chicken, burgers, and sandwiches. MIL/FIL, DS, and I decide to have chicken and ribs while DH, DD, and my BIL decide on sandwiches. We decide that 2 chicken/rib combos would be more than enough food for the 4 of us along with a brownie and a carrot cake. Not only was the food enough - it was STILL way too much.

Finding a table was very difficult and the 6 of us squeezed all around one tiny round table down in the lounge. I helped BIL find a table for himself, the twins, and my mom - but nowhere near our table. DH had ordered a turkey wrap and we all shared. The ribs were absolutely delicious and the rotisserie chicken was quite good as well. I didn't care much for the carrots, but the mashed potatoes were quite good.

We finish up lunch and head out to Mickey's Philharmagic which my kids enjoyed but my twin nieces were too scared to put on the 3D glasses. We divert to Cindy's Carrousel because the twins insisted on riding it otherwise my kids are no longer interested in a carrousel. We use our Winnie the Pooh fastpasses and then spend about 25 minutes in line for the Indy Speedway which is the longest wait in line so far this day. Nobody is interested in the Astro Orbiter so we skip this ride this time. BIL takes the twins to ride the tea cups while the rest of us ride TTA.
While waiting for BIL to get back from the Tea Cup ride, BIL calls and tells us that they are waiting to see a preview of the new Monsters' Inc Comedy Club show. We hurry over to the theater and are also invited in. The first room is the "holding chamber" with monitors much like the preview area for Stitch's Great Escape but nothing is playing on the monitors. We enter the theater and the first noticeable problem is that the chairs are TERRIBLY uncomfortable. My toes barely touch the floor and the seats are hard plastic. I shifted my weight quite often to restore the circulation to the backs of my legs. I'm reminded not take pics after snapping 2 of them without really thinking about it. Roz introduces the show and Mike Wazowski hosts it. The storyline: they need to fill up their energy canister and can do so with laughter from the audience. The first comic up I don't remember the name of but the sound and lips are out of sync. The jokes are mediocre although DD is laughing hysterically at everything for whatever reason. The second comics (Mac and Cheez?) are better and it becomes obvious that they can interact with the audience just like Turtle Talk with Crush. One man sitting in the middle of the room is the focus of several jokes. Other audience members are picked out seemingly randomly and asked to answer the comics' questions. The last comedian is Mike's nephew, Marty Wazowski who I thought was the funniest. He was a "monster child" and had wittier lines and more audience interaction. After the show as over, the CM asks us a series of questions and by a show of hands, were asked about each comedian and if we though they were really funny, so-so, etc. As a reward for previewing the show, were were given fastpasses good for one MK ride to be used before Feb 2007. It was really kinda cool being able to preview this new attraction before it had actually opened.

After the show, we ride Buzz Lightyear again and this time I do much better scoring over 74000 points but DH scores over 90,000 and BIL actually scores over 1/2 a million! We have no idea how he did that. We see Stitch and get his autograph and pics then head over to see Buzz Lightyear who, instead of signing autograph books, has a stamp with which to sign books. We then board the Carousel of Progress which was a nice break and we got to warm up a bit. I think the highest temp this afternoon hasn't gone much above the mid-50's and we are all wearing jackets and gloves. We still have an hour to kill before the fireworks so we head over to Main Street and DS really really wants ice cream. Yikes! It's so cold outside but I can't talk him out of it. DD gets rainbow sherbet while DS gets Chocolate Cookie dough. Meanwhile, DH and the others go next door to the Bakery for coffee and hot chocolate. We find an empty table outside and leisurely sip on our drinks. MIL brings out the biscotti from breakfast which are great with hot chocolate. While finishing up our drinks, DS falls asleep on my lap as I sit on the ground.

We move towards the central hub to watch the fireworks and I'm amazed that there doesn't seem like there are many people waiting for the fireworks. We stand just south of the Disney/Mickey statue and have a wonderful view of the castle, the fireworks, and see Tinker Bell float by. The fireworks are gorgeous, as usual, and the music/narration brings tears to my eyes. DS is very tired and cold and I hold him on my hip for most of the fireworks. Near the end of the fireworks, he matter-of-factly says: "Boy, now someone needs to get up there and dust off the sky". LOL.

We fight the crowds to get out of the park and head to bus station #2 and waited about 10 minutes for our bus to arrive. We didn't bother with our 5 pm ressie at Crystal Palace (the one that had been rescheduled by Disney from 1845) and decide to eat at SSRS instead but the twins are tired and one is completely asleep so BIL and my mom head back to the villa while the rest of us decide to check out the Turf Club bar and grill. The wait for the 6 of us is only 20-30 minutes without a ressie but well worth it. Hot tea was perfect on this chilly chilly night. The crab cakes were served with 3 different sauces and we all tried out each others' appetizers including FIL's calamari - some of the best that he says he's had, and DH's onion rings with 3 sauces as well.

We have plenty of crab cakes and calamari to take back to my sis/BIL. DH and FIL have the steak while MIL has the pasta. My spare ribs arrive and are quite good but DS is fading fast and barely able to keep his eyes open. It's already past 8 pm so I have DH order some apple pie for me and I take DS back to the resort, drop food off for my sister/BIL/mom, and get DS in bed. He's out like a light. I jump in the shower immediately mostly because of a run in with a bird while sitting on a bench under a tree. Yuck. The hot shower feels great after being out in the chilly air all day.

Soon, DH and the rest of the family get back with dessert and DD gets off to bed. More food for my sister/BIL/mom - pasta and steak. We go over plans for tomorrow and call it a night. Thank goodness we don't have plans until after 10 am tomorrow at Animal Kingdom so we can all sleep in a bit. I have to remember to get the tickets for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue from Concierge and BIL will need to get his park hopper pass fixed as it didn't want to work this morning and he was issued a temporary ticket. We all get to bed before 10:30 pm and are exhausted after a wonderful first full day, but, again, I wake up at around 2 am to hear DS retching by my door. I jump out of bed like a slingshot, see DS standing near the kitchen, and quickly grab the silver mixing bowl I had tossed on his bed before I went to sleep. I shoved the bowl under his mouth just in the nick of time as he vomited into the bowl. After rinsing his mouth out and cleaning up the bowl, we both get back in bed. DS had been fine all day long and ate like a horse so I'm totally puzzled why he has thrown up 2 nights in a row.

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WDW trip report - Thursday, December 7, 2006

Our flight was set to leave at 6:30 am so we were up at around 4 am to get ready. Getting the kids up to leave was, not surprisingly, easy. DH stood by their bed and yelled "WHO WANTS TO GO TO DISNEY WORLD???". I think it actually scared the pants off of them but then they realized what he was saying. Not exactly a wake-up call from Mickey...lol.

Check-in at the airport was a breeze and the flight to Dallas was very short. We arrived in Dallas and had a bit of a layover. Interestingly, we actually bumped into a couple of colleagues from home in the Dallas airport on their way to the US Virgin Islands on vacation. The kids kept themselves busy watching DVDs on their portable players - one of the best investments we made last year on Black Friday. While in the Dallas airport, Rhys blew his first-ever bubble with the chewing gum I gave the kids while on the plane. He was quite proud.

We arrived in Orlando about noon and headed down to baggage claim. Going down the escalator, I kept my eyes peeled for the driver from Quicksilver. I was a little disappointed when I couldn't locate our name amongst the drivers waiting at the bottom of the escalator holding their little signs up. There was only one driver from Quicksilver holding a sign that said "Sparger" - not even close to our name. I stopped to ask him if he knew where our driver was and when I described our arrangements (one way, grocery stop, Saratoga Springs), he realized that we were, indeed, his passengers that afternoon. I'm still stumped how "Switzer" became "Sparger". LOL. (The driver in the pic started to erase the "g" so Sparger became Sparcer. Nope, not any better).

At any rate, our driver grabbed a Sky Cap to help us with our luggage and we were soon walking out of the airport and easily located the limo outside. This limo looked longer than the one that picked us up 2 years ago. The kids were thrilled to get to ride in another limo. This one was not only longer but it sported a LCD tv monitor inside and Chicken Little was playing.

The kids were in heaven. I was duly impressed because it wasn't even 1 pm yet when we pulled out of the airport. Our driver took us to a Publix grocery store where we left the kids in the limo watching Chicken Little while DH and I split up the grocery list and took separate shopping carts to find our supplies. We were shopping for 11 people but I had made a comprehensive shopping list and copied half of it down for DH who actually got done with his list first. We were in and out of the Publix in under 20 minutes with about 10 bags of groceries.

We arrived at the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa at about 1:45 pm and left our bags/groceries at the bell desk outside. After paying for the limo, we checked in while the kids watched cartoons on the tv in the lobby. DH and I, the kids, and DH's parents would be staying in one of the 2 bdrm villas while my little sister, her DH, her twin 5 yr old girls, and my mother would be staying in the other 2 bdrm villa. I had called the day before we left to confirm that our villas would be next to each other - we were in 6410 at the Paddock while my sister's villa was 6411 - right across the hall. We get our Key to the World cards, pay for our portion of the Dining Plan with our Disney Rewards Card, and pick up our park and MVMCP passses at the Concierge desk.

Our villa was ready for us and we boarded a motorized cart that took us to the Paddock along with our bags and all of our groceries.

The CM was extremely friendly and pointed out the pool, the rec center, the path to DTD, and the 2 closest bus stops on the way to our villa: Congress Park and the Paddock. Unfortunately, our villa was quite far from the lobby (Carriage House). LESSON LEARNED: apparently, they are buildling more villas and The Grand Stand will be right across the street from the Carriage House. This is definitely what we would request the next time was stay at SSRS.

Our villa is just gorgeous. I made a mental note to take pictures of it but never did remember to do that. We walk into a small entryway with one bedroom immediately to the right that had a coat closet with the vacuum cleaner and pack 'n play in it, coat hooks on the wall which made it easy to keep track of the kids' jackets and backpacks, a bathroom with tub/shower/toilet, double sink vanity, and 2 double beds. There is also a table with chairs, tv, and a large closet. This one bedroom is more roomy than some of the hotel rooms that I've seen. It's about as big as our room that we had at the Grand Floridian 2 years ago. Just to the left of the entryway is the breakfast nook, kitchen, and living room. There are sliding glass doors leading out onto a balcony. The living room has a tv and DVD player. The stacked washer/dryer are located in a small closet right next to the breakfast nook. To the left are 2 doors - one leading to a bathroom with a sink and shower. The toilet is in another room within this bathroom. The other door leads to the master suite which has another bathroom, sink/vanity, whirlpool tub, small closet, king sized bed, and tv. This arrangement reminds me a bit of the split bathroom on the Disney Cruise. The master suite is interconnected with the 2 half-bathrooms.

We spend a little time unpacking a bit, getting organized, and putting groceries away. We then leave to walk back to the Carriage House to have lunch. It's already almost 2:30 pm. We walk behind the buildings and take a long bridge that leads to the bus stop closest to the Carriage House. Along the way, we see 2 otters playing in the water. We find the Artists' Palette right next to the lobby and place our orders. I decide to try the roasted vegetable flatbread sandwich but was disappointed that the veggies were COLD and the bread was really tough.

My BIL calls during our meal - they've actually arrived in Orlando and were on the Magical Express making their way to the resort. We decide to wait for them in the lobby.

When my sister, BIL, nieces, and mom arrive, it's already past 4 pm. We let my sister, BIL, and mom get settled in their villa and take the twins with us to MGM to see the Osborne lights. We've never seen this light show before and wouldn't have any other night to see it so we walk back to the bus stop and catch the bus to MGM. We arrive at about 5:30 pm and make our way to the Streets of America finding a curb to sit on while waiting for the lights to come on. The crowd really wasn't bad and we easily found a spot to sit and wait. At about 6 pm, the show begins and the kids enjoy man-made "snow" which basically looks like soap foam. The lights are very impressive and actually "dance" to the music and the kids/twins enjoy walking down the street and looking at the displays. DH and I each have a twin riding on our shoulders so they can see the lights dance.

It's just past 6:30 pm and we start heading out of MGM to make our 7:40 pm ressie at Fulton's Crab House. We took the bus from MGM back to Saratoga Springs and got off at the Paddock stop and tried to follow the CM's directions to walk to DTD. He had pointed down the street and instructed us to make a right at the end of the street after we passed the gate. There was no sidewalk and we found ourselves walking through the grass with buses whizzing past us. The CM had mentioned that the pathway leading from SSRS to DTD closed at dusk so we didn't even try to find the path. DH made the comment that it was so "un-Disney" for us to have to walk through the grass like we were. We eventually found the sidewalk and our way to DTD.

DH and I first visited Fulton's Crab House on our 10th wedding anniversary trip to WDW in 2002. At that time, we had the "platinum package" which included our accomodations at the Grand Floridian, all activities at the resort, park hopper plus passes, and all meals. We had ressies at SO many restaurants we ate ourselves silly. One of our favorites was Fulton's Crab House so we went back 2 years ago when we took the kids for their birthdays and wanted to eat there again this time around. Our meal this evening would not be on the dining plan.

The kids were easy - they all wanted the kids' fried shrimp meal. We had the calamari for the appetizer and all of the kids LOVED it. I then had the seafood trio which was Grilled Mahi Mahi, shrimp and Alaska King crab claw with basil cream sauce, garlic whipped potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Yum! By the time we got done it was after 9 pm and we found our way to the boat dock and took the boat back to Saratoga Springs. DH's mom and dad had just arrived at the resort via the Magical Express and we met up with them at the Artists' Palette where they were grabbing a bite to eat. We hopped in a van with all of their luggage and the kids and headed back to our villa for the evening. We had ressies in the am for CRT so the kids were in bed and asleep instantly with the adults following closely behind. Unfortunately, at around 1:30 am, Rhys woke us up to tell that he had vomited in his bed. He was sleeping on the pull out bed in the living room so I pulled off all the sheets/pillow cases and threw them in the washer, grabbed the bed cover off of our bed and put him back to sleep. I waited for the washer to finish and then put the sheets in the dryer before going back to bed. Thank goodness we had a washer/dryer. I'd be thinking this same thought over and over during our trip.

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Walt Disney World Trip Report - Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Murphy's Law usually holds true whenever we're getting ready to go off on vacation. This vacation was no different. I'm not sure what happened to my schedule at work but the 1/2 afternoon that I had blocked out so that I could get home to pack on Wednesday afternoon somehow got unblocked and I was booked clear up to 4:45 pm. It was a long afternoon but after work, I finally headed home and finished up the packing that I had started the few days earlier in the week. We had checked into the Courtyard Marriott with all 4 suitcases and 4 carry-ons bringing them up to the room so that we could re-distribute some of the weight so as not to exceed the 50 pound "cut-off" limits. We put the kids immediately to bed and after doing some re-packing, it was lights out but I found myself lying in bed wide awake thinking about how excited I was to be finally headed to Disney World. It reminded me of that commercial on tv...."I'm too excited to sleep.....".

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More Walt Disney World thoughts

I've been playing around with All Ears Net's Menus from around the World - it lists ALL of the dining establishments at WDW and their complete menus. This link is a must to plan on where we should eat. I have zero interest in the usual park fare like burgers, hot dogs, etc. One of the best parts of travelling for us are the great restaurants that we get to try and the wonderful food!

I've finished making all of our shirts for our trip. This year, I made 11 red, long sleeved tees and 11 gold, long sleeved tees for us to wear on designated days. Here's what the designs look like:

I've also stumbled on the Transportation Calculator at Our Laughing Place. Handy to figure out how to get somewhere although from the Saratoga Springs, most everything is accessible via bus only.

Another great resource that I've been using is the Disney Vacation message board at iVillage. Lots of great ladies with fantastic knowledge of all things Disney.

I stopped by Walgreens today to pick up a "20 Q" game. What a cute little game - about the size of a softball but flat for $12.99 - it asks you questions and tries to read your mind. I read a tip on a newsletter that this would help pass the time in line, if there are any. I tried "banana" and stumped it right off the bat. Maybe my "yes", "no", "sometimes", and "unknown" answers were a little off. LOL. According to Ridemax, though, we should have no more than a 30-40 minute wait on any ride/attraction.

So far, I have everything spread out in the guest bedroom and will pack everyone up tonight since we'll be leaving right after work tomorrow evening to head out to the city. Our flight leaves at 0630 on Thursday morning so I thought it would be easier to stay overnight instead of driving the 1.5 hours that morning. I've got my new toy (bought on Black Friday) - an Insignia MP3 Video player loaded with all of my songs and even a few movies to watch. I figure 3 pairs of jeans per person should suffice. We have an assortment of t-shirts, fleece shirts, and our long-sleeved tees. Rain gear will be essential as we haven't been to Disney in December before without hitting some rain. I picked up some small bottles of laundry detergent and dish soap at the Dollar Tree as well as some cheap fleece gloves for the kids (in case they get lost then I won't be heart broken). A light jacket is probably all we'll need for outwear - preferably waterproof.

I've gotten into pin trading in the last few years and will take along my pins and lanyards. I got on eBay and bought a bunch of "traders". My little sister is also into pin trading and got me a new pin trader book to store my pins in. I guess I didn't realize how many pins I had until I put them into the book. I've also been collecting pins for Amina (princesses esp Sleeping Beauty) and for Rhys (planes, trains, automobiles, soccer, etc). Myself, I'm looking for more Doc pins but those are hard to come by. I'll definitely need to get a Saratoga Springs pin this year.

Unfortunately, it looks like I won't get my customized commemorative maps before I leave tomorrow. Oh well. I ordered them about 3 weeks ago but I've heard that it can take slightly longer than that to receive them. Looks like I also won't get the 1 GB XD card that I ordered for my camera either. They're on backorder from OfficeMax even though I placed my order at Thanksgiving. I always take my laptop to download pictures, though, and will probably spring for the internet connection so maybe I can blog while I'm out there and download my pics to Smugmug.

We're so close! Lots more to do tonight between packing and planning.

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Walt Disney World Plans

Only a week to go until we leave for our family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The cast: Myself, my husband, Seth, our 9 year old daughter Amina, 7 year old son Rhys, Seth's parents Ron and Deb, my sister, Dee, her husband Jason, their 5 year old identical twin girls Rebecca and Kylie, and my mom, Bernice. 11 of us total - we've never been on a vacation before with so many people!

The planning for this trip started over a year ago. I started talking about this with my sister and we thought about how much we liked Disney, how our kids would be the "perfect age", and when we would go. I have fond memories of WDW in early December because Seth and I honeymooned at WDW staying at the Polynesian resort in 1992. The weather was pleasant and the lines were short. We returned for our 10 year anniversary in 2002 and stayed at the Grand Floridian resort. This time, it was cooler than I had remembered but the lines were still short.

In 2004, we returned again but in June - this time with the kids who were turning 5 and 7. Never again. We had planned this to celebrate the kids' birthdays and there were many many wonderful, magical memories but it was crowded and very hot. How quickly the children move is inversely proportional to what the ambient temperature is. The hotter it got, the slower they were. There's something about the heat that just zaps the energy right out of you.

December it was. We had taken the kids on a Disney cruise last year and had bought into the Disney Vacation Club - our home resort: Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (SSRS). We had enough points to book the 3 bdrm Grand Villa at SSRS for all 11 of us (it sleeps 12). My brother-in-law travels a lot for business and would cover all of our plane tickets with his frequent flyer miles. What a deal! After I made the reservation last December, we changed our minds after looking at the floor plans for the Grand Villa - stairs. Instead, I changed our ressies (that's Disney slang for reservations) to 2 bedroom villas instead - 2 of them. They actually cost fewer points in the long run too but would accomodate our party better. Dee and her family as well as my mom would stay in one of the 2 bedroom villas and we would stay in the other with Seth's parents. We'll have use of a full kitchen as well as a washer and dryer which means less clothes to pack. Yay!

Our target dates: 7 December - 14 December (Thursday to Thursday). We scheduled it this way to work around our days off.....Thursday. Dee arranged for our flights on American and, after a few glitches (grrr.....airline frequent flyer miles - they make it so difficult), we got the ressies we needed.

Next on the list of things to do....make our advanced dining reservations (ADRs). I agonized for weeks on what days we should go to which parks and when to schedule the restaurants that we wanted to eat at the most. We have our definite faves that we had to do: Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast, Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney, Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian resort to celebrate our 14th anniversary on the 12th, Le Cellier (never been but heard a lot about it), the Hoop Dee Doo Revue (also never been but had to try it), Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP - ditto) and the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (same). I finally settled on a plan and, at the moment, can't even remember how I came to decide which day, which park. We will not be going to any of the Extra Magic Hours but, according to RideMax (more about Ridemax in a little bit), this is probably better in terms of crowds. I also took advantage of the Disney Vacation Club discount on tickets to MVMCP which meant we had tickets to go on Monday, the 11th. I took into consideration when the parks opened as this was a big complaint from our 2002 trip - too many early ADRs and trying to be at the parks at opening. Seth didn't want to have to get up and rush like that anymore. Some of the parks closed earlier (Animal Kingdom closes at 5 pm and MGM closes at 7 pm) so those were the days I planned Hoop Dee Doo Revue and our anniversary dinner. It's traditional for us to go to the Magic Kingdom on our first full day. I decided on 2 full days at the Magic Kingdom and 2 full days at EPCOT - our favorite parks.

So, at 5:50 am on the 10th of June, I was at the dining room table with 2 cell phones in hand dialing the Disney dining reservation line over and over again. I got through within a minute or two of the reservation line opening (at 7 am Eastern) and quickly made our ADRs. Getting ADRs for a group of 11 is tricky but the cast member (CM) on the phone was pleasant and patient. I had also added on the Disney Dining Plan for all of us through DVC. Here's how our schedule currently looks:

Thurs, Dec 7 - Arrive Orlando at about 12:30 pm
Pick up by Quicksilver Transportation (limo - the kids got a BIG kick out of it last time and begged to do it again) with 30 minute stop at a grocery store then on to Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
Depending on the time, we'll probably head to MGM to catch the Osborne Lights since we've never seen them before. Plan to arrive by 5:30 pm to catch the lights going on at around 6 pm and then we'll need to leave as soon as the park closes (7 pm) to take a bus to Downtown Disney.
Dinner at 1940 (changed from 1900)- Fulton's Crab House. Plan to use our 10% DVC discount.

Fri, Dec 8 Magic Kingdom hours: 0900-1900 (Dream Come True parade 1500, Wishes fireworks 1800)
Breakfast 0825 - Cinderella's Royal Table
Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station
Dinner 1700 at Crystal Palace. This was changed from 1845 - I just got a call from Disney Dining yesterday telling me that they had made a mistake and needed to change our 1845 ressie to an earlier time. I wasn't very happy - 1845 would have been perfect as the fireworks were at 6 and then we would have just stepped over to the restaurant for dinner but I was wondering how they worked it with MVMCP starting at 1900. Ah well.

Sat, Dec 9 - Animal Kingdom hours: 0900-1700
Breakfast will be in the villa this morning as it will be for most mornings. We plan on picking up a lot of breakfast items on our 30 minute grocery store stop: oatmeal, cereal, bread, fruit, juice, etc. This way, we can save our Disney Dining Plan credits for other meals.
Lunch will probably be at Tusker House which we've eaten at before and were pleasantly surprised at the quality for a counter service restaurant.
Dinner is at 1915 - the Hoop De Doo Revue dinner show

Sun, Dec 10 EPCOT hours: Future World 0900-1900 and World Showcase 1100-2130 (Illuminations show at 2130)
Breakfast at SSRS
Lunch - a variety of counter service restaurants to try but I'm leaning toward the Sunshine Seasons at the Land
Dinner is at 1830 - Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada pavilion

Mon, Dec 11 - 2nd day at the Magic Kingdom; hours: 0900-1900
Breakfast at SSRS
We have 0930 appointment for the girls to go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Lunch probably at the Columbia Harbor House
Dinner at 1745 - Tony's Town Square
We attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tonight from 1900-2400

Tues, Dec 12 MGM hours: 0900-1900
Breakfast at SSRS
Lunch - probably at ABC Commissary
Dinner at 1830 - Victoria and Alberts celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary

Wed, Dec 13 2nd day at EPCOT
Since this is our last breakfast and I anticipate that we'll have leftover counter service credits, we might do breakfast at the Artist's Palette at SSRS
Lunch - a variety of places at the World Showcase to try (counter service)
For dinner, we have the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package with a ressie at 1700 - 9 Dragons restaurant with the show at 20:15

About Ridemax..... I first stumbled on Ridemax when I was studying for our Disneyland/Disney cruise vacation last year. This downloadable computer program helps come up with a schedule to minimize your wait in line and maximize your efficiency while in the park. I used it to print out ride schedules for our DL/DCL trip and it was amazingly accurate. We had minimal waits and, for the most part, we followed the schedule right on time. The only thing that Ridemax didn't take into account was the long line for Space Mountain fastpasses because the ride had been closed for overhaul and had just re-opened. I helped a friend back in July plan her 4 day trip to WDW with her family and she bought the WDW version of Ridemax to put on my computer. I've printed out proposed schedules for the parks each day which seem to work well with what we want to see and do. The program allows you to input the day, date, park, time of arrival, time of departure, and scheduled breaks. It also allows for slower moving groups (which ours will be) and whether or not you are willing to use a "Fast Pass runner" (which will be me, of course). I'll have to come back and post on how our schedule worked out.

More Disney World thoughts to come....

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Black Friday 2006 - The Results

After watching the Davinci Code last night at BIL's house, it was midnight and I decided to take a quick run out to Best Buy to see what the lines looked like. I had read earlier online that some serious BF'ers were advising people to queue up beginning at 10 pm or earlier. Being my first time making a Best Buy run on Black Friday, I was curious to see how serious the people of Dallas are. I guess I shouldn't have been suprised that at 12:30 am on Black Friday, each Best Buy that I visited had at least 100 people camped out in the entrance with lines snaking from the front door, down the sidewalk, and spilling into the parking lot. WOW. I went home to catch some sleep thinking that I wouldn't have a chance at getting anything on my Best Buy list and re-planned my shopping route for the morning.

My alarm went off at 4:15 am and I rolled out of bed and got ready to leave. My first destination was JC Penney and I had planned on taking DH's truck as I wanted to get my hands on their 7 1/2 foot pre-lit (multi-colored as well as clear lights) tree with remote control for only $118.88. I arrived at JC Penney at about 4:40 am and found myself about 15th in line. Not too shabby. The doors opened at 4:55 am and after receiving my free 2006 Disney miniature snow globe to add to my collection, I followed the couple in front of me who were also hunting for the Sale Tree. Finding the item I was looking for, I dragged the box to the cashier and was the 2nd person in line to pay for my item. The sales woman was quite pleasant and even called to have someone take the tree out to my car. A gentleman soon arrived and, after hoisting the tree on his shoulder, loaded it into the back of DH's Titan. Here's where the big boo-boo of the day happened.....

I backed DH's truck out of the parking spot and noted someone behind me waiting for the spot - it was quite close to the main entrance. As I pulled forward, it became quickly obvious that I was boxed in. Someone had parked their car facing the aisle and had over-parked the space sticking out quite far into the aisle. Cars were parked across the way as well and there was no place for me to go. I rolled down the windows and kindly asked 2 ladies who had just parked to help me navigate my way around this other car. Thankfully I was moving VERY slowly but the my drivers' side bumper just caught the front bumper of the car that was sticking out too far. I remember thinking that DH was going to kill me. I pulled through and parked the car fumbling around in my purse for a pen and pad to leave a note on the other car. As I walked toward the car, the driver angrily asked me what had happened. I pointed out that he left very little room to maneuver around his car because he had over-parked the spot. He replied that it was "too dark" when he had arrived. Of course, his car was the only car in the lot sticking so far into the driving aisle. Long story short.....he insisted on calling 911 which I did only to find out that this had occurred on private property and the police would not respond. We finally just exchanged insurance information and I moved on to my next desination: Wal-Mart.

I really only had one small item to get at Wal-Mart, the Case Logic portable DVD player case. I wanted to replace the kids' cases because the zippers were broken. Unfortunately, I was too late to snag one. If only I hadn't been tied up by that fender bender.....

I moved on to Radio Shack instead and joined the line taking about the 20th position at about 5:30. My mind wandered back to the scene in the JC Penney parking lot. Finally, the doors opened at 6 pm and about 40 people crammed into the small store. Most people seemed to be intent on grabbing the bluetooth headsets. After asking an associate where the noise cancelling headphones were, and not finding them, I got in line to order one online when I found the headphones hanging on the display by the cash registers. I left Radio Shack with 2 pairs of headphones and headed out to Ace Hardware which was not far away.

Arriving at Ace hardware at around 6:20 am, I was the first person in line. The sun was just starting to come up and I was able to more closely examine the drivers' side of DH's car. The scratch was minimal. I didn't see a dent. A handful of people arrived before 7 am (about 5 of us total) and I walked into the store first, easily located the Magnetic Drive Set and Rotary tool and checked out. Most of the other customers were looking for the Curtis portable DVD players for $69.99 but this particular store had not received their shipment of DVD players. Being a seasoned Ace Hardware BF shopper, I knew to ask for the rebate form and an extra copy of the receipt. Had I been a first-time BF shopper, I would have walked out of the store without the correct form because the woman at the cash register had forgotten until I reminded her. I was in the home stretch of my morning and had a few more stops to make...and it was only 7:05 am.

Walgreens was my next stop - I needed to pick up 2 "free" items before making the drive out to Best Buy and picking through the remains of their inventory. With help from the clerk who pointed in a general direction and was not very helpful, I did finally locate the Schick Quattro Razor set for women (with the bonus ipod earplug headset). I then found the Revlon mascara and headed for the check-out line. The woman checking out ahead of me asked about the rebate for her item and the check-out clerk looked at her as though he had no idea what she was talking about. He handed her the Walgreens rebate ad but I quietly advised her to CHECK the ads before leaving to make sure her item was listed. She asked the clerk again where the rebate list was and he pointed out the center of the flyer and she took her purchase and left. Following check-out, I perused the rebate flyer as well but was not surprised to find that my items were not listed. The clerk could not find them either. Finally, the store manager handed me 2 small receipt sized print outs for the special 8 hour rebate sale. These needed to be completed and mailed in. That woman in front of me in line didn't get her rebate print out before she had left. What a shame. Although the clerk was unable to find the rebate information, he did point out an additional coupon in the rebate flyer for $3 off the Schick Quattro razors. The store manager very politely credited me $3.25. Here's how the math went:

Schick Quattro shaving set for women (w/free headphones)............$8.99
Coupon in Walgreens rebate flyer........................................................-$3.00
Rebate print out to be submitted by mail...........................................-$10.00

Hmmmmm............it looks like Walgreens PAID me about $4 to take the razor set. LOL!

At this point I thought I would give Best Buy a try just in case there were a few items left on my list. It was about 7:30 when I arrived at Best Buy - a full 2 1/2 hours after the store had opened. I walked into the store and quickly asked some store clerks where I could my items. I located the Kodak Easy Share C503 digital camera ($79.99) the 7" Westinghouse digital frame ($79.99), and the 15" LCD tv quickly. Seeing the digital frame on display, I decide to buy 2 instead. I was very surprised that I was able to so easily find these items so "late" in the morning. Unfortunately, the eMachines desktop computer ($189.97) and the MAG 17" LCD monitor ($79.99) were already gone. My last item was the Insignia 4 GB mp3/video player. What a cool device. I decided to get the 2 yr protection plan for this item for $19.99.

At this point, I'm pretty pleased with my purchases considering the bumpy start this morning. I notice the Office Depot across the street and decide to stop in hoping it won't be too crowded. Surprsingly, the store is nearly empty and I find the "free" label makers - and snag the last three intending to send the rebates in from home, my office and DH's office. I even purchase all 3 of them using different credit cards. It's now past 8 am and I'm pretty much done with my list....here's the score:

My "Wanted" list from yesterday: 16 items
Items on my list that I did get: 11 items

Not bad considering I never did make it to Staples (didn't know where it was; 2 items on my list) and I did get some "bonus" items (Office Depot).

It's time to go home and see whose up but the shopping is NOT done yet! I pick up my mom and we check out Vista Ridge mall where we make some purchases at The Children's Place (pants and gloves for Rhys) and the Disney Store which was offering an additional 20% off purchases made before 10 am (we walked into the store at 9:45 am). I bought the kids some fleece sweatshirts at only $8 each for our upcoming WDW trip, and a new nightgown for Amina. We did go by Costco but didn't really find anything else we really had to have. As a bonus, we were given a Costco cookbook as we exited. We finally head back home at 11:30 am to Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch.

Overall, another great Black Friday!

Black Friday 2006

I'm one of those CRAZED Black Friday shoppers sitting outside of a store in the freezing cold with hot chocolate in hand waiting for the store to open. ("OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!"). This year Black Friday will be in Dallas and I'm not anticipating being able to make the rounds at all my favorite stores like I would at home. It's just too spread out and too much traffic to contend with. Thanks to BFADS.NET, I have looked at all of the Black Friday ads and have put together a shopping list for my adventure early Friday morning. The fun starts at 4 am!

We'll see how things turn out since I'm in an unfamiliar city. The Best Buy is about 5 miles south of my sister's house and the other stores that I want to go to(Ace, Radio Shack,Walmart, Staples, Walgreens) are all just to the north of her house. Here's what's on my list so far:

ACE (opens at 7 am) : DeWalt Magnetic Drive Guide Set, 16 pc.............FREE
Phillips Noise Cancelling Headphones (for the kids)......$29.99 (if I can't get the ones from Radio Shack)
PowerGlide Variable Speed Rotary Tool.........................FREE

Best Buy (opens at 5 am): Advent 15" LCD TV (for my MIL).................$129.99
eMachines Desktop Celeron-D w/15" LCD.....................$189.97
Insignia 4 GB Video/MP3 player.....................................$119.99
Kodak Easy Share 5 MP digital camera...........................$79.99
MAG 17" LCD monitor...................................................$79.99
Westinghouse 7"digital picture frame................................$79.99

JCPenney (opens at 5 am) : Disney snowglobe............................................FREE
7.5 ft pre-lit Christmas tree w/remote.............................$118.88

Radio Shack (opens at 6 am) : Presidan Noise Cancelling Headphones (for the kids)...$14.99
Staples : 6-outlet strip surge protector..............................FREE
Personal desktop laminator...............................................FREE

Wal-Mart (opens at 5 am): Case Logic Portable DVD Player Case (for the kids).........$9.97

Walgreens (opens at 7 am): Revlon Fabulash Mascara...............................FREE
Schick Quattro Razors........................................................FREE

I'll have to post back later and see how I fared after all is said and done. I plan on heading out to Best Buy at 3:30 am to be there before the tickets are passed out at 4 am and then waiting until the store opens at 5 am. Crazy....I know, but fun! LOL.

I've combed the other ads (they get WAY more ads here in Dallas then we do at home!) and hope to pick up a DymoLetra Tag Label maker at Office Depot which is also FREE. I've already ordered a few things online from the Thanksgiving Day sales from Office Max:

Olympus 1 GB XD Card for my camera..............$19.99
Sandisk 2 GB SD Cards (good for our Treo 650's).......$24.89 each. Wow! And FREE SHIPPING with NO MINIMUM! They do, however, charge tax.

So there's the plan..........I should really consider going to bed right now to be up at 3 am (it's about 7 pm and I'm totally stuffed from dinner at 4:30). Off to watch Davinci Code tonight, though, in BIL's really cool media room. Happy Thanksgiving and good luck to my fellow Black Friday shoppers!

Siggys and Avatars

I thought I would "store" my new siggy and avatar here. For those of us who post avidly to iVillage's" message boards, siggys and avatars are a wonderful way to share something about ourselves with each post that we make to the board(s). Thanks to iVillage's" Signature Showcase message board, you can post a request to have a siggy or avatar made and even provide .jpg pictures to show off. The wonderful volunteer "siggy makers" at this board will take pictures and requests and transform them into beautiful and creative siggys and avatars. Here's my official CL (community leader) siggy:

and my new avatar:

Thanks to the generous ladies of the Signature Showcase board!

More Blog Practice

OK, the mail blogging didn't work from last night - still need to figure that one out. I did figure out how to add the "Links" column to the left today and have started adding my favorite links on the 'net starting with the boards that I lead at iVillage. More links to come....

Time for more pictures ~ Amina and Rhys' school photos from this Fall:



Last, but not least, I'm going to start a different blog to chart my journey on Nutrisystem.

Trying out the Mail-to-Blogger feature

Just seeing if this works. What a nice feature if it does. I can post from an email instead of having to log-in. This is a test.

Feeling my way around Blogger

Getting used to blogging; playing with some of the new features. This picture of my beautiful family was taken just 2 weeks ago and will be the picture on our Christmas cards this year.

In my spare time, I am a Community Leader at iVillage's Vaccine Support and Child Health . I think later I'll include some thoughts on my journey with Nutrisystem since July of this year as well as posts about vaccine and child health issues. I've also just recently joined Smugmug and have a collection of photos in my galleries.

My First Blog Post

8 years and 3 months later, I've finally decided to give starting a blog a try. I remember figuring out HTML 8 years ago and spending countless hours on a telephone internet connection on a computer with a 166 mhz processor writing my pages for the "Switzer Family Homepage" in code! Wow, how things have changed since then. I remember having to write down a "map" on paper of how my website would look and to help me remember where I put things! I ate through my Geocities memory in no time flat. I dreaded having to update my webpages because it took so long. It's like learning to type in high school on a manual typewriter or using punch cards to work the computer! LOL. Now in less than 5 minutes, literally, I have a new blog!