Hello, friend (Love that Bill!)

I know it has been quite awhile since I blogged, because Jesse has sent me multiple pleas for me to blog through the messaging system. LOL

December was crazy, as usual. I am always amazed by the fact our calendar is empty just before Thanksgiving, then blows up just after. This past December we had two homeschool parties, three family parties and one for John's work. We also spent Christmas Eve at my parent's (no deputies with guns this year!).

So, I'm sure after reading all of that you'll forgive me for not blogging. And if not, maybe this will shed even more light. In addition to all the parties, John decided (after decorating for Christmas) that we would paint the living and dining rooms and the kitchen! I love it! A week after finishing the painting, but before getting everything back place, John decided the classroom needed painting and a complete overhaul! Really?! To say our December was busy, would be a vast understatement!

January brought on new adventures...sort of. The girls auditioned for "Music Man". Yes, I know they have done this play before, but not at Kershaw's Fine Arts Center with the lovely Candice at the director's wheel. This time auditions were for elementary and middle schoolers only. Jesse is still a Pick-A-Little Lady, but she is a "main" one this time rather than being in the background. Chloe is Hazel, a part that is being added and created just for her; she too is a supporting character.  They are both thrilled and excited rehearsals have now started.

We finally took a break from everything and escaped to Pigeon Forge last weekend. Of course, that had its own mishaps. Well, one mishap: weather. We were originally going to leave Friday, but I received a call from the office Thursday afternoon saying they were getting lots of snow, but if we had a four-wheel drive and felt comfortable we should be okay. We'll I neither have four-wheel drive or am comfortable driving up a huge mountain in ice/snow. We left Saturday instead and got to the resort just as the power was coming back on. Yeah!

I'll post pictures on the next post.

What a week!!

We were out of school last week. Yeah, I know, "I thought you guys were just on vacation?" Well, that's true. But last week was the week we were going to go to Disney and John was off. We spent a couple of days at the beach. One of the best trips we've had, in my opinion anyway. We went to Donut Man, Ripley's aquarium, mini-golf (Treasure Island style), and, of course, a trip to the Disney store and Steak-n-Shake. Awesome!

We spent a few days working on the house and the yard. I admit I'm pretty happy with most of the outcome. I actually found homes for things that needed homes (well, most things) and didn't pile anything into a bag to stash anywhere. I still need to get to some grading; I'm still behind.

Today, we had a family reunion (my mom's mother's side). I admit it was a small turn out considering how large that side of the family is but it was nice to see some we have not seen in awhile. But this afternoon my Mom called to tell me we lost cousin Judy's husband this morning. We didn't know he had gone to Hospice (yesterday) until we were at the reunion today.

This week will be another busy week for us. We have our usual stuff: taekwondo, library, and schoolwork. We also have a play at the theatre and hoping to see Baby Smith, for the first time. We are all looking forward to the "extras" this week.

Ups and downs

It seems like no matter how much you plan, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want. In July, we started planning for a Disney trip. A trip like no other. We were going to avoid all parks! I know, crazy, right? We were going to play mini-golf, cane pole fish, and all the other wonderful things we never have time for when we hit the parks. Well, to quote a commercial, "life comes at you fast!" And boy how!

In the last week, we ordered Jesse new glasses ($120 over what they were last year) and John's car need some repair ($310+). I still need glasses, Jesse needs a new wardrobe (that girl needs to not grow two inches at a time!), Chloe needs new tennis shoes, and the list goes on from there. In other words, our trip has to be cancelled. {sigh}

In order to, kind of soften, the blow, we are going to go to the beach for one night with John's points. We'll cram in as much as we can in two days to make it as fun as possible. No, it is not the same but we'll have fun anyway. lol

A birthday "surprise"!

John planned a wonderful trip for my birthday. He was taking me to the beach, but he wasn't going to tell me until my birthday. However, after he made the reservations, he realized we would be gone on Thursday night rather than Tuesday (the night I had taken off of taekwondo). He had to tell me early, so I could work it all out with Master Mike. No problem. ;)

So, Wednesday morning we loaded up the car and headed out for the beach. I love the beach! But it truly is not John's favorite place to be, so I was thrilled to be going. And not only did we go to Myrtle Beach, we actually stayed in an oceanfront room. It was beautiful! I love sitting listening to the roar of the ocean; it is so relaxing.

We have not been to the beach in two years and we were all really looking forward to eating at Tripp's, at Broadway at the Beach. I cannot begin to tell you my disappointment when we pulled in to find out it had closed and been replaced by an Italian restaurant. {sigh} Where to now? Well, we wound up at TBonz, which we never eat at at home. I had the best fillet mignon I've eaten in a long time. It just melted in my mouth. Oh! I even shared a small bite with John. ;)

I have to admit sometimes I miss things. I remember leaving the room for a moment, coming back to discover "we" were taking a helicopter flight. I say "we" because only three of us could go and since I've been in one (John too, of course) I stayed on the ground. Now let me tell you, Jesse was going to have none of it. She begged. She pleaded. But her rear end still ended up on the helicopter. ;)

She really did not want to get on the helicopter.

Just before take off.

Everynight we found ourselves in the lobby. We were drawn to a corner of the lobby. There was  couch, two chairs, large coffee table and a TV. And of course, the best view of the ocean! We would watch TV, chat and laugh. It was very relaxing.

We rarely play mini golf at home (though we did go a couple of weeks ago). But I believe we have only played once, maybe twice, at the beach. Chloe wanted to play a round at Captain Hook's. We had a good time and the course was a lot of fun.

This was too weird! :)

Of course, no beach trip is complete without actually going to hang out on the beach.

Okay. Our last visit to Disney, John bought himself some Disney Crocs. I've been giving him grief ever since, because he is always putting them on then going on and on about how wonderful they are. Yadda, yadda, yadda. So, we found a Croc store the beach and he bought me the cutest pair. They are not Disney, but they are still a "fun" color. Thanks John!!

Cute Croc flippies!!!!

More on our vacation

Okay, the truth is we took over 1500 pictures! I know. Crazy! There were a few pictures that reminded me of great moments and others the girls just wanted to share. This post is going to be more pictures with, hopefully, short stories to go with them.

Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom

This was actually the first time any of us had ever been on Tom Sawyer Island. John asked me why we had never gone over there before. I have no answer, but can tell you this is, now it is high on our list of things to do while at MK. This is the barrel bridge. The "hills" are actually barrels that hold the bridge up, but when you step on it the bridge dips all the way down to the water. And the trip is wobbly! I told a couple of friends the other day I got the giggles crossing the thing because that is the same feeling I was getting when I would get off the elevator. (Yes, I need to get to the ENT soon!) The entire island was a total blast. Next time we are going to pick up some lunch and take it over to eat at the picnic tables there. Can't wait!!

Phineas and Ferb with the girls

Our girls LOVE Phineas and Ferb. I have to admit I like it too. John even enjoys some of the songs and will sing them time to time. Seeing them was totally unexpected, but one of Jesse's favorite moments. They even had their picture taken with Duckie Momo!

Girls with the GIANT gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian.

We took another trip to see the gingerbread house. Chloe talked for weeks about getting a gingerbread cookie from the gingerbread house, then at the last second wanted a chocolate Mickey Mouse. :) 

John with Eeyore!

This was at the Crystal Palace (a character dining experience). Eeyore came up behind John and I said something like, "that would have been a cute picture". John replied with, "go ahead and take one". So, Eeyore leaned back in for the picture. John was so relaxed all week, picking on all of us, so I know he was in a good mood all week. ;)

Jesse, John and Chloe at Flame Tree BBQ, at Animal Kingdom.

Flame Tree BBQ is truly one of our favorite places to eat. I cannot believe that our friends, the Smiths (who love Disney as much as us) have never eaten there. John loves their ribs because they put a rub on it and really do slow BBQ the meat. Personally, I love the BBQ sandwich. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The girls meal grew this year! Instead of one chicken leg, they had two!! Disney gave us more?! We were all surprised, but happy.

John and Chloe on the bridge from the boat to the lodge, at Wilderness Lodge.

Chloe and Jesse with the Christmas tree in the lobby, at Wilderness Lodge.

One place John hopes to stay one day is the Wilderness Lodge. We visited on our way to the camp ground there, where we had dinner reservations. The tree was enormous!! There is even a water spring running through the inside of the lobby. And oh so many rocking chairs! I adore rocking chairs.

Jesse working on her mime skills.

This box was in the room you go through waiting to see Buzz and Woody at Hollywood Studios. Jesse loves to mime and I think she did a great job with this! Chloe is simply happy to be there. :)

Osborne Christmas lights at Hollywood Studios

When it came to planning our vacation (way back in July). John said he wanted to see the Osborne Christmas lights. He didn't care what else we did, but he wanted to do that. He also only wanted to do three parks (there are four, not including the water parks or Disney Quest). I told him he had to decide which park we would not go to. Our next conversation was John telling me he booked the vacation and we were going to four parks. He couldn't drop a park, each for its own reasons. So this was his moment. I have never seen so many lights in one place ever! This picture does not even begin to do it justice! This was just a tiny part of the lights that were there and they all danced to music!!

Entire family with Jessie and Woody!

Entire family at the Contemporary Hotel.

Just a couple of family pictures.

Jesse, Goofy and Chloe doing the robot!

I will admit I thought Jesse taking her robot pen to Disney was a bit odd. But, as usual, I was proved wrong. Many of the characters were taken by her pen. Jessie and Woody went a little crazy over it. Many of the characters had to show the photographer that was with them. They loved the pen! But Goofy was the best. He broke out into the robot, followed shortly by the girls. The photographer was laughing so hard and was very impressed by Chloe's robot. The whole line of people waiting to see Goofy was laughing. It was SO fun! Chloe keeps saying, "if they tell you you're good at something at Disney, you have to be good!"

That is the end of our vacation. We are happy to be home and waiting for Christmas, but part of us is still there. While our next trip will be the mountains, the focus right now is what we want to do the next time we are at Disney. It sounds crazy I know. But like the Smiths' we cannot help talking about our next trip. Planning it is almost as fun as being there. Okay, not really. But we cannot afford to live in Disney year round. :)  So here is hoping you and yours have a "Magical" holiday season.

Yeah!! for vacations!!!

Yes, we had the most fabulous time on our vacation. And yes we went to Disney World...again. John and I were talking on our way home Sunday about people. The people who don't know Disney always think we do the same ole' things there, while other Disney people are always asking what new thing did you do? So for those Disney people (and those about to take their first trip - you know who you are) here is what we did.

We arrived Sunday at a hotel we have not stayed at before, Pop Century. The girls had been asking to stay there for a couple of years. Chloe really wanted to see the giant Foosball players, while Jesse wanted to see the Yo-yo stairs. I have to say the hotel was fun.

The golf cart at our hotel. It was too COOL!

Can you find Chloe?

Twister!!! Yes, this was at our hotel!

The gift shop was smaller than what we are used to and in the same room as the quick service restaurant, which was a bit unusual. That night we ate at Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge) which is John's all time favorite. I think he asked me at least three times if we had reservations for our first night. He loves to start there. The food is awesome!! And the desserts are even better!

John and I at Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Monday was Animal Kingdom. Chloe was still too short for Primeval Whirl, but John finally rode it. He now understands what I mean when I say I love it and I hate it. That sucker whips you around curves like you would not believe! Jesse said it was going faster with me than it did when John rode it. Of course, just my luck. :)

It is a Santa Goofy!!!!

Tuesday was EPCOT. How we all love EPCOT. Chloe wanted to see the Santa's around the world. We had a chance to see a couple but not Pierre Noel (France), who she wanted to see the most. Our lunch and dinner reservations prevented us from all of those shows. She was sad, BUT she did see the gnome from Norway.

Norway's gnome (whose name I cannot recall)

We also saw Father Christmas (the UK). Okay. I have to tell you this story. So, Father Christmas starts his story. He gets to the part about the mistletoe and how each man will get his own from the woods. For each kiss he gets from a girl, the man will remove a berry from the mistletoe. So Father Christmas comes right over to me and puts the mistletoe over my head. Then he repeats the part about the kiss. John just stands there. So Father Christmas says it again. John kisses me! On the lips!! IN PUBLIC!!!! Most of the time, the man won't even hold my hand in public! I thought it was funny. Too bad we have no pictures of it. So the Christmas stories were new to us.

Jesse wanted to do something new too. She wanted to do the Kim Possible Save the World thing. Well, we started it in Norway then went off to China. We did the first clue in China. IT WAS SO COOL!! (the cricket for those in the know). But we had lunch reservations so we couldn't finish. During lunch she was thrown off the mission and we had to be reassigned. Our next was in Germany. Which again was WAY COOL!! I always wondered what was making all those things go off and now we know. John loved being in the know and watching all the other patrons looking around trying to figure out what was going on. Too funny!! We did get back to China, but it was a different mission. This time it involved the monkey! Chloe and I missed the monkey because we were in the gift shop.

We also ate at new restaurant, at EPCOT, the Coral Reef. It was wonderful! John and I both wound up with the lobster ravioli and it was delicious!! We also did a new ride, Journey into Imagination and we all loved it. The end caught all of us off guard! After you get off the ride, there are (it is hard to describe) hands on electronic devices where you make music. The girls loved them.

Wednesday was Hollywood studios. We did quite a few new rides there. We did the Little Mermaid show and the Behind the Scences and something else (I cannot think of right now). We also did what I've been waiting to do for three years! Yep, three years!! We finally ate at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. The tables are replicas (partial) of cars from the 50's and they face a big movie screen where they play bits and pieces of old concession comericials from drive-ins and really bad "scary" movies. I really loved it!

Thursday was Magic Kingdom! Our favorite park. In two hours, we rode four rides, saw five characters and saw one show. That is awesome for MK!!! Chloe got to meet Terrance (one of the male fairies) and she saw Tink again. John and Jesse rode a new ride, the Rocket Orbitor. Chloe refused, politely. ;)  Jesse said it was really fast, but she liked it. We also went back to the Crystal Palace for dinner. This is the place where Jesse, when she was two, decided she did not want to see the characters and faced out the window the entire time we were eating. I am happy to report she did much better this time. lol We also saw Pirate Goofy for the first time!!!! Yes, I AM a Goofy fan! I know you didn't know that.

Friday we went to O'hana. We were all looking forward to this breakfast. A friend told us the juice was excellent and it was!! John said we need to find something like that at home. I will start looking. :)  Chloe was happy to see Stitch because we missed him at MK. The food was wonderful. They just keep bringing it to you, including hot Mickey Mouse waffles!

Friday night was the best! We spent the evening with my college roomate and her family. We had such a good time. I hope we get to see them again before eight years passes again. Doug (her husband) was saying maybe they could come up for a short visit. I hope so. I'd love to see them all again soon.

Saturday we went around to the hotels we wanted to see Christmas decorations at. We did not get to see all of them we hoped for, but we'll put them on the next to do list. We still did not make it to mini-golf; one day we will though.

We had a great time with wonderful weather. John said he never sweated once, which is probably why he was in such a good mood all week. He was being so goofy!! LOL  As his Mom told me years ago, the more he picks the happier he is. I tell you now that was one happy man for nine days!!

We have already started talking about our next vacation. We are wanting to get back to the mountains. John would love to have a cabin in the mountains. He speaks of it often, but winter in the mountains is really not for me and I think he would go a bit nuts too. We'll have to settle for visiting for now.

Another adventure

The girls have really been enjoying their new found science class this year. Or is it called nature class? Either way, they love it!

Ms. Chanda (the wonderful teacher at science/nature class) allows the students to bring in items, from nature, for points that can then be used to "purchase" items other students have brought in for points. Did you follow that? I hope so. Today, both girls took in a gourd that Grandpa grew. He actually gave them to us when Jesse was in K for us to paint (I still have quite a few more left, don't worry). Jesse "bought" a peacock feather with her points today and Chloe "bought" a beautiful purple rock (not sure what it is yet...maybe we should have asked).

Jesse's peacock feather (I didn't get a picture of Chloe's rock yet because she traded it just before we left.)

Discussion on wildlife versus domestic animals.





Actual mistletoe in a tree!! No, it is not plastic. ;)




Ms Chanda mixing the plaster...she is so awesome! And no I did not volunteer to help on that one. Too close to a "craft". LOL





Me being silly and taking Wendy with me.




Jesse and her deer track.





Chloe cleaning off her bobcat track.