Shenanigans, Tomfoolery & Mayhem, Oh My! A Christmas/New Year's TR (New 6/12!)

[SoNotAPrincess]

Day 5, Chapter 30—Dinner by the Seaside​

“And I'll have a Caesar. No dressing. And one of those homemade cookies, the warm chocolate chip. No nuts. And a little slice of cheesecake. Uh, crème brulee, and, um, hot fudge sundae, extra hot fudge.”
(The Santa Clause)​

We were hungry and looking forward to all the seafood we could eat. I had talked the buffet up quite a bit; and, thankfully, it didn’t disappoint! If it comes from the ocean, you can bet we’ll eat it.

First, though, gettin’ artsy with umbrellas….

I wondered what Gabriel would think because he’s not really a buffet kinda guy, but then Cape May isn’t your usual buffet. Long story, short, we all loved it…Brianna even ventured away from her usual cheese pizza and tried several new things. She liked crab, but the clam chowder, not so much. She surprised all of us by having seconds of the green beans and cornbread, of all things! My favorite dessert was the key lime tart, but the flan was really good, too. Earl named this as his favorite meal of the trip, and it made my top five.

Bee, Mom, Gabriel, and I drew on the paper tablecloth with crayons, and I wish there was a way we could have kept it, butter smears and all! I’m still smacking myself upside my own head because it never even occurred to me to take a picture of it.

D’oh!

At one point, I over-buttered my cornbread, and the butter dripped onto my fingers. What do you do when you have butter on your fingers? You lick it off, of course, which I did, prompting Gabriel to say to Brianna, “And that’s why you should always wash your hands before you eat.”

Hardy har har har.

It was also during this dinner that we realized that Bee had developed a full-fledged crush on Gabriel.

Hmmm, let me back track for a second.

Brianna has more nicknames than one kid needs, most notably Bee, Bri, and Beezer, but also Sugar Lump, Baby Girl, and Bri-ANNNNA. The first day of our trip Gabriel started calling her “Breezy”, and she took a real liking to it, going so far as to introduce herself to new people that way. She wanted to sit by him on the monorail or bus and at restaurants. She walked next to him at every opportunity, completely shunning the rest of us. She copped a ‘tude with everyone else but was a perfect angel when it came to Gabriel. (Little did she know that that made him our secret weapon!)

But I didn’t realize just how smitten she was until our Cape May dinner. She was OK with him talking to Nanny or her mom and dad, but let him say something to me; and she’d interrupt, bringing his attention back to her. She told him jokes, showed him her drawings, asked him to go to the buffet with her, and regaled him with tales of school, girl scouts, and her best friend, Destiny. (I know way too much about Destiny!) It was adorable, but I’m glad she didn’t notice all the grins and winks going on over her head!

On the way out we stopped by the Marketplace, for Oreo Bon Bons; but, unfortunately, they didn’t have any. Evidently, they go pretty fast. I was bummed. Gabriel has since tried to make them at home with a recipe from the Internet, but his just aren’t quite the same as Disney’s. I’m sure he’ll keep trying until he perfects them, so I guess I’ll have to keep sampling them. The things I do for love!

DisneyFoodBlog.com

On the walk over, we talked about going back to DHS to see the Osborne Lights, but when we asked Bee if she wanted to go, she said no. She was itchy again and just wanted to go back to the room. She was looking a little puny, so Earl and Lenny got a cab back to POR while the rest of us went to DHS.

(I learned the next day that Earl went to Walgreens and got some pediatric Benadryl and Aveeno oatmeal bath stuff. Bee went to sleep early, and the next morning the rash had cleared up. It came back later, but never as bad as it was this day. From what we’ve learned, it was most likely an allergic reaction, probably to the laundry detergent Disney uses.)

The BC/YC are so beautiful…I think it’s my favorite resort area in all of Disney!

We took the boat to DHS, and as we passed the Dolphin/Swan area, we noticed that the palm trees lining the walkway were all lit up. It was really beautiful! I didn’t get any photos, and I didn’t know what it was; so I looked it up later and found out that it was a new holiday light show. Just another Christmas surprise from Disney!

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ExtraWDWMagic.com

ExtraWDWMagic.com

Beautiful!

Up Next: The Spectacle!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Day 5, Chapter 31—The Spectacle!​

“First-nighters, packed earmuff-to-earmuff, jostled in wonderment before a golden, tinkling display of mechanized, electronic joy!”
(A Christmas Story)​

I like the word spectacle. Ah, the memories of Mom hissing at me, “Laura Lee, there is no need to make a spectacle of yourself!” As a kid, I had no problem whatsoever being the center of attention…show me a spotlight, and I’d find a way to stand right in the middle of it. I was singing in church at three years old…not necessarily because I was so good…more because I was so…umm…not shy! I was an only child until I was five, so I’d line up all my dolls and stuffed animals and put on elaborate shows for them, complete with costumes, lengthy soliloquies, and original songs. When my brother and sister were born, it was like a gift…the gift of a human audience…thanks, Mom!

As you can imagine, being a lover of all things spectacular I adore the Osborne lights. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as too many Christmas lights; and, if I had my way, our place would look like the Griswolds. Gabriel, on the other hand, favors “tasteful” decorating and prefers a few strategically placed strands of white lights with each bulb lined up nice and straight like a row of perfectly matched glowing soldiers over my wildly disorganized but oh-so-sparkly jumble of joyful color.

So we compromise. He decorates the outside, which ends up looking like something out of Martha Stewart Living, and I decorate the inside, which ends up looking like a cross between the North Pole and The Nutcracker…with extra lights.

Neither Mom nor Gabriel had seen The Lights before, and I was very excited to see them seeing them for the first time. You can tell someone that The Lights are thrilling, enchanting, astonishing, breathtaking, amazing, etc.; but until they experience the spectacle for themselves, they really have no idea.

Walking through the Osborne lights is a feast for all the senses…the color of the lights, the sound of the music filling the air, the smell of popcorn wafting from the vendor carts, the feeling of snowflakes drifting onto an upturned face, and the taste of hot chocolate and gingerbread. It’s like being wrapped in the snuggly blanket of Christmases past, present and future all at once. It is, to use a word that gets thrown around a lot in connection with Disney, magical.

You guys know, or could probably guess, that I cry during Wishes. Every time. And during Illuminations, most of the time. So, it should come as no surprise that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights makes me cry, too. Happy I-can’t-believe-I-get-to-experience-this-again-oh-my-goodness-it’s-just-as-good-as-I-remember-it-and-Mom-and-Gabriel-are-here-too-it-just-doesn’t-get-any-better-than-this Christmas tears.

As we meandered through the streets, we sipped a variety of beverages (I highly recommend the Snow Ball), munched popcorn, and shared churros and a cream cheese pretzel (both very yummy). Gabriel also got the jalapeno pretzel, which he really liked. And by like, I mean loved to the point of obsession. Naturally, we had to add the special Holiday Lights cupcake to our crawl….

DisneyFoodBlog.com

We really liked this one…light gingerbread flavor plus yummy cream cheese frosting are dee-lish-us, but add a glow cube and it equals one truly scrumptious cupcake that looks as Christmasy as it tastes!

Infused with Christmas, magic zip-zinging through our veins, glowing from the inside out, we bid adieu to the glorious lights and made our way to the DHS thing Gabriel wanted to do most….

Any guesses?

Up Next: Surprise, surprise it’s….

 

[marDgreen88]

Love the Santa Clause quote! Hahahah.

I hope you didn't get jealous that other girls were vying for Gabriel's affections!

No Orea bon bons? What a sad day. I've never had any but I've heard only wonderful things about them. It's still weird to me that they'd remove them from that buffet!

Your description of the Osborne Lights is just fantastic! Amazing job!

 

[shan23877]

I loved this update so much. First, your description of the Osborne Lights was so much fun to read that I felt like I was reading a fun Christmas novel. Second it seems as though our holiday decorating styles are similar-Bryan also skews toward the subtle and lovely while I prefer the colorful and over the top.

No Oreo Bon Bons? How terrible. I'm going to miss having them available at Cape May so very much. May have to pop into the shop in hopes of getting some though.

How sweet that Bee had a little crush on Gabriel. Very cute.

Oh, and I'm also a crazy nicknamer. Maddie has 5 or 6, and even the dogs have 3 or 4

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for a good dinner at CMC!! I love those Oreo Bon Bons - so good!!

The Boardwalk area is one of my favorites!! It's so well-done and picturesque!

The Lights really are a spectacle, aren't they?? So amazing!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Love the Santa Clause quote! Hahahah.

I hope you didn't get jealous that other girls were vying for Gabriel's affections!

No Orea bon bons? What a sad day. I've never had any but I've heard only wonderful things about them. It's still weird to me that they'd remove them from that buffet!

Your description of the Osborne Lights is just fantastic! Amazing job!

LOL...I love Tim Allen...he can deliver a line like no one else!

Well, I was maybe a teensy tiny bit jealous...but I got over it!

I know! I was so bummed. I can't understand why they took them off the buffet either...it's just wrong!!

I loved this update so much. First, your description of the Osborne Lights was so much fun to read that I felt like I was reading a fun Christmas novel. Second it seems as though our holiday decorating styles are similar-Bryan also skews toward the subtle and lovely while I prefer the colorful and over the top.

No Oreo Bon Bons? How terrible. I'm going to miss having them available at Cape May so very much. May have to pop into the shop in hopes of getting some though.

How sweet that Bee had a little crush on Gabriel. Very cute.

Oh, and I'm also a crazy nicknamer. Maddie has 5 or 6, and even the dogs have 3 or 4

Thank you so much...what a great compliment! Poor Gabriel, he tolerates my over the top Christmas decorating, but he's been known to rearrange things (i.e., put them away) when I'm not looking.

I was pretty unhappy that I didn't get my Oreo bon bons. I'd like to have a word with the genius who came up with the idea to take them off the buffet!

The crush was so adorable...he was eating it up, too!

LOL...we really do have a lot in common! Nicknames are little terms of endearment; so the more you have, the more you're loved!

Yay for a good dinner at CMC!! I love those Oreo Bon Bons - so good!!

The Boardwalk area is one of my favorites!! It's so well-done and picturesque!

The Lights really are a spectacle, aren't they?? So amazing!!

Cape May is my favorite Disney buffet...no contest! And the bon bons...so yummy. I missed them being on the buffet!

The Boardwalk area is SO beautiful...I love spending time there!

Yes, they certainly named them right...they are spectacular!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Reportus Interuptus--Part I​

Hello! I hope to get a Shenanigans update posted tomorrow, but in the meantime, I thought I'd do a quickie report on my latest Disney excursion.

On Friday, March 8, Jaden (star of last year's Practically Perfect Princess Palooza) and I went to Magic Kingdom to celebrate her arrival in double digits…the big One OHHHHH! It was only for a day, so the report will be short and photos mostly in the form of collages; but I promised her it would be faithfully documented on the Dis.

Ready?

OK, then, let’s gooooooooo….

About 8:30 a.m., we were seeing this….

Since we’d be ending our day at the Grand Flo, we parked there and stopped at concierge to pick up Jaden’s ticket. I decided to take advantage of the current Florida resident promotion, which is three days for $119; and we’ve already decided our other two days will be spent at DHS (she’s never been there) and AK. Woo hoo!

After a quick photo opp on the grand staircase…

…we caught the monorail and rushed to Magic Kingdom, with NFL intentions. We rushed so fast, in fact, that we didn’t even stop for the usual castle photo….believe me, that’s NEVER happened to me before, and I highly doubt that it will ever happen again!

Enchanted Tales with Belle was our first stop, and the line was already 40 minutes long…the park had only been open for about 30 minutes! Jaden was more excited about Ariel’s new ride anyway, so we meandered that way, with a stop at Gaston’s for a cinnamon roll and Le Fou’s brew.

We agreed that the cinnamon roll was disappointing (not warm and only moderately soft) and the brew was yummy but very, VERY sweet. I like butterscotch, slushees, and sweet stuff, but this was overkill on all levels! We sipped on it for a while, but finally ended up tossing a good portion of it.

We only waited about 15 minutes for Under the Sea, and it earned a resounding thumbs up from Jaden. Afterwards, she met Ariel; unfortunately my photos are very, very bad. I’ll probably end up purchasing the photopass download, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

From NFL, we made our way to meet Merida. Jaden is a BIG Merida fan! The line wasn’t as long as I feared, so Jaden hopped up on the castle wall to wait; and about 30 minutes later we were inside the meet area, which is very cute and Merida-appropriate. We especially liked the tapestries. Merida was adorable…She had the accent and sassy attitude down pat! Jaden was almost as excited about the archery lesson as she was about meeting Merida…she got a bulls eye!

After meeting a princess, Jaden decided she wanted to shop like one; so we decided Castle Couture would be just the place. Naturally, we had ourselves pixie dusted while we were there. Jaden went in a strawberry blonde but exited a full on red head thanks to a new Merida wig. We spotted Fairy Godmother coming out, and we were the third people in her line…score!

Up next, Adventureland! We checked out meeting Tink, but the 55 minute wait made it a no go. Jasmine and Aladdin were on a break, so we took a turn on the Jungle Cruise instead. Jaden surprised me by saying that this is her favorite ride. Obviously, she’s a girl with style AND taste!

We both wanted to ride Big Thunder, so we hit Frontierland for FPs...and a side order of DRAMA. I pulled out Jaden’s ticket and got her FP, but when I went to get my AP, it wasn’t there. I looked in all the card slots, in the cash slot and in the change compartment. Nope, not there either.

OK, no need to panic. I must’ve slid it into the little pocket in my park bag. But it wasn’t there either. So maybe a little panic is in order. I took everything out of my park bag. Nope. I took everything out of every shopping bag, although how in the world my AP could’ve gotten in one of them I had no idea. It wasn’t in any of them. I tried to figure out when I could’ve lost it but couldn’t remember taking it out of my wallet after putting it away when we came through the turnstile.

I finally admitted defeat and checked my phone to make sure I had the photo I’d taken of it, and I did; so I knew I could get it replaced, but it was going to take time and probably be a giant pain in the butt to do so.

We were getting hungry, so I decided we should get lunch before braving guest relations. We tried for BoG, but the line was at least 45 minutes long; so we went to Casey’s instead for corn dog nuggets and fries. As usual, it was packed out; but Jaden scored us a table inside by the TV. It was a big table, so we ended up sharing it with another family. It was their first day of their first trip to WDW, and when Jaden told them “Aunt Lauri knows everything about Disney”, they asked a lot of questions. Of course, I love talking about WDW, and I like helping people; so it was fun for everyone!

Before we left the restaurant, I decided to fold all our receipts and put them in my wallet. Jaden’s BTMRR FP was loose, so I tried to tuck it in an empty card slot, except it wouldn’t slide into place. Something was blocking it…my AP. Glory hallelujah! Jaden and I had a little celebration, clinking our cups (if paper cups can be clinked) and toasting to our good fortune. No guest relations for us!

After our near miss, Jaden was up for more shopping, so we meandered down Main Street through the stores. She was pretty impressed that it was really “Just one big, giant store”!

I thought it was cute that rides were so low on her list of things to do…she loved meeting the characters, but, honestly, I think shopping was her favorite thing that we did. She’s a girl after my own heart!

The last time we were at MK, she passed on meeting Rapunzel because the line was so long; so this time it was a high priority. After shopping our way down Main Street, we got in the princess line. The wait time was post as 25 minutes, but we ended up waiting almost an hour. I don’t know what was going on, but there was a lot of grumbling people around us. Several people gave up and left the line, but we toughed it out.

First up, Cinderella, who was as sweet as ever. A little bland, but still sweet. She was followed by Aurora, who I think was still a bit sleepy from her nap…and finally, Rapunzel! She was cute but lacked the spunk of Rapunzel’s “friend” that Erica and I met with Eugene at MNSHHP. It didn’t matter though, Jaden was thrilled to meet her and said several times how much fun she was.

We shopped our way down the other side of Main Street as Jaden searched for the perfect thing to spend her dough on. I got her a tube of Goofy’s pucker powder, and you’ll see the evidence of it around her smile in future photos!

----Continued in Part II (next post)----

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Reportus Interuptus--Part II​

---Continued from previous post---

We hadn’t been to Storybook Circus yet, and there’s a nice big store there, too, so we made it our next destination. Jaden eyed the pillow pets, but they were out of her price range (and I really didn’t want to lug one around the rest of the day). She finally settled on a Simba plush and a baby Simba key chain. (Who knew she was such a Simba girl?)

As we were leaving Storybook Circus, the clown Giggle Gang was coming out, so we followed them and watched their performance. This was a first for me…I love finding new things to enjoy at Disney! They were very silly and funny and not a bit creepy…clowntastic!

We hadn’t been to Tomorrowland yet, and we both love the Peoplemover; so we headed that way. As we passed over the face painting station, her eyes lit up and she asked if we could go there…of course we could, and she chose the “Cinderella” design. Afterwards, we indulged in floats…root beer for Jaden and coffee for me…yummy!

We left Tomorrowland with no clear destination in mind and ran smack into the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade. Jaden was excited, so we stepped right up to a front row spot…I guess our pixie dusting from earlier was working. It’s an energetic, fun parade; and Jaden loved joining the dance party and shakin’ a tail feather with King Louie! She got a lot of attention from the characters, especially Woody, who blew her kisses, and Baloo, who pantomimed her hair and motioned for her to lift Simba in the air Mufasa-style.

When we planned the day, we had to choose between Wishes and dinner at 1900 Park Fare. My choice would always be Wishes, but it wasn’t my birthday, so 1900 PF won out. Jaden was most excited to meet Prince Charming…I was looking forward to the Tremaines.

We had plenty of time to get to the GF, so we meandered our way through the stores AGAIN. She does love to get her shop on!

For a change of pace, we decided to take the boat to the Grand. As much as I love the monorail, it’s fun to ride the boats, too. We admired the grounds as we strolled to the main building and dreamed about how much fun it would be stay there someday. We were a little early, so we sat in the lobby and enjoyed the piano player and the elegant ambience before checking in at 1900 PF.

Our buzzer went off almost immediately and in no time at all we were seated, and our server was taking our drink orders. I’ve never been particularly impressed with the food at 1900 PF…it’s just your standard Disney buffet, but ultimately it doesn’t matter because we weren’t really there for the food anyway! I will say that the pork loin was good, and the chocolate mousse dessert cups were divine. Jaden really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and gummy bears.

Drizella came by first, and she was delightfully snippy. Jaden told her that her face paint design was named Cinderella, and Drizella rolled her eyes and said, “Perrrrsonaleeeee, I NEVER say the C word!

Cinderella came by next, and once again, she was very sweet and pretty, but bland. I don’t think I’ve ever had a really fun interaction with Cinderella. She was very nice, complimented Jaden on her face paint and pretty Minnie ears and wished her happy birthday. I took a photo, and she left.

Yawn.

After a small wait, Anastasia stopped by, and she asked Jaden if she was a princess. Jaden said yes, making Anastasia harrumph dramatically and say very sarcastically, “Faaaaabulous…just what this kingdom needs is ANOTHER princess!”

Jaden had been tracking Prince Charming’s process around the room, and the closer he came to our table, the more excited she got. When he stopped at her side, he went down on one knee and talked to her on her level. It’s so loud in there that I couldn’t hear what he said, but she was beaming. And then he stood, offered her his hand and asked her for a birthday dance. It lasted all of 30 seconds, but she was walking on air afterwards. Her favorite part? He twirled her!

Last, but certainly not least, was Lady Tremaine. She was deliciously haughty and disdainful and asked about Jaden’s strawberry earrings, “Certainly you could have found more appropriate jewelry than FRUIT for a ROYAL appointment!” She complimented my manicure, and I told her it meant a lot coming from a style icon like herself. She sniffed and said, “Everything I know about style I learned from dear, dear Cruela.” I asked if they were BFFs, and she look down her nose at me and said snidely, “Dahling, I don’t DO friendship!”

So much fun!

We departed the Grand Floridian riding a wave of laughter, and Jaden was asleep before we left the bubble.

And thus ends the saga of Jaden’s Magical Big One OH Celebration…see ya next year when we do it again!

 

[shan23877]

What a fun day for you and Jaden! I'm with her-characters and shopping are just as nice as rides.

Thank goodness you found your AP. That would have been a huge hassle.

What awesome interaction at 1900! I've always enjoyed the Tremains a lot, but they usually step lightly with us because my little one takes princesses VERY SERIOUSLY. Love hearing the stories from your dinner.

Merida is high on our list for next trip. Between that and ETwB, I think I'm going to be very happy that we have so much MK time planned.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Sounds like it was an awesome day to celebrate Jaden's big one-oh!!

Hahaha Disney shopping is definitely just as important as the rides!!

 

[marDgreen88]

Happy late birthday to Jaden!!!

Sounds like it was a perfect day for yall (besides the whole temporarily lost AP)!

There is just so much to comment on that I can't remember what I was going to say... so I'll just say that I enjoyed reading about the special day!

 

[ronnmel]

Sounds like it was a fun day! Shopping, a girl after my own heart.

Those collages look great. What did you use to make them?

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

What a fun day for you and Jaden! I'm with her-characters and shopping are just as nice as rides.

Thank goodness you found your AP. That would have been a huge hassle.

What awesome interaction at 1900! I've always enjoyed the Tremains a lot, but they usually step lightly with us because my little one takes princesses VERY SERIOUSLY. Love hearing the stories from your dinner.

Merida is high on our list for next trip. Between that and ETwB, I think I'm going to be very happy that we have so much MK time planned.

It was so much fun...not waiting in ride lines certainly made for a very laid back day! I loved having a girly girl to shop with, too!

I know! My heart dropped when I thought it was lost..thank Heaven for finding it!

The Tremaines are awesome! It's great that the characters "get it" when a little girl is princess savvy. I watched the Tremaines stepping lightly with some of the children, too.

Maddie will love Merida...she was cute as can be, and the archery lesson was fun, too.

Sounds like it was an awesome day to celebrate Jaden's big one-oh!!

Hahaha Disney shopping is definitely just as important as the rides!!

We had a lot of fun! It was great that she wanted to shop...I usually have to drag people in the stores with me, but not Jaden!

Happy late birthday to Jaden!!!

Sounds like it was a perfect day for yall (besides the whole temporarily lost AP)!

There is just so much to comment on that I can't remember what I was going to say... so I'll just say that I enjoyed reading about the special day!

It really was a funtastic day (the AP drama notwithstanding)!

LOL...thank you!

Sounds like it was a fun day! Shopping, a girl after my own heart.

Those collages look great. What did you use to make them?

We had a great time...she makes a terrific shopping partner!

Thank you! I used Microsoft Publisher. The photo frames are shapes with pictures inserted in them, and I used WordArt for the text.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Day 5, Chapter 32—Surprise, Surprise it’s….​

“This holiday is yours, where we all share with you the hope that this day brings us closer to freedom and to harmony and to peace.
No matter how different we appear, we're all the same in our struggle against the powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will always be a day of joy, in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage. And more than anything else, our love for one another.
This is the promise of the Tree of Life.”
(Princess Leia Organa, The Star Wars Holiday Special)​

If the quote didn’t already give it away, we were headed for (dun dun DUUUN) Star Tours! Star Wars is right up there with Marvel on Gabriel’s list of “Things I Love More Than Life Itself”. I’m pretty sure I’m number four on that list, after Star Wars but before coffee. (His kids, of course, are collectively number one, which is as it should be.)

Wait.

Who knew there was a Star Wars Holiday Special?? Certainly not me! But when I decided to start each chapter with a quote, I did some Googling and learned of its existence because of a Glee quote that mentions it.

Honestly, I thought it was a joke, so I asked Gabriel, who responded, “It’s real. It was on TV...I saw it. Lucas tried to buy up all the copies after it was on.” (I love that he calls George Lucas “Lucas” like they’re buds or something.)

“Wow,” I said. “Was it that awful?”

“No,” Gabriel answered, and I swear his tone was almost reverent. “It was that AMAZING.” I learned a long time ago that “amazing” is often geek-speak for atrocious, appalling, or abysmal. Sometimes all three.

I almost want to see it for myself.

Almost.

I do think it’s pretty awesome that the quote mentions the TREE OF LIFE…like the Disney-Star Wars connection was pre-destined or something.

OK, moving on. Where were we?

STAR TOURS—THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!

(Pictures taken a different day…I don’t have any from this night.)

DHS was pretty crowded but not as bad as it had been that morning; so we were pretty happy about that! There was, I think, about a 30 minute wait for Star Tours, so we got in line, assuring Mom that it’s not a roller coaster but there would be a lot of motion and being shaken.

Which led to my impromptu rendition of All Shook Up in the queue. Of course I sang it in my very best Elvis voice. Uh huh uh huh. Did you even have to ask?

I like Star Tours…heck, I’ll admit it…I like Star Wars. Without Star Wars, there would be no Han Solo; and, well, I’m a little bit in love with Han Solo. Speaking of Han, how awesome is this little gem of fan art?

Credit: Geek Art Gallery

Gabriel LOVED Star Tours. I was so hoping he’d be the Rebel Spy; but, alas, it was not to be. He didn’t care…he was livin’ the dream, baby!

Mom wasn’t feeling the love quite as deeply. But she wouldn’t know Yoda if he bit her on the nose, so I’m sure that had something to do with it.

We missed part of the queue because Mom was on her scooter (I walked it), but Gabriel rode it a second time while she and I stocked up on Star Wars merch for her grandsons back home. She was VERY pleased with being able to have her purchases sent to the resort. I bought Gabriel a light saber because every boy needs a light saber, right? He had big fun swooshing it around, and he can do the Luke Skywalker stance perfectly. Of course he can…he’s been practicing it for years!

We ended our evening with a look at One Man’s Dream and another turn on the Great Movie Ride for Mom…she loved it so much, especially the Wizard of Oz and Gene Kelley parts.

We waited a few minutes for a bus and were soon on our way to POR.

A word about the buses…during our stay, we encountered two types of buses for loading ECVs. The easiest is where the ramp comes down and there’s a nice wide turning radius inside, making parking easy peasy. The other, which we had tonight, is where the back steps collapse and you drive the ECV onto the resulting ledge and are lifted into the bus. The turning radius is very tight but manageable, and at this point, I’d had some experience getting on and off the buses and had gotten OK at it.

I don’t know what happened, but this time I had the devil of a time getting parallel parked in that space. I was always very aware that I was making people wait and wanted to be as fast as possible. In my haste and embarrassment at taking so long, I managed to bang my bad knee into one of the poles. I didn’t even stop to think about it…I was just glad to be in the spot! Mom, who was already place, had a horrified look on her face. Based on the sound it made, she thought I’d cracked the bone or something. I assured her that it was OK, and a pain pill and ice pack was all I needed.

You see where this is going, right?

By the time we got back to the room, I couldn’t straighten my leg; it was swollen and red, and the pain—on a scale of one to ten—was approximately 27. I got it elevated and with Gabriel’s help had it mostly straight. We pulled out the very large Ziploc bags I’d brought “just in case”, and he made two ice packs, one for under my knee, and one for on top of it. I took a pain pill, which didn’t put a dent in what I was feeling, so an hour later I took a second one, which knocked me out. I fell asleep hoping I’d be able to stand in the morning.

Up next: “To Knee, or Not to Knee”

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh okay... I know it was a Star Wars quote but I truly thought you might be heading to Animal Kingdom! HAHA. (I got a little confused with the 'interruptus' and forgot where you'd left off! My apologies.)

Hahah, I'm so glad Gabriel loved Star Tours! What a dream come true that must have been, hehehe.

OH NO! So sorry to hear about your new knee troubles. How awful.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

So I was reading your TR updates last night and planning on commenting when I got to this...Reportus Interuptus...

Due to a combination of Daylight Savings Time... and my brain and body's total inability to accept and assimilate the situation... I somehow kept going... and when I saw Jaden I was incredibly throw off...

HOLY MOLEY! MY WHAT"S WITH BREE... SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT GIRL...

I then realized that she was in fact Jaden... and it was time for me to go to bed...

So I'm going to comment on the update with Bree and then come back an comment on Reportus Interuptus....

Too funny about Bree's crush on Gabriel... but it's probably not funny to her... she probably doesn't even totally understand her feelings....

LOVE the whole Boardwalk area...& I've been hearing really good things recently about the Cape May Cafe...

Sorry about the oreo Bon Bons... They had them for sale in the Beach Club's CS/Store... in boxed in the fridge... also I believe they do a cupcake riff on them over at the Boardwalk Bakery...

Osbourne Lights... nothing like them... Funny I love to go look at totally over the top lights... but I'm kind of more of a low key lighter at home... But wow... You really have to be immersed in them to believe it... I'm pretty sure David was having an out of body experience...

Sadly I totally missed that Gingerbread cupcake with the glow cube... That totally has my name written on it... I'm glad you got one though... I can live vicariously through your description...

 

[shan23877]

Who knew there was a Star Wars Holiday Special?? Certainly not me! But when I decided to start each chapter with a quote, I did some Googling and learned of its existence because of a Glee quote that mentions it.

Honestly, I thought it was a joke, so I asked Gabriel, who responded, “It’s real. It was on TV...I saw it. Lucas tried to buy up all the copies after it was on.” (I love that he calls George Lucas “Lucas” like they’re buds or something.)

My brother and husband are both close personal friends of George too. They also refer to him as "Lucas"

“Wow,” I said. “Was it that awful?”

“No,” Gabriel answered, and I swear his tone was almost reverent. “It was that AMAZING.” I learned a long time ago that “amazing” is often geek-speak for atrocious, appalling, or abysmal. Sometimes all three.

That's been my experience as well. My brother speaks of it as though it's the Geek Holy Grail

Too bad that Gabriel didn't get to be the Rebel Spy. Maybe next time he'll complete the dream.

So sweet that you mom loved GMR. That made me smile.

Oh no, I'm worried about that knee. I understand wanting to hurry on to the buses though, so I can see how it would happen. Hope it didn't ruin the rest of the trip!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Oh okay... I know it was a Star Wars quote but I truly thought you might be heading to Animal Kingdom! HAHA. (I got a little confused with the 'interruptus' and forgot where you'd left off! My apologies.)

Hahah, I'm so glad Gabriel loved Star Tours! What a dream come true that must have been, hehehe.

OH NO! So sorry to hear about your new knee troubles. How awful.

No apologies necessary! In fact, I should apologize for causing confusion!

I thought about saving the Star Wars quote for our AK day, but it just seemed to fit the Star Tours theme of the chapter.

OMG, he was in Star Wars heaven...it was really cute!

So I was reading your TR updates last night and planning on commenting when I got to this...Reportus Interuptus...

Due to a combination of Daylight Savings Time... and my brain and body's total inability to accept and assimilate the situation... I somehow kept going... and when I saw Jaden I was incredibly throw off...

HOLY MOLEY! MY WHAT"S WITH BREE... SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT GIRL...

I then realized that she was in fact Jaden... and it was time for me to go to bed...

So I'm going to comment on the update with Bree and then come back an comment on Reportus Interuptus....

Too funny about Bree's crush on Gabriel... but it's probably not funny to her... she probably doesn't even totally understand her feelings....

LOVE the whole Boardwalk area...& I've been hearing really good things recently about the Cape May Cafe...

Sorry about the oreo Bon Bons... They had them for sale in the Beach Club's CS/Store... in boxed in the fridge... also I believe they do a cupcake riff on them over at the Boardwalk Bakery...

Osbourne Lights... nothing like them... Funny I love to go look at totally over the top lights... but I'm kind of more of a low key lighter at home... But wow... You really have to be immersed in them to believe it... I'm pretty sure David was having an out of body experience...

Sadly I totally missed that Gingerbread cupcake with the glow cube... That totally has my name written on it... I'm glad you got one though... I can live vicariously through your description...

I'm sorry I confused you, but I'm glad you saw the humor in it!

Bee took her crush very seriously! We didn't tease her about it, but we did get a lot of private amusement from it!

Cape May is SO good...highly recommended, in spite of the loss of Oreo Bon Bons!

The Osborne Lights take over the top to a whole new level! It's so easy to get lost in the lights and music...LOVE it!

If they have that Osborne Lights cupcake again next year (and you're there), try it...it was one of my favorites.

Too bad that Gabriel didn't get to be the Rebel Spy. Maybe next time he'll complete the dream.

So sweet that you mom loved GMR. That made me smile.

Oh no, I'm worried about that knee. I understand wanting to hurry on to the buses though, so I can see how it would happen. Hope it didn't ruin the rest of the trip!

If he had been the Rebel Spy, it may have been more than his heart could take...he was so amped about the ride!

I loved watching Mom on TGMR...it was so sweet!

I knew the knee was going to give me grief...but how much grief, that's the question!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Day 6, Chapter 33—To Knee or Not to Knee

“I believe... I believe... It's silly, but I believe.”
Miracle on 34th Street​

I woke up a couple of times during the night due to knee discomfort, and Gabriel sweetly refilled the ice bags while I re-medicated. Then we’d (yes, it took both of us) practice bending and straightening the leg. I was determined that it wasn’t going to stop me, but he was gently trying to lead me towards the truth.

Sigh.

By 7 a.m., I accepted that I was going nowhere except possibly the doctor’s office (my doc is in Orlando, so that’s good). I insisted that Gabriel go to Epcot with everyone else. I mean, seriously, why should he be stuck at the resort when he could be experiencing the wonders of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and slightly irregular geodesic sphere? I’d stay behind and call the doc as soon as the office opened. If I had to go in, I’d let him know.

I had to pinky swear that I would call him. He said something about me being too independent for my own good and not being trustworthy to do the right thing.

Whatever, dude.

Of course, I was bummed to be resort bound, but we had another Epcot day planned, so I decided to suck it up and at least pretend to be a grown up.

Ultimately, I spoke to a nurse and sent her photos of my grotesque looking knee. I LOVE technology! She asked me a lot of very detailed questions and said she’d talk to the doc and call me back, which she did, to let me know that he didn’t think I needed to come in (yes!), but I should stay off of it for a few days and keep it elevated (ugh).

I decided not to tell her that I was at Disney, and I chose a very liberal definition of “a few days.” I figured I injured it on Friday and mostly rested on Saturday, so Sunday I’d be good to go back in the parks. Genius, right?

Right!

Since I wasn’t there, I can’t say exactly what everyone did at Epcot. I know that it’s Mom’s favorite park, and she had a wonderful time. Gabriel said he liked it, but he missed me (awwwww). Brianna met Goofy, Daisy, and Mulan. She loved Mulan but said Goofy creeped her out (her words). She scored princess ears and a pretty pink parasol, so shopping was successful. Here are the photopass pictures…

They did pretty much all of Future World, including Soarin’ (the resounding favorite), Living With the Land, TT, SE, MS (Gabriel and Earl only), Ellen (Bee napped), and Figment. They didn’t make it to Club Cool, but I was kinda glad of that…I really wanted to see their faces when they got a taste of the Beverly!

They went to Coral Reef for lunch, and everyone enjoyed it. Mom and Bee were especially happy that their table was near the tank. I don’t know what everyone got, but they all said they’d like to go back; so yay!

After being cooped up in the room all morning, and having exhausted the limited leftovers and snacks, I went to the food court and took myself on another photoexcursion. (I think this is the last of my POR photo shoots.)

My knee was feeling better (I believe, I believe), but I didn’t want to push my luck; so I didn’t stay out long. I was also hoping to go to dinner with everyone, so it was preventive ice packs and elevation for me.

Oh, yeah…remember Brianna’s princess ears? Well, my brother was trying to cheer me up because I missed out on the fun; and this gem is the result…

I’m so proud!


Up next: Downtown, Where the Lights are Bright

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry you had to miss a precious Disney day with your family. At least you didn't have to leave property... (Bright side?)

It looks like they had a fun time. Brianna looks cute with her Minnie ears.