The Trip That Finally Made My Wife Haul Off And Slug Me In The Face (COMPLETED 10/2)

I think that's actually a little children's Bible story book.

Yeah, I knew that. I was wondering if you knew which specific Bible story it was. Yeah, I know. Picky picky.

If I'd had the budget for it, I would have gone for it. But we rewarded the kids later on in the trip. If we're going to do Harry Potter, we'll make sure we have enough time to do it right.

That makes sense.
 
Coming Up Next: We explore the far reaches of the Everglades. And my wife punches me in the face.
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Chapter 4: The One With The Stolen Train

In the meantime, somebody had the bright idea to give the camera to the kids.


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Thankfully, the server eventually rescued us by bringing our food.

Ok so I’ve been following along quietly off and on for a bit now. You guys (and you TR followers are hysterical. Definitely our kind of people. Anyway I was going to save commenting till I finished catching up, but these shots made me stop and have to immediately reply. Funny faces aside, whichever of your kids took these pics, esp the two of your youngest boy - and the ‘eye’ shot in particular has a fantastic eye (no pun intended) for photography and composition. I would seriously blow up and hang that specific photo if I were you. Heck I’d hand it in my house. It’s incredible. So whoever took it please nurture their photography dreams if they have them. If they don’t please help them enjoy the fun of taking photos. They have a natural talent.
 
I’ve mentioned before that my daughter is the World’s Biggest Harry Potter Fan©. At this point, she’s memorized all of the books, word-for-word. You think I’m exaggerating, but it’s only slightly, I assure you. She also routinely hosts her friends over the summer for all-night Potter movie marathons (although they skip Deathly Hallows Part One, because nothing happens in that movie despite the 2.5-hour running time—it’s like the family movie version of The English Patient). Sarah (and to a lesser extent, Dave and Scotty) has been begging for years for us to go to Universal Studios, just to see all of the Harry Potter stuff. In fact, not one of us even cares about seeing the rest of the parks there. A Universal trip for us would be Harry Potter or bust.

I'm 100% sure that'd be the (only) reason I'd go there as well. And a pretty good one too. Not a diehard, like Sarah, but I do enjoy the movies.

and of course, take out a second mortgage on Harry Potter crap in the gift shop.

Well yeah. Of course.

We went through the main hub and security lines. Here, Universal has one leg up on Disney—one trip through the security line and then you can access both theme parks and CityWalk. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Yes. Very.

We took a break from PB&J and went for a big meal at lunchtime instead. If you’re going to be a jerk to your kids, you can at least feed them a decent meal. We had a reservation at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen.

So, you're up a notch from "jerk face" now. Good job!!

a steampunk restaurant

Not much better than that! I can't WAIT to try out the Edison!

The whole steampunk theme is really well-done. Definitely on par with Disney theming. There’s even a convoluted backstory for this place, where Dr. Emily Gadgetface traveled the world in search of her long-lost parents and never found them, but did find chocolate and decided to share it with the world in a restaurant that also showed off her gadgets and inventions for…reasons. I confess, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the details.

Sounds a bit, just a bit, mind you, like Willy Wonka.

Remembering my newfound vow to stick with vegetables and healthy eating, I ordered the May Contain Bacon burger: half-pound of beef, thick-cut bacon, pork belly, pineapple chutney, jack cheese and a pretzel roll.

So, all in all, you were pretty successful. :rolleyes:


:faint::faint::faint:

<insulin standing by>

I don’t know how much time we ultimately spent in there, but I was now up to a third mortgage and our Christmas shopping was mostly done. I think the coolest gifts we bought for the kids ended up being Christmas gifts—they were varsity-type sweatshirts each bearing a Hogwarts house name. Sarah considers herself a Gryffindor, Dave a Ravenclaw, and Scotty is a Hufflepuff. Three guesses where Drew fits in. Anyway, they were great sweatshirts, but of course ridiculously expensive, and we were about to put them back on the rack in search of something cheaper. Then Julie and I overheard the kids talking about them by themselves, and Dave made a comment like, “If we each got one, we could wear them together and be Squad.” And that by itself was enough to make us buy the stupid sweatshirts even though they cost more than the GDP of Guam, because Julie and I are big softies and thus perfect targets for the theme park marketing machines.

This story warms my heart. No, really.


:goodvibes AWwww!

We all went to bed content with the fact that we wouldn’t be driving 6 hours the next day. It would only be about 4 hours.

No. You went to bed because you were all content in a food coma from earlier.

They were marked with a future date: February 2020. Something to look forward to.

WOOT!!! YAY!!!!

Coming Up Next: We explore the far reaches of the Everglades. And my wife punches me in the face.

Well, it's about time. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, I knew that. I was wondering if you knew which specific Bible story it was. Yeah, I know. Picky picky.

Oh, I see. Sorry. I can't tell from the photo which one it is.


Yeah, yeah. Take a number.

Ok so I’ve been following along quietly off and on for a bit now. You guys (and you TR followers are hysterical. Definitely our kind of people. Anyway I was going to save commenting till I finished catching up, but these shots made me stop and have to immediately reply. Funny faces aside, whichever of your kids took these pics, esp the two of your youngest boy - and the ‘eye’ shot in particular has a fantastic eye (no pun intended) for photography and composition. I would seriously blow up and hang that specific photo if I were you. Heck I’d hand it in my house. It’s incredible. So whoever took it please nurture their photography dreams if they have them. If they don’t please help them enjoy the fun of taking photos. They have a natural talent.

:welcome: aboard! Thanks for chiming in!

And thank you for the kind compliments! To be honest, though...I don't remember which kid took which photo. :confused3
 
I'm 100% sure that'd be the (only) reason I'd go there as well. And a pretty good one too. Not a diehard, like Sarah, but I do enjoy the movies.

I think I was a little too old to be a die hard by the time Harry Potter came around. But I recognized that if I had been 10 years old watching the first movie, I would have lost my mind for it.

So, you're up a notch from "jerk face" now. Good job!!

This feels like progress.

Not much better than that! I can't WAIT to try out the Edison!

That does look like a cool place!

Sounds a bit, just a bit, mind you, like Willy Wonka.

I'm sure they ripped off were inspired by many influences. Not sure what chocolate has to do with steampunk, but whatever.

So, all in all, you were pretty successful. :rolleyes:

Well, it did have pineapple on it.

:faint::faint::faint:

<insulin standing by>

6 of us made short work of it. I probably had about 4 bites in the feeding frenzy.

This story warms my heart. No, really.

We are so helpless to resist.

No. You went to bed because you were all content in a food coma from earlier.

Plausible.

Well, it's about time. :rolleyes:

Such bloodlust in this crowd.
 
:eek: Seven! That poor guy. Amazing that he survived them all.

Amazing he survived any of them!

I will now hang my head in shame.

Yuss! Mission accomplished.

Great! Can you hand over a few more for future use?

Nope. Hoarding them.

And duct tape. And crazy glue.

And yet... it's not enough, is it.

You should really try and get to Florida sometime.

That's... south of me, right?

Ha! Silly... Everything is south of me.

Most of my trips to Florida stop at Disney. I never seem to make it to the Gulf side.

Well... in 1978, there was only MK... nothing else. My folks weren't fans (still aren't.) And we had relatives in... Tampa, I believe. Or near Tampa.

I don't believe you did. That's cool!

::yes::

Sometimes it feels like we go at that pace. "Hey, time for another 4-hour drive so we can spend 30 seconds someplace cool!"

Heh... Sounds like my quest for poker chips.

I always wonder if anyone actually clicks on the links.

Now you know at least one person does.... at least once.

I think generally they are better. They would depend on signal strength, and I don't think fog would disrupt that much. We're playing around with the technology some at work.

Interesting... But then would snow worsen it?

My understanding with the recent Uber tragedy is that the pedestrian may have jumped out in front of the car. Doesn't matter who's driving--cars can't stop on a dime.

It didn't look like it... I saw the video, looked like a slow street crossing.

I've always heard that a car is one of the safest places to be. Still, it was unnerving. That thunderclap was so loud, and the flash was so bright!

I'll past on testing the theory, thanks.

They'd never have gotten started! You can play the "what if" game forever. What if it snows? What if the natives attack? What if I don't wear a coat? Pshaw.

"Whoops! Forgot my hat."

Well, you've only seen proof that I ordered burgers, fried chicken, and pizza at most of my other meals. But you guys have no problem believing that I was stuffing my face with all that.

Don't try to muddy the waters with logic.
 


Another day, another six hours of driving in a cramped minivan with six people and no real scenery to look at.

Clark: Roy; can I call you Roy? Have you even driven your whole family cross-country?
Roy Walley: Oh, hell yes. Once I drove all of them to Florida. The smell coming out of the back seat was terrible.
Clark: I know that smell, Roy.

We were all feeling the mileage at that point.

Well, there's your problem. You're dragging your feet. Keep them inside the van and it'll be way better.

I’ve mentioned before that my daughter is the World’s Biggest Harry Potter Fan©.

::yes::

At this point, she’s memorized all of the books, word-for-word. You think I’m exaggerating, but it’s only slightly, I assure you.

I believe you. I have all of the MASH episodes memorized.

it’s like the family movie version of The English Patient

:scared:

No! Just..... No!

A Universal trip for us would be Harry Potter or bust.

I get that. I want to see all of it, but... that's what I want to see the most.
California is smaller... but that was (by far) the best part.

But I thought the least (no, the very least) we could do was to stop at Universal for lunch,

Nah. You can do less. Next time...
"There's Universal kids!"
"Yay! Can we stop, dad???"
"Nope!"

and of course, take out a second mortgage on Harry Potter crap in the gift shop.

Correct.
Provided you have a large house in an upscale neighborhood.

Boy, this road trip thing is much easier when you can just travel by map.

Yep! Everything is just this far apart!
(holds up small space between finger and thumb.)

There was a huge line of cars—more than I was hoping to encounter in mid-August. But then again, it was a Saturday, so there were probably a lot of locals getting in their last hurrah before school started.

There should be a line for people who have driven a long ways. Kinda like your own fastpass driving lane.

used up my second mortgage on the regular parking fee,

Do you happen to remember how much it was?

And we couldn’t get any closer. But it sure is fun to dream, isn’t it, kids?


Hello?

::yes::

Once again, have those Parents of the Year nomination forms handy.



We took a break from PB&J and went for a big meal at lunchtime instead.

You can do this? Doesn't it break some kind of Oblivious family code?


What the!
I just heard about this place a day or two ago on another thread!

When we’d looked at the various menus of CityWalk restaurants, the word “Chocolate” in the title had proven to be a powerful motivator to visit.

Yes, but.... they also serve Brussels sprouts, so they're not infallible.

We gave our names at the reservation desk and hung out in the gift shop for a few minutes where, inevitably, Scotty happened.

:laughing: Of course!
Although he does look pretty dapper.

The whole steampunk theme is really well-done. Definitely on par with Disney theming.

That's really saying something.

Anyway, the hook of the menu is that there are many items infused with chocolate. So you could do worse.

::yes::

half-pound of beef, queso and cheese, mustard and kettle chips on a pretzel roll.

Holy smokes, that sounds good!

Remembering my newfound vow to stick with vegetables and healthy eating, I ordered the May Contain Bacon burger: half-pound of beef, thick-cut bacon, pork belly, pineapple chutney, jack cheese and a pretzel roll.

I stand corrected.... that sounds good!
I feel my arteries hardening just thinking about it.

And Scotty and Dave ordered off the brunch menu and went for berries & cream French toast: challah bread, lemon curd filling, fresh berries and whipped cream. Only they didn’t quite get what they expected.


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This was supposed to be a similar idea to the Tonga Toast at Kona Café, but for whatever reason, the filling inside was off. As in, there was no filling. It was just a lump of toast.

But it says "filling".... did they forget? Did you ask?
Odd, to say the least.

The burgers, however—oh, man. Just phenomenal.

Good to know. ::yes::

Heeding @Flossbolna ’s advice to stay away from the milkshakes,

Why?

We rolled out of the restaurant and decided to walk all around the lake in order to try and burn off a few calories.

You ain't ever burning off all those calories!

And we continued torturing our kids by getting as close to the actual gates to the park as we possibly could.



Luckily for them, the next stop was the gift shop, and we had some work to do to buy back their affections.

Lots of work.

I think the coolest gifts we bought for the kids ended up being Christmas gifts—they were varsity-type sweatshirts each bearing a Hogwarts house name.

Nice!

Three guesses where Drew fits in.

Too easy.

Then Julie and I overheard the kids talking about them by themselves, and Dave made a comment like, “If we each got one, we could wear them together and be Squad.” And that by itself was enough to make us buy the stupid sweatshirts even though they cost more than the GDP of Guam, because Julie and I are big softies and thus perfect targets for the theme park marketing machines.

Worth it. And in the grand scheme of things, you'll never miss that money.

This seemed appropriate on the way out:


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::yes:: :laughing:

After all of that driving, this was the perfect time for a Pizza and Pool Party, so we ordered in and swam under the stars.

Pizza???? After that burger, you could eat pizza????

this was too cute not to share:


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Awwwwww.... :)

The shop had replica train tickets for a round-trip ticket to Hogwarts. We bought those and stored them away.

Nice!

On the morning of Sarah’s scoliosis surgery, there was a stuffed white owl waiting on the kitchen table with an envelope holding the tickets. They were marked with a future date: February 2020. Something to look forward to.

Okay, now that's really nice. :goodvibes

Coming Up Next: We explore the far reaches of the Everglades. And my wife punches me in the face.

Finally!!!

Er... I mean... hope you were okay.
 
So, big plans to go back to Vicksburg, then?

Not anytime soon, unfortunately, which is why i regret not doing the bus tour.

I think we actively avoided Bourbon St.

With kids, I don't blame you!

I needed Google just to learn about these places. Not that I had any intention of visiting them.

So what did you put in Google to find them? I know I searched on "Best New Orleans Restaurants". Did you use "Expensive fancy pants places my family would never eat at"?

Good luck finding that on National Park land! Not that it's impossible, just rare.

I've just realized that I enjoy the beach most watching it from a distance with a cocktail in hand, not getting my feet wet and dirty in the sand.

You guys and your double standards. I show a photo of a giant burger, and everyone just assumes I ate it, no questions asked.

Well I've never seen you give a golden Homer to a salad or a bowl of broccoli, but the preponderance of awards for burgers leads us to believe you actually ate it.

Unfortunately, a full-blown Universal trip was not in the cards for us at this time. It was just too much expense to take on. But I thought the least (no, the very least) we could do was to stop at Universal for lunch, wander the CityWalk, scout out the layout of the place for a future trip, and of course, take out a second mortgage on Harry Potter crap in the gift shop.

It is pretty darned expensive especially now that they sucker you into buying park hoppers for one stinkin' ride.

This was particularly torturous for the kids—from the parking garage, we could see Hogwarts! It was right there!

:lmao:

We went through the main hub and security lines. Here, Universal has one leg up on Disney—one trip through the security line and then you can access both theme parks and CityWalk. Wouldn’t that be nice?

It's that way at DL now.....

The burgers, however—oh, man. Just phenomenal.

So this is what I've heard. If you avoid the chocolate bread and milkshakes, the meals are pretty good.

Heeding @Flossbolna ’s advice to stay away from the milkshakes, we ended up ordering a giant brownies-and-cookie sundae instead. We chose…wisely.

Most reviews I've read the people haven't had enough room for dessert, but that looks really good!

This and the burgers were enough to put us back into Drooling Homer Award status once more.

See, no veggies received this award!

I think the coolest gifts we bought for the kids ended up being Christmas gifts—they were varsity-type sweatshirts each bearing a Hogwarts house name.

That does sound cute!

Three guesses where Drew fits in.

Does he know the storyline well enough to choose this for himself or is he just relegated there because he's the scapegoat?

We finished the drive to West Palm Beach and got a room at the Embassy Suites there. We’d be staying in the same room for back-to-back nights (heavenly!)

Nice....

After all of that driving, this was the perfect time for a Pizza and Pool Party,

Sounds great!

We all went to bed content with the fact that we wouldn’t be driving 6 hours the next day. It would only be about 4 hours.

What? :confused3 Who plans these trips?????

I think I was a little too old to be a die hard by the time Harry Potter came around. But I recognized that if I had been 10 years old watching the first movie, I would have lost my mind for it.

Did you read the books? I was substatially older than 10 years old when the books came out and I was hooked when we listened to our first one around 20 years ago.
 
Amazing he survived any of them!

Yes!

Yuss! Mission accomplished.

Dude. That's just mean.

And yet... it's not enough, is it.

Never.

That's... south of me, right?

Ha! Silly... Everything is south of me.

::yes:: Usually less snow, too.

Well... in 1978, there was only MK... nothing else. My folks weren't fans (still aren't.) And we had relatives in... Tampa, I believe. Or near Tampa.

It's hard to imagine Disney World as a 1-or-2 day destination.

Heh... Sounds like my quest for poker chips.

I will see your poker chips, and raise you our National Park Junior Ranger badges.

Now you know at least one person does.... at least once.

And I'm grateful. I don't know if a hidden joke is more rewarding for the reader or the author. I'm like, "Oh, cool, somebody found that one!" And that gives me a great deal of pleasure.

Interesting... But then would snow worsen it?

I would assume, like any weather, you would have a chance of some interference with the machines broadcasting the signals.

It didn't look like it... I saw the video, looked like a slow street crossing.

I stand (or sit) corrected, then. I didn't see the video, just was going on secondhand info.

I'll past on testing the theory, thanks.

Yeah, I think we tested things well enough.

Don't try to muddy the waters with logic.

Well, it's either that or admitting that was my one bowl of broccoli for the year. Julie never stops by the boards anymore so I can't get her to vouch for me.

Clark: Roy; can I call you Roy? Have you even driven your whole family cross-country?
Roy Walley: Oh, hell yes. Once I drove all of them to Florida. The smell coming out of the back seat was terrible.
Clark: I know that smell, Roy.

:rotfl2::rotfl2:This scene is even funnier to me now that I've been on so many road trips.

Well, there's your problem. You're dragging your feet. Keep them inside the van and it'll be way better.

I thought that was how these Flintstones vans operated.

I believe you. I have all of the MASH episodes memorized.

I used to be there with Star Wars (the original), Die Hard, and The Simpsons.

:scared:

No! Just..... No!

I've wasted a lot of time in my life, but those three-plus hours were BRUTAL.

I get that. I want to see all of it, but... that's what I want to see the most.
California is smaller... but that was (by far) the best part.

That seems to be the consensus. Most of their other rides get a shrug from me. I can only do so many motion simulators at one time. And their movie tie-ins aren't as appealing as Disney. But I hear they knocked it out of the park with Harry Potter.

Nah. You can do less. Next time...
"There's Universal kids!"
"Yay! Can we stop, dad???"
"Nope!"

Maybe next time!

Correct.
Provided you have a large house in an upscale neighborhood.

Hence why we had to move on to the third mortgage.

Yep! Everything is just this far apart!
(holds up small space between finger and thumb.)

So easy! More people should try it.

There should be a line for people who have driven a long ways. Kinda like your own fastpass driving lane.

Oh, man. This would be like heaven. I will vote for anyone who makes this happen.

Do you happen to remember how much it was?

I want to say something like $20? Nothing outrageous, actually. They tried to upsell us on "preferred" parking for $30 or valet for $50. Regular was fine.


Yes! I'm expecting to see this on my shelf soon.

You can do this? Doesn't it break some kind of Oblivious family code?

Only the cheapskate code. But it's the same as Pirate Code, which is more like guidelines anyway.

The overriding code is "when we're finally sick of PB&J, do something else."

What the!
I just heard about this place a day or two ago on another thread!

@Flossbolna 's trip report was the first place I'd seen it.

Yes, but.... they also serve Brussels sprouts, so they're not infallible.

Excellent point. Nobody's perfect.

:laughing: Of course!
Although he does look pretty dapper.

Scotty can really pull a lot of looks off.

That's really saying something.

Gotta give credit when the effort is there.

Holy smokes, that sounds good!

::yes::

I stand corrected.... that sounds good!
I feel my arteries hardening just thinking about it.

You lose two years of life, but they would have been in a nursing home, so that makes it ok. Plus, I mean--all that bacon!

But it says "filling".... did they forget? Did you ask?
Odd, to say the least.

Yeah, we sent it back, and they brought another, and it still wasn't right. I'm not sure what got fouled up there. Dave didn't want to keep trying so he just said he'd eat it.


She said the milkshakes look amazing but didn't actually taste that good. And they were something like $12 apiece.

You ain't ever burning off all those calories!

True, but it's a nice story we can tell ourselves, isn't it?


Another one! I'm racking them up now!

Lots of work.

Yeah. We're jerks.

Worth it. And in the grand scheme of things, you'll never miss that money.

Excellent point. And very comforting, since I've already spent the money anyway. The kids wear those things all the time around the house.

Pizza???? After that burger, you could eat pizza????

Well, we did go swimming first.

Awwwwww.... :)

:goodvibes

Okay, now that's really nice. :goodvibes


I don't know how much it affected her in the moment, since that morning it was a) 5:00 in the morning, and b) she was really preoccupied with the idea of having major surgery. But we wanted to do something meaningful to put a smile on her face.

Finally!!!

Er... I mean... hope you were okay.

Uh huh.

Hopefully the dramatic story will be told later this week!
 
Dude. That's just mean.

Good! You noticed!

::yes:: Usually less snow, too.

Dude. That's just mean.

It's hard to imagine Disney World as a 1-or-2 day destination.

Yup. Although... No fast passes. Only a book of tickets. And lines. But.... I rode HM... and that was awesome... and then I rode PP... which I had no idea it did what it does. Blew my mind.

I will see your poker chips, and raise you our National Park Junior Ranger badges.

Hmmm... How many do you have now? I counted mine and will post in my next update.

And I'm grateful. I don't know if a hidden joke is more rewarding for the reader or the author. I'm like, "Oh, cool, somebody found that one!" And that gives me a great deal of pleasure.

::yes::

I would assume, like any weather, you would have a chance of some interference with the machines broadcasting the signals.

Probably true? Which is a bit disconcerting.

I stand (or sit) corrected, then. I didn't see the video, just was going on secondhand info.

It looked like she (pretty sure it was a she) just slowly ambled along and the car didn't even come close to slowing down.
Like she was invisible.

Well, it's either that or admitting that was my one bowl of broccoli for the year. Julie never stops by the boards anymore so I can't get her to vouch for me.

I'm thinking I should Friend her on FB just so I can get to the bottom of this.

:rotfl2::rotfl2:This scene is even funnier to me now that I've been on so many road trips.

::yes:: :laughing:

I thought that was how these Flintstones vans operated.

I knew you would go there!

I used to be there with Star Wars (the original), Die Hard, and The Simpsons.

No way you knew the Simpsons.
What... it's like on it's 1,435th season?

I've wasted a lot of time in my life, but those three-plus hours were BRUTAL.

:hug:

Hence why we had to move on to the third mortgage.

Ah. Of course.

So easy! More people should try it.

Yeah!

Oh, man. This would be like heaven. I will vote for anyone who makes this happen.

:laughing:

I want to say something like $20? Nothing outrageous, actually. They tried to upsell us on "preferred" parking for $30 or valet for $50. Regular was fine.

Gotcha. I have a reason for asking... future update.

Yes! I'm expecting to see this on my shelf soon.

It's not there now?

Scotty can really pull a lot of looks off.

Yes... Yes he can.

You lose two years of life, but they would have been in a nursing home, so that makes it ok. Plus, I mean--all that bacon!

:laughing: Bacon solves everything.

Yeah, we sent it back, and they brought another, and it still wasn't right. I'm not sure what got fouled up there. Dave didn't want to keep trying so he just said he'd eat it.

Huh. Just... odd. And too bad.

She said the milkshakes look amazing but didn't actually taste that good. And they were something like $12 apiece.

$12??? What's in it? Crushed diamonds? Gold flecks?

True, but it's a nice story we can tell ourselves, isn't it?

Yep.

Yeah. We're jerks.

This is a known truism.

Excellent point. And very comforting, since I've already spent the money anyway. The kids wear those things all the time around the house.

See? Money very well spent. :)

Well, we did go swimming first.

Ah. Well... there is that.
(Swimming = floating in a food induced coma?)

I don't know how much it affected her in the moment, since that morning it was a) 5:00 in the morning, and b) she was really preoccupied with the idea of having major surgery. But we wanted to do something meaningful to put a smile on her face.

I totally get that.
 
Not anytime soon, unfortunately, which is why i regret not doing the bus tour.

Sorry you missed out on that one.

With kids, I don't blame you!

I'm not sure I'd go back to anywhere in New Orleans with kids!

So what did you put in Google to find them? I know I searched on "Best New Orleans Restaurants". Did you use "Expensive fancy pants places my family would never eat at"?

:rotfl2::rotfl2: Pretty close!

I went through a few of the links on the first search you mentioned. That was enough to compile a list. I didn't actually check to see if they were good or not, I just figured if it was on the internet it must be true.

I've just realized that I enjoy the beach most watching it from a distance with a cocktail in hand, not getting my feet wet and dirty in the sand.

I can see that. I need to be swimming if I'm on the beach.

Well I've never seen you give a golden Homer to a salad or a bowl of broccoli, but the preponderance of awards for burgers leads us to believe you actually ate it.

That's actually a great answer. You bring it up again below, so I'll respond there to keep you in suspense.

It is pretty darned expensive especially now that they sucker you into buying park hoppers for one stinkin' ride.

:sad2: It's like they learned from Disney or something.

It's that way at DL now.....

That's one big advantage DL has over WDW.

So this is what I've heard. If you avoid the chocolate bread and milkshakes, the meals are pretty good.

That seemed to be Magdalene's advice. It worked for us.

Most reviews I've read the people haven't had enough room for dessert, but that looks really good!

With six people, you don't need much room. I only got a few bites of this.

See, no veggies received this award!

The flaw in this argument is that it assumes there are vegetables that are actually worthy of receiving the award. I have yet to discover one.

That does sound cute!

The kids love them!

Does he know the storyline well enough to choose this for himself or is he just relegated there because he's the scapegoat?

He has no idea. It's just another way to pick on the youngest kid.

What? :confused3 Who plans these trips?????

I dunno. Some idiot.

Did you read the books? I was substatially older than 10 years old when the books came out and I was hooked when we listened to our first one around 20 years ago.

I read the first one and enjoyed it. Sarah keeps trying to get me to read the rest and I keep meaning to, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.
 
Good! You noticed!

Oh, I noticed, all right. I'm keeping my eye on you.

Dude. That's just mean.

(snicker)

Yup. Although... No fast passes. Only a book of tickets. And lines. But.... I rode HM... and that was awesome... and then I rode PP... which I had no idea it did what it does. Blew my mind.

::yes:: I think the ticket books were gone by my first trip. But those memories of having my mind blown remain.

Hmmm... How many do you have now? I counted mine and will post in my next update.

No idea. And there are multiple copies for each kid, so I'd have to sort that all out.

Probably true? Which is a bit disconcerting.

Yeah. We're still working on it. I have an app on my phone that can receive the signal from some equipment we have in one of our traffic signals. So it's broadcasting the signal timing directly to me. Not that it does any good for now, because I can't look at my phone while driving. But the idea is to eventually broadcast the signal timing info to the cars themselves.

It looked like she (pretty sure it was a she) just slowly ambled along and the car didn't even come close to slowing down.
Like she was invisible.

Yikes. That's, uh...not good.

I'm thinking I should Friend her on FB just so I can get to the bottom of this.

Go for it. She'll probably enjoy ratting me out.

I knew you would go there!

I'm nothing if not predictable.

No way you knew the Simpsons.
What... it's like on it's 1,435th season?

Well, of course there's no way I could ever keep up. But a few of those golden years when I was in college...a lot of my conversations with my buddies consisted of Simpsons quotes.

Gotcha. I have a reason for asking... future update.

Hope that helped.

It's not there now?

Must have gotten lost in the mail.

:laughing: Bacon solves everything.

Truth.

$12??? What's in it? Crushed diamonds? Gold flecks?

I think they're made from the milk of unicorns.

This is a known truism.

Yeah, well it takes one to know one, pal! (Making me use my best comebacks here)

See? Money very well spent. :)

::yes:::goodvibes

Ah. Well... there is that.
(Swimming = floating in a food induced coma?)

Tomayto, Tomahto.
 
Oh, I noticed, all right. I'm keeping my eye on you.

Ew... what's this slimy orb doing on my arm?

::yes:: I think the ticket books were gone by my first trip. But those memories of having my mind blown remain.

::yes::

No idea. And there are multiple copies for each kid, so I'd have to sort that all out.

No hurry, I'll wait. you have until Tuesday.

Yeah. We're still working on it. I have an app on my phone that can receive the signal from some equipment we have in one of our traffic signals. So it's broadcasting the signal timing directly to me. Not that it does any good for now, because I can't look at my phone while driving. But the idea is to eventually broadcast the signal timing info to the cars themselves.

Huh! Pretty impressive.

Yikes. That's, uh...not good.

Not so much, no.

Go for it. She'll probably enjoy ratting me out.

;)

Well, of course there's no way I could ever keep up. But a few of those golden years when I was in college...a lot of my conversations with my buddies consisted of Simpsons quotes.

I get that. I think everyone was quoting them. So, Don't have a cow, man.

Hope that helped.

Yep

I think they're made from the milk of unicorns.

mmmm... unicorn milk....

Yeah, well it takes one to know one, pal! (Making me use my best comebacks here)

The classics never get old.


stale... maybe.
 
Unfortunately, a full-blown Universal trip was not in the cards for us at this time. It was just too much expense to take on.
I hear you. I'm seriously considering (finally) going back to our happy place this August. Just under more of a strict budget than I had been used to (long story short, the job change I made/was forced into last year came with a much lower salary...but still better than zero, which was the other alternative). We've always spent a couple days at Universal, but next time we will pass. Oldest DD likes Harry Potter but is not a fanatic, much like myself. DW and youngest DD don't care about anything at Universal. So it's not too hard a choice.
I do like the look of that Toothsome meal though. Not sure I want to pay for parking just for a meal. Did I read once that parking is free at Universal after 6:00pm? Would make a meal there more reasonable.

Boy, this road trip thing is much easier when you can just travel by map.
It's a lot easier! We'd be movin' right along in no time!

th


It would sure be cheaper than the price I'm looking at for air tickets (travelling from Canada is NOT. CHEAP. for a family of four, looking at $3600 Canadian in August. What was it you said about that second mortgage...)
 
Ew... what's this slimy orb doing on my arm?

Yuck. Here's a tissue.

No hurry, I'll wait. you have until Tuesday.

I'm sure I will remember. :rolleyes:

I probably brought a knife to a gunfight on that one. After all, there's a limited number of national parks.

Huh! Pretty impressive.

It's fun to play with the technology! But I think we all realize how rudimentary it really is.

I get that. I think everyone was quoting them. So, Don't have a cow, man.

Mmmm....64 slices of American cheese...

64...(munching)
63...(munching)

(time passes)


2....(munching)
1....(munching)

"Homer, have you been up all night eating cheese?"

"I think I'm blind."

The classics never get old.


stale... maybe.

I resemble that.

I hear you. I'm seriously considering (finally) going back to our happy place this August. Just under more of a strict budget than I had been used to (long story short, the job change I made/was forced into last year came with a much lower salary...but still better than zero, which was the other alternative).

Yes, I remember. I hope the big increase in family time was worth it, though!

We've always spent a couple days at Universal, but next time we will pass. Oldest DD likes Harry Potter but is not a fanatic, much like myself. DW and youngest DD don't care about anything at Universal. So it's not too hard a choice.
I do like the look of that Toothsome meal though. Not sure I want to pay for parking just for a meal. Did I read once that parking is free at Universal after 6:00pm? Would make a meal there more reasonable.

If I recall, I think it's at the very least reduced in price after 6:00 p.m.

ETA: just checked, and it looks like you're right--free after 6:00! Nice!

It's a lot easier! We'd be movin' right along in no time!

th


It would sure be cheaper than the price I'm looking at for air tickets (travelling from Canada is NOT. CHEAP. for a family of four, looking at $3600 Canadian in August. What was it you said about that second mortgage...)

$3600 just to fly??? Holy crap. You could buy your own arc reactor for that.
 
Yuck. Here's a tissue.

You're just trying to get me to wipe your eye. Ain't gonna happen, fella.

I probably brought a knife to a gunfight on that one. After all, there's a limited number of national parks.

58 national parks... according to Google.

It's fun to play with the technology! But I think we all realize how rudimentary it really is.

We're not quite at the point where we can say "Beam me up Scotty".

Hmmm...... I wonder if that will happen to your family someday.

Mmmm....64 slices of American cheese...

64...(munching)
63...(munching)

(time passes)


2....(munching)
1....(munching)

"Homer, have you been up all night eating cheese?"

"I think I'm blind."

:lmao:

I resemble that.

There ya go.
 
You're just trying to get me to wipe your eye. Ain't gonna happen, fella.

I just wanted to wipe my snot on your sleeve.

58 national parks... according to Google.

Sounds about right.

We're not quite at the point where we can say "Beam me up Scotty".

Hmmm...... I wonder if that will happen to your family someday.

I think it would be awesome! But I also wouldn't want to be the guy they pick to test it out first.
 

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