Disney World 2010

In 2009 I earned an incentive trip with my Pampered Chef business. The trip was for 4 people to go to Disney World for 4 days. If there are two parents and three kids, what do you do? You can "buy in" an extra child, but some of those costs can get pricey. Or we could choose to leave a child behind and not take them, but that would have cost us even more in psychiatry bills later in life. So our other option was to take the trip for just two people. Guess what we choose????  It was a long hard decisions, but we choose to leave all the kids and just Mark and I go. By doing this they added Disney Dollars for us to spend while we were there. Very convenient when you don't rent a car and stay on property.  Food can get pretty pricey at the happiest place on earth.

Our trip started out on Saturday, June 12. The hardest part was leaving before Jessica got home from Girls Camp.  We went almost two weeks without seeing her.  Luckily she was in good hands.

We had a lay over in the Minneapolis airport. We had just enough time to grab lunch and get to our gate. We were some of the last to board and shear luck they needed two seats together for someone traveling with a child so they bumped us to first class seats but on different rows. Once we were seated my neighbor found out what happened and switched seats with Mark so we could sit together.  Look at how much room you have in first class.

There is even an arm rest between us.  We were especially glad for the upgrade since the plane sat for an hour after we pulled away from the gate.  That is the second time I've been bumped to first class in the Minneapolis airport. I think it is now my favorite airport!

The Magical Express was waiting for us at the Orlando Airport and whisked us off to Coronado Springs Resort. We got there in time to swim for a bit and have dinner. The pool by our room was just a standard pool, but after dinner we strolled around the resort and found this.

"The Dig" was the big pool with a water slide.  Very fun.

Sunday Morning we headed over to Epcot. The one park I really wanted to see more of the last time we were there 5 years ago, but had kids with us so we wizzed through all the countries.

Have no idea who the awry child is in the picture.  Didn't matter since we didn't have kids with us!

We spent the morning Soarin over California and riding the Test Track. Then we headed to the International Gateway and leisurely strolled through the countries.

Isn't he handsome!

Paris was by far one of our favorites.  Amazing bakery and beautiful sites.

To get a sit down dinner in any of the Parks you have to make dinner reservations months in advance.  We took advantage of no kids and enjoyed a dinner at Tappan Edo.

Where they cooked dinner in front of us!  After dinner we were strolling around the lake trying to find a good spot to watch the fireworks when a Cast Member stopped us and gave us reserved seating passes.  At this point we decided this was a lucky vacation.

So we strolled around a few more countries

Before getting our seats on the benches that lined the lake.  There were only about 15 people in the reserved section.  It was great.

And a perfect view for Illuminations!

Monday morning started early.  We had a group breakfast at the hotel.

Aren't Mickey Waffles cute!  And they taste good too.  Then it was off to

Magic Kingdom!  The haziness in the picture was because it was so humid.  Even my watch face fogged up in the mornings from the moisture.

For the first time EVER Disney opened Magic Kingdom two hours early JUST for Pampered Chef.  There were 6700 attendees to the trip and not all of them came to the early hour so it was great!

It was also our T-Shirt day.  It was a sea of red walking down mainstreet.  In the first two hours we were able to ride Space Mountain (15 min wait was our longest wait of the morning), Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain (twice), and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (twice).  It was amazing walking right onto all these rides with no lines.

Please note Mark's eyes were opened.  On almost all the rides that take your picture his eyes were closed!

Then the park opened to the public and the crowds poured in.  I'm sure there were a few people disappointed to find out all the Pampered Chef people were already in the park and getting our Fastpasses.  At this point Mark and I began the memory rides.  We hit the Tiki Room (which has changed and I'm not sure I like it as much), Bear Country Jamboree (because my Dad helped with designing it in Disneyland and it isn't there anymore), It's a Small World, and the train.

My all time favorite treat in the park is a frozen banana.  Total childhood memory.  I grew up about an hour from Disneyland, so we went several times a year.

By now it was really hot and crowded. So after lunch we strolled back to our room for a very nice rest.  Then returned to the park for our 8pm reservations at Tony's Town Square.  Kind of late for dinner, but we had a plan.  We requested seating to see the parade and we seated in the Atrium room.

When the parade started this was our view.  Not front row, but we had food, drinks, air conditioning and a comfortable seat.  It was awesome! And after the parade we wandered the shops until it was time for Fireworks!

Tuesday morning we headed over to Animal Kingdom.  We got there early enough to ride Everest twice without waiting too long.  I must say Everest is much better than the Matterhorn.  But going backwards did make me a little sick.

Have you noticed yet that we are shiny in all of our pictures.  It was SOOOO hot and humid.  Even the locals commented on the heat wave.  With the humidity it felt like 105 - 110 every day.

We really enjoyed the Safari in Animal Kingdom

Even though we did have to wait an hour in line.  Next time I'd fastpass it and walk a little more.

This was Mark's hot look!  Those frozen drinks tasted so good. After riding all the must have rides we called it a day and went back to our room for a rest.  We knew the night would be a long one.

Tuesday night was Pampered Chef's night at Hollywood Studios.  The park was closed to the public and we had the park all to ourselves for 4 hours.

They lined the streets with food.  Opened some of the food stands and we had NO COST.  All you could eat.  There were Ice Cream vendors on all the corners.  Popcorn and treats along with some other great food!

They welcomed us in royal fashion.

You don't see your companies logo on the side of Tower of Terror very often!  Again, no lines on the rides.  And a fireworks show just for us! A very fun night.  Made us fell really special.

Wednesday was our day to fly home.  We were really wishing we had extended our trip. Apparently Delta thought so too.  Before we left for the airport we found out our flight had been delayed at least 5 hours.  So we headed over to Downtown Disney for a little more play.

Isn't he Dashing!

But at last the fun must end.  Our flight was originally supposed to leave at 5:20pm.  We were pulling away from the gate at 10:45pm.

We left Salt Lake at 50 degrees, spent 5 days in Orlando at over 100 degrees, and returned to Salt Lake at 1am to 40 degrees (in the middle of JUNE!)  Talk about a shock to our system.  Took us a few days to recover from the lack of sleep and fun, but life has returned to normal.

Thank You Pampered Chef for an AMAZING vacation!  Can't pass up an all expense paid trip.  I highly recommend getting away with your spouse without kids.  We had a blast!

No More Blog Guilt

At least for this week!  I've caught up on all my past blogging.  I guess this last month was busier than I realized. Now we can go to Disney World and I can blog as soon as I get home!

Seven . . . Almost

Summer birthdays -- Aren't they fun.  By the time you have them all your friends from school have forgotten you. Or you don't know where they live.  And since Mark and I will be out of town on John's birthday this year, June 16, we decided to celebrate early.  And because I'm not a party planner, and I'm tired we decided to take the boys to the dollar movie to see Percy Jackson!  Jessica and I have read the books, but John had only seen the movie.  I was so excited to do all the food in blue!  Until I realized the blue food is only talked about in the book and not the movie.

But they got blue food anyways!

We stuffed as many kids as we could in the van and then met a few others at the theater.

Thank goodness for good weather so the boys could play outside for a little bit.

I put gold laurel crown wreaths on their heads so I could keep track of who was with us.  The boys had fun and we all had a good time watching it again.

Happy Early Birthday John!

Provo Canyon

Despite the crazy snow storm we had on Monday, May 24 . . . FIVE days later we were able to spend the afternoon in the canyon! Without coats or snow!

We went up to South Fork Park to check it out for a possible family reunion site.

Side note -- for posterity purposes -- South Fork was the park our Singles Ward was at when I "noticed" this cute boy in our ward that was so nice.  We were playing cards with a group and he was so nice to all the girls.  There was something about him that caught my eye.  I wanted to get to know him better.  Mark recalls the Ward Activity, but does not recall me at all.  But within a few months he knew exactly who I was and the rest is history!

Ashley, Jessica, John, Mark, and JaCee made it across the river! And survived the very cold water.

We then drove down to Bridal Veil Falls and hiked up to the base of the falls.  I know, it really isn't a hike, but for us it was!

I tried to describe to my kids how it used to look before the avalanche in 1996.  I just tried to find a picture online of it before, but cannot.  In its glory it was majestic.  It is still a beautiful site to see but makes me sad for what it used to look like.

But the kids still had fun.  Especially since their cousin, JaCee, got to join us for the weekend.

The Graduate

Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but it is true.  Our oldest has graduated from Elementary School!

The school/parents planned a really nice event. I was one of the slacker parents that just showed up and did not contribute. But I did help tie the balloons on so they didn't fly away, does that count?

One cake has all the girls names on it and the other has all the boys names on it. The benefit of having one of the parents work in a bakery.

Here is the beautiful Jessica with her teacher. Mr. E., the bee man.  In his spare time he raises bees.

We are so proud of our Straight A girl. She is smart and beautiful all at once.  She even tested out of 7th grade algebra for next year, smartie pants! We've about reached the end of our helping her with Math homework.

Grandma Pat was there.  Grandma & Grandpa P would have been there, but Mark was editing their social life and did not mention the event to them. It was for their own good.  They may forgive him in a few years.

We also snuck a picture with her Math Teacher, Miss Robinson.  Thank you for answering all her questions this year!

It was held in the morning so the parents could take their kids out to lunch afterwards.  Because she is her father's daughter she had a hard time selecting someplace to go. But in the end we headed to Cafe Rio, because she is her mother's daughter and loves Mexican!

Watch out . . . here comes Jr. High!!!!!!!!!!

What does the Weather Man Know????

This was our Magnolia Tree on April 17 in full bloom.  Isn't she a site to see!

AND this was the same tree on MAY 24, more than a MONTH later

YES, this is the same year.  The weather man for-casted rain for Monday, May 24th.  I was ready for some rain.  The forth grade field trip could still go to This is the Place with a little rain.  They could still go with a lot of rain.

BUT . . this was no Spring Storm.  We had a good 4 inches on the ground and it was coming down fast and hard.  This was wet snow.  So wet it took out a lot of trees.  Including a few branches off our front tree

Normally you can easily walk underneath those limbs that are touching the ground.  But notice in the top left corner of this picture THE BEAST in the back yard is standing strong and tall.  The tree we would like to take out won't come down and the trees we love were almost lost.  Where is the justice!

Needless to say, there was no forth grade field trip that day.  There was no sixth grade picnic in the park that day.  There were multiple car accidents, luckily not involving anyone we know that day.  The only saving grace was it was all gone by the next day.  The weather man did report that it was the most snow we have gotten that late in the year in a very long time.

Bucket List

One of the things I have always wanted to do is to see a Cirque Du Soleil show in person.  A friend introduced me to their music about 20 years ago when they were not very well known.  I should have gone then . . . when it was cheaper!

When Pampered Chef announced that part of the incentive trip to Disney World was seeing the Cirque show I was so excited. I worked hard to make sure I earned the trip, even postponing my hernia surgery so I could do one more show to earn the trip.  Then we find out it was going to be dark the nights we were in Orlando. Pampered Chef compensated by giving us a Disney Gift Card for the trip instead, but that meant I still would not see them.

Then . . . I find out they are coming to Salt Lake City, yipee!!! So we got the tickets and made it our anniversary gift to each other this year.

Mark and I had a fun night. Of course we went out to dinner first before heading to the E-Center. They were everything I had expected.  And if you don't know what they are it is hard to explain.  But if you ever get a chance I highly recommend seeing a show!

Hello . . . Goodbye

Little did I know back in July of 1993 when I bought my one and only brand new, off the lot car that I (we) would get so much use out of it.  But 17 years and 165,000 miles later it has finally come time to part.

This beautiful dark green top of the line Camry served me well.  I bought it back when I was much younger. Back when I had a career. Back in the hey days of WordPerfect. Back when my paycheck was a lot more money than it is now. I didn't realize that replacing it would make me sad, but it did.  I realized it was the last piece of my single life that was still around. It represented my career as a Software Tester. Yes, I realize I haven't been driving it for the last 9 years. The mini van has replaced it as the car I drive. But it was still in my life, still a part of me. No, Mark was not so emotionally tied to this car.  It was just the car he got to drive after we got the mini van. It has served us well, but it has come time to move on.

Move on to this . . .

Surprise! Another Camry! This beautiful 2007 has taken the place of the 1993 Camry. Not fresh off the lot, but still a nice looking car. We were torn between this car and a Hyundai Sonota, but the Camry won out. Hard to think this will probably be the car Jessica gets to drive in a few years, yikes!

But it does my heart good to know my old Camry is still a little part of the family. Mark's nephew, Daniel, is now the proud owner. Hopefully it will be a great College car for him!

Girls Night Out (or in)

Our neighborhood started hosting a "Girls Night Out" every month. Someone in the neighborhood hosts it and we all come over. Nothing is too structured or planned. But it usually does involve food and visiting. May was my month to host, so it was my "Girls Night In" instead of "Out" that month. It turned out to be a night to remember.

When the night begins with this, how can it go wrong?  This is our fearless leader, Janae, that started this tradition about six months ago.

And who would not LOVE these sweet gals.  Sue, Susan & Leona! You ladies left way too early.  The fun had just begun.

The central theme was chocolate because it was at my house and I could pick the theme and I love chocolate even if I am on a diet. Nothing can go wrong if there is a chocolate fountain in the middle of the table.  Angie, Joell, Aubrie, and Laurel were relaxing before things got truly out of hand.

Angie was showing us how much fun she is having!  Thanks for coming Angie! Good thing Melissa didn't have to catch her!

By this point a few of us were getting "drunk" on chocolate.  Susan, Kristen, Janae, Julie, Steacey, and Cheryl had all migrated to the table.  Notice we gave up on the fountain and took it apart so you could really get to the chocolate.

4 pounds of chocolate, 3 hours, 15 women later we had a BLAST! Angela, Aubrie, Joell, Laurel, Susan, Kristen, Julie and Steacey.  It may look calm and relaxing, but I haven't laughed that hard for that long since college.  Rumor has it you could hear us half way down the block.

Thanks ladies for making my night!  Have fun without me in June and hopefully I'll be able to join you again in July! Anyone in the neighborhood is welcome, so make sure you don't miss one of these fun nights.