Shannon's Random Thoughts

Tuesday Sept 19 - EPCOT

2006-10-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

EPCOT = Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

Ok, maybe EPCOT isn't exactly what Walt Disney had invisioned when he came up with the idea, but it is still one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, I have a hard time picking a favorite between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. And I knew that my kids would love EPCOT as well.

We started our morning with the too early wakeup call, just like the other mornings. Thanks Stitch (with a little bit of Mickey thrown in). I really expected that the kids would just jump out of bed and rush to get ready each morning ... but we had to practically drag them out of bed each morning. What is wrong with you people??? WE'RE AT DISNEY AND WE'VE GOT THINGS TO SEE!!

Another Extra Magic Hour early morning day, and another day when we left later than we had planned. Still, we were in front of the big golf ball (otherwise known as Spaceship Earth) before 9 am / the official opening time.

I had my plans all made out - the best rides to hit in the best order to avoid long lines. Now, EPCOT is really spread out and that means a lot of walking. But, we've got a lot to do! So, we rush past Spaceship Earth and head to the back left corner of Futureworld to get to Test Track. The kids were excited about this, but a little apprehensive as well. Here we are, a really special family - we get to test out a new car, make sure it is safe and all.... The kids loved it. Philips favorite part was the outside portion where we test the car at top speed. After we were done with the ride, we rushed through the high priced showroom but were stopped in the gift shop where the kids saw TONS of things they liked. Zachary got his own dirvers license but Philip didn't want to waste $5 of his dollars on that. I got a few antenna toppers for my car ... to show what a Disney geek I am to the world (or those sitting around me in traffic).

Next, was Mission Space. Philip was too short to ride this, and Zachary decided against it. I wimped out and went for the "mild" side (without the intense G-force / less spinning). What a cool ride! REALLY COOL! While I rode, the kids played in the computer/space area at the exit. When I got off, Kiki decided to give it a try - she had been worried about motion sickness but I assured her that the mild side was not bad at all. While she rode, the kids and I continued to play in the computer play area. We sent a video postcard (from space, of course) to their Dad. Though I don't think he ever got it. This kind of play took up a LOT of our time, but it is one of the things I just love about EPCOT. There are so many little hands-on, interactive things to do. I swear my kids could spend a full 2 days in just the Futureworld side of EPCOT - if you stop to do everything that is there to do.

After we left Mission Space, we headed to see Ellen. So many people find Ellen's Universe of Energy ride boring, but I just love it. I did before it was "Ellen", and still now with the Ellen/Bill Nye and "Judy" Jeopardy twist. Sure, it is a long ride (I'm a long winded person ... maybe that is why it appeals to me), but I like it. We sat through the pre-show show (WHY can't they let you SIT on the ground during this? It is a little long, but still worth it. I'm not complaining (ok, maybe I was but still.......) The kids got a little nervous as we went into the moving theater, but I assured them that this isn't a scary dinosaur ride - nothing is jumping out at us, and we don't move fast at all. This ride is also a great way to rest your feet and get into the air conditioning. It's almost 45 minutes long.

After Energy, we headed towards The Land. We have an ADR (reservations) at the rotating restaurant "Garden Grill" located on the second floor. It is a spinning restaurant and we get to see some of the ride as we spin over it, from our seat. While eating, we have several visits from Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. The food was FABULOUS!! We ordered seconds of the steak, the sugar snaps (the BEST green beans if you ask me), and the baby carrots. The turkey with cranberry relish was out of this world. The kids get to build/decorate their own cupcake and Kiki and I shared a fabulous puff pastry with custard cream. Oh .... and I had a nice relaxing grown up beverage (a Mango-rita, which Pluto gave me a hard time about ... hey, it was AFTER noon - somewhere around 2:30).

When we finished our meal, we went and got in line for The Land, the boat ride. I really miss this having a live narration. I found that other visitors found it less rude to talk over a recorded voice than to talk over a live person talking (ok - maybe I'm assuming the best in people, but I'd like to believe that they would not talk so loud over a real person - maybe they would have). Still, it is a lovely ride. The kids loved that they were seeing how the food we had just eaten in the restaurant was grown in the futuristic-like growing conditions. As soon as the ride was done, Philip proclaimed that he wanted to go AGAIN - now! Awww, my son loves the education stuff too, warmed my heart.

I went on Soarin' alone - kind of made me sad that no one else wanted to ride. But I loved it! It is just the BEST ride. When Zachary realized what ride he had passed on ("The Hang-gliding Ride"), he was very disappointed. Ok, we'll come back to it.

We went to the Living Seas to see Crush. This was a GREAT show. We had to wait a bit, a lightbulb was out in the theater and they had to get someone in to fix it. But the wait was WELL worth it! Kiki got the whole thing on video. I was really glad that Zachary was the first kid picked to ask Crush a question. The interaction was amazing. Zachary asked how turtles and fish swim. The funny thing was the next girl asked the same exact question. The look on Crush's face was priceless!

....More EPCOT coming soon...

Monday Sept 18 .. Animal Kingdom (and work again)

2006-09-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

So it is now Monday September 18th. We have finished with our Magic Kingdom visits.

I have to work from 3 pm to 8 pm at the convention, so we have plans to hit Animal Kingdom EARLY (it is morning Extra Magic Hours on Monday at Animal Kingdom - normally opens at 9 am, but today, just for us-and all of the people staying on Disney property- it is opening at 8 am.)

Yeah yeah, once again, NO WAY the kids are getting up early enough to get there for 8. However, we did do pretty well. It was still before 9 when we got to Animal Kingdom and started making our way into the park.

This was my first ever visit to Animal Kingdom. High on my list were a few things that the kids could not do. But also included some things that the kids COULD do and I wanted to do with them. The plan was to hit the park and do the "must do" things before I had to leave around lunchtime. I'd then catch the bus back to the resort for a meal, to shower, and get ready to work.

As we walk in, we start towards the tree. We did stop and look at a few cool things, but moved towards Africa. We were going to ride on Safari. Both Kiki and I had read that seeing it first thing in the morning is the best way to actually get to see animals on the ride. It was REALLY REALLY hot and there was a chance of the animals all hanging back in the shade.

We saw elephants, a lion or two, a rhino that was intent on blocking the road (and another one off to the side), and several other really cool animals. Of course nothing like the real African Safari I went on in 1984, but a neat ride. We had virtually no wait to get on it, and the ride took about 20 or 25 minutes.

After we got off, we made a bathroom break, walked through the African village and bought a snack.

We then headed to the Tree of Life, where we wanted to see the It's A Bug's Life 3D movie. They did a great job - it was a good show. I knew about the hornets/bees "stinger" (in the back of the seat) so I was sitting up during that part of the show. Poor Philip, yelled at me (not in a made/mean way) "that chair poked me in the back!!".

Next ... Dinosaur. The Dinosaur ride was really neat with lots of animatronic dino's, loud noises, steam/smoke/etc, and a couple of surprises. The ride picture came out pretty funny, so the sucker that I am, I bought it. We also rode Triceratops - a Dumbo-like ride that spins in circules. I wanted to ride the Primevil Whirl which is a mini-roller-coaster of sorts with a spinning cart. But the kids didn't want to ride it, so we skipped it. The plan was for the kids to come back to the Dinosaur section of the park after I left. They had all afternoon to dig for dino bones in the dig site. I was on a mission to catch the rides that I could before I left.

Next ... Expedition Everest, I hoped. But, we got there and the line was 45 minutes long. I only had enough time for one long-line/big-wait ride and then I had to leave. We still had to ride Kali Rapids. The sign said that the line was 45 minutes long, we got in the line and the guy handed me a badge on a string and told me to turn it in at the front. I figured out it was used to guage the length of the lines. We walked the long trek down the qeue but ended up pretty much walking on to the ride - no wait at all. It was a fun ride - Kiki got SOAKED. My legs were soaked, and the front of my shirt, but Kiki and Zachary also got splashed all the way down the front. Thank goodness we were all wearing crocs.

It was time for me to head back. I walked to the front and left, While Kiki and the kids headed off in another direction in the park to finish their day of fun.

I'd pretty much dried by the time I got back to the hotel, but I was going to be rushed. I ordered room service, took a shower and got myself ready to go. I got to the convention center and my co-worker told me that I could go early (I'd ended up having to work all of the day before by myself because of an emergency). I worked until 6 pm - then went back to the room. I got there and Kiki and the kids were in the room, doing homework. We decided to go to the hotel food court for dinner - it was pretty good and they had a big selection. We all walked down to the Pepper Market for dinner. After dinner, we headed back to the room and had a fairly early evening. We'd talked about going swimming or something, but that just wasn't happening.

Sunday Sept 17 ... Work and evening Magic

2006-09-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, I STILL had trouble getting up even though we had made Saturday night a fairly early night. But, it was a morning that we could sleep in a little.

I had to actually work this day (imagine that ... making me work after paying for me to fly to Orlando and stay at Disney). The expo started at 11 am Sunday, and I needed to get down there and set up the table-top display in time for it to open at 11. I'd called down to the business center/package service desk Saturday and they said they would deliver the boxes to the booth.

I got dressed for the show, and made the trek from our building to the convention center located near the front lobby of the hotel. Quite a walk. By the time I made it back to where our booth was in the correct hall, I had blisters. I had been wearing "crocs" which were extremely comfortable but couldn't do that in my pantsuit that I was wearing for work.

I got there about 9 or 9:15 and was setting up the booth. Not long after I got there, my sister and two kids walk into the hall with the lady who had provided my badge at the registration desk. My co-worker had a really bad emergency and would be at the hospital. My cell phone was dead (I forgot my charger!! EEK!!) so my sister left me hers so that I could call and talk to Evelyn.

Kiki then left the hall and took the kids to the pool. Philip held on to my leg and said "I want to stay here and work with you..." (not allowed, and absolutely not in a tanktop and bathing suit!). Finally, Kiki bribed him with something (ice cream or some sort of treat maybe??) and they headed off to the really cool swimming pool.

Their plan was to hang out at the pool, swim, have lunch, and then head to Magic Kingdom to ride a few more rides or see more of the Kingdom before I got there. I had to work until 5 pm, and would meet them in Magic Kingdom when I got off. We had dinner reservasions at Tony's at 6:15 or 6:30.

I left the convention center right at 5, rushed back to the room to change into something more comfortable (and get those horrible blister causing shoes off of my feet). I then rushed to the bus stop, hop on a bus (lucked out, did not have to wait for more than a minute or two) and rode over to the Magic Kingdom. I got there and found Zachary, Philip, and Kiki right in front of Tony's, taking pictures at the Goofy Statue on the bench. They were also searching for a Hidden Mickey that was supposed to be there, but so far, they hadn't found it. It was almost time for our reservation so Kiki went inside to put in our name. We went inside to wait in the air conditioning (this restaurant is "Tony's" from Lady & The Tramp, and the movie was playing in the lobby). We got a little worried because they'd started to seat some people outside. It was HOT! REALLY HOT! After having rushed from the resort, I was not looking forward to eating outside. I'd had no real food to eat that day, and sitting outside would have killed my appetite. Not that I couldn't stand to have my appetite killed every now and then ... but I'd been looking forward to this meal.

They called our name ... and *whew* an inside table. Kiki is allergic to tomatoes, fish, and to chicken (among other things), so the waiter said he'd send the chef out to talk to us. This is the standard practice for those dining with food allergies. The chef will come out, discuss the allergy, and discuss menu options. Though we knew Kiki would have a tough time with this one ... an Italian restaurant.

The chef was held up and it took a really long time for him to come out. The waiter kept coming to apologize. Really, we were catching up on the day (the kids telling me all about the pool), and just chit-chatting. I hadn't realized how long it had been, and we were not upset by this. The chef finally came, and Kiki ended up with the steak. We ordered the calamari, I ordered the Chicken Florentine, Philip had spaghetti and meatballs, and Zachary had the ravioli's. The calamari was outstanding!! Zachary tried it and liked it, and as expected, Philip, my little picky eater wouldn't even touch it.

The manager of the restaurant came by and apologized for the long delay with the chef. We insisted that it was not a problem (I didn't even notice, really). But, he said that it was much longer than they found acceptible, and he gave us a special fast pass - good to bypass any ride line. He said that he hoped it would make up for the time we lost. They were really wonderful there. We thanked him and Kiki put it in her purse. Really ... we encountered no long lines so it wasn't even needed (great scrapbook material though - we kept it).

After dinner, we walked out of Tony's and found that it was dark, and that people were lining up, standing and waiting. We realized that it was time for Wishes, the fireworks show. We watched it while standing just in front of the train station. A somewhat decent view - and it was a magical show.

Finally, we started our last walk up Main Street (for this trip anyway ;) ). The kids were begging to do Buzz Lightyear again, so we went back to Tomorrowland. We got stuck on it this time, and I got a really high score.

I convinced Zachary to try Splash Mountain with me, and he really did like it, though I don't think he saw too much ... I had to keep reminding him to open his eyes. Philip wouldn't ride it, much to my disappointment me. This ride is just SO classic Disney to me. Full of really fun details, long (something like 12 minutes), with just a bit of thrill. I couldn't get either to ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which surprised me because they both wanted to ride this after seeing it on the planning DVD.

We did a few other things, then Philip was getting tired. He said he wanted to go back to the hotel. Zachary wanted to ride Buzz AGAIN. So, we split up. Zachary and I headed back to Buzz, but saw Mickey's Philharmagic (the 3D show) was about to start and made a detour. We watched that again and then headed to Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, by the time we got there (with a few minor detours on the way), it was closed down. The rides in the area were all shutting down, the night was over.

So, a little disappointed, but not terribly so (he took it really well), we headed back to the resort. It was a long ride back, just because we were so tired. We got back to the resort and crashed.

Tomorrow, an early morning for Animal Kingdom....

Saturday Sept 16 ... Magic Kindgom part II

2006-09-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

after lunch...

the kids were asking to ride buzz lightyear again. So we started heading from Adventureland towards Tomorrowland. That brings us through Fantasyland, where we stopped for a ride on It's A Small World. Ok, call me a geek. Yes, it is hoaky. Yes, it is sappy. And I LOVE it. Again, maybe it's the nostalgia thing. This is one of the few rides I really remember riding when I was 4 in Disneyland. I was so excited to see my kids face for this, their first ever It's A Small World ride. This ride screams Disney. BOOM!!!!! That's my bubble bursting. Now, remember my kids are only 6 and 7. And do you know what they said as we got off? "I hated that. How boring. That ride is just stupid." Now, that is the reaction I expect from a "too cool for words" 14 year old boy. But, these are my babies. I made a point to bring them while still young (and for Philip, too short to ride Space Mountain) so that they could experience their innocent child in Disneyworld. Nope, this ride was "stupid and boring". What a dissapointment (for me - they had no expectations).

Well ... on to Buzz ... that is where we were heading. Hey, maybe Buzz is the reason they thought It's a Small World was stupid and boring - it's his fault, maybe I need to hunt him down since he's to blame - forget shooting at Zurg!. So ... off we go.

Hey kids, there is the Peter Pan ride, it's really cool. Umm ... no mom. :( Ok. I'm not going to push, especially given that Snow White scared them and Small world was "stupid".

Turn the corner, "Oh Wait, there is Philharmagic." The really cool 3D theater show that I've heard so much about. "Sorry kids, Mom has just got to try this." It is a new attraction since my last trip to Disneyworld. The kids are actually interested in trying this. Why? They get to wear 3D glasses! (Thanks to IMAX - they remembered the cool 3D bug movie we watched at the IMax theater back home). Virtually no line - less than a 10 minute wait. YAY!!

Disney really goes into so much detail with these shows. The water droplets, the smells (I WANT that pie!), the music, the bursts of air and smell with the champagne corks, just everything. Too bad my contacts were giving me fits. They were dry and making my eyes 'tired' and things felt a little blurry. The 3D effects seemed off to me, but not to the kids. It still was a great show. The diversion was a good one Mom, unlike the "boring and stupid" Small World. No complaints about the Buzz delay this time.

Still ... on to Buzz. Finally, we are back in Tomorrowland. While there, we ride Buzz again (and when I jokingly suggested Stitch's Great Escape again ... NO!!!!!!!, ok, just checking ;) ). We ride the Transit Authority again, a good place to sit and relax. Last night was a late night after and early morning and very long day. We had plans to head back to the resort for a nap before our early dinner reservations, but it was becoming clear that we just wouldn't have enough time to do that. So, we needed to find some relaxing things we could do around the park to kill some time.

First stop ... Carousel of Progress. That lasts nearly 20 minutes. And it is another one of those nostalgic rides for me. The kids kind of liked it (didn't complain about it being boring or stupid). They may have even fallen asleep, though I don't think so. Philip had to go to the bathroom partway through the 3rd section. *sigh* You really can't get out (ok, you can for an emergency, but you just said for the first time you have to go, so you can hold it 5 minutes, right?). He held it but we ran for the bathroom when we got out.

While in that area, we got to meet and get autographs from Stitch and Buzz Lightyear (Buzz's is a stamp).

At this point, we decided to walk out of Magic Kingdom and take the Monorail to Epcot and back. Just for a chance to sit and "ride" and unwind. It is a nice little ride, and the kids really wanted to ride the monorail. We did that, and both kids fell asleep on the ride back. Now, we had just a bit of time left to kill. We hopped on the train at the entrance and rode it around once, and then to the next stop, which is the closest to Liberty Tree Tavern.

We went to dinner at Liberty Tree - it was really good. The forks were true colonial style, the theme was perfect. The meal was a Thanksgiving meal served family style. And it was good. We met Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

After dinner, we started back towards the front and went back to the resort. We were all tired and while we still had a LOT to see at Magic Kingdom, it isn't fun staying to see it if you are tired and cranky. So we went back to the resort and had an early night. It was needed.

Saturday Sept 16 ... Magic Kindgom part I

2006-09-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday Morning .... {I have pictures to add, but need to upload them}

I was tired, but had no trouble waking up. We had scheduled a Disney wake up call (Mickey Mouse and Stitch) but the kids wouldn't wake up to answer it. We did learn that there IS a snooze button on the wake up call ... just don't answer it and it will ring again in ten minutes. That was good to know, since I tend to REQUIRE the snooze at home, otherwise I would be really late every morning.

The kids finally woke up and heard the wake up call, but they were still so groggy and it happened so fast, that I don't think they "got" it. Stitch isn't my favorite character, I wish he wasn't so predominant in the wake up call. Bring back Mickey and the gang. ("It all started with a mouse....")

We got up, had cereal, and were on our way. Our first full day at Disneyworld!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!! WHO'S EXCITED??? WE ARE!!!! Oh yeah, we're home now, I can calm down, right? Yes, we were all SUPER excited.

We headed for the bus stop to catch the bus to Magic Kingdom. I tried to get the kids to sit together for a picture at the bus stop, but they weren't cooperating a whole lot. They were just so excited. The love bugs were HORRIBLE at the bus stop. I actually didn't see them swarming right there (I did on some other areas of the WDW grounds - mostly on the bus), but the benches at the bus stops were covered with dead love bugs. I heard other people complaining about them - they are bad, but don't bug me TOO much. We have them pretty bad at home too, and while they are annoying, they are pretty much harmless - and I don't find them nearly as disgusting and things like cockroaches. blech

{insert picture here}

Walk in to Magic Kingdom. Wow, it is so hot and humid for so early in the day. yuck it's sticky....

Ok, here we are, Magic Kingdom. We head in, but stop for a couple of pictures at the castle.

Where to first? Last night we spent a lot of our time in Tomorrowland. While the kids were already asking for Buzz Lightyear again, we convinced them to head to a land we didn't really have time to explore. PIRATES! YAY! That convinced them.

Into Adventureland. Kiki stopped at a Kiosk to look at something and the kids found wooden guns. They begged for them. Before the trip, I kept saying that I'm not going to use the word "No". We are going to have a fun and positive experience. But ... I'm NOT carrying two wooden rifles around all day. Sorry ... but no. There's that word. Uh-oh. I hated being the mean mom, but I would hate even worse carrying those stupid things all day. I decided that part of the problem was the sitting and waiting while Kiki was looking (and in no way her fault). We were sitting on a bench right at the Adventureland souvenier stand, of course that is tempting for the kids. So, when she was done, I told her that next time, I'll keep going on with the kids (to the next "non-souvenier thing"), so that they weren't left bored with nothing to do but look at things I wouldn't let them buy. LOL She could then catch up to us. That works. She said she would do the same if I wanted to stop to look at something. A much better scenario.

We move on and the kids see the Treehouse. They want to stop. Not the most exciting thing at Disney, but the details are AMAZING. It takes a while to get through it, and when we were almost to the top, Philip starts to freak a bit. He is afraid of heights, and he made the mistake we all know you shouldn't do ... he looked DOWN. OH NO!! He froze, and held on to the rail and couldn't move his feet. Ok, this is a narrow walkway/staircase and there is this long line of people behind us. The treehouse is neat and detailed, but people don't want to be stuck on this non-headliner attraction. I encourage him to look towards the center of the tree, facing the handrail, and to walk up without looking around. He wants down NOW! Ok, but this is a treehouse - no elevator. You got up on the stairs, you have to go down on the stairs. So, he wanted to turn around and go down. Can't do that. See that long line of people behind us? They are coming this way and the walkway is too narrow for two direction traffic (especially with MY big butt!!). Only one more "up" section, I think. Everytime you think you are at the top, you turn a corner and there is another "up" flight. Keep moving...we'll get to go down soon. Finally, the stairway is heading back down.

Ok, we're out. Look - there, you can ride on Magic carpets from Aladin (ok, this just doesn't seem very "Adventureland" to me - but I guess it is where Disney felt it fit best? The kids don't want to ride. Really? Are you sure? Nope. So, we skip the carpets.

Alright, there is the Jungle Cruise. Kind of a wait, let's just get a Fastpass. I always find that the line for Jungle Cruise is HOT - all of that concrete or something, the covered area/shade just doesn't seem to do much to alleviate the heat. If I'm going to have to stand in a long line I want it to be INSIDE with airconditioning (and really, the lines aren't THAT long - it is the slow season and the park, while not empty, isn't super crowded). Grab the fastpass, and head over to the nearby Pirates of the Caribbean.

WOOHOO!! I've been waiting for this. The re-done Pirates, with Jack Sparrow making an appearance. The waterfall with Davy Jones is really cool - and looks like a real water fall. I was starting to panic because I hadn't put my camera inside the ziplock bag. I don't remember hearing of people coming off of this ride wet, but there is a waterfall in front of us. That was well done. Ok, the integrity of the ride (my favorite little details) have remained in tact. And the Jack Sparrow additions are cool.

We come out of Pirates and see Wendy and Peter Pan. Zachary wants to get their autograph, so we get in line. The CM tells us that Peter and Wendy are about to have to go inside for a bit, but will be back out a bit later. We *might* make it through the line if the line moves fast enough. At this point Philip is being whiney and doesn't want to get their autograph. But Zachary does. It's hot. God it's hot. Ugh. Being pulled in two different directions, standing in this hot sun, while the kids fight over standing in a line. Zachary decides to give it up. I feel bad, he is always the one giving in to Philip who is so demanding - and even worse that as the mom I let him do it just to avoid the confrontation with Philip. Philip has GOT to learn he can't always have his way. I point out to him that he needs to THANK his brother and be appreciative, because once again, Zachary gave up something he wanted to do, because of Philip. I don't think that sunk in though. :(

Then, who do we see with a VERY short line!?!?? Captain Hook and Mr. Smee! Zachary was more excited about them than Peter and Wendy anyway. So ... into that line. Philip starts to get afraid. Maybe it was Hook's big evil grin. But he was afraid. But, thankfully he didn't get all irritable because Zachary wanted to meet them. He just quietly sat back on the bench and waited.

Just as we were walking away from Hook and Smee, there is some BIG commotion. Pan goes running behind a fence and slams the gate, with a CM running after him, yelling to give back the hook! The CM runs full force into the gate and slams his body against it, then falling to the ground. The poor guy looked SOOOOO hot in his uniform, and he was running and really playing it up. There is a family with the CM carrying what looks it could be a kind of treasure map. I'd read about the "DISNEY'S FAMILY MAGIC TOUR" and this looked like what this was. One family was walking around with a CM, who was talking to them and having a lot of interaction. Disney's site describes this as "Put on your detective hat as you are immersed in this interactive scavenger hunt. Your Disney trivia knowledge is put to the test as you search high and low for clues in this adventure to save the Magic Kingdom® Park. Kids of all ages enjoy this very magical and very Disney tour. " I've read that the scavenger hunt involved Peter Pan and Captain Hook, so I'm betting that is what this was. This looked like something I would love to do with the kids on a future trip. It runs about $30 each for 2-1/2 hours. NOT something to do when you don't have a lot of time in the parks. But for another trip (yes, we are talking "next time" already, at least the kids and I are).

On to the Jungle Cruise... Fast pass, walk right on. It is corny and hoaky and full of very obviously fake animals. The tour guide has lots of corny jokes, but this guys delivery was pretty good. I still like the ride, but am pretty sure it is strictly for the nostalgia factor. Really, the kids seemed pretty bored.

After the Jungle Cruise, the kids tried the remote control boats just outside the exit. What a total waste of money. The steering wheels work pretty well if you know how to steer, even just a little. But, to turn right, my kids would both spin the steering wheel to the right at full blast, 20 or 30 times. The boat would spin in circles to the right. So, they'd (obviously the thing to do, right??) spin it 20 or 30 times full speed to the left, causing the boat to just spin in the opposite direction. Half the time they couldn't figure out which boat was theirs (um, the only two MOVING - we are the only ones here). But since they'd push their boat into an obstacle and try to move forward full speed ahead, it wasn't very clear to them. Then, they'd move it from forward to reverse over and over and over again....without any time in between for the boat to actually move. Nope, they won't be driving ANYTIME soon!! Ugh. No, I won't give you another $1 coin to waste on that again. Yes, we still have the extra tokens I got when I had to convert bills to coins so you could play with these boats. But, I find it a better value to save the remaining tokens as scrapbook embellishments than to dump this in the machine so you can spin a steering wheel in circles. You know, you can spin the steering wheel with nothing happening WITHOUT putting money in it.

Enough of that ... let's move on.

We are trying to decide where to go next. We spot Jack Sparrow outside of Pirates, giving a demonstration and entertaining guests. But the crowd is pretty big. The kids can't see from the ground behind the 5 people deep crowd, and we appeared to have missed most of the show anyway. So, we move on. The kids are starting to say that they are hungry. To Pecos Bill's for burgers (BBQ for me). Wow those burgers are big!! They each ate 1/3, and threw out 2/3 (and really, ate enough for me to be satisfied with how much they ate). Next time, they are splitting a burger.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

2006-09-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY NIGHT ... still September 15...

So, just about 7 pm, we head into Magic Kingdom. As our special tickets are scanned at the turnstile, they give us each a bright orange wristband. This says that we are supposed to be there. They are handing out trick or treat bags as we walk up to the train station overpass.

The square just on the other side of the train station isn't too packed, and there is fog and scary Halloween music playing. We start into the park, and the kids are beyond excitement.

The treck up main street was a bit like fish swimming upstream. There was a mass exodus of the day park visitors. The Halloween party is a special event / "hard ticket" event, which means that the regular admisssion ticket is not good for the night of the party. Magic Kingdom was closing down earlier than their normal evening hours, just for the party.

Once we squeezed our way up main street, past all of the people exiting, our wrist bands were checked again and we were ushered into Tomorrowland. There, we rode Buzz Lightyear, Stitch (were we were in line with another pirate, really nice guy in a great costume), Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and I TRIED to get Zachary to ride on space mountain, but that didn't happen. Oh well, I think I can next time. Kiki rode space mountain while I took the kids through the trick or treat line just outside of the Carousel of Progress (which wasn't open for this). The line there for candy was the longest I saw all night.

It rained a little harder than comfortable for ignoring the drops, and we spent a little bit of time standing under the Transit Authority overpass. I had forgotten the ponchos at the room, but to be honest, I HATE being damp and hot under as plastic poncho. I'd rather just get wet, and then allow my clothes to BREATH as they are drying off. I kept repeating the mantra, we won't melt...let's march on. But secretly, I wasn't enjoying the rain. LOL

From Tomorrowland, we headed over to Mickey's Toon Town, which is right next to Tomorrowland. We got the kids on Goofy's Barnstormer and they loved it. Philip I think more so than Zachary, and Zachary was the one who was less afraid to try it. Philip laughed and laughed through the entire ride, saying "I'm crazy for doing this. I'm nuts. I can't believe I'm riding this." But he laughed and laughed the entire time. The line was just non-existent for the ride, and we tried to get them to go again, but they were ready to move on.

The next stop was a trick or treat station inside a ship (is that Donald's ship? I can't remember). The water spouts weren't going on it, which was a good thing. We were wet enough. Then, a CM (Cast Member) standing in front of Mickey's tent informed us that Mickey was in and available. The line there was probably the longeset line we stood in all night. It wasn't bad at all, but it took a good 15 minutes to get finished with that, if not a bit longer. Mickey was dressed up like a scarecrow, and the kids were ready with their autograph books.

After Toontown, we headed to the Haunted Mansion. On the way there, we were stopped by CM's who had major walkways blocked off. It was time for Hallowishes. This was the best fireworks show I've ever seen, and we were NOT in an ideal spot. We were stuck behind the castle, and a big part of the show happens in front of the castle. It is designed to best be viewed from in front of the castle with all of the fireworks going off at the castle and behind it. But from our vantage point we were between where the fireworks were blasted off from - kind of in the middle of if. Actually, some were shot off of the roof of the buildings we were standing right next to (such as Peter Pan's Flight). The show went on for a LONG time, and there fireworks were just amazing. I wish I was at a place where I could have used my little tripod and taken a few pictures, but my vantage point wasn't that great (as far as pictures went), and I was standing in a crowd, all looking up.

Once the fireworks were done, we continued on to the Haunted Mansion. Again, there was no line. We walked right up, and into the stretching room for the pre-ride 'show'. The kids had been really excited about this ride, having seen it many many MANY times on their Disneyland Fun Sing-A-Long video tape. But, in the end, it was just a bit too scary for them. They rode, and were gracious about it, but said that they did NOT want to go again. It is still one of my favorite rides. Wait, what am I saying? I say that about a LOT of rides. Over half of the rides at Disney are considered "one of my favorite rides". Don't make me pick. ;)

The line for the party picture in front of the Haunted Mansion was pretty long and we decided not to wait. I'm sorry now that I didn't because I've seen how some came out and it was a great picture. We headed to Main Street.

Kiki had plans to meet up with a couple of people at Casey's (hot dog stand on Main Street) for the 2nd parade of the evening. Zachary was hungry, and Philip said he was, but decided against eating. I took Zachary and Philip to get something to eat and drink, and we sat at a table just outside Casey's while Kiki searched out the people she was meeting. While Zachary was eating, the Headless Horseman came riding up the parade route. I'd heard about this, and it was an amazing sight. The horse was HUGE, and the costume was great. He was moving fast, though I heard not as fast as normal because of the wet pavement. I was actually surprised to see him at all since I'd heard he doesn't ride when it has rained.

The group Kiki had met up with had a spot staked out for the parade right on the street, and allowed Zachary and Philip to sit on the curb and watch with them. I thougth that was really great (since we waited to last minute to mosey up - but I wanted them to eat something first). The parade was really good. LOTS of villians. Most of my pictures did not come out great. I still need to learn the proper settings for my camera for night 'movement' shots. Most of the pictures show lots of swirls where there had been people. But Kiki did get some good shots with her camera (and she had a better vantage point than me). I did get a couple that showed mainstreet, all dark and set up for the parade. It looked really cool, and only a little erie.

The kids were getting tired and we had plans to head back to Magic Kingdom early Saturday morning. So we headed back to the hotel room. On the bus, I ran into Evelyn, the lady from work who was there to work the tradeshow with me. She was with her oldest daughter and her grandson. We talked the whole way back to the resort, and only a little bit about work, mostly about what they had done earlier in the week at the parks.

The kids were REALLY tired at this point, and unwound rather fast. I, on the other hand, was having a hard time unwinding.

Disney trip ... continued...Downtown Disney

2006-09-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we were just a bit later than I anticipated getting to Downtown Disney. We had a bit too much fun in the hotel room (ok ... hubby was NOT with me, just me, the kids, and my sis - so not THAT kind of fun ... get your head out of the gutter).

We had a great package from "Mickey" waiting for us when we got in the room. We spent some time going through that, taking pictures of the room (for the scrapbook - and you've got to do that before you do ANYTHING else - it is never as neat and tidy as it is the minute you walk into it the first time).

Just as we were about to leave, our luggage arrived. SOOOOOO fast. I'd read reports about it taking a long time to get luggage, but we definitely beat the 'promised' 3 hour window. Ok, luggage is here, we've got to dig for a few things before we go.

Finally ... walk to the bus stop to catch a ride to Downtown Disney.

I had a list of things to look for. And I didn't get to do most of them. First was a pirate costume for the kids for the (still surprise at this point) party that night ... Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP as abbreviated on the Disney message board where I got all of my tips and tricks for this trip). Darn, the costumes all looked EXTREMELY hot. And it was HOT. Did I say HOT? I meant HHHHHOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! Like, melting in the sun in under 30 seconds, hair dripping wet, face melting off, humid, clothes stick to places you don't want to be touched ... HOT! Now, you're probably saying, she lives in New Orleans. Come on. Yep, I do. And I've learned not to go outside unless absolutely necessary. We go from an air conditioned house, straight into an air conditioned car, and run into an air conditioned building. Who stays outside in this heat? What was I thinking? Oh yeah, nearly free Disney trip. That's what I was thinking.

Ok, but I still don't have to actually LIKE the heat. (Though ignoring it didn't make it go away, as much as I tried).

So, the pirate costumes were out. I knew the kids would not make it in that heat. Just way too hot for plastic-backed, fake velvet. EWWWWW!!! But they were happy with the alternative. Pirates of the Caribbean T-shirts, with pirate hats (Zachary- Mickey ears with gold earing and bandana, and Philip-regular pirates hat). They also got the swords (which I was NOT going to carry around the party), Capt Hook hooks for their hands (also too hot to deal with for the party), leather eye patches with their names engraved, leather band bracelets also with their names engraved, and a few other pirate accessories. We did this at World of Disney, a HUGE store in Downtown Disney with it's own little pirate section.

Kiki took FOREVER checking out (well, she didn't - the clerk walked away and disappeared, so she had to start over again waiting in another line). I waited outside with the kids who couldn't WAIT to do their sword fighting. *rollseyes*

It was then time to head to Rainforest Cafe where we had late lunch plans. Kiki met us there just as we were about to get our table. I had a Margarita in a flashing/blinking cup (that I got to keep, now of course the kids are going to fight over this, but I'm not buying another $12 drink just to get another one). The kids LOVED the Rainforest theme. The thunderstorms went off every 22 minutes, and Zachary made a big deal about keeping time and knowing with the next one would come. The animals came to life every so often. Our table was situated right next to a couple of the big elephants. I knew that the kids would enjoy this, and they did.

After lunch, we started back towards the bus to go back to the hotel. We had planned to get to Magic Kingdom about 5:30 for the party, but it was becoming clear that it would not be possible. We went back to the room, and started getting dressed. It was somewhere around this time when we told the kids about the party. They didnt think they were going to a Disneyworld PARK until the next day. They were VERY excited.

We got to Magic Kingdom right about 7 pm.

Disney trip continued ... we land.

2006-09-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

The flight was nice, once the seating was settled, the kids were good. Kiki and I got to talk to each other, and I got to talk to the kids. They were really excited the whole flight.

We landed a bit early (thank you nice pilot LOL). I have heard some complaints about Disney's Magical Express (also known as DME - Disney's free shuttle bus service to the resorts if staying on property), but it was a GREAT experience for us. Not having to wait at baggage claim was such a nice treat. We followed the directions I had to the check-in. An employee directed me to the check-in, and Kiki and the kids to a lounge area to sit and wait. The line was non-existant and we were checked in almost immediately. We then went straight to a waiting bus (now, here, we were one of the last to board, so I am pretty sure the others had been waiting a while, but we took off not long after we boarded the bus). The driver put our carry-on luggage under the bus and we were on our way. Just a few stops to drop off people at another resort or two and we were at Coronado Springs Resort.

I'd also heard that check-in lines at our resort could be bad. But that wasn't the case. I walked right up (and I swear I didn't cut in any line), and was helped but a REALLY nice lady. We got all checked in. And what a nice surprise A WATER VIEW ROOM. I had a standard view (translation: parking lot) booked. Free upgrade. YAY!!

The view from our hotel room window/door:

We were off to our room to get settled in, with plans to head straight to Downtown Disney......

(back later for more).

Disney trip - Friday Sept 15.

2006-09-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Disneyworld was fabulous. Everything we planned/expected.

Friday - September 15.

Kiki came over Thursday night to spend the night, because we had to leave for the airport so early in the morning and she lives an hour north of me. We were hoping that would give her an extra hour of sleep in the morning ... but both of use were so excited that we were awake around 4:30, well before the alarm went off. We'd packed up the car the night before, with the exception of my cellphone charger (had it plugged in), toothbrushes, last minute make up kit (we'd be taking pictures, I couldn't NOT have make-up on when we left the house), etc.

The kids on the otherhand struggled to get up. Once Philip was awake enough to realize it was D-Day, he jumped up and tried to get his brother to wake up. Zachary wouldn't budge. I took a while to get him moving. Last minute packing happened and we were off to the airport.

We parked at Park-N-Fly, and caught the shuttle to curbside check-in. The line wasn't too bad there, just a few people in front of us. We figured we had it made. Usually when I fly out that early in the morning, the security lines aren't too bad. We got inside and the security line for our terminal was HUGE. Wrapping through parts of the airport. The other terminals had virtually no line. I explained to the kids everything they would have to do once we got to the front. I didn't want to have to argue about removing shoes with a long line of people behind us. I explained that their backpacks would go on the conveyor belt, as well as their shoes, and that they would have to walk through the metal detector alone. That went well. *whew*

We were in the A group (flying the cattle-call airlines Southwest), and selected a row where the kids and I sat in one row, with Kiki across the aisle from me. ACK! The fighting over the window seat. What was I thinking? Zachary was in the window seat, Philip cried. Finally, Zachary switched with him (his own doing, I was telling Philip that he would get the window on the way back). Zachary said he'd rather sit next to me anyway. He's so sweet. We took off and the look of excitement on the kid's faces was great. Kiki did remember to take a couple of pictures (my camera was packed away in the camera bag, which was packed away snugly in the rolling carry-on suitcase located in the bin above my head).

*more to come*....

Another next step with the house.

2006-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

I spoke with my contractor today to let him know that we have the cable-lock scheduled, and to start making arrangements to schedule to have carpet installed upstairs. I am a little concerned - he told me that they are no longer in business as Roughneck Construction (their name ... what was I thinking????? - I know!! but the guy's family lives in our subdivision so and they were doing several houses that flooded in the neighborhood). He said that the carpenters he used are still in business, and he is still doing general contracting but his partner has moved on and the business is dissolved. If my roof leaks in 2 years, who do I call? I'm starting to get really worried.

They also hadn't completed the work that they started, but I also hadn't finished paying them (since it wasn't complete).

I went ahead and had him schedule the carpet installers for a few weeks from now, but I think I'll handle getting tile installers on my own, get my own plumber to re-install the plumbing downstairs, and will just let them finish fixing what we were unhappy with (some of the carpentry), and install the kitchen cabinets.

Again ... at least we are moving forward again.

And ... ONE WEEK UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR DISNEYWORLD!!! I'm going to finish packing almost everything this weekend. I'll just have to throw some of my clothes, and toiletries in last minute.

Good news ... we have a date

2006-09-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

I finally spoke with the shoring company (foundation leveling/raising contractor), Cable-Lock today. We have a date. We are scheduled for the week of November 13. Chris was a bit disappointed because this probably means that we won't be finished in time for Christmas, but I'm a bit hopeful. I'm going to call our contractor tomorrow and let him know, and see if the flooring and remaining painting/trim can be scheduled for late November or early December. And make arrangements for a plumber as soon as the tile is completed. We may not be completely done by Christmas, but it is possible that we will be mostly done. Maybe I'm a bit optimistic (and we all know that Chris is extremely pessimistic). But maybe by New Years at most? Really, I think (maybe I'm wrong) that once the slab is level, as long as we don't have scheduling conflicts, that the remaining interior work won't take more than 2-3 weeks. I do have to replace the plumbing under the house once the slab is back in place. But, that won't really affect any of the interior work.

The excitement is building...

2006-09-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are so very excited. We now have only 10 days until we leave for Disneyworld!!! I have a lot of things packed already, including quite a few surprises for the kids. All three of us talk about the trip a lot. We are a little sad that Chris can't go with us, but I don't think that he is. We are trying to convince him that we NEED another Disneyworld trip next spring, and that he NEEDS to come with us. I think that it will be easier to sway him once we come back with pictures and talk of our experiences.

I've got personalized "I can't wait" Disney shirts for each of the kids (to wear the day we fly to Disney). Those are hidden away and will be pulled out the night before we leave, after the kids are in bed, when I lay out their clothes for the morning. The Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party is a COMPLETE surprise to them. They know it exists, but think that it only happens in October because the Disney trip planner DVD says so. Only, I know that they added dates to it and that the first night of the party is our first night there. The kids will get to pick out costumes the morning of our first day, but won't know that they'll be wearing them that night.

I've also got a bunch of the "glow stick" necklaces and bracelets to surprise them with (I bought a bunch really cheap, Disney sells them for about $5 each - so I'm bringing a supply with us). The kids each have their spending money put aside, and I've got a list of things we want to remember to get. No child should have their first Disney trip without getting personalized Mickey Mouse ears (right?). What about Mom? I might even get a pair of Minney Mouse ears. Will I look like an idiot? Really, it is Disneyworld, the happiest place on earth. Who cares if I look like an idiot - as long as we are all having fun!!

10 MORE DAYS!!!! I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else.

It's been a year ... and quite a year at that.

2006-08-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a year ... and quite a year at that.

I just celebrated my 36th birthday, and this past year was certainly the strangest and most memorable of my life.

On my 35th birthday, we sat in fear and in shock over what was occurring in our city - and we were powerless to do anything about it. We were saddened, and scared, but we were so very lucky. Watching so many people being lifted from their rooftops by helicopters, or rescued from their attics by boats that floated as high as the roof - I knew that was uncomfortable as we were, we were all together, and we were safe.

This last year has been very trying. Not having a home to return to, dealing with contractors and insurance. Living with in-laws for months and months. Stress on our marriage.

From it, we've learned to be stronger. We've learned about ourselves, and we've learned about each other. Our marriage is stronger for it. I hope to never have to go through this again, but in a small way I'm glad I did. (NO - I would NOT choose the same path again, not that I chose a path to begin with, but if I had my choice, the events of the past year would not have happened).

This year, I had planned for my birthday to be fun and uplifting. It is hard when the rest of the city is mourning. The memorial services. The bells ringing all over the city, marking the time that various levies broke. There was no listening to the radio or watching tv, if you wanted to avoid coverage of the anniversary of Katrina. So I watched, and I cried.

Last week, we watched Spike Lee's 4-1/2 hour documentary. I am not a fan of his, but I was EXTREMELY impressed. The documentary was very well done. The interviews covered all angles, and all opinions. It was fair, and balanced. It showed the good and the bad - for everyone. I hope that everyone, all around the country takes the time to watch this. It isn't just about New Orleans, and my city. It is about our country, my country. Everyone can learn from the mistakes, from the tears, and from the warm hearts that opened up across the country. We watched this HBO documentary last week, though it did replay Tuesday night as well. Tuesday night we watched local coverage, even though I had planned not to. Chris said he just couldn't not watch. So of course the tears flowed - for both of us.

Finally, I went to the trailer and watched a cute Chick Flick (In Her Shoes). Something light and fun. That helped. It wasn't a big fun joyous birthday, but it was still much better than last year.

The next morning and Chris and I talked on our cell phones on my way to work, he said "This is it. Today is the day. I am tired of being depressed and it just can't continue." And his mood was much less somber Wednesday night. Things are looking up. This is a new day, a new year.

Well, I give up (not really)

2006-08-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

We got a final answer from our flood insurance company. After 6 months of "I'm looking into it" from our adjuster, they finally came back and told us NO. It can't be proven that the problem with our foundation/slab was caused by the flooding during Katrina. The structural report that I have is nearly 6 years old, so there "could have been normal settling over the last 6 years, and we don't cover normal settling". I did not think to hire an engineer during the less than 48 hours we had to evacuate. I know now that it is important to regularly hire an engineer to do an inspection of the house, to prove that it isn't already broken (at the cost of $2,000 each time). The fact that my doors did not slam shut on their own the day we evacuated, and they do now may very well be an indication that the slab moved during the flood, but there is no proof that I'm right in saying that it didn't happen before. The nails protruding out of the wall in my bedroom, and the cracks in the bedroom ceiling ... yep, the titled slab would have caused that. But again, there is absoutely no proof in my possession that shows that these things did not exist prior to the hurricane.

So, we are stuck. The cost to fix this is $30,000. The cabinets sitting in boxes in my living room can't be installed until the slab is level. The countertop can't be measured until the cabinets are installed. The tile can't be installed until the slab is level. The plumbing under the house can't be replaced until the slab is in place.

I did something that we didn't want to do, but at this point I just want my house FIXED and back to its pre-Katrina (pre-K as it is now known around here) condition. The SBA loan won't cover it - I can borrow about $7,000 of it at a low interest, but that isn't enough. We considered just a conventional second mortgage against the equity on the house, or refinancing. But the interest rates have gone up. We have only 14 years left on our mortgage (compared to the 30 we had when we bought the house 6 years ago), and if we refinanced we would have to spread it out further because of the increase in interest. I saved $78,000 when I refinanced and shortened the length of the loan. That is a step backwards.

So, I have 401K money that can be withdrawn without penalty because of our status as a huricane victim. I'll have 3 years to pay the income tax on it. So ... I took out the money to fix the slab. I've been putting into it since I was 19 years old. I'm only 36. I'll be putting into it for another 30 years. It isn't ideal, but it isn't horrible either. And I didn't come close to taking all of it out.

Now, we can move forward again. I've got a call in to Cable Lock to get an appointment scheduled. I've heard that the waiting list is now about 2 months. Maybe if things go right, we'll be back into our house just about a year after we got the FEMA trailer (sometime in mid-January). I'm not holding my breath, but MAYBE????

Still left to do ...
install new carpet upstairs and paint bedroom
level slab
replace plumbing under the house
install cabinets, then measure/order counter top
install tile file
install countertop
have new kitchen appliances delivered and install
install bathroom downstairs (toilet, sink)
finish the trim downstairs, install glass french doors in den
touch up painting downstairs
move furniture HOME!!
work on yard (need dirt/fill, new sod, new patio or deck, re-side the garage)

At least we are moving forward after being stuck with no progress for nearly 6 months.

Chicago

2006-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't get back until LATE last night. My 6:22 flight (supposed to arrive in New Orleans at 8:37) didn't board until about 7:30. There was bad weather in other parts of the country, and just south of Chicago not where we were) that had closed a lot of the flying "lanes" - slowing down incoming and outgoing plane traffic. LOTS of cancelled flights, the airport was full of people trying to re-book and hoping to get out last night.

The girl from the office that I was flying with said "at least we're stuck waiting here, the worst is when you get stuck waiting on the runway inside of the plane". MISTAKE (I later told her it was her fault).

Get on the plane, next to a group of about 10 thirty-something guys from Chicago heading to a weekend long bachelor party in New Orleans. Their party had started (actually, they hadn't been drinking yet - just having a real good time). We move away from the jetway and start taxing around runways (lots of them at O'Hare!).

Then, we come to a stop and the engines cut off. Outside of the window we can see airplanes all around us, parked. The pilot comes on the intercom and says "Sorry folks....." There were lots and lots of planes ahead of us, some have been waiting for hours. They have to take off before we can. One had been sitting there for 4-1/2 hours and had to go back to the terminal for more fuel. Though he expected at that point that our wait would be just an hour or so. The seat belt sign is off, feel free to move around the cabin, use cell-phones, etc. Stay in YOUR assigned cabin (no loitering in first class). Oh, and we will be serving dinner and beverages in first class - coach, you just have to wait until we take off (for drinks - no food will be served). Damn, I KNEW I should have grab that McDonald's burger from the stand across from the gate. I didn't want fast food and knew that Chris had cooked. I could wait until I got home for real food. Or that is what I told myself when I thought we were taking off at 7:15.

Bachelor party gets up and moves around. They are having fun. I just want to get home. I've got a huge blister on the BOTTOM of my foot from all of the walking I did in Chicago. I'm tired, and I'm hungry. Ok, I'll dig into the Leonardo DaVinci biography that I picked up after viewing the DaVinci exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. I'm tired, making serious reading a bit harder. Maybe I should have brought a light novel. Can't sleep on the plane ... what if I snore?

Boy it would be nice if they served us drinks right now. Oh, gotta call Chris and let him know. It is now after 8, and he thought I was in the air on my way home. I'll be even later than I said when I called just before boarding. Now, it's been an hour since the pilot told us "it will be an hour or so". How much of the "or so" will we have to endure?

Finally, the seat belt sign comes back on. It is nearly 9:30. The flight attendant makes an announcement, "it is our turn. Fasten seat belts, trays up, seat backs up...blah blah.." Lots of cheering! We start our taxi along the runway again. And we take off. The two hour flight seemed LONG. I was tired of sitting and my legs were getting stiff.

We landed around 11:30. By this time my legs and my butt HURT. I wanted to get up and walk around so bad. And I've got to pee. Don't want to wait in that long line to use that cramped stinky little bathroom. I can hold it, can't I? I think I just felt the plane drop. Could be starting our descent? Feels like it. Yes, I can wait.

The pilot comes on again, prepare for landing - seat backs up, tray tables up, fasten those seat belts, We will be on the ground in about 25 minutes. Maybe I should have taken the opportunity to use that little cramped bathroom with the bad smell. Can I wait 25 minutes? Sure, just don't think about it, not like I have a choice.

We finally landed. I made a run for the bathroom as soon as I could. But why is it whenever I land in our airport late at night, that the plane is ALWAYS placed at the gate at the farthest end of the terminal? No one else is there. It is a ghost terminal. Why can't we be parked at the first empty place? My feet hurt. And it's late. And this blister on the bottom of my foot is about 2 inches long and now feels like it is filled with fluid. Hurts to walk.... At least by the time we reached the baggage claim, our bags were there and people were getting their bags off of the belt. No standing around waiting for the belt to move this time.

I got a ride home and finally got my dinner about 1 am. And I left a message for my boss that I would be late in the morning.

The trip? It was mostly business. But I did have a bit of time to have some fun. I got to do some of the things that I haven't been able to do before. The Field Museum was great. We didn't get to see the Tut exhibit but we went through the rest of the museum's Egyptian exhibit. Then, we had dinner at Kinzie's Chop House (I've never been there before - and it was very good). We did something else I've never done before. A Chicago River/Lake Michigan boat tour. 90 minutes up and down the river and out into the lake, with information about the architecture and buildings on the river and lake shores. We did the 7:15 trip so it was an evening trip, as the sun went down and the skyline from the lake was beautiful. Sunday I took a cab down to the Museum of Science and Industry. Went through that and spent nearly 2 hours in the DaVinci exhibit. The DaVinci exhibit was well worth the extra $11. It was VERY interesting and I learned a lot. Most of it focused on his architectural/engineering designs and notebooks. He was so ahead of his time ....

Had several really good meals, from higher end places to the fun little neighborhood bar & grill we found (thanks to the security guard at the hotel) a few blocks behind our hotel.

I'm back to reality and back to work. Home Sweet Home....

2006-06-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

I finally uploaded some pictures off of my camera. When I was in Seattle earlier this month, a friend drove me to Snoqualmie Falls. All of grainy look in this photo is actually mist. The look-out gazebo that hangs over the cliff and gives you a better view of the falls was being inundated with mist so bad that I didn't want to risk damaging my camera (you really got wet standing there).

There is a resort that sits right next to the top of the falls - I bet it is a nice place to stay with an amazing view (and probably and amazing price too).

We are thinking about karate or tae kwan do for Zachary. He really needs something to help boost his confidence, and I think the discipline would be good for him. There is a one week karate camp - that cost about as much as a month (maybe even two) of karate lessons. Chris was considering the camp, but I wonder how much of the day is spent on karate - is it really intense - making the total number of karate hours equal to a month of lessons (making the cost worth it). I doubt it.

I'm really excited today. Today I made the hotel, airline, and park ticket reservations for a little trip to Disney. I am actually going there for a conference with work. My hotel/food/airline is paid for. The perfect time to take the kids along, stay an extra day, and take the kids to their first Disneyworld trip. One of the work days is only 1/2 a day, so it really works out well. My sister is going to come with us (Chris can't go - it is during the semester and he has to teach). She will stay with the kids and take them to the parks while I'm working. I'm really looking forward to it. This has been a possibility that I've known about for about a month, but today I solidified the plans and made reservations. We got great airline rates ($181 round trip, non-stop flights). The kids don't know yet. I'm trying to decide if I should use it as a carrot and tell them now - though I can't get my money back, so even if they DON'T behave, we are going (and I HATE idle threats), or if I wait. But I'm so excited I don't know if I can hold it in. It is only 2-1/2 months away, but that can be an eternity to a 6 or 7 year old. I don't know if I'm ready for the "how much longer till Disneyworld?" questions. Philip's been doing the "how much longer till my birthday" thing since May - and his birthday isn't until August.

2006-06-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Still no word from the insurance company. I'm going to have Chris call the adjuster tomorrow to see if he has the report from the engineer, and to see what our status is. Word on the street (ok, in the news/on the radio/etc) is that the insurance companies are dragging their feet as long as they can. There is an August 29 deadline to settle claims (1 year anniversary of the storm). And what I've heard is that they don't have to pay if it isn't settled by the deadline. What I find VERY hard to believe is that if you are in a dispute, they can just ignore you, not return your calls, and not give a judgement on your claim - just holding out for the deadline so the whole thing is just dropped. That doesn't seem like it can be completely true. Otherwise, no insurance company would pay any claim, and just wait it out until the deadline has passed. I'm still hopeful that everything will work out, and Chris assumes we will be denied and stuck with a sinking house that had no signs of sinking prior to the storm. So typical ... I'm always very optimistic, and he is ever the pessimist.

I found a new Vietnamese Noodle place that opened not too far from my office. Picked up dinner last night (instead of cooking). I was hoping to avoid cooking tonight too, but the kids weren't crazy about the dinner. Actually, Zachary just wasn't feeling well and did not feel like eating, and Philip refused to try anything I put on his plate. He ate 2 shrimp, several bites of plain white rice, and left the rest. Of course at bedtime he claimed he was hungry. I told him his plate was still waiting for him at the table (truthfully, it had been sitting out long enough and had seafood in it - that I wouldn't allow him to eat that - but I would make him another plate of the same thing). His dad gave him 1/2 a banana (I wouldn't have done that), and he went to bed, still somewhat hungry. I'm not a short-order cook, and you eat what the familly eats. But, I need to make sure that I make things I know he will eat interchanged in there with giving him new foods to try. I know he will "eat when he is hungry", but I'm not trying to tortute the kid. I just want him to get over this "I don't like anything but junk" attitude. He hasn't been allowed junk at all recently, I'm hoping that helps.

It's still hot out there. I'm hoping to take the kids swimming again tonight after dinner, but it depends on how fast I get dinner cooked.

Summer heat...

2006-06-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Darn it's hot!! REALLY hot. Today would be a great day for the swimming pool, but our country club is hosting a swim meet tonight (pool is closed for it) and I've got a PTO board meeting.

Last night was good though. I got home from work and Chris had the kids finishing up dinner. We all changed into our suits and went to the pool for a couple of hours. We swam until about 8 o'clock, went home and all showered the chlorine out of our hair. Chris put the kids to bed while I ran over to the past PTO Treasurer's house to get the financial records and files from him (I am the new Treasurer).

Today I spent my lunch hour at the Farmer's Market. I got some really long pole beans (I think they called these asparagus beans or something like that), fresh corn, cucumbers, and sprouts. I also got my farm fresh eggs, butter, and heavy cream. But it was so hot outside that I was ready to come back to the office.

Insurance company comes out again

2006-06-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got someone from the insurance company to come back out. My adjuster has had my supplemental claim (for the slab leveling) for months. After many phone calls and Chris finally taking over the phone calls (he is not as nice as I am), they sent an engineer to the house Wednesday. Chris said he didn't do much - took 3 measurements and asked that we fax him a copy of the report from when we had the house inspected by Cable-lock.

Hopefully we will know something really soon.

I spent nearly a week in Seattle - what a beautiful city when you can see through the fog/clouds. Really though, it was a neat city. I stayed downtown at the W (REALLY nice hotel - with great cocktails) - our tradeshow was just a short walk from the convention center.

I got to see several friends while I was there - that was a bonus. I stayed the night with my friend Bonnie, we got to hang out, we cooked together (ok - she did most of it, I made mango salsa and stir-fried the asparagus), walked downtown Seattle a bit, and just enjoyed each other's company. She is a great person and such a wonderful hostess. She's got a great dog too, Maggie - the sweetest thing. Friday night two other of our friends came over (Tracy, and Andrea with her 3 kids - the older two had grown SO much since I met them when they had a trip here to New Orleans, and I hadn't even seen Caleb, the baby). Saturday we drove to Snoqualmie Falls. We had lunch at the cafe made famous by Twin Peaks (GREAT burgers!!!). I took a bunch of pictures but haven't loaded them off of my camera yet. That afternoon I had a massage in my room, relaxed, slept, read some of my book and just relaxed.

Sunday, I got to see my best friend from elementary school (and still my best friend in the world - we always pick up as if we talked yesterday even if it's been 6 months or a year), Desi. She was in Seattle (she lives about 3 hours south of Seattle) with a friend for the friend's graduation. We had brunch at Ivar's, right on the water with a great view. Then we walked back to my hotel and had a drink in the lobby lounge before they had to get on the road to head home and I had to head to the convention center for the opening day of the exhibit.

Tuesday I got sick. At the show, I started feeling very very cold. I was shivering, bone aching kind of cold. On the walk back to the hotel after an early dinner (Linda went shopping, I wanted to go to bed), I broke out in a horrible sweat and got really weak. But I made the walk back without collapsing. The flight home Wednesday was pretty uneventful - I slept most of it (something I NEVER do - I just can't get comfortable enough on a plane to sleep - but I slept most of both of the flights home). I got home Wednesday evening and had a fever of 103.5, and I was coughing horribly. This lasted, and lasted. Finally on Monday I went to the doctor and found I had bronchitis. He gave me an antibiotic, some prescription cough syrup, and instructions.

Today is Friday and while I am still coughing (and feeling some pain in my chest from it), I feel 100% better than I did earlier this week. I hate missing work, but couldn't make it in Friday, Monday, or Tuesday.

Wow .. I'm REALLY behind on this thing...

2006-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened ... yet not a lot ... since my last update.

In mid-January we got a FEMA trailer in the front yard of our house. Very lovely ... but at least we have a place to cook, for the kids to do homework and hangout, etc. We are luckier than some ... our house is 2 stories and the interior of the upstairs was undamaged. So, we are sleeping in our own beds/bedrooms and using real (full size) bathrooms instead of the little tiny shower in the trailer.

We have walls that are mostly painted (still need some touch-up by the painter, and some trimwork re-done). We are waiting to install the glass french doors between the back den/office and the dining room until after the house is leveled.

That leveling ... that is where we are at a stand-still.

The flood waters got trapped under the house (when the waters receded, what was trapped in the pocket under the house couldn't recede and slowly soaked into the ground). The water soaking into the ground and sitting there caused the ground to "become like jello" and the pilings to shift. This caused the house to tilt forward nearly 5" (from the front to the back - the back is 5" higher than the front).

According to the engineer who inspected the house, it was clearly caused by the flood and was not uncommon during the storm. I have the inspection report from when we purchased the house in 2000, showing that the foundation and pilings were solid and that the slab had no sinking/tilting. Since we live in an area (most of Greater New Orleans) that sinks, that is really important when buying a house - are the pilings stable?? Since the house was 32 years old when we bought it, and level with stable pilings, that meant that the house was not settling and that we were considered "safe" from sinking. The fact that we now have sunk and are tilting nearly 5", such a short time later, with an event that clearly CAN cause the pilings to become unstable, this should be a clear-cut insurance claim with our flood insurance. The flood caused the house to sink ... according to the engineer we had inspect it.

The cost to level the house and install new pilings is approximately $30,000. If we tried to sell the house today, any mortgage company for a buyer would insist that this be corrected before they would provide a mortgage on the property. Effectively dropping my property value by $30,000.

The insurance company is stating "we don't cover normal settling", and is giving us the run around. We sent the proof (copy of engineers report, and the initial inspection report when we bought the house) over two months ago. He told me 2 weeks ago that they want to send out their own engineer for an inspection. We are still waiting for that.

In the meantime, we can't do anything else. My cabinets have been delivered but can't be installed. It would be a bad idea to attach them to the walls prior to leveling the house - because the process could cause shifting that may tear them away from the walls or cause the sheetrock to crack behind the cabinets. The same with the flooring. I'm installing tile flooring in our downstairs - and it could possibly crack during the house leveling. So we can't do that either. The glass french doors in the dining room (dividing the den/office) can't be installed because the glass could crack during the leveling process.

All we have left to do inside is install flooring, cabinets, and counter tops (and I am not having my appliances delivered until after we install the flooring so that I don't have to deal with moving them back out in order to install the tile), and finish some touch-up on the painting. We've been at a standstill for months and I'm so tired of cooking in the FEMA trailer.

I love to cook and want a real kitchen, with an oven and 4 regular size burners. But at least I have a place (without a mother-in-law) where I CAN cook ... so really, I should be very grateful. It could be worse.

We are having new carpet installed upstairs in a few weeks. But that is unrelated to the storm damage ... it is just wear and tear and kids damage - beyond time to replace our carpet which appears to be original to the house. We should have replaced it when we bought the house.

PICTURES

2005-10-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't finished uploading my journal, but I did finally get about 30 pictures loaded to Picturetrail with some short descriptions. I've taken over 500 pictures so far, but here is a small sampling....

http://www.picturetrail.com/gid8500190

Wednesday, a kind of wasted day

2005-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Or maybe it was a bit of relaxation.

Chris tried to drive back to our house to remove the moldy walls. But between horrendous traffic, and what appeared to be several accidents or breakdowns, he never made it. He spent 6 hours in the car, and still had a minimum of 2 hours to go (a distance that normally would take about 30 or 40 minutes). There was a curfew and he would be expected to leave again once it started to get dark. He made the decision to turn around. Why drive 8 hours, to work for 2, and then turn around and drive back 4 or 5 hours.

He dropped his help off back in Baton Rouge and returned to the farmhouse. We just rested and napped when we could.

I'd finally had contact with my work, and with my Dad and sister. I knew that they were safe, and that everyone from my office was safe. I also knew that I would continue to be paid at least through the end of September even if we were unable to return to work. I also heard from the insurance company and they were sending us a check for displacement/loss of use on our house because of the storm and the mandatory evacuation. That was a relief.

I also started contemplating Disneyworld. I was out of work and could not go back until the parish let us back in. The kids were out of school. We had money from the insurance company to pay for a hotel and food - does it really matter if that hotel is in Florida or in Louisiana (as if anyone could find a hotel anywhere in the state of Louisiana)??? Why not take this opportunity to take the kids as we'd promised, and do it when there would be few crowds and the kids would not have to miss school.

At the same time, I think I was getting on my mom's nerves and she was getting on my nerves. We both had a tendency to snap at each other. The close quarters, the fear of what was waiting at home, the uncertainty of it all ... all took their toll on our relationship. We just needed space.

She made arrangements to go up to Arkansas, having found an apartment in the HUD apartments that are ADA compliant and fairly new, just north of the town of Lewisville, where my mom grew up. She called friends up there and things started to happen rather fast. They were lining up furniture for her. But she needed some things from her condo before she could go.

Thursday was the last day that we would be allowed back into the city for cleaning/assessing. We were told that we could come in, clean up, get what we need, and leave for probably a month. We made the decision to all go in on Thursday, and to leave the kids with my sister-in-law/brother-in-law (Gene and Blanche) who live just to the east of Baton Rouge. Then I would take mom to her condo and get her set up there, so she could go through some things and I would go to the house with Chris who would work on removing sheetrock. My job would be to pack up what we might need in the next month. We tried to get an early night's sleep, but you know how that goes. I was exhausted but worked up.

Tuesday ... another trip back into the city

2005-09-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is the second day that they allowed citizens back into Jefferson Parish. Chris left early early in the morning (3 or 4 am??), and stopped in Baton Rouge to pick up a friend's son, and another guy who he hired to help him.

The wait to get in was several hours long, and the smell was still just horrible, miles before you reached the city. Chris described it as being a very strange feeling to drive through town. Once you got through the long traffic to get in at the checkpoint, there was very little activity on the streets. NO businesses were open - NONE. There were no traffic signals, and trees still blocked access to many neighborhoods and roads.

Chris and his helpers went into the house to move furniture and remove carpet that he was just not able to do on his own the day before. When he walked in, he found the mold growth to be incredible. Where there had been very little mold the day before, there was now a 1 to 2 foot high ring of mold spots around the house. Every wall had mold growing on it. So did most of the furniture. In addition to removing the carpets, he would need to remove the sheetrock from the walls, and the insulation behind it. We knew that the longer it would sit, the worse it would get.

With a son with allergies, removing the mold was a high priority. But he was not prepared to do that Tuesday - he did not have the proper tools. So, they spent the day moving furniture and removing wet moldy carpet. The plan was to return Wednesday to finish up.

After a very long day, Chris drove back to Baton Rouge to drop off his helpers, and decided to spend the night there. It was such a long drive back to where we were staying, especially to have to turn around and come back. He was getting exhausted and it showed.

Meanwhile, I was with mom at the farmhouse - with the two kids. They were getting a little stir crazy, and we were getting tired of eating fast food. I found the laundry mat, and a grocery store and cooked a full dinner Tuesday night. A bit of normal life.....

A peek at our house, Monday September 5.

2005-09-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Parish made an announcement that they would allow residents in to view and work on their property during daylight hours Monday 9/5 through Thursday 9/8. (Jefferson is the parish where we live - and if you aren't from here and don't know, a parish is virtually the same as a county in all other 49 states). They strongly recommended against staying there, and warned that there was no food, no stores open, no water, no ice, no electricty, and that there were hazards everywhere. Downed trees and powerlines layed across virtually every street.

Chris went in without me to view the damage, and called me as he drove into our neighborhood. The conversation as he drove up and then as he walked in was scary. The streets were eerie. He had to drive under trees that were leaning 45 degrees across the street - it was a good thing he drove his Honda and not my van because he likely would not have fit. He had to circle around through the neighborhood searching for a path that would lead to our house where there were not trees down. He drove past the street leading to our neighborhood because so many things were down and out of place that he didn't recognize it.

As he walked into our house, he could see that we had flood water that had receeded. The carpets were wet, there was a grass line on the outside of the house and the sheetrock was wet.

He took lots of pictures of downed trees, fences, and of the inside of our house. He picked up a few things that we needed, tried to clean up some stuff that he could, and he left again, headed back to Opelousas to show me the pictures and to get some sleep. He was driving back in early in the morning. (This was normally a 3 to 3-1/2 hour drive, and with checkpoint traffic was taking up to 6 hours).

The days start to blur together

2005-09-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

The rest of the first week really starts to blur together.

We woke up Tuesday morning to reports that there had been levee breaches, and areas of the city that had been dry and only damaged by wind after the storm had passed on Monday were now flooding fast. This included areas of the city that have not flooded before. Water was starting to reach the edges of the French Quarter, and the downtown area was flooded (including around the Superdome where thousands of peopled were sheltered).

Chris's Uncle Phil, who lives in the area and takes care of the house, showed us the best place for plate lunches, how to get around town, and where to find the stores and laundry facilities. Chris made several trips to Walmart - we found ourselves with a new DVD player and some new cartoons, new blankets and linens, games for the kids, and some general things that I missed when packing (who knew we'd be gone for a whole week).

I called my insurance companies (both flood and homeowners) and started an initial claim. We had the news on 24 hours a day. Reports on our specific area were sketchy, but it looked like we may have some flooding and there was a lot of wind damage. We didn't know what to expect, but believed that filing a claim early and getting a claim number early would speed the process along once we got home to asses our damage. I wanted to get my name high up on the list. The roads were still closed and there was no report on when we might be able to get in to view the damage.

By Wednesday we'd realized that we could not live without better television. It really is a shame to say we are so dependent, but at the same time, that was the main source for new reports on our home and pictures of the area. The news showed constant helicopter flyovers - we were glued, hoping to catch a glimpse of our neighborhood. We watched as hundreds of people were rescued off of their roof by helicopters and boats. Having to watch this through snow and fuzz...while standing with one arm out, holding an antenna and some aluminum foil for the best picture ;) was frustrating at best. So, we called DirecTV on Wednesday afternoon. We were able to move our service from our house (including 2 new free receivers and a new dish) to our temporary location at no charge - and we can move it back again, up to twice within a 12 month period, again at no cost. WHEW!! Big relief, we had DirecTV service by Friday.

Our cell service was very spotty - the storm had knocked out cell towers in the 504 and 985 area codes (the biggest hit areas of Louisiana). My Dad, his fiance, my sister, and her husband had stayed in my Dad's house and were in the 985 area code. I had not talked to them since Monday morning just before the eye of the storm passed within miles of their house and I was worried. I tried calling 40 to 50 times a day. I finally talked to someone who knew someone else in the same neighborhood and heard that his neighborhood had a bunch of trees down, but for the most part had held up pretty well.

Keeping in touch with work was hard. First, my cell phone was not always working where I was, and when it was, other people's cell phones were not always working. I finally heard on the radio that text messaging was working when calling was not. I'd never sent a text message in my life, but I learned fast. I kept sending messages to everyone I could think of, and made contact with a lot of people that way. People from work were spread out through the south, but we'd heard that our building had held up well, and that the company was going to continue with direct depositing our paychecks, with plans to do so at least through the end of September even if we were not back to work by then.