It's Thursday morning, January 31st - the last day of January; and I'm ready for spring, or at least a rest.
I'll actually settle for the weekend because I think I need to just veg. out and relax. I have pulled a few oops in the past 24 hours and it is just causing me more work.
My first oops (and De you won't be proud of me) was at Superstore last night. I finally bit the bullet and headed to the store for groceries. My list was getting longer and longer. I thought at least there was a good coupon in the paper - spend $250.00 - get a $25.00 gift card. Well when I got to the check out my bill was $244.00 - I didn't have the energy to even reach for a couple of magazines. To top that off, I had two coupons in my pocket for cheese and milk. Forgot to give her those. That left me feeling a little blue for the evening.
Second oops, I have been telling people the wrong schedule for the next 7 days. I'm a entire week ahead of myself. Now that's not too bad, but then I had to go back and set the record straight for everyone.
Third oops was this morning. I am sending care packages out to Patrick and his room mate. I got the parcel's all wrapped, measured, weighed and I'm filling the form on-line. I mix up the addresses for to and from (just switched them) No problem I think, I'll just white it out and write in the correct addresses. Then I read the fine print - "cannot manually change anything on the forms." I guess I'll be making a trip and standing in line at the post office.
Fourth oops was again this morning. I decided I had a few extra minutes before I leave for work so I paid a couple of bills on line. First I paid the gas bill, then the cable bill. Now the cable seemed a little high, but thought, I'll pay it and then investigate. And this is where is gets really confusing. It appears that the cable company never got my last payment. Hmmmm. I checked our balance book - yup, I paid it. I checked my bank account. Seems I accidently made the payment to the credit card instead of cable. The good news, (and there always is) the new payment I made is correct; and I'm ahead on the credit card payment.
It's a good think I only have to play with kids this morning, and we are in an enclosed and safe environment.
Enjoy the last of Janaury, and look forward to a great February.
(Believe it or not, I'm actually smiling at my silly, but time consuming mistakes)
off to play
Stacey
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Day 12 of January
It's Thursday, January 24th and I'm a little tired. I've been putting in a few extra hours at work (the kid work) and playing with three 2 1/2 year olds can tire one out. Or at least it tires me out. And I can honestly say it's not so much my body that is tired, but my brain. Questions, questions, questions, and the three kids talk, talk and talk, and usually at the same time. They have so much to say. I really should be keeping a book on these three because some of the things that come out of their mouths, well I just smile all day.
I have been trying to think of a way to record my passwords for everything, because every once in a while I forget one. Well maybe it's a little more frequent than that. I know there are on line site that will store your passwords but I'm not sure I am totally confidant with cyber storage just yet. And on these same lines, I've been a little concerned with my memory, or lack there of. So while researching on dementia and memory loss in the elderly, I came across a website "foodforthebrain.org" There have a cognitive function test on the site and I finally found 15 minutes of uninterrupted time last night. so I took the test and I'm happy and a little surprised to say I passed. The results say that I performed at or above the norm for my age. This suggests that I am not showing the early cognitive funciton problems that can be a sympton of future cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. So I guess all the games I play on my I-pad are well worth the time and effort.
Speaking of games. You know how I love them. Well I was up early again this morning, and listening to the radio in the kitchen while I was getting a roast in the crock pot. 103 was on with Don and Joanne and on came Lyrical pursuit (a music game) I didn't have the phone nearby, so I'm listening to the clue and I knew the answer was Neil Diamond and Cracklin' Rosie. So I picked up the phone, but I couldn't remember the contest number, so I had to wait until they said the number; I dialed, and the phone started ringing. I was so surprised I actually pulled the headset away from my ear and checked to make sure I dialed the correct number (I didn't want to wake some stranger so early) Yes I had dialed the correct number and so I continued cutting my vegetables and low and behold, Don came on the line. He asked his usual question "have you won anything in the last 30 days". I answered honestly - No (it's been at least 45 days) So the short story is I won. I have tickets for the RV show this weekend and tickets for Theatre Calgary.
So now I have this extra grin in my smile (if that's possible)
I love life!!!!!
Off to test my brain with some 2 1/2 year olds.
Stacey
I have been trying to think of a way to record my passwords for everything, because every once in a while I forget one. Well maybe it's a little more frequent than that. I know there are on line site that will store your passwords but I'm not sure I am totally confidant with cyber storage just yet. And on these same lines, I've been a little concerned with my memory, or lack there of. So while researching on dementia and memory loss in the elderly, I came across a website "foodforthebrain.org" There have a cognitive function test on the site and I finally found 15 minutes of uninterrupted time last night. so I took the test and I'm happy and a little surprised to say I passed. The results say that I performed at or above the norm for my age. This suggests that I am not showing the early cognitive funciton problems that can be a sympton of future cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. So I guess all the games I play on my I-pad are well worth the time and effort.
Speaking of games. You know how I love them. Well I was up early again this morning, and listening to the radio in the kitchen while I was getting a roast in the crock pot. 103 was on with Don and Joanne and on came Lyrical pursuit (a music game) I didn't have the phone nearby, so I'm listening to the clue and I knew the answer was Neil Diamond and Cracklin' Rosie. So I picked up the phone, but I couldn't remember the contest number, so I had to wait until they said the number; I dialed, and the phone started ringing. I was so surprised I actually pulled the headset away from my ear and checked to make sure I dialed the correct number (I didn't want to wake some stranger so early) Yes I had dialed the correct number and so I continued cutting my vegetables and low and behold, Don came on the line. He asked his usual question "have you won anything in the last 30 days". I answered honestly - No (it's been at least 45 days) So the short story is I won. I have tickets for the RV show this weekend and tickets for Theatre Calgary.
So now I have this extra grin in my smile (if that's possible)
I love life!!!!!
Off to test my brain with some 2 1/2 year olds.
Stacey
Monday, January 21, 2013
Day 11 of January
It's Monday, January 21st. The weather is a little chillier than it has been, but afterall, it is the middle of January.
Well I have good news, and I have disappointing news. The good news is I am finished my story on my Mom, and it is ready for some criticing and editing. The disappointing news; I read it to my mom and she does not want me to submit it. I am torn for her reasons why, but they are her reasons, and it is her story. First of all she doesn't think she has an interesting story, and second "she doesn't want people knowing her business!" I have to respect her wishes, but I'm hoping at some point in the future, she may come around. I'm going to start my next story on Ashley, but I'm pretty sure I won't have it done in time for the contest. (this year) I am hoping to make her's also into a "book" of sorts for her to keep. It will take her from birth to age 18.
So in addition to this new venture I need to finish my knitting, finishing my lamenating, and finish two books I'm reading. This probably explains why I have been going to bed so early.
Also, I finally ordered my pin hole glasses. For those who aren't familar, google them.
The rest of the day was pretty tame and my paperwork is almost caught up. See, Monday's aren't so bad.
Stacey
Well I have good news, and I have disappointing news. The good news is I am finished my story on my Mom, and it is ready for some criticing and editing. The disappointing news; I read it to my mom and she does not want me to submit it. I am torn for her reasons why, but they are her reasons, and it is her story. First of all she doesn't think she has an interesting story, and second "she doesn't want people knowing her business!" I have to respect her wishes, but I'm hoping at some point in the future, she may come around. I'm going to start my next story on Ashley, but I'm pretty sure I won't have it done in time for the contest. (this year) I am hoping to make her's also into a "book" of sorts for her to keep. It will take her from birth to age 18.
So in addition to this new venture I need to finish my knitting, finishing my lamenating, and finish two books I'm reading. This probably explains why I have been going to bed so early.
Also, I finally ordered my pin hole glasses. For those who aren't familar, google them.
The rest of the day was pretty tame and my paperwork is almost caught up. See, Monday's aren't so bad.
Stacey
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Day 10 of January
It's Saturday night and the house is quiet.
Ashley and Ethan have switched parent houses tonight and Bill is reviewing some paperwork. Even Maya is just hanging out with me in the office.
It was a quiet day today. I bought a new cook book "Hungry Girl" by Lisa Lillien. She appeared on the Anderson Cooper show on Friday. I was impressed with the quickness and and ingredients on her recipes she did on the show. So I purchased the book to my I-Pad. Mistake number one. I haven't quite figured out how to go to a recipe quickly; but I'm sure I can keep working on that. So I decided to try out a few of the recipes for dinner, and who better to help critic them, then Bill.
The first item was an onion bloom. I had never heard of these before our last holiday, but Bill ordered it at Margaritaville. It's basically one big onion ring. You cut the onion except for the bottom so everything stays attached, and when it cooks, it looks like a flower. It's quite impressive. Now this is supposed to be a low calorie, cook book. So instead of using your normal coating for an onion ring, you use egg substitutes and "fibre one" cereal that has been ground up. Then instead of deep frying it, you bake it. Sounds healthy - tastes - not like real onion rings. That's not to say it tasted bad, but it is one of the recipe's I won't be repeating.
The next meal item was egg foo young in a mug. This recipe I thought was good - very filling - and very easy to make. To mix all your ingredients and put them in the microwave in a mug. There is your meal. Bill said it tasted good, but no need to remake that one (I would recommend this one)
The last item I tried was a desert. It was a brownie muffin. You took a devils food cake mix, add puree pumpkin and bake. Yup that its. It has a brownie texture, and a little boring in taste, but then we added whip cream around it, and it was delicious (might bring the calorie count up just a little) I think if you put some fresh rasberries on top, that would make it even more delicious. So that one I would make again; might even serve that one to company.
I've got to investigate the recipes a little more. I like the quickness and the fresh ingredients. Not crazy about some of the add in items (refined), but will see what turns out next.
Off to work on my "Mom Story"
Stacey
Ashley and Ethan have switched parent houses tonight and Bill is reviewing some paperwork. Even Maya is just hanging out with me in the office.
It was a quiet day today. I bought a new cook book "Hungry Girl" by Lisa Lillien. She appeared on the Anderson Cooper show on Friday. I was impressed with the quickness and and ingredients on her recipes she did on the show. So I purchased the book to my I-Pad. Mistake number one. I haven't quite figured out how to go to a recipe quickly; but I'm sure I can keep working on that. So I decided to try out a few of the recipes for dinner, and who better to help critic them, then Bill.
The first item was an onion bloom. I had never heard of these before our last holiday, but Bill ordered it at Margaritaville. It's basically one big onion ring. You cut the onion except for the bottom so everything stays attached, and when it cooks, it looks like a flower. It's quite impressive. Now this is supposed to be a low calorie, cook book. So instead of using your normal coating for an onion ring, you use egg substitutes and "fibre one" cereal that has been ground up. Then instead of deep frying it, you bake it. Sounds healthy - tastes - not like real onion rings. That's not to say it tasted bad, but it is one of the recipe's I won't be repeating.
The next meal item was egg foo young in a mug. This recipe I thought was good - very filling - and very easy to make. To mix all your ingredients and put them in the microwave in a mug. There is your meal. Bill said it tasted good, but no need to remake that one (I would recommend this one)
The last item I tried was a desert. It was a brownie muffin. You took a devils food cake mix, add puree pumpkin and bake. Yup that its. It has a brownie texture, and a little boring in taste, but then we added whip cream around it, and it was delicious (might bring the calorie count up just a little) I think if you put some fresh rasberries on top, that would make it even more delicious. So that one I would make again; might even serve that one to company.
I've got to investigate the recipes a little more. I like the quickness and the fresh ingredients. Not crazy about some of the add in items (refined), but will see what turns out next.
Off to work on my "Mom Story"
Stacey
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Day 9 of January
It's Wednesday, January 16th.
My apologies for the error in the date of the previous entry. Thank you to all of you who brought it to my attention - k, only one of you, but at least it means you read my blog, and paid attention. I appreciate it.
January is half over, or if you look at it in a positive way, we are lucky to still have 15 days left in January. That statement is probably more easy to accept considering the beautiful weather we are having. And I did appreciate the warm weather today because was the first day of swimming lessons. Not for me, but for the triplets. Yes, three 2 1/2 year old, and three adults. I can only describe it in two words - Crazy - Fun. The crazy part if of course the pre and post lesson. We as adults, need to be a little more organized. The fun part, three two year old, in the pool, a new environment for them, and them feeling safe in your arms. It's been a long time since I've had to partake in mom-tot (or this case caregiver/tot) swimming lessons. That was 16 years ago, and a few dress sizes smaller.
The afternoon was spent with Mom. While I was there we got talking about childhoods, hers and mine. I love to hear stories about Mom growing up. I'm glad I wrote many of these memories down years ago, when Mom was able to remember them with a little bit more confidence. But it is still surprising the different stories that just pop out of know where.
After our visit, and while driving home, I was listening to the CBC and they announced a literary contest. I thought to myself, "I can do this". I might not win, but you know I like contests, and it's not always about the winning, but getting to participate. (sounds like an Oscar speech - It's nice to win, but I was just happy with being nominated). But I actually speak the truth when I say I love playing games/contests. If you've ever heard my on 103, in the Y vs X, I don't mind when I lose, I just love playing (or being heard on the radio)
K, I am getting way of topic here. I have many different piece I have written. Most of them I haven't edited, and some still have notes at the bottom. As I strolled over some of these writings, I realize I have a couple of themes going. First they are mostly non-fiction; second, many are biographical and third, some are about people who have had a great influence on my life. So I've decided to edit the piece I wrote on my mom and maybe submit it. I called mom first and asked her permission. She gave her permission, but was humbly persistent that there was really nothing important to say about her. I, disagreed.
Without going into most of the details right now, here is a lady that was born in early 1920's. Attended 5 different schools by grade 5, and simultaneously lived with different families. She helped her mom take care of 5 younger siblings. Dropped out of school after grade 9. At the age of 15 entered the work force, taking care of children (Hmmm , maybe that's where I get my love of kids from). Was working as a telephone operator when she met and married my Dad. Both Mom and Dad shared a November 6 birthday. Was a young bride at 20, a young mom at 21, and 23. Was a coalminers wife. Was a hockey mom. Re-entered parenthood at the age of 35 and 38. Became a Grandma at 44; Became a widow at 59. Is a grandma 9 9 great-grandma of 5. And this year she will celebrate her 90th birthday. I think she's got a very interesting history.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how the story goes. i have until the beginning of February to finish. I may be calling on all my "teacher" types to provide feedback.
Off for another early bedtime, with a smile on my face.
Night
Stacey
My apologies for the error in the date of the previous entry. Thank you to all of you who brought it to my attention - k, only one of you, but at least it means you read my blog, and paid attention. I appreciate it.
January is half over, or if you look at it in a positive way, we are lucky to still have 15 days left in January. That statement is probably more easy to accept considering the beautiful weather we are having. And I did appreciate the warm weather today because was the first day of swimming lessons. Not for me, but for the triplets. Yes, three 2 1/2 year old, and three adults. I can only describe it in two words - Crazy - Fun. The crazy part if of course the pre and post lesson. We as adults, need to be a little more organized. The fun part, three two year old, in the pool, a new environment for them, and them feeling safe in your arms. It's been a long time since I've had to partake in mom-tot (or this case caregiver/tot) swimming lessons. That was 16 years ago, and a few dress sizes smaller.
The afternoon was spent with Mom. While I was there we got talking about childhoods, hers and mine. I love to hear stories about Mom growing up. I'm glad I wrote many of these memories down years ago, when Mom was able to remember them with a little bit more confidence. But it is still surprising the different stories that just pop out of know where.
After our visit, and while driving home, I was listening to the CBC and they announced a literary contest. I thought to myself, "I can do this". I might not win, but you know I like contests, and it's not always about the winning, but getting to participate. (sounds like an Oscar speech - It's nice to win, but I was just happy with being nominated). But I actually speak the truth when I say I love playing games/contests. If you've ever heard my on 103, in the Y vs X, I don't mind when I lose, I just love playing (or being heard on the radio)
K, I am getting way of topic here. I have many different piece I have written. Most of them I haven't edited, and some still have notes at the bottom. As I strolled over some of these writings, I realize I have a couple of themes going. First they are mostly non-fiction; second, many are biographical and third, some are about people who have had a great influence on my life. So I've decided to edit the piece I wrote on my mom and maybe submit it. I called mom first and asked her permission. She gave her permission, but was humbly persistent that there was really nothing important to say about her. I, disagreed.
Without going into most of the details right now, here is a lady that was born in early 1920's. Attended 5 different schools by grade 5, and simultaneously lived with different families. She helped her mom take care of 5 younger siblings. Dropped out of school after grade 9. At the age of 15 entered the work force, taking care of children (Hmmm , maybe that's where I get my love of kids from). Was working as a telephone operator when she met and married my Dad. Both Mom and Dad shared a November 6 birthday. Was a young bride at 20, a young mom at 21, and 23. Was a coalminers wife. Was a hockey mom. Re-entered parenthood at the age of 35 and 38. Became a Grandma at 44; Became a widow at 59. Is a grandma 9 9 great-grandma of 5. And this year she will celebrate her 90th birthday. I think she's got a very interesting history.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how the story goes. i have until the beginning of February to finish. I may be calling on all my "teacher" types to provide feedback.
Off for another early bedtime, with a smile on my face.
Night
Stacey
Monday, January 14, 2013
Day 8 of January
It's Monday, January 24th and the start of a new work week. I had to go back and read yesterday blog because sometime during the night last night I had this uncomfortable feeling that I might have misrepresented what I was trying to accomplish with my goals. But after reviewing the words, I guess that's close to what I wanted to say. In short, I'm hoping each day (whether I record it or not) to do something meaningful. How little or how big is not the ultimate goal, but rather something that makes me feel good inside and if by chance benefits others, even better.
So tonight, I went out and cleared the driveway. Now I know I do this often, but I did it tonight hoping it would make the rest of Bill's evening relaxing. I think I should take lessons with the snowblower machine though. Being a little OCD, I do not like the fact, that when there is even a slight wind, I have to reclear parts of the driveway. Maybe I'll discover that the ultimate lesson would be to just take out the darn shovel! Sometimes I just make myself laugh (in my own little world)
I'm off to read my newest book on the I-Pad - "Fallen Masters". It's a fictional book by John Edward, the medium(sp) that I have the joy of seeing live. It started off as a slow read the first couple of chapters, but now that I have gotten to know the characters, it's getting very exciting.
Stay warm and stay positive! Sending positive energy out to Camryn, who is sick with the flu and her grandpa who is in the hospital, and their family.
Stacey
So tonight, I went out and cleared the driveway. Now I know I do this often, but I did it tonight hoping it would make the rest of Bill's evening relaxing. I think I should take lessons with the snowblower machine though. Being a little OCD, I do not like the fact, that when there is even a slight wind, I have to reclear parts of the driveway. Maybe I'll discover that the ultimate lesson would be to just take out the darn shovel! Sometimes I just make myself laugh (in my own little world)
I'm off to read my newest book on the I-Pad - "Fallen Masters". It's a fictional book by John Edward, the medium(sp) that I have the joy of seeing live. It started off as a slow read the first couple of chapters, but now that I have gotten to know the characters, it's getting very exciting.
Stay warm and stay positive! Sending positive energy out to Camryn, who is sick with the flu and her grandpa who is in the hospital, and their family.
Stacey
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Day 7 of January
It's Sunday, Janaury 13, 2013
Before I get into anything else, I'm going to finish off my vacation blog.
Florida Vacation
Day 7
Thursday, January 3rd
Again this day is a bit of a blur from Wednesday. There are two reasons for that; #1, We arrived at the Winnipeg airport late on the 2nd of January and didn't fly out to Calgary until the morning of the 3rd; and #2, My notes were getting a little more vague by the end of the trip - I was just ready to home.
So I believe as I last left it, we have moved to the departure level at the Winnipeg airport and found ourselves some comfy (as comfy as can be in an airport) benches and nestled in for a short sleep. I must have grabbed an hour or two of sleep, because when I awoke at 3:00 a.m. there were some people sitting in the chairs at the nearby cafe. I moved from my spot and tapped Bill on the shoulder so we could gather a little closer as a family and give these new visitors some space. I think they were more comfortable on the cushy chairs. There was another young lady sitting at the end of the benches, and she must have been coming down with something, because from when I woke up, until we left for our gate, she coughed and coughed and coughed.
When Bill had originally booked the trip and I discovered our long lay over in Winnipeg, I considered that maybe we should get a hotel room, but I now realize we wouldn't have really gotten any more sleep than we did on our benches. We arrived in Winnipeg around midnight, and our flight left at 6:00 a.m., so we would have had to been at the airport by 4:00 a.m.; then throw in the travel time.....
So we got our new tickets, etc and as we were going through security, it was Ashley who was chosed to be searched this time. And they searched everything on her. They opened every bag, pocket, etc. I know we get frustrated with these people, but thank goodness they are doing their job. (easier to say when someone else is being searched.)
The flight home was short and uneventful. I slept. Our luggage came relatively fast and then Ethan arrived to with my car and we headed home. Maya was very happy to see us (me) and she looked like she was well taken care of.
And so ends another vacation with the Wee family. As of date, we don't have anything planned for 2013, but there are always surprises.
For my next blog I have decided once again to find a theme. I just finished watching a taped show of George Stroumboulopoulos. He was interviewing Mitch Albom. For those not familar with Mitch Albom, he is the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, the Five people you meet in heaven, and a few others. I have most of his books. Aparently he has a new one out, a novel, about time. He is one of the authors whose books I like to keep. The interview was very thought provoking. Something that Mitch said made me pause and ponder. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but basically, instead of living each day getting things done that you think must get done, stop and doing something that is meaningful in your day. Of couse, unlike Mitch, I'm not quite ready to drop everything and go to Haiti to run an orphanage. But everything little gesture, every kind word, is meaningful to someone. So that is my goal.
And here is how I'm going to start. It's been a long time since I got rid of books on my shelf. I like to read a book, then give it to someone else to read, with the hopes they will pass it on when they are done. Now there are a few books I keep, because they have given me a message and I hope to reread it again. I do lend those out.
So I have a Book on Tape "Unbearable Lightness" a Story of Loss and Gain - by Portia De Rossi. It is a very good book. Portia is the the wife of Ellen DeGeneres; and Portia talks about her struggle with depression, and eating disorders. If anyone would like the book (and I will mail it to those who are far away), let me know.
I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.
Stacey
Before I get into anything else, I'm going to finish off my vacation blog.
Florida Vacation
Day 7
Thursday, January 3rd
Again this day is a bit of a blur from Wednesday. There are two reasons for that; #1, We arrived at the Winnipeg airport late on the 2nd of January and didn't fly out to Calgary until the morning of the 3rd; and #2, My notes were getting a little more vague by the end of the trip - I was just ready to home.
So I believe as I last left it, we have moved to the departure level at the Winnipeg airport and found ourselves some comfy (as comfy as can be in an airport) benches and nestled in for a short sleep. I must have grabbed an hour or two of sleep, because when I awoke at 3:00 a.m. there were some people sitting in the chairs at the nearby cafe. I moved from my spot and tapped Bill on the shoulder so we could gather a little closer as a family and give these new visitors some space. I think they were more comfortable on the cushy chairs. There was another young lady sitting at the end of the benches, and she must have been coming down with something, because from when I woke up, until we left for our gate, she coughed and coughed and coughed.
When Bill had originally booked the trip and I discovered our long lay over in Winnipeg, I considered that maybe we should get a hotel room, but I now realize we wouldn't have really gotten any more sleep than we did on our benches. We arrived in Winnipeg around midnight, and our flight left at 6:00 a.m., so we would have had to been at the airport by 4:00 a.m.; then throw in the travel time.....
So we got our new tickets, etc and as we were going through security, it was Ashley who was chosed to be searched this time. And they searched everything on her. They opened every bag, pocket, etc. I know we get frustrated with these people, but thank goodness they are doing their job. (easier to say when someone else is being searched.)
The flight home was short and uneventful. I slept. Our luggage came relatively fast and then Ethan arrived to with my car and we headed home. Maya was very happy to see us (me) and she looked like she was well taken care of.
And so ends another vacation with the Wee family. As of date, we don't have anything planned for 2013, but there are always surprises.
For my next blog I have decided once again to find a theme. I just finished watching a taped show of George Stroumboulopoulos. He was interviewing Mitch Albom. For those not familar with Mitch Albom, he is the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, the Five people you meet in heaven, and a few others. I have most of his books. Aparently he has a new one out, a novel, about time. He is one of the authors whose books I like to keep. The interview was very thought provoking. Something that Mitch said made me pause and ponder. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but basically, instead of living each day getting things done that you think must get done, stop and doing something that is meaningful in your day. Of couse, unlike Mitch, I'm not quite ready to drop everything and go to Haiti to run an orphanage. But everything little gesture, every kind word, is meaningful to someone. So that is my goal.
And here is how I'm going to start. It's been a long time since I got rid of books on my shelf. I like to read a book, then give it to someone else to read, with the hopes they will pass it on when they are done. Now there are a few books I keep, because they have given me a message and I hope to reread it again. I do lend those out.
So I have a Book on Tape "Unbearable Lightness" a Story of Loss and Gain - by Portia De Rossi. It is a very good book. Portia is the the wife of Ellen DeGeneres; and Portia talks about her struggle with depression, and eating disorders. If anyone would like the book (and I will mail it to those who are far away), let me know.
I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.
Stacey
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day 6 of January
It's Thursday, January 10, and there is a lot of snow out there. Thankfully spring is around the corner (in my world) There is just two days left of the vacation.
Florida Vacation
Day 6, Wednesday, January 2nd
Today we had the opportunity to sleep in agian. We were under a bit of time restraints as we had to check out of our room by ten. While Bill went for his run, the kids and I cleaned up and packed up. To help speed things along, I headed to the lobby to use the hotel computer so I could check in and book our airline seats and print the boarding passes. Everyone else stayed back to load the car. I guess other guests in the hotel had the same idea. I was third in line and unfortunately the gentleman in front of me wasn't very computer savvy and he was taking a long time. Luckily, the hotel wifi was working (although very slow) and I was able to check into Westjet. So with our compact car once more loaded to the brim, we headed to our last attraction, Sea World. The forecast said it was going to be another warm day, and once again it was quite accurate (maybe we need the same forecasters in Calgary). The drive and parking was pretty quick. When we entered the park, the Manta ride is the first thing we came upon. Bill and Patrick decided to keep their streak going and headed for the 45 minute wait line for the ride. Ashley was fending off a headache, and I, well, just do not do roller coasters. Ashley and I wandered around until the guesstimated time was done. When the guys were done, we made our way to the killer whale show "Shamu", which was on the far side of the park. We opted for a seat in the splash zone, but near the top section. We were fairly early, so we had prime seats. Thankfully, we were high enough that no whale water reached us during the show.
It was after lunch time, and Patrick had requested his last meal (his words) be a buffett. There just happen to be a buffett place on the grounds (not a very good one as it turns out). A quick bite of lunch and we roamed around the rest of the park. The trek took us to feeding the sharks, feeding the rays, observing some sharks, and observing some rays. Ashley loved feeding the rays the best. Of course there were two more rides that had to be tackled. Journey to Atlantis was another water ride. I sent the other three on it while I watched our bags. I had hoped to spray some extra water one them, but the machine I was at turned out to be broken. I should have practiced on it long before they came screaming down the track. The last ride ws another roller coaster ride called the Kraken. It was ironic because the actual ride was supposed to take 3 1/2 minutes and the line up for this ride was only two minutes long. It was now getting close to 5:00 p.m., the time we figured we should head off to the rental car place. We changed and repacked the suitcases in the parking lot. Some of us wanted dry clothes to put on, and some of us knew we would be hitting cold weather in Winnipeg. We filled up with gas at a nearby 7-11. It was a pleasant surprise to see that we only used 1/2 a tank of gas, and an unexpected surprise to see we had no gas cap lid or lock on the car.
The shuttle took us to the airport; we checked the bags and headed to security, where; surprise there was a sign that said the line would take 15 minutes. (only in Florida). A new line opened up, and we were ushered to the new attendant (she prechecks your tickets and passports). She didn't seem very happy, so I tried to make small talk with her and joke with her - not a good idea. She just ignored me and continued to curse under her breath about her job. We got to the security machines, and this time, there was no choice about a full body scan or pat down, you just got the full body scan. Before we new it, we were at our gate. Less than a couple of hours and we were on our way to Winnipeg. Yup, thats where we were making our connection (Bill's not allowed to do the vacation planning anymore - says Ashley). The flight was fairly empty, so I made a seat change and had a couple of seats to myself.
We arrived in Winnipeg just before midnight. One good thing about this flight, customs goes really fast that late at night. There were no line ups. I think the customs agent was trying to be funny - when we told him where we were, he looked at the kids and said they looked too old to want to be doing Disneyland. Then he looked at us, and said we must be the ones who wanted to do Disney. hahaha - I didn't get the humor until 15 minutes later - must be from the sleep delay. There were drug sniffing dogs out in full force and Patrick actually got questioned by a customs "security" guy as he was waiting for the luggage. We were standing off to the side and Patrick was waiting to get the bags. Poor Patrick would look over at us as he was talking, and we pretty much just watched. I think he was looking for acknowledgement that he belonged to us. Oops.
So now we grab our bags, and head upstairs to departures and find a good group of seats that look comfy as beds. Our flight to Calgary doesn't leave until 6:00 a.m. in the morning. Will finish the saga then.
Night
Stacey
Florida Vacation
Day 6, Wednesday, January 2nd
Today we had the opportunity to sleep in agian. We were under a bit of time restraints as we had to check out of our room by ten. While Bill went for his run, the kids and I cleaned up and packed up. To help speed things along, I headed to the lobby to use the hotel computer so I could check in and book our airline seats and print the boarding passes. Everyone else stayed back to load the car. I guess other guests in the hotel had the same idea. I was third in line and unfortunately the gentleman in front of me wasn't very computer savvy and he was taking a long time. Luckily, the hotel wifi was working (although very slow) and I was able to check into Westjet. So with our compact car once more loaded to the brim, we headed to our last attraction, Sea World. The forecast said it was going to be another warm day, and once again it was quite accurate (maybe we need the same forecasters in Calgary). The drive and parking was pretty quick. When we entered the park, the Manta ride is the first thing we came upon. Bill and Patrick decided to keep their streak going and headed for the 45 minute wait line for the ride. Ashley was fending off a headache, and I, well, just do not do roller coasters. Ashley and I wandered around until the guesstimated time was done. When the guys were done, we made our way to the killer whale show "Shamu", which was on the far side of the park. We opted for a seat in the splash zone, but near the top section. We were fairly early, so we had prime seats. Thankfully, we were high enough that no whale water reached us during the show.
It was after lunch time, and Patrick had requested his last meal (his words) be a buffett. There just happen to be a buffett place on the grounds (not a very good one as it turns out). A quick bite of lunch and we roamed around the rest of the park. The trek took us to feeding the sharks, feeding the rays, observing some sharks, and observing some rays. Ashley loved feeding the rays the best. Of course there were two more rides that had to be tackled. Journey to Atlantis was another water ride. I sent the other three on it while I watched our bags. I had hoped to spray some extra water one them, but the machine I was at turned out to be broken. I should have practiced on it long before they came screaming down the track. The last ride ws another roller coaster ride called the Kraken. It was ironic because the actual ride was supposed to take 3 1/2 minutes and the line up for this ride was only two minutes long. It was now getting close to 5:00 p.m., the time we figured we should head off to the rental car place. We changed and repacked the suitcases in the parking lot. Some of us wanted dry clothes to put on, and some of us knew we would be hitting cold weather in Winnipeg. We filled up with gas at a nearby 7-11. It was a pleasant surprise to see that we only used 1/2 a tank of gas, and an unexpected surprise to see we had no gas cap lid or lock on the car.
The shuttle took us to the airport; we checked the bags and headed to security, where; surprise there was a sign that said the line would take 15 minutes. (only in Florida). A new line opened up, and we were ushered to the new attendant (she prechecks your tickets and passports). She didn't seem very happy, so I tried to make small talk with her and joke with her - not a good idea. She just ignored me and continued to curse under her breath about her job. We got to the security machines, and this time, there was no choice about a full body scan or pat down, you just got the full body scan. Before we new it, we were at our gate. Less than a couple of hours and we were on our way to Winnipeg. Yup, thats where we were making our connection (Bill's not allowed to do the vacation planning anymore - says Ashley). The flight was fairly empty, so I made a seat change and had a couple of seats to myself.
We arrived in Winnipeg just before midnight. One good thing about this flight, customs goes really fast that late at night. There were no line ups. I think the customs agent was trying to be funny - when we told him where we were, he looked at the kids and said they looked too old to want to be doing Disneyland. Then he looked at us, and said we must be the ones who wanted to do Disney. hahaha - I didn't get the humor until 15 minutes later - must be from the sleep delay. There were drug sniffing dogs out in full force and Patrick actually got questioned by a customs "security" guy as he was waiting for the luggage. We were standing off to the side and Patrick was waiting to get the bags. Poor Patrick would look over at us as he was talking, and we pretty much just watched. I think he was looking for acknowledgement that he belonged to us. Oops.
So now we grab our bags, and head upstairs to departures and find a good group of seats that look comfy as beds. Our flight to Calgary doesn't leave until 6:00 a.m. in the morning. Will finish the saga then.
Night
Stacey
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Day 5 of January
Today is Wednesday, January 9th. Spent the morning working with my little guy. I'm am so in love with this little boy. At lunch time, I taught him one of my favorite and a classic song. Beans, Beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat.....well you know the rest.
Then after lunch, I stopped in to visit mom. She wanted to go out for a bit, so we made a short shopping to Shoppers Drug Mart. Who knew you could spend $100.00 in that short amount of time on nothing really. Headed back to Mom's and we looked at pictures and did up her birthday cards for the next couple of months. I think she was glad to just have someone to talk to. So we're half way through the Florida holiday. Lets continue.
Florida Vacation
Day 5
Tuesday, January 1st.
Today we woke up to the Star Wars Theme. That's Ashley's alarm clock tone, so she must be excited about today. It's Discovery Cover Day. This was the one place that Ashley had most wanted to go. When Bill first decided we were going on this trip, Ashley booked "swimming with the dolphins" the next day. We were able to get out of our hotel room a little earlier this morning as breakfast was included in our day. So when Bill returned from his run, showered and dressed, we were ready to go. The drive was a little shorter than the two previous days, and pretty much the same direction. Upon our arrival we had I.D. pictures taken and given instructions on our day. I inquired about a private cabanna being available and they had one left, so Bill booked it for us. We grabbed breakfast first before the buffett closed. We were then introduced to our Cabana Hostess and she took care of us for the rest of the day. We stopped and picked up wet suits/vests, snorked and masks, and given a quick verbal tour of where all the amenities were. Then she took us to our cabana. We felt like royalty. There was a fridge stocked with pop, juice, water, beer, wine. We had our own heater, table and chairs and loungers, and it was all situated right on the beach. We quickly changed into our swimming gear and walked out onto the beach and into the salt water swimming area. We swam with fish of all sorts and rays of different sizes and colors. Every once in awhile there would be a ledge to stand on, but most of the area was deep water. Patrick, being the sensitive one, was pretty sure the fish hated their lives. There was a large window where you could see the sharks. After a couple of swims, I came back to enjoy some wine and sun. Bill and the kids headed over to the fresh water to check out the ottters and the lazy river float. Through out the day we wandered over to the aviary to feed the birds. There were three different sections with such a variety of different birds. You would carry a small bowl of food, and they would just fly onto you to eat. At one point, you would have three or four different birds perched on you at the same time. Of course when you have eating birds you also get pooping birds. Luckily we were not targets this time.
At 2:50 pm, Ashley and Patrick headed to Seahorse Cabana to prepare for their dolphin swim. Bill and I were in charge of the photography. There was a group of 8 people in Ashley and Patrick's group and they all got in the water with their dolphin. By looking at the photos, you can tell both kids enjoyed themselves. As they were leaving the water, the staff was taking questions. I tried to get a job for Ashley. Who knows, maybe she'll change mammal careers. The Cove closes at 5:30 pm so we just relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. We got our "free" welcome photo, our complimentary snorkel and sunscreen, and whatever beverages we could stuff in our bags and headed back to our hotel. I would ahveto say that so far, today has been my favorite day (Did I mention that the washroom were the cleanest and nicest so far.) I had many pictures to include, but for some unknown reason, I cannot access my files on my computer. Hmmm. I'm checking into it.
Later
Stacey
Then after lunch, I stopped in to visit mom. She wanted to go out for a bit, so we made a short shopping to Shoppers Drug Mart. Who knew you could spend $100.00 in that short amount of time on nothing really. Headed back to Mom's and we looked at pictures and did up her birthday cards for the next couple of months. I think she was glad to just have someone to talk to. So we're half way through the Florida holiday. Lets continue.
Florida Vacation
Day 5
Tuesday, January 1st.
Today we woke up to the Star Wars Theme. That's Ashley's alarm clock tone, so she must be excited about today. It's Discovery Cover Day. This was the one place that Ashley had most wanted to go. When Bill first decided we were going on this trip, Ashley booked "swimming with the dolphins" the next day. We were able to get out of our hotel room a little earlier this morning as breakfast was included in our day. So when Bill returned from his run, showered and dressed, we were ready to go. The drive was a little shorter than the two previous days, and pretty much the same direction. Upon our arrival we had I.D. pictures taken and given instructions on our day. I inquired about a private cabanna being available and they had one left, so Bill booked it for us. We grabbed breakfast first before the buffett closed. We were then introduced to our Cabana Hostess and she took care of us for the rest of the day. We stopped and picked up wet suits/vests, snorked and masks, and given a quick verbal tour of where all the amenities were. Then she took us to our cabana. We felt like royalty. There was a fridge stocked with pop, juice, water, beer, wine. We had our own heater, table and chairs and loungers, and it was all situated right on the beach. We quickly changed into our swimming gear and walked out onto the beach and into the salt water swimming area. We swam with fish of all sorts and rays of different sizes and colors. Every once in awhile there would be a ledge to stand on, but most of the area was deep water. Patrick, being the sensitive one, was pretty sure the fish hated their lives. There was a large window where you could see the sharks. After a couple of swims, I came back to enjoy some wine and sun. Bill and the kids headed over to the fresh water to check out the ottters and the lazy river float. Through out the day we wandered over to the aviary to feed the birds. There were three different sections with such a variety of different birds. You would carry a small bowl of food, and they would just fly onto you to eat. At one point, you would have three or four different birds perched on you at the same time. Of course when you have eating birds you also get pooping birds. Luckily we were not targets this time.
At 2:50 pm, Ashley and Patrick headed to Seahorse Cabana to prepare for their dolphin swim. Bill and I were in charge of the photography. There was a group of 8 people in Ashley and Patrick's group and they all got in the water with their dolphin. By looking at the photos, you can tell both kids enjoyed themselves. As they were leaving the water, the staff was taking questions. I tried to get a job for Ashley. Who knows, maybe she'll change mammal careers. The Cove closes at 5:30 pm so we just relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. We got our "free" welcome photo, our complimentary snorkel and sunscreen, and whatever beverages we could stuff in our bags and headed back to our hotel. I would ahveto say that so far, today has been my favorite day (Did I mention that the washroom were the cleanest and nicest so far.) I had many pictures to include, but for some unknown reason, I cannot access my files on my computer. Hmmm. I'm checking into it.
Later
Stacey
Monday, January 7, 2013
Day 4 of January
It's Monday Janaury 7th. Today is the day to start getting something done. Laundry is started, suitcase is unpacked (yeah I know I'm a little slow) Most of the Christmas decorations are put away and hey, it's only 8:00 a.m. I am most surely going to need a nap. Let the Florida saga continue.
Florida Vacation
Day 4
Monday, December 31st
Wow, what a difference a day makes. It was around 10:00 a.m ish when we arrived at the Universal/Islands of Adventure once again. On the Sunday we had to park on level 5 for parking, and today we were on level 1. Today was being spent entirely at the Islands of Adventure. Harry Potter was where both Ashley and Patrick wanted to start the day. The ride was called "Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey". The wait time, 100 minutes. To give you an idea of how long the actual line was, while we were in line for those 100 minutes, we were continuously moving. We met this one young boy who was there with his dad. I don't recall his real name, but we called him, "Young Ron Weasley." (I don't seem to be able to load any pictures on my blog) He was in grade 3 and on chapter 8 of the first Harry Potter book. His enthusiasm for all thing Harry Potter was very contagious. Ashley even got her picture taken with him.
Patrick had assured me as we entered the ride line that I would enjoy the ride, and not feel any movements that would cause me to upchuck. I was a little nervous when around each bend in the line, we would come across a sign with a warning that people who suffer from motion sickness should not board this ride. But Patrick dimissed these warnings as general cautions on every ride. I'm not sure how to rate this ride. Was it worth the 100 minutes waiting in line? Absolutely. Was it scary? Not really. Did it make me feel queasy? A little bit. It wasn't so much the movement of the ride that gave way to motion sickness, but the 4 D affect of going around and up and down was very realistic. You want to close your eyes to avoid the feeling, but the affects are so spectacular that you don't want to miss a thing. Would I do the ride again? Nope. But I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it before. In reflecting back, I'm pretty sure Harry Potterland was the busies part of Island of Adventure.
So with Harry Potter under our belt, the kids wanted to do the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I decided to sit this one out until I regained some equilibrium back. The three others returned from their river adventure with very little water damage. But that wouldn't last all day. By now Ashley was also feeling a little nauseous and so she and I walked around while Patrick and Bill took on the Dragons Challenge. Unfortunately like the day before, this ride was having some technical difficulties so the boys dropped out of the ride before they wasted too much of their time in line.
Leaving the Wisarding World of Harry Potter behind, we headed towards Toon Lagoon and the Dudley Do-Righ Ripway Falls. All I can say is thank goodness it was a much warmer day today. We ended up all equally wet. And because we were already wet, we figured the Popeyes and Bluto's Blige-Rate Barge would be the next wise choice. Maybe wise isn't the right word, but we were finished being wet for the day. With a meeting place picked out, the boys bravely headed for the Incredible Hulk Coaster, and the smart ones, Ashley and myself headed off to do some shopping.
Our day was starting to wind down, and we dceided dinner at Margaritabille would be a treat. Thank goodness the chairs were wooden, because we were all still sporting wet butts. The meal was o.k. I don't think anyone was overly hungry, because except for Patrick, we ordered from the appetizer menu. There was a solo artist playing his guitar and singing and he made the meal and wet clothes much more enjoyable. We decided to head back to the park for a last bit of shopping. That's when Patrick looked at his dad with that glimpse of dare and suggested they try the Dr. Dooms Drop of Fear. Neither of them was willing to be the smart one and say no, so off they went, full bellies and all. I'm happy to report that both of them returned with their meals in tact.
We headed back to the parking lot where there were rows of car lights waiting to get into the park for a New Year's celebration. A near perfect drive back to our hotel was a welcome surprise. I headed to bed; the kids went to the lobby for some wifi fix; and Bill joined them shortly afterwards to get a bit of work done. It's 10:30 Happy New Year.
Florida Vacation
Day 4
Monday, December 31st
Wow, what a difference a day makes. It was around 10:00 a.m ish when we arrived at the Universal/Islands of Adventure once again. On the Sunday we had to park on level 5 for parking, and today we were on level 1. Today was being spent entirely at the Islands of Adventure. Harry Potter was where both Ashley and Patrick wanted to start the day. The ride was called "Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey". The wait time, 100 minutes. To give you an idea of how long the actual line was, while we were in line for those 100 minutes, we were continuously moving. We met this one young boy who was there with his dad. I don't recall his real name, but we called him, "Young Ron Weasley." (I don't seem to be able to load any pictures on my blog) He was in grade 3 and on chapter 8 of the first Harry Potter book. His enthusiasm for all thing Harry Potter was very contagious. Ashley even got her picture taken with him.
Patrick had assured me as we entered the ride line that I would enjoy the ride, and not feel any movements that would cause me to upchuck. I was a little nervous when around each bend in the line, we would come across a sign with a warning that people who suffer from motion sickness should not board this ride. But Patrick dimissed these warnings as general cautions on every ride. I'm not sure how to rate this ride. Was it worth the 100 minutes waiting in line? Absolutely. Was it scary? Not really. Did it make me feel queasy? A little bit. It wasn't so much the movement of the ride that gave way to motion sickness, but the 4 D affect of going around and up and down was very realistic. You want to close your eyes to avoid the feeling, but the affects are so spectacular that you don't want to miss a thing. Would I do the ride again? Nope. But I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it before. In reflecting back, I'm pretty sure Harry Potterland was the busies part of Island of Adventure.
So with Harry Potter under our belt, the kids wanted to do the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I decided to sit this one out until I regained some equilibrium back. The three others returned from their river adventure with very little water damage. But that wouldn't last all day. By now Ashley was also feeling a little nauseous and so she and I walked around while Patrick and Bill took on the Dragons Challenge. Unfortunately like the day before, this ride was having some technical difficulties so the boys dropped out of the ride before they wasted too much of their time in line.
Leaving the Wisarding World of Harry Potter behind, we headed towards Toon Lagoon and the Dudley Do-Righ Ripway Falls. All I can say is thank goodness it was a much warmer day today. We ended up all equally wet. And because we were already wet, we figured the Popeyes and Bluto's Blige-Rate Barge would be the next wise choice. Maybe wise isn't the right word, but we were finished being wet for the day. With a meeting place picked out, the boys bravely headed for the Incredible Hulk Coaster, and the smart ones, Ashley and myself headed off to do some shopping.
Our day was starting to wind down, and we dceided dinner at Margaritabille would be a treat. Thank goodness the chairs were wooden, because we were all still sporting wet butts. The meal was o.k. I don't think anyone was overly hungry, because except for Patrick, we ordered from the appetizer menu. There was a solo artist playing his guitar and singing and he made the meal and wet clothes much more enjoyable. We decided to head back to the park for a last bit of shopping. That's when Patrick looked at his dad with that glimpse of dare and suggested they try the Dr. Dooms Drop of Fear. Neither of them was willing to be the smart one and say no, so off they went, full bellies and all. I'm happy to report that both of them returned with their meals in tact.
We headed back to the parking lot where there were rows of car lights waiting to get into the park for a New Year's celebration. A near perfect drive back to our hotel was a welcome surprise. I headed to bed; the kids went to the lobby for some wifi fix; and Bill joined them shortly afterwards to get a bit of work done. It's 10:30 Happy New Year.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Day 3 of January
It's Sunday, January 6th, and the house is quiet. Bill took Patrick to the airport this morning and the son is now back at University. I'm surprised they made it on time, because when I went to bed at 11:00 last night, Patrick still hadn't finished packing. I'm waiting for that phone call to say "Hey Mom, did you find my......" Bill is napping because I "let" him give Patrick a ride to the airport. And I believe Ashley is finally over at Ethan's folks place. I can't remember the last time they stayed at our place for more than two nights in a row. Now I might actually be able to get something done. So here is the continuing story of our trip.
Florida Vacation
Day 3
Sunday, Decemember 30th
Did I say sleep in from the night before. I swear four people are in this room and three different alarms went off in the morning. We're on holidays people! Patrick was up first to go to the gym; followed by Bill who was going for a run; and finally Ashley who ran upstairs quickly to climb into bed with me and get warm. I guess the December nights in Florida can be a bit nippy. I figured I would get up, get ready, and then nap while everyone else got ready for our day. Turns out the work out room is in need of some TLC, so Bill and Patrick ended up going for a run together. Patrick was impressed with his 52 year old Dad and his running capabilities.
Universay studios here we come. The drive today was much shorts thanks to Mickey. (not the mouse, but a sales rep at our resort). Our first encounter with a line up was the entrance for the parking, but comapred to some of the rides, this line was pretty fast. Many things have changed since the last time we were here with the kids. The most notable change, and to me the most fascinating was the ticket entrance. They scan your ticket, then you have to put your pointer finger on this other scanner and your finger print is on file. This is great for the park to stop people from sharing their multi day passes. (maybe it also helps the FBI) The process was also expanded to lockers at the park. Some rides did not allow bags/back packs, so you had to store them in one of these lockers. You opened and closed these lockers with your fingerprints. They were free lockers for a certain amount of time, then you were charged for them. This discourages people from leaving their belongings in the lockers all day. The only downside, you really have to remember your locker number, because when you put your thumbprint in the machine, it allows you to then push a button on your locker to unlock it.
Our first stop was the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. And when I use the word "our" I mean Bill, Patrick and Ashley. There was no way I was going upside down, straight up, straight down, and still have an entire day to get through. Actually that's a bit of a fib, because I still wouldn't have done it even if it was the last ride of the day. While the rest of the family enjoyed this thrill, I took the opportunity to go buy myself a Universal hoodie. I like to think I did it for the sentimental reason, but the wind was a little chily and I was darn cold. Next stop "The Twister." This was my type of ride. It was about the making of the movie of the same name, and a short demonstration. Patrick warned us there would be water spray, but unfortunately for him, it came from the back, not the front, and he ended up sheltering us from getting wet.
Third ride of the day "Revenge of the Mummy." I would give more details, but my eyes were closed for the entire ride. A quick snack, and we headed over the the MIB ride. I remember this ride, and was looking foward to it. The sign said it was a 45 minutes wait (one of the shorter wait times), but it turned out to be a little longer due to a malfunction with the equipment. One would think we would have lost patience and left, but we were so close to the front of the line, and people watching was very entertaining. (not everyone was pleased about the equipment failure) I felt so bad for the young workers who were being bombarded with questions and abuse from irate "guests' and I use the word guest, loosely.
We just happen to be walking by the "Animal Actors", exhibit, and the show was about to start. The wonderful show, and the chance to rest our weary feet was greatly received by us all. By now everyone was ready for a sit down meal. When at Universal Studios, where better to experience the atmosphere than the "Hard Rock Cafe". Another short wait and we were on our way to filling our empty bellies.
We had one more "must do" ride on our list; "Despicable Me." This ride had the longest wait time of all the rides for the day - 120 minutes. Some how that didn't seem as long as saying 2 hours. The votes were split on whether the ride was worth the wait. Ashley and I though it was worth it. You can do the math on what the other two thought. I did think the ride was too short, but the contents were amazing. I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face the entire time (and I didn't feel like throwing up). The day was coming to an end. We came to the conclusion that we were glad we hadn't forked over an additional $80.00 for a fast pass card. Although some of the rides were long, we rode all the rides we had intended. The drive home was pretty uneventful. A couple of wrong turns, but we still managed to find our way back to our hotel.
Florida Vacation
Day 3
Sunday, Decemember 30th
Did I say sleep in from the night before. I swear four people are in this room and three different alarms went off in the morning. We're on holidays people! Patrick was up first to go to the gym; followed by Bill who was going for a run; and finally Ashley who ran upstairs quickly to climb into bed with me and get warm. I guess the December nights in Florida can be a bit nippy. I figured I would get up, get ready, and then nap while everyone else got ready for our day. Turns out the work out room is in need of some TLC, so Bill and Patrick ended up going for a run together. Patrick was impressed with his 52 year old Dad and his running capabilities.
Universay studios here we come. The drive today was much shorts thanks to Mickey. (not the mouse, but a sales rep at our resort). Our first encounter with a line up was the entrance for the parking, but comapred to some of the rides, this line was pretty fast. Many things have changed since the last time we were here with the kids. The most notable change, and to me the most fascinating was the ticket entrance. They scan your ticket, then you have to put your pointer finger on this other scanner and your finger print is on file. This is great for the park to stop people from sharing their multi day passes. (maybe it also helps the FBI) The process was also expanded to lockers at the park. Some rides did not allow bags/back packs, so you had to store them in one of these lockers. You opened and closed these lockers with your fingerprints. They were free lockers for a certain amount of time, then you were charged for them. This discourages people from leaving their belongings in the lockers all day. The only downside, you really have to remember your locker number, because when you put your thumbprint in the machine, it allows you to then push a button on your locker to unlock it.
Our first stop was the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. And when I use the word "our" I mean Bill, Patrick and Ashley. There was no way I was going upside down, straight up, straight down, and still have an entire day to get through. Actually that's a bit of a fib, because I still wouldn't have done it even if it was the last ride of the day. While the rest of the family enjoyed this thrill, I took the opportunity to go buy myself a Universal hoodie. I like to think I did it for the sentimental reason, but the wind was a little chily and I was darn cold. Next stop "The Twister." This was my type of ride. It was about the making of the movie of the same name, and a short demonstration. Patrick warned us there would be water spray, but unfortunately for him, it came from the back, not the front, and he ended up sheltering us from getting wet.
Third ride of the day "Revenge of the Mummy." I would give more details, but my eyes were closed for the entire ride. A quick snack, and we headed over the the MIB ride. I remember this ride, and was looking foward to it. The sign said it was a 45 minutes wait (one of the shorter wait times), but it turned out to be a little longer due to a malfunction with the equipment. One would think we would have lost patience and left, but we were so close to the front of the line, and people watching was very entertaining. (not everyone was pleased about the equipment failure) I felt so bad for the young workers who were being bombarded with questions and abuse from irate "guests' and I use the word guest, loosely.
We just happen to be walking by the "Animal Actors", exhibit, and the show was about to start. The wonderful show, and the chance to rest our weary feet was greatly received by us all. By now everyone was ready for a sit down meal. When at Universal Studios, where better to experience the atmosphere than the "Hard Rock Cafe". Another short wait and we were on our way to filling our empty bellies.
We had one more "must do" ride on our list; "Despicable Me." This ride had the longest wait time of all the rides for the day - 120 minutes. Some how that didn't seem as long as saying 2 hours. The votes were split on whether the ride was worth the wait. Ashley and I though it was worth it. You can do the math on what the other two thought. I did think the ride was too short, but the contents were amazing. I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face the entire time (and I didn't feel like throwing up). The day was coming to an end. We came to the conclusion that we were glad we hadn't forked over an additional $80.00 for a fast pass card. Although some of the rides were long, we rode all the rides we had intended. The drive home was pretty uneventful. A couple of wrong turns, but we still managed to find our way back to our hotel.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Day 2 of January
It was a crazy day on Friday; worked all four of my stores and went to visit my little ones. Throw in a grocery run after that and I was too pooped to blog. So it's now Saturday, January 5th and I'm continuing on my with holiday blog. (is this getting confusing yet)
Floriday Vacation
Day 2
Saturday December 29th
Friday and Saturday seemed to blend together. The reason for the blur of the two days was due to the fact that our flight for Florida departed at five minutes after midnight. Once again the four of us were sitting in the same row. Ashley requested the window seat once more, so we too took our usual seats. This would have been the perfect flight to grab some much needed sleep. Turns out Ashley was the only one that was able to sleep for the entire flight. Cramped legs and unscheduled turbulence made it difficult to get comfortable for the rest of us. Speaking of the turbulence, all I could think about was the T.V. show LOST. I kept trying to remember where the plance broke in half, and wondering if we were sitting in a safe spot. After discussing this later with Patrick, he explained that we probably wouldn't have been main characters on the show. Note to self, plan better seats next time.
We landed in Orlando around 7:00 a.m., Saturday morning. This time we were able to retrieve our luggage and we did go through customs without any delays. I guess my special status had expired. We found our shuttle that would take us to the off site car rental. I was a little shocked, but more concerned when Bill asked me to be the designated driver for the trip. Seems he was still feeling a little light headed and a little queasy from his door encounter the day before. It wasn't long before we had loaded the hatchback of our little Ford, Fiesta with three of the four suitcaes, and the back seat with the kids and the last suitcase. Maybe we should have taken the rental agents advice, and upgraded to a larger car. Naw, the suitcases wouldn't be in with us for long. So I'm the desitnated driver, with no sense of where we are going, and I have three navigators, 2 GPS systems, and a whole lot of freeways. Nervous, you bet. We find our resort fairily easily, but trying to navigate through the parking area was a little more challenging. Go here, over there, round there, where are you going? I ended up in front of the front gate, with no room key to let me in, and two cars behind me wondering what the heck was taking me so long to raise the bar. Thankfully Ashley jumped to the resuce. She got out of the stationary car and went into the lobby. They raised the gate and I was able to leave the confines of the resort to the visitor parking. Not a great way to relieve my nervousness. By now I was ready for a nap. Wait it's only 10:00 a.m. in the morning, and check in isn't until 4:00 p.m.. With droopy eyelids and a dejected expression on my face, I ask the front desk if there was any way we could get an early check in. She said she didn't think so but she would look. I quietly muttered, that was o.k., we could just all crash on the couches in the lobby. I'm not sure if my muttering was loud enough, but a room became available for us. We drove our car throught the front gate, this time with a room key in hand to lift the gate, and drove to building 6. Our room was in the second level, but we were just glad to have a room.
I dropped my suitcase by the front door and headed for the upstairs bedroom and the king size bed. I threw back the covers and once my head it the pillow, I was out. As I was drifting off to sleep, I could hear the other three laughing and trying to make sense of the pull out couch. I awoke two hours later to find the suite extremely quiet. Both Patrick and Ashley were fast asleep on the sofa bed. Bill was no where to be found. I knew he was tired from the lack of sleep the night before, plus his ongoing headache from his bump on the head. I checked upstairs and his wallet was on the dresser. In fact, even his phone was on the dresser. The sight of his pohone put me in a slight panic mode. Anyone who knows Bill, is aware that he doesn't travel very far away from his phone (work might need him) I ever so gently nudged the kids to see if they knew the whereabouts of their Dad. Before my imagination could get a strong hold on me, Ashley reminded me that dad was probably testing out his new GPS/watch toy. That calmed my mind a little bit, but the thought that bill could be walking around the resort with amnesia was still on the edge of my mind. Shortly after that, Bill sauntered in the front door, sweating from his run. (So much for being tired and having a headache)
By now it was after 12:30 lunch time, so we unanimously agreed to hit an outlet mall. According to the brochure/map the trip should take about 9 minutes. An hour later, we sill hadn't arrived at the mall. Stop and go, stop and go, stop and bump. The car behind us obviously hadn't figured out the driving pattern yet, and he hit our back bumper. I looked in the rear view mirror, and the driver just sat in his car looking at me. I guess this was like a game of chess, and it was my turn to make a move. So I sent out my trusted knight Bill to take a look at the bumper. Only then did the gentleman get out of his car and say sorry. I pulled forward slightly so the bumpers were no longer touching, and Bill could access the situation. There must have been no obvious damage because both my knight and my opponent returned to their cars. The rental place did say not to worry about minor dents and scratches. Luckily it was a minor accident because there were two young kids in the other car's back seat roaming around without seat belts.
Finally after an hour and fifty minues from leaving our hotel, we arrived at the mall. After driving around for another thirty minutes, we finally realized finding a parking spot would be like winning the lottery, very unlikely. We headed across the busy thoroughfare and parked near a local grocery store. We had to walk by the Outback restaurant, and decided a quick bite before shopping might be a good idea. We finished dining and then dashed across the busy road, and thrust ouselves into the chaos world of shopping. If you have any kind of bond with me, you know that shopping is not on my list of favorite activities. I did make a purchase though. At Luluemon I found an orange coat which caught my eye when we first walked in. The remainder of the shopping was to appease the kids. Bill and I just went for the walk. The sun had set by the time we finished roaming the outside mall and we had to once again cross the busy road to reach our car. There was a slight delay in vehicles, so I crossed the road without incident. Bill did the same, and then Ashley and Patrick tried to follow. It was about this time Patrick dropped his sunglasses in the middle of the road. Lets just say the next few seconds reminded me of those crazy squirrels or gophers that try to cross the road. Thankfully the entertainment of it all prompted the cars to stop, chuckle and let both kids cross safely.
We make a quick stop in the grocery store and then headed back to our hotel, which turned out to be a much shorter and less bumpy ride. A quick wash up and I was in and ready for bed. I couldn't wait to sleep in tomorrow.
Floriday Vacation
Day 2
Saturday December 29th
Friday and Saturday seemed to blend together. The reason for the blur of the two days was due to the fact that our flight for Florida departed at five minutes after midnight. Once again the four of us were sitting in the same row. Ashley requested the window seat once more, so we too took our usual seats. This would have been the perfect flight to grab some much needed sleep. Turns out Ashley was the only one that was able to sleep for the entire flight. Cramped legs and unscheduled turbulence made it difficult to get comfortable for the rest of us. Speaking of the turbulence, all I could think about was the T.V. show LOST. I kept trying to remember where the plance broke in half, and wondering if we were sitting in a safe spot. After discussing this later with Patrick, he explained that we probably wouldn't have been main characters on the show. Note to self, plan better seats next time.
We landed in Orlando around 7:00 a.m., Saturday morning. This time we were able to retrieve our luggage and we did go through customs without any delays. I guess my special status had expired. We found our shuttle that would take us to the off site car rental. I was a little shocked, but more concerned when Bill asked me to be the designated driver for the trip. Seems he was still feeling a little light headed and a little queasy from his door encounter the day before. It wasn't long before we had loaded the hatchback of our little Ford, Fiesta with three of the four suitcaes, and the back seat with the kids and the last suitcase. Maybe we should have taken the rental agents advice, and upgraded to a larger car. Naw, the suitcases wouldn't be in with us for long. So I'm the desitnated driver, with no sense of where we are going, and I have three navigators, 2 GPS systems, and a whole lot of freeways. Nervous, you bet. We find our resort fairily easily, but trying to navigate through the parking area was a little more challenging. Go here, over there, round there, where are you going? I ended up in front of the front gate, with no room key to let me in, and two cars behind me wondering what the heck was taking me so long to raise the bar. Thankfully Ashley jumped to the resuce. She got out of the stationary car and went into the lobby. They raised the gate and I was able to leave the confines of the resort to the visitor parking. Not a great way to relieve my nervousness. By now I was ready for a nap. Wait it's only 10:00 a.m. in the morning, and check in isn't until 4:00 p.m.. With droopy eyelids and a dejected expression on my face, I ask the front desk if there was any way we could get an early check in. She said she didn't think so but she would look. I quietly muttered, that was o.k., we could just all crash on the couches in the lobby. I'm not sure if my muttering was loud enough, but a room became available for us. We drove our car throught the front gate, this time with a room key in hand to lift the gate, and drove to building 6. Our room was in the second level, but we were just glad to have a room.
I dropped my suitcase by the front door and headed for the upstairs bedroom and the king size bed. I threw back the covers and once my head it the pillow, I was out. As I was drifting off to sleep, I could hear the other three laughing and trying to make sense of the pull out couch. I awoke two hours later to find the suite extremely quiet. Both Patrick and Ashley were fast asleep on the sofa bed. Bill was no where to be found. I knew he was tired from the lack of sleep the night before, plus his ongoing headache from his bump on the head. I checked upstairs and his wallet was on the dresser. In fact, even his phone was on the dresser. The sight of his pohone put me in a slight panic mode. Anyone who knows Bill, is aware that he doesn't travel very far away from his phone (work might need him) I ever so gently nudged the kids to see if they knew the whereabouts of their Dad. Before my imagination could get a strong hold on me, Ashley reminded me that dad was probably testing out his new GPS/watch toy. That calmed my mind a little bit, but the thought that bill could be walking around the resort with amnesia was still on the edge of my mind. Shortly after that, Bill sauntered in the front door, sweating from his run. (So much for being tired and having a headache)
By now it was after 12:30 lunch time, so we unanimously agreed to hit an outlet mall. According to the brochure/map the trip should take about 9 minutes. An hour later, we sill hadn't arrived at the mall. Stop and go, stop and go, stop and bump. The car behind us obviously hadn't figured out the driving pattern yet, and he hit our back bumper. I looked in the rear view mirror, and the driver just sat in his car looking at me. I guess this was like a game of chess, and it was my turn to make a move. So I sent out my trusted knight Bill to take a look at the bumper. Only then did the gentleman get out of his car and say sorry. I pulled forward slightly so the bumpers were no longer touching, and Bill could access the situation. There must have been no obvious damage because both my knight and my opponent returned to their cars. The rental place did say not to worry about minor dents and scratches. Luckily it was a minor accident because there were two young kids in the other car's back seat roaming around without seat belts.
Finally after an hour and fifty minues from leaving our hotel, we arrived at the mall. After driving around for another thirty minutes, we finally realized finding a parking spot would be like winning the lottery, very unlikely. We headed across the busy thoroughfare and parked near a local grocery store. We had to walk by the Outback restaurant, and decided a quick bite before shopping might be a good idea. We finished dining and then dashed across the busy road, and thrust ouselves into the chaos world of shopping. If you have any kind of bond with me, you know that shopping is not on my list of favorite activities. I did make a purchase though. At Luluemon I found an orange coat which caught my eye when we first walked in. The remainder of the shopping was to appease the kids. Bill and I just went for the walk. The sun had set by the time we finished roaming the outside mall and we had to once again cross the busy road to reach our car. There was a slight delay in vehicles, so I crossed the road without incident. Bill did the same, and then Ashley and Patrick tried to follow. It was about this time Patrick dropped his sunglasses in the middle of the road. Lets just say the next few seconds reminded me of those crazy squirrels or gophers that try to cross the road. Thankfully the entertainment of it all prompted the cars to stop, chuckle and let both kids cross safely.
We make a quick stop in the grocery store and then headed back to our hotel, which turned out to be a much shorter and less bumpy ride. A quick wash up and I was in and ready for bed. I couldn't wait to sleep in tomorrow.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Day 1 of January 2013
This is the first official post (as opposed to unofficial?) of January 2013. We just returned from our family vacation. I kept a journal of out trip on my I-Pad and I'm going to share it.
Florida Adventure
Day 1
December 28th
And so the vacation begins. This adventure starts with a pre-adventure. Our actual flight isn't until 7:55 p.m., which gave us the entire day to get ready. Some of us were ready before others. There were only a couple of minor mishaps. Bill got into a tussle with Ashley's car door. He was moving around vehicles (yes Ashley, this family does have way too many frickin vehicles), and because Ashley's car was parked on the driveway, gravity dictated that the door be closed. Unfortunately Bill didn't anticipate the gravity situation quick enough, and he was in the kitchen before he noticed the blood dripping from a large gash in his eyebrow. In addition to the gash, was a goose egg size bump on his forehead. A few tissues and an ice pack later, Bill was feeling a little better. Then Patrick took a stumble on the stairs. I say stumble not a tumble, because he was coming up the stairs and he miss judged where the next step was. The suitcase arrived unscathed on the top landing; Patrick's ribs could be little sore for a couple of days. We left the house around 4:15 pm and headed to Kinjo's for dinner. Nothing like a little sushi for a pre board meal. Ethan joined us for dinner, as he was the designated chauffeur for this trip. A quick good bye to Ethan at the airport, (Ashley took a little longer), and we headed for the Westjet check-in. Now this could have been a quick check-in, but the night before, as I was doing the check-in online, everybody's boarding pass printed except mine. We explained this to the Westjet lady, and she informed me that I was preselected to answer a few extra questions. Little did I know those few extra questions involved a body scan. Unl.ike when this happened during our September holiday, I opted out of the scan, and requested a pat down instead. This request was met with dismay from the authorities, who tried unsuccessfully to convince me of the quickness of the scan, and to the dismay of my family, who were being slowed down by me, moi! I am going to admit, I enjoyed the conversation with the pat down people. I wonder if I am "special" for the entire trip.
Everyone did their own thing while we waited at our gate. Bill was reading the instructions for his new watch/gps toy. Patrick borrowed my new travel pillow and stretched out (or cramped up) a couple of seats, and Ashley was playing her DS gameboy, and swatting away a cute fruit fly (her words, not mine). I started on the travel blog, and kept one ear open for any flight information. At one point, they made an announcement for a Jack Hildebrandt to come to a gate. I was wondering if it was a relative of moms, but now thinking about it, I believe the gentleman in question passed away quite some time ago. We weren't long sitting at our departure gate, before the annoucement came to board our flight. Ashley wanted to be one of the first on the flight to ensure she could stow her "carry on" luggage close to where we were sitting in row 19. The flight attendant took one look at my boarding pass, and passed on his well wishes for me and the "special" attention I would be receiving. Bill and Patrick were a couple of the last people to board the flight. Ashley had called dibs on the window seat, so I got stuck in the middle. I tried resting on Ashley, but as my dad used to say, "she was moving around like a fart in a wind storm," so I sat straight up with my arm resting on my pillow, and my chin resting on my arm.
The flight was scheduled fo 35 minutes to Edmonton, so it was almost impossible to tackle anything for very long, including sleep. Seems like the plane just finished ascending and it was time to descend. We landed in Edmonton with no idea where our luggage was going to be. The people in Calgary said we might have to go through customs in Edmonton. We spent a few extra minutes on the plane until a parking place became available (who knew this would be a precursor to our entire trip). As we were disembarking the plane, a couple of young toddlers were running back and forth across the hallway, much to the annoyance of some of the passengers. Ashley mentioned that it reminded her of playing the video game "frogger." The mom of the toddlers found that amusing too. Without squishing one of the frogs, we continued to our designated luggage carousel. It wasn't until the final piece of baggage had been removed that we realized our luggage must be going straight to Florida. We confirmed this with a Westjet ticket agent, and were told that we would now be going through customs in Florida. With our new found knowledge, we headed back through security, loading all our items in the plastic trays, and yes once again I was asked to go though the full body scanner. And once again I declined and asked for the alternative pat down; a pat down that could have been avoided had we sought the help of a Westjet agent at our arrival gate. Now there was only a two hour wait for our next flight, which was leaving at 12:05 am on Saturday.
Florida Adventure
Day 1
December 28th
And so the vacation begins. This adventure starts with a pre-adventure. Our actual flight isn't until 7:55 p.m., which gave us the entire day to get ready. Some of us were ready before others. There were only a couple of minor mishaps. Bill got into a tussle with Ashley's car door. He was moving around vehicles (yes Ashley, this family does have way too many frickin vehicles), and because Ashley's car was parked on the driveway, gravity dictated that the door be closed. Unfortunately Bill didn't anticipate the gravity situation quick enough, and he was in the kitchen before he noticed the blood dripping from a large gash in his eyebrow. In addition to the gash, was a goose egg size bump on his forehead. A few tissues and an ice pack later, Bill was feeling a little better. Then Patrick took a stumble on the stairs. I say stumble not a tumble, because he was coming up the stairs and he miss judged where the next step was. The suitcase arrived unscathed on the top landing; Patrick's ribs could be little sore for a couple of days. We left the house around 4:15 pm and headed to Kinjo's for dinner. Nothing like a little sushi for a pre board meal. Ethan joined us for dinner, as he was the designated chauffeur for this trip. A quick good bye to Ethan at the airport, (Ashley took a little longer), and we headed for the Westjet check-in. Now this could have been a quick check-in, but the night before, as I was doing the check-in online, everybody's boarding pass printed except mine. We explained this to the Westjet lady, and she informed me that I was preselected to answer a few extra questions. Little did I know those few extra questions involved a body scan. Unl.ike when this happened during our September holiday, I opted out of the scan, and requested a pat down instead. This request was met with dismay from the authorities, who tried unsuccessfully to convince me of the quickness of the scan, and to the dismay of my family, who were being slowed down by me, moi! I am going to admit, I enjoyed the conversation with the pat down people. I wonder if I am "special" for the entire trip.
Everyone did their own thing while we waited at our gate. Bill was reading the instructions for his new watch/gps toy. Patrick borrowed my new travel pillow and stretched out (or cramped up) a couple of seats, and Ashley was playing her DS gameboy, and swatting away a cute fruit fly (her words, not mine). I started on the travel blog, and kept one ear open for any flight information. At one point, they made an announcement for a Jack Hildebrandt to come to a gate. I was wondering if it was a relative of moms, but now thinking about it, I believe the gentleman in question passed away quite some time ago. We weren't long sitting at our departure gate, before the annoucement came to board our flight. Ashley wanted to be one of the first on the flight to ensure she could stow her "carry on" luggage close to where we were sitting in row 19. The flight attendant took one look at my boarding pass, and passed on his well wishes for me and the "special" attention I would be receiving. Bill and Patrick were a couple of the last people to board the flight. Ashley had called dibs on the window seat, so I got stuck in the middle. I tried resting on Ashley, but as my dad used to say, "she was moving around like a fart in a wind storm," so I sat straight up with my arm resting on my pillow, and my chin resting on my arm.
The flight was scheduled fo 35 minutes to Edmonton, so it was almost impossible to tackle anything for very long, including sleep. Seems like the plane just finished ascending and it was time to descend. We landed in Edmonton with no idea where our luggage was going to be. The people in Calgary said we might have to go through customs in Edmonton. We spent a few extra minutes on the plane until a parking place became available (who knew this would be a precursor to our entire trip). As we were disembarking the plane, a couple of young toddlers were running back and forth across the hallway, much to the annoyance of some of the passengers. Ashley mentioned that it reminded her of playing the video game "frogger." The mom of the toddlers found that amusing too. Without squishing one of the frogs, we continued to our designated luggage carousel. It wasn't until the final piece of baggage had been removed that we realized our luggage must be going straight to Florida. We confirmed this with a Westjet ticket agent, and were told that we would now be going through customs in Florida. With our new found knowledge, we headed back through security, loading all our items in the plastic trays, and yes once again I was asked to go though the full body scanner. And once again I declined and asked for the alternative pat down; a pat down that could have been avoided had we sought the help of a Westjet agent at our arrival gate. Now there was only a two hour wait for our next flight, which was leaving at 12:05 am on Saturday.
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