Archives for 2009

Brains and Love

April 6, 2009 by Amy 4 Comments

Six years ago when we moved to Columbia, we moved our building and lots of boxes of our stuff we didn’t need to our IL’s backyard. Most of the boxes held books and papers from my office and lots of knick knacks we didn’t have room for in the apartment. FIL spent some time about two weeks ago trying to clean out the building and reminded us of all our boxes in there. I was actually interested in going through them because I recently could not find a journal I knew existed.

(I know, bad picture)

Yesterday on a whim, still dressed in my church clothes I decided to check it out. Well, let’s just say I found my journal and about 3 months worth of blogging material if nothing else. So many memories from my last years in high school, all my college years and Scott and I’s engagement and marriage.

It reminded me of two things.

One, I am smart. I know I’m all hot bloggerish and all *ahem* (if anything, pictures proved very different) but I really am smart too. I kept so many things from school and one after another reminded me of all my accomplishments. Junior Scholar, Phi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, Internships, Honor Roll, etc. Then I went through all my Calculus and Writing notebooks from college and dang ya’ll, I have no idea what that means. But I did. At one point my brain comprehended all that. And just this weekend I was wondering why I was writing a book. And you know what? I’m writing because I have a good idea and I’m smart and creative and I should. And I should do a lot more than that. I don’t know what but I’m capable and I should do it!

And two, I was deliriously in love with Scott. And I use the word “was” only because it was that first love, make-you-scrapbooks-and-mixed-tapes kind of love. And it’s not to say I don’t love him anymore. After 15 years of being with him, I love him much more now to the point he is almost literally my other half, a part of me. But seeing all those scrapbooks and yearbook dedications and such was refreshing.

I do plan to blog about a few things I found. Some funny, some sweet. But today, I’ll leave you with my 20 year prediction and and dedications from my Senior Paper.

20 year prediction. Kind of close actually:

Senior Dedication. I don’t expect you to know anyone except MD is Melissa , HW is Heather (part of Joshes on HW is explained here) and SB is Scott. I just thought reading the end 12 years later was a little bit of “awww”.

Walls and Books

April 4, 2009 by Amy Leave a Comment

In the same way I hit a wall on Tuesday at Disney, I hit one this afternoon. Since getting back from vacation, I’ve been trying to catch up. Just today I got done with laundry. All my sites needed updated. Last night somehow turned into a whirlwind of activity…dinner at Mom’s, visit with IL’s, time at our youth group’s cafe night and a late night viewing of Fast and Furious (please go see!).

Today stayed packed with choir practice, an extended visit at Chick Fil A for an egg hunt and some shopping. By 3, I needed to go to the grocery store but I just did not have it in me to do anything else. I moved between sitting at the computer, catching up on Dollhouse in my room and going outside in the hammock. This evening once Scott got off we did manage to make it to the grocery store. Other than, I only have watched Dollhouse. I did manage to give myself a pedicure while doing that.

Now everyone is in bed. I’ve got the game on and have been working on my book. Not writing but trying to use some techniques from a book Melissa gave me that I read during our trip The Writer’s Little Helper. Seeing that English is the only course I ever got a C in, you can imagine it’s not my strongest subject. I found this little book quite the refresher. It’s geared towards writing and editing fiction books getting published. My intent is not to get published. Not really sure why I’m writing. I guess just something about having to finish something I started at this point. And having it out of my head and onto paper would be nice. Wow, didn’t mean to get on that tangent.

I just took a sleep aid pill and really hope that my late night last night is the explanation for this wall and hope I’m wide eyed and bushy tailed for our choir’s Easter musical tomorrow.

Lexi, Say Cheese!

April 2, 2009 by Amy 6 Comments

I mentioned it briefly in my Disney post but Lexi has this habit of looking away from the camera as soon as you tell her you’re taking her picture. She’s cute as a button but the girl is a tough one to photograph.

Take for instance last Thursday when I HAD to have a headshot for her pageant program. It is the very first impression the judges will have of her. And while I’m not a stage mom and am totally ok with her not winning, I’m just thinking these wouldn’t work.

Looking right

And left

Big smile and looking right

Looking left and silly grin

Left and serious look?

There are only about 60 other ones like this.

But somehow, every once in a while, you manage to hit gold.

Disney: Then and Now

April 2, 2009 by Amy 2 Comments

I wish I had my Mom’s pictures of our visit to Disney when I was 7. It’d be interesting to see in this post. I’ve referred to it a few times, but Scott and I visited Disney in 2002. What’s interesting is the day before we left, I found out I was pregnant with Emma. I made the call to the OB to get my first appointment on the way to Florida Monday morning. That’s the reason I didn’t ride Tower of Terror or Rock ‘n Rollercoaster or why I rode Space Mountain for the first time after three visits last week.

I thought it’d be interesting to compare a few pictures.

Here I am at Animal Kingdom in 2002. Emma is there and she’ll tell you she’s in my tummy.

Now here is Emma and I at Animal Kingdom this year:

It’s kind of odd how similar my outfit and even hair is. Except now that baby in my tummy is outside and 6 years old!

Here is Scott and I (are Scott and I? is me and Scott?) (and Emma) at the Tree of Life in 2002:

Here we are this year without the kids:

Wow, you can really tell where Scott lost 25 lbs!

and with them:

Kind of cool to see the changes in our family!

Disney – General Thoughts

April 1, 2009 by Amy 4 Comments

We have been eating like gluttons and wasting so much food it’s embarrassing. I love the dining plan and wouldn’t go another way but wow, you will not go hungry. We still have extra snacks and even an extra sit down dinner to eat. *Update* I had to use an extra counter meal this morning and took it in the van and still had a snack when we checked out.
I have given up on Lexi looking at the camera for a picture. She is always like this but it’s pronounced this week as she is often getting her picture made. The second you say look at the camera, she looks to the left or right. I really don’t know what it’s about.
The weather at this time of the year is absolutely amazing. The crowds are bad. Apparently this is peak time but it has been so nice. We’ve all been in shorts the whole time with just a light jacket in the evenings.
I love the buses. Love, love, love. So worth staying at the resort and not having to drive and park.
I wouldn’t break my neck trying to plan my trip within the parks. If anything, be familiar with the map and rides you’d particularly like to ride. Pay special attention to Fast Pass rides and get those first thing. But other than that, go with the flow and ride what you can.
Be sure to buy an autograph book if you have kids. The kids have had more fun doing the character meet and greets than anything else we’ve done.
Bringing a teenager along with us probably wasn’t necessary for us but it has been a big win. The girls have really taken to her and it has helped just having a person that can carry Lexi or hold a hand. We’ve really taken (good) advantage of her while choosing to shop alone or going on an adult ride together. Those really wouldn’t have been possible without her. If you’re not traveling with other adults, I’d highly recommend it.
Plan a day at the resort. We didn’t even take the time to see that you could rent boats and bikes at the resort as well as an arcade. It would have been nice to have one last day to actually relax before hurrying back home the next morning.

I definitely don’t see us doing this every year. Maybe in a few years. Maybe not. It’s was a lot of money and exhausting. And we’re just not Disney crazy. I think it would be best again when the kids are in the 6-10 age range. All that said, I’m really glad we went when the kids are still really into the princesses. It was nice to see them enjoy themselves and I guess that’s what it was all about anyway.

Disney Day 6 – Magical Kingdom

April 1, 2009 by Amy 2 Comments

Tuesday is the day we hit a wall. We got an early start and were at the park at opening. We stopped for some breakfast and a picture with Mary Poppins before making a beeline for Ariel which had stayed at a 60 min wait all of Saturday. Scott and BIL went on Pirates of the Carribean and spotted Belle storytelling right when we were finishing up.

The girls enjoyed hearing Belle tell the story of her and the beast. They had some kids participate and I think Scott was a little jealous he didn’t get picked to play the beast. In fact we ran into the guy who did at dinner last night and Scott was joking be was going to take him out.

So after that we did the tea cups and carousel before heading to the treehouse. The adult girls all took their turn on the pirate ride which I must say was quite disappointing. We rode Aladdin’s carpet ride before getting some lunch. That was a rough feat as the kids didn’t want what the adults did. We were going to go go two different places but we were all hungry by the time they were halfway through and ended up getting our own chicken and fries. Actually, I just ate the girls leftovers and used my extra meal this morning for some to-go food.

At this point we were wiped. Everyone was physically tired, emotionally exhausted, hot and just not excited about any other attractions. So we went on the train ride. It was very relaxing and I really could have stayed on that all day long.

We stayed in mickey toontown after the ride going through minnie and mickeys house again and letting the kids play on the playground. It was really hot and humid though and we decided we needed some ice cream. I finally had my first mickey ice cream bar of the trip.

We finished out the afternoon with that train thing(relaxing), driving cars(fun) and the laugh floor(funny). It was about 4 then and our dinner was at Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge so we headed out. And none too soon. We were dragging.

We actually got to take a boat ride to the lodge. It was absolutely gorgeous and another thing I could have done for several hours.

Dinner was crazy. As part of the dinner plan, we all got all you can eat pork chicken ribs and brisket with potatoes corn and cornbread. Plus a milkshake to drink AND dessert which we took home. We were absolutely stuffed coming out of there. With the exceptin of Lexi who had fallen asleep in kristyns lap. One cute thing they do at the restaurant is put all the ketchup at one table and when the next table needs it they have to all yell across the restaurant for ketchup and the people have to take all 12 bottles to them. I only wish lexi had been awake to ask for it.

After that we headed back to the resort, got stuff packed up and finished the night with American Idol.

Disney Day 5 – Animal Kingdom

March 30, 2009 by Amy 1 Comment

I guess we got really lazy today because we didn’t arrive in the park until 11:30. Today was a lot of walking and going in circles. Not because we couldn’t read the map but because the things we wanted to do didn’t seem to work out. When we first got there the plan was to go get a Fast Pass to Safari and Expedition Mountain. We got the Safari one and then tried to get lunch but had to back track and ended up taking an hour and a half for lunch. I have to say Animal Kingdom really needs to work on their restaurants in a few sections. Since taking so long on lunch, Expedition Mountain was out of Fast Passes by the time we got there. And it was basically on the other side of the park.

So at that point we ended up going to a bird show. Lexi was again concerned. She didn’t want to see a hawk or an eagle but seemed excited about an owl. But she enjoyed all the birds. Scott ended up getting called up onto stage. The lady had him and another lady sit on stage. A huge bird with a five feet wingspan fly away from them and then right over their heads. You can see in the pictures when it got close he could only get one wing in the frame. We all enjoyed the show and I actually would highly recommed taking the 20 minutes to watch it.

After that we went down to Camp Mickey Minnie and got some autographs from a few characters. While we were there. a street performer named Guitar Dan singled Lexi out and had her try to figure out what was in his hand before he gave it to her. We answered incorrectly candy and rock before correctly guessing his third choice, a zebra. Lexi really liked him and said such after he left. She said he was fun.

We finally got on the Safari towards late afternoon. Lexi was VERY concerned about this ride because of the lions and tigers. I told her there were no tigers. Finally when we got on the bus she calmed down when I told her they were nice lions and Mickey only lets nice animals at Disney. After that, she didn’t flinch and enjoyed the ride.

When we came out the safari, the parade stopped us from getting out of the park to make our early dinner reservations. We took the long way out and managed to see the entire parade. Turns out the Boma restaurant was at a resort and not the park. But it was SO worth going.

Boma is an African buffet. I especially enjoyed the chilantro salad dressing, various hummus and yummy soup. The kids kept it safe with the normal chicken nuggets/fries although Emma ate a bowl of potato bacon soup. I had an entire sampling plate of desserts. Yummy!

Animal Kingdom closes at 6 so we were done with the parks for the day. There wasn’t a bus straight to our hotel so we opted to go shopping at Downtown Disney first. The kids really enjoyed the Mr. Potato Head and My Little Pony play area in the toy store and loved the candy we let them get. We got some fantastic pictures of Lexi hitting a sour spot in hers. There was one face even funnier than I caught. Needless to say, she refused to eat the rest after that. About 8:15 Heather showed up and Kristyn stayed there with her for the evening. The girls stayed with SIL again tonight.

I did make it back for One Tree Hill tonight and have enjoyed an evening on the Internet. We’re planning an early day tomorrow as it’s SIL’s first day at Magic Kingdom and our last day at Disney.

Disney Day 4 – Hollywood Studios

March 30, 2009 by Amy Leave a Comment

I have to say that Hollywood Studios was actually my favorite day so far. After a scary/whiny Epcot visit and whirlwind Magic Kingdom visit, Hollywood Studios seemed like the right combination of relaxation, excitement, kids’ interests and adult rides.

We decided to sleep in a bit Sunday morning. We didn’t have to be there until lunch and I knew with Lexi not being able to go to a lot of rides, we wouldn’t have a full day. And that was fine. It was actually nice. We started out with the Tower of Terror. Last time we went to Disney I was pregnant so I got to hear everyone rave over it. Scott was excited to get back on it and wow, I can see why. It was awesome! It’s like a drop zone ride but you go up and down several times. I literally could ride that over and over again without getting off. Loved it.

It was raining hard when we got out of that. We waited until it slowed down and ran over to the Beauty and the Beast show which was covered. Even though Lexi has seen the movie several times, she still cried when she heard the Beast. But by this time, I was getting used to telling her to close her ears and cover her eyes. I managed to keep her in the show and she loved the rest of it.

We had to leave a little early to make it to lunch at Hollywood & Vine but there was no real reason to hurry as they messed up our reservation and we waited for over 45 minutes for our table. It turned out ok though because SIL and family showed up while we were waiting and we all got to eat together. The kids enjoyed the Little Einstein characters and the waitress was extra nice to go to another location to get Lexi a hot dog after she mentioned it to her.

At that point we met up with Heather, Kristyn’s sister again and she pointed us to the Disney Animation show and character signing where we finally got Mickey’s autograph. I have to say that Lexi especially idolizes Mickey. She just stared at him while we were waiting in line.

After that, we were in a rush to make it to the Playhouse Disney show. The kids enjoyed that a lot. I have to say I was a little disappointed as it was all small puppets of the characters.

As soon as that was over, we rushed over to American Idol. I have to say I was REALLY excited for this. I was clapping and yelling when they showed clips of David Cook and other past idols. Kristyn and Heather kept looking at me like I was an idiot. What can I say? We all know I love my American Idol. The 3 girls on there actually participated in tryouts that morning and I was really impressed. Apparently the show gets them into the finals that night and whomever wins that, gets a fast pass to the front of the line of an actual American Idol tryout of their choice. Cool!

The adults are rushed over to Rock n Rollercoaster while the kids went to a movie ride. I LOVED the rollercoaster. We bought the picture of us on the ride they took and we NEVER do that. The look on my face was just too priceless.

At that point, everyone was losing it. Emma was starting to whine, stomp her foot and cry over everything. Lexi wanted held. The adults were getting short-tempered. Our tanks were empty and it was time for food! Heather tipped us off to Pizza Planet which was a big win for us. Emma ate her entire pizza. Lexi ate 3 of 4 pieces plus all her grapes. I ate everything too. The pizza reminded me a lot of Pizza Hut but a lot less greasy and a little more spicy. Loved it.

We had picked up fast passes to Star Tours so we did that. Big fail for me. It was one of those things where you sit in a room and the seats move as you watch a film. Eh.

We rushed off to Fantasmic after that. Standing room only but we went for it. Lexi had to reassured 500 times it was going to be ok. But she did cry and I did have to sit down with her with her eyes closed and ears covered for a good five minutes of the show. I assured her Mickey would get the dragon and his dreams would return to normal soon. The big boat with all the Disney characters at the end seemed to make up for all her stress. And of course….Emma loved it. She was proud that she watched all the bad parts without getting scared. I *think* I’m proud of her for that.

We called it a day after stopping at Tower of Terror once more and a coffee break. Overall a really good day.