After much planning, we finally took the kids to Disney World.

 

I had a lot of impressions about Disney going in.  I'm not a Disney-phile -- I wasn't "raised" on Disney, and even though I enjoy their movies, I never felt a burning desire to get there as something I need to do to make my life complete.  I actually know people who feel that way - that Disney is the penultimate experience, vacation-wise, and must be done. 

 

I did want it for the kids.  Many of their friends have gone -- some several times -- and I know that they wanted to go, even though they weren't clamoring for it.

 

We decided to make Disney a surprise, folded into a trip to Tampa to visit Sandy & Joe & the kids.  We managed to keep the secret until we were about 45 minutes away from Disney on the 3rd full day of our visit -- pretty amazing, considering the cousins knew about our plans. The kids were very happy, of course -- but it was funny that they were disappointed that they'd be missing time with their cousins.  Luckily Sandy brought the kids over to Disney, too, so they could all hang out together.

 

My impressions of Disney?

 

First, it's the worst place in the world to take small children.  It's big, it's noisy, it's bright, and it's crowded.  The little kids I saw were either screaming or asleep.  And I simply can't fathom why parents have their little girls walking around Disney in Princess dresses in 90 degree heat.

 

Second - the general pulse of the park is, you walk, and you wait. Walk, and wait. Walk, and wait. 

 

Third - it's like being at the UN.  At one point I told my husband I'd gladly give $5 to the first person I could find, outside of our family, who spoke English as a first language.  It got to the point that I felt I was in the middle of the Tower of Babel, with everyone speaking a different language & no one being able to understand each other.  About the only universal language was push and shove.  People at Disney are like people everywhere else -- pretty freaking rude.

 

Fourth - it's not a joke that hygiene is way underrated in countries outside the US, the UK, and Australia.  Most of the people who weren't speaking some form of English fluently had serious body odor.  I'm not talking the "you've been walking around outside on a hot day" variety -  I'm talking the "your skin has never had an intimate relationship with soap & water, has it?" variety.  Good Lord, there are some funky people in the world.  Great place for people watching, as long as you have a serious sinus infection that cuts off all possibility of scents making their way to your nasal receptors.

 

Fifth - I spent, on average, 10 hours a day outside while in Disney, much of that time at night, and did not get bitten by one mosquito.  Part of me wonders how they manage that - Florida is one of the mosquito capitals of the US, and Disney has no lack of water around.  The other part doesn't want to know what pesticides we might have been exposed to while there.  If you see me with an arm growing out of my back or a toe poking out of my forehead, that's probably why.

 

Sixth - I can go my entire life without ever hearing "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo" again. 

 

Seventh - whoever decided it was a good idea to invest a lot of money in topiaries never read "The Shining" by Stephen King. Please, don't ever allow that man admission into the park.  He'd have a field day making Disney's creations "The place where nightmares come true"!

 

Those are my general impressions about that little corner of the world.  But once I convinced myself not to think about the cost involved, and to just enjoy myself - I really did.  Disney does an amazing job of keeping the park clean, considering how piggish the human race is -- actually, after some of the things I saw people doing there, it's an insult to a pig to compare us to them.  They also work very hard to keep your mind & senses engaged while waiting in those infernal lines -- it works better for older kids & adults, of course, but they do work hard at it.  I can't begin to imagine how much money is spent just on upkeep -- there were gardens and landscaping everywhere, and it was meticulously kept. 

 

Rides of note:

 

Soarin' (Epcot).  I've heard laments that this is a direct rip off of "California Dreamin'" or something like that, of Disneyland California.  Since I don't care if I ever go to California, that's fine by me.  This is the one ride that I absolutely had to do, and am so glad that I did.  It simulates hang gliding, complete with breezes and scents of the places you're soaring over.  It's a series of scenes from California and it is amazing.  I'd have ridden it over & over if given the chance.

 

Rock'N'Roller Coaster (Disney/MGM) - the Aerosmith Rollercoaster.  Awesome ride.  Over too quickly. Me, who is terrified of rollercoasters, loved it.  Again, would've gone on it a second time if the wait time hadn't been so long.  (we had Fast Pass for this & for Soarin')

 

Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) - Yes - another roller coaster!!!  I've formed a theory -- indoor roller-coasters, like Space Mountain & Rock'n'Roller Coaster, are much more appealing to me.  I think I feel more comfortable with the knowledge that, if the ride malfunctions, I'll be propelled at 80mph into a wall that I won't be able to see since it's dark, and it will be over quickly, than with the thought of an outside roller coaster and being propelled through open air, being able to see everything, and having a moment to think about my fate.  Psychological difference.  Hmm ....

 

Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom) -- this was worth bribing Nicky with cash to go on.  Very fun -- a few surprises here  & there, but meant to be fun & not scary, it was cool.

 

Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom) -- another fun one.  More so, because I enjoyed the original "Pirates" movie.  The animatronics are amazingly lifelike.

 

We went on more that was great, but that's all I have time for now.  Maybe I'll get a photo album up of some of the pictures I took.

 

 

 

 

My mind is still on vacation, & we've been back a month!!!

 

I loved, loved, loved staying on the Outer Banks.  Today I looked at my sis-in-law's pictures from the trip, and it made me want to go back all over again - climb another lighthouse, have the camera charged & ready for the trip to Jockey's Ridge, find the shipwreck museum in Hatteras.  It's a long ride, to be sure, but I'd make it tomorrow in a heartbeat.

 

I don't know what it is about the area - it's coastal, so it's very laid back, so casual.  It's beautiful.  It's also a little wild, a little untamed in spots.  There were times at the Currituck Light that I felt a ghost whisper past my elbow, but in a quiet, almost welcoming kind of way.  Everything seemed to beckon to stay, kick back, soak in the sun and the scenery.

 

So, as I finish another week of summer and prepare my mind grudgingly for the fact that in one month the kids will be in school, my mind still lingers along the coast of North Carolina.  Note to self:  get the pictures printed, framed, and hung on the wall!  Maybe that will quell the urge to jump in the Jeep for a 6 hour road trip ...

 

 

We did so, so much on our vacation to the Outer Banks.  I can't begin to address all the fun we had tonight, as sooner or later I have to get my little crudballs, AKA my kids, into the shower and then to bed.  But I finally uploaded some photos that highlight some of our relaxation - they're right next door, in the Outer Banks photo album.

 

 

The sunset pictures were taken right from around the house - we didn't have to walk to get to this view, it came with the house.

 

Sunset was a requirement.  Everyone - okay, the kids were allowed to shoot pool, play games or swim, but all of the adults -- participated in sunset every night.  We dragged some wonderfully comfortable Adirondack chairs from poolside down to the Sound and just reconnected with our souls and each other.  That's not to shabby, when you consider it was 7 adults, and many times, the 8 kids down at water's edge.  The first sunset pictures were taken from the top deck of the vacation house (3 floors, beautiful veranda-style decks -- wide, comfortable, I want to live there!).  The others, as well as a shot of the chairs patiently waiting for the sunset, were taken either from the yard immediately behind the pool, or from the chairs themselves (Skipping Rocks, Osprey).

 

The Osprey photo was taken the night before we left.  I was the first one down to the sunset chairs, and was sitting quietly when an osprey flew to a high branch of an old, twisted tree that was about 15 feet away from me. He stayed for about 10 minutes, scouting the Sound for a meal, before taking flight.  Beautiful, powerful bird.

 

 

The Oregon Inlet photos were taken from bridge that connects the island we were on (it escapes me) to Hatteras Island.  It's just south of Oregon Inlet, and after going over the bridge (heading south) we drove for miles along a strip of land where we could see dunes/beach on one side, sound on the other.  If the island was a 1/2 mile wide for most of this, I'd be surprise.  Completely undeveloped, save for some checkpoints that were part of the Pea Island Wildlife Preserve and the Hatteras National Seashore Park.  I took the pictures frmo the top of the bridge as we were headed north, back up to the Duck/Corolla area.  Breathtaking view from the top of the bridge.

 

I climbed this lighthouse with my 10 year old niece - no one else wanted to make the 214 step climb.  Even my general fear of heights and claustrophobia wasn't going to hold me back from the spectacular view.  The added benefit was that this lighthouse was only a 10 minute walk from where we stayed.  Very windy at the top, but I felt like I could see forever. Exhilirating!

 

I wish I had the pictures I took at the 4 wheel drive beach loaded onto the PC, but I have to find the photo cds - they were taken with my old 35mm.  I'll have to load them up soon.  The pictures here were taken one day just having fun at the beach with the kids.  I love the shot I got of my 2 nieces in the water - my older niece had flipped her hair back after getting tumbled by a wave - without knowing it, I caught the action and her hair is straight up in the air, with water droplets flying out in an arc.  I normally don't post people photos on my blog but I really loved this one.  The redhead crawling at water's edge is my lovely daughter, AKA Kid1 on the blog.

 

More later, hopefully more later.  Right now, it's off to the showers with the kids!

Heard during vacation.  Just what is a dingsmack, anyway?  I don't know, but any time someone did something a little weird (or a little stupid), my sis-in-law would tell them, "Don't be a dingsmack".  So, we now have a non-obscene but still somehow mildly offensive new word in the family vocabulary.

 

And, as a an addendum, I heard this in the backyard on Thursday 7/6 evening:

neighbor kid:  random yelling, sounding a bit weird and annoying.

Kid2:  "V--(neighbor kid) -- Stop being a dingsmack!"

 

As my sis-in-law said when I reported this to her via email:  "Oh well.  At least he didn't pick up the "F" word from me!"  So true, S-I-L.  So true.

 

 

 

 

 

Aaaah ... nothing says relaxation like vacation.

 

And while I have many, many fond memories of our trip to North Carolina, I feel it necessary to begin with some simple rules to follow when vacationing - specifically, when taking long road trips to a vacation destination.  Also, many of my pictures were taken with a 35mm camera, and aren't back yet from being developed.  Soooo....

 

 

When traveling with a wagon train, anyone who has a cell phone must have it (1) ON and (2) OUT in arm's reach, in case your daughter in the lead car is trying to get in touch with you, Mom.  Several times I tried calling my mom's cell phone, only to get her voicemail after many, many rings.  Which meant I had to hang up & find my brother's cell phone number in my phone's memory & call him, which I didn't want to do since he was the one driving.  Proper etiquette dictates that if you're going to have a cell phone, you have it within easy earshot and even easier reach, so the lead car doesn't have to make multiple calls to get important questions like, "Is it time for a bathroom break?" answered.

 

 

From now on, each driver in the wagon train (we had 3, and none of us have mastered three way conversations on our respective cell phones) will have a copy of the directions from Mapquest printed.  This way, if we get separated, it's not a Greek tragedy (or an auto accident waiting to happen) unfolding while we all try to catch back up.

 

 

Because the beautiful states of North Carolina & Virginia don't name their roads properly (if we took rte 158 South to get to the Outer Banks, doesn't it make sense that we would take Rte 158 North to come home? Not if you live in NC -- it was 158 west) or sometimes not at all (in Virginia we knew we were on I64, just not which direction on I64, on the way home) everyone who is following the same trail gets a copy of the directions home printed from Mapquest or a similar mapping software.  My reverse directions for Deb-O apparently sucked, and when we tried to follow them, they weren't all that great, either. 

 

 

From here on out, we're either borrowing EZ Pass from Mom & Dad when we go on vacation, or getting one of our own, even though we'd only use it about 4 times a year.  Much too annoying having the other cars in our posse pulling over to wait for us and then everyone trying to sync up again through loads of southbound, beach bound traffic.  Not that there were many tolls, but the two or three where this was an issue was enough.

 

 

If we're staying for a week at our vacation destination, we don't necessarily need to buy everything on the first day there.  By the same token, if we're doing a Saturday-to-Saturday, a target day of Wednesday is hereby set for the acquisition of souvenirs and gifts for people back home.  No more of this "We'll buy it as we're driving off the island" crap!

 

 

We will never, never, ever try to do "local" site seeing for venues that are "an easy drive" from our vacation house that is 25 minutes from the main highway.  Apparently, the people who write the guide books have a different idea of what an easy or short ride is.  Two and a half hours through NOTHING followed by a ferry ride to an island with no other way off, followed by more driving through NOTHING to find out that to return, we can't loop around, we have to go back south to go north, DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EASY DRIVE.  I really, really thought I was going to lose it in that restaurant in Ocracoke at the thought of all the driving we had added to our trip.  Rule 6, subsection A:  no making fun of Mom for her giggle fit over Sweet Tea in said restaurant!

 

This is for mom's sanity as well.  I spent way too much time worrying over whether or not we'd dropped Shrek 2 for Gameboy out of the truck at a rest stop outside Norfolk.  The fact that I found it the second day we were back home, wedged in the seat of the truck, only partially makes up for all the obsessive worrying I did about a Gameboy cartridge lying in a parking lot, being crushed by numerous tires.  If I'm worried about Shrek, there's a problem.

 

 

If I'm your passenger and I don't like the way you're driving, you'll know it.  Accept it.  Side seat driving is a skill I've only recently perfected, and the fact that I fear auto collisions and am still able to drive on a regular basis and agree to a 7 hour car ride with someone other than myself  behind the wheel should let you know how much I love you and want to keep us all safe.  So yes, I will from time to time (every 5 minutes or so) express my nervousness if that's what I'm feeling.  I promise, however, to try not to scream when the kids are awake, or grab the wheel more than 2 or 3 times during the entire trip.

 

Those are the basics.  I'm sure there's more, but right now I need to put the kids to bed so I can get some more laundry done and put away some more of the vacation related stuff.