Disney Part 2: Arrival, Hotel & First night in Florida!

FIRST, please read Disney Part 1: Road Trip!

We arrived at our hotel at 9:45am, exhausted, smelly & enjoying the lightening flashes & loud booms of thunder as rain poured down around us! Our hotel was not ready for us to check-in yet (we arrived many hours earlier than expected), so we decided to drive over to buy our Disney tickets. On our way to the parks, we passed a small blue hut (literally) with a sign announcing 'Discount Disney Tickets'.
We hesitated, but figured, what could it hurt? So we stopped. Of course, there's always a catch. We would have to take a tour of a timeshare up the street (lunch included) and then they would pass over our (highly) discounted Disney tickets! Once again, I'm not spontaneous, but leave it to Tim and he said "Sure! Let's Do it" and there we went (in 2 day old clothes with messy hair and hungry bellies) off to view a timeshare we knew we wouldnt buy. What was promised as a 90-minute tour, of course actually took up 4 hours of our day, but it wasnt as bad as it sounds. If the sun was shining, I would've been more upset, but the heavy rainstorm lasted the whole time. And they had a fun Kid's Center which the girls loved (movies, video games, arts & crafts and games). We were there from 11am till 3pm and got a free lunch out of the deal as well.

After the tour, they handed over our tickets as promised. Tim had a $500 Amex gift card from buying fuel for the jet - so with the timeshare discount and his gift card, we paid pennies (not literally of course, but close!) for 5 day Disney tickets (and we would only be in Disney for 3 days!) Then we stopped at a HUGE Walmart next to the timeshare to buy some goodies to replenish our snack stash and we got things like water bottles to bring into the parks.

At 4pm we finally checked into our hotel...and what a hotel it was!! We stayed in a Hilton Embassy Suites completely FREE (with Tim's Hilton points)!! *click link to view our exact hotel and please take a tour to see all the pics*

Some of our favorite things about this hotel were:
* FREE made-to-order breakfasts every morning (including the best omelets ever!)

* FREE Happy Hour each evening (including unlimited alcohol and snacks plus juice for the kids)

* Two pools (indoor & outdoor) plus a hot tub
* Huge soft King size bed for Tim & I

* Girls slept on a comfy sofa bed in the 'living room' area of our suite

* Great view from our sliding doors to balcony (we were on 7th floor)
* Awesome views of Disney fireworks while sitting on our bed
* Beautiful water fall in the lobby with trees and pretty gazebo
* Free internet (with Tim's code)

I could go on and on, but you get the idea - we were very impressed! Of course Tim lives like this on a daily basis while on the road (poor guy - cough cough), so he may not typically have been as impressed. But I think he really did enjoy seeing our excitement at staying in this beautiful hotel!

After checking into the hotel, we unloaded our bags and Tim & I crashed in bed for a short nap while the girls watched TV. From 6-7pm we went down for free Happy Hour... lots of free drinks & snacks (chips with salsa, popcorn, pretzels, etc).
Unfortunately, this was the only night we were able to take advantage of the Happy Hour because we were busy running through Disney World the other nights!

We splashed in the beautiful indoor pool and extremely relaxing hot tub from 7-7:30pm.






Then up for showers and cozy PJs while we snuggled up and watched American Idol together :) I cant give up my Idol fix even while on vacation! heehee... I also made a packing list of things to bring to the parks with us (Tim carried a backpack the whole time). We saw the Disney fireworks from our balcony then collapsed into bed for a much-needed night of rest. We requested a Wake-up call for 8am to start our Disney fun...

Disney Part 1: Road Trip!

I will return to my regularly scheduled blog updates shortly (including Easter & other fun events), however I am interrupting to give an EXCITING UPDATE!

Monday, April 13, 2009 --
It was the day after Easter and my wonderful husband returned home after being gone on a trip for almost 2 weeks. Tim got a call from work Monday morning stating that his week off would start immediately, rather than Thursday, which was originally expected. The girls and I were already off work & school for the week for Spring Break, so we were excited to have this unexpected week together!

Tim woke me with his 'brilliant' idea to make an impromptu trip to Disney World in Florida to celebrate our special family time! My response? WHAT?!?! Are you crazy?! But then we did some research online and made a few phone calls and I quickly realized it was actually a pretty cool idea! Those who know me, know I am NOT a spontaneous person. I am a planner and want to have all my info gathered and examined before making any final decisions. Therefore, this was completely out of character for me! I decided to put all my trust in Tim's hands and there began our Disney Adventure!

We booked our hotel (more detailed info on that in next post) and began packing around 2pm. We all got showers, ate an early dinner, loaded up the car and we were on the road by 5:30pm - just a few hours after making the decision to go!

I had a special bag packed to help the girls enjoy the car ride, including tons of DVDs, coloring stuff, books, lots of yummy snacks as well as candy of course!

ON OUR WAY:


It took us a total of 16 hours & 15 minutes door to door. With four potty breaks totaling one hour (15 min each), our actual drive time was only 15 hours & 15 minutes! Tim and I alternated driving through the night so we could make the trip in one long shot instead of stopping halfway. We left home at 5:30pm on Monday and arrived at our hotel at 9:15am Tuesday morning!

A FEW STOPS ALONG THE WAY:




To make the trip more fun for Tim & I, we tried to find all 50 state license plates and also counted how many yellow cars we saw. Including our trip down & back, we saw a total of 49 yellow cars (mostly spotted by Eagle Eye Tim!) and we saw only 32 different state license plates (plus 3 different Canadian plates).

The girls watched 3 movies on the way down - The Parent Trap, Max & Ruby and Bedtime Stories. On the way home (Sat April 18) they watched 5 movies - Bolt, Enchanted, Barbie Rapunzel, Max & Ruby and High School Musical 3.

We stopped for gas two times on way down, one time while in Florida and two times on the way home. Gas is definitely cheaper in NJ than anywhere down South!

Unfortunately, it rained most of the way to Florida, sometimes very heavy. It made the drive not as much fun, but we made it. And I have to say, the girls did GREAT! They travel very well and honestly, other than maybe one or two times of bickering, they got along nicely for the drive both ways. They really were troopers!

If you travel from the Northeast down to Florida, the majority of your trip will take place on Route 95 South. We drove through New Jersey (approx 1.5hr), Delaware (approx 15 mins), Maryland (approx 1.5hr), Virginia (2hrs 45 mins), North Carolina (approx 2.5hrs), South Carolina (2.5hrs), Georgia (approx 2hrs)and Florida (approx 2.5hrs). Times are approximate of course due to traffic & weather variances each way, plus the day of the week. We definitely noticed more traffic coming home (Saturday night 4/18) compared to the way down (Monday night 4/13). On the way home, there was awful traffic in South Carolina due to construction - at one point we literally sat still for one hour - ugh!

One interesting thing that we look forward to each time we drive to Disney (we've made this trip probably three times in the last 10 years) is the South of the Border signs. South of the Border is a place located in South Carolina which includes apparently many fun things (we've never actually stopped there) and bright lights. But they have humorous signs along the way, starting several hundred miles before you get there!

For the way down, we had printed Mapquest directions, but I forgot to print the reverse directions for the way home. Luckily, Tim & I have awesome new Blackberry Storm phones (update on that coming soon as well!) so we were able to use free GPS apps and also Google Maps, which worked out very well!

Overall, the road trip in both directions went very smoothly. The girls did great. Tim & I had many hours to talk and together as a family, it turned out to be part of our awesome bonding experience!

The Shack

The Shack

by William P. Young

Published in 2008. 256 pages.

Amazon link

Official SITE

Genre: Fiction, Spirituality

My Overall Score: 5/5

What its about (taken from amazon.com): Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

What I thought: Fantastic! By far, the best book I have read this year! I devoured this book in one day! I am not into Godly books where they shove it down your throat preaching at you. If that's what you're looking for, this is NOT it. Instead, this book opened my mind and filled me with hope. I can see how it could be considered controversial, but if you go into it with an open mind, hopefully you will love it as much as I did!

Why I read it & where I got it: I asked around for book suggestions and many people gave me this title as THE book to read. It didn't sound like my type of book but I broke down and ordered it from amazon.com. (BTW, I'm soooo glad I did!) Thanks to all those who suggested it to me!

Date finished: March 29, 2009 - in one day!

Currently reading: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling

Manic Monday

Manic Monday #162

How often do you change your toothbrush?
I have a Sonic Care toothbrush with replaceable heads. The heads get replaced every three months.

What is your favorite item of clothing to shop for?
Children's clothing!

Do you use social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)? Which do you use most often?
Yep - I'm on Facebook quite a bit... my new phone has a direct Facebook button! Plus blogging of course ;) I'm curious about twitter, but havent looked into it and dont really see the point yet?

Fun in PA!

After all the snow melted away, Tim & I and the girls took a trip up to visit PA (yes Tim was actually home - hurray!)
We stayed at our dear friends Anita & Carl's house. Saturday (March 7) was beautiful weather - sunny & warm. So we were outside all morning playing with the kiddies.


Then in the afternoon, I had my first Tastefully Simple party for my friend Carrie. Everyone seemed to have a great time and of course the food was yummy. I loved getting a group together and even meeting a few new people.

Tim snuggling with all the kids:
Tim & I snuck away for a few hours just to visit a local store that I used to frequent ;) It was nice to have some quiet peaceful time together...a rare occasion.
Then when we got back to their house, a few friends came over and we finally got to participate in their GAME NIGHT! It was tons of fun and we enjoyed many laughs!!

That night was Daylight Savings, which I really do love (it means longer days and Spring is coming), but we were exhausted from losing that hour of sleep. On Sunday, we walked around the local mall (talk about memories) and even got some hot wings at our old stomping grounds. It felt so strange being in that place after 2 years (we used to go every single Monday night for probably ten years - before we moved of course). And as always, the wings were so good...nothing compares to them here at the Jersey shore (at least none that we've discovered yet, and we've tried ALOT!)
Saying goodbye after a fun weekend...
We got home around 9:15 Sunday night and we were wiped! But what a great, rejuvenating weekend and so nice to feel 'at home' with our old crew again. Aaahhh... the good old days!

** Blizzard of 2009 **

OK, so maybe it wasn't really considered a blizzard, but it seemed pretty darn close! I believe the South Jersey area actually got more snow than our old neighborhood in PA, which is kind of strange, considering accumulating snow is very rare down here.
On Monday, March 2 we had NO SCHOOL! Unfortunately, I felt so sick and spent the day in bed :( The good news was that Mommom & Poppop were here to take care of the girls - thank GOD!
Pops even took the girls out to play in the snow (while he took care of snow removal and clearing the cars, etc). What a great Poppop that he remembered to take his camera out with him!! And our wonderful Mommom had hot chocolate waiting for them when they came back inside to warm up! Very cozy day for those girls!
And here you have it...









Then a few days later when Tim came home, he helped the triplets build a nice big snowman (while Kaitlyn & I were at school)! Just hours later, all the snow melted away because the temps got into the 60's ... crazy weather!

Uncle Sean & Aunt Boochy!

We finally got to have a full weekend visit from Sean & Holly (Boochy)! They came down Friday, Feb 27 and stayed till Sunday, it was so nice.

For the most part, we just hung out, chatted and caught up with each other.
Saturday we went to the mall and then Denny's for dinner (yep we LOVE the Kids Eat Free deal!) heehee We also watched movies.
By Sunday, I was really not feeling well. We went Mack's pizza on the boardwalk for lunch and they left for home after that - trying to beat the SNOW!

We only got a few pics this weekend because for the most part, we were just hanging out, enjoying each other's company :)



Check out those prices - Holy Moly...And it's always packed!

But it is OH SO GOOD!



And of course we snagged some group shots just before they left: