Disney Part 3

This will probably be the last Disney blog, as I'm kind of getting sick of trying to remember what all happened and then blogging about it. :)

Our first park trip was to Magic Kingdom. We got through 2 parts of it...Liberty Town/Square/Whatever it's called and Adventureland. I bought the "Unofficial Guide To Disney", and I had great intentions of following the tour plans that are included. But that lasted all of 30 minutes. It was a total bust for our family. So we just did things at our own pace and saw the things we wanted to see and rode the things we wanted to ride. Avery rode Splash Mountain and that wasn't good. It completely did her in and she wouldn't ride anything else the rest of the time. The boys loved everything they rode.

The next day we went to Epcot. I hated it. The kids hated it. The only fun thing was the GM Test Track ride, and it was fun until it gave me a 2 day headache.

Animal Kingdom was very cool! While we were waiting on our bus to take us there, I told the boys "The Dunn family is going to give the animals a run for their money", to which Brody replied so seriously, "Do animals like money?" LOL That kid cracks me up! The first thing we did was the safari ride. I did follow the book on this, as it said the best time to ride is in the morning. You will see more animals at that time. And we did! We had lunch next, and it had a bit of the African flair to it and it was great! Kevin and the boys rode Mt. Everest Expedition, and they loved it! Me and Avery had an ice cream cone while waiting, and we loved it! LOL

Hollywood Studios was pretty good! The boys were hoping to be a Jedi for the day, but we didn't get there in time. So they had to settle for watching the Jedi training. Then we went to the Toy Story ride! It was like an interactive carnival game ride, and it was awesome! I almost beat Kevin and probably would have had I known how to best work the stupid cord in the beginning. Kevin and the kids had their faces painted. It was awesome. And yes, I was a loser and didn't have mine done. Oh well....

We went back to Magic Kingdom on our last day and stayed there for about 12 hours. We knocked out everything we wanted to ride, plus had lunch with the princesses! Snow White flirted with Kevin. And Ariel got to spend a lot of time with Avery which was very cool because that is her favorite princess. The electric parade and fireworks that night were pretty awesome! We were so exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel.

All in all, it was a great trip. We did not overdo it by trying to see everything there. We only saw or rode the things we wanted to, and it worked out great that way. Some people go back year after year, but I can say I'm not one of those people. If we go back, it will be 3-4 years before I do. I much prefer laying on a beach to standing in line for an hour! :)

Disney Part 2

Well, let's pick up where we left off. We have landed....thank you God!

There are 5 of us, and I didn't care that I had to pay $100 for baggage fees. I was not about to lug around 5 bags on top of what we carried on the plane. Disney has a great service that will take your checked bags to the resort and put them in your room. SWEET! Because of this, we were able to go straight to the bus that takes us to the resort. No sooner than we sit on the bus do I hear from Brody "are we there yet?" Not yet son...we haven't even left the airport. And then I hear the following questions on the 30 minute bus ride:

"Where are we?"
"Is there a zoo?" (little did they know we live in one)
"Are we there yet?"
"Where's Mickey?"
"Is Cinderella your best friend?"
"Where are we going?"
"Are we there yet?"
"Did you bring the PSP?"
"Can dogs break their arms?"
"Are we there yet?"

Finally, we pull up to the resort. Thank you God again! :) I get us checked in and then we begin our 1/2 mile trek to our room. The resort is beautiful! It has the look of old New Orleans, complete with plantation style buildings and bayou brush. The room.....not so great. Now granted, we would not be staying in the room much, but I am very picky about accomodations outside of my own bedroom. These queen beds were more like extra-full size. Uncomfortable. Pillows were so big that you could lose a small child inside of one. But anyway, let's make the most of it! We are there, it's just 5:00, so let's do something. So we go eat at the restaurant located at the resort. It's not the best, but it's food. Brody is eating off of everyone's plate. Walker won't hardly touch his food. The dessert was a hit for all though!

We were told that there's a boat ride that will take you from the resort to Downtown Disney. So that's what we decide to do. It's not a park, but it's definitely Disney. All kinds of restaurants, gift shops, stage show....I just loved it! I could have visited this place every day we were there! We let the kids ride the merry go round, shopped like crazy, watched a hula hooping contest and ate the worst caramel apple I've ever had. :) But it was all so much fun! We head on back to the resort to hit the sack. First day at the park was looming.....

Disney Part 1

I have not been on here in a long time for many reasons....too busy, nothing to say, completely forgot I had a blog. So I thought I would just come on here and talk a little bit about our trip to Disney World over spring break.

I have referenced this several times, but we really did make the Griswold's look like amateurs. Let me just start off with the plane ride down there. It is packed to the gill with families going to Disney World. Amy George and her family are also on the plane. I want to say hi and tell her I love her blog, but she looks a little stressed...guess so with two kids, a husband, carry ons and what looked like grandparents in tow. So I decide not to say anything. If I was her, the last thing I would want is some stranger to stop me on a crowded plane to chit chat. So anyway, I am stuck in the middle seat between the two boys and Avery is sitting with her daddy. Thankfully, we all are on one row. Every 2 minutes Brody is asking me when the plane is going to start moving. Walker has his head stuck in a PSP and he's quite, thank goodness. Avery is coloring. We are pretty settled. And then the plane starts backing up. And of course Brody says "are we moving?" I don't even bother to answer. We take off down the runway and as soon as the plane leaves the ground EVERY KID on the plane starts hooting and hollering. Oh precious Lord, please give this plane lightning speed and get me to Orlando ASAP! It's all cute for about a split second, and then it starts to wear on my nerve. Finally, they all calm down. Now enter the kids sitting in the row in front of me. There are 3 of them. And unfortunately, their parents were not able to sit in the same row as them. One parent was in the seat across the aisle and the other was in the seat in front of them. All I will say is the man and woman sitting in front of the kids are angels. There is NO way that I would have allowed my kids to punch, kick, pull their seats the way they were. Mom was too busy reading a magazine to do anything about it, and dad was too busy talking. Every now and then they would turn around and say something along the lines of "honey, stop it". And here's the kicker...when we landed the mom tells the lady "Oh, I'm so sorry about all the kicking". REALLY? Cause you sure didn't act like it! Geez! Anyway, back to the Dunn's.....

The flight for the most part was very smooth. Well, that is until we started the descent into Orlando. Then all those happy kids who could not wait to hug Mickey and kick Pluto in the knee are now whining and crying because their ears are hurting...my kids included. Brody is flopping around in his seat like a fish out of water. So I threaten to pull his ears off. Avery is whining...as usual. And Walker just gives me a look like he's about to experience the worst pain in his life. We hand out gum hoping the chewing will help. It does for about, ohhhh, 10 seconds. You can hear kids scattered through the cabin complaining about it. Finally we land. Then we have to sit on the tarmac for a few minutes because our flight was early (thank you God for that answered prayer). Hey, this is the perfect time to have the kids call Nana and tell her we landed.....just as soon as I can get Brody to quit asking me for the 7th time why we are just sitting there. And then finally, we pull up to the terminal. I have never heard seatbelts on a plane unbuckle as fast as I heard them at that time. Parents across the plane were rejoicing!!!!! I stand up and look back at the rows behind me and I see disheveled looking moms and dads, excited kids and worn out grannies and pawpaws. It makes me giggle....even now thinking about it. I even think the flight attendant opened the door as soon as we pulled up so she could get us out of there ASAP. I hear you sister, I know the feeling.

Hello Orlando, it's so good to see you!!!!!!!!!!

Don't call me, call 911

A couple of years ago, my company paid for several of us to be trained in CPR and trained to use the defribillator. I signed up for it. And thankfully, I have not had to use my skills to help anyone! BAHAHAHHAAHA...and this is why I laugh.
A few months ago, one of my co-workers had eaten something that she was allergic to. As you can imagine, she became violently ill. I hear people in the hall talking about what to do, so I walk out there to see what's going on. This whole time I'm just standing there, listening about what everyone thinks is wrong with her and what do we do to help her. Two ladies go into the restroom with her and we all disperse back to our offices. About 2 mintues later, it hits me! OMG! I am certified to help this lady, and I have completely forgotten that I am! Well, let me tell you something, if I have forgotten that I'm even certified to help, I can assure you I can't remember what I'm supposed to do in this case! LOL! So I'm fumbling in my desk trying to find my book, and finally I do. I run to the bathroom, book in hand, to find that one of the other certified people has already helped her. So I act all calm and open my book up, flip to the appropriate page and start reading through the orders. Yep, done that. Yep, done that. Yep, done that. Well alright, glad you got her taken care of. I'm gonna go on back to my office now. It's a running joke around here that if you need help, don't call me, call 911. Cause I sure ain't going to help you out!

I miss my best friend

I have not seen my best friend in over a month. It's been tough. He was the most dependable friend I had. I could always count on him to make my day. And now, he's nowhere in sight. But I'm not talking about a person, I'm talking about my little buddy Zoloft. I have no shame. I don't care that you know I took Zoloft.
I quit taking it to see if I could handle it. I'll let you be the judge of that.

WITH ZOLOFT:
*** I always had a smile on my face.
***I didn't care that Brody was swinging from the ceiling fan.
***Avery's chewing on a marker? Ah, it'll wash off.
***I could not get enough of Quackadoo's duck sweatshirt.
***There wasn't much that could set me off.
***I had no idea Walker was talented enough to completely tear apart the blinds. Good job son!
***All the stupid drama out there didn't phase me at all.
***I looked forward to going to work every day.
***I was actually a morning person! bahahahahaha...who am I kidding? I will never be a morning person.

NOW....WITHOUT ZOLOFT:
***You mean I have to smile at that joke?
***Brody, I don't wanna hear it when you cut your hand off.
***I still can't get enough of Quackadoo's duck sweatshirt! LOL!
***Look at me wrong, and I'm liable to jack your jaws. Just saying....
***When I'm driving and I see a person on the road, I wonder to myself how many points I could get by hitting them.
***Also when I'm driving, I want to run over the little cars who drive too slow, or don't turn on their blinker, or just because I don't like that car.
***When I see or hear stupid drama, it's all I can do to contain myself and not tell people to grow up and get a life. You're an adult, for crying out loud!!!!!!!
***Have I mentioned I still love the duck sweatshirt?
***I dread going to work every day. But Kevin won't let me quit. He says I can if we want to sell everything we own. Think I'll pass on that.

So anyway, I don't know about you, but I think it's obvious I need to get my little buddy back.

Thank you GMac

Like it or not, college football is a way of life in the south. Families and friends are divided over their greatest rivalries. It is instilled in us from the first breath we take. Life stands still on football Saturdays. There is nothing like it. And I've been debating from the last post I had on here as to whether I address the things I have seen, heard, read and experienced since the Iron Bowl. But I choose not to go there because it will only turn into false accusations, cussings, name callings, whinings and boastful attitudes. Instead I choose to focus on a positive....our Crimson Tide QB Greg McElroy.
A few years ago, then Alabama head coach Mike Shula was heavily recruiting a fella out of Florida....the great Tim Tebow. And on the other end, we had a fella from Texas who was holding out hope to attend Alabama....Greg McElroy. We all know how the Tim Tebow story ended. And because it went that way, we were lucky enough to get Greg McElroy! Yep, that's right....LUCKY!
Greg McElroy, or affectionately called GMac, is not flashy. When you talk about the greatest college QB's of all time, he might not make the Top 20. But he's solid, he's intelligent, he's respectful, and he's classy. He led the mighty Crimson Tide to a 14-0 season, an SEC Championship, and our 13th National Championship. He navigated a game winning drive against our biggest rivalry. He danced down the sidelines in the Georgia Dome to get that first down. He executed a flawless game in that same dome. And that night, he made everyone remember that Alabama lost nothing when Tim Tebow turned us down. And then he led our team to the NC!
On January 1, 2011, GMac will play his last game in an Alabama uniform. I know it will be a very bittersweet moment for him. I know without a doubt that he will play his absolute best for his team, his university, and all of us fans. I, for one, am very thankful for his dedication to MY football team. He helped take us back to the top! I wish him nothing but the best. I know what he has done at Alabama is just a minor step in the huge life he's about to lead! God bless you GMac! And ROLLLLLLL TIDE ROLL!

Dear Opposing Team

I love football! Always have, always will...and I love a great football game. I said in my post from yesterday that if Bama played 60 minutes, they wouldn't get beat. But they did. They played 30 minutes and then let their foot off the gas. They let an average team, yes I said it, an average team whip up on them the last 30 minutes. That team has a great player, another 70 who ride his coat tail, and a lot of luck on their side. But something that team is totally lacking is class. I had a friend, who is a fan for that other team, try to tell me last night that Bama had no class because we put their band in the upper deck (could not be anymore wrong) and because a bunch of frat boys were throwing fake money at their QB. Those are the people in the stands. Nothing our coaches can control. But those are not our players. Let me just shed some light on what the PLAYERS from the opposing team did last night:

1. Before the game even started, their QB ran to OUR "A" emblem at midfield and kneeled down like a Pharisee and prayed. Just a side note, not only is that disrespectful, but God also instructs us to go into another room and pray...not to pray to be seen.

2. After the game, the other team's players started acting like a bunch of thugs when, instead of celebrating with their fans, they chose to run down to OUR student section and started using obscene hand gestures and throat slashing motions. Once again, let me emphasize these are the team players doing this, not the fans.

3. And here's the kicker....when our QB Greg McElroy went down with an injury, two PLAYERS from the other team hopped up on their bench, turned to our fans, started dancing and hollering "whatchu gonna do now, huh?". This was all done while GMac was still down.

I have been to many ballgames in my life, both home and away. And I have NEVER witnessed our players doing these kinds of things. And do you know why.....because our coach teaches them not to act that way. Our players would never be allowed to disrespect someone else's field, students, fans, etc.... The loss we took last night was one that hurts a lot, but I do believe I would rather take a loss with some class than be a boastful winner.

So opposing team.....I suggest you don't act this way when you visit our stadium. Just food for thought....

There's a reason I love my CRIMSON TIDE.......