Category Archives: Family

Heading To Disney

Two times in a year. That’s even a lot for me. I’m not one of those ‘wear Mickey ears’ and carry a Princess backpack but I do like my theme parks. And when someone invites, I accept. Last November, my parents asked Ryan, Sage and me to join them at Disney World; that was just after Ryan’s parents told us to save the last week in September 2011 for them to take us, you guessed it, to Disney World. Who am I to deny them time with Sage? Plus, it beats visiting Boston again.

Ryan was a bit miffed that his folks wouldn’t be the first to intro Sage to Disney World but what can you do? He definitely put the kibosh on a day at Disneyland this summer when I went to visit my parents in San Diego. “At least let her feel like the trip in September is special.” We didn’t go. We did get a tour of Disney Studios thank to my college sorority big sister who’s an exec there but Ryan seemed to be cool with that.

I don’t exactly know what the draw is. A childhood thing? I remember the notes I’d hand to my teachers- “Please excuse Jill from school. Today is her birthday.” Then they’d pick me up and off we went to Disneyland; just me and my mom and dad. It was one of the rare days that I had them all to myself for 12 hours. In my senior year of high school, my friends and I ditched and spent a rainy afternoon at the Park. We had the place to ourselves; so much so that we could hop off those conveyor-belt seats at the Haunted Mansion and run around the graveyard. On the Peoplemover, I stepped out of the car and nearly plummeted off the narrow track but my friends rescued me in the nick of time.

My visits to the Happiest Place on Earth dwindled after college. I moved to Aspen then Park City. I went when I could; usually when I brought a new beau home to Cali to meet the parents. I’d also introduce him to Disneyland and the Venice Beach.

I made Ryan ride It’s a Small World twice in 2009 because Sage was asleep on the first round. She woke up as we were strolling down Main Street toward the exit. I spun them around and went right back to the ride. She couldn’t miss It’s A Small World if I could help it.

People tease that I use Sage as my excuse to visit Walt’s Worlds. Hell, I don’t need an excuse. If you don’t like Disney there’s something wrong with you!

Last year, was our first time at Disney World. I was afraid that I might not like it as much since it didn’t hold the same history. Nope. It’s a pretty neat place. I became a huge Hollywood Studios fan. Love the Rock n Rollercoaster, the Tower of Terror and the ToyStory 3 game. I do prefer Disneyland over the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. The Florida one feels small and slapped together. Maybe it will be different in 2012 when the new Fantasyland opens.
Scheduled for the Magic Kingdom, the renovations will add a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster through the story of “Snow White,” a Princess Fairytale Hall for meeting Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana and Rapunzel, a Voyage of the Little Mermaid dark ride, a dueling Dumbo flying elephants ride, a “Beauty and the Beast” themed restaurant, and Gaston’s Tavern and Belle’s Cottage.

We leave this Saturday and my researching hormones are off the charts. I can’t help scanning blogs and Disney sites for every little insider tip. I already know about the FastPass, the singles line, the parent swap pass. I just found out you can collect transportation cards. These are free souvenir trading cards you can only get if you ask the boat, bus and monorail drivers. Eighteen in all.

I’ve booked us tables at the Brown Derby, the Whispering Canyon Café, The Akersus Dining Hall and the Crystal Palace. We’re on the ‘free’ dining plan that includes a table service meal a day. So much for losing weight this month.

Sage Takes On Epcot

Ok, I really should be sleeping at this very moment. Everyone else is passed out. But I can’t let the thoughts pile up. I wouldn’t be able to sort them out later. What a day. We had at least three tantrums from Sage – and this is after she spent over an hour screaming like Linda Blair last night. She didn’t want to sleep and she made sure no one else could. SIGH. My dad has started calling her The Thing again.

It absolutely sucks to have a child who might lose it at any turn. You read all of those books that tell you to head off tantrums before they happen? What do you do when they’re always about to happen? We can’t just give her everything she wants. Tantrums happen whether she’s tired, rested, fed or hungry. She wants a present every day. She doesn’t deserve one. Last night she didn’t want to sleep. Not going to let her stay up. Today she wanted a princess dress. We told her last night that if she didn’t stop, she wouldn’t get a dress. She has to go a whole day without being a beeatch (we didn’t use those words). She didn’t last five minutes today before the monster came out. Stomping, shouting, making pouty faces, and crying were all part of the scene today. At least they didn’t last as long or as loud as last night. But it was enough to get us to tell her, no dress tomorrow. And then there’s another tantrum. Maybe tomorrow she can be a good girl and get her dress on Wednesday? Doubt it. The good news is then we don’t have to spend $60 on a Disney Princess dress. That’s the price in these parts.
We kept seeing all of these little girls glittered up, with a tiny tiara tucked in their bunned hair and wearing the latest in princess fashion. I asked one mom how much it cost and where did they go to get their kid all dolled up like that and she said Bibiddy Bobbity Boutique in Downtown Disney, $189!!! OMFG. Good thing Sage will never ‘earn’ that kind of present. Parents with boys are lucky. They have to buy hotwheels and video games. They don’t have to spend $200 on dress up clothes.
In case you couldn’t tell, we made it into Epcot. Not a single problem with the tickets. The place was relatively uncrowded and we were able to do just about everything we wanted to – Soarin’, Innovations, Sum of All Thrills, Turtle Talk, Test Track, walked twice around the World, drank beer in Germany, ate potstickers in China and watched Illuminations. The parks close at 9 p.m. until Thanksgiving but we still didn’t get home until 11 p.m.
I”m really going to bed now. I need my energy to deal with Sage. We’re doing Universal Islands of Adventure tomorrow. My rents are big Harry Potter fans. One last mention- Sage went right to bed tonight without fuss. Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
She looks like a princess but can she act like one??

Orlando Day 2- We Made It Through Epcot

Ok, I really should be sleeping at this very moment. Everyone else is passed out. But I can’t let the thoughts pile up. I wouldn’t be able to sort them out later. What a day. We had at least three tantrums from Sage – and this is after she spent over an hour screaming like Linda Blair last night. She didn’t want to sleep and she made sure no one else could. SIGH. My dad has started calling her The Thing again.

It absolutely sucks to have a child who might lose it at any turn. You read all of those books that tell you to head off tantrums before they happen? What do you do when they’re always about to happen? We can’t just give her everything she wants. Tantrums happen whether she’s tired, rested, fed or hungry. She wants a present every day. She doesn’t deserve one. Last night she didn’t want to sleep. Not going to let her stay up. Today she wanted a princess dress. We told her last night that if she didn’t stop, she wouldn’t get a dress. She has to go a whole day without being a beeatch (we didn’t use those words). She didn’t last five minutes today before the monster came out. Stomping, shouting, making pouty faces, and crying were all part of the scene today. At least they didn’t last as long or as loud as last night. But it was enough to get us to tell her, no dress tomorrow. And then there’s another tantrum. Maybe tomorrow she can be a good girl and get her dress on Wednesday? Doubt it. The good news is then we don’t have to spend $60 on a Disney Princess dress. That’s the price in these parts.
We kept seeing all of these little girls glittered up, with a tiny tiara tucked in their bunned hair and wearing the latest in princess fashion. I asked one mom how much it cost and where did they go to get their kid all dolled up like that and she said Bibiddy Bobbity Boutique in Downtown Disney, $189!!! OMFG. Good thing Sage will never ‘earn’ that kind of present. Parents with boys are lucky. They have to buy hotwheels and video games. They don’t have to spend $200 on dress up clothes.
In case you couldn’t tell, we made it into Epcot. Not a single problem with the tickets. The place was relatively uncrowded and we were able to do just about everything we wanted to – Soarin’, Innovations, Sum of All Thrills, Turtle Talk, Test Track, walked twice around the World, drank beer in Germany, ate potstickers in China and watched Illuminations. The parks close at 9 p.m. until Thanksgiving but we still didn’t get home until 11 p.m.
I”m really going to bed now. I need my energy to deal with Sage. We’re doing Universal Islands of Adventure tomorrow. My rents are big Harry Potter fans. One last mention- Sage went right to bed tonight without fuss. Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
She looks like a princess but can she act like one??

Orlando Day 1- Dizzy, Not Disney

I now know how a black person feels when they visit Utah. Our first night in Orlando and my dad picks a place called Mama Nem’s for dinner. The soul food restaurant in a strip mall about 20 minutes from our hotel (the Marriott Grand Vista) came recommended. By whom I’m not sure but there we were; hesitantly shuffling past a sranding-room-only waiting area of black people all staring at us as if we were lost. Two white seniors, two white parents and a little white girl who kind of looks like the All-American Kid. The only white people in the entire place! We held our heads high and waited to be seated. It was like that scene in Animal House just before the guys come up to Boone and say “Do you mind if we dance wif yo dates?”

Everyone was extremely nice; the hostess grabbed a piece of melt-in-your mouth cornbread for Sage while we waited. After about 5 minutes, however, mom was visibly uncomfortable. Let’s go, she said. It was the wait not the company that bothered her. They had caught the redeye from San Diego to Orlando last night with very little sleep. The hostess had said it would be another half hour….until we offered to seat Sage in a high chair at a four-top instead of a bigger table. All of a sudden it was 10. They didn’t want us to leave!
The restaurant itself wasn’t much. Zero atmosphere. WE were the atmosphere- for tonight anyway. It was hilarious. But when I tried to take a photo of my parents from across the table. Ryan stopped me and said it was rude. HUH? He accused me of trying to take a picture of black people (like when I took a photo of these girls lined up in bikinis outside of my acting class just because I’d never seen anything like it?) OMG could he be serious? I take my camera everywhere and I shoot it everywhere- including dinner. Tonight I told him that he was the rude one for making me act differently just because we were in an all-black restaurant.
Bikinis on Main
The food soon arrived, piled high on the table. Collard greens, fried green tomatoes, mac n cheese, fried chicken, ribs, corn, fried shrimp, mashed red potatoes. All of the usual heavy southern foods. The sides were on the money, the main dishes not so much. The ribs held very little meat and our chicken was dry- Sage took one bite of her drum stick and handed it to Ryan. But I’ll tell you- even when Sage got off the high chair and started boogieing in the middle of the room to the hiphop music overhead, they didn’t rush us out.
We drove back to the hotel a bit weary from the experience. Tomorrow we test out our Disney World tickets. I got them off eBay and the seller dropped them at the hotel this afternoon. I’ve read the warnings and posts all over the web. Don’t buy tickets on Craigslist or eBay because there’s no way to tell if the ticket’s already been used but the dude had near 100 percent feedback and I used my credit card. Worst case scenario: the tickets are confiscated, we buy at the gate for the regular price and I dispute the charge on my card. I’ve always been one of those people who had to “learn the hard way”. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Orlando Day 1- No Disney Just Dizzy

I now know how a black person feels when they visit Utah. Our first night in Orlando and my dad picks a place called Mama Nem’s for dinner. The soul food restaurant in a strip mall about 20 minutes from our hotel (the Marriott Grand Vista) came recommended. By whom I’m not sure but there we were; hesitantly shuffling past a sranding-room-only waiting area of black people all staring at us as if we were lost. Two white seniors, two white adults and a little white girl who kind of looks like the All-American Kid. The only white people in the entire place! We held our heads high and waited to be seated. It was like that scene in Animal House just before the guys come up to Boone and say “Do you mind if we dance wif yo dates?”

Everyone was extremely nice; the hostess grabbed a piece of melt-in-your mouth cornbread for Sage while we waited. After about 5 minutes, however, mom was visibly uncomfortable. Let’s go, she said. It was the wait not the company that bothered her. They had caught the redeye from San Diego to Orlando last night with very little sleep. The hostess had said it would be another half hour….until we offered to seat Sage in a high chair at a four-top instead of a bigger table. All of a sudden it was 10. They didn’t want us to leave!
The restaurant itself wasn’t much. Zero atmosphere. WE were the atmosphere- for tonight anyway. It was hilarious. But when I tried to take a photo of my parents from across the table. Ryan stopped me and said it was rude. HUH? He accused me of trying to take a picture of black people (like when I took a photo of these girls lined up in bikinis outside of my acting class just because I’d never seen anything like it?) OMG could he be serious? I take my camera everywhere and I shoot it everywhere- including dinner. Tonight I told him that he was the rude one for making me act differently just because we were in an all-black restaurant.

Bikinis on Main

The food soon arrived, piled high on the table. Collard greens, fried green tomatoes, mac n cheese, fried chicken, ribs, corn, fried shrimp, mashed red potatoes. All of the usual heavy southern foods. The sides were on the money, the main dishes not so much. The ribs held very little meat and our chicken was dry- Sage took one bite of her drum stick and handed it to Ryan. But I’ll tell you- even when Sage got off the high chair and started boogieing in the middle of the room to the hiphop music overhead, they didn’t rush us out.
We drove back to the hotel a bit weary from the experience. Tomorrow we test out our Disney World tickets. I got them off eBay and the seller dropped them at the hotel this afternoon. I’ve read the warnings and posts all over the web. Don’t buy tickets on Craigslist or eBay because there’s no way to tell if the ticket’s already been used but the dude had near 100 percent feedback and I used my credit card. Worst case scenario: the tickets are confiscated, we buy at the gate for the regular price and I dispute the charge on my card. I’ve always been one of those people who had to “learn the hard way”. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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