A Magical Day

Tea Cups

Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

Our day at the Magic Kingdom was as magical as I had hoped. Things started off a bit rocky ( as is usually the case)… First, I got the technology adverse Cast Member at the ticket window and it took her days to fumble through my transaction. Next, when I gave her my credit card to pay it was declined… WTF. I began to freak out and alerted Shemp who then said to me “oh ya they called, they shut the card off cause they were worried about fraud” While this was welcome, although somewhat tardy information, I was still freaking out and wanted to get to the bottom of the situation. So I called customer service right there and then at the Ticket and Transportation Center. Turns out that in fact my visa number had been compromised… someone was running a muck with it, but it wasn’t anything that could not wait until we return home. So, we headed on the ferry to the Magic Kingdom… only problem was…. by now we had missed the opening ceremony. Crap! Oh well… I keep missing the fly over on opening day at Comerica park as well…

From then on it was a wonderful day. We went straight to Pixie Hollow to meet the fairies in hopes of missing the awful wait times I have heard about. We were successful. Tinkerbell and her friends are wonderful and it is true that the reason the line moves so slow is because they do give each give each guest such personal attention. We got to meet Fawn, Tinkerbell & Terrence. Emily was a little bit scared but they were very kind to her and they spent a lot of time teasing William & Jack. It was awesome!

Next we met Cinderella, Super Booty & Belle… the Princesses were successful in getting Emily to pose for pictures and sit with them. They also tormented the boys which made for additional fun!

From there we did Tea Cups, Its a Small World, The Haunted Mansion. Later in the evening we were lucky enough to be on Dumbo during the Fireworks Finale…. that was spectacular.

Day Two or How Shemp Didn’t Buy Me a Circus Train

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Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

See this? Isn’t it awesome? Can’t you imagine riding around in it at our house after a few drinks? Don’t you think I could make a killing dressing Shemp up like a clown and renting him out to birthday parties? Well too bad, because Shemp didn’t buy it at the auction we went to today!

Truthfully, the circus train was only one of the really cool things we saw today at the Yoder & Frey Heavy Equipment Acution in Kissimmee. There are lots of pictures on Flickr so be sure to check it out! We rented golf carts and cruised acre after acre looking at excavators, high lows, bulldozers, big hoe’s (hee hee) and something Shemp calls “betty boppers.”

The golf carts were a little stressful as we experienced several “golf cart incidents” but all in all it was a good time! Tomorrow we hit the Magic Kingdom and I am really, really looking forward to that. Better get to bed as I am making the crew leave at the crack of dawn in the morning. Here’s hoping for a magical day tomorrow! Nightie Night!

Day One – Sea World

Boys on the Whale

Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

Yesterday we enjoyed what will probably be the warmest day of our week… and spent it at Sea World! We have never been here before and I have to say, it is a lovely little park! As Shemp said “see good things can happen when you open your eyes to more than that damn mouse!”

The day started with the usual stresses and strains including but not limited to traffic, parking, having to get the stroller on the little tram thing and so on. Initially, I forgot our previously purchased tickets and had to make the entire crew run back to the condo… and Shemp got so frustrated at the entrance turnstiles that he simply lept over them…. to my complete horror I might add.

However, once we got inside and settled it was all good! We enjoyed the dolphin show & shamu shows and we fed stingrays, sea lions and dolphins! We looked at penguins and sharks and enjoyed a delicious lunch “sea side” All and all it was a wonderful day!

Today we are gonna take it slow in hopes of resting up for tomorrows big day at the Magic Kingdom… Emily is very excited about meeting Cinderella! I plan on having the troops up and out early so that I can see the “Opening Show” and get in line to meet Tinkerbell before it gets too crowded.

In the meantime we will head to a heavy equipment auction and maybe the Orlando Premium Outlets. So far we are having an awesome time. My sister and her family are enjoying the “little” kids especially when William happens to punch Jack in the face “on accident” or when Emily goes on and on about “Super Bootie” (the way she says Sleeping Beauty)!

Heading South for the Winter…

well, for a week at least.  Yes its true, the Fawcetts will be heading to sunny Florida on Saturday.  It will be a budget trip but we are looking forward to it none the less.  For starters we are driving which shall save a good deal of cash.  Next, we scored a deal on the Dux Villa and are splitting the week with my sister and her family ( it really is a win win for them too as they will get to see my kids run around in their underwear all week!)  To save on going to the parks we did the Disney Give a Day, Get A Day Promotion and cashed in Mark’s Visa points for three of the four tickets we will need for Sea World Orlando!  I also have some Disney Reward Dollars from my Disney Visa and on top of all this another sweetie gave us a$25  Disney gift card she won but will never use!  We are looking forward to preparing some meals at the condo, which will be healthier and cheaper!  All in all we are in good shape… and I look forward to keeping you all posted on the trip!  Stay tuned!

Greetings From Highway 29 South in South Dakota

Guess what?  I am blogging from the highway!!!  The old verizon broadband usb modem is working wonderfully as we cruise towards Des Moines Iowa… our destination for this evening.  We are officially headed home and I must admit I am ready!  I always hate it when a trip is over, but this one has been longer than most and we are all pretty tired.  The camper is a mess both inside and out and I am looking forward to being able to move around without triping on someone or something. 

Yesterday we had a lovely day in Deadwood.  We spent the whole day exploring the old west town.  In the evening, William, Pops, Shemp and I went on a ghost tour of the Bullock Hotel.  We didn’t see any ghosts first hand, but we heard lots of great stories.  William had a blast and it was an awesome tour!  I would highly reccomend it to anyone passing through Deadwood!

Today has been spent driving… South Dakota is a long state to get through.  We will be home on Monday but we will have to drive our butts off to get there.  Its alright though, as it will be good to get back to everyday life… as long as reality remembers to go easy on us until we get our bearings back!

Montana is Marvelous

We interrupt our regularly scheduled chronological programming to say that we think the state of Montana is fantastic!  We had a wonderful day at the Bozeman KOA… swimming in the pool, walking along the creek, looking at the mountains… and of course doing laundry.  Earlier today we visited the worlds best gas station in Helena Montana… it was full service and the guys came out and tended to the cars like it was a NASCAR race.  Shemp was thrilled when our lunchtime stop at Burger King only cost $13.00 and we figured out later that they have no state sales tax here!  Add in legalized gambling and saloon beers the size of well… Montana… and you have got yourself a state worth visiting.

Calgary Stampede

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Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

On our second night in Canada we were treated to a night at the Calgary Stampede. The weather had turned iffy on our way into Calgary and I was nervous that we may get rained out. However, just as Pops predicted it cleared up and the races were ago. The Stampede itself is like the biggest fair you could ever imagine… all sorts of games, attractions, rides & food. We spent some time walking the midway trying our hands at a game or two. We are now the proud owners of several stuff animals. We enjoyed a corn dog or two and then it was time for the Chuckwagon Races.

The Chuckwagon Races were awesome! It is so fun to take part in something so exciting and new. The fans are really into it. I didn’t know who the people racing were but I just cheered for the team who had the prettiest wagon. It was an excellent once in a lifetime experience.

Off to a Shaky Start

Border wait

Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

It took us two hours to cross the border in Sweetgrass Montana. They only had one window open… not nearly enough man power to handle the last day of a holiday weekend. It was stressful all around, especially after a less than positive experience at the Duty Free Shop. The boys were full of questions like “whats duty” and why are their guards here and little did I know that once I crossed the border I would also be without wifi for like 10 days or something. In the end, we made it into Canada without much ado and headed off for the adventure of a lifetime!

Oh Canada…

We are off to the Great White North today! Lets hope we all make it through customs without incident…The boys and I have a little argument brewing… they swear that today’s drive will be shorter than the previous two… I say it will be just as long. My calculations (ok Google maps calculations) we have like 551 miles. Tune in later to see who ends up being correct. Perhaps they figured out a way to move Canada closer!

We have no reservations tonight… we are going where the wind takes us… lets hope the wind is blowing in the direction of Lethbridge Alberta… all we really need it to make it to Calgary tomorrow for the Calgary Stampede.

As we head into pioneer land, I am unsure as to what type of connectivity to expect. Don’t worry if you don’t hear from us right away and remember… I love you!

Greetings From Miles City Montana

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Originally uploaded by lmfawcett

Well we made it another 640 or so miles today. The two worst days of driving are behind us and tomorrow we make the crossing into Canada. The kids are doing pretty well riding along in the car, although I have had to break up an argument or two.

Tonight we stayed in Montana and were treated to a local fireworks show.

I know these posts have been pretty boring so far… but I guess that is because we really haven’t done that much. Stay tuned I promise it will get better… in the meantime enjoy a few of the new pictures I have posted on Flickr! Happy 4th of July!