On Monday, October 27, a couple from the Make a Wish Foundation is coming to Lora’s house for a bon voyage party, they bring Pizza.
We will stay at the Redmont Hotel, we are going to see Disney on Ice: Disney Land Adventure at the BJCC in Birmingham on Wednesday, October 29,2008, at 7:00 P.M.
We will sit in seats 6-10, on L 25 (lower level).
This will jump-start our Make-A-Wish for Meadow.
If we get the kids checked out of school soon enough, we will go to the Birmingham Zoo located at 2630 Cahaba Road Birmingham, Al 35223 205-879-0409.
The drive to Birmingham will take a little over two hours if we leave at 1 P.M. we should arrive about 3 P.M., which should give us about 2 to 3 hours at the zoo, eat supper, and go to Disney on ice.
We should check into the Hotel around 3 P.M. and go straight to the Zoo.
The Redmont Hotel is located at 2101 Fifth Avenue north Birmingham, AL., 35203.
The telephone number is 877-536-20085.
To celebrate the holiday season we will be staying at the Redmont Hotel where Hank Williams stayed before his death, we may see or hear him walk in the hallways during our pre-Halloween visit to Disney.
Thursday morning we should leave the hotel around 9:00 A.M. to be at the Airport an hour and a half before flight time.
Hopefully, we will have a restful sleep in the haunted hotel, the next morning we will start our airplane adventure to Orlando, Florida. Meadow loves to fly but the older kids have never flown we will see how the flight goes.
Day 1: Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday night around 6:00 P.M. a couple from The Make a Wish Foundation came to Lora’s, they brought two large Papa John’s Pizza one cheese thin crust and one thick crust pepperoni pizza.
Marcus, Jr., had gone to football practice with his dad.
The woman went over the packet that they brought, it had a DVD and a book about Disney parks. It had information about the do’s and don’ts of what to take on the airplane. It was a lot of information to read over. They brought Meadow a humpy dumpy blanket, Marcus a small airplane and Madison a trigger toy.
They left about 7:00 P.M. My husband and I stayed until about 8:30 P.M.
I played with Meadow and I put her to bed.
Lora called South Eastern Airlines to make sure that we had e-tickets, they said yes, and for us to bring a photo ID.
Lora should be getting a check in the mail for $1,500 for expenses for the Theme Parks, food, parking, etc. so we will have to wait for the check to arrive.
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| Make a Wish Pizza Party |
Day 2: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Lora had a problem getting the check she called Fed-X, and they said that the check had been delivered but to the wrong address.
She called Fed-X, and they said they would get in touch with the driver, she called several times that day.
Finally, she told the woman at Fed-X that she needed that mail for it had a check in it.
She called the driver of Fed-X's cell phone number, and he said he had delivered it.
Lora told the woman at Fed-X to stay on the telephone while she went through the neighborhood looking for the check, it was at a neighbor’s house, it had been there all day, and the woman had been gone all day.
Day 3: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Lora picked me up at 12:30 P.M. We picked up the kids at school.
Lora drove to Birmingham, we checked in at the Redmont Hotel, and we went to the Galleria Mall, where Lora bought Marcus a pair of shoes and a Disney shirt.
At 6:30, we were at the Civic Center where we watched Disney on Ice the Disneyland Adventure. Meadow enjoyed the show when she heard the audience clap she clapped, and she also slapped her leg to the music.
The story was about an incredible family that took a vacation to Disney.
The father, Bob, “Mr. Incredible” mother, Helen,” Elastigirl," daughter Violet, son Dashiell “Dash” and youngest Jack-Jack Parr were a family of superheroes.
Mickey and Minnie take you through the non-stop fun at Disney on Ice Disneyland adventure.
The incredible family swings through the jungle cruise with Baloo flies through Space Mountain with Buzz Light-year, and they spin wildly in the teacups with Alice and the Mad Hatter. They saw the Disney Princess Snow White, and Cinderella at the main street parade. The incredible attractions of the Haunted Mansion, it is a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, as the Incredible save the day.
We rode back to the Redmond Hotel and dressed for bed.
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| Disney on Ice in Birmingham |
Day 3: Thursday, October 30, 2008
The next morning we woke up, packed our suitcases, ate breakfast, and left for the airport.
We bought snacks while waiting for our flight which cost us $28.00.
We will be leaving at 11 A.M. on Southwest Airlines, flight number 1556 at gate C14, we should arrive at 1:00 P.M. in Orlando.
There was a woman from KFW waiting for us when we passed security at the airport, she gave us a package that had everything we needed to rent a car and the directions to GKW.
We went to baggage claim, collected our luggage, and loaded it on a cart, we went to the rental car service where Lora rented a Chrysler from Avis Rental.
Lora drove us to GKW, we stopped at the gate, she told them who we were, we were invited inside the gate, and Lora was given instructions to go to admitting.
At Admitting we were given a packet with information, and a woman at GKW gave us a tour of the villa where we will be staying.
We will be staying at Villa 192, there was a sign posted outside next to the mailbox, with a rabbit on it, and the name Beasley Family written across the front.
At 7 P.M. tonight Lora will have to attend a meeting, where she will be given our theme park tickets.
We took all our luggage inside the Villa, and we realized that we had not eaten lunch, so we ordered two pizzas.
After lunch, we walked around the park, rode the carousel, and the train, walked through the castle and Marcus played with the electronic boats.
Tonight at the Gingerbread House they are having a Christmas dinner, there will be a Christmas Parade with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Mickey, Minnie, and many others, and a Carriage ride, Santa will be greeting the children and giving them presents.
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| GKW Villa where we were staying |
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| GKW Villa where we were staying |
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| GKW Villa where we were staying |
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| GKW Villa where we were staying |
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| GKW Villa where we were staying |
While Lora was at her meeting, Marcus was playing with the electronic boats, and Madison, Meadow, and I were having fun at the Christmas party with all the Disney characters.
Madison, Meadow, and I boarded the carriage for the last ride of the day, the door was shut when Marcus came up, he wanted to board the carriage but the driver said no because he had already loaded the steps into the carriage.
Marcus did not take no for an answer, he started following the carriage, so the driver stopped and let him into the carriage.
We rode around the Villa in the carriage, Lora was out of her meeting when we returned.
Day 4: Friday, October 31, 2008
We spent the day on the Island of Adventure.
We rode the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, the Dueling Dragons Roller Coaster, the Jurassic Park River Adventure (I did not ride any of the wet rides), Popeye & Bluto Bilge-Rat Barges, Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall.
We also rode the Pteranodon Flyers, the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, Poseidon’s Fury, The Cat in the Hat, and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.
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| Thing One Thing Two on the Island of Adventure |
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| Roller coaster on the Island of Adventure |
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| The Island of Adventure |
After all the wet rides, Lora bought her and the kids some dry clothes.
We watched Beetle Juice’s Graveyard Revue, and we ate ribs at Thunder Falls Terrace, before we left for the day, we ate at Circus McGurkus café Stoo-Pendous at Seuss Landing.
The park opens at 9 A.M. and closes at 6:00 P.M.
The kids put on their Halloween costumes at GKW, and we joined the Halloween Party but we missed the parade.
At the party, there were big black pots of candy, face painting, and games.
There was a princess-prince parade where each child was given a crown or a sword and had their picture made.
The kids all enjoyed being kings or queens for the day.
There was a line at the theater where a famous woman, Miyuki Sugimori, was molding candy into tiny animals for the children.
I stood in line with Meadow, she was the next to the last person to be given a stick, to which candy was molded into her image which was an Almo with her face shaped into the candy.
Meadow was dressed as Elmo for Halloween.
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| Barney and friends at GKW |
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| Shamu at GKW |
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| Shamu at GKW Halloween Party |
Day 5: Saturday, November 1, 2008
We spent the day at Epcot.
We ate a continental breakfast at the Gingerbread house which included: cereals, toast, bagels, yogurt, fruit, coffee, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy.
Breakfast is served every morning from 8-10 A.M. and supper is served every day from 6-8 P.M.
At Epcot, we rode the Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Test Track, and Soaring.
At Living with the Land we board a trolly that took us on a voyage through an amazing greenhouse and fish farm.
We watched Honey I Shrunk the Audience, The Sea with Nemo and Friends, and we watched Talk with Turtle Crush.
We took a boat across the bay to the world showcase of Germany where we ate a buffet lunch at the Biergarten Restaurant and enjoyed a live performance.
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| Biergarten Restaurant in Epcot |
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| Biergarten Restaurant in Epcot |
We walked to Norway where we took a Viking Boat Voyage, to Mexico where we took a musical boat ride, where Madison got lost.
On our way out of the park, we stopped and tasted the different flavors of cokes from around the world.
We took the tram from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, this park stayed open until 11 P.M.
The magic kingdom was still decorated for Halloween with its orange pumpkins and orange and yellow lights.
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| Magic Kingdon |
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| It's a Small World Ride |
Lora, Marcus, and Madison walked through the Swiss family tree house and once again we lost Madison.
It took us 45 minutes to find her.
While Lora was looking for Madison, I took Meadow on The Magic Carpet of Aladdin ride.
We found Madison and we were all given a coupon for free ice cream.
Lora, Madison, and Marcus rode Big Thunder Mountain.
We all rode It’s a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, and The Jungle Cruise and we all watched the Enchanted Tiki Room Adventure.
Madison and Marcus rode Dumbo the flying elephant, and we all rode the many adventures of Winnie Pooh.
Madison, Marcus, and I rode the Mad Tea Party teacups.
We all rode the cars at Tomorrow Land Indy Speedway, where Lora and Meadow’s car broke down, I had to push her into the pit area with my car.
We rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and watched Monsters, Inc. Laughing Floor.
We took the boat back to Epcot where we had parked the van and rode to GKW.
Day 6: Sunday, November 2, 2008
We ate breakfast at the Gingerbread Playhouse where they served breakfast from 8-10 A.M. every day. It rained or drizzled all day.
While Lora, Marcus, and Madison were riding the Tower of Terror, I met a family from Birmingham, England. They were here for three weeks and had been to all the theme parks in Orlando.
She said her kids did not like hamburgers and fries so she would make fresh sandwiches every day.
Her kids all like PJs.
We got snacks of pretzels, cotton candy, Carmel apples, cokes, water, and plain pretzels. Marcus bought some Star Wars dolls.
We went to Disney Studio where we watched the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, The New Journey into Narnia Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney, and Beauty, and the Beast.
Lora, Marcus, and Madison rode The Rock n’ Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
We ate supper at the Sci-fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant it was awesome.
The tables were made in the shape of a car parked in front of a drive-in movie, where people could sit in the front or back of the car which had no top.
Marcus and Madison sat in front while Lora, Meadow, and I sat in the back seat.
Lora and I shared a hamburger, onion rings, and a cucumber salad.
Marcus ordered a hot dog with fries, and Madison ordered a beef Mac with vegetable sticks, fries, and a milkshake.
We finished the night by watching the fireworks show Fantasmic.
Day 7: Monday, November 3, 2008
We spent the day at the Animal Kingdom, and we ate lunch in Asia at Yak & Yeti a Chinese Restaurant.
Madison and I split a large plate of sweet and sour chicken, and Lora and Marcus split Honey Chicken.
Before we went to THEME Park we had a family picture taken with Mickey and Minnie.
I took some pictures of Pluto, Goofy, and Mary Poppins at GKW.
We all rode the carousel at GKW three times.
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| Mickey, Minnie, and Meadow at GKW |
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| Group picture at GKW |
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| Goofy, Mary Poppins, and Pluto at GKW |
We all rode Mount Everest the Legend of the Forbidden Mountain in Asia.
We watched It Is Tough to Be a Bug on Discovery Island.
We took the Kilimanjaro Safari to ride in Africa, and we rode the Dinosaur.
After the parade at the Animal Kingdom, we rode the boat to the Magic Kingdom and were there from 5-8 P.M.
We tried to finish up doing the things that we missed at the Magic Kingdom.
We finished the night by watching the fireworks show.
We were going to watch the World Showcase at Epcot but we did not make it.
We took the boat back to the ticket center, then a bus over to the Animal Kingdom and we rode back to GKW.
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| Asia at Yak & Yeti a Chinese Restaurant at the Animal Kingdom |
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| Parade at the Animal Kingdom |
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| Parade at the Animal Kingdom |
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| Dinosaur ride |
Day 7: Tuesday, November 4, 2008
We ate lunch at Lambert’s Restaurant in Universal Studios.
In the restroom at Lambert’s, I met two women from Ireland, I told them about Meadow and they, said special people are given special kids.
At Lambert's Restaurant, I ordered shrimp and chips.
Lora and the kids ordered fish and chips.
Lambert's Restaurant was in the setting along the waterfront in San Francisco Bay.
We watched Beetle Juice, MIB, Johnny Newton, Terminator, Disaster, and Twister.
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| City Walk |
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| Universal Studios |
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| Universal Studios |
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| City Walk |
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| City Walk |
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| City Walk |
Lora and the kids rode the Mummy and the Hulk coasters.
I got 267,000 points, and Marcus got over 150,000 points in the MIB ride.
We rode this ride twice, the second time I doubled my score.
I took lots of pictures, and we each ate a Danish before we left the park.
We rode back to GKW to wash clothes, clean the house, and pack our bags.
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| Getting tucked into bed by Mrs. Rabbit |
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| Getting tucked into bed by Mrs. Rabbit |
Day 8: Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I got up, finished packing, went to get the pictures put on DVD, and ate breakfast.
Lora and the kids finished packing, and we had to be checked out by 11 A.M.
We went to Sea World, and Lora and the kids rode the Cracken coaster.
We fed the rays and dolphins; we watched the sea lions, seals, penguins, and Manatees.
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| Sea World |
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| Sea World |
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| Sea World |
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| Sea World |
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| Sea World |
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| Sea World |
We ate chicken and steak feta, and we ended the day by watching the Sham Show Believe, it was awesome.
I bought Meadow a frog (like Build a Bear) we named it Hopper.
We left the park at 3:30 P.M., Lora filled the car with gas and we returned the rented car to Avis.
We arrived at check-in at South West Airlines.
They said that the plane was scheduled to leave at 5:10 and it was now 4:45 P.M.
They checked our bags and Meadows's wheelchairs.
We walked through security.
Lora’s jacket caused the security to go off, and she had to walk through security again.
Lora had a roll of quarters inside her purse which made the security go off again.
Marcus’s bag had two snow globes from SeaWorld that were not allowed to go through and
Madison had a tub of mud that was not allowed on the plane so we were delayed.
We still had to take the tram over to the gate where our airplane was to depart.
Lora and a security guard walked to SeaWorld’s gift shop, where they boxed up the snow globes and had them shipped free to her house.
I went ballistic because I thought we were going to miss our plane.
I called my husband, and I told him I thought we were going to miss our flight.
I saw Lora and the kids and we headed to the plane.
They were calling our names for final boarding.
We took off running, I was pushing Meadow, running as fast as I could.
We made it, I let out an Oh Shit!
We got on the plane Lora proceeded to fasten Meadow in the car seat.
I was so flustered that I needed help fastening my seat belt
By this time, we were taxing down the runway.
We finally got seated and the plane was in the air.
We were served pretzels and sodas.
It took us a little over an hour to get to Birmingham Airport.
We went to baggage claim and collected our luggage.
We loaded the van and rode home.
Miyuki Sugimori - Japanese Candy Artist
Miyuki, the candy artist works in the Japanese area of Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida.
She learned the craft of candy artistry from her grandfather. Her skills have brought her much success and notoriety and she is one of the few "Amezaiku" in the world and the only female of the trade. She has appeared on several television programs including the Travel Channel and The Rosie O'Donnell Show. We are so very fortunate to have her as a regular at the Japan Festival for every year brings new surprises.
Miyuki takes various colors of warm taffy and creates the fastest and most ornate sculptures in minutes right in front of you. She then paints them for added character and realism. The number of animals, land, aquatic, plus creatures of fantasy she can sculpt is astounding. Miyuki is extremely popular at Epcot and performs her own show several times daily.
Meadow was dressed as Elmo, her candy was made into Elmo, like the suit she was wearing.
The two white candies on the top of her head are Elmo’s eyes, and the orange candy is his nose.
She had her eyes closed.
This was a great image of Meadow.
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| Star Wars |
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| Riding the Dinosaur |
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| Disney Group Picture |
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| Captain Hook |
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| Family Group Picture at GKW |
