Disney Trip: Day 5

Day five started with Melissa and me going over to Animal Kingdom to ride the newest ride at Disney: Expedition Everest. It’s a roller coaster that is “in” the Himalayan mountains… which even includes a real Yeti. It’s a great ride, though very short. There’s even a segment where the coaster goes backward. It’s pretty disorienting and great!



We also took in other “non-Emily” rides like Dinosaur and It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It was a fun morning that reminded us of the first couple of times we went to Disney. We met up with Jim, Frances, Emily and Aaron for our lunch at Rainforest Café… which was pretty much paid for because of an internet rewards program called mypoints. I had earned enough points to have $50.00 in gift cards. Emily enjoyed the different “animals” and the sporadic thunderstorm. It’s one of my favorite places to eat there at Disney. Lots of attention to detail.



After another afternoon resting… we found our way back to the Magic Kingdom for another night there. We rode a couple of my favorite rides on this night… like Pirates of the Caribbean. I also really enjoyed walking with Emily down Main Street hand in hand and going over to Adventureland to climb up into the Swiss Family Treehouse. I remember that being the very first thing I that did way back on my first trip to Disneyworld in Junior High. She got kind of scared up at the top… but it’s a moment that I’ll never forget… and it’s a moment that Emily still mentions to me even now five months later! Very cool! We also took in the Enchanted Tiki Room… which is weird… but I don’t mind… Emily seemed to enjoy it as well.




We ate dinner at a counter service restaurant called Pecos Bill’s. I’ve always like this place because there is tons of indoor seating… and there is such a cool ambiance to the place. It’s decked out like a Caribbean small town setting… I really enjoy Disney’s attention to detail. The eating environments are some of the neatest things to experience there!

On this particular night, I was also able to buy a Dole Whip Pineapple Float. It is my favorite dessert at DisneyWorld… found in Magic Kingdom… specifically Adventureland. Think vanilla and pineapple icecream swirl right in the middle of pineapple juice. Oh so good. (I guess you have to like pineapples to get enjoyment out of this!)

A little later we were able to take in Mickey’s PhilHarMagic… which Emily really liked! Next to MuppetVision, it’s my favorite 3D attraction in the ‘World.’ It happens to be Melissa’s favorite. This particular night was the Extra Magic Hour for Magic Kingdom. It was so crowded! We were disappointed to miss out on several attractions that Emily would have loved like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and several others.

Magic Kingdom is such a cool park at night. Main Street is decked out with so many lights. Adventureland doesn’t have lights… they have torches… if I remember right. Each land is lighted in a very unique way. It makes for a neat nighttime experience!

New Year, Same Story

I know he's only out for a couple of days... but this is pretty stinkin' funny. Why do the Cubs keep giving this guy money? This comes from the Associated Press:

MESA, Ariz. -- Oft-injured Kerry Wood is out again -- this time because of a flub in a hot tub.

The Chicago Cubs pitcher is not expected to throw off the mound for a few days after he slipped this week getting out of a hot tub at home. Wood landed on his stomach and chest.

"It was just a little spill," Wood said Thursday. "I didn't think anything of it. Nothing's wrong. It's just going to be a few extra days. My arm feels great. My body feels good."

Wood said he probably would not have thrown off the mound until Friday had he not gotten hurt. He participated in most drills on Thursday when pitchers and catchers worked out for the first time.

Bothered by an injured right shoulder the past three seasons, Wood is being converted to a reliever after being limited to four starts last year.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Too funny to pass up... you have experienced my first Cub bashing post of the 2007 season. We'll just see how far 300 million dollars on mediocre talent (with the exception of Soriano) can take you. I guess if they run into some problems they could ask the Pirates to give them Jason Bay for nothing. Pirates tend to do that for the Cubs. Marlins too for some reason...

A Day of Milestones

Yesterday was quite the day for Aaron. He had been a little fussy (which for Aaron means only smiling for 7 hours instead of the usual 9!!). Around 3:00, I decided to poke my finger in his mouth and there was the cultprit....his first tooth!!

Aaron also decided to sit up all by himself! He's been close for about a week now, but finally accomplished it yesterday. He sat and played toys for about 20 minutes before toppling over. Emily is really enjoying this new stage of Aaron's. She enjoys getting on the floor and playing toys at his level. It's fun watching them interact.

On a side note, Emily love pre-school and continues to learn more each day. She's doing very well with her letters and loves to write "mail" to people on a daily basis. Yesterday she fell off the bed and scraped her chest. She immediately started crying, but not because she was hurt....she was afraid she had hurt God. She wanted God to come out of her heart so she could see for herself that he wasn't hurt. It was very sweet and innocent. It took about 10 minutes to calm her down and convince her that God was not hurt.