First, before this blog goes anywhere, I went to post a HUGE THANK YOU to my father-in-law’s friend Richard. We can’t tell him how grateful we are to him for gaining our admission to EPCOT. We all had a great time, got a big dose of the Christmas spirit, and truly appreciate you going out of your way for us. Thank you so much!
Tonight is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, so we’re going to try to take the morning easy. We get up when we’re ready - which for me means by 6:30, and the rest of the crew by about 8:30. I offer the kids breakfast now, pool later or reverse, and of course, they are kids. They want to go to the pool NOW. The AKL pool is so nice. It’s a zero entry pool, which means you don’t climb down steps, you go in like you do at the beach, and the water gradually gets deeper. It’s also HEATED - YAY!!! The air temperature is still a bit cool - low 70’s - but the water feels pretty good and the kids go right in. The water slide is closed, since there are no life guards on duty yet, but I don’t think the kids would use the slide anyway. We hang out at the pool about an hour and a half, and the girls have worked up an appetite for some breakfast. We head on up to the room, and I throw breakfast together while Jim puts the kids in the shower, then while they eat, I hop in the shower. We are going to head to Downtown Disney to get Granuaile’s silhouette done. I have one of each of the other girls at age 2, so it’s her turn.
You know when you plan the perfect vacation, and everything is falling into place, and you can’t wait to get started, watching the kids enjoy themselves and then you start to relax and enjoy yourself? Yeah. Ain’t happenin’. This is a Skamarakas family trip - did you expect the Brady Bunch?
I am up way too early. My internal alarm clock seems permanently set on 6 something in the morning, and I don’t know how to break the habit! I may have to find out during Christmas break!
So, we sleep a little bit later than usual this morning, and no one is really anxious to get up and moving, since we were up so late last night. Grace bounced from bed to bed until Jim finally put her down, asleep, with Eilis on the fold out sofa. Jim’s mom has to work later today at a holiday function in their community, so we don’t make any real plans to go anywhere or do anything, other than run out for coffee. We spend quite a bit of time on the phone and online with British Airways, but the end result - all of our travel reservations for next summer are made! We got a pretty good deal by booking with the British Airways credit card. We had to buy upgraded seats (not REAL upgrades, like first class, but upgrades like two across instead of 3), but it was a buy one ticket, get a companion ticket for free deal, so it worked out to be the same price - a few dollars less - than paying for all 7 of us. We were able to book the odd ticket as a regular coach fare, but then with the frequent flier miles we got from booking the rest of the tickets, we got a free upgrade on the 7th seat, so we’re all together. London won’t know what hit them when this crew arrives!!
Day One and Two
Brighid is planning to spend a week with her grandparents at their home in Florida. An airline ticket is bought, and she is excited and ready to go. And then a terror plot is discovered in the UK that causes chaos at airports all over the country. I am really nervous about her flying alone now, and worried even more that messages might get crossed, her plane would be delayed, and her grandparents will be worrying as much as I am.
Jim and I have been talking about taking a trip to Ireland. It’s a tough thing to plan with three kids, three vastly different ages. To do a bus tour - the best thing for seeing everything you want to see in the most efficient way - you have to be 8 years old. That leaves out two of our kids unless I wait 2 years, which still only allows us to bring one more child. Do we not take any children to be fair and just go ourselves? That seems harsh - especially to Brighid, who would love nothing more than to go to Ireland. We’re starting the research now, and we’ll see if this ends up being a second honeymoon or a family vacation.
Cast - Mom Anna (41); Dad Jim (29 - for the 10th year in a row); DDs Brighid (so close to 15 she can taste it); Eilis (5); and Granuaile (15 months)
Fulton’s Crab House June 16th, 2006
Dinner - a bowl of crab and lobster bisque; crab cake entree with vegetables; grilled opah with pineapple glaze and butternut squash; half order of steamed snow crab legs Approximate Price of Entrees: An arm and a Leg ($112.00, with no alcoholic beverages)
Copyright Anna Skamarakas 1985-2008 | 2009