Christina's Top List of 2008

I've been doing a "top 10" type list for awhile. So, here is this year's version:

Best Movie: "The Dark Knight" was probably the best movie of the year for all its qualities from acting, writing and stunts. But, my favorite movie of the year was by far "Twilight." I think you'll notice a theme this year with the vampires. Really, wizards are soooo 2006.

Worst Movie I Paid For: "Hairspray" and that was only a DVD rental. I could only make it 38 minutes into it. The songs were far from catchy and Zac Efron can only make girls swoon to a box office success so far.

Best DVD Rental: "Iron Man" was an awesome guilty pleasure movie. Robert Downey Jr. is a total bad ass super hero. Gwyneth Paltrow was even bearable.

Best Song: Taylor Swift was churning out the hits this year. She might have been dumped by that stupid Jonas Brother, but she had how many top 10 hits? Yea, "Our Song" was in my head most of the year and overplayed on the iPod. To the Jonas Brother who dumped her: you're a moron like Tony Romo.

Song I Couldn't Get Out of My Head: Tie: "I Want It All" by Ashley Tisdale on the "High School Musical 3" soundtrack and "Spotlight" by Mutemath on the "Twilight" soundtrack. Two completely different songs, but both get me pumped to do my runs.

Best New Restaurant I Tried: Mekong Cafe. The Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai restaurant on the Tosa/Milwaukee border makes great pho noodle soup and bubble tea.

Best Book I Read: Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga is amazing. Finishing almost 2,000 pages in like two weeks during the busy summer months is a record for me. I'm absolutely in love with Edward Cullen and have strange fantasies about fictional characters. Any book that can kick Harry Potter from the New York Times best seller list has to be good.

Best Moment: Getting married? Yea, getting married would undoubtedly have to be the best moment of the year. I can't believe it's been almost a year! Between the planning, the ceremony and the honeymoon, it has been a whirlwind adventure for us. I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for the newlyweds!

New Year's Resolution: Finishing my first 5K run.

Spinning the tunes...

Since I'm at the station for my Christmas night, I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you all.

11:22 p.m. - Can't believe I've resorted to looking at TMZ.com.

10:54 p.m. - I'm in some sort of reggae Christmas hell...Please send help...

10:21 p.m. - Reminiscing about Animaniacs and how amusing that show was in 7th grade. I wonder if that's on DVD...

9:33 p.m. - Does anyone else feel that Mannheim Steamroller is highly cliched? And really, what is a steamroller from Mannheim?

9:30 p.m. - We're finally rockin' around the Christmas tree with Brenda Lee.

9:19 p.m. - Dear Rob Pattinson, How could you cut your hair off? Was the thought of my fingers in your tousled locks too much to bear on this Christmas? Please grow it back in time for "New Moon." Love, your biggest fan.
(Photo thanks to Twilighters Anonymous)

9:07 p.m. - Does anyone know what Kenny G.'s last name is?

8:12 p.m. - Sick of my travel mug dripping every time I take a sip. I keep looking like I wet my pants.

7:29 p.m. - Really? Johnny Mathis singing "Jingle Bell Rock"?

7:23 p.m. - Trying to figure out what Andrea Bocelli is singing about in this song with Celine Dion.

7:10 p.m. - Just gave the forecast for tomorrow to a guy who sounded disappointed that it will be in the 40s.

6:46 p.m. - Starting to write the great American novel. Be careful, you might end up in it.

6:33 p.m. - Talked with Brett to tell him how great he is.

6:28 p.m. - Wondering what happened to actor Brian Bonsall who played Worf's son and was on "Family Ties."

6:24 p.m. - Michael Bolton is singing "White Christmas". I can't say it's "Steal Bars" or "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," but it is definitely not Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. On the tube, a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" marathon is leftover from the last producer's shift. Currently Lt. Worf is in sickbay with a paralyzing back injury. Captivating.

6:01 p.m. - ABC News is reporting that Eartha Kitt died today. Play "Santa Baby" in her memory.

My "Twilight" review

It's been almost 10 years since I graduated high school. So, I'm slightly removed from what contemporary high schools are like but I have a feeling there will always be the girls striving to be perfect, the over-achieving academics, and the jocks out for all the attention.

Catherine Hardwicke's record-breaking new film "Twilight" starring Kristen Stewart ("Panic Room" and "Into the Wild") and Robert Pattinson ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") lead the cast of the film based upon Stephenie Meyer's teen vampire love saga of the same name. Stewart and Pattinson, along with co-stars Taylor Lautner ("The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl"), Nikki Reed (Hardwicke's "Thirteen") and Kellan Lutz (tv's "90210"), portray the Teen Vogue-esque cast that embodies beauty, brawns, and flaws of adolescent angst.

Unlike other books-turned-films of recent past, most notably the "Harry Potter" series, "Twilight" is lucky to have a strong adapted screenplay penned by Melissa Rosenberg ("The O.C." and "Ally McBeal") that captures the true essence of its author's work. The 498-page epic novel translates nicely into a two-hour film escape that works for everyone from 'tweens to their "Twilight moms." Even guys can find something to like whether its the bad ass vampires or the hottie girl eye-candy.

Some of the high school scenes make "Twilight" uncomfortable to watch. But, in retrospect, most of high school was uncomfortable. You can empathize with the new student, Bella Swan (Stewart), as she tries to make friends at school, or not hit the cute boy in her gym class with a wickedly spiked volleyball. Hardwicke and her cast seemlessly portray the gossiping and joking natures that have made up high schools for years, and will surely continue to invade for years to come.

What makes "Twilight" successful is the chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson. Bella's love for the century old Edward Cullen comes alive on-screen. As an avid reader of the "Twilight" saga, my heart raced as Edward says "There's one thing I've always wanted to try," and leans in to kiss his true love.

While the forbidden love story between mortal and vampire is probably the biggest draw, there are elements of comic relief, surprise, and action. A vampire baseball game propelled with the help of British alt-rockers Muse and their song "Supermassive Black Hole" will get you geared up for opening day and cheering for the Forks, Wash., baseball team. The culminating sequence between Edward and James (Cam Gigandet) demonstrates the power that these unconventional vampires possess. Plus, the film will leave you wondering just what is up with werewolves?

There won't be any best actor or best film Oscars coming from this film, but don't be surprised if you see a best adapted screenplay nod coming when nominations are announced. Plus, you have three more films to wait for. Summit Entertainment has announced a green light on at least two of the last three "Twilight" saga novels. Stewart and Pattinson will be making $12 million each for "New Moon," an increase of $10 million.

That said, I'd go back to high school in a heartbeat if there were guys with impossibly perfect coiffed hair, hypnotically smooth voices and ivory-toned skin like Rob Pattinson.

"Twilight" trivia

• Rob Pattinson contributes two songs to the film's soundtrack and he plays the piano on "Bella's Lullabye".
• Author Stephenie Meyer makes a cameo in the film in a sequence in the diner (she orders a salad and is working on a laptop).
• The opening weekend gross of $70.6 million is the most for any female director.
• Kristen Stewart picked the prom dance song that Edward and Bella dance to "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron & Wine.

March Disney Trip Update

We have been waiting for ages to make our dining reservations for our anniversary trip/Princess 5K trip to Disney World in March. Since they're revamping the reservation system (you'll eventually be able to make your reservations online starting in mid-December), it's put a hold on the normal 180-day mark to call. Today was the first day we could call for March vacations. And, it paid off! We got everything we wanted even if it took two phone calls.

Since we're not on the Disney Dining Plan this trip, we're only trying three table service meals out-of-pocket, and then a few counter services around the parks. We're also getting a rental car, so we can easily eat off-site if we want to.

But, here is the lowdown on our choices:

Wednesday, March 4 - Cafe May Cafe

Dinner will be at Cape May Cafe at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort. This all-you-care-to-eat New England Clam Bake features crab legs, mussels, clams, barbecue ribs and chicken, salad, soups, a kid's buffet, and a dessert selection. There are no characters at this meal. The airy, beach-theme should be nice and relaxing for our first night.

Friday, March 6 - Boma: Flavors of Africa
We tried Boma: Flavors of Africa for dinner during our honeymoon. We were originally going to go to 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, but decided two meals in one trip there was a bit much. So, we opted to go to Boma to try their African-themed breakfast. Plus, the great view of the savannah, will be awesome in the morning. I can't wait to try some of the crusted ham or pork loin and even if I'm not a coffee drinker, the Kenyan coffee sounds amazing!

Saturday, March 7 - Narcoosee's

Our 1st Anniversary is just two weeks before our trip. We're having a special dinner at Disney's Grand Floridian at Narcoosee's, a seafood restaurant that sits on the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon and overlooks Cinderella's Castle and Tomorrowland. We're very excited about this one. They have an extensive wine list and feature fresh seafood. We will also be in touch with the resorts bakery to recreate our wedding cake for this special anniversary dinner.

Well, only about 130 days left until we leave. I'm busy training for the 1st Princess 5K. Brett and I bought new shoes last week (thanks Fleet Feet in Brookfield!) I'm down to a 17:10 mile. I need to shave off a little over 2:00 minutes before race time, but I'm confident that I will do it. We received the race course -- we'll be racing through Epcot on Saturday morning. Plus, there's a health and running fare. I'm very excited to be doing this race! My only goal is just to finish in 45 minutes or under so I can get the finisher medal. I would hate to have the little golf cart come and pick me up because I couldn't keep up with the pace.

We also have our tickets for the Pirate and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday night. The park closes to regular guests and stays open to transform into a wonderland of Pirates coves and Princess kingdoms. There's a special parade that stars Jack Sparrow and the princesses. I'm so psyched about this trip! I can't believe it's coming so fast!!!

Join Briggs & Al's Run and Walk for Children's Hospital

Join this year's Briggs & Al's Run and Walk for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 20 in Milwaukee.

Help the patients at the hospital by running and walking. If you can't run or walk, contribute to the cause by clicking here.

We hope you can join our team and fighting childhood illnesses!

Well, we're going again...

I'm excited to say that we're going to Disney World again in March.

"What," you say. "Didn't you just get back?"

Well, yes, young grasshopper. We did just get back. And, we're planning on going again in March to run in the inaugural Princess 5K Run. It's only a "long" weekend trip for four days, but it's enough to get us by until our next "big" trip at Christmas 2010.

So, this time we'll be down at the World from Wednesday, March 4, until Sunday, March 8. We're staying at the All-Star Movies Resort, a Disney-themed "value" hotel that includes large icons of 101 Dalmations, Toy Story, Fantasia, The Mighty Ducks, and Herbie: The Love Bug.


Photo courtesy: www.wdwinfo.com


Photo courtesy: http://www.wdwinfo.com/

Unfortunately, we can't do the dining plan with the special deal we're getting on the room rates and ticket discounts, but we do have some initial plans in mind for our upcoming meals.

We're thinking the following table service meals on these days:

Wednesday night: 'Ohana (means "family" in Hawaiian) - a family-style restaurant at the Polynesian Resort. It specializes in meat skewers, tropical fruit, and other flavors of the island.


Photo courtesy: http://www.wdwinfo.com/

Thursday night: Tokyo Dining - This new sushi eatery at Epcot's World Showcase has an extensive sushi menu. The entire staff are women. The large picture windows overlook the World Showcase lagoon for specatular views of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, the nightly fireworks and laser show.


Photo courtesy: http://www.wdwinfo.com/

Friday morning: 1900 Park Fare - The Supercalifragilistic Character Breakfast features Mary Poppins, Burt, giggly penguins, the Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, and more friends at the Grand Floridian Resort. The buffet is extensive with everything from make-your-own omelettes to Mickey waffles and a sundae bar. There's also a turn-of-the-century calliope that hangs from the wall playing festive music to entertain guests.


Photo courtesy: http://www.about.com/

Saturday night: Narcoosee's - This upscale dining room at the Grand Floridian overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon (a manmade lake that the GF, Contemporary, Polynesian, Fort Wilderness, and Wilderness Lodge, all share the banks of). Specializing is rich seafood and meat entrees, the chef staff does everything from salmon fillets to filet mignons. The top-end wine list includes wines from around the world to complete a perfect anniversary meal.

CSI: No William Petersen

So, I haven't had the change to blog a lot recently with the new job. But, I have some freetime tonight at work and thought I would publish my musings in the past few weeks to the world.

Well, the first topic to tackle is the news at the CSI: set that William L. Peterson (Gil Grissom) will only be on for half of next season. The veteran actor is supposedly going to be replaced by one of two actors: John Malkovich or Lawrence Fishburne.

While they're both very talented actors, I don't think they have quite the je nais se quois that Gil has. However, I am leaning toward Fishburne since in other CSI: star news Gary Dourdan, who plays Warrick Brown, will be written off the show. If you watched the season finale, you'll know why. And if you read a newspaper, you'd know that Dourdan is in trouble with the law for a little drug violation late last spring.

This is all on-top of Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) leaving the show last year to pursue other acting jobs. Her character, as well as Lady Heather and the Miniature Killer, will be back for guest spots to send Gil Grissom off into the sunset.

So what does this all mean?

Well, no offense, I don't think Marg Helgenberger can carry the #1 rated TV drama by herself, let alone with D-list names like George Eads and Eric Szmanda (a Milwaukee-area native, by the way).

An actor like Fishburne or Malkovich will be needed to keep CSI: for an 11th season. Otherwise, it's buh-bye good CSI's and hello David Caruso's bad acting and counting how many times he can bend over a body and take his sunglasses off. Honestly, I don't think that man has done an autopsy in six seasons.

Dear Rain Clouds...

Dear Rain Clouds,

I'm not sure if you're the same clouds that brought us over 100 inches of snow this past winter, but I'd like to introduce myself. I'm not happy. I'm wet. My umbrella has been overused. There's a tree down in my backyard.

It's very hard to enjoy spring, or in a few days, summer, when it rains every two seconds. I don't have the means to build an ark, nor do I really want to since I have no idea how to use a hammer with any accuracy.

I feel for the meterologists who are starting use colors like cyan and magenta in lieu of green and yellow. When the scale of colors gets to black I think it's safe to say that we've come to Armageddon. Would someone just please warn me when the swarms of locusts and wasps are on their way?

This is absolutely ridiculous. Who did Wisconsin piss off to deserve the last six months of absolutely ridiculous weather. Maybe I was lucky to have planned a winter wedding.

Please, let it stop!

Sincerely,

A very soaked Midwesterner

Harry Potter prequel

JK Rowling has written a two-page prequel to Harry Potter.

Read it here

Click 'Read out author's stories' and then her name to access the story that is in no way to be confused with her writing a new book. The actual card was auctioned off.

Jeff Dunham Christmas Show!

After a few days of constant persistence I was able to come away with two tickets for the Comedy Central taping of Jeff Dunham's Christmas Show at the Pabst Theater on Saturday night. If you care, it'll be airing on Nov. 16th.

So, I have to say, it was a brilliant show. I haven't had the chance to see a comedian live before, but this was amazing. It was an intimate show. He even had a Q&A afterwards (at 2 a.m. Sunday) with his puppets that'll air as an extra on the DVD version.

If you haven't seen Jeff Dunham before, he's best known for his puppets - Peanut, Walter, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Bubba J, and Jose the Jalapeno on a Stick just to name a few of his ingenious creations.

Brett loves Dunham's comedy, so when I found out about the show on Friday night I had to get tickets no matter what (it didn't hurt that I had also gotten paid). So despite all the rain and crappy weather, I kept calling the ticket office every hour and logging on to tickets.com to see if extra seats were released. Alas, they finally were and we landed seats next to the producers. Besides, I owed Brett since not having time with starting a new job to get him a birthday present next month.

Well, I don't want to ruin the show since I know jokes that you don't. But, if you google "Jingle Bombs" you'll see a little bit of what I'm talking about. If you don't laugh your ass off, something is really wrong with. Enough for me to say...

"I keeeeeelll you!"

My new favorite Milwaukee restaurant

I highly recommend Mekong Cafe on 60th/North Ave. on the Milwaukee-Tosa border for those of you who love Asian cuisine. It's run by a mother/daughter team of Laotian descent. All of the food that I've tried is excellent.

Click here to read the article in MKE.

X Files 2 has a title!

Chris Carter announced in April that the very hush-hush "X-Files" sequel is titled "The X-Files: I Want To Believe."

Blogs are a-buzz with plot spoilers saying that Mulder and Scully are back and in search of a monster killing woman in the Virginia wilderness.

Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, and Xzibit also co-star in this second film installment of the uber-popular Fox TV series that ended six years ago.

Bootleg trailers are online and rumors were flying that an official teaser would be in-front of this week's "Iron Man," but that proved false. Stay tuned for an official trailer.

The film opens in the U.S. on July 25.

The Ultimate Honeymoon Report

The following is the report that I posted on Intercot, the discussion board I write on. So, to make some abbreviations more understandable for non-Disney folk, here's a quick guide before getting started:

DH = Dear Husband
CBR = Caribbean Beach Resort
DDR = Disney Dining Plan
DME = Disney Magical Express
ToT = Tower of Terror
MK = Magic Kingdom
RnR = Rock 'N Roller Coaster
EE = Expedition Everest
CM = Cast Member

Day 1 – Arrival Day

I was having one of those “I’m-too-excited-to-sleep” months (yes, not just a night, a month) waiting for our trip to the World. My last trip was in 2001 so needless to say I was due for a fix even after going to Disneyland in ’05.

Surprisingly, I was able to sleep the night before our flight. I guess my excitement just wore me out. But, our flight was at 7:30 that morning. There had been a lot of problems with our airline (Midwest) earlier in the week doing checks of their MD-80 planes. So, many flights to the Orlando area were canceled. There had also been some heavy fog that canceled flights leaving a lot of people scrambling to get out of Milwaukee early on a Saturday morning.

Thank goodness my Dad instilled a “get-to-the-airport-three-hours-early” rule in me because I have never seen so many people at Milwaukee’s airport before. It took us a half hour to check-in plus another 45 minutes with the TSA. We barely had enough time to get breakfast (there’s a Cinnabon at our airport so it’s a kind of treat when I fly) and say goodbye to my brother and Dad.

The flight made it off the ground on-time (without some passengers who had yet to make it through security). DH hates flying so he gets really tense and anxious. But finally the 2.5 hour flight was over and we made it to sunny Orlando.

I just love being greeted by an airport tram that has the smell of wet athletic sock and a dirty diaper, but at least I was somewhere 40 degrees warmer, right? Plus, we’re on our honeymoon. Even better!

This was our first time using Disney’s Magical Express. In retrospect, DH and I probably won’t fly on a Saturday again since it seems like the busiest time. But, we didn’t actually wait long at all to get on a motor coach to Caribbean Beach Resort. We got lucky and were put in the line that was the next to get out of the airport.

So, we made it to CBR around noon. There was quite a line of people out the door of the Custom House (the registration building at the resort). There were also a lot of people waiting to catch a DME back to the airport. My only gripe with registration is that they didn’t seem to have a lot of people working – only four with a line of people going out a door. It took us at least 45 minutes to an hour before we were all checked in. Our room wasn’t ready, but the Cast Member gave us a number to call at 3 p.m. to find our room number in Trinidad North.

So, we took the Internal Bus on over to Old Port Royale (the main hub with the food court, shopping, arcade, concierge) to get our refillable mugs and relax for a bit. I’ve never gotten a refillable mug before, but I’m so glad I did! It’s one of the best buys in the all of the world. I don’t think I drink more lemonade than I do when I’m in the World. It was great because DH is an early riser. He would head to OPR while I was still asleep or in the shower, get me some lemonade, and it was just a great start of each day.
Once our room was ready, we called Bell Services. They had all of our bags, even the ones from DME. So, we were able to freshen up before dinner that night. (But, still remember to pack a carry-on, folks!)

We had dinner ressies that night at Boma (feel free to read my post on that over in the Dining Section). I was very surprised. I went in not knowing a whole lot about African cuisine and came out loving many of the new and bold flavors.

I was also very impressed by the grandeur of Animal Kingdom Lodge. With its large picture window overlooking the savannah, artifacts from African tribes, and knowledgeable cast members, DH and I would definitely think about staying here on a future trip. We have some amazing pictures of the Watusis and the zebras in the savannah. Plus, there’s cozy seating around a fireplace where you can hear native storytelling. There’s even a certain aroma to the building that whisks you across an ocean to a different continent.

After dinner, we decided to head to the Boardwalk. We wanted to enjoy some dueling pianos at Jellyrolls, but apparently they were closed for a private party that evening. So, we just strolled along the area peeking into shops. We loved the Wyland gallery even though we can’t afford anything right now. I was a little disappointed with the arcade at ESPN Club. I remembered something bigger, but it was packed with screaming kids and even louder adults trying to restrain the kids.

So, after that we were beat and decided to call it an early evening at head back to the resort. Since it was still warm, we went for a swim in the quiet pool of Trinidad North. It felt so nice since it was heated. There were a few families enjoying a night swim, but most were still in the parks. That would be us tomorrow since it was a first full day in the theme parks and, of course, we’re headed to the Magic Kingdom!

Day 2 – Magic Kingdom

We didn’t feel we needed to be to the park at rope drop since Extra Magic Hours was going to keep us there until 3 a.m. So, we slept in until about 8 and had a semi-relaxing breakfast at OPR’s food court. There isn’t that much of a selection. The usual Mickey waffles, French toast, eggs, sandwiches, grab ‘n go, etc. The Mickey Waffles were surprisingly fluffier than I remembered and the strawberry sauce they came with added a nice sweetness.

This was our first time on the Disney Dining Plan so we were still getting the hang of things. We didn’t realize that you could get four juices for two people. It was a lot of OJ! I guess they expect people to get a coffee and a juice. But as we found out, the DDP gives you a LOT of food that sometimes is hard to get through it all. And trust me, I like to eat.

Finally, we boarded a bus for MK. As the music started playing, I couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again. Then, you see the top of Space Mountain. You can see a glimpse of the Main Street Railroad Station. You finally know your months (even years) of planning are done and you’re home. I couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed walking under the train station, looking at all the attraction posters, smelling the popcorn and cotton candy from a nearby vendor. Hearing the laughter of a little girl getting a balloon, made me remember getting one of those rubber Mickey-shaped happy toys when I was her age.

But no time for nostalgia…rides!? Where are the rides?!? Then, my ADD kicks in. We have to do this, this and this. Get a Fastpass for this. DH is having problems keeping up. He always jokes how he needs one of those harnesses for me like some parents have for their kids because I’ll just run off on my own.

It’s tradition for me to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority first. Get the lay of the land. Plus, it was DH’s first ride. It was a bit chilly our first few days, so it got breezy overlooking Stitch’s Great Escape, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and other attractions. But, then you hear those screams coming from Space Mountain! What a thrill!

Since the park was open so late in the evening for resort guests, we were able to get a lot done during the day even with a mid-afternoon rain storm. We enjoyed a nice nap at the hotel before heading back to dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (see Dining section for review).

I think the highlight of my day was having my first turkey leg. I’ve always seen people with them and laughed. But, I wanted to see what the whole hub-bub was about. Man, was it the juiciest, biggest turkey leg I’ve ever shared. There is no way that one person can finish that thing by themselves. I don’t know what kind of turkeys they use or what they inject them with, but they’re good. One is enough per vacation. But at least now I know there’s a picture of me with oil dripping down my arm gnawing on a large piece of poultry.

Spectromagic was as amazing as always. But, Wishes was a tear-jerking experience. The music and the beauty of seeing fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle, it’s just something everyone needs to see. I swear I saw some of the explosions look like Mouse Ears, or maybe that was the turkey leg brine talking, but it was pure magic. Having my hunny hold me and seeing him even wipe a little tear away was one of the best memories of our vacation!

We tried out best to make it to 3 a.m. How many people can say that they were in the Magic Kingdom past bar time, right? Well, we hit a wall somewhere around 1 a.m. and riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. So, we’d have to wait another day to finish the MK mountain range. It was just too chilly for Splash Mountain and Space Mountain you have to get me on a good non-motion sickness day (I also had an inner ear infection while I was on vacation. Not fun).

So, up next is fun at Epcot’s World Showcase and Fantasmic!

Day 3 – Epcot’s World Showcase and Fantasmic!
Since we had such a late night, we slept in. What a treat! Normally, I need to be up by 4 a.m. for work. DH is generally an early-riser, but even he took a few extra hours in stride. We decided we’d take Epcot slow, doing bits and pieces since it’s so spread out and it can be a bit overwhelming and overload the senses.

Brett was in the mood for sushi, but since no counter service sushi places in the Japan pavilion have an extensive menu and are covered by the DDP, we decided to try Lotus Blossom Café in the China pavilion. Honestly, as much as I love Epcot, I’ve never been to the China pavilion to eat. The menu is small, but I had the sesame chicken. Nothing spectacular, but it was filling with the large amount of white rice, plus a dessert of red bean ice cream. I really enjoyed the ice cream. DH had the ginger ice cream and it was really tasty with huge chunks of ginger. Very refreshing! Plus, they had boba tea (or bubble tea), a very cool and refreshing, almost slushy-like drink that has gelatin or tapioca beads in the bottom. You need to use a spoon or really large straw to drink it. It hasn’t really caught on everywhere, I’ve found, except cities with large Asian populations, so it’s a real treat when I can find it.

After lunch, we backtracked to Mexico to take a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour. I have to say I miss El Rio del Tiempo. It was kitschy but it had Cheech Marin in it! The new take is even more colorful and at least it introduces new generations to the Three Caballeros. The shops in the pavilion are pretty much as I remember it – the woven ponchos, sombreros, random knick-knacks, glassware, and tequila. Still, there’s a bit of magic when you walk inside a fake Mayan pyramid to find it to be dusk in the middle of Orlando.

We then made our way to Norway to experience the Maelstrom. I don’t know why I always get tense before I go on that ride, but I do. It’s not at all scary, but I always think those tricky goblins are going to make the drop worse than it really is. The wait was about 20 or 30 minutes. But since I hadn’t been on it in nearly seven years, it was worth the wait. I just couldn’t seem to remember where the hidden Mickey was on the large mural in the loading area. For some reason DH thought it was on one of the ships, but I didn’t have time to see it. Oh, well. We bypassed the movie. I doubt it’s been changed in a few years, right? So, I did some browsing in the shops. I absolutely LOVE the Norwegian wool sweaters. I have a fake one but it’s just not the same. But, I can’t bring myself to spending close to $300 on something I’ll just wear during the winter.

Finally, it was nearing our dinner ressie. I made a semi-early ADR at Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion. So, we made our way over there to gander at the gardens and the shops. I think the second-level shop facades should really be open. Otherwise, I didn’t find much to do besides the O Canada! Film. We checked in a few minutes early and were seated fairly quickly. The restaurant was far from full. You can read the full review in the Dining section. I was very impressed. DH and I both agreed that Le Cellier will be on our must-do next trip to see if it’s just as good.

When dinner was over, we hopped on one of the boats outside the International Gateway to Hollywood Studios (I kept slipping the entire trip wanting to call it MGM). We decided to fit in Fantasmic! It was just about 7 p.m. when we got to the Studios and we saw a huge line outside Tower of Terror. We quickly found it was the line to the Fantasmic amphitheater. The theater filled up really fast when they opened the doors up 90 minutes before the 8:30 p.m. show. My butt fell asleep as we waited so long. We didn’t have much to do just being two of us, so we called our families while we waited. There was also a family in front of us with a very obnoxious teen son who kept yelling at his parents and siblings trying to save an entire row of seats for about 5 people. I thought the vein in DH’s head was going to explode if this boy shouted one more time.

But, it was all worth it once the lights went down. We’d seen Fantasmic at Disneyland, but it’s not the same. Everyone crowds around the Rivers of America sitting on the ground. I liked being able to be elevated. I felt I could see more of the show. There were a few minor differences, but otherwise it was just as spectacular. I always get a little verklempt when the steamboat rolls buy with all the characters and Steamboat Willie is steering.

It was a pretty fabulous and full day. We ended it by going to our room and watching old Disney cartoons on Channel 98. By the end of the week, we cycled through all the cartoons but it was fun nonetheless since I hadn’t seen most of those back when the Disney Channel played old cartoons on Mousterpiece Theater. (Bet you haven’t thought about that show in a long time!)

When we came back to the room, someone from the hotel had left an envelope on our bed. It was a certificate from the Disney Wedding people congratulating us on our honeymoon. It was really cute. So we put it next to the signed picture we got the day before from the CM in the CBR gift shop of Mickey and Minnie.

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

It was up early today to be at Animal Kingdom for park opening. Let me say: It was freakin’ cold! I was bundled up in a hoodie and long cargo pants. It took until at least 2 p.m. for the sun to burn off the chill. But, I’m glad we braved the Arctic!

Kilimanjaro Safaris was amazing! I’ve been on it once before when the park first open in 1998. We barely saw any animals. But, this day animals were EVERYWHERE! Our truck even got stopped by a bunch of rhinos in the road. They had to call ahead to get them cleared so we could safely pass. The only thing we didn’t get a good glimpse of was the lion. So, score one point for it being cold that day because the animals like the briskness!

Brett was like a little kid on the safari. He took SO many pictures (this is why I have over 800 photos to go through now for a scrapbook). He got some amazing candids of the lowland gorillas on the jungle trek. And there are some other great shots of the tigers.

After the safari, we jetted over to Asia to grab Fastpasses for Expedition Everest. We had about two hours to spare, so we grabbed lunch at the new Yak ‘N Yeti counter service. The portions were ginormous! They serve up Asian-style food in take-out containers. I had about a quart of rice, veggies, and ginger chicken. I barely made a dent in it. But, it was still yummy. I was really nervous about riding EE so I took my ginger pills (someone on Intercot recommended I take that instead of Dramamine and, surprise, it worked wonders!)

Finally, the wait to ride was over. The CM in the loading zone made us wait so we could have the front row. It was amazing! The view from the front is absolutely incredible. We could see resorts, parks, miles and miles. It was so gorgeous! But, then….

The speed and ferocity of the ride took me by surprise. I barely caught a glimpse of the Yeti except for a claw, or maybe it was a leg. I still don’t know. By the end of the ride, my mouth was all dry from pure shock. Now, I’m not a huge coaster fan and I have a huge fear of heights, but I’d definitely go on it again, but I’d have to ride close to the front. I definitely recommend asking a CM to sit in front. It’s just amazing what you see!

My ear infection didn’t do too well with all the jumbling about, so we passed on Dinosaur. It was too cold to go on Kali River Rapids. But, we decided to take in The Lion King Show. Brett’s seen the Lion King on Broadway and he loved the AK show. I really liked the tumble monkeys. They were really fun especially when they did some of the tricks on the high bar. DH and I were both pretty beat from EE, so we decided to head back for naptime.

We watched some more cartoon before heading back to DHS for dinner at 50’s Prime Time Café. Man, it was packed! I’ve never seen the place so loaded. The hostess said a stand-by wait time would be three hours (and that was around 7 p.m.) The food was OK, nothing spectacular. You can read the whole in-depth analysis in the Dining section. I was just a little peeved that our waitress kept thinking we were from Michigan. Oh, well.

After dinner we strolled through some of the shops before beating the Fantasmic crowd to the busses. We made it a pretty early night since we’d be back to the Studios in the morning.

Day 5 – Hollywood Studios and Epcot

It was another early morning for the newlyweds. DH finally needed his thrill ride fill. Me, not so much. So we got to Hollywood Studios for park opening. I could really see any of the little soiree with the family yelling, “Lights, camera, action!” and what not, but we ready to make a mad dash for Tower of Terror and Rock ‘N Roller Coaster.

The plan was: Brett would get in line for ToT while I get a Fastpass for him for RnR. Worked pretty well. He had a return time for about 10:40 a.m. so when he got done with ToT (I had a chance to browse the gift shop at the exit and grab a coffee), we did the Great Movie Ride.

DH is a huge movie buff. If my vice is Disney, his is movies, in general. He’ll just go to Best Buy to see what’s new on DVD. Anyways, the ride was a little of a disappointment to us both. I think we only counted in the last montage about six, maybe seven, movies from 2001 to the present that have been added. Alas, it’s still cool to feel like you’re on the runway with Rick and Ilsa from “Casablanca”. But, I felt old when I heard a kid behind me say, “Dad, ‘I’ll be back’, that’s from that ride we went on at Universal!”

Oh, kid…if you only knew where that line came from…

When we got out of GMR, the High School Musical 2 show was about to start. Yes, I’m an HSM2 fan! So, I was lined up with all the kiddies singing the songs. It was fun since a couple parents were singing along with me. I didn’t feel as dorky. LOL.

Finally, Brett’s time to ride RnR was up. So, I found a nice shady spot and waited. He loved it (as I figured). He swears I’ll be able to do it since it’s in the dark and the loops, “aren’t that bad.” Righhhhht.

By then, we were getting hungry, so we took the Friendship boats again over to World Showcase. We decided to do The Land first. So, we had lunch at the Sunshine Seasons Food Faire. This has always been one of my favorite CS stops. I must admit I like the changes. I had a very large portion of roast pork with mashed potatoes and carrots, plus this excellent fruit tart (they called it a fruit star). Plus, the CM at the bakery gave us free chocolate chip cookies! What a sweetie! They were quite yummy since dinner wasn’t until 8.

We made it through the Future World attractions except Soarin’. There weren’t any Fastpasses left and I wasn’t waiting three hours. I figured I’d been on it in Cali, so I was good to go. Plus, Mission: Space probably wasn’t good for my ear. We did get through the Seas with Nemo & Friends. I was a bit disappointed. It seemed more like they took scenes from the movie and just put them in the ride. I thought you’d actually learn more things during the portion on the “clam”-mobiles from Mr. Ray and the class than trying to find Nemo…again.

But, the aquarium was a lot of fun to look at. I could just stare at the fish for hours. I even overheard a guy say, “Why don’t they have fish like this at the Milwaukee County Zoo?” DH and I turned around, laughed, and he mysteriously disappeared before we could say something to him. If you’ve ever been to our zoo, you would have laughed, too.

As for the new Imagination, I like that there’s a lot of Figment and some of the changes are pretty cool. But, I guess I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Dreamfinder. We also made it a point to take today to look more closely at some of the Flower & Garden exhibits. I really enjoyed the hydrangeas in France. They looked identical to my wedding bouquet (which was silk). And, of course, we stopped to look at the train between Germany and Italy. I never noticed how much detail there really was – like the little green house.

But, my highlight for the day was the American Adventure. I’ve never been one for really getting into history all that much, but now that I’m older I find myself reminiscing about things a lot more. I was always kinda bored by the attraction, but I felt immersed in the storytelling. It may be a watered down version of our country’s history, but I was still very proud to watch it. And since I haven’t seen it post 9/11, it was hard not to get teary-eyed when you see the WTC towers up in smoke.

The other highlight of my day was dinner at Rose & Crown. (You can read the whole review in the Dining section) We had a waterside table just in time for Illuminations. It was one of our most romantic meals ever! Despite it being very chilly, I couldn’t have wished for a better night!

Day 6 – Free Day

We had early ressies for Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. And with EMH, that meant 8 a.m. So, up bright and early again! There was a little problem with finding our ADR, but with the confirmation number it got sorted out. It looked like there were a few families having problems with the system saying they were booked for the next morning.

DH absolutely loved it! Eeyore took the cutest picture with him, draping his ear over him and his Red Sox hat. Then, there was the cutest little boy next to us, Warren, who was celebrating his birthday. He was soooo precious! Brett is still saying how he wished he could take a picture with him, but then is like, “Is it weird to want to take a picture with someone else’s kid?”

We didn’t have a set plan for the day, so we decided to do some attractions in MK again plus finish some attractions like Mickey’s Philharmagic. I absolutely loved the new 3-D show. It has all the best Disney songs plus it’s really funny. I was amazed at how they had transformed that space from the Lion King show that was there previously. We decided we’d save Splash Mountain and Space Mountain until the next day, so we went back to chill by the pool since it had finally warmed up!

After our relaxing time by the pool, we ended up eating a quick dinner in the resort food court. The double-bacon cheeseburger was pretty good before heading to Fantasia Gardens where we got attacked by a bird on the 9th green. I guess there’s a nest there and the mother bird is very protective. She hit DH in the arm and me in the back. Needless to say, I just threw my ball instead of hitting it on that hole. I think the golfing Gods will let me take a Mulligan on that, right?

By that point, I was over the bird attack, and we ended up going to Downtown Disney Marketplace. It seemed like it took forever since we had to stop at all the Epcot area hotels – Swan & Dolphin, Yacht & Beach Club, and Boardwalk. I don’t remember all of them sharing a bus before. I could only guess they’re trying to save on gas.

But, we strolled the shops but it was a sensory overload with all the different shops with colorful Mickey icons and screaming children. My feet, shins, and knees were aching by this point in the week. So, I was whining all the way to the West Side. I remember when there was a bus stop at West Side. To my surprise, it wasn’t there anymore, so we had to back track back to Pleasure Island. Loooong walk when you’re legs are throbbing in agony. Finally, after another lengthy bus ride we made it back to the hotel so I could sleep it off for our last full day!

Day 7 – Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

Well, only one full day left in the World. We slept in a bit before heading to MK. Today was the day to conquer the last two mountain ranges – Splash Mountain and Space Mountain.

First up, Space Mountain. Not being a huge roller coaster nut, I’ve only been on it once before in 1998. I just remember a lot of screaming as I rode with my best friend from high school. I did better this time around, not so much screaming, but instead, I was just huddled next to the lap bar trying to maintain my center of gravity. It’s really funny how in the dark you seem like you’re going so much faster in that ride, when you’re going no where near as fast as a ride like EE. But, I was a big girl. I made it through one ride. Off to my least favorite mountain next…

Splash Mountain and I have always had a love/hate relationship. I like the furry, lovey dovey animatronic story that relates to the Briar Patch, but then all of a sudden the singing birds and bunnies are gone and you head up that long lift hill to be tormented by a bunch of vultures before that tumultuous drop.

Again, the wedding buttons came in handy (or so DH thinks). The CM puts us in the front of the log. Needless to say, I was glad it had finally warmed up during the week, because we were soaked from the waist down.

Well, we accomplished everything in MK. It was time for one last spin on the train and some a leisurely stroll along Main Street. It’s always so sad when you have to leave MK for the last time. We got some spectacular photos of the castle that day since it was so sunny with clear blue skies. We even managed to get a cute photo in front of the garden by the train station. One of the few “couple” photos of the week. But, now it’s off to the Studios to experience Lights, Motors, Action!

It was nearing the lunch-hour peak and we were getting hungry. So, we made a “quick” stop at Toy Story Pizza Planet. The line was ginormous. But, we ended up finding a semi-quiet table outside and quickly devoured our pizzas. Surprisingly OK. I probably liked the crusts the best. Now, just need to jet off to LMA!

I thought such a popular new attraction would have more showings than two or three per day, but LMA! didn’t. Even so, the large crowd and being seated in the upper five rows of the theater still surprised us. DH was excited to see some burning rubber. I liked seeing Herbie the most, and honestly, some of the stunts were kinda cool, even for someone who doesn’t live for action movies. I thought the whole premise that they were shooting a movie was unnecessary, but whatever works for the plot. I was most impressed to see that they had several different “hero” cars, and that some were driven from the back seat, while others were remote control. Very interesting if you want to know some ins and outs of Hollywood.

When we were done with the stunt show, we decided to take in the Backstage Tour. I must admit that I was very disappointed. I felt that in the amount of space that they take you in the trams, you could have walked the distance faster. Besides Catastrophe Canyon, you don’t really see much besides the “boneyard” of old props. While I did enjoy seeing the bone cages from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and the ship from “Flight of the Navigator,” I don’t think I’d do this again for a long time. I just miss seeing the old facades of houses that you used to drive by (eg. The Golden Girls house).

Finally, our time in the parks was up. Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Tonight was our splurge. Off to Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge. The ride to dinner was fairly seamless except for a little wait at Epcot for a bus. But, we got to the lodge a bit early so we were able to look at the babbling brook that starts in the lobby and then makes its way out the building to form the pool area.

We checked in at the desk and we only waited about five minutes for our table. We didn’t have a seat overlooking the erupting geyser, but we did overlook a cute little courtyard. Our waiter, Jim (I hope that’s his name), was absolutely amazing! He was helpful, courteous, and really helped to make our last night magical. His wine selections for our wine flight were spot on and he even knew how to recommend the perfect cooking temperature for DH’s buffalo steak. I go a lot more in-depth in the food aspect in the Dining Section, so be sure to check that out!

I was just so amazed at our experience. I’m glad we waited until the last night for this one. It was a special and romantic time that really took the whole Disneymoon to the next level for us. From the personalized menus to the complimentary champagne toast, CM’s at Artist Point (and across the World) go above and beyond to make your time a magical one.

We lingered at the hotel a bit looking in the shops. Our bus ride back to the hotel was an adventure, but we didn’t mind it taking so long since it was our last night and we didn’t have any pressing engagements. All in all, it was one fabulous last day and evening!

Day 8 – Departure Day

This is always the saddest part of a Disney journey. The day you have to check out. Especially after such a great last day and night, we really didn’t want to have to finish packing up and say goodbye to our home away from home. In an effort to prolong our stay, I managed to book a 7 p.m. flight back to Milwaukee. That meant we didn’t have to be at CBR to pick up the DME until 4 p.m.

So, we were all packed and ready to go by 10 a.m. Bell services picked our bags up and stored them until we needed them that afternoon. And off we went for our last shopping binge at the Marketplace.

We picked up some really cute kitchen towels and a Mickey chip and dip platter for our new place. DH also picked out a set of ornaments at the holiday store that has one for each park. We also both bought a Mickey polo shirt. I was hoping to get one of the Vera Bradley-esque paisley print bags, but they didn’t have the pink pattern in the size I wanted and the blue was too much like the purse I have at home. (DH already thinks I have a bag issue.) We also picked up the final souvenirs for our family members. We got our nephew one of those cute and cuddly “My First Disney Bears” that was dressed like a pirate. So adorable!

My hunger pangs were kicking in and we had been dying to try the Earl of Sandwich. The crowds had been huge there all week, but we braved it anyways. We both really enjoyed the food here! If there was one of these in Milwaukee, we’d be in trouble. The bread had this crunchy, toasty outside but was soft and warm on the inside. It was like magic in my mouth with the bleu cheese and the roast beef combining. But DH one this battle of ordering with a spinach and creamed mushroom chicken sandwich topped with parmesan. It was this ooey-gooey goodness. Plus, the cookies that we could get with the DDP were soft and huge!

Well, we didn’t have any more shops to hit, so we decided to head back to the hotel and chill at Old Port Royale. Got a few more dollars worth out of those refillable mugs. Strolled the little shops. People watched as other guests were checking in for a week of magic just like we had done seven days before.

Finally, the time rolled around. DME was ready to get us. There was a little snafu and somehow the bus was overbooked. DH and I didn’t have a seat. Hey! No problem. I didn’t want to go home anyways. Oh, right…need money to pay for my next trip, so guess we do have to go home. The driver asked a family in the front to put their daughters in their laps, and then we were off.

A few hours later we were back in Milwaukee. Tired, exhausted, beat. But, not wanting to be home. Our honeymoon was absolutely mousetacular (Is that a word? If not, I’m coining it!) I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Even with some chilly weather to start the week and some transportation mishaps every now and then, the hiccups couldn’t outweigh the quality time I got to spend with my hunny.

I hope you all enjoyed reading our trip report because I really enjoyed writing them!!

Artist Point Review

Day 7 - Artist Point

Well, if you've made it on this culinary journey, we've tried everything from African and Canadian to family fare and more. Now, it's the sad point in this trip...our last review.

We wanted a special night to remember for our last full day at the World. We decided to go for Artist Point at WL with its northwest feel.

Everything about WL is huge. The building itself is designed to resemble both Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn, and also a bear. Our waiter, I believe his name was Jim from Orlando (I'm awful with names), was super-friendly and helpful. Whenever we asked about an ingredient or something about the meal, he knew the answer or would go check. Even the dining room manager came to check on us several times.

I guess I knew this would be a special evening when I looked at the menus. On the bottom was printed "Artist Point would like to Congratute the BrewCrew26 Party on your recent marriage!" Well, it didn't say "brewcrew26" but it actually had our last name on there. But, it makes for a great keepsake!

Jim brought us a complimentary champagne toast to start the evening. While the dining room manager brought us a complimentary appetizer of the potato chive pot sticker with edamame, spinach and soy vinaigrette. It was so tasty! The pot sticker was oozing with potatoey goodness while the soy vinaigrette added a nice punch.

This was the one night we would splurge. So, DH started off with the smokey portobello soup with roasted shiitakes and chive oil. All I can say is, "Wow." This soup was so incredibly good. The smoothness of the soup's texture and then the flavor that the shiitakes added. There were actually several different types of mushrooms and some of the chunks of 'shrooms were quite hefty.

I started off with the Duck Confit with the pear anjou frisee salad with a cherry vinaigrette and duck prosciutto. I was surprised by the taste of the prosciutto. It tasted so much like traditional Italian prosciutto and nothing like the richness of the duck. You basically get 1/4 of a duck that is crispy, juicy and fork tender. It was enough to be a meal on its own.

For entrees, DH had the buffalo steak with sweet potato gratin and sweet onion jam. The sweet potato gratin was crunchy and filled with hazelnuts. It was a great accompaniment to the buffalo steak that was done medium rare. Jim suggested nothing over a medium for the buffalo since it cooks different than beef. It was so tender and not-at-all gamey.

I enjoyed the beef tenderloin with potato truffle fries and wild mushrooms. The mushrooms were very earthy and flavorful compared to a traditional button mushroom au jus. The truffle fries were a decadent surprise that nearly melted in your mouth. And the beef was done to perfection and topped with a wild mushroom butter that added even more to the grilled flavor.

For dessert, we shared the Artist Point Cobber made with seasonal berries and homemade black raspberry ice cream. The cobbler was ideal with a crunch almost like a tart shell. The ice cream would be a dessert itself but paired nicely with the fresh berry assortment of blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

We also indulged in the wine flight. My favorite was the Three Rivers Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from Walla Walla Valley. It was a sweet, almost ice wine that tasted nothing like a wine. It was almost like a very sweet fruit juice.

I would go back to Artist Point in a heart beat. The service and the food were nothing short of amazing. It can be hard to find this kind of restaurant in some large cities. My hat's off to the chef staff.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our TS round-up! Thanks for reading even if it was a little long-winded!

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Review

Day 6 - Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

Our day started off with a little confusion. Crystal Palace lost our ressie. But since we had a confirmation number they were able to accomodate us. From observation, it looked like several other families were having problems with their ressies that day. One woman was on the phone with WDW-DINE while talking to a host trying to figure out what happened to their ressie.

Even with the confusion, we were seated just after 8 a.m. right near the windows. There was another newlywed couple right next to us. The CMs put Mickey pixie dust in the shape of hearts on both tables. The other couple (who had a different waiter) also got a signed picture from Winnie the Pooh and friends. DH was a little bummed that our waiter didn't have one for us.

The Crystal Palace buffet is mostly the same favorites - pancakes, waffles, bacon, egg, fruit, cereal, breads and muffins. I really enjoyed the corn beef hash fritatta. It was light and fluffy. There was a touch of onion, too. My other favorite (I went back three times for it) was Pooh's Puffed French Toast. The best way to describe it is like a beignet but instead of powdered sugar it has granulated sugar. It was so light and fluffy and mmmmm (I'm almost drooling on my keyboard)

The waiter told us it could take up to an hour to get through Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. But they were going through tables pretty fast. If you happen to be in the buffet line and not at your table, they won't stop and wait for you. So, if you see them getting close, make a run for the table otherwise you'll have to wait for them to make another round trip.

There's was a cute little parade with the characters carrying hunny pots and balloons and the kids following them. At one point there was a back-up and Eeyore had to nudge some kids along. We also enjoyed the little boy, Warren, next to us who was celebrating his birthday. He was just adorable! The look on his face when Pooh stopped at his table was priceless!

It's been a long time since I had eaten at Crystal Palace and was happily surprised with the outcome. We were done a little after 9 a.m. so we were pumped to get through MK attractions again before the huge crowds made it into the parks.

Up next: Our last meal at Artist Point...

Rose & Crown Pub and Restaurant

Day 5 - Rose & Crown Dining Room

I had made an 8 p.m. ADR in hopes of getting a seat on the waterfront in time for Illuminations (my favorite nighttime show!!). We got to the restaurant about a half hour ahead to check in and see what are chances were.

We got lucky. It was a pretty chilly evening. Being from Wisconsin (and DH is originally from Vermont), we're used to cold. But, we didn't expect it to get this cold in Central Florida. Thank goodness I had my sweatshirt and long pants on. DH still only had shorts and a polo shirt on. Of course, he wouldn't listen to me and get a sweatshirt at one of the nearby shops.

But, anyways, we got seated around 7:45 p.m. on the waterfront. There was a light standard in front of us, but it didn't really impede our vision of the show. Plus, right next to us, there was an awning that had heat lamps so DH could stand under there to thaw out.

Our waiter was amazingly helpful. He gave DH complimentary tea throughout the night to keep him warm. He also stopped to chat with us about his hometown and to tell us a little bit more about the food.

We started out with the cheese platter (we were on a cheese kick for a few days). There was a cheddar, a stilton in a puff pastry and one other cheese that I can't remember. Served with crackers and fruit. It was a great starter. I enjoyed the stilton a lot while DH enjoyed the cheddar. Stilton is very bleu cheese-like and pungent so if you don't like bleu cheese or gorgonzola types, this will definitely be a lot stronger and less to your liking.

For entrees, DH tried the Bangers & Mash. I was surprised how flavorful the "bangers," or sausages were. Coming from an area with heavy German immigrants, our bratwursts tend to be on the spicy side to gain flavor, but the bangers were still flavorful, but not at all spicy. I enjoyed the Leg of Lamb served with mixed greens. It was a bit fatty and the greens, like mint and sage, added most of the flavor to the dish.

Our dessert came just as Illuminations was starting. DH had a warm pudding dessert (he tried all efforts to stay warm!). While I indulged in the guinness cake. Since it was so chilly out, the desserts got cold fast and as we were watching the show and not paying attention to food, the cake got a little cold and tough. I assume when it's piping hot it's amazing.

It was probably one of the most romantic nights of our trip. Being able to sit with my hunny, sip a nice glass of wine, eat really good food, and watch an incredible show. I'd definitely recommend other couples try to land a seat on the patio for the show. But if it's chilly remember to pack a blanket or the proper clothing!

To my surprise, DH didn't get sick (or at least not yet) from turning into a human icicle.

Up next: Crystal Palace character breakfast...

50s Prime Time Cafe

Day 4 - 50's Prime Time Cafe

50's Prime Time Cafe is a must-do for my family every trip. I don't know if it has to do with a sado-masochistic nature of being verbally assaulted by your server, or just having a light-hearted time, but we always enjoy it!

I have never seen the restaurant as full as this night. We had 7:05 ressies. The Tune-In Lounge and lobby area, plus the outside, were packed with families waiting to get a seat. We overhead the hostess say that without an ADR the wait would be three hours. Three hours!? The park wasn't even open that long but people seemed to want to wait and see.

We were finally sat after about 15 minutes in a room in the back of the restaurant. Our table was in a corner next to some windows that were a bit drafty. I was wishing I had worn longer pants and had to wear my jacket during the meal.

The service, while insulting and funny, was a bit overwhelmed. Our CM would disappear for long spurts of time and then forget that she needed to bring a refill or that she needed to take someone else's order in the section. But, she was very good in making it known that we were newlyweds. There was also a couple for Texas who had gotten married a week before. The CM would try and see what couple was more lovey-dovey and point it out to the rest of "our cousins". Too bad she kept calling us the couple from Michigan (we're really from Wisconsin).

...Maybe there's a Milwaukee, Michigan?...

As for the food, we indulged in the fried cheese served with crackers and grapes for an appetizer. It was so tasty! It wasn't like a fried mozzarella stick, but it was a spreadable herb cheese. Maybe like a Rondele or a cream cheese herb dip. It was a great way to start the meal. Plus, DH had a chocolatey milk shake (tasted very Hershey's-like) and I enjoyed the cherry cola. There's nothing like real cherry syrup in a Coke compared to the fake stuff!

For our main course, DH had the fried chicken. The skin was so crispy and good. The mashed potatoes were lumpy and also quite tasty. I enjoyed the pot roast. The fork-tender beef melted in your mouth. The vegetables were soaked in the gravy goodness and the mashed potatoes paired perfectly underneath it all.

For dessert, DH attempted to eat the S'Mores. I think he got chocolated-out with the shake. But he did pretty well. The serving size of the S'mores is a lot smaller than I remember it. I remember back in the mid-90s a huge plate full of maybe 12-16 S'mores vs. the 6 that he got. I ordered the apple cobbler, which was more apples than cobbler. And, the cobbler was more just toasted oatmeal than a real crust. It pretty much just turned into a soupy mess once I tried to get through it.

I'd definitely have to re-think coming here again. It's food that I could make at home and it probably would taste better. You're mostly just going for ambience. Plus, the menu hasn't really changed since the first time we ate there nearly 15 years ago.

Up next: Rose & Crown...

Le Cellier Review

Day 3 - Le Cellier

This is another of the new restaurants for me to try (others being Boma, Artist Point). I was very impressed with the service, atmosphere, and the quality of the food.

Being on the DDP, this was such a great find. You're basically breaking even with one meal plus you get high-quality food that rivals the steaks from other more well-known restaurants.

We had a 4:50 ADR for Le Cellier. So after enjoying some of the World Showcase (we needed to relax after a long day and night in MK), we made our way to the Canada pavilion. Not only is the landscaping breathtaking and great for pictures, the CMs in the area are so friendly.

We checked in at the podium and waited less than five minutes to be seated. In the dining area, we were seated in the "Ontario" section. Our hostess said that all the areas are separated by one of the Canadian provinces. I couldn't really tell the difference by any noticeable architecture. It all looked like deep tones of wood, with the flickering of candlelight upon white linen table cloths.

We were seated next to a gentleman vacationing alone who was very nice and we talked to him a bit about the DVC and how the steaks are aged in the basement. He makes it a point to come several times a trip.

We started off by sharing a bowl of the cheddar cheese soup made with the Moosehead ale. It was amazing! I could eat bowls of it and not want to eat anything else. Add on top of that the pretzel breadsticks (there's also sourdough and multi-grain, also exceptional) and you have an uber-incredible dipping sauce. The hint of bacon and the rich cheese lent so much flavor. And unlike many beer cheese soups I've had, you aren't left with a heavy beer aftertaste which can sometimes be bitter and overpowering.

DH had the mushroom filet mignon served with a wild mushroom risotto and fried onions. I enjoyed the 14-oz NY strip with baby yukon potatoes and a side of asparagus. Both steaks were incredibly done. Cooked to perfection. The tenderness was almost unreal. You barely had to chew. The beef almost melts in your mouth. DH's risotto was creamy and the wild mushrooms lent another level of flavor to his dish. The asparagus, all five stalks, was a little pricey for a side dish costing more than a pound would at the grocery store. It was also a tinge overdone and had lost its "bite," or crispness.

For dessert, DH enjoyed the adult-version of the chocolate mousse, while I indulged in the child's "chocolate moose", a cute and almost too picture-perfect to eat indulgence. But, the maple leaf cookies for antlers were crispy. A red shortbread tongue was tasty along with the decadent mousse filling. And the chocolate cake that topped the mousse was moist and tasty.

Overall, Le Cellier will probably be one of the restaurants we stop at every trip now. I hope the DDP higher-ups don't remove it from one of the participating restaurants because it presents a high-class service environment to families who normally wouldn't be able to enjoy such fine cuisine.

Up next: 50's Prime Time Cafe...

Liberty Tree Tavern Review

Day 2 - Liberty Tree Tavern

This was our first full day in the parks and probably our longest since EMH kept MK open until 3 a.m. Well, we tried to burn the midnight oil, but we hit a wall by 1 a.m.

I also forgot to mention in my first post that this DH's first time eating TS on property. And for those who didn't know, it was also our honeymoon trip.

We had dinner ressies at Liberty Tree Tavern for 7 p.m. So after enjoying a mid-day nap at the hotel, we made our way back for dinner. We were welcomed to quite a large line of families at the entry way, but were kindly escorted inside since we had ADRs.

The lobby, with all of its revolution-era kitchen equipment and furniture, is fun to look at. I enjoyed just taking pictures of the light fixtures. From the waiting area, you can see a second floor landing that leads to the restrooms. Flanking both sides are two large dining rooms, mostly filled with large groups of families.

LTT serves up family-style fare. A pre-fixe menu includes family favorites like a tossed mixed green salad with a house strawberry vinaigrette, roast turkey, carved beef, pork in a honey glaze, green beans, mashed potatoes, Stouffer's macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and an apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

I think the triptophan in the turkey led to us hitting our early wall during EMH, but at the time, it tasted just like Mom's on Thanksgiving. The gravy that accompanied the turkey was smooth and didn't taste like it came from a jar.

But, my favorite was actually the beef. Tender, done to a perfect medium, with a little au jus. It paried great with the mashed potatoes and the green beans.

The only let down, not to LTT's fault, is the Stouffer's Mac & Cheese. DH and I used to LOVE Stouffer's frozen entrees as a special weekend treat, but they recently changed their recipe sans trans fat. It just isn't the same leaving a grainy cheese texture that rivals fake, or no-fat cheese. Plus, you can't get a good brown crust with the new recipe. If you're a mac & cheese purist, I'd pass on it.

The dessert was a traditional apple cobbler with ice cream. Nothing special. But the characters, like Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale made the experience more special and probably enhanced the food.

If you're looking for a good way to meet some of the big name characters, I'd suggest LTT. Especially since they're wearing Colonial-era clothing that you can't see elsewhere in the parks.

Up next: Le Cellier....

Boma Review

It has been so hard for me to write these posts. It finally means that vacation is over and I'm really home.

But, we had some incredible TS meals during our stay April 12-19. These are going to be "fairly brief," but if anyone wants more information on something I'd be happy to share since food is my other obsession!

We were on the DDP, but didn't use it for Boma in lieu of using 2 credits for Artist Point on our last evening.

Day 1: Boma, AKL
We had a 5:05 ressie. Got to the lodge early so we got some great pictures. It's so massive and breath-taking. We're definitely thinking of staying here our next trip. We checked in around 4:40 before the restaurant opened. The CMs were singing and beating drums to get everyone pumped up. The food smelled amazing!

Our waiter was so helpful. He sat down with us to explain the set-up with the pods. The main entrees like beef and fish on the far right, sides and salads in the center, a kid's island, fruits and then desserts on the left.

Some of the highlights for me were the couscous salad, black bean hummus, spiced chicken, fufu (it was kinda like a sweet potato), and the banana bread pudding. I absolutely loved it.

The meat was so tender and juicy all across the board. DH enjoyed the prime rib which had an incredibly flavorful rub. The chicken had a crispy skin, not at all spicy, but the earthy rub was amazingly bold and different. We were surprised how you didn't need to salt or pepper anything which is the indication of a highly-skilled chef.

The soups were also delectable. I thoroughly enjoyed the bean soup. It wasn't like a traditional split-pea soup, but it had several different layers of flavors which defintely made my mouth happy. DH raved about the carrot soup, which was almost dessert like, with its creamy texture and sweet attributes.

I wouldn't recommend Boma for someone who isn't that adventurous of an eater or who's finicky. It's a great place for large families. There are several large tables that seat more than 6 or even 8 people. The large windows make for great views of the pool area. And the thatched roof makes it seem like you're really in a hut.

Stay tuned...up next is Liberty Tree Tavern!

The Grand Slam Revolution

I think everyone who reads this knows my affinity toward pancakes, especially on the weekend. Well, on Sunday I was really hankering for some good 'ole Denny's pancakes, so I took Brett for a late breakfast when I got out of work.

We haven't been to Denny's in a while and normally it isn't the best of service. But today was an even worse exception for the rule. I felt so bad for our waiter, Lorenzo, who was one of like 12 employees doing all the work. He was helping both sides of the restaurant while the rest of the female employees sat around the register gabbing and texting with the what-I-would-assume-to-be manager on-duty. It took us at least a half hour before we got drinks and had our order taken.

Now, normally I would probably leave if no one acknowledges our existence, but this was just such an extreme case of poor restaurant management that we stayed to see how bad it could get. Well, let's just say it didn't get bad, it got weird.

Somewhere between eating my Meat Lover's Skillet and my side of buttermilk pancakes, the French and American revolutions walked into the restaurant.

No lie...

I looked up with a dribble of maple syrup on my chin to see a man dressed as Napoleon carrying a sword and wearing a wig asking for a table for 12. Right behind him came George Washington, some French debutante (equipped with a peacock feather fan), and what I could only guess was some American revolutionary-era dressed woman.

Everyone stopped and just stared. I could overhear the manager saying, "When did the Pilgrims land?"

Brett just continued eating like nothing was wrong, or at least strange about this image. Twelve grown adults dressed in a specific era of clothing (and might I add that some of the men had quite nice looking legs to pull off the white tights) ordering "Moons Over My Hammy" isn't something you wake up in the morning expecting to see.

When I asked Brett if he would take a picture of me with his cell phone and the guy with the sword, his response was, "Let Napoleon eat in peace."

Good grief. Can't a girl even get a picture with a historic figure and some pancakes?

Needless to say, we won't be going back to that Denny's in a while. It took us until 3:30 to finally get out and pay after seeing one of the chefs literally walk out of the restaurant carrying a double cheeseburger and a cigarette.

I think that Denny's has entered the Twilight Zone...

Dear Winter...

Dear Winter 2008,

I don't think we have officially met even though you begrudgingly have taken it upon yourself to make a great impression on my life this winter. I would like to take this opportunity to come to a compromise. While many people in southeastern Wisconsin would like to see at least 13 more inches (to reach the snowfall record) of snow fall upon this great white tundra, I do not.

I may speak only for myself, but I really don't believe that I do. I have had it with your intolerant nature. Your inability to lead us into spring, into a time where the trees begin to bloom, the birds begin to chirp, and once again, I can see out my bedroom window.

For too long you have held your white and fluffy grasp on us. We have had it! It was all nice and cheery when children were playing in their yards in piles of snowdrifts up to their waists in November. It was lovely having a white Christmas and an even whiter New Year's. But cries of sorrow fill my heart as we now have seen Easter come and go. Wearing a chunky parka instead of a sleeveless Easter dress to Church, it just doesn't feel right.

You have messed with the heads of millions this year placing your voodoo charms on our minds. Luring us into a false sense of security a few weeks ago with temperatures nearing the 60 degree mark, only to bring us 15 inches of snow on the first day of spring!

You have had your last laugh Winter 2008. Spring and Summer will prevail! Their strength and determination to bring us sultry sun and loud, booming thunderstorms will overcome this tyranny you have exalted for the past five months. I refuse to let you ruin Opening Day tailgates by forcing thousands of people to grill bratwursts in frigid temperatures or down snow-covered cans of Miller products.

I hope we may come to an agreement, Winter. While you bring light to the eyes of many, we hope you go away peacefully. I wish you a very well hibernation.

Sincerely,

A Disgruntled Midwesterner

People Making a Difference in the Community

Click Here to Read my profile of Maria Lopez Vento from the Helen Bader Foundation.

Need some Luck 'o the Irish

Check out this week's Threeview of Brocach Irish Pub and Restaurant.

Click Here to Read My Review

Honeymoon Pre-Trip Report

In an effort to cure my boredom today (and because we're exactly one month to our honeymoon), I've decided to post our pre-trip report.

Here is the background:

Who:
Me, a WDW veteran, with over 20 trips under my belt. Last visit 2001.
Brett, also a WDW veteran, with two trips. Last visit 1998.

Accomodations:
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort with the Disney Dining Plan.
Due to financial concerns, we decided to switch from a Disney "deluxe" resort to a "moderate" level. I'm not too concerned since really we'll be in the parks a majority of the days but I was slightly disappointed to have to move from the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This will be Brett's first stay at an on-site hotel, while I have previously stayed at Fort Wilderness, Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter.

The Disney Dining Plan includes one snack (a popcorn, ice cream, cookie, etc), a counter service meal (value meal or entree, beverage and dessert), and a table service meal (entree, dessert and beverage) for each day of the hotel stay for each guest.

Tickets:
(2) 2-day Park Hoppers - Given as gifts for my graduation and Brett's birthday in May from Mike and Jody
plus
(2) 4-day Park Hoppers for the rest of the stay
Park Hoppers allow guests to "hop" from park-to-park for the length-of-stay. They also include certificates for special recreational perks like using the water sprites or visiting Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney.

Day 1 - April 12 - Arrival Day
We leave Milwaukee for "The World" early in the morning. Check-in isn't officially until 3 p.m., but we're hoping that a room is available when we get to the resort around noon. If it isn't, we'll check our bags with bell services and explore the resort and the Downtown Disney area for the lunch hour. We have ressies at Boma: Flavors of Africa, a buffet at Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner. I'm really excited about that because I haven't seen the hotel and I really want to try their signature dessert: the Zebra Domes, a coffee flavored mousse covered in ganache. After dinner, we're heading to Disney's Boardwalk to visit Jellyrolls, a dueling piano bar, ESPN Club for some competitive air hockey, and Atlantic Dance Hall, if Brett brings his dancing shoes.

Day 2 - April 13 - Magic Kingdom
We don't have our ressies yet, but we're planning on doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour in the morning. The tour takes you behind-the-scenes and beneath the Magic Kingdom to the "Utilidors" to see the inner workings of all the magic. Then, they tell you stories about the creation of the park and some tidbits about the Disney family. There's also lunch included at the Columbia Harbour House. Since there's Extra Magic Hours that evening until 11 p.m. we'll head back to the hotel to lay by the pool during the afternoon. Then, we have 7 p.m. ressies at the Liberty Tree Tavern at MK. The colonial-era family-style service includes all-you-can-eat ham, pot roast, and Stouffer's Mac & Cheese. After, we'll grab a spot for Wishes, the nighttime fireworks show and Spectromagic, while experiencing the rides and attractions -- I can't wait to ride Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin again!!

Day 3 - April 14 - EPCOT/Downtown Disney
Since we're having such a busy MK day, we can sleep in today. Brett will have enough time to go for a swim, or take a walk around the lagoon's 2.5-mile path at the hotel. Then, we'll make it to EPCOT a little before noon to experience the Future World attractions like Mission: Space, Soarin', and Test Track. We have early dinner ressies at Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion at World Showcase. The restaurant is a steak house that features Canadian favorites like the Beer Cheese Soup and the Chocolate Moose, a chocolate mousse in the shape of a moose with antlers. How cute! Then, we'll take the ferry over to Disney's Port Orleans Riverside for some beignets and to enjoy the musical stylings of Bob Jackson before taking the ferry down the Sassagoula River to Downtown Disney for an evening at the Adventurer's Club, a 1930's comedy club with talking masks that adorn the walls and interactive games with cast members.

Day 4 - April 15 - Animal Kingdom/Disney's Hollywood Studios
Since neither of us has really experienced Animal Kingdom, we have an early morning ahead of us to get to the park before opening. We'll grab fast passes for Expedition Everest before heading on the Kilimanjaro Safaris and other attractions like the Lion King live show and Dinosaur. Then, it's back to relax by the pool before we take the bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios for dinner at the Prime Time '50s Cafe, a restaurant that features Mom favorites like Fried Chicken and a Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake. Make sure you save enough room for the S'mores for dessert and keep your elbows off the table. Then, it's over to Hollywood and Vine to catch a seat for that evening's 8:30 show of Fantasmic!, a light and water spectacular into Mickey Mouse's dreams...and nightmares!

Day 5 - April 16 - Disney's Hollywood Studios/EPCOT
We don't have a lot of time for attractions at the studios the night before, so it's back to the studios for Tower of Terror (that's all Brett), Rockin' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith (again, all Brett), the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Pizza Planet, and other movie-inspired attractions. Then, we'll take the ferry over to EPCOT's World Showcase for dinner ressies at the United Kingdom pavilion's Rose & Crown Dining Room just in time for a water-side seat for Illuminations: Reflection of Earth, a nighttime fireworks and water show on the World Showcase Lagoon.

Day 6 - April 17 - Free Day
It's up early today for an early character breakfast at MK's Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Friends. Then, it's back over to AK or EPCOT to catch up on our favorite attractions or one's we missed. In the evening, we'll be cutting up the greens at Fantasia Gardens adventure mini-golf with a few friends from Intercot, a Disney message board that I belong to. And finally, a quick stroll to Disney's Beach Club for dessert at Beaches & Cream. I don't think we'll be able to finish the "Kitchen Sink," scoops of their 21 ice creams, every topping in the place, and it's served (literally) in a kitchen sink. Don't know how I could get that past the TSA...

Day 7 - April 18 - The last full day - Magic Kingdom
As is customary, it's back to the Magic Kingdom for the last full day of fun and excitement. We have a photo shoot in the morning with Stan Kelley, an area photographer, at the Magic Kingdom. I hope he can get us on Cinderella's Carousel! Then, a little rest at the hotel after some more fun on the attractions -- gotta take one more ride on Pirates to see Jack Sparrow. Then, we have ressies at Disney's Wilderness Lodge at Artist Point for a romantic dinner overlooking a geyser at a 1920's-style National Park Lodge restaurant. I've got my eye on the Cedar Plank Salmon and the Northwestern U.S. wine flight. Then, maybe a stroll down to the dock to take in that evenings Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Day 8 - April 19 - Departure Day (sniffle...)
It's always a sad day, but we made sure our flight was late in the day back to reality. Check-out is at 11 a.m. so we'll get the bags to Bell Services before heading over to Downtown Disney for some last-minute shopping at the world's largest Disney store and lunch. Then, we gotta catch our bus to the airport and back home.

As you can tell, I'm the master of overplanning. All of this is subject to change to my feet hurting, wanting to do something completely different, and weather! But, it's fun to look at isn't it?

Of course, we'll have loads of pictures to bring back and I'll have detailed food reports for every meal!

P.S. If anyone is planning a Disney vacation soon, I'd be happy to help plan it for them. I think I'm looking into doing this to get some side money, so you can recommend me to friends and family!

Harry Potter 6 Trailer!

Well, we haven't quite come to where a real trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has come out, but an eager fan has made a trailer out of legos!

Enjoy!!

The Wedding Round-Up

Well, it's almost been an entire week that I can say that I have been married. What the !@#$

Who let that happen!?

Kidding aside, not much has changed. Everyone keeps asking how much different it is to be married. When you've been together as long as Brett and I, we were essentially married already. The biggest change that I've been having trouble with is calling him my husband and saying I'm someone's wife now. It was easy saying he was my fiance, but making that switch to "husband," it's like...whoa...back the truck up a second. I suppose somewhere along the way I'll get to used to it.

Just like I have to get used to hyphenating my name and having an exceptionally long signature. I was never one to scour pages of notebook paper with signatures but I found myself doing that yesterday. But I think I have come to terms with my 'F's and we can come to an accord where I like how loopy they look.

I'm just happy that the wedding went off without a hitch...mostly. I only had a slight bridezilla moment a few minutes before the wedding when I thought we lost the toss bouquet. We didn't. I was just confused about how many bridesmaids I had. I kept doing that all week.

Brett and I also noticed as we were cutting the cake that someone poked their finger in the frosting. I hope that doesn't show up in the pictures. Yes, the cake was real. Simma's did a fantabulous job! I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.

It was such an exhausting week, but so well worth it. I loved seeing all my best friends and family all week. They helped keep me sane (I only cried a little bit walking down the aisle...but they were those happy tears). But only if they could have helped me from getting the giggles during the vows in the ceremony. I suppose it wouldn't have been my wedding without the giggles, huh?

After an exhausting 96 hours, it's no wonder I slept for nearly 48 hours straight on Sunday and Monday. I got up for about 6 hours to eat, watch the news, and open a few presents.

But, all in all...I'm happy to be a married person now. I don't have to plan to biggest party of my life anymore. I can start looking for jobs full-time again, going to the gym, and finish planning the honeymoon (the best part!!!) in April. Plus, we have a fondue pot and a new "Bride and Groom" cookbook, so we're all set to have the wickedest cool dinner parties...ever!

Chris's Highlights from the Wedding Week:

Seeing Brett stand at the altar all flustered and sick
Hanging out with Imaeyen for the first time in forever! (Represent the Chester!)
Literally taking a jello shot from a syringe at Lucille's
Dancing with my Daddy at the reception
Shorty teaching Evan how to ask girls to dance
The hibachi lunch and how the chef threw food at Imaeyen's boob
Everyone all together...priceless!

Restaurant Review: Quimera Cocina Boricua

Here's my latest restaurant review from Quimera Cocina Boricua:

Click Here to Read

New Bond Film Plot, Title Released

For those of us waiting anxiously for the follow-up to Daniel Craig's follow-up to "Casino Royale," the wait it a little less now that a title and plot have been released.

The story takes place about an hour after Casino Royale ends leaving Bond betrayed by his true love. Titled 'Quantum of Solace,' the movie comes from Ian Fleming's collection of stories "For Your Eyes Only."

Filming began a few weeks ago in Europe. The film promises to have more action, blood, and grit than the first. French actor and Oscar-nominee Mathieu Amalric plays the new villain who has been described as a cross between former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The film is directed by Monster's Ball director Marc Forster. The film is due to be released later in 2008. (yay!)

Can I Change the Wedding Cake?

This is the coolest cake...ever!

The crew from the show 'Ace of Cakes' on Food Network made this cake resembling Hogwarts Castle for the staff over at Pottercast and The Leaky Cauldron.

Helpful Tips for Brett About Me #2

Here is another helpful tip for Brett as he enters into marriage...

Tip #2 - I like food.

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to know that I like food. Wait, let's correct that. I love food.

I could never be an anorexic. I like to eat. I like to cook. Brett will never have to worry about me being that 'skinny girl,' ...ever.

All I ask is that you feed it when its hungry. I'm like a little kid. If you don't feed me, I get cranky. I'm not picky. A few Goldfish crackers, maybe a fruit roll-up, even some Cheerios. Just keep something in your pocket and reward me when I do something good.

Wait, it's worse. I'm like a puppy...

HELP!!! I can be the ultimate Disney cast member!!!

There's currently a promotion being run by CareerBuilder.com and Disney to be the Chief Magic Officer at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland California for the next year.

What does this mean?

The winner would get the chance to grant wishes during the "Year of a Million Dreams" contest on selected weekends throughout the next year. The job entails a salary, airfare and limo transfer to and from the airport, lodging at a Disney resort, plus several trips for my family and friends during the year.

How cool is that???

So, what do I have to do?

First, I need to submit a sixty second video telling why I would be the best person for the job...

...duh...

We all know I'm the hugest Disney nerd....ever!!

So, once you get past that point -- the public votes on the top 20 videos that are submitted. The ones that get the most votes (that's where you and all your friends and family come in to help me get this awesomest job ever!!!) during an online voting period.

Then, they select the final 20 and they give you the means to create another video to garner more votes from the public.

Finally, they select the top Magic Officer!

So, you guys in to help me get my dream Disney job!?!?

Click here for more information

30 Things About Me: Tips for Brett

Since we're so close to the wedding, I thought I'd take this time to blog about myself as a way for Brett to understand what he's getting into when he utters those two words: "I do".

I call this little segment "30 Things About Me...Tips for Brett". This is a way for me to share those things that he may (or maybe not) know about me. A kind little gesture so he won't be frightened by my little intricacies. I'll try and be good and do one a day (I built in a little room for error since we're 36 days away from the big day).

Today...

Tip #1 I love stuffed animals.

I have always loved stuffed animals. I think it has to do with not being in the womb long enough, or perhaps its because I was essentially an only child growing up since there was such a huge age difference between me and my siblings. Whatever the reason, I have to sleep with something fluffy and cuddly at night.

Before my dad sold our house a few years ago, I had to go through all of my little friends and decide which ones I had room enough to keep and which ones had to go to Goodwill and be passed along for another child to love. Miraculously, I was able to keep two entire garbage bags full of stuffed animals. But sadly, the fate of six other bags is still unknown. I hope that they have made amends with little Suzy or Bobby, the drooling problems of a large German Shepherd, or the dirty habits of families that don't clean the house enough.

I have managed to stay close with Gorilla (he's been with me since day one), Mojo (Ann gave him to me my freshmen year of college when I was in the hospital), Edgar (a fluffy dog wearing a train costume that I got for a birthday), Puggle (a little pug/beagle mix that Brett bought me for our first V-Day), and Lumpy (the best X-Mas present ever!), just to name a few.

I'm sure I could go to bed at night and sleep soundly without Lumpy or Gorilla, but a piece of me doesn't want to. I know I will have Brett next to me at night (and he's quite furry enough), but it's just not the same. Sometimes the quiet, silent stares, the unjudgemental touch, and the unconditional love that my stuffed animals provide me is more than anyone else can. They've heard secrets that no one else knows. They've been with me as I cried myself to sleep at night.

Many people would say that I have attachment issues, but I don't look at it that way. I feel that my childhood memories are something that should be cherished. For as long as I have my stuffed animals, I remember things from when I was a little girl. I want to be able to give Gorilla and Lumpy to my own children one day and I hope they live on and on for generations.

You've Been Deleted

As per my Facebook status message recalled yesterday, I have a new cell phone. The LG just couldn't take the strain of me not answering calls anymore, so I had to upgrade to a Motorola RAZR.

Because I'm cheap, I wasn't going to pay the $10 that Verizon charges to transfer my hundreds upon hundreds of contacts, messages, ringtones, and videos to my new SIM card. (Might I Add: That is whack!)

So, I spent about an hour this morning keying in all the contact information for everyone who is important in my life.

It's so weird. You really take for granted the amount of people you add to your contact list. Like for instance, why do I have Jason Lee (star of "Alvin and the Chipmunks") as a contact? Or, why do still have that kid from junior year of college that I interviewed for UWM's hottest guys in there? No need for that. A majority of the people that are in my phone, I probably haven't spoken to in over a year (if not more).

As I started hitting delete and as the screen posted 'do you really want to erase this contact?' I felt as if I were losing a part of my life as I randomly just deleted a part of my life. I know they're just phone numbers, but there was a time when I probably dialed them a few times a week or even a few times a day.

I wonder what happened to some of those relationships. Was it something I did? Was it something someone else did? Were we never really that close at all? I guess I'll never really know why some people come in and out of our lives (or our cell phones).