Grateful, Thankful, Blessed: our 25th Anniversary SeaWorld Celebration (Spring ’18 TR)

So we never made it to the Wonderland Cookiedough or Roccos like we had hoped. The storms and heat wore us down. We did make it to a place called Chuy's on International Drive. Just thought I'd point out that they have a FREE nacho bar during happy hour. It included chips, salsa, cheese dip, beef and beans. We added a purchase of Guacamole (Gina's favorite) and some drinks and it made a fabulous inexpensive early dinner.
Gina you need to eat Mexican with us, Rich only eats Meat and cheese and loves Mexican. You just have to know what to say.

I am extremely grateful for Gina's expertise with the photokey, Thanks to her knowledge we were able to get one of my favorite vacation photos from the magic shot updated. I may frame it. Although the empty photo makes us laugh the finished product is great. (Gina feel free to post as another example of the creative magic shots).
 
Seaworld looks beautiful as always. I will miss it this year as we have the Disney 21 day tickets you can buy in the UK, so we will concentrate our efforts in WDW this vacation!!

I totally understand.....you really do get the biggest bang for you buck if you pick a park family and maximize the longer-entitlement tickets. And you will appreciate SeaWorld that much more when you DO go back again!

Sadly, our trip is planned from 9/27-10/6. Joe has a maintenance shutdown later in October. But.... my sister is planning an October trip with my mom and my others sister from Phoenix may join them so it's not out of the question that I may trek back down to Orlando for a couple of days (alone, though!). Not sure of her dates in October yet.

Ordering a burger is never wrong! Put a little salsa on it and VOILA... Mexican!

Would love it!!

I just love your photokey pictures!! They are soo nice!! Is that the closest you got to the coaster?? :laughing: I know it's as close as I get!!

Yep, that Photokey pic was the only "ride" I'll ever take on Mako. I don't enjoy being flipped, spun, shaken, twirled, or scared half to death.......Lord knows I have enough grey hairs and don't need any more :rolleyes:. I really do sound boring when I say that, though!

If you happen to book a late-October getaway, definitely let me know and we'll make plans to meet up again :thumbsup2. If you are on the fence about booking, think of it as a mental health necessity....one more respite from the cold before winter really beats up on Buffalo :cold:.

The only part of a cow that you'll find in most quesadillas is the milk (cheese or queso). If properly Mexican, it will come with a couple of little bowls of sauce on the side for dipping. Just remember that the green is usually much hotter than the red. Green most definitely does not mean GO in this context. Chicken is not unusual to add, beef less so. If they are putting gooey stuff inside it, then it's not a quesadilla anymore.

The quesadilla plan is sounding better and better. I'm surprised they don't make beef quesadillas, though :confused3. A little taco meat inside with the cheeses sounds mighty appealing to me.

i will soak up all of ur photokey knowledge - we pirchased it And the dinning for octobers trup

It's definitely something that you have to put some effort in to really maximize the value. When you see a Photokey photographer, don't be shy about stopping and have them take some pictures. And if you are coaster fans, you'll get lots of fun ones on Mako, Manta, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis.

That certainly helps me decide to skip the treat. Your pictures of your husband's meals are legendary. They influence us to try various restaurants, and if he wasn't impressed with the cookie dough, I bet it wasn't worth the calories.

He would have much more enjoyed donuts from Krispy Kreme or ice cream from Twistee Treat. I enjoyed it, but even my sweet tooth found it super rich......so that's saying something!!

We loved Wonderland. I'd say it's definitely worth a try. They do give out samples so you could always try those and see if it's too sweet for you.

Oddly enough, they didn't offer us a single sample when we were there :confused:. Maybe because we were all adults?

I do think its a place that kids would enjoy. I don't think there's a child under 12 that doesn't like a big, rich, thick ball of cookie dough!!

We really liked Wonderland, too! My daughter can't wait to go back.

I can definitely see it being a favorite stop for little ones ::yes::. I'm glad we went, and very much liked my little bowl, but it's not a place we'd rush back to. And the parking is CRAZY! :crazy2:

I am finally caught up! Love your trip reports! I usually don't comment but have to say between your actual trip report and all the side comments from "the regulars" I am sufficiently entertained :)

:laughing: These guys are a great bunch, aren't they???

Definitely don't be shy.....I hope to see you posting and commenting more often ::yes::. Always glad to have another friend reading along and joining in......especially when I fall into these crazy "life" pockets where finding time to post an entry is such a challenge!!
 


So we never made it to the Wonderland Cookiedough or Roccos like we had hoped. The storms and heat wore us down. We did make it to a place called Chuy's on International Drive. Just thought I'd point out that they have a FREE nacho bar during happy hour. It included chips, salsa, cheese dip, beef and beans. We added a purchase of Guacamole (Gina's favorite) and some drinks and it made a fabulous inexpensive early dinner.
Gina you need to eat Mexican with us, Rich only eats Meat and cheese and loves Mexican. You just have to know what to say.

I am extremely grateful for Gina's expertise with the photokey, Thanks to her knowledge we were able to get one of my favorite vacation photos from the magic shot updated. I may frame it. Although the empty photo makes us laugh the finished product is great. (Gina feel free to post as another example of the creative magic shots).

We LOVE Chuy's! We usually eat there twice every trip! All their food is delicious
 
So we never made it to the Wonderland Cookiedough or Roccos like we had hoped. The storms and heat wore us down. We did make it to a place called Chuy's on International Drive. Just thought I'd point out that they have a FREE nacho bar during happy hour. It included chips, salsa, cheese dip, beef and beans. We added a purchase of Guacamole (Gina's favorite) and some drinks and it made a fabulous inexpensive early dinner.
Gina you need to eat Mexican with us, Rich only eats Meat and cheese and loves Mexican. You just have to know what to say.

I am extremely grateful for Gina's expertise with the photokey, Thanks to her knowledge we were able to get one of my favorite vacation photos from the magic shot updated. I may frame it. Although the empty photo makes us laugh the finished product is great. (Gina feel free to post as another example of the creative magic shots).

There's an offer for a date that I can't refuse :thumbsup2. When we get together for dinner after our trip home to Canada this coming weekend, we'll make it a Mexican place. You can pick the restaurant and we'll meet you there. I'm officially in training for Rocco's Tacos :rotfl:.

I will definitely post those pics (hopefully later tonight!) if you don't mind me sharing. I bet that many other folks have had the same issue as you, so hopefully we can save a few other families the frustration. I might even post it on the main SW board and see if @macraven will make it a sticky.
 
So my apologies, everyone, for being so absent the last while. Between the new job (always a challenge), the first of the month (which means crazy busy-ness at work), Steve's birthday, the 4th of July holiday, our ongoing efforts to revitalize our yard and gardens, and our upcoming quick visit home this weekend (I cannot WAIT to see my boy!), I've had less time to spend on the computer. I hope to get back on track next week, if all goes as planned. Thank you so much for your patience in the interim.....you guys are so kind and understanding.

Steve was joking that if I don't get my rear end in gear, this report will still be going on when we leave for our next vacation in the fall :rotfl:. I am determined that will not be the case! :p
 


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Aww, ain't that a pain, when life gets in the way. LOL Safe travel home, and stock up on food and hugs.

I'll leave the light on.

Enjoy seeing your pictures, and the beautiful weather you had. Another year for me, if I would ever do a Spring trip. Hey, that may be a good ticker. :laughing:
 
So my apologies, everyone, for being so absent the last while. Between the new job (always a challenge), the first of the month (which means crazy busy-ness at work), Steve's birthday, the 4th of July holiday, our ongoing efforts to revitalize our yard and gardens, and our upcoming quick visit home this weekend (I cannot WAIT to see my boy!), I've had less time to spend on the computer. I hope to get back on track next week, if all goes as planned. Thank you so much for your patience in the interim.....you guys are so kind and understanding.

Steve was joking that if I don't get my rear end in gear, this report will still be going on when we leave for our next vacation in the fall :rotfl:. I am determined that will not be the case! :p
Hey! We'll be in the same neck of the woods this weekend. However, we'll both be pretty busy with family it sounds like. I'll send a wave in your general direction, if I knew what direction that was :)

Mom had a fall last week and broke her hip and has been at Belleville General since :crutches:. But in under 24 hours she was sporting a new replacement; the kids can now call her Bionic Grandma. (Who says we have problems with our health system?) She is determined to set a record for getting out of the rehab wing and getting back home. There is a glass of wine with her name on it at the end of the road, and she needs to be home for her 90th birthday party next month. She's up and about and already managing stairs and other obstacles in her rehab sessions. I can't believe how quickly she is bouncing back - I can only hope that most of those genetics were passed down to me!

It has been a bit of strain for my sister and I though, as we are tag-team commuting back and forth from Toronto/Ottawa for visits and madly planning for how we adapt her home for her return. It's a tiny century old workers' home with the bedroom and bathroom up a narrow flight of stairs. But adaptations are possible and we have been rearranging some of the heavier furniture to remove obstacles and clear walking paths. My "honeydew" list for there seems to grow by the day, but I am confident that everything can be done before her return.

Anyway, let's hope for both our sakes for good travel weather, and some happy family memories!

(I've always wanted an excuse to use that crutches smiley!!)
 
Hi Gina so glad I got some time to catch up on your trip report.:cool1:. I just got back on Sunday from my two week adventure to driving to Orlando 8-). I am going to start a trip report this week I hope. As soon as we got home things started happening that took my attention. I loved your Sea World part. I can't wait to get back there next summer. I agree about making friends on here. I look forward to coming on and catching up with everyone and sharing stuff.
The dolphin encounter looked great and I will have to look into that myself for next summer. What a wonderful gift from a great friend. I can't believe the summer is half over. I don't look forward to the fall and winter.

I probably won't put much of this in my trip report but we did tour UCF and my DD loved it there. She is getting excited about this year and working on getting in next Fall. We have to start cleaning our house out it will probably take us a year alone to do that o_O.

Dontrushme: We were there the same week as you and felt the pain of the weather :sad2:. The storms everyday put a crimp in our plans and we tried to make the best of it. I didn't mind the heat though. The great thing about Universal and staying on site there is so much to do.
 
"soupy goop"??!?!?!?!?!

What does that even mean? Tacos is meat, cheese and pico de gallo on a tortilla. No soupy goup on tacos!

I'll give you a pass on guac (even though it's soooo delicious!), But how can anyone go wrong with a totilla and some meat?!?! Though now I'm feeling guilty that you won't like it (even though the atmosphere at Rocco's is somewhat unique and a silly experience, like TVs behind the toilets and mirrors on the back of the stall doors, so you can watch Napoleon Dynamite while doing your business ) but if you really don't like tacps, we can stick to Kobe's too, I love that place too!
 
Yep, that Photokey pic was the only "ride" I'll ever take on Mako. I don't enjoy being flipped, spun, shaken, twirled, or scared half to death.......Lord knows I have enough grey hairs and don't need any more :rolleyes:. I really do sound boring when I say that, though!

If you happen to book a late-October getaway, definitely let me know and we'll make plans to meet up again :thumbsup2. If you are on the fence about booking, think of it as a mental health necessity....one more respite from the cold before winter really beats up on Buffalo :cold:.

Same here! No Mako for me!!

I like your reasoning! Orlando trip =Mental health necessity :thumbsup2 Yes- will let you know if a late October getaway will happen!!

Steve's birthday
:bday: Steve!!!

our upcoming quick visit home this weekend (I cannot WAIT to see my boy!

Enjoy your visit with Jake! I understand missing the kid! I miss Troy a lot!! Can't wait to bring him home in August!
 
Just popping in to say "hi". I hate typing on my kindle.:flower1: as a fellow office/business/ manger type, I feel you on the beginning of the month and quarter thing. Have a great week.
 
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popcorn::

Aww, ain't that a pain, when life gets in the way. LOL Safe travel home, and stock up on food and hugs.

I'll leave the light on.

Enjoy seeing your pictures, and the beautiful weather you had. Another year for me, if I would ever do a Spring trip. Hey, that may be a good ticker. :laughing:

That would be a PHENOMENAL ticker, Lynne! Say, the last week of April? ;)

Hey! We'll be in the same neck of the woods this weekend. However, we'll both be pretty busy with family it sounds like. I'll send a wave in your general direction, if I knew what direction that was :)

Mom had a fall last week and broke her hip and has been at Belleville General since :crutches:. But in under 24 hours she was sporting a new replacement; the kids can now call her Bionic Grandma. (Who says we have problems with our health system?) She is determined to set a record for getting out of the rehab wing and getting back home. There is a glass of wine with her name on it at the end of the road, and she needs to be home for her 90th birthday party next month. She's up and about and already managing stairs and other obstacles in her rehab sessions. I can't believe how quickly she is bouncing back - I can only hope that most of those genetics were passed down to me!

It has been a bit of strain for my sister and I though, as we are tag-team commuting back and forth from Toronto/Ottawa for visits and madly planning for how we adapt her home for her return. It's a tiny century old workers' home with the bedroom and bathroom up a narrow flight of stairs. But adaptations are possible and we have been rearranging some of the heavier furniture to remove obstacles and clear walking paths. My "honeydew" list for there seems to grow by the day, but I am confident that everything can be done before her return.

Anyway, let's hope for both our sakes for good travel weather, and some happy family memories!

(I've always wanted an excuse to use that crutches smiley!!)

Aw, I am so sorry to hear about your mom's health struggles. So glad to know that she was able to get care quickly, though......my mom was a full 6 months on a wait list for a new hip (just got hers in March of this year). I hope you had a wonderful weekend visiting Quinte! Did you have a chance to do anything other than sit at the hospital? We should have exchanged cell numbers and you could have joined us at Shorelines Casino for dinner on Saturday night! (no gambling, just dinner ;))
Hi Gina so glad I got some time to catch up on your trip report.:cool1:. I just got back on Sunday from my two week adventure to driving to Orlando 8-). I am going to start a trip report this week I hope. As soon as we got home things started happening that took my attention. I loved your Sea World part. I can't wait to get back there next summer. I agree about making friends on here. I look forward to coming on and catching up with everyone and sharing stuff.
The dolphin encounter looked great and I will have to look into that myself for next summer. What a wonderful gift from a great friend. I can't believe the summer is half over. I don't look forward to the fall and winter.

I probably won't put much of this in my trip report but we did tour UCF and my DD loved it there. She is getting excited about this year and working on getting in next Fall. We have to start cleaning our house out it will probably take us a year alone to do that o_O.

Dontrushme: We were there the same week as you and felt the pain of the weather :sad2:. The storms everyday put a crimp in our plans and we tried to make the best of it. I didn't mind the heat though. The great thing about Universal and staying on site there is so much to do.

Welcome back :goodvibes. I hope you had a good trip overall....a couple of your emojis look like maybe things didn't go quite as planned? I know the weather was kinda crappy, so that certainly stinks.

You'll have to post your trip report link here when you kick off your first entry :thumbsup2. I am sure there are lots of my readers that will want to join in!

Have a great weekend with your boy!

Thank you! It was a wonderful, awesome visit :goodvibes.

I wouldn't mind if your report went right up to before you left for your October trip. Have a great weekend!

Thank you! Hard to believe the weekend is over already :sad:. Our time home goes by way too fast.

"soupy goop"??!?!?!?!?!

What does that even mean? Tacos is meat, cheese and pico de gallo on a tortilla. No soupy goup on tacos!

I'll give you a pass on guac (even though it's soooo delicious!), But how can anyone go wrong with a totilla and some meat?!?! Though now I'm feeling guilty that you won't like it (even though the atmosphere at Rocco's is somewhat unique and a silly experience, like TVs behind the toilets and mirrors on the back of the stall doors, so you can watch Napoleon Dynamite while doing your business ) but if you really don't like tacps, we can stick to Kobe's too, I love that place too!

Soupy goop.....like, sour cream :sick:. If we can keep the ingredients simple, to meat cheese and tortillas (without anyone looking at me like I've lost all my marbles), then we're golden! :thumbsup2

And heck no, we're keeping with the theme of stretching my boundaries and trying out something new. I'm really quite excited about Rocco's! :banana: Kobes was such a success, I know ya won't steer me wrong.

I hope you have a great weekend with Jake!

:thanks:

Same here! No Mako for me!!

I like your reasoning! Orlando trip =Mental health necessity :thumbsup2 Yes- will let you know if a late October getaway will happen!!


:bday: Steve!!!

Enjoy your visit with Jake! I understand missing the kid! I miss Troy a lot!! Can't wait to bring him home in August!

Someday, it will get easier.....I hope :(. Until then, goodbyes are always hard.

It is my greatest hope to bring that boy of mine (somehow, some way) to the USA. I'm sure it will happen, but until then, I'm learning patience. Or trying to!

Is Troy home permanently in August? Or just for a visit before he heads back to Orlando?

im on board with orlando = necessary for mental health

:thumbsup2 It really is the best therapy in the world1

Just popping in to say "hi". I hate typing on my kindle.:flower1: as a fellow office/business/ manger type, I feel you on the beginning of the month and quarter thing. Have a great week.

Thank you :goodvibes. I despise posting from my phone or tablet, too....give me my laptop or bust :rotfl:.

I hope to get a new entry up tomorrow night, if all goes well. It's time to get this report back on track!
 
Well, we are back from our quick visit home.....two cats were VERY happy to see us, and are currently curled up in our laps (Dash on Steve's :cat:, Violet on mine :cat:). Always tough to say goodbye to Jake again, but we definitely get a warm welcome back from our sweet babies.

While the visit wasn't a long one, it was one of quality if not quantity.

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We got to spent some time with my mom, and visited my Dad's grave (the last time we were home in January, the cemetery was snowed in and we couldn't get our vehicle down the lane way). Everyone, meet my momma :):

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We had a great dinner with Steve's parents and one of his brothers. The brother was camera shy (he ran when he saw the selfie stick :rolleyes:) but the rest of the group was happy to pose for a pic:

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I got lots of snuggles with my grand kitten :love: (he's such a lovable little sweetie!):

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And....there were butter tarts :worship:.

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Those didn't make it to the border :rolleyes1. Well, 4 of them anyway. And I'm sure the final two will bite the dust sometime before bed :p.

All in all, it was a great little getaway. I miss that boy of mine already, though. Time to start planning our next family fun weekend.

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Hope you all had a great weekend as well!
 
I read about butter tarts in a cozy mystery series!! That’s cool that they are real!!

Glad u joyed so, family time
 

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