"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

Happy New Year, everyone! :goodvibes

Happy New Year!

she vowed to learn to do something new for every year she had left.

That's amazing!

I have resolved to read one book for pleasure every month.

Oh, I like that idea too! I have a bookshelf full and a kindle full of books that I never get around to reading.

I've also gotten back to school for my second term of my masters, and things are going fairly smoothly so far. We're in the process of planning our February trip over my "spring" break, and I was pleased to see that I'll only have one major midterm and one project due in the week following our return. #winning

Good luck!

so Stacey and I have been keeping ourselves occupied. She was even mildly affectionate when we got home from our most recent trip, which is pretty impressive for her! I think she missed us a little bit.

Pretty girl!

I went to see The Greatest Showman by myself at the theatre last night, and I thought it was great! I loved the music, and I've been watching Keala Settle on Youtube sing just about anything ever since.

I went last week with DD and DM and we all loved it. I didn't realize it was a musical before I went. Hugh Jackman was awesome and Zac Efron :love: But that Keala Settle was AMAZING! I wonder if they would ever make that into a Broadway musical, I'm sure it would be just as good.

Also, I discovered my photos of the beautiful wedding card that @chunkymonkey gave me, and which her sister handmade! Here you go—be appropriately impressed:

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Those Chunky-girls are so talented! Beautiful!

I had never been inside the first aid stations before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that there was one inside every park. If you're ever in the park and you have a minor medical concern, like you need a band-aid, or you have a headache and need some drugs, you should absolutely pop in! They will give you these things for free, and you'll be on your way. They also have trained medical staff—I believe most are nurses?—onsite, and they can deal with some more serious medical issues, or can help you decide what your next step should be if they can't help you. They're also a good place to keep in mind if you notice yourself getting dehydrated in the Florida heat, because they can provide you with (free!) water or Powerade and give you a quiet place to rest. SO! The first aid station in the MK is tucked away beside the Crystal Palace restaurant. When I arrived, I told the CM that I had a brain condition and had pushed myself too hard in the heat, and that I wasn't in danger but needed a place to rest. I signed my name on a sign-in sheet, and they took me out back to an area resembling a hospital out-patient ward, with curtained-off "rooms", which each had a hospital bed and chair. (For reference, the people who had arrived in front of me had just needed Advil, so they were just given what they needed and didn't have to sign in.) I wasn't allowed to bring in outside food (which we learned when N tried to go get me some popcorn—sometimes I get sick-y when I'm hangry!) It makes sense, since they are responsible for you while you're in their care, and also since they don't want anything strong-smelling brought in because others may have scent sensitivities. They did, however, offer me water and a bottle of Powerade, as well as some cool wet cloths. They also had crackers, but if you haven't noticed by now, I'm gluten-free so that wasn't super helpful. I lay down and sipped away for a while and recovered.

Oh, no! I'm so sorry you weren't feeling well! I'm happy you had a nice place to go to be refreshed.

They also wanted to see the temporary tattoos we'd applied in the hotel room, so we showed them off and photos were taken.

Cute!

We were seated, and the cousin (aka: server) helping us out was very good. While everyone else started off with the famous pineapple bread, I got to munch on these beauties:

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Oh gluten free hockey pucks, how I...tolerate thee!

:sad2:



I usually find dessert the hardest part of the meal for not being jealous of my gluten/dairy-eating family, but the chef had managed to put something together for me, too...

jqUDnhN.jpg

That looks great! So happy for you that it tasted great, too!
 
(Side note: It used to be that every time I ordered a non-alcoholic drink, people would assume I was underage. Now, suddenly everyone assumes I'm pregnant. The joys of married life! But for realz...chill out, guys. I'm just quite literally alcohol intolerant. No baby yet. It's been 5 months.)

Ha ha I’m feeling you with this, I’ve been married 3 months got gastro the other day and everyone assumed I was pregnant.
 
Miraculously, she had lived into her sixties by the time we met, and she had learned to do some of the most amazing things: build and paddle a kayak, play bluegrass guitar, become a pilot

Holy cow! That's.... very, very impressive!

including Braille, how to crochet, and running a 5K.

You learned Braille???

:worship:

he wants to learn Japanese.

I'd like to as well. But I suck at languages.

I've decided that I'm already enthused with what I'm learning in school this term, but that instead, I have resolved to read one book for pleasure every month.

May I suggest Louise Penny? She's a Canadian Author who writes (very well) mysteries with the same surrounding characters. Her novels are set in Quebec.
I started with "The Beautiful Mystery" and have read 5 or 6 since. Currently just finishing her latest "Glass Houses".

Stacey and I have been keeping ourselves occupied. She was even mildly affectionate when we got home from our most recent trip, which is pretty impressive for her! I think she missed us a little bit.

Awww... :)

But I still highly recommend it if anyone is thinking about going!

I only just heard of this movie the other day when I glanced at the Golden Globes. Looked interesting!


That's really nice!

(Spoiler alert: we would fix this on our most recent December trip!)

Good!

I started feeling really tired, nauseas, light-headed, weak in the limbs, etc.

Oh, no. :(

Side note: hilarious by the way! Because my step-father did NOT like it! :laughing:

Should put him on RNRC next.

I'm fairly introverted and private when I'm not feeling well

:hug:

I decided that my best bet would be to try to walk toward the front of the park as far as the first aid station, and then try to rest for a while there before leaving the park.

It's that word "try" that is upsetting me. :sad1:

The upside of this whole experience is that now I get to give you all the low-down on the in-park first aid centres, in case any of you didn't realize they were an available resource, or for anyone who's just curious about what they're like! :thumbsup2

I was just talking about this with @Steppesister . She mentioned it over on her TR as her dream job at Disney.

If you're ever in the park and you have a minor medical concern, like you need a band-aid, or you have a headache and need some drugs, you should absolutely pop in!

Good to know! I usually just "grin and bear it" if I have a headache.

They're also a good place to keep in mind if you notice yourself getting dehydrated in the Florida heat, because they can provide you with (free!) water or Powerade and give you a quiet place to rest.

Also good to know.

some cool wet cloths.

QrHtw8S.jpg

Awwwww... poor l'il Meghan.

And.... when I first read the above, I thought "Wet clothes? Why would they give you wet clothes? Ew!"

:rolleyes1

(I'm weird this way. Something's not right? Feed me!)

No. That's not weird. I think a lot of people are like that. Certainly my Mom is.

Sorry, I don't make the rules. My weird body does!

Listen to it.

Once I was feeling better, I packed a ginormous suitcase with all of our wedding stuff in it that we wouldn't be needing again on the trip.

At first I was thinking "She packed when she wasn't feeling well? What?"
But then I read on and it made sense.

I found it overwhelming how much food was on the table for two people

Reason why I may never eat there. Just too much food.


Beautiful shot!

Oh gluten free hockey pucks, how I...tolerate thee!

:laughing: Sorry!

I also ordered a virgin version of the raspberry-ginger mojito, which basically just excluded the vodka. (Finlandia Raspberry Vodka, Ginger, Mint, Raspberry Puree, and fresh Lime Juice topped with Coconut Water).

You had me up until coconut. Blech.

Side note: It used to be that every time I ordered a non-alcoholic drink, people would assume I was underage. Now, suddenly everyone assumes I'm pregnant. The joys of married life!

:rolleyes:

OMG. You're an underage, pregnant bride!!

I was also given an allergy-friendly alternative, with naked wings (par-tay! :hyper:)

:laughing:

The stars of the show are the never-ending skewers of chicken, beef, and shrimp. I can never decide which is my favourite, and fortunately I can eat them all despite my dietary restrictions.

Yay!

And you can kind of see from his face that he's in the middle of an "Ooh-AAH" moment:

:laughing: Great pic!


This. This is the one reason I may break down and go there.
I've heard so much about it.

It really means a lot when a chef puts in a little extra effort to combine and plate whatever they have available to make you feel like you're getting a special dessert, too.

Very nice. :)

We wouldn't be getting back to the Magic Kingdom, which meant that I'd be missing out on my opportunity to meet @KathyM2 and her daughter, Alexis.

Oh, that's too bad. :(

Our next day was going to be a big one, especially for N, and we were pumped!! :hyper:

Okay! Can't wait to hear about it!
 
We wouldn't be getting back to the Magic Kingdom, which meant that I'd be missing out on my opportunity to meet @KathyM2 and her daughter, Alexis. I messaged Kathy to let her know, and she was super understanding, but I was sad that we didn't get a chance to say hello. Hopefully our paths will cross again someday!

Yes we were sad too, but totally understood, it was your wedding trip after all and I knew you would probably be pretty busy!! I do hope one day the stars will align and we'll be at WDW at the same time...or maybe even the Maritimes lol
 


I like your goal of reading one book for fun every month! You'll have to keep up apprised on how it's going throughout the year. :goodvibes

Oh my goodness, what a terrible turn of events after Splash Mountain. I'm so sorry you had to go to the First Aid station, but I'm relieved that they were able to provide you with some rest and re-hydration. I imagine that was a scary moment for you, because you didn't want to interrupt anyone's trip or cause a scene, but you also felt like crap and needed help. Sooner rather than later!

I'm glad you were able to make it to your Ohana dinner. You are absolutely right, that meal is better with a big group! Your stepfather's reaction to all the food was hilarious; I could just picture his shock when he saw the plates being set down at your table!
And hooray for discovering a delicious dairy-free ice cream!
 
I know I missed an update or two, but I don't want to get any further behind without commenting!

She was even mildly affectionate when we got home from our most recent trip, which is pretty impressive for her!
Ha! Cats :rolleyes: One of mine will come running when we get home from vacation and purr like crazy, wanting all the attention. My little girl though comes in, looks at us, backs away like we're horrible people and then hides for about two days. Ingrate!

I started feeling really tired, nauseas, light-headed, weak in the limbs, etc.
:(

The staff were really nice and helpful, and the area was quiet, cool, and pretty peaceful. Nobody ever wants to go to first aid on vacation, but if you ever need it it's an excellent service!
We had to go in there last August to get something for Chris to put on his mosquito bites; he got bit up really really bad one night sitting outside at Geyser Point, the first time we've ever encountered mosquitoes there! But yes they were very nice, although we just did the walk in, tell them the problem, get our cream and go route. Glad they treated you so well and made you feel comfortable and you were able to rest before having to go all the way back to your resort :hug:

They also wanted to see the temporary tattoos we'd applied in the hotel room, so we showed them off and photos were taken.
Adorable!

Now, suddenly everyone assumes I'm pregnant. The joys of married life! But for realz...chill out, guys. I'm just quite literally alcohol intolerant. No baby yet. It's been 5 months.)
Oh yes, it'll keep happening!
 
We arrived at the Poly, and my family was already there, hanging out and getting their drink on...
As any good family should be!


Ec5MLmg.jpg


Oh gluten free hockey pucks, how I...tolerate thee!
I love bread, which always makes me so sad when I see gluten free bread. Those look sad...

I also ordered a virgin version of the raspberry-ginger mojito, which basically just excluded the vodka. (Finlandia Raspberry Vodka, Ginger, Mint, Raspberry Puree, and fresh Lime Juice topped with Coconut Water).

17Ze8J7.jpg
Sounds refreshing!

I ordered a non-alcoholic drink, people would assume I was underage. Now, suddenly everyone assumes I'm pregnant. The joys of married life! But for realz...chill out, guys. I'm just quite literally alcohol intolerant. No baby yet. It's been 5 months.
Ha! Get used to it! We had a New Year's Eve party one year with a couple families and I put a pic on facebook with champagne and sparkling apple juice (for the kids) And everyone started commenting and speculating as to which of the couples was pregnant. It was silliness.

but I think the wings, and dumplings, (or potstickers, or whatever they are,) were the most popular.
I want those dumpling now... Soooo good!

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I usually find dessert the hardest part of the meal for not being jealous of my gluten/dairy-eating family, but the chef had managed to put something together for me, too...

jqUDnhN.jpg
I have to say these both look good. I am a sucker for fresh berries and ice cream. So good!
 


Sorry you had to check out the first aide station, but glad it was a good option and you felt a little better afterwards!

I totally get the overwhelming amount of food at Ohana for two people. Yikes! We have had good food each time we have been so we are going in February! Andi loves it here. I really like the potstickers and dessert the best.

So nice the dining experience was good and your family had a great time.
 
Wow! That is great. Much more meaningful than pledging to give up 2 hours of TV per day or swearing less.

That's what I thought, too! Some years have been more effective than others — the year I attempted sign language, other things got in the way, and I only ended up taking one pretty rudimentary class. I've lost a lot of what I've learned there, but I intend to get back to that one eventually! The motivation to keep learning has always been good, even with varied results!

Sorry to hear that you were feeling lousy and had to take a break. Thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't visited a first aid station in the parks, but we almost went to one in Animal Kingdom when my son had something irritating his eye. We were near the exit and I think when we looked at where the station was, we decided to leave instead of walking back in.

When it works well for you and your plans, the first aid stations are an excellent resource! But I don't think I'd go out of my way to get to one if it weren't close by and I just had a minor concern.

I went on my first Disney cruise in early October and I was traveling with someone who had several food allergies, including dairy, soy and gluten. This made dessert time difficult, but the chefs were incredible. They consulted with her every night and were able to prepare some wonderful desserts, with fruit and apparently a delicious "rice cream".

::yes::

That sounds wonderful! Disney really does an amazing job with allergies. It's one of the few places I usually feel totally safe eating, other than my own kitchen. Sounds like they really did right by your travel companion! I've had good/safe experiences almost everywhere at WDW, but some restaurants have definitely been better than others, regardless of whether they were QS, TS, signature, etc.

What an amazing new years resolution tradition you all have. Sounds like something we all should be doing.

It's really motivating when you're learning something you're excited about and you think is really to your benefit! Lots of fun—I highly recommend it to anyone!

This is amazing. Did chunkysis make it or one of the twins? Whomever has some serious skills.

You know, now that you ask that I don't think I ever asked! I think I just assumed it was Chunkysis because of how creative she seems to be with her parkbound outfits, etc. @chunkymonkey, can you fill us in here? Which sister is the creative genius here?

Wow! That man really has no tolerance. Who doesn't like the mine train?

Right!? He's a lovely man...but a total ride wimp! There are rides that were too scary for me to even try, even pre-brain condition diagnosis, so I understand to an extent...but he even found Splash too scary! He thought mine train was super intense and was a little swimmy when he got off. I think we'll have to adjust for his thrill level next time...maybe something nice and wild like pirates or jungle cruise...that might be more his speed...

I am so the same way. Whenever I don't feel well I have a sudden urge to eat. Even if its my stomach. Makes absolutely no sense, but good to know i'm not alone

Absolutely! Unless I'm about to hurl, I'm always remedying by putting something in my stomach, even if it's a stomach issue. I also have tummy troubles if I get too hungry, or I'll motion sick more easily if I've got a really empty stomach. It's a weird but totally real thing!

Too funny!!! I can totally hear the voice of the father from My Big Fat Greek Wedding overlaid on this picture. Looks like he was a happy man!

Oh it's hilarious! The accent absolutely makes it! He's a very bright guy. He's actually a professor. But with some things he acts like he's experiencing the world for the first time, and we get a real kick out of it!
 
Josh's migraines are like that too. (I don't know if I ever told you, I think I mentioned it somewhere in an earlier TR, but he was hit by a car as a teen and suffered a bad head injury and the migraines are a lingering effect from that) I can usually tell because he gets cranky when they start coming on, but when they do come on he goes from okay to pretty much incapacitated quickly, and he usually needs to lay down for a few hours. Usually they aren't completely random (big changes in weather and pressure changes due to storms are some of the biggest causes), but we've had a few at Disney come on randomly luckily they've only been towards the end of the night each time, but we don't always get all the way back to the hotel before they fully hit and all the lights and noises in Disney are pretty awful when you have just a regular headache, I can't imagine how much worse it is for a migraine :faint:

Oh wow, I don't think I ever knew where Josh's migraines came from, but I knew he had them. Yeah, it would be a very similar thing to how that happens with Josh! I'm also the same way that I've got triggers like that, pressure changes in weather being a big one! (I've got a titanium plate in my skull, so I compare it to how people who have things like knee replacements can feel the weather in their joint, etc.) But yeah, pressure changes are a big deal since my brain condition affects the spinal fluid pressure in my head. I can only imagine how frustrating and awful-feeling the sights and sounds of Disney must be for Josh when he's dealing with a migraine!

Me too, I've had blister issues in the park before where I've needed to change or cut moleskin; and I always feel so awkward because if a CM walks by they always ask if I need medical attention because of how bandaged up my feet are :rotfl: Sometimes I change them in the bathroom to avoid worrying all the CM's walking by.

I worry about this, too! But I'm sure CMs have seen much weirder stuff than us cutting sheets of moleskin. But I never want to draw attention and make people worry!

:rotfl: He looks very taken with the shrimp in that picture.

He was having quite the time!! European portions are also notoriously much more reasonable than North American ones, especially American ones, so I think sometimes he finds our restaurants a little shocking!

Josh got something similar, only his had a GF brownie in it (not sure if you had a brownie under that) and presumably his ice cream wasn't dairy free. But that boy is crazy and prefers sorbet and fruit to chocolate.

Yum! I didn't have a brownie, but I think the GF brownies have dairy in them. I'm hit or miss with dairy, so I'm pretty sure I've eaten them before. I like the sorbet, but I wouldn't pick it over chocolate! Priorities!

YES!! And I was just thinking the last few days, that I really need to get back into a regular study schedule. I'd like to take my written exam this Spring sometime.

It's so hard to make the time! But I think it's awesome that you're in this process! I hope you can fit it in again soon. :)

That is a phenomenal idea- I REALLY love this!

Me too! It's fun to take on these kinds of challenges that are of interest and internally motivating!

Some years have been more effective than others. Like I was saying in response to another comment, the year I attempted sign language other things kind of took over and I ran out of time and brain space. I only learned a few rudimentary things from one immersion program I did, and I've lost a lot now. But it's still come in handy a few times when I've been able to have rudimentary conversations with people who were deaf or hard of hearing at my old job, or with customers at some of Nathan's shows. It gave me enough of a taste that I'm anxious to get back to it someday, too. So learning anything on any scale is never a loss, I don't think. :)

That's HUGE for a student. I wished I'd found the time to do that too. As is, I haven't read a book for pleasure in literally years.

I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'm pretty motivated! I absolutely love to read, and other than my school work and things like TRs on the Disboards, I really haven't been making the time. I'm looking at it as a self-care opportunity, and I'm a big advocate of treating yourself well!

I was wondering about this movie. I have been hearing some pretty good things about it.

I really enjoyed it! Everyone was saying it was really amazing, so I think I went in with unreasonably high expectations and was mildly disappointed. But I still thought it was an excellent movie. As a music/theatre kinda gal, I was really into the soundtrack!

Never been in one either and always wondered how they were.

Hopefully you'll never have a reason to go there, but I had as great an experience as one could hope for while at First Aid on vacation.

Awww, that was super sweet of him!

He's one of the good ones! :lovestruc An aside: my mom and I are pretty close, and she was always really active in watching out for me. When I first got sick, Nathan really stepped up to be such a caring partner for me, and my mom really got a glimpse of how he does a good job taking care of me. I really think it influenced how much she approved of him as a life-long partner for me. Before we got engaged, she told me that when he proposed to me—and that he would—that I'd better say yes!

That view never gets old. So pretty!

Agreed! The Polynesian is such an oasis :love:

Mmmmm! Sangria, methinks.

Yep! Two red sangrias, one white, and I believe my step-father just ordered a white wine, but I don't remember what he got.

Oh, I like that idea too! I have a bookshelf full and a kindle full of books that I never get around to reading.

I have this problem! I own so many books that I haven't gotten to reading yet, and then I still go out and get more! Once Nathan challenged me to count the books on my shelf that I'd never read, and it was kind of shocking. Time to start catching up.

Good luck!

Thanks! I've got tons of school work before the February break, and a fair bit after I'll have been back for a bit, but I was worried I'd come back to 5 midterms and I'd have to study the whole time we were in Disney!

Pretty girl!

She's such a pretty kitty! Her fur was thinner and duller when we first got her, but she's really settled in great with us and her coat's filled in and gotten nice and shiny, she's gained weight, etc. Now she's quite the prima donna!

I went last week with DD and DM and we all loved it. I didn't realize it was a musical before I went. Hugh Jackman was awesome and Zac Efron :love: But that Keala Settle was AMAZING! I wonder if they would ever make that into a Broadway musical, I'm sure it would be just as good.

I was a big fan of Hugh Jackman in this...or in most things, really. And I wondered that, too. I could see them taking it to the stage. I think it would be great!

Those Chunky-girls are so talented! Beautiful!

Agreed!

Oh, no! I'm so sorry you weren't feeling well! I'm happy you had a nice place to go to be refreshed.

Thanks! It really worked well for me in that scenario!
 
Ha ha I’m feeling you with this, I’ve been married 3 months got gastro the other day and everyone assumed I was pregnant.

It's everyone's first go-to for sure! Every time I hit the hospital for a test related to brain-condition-type things before I got diagnosis, I was always asked about/tested for pregnancy, and sometimes also STDs. It's a thing.

You learned Braille???

:worship:

As a caveat, it was partly out of interest (which is why I applied for the job in the first place) and partly out of necessity for my work. I took a job as a Braille transcriber for the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority, and one of the conditions of my being hired was that I agreed to take a year-long course in Unified English Braille. I made it my "thing to learn" and accepted the job. They paid for my course, and I worked there for a couple of years. I'm not able to read it tactually with my fingers like our students can. Nearly everyone in my department was sighted and we all learned to read it by looking at the dots. It's tricky! There's a lot more to it than just learning 26 letters, which is what most people assume. There are Braille cells to indicate common words, commonly used contractions like "th" or "gh," punctuation, and formatting/stress things like bold, italics, etc. It's a super cool skill to have though! I used to practice for my exams by reading Braille book files we already had on our computer server, like Harry Potter.

May I suggest Louise Penny? She's a Canadian Author who writes (very well) mysteries with the same surrounding characters. Her novels are set in Quebec.
I started with "The Beautiful Mystery" and have read 5 or 6 since. Currently just finishing her latest "Glass Houses".

Ooh, interesting recommendation! I like a good mystery. And I'm definitely a fan of reading good Canadian authors! I'll have to look into her!

I only just heard of this movie the other day when I glanced at the Golden Globes. Looked interesting!

It was really enjoyable! I mentioned it elsewhere, but I think I went in with unreasonably high expectations, so I was a little disappointed. But it was still an excellent movie. I like me a good musical, so I enjoyed it for the soundtrack.

Should put him on RNRC next.

I can only imagine his face on that ride...and it makes for a very funny picture!!

Good to know! I usually just "grin and bear it" if I have a headache.

Usually a good trade-off when it's something minor and it means missing out on Disney time. I'm not a big drug-taker myself. (Shocking, I know.) So I probably wouldn't do much about a headache either. Maybe drink some extra water and pop into a quieter attraction for a bit.

Awwwww... poor l'il Meghan.

And.... when I first read the above, I thought "Wet clothes? Why would they give you wet clothes? Ew!"

:rolleyes1

I was a pretty pathetic little one, I have to say!

Yep! When you're sick they figure you'll feel much better slogging around in wet clothes! :lmao:

Reason why I may never eat there. Just too much food.

It's kind of obscene. To the point where I feel a bit uncomfortable. I eat like a bird anyway, (but frequently!) but this is just a whole new level of giant portions.

Beautiful shot!

Thanks! The Poly makes it easy! So many interesting things to look at and photograph!

You had me up until coconut. Blech.

If it helps, I didn't really taste the coconut at all. I had forgotten it was even supposed to have coconut in it until I went back and searched the drink menu online. I don't hate coconut, but I'm really not a big fan of coconut water.

This. This is the one reason I may break down and go there.
I've heard so much about it.

I can't give a personal review for the bread pudding, but I know it was a hit with my family!

Yes we were sad too, but totally understood, it was your wedding trip after all and I knew you would probably be pretty busy!! I do hope one day the stars will align and we'll be at WDW at the same time...or maybe even the Maritimes lol

I hope so! If you're ever in our neck of the woods, make sure to let me know!
 
I like your goal of reading one book for fun every month! You'll have to keep up apprised on how it's going throughout the year. :goodvibes

Oh my goodness, what a terrible turn of events after Splash Mountain. I'm so sorry you had to go to the First Aid station, but I'm relieved that they were able to provide you with some rest and re-hydration. I imagine that was a scary moment for you, because you didn't want to interrupt anyone's trip or cause a scene, but you also felt like crap and needed help. Sooner rather than later!

I'm glad you were able to make it to your Ohana dinner. You are absolutely right, that meal is better with a big group! Your stepfather's reaction to all the food was hilarious; I could just picture his shock when he saw the plates being set down at your table!
And hooray for discovering a delicious dairy-free ice cream!

I don't know how successful I'll be with the reading, but I'm really looking forward to trying! I'll definitely pop in once in a while with anything I've read that's been particularly good :)

They really do great work at the first aid stations from what I can tell. I've gotten very used to my body's quirks by this point, but it can be very frustrating! If it had to happen, it was good to have somewhere safe and relaxing to go.

Ohana was a much better experience with a full table! My step-father was hilarious. Growing up in Europe where portion sizes are much more reasonable than North America, I think that even though he's been in Canada for years, he's sometimes still shocked by the restaurants here! And Ohana takes this to a whole different level! He really enjoyed it though!

Ha! Cats :rolleyes: One of mine will come running when we get home from vacation and purr like crazy, wanting all the attention. My little girl though comes in, looks at us, backs away like we're horrible people and then hides for about two days. Ingrate!

Oh they're funny little creatures! Stacey was reasonably cuddly by her standards. She'll let me snuggle for a short period of time, and then she gets bored and has had enough within a minute or so. She's very independent. But she followed me around most of the day when we got home, and she kept a very close eye on the still-unpacked suitcases! She knows what they mean now!

We had to go in there last August to get something for Chris to put on his mosquito bites; he got bit up really really bad one night sitting outside at Geyser Point, the first time we've ever encountered mosquitoes there! But yes they were very nice, although we just did the walk in, tell them the problem, get our cream and go route. Glad they treated you so well and made you feel comfortable and you were able to rest before having to go all the way back to your resort :hug:

They do some great work there! A lot of people don't even know it's there.

I love bread, which always makes me so sad when I see gluten free bread. Those look sad...

I ate a lot of bread in the pre-gluten free days! It's a shame because gluten free stuff has come a long way in the last few years, and there are lots more options now that are much more palatable than this. I don't know why they still serve this kinda grossness!

Ha! Get used to it! We had a New Year's Eve party one year with a couple families and I put a pic on facebook with champagne and sparkling apple juice (for the kids) And everyone started commenting and speculating as to which of the couples was pregnant. It was silliness.

It seems to be on everyone's minds!! Hard to escape it! Nathan and I like to think we're pretty forward-thinking, so we don't tend to just assume that every woman wants to have a bunch of babies. We're not sure yet whether we'll have kids or not, and we figure we've still got quite a bit of time to figure it out. It's two drastically different lifestyles, and I think both can be incredibly happy and fulfilling depending on what your personalities are like. But the moment after we got married we were starting to get questions about babies!! People were even trying to sell us their own children. :scared: :laughing: It's pretty ingrained in society!!

Sorry you had to check out the first aide station, but glad it was a good option and you felt a little better afterwards!

I totally get the overwhelming amount of food at Ohana for two people. Yikes! We have had good food each time we have been so we are going in February! Andi loves it here. I really like the potstickers and dessert the best.

So nice the dining experience was good and your family had a great time.

If it had to happen, I'm really glad the first aid station was there and it worked out so well for us!

Ohana's got some awesome food for sure! I can see why it would be one of Andi's top places—Nathan's the same way. But wow do they ever serve a lot of food for two people! It's a great spot either way, but I thought it was more fun with my whole family to share the experience with us!
 
I'm sorry you started not to feel well :( It sounds like the first aid center is very accommodating and helpful (good to know!). I'm glad you were able to get back to your room and rest so you could still go to dinner! Ohana sounds like it was a success for everyone! :)
 
As a caveat, it was partly out of interest (which is why I applied for the job in the first place) and partly out of necessity for my work. I took a job as a Braille transcriber for the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority, and one of the conditions of my being hired was that I agreed to take a year-long course in Unified English Braille. I made it my "thing to learn" and accepted the job. They paid for my course, and I worked there for a couple of years. I'm not able to read it tactually with my fingers like our students can. Nearly everyone in my department was sighted and we all learned to read it by looking at the dots. It's tricky! There's a lot more to it than just learning 26 letters, which is what most people assume. There are Braille cells to indicate common words, commonly used contractions like "th" or "gh," punctuation, and formatting/stress things like bold, italics, etc. It's a super cool skill to have though! I used to practice for my exams by reading Braille book files we already had on our computer server, like Harry Potter.

I had no idea! Yes, I thought it was simply alphabet. That's very interesting! Seriously!

It was really enjoyable! I mentioned it elsewhere, but I think I went in with unreasonably high expectations, so I was a little disappointed. But it was still an excellent movie. I like me a good musical, so I enjoyed it for the soundtrack.

Movies never live up to high expectations. I think the movies I've enjoyed the most were the ones that I either had low or no expectations.

I can only imagine his face on that ride...and it makes for a very funny picture!!

:laughing: ::yes::

I was a pretty pathetic little one, I have to say!

:hug:

Yep! When you're sick they figure you'll feel much better slogging around in wet clothes! :lmao:

"Oh, not feeling well? Here's a couple of fastpasses for Splash. That should help."

No one ever gets sick in AK because they just shove 'em on Kali.

It's kind of obscene. To the point where I feel a bit uncomfortable. I eat like a bird anyway, (but frequently!) but this is just a whole new level of giant portions.

I've eaten at a similar place here in town. Won't go again.
Tons of food and... couldn't eat nearly enough to make it worth the price.



Plus... no bread pudding.

If it helps, I didn't really taste the coconut at all.

It's that word "really" that scared the crap out of me.
 
I'm sorry you started not to feel well :( It sounds like the first aid center is very accommodating and helpful (good to know!). I'm glad you were able to get back to your room and rest so you could still go to dinner! Ohana sounds like it was a success for everyone! :)

Thanks! It wasn't my shining moment by far, but if it had to happen I'm glad the first aid center was so helpful!

I had no idea! Yes, I thought it was simply alphabet. That's very interesting! Seriously!

Yeah, Braille really became an unexpectedly important part of my life for some time! We actually had a summer student come in to work for us who was legally blind, and she had been a student in the schools who used our materials for years, so we got to pick her brain about what we were doing that worked well and what should be changed, etc. It was really neat!

Shockingly, the Dis doesn't support any Braille fonts, but here's a screenshot of "@pkondz" in UEB for your own enjoyment...

lII8MOF.png


I've eaten at a similar place here in town. Won't go again.
Tons of food and... couldn't eat nearly enough to make it worth the price.



Plus... no bread pudding.

Well if it doesn't have bread pudding!! Totally not worth it!
 
I signed my name on a sign-in sheet
I had to go there once for a band aid to cover a blister from not wearing sensible shoes to the parks!! I was so excited because they had a Mickey first aid sticker at the counter. The lady wouldn't give it to me with my free band aid unless I signed the sheet. I was like, WHERE DO I SIGN!? :)

Glad you were able to relax there and feel better about making your way back to the resort. I hadn't thought about it for heat related illnesses, but it sounds like they took great care of you!!

We ate at 'Ohana for the first time on our trip in December, but it was for breakfast. I'd love to try it again for dinner, but I definitely noticed that speed is not their specialty!!! It took us about 2 hours to eat breakfast and see the 4 characters.
 
LOVED the trip report!!! Thank you for sharing your special day that was a lot of fun looking through your beautiful pics!!
Im totally jealous I cant pull off that pixie cut..
 
Yeah, Braille really became an unexpectedly important part of my life for some time! We actually had a summer student come in to work for us who was legally blind, and she had been a student in the schools who used our materials for years, so we got to pick her brain about what we were doing that worked well and what should be changed, etc. It was really neat!

That is really neat!

Shockingly, the Dis doesn't support any Braille fonts,

Whaaaattt????


Fail.

but here's a screenshot of "@pkondz" in UEB for your own enjoyment...

lII8MOF.png

At first I was... "Uh... too many letters."

Then realized (and I'm assuming) that . . is the ampersat.

Well if it doesn't have bread pudding!! Totally not worth it!

Right???
 
I had to go there once for a band aid to cover a blister from not wearing sensible shoes to the parks!! I was so excited because they had a Mickey first aid sticker at the counter. The lady wouldn't give it to me with my free band aid unless I signed the sheet. I was like, WHERE DO I SIGN!? :)

Glad you were able to relax there and feel better about making your way back to the resort. I hadn't thought about it for heat related illnesses, but it sounds like they took great care of you!!

We ate at 'Ohana for the first time on our trip in December, but it was for breakfast. I'd love to try it again for dinner, but I definitely noticed that speed is not their specialty!!! It took us about 2 hours to eat breakfast and see the 4 characters.

Strange that they made you sign in for a sticker, but absolutely worth it!! I should have asked what freebies they had on hand! Rare Mickey stickers would have been appreciated! :)

They definitely do seem to run slow at Ohana! We went back for breakfast, just Nathan and I. And it was a little faster service than we had for dinner, but certainly none too zippy.

LOVED the trip report!!! Thank you for sharing your special day that was a lot of fun looking through your beautiful pics!!
Im totally jealous I cant pull off that pixie cut..

Thanks so much! I've been having fun reliving it all. And you might be surprised! There are pixie cuts that flatter a lot of different head shapes! But it's definitely not for everyone.

At first I was... "Uh... too many letters."

Then realized (and I'm assuming) that . . is the ampersat.

You are correct, sir! Had I capitalized the "P," then there would have been another dot to show that, also. The at-sign is kinda neat because it uses two cells (the little groupings of up to six dots). The second dot is the same as a letter "a" but the dot before it modifies it to make you read it as the at-sign instead of a letter. Numbers work the same way. They use the same series of dots as letters, but they have a number sign indicator beforehand to alert you that you're dealing with numbers.

"Pkondz" is pretty easy, too, because all the letters get their own Braille equivalents. "Meghan" is a little trickier though, because "gh" go together as one item, so you'd look at the braille and only see what looked like 5 "letters" instead of 6.

There you have it! Because I'm sure everyone wanted an in-depth Braille lesson on the Disboards today! ::yes::
 
You are correct, sir! Had I capitalized the "P," then there would have been another dot to show that, also. The at-sign is kinda neat because it uses two cells (the little groupings of up to six dots). The second dot is the same as a letter "a" but the dot before it modifies it to make you read it as the at-sign instead of a letter. Numbers work the same way. They use the same series of dots as letters, but they have a number sign indicator beforehand to alert you that you're dealing with numbers.

I get it. :)
And... I find this fascinating, fyi.

"Pkondz" is pretty easy, too, because all the letters get their own Braille equivalents. "Meghan" is a little trickier though, because "gh" go together as one item, so you'd look at the braille and only see what looked like 5 "letters" instead of 6.

Sure. You mentioned that. I see how you'd use it now.

There you have it! Because I'm sure everyone wanted an in-depth Braille lesson on the Disboards today! ::yes::

Well, I for one am pretty happy I learned that.
Hey! Now I'm done for the year, right?
 

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