Reformatting for photos

I'm testing out some wider margins here to post photos and maybe make them look a little better when I put them up.

I plan to post more photos this year, which a hope is a good thing. I guess it depends if they are any good and if you'd rather look at pictures or read. Pictures are good.

Oh, I've been having some fun with Communities on Google +. Any one else trying them out? No, Google + is never going to be huge, but I certainly like this addition.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pictures from our vacation in Wyoming this summer. We had a good time there. The kids loved the animals and it was nice to be almost out in the middle of nowhere. When we were outside our hotel, that is. It's not like we were camping out.

Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park

Lone Bison

Barn on Mormon Row

Yeeeee haw! 

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Danger!

What kind of lame blog am I running here?

I can't believe it took me more than a month to come back here. Actually, I can. I have a short attention span. I'm surprised I kept this thing going as long as it has.

I haven't been around much here, but I'm still on Twitter, Tumblr and Google+. Mostly I've been posting pictures there and I'll probably end up doing the same here. It's what I like to do know, so I should probably put it here. I hope I don't bore you all too much.

Speaking of pictures, here are the last batch from Hawaii.

This is the helicopter that the family rode in to see the sights. How did I get this picture, you ask? Well, I wasn't in there. Our daughter was afraid, so someone had to stay. I took one for the team. What?! I'm not getting in one of those things.

This is Mauna Loa from the helicopter place, Blue Hawaii. I originally thought it was Mauna Kea but was corrected on Google+.

These are some palm trees at The Place of Refuge. My wife and I went by ourselves here. It was a neat place to walk around. Yes, those are people. The trees were TALL! 

This is from our last night. Some damn good sunsets in Hawaii.

This is also from The Place of Refuge. Blogger wants this picture here and will not let me put it in order. Anyway, you see a lot of little things like this around. Right near here was a sign saying not to do this. It's considered graffiti and since this is sacred ground it's not cool. Though I don't think the person who put this here meant any harm. 

Putting these up so late really make me want to go back to Hawaii. I knew I'd love it, but I didn't think I would this much. I really want to go back. Hopefully in a couple of years we can. 

Before I move on I want to thank Dreamybee (not her real name). She lives in Hawaii and was a great source of information and was especially helpful through Twitter when we were stuck in Honolulu. This is why the Internet is great. 

On to new business. Jenn just left for India for 10 days. I just looked and her flight is in Dubai now and she heads out to Mumbai next. That's a lot of flying. So, I'm home alone with the kids and getting some work around the house done. You know, painting, fixing up stuff, re-wiring the family room (220-221, whatever it takes).

Right now I'm working on the painting and I'm at the, "Oh shit, this may not work," stage. I'm hoping it's okay, but I have my doubts. I'm painting the fireplace. It was really dark before and I'm worried the lighter color is not going to work. I'm working on priming it now and it just looks like it's going to look like crap. I think I'm doing it wrong. I'm taking before, during and after photos so you can see what I'm talking about. My plan is to have all this stuff done before Jenn gets home. Won't that be a nice surprise? Actually, it will be a surprise if the house is in one piece. 

Our Summer Vacation Part 2: No, I'm not going to say it

It's kind of sad that it is taking me this long to post part two of our trip. Does anyone even care? Well, too bad. Here it is anyway.

Okay, so I left off on the second full day in Kona and how tired we were. Sunday was the next day and a little better in the sleep department. This day Jenn and I took the kids out geocaching around the area. We found one out of three that we tried. Some were really hard! This is also where we ran into our first gecko. They are all over the place, but I didn't mind them. I'd rather see these guys walking around than rats.

After a driving around and not finding anything for a couple of hours, as well as some hiking to the locations, we went to lunch with the kids. It was a little hole-in-the-wall place, but it was good. That afternoon the "downtown" area had a little festival of sorts where they closed the street off and had display areas where the local residents and shops could sell stuff. We bought some homemade jewelry and awesome kettle corn for back at the house. We also saw a guy jamming on his homemade guitar-ukulele double neck thing. I make fun, but he was really good.

Then it was time for some shaved ice and more geckos. This guy was eating some of the syrup that spilled on table. It probably tastes better than bugs.

That night we went to the Luau. The mai-tais were good, the food was just okay, but the show was really good. The performers really were into it. One of the guys was pretty funny, too. Everybody enjoyed the show.

Monday was the big deal day for the kids. They were going to swim with dolphins. They were looking forward to this ever since we told them about it back in December when they opened their gift of the dolphin ride. That day, of course, our daughter was a little nervous about it, but she was much less shy about it once she was in the water. They only let parents get so close so you have to buy their pictures, but I managed to get a few to work since I had my zoom lens. Of course, we ended up buying a couple of pictures anyway. Yes, we are suckers.

The kids didn't get a long time in the water with the dolphins, but we ended up spending most of the day at the hotel that contained Dolphin Quest. I think by the time we go home it was almost 3pm  and we left at 9am.

I think all we did was go to eat after the kids changed. We went out to eat way more than we said we were before we left. Isn't that always the way? So much for buying food and cooking it at the house.

Tuesday was the "Big Drive." We went all the way around the island, for the most part. The main plan was to go to Volcano National Park, which was on the opposite of the island, but we were going to make some stops on the way.

The first was actually unplanned. We were driving and saw a sign for a tsunami memorial and we decided to go see what it was. After some very narrow and twisty roads we ended up in a place that reminded us some place right out of "Lost." Actually it was Laupahoehoe Park, but look at this, doesn't seem like the others would live here?

The tsunami memorial was off to the side and marked the site where 20+ people, many children, were killed when one hit in 1946. I didn't take a picture because I felt weird taking one of a memeorial. I don't know why.

There were also a lot of these big concrete things along the water. I don't know what they are for, but they reminded me of something for a WW II movie.

We left there and continued on to Akaka Falls. Actually, we stopped for lunch first, but everyone agreed it wasn't very good, so I won't mention the place here. The falls were...wet. I mean rainy wet. Yes, I know were were in the rain forest, but it makes it hard to take photos when it is raining so much. Jenn was nice enough to hold the umbrella over me as I took a few photos. It's a Hell of a drop, no?

We moved on to the volcano park. Due to recent activity a good section of crater rim drive was closed off so we didn't get to drive about as much as we'd like. But we did see a rainbow over the caldera!

We also went to the Thurston Lava tube. It was much larger than the one Jenn and I went in on Maui years ago. We could actually walk upright, which is good since I'm an old man now. I guess we could have walked down in one of the old calderas, but we didn't. See those white dots, they are people.

We continued our journey around the south end of the island, which was had a lot more twists and turns, and made it home just as the sun was setting. We were pretty wiped out after that day.

This is getting long, so I'll stop now. I thought I could finish in two posts, but I'm too wordy.

Our Summer Vacation Part 1: The Beginning

Like I promised in my last post, I'm back to talk about our vacation. I hope you can contain your excitement!

Some time last year, I can't remember exactly when, I was at work and Jenn had gone to her parents with the kids and when she came back we somehow had plans to all go to Hawaii this summer. Don't get me wrong, I didn't complain at all, I was more surprised than anything. After a year of figuring out where, and exactly when to go, we decided on renting a house in Kailua-Kona. By this point Jenn's sister and boyfriend dropped out, but we found a great place to stay on the water. Okay, Jenn found it, are you happy?

Seriously though, this place was perfect. There were three bedrooms and a nice patio (lanai) to look out on the water. Check out the view to the East:

And to the West:

You can't get much better than that. And, since we were splitting the cost, we didn't spend anymore than we would have on a hotel. Our plan was to save a bunch of money on food since we were at a house where we could cook. Well, we did eat breakfast over there, but that is about it. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

See, the vacation didn't start off so well. Before the vacation even started we had medical problems. From the beginning of July until we left either my mom, stepmom or dad were in the hospital at some points. All with different illnesses with various degrees of severity. Everyone is out now, but my mom got out two days before we left and my stepmom got out about two days after we were in Hawaii. Then, to top it all off our flight to San Francisco was cancelled the night before we left. 

Since I work in the airline business, we planned to fly stand-by all the way out to Kona. Well, once that flight cancelled it threw a wrench into everything. To make it short, we bought tickets to get to San Francisco. We were supposed to be there about 11am, but ended up getting there around dinner time. And with a lot less money. But, hey, we were halfway there! 

The next morning was better, we got out on the flight we wanted. We were split up on the plane, but it was no big deal. I got to sit next to a very nice guy who had a house out on the Big Island where he spends most of the summer. He gave us some nice tips about the island and was probably the nicest person I've ever sat next to on a plane. 

Anyway, we got to the Kona airport, which is an awesome open-air small airport around 1pm to start off our vacation. I tried to wait at the bottom of the stairs (no jet ways here, people) to take Jenn's and the kid's picture coming off the plane, but I was told I couldn't wait around down there if I wasn't waiting for a stroller.  It may seem like a laid back airport since it is wide open, but they still follow their security procedures. 

After we shoved 47 days worth of luggage into the rental minivan, we headed out to town to get something to eat on the water. We ended up at Huggo's, a nice causal place on the water. We spent about 45 minutes there and I got sunburn on the side of my neck. I took the one little spot with no shade to spare the kids. After lunch we headed to the beach to wait about an hour until we could get into the house. This was the first time the kids had been in the ocean and they loved it, once they got used to the waves that is. 

Finally, we headed to the house to unpack and get some groceries. This little (actually big) guy greeted us in the kitchen. I assume this guy promotes good eating and digestion. 

I was a little worried about how warm the house was when we first got there since there was no central air. But, once we had the a/c units running in the bedrooms and opened the windows to let the ocean breeze in, it wan't too bad. 

We got to watch the first sunset on the water and plan our attack for the week. Our first full day was a casual plan of hitting the beach. We knew we'd be tired because of the time change. And boy, were we. The kids were probably the worst, but we all were dragging by about 6pm. We grilled up some food, and hit the sack early. 

I'll stop here for now, but stay tuned for dolphins, helicopters and volcanoes! 

Vacation is over, so I'll be back soon.

After much traveling fun, we are home from our trip. I'm tired and have a lot of photos to go through. I'll come back very soon to tell you all about it. I'm sure you can't wait!

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of a gecko. I named him Fred. Fred has a lot of friends in Hawaii. Sometimes they come in your house to say hi.

Be right back!

We celebrated our anniversary. Again.

Wow, it's been a while, huh? I have a good excuse for not posting lately. Jenn and I spent the night out last weekend, which killed the whole weekend, our daughter was home sick from school, then Jenn was home sick. Sound good?

So last weekend Jenn and I went up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and stayed at the Grand Geneva Resort for a night. We won the night stay in a silent auction last year, so we thought we'd stay there and run in a 5K they have up there as part of their winter fest. Well, after our major snow storm only a couple of days before the race, we knew we weren't going to run, but we were certainly going to go up there anyway.

We dropped of the kids with my brother and sister-in-law and drove up there on a Friday night. It was a nice drive with all the snow, but it would have been even better if we didn't get stuck in traffic in Woodstock, IL. Which is home to the Swanky Spa. You know it's good if Swanky is in the name of the place. I didn't have my camera ready to snap a picture of the place, but the nice website with the bright teal background will suffice, I think.

Also, we passed through Hebron, IL which is home to the 1952 State Basketball Champs. They had a great water tower painted up with a basketball and everything. When we drove passed it I told Jenn that they might want to think of something a little more recent to be proud of, but then I read up on them a little. Turns out they won the championship and they had a total school population of 98 students. That is pretty cool. In the current age they would play against schools of similar size, which they didn't do then, so it is something to be proud of.

But, back to me. We got up to the resort around 6 PM and decided to walk over to the steakhouse inside to get a reservation for 7:30 PM. They receptionist took our name and asked if we were celebrating anything special so Jenn said it was our anniversary. I was kind of embarrassed at first. But it paid off. When we came back they had a nice table set up for us with rose petals spread out on the table, we got some free champagne and free cheesecake. So, Geneva Chophouse, thank you. The food was great, as was the service.

After dinner we walked over to the bar that was next door to have a couple of drinks. Hey, we weren't going to run in the morning, and it was our anniversary as far as anyone there knew. It was a nice relaxing night.

Here is the view from our balcony then next morning. It was much colder than it looks.

Oh, and this is something we need in our house:

A TV in the mirror! I'd never leave the bathroom. Though, it is kind of weird when actors are watching you go to the bathroom.

We went to California to celebrate our anniversary

Last Thursday Jenn and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. I know, how can two people who are only 25 years-old (looking) be married that long? Well, it's a secret I can't tell you since it involves various types of black magic and quantum physics.

Anyway, we chose to go to Newport Beach mostly because we got a deal through Marriott. Several months ago we received a call and asked if we wanted to check out their Vacation Club. In exchange for checking it out and going through a presentation, we were able to stay in a pretty cool place for much less than what it would cost. I don't think we could have stayed at a Holiday Inn for the price. So, yes, we went to a time share presentation, what of it? Actually, it wasn't bad. They weren't really pushy at all. And, to be honest, it wasn't as expensive as I thought. No, I am not being paid to say this. I'm being serious.

Here was a view from out balcony. Just pretend all the haze and mist weren't there and imagine the dark gray in the distance is the ocean.

Unfortunately, the weather was like this everyday we were there.

On the second day we took a ferry out to Catalina Island. It was a cold ferry ride out there. Mostly because I stayed on the deck to the whole trip out there. Just imagine that I stayed out there because I wanted to see what it was like to be on Deadliest Catch, or to see dolphins or whale, not because I was terrified of being seasick. I wasn't and I did see some dolphins.

The island was interesting. It was certainly quaint in a way, but I found it interesting how the island was set up. Basically it was levels of wealth. The very rich and houses up in the hills and it got poorer as you made it down to sea level. I'm not saying there were homeless people all around at sea level or anything, it's just that it was various obvious where the money was.

Did you know that the Chicago Cubs used the island for spring training from 1921-1951? Me neither. There is even a memorial and botanical garden with his name on it. We took a golf cart (the main mode of transportation on the island) up there to see what it was all about. It's about a lot of plants and flowers, obviously, but there is also a memorial tower there. It was a nice view from up there. Also, notice this was the only time we saw the sun on our trip.

Some of the roads on the island were a little scary. I was a little concerned that the brakes wouldn't hold on some of the hills. But, we didn't die, so I guess the carts are and acceptable mode of transportation for the island. I can see why the people pay a lot of money to live in the hills. There are some really nice views up there.

Our last day there we drove around the area a little bit. We went to the Crystal Cove state park area and had lunch at Beachcombers. It was a nice little place to eat on the water. The whole area reminds me a little bit of the housing complex that was used on Lost where the others lived. I didn't get any good photos of the houses since they are renovation everything, but this might give you an idea.

So, that is what we did for our anniversary. Now we need to start planning for our 20th.

Hello Wisconsin!

Okay, now I'm officially back. I think. It's not easy coming back from vacation and having a million things to do the first three days you come home. I think we still have some stuff in our suitcase. Maybe we shouldn't come home from a trip the day we have to go to school to meet the teachers and the day before football pictures. But now the kids are back to school, I'm still off from work for a little bit and things are getting back to a more manageable state of chaos.

Yes, our trip. We went up to Door County, Wisconsin for a week. We were up in the northern part in a town called Ephraim. We stayed at Eagle Harbor Inn that was recommended by Mr. Unfocused. It was a perfect place for the family. Though we visited a few other towns as well. It was a nice, relaxing time. Oh, the the weather was great. When we left home we were just finishing a warm spell of 90's with the heat index near 100 for several days. It was nice to be in temperatures that were barely in the mid-70's after that. We even wore sweatshirts and long pants sometimes! It was great.

One thing we noticed right away was the wind. The day we got up there we went to eat at a place called Fred and Fuzzy's in Sister Bay which is located right on the water. The food was good, but the wind was a little strong that day. I felt bad for the servers who were having trouble keeping the drink glasses from falling over as they walked. We asked our server if it is always so windy and she said no that it was just a crazy day. She was right because we went back there on our last night and it was very pleasant. Sitting right on the water is the way to eat, especially if you have a good view.

One of the things I wanted to do in Door County was check out some lighthouses. We got to see two of them, which was fine, since some of the others are hard to get to. The first one we saw was the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park. We planned to rent some bikes and ride trail to the lighthouse. We changed plans a little when our daughter decided she wanted to ride in one of the carts that are pulled behind a bike rather than the tag-along style bike. This turned out to be a great decision on her part. There were a lot of hills that would have been tough for her even on the back of the bike. This way she had a nice ride and actually fell asleep on the way down. The lighthouse itself wasn't one of the designs that I have in my head when I think of lighthouses, but it was still cool that something built in the late 1800's is still hanging around.

The other lighthouse we went to was the Cana Island Lighthouse. Now this is what I think of when I hear the word lighthouse.

This one was a little more difficult to get to. We had to drive on some narrow roads and walk across a gravel path between the island and the mainland. It was a short path, but we could drive right up and park. This time my son and I went up to the top, If you can believe it. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before how I don't like heights, that's why I say that. The climb was a little shaky at first. There are 97 steps that make up the spiral staircase. The first 25 are pretty intimidating since it seems so open, but after you reach the first landing it is hard to see the bottom so you feel a little more secure.

The view from the top is great. I don't know how far you can see since a lot id it is water, but it seems like you can see forever.

One of the things I really wanted to do was get a nice picture of the sun setting on the water. Unfortunately, this was the best I could get.

I had another chance on the last night in Door County when were were at Fred and Fuzzy's again, but some clouds right at the water line ruined that chance. It's an okay picture, but as you can see, some low clouds again prevented me from getting the sun setting on the water itself.

So, what else did we do? We ate. A lot. We went to the famous Al Johnson's where there are goats on the roof. No, really. See:

We ate at a place called The Summer Kitchen that had some great soup. We also ate there twice. We hit the famous Wilson's Ice Cream the first night we were there. Look, we ate a lot, okay?

Oh, I almost forgot. We also went to see a play at the American Folklore Theater that is inside Peninsula Stat Park. We saw, "Cheeseheads: The Musical" which I highly recommend. The theater was outside, obviously, which was kind of a neat way to see a show. I tell you, if you want to see a lot of stars in the sky, go to a state park in Wisconsin at night. Very cool. One thing, if you do go to a show at the theater on a Wednesday night, don't be like us and decide to get something to eat after the show. See, the part of Door County we were in (if not all of it) closes at about 8pm. We couldn't find a place to eat to save our lives. Luckily the kids fell asleep as we were driving around to find something, so we just put the to bed. When we got our daughter out of the cart she said she couldn't remember eating. We told her she really liked it and just go to sleep. Please come to us for all your parenting tips! Jenn and I ended up having chips and salsa along with some fudge for dinner. (Sorry we ate your fudge, mom!)

To sum it all up, we had fun, ate a lot and gained about 12 pounds. After all, isn't that what you are supposed to do on vacation? Especially if it is Wisconsin?

I'm back, baby!

The title has two meanings since we are back from our trip to Wisconsin Dells and Futurama is back on the air. More about Futurama later, we'll talk about me first. It's my blog, you know.

If you are not from Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa., Michigan or Minnesota you might not know what Wisoncsin Dells is. Well, it's "The Waterpark Capital of the World." Yes, it says so right here. Also, it's the only place I know of where you say the state before the city name. Well, except for maybe New York since you can never be sure which part people are talking about first. (Yes, I was reaching for that one).

We drove up there on Wednesday and left on Friday. That may sound like a short trip, but everyone I talked to that has been there says that is about right. I mean, how many times can you go to the pool and play? There is only so much chlorine and sunburn that the body can take.

We stayed at the Wilderness Resort. See, the bear cubs on the sign make it extra wilderness-y.

It was a decent place. They had tons of different pools and slides to play around in. Or, as we liked to do a lot, they had a few lazy rivers. Although they weren't quite as relaxing as they should be. You know how hard it is to get in a two person tube while your lightweight kid is in the front and there is a current trying to drag the tube away? Well, it's not all that easy. I have the scrapes to prove it. Yes, I'm a klutz. What can I say?

We never ate, or drank at this particular place, but I had to take a picture of the sign.

There were a lot of stuffed foxes and raccoons around on the ceiling of the various eating and drinking spots. Speaking of which, we went to one restaurant for dinner the first night and were delighted when they told us the kids eat free at the buffet if we ordered the buffet. We should have asked how much the buffet was first. Twenty bucks a person was a little steep for what was there. We were a little disappointed by that.

On the first night the guys hit the arcade while the girls went to the pottery place to paint something. Our daughter has told us several times she wants to be an artist, so we indulge here when we can. See, look at the mugs she painted. Aren't they nice?

On the second night, we were smart and went off property to eat dinner. This place called Moose Jaw Pizza and Dells Brewing was recommended by one of Jenn's co-workers. While the name doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, the food was good, the prices much better than the resort and they had their own beer. That was really good. But don't take my word for it, look at this car they have.

You know a place is going to be good if they go through all this trouble decking out their delivery car. Although, when I see the car, I think of something else on the moose and it's not the jaw.

We spent a few hours swimming the next morning, then headed back home. It's not a far drive for us; just under three hours, so it is quite manageable. Especially when one, or both, of the kids sleep most of the way.

One thing about the drive home. Wisconsin people tend to get miffed when people make fun of them as the land of cheese but when you drive home and see two cheese chalets, a giant mouse on top of a giant piece of cheese and several various other cheese huts, you kind of have to take it. Sorry, Wisconsin, but it's okay, you guys have some awesome cheese. Learn to accept it.

That was our longest road trip so far. I know, lame. But we go to Door County (Wisconsin again) for five days later this summer. That's about a five hour drive. That's something, right?

So, Futurama. You're watching it, right. It's on Comedy Central. So, go watch. Come on, I don't want it to be cancelled again. I'll give you candy.

weekend Assignment #286: Far Away.

Karen wants to know where we want to go? At least she not telling me where to go.

Anyway:

Weekend Assignment: #286: What is the #1 place you'd like to visit that you haven't been to yet? Do you think it's likely that you'll ever get there?

I've been trying to think about the number one place I want to go. For some reason I've been having trouble coming up with the numero uno place. For a while it was Hawaii, but we went there about nine years ago. Then it was Australia, but not so much anymore. I still want to go, but I'm not looking forward to two days traveling. That is a long time in an airplane.

I'd like to go to Japan some time. Jenn and I were just talking about that the other night. Not that we are planning to go soon. We were just talking about if we'd like go sometime. The verdict was yes, we would. I might need to pack a big lunch, though. I don't know how much food I'll like there. Jenn will eat sushi all day, so she'll be fine. Can I get some Chicago style pizza delivered out there?

I'd like to go to Europe as well. We could hit England, Italy, then go up to hit Sweden, Norway, Denmark; that might be a long trip. I'll wait for the Euro to lose some value so it's a little cheaper. If that ever happens.

So my answer is Australjapaeurope. I just made that up.

Is it likely that I'll make it to all those places? It's tough to say. Depends on the economy, jobs, kids, way too many things to calculate right now. But, I certainly hope so.

Extra Credit: What is the farthest place from home that you've ever been?

The farthest place I've ever been is Maui. We are planning on getting back to Hawaii in 2011. I'm already planning where I want to play golf. You need to have priorities.

Family Vacation part three: Star Wars Weekend!!!!!!

This is it. The day you've all been waiting been waiting for, Star Wars Weekend! Or as I like to call it, NerdFest 2009. Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Only about 1/3 of Hollywood Studios guests were dressed as characters from the movies. There were quite a few others who were only wearing Star Wars shirts, or some kind of accessory to let everybody know they were there for the Star Wars festivities.

We got there as the park opened, which turned out to be a good move since they had stormtroopers manning the gates. It was pretty neat. They set it up so you could hear them talk to each other, and they were making fun of the crowd walking in. Here you can see one of them pretending to take a picture of the crowd. Obviously there were a lot of cameras aimed at them.

Throughout the park there were several stations set up where you could get autographs of characters or real people that were part of the Star Wars universe. I didn't know any of the people since they were part of The Clone Wars animated show. I've never watched any of that. We tried to get our son to get some autographs from the characters, but he wasn't up for it. Look out, there is Jango Fett!

The first thing we did was Go see The MuppetVision 3-D movie. The kids didn't want to see it at first, our son thought it was for babies, but they both enjoyed it. It was one of the 3-D movies where they add effects in the theater to make it more like-like. They had bubbles blowing in the theater, water spraying on you, and puffs of air at certain points. It was pretty fun. Of course, I used to watch the show all the time when I was younger, so that helped. Oh, and my favorite Muppet, Beaker, was in it. It's always a good show when Beaker is involved.

After the show, we walked around to check out some of the shops, then it was time for The Jedi Academy. Again, our son didn't want to participate, but we watched the whole show, in the heat, with my 7 year-old on my shoulders. The whole time. To say I was hot after that is quite an understatement.

But, the show was fun. They did a great job of making the kids they called out of the audience part of the show. First, they showed them how to do some basic movies, then Darth Vader shows up. With Darth Maul no less.

Then the kids had to fight both Darths one-on-one. All the characters did a great job. Especially the person playing Darth Maul. He had the stalking down really well. He may have been a little too goo though, one kid was crying as he was fighting Darth Maul. I felt bad for him, but he fought anyway. A true Jedi he was.

After that show we walked into the Star Wars shop. Wow, I've never been in a shop so crowded. But, hey, the kids have to get their Star Wars stuff, right. At least it was nice an cool in there.

We walked out of the store and pretty much stumbled upon the parade route. We got really lucky. We were looking for a snack bar and I happen to look down and notice the white stripe that marked the border of the parade route. Instant front row viewing! Needless to say we stayed where were, I went to get popcorn and some water and Jenn got some smoothies. Her throat was now killing here as the kid's were before we left. Have a sore throat and a fever in 95 degree heat is fun, no? We got to see a lot of cool characters in the parade.

Chewy,

R2-D2,

some Tie fighter pilots, one of which couldn't possibly fit in that small cockpit,

and an Imperial Guard.

We had a quick lunch at Starring Rolls, which I recommend as a nice change from the burgers and chicken nuggets at every snack shop in all the parks. I had a nice ham sandwich while Jenn had a veggie sandwich. Good stuff.

Then we went to go see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. It was completely different than I thought it was going to be, but it was fun. I thought it was going to be characters acting out scenes as if they were the characters in the movie. Instead it was a show where they showed you how stunts are done. They'd explain what was going to happen and then pull the stunts off. Like I said, it was cool, just not what I was expecting. Of course, if I paid attention to the name of the show it probably wouldn't have been a surprise.

Oh, I almost forgot, on the way out we saw some people who had obviously dressed up for Star Wars Weekend getting their picture taken. The funny part is some parents were taking pictures of their kid with these people. I think they thought these characters were part of the show and not just some "regular" Star Wars geeks.

So, we headed back to the hotel so Jenn could get some rest. The kids played with their new toys they bought while the parents took a break. Then, it was time for dinner at The Animal Kingdom Lodge at a restaurant called Boma. It was okay. That is about the best I could describe it. It was a buffet with decent food, it was just more expensive than it needed to be. The hotel was neat though. There was an area with animals that you could watch from the lobby, or your room if you were lucky enough to be on the right side.

After dinner we went back to the Magic Kingdom to watch the SpectraMagic Light parade. Then headed back to the hotel and watched the fireworks from the boat dock outside our hotel. It was a long day and the kids, and parents were ready for bed.

I think the next post will be the last about this vacation. You're welcome...