Friday, November 20, 2009

Disney World: Wednesday, November 4th

"We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:"
Numbers 11:5

(Keep an eye out for links to videos I took)

Wednesday morning we had another sleep-in after some early days and late nights.  Daddy took us (Hannah, Seth, Eden, Josiah, and I - Kimber) to the Meadow Swimmin' Hole and we swam around in the pool and relaxed in the hot tub until around 11:00.  We then went back to the house and got ready to leave for Epcot, once again, for lunch.  (Everyone else had already left)  Once in Epcot we made straight for the Coral Reef Restuarant where we would be eating lunch surrounded by swimming creatures (in an aquarium of course!).  We arrived with lots of time to spare!



Grandma and Aunt Amy waiting.
(You may notice that we decided to do our Nemo shirts again since we would be eating around fish!)



This was the view you saw while sitting on the benches waiting to be called! :)

We looked at the menu while we were patiently waiting ( ;-D).  They had some stuff in their food that I had never heard of before but at least they had chicken!!! :) 

Grandpa finally decided to go inquire about our tables after groups of 5-8 people were getting seated.  He returned with our waiter and we were led to our tables! :)



Grandpa, Aunt Amy, Grandma, and Uncle Greg watching the fish.

Uncle Greg has the fish guide in his hand.

Once again, the service at this restuarant was very good!  Our orders were taken and after waiting some more, we got to eat!



This turtle in the aquarium glided by us and settled down on the tank floor for a snooze.




A ray relaxing.



Shark!
Yes, they had sharks and other creatures that swim in the ocean in the aquarium - not just fish! :)

The meal sizes were a whole lot smaller than what we had been used to for the beginning of the week.  (Most of our meals had been buffet and this wasn't)  I got the New York Strip Steak with Roasted Potatoes and some sort of herb on the side.  For dessert, I got the lava cake (I think that's what they called it).



There it is! :)
(I thought you might like to see what their food looked like)
The raspberries on the left side of the picture were shaped like Mickey Mouse's head along with the hard purple candy on the left side of the picture. 




Lexi got a sour apple smoothie for her dessert but she ended up not liking it so I finished it off for her! :) 

After we were done our meal, some of us went outside and rode Grandma and Grandpa's scooters around while waited for everyone to get back together.




They had these gorgeous trees by the restuarant that were just bursting with these blooms!




Some more flowers (see all of them behind them, too?).

Never having been anywhere tropical I loved all the different plants.






Now you can see what I'm talking about when I said "bursting with blooms!"

I thought that the storm cloud in the sky contrasted beautifully with the vibrant flowers...  Thankfully Jesus held back the storms for us the entire trip! 

Soon everyone appeared and Uncle Greg and his family went one way and we went another with Grandma and Grandpa.  We decided to go to the Nemo ride (and other Nemo stuff) around the corner.




Daddy beneath Bloat's statue.






Eden outside of the Nemo center. (That's what I call it)

After going on the Nemo ride, Grandma and Grandpa parted with Alexis and Caleb and the rest of us looked around at the fish in the aquariums.



Inside they had this demonstration with a diver.  I don't know what exactly they were doing because we didn't stay and watch for long.



Lydia with a Nemo! :)

Lydia absolutely loved the fish.  She would do her short little "Ah!" scream of delight and then stare at them and sometimes go "Oh" in a tender sort of way - it was really cute!  She would've loved to get her hands on one of them but thankfully she couldn't! :)



Eden by some more Nemo's (I guess there was a Marlin in there too).



A giant clam (yes, that big brown and white thing on the right) and "Bubbles!!!!"



Dory!

After looking at the fish we went downstairs to a little play area for the kids where they had huge replicas of the sharks from Nemo.

(Sometime within here we went and saw the dolphin in one of the aquariums perform tricks for us.  Go to this link to watch one of the videos I took of him (or her) performing for us.)



Seth



Eden with a hammerhead.



Seth and Eden in Bruce's mouth. 

Lydia wasn't very happy about being put in there.



Eden hangin' out!

After playing around for awhile in there we went towards the Turtle Talk With Crush attraction.  The doors weren't open yet, so we looked at some of the creatures they had in there, took some fishy quizes, etc.


Lydia with (?)

Turtle Talk with Crush was really, really neat!  The younger children sat up front by the screen (on the floor) while the older people got the seats! :)  Once Crush came out and talked a little bit he saw Eden, Seth, and Josiah up front with the matching shirts and Seth got to talk to him.  And then Crush asked where the parents for the "little blue fish here up front" were so Daddy and Mama got to talk too!  Daddy was trying to be "cool" like Crush so when he asked his name, Daddy responded with "like dude scott man," and the turtle gave this look of absolute incredulity and then said "Like...Dude...Scott...Man?"  It was really funny!   Anyways...we had lots of fun in there!

When that was over, we bought some sour and sweet Pixie Dust and then went to get our stroller.



This cute little squirrel was scavenging through all the strollers for a snack.




Epcot at dusk.




Seth in front of a topiary tree.



We stopped at this little water fountain area as we made our way to dinner.  The little fountains would randomly spurt up every now and then, so it was fun for the little guys to try and not get wet!



More water-sky reflections! :)



Okay - this is one of the last! :)

We had some time to spare, so we decided to go to the Viking ride in "Norway".   The ride was a little freaky (trolls with glowing eyes and such) so Josiah and Eden had their eyes covered but the film after the ride was neat.



Josiah in the Viking shop. 


Then we went to dinner where everyone else in our family was waiting.  Dinner was at the Biergarten Restuarant in Epcot's "World's".  We (the Wassenbergs) have a lot of German roots in us (great-great-great-great somebody immigrated from Germany to the U.S.A.), so Grandma made reservations for us in the German restuarant!   While we were waiting for our buzzer to blink Daddy and I went in the German shop nearby.  We stopped and talked to the cashier who was, consequently, from Germany.  We asked her if she knew of a Wassenberg, Germany because Uncle Greg had found a town with that name in Germany but she didn't.  So, we then went and browsed the shops until someone alerted us that we could go eat!  



This was the water fountain (one of them) outside the restuarant.  Above it was a statue of St. George slaying a dragon.

Once we were seated our waitress came and took our drink orders (they came in big tumblers) and then we went up and got in line for food.  They had lots of options - some tasty and others, not so tasty!  Hannah got some Potatoe/Leek Soup that she said was really good but I never got a chance to try it (soup after dessert just doesn't fit! :). 

My favorite dish was some sort of fruit bowl that had raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. in a sugary fruit juice syrup.  It was really good!  (They actually gave us the recipe when we asked for it!)

While we ate they had the "Oktoberfest" come and perform for us on stage.  We were seated as close to them as we could get, so we had a wonderful view of the stage.



They played German songs such as "Happy Birthday" and others that I didn't know.  All of them were sung in German, but don't fear, the performers spoke English too! :)




They played these Alpine horns (and later some cow bells) for us and they were so beautiful!

Often people were invited to come on the dance floor and dance to the music.  One of the songs they played is what we know as the "chicken dance."




Lexi and Uncle Greg doing the chicken dance.  (Poor Uncle Greg felt terrible that night - and in that case, the rest of the week - but he still managed to make every day at Disney with his family)


During one of the songs, people were invited to come do a waltz and Grandpa convinced Grandma to go with him!




Aren't they so sweet!?

After about 3 minutes of dancing, Grandma left Grandpa on the dance floor...



...Grandpa was very disappointed! :)

Anyways, after about 1 hour of eating, drinking, and stuffing as much food as we could into our bodies, we went and found a place for the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (click on link) show that was over the lake.  While we were waiting we talked to the family right beside us who lived in Woodbridge, VA (that's where my grandparents and uncle and family live)! :)  Funny how we end up beside people from the same state in Epcot for the show.



While we were waiting for the show, the torches above us simultaneously lit up and flickered around the lake and then turned off again once the show started.
(They turned back on towards the end of the show)




The "earth" that circled around the water.  You can see in "Africa" a hot air balloon.  Well, they had video clips playing in the "world," as it slowly spun around.  It was very fascinating!

At the end they had lasers and fireworks go off...




...ending another wonderful day at Epcot!

All for Jesus,
Kimber

P.S. - That night Hannah, Alexis, Amanda, Diana, and I had a sleep-over in Grandma and Grandpa's cabin.  We watched Home on the Range while eating popcorn and candy. 

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Disney World Test Track Photo

"And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had..."
Genesis 41:43

I scanned the picture of our first ride on Test Track, so you could see our reactions (remember that you can click on the picture and it will enlarge)...



Hannah's in the back row with Aunt Amy and the guy beside her was just a single rider.
Amanda and Diana are in the front row with me.

You can tell that Diana (front row, middle), Aunt Amy, and I were definitely enjoying ourselves but Hannah and Amanda are very questionable...

All for Jesus,
Kimber :)

P.S. - The next post on Disney World will be underneath this one.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Disney World: November 3rd

"The royal daughter [is] all glorious within [the palace]; Her clothing [is] woven with gold."
Psalm 45:13

Tuesday morning we had to wake up early so we could catch a boat to the Magic Kingdom to eat with the princesses!  Before we left I wanted to get a picture of all of us with our matching Nemo shirts...


Left to right:  Aunt Amy, Lydia, Amanda, Uncle Greg, Alexis, Diana, Kimber, Grandpa, Eden, Grandma, Hannah, Seth, Steven, Caleb, Daddy; Mama, and Josiah
(that was very unorganized but I hope you could decipher)

A friend made these for Grandma.  On the shirts it says "Disney 2009" on the top with Nemo in the center and then "Wassenberg Family" on the bottom. 

After the picture was over, we set out for the bus stop once again (we rarely used our cars).




While we were waiting for the bus, the boys caught this unfortunate anole.  (Thanks, Mrs. Smith for telling us what these lizards are)

Then we hopped on the bus that went towards the Fort Marina Boats and Rentals. 



Lydia on the dock waiting for the boat. 

It was chilly and gloomy outside that morning (it was around 7:30 when we arrived at the dock) so Lydia was all wrapped up!



Grandpa and Uncle Greg pretending to throw Eden "overboard."

It was about a 20 to 30 minute wait until the boat showed up...



Here it comes!

Our captain was very kind and had a good sense of humor.  All of the Disney World staff (with one or two exceptions) were extremely kind and courteous the entire week.  We were quite shocked, truthfully.

Most of us (the grandkids) went to the front part of the boat.



Eden riding on the boat. 

The scenery was beautiful as we rode along.  We saw a few of the difrerent resorts as we went but trees and water predominantly.



Lexi.

This is the face she gave me when I called her name.

Once the boat scraped up against the dock in the Magic Kingdom we unloaded and headed for the opening ceremony.




Follow the blue shirts!




The opening ceremony had an announcer and some dancers.  Of course, they welcomed you to the "magical" Magic Kingdom and said that they couldn't open the park until the Mickey Mouse train came by.  After all the horn-tooting and cheers that accompanied Mickey's (and some other characters) appearance they opened the park and we surged through the gates.



Lexi in front of Cinderella's castle where we headed for breakfast with the princesses!

After certifying that our reservations were valid we went inside the castle!



Uncle Greg and Stephen by one of the knights outfits.

We got in line for pictures with Cinderella and after we traversed the red satin steps to the upstairs dining room we sat down at our tables.  (A friend of ours, Mrs. Hale, told us that the person who dressed up as Cinderella was actually from around Mechanicsville, VA!)





Diana

Our waitress came around and poured our drinks and asked what we would like for breakfast while we snacked on some of the sweet things they had on the table.  Some of the things on the menu were garden omelets and french toast.  I ended up getting the garden omelet and, of course, it was excellent!

While we were waiting for breakfast to arrive, another lady came around and passed out "wishing stars."


Lexi showing off her talents!




Eden with her wishing star.

Then another waitress came back around she passed out swords for the boys and "wishing wands" for the girls.



Stephen and his sword.




Okay, so Diana was supposed to get a wand but she asked for a sword instead.  :)




Eden waving her wand.
(The architecture in the palace was stunningly beautiful with all the stained glass and arching windows)

Twice while we were eating breakfast they would have a wishing time and you would have to wave your wand (or sword) and make a wish.  (My wish hasn't come true - yet - just going to show how valid wishes are! :)

As we ate breakfast the princesses made their rounds!



Snow White with some of the grandkids.



Aurora (a.k.a Sleeping Beauty) with Lydia.



Sleeping Beauty with Stephen, Caleb, Alexis, and I.




Jasmine and Eden.



Belle with Stephen, Lexi, and Caleb.



Eden and Belle.

After all the princesses had gone by Amanda asked where Prince Charming was.  The waitress smiled and then got what looked like the manager and he just came over to our table and stood there with a twinkle in his eye, as if we were supposed to believe that he was Prince Charming.  Another funny moment with our family!  (I did see Prince Charming in one of the parades that day - Amanda was disappointed when I told her that she had missed him)




Seth with the cake he got for his birthday.



Daddy and our waitress.

She has been working at Disney World for so long that she was the 2nd longest employee (by years, not age!) in all of  "Disneyworld."  She actually met Walt Disneys son, he took over after Walt died.

All of breakfast was yummy and we all enjoyed it greatly! 




Josiah trying out his skill while we waited for the bathroom after breakfast (they only had one downstairs).

After we left the palace we went on some rides.



15 of us in the ride "Stitch's Great Escape." 

I had to take Josiah out because he got scared before we even got on the ride.




Daddy caught Grandpa getting a smooch from Grandma! :)

After everyone finished that one we went on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.  In the laugh floor Daddy had a light put on him a few times and tried to act the part of a monster.  (He did pretty good! :)  Uncle Greg sent a joke in and they used it during the show even though they called him "Gref" because he misspelled his name on his text to them. :)



Around the Magic Kingdom they had all these birds that were just walking around enjoying Florida.  They were obviously very comfortable around humans!




Caleb and Stephen around a floating marble ball that was inside the park.




Josiah trying to turn the wet ball.

While we were over by it a talking trash can went by and started singing "Happy Birthday" to Seth.  It was really neat!  After it finished its song it went and talked to some more people, observing what they were wearing, talking to itself, etc.



The trash can went over to the lady in the picture (left in white shirt) and started singing a song about boots because she was wearing some! 

-

Once again, we split up into 2 groups:  the older groups who wanted to do the rides and the younger ones who couldn't go on those rides.  Daddy had the camera and was in the group with the little guys:



Lydia, Eden, Mama, Josiah, and Grandpa before the sign.




Eden and Josiah on the flying Dumbo.

The older group went on It's A Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and more!  We then met up with everyone else for lunch at a restuarant nearby.  The restuarant was hardly crowded and we got most of the upstairs to ourselves!  They had chicken nuggets and french fries, sandwhiches, chocolate cake, yogurt, and more for lunch.  As normal, everything was delicious!

As soon as everyone was back together, we went back towards Thunder Mountain Railroad to ride it again with the rest of the family who hadn't.    






Amanda and Aunt Amy examining each others pins (Grandma had put Disney Trading Pins on our lanyards so that we could trade with the staff around the park).



Hannah and Lydia.





Josiah.


After the Railroad roller coaster some of us went on Splash Mountain which was so much fun! We all got wet to some degree but definitely not soaked as we were expecting! When you emerged at the top of the highest (and steepest) waterfall and saw the brier patch seemingly right below you, it was scary - I closed my eyes! :) But that part was soon over along with the ride.  (After the ride I caught up with Mama who was watching the parade and that's when I saw Prince Charming)

We went on some more rides after the parade had cleared and stopped by Jack Sparrow's little show before heading off to dinner.




For those of you who watch Pirates of the Caribbean...there you go.

After watching some little boys try to "sword-fight" they picked out some more children and Josiah was one of the picked.




Josiah was very intrigued by "Jack Sparrow" though he had never heard of any such person.  He was given a scroll certifying his "pirateship apprentice" and then we were allowed to go.


One of the last stops before dinner was the Jungle Cruise.





Lexi and a hibiscus she found along the steps to the Jungle Cruise.

After waiting in line, we got in a boat (our family took up at least half if not two-thirds of the entire thing! :) and started on our journey.



Listening to the "captain."

The captain referred to us as the "Nemos" - she had some corny, yet funny jokes to share that kept the trip fun! :)




One of the waterfalls we went under with the Jungle Cruise.


The Swiss Family Robinson Tree House was our 2nd or 3rd-to-last stop.




I just saw the word "God" on something in Disney World so I thought it would be something I might need to take a picture of before it gets replaced with something else to be "politically correct".




Lexi climbing!

The "tree" was huge and the designing of all the different rooms of the house on different branches was so neat!  If only you could do that on a real tree...I might consider living in such comfy conditions! :)




One of the flowers by the tree house.

The last stop (I remember) before dinner was Mickey's PhilharMagic - a 3D show.  All of the 3D shows in Disney World were really neat and had flying objects coming straight for you which can be a little uncomfortable at times!

After that was over we went to the Crystal Palace for dinner! 



The Palace was a beautiful restuarant mostly composed of glass windows.  While we waited for our buzzer to light up, I took some pictures of Cinderella's Castle:



(It would change colors every so often)

Once we were inside and seated we went to get some food (buffet-style).  The Crystal Palace was probably one of my favorite restuarants of the entire week.  Well, the dessert was the best...soft serve ice cream (my favorite!)!!  They had chocolate, vanilla, and dreamsicle flavors that you could swirl or just eat plain.  They also had sprinkles to put on your sundae if you would like.  Of course, they had other wonderful tasting desserts too but I only had the ice cream! :-D  [Oh, dinner was really good too!]



A view of the inside (except that it was prettier).

Some of the characters that came around during dinner were Tigger, Pooh, Eyore, and Piglet.  (Go to a Snapfish slideshow of them here)

Tigger was the funniest character!  He came over, motioned for Amanda to get out of her seat and proceeded to sit down and put a napkin (hers) around his neck. 


Amanda and Hannah literally died from laughing.



Then he pretended to be Aunt Amy's friend.

Finally, after we had all laughed ourselves silly, he got back up, motioned for Amanda to sit back down and  gave her the napkin back...






After dinner they had fireworks by Cinderella's castle that began while we were finishing up dinner.





After the fireworks we browsed in some shops on our way out the park.



Magic Kingdom at night.

We thought that we had lost Diana and Caleb at one point but they ended up being with Grandma and Grandpa.




Josiah with one of the the glow-sticks that Grandma passed out to everyone while we headed to the dock.


After our safe transfer from one dock to another we hopped on another bus and (once we were at the station) walked the rest of the way home and said goodnight to each other, tired after another wonderful day at Disney World.

---

All for Jesus,
Kimber