Disney Cruise

Delayed in Philly - Luckily they have a bookstore and rocking chairs!!!

My kids - Is there anyhing sweeter?

Leaving Port Canaveral - Justin is on the big screen wearing a white rash guard. Can you find him? (Hint: He's between the "N" and the "T" in "Adventures Away")

Our sweet Diva!

Jammin' with Dad

Just 'Hanging around' - This explains her muscle tone

Nassau, Bahamas

The picture doesn't do it justice but this is the "Death Trap" slide that I'm proud I went down. Never mind the bruise I have on my calf from the water hitting me at 35 miles per hour!!!!

Mom and Justin racing - Justin is in the lead on the right. This is the slide I liked well enough to ride more than once.

Lunch with Dad

My toes in the sand - As good as it gets for this California Girl!

Hangin' on the beach - He's "Papa's Kid" since he lasted here for all of 5 seconds.

Heading out for a swim

Beautiful Bahamas!

Dinner Buddies - Hunter and Morgan with Justin and Annalise

I forced everyone to sit for this one - the kids were exhausted!!! It's the only picture of the four of us from the trip.

Let me set the stage. It was windy, rainy, cold and miserable outside. The dog had just puked on the floor, the kids were screaming at each other, and John disclosed the fact that he was studying with his buddy...at the pool! Whatever. I told him, "I need a vacation. Now." His schedule is always tough to maneuver around so I just cleared that problem up right away by saying, "I'm going on vacation - either you can find a time that works for you or I'll take the kids and go by myself!"

Oh, the patience of that man! Anyway, John started to do his research (are you noticing a trend as you read my stories?) and found a phenomenal deal on a Disney Cruise. By the very next day, I was on the phone with USAA and we were booked for a 4 day cruise. It was a wonderful feeling and, wouldn't you know it, the sunshine finally made an appearance to celebrate with me.

Skip Forward to May 15th.

We flew to Jacksonville and arrived just in time for John to take the kids to the hotel for pizza and a movie while I vegged out at the nail salon. On Sunday, we drove from Jacksonville to Port Canaveral and I started to get a little bit of a nervous twitch when I saw the signs for I-95 as it reminded me of the 17 million miles we drove up and down that highway over Spring Break. Luckily, the kids had been plugged into the DVD player during most of the long trip so they were seeing the landscape of Northern Florida for the first time. I even held it together as we passed the St. Augustine outlets for a fifth time without stopping!

Once we got to Port Canaveral, we checked in and proceeded down the "shrinking machine" so that we would be small enough to fit on the ship. I forget how this started but I do remember that Annalise was quite enthralled with the whole process and asked several questions about how we would all fit on the ship so John invented a shrinking machine. When we first stepped onto the ship, she looked up at the entryway and I think she really believed we had been shrunk because it is so amazingly huge in there!

The trip was amazing and I could talk for hours about it, but as a Mom, I was struck by one simple thing. It was "The Magic" that made me suddenly feel like the happiest family in the world! I had fully intended to park the kids in Kids Camp the moment we got there, move only from pool chair to pool and back again, only to pick them up again just in time to catch our flight home. Once we were on the ship, I had so much fun exploring with them that I forgot about that plan! We spent most of our time with them and I loved every second of it.

While there is so much to tell from this trip, there are really two moments that I hope I never forget. First, there was Pirate Night. We finished dinner and went up to the pool deck for the evening show. The kids were standing at the rail watching the stage below them and they looked so grown up that it was hard for me to take for just a second. Annalise got pushed out of the way and Justin put his arm around her shoulder to protect her. A minute later, the fireworks started and I closed my eyes for just a second and promised myself that I would never forget just how lucky I am. Annalise was snuggled in my arms (with her hands clapped tightly over her ears) and Justin was standing between John and I watching a fireworks show from the deck of a cruise ship somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Seriously, what else could a Mom ever need?

The other moment I hope never to forget took place on the last afternoon. John and I had spent a good part of the day at the "Grown Ups Only" pool enjoying our books and being waited on hand and foot. After our relaxing day with adult conversation, we were ready to brave the kids' pool again so we took Justin and Annalise to the water slide. Eventually they got tired and we settled in to "take a rest" on the pool chairs and watch a movie on the big screen over the pool. Annalise made it through most of The Little Mermaid before John took her down for a nap in our room. Justin stayed with me and we camped out in the chairs to enjoy Finding Nemo which was coming on afterwards. We watched the movie for a while, Justin ordered a smoothie, he joked with me a little bit and even talked about some things going on at school. The clouds rolled in and it started to rain. I hoped he wouldn't notice because it was really only sprinkling and I was enjoying myself too much. I said to him, "Didn't your mother ever teach you to come in from the rain?" He told me, "We're already wearing bathing suits so a little rain hardly matters, right?" I agreed and we sat through the rest of the movie together. As he grows up and I become less and less important to him, I have learned to hold on to quiet times like this that he is willing to share with me.

The other highlights of the trip included a trip to Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas where Annalise played in the kids' pool all morning. She was not pleased with water in her face but she eventually got brave and went down two of the slides! I was very proud of her. The reason she got so brave was that she had goggles on and she felt like those would protect her from anything scary. John and Justin did the big kid slides all morning before Justin dragged me onto the DEATH TRAP slide! I am proud of myself for having the guts to do it with him but once was plenty. He says, "Don't worry, the first time is scary but it's fun after that!" After the water slides, we had lunch and were treated by a wonderful local who loved on the kids, shared "real" conch fritters with us and explained island life to us. She was so amazing that I feel like I would book a week long trip at that hotel just to hang out with her again! After lunch, John played with the kids in the cool blue Bahama ocean and I napped in the sand. That was heaven...

Castaway Cay was also an amazing experience. John and Justin snorkeled for about an hour and they say they saw some goregeous fish. Annalise and I lounged on the beach, rented floaties, collected seashells and enjoyed the waves. After snorkeling, Justin played on the water gym, and after lunch John and I checked the kids in to camp long enough for a ... beach ... side ... couples ... massage ... holy ... cow ... sooooo nice!!!!

On our last night, John got us reservations at Palo, the "Grown Ups Only" restaurant on the top deck. While we were planning the trip, I hardly cared about this experience but John was right. The service was 5 Star and the experience was one that I needed. I relaxed, enjoyed my time with my husband, and was again struck by how lucky I am.

I try really hard to stay away from any kind of endorsement, suggestion, recommendation or opinion when I write, but I have to break the rule today. The Disney Cruise was incredible and I have to recommend it for any family! (Disclaimer: Look for a deal otherwise it's pricey). We've gone on several cruises but Disney has such a unique family environment that it's tough to beat.

Chef Keller

A picture with Chef Keller

Discussing very important life matters like Princess Barbi and Captain Rex

Waiting in line

John and I in the kitchen at Per Se

If you've ever spoken to a single Dolby even once in your life, you probably know that John has a passion for cooking. The kids both enjoy cooking with him very much and, in fact, Justin even discussed garnish for the dinner plates the other night with me. He wound up with some greens arranged in the center of the plate and "sauce" drizzled artfully around the edge of the plate.

Chef Thomas Keller is a name our family knows well as he is the inspiration behind one of our favorite movies, Ratatouille. Prior to the fame and fortune one receives as the inspiration of a Disney-Pixar film, he was John's favorite chef. When I met John, I heard about Thomas Keller and it became a goal (or project) of mine to take him to The French Laundry. I accomplished that in 2007 and the menu from our visit is framed and hanging on our wall. Chef Keller opened another restaurant in New York, Per Se, which is where we celebrated our 8th Anniversary.

While we were at Per Se, we were lucky enough to be invited into the kitchen for a visit. The scene was amazingly calm and relaxing, which is the complete opposite of what I had been expecting. I've often explained it as something similar to a yoga class because everyone was smiling, focused, and working hard to complete their own piece of a very complicated puzzle. The cadence with which they worked was soothing and precise, and it matched the very fluid, musical experience you have as a guest in the dining room.

Recently, I found out that Chef Keller would be at Providence Place this weekend doing a book signing. The signing was on Friday night at 6:00 and my kids were hungry, exhausted, and crabby when we got there. I had a bad feeling when I saw the line but we put on a brave face and took our place at the back. I let them play off to the side and they were engaged in a serious game of tag when someone from Williams Sonoma tapped my shoulder and asked if they were my children. After a quick mental debate on whether or not I should claim them, I said, "Yes...I'm sorry...." The man smiled and said, "Chef Keller would like to invite you to the front of the line."

WHAT??????

Chef Keller had given instructions that parents waiting with children should be brought to the front of the line so that the kids were not forced to wait so long. I was embarrassed and made them wait for 10 minutes or so before I gave in. When asked again, we welcomed the opportunity and my kids were given red velvet cupcakes to tide them over for another 5 minutes before we were face to face with Chef Keller himself. I had been expecting the usual rush experience so I asked ahead of time if I was allowed to take a picture and they told me, "Certainly!"

We were introduced to him by name and he took our waiting cookbook and set it aside. He chatted with the kids, asked them several questions, and waited while they got over being shy. We talked about John and both kids shared random facts with him while he smiled and nodded with amusement. The funniest moment under the sun was when my sleepy little girl blurted out, "My Daddy drinks beer and Coke!" and then started giggling at herself. She had the whole staff rolling and Chef Keller himself couldn't help but smile and get caught up in her moment.

Eventually, Chef Keller signed our book and took pictures with us. I shared with him that we had enjoyed an experience at both of his restaurants and that we had been invited into the kitchen at Per Se. He thanked me for my compliments and shook each of our hands before we left.

He is such a gentle man and it was an amazing experience to me because, while he is so accomplished at what he does, he signed our book with this comment: "It's all about family." I am not by any means as intrigued with cooking as John is (nor will I ever be), but I do have a new role model to follow after this experience. John will continue to study his technique and I will marvel at his personality, ethics, determination, and passion. It must be something very special that takes an individual with a raw talent, helps them become THE BEST, and reminds them to keep the basic core values that made them who they are.

Tampa Bay

Splashed by the big brothers

Climbing on Charlie

Justin's signature "Cannonflop"

John's Grand Entrance

He got their attention!!!

Zane and "Yohn!!!" back together again

Doin' the Robot

Doin' the Twist

The Worm

Fancy Dancin' with Daddy

Done.

So the Florida driving adventure continues...

We drove from Jacksonville to Tampa Bay on Wednesday to spend some time with the Von Bergens at their new house. This was the only tough part of driving that we did since Justin had a bathroom emergency right as we entered Orlando. If you can imagine, it was tough to find an exit that did not wind me through the intricate maze of Disney owned parking lots and he was screaming in the back, "Mom!!! I gotta go NOW!" I did not have a bottle in the car (nor did I have one of Thom's U-R-IN Controls with me) and I could not find a place to pull over where he could find a tree. I started yelling, he started crying, and it was a disaster.

Luckily, we found him a bathroom and then we made up. I apologized for being a monster mom and asked him to please try to give me some advanced warning in the future. We put on a movie and the rest of the drive went fairly well ... until my navigation system let me down ... again. We did circles and roundabouts in downtown Tampa for a while and eventually I found a spot where I could pull over and consult the old fashioned paper map.

When we finally made it to Polly's house, all of the pain was forgotten immediately as she and the kids ran out to give us hugs. It felt so nice to see those familiar faces and know that time and distance had not changed a thing. Zachary hugged me tight and while I could not get my fill of Zane before he ran off, he did chat with me for a minute and show me how well he can talk now. Jasmine rolled in armadillo poop (only at Polly's house can such a thing happen) and the kids ran to explore the house. Fourteen seconds after our arrival, all four were floating in the pool, I had a glass of wine in my hand, I was enjoying sun (I forgot about that magical feeling) and chatting with Polly.

When the Dads arrived (both had to work - can you imagine that?), the kids were so happy to see them. Annalise gave Charlie a hug that I thought would choke him and she wasn't ready to let go very soon. John surprised them with a cannonball in the pool and his good buddy Zane jumped right on his shoulders to wrestle him to the ground. I think that's little boy speak for "I missed you so much!"

We spent the entire afternoon and evening in the pool, dancing in the kitchen, and having a good old time. Polly certainly knows how to throw a party and you just can't beat an evening spent reconnecting with good friends. There's not much more to say about it but I think the smiles in the pictures tell the story better than I can anyway.

Hanna Park Beach

My Family

An exhausting game of Frisbee

Sand Castles

John and Justin enjoying some time together

This California family was feeling a serious need for some sunshine and some sand between our toes.

The sun was shining when we woke up on Tuesday and we hit the beach. John did his research (I know, this was shocking to me too) and found us a great beach where even Jasmine could enjoy a day in the sun. We made a stop at Walgreen's and ran through the store stocking up on sunscreen, boogie boards, sand toys, magazines, and water. John, who is constantly referring to us as "The Griswalds" was even more disgusted than usual when he was forced to wear what he calls an "old man drugstore hat" that says "Jacksonville" across the front of it. Oh well.

The day at the beach included boogie boarding (John and Justin), castle making (Justin and Annalise), running (Jasmine), a game of Frisbee (John and Justin) and "a whole lotta nuthin'" (Lisa). Much to John's dismay, we left with piles of sand absolutely everywhere and I am still amused by this each time I go to clean out another section of Big Ben! The day was a success with four happy people and one very happy dog. It was made even better when John mentioned that he needed to study for a little bit. While that statement might make you wonder if I am perhaps an evil person, just let me tell you what I did with the opportunity: Super Target! We were very successful in our quest for water toys to take with us to Polly's house.

There was only one casualty of the day and that was our poor little surfer who spent the day riding the waves without a rash guard. Poor little guy was brave about it but I doubt it's something he will repeat any time soon.

Kennedy Space Center

Our "Space Buddy" reporting for duty

IMAX Show: "Walking on the Moon"

"The Astronaut"

Justin talking to Dr. Bartoe

Justin hugs his new (autographed) bear

We woke up this morning in Florida (which was rumored to have more sun than Rhode Island) to dark and stormy skies. Seriously? More rain? I guess my beach plans were out! No problem, the kids are happy doing anything that we come up with and for that I am grateful.

John had to work and my plans of hitting the beach were clearly not going to work so I tried some "out of the box" thinking. I looked into taking the kids to Disney World but I wasn't feeling the love when I looked at the 3 hour drive and the shocking, painful price of admission. John suggested going to Cape Canaveral and visiting the space center - The idea was nothing short of genius! We climbed back into "Big Ben" and we hit the road. The 2.5 hour drive seemed relatively painless and short after the 20 hours we spent in the car over the weekend!

The first thing we did when we got there was see an IMAX show about walking on the moon. It was an incredible 3-D show that was perfect for the kids. (Except the part where Annalise fell asleep in my lap). Justin watched with wide eyes for 45 minutes as they showed footage from the lunar landings and he was amazed by how hard it is to walk on the moon (which has 1/6 the gravity that we are accustomed to here on Earth). The highlight of the day came next when we all hopped in the fight simulator and got to experience a shuttle launch. It was pretty intense and I was afraid Annalise would get scared but both kids loved it! They tipped us to a 90 degree angle to simulate sitting on the launch pad, threw the force at us which made it impossible to lift your head, and then they added the shaking. I am faced with the reality that I am old and wrinkly because this thing forced my cheeks all the way back to my ears and jiggled every inch of skin on my face. I looked over at Annalise when she tightened her grip on my hand but she had joy rather than fear in her eyes and I knew she was having a great time. Justin was in the row behind us and I heard him giggling. When they opened the cargo bay doors for us, we were looking down on Italy and Annalise announced that a space alien had flown over us. Justin just said, "Cool!"

We met an astronaut (John David Bartoe) and he chatted with Justin for a minute before we got rushed away by the handlers. Dr. Bartoe signed Justin's astronaut bear and patienly talked with him about being a Navy kid and, more importantly, the grandson of a NASA Engineer. Dr. Bartoe shook Justin's hand and told Justin to "keep at it" when he said proudly that he wanted to fly fighter jets one day. (For reference, Annalise currently wants to be a "Navy Ship").

It was a sunny day after all and we had a great time. The best part of the day was that while John was flying, and we were in the simulator, even Jasmine got in on the action as a "Space Buddy" in the Space Center Kennel. She did not exacly love it but she kept cool in the air conditioned cargo bay they have for dogs.

I am not sure what Justin will do when he grows up but after today he has a little spark in his eye and he says that he plans to be "Maverick"...I bet he will be...

Short Drive

Hanging out with Jen and the Baby

Civil War Fun

Lunch in Fredricksburg

Outside the Cafe where we ate lunch

Justin had Spring Break last week and we took the opportunity to head down to Jacksonville to see John. We loaded all four of us (yes, four, including Jasmine) into the car and we hit the road Friday after work. My original "plan" was to head out and get as far as I could that day. Auntie Jenny called to see if we would be driving through Maryland and I said, "I'm doing whatever my navigation system tells me." After laughing at me, she pointed out that I-95 was probably the road I would be taking and that her house was about 5 minutes away. She graciously invited us to stay with her on Friday night and that's what we did! She took us in when we arrived around midnight and then treated us to a fabulous breakfast in the morning. (She has a personal chef on staff these days).

The kids were very excited to see Auntie Jenny and Uncle Matt. The highlight for Justin was playing his DS with Uncle Matt and he let me know that "Uncle Matt really doesn't know what he's doing but I didn't tell him that." Justin also confirmed with Auntie Jenny that he would be a cousin to the baby. He was considering being an Uncle but decided against that when he learned that he would have to give presents if he was an Uncle. It's much more fun to be a cousin because the only requirement for this is to be able to play.

When we left on Saturday, Auntie Jenny gave each of them a gift bag. Let me tell you...

In Justin's bag there were cologne samples that came conveniently in spray form. Every 15 seconds or so I would hear the familiar sound of him spraying the dumb thing and I begged him each time (through teary eyes and cologne particles tickling the inside of my nose) to give it a rest. "No problem Mom!" That worked for about 15 seconds until we started the process again. The problem with Big Ben is that he has a significant amount of freedom because he sits in the very back seat where he is well outside of striking distance.

In both of their bags was an abundance of candy (and the wrappers that come with the candy) but the coup de grace was the little packet of RED kool-aid that could be added to a water bottle. Annalise was under the false impression that this was a "Lick a Stick" type candy. I had no idea that this was going on and when I looked back at her I saw that her face was bright red. Confused, I checked her to see if she had a fever or was overheated. Out of slight concern, I pulled over to check on her. This is when I discovered the little blue wrapper and figured out that a Baby Wipe would take care of it. Oh, sweet revenge...

We stopped in Fredricksburg to wait out the traffic, clean Annalise's face, and hide the cologne spray. We had a great lunch and we shopped for Civil War toys while we waited out the traffic. We found a great little ballet store and Annalise tried on several leotards before settling on a cute little blue one. Justin patiently hung out with us and told her each time she modeled a new one, "Annalise! That's beautiful!" The staff got a kick out of them and told me what sweet children I had which made me smile for the rest of the trip.

With a new Civil War plastic soldier collection and a blue leotard in our possession we jumped back in the car and, after close to 1200 miles, we finally made it to John's hotel late Saturday night.

Cliff Walk

Uncle Bryan was spending the weekend with friends in Jamestown and we were able to catch up with him for a while on Sunday before he headed home to Boston. We met at the Cliff Walk and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. Annalise was very sleepy and she was having a hard time focusing but she loved playing on the lawn of the Breakers with Uncle Bryan - you would think she really was a Vanderbilt girl!

The day was quite the opposite for Justin. He was having a great time borrowing my camera and taking his own photos. He was in a mood to notice nature, art, history, and talk about things going on in his life. I enjoyed some quiet time with him while Uncle Bryan chased Annalise from one corner of the state to the other. As you can see, he was in a mood to let me take some photos of him and there are a few that I am really happy with!

Enjoy...