Rock Opera, eh?

First of all, HAPPY FRIDAY! Sweet, sweet Friday, despite a two-day work week thanks to a nine-day vacation, I'm still appreciating the shit out of you today and looking forward to a weekend of catching up on life! {By life I mean blogs, duh.}

K y'all, so listen up:

Oh. Em. Gee. Last night broke the top ten of best nights ever with my sweet husband. {Minds out of the gutter, porfa!}  Thanks to an amazing recommendation from Erin that Trans-Siberian Orchestra live was the shizznit, Glenn surprised me with tickets to their show here in Charlotte! Mind = blown. If TSO is coming to your city, buy some tix, because I promise you don't wanna miss it! And if you don't know who Trans-Siberian Orchestra is, tell the rock you're living under to back its badonk up and let you out ;) In addition to my favorite Wizards in Winter song, TSO "orchestrates" the famous Christmas song Carol of the Bells; or, as my hilarious BFF calls it, "That really intense bells song!" Gah, love her.

First, let's just say thank heavens I didn't go with my original shoe choice for the night.

Why are toes so freaky?!

These wooly Nine West heels, despite not breaking in at all, are just so wintery and I love wearing them on chilly nights out. But the distance between our parking garage and the stadium was much too far for such nonsense, so flat boots won out! And I would've looked ridiculous in heels, really. There was a girl in front of me wearing jeans with the knees ripped out... just sayin'. 

Whoa Goldilocks.
Looks as though my ombré has turned into a separate hairpiece?  

Dude was hanging out OVER the audience.
Never seen the Biebs pull that one off, so ha!

After the show unfortunately we had to stop at Target to get something, anything, to help the stupid sore throat I must've picked up in D-World. Despite copious amounts of hand sanitizer and avoiding like the plague the dipshits who sneeze/cough without covering {It's basic manners, people!}, I'm fighting something that's turned my lymph nodes the size of jumbo meatballs. Luckily, I found these, which taste as delicious as anything can taste when it has gag-inducing menthol in it, so fingers crossed I can breathe normally by day's end!

I'm an au naturale gal when it comes to getting sick ~ I hate dosing up on tons of meds ~ so these were a natural choice. Natural, get it? Get it? I'm so punny.

In news other than my phlegm and sandpaper throat, I'm getting my hurrrr did today and I'm way pumped! My hairdresser is a rockstar-and-a-half and I consider her a dear friend, so I'm 50% excited for my hair and 50% excited just to see her! Remember the last time I got my hair done and added color to it for the first time in over 10 years? Oh, you don't? How convenient, I have a link right here. {I spoil y'all!}  Well, yesterday I was texting Taylor and told her I'm keeping color but thinking more caramel-y than blonde this time. Her awesome response?

Girl. I have THE. BEST. idea in mind. Shit's HOT.

How could I not love her to pieces?! Can't wait to see what I look like in 12 hours!

And I realize this post has gotten way long for a Friday, but one last thing ~ see those adorable sponsor buttons on my sidebar?  -->  

Y'all, do me a solid and click 'em if you want to be introduced to some incredible bloggers. And I promise, you do want to. Since my blog is still teensy by blog-world standards, I do not yet host paid sponsorships. But I do love swapping buttons and guest posts with other blogs {no matter the size!}, so if you're interested in either, click here!

Happy weekending, friends!

Flying Fish in a Blue Zoo

I promise I'm not trippin' on some old school drugs right about now. Just trust me, you'll understand that funky title soon.

Our last two nights in Orlando, we had the fanciest dinners of the trip planned and neither restaurant disappointed! My parents always say they love having grown-up kids now, and Tripp and I always say we love having young parents!! We’re able to have dinners out at upscale restaurants where we share bottles of wine and adult conversation, without having a sticky highchair at the table or a kids menu and crayons taking up valuable real estate that’s much better suited for a wine glass ;)
{I know, I know, in a few years when we have kids, I'll have a change of heart... Eh, maybe. A highchair covered in a poop and syrup, by any other name, is still a highchair covered in poop and syrup.}

Sunday night we ate at Todd English’s Blue Zoo, located in Disney’s Swan & Dolphin resort, near the Boardwalk. Glenn and I have eaten there once before, but this evening knocked the britches off our last visit! To start, we had an excellent waiter, who was twenty-five, so our age, but was so knowledgeable about the menu you’d think he’d been “in the biz” forever! If you ever visit Blue Zoo, ask for Logan. A great server always sets the tone at a restaurant for me ~ the food can even be so-so, but if the server is wonderful, personable, and attentive, I will frequent the restaurant again and ask specifically to be seated in their section. All of our meals were excellent, but I think Glenn’s took the cake, because he’s still talking about it! Y’all, he ordered chicken, for goodness sake, but apparently it was just awesome chicken! And as much as I don’t love chicken {I find it boring and bland, unless it’s my Mimi’s fried chicken, in which case I say, “BRING IT ON. I’M GAINING 100 POUNDS AND DON’T EVEN CURRRRRRR!”} I will say that Glenn’s chicken dish was delicious perfection.

The final night of our trip took us out with a bang ~ my parents made a reservation for the Chef’s table at Flying Fish, also located on Disney’s boardwalk, just below the hotel. I’m kicking my own butt now for not taking a picture of the set-up, so let me set the scene: We were seated at a granite low bar, which cornered a fully open kitchen so we could watch the chefs prepare everything! To a wannabe kitchenista like me, this was heaven. There were specialized menus at each of our place settings, and five various glasses set up for different wines. To a wino like me, this was heaven, too! We had our own personal server who poured all of our wines while describing the region in Italy the grapes were grown, what they were best paired with, etc. And then we met the head chef! He had personally planned our menu for the evening and detailed every ingredient in every dish when it arrived at our place. He even accommodated my aversion to red meat! When I saw the original menu and the main course was veal, I felt bad because I was going to be that snob who asked to change her order. But Chef was so kind and asked if there were any food allergies or dislikes, and when I spoke up about the meat, he personally came to my place and offered me a variety of fish to choose from. I went with rare ahi tuna, which tasted incredible and was prepared exactly like the veal but without meat ingredients!

Lobster on top of a yummy crab cake and spinach. 

Cod with tangerines, beets, and spinach. Who comes up with this deliciousness?!

Ahi tuna, faux-meat style :)

We had an amazing meal, walked out tipsy and stuffed, and it couldn’t have been a better way to end our vacation.

Thank you all for following along with my Disney recaps! I've enjoyed sharing our vacation with you, and to those of you who commented that you're now planning a Disney vacay, I can't wait to read your recaps, too!

*At some point, I hope to write a Disney Must-Do post, chock full of all things Mickey, but I'm not even gonna try to timeline myself on that one!*

Jiggity Jig!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!
I have memories of my parents and grandparents reciting this phrase when we pulled into the driveway after vacation, so I guess it passed down to me!

We jiggity-jigged home this afternoon from NINE fabulous days in Disney World! Nine days filled with family, food, fun, and fat. {No seriously, our workout regimen starts at promptly 5:30 a.m. tomorrow!} I am so lucky to be blessed with such wonderful vacations, lavished upon Glenn, my brother, and me, by our loving and amazing parents. We have never wanted for anything and have lived a life some only dream of; and I sincerely promise, those blessings are not lost on me.

Our next to last day in Disney was spent jaunting back to Epcot, this time for two purposes: {1} to ride Soarin', one of our favorite Disney rides. It's a simulated hang-glider experience where you fly over California! And it's so freaking real - we're talking you smell the pine trees and feel the ocean breeze. The wait is always stupid long and fast passes run out quickly, but this day the wait was a mere 60 minutes so we put on our big kid britches and just dealt. Worth it! And {2} to eat German bratwursts and down some Oktoberfest brews. Is it sad if this is one of our favorite meals in the parks? I don't eat red meat, much to the horror of my family, so my sandwich was simply tons of bread, loads of sauerkraut, and mustard, and ya know what? It was delish even sans-wiener. {I'm not even going to write the jokes in my head right now...}

I wore tennis shoes for something other than exercise,
which is unheard of for me. I kinda hate them, but this day,
my feet were begging for a break!

After EPCOT, we headed over to Magic Kingdom again, since my brother hadn't been yet this trip! We rode the famous Space Mountain, which has definitely become more jerky over the years. My back actually hurt post-ride! Not cool, Diz.

And then hopped on Buzz Lightyear once more, where I had to give a hey girl heyyyy to my amazing blog friend Erin! She and her hubby are heading to Disney next April and she's been living vicariously through my posts!

Next, Glenn and I zippity-doo-da'd to Cinderella's castle for our tradition of a smile-and-kiss picture near the spot where we got engaged!

I also made some new best fraaaands. Dopey was always my favorite dwarf. He's just so cute!

I'll be back tomorrow with my final Disney post to tell you about two ridiculously incredible dinners/restaurants we enjoyed on our last two nights! As sad as I am to be finished recapping this unforgettable vacation, Glenn and I have some EXCITING plans tomorrow night and I can't wait to share with you on Friday!

I will say, Miss Buggins is a tad thrilled to have Mommy and Daddy home :)

Which resulted in my black dress looking like this...

But our homecoming almost came at a price ~ a very steep, overweight-luggage price!

#rockstarpacker.  Or just serial over-packer... It's a curse.

EPCOT, again?! Well, it's for the beverages...

Though you may not believe me, I truly don't go around sloshed on booze and slurring my speech every chance I get. But vacation is the one time you can day-drink and no one is allowed to tell you no, right?! Especially in Disney, where they're kind enough to DD your sloppy self everywhere you wanna go! So, drink we have :) I already posted about our first day world traveling with drinks in hand, but since EPCOT is our favorite park, we were thrilled at the opportunity to do it all over again! This time, though, there were bigger things planned than a couch nap to end the day.

We started the day by just barely making it to our reservation on time, which is often par for the course for our fam. I'm late EVERYWHERE I go, and I'm just gonna go with, "I got it from my mama," k? We had lunch at Via Napoli, in the Italy section of EPCOT, and I ate the best pizza I've ever had in my life. Unfortunately, I have no pictures because it went down faster than a dozen flutes of champagne on New Year's Eve.

Then we literally just walked and walked and walked, so much so that I swear I heard my feet scream, "We hate you, you stupid, active biatch. Slow the eff down, take a seat, and give us a break!" And we took ridiculous pictures, of course :)  {Pretty sure the whole fam damily is utterly sick of my, "Wait, let's take a picture really quick. ...BUT IT'S FOR THE BLOG!!!"}

If our future kids are just a smidge normal, it'll be more miraculous than Lazarus.

My brother's hair is currently so long he has a little ponytail, and yet I kinda dig it!

Charlotte is great and all, but I really miss palm trees.

Ladies, I know you're truly bummed, but this sexy beast is off the market!

Marriage means being stupid together, and that's kinda the most awesome thing in the world.

Mexico temple, with San Angel Inn restaurant inside 

Saturday night we had dinner at La Hacienda mexican restaurant before heading over to one of the best Disney holiday events ~ the Candlelight Processional! If you're ever in Disney during the holidays, I can't recommend enough that you get tickets to this. Choirs from all over the country are invited to come sing all of the traditional Christmas hymns and carols, alongside an orchestra that just blows my mind every time. {I tried to play the flute in 7th grade and nearly passed out, so my orchestral days ended pretty quickly.} And every three nights or so, there is a different celebrity guest that reads the biblical Christmas story. The night we went we had the honor of seeing Geena Davis, who had such an excellent reading voice! These law few days, Neil Patrick Harris has been the reader and I would've loved to see him, too. {1} He's hilarious, and {2} he and his husband have quite possibly the cutest twins ever, one of which is named Harper, so that's just freaking lovely! Other guests this year include James Denton {of Desperate Housewives fame. Oh, the things I'd do...}, Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Grant, and Trace Adkins {that voice!}. 

Geena Davis at the center podium, in black.

{See the top right photo? Perhaps my favorite part of the whole processional is the sign language interpreter! It's the same lady every year and she's just downright perfect. I'm so interested in sign language and it's most definitely on my bucket list as a must-learn!}

I have so enjoyed reading y'all's numerous comments about Disney World on my previous posts! So many people either have a wonderful Disney story to tell, are visiting soon or just ended a vacation here, or are living vicariously through my recaps. And y'all, that just plum makes me smile!  :)

P.S. ~ Don't forget to like Southern Living, Our Way on Facebook!

SUCH a noob!

Newbie. Rookie. Totally unaware of the social media world around me. Call it what you will.

Thus far, the only page for this blog has been, well, this blog. Which seems all fine and well, right? Right, if I'm content to write for a small audience of loyal {and amazing!} followers. But don't kid yourself. You and I both know that blogging begins with an aspiration of becoming HUGE, GINORMOUS, MASSIVE, and dare I say, FAMOUS. 

{Anyone else's ears burning with this 80's classic?}

I'm kidding, I have zero plans to become the least bit famous. I'm certain there's far too much blackmail in my past for that to end any way but badly. But, all that nonsensical mumbo-jumbo to say, MY LITTLE BLOGGY FINALLY HAS A FACEBOOK PAGE!

Click here to like like like me if you love love love Southern Living, Our Way! Soon, I promise there will be a social media button somewhere, but give me time, peeps! I may be worse than your great-grandmother when it comes to technology.

Next up: Figuring out how to use Twatter to twit shit, and Instagr(dot)am to show the world pictures of my dinner. Woohoo! Isn't social media just a hoot-and-a-half?!

We're so Hollywood

I'm linking up today's Disney recap post to Tell Me About It Tuesday, hosted by some amazing ladies ~ Helene, Emily, and Kathleen!

Oh, my poor feet. I'm not so much of a bish that I'm going to actually complain about anything at Disney World {k, except for jazzy chairs} but spending a whole day in the same pair of boots just can't be good for my tootsies!

The day after Thanksgiving we had a full day planned at Disney's Hollywood Studios {formerly MGM}, our second favorite park to drunken EPCOT :) We got there early and used our fast passes for Toy Story Mania {you must get there super early or "fast pass" this ride; at one point that day the wait was 130 MINUTES!} Toy Story Mania is similar to Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom but even better. And with my ridiculously competitive family, it's always a good time. For the record, this time Dad won, but I came in second! 

Next up was my favorite ride in all of Disney World ~ Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster!

I love, love, love roller coasters and this is one of the best I've ever been on. If nothing else but for the gorgeous picture at the end that looks like you're seeing a ghost and maybe just peed your britches, too. And I'm definitely that girl on roller coasters, screaming my head off like I'm running from Ted Bundy.

We had lunch at a place called Prime Time Cafe, a 50's-style kitchen restaurant where the waitresses are on you constantly about your manners and they serve mama's good ol' home-cookin'.

Our waitress, "cousin Elizabeth," was also the most hilarious server there.

After lunch we saw the Beauty and the Beast show, which I've been dying to see since it opened. I love the original movie, despite its ridiculous implication that "women are inferior to men and shouldn't read, write, or do anything but marry guido men with ponytails and muscles." But I'm just gonna nip this feminist rant in the bud; nobody came to this blog for that shiz!

 

The show was really awesome though, and basically summed up B&B in a mere 30 minutes. No need to watch it 227 times with the kids you're nannying for! {Yeah, that definitely happened. Test me; I can recite every line.} Hey Andrea, recognize the stage? Y'all, lucky lady Andrea {the cutest person ever and also my amaaaazing blog designer} got engaged ON THIS STAGE!!! Seriously, click that little linky link to read her whole story. Warning: you'll get goosebumps and bawl your eyes out like a looney, if you're anything like me.

Next up was Tower of Terror, but I, of course, have zero pictures from that because I was too busy screaming my funeral instructions in case I didn't make it. No matter how much I love free-fall rides {a lot} or how many times I've ridden this one {a lot lot lot}, I may or may not wet my pantaloons a tad every time. Also, the kid in front of us videotaped the whole thing on his iPhone. First, I think that's against some Disney copyright, because they own, like, everything in the universe; and second, if I didn't die of a fear-induced coronary, I had nightmares of death by iPhone smacking me in the temple. That'd make such a shitty tombstone header.

We then hightailed it over to the coolest stunt show ever, Lights, Motors, Action! All I can say is you have to go see it; it's a great behind-the-scenes look at how they make Tom Cruise look like he actually has talent. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Please tell me you didn't miss THE DUDE FREE-FALLING OFF THE BUILDING.

No biggie, just a guy on fire.

And last of the night, but so not least {aka ~ the whole reason we went to Hollywood Studios that day in the first place!} was the Osborne Family spectacle of lights. It's millions upon bajillions of Christmas lights lining the "Streets of America" section of Hollywood Studios, and it's so beautiful. The lights dance to music and there's fake snow and it's all warm-fuzzy Christmas to the max.

Next up: we went back to EPCOT and drank again. Shocker of the year, eh?!

"You smell like beef and cheese!"

"You don't smell like Santa!"

If you can name that movie, we're BFF and ever and ever and ever. If you can't, I'll accept your formal apology in the form of oodles of bottles of wine sent directly to me. {Or a free large ad space, because blogging is a ruthless world, y'all!}

I figure a little Disney break is in order, but just for today! I promise I'll be back with more family shenanigans tomorrow :)

No big shock here, Elf is my favorite holiday movie ever made. I firmly believe the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! Unless your voice is as heinous as mine, and then you're probably better off showing up to the party with spiked eggnog and getting everyone snockered. Bonus points if you don't tell anyone it's spiked, because getting your buttoned-up Aunt Ethel drunk would be one for the books.

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

I already made my poor husband promise to watch Elf this week when we get home from vacation. Little does he know that once it's in the DVD player, it's on repeat until well after December 25th! And while Elf is a super-dee-duper popular holiday movie, and for good reason, there's some unknown holiday cheer out there waiting to be shared with the world. And I just love y'all, so share I shall!

First up: WATCH THIS VIDEO NOW. Really, that's all I need to say, but in case you need a little extra incentive, there's a line in this song that says, "Who took that buuuuush and crammed it in my tuuuuush"... 

If this blog wasn't already in ridiculand on a daily basis, it sure as shootin' is now! I mean, THAT PICTURE. And to up the ante, I must inform you that my mother-in-law introduced Glenn and me to this song last year. My freaking mother-in-law. Just let that awkwardness settle in for a second... I would rather run naked through NYC Macy's on Black Friday, seriously. My nekkid body is far less awkward than that entire situation.

Moving right along, to the best Christmas song I've ever heard. First, do y'all know Straight No Chaser? No, I don't mean every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night in college. {BTW, if you're smart you sip a pre-shot drink and then do the shot. Wish I'd learned that before I was an alum and infamous for my ugly post-shot face.} I adore a cappella music so my favorite Pandora station is already Straight No Chaser's general mix-up. But come November 1st, I switch to their holiday station and go ga-ga for two months at their envious talent. I personally believe the best song they've done is their rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas and I play it on repeat all season long!

The best part starts right around 2:00, so keep listening! Every time I hear it, I get chills and I swoon over their bow ties and I look up their concert schedule. Glenn is fully aware they'll be in Charlotte in February 2013 and I wouldn't hate it if he surprised me with tickets ;)  {Sweet husband of mine whom I love so dearly, I know you're reading!}

And for a not-so-classy take on The Twelve Days of Christmas, I present you The Twelve Pains of Christmas {also by Bob Rivers, the lunatic who wrote about a tree stump in an angel's no-no zone.}

I couldn't find an original video for Twelve Pains, but this motley crew is so deliciously 80's, I just couldn't pass it up!

Any ridiculous or a cappella-ly awesome Christmas songs I'm missing? Or am I just headed to hell in a hand basket for sometimes favoring these over traditional carols? Eh, it may be best if you don't answer that.

Drankin' 'round EPCOT

I haven't blogged for two days and I feel like I may as well have been on Survivor, all living sans technology {and razors. ew.} for weeks. I've missed you crazies!! I'm so glad to be back and sharing more recaps from our Disney vacay, but I wouldn't trade one second of the amazing time I've had with my family on this trip. {And yep, we're still here!}

First, a gratuitously adorable shot of me and that handsome man tied to me forever via a piece of jewelry. Gah, our babies are going to be NBA-tall.

This night we went to Ohana, a family-style Hawaiian restaurant in the Disney Polynesian hotel. All I can say is thank heavens that dress was forgiving. I go entirely too Honey Boo Boo/Mama June when family-style-sized helpings of food are placed in front of me. Get in mah bellaaay. {Funny story: twice in the past we've eaten at Ohana with my extended family, and both times my little cousin has barfed AT THE TABLE. Shit you not, my poor brother is too traumatized to ever go back. We ate there the night he flew into Orlando, before his flight landed, so he narrowly escaped another vom attack.}

Is there a smooth way to transition from public vomiting to, ummm, anything else? I didn't think so. 

If you decide to take one piece of advice from this blog, choose this one: visit EPCOT in Disney World and drink "around the world." For the record, I sure hope I dole out better advice than that at some point, but for now it's take it or leave it, peeps. EPCOT's World Showcase houses eleven countries from around the world {'Merca included; gotta get that funnel cake!}, each with native employees from that country and unique shops and restaurants that give you a little ounce of international travel. I mean, the furthest out of the country I've been is getting my boobies jiggled by the whistling shot lady at Senor Frogs in Cozumel, Meh-he-co, so this World Showcase is like a million stamps on my passport. So, the day before Thanksgiving was our first EPCOT day and boy oh boy did we drink 'round the world. I even took a beer-induced couch nap when we got back to the hotel, and I am NOT a couch napper. On the rare occasions I nap, I do it right and pajama-up in the middle of the day, close the blinds, turn off my phone and wake up disoriented like I missed three whole days of life. 

This time we didn't have a drink in every single country, but we've definitely done it twice before and both times by the end I was all, "I might barf on that lady in front of me with the fanny pack. And not even because she has a fanny pack, though that would be barf-worthy. But just so. much. beer."

The day started with lunch at San Angel Inn in Mexico {I say the countries like that so I sound all cultured and "abroaded," because that's definitely a real word.} with poor iPhone photo quality and a delicious jalapeno+cucumber margarita. Guess who's a lightweight? This senorita.

Then we jet-setted over to Germany for some Oktoberfest bier and some jazzy-chair spotting. Disney tip: Look out for jazzy chairs!! These things are terrifying in Disney World. My poor brother, as if the witnessing restaurant puking wasn't enough, actually got mowed down by a jazzy once. As I write this story, there are actual tears of laughter streaming down my face. It was hilariously awful and it gets better every time he tells it. It was years ago, but this lady seriously just plowed into his ankles like he was invisible.

Did I mention my mom is a legit supermodel?!
{And yes'm, I wore my rockin' red pants two days in a row.}

Oh birds, I loathe every twitchy step you take. Seriously, get off my cloud!

I've already posted this, but it's so worth posting again, because my homies rock.

There's nothing better than Disney during the holidays!

We call Holly a deer, so naturally Bambi melts my heart.

This thing is stupidly huge and actually terrifies me to look at. GIGANTOR.

That night we went to Downtown Disney and ate at an Irish restaurant called Raglan Road. Actual Irish dancing on stage and awesomesauce Irish food. I highly recommend it!

Glenn even made a new BFF!

Then we shopped around for a bit and I found the perfect gift for everyone on my list...

Who doesn't want baby pooh in a blanket?! Winnie the Pooh is my favorite Disney character {Eeyore is a close second, but Pooh's cute pot belly is akin to squishy chunky baby thighs. They melt me.} so Baby Pooh all wrapped in a blanket was too adorable. Then I turned the tag over and about peed my pants right there in the store. You better believe I read every other baby-character-in-blanket tag, but a blanket full of pooh took the cake.