Weird and Ninja’s Pre-Disneymoon [Completed!]

[Cinderella16]

The joys of teaching!

Cannot wait for another update!

 

[klacey1]

Good luck with those progress reports! Can't wait for the next update!

 

[RachelNinja]

Good luck with all the work! I have been swamped recently, also.

We're down to the end though! Only a little bit left to go, and then we can breathe a sigh of relief! Haha, that's also when I try to catch up on sleep, but then the boredom catches up on me.

David Archuleta, I loved him on American Idol. Glad I am not the only one who listens to him...

Good luck with all your work.

I didn't watch him on AI, but last year when we went to the roller rink on a field trip with the middle school, two of the girls were lip syncing "Crush" and putting on this mini performance. Ever since then, I liked the song (hadn't really heard it beforehand; I know, I live under a rock!). Only recently (past 2 -3 months or so) did I find his other songs (thanks YouTube!), and now I listen to his CD quite often! I'd say he's my guilty pleasure, but there's nothing to feel guilty about because he's so cute and talented!

There is a CB near me and although I don't frequent it often, I love going there. I love having breakfast food any time of the day!

Good luck with your teaching duties! Schools almost over right?

Haha, what's with the lure of breakfast food at all times of the day? Because that's the reason why I like Perkin's. I like being able to order an omelette or pancakes at 11pm!

Hope your day went well

Thanks so much! It went like any other day. Plus, I'm always extra glad when I get home safely when it's raining!

The joys of teaching!

Cannot wait for another update!

Haha, isn't it? Progress reports and report cards are terrible, but I think I'd still rather do those than have those parent teacher conferences! Especially since I don't go home in between dismissal and the start of conferences because it'd be a waste of time and gas. At least with grades, I work in silence (or with David Archuleta or Fantasmic in the background!).

Good luck with those progress reports! Can't wait for the next update!

Thank you! I finished the grades, but I still have to input them on the master copy tomorrow and possibly write up some explanations on the narratives.

A Random Picture Update

Thanks for being so patient everyone! I'll do my best to get an update up as soon as possible, but tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment at night so that'll eat up my time too. Too bad I didn't get the installment up every day; that would've been cool to do, but I know I can't push myself. I know you'll all stick around, right?

Here's just a random picture for the day. Weird and I were at World of Disney in NYC (it doesn't exist anymore!). We were loving the art there; it was the first time we had ever seen all the artwork before!

 

[Cat0727]

Hope your day went well!

State testing is always stressful. One of the schools my mom works at somehow pulled the wrong kid for testing today, and by the time they figured it out he had already filled in the answer bubbles to 4 questions. so they erased it and gave the answer sheet to the correct kid so he could take the test the parents are not pleased. I'd hate to be the proctor who made that mistake.

 

[TokyoDina]

Aww Rachel I'll stick around!

And I won't lie there is a NYC trip in the making. We were told about a hotel that is made just for military folks there. So we were going to plan on staying there just dates a little up in the air. I'm sure it will happen. I tried to get DH to go this time but he was like no I wanna see one of the wonders of the world. So here we are. I'm sure it'll be fun. I think he might be a little bit worried about how expensive NYC might be.

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Yay! You did get to eat at CB! And I love their chicken n' dumplings, too. And their hasbrown casserole. I never stop there and NOT get the hashbrowns. Okay, I'm going to stop drooling over it and eat a pretzel. LOL!

The room you stayed in looks nice and comfy.

I can't wait until the next day's travels start. Seriously, I am really enjoying the "ride".

 

[Brave teacher]

YAY!!!! I love Cracker Barrel! I order breakfast there no matter waht the time of day. I just love it so much!

I competely understand teaching work getting in the way of Dis time!

 

[RachelNinja]

Hope your day went well!

State testing is always stressful. One of the schools my mom works at somehow pulled the wrong kid for testing today, and by the time they figured it out he had already filled in the answer bubbles to 4 questions. so they erased it and gave the answer sheet to the correct kid so he could take the test the parents are not pleased. I'd hate to be the proctor who made that mistake.

Thanks! I'm glad one test is over and done with! I don't like how the state tests take place during 2 consecutive weeks! They pushed them back this year; normally the ELA is in January and the math is in March, I think. Pushing it back means more material on the test and more time to stress about getting the students prepared.

Aww Rachel I'll stick around!

And I won't lie there is a NYC trip in the making. We were told about a hotel that is made just for military folks there. So we were going to plan on staying there just dates a little up in the air. I'm sure it will happen. I tried to get DH to go this time but he was like no I wanna see one of the wonders of the world. So here we are. I'm sure it'll be fun. I think he might be a little bit worried about how expensive NYC might be.

NYC has so much to offer even for free. Haha, not that I know it all because strangely, people who live in NY don't necessarily know the city as well as some tourists do. The only times I went to many of the museums was on field trips when I was still in school! But it's fun to go to stores like FAO Schwartz! Too bad World of Disney is gone

Yay! You did get to eat at CB! And I love their chicken n' dumplings, too. And their hasbrown casserole. I never stop there and NOT get the hashbrowns. Okay, I'm going to stop drooling over it and eat a pretzel. LOL!

The room you stayed in looks nice and comfy.

I can't wait until the next day's travels start. Seriously, I am really enjoying the "ride".

Too bad CB is a place that's full of carbs! I think all the bad-for-me food that I ate on vacation was what affected my blood test results a week after we returned! The doctor told me to bring down my LDL by avoiding fried foods, dairy, and carbs! Haha, those things are synonymous with places like CB.

YAY!!!! I love Cracker Barrel! I order breakfast there no matter waht the time of day. I just love it so much!

I competely understand teaching work getting in the way of Dis time!

I'm so glad that there are many teachers on DIS. There are so many things that others may try to understand but can never quite understand until they themselves become teachers! Yes, almost everyone has stress in his/her profession, but teacher stress is an entirely different category!

 

[RachelNinja]

Sunday, April 4: I Want To Be A Southern Girl

Hi everyone! I’m back for the night! Tutoring was cancelled after school since the student was at home sick. I forced myself to stay after dismissal for about 45 minutes to catch up on some grading and organizing that I needed to do.

It’s been somewhat overwhelming what with ELA state tests this past Monday to Wednesday and the math state tests next Wednesday and Thursday. Considering I teach both ELA and math, it’s doubly stressful for me. I know that ultimately the kids are the ones responsible for putting in the effort to do well. However, I think any teacher of a class that deals with standardized tests will tell you that there’s pressure on the teacher too!

I thought that I’d be able to use my TR as a break, but fatigue and bad chest congestion due to allergies has prevented me from being able to concentrate on anything. I am here for now though, so as always, thanks for sticking with me! The last installment was the end of day 1, which was a travel day that landed us in Lumberton, North Carolina at Country Inn & Suites. The best part of that hotel was the breakfast the next day, so let’s start there!

As I said in the previous installment, Matt stayed in the same room as Weird. Weird snapped a pic of him getting ready. Normally if it’s just the 4 of us in a room, it’s extremely difficult to get Matt up in the morning and out of bed. He eventually wakes up and then just sits on the bed. Mom even tosses him the clothes to change into, but he just sits. Haha, that didn’t happen this time because once Weird woke him up, he had to get up right away!

We got down to breakfast a little after 8am, which was great because it ended up that most people went down there around 8:30! We were the only ones really there at that point, so it was nice to be able to get our food and a table without having to feel rushed or crowded. I think something like that makes all the difference. It probably wouldn’t have been as good a breakfast if we dealt with rushed or crowded conditions.

Mom was really excited about the waffle machine! Here she is pouring the waffle batter into the machine.

I’ve never seen a batter dispenser like this. When I posted the pic on Facebook, one of my friends said they had it at her college cafeteria. Haha, so it wasn’t THAT unique, but wow, I’ve never seen it before!

Once the batter is poured in, you pull the handle down to close it. Once you flip it, the timer starts going.

As you can see, mom didn’t know how much batter to pour out into the cup, so it was a bit too much. It oozed out over the sides. It was okay though; when we pulled the waffle off, the sides came off with it, so we didn’t leave a mess.

While we were waiting for the waffle, Weird was getting some other hot food that was already prepared.

Here is what the waffle looks like when it’s ready to be eaten! I actually didn’t enjoy it so much. My problem is that I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives when Guy praises one guy at his restaurant because he keeps a little pitcher of syrup on the flat top so that the syrup will stay warm. He said it didn’t make sense to put cold syrup on a hot waffle. Once I took a bite with a little bit of syrup, I kept thinking, “The syrup needs to be warmed!” Thankfully, I had already planned on splitting the waffle with Weird, so I didn’t have to eat the whole thing.

It’s okay though because I found the main reason why I really want to be a southern girl. Biscuits and gravy! Okay, this is just one biscuit, so singular biscuit with lots of gravy! Plural that gravy, please!

I’ve seen this one many shows and on many food porn blogs, and I’ve always wanted to try it. This was so good! I mean, maybe it’s because I had nothing else to compare it to, but I know it’s very important for the biscuit to be good on its own. No gravy can save a bad biscuit. I’m happy to say that the biscuit was extremely good; it was moist and soft on the inside with a slightly crispier outside to create some texture. Then the gravy was also delicious! You can see the chunks of sausage in it. The only issue I had with this was that the gravy could’ve been much hotter. I still ate every bit of it though! I wish I had eaten that first and not wasted stomach room on part of a waffle!

Well, what with Cracker Barrel and biscuits and gravy, I don’t really know why I’m still here in the Northeast!

 

[dellasgirl]

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[wdwgirl03]

We had those waffle makers in the dorm cafeterias at college too. I remember one time I burned it...

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

mmmm... a girl after my own heart. Gravy with a little biscuit.... looks good!

Sorry to hear your week was stressful. I hate this time of year for allergies. Hope everything calms down soon.

 

[irky416]

Mmmmmm.... I LOVE waffles! (Actually, I just love breakfast in general. We have breakfast foods for dinner once a week! I can't eat much but cereal/granola bars/yogurt in the morning or I get sick, so we have to have it for dinner.) And we always buy the syrup in the bottle that you can microwave and warm it up before we put it on any breakfast foods! It's so much better that way! Now I really want some waffles!

 

[Bridora]

Yay! Day two...one day closer to Disney! Seriously, I am loving your mini installments.

We have Cracker Barrels all over the place here in AR. We never really to go them, though. I've never had their breakfast either!

I liked your lantern picture, by the way.

And I'm with you on the straw wrapper thing, too.

Of course you guys would fit in here in the South--we'd love to have you, but that sweet tea thing is an important part of being Southern. But with the CB and the biscuits & gravy (loooooooooved them a bit too much growing up--I try to stay away from them now, but have very fond memories!) you are well on your way!

Add me to the list of having never seen that type of waffle batter dispenser. My kids love the continental breakfast...especially at our stop on the way to WDW. They've already talked about eating breakfast there this year!

 

[RachelNinja]

I LOVE biscuits and gravy--we usually have our at BOjangles
You are on your way to becoming a southern girl--one question though
Do you like sweet tea?
Drinking sweet tea is a must here in the south. I was raised on it and have continued the tradition with my kids.
Glad you are feeling better and even more happy that we can "get back on the road"

Ooo, we kept seeing Bojangles on the way down too. I just know they have good chicken and good biscuits with ... jam? Something like that. When a few people from my church went to NC to help out with another church's Vacation Bible School program, they said that they LOVED Bojangles!

I don't know that I've had proper sweet tea. I forgot where I had it; I don't know if it was McD's or something? I just vaguely remember not liking it wherever I had it? But then when those people mentioned above tried REAL sweet tea, they said it was so good and different than what McD's offers. I don't know how authentic the one I had actually was. I must try that during my next trip when we're down south again!

We had those waffle makers in the dorm cafeterias at college too. I remember one time I burned it...

Haha, as long as you took the burnt waffle with you! One time I saw a guy burn a bagel and then walk away from it.

mmmm... a girl after my own heart. Gravy with a little biscuit.... looks good!

Sorry to hear your week was stressful. I hate this time of year for allergies. Hope everything calms down soon.

Haha, I like that description: "gravy with a little biscuit"!

Ugh, this change in weather is driving me crazy. It was only 50 something as high at the beginning of the week, but today it's high of 87. If that's not asking for a sinus headache, I don't know what is!

Mmmmmm.... I LOVE waffles! (Actually, I just love breakfast in general. We have breakfast foods for dinner once a week! I can't eat much but cereal/granola bars/yogurt in the morning or I get sick, so we have to have it for dinner.) And we always buy the syrup in the bottle that you can microwave and warm it up before we put it on any breakfast foods! It's so much better that way! Now I really want some waffles!

Ooo, what brand is that syrup that you use? I think that would make all the difference. The funny thing is that I never had a problem with it beforehand! It wasn't until Guy Fieri said so on DDD that I came to realize I wanted warm syrup!

Yeah, I could definitely go for a waffle now because it's 2:05 in the afternoon. For breakfast, I like food-food. On the morning before we left for Florida, I had pizza! It keeps me full longer, and I'm very willing to eat it.

Yay! Day two...one day closer to Disney! Seriously, I am loving your mini installments.

We have Cracker Barrels all over the place here in AR. We never really to go them, though. I've never had their breakfast either!

I liked your lantern picture, by the way.

And I'm with you on the straw wrapper thing, too.

Of course you guys would fit in here in the South--we'd love to have you, but that sweet tea thing is an important part of being Southern. But with the CB and the biscuits & gravy (loooooooooved them a bit too much growing up--I try to stay away from them now, but have very fond memories!) you are well on your way!

Add me to the list of having never seen that type of waffle batter dispenser. My kids love the continental breakfast...especially at our stop on the way to WDW. They've already talked about eating breakfast there this year!

I know that I'd have such health problems if I ate what I wanted all the time because I would have biscuits and gravy at least twice a week (if I controlled myself just a little!). My cardiologist would have a fit because my cholesterol would skyrocket!

I still would like having the option of eating biscuits and gravy whenever I wanted even if I didn't actually do it. I don't know where to get it in NY.

I think that better breakfasts is what will get me to book at a certain hotel. It makes all the difference not having to leave the hotel to get food. I like going back to the room for a half hour to digest and use the bathroom instead of just leaving a restaurant/fast food joint and going out on the road right away.

Haha, so cute that your kiddies are already talking about the breakfast. What is it that they like to eat?

 

[floridascgirl]

Rachel, I think you were a Southerner in a past life.

 

[Brave teacher]

Sounds like a very southern breakfast to me....

 

[TokyoDina]

i love waffles! I even have a cookbook on how to make different kinds! It's great!

 

[RachelNinja]

Rachel, I think you were a Southerner in a past life.

Haha, I mentioned this to Weird last night. He said it's very difficult for me to let the Southerner part of me come out if I live here in the North!

Sounds like a very southern breakfast to me....

I'd love a southern breakfast tomorrow morning! It'd give me a very good reason to wake up!

i love waffles! I even have a cookbook on how to make different kinds! It's great!

Mmm, what other kinds of waffles are there other than ... um, plain and buttermilk? Haha. I don't know much about waffles except that they're good!

 

[RachelNinja]

Sunday, April 4: I'm a Wiener at Pedro's!

The previous installment was about the ending of our delightful southern breakfast! I was an extremely happy camper! What made the morning even better was that there was a family eating in the front lobby area right next to the dining area. They had the cutest baby! As we were walking up the stairs in the same location, I waved at the baby, so the happy baby waved back and continued to watch us climb the stairs. Then at the top of the 2nd floor, there was this little alcove that jutted out that also had a window looking down into the lobby. I continued waving to the baby from up there! Haha, that made my morning extra special.

We headed back to the rooms to finish packing up. We also took the time to use the bathrooms before we were back on the road. Clean bathrooms (or should I say the lack of clean bathrooms!) are the only reason why road trips can get difficult. My mom loves telling the story of the time when I was 3 years old. I refused to go to the bathroom for 13 hours straight. My mom would clean the seat and line it, but I just couldn't go. Haha, of course, nowadays that would never happen because I've got the smallest bladder ever, especially in the morning when I have to drink a lot of water to take 5 pills. Because of that, I usually skip my 2nd medicine when I know we're going to be in the car for a while, which then messes with my stomach, but that's a whole other tangent!

Anyway, I went to Weird's bathroom and noticed that he didn't take the soap and shampoo! Haha, it was like, Pantene or something, so it would definitely come in handy later in the week. It's so difficult to lather up the shampoo for my hair using Florida water, so I end up using more shampoo on vacation than I normally do at home.

I also enjoyed the fact that Country Inns & Suites have a good sense of humor! A disposable towel could be found in the bathroom as well that has this list printed on it:

10 creative ways to use this all-purpose towel
1. Removing makeup that miraculously stayed on all day despite a rigorous workout in the fitness center.
2. Smuggling warm waffles to your guest room.
3. Wiping a child's face, arms and hands after enjoying fresh, gooey cookies from the front desk.
4. As a car windshield chamois, for the next exciting leg of your journey.
5. Buffing up your shoeshine before the big event or maybe just because you like looking at your own strangely distorted reflection.
6. As a bookmark for your Read It & Return Lending Library book.
7. As a driver's surrender flag, for when your children ask, "Are we there yet?" for the tenth time.
8. As a notepad for that unexpected vacation phone call from your boss.
9. Polishing your golf ball after making birdies at the 15th and 16th holes. Unfortunately, it can't wipe away the bogies you made on 4, 8, and 11.
10. Folding it into a decorative swan. We're not sure how you do this, but if you work it out, can you please let us know?

Well, eventually we had to say goodbye to this fabulous hotel! I would definitely recommend it. The only bad thing about it is that the rooms had this smell when we first got there. Both room had that smell, so it was probably the cleaner or disinfectant that they used. Once the AC was up and pumping, it got better. But the biscuits and gravy definitely made up for it! A clean room and good food is really all you need for an overnight stay.

We headed out back into the car, and it was a little chilly! I decided to ditch the capri sweatpants though and go with shorts. I was ready for Florida! Oh, but please don't mind the fact that I'm wearing the same Minnie t-shirt. Haha, first of all, we didn't do much the day before so I didn't have an opportunity to sweat in it. Second of all, I really didn't have much of a choice! All I had brought was tank tops! Haha, I can't believe I didn't bring another shirt.

Anyway, while we were in the car, I was able to point out my 2nd f avorite South of the Border billboard. It's the one that says: "You never sausage a place (you're always a wiener at Pedro's)." Haha, I loved seeing that as a kid. My all-time favorite one is the one with the jumping sheep because Rachel means "little lamb."

Now we're getting a view of South of the Border.

The lovely South of the Border sign. I remember reading a few trip reports that included DISers stopping to check this place out. Haha, I could feel the grunge through the computer monitor. It's still fun to see just because it's a landmark that indicates that we're closer to Florida than we are closer to home!

We kept seeing fireworks stores down south too. It reminded us of a few people back home who, for whatever reason, love fireworks. I think it's a great way to either blow your appendages off or blow up your cash! Leave the fireworks to Disney!

All those trees were getting pretty boring to see. Plus, it makes you extra tired seeing the same thing over and over again, which is why we loved the billboards so much. But this was fun to see too - purple in the trees!

Here's a close-up of purple in the trees, but it's kind of blurry. Plus, it just doesn't capture just how purple it really was and how pretty it was! This clump wasn't as pretty as others I had seen.

Bored bored bored ... but loving my blue-striped "Kevin Paul" socks! Too bad I don't wear sneakers to work so I can't wear socks. I'd be in a better mood every morning if I could wear wacky socks.

At 10am, we arrived in Florence, South Carolina. The car needed gas, and I needed to snap a picture of the Quincy's sign! When my older brother and I were kids, we always stayed in Florence, and we LOVED eating here. They had a buffet, so that meant being able to get whatever we wanted. We ate a lot of fried chicken wings and macaroni and cheese! I also ate a TON of mashed potatoes! Haha, the kid price had to have been inexpensive because my parents wouldn't have just let us eat those things only!

Here's a quick shot of the gross Ramada Inn from WDW 2008! Blech. That can be found in my other TR.

I don't really want to leave you on that last photo, but it is rather late! And I have to say, it is rather hot here in NY! When we were in Florida, I didn't mind having a high of 85. But then I realized that it's because indoors, the air conditioning is always blasting! That makes it bearable! Right now it's humid because the storm is approaching; it's just not hot enough to turn on the AC, which stinks.

Anyway, time to head to bed and prepare for Monday and the week of state math tests, woohoo!