You can't stop the beat.....

After seeing Hairspray on Broadway in NYC last summer, I heard that the movie version was coming out this summer. Well...after waiting for a year for the movie to come out, Jenna and I finally went to see Hairspray tonite! We both give it "two thumbs up" and highly recommend it. We were both singing along (Jenna knew all the songs since I have the soundtrack from the Broadway version) and laughing out loud throughout the movie. As soon as we left the theater, Jenna asked if we could go home and get Jacob and Chris so they could come watch it with us again! All of the stars were perfect in their roles and it was very, very similar to the Broadway version - just a few minor changes. And, if anyone needs a "date" to go with them to see it...Jenna and I would gladly see it again.

Raindrops on roses....

I wanted to go outside and just take photos, but then it started raining. As I sat on my patio watching the rain I got the brilliant idea to brave the rain (it was just a light rain...I'd never expose my camera to lots of rain!) and take photos of my flowers in the rain. These photos are really different for me - I am much more of a people photographer than a nature photographer...but I really like how they turned out.

addendum to the Disney photos....

- If you want to see enlargements of the character photos you can see them here.

-The ER story...just for Brenda (so sorry for not sharing it earlier!).
On Tuesday, while we were at Magic Kingdom, I started not feeling well. I was mostly just light headed, which kind of made me feel sick to my stomach. I sat while everyone else rode a few rides, but still didn't feel better...so we all ended up going back to the hotel to rest and get out of the heat for a while. We decided to go back to MK later to see the parade/fireworks and I was feeling better...so I went along. I went to bed early hoping I would wake up feeling 100% better...but I woke up feeling the same. So, I stayed in the hotel room all day just resting and relaxing. I felt a little better that night, so I ventured back to MK with everyone to see the parade/fireworks that had been rained out the night before and again went to bed early. The plan was to wake up feeling better and go to Animal Kingdom (which I had missed) with Chris and the kids in the morning. But, I woke up still not feeling better. By noon I decided something had to be done- I couldn't go the rest of the trip feeling this way and missing out on everything. Chris called the front desk to see what our options were. Basically we could pay $250 for a physician to come to the room....or we could go to a 24 hour redi-med type clinic (which had a wait time of 2+ hours). Chris called the clinic and found out that they didn't treat dehydration (which is what we suspected I had)...so after a lot thinking, I finally decided I had to go to the ER. Chris and I got to the Celebration, Florida (Yes...that is really the name of the town...but trust me, it was no celebration!) hospital ER at 1:00 and I registered. Within 5 minutes they called my name...and we immediately were impressed with how speedy their service was. HA! HA! This was stop #1 of 10!! Seriously, it was the craziest system I've ever experienced.

stop #1 - meet with nurse to determine symptoms, take blood pressure, temperature, hook me up to an EKG, and have me pee in a cup
stop #2 - back to the waiting room
stop #3 - into the exam room to change into a lovely hospital gown and to wait for the doctor....who after asking lots of questions about my symptoms says "Dizziness is a tricky thing to diagnose" and decides that I need some blood work and an IV. I specifically asked him how long all this would take and he said "one hour". HA again!
stop #4 - into a small waiting area in a hallway to wait for bloodwork to be done. While we were waiting we witnessed a very upset patient yell and swear at a doctor the entire length of the hallway and listened to another patient yell in pain and then procede to throw up repeatedly. By this time I'm really wondering if I made the right decision.
stop #5 - Into a small room to have blood drawn, recieve anti-nausea medicine and begin the IV of fluids
stop #6 - Off to the "observation area" to wait while my IV runs and also wait for the blood work results to come back. WAY too much time spent in this area - I had lost all patience by this point and had also lost my sense of humor. Just ask Chris...he got to witness it
stop #7 - back to the exam room to wait for the doctor. He told me all my bloodwork results were normal and that he'd give me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine. I never did get an official diagnosis....although I know I was dehydrated!
stop #8 - back into the small waiting area in the hallway to wait some more
stop #9 - into yet another room to have the IV removed, receive my prescription, get dressed and finally be discharged.
stop #10 - to the desk to pay my deductible and finally be on my way (at 4:15pm!!)

Almost as much as excitement as one of the Disney theme parks, huh?? Too bad we couldn't have used a "fast pass"! Luckily the fluids and the medicine seemed to do the trick and I was able to enjoy the last couple days of our trip.

Disney celebrities

Jacob and Jenna had so much fun scouting out Disney characters at the parks. By the end of the week we were really good at finding them and getting our spot in line for an autograph and photo. I was so impressed with how patient all the characters were. They each took time to sign the autograph books as well as pose for photos. Some characters really played up their character (like TweedleDum and Tweedle Dee, Belle, and Peter Pan and Wendy). We also went to a character breakfast called "Chef Mickey's" at the Contemporary resort. I really, really recommend going! The buffet was amazing (of course...it was the morning after my ER visit, so I still wasn't eating much...but my Mickey waffles and french toast were delicious! ). During the meal, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald each came around to our table - signing autographs and posing for photos. It was a great way to see these characters without the long, long lines!Jenna and Chris actually went twice. Our original reservations were for Wednesday morning. Jacob and I were sick, so everyone went without us. While they were there, Chris made reservations for Friday morning so Jacob and I wouldn't miss out. I was so glad we got to go!!

Below are photos of all the characters Jacob and Jenna got to meet. Jenna was very disappointed that we didn't meet Cinderella. Maybe next time. This is the official end of our Disney vacation photos. Guess I better get out and start taking some new photos!! (don't worry...Brenda, Marcus, Carsyn, and Payton will be here on Sunday. That means LOTS of fun photos!!)

Around Disney

Today's photos are just misc. photos from our stay at Disney. Since we stayed at a Disney Resort (the Boardwalk), we had the convenience of hopping on a bus, boat, or walking to all the parks and other resorts. It was so nice! One of our favorite meals was Thursday night at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. If you ever go to Disney, I highly recommend it! Unfortunately, that was the day I visited the ER, so I had very little appetite...but what I was able to eat was awesome! Chris is STILL talking about their steak.

You can see photos from our resort here.....and misc. Disney photos here. Tomorrow will be the last installment of Disney photos.....photos of the kids with the characters!

MGM

On Friday, Chris, Jacob, Jenna and I went back to "Chef Mickey's" at the Contemporary resort for breakfast. We originally had reservations to have breakfast there on Wednesday. Jacob and I both felt sick, so we had to stay behind while the rest went. While they were there, Chris made reservations for breakfast on Friday so Jacob and I could go. They had an awesome breakfast buffet. The best part is that Micky, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald came around and visited with each table - posing for photos and signing autographs. Photos of breakfast will come in a day or two.

After breakfast we met up with mom and dad and headed to MGM. We really liked this park. It seemed much more laid back than the others. We saw lots of fun shows like Indiana Jones stunt show and the Lights, Motor, Action stunt car show. We ate lunch at a fun restaurant - the Sci Fi Diner. The whole restaurant looked like an old drive in movie theater, complete with a screen showing old sci-fi movie clips. We sat in cars to eat (see photos below). The kids loved it! We also got to see quite a few characters at MGM (photos will come in a day or two). We got stuck in a typical afternoon Florida downpour and had to break out the ponchos for a little bit...but that didn't ruin our fun.

Below are a few of favorite photos from MGM. You can see the rest here.

Animal Kingdom

We (or I should say...everyone but ME) went to Animal Kingdom on Wednesday. I woke up still not feeling well (dizzy and a terrible headache). I attempted to go to Animal Kingdom with everyone and rode the bus all the way there...only to get off the bus feeling even worse. SO...Dad walked me back to the bus and I rode back to the hotel and crashed for the day. While they were exploring Animal Kingdom, I was laying on the couch watching Lifetime movies and sleeping. They all came back in the late afternoon - it was very hot and crowded at Animal Kingdom, so they cut their day short. That evening we went back to Magic Kingdom to watch the SpectroMagic light parade and fireworks (since they were rained out the night before). I felt good enough to join them for the parade and fireworks...but came back to the hotel and crashed afterwards.

Here are some photos from Animal Kingdom. Chris did a great job of being the family photographer for the day. Maybe I need to pass off the camera more often. You can see all of the Animal Kingdom photos here.

Magic Kingdom

We went to Magic Kingdom twice (Tuesday and Saturday). On Tuesday we saw "Tomorrowland" and "Frontierland" and got to ride Space Mountain (Jacob and Chris rode it twice), Spalsh Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, etc. This was the day I started not feeling well AND it was really, really hot, so we left in the afternoon to go back to the hotel for a while. Later we went back to Magic Kingdom to catch the SpectroMagic light parade and the fireworks. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to lightning in the area, so we came back and spent time on the boardwalk instead.

On Saturday we went back to MK after checking out of our hotel. We started in "Adventureland" and then spent time in "Fantasyland" and "Liberty Square". We were able to ride everything we wanted - including Small World (Jenna's favorite). We watched the "Dream Along with Mickey" show in front of the castle and also got to see the "Dreams Come True" parade in the afternoon (Chris is STILL singing the catchy little song that they played over and over during the parade). We went back to ride Splash Mountain one more time (Jacob's favorite), browsed the shops on Main Street, and then headed out.

Here are some of my favorite Magic Kingdom photos. You can see the rest of our Magic Kingdom photos here. (You can see Epcot photos and description in the post below - in case you missed it yesterday.)

Epcot

We spent our first full day at Disney at Epcot. It was about a 7 minute walk to Epcot from our hotel which made it very convenient. We started at Future World and rode "Soarin' " first. Very fun ride - but it scared Jenna to death and made her question every ride she rode for the rest of the trip. I think my favorite ride at Epcot was "Test Track" - very fast and fun! We headed to the World Showcase in the afternoon and visited all the countries. Jacob and Jenna picked up a mask at the first country we visited (Mexico) and were able to add "tokens" representing each country at the remaining countries. They had a lot of fun finding all the spots to collect their tokens. In the evening, Chris and I walked over to officially check into our hotel while Mom, Dad, Jacob and Jenna ate dinner (fish and chips in the United Kingdom) and claimed a spot for the fireworks/laser show. We sat on a bridge between UK and France and had a great view of the fireworks show and then headed back to the hotel for a night swim in the pool.

Here are just a few of my favorite Epcot photos. To see the rest you can go here. (click on "view slideshow" to see them best).

We're home!!

10 days

2200 miles

4 hotels

6 day passes to Disney

4 Disney parks

1 trip to the ER

350+ photos

and lots and lots of memories

I'm in the process of uploading all my Disney photos to an online photo album so everyone can see them.

M..I..C.....see you real soon.....

The time is FINALLY here! After lots of planning, changing plans a little, reading lots of Disney books, and packing we are ready to leave for WALT DISNEY WORLD tomorrow morning. We will drive to Georgia tomorrow and arrive in Orlando on Sunday. Our first day at WDW will actually be on Monday (we'll spend the day at Epcot). We have 6 day passes, so we'll be able to spend plenty of time in all 4 parks. Of course, I will have lots of fun Disney photos to share when we return.

THANKS to Dad Covey for planning our trip. It's not going to be the same going without all of you. It's hard to be going on "your trip" by ourselves, but we are so thankful for the chance to get away and share this special trip with Jacob and Jenna. They can't wait!! Thanks also for allowing us to invite my parents to go along with us. We will definitely be thinking of all of you....especially Becca....while we are there.

Party time....

We had a small get together for Jenna's birthday on Sunday night. Grandpa and Grandma Covey, Uncle Bob and Aunt Celesta, and Uncle Ryan all came to our house for pizza. Jenna didn't want cake....she's not really a big cake lover...so instead I made cookies. She got lots of fun girlie presents ("boy" Barbies, make up, the new Fairytopia movie, a Barbie laptop computer, books to read, and money for Disney World). Our schedules have been pretty crazy this summer, but we really appreciate everyone making time to celebrate Jenna's birthday with her. It really meant a lot to her!!

SIX!!!!

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY JENNA!