Continuing the Journey

Time Really Flies...Where Have the Last Two Weeks GONE??

I'm sure it's a sign of getting older, but I can't believe it has been two weeks since we left for Florida and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. In my defense, I DID have major surgery nine days ago...and three days after my surgery, my husband got sent out of town for work!! (Can you believe that?!)

So, let's start at the beginning...

The All-Star dance team that Meggie and her friends danced on this year was an experiment...a new coach came to their studio and introduced them to a completely new style of dance. All-Star dance is less "Broadway" style and more "street" style dancing. Hard to explain but truly fun to watch, trust me. Being on this All-Star team pushed the girls to learn new techniques and tricks...things they thought they would NEVER be able to accomplish. When they went to a National competition, they were hoping for a bid to Worlds. Their regular coach confided in me that, in her opinion, they didn't have a chance to get a bid. Their regular coach was dead wrong. Not only did they get a bid to Worlds, but it was a PAID bid!

So, off we headed to Disney early on a Friday morning...
...Coach Morgan is sitting next to Meggie...
Coach Morgan was quite adamant that this was a team trip, so we did everything together as a team. We arrived at the All-Star Movies Resort (oh, All-Star...how appropriate!) about four hours before our rooms were ready. The girls spent some time cooling off in the pool before heading off to practice a bit. The six moms who went along decided we'd organize a fun dinner for the girls. So, while three of the moms took the girls to a required orientation, two other moms and I went to Downtown Disney to scope out a place that could accommodate a reservation for 17 without too much of a wait. After trying the Rainforest Cafe and being told the wait would be over 90 minutes, we found a restaurant that had a much shorter wait...
...T-Rex! I'm not much of a dinosaur lover and didn't expect to enjoy the experience as much as I did, but this restaurant was SO MUCH FUN! Another mom (who had to leave her 9-year-old twin boys behind) and I agreed that Carson and her boys would have so enjoyed this restaurant. Take a peek...
The girls were all able to sit at one table, while the moms were seated at the next table. It was nice to let the girls goof off together while we moms enjoyed some great laughs.
Right over my head, on the wall, Meggie spotted this...
...and was sure that it was a sign of good luck, that surely we were missing some good news about Molly while we were having fun in the sun. (She was wrong, but it was a good theory.)

Coach Morgan has been dancing in the All-Star world since she was 13 (she's in her mid 20's now) and, while she has been to Worlds numerous times, she has never been on a team that made it to the Finals at Worlds. The girls made this their goal. Here they are, heading to the bus for the first day of dancing on Saturday...
It was very cool to be treated like celebrities...we had a special bus that took us into Epcot through a back entrance. With the attention to detail that Disney is known for, it was fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney operation in places the general public never sees!

The girls posed for a few shots before heading to the dance venue (Meggie is the last dancer on the right, in case you can't find her)...
It's kind of hard to read because the sign was made of sheer fabric, but this is the entrance to the Dance Worlds! It was held in the World Showplace at Epcot.
A few candid shots of the girls primping for their hip-hop number...
...hmmm, you think Meggie is sick of me and the camera?!There's my beautiful Hip-Hop Princess!
The whole hip-hop team...Meggie is second from the right in the middle row.
Our girls created quite a buzz in this competition...we could hear parents and dancers all around us saying, "Where did THIS team come from? Where have they been??" It was fun to quietly sit and hear people being amazed by our girls! After they danced both of their numbers, a camera crew came over to interview them...
...talk about feeling like celebrities! After the dancing was over, we sat around for a bit waiting to hear which teams made it to the Finals and got to re-dance on Sunday. Now, I don't know about you, but traveling has a way of upsetting my...ahem...GI tract. My normal...ahem...bowel schedule gets interrupted and I have trouble...ahem... Oh, who am I kidding? I get constipated on vacation, OK?!?! As we sat waiting for the announcement about Finals, my GI tract decided to kick into full gear. So, while the girls were hugging and screaming when they heard that their Jazz number made it to Finals, I was sitting here......I know, embarrassing. When Meggie heard where I was during the big announcement, she was a bit grossed out.Now, for you long-time followers of my blog, you remember this woman...
...this is Trish from Outnumbered 3 to 1. We met in China while she and her husband, Buck, were adopting Izzy and we were adopting Carson. Trish and I hit it off right away and promised to stay in touch back in the States. You know what? We actually have! Last summer (when that picture above was taken) we visited with Trish and her family after our Destin vacation. When Trish saw on my blog that we were headed to Disney, she saw another opportunity for us to get together. She actually came to Epcot to see Meggie dance! When Meggie came off stage after her first dance, she ran right up to....TRISH and hugged her! Uhhhh, excuse me...I paid for all those rehearsals, and costumes, and entry fees, and THIS TRIP! And Trish gets the first hug?!?! Good thing I love you, Trish!

Since I try to be totally transparent in my blog, I gotta share a story. As we were unpacking our bags Friday in the hotel, I came upon a horrifying discovery: the two cans of hairspray I had packed for the trip had mysteriously and completely emptied during the flight to Florida. I was in a hot, windy environment with my bad, thin, limp, lifeless hair and not one drop of hairspray! I am not exaggerating when I say I would rather have forgotten my underwear than go anywhere without hairspray! AACCCCKKKK!!!

Thankfully, after the girls danced, Trish was good enough to take me to a drug store so I could buy some snacks for the girls and a can of hairspray for me. Ahhhhh...then all was right in the world! The funny thing was that after we found the drug store, Trish could not find our hotel. I mean, come on, we were staying on Disney property! We were driving in circles, tracking and back-tracking for a good half hour! Maybe it was just Trish's way of prolonging our time together...we did have quite a few laughs while we were lost...but we eventually found the All-Star Movies Resort. Nothing like a little adventure, huh?!

As the girls headed back into the World Showplace on Sunday for Finals, this guy...
...stopped them to hand out fliers for the school his dancers went to in China. Where was that school exactly? In Guangzhou!! Guangzhou was the last city we stayed in during our adoption trip and was Meggie's absolute favorite city in China. She saw this as a sign that we were missing good news about Molly. (Again, she was wrong, but it WAS a good theory.)

Speaking of China, they were well represented in this Worlds Final. Our favorite China team was this one...
...they did a fabulous Napoleon-Dynamite-and-disco-inspired dance that was a total crowd pleaser! As is the Chinese custom, their coaches went through the crowd handing out gifts. Talk about giving you chills...I was sitting in a row of moms with a blonde teen on the end of our row. A Chinese coach came to our row (I was not sitting on the end) and handed me these......saying, "Here is a gift from China." It brought tears to my eyes. The other moms were flabbergasted! The coach did not give anyone else in my row a gift...just me! Again, Meggie was hoping it was a sign. (Again, she was wrong.)

At the end of the Finals, our girls...
...were quite proud of their 6th place finish!
I love this shot...very artistic!A rare shot of me and my dancer...
After the Jazz Finals were finished, Coach Morgan wanted the girls to watch the Hip-Hop Finals. Some of us moms needed a break from the noise and the music, so we headed out to walk around Epcot. Much to our surprise, we met a celebrity on our walk...
...and then ANOTHER celebrity...
...and we knew the girls were going to be furious that they missed the chance to meet celebrities! Hey, the moms were making the most of this Disney trip!! When the girls finished watching the Hip-Hop Finals, we all headed out to find some dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant where Meggie made a new friend...
...this place was SWARMING with seagulls and they were freaking Meggie out, big time! She was screaming and running around like a lunatic. Now, I'm pretty bird phobic, but she made me look downright normal! Ahhhh, memories...

I took a few pictures of our hotel...
...to show Carson. Meggie and I decided (whether Daddy likes it or not) that we are taking Carson and Molly to Disney next summer. I'm fairly certain Carson's head will explode from the pure joy of it all!!

On Monday, we had a whirlwind day at the parks. We started at the Magic Kingdom...
...and I was dying inside, just knowing Carson would have flipped out to see that show in front of Cinderella's castle.

Here's Meggie, before we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride...
...the team munchkins (Josie and Meggie) walking through Tomorrow Land...
...the girls playing games to kill the time while we were in line.
After spending the bulk of the day at the Magic Kingdom, we caught a bus and headed to Animal Kingdom so the girls could ride Expedition Everest. Since it is a bumpy rollercoaster, I didn't ride it...bum neck and all...so I spent the time shopping for the Little Man. I was a mess leaving him for five days and made a deal with him that for every day he was good for Daddy, I would buy him a present. He ended up with way more than five presents, trust me!

After Animal Kingdom, the group split into thirds...one-third going back to swim at the hotel, one-third heading to Epcot, and one-third heading to do some shopping. We were in the shopping third of the group. Before heading to Downtown Disney, our little group went to Hollywood Studios first to take part in a fun event...
...called the American Idol Experience. They treated it just like we were in the audience for American Idol...it was so cool! We got directions to follow (clap and cheer, quiet on the set) just like we were on TV. They had three Disney guests actually sing for us and they had a panel of three judges critique them. There was a young girl (my vote), a young guy (awful), and an older lady (who won). After they sang and got their critiques, we got to vote on the winner. It was a blast!

Then we headed to Downtown Disney. I took these pics for Carson...
...because they were made entirely from Legos! They were amazing!!

Since we didn't see any more celebrities, Meggie decided to pose with a few characters...
On Tuesday afternoon, we headed home. As we headed toward baggage claim at the airport back home, I could see Carson in Daddy's arms. I spoke to him a bit on the phone during our trip, but I missed him terribly!! After Carson saw us, Daddy put him down and he came running toward us. He was like a football player, jutting back and forth between people. He came upon Meggie...and ran right past her to get to me! Even though my neck injury required lifting restrictions, I didn't care...I picked up my Little Man! Oh, how I missed his quirky sense of humor, his rambunctious spirit, and his adorable chubby cheeks. He was SO HAPPY...he kept repeating over and over, "Mommy, you came back where you belong!" I tried my best not to cry, it was so sweet!

I forgot to tell you that Trish has a side business she calls Tutu Crazy where she makes and sells...yes, you guessed it...tutus! She made Molly a tutu and included a whole princess outfit, complete with magic wand, wings, and a tiara. Carson saw the tiara in my bag and had to try it on in the minivan...
...much to Daddy's dismay. When we got home, Meggie and I gave Carson all his presents...
...and gave Daddy the t-shirt we found that was just PERFECT for him!
Since Trish made an outfit for Molly, she guilt-tripped herself into getting Carson a dress-up as well...a pirate get-up, which included a treasure map and sword.
So even though Meggie and I spent hours shopping for the Little Man in Disney, his favorite gifts were...you guessed it...the treasure map and sword he got from TRISH! Geez, Trish, both of my kids prefer you. I'm gonna have to keep you away from Molly so at least one of my kids prefers me over you. (Just kidding...)

Wednesday (aka the day before my surgery) I went to work to try to tie up loose ends before my leave. Carson was super excited to wear his new Mickey Mouse shirt and take his Mickey Mouse "baby" for nap time.
Wednesday was also another important day in our house...our 20th wedding anniversary! Sadly, our scanner is acting up so I can't insert a wedding picture in here. I'll work on it tomorrow so you can see how much we've changed. Anyway, with the unpacking and laundry, along with soccer practice and dance rehearsals and preparing things for my surgery, our anniversary sort of got swept under the rug this year. I'm sorry, honey...it truly was a milestone for us and I hate that it got ignored. This is for you, my darling husband...
OK, so the "I Love You" cake was actually made by Meggie after my surgery to cheer me up, I thought it was appropriately placed here.

Surgery went as well as could be expected, but the recovery was challenging. Thankfully, our friends from Church (organized by my dear friend, Sarah) took us on as a project and brought us dinner (including dessert) every night, starting with surgery day. While I was groggy and medicated for the first few days, it was a huge relief to know that my family was being fed hot, home-cooked meals while I recovered.

My surgery was Thursday. Sunday afternoon, Daddy had to catch a flight for a week-long business trip. While many people were shocked that he would go, it is a reality of his job. My dear Mom came over every day last week (arriving around 6:30 a.m.) to take Carson to school, clean up the kitchen, do laundry, prepare my meals, and keep me company. It was so nice...not to watch my mom be my servant (that was hard to endure, actually), but just to spend time together. I would not have survived that first week without our friends and my Mom.

My sister, Debbie, brought Sophia (aka the guilty party who hurt my neck in the first place) to visit Sunday evening. It was hysterical...she screamed and cried for no apparent reason nearly the entire time she was in our house. I kept telling Debbie it was a guilty conscience...
...but Meggie was able to get some smiles out of her.
While I spent my day lying on the couch, the kids blew off some steam with Aunt Debbie...
On Wednesday of this past week, six short days after my surgery, Carson had a soccer game and Meggie had dance rehearsals. And I was still not allowed to drive. So my dear in-laws came over and did the driving for me. I was still not up for an outing so I stayed home. My phone rang about halfway through Carson's soccer game...he had scored his first goal! Oh, NO! And Daddy MISSED IT!! It's OK, though...Grandma and Grandpa B helped him celebrate...
...complete with Grandpa giving Carson a dollar for his goal...
...and it still has a place of honor on the refrigerator!

So, for those who really want to see my scar -- and it is atrocious -- I took a self-photo to post for you. I don't have to wear a neck brace and there is no dressing over it. Take a look...
...isn't that awful?! The swelling has gone down significantly since I took that picture a couple of days ago...it had better hurry up since I'm a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding in less than 3 weeks!! If anybody at the wedding asks, I'm telling 'em I was in a bar fight. Sounds more interesting than "I got head-butted by a baby and ended up needing neck surgery." Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Thanks for sticking with me for a marathon post!!