sunday sunday sunday

we watched the super bowl at jeremy & sarah's house.  before the game, i couldn't decide which team to root for since the colts are from indiana (and i love peyton manning) but drew brees is a boilermaker so half my loyalty lies there.  as soon as i voiced aloud that i thought i'd prefer the colts to win, a member of the saints team ran 70+ yards for a touchdown.  whoops.

yogurt obsession

so after reading jennafer's blog about her wonderful yogurt excursions and new friends at work discussing fro yo all the time, we finally caved in to the craving.  and boy-oh-boy was it SO worth it!

eric, craig & leah (from work) both mentioned menchies frozen yogurt at separate times.  it's in the dr. phillips area up on sand lake road, a trendy area of orlando.  what really convinced me that i had to go was the lure of RED VELVET.  yes.  delicious doesn't even come close to an accurate description.

i like this place because you pay by weight, so you fill the cup with as much (or little) fro yo as you want, then add toppings, then they weigh it at check out.  i loved berry chill in chicago, but it was SO expensive...even a small concoction was about $12.  in my book that's a major splurge.  i was really pleased to find that this place was really reasonable.  we got two sizeable dishes for about $9.

playtime

yesterday was a great day.  i met up with a friend from my college program back in '05, shelly, who has stayed with the company.  it was interesting to hear about her experiences and current role, as well as future plans.  we went to this awesome place (which i had heard of but never been to) called "sweet tomatoes," a chain of all-you-can-eat salad bar, soup, baked potatoes & breads.


afterwards, andy & i went to play in the park with sarah.  we went to the magic kingdom and headed straight to big thunder mountain railroad.  since jeremy doesn't like coasters, it seemed like a good time to ride.  so many things in the park are being re-painted right now; the ice cream parlor, splash mountain, noodle terrace...the crystal palace is behind barricades as well since it's under refurbishment.  january & february is not a busy time at all, so it's a great time to be playing around.  we waited 30 mins for BTMR, and got fastpasses for space mountain.  since we were over in tomorrowland, we got the first cream cheese pretzel of 2010, one of andy's favorite snacks.  we dedicated it to my siblings eric & vanessa.  =)


sarah took off to go make dinner for her hubby, and we went to the hall of presidents to see president obama.  it's now narrated by morgan freeman (nice!), and i really liked the speech they used for obama.  afterwards, we took the monorail to epcot center to wander around world showcase & watch illuminations.  i love world showcase, especially at night, especially with my husband.  it's so lovely & romantic, and we enjoyed our evening.  i'd like to say that it was a bit chilly, but since it was still about 50º, i am NOT going to complain!

  

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba...Sithi uhm ingonyama

we went the disney's animal kingdom lodge tonight to eat dinner at boma, which is in my top 5 restaurants of all time list.  they have amazing food (none of which i remembered to photograph since i was shoving it in my face) like carrot ginger soup, peanut crusted salmon, various couscous salads, and a dessert bar that is simply. awesome.  the best dish of the night?  passion fruit panna cotta.  yes...it was intensely amazing & totally drool-worthy.  we ran into my boss there (who i really like), so andy got to meet craig & vice versa.

i love most of the disney resorts, but the architectural goodies at the ak lodge blow me away everytime.  the giant chandeliers are tribal shields from all regions of africa.  the thatched roof was done by craftsmen whom wdi brought over (along with their families) when building animal kingdom and the lodge.  there is this amazing mask in the back, that is over 20' tall and was given by (or purchased from?) an igbo tribe in nigeria:

  i love these crazy, ostrich lamps that are in the back of the lobby, as you look out at the savannah.  can you find the hidden mickey in this snapshot?

we had fun touring around the hotel & finding animals out on the savannah.  after dark, the staff brings out night-vision binoculars so that guests can find the animals.  there are also small porches tucked here & there so you can look out into different sections (and therefore different animals), and we stumbled across one overlooking a zebra herd and some antelope/cow-like creatures.  we also sat by the fireside and talked a bit.  it was a great night out.

heigh-ho, heigh-ho

the work week went by quickly, which is always a nice thing.  i know that i'm lucky to have a job, but the most difficult part of my week was receiving my first paycheck...interns aren't paid very highly!  the position is an incredible networking & guest service experience, but it's not a position on the board of directors.

it's a reality check for what i'm doing, and why i'm doing it.  i liked my paycheck before, but i didn't like my job.  i liked the money, but i didn't like myself with the money.  i became materialistic (more so than ever before)   & caught up in always having the best of everything.  keeping up with the jones's.  now, i want to get back in touch with why i like something, and not just because it's expensive!  =)

cinderella's sweet suite

i cannot believe how LUCKY i was today!

while touring the parks with some disneyland cast members & vendors today, we were offered the opportunity to go inside cinderella's castle & see the guest suite that was built for the year of a million dreams (2006).  i tried to maintain a professional exterior as we waited for our tour guide to arrive, but inside i was jumping for joy!  i couldn't believe that we were going inside.  best of all, we were allowed to take photos...

weekend adventures

we decided to explore some of the resorts this weekend, since we're holding off on buying andy's annual pass.  there are so many resorts that he hasn't seen yet & some really cool things to do & see at each one.  for example, the splendor of the american west...

we started at wilderness lodge, where we went out back to see the geyser explode and check out the pool.  then, andy & i rented a sea-raycer and floated around bay lake (wilderness lodge, contemporary resort, and discovery island) & the seven seas lagoon (the magic kingdom, grand floridian, and polynesian resort).  they should be quick, light boats...almost like a jet-ski...but since none of the cast members mentioned that two adults might be at or over the weight limit, we didn't exactly zoom across the lake.  we still had a great time!  =)

  
afterwards, we took ferry boats across the lagoon to the magic kingdom, then the grand floridian.  andy had never been inside, and as one of disney's showcase resorts, i thought it about time to go.  entering the resort via the marina, we went by narcoosee's and the heavenly scent of steak floating out of the restaurant let us know we were starving.  after exploring the lobby & listening to the 12-piece orchestra playing inside, we went out to gasparilla's to grab a quick dinner.  it was a nice, laid-back & inexpensive day...just what we needed.

sunday wasn't nearly as fun, but just as entertaining.  our spare bedroom was still filled with stacks of boxes & needed to be dealt with.  we made great headway, but still found time to watch some movies on TCM and (of course) some football.