Itty Bitty Outlaw: December 2013

So, where was I? Oh yeah....camping trip.

I booked a week at The Fort to see the Christmas decorations back in May. One major downfall of getting older (Yes, I had another Birthday yesterday) is forgetfulness. When Thanksgiving dinner was eaten and cleaned up, I started preparing for our departure that following Tuesday. I cleaned the RV, made a grocery list and packed some clothes. As I was finishing up last minute details on Monday, I printed out my reservation and realized, we were staying until Monday, not Sunday, as I had prepared for.

They say the mind is the first thing to go.

I now knew I was short an outfit and short a meal. No big deal, we would adjust.

This trip also included the newest member of our family, Risky the kitten. Should be interesting.

We loaded up on Tuesday morning and headed out.

Here is Mason trying to avoid looking at the kitten in the carrier next to him

A few meows later, we entered the magical gates.

I had not requested a site for this trip. We knew we would be on the run a lot so it really didn't matter where they put us. We had a quick check-in process and were assigned to site 1615.

We started setting up

While Mason guarded the kitty

As we got set up, we had some visitors. Donnie, Bruce & Lisa, Karla, Paul & Aiden all stopped by to say hey until we could get together later.

Finally we were set up and ready to relax.

Nate & Karissa wouldn't be down until Thursday so Trevor and I discussed dinner over a few beers. Donnie stopped by to join us for a bit.

A few beers turned into "We really don't want to go anywhere, let's just get a pizza"

My first glimpse of holiday decorations came from the Settlement while we waited for our pizza.

Within 15 minutes we had a steaming hot, frozen-food-style pizza.

(Hey, it works in a pinch and is not bad at all after a 6 pack)

Bruce and Lisa came back over that evening for drinks and Trevor and I hit the sack not long after they left.

I was up bright and early on Wednesday morning. The 'kitten thing' has been quite an adjustment for all of us, especially in an RV.

But kitty made herself right at home, watching squirrels and birds out the window.

Within 24 hours, she was exploring more and more.

She did surprisingly well on her first trip.

We took Mason out for a cart ride and stopped to see Bruce & Lisa in the 800 loop.

They had just purchased a 'new home' (they are full time RVers) and were picking it up on Thursday. This would be the last time we would see their 'starter home'

With the animals fed, watered and happy, Trevor and I headed to Downtown Disney to do some Christmas shopping and possibly lunch.

We opted for driving instead of taking Disney transportation

The Christmas decorations around Downtown were beautiful, as always.

Now let's discuss the weather. These photos were taken on December 4th. That entire week was in the high 80's!

While 80's are great temps to have on vacation, it's very hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you're sweating and shielding your eyes from the sun.

To add insult to injury, I had packed two pairs of shorts "just in case" for the entire week!

With our shopping complete we stopped for lunch.

I love EOS, and in my opinion, it's one of the best deals on property.

I had The Orignal, which is roast beef with horseradish.

Trevor had the Italian, which I assume he inhaled before I could get a picture. Both were delicious!!

After lunch we made our way back to the Fort to relax a bit

Then we did some looping with Mason.

We saw some turtles sunbathing

Turkeys strutting

And a couple of cool tow vehicles and campers.

It got so hot that day that we didn't even want to be riding around anymore. We went back to our site where Donnie and Chloe joined us.

Mason LOVES to play with Chloe, but she wears him out.

We hung around camp until dinner time where we grilled some steaks. We had promised the kids we wouldn't go into the parks until they arrived.

Dinner is served!

Around 8 pm, I went in to spend some quality time with the kitty and Survivor was just starting on TV. I barely made it through the opening chant and I was fast asleep.

Thursday morning, we took Mason for a walk along the canal.

Then we walked around the loop where this display is set up every year.

It reaches all the way to the road behind their RV. I have some night time photos of it also, which I'll share later.

After Mason's 'business' was taken care of, Trevor and I went to say goodbye to Donnie and pick up his golf cart which he was leaving for Nate to use.

We stopped by the Meadow Trading Post. We were hosting dinner with Bruce & Lisa that evening as they were gone picking up their new home.

I didn't get too close to the pool, but you can imagine that it was packed!! It's not abnormal to see northerners in the pool in December, which I always think is crazy, but with these temps, I couldn't blame them!

All the Forts decorations are very subtle and beautiful.

There were a few folks fishing off the dock also.

We drove by Bruce and Lisa's site, which looked strange without the motorhome!

Back at camp we unloaded our store loot. I bought a book and a magazine

Trevor bought taffy. When I asked to take a picture for my blog, I got this

*He ain't right, I tell ya*

We also had another visitor, who had hitched a ride on the golf cart.

Since the day was heating up, Mason and I went inside to suck up some air conditioning and see what Risky was up to.

When we came back out, I found this in my chair.

Everyone got a bit of rest, so we took Mason for a ride back to the store for ice.

Here he is waiting for his Dad to come out.

We dropped off the ice and then took Mason to the canal behind the 300 loop.

There is some weird construction going on back there. I'm not sure anyone knows what it's for, but construction is never good, in my opinion.

Around 4:00, Bruce & Lisa hadn't made it back yet & Nate wasn't due until 6-ish. Trevor and I decided to go to Crockett's for a drink and watch the sun set on the beach.

Here's the Settlement decorations in the daytime.

With drinks in hand we strolled down to the beach.

I had a bloody mary...yum!

Trevor brought a beer from camp.

Ahhhhh.....

With our drinks empty, we thought we had better head back to get ready for dinner.

Bruce and Lisa still hadn't made it back, but we had some prep to do.

8 fresh Florida Keys lobster tails!

When the lobster was ready to be grilled, we brought out some appetizers to hold us over until dinner.

We also had to put Minnie to work at the grill

Nate & Karissa actually arrived before Bruce & Lisa made it back.

By 7:30 we were starving so we started cooking.

Bruce & Lisa made it back around 8:00 and the boys grilled some steaks.

I wish I had taken a better photo of our feast but it was late and we were starving!!

We had steak, lobster, salad and baked taters. We don't mess around when it comes to food!

We stuffed ourselves to the gill and called it a night. We had plans to hit the parks the next morning, B&L had to finish packing their new home and check out.

Friday morning we went to help them tear down camp and to see their new motorhome.

Then we said our goodbyes. Boo hoo.

We headed back to our site

The kids and I were going to Magic Kingdom for a little while. Trevor hung back at camp. It was 88 degrees on December 6th!!

We hopped a boat and left the Fort dock.

Not only was it extremely hot, the MK was crowded!!!

Silly me, who didn't do a lot of planning this trip, realized the Christmas Day Parade was taping that week. If you've ever watched the Disney Parks parade on ABC, it looks live. I can tell you, it's not. They tape throughout the week and splice it all together so it looks live.

We knew we probably wouldn't ride many rides, but being in the MK at Christmas can't be beat, regardless.

We made our way down Main Street.

We really wanted to hit the Jungle Cruise which had been transformed to the Jingle Cruise for the holidays.

The posted wait time was 20 minutes, so we got in the line.

I had sweat dripping into places that I shouldn't speak of, so instead Karissa took a picture of Nate & my

"Holy Hell, it's hot!" faces.

Attractive, huh?

We finally hopped on our cruise and we were sorely disappointed. The only thing that made it a jingle cruise was some stuff in the queue, animal print Santa hats on the cast members and some of the jokes were changed up to include Christmas. The attractions on the cruise were the exact same as they have been for the last 40 years. It wouldn't have taken much to decorate some of the scenes. I feel like Disney missed the mark on this one.

We took the chance that we could get on Splash or Big Thunder Mountain, but they were both in the 60 minute range.

No one minded getting wet on Splash Mountain today!

Instead of rides, we opted for some snacks.

The kids got a corndog, I got a Mickey pretzel and we sat on the dock to enjoy the scenery.

It was so hot and crowded that we nixed our afternoon in the park and headed to the exit. As we got closer to the castle the crowds got larger and larger.

That's when we realized the stars were out, doing performances & interviews for the Disney parade.

Here is Lara Spencer from GMA taking a break.

Candace (the latest American Idol winner) doing an interview, while trying not to melt.

The stage in front of the castle was swarmed with people and we knew by the back-up dancers rehearsal song, that Ne-Yo was about to hit the stage.

We (Karissa and I, mostly) decided that it was worth the wait.

Finally, Ne-Yo came out. He and his poor dancers were sweating their asses off.

Welcome to Florida!!

He didn't disappoint. He is a very nice looking young man and a great dancer!! Let's zoom in and get a better look.

When his performance ended, we made our way out.

We made it back to the Fort just in time to meet a friend I had met on a Disney forum board but had never met in person.

This is Aaron and his cute family from Michigan.

It was great to meet you guys Aaron!! Wish we could have spent more time together.

My family relaxed for a couple hours and cooked some burgers before heading to Hollywood Studios. There was no question that this would be our first night time activity as Karissa had never seen the Osborne lights!!

Again, we decided to drive our truck over. I've never had good luck with the bus system at DHS.

We all decided the Osborne lights would be even more enjoyable with a cocktail so we went to High Octane Refreshments for a fruity drink.

I wish I had taken a picture of Karissa's face when she turned the corner onto the Streets of America. No matter if it's your 1st time or your 10th time, it's overwhelming!!

(5 million lights also wreak havoc on your photography skills)

Trevor copped a squat on the curb while the ~~soap~~ snow melted around him.

When we'd seen enough lights, we rode the Great Movie Ride.

I only ride that for one scene....

I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too!

It was only around 7:00 so we decided to go play some mini-golf.

As we headed out Trevor and I played kissy face in front of the tree.

Within 15 minutes we had our clubs in hand ready to play!

The only course Karissa had never played was the summer land course, so that's what we chose.

Disney does a great job with their themes, but we've noticed the mini-golf has not been maintained to Disney standards in the last few years. A lot of the mechanical stuff isn't working and some of the carpet is threadbare and torn, but we still have fun.

Nate busting a move

Nate won the golf tourney and gloated while I made him & Karissa pose in the sleigh for a picture.

And then a family shot (minus me)

We were back at the Fort by 10:00 pm. It had been a long, hot day!!!

Saturday morning the kids went off property to have breakfast with some friends who were staying at the All Star resorts. Since I had packed 2 pair of shorts for the week, guess where I went?

Yep, in case you ever wondered what the Forts laundry rooms look like, here's one of them!

While my laundry was finishing up, I showered and got ready for the day. Trevor volunteered to go get the clothes, which I assumed would come back in a giant pile for me to fold.

Imagine my surprise when he came back with them all folded nice and neat.

While we waited for the kids to return, our loop was out of control. People yelling across to one another, kids screaming, running through sites, pure chaos!

You wanna know why?

Behind us

Across from us

We were surrounded by a group of rented RV's. In other words, people who have no idea about camping or camping etiquette. People who assume that because they are at Disney, they don't have to watch their children.

Sure, let them throw footballs around my truck! Sure, let them run through our site and make my dog crazy! Sure let them play in the road and not look for traffic! You're at Disney, nothing bad could happen!!! UGH!!

It got so ridiculous that we hopped on the cart just to escape the madness.

By the time we came back from our ride, these families had left for the afternoon. We finally had some peace and quiet.

We took Mason to the canal for some off leash time.

There's the hideous Golden Oaks resort they're building next door which can clearly be seen from the Fort. So much for the Wilderness part.....

If we just look the other way down the canal, we can ignore it.

Here is a shot titled "Reflection of Bird"

Pretty damn clever, huh?

By the time the kids returned, we hopped on a boat to the MK. We planned on having a bite to eat there and see the castle lighting.

On the way over, we all agreed we would eat at Cosmic Rays for burgers.

As we entered the gates we were sent in a direction I had never been in my 40 years!! The actual Christmas Parade was being taped at that moment and you were not allowed down Main Street. Instead we walked behind Main Street. In case you never knew this, the Main Street buildings are just facades. I knew this to be true, but I didn't need my fantasy ruined!!! The backside is ugly and industrial looking. I was none to happy to have to witness it!

Hoping to erase that memory from my mind, we made our way to Cosmic Rays and got some burgers.

Needless to say, the park was a madhouse!! We knew we wouldn't get on any rides, we really only came to eat and see the castle lighting. On our stroll through, Karissa mentioned that she hadn't been up in Swiss Family Robinson tree house so Nate took her up, while we waited at the bottom.

By now, Main Street had opened back up and there was a regularly scheduled parade at 5:00. I suggested finding a curb to sit down and watch this parade and it would serve as a spot to also see the castle lighting, which was scheduled for 6:15.

While we waited, an announcement came on that said the parade wouldn't start until 5:30 as they were still cleaning up from the taped parade.

They had all hands on deck for this one!! Not just your janitorial folks in white, but the higher-ups in blue doing their best to restore order.

They were still moving out some very impressive video equipment

They did a fantastic job getting things ready, while people waited patiently

Once the balloon guys started down the street we knew it must be about time.

Finally the parade started!

With the parade over, and swarms of people exiting the park, we got closer to the castle for the lighting ceremony, which was also delayed.

Castle before

Castle after

Still gorgeous no matter how many times you've witnessed it!

Another first for Karissa checked off our list, time to beat feet!

We got back to our camp site just in time to hear the honking. That can only mean one thing:
Golf cart parade!!

This was not an official Disney thing, this is campers who got together and decorated their carts for the enjoyment of all the other guests.

Here they are coming around our loop, Christmas music blaring, lights flashing.

Some of these carts had minimal decorations while a few of them were parade quality. Very impressive and nice to see some Christmas spirit, even when it's 80 degrees!

Around 9:00 Trevor and I laid down to watch some college football and both crashed.

Since the kids had to leave on Sunday (which is why I booked that extra night so they would get all day Sunday) We got up and decided to go to Animal Kingdom for a few hours.

Trevor stayed at camp with our animals, and me and the kids hopped on a bus.

It was extremely hot and crowded, so we went to Pizzafari for some lunch.

Then headed to Asia where I wanted to try a cocktail that Lisa had recommended.

We got one Yak Attack that we could share as it was melting as fast as we could drink it. It was delicious though!

Since the wait times were long, and the Flights Of Wonder show was getting ready to start, we took our slushie drink and found a seat in the theater.

It's been a LONG time since I watched that show and I really enjoyed it!!

It's truly mind boggling how smart and trained these birds are.

If you've read my work before or you know me personally, you know that there are two must-dos for me at AK.

Primeval Whirl

Yep, sometimes I act 10 years old.

Then Nate got a picture of Karissa & I 'cruising'

My other must-do:

The Gorillas!!

(Check it out!! Nate is levitating!!)

I love them and want to snuggle with them...preferably a baby one...that big one makes me nervous.

We left around 2:00 as Nate wanted to pack up and head back home.

Animal Kingdom's tree

Back at the Fort we got Nate packed up and said goodbye. Of course, I'm bummed. Disney isn't the same without my boy. It's about this time that I realize that it's December 8th and I have done nothing to prep for Christmas. I have no decorations up, no tree and not one gift bought. I also realized that a week at the Fort is plenty. I was actually ready to get home this time and get ready for the holidays.

Trevor and I ordered a Giddy up & go chicken dinner and actually did some pre-cleaning up so we would have less to do in the morning.

You can never go wrong with chicken from Trails End!

We waited until dark to do some looping and take some photos of people's site decorations. I apologize for the quality, some of them were taken on a moving golf cart.

This is the site in our loop that I showed you the daytime photo of.

As seen from the road into the loop.

And some other random sites.

This is my favorite, he's there every year and it's beautiful!!

He does a shadowbox-like display in the cab of his semi. Very cute!

We made a quick stop at the Meadows Trading Post...

and we were back at camp. We were able to get a lot of the clean up process done that evening. Condense the food/drinks, all the extra chairs put away, garbage and recycle out.....saved us a lot of time in the morning.

Monday morning I woke up, drank some coffee and took Mason for a walk. We strolled down to the back of the 1800 loop where Karla & Paul were camping. I was hoping to say goodbye, but it was before 9:00 and I wasn't sure if anyone was up. Sure enough as we walked up, their front curtain opened up. I was glad that I could see them before I left, I didn't get to spend any time with them because everyone was busy. I knew I'd be seeing them again soon, so Mason & I left to finish our chores.