What Summer?

Crazy week! Got back Monday. We didn't do a whole lot except laundry until Thursday. Thursday, we went up to Storm Lake and hung out. Friday, we started the traditionally "Petersen weekend at the lakes". Got the tents set up, air mattresses up, beds made, everything ready to go camping....it didn't happen. Sometime before bed, after dark, our tents flooded. We no longer were able to camp. Kyle's dad was nice enough to let us commandeer the large cabin.

Saturday
It started off by looking like we weren't able to go boating :( After getting ready, eating breakfast, and running to Walmart, we were eventually able to get out! Madeline loved it and even got in the water. It didn't last long. Her, dad, and grandpa went in so Madeline could sleep but she wasn't able to.

We got back in, set up our tents/beds/camping materials, ate supper. Relaxed by the fire. Unfortunately, another line of storms came threw. This time, the sirens went off. The 6 adults, Madeline and two dogs headed into the Hartje's crawl space. What an eventful night!

Sunday

We decided to stay in Storm Lake. Enjoying an awesome episode of True Blood!!!!

-J

"There's been a murder...in Savannah"-The Office

Not too surprising!!! It's been a GREAT trip. We got here Friday around 6:00 a.m. Andy picked us up. We headed over to Courtney and Andy's adorable carriage house apartment. We hung out until we met Courtney for lunch at Zunsi's. It was the first of many amazing meals!! We went to Target...we needed to buy a new camera. (Didn't happen) We headed to Pelk and I bought a suit. I know it was our first day in Savannah, but Andy and I headed to a movie. Ross hadn't slept since Wednesday so he went back to their house and slept. We went and saw Toy Story 3. VERY good movie. The coolest thing was that we met up with someone who worked on the animation (the wheeled "characters"). Cool to see her name up on the big screen during the credits. Once the movie was over, he picked up Ross and met up with Courtney to go Moon River for BBQ. Another AMAZING meal!!! Off to Lulu's Chocolate Bar for great desert cocktails. Friday was a pretty low-key night.

Saturday

We were BUSY!! We headed to Bonaventure Cemetery, Fort Pulaski, Wormsloe Plantation, and then to Tybee Beach. Not to mention the Crab Shack for lunch!! We got back in time to get ready to head out for supper. We went to the city market and got Vinnie VanGoGo's pizza. To say one slice of pizza was enough is an understatement! Once we got done eating, we headed off to the bar where the pub crawl started.
We managed to get crazy drunk during the pub crawl. We visited 4 pubs. The best thing about Savannah...OPEN CONTAINER IS LEGAL!!! We ended up at a bar singing karokee. Bedtime came around 3 a.m.

Sunday

Sleep in!!! When I woke up I didn't realize it was 10 o'clock already. We got ready and had a brunch at J. Christophers. Crabcakes Benedict with cheesy grits!! :) After lunch, we spent about an hour just driving around town. We saw a bunch of squares, the Mercer house, their old apartment and its resident (a cockroach), and a store where they sell nothing except honey and anything dealing with honey. The thing is about Savannah...it is either breathtakingly beautiful or the hood. There is no happy medium. Courtney and I dropped the guys off and we headed to the market. We stopped at the candy shop and took a carriage ride. That lasted about an hour. We came home and are now waiting for supper. We are grilling tonight. Courntey is relaxing in bed. I'm relaxing on the couch. Andy and Ross are in the kitchen cooking.

As soon as I get home, I'll get pictures up.

We head home tomorrow...we leave around noon. I GET TO SEE MADELINE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!! Although, it has been a GREAT vacation!! It'll be nice to get home for a few days before we head off to the Lakes.

Goodbye, my Love

My last entry on our second leg of the trip. We are finished with Charleston. So many highlights from today, where to begin? Breakfast (eggs Meeting street)? Guided tour of historic Charleston? Dolphins frolicking in the water heading out to Fort Sumter? Spending an hour at Fort Sumter? Visiting the Marketplace? Amazing supper? Who knows!!

What a great day!! Most of the day was spent on our tour. We started at 10:00 with a guided bus tour of historic Charleston. the latter half of that tour was a stop by Fort Sumter. (For those of you who don't know, that's where the Civil War began in 1861.) On the ferry to get out there, we spotted about 10 dolphins swimming close to us. We got back around 2:30. Ross headed up to the room to relax, while I headed out the sightsee. First stop, the cemetery we were at the day before, but I didn't realize John C. Calhoun was buried there. (History note for non-history people: he was Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and VP during the Civil War.) Off to the Market. Good thing this was all in a 6 block radius. Got some cute things at the market. I could have spent HOURS and hundreds of dollars there.

Once I got back, we spent some time researching a new camera. Oops! Then, off to supper. I know it's early, but we didn't have lunch and we are going to bed early tonight since our Amtrak train leaves at 5! Until Savannah....

-J

I have fully fallen in love with Charleston!!! Who cares that it smells; it probably smells better than me!! (especially with all this heat!)

Not an angry Asian, but still a broken camera....

It's me again. Charleson really is my town, so I'm in charge of the blog. If you ask me, today was AMAZING. It began by sleeping until 10! Yeah!!! We got ready and enjoyed breakfast at the local spot Toast. Enjoying breakfast is an understatement. We split an order of fried green tomatoes, topped with a crab cake, then a poached egg, topped with a roumalade sauce. Not to mention a side order of grits. AMAZING!!! Then off to explore. We were a less than a block away from our hotel and this random cemetery showed up. We decided to go in. As we were looking at the old tombstones, I tripped. I went down HARD. Unfortunately, the camera broke my fall. It also broke in the process. I skinned my knee up too. We went back to the hotel to try to work on the camera. We got it into somewhat working shape and headed off again.

The first stop, the Old Slave Market. What a surreal feeling. We were in the exact spot that they bought and sold slaves. No pictures allowed though, not that it really matter. Our fricking camera is broken. We read tons of information, heard testimonials from former slaves (previously recorded for those non-history buffs), and saw artifacts. We spent a good 30 minutes there and it isn't that big of place.

Next stop...the French Hugenots Church. Amazingly beautiful. Right when we walked into the cemetery, there was a sign stating that Charles Pinckney was burried there. (Another history buff thing). I got a picture of his tombstone after scrutinizing the tombstones. Another surreal feeling. We saw tombstones dating all the way back to the 1700s!!!

Okay...Ross headed back to the hotel. He wasn't feeling well. I headed off to find some place that sells cameras because tomorrow is Fort Sumter. Luckily, CVS Pharmacy is about 1 mile from here. I got to see A LOT of really interesting and historic while looking for it.

the rest of the day is going to be spent hanging out in the hotel and cooling off. Tomorrow's adventure is made up of a tour of historic Charleston followed by 1.5 hours at Fort Sumter. It should be a good day. By the way...bought the camera...it's for a fricking PC!!!!!!! Good thing it was only $20.

-J

Oops...

OMG!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT!!!!! Yesterday was one LONG ASS day. We got picked up at a prompt 7:45. We were going to head to Kennedy. Nope. Another stop. Yay!! Kennedy! Nope. Another stop. This continued on for the next hour. Finally, we were told that we were going to the airboat, next stop. Cool. I would recommend it. I'm undecided if I'd do it again though. We climbed into the flat bottom boat and headed off. Within the first minute, we spotted the largest gator we saw. 10 feet!! We saw about 10 gators yesterday. They ranged from a baby 4 foot gator to the massive 10 foot gator. I didn't realize how shallow that water was, until I saw a herd of cows walking though it. Not the smartest move it you ask me. The tour lasted about 40 minutes.

Next stop...Kennedy Space Center!!!!! I was really worried that we were going to be there too long. HA!!! We were there for 5-6 hours and didn't get to see everything. Wait...Hall of Fame first. I had no desire to go there, but I am SO glad I did. The artifacts on display were interesting. They had space suits from different eras, a mock-up of a Gemini (NOT the easiest things to get in or out of by the way) and dozens more. We were left there for 1 hour. Perfect amount of time.

Off to KSC. We rush in and over to the KSC tours within the complex. It's a guided "at our own pace" bus tour. 4 stops. Stop 1...observation deck. We weren't able to go up to the place where they take off from, but we were within a few miles (close in NASA terms). We saw flight deck a and b. I didn't realize there were two of them. We also saw the caterpillars (the big huge machine they use to move them over there. This machine moves a whopping 1 mph. There were two of them.) Along the same lines, we saw the "road" the caterpillars use.

Stop 2...Saturn/Gemini Space Center. Having no idea what this stop was, we contemplated skipping it. Thank God we didn't. We watched a few short movies about Gemini and the Apollo missions. We stepped into the actual room that was used to launch the famous Apollo missions 11 &13. Of course, they talked about Apollo 1 and 8 as well. The movies got over and the doors opened into what I can only describe as holy shit! THE actual Saturn 5 rocket was in the next room. This thing is AMAZING!!!! It's vast, huge, gargantuan, beastly. We took pictures. I sent some to my mom via my phone. "They look like 5 tin cans". That's about the only accurate desription out there. I can't eve begin to describe the enormous machine. The detail is unbelievable. I was able to touch a moon rock, go shopping again, eat nasty space food.


Stop 3...??? I don't know what it's called, but we were able to scientists working on the STS133 materials. (I learned that STS stands for Space Transit System and the numbers are the numbers of missions. IE...the last mission to fly was STS 132.)
Stop 4....back to KSC vistor's complex. Once we got back we knew we wanted to visit the shuttle, do the shuttle experience, and the 3D Hubble IMAX movie. We were not able to do the shuttle experience, but we did the other two things.

It took me 3 times visiting Orlando to get to the KSC. But I finally did it. It was interesting to learn that they have created thousands of everyday devices in our lives, ranging from the microwave to pacemaker. Not to mention the small amount of time, energy, and researches devoted to space research. NASA is in no way shape or form a waste of time or money. I could have spent all day there, easily, but I'm a nerd like that. Last year, over 40 million people visited Magic Kingdom. 2.5 millions visited KSC. Where are the priorities??

-J

Civil War anyone??

Sorry, the last two posts were REALLY dull. I'm glad I went for a walk before I wrote this up. I think "historic" has a different meaning in South Carolina then in Iowa. I think of cute streets, historic signs marking everything, one exciting sighting after another, quaint. Apparently in the south, historic means good god, what ever you do don't walk around here at night and/or ghetto. So, on our way to the hotel, I was really disappointed and only had plans to leave my room to go to Fort Sumter. After settling in though, Ross and I struck up a hunger. He was really interested in trying someplace he's heard of called Hyman's Seafood. Whatever. We change and move out. I brought my camera incase I saw anything historic or carjackings. Hyman's is only 1-2 blocks away. Quick walk. Delicious food. Ross enjoyed she crab soup, because I guess she crabs taste differently than he crabs? I've heard so much about fried green tomatoes (they even made a movie about it for pete's sake!!!) I decided I better have some. There's a reason why they made a movie!!!!

After eating, we decided we needed groceries. No store in sight. We did the natural tourist thing and stopped some local on the street and asked her. Her "2 blocks that way" directions became more like 6. But we made it. Groceries (including beer this time) were bought and we slumped back to our hotel. Along the way "historic" became closer in meanings. While Ross and I wondered aimlessly for the grocery store, we stumbled upon a turn-of-the-century cemetery, IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN. It was large enough for a few dozen. The tombstones were so worn we couldn't make out what they said, but I got pictures of course!! Also, amid our aimless walk, we saw the Daughters of the Confederacy museum. I know I'm in the South, but FYI...Union won.

The spontaneous choice of our hotel was great. It's location couldn't get any better. Within walking distance to carriage tours, historic buildings, the battery, the bay to see ft. sumter, 40 hotels, 3 blocks from shopping.

Even though Charleston seemed like a letdown at first, it is quickly rising to meet expectations. I would recommend this town to anyone. Although, 1 side note. If you do visit, apparently "historic" also means funky smell.

-J

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Today was the day we went to Hollywood Studios. It was Star Wars weekend. We were greeted with two storm troopers! We got there around 9:15 this morning. We raced through the crowds to get to Hollywood Tower of Terror. It was every bit as scary as I remember! We also hit up the Muppets do 3-D, The Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, and Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Unfortunately, today was the day I crashed. It was definitely a struggle throughout the day. We had to leave early so I could rest. But, at least we got to ride on all the rides we wanted to.
Probably one of the highlights of the day was seeing all the Star Wars stuff. We stumbled across a parade, in which, we saw Peter Mayhew and Ray Park! It was pretty exciting. Also, we were able to see Darth Vadar signing autographs. We got plenty of pictures. They will be posted as soon as we can.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Animal Kingdom! Both Ross and I were a little nervous about going here. We didn’t really know what to expect. It was a cross between a zoo and a park + Epcot. There were different “worlds” to go into. While in Asia, we went to Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. In Africa, we visited a Kilimanjaro Safari. It was cool! At some point we did a walking tour during a jungle tour. On this, we saw a silverback show aggression by jumping up and down and beat his chest.
I think our highlight was Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. We were able to go on those a couple times. Of course, the second time we went on the rapids, I got COMPLETELY saturated. I felt like I stepped into my shower completely clothed. We left shortly after.
The night was topped off when I walked our room, I saw storm troopers by the pool! I ran back upstairs to let everyone else know. More and more kept showing up. We got some GREAT pictures!!

-J

Mickey Mouse! or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Angry Asians Smashing an Expensive Camera.

A timeline of our day at The Magic Kingdom!!

(AM)
7:00 Alarm goes off. I spring out of bed, excited for what magical things are in store for me at “The Most Magical Place on Earth”. I am giddy.

7:20 Jackie is showered and ready in record time.

7:23 I am showered and ready. We wish each other a happy 5th anniversary. What a magical day already!

7:45 Courtney and Andy meet us for breakfast. We discuss what we will do at the park. Priority #1: Splash Mountain….. ASAP!!

8:10 We board bus for Disney World.

8:25 We arrive at Disney World.

8:30 We buy ridiculously priced tickets. I shed a tear.

8:35 We board a Monorail headed for the Magic Kingdom.

8:40 We arrive at Magic Kingdom gates….. Disney music plays over speakers..
… my heart races…..I can see Cinderella’s Castle….I am shaking in anticipation for the glory of Disney World….I scan my ticket at the gate….here it goes….I’m almost there!! Wait, what are all of these people standing in a huge group for? What? The park opens at 9:00!!?? I have to wait 20 minuets?? *sigh*

9:00 Gates Open. I am no longer excited.

9:12 “Splash Mountain” A few exciting drops, but the big one is still ahead. We go down the “big drop:. I scream like a little pansy. Hidden camera photo proves I am a pansy. Great ride though!

9:25 “Pirates of the Caribbean” Just like when I was a kid!! Yes!! However, pirates is not as cool as when I was a kid. I decide Ninjas are cooler.

9:50 “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” It’s a 3D/smell-a-vision/water-vision show. It’s good. Well worth the time.

10:10 “Haunted Mansion” Not as scary as when I was a kid, but still fun. Holds up better than pirates.

10:25 “Prince Charming Regal Carrousel” Yes, I rode it. As far as carrousels go, I assume its among the best.

10:30 “Stiches Great Escape” Walked right in. We walk into a round room with seats circling a large tube. We sit down and shoulder restraints are lowered. I see that Jackie’s are snug. I notice Courtney and Andy’s are also snug. I notice everyone’s are snug. Mine stopped about 6 inches above my shoulders. I begin to worry. I try pulling restraints down. They don’t budge. The show begins. I begin to panic. I hang on restraints, but they hold firm. Eventually they lower by themselves. I missed most of the show. The others say it was a very fun experience. Lots of little surprises.

10:45 “It a Small World” Now that I’m much older, I think it’s a teeny bit racist. There are a lot of stereotypes on this ride. This ride wasn’t done with us yet….

11:00 “Jungle Cruise” Guide uses puns. I love a good pun! His were not funny. Kinda boring ride. Too bad too, this was a favorite as a kid.

11:30 Lunch time. Andy, Courtney and I order a burrito. Jackie gets tacos. Food doesn’t want to go down. I franticly look for a restroom. I can’t find one. Food is creeping up my esophagus. No bathroom in sight. I see a trashcan. It’s a side-loader. Darn it. Food enters mouth. I no longer care that people might see me. I throw up behind trashcan. A terrified Spanish kid looks at me in horror. I laugh that I just barfed at Disney World. I laugh again that some college kid on an internship majoring in sports management will have to clean it. I am evil. On the bright side, I feel much better. I dry my eyes and see a sign for a bathroom about 20 feet from me. Note to Disney: don’t blend the sign for the restroom in with the background. I wouldn’t have blown chunks all over if the restroom sign was in contrast to the scenery.

(PM)
12:30 “Space Mountain” Wow. Roller coaster in the dark? Genius. Didn’t scream like a pansy. I’m now a tough-guy. That was a great ride. Jackie was a little worried about riding it, but she loves it too.

12:50 “Carousel of Progress” ZZZZZZzzzzzz. Told everyone how it was a show about Disney from beginning until now. It wasn’t. Don’t really know what it was about.

1:15 “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” Disney Ride + Video Game = This ride. I really enjoyed this one. You sit in a “space ship”. It’s on rails, but you are in control of a laser cannon and the left and right movement of the “space ship”. You shoot at targets throughout the ride. Andy easily had the best score.

1:25 “Mickey’s Toontown” This is a life-sized version of Disney Cartoons. Not really for adults, but it was still a very neat place.

2:00 “Peter Pan’s Flight” We ride a pint-sized pirate ship through the world of Peter Pan. It was cute.
2:15 “Snow White’s Scary Adventures” Short, slow ride telling the story of Snow White.

2:40 Shopping.

3:45 We want Pineapple Whip. We begin 33rd trip across the park.

4:17 We approach “It’s a Small World”. We hear an angry Asian man yelling from “Small World” line. He rips a camera out of the hands of one of his companions. Apparently the camera told bad joke. Probably a pun from the “Jungle Cruise”. Asian man goes HULK on camera. Camera smashes on street. Chaos ensues. Angry Russian sprints across the street and head-butts Angry Asian. That last part didn’t happen, but would have been awesome if it did. Scorecard: Angry Asian Man 1-----Camera-----0. Andy says camera’s lens was big, like $200 or more big. Camera is bigger than his too. “Expensive tantrum” someone says. We laugh.

4:30 Pineapple whips. Both Jackie and myself as well as Courtney and Andy had Dole Pineapple Whips in Hawaii during our respective honeymoons. They were fantastic. We joke about the smashed camera.

5:15 We eat supper. Jackie and I have Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Courtney and Andy have hamburgers. Everything was good. I announce to the group this is superior to the gag-inducing burritos. Group agrees.

6:30 “Splash Mountain: Take two”. Andy and I were ready for the camera this time. I give it a “Thumbs Up”, Andy does “Thinking Man”. Jackie is smiling. Courtney is mid-sneeze.

7:30 “Big Thunder Mountain” It’s a run-away train engine. A thrilling ride.

7:45-9:00 Shop.

9:00-9:40 “Disney’s Electrical Parade” See upcoming pictures.

9:50-10:50 Waited for 10:15 bus. They were late.

11:15 Arrive back at hotel.

11:17 Pass out.

-R

Vacay begins?

What a morning already!! We go up at 4:30 to be at the airport for our 6:30 flight. Well, at 4:45, the airline called to inform us that our flight was cancelled and we were booked onto another flight that leaves at 6:10. We got there in time still. I checked in...only they didn't have the new confirmation number in the system. SO, we had to wait in line. When we finally got up to the ticket counter, they informed us that it was too late to check any luggage. After a brief bitching out by yours truly, our luggage made it. Not only on that flight, but made it to Orlando. Flights were good. Weather here is AMAZING as I sit here typing this in the open court yard. I can definitely tell we are not in Iowa anymore. It might have something to do with the sunny, 80-degree day, OR that the cab to get here was $70!!!!! We got here and got hit up for a timeshare promotion. Sorry, not happenin'. Our room is good and it comes with the fridge that we planned on. The agenda for today is lowkey. Get some sun, lounge by the pool, nap (?), eat at the hotel bar. All and all, it's good!!! Tomorrow the craziness begins!! Until then....

-J

VACAY BEGINS!!!

Let the journey begin!!!! We began today. We left Storm Lake around 1:30. It was REALLY hard to leave Madeline but I only cried for a few minutes. I'm sure more will come later. So, we headed on the long 2.5 hour drive to Des Moines. We went to Target, Kohls and of course, the Hessan Haus. We ended at Lisa's around 7:15-ish. We've just spent the evening hanging out with the Curry's and Roxie (the boxer). We leave at a ripe early time of 6:30. Leaving that early doesn't sound bad, getting up, ready and out the door by 5:10, seems awfully early!! We'll keep you posted!!

-J

Barney?

Barney?! She likes Barney?! Not the awesome Barney Stinson, but that stupid purple dinosaur! I don't know what is worse evil: Hannah Montana or Barney, the damn purple dinosaur.

2 days!!! Packing....check-ish. Cleaning...check-ish. Laundry....check! That's one thing I can cross off the list. The biggest thing we need to do is pick up and get our garbage squared away. It's been 2 week since since it's been picked up and there is A LOT. Talked to the company and they are coming tomorrow.

Comedy of the day:

Ross: "Jackie, how do you spell icup?"

Jackie (not thinking): "Icup? I-C-U-P"

Ross's: (laughing hysterically) "I can't believe you fell for it!!!!"

-J

4 days and counting!!!

We soon begin our journey!!! 4 days left!! We leave for Storm Lake on Tuesday. We'll drop Madeline off and head out on Wednesday. Taking off Thursday!! It's been 11 months since my stroke and it's our 5 year anniversary, so I figure I deserve it!

First stop-Orlando! This will be the 3rd time for both of us. We get there around 1:00 that day. Highlights of the Orlando leg, will be Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom (1st time going there!), a dinner theater and finally a tour of Kennedy Space Center with an airboat ride in the swamps. Even though we've been there before, we are both very excited!

Second stop-Charleston! First time for both of us. I figured if we were going to be in Savannah (1 1/2 hours away), I HAD to see where the Civil War began. What history!! Highlights of Charleston leg, Slave Mart, carriage ride, Fort Sumter, and plantation.

Third stop-Savannah! We get to see Court! I've heard that Savannah is beautiful. We can't wait to see what's in store for us. We don't really have anything planned, except a haunted pub crawl!

We'll be flying from Des Moines to Orlando, Orlando to Charleston, and then Savannah to Des Moines. From Charleston to Savannah we will experience the rail! We will be gone for 12 days-and with no Madeline. We will miss her terribly but it will be nice to be adults again! :) Madeline will be staying with both sets of grandparents. Won't she get spoiled!!

-J

Southern Trek

Orlando..... Charleston...... Savannah ....... 12 days...... whew!! Jackie and I will be making the journey to the south next week. We'll spend five days in Orlando, three in Charleston, and four in Savannah. The highlight of the trip will be visiting my sister in Savannah. I have to be honest though, I'm really jazzed for Disney. I just found out that it's a Star Wars weekend at Hollywood Studios at Disney World. This includes Storm Troopers everywhere, Star Wars themed parades, special appearances from Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch, Ray "Darth Maul" Park and..... (I'm giddy about this one) Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew!!! Holy cow, freaking Chewbacca himself will be there. I'm dizzy with glee. I'm a little bummed because Billy Dee Williams is there this weekend, but not next. Oh well, I'll take Chewie!!
Jackie will be making the next post to give the details on what exactly we will be doing. We plan on posting most days as well as adding pictures to the posts.
-Ross