Mormon Tabernacle Choir in STL 6-20-09

So the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has not been in St Louis for the last 53 years. We were finally added onto the tour schedule! Here are a few short videos of some of the performance:

Battle Hymn of the Republic - portion of the song:

Here is part of the song that they end on in every performance:

The whole show was awesome! Hope you enjoyed the few bits of videos from the show!

Vinylmation

Okay, one more Florida Trip thought....I swear. :)

Disney now has these souvenirs out called Vinylmation. You can buy created sets...or blank ones to create your own. (There are also two sizes, 3 inches and 9 inches. I'm a fan more of the 3 inch ones.)

But pretty much...they are blank "Mickey's". The blank ones you buy are painted white all over. You then paint whatever you want to on the Mickey. But I like the sets, as I'm no artist. Twelve "Mickey's" per set...with one of the twelve unknown and called the 'Chaser'. Tons of sets...here's a link so you can check them out yourself: http://www.vinylmation.net/

Now the really fun part of these is you have to buy the box. Within the box is a sealed foil like bag which contains the "Mickey". So when you buy...you have no idea which of the set you just purchased. And you can't open it...they won't let you really...till you purchase it. Ellen and I quickly became addicted. I seemed to have knack for buying doubles of one's I all ready had. So after awhile I assigned Ellen to be my picker...as she had WAY better luck than I did. In the end I had 9 out of the 12 and I stopped when I finally got the Panda. :) That one I really wanted...within my top 3.

Unfortunately, I didn't unpack them from the bag first thing...was waiting till I had some time. So that next trash day....Mom thought it was more of my 'trip trash' and they accidentally got thrown away. Just tells me I need to keep my room a little bit 'cleaner' than I do. :)

Although I just kept missing them. So I found online where I could buy a whole tray of them. A tray was how they were displayed to sell in the stores. I wanted them...and if I was really going to go through the work of getting them all back....might as well buy the whole set. If I got a tray...I'd be guaranteed the whole set no matter what...and an extra 11 out of 12 of another set. (Each tray has 2 complete sets including only one 'Chaser'.) I broke down and bought it. hehe.

Here's a Tray:

Here is the pic of all the 12 Mickeys in the set:

I was so excited when they arrived. The next day I finally decided how I wanted to open them all...all at once. :)

Here's how the boxed displays look in the stores:

Here's all 24! I got 3 Monkey's all together. :)

Here is the complete set that I will be keeping, in order as shown on the box:

The complete set is as follows from L-R: Penny Machine, Panda, Mike Mouse (Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.), Little Green Men (little aliens from Toy Story), Aquaramouse (It's a fish bowl), Poncho (has a Mickey drawn on the bum), Toonhole (slimed on the back of his head, yeah I have no idea but he's cute anyways), Festival of the Lion King, The Little Mermaid (Flounder on front, Ariel on back), Snow White's Adventure (has the dwarfs and Snow White on it), Monkey (he's holding a banana with his tail), Pongo (Dalmation from 101 Dalmations) as the Chaser.

I gave a few away to friends...I helped Ellen finish off her complete set...and the rest I hope to sell on Ebay. :) Seriously check out the site...you may become addicted as well!

Meet the Characters

Okay, so the final pictures from my Florida trip I meant to end on...just remembered. :)

Sea World

Ellen and I with the Shamu :)

Look, I swimming with Shamu! hehe

We got to meet Micket 3 times! We just didn't get to see him at Epcot. Here are the best shots we got with our cameras:

Magic Kingdom

L-R: Minnie, Me, Ellen, Christel, Mickey

Hollywood Studios

L-R: Me, Mickey, Ellen and Christel

Mac Daddy Mickey - he came up with this shot himself :)

Animal Kingdom

L-R: Me, Mickey, Ellen and Christel

Eyeore and Me - D this for you! :P

L-R: Ellen, Eyeore, me


L-R: Ellen, Tigger, Me

I swear Tigger was flirting with me...he just kept pulling me in closer and closer till I was flush against his side. :)

Meeting all the characters was a blast! They can't talk so it's interesting to see their handlers try to figure out what they want. :)

All right, that's the final summary of my trip....I think. :) So happy I finally got to meet Mickey. My life is now complete.

Not really, but you know what I mean. hehe. :P

Happy Birthday Audra!!!

Happy Birthday Audra!

One more year older...man how the time flys!

Hope you have a wonderful day! Love ya!

Yes, I did use exclimation points with everything I wrote! :) You deserve it! hehe

Animal Kingdom

So on Saturday we hit the final main park in Disney World - the Animal Kingdom! Here are a few pics from our day:

So through our day we did:



Expedition Everest ride - pretty awesome...saw a yetti. :)



It's Tough to Be A Bug show - animated 3-D show - pretty awesome



Went to Camp Minnie and Mickey



Saw the Festival of the Lion King - really cool show




Meet Mickey - for the third time



We then took the Wildlife Express Train up to Rafiki's Habitat Habitat



Saw the Conservation Station and Affection Section. Pocohantas, Rafiki and Jimmeny Cricket were there. Petted some lambs - not as soft as I thought they'd be.



Took the train back to Tusker House Restaurant for lunch - yummy. There was even a deal with lunch where we could get preferred seating for the Finding Nemo Show.



We then slowly walked to Dinoland and rode the TriceraTop Spin. We were going to go on Dino ride but the wait was too long.



After that we went and saw the Finding Nemo show which was awesome. Interesting how they pulled it off. :P



We then hit some souviner shops on the way out of the park. That park closes early in the day...which we planned on as we were leaving early the next morning to drive home.



But we stopped off at Downtown Disney and went to Giradelli's Soda Fountain and I got a Coke Float...was pretty good. :P



We walked around a bit then headed on back to get to packing and to hopefully get to bed early. Christel and Ellen went swimming one more time...I'd gone the night before and was too exhausted to change....and wanted to get my pics downloaded and stuff packed mostly.



After the swim Ellen came back and her and I headed to Downtown Disney to make one more souviner stop. :P We addicted. We then got back, I packed and headed to bed later than hoped.



Sunday we left at 5 a.m. and drove home. Christel was sick, Ellen couldn't drive, and I was so tired I didn't know if I could drive but I did all the in-between driving...about 10 hours out of the 14 hours or so. We actually made it home early so I got to talk to Mom and unpack mostly. Then went to bed...and headed to work the next day.



I'm still exhausted. :) So that was pretty much our trip to Florida! Hope you enjoyed the trip!

Epcot

On Friday on vacation we went to Epcot park. Here are some pics of our fun:

So that day here is what we did in the park:

Soarin' Ride - Ride that makes you feel you are hang gliding over California

Turtle Talk with Crush - interactive animated show

Walking around the Aquarium in same building





Mission Space Advanced Training Lab Ride - Awesome!

Test Track ride - Crash Test Dummy anyone?

Mexico Pavilion

Norway Pavilion

Maelstorm ride within Norway

China Pavilion

Germany Pavilion

Italy Pavilion

USA Pavilion

Japan Pavilion

Morocco Pavilion

Took the Ferry back over to Canada to get to the next ride



Spaceship Earth ride - inside the big ball in center of Epcot - way cool!

Universe of Energy - Ellen's Energy Adventure ride

Hung around the Electric Umbrella while Christel and Ellen went to France and Canada. My feet hurt. :)

We then headed on home and crashed for the night.

Hollywood Studios

So on Thursday of the vacation we went to Hollywood Studios. Here's a slide show of our fun times :)

So throughout the day we went to the following:

Voyage of the Little Mermaid Show



Magic of Disney Animation Presentation - and Meeting Mickey!

Ran to make the Indiana Jones Show but missed it so then ran to the Beauty and the Beast show



Aerosmith Rock'n Roller ride

Journey into Narnia - Prince Caspian attraction

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular




Lunch at Pizza Planet

Star Wars ride

Muppet Vision 3-D

High School Musical 3 - performance under the magic hat

American Idol Experience - Final round and the Finale - our girl who won the final round won the all day finale and got a golden ticket to the front of the audition lines in any city for the next season of American Idol .

We then hit a few souvenir shops on the way out and had dinner at Houlihann's.

Magic Kingdom

So Wednesday we headed to the Magic Kingdom for our first day in Disney World. We wanted to hit it on a less busy day, but man it was still crowded. :) There were tons to see and do, but here are some of the highlights from our full day:

Okay, here's what we did...at least from what I can remember:

Headed straight for Big Thunder Mountain ride - was pretty cool

Went to the Haunted Mansion - there were definately some additions to it from what it was when I was 8 the first time I went to Disney World, but some was the same and it was soo cool to see it again. :)

Went on Peter Pan Ride

It's a Small World ride - videoed the whole thing, it wasn't too annoying. :)

Winnie the Pooh ride

Dumbo Ride

Lunch

Saw Minnie and Mickey's homes, then got to meet Mickey!

Took the train ride around the park

Ellen and Christel went on the Teacups - I was all ready feeling heat exhaustion so I didn't go on and got a frozen lemonade

We then went to The Monsters Inc Laugh Factory - interactive animated show - was totally hilarious! I so wish it had lasted longer cause it really was funny.

Buzz Lightyear Ride - save the planet! I won the game. hehe.

We then went and did the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride twice - no line really and it was pretty cool - they added Jack Sparrow into the ride after the movie came out so it's fun just looking for him throughout it. :)

Saw the Country Bears show - I'm pretty sure I saw that as a kid as well, still cute.

Did the Aladdin Magic Carpet Ride

Went to a soft serve area so Ellen could get her Pineapple Float

Hit some souvenier shops then headed on home. It was another full and fun day!

Lazy Day

So Tuesday Ellen and I went swimming for most of the morning. We both got burnt. :)

We then got back and got dressed for the temple to go and do a session. Gorgeous temple.

Off to the airport we than went to pick up Christel. After that we went to Universal Studios to see the Hard Rock Cafe...and also saw Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant:

Videos of Sea World

So...being as I love to play with my camera I took as many videos of shows that I could, so enjoy some of our trip to Sea World and Planet Hollywood:

Here's part of the Shamu/Whale show that we went to first:




Shamu in the underwater viewing area. Ellen even asked the worker there if whales could swallow a skull whole. They can't. :) :

Ellen petting the Stingrays...they sure are slimy. Their skins are coated with mucus so they can glide through the water better:

Here is Ellen feeding the dolphins...the one thing she really wanted to do:



Here's me feeding the dolphins:



Here's a sight of the third level of Planet Hollywood:

Sea World and Downtown Disney

So last Monday Ellen and I headed to Sea World and then walked quickly around Downtown Disney. Here are some highlights:

Here's a listing of what we did do while in the park (in order)

Saw the babies in the Dolphin nursery

Went to the Shamu Show - awesome!

Underwater viewing of Shamu

Wild Arcic Ride

Went and petted the Dolphins

Saw the Dolphin and bird show

Saw the Manatee Rescue area

Stopped off to get some lunch

Saw an acrobatic show regarding life at sea...can't remember the name :)

Saw the Sharks - even a tunnel of sharks you can walk through...hehe

Headed down to feed the dolphins, was a bit of a wait so went and viewed them playing underwater

Feed the dolphins - totally awesome!

It then started pouring and Ellen and I headed out to the nearby Outlet malls, where I got some good stuff at the Coach store!

We then headed to downtown Disney to just see what's down there as the parking is free - it's like a huge outdoor shopping strip - with bars, restaurants and some entertainment. :)

We then went home and crashed. Dude, long day. :)

Road Trip Down to Florida

So we took off Sunday, June 7th at 5:30 a.m. A little bit later than we had planned, but I overslept. :)

And once we got down to Florida, the condo did have wireless internet, but the reception only had one bar and just trying to log onto this blog took forever to bring up, so I gave up and will post a day at a time this following week.

Hope you enjoy the trip to Florida through my pictures!

The Past Couple of Weeks

Okay, so life has been pretty busy since the wedding. Here's a summary of what's been going on and links to my sisters website which will show the same pictures I would post as they were all taken with my camera. :) So, there's no point to redo the pics...hehe:

Memorial Day - We went swimming at the pool my Uncle and Aunt and 4 of their kids were staying at, it was indoor and it was raining out. We then went home showered, ate and started to prepare the Memorial Day dinner. BBQ pork sandwhiches, corn on the cob, fruit, etc. Mostly I was actually playing with the kids. :) Audra then had a high school friend come over with her family to visit and Matt/Debbie and their kids came to hang out. Fun times.

Tuesday, May 26 - City Museum Baby!

Wednesday, May 27 - I worked. Family went to Zoo and Travis flew home in the afternoon...he had to get back to work. Boo.

Thursday, May 28 - I again worked, Mom, Audra and the kids headed to Nauvoo.

Friday, May 29 - same as Thursday except they came back that night.

Saturday, May 30 - We went to see Night at the Museum: Smithsonian. (We as in Audra, JT, Rylee, Seth and me) Then went to Red Robin for lunch. Drove around to some old STL sights Audra wanted to see (our first house and her first elementary school here) Then we made dinner for the kids and got them ready for bed. Left JT to babysit and Audra, Mom and I went to see Star Trek! Was totally awesome!

Sunday, May 31 - Church then onto Matt's house for dinner.

Monday, June 1 - I worked as did Mom. Audra and the kids met up with an old friend and went swimming. Audra painted the kitchen bay window area - Thanks Audra!!! Then Audra and I took the Agent J and Princess to a Cardinals game. We lost but it was still fun! Those nose bleeds sure are up TONS of ramps!

Tuesday, June 2 - I got off work, YAY!!! Went with Audra and the kids to the Arch. Went up the tram pretty quickly then waited around for the movie. We then hit Steak'n Shake for lunch and headed home....I was subbing for someone's temple shift that night. That day was a bad thunderstorm in the area. Temple and random parts of St Louis were out of power. Our house was fine. Go figure.

Wednesday, June 3 - Agent J's Birthday!!! We got together with Matt and his fam and went to the Magic House. Was tons of fun! It's sooo much bigger than when I was a kid. :) Then home for pizza and cookie cake celebration.

Thursday, June 4 - Audra, Mom and the kids drove off for Phoenix. I worked then did my shift at the temple.

Friday, June 5 - Worked...all day till 8:30 p.m. or so. Had to get the stuff on my desk done. Exhausting!!! Then went home and did a few batches of laundry.

Saturday, June 6 - Chiropractor appointment, Dermetologist appointment (LONG WAIT). The did lunch w/Dominique and we went errand shopping. What should have been quick turned into shopping till 6 p.m. Then rushed home to finish laundry and packing for Florida trip.

Sunday, June 7 - Overslept a bit till Ellen called, then headed onto Florida for a week! Enjoy pics of my vacation!