charitycase20....Charity

Happy birthday TJ!!

Very cool! Thanks for taking us to the track with you. I love it!
Though, I must admit, I had trouble following along after this:

Holy WOW. Molto Delizioso!
I had more comments, but now I have forgotten what they were…….

!!!!!ANOUNCEMENT!!!!
OK, all you WWW. I've gotten enough responses to know that we can pull this off.
Fiends Helping Fiends has garnered enough 1-day free park admissions to cover those that don't already have park admissions. (Total of 6), that we will be able to have a park outing as a group!!!!
The day will be Saturday.
Now I need to know what park!!!

First of all, yes TCD found the key! MH9 will get me everytime.
The kids in camo works too!
The Gator shot...only #15.
Wow, Wide Right...really? That's cruel.
I'm working on the latest updates. Trying to get photos from BM, his wife, and daughter.
He's roughly the equivalent of trying to get something from the DMV.

Not sure if they serve Kona But you can get it at the breakfast bar right outside Kona. He said thinking of his coffee addicted wife.

Great update, Dave!
I loved the safari commentary.
I think you should become a driver for the safari.
You are a lot better than what they have there now.
It's funny that you mention stopping to see shows now. This is something that the girls and I started doing recently. Parades too. I used to never watch the parades. We needed to ride the rides! But, the parades and shows are pretty good.
I have a comment for Aaron:
That is exactly how you will feel.
Plus, if you have more than one kid you're trying to watch, you will also feel like one of them is going to end up missing.
And, for the love of Fuego, do not let them into the giant sandbox with the buried dinosaur bones. My kids loved that. I would rather watch paint dry.
I never understood why they didn't put a bar in there. They would make a fortune from the trapped parents.
TCD

Hey, time for a quick hijack of my own trip report to say.......
Happy Birthday, Anna!!!!!
5 Years Old Today!!!
:bday:
:partythree:

I love those mugs! You can't beat that price for the mug, let alone having it filled with ice cream.
Good call!
At the Fort, with a pre-dinner cocktail, listening to ZBB and catching up on a TCD report. Life is good!

Just got on the magic express to the Fort. It seems more exciting to be on the way to the Fort while reading.

OK- I cry uncle!!!
I am from Missouri - but Oklahoma was close. Our family had been in Pizza Planet at DHS when we saw you (my daughter noticing your girls first), everyone had to go to the bathroom to confirm it. We just moved on after and laughed about the fact you were a Disney celeb to us. After we ate, we went to the lights (our first time and they were beautiful), and our daughter saw you guys again and for some reason, it just became funny. We didn't want you and your family to think we were stalking all of you, so I decided just to say something.
It was our first time at WDW during Thanksgiving, It was beautiful but crowded. We ate Thanksgiving dinner in BOG - it was awesome!
There you go - I responded! You can continue with your report now :laugh:

Just got home from the Fort a few hours ago - we rented a camper from Donnie at makecampingeasy.com. We had a great experience. The camper was set up with everything that we needed for our trip - dishes, sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, etc. Donnie was super nice and great to work with. I would definitely recommend this rental to anyone looking for a clean and effortless camping experience at the Fort.

I've got five kids, what do you think? :rofl2:

If you have ever read a TCD trip report, you are familiar with my use of cliffhangers.
I am going to go against the grain for this TR.
We will go right to the money shots:


Those photos were taken at 7:02 pm on 11/3/12.
In the MK.
I was in the first group of non-castmembers to (legally) drink a beer in the Magic Kingdom.
The Magic Kingdom has been open for 41 years now.
And for 41 years, not a drop of liquor was sold or consumed by a paying guest.
Until 11/3/12.
Ultimate Bragging Rights!
I could stop this report right here and it would still be awesome.
But, I have to tell the whole story.
From how we got the chance to do this, to the other awesome things we got to do that day before arriving at the Be Our Guest restaurant.
So, in the next post, we will back it up to the beginning of this epic story.
And, the beer was not the only first-time thing we got to do on our visit.
In fact, if I'm counting right, there were at least three other things we did or saw on this one day that we had never done or seen before.
So, check back later for the rest of the story.
TCD

Bobby says he's just here to visit his cousin, disco Yeti.

Of course, I was in my prime then! :)

My NaNa is the same way...little bit of a woman, eats like a horse! Your Momma reminds me of her. :)

Damn it Toddly, I do not smell like cigs only cigars. And I don't have a fire. Plus I'm not one dimensional, hell just look at those pic, I am definately 3D. I enjoy beer, punch, jello (whcih is good for the fingernails) and Port. Oops thats 4, so I guess I'm 4D. If they have 4G, I guess I can be 4D.

Day One:
Music: Heart, Aerosmith, Mott The Hoople, T. Rex
Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper and Kool-Aid...Ok, I packed some beer too!
Smell: Low Tide and Canvas
Yes indeed dear reader…you’ve tuned into a TR from a KOA.
I’ll wait a minute til’ you get that chuckle out of your system. And you in the back that’s just getting ready to check out…that’s cool…but you’ll miss a nice one, plus it’s short!
You’ll see some regular MetalDad stuff… Beer, Fire, Food, and the Hat! Well both hats…camo and Magic…
Some things you won’t see… the moustache. Ben’s not in this one. You also won’t see the daughter with all the fish, or the kid with the mohawk. This was a Father-Daughter trip, just me and my little Annie!
You’ll also meet some of the fam…
Ya’ see Timmy, there’s this ongoing thing with my kids. There’s three of them. So often, the oldest gets to experience everything because she was first, my son gets some leftovers, but gets to do just “boy” things, since he’s the only one.
And Annie...she gets all the hand-me-downs from both of them, has to grow up a bit quicker, because she hangs out with the other two, and has up until now, has had the least amount of time with us (duh, she’s the youngest).
For me, that translates into camping. I’ve taken the other two on two solo trips each.
One each to the KOA on consecutive weekends, and one each a trip to the Fort to meet up with Ben and Will.
Annie has put it to me that she hasn’t had a solo trip yet, so we’ve been trying to put it together for awhile…actually almost a year. She's old enough now!
We have a local KOA, it sits in an industrial park, but actually is surrounded on two sides by the bay. It’s at a spot where a large lake spills over into the bay, and provides for a very unique sight every once and awhile, an alligator swimming in salt water.
The KOA is the site of our very first camping trip, and our very first trip with our camper. For us, it’s ideal because it’s 15 mins. Away, and it’s free.
So, after months of scrutinizing every weekend, plans, forecast, work… I said the hell with it, Annie and I are going, we’ll work everything else out around it!
We were at my folks celebrating their 60th anniversary, I checked with big brother, and he hooked us up with a site.
BTW, here’s a shot from the party. I set up and played, had ‘em dancing all day!

We’re going for the weekend, set-up Friday, come home Sunday.
That means Friday is… ‘Take Your Camper To Work Day’!
Work is a sweet torture when you have your rig parked outside of your office window.
MetalWife drops off Annie at the office as I’m closing up, and wheels up.
A quick stop at Publix for some ice and Magic Hat and we’re on the road… 10 minutes later, we’re at the KOA.
Big brother hooked us up with a great site, right on the water, neighbors only to the back of the PUP.
Ever have one of those moments where a real non-descript decision ends up saving you hours or even days of trouble and years of embarrassment? For me, that could be daily.
But in this instance, it was a matter of inches. I backed in, got the PUP pretty much where I wanted, but was going to adjust by a nudge and push, once unhitched.
I set the chocks about 4-6 inches behind the wheels, to leave room for adjustment.
As I cranked the tongue wheel, the camper starts to raise up off the hitch.
Just as it clears the ball, the camper starts to move backwards under its own weight, towards the bay.
It rocks up the chocks and back down, and settles in hard and tight…cool…I’ll set it up here!

Meanwhile, I’m carrying on a conversation with a six-year old while trying to beat the light.
“Look Daddy! Everything!”

By the way, that’s “Piggy Joe” she’s holding. More on Joe later.
The good Lord sent in the cavalry.
My brother decided to camp the weekend too. He had a cabin 100 feet away, and pulls up in the KOA cart. He took Annie for a ride whilst I set up the camper.
Our mantra for the weekend, Less Is More. I was set up in no time.
Know what this is?

Nope.
That’s Pixie Dust.
That’s coquina and site droppings from the 1500 loop of the Fort from the Fourth.
See here:
http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/7002-blood-sweat-and-fiends-a-fort-fourth/
Now, normally, I’m not a big fan of garbage burning, but I sometimes use my beer boxes to start the fire. Plus I had to send a photo to Ben to rub it in that I had Hat and a fire ring.

I fired up Paul Jr. and rocked the Bubba Burgers, with Cole Slaw, Pickles, and Lay’s Stax (a Pringle’s rip-off!)

Annie took one of me!

A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We were planning on staying up late, hanging out by the fire, visiting with my brother.
Then the skies opened up.
And the Lord spoke “Thou shalt go to bed early”, so we set up for the night.
Dear fiends, my favorite photo from the trip!

We snapped one of the vacant ‘North Bunk’ to goof on Ben.

And Annie wanted one more to send to MetalWife before she fell asleep.
The caption read “Mommy, I’m in your spot!”

Tomorrow… a full Father-Daughter Saturday!

Have fun!! :)
Take lots of pictures of CBR...I'd love to stay there sometime. (Just Alex and I of course)

Stef - I just saw this and read through the whole thing...Jordan is in my prayers. And you, Trevor and Nate are too...its hard when someone you love is over there...I'm looking at a sister and a brother-in-law being over there somewhere before the end of the year. :heart: :hugs2:

From the Disney Food blog...
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/01/17/snack-series-contempo-cafe-red-velvet-cupcake/

From the Disney Food blog...
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/01/16/13-questions-and-answers-about-bringing-your-own-food-to-disney-theme-parks/

DO NOT RENT A GOLF CART
For that matter, never rent a camper either.
Last December we rented a camper to go to the Fort.
Now we own one.
In October we rented a golf cart from Kenny.
Now we own one.
It's a curse.
But a great curse!!!

The Beginning

January 16, 2008.

The dead of winter in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The sun rises around 10:00am and sets by 3:00pm. It is a cold and dark day. (How do I know this? They’re ALL cold and dark in Russia! But I digress.) A woman pregnant with her 9th child heads to the hospital to deliver. This in itself is remarkable, as she has aborted the previous 7 pregnancies. But despite prenatal testing indicating this child has Down Syndrome, she carries to term and delivers a baby girl. And, as occurs in 95% of Down Syndrome births in Russia, she abandons the baby to state custody. Another orphan among 700,000 in Russia.

The fact that she was born at all, after her birth mother’s history, is a miracle. Absent logical conclusions, we can only assume that God intended for that child to be ours from the very beginning. He only took a different path for her, maybe to illuminate the situation these children face over there. But regardless, on January 16, 2008, our daughter entered this world.

At two weeks of age, the little girl, named Anastasia Orlova, was sent to live at Baby Home #1on the outskirts of St Petersburg. She lived among several dozen orphans, many of them typically developing kids.



But little Anastasia, or Anna as we named her, wasn’t typical. She has Down Syndrome. And unfortunately, in her society, that makes her worthless. She has no chance of being adopted domestically. No Russian family ever visits or inquires about her. Even her birth mother, who lives in the neighborhood, never once calls to check on her. So she spends her first few years in the only home, and the only neighborhood, she would know up to that point, never venturing beyond the courtyard.





By the time she is 2, she has been identified by Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry as an “at risk” child.



In the Russian orphanage system, children with DS that have not been adopted by age 4 are transferred to mental institutions. They are considered “unadoptable” at that point, and do not do well. Many don’t survive a year in that environment.

And so, it was through Reece’s Rainbow that we learned of Anna. Our future daughter…and future Fiend.

Prior to starting down the path to adoption, we had been visiting the Fort twice a year in our motorhome. And for the last couple trips, we had annual passes. We had a blast! But around the time of what would be our last trip in the MH, in March 2010, God presented a bit of a detour to us. He put the idea of special needs adoption in our hearts. And that process took most of our time (not to mention our money!) for the next 18 months. We sold our motorhome. I honestly wasn’t sure whether there would be any trips to the Fort in the future. But once we made our first trip to Russia and met Anna, I knew that kid was a future Fiend. We are blessed that she is a healthy and happy little girl. And so this past winter we bought a TT and I began planning this trip.

My little girl is a miracle! She is full of life! And throughout our long and difficult process of adopting her, you Fiends were there with us every step of the way. You provided moral support. You showered our older girls with love, cards and gifts when Christy and I had to travel for an extended period to Russia without them. And you have been family to us, sharing in our excitement. That is why, just 10 days after we returned home to the States with Anna, we traveled to Stone Mountain for the Fiend Grand Gathering over Memorial Day weekend. Some people thought we were nuts for traveling so soon. But we wanted to share our joy with our Fiend Family.






 
We had a great weekend at Stone Mountain! But despite all the fun we had, a true Fort Fiend like Anna needs to make the ultimate pilgrimage. A trip to the Fort itself. And so the planning continued, the final details were hammered out, and on the afternoon of November 15th, we pulled out of our driveway to complete the journey of our littlest Fiend.

4am, why does it always have to be 4am? The plan is to be on the road at 7am or so. We have requested to 500 loop - we shall see. Rita has done it to me again! I told her after the last reservation fiasco, that she better get it right the first time, because I wasn't going to keep making changes ...
Change 1: My cousin, Heather, is coming down for a few days because she needs company for the Halloween Horror Night at (gasp!) Universal. Heather's Birthday is Oct. 29, so I make Reservations at Narcoosee for her Birthday.
Change 2: Heather can't come, so the Reservation at Narcoossee gets cancelled, and I'm NOT going to HHN.
Change 3 (starting to see a trend here?): Rita, "One day Premium/Platinum Plans end Dec. 31, why don't we slip one in"? Me, :facepalm: Hours later, our ONE reservation at The Fort is now THREE! One for when we check in; one for the One Day OMG I Ate Too Much But Cirque Was Fantastic Plan; and one for the rest of the stay. (Don't forget having to make reservations for all that dining [brown Derby, California Grill and Yachtsman Steakhouse - and YES, Dave, there WILL be pictures of Pood Forn] and anther reservation for Cirque).
Change 4: Originally Rita couldn't get off on Monday, Oct 24 - no way; no how, so we were due to arrive on Oct. 25 ... As "the day" got closer, Rita developed full blown DOCDAA (Disney OCD Anxiety Attack), and "found" a way to cram everything that needed to be done into the last few days at work. Guess who was rapidly becoming on a first name basis (Yes, Lou, I DO know they ask for my first name and use it on the phones) with the CMs at the Reservation Center :banghead: NOW, she wanted to leave "as soon as we can get reservations for a Premium site to extend our current Reservations". On the Phone Again (I bet they have my phone number flagged and the "newbies" get to handle my call). Saturday, Oct 22 didn't have Premium sites available ... the 23rd did.
Change 5 (bless you Lorna & Bitchie!): We had arranged to get a GC for our stay starting the 25th. A flurry of PMs (notice the change from Caps to lower case - there was NO PMS or pms involved!) later, and we are also supposed to get the GC early :jumpforjoy
THEREFORE, we shall be at The Fort this afternoon! Expect photos - lots of photos! There will be photos of Fiends; there will be photos of Pood Forn; there will be photos of GG and other Fiend events (BATWIT Blackmail photos available at extra cost :rofl2: ); there will be photos just because.
To be continued ...