I need some me time **Updated 3/1** About This Page:

[Grandmasam]

Originally Posted by WDWfan

Your plans sound wonderful Terri! I can't imagine being at WDW without going to the parks, but then I live 1200 miles away - not 150.

Maybe I'll be close enough some day to drive down in only a few hours

[Cheriemek]

Even your plans for a relaxing weekend make me tired! You have a lot of energy! Hope you have a great time.

[MontiMouse]

Sounds like some wonderful ME time. Enjoy!!!

[Luvsun]

Your plans sound great! I love that you are eating at all of my favorite places!

[chezp]

What a great idea to take a weekend for yourself Terri - I am so jealous that you're so close to Disney that you can do that.

[lauriep]

Sounds wonderful, Terri!

[disneydani]

I think those are awesome plans! A few years back, DH and I made a two nighter trip and never set foot in the parks, either. It felt a bit strange but in in a very good and relaxing way!

danielle

[lindawdw]

Your plans sound wonderful Terri! Enjoy your relaxation time.

[scrapbookmomma3]

Plans sound great!!! I am ! I think I may want to try this some day soon. Have a wonderful time!

[DyanKJ130]

Your plans look great, Terri! How nice to be able to get away for the weekend! Can't wait to hear how it all unfolds!!

[DrDolphin]

But a few photos, notes and general rambling.

I think I should have called this trip "Do I look rested now?"

This trip sort of popped up a few weeks ago as an add on to a conference that I will be attending this week in Orlando. I decided to add 2 nights on to the front of the Orlando conference and - here I am.

I should start out with a review of yesterday - which was UGH. If anyone needed a break - it was me. Friday was full of numerous bonehead moves on my part - first one was leaving my cell phone and blackberry at the house in the am. Luckily I realized it when I was filling up the car and could not locate either of them - so I went home and got them, and then headed to the office. After a "long" day - well at least a busy one with lots of stress, I jumped in the car at 330pm (30 minutes after I was supposed to leave) and headed out. That is when I realized I had like $2.00 and I needed at least $6.00 to pay the tolls on 417 = since there was NO WAY I was driving through downtown Orlando at 6pm on a Friday night. No way no how. So I had to detour, find my bank's atm (while I was there I made a deposit too). With $40.00 in hand (tolls, tips, etc) I pointed the car south and drove.

I arrived at OKW right about 630pm. I got all checked in and was assigned to room 3910 back in the turtle pond village. I quickly found the room (first floor! SCORE!) and have discovered I AM IN LOVE with the floor plan for the OKW studios. Now I know why Disney changed in the other DVC resorts - they could make it smaller and it would still sell - but this one is FAB!!

The second bonehead move was when I checked into my room and began to settle in. I realized that my toiletry bag is hanging in my bathroom - not the OKW bathroom - but MY bathroom - back in Jacksonville.... yep - I have no toiletries... no toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, etc - and no little Christian running around offering to get them for me like I did on the cruise.... so before dinner I headed to Walgreen's and restocked everything for the next 7 days. Some $52.00 later - I have what I need for the week - Some things I will just have to live without. I swear for a woman that travels as much as I do - there is frankly no excuse.

And bonehead move of the day #3 - while I was waiting for my table at AP - I went to the Territory Bar -- and ordered "a cranberry juice with a splash of vodka" since I have had 3 very bad days starting since Tuesday night... got bad news and the week just went down from there. So -- she gave me the drink - and it was like I ordered it - but since the last thing I drank was wine like almost a year ago, and I had not eaten since NOON.... can you say warm, fuzzy and woozy..... BAD idea in the long run. I don't feel sick like I have in the past, and I drank iced tea after that - including dinner... (remember that for the last 7+ years I have had trouble processing alcohol - we think the chemo nuked my liver.... so how smart was it for me to "test" things???).

I think I was finally seated at AP around 910pm. I noted that there were LOTS of open tables, but that the manager was turning walkups away saying that they did not have enough staff to cover the tables. I noted the same thing this morning at Kona. I wonder if this is a wide problem??

I had a wonderful dinner at Artist's Point. Rae from China was my server and she did a fabulous job - even bringing me my own "not so hidden" Mickey.


I had the Smokey portabello mushroom to start (and a few camera/flash/battery issues as you can see) and the HUGE scallops for my entree. I opted not to get dessert since I was S-T-U-F-F-E-D. You could have hung me on the wall as a mount I was so stuffed.

Smokey portabello mushroom soup

Scallops, corn, fava beans in a cream sauce - another yum!!

One funny thing I noted while I was sitting in the bar - let's see if you can see it


I left WL around 1030pm and made my way back to OKW where I quickly fell into bed and right to sleep.

Next - Saturday (that would be today).

[MontiMouse]

Yum, I just love those scallops from Artist Point!!! Of course, I never met a scallop I didn't like. Sounds like you are really stressed Terri, I hope you get some relaxing time to yourself over the next few days!

[DrDolphin]

Saturday

I slept until 830am - and I needed it (maybe some more). Right about 840 my cell phone rang. It was citibank calling to ask me if I had purchased $5200.00 worth of airline tickets on United airlines this morning. UH - that would be NO!!! SO - I checked and I have the credit card - so we canceled the credit card.... and a new one is in the mail. LUCKILY I am not USING said card at the moment : -- joy. What a way to wake up.

I had a 10am breakfast ADR at Kona cafe. It has been awhile since I was there - so I decided to head back for a quiet breakfast. I was seated right about 1020am and ordered "two eggs your way" with bacon. When my eggs arrived - they were undercooked and runny. If it is one thing I can not deal with - runny eggs. So I sent them back and sat there for another 15 minutes until the new eggs arrived. These were probably overcooked (DRY) but I was hungry - so I didn't say anything, added some ketchup (good thing I wasn't at WCC!) and ate my breakfast.

I left the Polynesian at about 1115 and drove to Saratoga Springs. I had a body treatment and massage scheduled for noon. I have had treatments at the Spa at the Grand Floridian before - but not SSR. So - I went and had the Mystical Forest Body Masque & Wrap. This treatment involved a rough body brush to exfoliate the skin (and I get to keep the brush); followed by the application of a mud masque with clay from Utah and Australia that is heated before it is applied. After I was entirely covered in the masque - I was wrapped up like a potato and allowed to "bake" for about 20 minutes in a dark room with relaxing music. I very nearly fell asleep. After the Masque is allowed to bake, you get up and wash it all off in a HOT shower (and I mean HOT). Then - you get back on the table for a massage for an additional 25 minutes. When my therapy was done - my legs felt like jello. From there I went to the ladies locker room, put on my (soon to be gotten rid of because it is too large) new Lands End swimsuit that I bought for the Med cruise last year and have only worn a few times (since it was in the bag that was lost) and sat in the 115 degree hot tub and the 100 degree dry sauna. After an hour of those two - I took another shower (I think I prefer the shampoo, etc at the GF spa to the SSR spa offerings), got dressed, came back to the room and fell asleep! It may have been a mix of "toxin movement" (which I don't really believe BTW) and dehydration (which I think was the primary cause) and just mental exhaustion from the last few weeks.

I slept until about 330. I woke up, put on my mickey swimsuit (another lost suitcase from the Med cruise souvenir), grabbed my book and headed to the pool for some sun and a bottle of water. Never did make it into the pool - but did enjoy an hour or so of reading and sunbathing (with SPF 50) until the 2 whinny couples in their 20s arrived and started to argue with each other as they got more and more intoxicated. That was when I said enough and came back to the room. I took my 3rd shower of the day (sunscreen = sticky mess cause it is that spray on kind) and started to get ready for dinner at "Flying Fish"


I got there a little early - and did some people watching on the Boardwalk while I killed time.


I was seated at the "high bar" at about 720pm and none of the entrees jumped out and yelled GET ME!! But - three of the appetizers did -- so I did an appetizer trifecta -


A fabulous caprese salad with locally grown yellow and cherry tomatoes, a fresh buffalo mozzarella; a 12-year old aged balsamic and chive oil.

Then for dinner I had - *Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with Far Eastern Accentuations *- Hijiki, Yuzu Tobikko, sweet-spicy miso-garlic sauce, wasabi-cilantro oil, sesame crisps AND *Chillded Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp Cocktail* - frisee, watermelon relish, hearts of palm, creamy verde sauce, chive-infused virgin olive oil

They were all lovely. One of the "bar-mates" too a photo of me - so do I look rested?

I check out tomorrow morning. I have breakfast at Boma around 9 and doubt I will make it back here before 11 (since I plan to spend some time at the lodge after breakfast) - so I will check out before then and put all my bags in the trunk. After breakfast and the lodge - I am heading to Downtown Disney - there is a sweatshirt I have been meaning to get for someone.... and I need to stock up on bath bombs and body butter at Basin. THEN I can decide if I am having lunch (doubtful since I will probably still be full from a 9am breakfast) and head over to the new hotel to check in (Hilton Garden Inn near the airport). The kick off social for the conference is tomorrow evening at 7pm - and I will probably pick up my conference materials then instead of having to go early on Monday morning before the sessions start.

Overall it has been a really nice slow quiet weekend. Just what I needed. The soloness was a little disquieting at times, but that is ok - now back to the grind starting tomorrow at 7pm!

[tammyd_rn]

Terri, thanks for the update. Hopefully you will get some R&R on this trip.

[DyanKJ130]

WOW, Terri!! I'm relaxed just thinking about all the treatments and relaxing you did! Sounds like a wonderful weekend, that you definitely deserved! Safe travels!