"A Whole New (Disney) World"

As I've alluded to previously on this blog, Katie comes from a family well versed in the gospel of Walt and very familiar with his Magic Kingdom. There are a million memories for her tucked into that massive property in Florida, and I knew this was going to be a part of our future as well.

(And, just to avoid any confusion, it's a part of our future I'm happy about. Any place that uses a gigantic golf ball to welcome its guests is all right in my book.)

This month, we had our first chance to experience Disney World (and any theme park for that matter) together. Though I'd been once before with my family, I knew I was going to be a rookie on a team of seasoned veterans this time around and came ready to learn from the pros.

In no particular order, here are some of the strategies for Disney success I gleaned from the Jorgensens:

1. DRESS TO IMPRESS

Wide-eyed and tie dyed on our first day.

St. Louis Cardinals theme. Yeah, I messed this one up, but we fixed that problem before leaving Florida. And yes, our whole crew is in this picture.

Another "We're from St. Louis" shout out. Still waiting for my first taste of Ted Drewes frozen custard, but I've already got the T-shirt to prove it.

Typical Utah Ute fans. Always looking for chances to rebel.

To the common man, the M's on Mom and Dad's shirts are for the M&M candies, but for those hip to Roman numerals, you'll know these are exclusive Club M shirts for guests who have been to the park 1,000 times :)

2. KNOW WHEN TO CLOSE 'EM, KNOW WHEN TO POSE 'EM

This family never passes on a Kodak moment, and they knew when that oh-so special moment comes on every ride.

Me? Not so much

Eventually I caught on

3. ANY AIR-CONDITIONED ATTRACTION IS A WORTHWHILE ATTRACTION

Nowhere was this principle put to work more than at EPCOT, where the folks at Disney stretch the definition of an amusement park by attempting to disguise education and learning as "rides" and "games."

We made two visits to EPCOT on our vacation, and both times we began that visit right after lunch .... during the hottest part of the day. While some of the "rides" were tougher than others not to sleep through, the afternoons weren't a total bust.

http://www.thinkingofyoupostcards.com/runtime/play?Guestcode=KQCQCFRVRXCC5Q

4. ALWAYS KEEP ONE BLADDER EMPTY

Thanks to Camelbacks, staying hydrated at the park is not an issue.

Thanks to Disney, finding a women's bathroom is not an issue either.

Katie's Dad once created a "name that restroom" game with pictures of bathrooms around the park. Makes perfect sense to me now.

5. LINES ARE FOR AMATEURS

There are only two lines the Jorgensens wait in: the one before the park gates open and the one to get on the bus after it closes.

We were up and at 'em early every morning, hit all the popular rides at the start and grabbed fast passes for a second go-round before lunch. The one downside to this strategy is that you only get two cracks at your favorite ride that day, but in most cases it's a small sacrifice in order to conquer more of the park and avoid standing in line.

The longest line we probably stood in was an evacuation line in the EPCOT ball. Just as we were approaching the invention of Egyptian papyrus on our historical journey, the ride stalled for 10 minutes until they shut it down and escorted us back through time towards the exit.

6. THE MOUSE IS EVERYWHERE IN WALT'S HOUSE

Ever been on a ride at Disney World and seen something on the wall that resembled a pair of Mickey ears? Chances are you were right.

I was fully invested in the "Hidden Mickey" game from the start, so much so that by the middle of the week the duty of lugging the Hidden Mickey Bible became my responsibility. However, the more vague and subjective some of the hidden Mickeys became, the less interested I became.

7. GET LOST IN THE MAGIC

Disney World is no place for a 30-year old male with no children and a healthy dose of cynicism in his head. But I showed up ready to push those two facts aside for a week and enjoy it for what it is.

How do they grow thousands of different plants in swampy Florida? What makes people to stand in line for 30 minutes to ride "It's a Small World?" How is Mickey Mouse in 17 places around four different parks at once?

Magic, I tell you. It's simply magic.

Of course, not everyone cares to sprinkle on the pixie dust and buy into this idea.

People of Earth, meet The Butts Family. A word of advice to any of you who run into the Butts' down the road: They love parades, and they enjoy a clear view of those parades.

We never quite figured out what showed up moments before the start of the Main Street Electrical Parade and apparently forced them to stop SITTING ON THE CURB and stand up for the entire show. Surely if there was a way the Butts could have SAT ON THE CURB to help the four rows of people SITTING BEHIND THEM ON THE SIDEWALK see the parade they would have. After all, they told us their heart-wrenching experience from the previous night, arriving two hours in advance for the parade and still struggling to see most of it when the people in front of them decided to stand up for the parade.

Somehow we still managed to have a fun evening together and enjoy a good view of the lights show on the castle and fireworks, with Heidi and Teri providing the music. Was it the tryptophan from Heidi's turkey leg that kept us in good spirits? Try again.

8. THE REAL FUN COMES FROM WITHIN THE FAMILY

Meet the crew

Mama Jorgy aka "Shooter"

A whiz on the Toy Story-themed rides, Mom also has an affinity for the G-forces on Mission: Space. And she always has a hair clip when you need one.

Papa Jorgy aka "Marathon Man"

This is the only time Dad looked worn out the entire week. Pretty good for a guy who supplemented the 8.5-11 miles of walking through the park each day with a morning run.

While Dad was kind enough to make the extra effort and collect fast passes for everyone, none of us were able to move fast enough to return the favor and get him good seats for the Herman's Hermits concert.

Teri aka "Sugar Mama"

Not one to brag about her awesome life, Teri let us all take advantage of her Disney employee/cast member perks and didn't show the least bit of disgust on her face while being stalked by her family on the job. Not only did entertain us, she also made it a special day for a certain NBA champion's kids

Oh, and did I mention she went on a cruise the week before our trip?

Heidi aka "Happy Feet"

Every good crew needs a trigger-happy camera person to chronicle the week's events, and Heidi nailed that role without even having to be talked into it.

It probably explains why we didn't give her much grief about her other talent that is equally a necessary evil to the equation: the kid who walks out of every show singing the songs and mimicking the dance moves until the cycle starts anew at the next show.

Katie and Rob aka " The Newlyweds"

We made a great team. Screamed on rides when necessary. Avoided getting soaked on water rides. Snuck food to each other during shows. Only took one afternoon off, and spent if watching "Beauty and the Beast." Loved Toy Story's Midway Mania so much we bought the home version.

P.S. The Weilers have a vacation principle of our own which was not to be denied. If your hotel is within shouting distance of four golf courses, you better find your way inside the fence.

Check.

Here

On this day one year ago, I boarded a plane here ….

landed here ...

met a girl here ….

took her to dinner here….

and enjoyed an evening together here.

Since then, we’ve traveled here ...

and here ...

and here ...

and here ...

and here ...

and most importantly, here.

Here’s to one incredible, life-changing year.

..... Did I mention we’ll be here in a few weeks ?

P.S. Kudos to Katie's dad for spotting us in the stands during the BYU telecast during the NCAA Tournament.

Road Trip: Jimmerica

A couple months ago I went to the BYU-Utah basketball game and watched Jimmer Fredette pour 47 big ones on the Utes in the Huntsman Center.

A few weeks later, Katie and I listened on the radio (curse you CBS-C! Why aren't you in my TV package!) as Jimmer and Cougars upset San Diego State, then watched his live SportsCenter interview after the game.

Jimmer Mania was officially off the charts, and it was only going to get bigger.

The next morning I had an idea, and what follows was the result of that idea.

DENVER, site of the 2010-2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Southeast Region.

At that point in the season, it was pretty clear that BYU was going to receive a high seeding in a close destination, and I wanted to be a part of the action. Attending a NCAA Tournament game is one of my bucket list experiences. My team was having a phenomenal year, and our star player was the talk of the nation. Given BYU's basketball history, this opportunity may not come again for another 30 years. The time was now. And luckily for me, my understanding wife was willing to play along.

Selection Sunday arrived. BYU's name came up in Denver, and their road to the Sweet 16 didn't look impossible. With a little hotel booking help from Hotwire.com and a lot of ticket booking help from my brother in-law (Thanks Michael), it was road trip time.

•••••••••

Thursday: (St. Patrick's Day)

Up at 5 a.m., on the road by 6 with a car full of food (How great are wives! They feed us so well). Drove through the mountains and arrived in Denver a few hours before tipoff.

The arena was packed with Cougar fans, and our tickets for this game were better than just about all of these fools (thanks again Michael!) Katie and I were just on the fringe of Celebrity Row - Provo.

El Presidente Samuelson (below to rack of balls). I'm sure the guy in the gray shirt is important too.

TJ Fredette. In a word, he's "Amazing." Dude belongs right next to Eminem and Vanilla Ice on the Mount Rushmore of white rappers. :)

And, oh yeah, The Jimmer (sipping Gatorade). This is the closest we got to him since the guy plays the entire game. We love The Jimmer, but not as much as these people...

"The Luck of the St. Jimmer"

My personal favorite

The legend was in the house to see his son play for Gonzaga. Always exciting to see #12, even if he's just sitting in the stands.

Kinda tough to tell, but the big sign says "Jimmerica: Land of the Three, Home of the Shaved (per Honor Code rules)." We saw the pregnant woman who was holding the sign earlier in the day. Her T-shirt was even better: "We're naming her Jimmer."

Also saw a couple guys selling shirts outside the arena before the game that said "Charlie loves The Jimmer" on the front and "Winning....duh" on the back. Awesome.

••••••••••

Friday:

This was still the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, so even on vacation, the best thing to do is watch basketball on TV. I'm lucky enough to have a wife who understands this. She did have one request for our Denver trip however, which I was happy to grant.

Katie's not much of a seafood eater, unless it's at Bubba Gump

Katie's meal: Jenny's Accidental Fish & Shrimp

My meal: "I'm Stuffed" Shrimp

I was extra happy that our table had a good view of the TV to keep watching games. Kind of amazing that a restaurant based on a movie is still in business more than 12 years after the show won the Oscar for Best Picture. I loved the movie when it still came out. I'll still watch it on TV when it comes up while channel surfing. But it's not like anyone's still referencing "Mama always said..." or using their Forrest Gump voice anymore.

•••••••••••

Saturday:

When we picked up our tickets from the BYU will call lady on Thursday, she made it very clear that we had great seats for the game. She also made it very clear that if BYU won, our tickets would be nowhere as good for Saturday's game.

Not sure how she knew that or why it was the case, but she was right.

We went from the BYU administrators and player families seats 7 rows from the team bench to the first row of the upper bowl. But as you can see, we had an unobstructed view, and we were still glad to be in the building to see Act 2 of The Jimmer Show.

You know how people talk about experiences in life that they will be telling their grandkids about? This will be one of mine.

Hopefully BYU will reach another Sweet 16 sometime in the next 40 years. But there may never be another Cougar who owns the sports world for an entire month like The Jimmer did.

How I spent my weekend

The plan for the past weekend was pretty well mapped out in advance.

Friday night: Dinner with Katie's friends

Saturday morning: temple
Saturday afternoon: church basketball and BYU basketball game
Saturday night: grocery shopping
Sunday: church, chillax

Nothing too exciting, but a plan nonetheless.

Things did not go as planned. For future reference, this is a fairly typical weekend plan for the Weilers. When it goes as planned, you can bet I won't be blogging about it :)

Friday:

Katie was not feeling well after work, so we scratched dinner plans, watched an episode of Man vs. Wild and hit the hay before 10 p.m. Charlie Sheen would be less than impressed, but then again, it's not like we have tiger blood or Adonis DNA, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise to him.

Oh, Charlie. Thanks for a week of laughs. We all envy your "uh... winning" ways and would give our right arm to try the Charlie Sheen drug for just one day, but none of us will miss your trashy show.

********

Saturday:

Katie's stomach was still on the woozy side when we woke up, so we put the temple bags back on the shelf and broke out our new Wii game, Donkey Kong. Slight trade off of spiritual nourishment for a solid wrist and thumb workout, but quality family time either way.

Katie tells me this was her favorite game as a kid, and she still knows how to pound some ground.

Church ball was the trifecta of disappointment. Tip-off was 30 minutes late (and some point during halftime of the BYU-Wyoming game). Got injured three minutes into the game and was relegated to the bench. Lost game and was eliminated from the tournament.

Jealous of this girl? Me too. If Jimmer had a nickel for every time somebody stopped him for a few seconds to get their picture with him, ... well ... , he'd be making more than I do a week. I caught the last couple minutes of Jimmer and the Jimmeretes' final home game and title celebration, and I'm still optimistic about this team's tournament run. Of course, I've never thought anything beyond the Sweet 16 was a realistic expectation. Guess I'm a glass half-empty kinda guy.

Despite my best attempts to get out the house, we spent the rest of the day on the couch watching basketball games and movies while nursing my sprained ankle. Katie took good care of me, forcing Motrin down my throat and keeping the ice packs coming .... in waves.

You've probably all seen or experienced a purple foot by now, but Katie took the pictures, so I'm posting them. I'm more drawn to the green hue that starts about mid-foot and works its way to the toes.

I have small feet, but I feel like this picture. Makes the ol' dogs look like St. Bernards. It also highlights the bottom of my chicken legs, which is nice.

********

Sunday:

Good day at church aside from the limping. It's not as easy to chillax at home while icing your foot. We broke out one of the puzzles we received at Christmas, watched more movies and finally got to see the Amazing Race at its regularly scheduled time.

We've done a few puzzles before. We. Katie tore through this one. And as you can sort of see in the picture below, these were not your typical square puzzle pieces

I guess I've seen one too many interviews with celebrities and athletes who love Martin Scorsese and Goodfellas, so when I saw it was going to be on TV I made a point of watching it . Now that I've seen it, I don't get it all the adoration.

Sure, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were born to play New York gangsters, and they do a great job. You got your guns, your blood, your robberies, your drugs and your Italian stereotypes. A fun story, but I don't see what makes it such an iconic film.