Before we even got there, we got our parking pass for the day, a letter with detailed instructions, and our name tags in the mail. Score one for logistics! They also answered my questions about peanuts in any of the foods or contamination. In case you’re wondering, just steer clear of the muffins and pancake topping goodies.

We got there at 7:30am. Breakfast with Santa was due to start at 8am. Other people were early like us, and they opened the doors. I was so thankful for this, because man did I have to pee. I don’t recommend having our morning tea or coffee before leaving the house if you’re driving in from outer areas. Anyway, you pay when you get there, which is awesome. We had an illness on Thanksgiving, so I was hoping we wouldn’t have to cancel on our day, but if we did, we weren’t going to be out the money since we hadn’t paid yet.

After you pay, you follow the signs, and an elf directs you to your assigned table (score 2 for logistics!). You are then free to move about and get your breakfast. There were two hot buffets set up on each end of the seating area, with the pancakes and drinks in the middle (3 for logistics). Our table also had a container of cookie ornaments for each child to decorate, a Bingo card, and some Kisses as the centerpiece.

After Santa arrived, and we were done eating, we were free to go see Santa, and take our own pictures, at our leisure (score 1/2 for logistics, I’ll explain later).

After some Bingo, and giving everyone a chance to eat, we lined up to go ride the first ride of the day on the Chocolate Tour ride. This is where things moved a little slower. We had to wait a bit for people, but not too long. I understand we had to do this as a group.

After the ride, we were then treated to the 3D show. This is where it fell apart. Of course we had to wait for everyone for this. Since some people were still seeing Santa, and then got to the ride late, those of us who had gotten to breakfast on time (the letter said 7:45am), had to wait for the scragglers. My opinion is they should’ve been moved along with the group and then they could see Santa after the 3D show. He wasn’t going anywhere.

During the intro to the 3D show, there was information on Milton Hershey and the company. It was a lot of the information we had heard when we took the trolley ride. I’m not sure how many people had been there before, or heard the information before, but there was a group of adults behind us talking loudly that were very rude. I expected the kids to talk some and the wee ones to make noise, but the adults should know better.

The 3D show was really cool. I only made it about halfway through before my sensory issues got me. It’s not something I will do again. The snow got my arm wet when it came out of the ceiling. There were a few times I got a few drops of water on my arm as well. The general 3D part triggered my motion sickness, and I got a headache and nausea. By the time we walked out of there, I was so beyond done, and at that point Chocolate World was open and there was at least one bus load of people there.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. This was a WAY better experiences than our past ones at Wegmans. As long as we live here, and as long as the boys want to do breakfast with Santa, we will go to Chocolate World. Our food was hot, and everything flowed as smoothly as could be expected. They run so many of them leading up to Christmas that the group was kept pretty small. I will just sit out the 3D show from now on, and they’ll go with Dad.

You may also like -

Oh Christmas Tree!

My husband will tell you that nothing compares to Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, but I’m making him try some others just to see anyway. Who knows what he may find by branching out a little.

These remnants from Lee are creating flooding along the Susquehanna river that are record breaking. The weather people are comparing the river and creek levels to Hurricane Agnes in 1972 in many areas. Derry Township (Hershey for those not from the area) is probably the hardest hit area right now as most of it and Hummelstown are under water. I know the Pizza Hut that I would have driven by tomorrow to take Aaron to his GI checkup had water up to its roof when they were broadcasting the 6pm news last night. Needless to say, I’m calling to reschedule. I’m sure they’ll understand since even the Hershey Medical Center campus has experienced some flooding on its roads.

To give you an idea in Harrisburg, flood stage is 17 feet. The Susquehanna river is expected to crest at 28.5 feet. That will be the 3rd highest level ever.

Thankfully, we are safe. We’re soggy, but we have power. Our kids are home with us and not stranded at their school. We have water. I am thankful, and thinking of all of the families affected during this time.

*For current road closures (there are hundreds) you can visit a site like a local newspaper, or 511PA. You can also follow your regional 511PA on Twitter. 

You may also like -

It All Seems Insignificant

We squeezed in checkups, ABA therapy, the dentist, and the ENT all week x2 kids. All were fairly routine until the ENT. I was expecting to have to schedule ear tube removal as the boys have had them three years now. One of Zach’s fell out since the last appointment, so we’re going to give the other one a chance and recheck in the Spring. Aaron on the other hand is a mess. His nose is swollen and full of boogers. His adenoids may be the culprit of his sinus infections every time he gets a cold, his mouth breathing, and his poor sleeping. We go back with Aaron in six weeks to see if his nose has calmed with new treatment, and check out the adenoids.

We also got orders the day i wrote my last post after an email shitstorm. Someone dropped the ball, and it was found. When the orders came about fifteen minutes later, I laughed. My husband hadn’t seen them since his work laptop doesn’t have PDF capabilities. He forwarded them to me, and I printed a copy. We are assigned to where he is now indefinitely. We take that to assume they still haven’t found a replacement. Honestly, if they’re looking for someone like my husband, they’re not going to be likely to find it. This will be his 9th school year in ROTC, minus a deployment. He was a contractor before we came back to active duty as AGR. It’s hard to match that sort of experience. The most important thing is that we now have paper stating our assignment so we can stay in housing, renew my ID card, and get our new 10yo his ID card for health care, etc.

I also had a blog issue, but that’s been resolved. To any newbs, I suggest you Google what you’d like to name your blog before doing so. Even if your blog is only to document your personal journey through life, the posts are still indexed by the search engines and will compete with blogs already established. Some of us care about our ranking in the search engines.

Today, the front brought much needed rain and a lesser needed migraine.

I’m hoping tomorrow the migraine is totally gone so I can function enough to swing over to Old Navy. Have you caught wind of their mystery sale? $100-$125 of stuff in a bag for $20. It’s too good to not at least go look. It starts at 8am, so we’ll see how I’m feeling when I wake up. It’s also that time of the week where I need to go grocery shopping. My family seems to think they need food. I know my husband is hoping I can already get Weyebacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale since their Facebook page stated the other day that it’s coming to a store near you. He talks about it all year, and it’s the beer we will be kicking off the beer reviews with since it’s his favorite.

You may also like -

BrokenAnd The Band Plays On...Knowledge is Power - IEPs

-Friday morning tune into 105.7 The X for The People’s Morning show to hear the Military Six Pack. They’re going to have military members in studio chatting that morning on air. You can listen live here http://wqxa.tunegenie.com/listenlive/#/#/ . My husband will be one of the military members on air. You can also go to the Unofficial PMS Facebook page to leave a shout out to any military members you know, past or present.

-Saturday, Carlisle Barracks MWR is hosting a Running Festival in the morning. Everyone 4 and up can get in on the fun. Kids 4-13 run free at 10am, and there’s a 5K for 14 and up. Registration for the 5K is from 7-8am. See MWR site for details.

-Saturday, The Army Heritage and Education Center will once again come alive with re-enactors in various areas of the walking trail. There will also be lectures and demonstrations in and outside of the building. Open 9am-5pm. We did this last year, and we had a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed the re-enactors, and I was able to supplement with family stories in the Civil War and World War II areas.

-Saturday, Letterkenny Army Depot is hosting events as well. There’s a golf tournament, and plenty of activities for kids and families to include a fishing derby for the kids.

-Saturday, 10am-4pm on City Island in Harrisburg, the 10th Annual Armed Forces Day Celebration sponsored by the City of Harrisburg and the Defense Logistics Agency will be held. There is a 5K race at 8am (free for military members from what I’ve read), and lots of activities and vendors for the whole family during the day. I saw that MilitaryOneSource will have a set up as well as lots of vehicles will be on display if your kids are into that.