2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 2 (Camp Shelby)

When we got up early Wednesday morning, the weather had turned on us. It was overcast and cloudy with a cold drizzling rain. We decided to check out the 1 mile nature trail anyway since it wasn't raining too hard yet. It was a nice walk in the woods.

Then, we were a little at a loss as to what to do on this rainy day. But it was nearing lunch time and we found an indoor play place at a McDonald's in Hattiesburg. We ate lunch, enjoyed some hot cocoa and let the kids run off some steam.

Kangaroo is such a grinner!

Little Bird is victorious over something!

After lunch we headed back towards the campground. On the way back, we passed a sign pointing to the Armed Forces Museum located at Camp Shelby. We followed the signs, went through the checkpoint at Camp Shelby, and followed some more signs to find the museum. We went in, visited the bathrooms first, and then began our tour. The exhibits are set up kind of like a maze, I guess. This is a great place to spend an afternoon if you're interested in the military history of our country. Lots of information to read and exhibits to see.

The kiddos got to see what the inside of a bunkhouse might look like.

Have you every wondered about the dog tags and how they were made?

Well, there's a machine for that.

They may not understand every thing they see, but they sure were interested.

Some of the exhibits included sound effects, like bombs dropping and grenades exploding. Kangaroo wasn't too thrilled at all at this particular part!

There are also some examples of Trench Art. I never really thought about it before, but I guess if a soldier is stuck in a foxhole, he must find SOME way to entertain himself while waiting for the enemy. **shrug**

According to a placard next to this shell, "Many soldiers of the First World War passed the time between actions creating "Trench Art". The abundance of artillery shells and other expendable metal and wood provided all the raw materials necessary for the "cottage industry" to begin. Soldiers skilled in the creation of trench art could make a hefty profit in sales to less artistically gifted soldiers in search of momentos." Huh! Who'd a thunk it!?

As we exited the museum, there is a field full of helicopters and airplanes next to the parking lot. Since the rain had gotten heavier, we took time for only one picture. We'll have to plan another visit to see the rest of the stuff.

By the way, the museum offers a day camp during the summer for kids to learn more about our military.

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 1 (Zoo)

After our exciting Eagle experience, we resumed our travels to our original destination of the Hattiesburg Zoo. This little (and yes, it's little) zoo has been in existence for only 50 years. Situated on only 12 acres, it's really quite small but has beautiful exhibits! The animals look healthy and were all very active on this cool December afternoon.

When we first arrived, the children begged to ride the train. Well, what's a visit to the zoo without a train ride, huh? So, we caved and paid the $2 per person per ride fee. The zoo admission was cheaper!!! Only $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 4 - 12, and free for children under 3.

It only took us one hour to walk around and look at all the available exhibits. The winter decorations were still hanging around. Be sure to check out the beautiful playground at Kamper Park just next door to the zoo.

The very beautiful and active Siberian Tiger.

An unusual prairie dog.

Oh, look! Real prairie dogs!

A Gibbon of some sort. This animal actually "talked" to observers. Okay, so it was a gutteral growl but still....he communicated!

The kiddos!

This is the newest zoo resident, Jaguar. My sister and I kept trying to get a really good picture of him while he paced back and forth along the chain link fence. When he approached the end where my sister was standing, he began to make the turn for a return pass but stopped. My sister was so intent on looking through her camera view finder that she never expected what happened next.

Jaguar aimed his hind end right at her and sprayed her!! It was absolutely hilarious! Since the Jaguar is a very territorial animal, we decided that perhaps she had invaded his personal space, and he just didn't like it....

...either that, or he didn't care for that Fightin' Tigers shirt she's wearing!!

My camera was in still shot mode and I have no pictures or video of this spraying event!!! All I can do is hope that she'll forget the incident and I can return to the zoo with her for a repeat experience for which I will be prepared to catch on video!!! LOL

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 1 (Eagle)

Upon arrival at Paul B. Johnson state park, we unloaded the suburban and began getting settled into the cabin. We built a fire behind the cabin and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and then got ready for bed. We were all excited but super tired.

We got up fairly early the next morning and after a quick bacon and egg breakfast, we all climbed aboard our new bicycles and headed out for some geocaching and exploration. The bicycle riding became quite an ordeal due to the little rolling hills throughout the park. They aren't very steep but to small children on bikes with training wheels, they're huge mountains!

My poor girls completely forgot that the bikes came equipped with brakes! They attempted to coast downhill, losing control and performing the typical crash and burn stunt. As a result, the next 2 hours were filled with tears and declarations of "Idonwannaridemybikeanymoooorrree!" However, by the time we had returned to the cabin, they had changed their minds, said they were having fun, and wanted to keep riding.

My sister and I were exhausted from having to keep up with them! We managed to talk them into pausing long enough for some lunch and then we bribed them with some duck feeding and a trip to the Hattiesburg Zoo.


On the way to the zoo, we were blessed with a special treat! We had spotted a Bald Eagle flying alongside the highway! The observant driver that I am, I also spotted a handful of spectators standing on the shoulder of the road. They had also seen the eagle and were watching it. At the first available location, I was able to turn the truck around and go back to join the others in watching the eagle. As I pulled the truck a safe distance onto the shoulder of the road, I saw the eagle in the brush. One of the spectators approached me and said it looked as if the eagle had been wounded. He then asked if we had a cell phone (his battery had died) and could we call Wildlife and Fisheries, which we did. We were told that it could take up to an hour for someone to arrive!! We decided to wait, watching the eagle until SOMEONE showed up.


About 10 minutes after our call, a Hattiesburg City police officer arrived. He parked his car behind my truck, got out of it, and approached my sister and 2 other ladies who were standing on the road side watching the eagle and chatting. A few minutes later, a Forrest County sheriff's deputy arrived followed by a Wildlife and Fisheries truck. They all joined in a chat fest, I suppose they were discussing what to do. Meanwhile, the poor eagle was watching everyone else who was watching him.

All the while, I'm sitting in my suburban trying to keep the kids from climbing out of their seats and getting out of the truck. Just kiddin! They really were well behaved children who were excited to see their very first Bald Eagle! This was also my first time to see an eagle outside of captivity!

As we are all sitting here observing this poor injured animal, a State Trooper pulls his car diagonally in front of my truck. Well, NOW, I can't go anywhere if I wanted to!! I'm blocked in by all this law enforcement!

Since we're only a mile or so from Camp Shelby, I started wondering who was going to arrive next....the National Guard?


Since no one seemed to be approaching the eagle, he decided to fly off a short distance to a tree limb a bit out of reach from all the bystanders and gawkers.


All of the law enforcement persons were standing around chatting, taking pictures, and looking through binoculars. No one seemed to know what to do!

This shot is a mirror reflection of 2 law enforcement person doing their civil duty!

My sister came back to my truck and informed me that one of the binocular guys said the eagle had a broken leg which would hinder its ability to hunt and eat. The game warden was going to follow it and wait for an opportunity to catch it and get some medical help for it. At this point, I do not know if he was successful but I certainly hope he was.

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Cabin

At the end of Christmas weekend, my sister and I decided to get away for a few days with the kiddos. We didn't want to go too far away but just far enough to make it a worthwhile getaway. We chose Paul B. Johnson state park for two reasons. It was just far enough AND they offered cabins for an affordable price. Any other state parks closer to us were booked up and had no available cabins anyway.

I had searched all over the internet for photos of the Pual B. Johnson park cabins but to no avail.

Upon our arrival at the cabin, I decided to get some pictures to post for future visitors to see what they're getting.

Duplex cabins with indoor fireplaces are also available but since I didn't rent one of those, I don't have any photos.

Front view of the cabin. See the water behind it? That's Geiger Lake.

There are 2 bedrooms with queen size beds and all linens provided. I brought sleeping bags along for myself and my girls .... just in case.
Here's the kitchen. It's fully stocked with all pots and pans as well as place settings for 6 persons. I brought along my own cast iron skillet, spatula, and crockpot.
This is a queen size sleeper sofa where 2 of our kiddos slept.
At the opposite end of the 3rd room is the dining table and TV. The back door leads out to a patio with a picnic table and grill as well as a fire pit for roasting marshmallows.

I was pleasantly surprised at the affordable price of only $60 per night for this cabin!! The Paul B. Johnson state park has plenty of fishing piers and hiking trails for further exploration. It is also located close enough to Hattiesburg, MS for any other little excursions such as the tiny Hattiesburg Zoo and Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.

Disney 2009, Day 9: The Homecoming

We woke up at 4:30 a.m. and checked out of the campground by 5 a.m. DH drove, not speaking, the entire 13 hours it took to reach home. We stopped only twice for potty breaks and fuel arriving home at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

He was definitely ready to get home and relax. By the next afternoon, he was his old self.

Whew what a ride!!!

I will be planning a return to Disney World next year with 3 possible changes.... 1) We won't stay as long, 2) We won't go during the summer, and 3) DH won't be going with us.

Disney 2009, Day 8 pt 2: Cinderella's Happily Ever After

This dinner was being served at the Grand Floridian resort in the 1900 Park Fare restaurant. The food here was served on a buffet and I found it to be unimpressive but okay. The atmosphere was a bit hoity toity but that’s to be expected when meeting with royalty. We were introduced to Prince Charming, Cinderella, and the Tremaine’s. We had already met Cinderella on our first day and the Tremaine’s were met unexpectedly at the Magic Kingdom. We opted to keep these particular ressies only to meet Prince Charming and to stuff some desserts into a Ziploc baggie before leaving Orlando.

Prince Charming was our first Royal Celebrity to meet tonight. He came around to the table and greeted the girls in his fine manner. He asked for their names as he signed their autograph book. My Little Bird, being the socialite she is, responded to him, “My name is “Little Bird” and this is my little sister “Kangaroo” and that FAT girl in the blue shirt over there is my older sister DQ!” DQ and I looked across the table at each other, our jaws dropping to the floor. DQ then voiced to me, “Did you hear that? Did you hear what she said?” I glanced up at Prince Charming and he had the same shocked look on his face but true to Prince Charming never broke character nor did he acknowledge that he’d even heard the remark!

At this point I didn’t even know what to say or how to address Little Bird’s comment other than to say, “That wasn’t a very nice thing to say. You need to apologize to DQ. That comment hurt her feelings.” Little Bird did say she was sorry and gave DQ a big hug. Hmmm, out of the mouths of babes they say!!! LOL

When asked if her name was DRUzella or DRIzella, she remarked with this very look on her face, "It's Drrriiiiii."
I asked Anastasia if she sang. She said, "Yes, I can sing, but I'm better at playing the flute." Then I realized that I was thinking of the wrong sister!

We got back to the camper at approximately 6 p.m. I told DH that I needed to get the borrowed stroller back to the Pop Century resort for the next Disney guest to borrow it behind me. I took that over there and then detoured back to the Magic Kingdom for some gift shopping and to use up our last Counter Service credits for sandwiches and snacks for the road. I drove over to the Magic Kingdom parking area, got on a tram and remembered that I had left my cell phone on the charger in the suburban. Since I was already on the tram, I made the choice to leave the phone, get what I need, and hurry back as quickly as possible. That decision to not go back to get my cell phone turned out later to be a bad decision.

Upon my arrival at the Magic Kingdom, I quickly went into the gift shops hoping to find a souvenir very quickly and purchase it. There was so much “stuff” that I felt could be purchased elsewhere and I didn’t feel like spending my gift card on stuff that was trivial. Meanwhile, the crowds were getting bad. I went over to the Main Street Bakery to load up on sandwiches and snacks and then sprinted for the Monorail amidst the fireworks explosions overhead. It was 10 p.m. I reached the suburban at 10:30 p.m. and noticed 73 missed calls on my cell phone. I started to return the calls when DQ called me. She told me that DH was highly upset with me, to put it politely. He was worried that I hadn’t returned after dropping off the stroller. I can understand that. I should have taken my cell phone. It was a very frustrating evening.

Upon my return to the camper, my husband let me know in very unpleasant terms that he was extremely displeased with my like of consideration. I just KNEW security would be called and we would be kicked out of the Happiest Place on Earth!!!! LOL

Moving on now....

Disney 2009, Day 8 pt 1: Epcot again

We woke up at approximately 9 or 10 a.m. and went to Epcot. My goal at Epcot this time was to catch a few rides that I had missed but had been told were “must sees”. I also wanted to finish getting the girls Epcot passports stamped and signed.

We got straight into Epcot, going right to The Land, for lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I had a most delicious and HUGE Black Forest Ham and Salami Grinder sandwich. It’s similar to a muffuletta. I don’t know what kind of bread this sandwich was made from but it was great! It was made with ham and salami and dressed with spinach leaves and red onion slices with a poppy seed dressing. It was certainly delicious!

After lunch, we went to ride the Living with the Land ride. This is an educational boat ride introducing passengers to technological advancements in agriculture. The boat visits five greenhouses that use hydroponics to grow food, which I also learned is then used in the Disney restaurants.

Then we went to ride the Journey Into Imagination with Figment. I had ridden this 21 years ago on my last visit to Epcot. Since that time, the ride has been refurbished and redesigned several times. It’s currently on its third version and there’s talk of a fourth change. Everything I’ve read and heard though says that the original ride was the best.

After riding Imagination, we exited through the Imagination Labs where we could conduct orchestras, hop on sound pads, take a picture of ourselves and edit them with stickers and morphing software and then email them to ourselves!

Then we went to see the much reviewed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. This is another 3D movie experience but, honey, I wasn’t impressed by this one at all. In comparison, the Mickey’s Philharmagic and Muppets 3D show are much better.

Once out of this one, we grabbed a popsicle and headed over to the Mexico pavilion in the World Showcase to finish up the girls Epcot passports.

Got the Mexico one and headed to the Maelstrom ride at the Norway pavilion. I also wasn’t impressed with this exhibit. It just didn’t live up to the hype. After the ride, DH and the girls waited in the shade while me and The Teen sprinted for the China and Germany pavilions to get the passports completed. Once that was done we headed for the park entrance. At this point it is 3 p.m. and we have 4:30 p.m. ressies at the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare Cinderella’s Happily Ever After dinner. This will be our last character meet and greet and last evening on Walt Disney World property. My husband is ready to point the horse to the barn and head home.

Disney 2009, Day 7 Pt 3: MK Extra Magic Hours

After dinner, we went back to the camper for a little more R&R before DH went to bed. Magic Kingdom had extra magic hours for tonight and I really didn’t want to miss it. The park closed to the general public at midnight but remained open until 3 a.m. for resort guests. When DH went on to bed, the kids and I headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived in the park right at 9:30 p.m., just after the Spectromagic Parade. Trying to get down Main Street at this time was literally a nightmare! We finally made it though and turned into Tomorrowland where the crowds were beginning to thin out. We then went around behind the Tomorrowland Speedway for an unobstructed hike to Toontown. We were trying to get to the Toontown Hall of Fame tent to meet Tinkerbell and her fairy friends. The wait time was 70 minutes but we decided to wait anyway since it was late, the kids were wide awake, and I was hoping all the other park guests would be leaving. We waited, and waited, listened to the fireworks, and waited some more.

Waiting to meet Tink & friends.

At 11:20 p.m. we finally met Tinkerbell, Silvermist, and Fawn. The girls were just tickled pink to have met the fairies. Having that accomplished we then headed back towards Main Street for a midnight snack. Afterwards we went to Frontierland to take the girls on Splash and Big Thunder Mountain. Upon arrival at the Splash mountain restrooms, Little Bird had fallen asleep in the stroller! I felt a bit guilty then for having her out so late! But she woke up and we went on the Splash Mountain ride. She and Kangaroo both loved it and declared, “Let’s do that again!!!” before we even reached the bottom of the 50 foot drop! We had some other rides to enjoy first though.

We walked over to Big Thunder Mountain where there was a 20 minute wait in line. Not far in front of us in line was a group of kids that were having the time of their lives. They had several friends with them who were celebrating their birthdays. There were also several more of us in the crowd celebrating birthdays, including me! This group of kids serenaded all the birthday celebrants while standing in line at the Big Thunder Mountain with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. It was really funny but even funnier is that they sang it again while riding in circles on the Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster. It really made my evening Magical!

Cinderella's Castle at night.

The girls LOVED Big Thunder Mountain as much as Splash Mountain. We didn’t have fastpasses and couldn’t take the time to wait in line to ride them again though. At this point it was already 2 a.m.! We decided we’d had enough Extra Magic fun but I wanted DQ & The Teen to experience the wacky Jungle Cruise in the dark before we left the park. We did that, and this time DQ groaned at the crazy jokes and witty puns provided by the cruise skipper and then we headed for the entrance to leave the park. The Teen and Little Bird fell asleep on the boat back over to the campground while Kangaroo cried out her tiredness.

We got back to the camper at 3 a.m. and promptly passed out!

Disney 2009, Day 7 Pt 2: Aloha Dinner show

I was excited about the Aloha Dinner show. I couldn't wait to see the Polynesian Resort and how the place was decorated.

In the Lobby of the Polynesian was a beautiful waterfall!

Dinner began with Mixed Greens with a Mango Poppy Seed Dressing, Pineapple-Coconut Bread, and a fresh golden pineapple wedge. The main course featured BBQ’s Pork Ribs so tender that the meat just fell off the bone! Also included was Lanai Roasted Chicken, Polynesian Rice and Steamed Veggies. This was an all you can eat dinner but I knew we weren’t going to eat it all and I wanted to save room for the Kilauea Volcano Delight dessert.

I also knew that we were going to be hungry again later since this dinner reservation was early (5:15 p.m.). Due to our earlier dinner show experience at the Hoop Dee Doo review, I had put a gallon size ziploc bag in my backpack. I was able to take all the leftover ribs and chicken as well as 2 loaves of the pineapple coconut bread and put it in the Ziploc to take back to the camper. I wasn’t even sure that taking the leftovers was allowed but no one said a thing even though I know they saw me putting leftovers in my baggie. Our server even came over right after she saw me and gave me recipe cards for the coconut pineapple bread and the dessert!!!

Lemme tell ya, that Kilauea Volcano Delight dessert was a diabetic coma waiting to happen. It was absolutely outstanding melt in your mouth chocolate mousse with raspberry glaze lava flowing down the side. It sat in a pineapple sauce. This was the best thing I have ever put in my mouth and couldn’t get enough of it!

Kilauea Volcano Delight!

Entertainment for the Aloha Luau Dinner show was typical Polynesian music and dance. Dancers demonstrated traditional dances from each of the Polynesian Islands such as Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, and Tonga. There was also a Samoan Fire knife Dance!

The eye candy was as scrumptious as the food!

The girls were absolutely mesmerized by the dancers. I couldn't get over how Kangaroo could not be distracted no matter how hard we tried!

Disney 2009, Day 7 pt 1: Magic Kingdom again

The girls on the way to Magic Kingdom.

This day started out with DQ & The Teen going to Epcot while DH, the girls, and I arrived early at the Magic Kingdom with hopes of meeting the fairies. At park opening, we headed off to Fantasyland to enjoy the children’s rides. On our way there, we passed by Cinderella’s Castle and saw Cinderella’s stepmother and step sisters Anastasia coming out for greet and meet. We stopped and got autographs and pictures before heading on to Fantasyland.

With the Tremaines.

First stop at Little Bird’s request was the Mad Tea Cup ride. This is a spinning giant tea cup ride for big kids, teens, adults, and small children. However, if you have problems with spinning, avoid this ride! DH spent the time twirling the girls around while I ran to Peter Pan’s ride for Fastpasses. Upon my return, we went straight to the Winnie the Pooh story ride with only a 5 minute wait, and then we went on the Snow White story ride.

The Winnie the Pooh ride is a story ride where you board your own private honey pot for a romp through the Hundred Acre Wood. Snow White is also a story ride, this is similar to the Pooh ride but you will board a mining cart for a ride through the Snow White story. At the end, when you are finally facing the Happily Ever After scene, look up to see Dopey waving goodbye.

And they lived Happily Ever After!

After Snow White, the girls wanted to ride Cinderella’s Carousel. Then we opted to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, our second 3D show experience of our trip. This was just like the Muppet 3D show but cuter. A very enjoyable experience in an air conditioned theatre just when it’s beginning to get hot outside.

Just out of Mickey’s , we were able to use our fastpasses for Peter Pan’s Flight. It’s a good thing I got them as at this point the stand by wait time was over an hour and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet! Peter Pan’s Flight is again another story ride where you flight through the skies in a small, magical boat. This ride has some beautiful miniature sets.

Leaving Peter Pan’s Flight, we wandered back over to Mickey and Minnie’s houses to walk through them again. We explored Donald’s boat, a water play area and then wandered over to Tomorrowland to teach the girls how to drive at the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Walking through Toon Town.

Exploring around Donald's boat.
Can you see Kangaroo's pig tails? She was not quite tall enough to steer!

We really accomplished a lot of exploring and playing today but it still isn't over! I wanted to walk over to Tom Sawyer's Island and look for a missing paint brush. If you are ever there and you find the paint brush that Tom lost while white washing the fence, turn the brush in to a cast member for a really cool prize!

We walked all over that island and I never saw a paint brush! :( But we did some exploring through Injun Joe's caverns and escape tunnels. We also walked across barrel bridges and explored Fort Langhorn where we could shoot air guns at the Big Thunder Mountain riders.

In Injun Joe's caverns. See the sweat on Daddy's shirt? It was HOT in Florida!!!

Fort Langhorn

Taking shots at Big Thunder Mountain riders.

In front of Big Thunder Mountain from Tom Sawyer's Island.

Once back on the Frontierland side, we got some cold snacks and headed for the entrance to get out of the park. The girls (and parents) were in dire need of some R&R before our evening at the Polynesian Resort Aloha Dinner Show.