Mandy's Place » Vacation

Food Allergies at Disney World

Mandy — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:39:54 +0000

We had the best experience with Disney World. We have food allergies in our family and we were concerned about eating in the many different restaurants in Disney World. We made reservations at each restaurant and told them that we had food allergies. After sitting down the head chef in each restaurant except China came out and talked with us about our special allergy needs. We were so impressed that the head chef would take time out to talk with us and make us feel comfortable with the food choices. They told us what to stay away from and what was safe to eat. In some cases they even prepared our meal in a separate kitchen so that there would be no peanut or tree nut contamination. They totally put our fears to rest and we actually enjoyed every meal with out worrying.

Disney know how to go above and beyond in helping out families with special dietary needs. They not only consult with nut allergies, but any allergy including wheat, latex and soy. What a relief for families that need a little extra help and peace of mind.

One of the best places for more information is allears.net.

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Trying to be Cool

Mandy — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:39:20 +0000

This past weekend we went down to SUU for homecoming. We hiked around Zion on Friday afternoon and had a great relaxing time. We in-laws got us tickets to the Smashmouth concert at Southern Utah University Friday night.

We arrived fashionable late and the concert still hadn’t started. When it finally started we were hoping that it was about to end. I realize that concerts are supposed to be loud, but this was super out of control loud. I listened to the concert with my fingers in my ears. It didn’t help that we couldn’t understand the lead singer because it was so loud. It also didn’t help that we only knew one song. The one from Shrek, I’m a believer. I think we knew that because of the group The Monkeys. So basically I feel old and oh so un-cool. The best part was after 45 minutes of loudness, we left and hung out in the student center in the peace and quiet. Am I really that old? (rhetorical question)

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Conquering Machu Picchu

Mandy — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:43:54 +0000

We just returned from a whirlwind adventure to Peru and Ecuador. It has has been a life dream to see Machu Picchu. When we heard talk of restricting access or even closing it we knew that we had to get there quick. The opportunity came to go with a group my dad was taking and so we decided to go and take our 4-year-old son with us. We made plans and read lots of books including The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie. We were prepared and couldn’t wait to see this legendary place.

We rode the Perurail train up to Aguas Calientes and checked into our hotel. We then got on the bus and 20 minutes later we were at the base of Machu Picchu. It was an incredible sight! We had a guide for three hours that explained the different uses of the different buildings and the surrounding area. We then took a 1 1/2 hour hike up to the sun gate. It was a wonderful view and I definitely recommend it if you have time.

The next morning we decided to hike up Huayna Picchu (the big tall mountain that you see towering over Machu Piccu). The hike up wasn’t too bad. The stairs weren’t bad and the cables actually helped to pull ourselves up with. The view was incredible! Tyler decided that he wanted to see the great cave or the Moon palace. My sister-in-law and I decided that we would be tough and accompany Tyler down the back side of the mountain. Hind sight we should have gone back the way we came. We had to shimmy down super tall ladders and the hike turned ugly from there. We were so tired that I have to admit I had a bit of a break down. My fun meter had run our and I still had to hike back up the mountain to find the path that would lead us down to the bus. Eight miles and a long time later we finally made it down off the mountain. I treated myself to a Snickers bar and enjoyed every bite!

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Palm Tree Vacation

Mandy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:29:10 +0000

This past weekend I went on a palm tree vacation. Basically you drive until you find palm trees and then you have had a great vacation. I figure where ever there are palm trees it has to be some what warm. So the the girls in the family headed down to St. George and Las Vegas

We tried shopping at the outlet mall, but it was pretty sparse on fun stuff to buy. I bought a t-shirt for Jordan at Gymboree for only $2.50. That was the extent of my spending.

The next day we headed down to Las Vegas for the Jewelry Show. We are starting a business selling unusual pieces of jewelry. It was so much fun to walk up and down the convention center and buy cool pieces of Jewelry.

We also ate at the Paris buffet. Now I have to confess as a general rule I hate buffets, but I love the one at the Paris hotel. My favorite part of the meal was the made to order crepes. I had a banana, Nutella, raspberry sauce, and whipped cream. I thought that I had died and gone to heaven.

My Palm Tree Vacation was a success. It was nice to get away and then to come back home to my boys!

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Eating while on Vacation

Mandy — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:56:33 +0000

When we travel to different places it seems to revolve around food. When were were in Switzerland we loved eating Raclette Cheese on bread. Tyler liked it on the pickles and sweet onions.(yuck!) In Hawaii it was all about the shave ice at Waiola’s and the malasadas(sweet Portuguese doughnuts) at Leonard’s in Honolulu. If you give me a city that we have traveled to, I could tell you a great place to eat or get a snack. I think that if you don’t take the time to sample the food then you are missing a great part of the vacation. I have friends who refuse to eat out while on vacation. They like to cook and clean up while they are traveling. I don’t think so, half the fun is to try something new. I am on vacation and don’t cook.

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