Tips For Building a House

Okay, since this has been done twice now, here are some tips for building a house. It’s everything that has been encountered. It’s REALLY long, but I hope it helps in some way.

1 – When in the first stages of building, think about EVERYTHING that you may want in the future, even if the cost seems higher than you can afford. It’s much easier and cheaper to do it now and will enhance resale value knowing that it was done when the house was built. You also don’t have to worry about knowing code and paying extra for someone to come out at a later date. You can usually negotiate something with regards to price if there’s a lot of extra work being done.

Remember, you’re going to be here a while and things can change. If you want kids, keep that in mind. If you know you’re going to do a lot of entertaining, make sure that the space can accommodate. I know that I want a covered back deck with floor to ceiling windows that can open. Therefore, there was a change order to expand the back patio. I can’t afford to do it right away, but when I’m ready, I have a good foundation to build on and the size and location was taken into consideration as well as how to anchor it to the house as well as electrical availability, etc. If you don’t have money for surround sound, at least get the wiring done. It’s usually not that expensive and sometimes the builder will allow you to do it on your own, just call it low voltage wiring. I have put conduit up in both houses because I didn’t want to pay the extra money when I can get it done myself or with the help of a friend. Beer is much cheaper than the builder.

2 – Make sure that everything is on paper and you have a copy of the ENTIRE file. This includes all contracts, sales items, lists of what comes with the house standard, any upgrades and options, and that everything that is being added has a price on there immediately. Do not sign anything without having a price on there. If you do, make sure that you have a copy of the original without the prices on there that you signed.

3 – Ask about inspections. As many issues as there have been, it’s actually a very well built house according to the inspector. There was a pre-foundation meeting to make sure that the builder and superintendent had a copy of all of the modifications, options, additions, things that weren’t wanted, etc. This clears up a lot of confusion at a later date and makes sure that everyone is on the same page from the beginning. The inspector came out to do a frame walk once the framing was complete. Once those items on the list are completed, the inspector came back out to verify things were done. That way anything that is wrong can be discovered and known about before it’s covered by the sheetrock and drywall. The final inspection is before taking the house over.

THE INSPECTOR MAY BE A HIGH COST, BUT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY, ENERGY, AND PROBLEMS IN THE LONG RUN AND MAKE SURE THAT THE HOUSE WILL LAST A LONG TIME AND IS A QUALITY HOUSE. I cannot stress the inspector enough. Had he not been there, there would have been a lot of things overlooked and the house wouldn’t be up to current code. The inspector is the only one that is on your side during this process and not on the side of the builder. If you have a real estate agent, chances are they don’t know codes and don’t know what to look for and can’t fight with the builder because they themselves don’t know what to fight about.

4 – Make sure that you communicate throughout the process with your sales counselor. There has been constant communication and I can’t tell you how much that has helped. I apologized to him for being such a pest, but this is going to be where I’m going to live and I want to make sure things are as close to as perfect as possible. They understand that. Don’t call three times a day, but be in steady contact and let him/her know that it’s okay to call at any time (they’re not going to call you overnight…duh). Opening that line of communication allows them to know that you’re active in the process and lets them know that you know/want to know what’s going on. That way, nobody can ever say that nothing was told to him/her. If you get a stiff sales counselor, you may get a feeling that you’re being annoying. So what, it’s your house and you have to live in it. The sales person can kiss my left cheek as far as I’m concerned about that. As much as a fiasco as this has been, the two that I’ve had to deal with are pretty good about this. However, I have met those that don’t want to be bothered, such as on my last house. I didn’t care, I still did what I needed to in order to make sure it was done to my liking. I recommend once a week communication.

5 – Take pictures during the process. This can be used for different reasons. If you like looking at pictures, there ya go. However, more importantly is to take pictures of anything that you see wrong that needs to be addressed. If it’s a minor issue and the builder refuses to fix it right away, a picture can be used to get it fixed later down the road under the warranty.

It also allows you to see where things are in case you want to install something at a later date. You can’t see wiring, conduit, etc. after the drywall is up unless you punch through the wall or something. Using the pictures to help guide you makes things much easier. Pictures are also great to give builders. When you see something that you want fixed, like giving the stairs a triple support and additional support throughout, you can take pictures and tell them where you want those added and how you want them going. I recommend going once a week; they can fly through the house, especially once the drywall is up (once that goes up, usually 3-4 weeks, depending on weather and material availability…if they’re good, they would have everything before they started building).

6 – Check out the things that are supposed to come standard in the house. This can easily be overlooked. Remember when I said keep that list of things that come standard, well this is where it can come into play. Go throughout the house and check things off that list. A lot of the times, builders will take away standard things and make them options as the neighborhood grows and the houses become more popular (supply/demand). For example, there was supposed to be a fifty-gallon hot water heater in the house. There was a forty sitting up in the attic. Also, the original list listed gutters all around the house. The builder changed it to list as in the front and partial side. The list is sort of a contract of what you should have and what you’re paying for.

7 – Make sure that all paperwork is in order BEFORE closing. Sit down with the sales counselor and make sure everything is signed and initialed. All of the change orders should be signed, dated, and priced out and then listed accurately on the buyer’s order with the final cost. Sit down with your file and add up all of the costs and make sure that all of the numbers add up correctly. On this buyer’s order, there were tons of costs listed and a few deposits. The sales counselor listed the check numbers next to the amounts for the deposits and then listed the date of the change order, etc. next to the charges.

When I went through this one, I found a discrepancy of $215.00. It was something that was not supposed to be charged, but was. It was listed on the change order as a charge, but was added after it was signed. I also saw that the $213.00 check that was written as a security deposit for what that $215.00 was supposedly for. It was for taking away doors between the kitchen and dining room and moving a closet door. The deposit is in case I was to walk away from the house and the changes were done; the $213.00 would cover the cost to bring the stuff back to normal. So in closing, I would have been out 428.00 (the $215.00 charge that shouldn’t have been there and the check for $213.00 that was unaccounted for).

8 – Keep meticulous paperwork! I had files for everything. I had one for the original stuff from the sales counselor…the floor plan, elevation, costs, options, standard items, etc. Another file was for any changes, options, etc. and a copy of the check was attached to that change order, option, etc. to show that it was paid for or a deposit was placed on it. Another file was for the contract and the buyer’s order with final costs on it…those numbers should of course match.

9 – Remember, at least right now, it’s a buyer’s market. Builders are going to give out more incentives and be more willing to wheel and deal (within reason…aka the builder didn’t rip out all of my conduit and low-voltage stuff). They will also give higher incentives, more options, etc. I have told the sales counselor that I’d walk away from the house if things weren’t corrected to my satisfaction. At least right now, builders aren’t willing to allow that to happen, especially if it’s over something that is easily corrected. If you walk, that means that they just have yet another house sitting in their inventory that they have to pay taxes on. Nobody wants to pay more taxes than what they have to.

Be careful on when you’re ready to walk (see below for this). I could have walked and gotten all of my money back because there were some issues that occurred as well as they added something extra into the house that wasn’t supposed to be there, therefore they didn’t build what I signed for (granted, it made that part of the house look even better). However, normally once you sign and all, you can’t get your money back, even in mediation. Always be aware of how fast houses are selling in your area. It plays a significant role in how much builders are willing to put on the table and how much you can get out of it. Don’t tell the agent unless you are DEAD SERIOUS about walking away. Remember, it’s politics (see below) and they may call your bluff. If they do and you don’t walk and keep on building with them, you’ve lost your upper hand and probably won’t be able to regain it.

10 – Remember that everything is politics. There are those people out there that come off as being a stern, strict, never-budge, etc…and I’m talking about the buyer. Chances are, their house is going to have something “forgotten” or something. A builder will not put forth the extra effort for the house if there isn’t a good relation…it’s kind of like not pissing off the person that you can’t see making your food. I have a fantastic relationship with the builder and everyone involved. Even though there have been some issues, they understand that I’m fighting for my house, which is a major purchase. They know that they would fight the same if it was their home and a few of them have actually said that. So while the main fight was between inspector and builder, it was valid and both sides understand the game.

Creating a good bond with as many people as possible with the building company is never a bad idea. I don’t annoy them and I still go through the proper channels, but I know everyone who is involved that has a say in my house; the sales counselor, the sales manager, the superintendent, the head of construction, and the president of the division. Now, you’ll probably not get to meet the president guy, but the rest should be met and felt out to see how cooperative and willing they’re going to be. It’s also a great opportunity to see how they act and which way would be best in dealing with them if a problem arises. If you know that they seem confrontational, you’ll adjust your presentation of an issue accordingly. Always remain on the good side. Bring them liquor or beer doesn’t hurt as well as bringing the people that are working on your house something every now and then, preferably of the non-alcoholic version since they are working on your house and you want them to keep working and not be injured due to a drunken accident.

Being nice, standing up for what you want, and getting them to understand why you want what you want is VERY possible and much easier than fighting with the house and builder later. It’s important to explain to the builder why you are asking for what you are. That way it humanizes things and gets the builder to understand a little better. They build so many houses at once that it almost becomes an automated process. Humanizing it can allow the builder to take a step back and possibly remember that there may be a family back at home of his/her own.

11 – Being picky isn’t a bad thing. Precision counts. Everything has its place. If you don’t like where they put an outlet or if they’re adding an outlet and it’s in the wrong spot, tell them to move it. You may thing that a foot may not make a difference, but there’s a 50/50 chance that it violates code with regards to spacing or if it’s something you’re adding, it’ll be inconvenient later. Once again, I stress the fact that this is where you are going to live…your refuge. It should be exactly to your liking…otherwise you’re paying for something that you’re not 100% satisfied with and there’s no sense in that, especially if you are going to do a standard loan of 30 years. Even a 15-year loan is a long time to live with something you don’t like. If you have a good builder, they won’t mind doing it. If you have a bad builder, tell them to move it anyway. The inspector would be a key person here as well as they can side with you if there’s an issue with spacing.

12 – Don’t be afraid to verify what the builder and inspector tells you. The insulation got wet and the builder was saying that if it dries, it’d be fine. However, they were in a hurry to put the drywall up and I thought that once that happens, there would be no airflow to allow the insulation to dry. So the inspector agreed with me. However, to pacify all parties involved, I called both Lowe’s and Home Depot as well as a couple of manufacturer’s of insulation to verify. Therefore, they’re taking out the wet insulation and knocking out the drywall to get to it. Especially if there’s a disagreement between builder and inspector, it’s important to have an opinion that counts in order to break the deadlock. Go straight to the source…Google is an amazing tool.

13 – Using an agent when building a new house is not necessary. If you feel comfortable with dealing with people, playing the political game of give and take, and can stand up for yourself, you’ll be fine. The agent can introduce you to decent areas to start looking and give you tips, but so can people. I have asked random people all over the place (banks, grocery stores, other realtors, restaurants, etc.) about the area the house is in and the builder’s reputation. Someone will usually have something to tell you, either good or bad. That’s the same thing the realtor does. Why give someone 3% of the sale when you could give it all to the sales counselor that’s working with you??? You may ask why does that matter and isn’t a good idea to have an agent representing you? My answer would be no and agents all over will disagree. However, if I were a sales counselor and I got 6% on a house and then someone walks in with an agent who gets half of my commission, I’d be more willing to work with someone without an agent. I know sales counselors aren’t supposed to think like that, but let me tell you, it happens.

There has been a difference between this house and the last house that was built. This time, a good rapport wasn’t difficult to form and there’s also less of a chance of message getting reworded (remember the game telephone where one person whispers something in someone’s ear and then that message goes all the way around and the last person says something completely different than the original message???).

If you aren’t going to use an agent, or really even if you are, you should really have your own inspector. Because of my personality, I found things much easier without an agent and I didn’t have to go through anyone to get answers, I could go straight to the builder. The inspector pointed out everything wrong with the house structurally and really paperwork nowadays is so easy to read and understand and you have to sign your life away, an agent doesn’t need to translate it. Builders were very smart when they made the forms more user-friendly. All you have to do is compare the numbers on the contract to the buyer’s order and make sure that they match. The agent is a representative that I would use if I weren’t building new. However, the sales counselor, even though they are on the builder’s side, lays things out so that it’s easy to understand. If you have half a brain, you can read through the bullshit.

I found that the agent was more of a hassle. Messages weren’t getting to me in a timely manner because the agent was busy with other people and/or the agent forgot to call or didn’t think it was important. EVERYTHING THE BUILDER COMMUNICATES IS IMPORTANT!!! Another negative for the agent is that they work for the commission; they’re not personally invested in your house. As long as the house is built and they get paid, that’s it. If you really disagree with it, it’s better to let the builder know how you feel as compared as to letting the agent relay that message. I went to the sales counselor highly ticked off one day and confronted the individual in the manner that was polite, but extremely serious and stern. By doing this, I let the sales counselor know that I wasn’t backing down off of this and that it was important to me. The agent may not go in with the same fire or even meet face to face with the sales counselor. It’s important to discuss as many things as possible face to face.

14 – Keep logs of all communication. By logging everything that is said, you have a backup in case any issues and disagreements arise. Together with all of the paperwork in the file and the addendums, change orders, and option orders, you should be able to support your case. Since we are in the age of technology, once you’re done speaking with the builder, write an email to him/her and review what was discussed. That way, it’s time and date-stamped and if there’s any further discussion on the issue from either side, it’s documented.

15 – Coming to a crossroads with regards to disagreement is not the end of the world. There have been times where a stalemate is reached. Everything has been presented…documentation, reasoning, contract, etc. If the builder holds out on something and refuses to go any further, it’s okay. Remember, especially in a buyer’s market, they’re not going to want to sit on anything. They want to get rid of it and out of their inventory. Remember, word of mouth travels FAST. If it comes to that point, request a meeting with the superintendent and sales counselor. That happened here and everything turned out fine. If it involves structural issues, make sure that your inspector is present. Usually, the things that are issues can be solved easily. I was willing to give in on that $215.00 charge and let them keep that if they would just correct everything else. Remember, it’s all politics baby! The things that I wanted fixed would in the long run cost 50 times more than the $215.00 charge. I already had the $213.00 deposit in for the change, so the money was already gone. Remember, think future. With this house’s issues, the consequences would have been a higher energy and gas bill due to insulation not being in place and windows not being sealed. There was also a health issue due to wet insulation. So $215.00 is not that much when you think about the possible outcomes of the other issues. Every disagreement can be solved one way or another.

16 – “But it’s a seller’s market…” When in a seller’s market, granted you’re paying more for less and there’s less flexibility with regards on how much the builder is willing to do and allow you to do. They know that they can sell the house regardless. At this point, the inspector is imperative because any hang-up is more than likely going to come in the form of a structural issue. When you buy in a seller’s market, you should automatically accept the fact that you’re not going to get as much as you would in a buyer’s market. The builder would probably be more hesitant to let you add stuff on your own as well as compared as to having them charge you for it, such as the low-voltage stuff. This is where politics comes back into play. It’s important to work the give and take angle and maybe order one surround sound room and ask if you can do the other one. Bargain for it, the worst that they can say is no.

However, just because it’s a seller’s market, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t prepare for the future, accept less that stunning work, and be able to meet with everyone and have the inspector come in. The important thing to remember in a seller’s market is that it’s a seller’s market. That means there are plenty of other options out there. The builder knows that they can sell the house regardless of whether you buy it or not, but they also know that there are more options out there. So if you don’t like what’s happening, find somewhere else keeping in mind that perfection doesn’t come without having to work for it and things aren’t always greener on the other side. Choose your battles wisely.

17 – Remember that time estimates are just that, estimates. We all know that when someone tells us a time of when something’s going to be ready, we consider it gospel. We get upset when the host at our favorite restaurant tells us forty-five minutes and it turns into forty-seven minutes, especially when we’re hungry and felt like we haven’t eaten for years. Building a house is the same thing. A builder will tell you at some point that all completion dates for various steps is an estimate! Even if they don’t, read now: ALL COMPLETION DATES FOR VARIOUS STEPS IS AN ESTIMATE. Those steps may be finished earlier than planned or they may be finished after the estimated date. Stuff happens. Remember, most builders will contract the work out. People get sick, people don’t show up for work, etc. It happens. It’s the builder’s responsibility to make sure that their contractors are showing up. So if it doesn’t happen, most of the time that happens continuously contractor is fired and someone else is brought in. Don’t worry about that, it’ll get done. That’s an extremely minor issue.

Weather can also delay progress. We are all only human, we cannot change the weather, so don’t expect that to happen. Work can’t happen when it is raining. The only exception is the inside work if everything is enclosed and even that isn’t always a guarantee.

When you start building a house, allow time for errors, weather, and whatever other delays. Sometimes material is out of stock, sometimes the drywall will get soaked and have to be replaced. Delays aren’t a bad thing. This just means that the builder is doing what they should doing. You don’t want wet drywall and you want to the right material in your house. So delays are okay. I’m super excited to get into this house, however I’m not willing to sacrifice the quality of the house just so I can get in a week or two earlier.

Alright, I think that this is quite long enough. I hope that this helps in some kind of way. Lots of it is common sense, but that’s what’s needed. The most important things are independent inspector, work the system and the political angles, keep meticulous paperwork, and do what you have to do in order for you to be completely satisfied with the house. If you have any other questions, of course you can ask me!

Panic Mode!

So realizing that I have no driver’s license and am scheduled to get on a plane 4 times in the next two weeks, I started worrying since my license hasn’t shown up yet. So I had to call the Texas Dept. of Public Safety (the driver’s license people) and ask them to Fedex my license to me. Thank God I already had a Fedex account set up…it should be here today. So that’s one thing done.

The next is the house is having some issues. They sheetrocked a week early and before a chance was given to re-inspect after the list was given to them by the inspector. At first I was freaking out because I really don’t want to dump the house and have to look again. However, after looking, there are some houses in the same neighborhood that I actually like a little better. So there’s a meeting later today to go over all of this. We’ll see.

I have decided that I’m going to transfer my teaching license over to Texas and teach again. I was holding out for hotel stuff, but it’s too difficult to compete with those that are getting pulled from the Conrad Hilton School from the University of Houston. I really enjoy teaching anyway…it’ll just be nice that I don’t have to do that AND go to grad school this time around. They pay teachers considerably higher here as well, so that’s kind of a plus.

Hopefully, things will work out.

Texas Bites

So in attempting to become an official resident, I went yesterday to get my license and get my car registered.  All went well and there were no lines!!!  I guess it’s because I woke up before the sun and got there early.  However, in Texas they apparently take your license and give you a little sheet of paper that is your license temporarily.  This sheet has no picture and can be forged on Microsoft Word with ease.  They say that everyone takes it as valid since it’s state issued…ummmm, no.  Nobody takes the shit!!!!!  So now I guess that I have to use my passport because my license will apparently not get here for a couple of weeks.  Yay, let’s hear it for a sheet of paper that does no good.

House Stuff

Today insulation was put in the garage.  I haven’t quite decided yet if the garage should be a garage or a possible room to be used later for something, so it’s now insulated.  I also go to put in some conduit running from an upstairs wiring box down to the utility room where I’m going to put a TV on the wall.  It’s so I can iron there and not leave the ironing board in the living room in front of the tv for countless weeks.

 Other than that, the house looks good.  They were supposed to start drywall last week, but there were several things that the inspector caught on the frame walk that needed to be done that aren’t done yet, so they will have to wait to drywall until they finish those things and then the inspector can come back out to make sure that everything was done right.  Thank God for inspectors.

Something To Do

I don’t know how I get suckered into this, but I always seem to have to help out for friends’ weddings. I mean I know that I’m not working, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I like weddings. However, in this case I didn’t mind because it was for a great friend, Laura. She’s my best friend’s sister. I didn’t really do much to help actually. We ran some errands, made a couple of dips, and picked up the cake to take to where the party was going to be only to bring it back because the fridge was too small. I made some cds too.

Other than that, dinner at Red Robin was uneventful, finally. It’s about time we go somewhere and we get decent service, the right food, the right food in the right order, and a server that doesn’t disappear. It seems to be the trend in Houston, except at the really good places that you can only afford once a month.

Happenings

Okay, so since it’s been a while since I’ve written in this thing, let me catch you up:

1 – Quit the job at the hotel…long story. Ultimately, it came down to doing what the owner wanted and then having an employee throw a temper tantrum (at least in her 40’s) and not getting the support of the owner to at least write her up if not terminate her due to her cussing and threatning to walk out at the front desk. The owner and I still keep in touch and he called the headhunter that found me and told him all these great things about me, so the headhunter guy is still looking for me.

2 – Pondering teaching again. I have held off because I have heard that all these teachers here are miserable. All they do is teach the Texas standardized tests that one needs for accreditation. So I have no idea what I want to do at this point. I’m leaving my options open.

3 – I’ve been able to catch up on cleaning and reading, so that’s been nice. I’ve been hanging out with some friends and going out and learning the city still. It’s pretty spread out, so it’s going to take forever.

4 – I’m getting over the cold and flu. It sucks. My nose won’t stop running. I’m miserable in that regard.

5 – It’s been cold here!!! Yay!!! It’s been in the upper 20s/lower 30s overnight and about 50-60 during the day. It’s been great. Too bad that all of my coats are packed.

That’s about it for now. Hopefully something excitingly good will happen in the very near future.

Disney Thoughts

So being home for a while now…sorry for the delay in the entries…had to jump to another server…Disney was a fantastic trip. The crowds were pretty shallow, at least a lot less than what I had thought it would be. We had a great time. The highlights were being able to walk to Epcot and MGM, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, well, all of MGM actually, and Main St. in the Magic Kingdom. Oh, and the Hall of Presidents.

I guess that I’m getting old. I remember enjoying Disney, but not as much as I did this time around. I guess that I’m getting old. Epcot had so many cool hands-on things now and I got to ride my first Segway (the stand up scooter thing that works on momentum and a little battery). I still love the different countries they have there. Last time there was a belly dancer in Morocco that did a little show by a restaurant…this time they had a band and a belly dancer across the way on the water.

I think that this trip was one of the better ones I’ve had recently. The weather was cold, but perfect. The people were okay and the tickets were higher than I thought they would be once I added the park-hopper option, but it was toally worth it.

Disney Day 4

Day four was the Magic Kingdom. Being that everyone and their mother was there Thanksgiving day, it wasn’t too bad the day after. We entered the park after getting off the bus and at the front gate there is the Main St. train stop sitting atop the view over the ticket gates. Once inside the park, walking down Main St. is almost nostalgic. You feel like all time has stopped and in your in this place that the outside world is left behind. I guess that’s why they call it the Magic Kingdom.

After viewing a show at Cinderalla’s castle that was already in progress, we set off to Tomorrowland. We got fast passes for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Our first ride was actually Lilo and Stitch. It was great fun actually. We got to go into a theater and these harnesses drop straight down over you. In the chair, there are speakers and it’s actually a show where the lights go out. The whole scenario is that you’re part of Captain Gantu’s patrol and as a new recruit, they capture Stitch and you’re supposed to watch over him while he’s contained. It was great fun…he escapes of course and then turns the power off. Its wicked funny when it’s dark because you feel air move by you and you hear sounds of Stitch moving around. Too cool.

After that we went and did the Buzz Lightyear ride. You’re recruited by Space Patrol and get into these little cars on tracks and have to shoot Zorg and all of the monsters. It was fun. I lost of course. However, the car could spin 360 degrees around at points and the competition was fierce!!! Stupid Zorg. I lost due to my lack of aiming and inability to stop having the car being moved in circles.

After that we did the Tomorrowland Shuttle. It’s just the little train thing that moves you around Tomorrowland. I think that last time I was there it was called the Peoplemover. I love it. It’s nice and easy and moves you around Tomrrowland to see all of the area and inside some of the rides.

After that was the Carousel of Progress. I love that thing! I rode it years ago. It takes you through different periods of time starting back when there was no electricity until the present day. It’s called carousel because you sit in a revolving auditorium. The main guy who is the father is the same in each of the phases and his family is the same as well. It just shows how things have changed over time and how things were done in each period. I love it! They sing the same ridiculous song each time you revolve to the next stage. The last stage changed since I was there last and included some more of the modern technology as well as some stuff that is very high tech, such as the virtual reality in-home game system and voice controlled oven temperature.

After that it was time for us to hit the fast pass line for Space Mountain. i remember Space Mountain being kind of a fun ride that was in the dark that didn’t really do much. Okay, I remembered wrong. I got on this time and was right about the whole dark thing, but the amount of turning and twisting it did made me a little dizzy. It was kind of crazy actually. I don’t remember feeling that woozy after getting off last time.

After Tomorrowland, we set off for Frontier Land. We wanted to do the Haunted House, but the line was way long and we were all hungry. So we ate lunch…chicken fingers and fries…in this place that was disgusting. I could have had the better at Popeye’s. Bad decision. It was a quick little old house looking place with two stories that didn’t serve much. If you go, avoid this place.

After that we went to the Hall of Presidents. That is my all-time favorite thing. i don’t know why. I guess that I’m really captivated by all of the presidents on one stage. Even though you don’t like all of them, it’s really incredible to see. They look very life-like. They go through a little history and then highlight each president and the President Bush says some stuff about patriotism and being American and having the American Spirit and determination.

After the Hall of Presidents, we got stuck on the street because there was a parade coming down in a few minutes. So we stopped to watch it. It was all of the Disney characters on floats singing something about how you can make your dreams come true. I guess it was one of those confidence-building things for kids.

So after getting through the crowds, we went to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We waited an hour for it and it was the best ride of the day. Good ol’ roller coaster. I loved it. I liked it way back when and I still to this day love it. It has three lifts and some dips and curves, but it’s just a good ol’ faithful roller coaster. The day that it gets shut down will be a very sad day indeed.

After that we stopped in a store with pins. Apparently you can buy these lanyards that you can put pins on. Well throughout your time in all of the parks, you can trade pins with different Disney characters and cast members (employees). Each pin ranges in price from six dollars up to twelve dollars. We saw people with loads of pins. Just think, we could take that from their neck and have one hundred dollars easily in pins. It was recommended that we buy a bunch of six dollar pins and trade up for the twelve dollar ones.

We then hit Main St. and walked through some of the stores. On the way out we caught the taking down of the flag and it being presented to a retired US Marine who was injured in the line of duty. They had a really nice ceremony, which they do daily, where they have a small marching band.

After that we took the monorail back over to Epcot. It was mainly because I wanted to ride the monorail…of course! In Epcot, we didn’t do anything. We just walked back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped at the Disney Boardwalk Resort. It’s very cool It’s got all kinds of Boardwalk games, shows, bars, clubs, and places to eat. It’s themed very well and we ate outside on the boardwalk. After getting back to the room, it was time to pack and get to sleep to get up early in the morning to fly back home.

Disney Day 3

Today was Epcot. The park wasn’t very crowded considering it was Thanksgiving day. The server at breakfast recommended it instead of the Magic Kingdom because of the crowds. It was great!

The first thing was a fast pass for Test Track. Then it was off to Mission: SPACE. There are two levels of intensity, lower and higher. Higher intensity was the original version of the ride. Due to feeling a bit queasy yesterday, we did the easier version first, and after that was deemed okay, we tried the more intense version. Okay, this was waaaaaay different. There was 2.5 G’s and I could feel my face pull back. The whole thing with the ride is that you’re shot off into space to Mars. Well, during the blast off, the simulators are actually spinning in a circle on a large platform. So looking off to the side is a bad idea. As long as one would look at the screen, it was great. I loved it. The more intense version definitely added more to the ride. I think that I counted three times of spinning around and around.

We then looked at Innoventions. It was a museum type of thing that was interactive. It explained many different things, such as those initials “UL,” which is the group that tests various items for quality and shelf-life. It was cool. We got to design a spaceship too that 13 people could race around against each other and try to collect the most points. I actually won! I got 85,000 points…the high scores were in the hundreds of thousands, so I guess our group wasn’t all that great.

It was then time to go to Test Track. It’s a ride sponsored by GM and the basis is how they test cars on a test track. It’s a bouncy, fast, boring ride. I would have been pissed if I would have waited in line and didn’t use a fast pass. I can’t believe that the ride had such a long line. It was pretty bad. The highlight of the ride was at the end there were GM vehicles out there and you could get in and look around. I got in an H2 and discovered that I didn’t want one. It was pretty plain on the inside and was apparently decked out.

We then went to the United Kingdom…yes, all across the ocean. We ate lunch there. I had Bangers and Mash…I love that stuff! I have had it in England before and then at some British pubs. It’s sausage, cabbage, and mashed potatoes. Yummmmmm. We then walked around all of the different countries. My favorites were Japan, where I found rice candy! It’s a candy that I used to get at a Japanese or Chinese restaurant. I love them! I like Norway too though, because there were tons of Helly Hansen coats and stuff there. Japan had a big drum concert. China was cool. They had a huge display of Chinese soldiers guarding a tomb.

We then did Spaceship Earth, the one in the big Epcot sphere. You have to do that ride if you’re at Epcot. It was kind of late at night, so there was no wait. We just walked right on. The ride was okay. It explained how far communication has come since the beginning. It was interesting, but the ride is slow!

We then hit a gift shop. I got a few key chains for people that had requested them. I got a big coffee mug with Stitch from Lilo and Stitch on it. I can’t wait to use it. It’s one of those extra large ones.

Then it was time for fireworks. Epcot puts on an amazing light and fireworks show. It was about fifteen minutes. They shoot off both the little and the big ones. They have light torches all around the lake and lower the rest of the lights. Then there’s a globe that’s brought in and they play different pictures and videos in the continents on the globe. The big finale was fantastic. We also discovered afterwards that we could walk to both Epcot and MGM from our resort. Therefore, to avoid the crowd on the boats, we walked back tired and exhausted.

Disney Day 2

So day two was a day at Animal Kingdom. Okay, so originally it was a Magic Kingdom day, but I forgot my battery for the camera and by the time I got back to the hotel to get it, the decision was made that since Animal Kingdom wasn’t as large, we could get that done in the time left. Animal Kingdom is divided into different areas and was larger than I thought it would be. In the center, there was this big tree that was beautiful. Then all of the areas go off of that. The first thing was Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. It’s a new coaster that is centered around the Yetti and Mount Everest. It was crazy! Not only does it go forward, it goes backwards…backwards in the dark as well. Needless to say, I didn’t feel that great coming off the ride due to not being able to see where I was going because of going backwards and going backwards in the dark. It was a great ride.

We then headed over to DinoLand USA. The ride was called Dinosaur and it was fun. We got in this jeep looking thing and we went back in time to get a dinosaur and bring it back. Not only did we fail on that, we got bumped around and almost eaten more times than I care to admit. It was kind of weird, but the jeeps we rode were cool. The hydraulics were great on that thing.

We stood in line and walked around long enough to kill the day. We got back and went to Shula’s Steakhouse. It’s one of the top 5 steakhouse chains in the country. Not only was it fantastic, they show the entrée’s before we ordered…including a live lobster. The whole time the guy was explaining everything, the only thing that I could think about was how I hoped the lobster wasn’t suffering while this guy’s yap was open and running. 24 oz of steak, a loaded baked potato, and a tomato wedge salad later, I was full. MMMM.