An All Too Brief Summer Vacation Part 3: The First Evening of the Actual Vacation

In case you  missed it:  http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/an-all-too-brief-summer-vacation-part-1.html  and http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/an-all-too-brief-summer-vacation-part-2.html

Dressing for dinner is a must in my book.  Even if it's "resort casual" these days, in my family we are firm believers in dressing up for dinner in the Windsor Dining Room.

We were ready before our 6:45 reservation, so the three of us went down to the Pine Room, hoping to take a few family photos.  We were lucky enough to find Phoebe, a member of the social/activities staff.  She was extremely personable and ready to help with the photos.  With her great personality, it was no surprise that later in the evening she lead the Elimination Dance and Grand March.  (Now if people only LISTENED to hear direction! [https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/tradtions-elimination-dance-and-grand.html]  Still she did an admirable job despite people NOT leaving the floor, but I am getting ahead of myself here!

We checked in at the Windsor Dining Room to find our FAVORITE server, Ivanna, was there.  (Ivanna is going to school and will soon be an amazing Marine Biologist, so we weren't expecting to see her.) But on this particular evening she was a hostess, not wait staff.  It was a THRILL to see her as she has become an extended part of our family.  And she was equally thrilled to see us; especially my son who now TOWERS over her! 

Although hostess, Ivanna looked after our family, as our server, Fernando was stretched a little too thin.  (There were MANY large families of 12+ people in attendance over the weekend which I'm sure made things in the Windsor Dining Room challenging to say the least.)  It was Ivanna who brought me my special menu.

  (With my allergies, items that I could eat were highlighted for me.  One problem: some of the items I supposedly could eat contained allergens.  Now, these were garnishes, so they could easily be removed, but there was no note on the menu of this which made me a little nervous.  Stay tuned for future posts to see how I addressed this.)  She was also the one who confirmed that I could indulge in the bread/rolls.  (And believe me, they along with the special butter that the lodge provides are worth indulging in!  I think we asked for more every single night!)  Our salads came quickly, but our main course took a while (I had the pork short ribs, which were only so-so in my book.  My husband really liked the grilled salmon and my son enjoyed the NY strip steak.  Just writing this brings back memories and my stomach is rumbling and my mouth salivating!)  We did have to wait over an hour for our dessert and it was Ivanna who kept checking in with us, chatting with us and bringing me a special dessert which was not on the menu (and was delicious).  By the time we were finished it was 9 o'clock!

This just gave us enough time to participate in the Elimination Dance and Grand March (which starts at 9:15).  My son is a good sport to do both with me.  (While my husband...with a broken toe...sat on the sidelines and took photos.)  We did not win the Elimination Dance (but we made it through 4 rounds) but positioned ourselves towards the front of the line for the Grand March.  Somehow, we DID manage to be the at the head when Phoebe stopped us, grabbed my hand and lead us through the final part of the March.  (The bell is still at the front desk and you better believe that I made sure I rang it for good luck as we made our way out to the North Porch, then back into the Pine room and out to the South Porch before finishing up back in the Pine room.)

After the Grand March my husband went up to the room.  My son and I danced a bit more.  (He is a good sport!)  When the music was over, the two of us headed upstairs to shower and get some rest.  (Lesson:  hit the bathroom BEFORE my son.  Teenage boys and their hair can take a LONG time!)