I'm thankful for...MICKEY!!! My Thanksgiving '08 TR!: TR Update, Last Day! [Archive] - Page 7 - The DIS Discussion Forums

SwansLoveDisney

11-25-2008, 09:32 PM

ALMOST THERE!!

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l143/glitternsparkle/words/wohoo1.gif

:yay:

First, I'm sure your hair looks lovely :goodvibes

Second, this is an appropriate response to the fact that you'll be at WDW in TWO DAYS, I think:

:dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

That response is not only appropriate, it's PERFECT!!!

I would just say it's fall now, and you wanted the darker her to match the season. Yeah, that's it. :thumbsup2

Reveal when ready! :goodvibes

AND WOW! TWO DAYS!!!!!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Good thinking, TK!

The color is growing on me...I'll try to post a pic tomorrow.

I can't believe you are going to make us wait until you get back to see your new hair color :sad1: :sad1: .

Just kidding, can't wait to hear all about your trip.

I will try to post a hair pic tomorrow!

Can't wait to see your new hair color!!

Have a GREAT trip! Hope you convert the hater!

Happy 100 pages on your PTR. :goodvibes

Thank you! I hope I can convert him too!

Wow! 100 pages! That's crazy!

1.5 days left!!!!!

Julie, if I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, have a GREAT/AWESOME/AMAZING/TERRIFIC/MAGICAL time! I'm so excited to hear your TR when you get back! :thumbsup2

Thank you so much!!!

I can't believe you're going to make us wait to see your new hair color! That is just cruel! And how will I know it's you so I can say hi if I happen to pass you in the Pop lobby?! I'd probably recognize your DH from your pics, but he'd probably think I was insane if I said hi and mentioned the DIS. :lmao: See? All very good reasons to reveal your new color! :goodvibes

You'll probably be super busy packing tomorrow, so if I don't "talk" to you before then, have a fantastic trip! I can't wait to read about your experiences. Like I mentioned in a previous post, we'll be just missing each other with our trip dates. But in the lucky event that I see you while I'm checking in, I'll definitely say hi!

Okay, okay, I'll post the pic tomorrow. Please know that YOU are the reason I am posting the pic...so that you'll recognize me!

You better say hi!

One more workday for you!!! :banana:

Is DH feeling the excitement yet?

DH is definitely excited. Of course, he would die before admitting it, but he told me he's going to leave work early tomorrow so he can come home and prepare. He's totally excited if he's leaving work early!

Less than 2 daysssss! Woop Woop! :banana: :banana:

I'm sure the new do looks good and you do NOT look like a vampire lol :laughing:

:dance3:

Well, I'm getting more used to the hair color, but I still look a little vampirish!

SwansLoveDisney

11-25-2008, 09:33 PM

ALMOST THERE!!

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l143/glitternsparkle/words/wohoo1.gif

:yay:

First, I'm sure your hair looks lovely :goodvibes

Second, this is an appropriate response to the fact that you'll be at WDW in TWO DAYS, I think:

:dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

That response is not only appropriate, it's PERFECT!!!

I would just say it's fall now, and you wanted the darker her to match the season. Yeah, that's it. :thumbsup2

Reveal when ready! :goodvibes

AND WOW! TWO DAYS!!!!!!!

:banana:

Good thinking, TK!

The color is growing on me...I'll try to post a pic tomorrow.

I can't believe you are going to make us wait until you get back to see your new hair color :sad1: .

Just kidding, can't wait to hear all about your trip.

I will try to post a hair pic tomorrow!

Can't wait to see your new hair color!!

Have a GREAT trip! Hope you convert the hater!

Happy 100 pages on your PTR.

Thank you! I hope I can convert him too!

Wow! 100 pages! That's crazy!

1.5 days left!!!!!

Julie, if I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, have a GREAT/AWESOME/AMAZING/TERRIFIC/MAGICAL time! I'm so excited to hear your TR when you get back!

Thank you so much!!!

I can't believe you're going to make us wait to see your new hair color! That is just cruel! And how will I know it's you so I can say hi if I happen to pass you in the Pop lobby?! I'd probably recognize your DH from your pics, but he'd probably think I was insane if I said hi and mentioned the DIS. :lmao: See? All very good reasons to reveal your new color! :goodvibes

You'll probably be super busy packing tomorrow, so if I don't "talk" to you before then, have a fantastic trip! I can't wait to read about your experiences. Like I mentioned in a previous post, we'll be just missing each other with our trip dates. But in the lucky event that I see you while I'm checking in, I'll definitely say hi!

Okay, okay, I'll post the pic tomorrow. Please know that YOU are the reason I am posting the pic...so that you'll recognize me!

You better say hi!

One more workday for you!!! :banana:

Is DH feeling the excitement yet?

DH is definitely excited. Of course, he would die before admitting it, but he told me he's going to leave work early tomorrow so he can come home and prepare. He's totally excited if he's leaving work early!

Less than 2 daysssss! Woop Woop! :banana: :banana:

I'm sure the new do looks good and you do NOT look like a vampire lol :laughing:

:dance3:

Well, I'm getting more used to the hair color, but I still look a little vampirish!

SwansLoveDisney

11-25-2008, 09:37 PM

The workday is done! It seemed like a LONG one! But tomorrow is going to seem even longer! My poor little clients...I am going to be a very antsy therapist tomorrow.

Only one more day of work and two more sleeps and then we're off!

I know I've said this a bazillion times, but I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!

DisneyJoo2008

11-26-2008, 03:05 AM

Hi there!

I've not posted in ages - sorry!

Have a FANTASTIC trip!!!!!!!!!! I got back on Monday morning after a wonderful holiday - am already missing it so much!!!!

Julie xxx

Charleston Princess

11-26-2008, 06:04 AM

DH is definitely excited. Of course, he would die before admitting it, but he told me he's going to leave work early tomorrow so he can come home and prepare. He's totally excited if he's leaving work early!

Yep, if he is leaving early then he is totally excited! Hurray! The conversion of DH is in progress! :banana:

The workday is done! It seemed like a LONG one! But tomorrow is going to seem even longer! My poor little clients...I am going to be a very antsy therapist tomorrow.

Only one more day of work and two more sleeps and then we're off!

I know I've said this a bazillion times, but I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!

The last day is always the worst to get through! It's like Christmas Eve when we were kids, isn't it? :goodvibes

SwansLoveDisney

11-26-2008, 08:00 AM

Hi there!

I've not posted in ages - sorry!

Have a FANTASTIC trip!!!!!!!!!! I got back on Monday morning after a wonderful holiday - am already missing it so much!!!!

Julie xxx

Hello!

HOw are you and the baby?!

I'm glad you had a wonderful trip!

Yep, if he is leaving early then he is totally excited! Hurray! The conversion of DH is in progress! :banana:

The last day is always the worst to get through! It's like Christmas Eve when we were kids, isn't it? :goodvibes

Oh, I can see the excitement building in DH! Even a stranger would be able to tell that he's excited this morning! :rotfl:

Oh, this day is gonna take FOREVER. EXACTLY like Christmas Eve!

SwansLoveDisney

11-26-2008, 08:05 AM

DisneyJoo2008

11-26-2008, 09:24 AM

Hello!

HOw are you and the baby?!

I'm glad you had a wonderful trip!

We are good thanks! I have a scan on 2 Dec where we could find out if its pink or blue but we are keeping it a surprise! Hubby didn't come to Disney with me and I got home and he'd decorated the nursery - very sweet of him and it looks VERY good!!! I think I am feeling the baby move now - its weird but very cool!!!

I wish I was as excited as you sounded the day before! I was, but I was also very nervous about going without hubby so my excitement was a little tainted!

If it helps weather wise... I feel the cold quite easily so I personally found it quite cold last week, although it was definitely warming up in the last few days. I took a pair of combats, 2 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of 3/4 length cropped trousers. Honestly, I wore my combats all week apart from the two days we went shopping when I knew my feet could take my birkenstocks and my legs would be ok with cropped trousers! It was cold - it was for me anyway. But the sun was still shining and when the wind wasn't blowing or you weren't standing in a shady area, it was actually lovely.

But who gives a hoot - you're going to DISNEY TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tee hee

xxxxxxxxxx

troobabiee7

11-26-2008, 09:50 AM

1 more day! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: I can't believe how fast the time's flown by! I hope you have an amazing time, and a very Happy Thanksgiving! Looking forward to the report when you get back :goodvibes

lisalonglash

11-26-2008, 11:19 AM

WOOOHOOOO, you're off to WDW TOMORROW!!!! Have an absolutely fabulous, incredibly wonderful, fantastically magical vacation!!!!

Some cheers for you:
:cool1: :banana: :thumbsup2 :woohoo: :cheer2: :dance3:

and some pixie dust:
pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust:

and, of course, the happy dancing dude:
:dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

Looking forward to your trip report! Have a dole whip for me! :thumbsup2

Charleston Princess

11-26-2008, 09:19 PM

Julie, have a wonderfully magical trip! Have a happy Thanksgiving -- say hi to Mickey and MeMom for me! :rotfl:

SwansLoveDisney

11-26-2008, 09:43 PM

We are good thanks! I have a scan on 2 Dec where we could find out if its pink or blue but we are keeping it a surprise! Hubby didn't come to Disney with me and I got home and he'd decorated the nursery - very sweet of him and it looks VERY good!!! I think I am feeling the baby move now - its weird but very cool!!!

I wish I was as excited as you sounded the day before! I was, but I was also very nervous about going without hubby so my excitement was a little tainted!

If it helps weather wise... I feel the cold quite easily so I personally found it quite cold last week, although it was definitely warming up in the last few days. I took a pair of combats, 2 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of 3/4 length cropped trousers. Honestly, I wore my combats all week apart from the two days we went shopping when I knew my feet could take my birkenstocks and my legs would be ok with cropped trousers! It was cold - it was for me anyway. But the sun was still shining and when the wind wasn't blowing or you weren't standing in a shady area, it was actually lovely.

But who gives a hoot - you're going to DISNEY TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tee hee

xxxxxxxxxx

I admire your patience in finding out the gender of the baby! Yay for feeling the baby move!

It was SO sweet of your husband to decorate the nursery while you were on your trip.

Thanks for the clothing advice. I needed it!

1 more day! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: I can't believe how fast the time's flown by! I hope you have an amazing time, and a very Happy Thanksgiving! Looking forward to the report when you get back :goodvibes

THank you so much!

WOOOHOOOO, you're off to WDW TOMORROW!!!! Have an absolutely fabulous, incredibly wonderful, fantastically magical vacation!!!!

Some cheers for you:
:cool1: :banana: :thumbsup2 :woohoo: :cheer2: :dance3:

and some pixie dust:
pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust:

and, of course, the happy dancing dude:
:dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

Looking forward to your trip report! Have a dole whip for me! :thumbsup2

Thank you! I'll have more than one dole whip for you!

Julie, have a wonderfully magical trip! Have a happy Thanksgiving -- say hi to Mickey and MeMom for me! :rotfl:

Thanks Jackie!

SwansLoveDisney

11-26-2008, 10:02 PM

I'm sitting here on my sofa after having finished my month-end billing and paperwork and faxed it ALL in (:banana: ). I'm in the middle of finishing my packing for the trip. We'll drop the dogs off at our friends' house in an hour. Oprah is on TV and that always makes me think about my feelings. :rotfl:

And my feelings tonight are revolving around Disney World, of course. :rotfl: And right now, I'm thinking about the DIS.

I found the DIS at a particularly homesick time during my 3 years in Arizona. My friends and I were planning our Halloween 2007 trip. The friends who would join me on the trip lived in Wisconsin and Illinois. With the time difference and our busy lives, it was hard to plan every detail of the trip with my friends. So rather than talking incessantly to my trip-mates about the trip, I found all of my DIS friends! Everyone on the DIS helped me to plan an unbelievably magical trip. And even more than that, the DIS kept me company at times when I was very homesick and missed my family and friends back in Illinois.

Then, DH and I began to plan this trip, our Thanksgiving trip with my family. The homesickness was not so bad at this point. And then, in the process of planning the trip, we decided to move back to IL. And my DIS friends were all there to help me through the ups and downs of interviewing for jobs, making huge life decisions, and quitting my kids in AZ.

So I want to say a BIG thank you to all of you who have followed along with me through this 8 month long :scared1: PTR and those of you who also read my last TR. You have each made my days a little (or a lot!) brighter over the past couple years. You've helped me in ways you probably don't even know. For that, I am truly thankful. :grouphug:

If I don't have a chance to get back online before we leave tomorrow morning, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'll see ya real soon! :wave2:

jordanyosh

11-26-2008, 10:13 PM

Jessica,

Have a great time!!!!!!!!! I'm glad I decided to log on today.

Justin Bobby

mrsksomeday

11-26-2008, 10:53 PM

Happy Thanksgiving, have a safe and fun filled trip!!

MAGICFOR2

11-26-2008, 11:12 PM

Guess where I'm going tomorrow!

If you guessed Disney World, then you are absolutely right!!!
:yay: :banana: :woohoo:

We just checked into our flights tomorrow and we're both in the A group in the 30s on Southwest. :yay:

I started to actually pack my stuff INTO my suitcase last night and now I'm freaking out about the weather. I'm not sure how many shorts, capris, and long pants to bring!

70 degrees in Florida feels very different from 70 degrees in Phoenix, but I can't remember what it feels like in Florida!

I guess that's what my huge suitcase is for. I'll bring as much as I can without exceeding the weight limit. Fortunately, I'll have DH to lug it around for me!

Wednesdays are my longest work days of the week. Work today is going to feel like a marathon! But I can do it!

I'm so excited!!!! :dance3:

Jules! You're leaving! :yay: I'm really too tired from cleaning and cooking to dance - but I hope you have a great time!

You are so sweet - it is a pleasure to DIS with you!:love: It is amazing how connected we become here on the boards! I have made some great friends - I hope to meet some of them some day - I only know Jordan in person.

Happy Thanksgiving - have a fabulous time and come back with lots of pics of your DH smiling! :goodvibes

TarzansKat

11-27-2008, 07:34 AM

Hon, I hope you have a wonderful trip! You deserve it. And I can't wait to hear all about when you get back. Go make some magical memories, girl! :goodvibes

mkluvsmickey

11-28-2008, 06:09 PM

I missed you leaving - I hope you are having a fantastic trip! Looking forward to reading all about it when you return! :goodvibes

pierresgirl

11-28-2008, 06:29 PM

Alright Miss J, have a fabu time and can't wait to hear about it when you get back!!!!!

DisMomAmy

11-29-2008, 08:22 PM

thumperbelle3

12-01-2008, 03:09 PM

I hope you and your family are having the best trip ever!

Can't wait to hear about it!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

xoktenox

12-01-2008, 09:38 PM

Hey Julie, I know I missed you before you left, sorry about that! There was a lot going on in my family but you're there right now and I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

MeMom

12-02-2008, 06:18 AM

I was able to meet Julie and her mom on Saturday at Epcot. They had just been to hear a Voices of Liberty show, and she said it was so good. I think tonight is the night she said they were going to the Candlelight Processional.

Up until the time we left on Sunday, the weather had been good. As we were leaving, rain was coming in. I hope it hasn't been bad for them since then.

MAGICFOR2

12-02-2008, 07:19 AM

troobabiee7

12-02-2008, 01:17 PM

SwansLoveDisney

12-05-2008, 08:34 AM

Charleston Princess

12-05-2008, 08:36 AM

Welcome home! I am so glad it was a great trip!

troobabiee7

12-05-2008, 09:13 AM

Welcome home! I can't wait to read all about the trip!

Roxychica7

12-05-2008, 10:42 AM

Welcome home Jul! Looking very forward to your TR and good luck with moving!!:thumbsup2

DisMomAmy

12-05-2008, 04:43 PM

Welcome Back! I'm glad you had a good time. I can't wait to hear about it. Good Luck with all of your move stuff too.

tinkerbell87512

12-05-2008, 05:44 PM

Welcome home! Can't wait to read about your trip...dont feel pressured though we understand your moving. Good luck with that by the way! We will be waiting for your TR! :thumbsup2

MeMom

12-05-2008, 07:10 PM

We're back!

Our trip was wonderful.

I saw so many things on this trip that I have never seen before. And I saw many things in a new light this time. It really was an amazing trip.

Things are crazy around home right now, though. I came home with a pretty bad cold. And we are moving TWO WEEKS from tomorrow! We have SO much to do.

I will try very hard to start my TR this weekend. Please be patient with me, though! The installments may be few and far between until we've moved.

I can't wait to tell you all about our magical trip!

I would say I gave you mine, but I still have it, so it couldn't be that! :)
I hope you feel better soon. I've been coughing for three solid weeks, and I'm sick of it!

I'm glad it was an amazing and magical trip. I look forward to seeing many pictures and hearing all about it.

Tell your husband I zoomed in and took a picture of him, and I'm going to blow it up really big and post it all over the Disboards.

I didn't really. I couldn't even see him from where you were pointing him out, since I didn't have my glasses on,
but it would be fun to tell him that and see his reaction....since I'm not there to be hit by any flying objects. :duck:

It was great to meet you and your mom!

TarzansKat

12-05-2008, 08:09 PM

Welcome home, hon! Hope you feel better soon! :goodvibes

mrsksomeday

12-05-2008, 08:21 PM

:hug: Welcome home!! I am so sorry you are sick, I hope you get better soon and the move goes smoothly.

I will also wish you an early "Welcome to Illinois"!!!

Charleston Princess

12-06-2008, 08:52 AM

Julie, Chelsea and Connor got the cutest postcard from Mickey and Minnie yesterday. Thank you so much! It made their day!

JaxJags08

12-06-2008, 09:13 AM

Welcome back! I'm glad you had a great time! Sorry we didn't run into each other in the Pop lobby. You were probably long gone by the time we checked in! Good luck and best wishes with your move!

xoktenox

12-07-2008, 06:04 PM

Yay you're home, can't wait to read about your trip! Glad you had such a good time and good luck with all the moving stuff :goodvibes

SwansLoveDisney

12-08-2008, 09:14 AM

Hi everyone!

I am so sorry that I did not make good on my attempt to begin my TR this weekend.

Our life is a whirlwind right now. I promise I will start this TR when I have a minute!

Last night, DH looked up the recipe for Boma's carrot ginger soup online. Then, he went shopping for all the ingredients and he made it! I guess he loved it just as much as I do!

Okay, gotta go. Again, I am so sorry to be neglectful of this TR. I will do it though!

JaxJags08

12-08-2008, 11:10 AM

Hi! Don't worry - I'll be waiting patiently! :goodvibes I'm sure it's pretty hectic in your house right now.

Sounds like you may have been successful at converting your hater! I guess we'll all have to wait and see to find out for sure! ;)

SwansLoveDisney

12-08-2008, 09:39 PM

I'm uploading photos right now so that I can start my TR tonight!

I'll post a link here as soon as I start it. Thanks for sticking with me!

OhMari

12-08-2008, 09:42 PM

Welcome home.
I am moving you to our regular TR Boards. Looking forward to your report.
OhMari

SwansLoveDisney

12-08-2008, 09:43 PM

Welcome home.
I am moving you to our regular TR Boards. Looking forward to your report.
OhMari

Thanks!

SwansLoveDisney

12-08-2008, 10:23 PM

Welcome to old friends and new!

My name is Julie and my family and I went on a 7 day trip to the happiest place on Earth over the Thanksgiving holiday.

I'll introduce you to the cast as they appear in the TR.

Let's get this party started!

DH and I woke up at 3:40 a.m. Thursday, November 27, which happened to be Thanksgiving Day. We had gotten to bed VERY late the night before, so we didn't get much sleep at all. But who needs sleep when you're going to DISNEY WORLD?!?!? Not I!

We got ourselves ready and did our last minute packing and we were out the door and on the way to the airport. We had dropped our 2 dogs off the night before at our friends' house, so we didn't have to worry about that. We are fortunate to live only 15 minutes from the airport, so it was a quick drive. DH dropped me off at the door with my luggage while he went to park the car. I checked my bag and waited for him to get back to the terminal.

Look how empty the airport was at 5:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hHJeJwKI/AAAAAAAAAgo/cPhF-NrXqJo/s640/PB260008.JPG

The line for security was non-existent, so we zoomed right through it and we were off to our gate. DH stopped to grab some coffee at Starbucks. Then he baby-sat our bags while I searched for breakfast. Unfortunately, the only 2 options for breakfast in the Southwest terminal were Cinnabon and a place that only had breakfast sandwiches with eggs on them. I do not like eggs at all, so I had to get Cinnabon! This vacation was off to a very healthy start! :rotfl:

DH and I shared our heart attack in a box as we waited to board the aircraft. Soon enough, we were on the plane. We had a row to ourselves! Yay!

It was raining in Phoenix for the first time since August! Here's a pic from my seat on the plane.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hILMJTlI/AAAAAAAAAgw/Fy5v5y3thwQ/s640/PB260010.JPG

We took off and headed for Houston. Southwest had no direct flights from Phoenix to Orlando that day. They must have cut down the number of scheduled flights due to the holiday. Switching planes makes me nervous when I check bags, but I tried not to worry about it too much!

Here we are in Houston, 15 minutes early. No rain here!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hKD9gGaI/AAAAAAAAAhA/uU6BsPhVk2k/s640/PB260012.JPG

We had about 50 minutes till our flight. DH and I were both hungry, so he went off in search of food while I baby sat the bags.

And he came back with 2 cheeseburgers and a coke. From Wendy's. At 9:30 a.m. Or something close to that. The nutrition level of this vacation is just amazing, isn't it?! I was pretty hungry, so I dug into my cheeseburger. Pretty soon, we were on our way to Florida.

I see Florida!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hLiY1riI/AAAAAAAAAhI/Yel_xIWIRV0/s640/PB270013.JPG

I see DH reading!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hNH_xIvI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/MfG2E_A7VIk/s640/PB270015.JPG

Maybe he's finding a Christmas present for me in that SkyMall magazine!

Pretty soon, we landed at MCO! Of course, the people in the rows in front of us took FOREVER to get off the plane.

As soon as we were able to move, we raced off the plane and made our way to Magical Express. This was to be my first time on Magical Express and I was hoping so hard for a true Magical Express bus.

And lookie what we have here!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ST3hOkwc8VI/AAAAAAAAAhY/njTmB6EN69U/s640/PB270017.JPG

I'm not sure what the transaction is that is occurring between the two drivers. But who cares?!? I'm on my way to Disney World!!

We took our seats on our oh-so-real Magical Express and settled in for the 30 minute ride and the fun video. I was so very excited to finally be on our way to Disney World.

As we passed under the Disney World arch, I had some tears of happiness welling up in my eyes. All of the planning I had done was about to pay off...

And now, my friends, I have to stop writing so I can go pack! For those who are new to my TR, DH and I are moving from Phoenix to Chicago in 12 days. We have lots to do, so I have to get to it!

SwansLoveDisney

12-08-2008, 10:25 PM

Here's the link to my new TR!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=29094389#post29094389

Roxychica7

12-08-2008, 10:53 PM

Nicole786

12-08-2008, 10:55 PM

Yay im second!! Great start can't wait to hear more, but i know you are busy! haha

Pinga's Mommy

12-08-2008, 11:03 PM

You had me at Cinnabon! :love:

Can't wait to read more.

MeMom

12-08-2008, 11:10 PM

I can't imagine how you are going to write a trip report and get ready to move all at the same time, but I'll be along for the ride.
To Disney World that is.
Chicago is much too cold for me!

I think Cinnabon is an excellent way to start out a vacation!

JaxJags08

12-08-2008, 11:23 PM

Mmmm...Cinnabon! Just don't ever look at the nutritional info. Suffice it to say that it is pretty scary.

lisalonglash

12-08-2008, 11:47 PM

Woohooo, you're back!!! Welcome home and I can't wait to read more about your trip! :cool1: Moving across the country isn't exactly a walk in the park, so don't worry about your TR, we'll be here when your life is somewhat less stressful :hug:

Oh, and Cinnabon rocks! I'm so glad there isn't a Cinnabon closer than 45 minutes away from us - much safer for me LOLOL

DisneyJoo2008

12-09-2008, 02:33 AM

Great start - can't wait to hear more!
and I agree - Cinnabon is an excellent way to start your trip!!! :rotfl:

Joo xxx

janloz

12-09-2008, 07:27 AM

Signing up too. It was nice to meet you in Canada, the surprise for the kids worked out perfectly. Good Luck with the move.

Charleston Princess

12-09-2008, 07:28 AM

I'm here! :yay: Sounds like your trip was off to a good start with Cinnabons and a real Magical Express bus!

stitcharoo

12-09-2008, 09:00 AM

Hello! I LOVE that picture of the view of Florida from the airplane! That is awesome:thumbsup2 ! I cant wait to read more!!

Sarilas

12-09-2008, 10:59 AM

I can't wait to read all about your nutritional exploits at WDW! ;)

gattra

12-09-2008, 11:16 AM

Great Start! I'm on board...can't wait for part 2!:goodvibes

k_reile

12-09-2008, 11:26 AM

good luck with your move. Can't wait to hear more to see how your DH did at WDW. I don't know about you but I told my DH that we are going every 3 yrs at least so he better get used to it (he likes it while we are there he just likes to complain:rotfl:

SwansLoveDisney

12-09-2008, 12:36 PM

Yay, I'm first!! Wow! I thought you were just moving up the road, not over 1/2 way across the country! Hey, at least you'll be closer to WDW now right? Good luck again on moving! Great start BTW to your TR. I love the healthy breakfast's :thumbsup2 Get yourself all settled in Chicago, looking forward to another update as soon as you get a chance!

You are absolutely right...we'll be MUCH closer to WDW when we move!

I'll update when I have time...it's a good escape from the moving madness!

Yay im second!! Great start can't wait to hear more, but i know you are busy! haha

Thanks Nicole!

You had me at Cinnabon! :love:

Can't wait to read more.

Thanks for joining in!

I can't imagine how you are going to write a trip report and get ready to move all at the same time, but I'll be along for the ride.
To Disney World that is.
Chicago is much too cold for me!

I think Cinnabon is an excellent way to start out a vacation!

I think the trip report is going to take a backseat for a little while as we do all the necessary things for moving. But i will do installments when I can!

I'm thinking Chicago is too cold for me as well. I was just looking online at those down coats that look like sleeping bags. I think that's what I'm going to ask for for Christmas!

The Cinnabon breakfast was definitely a sign that we were on vacation!

Mmmm...Cinnabon! Just don't ever look at the nutritional info. Suffice it to say that it is pretty scary.

:rotfl: I made the mistake of looking at the nutritional info of Cinnabon once. It was that day that I swore I would never eat another. Oops!

Woohooo, you're back!!! Welcome home and I can't wait to read more about your trip! :cool1: Moving across the country isn't exactly a walk in the park, so don't worry about your TR, we'll be here when your life is somewhat less stressful :hug:

Oh, and Cinnabon rocks! I'm so glad there isn't a Cinnabon closer than 45 minutes away from us - much safer for me LOLOL

Yeah, moving is less than fun. Thanks for understanding and being patient!

Cinnabon could be a very dangerous place!

Great start - can't wait to hear more!
and I agree - Cinnabon is an excellent way to start your trip!!! :rotfl:

Joo xxx

Thanks!

I can just taste that cinnamon-y goodness now!

Signing up too. It was nice to meet you in Canada, the surprise for the kids worked out perfectly. Good Luck with the move.

It was nice to meet you too!

I bet the surprise was so much fun!

Thanks!

I'm here! :yay: Sounds like your trip was off to a good start with Cinnabons and a real Magical Express bus!

I was so excited about the Magical Express bus!

Hello! I LOVE that picture of the view of Florida from the airplane! That is awesome:thumbsup2 ! I cant wait to read more!!

Thanks! I was so excited to finally see Florida!

I can't wait to read all about your nutritional exploits at WDW! ;)

Oh, the nutritional content of this vacation left a lot to be desired. But it was deeelicious!

Great Start! I'm on board...can't wait for part 2!:goodvibes

Thanks! Welcome!

good luck with your move. Can't wait to hear more to see how your DH did at WDW. I don't know about you but I told my DH that we are going every 3 yrs at least so he better get used to it (he likes it while we are there he just likes to complain:rotfl:

Thank you!

Without giving too much away, there were some good moments and some not-so-good moments with DH on the trip...

Every 3 years sounds very reasonable to me...I should try the same thing with my DH!

SwansLoveDisney

12-09-2008, 12:44 PM

I'm not sure why, but I did my first installment without consulting my trip journal and a realized that I left out a couple things.

So here they are!

One of the flight attendants on the flight from Houston to Orlando was HILARIOUS! He kept making the funniest announcements on speakers. As the airplane was ascending, he made an announcement that it had been a long day and he was going to use the position of the plane to his advantage by rolling our snacks down the aisle. That way he wouldn't have to get up later to serve them. So he threw a bunch of peanut packets down the aisle for us to have. Then he announced that the coke was coming. Fortunately, he did not throw coke down the aisle!

Another thing I forgot to say is that as we were getting on the Magical Express bus, DH said to one of the Magical Express people "Have a magical day!" I had to check to make sure it was actually MY husband who said that. I was in shock. And, of course, I loved it!

Okay, that's all!

k_reile

12-09-2008, 12:55 PM

We flew southwest last year to disney and we also had a funny crew on the way there. When we landed they said "welcome to Seatle" :lmao: They said other funny things but that is what sticks out most.

Charleston Princess

12-09-2008, 03:01 PM

How cute of DH to say that!!! :lmao: Sounds like he was getting into the spirit of things!

mrsksomeday

12-10-2008, 12:08 AM

Great TR so far!! I am in for the long haul. We understand moving comes first, we will be here when you can update.

pierresgirl

12-10-2008, 03:07 PM

Hi Julie- welcome home!!!!! I'm just going to read but wanted to say a big THANKS from my disfriend for the cards!!! They loved them!

troobabiee7

12-10-2008, 05:10 PM

I'm so psyched that you started, Julie! And a Cinnabon at 5:00 in the morning? That's already a great start to the trip :laughing: I love the airport pics, I can't believe how empty it was. That poor guy across from your DH on the plane looks so squished! I'll admit I haven't been on a plane in a while (since 2001) but the legroom that guy has makes me think the 18-hour drive down there really isn't too bad ;)

Can't wait for more! And good luck with the move, keep us updated.

tinkerbell87512

12-10-2008, 07:33 PM

Hey Julie! Great start! Don't you just love the crew's they have on Southwest? I think its great when they can have fun and show that they enjoy their jobs. Can't wait for more!

xoktenox

12-11-2008, 09:37 AM

I'm a little late but I'm here! :yay: I'm so excited that you started your TR :goodvibes

Sounds like you had a smooth beginning to your trip and it also sounds like the converting of DH is off to a good start! :banana:

heatherlizz602

12-11-2008, 03:11 PM

HELLO!!! I am new to your trip report. But I'm in for the ride!! At first I was all excited because you are from phx:) , so am I, but then when I read further on I was like well not for long. You will love Chicago! I moved from IL to PHX when I was 10 but we lived in Rockford, which is way way up there. I loved it!!!! Can't wait to hear more about the trip!!!!

luvfigment

12-21-2008, 12:24 PM

Hey Julie!!! I am glad I found your TR and it doesn't seem like I have missed too much. I am sure you are in the middle of moving. I have been MIA as usual post trip. Things have been crazy and I am actually in England now visiting DH for Christmas and New Years. Well I am looking forward to your next update and hope the move went well.

hlrababy

12-26-2008, 08:35 PM

I'm late but I'm here!! I can't wait to hear the rest!:thumbsup2

DisMomAmy

12-27-2008, 07:10 AM

I'm late too - but I found you! Glad to see you started your TR.

MiaBella05

12-27-2008, 09:11 AM

popcorn:: popcorn::

troobabiee7

12-28-2008, 11:58 AM

I hope all is well with the holidays and the move! Hope to see you back here soon.

jordanyosh

01-02-2009, 12:18 AM

jasmine,

I'm glad you haven't gotten too far into your TR.....

justin.

TarzansKat

01-05-2009, 07:43 AM

I'm late, but I'm here!

Cinnabon and Wendy's before 1000am? This is my kind of trip! :lmao:

jordanyosh

01-13-2009, 02:18 AM

popcorn:: popcorn:: popcorn::

MeMom

01-13-2009, 08:03 AM

popcorn:: popcorn:: popcorn::

Jordan's getting fat waiting on you, Julie, so you better hurry back!

I hope all of your moving has gone well and you can be back to your Dis pals soon. I know you had a great holiday with your family! I hope you're not freezing up there!

KathyRN137

01-13-2009, 02:20 PM

Unpack later....

...we want to hear what happened next!

Kathy

troobabiee7

01-19-2009, 11:26 AM

Hey Julie! I don't know if you sign in much anymore but I hope all is well and that the move went smoothly!

mooneyda

01-19-2009, 11:36 AM

I can not wait to hear more form your trip

MAGICFOR2

01-21-2009, 01:05 AM

Hi Julie! I was just thinking about you yesterday, and realized that with my dad having a stroke the beginning of Dec and the Holidays and everything, I forgot to keep track of your TR! I'll have to catch up and come back. I'm sure you're all moved and everything by now!:cool1:

MAGICFOR2

01-21-2009, 01:18 AM

Oh! I haven't missed anything but ME:confused3

k_reile

01-21-2009, 08:45 AM

are you glad you moved back to the midwest now??? BRRRRR!!! I can't wait for it to warm up!!

BrooklynnsMommy

01-28-2009, 12:01 PM

Hey Julie! Now that I have the internet I can keep up with you once the bboxes are unpacked and you have time to Dis again.

DisMomAmy

02-25-2009, 07:39 AM

Hi Julie! Just wanted to say hi! You must be unpacked by now... Hurry back. Amy

Charleston Princess

02-25-2009, 07:48 AM

We miss you, Julie!!!

tinkerbell87512

02-25-2009, 07:56 AM

We miss you, Julie!!!

Yes we do! Hope all is well Julie! :goodvibes

SwansLoveDisney

03-07-2009, 04:39 PM

Hello all my DIS friends!!!

I am SO SO SO SO sorry for taking such a LONG leave of absence from my TR and all of your PTRs and TRs! I will do my best to catch up on everything that I have missed. And as soon as I find my trip journal, I will restart on my own TR!

We have had a VERY busy and exciting few months around here...

The move from Arizona went very well. We missed all the icky weather that threatened to interrupt our drive. We arrived home 3 days before Christmas and we spent a lovely Christmas with my family and our friends.

DH and I both began our new jobs December 29. Well, he began his new job and I restarted at the job that I had before we moved to AZ. I'm working in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy now, so it's a big change from pediatrics, but I love it just as much!

It has been wonderful to catch up with all my old friends and all of my family. I missed everyone so much.

We are currently staying with my parents. I adore my parents, but it sure is hard to live with them after being SO FAR away for 3 years!

We began our home search in February. We have an awesome realtor and we've looked at MANY houses. And...we close on our new (to us) house March 31!!!!!!!!!!!!! :banana: :cool1:

I love our new house. It's a wonderful house with a perfect yard and an amazing location!!! I will share pics when we get in there!

And to go in our new house, I just purchased Disney Resort bedding from JCPenney.com. It's the bedding that's themed after the Polynesian. I've never stayed at the Polynesian, but I love the bedding! I am working on finding the perfect bedroom furniture and paint colors to go with it now.

Sooo...I'm going to go search for my trip journal. And I'm going to get started on catching up on all of your TRs and PTRs!

I missed all of you! :grouphug:

DisMomAmy

03-07-2009, 05:13 PM

xoktenox

03-07-2009, 06:41 PM

Heyy glad to see you're back and that the move went well! Congrats on the new house! Can't wait for you to start up again :goodvibes

MeMom

03-07-2009, 07:23 PM

You made it back just in time to read about yourself on our report. I'm about to start on the Epcot day where we met up! :goodvibes

It's good to know you'll be in a home of your own soon. I've seen the Disney bedding. Jill and I looked at it the last time she was up here. You'll have fun decorating a new (to you) place!

Charleston Princess

03-07-2009, 08:16 PM

You're back! You're back! I am so excited, Julie!!! :cheer2:

Congrats on a great move, a new house, and reconnecting with all your family and friends!

I do expect to see photos of this amazing house and your Polynesian bedroom! :thumbsup2

SwansLoveDisney

03-07-2009, 08:33 PM

Yay!!! You're back!! :banana: I'm glad you guys have found a house and are getting settled in "back home". DH & I lived in CT for a while after college and when we got married. I felt like I had to move away from my family to be independent, but I missed home so much. It was great when we finally moved back to NH.

Can't wait for you to get back to your TR!! popcorn::

How long did you live in CT? It was absolutely a good experience to live in Phoenix, but I am SO happy to be back!

I found my trip journal and figured out where all my pics are, so I'm going to start working on the new installment very soon!

Heyy glad to see you're back and that the move went well! Congrats on the new house! Can't wait for you to start up again :goodvibes

Hello! Thank you!

New installment coming soon...

You made it back just in time to read about yourself on our report. I'm about to start on the Epcot day where we met up! :goodvibes

It's good to know you'll be in a home of your own soon. I've seen the Disney bedding. Jill and I looked at it the last time she was up here. You'll have fun decorating a new (to you) place!

Oh, I can't wait to read about myself! :rotfl: I have a pic to share when you get to that part!

I am so very excited to decorate a new place. I never felt like I could properly decorate our AZ house because I knew it was a temporary home. But this house will be permanent, so I can go all out!

You're back! You're back! I am so excited, Julie!!! :cheer2:

Congrats on a great move, a new house, and reconnecting with all your family and friends!

I do expect to see photos of this amazing house and your Polynesian bedroom! :thumbsup2

Thanks for the warm welcome back, Jackie!

You will see pics of all of the above!

SwansLoveDisney

03-07-2009, 09:06 PM

So…where did I leave off?

Oh, that’s right! I’ve left you on the bus for 3 months! I do apologize. Please join me as we conclude our bus ride to our resort.

I tried very hard to squelch the tears the were welling up in my eyes as we passed under that magical Disney World arch. The driver told us that POP would be the first stop. And before I knew it, I saw this!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM330ZTHYI/AAAAAAAAAw4/ckn2YAuBo0E/s288/PB270018.JPG

We’re almost there!

Oh, and look! They have color television! We are staying in style, folks!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM369lmbVI/AAAAAAAAAxA/3Y8-j2oWgus/s288/PB270019.JPG

Ahhhh…there’s the sign I’ve been waiting to see.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM38oY7B-I/AAAAAAAAAxI/yOqX4qOyb7w/s288/PB270022.JPG

We pulled up to the front of the hotel and I was DYING to get off that bus. But for some reason, no one was getting off the bus! I was very confused. The doors were open, but no one was moving. I convinced a guy who was a few rows in front of us to get of the bus first and then I followed him. DH stayed behind to gather our carry-ons. I walked as fast as I could without running into the lobby.

Upon entering the lobby, I heard some lovely 70s music and saw a bunch of kiddos having a hula hoop contest. Oh yes, I was home! My parents and my brother and sister-in-law had arrive about 15 minutes before we did. I saw my dad browsing in the Everything POP, but I decided I should check in before going and saying hello.

I got in line to check in, letting the man who led the bus charge go in front of me. After about a 5 minute wait that seemed like FOREVER, it was my turn!

The cast member who checked me in was not the friendliest girl in the World, but that’s okay…she got the job done. I had requested a room in the 70s. The cast member told me that a room in the 60s was open at the moment, but we would have to wait to get in the room if we wanted a room in the 70s. We wanted to change our clothes, so we took the 60s room.

We headed to our room and said hello to Mowgli as we walked past. He became our good friend that week. We found our room on the fourth floor. We had a nice view of the lake and the legendary years section of POP from our room. I was relieved that our room did not face the pool…I don’t want any crazy kids keeping me up at night till they’re my own!

We entered our room and checked it out. It was adorable, of course! As soon as we entered the room, I realized that I had forgotten to ask about our water at check in. I had ordered bottled water from Costco to be delivered to the room and it was supposed to be held for us at the front desk.

So we dumped our stuff in the room, changed into the clothes that we had packed in our carry-ons, and we headed to the cafeteria to get some Thanksgiving grub!

portocall

03-07-2009, 09:21 PM

SwansLoveDisney

03-07-2009, 09:33 PM

Oh good, I am starting at the beginnning of the trip report! We are going for Thanksgiving this year so I can't wait to hear about your trip.... of course, you arrived on Thanksgiving day and we are leaving that day, but hey... close enough!

Welcome!

Thanksgiving is awesome at Disney World! This was our third Thanksgiving there. I'm going to try to figure out links now to post at the beginning so this is easier to follow!

SwansLoveDisney

03-07-2009, 10:00 PM

DH and I headed to Everything POP and checked out the selection. We decided to share the Thanksgiving Dinner. We had stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, a dinner roll and pumpkin pie! We also purchased 2 refillable mugs. The total came to 38 dollars!!! A little bit shocking, but the mugs were the bulk of the cost.

Here's our dinner!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM3-2rb3aI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/PbSqofn7QGg/s288/PB270023.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM4AkoMijI/AAAAAAAAAxY/dZViSTOkuCw/s288/PB270024.JPG

It was at this time that I noticed the Christmas music that was playing in Everything POP! It was so much fun to hear the Christmas music. It got me excited to see all of the decorations that were sure to be all over Disney World!

DH and I took a seat with our food.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM4DKBJkpI/AAAAAAAAAxg/MvxXYmED9CE/s288/PB270029.JPG

My parents and my brother and sister-in-law arrived a couple minutes later and they also purchased Thanksgiving dinners. I believe they all bought child’s portions. There was plenty of food in the child’s portion and it was much less expensive than the adult portion!

We chowed down on our Thanksgiving dinners and went around the table saying what we were thankful for. I’m sure you can guess what everyone was thankful for! We were at Disney World after all!

After lunch, we went to the front desk to ask about our Costco water. The man we talked to was VERY confused about what we were asking for. He went in the back and was gone for about 10 minutes. At last, he arrived with one case of water. I felt bad telling him that we were supposed to have 2 cases. But I told him and he disappeared again. He was gone for just a short time and we had both cases of water and we lugged them back to our room.

When we arrived in our room with the water, we called DH’s parents to say Happy Thanksgiving and to tell them we had arrived safely.

Then, it was time. We were going to head to our first park!!!

We met up with everyone in Everything POP and went out to the bus stop.

Here are my brother, SIL, and mom coming to the bus stop.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM4FXIV2FI/AAAAAAAAAxo/z7NnpB8xlvY/s288/PB270031.JPG

After just a couple minutes, the bus pulled up. Such a beautiful sight!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbM4Hc5BUhI/AAAAAAAAAxw/_xSol_Ejbxw/s288/PB270033.JPG

It was a little jarring to see "Disney's Hollywood Studios" on the front of the bus rather than "MGM", but we adjusted quickly!

MAGICFOR2

03-08-2009, 12:55 AM

JaxJags08

03-08-2009, 09:44 AM

Welcome back! It hasn't been the same without you! I'm happy the move went smoothly and congrats on the new job and house!

You're TR is making me miss Pop! We're making an impromptu trip in a few weeks, but we're going to have to stay offsite. :scared1: I just can't pay $130/night for the values even though I love 'em! :goodvibes

xoktenox

03-08-2009, 10:15 AM

2 updates in one night? Thanks! :laughing:

Your description of how you felt pulling up to the Disney World sign and arriving at Pop to almost run into the lobby is SOOO how I'm going to feel...I might cry! haha The dinner from Everything POP looks yummy too, some nice Thanksgiving grub. And your brother and SIL look so happy to be heading to the bus stop to head to DHS, I guess they were feeling the magic! :wizard:

SwansLoveDisney

03-08-2009, 11:20 AM

YEAH! YOU'RE BACK!:banana: :banana: :banana: I'M GLAD EVERYTHING WENT WELL WITH YOUR MOVE, AND EXCITED ABOUT YOUR NEW HOUSE, AND YOUR TR!!! I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN THE WORLD FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT I'LL BET THANKSGIVING WAS JUST AS NICE!:thumbsup2

Hello!

Oh my! Your trip is so close. I better get over there and check out the PTR!

Welcome back! It hasn't been the same without you! I'm happy the move went smoothly and congrats on the new job and house!

You're TR is making me miss Pop! We're making an impromptu trip in a few weeks, but we're going to have to stay offsite. :scared1: I just can't pay $130/night for the values even though I love 'em! :goodvibes

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

And impromptu trip sounds wonderful! How long will you stay?

2 updates in one night? Thanks! :laughing:

Your description of how you felt pulling up to the Disney World sign and arriving at Pop to almost run into the lobby is SOOO how I'm going to feel...I might cry! haha The dinner from Everything POP looks yummy too, some nice Thanksgiving grub. And your brother and SIL look so happy to be heading to the bus stop to head to DHS, I guess they were feeling the magic! :wizard:

Yep, I figured I better make up for lost time!

Oh, I can still feel that feeling when I think about the bus ride to Pop. Amazing!

Your trip is very quickly approaching. I will be over to your PTR to catch up soon!

Charleston Princess

03-08-2009, 02:18 PM

Yeay! You finally reached Pop Century, ate your Thanksgiving dinner (that pumpkin pie looks delish), and are headed to Disney Hollywood Studios!!! :cheer2:

KathyRN137

03-08-2009, 02:57 PM

Sooo...I'm going to go search for my trip journal. And I'm going to get started on catching up on all of your TRs and PTRs!

Well, good luck with that! :rolleyes1 (I still havn't found mine!)

Congrats on the new house; I'll bet your family is thrilled to have you back!

Kathy

JaxJags08

03-08-2009, 06:31 PM

Hello!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

And impromptu trip sounds wonderful! How long will you stay?

1 night! Can that even qualify as a "trip"? I just have to take advantage of the get in free on your birthday promotion! :lmao: We have other commitments on the days surrounding it, but I wanted to spend my big 30th birthday in the Magic Kingdom!

I'm trying to finagle another (longer) trip before summer. We just found out that we have another little one on the way. So once he or she arrives it will be a while before our next trip!

DisMomAmy

03-08-2009, 06:31 PM

Great updates!! It must have been strange, but fun, to be at Disney at Thanksgiving.

Can't wait for the next update.

PS - We lived in CT for 2 1/2 years before moving home to NH. (Although CT was actually "home" for DH - but his brother was moving away to Florida so it worked out OK with my desire to move back to NH.)

SwansLoveDisney

03-08-2009, 06:47 PM

Yeay! You finally reached Pop Century, ate your Thanksgiving dinner (that pumpkin pie looks delish), and are headed to Disney Hollywood Studios!!! :cheer2:

FINALLY!!!

Well, good luck with that! :rolleyes1 (I still havn't found mine!)

Congrats on the new house; I'll bet your family is thrilled to have you back!

Kathy

Surprisingly, I found my trip journal very quickly! That was one thing I made sure not to pack in a box that went into the storage facility!

Thank you!

1 night! Can that even qualify as a "trip"? I just have to take advantage of the get in free on your birthday promotion! :lmao: We have other commitments on the days surrounding it, but I wanted to spend my big 30th birthday in the Magic Kingdom!

I'm trying to finagle another (longer) trip before summer. We just found out that we have another little one on the way. So once he or she arrives it will be a while before our next trip!

That's awesome that you're going for your birthday! I'm still trying to figure out how I can get there for my 30th in August.

And CONGRATULATIONS to you!!! How exciting! When are you due?

Great updates!! It must have been strange, but fun, to be at Disney at Thanksgiving.

Can't wait for the next update.

PS - We lived in CT for 2 1/2 years before moving home to NH. (Although CT was actually "home" for DH - but his brother was moving away to Florida so it worked out OK with my desire to move back to NH.)

It didn't really feel like Thanksgiving. Even with the Thanksgiving dinner!

2.5 years was when I got the itch to move back home as well. Thank God for husbands who are willing to move for their wives!!!

JaxJags08

03-08-2009, 09:20 PM

FINALLY!!!

That's awesome that you're going for your birthday! I'm still trying to figure out how I can get there for my 30th in August.

And CONGRATULATIONS to you!!! How exciting! When are you due?

Thank you! I'm due sometime in mid-November. We just found out 2 days ago!

You should definitely try to go for your birthday! Your birthday probably falls during free dining so that's just an added bonus. :thumbsup2

Roxychica7

03-09-2009, 01:41 PM

Julie!! Wow, has time flown! So happy that the move went well, sounds like you two are doing great! Excellent update so far, can't wait to read more! popcorn::

SwansLoveDisney

03-09-2009, 09:25 PM

Thank you! I'm due sometime in mid-November. We just found out 2 days ago!

You should definitely try to go for your birthday! Your birthday probably falls during free dining so that's just an added bonus. :thumbsup2

Yay! I'm very excited for you! How old will your DD be when the baby arrives?

I didn't even think about free dining...:idea:

Julie!! Wow, has time flown! So happy that the move went well, sounds like you two are doing great! Excellent update so far, can't wait to read more! popcorn::

Hello! Thanks for joining me again!

SwansLoveDisney

03-09-2009, 09:35 PM

Shall we head to a park?

Let’s go!

We (I) chose Hollywood Studios for our first night because Tower of Terror is my favorite ride in the whole wide world.

So we got on the bus after a very short wait. I had forgotten just how close DHS is to Pop Century. It was such a nice, short bus ride. But it was just long enough for me to be absolutely bursting with excitement by the time we pulled up to DHS.

I got off the bus and I pretty much ran to the bag check, then to the turn styles. I had a little trouble with the fingerprint thing, but I got through eventually. Then, the rest of the group tried to get through. So I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. They ALL had trouble with the fingerprint thing too! And my dad had the most trouble. He works with chemicals for his job and his fingerprints are all pretty much burned off! The machine couldn’t read a fingerprint on him. Finally, a very nice cast member helped him through.

I took some pics while I waited for everyone.

Is that Mickey up there?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMs77AjPAI/AAAAAAAAApY/u1RDalTkAd8/s144/PB270035.JPG

I headed over and said hello to Bo. Shout out to CharlestonPrincess’s daughter Chelsea!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMs-pPIrKI/AAAAAAAAApo/rDJ38SN63P0/s288/PB270037.JPG

Just look at that lovely hat!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMs_pzh-SI/AAAAAAAAApw/SCwJw04cIZg/s288/PB270038.JPG

Then we checked out the waiting time board. Tower of Terror had a 70 minute wait and no fastpasses left, so we decided against that for now.

We walked around the park and enjoyed some streetmosphere. My sister in law really wanted to do the Great Movie Ride. That is the one ride in Disney World that DH said he didn’t want to do again! But DH took one for the team and went on the ride anyway! Well…DH was asleep after about 4 minutes. My sister in law was FREAKED out by the alien, which was pretty entertaining. Our cast member was pretty lame, but we got the gangster side and our gangster was really good.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtBBS5OuI/AAAAAAAAAp4/MlRzfOSyozQ/s288/PB270042.JPG

After the Great Movie Ride, it was time for one of my favorites…The Animation Academy! The people in our group chose to draw Tinkerbell and the cast member wasn’t kidding when he said she was hard to draw! All of our group’s drawings looked like aliens. And not cute aliens like Stitch. Scary aliens like the one from the Great Movie Ride! We all had a good laugh at each others’ expense. Unfortunately, those drawings are packed away somewhere right now. I saved them so I could share them with all of you, but I have no idea what box they are in!

After Animation Academy, I couldn’t wait any longer. I just HAD to go on Tower of Terror. It was calling out to me! So we headed over and the wait time was….ONE HUNDRED MINUTES! What?!?!? However, as we were looking at the sign, it changed to 70 minutes. Still pretty bad, but better than 100! So DH, my bro, my SIL, and my dad (!) got in line. I was so happy that my 68-year-old dad was going on Tower of Terror!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtCDxHM2I/AAAAAAAAAqA/-fKr3mvBxps/s288/PB270048.JPG

As soon as we entered the line, I was in my own little slice of heaven. I love that music, the fountain, the foliage. And I got more than my fill of the ToT atmosphere because after about 50 minutes of waiting and not moving ANYWHERE, a cast member told us that both sides of the ride were broken down with no indication on when they would be up and running again. A bunch of people left the line at that point, but we stuck it out. I was not about to give up on my favorite ride in the World! Well, about 20 minutes later we were finally in the lobby of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Oh, how I love that lobby, dust, cobwebs, and all.

Anyone want to play a game?

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtEO6oeaI/AAAAAAAAAqI/jT93OJHXEU4/s288/PB270051.JPG

Looks like their housekeeper does about as good a job as I do!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtFap1r4I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/D99D45DvvdM/s288/PB270054.JPG

And 20 more minutes later (for a grand total of 90 minutes), we were strapped into our seats on the Tower of Terror!

How do I describe Tower of Terror? The giddy excitement on the way up the elevator shaft, the frightened anticipation as you wait for that first drop, the feeling those drops give you in the pit of your belly. I love every minute of that ride each and every time I go on it!

This was my dad’s and my SIL’s first time on Tower of Terror and they both said they loved it too! I was so happy! Despite the rocky wait, our trip was off to a great start!

Here is a happy me and a dorky DH after Tower of Terror. I took about 4 of these pics and he kept closing his eyes on purpose!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtGTjanhI/AAAAAAAAAqY/3ZFx4hNt8NI/s288/PB270058.JPG

Next up was Rockin Roller Coaster. The wait was 60 minutes, though, and we were all COLD and tired, so we decided to hold off on that. We all decided to head back to Pop and eat something.

DH ran and got our mugs and then he and I ordered the Chicken Mediterranean flatbread. It was delicious! But only if you love olive tapenade, which I happen to love!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtHld7flI/AAAAAAAAAqg/3izaakYqvfo/s288/PB270061.JPG

We chowed down on the flatbread and got some hot chocolate in our mugs (did I mention that it was COLD outside?), and headed back to the room.

Our suitcases were in the room when we returned. I was very excited to see them there as I had been worrying about that quite a bit! This was my first Magical Express experience. I got into my pajamas and opened my suitcase. And I discovered that…

What horror awaited me in the suitcase? You’re going to have to stay tuned to find out!

mrsksomeday

03-09-2009, 10:33 PM

MAGICFOR2

03-10-2009, 12:50 AM

Nice Start! I'm glad the TOT ride was worth the wait! I am one of the only people I have read about who likes TGMR. I guess I could live without it, but I think it's just fun - I love to see newbies get surprised!:goodvibes

Charleston Princess

03-10-2009, 04:50 AM

Ahhhh, I can't wait to show Chelsea the picture of Bo -- I know she misses him terribly! :laughing:

I can't believe the wait for ToT and RnRC! :eek: Glad you got to ride ToT though! I am still too scared to go on it. :scared:

JaxJags08

03-10-2009, 09:16 AM

Here is a happy me and a dorky DH after Tower of Terror. I took about 4 of these pics and he kept closing his eyes on purpose!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbMtGTjanhI/AAAAAAAAAqY/3ZFx4hNt8NI/s288/PB270058.JPG

That's a great picture! You look so happy! Too funny that your DH slept during TGMR! How could he fall asleep on his first ride of the trip?! :rotfl:

Yay! I'm very excited for you! How old will your DD be when the baby arrives?

I didn't even think about free dining...:idea:

She should be 3 by then. I say "should be" because the due date is a little over a week after DD's birthday. But DD was born 2 weeks early, and I have a feeling this little one will as well.

SwansLoveDisney

03-10-2009, 09:27 AM

JULIE!!! :banana: :banana:

I am so happy you are back, I have missed reading about your adventures. It is great you got your old job back, congrats on the house. Bill was just asking me last week if you were back on the boards yet. He said hello and thanks again for the help with his ankle. :goodvibes

Hi Tracy!!!

I'm happy to be back too. I feel like I have finally transitioned to life here, so I am able to resume my normal activities, like obsessing about Disney World! :rotfl:

Tell Bill I said hi and he is very welcome! How is his ankle doing?

Nice Start! I'm glad the TOT ride was worth the wait! I am one of the only people I have read about who likes TGMR. I guess I could live without it, but I think it's just fun - I love to see newbies get surprised!:goodvibes

ToT was so worth the wait. :cloud9:

It was definitely fun to see my SIL's reaction to the Great Movie Ride. But I don't think I need to go on that ride for a long, long time!

Ahhhh, I can't wait to show Chelsea the picture of Bo -- I know she misses him terribly! :laughing:

I can't believe the wait for ToT and RnRC! :eek: Glad you got to ride ToT though! I am still too scared to go on it. :scared:

I tried not to get to close to Bo because I know he's Chelsea's main man! :rotfl:

Yeah, those wait times were nuts. I guess that's what you get in the evening on Thanksgiving day!

That's a great picture! You look so happy! Too funny that your DH slept during TGMR! How could he fall asleep on his first ride of the trip?! :rotfl:

She should be 3 by then. I say "should be" because the due date is a little over a week after DD's birthday. But DD was born 2 weeks early, and I have a feeling this little one will as well.

Thanks!

I think maybe DH fell asleep on purpose to try to prove that the Great Movie Ride was boring. He may or may not have a little bit of a 3rd grader left in him!

3 sounds like a good age to get a little brother or sister. Will you find out the gender of the baby?

mrsksomeday

03-10-2009, 10:36 AM

Tell Bill I said hi and he is very welcome! How is his ankle doing?

For the most part very well. He can wear regular shoes now and has a pair of Jordans, which he loves, and another pair of sneakers I can't remember the kind.

I stretch his ankle (using the techniques you sent me) at least twice a day to keep it loose. Again thank you so much :hug:.

JaxJags08

03-10-2009, 11:21 AM

3 sounds like a good age to get a little brother or sister. Will you find out the gender of the baby?

Yes - as soon as we find out, I'll be sure to let you know! It will be a while, though.

KathyRN137

03-10-2009, 11:36 AM

It was such a nice, short bus ride. But it was just long enough for me to be absolutely bursting with excitement by the time we pulled up to DHS.

I got off the bus and I pretty much ran to the bag check, then to the turn styles.

Julie, you are so cute! I can feel your excitement at finally beginning your long-awaited Disney trip! :woohoo:

What's in the bag, I wonder??

Kathy

DisMomAmy

03-10-2009, 11:44 AM

I hope it isn't anything messy...:headache:

MeMom

03-10-2009, 11:51 AM

I got a chance to sneak away to the computer for a second, and I'm very excited to find out that I can see your pictures form here at school! There are very few that show up here, so that is an exciting thing.

I'll be walking those same streets of Hollywood next Wednesday. I cannot wait!
I know I have to wait, but you know what I mean. :)

SwansLoveDisney

03-10-2009, 02:13 PM

For the most part very well. He can wear regular shoes now and has a pair of Jordans, which he loves, and another pair of sneakers I can't remember the kind.

I stretch his ankle (using the techniques you sent me) at least twice a day to keep it loose. Again thank you so much :hug:.

That's wonderful that Bill is able to wear regular shoes now! I think Jordans would be my first choice too!

You are so good to Bill! You're such a great couple. :lovestruc

Yes - as soon as we find out, I'll be sure to let you know! It will be a while, though.

Well, I can't wait to find out, even if it is 15 weeks away or whatever!

Julie, you are so cute! I can feel your excitement at finally beginning your long-awaited Disney trip! :woohoo:

What's in the bag, I wonder??

Kathy

I get excited just thinking about those moments!

In the bag is nothing good.

I hope it isn't anything messy...:headache:

Not really messy, but gross nonetheless.

I got a chance to sneak away to the computer for a second, and I'm very excited to find out that I can see your pictures form here at school! There are very few that show up here, so that is an exciting thing.

I'll be walking those same streets of Hollywood next Wednesday. I cannot wait!
I know I have to wait, but you know what I mean. :)

I use Picasa for my pics, so I wonder if that's why you can see them? I just can't figure out how to get them to show up bigger!

I am so jealous of your upcoming trip!!!

But I am very happy that I will get to read and see all about it.

xoktenox

03-10-2009, 05:20 PM

Julie, I just love how you describe everything in such detail, just like you did with ToT. Your descriptions are EXACTLY the way I (and I'm sure MANY other Disers) feel when I'm on that ride or anywhere in Disney for that matter! Even though you had to wait I'm glad that you got to ride your favorite ride on your first night there. And that Meditteranean Chicken flatbread looks and sounds delishhh! :goodvibes :thumbsup2

SwansLoveDisney

03-10-2009, 08:46 PM

SwansLoveDisney

03-10-2009, 09:21 PM

After a long, wonderful day of traveling from Phoenix to Orlando and plunging down elevator shafts at DHS, I opened my suitcase and discovered that ALL of the clothes inside were WET. :sad2: And STINKY. :scared1: I mentioned in my first installment (about 4 years ago) that it was raining in Phoenix as we boarded the plane. It NEVER rains in Phoenix. But it rained that morning. And I watched my bag get rained on as it sat on the cart waiting to be loaded into the airplane. I didn’t really think about the fact that my clothes would get wet. But they did. And wet clothes sitting in a suitcase for 15ish hours equals stinky, musty-smelling clothes. Furthermore, all of the clothes were super wrinkled because of the wetness!

So I proceeded to take almost all of the clothes out of the suitcase and drape them all over the room to get them to dry. And as you all know, Florida, in its humid glory, is not the easiest place to line dry clothing!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbcYOVR-gKI/AAAAAAAAA0w/baoyuvfZ-hA/s288/DSC00132.JPG

The first rain in Phoenix in 3 months and my clothes get wet, stinky and wrinkled…just my luck!

After hanging up all my stuff, I organized all of our food on the shelves in the room.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbcYzWVmsyI/AAAAAAAAA1E/WTxV3r2P36U/s288/DSC00131.JPG

Then I took some more room pics.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbcYbqM2w3I/AAAAAAAAA08/99aOfwTe9og/s288/DSC00133.JPG

I'm not sure what I was going for with this pic!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbcZLMT-poI/AAAAAAAAA1M/6RDixlq47Og/s288/DSC00130.JPG

I switched my park supplies from my Overland Donner bag to my Baggalini bag, wrote in my trip journal, and read a little from whatever book I was reading at the time. Meanwhile, DH watched Braveheart on TV. I set the alarm for 6:30 the next morning and fell asleep very quickly! Tomorrow would be our first wake-up at Disney World and I had a very full day planned for us, including my first ever viewing of Wishes!

Okay, here is where I share something that I am ashamed to admit…I was disappointed by Pop Century. On my last trip, I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I was in heaven. AKL is my idea of a perfect resort. Pop, on the other hand, is very basic. I found myself wishing that I had never stayed at AKL because then I would not compare other hotels to AKL. I had stayed at Pop before and it was just fine with me. That was until I stayed at AKL. As you’ll see throughout my TR, we spent little to no time at the hotel, so all we really needed was a bed and a bathroom. But I found myself longing for the luxury of AKL. What a spoiled brat I am. :sad2:

k_reile

03-11-2009, 01:25 PM

you're not a spoiled brat! I know how you feel! We stayed at the boardwalk last trip and I loved the convience of the resort btwn Epcot and MGM and it was easy to get to MK (we liked to walk thru Epcot and take the monorail) and DH :love: ESPN! Well, next trip I know we should probably stay at POFQ which i have heard is really nice but I am holding out for the beach club. With strollers and small kids...I don;t want to have to wait forever for a bus and be on one all the time. Plus Grandma and Grandpa would like to go to Epcot for some drinks and as a get away from the grandkids. (ok DH and me too! we loved drinking around the world course we ahd no kids then! :rotfl: ) But that is why grandma and grandpa and my bro and SIL and newphew are comign too!! Plus it is my SIL's first time along with the obvious first time for Caleb and DNewphew. Can you tell I can't wait!

I too want to go for my 30th but I refuse to go in June! So going this Feb will serve as my almost 30th birthday trip!:banana:

DisMomAmy

03-11-2009, 01:58 PM

I can't believe your clothes got all wet! :headache: And stinky!! :scared1:

xoktenox

03-11-2009, 02:42 PM

Oh man that is terrible about your clothes! I hope you at least got some good zZzZz's at Pop if you weren't so happy with it due to your amazing AKL experience! :cloud9:

MeMom

03-11-2009, 04:00 PM

Staying at a deluxe would tend to spoil you, and I think that's just a natural feeling. When we went on the DVC tour and saw the beautiful AKV rooms, we of course thought how nice it would be to stay there.

That would be awful to start out the trip with wet clothes. Lesson learned. I think I'll start putting mine in plastic bags inside the suitcase just in case of something like that. I'm glad you shared that.

troobabiee7

03-11-2009, 06:40 PM

You're back!!! :woohoo: I was so psyched to see your post on Kristen's report. How are you?? I'm glad the move went well! I loved your last two updates... that Thanksgiving dinner looked good! Can't wait for more!

Charleston Princess

03-11-2009, 08:17 PM

Ewww to the stinky and wet clothes!!! What a mess!!!

I am afraid AKL will spoil me, too! :rolleyes:

SwansLoveDisney

03-11-2009, 09:33 PM

I can't believe your clothes got all wet! :headache: And stinky!! :scared1:

Yep, it was pretty gross. :sad2:

Oh man that is terrible about your clothes! I hope you at least got some good zZzZz's at Pop if you weren't so happy with it due to your amazing AKL experience! :cloud9:

I slept wonderfully at Pop! That's the thing...all I really needed was a bed, so I shouldn't have been complaining. Not that I was complaining out loud, but you know what I mean!

Staying at a deluxe would tend to spoil you, and I think that's just a natural feeling. When we went on the DVC tour and saw the beautiful AKV rooms, we of course thought how nice it would be to stay there.

That would be awful to start out the trip with wet clothes. Lesson learned. I think I'll start putting mine in plastic bags inside the suitcase just in case of something like that. I'm glad you shared that.

I better not ever go on a DVC tour or that will surely be the end of me!

Yes! Put the clothes in a plastic bag. I will absolutely be doing that from now on.

You're back!!! :woohoo: I was so psyched to see your post on Kristen's report. How are you?? I'm glad the move went well! I loved your last two updates... that Thanksgiving dinner looked good! Can't wait for more!

I'm back and I'm good! Things are going really well for us here. The transition has been a little bit difficult, but it is wonderful to be back home!

Thanks for coming back!

Ewww to the stinky and wet clothes!!! What a mess!!!

I am afraid AKL will spoil me, too! :rolleyes:

What a mess is right!

Oh, Jackie...you will certainly be spoiled! Spoiled rotten!

you're not a spoiled brat! I know how you feel! We stayed at the boardwalk last trip and I loved the convience of the resort btwn Epcot and MGM and it was easy to get to MK (we liked to walk thru Epcot and take the monorail) and DH :love: ESPN! Well, next trip I know we should probably stay at POFQ which i have heard is really nice but I am holding out for the beach club. With strollers and small kids...I don;t want to have to wait forever for a bus and be on one all the time. Plus Grandma and Grandpa would like to go to Epcot for some drinks and as a get away from the grandkids. (ok DH and me too! we loved drinking around the world course we ahd no kids then! :rotfl: ) But that is why grandma and grandpa and my bro and SIL and newphew are comign too!! Plus it is my SIL's first time along with the obvious first time for Caleb and DNewphew. Can you tell I can't wait!

I too want to go for my 30th but I refuse to go in June! So going this Feb will serve as my almost 30th birthday trip!:banana:

Your upcoming trip sounds fantastic! It sounds like a good group that you'll be going with.

I would LOVE to stay at the Boardwalk. Being able to walk to the World Showcase would be like heaven for me!

Did you ever post pics of Caleb? If so, I missed them, but I really want to see them!

KathyRN137

03-11-2009, 10:22 PM

After a long, wonderful day of traveling from Phoenix to Orlando and plunging down elevator shafts at DHS, I opened my suitcase and discovered that ALL of the clothes inside were WET. :sad2: And STINKY. :scared1:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SbcYOVR-gKI/AAAAAAAAA0w/baoyuvfZ-hA/s288/DSC00132.JPG

Eww, Eww, Eww!! :eek:

What a yucky surprise!

It's almost like the perfect ad for Febreeze!!

Kathy

MaceysMom

03-11-2009, 11:23 PM

Just found your thread:thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear more.

k_reile

03-12-2009, 09:40 AM

I just sent some pics from my camera phone to my email to upload onto photobucket ( I really need to do my real photos but I never seem to have time for that!) I'll post some recent ones for you to see when I get them uploaded.

k_reile

03-12-2009, 09:59 AM

Ok...I didn;t know you could upload photos onto photobucket straight from your phone (course found this out after I emailed them to my email and then saved them to the computer. Now i have the address saved in my phone!)

Some recent pictures of Caleb! Not the best because they are from my phone!

From this morning. He woke up on the wrong side of the crib! In a good mood though! :rotfl: He loves to have his feet in the air!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/Caleb2.jpg

Couple of weeks ago over at my moms. He was playing nicely in his exercauser and my newphew (2.5) was playing "Cooking" so he had Caleb wear his chef's hat and JJ wore the chef's apron!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/ChefCaleb.jpg

This picture is from Tuesday. He came to work with me before we had to go to his doctors appointment. I took the picture to show daddy that Caleb was "working"

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/Caleb1.jpg

I can't believe that he will be 6 mos old already on the 25th. Time really has flown by!

JaxJags08

03-12-2009, 11:07 AM

k_reile - your little boy is adorable!

SwansLoveDisney

03-12-2009, 09:52 PM

Eww, Eww, Eww!! :eek:

What a yucky surprise!

It's almost like the perfect ad for Febreeze!!

Kathy

I wish I had brought some Febreeze with me on that trip!

Just found your thread:thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear more.

Welcome! Thanks for joining me/us!

I just sent some pics from my camera phone to my email to upload onto photobucket ( I really need to do my real photos but I never seem to have time for that!) I'll post some recent ones for you to see when I get them uploaded.

Yay!

Ok...I didn;t know you could upload photos onto photobucket straight from your phone (course found this out after I emailed them to my email and then saved them to the computer. Now i have the address saved in my phone!)

Some recent pictures of Caleb! Not the best because they are from my phone!

From this morning. He woke up on the wrong side of the crib! In a good mood though! :rotfl: He loves to have his feet in the air!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/Caleb2.jpg

Couple of weeks ago over at my moms. He was playing nicely in his exercauser and my newphew (2.5) was playing "Cooking" so he had Caleb wear his chef's hat and JJ wore the chef's apron!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/ChefCaleb.jpg

This picture is from Tuesday. He came to work with me before we had to go to his doctors appointment. I took the picture to show daddy that Caleb was "working"

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/k_reile/Caleb1.jpg

I can't believe that he will be 6 mos old already on the 25th. Time really has flown by!

Oh my goodness!! Caleb is SO cute in the chef's hat! What an adorable baby you have!

I can't believe he's six months old either. I feel like it was last week that you wrote that you had him!

k_reile - your little boy is adorable!

Agreed! Now do we get to see some pics of your DD?!

JaxJags08

03-13-2009, 08:44 AM

Agreed! Now do we get to see some pics of your DD?!

I'm embarrassed! But how do I even do that? Do I need to set up a photobucket account?

k_reile

03-13-2009, 08:55 AM

ok....so I had a dream last night (and not a MLK kind of dream either;) ) that I was on vacation somewhere bc I was in my hotel room. And guess what??? MY suitcase had water in it??? I wonder how that got into my dream.:rotfl2:

SwansLoveDisney

03-15-2009, 09:04 PM

I'm embarrassed! But how do I even do that? Do I need to set up a photobucket account?

I use Picasa because Photobucket is frustrating to me. But if it's just a few pics, I think Photobucket would be great!

ok....so I had a dream last night (and not a MLK kind of dream either;) ) that I was on vacation somewhere bc I was in my hotel room. And guess what??? MY suitcase had water in it??? I wonder how that got into my dream.:rotfl2:

:rotfl: That is HILARIOUS!!! I am sorry to have caused you stress (in your dream!)

SwansLoveDisney

03-15-2009, 09:10 PM

Oh my! This has been a wonderfully busy weekend.

My brother and sister-in-law came in for the weekend from Wisconsin. It was so nice to see them.

In addition to their visit, my Saturday morning started with my 90 minute boot camp class at the gym. Super difficult, but worth it.

Saturday afternoon was filled with last-minute preparations for my cousin's bridal shower, which was Saturday evening. I am a bridesmaid in her wedding and we have been busily preparing for the big day and for all the events leading up to it.

Today, DH and I went into downtown Chicago to have lunch with one of my favorite friends. It was a gorgeous day in the city and it reminded me of why I missed Chicago so much!

I will work on getting an installment up by Tuesday! I hope you all had a fun and relaxing weekend!

MAGICFOR2

03-16-2009, 12:35 AM

I myself get a little spoiled. I think once you stay Deluxe with the big beds, it's hard to go back to anything else.

I'm glad you are so happy to be back in Chicago.

MAGICFOR2

03-16-2009, 12:37 AM

K_reilie, Thanks for sharing your pics of Caleb! He is so cute! I remember when your pregnancy ticker showed up for him, and now look how big he is!

k_reile

03-16-2009, 11:11 AM

K_reilie, Thanks for sharing your pics of Caleb! He is so cute! I remember when your pregnancy ticker showed up for him, and now look how big he is!

Thanks....I know he is getting too big!! This weekend he acted like he was going to take off crawling. I am in big trouble here in a little bit! Maybe it will help me loose more weight by chasing after him!

MeMom

03-16-2009, 11:55 AM

I use Picasa because Photobucket is frustrating to me. But if it's just a few pics, I think Photobucket would be great!

I'm always grateful to people who use something other than photobucket, because I can't see that at school. I'll check in on a report (on my lunch or planning time, of course ;)) and read about a lot of cool stuff that's going on in the pictures, but they are just little boxes with a red x for me at school. I have to wait until I get home to see all the good stuff!

SwansLoveDisney

03-17-2009, 05:26 PM

I myself get a little spoiled. I think once you stay Deluxe with the big beds, it's hard to go back to anything else.

I'm glad you are so happy to be back in Chicago.

The weather we're having this week makes Chicago the perfect place for me!

Thanks....I know he is getting too big!! This weekend he acted like he was going to take off crawling. I am in big trouble here in a little bit! Maybe it will help me loose more weight by chasing after him!

I can't believe how quickly babies can crawl! Get your running shoes on!

I'm always grateful to people who use something other than photobucket, because I can't see that at school. I'll check in on a report (on my lunch or planning time, of course ;)) and read about a lot of cool stuff that's going on in the pictures, but they are just little boxes with a red x for me at school. I have to wait until I get home to see all the good stuff!

I am happy to be one of the TRs you can see at school!

SwansLoveDisney

03-18-2009, 07:32 AM

The alarm rang this morning at 6:30 a.m. Fortunately, our hotel room was very quiet during the night. Unfortunately, I can NEVER sleep the first night in a hotel room. I am used to it, though, so I did not let it get me down! I jumped out of bed as soon as the alarm rang and got in the shower. While DH showered, I checked my clothes to see if they had dried (they had :banana: ) and sniffed them to see if they were still stinky (they weren’t :woohoo: ). Yay!!! When we were ready to go, DH grabbed an English muffin and I grabbed a bagel from our food stockpile in our room and we headed to the POP cafeteria.

I took some pics on the walk to the cafeteria.

We had a nice view of the lake from our room.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAhnKrP8tI/AAAAAAAAA3M/V2_aDCurqtA/s128/DSC00137.JPG

Here is DH waiting on the elevator. The elevators were pretty slow, so we switched to the stairs pretty quickly!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAhqL7f1RI/AAAAAAAAA3U/bhnJWx7mud0/s128/DSC00138.JPG

Here are our friends who wished us a good day each time we left and welcomed us each time we came back to our room!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAhvGAqEBI/AAAAAAAAA3s/IA1Qi3u1egM/s128/DSC00141.JPG

It is so peaceful at POP so early in the morning!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAhtU_IMVI/AAAAAAAAA3k/RE5b5wO05-8/s128/DSC00140.JPG

When we arrived in the cafeteria, I found the toaster and toasted the bagel and English muffin.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAhyuT53eI/AAAAAAAAA30/aYwdKu3072Q/s128/DSC00142.JPG

DH went to look at what was available for purchase. He came back with a fruit bowl and a yogurt parfait to go along with the other stuff.

The yogurt parfait was very good.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAh1SFqP2I/AAAAAAAAA38/NKtEqrXjI2I/s128/DSC00143.JPG

And the fruit was delicious as well.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAh4upjjwI/AAAAAAAAA4E/TH6Vw9z7gi4/s128/DSC00144.JPG

I was VERY happy to see that the drink machine had Minute Maid apple juice in it. YUM! We brought a jar of peanut butter with us from home, so we spread that on our English muffin and bagel and dug in.

We were ready pretty early, so we were able to have a nice, relaxed breakfast.

After breakfast, DH filled his mug with a mixture of coffee and hot chocolate. He called it a mocha latte. We headed back to the room to drop off our mugs and the we went to the bus stop. We got to the bus stop at 8:15, which was the designated meeting time.

My mom and dad arrived just before 8:15, but my brother and SIL were nowhere to be found! The Magic Kingdom bus pulled up and we decided to get on. I was not going to take a chance at missing rope! Right after we boarded the bus, we saw my brother and SIL running up and they were able to get on the same bus!

Next up...the opening ceremonies at Magic Kingdom!

I must have wanted to share a pic of my footwear because I found a pic of my crocs in with these other pics, so here it is!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScAh71SrbhI/AAAAAAAAA4U/p9hw0fw7T5Q/s128/DSC00147.JPG

SwansLoveDisney

03-18-2009, 07:33 AM

My pics showed up so small again. GRRR!!!! I have to leave for work now, so I'll fix it later!

xoktenox

03-18-2009, 09:28 AM

troobabiee7

03-18-2009, 10:43 AM

Sounds like a nice, relaxing morning!

KathyRN137

03-18-2009, 11:53 AM

My mom and dad arrived just before 8:15, but my brother and SIL were nowhere to be found! The Magic Kingdom bus pulled up and we decided to get on. I was not going to take a chance at missing rope! Right after we boarded the bus, we saw my brother and SIL running up and they were able to get on the same bus!

Oh, so lucky they made the bus! :goodvibes Did they scold you for leaving without them?! LOL

Magic Kingdom! Magic Kingdom!! Magic Kingdom!!! :woohoo:

Kathy

MAGICFOR2

03-18-2009, 12:53 PM

Nice morning! I love that first morning on the way to MK with the music playing on the bus! :cloud9: We'll be driving alot this trip, so maybe DH will sing "Zip A De Doo Dah" for me!:rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Charleston Princess

03-18-2009, 07:29 PM

Ahhh, a nice relaxing morning eating breakfast at Pop Century! :thumbsup2

So glad your brother and SIL were able to make the bus in time -- that was close!

I might have to try the coffee and hot chocolate mix -- I really can't stand Disney coffee but I am a bear without some sort of coffee in the morning.

SwansLoveDisney

03-18-2009, 11:07 PM

What a nice morning you 2 had! I'm hoping that our mornings will go something like that...if I can force my BF to get out of bed that early! :laughing:

Cute shoes too, I'm feeling so nervous about my crocs because they're UGLY but those are cute! :cutie:

Getting out of bed that early definitely got harder as the week went on...

Crocs are ugly, but they sure are comfortable!!!

Sounds like a nice, relaxing morning!

It was!

Oh, so lucky they made the bus! :goodvibes Did they scold you for leaving without them?! LOL

Magic Kingdom! Magic Kingdom!! Magic Kingdom!!! :woohoo:

Kathy

Everyone was fully warned that I would leave without them if they weren't at the bus on time (even DH!) So they couldn't be mad!

Nice morning! I love that first morning on the way to MK with the music playing on the bus! :cloud9: We'll be driving alot this trip, so maybe DH will sing "Zip A De Doo Dah" for me!:rotfl2: :rotfl2:

:rotfl:

You should DEFINITELY have your DH sing for you in the car!

Ahhh, a nice relaxing morning eating breakfast at Pop Century! :thumbsup2

So glad your brother and SIL were able to make the bus in time -- that was close!

I might have to try the coffee and hot chocolate mix -- I really can't stand Disney coffee but I am a bear without some sort of coffee in the morning.

I tried the hot chocolate/coffee mixture a time or two myself and it wasn't bad. You should definitely give it a try!

SwansLoveDisney

03-22-2009, 10:04 PM

Alright, let's get you guys off this bus! I'm sorry that I keep stranding you on buses!

I was SO excited to be heading to Magic Kingdom for the opening ceremony. This would be my first one at the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at 8:35 and found a good spot that allowed us both a good viewing of the opening ceremonies and a good starting point for the “walk” to Space Mountain.

There it is! I was so happy to see that "Magic Kingdom" sign.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbqfhUlzuI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/d1gGTlqRflA/s288/DSC00150.JPG

Soon, the trained pulled into the stations and some of my favorite friends got out. Oh, look! There are Pluto and Daisy!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbqtTM9BDI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/qvdKchhxF48/s288/DSC00154.JPG

They chose a family to help open the park and they had them help throw pixie dust over all of us!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Scbq1GOuhJI/AAAAAAAAA5g/qdFi9etN40U/s288/DSC00156.JPG

I see Chip and Dale!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbrDsrtYQI/AAAAAAAAA5o/VbOmSHKpXus/s288/DSC00155.JPG

The opening ceremony was so cute! I loved it! I was very jealous of the family they chose to help.

Soon, it was time! We were allowed to go into the park! We walked through the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station and waited at the rope at Tomorrowland. This is where the rope drop adrenaline really started to kick in! DH, DB, DSIL, and I talked excitedly about our plan of attack while my parents looked at us like we were insane. Here is a pic of all the other people waiting for them to let us into Tomorrowland. Shouldn't they still be in bed?!?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbrHVOz2EI/AAAAAAAAA50/cQ3CLnoeD0g/s288/DSC00157.JPG

We inched our way up a little bit. If you look closely, you can see the cast members in the front holding us all back!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbrLeYIiEI/AAAAAAAAA58/iV0IwhQQlLI/s288/DSC00158.JPG

Then, it was time for the countdown. We counted down and walked as fast as we could without running (most of the time) to Space Mountain. Our plan was to get fastpasses first and then get in the stand-by line. And guess whose fast pass machine was broken! MINE! I have a gift for choosing the broken machines or getting in line behind the person who is getting 70 fast passes. Soon, we all had fastpasses in hand and we got in the stand-by line. We literally walked up and onto the ride.

I love Space Mountain. I should take a video of myself on it one day because I start giggling at the very beginning and I don’t stop giggling until about 5 minutes after it ends. I just think it’s so much fun! And I love being in the front seat on Space Mountain. I gave up the front seat to my brother this time. I knew that we had fastpasses to use later, so I would get the front seat next time!

Next up was Buzz Lightyear. That was a complete walk-on. For some reason, I am TERRIBLE at this one. I can’t hit those targets to save my life! I realized that DH was kicking my butt, so my strategy turned into making our little spaceship spin as much as possible so he couldn’t get a good shot. It didn’t work though. DH ended up with a score of 135,000. My score? A measly 35,000. DH beat me by 100,000 points. Oh well. Maybe next time!

Here are DH and me on the ride!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/ScbrZLeScQI/AAAAAAAAA6U/I7e5HL1QCUw/s288/DSC00166.JPG

And my bro and SIL

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Scbrgk89_3I/AAAAAAAAA6k/EhRnN3Rt2kQ/s288/DSC00168.JPG

The pic of my parents turned out super blurry and kinda hurts the eyes, so I won't torture you with that.

Now it was time to head over to the Mad Tea Party. I have only recently become brave enough for this ride. I always get nervous that it’s going to make me sick! But everyone else (except my mom and dad) was up for it, so I decided to give it a go. As we walked up to the ride, we saw that the Mad Hatter was riding with someone! He was spinning the teacup like the Wildman that he is. When their super fun ride was over, it was our turn. DH and I went in one teacup, my bro and SIL in another. Fortunately, DH was kind to me and he did not spin the teacup Mad Hatter style. We had a rather tame (lame?) tea party.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Scbrl4m1ZCI/AAAAAAAAA6s/rtiTKJTC5xA/s288/DSC00169.JPG

My bro and SIL, on the other hand, well, let’s just say, my bro was not as kind. And my SIL was NOT happy afterwards! She got over it quickly, though, because who can stay mad at Disney World? Oh, yeah, me. On day 5. We’ll get to that later though…

Completely off topic…my 3 best friends from high school and I are all turning 30 this year. Two of them turned 30 in Feb, I turn in August, and the other in October. We’ve been talking about a 30th birthday trip for quite a while. I tried very hard to get it to be Disney World, but I was not successful. That might be a good thing because no matter how much I love those girls, I don’t know if I could do Disney with all of them. Anyhow, we had a meeting today to discuss the trip. We wanted to think of a place that none of us has ever been. And we decided to do New England at the end of August. Sooo…if anyone has any suggestions for us, please send them my way!!!

Next up...Frontierland!

Charleston Princess

03-22-2009, 10:10 PM

KathyRN137

03-23-2009, 01:15 AM

Our plan was to get fastpasses first and then get in the stand-by line. And guess whose fast pass machine was broken! MINE! I have a gift for choosing the broken machines or getting in line behind the person who is getting 70 fast passes.

Hey! What happened to all the pixiedust?? :laughing: Are you sure you got some on you at opening ceremonies??

I'm glad you left us in FantasyLand and not on another bus; there's a lot more to look at over here!

Kathy

DisMomAmy

03-23-2009, 07:05 AM

You are off to a great start! :thumbsup2

I vote for the White Mountains of NH for your August trip! There's a lot to do up there. Another option, if you are looking for a beachy vacation, would be Cape Cod, Mass (or Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard). Or the seacoast of NH - I love Portsmouth... alright I'll stop now... feel free to PM me if you need any New England info. ;)

xoktenox

03-23-2009, 11:52 AM

Aww how cute the MK opening show is! I hope I can make it! :)

Glad that your DH was nice to you on the Mad Tea Party...I think my BF is going to be more like your brother unfortunately :confused3:laughing:

SwansLoveDisney

03-23-2009, 10:21 PM

I love the Mickey confetti they hand out to the kids to throw at the opening ceremony.

I never get a good score on Buzz either -- I don't know what it is! :confused3

Yeay for the tea cups -- I just love spinning on them!

A New England girls-trip sounds like a lot of fun!

I don't know if I saw the Mickey confetti. I guess I have to wait till I have kids to see it!

I always claim that Buzz is just luck, but I think that I am actually really bad at it!

Hey! What happened to all the pixiedust?? :laughing: Are you sure you got some on you at opening ceremonies??

I'm glad you left us in FantasyLand and not on another bus; there's a lot more to look at over here!

Kathy

:rotfl: I never had any luck with the fastpass machines on this trip. It got to the point where I would have someone else pick the line I got in because I ALWAYS chose the wrong one!!!

I'll try not to leave you in Fantasyland for too long!

You are off to a great start! :thumbsup2

I vote for the White Mountains of NH for your August trip! There's a lot to do up there. Another option, if you are looking for a beachy vacation, would be Cape Cod, Mass (or Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard). Or the seacoast of NH - I love Portsmouth... alright I'll stop now... feel free to PM me if you need any New England info. ;)

OH, I'm so excited to have a New England expert. We decided that we'll fly into Manchester, NH. I think we'll stay in Portsmouth at least 2 nights. The thing is, we decided that based on its location on the map, but we have NO idea what's there! I would love to get some info from you! :yay:

Aww how cute the MK opening show is! I hope I can make it! :)

Glad that your DH was nice to you on the Mad Tea Party...I think my BF is going to be more like your brother unfortunately :confused3:laughing:

It's a little bit rough getting to the parks for rope drop, but it's SO worth it!

Oh, you have to take control on the Mad Tea Party!

MaceysMom

03-23-2009, 11:42 PM

I could never do the tea cups! I would be sick for the rest of the trip. You will do better next time on Buzz!! haha

SwansLoveDisney

03-24-2009, 09:19 PM

I could never do the tea cups! I would be sick for the rest of the trip. You will do better next time on Buzz!! haha

I always thought the tea cups would make me sick too. But we spun the tea cup about 5 times total!

I sure hope I get better at Buzz!

SwansLoveDisney

03-24-2009, 09:27 PM

One week from today is the day we will close on our house. I can not wait! I am pretty sure I have chosen the paint colors for the house. I bought some of those little sample containers to try out before we paint for real. I am so excited to get in their and make that house our own! When we were in Phoenix, I knew from the beginning that we would be moving within 3 to 4 years, so I didn't put much energy or money into decorating. We plan to stay in this house for a LOONNNGGG time, so I'm going to decorate like crazy!

I mentioned before that I purchased the Disney Resort Collection bedding that's themed after the Polynesian Resort. Here's a pic.

http://zoom.jcpenney.com//is/image/0900631b81613960M.TIF?op_usm=1.5,.8,0,0&resmode=sharp&hei=380&wid=380&icc=A98

I chose the bedroom paint colors based on the bedding and today, I ordered a headboard that will be just perfect with the bedding. I loved the headboard that is pictured with the bedding, so I was on a mission to find a similar one. And I found it at Pottery Barn.

Here's a picture of it from the pottery barn website
http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/ab/images/p2/products/200912/0024/img16m.jpg

DH and I are working on finding a dresser and chest that will go with the bed and bedding.

We probably won't go on a Disney trip for quite a while, so this bedroom is going to be my Disney escape!

Charleston Princess

03-24-2009, 09:33 PM

I love that headboard!!! It's so awesome!!! It will look perfect with the bedding!

DisMomAmy

03-25-2009, 12:18 PM

You are going to have a gorgeous bedroom! :thumbsup2

MeMom

03-25-2009, 12:42 PM

Awesome bedroom. The headboard will be perfect, and it will be a nice Disney escape. I have a Polynesian bedroom, too, tiki god statues included! :) Did you happen to see it on one of our reports? I think of the beautiful Polynesian Resort often, since I framed some of the pictures I took there and they're in my room.

We didn't make it to Buzz or the Teacups on this short trip. We started toward the Teacups, but got side-tracked, although I can't recall exactly how.

I'm listening to DIS Radio right now, and they're playing Small World. I wish I was on a 'Mall Wurd' boat right now with my little Brooklynn! Four and half months and I will be, and Bella will be taking her first of many rides on it, too!!!

Alas, I must get back to finishing the report cards that are due in at the end of the day. Real World is not nearly as fun as Disney World!

Have fun with all that decorating!

DisGal520

03-25-2009, 12:52 PM

One week from today is the day we will close on our house. I can not wait! I am pretty sure I have chosen the paint colors for the house. I bought some of those little sample containers to try out before we paint for real. I am so excited to get in their and make that house our own! When we were in Phoenix, I knew from the beginning that we would be moving within 3 to 4 years, so I didn't put much energy or money into decorating. We plan to stay in this house for a LOONNNGGG time, so I'm going to decorate like crazy!

I mentioned before that I purchased the Disney Resort Collection bedding that's themed after the Polynesian Resort. Here's a pic.

http://zoom.jcpenney.com//is/image/0900631b81613960M.TIF?op_usm=1.5,.8,0,0&resmode=sharp&hei=380&wid=380&icc=A98

We probably won't go on a Disney trip for quite a while, so this bedroom is going to be my Disney escape!

SwansLoveDisney
where did you find the bedding collection? Would like to check it out!

SwansLoveDisney

03-25-2009, 09:45 PM

I love that headboard!!! It's so awesome!!! It will look perfect with the bedding!

Thanks! I can't wait for the headboard to come in!!!

You are going to have a gorgeous bedroom! :thumbsup2

I sure hope so! I can't wait to put it together!

Awesome bedroom. The headboard will be perfect, and it will be a nice Disney escape. I have a Polynesian bedroom, too, tiki god statues included! :) Did you happen to see it on one of our reports? I think of the beautiful Polynesian Resort often, since I framed some of the pictures I took there and they're in my room.

We didn't make it to Buzz or the Teacups on this short trip. We started toward the Teacups, but got side-tracked, although I can't recall exactly how.

I'm listening to DIS Radio right now, and they're playing Small World. I wish I was on a 'Mall Wurd' boat right now with my little Brooklynn! Four and half months and I will be, and Bella will be taking her first of many rides on it, too!!!

Alas, I must get back to finishing the report cards that are due in at the end of the day. Real World is not nearly as fun as Disney World!

Have fun with all that decorating!

Thanks MeMom!

Report cards sound way too much like homework. Yuck!

That is such a good idea...the framed pics from The Polynesian. I might have to hit you up for some pics for my room!

SwansLoveDisney
where did you find the bedding collection? Would like to check it out!

I found it on JCPenney.com

It's actually on sale right now for less than I got it for!

MaceysMom

03-25-2009, 09:57 PM

I love the bedding and the head board. That is going to be so pretty. Congratulations on your new house.

troobabiee7

03-26-2009, 07:10 PM

Sounds like a good morning! Love the pics :thumbsup2

I've never been to New England (well, besides CT) so no tips, but that sounds like a fun trip!

KathyRN137

03-26-2009, 09:40 PM

I'll try not to leave you in Fantasyland for too long!

Julie, the It's a Small World After All song is getting stuck in my head.... please come and post!!

Kathy

SwansLoveDisney

03-26-2009, 10:24 PM

I love the bedding and the head board. That is going to be so pretty. Congratulations on your new house.

Thank you and thank you! :goodvibes

Sounds like a good morning! Love the pics :thumbsup2

I've never been to New England (well, besides CT) so no tips, but that sounds like a fun trip!

Thanks!

I can't wait for our 30 year old girls trip!

Julie, the It's a Small World After All song is getting stuck in my head.... please come and post!!

Kathy

I'm sorry Kathy! That is a TERRIBLE song to have stuck in your head! I'm working on it now!

mrsksomeday

03-26-2009, 10:30 PM

Hi Julie, just relaxing waiting on an update popcorn::.

I shouldn't have looked at your bedding, I want it now and we just got new bedding at Christmas.

SwansLoveDisney

03-26-2009, 10:35 PM

Oops! I lied...we're not going to Fantasyland next!

After a spin in those giant teacups, it was time for us to get on the train to Frontierland. On the way, however, we stopped in to see some friends. First, we stopped at Minnie’s house. Minnie’s house is just so cute. One can easily discern that this house is not inhabited by a man! I know for sure that my husband would not be happy with all that pink and all those flowers! But I love it!

Oh, look! My SIL matches Minnie’s house!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckXuMX1AyI/AAAAAAAAA7k/Ys_27V5R4A8/s288/DSC00171.JPG

Minnie had already decorated for Christmas

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckYH3jULTI/AAAAAAAAA7s/YhzIOredsSg/s288/DSC00172.JPG

Do you think Mickey is taking Minnie on a date Sunday night? Or is she cooking for him? Or is he cooking for her? Hmmm…

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckYU2lRAYI/AAAAAAAAA74/KfPK2VK3qWU/s288/DSC00173.JPG

Next up was Mickey’s house. A very manly place. It reminds me of my family’s cottage in Wisconsin. The fish above the fireplace just adds that special touch. And is it just me or is it strange that Minnie’s stocking is at Mickey’s house? Hmmm...

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckYsiKU3SI/AAAAAAAAA8I/PgaPV3Cw6rc/s288/DSC00175.JPG

I just love this sign in Mickey’s backyard. I need one of those for my dogs!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckY30-eaTI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/zyi8DFyk4vk/s288/DSC00176.JPG

Look! A Mickey cactus. Just like Arizona! Except the cacti in AZ aren’t Mickey shaped. I wish they were!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckZDZNcQRI/AAAAAAAAA8c/Axl33r3snfc/s288/DSC00177.JPG

I love it that it says “the AUTObiography of Susie the Blue Coupe.”

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckZO3YrmNI/AAAAAAAAA8k/9vlLNkXqpis/s288/DSC00178.JPG

Time to head to the train! We had a connection to make in Frontierland! We got on the train in Toontown. This was my first time on the Magic Kingdom train. I loved it! Such a wonderful way to get around the park. We all had a little snack on the train because our lunch ADRs were not until 12:50. We were starting to get pretty hungry because our breakfast was pretty early.

We stopped at the front of the park. Here’s a view of the outside of the park from the train. Look at all those people just coming in now! They obviously didn’t know how wonderful rope drop is!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckZafR_lkI/AAAAAAAAA8s/dd8dIlppEOE/s288/DSC00179.JPG

Our train arrived in Frontierland just on time. We were able to grab fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then we got in the stand by line. The posted time was 20 minutes, but I think it was more like 15 minutes. Here are my bro and SIL getting ready for a wild ride!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckZl5dyRjI/AAAAAAAAA80/xpVRv7VGzrg/s288/DSC00181.JPG

This ride was quite different from the Magic Kingdom train! I love BTMRR. It’s another one that has me giggling from start to finish.

Are those dinosaur bones?!?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckZ8bu4sLI/AAAAAAAAA9I/9PpY2kztisM/s288/DSC00185.JPG

Next up was Pirates of the Caribbean, which was a walk-on.

I guess I wouldn’t mind being up for auction if Johnny Depp was the one buying me!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckaH4NEF4I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/C_7W6H0Y-TY/s288/DSC00189.JPG

This is my favorite part of POTC

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckaS_sIhyI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/rHnh1QukaXs/s288/DSC00192.JPG

A very blurry pic of Captain Jack Sparrow

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckaedpCDwI/AAAAAAAAA9k/XIlHzgfZJFU/s288/DSC00194.JPG

It was about time for a bathroom break. DH and I engaged in a mean game of checkers while we waited for the rest of the group. I need to brush up on my checkers strategy because DH kicked my booty!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Sckape5ZMhI/AAAAAAAAA9s/mQtmGu-6f5s/s288/DSC00195.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Scka0KAiixI/AAAAAAAAA90/Sb0D1X1P5dM/s288/DSC00196.JPG

After our game of checkers, we checked out Haunted Mansion. The posted wait time was 50 minutes, so we decided to try again later.

It was about time to start heading over to Crystal Palace for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Next up: Our (one day late) Thanksgiving Dinner at Crystal Palace.

SwansLoveDisney

03-26-2009, 10:36 PM

Hi Julie, just relaxing waiting on an update popcorn::.

I shouldn't have looked at your bedding, I want it now and we just got new bedding at Christmas.

There's the update! Enjoy!

I know this doesn't help, but the bedding is on sale for a pretty darn good price right now! And you can always find codes for JCPenney.com!

troobabiee7

03-27-2009, 12:19 PM

I haven't done Mickey and Minnie's houses since 1992, they look so cute! And how fun is BTMRR?!! Glad you all had a good morning :goodvibes:

SwansLoveDisney

03-27-2009, 05:42 PM

I haven't done Mickey and Minnie's houses since 1992, they look so cute! And how fun is BTMRR?!! Glad you all had a good morning :goodvibes:

Those houses are SO cute! I wish my house could be all cartoony like that!

It was a great morning!

DisMomAmy

03-27-2009, 07:54 PM

BTMRR was closed in when we went in 07 - Alex was disappointed - he remembered "the orange rollercoaster" from our 06 trip. We can't wait to ride again this year!

KathyRN137

03-28-2009, 12:34 PM

I cannot believe that you never rode the MK train before!! I'm glad you liked it...

You're having such a lovely time; no wonder you are thankful! (The crowds don't look bad at all!) :thumbsup2

Looking forward to more....

Kathy

p.s. Did you know that we're planning to go to MNSSHP this year? I remember your last report and how much fun you had! Check out the PTR link below if you get a chance!!

micandminforever

03-28-2009, 10:23 PM

I love the Disney bedroom collection you chose I may need to check it out at JCPenney. The pictures of Minnies's house are adorable.

Charleston Princess

03-28-2009, 10:44 PM

Fun update!!! My favorite part of POTC is at the very beginning when it is all dark and spooky and the wind is blowing, then you go down the waterfall and turn the corner...love it!!! I also love the dog holding the keys!

Yes, definitely an eyebrow raiser that Minnie's stocking is over at Mickey's -- although if I spent any time there, I would need to organize it! :laughing:

xoktenox

03-29-2009, 09:09 AM

Aww I was just reading on someone else's TR about the WDW Railroad, I'm gonna hafta give it a try!

Can't wait to see your (one day late) Thanksgiving dinner at CP! :goodvibes

MaceysMom

03-29-2009, 04:48 PM

Mickey and Minnies house looks so adorable! It has so many details. Great pics. Can't wait to hear about dinner.

SwansLoveDisney

03-29-2009, 07:41 PM

BTMRR was closed in when we went in 07 - Alex was disappointed - he remembered "the orange rollercoaster" from our 06 trip. We can't wait to ride again this year!

I would have been disappointed also if BTMRR was closed! It is such a fun ride!

I cannot believe that you never rode the MK train before!! I'm glad you liked it...

You're having such a lovely time; no wonder you are thankful! (The crowds don't look bad at all!) :thumbsup2

Looking forward to more....

Kathy

p.s. Did you know that we're planning to go to MNSSHP this year? I remember your last report and how much fun you had! Check out the PTR link below if you get a chance!!

I will definitely be using the train more at MK next time we go!

The crowds were pretty good in the mornings when we were there. It got pretty bad in the afternoons/evenings, but we had already done most of the things we wanted to do by then, so it was no big deal!

I'm going to head over to your PTR!

I love the Disney bedroom collection you chose I may need to check it out at JCPenney. The pictures of Minnies's house are adorable.

Thank you! They don't have the bedding in the stores...online only. I definitely recommend it!

Fun update!!! My favorite part of POTC is at the very beginning when it is all dark and spooky and the wind is blowing, then you go down the waterfall and turn the corner...love it!!! I also love the dog holding the keys!

Yes, definitely an eyebrow raiser that Minnie's stocking is over at Mickey's -- although if I spent any time there, I would need to organize it! :laughing:

I do love the waterfall in POTC. For some reason, I always forget that it's there and it surprises me!

I am SO disorganized! I am hoping to turn over a new leaf in our new house. Any organization tips would be greatly appreciated!

Aww I was just reading on someone else's TR about the WDW Railroad, I'm gonna hafta give it a try!

Can't wait to see your (one day late) Thanksgiving dinner at CP! :goodvibes

Yes...definitely give the railroad a try. It's a feet saver!

Mickey and Minnies house looks so adorable! It has so many details. Great pics. Can't wait to hear about dinner.

Those houses are so cute. I feel like I see something new every time I see them!

KathyRN137

03-29-2009, 08:19 PM

The crowds were pretty good in the mornings when we were there. It got pretty bad in the afternoons/evenings, but we had already done most of the things we wanted to do by then, so it was no big deal!

Spoken like a true DIS-er!! :thumbsup2

Kathy

julezdisney

03-30-2009, 12:12 AM

Hi Julie! :wave2: I'm JuliA and I followed your link from CP's report. I'm all caught up and joining in the fun- I'm really enjoying your report so far! Whereabouts do you live in Chicagoland? IN Chicago or one of the burbs? We're in the Belvidere/Rockford area. We just got back from a Chicago weekend actually, for spring break!

Anyway, lovin' the report-can't wait for more! :goodvibes

mousescrapper

04-09-2009, 11:51 AM

want to read thru your report for hopeful tips as our next rip in 010 will be during Thanksgiving week too.

subbing in (I'll catch up later)

mousescrapper

04-16-2009, 10:54 PM

Ok I am caught up and didn't miss anything else....how fun!

First I have to say :

:wave: "Hi Julie....it's Julie!" :rotfl:

My name is Julie too....and of course I love Disney and we live in Chicago subs too. How FUN!

I love your report so far...from your tears going thru the welcome arch, your POP Thanksgiving Dinner, picture of your crocs....I LOVE CROCS! and hearing your thrill of waiting and riding TOT and so much more...and especially seeing the Holiday decorations up...I am so excited for November 010 now....even more now.

:yay:

can't wait for more....

PS your new bedroom will be AMAZING!!!!!

Scrappie (J-)

SwansLoveDisney

04-26-2009, 02:57 PM

Spoken like a true DIS-er!! :thumbsup2

Kathy

A true DISer I am!

Hi Julie! :wave2: I'm JuliA and I followed your link from CP's report. I'm all caught up and joining in the fun- I'm really enjoying your report so far! Whereabouts do you live in Chicagoland? IN Chicago or one of the burbs? We're in the Belvidere/Rockford area. We just got back from a Chicago weekend actually, for spring break!

Anyway, lovin' the report-can't wait for more! :goodvibes

Hi JuliA! :welcome:

We live in the southwest suburbs. My husband just had to go to Belvidere for work Friday! He has to go there every few weeks. Long drive!

It's so nice to be back in a place where spring brings so many beautiful things!

Thanks for joining me and I hope you'll stick around despite my disruptions!

want to read thru your report for hopeful tips as our next rip in 010 will be during Thanksgiving week too.

subbing in (I'll catch up later)

:welcome:

Ok I am caught up and didn't miss anything else....how fun!

First I have to say :

:wave: "Hi Julie....it's Julie!" :rotfl:

My name is Julie too....and of course I love Disney and we live in Chicago subs too. How FUN!

I love your report so far...from your tears going thru the welcome arch, your POP Thanksgiving Dinner, picture of your crocs....I LOVE CROCS! and hearing your thrill of waiting and riding TOT and so much more...and especially seeing the Holiday decorations up...I am so excited for November 010 now....even more now.

:yay:

can't wait for more....

PS your new bedroom will be AMAZING!!!!!

Scrappie (J-)

Hello Julie!

Thanks for joining me!

I am jealous that you are going to Disney World for Thanksgiving next year. I love that time of year there! The Christmas decorations are WONDERFUL!

I received my fun headboard and I put my bed together with the Disney bedding. Our dressers are coming today. So once everything is together, I will post a pic!

SwansLoveDisney

04-26-2009, 03:08 PM

Hi! :wave2:

I'm back. Again.

I am SO sorry that I keep leaving you all hanging!

Since last we met, DH and I closed on our house, painted every single room, cleaned the carpets, installed nice, new shelving, moved in, unpacked (almost) every box, I bridesmaided in my cousin's wedding last weekend, and then DH and I collapsed.

And now, I am ready to get back to DISing!

I'm going to work on my next trip report installment and hopefully, I'll have it done by the end of today.

Until then, I would just like to tell you how much I LOVE being back "home" in the Midwest. After 3 years in the desert, it is SO nice to see all the daffodils and tulips blooming. And to see just how green grass gets. We are thoroughly enjoying our new (to us) house and soaking up every minute of springtime, rain storms and all! Life is good! :goodvibes

Back to TR writing!

mousescrapper

04-26-2009, 03:48 PM

julezdisney

04-26-2009, 04:29 PM

Yes, Julie- :welcome: home! I am so loving the weather this time of year as well. It's so nice to see my flowers sprouting and my hostas growing another inch every DAY! Makes the long winter worth it. ::yes:: Spring and Fall are by far my favorite times of year. Lookin' forward to the next update!

MAGICFOR2

04-26-2009, 07:23 PM

Welcome back Julie! Glad you're all settled in. I'm looking forward to more of your report.:surfweb:

MeMom

04-26-2009, 09:08 PM

Hi! :wave2:

I'm back. Again.

I am SO sorry that I keep leaving you all hanging!

And now, I am ready to get back to DISing!

I'm going to work on my next trip report installment and hopefully, I'll have it done by the end of today.

Until then, I would just like to tell you how much I LOVE being back "home" in the Midwest. After 3 years in the desert, it is SO nice to see all the daffodils and tulips blooming. And to see just how green grass gets. We are thoroughly enjoying our new (to us) house and soaking up every minute of springtime, rain storms and all! Life is good! :goodvibes

Back to TR writing!

She comes.
She goes.
She comes.
She goes.
She's back again.
How long will she stay this time??? :laughing:

I'm so glad you are not only back with family, but back where the grass is greener and flowers prettier!

Sounds like you guys have been very, very busy!
I hope all is working out well with your new home and on the job front. Do we get to see any new house pictures?

SwansLoveDisney

04-26-2009, 09:40 PM

Welcome Home Julie....

wow you and your DH have been busy! Can't wait to see pic's of your new home and hear more about your trip!

I am super excited about next year Disney too! It seems along way away...but it's worth the wait.

J-

Thank you for the warm welcome back!

You are so right...Disney is worth the wait!

Yes, Julie- :welcome: home! I am so loving the weather this time of year as well. It's so nice to see my flowers sprouting and my hostas growing another inch every DAY! Makes the long winter worth it. ::yes:: Spring and Fall are by far my favorite times of year. Lookin' forward to the next update!

Thank you!

Today was SUCH A beautiful day!

I think we have hostas in our front yard. I'll have to ask my mom what they are next time she comes over...:laughing:

Welcome back Julie! Glad you're all settled in. I'm looking forward to more of your report.:surfweb:

Thank you! I'm working on the next installment...

She comes.
She goes.
She comes.
She goes.
She's back again.
How long will she stay this time??? :laughing:

I'm so glad you are not only back with family, but back where the grass is greener and flowers prettier!

Sounds like you guys have been very, very busy!
I hope all is working out well with your new home and on the job front. Do we get to see any new house pictures?

Hopefully, I'm back for good this time. I don't foresee another move in my future for quite a while!

It is SO nice to be back with family. I love it that my parents are just a 15 minute drive away.

We have been SO busy, but it's a good busy, so I don't mind!

I'll post pics as soon as we get things in order around here. Right now, the house is not picture worthy!

SwansLoveDisney

04-26-2009, 10:04 PM

The text is all typed up for the next installment, so I just have to add in the pics.

I'll have to do that tomorrow, though, because now I need to spend some quality time with DH!

Thanks for being patient and thank you so much for sticking with me!:grouphug:

SwansLoveDisney

04-27-2009, 12:10 AM

I can't sleep, so I finished up the next installment!

After a game of checkers, it was time to head over to Crystal Palace for our (one day late) Thanksgiving Dinner (at lunch time).

The rest of the family had a seat while I checked in with the hostess. I had made my ADR’s as soon as I was able to, and I brought my confirmation numbers with me everywhere. And thank goodness for that! Crystal Palace had no record of my ADR! I gave them my name and confirmation number a whole bunch of times and they couldn’t find it anywhere.

I was freaking out a little bit because that place was CROWDED! It was Friday of Thanksgiving week and we were HUNGRY and without an ADR. There were a few other families that were having the same problem. One woman told us that NONE of her ADRs were found for the entire time they were there. That scared me! Well, the hostess took our name and said they would seat us as soon as possible. So I sat down, hoping that my family wouldn’t think I was a terrible planner. There I was, obsessing for months over every detail of this trip and there’s no record of my ADR! To our delight, they called us no later than 1 minute after I sat down on the bench with my family! We were shown to our table, which was nice and close to the food, and we had a seat. Our server was pretty crabby, but the characters were super cheerful and fun! The characters were just coming around as we sat down. They came around with great timing. We were able to get some food in between characters.

First came Pooh.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckbVpDMVII/AAAAAAAAA-Q/NZ0M1wE7a-M/s288/DSC00200.JPG

Then Eeyore.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckbhOXB9FI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/YGr-p9-x8BM/s288/DSC00201.JPG

Then Piglet.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckbsOS2xkI/AAAAAAAAA-g/50yfu9FX0Fg/s288/DSC00203.JPG

And, last but not least, Tigger!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckcC3aBmiI/AAAAAAAAA-0/qjE93xWIDjQ/s288/DSC00206.JPG

This was my first time EVER taking character pictures, so I wasn’t sure what to do with myself for the pictures. Mostly, I was laughing the whole time!

The food was DELICIOUS! Much better than I expected.

The highlights for me were the Mediterranean chicken, the southwest chicken salad, the watermelon, pineapple, and chicken nuggets!

Here's my first plate.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Sckb3iTQHTI/AAAAAAAAA-s/svU8l1aRnMA/s288/DSC00204.JPG

The desserts were also wonderful. My favorite was the cheesecake.

Here's my dessert plate.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckcOfz8xmI/AAAAAAAAA-8/mdL6xTwA2Xk/s288/DSC00207.JPG

When the bill came, I had another little shock. They added 5 dollars per person to the bill because it was a holiday weekend. Oops! In my extensive planning, I did not realize that there would be a price difference for the holiday weekend. See? I need to dedicate more time to the DIS so I don’t make anymore mistakes like this!

Look at the Christmas-y topiaries at the entrance!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckclVPquUI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/PPf1Ub9-A6M/s288/DSC00210.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckcZrCwoQI/AAAAAAAAA_E/jvl4jP7fnyE/s288/DSC00208.JPG

I loved the ceiling. I want this in my house!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/Sckc7pzAPkI/AAAAAAAAA_g/iUHISl48yok/s288/DSC00212.JPG

I thought this was so cute…I think the fire extinguisher was under here.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SckdGyJNi7I/AAAAAAAAA_o/EkbGAwd_C9Y/s288/DSC00213.JPG

After taking some photos around the restaurant, we settled up our bill and headed out for some more Magic Kingdom fun!

________________________________________________

Thank you to all of you who are still reading and welcome to the newcomers! I want to apologize again for taking so long to do this TR. We're pretty well settled in our house now, so there shouldn't be anymore long breaks from the DIS!

Good night!

MAGICFOR2

04-27-2009, 12:30 AM

Cute pics with the characters! I have to schedule CP next time, whether we go with kiddos or not. I'm glad they were able to seat you! Wierd about the lost ADRs.:confused3

Charleston Princess

04-27-2009, 12:44 AM

I jerked awake after a horrible dream, so I was so pleased to find you had updated!!! Thank goodness you were seated soon even though your ADR had been lost! :eek: The character pics turned out very cute -- looks like you had a great time!

SwansLoveDisney

04-27-2009, 12:49 AM

Cute pics with the characters! I have to schedule CP next time, whether we go with kiddos or not. I'm glad they were able to seat you! Wierd about the lost ADRs.:confused3

Thanks!

I was very pleased with the food at CP. I only wished I had more room in my stomach for more food.

I was SO relieved that they were able to seat us right away. We were all pretty hungry, right on the edge of being crabby hungry. So they sat us just in time!

I jerked awake after a horrible dream, so I was so pleased to find you had updated!!! Thank goodness you were seated soon even though your ADR had been lost! :eek: The character pics turned out very cute -- looks like you had a great time!

Oh no! I hope you're able to go back to sleep soon. I'm still waiting to feel tired so I can go to sleep. I don't know why I can't sleep tonight!

We definitely did have a great time at CP!

MAGICFOR2

04-27-2009, 01:06 AM

Ladies! Go to bed already! You will be so tired in the morning!

julezdisney

04-27-2009, 07:52 AM

I love the pix- esp. of the ceiling. I have not been there and everybody's always saying how pretty it is there but now I can see why!

You did good for first character pix- you look like you're having a great time!

k_reile

04-27-2009, 10:13 AM

glad your back and all settled into your house. that food really looks good...now I'm hungry....but its weight loss shake for me for lunch so I can lose the baby weight so I can go to Disney. LOL!

mousescrapper

04-27-2009, 12:39 PM

I've only eaten at CP once at that was last yr for pre-opening breakfast...the dinner spread sounds good too.

Love the inside restaurant pic's....I don't remember seeing Piglet (topiary) in June....so sweet he is one of my fav characters.

And yes I have the price hike up over the 3 days of Thanksgiving written down in my trip planner I'm going to note the $5.00 price too.

looking forward to some more

and speaking of midwest flowers...my tulips just bloomed like overnight! :flower3:

BrooklynnsMommy

04-27-2009, 01:40 PM

I love the Crystal Palace update. We have an ADR to eat there on our first day which is just 89 days away!!!! Brooklynn keeps telling me "In free months we will be at Magic Kingdom. We will eat with , Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Darby." She doesn't understand that Darby is not part of the original Pooh gang.

xoktenox

04-27-2009, 08:01 PM

Wow Crystal Palace looks good! My friend is going to make ADR's to eat there for her birthday dinner so I'm going to have to give her the green light on that one now :thumbsup2

SwansLoveDisney

04-27-2009, 10:11 PM

Ladies! Go to bed already! You will be so tired in the morning!

Oh my goodness! I was SO tired today. I just couldn't sleep last night. It was a LONG day!

I love the pix- esp. of the ceiling. I have not been there and everybody's always saying how pretty it is there but now I can see why!

You did good for first character pix- you look like you're having a great time!

I didn't expect it to be so pretty inside the Crystal Palace. I was pleasantly surprised!

Meeting the characters was fun. I felt a little strange at first, but I got used to it!

glad your back and all settled into your house. that food really looks good...now I'm hungry....but its weight loss shake for me for lunch so I can lose the baby weight so I can go to Disney. LOL!

How is it going with losing the baby weight? What a wonderful goal to have!

I've only eaten at CP once at that was last yr for pre-opening breakfast...the dinner spread sounds good too.

Love the inside restaurant pic's....I don't remember seeing Piglet (topiary) in June....so sweet he is one of my fav characters.

And yes I have the price hike up over the 3 days of Thanksgiving written down in my trip planner I'm going to note the $5.00 price too.

looking forward to some more

and speaking of midwest flowers...my tulips just bloomed like overnight! :flower3:

Those topiaries were awesome! I want some!

I wish I had known about that price change! It happened again later in the trip...

Yay for tulips! I love seeing them everywhere.

I love the Crystal Palace update. We have an ADR to eat there on our first day which is just 89 days away!!!! Brooklynn keeps telling me "In free months we will be at Magic Kingdom. We will eat with , Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Darby." She doesn't understand that Darby is not part of the original Pooh gang.

Yay for 89 days!

Awww...so cute! Can't wait to see pics of Brooklynn at CP!

Wow Crystal Palace looks good! My friend is going to make ADR's to eat there for her birthday dinner so I'm going to have to give her the green light on that one now :thumbsup2

Definitely a good choice for a special dinner!

mrsksomeday

04-27-2009, 10:28 PM

MaceysMom

04-27-2009, 11:13 PM

Glad you are nice and settled in your new home!!

Crystal Palace looks yummy! Maybe we wil try that for one of our lunches!

SwansLoveDisney

04-28-2009, 10:26 AM

Hi Julie!! So glad to see you back and posting. It looks like you had fun at CP, we really enjoyed our dinner there one time. I can't wait to read more.

So happy to hear that you are settling in to your house :hug:.

Hi Tracy!

I'm off work today, so I'm going to work on getting even more settled today! Gotta put all my clothes in our new dressers.

Glad you are nice and settled in your new home!!

Crystal Palace looks yummy! Maybe we wil try that for one of our lunches!

Thank you!

You should definitely try Crystal Palace. It was delicious! But make sure you go VERY hungry because it's hard to stop eating there!

SwansLoveDisney

04-28-2009, 10:45 AM

Day 2, Part 5:woohoo:

Let’s go back in time for a minute to my Pre Trip Report. If you’ve been with me this whole time, you may remember that my sister in law had a traumatic experience on Snow White’s Scary Adventures as a child. It was her one and only trip to Walt Disney World. I think she was 6 years old. And…

When she saw the witch, she was so terrified that she PASSED OUT!

My brother and I had our share of laughs over this passing out incident and we couldn’t wait to see his wife’s reaction to the ride 20 years later.

So after stuffing ourselves to a ridiculous extreme at Crystal Palace, we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and headed over to Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

And now it is time for the all important question: WHY CAN”T EVERYONE GO TO THE BATHROOM AT THE SAME TIME AT DISNEY WORLD?!? If the group includes kids, I totally get it…they don’t always know ahead of time. But a group of six adults? Come on, people!

So while everyone took their separate bathroom breaks, I wandered around and took some pictures.

Of course I had to take some pics of the castle!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKYcyxiZI/AAAAAAAABC0/NgNM2hdJS6Y/s288/DSC00214.JPG

And there was a scary bird with a HUGE beak just hanging out scaring the vacationers. (Can you tell I don't like birds?)

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKZ_ug5_I/AAAAAAAABC8/CRta3hZZ4no/s288/DSC00215.JPG

The show was going on in front of the castle, so I watched for a minute. Not really my thing, so we moved right along.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKa0wH3qI/AAAAAAAABDE/kRE3t8wqPN8/s288/DSC00217.JPG

Another shot of the pretty castle!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKb-1QNHI/AAAAAAAABDM/bMxyoLVHVX4/s288/DSC00218.JPG

All the Christmas decorations were up everywhere, so it was getting me into the Christmas spirit. We checked out Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe and I looked for an ornament to buy as my souvenir for the trip. As I shopped, I channeled my inner MeMom and took some shopping pics!

I was distracted by some ADORABLE Christmas stockings!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKeRYooUI/AAAAAAAABDc/XLXt38ECuv8/s288/DSC00220.JPG

And I was reminded that there were only 27 days till Christmas. Better get started on the Christmas shopping!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKfWZbpyI/AAAAAAAABDk/Ni8_I8MOIUk/s288/DSC00221.JPG

Finally, some ornaments. A whole wall of princess ornaments!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKgXnoBhI/AAAAAAAABDs/4TRQH8Ka4-E/s288/DSC00222.JPG

They had a ton of ornaments in that store, but I just couldn't decide. So I decided to keep looking throughout the week. Moving on from the Christmas Shoppe...

I loved this topiary of Alice.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKhXdLDKI/AAAAAAAABD0/mquyuF5dySs/s288/DSC00224.JPG

And now, finally, it was time to go to Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I made sure that DH and I were in the car in front of my brother and SIL so I could see her reaction to the dreaded witch.

Our car was Sleepy’s car…that seemed about right. I was feeling pretty sleepy after that huge lunch!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKi1hj8nI/AAAAAAAABEE/Q0bo6JUhd0c/s288/DSC00226.JPG

We got in our car, and I watched the whole time for my SIL’s reaction. And…NOTHING! She swears that the ride has changed and that the witch was much scarier 20 years ago. She claims that there is no way that she was so terrified by the ride the way it was in November. And the rest of the trip, she was determined to prove that the ride has changed! We all got a good laugh out of that.

See ya later Dopey!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SfcKj5IP55I/AAAAAAAABEM/UnBAFcM1678/s288/DSC00229.JPG

Next, it was time for Mickey’s Philharmagic. This is my favorite 3D attraction at Disney World. I just love the music. Most of the songs are from the Disney movies that I grew up with. Of course, I sang along the whole time with a HUGE grin on my face. Everyone else (including DH!) said they definitely wanted to see Philharmagic another time during the trip.

After Philharmagic, it was time to use our Splash Mountain fastpasses. We figured that we would do Splash and then head back to POP afterwards to rest up.

We walked right up to the ride with our fastpasses. I hardly had time to put my poncho on! DH put his poncho on as well. And because of our ponchos, my loving family decided that DH and I had to go in the front seat!

And we got SOAKED!!! Mascara running, soggy hair, the whole deal. DH and I were cracking up!

And the picture turned out GREAT!!!

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/julieswanster/DSC00233.jpg

Before leaving the park, we got some fastpasses for Jungle Cruise so we could use them after we returned to the park later.

And then, it was time for my all time favorite treat in the World, a Dole Whip! I caught DH hitting on a purple princess while I was in line for my treat!

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/julieswanster/DSC00234.jpg

At last, the Dole Whip Float was mine.

I was so happy!

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/julieswanster/DSC00236.jpg

DH tried it and wasn’t impressed.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/julieswanster/DSC00235.jpg

His favorite treat is the WDW funnel cakes. He had been talking about them ALL morning. As I enjoyed my Dole Whip Float, we went in search of the funnel cake. We looked on the make to find the funnel cake place and then made a beeline for it only to be blocked by the parade! We discovered that there would be no way to get to the funnel cakes until the parade was over, so DH vowed that he would return later in the evening for his funnel cake.

Now it was time to return to POP for a well-deserved rest!

Nicole786

04-28-2009, 10:51 AM

MMMMM dole whips!! I haven't replied in a while because i've just been lurking, but I am really enjoying this tr!

k_reile

04-28-2009, 10:55 AM

How is it going with losing the baby weight? What a wonderful goal to have

Well...its going...lost about 10lbs so far but I really have hit crunch time because my best friend is getting married in August and I am the matron of honor and well I ordered the dress size smaller than what I am now...so really need to do it!

SwansLoveDisney

04-28-2009, 10:59 AM

MMMMM dole whips!! I haven't replied in a while because i've just been lurking, but I am really enjoying this tr!

Hi Nicole!

Thanks!

Well...its going...lost about 10lbs so far but I really have hit crunch time because my best friend is getting married in August and I am the matron of honor and well I ordered the dress size smaller than what I am now...so really need to do it!

Losing 10 pounds is great! Good job! I am sure you'll get to your one size smaller goal by August!

mousescrapper

04-28-2009, 11:54 AM

KathyRN137

04-28-2009, 12:50 PM

Hi Julie!

I'm so glad you're back posting!! :goodvibes Trust me, I know how busy and tired you can get from moving... I did it twice last year! We moved back into our house on Halloween and there are still some boxes that I need to unpack!! :rolleyes1

That is scary about them losing the record of your ADRs!! :eek: I had a little knot in my stomach just reading about that!

I will probably get rotten tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I'm with DH... the Dole whips are not my thing, either. Guess you kind of have to like pineapple...

The do look refreshing, though!

Kathy

SwansLoveDisney

04-28-2009, 09:59 PM

not so scary anymore huh?

cute story about your SIL. and nice pictures of the castle especially the one w/ the water in view.

I've still yet to try one of those infamous Dole Whips or float...good thing there is next year!

If you like pineapple, I think you'll love the Dole Whip or Dole Whip Float! They're so refreshing!

There are some great castle pics coming up...

Hi Julie!

I'm so glad you're back posting!! :goodvibes Trust me, I know how busy and tired you can get from moving... I did it twice last year! We moved back into our house on Halloween and there are still some boxes that I need to unpack!! :rolleyes1

That is scary about them losing the record of your ADRs!! :eek: I had a little knot in my stomach just reading about that!

I will probably get rotten tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I'm with DH... the Dole whips are not my thing, either. Guess you kind of have to like pineapple...

The do look refreshing, though!

Kathy

Hi Kathy!

Yeah, I was pretty nervous about the ADR thing. Thank goodness it was quickly fixed!

I can imagine that Dole Whips would be gross if you don't like pineapple!

A few of our boxes (containing books) went straight into the crawlspace. We probably won't look at them till next time we move! I have such a hard time parting with school books, though, so I feel compelled to keep them!

SwansLoveDisney

04-28-2009, 10:18 PM

I had a day off from work today and I had a very full to-do list. One of the many tasks on my to-do list was to go to the police station. In February, our storage unit was broken into along with many other storage units. We received a call from the police when it happened and we went to the storage unit to see if anything was stolen. At the time, we thought nothing was missing.

HOWEVER, when we were moving all of our belongings out of storage and into our house, we realized that several things were missing. Our cocktail table, the glass tops for our end tables, some wall decorations, and worst of all, a painting which we purchased on our honeymoon in Italy. The rest of the things were replaceable, but realizing that the painting was gone broke my heart!

We had heard that the police recovered some of the stolen items, so I went to the station to look in the evidence locker today. And every single one of our stolen things were in there! I was SO happy! The cocktail table is pretty banged up, but the paintings and the wall decorations and the glass table tops were still nicely boxed up (the movers packed them super carefully) and they were all in tact. I was so excited to see that painting, I was ready to hug the police officer!

I wasn't able to take my stuff home yet. The officer said that they have to fill out some report and then they'll call and we can pick up our stuff.

Our living room looks kind of funny right now because the end tables are in there, but there are no tops on them! The end tables will be very happy to have their tops back!

I have just the spot for our painting, too. I can't wait to hang it in our new house! :goodvibes

KathyRN137

04-28-2009, 10:38 PM

Oh my! What a relief!

Kathy

MaceysMom

04-28-2009, 11:48 PM

Dh wasn't interested in your dole whip because his mind was on the purple princess!!:lmao:

Thank goodness they found all your things! Nothing is worse then when things are taken from you. I can see taking your pretty picture but what would someone want with table tops anyways?

Charleston Princess

04-29-2009, 05:48 AM

Oh, I am so glad that everything was recovered -- especially your painting -- I know the coffee tables will be happy to get their tops back! :goodvibes

MeMom

04-29-2009, 06:34 AM

Whoa! An art theft mystery! That's a little more excitement than I would want in my day. I'm glad it was solved and that everything was there.

I do remember the Snow White incident, and I have to admit, I laughed, too.
Poor girl! But I still laughed.

That bird is pretty - so graceful looking.
I have to like the birds to offset the bad feelings that you and Dawn and some others have for them. ;)

The front seat on a Splash log is just asking for a soaking!
That's a great picture!

xoktenox

04-29-2009, 10:29 AM

Congrats on finding your stolen stuff!! Thats great that you got the painting back :thumbsup2

Great update, love the Splash picture! I can't believe you guys got soaked, we barely even got wet at all. Then again, we weren't in the front seat. :laughing:

Dole whips and funnel cakes...hmmm I wish I was at WDW!!

Charleston Princess

04-29-2009, 08:58 PM

Somehow I missed your actual update! I am not sure what happened.

I used to be terrified of the Snow White ride, but now that I am much older, it doesn't hold quite the same power over me. :laughing:

The Splash picture is great, but I am sorely disappointed that your DH was not impressed with the Dole Whip -- however, he did redeem himself with liking Disney funnel cakes (those are sooo good, too)! ;)

SwansLoveDisney

04-29-2009, 10:46 PM

Oh my! What a relief!

Kathy

What a relief indeed!

Dh wasn't interested in your dole whip because his mind was on the purple princess!!:lmao:

Thank goodness they found all your things! Nothing is worse then when things are taken from you. I can see taking your pretty picture but what would someone want with table tops anyways?

I think you're right...what can compare to a purple princess?

Those were some crazy thieves. There was a large television sitting right in the front of our storage unit and they didn't take that! I guess table tops were their thing!

Oh, I am so glad that everything was recovered -- especially your painting -- I know the coffee tables will be happy to get their tops back! :goodvibes

The painting was the only thing I was really upset about. The other things were just that...things. But the painting had so much sentimental value!

It will be so nice to have tops on those tables. They look pretty funny right now!

Whoa! An art theft mystery! That's a little more excitement than I would want in my day. I'm glad it was solved and that everything was there.

I do remember the Snow White incident, and I have to admit, I laughed, too.
Poor girl! But I still laughed.

That bird is pretty - so graceful looking.
I have to like the birds to offset the bad feelings that you and Dawn and some others have for them. ;)

The front seat on a Splash log is just asking for a soaking!
That's a great picture!

An art theft mystery...:rotfl: Thank goodness it's been solved!

I guess it's a good thing that there are some bird lovers out there...I will continue to stay as far away from them as possible, thank you very much!

We got soaked on Splash Mountain, but the laughs we had afterward were so worth it!

Congrats on finding your stolen stuff!! Thats great that you got the painting back :thumbsup2

Great update, love the Splash picture! I can't believe you guys got soaked, we barely even got wet at all. Then again, we weren't in the front seat. :laughing:

Dole whips and funnel cakes...hmmm I wish I was at WDW!!

I wish I were at WDW too!

Yes, staying away from the front seat on Splash is a GOOD idea!

Somehow I missed your actual update! I am not sure what happened.

I used to be terrified of the Snow White ride, but now that I am much older, it doesn't hold quite the same power over me. :laughing:

The Splash picture is great, but I am sorely disappointed that your DH was not impressed with the Dole Whip -- however, he did redeem himself with liking Disney funnel cakes (those are sooo good, too)! ;)

I'm glad you found the update! :goodvibes

I'm glad to hear that Snow White no longer terrifies you!

Those Disney funnel cakes...I am embarrassed to admit how many we ate that week!

SwansLoveDisney

04-30-2009, 10:32 PM

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!! :banana::cool1::yay:

Can you tell I'm excited?

This has been a loooonnnnggg week here in Chicagoland. Much too much rain for my taste.

The weekend, however, holds much excitement for us! We're going to begin installing our wood floors, I'm helping throw a birthday party for one of my friendsSaturday, and my coworkers and I are volunteering to stretch runners after a half marathon Sunday! (If you were with me last year at this time, you may remember that I ran a half marathon last year...this is that very same half marathon!) It's weekends like these, full of friends and fun, that make moving back to junky weather oh-so-worth it!

I'm going to work on getting my next installment up tomorrow or Saturday, so stay tuned!

I hope you're all having a great week and that you have fun weekends in store!

KathyRN137

05-01-2009, 11:16 PM

Awww. Saw your light on and thought there might be another post!

I'll check back later!

Kathy

MAGICFOR2

05-02-2009, 02:58 AM

Julie - I'm glad Snow White wasn't scarey this time:goodvibes I heard they had to tone it down in the last 20 years. :rotfl2:

Dole Whips! Yummy. Yummy. Here is a link to a site in Hawaii with the Dole Whip mix, and a video instruction on how to make them,
http://uec-hawaii.com/dolewhip.html My DDIL wants to get them for her going away party when they move to Texas.

I'm glad you got your stuff back - See, the mob is still active in Chicago;) When MeMom mentioned art mystery, I was reminded of your MNSSHP costumes!

SwansLoveDisney

05-05-2009, 10:38 AM

Awww. Saw your light on and thought there might be another post!

I'll check back later!

Kathy

I'm working on it now! The weekend got out of hand and I had no time to post! I'm sorry!

Julie - I'm glad Snow White wasn't scarey this time:goodvibes I heard they had to tone it down in the last 20 years. :rotfl2:

Dole Whips! Yummy. Yummy. Here is a link to a site in Hawaii with the Dole Whip mix, and a video instruction on how to make them,
http://uec-hawaii.com/dolewhip.html My DDIL wants to get them for her going away party when they move to Texas.

I'm glad you got your stuff back - See, the mob is still active in Chicago;) When MeMom mentioned art mystery, I was reminded of your MNSSHP costumes!

So they really did tone it down?

Thank you for the dole whip info! I am so going to make those at home!!!

Awww...I loved those MNSSHP costumes!

SwansLoveDisney

05-05-2009, 11:24 AM

After a wonderfully fun-filled morning at MK, it was time to head back to POP for a much needed rest.

We had a short wait for the bus. We got on the bus and chatted about our plans for the evening. We agreed to meet back at the MK bus stop at POP at 5:30. Can you guess how many people actually made it to the bus stop at 5:30?

A pic from the bus ride. It was such a beautiful day! :cloud9:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQeyBrOMI/AAAAAAAABFs/cPgMaReiDdM/s288/DSC00237.JPG

Back at POP, DH and I headed to our room. He settled in for a nap while I wrote in my trip journal. Then I tried to nap. That was a joke. How could I sleep when there was so much Disney fun to be had?! So I read my Disney books and looked in my Disney binder until about 5:00. I got myself ready and tried to wake up DH. He said he wanted to sleep for a few more minutes and he would meet me at MK later. I took some pics around the resort.

Such a beautiful sight!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQfjYlKqI/AAAAAAAABF0/VQvhT1YpLbg/s288/DSC00239.JPG

Yes, I can dig it!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQgYjZcUI/AAAAAAAABF8/EJhQBWUHryg/s288/DSC00240.JPG

Look at that giant yo yo!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQhupcP7I/AAAAAAAABGE/qqgpy4Szc2E/s288/DSC00241.JPG

I stopped and got myself some apple juice in the food court.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQipoh8bI/AAAAAAAABGM/qAfi8JqGC-g/s288/DSC00242.JPG

Then, I headed out to the bus stop and there were quite a few people there...but not ONE of my family members! :confused3 Those bums! I got on the bus anyways and headed to MK.

Getting off the bus at MK...
http://picasaweb.google.com/julieswanster/Mknight?authkey=Gv1sRgCI6AgcOm6_72Rg#5332350526239 908818

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQkL4c3YI/AAAAAAAABGc/bCGcJFBdcis/s288/DSC00244.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQkz9cBnI/AAAAAAAABGk/jDLniluXMFE/s288/DSC00245.JPG

That sealed the deal for me...I MUST stay at one of the resorts that has boat service to MK!

So pretty!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQmAO_YqI/AAAAAAAABGs/AFl3aCyrqg0/s288/DSC00249.JPG

Look how pretty main street is!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQnfUnviI/AAAAAAAABG0/Vp16BqIpyNE/s288/DSC00251.JPG

And look at that castle!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQpUDiJ_I/AAAAAAAABHE/MO6vKKX5OSY/s288/DSC00258.JPG

I wandered around Main Street for a while and looked in the shops.

How do you get THESE home on the plane?!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQqdq38fI/AAAAAAAABHM/hhGJbf7wSwE/s288/DSC00259.JPG

I watched a silhouette being made. I was utterly amazed by the way the silhouette was made. I had no idea that they cut the silhouettes out with scissors! The woman whose silhouette was being made had CRAZY hair, and the artist got that hair perfect. She got every single detail. After watching that, I promised myself that when DH and I have kids, we will get their silhouettes done on every Disney trip, just like Charleston Princess!

Suddenly, I heard a lot of commotion coming from the castle. And little by little, that castle turned into the most sparkly, shiny building I have ever seen in my life! It was gorgeous. :lovestruc My eyes started to tear up as I watched that castle transform. I could not turn my eyes away from the castle and I definitely could not stop taking pictures of it! I have SO many pictures. I won't share them all with you, but I will share my favorites!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQravh1mI/AAAAAAAABHU/6DWvrgCbj4g/s288/DSC00262.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQvGqnZ-I/AAAAAAAABH4/Tc5sqi-SVAg/s288/DSC00281.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQwdXa3JI/AAAAAAAABIA/lUQqq8-oQxc/s288/DSC00273.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQxs13WvI/AAAAAAAABII/rr7G-8iNIYQ/s288/DSC00285.JPG

It changed colors throughout the evening. I had a hard time doing other things this night. I could have just stared at the castle all night long!

I don't know if I wish the castle was always like that at night or if that would make it less special. Either way, I loved it and I am SO happy that I got to see it all lit up for Christmas!

My shiny-castle-inspired awe was interrupted by a phone cal from my mom. She and my dad had arrived at the park. :yay: We decided to eat at Casey's. Well, we pretended to decide. I knew where I wanted to eat all along! :rotfl:

One of the things I was looking forward to about this trip was eating at Casey's! I had never eaten there before, but I already knew what I wanted to eat (like the DISer that I am!) DH arrived as we were standing in line.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQsQiiDZI/AAAAAAAABHc/O79kjZoFoOA/s288/DSC00263.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQtcGdX4I/AAAAAAAABHo/MaqzZNpGpsg/s288/DSC00265.JPG

That line moved SO slowly! Is it always like that? It was finally our turn and I ordered the corn dog nuggets, DH ordered a hot dog, and we shared fries and a coke. Oh my goodness! I never knew corn dog nuggets could taste so good! They were DELICIOUS!

We finished eating and DH and I headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use our fastpasses from the morning. It was SO MUCH FUN in the dark! As we were waiting in line for BTMRR, my bro and SIL called and said they were arriving. So we all met up at Jungle Cruise to use of FPs from the morning. Jungle Cruise was so much fun at night too! Our skipper was pretty funny and was really into her job. My family and I were laughing the entire time. I felt kind of bad because the rest of the people on the boat weren't laughing! :confused3

After we made it through that wild ride, it was time to search for DH's funnel cake!

We headed back toward the funnel cake counter service place, Sleepy Hallow Refreshments, and guess what! We were blocked by Spectromagic! Blocked by a parade again! :headache: We could see the funnel cake place right across the "street". But there was no way to get through! I felt bad for DH because that's all he wanted all day! He was a good sport though and we watched the parade, patiently waiting until we could cross the street. I have to say that I was glad we were blocked by Spectromagic, because I don't usually stop to watch the parades. Spectromagic was wonderful, though! I am going to have to stop and watch more parades on future trips!

When the parade ended, we made a beeline for funnel cakes and we were the first ones in line! We got a delicious funnel cake and sat down at one of the tables to eat it. We had an awesome view of that sparkly castle while we ate some delicious fried, powdered sugar coated dough and waited for Wishes to begin!

I meant to finish this day in this installment, but I have to go pick up a nail gun from my friend, so I have to go! I'll finish later, I promise!

MeMom

05-05-2009, 12:28 PM

Such a beautiful sight!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQfjYlKqI/AAAAAAAABF0/VQvhT1YpLbg/s288/DSC00239.JPG

Yes, I can dig it!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQgYjZcUI/AAAAAAAABF8/EJhQBWUHryg/s288/DSC00240.JPG

After we made it through that wild ride, it was time to search for DH's funnel cake!

When the parade ended, we made a beeline for funnel cakes and we were the first ones in line! We got a delicious funnel cake and sat down at one of the tables to eat it. We had an awesome view of that sparkly castle while we ate some delicious fried, powdered sugar coated dough and waited for Wishes to begin!

I love the fact that I can see your pictures from my school computer!
I need you to send me a picture every day, since I can't see anything on photobucket from here!

I think we're at 81 days before we're back standing by that flower power pool! :hippie:

Funnel cake! Yum!
Always too much for me to finish one, but the part I do eat is true deliciousness.

mousescrapper

05-05-2009, 12:43 PM

Great instalment Julie....

how fun to walk into MK at night by yourself and create a special lasting memory!

I almost teared up looking at your castle pictures and descriptions....I am so byond excited! I had no idea the castle got it's icicle treatment around Thanksgiving I can not wait to tell my DH...but I think I'll keep it a secret from the kids...that will be so awesome to see.

Don't you love SPECTRO! It is my very favorite!

:yay: for your Dh's funnel cake YUM!

and I too love riding BTMRR at night and JC too....I always laugh and snicker on JC too DH mostly does this :rolleyes: but he get's it...we actaully answer some of those jokes now...I think you just have to get it...KWIM?

looking forward to more fun and sweet surprises!

k_reile

05-05-2009, 01:35 PM

to do the sillouettes....does a kid have to sit there long?? That would be cool to do with Caleb but he will only be 16 mos so I'm afraid he won;t sit still long enough!
This is the 2nd report I have read today that mentioned Casey's hotdogs (BrookeElizabeth's) but at least you were nice enough not to post a picture! :rotfl: I'm trying to diet and it doesn;t help seeing yummy hot dogs and they really sounds good right now. :rotfl:I need to get my shake now or else I'm in trouble! :scared1:

BrooklynnsMommy

05-05-2009, 02:50 PM

Great pics of Pop!!!! Brooklynn really enjoyed seeing them too.

julezdisney

05-05-2009, 03:08 PM

Super update, Julie! I loved the pix of Pop and your descriptions of the silhouette cutters. I meant to do that on our trip in Oct. but we got to MK too late and I wanted to get as much done as possible. Def. a priority during the trip in September!

MaceysMom

05-05-2009, 03:42 PM

The pics of the castle are so pretty!! When we go it will be decorated for Halloween but I really want to see it for Christmas!!

And I really want some corn dog nuggets.

MAGICFOR2

05-05-2009, 04:29 PM

I'm working on it now! The weekend got out of hand and I had no time to post! I'm sorry!

So they really did tone it down?

Thank you for the dole whip info! I am so going to make those at home!!!

Awww...I loved those MNSSHP costumes!

I don't know about toned down - I was just kidding!;)

Thanks for sharing the beautiful castle pics! I really want to be there for Christmas. Corn dog nuggets sound good. I've never been in the mood to wait in line for a hot dog, but maybe next time....

SwansLoveDisney

05-05-2009, 05:11 PM

I love the fact that I can see your pictures from my school computer!
I need you to send me a picture every day, since I can't see anything on photobucket from here!

I think we're at 81 days before we're back standing by that flower power pool! :hippie:

Funnel cake! Yum!
Always too much for me to finish one, but the part I do eat is true deliciousness.

Well, I don't know about every day, but I'll try to post more pics so you can see some at school!

81 days?!? Yay!!! :banana:

We indulged in quite a few funnel cakes on this trip. Normally, I would feel guilty to eat all that fried goodness, but in Disney World, calories and fat do not count!

Great instalment Julie....

how fun to walk into MK at night by yourself and create a special lasting memory!

I almost teared up looking at your castle pictures and descriptions....I am so byond excited! I had no idea the castle got it's icicle treatment around Thanksgiving I can not wait to tell my DH...but I think I'll keep it a secret from the kids...that will be so awesome to see.

Don't you love SPECTRO! It is my very favorite!

:yay: for your Dh's funnel cake YUM!

and I too love riding BTMRR at night and JC too....I always laugh and snicker on JC too DH mostly does this :rolleyes: but he get's it...we actaully answer some of those jokes now...I think you just have to get it...KWIM?

looking forward to more fun and sweet surprises!

Oh, your kids are going to LOVE seeing the castle all lit up! Make sure you get there in time for the show they do when they light it all up. It was super cute!

This was my first time actually watching spectro and I did indeed love it!

Yeah, appreciation of Jungle Cruise takes a certain sense of humor. Thankfully, I have that sense of humor!

to do the sillouettes....does a kid have to sit there long?? That would be cool to do with Caleb but he will only be 16 mos so I'm afraid he won;t sit still long enough!
This is the 2nd report I have read today that mentioned Casey's hotdogs (BrookeElizabeth's) but at least you were nice enough not to post a picture! :rotfl: I'm trying to diet and it doesn;t help seeing yummy hot dogs and they really sounds good right now. :rotfl:I need to get my shake now or else I'm in trouble! :scared1:

You do have to sit for quite a while, but I think it would be okay if Caleb was moving around. As long as the artist can see his profile at several different times, I think it'll work out!

It sounds like you are very dedicated to your diet...that's awesome!

Great pics of Pop!!!! Brooklynn really enjoyed seeing them too.

Thanks! :goodvibes

Super update, Julie! I loved the pix of Pop and your descriptions of the silhouette cutters. I meant to do that on our trip in Oct. but we got to MK too late and I wanted to get as much done as possible. Def. a priority during the trip in September!

The silhouettes are such a great souvenir! Your kids' silhouettes will be beautiful!

The pics of the castle are so pretty!! When we go it will be decorated for Halloween but I really want to see it for Christmas!!

And I really want some corn dog nuggets.

The Halloween castle is great too! And the Halloween fireworks are awesome!

I want some corn dog nuggets too!

I don't know about toned down - I was just kidding!;)

Haha! Did I mention I went back to blonde? That joke went right over my head! :rolleyes:

SwansLoveDisney

05-05-2009, 05:40 PM

Well, I only left you sitting waiting for Wishes to begin for a few hours. That's a record for me, huh? ;)

So we enjoyed our funnel cake sitting at a table on the patio of Sleepy Hallow Refreshments. The patio is right on the water that leads to the castle. So we had a PERFECT view of that gorgeous castle as we dined.

Just a reminder of what we were looking at!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQwdXa3JI/AAAAAAAABIA/lUQqq8-oQxc/s288/DSC00273.JPG

Soon, Wishes began! I was SO happy! This was my first time seeing Wishes and it was one of the things I had been looking forward to the most throughout my trip planning.

To my horror, the wind was blowing the fireworks to the left of the castle and our view of the fireworks was completely blocked by the trees surrounding Sleepy Hallow Refreshments! :scared1:

I was super sad and DH said "Quick! Grab your stuff and we'll find a better spot!" So I grabbed all of our stuff and we ran over to Frontierland. DH grabbed the camera, ran a little faster than I, and found a perfect spot from which to see the fireworks. I love that guy! :lovestruc

These pics are complements of DH:

OOOHHHHH...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQ0ItT90I/AAAAAAAABIY/kaTQHE1g_gE/s288/DSC00300.JPG

AHHHH....
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQ2KiLwtI/AAAAAAAABIg/1dX6x5Fwh_w/s288/DSC00301.JPG

OHHHHHH...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQ3f_3OdI/AAAAAAAABIo/SGnKvCFNfTI/s288/DSC00298.JPG

Wishes was awesome. After we found our spot, I loved every minute of it. I was happy that DH had the camera because I was able to focus on Wishes rather than on taking photos of it. I stood there in sheer bliss and soaked up the night time MK atmosphere and thought about what a lucky girl I am. It was the day after Thanksgiving, I was in the happiest place on Earth with DH and most of my family, and at home, we were in the midst of preparing to move back home to Chicago from Phoenix. The 3 years that we lived in Phoenix were wonderful, but it was really tough on me to be away from my family, so I was happy that that chapter of our lives was coming to a close.

And to add to my state of bliss, DH was having a great time! He may not want to admit that he loves Disney World, but he was going along with all my crazy plans and he was definitely enjoying himself! What more could I ask for? :confused3

When Wishes ended, I snapped back to reality (well, as much as Disney can be reality!) and we found my parents and my bro and SIL. We met up at Haunted Mansion, where there was only a 5 minute wait. As always, Haunted Mansion was so much fun!

Next, it was time to use our Space Mountain fastpasses from the morning. I tried to take pics of my family behind me, but this is what all the pics looked like!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgBQ309Gy_I/AAAAAAAABIw/7BAK5MSJVBA/s288/DSC00316.JPG

Oops!

If you're ever on a roller coaster at Disney World and you hear someone yelling "NO HANDS!", that's probably me yelling at DH or my brother! I think every roller coaster is more fun with no hands, so I try to make everyone else ride with no hands!

After Space Mountain, we were all ready to head back to POP for a good night's sleep!

The second Specto happened to be going on as we left, so no one was leaving and the bus lines were super short. Gotta love that!

DH and I were in bed by 11 p.m. We set the alarm for 6:40 and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!

It was a fantastic first full day at Disney World! The many months of planning were paying off and everyone was having a great time.

Tomorrow we would aim to make it to Epcot for rope drop and we had a very important DIS meet to attend!

SwansLoveDisney

05-05-2009, 06:35 PM

And now for a bit of a life update...

DH and I have been busily fixing up our new (to us) house over the past month. We still have a long way to go, but we've gotten a lot done so far.

This weekend, we started installing hardwood floors. We started with a guest bedroom. It was the easiest room in the house since it's square and has no difficult corners!

We still have some trim and a vent cover to put up, but here it is so far!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC739dKGgI/AAAAAAAABKk/wjAOp6cVk0Q/s288/P5050011.JPG

SOOOOO much better than that stinky old carpet!

My Disney Resort Collection bedding and my Pottery Barn headboard arrived and I love them! The rest of the bedroom decor including matching bedside tables!) has not been purchased, but here it is thus far:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC9JxdPTuI/AAAAAAAABLc/f69SqORwMqg/s640/P5050003.JPG

Closeup of the headboard:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC9Kx9212I/AAAAAAAABLk/Vc-_RDxPI6o/s640/P5050005.JPG

I haven't ordered the little accent pillows yet, but once I do that, the bed will be complete!

And here's a pic of a gift my mom gave me for Christmas.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC74psCRrI/AAAAAAAABKs/NTvmCSt8iSM/s288/P5050013.JPG

I need to figure out which pics to put in it. I can't decide if I should do pics from several Disney trips or just stick to this past trip. Any ideas?

As the rest of the house comes together, I will post more pics!

xoktenox

05-05-2009, 08:15 PM

MaceysMom

05-05-2009, 08:15 PM

Great firework pictures! Your house looks like its really coming along! It takes forever to get settled doesn't it? We have been in our condo for over a year and we still have painters tape up in one room. Sad huh?

BrooklynnsMommy

05-05-2009, 09:15 PM

MeMom and I have sat in the exact same place to watch Wishes thinking how perfect it was only to find out it definitely wasn't! MeMom and I have said we need to watch everything through 4 times - once to take pictures, once to video, once to capture the girls' reactions, and one to actually watch it ourselves.

KathyRN137

05-05-2009, 10:25 PM

at
I have to go pick up a nail gun from my friend...

Gee, that's a line you don't hear every day! :lmao:

Oh, I can just imagine being mesmerized by that gorgeous castle!! I must see that someday!!

Hmmm. Corn dog nuggets....We'll have to check that out next time! Sounds yummy!

Kathy

KathyRN137

05-05-2009, 10:28 PM

And now for a bit of a life update...

Closeup of the headboard:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC9Kx9212I/AAAAAAAABLk/Vc-_RDxPI6o/s640/P5050005.JPG

I haven't ordered the little accent pillows yet, but once I do that, the bed will be complete!

Love it!! :thumbsup2 It's pretty without being too feminine. (So hard to decorate your bedroom around a husband!!)

Kathy

lovegrumpy

05-05-2009, 11:40 PM

Subbing. Just have to say my dh is from Phx.

MeMom

05-06-2009, 05:38 AM

And here's a pic of a gift my mom gave me for Christmas.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oWtL9Aw1CAw/SgC74psCRrI/AAAAAAAABKs/NTvmCSt8iSM/s288/P5050013.JPG

I need to figure out which pics to put in it. I can't decide if I should do pics from several Disney trips or just stick to this past trip. Any ideas?

As the rest of the house comes together, I will post more pics!

There are seven spots. Could you put one favorite picture from each of your last seven trips in order? That might be nice.

SwansLoveDisney

05-06-2009, 08:24 AM

Wow 3 updates in one day Julie, I'm impressed! What a great night at the MK! Casey's is soooo delicious, those hotdogs are the best. And I could really go for a funnel cake right about now :laughing: How sweet of your DH to run to find you a better spot for Wishes. Aren't they just sweet sometimes? :cutie:

I totally know how you feel seeing your DH having such a good time. My BF really enjoyed himself so much this past trip we took and its a great feeling!

Your house is looking really great! :thumbsup2

I figured I owed everyone several updates after all of my breaks from updating! :rotfl:

Yes, those guys know how bring on the sweetness at just the right times!

Great firework pictures! Your house looks like its really coming along! It takes forever to get settled doesn't it? We have been in our condo for over a year and we still have painters tape up in one room. Sad huh?

Thanks!

It does take forever to get settled. There's ALWAYS more to do!

We still have some painters tape up in our kitchen too! There's a spot that we totally missed, so we still need to paint it! Someday, it will all come together!

MeMom and I have sat in the exact same place to watch Wishes thinking how perfect it was only to find out it definitely wasn't! MeMom and I have said we need to watch everything through 4 times - once to take pictures, once to video, once to capture the girls' reactions, and one to actually watch it ourselves.

Yes, that spot is VERY deceiving!

That would be AWESOME to watch everything four times!

Gee, that's a line you don't hear every day! :lmao:

Oh, I can just imagine being mesmerized by that gorgeous castle!! I must see that someday!!

Hmmm. Corn dog nuggets....We'll have to check that out next time! Sounds yummy!

Kathy

:rotfl: I'm learning so much about tools now that we're doing all this work on our house. I now know how to work nail guns, saws, finishing nailers, and I'm pretty darn good at removing carpet tacking strips from the floor!

Yes! You must see that castle like that some day. It's AMAZING!

Yes, do try the corn dog nuggets. Loved them!

Love it!! :thumbsup2 It's pretty without being too feminine. (So hard to decorate your bedroom around a husband!!)

Kathy

Thanks! DH was a little shocked by the flowers at first, but he got used to them!

Subbing. Just have to say my dh is from Phx.

Welcome! :welcome: Thanks for reading!

Have you visited Phoenix much?

There are seven spots. Could you put one favorite picture from each of your last seven trips in order? That might be nice.

That is a GREAT idea! Unfortunately, I have only been on 6 trips to Disney World.

Come to think of it, that is a PERFECT reason to plan another trip! :laughing: