No cats to herd this time! It's just the two of us!UPDATED 11/24-DIS Meet & Departure [Archive] - Page 2 - The DIS Discussion Forums

mom2mek

06-17-2009, 05:03 PM

I just love reading your reports! I am happy to know that there are shows of FOTLK on PM EMH. I was wondering about that and Nemo as well. Do you know? It's so hard to get everything in and the shows during a day at AK! I can't wait to hear about Boma. We are eating there for the first time in August! Thanks for your great reports!
Thanks for reading and for your kind words! There was one show for this particular EMH at AK and it ws at 6:00. To my knowledge, there were not any shows of Nemo during the EMH. It does make it more "do-able" to get the shows in when you can catch one on an EMH night!

I should have Boma up tonight! I hope! :rolleyes:

Love the FOTLK pictures! I can't believe the first time I saw that show was in December with you. I can't imagine not seeing it every time we are in AK from now on.

I love the kissing picture on Everest - too cute! And you didn't buy it?

I have a lizard just like that sitting on my gutter outside the screen door. :scared:

That's funny Michelle - me too! It will always be on the list from now on! I still can't believe that was my first time seeing it (in December)! Nah - we didn't buy it....what are we going to do with that? :lmao:

:scared1: on the lizard!!

Sara:

I loved the update. It made me think of how it nice it will be to take Mom and actually ride with Tom on something. Usually, one of us is always sitting by ourselves or with a stranger. I know Jeremy will stick with Mom on everything.

I may try to a trip report this time around. I had every intention of doing one after our November trip but Christmas shopping and decorating called my name and I never got started.

Erika

Or you could just take months upon months to finish your report like I do! ;)

I hear ya on the "extra grown-up" thing - it will be nice for you to get to ride some things together! :hug:

This picture is fantastic!!
Awwwww, I have never seen anyone do that for a ride picture before, that is adorable!!

Great installment, we love the FOTLK too!

Thanks Tracy! I thought it was pretty funny (the picture right before going backwards!)

As far as the ride picture idea....I totally stole that off of paparazzimama's trip report (that she never finished...hint hint Mel.....:rolleyes1)

Great update Sara. We love LK too. The picture of you and Shawn on EE is cute!

Thanks Nichole! :goodvibes Any more updates coming up on your report?

Sara

KathyRN137

06-17-2009, 05:24 PM

….really the show is so outstanding and the time just flies by while you are in there. I can’t imagine ever going to the AK and NOT seeing this show.

I absolutely agree...

During our very first Disney trip the show was dark... they were renovating the theater so that it could be enclosed and have a/c... I was so, so disappointed!! Since then I have not missed it!! :thumbsup2

I think Shawn had the right idea... just put the camera down and enjoy! I'll definitely do that next time!!

Awww! :lovestruc The EE kiss was so cute and unexpected!!

Kathy

luvngoofy

06-17-2009, 06:14 PM

Another great update! I'm sorry you lost it the first time. I'm sure you will be saving them from now on.:upsidedow
I can't wait to read about your BOMA expirience. I loved it. I hope you have food pics!;)

mom2mek

06-17-2009, 07:25 PM

I absolutely agree...

During our very first Disney trip the show was dark... they were renovating the theater so that it could be enclosed and have a/c... I was so, so disappointed!! Since then I have not missed it!! :thumbsup2

I think Shawn had the right idea... just put the camera down and enjoy! I'll definitely do that next time!!

Awww! :lovestruc The EE kiss was so cute and unexpected!!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I loved doing the kiss - it kept my mind off of the 80 foot drop! :lmao:

Another great update! I'm sorry you lost it the first time. I'm sure you will be saving them from now on.:upsidedow
I can't wait to read about your BOMA expirience. I loved it. I hope you have food pics!;)

Thanks! Funny about the post - I almost never do a post directly into the message box, but last night I got on and thought I would....ha...never again!

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

06-17-2009, 07:34 PM

What a great update Sara! Love the EE picture... too cute! :love2:

I can’t imagine ever going to the AK and NOT seeing this show.

can you believe i've never been to fotlk OR nemo? it's embarrassing, but true.

mom2mek

06-18-2009, 09:32 AM

What a great update Sara! Love the EE picture... too cute! :love2:

can you believe i've never been to fotlk OR nemo? it's embarrassing, but true.

Thanks Nicole!

(We didn't see Nemo or LK in 2006 - well, Nemo wasn't opened yet - and we only saw Nemo in Nov 2007, no LK) Now, it is a must-see! Definitely see it on your next trip....you know, with your FL resident season passes, right? :rolleyes1

Sara

mommytothreeboys

06-18-2009, 12:36 PM

jillyb

06-18-2009, 02:06 PM

This picture is fantastic!!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010481.jpg

Awwwww, I have never seen anyone do that for a ride picture before, that is adorable!!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010485.jpg

Great installment, we love the FOTLK too!

Ditto!

mom2mek

06-18-2009, 10:53 PM

FOTLK is definitely one of our favorite shows. So well done and fun to watch! A must-see on each trip....for sure!

I love the kissing pic! Too cute! (Married people really do kiss!! LOL!)

The picture of you holding your breath before the backwards plunge on EE is way cool! Good for Shawn for capturing that one! :thumbsup2

Thanks Missy! Our kids will be mortified if we do that "kissing" thing when they get older! :rotfl: I will definitely have to remember to do it, right?

Ditto!

Thanks Jill! :goodvibes

Sara

mommytothreeboys

06-19-2009, 07:38 AM

Thanks Missy! Our kids will be mortified if we do that "kissing" thing when they get older! :rotfl: I will definitely have to remember to do it, right?

LOL! That's when you do it the most!! :laughing: My kids roll their eyes and say, "gross!". :rotfl: Honestly, I think they prefer it to a mom and dad who fight all the time...I keep telling them how blessed they are that we love each other so much! :lovestruc

DisneyJo

06-20-2009, 11:27 AM

Awww look at you two kissing on EE, I'd be clinging on to the bar too hard to do that plus DH won't go on it again :rotfl:

mom2mek

06-22-2009, 10:48 AM

LOL! That's when you do it the most!! :laughing: My kids roll their eyes and say, "gross!". :rotfl: Honestly, I think they prefer it to a mom and dad who fight all the time...I keep telling them how blessed they are that we love each other so much! :lovestruc

So true! :love:

Awww look at you two kissing on EE, I'd be clinging on to the bar too hard to do that plus DH won't go on it again :rotfl:

Thanks Jo! Don't be mistaken, I was holding on to the bar really tightly! The kiss kind of kept my mind off the drop too! (Well, a little....)

Sara

mom2mek

06-22-2009, 11:02 AM

Day 1 - May 13, 2009
Part 9 - Chester, Hester, and Boma!

We made our way to the very tacky and intentionally campy area of Chester and Hester's Dinorama and on around to the ride DINOSAUR. The wait time listed said 30 minutes, but there were no people on the outside of the building, and I know that we stood in that line back in 2006 for about 30 minutes and it was outside the building, so with hopes of a wrong sign, in we went. :thumbsup2

We were on our ride vehicle in about 15 minutes, having carried out the duty of handing off the little red pass to the CM so they could better gauge the timing....we take that job VERY seriously....LOL!:laughing:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010488.jpg

I know a lot of people find this ride to be too jerky, but I still really like it and Shawn does as well! We entered the preshow and listened to “Ms. Cosby” assure us that we would be fine. We managed to dip and swerve and bounce through time and return back just before meteor impact! Phew! That was a close one!

We didn't do any kisses for this ride picture, because I figured you would just basically see the back of my head. Plus I was still really holding on at that point and bracing my feet against the ride vehicle that I couldn't handle turning around to do it. :upsidedow

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010489.jpg

As the ride ended, our ride vehicle stopped momentarily (I'm guessing for a wheelchair load/unload) but what caught me off guard was it stopped pretty much in the dark and I thought that if I had a kid with me who didn't like the dark too much, this would probably be freaking them out. Then again, if I had a kid with me who didn't like the dark, they probably wouldn't be on DINOSAUR at all, right? :rolleyes:

It seemed like a while that we sat there, but it was probably only 2 or 3 minutes or so before we were allowed to exit our ride vehicle. We left the Dino Institute after checking out our ride photo and then decided we should probably head towards the exit and out to the buses as it was about 7:30.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/257_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/258_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/259_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg
(A dinosaur with BLING!!!)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/261_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

(Did I mention that Shawn was obsessed with the light fixtures in the parks and resorts? - You'll be seeing a lot more of them!)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/262_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

We were exiting the park around 7:40, so in 3 1/2 hours, we did the following:

* Took lots of pictures
* Rode an extra-long Safari (with about a 15 minute wait at 4:10 on an EMH evening)
* Saw the Tree of Life up close and leisurely strolled around taking pictures
* Drink break
* FOTLK at 6:00
* Everest (waited about 10 minutes)
* Dinosaur (waited about 15 minutes)

So, pretty much everything we had set out to do. Not a lot compared to a Rope Drop day, but for our 1st EMH, I think it worked out pretty well! :woohoo:

We exited with mass amounts of people and headed to the bus pick-up area. The line for AKL was long, but not as long as a lot of the other lines...wowzers!

I knew it would be bad, but geez....but no worries....we figured we had plenty of time before our 8:30 ADR at Boma and we were sure that another bus for AKL (one was pulling out just as we got in line) would be along shortly. But we waited for quite a while....I want to say it was about 8:10 or 8:15 before another one pulled up. We hopped on and packed ourselves in like sardines to allow for as many people from the line to board. We left and headed to AKL with a stop off first at Kidani Village. :eek:

Seriously? Oh no! We are going to be late!

I think 5 people might have gotten off at Kidani since it is so new. And I was surprised that they made no mention of the fact that it would be stopping at Kidani on the outside of the bus. It was another 5 or 10 minutes before we were getting off at AKL.

We arrived at Boma right at our ADR time....phew.....got our buzzer and had a seat.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/263_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

It was then that it hit us....we were STARVING!!!! :eek:

Unfortunately, it was also a long time before we would be eating! :eek:

(It actually ended up being the longest time we ever waited for anything)

We weren't seated until a few minutes past 9:00. Well, I kind of expected that (I always try for early ADRs but figured on this trip since we wanted to get the AK EMH in, we would eat late), but Shawn was not used to this kind of waiting. Guess he is kind of spoiled, huh? :laughing: Considering that the last thing we ate was the Chick Fil-A on the bus ride in, we were quite ready to eat!!

Of course, the wait was well worth it...and afterall, it is a buffet, so you can start eating almost immediately upon being seated. We both ordered a cocktail - Shawn had a mojito and I had a pure-tini....very, very delicious and refreshing - and then we went ahead and hit the buffet! I love the set-up of the buffet at Boma. Instead of one long buffet table (and line) it's divided into stations, so you never have to wait very long for anything. :cloud9:

The food at Boma was fabulous as expected (this was Shawn's first time here...I ate here in December on the trip with my girlfriends). I was sad to see that the soup I really enjoyed last time was not out this day, but it was ok because they had some other really great ones. I swear I could make a meal out of just the soups!! Delicious!!!

Shawn had 2 or 3 bowls of a seafood soup (I can't remember the name) that he absolutely loved! The down side was that we stuffed ourselves so full and so fast that we were very uncomfortable. :sick: We did our best with desserts, but unfortunatley we were both to the point where you just can't enjoy anything anymore because you are too full. Having said that, we both thought the pineapple cheesecakes were the best of the desserts. :love: (We love cheesecake - our wedding cake was even cheesecake)!

The zebra domes, albeit very tasty, were just too sweet for us to fully enjoy. We also forgot to take pictures of the meal and the restaurant, but that place is beautiful. I love the open marketplace feel of the restaurant and the "huts" you sit under.

We settled our bill (gotta love the 20% off with the Tables in Wonderland card) and rolled ourselves out of there and back into the lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge (boy those steps were hard to go back up after we ate all that food...) LOL! :laughing: We headed outside to take a look around at the Savannah, although we weren't able to see much due to the darkness, but we did catch some glimpses of zebra and a lot of sleeping flamingos. After a few more minutes, we made our way back to the lobby and out towards the resort entrance.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/265_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/271_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/270_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg
(We loved the ostrich lamp….looks like an egg!)

Shawn was very impressed with this resort….maybe we will stay there one day….

We walked outside to the valet and asked if they could call a cab. Luckily for us, there was one sitting just down the driveway - it was a big old taxi VAN, but we climbed aboard and he took us back to the Poly! One of the best uses of $20 the whole trip! Well worth it! :thumbsup2

We got back to the Poly around 10:30 and hit the sack around 11:00. Epcot rope drop in the morning….woo-hoo!

There....finished Day 1!!!!

Sara

mkluvsmickey

06-22-2009, 12:30 PM

jillyb

06-22-2009, 12:30 PM

Dinosaur was my absolute favorite ride in AK. I'm thinking if there had been any kissing on that ride somebody would have lost a tooth! :rotfl: I hate it when I eat so much that I'm miserable; but that's what happens when I wait to long to eat and then I'm starving. Sounds like ya'll had a good first day. Can't wait to read more!

Happydog

06-22-2009, 12:51 PM

Hi! I just stumbled upon your TR and am totally loving it! I can't wait to catch up!!! :surfweb: We had trips solo before kids, so I know how much fun they can be!!!!

Looking forward to reading more! :goodvibes

mommytothreeboys

06-22-2009, 12:53 PM

We love AK during EMH...we've done both AM and PM and been very pleased.

I LOVE the pictures of all the light fixtures. It's so cool that Disney takes the time to give each park and resort a different look and feel...right down to the lighting! Tell Shawn good job!

We've yet to visit AKL...even to take a look around. But...Boma is definitely on my radar for our next trip! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot! And seeing the pics....WOO-HOO! :woohoo:

mom2mek

06-22-2009, 08:11 PM

Woo Hoo! A Sara update! :cool1:

Isn't Animal Kingdom at night great! I guess it didn't get too dark while you were there but still a different feeling than being there during the day. You guys got so much done!

And now I'm hungry after reading about Boma. You guys should stay at AKL someday if you do another couples trip (or with kids too). Such a neat experience there.

Can't wait for day 2! :goodvibes
Nope, it was still totally light when we left AK. I don't know why it didn't dawn on me sooner than that....that it would still be light out at 8:00! Duh!!

I would love to stay at AKL someday....Shawn would not like the bus situation, so we would have to have a car if we stayed there! That's the only thing with that resort...it's deluxe but you still have to get on a bus to get anywhere - just not quite as convenient as the monorail resorts! So fun though!

Dinosaur was my absolute favorite ride in AK. I'm thinking if there had been any kissing on that ride somebody would have lost a tooth! :rotfl: I hate it when I eat so much that I'm miserable; but that's what happens when I wait to long to eat and then I'm starving. Sounds like ya'll had a good first day. Can't wait to read more!

That's exactly what happened....waited too long to eat, so we were starving, and ended up eating too much and too fast! Ugh....it was so good though! :goodvibes

Hi! I just stumbled upon your TR and am totally loving it! I can't wait to catch up!!! :surfweb: We had trips solo before kids, so I know how much fun they can be!!!!

Looking forward to reading more! :goodvibes

Hi! Thanks for joining in! Yes, this was a first for us - going without the kids! It was different, but great in it's own way! :love:

We love AK during EMH...we've done both AM and PM and been very pleased.

I LOVE the pictures of all the light fixtures. It's so cool that Disney takes the time to give each park and resort a different look and feel...right down to the lighting! Tell Shawn good job!

We've yet to visit AKL...even to take a look around. But...Boma is definitely on my radar for our next trip! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot! And seeing the pics....WOO-HOO! :woohoo:

I think I would really like an AK morning EMH. It would be nice to do that and then leave after a couple of hours and do a water park or something! I might have to keep that in mind for our next trip!

Definitely put Boma on your list....I wasn't sure I would like it when I went back in December, but it is fabulous! AKL is stunning!!! :goodvibes

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

06-22-2009, 10:18 PM

mom2mek

06-23-2009, 09:15 AM

Yummy update Sara! I can't wait to try Boma someday!

Good news to share ~ we sold our house!!! :yay: We are moving at the end of July!!! FL resident discounts here I come!!!

AND.... we are pretty sure we are going to WDW in August! It will be my family, Uncle John (you remember UJ, right?) and my sister, and my other sister and her family. We are taking advantage of that awesome code that went out last week! :cool1: Stay tuned for one really fun trippie!

And back to your regularly scheduled TR... :rolleyes1

That's fabulous Nicole! I'm so happy for you guys! I can't wait to read all about your adventures (and the adventures of UJ!!!) It's not too early to start a pre-trip....you know, cause I'm sure you have nothing else to do, right? What with the move and all? LOL! :laughing:

Enlighten me please....what great code? I didn't get a code....(I never get a code....) :rolleyes1 Was this a general public one and somehow I missed it? :confused:

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

06-23-2009, 10:35 AM

jillyb

06-23-2009, 12:47 PM

I think I would really like an AK morning EMH. It would be nice to do that and then leave after a couple of hours and do a water park or something! I might have to keep that in mind for our next trip!

Our AK day ended up having an EMH morning. Disney added it right before we left and, even though I know it's not generally recommended to do EMHs, that was the only day we would be able to do AK. I am so glad we did because the girls were picked to open the park and we got our very own safari! We really got a lot done that first hour: the safari, walked the Pangini Trail, ITTBAB, Dinosaur, PW and TS. I also had FPs for Dinosaur and while the girls rode TS Clay went to get EE FPs. It was probably around 3:00 or so when we headed back to Pop for a night in.

Only problem was TGM originally had it as a green park and while we were there he changed it to a red park due to the morning EMH. :eek: But it was all good! I'd definitely do it again!

Kimberly815

06-23-2009, 03:59 PM

I just found your trip report today and I am really enjoying it! It seems like you guys had a wonderful time! I can't wait to hear more!

DisneyJo

06-23-2009, 04:37 PM

You didn't kiss for the Dinosaur photo, Sara you do disappoint me ;) :rotfl: I haven't done that ride as my girls refuse to go on it, maybe in September!

Wow you did have to wait a while and then had to wait again for Boma, glad you enjoyed the meal though!

luvngoofy

06-23-2009, 05:19 PM

Great update. I am so hungry now! I love BOMA. We do not have that planned this trip.:sad1:

mom2mek

06-23-2009, 07:26 PM

It was an e-mailed pin code. I think you had to have stayed on property last year to have gotten it. Hence, I didn't get it either! :rolleyes: But UJ did and therefore he can use it for up to 3 rooms. It was room only, 59 for values, 89 for mods and 129 for WL and AKL... I think. Totally awesome deal! We are leaning toward POR.

I'll the let you know if we start a pre-trippie! :thumbsup2

Oh wait....I did get a code (how could I have forgotten...it was my one and only)...it was for 40% off...only thing is it was for this year and Shawn said no more to this year, but he is open to next year...we are thinking maybe February!

I've heard very nice things about POR. Is that where UJ stayed, I can't remember? :confused3

Our AK day ended up having an EMH morning. Disney added it right before we left and, even though I know it's not generally recommended to do EMHs, that was the only day we would be able to do AK. I am so glad we did because the girls were picked to open the park and we got our very own safari! We really got a lot done that first hour: the safari, walked the Pangini Trail, ITTBAB, Dinosaur, PW and TS. I also had FPs for Dinosaur and while the girls rode TS Clay went to get EE FPs. It was probably around 3:00 or so when we headed back to Pop for a night in.

Only problem was TGM originally had it as a green park and while we were there he changed it to a red park due to the morning EMH. :eek: But it was all good! I'd definitely do it again!

I remember reading about that Jill! How fun for them! Rope drops (EMH or not) are definitely the way to go....get so much done!!! :cool1:

I just found your trip report today and I am really enjoying it! It seems like you guys had a wonderful time! I can't wait to hear more!

Thanks for joining in! Glad to have you along! :goodvibes

You didn't kiss for the Dinosaur photo, Sara you do disappoint me ;) :rotfl: I haven't done that ride as my girls refuse to go on it, maybe in September!

Wow you did have to wait a while and then had to wait again for Boma, glad you enjoyed the meal though!

Sorry Jo! I will try to do better next time! :laughing: September and December? Cool! :cool1:

Great update. I am so hungry now! I love BOMA. We do not have that planned this trip.:sad1:

Aww...well, there are so many good places to eat....sometimes you just have to skip some from trip to trip! :guilty:

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

06-23-2009, 08:58 PM

I've heard very nice things about POR. Is that where UJ stayed, I can't remember? :confused3

They've been so many times it's hard to keep track but I think they did stay there last time. :idea: Yes, now I remember... my sister thought they were staying at Pop until they got there and he drove the rental car to POR. It was one of her surprises.

kaysmommie

06-23-2009, 09:09 PM

Hi Sara,
Great update and pictures. Dinosaur is not a favorite of ours, glad you like it though. I think the ones of the light fixtures are pretty nice. Maybe something we don't always notice. You got quite a bit done in just 3.5 hours. EMH at AK seems worth it to me. Boma sounds fantastic, well except the long wait. I remember Shawn saying he liked it. Maybe I can convince Tom to try it next time. Love the AK pics, that Ostrich lamp is crazy :).

ladybugmom

06-23-2009, 11:06 PM

Loved all of the updates!! Ally rode Dinosaur and LOVED it!! They got stuck on the ride in the dark for some time--thankfully it didn't freak her out!! I have enjoyed all of your AK pics since we didn't get to see much of it in the rain. Can't wait to read more!

mom2mek

06-23-2009, 11:49 PM

They've been so many times it's hard to keep track but I think they did stay there last time. :idea: Yes, now I remember... my sister thought they were staying at Pop until they got there and he drove the rental car to POR. It was one of her surprises.
Ahhh...yes I remember now too...the first of many of her surprises! :love:

Hi Sara,
Great update and pictures. Dinosaur is not a favorite of ours, glad you like it though. I think the ones of the light fixtures are pretty nice. Maybe something we don't always notice. You got quite a bit done in just 3.5 hours. EMH at AK seems worth it to me. Boma sounds fantastic, well except the long wait. I remember Shawn saying he liked it. Maybe I can convince Tom to try it next time. Love the AK pics, that Ostrich lamp is crazy :).

Thanks Nichole! Dinosaur is rough, but I still like it - I think I was the only one on our girls trip in December that really wanted to go on it! :rolleyes1 Glad you like the light pics...there are many more to come! :laughing:

Loved all of the updates!! Ally rode Dinosaur and LOVED it!! They got stuck on the ride in the dark for some time--thankfully it didn't freak her out!! I have enjoyed all of your AK pics since we didn't get to see much of it in the rain. Can't wait to read more!

Hi Becky! That's great that Ally liked Dinosaur. My girls haven't been on it yet, only Michael, but I think they will like it when they ride it next time. :goodvibes

Sara

mkluvsmickey

06-29-2009, 12:56 PM

popcorn:: Where did ya go? Guess you've been busy. ;)

So, how's that pin code burning a hole in your pocket? Was it for free dining? Or a resort discount? Just wondering..... :rolleyes1

mom2mek

06-29-2009, 02:12 PM

popcorn:: Where did ya go? Guess you've been busy. ;)

So, how's that pin code burning a hole in your pocket? Was it for free dining? Or a resort discount? Just wondering..... :rolleyes1

What? SOmeone's still reading this thing? :rotfl:

I've got the next part typed up and was going to post it today during my lunch, but got a little sidetracked doing something else, so maybe tonight!

I got a 40% off pin code, plus the AP rates just came out for dates through October 3rd, plus there's free dining....ugh....what's a disney-obsessed girl to do with an AP that expires on October 9th????? :eek::headache::sad1::rolleyes::rolleyes1

Sara

mkluvsmickey

06-29-2009, 02:17 PM

I got a 40% off pin code, plus the AP rates just came out for dates through October 3rd, plus there's free dining....ugh....what's a disney-obsessed girl to do with an AP that expires on October 9th????? :eek::headache::sad1::rolleyes::rolleyes1

Sounds like a rhetorical question to me. :rolleyes: :rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

KathyRN137

06-29-2009, 02:22 PM

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/270_Day_01_Animal_Kingdom_09.jpg
(We loved the ostrich lamp….looks like an egg!)

We walked outside to the valet and asked if they could call a cab. Luckily for us, there was one sitting just down the driveway - it was a big old taxi VAN, but we climbed aboard and he took us back to the Poly! One of the best uses of $20 the whole trip! Well worth it! :thumbsup2

Oooh, luv that lamp! (I will look for it in October!) :goodvibes

And you are so right about the cab... we've done that when its late and it is so worth it to not have to wait around for a couple of busses for an hour!!

You're actually finished Day One!! And it only took two months!! :lmao:

Kathy

MeMom

06-29-2009, 02:36 PM

I got a 40% off pin code, plus the AP rates just came out for dates through October 3rd, plus there's free dining....ugh....what's a disney-obsessed girl to do with an AP that expires on October 9th????? :eek::headache::sad1::rolleyes::rolleyes1

Sara

Pick up the phone and hit direct dial to Disney!!!

Poohtigeey

06-29-2009, 05:38 PM

End of day 1? Seriously? I should have just waited til December and read the whole thing!:lmao: Love ya Sara! Cool safari story. Did Shawn like FOLK? (FOLK? That's not right...)

kaysmommie

06-29-2009, 06:08 PM

Sara,
I think a trip will be planned for October:goodvibes with all the good offers you have. You might have to convince Shawn to stay onsite with the kids this time ;).
We got a free dining pin post card, not sure if we will use it or not. It is good until December 17th. So much going on right now :sad2:. Kaylee does have fall break though in October and Tom did mention just the two of us going in December for 3 days. So who nows :confused3 it's a slight possibility.

BTW Hi Monica, glad you are on DIS :goodvibes

mom2mek

06-29-2009, 09:38 PM

Oooh, luv that lamp! (I will look for it in October!) :goodvibes

And you are so right about the cab... we've done that when its late and it is so worth it to not have to wait around for a couple of busses for an hour!!

You're actually finished Day One!! And it only took two months!! :lmao:

Kathy
Yep - that's me! The slowest trip report writer EVAH!!!! (Well, although my trip was THIS YEAR...ahem....:rolleyes1)

Pick up the phone and hit direct dial to Disney!!!

I really do want to....just not sure what or when or who yet....if any.....

Sara,
I think a trip will be planned for October:goodvibes with all the good offers you have. You might have to convince Shawn to stay onsite with the kids this time ;).
We got a free dining pin post card, not sure if we will use it or not. It is good until December 17th. So much going on right now :sad2:. Kaylee does have fall break though in October and Tom did mention just the two of us going in December for 3 days. So who nows :confused3 it's a slight possibility.

BTW Hi Monica, glad you are on DIS :goodvibes

I would love to stay onsite with the kids and Shawn in October, but I think that is a long shot. If anything, maybe me and the kids might go, and do a short trip...or maybe just me....:rolleyes1 I'm really not sure if anything will work out, but it's so hard what with all the offers and with my AP about to expire....:headache:

That's great that you and Tom might go together in December! Couples trips are fun, fun, fun! :cool1:

Sara

mom2mek

06-29-2009, 09:43 PM

End of day 1? Seriously? I should have just waited til December and read the whole thing!:lmao: Love ya Sara! Cool safari story. Did Shawn like FOLK? (FOLK? That's not right...)

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

HOLY MOLY!!!!! It's Monica! You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that you posted.

However, you now are obligated, as my very, very good friend, to continue to post.....:hug: Yep! That's how it works. Those are the rules.

Now that you are reading, I will pick up the pace....:rotfl2:

Sara

mom2mek

06-29-2009, 11:45 PM

Well, like I promised, since Monica is reading I will try to go quicker so as not to lose her....on with Day 2!!!

Day 2 - May 14, 2009
Part 1 - A Tale of Two Shoes

After a blissful night of sleep in our Polynesian getaway, we awoke bright and early and got ready to make rope drop at Epcot. The plan for the day was to eat a quick breakfast in the room and then take the short walk over to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail. :cool1:

I got up and made what could only be described as "dirty water" disguised as coffee, and got ready for the day! Then I grabbed an apple and waited for Shawn to finish getting ready. After our night at Animal Kingdom the day before, Shawn felt like his sneakers were pinching his toes and decided to doctor up his feet with bandaids to attempt to ward off the beginnings of the blisters that were starting to form. :scared:

After many bandaids, he slipped his shoes on and realized that they still felt very uncomfortable. And that's when it hit him.....he looked down at his feet and realized that he had brought two different white sneakers!!! Both white, both athletic, ALMOST identical, but DIFFERENT makes of shoe! :rotfl2: I couldn't help myself from laughing, but Shawn was pretty frustrated with himself. The two different shoes were the ONLY shoes he brought with him. :eek:

We debated walking the short walk over to the TTC, going to Epcot, and heading to MouseGears first thing to check out what kind of shoes they carried, but ended up deciding we should check out the Polynesian gift shops FIRST, just in case MouseGears didn’t have anything. So, we finished up getting ready and made our way over to the Grand Ceremonial House in hopes that one of the shops might have some shoes that would work for Shawn for the remainder of our short vacation. I joked with him that he might find himself in Crocs if that was indeed all they had at the Poly gift shops.

(Shawn is not a fan of Crocs, by the way)!

We walked (well, I walked, Shawn limped) over to the GCH, passing many people heading to eat breakfast at Kona and 'Ohana and headed straight to Boutiki to see what kind of footwear they carried.

We passed by the male sized Mickey Crocs, (which Shawn actually did try on but didn’t think they were very comfortable), and found a wall of flip-flops.

(Shawn is not a fan of flip flops, by the way)!

At this point though, he was pretty sold on not having ANYTHING touch his toes, so after trying on many different pairs of flip-flops, he finally picked some nice leather ones for $60! Ouch! :headache: We grabbed a new hat for him as well and checked out (with a couple of the great $10 WDW tote bags....with a purchase of $50 or more....:rolleyes1)

I'm not really sure why we did this next move, considering his foot condition, but we walked back to the TTC to get on the monorail. Looking back I'm not really sure why we didn't just get on the resort monorail right there at the GCH. Yes, I know it was probably quicker to do what we did, but considering the condition of his feet we probably should have just done that.

Oh well...maybe because by the time he had the flip-flops on, his toes felt better and all seemed to be fixed. :thumbsup2

As we got to the TTC, we stopped at the Espresso cart that sits right there at the base of the monorail ramp and grabbed some real coffee and then made our way up the ramp and on our way to Epcot. It was just at or shortly after 9:00 at this point, so rope drop dreams were gone, but I was (ahem) ok with it. Mostly.

I had a 3 shot latte so life was good at that point! We had the whole day in front of us! :goodvibes

I do so enjoy the long monorail ride to Epcot. I love flying above the highway and past all the cars and then being taken around Epcot's Future World before arriving at the front of the park. We were able to see so much of the beautiful flower displays of the Flower and Garden Festival and I made a mental note to try to get up front on the monorail either later that day if we left for a break, or on our return trip to Epcot on Saturday, so that I could get pictures from above without the balloon decorations that are on all of the buses and monorail windows for the new "What Are You Celebrating" campaign! The view was so beautiful from up there.

When we arrived at Epcot, we were in a sea of humanity.....Ugh....

Arriving around 9:15 or so, we were herded into the security line like cattle, but as soon as we got through the turnstiles, we were in utter awe of the flower and garden beauty. Shawn took out his camera and started to take pictures, and I, in my “can’t-give-up-a-little-control” way, asked for his ticket and told him I would go grab fastpasses for Soarin so that he could take his time taking the pictures and not feel like I was rushing him. He reluctantly agreed, handed me his ticket, and OFF I WENT!!! Woman on a mission.

Just before anyone makes any mention of stopping-to-smell-the-roses, rest assured I too loved all of the displays and so wanted to stand and stare and marvel at their beauty. HOWEVER, “obsessive trip planner Sara” took over and wanted to at least get a FP under my belt so as to assure us lots of time LATER to enjoy the beauty of the topiaries. They would still be there! (Plus, they were way too crowded with people to get any pictures of just us and I figured later in the day would be a better time for that!)

On with some pictures.....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0001.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0004-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0005.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0006.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0007.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0011.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0015.jpg
(Loved the red carpet!!! If I tried to do that, one of the flowers right in the middle would be brown and mess the whole thing up...)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0016.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0017.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0021-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0025-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0028.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0029-1.jpg

So, off to the Land I walked.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0051.jpg

I got to the FP machines at Soarin and inserted Shawn’s ticket, no problem. :thumbsup2 My ticket was another story….it was stuck. :headache: I didn’t want to leave the machine and have someone come up behind me and put their ticket in and have it get stuck as well, but there wasn’t any one right behind me either to track someone down, or at least hold the spot. After a minute or so, two older ladies approached me and I asked if they could just wait there while I flagged down a CM to get my ticket out. They offered to go get one for me so I wouldn’t have to leave. :goodvibes The CM came over and promptly got my AP out and I retrieved my second FP for Soarin and then left to go wait for Shawn over by The Living With the Land ride.

A few minutes passed…..then a few more…..um….HELLO???? Let’s get on a ride for pete’s sake, Shawn! JK! I didn’t mind that he was taking his time – when he arrived he looked very pleased with himself and very happy to have been able to take his sweet old time coming into the park and not be the FP volunteer for once!

Continued....next post....

mom2mek

06-29-2009, 11:50 PM

Continued....

Day 2 - May 14, 2009
Part 1.a - A Tale of Two Shoes (contd)

Waiting for Shawn to get to the line for LWTL (well, I use the term "line" very loosely).....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0032-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0034.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0036.jpg

Time to get my ride on! :lmao:

Our first ride of the day….Living with the Land! LOL! Shawn had never been on this ride and, as expected, he really liked it. It really is a fascinating ride and I know my step-dad would really enjoy it since he is an avid gardener. We made a mental note to not miss it the next time we were here with the family.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0037.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0040.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0041.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0042.jpg
(Love the "plant" HM!)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0043.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0044.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0046.jpg

After we left LWTL, we headed to the Seas for a quick ride on Nemo! But first….more pictures…..

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0055.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0056.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0057.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0059.jpg

One last shot, because I'm so mean....Shawn's new shoes....with lots of bandaids....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010493.jpg:rotfl:

Up next....Shawn, try this....you'll like it....really....

Sara

ladybugmom

06-30-2009, 01:19 AM

mkluvsmickey

06-30-2009, 07:08 AM

Woo Hoo - two updates! :cool1: Monica should read more often.

Love the shoe story. (Not the part with the blisters but the two different shoes part). I've done that too - wore a black and a blue pump to a client once. That's what I get for getting dressed in a dark closet. :rotfl:

Great pictures! Shawn really got some great shots of everything. So pretty!

Glad you finally got a ride in that morning! Can't wait to read what's next.

mommytothreeboys

06-30-2009, 09:21 AM

Only a man would bring only one pair of shoes on vacation. ;) And they call us silly!

Your pics of F&GF at Epcot are absolutely gorgeous! I love the close-ups of the dwarves and the ostrich. Very nice!

LWTL is one of my very favorite rides! :thumbsup2

mom2mek

06-30-2009, 09:48 AM

YAY!! Love the updates!! How funny that Shawn brought 2 different kinds of shoes! Glad he was able to find something else that worked for him! His pics of Epcot are GORGEOUS!! We didn't ride LWTL this time but we'll definitely put it on our list for next time!! Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks Becky! Stay tuned to see if those shoes really worked for him! :rolleyes1 Definitely try LWTL next time - it's nothing exciting, but it's really fascinating! :goodvibes

Woo Hoo - two updates! :cool1: Monica should read more often.

Love the shoe story. (Not the part with the blisters but the two different shoes part). I've done that too - wore a black and a blue pump to a client once. That's what I get for getting dressed in a dark closet. :rotfl:

Great pictures! Shawn really got some great shots of everything. So pretty!

Glad you finally got a ride in that morning! Can't wait to read what's next.
Yup - I've done that before too, Michelle. I wore a navy pump and a black pump (same style, different colors) to work one day when I worked at a bank. Luckily, it was a desk job and I didn't work WITH the customers, so pretty much the only ones who saw were my co-workers who saw it when I would get up to go to the kitchen or the bathroom! Needless to say, I sat a lot more than usual that day! How embarrassing!

I thought it was funny that we were following the same "path" that we took on the girls trip! LWTL was our 1st ride then too! :laughing: We like to live on the edge! :rotfl:

Only a man would bring only one pair of shoes on vacation. ;) And they call us silly!

Your pics of F&GF at Epcot are absolutely gorgeous! I love the close-ups of the dwarves and the ostrich. Very nice!

LWTL is one of my very favorite rides! :thumbsup2

I know, right? One pair? Doh! :sad2:

I brought 3 pairs for a 3 1/2 day trip! I pointed that out to him. He wasn't amused. :rolleyes:

Love LWTL!!! :love: So neat!

Sara

jillyb

06-30-2009, 11:58 AM

DisneyJo

06-30-2009, 03:23 PM

I can't believe he took 2 different shoes not a pair :rotfl: Hope the flip flops were comfy!

I love all the photos but would have been like you, FP's first flowers second :lmao: I always have to go on the Land ride too, the girls hate it though!

kaysmommie

06-30-2009, 10:15 PM

:lmao:I can't believe Shawn wore two different shoes. No wonder his feet hurt. Well at least he found something to wear for the rest of the trip. Anyway I agree with you on the coffee :sick: it's nasty. Your flower & Garden pics are amazing! We didn't take many since it was down pouring most of the time. I still haven't been on LWTL since they refurbed it with the recording and took away the CM. Anyway now it looks like we are not going in December at all. Tom can't miss any days of work for a while since he went to NJ with me last weekend. It stinks I can't transfer the pin code to anyone.

mom2mek

06-30-2009, 10:32 PM

Awesome pictures as always! I got a laugh out of Shawn having 2 different pairs of shoes; blister....not so funny. I'm sensing the flip flops didn't help. I've done the different colored shoe/same style a couple times myself.

Can't wait to hear what you got Shawn to drink...although I have a pretty good idea what it is! :rotfl:

Hi Jill! The flip flops helped for a while....:rolleyes1 That's all I'm gonna say about that!

I can't believe he took 2 different shoes not a pair :rotfl: Hope the flip flops were comfy!

I love all the photos but would have been like you, FP's first flowers second :lmao: I always have to go on the Land ride too, the girls hate it though!
Hi Jo! Yes, I found it hard to give up on some of that Type-A touring attitude! Had to get a FP for something, anything! LOL! :laughing:

:lmao:I can't believe Shawn wore two different shoes. No wonder his feet hurt. Well at least he found something to wear for the rest of the trip. Anyway I agree with you on the coffee :sick: it's nasty. Your flower & Garden pics are amazing! We didn't take many since it was down pouring most of the time. I still haven't been on LWTL since they refurbed it with the recording and took away the CM. Anyway now it looks like we are not going in December at all. Tom can't miss any days of work for a while since he went to NJ with me last weekend. It stinks I can't transfer the pin code to anyone.

Hi Nichole! I'm sorry to hear you won't be going in December...that stinks! :headache: Hopefully early next year, maybe? :confused3

Sara

KathyRN137

06-30-2009, 11:25 PM

Yep - that's me! The slowest trip report writer EVAH!!!! (Well, although my trip was THIS YEAR...ahem....:rolleyes1)

Ouch.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010493.jpg:rotfl:

And Double Ouch!!

Oh, poor Shawn! And to top it off, you then did what I think you did.... :rotfl:
(Can't wait to see that pic!!)

Speaking of pix, all of yours are just gorgeous. Judging from the photos, I think the Festival gets more and more fabulous with each passing year! I'm glad I got to see it at least once!

I love the pumpkins growing around Cinderella's coach!

Kathy

mrsksomeday

07-01-2009, 12:03 AM

I am like Shawn, also obsessed with the light fixtures, they are fascinating to me.

I can't believe I haven't done the two shoes thing before. That had to hurt.

"HOWEVER, “obsessive trip planner Sara” took over"

OMG this is so me, I try to "stop and smell the roses" but alas that is NOT me.

Your Flower and Garden pictures are amazing!

"Up next....Shawn, try this....you'll like it....really...."

OH I hope I can get Josh to try it too.

julezdisney

07-01-2009, 08:18 AM

How did I miss this? Thank goodness you used chapter links!

mom2mek

07-01-2009, 09:09 AM

Ouch.

Awww....sorry....:hug: I meant that in only the most sarcastic of ways!! But you are the BEST trip report writer EVER, so we will always wait as long as we need to in order to read about your adventures.....:flower3:

And Double Ouch!!

Oh, poor Shawn! And to top it off, you then did what I think you did.... :rotfl:
(Can't wait to see that pic!!)

Speaking of pix, all of yours are just gorgeous. Judging from the photos, I think the Festival gets more and more fabulous with each passing year! I'm glad I got to see it at least once!

I love the pumpkins growing around Cinderella's coach!

Kathy

I'm glad I got to see the F&G Festival too, Kathy! I love how each season there is something cool and exciting to go for. Fall - Food and Wine, MNSSHP; Winter - MVMCP, CP, all the amazing Christmas decorations; Spring - Flower and Garden; Summer - Star Wars Weekends

I wanna see 'em all!!!

I am like Shawn, also obsessed with the light fixtures, they are fascinating to me.

I can't believe I haven't done the two shoes thing before. That had to hurt.

"HOWEVER, “obsessive trip planner Sara” took over"

OMG this is so me, I try to "stop and smell the roses" but alas that is NOT me.

Your Flower and Garden pictures are amazing!

"Up next....Shawn, try this....you'll like it....really...."

OH I hope I can get Josh to try it too.

Hi Tracy! Yep, I think you know what I'm hinting at....(I'm so not good at cliffhangers....:laughing:)

How did I miss this? Thank goodness you used chapter links!

Hi Julia! Glad you are here! I've only just started the 2nd day - you know me, slow as pond water....creeping right along.....:snail: Won't take you long to get caught up! :rolleyes:

Sara

luvngoofy

07-02-2009, 11:26 PM

mom2mek

07-09-2009, 05:05 PM

I am surprised you didn't notice his two different shoes. I guess you were focused on other things besides him!:lmao:

He can sure take some nice photos. Do you ever make them into framed pieces for your house?

And I am with you, FP first, flowers will be there later!

Boy, have I dropped the ball on replies???? Yowzers!! Sorry 'bout that! :flower3:

That is funny that I didn't notice his two different shoes either...guess I just don't pay that close attention to his feet! :confused3

We do have some of his photos in the house, but no Disney ones yet. I have many in mind though. :goodvibes

Sara

mom2mek

07-09-2009, 05:14 PM

Hello everyone!!!

Just thought I would drop in and give a quick little update. Shawn's computer crashed a couple of days ago (thank goodness for Carbonite) so naturally that is where all his pictures are! :sad1: This has derailed my trip report momentarily as I had not uploaded them all to photobucket yet (was doing it as I went).

But on the positive end....I got my photopass a week or so ago (I was in a share that took a little while...) so I can put a few of those up to tide you over....:rolleyes1

Animal Kingdom:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image374.jpg

Look....our 4th child!!! :laughing: He looks a little furry though (then again, Katie was a little furry....)
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image380.jpg

Don't we look pleased with ourselves? :cool1:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image382.jpg

After FOTLK and on our way back in front of the tree headed to Everest...thought we would take some more....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image390.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image392.jpg

I have to say that it's weird to get a photopass CD with just pictures of the 2 of us! :rotfl2: Very strange indeed, especially since I don't usually like to get in them!

Hopefully, I can update soon...I might just have to update without his pics....:eek:

Hope those still reading don't mind hanging on for a bit...:grouphug:

Sara

crocko

07-09-2009, 05:16 PM

Still here!

Sorry to hear about the computer problems. Ach!

mkluvsmickey

07-09-2009, 05:29 PM

You guys look great in the photopass pictures! Love the newest addition to the family. :lovestruc And yes, you should be proud! :rotfl:

You know we'll be here to read, with or without pictures! :goodvibes

KathyRN137

07-09-2009, 08:17 PM

Look....our 4th child!!! :laughing: He looks a little furry though (then again, Katie was a little furry....)
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/Image380.jpg

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Hope those still reading don't mind hanging on for a bit...:grouphug:

Not at all!!

Sending pixiedust: for the computer!

Kathy

lovebuzzandwoody

07-09-2009, 10:34 PM

Wow, Sara! Gorgeous F&G pics! I loved the pumpkins with the carriage too! Going during F&G is now added to the list of times I want to visit. We've only been at Christmas!!! I have no idea what it looks like without Christmas trees! :laughing:

And you! Adding insult to poor Shawn's misery! I've never been more proud of you! :rotfl2:

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 09:34 AM

Still here!

Sorry to hear about the computer problems. Ach!

Thanks for hanging in! :goodvibes

You guys look great in the photopass pictures! Love the newest addition to the family. :lovestruc And yes, you should be proud! :rotfl:

You know we'll be here to read, with or without pictures! :goodvibes

Thanks Michelle! :hug: I told Shawn to hurry up and fix the computer....not only are our pics in there from this trip, but all my friends live in there too! :rotfl2:

Not at all!!

Sending pixiedust: for the computer!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I hope it is fixed soon. If not, I might have to live out of my car parked near a Starbucks with wifi! :laughing:

Wow, Sara! Gorgeous F&G pics! I loved the pumpkins with the carriage too! Going during F&G is now added to the list of times I want to visit. We've only been at Christmas!!! I have no idea what it looks like without Christmas trees! :laughing:

And you! Adding insult to poor Shawn's misery! I've never been more proud of you! :rotfl2:

Thanks Nicole! You should definitely try for F&G! How'd the househunting go? When are you officially going to be FL residents? :yay:

As far as the shoe thing....Oh, just wait....you know what they say about karma....:rolleyes1

Hopefully I can post an update today at lunch! :goodvibes

Sara

mommytothreeboys

07-10-2009, 09:47 AM

Sorry to hear about the computer issues...what a pain! :headache:

The PP pics are so cute! You and Shawn make beautiful furry babies! :rotfl:

I'm actually glad you don't have an update...I'm so far behind on my DISing it's good to be caught up on yours! LOL! :lmao:

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 10:22 AM

I'm actually glad you don't have an update...I'm so far behind on my DISing it's good to be caught up on yours! LOL! :lmao:

Always here to help! ;)

Sara

torsie24

07-10-2009, 11:43 AM

Love love LOVE your TR so far!!!

You're so lucky to stay at the Poly. :goodvibes:

Somethings tells me the next installment might include some Beverly! ;)

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 01:53 PM

Love love LOVE your TR so far!!!

You're so lucky to stay at the Poly. :goodvibes:

Somethings tells me the next installment might include some Beverly! ;)
Thank you so much for reading! I see you are planning a wedding at Disney! Two of my favorite things to plan....WEDDINGS and TRIPS TO WDW!!! I'm off to check out your PTR!!! How fun! :cool1:

Sara

jillyb

07-10-2009, 02:35 PM

Love the PP pictures! The new addition to the family is just adorable! :scared1: about Shawn's computer.

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 04:02 PM

Love the PP pictures! The new addition to the family is just adorable! :scared1: about Shawn's computer.

Thanks Jill! Yeah, Simba is pretty cute....looks a lot like Shawn I think! :goodvibes

Sara

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 04:11 PM

Day 2 - May 14, 2009

Part 2 - Flowers and Gardens and Beverly, oh my....

When I last left off, we had started our morning with a bit of a shoe catastrophe, arrived at Epcot a little behind “schedule”, taken lots of pictures, obtained FPs for Soarin, and rode LWTL. Now we were off for a ride with my favorite fish! :banana:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010497-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010498.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010506.jpg

We walked right into the queue and wound our way around, finally making our one and only stop right at the moving walkway. Just as we were getting there, a large group of teenagers came barreling up behind us, obnoxiously talking loudly and carrying on. It had been so peaceful and quiet, but alas…that was no more! :headache: I was hoping that at least during the ride, they wouldn’t be too obnoxious – I was really looking forward to actually HEARING the ride since I am usually quietly talking or pointing things out to one or more children that are riding with me.

No worries, once we were in our clamshell, we really didn’t hear if they were carrying on like they had been for those moments in the line. I know my day is coming for having teenagers, but geez….I hope mine are not quite so insensitive or unaware of the fact that most people don’t want to hear them romancing all over eachother! Loudly! LOL! :eek:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/DSC_0068.jpg

As we exited our clamshell, we took our time looking around The Seas. Shawn took many pictures of the fish, manatees, eels, etc….before we left. Unfortunately, we decided to not tour the upstairs this time, or stop in to see Crush….blasphemy, I know!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0074.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0083.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0106.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0108.jpg

Shawn spent so much time here taking pictures of the different fish….I thought I should take a picture of him....taking pictures of the fish! He WAS becoming part of the display at this point!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010503.jpg

Shawn left to go use the restroom and I thought I would try taking some pictures of The Seas myself while he was gone….turns out he had his camera on some kind of setting for taking the fish pictures, and all of mine came out blurry….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0111.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0113.jpg

As we were exiting, I told Shawn I would take the tickets and go over to get FPs for Test Track since his feet were not 100%. He could take his time walking, enjoying the sights, and we would meet back up at the fountains in a few minutes. “Sounds good”, he said!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0114.jpg

Shawn took more pictures of these reddish/pink flowers that I absolutely loved….so rich and vibrant in color….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0116.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0123.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0129.jpg

Same picture as above, different focal point….so pretty at the F&G Festival…
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0130.jpg

So many gorgeous flowers to look at….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0131.jpg

Off I walked to the other side to grab FPs for Test Track.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010507.jpg

As I arrived, the standby time was 40 minutes, so I grabbed us some fastpasses for later and went on my happy way.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010509.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010510.jpg
(This was taken a little bit after 11:00 on a Thursday during F&G for anyone who might be wondering about wait times and such...)

I decided to cut up through the butterfly garden, but I didn’t actually go inside. I figured we could do that together later. I did snap a few pictures though on my way over to meet up with Shawn.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010511.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010512.jpg

Shawn was happily snapping away at the fountain….continued in next post….

Sara

crocko

07-10-2009, 04:23 PM

Awesome...still lovin' the pics.

Do you know what setting he was using for the fish?

mom2mek

07-10-2009, 04:29 PM

Day 2 - May 14, 2009

Part 2.A - Flowers and Gardens and Beverly, oh my....

....continuing....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0136.jpg
(These were gorgeous…love the fountains in the background)

Loved the yellow ones too....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0138.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0141.jpg

We stood and got sprinkled by the fountains for a little bit, and then I spotted a place I had never been before….off to the right….called Club Cool….

hmmmm.....

Oh, honey.....

But Shawn spotted more flowers….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0142.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0146.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0147.jpg
(Love this perspective)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0148.jpg
(Love the monorail way back in the background….)

I was oh-so-casually mentioning to him that they had free samples of different sodas from all over the world in this place called Club Cool and I’ve always wanted to try some…..he was game…..:stir:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010517.jpg

We tried a few different ones….actually really liking quite a few….but I’m so mean, I made him try Beverly first and told him I heard it was actually pretty good. He read the description, and sort of knew I was joking, but he indulged me and gave it a swig….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010518.jpg

(Then he said I was really mean…but what can I say….I had to do it, right?)

Love how the description of it says the bitterness of it is to help stimulate the appetite before dinner....yeah, Shawn said it would definitely make you want to eat something and FAST to get that awful taste out of your mouth! LOL!

And just for the record, I tasted it too….wow….nasty just doesn’t even describe it. We both agreed that it will be great to try it out on the kids next time!

Out the doors of Club Cool and we hung a left and went straight over to the lovely sand display….quite impressive….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0156.jpg

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Shawn loves to build sand castles, so he was very interested in checking all of it out and getting ideas….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010519.jpg

Shawn’s feet, with his new flip flops, were not doing too great at this point, so we decided to find the nearest first aid center and fix him up with some moleskin. Having never needed the first aid station before on any of our trips to the World, we were clueless as to where it was. I asked the photopass photographer who was standing in front of the Beauty and the Beast topiaries (with a broken camera no less….everyone was asking him to take their family picture and he had to turn everyone away….you’d think maybe he would just take the camera off and put it over in the little giftshop he was standing in, so people wouldn’t keep asking him….)

While I was waiting to ask him, Shawn took some more pictures….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0162.jpg

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(Chip’s got some big old lips, huh?)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0169.jpg
(Shawn is very good at waiting for people to get out of his shots, so I’m not sure why he didn’t wait for these 2 guys to get out of his Lumiere close-up, but oh well….)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0170.jpg

Looks like he is waiting to catch Spaceship Earth:
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0107.jpg

We had our directions to the first aid station and headed on over across the bridge to try and find it…..we walked….and we walked….(Shawn said it was a good thing it wasn’t a REAL emergency like a heart attack, because he would be dead by now as far as you have to walk to get over there….LOL)

Gorgeous….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0171.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0173.jpg

It actually started to drizzle a little bit…..but we were not deterred……

Thought this bird sitting in the planter was kinda cute…
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0179.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0175.jpg

Would we ever find the First Aid Station…..How are Shawn’s feet doing? (Hope it’s not too long before I can update again….)

Sara

luvngoofy

07-10-2009, 10:04 PM

jeremysdisneymom

07-10-2009, 10:12 PM

Two posts in one day! :banana: I love your pictures from the festival. That is definitely on my list to do sometime. It looks amazing.

I got Jeremy and Tom to try the Beverly in November. :rotfl2: Needless to say, neither were too happy with me. Jeremy says he is going to trick my mom on our Sept trip.

Can't wait for the next update!

Erika

MeMom

07-11-2009, 06:41 AM

Nice pictures. Disney World has such beautiful flowers. I love going during the Flower and Garden Festival.

A couple of years ago, I took some of my best flower shots from our summer trip and put them into a collage picture frame. It brings me Disney happiness in kind of a different way whenever I look at it.

DisneyJo

07-11-2009, 01:46 PM

Love the PP photos, especially with your furry friend, my eldest was a bit furry too :rotfl:

Beautiful flower photos, the close up shots especially and how funny you got Shawn at Club Cool :rotfl:

meeko_33785

07-11-2009, 02:14 PM

Just found your report. I'm enjoying all the photos and everything. The Tree of Life photos are great! I didn't know there was a trail that took you that close to the Tree. I just might check that out next time.

KathyRN137

07-11-2009, 03:41 PM

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010506.jpg

Shawn spent so much time here taking pictures of the different fish….I thought I should take a picture of him....taking pictures of the fish! He WAS becoming part of the display at this point!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010503.jpg

So many gorgeous flowers to look at….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0131.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0136.jpg
(These were gorgeous…love the fountains in the background)

Loved the yellow ones too....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0138.jpg

But Shawn spotted more flowers….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0142.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0148.jpg
(Love the monorail way back in the background….)

Love how the description of it says the bitterness of it is to help stimulate the appetite before dinner....yeah, Shawn said it would definitely make you want to eat something and FAST to get that awful taste out of your mouth! LOL!

I sometimes wonder who the "Beverly" was named after... she must've been a baaad girl! :rotfl:

It's been said before, but I have to add that I am really enjoying the photography... it must've been so nice to have the time to take all the pix you wanted without the kids pulling on your sleeves!

Hope Shawn's agony of de feet will be over soon!

Kathy

mrsksomeday

07-11-2009, 04:45 PM

So sorry about Shawn's feet, I hope the first aid station could help him out.

Those pictures are breathtaking, amazing!! They were wonderful.

lovebuzzandwoody

07-11-2009, 09:33 PM

Thanks Nicole! You should definitely try for F&G! How'd the househunting go? When are you officially going to be FL residents? :yay:

It was quite successful actually! We have put an offer in on a house and are deep in negotiations at this point! Get this... we will be able to ride our bikes to the beach! :cool2:

We are moving at the end of July. :woohoo:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0173.jpg

Gerber daisies are my favorite! :lovestruc

mom2mek

07-11-2009, 10:39 PM

WOW those are beautiful pictures!

I feel so bad for Shawn. I'm sorry his feet were hurting. :sad1:And he just continues taking his beautiful photos!

I love having someone new to try out the Beverly. I always have the camera ready for that photo!:lmao:

Thanks - I will pass the word on to Shawn that his pictures are being enjoyed! :goodvibes

He was not too pleased with the Beverly reaction pic...:laughing:

Two posts in one day! :banana: I love your pictures from the festival. That is definitely on my list to do sometime. It looks amazing.

I got Jeremy and Tom to try the Beverly in November. :rotfl2: Needless to say, neither were too happy with me. Jeremy says he is going to trick my mom on our Sept trip.

Can't wait for the next update!

Erika
Now that I got Shawn to try it, he can't wait to get Michael to try it! We're so bad....

Nice pictures. Disney World has such beautiful flowers. I love going during the Flower and Garden Festival.

A couple of years ago, I took some of my best flower shots from our summer trip and put them into a collage picture frame. It brings me Disney happiness in kind of a different way whenever I look at it.

That's a great idea....I might have to do that....such a beautiful trip (except for the feet....)

Love the PP photos, especially with your furry friend, my eldest was a bit furry too :rotfl:

Beautiful flower photos, the close up shots especially and how funny you got Shawn at Club Cool :rotfl:

Thanks Jo! I love all of the close-up flower shots too! So pretty! :goodvibes

Just found your report. I'm enjoying all the photos and everything. The Tree of Life photos are great! I didn't know there was a trail that took you that close to the Tree. I just might check that out next time.
Thanks for reading...I really appreciate it! The trails around the tree are great. There is one right across from Pizzafari and then the one we went on was a little closer towards Africa. Definitely check them out! Truly beautiful!

I sometimes wonder who the "Beverly" was named after... she must've been a baaad girl! :rotfl:

It's been said before, but I have to add that I am really enjoying the photography... it must've been so nice to have the time to take all the pix you wanted without the kids pulling on your sleeves!

Hope Shawn's agony of de feet will be over soon!

Kathy
Thanks Kathy! It's funny, we have a Beverly in our office...she is the payroll "nazi"! :rotfl2: Maybe it was named after her....

Unfortunately the agony of de feet continues....

So sorry about Shawn's feet, I hope the first aid station could help him out.

Those pictures are breathtaking, amazing!! They were wonderful.

Thanks Tracy! First Aid Station is our first stop around the "world" LOL! :rolleyes:

It was quite successful actually! We have put an offer in on a house and are deep in negotiations at this point! Get this... we will be able to ride our bikes to the beach! :cool2:

We are moving at the end of July. :woohoo:

Gerber daisies are my favorite! :lovestruc

That's great news Nicole! It sounds like a wonderful location....I'm a big fan of the beach (not getting in the ocean or anything....but I LOVE the beach)

Wow - end of July??? That's soon! :thumbsup2 Fingers crossed for your negotiations!! :goodvibes

Sara

kaysmommie

07-12-2009, 10:55 PM

Hi Sara,
I read your updates last night but didn't comment. Your Epcot F&G pictures are just awesome! I don't even remember seeing those sand castles. Probably just ran past then with our poncho's on. Funny that you still rode nemo even without the kids there :laughing:. When Tom and talked about going for a weekend just the two of us. I couldn't believe how much shorter the must do list is. But some things we still have to ride even without the kids ;). Hoping Shawn finds the first aid. I'm thinking it's in that big building on the left before you hot WS, I can't remember the name right now :headache:.

mom2mek

07-13-2009, 02:41 PM

kaysmommie

07-13-2009, 02:54 PM

Thanks Nichole! There were some rides that I just didn't want to skip if at all possible (we didn't get to do all of them, but we had a nice mixture of riding and exploring...)

You got it...First Aid is in the Odyssey Center...update coming right up...

Sara

Yes that's the name the Odyssey center. the boys had to use the restroom there. I'm still trying to decide if we should go Disney for our Anniversary weekend. Did you feel really guilty without the kids? Thomas would be heartbroken as he is ready to go back and live there. Kaylee really wants to see the Christmas decor. What do you think?

mom2mek

07-13-2009, 03:15 PM

Day 2 – May 14, 2009
Part 3 - ¡Buenos días! We hobble off to Mexico….

Where was I.....

So we were headed over the long bridge on the hunt for the First Aid Station to take care of the new blisters that were forming on the tops of Shawn's feet where his new flip flops were rubbing. Lovely. :rolleyes:

The bridge we were walking across kind of goes towards Test Track towards what they call the "Odyssey Center". Now, I'm sure on a normal (non foot-hurting) day this bridge wouldn't seem so long, but dang....we felt like we were walking forever. As we finally reached the center, Shawn wasn't "feeling the love" so to speak! :sad2:

We entered the dimly lit, cool, and very quiet First Aid Station and approached the desk to inform the nurse that he was in need of some serious moleskin, and she whipped out her large palette of differing sizes of moleskin. :laughing: Shawn pretty much picked out the biggest size moleskin that she had, and got a few of those babies. We went and took a seat to fix him up. While we were sitting there, a mother came running in with her little girl who had been stung by a bee while hanging out in the butterfly garden. :butterfly She wasn't crying, but you could tell she had been. Her mom was so funny, being thoughtful and caring, but also pointing out that she shouldn't try to "catch" the bees and then try to give the bee a "hug" LOL! Yeah, not a good idea!!! :scared:

Shawn pretty much had the tops of his feet completely covered in moleskin, so we decided to head out!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010527.jpg

Our original plan was to head counter-clockwise around the World Showcase. No reason other than the fact that I wanted to ensure I got at least a couple of GGLCS on this trip, and France was closer if we went to the right. HOWEVER, since we had just taken the long journey over to the First Aid Station, which just so happens to spit you out right next to Mexico, and we were attempting to save Shawn's feet at that point, we decided that a trip to the lovely country of Mexico was just what the doctor ordered. That, and a margarita!!! :thumbsup2

We turned to the left and headed straight for the pyramid in the sky! We decided that since we had a dinner ADR in Japan for later that day, that we would just grab snacks at a few different places as we made our way around the World! First stop....Cantina De San Angel.

If any of you have been around since the first report I wrote (the "Thanksgiving with 16" trip), then you know we ate here and it was not pleasant for yours truly. :scared: The food was mediocre, and the birds were EVERYWHERE. So needless to say, I was hesitant to try again, but Shawn was hungry and the food did smell delicious as we approached. We both love Mexican food!!! So, I thought I should give it another chance.

I sent Shawn to get a table by the water, and I got in the non-existent line and ordered us a big old plate of nachos and two margaritas. Yes, it was still technically AM, (it was about 11:30 at this point) but the margaritas were indeed calling out to us already…. :rolleyes1

As I came around the corner to where Shawn was sitting, I didn't notice too many birds. Woo-hoo! I sat down and decided to take a picture of our first sampling of the day. Well, Shawn thought that was a great idea! LOL! I've always felt a little strange about taking food pictures, but Shawn was like "hey, that's a great way to remember what you ate!"

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0188.jpg
(Oh, how I can almost taste the salt off that glass….yum)

We gobbled down our nachos and guzzled the margaritas and only had visits from a couple of birds during our “snack”. :woohoo:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0182.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0185.jpg

This one did come in for a little closer look….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0190.jpg

We both commented on how beautiful the day was…..the breezes were especially nice and kept the temperature very comfortable. I believe it was headed towards 90 that day, but really, sitting there by the water, it felt very pleasant. I think Epcot’s design really lends itself to staying cool (or I guess I should say cooler, it IS Florida afterall)….you aren’t as closed in as AK and having the water right in the middle keeps the air flowing very nicely.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0192.jpg
We saw a very cute turtle swimming (thought it was something else at first….)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0193.jpg

Then the bird that had been hanging out there for a while came even a little closer….glad I was done with my food at this point….I was trying to stay calm...Ick...Birds....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0195.jpg

I'm thinking that maybe the “bird action” gets worse later in the day possibly due to the crumbs and leftovers that people leave as the day goes on, but being there right after opening, the scraps weren't exactly plentiful yet since it was just a handful of us eating at that point. Either that or my mistake back in 2007, was not having the margarita with the meal! Who knows???? But from now on, I will try to hit the Mexican CS early in the day and always (repeat….ALWAYS….) have a margarita while doing so! They were fabulous and actually VERY strong. Either that or we just didn’t have a whole lot on our stomachs before drinking, since we just gobbled down a donut and/or piece of fruit in the room before we left that morning!

Shawn’s feet were feeling better already! Mexico City here we come….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0196.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0197.jpg

So, at just after noon, we headed towards the pyramid. How crazy is this – Shawn has NEVER been in it before???? Well, technically, until the girls trip I took in December, I hadn’t either….

Up the steps and into the AC….soon we were standing on a Spanish-style balcony, overlooking a small village full of stores. I love the nightlife atmosphere of the Mexico pavilion….how fun!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0199.jpg

We took our time looking around as it was not very crowded in there yet and I was on the hunt for the big sombreros that everyone gets their pictures taken with.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0202.jpg

For some reason, I could not find the sombreros, but we did see this hat…..

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010529.jpg

Shawn was looking like a Mexican bandit, sort of like "El Guapo" from the movie, The Three Amigos…(FYI…did you know that the movie, The Three Amigos, was originally going to be called The Three Caballeros and Steve Martin was going to be teamed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi? Funny, huh? I love that movie. SO hokey, but so funny!)

We took our time looking around at some of the other products and then made our way over to the Gran Fiesto Tour with The Three Caballeros.

We were given our own little boat. How cute. It was like a sweet, romantic, private boat ride through Mexico.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Disney%20May%202009/P1010530.jpg
(See...no one behind us)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0207.jpg
(this thing reminds me of the statue in Night at the Museum...)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/DSC_0208.jpg

...Continued in next post....

Sara

mom2mek

07-13-2009, 03:31 PM

Day 2 – May 14, 2009
Part 3.A - ! Buenos Dias! Still in Mexico….

It was funny to actually be able to pay attention to the story of the ride this time….we had such a quiet boat. We listened to Donald, Jose (the parrot) and Panchito (what is he – a rooster?) I finally figured out that they were going to reunite for a big concert but Donald (of course) gets lost and the other two are searching for him.

I love how Disney incorporates the fun of the three birds with the people and culture of Mexico. Only thing is, with kids and boats full of people, you usually don’t really notice any “story” (well, at least I usually don’t). It was nice to motor on down the river towards the grand fiesta celebration at the end with the “indoor” fireworks and really enjoy it. It’s really a cute ride.

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(This is just not right….)

Love this shot….It sure does make this slow-moving, Mexican "It's A Small World" boat ride look a lot more exciting, huh?
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As we exited our boat, we took our time leaving the pavilion,

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We stopped at the glass shop and "oohed" and "aahhed" and slowly made our way back up to the “balcony” and into the lobby area where they have the folk art on display, “Animales Fantasticos”.

Wow – always a sight to see – I don’t know how they do it. True art that is so intricate and colorful. Really beautiful.

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As we left the Mexican pavilion, we realized the only negative thing about it is upon leaving, when you emerge from the dark nightlife and out into the bright sun of a Florida afternoon,……yikes….blinded!! :cool2:

Ahhhh….now we find the sombreros!

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We also caught the first act of the group, The Mariachi Cobre! Gotta give it to them…pulling off the “skinny jeans” look in their traditional straight-leg mariachi pants! LOL! :rotfl2:

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At some point, a girl just walked right on up to them as they were playing and did a little "step-touch" dancing alongside. O...Kay.....:confused3 Apparently, we weren’t the only ones hitting the margaritas early that day!

Here’s a little snippet of a video….
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/th_P1010544.jpg (http://s703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/?action=view&current=P1010544.flv)

Speaking of margaritas…..it’s been a whopping ½ an hour….time for another drink….

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With two margaritas under our belts, where do we head to next….

Sara

ladybugmom

07-13-2009, 06:06 PM

lovebuzzandwoody

07-13-2009, 07:52 PM

With two margaritas under our belts, where do we head to next….

I'm thinking it might be naptime. :rotfl2:

jillyb

07-13-2009, 09:09 PM

I'm thinking it might be naptime. :rotfl2:

No kidding! :laughing: :laughing:

Great update Sara! The Mexican pavilion is pretty cool. I wanted to buy one or two of those gorgeous wooden animals...until I saw the price! :eek: Clay got our margaritas at that little stand too. It was a good thing we ate when we did or I would have been ready to for that nap! LOL That woman had definitely had one too many! :laughing:

luvngoofy

07-13-2009, 09:09 PM

I'm thinking school bread! I've yet to try that but the pictures of it look pretty good!

I am so envious of your alone trip. You two just look so darn cute!:goodvibes

kaysmommie

07-13-2009, 10:46 PM

Great Update Sara :goodvibes. Glad you were able to find the first aid. Also :yay: for lunch in Mexico without the birds driving you nuts. Betting the Margarita's helped. :lmao: About the girl dancing along with Mariachi Cobre, I can just picture that after so many trips during F&W festival. Love the hat pictures, very cute.

mom2mek

07-13-2009, 11:14 PM

WOW!! I go to Dallas for the weekend and come back to FOUR updates!! Impressive!! I'm all caught up! Ya'll got some GREAT pics in Epcot! I didn't see that sand display either when we were there. Your Photopass pics in AK were very good!! And we took the same route around the WS as you--hitting Mexico first! It was the first time I had been inside and taken the boat ride!! Can't wait to read more!

That'll teach you to go away for a fun weekend at the AG place in Dallas, Becky! :lmao: (looks like you had such a good time...how fun)! I have eaten at the CS in mexico before but until a girls trip in December, I had NEVER made it into the actual ancient pyramid! And Shawn had never been in there before...:confused3

I'm thinking it might be naptime. :rotfl2:

:rotfl2: You're not too far off...:rotfl2:

No kidding! :laughing: :laughing:

Great update Sara! The Mexican pavilion is pretty cool. I wanted to buy one or two of those gorgeous wooden animals...until I saw the price! :eek: Clay got our margaritas at that little stand too. It was a good thing we ate when we did or I would have been ready to for that nap! LOL That woman had definitely had one too many! :laughing:

Those wood carvings are VERY pricey, but man they must be worth it - the amount of work that goes into them is amazing!

I'm thinking school bread! I've yet to try that but the pictures of it look pretty good!

I am so envious of your alone trip. You two just look so darn cute!:goodvibes

Awww...thanks!

Great Update Sara :goodvibes. Glad you were able to find the first aid. Also :yay: for lunch in Mexico without the birds driving you nuts. Betting the Margarita's helped. :lmao: About the girl dancing along with Mariachi Cobre, I can just picture that after so many trips during F&W festival. Love the hat pictures, very cute.

Thanks Nichole! Yes, the CS in Mexico was definitely an improvement this time around!! Yay! The nachos and the margaritas were both very good!! And the birds (for the most part) stayed away! :yay:

Sara

BippityBoo

07-15-2009, 01:50 AM

mom2mek

07-15-2009, 08:44 AM

Great update! Love the romantic ride...so lucky:love: We had the problem with the birds when we ate at the cantina! They were getting so close...too comfortable with people! haha Can't wait to read more...anything can happen with two margaritas down;)

On our Thanksgiving 2007 trip (with the whole ginormous family) we cancelled our Coral Reef ADR and ate at the Cantina....BIG MISTAKE!!! It was about 4:00 in the afternoon and the birds were EVERYWHERE!!! Some were jumping on people's tables and we just had to keep our styrofoam lids on the food - it was not pleasant and I was so regretting not keeping our ADR at the Coral Reef....:sad1: This time around was much better! And that was probably why I was better able to enjoy the food - it was actually quite good! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading, Katie! :goodvibes

Sara

DisneyJo

07-15-2009, 12:29 PM

The beaks on those birds are huge, I wouldn't want them near me either :rotfl:

Love how you've already had 2 margaritas :thumbsup2

castmemberb4

07-15-2009, 03:08 PM

Hi Sara
I think this is the first time I've posted on your TR but I've read the whole thing. I'm an avid photographer and love TRs with lots of pictures. Shawn takes beautiful picures. Tell him :thumbsup2 You had me :rotfl:with the shoe thing, I had to stop and send my DH an email to tell him that story!

Love that you guys have had two margaritas already I thought we were the only crazy people who did that .

Can't wait to read more you're great at this TR stuff, I read your last one, and felt your stress, now I'm feeling your delight. Especially after the Beverly;)

Lynn

jeremysdisneymom

07-15-2009, 03:24 PM

Love the update. I absolutely love the world showcase. Each country is so unique and fun.

I moved the date of our trip up to September so we are less than two months away!:banana::banana: Plus, we have free dining. :woohoo:

My mom and Jeremy are both sooo excited. Tom is worried. He is beginning to think that mom may be worse than me when it comes to Disney planning :rotfl2:. I ordered Jeremy a costume for the halloween party. He is going as Peter Pan so we have been watching Peter Pan in our house every night!

Looking forward to the next update!

Erika

mom2mek

07-15-2009, 05:12 PM

The beaks on those birds are huge, I wouldn't want them near me either :rotfl:

Love how you've already had 2 margaritas :thumbsup2

Ick...birds....:scared:

Margaritas = good! :thumbsup2

Hi Sara
I think this is the first time I've posted on your TR but I've read the whole thing. I'm an avid photographer and love TRs with lots of pictures. Shawn takes beautiful picures. Tell him :thumbsup2 You had me :rotfl:with the shoe thing, I had to stop and send my DH an email to tell him that story!

Love that you guys have had two margaritas already I thought we were the only crazy people who did that .

Can't wait to read more you're great at this TR stuff, I read your last one, and felt your stress, now I'm feeling your delight. Especially after the Beverly;)

Lynn
Thanks Lynn! And thanks for coming out of lurkdum to post! :flower3: Pictures are just a hobby for Shawn, but he is constantly trying to learn more...he's thinking of actually taking a class...:laughing: I think he does pretty well, being self-taught!

Yes, if you read the Thanksgiving trip, you could probably definitely sense my frustration at times, huh? The October 2008 trip was better though, and this trip...well...it was a whole different kind of trip!! :goodvibes

Thanks for reading!!!

Love the update. I absolutely love the world showcase. Each country is so unique and fun.

I moved the date of our trip up to September so we are less than two months away!:banana::banana: Plus, we have free dining. :woohoo:

My mom and Jeremy are both sooo excited. Tom is worried. He is beginning to think that mom may be worse than me when it comes to Disney planning :rotfl2:. I ordered Jeremy a costume for the halloween party. He is going as Peter Pan so we have been watching Peter Pan in our house every night!

Looking forward to the next update!

Erika

Wow Erika! Less than 2 months - that's fantastic! Can I come with you? My AP doesn't expire until Oct!! Please...pretty please....:laughing:

That's great that your Mom is getting into the planning! HOw fun!!

That's gonna be so cute with him as Peter Pan...what are you guys gonna wear though? :confused3 I like the theme ideas...you could be Wendy....Tom could be Capt. Hook, and your Mom could be Tink! :banana: (or you could do t-shirts that say you are Wendy, he is Hook, and she is Tink....:rolleyes1)!!

Sara

mkluvsmickey

07-17-2009, 12:07 PM

lovebuzzandwoody

07-17-2009, 10:21 PM

Michelle, are you feeling better? :flower3:

Looking4themouse

07-18-2009, 01:53 AM

Finally caught up, your trip report is great. My DH and I are hoping to do our first solo trip next year during free dining YAY. I've really enjoyed reading it from the perspective of someone who has done it both with and without kids, as I had concerns that it might lose some of it's magic going just with the DH and was trying to rope one of his daughters into coming with, just so we could have the gk along to entertain us. Thanks, now I'm really excited that we'll be getting to go just the two of us.

mom2mek

07-18-2009, 09:10 AM

All caught up my friend! Great as usual.

I can't get over how relaxed you and Shawn look in all the pictures. :cloud9:

The flower pictures really are beautiful. Definitely need to get some of those framed for your home.

Love the Beverly reaction picture! I've never tasted it and never plan to. :lmao:

Poor Shawn and his feet. I'm glad he was able to get a little relief from the first aid station though. I have a feeling it didn't last long though. :rolleyes1

I missed the sand castles when we were there too - love them!

Ok - you can proceed now! :)
Thanks for catching up!! Hope you are feeling all better now! :hug: We were pretty relaxed on this trip - I love looking at all the pics and seeing that in our faces! I'm thinking a collage frame (as someone earlier said, I believe) of the flower pics is a great idea - a lot of them came out really nice.

You should taste Beverly at least once....it's nasty, but you'll always be wondering just HOW nasty if you don't taste it yourself.

Ugh....the feet.....stay tuned....:rolleyes1

Michelle, are you feeling better? :flower3:

:flower3::flower3: Hope so!

Finally caught up, your trip report is great. My DH and I are hoping to do our first solo trip next year during free dining YAY. I've really enjoyed reading it from the perspective of someone who has done it both with and without kids, as I had concerns that it might lose some of it's magic going just with the DH and was trying to rope one of his daughters into coming with, just so we could have the gk along to entertain us. Thanks, now I'm really excited that we'll be getting to go just the two of us.

Thanks for reading! Yes a couples trip was a lot different, but also very nice. Spouses have to get some time alone and Disney is MY happy place, not just my kids....I did go back and forth with the guilt, then fun, then guilt, then fun....but I came home so happy we had done it! I hope to do it again someday! Gotta take the kids back first though. :rolleyes:

Sara

luvngoofy

07-27-2009, 10:01 PM

Where o where is Sara?:confused3 I've tried to be patient.
I need an update. Don't leave us hanging:worship:

ladybugmom

07-27-2009, 10:21 PM

Hi Sara!! Hope all is well!!

mom2mek

07-28-2009, 11:00 AM

Where o where is Sara?:confused3 I've tried to be patient.
I need an update. Don't leave us hanging:worship:

Hi Sara!! Hope all is well!!

Hi everyone! Don't leave me....I should have an update soon! We have been very busy with traveling and family visits! Plus, Shawn's computer is still not fixed, which is where the bulk of the pictures are. :sad1: Thanks for sticking with me! :grouphug:

Sara

kaysmommie

07-28-2009, 05:06 PM

Hi everyone! Don't leave me....I should have an update soon! We have been very busy with traveling and family visits! Plus, Shawn's computer is still not fixed, which is where the bulk of the pictures are. :sad1: Thanks for sticking with me! :grouphug:

Sara

Don't worry we will wait :goodvibes.

luvngoofy

07-28-2009, 11:41 PM

I'm in for as long as it takes!:thumbsup2

mom2mek

08-21-2009, 08:53 PM

Just popping in here to let everyone know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! :guilty: Summer has been crazy busy and our computer is still out of service. Hopefully I will remember some things about the trip when I get back to writing about it! And hopefully some of you will still hang around to read it! :grouphug:

I'll be back! :flower3:

Sara

mkluvsmickey

08-22-2009, 01:23 PM

I'll be here when you are! :goodvibes

jillyb

08-22-2009, 04:20 PM

I'm still here too! :goodvibes

crocko

08-24-2009, 05:26 PM

Still here as well!

Hope you get a chance to update some more soon :-)

mommytothreeboys

08-25-2009, 05:49 PM

Hi Sara! Still here and caught up on your latest updates!

So sorry about Shawn's feet. UGH! I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops one day in Vegas and boy was I sorry! Hurting feet are no fun! :sad2:

The F&G pics are absolutely gorgeous. Kudos to the photographer! ;)

Good for Shawn for being a sport and trying Beverly! :yay:

I just love the WS and your pics of Mexico take me back. Aahh....*sigh*. :lovestruc

OH..and I totally agree about the birds. ICK!! ;)

lovebuzzandwoody

08-25-2009, 06:31 PM

I'm still with you too Sara! :goodvibes

mom2mek

08-25-2009, 09:22 PM

Yay! Thanks everyone! :grouphug: I hope to have an update up sometime in the next day! :banana::banana:

Sara

mom2mek

08-25-2009, 09:32 PM

And......I might have something to tell everyone about....maybe, just maybe....:rolleyes1

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

08-25-2009, 09:37 PM

And......I might have something to tell everyone about....maybe, just maybe....:rolleyes1

Sara

popcorn::

Is that extended free dining haunting you?

mom2mek

08-25-2009, 09:43 PM

popcorn::

Is that extended free dining haunting you?

Well, that would be nice....but I'll have to wait and see....we're thinking of FEBRUARY!!! I do hope they will come out with some kind of 4/3 thing like they did last year though....that would be super duper nice!

I'll explain more about it later....there's a "catch"! :stir:

Sara

jillyb

08-26-2009, 07:37 AM

And......I might have something to tell everyone about....maybe, just maybe....:rolleyes1

Sara

Oh you tease you! LOL

DisneyJo

08-26-2009, 07:52 AM

Can't wait to read more Sara :goodvibes

Poohtigeey

09-02-2009, 09:58 PM

BUMP!

he he he, I know the secret.....
Just coming on to see if you had a ticker...

lovebuzzandwoody

09-03-2009, 08:50 AM

BUMP!

he he he, I know the secret.....
Just coming on to see if you had a ticker...

You are rotten Monica! ;)

Nope... I scrolled back up... no ticker. :rolleyes:

But I got one! :woohoo:

mommytothreeboys

09-03-2009, 09:27 AM

oooooh! A surprise with a "catch"! Can't wait to hear it! popcorn::

mom2mek

09-03-2009, 03:59 PM

HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, FOLKS…..SHE’S DOING AN UPDATE…..:eek:

So....remember me???? Yeah, I know it's been more than a month and a half since I last updated...YIKES! So where was I? Ok, to sum up…..Shawn and I took a couples only trip in May and stayed at the Poly. Our first night after arriving we went to AK for EMH and then dinner at Boma. Our next day started with Shawn having some feet trouble and us heading to Epcot after buying him some new shoes…..we had enjoyed our morning at Future World, re-bandaged Shawn's feet at First Aid, and made it to Mexico.

So far we have had two margaritas....ok, on with the show....

After making it through the jungles of Mexico, our next stop around the World was (obviously) Norway - the land of my ancestors!!

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Did you know (I learned this from watching the “Stacy” show) that they have people who come clip the grass on top of the building in Norway with scissors or clippers….in the real Norway, they have goats for that! LOL!

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We saw the lovely and towering Stave Chapel, and thought about stopping and riding Maelstrom, but we still had our margaritas, so that was a no-go! In fact, the fact that we had the margaritas in our hands made us just want to sit down on a bench and enjoy the scenery instead of continuing to walk. So even though we didn't take a nap (like Nicole predicted), we did sit down and watch the world go by. It was such a nice day and we snuggled on a bench under a tree and sipped away on our Mexican margaritas in the Norweigan countryside!

And with no jet lag either! :yay:

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(It was a beautiful and sunny day....SO FAR......:rolleyes1)

After a while a CM came up to us and asked us to take a survey....well, okey dokey then...we obliged.

It seems we always try to avoid these people because we are on the move to another ride/character/meal/something and don’t want to take the time out to help these people do their jobs! It took a whopping 3 minutes!

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When we finished with the survey, we decided to carry on to China.

WHAT???

No visit to the giant troll in the Norweigan giftshop?

Nope.

No goofy pictures of us in Viking hats?

Nope.

No snack in the Kringla Bakeri?

Nope.

:sad2:

We figured we would hit it on Satuday when we came back to Epcot. :thumbsup2

I thought Shawn would want to go give that troll a “talking-to” after my girls trip in December, when I got a little up close and personal with the troll!

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(Please note that I did NOT actually put my mouth on that nasty thing....I just got really close. You may also note that I am holding a margarita in THIS picture as well....:rolleyes:)

Apparently, Shawn is very secure and the troll was not a threat in his eyes!

Out of all the beautiful topiaries that were out for the Flower & Garden Festival, this one didn't quite evoke the same ooohhhh and aaahhhh from me.....although he did remind me of those old troll dolls we used to collect for "good luck"!

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So, on to China....

“Ni hao” (Hello!)

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(Apparently, these are not just fun for the kids....):rolleyes1

I was very excited to actually be going into the China pavillion on this trip. We are usually on our way somewhere else and breeze right on past it, but this time I was GOING IN!!!

We entered the Pavillion through the very beautiful and ornate ceremonial gate that is patterned after the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and then made our way over the bridge to the amazing Topiary Dragon...truly spectacular!!!

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....Continued......

Sara

mom2mek

09-03-2009, 04:23 PM

....Continued.....

We stood and admired all of the beautiful scenery around us…the footbridges, the bamboo, the waterfalls, the ponds…..just gorgeous.

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After a while we decided to head into the stunningly beautiful building, or the "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest" to see the Reflections of China film for the first time.

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After about 5 minutes of waiting, we were let into the Circle Vision 360 degree theater for the movie. It was a beautiful movie about China’s history, landscapes, and culture! (Well, the good parts that is...no mention of child labor, human rights, binding the feet of little girls, etc, etc….but I digress....)

Just a lovely film about a beautiful country.

After emerging from the movie we decided it was time for another snack! Lotus Blossom Cafe here we come! Next up on our “snacks and drinks” list was an order of egg rolls and a very thrilling Diet Coke! Yeah, we were living on the edge! The egg rolls were very tasty and left us wanting more, but we didn't want to overdo it since we had our ADR in Japan that night!

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We headed back out into the sun, walked back to Norway to use the restrooms, and then back to China to venture into the gift shops for a while.
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(Shawn thought this guy bore a striking resemblance to himself.....)
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I think the Chinese and Japanese gift shops are my favorite in all of Epcot. Such amazing pieces in both of those gift shops. The Chinese shop is HUGE and has such beautiful items…the silk clothing, the teapots, the jade, the Chinese lanterns, oriental carpets, and the pandas…..LOVE the pandas!

We debated getting our girls the little silk robe sets, but thought we would just think about it and if we still wanted to, we could get it on Saturday when we came back to Epcot. I really enjoyed getting to walk through this gift shop without worrying about any little hands reaching up and pulling some ornate crystal sculpture and having it go crashing to the ground.

Well, I did have to worry about Shawn, but at least with him I can walk away like I don’t know him, right? A kid would make it really clear, really fast, and to my total embarrassment, just who exactly was their mom!!

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(I loved how these little flowers lit up….)

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(Kind of reminds me of Shawn….LOL)

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http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010568.jpg

Next up was a visit to see the Terracotta Tomb Warriors – another first for us.

Shawn was amazed at how each one of those soldiers had a different face – no two faces were alike. We took our sweet time walking through here and looked at everything.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0369.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0378.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0364.jpg
(This one cracks me up)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0371.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0375.jpg

As we exited, we took the long way out of China by going around by some of the water features.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0380.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0381.jpg
(Shawn thought that was kind of a tiny outhouse….)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0386.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0387.jpg
(Downside of not having any kids with you….WE had to get in some of the pictures….)

We saw a young mom helping her son with the KP mission….so cute! She looked a little frustrated with it herself, and I said something about it looking fun, and she said, referring to her son, “maybe for him!”

Way to go, Mom! I hope she found some fun in it eventually…..for his sake!

And with that, we left China…..zài jiàn (bye bye)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0393.jpg

and were off to the next stop….

Up next….Shawn gets tied up in knots!

mkluvsmickey

09-03-2009, 04:29 PM

mommytothreeboys

09-03-2009, 07:22 PM

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0315.jpg

That's how mine was supposed to look! This picture is GORGEOUS! The inside of that building is breathtaking.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0381.jpg
(Shawn thought that was kind of a tiny outhouse….)

LOL!! It's a drop-box for the KimPossible Kimmunicators! Nice camouflage, huh? ;)

Great update Sara...well worth waiting for! Your "just us" trip with Shawn just looks heavenly.

MeMom

09-03-2009, 08:00 PM

Very nice update. Beautiful pictures!
I, too, like the China and Japan shopping, since it is so different from normal shopping.

The whole tomb warriors story is so fascinating. Things like that would make good features for new Disney Travel Channel shows. (Which I hope someone is out there making, because I'm ready for more!)

mom2mek

09-04-2009, 08:57 AM

Woo Hoo for an update Sara! :cool1::cool1:

I just love the pictures you guys took on this trip, so crisp and clear. They are beautiful.

Love the pic of you two on the bench. :love:

LOL on the troll from girls trip! I got to make a cameo in your TR! :thumbsup2

Did you buy Shawn the pink flamingo?

I too love the China and Japan gift shops and could spend a long time in there, especially without a child.

You and Shawn should have done a Kim Possible mission! They are really fun, even for adults!
Thanks Michelle! That troll pic always cracks me up! THE MARGARITA MADE ME DO IT!!!! I swear we would have done anything Monica asked us to...what is wrong with us??? She isn't in any of the embarrassing pics!!:rotfl2:

No, we didn't get the pink flamingo....maybe next time! :goodvibes

We should have done a KP mission....that would have been funny!!

That's how mine was supposed to look! This picture is GORGEOUS! The inside of that building is breathtaking.

LOL!! It's a drop-box for the KimPossible Kimmunicators! Nice camouflage, huh? ;)

Great update Sara...well worth waiting for! Your "just us" trip with Shawn just looks heavenly.
Thanks Missy! :goodvibes It really was a great trip - I don't know why I'm having such a hard time writing about it!:confused3 Just been so busy around here.....but it was nice to look at all the pics and start re-living it again!

Very nice update. Beautiful pictures!
I, too, like the China and Japan shopping, since it is so different from normal shopping.

The whole tomb warriors story is so fascinating. Things like that would make good features for new Disney Travel Channel shows. (Which I hope someone is out there making, because I'm ready for more!)
Thanks for sticking with me! That's a great idea for the Travel Channel shows! I'm ready for more, too! (But I still keep watching any of the old ones when they come on....even if I do know them word for word! :laughing:)

Sara

meeko_33785

09-05-2009, 02:00 PM

Nice to see an update! Beautiful photos too. Well done.

kaysmommie

09-05-2009, 04:52 PM

Hi Sara,
Yay :yay: for and update!! Your pictures of Norway and China are just amazing. With the kids we just never stop to take more than a very fast picture I guess :goodvibes, maybe if we go in December. Anyway waiting not very patiently to hear more about this possible trip in February. Thinking you are going to stay at Poly, maybe the same time a good friend of yours is going.

jillyb

09-05-2009, 07:14 PM

kaysmommie

09-05-2009, 07:45 PM

I knew there was a secret but did I miss the announcement???!!

No you didn't miss anything, I'm just taking a guess :goodvibes

lovebuzzandwoody

09-05-2009, 09:39 PM

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0323.jpg

(I loved how these little flowers lit up….)

I love how we can TELL they are lit up in your photo! Man, you guys take awesome pictures Sara!

p.s. I want some of those for my dining room!

ladybugmom

09-05-2009, 11:22 PM

Hi Sara!! All caught up!! YAY for an update!! Can't wait to hear your secret!!

DisneyJo

09-06-2009, 03:26 PM

Your photos are amazing and I really need to explore China better next trip as I haven't seen so many things that you took photos of :thumbsup2

luvngoofy

09-07-2009, 10:26 PM

Great update and, beautiful pictures!
But I did see poor Shawns feet in one, all bandaged up. :sad1:
I'm guessing the margaritas helped with that some!

mom2mek

09-08-2009, 09:44 AM

Nice to see an update! Beautiful photos too. Well done. Thanks so much! :goodvibes

Hi Sara,
Yay :yay: for and update!! Your pictures of Norway and China are just amazing. With the kids we just never stop to take more than a very fast picture I guess :goodvibes, maybe if we go in December. Anyway waiting not very patiently to hear more about this possible trip in February. Thinking you are going to stay at Poly, maybe the same time a good friend of yours is going. Hehe Nichole! The Poly would be great, but probably not! We'll see.....I might have to start a new report with some details so I can get some real input from everyone!!! :thumbsup2

I knew there was a secret but did I miss the announcement???!!
No Jill! No announcement yet (and no official ticker), but I will let you know as soon as I know! :laughing:

I love how we can TELL they are lit up in your photo! Man, you guys take awesome pictures Sara!

p.s. I want some of those for my dining room!
Aren't they pretty, Nicole? I wanted some for my dining room too! They were so sweet! :love:

Hi Sara!! All caught up!! YAY for an update!! Can't wait to hear your secret!!
Thanks Becky! I hope I have some more "official" news to tell everyone soon! :cool1:

Your photos are amazing and I really need to explore China better next trip as I haven't seen so many things that you took photos of :thumbsup2

Thanks Jo! This was the first time we have really been able to explore China! We missed the acrobats this trip though....:sad1: They are always amazing!

Great update and, beautiful pictures!
But I did see poor Shawns feet in one, all bandaged up. :sad1:
I'm guessing the margaritas helped with that some!

LOL! I know - in the picture with his "twin"? His feet were holding up ok at this point.....but the saga continued.....

Hope to have another update soon everyone! I can't thank you enough for sticking with me....when I go so long between updates I can only hope people will still read....so from the bottom of my heart I thank you! :grouphug:

Sara

ladybugmom

09-09-2009, 11:19 AM

Thanks Becky! I hope I have some more "official" news to tell everyone soon! :cool1:

Oooh--really!? You have me very curious!! :goodvibes

mom2mek

09-15-2009, 10:47 PM

Day 2 - Epcot
Part "whatever" - Making our way around the World....still.....

We made our way out of China and before long we were in the land of the African outpost!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0394-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010576-1.jpg

We stopped for a few photos but soon saw the cute Captain Hook and Croc topiaries and had to quickly check out the kids area where they were.

Shawn and I both work for a marine construction company, and yet Shawn was having serious trouble with this knot tying display. Maybe it was the margaritas that was inhibiting his ability....Oh well, as he says many times...."If you can't tie a knot, tie A LOT!!!"

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010577-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010578-1.jpg

I found it interesting that the mulch in this kids play area was made out of tires. It was BLAZING hot! I could feel it rubbing up against the sides of my feet and it was painful! Needless to say there weren't too many kids playing in there.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0396.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0397.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0399.jpg

We saw some beautiful artwork in one of the kiosks outside of Germany....(I think.....I'm going in order of my pics here....sorry, memory is fading)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0406.jpg

The Bavarian inspired buildings welcomed us into Germany!!! Guten Tag!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0407.jpg

Hummells, Christmas ornaments, chocolates, cuckoo clocks, crystal, glassware, German steins, teddy bears.... there sure are a lot of stores in Germany! We enjoyed looking at everything but for some reason, made no purchases.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0408.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0410.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0412.jpg
(yep....it's beautiful, but if I had $37k I still don't think I would buy it)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0415.jpg
(Loved the glockenspiel clock)

Germany certainly makes up for it's lack of rides and/or movies by its atmosphere - it's really quite charming!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0418.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0419.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0421.jpg

Bye Germany...."Bionjourno Italy!!!!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0429.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0436.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image418.jpg
(We actually remembered to stop and take some photopass pictures in here)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image422.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image428.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image414.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0439.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0443.jpg
(Time for another drink....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0444.jpg
(This was delicious.....and you have to love wine when it comes with chocolates!)

....Continued......

Sara

ladybugmom

09-15-2009, 10:55 PM

YAY!! Another update!! Again--your pictures are great!! You got some really good PP pics, too!! NICE! So how long are you going to keep us hanging about this secret?! ;)

jillyb

09-15-2009, 10:59 PM

Love the picture of you in the hat!

mom2mek

09-15-2009, 11:49 PM

....Continued......

We enjoyed our wine and took some more pictures of this very beautiful, albeit small, pavilion...

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0445.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0446.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0447a.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0449.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0450.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0451.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0423.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0435.jpg

Okey dokey....moving on.....to....the USA Pavilion....The American Adventure....rightly placed in the middle of the World Showcase! :thumbsup2

Not surprisingly, being from the southeast area of VA, and very close to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, I love the Colonial architecture of the main building, We were right on time for a performance from the amazing Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps! So serious with what they do, and they do it very well!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0454.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0457.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0462.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0464.jpg

As they finished their performance (and I finished my wine from Italy), we decided to go inside the pavilion to try and catch the Voices of Liberty. On the way in, I grabbed a picture of my Army veteran husband with the very patriotic and spirited Corps! They were able to finally smile!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0470.jpg

Inside, we got some nice seats right on the circle and before long the Voices of Liberty emerged and began their performance.

Truly spectacular!!! The VOL are so wonderfully talented, and I am so glad we were able to catch them this time around as it has been YEARS since I have seen them.

A couple of snippets of the show....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/th_P1010585.jpg (http://s703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/?action=view&current=P1010585.flv)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/th_P1010589.jpg (http://s703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/?action=view&current=P1010589.flv)

Feeling very patriotic, we ventured on in to see the American Adventure...

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0473.jpg

The building is so gorgeous....the enormous rotunda of elegant marble floors, white columns, dome ceiling, and beautiful paintings along the walls make this a stunning representation of America. I loved reading all the uplifting quotes that are there with them as well!

However, and I know I might be in the minority with this, but for the most part, I don't like the American Adventure all that much.:eek:

I guess I should clarify that.

In comparison to the other country's movies, I'm disappointed that we don't better highlight our gorgeous country and landscapes. The movies in China, France, and Canada focus on the beauty of their countries, and well....the American Adventure just seems to focus so much on the sad and unfortunate times in our history (war, death, suffering of Native Americans, slavery, etc, etc)...I'm not saying that these things aren't a part of our history....they most certainly are....I'm just saying that comparitively, I'm a little saddened that up until the last 5 minutes of the show, the whole thing makes me kind of sad. Ironically, the last 5 minutes of the show are the most simple...it's a film of faces and news scenes fading in and out of the clouds....the last part usually does have me well up with a tear or two and makes me swell with pride as I leave the theater.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0474.jpg

Anyway....vent over....overall, we enjoyed it and the theater it takes place in is gorgeous. The combination of the animatronics, the moving stages, the music is great and the theater is quiet, dark, and cool. ..a nice combination for us that day!

As we left the theater, the skies had turned grey......The only "grey" I had on my mind was my Grey Goose Lemon Citron slushie in France and I was not happy that the skies were looking ominous....

Does my GGLCS curse from prior trips continue......????

Sara

mom2mek

09-16-2009, 08:41 AM

YAY!! Another update!! Again--your pictures are great!! You got some really good PP pics, too!! NICE! So how long are you going to keep us hanging about this secret?! ;)

Thanks Becky! :hug: I don't have any "official" news, so I hate to jinx myself by putting it out there in print, ya know? :rolleyes1

Love the picture of you in the hat!

LOL - Thanks Jill! I was getting a little sun, don't ya think? I look really red in that picture!

Did another update after you two read the last one....scroll back up....:rolleyes1

Sara

mommytothreeboys

09-16-2009, 10:06 AM

mkluvsmickey

09-16-2009, 12:56 PM

Yay - two updates! :cool1: Love the pictures of both you and Shawn in the hats. :thumbsup2 And the picture of you behind the railing is really cool.

Cute couple pictures too, I'm glad you guys got some done. The first Lady and the Tramp one is my favorite I think.

Love the Fife and Drum Corps! And Voices of Liberty too, though we haven't seen them in a while. My favorite music teachers in school (husband and wife team) left teaching to do this while I was in high school. We used to go see them as often as possible and since then, I've always loved hearing Voices of Liberty.

I sure hope you got your slushie!!

DisneyJo

09-16-2009, 01:54 PM

I love the photos with Lady & the Tramp, so pretty.

The drummers look cool and great you got to listen to VOL :thumbsup2

mom2mek

09-17-2009, 09:37 AM

Great updates Sara!

Your photopass pics are fantastic! :thumbsup2

MMM....wine and chocolates....what's not to like?? ;)

Very cute picture of you peeking through the railing. Your hubby has a great eye for cool photos!

Margaritas in Mexico, wine in Italy, Grey Goose in France.....no beer in Germany? :confused:

Thanks Missy!

Nope, no beer in Germany! Weird, huh? (I don't drink beer, but Shawn certainly does, but he wasn't interested at that point for some reason...:confused3)

The wine and chocolates were delicious! :cloud9:

Yay - two updates! :cool1: Love the pictures of both you and Shawn in the hats. :thumbsup2 And the picture of you behind the railing is really cool.

Cute couple pictures too, I'm glad you guys got some done. The first Lady and the Tramp one is my favorite I think.

Love the Fife and Drum Corps! And Voices of Liberty too, though we haven't seen them in a while. My favorite music teachers in school (husband and wife team) left teaching to do this while I was in high school. We used to go see them as often as possible and since then, I've always loved hearing Voices of Liberty.

I sure hope you got your slushie!!
Thanks Michelle! I like the Lady and the Tramp ones too....even if their dog eyes are kind of weird-looking! :laughing:

That's very cool about your music teachers being in the VOL! I think if I had ever auditioned for Disney, that's what I would have wanted to do! :goodvibes

I love the photos with Lady & the Tramp, so pretty.

The drummers look cool and great you got to listen to VOL :thumbsup2

Thanks Jo! Hearing the VOL is always a treat, isn't it?

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

09-18-2009, 10:24 AM

Woohoo... some updates! :thumbsup2 And they did not disappoint, as usual! :goodvibes I am still amazed at how much ground you were able to cover without the kids in tow!

KathyRN137

09-18-2009, 11:15 AM

Hi Sara!

I feel the same ambivelance toward the American Adventure... perhaps because we're the "home" pavilion the Imagineers focused more on showing a history lesson rather than a travel narrative... it does seem to have a heavier tone than the other movies. Nevertheless, it's still enjoyable... especially the parts with the audio-animatronics.

The two of you seem to be having such a lovely time together just strolling through the World... it must have been very therapeutic!

;) Hope the next update is not so long in coming; I really enjoy them!

Kathy

kaysmommie

09-18-2009, 01:29 PM

Great update Sara! love the pics too. I agree with you on American Adventure, it's not as good as some of the other countries attractions. Such a shame. Hope you were able to get your GGLCS.

mom2mek

09-18-2009, 02:46 PM

Woohoo... some updates! :thumbsup2 And they did not disappoint, as usual! :goodvibes I am still amazed at how much ground you were able to cover without the kids in tow!

Thanks Nicole! Yep - without kids you can really see a lot of the World Showcase! That's why trips of all sizes and shapes are so nice - you see different things and make different memories each time!

Hi Sara!

I feel the same ambivelance toward the American Adventure... perhaps because we're the "home" pavilion the Imagineers focused more on showing a history lesson rather than a travel narrative... it does seem to have a heavier tone than the other movies. Nevertheless, it's still enjoyable... especially the parts with the audio-animatronics.

The two of you seem to be having such a lovely time together just strolling through the World... it must have been very therapeutic!

;) Hope the next update is not so long in coming; I really enjoy them!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I think you're right about the travel narrative vs. history lesson thing. I guess it saddens me because every country has had to suffer through war and death, and yet their movies just focus on what makes their countries beautiful....just wish there was more positive things coming out of our representative "show"! It's very well done, don't get me wrong, and I really do appreciate the history lesson; it's just not a real pick-me-up kind of thing (until the last few minutes anyways).

We were having a lovely day! :cloud9:

Great update Sara! love the pics too. I agree with you on American Adventure, it's not as good as some of the other countries attractions. Such a shame. Hope you were able to get your GGLCS.

Thanks Nichole! I think the show is really well-done...just wish they had a little more about what makes our country so beautiful - celebrate the positive in all the countries!!

Stay tuned for the GGLCS update!!! :rolleyes1

Sara

faerieprincess

09-19-2009, 11:21 AM

mom2mek

09-19-2009, 05:18 PM

Well.... i'm not sure how i managed to miss this for SO LONG but i am finally here and have caught right up. As always your pictures are beautiful and it is a treat to read your updates! So far it seems like you and Shawn had a wonderful time and i can't wait to finish hearing about your trip!

Yay! Sare is here! So glad you found me again! I take forever, don't I? I'm sure you were like "she HAS to be finished by now!" :rotfl2:

Nope. :sad2:

Only Day 2!

I'm pathetic! :rolleyes1

Hope to have yet another update up very soon....do you have any more trips in the works??

Sara

faerieprincess

09-20-2009, 10:07 AM

Yay! Sare is here! So glad you found me again! I take forever, don't I? I'm sure you were like "she HAS to be finished by now!" :rotfl2:

Nope. :sad2:

Only Day 2!

I'm pathetic! :rolleyes1

Hope to have yet another update up very soon....do you have any more trips in the works??

Sara

You're not pathetic at all - you're consistent! Besides, if you'd finished already, what would i have to look forward to? :goodvibes

Nope, no trips planned. i just took my summer holidays (finally) and had beautiful hot sunny weather the whole time (which i've been rubbing in the noses of everyone else at work who took their holidays in July and August and had either freezing cold rainy weeks or stifling humid horrible weeks :rolleyes1. Of course they started it by teasing me in July about my holidays being two months away). i'm trying to plan a trip for April to make me feel better about my upcoming 29+1 birthday, but i'm not sure if it will be Disney or Paris or someplace hot!

How are your kids doing? :hug:

mom2mek

09-20-2009, 09:54 PM

You're not pathetic at all - you're consistent! Besides, if you'd finished already, what would i have to look forward to? :goodvibes

Nope, no trips planned. i just took my summer holidays (finally) and had beautiful hot sunny weather the whole time (which i've been rubbing in the noses of everyone else at work who took their holidays in July and August and had either freezing cold rainy weeks or stifling humid horrible weeks :rolleyes1. Of course they started it by teasing me in July about my holidays being two months away). i'm trying to plan a trip for April to make me feel better about my upcoming 29+1 birthday, but i'm not sure if it will be Disney or Paris or someplace hot!

How are your kids doing? :hug:

April is very nice for Disney! ;) As well as Paris (the only time I have been was the end of April/first week of May)! That 29+1 birthday is a great reason to celebrate! Hope you can start planning something soon!

Kids are great, thanks! They are all 3 in school now! :scared1: Katie just started pre-K (she goes for 3 hours in the morning....) and I can't believe it! The other two are in 3rd and 1st grades! Time flies!

So, I typed up an update last night, fell asleep while typing, and when I woke up my computer was locked up and it wouldn't let me save....grrr....I've got to stop writing up this stuff so late in the day! :sad2: Hope to have it put up tonight....gotta go remember what I wrote though....hope to be back later tonight to post.

Sara

mom2mek

09-20-2009, 11:07 PM

[

mom2mek

09-20-2009, 11:19 PM

May 14, 2009 - Epcot
Part 6 - Rainy Day and Sara gets twins!!!

After we emerged from the American Adventure, it was looking pretty dreary outside. Where did the sun go? Oh well, next on the tour would have been Japan, however, we carried on past Japan and headed towards Morocco. I did snap this picture of the building in Japan as we passed it....apparently they were doing some work on it!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010590.jpg
(Funny how they don't try and replace the part that is covered with boards/tarps/etc, like they do at the MK...)

As we walked past Japan....it started.

The Rain.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0476.jpg

I just chuckled, knowing we were one pavilion away from France and knowing what has happened to me on almost every trip to Disney since I discovered the GGLCS.

The first time it didn't rain, but I was in the middle of a mid-trip, mid-day, missed-our-break kind of day with my then 2 year old, and well, how can I say this, wasn't truly able to really savor my slushie....it was more of a "chug- this- down- as- fast- as- you- can- so- you- can- handle- the- meltdown- that- is- awaiting- you- from- your- toddler- and- before- this- drink- melts" kind of moment. :sad2:

The 2nd time (last October), it was pouring. Not just a little. Like huddle under an overhang on the crepe stand and balance your slushie and crepe on top of a trash can and try to drink it before it gets watered down with rainwater! :sad2:

Ugh...2 for 2....

Fast forward to my super-duper girls-only quick trip in December. Although I was able to enjoy my slushie on that trip, it did rain as soon as we were approaching the France side of the WS!

So, the fact that we were getting close to France and the skies were totally dark was not surprising. We made the best out of it, and decided to go hide out in a very empty Morocco.

How beautiful is this place? Oh my word.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0498.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0506.jpg

I just loved all of the warm terra cotta and plaster buildings, the green roofs, the tiled building walls, and all the alleys and stucco archways. The Moroccan music was playing, and much to Shawn's liking, the belly dancer was out performing. We hung out under one of the archways in the rain for a while and then started to make our way through the stores. It was starting to feel noticeably cooler at this point!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0505.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010591.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010598.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010599.jpg

At this point, the rain had tapered off a little bit, so we headed back the other way (this is when I should have gone to France for my slushie...but I digress...). I made a phone call home to see how the kids were doing and Shawn explored the red torri gate and all of the Bonzai trees.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0487.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0480.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0478.jpg
(I LOVE this one)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0479.jpg
(But I REALLY LOVE this one....Spaceship Earth is framed so perfectly in the Bonzai!)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0481.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0492.jpg

After continually getting wet with the on-again, off-again rain showers, and getting increasingly more cold, we decided to venture on in to the gigantic Japanese department store, Mitsukoshi. Our daughter had a project due the day after we were returning from our trip, and although we had a lot of it done already, we were looking for a few items in this store to help her out. It was a country project, where she had to pick a country and complete a poster about the country's history, language, clothing, food, etc....Emily picked Japan. :thumbsup2

After we walked around for a while, we decided to pick up a small Japanese flag, some chopsticks, a mini-fan, and a piece of stationery that had a very nice saying on it written in Japanese (which right now I can't remember what it said). We also got a note card and had the sweet little Japanese CM write Emily's name on it in Japanese. We ended up having more than enough for her project once you combined it with some pictures and things that she helped us pick out online and print.

So, up next was a gift for me!! I've always wanted to try the pick-a-pearl thing so today was the day! I had Shawn pick out the ugliest, most hairy, most nasty looking oyster and it paid off....I got twins!! Two pearls for the price of one!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0527.jpg

We decided to go ahead and get a pair of earrings made with the pearls, and while they were fixing the setting, thought we would see what was going on outside.

We were able to catch a performance of the Matsuriza drummers. They are so athletic and fun to watch. They were performing out in front of the store since the pagoda had all those boards around it.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0528.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0529.jpg

Shawn got a phone call from work at this point, so we moved over to the other side (in front of the CS place) and watched from over there.
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0531.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0532.jpg

After the show, we explored a little more of the area behind the CS place, Yakitori Place. How pretty it is back there! We made a mental note to grab some CS food here one day and sit back in the courtyard behind the building.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0539.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0541.jpg

Up next....there's a sunset in Tokyo with MY name on it????

mommytothreeboys

09-21-2009, 07:47 AM

kaysmommie

09-21-2009, 08:25 AM

Great update Sara and your pictures are amazing!! :yay:on getting twins at the pick a pearl in Japan. I have always hope for them so I could make earrings. We always get single ones though :goodvibes. Waiting to see if you made it to get your GGLCS.

mom2mek

09-21-2009, 10:37 AM

Hi Sara!

yuck...rain...but, :woohoo::woohoo:, MOROCCO!!! My favorite! It is so beautiful. Love the fez picture! ;)

Shawn's bonzai pictures are amazing. He has such a great eye. :thumbsup2

I love the little pathway in Japan that wanders into the back...so pretty! We didn't spend much time in the store...we'll have to remember to do that next time!
Thanks Missy! Morocco is so pretty! You just never realize it until you get the chance to really explore it - and it was really empty back there. I just realized that I must not have downloaded all of Shawn's pics from Morocco because there was one I really loved of the fountain and it's not there....:confused3 I might have to go back in time and post some more pics when I find out where the heck they went!

Great update Sara and your pictures are amazing!! :yay:on getting twins at the pick a pearl in Japan. I have always hope for them so I could make earrings. We always get single ones though :goodvibes. Waiting to see if you made it to get your GGLCS.
Thanks Nichole! I loved doing the pick-a-pearl thing! I love how they beat the little drum and sing! The sweet little Japanese CM who was opening the oysters was so cute....she just kept going with the "arigato" over and over......I was glad to get some earrings - they are really sweet!

Sara

BippityBoo

09-21-2009, 11:06 AM

mkluvsmickey

09-21-2009, 11:23 AM

So, the curse of the GGLCS lives on! That is just crazy!

Love the pics, especially from Japan, my favorite! I love those drummers also.

Funny about the stuff for Emily's project. Last year Sam had to do a report on Australia so we picked up an Australian flag and koala bear postcard (during Food and Wine when they have more booths). See, Disney trips come in handy for these pesky school projects!

I don't think I know that you did the pick a pearl thing and got twins! How fun!

lovebuzzandwoody

09-21-2009, 11:53 AM

Oooh, I heard that you should pick the nastiest hairiest oyster! Glad to hear that it paid off for you! :goodvibes Will you show us your earrings?

mom2mek

09-21-2009, 12:15 PM

Hey Sara!! Thought I subscribed to your TR...but I guess not! Bummer..I am going back to read from the beginning! Congrats on getting twin pearls:banana: I can not WAIT to do that on our next trip. Also, the pic with spaceship earth and the tree is sooo amazing. You must put that in a contest or something! Can not wait to read more. Marocco looks amazing. We had to skip it last time, but are planning on eating at Tangerine Cafe in January!!

Thanks Katie! Glad you found me again! I really want to try Tangerine Cafe too - we have never been there and it smelled so good as we were walking past! We had our ADR at Japan coming up and I wanted to be good and hungry though! :goodvibes

So, the curse of the GGLCS lives on! That is just crazy!

Love the pics, especially from Japan, my favorite! I love those drummers also.

Funny about the stuff for Emily's project. Last year Sam had to do a report on Australia so we picked up an Australian flag and koala bear postcard (during Food and Wine when they have more booths). See, Disney trips come in handy for these pesky school projects!

I don't think I know that you did the pick a pearl thing and got twins! How fun!

I thought I told you when I saw you at the beach that night? Maybe not. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for the girls to do it! :thumbsup2

Sara

mom2mek

09-21-2009, 12:19 PM

Oooh, I heard that you should pick the nastiest hairiest oyster! Glad to hear that it paid off for you! :goodvibes Will you show us your earrings?

Yeah, I left the picking up to Shawn and he was convinced that he knew which one would have the best pearl! :thumbsup2

Yes, I think we took a picture of the completed earrings!! I'll post it when I find it! If not, I can take one now! :goodvibes

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

09-21-2009, 12:33 PM

Yeah, I left the picking up to Shawn and he was convinced that he knew which one would have the best pearl! :thumbsup2

Yes, I think we took a picture of the completed earrings!! I'll post it when I find it! If not, I can take one now! :goodvibes

Sara

Yay! :goodvibes

I am hoping to treat Abby and my sister (and maybe myself too!) with this in Dec.

castmemberb4

09-21-2009, 01:39 PM

I Love that little Yakitori Place courtyard, it's one of my favorite places to rest, it's so peaceful back there.

DisneyJo

09-21-2009, 04:48 PM

The bonsai photo is absolutely gorgeous and oh no I can't believe you missed your slushie again!

Congrats on the pearls, lucky you for getting two, they look so pretty :goodvibes

mom2mek

09-21-2009, 07:13 PM

I Love that little Yakitori Place courtyard, it's one of my favorite places to rest, it's so peaceful back there.
Thanks! It's definitely on my list to return to! So pretty! :cloud9:

The bonsai photo is absolutely gorgeous and oh no I can't believe you missed your slushie again!

Congrats on the pearls, lucky you for getting two, they look so pretty :goodvibes

Thanks Jo! I was pretty darn excited about my twin pearls! (doesn't take much, can you tell? :laughing:)

I'm cursed with the slushies! :sad2:

Sara

mom2mek

09-21-2009, 09:27 PM

I knew I was missing a bunch of pictures from Morocco and Japan. I just looked on Shawn's computer and found some. :woohoo:

So, here are a few extra photos to go with the last installment:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0511.jpg
(Not the best pic...but he thought it was funny that the Earth was sitting in the fountain....:rolleyes:)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0515.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0518.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0520.jpg

And now, more Japan....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0522.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0523.jpg
(The lovely Japanese CM who opened my oyster)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0524.jpg
(After she opened the oyster, she put the pearls in this little case and showed them to all the spectators!)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0533.jpg
(The koi pond)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0543.jpg
(More of the drummers)

More up soon...

Sara

Diamondintheruff

09-21-2009, 10:15 PM

KathyRN137

09-21-2009, 11:17 PM

You're not pathetic at all - you're consistent!

OMGoodness! :lmao:

After the show, we explored a little more of the area behind the CS place, Yakitori Place. How pretty it is back there! We made a mental note to grab some CS food here one day and sit back in the courtyard behind the building.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0539.jpg

Wow, Sara! In all my visits to WS I've never seen this part of Japan! :eek: I'm making my own mental note to check it out this year. . . thanks!!

Congratulations on "the twins!" (Do we get a picture of the finished product?)

Kathy

mom2mek

09-22-2009, 12:33 PM

Just found your report and got caught up. (Okay so it took me a couple days to get caught up but I'm glad I did).

Your poor Dh's feet look terrible. I'm predicting that his foot muscles aren't used to the flip of the flip flops and he gets some muscle pain later on. But how funny is it that he had two different shoes? That's something I would do after I had two margaritas and a grey goose slushy.

Your pictures (okay really your Dh's) are lovely. Looking forward to reading the rest.Thanks for reading along. The foot pain saga is only beginning.....:guilty:

OMGoodness! :lmao:

Wow, Sara! In all my visits to WS I've never seen this part of Japan! :eek: I'm making my own mental note to check it out this year. . . thanks!!

Congratulations on "the twins!" (Do we get a picture of the finished product?)

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I thought we took one of the finished product, but I can't find it - I will just have to take one now and post it. That area behind the Yakatori House is gorgeous! :goodvibes

Sara

PrincessPaczki

09-22-2009, 01:39 PM

Hi!:) I am loving your trip report. Your pictures are beautiful. I am looking forward to the rest of it.:thumbsup2

Tnkrbelle565

09-22-2009, 01:52 PM

Better late then never!!! I'm jumping in late! Great TR so far with lots of great pics! Congrats on your twins ;)

mom2mek

09-22-2009, 10:17 PM

Hi!:) I am loving your trip report. Your pictures are beautiful. I am looking forward to the rest of it.:thumbsup2

Thanks for reading! I will pass the word on to Shawn that his pictures are being enjoyed. I do have some that I took that are in the report, but they are usually the ones with bad lighting, bad framing, rain spots, etc...:laughing:

Better late then never!!! I'm jumping in late! Great TR so far with lots of great pics! Congrats on your twins ;)

Thanks for reading along, Kristine! I was very excited to get the twins! :thumbsup2

Sara

mom2mek

09-22-2009, 10:43 PM

[I][B]Day 2 - May 14, 2009 - Epcot
Part 7 - Tokyo Sunset and Tic-Tac-Toe

After a little more dilly-dallying in and around Japan, we decided to head over for our 6:00 ADR at Teppan Edo.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0549.jpg

We walked up the very steep flight of stairs to the 2nd level of the building and were issued our lovely little buzzer! The place was packed!!! We waited for a while, probably 15 to 20 minutes or so, before we were led back to our table. It was like the "singles" table at a wedding reception! We were seated with 3 other couples who were dining "alone". The hostess was so sweet and friendly and dressed in a beautiful kimono. She took our drink order and explained the hibachi style restaurant.

While we waited, I noticed a table in front of us that had children and they were using their chopsticks which were tied with a rubber band. I thought, "why don't they let the grown-ups use them that way?" :laughing: I'm terrible with chopsticks!

Before long she was bringing back our drinks. I don't remember what Shawn got, but I do remember what I got....the Tokyo Sunset!:cloud9:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010612.jpg

Oh boy, it was good.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the chef appeared with all of our food ready to be prepared. We have hibachi style restaurants here at home, but at Disney it was even better! This guy was full of energy and lots of fun. I felt kind of bad that he had kind of a stinker of a table. I mean, Shawn and I were the only ones who interacted at all with him and he was so funny! I don't know why everyone else at our table seemed to be so drab. Maybe it was all the rain! :confused3

Anyways, the chef fixed up my chopsticks "kid" style! Yeah, boyee! Cha-ching for the child-chopsticks!:thumbsup2

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010610.jpg

He started right into the cooking....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010613.jpg

First up....a hidden mickey.....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010614.jpg

Then he went on to the building of the onion volcano....steadily talking and laughing the entire time.
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010615.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010616.jpg

Then, I'm guessing since we were the only ones actually talking to him and interacting in any way, he picked Shawn to play tic-tac-toe with him with the veggies!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010617-1.jpg

Shawn was the "O"s and the chef was the "x"s and the last "o" that Shawn placed was the onion volcano, just as it was erupting! Too funny!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010618-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010619-1.jpg

Then he brought out the big guns....yum!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010620-1.jpg

I had the chicken and I think Shawn had the filet. The food was absolutely fabulous (and apparently so were our drinks....)
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010621.jpg

We finished up and headed out in hopes that the rain had stopped....

Two guesses as to whether it had or not....:rolleyes1

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0552.jpg

Nope....raining even harder!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0554.jpg
I love the way the bonzai trees look framed by the torri gate and the lagoon.

We hung out for a while on the outside of the 2nd floor of the building, hoping the rain would taper off and we could carry on to France. After France, we could get a spot for Illuminations. That was the plan, anyway....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0557.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0555.jpg

Up next, the end of the longest day ever in a trip report.....do we get the slushie? Do we see Illuminations?

Sara

mkluvsmickey

09-23-2009, 06:42 AM

Yum! Teppan Edo looks fantastic as always. It's been a while since I've been there but I always enjoy it.

I'm really enjoying Shawn's pictures this morning, so good! :goodvibes

mommytothreeboys

09-23-2009, 08:10 AM

Teppan Edo looks great! We go to Hibachi restaurants with the boys and they LOVE it! I bet they would really enjoy it "Disney-style"!

Love the pic of Shawn being silly! :laughing:

Can't wait to hear about the end of your day! popcorn::

mom2mek

09-23-2009, 08:29 AM

Sorry about those gigantic pics...it was late last night and I thought I re-sized them all correctly....apparently I did not! I'm going to go back and try now and see if it will correct itself! :headache:

Sara

mom2mek

09-23-2009, 09:00 AM

Yum! Teppan Edo looks fantastic as always. It's been a while since I've been there but I always enjoy it.

I'm really enjoying Shawn's pictures this morning, so good! :goodvibes
Thanks Michelle! It's such a great place - but I think it would be more fun if you have a table full of your own group! We had such duds at our table - I tried to just enjoy the banter between the chef and Shawn and I and not care that the other people weren't as "into" it! :thumbsup2 It was great fun!!

Teppan Edo looks great! We go to Hibachi restaurants with the boys and they LOVE it! I bet they would really enjoy it "Disney-style"!

Love the pic of Shawn being silly! :laughing:

Can't wait to hear about the end of your day! popcorn::

Thanks Missy! We love hibachi style too - it's so delicious! Teppan Edo is a really pretty and fun place to eat - your boys would love it! :goodvibes

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

09-23-2009, 11:37 AM

I am sure my sons would enjoy watching the hibachi chef but they wouldn't eat a thing! :sad2: Sadly no Teppan Edo for me.

I am so glad you went for me! Thanks! :thumbsup2

Gosh, even your rain pictures are good. :goodvibes

Tnkrbelle565

09-23-2009, 01:39 PM

We haven't been to Teppen Edo for years....still looks like it's a lot of fun!!! Love the kid style chopsticks! Sadly my 5 year old can use chopsticks better than I can!

mrsksomeday

09-23-2009, 02:09 PM

The Morocco pictures are breathtaking!! Oh my goodness, I love them.

The pictures of you two together are adorable, such a beautiful couple.

The Bonzai pictures are terrific!! It is great you got twin pearls, we are probably going to go there this trip too. I like Kathy, have never seen that part of the Japan Pavilion, how crazy is that. I told Bill we have to go there.

We love Teppan Edo, I don't get why people don't get into the spirit of things, you are at Disney have fun!! I am glad you and Shawn interacted with him. The pic of Shawn and the umbrella is funny! You had to get a slushie, you just had to. I can't wait to get mine in November.

ladybugmom

09-23-2009, 03:20 PM

DisneyJo

09-23-2009, 03:51 PM

I'm with your hubbie I think the photo of the ball in the fountain is hilarious :goodvibes

Sorry you had some downers at your table but good for you playing along with the chef, I love Teppan Edo and can't wait to eat there on Sunday :thumbsup2

faerieprincess

09-23-2009, 04:50 PM

Great updates Sara...you're going along great guns now ;)

Congrats on the pearly twins, and i'm glad Teppan Edo was wonderful. Too bad the others at your table weren't as into it - although maybe they were just shy :confused3

mom2mek

09-23-2009, 10:59 PM

WOW!! I just LOVE your pics from Morocco and Japan!! Breathtaking!! And twin pearls--that's awesome!! I like your strategy!! Your dinner at TE looked wonderful! Don't you hate it when others can't loosen up and have some fun--it's Disney for crying out loud!!

Thanks for the compliments Becky! I don't know why everyone at our table was so subdued....like hardly even cracked a smile. Meanwhile, I was putting umbrellas in Shawn's mouth, taking pics of the chef, requesting kid-style chopsticks....we had a good time! :goodvibes

I'm with your hubbie I think the photo of the ball in the fountain is hilarious :goodvibes

Sorry you had some downers at your table but good for you playing along with the chef, I love Teppan Edo and can't wait to eat there on Sunday :thumbsup2

Woo-hoo, Jo! Have fun and I can't wait to hear all about your Moms Panel reunion!! :thumbsup2

Great updates Sara...you're going along great guns now ;)

Congrats on the pearly twins, and i'm glad Teppan Edo was wonderful. Too bad the others at your table weren't as into it - although maybe they were just shy :confused3

Thanks Sare! Yeah, look out...at this pace, I might just have this thing done by Christmas! :laughing:

True...could have been shy....but I'm shy, and I interacted....don't know....just not into it, I guess! :confused3

Sara

mom2mek

09-23-2009, 11:50 PM

Whoops! Totally missed these posts! Sorry bout that!

I am sure my sons would enjoy watching the hibachi chef but they wouldn't eat a thing! :sad2: Sadly no Teppan Edo for me.

I am so glad you went for me! Thanks! :thumbsup2

Gosh, even your rain pictures are good. :goodvibes

Awww...sorry Nicole! They wouldn't even eat the chicken? It's so good. All those veggies scare them away?

We haven't been to Teppen Edo for years....still looks like it's a lot of fun!!! Love the kid style chopsticks! Sadly my 5 year old can use chopsticks better than I can!
I'm sure your 5 year old can best me with the chopsticks too! I'm terrible and usually give up pretty quickly. I stuck it out with the kid-style ones for a little while! :thumbsup2

The Morocco pictures are breathtaking!! Oh my goodness, I love them.

The pictures of you two together are adorable, such a beautiful couple.

The Bonzai pictures are terrific!! It is great you got twin pearls, we are probably going to go there this trip too. I like Kathy, have never seen that part of the Japan Pavilion, how crazy is that. I told Bill we have to go there.

We love Teppan Edo, I don't get why people don't get into the spirit of things, you are at Disney have fun!! I am glad you and Shawn interacted with him. The pic of Shawn and the umbrella is funny! You had to get a slushie, you just had to. I can't wait to get mine in November.

Thanks Tracy! That back section of Japan is so peaceful and quiet too - a great mid-day resting place! Stay tuned for the slushie update....:rolleyes1

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

09-24-2009, 09:23 AM

Awww...sorry Nicole! They wouldn't even eat the chicken? It's so good. All those veggies scare them away?

My sons do not eat chicken (willingly and peacefully that is) unless it is a nugget. :sad2:

And let's see, one of them will eat carrots and mashed potatoes. The other will eat corn... but only on the cob. That is the extent of veggies with them. :rolleyes:

Yeah, dinnertime at our house is a really good time.

Anyway, sorry, rant over.

Looking forward to the Great Slushie Update of 09! popcorn::

mom2mek

09-24-2009, 12:18 PM

My sons do not eat chicken (willingly and peacefully that is) unless it is a nugget. :sad2:

And let's see, one of them will eat carrots and mashed potatoes. The other will eat corn... but only on the cob. That is the extent of veggies with them. :rolleyes:

Yeah, dinnertime at our house is a really good time.

Anyway, sorry, rant over.

Looking forward to the Great Slushie Update of 09! popcorn::
Yeah, well that's not too different from our house either! :sad2: At Hibachi restaurants, they tend to forget about the chicken not being in nugget-form for some reason! Michael loves steak, so it's never an issue with him....the girls usually have to be coaxed into it. Most of the places we have here locally offer a salad, so that pleases Katie (the girl loves her some salad...:confused3). Emily will eat the rice. With lots of soy sauce! LOL! So between the 3 of them, they sort of eat a full, balanced meal! :laughing: We probably won't do Teppan Edo on a family trip until they are a little older though. It was great for an adults-only trip though! :thumbsup2

Sara

mom2mek

09-25-2009, 10:29 AM

I have something in my signature....all shiny and new.....:banana::banana:

Sara

lovebuzzandwoody

09-25-2009, 10:38 AM

I have something in my signature....all shiny and new.....:banana::banana:

Sara

:woohoo::yay::cool1::yay::woohoo:

Can't wait for details! popcorn::

faerieprincess

09-25-2009, 10:39 AM

I have something in my signature....all shiny and new.....:banana::banana:

Sara

Oooooooooooo Sara love the shiny!!! :woohoo::yay::banana: Is there gonna be a bright shiny new PTR to go with it? :littleangel:

jillyb

09-25-2009, 10:55 AM

Woohoo!! No pressure but now you're gonna have to get this TR completed so you can start on a PTR for your upcoming trip! LOL

Diamondintheruff

09-25-2009, 11:23 AM

Woohoo!! No pressure but now you're gonna have to get this TR completed so you can start on a PTR for your upcoming trip! LOL

That's what I was just thinking too!

Oh that and congrats. I always like knowing when my next trip will be.

mrsksomeday

09-25-2009, 03:13 PM

:yay: YAY!! I can't wait to hear details!

mom2mek

09-25-2009, 09:03 PM

:woohoo::yay::cool1::yay::woohoo:

Can't wait for details! popcorn::

Woohoo!! No pressure but now you're gonna have to get this TR completed so you can start on a PTR for your upcoming trip! LOL

Oooooooooooo Sara love the shiny!!! :woohoo::yay::banana: Is there gonna be a bright shiny new PTR to go with it? :littleangel:

That's what I was just thinking too!

Oh that and congrats. I always like knowing when my next trip will be.

:yay: YAY!! I can't wait to hear details!

Thanks everyone! I will have more details up soon, but right now it looks like we might be doing a split stay with some days in an offsite townhouse in Windsor Hills, followed by 3 nights at the Poly! After being at the Poly this past May with Shawn, I really wanted to get the kids there. However, a full week at the Poly just isn't in the budget, so we will end our trip with a bang with a fun-filled 3 days there!

That's the plan anyway....we'll see what kind of deals happen next week....(supposedly maybe 4/3 deal coming out again, which could change these plans).

We are looking at Feb 6th - Feb 14th. The only portion booked is the Poly portion since I got a good rate from the same agent we used in May. I didn't want to lose that. I have not booked a WH townhouse yet since I want to see what Disney comes out with first. Fingers crossed it's something that will work for us! :thumbsup2

Sara

ladybugmom

09-26-2009, 09:16 PM

Thanks everyone! I will have more details up soon, but right now it looks like we might be doing a split stay with some days in an offsite townhouse in Windsor Hills, followed by 3 nights at the Poly! After being at the Poly this past May with Shawn, I really wanted to get the kids there. However, a full week at the Poly just isn't in the budget, so we will end our trip with a bang with a fun-filled 3 days there!

That's the plan anyway....we'll see what kind of deals happen next week....(supposedly maybe 4/3 deal coming out again, which could change these plans).

We are looking at Feb 6th - Feb 14th. The only portion booked is the Poly portion since I got a good rate from the same agent we used in May. I didn't want to lose that. I have not booked a WH townhouse yet since I want to see what Disney comes out with first. Fingers crossed it's something that will work for us! :thumbsup2

Sara

Whoo hoo!! How exciting!! Let me know if you hear anything next week about any deals! We're planning on going back May 22-29 and another deal would make it even better!! Sooo excited for you!! :woohoo:

MiaBella05

09-27-2009, 10:22 AM

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

mom2mek

09-28-2009, 12:17 AM

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

Thanks! Might want to make yourself comfortable....I'm a little slow with my updates....hope I can pick up the pace and get this thing rolling again! :goodvibes

Sara

BippityBoo

09-28-2009, 12:28 AM

mom2mek

09-28-2009, 12:30 AM

WOOHOO! Sooo exciting! My Travel Agent is at WDW right now. If I can remember correctly, she was taking a behind the scenes tour of the calling center over there. She sent me an email saying that rumor is that the deals are coming out tomorrow! (Monday). We are all anxiously awaiting!! Your TR is the first I have seen that says a 4/3 deal..SO excited. Hopefully, I will talk to you tomorrow with good news :woohoo:

Yes, the 4/3 thing is what I'm hearing about....rumor is for dates 10/1/2009 through 3/31/2010! (Maybe someone will get to extend her January trip to 7 days.....:rolleyes1) Hopefully we will know something for sure very, very, soon! :woohoo:

Sara

mommytothreeboys

09-28-2009, 10:21 AM

Woo-Hoo!!! :woohoo::woohoo: A shiny new countdown!!

If you go Feb 6-14, you'll be there over my 40th Birthday! I wanted to go then, but I just don't see Jeff pulling that one off. :sad2: Can't wait to hear more details!

crocko

09-28-2009, 01:49 PM

Great updates!

I like the tall buildings/small walkways at the back of Morocco.
Also, Japan is gorgeous....definitely a great time to relax and spend some time.

and Teppan Edo....you're making me one to go back there...yummy!

mom2mek

09-28-2009, 11:47 PM

Day 2 - May 14, 2009 - Epcot

Part 8 - Warning! The pictures you are about to look at are, unfortunately, mostly Sara's.....you have been warned.....

When we left Teppan Edo it was around 7:30 and the rain was not letting up. We hung out on the 2nd floor overlooking the lagoon and lamented about the rain. Then we wandered back downstairs and hung out right outside the store. The park was very empty....but we did have the unfortunate opportunity to see a mom totally lose it with her kids. I've been there, done that, so I try not to judge (I know I'm not aware of all that's transcribed right before the "Mommy meltdown" took place), however, the language involved was just so unkind. I'm not talking foul language here....but just "shut up" and "You are so ungrateful" kind of talk coming from the mother to the kids....always upsets me). Anyways, they moved along and after a while we donned our ponchos again and decided to head towards the exit and use our FP for Soarin before we left.

We felt pretty certain that Illuminations would not happen, and even if it did, did not feel we would be able to see that much of it. During our family trip in October, it rained on our Epcot night and even though Illuminations happened, it was really hard to see most of it. We thought that if we tried to wait it out, we wouldn't get to ride Soarin (which we had not yet ridden) and, knowing that we were coming back the day after the next day, we thought we could try and see Illuminations then.

So we headed out. I was absolutely frigid. The temps had dropped quite a bit by then, plus we were wet. I don't know about you, but when my feet get wet, my whole body feels cold. On top of all that, Shawn's feet were KILLING him. The moleskin had seen better days and the leather on the new flip flops was really rubbing on all of those sore spots since the leather was now wet. I oh-so smugly mentioned that my Croc flip-flops weren't rubbing at all.....they were the BEST flip-flops (ie....only flip flops I can wear). I'm so sympathetic sounding, aren't I? (I did feel bad for him...)

Since the rain was POURING down, Shawn put his camera away, so the rest of the night's shots were from my camera since it is waterproof. Unfortunately, being waterproof does not mean any of my pics turned out half-way decent. Most of them are blurry and all of them are water-spotted.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010622.jpg

(the pictures don't do it justice, it was really pouring, but I hate to complain when I know of some people who arrived for their trips a couple of days later and had rain every single day of their trip....)

Approaching France....approaching France....

Unfortunately I was so cold, the thought of actually holding a frozen drink in my hand, much less actually drinking one...didn't appeal to me in the slightest. Even if that frozen drink was a Grey Goose Lemon Citrone Slushie! I knew we would be back, so I tried not to dwell on it for too long. As we passed it, I had to take a picture of the stand though....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010624.jpg

A couple of really sad pictures of France....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010625.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010626.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010627.jpg

And one really sad picture of Shawn.....
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010628.jpg

We carried on past the UK and on to Canada and I stopped to attempt a couple more photos in the rain...
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010629.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010630.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010631.jpg

We hung a left right there past Canada to take that little walkway over to The Land and snagged a few more pics of the topiaries along the way....

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010632-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010633.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010634.jpg

When we finally arrived at The Land if was about 8:30 - we were walking pretty slow if you didn't notice....what with the rain and with Shawn's feet. When we walked into the building, I about froze to death! Oh my word. We took off our ponchos and used the washcloth I carried in my purse to sort of dry off our arms and legs. The ponchos did their job, keeping our clothes from getting wet, however, all of our exposed skin and hair were left, well...what can I say....a little shy of dry! I didn't know what to do with my poncho. I didn't really want to carry around a wet poncho with me, but I didn't want to ball it up and put it back in my purse, getting everything in there soaking wet. We didn't have a stroller this time to stick all of our "junk" in, but I also didn't want to throw it away since I figured it would still be downpouring when we left. Ugh.

In the end, Shawn managed to shake most of the wetness off and he put it in a front section of his camera bag and we headed towards Soarin!

Apparently, we weren't the only ones with the grand idea of riding Soarin while it was pouring down rain because the FP line was not short. But the standby line was over an hour still....don't know if that was a "real" hour, or one of those times they "stack" the time a bit to discourage people from getting in line so close to closing. We ventured in and it took about 15 minutes before we were standing in our loading area.

Time for me to get my ride on!

Soarin was fabulous as always and I just love that everyone breaks out into applause at the end of that ride! We gathered our belongings and headed outside. As we passed Innoventions, guess what we heard? Yep - Illuminations! I thought about stopping but decided against it knowing we would not have a very good viewing area at this point. We kept with our original plan and headed to the monorail. On our way out of the park we saw a lone photopass photographer and put her to work!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image446.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Image443.jpg

As we approached the monorail, we noticed there were very few people, so we asked the gentleman if we could ride up front. "Sure," he said, "although you're not gonna be able to see much with all this rain." Oh well, we wanted to anyway.

We took our seats up by the pilot and waited while he stood outside and talked to the other CMs.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0559.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010635.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/DSC_0560.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/P1010636-1.jpg
(I had to make this one black and white because we are kind of scary looking....LOL)

We had a very interesting conversation with the monorail driver on our way back to the TTC. Now, in hindsight of the monorail accident in July, it's all a bit creepy, but he was telling us all about how the monorails could never crash - the system is set up to never allow that to happen...blah blah blah....

He also told us that they test the monorails sometimes at their highest speed - 103 miles per hour or something crazy like that! He said that the Epcot line runs about 40 mph at top speed with passengers, but they do have the capability to go over 100 and he hopes that someday he will be able to be one of the test drivers! Yikes. Seriously, sitting up front was so shaky and with the rain all over the windshield, we couldn't see a thing! I would NEVER want to be in that thing going 100 mph....

As we arrived back at the TTC, we decided to stop at the espresso stand at the base of the ramp and grab a decaf latte and a chocolate muffin for dessert. We walked back to the room and I left Shawn to go up to the Grand Ceremonial House to find Shawn some more moleskin for the next day.

I shopped around for a while and took my time getting back to the longhouse. As I walked out past the pool, I noticed a lot of people gathered at the beach. Weird....Wishes would have happened about an hour ago, I thought. Well, come to find out Wishes wasn't until 10:00 that night and it was about to start! Woo-hoo!!

I decided to plop myself down on the beach and watch the fireworks. Hey, why not? I even remembered that I had my little camera with me and thought I would attempt a few pictures.

Seriously, I had myself in stitches as I was taking these....you will see why....

...when I post them.....(thought I had them loaded but apparently not....)

Sara

Diamondintheruff

09-29-2009, 07:39 AM

mommytothreeboys

09-29-2009, 07:47 AM

Good morning Sara!

Sorry that the rain was such a pain! :)

The PP pics are cute...you can't even tell you're soaked and cold!

How fun to ride in the front of the monorail...our boys did that on our 2007 trip and I'm glad because I doubt they will allow that anymore. Sad. But the monorail at 100 mph????? NO thanks!

Poor Shawn's feet! UGH! I hope he gets that resolved.

Wishes from the beach! SWEET! :cloud9:

jillyb

09-29-2009, 09:56 AM

Sorry the rain didn't let up but sounds like ya'll made the best of it. Love the PP pics and the black-n-white pic of you and Shawn. How cool you got to see Wishes from the beach!

Tnkrbelle565

09-29-2009, 10:46 AM

Oh I hope WISHES on Poly beach turns this rainy night around!

mom2mek

09-29-2009, 10:47 AM

What a bonus to see Wishes from the beach when you got back!

Sorry about your hubby's feet and he's lucky he's married to you because I wouldn't have been able to be quiet about the whole "you should have gotten crocs instead" thing.

I bet he was one of the people who took his shoes off during soarin!

We both did! :thumbsup2 I love taking my shoes off for that ride! :rotfl:

Just a little hint though...my "smug"ness about my shoes vs. his....it comes back to bite me....:rolleyes1

Good morning Sara!

Sorry that the rain was such a pain! :)

The PP pics are cute...you can't even tell you're soaked and cold!

How fun to ride in the front of the monorail...our boys did that on our 2007 trip and I'm glad because I doubt they will allow that anymore. Sad. But the monorail at 100 mph????? NO thanks!

Poor Shawn's feet! UGH! I hope he gets that resolved.

Wishes from the beach! SWEET! :cloud9:

Thanks Missy! :goodvibes Later in the trip we rode up front again, but just on the MK loop and couldn't feel the shakiness as badly, but on the Epcot loop - yikes....40 mph in that thin little cab was enough to actually make me really nervous (especially since we couldn't see anything due to the rain....the windows were totally fogged up too and no windshield wipers on the monorail!) 103 mps is crazy, but this guy really wanted to sign up for it when it came available...:confused3

Sorry the rain didn't let up but sounds like ya'll made the best of it. Love the PP pics and the black-n-white pic of you and Shawn. How cool you got to see Wishes from the beach!

Thanks Jill! We didn't mind the rain too much - it was really our only day that it affected us. :love: Wishes from the Poly beach!!!

Sara

(Fireworks pics coming right up....prepare to laugh)

mom2mek

09-29-2009, 10:50 AM

Oh I hope WISHES on Poly beach turns this rainy night around!

Wishes on the Poly beach can turn any night around....even if you are sitting on the wet sand! :thumbsup2

Sara

mkluvsmickey

09-29-2009, 12:28 PM

mom2mek

09-29-2009, 12:44 PM

Nice cliffhanger Sara! :goodvibes

Sorry about your rainy evening. And no slushie. :sad2: I think you made up for it in June though. :thumbsup2

I absolutely love the applause at the end of Soarin' too, gets me every time. :love:

How fun that you rode in front of the monorail. I never had the opportunity.

And your pictures aren't that bad! :)

Thanks Michelle! Well, hold your comment about the pics until after this next post....:eek:

Yes, the slushie situation was sad indeed....our home-made ones in June were pretty tasty though! :thumbsup2

Sara

mom2mek

09-29-2009, 01:02 PM

So, while my husband sat in our room alone (uploading his 500 + pictures from Epcot onto his computer), I had the unexpected surprise of Wishes starting as I was walking the path back to the Tahiti longhouse. :cloud9:

I plopped myself down on the wet sand right there and decided to watch! With each picture I took, I laughed harder and harder. Without further adieu....here are some of them (note...some, not all....I took many...I guess in hopes that a few MIGHT turn out!) :laughing:

And before you ask...Yes, I had it on "fireworks" mode but no, I did not have a tripod...I tried at one point to use my knee....:rotfl: it didn't work!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010641.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010644.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010646.jpg
(little questions marks raining down on the castle....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010652.jpg
(I have no comment....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010655.jpg
(Apparently there was a bolt of lightning that only MY camera caught that night.... :rolleyes1)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010658.jpg
(....follwed by an invasion of little green worm-like things...)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010664.jpg
(...and then the castle caught on fire....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010670.jpg
(these two didn't turn out QUITE as bad as the others....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010672.jpg

And this one was probably the best one I got...

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/Epcot/P1010643.jpg

Seeing Wishes from the Poly beach was so fabulous...I was sad Shawn was up in the room with his bad feet, but knew we would be seeing it again from the park tomorrow and then from the beach again the night after that.

When I got back to the room, he said he didn't even hear the fireworks...:confused3 Strange.

After bandaging up his feet again, (even the sheets hitting the spots was painful), we hit the sack.

Magic Kingdom tomorrow....:woohoo::woohoo:

Sara

crocko

09-29-2009, 02:02 PM

LOL...those are awesome.

I never knew blurry fireworks pictures could end up being so fun.

jillyb

09-29-2009, 02:34 PM

They may be a bit blurry but those are some pretty cool fireworks pics! The last one turned out really good.

BippityBoo

09-29-2009, 02:53 PM

Sara,

What a special moment!! I would have felt bad too, however, that was a once in a lifetime moment. Happy you took advantage of it :goodvibes I am sure your DH did not mind (not that he even realized the fireworks were going on--haha)

Can't wait to hear about your day in the MK!!!

mommytothreeboys

09-29-2009, 03:58 PM

Too funny! Thanks for sharing those Sara! I take horrible pics at night as well so I feel your pain. Although at least yours are interesting to look at....unlike mine that are just blurry and bad! ;)

faerieprincess

09-29-2009, 04:55 PM

Okay so i'm reading your updates at work.... and i'm getting strange looks from people wondering why i'm sitting here giggling over the file i'm supposedly working on! i LOVE your fireworks picture captions!!! You are so funny and you've really made my day :goodvibes

i'm glad you got to ride Soarin'!! (If i ever get to go back i am going to plan an entire day around riding Soarin' as many times as possible!)

Wishes from the Poly beach sounds wonderful, even if you did enjoy it by yourself.

Two updates in two days - you're on fire, Sara!

DisneyJo

10-03-2009, 03:44 PM

Those fireworks photos are awesome,much more interesting than normal ones :rotfl:

lovebuzzandwoody

10-03-2009, 05:03 PM

Those fireworks photos are awesome,much more interesting than normal ones :rotfl:

I agree with Jo! I rather enjoyed them! :goodvibes

kaysmommie

10-04-2009, 12:26 PM

Sara,
Enjoyed your Teppan Edo and fireworks updates! The pics were still good and at least you got to see Wishes. They look a lot like our pics because we didn't have a tripod either. Sorry Shawn missed Wishes. :banana: on Booking Poly for February!! Still working on our upcoming trip :confused3 or trips.

mom2mek

10-06-2009, 11:23 PM

Day 3 – May 15, 2009
Part 1 – A Magical Morning!

We awoke bright and early this morning, but instead of our apples, bananas, and granola bars for breakfast, we opted to treat ourselves to room service! I wasn’t quite finished getting ready when it arrived that morning, so I hopped in the bathroom while Shawn signed for the food. As soon as I heard the click of the door, I rushed out of the bathroom to enjoy our yummy Polynesian room service breakfast! What a treat!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010674.jpg

I ordered the Tonga Toast and Shawn ordered the Ham & Cheese Omelet (came with biscuits and home fries) plus a side order of bacon. I think. Not sure about that. A pot of coffee and some juice and we were all set! The Tonga Toast was delicious, but so huge I could not finish it. That was a real shame. Shawn even tried to help, but it was so big and very heavy. Make sure you have an appetite if you order this. It is scrumptuous though!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010675.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010678.jpg

After our bellies were full, I finished getting ready, and Shawn bandaged up his feet. We were off to the Great Ceremonial House to catch a monorail to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop!

We took the beach path even though it was slightly longer, because I wanted to see the beach that early in the morning with the nicely manicured sand and empty chairs! Shawn claimed THIS hammock for himself for later that day. Hope everyone else heard him! LOL!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0003.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0002.jpg

We got to the GCH and saw tons of people waiting to get into their morning ADRs at ‘Ohana and Kona. It was smelling pretty good up there, and as usual, a very festive atmosphere! We walked up the steps to the monorail station. While waiting I snapped a couple of pics of the monorail platform at the Poly. Love all the tropical foliage and fountains everywhere!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010680.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010681.jpg

We asked about sitting up front with the pilot, but apparently the group in front of us had already asked. Bummer. Turned out they couldn’t sit up there either because there was a group already up there when the monorail pulled up from the TTC station.

Ahhh…here comes our ride now!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010683.jpg

I was really hoping we would make it for the opening ceremony, but since we didn’t have the “Dumbo Dash” to do this trip, I wasn’t concerned about getting in the park right at opening…it was more of a “want to see the opening show because I love it” kind of thing.

We pulled up to the Magic Kingdom and I could see the train blowing steam from around the bend. Yippee! Being only two of us and no strollers, we were able to get up pretty close to the front for the opening show. I just love this show – wish I could wake up to it every day. Ok, maybe not. Maybe then the appeal would wear thin….I’ll leave it for the Magic Kingdom, I guess!

Good morning.....Good M O O R R R N N N I I N N G G G!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0004.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0006.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0007.jpg

We were let in and took our time walking down Main Street. It was nice to not have to rush anywhere this morning. We saw the horses getting ready and Shawn stopped to take some pics. I love the little Mickey on his bridle.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0008.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0009.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0011.jpg

We leisurely walked down Main Street and stopped to take a few pics in front of the castle.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0012.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0015.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0019.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0022.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/Image458.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/Image459.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/Image461.jpg

So, where did we head to first on this beautiful morning?

Sara

Diamondintheruff

10-06-2009, 11:35 PM

I'm afraid I'll have to go back and re-read that last chapter. I couldn't focus on anything after you said you had room service Tonga Toast.

WOW!:cool1:

mrsksomeday

10-06-2009, 11:54 PM

We still haven't had tonga toast, we need to change that don't we? I am loving your Poly pictures, so beautiful!! I can't wait to see where you go at MK!

lovebuzzandwoody

10-07-2009, 11:44 AM

You went to ride Pooh? :confused3

*such a shame that Monica isn't here to laugh at that!*

It really does look like a beautiful day! Such blue skies! :cloud9:

Can you believe we've never ever seen the opening ceremony? :sad2:

mkluvsmickey

10-07-2009, 11:54 AM

I was cracking up at your descriptions of the fireworks pictures - too funny! :lmao:

One of my favorite things to do when we are able to stay deluxe is to order a room service breakfast. Yours looks delicious!

I'd be tempted to want to sit out in the hammock all day at the Poly beach.

Gorgeous MK pictures! Wish I was there right now. :cloud9:

Tnkrbelle565

10-07-2009, 11:57 AM

Breakfast looked really yummy! You got some great pics!!!

Love the PP pic of you guys holding Tink. You look so happy :cloud9:

mom2mek

10-07-2009, 01:58 PM

LOL...those are awesome.

I never knew blurry fireworks pictures could end up being so fun.

They may be a bit blurry but those are some pretty cool fireworks pics! The last one turned out really good.

Sara,

What a special moment!! I would have felt bad too, however, that was a once in a lifetime moment. Happy you took advantage of it :goodvibes I am sure your DH did not mind (not that he even realized the fireworks were going on--haha)

Can't wait to hear about your day in the MK!!!

Too funny! Thanks for sharing those Sara! I take horrible pics at night as well so I feel your pain. Although at least yours are interesting to look at....unlike mine that are just blurry and bad! ;)

Okay so i'm reading your updates at work.... and i'm getting strange looks from people wondering why i'm sitting here giggling over the file i'm supposedly working on! i LOVE your fireworks picture captions!!! You are so funny and you've really made my day :goodvibes

i'm glad you got to ride Soarin'!! (If i ever get to go back i am going to plan an entire day around riding Soarin' as many times as possible!)

Wishes from the Poly beach sounds wonderful, even if you did enjoy it by yourself.

Two updates in two days - you're on fire, Sara!

Those fireworks photos are awesome,much more interesting than normal ones :rotfl:

I agree with Jo! I rather enjoyed them! :goodvibes

Sara,
Enjoyed your Teppan Edo and fireworks updates! The pics were still good and at least you got to see Wishes. They look a lot like our pics because we didn't have a tripod either. Sorry Shawn missed Wishes. :banana: on Booking Poly for February!! Still working on our upcoming trip :confused3 or trips.

Thanks for all the comments on my great photography! ;) Thought I had responded to these already, but went back through and realized that I didn't. Thanks for still hanging with me! :goodvibes

Sara

mom2mek

10-07-2009, 02:07 PM

I'm afraid I'll have to go back and re-read that last chapter. I couldn't focus on anything after you said you had room service Tonga Toast.

WOW!:cool1:Oh it was good....REAL good!!! :thumbsup2

We still haven't had tonga toast, we need to change that don't we? I am loving your Poly pictures, so beautiful!! I can't wait to see where you go at MK!
Yes Tracy, you should do a breakfast ADR at Kona sometime! Delicious!

You went to ride Pooh? :confused3

*such a shame that Monica isn't here to laugh at that!*

It really does look like a beautiful day! Such blue skies! :cloud9:

Can you believe we've never ever seen the opening ceremony? :sad2:
Ride Pooh? :rotfl2: Ewww.....
(I've got to get Monica back on here....especially since her prediction of checking back on here in November to read my whole report since that's when I'll probably finish it, is looking to be coming true. :headache:)

Hope you can make it to the opening ceremony soon, Nicole! SO fun!! :love:

I was cracking up at your descriptions of the fireworks pictures - too funny! :lmao:

One of my favorite things to do when we are able to stay deluxe is to order a room service breakfast. Yours looks delicious!

I'd be tempted to want to sit out in the hammock all day at the Poly beach.

Gorgeous MK pictures! Wish I was there right now. :cloud9:
We enjoyed the relaxed pace of room service, that's for sure! Just not the price tag!! Oh well - it was just one day, right?

Oh, that hammock was calling to us....stay tuned....

Breakfast looked really yummy! You got some great pics!!!

Love the PP pic of you guys holding Tink. You look so happy :cloud9:

Aww...thanks! We were! :cloud9:

Sara

meeko_33785

10-07-2009, 06:54 PM

Great morning so far. I bet you two really enjoyed how nice and leisurely it was. Looking forward to finding out the first attraction of the day.

faerieprincess

10-07-2009, 07:04 PM

Great update Sara! i love the PP pics, they are great! Looking forward to more....

KathyRN137

10-08-2009, 12:12 AM

Hi Sara!

Laughed so hard at your funny fireworks captions!

What an amazing MK morning so far... and you haven't even ridden anything yet! What a difference it makes not having to do the Great Dumbo Dash.

(I wonder how it will be once there are two Dumbos!) :dumbo:

Hope Shawn's feet held up okay...

Kathy

mom2mek

10-08-2009, 10:29 AM

Great morning so far. I bet you two really enjoyed how nice and leisurely it was. Looking forward to finding out the first attraction of the day.

Thanks! It was certainly a different pace that morning from what we are used to doing! :laughing:

Great update Sara! i love the PP pics, they are great! Looking forward to more....

Thanks Sare! I hope to get this thing moving along a little quicker now that I have another trip to plan for February! :goodvibes

(Oh, who am I kidding....:rotfl2:)

Hi Sara!

Laughed so hard at your funny fireworks captions!

What an amazing MK morning so far... and you haven't even ridden anything yet! What a difference it makes not having to do the Great Dumbo Dash.

(I wonder how it will be once there are two Dumbos!) :dumbo:

Hope Shawn's feet held up okay...

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! :flower3: At first when I heard about the Dumbo changes, I was a little sad....I mean, it's DUMBO!! Why mess with a classic? Then I saw the renderings....WOW! I think it's gonna be great! I hope my kids aren't past the stage of wanting to get on it by the time it opens in 2012/2013 though!! Oh, who am I kidding - they will probably be like me - I'm close to 35 and still love to get on Dumbo!!

Hey everyone....If you have a moment, please vote for my little Dumbo on this Facebook contest (it's an old picture of Michael, but one of my favorites and I thought it would be fitting for this contest):

http://apps.facebook.com/promotionshq/contests/7059/voteable_entries/1254607

You can vote everyday, so feel free to do that! :rotfl:

Let me know if you enter any of your little ones - you can vote for 5 entries everyday and I will glady vote for yours too! :goodvibes

Thanks!

Sara

DisneyJo

10-08-2009, 11:25 AM

Room service is so decadent, what a fantastic way to start the day :cloud9:

I too love the opening ceremony, it always makes me slightly teary eyed as Mickey appears, yep I'm a sap :rotfl:

kaysmommie

10-09-2009, 11:06 AM

That room service looks great! The pictures of Poly and MK are beautiful too. Makes me miss Poly.

mommytothreeboys

10-09-2009, 11:19 AM

Wow...room service!! How fun! The food looks delicious.

The early morning pics of the MK are awesome! Your PP pics turned out really cute! :goodvibes

We saw the MK opening show for the first time this past spring...well worth getting up early to see! I love all the excitement of the train arriving and all the characters dancing! :donald::dumbo::tigger:

mom2mek

10-09-2009, 04:51 PM

Room service is so decadent, what a fantastic way to start the day :cloud9:

I too love the opening ceremony, it always makes me slightly teary eyed as Mickey appears, yep I'm a sap :rotfl:

SLIGHTLY teary-eyed, Jo? I cry like a baby! :sad: And then try and hide it from everyone around me....("Look at that crazy Disney lady, mom...she's sobbing because Mickey is here!") :rolleyes1

That room service looks great! The pictures of Poly and MK are beautiful too. Makes me miss Poly.

Me too, Nichole....me too! :sad1:

Wow...room service!! How fun! The food looks delicious.

The early morning pics of the MK are awesome! Your PP pics turned out really cute! :goodvibes

We saw the MK opening show for the first time this past spring...well worth getting up early to see! I love all the excitement of the train arriving and all the characters dancing! :donald::dumbo::tigger:

Oh yes, I do too...it's as good as a cup of coffee in the morning...really gets me going! :yay:

Sara

ladybugmom

10-10-2009, 04:51 PM

mom2mek

10-10-2009, 06:18 PM

That Tonga Toast looks awesome!! It was something I forgot to try on our trip--next time!! The fireworks pics were cracking me up!! :rotfl2: Glad you still shared them!! Oh--and I voted on FB for the Dumbo pic!! :thumbsup2

Thanks Becky! Definitely try the Tonga Toast next time...it's delicious! Yeah, my fireworks pictures were lacking a little something....like TALENT!! :rotfl2: (Shawn took some way better pics from the beach the night we were all there! At the pace I'm going, I might get to that night by Thanksgiving....:rolleyes1)

Thanks for voting for Dumbo....if you get a chance could you click on it again to see if it tells you that you voted because your name (it tells you if the person voting is a FB friend) doesn't show you....I've had a couple others that that happened to. (BTW....Nichole has a pic up too...Kaylee and Thomas as Tink and Peter Pan - so cute!) :goodvibes Michael has ALMOST made it to the first page of entries, so keep voting if you don't mind! :hug:

Sara

ladybugmom

10-10-2009, 06:26 PM

Thanks Becky! Definitely try the Tonga Toast next time...it's delicious! Yeah, my fireworks pictures were lacking a little something....like TALENT!! :rotfl2: (Shawn took some way better pics from the beach the night we were all there! At the pace I'm going, I might get to that night by Thanksgiving....:rolleyes1)

Thanks for voting for Dumbo....if you get a chance could you click on it again to see if it tells you that you voted because your name (it tells you if the person voting is a FB friend) doesn't show you....I've had a couple others that that happened to. (BTW....Nichole has a pic up too...Kaylee and Thomas as Tink and Peter Pan - so cute!) :goodvibes Michael has ALMOST made it to the first page of entries, so keep voting if you don't mind! :hug:

Sara

I just tried to vote again--can't find where it actually shows the votes so let me know if it worked!!

mom2mek

10-10-2009, 06:32 PM

I just tried to vote again--can't find where it actually shows the votes so let me know if it worked!!

Awww...thanks Becky! I appreciate it. I just sent you a FB message with the link - maybe that will work better! :goodvibes

Sara

ladybugmom

10-10-2009, 06:41 PM

Awww...thanks Becky! I appreciate it. I just sent you a FB message with the link - maybe that will work better! :goodvibes

Sara

Ok--it finally worked for me!! :thumbsup2

MeMom

10-10-2009, 06:52 PM

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0003.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0002.jpg

These are just beautiful! I am going to remember them and come back and look a few more times during the cold, dreary days of winter as we wait for our summer trip.

The room service breakfast was a great idea and a nice treat for yourselves. The Tonga toast is so good, but too big for me to finish, too.

mom2mek

10-12-2009, 07:53 PM

These are just beautiful! I am going to remember them and come back and look a few more times during the cold, dreary days of winter as we wait for our summer trip.

The room service breakfast was a great idea and a nice treat for yourselves. The Tonga toast is so good, but too big for me to finish, too.

Oh yes, I look back at them each time I think about our next trip! Especially when the trip is going to be to the Poly! :love:

Sara

mom2mek

10-12-2009, 10:13 PM

Day 3 - May 15, 2009
Part 2 - Magic Kingdom - Oh, What A Beautiful Morning....

So, without needing to do the Dumbo Dash, did we still head to Fantasyland, or did we try something new and different for a MK morning?

If you guessed the latter, you would be correct. We thought we would head towards my favorite ride in all of Disney World.....Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! So, here is one more castle shot

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0021.jpg

before we headed towards…..

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010693.jpg

I love the colonial theming and all the attention to detail in this area of the Magic Kingdom (well, love the details in ALL the areas, but this is one area where we usually don't slow down enough to notice most of the details. It was nice to be able to take our time through all of it.

I had never even noticed this big Christmas sleigh outside the Christmas shop.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0023.jpg

We stopped and I took a quick picture of Shawn in the stockade.....just where he should be....LOL

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010695.jpg

Then we walked along the nice wooden walkway next to the water on our way to the mountains!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0026.jpg
(Never noticed this before either…)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0029.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0032.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0034.jpg

As we approached Thunder our plan was to get a FP for later that day and ride standby. It was literally like six minutes past 9 when we got there, and I felt like Chevy Chase in the first national Lampoon movie when they finally arrive to Wally World and find out the park is closed. The CM standing at the entrance said "sorry, folks. ....Thunder Mountain is not quite ready yet this morning…check back in a little while!”

WHAT????

OH NO!!!

I fell into a pit of despair.

I'm just kidding, it was fine. We had our fastpasses for later and decided to turn around and head back towards a certain mansion that I hear is HAUNTED!!!

We took our time AGAIN walking back on the wooden walkway by the water, and Shawn took his sweet time taking pictures….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0035.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0036a.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0036b.jpg

(Same picture 3 different edit jobs…which do you like best? I’m kind of partial to the black and white one…)

Hmmm…this looks familiar:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0040.jpg

This time someone offered to take a picture of both of us in the stocks:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010696-1.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0044.jpg

(Hey, now that I’m looking at this, I see a train going on Thunder….maybe we should have just waited it out….or maybe that was just a “test” train sitting empty)

Oh well…we were headed to….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0046.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0049.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0053.jpg
(Love the raised dirt...)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0055.jpg
(getting creepier....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0056.jpg

(Shawn wasn't able - or didn't try - to get a picture of her when her eyes opened....but I did....)

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010705.jpg

Naturally, at this time in the morning, it was a total walk-on. Amazing how much detail you can catch when you aren't riding with a somewhat nervous child and trying to talk to them about the spooky things and how they aren't really scary, blah, blah, blah.....it was like a whole new ride!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0063.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0057.jpg

Shawn's attempt at a shot of the ghost dance party...
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0069.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0074.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0077.jpg

Where to next....

Sara

mom2mek

10-12-2009, 11:43 PM

...Continued from last post....

As we exited Haunted mansion, we were really mixing it up....we walked back around to Adventureland through the little cut through at the bathrooms that puts you right by the Magic Carpet Ride.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0078.jpg

Off to Pirates we went….

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0079.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0080.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0083.jpg

The sign said 10 minutes, but I don't think we waited even 5...
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010712.jpg

Shawn did pretty good capturing the misty Davy Jones, don't ya think?
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0090.jpg

As we left Pirates, I was able to make out in the distance the sound of screams and laughter that could only mean one thing….Thunder Mountain was working again! Woo-hoo!! Off we went!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0102.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0108.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0110.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0111.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0114.jpg

As we got closer to BTMR, I noticed that a little show was gearing up "backstage". So we hung around for a few minutes to see some of it.
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0115.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0116.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0117.jpg

I told Shawn to get a picture of Brer Rabbit...this is the best he did...
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0120.jpg

But enough of that, I've got a runaway train to get to!!!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/DSC_0121.jpg

The sign said a 15 minute wait but I was a little nervous since the people were backed up all the way down the walkway. Hmmm….I was figuring they didn’t have the ride queue all the way opened and that was why, but I was still a little nervous….I didn’t want to get stuck in that long of a line when we knew we would be riding it later with our fastpasses.

Eh, we took a chance.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010722.jpg
Phew - I was right! It took about 10 minutes to get to the ride.

Time for my favorite!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010724.jpg

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010726.jpg

Might want to put your mute on, because I have no idea who that screaming/laughing/giggling girl is on this ride :rolleyes1:
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/th_P1010727.jpg (http://s703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/?action=view&current=P1010727.flv)

The ride was fabulous as usual and we headed out and back towards the land of Adventure!

No Splash for us this time around – neither one of us was interested in walking around in wet clothes right then. We grabbed a set of fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise for later and started thinking about a snack to help tide us over to lunch. We didn’t want to eat anything too heavy because we had an early lunch ADR at The Plaza, so, much to my dismay, I decided not to inhale a Dole Whip Float and fill myself up before lunch. :eek: I know, CRAZY!!! I should have done it anyway!!

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010728.jpg

We opted to split a pineapple spear instead. We found a nice little shady spot next to the store and cut into that baby! It was so delicious and so juicy. It really hit the spot.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww35/sca74/MK/P1010730.jpg

Sara