Let it Snow, Let is Snow.... That's not snow!

[veggiemama]

Hi everyone and Welcome! This is my TR about our Christmas Holiday trip to Disney world.

I attempted to write a PTR and was doing fine over summer but once I went back to work in Sept things got a bit crazy and I did not have a lot of time to plan much less keep my PTR up and current. If you want to read some of my plans you can find the link in my Sig line.

This was our second trip to WDW but our first time staying on site and completely immersing ourselves in all Disney had to offer. I thought it was great.... I'll let you know what the other thought later. :)

So some details first:

Our trip was from Dec 10 -17 2011
We stayed at AKL for Dec 10-11 and then stayed at POFQ for the 11-17

We are from snowy, coooooold, wintery Manitoba Canada, so the idea of warmth and sunshine in December was exciting for us all!! :goodvibes

So, feel free to join in and follow (or lurk) along :) as I travel down my memory lane of warmth and fun.... btw I'm sitting here right now in -25C (-13F) weather, bundled up in sweater and blanket and dreaming of that lovely warm sunshine!

Up Next:

INTRODUCTIONS

[swwake]

Hooray for starting your trip report! I can't wait!

[veggiemama]

So let me introduce you to my crew:
I don't have any individual photos right now loaded up to use so here is a Family picture taken on our Last day

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN3209-1.jpg

First up: My dear Hubby. He is my hard working, loving husband of 19 years. He is a reluctant Disney lover. His statement was " I don't know why we would go again... what would we possible do?" LOL I know, he just does not get it! He is a techie and does not like crowds so WDW can be a bit of a challenge for him. He does not have a favorite Dis character though he suprisingly has a number of Mickey shirts, which he seems to buy for himself!

Then there is me: I'm Laura, I'm 36 and I'm a disney-aholic! I love all things Disney, am obsessed with character's, movies, and of course DW. I'm also the obsessive planner, and do all the planning for these trips. My Dh says he comes to be with me, he doesn't want to worry about anything.... hmmm I have a feeling a lot of husbands say that! :lmao:

Then we have my DD: B is 14 years old. And yes we call her B which is the first letter of her name. I do use her full name but she is going through a stage right now where she does not like her name? Must be a teenage thing! LOL She loves Disney and I'm working very hard to make her into a complete addict like me! Her favorite character is Tinker Bell and favorite Princess is Aurora. She is much to 'cool' to WANT to meet anyone but I know she really did want to meet Aurora (one of those things that didn't happen last time)

last but not least is my son: his name is John and he is 12. He is not really into the whole Disney thing but was looking forward to the rides and Disney Quest. I'm glad that I can still tap into that little boy though and in the end he enjoys all parts of the Disney experience, not just the rides.

So there you have, that's us!

Not sure about the photo. I'm trying to resize and flip it but it does not seem to be working. I'll keep trying but here it is for the moment! LOL

Up next: day one: Travel day

[annmarieda]

I am so glad you started your TR!! I think your dh and mine sound a lot alike.... I swear my dh wears more disney shirts than I do... but can't see why what we would do if we went again. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Can't wait to read more!!!

[Monknmom]

I'm here reading along! I was wondering and meaning to ask the other day on your PTR but how did your piano concert ever go? And you were going to remake the studio right? How is all of that coming along? I haven't read yet, but will come back and read today!

[15isto2]

Subscribing, going over to read your PTR now

[veggiemama]

Hooray for starting your trip report! I can't wait!
Thanks for joining in. Hope it's worth the wait! LOL :lmao:
I am so glad you started your TR!! I think your dh and mine sound a lot alike.... I swear my dh wears more disney shirts than I do... but can't see why what we would do if we went again. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
I don't understand husbands somedays..... how can he NOT like the characters, the rides, the atmosphere, the decorations ... DISNEY?!!:rotfl::rotfl:
Can't wait to read more!!!
Stay tuned... more coming up!

I'm here reading along! I was wondering and meaning to ask the other day on your PTR but how did your piano concert ever go? And you were going to remake the studio right? How is all of that coming along? I haven't read yet, but will come back and read today!
Thanks for asking! I guess I should do a life update too! :goodvibes Short version: concerts so far have gone well. I have 4 more coming up in January so I'm not quite done yet! Renovation: Didn't happen.Not enough time to get everything done... and .... well.... we have another house that we might buy... AGAIN! :lmao::lmao:

Subscribing, going over to read your PTR now
:welcome: Glad you are here! I might need to go back and read my PTR too! :rotfl: I think I have forgotten some of the stuff that happened over my year of planning!

[veggiemama]

Day one: Dec 10 Travel day.

We were up bright and early on our first day. We have a 45 min drive to the airport from where we live, so we were up at 3:15 am! to pack and get out of the house by 4:00 am. We were close... we left at 4:15.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0306.jpg

Not a great picture... but we were off!

We got to the parkade just before 5 am and the shuttle was 'waiting' for us. It was just about to pull out to go to the airport so we loaded up our stuff and headed over. Took only a few minutes to get there and then we went through the line ups and security. they did the 'full' check on my stuff, scanned me and all that fun stuff but, of course, everything was fine and off we went. My curious son, was just dying to ask questions about what they were doing but we had coached them not to speak unless spoken too during this process. Didn't need to be held up for a silly reason! :)

We thought we had spotted a Starbucks on the other side of security so we headed over for breakfast but unfortunately there was no Starbucks and Tim Horten's. Not our favorite but we were able to get some muffins and coffee. Not great for my DH who is hypoglycemic and that much sugar can be bad for him, but there were no other breakfast places. If we had known that we would have grabbed food BEFORE going through security. Oh well.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0308.jpg

Our plane left at 7:15 am, right on time. And I was very thankful that this was a direct flight. I'm not a great flyer, get motion sickness and my back gets really uncomfortable so long flights are hard. My son John is like me, and has problems with motion sickness. I had considered giving gravel but since we were going to land before lunch and gravel can knock me out for 10 hours (I have allergies to medications) I decided not to use anything. Thankfully flying went well. I have "earplane" plugs for the kids and myself that helps to stabalize the cabin pressure and with that and chewing gum, we were all ok. The flight was just over 3 1/2 hours. Actually got there 5 minutes faster than planned. We landed at 11:40 Florida time. :)

First things first, everyone was starving since we had no food, just a small snack on the plane. We went to the food court which was very busy and got some food. Nothing for me though.... allergies prevented me getting any food. I was a little light headed at this point, naseaus a bit and of course starving. I get a little louppy when that happens and have a hard time completing sentences. So to the best of my memory, we were by the chairs at a long table (like a bar table) , there were only 2 chairs but a lady was getting up to leave. I think I must have leaned onto the chair a bit and made it difficult for her to get out and before I knew what was happening, she turned to face me, shoved me back, told me to "back off" and let her leave already! :scared1: My lovely, clueless hubby had no idea what had happened and why I was upset! He was still sick, head cold, and with flying, he had vertually no hearing at all. So he did not hear a thing! They ate, I had a protein bar and then we started making our way to DME.

Up next... our First line up!

[annmarieda]

That has to be hard traveling with allergies. So much of our eating habits as a society are convenience based. What is gravel, btw? And holy cow? What a cranky woman!!! I am sorry you had to deal with that..especially when you were not feeling great. :sad2:

Other than a couple issues...sounds like you are off to a great start!:woohoo:

[Monknmom]

Thanks for asking! I guess I should do a life update too! :goodvibes Short version: concerts so far have gone well. I have 4 more coming up in January so I'm not quite done yet! Renovation: Didn't happen.Not enough time to get everything done... and .... well.... we have another house that we might buy... AGAIN! :lmao::lmao:

Well that sounds good! Congratulations so far and I hope that the ones in the future go just as successful! But I'm sorry about the renovation- not sure about Canada, but I know that there are certain times of the year that certain things go on sale (like flooring in March/April and linens in February) so if you don't end up buying this new house that you like then I would consider buying a little at a time- that is what we have been doing so that in April when we begin it's not that big of a deal to buy things because we have most of it!


I'm sorry for the crumby time at the airport, maybe it was just too early and the women wasn't a morning person, but still no way to treat someone!

[veggiemama]

That has to be hard traveling with allergies. So much of our eating habits as a society are convenience based. What is gravel, btw?
Right! I forgot you don't have gravel! It is my life saver. It is a small little pill I take that you don't need a prescription for and it controls motions sickness, naseau, dizziness and all that kind of stuff. It also tends to make you drowsy and because I react so strongly to meds, what makes others drowsy, knocks me out for hours and hours! :confused3

And holy cow? What a cranky woman!!! I am sorry you had to deal with that..especially when you were not feeling great. :sad2:
You know, I barely notice the issues with food when traveling anymore. I have gotten very used to packing my own food because I never expect to be able to eat when I'm out. That is part of the reason I love Disney so much! They are really good about adapting to allergies and only get better it seems as the years go on. :)

Other than a couple issues...sounds like you are off to a great start!:woohoo:Yes, it really was a nice easy start to our trip. Other than hubby still being sick with a head cold it was pretty uneventful.

Well that sounds good! Congratulations so far and I hope that the ones in the future go just as successful!
Thank you!:goodvibes For the most part I enjoy performing. Sometimes it's a little stressful but then again, what isn't at times? :confused3
But I'm sorry about the renovation- not sure about Canada, but I know that there are certain times of the year that certain things go on sale (like flooring in March/April and linens in February) so if you don't end up buying this new house that you like then I would consider buying a little at a time- that is what we have been doing so that in April when we begin it's not that big of a deal to buy things because we have most of it!
My motto is: Everything is negotiable!! :rotfl: In Canada, and especially in Manitoba, we are all about 'finding the deal' I often actually travel to North Dakota which is only a couple hours away and buy certain things (like flooring) because it is so much cheaper, even with travel time and cost. Part of the reason the reno didn't happen, was that I'm not exactly sure that the solution is the right solution. I'm afraid that by closing off part of the basement it will end up feeling really small and cramped. I'm really leaning towards moving or building but it will depend on how things go for us in the next couple years. We do really like our house, which is great and take the pressure off having to move. Now we would move for little things, not because we HAVE too. :goodvibes

I'm sorry for the crumby time at the airport, maybe it was just too early and the women wasn't a morning person, but still no way to treat someone!
It funny, but when I remember it now, it does not seem like a big deal. We just kind of shrugged and moved on. It takes a lot to really get me irritated and I think I was too out of it to really be upset. I was emotional more probably because of lack of food - I just realized that on that morning I had only had a few sips of coffee... I hadn't eaten anything yet.

[veggiemama]

This is going to be a short update. Takes a long time to upload my photos so instead of posting a lot I'm going to do short little clips so that I can keep doing photos and not taking a whole day to do so!

Ok, so I left off with heading over to DME at the Florida airport.

Here is where I say... thank goodness I plan! Hubby was sick, and really couldn't hear a thing so I was not able to talk to him. He was feeling pretty gross at this point so he really didn't care where we went... he just wanted to get there. So thank goodness I had looked at the map of the airport ahead of time, had talked to a CM about where to go and was able to get us to the DME without any difficulty.

As we were walking over to the area, I saw this HUGE line up of people and had this brief moment of thought.... oh please don't let that be our line, we'll be here all day!! Unfortunately it was our line but having never traveled with DME before what I didn't realize at first was that each line was for a different resort. Once we were sorted out and figured out what line we had to be in, I breathed a little easier. Hubby's ears were feeling slightly better so we were able to chat a little. We were amused (annoyed) listening to others complaining about how long the line was. And the level of frustration that I kept hearing and seeing between parents and kids was almost sad. I remember continually thinking that this is just the start of the trip, and hoping that people would calm down. Even B looked at me at one point and said how sad she was watching a mom yell and shake her child around and literally through him into his stroller. As B said " I know that mom is tired her child is tired too, I would hate to be treated like that"

There was a couple infront of us : Mom , dad and small child. At one point I over heard the dad complaining about the line (we had been there about 20 min) and how they should have rented a car, it would have been so much faster. He was really getting heated and the mom was starting to get emotional. Well, I caught the mom's eye at one point and I just couldn't keep quiet. I told the mom how thankful we were to be in this line up. She looked at me funny :goodvibes and I said that the last time we came, we rented a car and waited almost 4 hours for one. This was nothing! :rotfl: The dad looked up and kind of stopped his tirade and mumbled something about maybe he shouldn't be complaining. :thumbsup2

My kids, being the nut jobs that they are! :dance3: started goofing off together. The couples daughter in front of us, started giggling and having fun so instead of squirming and causing grief for mom and dad, now we started chatting and sharing stories instead. Made the time go faster. :)
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0315.jpg

Can you see the irritated people in the lines behind us? :goodvibes

We waited about 45 minutes before we were able to get on our bus.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0317.jpg

We got a Mears bus but the bus driver made up for it. He was hilarious. I don't know if all bus drivers do this kind of stuff but he talked the whole way and had the Mickey voice down pat so he 'called' Mickey and talked to him before we left. The couple of little girls on the bus were so excited you would have thought Mickey walked on the bus and sat down beside them. It was very cute!

we made only one stop before heading over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and I actually enjoyed the bus ride. It was nice not to worry about driving and navigating like we had to do last time.

First photo of AKL

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0343.jpg

Here is where I will say for the first time, but probably not the last time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new camera. We ended up buying a new camera 2 days before we left and it was one of the best things we did. This photo was taken, in a moving bus, through a tinted window!

Up next, our night at AKL.

[annmarieda]

Holy cow!:eek: That is the DME line? I have never waited in line for DME. NEVER. Usually we make our way to DME and there is not a single person in line. In fact, I can't even remember there ever being anyone waiting. I wonder if it is a time thing. Our flights either come in super late...or super early. Never mid day. Glad you were able to stay positive though! I mean..wait or no wait, you are on vacation, right? :goodvibes

[Monknmom]

I don't think that if I go into Home Depot they are going to negotiate a price with me... I have to find out how you do that lol! That's nice that you have the options that you have for the house! I want to get the bathroom, porch, deck and kitchen made over this summer/fall and then see about building up next year for a 2nd floor and how much that will cost and such so we can resell at a much higher value! I don't want Damien to attend middle school or high school here so I need to get that stuff done in the following years! But then again we have only been here for a year, so with time I guess that you get more options!
Oh your better than I am! When I am tired and cranky and hungry I am not so friendly! That's really nice that you were able to make some people smile in the line and your kids were occuppying the little girl! That is am awesome camera! I want to stay at AKL someday! It was really pretty when we visit it!

[veggiemama]

Holy cow!:eek: That is the DME line? I have never waited in line for DME. NEVER. Usually we make our way to DME and there is not a single person in line. In fact, I can't even remember there ever being anyone waiting. I wonder if it is a time thing. Our flights either come in super late...or super early. Never mid day. Glad you were able to stay positive though! I mean..wait or no wait, you are on vacation, right? :goodvibes
That's my attitude too! I'm on holiday's, I'm not in a hurry and I'm there to enjoy EVERYTHING including our first line! :goodvibes

Have never experienced DME before, I had no idea of this was a long wait or not. Time wise, it was a Saturday at lunchtime, so I could imagine that it would be busy. I'm sure later at night it is much quieter.

I don't think that if I go into Home Depot they are going to negotiate a price with me... I have to find out how you do that lol! That's nice that you have the options that you have for the house! I want to get the bathroom, porch, deck and kitchen made over this summer/fall and then see about building up next year for a 2nd floor and how much that will cost and such so we can resell at a much higher value! I don't want Damien to attend middle school or high school here so I need to get that stuff done in the following years! But then again we have only been here for a year, so with time I guess that you get more options!
Negotiating?? I'm the QUEEN! :rotfl::rotfl: I have actually coached my husband to be quiet and let me do my thing! :lmao: I have gotten 'deals' on all my cars, including what I sell my old ones for, my brand new piano (you'd probably fall off your chair if you knew what I ended up paying and what I got out of that deal!) my furniture and even at times I have negotiated for certain clothes that I get in store. I'm not mean, cranky or annoying... just good! :lmao:

Oh your better than I am! When I am tired and cranky and hungry I am not so friendly! That's really nice that you were able to make some people smile in the line and your kids were occuppying the little girl! That is am awesome camera! I want to stay at AKL someday! It was really pretty when we visit it!
Not sure my family would agree that I'm not grumpy. LOL but I just figure, I'm on holiday's, I'm having fun no matter what. And once I get going my kids (and hubby) happily follow along :rotfl: It's actually a little scary sometimes just how much of my attitude they adopt. :eek:

[veggiemama]

I have to say this was my hubby and my favorite place. we would happily stay a week here. :) But both of us said, not with kids, it would just be a nice relaxing place to go together.

Anyways.....
We arrived at AKL. I think I stood in the foyer for 5 minutes just staring before I moved! :rotfl:

We headed up to our room and saw this on the bed:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0349.jpg
The kids were very excited to see this and starting snapping photos right away. they both got digital cameras before we left so they were pretty happy to take their own photos.

I headed straight to the patio. This is what I was waiting for.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0351.jpg
I could have sat here all night. :) DH and I rested for a bit on the patio and took a bunch of photos. we were very impressed with just how far we could zoom and get great shots like these:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0378.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0382.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0440.jpg

No giraffes but I had been assured that we would see some. Giraffes are B's favorite animal of all time. She has at least 20 of them in her room. :)

B looked around the room and came out on the patio to show me this:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0374.jpg
The card reads: It all began with a mouse.
Can you see my poor hubby in the back ground... poor guy he looks a little pale!

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0369.jpg

So we hung out for a bit in the room. Settled in and then we went to check out the AKL. It was amazing! I could have spent hours looking at everything!

(don't know how many photos I can do in one post so I'm going to continue in the next one)

[veggiemama]

We headed to the lobby, here was where I thought I would not like to have small children in the resort and spend a week. It's a LONG walk to get anywhere! We didn't mind too much but if I did a week of that every day I think I would have gotten pretty tired of it.

Lobby was gorgeous!
The tree
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0447.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0397.jpg
The lights
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0392.jpg

looking out the back, towards the Savanah:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0387.jpg

We decided to walk outside to the Savanah and then we saw:

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0415.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0421.jpg

This, of course, had B almost giddy with excitement. I think we spent almost 30 minutes out there taking photos and looking at everything. I won't bore you with all the photos... we took hundreds just in this one spot (I'll save till later to tell you just how many photos we ended up taking on this trip :rotfl:)

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0437.jpg
Heading back inside

We checked out the gift shop and then I heard some drumming. I got this picture, not great but I was standing almost 2 floors above them. I really enjoyed the drumming.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0408.jpg

We then headed down to check out the pool area and walked around out there for a bit as well. The kids decided to swim for a while before we headed to dinner.

[veggiemama]

One more to finish this off

We headed here for dinner:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0474.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0473.jpg

We were all a little queasy yet from flying (something to remember for next time) so we were not able to really do this place justice. The kids and DH enjoyed sampling things but no one was really hungry.
This was my first meal dealing with my allergies. In case you don't remember here is what I don't/can't eat. This is almost verbatum of what I said to each and every server and chef.
I need a vegan meal. I do not eat meat but I also have a dairy and an egg allergy.

I actually have more allergies than just that (lots of chemical allergies) but I can't do anything about those, i just have to deal with side effects.
Once I told the server, she allerted the chef who then came out and walked me around the buffet to let me know what I could and could not eat (not a lot of choices) She then, to my surprise, made me my own couscous, heart of palm salad with lentils and some wonderful pita chips and chickpea chips. Very yummy!
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0476.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0477.jpg
Not sure why that ones blurry! LOL
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0483.jpg
My son John's attempt at photo's with the new camera :rotfl:
We lingered for a while but eventually we all wanted to get up and walk around again.
We went back to our room to relax for a bit and then headed out once again to the pool area.
We had been told that we could use night vision goggles so we found the CM's that were doing this and checked it out. It was really cool! None of us have ever used night vision goggles so we were very impressed. Unfortunately we did not see any animals but we had fun checking out the night time Savannah.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0485.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0498.jpg
Silly son! LOL

The kids wanted to go swimming again, so once again we headed back to our room to change and back to the pool.
DH was not feeling well at this point so he stayed in the room.

Once the kids were done swimming we headed back to our room to sleep.

Took these photos on the way:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0505.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0506.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0508.jpg

Then off to sleep we went.

Next up: our morning at AKL and transfering to POFQ

[Monknmom]

I'm glad that you got to really spend time in the hotel and enjoy it instead of just checking in and heading to the parks! It seems like you guys really liked it! And those pictures of the animals- very nice! I bet that was beautiful when you woke up in the morning to the view!

[annmarieda]

What a nice day. AKL is very pretty. I was a bit surprised though at how far out it actually is from everything.

I hope your dh felt better. I know how taxing a flight and first day can be on guys... at least it seems to be on mine. :rolleyes:

[veggiemama]

I'm glad that you got to really spend time in the hotel and enjoy it instead of just checking in and heading to the parks! It seems like you guys really liked it! And those pictures of the animals- very nice! I bet that was beautiful when you woke up in the morning to the view!
Yes, it really was a favorite place for DH and me. It ended up being a really nice, relaxing way to start off our holiday, especially since the rest of the week was not as relaxing! :rotfl:

What a nice day. AKL is very pretty. I was a bit surprised though at how far out it actually is from everything.

I hope your dh felt better. I know how taxing a flight and first day can be on guys... at least it seems to be on mine. :rolleyes:

AKL really did seem 'off the beaten path' It was almost hard to remember that we were in WDW. I think that is why my DH loved it so much ;)

Thankfully Hubby's cold was only a head cold. He never got worse and ended up better for the trip... got sick again once we got home though... we blamed the cold weather. :lmao:

[veggiemama]

Quick little life update...

Busy week for me this week. I started teaching this week after almost 4 weeks off. It's amazing how hard it is to get going sometimes. This is a really intense week for me, I start teaching composing to all my students. It is a lot of fun but it's a lot of work, and prep work, for me. Composing will go for 6 weeks and then we end with a big recital where all the students get to preform their pieces for family and friends and I make all the pieces into a music book for every student. :)

On top of that I have a performance scheduled for Friday. I wish now that I had not scheduled this one. I am a little stressed trying to prepare because I just don't have enough hours in my day! :scared1: Hubby came home tonight and asked me "did you have a busy day?" Here I thought he was being sweet and caring but then he says " I noticed the house is not as clean as normal and you said you were going to start laundry and haven't yet and we don't have any milk left in the fridge!" Didn't know if I should laugh or yell at him for that! :mad: Good thing he was sort of kidding. He said he wasn't criticizing just noticing.... why does he never notice when the house is clean and comment on that?? :dance3:

Then on Sunday I have to work with the Symphony. Ok, Now I'm tired just thinking about it. Lot's to do in the next few days. I think I spent about 5 hours working on this stuff today and I'm about a 1/3 done.

So in the midst of all of this I came to a very tough decision this week. If you remember back to some of my ramblings in my PTR I was having a tough time working with my current teacher. She was really pushing my buttons and I was having a hard time being heard and in general things were just not working very well anymore. Well on Monday I called her and officially gave her my resignation. It was a very tough phone call. She was understanding, sort of. I told her that right now, this is not a good fit for me. I am so busy with other things (important to me) and my kids really do need me at home (have been having some problems with my son lately) and my extended family needs me (I have an autistic/special needs sister who has been in and out of the hospital in the past few months) and piano and especially the course I am taking is just too much. She really wanted me to continue and was willing to help as much as she could but in the end I told her that the continual stress of finding 3 hours a day to practice and 3 hours for course work was just too much. I just don't have enough hours to do it justice and I'm wasting her time and mine. I don't think she really understood all of that. Her life revolves around piano and music. She has no children and really nothing that keeps her from her piano time, so she doesn't always understand why I can't just drop everything else of have my kids and hubby pick up the slack.

Sorry for rambling so much about this. I am really relieved to have taken this off my to do list on a daily basis. I think I still feel like I'm giving up a little bit and I don't like to give up. I feel a bit like I failed at this and that is hard for me to take. I know in the end I didn't, and the logical part of me says that, but the emotional part of me still feels guilty for not pushing through.

[momabaarjo]

I am loving all your pictures of AKL...so jealous of the towel animal...all we got at BWV was a Mickey head. :guilty:

Looks like you got the magic treatment from the chef at Boma! I so want to eat there, but dh vetoed that ADR!

[Monknmom]

That does sound busy! Good luck with that!
And my DH does that too... he "notices" things aren't done and never what is done! I always tell him I am going to start "noticing" some things that lack on your part too!

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm just stopping in to say hi :wave:. I'm a little late but I think you are still on day one of your report. Going to read your last update.

[annmarieda]

Don't feel guilty for not "pushing through" Sometimes we need to prioritize. Sounds more like that is what you did..and good for you for being able to do so!

[veggiemama]

I am loving all your pictures of AKL...so jealous of the towel animal...all we got at BWV was a Mickey head. :guilty:

Looks like you got the magic treatment from the chef at Boma! I so want to eat there, but dh vetoed that ADR!
Thanks! :goodvibes AKL was definitely a favorite for us. We got spoiled this trip.... more updates coming :) I really appreciated the chef at Boma, food was great, just wish we had been feeling better to really enjoy it.

That does sound busy! Good luck with that!
And my DH does that too... he "notices" things aren't done and never what is done! I always tell him I am going to start "noticing" some things that lack on your part too!
:sad2: Some days I just don't understand my hubby. Oh well, He surprised me and took me out on a date last night, so I guess that made up for it.... actually he cleaned up the kitchen this morning THAT made up for the wise crack! :rotfl::rotfl:

I'm just stopping in to say hi :wave:. I'm a little late but I think you are still on day one of your report. Going to read your last update.
yup, still on day one! :rotfl: I think I will end up being one of those that takes a few months to write out everything. :lmao: So Hi :wave2: and welcome. :)

Don't feel guilty for not "pushing through" Sometimes we need to prioritize. Sounds more like that is what you did..and good for you for being able to do so!
Yea, today I feel a lot better about the decision I made. Seeing just how busy I am and knowing that my kids need me and as my hubby pointed out last night, I was not able to do anything and was well on my way to having a breakdown, this was definitely the right decision.

[veggiemama]

Sunday Morning:
Have to explain our sleeping arrangements. The kids are too old to share a bed anymore and they refuse to sleep on the floor. :confused3 So Dh and I talked about this ahead of time and decided that B and I would sleep in the same bed and Dh and John would sleep in the same bed. (this is an important tidbit of info for later)

Dh and I did not sleep all that well. We never do when we are in a new place/new bed. I think I managed about 3 hours sleep, so combined with the night before I am at a total of 6 hours in 2 days (again, remember this for later!) Dh was still having head cold issues and also managed only a few hours sleep.

Through research I found out that almost everyone does NOT like Disney coffee and being that my DH and I are coffee snobs I knew to be prepared! :rotfl: I bought VIA coffee from Starbucks before we left so we were able to make that. It is still not that great but in the end it was better than Disney coffee (I tried it and spit it out! LOL)

We went to Mara for breakfast:

John ate this every single day....
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0551.jpg

I went to talk to the chef and she made me gluten free waffles. Didn't need the gluten free but it was the only thing that also had no dairy or egg. Today I enjoyed this breakfast, it was not really filling but still yummy (though after a number of days of the same breakfast, I was very tired of this!)

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0554.jpg

Everyone was pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning so I managed to get these shots

Don't know why John's is blurry!! hehe
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0557.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0560.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0561.jpg

We headed back to our room to arrange our transfer to POFQ.

Took these photos on the way. The kids wanted to go across the bridge...
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0566.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0569.jpg

Dh and I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the balcony and the kids relaxed for a while on the beds.
Once the bags were picked up we headed out for our first bus experience ever on Disney. We bused to AK and then walked over to wait for the bus to POFQ. I was impressed with just how fast it was. It was about 10:30 and we still only waited 10 min for our bus.

waiting....
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0574.jpg

The bus was completely empty... the only time it was empty for our week :)
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0577.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0579.jpg

In no time we were at POFQ.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0584.jpg
Love the lobby and decorations:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0585.jpg

I checked us in. One thing I never had a chance to do when booking was request a building or room. I knew that the resort was smaller than some so I was not totally worried but because hubby is hypoglycemic my only concern was being close enough to the food court for ease of getting food when needed.

I was very happy to learn that we were in the building right next to the food court and at this moment I was very happy to be on the third floor. I learned that being on the 3rd floor is not all great when you are coming back and exhausted and the elevator is much too far away. :)

We were here:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0593.jpg

So up we went to our room. Apparently I was not thinking when I told my hubby to room number because he ended up walking into the wrong room!! The door was slightly open I guess so when he put his key in the door opened. Thankfully there was no one in there but housekeeping, he was a little embarrassed but I think more annoyed with me for giving him the wrong room number. Oops!

Our view from the room was really nice. We snapped a few photos, walked around our room a bit and then headed out for DHS. It was about 11:30am.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0591.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0592.jpg

We were only a few steps from the bus stop which was nice and because of the greenery we really didn't look out on the parking lot.

On the bus to DHS.

Me and B
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0606.jpg

have to upload more pictures LOL.

Up next, our day at DHS

[knik]

Looking forward to reading a fellow Manitoban's trip report. It's an added bonus that we will be staying at the same resort in 17 more sleeps!! :cool1:

[annmarieda]

We too had discussions prior to the trip on how we would do the sleeping arrangements. I mean.. it doesn't seem that complicated.. guys in one bed.. girls in the other. However, for us it seemed to be and after much debate we did settle on...guys in one bed and girls in the other.:rolleyes:

Looks like your move over from AKL to POFQ went pretty smooth except for the "wrong room number" incident. ;)

[veggiemama]

Looking forward to reading a fellow Manitoban's trip report. It's an added bonus that we will be staying at the same resort in 17 more sleeps!! :cool1:
:welcome: To a fellow cold Manitoban! Lucky you, going to WDW during the cold season. LOL I'll try to get some more photos uploaded before you leave. We really loved the resort and if you have small children I think that the size of the resort is really nice. Oh and if you meet a CM at the pool talking about the crazy Canadians who shovel off their roof in the winter so it doesn't cave in.... That was us!! :rotfl::rotfl: More on that later in my TR though!

We too had discussions prior to the trip on how we would do the sleeping arrangements. I mean.. it doesn't seem that complicated.. guys in one bed.. girls in the other. However, for us it seemed to be and after much debate we did settle on...guys in one bed and girls in the other.:rolleyes:

Looks like your move over from AKL to POFQ went pretty smooth except for the "wrong room number" incident. ;)

Not sure what it is with room numbers! Was it your report Ann or someone else's that ended up in the wrong room also??

Sleeping... yup, I thought it would be easy but as you will see, it lead to much discussion, difficulties and some VERY grumpy people!

[veggiemama]

Going to do an update right away, FINALLY! :goodvibes but Ann inspired me to take a peek at some old photos of mine and they are just so cute I'm going to share a couple as my photos upload from our DHS day.

My boy John, not sure of his age here, probably 3ish? Had the hardest time getting him to NOT smile like this. I have so many pictures of him with other kids and he looks like he is going to bite them! :rotfl:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/April012.jpg

My daughter Bethany.
She is about 6 in this picture. I ran a home day care for 13 years as my kids were growing up. I had a child in care and one day she and my dd decided to play hair dresser. This child ended up cutting of CHUNKS of my dd's hair. This was what I ended up doing to her hair to make it better. Before this her hair had been almost to her mid back.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/June016.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/Gingerbreadhouse4.jpg

And since we have talked about hair cuts recently... This was me just after my son was born.....
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/March003.jpg

And then I got really sick and ended up spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital. I got really tired of the long hair that was always in the way and tangled that I got this cut...

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/March011.jpg

Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled TR :goodvibes

[annmarieda]

[COLOR="red"]Not sure what it is with room numbers! Was it your report Ann or someone else's that ended up in the wrong room also??

Sleeping... yup, I thought it would be easy but as you will see, it lead to much discussion, difficulties and some VERY grumpy people!

I think it was Amy who stayed at the Polynesian. We had particularly good luck with rooms this trip. (thank god)

Going to do an update right away, FINALLY! :goodvibes but Ann inspired me to take a peek at some old photos of mine and they are just so cute I'm going to share a couple as my photos upload from our DHS day.

My boy John, not sure of his age here, probably 3ish? Had the hardest time getting him to NOT smile like this. I have so many pictures of him with other kids and he looks like he is going to bite them! :rotfl:
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/April012.jpg

My daughter Bethany.
She is about 6 in this picture. I ran a home day care for 13 years as my kids were growing up. I had a child in care and one day she and my dd decided to play hair dresser. This child ended up cutting of CHUNKS of my dd's hair. This was what I ended up doing to her hair to make it better. Before this her hair had been almost to her mid back.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/June016.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/Gingerbreadhouse4.jpg

And since we have talked about hair cuts recently... This was me just after my son was born.....
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/March003.jpg

And then I got really sick and ended up spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital. I got really tired of the long hair that was always in the way and tangled that I got this cut...

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/family/March011.jpg

Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled TR :goodvibes

I love the old photos! I personally love your son's smile. Too cute. Your daughters hair after the cutting mishap actually turned out pretty cute. I love your short cut too. Sorry that it happened after you were sick :sad2:

[veggiemama]

I think it was Amy who stayed at the Polynesian. We had particularly good luck with rooms this trip. (thank god)

Right, it was Amy! :) Glad your room were better.... I remember you mentioning now your issue... with a fridge or something last time?

I love the old photos! I personally love your son's smile. Too cute. Your daughters hair after the cutting mishap actually turned out pretty cute. I love your short cut too. Sorry that it happened after you were sick :sad2:

When I look back at the photos now, I just see my cute quirky little boy... but you know how it is in the moment... you just want a nice smile! I even have a family picture with him with a soother in his mouth, it was that or him screaming/crying LOL

My short cut was one of the only time I ever went short. I don't care for short hair on myself, too much work. I am a wash and go kind of person and on a bad day I just want to pin it up and be done. Short hair require way too much care for me so even after that cut I started growing it back out almost immedietly! :) But I was sick for quite a while during that time and at that point the short hair was easier to handle and it was a blessing when I spent almost 4 months in bed.

[veggiemama]

Finally here it is, our DHS day. At this rate it is going to take me a year to write this all out!!

So I left off with us on the bus heading over to DHS.

We arrived and saw their Tree first, beautiful!

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0608.jpg

I was amused at how much we had forgotten about how to get in the parks Checked bags, slide card, finger print, turnstile... my poor son had no idea how to do all this and even though it was lunchtime, it was busy and people were getting annoyed because he couldn't figure out the timing between swiping the card and giving the finger print. But he got it figured out

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0612.jpg

Since it was lunch time, we decided to do that first. So I grabbed the daily schedule so that I could confirm times for the shows that we wanted to see and we headed here for lunch,

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0623.jpg

I spent a fair amount of time before we left looking at menus and figuring out which restaurants I would be able to eat at. I had phoned the allergy line and they told me that with only 2 allergies I did not have to call each place individually and that they would be able to find food for me with out advance notice. I was a bit leary about this but at the same time relieved because it opened up a bit more freedom in meal planning since I would not have to stick so close to a scheduled time of arrival at every restaurant.

So we ordered food and as soon as I mentioned allergy they said I would have to talk with the chef. So I waited, and waited, and waited. This became a very painful part of the process at EVERY meal. We learned after a bit to order food for DH and kids and THEN I would order my food, most of the time I would take almost 15 min before I talked with a chef and got my food.

I talked with the chef, expecting to have options. NOPE. just one, they could do a salad and leave off the chicken and cheese. I was ok with this since it did have some beans in the salad as well. On the plus side they had a dessert for me. Again, this ended up being an issue at a lot of CS places... I thought they HAD to have allergy free items everywhere.... apparetnly not.

Kids waiting...
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0627.jpg

Bethany's special cupcake. Looked really yummy but was very very sweet. She only ate a few bite of it but at least with the DP we did not have to pay for this.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0628.jpg

Once lunch was done we went to do some rides and shows. The last time we were at WDW we did not manage to do a number of things so they were on my must do list.
First we went on the back lot tour. Everyone enjoyed this.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0657.jpg
Kids got quite a kick out of this part
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0677.jpg

Then we headed over to Great Movie Ride, another one that we didn't do last time.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0705.jpg

We walked down Streets of America. I was really looking forward to coming back later at night to see all the lights. Pretty sure it was going to be impressive.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0639.jpg

A big goal for this trip was not to rush around like crazy all day long. We spent a lot more time wandering the stores.
B found this hat and decided it was the hat she wanted to buy (she buys a hat at almost every vacation we go on)
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0704.jpg

I convinced her not to buy it in the afternoon so that she didn't have to tote it all day long. We could have had it sent to the room but for some reason I don't think we even thought of this... we weren't used to the Key to the WOrld thing yet.

Remember how I said DH and I did not get a lot of sleep the past 2 nights and he was not feeling well? Well, here was where some of the not so fun stuff happened.

I understand much better now what happened but at the time, I am sorry to say, I just got mad.

All day my DH and been pretty quiet. He is not a huge talker but he is usually a little goofy, talks a lot to me or at least lets me bounce ideas off of him, walks with me etc. etc By the afternoon of this first day in the park it was like he was not really on holidays with us. The kids and I would be walking and all of sudden one would say "Where's Dad?" we would turn around and not see him. We would wait, and eventually he would catch up. I would ask where he was and he would just shrug. Ask him if he was ok, he would shrug. Ask him if he wanted to do ..... (fill in the blank) and he would shrug.... well you get the idea. I got very frustrated by this because the whole point was to do this as a family and this wan't MY trip so I wanted input from everyone. I was pretty mad that every decision was being left up to me and at one point he even said to me "I'm just following you, I don't care what we do, this is your trip, you wanted to do this". :mad:

So I just walked off. Before I said something I would really regret, I walked away and kind of ignored him for a few hours. He trailed behind us, not talking though he did continue to take some photos.

Decided to go to One Man's dream, something else we did not see last time. The kids kind of liked it but got bored in a few minutes. We didn't do the show, just looked at the pictures.
Like this one
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0786.jpg

We had an ADR at 4:25 so we started walking over in that direction.
Kids thought this was funny...
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0796.jpg

We headed here for dinner
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0809.jpg

we had never eaten here before but it sounded like fun. I had debated between this and Mama Melrose, but we are not really into that kind of dining and looking at the menu I thought it would be tough to find something for me to eat.

While we were waiting to be called, huge clouds rolled in and all of a sudden it started raining... and not just lightly but HUGE rain, thunder and all that fun stuff.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0811.jpg

Thankfully we got called in soon after the rain started.

We really liked this restaurant. The kids loved the car and the movies.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0814.jpg

Even DH perked up for a bit and started talking again. Side note: it's amazing how much one persons mood can affect everyone!! And how once he relaxed and starting acting more normal, everyone relaxed.

Food was ok. I knew from others that the food is not fabulous here but that you come for the atmosphere more than anything, and that part was great. My food was sub par. I had made an ADR here, had talked to the allergy line, and in the ADR had it noted my allergy and still they had NO idea that I was there, that I had an allergy and seemed surprised that I needed something different. Chef was nice but in the end all he could offer me was noodles with maranara sauce and a few veggies. It was bland and not at all filling. they did not even have a dessert for me so we ended up paying OOP for DH and myself and did the DDP for the kids since they wanted shakes and desserts. They enjoyed those treats! :)

We were pleasently surprised that by the time we left the restaurant the rain had basically stopped. It was still dripping occasionally but not down pouring.

We headed over the Muppet 3D, Bethany's favorite movie. She is really into the muppets right now.

We walked down the Streets of America to see the lights since it was doark now. I don't think DH or the kids really enjoyed this. It was OK for them but seemed to not have the WOW factor. It was also raining on and off so that may have made it more difficult to enjoy. I liked it and could have stayed there a long time watching the lights and listening to the music but no one wanted to stay so we headed out. Not sure why, but I have no photos of this. :sad1:

Then we headed over to Indiana Jones (another of the missed shows from last time)
Got this photo on our way over there. I did not have the camera much of the week and though my hubby was great at taking a TON of photos, he did not always take the time to get 'good' photos.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0862.jpg

Saw IJ, which we loved and had a great time with, then headed over to Rock n Roller coaster. No one wanted to do TOT (thank goodness!) and the wait time was only 15 min for RNR so we went and rode that.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0889.jpg

We only rode it one time. We all felt a bit naseaus after this ride. LOL I think the plane ride and lack of sleep was getting to all of us. I realized that we missed Fantasmic, which was unfortunate but the kids really didn't care. We had seen this the last time though I would have liked to have seen it again.

We spent some time shopping at RNR and DH bought a Mickey Shirt. and John bought a guitar picture holder. At this point B decided she would like to buy her hat (we were getting ready to head out soon) so we started looking for it. Wouldn't you know, we couldn't find it anywhere! The only place I remembered seeing it was by Muppets. Of course, being our first day we had no idea if we would see this hat anywhere else. It was pretty late by now because we had EMH till midnight. I think it was around 10:30. We were all exhausted and I knew we had an early ADR for breakfast but B was really counting on getting the hat.

Again, hubby was very grumpy and doing the not talking thing so it was hard to try to figure out what to do. Eventually I decided that we should find the hat 'just incase' so we trudged around most of the park looking for the hat. Found it one place, but it was ripped, kept searching. It took almost 30 minutes to find the silly hat (and wouldn't you know it was in EVERY park!!)

She got the hat, was very happy.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0905.jpg

We finally headed out

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0915.jpg

Poor Tired B
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0924.jpg

Saw the tree again at night all lit up

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0920.jpg

And got this cool shot of the moon

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0928.jpg

Up next.. REALLY EARLY Adr.... Can I get them up, will we make it and did we get ANY sleep??

[swwake]

Fun update! Glad B got her hat. A 15 minute wait for RNRC is a dream!

Hmm...will they get up for the ADR? Not if your DH is still being grumpy!

[vikkil70]

Hi, joining in. Really enjoying your TR so far. The pictures of AKL were great. We are planning a trip for this December so looking forward to reading TRs from Dec to see what we are getting ourselves into. :) We went in August of 2010 and DH refuses to ever go again in the summer...too hot he says, and I've always wanted to see the Christmas decorations.
Can't wait to read more.

[annmarieda]

I can relate to your experience. My dh would lag behind too...especially at moments where I really wanted to hurry. I tried to not let it get to me though... but it really was hard at times.

I am glad your daughter got her hat. I think I have done that time and time again. I say.."we will pick that up later" and then poof, I can't for the life of me remember where I saw something. This time we were better about sending things to the front of the park.

Oh..and that cupcake. We got one too... good grief sweet is an understatement. And that bow... it died my dd's tongue pink. It was a nice looking cupcake though!

[veggiemama]

just popping in to say

Holy CRAP it's cold here!!!!

It is -41 with the Wind chill (-41.8 Farenheit)

My garage outside door won't even close because of cold. Cars are plugged in or they won't start in the morning. School MAY be cancelled but it has to reach -45 before they will cancel it.

My poor puppy stood at the door and looked at me like I was NUTS when I suggested that he go outside to pee! :rotfl: :confused3

I miss Disney!

[annmarieda]

Oh no!!! That is horrible. I hope you stay warm... I am with you though. I miss Disney. My dd goes back next week and the forecast is for nearly 80 all week. We are in the middle of a bad winter storm... I too miss Disney :sad2:

[momabaarjo]

just popping in to say

Holy CRAP it's cold here!!!!

It is -41 with the Wind chill (-41.8 Farenheit)

My garage outside door won't even close because of cold. Cars are plugged in or they won't start in the morning. School MAY be cancelled but it has to reach -45 before they will cancel it.

My poor puppy stood at the door and looked at me like I was NUTS when I suggested that he go outside to pee! :rotfl: :confused3

I miss Disney!

BRRR...stay warm!

I had dh issues too...I tried so hard not to let it ruin things, too! Sorry that it was so difficult for some of your ADRs.

Love your dd hat...Boo almost got one of those and I wish he had of...it was so much cuter than what he finally picked out!

[veggiemama]

Fun update! Glad B got her hat. A 15 minute wait for RNRC is a dream!

Hmm...will they get up for the ADR? Not if your DH is still being grumpy!
B was very happy, though tired, to get her hat that day! :) 15min wait to me is not even a wait, pretty much a walk on in my books! :rotfl:

Hi, joining in. Really enjoying your TR so far. The pictures of AKL were great. We are planning a trip for this December so looking forward to reading TRs from Dec to see what we are getting ourselves into. :) We went in August of 2010 and DH refuses to ever go again in the summer...too hot he says, and I've always wanted to see the Christmas decorations.
Can't wait to read more.
Hi and welcome! There are a bunch of us who went this past December and are all writing about our trips now so hopefully you can get the good and the bad :) Christmas at WDW was great, and was on my must do list and I'm with you, there is NO WAY I would go in summer time. I can't handle the heat, even Dec was pretty warm for us Canadian's :rotfl:

I can relate to your experience. My dh would lag behind too...especially at moments where I really wanted to hurry. I tried to not let it get to me though... but it really was hard at times.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets frustrated by this! :goodvibes I really do try but I guess because I'm the planner and the 'We have to get this done' type person it is hard for me to slow down and relax, DH on the other hand is ALL about the relax and when on holiday's does not like to GO GO GO in the same way that I do. I like to think we balance eachother out but I think we just frustrate each other! :rotfl:

I am glad your daughter got her hat. I think I have done that time and time again. I say.."we will pick that up later" and then poof, I can't for the life of me remember where I saw something. This time we were better about sending things to the front of the park.
I'm glad she got her hat too. It made her happy, though she never wore it again :goodvibes We seem to go back and forth on purchases. We work with the motto of "if you love it, walk away, if you still want it later than you know it is something that you really love and go back and get it" because we know just how often it is that the "I love this" happens in every store. BUT at Disney I think we need to make exceptions as the hat search proved to me. :rotfl2:

Oh..and that cupcake. We got one too... good grief sweet is an understatement. And that bow... it died my dd's tongue pink. It was a nice looking cupcake though!
Yes, I thought the cupcake was really cute, and for free I did not care that she did not eat it. Because of this she started making different choices as the week went on which was nice as well. :)

[veggiemama]

MK Day, December 12

We had a VERY early ADR this day. I had warned everyone about this ahead of time because I was determined to get to RD for our MK day. We have never made a RD to any park before and I figured we could do it this day.

We had an ADR at Chef Mickey's for 7:30 am. Plenty of time to eat and get to MK by 9 am, right??

And here is where, like so many others, my plans got derailed!

I had the alarm set for 6am. Not a lot of time to get ready and get out the door but I wanted to give everyone as much time as possible to sleep.

Remember sleeping arrangements? Well because we had moved resorts this meant another night in a new bed. I did not sleep well again! I kept waking up during the night. At one point I woke up and there was my hubby, not sleeping in bed but sleeping, sitting up, on the bench under where we hung up our sweaters! I remember having a moment of thought of "Oh crap, this can't be good!" and then I fell back to sleep.

The alarm went off at 6 am and I got up. I think I managed about 3 hours sleep, so that is a grand total of about 9 hours in 3 days!! Hubby was still 'sleeping' on the bench. The kids stayed sound asleep. I got myself ready, and reluctantly woke up everyone else at 6:45. I probably was already having premonitions of a long potentially frustrating day ahead of us.

DH woke up and was NOT in a good mood :sad1: This also had me worried but I was really trying to just let it go and not let it ruin my day. He barely spoke a word in the room and kind of stomped around getting ready.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0932.jpg

We managed to get out the room.... late! No surprise really but having never done a character meal I had no idea what would happen if we were late to our ADR. We managed to catch the bus fairly quickly, only a wait of about 10 min and then off we went to MK. I was told that if it was not too busy that early in the morning to ask if he would be willing to drop us off at the resort but unfortunately it was pretty busy with others heading off to ADR's as well so we had to ride to MK and walk back to Contemporary.

It was 7:45 by the time we started walking. (we were suppose to be there 15 min ago and I was stressing over the late time.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0963.jpg

I trying to walk quickly but DH is lagging behind. I am not much of a morning person and of course non of us have had a thing to eat or coffee so we were all kind of quiet. I kept my silent monologue going about how frustrating it was that he NEVER kept up and to RELAX and just let him be.

We got to Chef Mickey's by 8am. and the cm assured me that all was fine. phew!
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0965.jpg

Once again I had to remind them of my allergies. They stamped the ticket and again told me that the chef would have to come out and talk to me. We went through the line, had the picture taken and were brought to our table.

Kids and DH headed out for food right away. DH was really feeling the lack of food (though he kept telling me he was fine) I could tell that his blood sugar was low which does not help with his mood. I waited at the table for the chef. And waited, and waited and waited! They came back with food and were almost half way done before the chef finally came. As we were waiting, some of these fine characters came by.
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0976.jpg
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http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0988.jpg

Finally Hubby started to perk up and even started joking around with the Characters (my thoughts: food, coffee, and fresh juice really helps!) So we got this photo
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0990.jpg

The Chef finally came and told me that he could only make gluten free waffles (same as yesterday for me) I did manage to find some fruit while I waited. During this time everyone started to perk up and we enjoyed our time watching the characters interact at tables, watching the parades. There were 2 ladies at a table across from us who were having lots of fun taking photos with each character but never of the 2 of them together, so my DH offered to take their photos together with the characters (nice guy :lovestruc) and then they offered to do the same for us. So we got this photo
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN0996.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN1003.jpg

We finished up our meal and then, since it was passed 9 am and we missed RD we wandered around Contemporary. Looked through the stores and took some pictures of their gingerbread tree.

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN1022.jpg
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We headed over to the monorail and were surprised to see how much it was raining!
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/veggiemama2012/DSCN1035.jpg

BUT we still headed to MK with Dh and I discussing best ways to stay dry with our biggest concern keeping the backpack and camera dry but still having the camera available to take pictures.

UP Next..... can we keep it dry, keep us happy and still have a fun day??

[annmarieda]

12/12 was a MK day for us too. That morning was so wet!! We dodged in and out of shops to stay dry!

I too get stressed out when I am running late for an ADR. It almost always turns out fine though. :goodvibes

[Monknmom]

I don't understand why the coffee is so bad? I didn't like it so stuck to hot chocolate, my DH who has coffee running through his veins had to because I didn't bring anything else but don't think that I didn't hear about it every time he filled up that mug (at least 3 times/day)! I like the pictures from back when.... and that hair doesn't look too bad! My friend had to cut her daughters hair the other day because in school I guess her hair was reaching the girls desk behind her and the girl behind her cut her hair! At least your daughter is young enough--- this is 3rd grade I am referring to! You know I had no idea (even with all of my researching surprisingly people don't mention it) and I was getting those looks every day because I couldn't figure that thing out with the swipping and the finger print! My little one wanted to scan his finger, but I guess that under 10 doesn't have to? We ate at backlot too I thought that it was good and DH couldn't care for it! I have to say that I expected my Dh to act like you are describing, but he didn't! I am sorry that your DH didn't feel to well! I can imagine that must have been hard for everyone! Breakfast looked yummy and I am sorry about you having waffles everyday so far... you would think that they could come up with oatmeal or something else! And it's funny looking back I don't remember that much rain, but I guess that your right it did rain quit a bit DH tells me! Maybe i was just so caught up in the magic and being there for our first time I didn't even get phased by it! Okay I am all caught up now!

[knik]

[QUOTE=veggiemama;43765125]:welcome: To a fellow cold Manitoban! Lucky you, going to WDW during the cold season. LOL I'll try to get some more photos uploaded before you leave. We really loved the resort and if you have small children I think that the size of the resort is really nice. Oh and if you meet a CM at the pool talking about the crazy Canadians who shovel off their roof in the winter so it doesn't cave in.... That was us!! :rotfl::rotfl: More on that later in my TR though!


LOL.... I will totally have to remember and ask around!!

[momabaarjo]

So glad that you made it to Chef Mickey's and being late was not an issue. Wow, look at that rain. We only saw rain for a little bit one day at USO...but we did get to feel the COLD!

[veggiemama]

Quick life update.

Probably shouldn't come as a surprise, I haven't had much time at all to be here, let alone updating or reading other TR. So sorry everyone!

I am right in the middle of our composition festival and competition. I have about 3 more weeks until we are done and all the recitals are finished. At the moment I am working with 37 students writing composition and for 12 of them this is the first time EVER that they have written their own music. It is a lot of fun but at the same time very, very time consuming.

I thought things might calm down soon. HA! who am I kidding! :rolleyes1

I just got my schedule worked out for March and it turns out that 3 of the 4 weekends I am going to be away! ouch, that is a lot of time away for me. I have my 3rd year training courses for 2 weekends. I have a symphony concert to plan 1 weekend and a 'special' music day to help plan that is held with a number of other teachers in my area.

Oh and get this... the symphony that I'm working on right now is all about Harry Potter!! :rotfl: I have been searching the net trying to come up with games and songs, not as easy as I thought it would be so i'm stressing about it. I know I shouldn't stress, and I know I'm making things harder than I need to but I just seem to stress out anyways.

I am really trying to get some balance in my life, I took a break from my own piano playing in the hope that I would have more time but it seems like it just got piled on from other areas. I don't want to just, work, work, work but it just never gets down. I even have families calling to sign up for next September!!

Ok, sorry for the rant. Just needed to get that off my chest. I think I feel better now. :goodvibes

There are a number of other things going on which I know is also leading to extra stress and my health is suffering at the moment as well. So to add to my growing aggravations I had someone come up to me in my small town and suggest I go see ________ because I walk funny! And yes that is what she said. As if I don't have enough going one....

My special needs sister just celebrated her 39th birthday... and we had to celebrate in the hospital. she is not doing well and they are not sure that she will be going home again.

My dad had an accident with a saw and cut off a finger

My brother in law was in a car accident.... He is fine but this was really scary because he had a disc rupture last year and we didn't know if he would ever walk again and even now has no feeling from his stomach to his lower legs. Oddly though he can feel parts of his feet so he is actually able to walk.

Ok now I'm really venting. I think there is something safe in venting here since I feel a little more anonymous . I'm really not looking for sympathy and I'm trying not to do the "poor me" routine. Just tired of it all right now.

if you are still reading. thanks! :) It is good to get it out. There is still more going on unfortunately but I won't bore you with all of it.

I really hope and pray that things will get better soon. I really, really want to get on here and read other reports and have some laughs with everyone. I hope soon I will be able to.

[annmarieda]

:hug: I pray things get better for you too. Sounds like life has been super crazy for you lately. When you get a chance to update...even to vent about life stuff... I will be here. :goodvibes

[momabaarjo]

WOW...you need lots of prayers and pixie dust...some coming your way from me! We always want life to settle down, but it never does...especially when older children and our schedules get together in the mix. Keep venting away, I am here too!

[Grumpy's Wife]

Sometimes we just need a hug. :hug::grouphug: I do hope things get better soon.

[Monknmom]

I really understand! I have barely been on! I am happy for the facebook page because I can stay in touch- it's just harder to get here when your not sitting at the computer!
I am really sorry that life is so hectic right now! I hope that things calm down a little and get better... I will keep your family in my prayers and thoughts!

And it's okay to vent here, I think that we all do. Not even just for the anonymous part of it, but because people will actually listen and be there to talk/type! Good luck though- I hope that you do well!

[momabaarjo]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n255/loghan85/comments/mickey_valentine-4-miny02.gif

[Monknmom]

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/poohcl13/poohvalentine.jpg

[veggiemama]

Life Update:

I'm sad to update that me dear sweet sister passed away 10 days ago. It has been a tough few weeks. I am comforted to know that she is no longer in pain and suffering and can dance and sing in heaven. My sweet sister had many problems in her lifetime. She was autistic, had epilepsy, cerbral palsy, was non-verbal with very limited signing capabilities and was self abusive. She suffered a lot during her life time and though difficult to say goodbye I am comforted that she is whole and complete now. she was having issues with seizures in the past year and her body was not repsonding to meds, eventually she went into a coma and never awoke.

I'm not sure if I will continue this TR. I can't really think about 'fun' right now. Maybe later I will but it seems silly to try to complete this months after the fact.

[momabaarjo]

:hug: I am so sorry about your sister! But what happy thoughts of her new life!

I hope you are finding the answers you need for your health !

Maybe sharing a few happy pictures from your trip instead of a full blown tr will help you!

Big hugs and know I am thinking and praying for you.

[annmarieda]

I am sorry for your loss. I know that even when someone passes and you know they are in a better place, it is not easy to say good bye. :goodvibes

As for your TR, I am only half done with mine... at the current rate... I will take months to get mine done. So...silly as it may be... don't think you can't come back to this....

:hug:

[heaven2dc]

I am so sorry to learn about your sister's passing! I just found your TR and after reading every post, I am so saddened to hear this :( We will all give you time to heal and will wait patiently until you feel like sharing your trip with us. A big group hug goes out to you and your family!

On a side note: I loved the pics of your kids when they were younger - how adorable was your son's smile! I hope the rain stopped for you by the time you got to MK!

Take care!