SOOZE's Grand Gathering... it's so good, I have to bevel! Update! 2/3

[Sooze]

Love the pictures with Daisy and Donald!

It looks like you had a great day at DHS. Love Avabelle pushing her doll in the stroller.

Thanks for checking in!! The pictures from this trip are some of my favorites, for sure!

Hey Sooze!

Finally caught back up.

LOVE the RnRC & AIE pics!

Welcome back! It's almost better to wait a while so you aren't bored in between updates!

 

[Sooze]

Well, my intentions of rocking this out before school started failed miserably! And... I'm in the middle of rehearsals for another show. I will be performing in the Indiana Community theater premier of "Curtains". It was recently on Broadway with David Hyde Pierce. Very cool show and I have an amazingly fun role! YAY! But with a new school year for my kids and myself, and this show, and Tyson's football, and Shaelyn's ballet... well.. you know how it goes!

I'm still hoping to update on the weekends. Maybe I'll aim for two at a time. We leave for WDW in mid-October, so I know this will at least be done by then!

Thanks to my faithful followers. It means more to me than you'll know!

 

[ZFamily5]

Take your time! We all get busy at this time of year!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Well, my intentions of rocking this out before school started failed miserably! And... I'm in the middle of rehearsals for another show. I will be performing in the Indiana Community theater premier of "Curtains". It was recently on Broadway with David Hyde Pierce. Very cool show and I have an amazingly fun role! YAY! But with a new school year for my kids and myself, and this show, and Tyson's football, and Shaelyn's ballet... well.. you know how it goes!

I'm still hoping to update on the weekends. Maybe I'll aim for two at a time. We leave for WDW in mid-October, so I know this will at least be done by then!

Thanks to my faithful followers. It means more to me than you'll know!

Congrats on the new role!

We'll be here whenever you are able to post.

 

[Sooze]

Take your time! We all get busy at this time of year!

Congrats on the new role!

We'll be here whenever you are able to post.

Thanks to both of you!!

 

[Sooze]

A few years ago, my husband forced me to switch to an iPhone. I never felt like I would need something so complex with the ability to do so much. I also feared that I would lose this expensive little computer that I could carry in my purse or pocket. Before my iPhone, I lost MANY a phone (only to find them a few hours or days later), so I had a huge fear of misplacing this expensive gadget.

A few years later, I had learned that this iPhone had become a part of ME. I can’t go anywhere without it, and I check it every 15 minutes or so. And I’m proud to say I’ve NEVER lost it. I even used it as my one and only camera on this trip. So… imagine the horror I felt when we arrived at EMH at MK… Yes EMH at MK… the day the girls were going to ride the perfect rides for THEM and meet two of their favorite princesses. Imagine my horror when I realized I left my phone back at the Boardwalk. Oh. My. LORD!!! Not only did I forget the communication device… for talking to my family members on the trip, and (MOST importantly) posting Facebook updates, but I forgot my CAMERA!!!

The day was not off to a good start. For me. The rest of the family was pumped up. Mahna and Pahta decided they needed to slow down. They slept in a bit more, hung out at the Boardwalk, then went to Epcot alone. The rest of us waited for the next bus to MK.

Not quite a bevel… but still a cute little lady!

It was a quick wait and a fun ride, since we only rode the buses this one time! Soon we were at MK and had just missed the rope drop. Oops. As soon as we were inside, Matt and Tyson took off to find more exciting things to do. ABC, Shaelyn, and me? We had a date with Fantasyland! We hit all of the rides that preschool girls would love including Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, the Carousel, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, It’s a Small World, the Tea Cups… just one right after the other. Morning EMH at MK ROCK!!!

But, man… wouldn’t you love to have seen pictures of all of that?!



Yeah…. Me too.



I did steal this one from Cindy:

At around 9:15, we knew the Rapunzel Meet and Greet was going to be starting in 45 minutes, so we headed to that area. There was already a line 50 people deep! They had cut off the 10:00 greet and were starting the line for the 11:00. Already!! WOW!! Cindy got in line and sent Ben, Avabelle, Shae and me off for more fun while she held our spot. The CMs in charge of the line were actually encouraging people to do this. I thought that was interesting…

While we were getting our Carousel on for the 3rd time or so, Ben got a text from Cindy (this was at around 10:30) to hurry and get back over to the Rapunzel area. They were letting a few more people in and Cindy was right at the cut off. The only down side was that the girls would not be able to do the coloring and dancing that they do before Flynn and Rapunzel come out. Well… that sounded ok with us! The girls just wanted to see them… they didn’t have to color. (Besides… Lucky for us, Shae as already done that!)

So we waltzed right in and only had to wait a few minutes. It also meant we were the last ones to see them before their break. So they spent extra long with us! Just before our turn, we asked one of the CMs if we could see Pascal. She went and found him for us!

We have TONS of Photopass pictures of this experience coming up later, but here are a few that Cindy took. Rapunzel was very excited about Shaelyn’s dress and told Shae that she was Rapunzel’s very first twin of the day. I felt bad because Avabelle had her Rapunzel dress, too, but just wasn’t feeling like wearing it. Here is Rapunzel playing “mirror mirror” with her “twin”

And a group shot:

Sadly, they were getting rid of Flynn just a few days after this was taken. I could write an entire update about how disappointed I am that they keep ousting the princes/guys…. But I’ll save that for another time!

Our next mission was to find Tiana… another one of the girls’ favorite princesses. When we arrived, a small line had started to form and we had a good 30 minutes to wait. Cindy was AWESOME about always packing small snacks, so the girls had a great time nibbling while waiting.

Soon, the beautiful Tiana arrived…. With NO NAVEEN!!!! WHAT?!?! They ousted him TOO!?! I had no idea and was really disappointed. It’s just not the same without them both. I know Disney is cutting money where they can (Though I still don’t know WHY they have to do that)… but stop ruining guest experiences with characters. That is one of the most important reasons we come here. You can’t just go see Tiana and Naveen anywhere!!

Ok…. I’m done. Here’s a picture for you while I go calm down:

More to come from Photopass….

We had filled up our morning with great rides and princesses. We were ready to head back to the resort to rest up for our evening at Epcot. On our way out, we stopped to make a few wishes:

Did you see Avabelle’s toes? Can you tell her mom is a dancer?!

And I think I was wishing to NEVER forget my phone EVER again!!

Perfectly enough, as we were heading out, the next show in front of the castle was about ready to start. We walked right up to the stage and found a place to watch. Here is another priceless Avabelle face as the princesses emerged and waltzed beautifully before her!

I REALLY hated not having my phone at this point because I LOVE taking pictures of this show. Being able to stand so close to twirling princesses and dazzling Disney dancers provides for some awesome picture moments. Oh well… next time…

We made our way back to the bus stop and were very quickly put on a bus and on our way home. Thankfully, our brief encounters with buses on this day were flawless!

The girls enjoyed some lunch (please notice Avabelle’s pose again!)

And we were soon reunited with the whole family. At this point, I made the decision to get Shae some medical attention for that blasted rash!!! The rest of the family decided to hit the pool, while Shae and I searched out the urgent care center that was recommended to us by the Concierge…

You know… the same urgent care center that every single Disney CM recommends to every single Disney guest that asks?!

Uh.. yeah. We drove to the clinic, which was very close to DTD, walked in the front door, saw the computer screen that said the next available time was 5 pm (4 HOUR WAIT?!?!?! NO THANK YOU!!!), and turned around, and walked back out to the car! I got on my iPhone (That I was happily reunited with at lunch), used the “Around Me” app to find a Walgreens Take Care Clinic, drove 45 seconds down the road, and walked right in to see a nurse practioner.

HELLO!?! Biggest new Disney tip ever!! Don’t use the Urgent Care clinic that Disney tells you to use! It’s called CVS Minute Clinic and Walgreens Take Care Clinic. Use them, folks!!

Long story short… after a brief examination, Shaelyn was diagnosed with “Fifth Disease”. I remember hearing about it when I was pregnant and a teacher, because it is very risky for women who are pregnant. Well, Shae had it. Basically, it’s a virus, there’s nothing you can do about it, by the time the rash appeared, she was no longer contagious, heat could make the rash appear worse, and enjoy the rest of your time at Disney!

I felt SO much better after hearing the diagnosis. The rash was not bothering Shae at all, it just looked nasty. So now that I knew it was a common virus, and that no one in our group was pregnant, I could relax and enjoy our few precious days we had left.

And tonight was our Teppan Edo night at Epcot… and the night we got to wear our matching T-SHIRTS!! You KNOW you want to stick around to see those, right?!

Before I go, I thought you might want to see one of Mahna and Pahta’s experiences while we were enjoying MK. They bumped into Mahna’s favorite Disney character, Tinkerbell, at International Gateway.

Enjoy!

Is she not the cutest Mother-in-Law ever?!

 

[micandminforever]

Once again great pictures of the girls and a magical morning. The pictures may have been borrowed and few, but captured the pixie dust and wonder in the girls faces. I look forward to the photopass pictures.

Great news that Shea's rash would not change future plans or be transferred to anyone else. I know you were relieved.

 

[jwwi]

Wow, so many updates to read. Looks like your family gathering at WDW is going so well. The girls are so cute together, it must be fun for Shae to share her time there with her cousin. And your in laws are so sweet, I am sure that they are just loving their time there with everyone together. I know I would be!
Congratulations on making it onto AIE again, I love the pictures too! How fun for Tyson to be able to stay with the adults to experience RNRC. Your sister in law's face is priceless.
Your trip reports are always full of such fun experiences and suggestions. I am sure you may save many from long waits for care with your tip to go to CVS or Walgreens to see a NP.

Also, I love the view from your Villa, how beautiful!

 

[Sooze]

Once again great pictures of the girls and a magical morning. The pictures may have been borrowed and few, but captured the pixie dust and wonder in the girls faces. I look forward to the photopass pictures.

Great news that Shea's rash would not change future plans or be transferred to anyone else. I know you were relieved.

Thanks a bunch! There are some great Photopass pictures to come, if you're still here... I've been AWFUL about getting on the DIS lately.

Wow, so many updates to read. Looks like your family gathering at WDW is going so well. The girls are so cute together, it must be fun for Shae to share her time there with her cousin. And your in laws are so sweet, I am sure that they are just loving their time there with everyone together. I know I would be!
Congratulations on making it onto AIE again, I love the pictures too! How fun for Tyson to be able to stay with the adults to experience RNRC. Your sister in law's face is priceless.
Your trip reports are always full of such fun experiences and suggestions. I am sure you may save many from long waits for care with your tip to go to CVS or Walgreens to see a NP.

Also, I love the view from your Villa, how beautiful!

It was SUCH a magical vacation! The girls got along like this the ENTIRE trip, and even big brother/cousin, Tyson, was supportive and loving to his little sister/cousin!

Thanks for your comments!! They are much appreciated.

 

[glennbo123]

Dang, I'm really slow in catching your updates. Sorry to read that you forgot your iPhone/camera -- yes, we would have liked more pictures, but the ones Cindy got were great.

I am amazed at the Tinkerbell cast member, and how she can stay in-character body-language-wise while talking to your mother-in-law. Each one of those shots is totally Tinkerbell!

 

[Sooze]

With Shaelyn’s rash diagnosed, my iPhone back in my pocket, and rain in the forecast… it was time to head out for a wonderful evening at Epcot. We had reservations at Teppan Edo, and I was beyond excited to enjoy this entertaining and delicious meal with my family!

It was also the evening for us to wear our matching shirts!! YAY!! If you want information about how I made them, just send me a message! I will give a shout out to shadowryter on the DISigns thread. She is the creator of the awesome artwork!

We decided to take a photo opportunity outside of the Japanese Pavilion. Here we are!

Mahna and Pahta:

Close Up:

Avabelle, Ben, and Cindy:

ABC Close Up:

And here WE are (Matt, Tyson, Shaelyn, and Susie):

One more Close Up:

You can see in these pictures that the clouds were building up and getting darker by the minute. We headed into Teppan Edo, parked the strollers in the lobby (since we knew they’d be soaked if we left them outside), and were quickly seated. I was also quickly in possession of this:

Mmmmmmmm….. Tokyo Sunset….

Our meal experience did not disappoint. Service was fast and flawless. Drinks were flowing:

Kids were entertained:

Laughter was plentiful:

And soon we were enjoying a FANTASTIC chef. Here is a video of him joking with the kids, and creating the famous “Choo Choo”.


Did you hear the eruption of laughter, applause, and delight? Those were CONSTANT throughout our entire meal. Such a fun, fun, fun experience!

Love this shot of the chef hamming it up:

And one of him hard at work:

Doesn’t Tyson look excited about the three things on his plate?

He was eying that shrimp and chicken….

The girls were more than happy with their noodles and chopsticks!

Tyson eventually enjoyed slurping the noodles. Such fine restaurant etiquette.

Some family shots from around the table:

The cuteness just never stops:

See? Total cuteness:

Soon, we found ourselves settling the bill and facing the fact that we had to go outside in the torrential rains… the ones that started pouring as soon as we sat down to eat. But before we decided what to do, we had time to give the meal a rating. So how WAS our meal?

It was SO GOOD…. We had to bevel, of course!!

PERFECTION!

So what DID we do to avoid the rain?.....

 

[Sooze]

We were just not ready to head out into the downpour, so we spent a bunch of time perusing the gift shop in Japan. Honestly, this is my favorite gift shop in all of World Showcase. I mean… Hello Kitty, Monchichi, Pick-a-Pearl, socks made for flip-flops, and trying on kimonos all in one place? How could you NOT love it in here?

Our first stop was Pick-a-Pearl. We had to wait a while, because most of the guests in Epcot also decided to dodge the rain in this gift shop as well! Soon, Mahna and Shae were picking out their oysters.

Mahna getting excited:

What would be waiting inside?

Two beautiful pearls:

We decided not to have them set in any jewelry this time… it was just so crowded! So we made our way back to the kimono area and were thrilled to see Cast Members who were willing and excited to help the girls try on some kimonos!

Avabelle chose pink, Shaelyn chose red:

Such helpful Cast Members!

Loving the pampering:

Adding the finishing touches:

Japanese princesses!

Checking it out:

After spending about an hour in the shop, the rain had let up enough for us to get out! Where did we run off to? The caramel shop in Germany, of course!

We LOADED up on goodies, then walked to the American Pavilion to eat inside… the rain was lighter, but still coming down!

Dry and happy cousins! (You can see that rash again.. ugh!)

Here is Matt after opening up a bag of carmelly goodness. He is taking in the aroma! Ha ha!

Disney vacation content:

You may have noticed that Avabelle and Shaelyn had sparkly jewels on their faces. This was something Cindy had brought from home. They had fun decorating themselves! Then.. they had fun decorating Pahta! I’m not sure how this game got started, but the girls were putting a jewel on Pahta’s nose. Then he’d make some goofy face or sound, and the girls would just SQUEAL with delight!! I caught a few pictures:

Ok… see the people in the background of this picture?

They made me feel like a rock star! I was coming back into the dining area from using the bathroom, when one of them yelled “We loved you in American Idol!!!” What?!?!?! HUH!? Then they all started saying things like “We voted for you!” “You were great!” So humbling that they would recognize me, and think that much about me to actually stop me and say something. It made my day!!

By this time, the girls were getting a bit antsy, so I took them out into the drizzle, where they immediately began a game where these tall tables were their ‘house’ and they would dodge out of their house, feel the rain, then run back into their house! So cute!

Uncle Ben even joined in on the fun!

We had had enough of the rainy WS, so the family headed around to Future World. The girls hopped and skipped their way to Spaceship Earth.

On our way, we stumbled on a CM with a bubble machine!

We played here for quite a while. Here is a short video of the girls enjoying themselves!


Coming up… how did we wrap up this wonderful day? How about a whole-family ride experience!?!

 

[Sooze]

Dang, I'm really slow in catching your updates. Sorry to read that you forgot your iPhone/camera -- yes, we would have liked more pictures, but the ones Cindy got were great.

I am amazed at the Tinkerbell cast member, and how she can stay in-character body-language-wise while talking to your mother-in-law. Each one of those shots is totally Tinkerbell!

I'm GLAD you're slow.... because I'm even SLOWER! I loved those Tinkerbell pictures, too... and thought the same thing. I also love that my MIL went right up to Tink and interacted that way with her! It was the classic Disney-brings-out-the-child-in-all-of-us moment!

Thanks for hanging around!

 

[ZFamily5]

Great updates! Not sure how I missed the one from August 20th...

Have you seen the TR "How many iPhones can you lose in a week?"?

All of the pictures are great! As always, Shae and Avabelle are so cute! And the matching t-shirts are great! Can't wait for more!!

 

[thechesters420]

Your pictures are just great! Love the shirts!

 

[micandminforever]

I am still here and loving the new pictures and videos. DH and I have traveled with his family to Disney several times and Teppan Edo is always a most do.

The matching shirts are great.

 

[glennbo123]

You're right, the cuteness just doesn't end!

So, did you have to buy kimonos after they tried them on? I'm wondering how you could not.

That's great that some people recognized you from American Idol and told you that they voted for you. I'm sure that did make your day!

 

[jwwi]

What a perfect store to have to wait out the rain. So much to see and do. The girls look so cute in the kimonos. I like the food and candy area, there are some really good sweet tart kind of candy, but they literally just melt in your mouth. They come in a long strip, and each little packet has a different flavor. Have you tried them?

 

[teachermommy78]

You are totally a rock star!!! The pictures of your MIL and Tink made me laugh out loud. I always find it so funny to see characters appearing deep in conversation with guest. They were both so serious in their facial expressions and animated in their hand motions. I wonder what they were discussing!

 

[Sooze]

Great updates! Not sure how I missed the one from August 20th...

Have you seen the TR "How many iPhones can you lose in a week?"?

All of the pictures are great! As always, Shae and Avabelle are so cute! And the matching t-shirts are great! Can't wait for more!!

How Many iPhones can you lose in a week!?! That sounds hilarious!! I may need to check that out.. AFTER I finish this TR, right?! ugh!

Your pictures are just great! Love the shirts!

Thanks so much! I loved making them, and loved giving them out even more!

I am still here and loving the new pictures and videos. DH and I have traveled with his family to Disney several times and Teppan Edo is always a most do.

The matching shirts are great.

Teppan Edo is definitely becoming a family favorite! Thanks... we got a lot of compliments on those shirts!

You're right, the cuteness just doesn't end!

So, did you have to buy kimonos after they tried them on? I'm wondering how you could not.

That's great that some people recognized you from American Idol and told you that they voted for you. I'm sure that did make your day!

Don't get angry with me... we did NOT buy the kimonos... I KNOW.... I'm a terrible mother...

What a perfect store to have to wait out the rain. So much to see and do. The girls look so cute in the kimonos. I like the food and candy area, there are some really good sweet tart kind of candy, but they literally just melt in your mouth. They come in a long strip, and each little packet has a different flavor. Have you tried them?

You know, we didn't even go near the candy area. Is that crazy!? Next time... next time for sure!! And I'll look for those tart candies... they sound delicious!

You are totally a rock star!!! The pictures of your MIL and Tink made me laugh out loud. I always find it so funny to see characters appearing deep in conversation with guest. They were both so serious in their facial expressions and animated in their hand motions. I wonder what they were discussing!

Ha ha! I'm a rock star?! I felt like one, for sure!

When Pahta showed us those pictures of Mahna and Tink, I felt the same way! My MIL is very quiet and reserved and I just LOVE that she was so in the moment that she was able to carry on this conversations!