The Never-Ending-Anything-Goes PTR

[Leshaface]

Wow you did fantastic on drinking around the world!

So is it you don't like vodka, or does it have to be a top shelf brand?

The fiesta margarita looks amazing! Definitely something I would order.

BTW, love your mickey ears! or rather, minnie ears!

 

[jenseib]

What a fun day, but I have a stomach ached thinking about how much you all drank

 

[stephielela]

Time to finish this bad boy up. I mean really, who would have though it could take me 2 ½ months to write a 48 hour TR?? Ridiculous!

After my long and intoxicating day, I slept like a baby! It was so calm and peaceful, I really enjoyed my own bed with no dog and no 3 year old coming in to share! I woke up the next morning to another beautiful sunny day!
I got up, showered and packed and took my stuff to bell services to hold onto. Then I headed to DTD for some shopping. I wandered around a bit just soaking up the sunshine and eventually ended up here to get a present for Jack:

This kid officially has way too many Mr. Potato Head pieces, but they are always a huge hit with the kids that come over. I wish they would make some more seasonal pieces, but I guess I can always rely on Target for those.

Once I was done there I headed to World of Disney. I thought this display was neat

The store was empty since it was so early so I just wandered around enjoying a child-free shopping experience!

I seriously considered purchasing this, but I wasn’t ready to commit to making coffee regularly since I have plenty of free coffee (that’s actually good) at work.

I wanted to get something for Hope’s new baby boy Tyler and after much debate, I ended up with this

I picked up a couple more things, a placemat for Jack, some really cute magnets that look like the ride tickets they used to have, a cup, and some Mickey head rice crispies for friends and then headed out before I spent more money that I needed to!

I sat outside and called my mom and took a couple of pictures…

I love that slogan for some reason!

If I had a great backyard I would try and recreate this! I thought it was neat. I also noticed that Basin was closed for renovation, so I am really glad I went to Basin White my first evening instead of waiting!

Then I decided it was time for breakfast…

Now technically this is my very first Mickey bar! We had a few (or 8) on the cruise, but those were all Jack’s. This one was just mine!
Then it was time for another first…

I got a few treats to take home, which lasted surprisingly well on the plane!

While I was waiting I took some more pictures of the adorable treats they had

Then my items were ready! This will definitely be a must do from now on!

I headed to yet ANOTHER first… Earl of Sandwich! Now, I have eaten at the one in San Antonio, but I have never gotten to try the one at DTD. Usually the line is out the door, so I decided to get a sandwich to go to eat at the airport.

Love the set up in here!

Side rant! Ok, I understand that Disney doesn’t want you missing your flight, but is it REALLY necessary to make you leave 3 hours before your flight?? I had not planned on checking luggage, and I hate killing time at the airport!


Anyways, it was time to head back to Pop to pick up my stuff! I have waited a loooooong time for buses in the past at DTD so I wanted to be sure I had enough time. Naturally this is the one time I waited about 30 seconds, but oh well. Once I made it back to Pop I strolled around for a few minutes to kill some time.

Hello little lizard!

Then my ride appeared and I reluctantly bid farewell…

Once I got to the airport I did some more shopping. I am an addict, I admit it. I also hit up the various placed like the Universal gift shop, Sea World gift shop etc to swipe brochures for any future clients. Then I remembered I promised to get souvenirs for a few coworkers, so I got that too. Then my mom asked me to check out the Ron Jon shop and get her a tshirt. By now my backpack was HUGE so I decided to check my stuff. This happens every time. I plan on just doing carry ons, but then I buy too much and since bags are free on Southwest and I have plenty of time to go through the line to check stuff, why not? I also had to buy a book since I had read my other one on the flight to Florida. I bought Game of Thrones and made it about 10 pages into it before I decided I would rather sleep…

Oh, there’s my flight, I guess I DO have to leave

It’s a good thing I left Jack at home, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the motivation to go back! I had a layover in Nashville, where I grabbed dinner at a bar and almost got my nails done at a salon (it was a looooong layover, like 2 hours) and then got on another plane and made it home safe and sound!

Now I know some people think I am crazy for doing such a quick trip. If the flights hadn’t been cheap, then I would have agreed, it wouldn’t have been worth the money. But as it was, I NEEDED a couple days away and I had quite possibly the BEST Epcot day EVER with Nikki and Tom! I would do it again in a heartbeat if time/money conditions were right! This was also my first ever solo trip. I wondered if I would miss Jack a lot, and while I did miss him, I wasn’t gone very long so it wasn’t that bad. Plus he wouldn’t have enjoyed the day I had anyways. I don’t know that I could do a true solo trip, if It hadn’t been for Nikki and Tom I probably would have gotten lonely, but I enjoyed the peace and quiet of being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted etc.

So there you have it, my mini TR, as promised, before I left for DC!

 

[stephielela]

Wow you did fantastic on drinking around the world!

So is it you don't like vodka, or does it have to be a top shelf brand?

The fiesta margarita looks amazing! Definitely something I would order.

BTW, love your mickey ears! or rather, minnie ears!

I really just don't liek the taste of Vodka, so if I can't taste it, it's good! The Fiesta Margarita was PERFECT! I wish I could have one right now in fact... AndI do believe those Minnie Ears will be required uniform for at least one or two days on each trip from now on !

What a fun day, but I have a stomach ached thinking about how much you all drank

Lol It was interesting for sure!

 

[stephielela]

Now that I have finished my mini TR, I can FINALLY talk about upcoming trips!

The first is a family trip to Washington DC this weekend! My dad is already in North Carolina for business and tomorrow he is flying to DC to meet my mom who is flying out in the afternoon. Then Friday morning Jack, my sister and I are all flying out at the crack of dawn. We will be in DC until Monday afternoon! I have lots of friends in the DC area from college and high school, and quite a few of our military friends are there now too, as well as my cousin who is with an acting company there doing Shakespeare plays. WE are staying at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City, literally blocks from my old apartment building! Friday night we are having a cocktail party at the hotel to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday. Saturday my best friend and my sister and I are taking Jack sightseeing. We will probably go to the Air and Space museum etc. My favorite thing about DC is all of teh great things you can do for FREE! We might go to the zoo as well. Saturday night I am going out with friends while my dad watches Jack, and Sunday will be more sightseeing. Monday we are going to visit my grandfather's grave at Arlington. He is actually who Jack is named after. Then we come back Monday evening and I go back to work Tuesday! I have been so swamped at work I haven't even packed yet. Plus I am sick. I lost my voice on Monday and it hasn't reappeared yet... and I have a wicked cold to top it off. I am so looking forward to 4 days of no work!
As you can see by my tickers, I have another WDW planned. The dates are still pretty up in the air but what I have on hold right now is September 29-October 5. This is a Mommy and Jack trip, and this time I am going to SURPRISE Jack! More on this trip soon!

I also put up the ticker for our 2013 DCL cruise. This one is still so far away I'm sure I won't be planning much yet... who am I kidding, I'd plan the whole thing today if I could!

I will keep the updates for these trips in their respective colors (mainly so I can keep things straight in my head).

 

[jenseib]

hope you are having a great time in DC!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I can't believe I drank that much, especially considering how crappy I was feeling! I love how I stopped for water at one point and coffee at another point, yet kept on drinking afterwards!

Okay I totally agree about being with people who understand about documenting everything! We've only gone with other people a few times and I always feel awkward when I ask them to take a picture of their food. Maybe that's why we didn't get a pic of our very first drinks....neither of us wanted to be the first ones to jump into the "food and drinks" pics. Luckily, it didn't take long!

Haha! I totally forgot that Duffy was wanting our drinks! That's really funny!

I can't believe you still have that tan line!! That's crazy. You need to work on that this summer.

Remember Tom was eating my queso fundido too? And we kept saying, "Don't do it, you're going to regret it!" And then when he got that funnel cake?! I couldn't believe it!

Oh man, when are you going again? Reading about this day reminded me how much fun we had that day! We definitely have to try to do it again!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh man, you'll be heading back from DC as I post this. I was away this weekend, so missed your update.

Hope you had a fantastic time and can't wait to hear all about the museums, etc. Wasn't there a big snow storm over there this past week or maybe that storm is coming this week??

Woot woot to some Fall adventures with Jack! Wonder how you're going to be surprising him..

 

[stephielela]

hope you are having a great time in DC!

Thanks! We had a pretty good time, weather got rough towards the end, but still lots of fun!

I can't believe I drank that much, especially considering how crappy I was feeling! I love how I stopped for water at one point and coffee at another point, yet kept on drinking afterwards!

Okay I totally agree about being with people who understand about documenting everything! We've only gone with other people a few times and I always feel awkward when I ask them to take a picture of their food. Maybe that's why we didn't get a pic of our very first drinks....neither of us wanted to be the first ones to jump into the "food and drinks" pics. Luckily, it didn't take long!

Haha! I totally forgot that Duffy was wanting our drinks! That's really funny!

I can't believe you still have that tan line!! That's crazy. You need to work on that this summer.

Remember Tom was eating my queso fundido too? And we kept saying, "Don't do it, you're going to regret it!" And then when he got that funnel cake?! I couldn't believe it!

Oh man, when are you going again? Reading about this day reminded me how much fun we had that day! We definitely have to try to do it again!

We MUST do that again! I am sure I am coming off as a total lush, but I really enjoyed being able to have a few drinks with adults! It's not something I can do a lot of when it's just me and Jack, so it's fun to be able to take advantage of a child free weekend! I do still have that tan line, though I paid a little more attention in DC so I think I made it less obvious I couldn't believe Tom just kept eating! Men are wierd like that I certainly hope that one of these days we can get the stars, and our trips, aligned!

Oh man, you'll be heading back from DC as I post this. I was away this weekend, so missed your update.

Hope you had a fantastic time and can't wait to hear all about the museums, etc. Wasn't there a big snow storm over there this past week or maybe that storm is coming this week??

Woot woot to some Fall adventures with Jack! Wonder how you're going to be surprising him..

We did have a great time, though the storm system moved in on Sunday. I will be updating shortly

I haven't figured out how exactly I am going to surprise him, it may just be as simple as waking up the day of the trip and saying "You know what I feel like doing today? Going to Disney World!: We shall see...

 

[stephielela]

Well, we made it back intact from our long DC weekend! Tired, but intact!

Let me start by saying I was really sick right up to our trip, and even the first day or so. It wasn't too horrible... Except I had no voice I woke up without a voice Monday morning, and I don't think I regained full use of my yelling ability until this past Monday. I had to work Monday-Thursday so work was interesting since I spend the majority of the day communicating with my team. And when I wasn't straining to talk, I was coughing. I went to the Minute Clinic on Tuesday and scored some anti-biotics just in case it was an infection, and while I am still coughing, I feel much better.

We started our vacation as soon as I got off work Thursday night. My sister picked Jack up from school and we met at Chili's for dinner. I was so tired that when we got home I let Jack watch a quick show and then put him to bed.

We had to leave the house at 5:45 am on Friday for our 7 am flight. Luckily I was able to take the dog to the kennel Thursday before work, and we were all ready to go as soon as we rolled out of bed pretty much. We have an amazing friend and neighbor who takes us to the airport and she actually arrived early to pick us up! Pretty soon we were being dropped of and waltzing through the empty security line!

Now we were flying Frontier this time I am sorry if anyone is a huge Frontier fan, but I am not. Mainly because I LOVE SOUTHWEST! I love the boarding process, I love that they check bags for free, I love that their seats are relatively roomy etc. Frontier charges to check bags (as most airlines do) so we were only ahuling carry ons. I had a new bag I bought for this trip and my Vera Duffel, and they were heavy, especially while trying to keep a hold of Jack. Once we made it through security we got some drinks to go with the donut holes I had picked up for the occasion, and I took Jack to use the bathroom before boarding.

Jack wasn't quite awake yet...

Jack and KK (that's what he calls my sister)

I wasn't really awake yet either

Shortly before boarding they announced that it was a full flight so anyone who wanted to gate check a bag could do so free of charge. Yes please! My sister and I both checked a bag and pretty soon we were boarding! The seats were 2 on either side so it was just me and Jack on one side and my sister was across the aisle.

The flight was short and uneventful. Jack played the Where's my Water game on my Nook after I read a bit. The seats are so close on these planes that when the guy in front of me leaned back he was practically in my lap! I am only 5 feet tall so luckily I don't need a lot of space but geez!

Once we got to the airport we bought our Metro tickets and headed up to catch the train. This was Jack's favorite part I think...

Now, I lived in DC for a few years when I went to college and after. I have ridden the Metro thousands of times tothe exact stop we were going to and STILL I managed to get on the train going the WRONG WAY! How embarressing! I claim lack of sleep as my excuse. The second I got on the train, my phone rang and it was a good friend of mine from college! He still lives in DC and we were hatching plans for meeting up. Then we got on the right train and headed back towards the hotel!

I for some reason have NO pictures of the hotel. I really didn't take a ton of pictures in general though. The creepy thing was this hotel was located literally adjacent to the back of the apartment bulding I used to live in. In fact, from my parents room I could see my old apartment.

The one on the bottem covered partially by the tree, that's mine! In fact my pet fish is buried under that tree! It was a little wierd being so close... We used to have some amazing parties on that patio!

Once we got all checked in and unpacked we met up with my parents. They had checked in the day before. We walked over to Pentagon City and ate lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen there. It was delicious as usual! Then we headed to the metro and into the city to go to Arlington.

 

[Leshaface]

Cool update!

So which airport did you fly into? For some reason, I thought you had to take a taxi or rental car to get to the train station. Is there a train that goes right from the airport? If so, that's really cool!

 

[jenseib]

I can't wait to hear more.

 

[stephielela]

Cool update!

So which airport did you fly into? For some reason, I thought you had to take a taxi or rental car to get to the train station. Is there a train that goes right from the airport? If so, that's really cool!

We flew into Reagan National which is on the metro line. Dulles International is farther out and has a bus that will take youto the closest metro for about $10 each way. I've had to do that a couple times, it's less fun

I can't wait to hear more.

Soon!

 

[stephielela]

My grandfather on my dad’s side is buried at Arlington, which is why we were heading there. He died shortly (like two weeks) before I was pregnant with Jack, and he is who Jack is partially named after. Jack’s real name is John, but like my grandfather he goes by Jack instead. I went with my dad to see him buried in Arlington. I explained to Jack that this was a place that you have to be quiet and you can’t run around and play. He didn’t quite get it, but he was pretty good.

It was a gorgeous day, perfect for being outside. When you enter in the main building there is a place to look up the locations of loved ones.

These are the guidelines they have posted which I think are pretty appropriate.

Just a tip, they don’t actually sell water in the bookstore here, you have to go across to the Women’s memorial for that.

Jack asked if we could take a picture of this statue…

This is the amphitheater. On the other side is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My grandfather is buried on this side across the street.

They put family members on the back sides of the head stones.

Jack had a hard time understanding that this wasn’t a smiley kind of picture.

Once we had paid our respects, we headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I explained to Jack that all day, every day, a soldier marches on the carpet there.

They were in the middle of switching guards

I have the utmost respect for all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, and anyone else who has served, is serving, or supports someone who does. It’s an incredibly hard job and so important. I have many many friends who are in the military or have been. My dad was in the Army for 22 years so we have a million family friends throughout the various branches. I am so glad that there is a place like Arlington where these people can be recognized for their sacrifices.

The grounds at Arlington are beautiful and have fantastic views of the city!

Inside the main building they had this quilt

Once we were done here it was time to head back to the hotel to get cleaned up and ready for our party!

 

[stephielela]

There has been a major change to our fall trip! When I originally started planning, my friend's husband told me that he wanted to surprise her with a big family trip to WDW. They currently live in Italy and were coming back to the states for a visit in October. He wanted to surprise her at the end of the trip with a week at Disney, and he wanted me to help plan it. I was super excited... and then their plans changed a bit. And then they changed again. And then I didn't hear anything fro a while, which is why I booked my own trip

Of course, the day after I book he emails me with their "final" plans and the surprise is back on! Basically he wants the surprise to start on October 29th. He isn't sure how many people will come, but he is getting me the list of emails and I will start planning! He wants to plan 7 days, and due to the large (potential) group of guests, we are thinking of staying in one of the All Star Vacation homes! This is completely new for me, we have pretty much NEVER stayed off site.

Also, the last Halloween party is usually the 1st or 2nd of November. The first Christmas part is usually a week or so later... Can you see where I am going with this?

I love the Christmas decorations and the party, but after the last December trip I pretty much decided we won't be dealing with that madness again (weather was cold, crowds were huge since it was the week before Christmas). This is the perfect alternative! Right now they are only planning on staying through the 5th, but if the budget allows, I plan on staying an extra couple days with Jack on property. Right now there is rumor that the first Christmas Party will be Nov 6th, so Jack and I would stay until the 7th, so two nights on property.

Confusing enough for you yet? Because I know I can barely keep track! Regardless I am super thrilled these plans are back on!

 

[stephielela]

And I wasn't kidding. This update is in yet another color because... its ANOTHER trip!! I KNEW 2012 would be a big year...

This trip came about very suddenly. My mom found out she has to go to Orlando on buisness... and the most natural decision was all 5 of us should go right? There was lots of back and forth, where to stay, what dates, could my sister and I both get off work? It was a very dramatic 5 days in our house until finally the decision was made- WE ARE GOING!

But to where?

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I know, I know!!!

 

[stephielela]

Ok, I decided not to keep you in suspense! We are cheating on Mickey with Harry!!

That's right folks we are spending a couple days AWAY from the magic and trying out the Universal Studios side of town! June 27-30 to be exact! My dad found an awesome deal on a Groupon, 3 nights in a 3BR townhouse for $339!! Airfare was not so friendly, but still we decided it was worth it. Once my sister finally got her vacation approved we booked!

This is our first foray into the Wizarding World, the last time we were at Universal was in 2002 and to be honest, none of us remembers much about it! I will be needing all kinds of tips and advice, and will be reading many TR's for planning ideas (TIA Jen!)

Now I will say, I already know I'm going to be feeling a bit out of sorts not seeing Mickey, but we do plan on spending our last morning at DTD and since I know I have a WDW trip coming in the fall, I am hoping that will help keep the blues at bay!

Also we are surprising Jack! Our flight on the 27th (Wednesday) leaves at 7 pm so we will all be going to work as usual and he will be going to school and when we pick him up, rather than heading home for a boring evening we will head right to the airport!

 

[jenseib]

Yay!!!!

 

[Leshaface]

Wow! So many things going on at once! I love when that happens though. I love scheduling trips!