"Honey, I want to see the Gin Blossoms. BTW it's at Epcot." Oct/Dec PTR -Update 11/30

[holleypie]

I read about the plans for your upcoming trip! They sound great! I love all of your pictures, too! I'm sure you guys are going to have a magical time!

Thanks for reading!

I'll have to catch up on your planning later -- we're packing and heading to Disney World soon!

Thanks, and have a good trip!

 

[Reddog1134]

Nov. 23–25: Isabella Rossellini (film/TV star and wildlife conversationalist)

Uh...is this info correct?

(You might have to read it a few times to "get it".)

 

[holleypie]

Isabella Rossellini (film/TV star and wildlife conversationalist)

I'm picturing Isabella and some chimpanzees telling stories to each other. Adorable.

 

[holleypie]

I haven't even decided if we're doing MNSSHP this year (I really WANT to do it, so I guess I'm just trying to find some way to justify it), but that hasn't stopped me from brainstorming costume ideas.

In 2010, I wanted to do coordinating costumes, but I never decided on a theme so I just made matching t-shirts and forced everyone to wear them.

In 2011, Brian and I went as Paulie Bleeker and Juno.

Pretty cheap costumes!

Here are some ideas I had for coordinating costumes if we go this year.

Barney, Betty, and Bamm-Bamm Rubble:

I thought Brian and Luke would be super cute as Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.

and I suppose I could be this Darby character, although I'm not at all familiar with her. I already have a yellow shirt and purple tank top!

Last year on Halloween, I saw a man dressed as The Man in the Yellow Hat carrying a monkey, and it was the cutest thing.

But what would I be? A banana?

For a couples costume, I thought of Doctor Who, because I am a nerd.

Amy's not my favorite companion and I don't look anything like her (see those legs? I do not have those legs), but it should be easy enough to find a mini skirt and some boots. And I'd love to see Brian in suspenders and a bow tie.

If Luke tags along, I saw an utterly adorable homemade baby Tardis costume on the internet, but (1) I'm not that crafty, and (2) there's no way we'd be fitting that in our one free carry-on bag, so maybe Luke could wear something like this:

 

[holleypie]

Our "spontaneous" fall trip is now four months away! I felt like I should mark the occasion with some random thoughts.

1. We had a powwow with Friend Tom over the weekend to discuss his plans. He's going to come along and help us with Luke! Okay, that's not really news, but since he hadn't bought plane tickets or park tickets or anything, I still mentally had him over in the "maybe" column, and now I'm moving him to "confirmed."

2. Yesterday I downloaded an app for my iPod called Ride Counter that is basically what it sounds like...it keeps a running tally of the rides and attractions you do. It's broken down by park, and there's a "Transportation" category too. I played with it yesterday to see how it worked, and the only downside is that I can't figure out how to delete the practice entries I made. Oops.

3. One of my 2012 objectives was to get back down to my fighting weight by the end of the year. I've already lost all the weight I gained DURING the pregnancy, but I also gained about 30 pounds after our wedding because I couldn't wait to have a baby so I immediately started eating like I was eight months pregnant with triplets. I've lost 54 pounds so far and I have 24 to go. I've been losing slowly (SO slowly) but I would love to drop about four pounds a month before the October trip. If I don't make some serious progress before the trip, I'm afraid that between our vacations and the holidays, I won't be able to hit my goal by the end of the year. So. I have to get serious. Like, right now.

4. Last week I started marathon training! I ran my first marathon in 2008, sprained my foot halfway through, and it was overall one of the most miserable experiences of my life. So of course I trained for another marathon a year later. I hurt my knee about a month before the race and had to drop out at mile 9, so that was a great experience too. I've never been a fast runner, but since having the baby I am SUPER DUPER SLOW. So obviously attempting another marathon this year is a FABULOUS idea. The marathon is six days before we leave for Disney, so if you see a short girl hobbling around World Showcase pushing an adorable baby in a stroller, you should say hi because that's probably me.

5. Another 2012 objective was to write a new novel. I just pulled about six disparate ideas into one plot, and I'm so excited about working on it. I'm hoping to have a solid draft or two finished before the trip.

So that's what I'll be up to between now and October. Plus, you know, stalking the Disney Food Blog website for Food and Wine Festival news.

 

[reyasmommy]

great PTR thus far.... Your son is adorable!

My son's due date was on December 9th too ((2009 though)) he ended up being born December 15th. (I had to be induced) He just didn't want to come out.. He's always been stuborn. I see Luke was born a day early. You lucky girl!

Well I love Road Trips, most of my trips are road trips. Your son will do well I'm sure.

I look forward to reading more.

 

[holleypie]

great PTR thus far.... Your son is adorable!

My son's due date was on December 9th too ((2009 though)) he ended up being born December 15th. (I had to be induced) He just didn't want to come out.. He's always been stuborn. I see Luke was born a day early. You lucky girl!

Thanks! I was so ridiculously enormous, everyone was convinced I'd give birth two weeks early to a 12 pound baby, so I really appreciated his punctuality. He's such a good boy.

 

[holleypie]

On Luke's birthday, Brian and I are taking him to 1900 Park Fare for breakfast. Then we're spending the day at Magic Kingdom with my family. At some point we need to wear party hats and sing happy birthday. The obvious choice would be a nice sit-down dinner at one of the Magic Kingdom restaurants and have a cake there waiting for us. But...my family will be on the quick service dining plan, and I don't want them to waste their credits, so that's not an option.

Here's my thought process so far:

Option #1: Magic Kingdom counter service
We could all eat together at Columbia Harbor House or some place like that. But I'm not sure if you can get a cake delivered to a quick service restaurant? Also, this doesn't feel all the "special" to me as a birthday celebration. Which is probably silly, because Luke will be ONE and he certainly doesn't care.

Option #2: Wishes Dessert Party
This is something I'd like to do at some point, but for 10+ people, it's a pricey option. I think everyone would enjoy stuffing our faces while watching the fireworks, but since we're going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party two days earlier, we might have already gotten our fill of fireworks. Also, it looks like Wishes happens at 10pm. That might be kind of late to feed cake to a one year old.

Option #3: Go Back to the Resort
We could go back to either our resort or their resort. We're staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge so we could have a meal at The Mara. They'll be at the Art of Animation Resort, and I really want to eat at Landscape of Flavor anyway. But if we go back to a resort for dinner, we might not have time to return to Magic Kingdom, and I would feel bad cutting their day short. A lunch time break would be an option, except my mom's kind of commando, and they don't typically take afternoon breaks. If we did go back to the resort, we might be able to get a grocery store cake instead of a Disney cake. It seems like the "cheap" Disney cakes are grocery store quality, and if I'm getting a grocery store cake I'd rather pay grocery store prices.

Option #4: Go to Another Resort
My latest idea is my favorite. We could take the monorail or a boat to one of the MK-area resorts, have a nice quick-service lunch or dinner, and then head back to Magic Kingdom. Captain Cook's looks like a good option. I don't think anyone besides Brian and I have been to the Polynesian Resort, so it might be a nice place for the family to visit, and in my mind, somehow this qualifies as "special." That still leaves the question of cake. I could just make everyone get a cupcake with one of their snack credits. Since Brian and I will have our car, we could leave MK early, head to Kroger to pick up a cake, and meet the family at the Polynesian. And we'll just have to eat ALL the cake so we don't have to deal with any leftovers.

 

[SAT887]

I like #3 and #4. This may sound mean of me, but I would think most of what your son would enjoy, and 2nd what you would like. Turning 1 is a big event for you both! That being said, I bet visiting any of the monorail resorts would be fun- does the Polynesian have a lounge you could get a cake or desserts at? I have only utilized the one near 'Ohana for drinks - but then perhaps you could do the whole cake/song with out your family having to go outside of their meal plan.

 

[holleypie]

I like #3 and #4. This may sound mean of me, but I would think most of what your son would enjoy, and 2nd what you would like. Turning 1 is a big event for you both! That being said, I bet visiting any of the monorail resorts would be fun- does the Polynesian have a lounge you could get a cake or desserts at? I have only utilized the one near 'Ohana for drinks - but then perhaps you could do the whole cake/song with out your family having to go outside of their meal plan.

I asked Luke what he'd prefer to do, and he just stared at me and then laughed and threw up a little on my shirt. So he's no help at all. Really, my biggest consideration was what would be logistically easiest for everyone. I hadn't thought of lounges so I'm not sure if they serve desserts. Oh, but I think the lounge at the Polynesian is where they serve the Lapu Lapu.

 

[SAT887]

I asked Luke what he'd prefer to do, and he just stared at me and then laughed and threw up a little on my shirt. So he's no help at all. Really, my biggest consideration was what would be logistically easiest for everyone. I hadn't thought of lounges so I'm not sure if they serve desserts. Oh, but I think the lounge at the Polynesian is where they serve the Lapu Lapu.

That looks very good - very good....

Haha its good that Luke sounds easy going. My easy going child has opinions now and my other - she is like me and has expressed her wants and needs all too well since birth. However, I had read about going to some of the lounges and that you could often get a meal at them if you couldn't get a reservation or didn't want to wait for a table... I bet you could get a cake. I am actually counting on that so I can go out with my husband and get drinks and appetizers, and best of all desserts on a few date nights at the monorail resorts.... Regardless of what you choose it will be a pretty awesome first birthday!!! It's in WDW!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm joining in! I think all your plans look great, especially the F&W plans! I also love Disney at Christmas time, and it is so awesome that your birthdays are both the same week, makes celebrating easy!

 

[holleypie]

I'm joining in! I think all your plans look great, especially the F&W plans! I also love Disney at Christmas time, and it is so awesome that your birthdays are both the same week, makes celebrating easy!

Thanks for joining! Yeah, I'm really happy that Luke and I share a birthday week. Now if we can just plan for our next kid to arrive in mid-October to coincide with my husband's birthday, we'll be all set.

Haha its good that Luke sounds easy going.

He is ridiculously laid back, so far. We had to drag him around all day yesterday for fourth of July festivities and he didn't complain at all. Today he's just sleeping it off.

 

[holleypie]

The October trip is only three months away! And the December trip is just six weeks after that! I still can't believe we're planning two trips in two months. But honestly, if I had any extra money whatsoever I'd also be planning a trip back in January or March for one of the race weekends....

Speaking of racing, my training has been going well. Except it's been, like, 100 degrees. Also, I underestimated how annoying it would be to get up at 5am on Saturdays to do the long runs with my training group, so I've only managed it twice and I've done the rest on my own later in the day (which kind of defeats the purpose of joining a GROUP, but at least I've made it to most of the track workouts). Last Saturday I ran twelve freaking miles with the jogging stroller. I still can't believe Luke and I both survived. As far as weight loss, I've dropped four pounds! So, that's right on target. I started tracking my calories and exercise on myfitnesspal.com, which is a lot easier than writing it down in my planner and doing the math myself.

As far as planning, we've refined our itinerary and dining plans a bit.

Brian seems pretty enthused about hitting all four parks on our October trip, so it will probably look something like this:

Friday 19th: Epcot, F&W, Gin Blossoms

Saturday 20th: DHS AM, Epcot PM, lunch ADR at Le Cellier, F&W, Survivor

Sunday 21st: AK AM, lunch at Restaurantosaurus, MNSSHP

Monday 22nd: Breakfast at Artist's Palette, DTD, lunch at Earl of Sandwich


Here's what we have so far for December:


Monday 3rd: Arrive at WDW. MK. Dinner at Gaston's Tavern, if it's open.

Tuesday 4th: AK. Lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue. Well, for Brian. If the Bradley Falls kiosk is still serving the asian noodle salad, I want that. But because it's Animal Kingdom, they're probably 2.6 miles apart. Dinner at Flipper's?

Wednesday 5th: Epcot.

Thursday 6th: ADR at Boma for my birthday breakfast. MNSSHP. Dinner at Columbia Harbor House. It occurred to me that it might be nice to meet my family at Art of Animation for lunch after they arrive (uhh...because I really want to eat at that food court!) but I'm not sure yet when their flight comes in. Or if I'll still be stuffed from breakfast.

Friday 7th: DHS. Starring Rolls for breakfast. Leave Luke with my parents and head over to Epcot for my (belated) birthday dinner at Le Chefs de France. EMH at Epcot.

Saturday 8th: ADR at 1900 Park Fare for Luke's birthday breakfast. MK. Lunch at Be Our Guest if it's open, and my family can join us if they accept the dining plan. Captain Cook's for dinner and cake.

Sunday 9th: AK/DHS

Monday 10th: MK. Giordano's?

Tuesday 11th: DTD?

Wednesday 12th: Brian wants to check out and leave early, but I want to do something fun on our last day! Partly because it will be 12/12/12, and that's cool. Maybe grab breakfast somewhere on the boardwalk and check out the Christmas decorations?

We haven't decided if we're going to drive straight through or stop somewhere on the way back. I think I'm supposed to figure that out. Hmmm.

Now, here's a gratuitous picture of my adorable baby helping Mommy with the PTR:

 

[holleypie]

I feel like I haven't spent enough time talking about food on this PTR, so here's a list of our top ten Disney snacks we'd like to get this year. Half of them are old favorites and half are new things we'd like to try. This list was mostly compiled by my husband, with a few additions from me because his list only had seven items and I wanted an even 10.

1. Mickey Bar - Anywhere

2. Dole Whip - Aloha Isle, Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

3. Citrus Swirl - Sunshine Tree Terrace, Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

4. School Bread - Kringla Bakeri, Norway pavilion, Epcot

5. Chocolate or Strawberry Crepe - Crepes des Chefs de France, France pavilion, Epcot

6. Mickey Pretzel - Frontierland, Magic Kingdom

7. Napoleon - Boulangerie Pâtisserie, France pavilion, Epcot

8. Candy Apple - Goofy's Candy Kitchen, Downtown Disney

9. Cupcake - Starring Rolls Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

10. Key Lime Mousse - Flame Tree BBQ, Animal Kingdom

One of my original suggestions for this list was:

which Brian removed because he "could find something more interesting." Ha! Well, I still want some popcorn.

 

[SAT887]

I feel like I haven't spent enough time talking about food on this PTR, so here's a list of our top ten Disney snacks we'd like to get this year. Half of them are old favorites and half are new things we'd like to try. This list was mostly compiled by my husband, with a few additions from me because his list only had seven items and I wanted an even 10.

1. Mickey Bar - Anywhere

2. Dole Whip - Aloha Isle, Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

3. Citrus Swirl - Sunshine Tree Terrace, Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

4. School Bread - Kringla Bakeri, Norway pavilion, Epcot

5. Chocolate or Strawberry Crepe - Crepes des Chefs de France, France pavilion, Epcot

6. Mickey Pretzel - Frontierland, Magic Kingdom

7. Napoleon - Boulangerie Pâtisserie, France pavilion, Epcot

8. Candy Apple - Goofy's Candy Kitchen, Downtown Disney

9. Cupcake - Starring Rolls Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

10. Key Lime Mousse - Flame Tree BBQ, Animal Kingdom

One of my original suggestions for this list was:

which Brian removed because he "could find something more interesting." Ha! Well, I still want some popcorn.

Ok, I really like your snack list.... It made me hungry. I think it's only missing one thing, a sundae from ghiradellis at DTD... I also want to see if I can get a slice of grapefruit cake with out actually dining at the Brown Derby - I made a knock off for my birthday cake and it was so good! So good I had to send it to work with my husband so I didn't polish it off during naptime...

And as far as running 12 miles - that is AWESOME! I really have a lot of respect for people who do that - I do 3 miles or so on the treadmill 5 days a week - but I doubt I could 12 in one shot. I just throw the treadmill on a 10% incline in hopes I get an extra burn. Although I wonder what the length of the running path is from OKW to DTD - I might need to run it to burn off the sundaes from ghiradellis!



And your son - super adorable!

 

[Nemo32]

Subbing! Luke is adorable. You will have a great time in Dec. - been there and it was awesome, best Disney trip EVER.

 

[holleypie]

Ok, I really like your snack list.... It made me hungry. I think it's only missing one thing, a sundae from ghiradellis at DTD...

I made myself hungry too--I had to go fix a snack after I posted that. I don't think we've ever even been inside Ghiradelli so we should add that to the to-do list. I could get a real hot chocolate there instead of Nestle!

And as far as running 12 miles - that is AWESOME!

Well, to be honest, I did walking/running intervals since it's so awkward to push the stupid stroller. And I did half a mile walking up and down the aisles of the air conditioned grocery store after I popped in to refill my water bottle. Haha.

And your son - super adorable!

Thanks!

Subbing! Luke is adorable. You will have a great time in Dec. - been there and it was awesome, best Disney trip EVER.

Thank you! I'm already convinced it's one of the best times to visit WDW even though I've never been, haha. I mean, birthdays and Christmas decorations and (hopefully) warmer weather than we're having back home...it will most definitely be awesome.

 

[Reddog1134]

I don't think we've ever even been inside Ghiradelli so we should add that to the to-do list. I could get a real hot chocolate there instead of Nestle!

We've been in the retail shop side a few times. Mostly just long enough to get a free sample.

We went into the restaurant side once but I think the line was long so we ended up not getting anything.

 

[SAT887]

We've been in the retail shop side a few times. Mostly just long enough to get a free sample.

We went into the restaurant side once but I think the line was long so we ended up not getting anything.

I honestly lack patience - but it's so worth it. I do have a huge love for ice cream - I live about an hour away from the ben and jerry's in VT, have an ice cream stand almost in my front yard and an even better one 5 min down the street.... I would give them all up for a few more ghiradelli sundaes a year!!!