(3X Update & FINAL!! 3/24)*~*EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!*~*A Mother/Daughter Feb 2013 TR!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Chapter 15: Expedition Everest...and more Expedition Everest...and more?

Today is my 40th Birthday! I'm trying to be brave about this new age and I'm more determined than ever to run the Princess Half Marathon next February, a week before my 41st bday! It gives me quite a bit of pleasure to post about my favorite ride on my birthday! Yay!

Ah yes, last I left off, we had just exited our amazing safari adventure and popped in the bathroom before making a b-line for EE! Expedition Everest is my FAVORITE ride at WDW. I was nearly tortured in November 2012, when Rey & I didn't even step foot in Animal Kingdom...BUT...I had a view of EE from our balcony at Animal Kingdom Lodge! It taunted me, but that trip was all about our Anniversary and Rey had a back injury and so I knew we couldn't ride it. Oh, here is my view of EE, you can JUST see it on the horizon, but you could see it much better with the naked eye:

So, in any case, EE was my one and only real must-do for AK. Savannah & I have been on it quite a few times on past trips, so I was pretty shocked when she was acting scared. She seems to be less of a dare-devil than on our first couple trips. She says she was just young and fearless back then.

So, as we headed to EE to use our FP's, I reminded her of how we had gone multiple times on EE, but she was so amped up, she had ME freaking out a little! I had butterflies in my stomach by the time we loaded (which was very fast, using our FPs! and I snapped a few shots before putting the camera away to enjoy the moment!

There's nothing like having someone psych you out before a ride! It was a blast, as always, and all fear was replaced with excitement as we grabbed another set of FPs to ride again later. In hindsight, I'm not sure why we didn't just get back on, I have written down it was just 10 minutes for standby when we got off! BUT, Savannah wanted to ride Dinosaur, so grabbing FPs just made more sense at the time!

Off we headed to Dinosaur, which consequently, neither of us were psyched up for. We're not scared of this ride at all, I never understood what was scary about it for people, but we love it anyway! Standby was posted at 10 minutes...WALKED.RIGHT. ON. In fact, our car wasn't even full! I have never seen it that dead. We picked the best AK day!

I did this twice, took redneck pics of the screen. This one was just b/c no one was there and I could. The other ride shot I nearly got in trouble, but you will see that it was totally worth it!

Naturally, when we came out in Dinoland, Savannah wanted to ride Triceratop Spin. Because you can never get enough fake Dumbo rides??? LOL. LONG WAIT too.

Can you guess where we headed next? RIGHT back to EE!!!!WEEEEE!!!!

Our FP was already up, this was b/c it was so slow that day, that the return times were under an hour every time we pulled them! Right back on we went and when we were done we pulled MORE! The wait was only 25 minutes for standby and in hindsight we could have just walked back on, but we were thirsty, so we grabbed FPs for 45 minutes later and went to have a drink. FINALLY I felt like she was in a good enough mood to get pictures, in fact, she was in a fantastic mood, every time we got off EE she would talk a mile-a-minute with a grin from ear to ear!

After our drink and pictures, we walked back over to EE and I had time to get MORE light shots and we watched the drop for a bit and it was time to ride again!
because I'm clearly obsessed with these lights...

SCARY!

My happy girl...

This was one of those times that I put the camera away and just enjoyed. Usually I try to take pictures on EE and after that first ride I didn't even bother. We were having so much fun, I was just in the moment with my girl. We were in the LAST seat, so that made it even scarier.

I HAD to take a redneck photo of this shot. I got a VERY dirty look from the CM there, but I just didn't care. None of the other shots were worth purchasing and I didn't have photopass plus, so I snapped it. It' not like you get a good quality picture doing this and I understand they want to make money, but geez, it's one of those things you feel like should be part of the thousands of dollars you have already spent, ya know? Maybe I just have guilt...but it's worth it b/c I laugh every time I see the shot...

Ah...we were both pretty satisfied with our morning at AK. We had an amazing safari, walked on Dino and triceratops, and ridden EE three times! The sun was coming out and although there were plenty of other things we could do, I think we so enjoyed EE that everything else paled in comparison. Savannah suggested we hit the pool. Are you kidding? I NEVER pass up an opportunity to sit in the sun! We headed out of the park. One last pic by the Tree of Life!

I was actually just about to laugh in this shot b/c some woman walked RIGHT in front of the CM taking the picture. I have no idea how she's not in the shot, but that was my "disbelief face" LOL.

Near the exit we encountered some SCREAMING teenage girls. Nothing new after dealing with the BTGs at Pop, but we realized pretty quick what they were screaming about. Honey Boo Boo. Yep, there she was (I would have never known) with her family and a HOARD of teenage girls screaming and freaking out that Honey Boo Boo was there. (OMG, I had to come back and edit this b/c it was replaced with Astrix! I put the two Boo's together and the first 4 letters spelled part of a woman's anatomy and it put astrix there instead! HAHAHAAA!) I felt a little sorry for her, but naturally had to snap a quick shot as we walked by to prove I saw her.

My notes say we were back and AT the pool by 1pm! We had lunch poolside and naturally I had another margarita (or two!)

It was a GORGEOUS afternoon and Savannah had no interest in leaving the pool...we stayed for THREE HOURS! Loved every relaxing moment of it and at 4pm we headed up to the room to get ready for our evening!

Up next...some more dancing, some Wishes desserts, and we test out how many times can you ride Big Thunder in 30 minutes!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Just found your TR and so glad I did! I will be following along and reading your past TRs.

Your photos of POFQ have convinced me to reconsider it. It looks lovely! Also love the photo of the pink blooming tree in DTD!!!

I remember your SN!! Welcome! I'm glad you liked the photos, it was really pretty there, I wish my husband would consider it! I noticed a lot of blooming trees while we were there, that was pretty nice considering it was February!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

So, did Savannah swim this time or was it just sunning again?

 

[skylizard]

You take amazing pics. I just love looking at your pictures!

As for Honey Boo Boo, I can't believe anyone would actually scream for her or be excited to see her. Why is she even considered a celebrity? I just don't get it
To me, she is just like any other kid in the park, just trying to have fun

 

[skylizard]

Love this pic!

 

[WDWaddictt]

Happy Birthday Again!! Damn girl you had luck with crowds! We felt that it was always busy when we went except for one afternoon at Epcot, but the rest of the days felt busy for me.

Great pictures!! I LOVE your ride pic...hahaha. This past trip we took pictures of the pics too because seeing people on here (Dis) doing it, no one said anything or gave me dirty looks. A lot of people were doing the same thing. I have bought pictures in the past and to pay $20+ dollars for a ride pic is crazy!

 

[danimaroo]

I LOVE THIS UPDATE!! I mean, you got to ride EE with no line! Count me as jealous.. because that wasn't happening for us!

Hahaha, I'm one of the weirdos who is terrified of Dinosaur. Well, actually, this last trip was my first time ever going on it and yeah... just wait til you see our ride photo.

I'm glad Savannah was feeling happier again!! I also love your EE photo, it's so cute and funny, hahaha.

Bahaha HONEY BOO BOO! I laughed that the DIS blocked out your "bad" word. That's so random she was there! I don't watch that show at all but obviously know who she is. Sometimes I call my dog Honey Boo Boo... and then Matt scolds me. Hahaha.

Sitting by the pool looks glorious, seriously! I love afternoons by the pool, they're perfect.

 

[cheekypoppins]

Ugh I wish I could get awesome pics pof EE but i dont do technology well

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for conquering Everest several times!!! Hahaha that picture was TOTALLY worth the look from the CM, so fun!

Good for Honey Boo Boo and family getting to enjoy themselves at Disney!!! I hope they weren't bothered by screaming fans too much during their trip!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

So, did Savannah swim this time or was it just sunning again?

We got in together for like 5 minutes and then got right back out! I wasn't going to complain about it if she wanted to sit in the sun with me, so I just figured without a friend she wasn't interested in swimming? We will see if she's still wanting to sit out next year when she brings a friend!

You take amazing pics. I just love looking at your pictures!

As for Honey Boo Boo, I can't believe anyone would actually scream for her or be excited to see her. Why is she even considered a celebrity? I just don't get it
To me, she is just like any other kid in the park, just trying to have fun

Thanks!

I don't understand it either, but it was a bunch of teenage girls, so maybe they were just star-crazed from seeing someone from tv? I felt bad for her b/c it seemed like it would be overwhelming, especially for a child!

Happy Birthday Again!! Damn girl you had luck with crowds! We felt that it was always busy when we went except for one afternoon at Epcot, but the rest of the days felt busy for me.

Great pictures!! I LOVE your ride pic...hahaha. This past trip we took pictures of the pics too because seeing people on here (Dis) doing it, no one said anything or gave me dirty looks. A lot of people were doing the same thing. I have bought pictures in the past and to pay $20+ dollars for a ride pic is crazy!

We had amazing luck with the crowds! It was our mornings, at RD, that we got the most done. The crowds really picked up at night, so we expected them and planned for them. I swear, half of it is the expectation of low or high crowds that does it for me! I didn't expect the BTG at PoP, so that was what threw me off. On the other hand, we had gone at the end of Jan 2012 and I was surprised by the crowds, so I expected them this time in the parks and it didn't seem as bad! FLE was ALWAYS more crowded, imo though. That is really bringing in some crowds.

I LOVE THIS UPDATE!! I mean, you got to ride EE with no line! Count me as jealous.. because that wasn't happening for us!

Hahaha, I'm one of the weirdos who is terrified of Dinosaur. Well, actually, this last trip was my first time ever going on it and yeah... just wait til you see our ride photo.

I'm glad Savannah was feeling happier again!! I also love your EE photo, it's so cute and funny, hahaha.

Bahaha HONEY BOO BOO! I laughed that the DIS blocked out your "bad" word. That's so random she was there! I don't watch that show at all but obviously know who she is. Sometimes I call my dog Honey Boo Boo... and then Matt scolds me. Hahaha.

Sitting by the pool looks glorious, seriously! I love afternoons by the pool, they're perfect.

Yes! I was so pleased to ride EE so many times and how light the crowds were! They picked up on Friday, but we really had fairly good luck with them! We don't watch Honey Boo Boo either, although they had a marathon of her show like the day after we got home and Savannah wanted to watch it, naturally, and see what all the fuss was about!

Savannah and I both loved sitting by the pool this trip! She says nearly every day that she wants to go back to Florida b/c it's so cold here!

haha! I cannot wait to see your Dino picture!!! I'm imagining it already and laughing!

Ugh I wish I could get awesome pics pof EE but i dont do technology well

It's funny, the first trip I took to WDW in 2008 was what peaked my interest in photography! I had a horrible camera and could not get any good shots of the fireworks. I went home and started saving for a better camera and here I am 5 years later taking professional photos for people! It always comes back to Disney.

Yay for conquering Everest several times!!! Hahaha that picture was TOTALLY worth the look from the CM, so fun!

Good for Honey Boo Boo and family getting to enjoy themselves at Disney!!! I hope they weren't bothered by screaming fans too much during their trip!

There were a lot of reports that week every time someone saw her in a park. I hope they had a good time. They had what looked like a bodyguard with them, but no camera crew, so they were clearly trying to have a family vacation.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We interrupt this TR to gush over ME and my Birthday!

Yesterday I turned 40! I had a little freakout about it, but for the most part it was a great day! Lots of family time and then I went out with a couple girlfriends for drinks last night.

Savannah insisted that we get a cake, so we just grabbed one at Walmart. I picked orange b/c I thought it looked best with the ANIMAL KINGDOM candles I picked out. Oh yes, it ALWAYS comes back to Disney. They look like Animal Kingdom candles, right?

I also naturally had to wear a boa and my mickey ear headband to celebrate properly!

Hope, my BFF, gave me the coolest gift! Can you tell what it is???

It was a pretty good Birthday for being such a "milestone". I don't feel 40, that's for sure, and I'm super proud that I'm healthier and fitter than I was in my 20s! To make myself feel better about being old, I dug up some old photos and made a little side-by-side shot to prove to myself that 40 is going to be more fabulous than 20!

Anyway, I'm back to normal stuff today, which is good! I'm also recovering from a sugar and margarita hangover! Tomorrow, however, is a big day b/c tomorrow I'm getting my tattoo! I have wanted one since I was in my 20s and for lots of reasons never got it. Tomorrow is the day! I'll post pictures, although tomorrow will just be the black, the colors will be added in a few weeks at another session. I'll be back to updating tomorrow as well!

 

[Tinker326]

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY!!!!

Sounds like you had a fab birthday with that AK cake & that camera dial neckalce! (yhea, I know what it is!!!)

And those pictures- OMG- I Would have never, ever guessed that was you in the first one. AMAZING!!!

Happy 40th- you look fab & fit- and good luck with your tattoo tomorrow!!! Can't wait to see pics!

 

[katt789]

Yay!! I’ve read one of your past trip reports and loved it! So glad I caught this one! We went in Feb too, but it was only last week haha, and yay for another trip being planned! That always makes things more exciting!

Aw, the animals on the wings are so cute, glad that she was able to get kinda distracted from the fear of flying. I have to admit, I get a little freaked out when I fly, and it’s definitely made worse if I’m with someone who freaks out!

AoA was totally awesome!! The LM rooms are kinda far from the bus stops/food court area, but if you cut across the parking lot they’re not that bad. Now, if you’re looking for a suite, I’d say skip it until it’s not so popular, it’s almost as expensive as a deluxe resort! Too much for me!

I love the veggie lasagna at pop! So tasty! Also tye die cheesecake, so tasty! Ugh, tour groups, I feel like there was a lot of them, especially near the end of the week, there were cheerleaders, bands, btg’s too much!

Aahaha, I had that same problem, I think there’s something like 1200 pictures when Im usually around 2000! Lawl. Glad that you spent lots of time just enjoying time with Savannah!

I agree that there’s something “homey” about Pop, it was also my first resort, and second and third before I started the whole “I want to stay everywhere!” but we stayed there last week and it really does have that home feel to it, and it’s super “Disney” feel. I love the deluxes but the BFF said they felt more like a hotel and not so much like Disney!

Nice shots waiting at the bus stop! Beautiful sky! Is Savannah into the whole photography thing? That’s great! ACK! Main Street! Tears welled up in my eyes as soon as I saw that *my feelings* Oh my goodness Main Street is so beautiful, you got some amazing shots!

You know, in Nov, I ran straight to Enchanted tales, and did the same thing in Feb, and immediately regretted it, I felt like we wasted so much of the early morning hours doing it and missed so much more of FL, when the wait was about the same later in the day, good call on doing other FL rides first!

Yup…everyone in FLE and you guys get so much of the park done with no wait times! Awesome!! Over an hour? Totally not! It’s like forty five minutes from there! Haha, we were about there for lunch when we jumped in line too!

HOW DID YOU GET THE LINER OFF YOUR CUPCAKE?! Lol. They were so intensely on there we just used forks to eat them!

Your pictures of the LM are amazing!!

Pool time! Such needed time on vacation, but surprisingly, I’ve only made it down for a midday pool break once out of something like twelve trips! Haha! It is fantastic though!

Glad the dance party was such a success!! There’s always so many fun little things to do in Disney, makes it so wonderful! I have to agree that AK is probably my second favorite after MK, there’s just so much detail put into the park, and it doesn’t get as much love as it should! It’s such a beauty of a park, and I have yet to spend as much time as I would like there!

Man, sometimes at Disney all you need is a little food, a little sugar and everyone’s feeling a whole lot better! Ah! GIRAFFES ARE SO CUTE! And the one is totally sticking his tongue out at you, how CUTE!! EEE! I have to agree that I’m glad the poacher plot line is gone, no one ever paid attention or understood what was going on and it was just kinda lost, and didn’t make sense to half the people in the jeep!

I have to also agree that after getting off rides you’re full of so much enthusiasm and excitement, I know I was certainly talking my Mom’s ear off on our trip “did you see that? Wasn’t it awesome!? Let’s do it again, so you can see this and that and this and….” Lawl. I’m such a child sometimes!

Honey Boo Boo!! I have to admit I’d probably freak out a little bit too, but definitely not be screaming, how cool that you saw her!

That’s totally awesome that you have plans to run the princess half! One of my fitness goals is definitely to do a Disney race, but that one seems a little intense for me, plus I need to run outside more and that’s nearly impossible to do in the winter here! I’m interested in the EE challenge thing they have! It seems pretty cool!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Belated or not haha. You look great!! Congrats on finding your niche now, and yay for tattoos! I have to say, if it wasn’t for the dream of working in Disney I’d have so many more of them!! And yay for Disney touches to the birthday! My roommate surprised me with a Disney themed party last year, super cute.

Well…I’m all caught up, and clearly had a LOT to say bahah! Have a magical day!!

 

[MrsBearcat]

Ok is it just me or is Honey Boo Boo's dad picking his nose in that picture?

You look amazing! 40 suits you well!

 

[StitchsGurl]

Hi!

Long time lurker here - I'm finally going to comment

I LOVE your pictures, they're absolutely stunning!!!! I love that you take a lot of the little details - things that people normally miss. It gives a different aspect to it!

Happy Birthday!!! You look fantastic, wow!!

I'm loving the report so far - can't wait to read more about it soon!

 

[sager1969]

Happy birthday! Welcome to the 40's. way to go on the health front. You look amazing.

Did you notice the guy in the ****oo picture picking his nose? What a hoot! I am really enjoying your TR. my DS is turning 13 this year and I am noticing that my craziness or what I call fun is starting to annoy him. He gets over it quickly.

 

[danimaroo]

HAPPIEST OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!!

I love the cake, it's perfect with the AK candles!

And HOLY COW you look amazing! So inspiring, I have to say. I've lost 50 pounds but still have a long way to go. I will get there eventually!!

Can't wait to see a photo of your tattoo!!

 

[Pixiedust530]

OK...the first thing I must do is make a correction to your post. You indicated in your Everest post that you took 2 redneck pictures...but I count 3! Dinosaur, Everest and Honey Boo Boo!

OK...now that we have my lame joke of the day out of the way, let's move on to the good stuff. I LOVE that you rode EE 3 times!! On our last trip we did not repeat ANY ride. Everything we rode we only rode once! My goal for our upcoming trip is to ride my faves over and over...specifically bouncing back and forth between Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster!

Your morning at AK sounds like it was perfect and you were able to squeeze in so much in a short time...and leave room for SUN time too. I love just laying in the sun, but when I "plan" that time it never seems to work out. Somehow, I'm going to have to fit it in!

I don't want to leave without wishing you a VERY VERY Happy Birthday! I think your 40's will be the best yet! You look GREAT!!! And...if anyone asks...you just turned 39 (for a 2nd time...but you can leave that part off)!

[url=http://www.myniceprofile.com/happy-birthday-5872.html][/URL]

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY!!!!

Sounds like you had a fab birthday with that AK cake & that camera dial neckalce! (yhea, I know what it is!!!)

And those pictures- OMG- I Would have never, ever guessed that was you in the first one. AMAZING!!!

Happy 40th- you look fab & fit- and good luck with your tattoo tomorrow!!! Can't wait to see pics!

Thank you! I had a pretty good day, although it was a little strange turning 40. I'm all good today though and I have tattoo pics to prove it!!!

Yay!! I’ve read one of your past trip reports and loved it! So glad I caught this one! We went in Feb too, but it was only last week haha, and yay for another trip being planned! That always makes things more exciting!

Aw, the animals on the wings are so cute, glad that she was able to get kinda distracted from the fear of flying. I have to admit, I get a little freaked out when I fly, and it’s definitely made worse if I’m with someone who freaks out!

AoA was totally awesome!! The LM rooms are kinda far from the bus stops/food court area, but if you cut across the parking lot they’re not that bad. Now, if you’re looking for a suite, I’d say skip it until it’s not so popular, it’s almost as expensive as a deluxe resort! Too much for me!

I love the veggie lasagna at pop! So tasty! Also tye die cheesecake, so tasty! Ugh, tour groups, I feel like there was a lot of them, especially near the end of the week, there were cheerleaders, bands, btg’s too much!

Aahaha, I had that same problem, I think there’s something like 1200 pictures when Im usually around 2000! Lawl. Glad that you spent lots of time just enjoying time with Savannah!

I agree that there’s something “homey” about Pop, it was also my first resort, and second and third before I started the whole “I want to stay everywhere!” but we stayed there last week and it really does have that home feel to it, and it’s super “Disney” feel. I love the deluxes but the BFF said they felt more like a hotel and not so much like Disney!

Nice shots waiting at the bus stop! Beautiful sky! Is Savannah into the whole photography thing? That’s great! ACK! Main Street! Tears welled up in my eyes as soon as I saw that *my feelings* Oh my goodness Main Street is so beautiful, you got some amazing shots!

You know, in Nov, I ran straight to Enchanted tales, and did the same thing in Feb, and immediately regretted it, I felt like we wasted so much of the early morning hours doing it and missed so much more of FL, when the wait was about the same later in the day, good call on doing other FL rides first!

Yup…everyone in FLE and you guys get so much of the park done with no wait times! Awesome!! Over an hour? Totally not! It’s like forty five minutes from there! Haha, we were about there for lunch when we jumped in line too!

HOW DID YOU GET THE LINER OFF YOUR CUPCAKE?! Lol. They were so intensely on there we just used forks to eat them!

Your pictures of the LM are amazing!!

Pool time! Such needed time on vacation, but surprisingly, I’ve only made it down for a midday pool break once out of something like twelve trips! Haha! It is fantastic though!

Glad the dance party was such a success!! There’s always so many fun little things to do in Disney, makes it so wonderful! I have to agree that AK is probably my second favorite after MK, there’s just so much detail put into the park, and it doesn’t get as much love as it should! It’s such a beauty of a park, and I have yet to spend as much time as I would like there!

Man, sometimes at Disney all you need is a little food, a little sugar and everyone’s feeling a whole lot better! Ah! GIRAFFES ARE SO CUTE! And the one is totally sticking his tongue out at you, how CUTE!! EEE! I have to agree that I’m glad the poacher plot line is gone, no one ever paid attention or understood what was going on and it was just kinda lost, and didn’t make sense to half the people in the jeep!

I have to also agree that after getting off rides you’re full of so much enthusiasm and excitement, I know I was certainly talking my Mom’s ear off on our trip “did you see that? Wasn’t it awesome!? Let’s do it again, so you can see this and that and this and….” Lawl. I’m such a child sometimes!

Honey Boo Boo!! I have to admit I’d probably freak out a little bit too, but definitely not be screaming, how cool that you saw her!

That’s totally awesome that you have plans to run the princess half! One of my fitness goals is definitely to do a Disney race, but that one seems a little intense for me, plus I need to run outside more and that’s nearly impossible to do in the winter here! I’m interested in the EE challenge thing they have! It seems pretty cool!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Belated or not haha. You look great!! Congrats on finding your niche now, and yay for tattoos! I have to say, if it wasn’t for the dream of working in Disney I’d have so many more of them!! And yay for Disney touches to the birthday! My roommate surprised me with a Disney themed party last year, super cute.

Well…I’m all caught up, and clearly had a LOT to say bahah! Have a magical day!!

OMG, you had more to say than ME! I remember you and I'm so glad you are reading! Thanks and I will be posting tattoo pics right after this!!!

Ok is it just me or is Honey Boo Boo's dad picking his nose in that picture?

You look amazing! 40 suits you well!

Yep, I totally caught him picking his nose!!! Thanks, I'm feeling better about 40 today than I did on my actual bday!

Hi!

Long time lurker here - I'm finally going to comment

I LOVE your pictures, they're absolutely stunning!!!! I love that you take a lot of the little details - things that people normally miss. It gives a different aspect to it!

Happy Birthday!!! You look fantastic, wow!!

I'm loving the report so far - can't wait to read more about it soon!

Yay! I'm so glad you came out of lurking and posted! Now no more lurking for you! Thank you so much, I love to capture the little details. I didn't feel like I did as much this trip b/c I was trying to just be in the moment with Savannah, but I LOVE shooting at Disney. I can never get enough of it!

Happy birthday! Welcome to the 40's. way to go on the health front. You look amazing.

Did you notice the guy in the ****oo picture picking his nose? What a hoot! I am really enjoying your TR. my DS is turning 13 this year and I am noticing that my craziness or what I call fun is starting to annoy him. He gets over it quickly.

Thank you! And yes, that is her DAD and I'm pretty sure he was picking his nose!

HAPPIEST OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!!

I love the cake, it's perfect with the AK candles!

And HOLY COW you look amazing! So inspiring, I have to say. I've lost 50 pounds but still have a long way to go. I will get there eventually!!

Can't wait to see a photo of your tattoo!!

Thank you, thank you! Pics of the tattoo coming up! It's not finished yet, I still have another sitting, but I LOVE it so far!!

OK...the first thing I must do is make a correction to your post. You indicated in your Everest post that you took 2 redneck pictures...but I count 3! Dinosaur, Everest and Honey Boo Boo!

HAHA!!!!!!

OK...now that we have my lame joke of the day out of the way, let's move on to the good stuff. I LOVE that you rode EE 3 times!! On our last trip we did not repeat ANY ride. Everything we rode we only rode once! My goal for our upcoming trip is to ride my faves over and over...specifically bouncing back and forth between Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster!

Your morning at AK sounds like it was perfect and you were able to squeeze in so much in a short time...and leave room for SUN time too. I love just laying in the sun, but when I "plan" that time it never seems to work out. Somehow, I'm going to have to fit it in!

I don't want to leave without wishing you a VERY VERY Happy Birthday! I think your 40's will be the best yet! You look GREAT!!! And...if anyone asks...you just turned 39 (for a 2nd time...but you can leave that part off)!

[url=http://www.myniceprofile.com/happy-birthday-5872.html][/URL]

Thank you!!! We LOVED riding our favorites over and over on this trip and we did it some more that evening, so stay tuned for that!

Up next...TATTOO PICTURES!!!!!!! WOOT!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

TATTOO TIME!!!!!!!!

What a day!!! It was less painful at times and more painful at others! TOTALLY worth it!!! The silhouette is done and in 3 weeks the color will get done! You can see where the color will be in the swirls and the sunrise behind the girl. The artist made this art just for me and that's what it feels like to me, a work of ART on my body! LOVE IT.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the leaves that come up over my shoulder! They are my favorite b/c I told him that I wanted to SEE my tattoo.

If you have the time, I thought I would share something I wrote up about my tattoo...


I was nervous and excited all morning and left early (naturally). It's about a 35 minute drive down the interstate, so I was enjoying my 80s music and feeling a little nostalgic. I started thinking about my younger self and what she would have thought about me getting this tattoo. Probably just that I was cool. But, I never identified myself as a tattooed person, I felt very plane-Jane when I was younger, not enough of a rebel...SQUARE I guess? I didn't want to be, but something about being overweight made me that way. I never could quite could match how I looked on the outside with how I FELT on the inside.

I was thinking about my tree design and I realized that trees have ALWAYS been a significant part of my life. Most people know this about me. I've been called THE tree, reminded to "Be The Tree" when I need to be calm and strong, and most people know that I have quite an obsession/connection with them. It's always been this way for as long as I can remember...

When I was little, my BFF lived behind me and we named the trees in our yards. One of them was called Tommy-tree, it was our favorite, named after an older boy in the neighborhood that we didn't like??? Maybe we really DID like him! I tried to pull my tooth out with my tree swing once, tied string to my loose tooth and the tree swing and swung it. (didn't work! LOL)

As a teen I spent hours on my roof and writing poems about the trees. My favorite Rush song was called The Trees. When I met Rey we went to this tree swing that was over a ravine of sorts. I tried to be cool and swing out on it, but my arms were so weak, I couldn't hold myself, and I fell. I KNEW that moment that Rey was the one for me b/c he barreled down that hill to me to make sure I was ok. ♥

I remember feeling out of place in Texas when we lived there for a year. Not b/c it wasn't home but b/c the TREES looked wrong! Short and knarled. LOL! So many memories of my children are weaved in with my love of trees. I cannot count the amount of trees I remember the boys climbing! ♥ One in particular was the tree in the back of my mom's condo. I have pictures of them when they were just wee boys climbing that tree and then pictures of Eli climbing with them when they got older. I was pretty upset when they cut that tree down so the grass would grow better?!?!? What?

The trees/woods behind the first house we lived in were where the boys ran and played and made forts as they got older and I hated to move away from it. When we came out to St. James to look at houses, we found this little house to rent that was pretty run down...and in the dead of winter, I opened the blinds and saw the tree in the back yard, I KNEW it was home. I told him we would take it immediately! Countless summer hours were spent pushing Savannah on that round tree swing hanging from that tree. It shades us, I adorn it with prayer flags, lights, and bird feeders...I told Rey if it ever dies we are moving. Scary times during the ice storm when we were huddled up in my room keeping warm b/c the electricity was out and the cracking noises coming from the trees as their branches broke and fell! When the large tree in the back of the yard was struck by lightening and eventually died, I cried when they cut it down.

I spent days at the local park walking through the trees, listening to the rattle of their leaves. The countless hours I have spent with my camera pointed at the sky, trying to capture their beauty. The kids and I would go up to the park where the trees turn bright yellow in the fall and we would have picnics and pretend we were in the forest of Lothlorien. Sigh...

At that same park, I sat mesmerized by the the wind blowing through the trees in the dead of winter on a day that I chose to take a vow of silence. I didn't speak a word, but felt like the trees were talking to me. In so many ways I have always been captivated by them. They are so strong but bend with the wind and weather and don't break. So silent but say so much! Exactly what I strive to be...but struggle so much with.

So as I arrived at my tattoo appointment, I felt completely at peace with this. So long coming. I know sometimes people just get tattoos for fun, but this one is deeply meaningful for me. It embodies just what I wanted it to and even though I will never BE a tree, I feel like I have a little bit of one with me now.