40 days until WDW! 
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Hey, ya'll!
Look at me, actually doing another update, only a little over two weeks since the last one! I almost feel like a responsible DISer again! (Almost.)
The unfortunate part, however, is that I have very little to update about! I'm in that lull between FP+ booking and MagicBand arrival, when not much happens. I've finalized my packing list and have acquired nearly everything on it, there's just a few small things I still need (a new bottle of Aleve, sunscreen, stuff like that) which I'll pick up probably this weekend. I also bought a couple new tees, and also two new pairs of shorts to replace some that are getting a bit too big. As of right now everything is either chillin' in a special section of my closet, or piled on the bed in the guest bedroom. I'm trying very hard to force myself to wait to start actually packing until I'm within a month of the trip (so 10 more days). Now will I actually hold out that long?
I'm also trying desperately to obtain a swimsuit that fits before I leave, so that I can actually take advantage of that gorgeous Stormalong Bay! I put on the one that I own, and it's too big! Not just a little bit too big, either... The leg holes gape open and it shows off my lady bits! It's NOT okay! So I've been ordering them off of
Amazon, trying them on, and returning them. (Thankfully I have Prime, so they arrive within 2 days of ordering and I can return them for free.) Let me tell you, swimsuit shopping for most women is difficult, but swimsuit shopping while fat is a total freakin' nightmare:
Attempt #1 looked AMAZING on me, but it was a halter style and within just 5 minutes of wearing it, it was KILLING my neck. I pranced around in front of a mirror in it for a good 20 minutes, debating if looking that damn cute was worth all the pain or not. In the end I decided that it wasn't, but it thoroughly broke my heart to have to send it back because it fit me SO SO SO GOOD...
Attempt #2 was cute and I loved the color, but it couldn't hold my boobs up. Like, I don't mean it just didn't have support... Imagine putting on a bra that your boobs just fall right out of the bottom of. That was this swimsuit. It was very strange. It also didn't do any favors for my back fat. Back to Amazon it went...
Attempt #3 is arriving tomorrow. Pray for me, ya'll...
(If that doesn't work out, Attempts 4-6 are already queued up and ready to order, but I'll cover those in next week's update, should I end up actually trying them on.)
Still no word on Rivers of Light, so no resolution on my dinner ADRs for that night yet. But! I did find out that the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular has been extended through my dates, so that's a great big YAY! Though looking at the previous month's schedules, I'm a little confused on the timing. My plan was to see Fantasmic, then bee-line it to the front of the park to see the Star Wars show (I did this in September 2014 to catch the Frozen fireworks and it worked out great). But it looks like it's only 30 minutes between the start of Fantasmic and the start of the Star Wars fireworks. That can't be right, can it? Those of you who have already been, do you have to choose one or the other? Or is it possible to catch both like I'm planning?
That's really all I have to talk about for this trip! For the next two, however...
February 2017: It's grown again. Now my uncle's sister and her fiance are joining us. So now that's a total of NINE people on this trip, spread between 5 rooms at ASMo. And of course, they inform me of this 2 weeks AFTER I made all the ADRs for the trip. Apparently it was meant to be, though... It took some creative thinking, but I was able to get them added to all 5 of our ADRs. I know for some of ya'll, especially from big families, it's "the more the merrier!" For my introverted, single-living, solo-traveling, only-child self, it's "The more the bigger headache for Billie!" But I found a mantra that keeps me calm... "At least I'll be at Disney. At least I'll be at Disney." (And yes, I know, I know... I should do a PTR for this trip! I will have a link for it soon, I promise!)
September 2017: Previously scheduled for 5 nights in October 2017, it's now 4 nights and been pushed up to September 14-18... Thanks to the addition of my Mama joining me for this trip. This is going to be interesting. It's just me and her, and I love her with every beat of my heart, and I've been begging her to do a mother/daughter trip with me for years. However. She's very high maintenance and needs everything to be about her and her preferences. Flexibility is a foreign concept for her. So this will definitely be an experience! I'm keeping a good attitude about it though, and just focusing on all the awesome memories I'll have of our trip together, especially many years down the road. We've spent the last couple nights planning and me pulling up things on the computer about our resort and restaurants, helping her to learn what to expect. I think it'll go well, long as I keep her super prepared for everything, and tailor our plans around her needs as much possible. I'll start the PTR for this one probably once I get back from the February trip.
And I'm still bound and determined to take 2018 off from traveling for the most part! I say mostly because I would like to do one little cheap weekend trip up to Atlanta maybe in the Spring to go to the Georgia Aquarium and see the new twin baby pandas at Zoo Atlanta, since they'll be about a year and a half old then. My Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby live just outside Atlanta, so I'll visit with them while I'm up there, too.
However, that means it looks like after next month, my next solo Disney vacation won't be until tentatively April 2019! (I want to do the Star Wars 5K.) I don't know how I'm going to make it!!!
Gonna try to do weekly updates between now and the trip, ya'll. Wish me luck!
She might be able to tell you of a spot to see it somewhat that doesn't require waiting. The new show isn't very visible except from very specific areas of the park. I think the GMR courtyard, or right in front of it, doesn't fill up fast and has an interesting view of the show. You may really have to hoof it over though or be sure to sit near the F! exit.
Oh well, her loss!
