Catching up!! My own trip has made me get so far behind on my DISing! 
Fabulous updates - I had to laugh at the getting-lost-in-the-Beach-Club story because I have definitely done that myself!! One time I took this outdoor path by the Villas that I thought would be a shortcut to the parking lot, but it just seemed to wind around indefinitely! 
Sorry to hear the dumbo cupcake was no good. I'm never sure whether or not to trust the cupcakes they sell behind the cookie/fudge counters like the one at Big Top and the one at Confectionary etc. They seem kinda mass produced...and the gourmet ones at the bakeries are so much better! 
It must have been really difficult being so far away from your family and not being able to do anything, but I'm so glad all your people were ok! And glad too that you were able to enjoy the rest of your Disney time without the worry getting you down too much! 
Cannot WAIT to hear about the third MNSSHP!!
I'm so glad I'm not alone in that! I seriously did not know where I was for awhile in that Beach Club maze.
I agree, those vanilla cupcakes with the pink swirled icing, or the blue... they always look like the kind you buy in a pack at the grocery store, but the Dumbo one looked way better to me! Sadly, I was wrong!
It was, but like you said, everyone was okay. And that's all that matters!
Even fake spiders freak me out. I used to work at a day care with a tarantula toy and I swear it was like the kids wanted to chase me with it.
And yeah, I think the the issue was just that resort was so new. It had only been open a few months at that point and I think they were just getting used to everything because some people had no idea how to answer our questions. Luckily, once we got a manger involved, everything got worked out very quickly - he was great!
hahaha oh NO. I would not enjoy being chased with even a fake spider. No bueno.
Aw, that sucks. But yay for having good management! Sounds like the rest of the team just needed a little disaster training.
Wow disneygirlfriend, what a tough spot to be in: On one side- YAY, stuck in WDW! On the other side- Worried about everyone back home with hurricane Sandy. Now was probably one of those times you were wishing you were rich, so you could just stay at WDW a few more nights.
Hey Tinkgurlfriend! Yeah, it was definitely an interesting predicament I never thought I'd find myself in. I wish I was rich about once every 10 seconds, but yes, it would have been great to just stay in Disney indefinitely. I did want to visit Gina though, so it all worked out for the best!
It must have been such a relief to have Gina take you in
Great pics around the resort, it looked like a gorgeous day!
I think that creepy jack in the box must be related to the painting of the guy who burnt down the town in a previous update?
LOL I like this theory!
Congrats on your TR status.
I can kind of relate to how you felt about Sandy. When the tornado hit Moore, OK DH had co-workers that lost their homes, yet we still had everything. It's difficult to not feel some sort of survivors guilt. It does make you appreciate all the small things in life that much more. The endurance and kindness that people show through these events is inspiring though.
I can't wait to read about your 3rd MNSSHP.
Thanks!
I'm happy you guys were in the clear when it came to the tornado. It's hard to even imagine that kind of situation. I agree that seeing people's kindness afterward is just amazing. When I got home from Disney, I tried to donate clothing to my local drive, and they were no longer accepting donations because they had so many to sort through and give away already!
Awww! Kangaroos! And goats! And pigs! SO MUCH CUTE!
I really liked Song of the Rainforest, until the loggers showed up and then we had to listen to buzzsaws. Then it was not so relaxing. It was just depressing. Did you make it to the buzzsaw part?
Ohmygosh, the Topolino costume is so cute! I agree, Mickey definitely needs to do meet & greets in that costume!
Woooo woooo! German CM!
That's such a bummer about the Dumbo cupcake! The Dumbo chocolate on top is pretty cute, but honestly, a stale cupcake? That's just not okay!
Your "deeply philosophical" post made me cry (for more than one reason). I'm so glad that you were able to have a moment of clarity about what was going on and the helplessness you were feeling. Trust me, I know. The other reason why this post in particular made me cry was from the picture of the Mighty Ducks locker room. Odd, I know. But my parents were on vacation with my aunt and uncle back in April and they stayed at ASMo. My uncle had stage 4 cancer, and he really wanted to live long enough to go to Disney one last time. He got one day at the Magic Kingdom before he had to be hospitalized. They released him from the hospital, and when he and my aunt were back at the resort to pack up to go home, he had to use the Mighty Ducks locker room because it was wheelchair accessible, and at the start of the trip he didn't require a wheelchair 24/7, but by the end of the trip, he did. In any case, he fell in the bathroom and hit his head, and had to be hospitalized again. Five days later he passed away. I'm sorry about the rambling, but seeing that picture made what happened to him seem more real to me. Obviously I realize that he's gone, but there's still a part of me that's processing what happened, and seeing the place where he fell is one tiny piece in helping me grieve. So thank you. Again, I realize this is odd, but really, who understands what triggers different emotions?
On a cheerier note, all of your MNSSHP posts have completely convinced me that my fiancé and I NEED to do it on our honeymoon next year! I'll be honest, I'm ambivalent about Halloween, but that's because Halloween here is cold and usually rainy, and there's always (alcohol induced) drama and it's just generally more trouble than it's worth. BUT I feel like all of the things that I don't like about Halloween are not even issues at MNSSHP, so yay!
Yes, I did make it to that part! It's a bit annoying, but I like that they included a good message about saving the rainforests.
Wow, that story. I'm so sorry for the loss of your uncle. Honestly, my deepest condolences, having something like that happen is the worst thing in the world. The fact that my silly little TR helped in any way makes me happy. I am also so glad he got to do the last thing he wanted, visit Disney.
YES! Go go go go go go go to MNSSHP! You and your fiance will have the best time! and congrats on your impending marriage!
Hey Lia! I came across your TR through a Facebook post on the disboards page last week and am finally caught up so now I'll comment! I love your personality so much! It reminds me of a former coworker of mine (and you kinda look like her too). I would love the opertunity to have so much time in Disney as you did. I think the longest I've ever stayed was 6 days and that was when I was 10 or 12 or so. TOT and HM are two of my favorite attractions too!
I felt your excitement from meeting Eugene and thought it was cool that he came over and talked to you while you were in line! Your costume was amazing btw!
I was just there a couple months before you (end of aug beginning of sept) and storybook circus was the only part of new fantasyland that was open so I am jealous that you got to see it!
I look forward to reading the rest of this TR and to reading about your may trip also!
Jess' TR is on my to do list for reading and when I subscribed to it so I could read it later I had no idea that you knew each other!
There was a post on the DIS' facebook that mentioned me? Well that's awesome
AHH I know I still can't believe Eugene did that. Oh my God, I miss him.
It was crazy getting to see it early like that, that's another thing that I still don't believe I was lucky enough to experience!
Thank you!!!
Glad that everything worked out for you without totally draining your bank account! Too bad that expedia was rough on ya,not looking forward to changing my flight around for Sept now.
Your other post really hit home, we just had a really rough patch of hardcore flooding in my town, with over twenty neighborhoods evacuated and it being a complete gong show. Funnily enough, I was in Disney when all of it hit too, wasn't able to get home when I landed. I have to say that we were extremely lucky that even though there's countless amounts of damage, and a few small towns outside the city were wiped out, there was a minimal amounts of casualties and we were lucky enough to not have any damage done to our house. Really makes you appreciate everything more.
Yeah, there are fees when you change your flight through Expedia. It's really annoying. That's one of the reasons I love Southwest, no fees for changes.
I heard about that and of course I'm so happy you're okay! That is just so scary.
Lia! I love your updates, they were so very touching!! I'm glad everyone back home was ok!!
So I'm very excited that we've officially booked our Halloween trip!!!!! EEEEK! I'm planning on getting my MNSSHP tickets for actual Halloween, but you and others have mentioned that day sells out...Since you are the queen of the MNSSHP (being 3 times and all) how bad is it going to be vs going on a different day?
Also, I would love any advise you would like to share about MNSSHP or. FOOD & WINE festival!! I'm planning to visit the F&W on Friday (thinking it would be less crowded than Sat) and have dinner ressies at Le Cellier after all your fab discussion about cheddar cheese soup and mushroom filet!!! I can NOT wait!! How long (on a given day) do you need to spend at the F&W festival? Should I plan to be there all day?
Thanks for any advise you would like to share!!! Can't wait to hear about your 3rd MNSSHP!! I'm taking lots of notes!!
Thank you!
Yay!!!! It's not really going to be that bad. They only sell a certain number of tickets, they don't sell the park out. So even a packed MNSSHP is a lot less crowded than a regular day with a high crowd level.
Friday will be better than Saturday, but Friday after school/work lets out will probably be pretty crazy because it isn't a weeknight, so I would get there early and personally I would stay all day. I'd cancel the Le Cellier reservation, it just isn't necessary, you are going to be full from the Festival and Le Cellier is the kind of restaurant you want to be HUNGRY for, especially with the price increase and same menu all day now. Not to mention they sell the Cheddar Cheese Soup & Mushroom Filet at the Canada booth, so what you want is available to you right there! If you have any other questions, I am happy to help!
I feel the same exact way and did the same thing... so I'll just let Rob do the talking here.
Glad you enjoyed it
What an emotional day! I am glad it all worked out!
And how perfect to go to the park late in the day with the party ticket! Can't wait to hear what you chose to do on actual Halloween!
I know, it really was an emotional day but everything ended up working out so well, I really can't complain!
It all turned out alright in the end. 
