Mirror Lake, New Hampshire (August 3-10)
A.K.A. Heaven on Earth
You would think that a trip report about our Disney vacation would start, you know, in the airport...on the plane....magical express........Well- not this crazy adventure! Our trip actually begins a week before getting to Disney. Every year our family goes up to New Hampshire for a week or two. (Though they have passed on, we've kept my grandparents house) This year was different though. Mama and I would be going up with the family...and then leaving for Disney from New Hampshire! The rest of the family stayed up at the house for another week before going home to Pennsylvania. That means that Mama and I had THREE WEEKS OF VACATION! (See how coming back to reality has been so hard??)
2 weeks on the lake is always just what we need to escape our busy lives. The calm and peacefulness of God's natural wonders surround us -- kind of like a great big warm hug!I realized after coming back from WDW that we should have gone to Disney first and then N.H. for some rest and relaxation. Oh well...... live and learn!COMPLETELY abnormal -- just the way the schedule worked out for my job. These were the only weeks left for me to take and it just so happens that they were one after the other. No more days off until next year!
Here are the "kids" getting ready for the 8 hour roadtrip. We had 6 full grown people plus a dog stuffed
into a mini van (plus luggage!)
(Luckily there was a carrier top or we would have been lying on top of suitcases
Donald Duck decided to take the wheel.
Rex took his turn last year so he was willing to share the job. Someone's gotta' drive!
Sarah is excited for vacation!
Blurry Lizzie dog.
Hello Lake!
You know, we've always said that Disney isn't so much a vacation as a trip. It's an experience. It ends up making you tired. New Hampshire is pure vacation. See?
I took some food pictures!!! This amazing creation is a sundae from the Bailey Bubble, the local ice cream joint. Homemade whipped cream. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
Bailey Bubble has been a part of Wolfeboro for as long as I can remember. There used to be a restaurant farther up the road where we would get breakfast every year. But, alas, it is no longer. Luckily we still have the Bubble which makes its own sauces and waffle cones and ice cream.
There may have even been ice cream (and a brownie) under that!
The town of Wolfeboro---it's basically one street!
Wolfeboro Bay! That lake is Winnipesaukee.
Winn-uh-puh-saw-kee. An old Native
American Indian name that is as hard to pronounce as it it to spell.
This was trip #2.... I think. There were quite a few trips out to town ending in yumminess.
Morning on the lake!
Some mornings are covered in mist and other days are perfectly clear. There are frogs to hear and birds to see (Blue Heron and Bald Eagle and Loons). The water lilies open as the sun rises and it is quite the sight to see. Why is it so hard to wake up for work at 7am when I can bound out of bed at 6am here?
Sigh.
The bald eagle! We have one eagle who lives on the lake. It's such a treat to see him out and about.
We went up to a place called Castle in the Clouds. Breathtaking views of the mountains!
We did have an exciting event take place while we were all here together. My son (Lauren's brother) proposed to his long time girlfriend Dominique and she said YES! He made it memorable as he stood on the dock surrounded by candles. She walked down to him and he got down on one knee. This place has always been special to our family and now we have another event to add to our memories 
So after a week of board games, fishing, swimming, reading, and just a few ice cream trips, it was time to pack for Disney!
And this is where our official trip report begins!!!
So I just opened my notebook, turned to the first page, and this is what I had started with----
"It is the night before Disney! Unfortunately, I have a bad sore throat that I woke up with! NO! It's making me very tired and sluggish. Ew."
Plus, I had taken two cold pills earlier in the day. I should know better. Medicine really affects me, and I should never take more than one pill (even if they recommend two.) Because I took both pills, I was feeling very spacey. You know, Jack Sparrow on rum kind of spacey. Probably sicker than what the cold caused!
Yes. I had a cold. Courtesy of my sister who had gotten it from someone at camp. So I had to go to Disney sick. I'm just going to warn you now, the first day was kind of a blur. I was a bit miserable. But still happy to be in Disney. Such an odd feeling.
Some meds and some good sleep and she will be just fine, right?
It was also strange because as much as I wanted to go to Disney, I was sad that I was leaving New Hampshire. I wouldn't be back at the lake until next summer, and that was making me sad. It's home to me and it's always sad to leave your home.
What a mixed bag of emotions: so excited for Disney and so sad to leave the lake. Thrilled to spend time with my little girl and heart-broken to leave my hubby for 2 weeks. Knowing the rest of the family was staying there was sooooo strange. A definite first for us -- "vacationing separately"
But I didn't have much time to mourn that particular loss. It was time to PACK!
It took me forever to pack. First of all, it takes me forever to pack when I'm not distracted. Well, I decided to watch the first season of Boy Meets World while packing. You know how it goes. Put one thing in the suitcase. Sit and watch 5 minutes. I'm seriously amazed I got it all done!
While I was packing, Mama was in her room reading and the rest of the family was in the main room playing Rummikub. I found everything that we had brought with us to New Hampshire specifically for Disney (toiletries and such.) And once I was finished packing, Mama repacked what I had packed. Yup.
LOL! Lauren is packing challenged. She manages to get everything she needs (usually) but it is always in such a chaotic spaced-out way. I just tweaked what she had and added my stuffs to the mix. 4 checked bags and 2 carry-ons for 2 weeks! Not bad, not bad at all....
After packing, we came out to finish our tournament. We have a tournament in Flinch and Rummikub every year. This year, Bryan (my brother) won BOTH tournaments. He was a bit happy.
We will never live that down. We are going to hear about the Great Win of 2013 for years to come.
After games, we went to bed around midnight. Sarah and I (we share a room) watched Boy Meets World. Eventually, she fell asleep.
I didn't fall asleep. Surprise!
I watched tv until around 1:30, and then I caught up on DIS updates on my phone. I fell asleep after 2am...probably closer to 2:30. IT WAS DISNEY DAY!
RAISE YOUR HAND if you wake up with a BIG SMILE on your face the morning you leave for Disney!
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<---- That's me raising my hand in response to if I wake up with a BIG SMILE on Disney day!
And then smiling again. 
pictures you can find oh daughter of mine? 
