1st Trip (of many!) as Mr. & Mrs.--the TR-- UPDATE 9/9: Life Update--We're Moving!!

[haleofafamily]

So glad you posted to let us know what is going on in your life. I was getting worried about you.
It has been busy! I love what Michael did for your b-day. Sounds like a great guy.

 

[RachelNinja]

Haha, wow! I think I just got a little stressed out just READING about all the things that you've had to do. I'm amazed that you can handle it all! I'm exhausted after each day with my students that I can't even think of having after work committments. My lesson plans and grading are enough. The only leisure I have nowadays is for my TR.

You should post some Arkansas pics if you have the chance!

 

[jenny105]

So I checked out the Miche bag website. That thing looks awesome! I want one!

 

[klacey1]

Hey girl! Don't apologize for being busy, we all are! What a sweet DH you have to plan day trips. DBF eats up the history/renactment stuff, so after I told him what you guys did, he now wants to visit AR! The amount of time you donate to faith services and your church is incredible-- so admirable!
I have about 50 pages of writing to do for work between now and next Thursday-- this time of year is so crazy!

 

[LilAnn]

Wow, it sure looks like it had been a busy time period for you! Part of me wants you post updates sooner just because they are so fun to read, but another part of me doesn't mind that it's taking a whie because I don't want it to end.

I agree with everyone on here that says you have such a wonderful DH. What a great birthday surprise!

By the way, I love that line about excuses.

 

[Leleluvsdis]

That is crazy!!! I can understand though... I started a PTR, and it hasn't gotten very far since we started moving... ugh... one week from today we move into our new house!!! Can't wait to read the rest of your Tr, and if you get a chance join me on my ptr (link in the siggie) Have a great day!!!

 

[haleofafamily]

I have loved reading your pre-trip and trip reports so much that I decided to start my own pre-trip report. I just hope I can communicate my love for my family and WDW as well as you do!

 

[stacikristine]

Wow, you've been busy!

But that's neat you guys went to Arkansas! It sounds like it was a nice get-a-way for the two of you.

I've seen those purses before! They have conventions?!

Yeah, it's been NUTS! It was such a nice mini-vacation--just what we needed! Well, the convention was for all of the reps in the mid-south area. It was 5 states in all I think. We were just learning more about how to have great businesses and tips and things like that. We also saw lots of new product for this year. It was really great! I love selling them b/c it means I get to buy them at cost!

You've been quite the busy bee haven't you!!! I know what you mean about weekends being crazy. We have something planned almost every single weekend until the middle of August!!! Bridal showers, bachelorette parties, competitions for Madison, weddings, dance recitals.....it's going to be crazy! But, that just means that my Disney trip will come sooner!

YES--it's been crazy! OH MY! I can't believe you have something almost every weekend for months! I'm so glad we can see the end of the tunnel. So true!! You have something amazing to look forward to!

Happy belated birthday! That was so sweet that Michael came up with those ideas and let you pick. Lucky girl!

I've never heard of the Miche bag. That sounds neat! I'll have to google it. Send me some more info please!

If I were you, I'd be ready to collapse too! Busy girl!!

Thanks so much! It was so, so sweet. He's the greatest! I'll for sure send you some info--I'm absolutely in love with mine! Yeah, I'm about to just pass out. Only a few more weeks, though, and then we get 2 more nights a week back!

So glad you posted to let us know what is going on in your life. I was getting worried about you.
It has been busy! I love what Michael did for your b-day. Sounds like a great guy.

Aw, thanks for caring! I'm fine--just busy. He's the greatest!! I'm so thankful that he does special things like that for me.

Haha, wow! I think I just got a little stressed out just READING about all the things that you've had to do. I'm amazed that you can handle it all! I'm exhausted after each day with my students that I can't even think of having after work committments. My lesson plans and grading are enough. The only leisure I have nowadays is for my TR.

You should post some Arkansas pics if you have the chance!

Sorry!! Didn't mean to add to your stress! Well, I'm not handling it very well--I feel like I'm losing my mind. But I know it'll be calmed down soon. It's a really, really good thing that I'm just 3/4 time (I get off at 3:30 instead of 5:00) because I wouldn't be able to do the after-work stuff otherwise. And with teachers in my family, I know that you have to bring teaching stuff home too...it doesn't really end when the kids leave. I *will* catch up on your TR one of these days--I feel like SUCH a bad DISer. I'll try to get them up--they're still on my camera right now. We got some really good ones, though. It was a great trip!

So I checked out the Miche bag website. That thing looks awesome! I want one!

That's what I said when I saw them too!! I'll PM you some info!

Hey girl! Don't apologize for being busy, we all are! What a sweet DH you have to plan day trips. DBF eats up the history/renactment stuff, so after I told him what you guys did, he now wants to visit AR! The amount of time you donate to faith services and your church is incredible-- so admirable!
I have about 50 pages of writing to do for work between now and next Thursday-- this time of year is so crazy!

Thanks for understanding--I feel like a horrible DISer! Life is just busy this time of year. He is the most amazing hubby ever! I'm so thankful for him. You should definitely go to AR! Fort Smith was so great--we couldn't believe how much history was there! Aw, thank you. It's just where our passion is--It's one of those things that I can't not do (if that makes sense). OH WOW! Good luck getting those pages done!

Wow, it sure looks like it had been a busy time period for you! Part of me wants you post updates sooner just because they are so fun to read, but another part of me doesn't mind that it's taking a whie because I don't want it to end.

I agree with everyone on here that says you have such a wonderful DH. What a great birthday surprise!

By the way, I love that line about excuses.

It's been so, so busy. I know--I'm so torn too! I want to finish it all up, but part of me is glad that I haven't been able to because I'm going to be SO sad when it's all over. It's been great re-living our trip with all of you. I'm so glad you enjoy them! He's wonderful--I couldn't ask for more! We've said that for a long, long time. My dad has lots of funny sayings like that. Another one he used all the time was "Don't let the door hit you on the butt on your way out!" when he was ready for us to leave him alone.

That is crazy!!! I can understand though... I started a PTR, and it hasn't gotten very far since we started moving... ugh... one week from today we move into our new house!!! Can't wait to read the rest of your Tr, and if you get a chance join me on my ptr (link in the siggie) Have a great day!!!

I think this time of year is just so crazy for everyone. WOW--good luck moving! I bet it will be SOOO wonderful to get all settled in at your new house! I'll go sub to your PTR right now, but it might be a few days before I can get all caught up. I'm anxious to read along though!

I have loved reading your pre-trip and trip reports so much that I decided to start my own pre-trip report. I just hope I can communicate my love for my family and WDW as well as you do!

Aw, thank you so much! I'm going to go sub to your PTR right now! It might be a while before I can catch up, but it'll be lots of fun to read all about your fam and yalls trip!

 

[Bridora]

Wow! You have been busy. We get pretty busy around this time of year, too, but we haven't been nearly as busy as you have!

That's so neat that you went to Arkansas for your birthday. I'm an Arkansas girl, but I have never even been to Ft. Smith! And that was such a sweet thing for Michael to give you three options.

I am not about to quit reading your TR now, don't worry!

 

[BippityBoo]

Excuses are like a butt

You are too funny!! You still have an AVID reader here! Your life sounds like mine right now! I can not WAIT to post about Abby's AG party so you can see all of the neat things I got! I feel like I am planning a party for me too!

Happy to have you "back"

 

[blabbermouth]

At least you can't say you're bored!

 

[jenny105]

Thanks for the info on the Miche bag! I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy!

 

[stacikristine]

Wow! You have been busy. We get pretty busy around this time of year, too, but we haven't been nearly as busy as you have!

That's so neat that you went to Arkansas for your birthday. I'm an Arkansas girl, but I have never even been to Ft. Smith! And that was such a sweet thing for Michael to give you three options.

I am not about to quit reading your TR now, don't worry!

We actually have a free night tonight! Woo-Hoo! You really need to visit Ft. Smith--it was so, so neat. It was so hard to decide--I'm so glad he's great at doing sweet things like that. YAY!! Thanks so much! I was afraid I'd lost all my DIS friends!

Excuses are like a butt

You are too funny!! You still have an AVID reader here! Your life sounds like mine right now! I can not WAIT to post about Abby's AG party so you can see all of the neat things I got! I feel like I am planning a party for me too!

Happy to have you "back"

I'm glad you enjoyed that! My dad used to say it all the time. Yay!! Thanks so much for sticking around, Katie! Oh I can't wait to see your post about Abby's AG party!!! I bet--I'd feel the same way! Thanks so much--it's good to be back!

At least you can't say you're bored!

Haha--SO TRUE!

Thanks for the info on the Miche bag! I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy!

You're welcome! Thanks for being interested!

 

[RachelNinja]

Sorry!! Didn't mean to add to your stress! Well, I'm not handling it very well--I feel like I'm losing my mind. But I know it'll be calmed down soon. It's a really, really good thing that I'm just 3/4 time (I get off at 3:30 instead of 5:00) because I wouldn't be able to do the after-work stuff otherwise. And with teachers in my family, I know that you have to bring teaching stuff home too...it doesn't really end when the kids leave. I *will* catch up on your TR one of these days--I feel like SUCH a bad DISer. I'll try to get them up--they're still on my camera right now. We got some really good ones, though. It was a great trip!

It's "funny" because I never thought "adulthood" would be like this. Haha, I put it in quotation marks because I don't quite feel like an adult just yet. There's just always so much to do, and there are many days when I KNOW it's not by my own strength that I make it through!

Don't worry about catching up on my TR. Hehe, that's why I make the post with the chapter titles so it's easier Besides, despite posting quite often, we're still in North Carolina,

 

[princess_momma]

Staci!! Isn't it just so crazy how life gets in the way? I'm pretty sure I've never been busier in my whole life! I'm not gonna lie...I got a little excited when I read that you were planning a trip because I mis-read and thought you were going with them. Darn. Oh well. Can't wait for more! I miss hearing from you!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Its taken me about a week but I have finally read all through your report! I LOVE it!! You both remind me of my DH and me!!! Looking forward to more!

 

[stacikristine]

It's "funny" because I never thought "adulthood" would be like this. Haha, I put it in quotation marks because I don't quite feel like an adult just yet. There's just always so much to do, and there are many days when I KNOW it's not by my own strength that I make it through!

Don't worry about catching up on my TR. Hehe, that's why I make the post with the chapter titles so it's easier Besides, despite posting quite often, we're still in North Carolina,

I know what you mean! I don't "feel" like an adult either. When my mom was my age, she'd already been married for 4 years and had 2 kids! I still feel like a little kid sometimes. I know exactly what you mean--I definitely couldn't make it on my strength either. I about had a break-down on Thursday because I was just SOOO overwhelmed with all we have going on! I can't wait to finally be able to catch up--one of these days!

Staci!! Isn't it just so crazy how life gets in the way? I'm pretty sure I've never been busier in my whole life! I'm not gonna lie...I got a little excited when I read that you were planning a trip because I mis-read and thought you were going with them. Darn. Oh well. Can't wait for more! I miss hearing from you!

I KNOW! It's just nuts. I *wish* that I was planning a trip with them!!! That would be incredible. They went to Disneyland a few years ago, and now they're going to WDW...without me. Oh, to be a grown-up. I will have more this week--I PROMISE!

Its taken me about a week but I have finally read all through your report! I LOVE it!! You both remind me of my DH and me!!! Looking forward to more!

Thanks so much for reading! I'm SO glad that you like it! It was so much fun writing it. I'll have to go over and see your reports when I get some time. I'll have more this week!

 

[stacikristine]

Once again, I am incredibly sorry for failing to update in such a long time. I’ve missed writing for you all! But thankfully things have slowed down a lot for us (we actually have our first free weekend in two months!), and so hopefully I’ll be able to finish this TR very soon. I think I’ll be going through major Disney withdrawals when that happens, by the way.




When I last left you, we’d just finished our last full day at Disney World. We’d gone to Animal Kingdom that morning/afternoon and then relaxed at the pool before our Boma reservation that night. After we ate, we went back to DHS for a few attractions and Fantasmic, followed by a boat ride to the Boardwalk. Everything was shut down for the night, and we missed the bus back to the parks by less than 30 minutes, so we had to call a cab. Even though it didn’t end as planned, it had been another wonderful day at Disney World!



On Saturday, our departure day, we woke up at 7:05. Our Boma breakfast reservation wasn’t until 8:15, so we got ready quickly and then started packing up our things. Almost everything was packed by the time we needed to go downstairs.


I think this picture shows how we felt to be going home that day:

As we walked down to Boma, I snapped this picture of the sun coming through the windows. It was a gorgeous morning!

We checked in, and were seated almost immediately.

We were given AMAZING orange/passion fruit/guava juice and told about the morning buffet.

Neither of us tried any of the African dishes, but all of the breakfast foods we did try were wonderful!


Michael started with a pancake, waffle quarter, French toast, bacon, pineapple, and an omelet.

I had a waffle quarter, French toast (?), bacon, a scone, a chocolate chip muffin, a pecan cinnamon pastry, and eggs with cheese and chives. I also had grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and an omelet.

When Michael finished his first plates, he went back for muffins, a bagel, scone, and some other pastries.

We both REALLY enjoyed breakfast at Boma! Everything was fresh and they had such a great selection of fruits, pastries, and breakfast foods. We would definitely eat here for breakfast again. It also worked out so well that it was right downstairs because we were able to pack up and not have to rush to get to breakfast.




When we finished eating, we went back up to our room to finish packing. I couldn’t help but take another picture of the gorgeous lobby from our floor.

We finished packing everything and then took our bags downstairs to check out and see about our luggage. When we went to check out, we were told that there was nothing for us to do since we didn’t choose to have charging privileges on our KTTW cards.


After that, we took our bags over to the airline checking area to see about checking them ahead of time. We weighed our only checked bag, and it was WAY over the limit—I’m pretty sure it was over 10 lbs too heavy. We knew that there was absolutely no way that we could shuffle that around (since our carry-ons were already stuffed) so we decided that we’d just wait and check the bag/pay the “too heavy fee” when we got to the airport. So we left our bags with Bell Services and headed towards the bus stop.



The bus to Hollywood Studios was waiting for us when we got there! We went to Blizzard Beach first and arrived at DHS at 9:55.


On our bus ride over, I was texting jenjolt so that we could see about meeting up. I was excited because this would be my first planned DISmeet!



When we got inside the park, the first thing we had to do was take some more Photopass pictures—like we needed anymore!

This is the same shot, but I liked the antique feel. There’s just something about DHS that makes me want to make the pictures old-timey looking…

Yay for more Magic Shots!

On our way to Pixar Studios, we had to get a few more…

After another million pictures were added to our CD, we made our way over to Toy Story Mania to check for FPs and meet Jen.

The FP return time wasn’t until 3:30 or so, and we knew that we needed to catch the DME bus at 4:30, so it wasn’t going to work. We weren’t counting on it, so we weren’t disappointed at all.


I texted Jen and told her we were there, and she was over by the Toy Story merchandise. Yay! My first official DISmeet!

Jen was so sweet! We chatted for a little bit about our past few days and her upcoming ones. It was so great to be able to meet. We said our goodbyes, and Michael and I headed over to the Animation Studio……….




Continued

 

[stacikristine]

Continued from previous





………..but not before we took a few more PP Pics!


These next three are all the same pic, but I couldn’t decide on which one to post, so I’ll add them all. I think the middle is my favorite since it looks like it could have come out of an old photo album back in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” times.

EXCUSE ME?!

I DON’T THINK SO!!

After making sure my husband wasn’t going to go running off with Minnie, we made our way to the Animation Studio.

We went into the Animation Gallery

To ask what time the next show was and to browse through the artwork. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I think I would have bought half of the store!

My two favorites!

Everything was just so beautiful!



When we finished looking in the gallery, we made our way over to the Animator’s Studio queue. It was so neat to see some of the older ideas for the different movies.


The Lion King

Beauty and the Beast / Cinderella

Aladdin

The Little Mermaid

After we walked around, it was time to see the show.

I know a lot of people don’t like this show, but we really enjoyed it! I think it was the same one from when Michael was little, but I’d never seen it and he didn’t remember everything. We both really like Mushu.


Even though this is old news now, we were excited to walk through and see the different displays for “The Princess and the Frog” since it wasn’t coming to theaters for a few more months.

Continued

 

[stacikristine]

Continued from previous

I LOVED this area. Just look at all of those paints! Michael said that when he was here last, the animators’ studios were still here, and they were able to watch them drawing. I can completely understand why they don’t have it this way anymore, but I wish I could have seen it!

We played around on the different interactive things and had lots of fun. Our favorites were the voice-overs and the character pictures.


Michael:

Me: (I don’t know if you can see my face in this, but it was hilarious! It was one of those half-closed eyes pics. We laughed so hard.)

At 10:50 we headed over to Beauty and the Beast. (The show started at 11:30.)


This guy was performing on the Streets of America. He looked like he was straight out of the Old Hollywood Era.

While I waited at the B&TB entrance,

Michael went to get FPs for Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster (since we forgot to use them our first day at DHS).

Before long, it was time to see my favorite “people show” (Finding Nemo was my new favorite “other than just people” show). We could have been on the first row behind the VIP section again, but we chose to be a few rows back from there instead. We were still front-and-center, though!

By the way, does anyone else miss the pre-show Mic Check guys? I don’t remember what they were called, but I remembered loving their show.


We visited with the people around us, and then it was time for the show to begin!

Best costume award!

Continued