A Magic and Miracles celebration vacation TR

[Deesknee]

Oh WOW!!! Her BBB was such a treat to see in photos!! I love how excited she got throughout it!! I must admit that I am NOT a fan of BBB because I think all too often it makes the little girls look trashy with all the extensions and crazy hair. (Maybe it's a good thing I only had boys.....) But your DD's little bun with the tiara is SOO SOO sweet looking and still innocent looking. She is gorgeous!! I am going to look into the Knight package for my boys. I don't want to do pirates league because I don't find they look like pirates as much as dying zombies....(Yes I have a problem with that I suppose......lol...) so that may be a better option!

I also hate throwing food away and that is one of the reasons that we will no longer be doing the dining plan. We all share food at home while eating out so it only makes sense that we also do that at Disney but you can't if you have the dining plan. It really bothered me to throw so much food away on our first trip.

It looks like you all had an amazing MK day!! I'm enjoying your TR!!

I agree, sometimes these sweet little girls walking around the parks look like glamour girls from the 60's. I was so so happy with how DD looked. I'm glad you think she looked cute too. The little boy that was done there was so cute. His hair was all spikey & mickey confetti type stuff, and it was colored. I think they do this at the barber shop too. But, I believe these little knights get either swords or shields. I thought it was pretty cool. Especially for parents that might have a boy & a girl. That way maybe neither would feel left out.

I know I am throwing a lot of updates out here quickly. I need something to keep my mind busy, I wish I could be with my Dad, but I don't have a ride over yet today. So, here I am inundating you with my TR. Plus, the more I do without a break the more my vertigo kicks in, so some of it probably isn't completely accurate, or even make sense. Sorry if that is the case.

So, where did I leave off?

Oh yes, Columbia Harbour House and wasting food. After that we strolled back to Fantasyland, rode it's a small world, Mickeys Philharmagic, Prince Charmings Carousel, and eventually worked our way to Dumbo's Circus. DD didn't want to ride Dumbo this time, but wanted to see the circus carts and ride Goofy's roller coaster.

I took this picture for specific reason. If you remember this vacation was a celebration of DH & my 30th wedding anniversary. Us having been married in
19.....82! How cool is it that one of the circus carts # is 82??!!

These squirt water! So... look out! It was too cold for us to get wet.

After this we left the park. Stopping at the Main Street Bakery for my most favorite snack. Toll House Cookie icecream sandwich. Fun fact - the restaurant that invented the Toll House cookie is two towns over. I spent many hours there as a child. When you drove down that road (which is a main street) you could smell the cookies baking. Unfortunately, many years ago it burnt to the ground. Now all that remains is the sign. Very sad. So, I have always loved the cookie sandwiches. I don't think they call them Toll House anymore. But, back in the early-mid eighties, maybe even into the 90's there was a sign in front of the bakery that told of this little restaurant in Whitman MA that invented the Toll House cookie, and how the cookie came about. I remember taking a picture of the sign way back when. I wish I knew where it was, I would love to post it on the disboards.
Unfortunately, what seems to be my last Toll House Cookie Ice Cream sandwich (as the Main St. Bakery is turning into a Starbucks. I am only assuming they won't have the cookies.), was disappointing. The cookie didn't taste fresh. In reality, I am somewhat pleased I didn't enjoy it very much. It is easier to say goodbye that way.

We left the park and went back to the hotel for a short time then headed to Epcot.

We had one more surprise for DD. She had gotten her ears pierced about 6 weeks before our trip. We thought it would be nice if she got her first real pair of earrings as her souvenier from our trip. So, we headed to ....

 

[Deesknee]

japan We let DD pick another pearl in the hopes it would match her first well enough to have a pair of earrings made.
DD was very nervous. We got there JUST in enough time to have them set into earrings before they closed.

She picked. It was very close to the same size, but the color is off a tiny bit. Here is a picture.

when they are on her, you don't notice the difference in color. She was so so happy! Problem is she never wants to take them out.

When we came out of the Japan pavilion Illuminations was going on. And, the park was almost completely empty! We stayed for illuminations then walked back to our hotel. Another perfect night & day in the most magical place in the world.

But, tomorrow, was our last day. We would have to return the van, then fly home. But, atleast this time we have a nonstop flight.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I'm sorry I missed a few updates, but I'm all caught up now! I hope that I don't forget anything…

- I love BWI! I hope to stay there some day. Your room was gorgeous!
- Your DD looks so happy to have met the magician! Disney magic at work again
- Great pictures of the Osborne lights! They are so amazing to see
- Breakfast at CRT looked great. I haven't eaten there in a while, it looks much better than the last time I was there. I'm not sure how I feel about Cinderella's new dress…
- The Tremaines are so fun to meet!
- I teared up a little reading about your BBB experience. This is what it is all about! Your DD has gorgeous hair! And she looked so happy in the pictures. I loved reading it

 

[Deesknee]

I'm sorry I missed a few updates, but I'm all caught up now! I hope that I don't forget anything…

- I love BWI! I hope to stay there some day. Your room was gorgeous!
- Your DD looks so happy to have met the magician! Disney magic at work again
- Great pictures of the Osborne lights! They are so amazing to see
- Breakfast at CRT looked great. I haven't eaten there in a while, it looks much better than the last time I was there. I'm not sure how I feel about Cinderella's new dress…
- The Tremaines are so fun to meet!
- I teared up a little reading about your BBB experience. This is what it is all about! Your DD has gorgeous hair! And she looked so happy in the pictures. I loved reading it

Thanks for catching up & following along!
The Boardwalk Resort is amazing. I know some complain about long hallways. I didn't find it any worse than other resorts we've stayed. (except OKW, which you walk pretty much right into your room).
Yup, DD loved the magician. She was amazed at one of his tricks.
CRT was really good. Hope you can get there again some time. I didn't notice Cinderella's dress was any different. Honestly, we find Cinderella rather cold. Not one of our favorites. Never really had a great meet & greet with her.
Really hoping to meet the Tremaines next trip.
Thanks for the compliment on DD's hair. She is very proud of it. She wants to grow it as long a Rapunzels. DD still keeps saying BBB was the best part of her trip! I debated back & forth on this and CRT. .. go, don't go, go, don't go. I am so happy we went to both those are her 2 favorite memories. She was so awesome & her Fairy Godmother in training was Amazing. We couldn't hear the conversation, but when DD asked her for her autograph & she started to tear up, awwww, how can you beat that?

Thanks again for reading along. This TR is about to end. I will soon be doing our last day.

 

[Deesknee]

We had done online check in for our last night. The night the 3 of us would stay in the studio side of our BWV 2 bdrm. Just the studio. We had already made sure everything was out of the 1bdrm side. Brett, the manager had told us we wouldn't even have to ck in at the desk. Just use the same key we had. It would only open the studio side. Sure enough, when we got back to the room we just went in the studio side. The adjacent door was locked. We had our own studio & we were all settled in. The only bad thing was .... they had cleaned! I was horrified! I hadn't picked up our junk or anything. I would never make anyones job that difficult. I felt horrible. Well, I left a note with our mousekeeping gratuity, but still felt bad. We decided to eat at IHOP tonight. It was a very relaxing dinner. After such an exciting day, it was just what we needed.

The next morning we got up and checked out of the hotel. Said our goodbyes. We go into our rental and headed off to AK. I have a habit of reviewing everything to make sure we haven't forgotten anything important when checking out of a hotel. I began, computer, camera,airline tix, rental car agreement, licenses, child (hahah), cell phones. ... cell phone DEAR?? Dear??? Oh shoot! (paraphrasing) I hear from DH. He informs me he left it charging in the hotel. He promptly finds somewhere to turn around. We are just hoping they have not begun to clean our room yet. It is now just about check out time. He pulls into BWV parking lot. I for some reason, call his phone. We hear the monorail (DH's ringtone), and DH remembers he stuck it in the back pack he carries while touring the parks. I guess I am making my family paranoid. He turns around in the BWV parking lot. Meanwhile I am sure the guard there thinks we are crazy.
Off we go to the AK. This would not have been DH or my last park. Not our favorite. BUT DD wanted to, so off we went. Where did she head straight away? DINOSAUR. We rode dinosaur. Had lunch at the Yak and Yedi take out . Asked her what next, to which she quickly responded.... Dinosaur! okay, off we went to go on Dinosaur again. and again. 3 times. Then we headed out. Next stop DTD. We were on a search for disney dog stuff. Which we had been looking for our entire trip, to no avail. We figured DTD would be the place. I clearly remembered they had a huge selection previous trips. We were very disappointed when the CM we finally asked said they had discontinued pet merchandise apprx. 2 years prior! We had just adopted a dog in August, and were looking forward to bringing our newest family member home a souvenier. So, we looked and looked for something that would be appropriate.
Next up.... do we find anything for our dog "Dizzy"?

 

[Deesknee]

Yes. Yes we do!

Dizzy loves Wheezy. Poor Wheezy. DD was excited at first to find a stuffed animal that squeaks, then she remembered, poor Wheezy. Always left on the shelf. Well, he's not on the shelf anymore.

 

[Deesknee]

sorry the picture is so big. I was having issues with photobucket. I think I may have changed my settings. Now, I can't figure out how to set them back.

Anyway, along with Wheezy we got a couple of tshirts for my older kids from the younger one for Christmas.

Then off to the airport to return the mini van. Then fly home.

We were a little nervous dropping the mini van off at Alamo. If you remember the beginning of this TR we did have some confusion when we were checking the van out. The only issue we had returning it was DH was unsure how to get to the parking, to return it, after curbside checking our luggage. He asked the gentleman at the curbside who instructed him to just return it over there. and pointed. Okay, should we just drive through those lovely cement barriers? hmmm. DH said, do I just take a left out of this area? Confirmed by curbside guy. Which DH did although, I had read the signs and thought that was NOT the thing to do, that THAT was long term parking. Yeah, it was. However, this must happen somewhat regularly, because the woman at the payment window when we turned around to leave, just smiled and said, no charge! I thought that was very nice! So, when we finally got to returning the minivan. We got in line with the other returns. cleaned out what we needed to, grabbed our carry-ons and checked it one last time, then said good bye to our beautiful minivan. Before we knew it we were on our flight home.
The flight was wonderful. Very uneventful. ... until we landed. We decided to wait until someone could wheel me up the ramp so that DH could carry all of our carry on luggage. How bad did we feel when the person that showed up was an elderly man. As soon as we were up the ramp, I advised him we could take it from here. We tipped him, he thanked us and left. As we were dividing the luggage into what I will carry on my lap, what DD can handle and what DH can handle. That is when I said, "where is the camera?". WHERE IS MY CAMERA?. The look on DH's face was pure panic! I told him to leave us, we would get by, and RUN and get that camera! He did! Boy did he!! And, beleive it or not, he actually made it. Thank goodness we remembered when we did! The camera was still in the luggage overhead storage area. Usually I keep it in the storage under the seat in front, but we were the first row, so had no floor storage.
We were a little frazzled by the time we got to baggage pick-up. I saw my DD & was so happy. Even though 2 of them lived on their college campus the first 3 years of college, I still miss them when we don't see each other for a few days. She wasn't smiling however. hmmm... That is when she told us, there was a problem with our van. She & her BF were backing out of the driveway when he noticed it wasn't driving correctly & was making a weird noise. He got out to check out the tire and saw the tire was completely off the rim. I asked who's car did they have? DDBF's. Oh, oh, all our luggage was NOT going to fit in his car. It was late, we were tired. I had visions of having to make 2 trips. BUT, DDBF's parents had let him use their minivan. YAY! Home we went. And THAT is the end of our trip, and this trip report.

Well... almost I have to tell you all one more thing. Remember how our friends joined us our this celebration of our anniversary? Well, when we were exchanging Christmas gifts last week, (yeah, I know pretty late), the two kids had something for me from them specifically. I was a bit confused. It was explained to me they were a combination Christmas gift & a thank you for helping make their vacation special. I was overwhelmed with feelings. I did what I did because I wanted to. I enjoyed it. And I DIDN'T do that much. Little gift bags, and 1 reservation, plus the dessert party. NOT MUCH AT ALL. The most precious part of their generosity? My little guy buddy apparently saw something he thought I would like, approached him Mom and said he thinks I would like that & he would like to spend his own money to buy it for me, as a thank you. I can't find a motorcon of tears pouring down my face, but that was the reaction. He & his sister used their own money and bought me thank you gifts. AWWW... how special is that?

So, below I am going to post my beautiful gifts from my most wonderful friends.

This is from my friends son. I just absolutely love it!
and..

These earrings are from their daughter. They look really good in too! I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Not just because they bought me somethings so nice. But because they are TRUE friends.
And IF you are reading this my wonderful friend.... I love you guys!!

That is the end of this, my first TR. Hopefully, I will be doing a PTR for our upcoming surprse to my DD trip.

Thanks to anyone who followed along & to all of you who commented! Especially Bridget who even had the patience to read my PTR!!

Can't wait to see what we do for our 50th wedding anniversary trip in 20 years!

 

[BridgetR3]

japan We let DD pick another pearl in the hopes it would match her first well enough to have a pair of earrings made.
DD was very nervous. We got there JUST in enough time to have them set into earrings before they closed.

She picked. It was very close to the same size, but the color is off a tiny bit. Here is a picture.

when they are on her, you don't notice the difference in color. She was so so happy! Problem is she never wants to take them out.

When we came out of the Japan pavilion Illuminations was going on. And, the park was almost completely empty! We stayed for illuminations then walked back to our hotel. Another perfect night & day in the most magical place in the world.

But, tomorrow, was our last day. We would have to return the van, then fly home. But, atleast this time we have a nonstop flight.

Her earrings are so so cute!! Too bad they were not exactly the same but I'm sure they look great on her! You said that ya'll went eat after Illuminations. Does Illuminations happen earlier than 9 in the fall or are you guys just late eaters?? We eat by 5:30-6:00 each night so I can't imagine going after Illuminations!

 

[BridgetR3]

Awww it's over!!! I'm sad that you are done! I have thoroughly enjoyed every update to your report and YES you must now do a PTR for DD's surprise trip so I can relive those memories with you too when you get back! lol......

How sweet of those children to present you with gifts from their own money. I love that Mickey Mouse bracelet! Those earrings they gave you are also cute!

Sweet puppy with his Wheezy! That's a cute pic!

Last summer DS10 left his glasses at Disney so I had to buy a new pair for school this year. And summer before this past one he forgot his DS on an airplane on the way to visit my brother. He loses somethings every vacation. I often joke with him that it would be cheaper if we lost him! Glad to know that you guys hadn't left the phone and were able to the find the camera!

Oh you don't have to thank me for hanging out! I have really enjoyed it!

 

[Deesknee]

Her earrings are so so cute!! Too bad they were not exactly the same but I'm sure they look great on her! You said that ya'll went eat after Illuminations. Does Illuminations happen earlier than 9 in the fall or are you guys just late eaters?? We eat by 5:30-6:00 each night so I can't imagine going after Illuminations!

It would have been nice if they matched closer, but I guess being unique is okay. She loves them and unless you know, when they are on her you don't notice. Nope Illuminations is at 9. When we are on vacation our eating habits are terrible. We eat late. Even at home, if DD doesn't have school the next day we tend to eat late. Not THAT late, but still late. DH sometimes doesn't get home from work until 7 - 7:30 at night, so if we eat by 6 it is a treat. So eating at 9:30 -10:00 isn't that far out of our eating pattern. When my older kids were young DH had a more steady work schedule, so we would eat between 5:30 -6 every night. Now, things are different. I am a stickler for wanting "family" dinners, so we try to wait for Daddy to get home to eat. Although the triplets are seldom all home for dinner anymore.

Awww it's over!!! I'm sad that you are done! I have thoroughly enjoyed every update to your report and YES you must now do a PTR for DD's surprise trip so I can relive those memories with you too when you get back! lol......

How sweet of those children to present you with gifts from their own money. I love that Mickey Mouse bracelet! Those earrings they gave you are also cute!

Sweet puppy with his Wheezy! That's a cute pic!

Last summer DS10 left his glasses at Disney so I had to buy a new pair for school this year. And summer before this past one he forgot his DS on an airplane on the way to visit my brother. He loses somethings every vacation. I often joke with him that it would be cheaper if we lost him! Glad to know that you guys hadn't left the phone and were able to the find the camera!

Oh you don't have to thank me for hanging out! I have really enjoyed it!

Yeah, I ws really touched by the kids giving me those gifts. The earrings are Minnie Mouse bows. They are cute too, but the bracelet is something I will wear more than most jewelry.

Our Dizzy dog is already such a huge part of the family. We love him. And he loves his Wheezy.

Funny about your DS10 always loosing things. That is our oldest DD. She once left a camera charger that was also a picture printer in WDW hotel. They never found it in the room. Can't imagine how they could not, but one never knows. Too funny you tell your DS it would be cheaper if you lost him. I never thought of that one!!

I'm glad you enjoyed reading along. I had a lot of fun writing it. I struggle with how much info is too much, but I enjoy learning about the people that love Disney they way I do, so I thought others might enjoy learning about us.

I will keep up on you TR's & PTR's also. Nice to make friends via And I'll be in touch via private message also!


One last thing, I reread the teasers I had on page 1. I touched base on most of them. One I don't remember what I was referring to. The one that says People Please... no idea. But, I did want to mention the gingerbread house at BWV. It was so awesome! It filled the lobby with the smell of gingerbread. I wanted to bring a gingerbread house home, but DH said it probably wouldn't travel well. Maybe next time. I had a picture of the Gingerbread house, but can't seem to find it. If I do i will post it later. It was a cottage style house, you could see as if 1 wall was missing, so you could see the majority of the outside & inside of the cottage. There was a chimney that led to a fireplace inside, where you saw Donald Ducks feet dangling above the fire. Daisy was looking on. And Stitch was on the roof! It was adorable. So, wish I could find the picture. Oh well, now I have touched base on my teasers. good bye for now & I will catch up with some on YOUR TR's!

 

[huey duey & luey]

what a wonderful trip!!! I love all the pics of DD at CRT. We took the kids on their 5th bday, and I have such sweet memories.

That was also so sweet of your friends' kids, and how wonderful that ypu made their trip so special!!

 

[Deesknee]

what a wonderful trip!!! I love all the pics of DD at CRT. We took the kids on their 5th bday, and I have such sweet memories.

That was also so sweet of your friends' kids, and how wonderful that ypu made their trip so special!!

Thanks Tara! It's so nice to be in touch with you again. So awesome you took yours on their 5th bday. All of them huh? Did they all love it?

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I'm so glad that your husband managed to get your camera, I would have panicked!!

It is always sad when a trip ends I enjoyed your report though, and it seems like you had a really great vacation.

How sweet of your friends to think of you like that! It is great to have wonderful people in your life who care about you.

 

[Deesknee]

I'm so glad that your husband managed to get your camera, I would have panicked!!
I was panicking! Thank goodness it didn't take him very long, although it seemed it at the time.

It is always sad when a trip ends I enjoyed your report though, and it seems like you had a really great vacation. I guess if we weren't sad, that would mean it was a terrible trip. And noone wants that! Thank you for reading along. I am enjoying your TR as well. And yes we had a great trip!

How sweet of your friends to think of you like that! It is great to have wonderful people in your life who care about you. It was very sweet. I was very surprised. What good taste those kids have!

responses above in red. Thanks again for following along!

 

[huey duey & luey]

Thanks Tara! It's so nice to be in touch with you again. So awesome you took yours on their 5th bday. All of them huh? Did they all love it?

lol all of them! they did love it, we did that for bkfast and Chef Mickeys for dinner. It was cute , they were made such a fuss over.

Hope your dad is feeling well!!and you give me hope that I will survive the teen years, bc some days Im just not so sure lol

 

[Deesknee]

lol all of them! they did love it, we did that for bkfast and Chef Mickeys for dinner. It was cute , they were made such a fuss over.

Hope your dad is feeling well!!and you give me hope that I will survive the teen years, bc some days Im just not so sure lol

You'll do fine! Secret of what has(and is- with 2 commuting from home and 1 getting ready to move home after graduation) helped me? Something DH's 90 year old grandmother told me when my triplets were young. Her husband had died when the youngest of their 5 children was under 3. This was back about 75-80 years ago. She sent all 5 to college. (including girls which was not usual in those days). I once asked her how she did it all by herself. She was 90 at the time, she replied to me, "I enjoyed them every day". I guess it is as simple as that...
Some days I enjoy when they leave for school, some days I enjoy when they come home.

I'm so happy you all enjoyed the experience.! I'm sure the induced quite the fuss! We love Chef Mickeys, but usually do breakfast. I'll be starting a PTR soon. I'm not good at the PTR & TR's but it's a nice way for me to journal our trips. Do you have a TR?

 

[old lady]

I miss the books and the comics myself.