A Mother-Daughter Trip! Now with BONUS BIRTHDAY Trip! (Final Thoughts Coming Soon!)

[shan23877]

You guys had some really incredible character interactions! Those stock photos are really cute, thanks for sharing them.

I still can't believe how short all of the lines are, and how low the crowds are. The more I read about it, the more I'd like to visit DL. DH and I have discussed making a trip to the West Coast to visit DL and a good friend who's in Portland. I hope that we go through with it some day.

I totally understand why you wouldn't want to move to DC. The cost of living is outrageous! We're moving to a more expensive area, but the perks of the new job out weigh the cons of the higher cost of living. I know that regular interview and hiring processes can take forever, I can't imagine how long a government job would take! I shouldn't complain about our move, we too are very blessed to have comfortable jobs. The new one is just a perk for our family.

DD and Willow should compare character stalking notes. We filled 3 books in 5 days last trip.

 

[RGirl]

You guys had some really incredible character interactions! Those stock photos are really cute, thanks for sharing them.

I still can't believe how short all of the lines are, and how low the crowds are. The more I read about it, the more I'd like to visit DL. DH and I have discussed making a trip to the West Coast to visit DL and a good friend who's in Portland. I hope that we go through with it some day.

I totally understand why you wouldn't want to move to DC. The cost of living is outrageous! We're moving to a more expensive area, but the perks of the new job out weigh the cons of the higher cost of living. I know that regular interview and hiring processes can take forever, I can't imagine how long a government job would take! I shouldn't complain about our move, we too are very blessed to have comfortable jobs. The new one is just a perk for our family.

DD and Willow should compare character stalking notes. We filled 3 books in 5 days last trip.

I really think we lucked out on crowds. I know that DLR can get REALLY crowded. I guess DD's birthday just falls at the perfect time of year for a trip! I hope you decide to visit though - we really were so pleasantly surprised. And oh my goodness - Portland is one of my favorite cities!!! One of the only good travel thing about living here is that we are only a 4-hour drive to Portland. I have had to make several work trips there (and I cannot complain about those!), but we have also traveled there several times for fun trips - part of a summer trip to the ocean (stopped off in Portland first for fun), a trip to see The Lion Kind BW production, and a trip to see the Shrek Broadway show. We are going in April to see Wicked! My mom recently convinced me to stay an extra day so we would have a little extra Portland time. We love it!

Where are you moving? When I first moved here it seemed so inexpensive, but I now realize that was because I had been living in San Francisco for years. You don't get much more $$$ than SF! A federal attorney position can be a pretty decent standard of living (nothing compared to private sector, but not having to work private-sector hours usually makes up for that), but the agency I currently work for grades attorneys significantly below any other federal agency. It just really can't work for us long term. Really sad because I love my colleagues and the friendships I have made here. But, again, I have to look out for my little family - no one else is going to do it!

 

[amandaw]

It's almost 12:30am over here, I need to go to sleep & all I can think about is how good y'alls lunch looks & that I'd really like to be eating that (yes, in bed) right this very moment! What is wrong with me?!?

Moving on from the food.....it sounds like y'all were continuing to have a fun day! I do have to say that the buildings in New Orleans square do look like they could've been plucked right out of the French Quarter. I love that there were even Mardi Gras beads hanging from some balconies.

And I love all of the stock photos. I think I want to buy the Photopass CD thing before we go down for our next trip. I've never done it before but I figured it would be nice to actually get some family photos.

You know, I think Peter Pan may be exactly the same! I am not a true WDW Peter Pan vet, so I can't say for sure, but I don't remember having a distinct sense of "different" on that ride! You spotted another "it's the same attraction" that I didn't note!

If there's one ride I've memorized in our last 2 trips, it's Peter Pan. So, do I get a prize for spotting another "same" attraction?

It was a little disappointing about the dancing with Mary and Bert, but Bert was sooooo amazingly sweet with DD that neither of us left feeling too disappointed. We did wait a VERY long time for a barely-5-year-old child who had been promised by two favorite characters, but she handled it really well.

It sounds like she handled it extremely well. I think there are some kids older than 5 that wouldn't have been so reasonable.

Oh, you should. They are really fun! If we become southerners in the near future , we should try to overlap a trip. You can get your princess fix with us - I have MORE than had mine!!!

Oh, we most definitely should! Then we'll swap kids....you can take Reid & meet all of the characters that boys love & I'll take Willow to go meet the princesses (finally!). And then, Ed & Willow can ride ToT all day long since Reid is a big chicken & probably won't ride it until he's at least 26!

Yep - totally agree. I have to get over the money issue and go for it. If I actually am lucky enough to have a new job by then (which is really pushing it given how slowly the feds move), it will be because that job will allow us more flexibility. So there is nothing wrong with adding on some air fare and going ahead with our vacation plans! And there is no way out now - I didn't think DD was all that interested in the cruise until tonight when she started going on and on and on about how excited she is to go. She even said, "I think there might be characters on the cruise." So, hey, we are going!

That's funny that she's more interested in the cruise than you knew. Yep, y'all definitely need to go!

Um, well, that image is not that far from reality..........

I had an interview this week for a great job in the DC area, but I really don't want to move us there - I think the increased cost of living would negate any benefit of the higher grade. So I probably would not accept if I was actually offered a second interview on that one. I have about 4 applications out there for jobs I would seriously consider (I am only applying for positions that are truly good fits because I have a good job now so why leave that for something that wasn't truly great?). Some of those application windows haven't even closed yet, so it will be a while before I even know whether I will be interviewed. Federal jobs take FOREVER, so I am in this for the long haul. I am just so grateful that I am able to do the search with the luxury of having a truly good job right now. I have been in the position of searching after being laid off - that is so stressful, and I feel blessed not to be in that position right now. At this point, I am just looking to better our financial situation - that is truly a luxury in today's economy, and I understand that. Thank you so much for asking after our situation!

I can't even begin to imagine how long it can take with the federal government. When, Ed lost his job this past October & was looking for something else, I thought I was going to lose my mind with how long some of these companies would take to get back to him. In fact, he started a job the 2nd week of November, here we are in March & every now & then he still gets letters/calls/emails about jobs he interviewed for. It's insane!

 

[shan23877]

I really think we lucked out on crowds. I know that DLR can get REALLY crowded. I guess DD's birthday just falls at the perfect time of year for a trip! I hope you decide to visit though - we really were so pleasantly surprised. And oh my goodness - Portland is one of my favorite cities!!! One of the only good travel thing about living here is that we are only a 4-hour drive to Portland. I have had to make several work trips there (and I cannot complain about those!), but we have also traveled there several times for fun trips - part of a summer trip to the ocean (stopped off in Portland first for fun), a trip to see The Lion Kind BW production, and a trip to see the Shrek Broadway show. We are going in April to see Wicked! My mom recently convinced me to stay an extra day so we would have a little extra Portland time. We love it!

Where are you moving? When I first moved here it seemed so inexpensive, but I now realize that was because I had been living in San Francisco for years. You don't get much more $$$ than SF! A federal attorney position can be a pretty decent standard of living (nothing compared to private sector, but not having to work private-sector hours usually makes up for that), but the agency I currently work for grades attorneys significantly below any other federal agency. It just really can't work for us long term. Really sad because I love my colleagues and the friendships I have made here. But, again, I have to look out for my little family - no one else is going to do it!

Probably a good point about the time of year. We'll be a slave to the school schedules from here on out. We did WDW in August though, so I'm sure we could handle DL at peak time too!

I'd love to visit Portland, my girlfriend has been there for almost 8 years and I've been meaning to get out there the whole time! I know that she loves the city and tells me all of the time about all of the fun things that she gets to do. I'd mostly love to go because I've heard what an awesome city it is for food!

We're moving to the Chicago suburbs. It's only 100 miles from here, but couldn't be more different. We're currently "down state" in a very middle class, very laid back area. I do love Chicago dearly though, it'll just be an adjustment. If we want to take advantage of all that the city has to offer it has to be a whole weekend affair right now. I'm excited that the city will be much more accessible to us. We took DD to see Pinkalicious the Musical this winter, and now she's obsessed with musicals (I think BatB contributed as well) so it's nice that we'll be able to do things like that more often and more easily.

DH's current job would have eventually led us to Tennessee, and benefits both long and short term are laughable compared with what he's been offered in the new company. Right now it's tough and we have family and friends who want us to stay, but it's 100% the right choice for the 3 of us. We are moving very near most of DH's family too, so it's nice that Maddie will be much closer to her grandma and cousins than she is now.

Do I remember that you were applying for a position in San Antonio? That's a fantastic city too! It sounds like you're making a very tough, but smart choice for you and Willow. It's hard in the short term, but I'm sure that you two will have a great time no matter where you land. (May I recommend Chicago? Second City my butt--its the best city in the world .)

 

[RGirl]

It's almost 12:30am over here, I need to go to sleep & all I can think about is how good y'alls lunch looks & that I'd really like to be eating that (yes, in bed) right this very moment! What is wrong with me?!?

People dis the DL food, and they definitely don't have the unbelievable options that WDW has, but the CS options there ROCK. Very California.

Moving on from the food.....it sounds like y'all were continuing to have a fun day! I do have to say that the buildings in New Orleans square do look like they could've been plucked right out of the French Quarter. I love that there were even Mardi Gras beads hanging from some balconies.

Yep - that is what I loved about that area so much. Great attention to detail. And next time, we will definitely eat at Blue Bayou - the TS restaurant that the Pirates boats float through at the beginning - it is just a beautiful setting and the menu looks amazing. The prices, however, look more than amazing!

And I love all of the stock photos. I think I want to buy the Photopass CD thing before we go down for our next trip. I've never done it before but I figured it would be nice to actually get some family photos.

I really wanted to share the stock PP photos with y'all because I knew that my WDW friends would not have seen them before, and I thought some of them were just so pretty. Our second WDW trip we prepaid the PP CD (well, I guess you know that from reading this report ), but it made a huge difference in how I used PP. Even DD is now wired to spot PP photographers! Hmm, actually, at DLR, she was better at spotting them than I was. And when they weren't around, she had an amazing number of photo opp suggestions for Mommy.

If there's one ride I've memorized in our last 2 trips, it's Peter Pan. So, do I get a prize for spotting another "same" attraction?

Yes! And at some point I will come up with an appropriate prize for you!

It sounds like she handled it extremely well. I think there are some kids older than 5 that wouldn't have been so reasonable.

I actually was really proud of how she handled it especially since we really had been waiting a long time based on a promise from Bert himself and we had had nothing to eat for a REALLY long time. My DD is not unfamiliar with the meltdown, so I was really impressed that she held it together through all this. But, really, Bert was so sweet and kind with her.

Oh, we most definitely should! Then we'll swap kids....you can take Reid & meet all of the characters that boys love & I'll take Willow to go meet the princesses (finally!). And then, Ed & Willow can ride ToT all day long since Reid is a big chicken & probably won't ride it until he's at least 26!

This sounds awesome! I think our families could have a lot of fun together! Honestly, a little boy seems like such a joy to me now. I love being mommy to a little girl, but I think boys are, in some ways, so much more laid back. One of my closest friends here had her second child on Halloween - a little boy. Her first is my DD's BFF - those two girls are CRAZY!!!!! I can snuggle with that little guy forever and just know that he will never reach the drama level of his sister and her BFF.

That's funny that she's more interested in the cruise than you knew. Yep, y'all definitely need to go!

Yep, I was really caught off guard tonight. Apparently, during one of the few moments in life when she was watching TV without me (and I am not kidding - those are few; I am not anti-TV, but I am not to the point where I allow unsupervised TV time, so I'm not sure how this happened - possibly Mommy was there but in an over-tired trance ), she saw a DCL commercial, and now she is hooked. She kept telling me how, at the end of the commercial, Ariel came out of the water. I mentioned that that probably does not happen in real life but just in the commercial; she acknowledged that that was probably true, but she is now psyched about cruising nonetheless!

I can't even begin to imagine how long it can take with the federal government. When, Ed lost his job this past October & was looking for something else, I thought I was going to lose my mind with how long some of these companies would take to get back to him. In fact, he started a job the 2nd week of November, here we are in March & every now & then he still gets letters/calls/emails about jobs he interviewed for. It's insane!

As I think I have shared, I was laid off in 2009, and I chose to seek only federal jobs because, if I was going to go back to practicing law, I absolutely was not willing to work 80-90 hours per week after fighting for years to become a parent. That experience was, well, hell - the wait seemed infinite. I could not believe how long these agencies would take to let applicants know anything. Now that I work for one of them, I understand a little better, but it is still just wrong!

 

[RGirl]

Probably a good point about the time of year. We'll be a slave to the school schedules from here on out. We did WDW in August though, so I'm sure we could handle DL at peak time too!

I'd love to visit Portland, my girlfriend has been there for almost 8 years and I've been meaning to get out there the whole time! I know that she loves the city and tells me all of the time about all of the fun things that she gets to do. I'd mostly love to go because I've heard what an awesome city it is for food!

We're moving to the Chicago suburbs. It's only 100 miles from here, but couldn't be more different. We're currently "down state" in a very middle class, very laid back area. I do love Chicago dearly though, it'll just be an adjustment. If we want to take advantage of all that the city has to offer it has to be a whole weekend affair right now. I'm excited that the city will be much more accessible to us. We took DD to see Pinkalicious the Musical this winter, and now she's obsessed with musicals (I think BatB contributed as well) so it's nice that we'll be able to do things like that more often and more easily.

DH's current job would have eventually led us to Tennessee, and benefits both long and short term are laughable compared with what he's been offered in the new company. Right now it's tough and we have family and friends who want us to stay, but it's 100% the right choice for the 3 of us. We are moving very near most of DH's family too, so it's nice that Maddie will be much closer to her grandma and cousins than she is now.

Do I remember that you were applying for a position in San Antonio? That's a fantastic city too! It sounds like you're making a very tough, but smart choice for you and Willow. It's hard in the short term, but I'm sure that you two will have a great time no matter where you land. (May I recommend Chicago? Second City my butt--its the best city in the world .)

How did you do at WDW in August? I fear that we may soon be relegated to that, and I am scared.

I am a BIG fan of Chicago!!!!! It would be high on my list if I could find a way to make it pleasant as a federal employee (unlikely). That is one of the big must-do cities on my USA list to take DD though. Except for the winters, I am jealous of your move!!!

The San Antonio job is currently at the top of my wish list. From the job description it is exactly the area of law in which I wish to practice ( and currently do) with an added level of experience. On top of that, the cost of living is significantly less than here, there is no real winter (big plus for me and for DD), and it is closer to WDW and DLR (HUGE plus for DD). I am assuming that hundreds of people will be applying, so my chances are not great, and there is always the possibility that they will hire someone in-house (so to speak). So I won't hold my breath, but that would be my first choice! Also high on my list are Huntsville, AL and St. Petersburg, FL - both a lower cost of living and closer to Disney!

 

[RGirl]

25. Tasty Treats, Princesses, Toon Town, and Wild Rides (Third Installment)

We explored Goofy’s play house, but it was crowded and really geared to younger kids.

DD insisted on waiting to ride Gadget’s Go Coaster (I think because of her fond memories of Goofy’s Barn Stormer). Well, this was a pretty long wait, so I took a lot of pictures.

And it was a very short ride. Definitely not nearly as fun as Goofy’s Barn Stormer once was.

We headed over to Mickey’s house where we got to meet Mickey again. We were the last people in our group, so we had quite a bit of time with Mickey who really enjoyed DD’s stuffed Mickey.

I loved Mickey’s gate to keep Pluto out of the upstairs!

(Next Installment Coming Up Soon.)​

 

[RGirl]

26. Tasty Treats, Princesses, Toon Town, and Wild Rides (Fourth Installment)

On our way out, we ran across the parade. We don’t usually stop for parades, but DD really wanted to, and we were able to sit down on the sidewalk and see everything without much obstruction, so it ended up being a great idea.

Check out Ariel swinging around up there!

Loved the princess float with Rapunzel’s tower.

And the Lion King float was awesome too.

As were Tiana’s and Tink’s

We got another glimpse of Mary and Bert as well.

After the parade, we walked a few steps over to Star Tours and used FPs from that morning.

We talked about leaving at this point - it was already after 5, and DD was so tired. But she really wanted to do Buzz’s ride again and use our BTMRR FPs. While we were discussing this, we spotted a Storm Trooper patrolling around Tomorrowland. We took a few pics for my brother.

We rode Buzz’s ride with a short, but very unpleasant, wait. There were some tweens behind us in line who kept shoving and nearly stepping on DD. They were bad enough that I actually ended up carrying DD through the queue because they were going to trample her. The mother (?) with them didn’t seem to care at all.

After Buzz, we walked all the way over to Frontierland and rode BTMRR with our FPs.

After that, we decided to ride the DL RR over to Tomorrowland and take the monorail back to DTD and our hotel. DD was REALLY tired. She had been walking nonstop for two days straight. (My how things had changed since our little half day of walking at Epcot in October!) On the train, DD talked me into going to CA for a last FP ride on ToT, which meant more walking than she could really handle, but I agreed. And we rode ToT again.

We walked through the Grand Californian to get out of the park. The Grand Californian is actually inside CA with a door that enters directly into the park. We cut through there to DTD and then back to our hotel. DD was getting pretty whiny about her feet hurting - who could blame her? So I bribed her into continuing to walk to the hotel with no more whining by promising that we would order room service for dinner instead of walking to the CS place in our resort. We ordered dinner, DD had a bath, and then we ate and watched the Disneyland channel. We talked about what we HAD to do tomorrow to be happy since it would be our last day. We looked at maps, circled what we needed to do for the first time or repeat to be happy and crossed off things we had done and didn’t need to re-do. DD had some birthday cake, brushed teeth, and then passed out to the headboard fireworks snuggled up with Mickey and Bolt.

Up next: 27. A Rainy Last Morning at DL​

 

[CandleontheWater]

The parade at DL looks like fun! I like the floats better than the ones at WDW, they look a little more intricate and better themed.

Willow has certainly been a trooper during your trip, just reading about everything you guys have been doing is making me tired!

I'm also glad to hear that the job hunt is going well, and I hope you end up placed in the job of your dreams!

I can understand your reluctance to move to the DC area, we live here now (in Alexandria, right outside of DC) and I do love a lot about living here, but the cost of living is excruciating!

We really lucked out with finding a house in a wonderful neighborhood that is rented out for WAY below market rate (its owned by an old woman, who bought the house back in the 80's and I don't think she has raised the rent since then, bless her!), but there is no way we could afford to buy here, or even rent a bigger place. Its frustrating, because I'd love to stay here long term, I love everything that DC has to offer, but I know that our standard of living would be higher elsewhere.

I have heard really nice things about Huntsville, AL, and that is one of the places we are considering moving to when DH gets out of the military in three years. It has a great school system, and the housing costs are very low. Its also withing driving distance to WDW, which would be a huge perk!

 

[JLCJMC]

I just got all caught up since my last visit to the boards (back in Dec!). Lots of great stuff. Your daughter is just adorable! I am glad you had so much fun on the DLR trip -- I have only been once and only to DL and downtown Disney (I was in Anaheim for a conference) -- the "in town" location is so very different than WDW.

Good luck with the job search and I hope you do a TR for your cruise as well!

 

[RGirl]

The parade at DL looks like fun! I like the floats better than the ones at WDW, they look a little more intricate and better themed.

Willow has certainly been a trooper during your trip, just reading about everything you guys have been doing is making me tired!

I'm also glad to hear that the job hunt is going well, and I hope you end up placed in the job of your dreams!

I can understand your reluctance to move to the DC area, we live here now (in Alexandria, right outside of DC) and I do love a lot about living here, but the cost of living is excruciating!

We really lucked out with finding a house in a wonderful neighborhood that is rented out for WAY below market rate (its owned by an old woman, who bought the house back in the 80's and I don't think she has raised the rent since then, bless her!), but there is no way we could afford to buy here, or even rent a bigger place. Its frustrating, because I'd love to stay here long term, I love everything that DC has to offer, but I know that our standard of living would be higher elsewhere.

I have heard really nice things about Huntsville, AL, and that is one of the places we are considering moving to when DH gets out of the military in three years. It has a great school system, and the housing costs are very low. Its also withing driving distance to WDW, which would be a huge perk!

You know, I thought the DL parade floats were amazing! I didn't think it would be fair for me to compare to WDW floats because we have never really stopped for parades there, so I could only compare via all the pictures I have seen.

I have lived in the DC area twice before (once in Alexandria where this particular job is, actually). I like it okay - not my favorite place I've lived, but definitely not my least favorite either. The cost would just totally eviscerate the increased income, which would kind of defeat the purpose of this whole odyssey!

That is so good to hear about Huntsville! My current employer sends people to training there all the time, but I think I am the only person in the office of counsel who hasn't had a training there, so I really don't know a lot about it. I am pretty well swayed by the proximity to WDW, however!

I just got all caught up since my last visit to the boards (back in Dec!). Lots of great stuff. Your daughter is just adorable! I am glad you had so much fun on the DLR trip -- I have only been once and only to DL and downtown Disney (I was in Anaheim for a conference) -- the "in town" location is so very different than WDW.

Good luck with the job search and I hope you do a TR for your cruise as well!

Welcome back!!! Thanks for the good thoughts. And I definitely think I will do a TR for the cruise - this has been so much fun!!!! I will just have to notify everyone somehow since it will have to be on the cruise board.

 

[RGirl]

27. A Rainy Last Morning at DL

We were up for our last day at DLR at about 7:30. DD had some birthday cake and jelly beans for breakfast. Yep….

I just loved all the “hidden” Mickeys in our room. Here’s one in the lamp.

We were out of the hotel by about 8:30. And it was POURING. We used our umbrellas and made the best of it. We took the monorail to Tomorrowland with a serious plan in place. We were going to Pixie Hollow. We knew that the lines here get crazy, so we wanted to hit it first thing. Well, let me tell you, the rain was something of a blessing. We started up the cute path to Pixie Hollow.

And kept going - seeing no one. We came around a corner, and there were Tink and Iridessa just hanging out with the PP guy. No one was there. No one.

I loved this area - especially their little teapot house.

Once done with the fairies, we headed straight over to Space Mountain. Again, no line. We got front row again - still can’t believe what a difference that makes. When we exited, we decided to turn around and do it again. Still no wait.

When we finished with Space Mountain, it was almost time for a showing of Captain Eo. Now, I was a HUGE Michael Jackson fan in the 80s. My mom even took me to Vancouver to see him perform in the Victory tour. I pretty much grew out of it after the 80s, but when he died, I started listening to his music again. And, well, I am not sure entirely how this happened, but DD is a total obsessive crazy fan. I mean, way more than I am or even was way back in the day. It is hilarious! So she was REALLY excited to see Captain Eo. We both loved it.

After that, we rode Buzz’s ride. No wait.

When we exited Buzz’s ride, the rain had stopped! So next up was BTMRR.

And then on to Pirates - our last of the last-day must-dos in DL. Yep, that’s DD up there….

We grabbed a totally non-nutritious snack of some sort and enjoyed it by this little fountain near the Haunted Mansion (which was under refurb while we were there).

Up next: 28. Our Last-Day CA Must-Do’s​

 

[shan23877]

How did you do at WDW in August? I fear that we may soon be relegated to that, and I am scared.

I am a BIG fan of Chicago!!!!! It would be high on my list if I could find a way to make it pleasant as a federal employee (unlikely). That is one of the big must-do cities on my USA list to take DD though. Except for the winters, I am jealous of your move!!!

The San Antonio job is currently at the top of my wish list. From the job description it is exactly the area of law in which I wish to practice ( and currently do) with an added level of experience. On top of that, the cost of living is significantly less than here, there is no real winter (big plus for me and for DD), and it is closer to WDW and DLR (HUGE plus for DD). I am assuming that hundreds of people will be applying, so my chances are not great, and there is always the possibility that they will hire someone in-house (so to speak). So I won't hold my breath, but that would be my first choice! Also high on my list are Huntsville, AL and St. Petersburg, FL - both a lower cost of living and closer to Disney!

WDW in August is hot- very, very hot.

We wouldn't know what to do without a real winter. This year has been so mild it's felt like a cold spring and I don't like it at all! San Antonio is so much fun, a great city. Sending you good vibes for that position.

FL or Alabama would be awesome if only for the hop, skip and a jump to WDW! I'll bet Willow would LOVE that! And it sounds like you'd love the mild climate.

If/when you girls ever make it to Chicago, let me know. I'd love to help you find all of the fun things to do!

 

[RGirl]

WDW in August is hot- very, very hot.

We wouldn't know what to do without a real winter. This year has been so mild it's felt like a cold spring and I don't like it at all! San Antonio is so much fun, a great city. Sending you good vibes for that position.

FL or Alabama would be awesome if only for the hop, skip and a jump to WDW! I'll bet Willow would LOVE that! And it sounds like you'd love the mild climate.

If/when you girls ever make it to Chicago, let me know. I'd love to help you find all of the fun things to do!

Willow HATES winter! She is Maya (from Guatemala) - I think it is in her blood. She would love to live somewhere with no winter, and the older I get, the more I am all for that too. So we are both hopeful for a warm climate - Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida. They would all be good for us!

We will definitely get to Chicago one day. If nothing else, I am kind of expecting that Willow will eventually be into the American Girl dolls - that gives me a great excuse to take us to Chicago! And we will look you up for sure!

 

[shan23877]

Love the parade pics! It's so cute that the dancers all wear themed costumes to go with their floats. I wonder why WDW doesn't do that?

Willow was such a trooper! DD whined about her feet hurting after an hour at the mall today I think you'd both earned room service.

Pixie Hollow is darling!!! and hooray for no lines!

I think that birthday cake and jellybeans is the perfect birthday trip breakfast. Very smart decision on Willow's part.

 

[RGirl]

Love the parade pics! It's so cute that the dancers all wear themed costumes to go with their floats. I wonder why WDW doesn't do that?

Willow was such a trooper! DD whined about her feet hurting after an hour at the mall today I think you'd both earned room service.

Pixie Hollow is darling!!! and hooray for no lines!

I think that birthday cake and jellybeans is the perfect birthday trip breakfast. Very smart decision on Willow's part.

See, again, I didn't feel that I could comment on parade differences because we have never really stopped for a WDW parade. I have just seen a ton of pics reading TRs and such on here. But we were really in love with that parade - I'm not sure that we would have had the same parade love at WDW, but I think we may take the time at least once next time. IF we do not have to wait ahead of time - we just happened on this parade, sat down, and watched. That is about the only way I can do a parade.

I was really so proud of DD for all the walking and the minimal whining about it. By the walk back to the hotel every night, she was pretty whiny. But I was pretty close myself, so I couldn't really fault her! Honestly, she couldn't handle a couple of hours at Epcot on our last day in October, so I think it is all about the expectations for my DD. I told her that we wouldn't be doing a stroller because she was turning FIVE. I think she was pretty into that - and, frankly, walking around a place as awesome as Disneyland, it is hard to complaint!

 

[pas130]

Hey there! And thank you!

I don't know that DL is Willow's favorite, but she definitely loves it - she says she won't bother riding Pirates at WDW anymore. I could not choose a favorite - there are things about each that are better than the other. I hope that I am lucky enough to be able to continue visiting both as frequently as possible!

This has to be her bestest birthday ever

I can't even begin to imagin how hard the decision will be on which job to interview/accept/ all the variables. And I certainly wish you and Willow can continue visiting both DL and WDW. I LOVE the MegaWeekendUpdatePaloozas

 

[amandaw]

Whew - I'm finally caught up! We had some of Ed's family in town this weekend, so I haven't been on the DIS.

I'm still quite impressed of what a little trooper Willow was with all that walking! I think room service was a great idea! The parade looks really cute!

I hope the rain eased up on y'alls last day. Although, it does indeed look as though it helped with meeting the Fairies. Their area is so cute!

Yep - that is what I loved about that area so much. Great attention to detail. And next time, we will definitely eat at Blue Bayou - the TS restaurant that the Pirates boats float through at the beginning - it is just a beautiful setting and the menu looks amazing. The prices, however, look more than amazing!

Hmmm...seems like I've heard a few people mention that place being good. I'm assuming, given the name & all, that it is supposed to be a "cajun" restaurant. I'm always leery of "cajun" restaurants outside of Louisiana. Of course, I guess that's because I am a cajun who lives in Louisiana.

I really wanted to share the stock PP photos with y'all because I knew that my WDW friends would not have seen them before, and I thought some of them were just so pretty. Our second WDW trip we prepaid the PP CD (well, I guess you know that from reading this report ), but it made a huge difference in how I used PP. Even DD is now wired to spot PP photographers! Hmm, actually, at DLR, she was better at spotting them than I was. And when they weren't around, she had an amazing number of photo opp suggestions for Mommy.

I could really see me using the stock PP photos for scrapbooking purposes. If I do prepay for the CD, I will really need to make a cognitive effort to utilize the service.

Yes! And at some point I will come up with an appropriate prize for you!

I'll be waiting!

I actually was really proud of how she handled it especially since we really had been waiting a long time based on a promise from Bert himself and we had had nothing to eat for a REALLY long time. My DD is not unfamiliar with the meltdown, so I was really impressed that she held it together through all this. But, really, Bert was so sweet and kind with her.

They are all familiar with meltdowns. Goodness knows Reid has had his fair share! It was sweet of Bert to stop & talk with her for a while.

This sounds awesome! I think our families could have a lot of fun together! Honestly, a little boy seems like such a joy to me now. I love being mommy to a little girl, but I think boys are, in some ways, so much more laid back. One of my closest friends here had her second child on Halloween - a little boy. Her first is my DD's BFF - those two girls are CRAZY!!!!! I can snuggle with that little guy forever and just know that he will never reach the drama level of his sister and her BFF.

We would definitely have fun! Reid would love having another kid there with him. Hmmmm.....maybe Willow could encourage him to brave some thrill rides! I do agree with you about girls & drama! My 2 best friends both have a boy & a girl. The girls are all about drama! Everyone tells me I need a little girl. I'm like, "I have my 1 child I wanted & no thank you."

Yep, I was really caught off guard tonight. Apparently, during one of the few moments in life when she was watching TV without me (and I am not kidding - those are few; I am not anti-TV, but I am not to the point where I allow unsupervised TV time, so I'm not sure how this happened - possibly Mommy was there but in an over-tired trance ), she saw a DCL commercial, and now she is hooked. She kept telling me how, at the end of the commercial, Ariel came out of the water. I mentioned that that probably does not happen in real life but just in the commercial; she acknowledged that that was probably true, but she is now psyched about cruising nonetheless!

Reid can be anywhere in the house & if that commercial comes on TV, he will run at full speed to go see it! That's funny how she was talking about Ariel coming out of the water - I know exactly what part she's talking about.

As I think I have shared, I was laid off in 2009, and I chose to seek only federal jobs because, if I was going to go back to practicing law, I absolutely was not willing to work 80-90 hours per week after fighting for years to become a parent. That experience was, well, hell - the wait seemed infinite. I could not believe how long these agencies would take to let applicants know anything. Now that I work for one of them, I understand a little better, but it is still just wrong!

Oh goodness, I don't think I knew that. And I'm sure companies have their reasons for taking so long to get back to people. But, it really is excruciating when you're unemployed and need a job ASAP.

 

[CandleontheWater]

You guys definitely made the best of a wet last day! At least it kept the lines short, and didn't last too long!

I think that the fairy's coats were pretty cute, you don't see that too often at WDW, I guess because they are inside.

 

[RGirl]

Again, sorry for the long absence during the work week. I don't know what is going on, but I have NEVER been this busy at this job!

This has to be her bestest birthday ever

I can't even begin to imagin how hard the decision will be on which job to interview/accept/ all the variables. And I certainly wish you and Willow can continue visiting both DL and WDW. I LOVE the MegaWeekendUpdatePaloozas

Thanks! I realize that I have to stop stressing about it - I'll wait and stress when someone actually gives me an offer!

Whew - I'm finally caught up! We had some of Ed's family in town this weekend, so I haven't been on the DIS.

Hope you have some time for DIS'ing this weekend!

I'm still quite impressed of what a little trooper Willow was with all that walking! I think room service was a great idea! The parade looks really cute!

Room service was perfect! We were both really beat after that long two days of walking and having fun.

I hope the rain eased up on y'alls last day. Although, it does indeed look as though it helped with meeting the Fairies. Their area is so cute!

It was really neat to meet the fairies with no wait.

Hmmm...seems like I've heard a few people mention that place being good. I'm assuming, given the name & all, that it is supposed to be a "cajun" restaurant. I'm always leery of "cajun" restaurants outside of Louisiana. Of course, I guess that's because I am a cajun who lives in Louisiana.

Nope - I don't think it's cajun at all. Although it seems like it should be...... I'm going to have to look at the menu again - I don't remember getting that impression from the menu at all!!!

I could really see me using the stock PP photos for scrapbooking purposes. If I do prepay for the CD, I will really need to make a cognitive effort to utilize the service.

Oh, that would be so cool! Pre-paying the CD in October really got us in the habit of using PP. In DL, Willow was really the one who would remember about the PP photographers.

I'll be waiting!

They are all familiar with meltdowns. Goodness knows Reid has had his fair share! It was sweet of Bert to stop & talk with her for a while.

Bert was just wonderful. I love seeing young men like that (same with the princes at the Halloween party) who seem so into the role and really seem to be enjoying interacting with the kids.

We would definitely have fun! Reid would love having another kid there with him. Hmmmm.....maybe Willow could encourage him to brave some thrill rides! I do agree with you about girls & drama! My 2 best friends both have a boy & a girl. The girls are all about drama! Everyone tells me I need a little girl. I'm like, "I have my 1 child I wanted & no thank you."

It's good to know someone else who is content with one! I came very close to starting another adoption process last year, and then I realized I was losing my ever-loving mind!!!

Reid can be anywhere in the house & if that commercial comes on TV, he will run at full speed to go see it! That's funny how she was talking about Ariel coming out of the water - I know exactly what part she's talking about.

That is so cute about Reid! I have to admit I had no idea what Willow was talking about and could not figure out how she had seen the commercial. I TIVO everything, so I don't watch commercials! But she probably saw it when we had the Food Network or something on in the background.

Oh goodness, I don't think I knew that. And I'm sure companies have their reasons for taking so long to get back to people. But, it really is excruciating when you're unemployed and need a job ASAP.

Yep - I keep that in mind with the supervisors I advise. Move quickly - if for nothing else than that you will lose the best people!

So I got a second interview on the Alexandria job. I almost turned it down, but I am going to go ahead and do it - I can't possibly know if it is a possibility if I don't at least attempt to get an offer. I'm sure hoping that I get some other interviews though - in much less expensive parts of the country!!!

You guys definitely made the best of a wet last day! At least it kept the lines short, and didn't last too long!

I think that the fairy's coats were pretty cute, you don't see that too often at WDW, I guess because they are inside.

We really lucked out with the rain - it didn't last long at all! I loved those coats too!!!