Adventures in Adulting - April/May 2017 PTR

[Raeven]

Yeah, HDDR didn't seem like my type of thing. I don't drink, so the sangria thing is lost on me. And I don't know that I would appreciate the show, if that makes sense.

It's not for everyone but I also didn't think I'd like the show and was sick and didn't feel like drinking at all but I had a good time and would go back.

I'm REALLY hoping they add a Villains party or a Disney After Dark event on Friday or Saturday, since USO closes at 6. We'll end up in Disney Springs both nights, if not. I contemplated getting another ticket for A, her friend could probably get us in anyway, and my ticket has 7 days on it as a promo from Disney or UCT or whatever. So if we do, it'll just be for a few extra hours.

But you're right. It's cheaper to stay at USO. I just really love AKL.

I was hoping they'd add Club Villain or afterhours but at this point I don't think they will. Plus they've been having afterhours on Thursdays which would really mess with our plans. There's definitely different perks to staying at Disney hotels, I stay Disney when we're at Disney usually but that one day I added it made more sense to book at USO for long

So I was mindlessly checking every 10/20 minutes or so. And then, BOOM. There it was. I about lost it. I quickly booked the party. And now A and I are spending May the Fourth be with You right where we need to be! With a whole lot of desserts and a guaranteed viewing spot for the fireworks.

Btw my brother acts like your sister when receiving presents and my mom has a dog named Oreo too.

Yay we booked the Star wars dessert party too!

 

[steviethegreat]

HOMESICK

As in, I am totally homesick for Disney World! At least my updated countdown is....22 days!!

I mean, that's a lot closer than 100. Or 475, as it once was with the trip I planned with my mom. (And trust me. I counted. I had post-it notes with numbers on it. NUMBERS EVERYWHERE.)

In the meantime, let me update you on a few things.

Our ADRs are a mess because I have no idea when our CM friend is eating with us and when she's not. But I -did- get a breakfast at Trattoria al Forno for breakfast. (That's its name, right?) After reading the reviews, I think it's going to be PERFECT for this trip. I'm honestly so stoked. It's going to be hard to wait to see her face. I guess it makes the non-wait for Boma worth it.

I don't know if you guys have realized yet or not, but I'm a control freak. As in, I like to control most aspects of the vacations I plan. My sister has stated that she does not want to go with me to Disney because she thinks I'll plan every second of every day. And I mean, I am not a 'rest day' type of person, but I'm happy to go off by myself to figure that stuff out. She can rest by the pool if she wants to. The way I see it, we have access to pools in Pittsburgh. Lying there vs lying at Disney = the same. So...no, I will not be wasting money to lie around the pool IF I can be in the parks on that day.

But when it comes to planning the day, I do not plan every moment. I'm down with changing Fastpasses and being spontaneous about rides. It's just important to have ADRs. Otherwise, it's QS or taking a chance on an ADR, depending on the season.

Anyway, I have control issues. So our CM friends sends up a group message and asks what our plans are for the 5th of May. And we're like ~oh, you know, park stuff~ since that's our last day. And I told A that I had that day PLANNED, so I don't want to take a tour or make cakes or watch a show or whatever other random, but fantastic, thing that Disney is offering that day.

Until she asked ... if we... uh, wantedtogotoPandora.

And I mean, who am I to turn down Pandora? So.. we're getting in for 2 hours on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, to explore Pandora! I am SO STOKED. I was really hoping that we would get to go in and she had said that she might be able to. But I'm like, freaking out (and so is A) because we can't believe that our CM friend can get us in.

In other news, I told you guys about the crafting, right? EARLY in the trip, I told A about Disney Bounding. And I said it's cool and blah blah blah. But I also thought, in my head, that I'd miraculously be a size 6 by the time we'd be going. (Hahahahahahahaha.) So Disney Bounding while mentally feeling a different size and physically being a totally different one is very exhausting. I wish there were adequate words to describe my inner loathing when I see pictures of me ANYWHERE when I know I've been 'dieting' off and on for like..ten years. Longer than that, but basically, all through college, after college, etc.

I am still currently dieting. And the progress has been so varied. One year I lost 60lbs. One year I lost 30lbs. This year, I'm at 22lbs and counting, but it's like, if I could just STICK WITH IT, I could totally wear whatever I want and feel fantastic about it. But no. So Disney Bounding isn't as fun in plus size (for me). I feel really limited.

And I was just going to forgo it. But remember how I said about how we're doing Dapper Day? Well, I had complained about needing a dress and blah blah blah. And A decided to Disney Bound AND do Dapper Day as Mary Poppins. And I was tantruming in the corner (fairly literally) ready to just wear whatever and be a grump about it.

My birthday hit on the 30th of March (yaay, 28!) and all of my presents (or almost all of them) were clothes and accessories for my trip. I had decided to just repurpose a dress that I already have. And I decided to Disney Bound as the evil Queen from Once Upon a Time. I had no idea that my mom had gotten me a dress, hat, gloves, shoes, and jewelry already. Apparently she was freaking out when I was throwing myself on the floor (tantruming) around the house because she already had the outfit long before I had started looking at outfits.

So I don't have to worry about Dapper Day anymore.

As for our first day in the Magic Kingdom, A wanted to be as princess-y as possible, so I'm buying some cosmetic glitter so blop on her head as we get there. And we're making ourselves princess skirts. She's dressing as Rapunzel and I'm going as Jasmine. I have a surprise to go with her outfit, but you'll have to wait to see!! I saw another trip report where the two girls had these princess skirts on and they looked so cute. And I texted A and was like 'princess skirt tutus, y/y?' So...now we're making our own. Which means Mom is sewing princess skirts on Saturday.

My poor mother.

So now I have a Moana shirt (and pants), a Jasmine skirt, a dress (hat, gloves, jewelry, make up and shoes) for Dapper Day, two HP shirts for our Universal days, an Animal Kingdom day shirt, and then a blue shirt that my mom thought would work for Jasmine (NOPE) or Anna (ALSO NOPE). And all the Disneybounding means I have to buy new shoes, since my sneakers work with nothing. I am contemplating just wearing my sandals for everything. But they're black so they don't match. Blegh. I hate shoe shopping. Shopping in general.

Oh well. I'm also crafting a lot to calm my inner crazy. I am checking off the days until my trip. I have the weekends reasonably planned. This weekend (18) is our day to make our Mickey Ears. I am making Moana, Jasmine, BB-8/R2D2, Tinkerbell, Simba, and Anna ears. We're kind of hoping to be awesome at making ears so we can start selling them. (Not like there's any competition or anything on Etsy...)

I am doing some paper crafting a la the circles on string I showed you guys before. I am still buying things for little surprises. I told you that I have all my surprises mapped out, right? Pre-trip, Airplane Survival Kit, Universal, Disney, (Disney dining surprises), and post-trip. I have my two 'I hate that I'm home right now' days planned out, so Saturday and Sunday will involve me driving around Pittsburgh with family and friends eating things and being sad that I'm home. I mean, I imagine that's how it'll go. I was told that I was insufferable this October because I hated being home and I was depressed.

But then I have to get 'right back on the horse' so I can go back to Disney/Universal sooner to take 'after' pictures for weight loss. SOMEDAY I WILL HAVE AMAZING MK PICTURES. SOMEDAY.

Anyway, I'm doing a lot of crafting so that when I mail my stuff down, I can decorate the room/not worry about my stuff getting lost on one of our flights to Orlando. I'm genuinely nervous about my luggage getting lost, since we're taking a connecting flight. I mean, that sounds stupid. But I've worked really hard on all of my surprises. So.

Okay, so, after this weekend (18) Mickey ears are done. Then Thursday (13), Friday, and Sunday (10) are all church days/Easter. And then there's ONE WEEK to get through. ONE. BUSINESS. WEEK. That means I'll be shipping and finishing my crafting and packing and etc.

Last time, I was 'packed' the night before, but not really. This time, I'll be packed two nights before so that I don't have to worry about it when I come home from work on the 26th. I'm still slowly shoving clothes into my suitcase anyway. I can't wear capris and shorts in the winter in Pittsburgh, so I put them in there for safe keeping from the last trip. I'm hoping that by the time I'm ready to go, I have to add very few things to my luggage.

I'm not sure if we're still going to take a hired car or if we're going to use Uber black, since there's a coupon for like...50% off your first ride or something like that. I had also read the people get around the airport rules by taking a shuttle over to a hotel and catching an Uber there. But I don't know that we really want to be that obnoxious at 2am. We're going to have to talk about it ASAP so we can see if Tony Hinds still has availability or not. It'd just rather not spend $70 for one ride if I don't have to. Even if it means I'm sacrificing a Krispy Kreme stop.

Anyway, I'm going to stop talking for now and I'll update you a little closer to the trip if I haven't completely lost it yet.

 

[Raeven]

As in, I am totally homesick for Disney World! At least my updated countdown is....22 days!!

30 days here!

She can rest by the pool if she wants to. The way I see it, we have access to pools in Pittsburgh. Lying there vs lying at Disney = the same. So...no, I will not be wasting money to lie around the pool IF I can be in the parks on that day.

I agree, I'm not normally a "lay by the pool" person, so doing it on vacation is even less appealing.

It's just important to have ADRs. Otherwise, it's QS or taking a chance on an ADR, depending on the season.

This also makes sense to me.

And I mean, who am I to turn down Pandora? So.. we're getting in for 2 hours on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, to explore Pandora! I am SO STOKED. I was really hoping that we would get to go in and she had said that she might be able to. But I'm like, freaking out (and so is A) because we can't believe that our CM friend can get us in.

Oh that's awesome! That's before the AP previews even start. We'll be going on the 13th when the AP ones start. That's the best you can get in the CM preview!

I'm genuinely nervous about my luggage getting lost, since we're taking a connecting flight. I mean, that sounds stupid. But I've worked really hard on all of my surprises. So.

I am always nervous about that no matter how unlikely!

I'm not sure if we're still going to take a hired car or if we're going to use Uber black, since there's a coupon for like...50% off your first ride or something like that. I had also read the people get around the airport rules by taking a shuttle over to a hotel and catching an Uber there. But I don't know that we really want to be that obnoxious at 2am. We're going to have to talk about it ASAP so we can see if Tony Hinds still has availability or not. It'd just rather not spend $70 for one ride if I don't have to. Even if it means I'm sacrificing a Krispy Kreme stop.

I don't know if I said this before but I still think a taxi would be the best bet. You're going to Universal first, right? The taxi is only $40. You can't take an Uber straight from the airport, but the more expensive ones do pick up there (I think that's what the black one is). The coupon code for the first ride are usually free up to $20 though not entirely free. You would have to go elsewhere to catch the cheaper Uber to the hotel, but the taxi really isn't bad. Plus if you ask a taxi can make a stop, but I do think they keep the meter running for the time maybe. We had a taxi take us to Walgreens once a couple years ago, and I can't remember if we paid more but it wasn't bad. Either way I think it would be cheaper than hiring a car.

 

[steviethegreat]

I don't know if I said this before but I still think a taxi would be the best bet. You're going to Universal first, right? The taxi is only $40. You can't take an Uber straight from the airport, but the more expensive ones do pick up there (I think that's what the black one is). The coupon code for the first ride are usually free up to $20 though not entirely free. You would have to go elsewhere to catch the cheaper Uber to the hotel, but the taxi really isn't bad. Plus if you ask a taxi can make a stop, but I do think they keep the meter running for the time maybe. We had a taxi take us to Walgreens once a couple years ago, and I can't remember if we paid more but it wasn't bad. Either way I think it would be cheaper than hiring a car.

I thought the taxi was $100? I could have sworn people were saying it was $100 to RPR.

 

[Raeven]

I thought the taxi was $100? I could have sworn people were saying it was $100 to RPR.

Are you doing a roundtrip? Because I suppose a roundtrip would be 80 or a little more. But one way from the airport to Sapphire Falls when we went was about $40. I suppose it could be more based on traffic but not that much more. We did take a taxi once from Disney to the airport and it was like $70-80! But Universal should only be $40. (We are planning on taking a taxi again when we go to Hrh in May too).

I think you're taking DME back, but if you aren't you can do Uber on the way back (regular uber can drop off at airports) it's $20 from Universal, probably a little more from Disney. We never take DME back because I think it leaves too early

 

[steviethegreat]

30 days here!

You're in the 20s now! 21 for me, 29 for you, right?

I agree, I'm not normally a "lay by the pool" person, so doing it on vacation is even less appealing.

I mean, I like being in the pool once I'm in there. But sacrificing park time for pool time is just a no-go for me. Unless the parks are so slammed I can't get in and then the pool is probably also slammed. But anyway. It just seems like a waste of time, unless the pool is like Stormalong Bay or the Volcano pool at the Poly. But even then, I'd spend like..an hour there and be done.

Oh that's awesome! That's before the AP previews even start. We'll be going on the 13th when the AP ones start. That's the best you can get in the CM preview!

YEP. I asked for an update and was told that CM previews are all out because they have to test how well everything works. So they SHOULD be selling food and everything should be working. Sooo. Hopefully we can try food and ride the Banshee thing. I mean, the river thing sounds cool, don't get me wrong, but I feel like it'll be hard to 'see' everything from the Banshee POV on Youtube rather than the river ride, which can likely be mostly captured on video. But even if we get to ride nothing, PANDORA. I have been waiting since my dad and I were there to see it! STOKED.

I am always nervous about that no matter how unlikely!

I don't know what I'll do if they lose my stuff. I contemplated buying one of those GPS tracking tags, but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid.

Are you doing a roundtrip? Because I suppose a roundtrip would be 80 or a little more. But one way from the airport to Sapphire Falls when we went was about $40. I suppose it could be more based on traffic but not that much more. We did take a taxi once from Disney to the airport and it was like $70-80! But Universal should only be $40. (We are planning on taking a taxi again when we go to Hrh in May too).

I think you're taking DME back, but if you aren't you can do Uber on the way back (regular uber can drop off at airports) it's $20 from Universal, probably a little more from Disney. We never take DME back because I think it leaves too early

We are not! We're taking some kind of transportation to Universal and then Uber/Lyfting over to AKL. And then we'll take an Uber/Lyft back to the airport at the end of the trip. Our flight is at 7:10pm or 7:40pm, so I don't want to have to be on the bus at 3/4pm. Or however early they make you get on the bus. I will talk with A about taking a taxi, though! $40 isn't bad at all.

 

[Raeven]

You're in the 20s now! 21 for me, 29 for you, right?

Yes! I never count the last day before we go because by the time you wake up it's less than 24 hours

I mean, I like being in the pool once I'm in there. But sacrificing park time for pool time is just a no-go for me. Unless the parks are so slammed I can't get in and then the pool is probably also slammed. But anyway. It just seems like a waste of time, unless the pool is like Stormalong Bay or the Volcano pool at the Poly. But even then, I'd spend like..an hour there and be done.

Haha I'm too pale to like laying in the sun. But I would give Stormalong Bay and Volcano Bay a try. Hopefully I'll get to do both in Sep.

YEP. I asked for an update and was told that CM previews are all out because they have to test how well everything works. So they SHOULD be selling food and everything should be working. Sooo. Hopefully we can try food and ride the Banshee thing. I mean, the river thing sounds cool, don't get me wrong, but I feel like it'll be hard to 'see' everything from the Banshee POV on Youtube rather than the river ride, which can likely be mostly captured on video. But even if we get to ride nothing, PANDORA. I have been waiting since my dad and I were there to see it! STOKED.

That's good to know! I thought everything might be ready. I'm more excited for the river journey because I get motion sickness so I'll probably try to get on that one.

I don't know what I'll do if they lose my stuff. I contemplated buying one of those GPS tracking tags, but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid.



We are not! We're taking some kind of transportation to Universal and then Uber/Lyfting over to AKL. And then we'll take an Uber/Lyft back to the airport at the end of the trip. Our flight is at 7:10pm or 7:40pm, so I don't want to have to be on the bus at 3/4pm. Or however early they make you get on the bus. I will talk with A about taking a taxi, though! $40 isn't bad at all.

Yeah that's exactly what we're doing too!

 

[xlsm]

Oh my gosh I got so far behind!! I wasn't getting alerts for some reason!

So, happy late birthday first of all and OH MY GOSH I'm so excited you get to see Pandora!! I had booked an AP preview date and was trying to get back down there for that, but then my Odyssey of the Mind team qualified for world competition and I had to drop my Pandora plans.

Dapper Day is my arrival day (I think, 4/30, right?), and I hope I get to see some people all dressed up!

I will try not to forget to PM you my info in case we have time to say hello at AKL!

 

[steviethegreat]

Oh my gosh I got so far behind!! I wasn't getting alerts for some reason!

So, happy late birthday first of all and OH MY GOSH I'm so excited you get to see Pandora!! I had booked an AP preview date and was trying to get back down there for that, but then my Odyssey of the Mind team qualified for world competition and I had to drop my Pandora plans.

Dapper Day is my arrival day (I think, 4/30, right?), and I hope I get to see some people all dressed up!

I will try not to forget to PM you my info in case we have time to say hello at AKL!

For whatever reason -I- didn't get an alert that you commented either. :| I'm still 'new' to the Dis, so I'm no 100% sure if I've subscribed for alerts and etc half the time. Or I get really random alerts, rather than when people actually update.

Thank you! And unfortunately, my Pandora news has changed. So, at the time, my CM friend said that I -would- be seeing Pandora. But then she said that she found out CM previews work differently than she thought. She's put into a lottery system. So if they pick us, we'll get to go in. But if they don't, we won't. (That just means I have to plan another trip. Oh, whatever will I do? ) So I'm a little bummed about that, but I feel like I've survived this long without Pandora, it's not going to ruin my trip. And who knows? Maybe we'll still make it in! It's just not -definite- at this point. Maybe we'll end up talking to the right people at the right time and we'll be able to at least see it.

And my arrival day to Disney is 4/30, too! Are you headed over to Epcot? We'll be park hopping, but we'll be there! You should definitely see people dressed up if you can make it into Epcot. But if not, you might see people out and about!

I'm going to go ahead and just PM you my stuff. I'm used to giving out my info.

 

[steviethegreat]

It's Go Time!

SO. There are only, oh, IDK, 10 DAYS LEFT until my trip.

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I'm not freaking out. YOU'RE freaking out.

JK. I'm freaking out. My room is a mess -- a MESS-- because I have a Chase Disney Visa card. And in 2014, I got the card when it came with the $200 credit (it helped with airfare). Well, I use it often enough that I earned $200ish in Disney rewards. I sent for the reward card in like..January, I think. It came and I hadn't used it until early March (I think), when I tried to apply it to what I owed for the room at Disney. Well, they wouldn't take it for some reason.

So I figured I'd just use it in Disney for snacks and extras, etc.

Except.

I cannot find it.

I have torn the entire couch apart. I have looked under the dog bed. I have looked around our TV stand. I have looked all over my room by strategically moving all of my crap from one section of the room to another. So now all of my things are completely wrecked and I still don't have the card.

I admit to calling Chase on Easter morning to find out what to do about it. They said that since my trip is so soon, the new card won't get here in time. Womp womp.

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But then the super sweet lady at Chase who had to work on Easter () told me that I can go to Disney Springs or one of the theme parks and get a replacement card. Then I can call Chase and they'll reactivate the card. Woooo! So things are all good!

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I bought a new skirt yesterday (and then started adding up all of the purchases JUST THIS MONTH over the past few weeks and had a heart attack). The skirt was like..$35, but it's super cute. I plan on wearing it to the Boathouse, I think, on the 28th for our 'Dapper Day Eve' dinner. I had already planned on the Boathouse when they announced they'd be having dinner there. So it worked out! Since Universal closes at 6pm the 28th and 29th, (blah), we'll hit Disney Springs earlier than expected. So I bumped our ADRs up a little.

I have a few pictures I figured I'd post, since there's been a lot going on! (And while I read posts with writing, I know some people have the funny gifs and pictures and etc, so I should try harder to have both.)

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This is Alicia dressed like Belle for a Beauty and the Beast event at the Carnegie Library downtown. She honestly looked better than the Belle they had hired for the event. The program was super cute. They repurposed different parts of the museum to get people to go into the museum after hours, 21+, and dress up. AND PEOPLE TOTALLY WENT ALL OUT. Like Alicia. Who bought a $100+ Belle dress that barely fit in the car.

I wore shoes (oops) that were too tight and caused me MUCH pain for the first hour and then several weeks after. I learned my lesson, I promise. Sneakers for me from now on!!

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She LOVED this rose and took pictures with it in her Belle dress. It was one of the highlights of the night, I think.

Then we had my birthday hell week. My maternal grandma's birthday is the 12th, my paternal grandma's birthday is the 15th, and my sister's is the 16th. Then BatB came out on the 17th. The week in between birthdays was especially hard this year since I was counting down to my trip, rather than counting down to my birthday.

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After like...two hours, HR sent out an email saying that birthdays are great, celebrate, etc etc etc, but don't put confetti on the floor. See that first picture? Since I'm basically 'the birthday' person at work (I decorate the desks for my 'team' and my friends), I'm almost always throwing confetti at people. Last year or the year before, I had put confetti out on a desk and overnight, the cleaning crew THREW AWAY ALL OF THE CONFETTI. And I'm like, whoa! That stuff's expensive!!! So I have been ranting for quite some time about the confetti. Hence the desk COVERED in reject sequins.

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I swept them into a neater pile here (and then picked them up and threw them all over my desk again). I had someone threaten to punch me in the throat (which is not very professional) if I put confetti on their desk. So...I tempted fate -cough cough- and threw confetti on their desk. And then since I didn't want them to throw it away, I had to clean it up.

My birthday was very productive and special!

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My family made me a super special dinner since I've been eating low carb. (Yesterday and Today, I've been incorporating carbs a little more, since I want to eat sugar in the parks without crashing.)

How cute is this dinner menu?! I'm sure any six year old girl would also be thrilled. My family is so supportive of my incessant obsession with all things Disney. Sigh.

I got a whole Dapper Day outfit that perfectly themes with the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time (yay!). I also got some other clothes and jewelry, etc, to put together with my first attempt at Disney Bounding.

And then A and I decided 'Hey, let's make our own Mickey Ears! We'll buy all the stuff and then make them in one day and it'll be great'. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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By this point, we had cut out the foam parts for the ears and glue them all together. And we were starting to trace the outline of the ears onto the fabric to cut them out and then have my mom sew them together. (Which is horrible, since my mom had so many to sew and I picked horrible fabric that made her almost throw the sewing machine out the window.)

I have NINE pairs of ears that I'm making. And Alicia has 5. She's doing Belle, Rapunzel, Chewbacca, Megara, and Simba/Animal Kingdom. I am doing 2 pairs of Birthday ears since mine was March 30th and hers is June 17th, so the trip is basically between our birthdays. SO DOUBLE CELEBRATION. WOOO. I'm doing a pair of ears for our CM friend. And then R2D2/BB-8, Moana, Tinkerbell, Simba/Animal Kingdom, Jasmine, and Anna/Elsa ears that are just Anna ears. I just keep calling them Anna/Elsa ears for some reason. :|

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Here's a snapchat of her Belle ears.

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And then the completed thing!

She also completed her Chewie ears, but I'm honestly too lazy to save another picture to Imgur, so you'll have to wait.

None of mine are done. But they're a little labor intensive, guys! Like, holy crap!

It's cutting, glueing, sewing, stuffing, glueing, and then the cutting/wrapping for the headbands? When I wrap the headbands with the fabric, I think I'm just SUPER inept. Because I get glue everywhere. And it takes about an hour for each one, I think. I go through two or three episodes of Last Man Standing. (I've seen all of The Office, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock, but I hate missing eps on re-watches. So I watch something I like to listen to, but can stand to miss if I walk away while crafting.)

In the meantime, my other surprises for Alicia are going well. I have a few more things to order, but after I checked my account to see how much money to transfer over to my Chase account to try paying off the credit card, I saw I've spent like $600 this month. SOMEHOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW. I guess a little here, a little there, to add up to $600. So my dream of paying off the credit cards before I go is dashed. But whatever. I'll still have the one almost completely paid off.

Okay, off topic, so puppy picture time!

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My dog, Riley, has not been very helpful with the crafting process. He is also not happy that I'm leaving. He gets a little ridiculous at night and in the morning. So crafting at 3am with a hot glue gun and a 70lb 'I don't want to do this' dog in the middle of the bed slowly pushing my onto the floor has made crafting difficult.

I'm DREADING leaving him when I go on this trip. He's very much my child. I know, I know, he's not a human child. But I don't -like- those, so my fur child is a great fill in. He talks back, leaves his stuff everywhere, and eats us out of house and home, so. He's a great standard kid.

I sobbed my way through Raglan Road in September when they put him on the phone with me. Soooo. This time, I'm hoping to do better. But since Riley's been sitting at the bottom of the steps every day like 'Moooom, take me with youuuu' whenever I leave the house, I KNOW he will undoubtedly break my heart before I get into the airport.

So, you all saw my mom at the sewing machine, right? One of the things I asked my mom to help with was making princess skirts for Alicia and I. I saw in another trip report these two girls wearing cute princess skirts. And I asked Alicia if she wanted to do that and she said yes. So we're Disney Bounding as Jasmine and Rapunzel, with maxi princess skirts. I BELIEVE that as long as it's not dragging on the ground, we should be okay for the parks, right? It's not a costume, since it's inspired by the princesses, but not actually dressing like them.

Anyway. We bought the tulle at Joann's on the Saturday before my birthday. Then we went back again this past Wednesday to buy more tulle. Then we went out to get MORE tulle yesterday.

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I just want them to stop taking all of my money. D:

We changed our ADRs a little bit, but not really the ones at Disney. Instead of doing Toothsome (apparently the reviews have been super negative lately??), we're doing Raglan Road, The Boathouse, and Frontera Cocina.

That frees us up from La Hacienda later in the week. I'm thinking of adding Jiko. I just need to find out if that appeals to Alicia or not. A lot can happen in 10 days, though!

And I cancel reservations constantly. So it'll be a surprise to see which ones I kept!

Okay, until next time! Have a great night!

 

[Raeven]

SO. There are only, oh, IDK, 10 DAYS LEFT until my trip.

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you are so close to single digits!

My room is a mess -- a MESS-- because I have a Chase Disney Visa card. And in 2014, I got the card when it came with the $200 credit (it helped with airfare). Well, I use it often enough that I earned $200ish in Disney rewards. I sent for the reward card in like..January, I think. It came and I hadn't used it until early March (I think), when I tried to apply it to what I owed for the room at Disney. Well, they wouldn't take it for some reason.

So I figured I'd just use it in Disney for snacks and extras, etc.

Except.

I cannot find it.

I have torn the entire couch apart. I have looked under the dog bed. I have looked around our TV stand. I have looked all over my room by strategically moving all of my crap from one section of the room to another. So now all of my things are completely wrecked and I still don't have the card.

Something like this happened to me last year! It was one of those Chase cards but I paid for something through Disney, was getting a refund, but I had thrown the card out... It was a huge fiasco that took me weeks to resolve and only got resolved like 3 days before we left. This sounds a little easier since Chase can handle it, but it can be such a headache

But then the super sweet lady at Chase who had to work on Easter () told me that I can go to Disney Springs or one of the theme parks and get a replacement card. Then I can call Chase and they'll reactivate the card. Woooo! So things are all good!

That is already easier then what I went through!

She honestly looked better than the Belle they had hired for the event.

One year when I was younger my friends and I went to a midnight Twilight book release party (well it was for the 4th one), and they had "take pictures with Edward Cullen and family" listed as something you could do. The people there (that I assume they hired) looked like they had just pulled them off the street and asked if they wanted to make $5 They did not look like anyone in the books.

After like...two hours, HR sent out an email saying that birthdays are great, celebrate, etc etc etc, but don't put confetti on the floor.

HR isn't in our store, but I don't think my company would be too down with this either. Especially because I don't have a cubicle. I have actually never worked on my birthday so far though...

Happy belated birthday!

So we're Disney Bounding as Jasmine and Rapunzel, with maxi princess skirts. I BELIEVE that as long as it's not dragging on the ground, we should be okay for the parks, right? It's not a costume, since it's inspired by the princesses, but not actually dressing like them.

Yeah, it's not a costume where you're dressed exactly like them which is against the rules. I've seen lots of people in long tulle skirts at the parks.

We changed our ADRs a little bit, but not really the ones at Disney. Instead of doing Toothsome (apparently the reviews have been super negative lately??), we're doing Raglan Road, The Boathouse, and Frontera Cocina.

Oh no! Toothsome is always so fun. (I have not had the most fabulous luck with everything I've ordered there). But the rest of the experience is totally worth it, and the menu is so extensive that I think it's more me picking something strange to order. For instance I've never had a flatbread and for some reason I decided to try one when we went there despite much better things on the menu. Frontera Cocina looks good too though we're going there too!

 

[steviethegreat]

you are so close to single digits!

And holy crap, it's already 3 days. Like, I still have so much to do. And two of those days will involve me sitting behind a desk for most of the day.

Something like this happened to me last year! It was one of those Chase cards but I paid for something through Disney, was getting a refund, but I had thrown the card out... It was a huge fiasco that took me weeks to resolve and only got resolved like 3 days before we left. This sounds a little easier since Chase can handle it, but it can be such a headache

Thankfully, my card was a Disney Chase Visa Rewards Card. The money hadn't been used, so they just put a hold on it. I can't imagine how stressful your situation must have been. I would have been FREAKING OUT.

That is already easier then what I went through!

It sounds like it!

One year when I was younger my friends and I went to a midnight Twilight book release party (well it was for the 4th one), and they had "take pictures with Edward Cullen and family" listed as something you could do. The people there (that I assume they hired) looked like they had just pulled them off the street and asked if they wanted to make $5 They did not look like anyone in the books.

Sigh. Twilight. While I never saw any character actors, I was the one to get my whole friend group to read it. Why wouldn't they put a little more effort into picking more accurate actors? That's pretty funny though.

HR isn't in our store, but I don't think my company would be too down with this either. Especially because I don't have a cubicle. I have actually never worked on my birthday so far though...

Happy belated birthday!

Thanks! And that gold straw all over the floor was not my idea. I certainly didn't put it there. But I had the fun task of cleaning it up all day with tape. We're a fairly small company, I'd say less than 200 people altogether between two buildings. Only one HR manager. Since I live at home and my family is usually at work on my birthday anyway, it's more special to celebrate with friends at work. Because otherwise I'm doing nothing at home waiting for people. :/ I mean, my dog would be happy.

Yeah, it's not a costume where you're dressed exactly like them which is against the rules. I've seen lots of people in long tulle skirts at the parks.

Good to know!!! We've made sure they don't drag along the ground. But we definitely won't be dressed exactly alike. We all have corresponding ears. And everyone's doing their own t-shirt thing.

Oh no! Toothsome is always so fun. (I have not had the most fabulous luck with everything I've ordered there). But the rest of the experience is totally worth it, and the menu is so extensive that I think it's more me picking something strange to order. For instance I've never had a flatbread and for some reason I decided to try one when we went there despite much better things on the menu. Frontera Cocina looks good too though we're going there too!

I know. I wanted to do Toothsome, but our CM friend keeps changing things with her ideas. And I'm cool with that. But then like.. IDK. I ate there when it first opened and it took them 2 1/2 hours. They actually comped part of our food because they basically forgot we were up there. And then they brought us the wrong food. So I figured that if A and I stop in for desserts at some point, that's a lot better than spending that much time in one place. Besides, it opened up another night for us. I'll post our more detailed ADRs in the actual trip report at this point, since it's so messy. But yeah! Frontera sounds really good.

 

[Raeven]

And holy crap, it's already 3 days. Like, I still have so much to do. And two of those days will involve me sitting behind a desk for most of the day.

WOW you are incredibly close now! We're almost at single digits!

Thankfully, my card was a Disney Chase Visa Rewards Card. The money hadn't been used, so they just put a hold on it. I can't imagine how stressful your situation must have been. I would have been FREAKING OUT.

Yeah it only got resolved like 3-4 days before we went! It was awful.

Thanks! And that gold straw all over the floor was not my idea. I certainly didn't put it there. But I had the fun task of cleaning it up all day with tape. We're a fairly small company, I'd say less than 200 people altogether between two buildings. Only one HR manager. Since I live at home and my family is usually at work on my birthday anyway, it's more special to celebrate with friends at work. Because otherwise I'm doing nothing at home waiting for people. :/ I mean, my dog would be happy.

Once I spilled apple cider all over the floor at work I thought I was going to get in trouble but no one even noticed because our carpeting is so gross. I think gold confetti/straw would actually be an improvement! Our company is really small, but we have 2 stores and luckily HR doesn't work in ours so it's a little quieter.

I know. I wanted to do Toothsome, but our CM friend keeps changing things with her ideas. And I'm cool with that. But then like.. IDK. I ate there when it first opened and it took them 2 1/2 hours. They actually comped part of our food because they basically forgot we were up there. And then they brought us the wrong food. So I figured that if A and I stop in for desserts at some point, that's a lot better than spending that much time in one place. Besides, it opened up another night for us. I'll post our more detailed ADRs in the actual trip report at this point, since it's so messy. But yeah! Frontera sounds really good.

Aw. That's crazy! I can see why you're not super excited to go back. You could just grab milkshakes! Loved the Frontera menu and I've heard good things. And I also ate at Frontera Grill in Chicago and loved it.

 

[steviethegreat]

WOW you are incredibly close now! We're almost at single digits!

I'm starting to freak out in an 'OH NO, NOTHING IS DONE' kind of way. We're 2 days out now. But the princess skirts are done. So that's a plus. A's ears are done. Also a plus. Mine are not. But some of my crafting surprises are done. You're coming in the day we leave. So I'll know your countdown. Hahaha.

Yeah it only got resolved like 3-4 days before we went! It was awful.

I can't imagine. See, the LAST time we were there, they didn't have the Chase cards at Hollywood Studios. I think I remembered it like..the day before we left or something. So I basically hard shrugged and figured I'd use it in the future. This time, I'm worried they won't have the cards at any of the parks or the Welcome Center in Disney Springs. Because I want to use it right away for things.

Once I spilled apple cider all over the floor at work I thought I was going to get in trouble but no one even noticed because our carpeting is so gross. I think gold confetti/straw would actually be an improvement! Our company is really small, but we have 2 stores and luckily HR doesn't work in ours so it's a little quieter.

Our floors are also so gross that no one would know or say anything. We have huge water stain/mold spots all over the ceiling. It's really gross. I'm glad you didn't get in trouble! Do you guys do anything special for birthdays, even if you don't celebrate there?

Aw. That's crazy! I can see why you're not super excited to go back. You could just grab milkshakes! Loved the Frontera menu and I've heard good things. And I also ate at Frontera Grill in Chicago and loved it.

Yeah. :/ So we'll go over to look inside, FOR SURE, and definitely grab milkshakes or dessert or something. It's good to know you liked Frontera! We're excited to try it!

 

[Raeven]

I'm starting to freak out in an 'OH NO, NOTHING IS DONE' kind of way. We're 2 days out now. But the princess skirts are done. So that's a plus. A's ears are done. Also a plus. Mine are not. But some of my crafting surprises are done. You're coming in the day we leave. So I'll know your countdown. Hahaha.

You have to get on that ear crafting I have to start packing!

Our floors are also so gross that no one would know or say anything. We have huge water stain/mold spots all over the ceiling. It's really gross. I'm glad you didn't get in trouble! Do you guys do anything special for birthdays, even if you don't celebrate there?

The owner is supposed to be replacing the carpet but he tried to get away with being cheap and not doing it behind the desk. He hired an interior design lady or something and she's like you have to that's the same carpet from like 20 years ago and it's gross!

Josh and I usually go out to eat and my dad makes a cake whenever I go there for dinner that week. This year the trip is sort of "for my birthday" too.

 

[xlsm]

10 DAYS LEFT

I'm not freaking out. YOU'RE freaking out.

I totally AM freaking out!!

Except.

I cannot find it.

Oh no!!

But then the super sweet lady at Chase who had to work on Easter () told me that I can go to Disney Springs or one of the theme parks and get a replacement card. Then I can call Chase and they'll reactivate the card. Woooo! So things are all good!

Ok, good! This is what I was going to suggest to you. I'm so glad the nice Chase lady told you about getting a replacement card on property!!

This is Alicia dressed like Belle

Her dress is gorgeous, holy cow!!

How cute is this dinner menu?!

I love it so much!!

I have NINE pairs of ears that I'm making. And Alicia has 5.

You guys are super ambitious!! I think about making my own ears all the time, but I haven't even made an attempt.

Here's a snapchat of her Belle ears.

those turned out great!

I'm DREADING leaving him when I go on this trip.

I have four dogs. I HAAAAAATE leaving them. Hate it. This time will be a little easier since DH and the kids will be home with them (instead of my inlaws or a guy who works for DH, which is what happens on trips where we all go), but it still won't be easy. I am gone overnight so infrequently that I have no idea how they'll handle it. They're used to DH traveling a little bit, but not me, and when I am gone overnight, they sit by the door and cry. I can't handle thinking about them doing that for a whole week!!

 

[steviethegreat]

Okay! Guys! This is it! Today's the day! I'm going to start taking pictures and posting in the new thread! Because I'll be starting an actual trip report from the plane!

See you soon!

 

[Raeven]

Have fun! I'll follow the new thread when it's up!

 

[xlsm]

Safe travels!! Hopefully I'll be seeing you next week!!