Balancing Parks, Rest and Birthdays! A July 2023 Trip Report

[vamassey1]

I was wondering if anyone would ask. ha!

Wilderness Lodge, in my oppinion

Another reason I'm looking foward to our stay there.

I think the same person designed both resorts.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!!!

I am trying really hard to not let my updates be too close together or too far apart. We will see how THAT works out!

Life has been busy, and I wanted to share some fun real life news. Morgan has been SUPER busy with Marching Band. Here in South Jersey, marching band is serious stuff! They get a Varsity letter for it! We are entrering Championship season as number 1 for our group! They have managed to get 1st place at all 4 of there competitions so far!!! They have been working really hard and the seeing the results! I am actually headed to there 2nd competition for the weekend tonight! (it was postponed due to weather) Fingers crossed for another win tonight!!!

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Here she is warming up.

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And then on the field preforming. She is the Trombone on the left.

But back to the trip!!!

Day One: Tron or Bust!

We woke up before 7am with the goal of getting a boarding group for Tron. First I just want to say... I HATE the boarding groups!! It is too much stress first thing in the moning before you even leave your room.

ANYWAY... I ended up getting boarding group! Yeah!! ...... that was expected to be called at 5:00 PM. Which was right when we had dinner reservations in Disney Springs.... Booo Second thing, DISNEY, you make us plan our meals on 60 days inadvance, and then I can't make a boarding group till that morning that now Messes up my plans for 2 months AGO!!!! (I was a little annoyed)

So we talked about what to do. Andy suggested just getting Fancy Ride and NOT LL for the day. It ended up being a few $$ cheaper by doing that for the day. ($20 a person versus $23 a person for LL) And we were able to choose exactly what time we wanted to ride.

So, I selected 11:15 - 12:15, so that would be one of the last things we did for the day before leaving to go back to the hotel to rest for a bit. So that is what we did.

Plan for the day
As you can see Tron was a big part of our "plans" for the day. (this would be our first time getting to ride it)

After that drama, the girls checked out the Tinkerbell gifts.
Tinker bell Gifts

Tinkerbell Gifts_Bags
The minnie bag was for Gwen. I actually got it on disneyshop for like $6. It was on sale! And we also saw it in the parks for full price. (I didn't tell her I got it for so cheap)

i got Morgan the small loki bag. Which she loved. She like to just bring her phone in the eveings and I figured this would be perfect for that for her.

And then I got the other bag for me, just cause.

Since we weren't doing Genie+ today, I said we needed to get moving! And we left the room around 7:45 AM:Off to the Bus

We used the app to see when the next bus was coming. The app worked pretty well all trip. Buses showed up just a little earlier than said but we never waited long for a bus with the app! But we never waited too long when we checked before we left.

Also, in the morning, we were the first stop, so we were able to get seats. And most mornings, the bus only sent to Aruba bus stop and then headed out. (another win for our location)
Bus Selfies

7:50 AM we were already on the bus to MK! And arrived at 8:10 AM
We headed to bag check and found a new system of everyone to go through metal detector and only sending certain people to bag check. Andy and I both got buzzed. (BECAUSE we had the girls water bottles and Andy had 2 umbrellas. Sigh...
Waiting in bad check
You can see the girls just waiting on the other side...

It was very hot waiting for bag check. It wasn’t too long of a wait but felt like an eternity in the blazing sun.

We finally made it through, it wasn't that bad, we were just ready to get he park day started!
Monorail

8:30 AM we finally were in MK!
Disney 100

We grabbed a Photopass photo at a CM by the front hub area. There was only 1 other family waiting, so we figured it would be short.
PhotoPass Front of park
Which is wasn't long at all.

We decided to head to Fantasyland since we would be going to Tomorrowland for Tron later. And the girls requested Little Mermaid ride. So we headed that way!

We scanned in easily in for Early Entry and headed in.

As we passed Cheshire Cafe around 8:45, there was no line, So I asked if the girls wanted to grab a cat tail. They said sure, so we pit stopped real quick. We did make the girls eat it on the way to ride. We needed to get on something before early entry was over! Priorities!!
Cheshire Cat Tails

We were walking into the little mermaid ride with NO ONE around. We were the only silly people doing this during early hours.
Ariel's Grotto Lights

Ariel's Grotto

It took us 2 minutes to walk throught hte que. 2 mintues! Ha. And we were already on the ride
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This ride will always be a sentamental ride for us. it opened when they were little and it was one of there favorite rides then. And still now, obviously.

Fantasyland was still empty when we came off.
We decided to “rope drop” Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain
It's a Small World Seflie

It was 3 minutes before 9:00 and Small World area Empty!
No Crowds by Small World
Like SERIOUSLY when have you ever seen this area this empty!!!

We were able to get to the ride before the regular guests came in. Right at 9:00 AM they let us walk towards BTM and we were in line at 9:04 AM. It did look like this at first.
Stand By for Big Thunder Mountain
But we got to this spot and it looked like this:
BTM Que

Big Thunder Mountain Selfie
And we were ready to ride by 9:10 AM!

BTM View

When we got off the ride and back to the front of the ride, the wait was still listed as 5 minute! So, we decided to ride again!

BTM Que
Still a walkon

No Drinking Fighting, or Whistling. No Kidding!

Butterfly Stage Line Gateway to the West
I love the signs in the cue.

BTM SElfie

BTM is always fun! A family favorite for sure! We could have rode again but we wanted to try and get one something else while waits were low. So, we headed to Haunted Mansion.

I have to stop here, I have to grab something to eat and then off to the competion! Up next, more Magic Kingdom Fun!

 

[rdkeim]

Looks like your plan for the day is working out so far. Getting to the parks early still works! I so dislike how the ride reservations work now. Not being able to arrange your first ride until 7 am the day of makes for a stressful start to the day. I sure hope this will eventually change - crossing my fingers!

 

[SEAGULL59]

Hi Everyone!!!

I am trying really hard to not let my updates be too close together or too far apart. We will see how THAT works out!

Life has been busy, and I wanted to share some fun real life news. Morgan has been SUPER busy with Marching Band. Here in South Jersey, marching band is serious stuff! They get a Varsity letter for it! We are entrering Championship season as number 1 for our group! They have managed to get 1st place at all 4 of there competitions so far!!! They have been working really hard and the seeing the results! I am actually headed to there 2nd competition for the weekend tonight! (it was postponed due to weather) Fingers crossed for another win tonight!!!

Untitled
Here she is warming up.

Untitled
And then on the field preforming. She is the Trombone on the left.

But back to the trip!!!

Day One: Tron or Bust!

We woke up before 7am with the goal of getting a boarding group for Tron. First I just want to say... I HATE the boarding groups!! It is too much stress first thing in the moning before you even leave your room.

ANYWAY... I ended up getting boarding group! Yeah!! ...... that was expected to be called at 5:00 PM. Which was right when we had dinner reservations in Disney Springs.... Booo Second thing, DISNEY, you make us plan our meals on 60 days inadvance, and then I can't make a boarding group till that morning that now Messes up my plans for 2 months AGO!!!! (I was a little annoyed)

So we talked about what to do. Andy suggested just getting Fancy Ride and NOT LL for the day. It ended up being a few $$ cheaper by doing that for the day. ($20 a person versus $23 a person for LL) And we were able to choose exactly what time we wanted to ride.

So, I selected 11:15 - 12:15, so that would be one of the last things we did for the day before leaving to go back to the hotel to rest for a bit. So that is what we did.

Plan for the day
As you can see Tron was a big part of our "plans" for the day. (this would be our first time getting to ride it)

After that drama, the girls checked out the Tinkerbell gifts.
Tinker bell Gifts

Tinkerbell Gifts_Bags
The minnie bag was for Gwen. I actually got it on disneyshop for like $6. It was on sale! And we also saw it in the parks for full price. (I didn't tell her I got it for so cheap)

i got Morgan the small loki bag. Which she loved. She like to just bring her phone in the eveings and I figured this would be perfect for that for her.

And then I got the other bag for me, just cause.

Since we weren't doing Genie+ today, I said we needed to get moving! And we left the room around 7:45 AM:Off to the Bus

We used the app to see when the next bus was coming. The app worked pretty well all trip. Buses showed up just a little earlier than said but we never waited long for a bus with the app! But we never waited too long when we checked before we left.

Also, in the morning, we were the first stop, so we were able to get seats. And most mornings, the bus only sent to Aruba bus stop and then headed out. (another win for our location)
Bus Selfies

7:50 AM we were already on the bus to MK! And arrived at 8:10 AM
We headed to bag check and found a new system of everyone to go through metal detector and only sending certain people to bag check. Andy and I both got buzzed. (BECAUSE we had the girls water bottles and Andy had 2 umbrellas. Sigh...
Waiting in bad check
You can see the girls just waiting on the other side...

It was very hot waiting for bag check. It wasn’t too long of a wait but felt like an eternity in the blazing sun.

We finally made it through, it wasn't that bad, we were just ready to get he park day started!
Monorail

8:30 AM we finally were in MK!
Disney 100

We grabbed a Photopass photo at a CM by the front hub area. There was only 1 other family waiting, so we figured it would be short.
PhotoPass Front of park
Which is wasn't long at all.

We decided to head to Fantasyland since we would be going to Tomorrowland for Tron later. And the girls requested Little Mermaid ride. So we headed that way!

We scanned in easily in for Early Entry and headed in.

As we passed Cheshire Cafe around 8:45, there was no line, So I asked if the girls wanted to grab a cat tail. They said sure, so we pit stopped real quick. We did make the girls eat it on the way to ride. We needed to get on something before early entry was over! Priorities!!
Cheshire Cat Tails

We were walking into the little mermaid ride with NO ONE around. We were the only silly people doing this during early hours.
Ariel's Grotto Lights

Ariel's Grotto

It took us 2 minutes to walk throught hte que. 2 mintues! Ha. And we were already on the ride
Untitled

Untitled
This ride will always be a sentamental ride for us. it opened when they were little and it was one of there favorite rides then. And still now, obviously.

Fantasyland was still empty when we came off.
We decided to “rope drop” Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain
It's a Small World Seflie

It was 3 minutes before 9:00 and Small World area Empty!
No Crowds by Small World
Like SERIOUSLY when have you ever seen this area this empty!!!

We were able to get to the ride before the regular guests came in. Right at 9:00 AM they let us walk towards BTM and we were in line at 9:04 AM. It did look like this at first.
Stand By for Big Thunder Mountain
But we got to this spot and it looked like this:
BTM Que

Big Thunder Mountain Selfie
And we were ready to ride by 9:10 AM!

BTM View

When we got off the ride and back to the front of the ride, the wait was still listed as 5 minute! So, we decided to ride again!

BTM Que
Still a walkon

No Drinking Fighting, or Whistling. No Kidding!

Butterfly Stage Line Gateway to the West
I love the signs in the cue.

BTM SElfie

BTM is always fun! A family favorite for sure! We could have rode again but we wanted to try and get one something else while waits were low. So, we headed to Haunted Mansion.

I have to stop here, I have to grab something to eat and then off to the competion! Up next, more Magic Kingdom Fun!

We also paid for the ILL for Tron because I kept reading that the virtual cue was long. For us, the ILL was a short 5-10 minute wait. It was worth the $$ in my opinion, especially with the heat of the summer.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Looks like your plan for the day is working out so far. Getting to the parks early still works!

It really does!! And in the summer it worked out well, as it wasn't BLAZING hot just yet.

We also paid for the ILL for Tron because I kept reading that the virtual cue was long. For us, the ILL was a short 5-10 minute wait. It was worth the $$ in my opinion, especially with the heat of the summer.

It was!! That is the thing too, it's not a shorter wait it just allows you to wait. I hate everything about it.

 

[missjackiemcg]

What a great morning so far!! Though, I do agree with you on Boarding Groups. I HATE the getting up early and manic tapping to refresh and hopefully get in right at 7! But I also hate having to pay for the ride, too!!

Love that you were able to get on some favorites before the park got too busy. That's our favorite way to tour the parks--get there early, and get out around early afternoon when it's too crowded for a pool break. Can't wait to hear how you liked Tron!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We used the app to see when the next bus was coming.

I’m absurdly excited to be able to see bus times in the app - I haven’t been to the World in so long that they didn’t have this feature the last time I visited.

You were off to a great start at MK! Double rides on BTMRR sounds fantastic and Under the Sea and Haunted Mansion are solid, nostalgic choices. I hope you love your ride on TRON!

 

[vamassey1]

We are entrering Championship season as number 1 for our group! They have managed to get 1st place at all 4 of there competitions so far!!!

Congrats! I remember how busy this time of the year was for band.

So we talked about what to do. Andy suggested just getting Fancy Ride and NOT LL for the day. It ended up being a few $$ cheaper by doing that for the day. ($20 a person versus $23 a person for LL) And we were able to choose exactly what time we wanted to ride.

This sounds like the best plan.

After that drama, the girls checked out the Tinkerbell gifts.

Cute bags!

Also, in the morning, we were the first stop, so we were able to get seats. And most mornings, the bus only sent to Aruba bus stop and then headed out. (another win for our location)

We liked this too when we stayed in Jamica. We would get to Aruba and the bus would be standing room only at times.

short.

Nice family photo before everyone was too hot.

As we passed Cheshire Cafe around 8:45, there was no line, So I asked if the girls wanted to grab a cat tail. They said sure, so we pit stopped real quick. We did make the girls eat it on the way to ride. We needed to get on something before early entry was over! Priorities!!

Love the cattail.

Like SERIOUSLY when have you ever seen this area this empty!!!

Never!

We like to start with BTMRR too. Getting 2 rides is even better.

 

[froggibabey]

Congratulations on the marching band, that's incredible! You guys have a pretty big group too, so even more impressive!

(Also, I'm kind of jealous! We've only made it to one competition so far this year, the rest got cancelled due to the weather, including last weeks.. which all the band kids had to skip the homecoming dance to go to. So when it got cancelled at 11 am Saturday morning, it was too late for any of them to get tickets/dresses/etc, which is just. Sad. And a little frustrating! But I digress!)

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Though, I do agree with you on Boarding Groups. I HATE the getting up early and manic tapping to refresh and hopefully get in right at 7!

It just starts the day on the wrong foot. I get the logic of making it fair for everyone, I just hate it. I am patiently waiting for whatever the new version will be.

I’m absurdly excited to be able to see bus times in the app - I haven’t been to the World in so long that they didn’t have this feature the last time I visited.

It really did work out well, Sometimes it isn't accurate, but this trip it was which I hope means they figured out the timing and all. It at least gives you a general idea. like do we need to rush or not.

Congrats! I remember how busy this time of the year was for band.

Thanks! The kids do all the hard work! I really have my fingers crossed for them. It is going to be a tight win moving forward!!! I am probably more nervous than Morgan!

Congratulations on the marching band, that's incredible! You guys have a pretty big group too, so even more impressive!

Thanks!! The kids do all the hard work! We were actually bigger last year, believe it or not. And we see a Group 4 Band every once in awhile, and man are they big!! Group 4 is 75-100 kids! For High School!!!

(Also, I'm kind of jealous! We've only made it to one competition so far this year, the rest got cancelled due to the weather, including last weeks..

The weather has been super crappy this year!!! We lucked out, they postponed the one this weekend and the other really raining weekend we didn't have a competition scheduled. But seriously, if it could stop raining that would be nice!!! It is rain or shine now!

Bummer about Homecoming. Morgan has no intrest in going. Ours is tonight, she said she just wants to rest.

 

[suse66]

Love your Boma dinner and time at Jambo house. It's one of my favourite resorts on property! Your room looked lovely and it's so fun that you are continuing with the Tinkerbell gifts. I am all about early entry. I find I can get SO much done in the early mornings. I also chose to ILL for Tron. The virtual queue lines were just so long!

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your day!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Life Update!!

Sunday was South Jersey Regional Championships and the kids were able to claim 1st Place!!! They scored a 98.6 out of 100!!! Needless to say we are super proud of all the kids! It was a looong day, Gwen and I spent the day working the concession stand and it was bonkers busy! On to State Championships this Saturday. Fingers Crossed they continue with there success.

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Anyway, Back to the Trip Report...

Day One: Tron or Bust
I left us off heading to Haunted Mansion around 9:30. The wait was listed still at 13 minutes. Perfect we thought!
Haunted Mansion Wait Time

Buuuuuut just as we got in line we heard an announced that the ride was down.
Haunted Mansion Organ
We hung out for a bit, hoping it would go back up soon. But it soon seemed like that wasn't happening so we bailed after 10 minutes.

No crowds by Small World

Decided to just do Small World instead.
It's a Small World Entrance

It's a Small World

Small World Sefie
We were actually all happy to ride, Morgan just didn't look up.

Moon
Which side to you look at when you first go in? I always look at the French Girls doing the can can. This time i noticed these guys on the other side up high.

Creepy Small World Dolls
Andy tried to get creepy photos of the dolls again...

After Small World, Gwen requested we go see Philharmagic and Morgan wanted to get lunch. We compramised and went to see Philharmagic and mobile ordered food while we waited for the next show.

Philharmagic Signs

3D Glasses Selfie
Ready for the show.

3D Glasses
Andy extra ready.

Philharmagic
We were pretty far back, but I don't think it really matters where you sit.

Duck Butt
This part is Gwen's favorite! i love this show, I think it is underrated. Everyone talks about Caroseul of Progress as a good place to sit and get air conditioning. I think this show is good that this as well.

Castle
After the show, we headed to our pre-determined destinations.

I had Morgan look at the menus for where we wanted to order food from. Andy and I wanted to get eggrolls, but I suggested we mobile order the girls food from somewhere, where we could sit in air conditioning. Morgan choose Pecos Bills!

We stopped and grabbed eggrolls from the cart, 2 Cheeseburger Eggrolls and 2 of the new Ham & Cheese Eggrolls.
Egg Rolls

As we walked past Sunshine Season, there was no line! So, I stopped and got a Citrus Float while Andy and the girls continued on to Pecos Bills
Orange Float

I met them in the restaurant and we grabbed the mobile order.
Pecos Bills Nachos

Morgan wanted the Nachos and Gwen settled on a Burger.
Gwen would have preferred a Beyond Burger but ate the whole regular burger. She said it was "ok". Morgan enjoyed her nachos, but I don't know if they are anything special. Cheese and chips...

I also ordered a Frozen Drink & Diet Coke
Strawberry Limeade Slush
I believe it was Strawberry Limeade Slush, it was pretty tart.

And the diet coke was a diet coke! ha, It hit the spot.

The egg rolls were good as always! We def liked the Cheesburger eggrolls better than the ham and cheese ones. But that and the Citrus Swirl!

Lunch hit the spot and getting into air conditioning was just what we needed. It was about 11:30 when we were done and it was time for our LL for Tron!!!

Up Next, will Morgan like the ride?!?

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love your morning in MK. We love hitting Ariel and Philharmagic no matter what time of day!
I love the cheeseburger rolls and the sauce yummy!
I remember when Disney served these at the dessert party, definitely worth the cost!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Sunday was South Jersey Regional Championships and the kids were able to claim 1st Place!!!

Yay!!! Congratulations to Morgan and her whole group!! Good Luck in the next competition!

What a great MK morning! Super smart to mobile order and get some AC in Philarmagic--we love this one, too, though flying through Agrabah makes me want to puke LOL Pecos Bill's seems to be where we often end up having lunch, but I miss the old toppings bar!!!!

Can't wait to hear what you thought of Tron!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Congratulations to Morgan! My husband did marching band throughout high school (he played the quads) and LOVED it.

That’s a bummer about Haunted Mansion (I feel like that one isn’t down very much!), but Philharmagic is always great. Your snacks and meals look good - I’d love to try that strawberry limeade and the cheeseburger egg rolls! Good score on the Citrus float, too!

 

[suse66]

Sunday was South Jersey Regional Championships and the kids were able to claim 1st Place!!! They scored a 98.6 out of 100!!! Needless to say we are super proud of all the kids! It was a looong day, Gwen and I spent the day working the concession stand and it was bonkers busy! On to State Championships this Saturday. Fingers Crossed they continue with there success.

Wow! Congratulations to Morgan and the whole group! Hope all goes well this Saturday.

Too bad about Haunted Mansion being down but you still made the most of your morning. Philharmagic is always fun!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I also chose to ILL for Tron. The virtual queue lines were just so long!

I knew the boarding group line would be long but I was still suprised by how long and how much was outside!

I remember when Disney served these at the dessert party, definitely worth the cost!

YES!!!! Andy ate so many! It was nice to have something that was savory and not just cheese and crackers.

n Philarmagic--we love this one, too, though flying through Agrabah makes me want to puke LOL

The new restored version is better for me. It was starting to make me barfy as welll for awhile.

Pecos Bill's seems to be where we often end up having lunch, but I miss the old toppings bar!!!!

I know... stupid covid

I’d love to try that strawberry limeade and the cheeseburger egg rolls! Good score on the Citrus float, too!

Eggrolls are def worth a try! They are probably our favorite snacks in MK right now.

 

[vamassey1]

Sunday was South Jersey Regional Championships and the kids were able to claim 1st Place!!! They scored a 98.6 out of 100!!! Needless to say we are super proud of all the kids! It was a looong day, Gwen and I spent the day working the concession stand and it was bonkers busy! On to State Championships this Saturday. Fingers Crossed they continue with there success.

Congrats!!! and Good Luck on Saturday!

Where are the people? This is usually the bottleneck area.

After Small World, Gwen requested we go see Philharmagic and Morgan wanted to get lunch. We compramised and went to see Philharmagic and mobile ordered food while we waited for the next show.

That's a great compromise.

This part is Gwen's favorite! i love this show, I think it is underrated. Everyone talks about Caroseul of Progress as a good place to sit and get air conditioning. I think this show is good that this as well.

I enjoy this show and the chance to sit and cool off. Danielle does not like any of the 3D or 4D shows. We have to do these without her.

I had Morgan look at the menus for where we wanted to order food from. Andy and I wanted to get eggrolls, but I suggested we mobile order the girls food from somewhere, where we could sit in air conditioning. Morgan choose Pecos Bills!

Pecos Bill for AC is great.

We stopped and grabbed eggrolls from the cart, 2 Cheeseburger Eggrolls and 2 of the new Ham & Cheese Eggrolls.

Love the Cheeseburger Eggrolls. I haven't had the Ham & Cheese.

Lunch hit the spot and getting into air conditioning was just what we needed.

Good call.

 

[Paulaparm]

Congrats to your band and good luck tomorrow!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Monday Everyone!

Real Life Update! They won!!!!! They are 2 Open State Champs!!!

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It was stressful!!!! It wasn't there best performance but still amazing.

There was some drama right before they went it out. A poor girl passed our literally right before they were to perform. Choas ensured as they called for the paramedics, the dad jumped the fence to get to his kid and the rest of the poor pit kids, had to still go out and perform. (if you don't know, the pit is the kids in the front)

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But they persevered! They have one competition left! This Sunday is Atlantic Coast Championships in Hersey, PA. They are in a good place to win it all but like everything, you just never know!

After the competition, the parents had a trunk or treat for the kids. We did a Pool Party trunk
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We had party cups with candy in them, and sunsets sodas in the palm tree cooler. It was a big hit.

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Morgan's BFF's mom did this trunk and it was so cute! She had Smores kits in the fire pit. It was so simple but genius!

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Morgan and her BFF.

It was a LONG day for the kids! I dropped Morgan off at 8:30 in the morning and we finally all got home at 10 PM that night.

Unfortantly, we could just relax on Sunday. As we had to take Morgan into Philly to her first college Fair for Art Schools! It was crazy busy!!! But there was probably 50 schools there, and since Morgan is only a Sophmore, we just walked around and grabbed brochures and talked about things like what type of schools they are and where are. Just to get her thinking about what she may want.

Need less to say it was a busy weekend. (We also went to see Gwen's friends in a play on Friday night) Way more than what we usually like to do in one weekend. Ha.

Anyway, Back to the trip report!