BE's never-ending fun ** 4 completed TR's ** Thousands of Photos

[Sherry E]

I don't know what they do at Ariel's for birthdays, but at Goofy's, if they know it is your birthday and show your birthday button (get that at City Hall) when you go (you will mention it when you make the PS), they will bring you out a cupcake and sing a (very bad) song of some kind and then give you a Goofy's Kitchen button.

I am sorry to hear about the fender bender. I know how it is when things just seem to pile up on you and suddenly there is one bill after another. But I am glad you didn't get hurt in the fender bender.

I had the opposite situation with the IRS this year. I had different forms to fill out than what I have been used to for 20 years, and I thought I filled them out properly and paid off everything, but they sent me a notice saying that somehow I was $300 short on what I paid them and now I owe that to them!!! First of all, I don't even know how they came to that conclusion, as I made less money last year than I had in previous years, but somehow owed MORE Federal taxes than previous years??? How does that work? I hate to say it, but I think the IRS goofed on the figures, or I filled out something incorrectly that made them think I owed more than I do...otherwise I don't know how it was actually possible! In any case, try convincing the IRS they made a mistake or that I did something wrong to cause them to make an error. It is not easy or fast!

 

[Belle Ella]

Warning...scrapbooking can become very addicting. I started making one for y husbands bicycle racing and now I want to scrapbook everything. I am printing all my pictures to scrapbook them. You are warned!!

Yes, I have been warned!!

The funny things is, I have been telling myself I am going to give it a try for so freaking long now, it's ridiculous! I just never get around to it because I'm a lazy procrastinator most days. I mean, if I'm taking all of these photos I better put them to some kind of use, right?!? Right.

We'll have to see how addicting it is once I've started, lol!

 

[kaoden39]

Yes, I have been warned!!

The funny things is, I have been telling myself I am going to give it a try for so freaking long now, it's ridiculous! I just never get around to it because I'm a lazy procrastinator most days. I mean, if I'm taking all of these photos I better put them to some kind of use, right?!? Right.

We'll have to see how addicting it is once I've started, lol!

I have some advice on when you do scrapbook. Be sure and put paper behind your pictures to make them pop out.

Here is an example of a page I have done. As a matter of fact it was my first one.

 

[Sherry E]

Oh, and I forgot to mention in my last post above - the cupcake was not very good when my friend had it. We love to eat there and the food is always fresh, but the cupcake tasted as if it had been in a storage room for a month. Dark chocolate and dry.

 

[Belle Ella]

I don't know what they do at Ariel's for birthdays, but at Goofy's, if they know it is your birthday and show your birthday button (get that at City Hall) when you go (you will mention it when you make the PS), they will bring you out a cupcake and sing a (very bad) song of some kind and then give you a Goofy's Kitchen button.

I am sorry to hear about the fender bender. I know how it is when things just seem to pile up on you and suddenly there is one bill after another. But I am glad you didn't get hurt in the fender bender.

I had the opposite situation with the IRS this year. I had different forms to fill out than what I have been used to for 20 years, and I thought I filled them out properly and paid off everything, but they sent me a notice saying that somehow I was $300 short on what I paid them and now I owe that to them!!! First of all, I don't even know how they came to that conclusion, as I made less money last year than I had in previous years, but somehow owed MORE Federal taxes than previous years??? How does that work? I hate to say it, but I think the IRS goofed on the figures, or I filled out something incorrectly that made them think I owed more than I do...otherwise I don't know how it was actually possible! In any case, try convincing the IRS they made a mistake or that I did something wrong to cause them to make an error. It is not easy or fast!

Well, that may be the winning ticket for the birthday meal then. I love really bad random songs when they're sung to me at DLR! Or anytime really. I will definitely be mentioning my birthday when I call to make the PS. I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. Even if it's still sof ar away I love that it keeps getting closer and closer. Like now instead of seeing 3 months away I get to see 2 months away (plus 3 weeks, but really, what is that!).

I'm lucky that it was a very minor incident. But it's also my first and it's really been freaking me out. No injuries (other than my poor car *sigh*). Add in a couple of cruddy days at work and I was in tears for most of the day on Tuesday. It was a nightmare. AHH!

Right now my taxes are still very, very simple to do. I'm going to be so lost when I have to start filling out new forms. So lost. It's nice to get something back because I had already said my farewells to that money. It's great to be getting something back when you didn't expect but I think I would sh!t my pants if I still owed!! Wowzers.

 

[Belle Ella]

I have some advice on when you do scrapbook. Be sure and put paper behind your pictures to make them pop out.

Here is an example of a page I have done. As a matter of fact it was my first one.

I like framing pictures like that It's kind of fun, we got to play with glitter and stuff at work today (I'm not kidding, I feel like I'm in kindergarten all over again sometimes - not that I'm complaining) and we were doing a lot of stuff like that to make cards for everyone.

And cute, BTW. And how cool that your first page was for a first race.

OH! And how is your weather today? Jeez. I loved the past few days, temperature wise. Then bam, it's so hot here again. And here I am complaining, a gal who claims to love the heat and will be spending a week in Texas in a couple of days.

Oh, and I forgot to mention in my last post above - the cupcake was not very good when my friend had it. We love to eat there and the food is always fresh, but the cupcake tasted as if it had been in a storage room for a month. Dark chocolate and dry.

To be honest, I probably wouldn't eat it anyways. I can't really have chocolate. But it would be fun to get a picture of That's how I live my life. Would it make for a good picture?!? But really, the bad singing is what it's all about!

 

[kaoden39]

Actually we have a little breeze bowing so it isn't so bad. I know that tonight I will hate it when I go to bed. Our bedroom is upstairs and I won't run the air conditioner so it will be hot up there. Yeah the race pages are the only ones I have done so far. I have pictures from a day trip we took over to San Rafael that I am going to scrapbook next. I have like five more race pages to do. I just started but I got some advice from a friend that does to do the framing. I love doing it and I have started making decorations on the computer to use. I have looked all over for bicycle decorations to use but they are rare.

 

[Belle Ella]

Actually we have a little breeze bowing so it isn't so bad. I know that tonight I will hate it when I go to bed. Our bedroom is upstairs and I won't run the air conditioner so it will be hot up there. Yeah the race pages are the only ones I have done so far. I have pictures from a day trip we took over to San Rafael that I am going to scrapbook next. I have like five more race pages to do. I just started but I got some advice from a friend that does to do the framing. I love doing it and I have started making decorations on the computer to use. I have looked all over for bicycle decorations to use but they are rare.

I've actually taken a stab at some digital scrap booking here and there. Mostly just because I love to download and play with graphics, lol. It will be a new experience for me, doing it with actual things in my hands.

You're lucky you've got some breeze. I walked out of our store this afternoon and it felt like I couldn't breathe. No breeze at all. Just hot, hot. Night is horrible because I went form being the one in the house with the swamp cooler in her room (so it was always freezing and icky) to being the only one in the house with no AC in her room. It's just so stale in my room and so hot. Yucky, yucky, yucky.

 

[kaoden39]

I've actually taken a stab at some digital scrap booking here and there. Mostly just because I love to download and play with graphics, lol. It will be a new experience for me, doing it with actual things in my hands.

You're lucky you've got some breeze. I walked out of our store this afternoon and it felt like I couldn't breathe. No breeze at all. Just hot, hot. Night is horrible because I went form being the one in the house with the swamp cooler in her room (so it was always freezing and icky) to being the only one in the house with no AC in her room. It's just so stale in my room and so hot. Yucky, yucky, yucky.

Fairfield always has a breeze. I am having a ball with the scrapbooking.

 

[Belle Ella]

Fairfield always has a breeze. I am having a ball with the scrapbooking.

I have seriously been missing breezes until I got home a couple of days ago! I spent a week in Texas visiting my Grandmother and almost all of my dad's side of the family (everyone minus my dad who couldn't fly for medical reasons) and I don't think I can ever complain about the heat in California again. I will take the dryness to 104 degrees + humidity any day of the week. It was so yucky!!

And to top off a couple of weeks of non-stop bad luck that ends up costing me money guess what happened on my very first day in Texas? The HD on my laptop crashed. Oh boy, how fun! First the vet, then my car, now my laptop - I wonder what will be next!!

In better news, I am now only 9 days away from being able to make my first PS, which means only 2 weeks and I can make a PS for any day that I am at DLR and I think I have decided (somewhat) what we'll be doing:

- Goofy's Kitchen for my birthday (9/10). Still undecided what meal I would rather do. It will be a Thursday, and depending on if we'd rather use our MM that day or on Saturday (I'm leaning towards Satruday for MM right now) breakfast will still be an option, but I'm thinking I might prefer dinner.

- Ariel's Grotto for lunch on Tuesday (9/8), the day that we arrive to have something really fun to look forward to after the long drive early in the morning and before we can check in to HoJo.

- BB is a must for Friday (9/11). Angelica has never eaten there before and I can't go to DLR without stopping by. I think we'll be doing lunch though, and we may even just do dessert instead of a whole meal.

I wonder if I can talk her (and anyone else going) into doing a 3rd character meal and doing Minnie's for breakfast on Wednesday morning. I'm all for it and ready to save the money. Then again I think I may ditch that idea and try talking her/them into doing the WWF tour instead because that is something I really want to do!

 

[RiverLou]

So you are back.

 

[Belle Ella]

So you are back.

Uh-huuuuh, miss never-hears-her-phone .... Got back Sunday night.

 

[kaoden39]

Welcome back. I have been to Texas twice and to me it was two too many. I will keep my area of California and the Delta breezes. Sorry to hear about the laptop. I have gone through that myself.

 

[Belle Ella]

Welcome back. I have been to Texas twice and to me it was two too many. I will keep my area of California and the Delta breezes. Sorry to hear about the laptop. I have gone through that myself.

With the exception of getting to see the family that I miss terribly, it's been 2 too many trips to Texas for me as well. Every day that I was there last week was pretty much 104+ and the humidity was worse than I remembered. Then again, I wasn't right on the coast last time.

I really need to get a new HD fast. I don't know what to do without it. And I have so many photos I have to edit and no Photoshop!! I'm going crazy here.

In other news, back to DLR for Sept. 2009!! It looks like we have a very strong candidate for a 3rd attendee of the Birthday Party!! I just got off the phone with Dre a.k.a. RiverLou a.k.a. Frick and after a very lack-luster trip to DLR last week she's itching to go back (snowball alert!!) when she wont be sick so it's looking very much like she'll be going. Just one thing she's waiting to hear about before we know for sure.

 

[RiverLou]

With the exception of getting to see the family that I miss terribly, it's been 2 too many trips to Texas for me as well. Every day that I was there last week was pretty much 104+ and the humidity was worse than I remembered. Then again, I wasn't right on the coast last time.

I really need to get a new HD fast. I don't know what to do without it. And I have so many photos I have to edit and no Photoshop!! I'm going crazy here.

In other news, back to DLR for Sept. 2009!! It looks like we have a very strong candidate for a 3rd attendee of the Birthday Party!! I just got off the phone with Dre a.k.a. RiverLou a.k.a. Frick and after a very lack-luster trip to DLR last week she's itching to go back (snowball alert!!) when she wont be sick so it's looking very much like she'll be going. Just one thing she's waiting to hear about before we know for sure.

Hey hey hey, it wasn't that lackluster. I just would've enjoyed it much more if my head hadn't been all muffly/fuzzy/floaty and heavy, and if I had been able to breathe....annnd if I didn't want to cry every time I coughed. Oh yeah, musn't forget that it all started with a very raw, swollen, sore throat that required the swiping of salt packets from Blue Ribbon Bakery and a nice person who works at White Water Snacks at the GCH that went to get some from their stockroom or something. Heh. Yeah, I was just a wee bit miserable, once or twice telling my mom that I wanted to go home to my bed (and wishing that I had at least stowed away my Dumbo plush for some comfort). Something about being sick like that makes me feel like a little kid, in that 'waaah I want my mommy to take care of me, whine, complain, ***** and moan' way.

BUT (and there is a butt), I had the best time I could have considering the circumstances.

I am still but slooowly getting better. My hearing is still horrible right now, and my right ear is popping (wrote "pooping" the first time, what?!) all the time (ouchies). Still having respiratory issues too (thank goodness for cough syrup), but (and there is a butt), Belle Ella and I are going to try to see Transformers 2 tomorrow.

 

[Belle Ella]

The Happiest Cruise
Day 3 cont.​

So it's back to 2007 time, is it? I really have some land-ADD or something like that. I hop, skip, and jump my way around with no real rhyme or reason. Or at least I used to. It's hard to really make the most out of your time when you spend more than half of it walking from one place to another. My next stop was IASW, the ride that I think will haunt my dad for life. Once when we went on it when I was really little the boatsstalled and we were in there for quite some time. Not so horrible for a little kid, but it wasn't my dad's favorite experience ever. I think he'd skin me alive if he ever had to listen to that song again. It's sad to think these are the only photos I have of this ride before they added the Disney characters to it.

​

 

[Belle Ella]

Sailing the world and singing a song
Day 3 cont.​

And to finish off the only photos that I have of IASW, I shall continue with a few more. I really can't wait to go back in September and get some photos of the added Disney characters. I can't believe I didn't while we were there in March. Shame on Jazz!

Is it just me or does anybody else totally wish they could take those postcards home for keeps or to put on their wall? I absolutely love them. And my favorite part about riding IASW this particular time was this little kid who was sitting behind me with his grandmother. They were from Australia and it was fun to listen to him ask questions about all of the different scenes.

Here are a few more photos from me just wandering through Fantasyland. For a first time, I spotted Merlin!! If I had been the smarter me that I am today, I would have joined the throng of people for a photo with everyone. I can't believe how almost character-phobic I used to me. Now all I can do is kick myself in the behind over what I could have done.

 

[Belle Ella]

Stories and Song in Adventureland
Day 3 cont.​

I did finally end up doing something completely on purpose! Does anybody remember Aladdin and Jasmine's Story Tale Adventures, that 20 minute show at Aladdin's Oasis over in Adventureland? I wish they still did this, because it was pretty cute and even I enjoyed it, by myself, at 21 years old. I know I would have loved it that much more as a kid since they brought kids from the audience to help tell the tail. We had one particularly rebellious little dude playing Jafar who didn't want to be defeated in the end.

The only downfall to the show was that not a lot of the seating was shaded. Sitting down for 20 minutes in the hot-hot sun (because it was hot) was a nightmare, and you had better believe I got burned. To be quite honest, it was bad enough that I got blisters on the tops of my ears. I don't reccommend that!

Since I was in Adventureland and practically right next door to the Enchanted Tiki Room, I made my way in! That show never gets old, and I love singing along. The most exciting part this time though? I got to wake up Jose! Must have been because of the Birthday button. I totally didn't even think they meant me when they were looking for someone celebrating a birhtday. I didn't even think they meant me when they said my name. I mean they usually pick kids for stuff right? I was stunned into silence, but I did wake up Jose all on my lonesome!

 

[Belle Ella]

A birthday dinner
Day 3 Cont.​

First, there are of course more photos from the Tiki Room. Comparing these to the photos I took back in March is just another reason I never want to go back to a P&S. I love shooting manually. The other pictures are so much better, but any DLR photo makes me smile just to see it.

I was so glad I managed to get a spot in for BB. I had totally spaced to call before to make sure I had my PS like a good planner does. But at least I remembered to ask the day before if there was any time open for me to come on on this day. I needed to get my BB fix before I left to head back to San Diego that night. It was actually more a late lunch than a dinner, but who cares! I got my BB meal, so I was happy. I will say it was about the longest I have ever had to wait for a waterside table (which I requested once I got there, but they never really gave me a timeframe, just told me to wait in the lobby area) but I will guess it was longer than 30 minutes. After that, I wouldn't know. Me and the lapsing of time are never on the same page. It was also my worst experience at a waterside table. Every two minutes it felt like there was some idiot riding POTC using flash to get a photo of the restaurant. Insert another rant right here about using flash on dark rides. Being by myself I didn't have anyone to really chit chat with to take my mind of going blind constantly. Not a good experience in my book. The bright side was the birthday ice cream and even a little birthday card to boot! I know I still have that card somewhere, and I must go find it now.

I hate to say it, but that wraps up all of the photos that I got that day. I didn't really do much after my meal except ride POTC and HM once more. I needed to leave back for SD while it was still light out otherwise I never would have found my way back to the beach house. It was a sad moment, walking back to the GCH for the final time, getting in my car, and waving goodbye - even if I was going to be back for one more day later that week. It's always hard to leave.

 

[Belle Ella]

Today is a pretty important day as far as I'm concerned. Can anyone guess why? Well, it doesn't matter because I'm going to tell you regardless!

I am now officially 60 days away from my next DLR adventure!!​

For some reason, the whole 60 day point makes it that much more exciting. We passed the 2 month mark a couple of days ago and this is just that much sweeter. I had a couple of calls to make this morning, and having just finished them I am in a pretty gosh-darned good mood.

1. We officially have our 'group' settled. There will be 3 of us: myself, my friend Angelica, and Dre/Frick/RiverLou. It's a bummer but my other friend wont be able to make it after a little debacle with work and traffic violations. But it also means we know how sleeping arrangements will play out for the most part. I made a call and requested a rollaway for our room (only downer is the extra $10 a night it tacks on to the bill - but we're still splitting it 3 ways which only works out to just under $104.00 for each of us for the four nights). Now the question is who is going to end up on the rollaway. Watch - it'll probably end up being me. Oh well. It's a place to sleep.

2. 60 days out means today marked the first day that we can make a PS for one of the meals we've been talking about. Sure I could wait 4 more days and get them all out of the way at once, but where's the fun in that? I kind of like having something to look forward to doing over the next few days. It's even better since we settled on what meals we are doing when. And I should mention my will power sucks and we added one more to the plan:

Tuesday - Ariel's Grotto @ 9:40 a.m. for breakfast. The plan was originally to lunch since the website only had lunch and dinner listed. But I just called and they had breakfast times which will be better for us in the long run. I was worried about holding out on a meal until lunch after the long drive. Made that mistake once and wont be making it again. Plus the chance of seeing Snow White our first morning there? Ha, it's a must for me. I'm also holding out hopes that this means DL will be opening the gates at 8 a.m. the day that we arrive so we can get a little time there before heading over to DCA with enough time that we aren't late for our PS.

Wednesday - Blue Bayou for lunch, so I get to make this PS tomorrow! Angelica is totally looking forward to this one. I can't believe she's never been there before. Say what you want, I still love BB (and always will).

Thursday - Goofy's Kitchen and I just decided right now that I want to do lunch rather than breakfast. Breakfast food isn't really my favorite meal of the day. I have to wait until Sunday to make this PS?! That's a shame!

Friday - Minnie & Friend's for breakfast (obviously, lol). I caved! Everyone else is game for doing a 3rd character meal, and I absolutely loved this when we went in March. I'm so glad we're going to do it again. YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

3. This doesn't really have much to do with anything, but I will share anyways. We have begun stocking up on things we'll need to take with us, and if I haven't mentioned it before I found these awesome sequin lanyards at the Dollar Station one day and I keep going back for more. You'd think I'd learn and just buy one of each color they had since they're only a dollar to begin with! I already have an awesome lime green one that I've been using with my house/car keys. Now I have a pink and fuschia one to match (Dre got herself purple and blue I think). They'll be fun to take with us to hold our PH and PP cards. And they didn't cost a freaking fortune.

4. In other completely unrelated news that I have to get out to someone I am so anxious for the opening of Harry Potter next week. Going to try and get Angelica to come and see it with us since she and Dre have yet to officially meet. Plus an author whose books I am devouring lately will be in S.F. next month when the next one comes out to do a signing and I am definitely planning on being there.