Celebrating Summer STITCH Style--A May/June '12 PTR! NEW TR UP. . .See Last Post

[StitchIsOurHero]

Welcome to my very first pre-trip report! I have been a DISBoards member/devotee/fanatic for quite a while, but I am usually hanging out on the Creative Community boards. . .I am a scrapbooking addict! I have become interested (ok, my husband says “obsessed”) with reading others’ pre-trip and trip reports, and I decided to try my hand at this to make the next 60 days go faster!

Be forewarned. . .I am a born and raised East Tennesseean, and I write like I talk. . .so it rambles! I hope you enjoy our pre-trip adventure!

First, let’s meet our cast:

There’s me:

I’m Brooke, and I’m a 35 year old Disney nut! We live in Maryville, TN (if you live here, it’s pronounced “Maravull” or “Murrvull”). We have lived here for about 11 years, and we really like it! We are right in the heart of Big Orange Country, and we are ALL die-hard UT Volunteers fans. . .and of course, Peyton Manning fans!

In my non-Disney time (or my pay-for-Disney job), I’m a high school guidance counselor. I love my job!! During testing time, it’s sketchy. . .but I still love it! I actually work about 25 minutes south of where we live, but it’s a nice drive. I’ve been there for 12 years, and there’s never a dull moment!

I am also the detail person. I plan and plan and plan—spreadsheets, lists, you name it! I love the planning, and I started planning this trip on the way home from our last one!


Then, there’s DH:

He’s Brian, and he just turned 39! He is the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, however you want to call it! We have been married for 12 ½ years, and we’ve been together for almost 14. Since the day we met, we’ve been a matched set! He is the more laidback of the two of us! He has his certain things that he’s *ahem* more detail-oriented about than I am, and that’s ok! They’re usually different, so together, we cover the bases!

He works in a bank about 25 minutes NORTH of where we live, so we split the difference. I have no idea what he does. . .remember that Friends episode where Monica & Rachel decided Chandler was a “transpontster”? That’s what I call his job!



And last, but certainly most important, there’s DS:

(this is his "say cheese" face. . .you'll see it a lot!!)

He’s Dalton. He goes more by D, and will probably be referred to that way throughout the report (or as Monkey, my nickname for him!). He is 3 ½ (it is important to him that I add that ½), and this will be his 5th trip to WDW. He loves all things Disney—Mickey, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and especially DONALD!!! He is so excited to get to see all of his Disney friends again!


That’s it for the cast! If I haven’t bored you silly yet, we’ll get to the details in the next couple of updates. . .starting with a little Disney history and what this trip was ORIGINALLY supposed to be!

Thanks for joining us on this trip!

Next up: A little Disney History. . .

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Woohoo!!! I am first in line!!!

Ok, going to go get my lunch and settle in to read!!!
My baby has grown up!!!! OMG!!!

Hey big D!!!!! Love Auntie Nan

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Hi Nan! Thanks for reading along! You may be my only reader!

D says, "hiiiiii, Auntie Nan!"

 

[PrincessNancy96]

That's okay.. I'll have the inside scoop and can make notes for our trip at the end of June!!!!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

A little Disney history. . .


Brian and I both took trips to WDW as children—I can remember going, but I don’t remember actual specifics. When I was in college, we went as part of a Bowl Game trip—I remember riding Tower of Terror and also trying to keep everyone together in Magic Kingdom, but the rest is a little vague.

Fast-forward to 2002. . .we had been married almost 3 years. For some reason (I’m thinking maybe we got a bonus or something), we decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to WDW. It was in the heat of July! I can’t imagine doing this now, but we booked the trip about three weeks before we went. We stayed at All-Star Movies. . .which we loved! We did one dinner reservation—at Crystal Palace. The other food was all counter service, and I don’t remember it. What I do remember was that my WDW-Planning Addiction began with this trip! I had a notebook that I carried EVERYWHERE with all of my notes (an amazing amount, considering I had only had 3 weeks to make notes)!

Our love for WDW grew and grew after that trip! We took 5 more trips between July 2002 and June 2006, including a cruise on the Wonder.

(photo from September 2006. . .let's not look at the pounds that have added on. . .)


In June 2006, we stayed with some friends who were DVC members at BCV. Up until that point, we had always thought that DVC would never be for us. Well. . .when we came home from that trip, our minds had definitely been changed! We also thought, at that point, that we probably would not be blessed with children, so we looked into buying. We ended up buying into Saratoga Springs Resort, and we took our first trip “home” in September 2006 for my 30th birthday!

You’ve heard of that DVC-inspired disease. . .”add-on-itis”? We caught it! We ended up doing a small add-on in February 2007 when Animal Kingdom Villas was announced.

Now. . .you know how these things always happen. We bought our DVC, and in November of 2007, I found out I was pregnant! We were overjoyed and could not wait to take our little one to WDW! We went in March 2008 (while I was pregnant) . I had a t-shirt that said, “Future Donald Duck Fan on Board”. That definitely came true!

Dalton was born in August 2008, and he took his first trip in October 2009. He instantly became a Disney-addict too! He loves everything about going. . .the characters, the food, the “fotel” as he calls it, and mostly, the Disney buses and the remote in the room!

(D on his first trip, at Kidani Village)

(Our most recent trip. . .April 2011)


All righty. . .that's our Disney History! I hope to have the next update up in a couple of days!


Next up: The PLAN. . .and how it changed!!

 

[PrincessNancy96]

LOVE it!!!!
He is such a ham!!! I can't wait til we get together in July!!!!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

LOVE it!!!!
He is such a ham!!! I can't wait til we get together in July!!!!

Me either!! We are very excited about it! And yes. . .he is a performer for the camera!! Wonder where he gets that??

 

[MHTeacher]

Saw your post on Alicia's (cinderella crazy) PTR and came over. We're also going to Disney May/June---May 27-June 2 to be exact!

I know exactly where Maryville is---been through there several times! That's the way we always go to Gatlinburg. I always thing what a pretty town it is!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[MelMel11]

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Saw your post on Alicia's (cinderella crazy) PTR and came over. We're also going to Disney May/June---May 27-June 2 to be exact!

I know exactly where Maryville is---been through there several times! That's the way we always go to Gatlinburg. I always thing what a pretty town it is!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Yep, that's us!! Thanks for joining! I have been following along with yours too! So cool that you'll be there at the same time! We are actually headed up to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg later this week for Spring Break!

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear more!!

Thanks for joining in!!

Providing D will nap tomorrow, I am hoping to get another update up!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Good morning! On to the next update! The plans and how they changed. . .

As I said earlier, we plan our next WDW trip on the way home from the last one. Our last trip was last Spring Break, in April of 2011. On the way home, we planned a trip (and ultimately booked it) for September 7 – 14, 2012. We were booked in a one-bedroom at AKL and had plans to celebrate my birthday there and attend MNSSHP.

About mid-October, we realized that we couldn’t take off those days, so it was off to find a different plan. We changed to the new plan:

May 31 – June 8, 2012

We originally booked at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a Standard View 1 Bedroom. Finally, after much looking OVER and OVER and OVER at the DVC site, Brian said I could try for concierge or Savannah View. When I checked for that, I realized that Wilderness Lodge Villas had a 1 Bedroom open, so we booked that. It is our first time at VWL, and we are SO excited!! Any hints, tips, or suggestions you can give us would be TERRIFIC!! D LOVES trains, so we are excited to go see that part of the resort!

*NOTE: These pics were taken from the wdwinfo.com photo gallery.

We are also spending a night at Universal. This is probably going to sound crazy, but we are checking in at VWL on 5/31, unpacking/resting, and then taking an overnight bag to Royal Pacific Resort. We are headed to Universal on 6/1 to check out Harry Potter! Brian and I are big fans, and I know D will like the Dr. Seuss part. By having the DVC on Thursday night, too, we can unpack on Thursday and then know the room is ready (because it’s already ours) on Friday when we finish at Universal. We are really looking forward to all of this!

*Pic taken from Wdwinfo.com photo gallery.

NEXT UP: Park Plans

 

[archdandy]

I'm in! You must be so excited that the trip is almost here!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

I'm in! You must be so excited that the trip is almost here!

thanks for following along! Yes, I am SO excited, I can't stand it!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

Hello! I am here joining in. We are going at the end of June beginning of July and I love reading about the trips other people take in the summer. You are also going during Star Wars Weekends which is way cool.

I like the idea of staying over by Universal I am a big Harry Potter nut.

We own DVC at VWL and we love it there. I absolutely love the pool and hot tub. I think you will find it very peaceful and I like taking the boat to MK.

Can't wait to read more

Teresa

 

[MHTeacher]

Never stayed at the villas, but we stayed at Wilderness Lodge, and loved it! It's a beautiful resort! I think you'll love it.

YAY for getting to go to Universal! I keep saying that one day we'll go over for the day, but I can never sacrifice a Disney day!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Hello! I am here joining in. We are going at the end of June beginning of July and I love reading about the trips other people take in the summer. You are also going during Star Wars Weekends which is way cool.

I like the idea of staying over by Universal I am a big Harry Potter nut.

We own DVC at VWL and we love it there. I absolutely love the pool and hot tub. I think you will find it very peaceful and I like taking the boat to MK.

Can't wait to read more

Teresa

Welcome! I am looking forward to checking out the pool, and I really think D will like the pool!

Never stayed at the villas, but we stayed at Wilderness Lodge, and loved it! It's a beautiful resort! I think you'll love it.

YAY for getting to go to Universal! I keep saying that one day we'll go over for the day, but I can never sacrifice a Disney day!

So glad to hear another positive review! We are really looking forward to it! I definitely know what you mean about Universal...we are usually Fri -Fri people, so to do Harry Potter, I added a day! Couldn't see giving up one of my Disney days!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

I thought I’d take a little planning break, and explain the title. For us, Celebrating STITCH Style is a way of life!

When “Lilo and Stitch” came out, Brian and I fell in love with that movie. Not to be too much of a downer, but we had just had a miscarriage, and the part where Stitch says, “This is my family. I found it all by myself. It’s little and it’s broken, but it’s still good” makes me cry to this day! We also love the Hawaiian lifestyle (Brian really wants to be Magnum, P.I.) and Lilo was just adorable!

Shortly after we watched that movie, I joined the DISBoards. I didn’t plan on posting much (little did I know), but I needed a “name”. I didn’t want to use any part of my name—this was long before I joined Facebook and all of that good stuff. So, I thought, “Well, I’ll pick our favorite character.” Thus, “StitchIsOurHero” was born. It’s been shortened on the Creative Community Board to SIOH, because—let’s face it—it’s just easier to type!

Brian used to be pretty active on the DISBoards, too, when he had more time to check in. His user name was “StitchIsARedSoxFan”.

When I got pregnant with D, HE had to have a Stitch name too. So, he became “StitchIsOneLovedBaby” or SIOLB. The B is now “Boy” because he would ASSURE you, he is NOT a baby!

We are loud (well, D & I are), love to have fun (that’s all of us) and generally laugh and live it up at WDW! That’s how we celebrate STITCH style!!

*my favorite WDW pic of my guys EVER! Taken December 2009 on our 10th anniversary trip!

Next post. . .some Disney retail therapy, or "please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!"

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Please tell me there are some other DIS’rs that do this. . .about 2-3 months before the trip (or 4-6), I start shopping. Just things here and there, but always things that I think “ooh. . .that’s cute! I could use that at WDW!” Brian laughs at my need to give things a Disney Purpose!

Here are some of the things I’ve gotten up til now for the trip:

D needed summer shoes, so we hit the sale at Stride Rite. He is generally not afraid of anything, but for some reason, he has ALWAYS been terrified of the shoe store. The wonderful manager there knows that, and she always goes out of her way to take care of him. What this means for us is that we buy as many shoes as we think we’ll need at one time, so we don’t have to go through that experience more than once a season, if we’re lucky!

We hit it up in mid-March and got 3 pairs. . .he calls them his “seeing Mickey shoes”. We got these two pairs (LOVE those Cars crocs) and another pair of just basic sandals. He is thrilled with them, and I am thrilled that he has shoes and we all survived the shoe store once again.

We were in Pigeon Forge a few weeks ago, and I went into The Incredible Christmas Place. Ay yi yi, I LOVE that store! Brian and I wanted to get D a backpack to just put HIS things in at WDW, so that I don’t have everybody’s everything in my bag. To be honest, *I* wanted to get D a backpack, and Brian just agreed to keep me happy, but that counts, right??

They had some cute ones with trains, monsters, baseballs, etc. Which one did D pick?

The one with the MONKEYS! I loved it!! They put his initial on it and we were good to go! Shoes—check, backpack—check!

I have also picked up a few Jake and the Neverland Pirates shirts when I can find them in his size, so he is pretty well set!


I also have to admit that I have a fascination with monogrammed stuff. It’s just TOO cute. I blame this fascination on 6 years of coaching cheerleading!

Because of this, I love Thirty-One Gifts! A friend and co-worker of mine just recently became a consultant, so of course I had to support her, right??

Can you hear the conversation in your head? “Honey (me talking to Brian), so-and-so is selling Thirty-One, and I NEED this! See, it’ll be perfect for Disney!” He knows I have a fascination with monogramming, bags, and anything that combines the two, so he just says, “ok, sure”!

Thus. . .I got these two:

This one will be my in-the-park slingpack! I love it! It’s LOUD, like me!

This one is just for travel and keeping us organized! It has the greatest pockets on the outside!
Ok, not that you were all that interested in my WDW purchases, but there they are!

Next up. . .Day 1 PLANS!

 

[MHTeacher]

Love the picture of your two guys together. It's so sweet!

Of course you're not the only person who indulges in some pre-Disney purchases! I have to got to get busy and order some new shirts for everyone. I will be in Nashville for Easter weekend, so I'm hoping to check out the Disney store in Opry Mills.

Love your bags---and monogramming! I also coach cheerleading!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Love the picture of your two guys together. It's so sweet!

Of course you're not the only person who indulges in some pre-Disney purchases! I have to got to get busy and order some new shirts for everyone. I will be in Nashville for Easter weekend, so I'm hoping to check out the Disney store in Opry Mills.

Love your bags---and monogramming! I also coach cheerleading!

Thanks!! Well, I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my monogramming love OR in my pre-Disney purchases! I can't wait to head to Opry Mills for the Disney store AND the Vera Bradley outlet! Let me know what all you find there!!