Did You All Take STUPID Pills This Morning??! ~ an Oct. '16 PTR, 10/13 update!!

[LegoMom3]

Hey Howdy Hey!​

Welcome to my little PTR.

I debated writing this or not, but in the end I decided that even if no one reads it, it ends up being a great "journal" for me in the end. But, I hope if you've read just these few lines, that you'll stick around for a little bit more!

[Updates, people....UPDATES!!! We've got like 4 new chapters! Where are all my readers?!?.... ]

So, let's get started! Here are the important details......

When: Oct. 27-31, 2016

Where: Coronado Springs

Why: ::sigh:: Probably our last family trip before the guys grow up and move on.......


Cast of Characters:

Myself - "Jessie". I turned 50 in January of this year, got through my [rather late] mid-life crisis, and have now embraced the future with open arms. Mostly.

DH - "Buzz". He's still chasing down 50, and will catch up with it next March. Loves Disney as much as I do. Thank goodness..... I debated giving him the character name of Stinky Pete.

DS16 - "Alien". He is my deep, quiet soul of a son. Talented musician. Was possibly more excited than anyone else when this trip was announced, and I just love him for that. Will turn 17 before we go.

DS14 - "Slinky". Just an overall happy, well-adjusted kid. Great sense of humor. Loves video games and snowboarding.



If my forum name seems slightly familiar, it may be due to the fact that I started a PTR this past spring, but dropped it quite abruptly. DH and I had a couples trip (anniversary) planned for May (our third attempt in a year.....). Then some life happened and we had to cancel last minute. When we were ready to start discussing re-booking (again...!), it struck us that what we'd really love, was to bring the boys along and make it a family trip. One more time.


Our last family trip was in 2008. That also included our oldest son, who won't be joining us on this trip because he has, in fact, already moved out, and has his own life and schedule. It goes by so fast..... Anyway, the other two boys are still way into the idea of this trip, so it didn’t take me any time to start the planning for four! We were originally going to go in late November, but as recently as earlier this week, for various reasons, we decided to move it up to the end of October instead. Then, as recently as this morning, I changed our resort from Pop Century to Coronado Springs!!! (Hello, my name is LegoMom, and I'm a resort changer....). I'm SO excited about that! None of us have stayed there so it's something brand new. From the photos I've seen it's absolutely gorgeous. And while I know the guys would have enjoyed the decade theming at Pop, I think they will enjoy the overall atmosphere of CS much more. And, the big plus, the beds are queen size and rooms are just that much bigger that I think it's a better fit for traveling with teen boys.


Mama's happy.

As I write this we're at 68 days, so on-line check-in and FP+ selections are coming soon! I've never planned a trip this soon to it's actual arrival, so I'm pretty giddy about so much happening so soon. Of course, then I'll be within the dreaded "less than 60-days dead zone." That painful period of waiting when everything is pretty much done -- your ADRs are made, your FP's are secured (do-not-change-these.....do-NOT-change-these....), and you've begun your resort check-in process. ::sigh:: Around the first of October I'll bring out a carry-on piece of luggage and keep it in one corner of my room. I'll toss things in there as I think of them; stuff I won't need at home but want to take on the trip (swim suit, window decorations, pin trading stuff, etc.). It makes you feel like you're packing, even when it's just a tad too soon to really start.


And, between now and then, I'll be having a kidney stone removed, spending a weekend in NYC, and [FINALLY!!!!] seeing Brad Paisley in concert. The coming PTR installments will cover such topics as touring/park plans, food, travels, resort, food, daily life, previous trip flashbacks, and food.


Thanks for reading along!

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Links to Chapters:

FP+ Day!!
Choices, Choices.....
Snacks, Sammiches, and Other Tasty Things
Packing, Plans, and Prep!
Cooler Weather & Pavement-pounding Plans
Email and "C.A."......
Two Weeks!!!

 

[Donaldismyfavorite]

Sounds wonderful!! I am in the midst of planning a first Disney trip for 3 kids and myself (DS 8, DD 11, DD 14) my husband had no interest in going, he does not do well with crowds. We also have 2 older sons 17 and 19 who I am leaving behind so it's not just DH. It was just so more economical with 4 of us. My 19 yo gave me a little guilt trip (he's never been to Disney) but he will be in college when we plan to go also. Anyway I'm thinking will be a good excuse for me to go to Disney again. We are stayin at All Star Music the last week of November. The planning is just so much fun!!
Coronado Springs look awesome!! Enjoy your packing and countdown!!!

 

[LegoMom3]

**NOTE** I was not certain for a while if I was going to continue this PTR. The chapters were written but not posted, so the timing of them may not always line up with the actual date that they appear here! For instance, this chapter talks about FP+ day "coming up," when in reality, it was almost a month ago. So, with that in mind, I hope you will read on anyway, and enjoy! We should be all caught up in "real time" by this weekend.

***********************


Online check-in and FP+ day is this Sunday!!!! I'm scheduled to work on Sunday, so I'll have to be sure to be up plenty early to get all this done before I leave at 7:30. I've decided not to request a section at Coronado Springs. Having never stayed there, it's all pretty equal to me, and I like everything I've seen in pictures, so I'll leave it to the Room Assignment Fairies to choose for me. I don't mind walking, so getting "stuck" way out back isn't a concern. The only thing I'd like, and will request, is the top floor. I prefer not having people above me! So be it Casitas, Ranchos, or Cabanas, I think we'll be happy.

As for FP+, I've decided that since it's been so long since the guys have been to the World, and so much has changed, instead of trying to coordinate what everyone wants to do, I'm just going to make the selections based on what I know we all like, and leave it at that. I envision the family discussion that would ensue ending up looking like a very confused game of Twister.

I also tend to do things backwards in terms of picking FPs. I always read about the strategy of booking them for the afternoon, and using the lighter morning crowds to use the Stand-by lines. However, when I plan our loose schedule, I have to emphasize "loose." We pick which park we want to start the day in, then let the rest of the day be more free-flowing. I don't want every part of every day spelled out ahead of time. Plus, the boys will be spending some time on their own, and they can choose whatever park they want. So, making morning FP selections just works better for us.

While I'm here and mentioning "all things new" to the guys, I thought I'd share this little gem with you all..... DH and I have had our Magic Bands picked out since the spring (and the failed trip), but once I added the boys to the account, I asked them what color bands they wanted.

Never underestimate the power of a teen boy to continually knock you off your stool.....

DS17 chose this:

....and DS14 picked this one:

(sorry it looks blue......)



I just have no response to this.

Other than I'm glad that they have such a fun sense of humor!!!

Also, and DH hasn't even seen these yet, these are the t-shirts I made for our anniversary trip, that we will finally get to wear! Mine is on the left, DH's on the right. I made them as a surprise, but he still doesn't want to see them until we get there, so they remain stashed in my secret bin. We'll wear them on Animal Kingdom day and hopefully get to meet Russell and Dug (I met them there two years ago during the girls' trip....I congratulated Russell on his Explorers Badge, and told Dug that I had just met him and I loved him. ONLY at Disney!!!)

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[LegoMom3]

Well, after an initial snafu (and much panic on my part), I was able to get in and do FP+. After I was done, I just kept thinking, well this is very anti-climactic.

Anyway, the first thing I did was online check-in. I kept to my original plan, which was to request an upper floor, but not a location. It was interesting, you could pick Ranchos or Cabanas, but not Casitas. I know those are reserved for conference people first, but just found it odd that you could not request it. Regardless, I made no location pick, and will be surprised and enjoy whatever we get! Disney has managed to turn micro-managing a vacation into an art form, so for goodness sakes let's let SOMETHING be spontaneous!!

So!.....for FPs, here is what I ended up with:

Day 1: MK morning ~
* Haunted Mansion
* Pirates of the Caribbean
* Splash Mountain

There were no morning FPs available for 7 Dwarfs MT, but since it's morning EMH this day, we will utilize that and just head straight there and get in line.

Day 2: DHS morning ~
* Toy Story Mania
* MuppetVision 3D

......and that's it. SO little here I want to do, really. I would have made one for just the men for R&R, but since it's in the same tier as TSMM - which is a MUST for us - then they can do that stand-by if they want, and maybe I'll just wander through One Man's Dream or just sit and lament what this park used to be, over a cup of coffee....

Day 3: AK morning ~
* Kilimanjaro Safaris
* Expedition Everest
* Finding Nemo the Musical (DS17 wanted to see this on his last trip and we never did!!)

Day 4: EP morning ~
* Soarin'
* Epcot Character Spot (gotta use our Memory Maker!)


And again, that's it. I'm so not a fan of the tier system. Had to pick between Soarin' and TT, and since Soarin' is brand new, that won out. I might add Spaceship Earth (and I hate that you even need a FP for this ride!!) if I can get a time that works. This is our last day and I'm not sure if we'll be in EP all day or not.

I'm happy overall! The crowd calendar on EasyWDW doesn't have it terribly busy most days we're there, so I'm confident that even if we have some stand-by line time, it won't be awful, and we should come away seeing and doing most of what we want.

 

[LegoMom3]

Snacks, sammiches, and Other Tasty Things

As any Disney vet knows, food is so much a part of a Disney vacation! I'm slightly embarrassed to admit how much of a part it has played in my past planning. But it's so much a part of the experience as a whole that it deserves every bit as much attention as other aspects of a trip! Or....almost.

For our last two family trips -- back when the price tag for a WDW vacation was only slightly insane, and all our kids were not yet "adults", and in general we didn't feel like we were handing over our life savings -- we had the Dining Plan thanks to the Free Dining Offer. We LOVED Free Dining..... Who doesn't love free food?! We were able to experience some TS meals that we otherwise could never have afforded with our family of 5, even if three of them were miniature versions. And the boys loved every one of them. I think perhaps the Hoop-de-Doo ranks up there as their very favorite. DH loved Chef Mickey's (breakfast). My personal fave was the Crystal Palace (breakfast). Pooh and friends were my childhood favorites. We all also really enjoyed the Biergarten! DH's family is some German so he took to that like a fish to water.



Since this upcoming trip is only 4 days, compared to a week-plus in the past, and we do not have the dining plan in any form, it will be much more about CS restaurants than TS. I do have one ADR; we are having lunch at the 50s Prime Time Cafe on our Hollywood Studios morning day. It's new for all of us and I can't wait to see how the whole thing plays out! And I will interject here that the problem with booking a trip just three months out, is that you are then automatically three months behind in making ADRs. That is the one ADR as of right now, but I'd like to add more. Specifically, I'd like to add Afternoon Tea for just DH and I (I have the Mad Hatter's hat that I just must wear to tea.....), and dinner at O'Hana.

......and here I will refer you back to the title of this PTR......

Yes, I know, both are notoriously hard to get, but I've been successful in the past with late-notice changes (again, please see the title....), so I continue to check daily for the off chance there's a cancellation.

Another thing that's new for us is that the Food & Wine Festival will be going on, so that right there adds all those food booths to the selection!! It's a tad overwhelming from where I sit right now. We're definitely on a budget so I'll have to be careful, but I'm excited to see what sort of offerings there are. So many people plan around going to this festival, I figure there's got to be a reason!

And since this trip will be heavy on the CS locations, let's talk about those:


MK:
- Favorite: Pecos Bill's. I'm pretty sure I'd love Tortuga Tavern but it's never open when I'm there....
- Want to Try: Columbia Harbor House


EP:
- Favorite: Electric Umbrella
- Want to Try: Kringla Bakeri og Kafe. Just saying that is fun.

DHS:
- Favorite: Sunset Ranch Market area
- Want to Try: Backlot Express

AK:
- Favorite: Flame Tree BBQ. Love sitting down back near the water and listening to the BGM....
- Want to Try: Harambe Market

DTD (sorry, Disney Springs....!)
- Favorite: Earl of Sandwich
- Want to Try: Cookes of Dublin

We are a family that has also always enjoyed our resort's food court. Most of them have quite a variety to choose from and we've always been pleased with the food. We're not picky eaters anyway, but I've just really never been disappointed. Probably, for me, a big part of it is just the fact that whatever I'm eating, I'm there.....in the World....and I'm happy.

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[LegoMom3]

[This chapter originally written on 9/17]

Packing, Plans, and Prep!


40 DAYS!!!!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled PTR.

I was supposed to go to NYC with my husband and boys last weekend (9/10 & 11), and was actually really looking forward to it, but in the end I was not feeling up to it after the kidney stone removal. A tour of the City requires lots and lots of walking, and I knew I couldn't do it. Never mind that according to two people I've spoken with, it felt more like Florida there that weekend than the northeast!! Staying home was the smart choice. So, sadly there are no photos and stories to regale you with! It was going to be a little mini-TR. Oh well..... Life and all that.

I have gone back to work, out of necessity, but otherwise I'm taking it easy when I'm home. So I've been doing a lot of reading here on the boards and in my guide books! I'm trying to really relish this prep and anticipation time, since that is so much a part of my Disney trips, and I know this is the last trip there for a while. And I know I said I wouldn't do this until early October, but......

I might have taken my trusty red carry-on bag down from storage, and I might have started filling it with things for the trip, and there might still be six weeks until our trip.

I could not help myself. I had to be done. What I've got there so far is my swim suit, my Mickey beach/pool cover-up, my Pooh beach towel (a gift from DH during a past trip!), and my Minions beach towel (a gift from DH last Christmas!!). I also tossed in the sun block because I am most definitely done using that around here.

And finally I started purchasing mini travel sizes of stuff: my two favorite face washes, hair spray, and a pump bottle of Febreeze. Not only is it great for refreshing fabrics, it works as a bathroom deodorizer spray in the room (cuz flying, I don't want to pack any aerosol cans). I will continue to add to the collection over the coming weeks, which helps spread out the overall cost. I will get our breakfast and snack foods about a week out; don't want those sitting around too long!

The other thing I have for pre-trip organizing is this bin:

It holds a bunch of miscellaneous items that I don't want to forget. There's a mesh backpack (from the Royal Family 5k that I did back in 2011!) that I might use for touring, my Flower & Garden Festival Minnie ears from 2014, my Goofy-ears pirate head wrap, the t-shirts, a few other odd items, and stuff to decorate our window. Originally I had that for our anniversary trip, so I'm just going to replace the part about that celebration with something that includes all four of us, and still do up the window.

Along with all this reading and planning has gone lots of thinking about what our days might look like. Well, the first part of them, really. I've mentioned this before but my strategy is to plan the morning park, then just see where we want to go for the afternoon and evenings as we come to them. I've also been watching a lot of YouTube videos of other people's trips. There is one couple in particular, from the UK, who I just love, and watching their vlogs always gets me excited!! (and then I count my blessings that my flight to FL is only 3 hours instead of 9....!!). So, here is a bit of what I've been thinking, for each day of our trip:

Thursday Oct. 27th ~ For once in my life, I do not have a crack-of-dawn flight!! And I'm ok with this. When it's just me, it's easy-peasy. When the boys are involved, later is better. But no too late!! I'm sure I'll be up with the sun per usual anyway (remember the old WDW ad with the little kids and the boy who says "We're too excited to sleep!!" Yeah, that. Me. All the way.). I will be packed save for last-minute personal items, and now that I think about it, I'm not really sure what in the world I am going to do for 5 hours!!! Anyway, we have a 2:00-something flight, arriving in Orlando by 5:30. I'm thinking it'll be around 7pm before we get to the resort, at which point we'll head to our room, unpack our carry-on bags, and decide where to eat. If everyone wants to stay at CSR and explore and swim, we may as well utilize the food court. Otherwise we may head to Disney Springs or even another resort (monorail resort-hopping anyone?!). Regardless, I'm sure we'll all be hungry! I'm thinking if we're in bed by 11:00pm, we'll be in pretty good shape for the next day, our first full day of park adventure!!

Friday Oct. 28th ~ It's EMH at the MK this morning!! And I will be there. Now, originally, I had wanted to head into the MK, take my time, hop on the first horse-drawn trolley to head up Main Street, and hope the Dapper Dans hopped on for a brief serenade! However, I have changed my strategy in the name of trying to get on 7 Dwarfs MT before the line exceeds an hour's wait..... What I plan to do now is head straight there, get in line and ride, and then backtrack to the hub, hop on a trolley for a reverse ride down Main Street, and then sort of start over in Town Square! Stay tuned for whether or not this works. Our last FP of the morning in the MK ends just before noon; I expect we'll have lunch somewhere in this park before heading out. My vote is for Columbia Harbor House. I'd like to try it.


Sat. Oct. 29th ~ DHS morning: I'm having a lot of reservations about this park..... I envy people like who can fill the day there and have a blast. I'm hoping to make it to noon. Our first FP is for Toy Story Mania, followed by Muppets. Now that Rock-n-Roller Coaster is slated to be down, there isn't even that for the guys to do.... Buzz and Alien may do Tower of Terror, but I'll likely skip it and I'm pretty sure Slinky will too (last time he and I were there, we ended up taking the chicken exit before the elevators!). We could catch Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular; I think Buzz is the only one of the four of us who's seen it. We can't do Star Tours (well, not me and Buzz anyway....that might be a good time to send the boys on for a tour while we get coffee and just soak up some atmosphere). Finally we have a lunch date at the 50s Prime Time Cafe. Really looking forward to this and hoping we get a great server!


Next time: Days 3 and 4!

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[LegoMom3]

[written 9/24]

Cool Weather & Pavement-pounding Plans

I'm writing this at 9:30am on this fine Saturday, we just opened up the front door, and I must say it's downright chilly out there!! I guess autumn has finally decided to make an appearance. It was a long and HOOOOOT summer.... Not gonna lie, I'm not sad to see it go. This year was better than last, but I've had heat-tolerance issues the last few years due to my thyroid condition, so the heat I used to love and live for, is now no longer my friend.

ANYWHO!!!......

I forgot to add in my last installment that after we're done at DHS, I would like to walk over to Epcot. Whether we spend the afternoon there or not remains to be seen, but Buzz has never made that trek and I want to show it to him. I love that walk, it's a nice break from the crowds and you get to see the Boardwalk up close (plus if you have a refillable mug, a quick stop into the Boardwalk Bakery and you can fill 'er up!). If Alien and Slinky decide they are not into it, I'll send them to the boat dock and they can meet us at the International Gateway!

And on with the tour!

Sun. Oct. 30th ~ AK morning: I really like this park at opening. Something about it just makes the day feel fresh and new. I always take my time and meander up the Oasis trails. We've got an early FP for the Safari, which I'm looking forward to. You can usually catch quite a few animals up and about first thing. I'd like to try the new Harambe Market area so we may get a bite to eat there. Next FP is for Everest,which I will ultimately decide to ride or not, when we actually get there. Some days I feel I could do it, others I know I could not. Buzz can do it exactly one time, and no more. Finally we'll see the Nemo musical. I'd like to see if can catch the bird show (Flights of Wonder??). That's always interested me but I've never seen it. Oh, and I want to ride Triceratop Spin!! Simple, but fun. There will be NO "Primeval Hurl" for this family...... No one spins very well. Although I can do the teacups in the MK. Go figure. Probably cuz I can control the intensity.
Moving on!

Mon. Oct. 31st ~ EP morning: this might be my favorite park for opening. Something about it; that BGM playing, the sun shining on Spaceship Earth as you enter, the promise of a new day full of technological and cultural wonder!! We'll be heading to Spaceship Earth first thing, then Test Track (!!!!), and finally the Character Spot. SOME where during this trip I need to brave the line and meet Joy and Sadness. I'm not sure how the rest of this day will play out, since it's departure day (boo....) and it will depend on what time we have to be back at CSR for our Dismal Express bus back to the airport. We may just decide to spend the day in Epcot, or we may monorail back to the MK for one final goodbye (sob...sniff....).

In between all these carefully laid morning plans, we will, at some point, be heading over to Disney Springs to check that out. I'm trying not to look at too many pictures online, so I can form my own opinion. It's proving to be a challenge..... One photo I saw - and I don't know exactly where it was taken - made me think, That just looks like a mall!! Ugh.... So not what I was hoping for. But, I'm not going to lament it until I've tried it. My dad and his wife, who live in St. Petersburg, will be coming up to see us over the weekend, too. So we'll be spending some time with them Sat. and/or Sun. afternoon/evening. I'm not sure if they still have their APs (yeah, my 87-yr. old father has an AP to WDW....) but if not then we'll probably do Disney Springs together. We usually catch Earl of Sandwich, but as I've previously mentioned, I would really like to try Cookes of Dublin, so we'll see. And of course there is the mandatory visit to the Lego store!! I'm in need of a new keychain or two, and Slinky loves putting together a little set of mini-figs. We'll also hit up Goofy's Candy Co., and Slinky and I will each get a bag of Jelly Belly "Juicy Pear" beans.... SO good. And DS is also where, in all likelihood, I will go into World of Disney, become overwhelmed by the mug choices, and spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide on two.

And in closing, I have just this to say:

33 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[LegoMom3]

[written yesterday so we are finally UP TO DATE!!]

Email and "C.A."......


It's been an exciting day in the Lego household! First, I was greeting by this when I opened my email this morning:

Not to mention THESE that came the other day!!....

After work today I finally schlepped up into storage (which is the loft in our shed....prime spider habitat and not my favorite place to go) to see what our suitcase sitch was. Happy to report, there are enough! Actually, there are exactly enough. We have four DME tags, and there are 4 pieces of luggage that we will use as checked bags. If we need more than my one [favorite!] red carry-on, I do have one more. So, perfect! We're all set there.

I also ordered some items for the boys. For those of you unfamiliar with teen males, let me enlighten you..... Fashion is everything. Don't let anyone fool you, it's hardly just the gals who maintain this air of proper duds. Forget being politically correct, we're talking the highest possible level of "correct": Appearance. This is the age where, no matter how cold it is in winter, we will wear a hoody to school as our outerwear. Winter coats.....nope. Parkas are right out. Now, I must say that Alien (who turns 17 in a week), is beginning to emerge from this phase and I can see light at the end of his tunnel. Or, maybe he's just turning a corner down a different street of being Correctly Attired. He once would not wear shorts. EVER!! Could be Florida-in-July hot and that kid's wearing jeans. Black ones, at that. However, at his request, I just ordered him two pairs of shorts. They are the SAME. EXACT. THING. as the pants he wears. But they're shorts. Well hallelujah and cue the angels!! But, in my defense of the whole "C.A." bit, 99% of his t-shirts sport either music band images or the logos of his BMX biking brand stuff. He's totally still a slave here.

Now Slinky, on the other hand, is still in the "no way I'm wearing shorts and baring my northern white legs" stage. But, I did get him to pick out some new swim trunks (having recently outgrown his old pair), and ordered these for him:

I'm not really sure how he's set for t-shirts (tends to wear the same select few to school.....and most of them are currently long-sleeved; autumn in New England and all that). I know he's got a dresser-drawer full of them so we'll have to do an inventory pretty soon. My guess is he's got plenty, but the question is, will he wear them?......"C.A." strikes again. It matters not one whit that they'll be in Walt Disney World, 1400 miles from home, with the chances of seeing someone they know standing at exactly 2,603,185-to-1 against.

Anyway, I'm feeling good today! We're inside the one-month mark so things are starting to pick up again in terms of preparations! This weekend I'll shop for a few more travel-size items, and I also need to price some of that egg-crate foam that you put on a mattress. We're packing one for Slinky to use to sleep on the floor (his choice). Next thing I need to work on here is amending the window decorations I have. I need to nix the anniversary celebration part and make something with all our names, or a family celebration, etc..

Four weeks from today!!!

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[AZMouseMom]

I love this TR! Your trip sounds like it will be a lot of fun!

I have to say you just don't know if it's going to be your last hurrah as a family trip. I have 3 boys, also. #2 is graduating from college in May and I wanted us to take a cruise after graduation, but he and #3 said they wanted to go to Disney instead! We go every other year, and 2017 is our Disney year. They decided that we could take a cruise when #3 graduates in 2018. When I pointed out that #2 might have a job that keeps him from taking vacation in May, he said he still would rather go to WDW for his graduation trip! (#1 lives in Orlando, so he doesn't get a vote on vacation any more ).

 

[LegoMom3]

Thank you and WELCOME!!!



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[LegoMom3]

TWO WEEKS!!!

Thought I'd toss in a mini-update. Not a whole lot going on, but getting more excited every day! I'm actually really having to slow down and make myself savor this pre-trip anticipation; work has been VERY busy this month (I've been doing 6 days/week) and I'm just wiped by the time I get home. I was hopeful that I'd start running again after the stent came out, and while I'm feeling great in that regard, I just don't have the energy for it. I'm on my feet and moving all day at work, so it's not like I'm getting zero exercise, but I'll tell you, the running will have to wait until after vaca! Our foliage is stunning right now, so I may try to get in some after-work walking.

So, I guess I should 'fess up and let you know about a change I made recently, and also will, at this time, refer you back to the title of this PTR. Because it was, by any account, a "stupid pill" moment. Well, it'll seem that way, but it wasn't to me. Anyway, I decided to cancel our dinner ADR at 'Ohana......

The reason being, it's pricey ($40/person), and the only one of us who is going to eat very much is Buzz. I have a teeny appetite, and believe it or not the boys aren't ravenous eaters (wait.....they're teen boys....isn't that contradictory?!). By the time we're done there I've dropped almost $200, and I just cannot justify that expense, no matter how good the food. And I think we can all agree, anything about our trips that causes us stress, is best knocked off the itinerary. So I canceled and haven't felt badly about it for even one moment. I'm still trying daily for Afternoon Tea, but not holding my breath, especially since there's really only one day that I'd want to do it. But, in the end, there are PLENTY of places to eat at WDW, and we'll have a great time regardless!

I did my final shopping this weekend for the non-food items I needed to pick up. Got a box of these:

These are great to keep in my bag, or even a pocket if I'm traveling light. I like to use them before eating; I'm not one of these germophobe people, but when your hands have been holding bars and railings that a thousand other people have been holding, well...... Ew. They're also great for a quick clean-up after a particularly sticky or greasy snack.

And!....I got myself some new shades. I love my current pair but have had them almost two years and wear them almost daily, so I thought a new vacation pair was in order.

Notice the $3.00 price tag.... Brand new, from Goodwill. Yeah, baby.


Now that's not a Stupid Pill moment!

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