"Don't catch snoap flakes on your tongue!" a December 2016 PTR/June DLR TR *updated 12/13x2

[xlsm]

Chapter Eighteen Part Two:

We got to Mr. Toad first and prepared for our Wild Ride



It was so pretty inside Toad Hall



In the last shot you can see one of the boys gesturing to the trash someone left by the Mr. Toad statue. We picked it up and threw it away in the trash can that was only like, two feet away. We saw so much trash laying around in Disneyland, and it was pretty depressing.

The worst was coming up on our next ride, Pinnochio's Daring Journey



A window was broken:



and there was trash all in the line:



We picked up as much as we could. It made me sad.

After surviving our daring journey, the boys decided to see if they could pull the sword from the stone...



They could not.

I then checked the Disneyland App and saw that Big Thunder Mountain only had a ten minute wait. How often does that happen at WDW in June right in the middle of the day?? Pretty much never! So that's where we went.





Found this pesky goat...



We were planning to watch the Soundsational Parade (that's where the chapter title comes from!), so we made our way to Main Street and stopped off in Main Street Cinema to cool off for awhile



I also found these anniversary cuties in a nearby shop:



I think it was about 40ish minutes until parade time, and the area in front of the train station was starting to fill in. We found an empty bench and claimed it, and got some drinks for all of us, and popcorn for the kids, and just sat and rested while we waited for the parade.
While waiting, we saw Cruella come out, but her line was very long and we missed out on meeting her, unfortunately.



Soon the marching band came out to warm up the crowd. Our bench was right on the curb, so we had a front row seat for the whole thing.




The bad part was they were facing away from us.

But when I say we were close, I mean it!



The marching band made their way from the train station area and down Main Street, giving everyone along the parade route a little pre-show. It wasn't long before the main event began.








Part Three on the way...more parade photos

 

[xlsm]

Part Three...parade continued...






This parade is so much fun, and the performers really looked like they were having the time of their lives. When the CMs are really into their roles, that's when the magic really happens!



I loved seeing the Three Caballeros featured!









I skipped a bunch there at the end, but I didn't want to bore anyone!

At that moment, Soundsational became my second favorite Disney parade after Festival of Fantasy in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (I hadn't seen Paint the Night at that point!!)
The music is fun, the floats are different from what I have gotten used to seeing, and the performers were having a great time. The only thing I wish was that we'd been sitting on the inner area, because the characters didn't look over or interact much with us, even though we were right on the front row.

We were tired and hungry, so we left Disneyland and went to Downtown Disney for dinner. We wound up at La Brea bakery, and started with rolls.



I had pasta that was just ok, L had a mushroom pizza that was pretty good, I think X ended up with sliders. What I do know, is DH had the best thing, which was some kind of beef something or other with a horseradish sauce that was SO GOOD.


We walked back to the HoJo and the kids hit the pool



I sat out there with them and ran back and forth doing laundry. This might have also been the night DH went to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for me, so I could have an ice blended matcha latte. I love matcha lattes, and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is about 9 million times better than Starbucks. I wish they existed here!!

So that's it for Disneyland Day three...the next day would be Father's Day. We went whale watching, and spent the evening at Disneyland for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever projections/fireworks...and that's where the title of this report comes into play. Snoap ties Disneyland together with Disney World at Christmas!
But that's an entry for another day!

Good night, Dis Friends! Sleep well and wake up ready to Carpe Diem Monday morning!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great day!! I loved Mickey and the Magical Map! I had no idea people hated it so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it too And I agree, Soundsational is such a fun parade!

 

[xlsm]

Hello again! I'm back already!

I guess I should go ahead and title it, or else I'll start chattering on and on and forget, so here is...

Chapter Nineteen: I would walk 500 miles

I made a list this morning of all the things we (or just I in a few cases) have to do in the next 11 days before our trip.

My to do list includes:
- L's orchestra concert
- District PTO meeting (I'm secretary on the executive board, all presidents, or at least one rep, from all 26 schools and two project graduation groups in the district meet once a month)
- District PTO make up treasurer's meeting for schools who missed the first one (I have to take minutes)
- Two Odyssey of the Mind practices, this week and next
- X's orchestra concert
- finish Christmas shopping
- finish shopping for the trip
- make sure the kids have pants/shoes for concerts
- buy all non-perishables for Christmas food (so I don't have to get everything on Christmas Eve)
- get the house ready for our house/dog sitters

And probably about 50 other things I just haven't thought of yet.

But today I have at least bought groceries for this week and grabbed a couple of stocking stuffers and one more thing I needed for X's Christmas Eve gift, so I am focused on something specific: Shoes.

Shoes?? What are you even talking about??

Well...Shoes and Disney World go hand in hand. You have to have the right shoes, or you're going to have a rough trip! Because we typically travel in the summer, I know I can rely on my trusty flip flops to get through my days. Some people can't wear flip flops comfortably for long periods of time, but I am not "some people". I am a hardcore flip flop wearer, Friends. They are my primary footwear most of the year. Cold temperatures really bum me out...what do you mean I have to wear "real" shoes?? *sigh*

I don't wanna.



A couple of months ago, I began the search for the perfect closed toe shoe that was comfortable and versatile.

I knew my old converse that I've had for years wouldn't work...I have them in several colors, and they're fine for a normal day, but they're not great for long term wear. I knew they'd kill me by the end of a long Disney day. So I pretty much wrote off a new pair.

Some of my favorite shoes are Born brand, so I started there and hit what I thought was the jackpot.

I got these:



(Yes, I did drag my shoes out of the closet and take a picture of them in front of one of my Christmas trees...don't judge!)

These are comfortable, but I'm not sure about wearing them long term in the parks. They're leather, a neutral color, easy to wear...but I don't think they'd be great if they got wet. They hold up well, but I don't think they're going to work as my only shoes for the trip.

About three weeks ago, I found my dream shoes...Black sequined Converse Chuck Taylor low top shoes. I know I just said I had written off Converse for the trip, but these are actually squishy and comfortable inside. They are a lot easier to wear for a long time than my old pairs. Also, they're SPARKLY.



So right now, these are the two pair that are coming with me...along with my Yellowbox flip flops, because surely it will be warm enough to wear them a few times.

I want to bring my Ugg boots, but I can't come up with a logical way to do that...what do you think?? How could I easily bring them?? I don't want to wear them on the plane and have to take them off during security, because, while they're not hard to get off and on, they're the tall kind, so it does take some effort and bending. And I don't want to pack them because they're huge.

But...they're so comfortable, would be great for colder evenings, and are easy to wear with my favorite jeans and leggings. Should I just give up the idea of bringing them??



I don't care if they're uncool (because I am the least cool person I know) or clunky and ugly, or "so last year" or whatever...I just know they're fuzzy and they have bows and I like them. They're like the flip flops of winter, for me.

I realize this may seem like a silly, trivial post...but I've been obsessing about appropriate shoes for this trip almost since booking it.

If you travel during non-summer and are a flip flop person like me, what do you do?

If you're a normal person, NOT like me, what are your favorite park shoes that aren't traditional tennis/running shoes? (The one time I wore my running shoes to the parks, I felt like I was dying at the end of the day...never again!!)

Enjoy your Monday!!

 

[missangelalexis]

You have a lot on your to-do list! I hope you're able to accomplish everything with not too much stress! So crazy how close your trip is!!

Ohh those converse are so cute! I love my converse but agree that they wreck my feet after a long day in the park. I like your Uggs! I would say if you reallyyyy want to bring them then just wear them to the airport so they dont take up room in your bag.

 

[dnllmz]

The sparkly converse are adorable! So pretty! I've thought about bringing my Uggs but I just don't think I have the packing room. I bought Chaco sandals to wear on the warmer days and Skecher go Walks to wear on the colder days. But I messed up and forgot to break them in. So I'm 5 days away and trying to break in the go walks. Also I'm wearing leggings or skinny jeans on most days but I don't know if the go walks will look right with them. I'm trying not to focus so much on that and just think it's better for my feet to be comfy.

 

[xlsm]

Sounds like a great day!! I loved Mickey and the Magical Map! I had no idea people hated it so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it too And I agree, Soundsational is such a fun parade!

You have a lot on your to-do list! I hope you're able to accomplish everything with not too much stress! So crazy how close your trip is!!

Ohh those converse are so cute! I love my converse but agree that they wreck my feet after a long day in the park. I like your Uggs! I would say if you reallyyyy want to bring them then just wear them to the airport so they dont take up room in your bag.

I was really shocked when I saw that people were pretty harsh about Mickey and the Magical Map. Personally, I think they must have some sort of unresolved personal issues, and they just need a hug,LOL!!

I hate my to do list!! L tried on his khaki pants for his concert (that is tomorrow) and they are way too small, so I will be going shopping for that tomorrow morning. Hoping I can work my way through it without losing my sanity.

I think these converse will be ok, at least for maybe partial days...they feel a lot better than my older ones, so fingers crossed. I'm just about set on wearing the uggs to the airport. People can just deal with me being slow to get them off and on! But I'll talk myself out of it if I think too hard about going home from MCO in that security line the day before Christmas Eve. Yikes. THAT might be the deciding factor, actually!

The sparkly converse are adorable! So pretty! I've thought about bringing my Uggs but I just don't think I have the packing room. I bought Chaco sandals to wear on the warmer days and Skecher go Walks to wear on the colder days. But I messed up and forgot to break them in. So I'm 5 days away and trying to break in the go walks. Also I'm wearing leggings or skinny jeans on most days but I don't know if the go walks will look right with them. I'm trying not to focus so much on that and just think it's better for my feet to be comfy.

Thank you! Even better...they're purple on the inside. I love them.
The Ugg situation is really bothering me...I want them, but I don't know if I can justify it in the end.
I'm also in the same boat with pants...the ones I plan to wear are leggings and skinny jeans, some capris and shorts if the weather is appropriate, and then making sure the shoes go with things ok. This time of year is throwing me for a loop, clothes wise, because of the widely varying temps.

 

[ariane37]

I love your post before the shoe post, so many cool things they don't have at Disney! Mr. Toad, Pinocchio's ride, is that a regular Cruella meet??? And the parade looks awesome. The garbage doesn't though I do notice it here and there at WDW but it doesn't seem that bad. However last month we were at Earl of Sandwich in DS and it was crowded, so we (and others) were standing around waiting for tables to empty. We spied a couple getting up so walked over and Steve asked if they were leaving. "Yup! Here you go!" they said very friendly, and proceeded to walk way leaving ALL their lunch garbage on the table The 4 of us just watched them walk away like, really? Don't know what's wrong with some people these days......
As for the shoes, yes those Converse are adorable! I'm all for flip-flops in the parks too and wear my Nike or Sketchers ones. To change it up or when it's chilly I do have Nike sneakers I like that are comfortable, along with Sketchers Go-Walks-I think they look kind of old-ladyish but they are SO comfortable
I actually noticed quite a few UGGs in the park last month, but I agree they're bulky to pack. It got chilly a few nights in Nov. and it could definitely get chilly enough for them when you're there, so I say screw it and just wear them to the airport
Oh and yes, packing for this time of year is difficult, you need a little bit of everything!

 

[xlsm]

I love your post before the shoe post, so many cool things they don't have at Disney! Mr. Toad, Pinocchio's ride, is that a regular Cruella meet??? And the parade looks awesome. The garbage doesn't though I do notice it here and there at WDW but it doesn't seem that bad. However last month we were at Earl of Sandwich in DS and it was crowded, so we (and others) were standing around waiting for tables to empty. We spied a couple getting up so walked over and Steve asked if they were leaving. "Yup! Here you go!" they said very friendly, and proceeded to walk way leaving ALL their lunch garbage on the table The 4 of us just watched them walk away like, really? Don't know what's wrong with some people these days......
As for the shoes, yes those Converse are adorable! I'm all for flip-flops in the parks too and wear my Nike or Sketchers ones. To change it up or when it's chilly I do have Nike sneakers I like that are comfortable, along with Sketchers Go-Walks-I think they look kind of old-ladyish but they are SO comfortable
I actually noticed quite a few UGGs in the park last month, but I agree they're bulky to pack. It got chilly a few nights in Nov. and it could definitely get chilly enough for them when you're there, so I say screw it and just wear them to the airport
Oh and yes, packing for this time of year is difficult, you need a little bit of everything!

I loved all of the different rides in Disneyland! Unfortunately, there many we still missed due to long lines or breakdowns There's an Alice in Wonderland dark ride, and I missed out on the Storybook Canal boats where you float through El Monstro's mouth, and the open air teacup ride with the pretty lanterns ( I wanted to ride at night, and never managed to!)...

Seeing all the trash was really sad. I just don't seem to see it as often at WDW as we did in California. I can't believe the people did that to you at Earl of Sandwich!! OMG, who doesn't pick up the trash off a table before leaving? That's gross!

I'm really stressing about packing! I think I've come up with the perfect solution for the uggs situation. I will shove them into my carry on and wear the Born slip ons through security, and then when I get to the other side, I'll put the Uggs on and the small slip ons into the carry on. I think that's going to work pretty well. My carry on is my Mickey print backpack (I think I saw on Facebook that Ricky got one on your trip...did I hallucinate that?), which can fit quite a bit. I only put a day or two's worth of clothing in it along with pjs and my liquids. There's usually a lot of space left, so I feel like it's going to work. I will pack a practice carry on bag this weekend to see if it's possible!

I'm going to have to try some of the Go-Walks!

 

[xlsm]

is that a regular Cruella meet???

I realized I didn't answer this part!
It is a regular meet! Regular for Disneyland, anyway, which means she walks across waving and making snide comments at people as she goes, and then eventually stops moving and stands around for awhile signing and taking pictures with guests. She stays out for a limited time, and then her handler whisks her away fairly quickly. She is amazing! I'm so sad we missed the cutoff for her!

 

[xlsm]

On the 8th day til Disney, Mickey gave to meeee....

travel sized goodies and immune boosting gummiiiieeesssss!!!

Hello!

It's Thursday now, and we're EIGHT DAYS from our trip! My "to do" list is shorter now:
- X's orchestra concert
- one Odyssey of the Mind practice
- finish up a bit of pre-trip shopping (making sure everyone has a nice fleece for cool parts of the day, gloves, hats, ponchos - will do that this weekend)
- clean and prep for house/dog sitters (will do next week before we leave)

Today I went and picked up some travel sized things, and got Emergen-C drink mix for me and some Airborne gummies for the kids. I don't know if they actually do any good or not, but I figure it can't hurt to load up over the next week.

I'm having trouble feeling the "it's real" feeling, because traveling at this time of year is so out of the ordinary for us. I guess it'll get real pretty quickly next Friday on the plane, huh?

More updates soon!!

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad your to-do list has gotten shorter! I always take some Airborne before a trip as well- can't hurt!

It may not feel real yet but it certainly will when you are there

 

[xlsm]

On the SEVENTH day til Disney, Mickey gave to meeee....

frigid temperatures and time with the familyyyyyy!!

Good morning and happy Friday!! One week from today at this time, I will be at the airport about to board the first leg of our flight to Florida! We have a layover in Atlanta, which I'm not thrilled about, but it's a pretty short one.

How's the weather where you are?? We're considered the south, but waking up to 13 degrees this morning sure didn't feel very south-like! (Realistically, I don't consider where I live to be the "south"...not until you get to the midway point of the state does it REALLY become southern. But shh!! Don't tell anyone else that, or they'll kick me out of the state!)

As much as I dislike the cold, it's more welcome to me right now than what I'm seeing on the 10 day forecast for WDW right now. It's showing highs of 80 and lows of 68 right now. Granted, this will change, only three days of our trip are showing right now. It's already changed from yesterday when it showed rain all day on our MVMCP. But I reserve the right to complain about it being too warm during our trip, because if we're having temperatures in the 30s and 40s here at home, 80 is going to feel like the surface of the sun to us. I'm really hoping for like, low 70s. We'll see what we end up with!

Last night we did something new together as a family: we decorated gingerbread houses. Last week, I bought a kit for a gingerbread house, and we never got around to doing anything with it. Then, we decided we should all make one individually. At Target a couple days ago, I found a kit with four mini houses, which worked out perfectly for us.

L worked hard on his...





X surprised us all by ending up with probably the best one...





He took it very seriously! I was a little shocked. I figured he'd rush through it so he could go back upstairs and back to the game he was playing online with his friends, but he didn't.

And I surprised everyone by not being very good at all. They're used to me doing crafty stuff, and I admit that I was a little overconfident going in to this whole thing, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.







DH's turned out pretty good too, and this kind of thing is not his strong suit:



(the plate DH's house is on is one that L made during preschool many moons ago. In case you were wondering what in the world that was, lol!)



Hmm...what's left to talk about on the planning front?? I think last time I talked about the busy Epcot day, so next up will be a sad, sad day. Our last park day

No one ever wants to talk about the last park day. Boo!

Our last park day is a party night, so we are starting the day at the Magic Kingdom. It's another 7am opening...we'll see if we end up making it to that. Again, I might try to make it and have the guys join me later. I have a feeling this day is going to be busy, party day or not! I want to make sure we ride Pirates, HM, and Jingle Cruise again for sure. Depending on temperatures, I would like to start in Frontierland on this morning, and do Big Thunder right away. I also want to make sure we do Philharmagic, Carousel of Progress, People Mover, and the Pete's Silly Sideshow character meet if we missed it the previous days.

We'll leave in the early afternoon to go back to the resort. We have dinner reservations for Yachtsman just after 5pm. There will be character meet and greets in the Beach Club lobby beginning at 430, so I'd like to try to go to that on the way to dinner. If not, oh well, but I want to have it on the list!
After dinner, we will go to Hollywood Studios. We have FPs for Fantasmic, and for Tower of Terror after Fantasmic is finished.

Then it's time to return to our room at the Boardwalk to make sure we have everything organized and ready to go the next morning.

On departure day, we'll get up and take our time getting ready, make sure our carry on bags are ready, and then take our checked bags down to resort check in. Our ME bus will pick us up around 10ish, and then we'll begin our journey home. Because it will be so close to Christmas, I expect the security lines to be LOOOOONG. We're going bare bones in the carry on bags that day. No liquids or anything, just what we need for the flights home.

That's it! We've made it through a rundown of each day of our trip! Now it will just be personal updates and Disneyland/California stuff. I can't believe we're so close!

Tonight we're going to one of the local downtown areas (where I live, a bunch of towns run together, and there are four downtowns because of the four main cities that make up the bulk of the area) to see their lights and eat at our favorite pizza place for dinner. We're trying to make sure we don't miss out on our local holiday stuff this year due to the trip. Last Friday we went to our city's downtown for the tree lighting and parade (which we left after seeing the 23rd float...because there were 61 total and we'd already been there for almost two hours waiting and watching!).

Tomorrow is the final trip shopping day (hopefully!), and X has a birthday party to go to. We might do some more light watching tomorrow night...there's a house in town that does a light show to a soundtrack. You tune in to a certain radio channel, and the lights sync up to the music. It's fun, and something we've done every year since moving here. We go get hot cocoa and drive over to sit and watch from the car

Sunday I will probably do some Disneyland posts and work on finishing up all that!
Enjoy your weekend, Friends! Go buy some of these:



because they are delicious, and everyone needs a little edible happiness in their lives.

See you real soon!

 

[xlsm]

I'm glad your to-do list has gotten shorter! I always take some Airborne before a trip as well- can't hurt!

It may not feel real yet but it certainly will when you are there

I hope it helps at least a little...I've been coughing and today I'm stuffy!! It's not bad, but I don't want it to get worse, that's for sure!

 

[xlsm]

Guess what time it is???



On the FIFTH day til Disney, Mickey gave to meeee....
One sick husband and a dog laying under a treeeee!

I was feeling a little stuffy Friday, but nothing major. Unfortunately, DH texted me that afternoon and said he thought he was getting sick. I flew into crazy lady mode.

"Did you take any medicine?"
"Do you need to go to urgent care?"
"Do you have a fever?"
"Are you drinking lots of fluids?"
"Wash your hands!"
"I'm going to quarantine you!"
"You'd better not infect the rest of us!!!"
"I'm not taking care of sick people in a hotel room all vacation long!"

"I love you."

Ahem. Yes, I freaked out. I was not being a very good wife. I was actually being kind of a jerk. I snapped out of it, I promise!

He sounds terrible, but he's doing ok. He is super stuffy and feels congested and has a scratchy throat and cough, but he's still able to function normally.

There's the sick husband story.

And here is Penny under the tree!



I took that Friday I think, when she found a patch of sunlight and looked so cute in her little sweater!

I got dressed up that day, and actually did my hair:



(Yes, that frizz ball is my hair done...normally it's in a ponytail or flat ironed to death. Curls are fancy, LOL!)

We had planned to go south and see some Christmas lights. Unfortunately, traffic on the interstate was a parking lot, so we changed plans. We went to our favorite Mexican place then headed north to see lights instead.




It was cold! We parked, ran out to the square, took a couple of pictures, and ran back to the car!

Saturday we all went shopping to get new Columbia fleece and got a great deal on them at Belk. Super exciting, I know. Try to contain yourselves. Haha!

That afternoon, we picked X up from a bday party he was attending, and headed south to finally see those lights. We had our favorite pizza for dinner, and got there right in time. After our pizza was delivered to the table, the crowds arrived! There were people crammed in and waiting for seats, so we finished up, had our leftover pizza boxed up, and went outside so someone else could have our table. The pizza place is right on the square, and we had a lucky parking spot, so we put the pizza in the car and walked to one of my favorite little stores. I ended up buying two new ornaments, and then we finally walked out under the lights. It's so pretty, the pictures don't do it justice!






It was really cold, but we went to get frozen custard afterward anyway, and then headed home. We were home before 7pm, and were lazy the rest of the night.

Today, the kids stayed home while DH and I hit up Home Depot, took back a couple of clothing items that didn't fit, had lunch together, and then he braved Sephora with me. I was hoping they'd have minis of my face wash, and luckily they did! There was a gift set right inside the front door, so I was happy. If anyone is looking for life changing products, Tarte's Rainforest of the Sea line is amazing. It has totally transformed my skin since I started using it over the summer. I really struggled with adult acne, redness, and patchy dryness, but this stuff has worked a miracle. I actually go out with only tinted moisturizer and concealer on now, when before I wouldn't be caught dead without a full face of primer, full coverage foundation, and concealer, along with all the extra frosting and sprinkles. It has honestly changed my life!

(I also can't live without Laura Mercier translucent setting powder and l'occitane almond hand cream, in case you really wanted to get inside my head, LOL!)

This week, X has an orchestra concert, and I need to do some food shopping and baking, buy a couple of gift cards for our house/dog sitters (one of the guys who works for DH, and then a little something for the inlaws), clean and do laundry like a madwoman...and go to Disney World!

I'll do the last Disneyland reporting this week and just continue our countdown!!

I can't believe we leave on Friday!!

 

[ariane37]

You are either going to get mad at me for implying you live in the middle of nowhere or think I'm truly the biggest nerd you (kind of) know, but when I saw the sign that says "Lights of the Ozarks" all I could think of was my absolute favorite show from when I was a kid, Little House On The Prairie All those lights are so pretty though!
We have a house about 20 minutes from us that was on that show "The Great American Light Fight", where the hosts go around the country looking at houses with huge Xmas light displays and pick a winner. This season is actually debuting tonight.
I hope DH is feeling better! That really stinks to be sick right before the trip-how dare he cause you added stress lol! And I wanted to say don't worry so much about the change in temperature being a shock. When we went last month we left 30's and 40's for the 80's down there and it was a very welcome, pleasant change. We were hot don't get me wrong, but not uncomfortable in any way. Well except Chris, because he wouldn't be Chris without something to complain about!
Oh, and yeah, you're definitely the most gingerbread house-challenged it looks like Seems as if your house is having some foundation issues.........

 

[missangelalexis]

Your Gingerbread houses came out so cute!

Your last park day sounds fun. I hope you get to meet characters at the Beach Club!

Your recent Christmasy activities sound like they've been great

Yay 4 more days!!

 

[xlsm]

You are either going to get mad at me for implying you live in the middle of nowhere or think I'm truly the biggest nerd you (kind of) know, but when I saw the sign that says "Lights of the Ozarks" all I could think of was my absolute favorite show from when I was a kid, Little House On The Prairie All those lights are so pretty though!
We have a house about 20 minutes from us that was on that show "The Great American Light Fight", where the hosts go around the country looking at houses with huge Xmas light displays and pick a winner. This season is actually debuting tonight.
I hope DH is feeling better! That really stinks to be sick right before the trip-how dare he cause you added stress lol! And I wanted to say don't worry so much about the change in temperature being a shock. When we went last month we left 30's and 40's for the 80's down there and it was a very welcome, pleasant change. We were hot don't get me wrong, but not uncomfortable in any way. Well except Chris, because he wouldn't be Chris without something to complain about!
Oh, and yeah, you're definitely the most gingerbread house-challenged it looks like Seems as if your house is having some foundation issues.........

Haha!! You're no more a nerd than I am (well, that's not saying much, LOL!!)! Love LHOTP!! I haven't watched it in years, though.
We don't live in the middle of nowhere, but the town I grew up in might still be considered that way! Our area population is over 500,000 (all the towns here basically run together) but my hometown in MO is still below 15,000. Probably closer to 12,000 actually. And it's considered the "big town" in the area, and the county seat. It's 3.5 hours away, but still considered the ozarks. But it's a lot different from where we live. (and fun fact, the Laura Ingalls Wilder house museum is about an hour from where I grew up...I've driven by it a million times, but have never been. I'm not sure why, I must have been absent on field trip day in 4th grade, or our class skipped it for some reason??)

I love the Great American Light Fight! I didn't realize it debuted tonight, I'm going to have to watch.

Chris and Xavier should get together and complain, because I always say the same thing about him. Although he's recently been getting very upset if I refer to him as a grinch or tell him he's being grumpy. A little teen angst comes out. I just tell him if he didn't act like a grinch/grump, I wouldn't tell him he was being one!

My poor gingerbread house
Luckily I have other talents, LOL!!

And Matt is feeling a lot better today! I really thought I was catching it, so I bought this Zicam mouth spray stuff that's supposed to cut short a "pre-cold" (that's what it says on the bottle, anyway), and it actually worked! I feel perfectly fine today! It's my new favorite thing (even though it tastes bad )

Your Gingerbread houses came out so cute!

Your last park day sounds fun. I hope you get to meet characters at the Beach Club!

Your recent Christmasy activities sound like they've been great

Yay 4 more days!!

I've never seen characters at resorts before, so I have no idea what to expect, but I'm really excited about the prospect. There will be some at the Boardwalk for two of our trip dates, so hopefully we get to see at least one group somewhere!

I'm desperately trying to cram in all of our usual holiday stuff so we don't miss out! I'm obviously over the moon about this trip, but I don't think I'll ever take a trip this close to Christmas again...Disney or anywhere else. It's making things rushed and crazy.

Four days...still unreal!

 

[xlsm]

On the FOURTH day til Disney, Mickey gave to meee....

changing plans and shopping for gro-cer-ieesss!

I realized that I've changed things around a bit in terms of plans, and I haven't updated any of that.

The biggest change is switching from San Angel Inn for our Candlelight Processional dining package to Rose and Crown. I looked over the menu with the kids, and while they are not all that picky, they didn't find enough appealing on the San Angel Inn lunch menu to justify the cost. Since it comes with an app, entree, AND dessert, they were overwhelmed. It would be so much wasted food. So, even though Rose and Crown is a terrible value in terms of the CP package price, at least they are more likely to eat the food that is ordered.

When this came up last night, I checked for reservations and found them, but it would bump us to the 6:45 CP show from the 5pm show...which would interfere with our Frozen Ever After FP. There are no FPs for that left of course, so I didn't change anything. But this morning, I checked again, and it gave us the 5pm show with Rose and Crown, so I made the switch. The kids will be happy, and even though I'm sad about missing San Angel AGAIN, I can book it another time. For a regular meal, the kids would be fine with the menu, but with the package, it makes sense to change.

And if the line stretches back to Morocco for the CP package entry (which is what I've been reading on the thread about it), we'll be closer coming from the UK pavilion. Looking on the bright side!

Other changes are smallish I think...just some switching around of fast passes at Hollywood Studios on our first park night. Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular is showing again starting 12/16, so when we're at DHS on 12/17 we'll get to see it in addition to Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam. DHS park hours have also been extended that night, so it opened up more FP times for Tower of Terror. Now on that night, we'll get to the park a little later than originally planned (maybe...we'll at least have the option of arriving later if we need to!) and hopefully catch characterpalooza. I'd like to meet Moana and Olaf, then use our FP for Star Tours before checking in to the dessert party. Our FPs are after the Jingle Bell show, for Toy Story and then Tower. After ToT we can watch SWaGS and head back to the Boardwalk.

Since Rivers of Light seems to be dead in the water for now, our AK night on Monday might be super short...we can go do our FPs and see the Tree of Life Awakenings and call it an early night. We might even skip it...which I don't really want to do, but it's an option now, and can be kind of a "flex night" where we can just do whatever else we might want.

I think that's it?? Maybe??

I'm always so curious to see how what we ACTUALLY do matches up with what we have planned.

I did go grocery shopping today, but you don't want to hear about that...I just needed a rhyme for my title, LOL!!!

I'm going to work on a Disneyland update as soon as I post this

Happy Monday!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Twenty: It's the Whale I'd Like to Be (Disneyland/California)

Our next day of the trip was Father's Day. We had a whale boat tour planned in Newport Beach. I just did a drag and drop of the photos into photobucket, and they got all mixed up, so some might be out of order, especially when I get to the Paint the Night parade!

We got up early this day and headed to the beach. We parked in a garage in Newport Beach not too far from where our boat was launching. Technically, it was the Balboa Peninsula, but still Newport Beach (I booked with newportwhales.com, and used a groupon...if you're ever in SoCal, I 100% recommend doing this!)

We checked in here:



and rented binoculars for all of us (that we never really ended up using!) and then waited...for a looong time because our boat was late coming back from the first tour of the day. But it was ok! It was beautiful!



We were waiting right near the Auto Ferry that would take the cars across to Balboa Island. It was fun to watch.

My guys...Happy Father's Day!!






There were personal watercraft docked all along the water in the harbor, and some of the spots had their own tiny mini-beaches...we saw these (not real) turtles on one:



Our boat finally pulled in, and we were so excited to get our tour started!





After we pulled away, the boys decided they wanted to sit inside...they were not fans of the moving boat and being so close to the water! Even though they took dramamine, L threw up over the side of the boat (that's where they want you to do it...there's even a sign in the bathroom telling you not to vomit in there!). They did both come out to see the dolphins and whale, though!



When the animals began showing up, this was my view:



I had to be assertive in order to get any pictures for myself. I had my phone and my DSLR camera, so my goal was to get at least a couple decent photos of any whales or whatever we might see. One nice family let me get in beside them to take pictures.

Since my photos are all mixed up now, I'll share the dolphin photos first.

We were really pretty far out onto the ocean, you couldn't see land anymore. The dolphins stuck with us most of the time while we were out in open water





There were a couple of boats out on the water with us, one was a couple out on their sail boat, and another was a larger private boat that was following us, and it annoyed our boat captain! Our guides had a drone they would send out to take photos and video and to get a bird's eye view of the water and help the captain find any whales that might be out in the water. They spotted a humpback whale, and our boat captain began moving us over toward him. He got close to our boat and was having fun showing off in the water.






It was amazing!! The pictures that the drone took were available for purchase, and we bought them. I don't have any of those saved on my computer, i guess?? They were incredible shots, and you could see the whole whale, not just the tail flips and his back like we could see from the boat.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

After we were back on land, we drove down toward the beach and found a Mexican restaurant on the water and had brunch there before returning to Anaheim.

Part Two coming up!