Double the Anniversaries, Double the Fun! Jan 2013 PTR | TR HAS STARTED! 2/13

[Xclusive2WDW]

Hi Dani! I read your "TR" from last Jan and I just LOVED it!!! I am sooooo excited for you to be going back so soon. I don't really do PTR's but I will definitely be following along with your next TR. Enjoy the world

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for your trip coming up so soon!!!!!!!

 

[GatorMommy2007]

What is your countdown app called? I need that! I just realized we are in double digits! Only 99 more days for us! That sounds like FOREVER, but it's only March!

 

[danimaroo]

I have been MIA from your P.T.R. for a little while. I am all caught back up now. Loved the New York trip update......and I can't wait to hear about DisneyLand!

Oh it's all good, I'm glad you've caught up again and are back in action though!! Glad you're planning on following along with my Disneyland TR, too!!

I can't believe you're going so soon! That's just so exciting. I've been wanting to go to the Wishes Dessert Party forEVER! I bet that will be an awesome way to experience Wishes for the first time!

I KNOW! I just can't believe it. I really can't. I'm starting to just freak out but in a really good way!

And I'm super excited about the Dessert party! It sounds like a fantastic way to see the fireworks, and I'm just really excited for the whole thing in general.

Yay! Glad you updated, I cannot believe it's just 38 days and you just got back from DL! Savannah & I are at 56 today and I'm itching to get our Dessert Party ADR made, but they still haven't opened up February! There's some rumors of sometime in the next week or so, so I just keep obsessively checking to see if it opened.

Oh and I forgot you asked on my TR what editing software I was using. I use Nikon Capture NX2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, it's a million times more user friendly than Photoshop and cheaper as well. I only do 2 things with photoshop and those are burning and if I add text to anything, but other than that, NX2 does it all and MORE.

I know, it's so crazy we're this close, and like you said, we just got back from DL! Though it's weird, DL seems so far away now. I think because my work weeks have been really just jam-packed and stressful.. UGH.

I hope the Dessert party opens up for you soon! I would imagine it'll be in the next week or so! I just can't believe I was actually able to make a reservation online for it.

Super good to know on the photo editing program! I've just been using iPhoto on my Macbook Air because I don't have anything else at the moment, but I've asked for Lightroom 4 for Christmas, so hopefully I'll get it... and then have to teach myself how to use it, hahaha. If that fails though, I will definitely have to look into Nikon Capture NX2!!

Hi Dani! I read your "TR" from last Jan and I just LOVED it!!! I am sooooo excited for you to be going back so soon. I don't really do PTR's but I will definitely be following along with your next TR. Enjoy the world

Well hellooooo! I'm so glad you lived my TR from last January!! We had such a fun trip! I totally understand about the PTR thing, I don't really read a ton of them either, haha. I have way too many TRs to keep up with, plus now writing my TR for our Disneyland trip, it's just crazy!

Hope you pop in and say hello when I write my TR for our January trip! Thanks again for stopping by and saying hello!

Yay for your trip coming up so soon!!!!!!!

I KNOOOOW! I'm so excited.

What is your countdown app called? I need that! I just realized we are in double digits! Only 99 more days for us! That sounds like FOREVER, but it's only March!

My countdown app is called "Countdown". So original, right? I also used "Big Day Lite" for my Disneyland countdown, and that one is awesome, too!

Your trip will seriously be here before you know it; I remember being thrilled to switch to Beach Club Villas at the 7 month mark! Time flies!!

 

[danimaroo]

This is probably going to be a pretty quick update, mainly because I don't have a ton to update about, buuuuut still two awesomely awesome things!

Numero Uno.

So last week was a REALLY stressful week at work, and as a results, I was feeling pretty done with everything. I came home after an especially stressful day and checked the mail... and saw the most magical thing in the land.

MICKEY MAIL!!

Seriously, it could not have been delivered at a better time! I swear, Disney just KNOWS when I'm in need of a nice pickmeup, and this was definitely it. Seeing those yellow tags, and seeing Beach Club Villas... Oh, I just got so so excited thinking about it!

Numero dos.

I woke up this morning, looked at my phone and realized... In ONE MONTH, yes one month, we will be on our (mega-long but oh-so worth it) flight to Disney World!! ONE MONTH!

I just can't even comprehend it at this point. Time is seriously flying right now!

Other than that, I'm just trying to get through this week before I get to enjoy 5 days off from work, and then only work 2 1/2 days next week, and enjoy ANOTHER 4 days off. Then by the time I get back to work, we'll be 2 weeks away from Disney World.

I'm seriously beyond excited if you couldn't tell.

I'm sure I'll have another update soon; still working really hard on my Disneyland TR, as I'd love to have it completely done by the time we're off to Disney World!

 

[onelilspark]

Mickey Mail!

 

[MilitaryMouse]

Haven't read your entire PTR yet, but DH and I are also going in January, and I just wanted to say - your pictures are making me miss Seattle so much! I lived there for 20 years before moving to Charleston last year Anyways, I hardly ever see people from Seattle on DIS, so just wanted to say hi Okay, back to reading!

 

[marDgreen88]

I already saw this on twitter but I'm still VERY excited! Mickey mail is the best kind of mail!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for Mickey Mail!!!!

 

[Nermel9]

Yay Mickey Mail!!! Things have been really stressful for me too, and the thought of this February Disney trip is really helping get me through it all!

 

[danimaroo]

Mickey Mail!

It's amazing how Mickey Mail can just totally make your day!

Haven't read your entire PTR yet, but DH and I are also going in January, and I just wanted to say - your pictures are making me miss Seattle so much! I lived there for 20 years before moving to Charleston last year Anyways, I hardly ever see people from Seattle on DIS, so just wanted to say hi Okay, back to reading!

Oh awesome!! What dates will you be there?!

And oh man, Seattle really is a wonderful place! Did you live in the city or outside of the city? And I totally agree, you don't see a ton of people from Seattle on the DISboards, so I'm the same way and get super excited when I see Seattleites on the DIS!!

I already saw this on twitter but I'm still VERY excited! Mickey mail is the best kind of mail!

I KNOW! AHH it's just beyond exciting.

Yay for Mickey Mail!!!!

YAY INDEEDIE! By the way, I'm catching up on your TR right now!! So excited to hear all about your trip and the wedding planning!

Yay Mickey Mail!!! Things have been really stressful for me too, and the thought of this February Disney trip is really helping get me through it all!

It's amazing how Disney can really keep you going, especially when things get difficult! I am hoping that by the time our next trip is over, I can try to combat the post-Disney depression with planning for another trip to either Disneyland or WDW... but weeee'll seeee.

 

[danimaroo]

Totally not ignoring my PTR on purpose, but rather I have just been SO unbelievably busy! Plus, my Disneyland TR has kind of taken priority because there's obviously lots of updates happening, AND I was optimistically hoping I could have that TR completed by the time we leave for Disney World.

Weeeelll considering that 3 weeks from now (ignore my ticker, it's a day off because we changed our flights to a day earlier ) we'll be (hopefully) sleeping in our bed at BEACH CLUB VILLAS, getting rest for our first day in the parks... I had to update!

Guys, I really can't believe we are only 3 weeks away. I totally knew it'd sneak up very quickly but this is just absurd. And in turn, I'm starting to get into Disney planning mode! I've printed off our epic checklist for packing, and I just ordered us pins to trade during our trip!

I am going to try to dig out my little countdown I made for last year's trip so I can start enjoying the countdown again... and before I know it, we'll be on our way!

We had a fantastic Christmas, and I was totally spoiled. I am lucky enough to be able to work from home tomorrow, and then have 4 days off from work, so I'm hoping to do lots of catching up on the DIS and really get into that Disney spirit even more!

I'll update again soon, I promise, and hopefully I can get my DL TR completely done before our trip (though I'm not holding my breath, hahaha).

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Three weeks!!! I'm excited for you...and myself, b/c the sooner you go, the sooner I go!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for your trip coming up SO soon!!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

You can do it! Finish that thing! Hahha just kidding, I could never. There is just way too much to get done before a Disney trip WITHOUT doing a trip report on top of it!

I can't believe your trip is so soon! Omg, and I just remembered that yall had friends coming along! Are they excited???

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Wow... your Christmas tree is gorgeous...

Is that an ornament from the Clock Cleaners I see? (love, love those 30s shorts with Mickey, Donald & Goofy) like Hawaiian Holiday and Lonesome Ghosts)...

Did you get that new or was it in your family?

 

[ag98]

Guys, I really can't believe we are only 3 weeks away. I totally knew it'd sneak up very quickly but this is just absurd. And in turn, I'm starting to get into Disney planning mode! I've printed off our epic checklist for packing, and I just ordered us pins to trade during our trip!

So, Dani, where did you order your pins to trade from? We are thinking of trying pin trading on our upcoming trip with our DD7. Thanks for any tips!

 

[MilitaryMouse]

Oh awesome!! What dates will you be there?!

And oh man, Seattle really is a wonderful place! Did you live in the city or outside of the city? And I totally agree, you don't see a ton of people from Seattle on the DISboards, so I'm the same way and get super excited when I see Seattleites on the DIS!!

We'll be there January 4th - 14th. I lived in Bellevue, then the U-District during college, then worked in downtown Seattle. We actually just found out that DH is being re-stationed and we're moving back to Seattle! YAY! Anyways, your trip is coming up soon! Have so much fun!!

 

[danimaroo]

Three weeks!!! I'm excited for you...and myself, b/c the sooner you go, the sooner I go!

WE'RE UNDER 2 WEEKS NOW! YAYAYAY! And yes, the sooner I get there, the sooner you do!

Yay for your trip coming up SO soon!!!!

I can't wait! And also can't believe it's almost here! EEEE!

You can do it! Finish that thing! Hahha just kidding, I could never. There is just way too much to get done before a Disney trip WITHOUT doing a trip report on top of it!

I can't believe your trip is so soon! Omg, and I just remembered that yall had friends coming along! Are they excited???

Hahaha, it's not happening. Even though I've recently pushed out updates every 2 days or so, there is just no way! So much to still cover and I'm not even through the 2nd day of our trip. Heck, I think it might still only be like just reaching noon at this point on day 2, hahaha. Oh well, guess I'll be doing a LOT of updating when we get back from our trip!

I know, it doesn't feel real. Well, it's feeling MORE real now than it did before, but still! I have this weird mixture of super excitement but also anxiety because there's so much to get done before we go!

Our friends are getting more excited! I think it's hard because Amy's never been to Disney World and Bruce hasn't been in a VERY long time, so in turn, they probably just think Matt and I are nuts for our excitement... Like I know when we booked our honeymoon, we were excited but not to the level we get now... Just because prior to that trip, I hadn't been in like 14 years, and Matt hadn't been since he was in college, so it was different.

Wow... your Christmas tree is gorgeous...

Is that an ornament from the Clock Cleaners I see? (love, love those 30s shorts with Mickey, Donald & Goofy) like Hawaiian Holiday and Lonesome Ghosts)...

Did you get that new or was it in your family?

Thank you very much! We take pride in all of our ornaments that we put on that tree every year.

That is a Clock Cleaners ornament! You turn the little clock handle and it plays the music! We have some awesome framed posters of the old Disney shorts upstairs on display in our house.

We got that one last year at Hallmark, actually!

So, Dani, where did you order your pins to trade from? We are thinking of trying pin trading on our upcoming trip with our DD7. Thanks for any tips!

I bought them off of eBay from a seller with good feedback... Though now I'm looking through and I think a few might be fake/scrappers. Wompwomp. I'll just make sure not to trade them in the parks! It's funny because when it comes to trading now, I don't even worry about getting fakes because there are so many out there now... That is why I trade pins that I either don't mind getting rid of or got a good deal on. I figure if I like the way it looks, enjoyed my time trading, and made someone else happy, then I'm happy, too, regardless of it being real or a scrapper.

The one thing I'd advise is to not trade any of the "rack" pins you get in the parks; those are expensive and the likelihood of you getting a scrapper is pretty high when trading nowadays..

We'll be there January 4th - 14th. I lived in Bellevue, then the U-District during college, then worked in downtown Seattle. We actually just found out that DH is being re-stationed and we're moving back to Seattle! YAY! Anyways, your trip is coming up soon! Have so much fun!!

Aw, we'll just miss you by a few days! AND you're there now! I hope you are having a wonderful time!

That is really funny you lived in Bellevue and the U-District! I went to UW actually, though while I went there I lived over in Wallingford, but spent a lot of time in the U-District. I actually worked as a barista in that area for 4 1/2 years! Now I work in downtown Seattle, so we definitely have a lot in common with places we've been, haha.

That is so exciting about moving back to Seattle! When will you be coming back?

 

[danimaroo]

Hi everybody! Back with another update, because I can't totally ignore this PTR even though my time is super limited between my TR and then getting ready for our trip, AH!

Speaking of our trip, I put back up our old countdown that we used for last year's trip! I totally colored them all in and saved the countdown, so of course for our 15 day countdown, I had to re-use it.

We are actually now on 13 days! UNDER 2 WEEKS. Holy canoli.

So! With us being so close to our trip, we're starting to buy all of the fun items we need to the trip. I actually printed off a handy massive list from a site which I think I used last year, to remind me of everything we need to buy for our trip.

I always forget something random but mega useful, so hopefully this year will be the year I remember EVERYTHING. I want to make sure I am super covered when it comes to foot care/body care, because I don't want to be in pain during our trip.

Speaking of which, Matt and I bought new sneakers for our trip! We both bought New Balance, because we have had good success with them before. We've been wearing our shoes a lot to make sure they're broken in for our trip.

I wanted another pair of sandals/breathable shoes, and I did a lot of research on this... And as much as I am NOT a Croc person, I decided to give in and buy a pair. I've heard of SO many people insisting they're great shoes for Disney for various reasons... I'm a huge sneaker/shoe snob, but I want to make sure my feet are happy while in Disney World, so I bought a pair.

Obviously I would go with Lime Green. I have to admit, I tried them on and wore them around the house and they really are comfortable.

Plus, I wear ridiculous things while in Disney anyway, so who cares?

Our plan for this weekend is to shop for everything we need for our trip, the usual stuff. I actually just picked up 6 new pairs of socks and an Adidas string pull bag last week at Ross for our trip. I always buy new socks because I go to Disney World with no less than like, 12 pairs of socks.

It might sound ridiculous since we can do our laundry for free since we're staying at a DVC villa, but I go through socks during our trips like you wouldn't believe.

I figured it'd be nice to have a string-pull bag for when I don't want to lug around the big backpack around the parks. Plus, I got it for $4.00, so you can't beat that!

Bruce and Amy are starting to get excited for the trip, as well! It'll be really fun to go with them and see what they think of everything!

I'm also hoping for a few DIS/Instagram meets while we're there. I'll let you guys know what happens on that front in my Trip Report though. Who knows, I might end up having unexpected run-ins with DISers like I did last trip (and I totally felt like a celebrity, hahaha).

That's about it from me for now! I should probably do some work, even though it's Friday and I don't feel like it.

Can't wait to update you guys again here soon as we approach our date!