Episode MMXIV: We Don't Say Goodbye, We Say Kwahirini (updated 2/28)

[khaleesi]

Day Three, Part Three​

This is how I'm feeling today:

I had to have an MRI done this morning, which means needles. I wound up taking the day off because I wasn't sure I'd feel afterwards and I'm glad that's the decision I made. Tomorrow I get more needles. So yep, a blanket fort sounds pretty cozy right about now! In lieu of that, I figured I'd talk Disney.

So... on with the show!!!

After eating that delicious cupcake, I had an M&G that I really, really wanted to partake of. Remember my little nephew whose favorite Disney character is Batman and whose favorite Disney ride is the Scooby Doo ride at Six Flags? Ha. Welllll.... for Halloween this past year, he dressed up as this guy:

Hi Jake!!! He was very enthusiastic and wanted to know who Benny was. And when Benny saw the picture, his response to my sister was "I want to go to Disney and meet Jake!" So, I'd say I done good

Jake was a necessity. Sophia on the other hand, was a really big wish for me. Unfortunately, the long to meet her was obnoxious. Not Anna and Elsa obnoxious, but probably the longest line I saw for any other character in all four days I was there. So this was the best I could do:

I think the backgrounds for both of them are so cute! On a totally inappropriate note, I can't bring myself to actually call her Princess Sophia because of a little movie called "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days".

It was getting close to a FP+ time that I'm not convinced I really needed. But I felt like taking a stroll, so I decided to drop by (ha!) Tower of Terror. As I walking, there was a Photopass photographer out and I decided to get myself a picture in from of the Hollywood Hotel. Because I'm a celebrity and all I DID get those pictures.. BUT after she was done taking those with her camera and mine, she posed me for a magic shot!!! I was so excited!! I was really hoping to get one... even though I had NO idea what it was going to be until I got home and actually looked at it. Obviously, I knew I'd be holding something in my hand but I couldn't for the life of me guess what it was going to be.

YAY:

AND I think you should be able to see my shirt better in that picture. I cannot wait to wear it for Star Wars night at the ballpark in June!

Because I used the FP line, I didn't get to see any of the fun stuff. I really need to remember that because I think it's one of the best queues in all of the World. But, I did snap this picture. I hate elevators. Can't believe I actually got in that death trap

I was in the front row and I really think I could have gotten a fairly decent picture of the ghost family, but my camera was securely stowed at that point.

WHEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't believe I ever passed up the opportunity to ride this!

Since I don't do roller coasters, I wound up walking back over the Animation Courtyard. And got to meet some pretty cool peeps:

Again, I loved the background! So fun!!!!

After chatting with Ralph and Vanellope, it was time to do something that I considered an absolute-no-matter-what-else-happens must do.

Drum roll.

WOOHOO!!!!!!!! I was SO excited to be doing this!! I arrived right after a class had started, so I had to wait for a little while. But eventually it was time to go in and I got a nice seat close to the front.

We were polled on who we wanted to draw and I was a little crabby because at first it seemed like the overwhelming majority wanted Stitch. I'm not really a fan. But then a couple little girls piped up with Minnie Mouse, so we wound up taking a vote and enough little girls were in the class to outnumber the boys who wanted Stitch. I did feel kinda bad for the boys... but I was happy.

Before we got started, our instructor very randomly asked if anyone's birthday was in December. A couple people raised their hands and then she asked if anyone's birthday was December 5th. Nobody in class that day shared their birthday with my hero. I guess maybe she asks everyone? I mean, I was glad she was acknowledging when his birthday was... just seemed a little odd to be doing it at the end of February. LOL.

Soooooo... here is what I walked out of class with:

She wound up getting really wrinkled, which made me crabby. But a couple nights under some heavy books fixed that.

Here is what she looked like after I cleaned her up a bit:

And this is what she looks like now, framed and hanging above my TV:

I could NOT be happier with the way this turned out!! Best souvenir ever, and I am cannot wait to go back so I can do that again... even if it does turn out to be Stitch!!!!

Have a happy Friday everyone!!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hope things are a little better in you blanket fort - everyone has a day like that every now and again. Hope the MRI only shows good things

Glad you got the cute magic shot and "yeah" for loving Tower of Terror (though that is a good point about how the FP+ results in skipping the queue there


Great job with Minnie!

 

[teekathepony]

I'm a bit behind, so here are my thoughts on the second last update, now I'm reading the latest one.

Is it irrational that this makes me giddy???? Not only did he respond to my tweet (and retweeted it), but he did it in EPIC fashion!!!

That is so cool!! Not irrational at all!

I gotta say, I love math but RNs make me twitchy

I'm completely the opposite! I hate math, but I took Latin in high school and loved it, even the Roman numerals.

Love The Muppets! I found the key for the first time last year and the mat is right in the door when you enter the attraction, on the right hand side. It looks like a ticket booth!

I admit to never being much of a Poppins fan either, but same thing after seeing Saving Mr Banks, totally different. Now I feel all nostalgic about her!

And being in the front of the vehicle makes it painful to even watch.

Agreed! I just stopped watching.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Lots of great character meets there Sue. Plus that magic shot is adorable. Cute little Chip.

Oh Lord, now it all makes sense. Nobody in Disney was acknowledging Walt's birthday on the 5th because apparently they celebrate in February for some reason. Whatever, I'll take it.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love the Magic Shot with Chip! It's sort of a leap of faith isn't it? When they ask you to hold out your hand and you have no idea exactly what they will photoshop in there.

Yay for Tower of Terror! My favorite ride in all of WDW!

 

[MidnightParade]

Yay! for ToT It scares the bejeezus out of me but I so love the atmosphere and queue!

Love the magic shot with Chip and meeting Ralph and Vanellope! Thats a great Minnie! The Academy is pretty awesome I think!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I say you absolutely get to hide in a blanket fort. And I say you don't have to come out.

Nice to see your shirt!

I love the WHOLE TOT line, even the snaking part outside. I bailed on it my last day though; it was pouring rain and the line was pretty long and I didn't want to get even more soaked than I was.

I don't ride RNRC myself because I don't like how restrictive the restraints are. I'll ride when we go to WDW in October because my mom likes the ride, but I won't ride it when I'm solo!

Nice Minnie! I keep wanting to do the animation academy but I never do.

 

[Tracy161]

Sorry to hear you had back to back days of needles... But I'm glad that you used Disney as a distraction. I find that no matter what I'm going through in life Disney is always there to comfort me and keep my mind on something wonderful!

Awwwww! Your pic with Chip is SO adorable!!!

Great Minnie Mouse! It's honestly been a number of years since I last did an Animation Academy class... I must fix that as they are so much fun and, like you said, such a great souvenir!

 

[teekathepony]

Only took me three days to get back for your latest post, but now I'm caught up. Sorry!
My husband and I build blanket forts all the time so needless to say, I'm very pro blanket fort. Also I don't blame you in the least for wanting to hide in a blanket fort. I hope your needles and tests are over with for the time being now.
Cute pic with Jake for your nephew!

On a totally inappropriate note, I can't bring myself to actually call her Princess Sophia because of a little movie called "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days".

LOVE the magic shot!! Adorable! I've always wanted that one, but I keep getting Tinkerbell. With a name like Wendy, give me one good reason why I should be a Tink fan!!

I love the animation academy, your Minni Mouse is adorable!

 

[khaleesi]

Hope things are a little better in you blanket fort - everyone has a day like that every now and again. Hope the MRI only shows good things

Glad you got the cute magic shot and "yeah" for loving Tower of Terror (though that is a good point about how the FP+ results in skipping the queue there


Great job with Minnie!

Thanks!! The thing with the MRI is... I don't want to know the results! I feel great... and if the results are bad, it's not like there's really anything they can do about it anyway. So, I personally think there are some things we're better off not knowing.

I was so excited about that magic shot! And really happy with how Minnie turned out!!!!

I'm a bit behind, so here are my thoughts on the second last update, now I'm reading the latest one.




That is so cool!! Not irrational at all!



I'm completely the opposite! I hate math, but I took Latin in high school and loved it, even the Roman numerals.

Love The Muppets! I found the key for the first time last year and the mat is right in the door when you enter the attraction, on the right hand side. It looks like a ticket booth!

I admit to never being much of a Poppins fan either, but same thing after seeing Saving Mr Banks, totally different. Now I feel all nostalgic about her!



Agreed! I just stopped watching.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I think it may have been your trip report that made me realize where that key was after wandering around like a tourist. Haha. I WILL get a picture next time!

Lots of great character meets there Sue. Plus that magic shot is adorable. Cute little Chip.

Oh Lord, now it all makes sense. Nobody in Disney was acknowledging Walt's birthday on the 5th because apparently they celebrate in February for some reason. Whatever, I'll take it.

The character meets are probably my favorite thing! I get sad when I see people post that they don't have kids so they don't see any point in doing them. I've ALWAYS done them!! But this is the first time I've allowed myself to be in the pictures and I'm so glad I did it!!!

Yeah, the birthday thing was SO weird. Not necessarily bad. Just random.

Love the Magic Shot with Chip! It's sort of a leap of faith isn't it? When they ask you to hold out your hand and you have no idea exactly what they will photoshop in there.

Yay for Tower of Terror! My favorite ride in all of WDW!

Haha... I honestly had absolutely NO idea what I was going to see in my hand. After I got home and saw it, it made sense since the Beauty and the Beast show was right there... but at the time I was clueless.

I avoided ToT for SO long. Silly girl.

Yay! for ToT It scares the bejeezus out of me but I so love the atmosphere and queue!

Love the magic shot with Chip and meeting Ralph and Vanellope! Thats a great Minnie! The Academy is pretty awesome I think!

I laugh like an idiot on ToT! There is no way I could compose myself enough to get some of the great planned ride photos that other people do because I'm so busy laughing!

Thanks!! I love the way she turned out!!! Can't wait to do it again!

I say you absolutely get to hide in a blanket fort. And I say you don't have to come out.

Nice to see your shirt!

I love the WHOLE TOT line, even the snaking part outside. I bailed on it my last day though; it was pouring rain and the line was pretty long and I didn't want to get even more soaked than I was.

I don't ride RNRC myself because I don't like how restrictive the restraints are. I'll ride when we go to WDW in October because my mom likes the ride, but I won't ride it when I'm solo!

Nice Minnie! I keep wanting to do the animation academy but I never do.

Hehe, thanks!! I did wind up venturing outside... some nice Vitamin N(ature) made me feel better. And I may have had a mini Disney movie marathon going on as well!

I'm so happy with the shirt!!!

You should definitely fit in the Animation Academy!! Aside from riding the updated Star Tours, that was #1 on my list of things that I absolutely HAD to do.

Sorry to hear you had back to back days of needles... But I'm glad that you used Disney as a distraction. I find that no matter what I'm going through in life Disney is always there to comfort me and keep my mind on something wonderful!

Awwwww! Your pic with Chip is SO adorable!!!

Great Minnie Mouse! It's honestly been a number of years since I last did an Animation Academy class... I must fix that as they are so much fun and, like you said, such a great souvenir!

Thanks!!!! I found some great YouTube videos that play the music loops from all the parks that make me so happy to listen to. So glad this board exists... because most people I know can't make the connection with Disney and happiness. LOL.

Oh yes, definitely do the animation class again!!!

Only took me three days to get back for your latest post, but now I'm caught up. Sorry!
My husband and I build blanket forts all the time so needless to say, I'm very pro blanket fort. Also I don't blame you in the least for wanting to hide in a blanket fort. I hope your needles and tests are over with for the time being now.
Cute pic with Jake for your nephew!





LOVE the magic shot!! Adorable! I've always wanted that one, but I keep getting Tinkerbell. With a name like Wendy, give me one good reason why I should be a Tink fan!!

I love the animation academy, your Minni Mouse is adorable!

Thank you!!! My cat wound up snuggling up with me. Hehe. I should be needle-free for another three weeks. Hopefully at my next appointment they'll put an end to the monthly steroids, so that's what I've got my fingers crossed for!

My nephew loves him, so I'm so glad I was able to get that picture (since Batman was obviously not an option. )

Funny about Tinkerbell. She's so popular and kind of an icon, but I think she's a mean little brat! Growing up, I never liked her. So I totally get what you're saying!!

 

[khaleesi]

Day Three, Part Four​

After animation class was over, I wandered around the building for a little while, taking in all the scenery.

I love these displays... and want my walls to be decorated like this!

I just happened to be in The World the week before the Oscars. And Oscar Sunday is one of my favorite days of the whole year! For about ten years now, I have made it a point to watch all of the Best Picture nominees before the show starts. This isn't always easy since most of them wind up being released in December. Oy. So even though I've seen them before, it was really cool to see the display of some of Walt's Oscars. He has quite a few of them... the most ever! And that's a record that I expect will never be broken. This was for 'Fantasia' and I believe it was an honorary Oscar.

I also wandered around the gift shop for a while, wishing I had an unlimited supply of cash. Some of the artwork in there is incredible! Not sure why I didn't take any picture though. Hmmm.

It was getting close to Tea Time, which is a completely different animal than the ever-popular tee time. My version is a lot less stressful. Haha. What's that quote about a good walk spoiled? LOL. As I was headed to the busses, there was a photopass photographer taking pictures in front of the hat, so I stopped for some poses. At this point, I was really starting to get used to this!

I love the frames! And look at how well I managed color-coordinate! Haha.

The bus for the Grand Floridian had literally just pulled away when I got to the stop, but I had given myself plenty of time so it was either wait at the bus stop or wait in the hotel. No biggie. I just called my mommy and chatted with her for a couple minutes while I waited. I wound up having a whole bus to myself, which was cool. I was like a celebrity! Because we all know they ride busses.

So, here's the thing about the Grand Floridian. I love the outside of it. Should have taken some pictures. But even though it's a Disney hotel and everyone is wearing their outside summer casual apparel, the inside makes me uncomfortable. It's way too fancy for me and I just feel so out of place. I didn't have too much time to overthink it though because my table was ready fairly quickly.

My server was Raechel and she was really nice. I perused the tea selections for a while and kept going back and forth on two of them. Ultimately, I chose the Eros blend which is described as thus:
"This medium-bodied Ceylon combines sweet Mandarin oranges with warm vanilla for a sweet and creamy finish."

(I hate the word "creamy" and just typing it out kind of skeeves me out a little. I'm so weird.)

It wound up being an excellent choice!! I came home and searched high and low for something similar and couldn't find anything. Ultimately, I wound up going to a local company that custom blends teas and was able to make my own fairly reasonable facsimile! Yay for tea!!!

Oh how I love these teapots!

My only problem was the sugar cubes... a whole one was way too much for a little cup of tea, so I kind of struggled a bit breaking them in half.

I wound up getting the Buckingham Tea selection which had three courses in addition to the tea itself:
1. An assortment of tea sandwiches
2. Scone and jam tart with accompanying deliciousness (my description, not theirs!)
3. Dessert -- the option of strawberries and cream, a seasonal trifle, or two homemade "pastries"

First up... the tea sandwiches. I subbed out the salmon for the pear and gorgonzola, which is what I did last time too. And as I was eating, I remembered that the pear and gorgonzola was NOT my favorite out of the bunch even though it sounds to me like it should be.

From left to right:
The two pear and gorgonzola
Sweet chicken salad
Egg salad
Cucumber and watercress... THIS one was my favorite. Yummy!!!

On the bottom is an onion tart, which I absolutely loved. I could have eaten ten of these!

The view from my table:

Rough life.

The second course was the jam tart and a raisin scone. Both were delicious. They came with lemon curd, Devonshire cream, and strawberry preserves. The lemon curd was SO GOOD. And I'm a huge fan of Devonshire cream. I actually have a recipe for it that I should make some day.

As I was waiting for my third course, Raechel popped over to see how I was doing. She noticed that I was reading the 'Hidden Mickey' guidebook my sister had lent me. We chatted about that for a couple minutes... she said she was really into and asked me how many I had found. Yeah. Ummm. None! Oopsies!! I had kind of forgotten about it, so I planned on devoting some time to it later that day.

Now I had to decide what I wanted for dessert. I passed on the strawberries and cream, but was debating back and forth between the pastries and the English trifle, which at the time was something bananas foster related. I was *thisclose* to picking the trifle but for some reason decided to go with the pastries instead.

I chose a white chocolate covered strawferry and a pastry swan with pineapple mousse. The mousse and pastry were so so good!!!! And that strawberry!! No yucky white insides like the ones we had here at the time. Sweet, juicy, yumminess!!!

I was a happy girl at this point. This is the second time I've done afternoon tea, and I plan on doing it again every time I come back.

As I was walking out, I wound up walking behind a wedding party! Ohhhh yes, there's that fanciness again. LOL. So awkward for me. I doubt they even knew I was there!

The bus stop at the GF confused me at first. There is one only stop with a video board that tells you when each bus will get there! The CM manning the bus stop was Melanie. She was on the DCP from BYU. She asked me where I was headed and I said "Hollywood Studios". She took a look at my shirt and very enthusiastically said "Oh course you are!!" Hehe. We had an awesome conversation about Star Wars! She even liked the prequels, just like I did! She explained that her dad was a huge fan and her and her brother kind of grew up with it. And much to her dad's consternation, her brother's first word was... wait for it... "Jar Jar".

When the bus pulled up, we exchanged a "May the Force be with you" and I was on my merry way!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow, watching all of the nominees for best picture is no small feat especially since they expanded the field in the past few years!

Thanks for the pictures and overview of the afternoon tea at GF! I've been wondering about it and whether DD would enjoy it. Now I'm thinking yes!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Well done on the colour coordinating frame photo Sue. It even matches the hat.

I used to feel that way about the G-Flo too. But I got over it. It's Disney.

 

[MidnightParade]

Yay tea time! I've been hearing very nice things about it and now I think your pictures are selling it. Definitely something to put on the list for the next trip! I love scones with cream and jam!!

 

[Tracy161]

Oh my gosh! on watching all the Oscar nominees prior to the big day... I love that you do that!!! And for Walt's Oscars.

Oh, yeah, I hear ya on wanting unlimited cash at Disney... my home would look like World of Disney if I had that though

Haha on tea v. tee time! I'll take tea time any day! I can totally relate to your thoughts on G-Flo, it's beautiful but a bit uncomfortably fancy for me. Your afternoon tea looked amazing! I recently got back from visiting my younger sister who lives in England and we went for afternoon tea at Betty's in York. Oh my goodness, it was amazing and very, very similar to your tea at G-Flo. Wow! I've met a fellow word-creamy-hater! ugh, why does that word exist!? It's nearly as bad as moist, hahaha. Although I suppose I make exception to hating the word moist when it adequately describes the way cake should be... I do love me my sweets.

I always have my Hidden Mickey book with me in the parks; as a solo traveler myself, I like having it as a fall back when dining alone, but I find I often forget I even have it most of the time!

Really enjoying the TR and looking forward to more!!!

 

[librarygeek]

I'm sorry to hear about your sister and her family not moving back to your area. That must be so disappointing My parents are planning to move out near me within the next few years and I know if they ended up not coming I would be pretty crushed.

But how cool that you got to see Beauty and the Beast! I saw it on Broadway long ago - I was quite young and I really don't remember much of it, so I'd love to see it again. And that Cogsworth rocks! His reply to you and the fact that he posts clocks in every city is just too neat!

I love the Muppets and I'm so glad they're making a comeback! I think others answered it for you, but the key is actually before the holding area. When you first walk indoors it's immediately to your right.

You got some good pictures of the Great Movie Ride - the Alien one is really good but super creepy too!

I could definitely go for a cupcake right now!

Great drawing of Minnie. I love the Animation Academy. Even though I'm normally a terrible artist, somehow they help me make something that looks decent!

I loved the afternoon tea when I did it. I'm really hoping to do it again when I go back in October. I'm meeting up with friends for that trip, and they have tea reservations for about 2 hours after my flight is supposed to land. So my fingers are crossed that we don't hit any delays or anything so I can get there in time!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

your tea sounds really nice - little bit of a respite from what can be a bit hectic at times at Disney

I hear you about the GF - it is juts a bit odd with like wedding parties and people dressed up for V&A ... and then others in swimsuits and super casual wear. Definitely one of those "nice place to visit but don't think I would pick to stay there" places

Very cool about having that conversation with the CM at the GF bus stop. Must admit I am not a huge fan of the prequels though I do like the third one quite a bit. Actually, I think if they just took the best parts from each of the three you could make one really awesome movie

 

[khaleesi]

Wow, watching all of the nominees for best picture is no small feat especially since they expanded the field in the past few years!

Thanks for the pictures and overview of the afternoon tea at GF! I've been wondering about it and whether DD would enjoy it. Now I'm thinking yes!

It's fun!! Everyone know I do it and will ask me how many more I need to watch. It helps that we have a second-run theater in town so between DVDs, the regular theater, and the second-run I can usually do it.

I think she would enjoy it! And they do offer children's options (including peanut butter and jelly!)

Well done on the colour coordinating frame photo Sue. It even matches the hat.

I used to feel that way about the G-Flo too. But I got over it. It's Disney.

It's about to match something else, too. *giggle*

IDK... it reminds me of nightmares from my teenage years. It's like I went to prom without a date, wearing jeans and a tshirt.

Yay tea time! I've been hearing very nice things about it and now I think your pictures are selling it. Definitely something to put on the list for the next trip! I love scones with cream and jam!!

It's a lot of fun!!! You should definitely do it if you have the time to fit it in.

Oh my gosh! on watching all the Oscar nominees prior to the big day... I love that you do that!!! And for Walt's Oscars.

Oh, yeah, I hear ya on wanting unlimited cash at Disney... my home would look like World of Disney if I had that though

Haha on tea v. tee time! I'll take tea time any day! I can totally relate to your thoughts on G-Flo, it's beautiful but a bit uncomfortably fancy for me. Your afternoon tea looked amazing! I recently got back from visiting my younger sister who lives in England and we went for afternoon tea at Betty's in York. Oh my goodness, it was amazing and very, very similar to your tea at G-Flo. Wow! I've met a fellow word-creamy-hater! ugh, why does that word exist!? It's nearly as bad as moist, hahaha. Although I suppose I make exception to hating the word moist when it adequately describes the way cake should be... I do love me my sweets.

I always have my Hidden Mickey book with me in the parks; as a solo traveler myself, I like having it as a fall back when dining alone, but I find I often forget I even have it most of the time!

Really enjoying the TR and looking forward to more!!!

Hehe, thanks! I don't remember when and why I started watching them all, but now it's my tradition! The worst part is when I sit there after watching a movie and wondering... Really?? This one? You couldn't find anything better? Hahaha.

Afternoon tea in England sounds AMAZING. Except for the whole "getting to England" part. LOL.

I recently read that "moist" is the most hated word in the English language. Hilarious. Definitely a first-world problem there.

Thanks!!! I'm taking my time with it because I don't want it to end!

I'm sorry to hear about your sister and her family not moving back to your area. That must be so disappointing My parents are planning to move out near me within the next few years and I know if they ended up not coming I would be pretty crushed.

But how cool that you got to see Beauty and the Beast! I saw it on Broadway long ago - I was quite young and I really don't remember much of it, so I'd love to see it again. And that Cogsworth rocks! His reply to you and the fact that he posts clocks in every city is just too neat!

I love the Muppets and I'm so glad they're making a comeback! I think others answered it for you, but the key is actually before the holding area. When you first walk indoors it's immediately to your right.

You got some good pictures of the Great Movie Ride - the Alien one is really good but super creepy too!

I could definitely go for a cupcake right now!

Great drawing of Minnie. I love the Animation Academy. Even though I'm normally a terrible artist, somehow they help me make something that looks decent!

I loved the afternoon tea when I did it. I'm really hoping to do it again when I go back in October. I'm meeting up with friends for that trip, and they have tea reservations for about 2 hours after my flight is supposed to land. So my fingers are crossed that we don't hit any delays or anything so I can get there in time!

Thanks... it's hard! I miss them terribly. But I like to remind myself that I'm lucky that I have a family worth missing instead of one that drives me crazy that I wish would go away.

Beauty and the Beast was so much fun!!! We had a blast. I was totally giddy over the tweet!

For having a cheap little point-and-shoot camera, I'm pretty happy with the way most of my pictures turned out. I would love to upgrade at some point.

Good luck with tea!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!

your tea sounds really nice - little bit of a respite from what can be a bit hectic at times at Disney

I hear you about the GF - it is juts a bit odd with like wedding parties and people dressed up for V&A ... and then others in swimsuits and super casual wear. Definitely one of those "nice place to visit but don't think I would pick to stay there" places

Very cool about having that conversation with the CM at the GF bus stop. Must admit I am not a huge fan of the prequels though I do like the third one quite a bit. Actually, I think if they just took the best parts from each of the three you could make one really awesome movie

Definitely a nice break... out of the heat, out of the crowds.

Yeah, even if I could afford to stay there I don't think I ever would. Definitely not my style!!

That conversation was awesome! I love finding people who understand my geekiness. Revenge of the Sith is one of my favorites out of both trilogies. I'm looking forward to the new one but a little apprehensive as well. I still firmly believe that SW in movie form was meant to be the story of Anakin/Darth Vader. So it'll be interesting. But I will be there with bells on!

 

[khaleesi]

Day Three, Part Five​

When I got back into the park, I headed straight for the attraction that I think should be a requirement of anyone entering the gates of DHS.

One Man's Dream

Before I walked through though, the CM standing outside noticed my button and asked about it. So we chatted about that for a couple minutes. It's weird, because I usually hate talking about myself. And I don't like to talking to people I don't know. I tend to avoid it at all costs. I'm the person who hate it when I call a phone number and can't just push buttons to get my answers. When an actual person answers, I get all flustered. So awkward. But... this all perfectly normal. And when someone you don't know tells you, "well I'm really glad you're here" with the utmost sincerity, it makes me want to just at anyone who doesn't understand the Disney obsession. Anyway.

Then I just got lost in the awesomeness that is Walter Elias Disney.

I guess I don't have to try to explain to anyone reading this how it makes me feel. Which is a good thing, because I just can't put it into words. So I'll just post some pictures.

I would love a desk like that.

I wandered around in here for a REALLY long time, discovering things I don't remember seeing before. I'm so glad they included this in the park. I didn't stay for the movie, but I have seen it before. Mainly because I spent so much time looking at the displays that I was cutting it close to get to an M&G I really wanted to do.

There was already a pretty good line when I got there, but it wasn't terrible. And I'm really glad I stayed.

The displays cracked me up, especially this one with the UPC code right over Mike's face, just like in the movie:

It was finally my turn, and I gotta say the photopass photog at this M&G was the smartest one ever. He kept calling me "princess". Yes, I'm 42 years old and this absolutely made my day!

Princess

Why yes, I am. Thank you

And you'll notice that once again, my Kenobi-lightsaber-colored tshirt was a perfect match!

This wound up being one of my favorite M&Gs from the whole trip. These two were awesome, and the PP photog was really good too (not surprising, since he recognized my royal status right away ). Hugging Mike was a little awkward. Those arms! The PPP got a great picture of it, but I wasn't really that interested in shelling out the money for it so you'll have to take my word for it.

But let me just tell you about James P Sullivan. I got SO MANY KISSES. And you probably can't really tell in the picture, but he is hugging me SO tight. It's like he knew what I had been through to make it to this vacation and he was telling me that everything was okay and that I was safe. I think maybe he has my door and came into my room on one of the many nights I cried myself to sleep. And I know how absolutely ridiculous that sounds. But in that moment, that's exactly what it felt like.

And the only place I've shared that story is here. Because anywhere else, I know what the reaction would be!

When I first got back from my trip, I used this picture as my FB cover photo for a while... partly because it was such an awesome M&G. But also because of the way we're positioned, my profile picture totally covers Mike!! Just like in the movie!!!!!

But alas, nobody else picked up on that brilliant piece of awesomeness. *sigh*

On a relatively unrelated note... I'm sitting here wishing that Disney would make touring versions of their runDisney events.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Such a great meet and greet with Mikey and Sulley!

We've done this meet and greet a couple of times with the kids and each time I walk up to them I instantly notice that vast difference of "hugability" of the two characters. Sulley is obviously looks and feels like a giant teddy bear so the kids immediately gravitate towards him. Poor Mikey on the other hand looks so bony that it just feels like his arms would snap off like a tree branch if I even attempted a hug! We still love him though.