Ever, Ever After: The TR Formerly Known as Wishing You Were Here- May 2011

[Queenofallthings]

I know exactly how you felt about "just one more night"! It's always so tough to leave! The one year that we actually went for 3 weeks was perfect, I was actually ready to go home at the end of that, but this year was tough leaving...knowing we won't be back for 2 years

Great TR again Kate and we look forward to your next one

 

[amazingact21]

Sad to see your trip report is over, but happy that you're going back in a few weeks. Fall is such a wonderful season, and I can't wait to hear about you and your family's adventure at WDW during that time.

 

[DisneyMomma09]

It sounds like you had a great last evening! It is always so hard to try and enjoy those last minutes in the park while not trying to dwell on the fact that the trip is almost over. But look! Your TR has taken you all the way to your trip! (Just about!) Yippie!! I can't wait to hear how your trip in October goes!

 

[PirateKate]

I didn't want this TR to come to an end, but now you're so close to your October trip!!

Getting closer everyday! I think the October trip is going to be a lot of fun!

What a wonderful last night! I'm happy that you got to see Wishes while walking into Fantasyland- that is really magical!

I haven't taken Everett on the teacups yet, but if Carter and Landon did well and enjoyed it, I'll have to add that attraction to the list!

I am sorry this TR has to come to an end- but it is just in time for your next TR!

I thought seeing Wishes while we walked was a nice touch. I kind of miss those days when we could stake out the perfect spot an hour before the show, but the boys don't seem to enjoy sitting and doing nothing that much. Oh, well. It's fun to ride rides with the boys, since they enjoy it so much.

I was nervous about the teacups, but then the boys really loved it. I can't wait for them to go on it again. I'll even let Jeremy spin us a little. I bet Everett will like it, too.

The timing of this TR is actually going to work out perfectly! I didn't have to be sad about the trip ending because of the October trip and now I don't have to be sad about this TR ending, because I have another TR coming right up.

I am so sad your trip is over, but thankfully your next trip is right around the corner. I can't wait to hear all about your next trip now that Landon is walking. It should make things a bit easier.

Landon is going to have a ton of fun this trip! He'll be able to play so much better than last trip. And he won't even have to ask why he always has to ride in the stroller. Can't wait!!

2 weeks from today!!!

Ugh I feel so NOT organized! But I can't pack until the day before, the most I can do is organize like, our toiletries and everything, and I can't even do that now, because we still have to go shopping for them! Hopefully this weekend we will do that! I had to take the day before we leave off from work because that is packing and running around like a crazy person day, it's just unavoidable with me! But I'm really looking forward to it!

Two weeks from today now, we'll probably be at the Magic Kingdom, seeing what special things they have going on for the fortieth anniversary. I love being able to be there on that very day! I haven't started packing anything yet, but I have planned everyone's clothes and written a detailed packing list. Usually, I don't give any thought to most of that until two or three days before, so I feel like comparatively, I'm doing really well.

I've been away so long, it looks like the trip has ended. It definitely ended on a good note, and the place that I love ending every trip!

I cannot believe your October trip is in 13 days!!! Jeez, that means that my trip is 30 days from today!! I have so much to do!!

Love the halloween t-shirts, and the pictures of the boys! They have grown so much since the May trip. It also looks like Landon has gotten that walking thing down? Way to go, buddy! Madelyn still hasn't, not so much. She does take a few steps and then, plop, on her booty.

I hope you will start a TR for October!

The trip is almost over, but there's still a little bit of it left. I love ending a trip at MK. I briefly considered ending our next trip at AK, but Jeremy talked me out of it.

I think we're done to 12 days, now, so you all must be at 29! It's good to have a lot to do before a trip- that makes the time go by faster. I still have plenty to do, as well.

Thanks! The boys have grown up quite a bit since our last trip. I was looking at Carter today and he just looked completely like a kid and not at all like a baby. Landon can now walk with the best of them, when he's not busy running and he can talk surprisingly well for a 18 month old. Maybe Madelyn is waiting for your trip to start walking like a pro.

I definitely plan to start at TR for our October trip once we get back home and I recover from Post Disney Depression.

 

[PirateKate]

I cannot believe i got so far behind but i finally finished and looks like just in time for your next trip! I probably wont be back till so have a great time and I love your report as always!

I'm glad you managed to get caught up before the end! I think we're going to have a really great trip this time. There are so many things that I'm excited about and it seems that the boys get a little bit more fun every single day. Thanks!

Aw! I'm so sad it's over!!! But the timing is great with another trip 1.5 weeks away!!! I can't wait to see some Landon walking pictures!

Only 1.5 weeks away, that sounds great! Landon is going to love walking around the parks and it'll be really nice for him to be able to play without crawling.

I know exactly how you felt about "just one more night"! It's always so tough to leave! The one year that we actually went for 3 weeks was perfect, I was actually ready to go home at the end of that, but this year was tough leaving...knowing we won't be back for 2 years

Great TR again Kate and we look forward to your next one

We've never been lucky enough to go for 3 weeks, but I'd love to sometime to see if I still wanted just one more night. You all won't be going back for 2 years? That is sad. I'd have had a hard time leaving, too, knowing that. Although, I guess in two years, the expansion will be complete, so that'll be cool.

Thank you!

Sad to see your trip report is over, but happy that you're going back in a few weeks. Fall is such a wonderful season, and I can't wait to hear about you and your family's adventure at WDW during that time.

The trip report's not completely over yet. Finishing it up is on my to do list before our next trip. I have high hopes for fall at Disney, everything sounds like so much fun. The last few times I've gone have either been horribly hot or freezing cold. I'm hoping for something in the middle this time.

It sounds like you had a great last evening! It is always so hard to try and enjoy those last minutes in the park while not trying to dwell on the fact that the trip is almost over. But look! Your TR has taken you all the way to your trip! (Just about!) Yippie!! I can't wait to hear how your trip in October goes!

We did have a really great last evening. It ended too quickly, but we had a lot of fun. I think we succeeded in enjoying our last night, until the park closed. The time of this TR has worked out really well. I have high hopes for this trip. It should be great.

 

[PirateKate]

I eventually managed to tear myself away from the Castle.

The park was emptying out and being some of the last people left was amazing.

We started moseying down Main Street. All the shops were still open, and I intended to take full advantage of that.

We browsed through the Emporium and I pointed out all the things I wanted, but was unwilling to spend money on.

Landon almost managed to snag himself a stuffed Lotso, but we noticed he had it before leaving the store and made him give it up.

We crossed Main Street so I could stop by Uptown Jewelers and do one last Vinylmation trade. I waited around, while the CMs rang up expensive orders for other guests.

Uptown Jewelers always seems like an odd choice for a Vinylmation trading location.

Eventually, it was my turn and I asked for number 21. I decided to trade in my Cutester.

Number 21 turned out to be Waldorf!

Cool! Now I had a matching pair with Waldorf and Statler. I always think of Muppetvision when I see those guys.

I added Waldorf to my Vinylmation bag happily and we moved on to our last stop- the Confectionery.

It was time for our traditional last night fudge. I carefully studied all the different kinds in the display case. Everything looked good, but the one that stood out was Celebration fudge.

Jeremy picked out Vanilla Turtle fudge, which I thought was a good choice, since my Celebration fudge would certainly be the most magical and could not be upstaged by Jeremy's choice.

We waited, ordered, and paid for our fudge and left the the Confectionery, with lighter hearts, but a slightly heavier stroller from the big bag of fudge hanging from the handle bars.

It was late. It was time. We walked in front of the train station and stood there for a long wonderful, poignant moment. It was truly beautiful, seeing the Castle framed by the idyllic Main Street, with the lights twinkling in the dark.

At that moment, as sad as it was to leave, the thought mostly on my mind was how incredibly lucky we were, to have gotten to squeeze in an extra trip, no matter how short.

And then, as always, we knew it was time to go.

"Until next time."

"Until next time."

We turned and walked away.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

And next time is almost here!

 

[KatMark]

Kate, and your next visit is almost here. Mark loves the fudge from that shop. Glad you were able to get one more Vinylmation trade done before you left.

It was a wonderful trip...thanks for sharing with us. I can't wait to see the TR for the next one with how big the boys have gotten, and Landon walking.

 

[Queenofallthings]

I know I've said this to you before but I'm going to say it again....the way you write transports me right where you are talking about! You have a gift my girl....I would ready anything you write!! I cannot wait for your next trip and I am so excited that it's so close so I don't have to wait long...selfish, I know

 

[fi46re129]

Next time is almost here! I love, love, love the way you right it really makes me feel like I am right there!

 

[jc040404]

I was waiting for that fudge to show up! Love your endings.

 

[amandaw]

Perfect end to the perfect day!

And you managed to make me hungry one last time with all that yummy fudge talk! After reading this TR of yours, I plan on having a pen & paper by my side when I read your next TR so that I can write down all of the yummy snacks you talk about & where you got them from.

This was a great TR! Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us here. The boys are adorable & I can't wait to see how much fun they have on y'alls next trip!

Please let me know when you start your October TR. Wishing y'all a safe & magical vacation!

 

[PirateKate]

And next time is almost here!

Not much longer!

Kate, and your next visit is almost here. Mark loves the fudge from that shop. Glad you were able to get one more Vinylmation trade done before you left.

It was a wonderful trip...thanks for sharing with us. I can't wait to see the TR for the next one with how big the boys have gotten, and Landon walking.

We'll be back eating Confectionery fudge before we know it! It really is getting so close. Almost time to start packing! I can't wait to do some more Vinylmation trades this trip.

It really was a wonderful trip and I had the best time writing about it and remembering how much fun we had. I bet we'll have an even better time on our next trip, now that Landon can walk. It'll be interesting traveling with two walkers.

I know I've said this to you before but I'm going to say it again....the way you write transports me right where you are talking about! You have a gift my girl....I would ready anything you write!! I cannot wait for your next trip and I am so excited that it's so close so I don't have to wait long...selfish, I know

Thank you! I really love writing these trip reports and comments like yours are so nice to hear. I still can't believe how fast this trip is coming up! I can't wait for it to get here, either, and I'm sure my reasons are selfish as well. It's going to be a fun trip!

Next time is almost here! I love, love, love the way you right it really makes me feel like I am right there!

Thanks! I'm excited to have this trip coming right up. It's getting close to that really fun stage where it's close enough that there starts to be things I can do to get ready, yet not so close that I'm panicking and need more time to get ready.

I was waiting for that fudge to show up! Love your endings.

I love ending our trips with fudge. Somehow, I just can't feel too sad with Confectionery fudge. What would we have done if we'd ended at the Animal Kingdom this trip, as I briefly considered?

Perfect end to the perfect day!

And you managed to make me hungry one last time with all that yummy fudge talk! After reading this TR of yours, I plan on having a pen & paper by my side when I read your next TR so that I can write down all of the yummy snacks you talk about & where you got them from.

This was a great TR! Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us here. The boys are adorable & I can't wait to see how much fun they have on y'alls next trip!

Please let me know when you start your October TR. Wishing y'all a safe & magical vacation!

I love it when my Disney days end perfectly. Everything worked out really well that night.

Hunger is always a possible side effect from my TRs. I'm sure our next trip will be just as full of good snacks. I've got several ideas of new snacks to try, plus I'm sure the F&W Festival will offer great snacking opportunities.

Thank you! I had a great time writing this trip report. The boys and I had fun for a couple days on our own and then it got even more fun once Jeremy arrived. I, too, cannot wait to see how much fun the boys have this time. I've got so many ideas of things to do that they might enjoy, especially now that Landon can walk.

I will let you know when I start the new TR. Thanks for the magical and healthy wishes!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Yum, more fudge!

What a sweet way to end a vacation (sorry I couldn't resist!)

Its getting really close until your next trip! Are you packed yet?

 

[PirateKate]

Yum, more fudge!

What a sweet way to end a vacation (sorry I couldn't resist!)

Its getting really close until your next trip! Are you packed yet?

I love vacations with sweet endings! Can't wait to get back to the Confectionery.

Am I packed yet? No way! I'm doing great to have even made a packing list! Most trips, we wait until the night before to do any packing whatsoever and then we haul out our suitcases and toss in whatever seems useful while playing Disney music, staying up way too late and leaving the house in disarray from our packing efforts. I'm trying to improve this year. We'll see.

Are those tickers new? I'm behind on many TRs, hoping to catch up before my trip.

 

[PirateKate]

The next morning, the boys slept in until just before nine. Pure Disney magic.

Carter woke up asking for his light up ball. I found it for him and then we got ready as fast as we could, with the daunting task of packing up the room and loading the car hanging over our heads.

It's amazing how the addition of two little boys changes what used to be a fifteen minute job into a two hour ordeal.

Eventually, we worked out a fairly good system. I took Carter and Landon outside to play and left Jeremy inside to pack up all our stuff.

Watching the boys play was definitely the easier assignment that day.

Or so I thought. Landon took off, crawling as fast as he could, never looking back.

I told Carter and see if we could catch up with Landon and Carter gleefully ran over to where Landon was crawling. Landon said we sure know how to ruin his fun and wanted to know why he never gets any alone time.

I told him I wanted to know why I never get any alone time. Landon crawled off to play in the grass.

Jeremy carried some of our suitcases outside, which I thought was a good sign that we would be checked out by eleven.

We had just a few minutes left until eleven when we were finally ready to leave.

Jeremy got the boys safely in the car and turned on The Wiggles. He worked on loading the car, while I had a very important errand to run.

I walked to the Classic Hall. I decided to do the most important thing first- upgrade our Magic Your Way passes to Annual Passes. There was a small line for the Concierge desk, but I didn't mind waiting a bit. I was savoring the moment of becoming a Passholder again.

It was my turn and I stepped up to the counter with my heart racing, full of pure joy. I told the CM what I wanted to do and she seemed genuinely happy for me.

She asked if I had my next trip lined up and I said it was in October. We were talking about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party when another lady rushed up urgently, skipping the line entirely.

"How can I get to the Ticket and Transportation place?"

An odd question, I thought. Especially when asked so frantically. The CM upgrading my pass answered politely.

"You'd take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then take a Monorail or Ferryboat to the Transportation and Ticket Center."

"But how do I get to the Lost and Found? My car was towed!"

"Ma'am, you really need to wait in line. I'm helping another guest."

"Oh! Sorry."

The lady did go and get in line. I felt sorry for her. It can't be any fun having your car towed at Disney, although I had my doubts she'd find it at the Lost and Found Center.

"Sorry about that."

"I don't mind."

We went back to discussing Halloween while she finished upgrading my passes. At last, it was finished.

I was now a full fledged Annual Passholder. It felt wonderful.

My next stop was Everything Pop. I saw the Vinylmation trading box. I still had that one Muppet Vinylmation that I wasn't that crazy about.

I hesitated for just a second. Part of me knew that it would be a big mistake to trade now, since I'd have no way of getting rid of it, if I got something I hated. And Scooter wasn't really that bad.

Who was I kidding? Of course I was going to trade!

I asked for number twenty.

Oh, no! I knew I shouldn't have traded.

Now I'd be stuck with Creepy Sad Eyes Vinylmation until October. Oh, well. At least it wasn't another Big Baby.

It was after eleven and Jeremy and I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. More importantly, we hadn't had any caffeinated beverages. I found an energy drink for Jeremy, but I couldn't find anything that I wanted for me.

And then I saw the cookies. The delicious, gigantic, melt-in-your-mouth Minnie's Bake Shop Cookies. I selected a peanut butter cookie. It definitely looked like an energy cookie to me.

I paid for the drink and cookie and stopped to fill up our refillable mugs one last time. Sweet teas for everyone!

By then, my hands were really full. Clearly time to go. I left the lobby and hopped in the car, ready for the long drive back home.

The boys were doing great. Carter and Landon were having fun trying on sunglasses.

"Landon, you should leave those on. It looks like the sun is in your eyes."

Landon was too busy giggling to put his sunglasses back on.

We broke out the peanut butter cookie I had bought and split it up between the four of us. It was good. Definitely an energy cookie.

"If only I'd gotten two energy cookies!"

"We still have that brownie from Carter's meal from Casey's last night. It can be an energy brownie."

"Good idea! Split it up."

"Should I just give Landon his fourth? Do you think it's too messy?"

"It's a quarter of a brownie. How big a mess can he make?"

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I am definitely avoiding the Vinylmation craze after reading all about your addiction to trading. My blood pressure wouldn't be able to handle the anticipation of what would be in the box if I traded.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Bummer your TR is coming to an end but atleast your next trip is right around the corner!

 

[okw19]

Your next trip is almost here, and it sounds like you had a great end to this trip! Your TRs make me want to start a Vinylmation collection. I can't trade pins and those though. I'll be in the stores all day

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

The trip is almost over, but there's still a little bit of it left. I love ending a trip at MK. I briefly considered ending our next trip at AK, but Jeremy talked me out of it.

Good for Jeremy!

I think we're done to 12 days, now, so you all must be at 29! It's good to have a lot to do before a trip- that makes the time go by faster. I still have plenty to do, as well.

Well, I think you're down to 10 now, because I'm down to 27!! I hope we can do the single digit dance on this TR!


Thanks! The boys have grown up quite a bit since our last trip. I was looking at Carter today and he just looked completely like a kid and not at all like a baby. Landon can now walk with the best of them, when he's not busy running and he can talk surprisingly well for a 18 month old. Maybe Madelyn is waiting for your trip to start walking like a pro.
Yeah, I'm seriously okay with her not walking completely yet. It's that whole running thing that freaks me out. I don't run in the best of circumstances, let alone running after a toddler. We'll be heading back in March of 2012 (need to get as much out of that AP as we can!) and she'll be 21 months by then, so I'm sure running will be in full swing.


I definitely plan to start at TR for our October trip once we get back home and I recover from Post Disney Depression.

Ah yes, the dreaded PDD. You know the cure, right?

The next morning, the boys slept in until just before nine. Pure Disney magic.


It's amazing how the addition of two little boys changes what used to be a
fifteen minute job into a two hour ordeal.
Yes, I completely agree. I know how difficult it is to get out of the house with one, let alone two.

Jeremy carried some of our suitcases outside, which I thought was a good sign that we would be checked out by eleven.

We have the EXACT same suitcases, that is too funny!



I walked to the Classic Hall. I decided to do the most important thing first- upgrade our Magic Your Way passes to Annual Passes. There was a small line for the Concierge desk, but I didn't mind waiting a bit. I was savoring the moment of becoming a Passholder again.



And then I saw the cookies. The delicious, gigantic, melt-in-your-mouth Minnie's Bake Shop Cookies. I selected a peanut butter cookie. It definitely looked like an energy cookie to me.

I paid for the drink and cookie and stopped to fill up our refillable mugs one last time. Sweet teas for everyone!
There's nothing a Bake Shop Cookie and a sweet tea won't cure.

The boys were doing great. Carter and Landon were having fun trying on sunglasses.

"Landon, you should leave those on. It looks like the sun is in your eyes."

Landon was too busy giggling to put his sunglasses back on.

I love those sunglasses on Carter! They look very similar to a pair I had in the 80's.

"It's a quarter of a brownie. How big a mess can he make?"

Duh duh duh......