Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust! Jenn & Kevin 10/12/14 Italy/ADH/France - The End (7/2016 New TR Link!)

[Aschenputtel]

Good to hear that everything turned out so well! Be sure to show us some photos of the invites when they're ready!

 

[edeneye]

Yes! Crisis averted and just in time for your planning trip! One less thing to worry about while you work out all the other details. Like CAKE! So good you got in before the rule change, I like that they allow people to continue planning with older policies and pricing (hello 2014 Wishes!) while they get updated.

Your at-home venue looks amazing! An at-home reception can be a bit of an afterthought when you've just had a Disney wedding but you're right, your venue really has character and will do a great job of standing up alongside the memories of the Disney one! That'll definitely be something to look forward to when you're taking that usually sad journey out of the WDW area.

 

[elphie101]

Good to hear that everything turned out so well! Be sure to show us some photos of the invites when they're ready!

I will of course! We're hoping to have them in the mail on June 16th, so that'll be the next big project after we get back from the PS trip.

Yes! Crisis averted and just in time for your planning trip! One less thing to worry about while you work out all the other details. Like CAKE! So good you got in before the rule change, I like that they allow people to continue planning with older policies and pricing (hello 2014 Wishes!) while they get updated.

Your at-home venue looks amazing! An at-home reception can be a bit of an afterthought when you've just had a Disney wedding but you're right, your venue really has character and will do a great job of standing up alongside the memories of the Disney one! That'll definitely be something to look forward to when you're taking that usually sad journey out of the WDW area.

I'm so glad we get to follow the old pricing - we would be looking at a drastically different wedding if we had to follow the new pricing structure.

 

[elphie101]

Ok sing it with my Les Mis theater kids: The time is now, the day is hereeeeeeeeeeee! Well, just about here! In exactly 21 1/2 hours (barring any weather or mechanical complications, knock on wood) we will be taking flight for our planning session! I can't believe the time has finally come (and that this means we're just about 5 1/2 months away from the wedding itself!). Work has been absolutely insane for both of us, so even though it's not going to be an incredibly relaxing trip both Kevin & I are super excited to get away.

I'll be updating with a PS trip report as soon as we get back, hopefully followed soon after by a BEO or two Stay pixie dusted my friends!

(Oh, and T-165 days till the wedding!)

 

[Disneyducks12]

Ok sing it with my Les Mis theater kids: The time is now, the day is hereeeeeeeeeeee! Well, just about here! In exactly 21 1/2 hours (barring any weather or mechanical complications, knock on wood) we will be taking flight for our planning session! I can't believe the time has finally come (and that this means we're just about 5 1/2 months away from the wedding itself!). Work has been absolutely insane for both of us, so even though it's not going to be an incredibly relaxing trip both Kevin & I are super excited to get away.

I'll be updating with a PS trip report as soon as we get back, hopefully followed soon after by a BEO or two Stay pixie dusted my friends!

(Oh, and T-165 days till the wedding!)

I just love your PJ and have loved following along on it I wanted to make sure I posted I don't think I have before! But congrulations on your planning trip have lots of fun and that your so close to your wedding lots of pixie dust for a great trip

 

[Aschenputtel]

Congrats! Be sure to keep us posted!!! And have a good trip!

 

[Bewitch324]

Ok sing it with my Les Mis theater kids: The time is now, the day is hereeeeeeeeeeee! Well, just about here! In exactly 21 1/2 hours (barring any weather or mechanical complications, knock on wood) we will be taking flight for our planning session! I can't believe the time has finally come (and that this means we're just about 5 1/2 months away from the wedding itself!). Work has been absolutely insane for both of us, so even though it's not going to be an incredibly relaxing trip both Kevin & I are super excited to get away.

I'll be updating with a PS trip report as soon as we get back, hopefully followed soon after by a BEO or two Stay pixie dusted my friends!

(Oh, and T-165 days till the wedding!)

Have a wonderful trip, can't wait to hear all about it!!

Brooke

 

[alyaki]

I'm so envious that you get to try a bunch of cake fillings. I hate the change they made that you're only allowed 4 total to try, seeing as there were some that I prefer and some we were thinking of putting down originally that I wouldn't touch (but Raist would love). I wish that hadn't made that rule change - just keep it as is, with cake flavors limited to 4! (By the way, I think they're reasoning that "you'll be happy you only have 4 to try" is crud too - I may be a bit bitter.)

Anyways - safe travels!!!! And I hope you have a ton of fun on your trip!

 

[eandesmom]

You are on your way to a CRAAAAAAZY but fun weekend. Have an amazing time and I can't wait to hear all about it. EE Challange, totally jealous.

Especially now that I am actually caught up on you plans and pictures!

 

[andeesings]

I'm so envious that you get to try a bunch of cake fillings. I hate the change they made that you're only allowed 4 total to try, seeing as there were some that I prefer and some we were thinking of putting down originally that I wouldn't touch (but Raist would love). I wish that hadn't made that rule change - just keep it as is, with cake flavors limited to 4! (By the way, I think they're reasoning that "you'll be happy you only have 4 to try" is crud too - I may be a bit bitter.) Anyways - safe travels!!!! And I hope you have a ton of fun on your trip!

They changed the number of cakes and fillings you get to try??!! What?? Why??? I could NEVER choose four from the millions of magical sounding ones they have! I can literally name at least 8 I'd want to try!!! How do you even begin to decide???

 

[CinderellasBFF]

I noticed that change on my planning sheet. We still put down 6 options anyways, and thought we'd see what they'd do. Our tasting is June 16th, so I'll let you know if I succeeded in at least getting two more.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Yay! I can't wait to hear how your PS went!

 

[elphie101]

Hello everyone!! We're back, and exhausted Even though the weather stunk last week and we barely had a second of time to relax, it was still amazing to be at Disney World and get to meet so many people who will be involved in our day! It was also really sweet to poke into the DisBoards app and see all these awesome messages from all of you. Hopefully I can start the TR tonight, once I get my pictures all online - this may be the first TR I actually finish!

I just love your PJ and have loved following along on it I wanted to make sure I posted I don't think I have before! But congrulations on your planning trip have lots of fun and that your so close to your wedding lots of pixie dust for a great trip

I don't think you've commented before! Thanks for coming out

I'm so envious that you get to try a bunch of cake fillings. I hate the change they made that you're only allowed 4 total to try, seeing as there were some that I prefer and some we were thinking of putting down originally that I wouldn't touch (but Raist would love). I wish that hadn't made that rule change - just keep it as is, with cake flavors limited to 4! (By the way, I think they're reasoning that "you'll be happy you only have 4 to try" is crud too - I may be a bit bitter.)

Anyways - safe travels!!!! And I hope you have a ton of fun on your trip!

It never hurts to ask. Honestly it was a tiny bit overwhelming to have so many flavors, and we didn't have a ton of cake samples to try everything with (though that may have been because we brought 6 people to the PS). But you should definitely ask anyway!

You are on your way to a CRAAAAAAZY but fun weekend. Have an amazing time and I can't wait to hear all about it. EE Challange, totally jealous.

Especially now that I am actually caught up on you plans and pictures!

Hi there, good to see you! Thanks for following The EE Challenge was definitely a one of a kind experience - I would do it again in a heartbeat!

They changed the number of cakes and fillings you get to try??!! What?? Why??? I could NEVER choose four from the millions of magical sounding ones they have! I can literally name at least 8 I'd want to try!!! How do you even begin to decide???

It wasn't too hard for us to eliminate flavors, since we knew we weren't going to have an chocolate in our cake (Kevin is allergic to milk & dark chocolate), but it was still a bit disappointing to hear!

I noticed that change on my planning sheet. We still put down 6 options anyways, and thought we'd see what they'd do. Our tasting is June 16th, so I'll let you know if I succeeded in at least getting two more.

Hope you get them!

Yay! I can't wait to hear how your PS went!

Fingers crossed I'll be updating with the PS day soon

 

[elphie101]

The Trip Report: Planning Session Edition

The Prequel: Wednesday April 30th

Why start a TR the day before? There were a few key notables that happened in the last hours before we left for Disney:

- After weeks of on and off debating, my dad had finally decided to stay on our current cell phone contract (I'm still on my family plan), which meant I could finally upgrade my phone! I wasn't able to get a case in time for the trip, so I was very wary about taking it out in the poor weather we had (which is my excuse for a lack of photos!)

- When I went to my parents house to get my new phone, my dad informed me there was a change in their travel plans - instead of flying out first thing in the morning, they were going to try to make a flight that night! As I mentioned before, my dad is an airline employee and therefore my parents travel for free, so long as there's room on the plane. And all of a sudden, it looked like they would miss their flight in the morning, so they decided to leave that night. Only problem? Their flight left in 2 1/2 hours, my mom wasn't home from work yet, and they hadn't packed Needless to say, I scurried out of the house pretty quick. They ended up making it out that night, though they had to sit on the runway for almost an hour waiting to take off. They were able to use that time to call Disney and get an extra night at Pop Century though, so points for that! (Kevin's parents meanwhile, were flying out Thursday morning like us, though on an earlier and direct flight.)

Day One: Thursday, May 1st

And so we arrive at 5:45am, with the music of Soarin going off as our alarm. We reserve our Soarin alarm clip exclusively for Disney trips - and today was the day! Kevin sprang out of bed to start getting ready, then dragged me out a few minutes later, as per usual in our morning routine (just much earlier!) We ran around packing the last few items and getting ready to leave - our train was coming at 7:05, just a 2 minute walk down the road. We actually had to kill time for about 20 minutes sitting on the couch, because we got ready too quickly, but finally it was time to leave.

It was about 40 degrees, and drizzling - the perfect Get-Me-To-Orlando weather.



Yep. Sunny Florida here we come!

Except 7:05 came - and no train. And we waited. And waited. Frankly, it wasn't too surprising - the public transit has a reputation for running slow whenever weather happens, but with every passing minute all I could see in my head was the growing security line we would inevitably face.

10 minutes late, the train finally pulled up, and another quick 10 minutes later we were in Boston. The trip to the airport would require catching trains on 2 subway lines, then a bus to the airport - not the most convenient of ways, but definitely the cheapest.

We headed over to the subway - and there was our first train! Unbelievable luck. We got off at our transfer stop and went to switch lines - and our next rain was waiting for us. After one quick stop, we headed up to wait for the airport bus, and wouldn't you guess it, it was waiting for us! 3 for 3, practically unheard of if you knew how well the subway in Boston runs (or rather, how NOT well it runs). We ended up making it to the airport right on time, an hour and a half before our flight.

It turns out that the Southwest gates are have their own branch of the terminal, with their own security line - that had a grand total of 10 people in it. And so we found ourselves at our gate an hour and a half before our flight with nothing to do but kill time. My breakfast plans of visiting Earl of Sandwich were squashed when I realized the restaurant was in a different and unconnected part of the terminal, so we settled for the old New England standby:



Good old fashioned Dunks. Reliably filling, though not especially flavorful.

We messed around with our phones while we waited for our flight, and I decided to give my mom a call to get the full play-by-play of their spur of the moment trip the night before. I wandered the terminal while chatting, and suddenly there was a staircase that led to the international departures - and Earl of Sandwich! I ran back for my wallet and bought a pre-made sandwich to eat on our flight - something not necessarily on Earl of Sandwich quality I was sure, but I didn't really see the point of ordering a hot & fresh sandwich just so I could eat it cold in a few hours. By this point it was time to scurry back to the gate, so Kevin could buy his lunch, because we only had about 10 minutes till it was time to board!

We were in the high A's, so we got seats close together fairly close to the front of the plane.




Our new traditional pre-take off selfie! This is how much I love you PJ readers - enough to post my make-up free selfie. (Make-up free in preparation for my trial with Patricia LeJeune as soon as we got to Pop Century.)

Right on cue, we pushed off from the gate and started rolling towards the runnway, when we stopped. And waited. And waited some more. Finally we took off, about 15 minutes later. Seems like all our great transportation luck didn't quite extend to our flight.

The flight itself was fairly uneventful - Kevin read comic books while I caught up on TV shows. I did take a picture of our sandwiches, for TR's sake

Kevin's sandwich, some kind of chicken & pesto deal from the kind of restaurant you only seem to find in airports:



He said it hit the spot. And my food from Earl of Sandwich, a simple tuna salad. Delicious, but definitely nothing special. Still good though!:



So good that I forgot not to take a bite before I took a picture

I spent the whole flight obsessively tracking our progress with the online flight tracker, and thus our connection in Atlanta. We kept fluctuating between 15 and 30 minutes delayed, making me even more nervous about making my appointment with Patricia LeJeune on time.

We landed in Atlanta about 10 minutes late, and after a quick headcount to make sure the right number of people had stayed on the plane, we loaded up again and took off to Orlando, only 5 minutes behind schedule.



This time the flight was much rougher, due to some bad weather in the panhandle, and we ended up needing to go our of our way to avoid it. So much for making up for lost time. As we bumped along our way and were asked to buckle up, the flight attendant came on the intercom and told us "Don't mind these Harry Potter bumps, they're just getting you ready for all the roller coasters at Disney!" We were not amused.

We finally landed only 10 minutes behind schedule, and dashed off the plane as soon as we could, and ran to the unofficial first ride of any Disney trip...



The Fake Monorail!

We hustled allllllllllll the way down to the end of the transportation terminal, to the Magical Express desk, slammed our Magic Bands onto the Mickey Reader, and headed into the line.



Maybe some of you guys are used to this, but I have never been in a Magical Express line this long. And so we waited some more. And then my phone rang - it was Randy (as in Randy LeJeune), asking if we had checked in to Pop Century yet. I told him we had weather delays, but that I would call Patricia as soon as we checked in, like we had agreed upon. I was not thrilled with the fact that he was calling me to ask if we had arrived at 3:30pm when I had said I wouldn't arrive until 4:00pm - it kind of bristled my nerves, and it definitely didn't make me feel any better about our delays.

It was a long 30 minutes waiting in line, then sitting on the bus waiting for it to fill up. I was about ready to jump out and run to Disney myself - I was literally following our bus on Google Maps watching our progress to Pop. We checked in with our parents, who were making their way back from Downtown Disney to meet us at Pop (while we were dealing with flight delays and stressful lines, they were sitting at Ghirardelli's, lucky jerks).

I did get excited enough to take a few photos - first of the new ME video (I love how they start it right at the airport instead of waiting for you to drive so many miles to Disney!)



And of course, of the Most Magical Sign on Earth!



Well, as best as I could get. We picked the first seats we could!

After 30 long minutes on the bus, we pulled up to the most welcome sight:



With that, our long LONG day of travel was finally over. It was hair & make-up trial time!

 

[Aschenputtel]

Great TR start! And just like in any TV series you stop when it's getting exciting!!!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Excellent start. I wish I looked that good with no makeup on!

 

[alyaki]

Looking forward to reading more about your trip, though that certainly sounds like a stressful start! I think transit in most cities isn't exactly the greatest, so lucky you for the three in a row. I wish I got to fly in. I hate the drive down to Florida.

Though why in the world was your Lejuene calling you so early if you had previously told them that you wouldn't be in till 4? That would drive me nuts.

 

[Bewitch324]

You look GREAT with no makeup!! So excited you started your report, I can't wait to hear how everything went!

Sorry your trip down was stressful, but it sounds like your commute to the airport had some pixie dust...

can't wait to hear about your trial with Patricia LeJune...

Brooke

 

[elphie101]

Great TR start! And just like in any TV series you stop when it's getting exciting!!!

It wasn't on purpose! Since this is the part of the TR where we rendez-vous with my parents, I was waiting for some more photos from my dad's camera........which he still hasn't gotten to me. This TR waits for no photos! (Except maybe the professional pics someday down the line!)

Excellent start. I wish I looked that good with no makeup on!

You're too kind. Thanks for reading!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip, though that certainly sounds like a stressful start! I think transit in most cities isn't exactly the greatest, so lucky you for the three in a row. I wish I got to fly in. I hate the drive down to Florida.

Though why in the world was your Lejuene calling you so early if you had previously told them that you wouldn't be in till 4? That would drive me nuts.

Didn't I see on FB you just bought plane tickets? Hooray for that!

I think Boston's transit has it's reputation (at least among it's citizens) because it is the oldest subway system in the US - and sometimes it definitely shows it's age!

Getting that phone call from Randy definitely reinforced what I/many others had been feeling - that LeJeune's communication leaves something to be desired, both in terms of tone and response time. However, I will say (in a kind of coming up next sort of way) that her product and performance absolutely makes it worth it.

You look GREAT with no makeup!! So excited you started your report, I can't wait to hear how everything went!

Sorry your trip down was stressful, but it sounds like your commute to the airport had some pixie dust...

can't wait to hear about your trial with Patricia LeJune...

Brooke

Funny enough, we actually got stuck in some traffic on ME - there was an accident on the road and we got bottle-necked into one lane Needless to say, I was freaking out! We still made really good time though, especially since the ME driver said it would take 40 minutes to get to property - and luckily enough we were the first stop!

 

[elphie101]

We pulled up to Pop Century, and agreed that Kevin would wait for our bag while I went to check-in. Thankfully, the majority of people on the bus were going to Art of Animation - I'm glad they stopped at Pop first, if we had to wait for nearly the WHOLE bus to unload (plus their bags) I might've popped a vein.

The bus doors open and I literally RAN into the Classic Hall. And there was my mother, "saving" me a spot in the empty online check-in queue. Thanks Mom!

Kevin came in soon behind me, and we got all our paperwork fairly quickly, though we had to take some time to add a card to our room (I hadn't known which card we would use when I checked in online). We were in room 8322, aka the 90s building - where Kevin and I had stayed during our very first trip to WDW together

Now that I finally had our room number, I called Patricia, apologized profusely for being 20 minutes late (at the point), and told her we were ready. She asked for a text with our number and said she'd be right over. We said a quick hello to our parents in the lobby who had been waiting for us, I confirmed Kevin didn't need anything from the suitcase, and then we all parted ways - me to our room to wait for Patricia, the moms to my parents room to retrieve my veil and inspiration pictures, and the men to the pool bar to wait for us to be done

I know it's not exactly the most "magical" way to get form point A to B, but what Kevin & I both love about the 90s is how close it is to Classic Hall if you walk via the parking lot. Thanks to that (and not listening to the winding directions the front desk CM gave us) I made it to the room in no time. First order of business: switch from New England-required jeans to Orlando-required shorts! Second order of business: room pics!





Mostly for the new bedspread of course - I think we've all seen what the basic value resort bathrooms look like. I also grabbed a before shots, to compare.


Ah, a bundle of nerves I am

I'm not sure where Patricia might have been before I called her (I know she had a trial on property that morning) because it took her about 15 minutes to arrive at the room. She was perfectly pleasant, not at all annoyed that I was so late, and asked me exactly what I wanted for my hair and make-up.

And my inspiration pictures hadn't arrived yet. I started fluttering around trying to describe natural make-up (while asserting as much as possible that I knew next to nothing about make-up) and half up hair styles when there was another knock on the door. Thankfully, the moms had arrived.

We went through my arsenal of haphazard printed out pins (I really don't think I understand Pinterest), and she selected a few to be our main inspiration, saying she would use the pictures "but spin it off to make it you." It was actually amusing, she recognized some of the brides from the photos as girls she had worked on - even though some were at least 5 years ago! Impressive if you ask me.

For the hair

For the make-up

We sat down and got to work. Immediately Patricia asked about my layers and who cuts my hair at home. She started to explain that the way I've been getting my hair cut is all wrong, that the layers at the bottom should be longer then the ones on top (instead of how they are), and that my hair right now inspires a pyramid shape (which it does, and I hate). She went on to say especially my wedding hair style would look better with that layers grown out as much as possible, and then fixed so they were reversed. We tried to pay attention, and thankfully her next words were offering me to make an appointment at her salon in the days before the wedding so she could have one of her girls fix my hair. I'll absolutely be pursuing that option, as I have no idea how I could explain everything she said to me to my hairdresser back home! Thus, with a strict no-haircut order until we saw each other next she started to curl my hair, and we chatted away between the four of us. Pretty soon we all relaxed and it was very easy conversation, talking about the crazy expectations she's seen (she spent a good 10 minutes talking about how much she hated Pinterest for the unrealistic expectations it gives brides) and funny stories from home (how she once ordered a cocktail at a bar as a double, and thought that meant getting two drinks, and wouldn't let her husband leave until she "got her second drink). She also gave the moms advice on how they might get their hair done - she said it depends mostly on the dress they choose to wear, but was able to give my mom some tips as she had already selected her dress - and showed off the awesome airbush makeup.

After about 2 hours (half an hour longer than we anticipated) we were done!











We had a wonderfully hilarious moment when Kevin's mother, who was using my point-and-shoot, asked "How do I zoom in on this? Oh wait I know!" and took several steps to me to put the camera right in my face. We laughed about that one all weekend. Patricia also made sure we knew that the curls would be better on the day of (because they would be set earlier and be able to be treated for the heat, plus my layers would be correctly cut and my bangs fully grown out).

Overall I loved, loved, loved Patricia. Her work and personality when she was with us easily outshined any communication grief I may have felt before this. If I get any kind of survey after this from them, I will 100% recommend Randy improve his communication on her behalf, because if you ask me it actually damages her as a vendor, because what you get from Patricia herself is 10 times better than what the e-mails I've gotten from Randy would lead me to believe. She also explained that based on how many services were needed on our day, she would bring 2-3 girls with her the morning of, but she always always reserves herself for just the bride alone. Definitely makes you feel good We thanked her profusely and promised to see her in 5 months (!!!), and she left.

Our next order of business was dinner at the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk - tonight was game one of the Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadians in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and we wanted to root for our boys! The plan was to meet up with the men after the trial and then to make our way to the Boardwalk via bus to park to bus transportation, but as the trial ran later (the game started at 7:30) the men grew anxious and decided to set off to ESPN on their own to get us a table. Knowing we'd have to transfer at MK (since we weren't confident about a bus from Studios, and it almost never makes sense to go to AK), the moms ran back to their rooms and we made plans to meet in the lobby.

But first, let me take a selfie of my tweaked bridal hair - before Patricia left she restyled it so I could still enjoy the curls without giving my whole look away to Kevin:

(Thanks Instagram!)

Once we met up at the lobby, we were just able to hop on an MK bus before it pulled away, and it was a quick (for Disney!) 30 minute trip to the Magic Kingdom.


See you tomorrow Grand Floridian!

We moseyed over to the Boardwalk bus line, and wouldn't you know it - as soon as we got in line, the bus pulled right up! I guess Thursday was a day of great transportation luck as long as it was on the ground!

In almost no time we were at the Boardwalk, where we hustled over to ESPN Club. The line was already out the door to get a table - not surprising given that the puck dropped in 10 minutes! - but there was Kevin, sitting in a table outside, who led us right past the line to the table the men had already been sat at for about 40 minutes. We couldn't believe they sat them so early, but my dad did keep order pitchers of beer for them (and then us) so how could they complain! It was a great table too!






Said beer.....I must say, I like Yuengling a lot more on draft!



They had already ordered appetizers, so within minutes they arrived at the table:


Pub Nachos - Corn Tortillas, Barbecue Pulled Pork, Chili, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Sour Cream, Jalapeños, Pico de Gallo, and Cheddar, and ESPN Dingers Chicken Breast Nuggets tossed in Medium, Hot, Flame, or Barbecue Sauce served with Celery and Blue Cheese Dressing (these were some level of hot, though I couldn't tell you what!)

We were starving, so these were inhaled pretty quickly. I don't love chili, so the nachos don't get a full five stars from me, but they were otherwise delicious and both apps hit the spot. Soon after we ordered our dinners, which came during a period break in the game.

I ordered the brand-new to the menu (as of the day before!) Chicken and Waffles - Jalapeño-Cornmeal Waffles, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Angry Maple Chicken Gravy


I couldn't taste any jalapeño at all even though I could see green specs in the waffle, but I didn't mind it per se - I had never had chicken & waffles before but it was definitely different! I'm glad I tried it, and I would recommend it (though you would be disappointed if you were looking for a jalapeño kick).

My dad's sirloin, with fries instead of the included mac & cheese, with my mom's sandwich in the background (I can't remember what she got!) - they enjoyed both, though my dad was disappointed that the ribs he had last time at ESPN (in 2011) were no longer on the menu:



Kevin's family got a chicken sandwich (Kevin), a burger (his dad) and a salad (his mom) respectively. Both Kevin's meal and his mom's had to be sent back, as they came with all the dressings and sauces they had asked removed, but new meals came out quick enough, and they enjoyed them!

Meanwhile, the game wasn't going quite as well as we had hoped. It was a great atmosphere for us to watch the game in - out of the whole room, there was about one table of Montreal fans, and everyone else was all cheering for Boston - but they weren't playing the game as well as we'd hoped. Towards the end of the third period, we started making plans for how we'd get back to Pop - a bus to MK or, worst case scenario, Downtown Disney, and watched as the game went into overtime. The clock hit 11:00pm as the game went into DOUBLE overtime, and we decided to scrap both our plans of watching the whole game (sorry boys!) and our bus plans and just take a taxi from the Boardwalk. Before we left however, we took a minute to appreciate the beauty of the Boardwalk at night.







I can't wait to stay in this area for the wedding!

We made our way up to the Boardwalk and waited for the valet CM to return to find us a taxi, when suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance to the Boardwalk Inn. A manager CM was standing in the doorway directing all returning guests to enter through the next set of doors, and blocking her doors from closing. All of a sudden we could see why - there was a snake directly in the path of the door! If it had closed, the snake would've been chopped in half. Kevin, the good son that he is, proceeded to torture his mother about the proximity of the snake to her (of course, she hates snakes), but thankfully not for long as the cab pulled right up and we were off back to Pop.

The cab ride was under 10 minutes (felt like around 7), and cost just under $8.00 (for budgeting purposes!). Once we tumbled out of the cab at Pop, we decided to grab a quick drink at the food court - but not before grabbing some park maps! We've decided to make envelope liners for the invitations out of park maps (plus add some to the welcome bags), so both moms made it almost a game to see how many maps they could swipe at each resort we went to.

After a minor incident in Everything Pop where Kevin stepped on my flip flop and ripped the strap (thankfully it still works fine!) we all parted ways with plans to meet in the lobby again at 8:45am, half an hour before we were due to meet the planner at the Boardwalk. We walked back to our rooms (my parents to the 50s, Kevin's to the 80s), I had a brief spurt of unpacking, and finally at 12:15 in the morning we crashed into bed. Tomorrow was the big day - wedding planning day!!