"Here I go again! On my own??" Solo in May 2017 PTR **updated 4/29

[xlsm]

Love the shirt you bought!

I think it's nice to have such loose plans! You obviously know what you want to accomplish so thats all you need! Sounds like it will be a great day

Thank you! It should be arriving today, I can't wait to see it in person.

Since it's just me, I don't mind if I end up criss crossing a little bit. I'm so curious to find out what I'll actually DO that day, lol!!

I love the shirt you ordered!! <3 I'm super jealous - would be even more jealous if I were actually going to Flower and Garden because that shirt would be a must-have...though I guess I'm also jealous you're going to Flower and Garden and I'm not...

I think it's awesome to have that flexibility. That's kind of my goal for our Disneymoon, too. I'll have my ADRs and FP+ booked, but leave some room for spontaneity! You've got a pretty hefty goal list for that day, but I bet it'll be super easy to get through it when you only have to worry about keeping track of yourself and what you want to do!

And I don't think I said so earlier, but congrats to you and the team for your big win! (I'd consider 2nd place a serious win when it means you're going to worlds!) I'm sure it'll be stressful and you'll all be pretty drained, but what an AMAZING opportunity. You must be very proud

Thanks! There is another cute Spaceship Earth one from a shop called Happyland Tees that I almost ordered instead...there are a couple from them that I plan to get for October.

That sounds like a great idea for your Disneymoon You can just enjoy your new husband and go where the wind takes you!!

And thank you again for the congratulations on the OM team making it to world comp! We've got a long road ahead of us, but we're so excited to share this with the kids and for them to have this experience!

I love that shirt! HET shirts are just so adorable I shockingly think I don't own any yet.

It's one of my favorites that they've done, especially lately. I seem to find myself liking more of their older styles, and then being really sad when they're not available anymore!

Super cute tee!

Thank you!! I'm excited to see it firsthand...hopefully it arrives today like it is supposed to.

I have recently fallen down the HET instagram rabbit hole; I want all of them.

Oh my gosh, I know! I do the same thing I'm way worse with Minnie ears than shirts, though!

We scheduled a "lunch" just for soup and a cupcake



It's so cute!

Mmmm...cupcakes!! I've been pretty single minded about desserts lately, I don't know why. I need some cake!!

Just stumbled on to your PTR. Was surprised in your last TR when SIL asked for help w Scotland trip. Now MIL is scared to fly to Disney but not Scotland. What a peach. You'll enjoy your Disney trip more w/o her along to spoil things. looking forward to hearing your plans.

Well, now she's decided she is too afraid to fly over the ocean and wants to drive to Nova Scotia instead. She wants to see sheep. We have sheep here, so I don't know what's so special about Nova Scotian sheep. She's also started talking about moving to a commune. I never know what she is going to fixate on next. We just nod and smile and carry on...and you're right. I'm thinking this solo venture is going to be a lot less stressful!

Love your "plans" for Magic Kingdom. I have to say for my solo trip it was nice to just walk into that park without a plan. I don't even think I had ADRs when I went, but I think that was pre FP+ anyway. I'm totally with you on skipping Space Mt if necessary because it beats me up as well, but I usually ride it "for the children" every trip.

Somehow we managed to get out of riding Space in December...I know my 11 year old was disappointed, but it feels like getting stuck inside a washing machine when I'm riding.
I find myself wondering if I'm going to be up early, or if i'm going to want to sleep in (I'm not much of a "sleep in" person anymore...7:30 is about the max)...will I want to take more breaks or go from rope drop to closing...I love that it's kind of a blank slate with nothing concrete, just a list of "want to do"s. It's exciting!

 

[ariane37]

My Odyssey of the Mind team is headed to World Competition!!

CONGRATULATIONS As bummed as I am that a possible May meet up is off the table, it's for a fantastic reason!!

I'm looking forward to this particular park day, because I don't think I've ever entered a park with such a loose plan.

I like your "no plans" this day. It's more like what Steve and I do when we go without the kids for the most part and I have to say it's a nice change

 

[LilTinkFan]

Jumping on board to follow along. I dream of a solo trip and not trying to be "Switzerland" for everyone. Eat where and when I want? Yes!

 

[xlsm]

CONGRATULATIONS As bummed as I am that a possible May meet up is off the table, it's for a fantastic reason!!


I like your "no plans" this day. It's more like what Steve and I do when we go without the kids for the most part and I have to say it's a nice change

I know! I am so sad and disappointed about not getting to meet up and not getting to see Pandora early, but I am so excited about taking the team to Michigan!

I'm really curious to see how I feel with the no-plan-plans! And I'm REALLY curious to see how I feel about being by myself! This trip does not feel real at all.

Jumping on board to follow along. I dream of a solo trip and not trying to be "Switzerland" for everyone. Eat where and when I want? Yes!

Hello and Welcome!!

That's my dream too! I don't have to listen to anyone tell me they're hungry, or tell me they don't want to stop for the photopass...it's really appealing!!

 

[xlsm]

Ugh.

Monday.

Actually, I have no real dread about today. No real Monday blues. Just another day!

The weather this weekend was beautiful and I did a little planting. We paid a visit to my favorite local nursery and I bought a couple of David Austin rose bushes. I got the Claire Austin and the Olivia Rose Austin because they look closest to the ones from my wedding bouquet.

Here is my bouquet:



And these are the roses I planted (photos from the David Austin website, because mine have buds but no blooms currently):

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Claire is the ivory, Olivia is the pink. Aren't they gorgeous?? I can't wait for blooms!

Oh! I also found something else super fun on Friday:



It's a little pet bed! There was a Minnie one, too, but I didn't see it until I was leaving. I don't know if you have a HomeGoods near you, but I am addicted to ours. I thought about buying them, but I didn't.

Enough rambling, I guess I ought to title this and start a chapter, huh?
Chapter Eight: Movie Stars and Animals

Last time, I mentioned I was getting ready to receive a lot of happy mail, right?

I had a Stitch Fix box arrive, but the only thing worth keeping was a pair of AWESOME olive green skinny crop pants that I'm in love with. We're considering moving in together, it's quite serious

My Grand and Miraculous shirt from Happily Ever Tees arrived Friday afternoon...it's super cute. And I SUPER failed at trying to get a picture. I tried to figure out how to get the shirt AND the ears I was wearing in a picture all at once, discovered why someone would buy a selfie stick because HOW DO YOU DO THIS PICTURE TAKING THING?? And then once you get the phone far enough away from you, how do you push the button?? The resulting fail photo was...



Enter my attempt at using the timer function. Why haven't I tried that before?? Also, everything looks better in black and white.



How do the Kardashians do it?? If I were narcissistic I'd be in a world of hurt, because selfies are harder than they look.

Basically I learned that I do not have the skills it takes to get an entire shirt in a picture if I am wearing said shirt. Also, I am too old to be attempting ANY of this

One more fun piece of mail arrived on Saturday...my magic band!

I think I mentioned in the last post that I wasn't sure if I'd picked a color and I was waiting to be surprised, right? Well, I did pick a color, and I opened the box to reveal a pink band. Hooray! The new band for this trip is significantly different from the 2.0 AP band that I received in January. It's a lot (like, a lot a lot) thinner and more flexible, and the face part is slightly more narrow. I decided to take a picture this morning...

Instagram Disney fans be like...just a little arm candy:



Oh wait. That's not good enough for Insta, the AP slider isn't showing:



There we go. Now I won't get kicked out of any clubs or whatever

(by the way, that's totally tongue in cheek - I'm not loading my arm with junk and hauling it through the park. Think of the metal detectors!!)

Oh, and the non Alex and Ani bangles are mantra bands that say: Hakuna Matata, Let it Go, Just Keep Swimming, and Be Here Now.

Carrying on, carrying on...let's get to the next day's plans shall we??

It's going to be a day split between two parks: DHS and Animal Kingdom. It will also be the halfway point of the trip.

I'll start the day at Hollywood Studios, and it's another of those packed-to-the-gills kind of days.

Things I would like to do at DHS:
- RnR and ToT at rope drop
- Star Tours
- Meet Olaf
- MuppetVision
- Meet Mickey and Minnie if line is low
- Meet Moana if she's still at DHS, but I hear she's moving in a week or so. So Star Lord and/or Groot I guess, if they're there.
- Toy Story FP
- March of the First Order
- lunch ADR at Brown Derby, which I may cancel and just eat at the lounge instead
- Galaxy Far, Far Away
- Star Wars Launch Bay (meet Chewie and BB8!)
- GMR *maybe* depending on the line
- meet any characters that may be out in front of the theater
-ToT fast pass

(I have only made two fast passes...might make Star Tours the third, I'm not sure )

Back to resort

The evening at Animal Kingdom is mainly for one reason: Rivers of Light!

I have a feeling I'm going to be too tired for the RoL fast pass on arrival night, so this is my back up plan (although I do want to try and do both, so I can share info on the differences between the two).

I want to try to make it to the 4:00 Festival of the Lion King before my RoL dinner package meal at Tiffins. I'll probably go walk the trails or visit Dinoland USA before going into the RoL theater if I have time. I'd also like to try to get a ride on Everest if I can!


Right now I am 20 days away from the trip! It feels completely surreal. I have so many things to do before leaving, and I'm not sure how I'll get everything taken care of, but one way or another, in one day less than three weeks I'll be Disney bound!!

That's all for now! I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you...kick it off in style, just like my imaginary friend Kevin Bacon

 

[ariane37]

It's a little pet bed!

OMG that's adorable! I want it for my kitties.....we have a HomeGoods here and now I need to go!

How do the Kardashians do it??

LMAO! I'll ask Steve b/c he watches the Kardashians All.The. Time. Seriously. It's ridiculous. But I love your B&W selfie

(by the way, that's totally tongue in cheek - I'm not loading my arm with junk and hauling it through the park. Think of the metal detectors!!)

I make the mistake of wearing an armful of Alex and Ani's to the parks constantly. The metal detectors go off (at the airport too), I inform them it's my bracelets, but I have to remove them anyway Finally got smart last month and left them in the room but then I feel naked

- lunch ADR at Brown Derby, which I may cancel and just eat at the lounge instead

I always forget about the lounge! I just spent the last 1.5 hours re-working our May plans and I'm having the darndest time, but the lounge may figure in perfectly.

just like my imaginary friend Kevin Bacon

Kick off your Sunday shoes He lives by me BTW. Well, in a small town about 35 minutes away where Ricky currently has his AAU practices. He and his wife are spotted fairly often out and about. He's not usually dancing, though.

 

[xlsm]

OMG that's adorable! I want it for my kitties.....we have a HomeGoods here and now I need to go!


LMAO! I'll ask Steve b/c he watches the Kardashians All.The. Time. Seriously. It's ridiculous. But I love your B&W selfie


I make the mistake of wearing an armful of Alex and Ani's to the parks constantly. The metal detectors go off (at the airport too), I inform them it's my bracelets, but I have to remove them anyway Finally got smart last month and left them in the room but then I feel naked


I always forget about the lounge! I just spent the last 1.5 hours re-working our May plans and I'm having the darndest time, but the lounge may figure in perfectly.


Kick off your Sunday shoes He lives by me BTW. Well, in a small town about 35 minutes away where Ricky currently has his AAU practices. He and his wife are spotted fairly often out and about. He's not usually dancing, though.

Your kitties would love it!! Only one of our dogs uses a dog bed, and he just magically knew it was for him the day I brought it home. He went and got in, and rarely ever leaves it. He's so lazy that I have to drag it from our bedroom and into the living room every morning because he won't get up when the rest of us do. My little chihuahua jumps in sometimes, and I think she would like the Mickey bed. Or rather, I would like her to have the Mickey bed, lol!!

OMG, it kills me he watches the Kardashians!! I know the older ones, but the young girls I can't tell apart. But I guess they're not actually a Kardashian though, right?? But man, they can take a selfie

I love my A&As, but our Disneyland trip was such a pain because I had to constantly take them off for security. Sometimes twice if we went to DtD there. I left them in the room in December, and it made me sad because I love them!! But mine all look pretty terrible from constant wear. I wish they held up better.

I'm about 100% on just going to the lounge instead of keeping the ADR. I think it will work better with my plans...I'm glad I could remind you about it! I know I want a Cobb salad and a dessert trio, and maybe the margarita flight. They also have arepas on the menu, so that's intriguing. Not to mention the grapefruit cake martini and their white sangria (if gin is in something, I will drink it! Gin plus peach schnapps?? It's like a underage college party dream come true, LOL!!)

If Kevin Bacon lived near me I'd probably get arrested for stalking. I'd corner him in a grocery store and be all, "Just say 'jump back'. Please. Just do it, PLEASE???" and then start crying, or ask him to recreate his death scene in Friday the 13th, or ask if there's any way The Following could come back... And as the cops were dragging me away, I'd shout, "Thank you sir. May I have another?"
It would be ugly. But I. Love. Him.

I'd like to say I'd keep cool about it, but his Ren McCormack was one of my first loves (along with Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle!). I like his wife, too. I'd want to know all about working with Cameron Crowe on the movie Singles, because it's one of my favorites.

Annnd you didn't want to know any of that, lol!! I am not rational about anything Kevin Bacon! As I was typing all of this, I was telling Matt all about it and he was like, "well, you can never go THERE." It's true

 

[Raeven]

HOW DO YOU DO THIS PICTURE TAKING THING?? And then once you get the phone far enough away from you, how do you push the button?? The resulting fail photo was...

I just got a little tripod which helps!

How do the Kardashians do it?? If I were narcissistic I'd be in a world of hurt, because selfies are harder than they look.

They don't even take "selfies" they just seem to have people following them around at all times taking pictures of them

Things I would like to do at DHS:
- RnR and ToT at rope drop
- Star Tours
- Meet Olaf
- MuppetVision
- Meet Mickey and Minnie if line is low
- Meet Moana if she's still at DHS, but I hear she's moving in a week or so. So Star Lord and/or Groot I guess, if they're there.
- Toy Story FP
- March of the First Order
- lunch ADR at Brown Derby, which I may cancel and just eat at the lounge instead
- Galaxy Far, Far Away
- Star Wars Launch Bay (meet Chewie and BB8!)
- GMR *maybe* depending on the line
- meet any characters that may be out in front of the theater
-ToT fast pass

(I have only made two fast passes...might make Star Tours the third, I'm not sure )

I want to meet Olaf too!

That's all for now! I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you...kick it off in style, just like my imaginary friend Kevin Bacon

And he's being pixie dusted

Kick off your Sunday shoes He lives by me BTW. Well, in a small town about 35 minutes away where Ricky currently has his AAU practices. He and his wife are spotted fairly often out and about. He's not usually dancing, though.

I didn't even know Kevin Bacon lived near us! Well not super close but you live nearish so he lives nearish too.

If Kevin Bacon lived near me I'd probably get arrested for stalking. I'd corner him in a grocery store and be all, "Just say 'jump back'. Please. Just do it, PLEASE???" and then start crying, or ask him to recreate his death scene in Friday the 13th, or ask if there's any way The Following could come back... And as the cops were dragging me away, I'd shout, "Thank you sir. May I have another?"
It would be ugly. But I. Love. Him.

So I love Footloose and The Following was one of my favorte shows! We re watch it every year and I'm so sad it was canceled because the next season looked so good.

Annnd you didn't want to know any of that, lol!! I am not rational about anything Kevin Bacon! As I was typing all of this, I was telling Matt all about it and he was like, "well, you can never go THERE." It's true

Let's go visit Ariane and stalk Kevin Bacon

Also did you want to try to meet up at Jock Lindseys on the 5th?

 

[coloredimage]

hahaha, honestly, I have a selfie stick that I got as a joke present and I'm just as bad taking selfies with that as I am with my arm!

I have a little front pouch in my purse where my Alex & Ani's (and my watch) live until after security. But sometimes I ping it anyway and get really strange looks when I roll my eyes and say it might just be me.

 

[missangelalexis]

Beautiful flowers!

Your shirt looks so cute! I think you did a pretty good job at the selfies

Yay for a pink band! Disney arm candy is the best

The plans for this day sound great, another packed day!

Wow less than 3 weeks?! How crazy and exciting!

 

[xlsm]

Also did you want to try to meet up at Jock Lindseys on the 5th?

Yes!! I will come back to reply to everything later, but I wanted to get this out there, lol!! Jock Lindsey's is fine with me. I only have two things planned for that day, and can be at Disney Springs whenever, so you guys can pick whatever time will be easiest since it'll be your first day and you'll be coming from Universal.

 

[Raeven]

Yes!! I will come back to reply to everything later, but I wanted to get this out there, lol!! Jock Lindsey's is fine with me. I only have two things planned for that day, and can be at Disney Springs whenever, so you guys can pick whatever time will be easiest since it'll be your first day and you'll be coming from Universal.

Yay we've never been there but it looks cool. I think we should be there around 530-6ish, but we can exchange numbers and on the day of if we're running earlier than that I'll let you know!

 

[xlsm]

I just got a little tripod which helps!

They don't even take "selfies" they just seem to have people following them around at all times taking pictures of them

And he's being pixie dusted


I didn't even know Kevin Bacon lived near us! Well not super close but you live nearish so he lives nearish too.


So I love Footloose and The Following was one of my favorite shows! We re watch it every year and I'm so sad it was canceled because the next season looked so good.


Let's go visit Ariane and stalk Kevin Bacon

Hmm...I think I'll just continue taking really bad selfies because I REALLY don't want any photographers following me around I am rarely ever "camera ready". Most of the time I'm barely "walmart ready", LOL!!

Yay! Another KB fan!! I would definitely go stalking him with you and Ariane!! I want him to visit the Magic Kingdom and get pixie dusted by the Fairy Godmothers and recreate that scene. Maybe when we stalk him, we can kidnap him and make that happen
(in all seriousness, I'm not that crazy...probably I would go mute if I met him and just smile way too big and blink a lot)

hahaha, honestly, I have a selfie stick that I got as a joke present and I'm just as bad taking selfies with that as I am with my arm!

I have a little front pouch in my purse where my Alex & Ani's (and my watch) live until after security. But sometimes I ping it anyway and get really strange looks when I roll my eyes and say it might just be me.

So selfie sticks are just as complicated as long arm reaching?? That actually makes me feel better, because I don't want to be tempted down that path, LOL!!
I hate the metal detectors...I mean, I like that they're there and appreciate the point behind them, but they give me anxiety. I'm afraid I'll make it go off and they'll go all United airlines on me or something. It's irrational, I know!

You should be on your way soon, right?? I've lost track of days!

Beautiful flowers!

Your shirt looks so cute! I think you did a pretty good job at the selfies

Yay for a pink band! Disney arm candy is the best

The plans for this day sound great, another packed day!

Wow less than 3 weeks?! How crazy and exciting!

Disney arm candy IS the best!! I haven't decided if I'm going to paint either of my bands yet or not...I need to think about that.

I think this day will end up being one of my busiest, but also one of the most fun.

18 days away today, I can't believe it!

Yay we've never been there but it looks cool. I think we should be there around 530-6ish, but we can exchange numbers and on the day of if we're running earlier than that I'll let you know!

It does look cool! I'm excited to see you guys!!

 

[coloredimage]

So selfie sticks are just as complicated as long arm reaching?? That actually makes me feel better, because I don't want to be tempted down that path, LOL!!
I hate the metal detectors...I mean, I like that they're there and appreciate the point behind them, but they give me anxiety. I'm afraid I'll make it go off and they'll go all United airlines on me or something. It's irrational, I know!

You should be on your way soon, right?? I've lost track of days!

My friends and I fail at selfie sticks all the time. We honestly have an entire photo album of us trying to figure it out backstage during a concert!

Metal detectors worry me because I have titanium in my chest, and it doesn't set off the metal detector but it seriously makes me anxious every time!

I leave Saturday! Two and a half (well, technically three since I'm currently in the middle of the work day) days left of work, then I'm off!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Nine: You better shop around

I've mentioned that I'm in a clothes crisis.

Yesterday I set out to remedy that and find some new things. That was a fail of epic proportions. Belk and Kohls can suck it.

Ok, that's dramatic, but I did not have good luck at either of those places.

Today, I decided to try again and went to Target (you can always count on Target) and JCPenney (which is hit or miss).

I found and bought these two shirts there:





(is that Belle one too dark? It says "my weekend is all booked" if you can't see it)

I also got some athletic capris that are incredibly comfortable. As soon as I make DH check me out in direct sunlight to make sure they're not see through, I'm going to get more.

Unfortunately, I got distracted by the dollar bins and picked up a bunch of tsum tsum notepads and ink pens, a tsum tsum tote and a Moana tote. I feel like it was a good balance between things I needed and things I didn't...right??

I was feeling positive when I got to JCP, and found a couple of pairs of shorts and some tank tops for layering.

I found this @ariane37 :



Is that the one Steve has??

They had tsum tsums there for 99 cents each, and bought these two:



Technically the Rafiki is for L and Angel is for X, but I'm not sure if I want to give them up. They're awfully cute!

Oh, and THIS:



arrived on Saturday!

(If you recall the bedroom floor drama from a couple weeks ago, that's the finished product in the background. You never realize how much you'll miss a normal floor until you don't have one for awhile. I'm so glad they're done!)

I am 18 days away!! I should be able to have another update tomorrow with my next park day plans!

 

[ariane37]

Belk and Kohls can suck it.

I do love Belk though. We don't have it here but I used to go there whenever I visited my mom in Ga.

I found and bought these two shirts there:

Nice! I've seen them in Target.

I found this @ariane37 :

It is! Did you not buy it for your men?

 

[xlsm]

My friends and I fail at selfie sticks all the time. We honestly have an entire photo album of us trying to figure it out backstage during a concert!

Metal detectors worry me because I have titanium in my chest, and it doesn't set off the metal detector but it seriously makes me anxious every time!

I leave Saturday! Two and a half (well, technically three since I'm currently in the middle of the work day) days left of work, then I'm off!

Probably the best photo album subject ever!

Ooh, that would make me worry about the metal detectors too. Even if it didn't set them off, it would be impossible not to think about.

Hooray!! I hope the next two and a half days go quickly!! I will be checking instagram

 

[xlsm]

I do love Belk though. We don't have it here but I used to go there whenever I visited my mom in Ga.


Nice! I've seen them in Target.


It is! Did you not buy it for your men?

I do normally like Belk, but they were on my bad list yesterday! I used to really like their Crown and Ivy line b/c it was so similar to Lilly Pulitzer. It isn't quite as cute this season. But I get a lot of L's clothes there because he likes a preppier look and that store is crawling with polo shirts and plaid shorts!

I thought it was the one!! I did not buy it for them, which I'm now regretting, because if we ever managed to be at the parks together, it would be pretty funny to have all of them wearing it at the same time, LOL!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you were able to find some clothes! Those 2 shirts are so cute!

Yay for Mickey mail!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I love the new tees! Super cute!