"Honey are you awake?" "Mumble Mumble" - 6/17

[thewesterberg]

And the Joke of the Installment:

What did Snow White say when she found that her photos weren’t ready yet?

So where did we leave off? Oh yeah Junior was sleeping like an angel, Mom and Dad were giddy with excitement and about to alter Junior’s world in an exciting and magical way. My DW and I had set every alarm in the room for 4:30 am so that we would have enough time to get up get dressed and wake Junior up and give him a few minutes to become conscious before the 5:00 am call from the Big Cheese himself .

After he fell asleep we put out his backpack with some special gifts to help him figure out that this whole trip was for real.

I don't know if it was the excitement, anticipation, or the uncomfortable bed (or a combo of it all!) but I barely slept. The harder I tried, the more awake I was. Ended up reading most of the night.

We rousted Junior from his slumber at about 4:45 and he woke up surprisingly easy, he is not normally a cheerful person when he is awakened from a restful sleep. (I don’t know where he gets that from. I do! I do! And it's not me! ) He was hungry so we gave him a pop-tart. My DW and I were way too excited to eat and we were anxiously awaiting the call from Mickey. Rather then try to explain how the phone call and the ensuing reaction was I will just show you:



Rainbows? Huh? I think he was still half asleep!

Well after Junior finally figured out what was going on

Here he is, when he caught on

we ventured down to the lobby to catch our shuttle to the airport.

(Please pardon the blemish on my forehead... It represents the culmination of stress in getting ready for the trip! There was no way to disguise it as I didn't bring make-up with on the trip because I knew it would melt off my face in the FL heat.)

At the airport:

From now until we caught our plane it was a time of hurry up and wait. Get through security as quick as possible to go and wait for your plane. But we were all so excited that the time flew by. We sat and talked to some people that were on our flight to Orlando and wouldn’t you know it they were going to WDW too. It was amazing how many people on our flight were going to WDW I guess it really is a Small World After All. (try and get that song out of your head now).

Thanks a lot. We avoided that ride the whole trip so we wouldn't get the song stuck in our head and now you have to go and bring it up here!

Junior was very chatty on this trip, which isn't always how he is. He was always finding someone to chat with on the bus, in lines, etc.

Getting on the plane:

Checking out something. Maybe the location of the air masks??

Upon landing in Orlando it was kind of weird not going to baggage claim; it felt like we were forgetting something. While waiting in line for the magical express my wife started talking to a lady standing next to her. It turns out that the woman was from Fort Frances Ontario which is just across the border from where I grew up. So yes It’s a Small World After All. (on a side note on our trip last year I was standing on the main drag at Disney MGM when I heard “Dave?” It was my brother-in-law's sister. What are the chances of running into someone you know from a town of about 5000 people? It’s a Small World After All.)

This gal and I compared notes from up north and also tried to gently impress upon the man behind us how he might want to make some dining reservations when he started asking about some ideas of good restaurants in the world . The planner in me freaked out for him!! Free dining and no clue where you're going to eat?!?!


We only had to wait for about 15 minutes for our Magical Express bus to show up and it was only about 1/3 full so we had plenty of room to stretch out and watch the movie. It was nice to sit back and let them do the driving.

We arrived at Pop Century

and quickly grabbed a bite to eat and bought our mugs .

Our first taste of using the dining plan and encountering the food court! We figured everything out without too much fumbling and I had a yummy Chicken Caesar Salad, Junior his usual standby of chicken nuggets, and DH had a burger. Entrees, drinks, desserts... all the yummy choices!

We then had to buy Junior some sunglasses because I left his in the car back in Minnesota. These sunglasses come up again, so there's some foreshadowing for you!

Then we grabbed our suits and some towels and headed off to Typhoon Lagoon.

WAHOO! We're at Disney!!

And to make you all laugh...
Some day my prints will come!

 

[thewesterberg]

Junior looks like he had a great start!!!

Enjoy your nap!

He did! And for the nap... it was beautiful! 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep! And then time to read and watch what I wanted to watch on TV! And I slept all night on top of it!

The Ikea thing is hilarious! Kids are so funny. I'm really looking forward to the big reveal!

You never know what you're going to get with kids!

Holy smokes lady! You've been bussssssy!

Yup.

Junior looks super adorable all ready for his first day. Our friends that watch Henry, their little guy just started kindergarten this year and on the SECOND day in the car he asked his Mom to not walk him in and just drop him off. She said she was able to choke out a "Okay" at the moment.

Tears at your heartstrings! They're growing up, but yet they're still needing mom. You just never know what you're going to get at any moment. And it seems like those moments you want to just cling to them tight, they choose those moments to pull away.

I hope you enjoyed every second of your alone-time and it completly refreshed you.

I did enjoy, and it did refresh... ahhhhhhhhh! I actually felt like a real life human the next morning!

 

[snowbell]

Thanks for the great update. I am glad that your son was so excited. I wish I got a suprise trip to Disney... although sometimes the anticipation is the best part.. I cannot wait to hear more

 

[brookelizabeth]

Aw, the video of Junior brought tears to my eyes! "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!" So cute!

The rainbows part was hilarious. Maybe he was thinking of the sign you see as you enter WDW? It sorta stretches over the road like a rainbow...

He's so cute in his shirt and Mickey ears, clinging to his plush Mickey! And you and Bubba Mouse look mighty excited as well--who wouldn't be?! You are off to WDW!!!!!

 

[bubba_mouse]

I think what he is thinking of is the opening to Mickey Mouse Club House where when Mickey says the magic words the Club House appears it comes from a rainbow.

 

[PrincessV]

And the Joke of the Installment:

What did Snow White say when she found that her photos weren’t ready yet?

Hey, I actually know this one!

Rainbows? Huh? I think he was still half asleep!

Poor guy - wasnt' expecting that at all was he?!

Here he is, when he caught on

YAY!!!

 

[teruterubouzu]

Aww cute. He looked like he couldn't quite figure out what to think. What a great surprise!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Junior was just precious all decked out for WDW!!!

Hurray for Pop Century and Typhoon Lagoon!!!

 

[Pluto_fan]

Awww, that video is too cute!
What a great start to a trip!

What is that joke book called? I want to look for it for our trip in January...

 

[thewesterberg]

Thanks for the great update. I am glad that your son was so excited. I wish I got a suprise trip to Disney... although sometimes the anticipation is the best part.. I cannot wait to hear more

We did anticipation last year, so it was fun to do surprise this time around! Both had definite advantages! As for surprises, I would love a surprise trip there - although the planning is at least 50% of the fun!!

Aw, the video of Junior brought tears to my eyes! "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!" So cute!

It's been fun to watch again! I'm glad we taped it, so we can see his confusion shift to excitement. We had to cut the video off quick because once he realized where he was going, his pj's were coming off lickity-split!

The rainbows part was hilarious. Maybe he was thinking of the sign you see as you enter WDW? It sorta stretches over the road like a rainbow...

I asked him about it last night and his explanation was no less confusing! I would tell you what he said, but I have no clue as it made no sense at all!

He's so cute in his shirt and Mickey ears, clinging to his plush Mickey! And you and Bubba Mouse look mighty excited as well--who wouldn't be?! You are off to WDW!!!!!

I think what he is thinking of is the opening to Mickey Mouse Club House where when Mickey says the magic words the Club House appears it comes from a rainbow.

Yeah, that would have made sense, but did you get anything that he told us last night??? He actually left me MORE confused!

Hey, I actually know this one!

So you're a keeper of bad Disney jokes too!

Poor guy - wasnt' expecting that at all was he?!

Aww cute. He looked like he couldn't quite figure out what to think.

Nope. Not at all. It's fun to keep him guessing!

Junior was just precious all decked out for WDW!!!

Hurray for Pop Century and Typhoon Lagoon!!!

THANKS and

Awww, that video is too cute!
What a great start to a trip!

Thank you!

What is that joke book called? I want to look for it for our trip in January...

Here you go... The Ultimate Disney Joke Book by Chip Lovitt. I looked it up on Amazon, but it's only available as used. If you have trouble tracking down a copy, let me know as I typed them up to bring with us and I could get them to you. (Only if you promise not to spoil the punch lines in my TR! )

 

[thewesterberg]

I just have to tell somebody since it's 1am and all my friends are tucked away in their comfy beds for the evening and I'm all jazzed up...

We just got back from a Jonny Lang concert. Anybody heard of him? Anyhow, DH won tickets from the radio station at the beginning of the week. He has a knack for this - we've seen Blue Man Group, Seinfeld, B.B. King, Jeff Foxworthy, Blues Traveler, Collective Soul, Live and other things I'm forgetting ALL from him being the right number caller. Not to mention all the free food. I'm holding out for him winning a Disney trip - then I'll be impressed. We rely on his winnings to supply us with (free) date nights. Keeping the romance alive on the cheap.

Anyway, back to Jonny Lang. Ends up the tickets were for FRONT ROW, CENTER! I have to admit, I only knew a few of his songs going into the night, but came away totally impressed. He and his band were AMAZING! This guy has some serious guitar skills and played his heart out for nearly 2 hours straight. Would love to see him again. In looking at his calendar, he's got a concert coming up the beginning of October at........



EPCOT!



Tried to convince DH we should go catch the show, but he put all these conditions on it...

Anyhow, it was great having a night out with DH (we headed to Perkins after to share an appetizer platter - so nice to have uninterrupted conversation!) and we got to hear some great music!

Hopefully tomorrow we'll get the next update done. We'll see!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sounds like a great night! I have to confess that I have no idea who Johnny Lang is, but date nights are always fun!

 

[teruterubouzu]

I've heard of Johnny Lang. He used to be called Kid Johnny Lang and was some sort of child blues prodigy.

It sounds like you have a nice date night. Hopefully your husband will win you that trip to WDW soon, so you can see Johnny Lang again.

 

[JoanieS]

Great TR so far!

I love reading about "big reveals" - we are surprising our kids with a trip in just 20 days!

We are telling them the night before we leave with a scavenger hunt - I am SOOOOOO excited! So excited I posted a pic of our travel docs on my pre-trip report - my DH just rolled his eyes

 

[thewesterberg]

Sounds like a great night! I have to confess that I have no idea who Johnny Lang is, but date nights are always fun!

Yes, date nights are good thing!

I've heard of Johnny Lang. He used to be called Kid Johnny Lang and was some sort of child blues prodigy.

It sounds like you have a nice date night. Hopefully your husband will win you that trip to WDW soon, so you can see Johnny Lang again.

Yeah, I think I could handle a trip to F&W in order to see him again!

It's amazing what Lang has done in his 27 years - his first album at 13, touring with Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Blues Traveler, BB King, and other big names, and winning a Grammy - and he looks like he's having so much fun up there!

Great TR so far!

I love reading about "big reveals" - we are surprising our kids with a trip in just 20 days!

We are telling them the night before we leave with a scavenger hunt - I am SOOOOOO excited! So excited I posted a pic of our travel docs on my pre-trip report - my DH just rolled his eyes

Your kids are going to just be so nuts with excitement! Can't wait to read about your reveal!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

We had to cut the video off quick because once he realized where he was going, his pj's were coming off lickity-split!

that is so funny! He was like "get me outta my PJ's, I'm slammin' down this pop tart, LET'S ROLL!" smart kid!

I asked him about it last night and his explanation was no less confusing! I would tell you what he said, but I have no clue as it made no sense at all!

I love the imagination of a child.



And Jonny Lang, awesome! He's from Minnesota, isn't he? I remember when he was just a kid he played at the wee-little town's festival that I grew up in. No one heard of him back then. A couple years later he got big. And Perkins, always good!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Better late than never?? I enjoyed catching up on your PTR and can't wait for the details of the trip itself. You have a beautiful family!!

I'm also not sure who Johnny Lang is but if you like him and he's at Epcot in Oct I feel certain that destiny is speaking to you...

 

[thewesterberg]

Better late than never??

So glad you're here!!

I enjoyed catching up on your PTR and can't wait for the details of the trip itself. You have a beautiful family!!

THANK YOU!

I'm also not sure who Johnny Lang is but if you like him and he's at Epcot in Oct I feel certain that destiny is speaking to you...

Ha Ha! I appreciate your encouragement!! So wish I could, but we've decided to start saving for something (which we'll get to into later in the TR... ) A girl can dream though...

 

[Minnesota!]

Read your whole PTR and TR this afternoon. LOVING IT! The video of junior (who has an awesome real name - same as my youngest sons!!) actually made me tear up!!!

Love how you are doing the split report from both of you, too! Can I ask - where abouts was the Days Inn? I am assuming Bloomington or Richfield? We always have great luck with the Airport Hilton (right down the road from IKEA!). Beautiful place, great buffet breakfast, awesome pool. Usually aroudn $100/night and SOOOOOOOOO worth it.

I <3 Duluth....my most fave place after WDW! I am so jealous you live there - we daydream about moving there, but can't seem to find a decent paying job.

 

[thewesterberg]

Read your whole PTR and TR this afternoon. LOVING IT! The video of junior (who has an awesome real name - same as my youngest sons!!) actually made me tear up!!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the whole thing! Wow!

Glad you enjoyed the video - we've had so much fun watching it over and over!

Love how you are doing the split report from both of you, too!

Thanks - he didn't want me having all the fun, plus it's been cool how we each remember different things so we can sort of get a bigger picture of memories.

Can I ask - where abouts was the Days Inn? I am assuming Bloomington or Richfield? We always have great luck with the Airport Hilton (right down the road from IKEA!). Beautiful place, great buffet breakfast, awesome pool. Usually aroudn $100/night and SOOOOOOOOO worth it.

It was over by 494 & 100. I never felt unsafe, but it was just so run down and so not what we're used to staying in. I've been so good at nabbing 3 star hotels for $50-70 thru Priceline that we've gotten a little used to that!

I <3 Duluth....my most fave place after WDW! I am so jealous you live there - we daydream about moving there, but can't seem to find a decent paying job.

We love it here too. And I know what you mean about the job situation... it's such an issue here. I'm so thankful that DH and I have good jobs that are stable. But don't stop looking! Who knows what will pop up!