How about We Add Just One More Day - An August 2016 PTR Last Update 8/1

[Carathryn]

Hello everyone!

My name is Cara and I am addicted to all things Disney. I have been to Disneyland 5 times and this will be my 5th trip to the World. This trip will be extra special because it will be the start of my adventure taking part in the Disney College Program. I was accepted for a Photopass position and will be working at WDW from August 8 - January 5. Now what is the logical thing to do when you know you will have 5 whole months at Disneyworld? Make sure to add on another extended weekend!

Along for the ride will be my Disney travel companion, my mom.

Our first WDW trip! October 2014


Our second trip, October 2015


And our most recent trip, February 2016. ​

We have also taken several trips to Disneyland together, our most recent being January 2016.

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We have had so many magical moments at Disney over the past year so before I even got accepted for the DCP I knew I would want my mom to help me drive down there. I am slowly converting my mom to becoming a full on Disney addict, based on how many trips we are lucky enough to take this year I would say it is working. We both love Disney food, watching shows and parades, meeting characters, and riding all of the thrill rides. Here are some of our Disney favorites!

Me:
Favorite Disney movies- Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Monsters Inc
Favorite Princess- Belle, followed closely by Ariel and Rapunzel
Favorite character (non princess)- James P. Sullivan
Favorite Disney parks- Disneyland, Animal Kingdom
Favorite Disney rides- Pirates of the Caribbean (DL version), Expedition Everest, Under the Sea Little Mermaid Ride

Mom:
Favorite Disney movies- Frozen, Monsters Inc.
Favorite Princess- Snow White
Favorite character (non princess)- Goofy
Favorite Disney parks- Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney rides- Tower of Terror


How did this trip come to be?
I will be driving from my new home in Indiana to Orlando with my mom. I will be checking in Monday morning to get my housing assignment, work assignment, and training schedule for my DCP. What started as spending one night in WDW prior to check in turned into checking in on Friday, which will hopefully turn into checking in one Thursday

Here are our tentative plans:
Wednesday - Start the 16 hour drive from Indiana, stop overnight
Thursday - Arrive at WDW by early afternoon, need to figure out hotel for this night
Friday - Monday: We have a room booked at Coronado Springs (our WDW home hotel)

We will have Military Salute 4 day park hoppers, maybe adding on the water park option.

I have some dining plans figured out but that is constantly changing so I will get into those later on!

This planning process has been unique with all of the uncertainty with everything new that is supposed to be opening this summer. It has also been hard to plan out what I need/want to experience before I get started working. I am hoping that a couple of park days will help me relax and go with the flow once training starts as I won't be in as much of a rush to see all the new additions. We will see how that plan goes.

 

[ariane37]

I almost signed off but I'm so glad I didn't, because now I get to be the FIRST one here I said this before but CONGRATS on being accepted into the CP, Cara! I look forward to sharing the excitement as you count down to Aug. 8th!

 

[Carathryn]

Resort Choices:
We all know one of the hardest parts about starting the planning process is deciding on a resort. I had originally looked at booking Yacht Club or Animal Kingdom, which were the cheapest of the deluxe resorts coming in at about $280 a night. If we had done this then we would have just spent a relaxing weekend chilling at the resort and exploring resort dining options. The more I thought about it I don't know how well I would handle a relaxing weekend right before the excitement of my DCP. So we ended up scaling back to a moderate resort and adding park tickets.

Once we decided not to go with a deluxe, our resort decision was really easy.
On our last two October trips we have stayed at Coronado Springs. Both stays were excellent with great bus service, good food, and no room problems. We stayed in Cabanas 8A and 8B and love the location. We don't mind walking so the size of the resort doesn't scare us. We find the resort to be so peaceful, especially in the early mornings and late nights.

We were really excited to be checking in to CS last October!
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Another reason why I am fond of Coronado Springs is my obsession with alligators and crocodiles. I have tracked down this little guy during both of our stays at CS.

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Depending on who you ask, you will get different answers as to how many alligators live around CS. The most consistent answer we got from CMs at the resort was that there were currently two alligators that could be regularly spotted in the lake. But who knows if CMs just make those numbers up to appease curious guests.

The beach vibe mixed with the Spanish architecture and getting to see alligators in Florida really make CS feel like a Florida vacation to me.

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So my mom called Disney and we are currently booked for Friday-Monday for less than $150 a night with a military discount. I still have to figure out what to do for Thursday night but I am waiting a little bit longer to make a decision on that. We may stay offsite for a night and use some of my mom's Hilton or Marriott points, or see if we can find any good on property deals.

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[Carathryn]

I almost signed off but I'm so glad I didn't, because now I get to be the FIRST one here I said this before but CONGRATS on being accepted into the CP, Cara! I look forward to sharing the excitement as you count down to Aug. 8th!

Yay! I am so glad you are here! Thank you again!!! I appreciate all of your support as I count down the days before I leave for this wonderful opportunity!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Ok, I'm number 2!!!!! Yep, you guys are staying at my favorite moderate and the one we are planning on staying at in July! Oh, I agree at how peaceful it is especially during those hours. We have also been told there are 2 teenage alligators in the pond. Of course I can't tell them apart, but when we see him we just call him Al! Have you seen the large turtles, too??? I love those guys. Then there's always the ducks!!! We are staying Business Class so we'll be sure to be in the Cabanas either 9a or 9b. Perfect location!!! Can't wait to read more.

I'm so excited for you to be doing DCP!! What an awesome opportunity!!!!

 

[Carathryn]

Ok, I'm number 2!!!!! Yep, you guys are staying at my favorite moderate and the one we are planning on staying at in July! Oh, I agree at how peaceful it is especially during those hours. We have also been told there are 2 teenage alligators in the pond. Of course I can't tell them apart, but when we see him we just call him Al! Have you seen the large turtles, too??? I love those guys. Then there's always the ducks!!! We are staying Business Class so we'll be sure to be in the Cabanas either 9a or 9b. Perfect location!!! Can't wait to read more.

I'm so excited for you to be doing DCP!! What an awesome opportunity!!!!

Even after two quick deluxe stays I am super excited to get back to CSR. It will always hold a special place in my heart after being my first on property stay. I love that you call the alligators Al, so simple! I just refer to them as my alligator friends and spend a ton of time searching for them. I also love the turtles! There are definitely some large ones living there! We were debating Business Class but figured we would save the money since we have a couple pricier meals planned out. I hope you guys have an awesome stay in such a great location!
Thank you! I am beyond excited, I would be even more excited but it still doesn't feel quite real that I get to go work for Disney.

 

[Carathryn]

Dining Reservations and Park Plans

We will have four day park hoppers but I am still debating if we will use all 4 days at the parks. Here is the current plan, which will probably change several times before the trip!

Thursday:
- Arrive at WDW sometime late morning
- Start out in MK
- 2:15 reservation at BOG (late lunch to make sure we can make it in time and help with eating dinner later)
- Hopefully get fast passes for PPF, SDMT
- 9:15 reservation at CG (Wishes is at 10, we will probably just do sushi and dessert)

Friday:
- Morning at Epcot (hopefully getting on Soarin and Frozen Ever After)
- Pool/relax at hotel because August heat will probably kick our butts
- Evening at HS
- 4:15 dinner at Sci Fi Dine-In
- Fantasmic!

Saturday:
- Not sure what to do in the morning yet
- 4:05 dinner at 'Ohana
- Hopefully we will have time after dinner to get to AK to see ROL, ride Everest, and go on a night time safari

Sunday:
- Morning at AK if we can't get much done the night before, or EMH at HS depending on what we are able to do on Friday
- DINNER AT VICTORIA & ALBERT'S!!!! (My mom made some dining requests for 'Ohana and Sci Fi but she has been talking about going to V&A's for a while so I went ahead and made a reservation, if some unexpected expenses come up before the trip we may cancel this reservation nut for now we are good to go!)

All of our ADRs right now (except V&As) are restaurants we have already gone to but we enjoyed them so much we have to go back!

If you read my last WDW trip report you know that I am a huge fan of BOG

Our first visit to BOG in October 2014

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We also at breakfast, lunch, and dinner at BOG during our October 2015 trip

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My beloved french onion soup and master's cupcake
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Booking a BOG ADR was a no brainer for us. I was only able to squeeze in lunch but I think I will have plenty of time to eat dinner here during my DCP.

I know that during my DCP I will also have plenty of time to watch Wishes from inside MK, so I figured while my mom was so generously paying for most of our meals, I would book a CG reservation to get a different perspective on Wishes. I also am craving that strawberry mouse shortcake dessert that I got on our last trip. Here is to hoping that we get lucky again with an excellent waiter and delicious food.

Dessert will most definitely be on the order.


I can't wait to watch Wishes from the CG balcony, and make a quick escape back to our hotel room after we are done eating and watching the fireworks. No MK crowds for us!​

Next up we have one of my mom's surprise favorite table service restaurants. My mom is not a hue fan of burger and fries type places, she prefers a more adventurous menu. But she absolutely loved our dinner at Sci Fi on our October 2015 trip. The food was good, the price was good, and the theming is so cool!
I really want to try 50 Primetime Cafe but their menu didn't have any appealing vegetarian options so I figured that could wait. Other than that nothing in HS was calling my name so I stuck with Sci Fi.

Here are some dark pictures from our dinner this past fall.
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Our favorite meal from our last full trip was dinner at 'Ohana's We had excellent food and an excellent waiter. However the last time we went there for breakfast we had very disappointing service. I was hoping that by booking our ADR at the start of dinner hopefully the food will be fresh and the waiters will not be worn out yet. As long as I get my 'Ohana bread pudding I will be happy

And because I don't have any good pictures from our 'Ohana dinner here is one from our not so merry, very scary breakfast on our last trip.
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With less than 4 park days, we already have a decent number of ADRs, but I would really like to squeeze in a lunch at someplace we haven't tried yet.
I am thinking either an early lunch at Via Napoli on Friday. I may also look at doing lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe or eating at one of the AKL restaurants on Saturday or Sunday.

But I also LOVED Tusker House on our last October trip and would be happy to eat there again. Plus I don't currently have any character meals booked so we will see!

I am in love with the characters' safari attire!
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Like many of you guys planning upcoming trips, I am waiting to find out more about everything opening up this summer before I make any more plans.

 

[ariane37]

DINNER AT VICTORIA & ALBERT'S!!!!

SO cool! You'll have to find time to do a TR or DR while starting your CP so we can read all about it

from our not so merry, very scary breakfast on our last trip.

This is funny Not funny it happened, but funny......you know

I may also look at doing lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe or eating at one of the AKL restaurants on Saturday or Sunday.

GFC is a place that always ends up on my short list but never makes the final cut. Have you been to any of the restaurants at AKL? Should I know this lol? If not I will suggest Sanaa, it's awesome. And if you go for lunch you have a great chance of seeing animals passing by the restaurant windows.

Like many of you guys planning upcoming trips, I am waiting to find out more about everything opening up this summer before I make any more plans.

Ugh, maybe that's why I keep putting off making my Nov. plans! And I feel bad for everyone going even sooner than I am! So annoying......

 

[Carathryn]

SO cool! You'll have to find time to do a TR or DR while starting your CP so we can read all about it

I will for sure write a trip report and I am planning on blogging during my CP. It might take a while and be a slow process but I am too addicted to the Dis to stop now!

This is funny Not funny it happened, but funny......you know

Thanks, I tried to add some humor to that sad event!

GFC is a place that always ends up on my short list but never makes the final cut. Have you been to any of the restaurants at AKL? Should I know this lol? If not I will suggest Sanaa, it's awesome. And if you go for lunch you have a great chance of seeing animals passing by the restaurant windows.

I have not ate at any of the restaurants at AKL. I have been to AKL once to check it out and fell in love with the lobby. Once I am able to plan far enough in advance to rent DVC points, or if I can get a good deal with a CM discount, AKL is on my next list of places to stay. I LOVE Indian and African inspired food. I've heard great things about Sanaa and Boma and Jiko, so many tough decisions trying to choose just one!

Ugh, maybe that's why I keep putting off making my Nov. plans! And I feel bad for everyone going even sooner than I am! So annoying......

I know, right! Those poor people planning trips for mid June must be going crazy. First world Disney problems

 

[MarieLightning]

Looks like we'll be overlapping a little We're headed there starting August 7th, til the 15th

I'd never heard that the gators were so easy and frequent to spot at CS! One of our friends, who came with us in May 2014, loves alligators too. She went on an adventure one evening during our trip to try and see if she could spot one when she saw there were small water areas around the resort, but she didn't see any. We were at the All-Star Sports, so I don't think they really hang out around there - the water areas aren't connected to any bigger bodies of water. Now we'll definitely have to stay at CS next time we go with her

Although, I will not go looking for an alligator with her - cause you know, worst case scenario happens, I definitely cannot outrun her

Those are great plans lined up, and A+ restaurants. I really do hope ROL will be started up by then and won't have further delays! And I'm also really excited for nighttime safari. We've been passing the safari up these past couple of trips cause, although it is really cool, it wasn't appealing to us anymore to go see it. We were planning on returning to it this trip regardless, but it would be that much cooler with the added novelty of going at night.

 

[Carathryn]

A Change of Plans

Can you tell where I booked for Thursday night?


How about now?
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So since I posted my tentative schedule I have made some changes. We found a really good rate on a standard room at AKL so we decided to spend Thursday night there before checking into Coronado Springs on Friday. This should work out great since it will make it easy for us to try 2 restaurants at AKL, plus we will fit in AK nighttime activities while we are staying here. With this added night I went ahead and called our Victoria and Albert's reservation.

Thursday:

- Arrive at WDW sometime early/mid morning
- Check in at Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!
- Lunch at Sanaa
- Enjoy resort/swim
- Animal Kingdom Nightime Activities


Friday:
- Breakfast at Boma, maybe Tusker House, we will see
- Go to a park, maybe AK if we didn't get much done the night before, I want to save our FP+ for HS
- Check in to Coronado Springs
- Evening at HS
- Dinner at Sci Fi Dine-In
- Fantastic!/ Star Wars Fireworks


Saturday:
- Morning/afternoon at Epcot (Yay for Soarin' and Frozen Ever After!)
- 4:05 dinner at 'Ohana
- Evening at MK


Sunday:
- Morning to get whatever we haven't done at either HS, AK, or Epcot
- Late lunch at BOG
- Evening at MK
- Dinner and Wishes at California Grill

Right now I am really happy with these plans. We have at least one table service a day and even though this is a relatively short trip I think we will have enough time to relax and go at a slower pace if we want. I also now we will have plenty of time for Victoria and Albert's sometime during my Disney College Program.

 

[Carathryn]

Looks like we'll be overlapping a little We're headed there starting August 7th, til the 15th

How exciting! How is your trip planning going with all of this limited knowledge on all of the new stuff that should be going on?

I'd never heard that the gators were so easy and frequent to spot at CS! One of our friends, who came with us in May 2014, loves alligators too. She went on an adventure one evening during our trip to try and see if she could spot one when she saw there were small water areas around the resort, but she didn't see any. We were at the All-Star Sports, so I don't think they really hang out around there - the water areas aren't connected to any bigger bodies of water. Now we'll definitely have to stay at CS next time we go with her

Although, I will not go looking for an alligator with her - cause you know, worst case scenario happens, I definitely cannot outrun her

On our two stays at CS we haven't seen them everyday but we have spotted them at least a couple times. I also actively look for them though so I wonder how often people see them that don't know the gators live there.
If one does get you, you may get some good compensation from Disney! I'm thinking a deluxe club level suite at the Grand Floridian might be worth getting chased by an alligator for
They are relatively small though and I am guessing they have lived in peace at CS for long enough they don't have a desire to go after guests.

Those are great plans lined up, and A+ restaurants. I really do hope ROL will be started up by then and won't have further delays! And I'm also really excited for nighttime safari. We've been passing the safari up these past couple of trips cause, although it is really cool, it wasn't appealing to us anymore to go see it. We were planning on returning to it this trip regardless, but it would be that much cooler with the added novelty of going at night.

Eating at Disney is one of my favorite things to do The problem with this trip was narrowing down my favorite picks while also trying to try a new place!
I am SO EXCITED for AK at night. I think the park is so beautiful and will be even more so at night. If ROL isn't open by then I will probably cry.

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay you've started a PTR! Your plans sound so great, and I'm sure it will be nice to have some fun with your mom before your CP starts up!

 

[Carathryn]

Yay you've started a PTR! Your plans sound so great, and I'm sure it will be nice to have some fun with your mom before your CP starts up!

It should be a great time to see my mom! I am moving out of state this summer so it will be extra special to get some Disney time in!

 

[MarieLightning]

We found a really good rate on a standard room at AKL so we decided to spend Thursday night there before checking into Coronado Springs on Friday.

That's awesome! AKL is so gorgeous, even if it's just for one night that'll be a really nice start to your DCP experience

How is your trip planning going with all of this limited knowledge on all of the new stuff that should be going on?

It's not going too bad, mostly because we're trying to stay a bit more flexible with planning. I figure by the time I can do my FP+ selection, Soarin' FastPasses should be out. We don't plan on meeting Anna & Elsa, regardless of if they're still in MK or have moved to Norway. The main things will be seeing if they've announced an official date for the Frozen Ride, with FP+ availability, or if we'll have to move things around for it. And then we're waiting to see if they'll announce a dessert party for the new Star Wars fireworks, and of course a Dining Package for either the Jungle Book show or Rivers of Light, whichever is running by then.

If one does get you, you may get some good compensation from Disney! I'm thinking a deluxe club level suite at the Grand Floridian might be worth getting chased by an alligator for

If the gator just chases me, then yeah I'll definitely think the upgrade is worth is If it actually *gets* me, I'm not sure I'll care so much about staying anywhere just then Like, gimme lifetime access to the parks if I have to go a lifetime with a missing limb

Eating at Disney is one of my favorite things to do The problem with this trip was narrowing down my favorite picks while also trying to try a new place!
I am SO EXCITED for AK at night. I think the park is so beautiful and will be even more so at night. If ROL isn't open by then I will probably cry.

I know what you mean! And we're trying to fit in some new selections this time around, but it's so hard to say, let's try something new, rather than let's go back to this place we just looove!

It will be really great to see AK at night, but no worries, even if ROL isn't open by August, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to see it before your DCP is over

 

[ariane37]

So since I posted my tentative schedule I have made some changes. We found a really good rate on a standard room at AKL so we decided to spend Thursday night there before checking into Coronado Springs on Friday. This should work out great since it will make it easy for us to try 2 restaurants at AKL, plus we will fit in AK nighttime activities while we are staying here

Awesome change! LOVE Sanaa and I dream of Boma breakfast lol. I would love to go back in Nov. but Steve isn't as big a fan as me The trip can't be all about me, right? I'm all for a TS a day regardless of how long the trip is

 

[Carathryn]

I failed at this PTR thing so here is one last big update before I leave to start my road trip to WDW tomorrow!

I love planning but I also love changing my plans so I may never be a good pre trip reporter but I will keep trying! Planning for this trip has not gone as smoothly as I originally thought it would. My daily Disney dose consists of making an ADR, cancelling an ADR, changing a park day, messing with my FP times, and then switching everything back to the original plan. It has been a challenge to decide where to eat based on wanting to go to all of my favorites, try new places, and avoid restaurants that I will get a good discount on in a couple weeks. So I don’t have any updated plans to report on here since they will probably change again tomorrow. You will have to wait and read my actual trip report to see what we did and where we ate!

Instead, here are some random thoughts leading up to my departure tomorrow, and some pictures because I like pictures.

I moved from Colorado to Indiana this summer so I haven’t really seen my mom since May. I am really looking forward to getting to spend some quality time with her at one of our favorite places. Even if I was in Colorado this summer though I wouldn’t have seen my mom very often because she has been super busy travelling all over the place for her job.

First she went to Hawaii.

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Where her coworkers surprised her with a quick stop by Aulani to check it out. I was hoping this would lead to her wanting to book a trip to Aulani ASAP but she wasn’t too impressed with Hawaii for how pricey it can be to travel there. I think she had too high of expectations but I have never been there so who knows.

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Once she got back from Hawaii she spent some time in Illinois and Georgia before spending almost two weeks in Germany, you know, for work. Benefits of being in the Air Force are not just getting great Disney discounts, you also get some great "work" trips.

These Ochsenaugen cookies are amazing. My mom kept teasing me with pictures of them.
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She had a couple days at home to recover from jetlag and travel so hopefully she is back on American time and able to get enough rest to fully explore on our trip!

In the meantime, I have been super busy trying to settle down for a couple months in Indiana before I leave for five months to do the Disney College Program. I have spent a lot of time trying to prepare to leave home and make sure I have everything ready for Florida.

The first thing we did when we moved to Indiana was adopt another dog. Her name is Tank (don’t ask how my female dog got the name Tank, it was not my doing) and she will be here to keep Riley (our other dog) and Trevor (my fiancé) company while I take off to Florida.

That big goofy smile of hers will help cheer up my boys when I leave.


Me, Trevor and our fur children at Lake Michigan, it may not be the same as a beach in Hawaii but we still love it.
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The next thing we did to get ready for my trip was buy our first new car. We needed a new car since Trevor's car died last summer and he has been using a loaner car from his parents since then. My old car can’t happily go faster than 60mph and there was no air conditioning so our new car will be a lifesaver for my 17 hour drive from Northern Indiana to Florida. I am so lucky to have found an amazing guy who not only supports my dream of doing the college program, but also lets me drive the new car there while he drives my older car to work.

After 6 hours at the dealership we made it home with our new Hyundai Elantra.​

I have a hard enough time packing for a 5 night Disney trip so a 5 month trip took a lot of planning. I started by adding to my comfy sandal collection with a pair of Keens.

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These shoes are amazing! I have had them for two months and I wear them everywhere! They may not be the most attractive pair of shoes I own, but I can walk all day with them, the straps are very adjustable, they are waterproof, and they are supportive yet light and airy. I am really in love with these shoes if you can't tell by now.

Getting ready to spend 5 months at the most magical place on earth also justifies a trip to the Disney store and Hot Topic, because now that it will be socially acceptable to wear Disney shirts every day, I need to expand my collection. Who am I kidding, I wear my Disney attire at home too!

Two of the t-shirts I picked up on sale at the Disney store.​

So now that I know my dog won’t be home by himself all day, I have a car that can handle a road trip, and a Disney park approved wardrobe, I am ready to hit the road tomorrow night after I pick my mom up from the airport.

Keep an eye open for my trip report (if you’re interested in it) in the next couple weeks! I will post a link here once it is up. Thank you so much to anyone that has read this short mini pre trip report.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like things are going great for you! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy your time with your mom! And best of luck to you during your DCP!! I look forward to hearing about all your exciting adventures!

 

[ariane37]

Safe travels tonight! Have a great few days with your mom and I will definitely be on the lookout for your TR!! Make sure you let me know where you'll be when I'm down there later this month so I can look for you

 

[Carathryn]

Sounds like things are going great for you! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy your time with your mom! And best of luck to you during your DCP!! I look forward to hearing about all your exciting adventures!

Thank you!!! It has been a busy summer and I know it will be a busy but magical fall!