How Do You Think We Stay So Happy?*Final Thoughts & Farewells* 10/7 p100

[MEK]

Oooh! I hope Remy will be out when I'm at Chefs De France! It sounds like you guys had an amazing time! How was the champagne? I thought Christine said you had a guy waiter but I guess not....maybe she meant the maitre'd?

Remy was out pretty much non-stop, so I don't see how you could possibly miss him. Check out Melissa's pix! The champagne was wonderful. such a treat in the middle of the day! I thought she said guy, too, but she was referring to Via Napoli which comes later in the stay.

When I had lunch there I too, had the onion soup & the creme brule. C'est magnifique!

Definitely a meal in itself. that's probably all I really needed to eat!

That guy just plain looked creepy. It's just not natural for a guy to wear short shorts & to have shaved legs! LOL

Maybe he was there for the race at AK later in the week, but still! Don't wear your running shorts to the park - please!

I totally forgot about that at the Dawa Bar while drinking your well deserved margarita.....and I should have taped him on my phone. I didn't even think about it at the time!
I remember seeing in the "DVC perks" pamphlet that Guerlain does something like that with a lesson and usually gives some nice samples. Although the samples could be because of my money spent there

Tracy

You should have taped him, cause I totally missed it with the camera!

I would love to do a lesson that would be cool and YES - you deserved LOTS of free samples!

Wow, love the pics of MK and Epcot! Chef's looks SO good, I feel like I'm never going to eat there, because I always cancel it for other places! I wish my DH wasn't so set on eating at San Angel Inn on our first night on our next trip, or I'd go there!

Well - I have to admit that I have a fondness for San Angel Inn because my kids love it there. So I will always remember taking them there during our first few trips to Disney.

I think Chefs is definitely more a lunch meal. Oh well - just another reason for you to go back.

LOL I must clarify my post, when I was talking about my dd mastering the poncho, I think I meant day 6, because she is 12!! lol wow she would be so embarrassed if she knew I told everyone she couldn't take the poncho off without ripping it and getting stuck. I guess when something is that wet it is impossible!!! lol

Ok I just asked her and she said she knew I would freak if she ripped it so she was just trying to be careful. LOL how thoughtful

6 or 12, I can still totally relate to getting stuck in the poncho. I hate that terrible feeling when its just over your head and you can't breath and you don't know whether to keep pulling or start all over again.

Oh - to have a girl who really cares about those things. Boys get rip away!

I am back on page 20.

Well, I am trying to keep the links somewhat up to date, so maybe that will help. Multiple writers makes a confusing TR so thanks for sticking with us!

Ok. That makes me feel a little better about being 10 pages behind.

GIRLS~ I'm loving the TR and all of your stories. Can't wait to hear more.

So glad you are still loving all our individual stories. I plan to post again soon.....mybig birthday surprise is coming up!

Melissa, thanks for the info on Mandra Spa (I may try that in September). Great picture of Remy!

Melissa and Cynthia both had a wonderful time. They both said the experience was top rate. I was sorry to miss it, but I knew something would have to go in order for me to see the MK!

ME, so sorry to hear about your kitty. I hope Max is back to full strength soon.

Thanks! He is doing better daily. I've really never had a cat with a major surgery/illness so it is a little strange. I feel like I have monitor all his body functions for any complication. Hopefully he will be back to his old self soon enough. ......Maybe when the stitches come out and he can get rid of the collar of shame!!!!!

I'm sorry to hear Max needed to have surgery! I hope he is feeling better soon! (And I hope you're able to get a good night's sleep soon too!)

--

thank you! He really is doing better eery day. Fortunately, its summer so Nick has been able to tend to him during the day. That's a blessing! And I did get a good night's sleep, but totally overslept again this morning. I think I need to change to a more obnoxious alarm for a few days!

Great pics of Remy! He's too cute!

Outstanding closeups - that's for sure!

 

[manntra]

Melissa those are superb pictures with your big lens!! That was hysterical with Remy.

I can't remember did you end up getting two perfumes or just the one? I recall you maybe not getting the one you thought and then did you go back later in the week? I can't say enough how much I love mine.

ME, I hope Max is doing better I know all too well about the downs of having an ill pet and have spent many a night on the floor or couch Your poor little guy and poor you....I am sure he will be feeling better when he gets his drain removed

Tracy

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love your pics of Remy Melissa!

Oh no Mary Ellen - I'm sad to read that Max wasn't doing so well but am glad he is feeling better Hope you manage to catch up on some much needed sleep soon.

 

[MEK]

Melissa those are superb pictures with your big lens!! That was hysterical with Remy.

I can still picture Melissa right up against the table taking that picture. And the maitre-D's reaction was priceless.

:

I can't remember did you end up getting two perfumes or just the one? I recall you maybe not getting the one you thought and then did you go back later in the week? I can't say enough how much I love mine.

I think its great that you both treated yourselves to some lovely fragrances. And the fact that you bought it in Epcot probably makes it that much more special!

ME, I hope Max is doing better I know all too well about the downs of having an ill pet and have spent many a night on the floor or couch Your poor little guy and poor you....I am sure he will be feeling better when he gets his drain removed

Tracy

Thanks Tracy - I know you have had you share of dog illnesses. No fun at all! Max is doing much better, although he hates his cone of shame and doesn't want to do anything but sit in one spot. Whenever I take it off he gets up and walks around. I think he's a little depressed, if that's possible. That first night was terrible. I didn't know a cat could wimper! So pathetic!

Love your pics of Remy Melissa!

Aren't they great???? If you had seen the interaction when she was taking them. It was a hoot!

Oh no Mary Ellen - I'm sad to read that Max wasn't doing so well but am glad he is feeling better Hope you manage to catch up on some much needed sleep soon.

Thanks! Max is doing better, although he is not totally himself. Thank goodness he is such a laid back cat. It makes the recovery easier. And - yes - I think I am caught up on sleep!

 

[MEK]

So, I am off from work today. I have to hit the dermatologists office early this morning. I have a clogged sweatgland in my armpit which is very painful. I'm not even comfortable running with it. Does this classify as a medical emergency? Probably not. But it is a good excuse for an update.

In my last update the girls and I had just finished a wonderful lunch, complete with champagne and a visit from Remy. We all went our separate ways with the intention of all ending up back at the resort. I took a few pictures of the pretty flowers planted outside the IG at Epcot.

I think I was still getting used to my new vacation home because I felt compelled to take a few more pictures of the villas.

Loved this Place!!!!!

When Cynthia and I entered our villa there was clearly a big surprise in store for me. Now let me just preface this my saying that I am not a huge birthday person. I tend to be more low key when it comes to celebrating and I was shocked that the ladies added my birthday to our all reservations.

But I was not nearly as shocked as when I walked into our room and found this.

I was stunned. I was overwhelmed. I was at a loss for words! I was very grateful that Cynthia and the ladies had clearly mastered minded this surprise. WOW!!!!!!

Is this not one of the most amazing cakes you have ever seen?????

The cake was covered in pictures of all my favorite characters!

How cool is that?

And on top of my cake was a symbol of one of my favorite hobbies!

Plus all those cute little flowers and the Happy Birthday Ribbon. OMG!!!! It was seriously the nicest and most amazing cake I have ever received.

Thank you again ladies You are all wonderful! I could have cried!

Here are a few more views.

And no birthday surprise is complete without a balloon!

It took me several minutes to recover from my shock. Cynthia basically just laughed at me. Being that we were still stuffed from lunch and the rest of the ladies had gone back to their rooms to change into bathing suits, we decided to save the cake for later. Plus, it was just too pretty to cut up at that moment!

So what do two girls do who have never been to the beach club before?

Why visit SAB, of course! Cynthia, being a YC veteran, led the way!

(Disclaimer - I think I forgot to edit these pictures before I uploaded them, so I am adding some photobucket edits which are not the greatest)

I didn't take too many photos. I was actually a little nervous about taking my good camera to the pool. It was very crowded and we had to walk almost over to the YC side to find a couple of chairs together. Then we set out to explore a bit. SAB really isn't a pool. It's this series of lazy river compartments. If we had floats it would have been fun to do the lazy river. It was really too deep to lazy river without some sort of flotation device. Cynthia took me over to a little whirlpool area which her kids really enjoyed last August. Feeling the sand between my toes was certainly novel. Climbing in and out of the pool to get back to our chairs was actually hard work. It was hard to negotiate our way back. I think I would have enjoyed the experience more had it not been so crowded. But I can certainly see why people love and gravitate towards SAB.

We figured out that the other ladies had gone to the quiet pool. I don't think we had time to visit there. I do know that we filled our mug with diet coke/coke and rum and brought those to the pool. So we were certainly feeling the mellowness.

This was one of those days were time literally flew by. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the room to get ready for dinner. Cynthia had a Soarin FP and I wanted to hit single rider TT before dinner. I forget what time our dinner reservation was, but I know we needed to get our butts in gear if we were going to ride an attraction before dinner. And since my ride card wasn't very full, I felt pretty motivated to get back to Epcot.

Next Up - Dinner and Tutto and Illuminations with all the Ladies!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

That cake is amazing! I am obsessed with cake decorating shows on tv and that one is definitely one of the coolest I have ever seen!

That was so nice of all of the ladies to do that for you!

I am really enjoying the TR and all of the beautiful pics!

 

[SoonerGirl]

That cake is fabulous!!! What an awesome surprise! That sure is a nice group of ladies that you were traveling with

 

[Queenofallthings]

What a wonderful surprise! Those ladies sure knew what they were doing when they ordered that cake....it's stunning! I am always amazed at what they can do with cakes these days!

Looks like a great afternoon at SAB...and those flowers on the way are pretty
I can't wait to grab a cocktail and head to the pool at AKL....I just imagine it now!

 

[okw19]

That cake is so awesome!! How sweet of everyone!

 

[jenjolt]

That cake was amazing...ALMOST...too good to eat!! But we somehow managed to do so...it was SO SO SO SO yummy!!! It was one of the coolest and most creative cakes I have ever seen!!!!!!

SAB what a great pool!!!! I just love the sand bottoms!!!! SO NICE!!!!

AWWWW...REMY....what a great way to spend lunch!! With great friends, and boy did we laugh, that man with Remy was hilarious!! I really enjoyed my lunch too...I would definitely get the mac and cheese again although it was quite rich!!!! YUMMY!!!!

Mary Ellen...if I had a lot of money I know who I would buy that picture for too LOL!!!!!!

 

[heaven2dc]

What a great birthday you are having! How sweet of them to surprise you with such an adorable birthday cake - perfect for you Can't wait to hear what flavor it was!

We would love to stay at BCV sometime - we walked over to see SAB and visit the restaurants there last time (we always stay at BWV) and my boys said "why didn't we stay here?" well, guess we will have to try it next trip. I just love the Boardwalk view tho.....and the DVC rooms don't have that great of a view (maybe if you're over the quiet pool or an upper floor where you can see into Epcot maybe). Thanks for your review of SAB - it looks really cool esp for kids.

 

[TanzUnited99]

I love the Epcot flowers - I really can't wait to explore the park in detail!

What a beautiful birthday surprise! I love how it captures your hobby perfectly - the girls did a great job!

I'm glad you enjoyed SAB even though it was crowded - it sure helps to have a drink in hand!

 

[podsnel]

What a cool cake!! How wonderful of them to all get it for you-

SAB is just great- I personally love to float in that river without a float- it makes me feel like I can swim REALLY fast!!

Poor Max- I hope he's feeling better! Maybe you should show him Melissa's Remy pics to cheer him up!

Hope you feel better after the dermo visit-

E

 

[Mndisneygirl]

GORGEOUS CAKE!!!
I would definitely have cried! How sweet of the ladies!

Was the camera part made of cake and covered, or was it fondant? I love watching those cake shows too. This is very cool!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Okay, finally caught up! Your Le Chefs lunch looks so delicious and so much fun with Remy. They probably didn't want you too close because they didn't want you to spoil the magic for yourself!

Great pics on this update!!! It seems there was a whole group of photographers together.

Cynthia! Great job on the cake surprise! That turned out absolutely amazing - I would never have wanted to cut it.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Nearly 40 pages behind, but I'm caught up now!

I'm loving every minute - laughing out loud more times than I can count, and WOW so many awesome pictures!!!

And look! The bobcat!

Freaaaaaaaaaky!

Is that CM holding a gun!?!??

Love this! So cute!

GORGEOUS pictures of TSI!!! And is that Hidden Mickey in the greenery on the mountain??? His ears are a bit elongated, but...I see Mickey!

I know I said this before (I think you posted this on Facebook?) but that cake is AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I'm in awe of how they made the Polaroids really look like pictures, with the slightly muted colors and all. Incredible!

 

[manntra]

The cake was delicious!!! Everything was edible and made from cake, fondant, or chocolate... the camera was chocolate (white maybe?) and I know that someone had requested that particular component The thought of a cake for ME came to mind after I arranged one for my boss's daughter's (Ashley) 16th birthday celebration at California Grill in February. I scoured the cake thread and found a cute Mad Hatter design for his daughter. We found the perfect cake for Ashley on the thread and Brian at the Contemporary was amazing (they were all so nice at Private Dining) She really thought it was from the Cake Boss The pictures of Ashley's were beautiful but I really wanted to taste that cake!!! I had been dying to see what fondant tasted like...not great but actually just what I had imagined....sweet, sweet, sweet We had several emails back and forth discussing design, flavors, etc and Cynthia took care of talking to was it the Boardwalk private dining I think? All I remember is that it was full of chocolately goodness I know Melissa has ordered some cakes from different resorts too and had great success....they really do a fantastic job.

I have no idea what the rest of us did after Remy..I guess to the quiet pool Anyone else remember? Maybe I was off somewhere cradling my new perfume bottle?! I am fairly certain we did go to the quiet pool as it had become our afternoon ritual. How I could go for a dose of pool drinks and BC today

Tracy :

 

[saintstickets]

The cake was delicious!!! Everything was edible and made from cake, fondant, or chocolate... the camera was chocolate (white maybe?) and I know that someone had requested that particular component The thought of a cake for ME came to mind after I arranged one for my boss's daughter's (Ashley) 16th birthday celebration at California Grill in February. I scoured the cake thread and found a cute Mad Hatter design for his daughter. We found the perfect cake for Ashley on the thread and Brian at the Contemporary was amazing (they were all so nice at Private Dining) She really thought it was from the Cake Boss The pictures of Ashley's were beautiful but I really wanted to taste that cake!!! I had been dying to see what fondant tasted like...not great but actually just what I had imagined....sweet, sweet, sweet We had several emails back and forth discussing design, flavors, etc and Cynthia took care of talking to was it the Boardwalk private dining I think? All I remember is that it was full of chocolately goodness I know Melissa has ordered some cakes from different resorts too and had great success....they really do a fantastic job.

I have no idea what the rest of us did after Remy..I guess to the quiet pool Anyone else remember? Maybe I was off somewhere cradling my new perfume bottle?! I am fairly certain we did go to the quiet pool as it had become our afternoon ritual. How I could go for a dose of pool drinks and BC today

Tracy :

Who do you contact for the cake? When we go to WDW in May, 2012, it will be my son's birthday and I would love to get him something like this. What a great surprise!

 

[MEK]

That cake is amazing! I am obsessed with cake decorating shows on tv and that one is definitely one of the coolest I have ever seen!

I must admit I have watched many episodes of the cake boss, but this is the first camera cake I have seen. Even the strap has little mickey squares covering it.

That was so nice of all of the ladies to do that for you!

A really thoughtful and incredibly generous birthday cake! I hope I have the opportunity to bestow such a wonderful surprise on one of my gals in the future!

I am really enjoying the TR and all of the beautiful pics!

Thank you! I hope Cynthia comes back soon with some pix. She took a ton and she's been MIA for awhile.

That cake is fabulous!!! What an awesome surprise! That sure is a nice group of ladies that you were traveling with

It really was an unexpected and totally awesome surprise. It was really somewhat overwhelming because I totally did not expect that!

What a wonderful surprise! Those ladies sure knew what they were doing when they ordered that cake....it's stunning! I am always amazed at what they can do with cakes these days!

I do believe a lot of thought went into that cake. Cynthia told me they tried for something Eeyore themed, but it wasn't available. The camera was obviously way more original. Loved it!

Looks like a great afternoon at SAB...and those flowers on the way are pretty
I can't wait to grab a cocktail and head to the pool at AKL....I just imagine it now!

AKL has beautiful, beautiful pools. You will really enjoy your pool time. I still haven't decided which of the two pools I liked best. They were both fabulous. One crystal blue and the other savannah green. Both so tropical and relaxing.

That cake is so awesome!! How sweet of everyone!

Really awesome and such a fabulous, unforgettable surprise!

That cake was amazing...ALMOST...too good to eat!! But we somehow managed to do so...it was SO SO SO SO yummy!!! It was one of the coolest and most creative cakes I have ever seen!!!!!!

Seriously - it was almost too darn pretty to eat. That's the only problem with something so fantastic. You just don't want to ruin the artwork!

SAB what a great pool!!!! I just love the sand bottoms!!!! SO NICE!!!!

It really was! Did you love it when you visited in June? I hope you got tons of SAB time!

AWWWW...REMY....what a great way to spend lunch!! With great friends, and boy did we laugh, that man with Remy was hilarious!! I really enjoyed my lunch too...I would definitely get the mac and cheese again although it was quite rich!!!! YUMMY!!!!

It really was one of our best lunches. You missed our other funny lunch at Brown Derby. That waiter had us cracking up, too. That mac and cheese looked amazing.

Mary Ellen...if I had a lot of money I know who I would buy that picture for too LOL!!!!!!

Well the good news is that whether you bought it or I bought it - it would still end up in the most deserving person's hands. I could totally see you with that pix! I don't know where you would put it in your house, but I'm certain you would find a worthy place.

What a great birthday you are having! How sweet of them to surprise you with such an adorable birthday cake - perfect for you Can't wait to hear what flavor it was!

I seriously had a weeklong birthday! Where else can you do that except Disney world? It was actually chocolate inside with a fruit (I think raspberry) layer. At least that's what my memory tells me (but I am old). If I am wrong, it doesn't matter because I do know the cake was extremely moist and very tasty. Perfection!

We would love to stay at BCV sometime - we walked over to see SAB and visit the restaurants there last time (we always stay at BWV) and my boys said "why didn't we stay here?" well, guess we will have to try it next trip. I just love the Boardwalk view tho.....and the DVC rooms don't have that great of a view (maybe if you're over the quiet pool or an upper floor where you can see into Epcot maybe). Thanks for your review of SAB - it looks really cool esp for kids.

I agree with you that some of the BWV views look amazing. This view was very nice - Epcot to the left and ToT straight ahead. I am looking forward to trying BWV for one of my future stays. I will be the last DVC I try.

I love the Epcot flowers - I really can't wait to explore the park in detail!

Definitely take your time to explore. There are so many wonderful details. That's why I love pictures so much. They capture all the detail and bring back all the memories!

What a beautiful birthday surprise! I love how it captures your hobby perfectly - the girls did a great job!

They sure did. I could not have even imagined a better cake. Simply amazing!

I'm glad you enjoyed SAB even though it was crowded - it sure helps to have a drink in hand!

Ah - Yes - Cynthia and I had spiced rum and coke in our lovely Disney mugs. Believe me - it went down easy.

What a cool cake!! How wonderful of them to all get it for you-

It was so thoughtful of them. They TOTALLY caught me off guard with that one. I never, ever suspected a birthday cake! I love those girls.

SAB is just great- I personally love to float in that river without a float- it makes me feel like I can swim REALLY fast!!

Good idea! I love when you feel like you are a great swimmer when you're not!!!!!

Poor Max- I hope he's feeling better! Maybe you should show him Melissa's Remy pics to cheer him up!

That really would cheer him up. In normal life he is normally quite the mouser. He's always bringing something home. On second thought - Remy is probably much safer in Disney world!

Hope you feel better after the dermo visit-

E

The dermatologist just injected my sebacious gland (cyst) with cortisone. He wants to take the whole thing out instead of just draining it. He said it was too inflamed to come out now. Of course it is - because it wasn't when I first called for the appointment. He was going to put me on antibiotics, but when I reminded him of my C Diff history, he decided not to. Hopefully, I will have the whole cyst taken out next Wednesday. UNLESS - it gets worse, which I am very afraid of - since it developed very quickly. So - if I am in the ED tomorrow - that's why! I wish he had just drained it. I really don't care about a scar in my arm pit. I'm trying to keep a low profile till this heat breaks and this cyst is drained cause it really HURTS!

 

[MEK]

GORGEOUS CAKE!!!
I would definitely have cried! How sweet of the ladies!

Really, really sweet and incredibly thoughtful! I really did not expect it. They really surprised me. Didn't see that one coming.

Was the camera part made of cake and covered, or was it fondant? I love watching those cake shows too. This is very cool!

It was white chocolate covered with fondant. We did cut into that bad boy!

Okay, finally caught up! Your Le Chefs lunch looks so delicious and so much fun with Remy. They probably didn't want you too close because they didn't want you to spoil the magic for yourself!

You know - I never thought of that, but you are probably right. I found the whole thing so believable, but I'm sure if you looked in the right place you could see how the rigged that gig.

Great pics on this update!!! It seems there was a whole group of photographers together.

Between the six of us we sure took a lot of pictures! I love pix because they really preserve the memory for me. And we haven't even posted any PP pix yet. I like to save those for last, but someone else may end up posting them sooner.

Cynthia! Great job on the cake surprise! That turned out absolutely amazing - I would never have wanted to cut it.

Believe me - It was REALLY hard to take that first cut. I felt like I was defacing a work of art.

Nearly 40 pages behind, but I'm caught up now!

I'm loving every minute - laughing out loud more times than I can count, and WOW so many awesome pictures!!!

Congrats for getting caught up. That was work, I'm sure. So glad you got a few good laughs out of all our antics!!!! We sure had our share of laughs!

Freaaaaaaaaaky!

I must say - I thought twice about booking a treehouse villa knowing that there might be a family of bobcats roaming around!

Is that CM holding a gun!?!??


!

It sure looks like it, doesn't it?

Love this! So cute!

GORGEOUS pictures of TSI!!! And is that Hidden Mickey in the greenery on the mountain??? His ears are a bit elongated, but...I see Mickey!

You know - I thought the same thing when I saw those pics. It DOES look like a hidden Mickey. Is is possible they trim it that way. I wouldn't be surprised.

I know I said this before (I think you posted this on Facebook?) but that cake is AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I'm in awe of how they made the Polaroids really look like pictures, with the slightly muted colors and all. Incredible!

It really was amazing. I took so many pictures of it because I want to remember it for ever!!!!! The whole polaroid idea was so creative. I saved them all!