I had a BLT for Thanksgiving with a little Holiday & Birthday Cheer:NEW END & new PTR

[Native NYer]

Hope you're having fun in Las Vegas!

 

[jillyb]

Hope you're having fun in Las Vegas!

Doh! Forgot about Vegas! I'm sure the weather is much nicer there than in Chicago right now!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

BLT looks fabulous! Sorry about all the luggage headaches, but I'm glad it finally worked out. UGH!

Swimming outside in November is definitely a !

Meltdowns stink and have a way of making everyone feel uncomfortable. I'm glad you were able to regroup and hit Epcot with a good attitude!

Love the outside movies! And Wishes 6 times??

Can't wait to hear more and especially about the BBB visit!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hey Julie! I'm here and was lurking until I could get caught up...

Oh meltdowns do stink. Ariana had one herself this trip and at the oddest time too. Usually I can see it coming and switch gears to deal with it but not this time. I liked your monorail pic where "all was fine" again.

Can't wait to here more and about Vegas!

 

[mousescrapper]

Rachel is the spitting image of you! The pic of Naomi-Ruth just cracks me up!

thanks...yes despite the blond hair/blue eyes we look very much alike...the only one w/ my curly hair so far....she gets "mad" when I blow dry my hair straight and Naomi-Ruth is a character...

I wanted to ride the Tron monorail just to say we rode in it but we never got around to it.

yes we felt the same...we even figured out the rotation but the timing just didn't happen. Glad Matt got his pix though

Have a great time in Vegas!

we did post & pixs coming up soon

Slipped a bit behind... but that means I got to read two updates today!! I totally get the whole meltdown thing... My mom butts in, but luckily my MIL doesn't - which is probably why I like having her around so much!



BLT looks amazing!!! We love the space we get in our timeshare condos but I'm so jealous that you get the space & you get to jump on the monorail right outside your door! Awesome!!

yes space and ease of into parks is AMAZING!!! plus all the views...we could see Epcot too (not from our room) and you could see the tops of Illuminations we caught that 1 night.

Hope you have a ton of fun in Vegas!!

post coming up soon...

Missed commenting on your previous installment. I think we all SO get the meltdown situation. My MIL likes to comment to us too .



Loving all the pics. Now I really want to stay at BLT sometime. That Tron-o-rail is too cool. Daniel would LOVE it but I doubt it'll still be around in June. Mairead will be excited to hear she can go to the pool on her own unfortunately she probably won't since she wouldn't have anyone to be with.

you guys MUST! I never really got into Tron...but it looked cool! and that is the nice thing w/ twins...they'd go together

Julie, I completely agree with JillyB, Rachel looks just like you!!

thanks

The details of your photos are great (did Matt take these too?) I especially love the one of you and Nathan together. It makes me smile!

some him and some me...can't remember off hand w/out looking at them again. Yes I like that one too

Thanks for sharing pics of BLT and the pool area -- I wish I was there now! I love the boat and monorail.

You just got to eat a BLT @ BLT (or close by)

so do I...though it should be a little warmer in FL right

Great pictures of all the fun recreation and transportation choices at BLT! So convenient!

thanks...we took a TON!

Love the picture of you eating your BLT -- just perfect for where you were staying!

Didn't realize how big my mouth looked...but I knew you all would get a big lick out of it..

Julie hope ya'll are staying inside and keeping warm!

Hope you're having fun in Las Vegas!

Doh! Forgot about Vegas! I'm sure the weather is much nicer there than in Chicago right now!

YES!!!! we were quite glad to miss the latest snow, rain and horrid cold over last weekend and Monday here in Chicago...it was GORGEOUS in Vegas....so you bet Jill we were warm and outside...

BLT looks fabulous! Sorry about all the luggage headaches, but I'm glad it finally worked out. UGH!


me too...

Swimming outside in November is definitely a !

the kids had a good time


Meltdowns stink and have a way of making everyone feel uncomfortable. I'm glad you were able to regroup and hit Epcot with a good attitude!

in the end all was good...

Love the outside movies! And Wishes 6 times??

Yes I'm glad it worked out for us to do it one night...the kids sure got a kick out of it. and yes Wishes 6 times...now I may not have heard or saw every second of it...but it was cool

Can't wait to hear more and especially about the BBB visit!

as soon as my Photopass CD shows up and I download them to my computer...I'll get working on it...hopefully before Christmas

Hey Julie! I'm here and was lurking until I could get caught up...

Oh meltdowns do stink. Ariana had one herself this trip and at the oddest time too. Usually I can see it coming and switch gears to deal with it but not this time. I liked your monorail pic where "all was fine" again.

Can't wait to here more and about Vegas!

yes we had a tough go to start...but lots of good moments too...more on this trip and Vegas coming soon...

 

[mousescrapper]

So like any good DISER....I took the right kind of pictures on this whrilwind 4 day FIRST time visit to VEGAS....

I've got the hotel, food, characters, decorations and alot more to share....

When: Friday Dec 10 - Monday Dec 13, 2010

WHY: at first this trip was suppose to be to celebrate my sister's 40th b-day...but as she ended up not wanting to go anymore for various reasons...the other 4 of us still said let's do it...bring it on! (We did still celebrate her birthday the weekend before w/ an overnight in Chicago, here is a pix of the 6 of us) It was WAY warmer in Vegas...

The CAST:

My Brother Dan:

My SiL Angie (and Stella):

My DH Matt:

and your's truly:

Where we Stayed:

The Rivera Casino/Resort

It is an older hotel toward the end of the strip, but for the small amount of time we were actually in the room it worked. We each had our own rooms and luckily they were right next door to each other...as one morning my brother called me "Um what room am I in again?" he was lost

the rooms were nicely refurbed and comfy plus TTL we go non smoking rooms and there were little fridges, so we got some OJ (for me) and Dr Pepper (for Matt) for in the mornings...plus I brought some muffins and snack bars from home and bought a few bananas too at the store.

We did some gambling...lost more than we won but here I am w/ my first win on electronic roulette and then Matt and I at the MGM Grand w/ our biggest winnings of the weekend:

We did a TON of walking around and saw almost all of the strip, here are a few more pix's

Plus the decor and Holiday decorations were quite amazing and so many of these places:

cont next post:​

 

[mousescrapper]

Matt and I on Sunday (while Dan & Angie were at a Sports Book) walked around and did our corny Vegas thing and went here:

and had a pretty good time hanging w/ the "stars"

We also had some good eats:

Saturday for lunch the 4 of us ate at a Wolfgang Puck franchise and I seriously had the BEST ever BLT...look at the size and thickness of the bacon and tomato:

The lunch Matt and I had on Sunday was at an "open air" cafe in the Ventian:

the food here was equally good, especially the dessert:

a thick chocolate moose covered in chocolate shavings and raspberry and Kiwi sauces.


Sunday night was our fancy night out and we went to a nearby Hotel called Encore/Wynn where we ate at Sinatra...

this was a real treat and a HUGE bill I attempted to take pix's of some of our food...but my food "porn" embarressed my brother....

the restaurant was so classy and Sinatra tunes played in the background and the orginal rat pack Oceans 11 was playing by the bar. Here we are by the great picture of Mr. Sinatra in the bar area:

and then Matt and I at our table:

we were probably the youngest group in the room...well except for some arm candy we saw...if you kwim

Angie and I needed to use the ladies room...and I have not seen a restroom this swank in quite sometime...I just had to take like a dozen pictures for you all

this was the light fixture in the stall

and this waste pail (again in the stall) is nicer than anything I have in my house...


Also that night we took a cab down to Freemont street to the "old school" Vegas...and boy what a sight...

take a look:

and to finish off this mini TR about Vegas...I leave you some Showgirls...

I'm the one fully dressed

Hope you enjoyed that....more of Disney coming up super soon!

thanks for reading,

J~​

 

[jillyb]

Looks like ya'll had a blast in Vegas! Love all the pics!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Looks like you had so much fun in Vegas!! I have been there once - in 2006 with my friend & another one of her friends. We were there two nights at Mandalay Bay & felt like it wasn't nearly enough time to see/do everything. My SIL (Karen) is trying to convince us to go to Vegas with them to celebrate our 15th anniversary next year... not exactly a romantic anniversary trip, but could be fun.

I'll have to scan & email you a funny picture from our trip... we didn't see show girls, we saw the male version...

 

[Marshay]

Thanks so much for sharing your Vegas pics with us! Your photos are the first time that I was able to see some of the size of teh buildings (the pic showing the street, cars and buildings).

I"ve never been to Vegas but it looked like you had a blast. Jerry and I need to go there sometime! I sort of pictured just dark, smoky gambling rooms and buffets -- not all the fun buildings, a gondola ride!, great food, etc.

Glad you had fun and escaped teh Chicago weather, too!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Thanks for showing all of your Vegas pics! Looks like a lot of fun!

 

[irish dancer]

Looks like a fun weekend in Vegas. I've never been either, Brian has been many times for conventions. The one time he would have been able to bring me I was pregnant. Someday I hope to make it there just to see everything!!

 

[tookie]

Vegas is my 2nd favorite place to go, after WDW of course! DH and I always stay at the Wynn Encore which is very classy!!!! Fun pics! Thanks for sharing!

 

[mousescrapper]

So my home computer won't connect to the internet (insert hammer to computer)
Luckily I can still ck in via my phone but can't get up a new post today. But I am glad you all liked the pix it was a pretty neat place to see and I am glad we did it
There is a ton there I agree Amy we hardly touched the surface ( you are also so close to canyons and Hoover Dam too)
There are some of those dark and smokey casino rooms but most are pretty impressive hey on on our first night we saw some guy lose an impressive $500 in 1 hand it's a little mind boggling if you ask me
All the casinos are smoking so toward the end I was tired of that Matt and figure we'll do it again but go for the shows!
Even if you don't gamble (and we didn't much) it's a place to go at least once and BTW we saw a ton of families and little kids which semi shocked me I'd never go w/ kids weird IMHO
I'll get back to Disney as soon as my hubby fixes the internet conection!
Julie

 

[Mickey_Mom]

What a fun trip! Madame Tussauds is so facinating... loved the Johnny Depp one and Elvis holding your hand is too cool.

 

[mousescrapper]

What a fun trip! Madame Tussauds is so facinating... loved the Johnny Depp one and Elvis holding your hand is too cool.

thanks Tracy...I was showing the pictures to my parents last night...my Dad just loved the ones from there too...it was a fun time

 

[mousescrapper]

Vegas is my 2nd favorite place to go, after WDW of course! DH and I always stay at the Wynn Encore which is very classy!!!! Fun pics! Thanks for sharing!

Hi and tookie....

haven't had a chance yet to officially welcome you to my TR...so I'm glad you are here and stopped by to say hi too. Yes I agree the Wynn Encore was amazing...that was first place we looked in and I just kept saying "wow"

 

[mousescrapper]

On Day 3 of our trip we went to Animal Kingdom and this was the first of two planned DISmeets I had made for this trip….

Jill (jillyb) and I met on the boards via a November 2010 thread and we began reading each other’s PTR planning our trips for basically the exact same time. We decided to plan a meet!

So we chose to go on a 2-week Safari together, what a perfect way to get to know each other. We did the usual pre-meet requirements of exchanging our information and the all important what will you be wearing…

My family had just finished walking through the Pagini Exploration Trail when my cell phone rang, it was Jill on the other line (I had missed her first text)…they were waiting to enter the FP line for the Safari. We quickly found each other and exchanged hello’s, hugs, and into’s of our DH’s and children (plus my inlaws). I also gave Jill’s girls some DISmeet goodies of some trading pins (which I happily saw they liked on their pin lanyards when we bumped into each other later in the week), Tink pen and notepad plus a homemade scrapbook frame/ornament. (can’t believe I forgot to take a picture)

We headed up the FP line all together, there was 12 of us. Now prior to meeting we had to convince my mil to take a wheelchair so she could stay w/ us (she was tired) and I wasn’t expecting special treatment in the line, but they allowed all 12 of us through the accessible boarding and we hardly had to wait for our Safari Adventure to begin. We took 3 rows in our big ‘ol Truck and went on our way…of course snapping some pictures as we go:

We had a fun time talking about what we had done and seen so far and what else we had planned for our weeks. We even got an extension for our journey as some animals were blocking the path ahead and what better spot to be stuck at, then right by the Elephants:

(this was one truck behind us and there was at least 1 in front of us...we had the lucky view)


After we made it safely back we took a great group shot of our 2 families:

It was so fun to have my first official (planned) DISmeet! It definitely was one of my highlights. And then later in the week we bumped into each other while waiting to enter Toontown to go see the Fairies.


Our 2nd DISmeet was w/ Marsha (Mashay) and her family, this was our Day 4….you can read more about this meet too on Marsha’s current TR about her Nov. trip:

link to her PTR/TR combo: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37647655#post37647655


I had found Marsha on some Scrapbooking threads as I admired her Autograph books, and then followed a PTR/TR about her family going to BLT and then we both began following each other and got a kick out of the fact we both had Rachels…which in turn our Rachels thought that was pretty cool too. They liked looking at pix’s of Marsha’s girls and how we were going to meet them.

Our original plan was to meet up at the FWC to walk around and have the kids play together…unfortunately, they were delayed arriving and then Mother Nature through a kink in our plan w/ some crazy rain! And did we have our ponchos…..uh no.

But once Marsha and her family arrived, which I instantly recognized coming off the bus (thanks to Marsha’s husband Jerry’s height) we huddled together under the “porch” near the HDDR entrance w/ a bunch of other guests….we exchanged hugs, hello’s, intro’s and goodies for our kids. I think the people around either though we were good friends meeting up at Disney or a little loony…It truly was like we had known each other for a long time. We all bonded and got along so well.

We took some pictures:

And the 2 Rachels….now you’d think they were the same age but actually Marsha’s Rachel is 5.

The girls had a fun time playing and talking w/ other and entertaining Marsha’s other daughter Elie. While the adults and my twins chatted about pin trading. I inadvertently started their Rachel’s pin collection w/ 2 trading pins in her goodie bag.

Their Rachel gave each of my 4 children a small goodie bag too, here is a picture of the cute decorated bags:

My kids really liked their treats of suckers, silly bands and some stickers and gems. Plus the highlight was jingle bell necklaces which I had planned to have them wear for our Christmas Picture at MK but forgot….

I wasn’t sure what Nathan would think of all of this…but he did amazing well. He didn’t mind us stopping and talking and riding with Mom’s DIS friend on the Safari and really appreciated the treasures given to him by Marsha and enjoyed talking to Marsha and her husband about pins.

So thank you both to Jill and Marsha and your families for creating some wonderful memories not only for me but my children. This is why I love these boards….

Thanks for reading as always,

Up NEXT: the all important loot….what did we all buy?

J~​

 

[mousescrapper]

now that is a silly question to ask on the DIS!



It's 10 months till my anni trip w/ my DH to celebrate 15 yrs of Marriage...​

 

[Marshay]

Julie -- we had so much fun talking to you and meeting your family! It really was as if we were old friends, and I certainly hope our paths cross again in the futue!

I forgot to mention in my TR, that the day after we met, Rachel said she wanted to go to MK and could I call you to see if we could join your family again? But this time go on some rides?

Rachel really liked your Rachel!

And just so you know...I've been putting off pin-trading for about 5 years now ... You can follow my May 2011 TR (when I do it) to see how Rachel and I do pin-trading! I think we will follow you and purchase in bulk on ebay.

If you can provide the name of the person you used, I'd appreciate that.