"I'M STUCK IN DISNEY!!!!!!!!" A Delightfully Unliveable TR ~ NEW TR 9/27!!!!!!!!!!!

[Enchantress01]

I think it's a sign that I have a Disney problem (not that it's a *real* problem) when I look at the bridge picture and think, "oh wow! She really hit a good day at Epcot! Look at how uncrowded it is!"

Aaahhhhahahha! I was thinking the same thing "why am I so excited about this?" We're fine really....

I'm glad to hear the Japan pavillion replicates the real thing so closely. I always have the same Inception experience when I'm in "France" and keep repeating it until I get the eyerolls and my family runs off to Morrocco.

Lia - my husband and I are convinced, with your love of beer (his gene pool, not mine) and all things pumpkin, you are our long lost daughter. Of course we had some doubts when you said you don't like seafood, but with a little seafood immersion therapy, I'm sure that can be fixed.

Eeeeeeee!!! You're going back!!! I'm so happy for you. Maybe Lee-Anne will try some thrill rides this time. And if you see Jess, I can't wait to hear about the adventures you'll have. Enjoy!

 

[LifeIsDis]

I guess Lobster rolls aren’t that common…I don’t know. I mean, I live in MA and you can find one anywhere—well except like McDonalds or something—during the summer. That’s interesting…

I just went to a concert a few weeks ago and I was second row. I was kind of bummed about that since I am SUCH a front row snob. But I mean, if it was Food and Wine, and my favorite band, food would be the winner.

Dying over the picture of Spaceship Earth off in the distance.

Italian CMs and food. That is not a good mix for me.

Dancing around in the Italy pavilion playing the tambourine would be such an awesome job. I mean, any job in Disney would be awesome, but ya know.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I just found your trip report and read the first post. I look forward to following along with you. I'm going back to start reading but wanted to pop in and say hi.

 

[__disneygirl]

Aw man, food and wine looks so awesome!! I wish I had been able to go this past year, it all looks so amazing!! And yummy!! I can't say I've ever had a lobster roll, but it looks pretty delicious! And that soup! UGH, I die for that soup, so tasty!!

How funny about the impromptu Italian band!? And seriously, I think any kind of Disney job would be awesome, like "what do you do" "Oh i get to hang out in castles and with some crazy chipmunks all day, maybe venture into wonderland occasionally, no biggie!"

It was all amazing! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to go another year.

I know, it was hilarious! While any Disney job would be fun, I think that one would be particularly interesting LOL

I just stumbled upon your TR and just about DIED seeing Hanson in your intro! I'm OBSESSED!! I stopped reading right there to post about it, so here I go to read your TR!

YAY! Always glad to see a Hanson fan!

New subscriber! I just caught up with this super fun TR! It's weird, but I totally read it in a different "voice" than my own--I could feel your energy and excitement in each update!

Hi there, thanks for joining us! I'm glad my excitement translates!

Aaahhhhahahha! I was thinking the same thing "why am I so excited about this?" We're fine really....

I'm glad to hear the Japan pavillion replicates the real thing so closely. I always have the same Inception experience when I'm in "France" and keep repeating it until I get the eyerolls and my family runs off to Morrocco.

Lia - my husband and I are convinced, with your love of beer (his gene pool, not mine) and all things pumpkin, you are our long lost daughter. Of course we had some doubts when you said you don't like seafood, but with a little seafood immersion therapy, I'm sure that can be fixed.

Eeeeeeee!!! You're going back!!! I'm so happy for you. Maybe Lee-Anne will try some thrill rides this time. And if you see Jess, I can't wait to hear about the adventures you'll have. Enjoy!

Seafood immersion therapy I actually think I am going to try some seafood on my next trip. What better place to try new things than Disney?

Thank you!! I doubt Lee-Anne will do the thrill rides but it's okay cause I'll have Jess and Gina to be my partners in crime when it comes to my thrill ride marathons! So it's all good.

I guess Lobster rolls aren’t that common…I don’t know. I mean, I live in MA and you can find one anywhere—well except like McDonalds or something—during the summer. That’s interesting…

I just went to a concert a few weeks ago and I was second row. I was kind of bummed about that since I am SUCH a front row snob. But I mean, if it was Food and Wine, and my favorite band, food would be the winner.

Dying over the picture of Spaceship Earth off in the distance.

Italian CMs and food. That is not a good mix for me.

Dancing around in the Italy pavilion playing the tambourine would be such an awesome job. I mean, any job in Disney would be awesome, but ya know.

LOL we may never know.

I've never been second row. Like I said, it's either front or back for me! Food + the back won out this time. And we had an awesome time!!

It's quite a pretty picture, isn't it? I love it!!

IT'S AN AMAZING MIX FOR ME. Of course it usually leads to embarrassment, but really I'm used to it.

Agreed!

I just found your trip report and read the first post. I look forward to following along with you. I'm going back to start reading but wanted to pop in and say hi.

Hi & !!! Thanks for joining in!

 

[__disneygirl]

OCTOBER 22, 2012
Day 2, Part 10 In Which I Spend My Last Moments With A Dear Friend​

​

At this point we had like an hour and a half until we wanted to get back to the America Gardens Theatre for the first Hanson show, so I said that we could either 1. Explore the World Showcase further since we had hardly even been in the pavilions, or 2. Head over to Future World since we had really only passed through there due to me desperately needing Cheddar Cheese Soup. I would have been happy with either choice so I asked Lee-Anne what she wanted to do and she picked Option #2.

The first thing I always do in Future World is visit one of my favorite attractions, The Seas With Nemo and Friends.

As I have said before, the Nemo ride is one of my favorite things in all of Disney. It makes me extremely emotional and I am absolutely in LOVE with it.

I love dolphins so much, but I can never get a good picture of them!

Lee-Anne and I sat there for a long time relaxing and just watching them swim around having the best time ever. That's what I love about them, they always look like you've caught them on the BEST DAY OF THEIR LIVES.

Although the dolphins are wonderful, we all know who the star of this pavilion/all of Disney World is!

OUR FROGFISH FRIEND PAUL!

There is extensive backstory on Our Frogfish Friend, so if you have not read my previous TRs please check out this post. There is more in my 2nd TR, but that link is when I discovered him and brought him to his DIS fame!

And here's his post-mortem looking friend, Ringo!

I have some very sad news to report. Well, I technically don't know what happened so I shouldn't say it's sad until I know for sure. However... this is the last time I saw Our Frogfish Friend Paul. :'(

I visited him twice more during this trip and he wasn't there. Ringo was just there alone. I honestly thought nothing of it, like maybe they were about to randomly clean the tank or something, I don't know. Then I went again and same thing, he wasn't there.

At this point I was concerned and wanted to ask a CM about it, but it was during EMH so all the tanks were dark and there was like NO one in there.

When Kara went on her trip a few weeks after mine, he wasn't there either. :'(

I really hope they just moved him or something. Jess said she is going to try and find out what happened so I am waiting on that. I will be very sad if he is no longer with us! Either way, pretty awesome life this fish has/had. Bringing joy and confusion to Disney guests daily!

This trip report is dedicated to Our Frogfish Friend Paul.

Whether or not I ever see you again, I WILL LOVE YOU TIL MY DYING DAY!!!!!!

If I had known that it would be the last time I would see my beloved Paul, I would have stayed glued to that tank and refused to leave. However, I did not know this so we looked at some of the other sea life.

All of it is cool but no one compares to Our Frogfish Friend Paul. (Fun Fact: He is actually a Batfish, but I didn't know this for a very long time so I continue to call him a Frogfish.)

I don't know what this thing in the next photo is. It's either tentacles coming off something or an eel or something else I've never heard of. Either way, it looks like a sea monster AND I LOVE SEA MONSTERS!

This fish below reminded me of a bad upholstery from the 90's or something. It would look bad on a couch but it looks cool on a fish!

Seahorses are the coolest (besides Paul).

If you doubt me, watch this video of a male seahorse giving birth: It's CRAZY. I mean... no crazier than what happens when humans give birth (no joke I am terrified of having a baby I MEAN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S JUST LIKE, THEY EXPECT ME TO DO WHAT??????????) but you know. Something you definitely don't see every day.

Ok, I love this SO MUCH. Can you count how many eels are in the photo below?

The answer is: 4 eels!

We wanted to go in and see Turtle Talk With Crush. I had been talking this up to Lee-Anne because it is another one of my favorites. They had just finished letting people in though, so we had to wait until the next show.

So then we went to visit the manatees. I LOVE MANATEES!

I hate how you can't really see them very well. They were being fed and I wanted to see their cute faces but it was pretty difficult.

Non-Disney Manatee pic from Google:

SEE? I love their faces!!!

We then went back to the Crush area and checked out the jellyfish. I have stared at these so much and they never get less fascinating!

Storytime! Once when we were staying at a friend's (now demolished due to Hurricane Sandy) beach house in Ocean Beach which is right next to Seaside at the Jersey Shore. I caught a jellyfish and named it Ryango Sling.

This is because days earlier I was googling Ryan Gosling (as I often do. Gotta stay up to date) and Google did that "Did you mean....?" thing, and it said "Did you mean Ryango Sling?" and I was like NO, I DID NOT MEAN RYANGO SLING. (?!) Like apparently in 2004 it made more sense to Google Ryango Sling than Ryan Gosling. So my friends and I called him Ryango Sling for years and I named my jellyfish that. I know, I know, my life is so compelling! You're welcome... for that.

I loved that because it reminded me of the Coffee Talk With Linda Richmond skit from SNL. "I'm getting vaklempt! Tawk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a tawpic. Jellyfish are neither jelly, nor a fish. DISCUSS!"

Priceless.

So we finally got to go in and chat with Crush!

I've seen this show over and over but of course it is different every single time. However, they do have several standard things that Crush says pretty often, and there were ones that seemed new. Either that or I had never heard them before. It was so great!

Lee-Anne was blown away by it! I loved seeing her reaction. Like I said, I talked it up a lot. She didn't really get it though. She thought that it was going to be all pre-recorded and stuff, she didn't understand that he talks live to specific people. She said when he first called on a child and called their shirt a "shell", she didn't even know what he was talking about because she was in shock that he was really talking to the kid in the moment! I loved it.... you could tell the Disney magic had really stunned her.

Up Next: You feel like liberation. You give a new sensation. You showed me what I needed. You are my life completed...

p.s. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

p.p.s. 53 days til I'm in Disney with Jess and Lee-Anne, and 62 until Gina joins us! WOOOOO! ​

 

[khertz]

Okay, that video of the seahorse giving birth freaked me out, and I have actually given birth! SO MANY BABIES! And it looks like he is sneezing them out!

Still haven't done Turtle Talk, but I think Paxton might actually understand a little better on our next trip, so we might try it then. He loves Crush, and every day wants to do "noggins" with me or Daddy.

Great update and R.I.P. Frogfish Friend Paul.

 

[arbolita]

There's basically nobody in my office today, so I have pretty much spent my entire afternoon catching up on trip reports, including yours! No one's mad.

Just a few random comments -

I am so excited for you to read the next chapter of my Trip Report, because there is going to be a SNL reference, and I'm glad to know at least ONE person will get it!

I have incredibly fair skin as well, and I'm with you, I haaaaate that people seem to think it's their business to comment on it. I go from pale to sunburned - there is no inbetween - so I've decided to just embrace it, so everyone else should do the same.

We went to F&WF in 2009 and 2010 and haven't been back since and I MISS IT SO MUCH. I can already tell this trip report (and reading about the food booths at Flower & Garden) are not going to help with my withdrawals. Basically we all just need to move down there so we can go every weekend.

 

[__disneygirl]

Okay, that video of the seahorse giving birth freaked me out, and I have actually given birth! SO MANY BABIES! And it looks like he is sneezing them out!

Still haven't done Turtle Talk, but I think Paxton might actually understand a little better on our next trip, so we might try it then. He loves Crush, and every day wants to do "noggins" with me or Daddy.

Great update and R.I.P. Frogfish Friend Paul.

LOL I KNOW. It's crazy.

Aww! He will love it. The kids just go crazy for it & it's such a magical experience for them. You're gonna love it too!!

AHHH NOOO MAYBE HE IS ALIVE.

There's basically nobody in my office today, so I have pretty much spent my entire afternoon catching up on trip reports, including yours! No one's mad.

Just a few random comments -

I am so excited for you to read the next chapter of my Trip Report, because there is going to be a SNL reference, and I'm glad to know at least ONE person will get it!

I have incredibly fair skin as well, and I'm with you, I haaaaate that people seem to think it's their business to comment on it. I go from pale to sunburned - there is no inbetween - so I've decided to just embrace it, so everyone else should do the same.

We went to F&WF in 2009 and 2010 and haven't been back since and I MISS IT SO MUCH. I can already tell this trip report (and reading about the food booths at Flower & Garden) are not going to help with my withdrawals. Basically we all just need to move down there so we can go every weekend.

LOL I used to do this when I had an office job. No one was mad. Actually someone did get mad because our network got a virus and they thought it was cause of me. Then someone found some very UN-Disneyish web content on this jerk's computer and I was like HA!!! I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T ME!!! Sweet justice.

Anyway... YAY FOR SNL REFERENCES!

We are fair skinned Queens tbh.

VERY TRUE! Except I wouldn't go on the weekend because oh my GOD you cannot move at F&W on the weekends. Craziness. But I do agree about us all moving!

 

[TheDisneyChick]

Hey Lia! So I actually made an August TR! It's called, "A Mini Get to Know Me TR!" I would LOVE it if you checked it out, since there are no comments yet. Booo! It has Friends references... Haha
Anyways looking forward to the next update!
-Gianna

 

[Aussiesalad]

Um YES!!! I would love to show you all the fab places I hang out! Just remind me when it gets closer to that time so I can try and be free when you are here!! Yay! Have you ever been to NYC before?

YAYYY!!! Will do It's looking about the 15th at the moment but it's all up to when our office shuts this year. Yesss I have but only for a couple of days and it was about 7 years ago. My friend Amber was studying at Pratt so I just crashed in her dorm room for a week and played tourist in the city whenever she had a break from class. I LOVED it but I feel like there is sooooo much I didn't see!

Ahhhhh Hanson in Disney makes me super happy! I love when favourites combine!! Like Full House and the Beach Boys. It's just PERFECT!!!
Do they do it every year?

That pumpkin mousse looks DELICIOUS!!!!

I wish I could just obey tweets your like that. Off to the airport I go...

Good work with all the mental make out sessions! Prego to the max!

I love surprise Italian musical parades! They are my favorite of all surprise musical parades!! It probably was Hanson. Just can't get enough of stalking you can they??

I would LOVE to get on sash guy's level... His level is awesome!!!

Geez Hula Timon is getting out of control!!!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Dammit I missed the second update all together!! Slacker.

Ok round two...

Nemo is sooo wonderful! I love how peaceful and beautiful it is in there! Well apart from the scary fish bit... still gets me every time...

Oh nooooo! That is so sad about Paul Hopefully Jess can get some inside information on what happened. Poor little Ringo, left all alone!

90s fish looks like a pair of parachute pants...

Manatee faces are the best! They win the face category!

YAYY!!!!! YOU ARE THERE SOOOOON!!!!

 

[__disneygirl]

Hey Lia! So I actually made an August TR! It's called, "A Mini Get to Know Me TR!" I would LOVE it if you checked it out, since there are no comments yet. Booo! It has Friends references... Haha
Anyways looking forward to the next update!
-Gianna

OK I will definitely check it out! Anything involving Friends references is for me.

YAYYY!!! Will do It's looking about the 15th at the moment but it's all up to when our office shuts this year. Yesss I have but only for a couple of days and it was about 7 years ago. My friend Amber was studying at Pratt so I just crashed in her dorm room for a week and played tourist in the city whenever she had a break from class. I LOVED it but I feel like there is sooooo much I didn't see!

Ahhhhh Hanson in Disney makes me super happy! I love when favourites combine!! Like Full House and the Beach Boys. It's just PERFECT!!!
Do they do it every year?

That pumpkin mousse looks DELICIOUS!!!!

I wish I could just obey tweets your like that. Off to the airport I go...

Good work with all the mental make out sessions! Prego to the max!

I love surprise Italian musical parades! They are my favorite of all surprise musical parades!! It probably was Hanson. Just can't get enough of stalking you can they??

I would LOVE to get on sash guy's level... His level is awesome!!!

Geez Hula Timon is getting out of control!!!

I'm sure there is tons you didn't see! I can show you all the cool non-touristy places!

They have done it the last 3 years. Before that they would play the HOB in Downtown Disney. Which I actually preferred since it was a normal show as opposed to the weird setup in Epcot... but Hanson in Disney is fabulous no matter what of course!

PREGO TO THE MAX is going to be my new saying. Thank you.

Yeah I'm thinking it was definitely Hanson. Let me enjoy the park in peace guys!!!!

haha he definitely has a mind of his own!

Dammit I missed the second update all together!! Slacker.

Ok round two...

Nemo is sooo wonderful! I love how peaceful and beautiful it is in there! Well apart from the scary fish bit... still gets me every time...

Oh nooooo! That is so sad about Paul Hopefully Jess can get some inside information on what happened. Poor little Ringo, left all alone!

90s fish looks like a pair of parachute pants...

Manatee faces are the best! They win the face category!

YAYY!!!!! YOU ARE THERE SOOOOON!!!!

I agree... it is very peaceful in there. They really immerse you in that ride somehow, you just get transported under the sea! That fish is like VIOLENTLY TERRIFYING though you're right. THE TEETH.

I know! If Paul is gone, I hope they give Ringo another weird looking fish pal.

LOL in the under the sea beauty pageant, they definitely win the face category!

We actually had to postpone our trip til May but... IT'S STILL SOON!!! Less than 3 months away.

 

[__disneygirl]

OCTOBER 22, 2012
Day 2, Part 11 In Which You Gotta Find Your Magic

It was getting kinda close to Hanson's first showtime, so we trekked it on back to World Showcase.

@babybritney: Almost time to see our boys. This is like my 52nd Hanson show or something ridiculous like that. So glad my favorite band loves Disney. <3

That really is a relief. I mean, most people don't get to see their favorite band repeatedly play in the most magical place on Earth. Sometimes I just feel blessed!

What made the shows even more exciting was that it was Zac's birthday!

@babybritney: Happy Birthday Zac @hansonmusic. Thank you for ambushing our party last night.

Hanson are generally exceptionally silly human beings. You really have no idea the extent of this but let me just say that I once saw them dancing to Thriller in sombreros.

ANYWAY, the last time I was at one of Zac's birthday shows it was up in Connecticut and we had the MOST. RIDICULOUS. BLAST. Like, out of all the fun times I've had in my life, that's one of the nights that will flash before my eyes when I die. They just get so silly and there's always cake spread on several parts of several people's bodies and pranks and balloons and glowsticks and well... I WAS EXCITED.

Here is a photo from that night.

There's a glowstick.

In my ear.

So.

What I'm saying is that Hanson celebrates their birthdays in a very exciting fashion.

SO I WAS VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was NO way we were getting in ~THE LINE~... like just no way. So we decided to just wait until they were about to go on and then find a spot. I have the BEST LUCK EVER when it comes to being in the right place for seeing Hanson. I don't push or do anything rude like the crazies do, I just always somehow find my way to the perfect place.

In the meantime, we went back to Japan.

I got some Kaki Gori. Rainbow, of course.

I also had to take a picture of this angry Japanese man who's atop the stand.

We just chilled out for awhile discussing how much we love/hate/love Hanson.

Showtime approached so we headed over and it was packed.

I didn't care because I've got the Hanson magic on my side. It's like Disney magic, only HANSONY!!!!

So obviously, I found us a spot smack in the middle. It was kinda far back but we didn't care. I've seen them up close so many times that Taylor once got me sick. KEEP YOUR GERMS AWAY FROM ME!

Finally... after months of not seeing my favorite band live I heard the divine words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, HANSON!"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here Lee-Anne and I were. In Epcot. WATCHING HANSON!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the greatest.

Except it really wasn't. Day 2 of the shows was the greatest. But that's a story for tomorrow!

I'm not going to include a ton of Day #1 details because I know the majority of you are not here for a Hanson review. My thoughts on Hanson can often be just as detailed (if not more) as my TRs so I'll just try to restrain myself here.

The first show was really fun because it was the first. I danced and sang and celebrated life.

WHAT WILL YOU CELEBRATE?!?!

I am not one of those "celebrate life everyday!" people. Like, life is usually a bummer. But then you get these days where you are seeing your favorite band play in Disney and you're like... oh, magic does exist in the world. Actually. You just have to follow what you love and you will find yourself coming to that conclusion. Of course it's as fleeting as anything else but at least it's there. Like Hanson sings in their song "Something Going Around" ... "When the sun goes down / it's here waiting / it's still right here for you now."

I take that lyric as meaning that when things are not great, you still have that thing in life you can rely on and go back to. For me, I have Hanson and Disney. They have been the constants in my life for years and years, and they never let me down. I lean on them for joy more than any of my other passions, my family, or my friends.

There was nothing else especially remarkable about the show besides the whole "life is magical" realization I came to. It wasn't the first time, either. I tend to get that way in the midst of a Disney trip or a Hanson tour.

The point of my ramblings is... find your own magic.

IT'S OUT THERE!!!!

Anyway. So Hanson played the crowd pleasers. As a member of the crowd... I was pleased. But you know, I prefer real Hanson shows where they go crazy and do whatever the EFF they want.

For those who know Hanson music, this was the first setlist: Where's the Love, Waiting For This, A Minute Without You, Penny + Me, Thinkin Bout Somethin, MMMBop, and Give A Little.

The way the shows worked is that they would come out and play for like 30 minutes, leave, and then come back like 20 minutes later and do another 30 minute set. It really made NO sense because they'd have everyone file out of the theatre and then file back in. How annoying... like, Disney needs to realize this is not some old act no one cares about anymore, this is an act that entire trips are planned around.

In between the first and second show, we went to Japan because Lee-Anne wanted to fully explore it. I can't completely remember what happened... I think we went back for the 2nd show but they just started playing the same stuff and so we were like Peace Hanson, we're off to Japan.

I love them and I love this song... but if I never see them perform Where's The Love live again, that is fine. Like... can you just locate the love already and move on? Thanks bigheads. See you in Tulsa.

@babybritney: Just realized no one is making fun of the guys harder than us. But its ok, they're our people. If anyone else does it, LOOK OUT.

HAHA. It's so true. It's like how you always bust on your family but if someone else tries to mess with them, FORGET IT. We kept hearing people be like "Who is playing? HANSON?!?! WHAT?"

We would then "GIA" them.

I made that term up for when people who don't get it (whatever IT happens to be at the moment) are annoying you. You can give them a look of SHADE a la Gia from Full House.

Remember Stephanie's super cool chain smoking popular bad girl friend from Full House? They were in a band and played I Saw The Sign by Ace of Base. It was beautiful!!!!

Anyway this is the look I am talking about:

UGH!!!!!

Whatever losers.

Hanson is the best. Which is obviously why we skipped their 2nd show for Japan adventures!!

We had a blast at Mitsukoshi! We were just on a Hanson & Disney high, talking and laughing the whole time.

The other thing was that Lee-Anne was just amazed by the whole thing. Remember that she lived in Japan for 6 months, so it was very weird for her to be in Japan but not really be in Japan. She kept pointing stuff out that was extremely accurate to Japan and what was just really an American's image of what Japan is like. It was very interesting!

One of my favorite things that she told me was about ENGRISH. Engrish is broken english, kind of like a slang, that the Japanese use. It's usually just like a broken phrase or bunch of random English words that make no grammatical sense.

She told me about this because there were a lot of shirts for sale that had Japanese writing on them. She told me that people in Japan never wear clothes with Japanese on them, but they do wear stuff that has Engrish printed on it. For instance, she saw a shirt someone in Japan was wearing that literally just said "On the way to grandma's house," and that's it.

And they get a kick out of it apparently. LOL.

I did what I always do in World Showcase shops: photograph candy!

Konpeito is Japanese for "small colored sugar candy covered in bulges."

That or Lee-Anne was just messing with me. The fun of knowing a language your friends do not is that you can endlessly mess with them. So who knows really.

One of my favorite things about Japan is that there are cute things EVERYWHERE. They use animated characters to promote everything, not just stuff for children. Like, you'll see a cell phone ad and it'll be a big cuddly stuffed bear talking on the phone. Everything there is SO CUTE.

I pointed out that the Japanese really seem to like their tiny little dishes, and Lee-Anne told me it's because rice is served with every meal no matter what. Like you don't even order it, it just comes along. And so these are mostly for rice and various sauces.

These bowls cracked me up because they say "Happy Bear", "Lucky Dog", and... "Hustle Cat"? HUSTLE CAT? Okay, Japan, whatever.

Speaking of cats... it was time for me to buy another Lucky Cat!

I got a purple one because I would like artistic strength very much! Eh... I'm not getting my hopes up though. I don't know why I keep buying lucky cats. They never work. Plus I would hope that if I do possess artistic strength it would come from within, not a ceramic cat. But I just like small cute things so whatever!

JAPANESE DOG CALENDARS.

At this point Lee-Anne started losing her damn mind because they had a bunch of stuff from Hayao Miyazaki's movies. He is a huge Japanese film director and she LOVES him. Can't blame her, I'd be the same way if it was my favorite director!

Anyway, that stuffed animal is from the movie My Neighbor Totoro, a movie Lee-Anne loves. So when she saw it she just freaked out and of course we had to take pictures with it!

While she was losing it over the Hayao Miyazaki display, I stole her phone and took pictures of myself in the mirror. LOL. The pasttime of 21st Century Girls like me. (And Zenon).

I just wanted to capture my happiness. IT WAS OFF THE CHARTS!!! I was actually like settling into Disney at this point. The "OH MY GOD WE'RE REALLY HERE" thing was starting to wear off and I was just flat out enjoying myself.

I loved this piece of art. It reminds me of Spaceship Earth!

BOX BOX BOX BOX BOX BOX BOX

So I heard Lee-Anne screaming and I turned around to see a huge Sailor Moon display. Lee-Anne is OBSESSED with Sailor Moon. She was just losing it, it was adorable.

SO MANY FEELINGS.

Eventually we cashed and peaced out. Lee-Anne bought SO MUCH STUFF I can't possibly remember it all. But she was in her glory! It was so fun!

WOOOOOOO JAPAN!

SO SO SOSOSOSOOSOSOSOSOSO HAPPY.

Like I said... I was just really getting into the groove of the trip and relaxing a bit. It was so lovely.

We still had some time before the 3rd Hanson show, so we went over to the Japan Food & Wine booth.

I really wanted to be adventurous and try some sushi! I've never had it before because RAW FISH? IS THAT A JOKE? But they had one that didn't have any fish in it, so I tried that one!

It was the Karaage Hand Roll (Crispy Chicken Breast with Sushi Rice and Spicy Mayonnaise)

Definitely not my favorite thing. I mean, why does it have to be cold? I don't know.

I pulled it apart to eat it because I'm not a huge fan of SEAWEED either. The chicken was pretty good and I liked the spicy mayonnaise... I don't eat regular mayonnaise but this was quite tasty! It was just like not worth it though with the coldness and the seaweed and I just... will never understand sushi. LOL

Up Next: Hanson ROCKS their last show of the night.

P.S. We postponed our trip to May 13! The plan is still the same, just pushed back a month or so for various reasons I don't feel like discussing. As much as I wish I could go the day after my birthday, it's really for the best to go in May. Plus, as Warhol says the idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting. ​

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Great update! It sounds like you guys had a ton on fun seeing Hanson!!

OH! We are going to be there the same time as you! We arrive May 14th! I'll have to keep my eyes out for you! (And maybe I'll even get the courage to say hi!)

 

[cfw213]

Love love LOVE your Hanson review! Honestly, I think we are the same person, haha. I think I've seen them 25-30 times (not as much as you!) so I don't think I'd stick around to see WTL/P&M for the thousandth time.

BUT I am reallllly hoping to catch them on our trip this year - oct 26 to nov 3. They haven't been to Philly since oct 2011 and I need my fix!!!! Can't wait to read your post for the next show

 

[arbolita]

I think "There's a Glowstick in my Ear" should be the name of your memoir.

Gia was also Cokie Mason in the Baby-Sitters Club movie, which basically means she was the same character in both.

Have you ever been to the Engrish site? http://www.engrish.com/

LOLOL HUSTLE CAT. I think buying that would have given you more good fortune than the Lucky Cat. At the very least it would have given you 100% more Hustle.

 

[Pesky]

I just love your enthusiasm in your TR! You really would be so great as a character so hope you hit the casting session soon. And good for you trying new foods. FWIW, allow me to introduce you to the wonders of soy paper. I lived in Japan as a kid for 3 years and still never liked nori (the "seaweed" paper for sushi) but you can sub in soy paper at most restaurants without issue. I also ask for all of my rolls without wasabi. I'm sure the sushi chef rolls his eyes but they make it that way. Or just stick with soba and udon noodles and yakitori -- always safe bets in Japan!

 

[cindianne320]

LOL- loved your Gia reference!
I will never understand sushi, either!

Sorry your trip got pushed back, but May will be awesome!

Can't wait to hear about the next day of Hanson.

 

[__disneygirl]

Great update! It sounds like you guys had a ton on fun seeing Hanson!!

OH! We are going to be there the same time as you! We arrive May 14th! I'll have to keep my eyes out for you! (And maybe I'll even get the courage to say hi!)

Thank you! We did, it was amazing!!

That's awesome. Don't be scared to say hi. I'm not an intimidating person due to my extreme goofiness.

Love love LOVE your Hanson review! Honestly, I think we are the same person, haha. I think I've seen them 25-30 times (not as much as you!) so I don't think I'd stick around to see WTL/P&M for the thousandth time.

BUT I am reallllly hoping to catch them on our trip this year - oct 26 to nov 3. They haven't been to Philly since oct 2011 and I need my fix!!!! Can't wait to read your post for the next show

hahaha I'm glad you understand! When you've seen them as many times as we have, there are certain songs that scream "bathroom break". LOL.

I am dying to see them too. I wish they would release these tour dates already instead of email after email about Back To The Island!

I think "There's a Glowstick in my Ear" should be the name of your memoir.

Gia was also Cokie Mason in the Baby-Sitters Club movie, which basically means she was the same character in both.

Have you ever been to the Engrish site? http://www.engrish.com/

LOLOL HUSTLE CAT. I think buying that would have given you more good fortune than the Lucky Cat. At the very least it would have given you 100% more Hustle.

THAT IS A BRILLIANT BEYOND BRILLIANT IDEA.

Yes, I know! I LOVE THE BABYSITTERS CLUB. Books, TV show, and movie.

No I haven't but that is very amusing!

You're right!! And the truth is I need some hustle in my life these days!

I just love your enthusiasm in your TR! You really would be so great as a character so hope you hit the casting session soon. And good for you trying new foods. FWIW, allow me to introduce you to the wonders of soy paper. I lived in Japan as a kid for 3 years and still never liked nori (the "seaweed" paper for sushi) but you can sub in soy paper at most restaurants without issue. I also ask for all of my rolls without wasabi. I'm sure the sushi chef rolls his eyes but they make it that way. Or just stick with soba and udon noodles and yakitori -- always safe bets in Japan!

Thank you so much! And thank you for thinking I'd be a good character! I might go to a casting session when I am there in May, we'll see!

That's an awesome tip about the soy paper! Maybe I will try that sometime.

LOL- loved your Gia reference!
I will never understand sushi, either!

Sorry your trip got pushed back, but May will be awesome!

Can't wait to hear about the next day of Hanson.

haha Thank you! Gia rules!!!

Yes it will!

They were even more awesome during their 2nd set of shows, I can't wait to tell you all about it! ;D

 

[__disneygirl]

OCTOBER 22, 2012
Day 2, Part 12 In Which All I Care About Is You and Me and Us and Now

Hanson's 3rd and final show of the night was about to begin, and so we went to check out the situation over at the theatre. The crowd was a lot lighter this time.

The spots we had for the first show were open though, so we headed back over there!

Did I mention I LOVED how the stage looked? It was awesome!

My soulmate!!!

I'm not really big on concert photos... I just like to enjoy the show and get lost in the music! AND GET LOST IN THE MUSIC I DID.

The setlist was pretty much the same, but then they did IF ONLY.

This song is just one of those songs that makes me act like a mental patient. It is literal perfection. It makes us die a thousand deaths.

When they perform it live there is just SO MUCH energy. It starts off with Taylor jumping up and down like a crazy person and IT'S THE BEST.

Let me tell you something, there have been times when I was so tired from doing show after show, running on an hour of sleep in 2.5 days, ready to FALL OVER and yet when Taylor says JUMP.... I effing JUMP.

Sigh. The only guy for me.

WE HAD A BLAST OMG.

It was the perfect way to end this block of shows. We just went insane when we heard the first notes of Taylor playing that harmonica. I can't even. There's always that moment where you're like anxious because you're dying to know what they'll play next and when it ends up being IF ONLY.... forget it. FORGET IT. Only Hanson fans can truly know what I mean when I say this is a big freaking deal, but if you aren't familiar with them, you'll just have to trust me. WE WENT CRAZY.

Here's a video of it: http://youtu.be/PvQRpACVh_0 I didn't take it, and it was captured from a WAY different place than where we were, but you can still see the flawlessness and the jumping. Oh man, I miss them SO MUCH.

My favorite band playing one of my favorite songs in my favorite place. I jumped so much that I must have worked off all the F&W food. Now that is a LOT of food so you know I was going crazy!

They didn't do their usual antics for Zac's birthday though. Taylor did mention it and we all sang (you can see this at the end of the If Only video).

I was disappointed, but then I remembered Disney is really strict with their schedules and so once you're off stage, you're off. So there was really no time for their usual ridiculousness! Plus, I assume Disney wouldn't have been thrilled with them making a mess of their stage and/or wreaking their usual birthday havoc. HAH.

It's fine, nothing can top the glowstick in my ear anyway so you know. Let's move on.

Once the show was over, it was almost time for Illuminations! We got a spot in between Morocco and France and then got Belgian Waffles from the Belgium stand.

As you can see, it has berry compote and whipped cream on it. SO ABSURDLY DELICIOUS TOO. MY TASTE BUDS WERE DANCING!

If you kept track, you would know that I ate & drank from 8 countries today: Canada, Greece, Ireland, America (Hops & Barley), Italy, Germany, Japan and Belgium!

The Food & Wine Festival is just the best thing EVER and this was only my first day of it! We have so much further to go, SO MUCH MORE FOOD TO EAT!

Oh, it's just wonderful.

So right when Illuminations started, we had one of the most hilarious moments of the entire trip.

Now, I don't even know if anyone will get this because it's really a "you had to be there" kind of thing, but let me try to explain anyway.

Lee-Anne and I have this way about us where we're always just like "NOPE." when something is really exciting or overwhelming or like just too much for us.

We've had so many epic experiences together that this just developed over time where instead of actually talking about how amazing something is, we'd just say "CANCEL" or "WHAT?" or "NO". Like just one word that expresses how it's all too much for us to even describe.

So we were standing near this extremely loud flamboyant man, and after the first like big BOOM of fireworks happened... we hear him say in a VERY LOUD and sarcastic tone....

"OKAY."

It just sounded SOOOO much like us - like the beginning of Illuminations was too overwhelmingly amazing for him so he was just like YEAH OKAY. As if to say... IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

I can not even describe the extent to which we hysterically laughed once that came out of his mouth.

90% of texts we've sent to each other since then include us saying OKAY.

Like I said, you had to be there. But oh man, we were just fried from Disney and Hanson amazingness and we were bowled over laughing.

My camera is not good at taking night/fireworks shots, but hey, what would a TR be without bad pictures of Illuminations? Really.

Yeah, I made a Blingee of this amazing moment.

After the show ended it was unfortunately closing time. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!

Bye World Showcase... see ya REAL soon!

Ok, so because my brain was just SLUDGE at this point... I had us walk through the International Gateway to the Beach Club when we really should have walked to the front of the park.

We were going back to Pop for the night, but I was thinking we were taking a bus to Downtown Disney because that was our plan for the NEXT night after the 2nd set of Hanson shows. I didn't even REALIZE it until we were like right in front of the Beach Club. LOL!

I felt like the biggest idiot ever but Lee-Anne was just like "Everything else you planned has gone totally perfectly so it really doesn't matter." So that was nice to hear that she thought my planning skills were perfect.

So yeah we had to take a bus to Downtown Disney and THEN to Pop Century because Epcot was closed so we couldn't walk back all the way through to the front of the park.

It was an extremely frumpy moment for me. Ah well, I was delighted to be back in the Epcot resort area anyway. It's one of my favorite parts of Disney.

The filthy and disgusting Beach Club, everyone!

They should REALLY spiff that place up. I mean, what a dump.

We went out to the bus stops and waited for a Downtown Disney bus.

Hula Timon didn't mind the detour at all. He was just chillin' and lovin' life as usual.

Once we got back to Pop, he enjoyed some quality time with his new friend!

I had to take a picture of the Q-tips I bought at Pathmark prior to the trip cause I just LOVE the case they came in!

Is that not perfect?

I plugged in my phone and then went to go take a shower. When I came back, I realized I had received the most hilarious e-mail ever. I showed it to Lee-Anne without saying anything and she died laughing.

HAHAKJLDFKJALSDKFJ "Hey".

He was just checking in. Me and the prez are buds like that, you know? Oooh that reminds me, I have to text him and ask what he thought of Survivor tonight. For me it's like, WHAT is Shemar doing? Honestly. How is his gameplay at all logical? What does he think he is bringing to the table? And Brandon Hantz has always made it clear that he is crazier than Russell, but peeing in the food? Burning down the camp? UGH. I love Phillip's insane drill team thing. Malcolm and Cochran remain flawless. That is all.

Coming Up Next In Day 3: A late start that ended up being an amazing Animal Kingdom day, the 2nd (and superior) set of Hanson shows, and endless hysterics at Downtown Disney!

P.S. For non-Hanson fans: the title of this chapter comes from the lyrics to If Only! "I wanna hear you say / it'll always be this way / we'll be hand in hand for every night and every day / I wanna scream and shout / Cause i'm losing any doubt / and all I care about is you and me and us and now."​