In the Game of Thrones, Princesses Always Win

[khaleesi]

My Walgreens did not have the Snow Whites Queen bag...so need to find that one before my trip

They didn't have a huge selection on the day I went, so hopefully they'll get more in. Good luck!!!

 

[khaleesi]

Day One: Epcot​

I have a slight nerd problem. Anything I can turn into a spreadsheet gets turned into a spreadsheet. I make them at work. For fun. And every now and then I get to have some fun creating macros, and when I do that it just makes my day.

Okay, wake up! It wasn't that boring

I created a worksheet for each park and listed all of the rides/attractions/etc based on what was in my Birnbaum guidebook. Then I created six categories:

• Done Previously, Doing Again
• Done Previously, Not Doing Again
• Done Previously, Maybe Doing Again
• Never Done, Doing This Trip
• Never Done, Not Doing This Trip
• Never Done, Maybe Doing This Trip

The whole thing is color-coded. Dork.

So here are my lists for Epcot!

Done Previously, Doing Again

• Club Cool
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• Living with the Land
• Soarin'
• Impressions de France
• Maelstrom

Done Previously, Not Doing Again

• Journey into Imagination with Figment -- I know people love this, but it just didn't hold my interest
• Test Track -- I hate driving. I went on it in 2008 because my brother really wanted to, but I didn't really care for it. And I don't want to think about driving when I'm at My Happy Place!

Done Previously, Maybe Doing Again

• The Circle of Life
• Oh Canada
• Gran Fiesta Tour

Never Done, Doing This Trip

• Innoventions -- I'm most interested in Sum of All Thrills
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• The American Adventure
• Reflections of China

Never Done, Not Doing This Trip

• Imageworks Labs
• Mission: SPACE -- I get queasy just thinking about it!

Never Done, Maybe Doing This Trip

• Captain EO -- rumor has it that I won't have to make this decision on my own
• Universe of Energy -- I'm interested in this, but the length of the attraction makes me not add it to the "must" list
• Friendship Boats
• Illuminations -- depends on how tired I am!

Am I missing anything important? I plan on going through all the countries in World Showcase; I only listed the countries that have rides or films.

Up next will be Epcot food plans!!

Okay, I lied. The food plans will have to wait just a little bit longer... I have something else up my sleeve. Like white paint. And glitter. And tulle.

 

[LB1122]

Love your spreadsheets color coded ways.....my hubby is a spread sheet guy and it is so helpful. I am a planner but excel gives me a headache so I make lists and charts...love your plans.

We love figment but that is because I grew up on him.

I totally understand skipping him.

SOOO fun.

Oh yeah, got my Evil Queen bag to match yours. DH brought it home as a surprise.

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh oh oh, spreadsheets! Now you're speaking my language! Everything is a spreadsheet for me as well.

I like your list of do/not do and done/not done lists.

I'm with you on the Test Track and Imagination - done it and not interested in doing again. I'm sure at some point we'll do them again depending on who I travel with but definitely not on any of my must do lists.

I love Sum of all Thrills.

 

[khaleesi]

Love your spreadsheets color coded ways.....my hubby is a spread sheet guy and it is so helpful. I am a planner but excel gives me a headache so I make lists and charts...love your plans.

We love figment but that is because I grew up on him.

I totally understand skipping him.

SOOO fun.

Oh yeah, got my Evil Queen bag to match yours. DH brought it home as a surprise.

I am such an Excel nerd. I'm very excited about my plans!! Now if only February would just GET HERE. Haha.

Yay that you got the Evil Queen bag!!! What a nice hubby

Oh oh oh, spreadsheets! Now you're speaking my language! Everything is a spreadsheet for me as well.

I like your list of do/not do and done/not done lists.

I'm with you on the Test Track and Imagination - done it and not interested in doing again. I'm sure at some point we'll do them again depending on who I travel with but definitely not on any of my must do lists.

I love Sum of all Thrills.

YAYYY for Excel!!! Haha!

How's your mom doing?

 

[khaleesi]

Halloween is Just Another Obstacle Standing in the Way of Christmas​

Oh yeah. I know I'm gonna get yelled at for that

I'm really not a Halloween fan. Haven't been since my parents deemed me "too old" to go trick-or-treating. I love fall and harvest-y type stuff, but Halloween doesn't really do it for me.

Scary/creepy/spooky isn't my thing and I hate being startled.
Surprised = good
Startled = bad

So that's part of why I don't really enjoy it. And childless people my age tend to be all about haunted houses, which you will NEVER catch me in, unless it's of the "mansion" variety in a certain Liberty Square.

The other thing that turns me off is that, again, people my age generally do the whole drunken party thing for Halloween... and I don't drink. Which is actually a good thing now, because I've been advised to forego alcohol with my MS meds.

That's not to say I don't enjoy certain aspects of the holiday. I love seeing the kidlets all dressed up. One year, I saw a little boy dressed up as Davy Jones! It was an amazing costume. I especially love it when my nieces and nephews get dressed up. And I LOVE half-price-the-day-after candy! Last night I watched Toy Story of Terror, which was so cute. Of course, the "of terror" part kind of made me think it might take place in a... tower?

This year I'm jumping out of my comfort zone a bit. I figure if Jessie can do it, so can I! (Note the sneaky little reference to above-mentioned Toy Story of Terror. I'm awesome.) Our local MS society is doing a fundraiser walk/run on Saturday. It's being held in a cemetery and it's Halloween-themed. They encourage people to dress up. *sigh* They will also be handing out candy. *grin*

Sooooooo... I came up with this little creation:

This is partly inspired by the cool tutus everyone had on at the Color Run, and mostly inspired by Lia's awesome Mickey Mouse ensemble she shared in her trip report. Yay for the Dis!!! I have a feeling I will be wearing longer pants and probably a nice warm long-sleeve shirt under the tshirt because it's supposed to be rainy and cold on Saturday.

All in all, I'm pretty proud of it. I have white paint all over my kitchen table and red glitter all over my carpet. My current Facebook status is: "Glitter is evil. Unless you pretend it's pixie dust"

I'm excited! Bring on the candy!!!!

Up next: All this food talk is making me hungry!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I'm over here from my PTR and catching up. So far I made it through to the color run post (which is awesome; I always wanted to do one!).

You're going solo too! I really like solo trips, I'm like you in that I like to be alone but not 24/7/52. I moved to another city from the one I lived in the most, and it has been tough not having family or friends around, but I'm working on it! In the meantime, Disney.

That's cool that you can remember your trips; I remember some of my very first one (right before I turned 4) and then snippets of other ones after, but I took a 10 year hiatus from 2000 to 2010. That was sad. I'm making up for it now though! I wish I had more pictures of those trips! I can't find them anywhere.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Ok, reading on - I am also super-terrified of needles and have no idea how you did that. You are much, much braver than me; I would have to be on the brink of death to even go to the hospital - and the last time I went to the ER, it took four hours for me to agree to have blood drawn, so thank God that that severe stomach pain I went in with wasn't serious. I had a HIDA scan and made both the nurse and my boyfriend cry with how I reacted to the IV. Wow, I hope that it becomes a piece of cake for you in time. It's weird how that works; next thing you know, it will be no problem I hope.

Also, you HAVE to go to that Braves game! I'm a Cardinals fan, born and raised, and I would be catching a series of cabs to make sure I saw at least part of the game, if I needed to! For nothing more than bragging rights.

 

[khaleesi]

I'm over here from my PTR and catching up. So far I made it through to the color run post (which is awesome; I always wanted to do one!).

You're going solo too! I really like solo trips, I'm like you in that I like to be alone but not 24/7/52. I moved to another city from the one I lived in the most, and it has been tough not having family or friends around, but I'm working on it! In the meantime, Disney.

That's cool that you can remember your trips; I remember some of my very first one (right before I turned 4) and then snippets of other ones after, but I took a 10 year hiatus from 2000 to 2010. That was sad. I'm making up for it now though! I wish I had more pictures of those trips! I can't find them anywhere.

The Color Run was so much fun! You should definitely do it if you're able to.

I'm here without family, too.. but they are the ones who moved away. I'm slowly working on getting them to move back home.

Ok, reading on - I am also super-terrified of needles and have no idea how you did that. You are much, much braver than me; I would have to be on the brink of death to even go to the hospital - and the last time I went to the ER, it took four hours for me to agree to have blood drawn, so thank God that that severe stomach pain I went in with wasn't serious. I had a HIDA scan and made both the nurse and my boyfriend cry with how I reacted to the IV. Wow, I hope that it becomes a piece of cake for you in time. It's weird how that works; next thing you know, it will be no problem I hope.

Also, you HAVE to go to that Braves game! I'm a Cardinals fan, born and raised, and I would be catching a series of cabs to make sure I saw at least part of the game, if I needed to! For nothing more than bragging rights.

The needle thing is me living out my worst nightmare, to be honest. I cried like a baby in the hospital when they drew blood and when they had to give me the IV. I had one friend holding my hand, the other rubbing my back. The VNA is coming once a month until February to give me more IVs and as much as I hate that, having it done in my own home makes it a smidgen easier. The injections I have to give myself are now being done with a pen, so I don't really see the needle at all.

My mom asked me if I was going to get a flu shot after I've succeeded in all of this. I laughed at her and told her I don't do needles LOL.

I'm still on the fence about the game. If I had more time, it would be a no-brainer. Oy. Good luck with the WS. Honestly not sure who I'm cheering for, although it would be in your favor if I chose the Sox. I'm a jinx

 

[khaleesi]

Epcot Food Options​

"People who love to eat are always the best people." (Julia Child)

I'm a foodie. I love the Food Network. I love to cook. I love going out to eat. I follow a TON of food blogs and I have multiple food-related boards on Pinterest. BUT I'm not a food snob by any stretch of the imagination. I like reading the dining reviews and getting ideas, but I tend to take them with a grain of salt. I'm really not terribly picky.

If I could pick one place to eat at for the rest of my life it would be Chick-Fil-A. And we don't have those in Buffalo. *sigh* The closest one is an hour-and-a-half away. Last year, a group of friends and I drove there for my birthday just to get CFA! Normally, my first order of business after landing at MCO would be to go get some chicken nuggets, but I'm getting there on a Sunday. So that will have to wait until my trip home. That's the good thing about having to leave the resort so early. I'll have plenty of time!

I know there are a lot of people who balk at the idea of planning out what you're going to eat six months in advance. Obviously, I'm not one of those people! Partly, I just think the planning is almost as fun as the trip itself. The other thing is that if I don't have a general idea what I want, I'll wind up with brain overload and unable to make a decision. I'll wander into the nearest restaurant I see and then be disappointed with my choice.

I'm doing the QS Dining Plan and since I'm there for four nights, that means I get eight QS meals and four snacks. I also have a couple ADRs that I made, which I'll be paying for OOP. I think it's a perfect combination for me

I actually made a Le Cellier reservation for my Epcot day and then wound up cancelling it. The only reason I made it was for the soup and I just decided that I didn't want to be tied down to the reservation, since I only have a half a day at the park. My flight gets in at 10:50am. By the time I get to the resort and then get to the park, I decided it would be better to do it this way.

As I've been planning my trip, I've tried remembering all the places I've eaten on my other trips. It's not working so well. IDK if that means the experiences weren't memorable or if it's because I didn't eat all that much on my other trips. I have some vague recollections, but not a complete picture. I do remember on my family trip that we ate breakfast each morning at the house we were staying at. On my solo trip, I ate at the resort each morning... probably oatmeal.

I've only been to Epcot twice, so not many opportunities to eat!

Family Trip:
I split a veggie sandwich at Electric Umbrella with my dad for lunch. I remember that I didn't particularly like it. I do, however, remember that I was desperately craving a Coke when we made our way into World Showcase. Weird the things you remember! Dinner that night is anyone's guess. We did wind up driving my brother and my niece to the airport and I know I had CFA. If we ate in the park again, I don't remember that at all.

Solo Trip:
I made my afternoon tea reservation on my Epcot day. Dinner was schwarma at Tangierine Café. I remember there being parts of this I really liked and parts that I didn't really care for.

Upcoming Trip: Depending on what happens with FP+ and whether or not I can schedule some FPs ahead of time, I may start out in FW or I may start out in WS. That remains to be seen. But my food choices for the day will be Kringla in Norway and Sunshine Seasons in FW. I will also use a snack credit for something yummy at Boulangerie in France.

So at the end of the day, I will have used:
2 of 8 QS meals
1 of 4 snack credits

Fun little question:
One of the companies I follow on Facebook posed this question yesterday: What is your favorite food-related movie? I think my answer would be Julie and Julia, although I also really like Chocolat and obviously Ratatouille! What would you pick?


Happy Sunday!! Go Bills!!!

My EPCOT summary is right here!

 

[khaleesi]

EPCOT Summary​

At the stroke of midnight tonight, I will be entering the Christmas season! Haha. There is a very good possibility my Christmas tree will make an appearance this weekend. Depends on whether or not I have ANY motivation to do anything other than sit at my computer desk and read trip reports!

But first, the obligatory "Happy Halloween!!" We actually had a lot of fun at work today... a whole bunch of us dressed up. Since I didn't get my friends' permission to post their pretty faces on the interwebs, I got to play with Photobucket's cute Halloween stickers:

How cute are we?! I am SO happy with the way my costume turned out! I only wish I had yellow shoes on, but I couldn't justify spending money on that.

Now, on the important stuff!!

My EPCOT day plan is pretty simple and debated whether I wanted to use another post to talk about it, but why not?

Once the wonderful Magical Express bus drops me off at All-Star Movies, I plan on leaving again as soon as possible! I'll check in and then head right back out the door... unless my room is ready, in which case I'll stop there briefly.

A lot of the plan for this day is going to be dependent on whether or not I can schedule FPs.

The first thing I plan on doing is eating something! Once the rumbly in my tumbly is taken care of, I'll start crossing stuff off my list!!

Actually, scratch that. My first order of business will be stopping at Guest Relations and getting an "I'm Celebrating" button! I very immodestly feel that I deserve it. When I was admitted to the hospital, my first thought (after the initial panic) was "But I'm supposed to go to Disney World!" My doctor assured me there was no reason why I couldn't go. So, celebrate I will!!! My birthday is in April and I briefly entertained the thought of getting a birthday button, since I obviously will NOT be in the World then, but figured that was pushing it. The Celebrating button will wind up being more meaningful anyway.

In addition to my attraction list, here are some of the things I want to do:

I have a Disney Visa card, so I will need to hit up the meet-and-greet area.

I'm planning on creating a little book with all the countries in it to get autographs from the CMs working in various pavilions, etc.

I also want to make an autograph book, so hopefully I'll be able to start filling that up, just like any other six-year-old would do I just found out that you can meet Winnie-the-Pooh in Christopher Robin's room in the UK. Who knew?! I am seriously hoping this is still the case come February!

Quick little side note... my whole family lives 1600 miles away. I hate it with a passion. For Thanksgiving this year, I will be enjoying popcorn at the movie theater while watching Frozen. Last Turkey Day, I went to see Wreck-It Ralph. So hopefully I'll get to meet the Frozen girls!

My sister gave me her Hidden Mickey book, so I will need to go on a scavenger hunt at some point. Not sure how I plan on doing that yet. I also think I might want to try my hand at pin trading. We'll see if I can actually put my self-consciousness aside for a couple minutes to do that.

I also have some random notes on things I want to take pictures of that I've compiled from my Hidden Secrets book and from reading trip reports. So that should be fun!

At some point, I will need to head to my room unless it was available at check in. So I'll probably break up my day a little bit that way. That's really the only time I plan on leaving the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. (I think that's right... LOL.)

I may decide to take a trip on the monorail, just to rest for a bit. My biggest concern is getting too tired. I hope my adrenaline will knock out any MS-related fatigue issues.

Totally unrelated to anything, but did everyone see the video of the bus driver from Buffalo who stopped his bus to prevent a woman from jumping? I know it's made national (and I think even international) news, and I couldn't be prouder to be from Western New York.

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!​

Who's ready for day two?!

 

[LB1122]

Looks like you had a fun Halloween. Love your fun Minnie outfit. Hope the day was bearable. glad you guys dressed up and enjoyed.

Food related movie - Ratatouille for me I think of course now I am going to be thinking of food related movies all night..

Looks like plans are taking shape and fun will be had. Just got my PhotoPass+ Gallery Disk in the mail so thinking of looking at those pictures to gear up

 

[khaleesi]

Looks like you had a fun Halloween. Love your fun Minnie outfit. Hope the day was bearable. glad you guys dressed up and enjoyed.

Food related movie - Ratatouille for me I think of course now I am going to be thinking of food related movies all night..

Looks like plans are taking shape and fun will be had. Just got my PhotoPass+ Gallery Disk in the mail so thinking of looking at those pictures to gear up

We definitely had fun! It helps that I love my job And thanks... I was really happy with the way it turned out!

I sooo love Ratatouille. I read in my Hidden Secrets book that Remy is behind the counter in the French wine shop... I'm hoping that hasn't changed. I know they just announced that he wouldn't be popping up in the one restaurant, but I hope the non-animatronic one is still there!

I'm so grateful for all the trip reports! Reading them is keeping me happy while I wait!

 

[khaleesi]

Day Two: Disney's Animal Kingdom​

Can I just say how happy I am to be back on REAL time??? I abhor daylight savings time. Yes, I know it's a weird thing to feel so strongly about, but it just doesn't feel right.

Okay, now that I've let my weirdness show through, I'll redeem myself Disney-style! I had received a Sephora gift card and one of the things I bought was the "Kiss the Girl" rollerball perfume. I like things that smell good, and I am perfume and candle obsessed. So when you combine Disney with perfume, it's kind of a no-brainer!

The perfume smells really good, but what I was most excited about was the box it came in! Don't judge. You'll understand as soon as you scroll

Check out the UPC symbol!!

It's Ariel and Prince Eric!!!!
How clever is that?!

I also bought these cute little single-serving shower gel pods:

I figured they'd be perfect to throw in my bag and not have to worry about leaky bottles!​

I was surfing around Etsy yesterday, looking for Christmas presents. I found a really cute something to purchase for my trip... I'll share what it is when I get it! I know. I'm such a tease. LOL.

Okay, time for my DAK lists!!!

Done Previously, Doing Again

• Discovery Island Trails
• It's Tough to Be a Bug
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Rafiki's Planet Watch
• Dinosaur

Done Previously, Maybe Doing Again

• Festival of the Lion King -- I saw that this may be closed, due to the whole Avatar thing?? Grrrrr. I didn't like Avatar and I can't say I'm hugely excited about this, although the concept art looks awesome.
• Kali River Rapids -- this is going to depend entirely on the temperature!!
• Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade

Done Previously, Not Doing Again

• Expedition Everest -- did it once to say I did it, but I think I previously mentioned that I'm not really a roller coaster fan. So I'll leave my seat for someone who really loves it! Yeah. That's why I'm not going on it again. Purely selfless reasons
• The Boneyard

Never Done, Doing This Trip

• Wilderness Explorers -- hopefully they'll still be doing this in February!
• Pangani Forest Exploration Trails
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Finding Nemo - The Musical -- I know, I KNOW.

Never Done, Maybe Doing This Trip

• Flights of Wonder

Never Done, Not Doing This Trip

• Primeval Whirl
• Triceratops Spin

I'm a HUGE animal lover and I want to spend lots of time taking pictures of my furry friends. I have other cool plans this day that I'll talk about when I do my summary!

My other weekend news is that I just signed up for a 5K. It's in December and it's called the Holly Jolly 5K. We get to wear ! I had to push aside my fear, because in the back of my head I obviously remember what happened the day after my last 5K I have this thing with patterns, which I suspect is a mild form of OCD. But I'm gonna go and I'm gonna have fun and it's gonna be good for me!! Hopefully it won't blizzard that day!

Have a great day everyone!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I agree with not riding Primeval Whirl! I haven't ridden it either, and just looking at it makes me a little dizzy. I know myself, and I could probably guarantee I'd get on it and LOVE it (since that's usually what happens when I refuse to ride something) but all that spinning does not look fun to me.

That is TOO adorable with Eric and Ariel on the UPC code. How did you even notice that??

I love Sephora! I actually took back a moisturizer that wasn't working for me, and that paid for my MVMCP ticket!

And GOOD FOR YOU that you signed up for that 5k. Some patterns repeat, but this one won't!

 

[khaleesi]

I agree with not riding Primeval Whirl! I haven't ridden it either, and just looking at it makes me a little dizzy. I know myself, and I could probably guarantee I'd get on it and LOVE it (since that's usually what happens when I refuse to ride something) but all that spinning does not look fun to me.

That is TOO adorable with Eric and Ariel on the UPC code. How did you even notice that??

I love Sephora! I actually took back a moisturizer that wasn't working for me, and that paid for my MVMCP ticket!

And GOOD FOR YOU that you signed up for that 5k. Some patterns repeat, but this one won't!

I can't even WATCH the teacups because of the spinning!

When I took the perfume out of the box, my hand just happened to be right by the UPC symbol. At first I thought it was just defective but then realized it was Ariel and Eric! I love Sephora, too, but don't go very often.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[khaleesi]

Animal Kingdom Food Options​

I'm kinda pouty right now because so many people who have in-progress trip reports are already planning their NEXT trip Haha. Not really pouty... I actually think it's awesome! If I liked to travel more, I would try to go more often... unfortunately, I kind of hate traveling! I don't find it enjoyable at all. I like BEING places. I don't like GETTING to them.

So, remember my teaser post about my Etsy purchase? It came today! And I forgot that it was being shipped from another country, so when I looked at the envelope, my immediate reaction was "Who do I know in Ireland?!" (Well, aside from the delicious Tristan from Dancing with the Stars. Who I don't really know. But I fantasize about him reading me bedtime stories. Gah. That accent! )

Ummmm.... where was I?! *grin* Oh yeah. My Etsy purchase:

Mickey Mouse nail art!!!! How cute am I gonna look?! (Actually, I'm gonna look confused if I have Mickey on my hands and Minnie ears on my head. Ha.)

Sooo... let's talk food, shall we??

Family Trip:
I remember eating chicken nuggets and fries that we got from a small counter service place near where the drums are set up. Sorry, that's the best I can do. What I remember with absolute certainty is that we wound up eating dinner at Taco Bell after we left the park. The reason I remember this is because we pulled through the drivethru and were informed that they had no ground beef. How the heck does that happen?!

Solo Trip:
I had a super delicious pulled pork sammy from Flame Tree BBQ. I LOVE pulled pork!! And this did not disappoint. I parked hopped over to MK for dinner, so that's the extent of my DAK food experiences!

Upcoming Trip:
Ridiculously excited about my character breakfast at Tusker House!!! The insane amount of food choices combined with some meet-and-greets should make for an amazing morning!

Lunch is still up in the air. I'm considering leaving DAK and heading over to AKL and having lunch at The Mara. I also really like saying Restaurantosaurus, so that's also an option. Isn't that how everyone picks their meals?? Or Flame Tree was SO good that I might just stick with that.

I'm actually heading to Downtown Disney for dinner. I'm torn between Wolfgang Puck Express and Earl of Sandwich. I've been to the latter, but never to WPE.

Regardless, after my DAK day I will have used:
2 more QS meals, leaving 4 more
Possibly one snack credit, leaving either 2 or 3

My Christmas tree should be going up this weekend... yay!!!! I didn't get to it last weekend... I was tired and moderately lazy. This weekend is a three-dayer, courtesy of Veteran's Day so that's the plan. And I did a bit of shopping at "Christmas in the Country", which is a ginormous craft show at the fairgrounds. I have never seen so many people in. My. Freaking. Life. We were packed in like sardines and I was very uncomfortable. All I kept thinking was, "Disney would have closed the park by now!" You seriously couldn't move

All was not lost though. In addition to some gifts for others I may have purchased a little something-something for myself:

I have the pink Mickey Vera Bradley change purse on my Christmas list but I couldn't pass up this cute little (handmade!) clutch. Very happy with my purchase!!

Happy Freedom Weekend, everyone! (I just made that up.)

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Khaleesi! I'm now caught up!

First of all Congratulations on signing up for the Holly Jolly 5K. That's awesome and who wouldn't want to run with a Santa hat! (Loved your outfit that you made from Halloween as well.)

I love how you categorize your attractions/ride lists into must do/must not do and if you have done it before. Makes complete sense. Sadly, in looking at your list there's so many things that I have never done. Considering I hadn't done the safari until last trip no surprises there.

Your Minnie themed clutch is adorable. Makes me want to scour etsy. Seriously, cute.

I definitely agree that you should be sporting a big ole I'M CELEBRATING button when you are there. I know your MS journey continues but I love your determination and positive attitude and that you seem to be doing so well. I'm an April bday gal as well - 13th. What about you?

BTW, thanks for asking about my mom ohhh so many updates ago. All is well post hernia surgery. Not life threatening by any means but a very painful recovery.

Take care and I look forward to hearing about the rest of your plans. I'll be right behind you reading those dining reviews.

 

[khaleesi]

Hi Khaleesi! I'm now caught up!

First of all Congratulations on signing up for the Holly Jolly 5K. That's awesome and who wouldn't want to run with a Santa hat! (Loved your outfit that you made from Halloween as well.)

I love how you categorize your attractions/ride lists into must do/must not do and if you have done it before. Makes complete sense. Sadly, in looking at your list there's so many things that I have never done. Considering I hadn't done the safari until last trip no surprises there.

Your Minnie themed clutch is adorable. Makes me want to scour etsy. Seriously, cute.

I definitely agree that you should be sporting a big ole I'M CELEBRATING button when you are there. I know your MS journey continues but I love your determination and positive attitude and that you seem to be doing so well. I'm an April bday gal as well - 13th. What about you?

BTW, thanks for asking about my mom ohhh so many updates ago. All is well post hernia surgery. Not life threatening by any means but a very painful recovery.

Take care and I look forward to hearing about the rest of your plans. I'll be right behind you reading those dining reviews.

Thanks!! I'm really looking forward to the 5K... and I can't wait to see what the weather is going to be like. Ha. On Tuesday I was brushing snow off my car and today it's almost 60º outside. Weird Buffalo weather!

I needed to do something to prove to myself that all is going to be fine. I'm doing really well, but when I sit around with nothing better to do than to think then I get kind of stressed out. I need to keep busy!

My birthday is April 10th! Very close to yours!!!! And I start preparing for it the day after Christmas.

Very glad to hear your mom is doing well!!! Hopefully the pain has eased up considerably.

 

[khaleesi]

Disney's Animal Kingdom Summary​

Guess what today is??????

DOUBLE DIGIT COUNTDOWN DAY!!!!!!!​

​

Oh my goodness, I'm soooooooooo excited!!!! AND I got to customize my Magic Band last week! Yep, I'm getting a pink one! (I may have been able to do it sooner, but I hadn't logged in to MDE since I booked my Tusker House reservation).

As promised, my Christmas tree made it's debut last weekend... much to my cat's delight:

That is his new favorite spot. I spent a good ten minutes the other night trying to find him... ridiculous when you consider that I live in a one-bedroom apartment! It was dark and he was hiding in the corner under the tree!

You can never have too much Fa-La-La!!!

I've been reading a book called The Wronged Princess that was a Kindle freebie a month or so ago. It's an alternate universe Cinderella... when Charming comes to try the shoe on, one of the evil stepsisters FITS into the shoe. Blasphemy! It's not an alternate to the Disney version, per se. The evils have different names, Cindy has a cat instead of Gus, the Fairy Godmother is actually Charming's aunt... but it's a fun little princess fix for me And it's making me want to write. Maybe a backstory on the Disney princes? Hmmmm....

Let's talk DAK, shall we?? This will be a morning EMH day and I'm not the least bit concerned that this is listed as "not recommended" on Easy WDW. I will be up VERY early to get on the bus to head over here. My first stop will be Kilimanjaro Safari. I absolutely LOVE this attraction. Can't wait to take a bajillion pictures!

As much as I love planning, I don't really plan out when I'm going on which ride, etc. With FP+ I will probably have to do that a little bit, but I'm not too insane about it.

I have a very important breakfast date with Donald Duck and company at Tusker House! I am very excited about that!

After breakfast, I'll take in all of the rides and stuff on my "to do" list. I'm really excited to meet Russell and Dug so hopefully they'll be there! I'm considering buying a "grape soda" pin that I saw on Etsy. Because why wouldn't I? Hehe. I love that movie so much.

My lunch plans are still up in the air. I think it will all depend on how the day goes... I would really like to go visit AKL so if I'm able to get a lot done before lunchtime I will probably head over there. If I'm just not feeling it, I'll stay in the park and eat lunch.

Once I'm done at DAK, I plan on hopping on a bus to... the Art of Animation resort!! I want to wander around and take pictures and see all the awesomeness. I've seen so many cool pictures of this place that I simply have to go. And if they still have the Nutella gelato that I saw on someone's trip report at the food court, I will be indulging in that as well!!

From AoA, I'll be Downtown Disney bound for shopping and dinner If the weather is okay, I'll also like to go on Characters in Flight! If not, I will at least take a picture of it

After I'm all shopped out, I'll be heading back to the resort and hopefully catching movie night by the pool.

I went to a craft/vendor fair last night. I may have bought myself some more trinkets for my trip:

I posted on Facebook that I'm going to be the cutest 6-year-old in WDW. Teehee.

One other happy piece of news that should probably wait until my Magic Kingdom summary but just won't keep is this... park hours on that day have been extended from 8pm until 11pm. So.... the Braves spring training game is BACK in my plans!!!! (It's so nice of the Dis board to have a cheerleading smilie using my team colors. I am very appreciative!)

I'm off to watch a friend play lacrosse and then do some Christmas shopping!! Enjoy the weekend, everyone!