Inching My Way Closer to the Castle Final thoughts/future trips 4/2p90 The End 4/4p92

[All7OfUs]

It has been so wonderful to be off from work and it so refreshing to be sitting in my new kitchen. I once watched this infomercial about how its really important for women to be happy in their house. It really affects all their interactions in and out of the house. I completely believe that now because I feel so much more at peace now that my kitchen is in order. Crazy, but true!

I totally TOTALLY get that and agree with it!! When the house is simply clean my heart is lighter and things just seem "right". And you are right- in AND out of the house!

 

[eandesmom]

I am seriously going to try to catch up over here over the holidays but in the meantime

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MEK]

More beautiful pictures of China! The KP missions sound like so much fun, I am definitely doing on my next trip!

Those missions where so fun! I highly recommend them! Put them on your list for next trip!

I always hate leaving Epcot...it's my favorite park, so I go a lot during one trip, but if I stay away too long while we are there, I start to get crazy, there was one point on our trip last month where I was like "I NEED to be in Epcot!" Strange! I just love it soooo much!

Epcot is one of my favs, too. There is so much to do and see and I love all the architectural aspects of the layout. There really is so much to do there. Love it!

I can't wait to see what you guys did at the Wedding Chapel!

That's the quiet pool at GF??? Then what does the main pool look like? I have only been in the GF once, to see the Gingerbread house last year, but I'd like to spend some time walking around it, it is so beautiful and it was my dream resort when I was a kid...I'd love to stay there at least once!

We visited it the next day and I didn't realize it was the quiet pool until I finally found the main pool. Now that is one big main pool. What a gorgeous resort!

I always look at your running path when I'm on the monorail! I always wonder why it ends the way it does!

It would be so super cool if there was a way to design a path that actually connected all of the monorail resorts to the MK. I don't know how many people would actually use it, but I would it!

I totally TOTALLY get that and agree with it!! When the house is simply clean my heart is lighter and things just seem "right". And you are right- in AND out of the house!

I never realized that more than now. I needed this new kitchen BAD. My old kitchen was totally depressing me and it was making me less motivated to keep up other aspects of the house. Plus I felt like whatever I did, it wasn't enough because the kitchen was depressing. Now its just the opposite. I want to be in it. And I will post pictures soon because the back splash is done and its lovely. Wow - didn't realize how much work goes into one of those.

I am seriously going to try to catch up over here over the holidays but in the meantime

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! I loved your Christmas Card. GREAT pictures. Thank you!

 

[jenjolt]

YAY for the kitchen being done!!!! WOOT WOOT!!! That's fantastic!!!!!!

Oh your pictures of the GF are so relaxing!! I'm not sure I ever want to stay there but I love the short trips I take there just to relax and walk around!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!

HMMMM...impromptu visit to the chapel....can't wait to see what that is all about!!!!

 

[MEK]

YAY for the kitchen being done!!!! WOOT WOOT!!! That's fantastic!!!!!!

I am so psyched to have this kitchen done. I had no idea how truly wonderful it would be. There is nothing worse than a nasty kitchen. (Well, I'm sure there are a lot of things worse, but you get the idea!)

Oh your pictures of the GF are so relaxing!! I'm not sure I ever want to stay there but I love the short trips I take there just to relax and walk around!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!

We pool hopped over there (Day 5) and until then I never thought I wanted to stay at the GF, but I think that IS the place to stay if you ever decide not to purchase a park ticket and just go. It really is elegant. I definitely developed a fondness for it during this past trip.

HMMMM...impromptu visit to the chapel....can't wait to see what that is all about!!!!

I don't want to spill too much, but lets just say it was magical!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

MERRY CHRISTMAS MARY ELLEN!!


I can't wait to see your new kitchen!!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I would love a kitchen redo, ours is 30 years old. It's not too bad, but the stove needs replaced. The fridge is new as is the dishwasher & the flooring, but I would love new cabinets.
My new french doors on the family room are really nice, so we are going to redecorate the family room. I want to remove the carpet & do laminate flooring. Getting new furniture, etc. This will start after Christmsas.

Merry Christmas to you & everyone else that is on the DIS. One of the best things that I have done was to find this site

Doris

 

[SoonerGirl]

Merry Christmas, Mary Ellen & Jen!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

Hi Ladies!!! Just popping in to wish you and your families a great Christmas today!! I hope it is filled with great memories, joy and delight!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Merry Christmas!

 

[KatMark]

Merry Christmas, MaryEllen, to you and your beautiful family. And the same to you and your family, Jen.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Merry Christmas, Mary Ellen and Jen!

 

[MagicShell]

It sounds like the Kim Possible Missions were a lot of fun. We may have to try that on our next trip.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

MERRY CHRISTMAS MARY ELLEN!!


I can't wait to see your new kitchen!!

Merry Christmas, Mary Ellen & Jen!!!

Hi Ladies!!! Just popping in to wish you and your families a great Christmas today!! I hope it is filled with great memories, joy and delight!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, MaryEllen, to you and your beautiful family. And the same to you and your family, Jen./

Merry Christmas, Mary Ellen and Jen!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It was a good time around here; looks like Santa threw up in our living room though. We didn't have a white Christmas but a white day-after-Christams instead! Anticipated 10"-20" and got only 6"-8" of snow but it was blowing something fierce out there. I decided to take Monday off because of it; executive decision.

I would love a kitchen redo, ours is 30 years old. It's not too bad, but the stove needs replaced. The fridge is new as is the dishwasher & the flooring, but I would love new cabinets.
My new french doors on the family room are really nice, so we are going to redecorate the family room. I want to remove the carpet & do laminate flooring. Getting new furniture, etc. This will start after Christmsas.

Merry Christmas to you & everyone else that is on the DIS. One of the best things that I have done was to find this site

Doris

MEK is super-psyched about the kitchen redo. I hope she shares pics with all of us!

I've been in my house for 7 years now, and I was sure that I'd have all sorts of things done by now, most of which have not happened. We bought when the house was being built so we got buildergrade vinyl in the kitchen because "we'll upgrade that in a year or two" - hasn't happened yet - the basement is plumbed for a full bath because "we'll finish that in a few years" - hasn't happened yet - I still haven't painted yet! I have a bunch of paint swatches painted in most rooms with the color I want in there, and I just did that this past summer.

I think I want new vinyl in the kitchen and granite overlays. Maybe when we hit the lottery; that's right: when, not if! (thinking positive)

It sounds like the Kim Possible Missions were a lot of fun. We may have to try that on our next trip.

I really liked the KP missions. I'd like to see something with Phineas & Ferb and Perry the Platypus; that's a new fav in our house!

D4D

 

[eandesmom]

WOOT!

I am actually caught up.

Glad to hear some progress on the college interest front, believe it or not he's still way ahead of Tay. Sigh.

I can't wait to see kitchen pictures and I am LOVING flat mickey!

Is it may yet?

 

[2xcited2sleep]

So glad to hear how much you are enjoying your kitchen, Mary Ellen. I need to get going and move along on mine. I think I may start with "just" granite counter tops. My cabinets aren't awful so from a budget perspective maybe I start there. I'd also like to extend my hardwood floors through the kitchen. And so it begins.

I am officially intrigued to hear about your adventures at GF and the wedding chapel!

Great photo details of the China pavilion!

Hope you both had a very merry Christmas!!

 

[MEK]

To:
MnDisneygirl
Soonergirl
All7ofUs
Glennbo123
Katmark
Chrleston Princess
Wicket's Mom

Thank You all for the Wonderful Christmas Greetings! I hope you all had a fabulous Holiday!!!!!!!!

 

[MEK]

It sounds like the Kim Possible Missions were a lot of fun. We may have to try that on our next trip.

You will love the KP missions! They are a hoot! I can't wait to do the remainder of them in May! KP - here I come!

WOOT!

I am actually caught up.

Isn't having time off sooooooooo great! If for nothing else, catching up on the DIS boards.

WOOT!


Glad to hear some progress on the college interest front, believe it or not he's still way ahead of Tay. Sigh.

It is good to know he has a place to go. I would rather see him go to his #1 choice because its a little smaller and 2 hours closer, but if he ends up at West Virginia I will be OK with that as long as he succeeds. I think the fact that he is at a private school where EVERYONE goes to college has made him succumb to peer pressure and not procrastinate. At least I am paying for something. LOL! Actually, I think if he wasn't in this school he would be more likely to fall through the cracks.

I can't wait to see kitchen pictures and I am LOVING flat mickey!

I have been very remiss as far as taking kitchen pictures, but I promise to do that this week. The back splash turned out lovely, except for one tile that moved when a face plate was put on too soon. That needs to be fixed.

Isn't flat Mickey great? I love him. I see him everyday at work!

!

Is it may yet?

If only!

So glad to hear how much you are enjoying your kitchen, Mary Ellen. I need to get going and move along on mine. I think I may start with "just" granite counter tops. My cabinets aren't awful so from a budget perspective maybe I start there. I'd also like to extend my hardwood floors through the kitchen. And so it begins.

I wasn't sure if I wanted granite, but it really is beautiful. I am also so glad I had the cabinets refinished and refaced. Even updating the hardware makes a big difference. I promise to get the pictures up this week.

I am officially intrigued to hear about your adventures at GF and the wedding chapel!

Great photo details of the China pavilion!

:

Jen's pictures turned out so great. Beautiful macro shots.

Hope you both had a very merry Christmas!!

Thanks! I had a really great Christmas!

 

[MEK]

I was once told that Day 3 of a Disney trip is notorious for being a meltdown day. I can't remember who told me that, but they got their information from a very reliable source - a very seasoned Disney CM. Apparently, Day 3 has the reputation of testing the patience of even the most mild mannered traveler. Its the third day of hard core park hopping. Its the day when fatigue, heat, crowds, .....whatever, can turned Dr Jekyll into Mr Hyde.

I am a firm believer in the Day 3 phenomenon. I have had my share of Disney meltdowns. But more frequently, I tend to get absent minded and forgetful as a Disney trip progresses. It must be the mere fact that I am out of my element. It leads to disorganization. In other words, its not good.

Nuff said....Let's move on, shall we. I'll get to my Day 3 moment soon enough.

When I left off, Jen and I were making the final monorail trek back from Epcot. If you noticed the clock on the pier of the GF, it was already 4pm. We had already put in a long day at Epcot, but now we were ready to party some more. We had a date with Mickey at his very own Halloween party.

One more random pic I took along the monorail route:

We when arrived back to the contemporary Jen took a few minutes to window shop while flat Mickey and I did a little sightseeing and took a few pictures.

Mickey practically begged me to take his picture. Silly Mickey. He sure loves to pose, doesn't he?

Then Mickey asked me to take a picture of him and some of his new friends. He's quite the ladies man, isn't he?

After Mickey's photoshot, I took some more pictures of the resort and BLT. You can never have too many BLT pics, IMHO.

I was really enjoying taking every picture I could. The breeze on the walkway felt so refreshing. It was turning into a perfect evening.
Contemporary pool:

Marina:

A close up of the Wilderness Lodge:

Back Inside

The BLT pool

I can't really tell you how much time we spent in the room. I know we each could have used a nap, but instead I hit the shower in hopes that it would wake me up. By now I had become quite proficient at negotiating the slippery bathroom floor.

As we were getting ready I remember thinking to myself that maybe I should just leave my camera in the room. The sherpa stuff was starting to get a bit old and it would be so freeing to walk around the MK without any baggage. After all, Denny and I had been to MNSSHP a year ago and I took my usual 5 million pictures. How many more could I possibly want? I debated over what to do while I plugged my battery in to charge.

In the end I decided that I would be miserable if I saw some really great photo ops and I had left by camera in the room Plus, I had a DISmeet planned with the infamous LL. I wanted photographic evidence of that.

I don't know what time Jen and I finally left the room, but I do remember that we walked. That was such a great feeling. Instead of getting longer throughout the week, I think that darn pathway was actually getting shorter.

We went through baggage check and into the party. Once inside, I immediately reached in my camera bag and as I was removing my camera I stopped dead in my tracks. "OH NO", I cried out loud.

"What?", said Jen.

"I left my battery in the room". UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! The only thing worse that having to sherpa a camera around all evening was having to sherpa around a camera WITHOUT A BATTERY.

Jen offered to go back with me, but that was just plain silly. I told her to go have fun and I would text her when I got back. So, after only being in the park a mere 60 seconds, I turned around and walked out to go back to the room

UUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

So, folks, this could have been a meltdown moment, but it wasn't. I stayed calm, cool, and collected. If I had been with Denny I probably would have gotten more upset. But I didn't see any purpose to it. So I walked back to the room.

And do you know what I found when I got there?



Up Next - another DOH moment and a much anticipated DIS meet (with pictures!)

 

[Queenofallthings]

Ok...that update made me laugh our loud....day 3 is it? I'm going to pay more attention on the next trip...because Lord knows...I've had my share of meltdowns...it's just not acceptable when a grown adult is having one in the middle of the park Sure makes ya feel better when you know you're not the only one!

I'm guessing the battery was in your bag the whole time I, too, have done that one!!!!

If I don't get a chance to chat with you again this week, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and all the best in 2011!!!