It was a Horror-ible, and then Not-So-Scary (but exhausting!), October/NovTrip!! Completed 3/13!!!

[wdwnut61]

Congratulations on running the half
Love the pic of the both back at the Poly

 

[buzzrelly]

Congrats on finishing the half!!!!!!!! Your "thrilling" victory picture aside, that is a huge accomplishment!

Congratulations on running the half
Love the pic of the both back at the Poly

Thank you, both! And despite the fact that I wouldn't do it again, I'm kind of proud of myself for doing this

 

[buzzrelly]

So a short, real-life update. I found myself in the Emergency Room last Thursday night in absolute agony. It turned out I had (another) ruptured ovarian cyst. I've had this happen two times before, but this was the worst and the only thing that even kind of helped was morphine I was sent home Friday at 5:50 am with Zofran, and have been alternating with 800mg Ibuprofen and 1000mg Tylenol, and I'm still in pain, though I am finally feeling a bit better today. It's funny because usually I am working so much that I don't have time to update the TR, but now I find myself with a lot of free time and haven't felt much like starting the updates. But I have to say, once I started updating this and looking back at the photos of our trip has made me happy so I am glad I did.

Also, I have to have a hysterectomy (yay, me!) which actually is for a separate issue and had already scheduled before this latest trip to the ER. They wanted to do it in April, but I'm like, "No! I can't miss my trip!" For those of you who don't know, I am heading down April 4th to April 15th with my mom and kids. We are doing a three night cruise on the Wonder and then staying at Bay Lake Tower. We have all been really looking forward to this trip since we haven't been to WDW together since April 2016, and there is no way I would want to mess that up!

So, I had settled on May 4th, but that kind of screwed things up with work-if I don't work Memorial Day, I'll have to work either 4th of July or Labor Day, which is my son's birthday, so I figured I can have it done in June, and settled on June 11th. Hopefully that'll give us enough time to get set up for the summer and the pool open so at least I can sit by the pool while I recuperate.

Mike has been super awesome these past three days and I really appreciate all he has done around here. I'm fairly certain now that he can keep things going during my surgery and recuperation, so it was a good test run for that

I'm praying that it's smooth sailing from now until June and then maybe, hopefully I won't have to worry about this happening anymore!

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer! Now, back to the trip report, Post-Half Marathon...​

 

[buzzrelly]

November 5th, Post-Half:

We had been up for 7 hours, run 13 miles and eaten just a banana each hours and hours ago, so it was time for some food!


I don't even remember exactly what we ordered, but it looks like a Bounty Platter and some croissant sandwich…unless that was just something Mike concocted himself.






After we ate, we walked back to our room to shower and rest, and along the way had to take some medal pictures…








We relaxed in the room and tried to nap, but I'm a terrible napper and couldn't will myself to fall asleep. I don't think Mike even tried, he just kid of sat around on his iPad.

When it became abundantly clear to me that I wasn't going to fall asleep, I ended up getting up and taking the monorail to the MK. Mike actually stayed behind because he had thrown more laundry in and was finishing that up, but he didn't mind me going ahead of him while he did that.

Around 2, I was getting on Monorail Green, heading towards the MK...



I felt very unhurried as I walked along Main Street just taking pictures and enjoying the Christmas decorations...





Up next, more MK wandering...​

 

[buzzrelly]

It was interesting to walk around the MK after having been on the KTTK tour. I found myself looking more closely at the windows and thinking about some of the secrets Joseph had been telling us about.




I walked back down this little side road to see if I could hear the singing coming from the windows, and I did




I stood and watched the FOF parade and even had a new appreciation of that, after seeing the floats backstage on the tour.









I had been looking for a new mug the whole trip, so after the parade I ducked into Starbucks to check out their "you are here" mugs. I ended up getting this one and I absolutely love it, even though I don't even like Starbucks coffee…I find it strong and bitter I was kicking myself for not getting the other three matching mugs but plan on getting them all in April!



And…my favorite picture yet…I finally got a halfway decent picture of Walt's window




I was getting close to our FP window for 7DMT, so I started heading in that direction...


To be continued...​

 

[buzzrelly]

As I got closer to the hub, I noticed they were taping the WDW Christmas special, so a lot of the areas closest to the castle were roped off. I remembered hearing about this but had kind of forgotten about it, to be honest. I stood for a little bit watching, and I could have gone onto the other side of the rope, but they said once you are in there, you kind of need to stay there, and that's not how I wanted to spend one of my last days at WDW so I skipped it. If I was a local, and went all the time, I think it would be cool to do this.





Walking to 7DMT, I took this pretty shot of the castle



I had a FP for 7DMT and went on by myself, knowing that Mike wouldn't ride. While I was waiting in line, Mike had been texting me that he was here so when I got off we met and switched bands so I got to go a second time...




Once I was done with my second ride, Mike and I walked over to Adventureland to do something I haven't done in years and Mike had never done...









I REALLY wanted to love this this time, having listened to all the Disneyland at 60 and Connecting With Walt podcasts, and knowing just how cool this was back when it was first opened. Sadly, there's a reason I haven't been back in years, though I hate to say that. I do like how it's all Tiki-Kitschy and that it's connected to the Poly, but the whole birds singing show is kind of a yawner for me, and Mike who had never seen it thought the same thing, as well.

From there, we had our next FP in Adventureland to find out if dead men really tell no tales...​

​

 

[buzzrelly]

They don't. They're dead…






We had a 5 pm ADR to get to, so we started heading down Main Street in that direction...



Stopped for Photopass pics...






And for Mike to take his pic with the Cigar Store Indian, Chief Seegar...



We finally reached the destination of our ADR. I understand this will be offensive to some people so look away if you must, but we ate dinner at Tony's...





Continued in next post...
​

 

[buzzrelly]

I don't get the hate for Tony's I've eaten here many times and have always enjoyed it and have had some of the best servers ever here. Now, I know it's not the best Italian food on the planet, but I don't think it's as bad as say, Olive Garden. And for us, since I would never step foot into Skipper's Canteen, it's kind of a safe option.

Anyway, they brought out the bread and oil, which was pretty standard, and yummy…


Mike and I split a yummy salad that I forgot to take a picture of, then Mike got Shrimp Scampi...



And I got a Pepperoni Flatbread. You can kind of see the empty salad plate here, and we clearly hated it


We did not get dessert here because we had something very special planned for later on. Here's a hint: (just pretend that last emoji is fireworks ) We both really liked our meals and just for a test, I decided NOT to tell Mike how much people hate Tony's until after he ate. I wanted to see if he liked it without any bias, and he did. He said he would definitely go back again


Back out on town square, we took some more pictures of the new Christmas decorations...


I also realized that I hadn't gotten a photo of my favorite statue. Turns out they had to move Roy to the side to make room for the Christmas decorations Some guy was sitting on "my" bench so I had to kind of cut him out of the picture...




So sweet



Another crazy selfie...



and Photopass pic,



before we made our way to our last FP...


After our ride with 999 Happy Haunts, we headed back over to watch some of the Christmas Show taping. Somewhere in this pic is Julianne Hough and Nick Lachay...



We couldn't see them very well, but we could hear them. They were lip-synching along to a soundtrack and it was kind of fun to stand there and watch the magic happen, take after take, after take, etc. It was also amazing to see the castle lit-up for Christmas and almost unbelievable since it had been Halloween just a few days before


Up next, Happily Ever After!


​

 

[buzzrelly]

Yay! We had been in Florida for 9 days, Disney for 6 and this was our first time seeing HEA up close and personal! I had seen it from the beach at the Poly a couple times but I knew that to fully appreciate it I'd have to see it the way it was intended. And what better way to do that than to book the HEA dessert party with Plaza viewing?! I had gone back and forth about whether we should do the TT viewing vs Plaza viewing and it seems the reviews I read were more in favor of viewing from the Plaza, so that's what we did.

Anyway, check-in was a breeze. We were among the first people there..

I



I cannot remember if the hostess led us to a table or we picked one, but once we put our things down, we went up to see the offerings...


















Continued in next post...​

 

[buzzrelly]

More dessert party offerings…





Our plates...













When I had had my fill of desserts, I went out to the Plaza garden to save my seat for the show. Mike stayed and had a few more desserts and came out just before the show to meet me. I watched more of the Christmas show taping while I waited and I had a great view of the castle. I liked how the CMs kept the path in front of the ropes clear…unlike at DHS where it seemed like a mobbed, free-for-all at the SW dessert party.





Mike came out to meet me just before the show started and we had a fantastic view. I'm so happy we chose this spot, and I have it reserved again for April

​

Continued in next post...​

 

[buzzrelly]

As I said, we had an AMAZING view of Happily Ever After, and I absolutely LOVED it! I wasn't sure that I would because I loved Wishes so much, but this felt very updated and fresh. And of course, I shed a few tears which Mike thinks is kinda crazy It was the BEST way to end this day!





We headed out after the show and took one final Photopass pic as we were leaving...


It had been a long, exhausting, but fun-filled day. By the time we got back to the Poly, we were beat and pretty much fell right asleep! Not surprising since this is a screen shot of my STEPS this day:



21 miles in one day! No wonder we were exhausted!

Up next-our final day
​

 

[emilyhuff]

Wow! I am so happy you guys survived the Half Marathon! I love all your mile marker pics, it probably helps to make the distance go by faster, haha. I really want to try Tony's and your not so bad review makes me feel like I should! The dessert party.. YUM! I was very sad to read you didn't make it to Trader Sams, I love that place!!!

P.S. hope you are feeling better, I can't imagine how much pain you were/are in!

 

[Tigerlulu]

Love your trip report!

Thanks for all the run details. Getting ready to do a challenge weekend ourselves—me and the Hubs—and it’s our first half too. He wants to hit the parks after the 10k, but I’ve been leaning towards a pool day at stormalong bay. I think I’m going to win this one. Also thinking I’ll walk more for the 10k. I’m so worried about the tired heavy legs on Sunday so your posts were totally helpful!
And it looks awesome!

And we are trying the place dessert party for the first time—can’t wait! Those desserts look amazing!!!

And congratulations on your hysterectomy! It’s the best decision I ever made. Once you recover you’ll love it!

 

[wdwnut61]

First off sorry about your recent health scare. Hoping you have a speedy recovery after your surgery
Love all your MK pictures just beautiful
We love HEA and the dessert party gone twice it’s wonderful
Glad you enjoyed it

 

[buzzrelly]

Wow! I am so happy you guys survived the Half Marathon! I love all your mile marker pics, it probably helps to make the distance go by faster, haha. I really want to try Tony's and your not so bad review makes me feel like I should! The dessert party.. YUM! I was very sad to read you didn't make it to Trader Sams, I love that place!!!

P.S. hope you are feeling better, I can't imagine how much pain you were/are in!

Thanks! The mile markers worked great for us to meet up so you never felt like you HAD to stay together but we never got TOO far apart from each other

We had just a very brief visit to Trader Sam's but had wanted to, and planned to go back but just didn't have the time. Definitely a must-do for October!

And I am finally starting to feel better, thanks

Love your trip report!

Thanks for all the run details. Getting ready to do a challenge weekend ourselves—me and the Hubs—and it’s our first half too. He wants to hit the parks after the 10k, but I’ve been leaning towards a pool day at stormalong bay. I think I’m going to win this one. Also thinking I’ll walk more for the 10k. I’m so worried about the tired heavy legs on Sunday so your posts were totally helpful!
And it looks awesome!

And we are trying the place dessert party for the first time—can’t wait! Those desserts look amazing!!!

And congratulations on your hysterectomy! It’s the best decision I ever made. Once you recover you’ll love it!

I think walking more of the 10K would have helped me not feel so fatigued, but the trouble was, I kind of felt good running that one so I probably ran more than I should have.

I can't wait to do that dessert party again in April…worth every penny

Wow, I love your attitude about your hysterectomy! I guess I will be relieved to leave this all behind me!

First off sorry about your recent health scare. Hoping you have a speedy recovery after your surgery
Love all your MK pictures just beautiful
We love HEA and the dessert party gone twice it’s wonderful
Glad you enjoyed it

Thank you, so much!

It's hard to take a bad picture in the MK, isn't it?

 

[WHIT1]

Love your TR. How many years have you been going to WDW? I got to go at the very beginning before they opened to the public. Those were the coupons days and free days cause my stepfather came home with stacks of books. I even got married there when the castle was all pink over 20 yrs ago. We love WDW and we are planning our last trip this yr. I also lived in CT where I met my 3rd DH and also lived in NH,Branford,Hamdon, and Middletown. Loved it there, but DH fell in love with my home state Va. Do go and enjoy your upcoming trips in April before surgery cause you need to take it easy. I had my hysterectomy when I was 24yrs and after I came back to VA they took what was left out. I feel so much better and didn't have to worry about any female Ca in case it was any in my family. You will feel better also. So lots of luck with your surgery.

 

[Tigerlulu]

Wow, I love your attitude about your hysterectomy! I guess I will be relieved to leave this all behind me!

My awesome doc told me he’s never met a woman who regretted a hysterectomy.

 

[Raeven]

o a short, real-life update. I found myself in the Emergency Room last Thursday night in absolute agony. It turned out I had (another) ruptured ovarian cyst.

Oh no, feel better!

As I got closer to the hub, I noticed they were taping the WDW Christmas special, so a lot of the areas closest to the castle were roped off. I remembered hearing about this but had kind of forgotten about it, to be honest. I stood for a little bit watching, and I could have gone onto the other side of the rope, but they said once you are in there, you kind of need to stay there, and that's not how I wanted to spend one of my last days at WDW so I skipped it. If I was a local, and went all the time, I think it would be cool to do this.

Ah did you get to see Nick Lachey?!

We finally reached the destination of our ADR. I understand this will be offensive to some people so look away if you must, but we ate dinner at Tony's...

Somewhere in this pic is Julianne Hough and Nick Lachay...

Yes!

So much cheese

When I had had my fill of desserts, I went out to the Plaza garden to save my seat for the show. Mike stayed and had a few more desserts and came out just before the show to meet me. I watched more of the Christmas show taping while I waited and I had a great view of the castle. I liked how the CMs kept the path in front of the ropes clear…unlike at DHS where it seemed like a mobbed, free-for-all at the SW dessert party.

It's an awesome view, and I agree much better than how they handled the dessert party viewing in HS.

 

[buzzrelly]

How many years have you been going to WDW?

My very first trip was in 1989. MGM had JUST opened and we went at the end of May so it was HOT! We stayed off-site and only went to MGM for a day and MK for a day. My next trip was another 2 day trip in 2003, but my first "real," trip was 2006 and that's when I definitely caught the bug

I even got married there when the castle was all pink over 20 yrs ago.

How fun!

I also lived in CT where I met my 3rd DH and also lived in NH,Branford,Hamdon, and Middletown.

Small world!

So lots of luck with your surgery.

Thank you

My awesome doc told me he’s never met a woman who regretted a hysterectomy.

I hope he's right!

Oh no, feel better!

Finally feeling much better today…almost back to myself! Thanks!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Doesn't that photo just scream, "Victory!" to you all?? I was literally dropping my sweater and trying to catch it, and trying to snap a finish-line pic on my phone, and it just made for the most disappointing picture ever.

I have one like this, too....it's called, "Don't trip over the bump, Jackie!!" I was glad I got a sort of normal one the next day at the 10K. I want a redo of the whole thing now that I know what to expect start to finish!!

OK, I can't believe that's the only thing I quoted over all those updates!!!! I was just so absorbed in reading, I guess

Love your wanderings through MK. I also found that after our KTTK tour, I was extra interested in noticing the windows and other little secrets we heard about. I really loved doing that tour!

The only dessert parties we've done have been at MK, but it looks like this one is certainly worth springing for!! Did they have alcoholic beverage options, too, or were those all juices??

Tears during Disney fireworks are the norm for me, too! My husband just stands by and pretends he doesn't know the sobbing woman I sometimes become LOL