Hello, everyone! Still there?
I know, I know, its been awhile. Longer than awhile, actually. Like, over half a year or something. I wouldnt blame you if youve forgotten all about me by now. Considered me lost forever. Deleted me from your subscription list. Filed me away as a Fair-Weather Disney Friend, someone whose Disney-love was merely a transitional life phase, like Koolaid-dying your hair in high school.
Like I said, I wouldnt blame you. But I hope youll come back! I always said Id finish this trip report, didnt I? And now that the wedding is over (it was wonderful, and perfect, and 100% worth the insane planning), and my desk is finally free of wedding-crafts detritus (at least for now I
do still have to make the thank-you cards, of course), I can return to the DIS! Hooray! Often, in the depths of wedding-planning despair (such as:
Oh no, I still have ninety invitations to hand-emboss! or
Oh no, what will our two vegan friends eat? or
Honey, the weddings two weeks away, dont you think its maybe time to find a suit?), I would fantasize about WDW, and my fingers would start typing d-i-s into my browser
But Id always stop myself, just in time. Because, after all, those invitations werent going to hand-emboss themselves.
In case my pleas for mercy arent enticing you back (
that Nory, shes betrayed us before, its just not worth the heartbreak!), how about this: I went back to WDW, in May, with my mom. Which means a second TR will be coming, straight on the heels of this one! Its like a two-for-one sale! And I
may have booked myself another quick solo trip for October (well see if that one actually happens; it was a totally spur-of-the-moment, I-need-something-to-look-forward-to-post-wedding-and-a-pin-code-is-sitting-in-my-inbox decision, and Ive been putting off thinking about it with my logical brain. or even admitting it to anybody, for that matter). So TRs galore!
Anyway. To sum it up: Ive missed you all! Im happy to be back! And now, without further ado:
About a hundred years ago, I left you with the teaser A WDW-Show Virgin Decides Its Finally the Perfect Moment. Im sure its been torturing you since then, right? (Cuz its not like you have other things to think about, like your own lives and trips and stuff.) But its trueup until this, my first solo day at the Animal Kingdom, Id never been to a live-actor Disney show at WDW. Or, at least, never in my memory (maybe back in the day when I was little, but I figure if I cant remember it, it doesnt count).
I decided it was time for that to change. Id heard so many amazing things about FotLK, I was really excited to give it a try. I headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey, an entire land I think Id never visited before, what with its congested paths and sad lack of rides. I saw these guys somewhere on my way over, who put me in the perfect mood to watch some dancing:
What poise! What grace!
What beady eyes!
Oh no, I just realized that Id been to The Little Mermaid at DHS the day before! Im not sure why I wasnt counting that as a live-actor show. Whoops. It really ruins my whole WDW-Show Virgin concept, doesnt it? Oh well. Lets just pretend it doesnt count, OK?
I didnt have to spend too much time with iPhone Scrabble before being greeted by this man:
Wake up, dude! The shows about to start! Dont worry at all about that sniper, luckily hes got terrible aim
this lady:
and this lady:
Side note: I got to feel like an African princess myself, lately, because the night after our wedding, my DHs family hosted an Ethiopian wedding for us. It was crazy, in the best way. I got to wear a poison-green dress made for me in Ethiopia (no headdress like these ladies, though), fertility songs were sung, dance challenges with unknown relatives were lost (by meclearly I need to hone my African dance skills), blessings were bestowed that we couldnt understand a word of (not speaking Amharic), my tribe and his tribe bartered over my new ceremonial name
it was amazing! Though also exhausting, as Im sure you can imagine. Im not sure Id recommend doing two weddings in two days, though Im happy we did. OK, thanks for bearing with me for this brief foray into wedding-landyou understand, its hard to quit it cold turkey!now back to the important stuff.
Which section was I in, you ask? Was it this one?
Or this one?
Or this one?
Or that other one, of which I apparently have no photo?
Well, Im really sorry about this, but I just cant remember. Ive tried everything: hypnosis, meditation, parsing my pages of notes. But the memorys just not there. I guess thats what I get, for taking so long with this TR.
I do remember that I loved these silly monkeys, despite my mixed feelings about actual monkeys:
And I hate to have to report that this girl was not a particularly good dancer (obviously, that is why I cut off her feet. It says nothing about my photography skills):
Lest you think Im just being mean, here, I should tell you that I say this with some authority, as I used to study dance on a professional level. As proof, I offer this picture of myself from a gazillion years ago, before I tore a ligament in my foot and got too
um
curvy for ballet:
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with FotLK. Maybe my expectations were just too high. I did love its energy, and the voices were great, but having seen The Lion King on Broadway (which has the most incredible sets and costumes ever), it just couldnt compare. I do see how kids would go nuts over it, and Ill probably appreciate it more when I see it with someone under the age of 10. This adorable little girl next to memaybe two or three?danced on her dads lap through the entire show, and she was clearly having the time of her life. I wanted to take a picture of her. But I figured that could come off as a little creepy, so I refrained.
Clearly only one place could cure my disillusionment:
First I stocked up on yet another EE FP, then I used my first FP of the morning and rode again. It was my third trip down Everest so far that day, and I still had two FPs in my pocket. Would I use them? Would I ever get over my mild FotLK disappointment, and decide to give WDW shows another try? I guess youll just have to wait and see. But I promise you wont have to wait so long, this time!
Coming Soon Nory Falls in Love at Animal Kingdom
Hold on, let me rub the sleep out of my eyes...yup you're back!
I have persevered, kept your TR in my subscribed list and now I reap the reward of your update!
It must feel wonderful to have the planning mayhem behind you, it did for me! I can totally commiserate with you on the groom's suit too...DH left it till the last minute and I was having panic attacks over it!
Ethiopian ceremony? Wow, sounds really amazing. You should post a pic. I find other cultures fascinating so this sounds pretty darn cool!
norybell is back! Congratulations on the wedding
Your Ethiopian wedding sounds spectacular... pictures! Pictures!
hopefully that would be fixed too next year 
I'm dying over here! Mostly because you're smitten with that puppeteer! Didn't he look cross-eyed in one of those pics? Nemo is such a creative show, we were hooked the first time we saw it and now it's a must do every trip. 
. But I wasn't thrilled with the AK one, although mine was hot which made absolutely no sense considering it was about 89 degrees outside with like 1,000% humidity!
