My Very 1st PTR & Planning Journal

[DisneyDarlinBritBrit]

I really am currently planning for two different trips to the Mouse. First, maybe I should start with an intro.

I'm Brittany and my DH is Jerry. We've been married since 2011 and actually had our honeymoon at WDW which was the BEST trip we've even taken! We are both very big Disney freaks and it's pretty exciting to find a forum full of people like us. While DH loves all things Disney...the planning aspect of it...not so much so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see so many other planning journals and PTR's on this forum!

I am planning my 40th birthday trip to WDW but it's not for another 2 years. The reason I'm starting so early is because I'm planning a pretty big party the day before we leave for Orlando. Here are my thoughts so far:
1) A Masquerade theme. I'm wishing to have a semi formal party with friends and family and tie in hidden Mickeys in the décor.
2) The very next morning, we will head to Orlando and most likely be at The Kingdom ON my 40th.

This is all I have planned for that trip so all of this will be happening on January 23rd (Party) and my 40th falls on the 26th!

Now I really didn't want to wait 2 years to go to WDW and we have scrapped plans since our honeymoon a couple of times to go, so the DH & I decided to book a trip for November 30th - December 4th of 2014. Yes, it's still a year away but I've always wanted to see Disney at Christmas and there was no way we could pull that off this year. We are staying off property (Hampton Inn) but at this point, I don't care...I just want to be there. Really this is the only thing we've accomplished so I imagine in the next 2 years...I will be posting pictures & plans of both trips & the big party!

Can't wait to share all of this with you and I definitely would love some input!

 

[DisneyDarlinBritBrit]

So, after having a long heart to heart with the DH, we've decided NOT to do the big masquerade for my 40th, HOWEVER, we plan on doing it big at the MOUSE HOUSE!

This still leaves the trip in 2014 to start planning, but considering we are staying onsite for my 40th (2016), I will have to begin budgeting NOW! I'm a bit of a procrastinator!

If there are any suggestions on where to stay, where to eat, where to celebrate...please let me know!

 

[DisneyDarlinBritBrit]

While I really don't have any plans to report, I wanted to tell all of you about myself and my small family and give a little back story.

I was born & raised in a suburb outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Not exactly a "Southern Belle", but still very proud of my southern roots. My 1st taste of Disney World was in 1984 when I was cheerleading for a Pop Warner team and we took a trip to Orlando for a cheer competition. From then on...I was hooked. These trips became an annual thing from 1984-1995 when I coached in the same organization i grew up in. Although I CHERISH these trips and have some great memories, there were a few things I've never experienced until I reached adulthood. I had never stayed at an on site hotel or even stayed past 6pm so I never saw the Main Street Electrical Parade or even seen the Kingdom lit up.

Skip forward to March 2009 and I meet my now husband at our local Starbucks. The line was particularly long that day and he's NEVER met a stranger. He struck up a conversation with me and before I left, asked if he could take me to lunch later that day (I was on my way to work). I agreed not really expecting him to show up but to my surprise, he did. Needless to say, we were never apart from that day. 6 months later, he asked me to marry him during our first trip together in Savannah, Georgia and married a year and a half after that.

Getting to our wedding date came with struggle. During the planning of our nuptials, something tragic and traumatizing to me and my family occurred. My sweet mother was murdered by her estranged husband. Our wedding was supposed to be only 5 months away and we had to postpone. I developed severe anxiety and knew there was no way i could deal with the big affair we had originally planned. He never once complained. He remained my rock and my support through all of it. Our would be wedding date rolled around and on that day, we just knew we wanted to be married. We chose a February 18th date and scaled down the festivities tremendously. We didn't even have a reception but opted for a celebratory dinner instead. It was my husband's idea to actually surprise me with our honeymoon (with help from my Dad and older sister). At dinner when I opened an envelope from my father, it was a 3 day park hopper from Disney World! I WAS SO EXCITED! I was FINALLY going to Disney World that wasn't centered around a sports event. I was FINALLY going to get to do some of the things I've never done before! We didn't get a hotel on site, but I didn't care at that point. It had been 16 years since I've been in Orlando.

Needless to say, It was the BEST trip of my life! Now we haven't been since our 2011 honeymoon but we are returning December 2014! The countdown is on! [/FONT]