Newsies' Quest for the Unicorn Pinata - A Julaugust TR - FINISHED 9/21!

[Momee]

Love DAK and totally in love with Pandora (the land theme, not the movie.) And Nemo is my fav. (Sorry FotLK peeps.)
But the piñata... the suspense is killing me...agh!
(and I don't think I've said it before, so I'll say it now... your unicorn ears are fantastical!)

 

[Newsies]

Love DAK and totally in love with Pandora (the land theme, not the movie.) And Nemo is my fav. (Sorry FotLK peeps.)
But the piñata... the suspense is killing me...agh!
(and I don't think I've said it before, so I'll say it now... your unicorn ears are fantastical!)

I feel the same! Pandora was an awesome land, but I wasn't crazy about the movie. And yes, Nemo is the superior show!

Don't worry, you're about to find out how the pinata story ends very, very soon!

Thank you very, very much! My ears got a lot of compliments on the trip and I hope that I can bring them on many more trips, they're certainly my new favorite pair!

 

[Newsies]

The Priceless Purchase
August 4 cont.
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With the amount of time I had left to play in the parks this evening dwindling down to the last hours, it was time to finish up the quest I began on Wednesday.

I headed for the Epcot buses and was waiting for half an hour. Four Hollywood Studios buses came and went, as well as three Magic Kingdom ones. I was getting v. impatient since I was hot and exhausted from the week, but as I was just about to give up, a beautiful and empty air-conditioned Epcot bound bus came around. I sat down and could have fallen asleep.

I got off at the stop, and had an extremely long walk to security. I went through security with no issues, scanned into the park, and my first order of business was Starbucks. With several credits remaining, I decided that my daily ICL was in order!

I watched the lovely CM make my latte and lorddddddd, she was struggling. She had this GIANT chunk of ice in there that was preventing the straw from going into the drink and we both laughed about it, then she poured it into a new cup with more sizeable ice cubes.

I grabbed my drink, and then it was the homestretch. All that was left was the long, unbearably hot walk from Fountain View to the Mexico pavilion. I forced myself to start the trek, my only company being my front-facing phone camera as I made videos for my Instagram story explaining my quest in great detail.

Slowly but surely, I approached the pyramid and headed inside.

Then finally, there she was.

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I grabbed the first one to catch my eye and headed towards the cash register, and that’s where I met the lovely Fernanda from Mexico City, who essentially gasped when she saw I was buying a unicorn piñata.

“OH, YAY! SOMEONE’S BUYING A PINATA!” She said. “I love these, they were handmade, you know! Aren’t they so cute? I love them! AND YOUR EARS! I love your ears! And your nail polish, oh wow, you’re unicorn-ed out!”

She was so energetic and chatty as another wonderful CM helped me complete my purchase.

After I had her in my possession, I held her up to take a picture and Fernanda stopped me. “Let me hold it so you can take the pic!”

So pictured below is my new piñata as well as Fernanda’s hand.

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As soon as she gave the piñata back to me… I dropped it.

I was like, “of course the first thing I do is DROP her.”

“She’s tough! She’s a piñata!” Fernanda said, which kind of made me giggle because it was probably the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.

Finally I said my goodbyes to Mexico and started heading towards the front of the park.

So where is my piñata now?

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Right there, on the shelf of my dorm, living the life any piñata would dream of. She racks in many compliments from everyone who enters, and she’s the perfect addition to my life. She has been dubbed “Fernanda” after the wonderful, bubbly CM who made my quest for the unicorn piñata worthwhile.

Thus, I had conquered what I set out to do with mere hours left of the trip.

I started making my way back to the front of the park, stopping only once at MouseGears to look for the cute little mickey-mouse shaped goldfish-like crackers. I didn’t find them, so I just headed back to the monorail and went back to the Poly.

At the Poly, I went to Captain Cooks to grab a bag of chips and a Mickey rice krispie treat, then retreated back to the room to eat them in peace. I also had to pack, which I hated. Then I decided to just relax and watch TV until it was time to get ready for our dinner ADR.

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Because our reservation was at the Contemporary, obviously we were planning on taking the monorail over, which ended up being a nightmare. We waited 15 minutes on a crowded platform to get into a crowded monorail and I really thought we were going to miss our ADR. Thankfully we arrived just in time and we were seated quickly!

The restaurant itself wasn’t very busy this evening, and we were taken to a table off to the side where we were in our own little room.

Our server this evening was Bill, and he was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and we had a great time talking to him about his experience at the resort.

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I wasn’t a fan of the appetizer menu, but I do remember that mom and dad opted to share the artisanal cheese selection. And I remember stealing the California honey comb and eating it with a slice of the multi-grain bread they serve, which was fantastic.

For dinner, I ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin. It came with mashed potatoes, a red wine reduction, and some carrots.

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This meal totally exceeded expectations. The steak was just the right size and cooked perfectly, and that red wine reduction was just incredible with the mashed potatoes and carrots!

The Wave was a relaxing and delicious note to end the trip on. We will be back again for sure! Next time we visit The World, we want to do breakfast here because I’ve heard nothing but great things about the sweet potato pancakes.

I just want to note here that between this trip and the January trip, we’ve been left incredibly satisfied with our experiences at the “mid-tier” table service dining on the monorail line! Breakfast and dinner at the Kona Café was incredible, breakfast at the Grand Floridian was life-changing, and dinner at the Wave was serene. If you’re having trouble booking a table at ‘Ohana, California Grill, or any other signature meals on the monorail line or even in Magic Kingdom, go ahead and give one of these three a shot.

We decided that instead of going to the Magic Kingdom this night, we wanted to visit the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Towers to celebrate our new membership.

We walked through BLT, I looked to my left and Peter Pan was casually in the “community hall” (I think that’s what that room was called?). We checked in at the welcome desk and went to wait in line for the elevator up to the lounge.

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When we got to the lounge, we decided to just head straight to the observation deck since the fireworks were about to begin.

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We had a great view of the show and this time, I actually cried over Happily Ever After. I felt incredibly fortunate to be standing there and so content with the week behind me, and couldn’t help but cry when Tink flew down.

We attempted to get into the actual lounge for a slice of that famous 7 layer cake, but it was so crowded that we just decided to grab a snack from Contempo Café on our way out.

Being on the walkway between BLT and the Contemporary was the most surreal feeling in the world. All I could do was think about how often I had looked at this walkway and wondered what it must feel like to be a DVC member. This whole endeavor came at us so fast… it’s crazy how life can work that way sometimes!

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We stopped at the Contempo Cafe and I ended up snagging that little fruit tart pictured below.

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We quietly retreated back to the room, got into our jammies, ate our desserts and went to sleep peacefully as our vacation came to an end.

Alright you guys, we're ALMOST DONE! I have one more super quick check out morning/travel update, and then the conclusion! Thanks for following along!

(Click here to continue!)​

 

[thumper*]

We wanted to see the Top of the World Lounge at BLT with our new DVC membership, so that would be perfect for us!

Oh yay looking forward to this. My next Disney Dream once we've stayed at GF in December.

Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Sandwich > Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar.

I agree but I still have to have at least one Mickey bar per visit.

But I had unfinished business in another park and it was now or never.

Hoping you get that coveted Pinata. but I see that I don't have far to read to find the answer.

“She’s tough! She’s a piñata!” Fernanda said, which kind of made me giggle because it was probably the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.

All I could do was think about how often I had looked at this walkway and wondered what it must feel like to be a DVC member. This whole endeavor came at us so fast… it’s crazy how life can work that way sometimes!

I know I feel the same way hope some day I get to experiance it. So happy for your guys.

Your wave dinner sounds good. I wish I had more time to eat in all of the great places at WDW.

 

[Momee]

The clouds opened up, a golden light beamed down from above, and the angels sang her name "FERRRRNANDAAAAA!"
She is just as lovely as I pictured her to be in my mind. (I'm sure the CM Fernanada was beautiful as well, but I am referring to the piñata.) I love her and I'm so happy that she is living an abuse-free life in your dorm for all who enter to appreciate her beauty.

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay I'm glad you finally got your pinata! It's so cute and I'm glad the CM made it a fun memory for you!

Sounds like a nice dinner at the Wave!

How nice ending the evening celebrating your DVC membership and seeing the fireworks from the lounge!

 

[TNGirlwCamera]

I have really enjoyed your TR especially all the different food suggestions! The pictures are awesome too. I was excited to see your 54 Below pic. Love that place. I saw Ben Platt there couple years ago.

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

We love The Wave too - those sweet potato pancakes are the best!!!!!

 

[Newsies]

Oh yay looking forward to this. My next Disney Dream once we've stayed at GF in December.


I agree but I still have to have at least one Mickey bar per visit.


Hoping you get that coveted Pinata. but I see that I don't have far to read to find the answer.





I know I feel the same way hope some day I get to experiance it. So happy for your guys.

Your wave dinner sounds good. I wish I had more time to eat in all of the great places at WDW.

I can't wait to hear about your GF vacation! December is a lovely time in WDW!

Agreed, Mickey bars are geat!

She's safe in my dorm!

I really hope you get to experience it some day, too. Thank you so much for all of your kind comments again!

The clouds opened up, a golden light beamed down from above, and the angels sang her name "FERRRRNANDAAAAA!"
She is just as lovely as I pictured her to be in my mind. (I'm sure the CM Fernanada was beautiful as well, but I am referring to the piñata.) I love her and I'm so happy that she is living an abuse-free life in your dorm for all who enter to appreciate her beauty.

Okay, THIS is the best and funniest response I've seen so far to this thread. You win, and I love you.

Yay I'm glad you finally got your pinata! It's so cute and I'm glad the CM made it a fun memory for you!

Sounds like a nice dinner at the Wave!

How nice ending the evening celebrating your DVC membership and seeing the fireworks from the lounge!

I'm glad I got her, too! Fernanda (CM) seriously made my trip to get Fernanda (pinata) worthwhile!

We had a great dinner and I hope I can return!

It was certainly a special evening for us and a memory I'll cherish forever.

I have really enjoyed your TR especially all the different food suggestions! The pictures are awesome too. I was excited to see your 54 Below pic. Love that place. I saw Ben Platt there couple years ago.

Thank you so, so much. I think I might try my hand at a dining report next time around because I enjoyed writing about my food experiences the most!

I LOVE 54 BELOW AND BEN PLATT! A great venue with great quality shows and great staff!

We love The Wave too - those sweet potato pancakes are the best!!!!!

I've heard great things about the pancakes, I've gotta try them!

 

[Newsies]

The Exhausting Ending
August 5-6​

We woke up early the next morning. I tried to sleep in, but dad insisted on waking everyone up at 8. Typical.

We headed to the Club for the last time to get a short breakfast. This was my one and only time at the CL for the breakfast offerings.

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As you can see, everything was pretty standard! I had a bagel, a mini cinnamon bun, and a cup of coffee. I tried to get a cup of POG juice, alas, I was disheartened to find out that the POG juice had been replaced by OJ in the morning.

We called Bell Services as dad brought the truck around and a really friendly CM got our stuff sorted away and gave us a ride to the front of the building on his golf cart.

Bye bye, 1522!

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Dad had me scrambling to grab two more rice krispie treats for the road, so I had to run up the stairs to Moana Mercantile to grab some! It had just opened.

It was unfortunately time to bid “adieu” to WDW. After a short stop at the Hess station for gas and self-serve Dunkin’ ice tea, we headed on the road.

We had a long, long day ahead of us. We kept the stops to a minimum, and grabbed lunch at a Dairy Queen in Georgia. I got a chocolate brownie blizzard which is always a good thing.

We continued to drive, and drive, and drive until we got to Roanoke Rapids.

We found a really, really lovely little Fairfield inn for the night… that had no vacancy. In fact, pretty much NOWHERE in Roanoke Rapids had vacancy EXCEPT for a really seedy Motel 6… mom got us a room and then we decided to go to Applebees for dinner. Applebees was fine. We had the sweetest waitress in the world and our meal was pretty good.

Then we get back to the Motel 6 and Grace and I are pretty uncomfortable. It isn’t lit well, it’s late at night, and we’re in a pretty shady area.

A car pulled up next to us and they start taking their bags out and this 10 year old girl approaches our truck and just… stares.

Right into my eyes.

Into my SOUL.

For like, at least a full minute.

We rush inside and the inside of this place literally looks like a prison. No decorum, just white walls and doors marked with a permanent sharpie.

As soon as we get into the room, we decide Motel 6 is not the place for us. The room doesn’t have a working lamp, the beds are weirdly close to the ground, and drawer is literally missing a compartment. It’s time to go.

Mom was able to get a full refund and we drive for about another half hour until we reach a pretty nice Fairfield inn. Praise be, it’s got vacancies and we check in for a pretty nice sleep otherwise.

We got up early in the morning and headed back on the road, stopping in Virginia for a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel. CB is my ultimate go-to restaurant, so I’m glad we got to stop there at least once this trip.

We get back on the road after a quiet breakfast of pancakes and coffee, then we’re off again. We didn’t get lunch, opting to pick up a snack somewhere and then grab Dunkin’ at the Maryland House stop.

We arrived at our home in NJ at 4:15 with plenty of memories and souvenirs to hold us over until our next trip as DVC owners.

And with that, this TR is COMPLETE and I will post my concluding sentiments in a little bit!

Thanks so much for following!

Click to conclude!
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[thumper*]

And with that, this TR is COMPLETE and I will post my concluding sentiments in a little bit!

Thanks so much for following!

And with that, this TR is COMPLETE and I will post my concluding sentiments in a little bit!

Thanks so much for following!

OH NO

 

[Momee]

I loved reading your TR- especially the build up to Fernanda!
I enjoy your sense of humor- like for real.
From the Polynesian to the shady Motel 6... glad it was an adventure for your family.

 

[DisneyMandC]

So sad your TR is done!! I've enjoyed it so much! Also, I know that Motel 6 you're talking about as I frequently drive through Roanoke Rapids and yeah... it's super sketchy.

 

[missangelalexis]

Final mornings are the worst Most times you are rushing around..which maybe is a good thing since it keeps your mind off the fact that you're leaving haha

OoOoh that motel sounds scary, glad you guys didn't end up staying there and found a better place!

 

[Newsies]

OH NO

Thanks for following along! I promise there will be more adventures with my upcoming DLR trip!

I loved reading your TR- especially the build up to Fernanda!
I enjoy your sense of humor- like for real.
From the Polynesian to the shady Motel 6... glad it was an adventure for your family.

Thank you so, so much! I appreciate all of the feedback!

It was CERTAINLY an adventure from start to finish, and I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

So sad your TR is done!! I've enjoyed it so much! Also, I know that Motel 6 you're talking about as I frequently drive through Roanoke Rapids and yeah... it's super sketchy.

I'm sad it's done, too! I'm so happy you enjoyed it and thank you for following along! That whole Roanoke Rapids exit was... an adventure for us.

Final mornings are the worst Most times you are rushing around..which maybe is a good thing since it keeps your mind off the fact that you're leaving haha

OoOoh that motel sounds scary, glad you guys didn't end up staying there and found a better place!

It's the worst part about any vacation! Rushing around definitely keeps your mind off of things!

It was really sketchy LOL I'm glad we found a better place!

Thanks so much for following along and giving your feedback!

 

[Newsies]

The Culminating Conclusion
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Well, well, well. It's been a hot minute since I've thoroughly written and finished a TR on these boards, and for that I'm super proud of myself!

I wish that I had been able to drag this TR out a little bit longer! A month and a week or so seems like a short shelf life for a Trip Report, especially since I really didn't have that many updates! Ultimately, I'm just happy that I completed the TR in an orderly, timely fashion. The past two TRs I've made were kind-of-but-not-really cancelled halfway through. College kept me busy so instead of writing the last few days out, I was like "lol here's an overview of what happened next lol byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye see you next time." This time around, I'm just thankful that I actually wrote everything out and posted it! I haven't done that since my first ever TR on the boards back in 2014! Except this one was like, way prettier and had much better pictures and was written better and stuff.

But the fact that TRs do consume so much of my time concerns me a little bit. I absolutely adore writing for the DIS, but even devoting a month of my time to write and publish this report was a lot for me. I want to write on this website about my experiences at Disney Parks for many, many years to come now that my family is DVC.

I'm actually considering doing a Dining Report for my next WDW trip. This is an idea I've toyed around with for a while, especially since I've always thought it might be interesting to do a Dining Review. I would do a PTR, and instead of an actual TR, I would write my first DR and sprinkle the most important vacation details and photos in with my dining reviews. This time around, I definitely felt like my favorite part of writing the TR was doing the dining reviews. Maybe it was the camera, maybe it was the fact that we went to so many new restaurants and all of them were uniquely delicious, but I definitely enjoyed writing the food reviews more than anything. Obviously I have a long while to think about this since it doesn't look like we'll be able to go to WDW next year because of my jury duty.

That's enough report talk! Let's look back on the trip itself!

My favorite TS meal: La Hacienda de San Angel
My favorite QS meal: Lunch at Les Halles
My favorite character interaction: Tinker Bell, the first time!
My favorite ride experience: Going on its a small world the first time and seeing my coworkers!
My favorite day in the parks: Our Epcot day
My favorite souvenir: Obviously Fernanda!
My all-around favorite memory: Finding out we were DVC owners!
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We did a lot of things for the first time this trip, let's see what worked and what didn't work...

What we would do again:

• Eat at The Wave and La Hacienda de San Angel. We adored both of these restaurants and I really hope we can return again on our next trip!
• Visit the Cherry Tree Lane Dress Shop! I see a lot of potential in the dresses, despite the mishap I had, and I can't wait to see what the store will have in stock when we visit next.
• Stay in the Club Level accommodations! We totally loved King Kamehameha, and I know that you can use DVC points for CL rooms in certain resorts (I know you can in AKL).

What we wouldn't do again:

• Spirit of Aloha. Unfortunately, we didn't like the food or the first half of the show, so this was a one-and-done for us.
• Visit US/IOA/CityWalk. So we loved Toothsome's Chocolate Emporium, and I love Universal Studios almost as much as I love Walt Disney World. However, my family doesn't feel the same way. I don't see us leaving the "bubble" on another WDW vacation ever again. At least not for Universal!

What I hope we can do on our next vacation:

• Stay at Bay Lake Towers. I sort of fell in love with the Contemporary during my CP, and I adore the theming and convenience of BLT! The family definitely agrees and I hope we can spend some more time here.
• Eat at Yak & Yeti! We've cancelled EVERY YEAR since 2014... we've gotta get it done one of these days!
• Ride Flights of Passage.

Overall? This vacation was a 9 out of 10, with only one point being docked for the crowds and hours at Magic Kingdom. I would have loved to have seen Magic Kingdom more!

Originally, when I came home I was upset because I felt like I didn't spend as much time in the parks as I did in previous trips, but now I feel like I did just enough. If I had pushed myself any further, I would have been super exhausted and cranky. Maybe spending a little bit of downtime in the resorts was better for me this time around!

The one thing I'm glad I'm pushed myself for was Fernanda. There's a saying Merch CMs use to push you to buy merch, and its that you should buy a souvenir when you see it because you never know if you're going to see it again. Usually, I end up walking away from it because with the invention of the Shop Disney Parks App, it's easy to look up what you saw later and see the closest location that has it in stock. But Fernanda was different because she's not on the App, she's handmade in Mexico and lives in a stall in the pavilion. Our DHS adventure this day was kind of funny because even as I tried to grasp the reality of 50 YEARS OF DISNEY VACATIONS, I was also struggling to grasp the idea of never boarding the Great Movie Ride again. One of the scariest things to me about Disney is that you develop such strong bonds to the smallest things-- favorite rides, favorite character m&gs, favorite snacks and souvenirs-- but Disney is always changing. You can go on vacation every other month and still never know whether or not it's your last time seeing or doing something.

At the end of the day, Fernanda isn't the most important thing in the world. She's just a silly little pinata that lives on my desk and looks pretty. It was a long travel in the hot Florida heat just to get my hands on her. But if I hadn't gone back and she wasn't there the next time I went to Disney World, I would have been forever left wondering what my dorm would look like with a small unicorn pinata.

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So what's next? Well, I'm VERY excited to move onto my Disneyland PTR now that this TR is over with, and Austin and I are going to be sitting down for the introductions post a little later on today! This is a brand new adventure for me and I can't wait to see what California has in store.

I'll see you on the California boards until its time for another Floridian PTR.

Thank you all so, so much for following along and leaving comments! I'll see you real soon

-Kaitlyn

 

[missangelalexis]

Sad to see this TR come to an end but I look forward to hearing more about your DL plans!

Glad this was a wonderful trip for you and your family, thank you for sharing!!

 

[Newsies]

Sad to see this TR come to an end but I look forward to hearing more about your DL plans!

Glad this was a wonderful trip for you and your family, thank you for sharing!!

I'm sad to end this TR! I had so much fun writing it and I can't wait to tell you guys all about DLR!

Thank you so much for sharing your comments with me! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!

 

[StarShine3]

I don't post much, but I wanted to say i really enjoyed you trip repot. I look forward to heading to WDW in December with my daughter who is about your age. She won't get the grand surprise of becoming a DVC member, but I hope she enjoys the trip almost as much as you enjoyed yours.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Alright doing major catch-up work!

Yay for finally visiting Pandora! Your pics look STUNNING. I canNOT wait to see it in person. Kinda disappointed that you didn't get a banshee but whatevs, it's a robotic bird like you said. And I'm sorry to hear that Na'vi River Journey was a bit of a let-down. That seems to be the consensus and that everyone stans Flight of Passage.

Glad you got your Fichwa photo. Sad you couldn't find the You Are Most Beautiful wall. We'll do that when we go back together and have a LONG photoshoot with just that wall, multiple poses and outfits and filters. Because we are WHAT? EXTRA, YAS QUEEN.

Sorry you missed out on Y&Y again. It's such a worthwhile culinary experience so I hope you break that curse soon. It is DELISH. But I'm sure The Wave was a worthy replacement.

I agree strongly on the Ice Cream Sandwich being better than the Bar. The Bar just melts so quickly and it's messy. The ice cream sandwich is so much easier to eat and is so yummy. I wished I had grabbed more during my program. Strongly disagree on the Finding Nemo versus FotLK. Do NOT CARE if "Go With The Flow" is a bop, FotLK has some of the world's most incredible singers and I cry over how beautiful it is every time. Also, tumble monkeys.

Yay for finally getting your Unicorn Piñata! Love the fact you named it Fernanda after the CM. Lowkey bitter I was not included in that portion due to our iconic text convo about what was going down, but whatevs Fernanda's reaction to you was me in spirit.

So glad to hear that The Wave lived up to expectations. I haven't heard much about it so I'm glad I have obscure places to potentially check out when I can't get that Cali Grill ressie.

Awww, what a lovely way to end your last night! I'm glad you found HEA at least semi-enjoyable then and saw our boy, Peter. He loves chilling in the Contemp, don't he?

Oh no, it is the end! I'm emo. Sorry to hear it was a bit exhausting and involved a sketchy Motel 6. Y'all should've kept on driving before even considering it. Glad you made it home safe. Really sad this is the end, but I'm glad I got to keep up with another TR of yours and make inside jokes about how I know what was going to happen and all your CP references. Please stop bringing up GMR because I can't take the tears anymore. Let's do it again real soon sometime!

Love you and will be following you religiously on your PTR per usual especially since we're REUNITING and it will be glorious! Ta ta for now! *kisses on both cheeks* *blows kiss goodbye*