Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'Till Morning..to DisneyWorld! Sep13-NEW10/3

[TMGosizk]

Hello All!

I'm pretty new to the DISboards and this is my very first PTR! I've been reading a lot of the boards and have been itching to start one for our next WDW visit! Just wanted to give a quick introduction before getting into any details!

This will more than likely be a PTR with many changes, due to the fact that we aren't planning to visit WDW until October 2013! I debated waiting to start this since it's about a year away, but I'm too excited! Also, this trip will be the first for our new Princess (born this July! ), so I want to make sure I have a thorough idea of what we'd like to do!

Since it's such a long time until Disney I'll probably be sharing some of our day-to-day happenings that are particularly interesting (perhaps only to me, but that's okay ). If it gets boring, let me know!

I'll do more formal introductions in the next post, but here is our cast of characters:

First is my happy little family!
John (hubby!)--Peter
Toni-Marie (that's me!)--Wendy
Laura (two month DD!)--Tinkerbell
(I'm really into Peter Pan lately for some reason--hense the PTR title, so I've given each of us a coinciding name I'm actually hoping we can dress in this theme for Halloween, but I'm having trouble convincing the Hubs to wear tights I'm thinking I may lose this one... But, how sweet would that be with Laura being only three months at Halloween and so tiny--just like Tinkerbell! I will probably not use these names throughout the PTR, but thought it was cute we each fit a character)

Also, along for this trip!
Donna (my mom)-- Mary Darling
Steve (my dad)-- George Darling

And possibly, but not certainly,
Brittany (my sister)-- Tiger Lily

So, I hope you'll join me on this year-long journey of planning, preparations, and pre-disney trip excitement! Feel free to stop and say "hi," share opinions, suggestions, first-hand experiences, or what have you! Pixiedust:

CHAPTER LINKS
Cast of Characters
The Back Story--Part 1: Our Last Trip
The Back Story--Part 2: Our October 2013 Trip Comes to Be (Now September 2013)
One Year to Go and Some Tentative Trip Details
This October--A Trip to PA
Fall Fun Weekend!
Did I Mention We're Going to Disney World? Resort Reservation Made!
Thanksgiving 2012

I Wasn't Sure I'd Be Back...But I Am!
The Good Things! Part 1
The Good Things! Part 2
The Good Things! Part 3
Trip Overview
One Month To Go!
Day 1-Arrival Day!
California Grill!!
Day 2-To the Contemporary and Our First Park!
Day 3-MGM
Day 4-Epcot!
Day 5-Animal Kingdom!
Day 6-We Split Up!
Day 7-Downtown Disney!
Day 8-Our Last Full Day in the World
Day 9-Departure Day.
PhotoPass+, Magic Bands, and Fastpasses; Oh My!
Packing, Purchases, and Preparations!
WE LEAVE TOMORROW!
Trip Report Link Added

 

[jaylensmom]

I'm in

 

[Missymouse18]

So excited for you and your family!! The year will pass before you know it!

 

[TMGosizk]

Our Cast of Characters!

First are Hubby, and I. We are stationed in Illinois, but are both originally from a tiny, tiny town in Pennsylvania. We've known each other since we were four years old, were high school sweethearts, and were married August 6th 2011, so we just celebrated our first anniversary!!

A few of our wedding photos from our amazing photographer (Karey Dean!)

John just turned 25 this August. He's the love of my life, my prince, my hero, and my best friend. He is an Intelligence Analyst in the Air Force and has been now for seven years. Last year, less than four months before our wedding, he returned from a two year tour in South Korea. He's very quick witted and has a fantastic sense of humor, loves playing video games, and loves cars (especially classic ones--'69 Camaro anyone?!) His first, and only trip, to WDW was with my family when we went as my High School graduation present in July 2005 (I unfortunately do not have digital copies of these pictures to share! ) John is not as obsessed with Disney as I am (he's slowly getting there, however!), but he is really looking forward to our trip next year!

On our honeymoon

With his other "baby"...

I am 25 and a teacher and have degrees in both Elementary and Special Ed. My most recent position was as a Kindergarten and First Grade Learning Support teacher and I adored it, but had to leave it in Pennsylvania. Then I worked as an ABA therapist for students with Autism in Military Families until a month before our little one was born! Now, I'm a stay at home mom, which I do love very, very much, but I miss the classroom and students terribly, so I'm in the process of looking for new classroom positions. I'm pretty outgoing, and can be pretty silly sometimes, love to run, take pictures (as you'll see!), and all things Disney! I miss Disney World so much! It's been two years since my last visit with just my family (John was still in Korea) in 2010 and I've been itching to go back! I've been there over 10 times and it's just never enough! So excited to be planning this trip as a family of three!

Downtown Disney! (2010)

Before dinner at the California Grill (yum!)

Next, is our reason for this trip (well, not entirely, but more on that later), our little Princess, Laura. She is two months and already a Disney fan (even though she doesn't realize it yet. Hehe). Even the nursery is a Disney Princess theme!! Laura arrived four days early and I had a thankfully easy labor. Laura was perfect at, a surprising, 9 pounds and 20 inches!! Laura is the light of our lives now and I couldn't imagine a day without her! She amazes us every single day! She has quite the personality already, has been cooing non-stop for a few weeks now, and I can't wait to see her reactions in WDW!! She will be 15 months at her first visit!!

Hooray Minnie!

Also along for the ride is my amazing mom, Donna! She is the primary reason I am as obsessed as I am with all things Disney! It's because of her that we took our first family trip to WDW when I was 2 ½! It was also my dad's first visit! She's been there more than I have, but I'm not certain on the exact count. Mom is very creative, so fun to be around and loves the beach and any place warm. Mom is an ultrasound tech, but cannot wait for her retirement (less than two years now!) and a possible move to Florida! She is also my partner-in-crime when planning this trip or any trip for that matter!! She's a pro since she's planned every trip we've ever taken! She is SO excited to be going back to WDW and with her new granddaughter!

This was our last trip after dinner at The Wave!

Waiting in the Lounge before dinner at California Grill!

Also going is my equally amazing dad, Steve! He has always enjoyed our vacations, but usually wishes we would pick somewhere a bit cooler. Haha! He hates the heat more than anything, but has truly loved our times together visiting WDW (even though a few of them occurred during the scorching July/August months!). He's very set in his ways, but has a truly goofy side that comes out a lot!! Dad's retired now and has been for quite a few years. He's an Air Force veteran and retired from managing at a company that makes airplane engines. Dad is excited to see his newest granddaughter enjoy WDW for the first time!

From our last trip!

Last, but not least, is my baby sister, Brittany, but we all call her Buzzy. She just turned 22 in July. She can be shy, but also has a very silly side, she loves to travel, and bake! Buzzy is also obsessed with all things Disney, and growing up we had a lot of fun helping Mom plan trips! Currently, Buzzy is living in Germany and attending the International University of Applied Sciences where she will receive a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality and Hotel and Restaurant Management. She already has an Associate Degree in Pastry and Bakery Arts and is probably one of the greatest pastry chefs I've ever met. She even made our delicious, fantastic wedding cake!

We will see her at Christmas and then not again until August 2013 when she'll return to the states (for good? no one knows! she's our little world traveler)!! (I may be making a little side trip to see her in February for her mid-year break! With a day visit to DLP we think!) So, it's still up in the air if she'll be able to go on this trip at all depending on where she is in the world. Right now, though, we are planning it as if she is going!

Last trip!!

One last picture to leave you with...just because she is part of our family, though she will not be traveling to WDW with us.
Our one year old German Shepherd, Sadie. She's a little nuts, but a good dog......most of the time

Next, I'll give a little more background about the trip and such!

 

[TMGosizk]

I'm in

Hello and welcome! Thanks for joining in!!

 

[TMGosizk]

So excited for you and your family!! The year will pass before you know it!

Aw, thank you! I hope it does...however, don't want it to go too fast...really want to savor this first year of our first little one! Very excited though!

 

[TMGosizk]

The Back Story--Part 1: Our Last Trip

The last time I visited WDW was in June 2010. Anytime in Florida is a good time to me; however, summer is probably my least favorite time to go just because of the heat. I can deal with the crowds, but have a hard time with the temps. And the past three visits have all been during the summer months. This last trip, though, was probably one of my favorite trips with the family despite the heat.

That trip we had also done two days at Universal and Islands of Adventure (to see the Wizarding World of HP!! ) and stayed at The Hard Rock Hotel, which was nice, but we definitely like the Royale Pacific better. In fact, we liked it much better when we stayed there in 2008!

We got to see WWoHP during Soft Opening and it was awe inspiring....I'm a HUGE HP fan...almost as much as I am a Disney fan. And it did not disappoint! We spent something like six hours in that part of the park alone! It is like stepping into one of the books! There was even a Moaning Myrtle in the woman's bathroom!!! I could just go on and on! I would love to visit again and bring John and Laura!

Perfect fit!

Breakfast at The Three Broomsticks!

We also spent three days in Cocoa Beach—a family favorite beach area on the East Coast. One of these years I hope to get back there, but I'm doubting it'll be during this next Florida visit.

Our 2010 WDW visit was just spectacular in every way! We stayed at the Contemporary on Club Level. We've stayed at Caribbean Beach and The Polynesian the first two trips respectively, but Contemporary just holds a very special place in my heart and the hearts of the family. It would be a very difficult decision to choose somewhere else even though we consider it sometimes.

One of the highlights of this trip (and there were too many to count) was at MK during EMH. They were open to some ridiculous hour, like 3:00am or something.

Ahh...Magical

We were there until closing and it was wonderful. Mom, Buzzy, and I rode the Wed Way, about three or so times...and got a little silly.

This happens a lot...we all nearly wet our pants we were laughing SO hard!

There was hardly anyone in the park at this time so we just walked on rides. Even Dumbo!
When we got off, we were greeted by these two:

They were so much fun and they were about to take us for a walk around Fantasyland until another group of people showed up and they had to greet them. It was still a very magical memory for us because it is rare to see characters out with so few people around. We spent a good amount of time with them, taking pictures and joking around. That was really wonderful!!

That trip was so fantastic!

A few more pictures from the trip!

Mmm...Grand Mariner Slush! And a photo bomb!

As we were enjoying our drinks, Beast snuck up behind us!!

Dinner at Garden Grille (Not such a fan of the food! But the characters were great!)

Buzzy's Ears to commemorate her Associate Graduation.

In line for Tower of Terror!

Stay tuned for The Back Story--Part 2: Our October 2013 Trip Comes to Be!

 

[TMGosizk]

The Back Story--Part 2: Our October 2013 Trip Comes to Be!

After coming home from our trip in 2010, I knew I needed to go back soon (obviously!! ). So, my DH and I discussed going to WDW for our honeymoon in August 2011. We were still planning this until about February 2011 when I knew I'd have to book or not get what we wanted. After much discussion, we decided to honeymoon in Jamaica instead and we absolutely loved it!!! It was no Disney World, but if you ever get the chance to visit Jamaica, do so...it's wonderful! We stayed at the Couples Tower Isle resort and it was amazing!

The view from our room

Before dinner one evening at the restaurant Bayside--where I had the most delicious duck I've ever eaten my entire life. I dream about this duck dish....we ate at this particular restuarant twice and I had it both times!

We fulfilled one of our mutal dreams on this trip--to swim with dolphins!

Our last night on the island.

So, since we didn't get our Disney trip in 2011, we had planned to go either Summer or over Thanksgiving 2012. Once again, our plans didn't quite pan out, but for a another very good reason: Surprise! We were expecting our Princess, so the trip would have to wait again and that was perfectly fine. We also got our puppy, Sadie, and built a house in the past year, so any trip except our annual Christmas trip to visit our families in PA, was out of the question for this year.

While we're on the subject; I'll share a little story from last Christmas! When we went home, no one from our families knew I was pregnant yet and we had a little surprise planned to tell them! It was a verrrryyyy difficult secret to keep, especially from Mom since I talk to her every single day.

I had the worst first trimester because of this lovely thing they call "morning" sickness! However, mine was "morning, afternoon, night" sickness...24/7 from week five until about week 16. I can honestly say, I've never felt so terrible in my entire life and for so long. Anyway, I was right in the middle of it we went to PA for Christmas. (14 hours straight in John's truck with Sadie in the back seat) I was given some meds by the doc to keep the worst sickness at bay, so it could have been worse, but I was still ill almost the whole trip.

Since our surprise wasn't planned until Christmas day (we arrived on the 21st), we couldn't tell anyone I felt so terrible, so I had to pretend I wasn't and hope my ever observant family didn't figure it out. I must be a pretty good actress because no one suspected anything, even though I could barely eat and all I wanted to do was sleep!!

On Christmas day we revealed our secret! I had t-shirts made for everyone in our families. On the front, they each had a different design and said "I'm going to be a _______" filled in with things like "grammy" "pappy" "aunt" or "great nunna/nunu"(for my grand parents). On the back they all said "Waiting for Baby Gosizk!"

Before going in boxes!

We put each one in a box, wrapped them, and then had everyone open them last and at the same time. We took video of everyone's reactions and they were priceless. It's a moment I will never, ever forget! Many excited and happy tears were shed!

Mom, Dad, and Buzzy opening their boxes Christmas morning!

Priceless reactions!

Everyone with their t-shirts!

No one will ever forget this past Christmas, that's for sure!! A few more pictures of us three "kids" at Nunna and Nunu's house Christmas night.

John and I after opening our new Mickey and Minnie Christmas decoration for the house!

So, with Laura on the way, we knew it would be better to wait at least another year for a Disney trip, no matter how hard that would be; save a little more money, let John bank some more days to use for Leave, and go when Laura was old enough to really take part in things. I'm by no means opposed to taking her younger, but since we don't get to go more than once every two or so years, timing is everything.

And so, the October 2013 trip with Laura came to be. DH was a bit leery taking Laura before she was two because he was unsure how much she'd get out of it. I knew she'd be just fine, and I knew she would enjoy it having visited WDW with my sister when she was 15 months old (the age Laura will be).

After a little convincing (it didn't take much ), DH agreed and I contacted my Mom to see if she and my Dad would be available. Her response “We're always available to go to Disney!!” haha! I knew it'd be a quick yes, especially for Laura's first visit!

Next, was discussing the trip with Buzzy. We still do not have a definite “yes” or “no” whether she's able to go, but she's leaning toward “yes.” She'll be back in the States August 2013 having graduated in Germany, but is unsure where life will take her after that. I can't imagine going to WDW without her, so I'm really hoping she's able to go!

These pictures pretty much sum up our relationship. It's pretty great, if a little ridiculous sometimes! All taken during dinner at The Wave 2010!

Overall, though, this trip is all about introducing Laura to the wonderful world that is Disney and to hopefully spark her love for it as it did for all of us. We will definitely be celebrating her and her first visit! Also probably a late “1st Birthday Celebration” since I doubt we will be able to celebrate with family on her actual birthday Which is why this trip is also about spending time with family that we don't get to see nearly enough. I cannot wait to share all these experiences with our little peanut!!

More Laura pictures!
She's a Mickey fan too!

Our little Princess

Laura and Mommy

Laura and Daddy on his birthday

And finally, our little family and our Priest all together at Laura's Christening. She was 17 days old here. So tiny!

Next up: A few tentative trip details!!

 

[TMGosizk]

One year until our trip to WDW!

So, since it's the first of October and this month next year it's Disney time, I thought I'd share some tentative details for the trip. Not very many at the moment, however.

We have not made any reservations as of yet, but know that October is a definite.

We will be staying at:

The Contemporary! On Club Level!

Club level lounge.

Now, here's why we choose Club Level. We've stayed there since it was located on the 14th floor (before that floor was converted entirely into suites). Some say, it's not worth the extra cost, but it has been incredibly wonderful for us. Mostly because we make a lot of use out of the services (if we didn't, then yeah, it wouldn't be worth it probably). For example, it's thanks to the concierge that we've gotten some last minute dining reservations during our stays. The concierge at the Contemporary has been the best we've ever encountered. They go above and beyond!

A little story of some "Disney Magic" during our first Club Level stay. My sister and I were at the age that we still traveled with stuffed animals. One of my stuffed animals was a little brown puppy dog (if you remember the old "pound puppies" you can picture what it looked like) that I had named Lady after our first dog passed away the year before. I slept with this little dog every single night. I held it in my hand under my pillow.

The wonderful housekeepers would always take our stuffed animals and put them in bed for us when they turned down the beds at night. This one night, we came back to the room and I got ready for bed. When I gathered my animals, I found that Lady was missing! I was hysterical.

After tearing the room apart, my parents went down to the concierge and asked if it was possible the stuffed animal had gotten mixed up with the laundry. They looked and looked and looked for us well into the next day. They checked everywhere in the laundry, but couldn't find the stuffed animal. Again, I was hysterical We were very thankful to the conceirge staff for helping us out so much and thought that was the end of it.

That is, until we were loading up our rental van the last morning of our stay. I had been helping put things into the back and all of a sudden, there sitting on the top of the luggage, was a stuffed Goofy and a note from the entire concierge staff (and Goofy!) saying how very sorry they were that my little dog had been lost and they hoped that this could help me feel better It was so simple, yet so unexpected, and so sweet. I still have that stuffed Goofy and it's definitely a good memory to look back on.

The four of us in the lounge before heading out to MK in 2010

Another reason we stay at the Contemporary...for this view...that you can't get anywhere else on property.

Panoramic shot

There really is nothing like enjoying morning coffee out on the balcony first thing in the morning and watching "The World" wake up. I have the sounds and sights of such mornings ingrained in my mind and when I have a bad day, I go to that "happy place." It really makes me smile. Sigh, I wish we were there right now.

Also:

Having the monorail run right through the hotel is just special! When Buzzy and I were kids, before we started staying on club level, we'd eat breakfast downstairs in the character breakfast every morning and guess the colors of the next monorails coming through. We still try to guess which one will arrive to take us to the parks and back!

So, with all that said, we'll be staying Club Level Contemporary and for 10 days (as of now). We don't have exact dates yet, but we've been playing around with October 10th to the 20th or 9th to the 19th. Then I've been looking at 16th to 26th or 17th to the 27th. In the next couple weeks, we will be discussing these and hopefully narrow them down to be more exact. I can't wait to visit WDW in October again!

More details to come!

 

[TMGosizk]

Today's October 2nd and Cinderella has been re-released!! I'm terribly excited and will hopefully be picking up a Blu-Ray copy soon!! Love Cinderella!

Now, onto some non-Disney related things...

So, as I've mentioned, John, Laura, and I live in Illinois and our families live in PA. Next week, Laura and I are flying out to PA to visit the families. Everyone who hasn't already met her, wants to meet Laura and no one wants to wait until Christmas! I also miss home more than I'm willing to admit, so John has been wonderful in making sure I get to visit often.

He can't join us on this trip unfortunately because he's banking his Leave for this Christmas and WDW next year. So, it's just Laura and I this time.

Laura and I will be visiting for 18 days: 11th to the 29th. We'll be staying at my parents' house for the trip. They've gone all out preparing the house for Miss Laura! They're beyond excited to see their grand daughter again and I'm ridiculously excited to be going home to see everyone with Laura!

We fly out of St. Louis the 11th at 11:30am, connect in Philly (really praying we're not delayed as I have been every time I've flown through there), and arrive in Williamsport (IPT) at 4:30pm.

The flights themselves aren't long at all; less than two hours from STL to PHL and then under an hour from PHL to IPT. However, I am a little nervous to make this trip by myself with Laura. She will be a day shy of three months old when we fly out, and even though her doctor has assured me it is perfectly fine and that she will be alright, I'm still a little worried how she'll do during the flights.

Does anyone have any advice for flying with a three month old? I've been researching as much as I can, but I'm still anxious. I don't foresee any real problems, but you just never know! She does incredibly well when we go out and about in general, which we do a lot and I've done with her by myself, but I won't have her carseat or her stroller for the sake of not having to cart them all over the Philly airport by myself (my parents got a seat and stroller for her so I don't have to bring ours). I'm bringing my sling so I don't have to actually carry her and the diaper bag at the same time through the airports. She'll be in there whenever we're not on the plane or needing to eat. It's a good thing she enjoys being in it when we walk around!

I've read online that if she's in the sling when we go through security, I'll need to go through an extra search, which is fine. But, what I'm most curious about is the procedures for take off and landing when on the plane. I read somewhere (but I don't know how credible the source was) that I will need to hold her in "burp position" during those times. Anyone know if that's true? I was hoping to be able to give her a bottle during those times, but if "burp position" is required, which again is fine, I just want to make sure I'm prepared!

So, if anyone has any advice, prior knowledge, or words of encouragement for traveling with an infant please share!! I really appreciate it!

Only a little over 8 days until PA!! And about 364 until Disney!!

 

[TMGosizk]

Hi friends!

I'm just curious who's out there reading my PTR...I want to "meet" my readers..if there are any! haha! I'd also LOVE to read any of your PTRs/TRs if you have them! So stop on by and say "hi!"

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Toni-Marie, subbing on... (Do you like people to use your whole name or shorten it? I ask because my first name is Patricia and I like it even though sometimes people seem to like to shorten it... )

Hello All!

I'm pretty new to the DISboards and this is my very first PTR! I've been reading a lot of the boards and have been itching to start one for our next WDW visit! Just wanted to give a quick introduction before getting into any details!


This will more than likely be a PTR with many changes, due to the fact that we aren't planning to visit WDW until October 2013! I debated waiting to start this since it's about a year away, but I'm too excited! Also, this trip will be the first for our new Princess (born this July! ), so I want to make sure I have a thorough idea of what we'd like to do!

It's not too early to start a PTR- you're a year out? Plenty of people do it and sometimes even longer ahead...so you're fine... Also it takes a little while to build up a following for your ptr... (some people only read trs) but many also read ptrs... -don't get discouraged if you don't get a huge following at first... it takes time for people to start to "get to know you" and many people read but don't comment at first (you can see on the front page -how many people have read- vs how many people have posted...) if you start reading other people's reports-especially people you feel you have things in common with and/or are comfortable with and post on them... eventually some of them will get to know you and hop over to your ptr... and you'll begin to get a following to share with...

Since it's such a long time until Disney I'll probably be sharing some of our day-to-day happenings that are particularly interesting (perhaps only to me, but that's okay ). If it gets boring, let me know!

A year gives you a nice amount of time for people to get to know you and by the time you're ready for your trip... people will be waiting to read your trip report... and some of that everyday stuff is also how people get to know you...

I'll do more formal introductions in the next post, but here is our cast of characters:

First is my happy little family!
John (hubby!)--Peter
Toni-Marie (that's me!)--Wendy
Laura (two month DD!)--Tinkerbell
(I'm really into Peter Pan lately for some reason--hense the PTR title, so I've given each of us a coinciding name I'm actually hoping we can dress in this theme for Halloween, but I'm having trouble convincing the Hubs to wear tights I'm thinking I may lose this one... But, how sweet would that be with Laura being only three months at Halloween and so tiny--just like Tinkerbell! I will probably not use these names throughout the PTR, but thought it was cute we each fit a character)

Really cute names... ummm yes I totally get hat I've done it too... try Alice, Hatter, Rabbit and Cheshire Cat... btw even the most "modern, sensitive" guys- are going to wince at wearing tights... you might want to think about getting creative with the Peter Costume... hmmm some green khakis or camo pants with an olive t shirt and other accesories...??? it could be very cool... and probably more acceptable alternative to him...

Laura is beautiful and would make a darling Tinkerbell...

Also, along for this trip!
Donna (my mom)-- Mary Darling
Steve (my dad)-- George Darling

And possibly, but not certainly,
Brittany (my sister)-- Tiger Lily

I've read your whole ptr and I love your family... you guys seem really close and loving...

So, I hope you'll join me on this year-long journey of planning, preparations, and pre-disney trip excitement! Feel free to stop and say "hi," share opinions, suggestions, first-hand experiences, or what have you! Pixiedust:

I've read your whole ptr to date and there's a lot there so I'll try to remember and comment on a couple of things...

Which part of PA where you from? (the Philly airport is not a fun place... I don't know why they run late so often...) btw... while I can't guarantee that flying with an infant is fun... in some ways it is easier then flying with a toddler -I'll have to think about that one for you...

You and your Dh are adorable and seem perfect for each other... I love your whole story and your wedding photos are lovely... (My DD- 17 almost 18-like in less than a week- who is a senior in HS has a BF whom she adores -they were best friends Freshmen year and well things progressed and she talks about the big M word with him... and He with her...(after college) they obviously adore each other and have perfectly compatible values... she gets really upset because she feels that a lot of adults and peers don't take them seriously and are cynical about these things working out... I'll have to have her read your ptr...

I hope your trip works out with your sister...

Is your husband stationed at home now? No more tours?

Hmmm... so much other stuff but I forget...

No worries I'll remember...

& keep on writing... you'll find your audience...

 

[Breagh]

This will more than likely be a PTR with many changes, due to the fact that we aren't planning to visit WDW until October 2013! I debated waiting to start this since it's about a year away, but I'm too excited!

SO glad you started one! I have yet to read through all of it so far, but I'm definitely going to be following along! My friends & I are planning our very trip trip to the World (For all of us) for August 2013! It's a long way away for us too, but we've started a PTR early because we're really excited too! I've been trying to follow a bunch of PTRs for 2013, which seem few and far between, and I can't wait to read through yours & read your updates that I'm sure will come!

 

[TMGosizk]

Hey Toni-Marie, subbing on... (Do you like people to use your whole name or shorten it? I ask because my first name is Patricia and I like it even though sometimes people seem to like to shorten it... )

Hello!!! Good to have you following! I actually also like my whole name When I was younger I never liked it, because I thought it was "too long" and I didn't like not having a middle name, but now, I love it. Many people, even some family call me Toni, a lot of friends call me TM, but I do like the whole name!

It's not too early to start a PTR- you're a year out? Plenty of people do it and sometimes even longer ahead...so you're fine... Also it takes a little while to build up a following for your ptr... (some people only read trs) but many also read ptrs... -don't get discouraged if you don't get a huge following at first... it takes time for people to start to "get to know you" and many people read but don't comment at first (you can see on the front page -how many people have read- vs how many people have posted...) if you start reading other people's reports-especially people you feel you have things in common with and/or are comfortable with and post on them... eventually some of them will get to know you and hop over to your ptr... and you'll begin to get a following to share with...

A year gives you a nice amount of time for people to get to know you and by the time you're ready for your trip... people will be waiting to read your trip report... and some of that everyday stuff is also how people get to know you......

Thank you for the encouragement! I appreciate it and definitely understand what you're saying!

Really cute names... ummm yes I totally get hat I've done it too... try Alice, Hatter, Rabbit and Cheshire Cat... btw even the most "modern, sensitive" guys- are going to wince at wearing tights... you might want to think about getting creative with the Peter Costume... hmmm some green khakis or camo pants with an olive t shirt and other accesories...??? it could be very cool... and probably more acceptable alternative to him...

Laura is beautiful and would make a darling Tinkerbell......

Thank you!! Those are really good ideas, and we did talk about the khakis pants idea (which John liked better!), but we decided that this year we'll just do Halloween-y t-shirts and accessories. We found Laura a couple Halloween themed sleepers that she will wear instead of an actual costume this year. We figured since we wouldn't actually be taking her Trick-or-Treating this year and just staying home with her handing out candy we'd wait until next year for costumes (and quite possibly a MNSSHP when we're down in Disney!).

I've read your whole ptr and I love your family... you guys seem really close and loving...

Aww, thank you!! We really are! I don't know what we'd do without each other!

I've read your whole ptr to date and there's a lot there so I'll try to remember and comment on a couple of things...

Which part of PA where you from? (the Philly airport is not a fun place... I don't know why they run late so often...) btw... while I can't guarantee that flying with an infant is fun... in some ways it is easier then flying with a toddler -I'll have to think about that one for you...

I'm originally from tiny little Muncy up near Williamsport (which is why I have to fly through Philly all the time since it's the only connection into IPT anymore). Everyone knows Williamsport for the Little League World Series! Oh, I hope everything goes well on Thursday with Laura (fingers crossed for NO delays!)! I'll be doing this trip again with Laura by myself in December when we go to PA for Christmas, so it'll be interesting to see if/how these two differ. John is driving and has to leave a couple days later because of work, unfortunately.

You and your Dh are adorable and seem perfect for each other... I love your whole story and your wedding photos are lovely... (My DD- 17 almost 18-like in less than a week- who is a senior in HS has a BF whom she adores -they were best friends Freshmen year and well things progressed and she talks about the big M word with him... and He with her...(after college) they obviously adore each other and have perfectly compatible values... she gets really upset because she feels that a lot of adults and peers don't take them seriously and are cynical about these things working out... I'll have to have her read your ptr...

Thank you so much for your kind words to your daughter!! I definitely understand where she is coming from feeling that way, John and I met the same things when we graduated High School and he went away to Basic and I stayed in PA to go to college. It was upsetting, for sure. We had a few rough patches being so far apart, even broke up for a little (and I don't say that to be negative, it's just because it's part of our story, part of why our relationship IS so strong actually, we know what it's like to NOT be together and hated every second of it). I guess my point is, it's not easy, but it doesn't have to end badly because you started your relationship at a young age. My best friend in high school actually also married her high school boyfriend . They got married a year before John and I Best of luck to your daughter and her boyfriend; I hope everything continues to go so well!

I hope your trip works out with your sister...

Thank you, we all do too! It just wouldn't be the same without her!

Is your husband stationed at home now? No more tours?

For now he is. His tour in Korea was his "unaccompanied" tour (meaning he had to go alone) so he shouldn't have to do anymore of those. He can always be deployed to some God awful place though. I can't even think about it and I'm dreading the day it happens. In two years (possibly three if we can extend) we have to leave our current base in IL...it's 50/50 if we'll be in the states or not, but we all will go this next time no matter where it is. So, as long as that stays true, I don't mind where we go (for the most part). He just re-enlisted last year for another six (he's making it a career!), so we have probably a couple more moves until we settle into a long term location.

Hmmm... so much other stuff but I forget...

No worries I'll remember...

& keep on writing... you'll find your audience...

Thanks again for all the encouragement! I'll definitely keep writing!!

 

[TMGosizk]

SO glad you started one! I have yet to read through all of it so far, but I'm definitely going to be following along! My friends & I are planning our very trip trip to the World (For all of us) for August 2013! It's a long way away for us too, but we've started a PTR early because we're really excited too! I've been trying to follow a bunch of PTRs for 2013, which seem few and far between, and I can't wait to read through yours & read your updates that I'm sure will come!

Thanks for joining in! It's great to have you I've been to Disney in August once before, back in 2005, and though it was reallyyyyy hot, it was a LOT of fun! Do you have a link to your PTR? Or the title so I can look for it? I'd love to follow along!

 

[TMGosizk]

Hello everyone! Hope your weekends were enjoyable!

This weekend, John and I took Laura pumpkin picking for the first time! Now, she's only three months on Thursday, so she didn't actually do any of the picking, but she seemed to thoroughly enjoy being out for the day!

We dressed miss Laura in a new fall outfit for the day!

She was very excited!

We drove the short four miles down to Eckert's farm and country store. This store may be one of my favorite new places and I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time there now...this may or may not be a good thing

The pupkin patch across the road from the store and parking lot!

To get to the patch we had to take a tractor!

It was a short little drive across the road, but Laura loves anything that moves, so she was thrilled!!! She was all smiles the whole way!

She was really enjoying being outside, even though it was a bit chillier than we would have liked! We definitely didn't spend as much time in the patch as planned.

After a short search, we found our pumpkin! It ended up being 15 pounds!

Laura and I with our pumpkin!

Once we had our pumpkin we had to take the tractor back to the store to pay for it! On the way back, Laura fell asleep in the sling, so we decided to walk around the store for a bit.

I found this:

HalloWine! A cinnamon apple flavored wine. It sounded delightful! I wanted to grab a bottle to try it, but got distracted and forgot to go back and get it before we left! I may need to run down and get some when we get back from PA though!

While we were walking around the store, Laura woke up and was very hungry (hense the distraction from the wine! haha!), so we sat down to eat! While sitting down she got distracted (easy distraction runs in our family! haha ) by something over my shoulder.

And then she was distracted by John. She is most certainly a daddy's girl

After a very nice woman took our picture and Laura finished eating, it was time to go!

Laura was distracted by the giant pumpkin behind us! She just wanted to sit and stare at it!

When we got home we took a few more pumpkin/baby pictures!

We got a mini pumpkin in the store as well. It was more "Laura sized!"

Since she only took a very short nap the whole day, Laura was pretty exhausted by this time so it was into her pajamas and off to bed not long after!

In her ABU sleeper!

On Sunday, we had church in the morning:

Laura in her new fall dress

After church is was time for some football!! GOOO Steelers!

(That's a Cinderella blanket she's laying on! Gotta have a little bit of Disney everywhere!)

Now, we live in Illinois and are Steeler fans. This past weekend, they played the Eagles...and won!!!! WooHoo!! However, it wasn't televised here!! So bummed we missed it live!!

Anyway, Sunday was kind of a down day for all of us. Laura had decided she didn't want to sleep through the night (as she has been now for a month! Yay!!) and was up at 3:30am Sunday morning (she was hungry and then wanted to play for a good two hours), so everyone was pretty sleepy after church and brunch. But it was still a very lovely day!

John had Monday off because of the federal holiday, so we had some more fun with our pumpkin!

We decided to carve the pumpkin and then I'd bake the seeds for a nice fall snack!

John cutting in!

All cleaned out and ready to go!

We decided to go with a very classic face design for our pumpkin. I drew it on in sharpie first! Then John started the cutting!

Sadie puppers watching us closely.

We also carved Laura's name into the smaller pumpkin for her!

All finished! Complete with candle!

Set them out on the porch and ready for fall! (I just need to track down our fall wreath, it got misplaced when we moved)

After the pumpkin was all finished, I baked up the seeds! John and I haven't had baked pumpkin seeds since we were kids, so this was great! And I was pretty excited to do it myself for the first time! (I am not a cook, by any means, so even the simplest cooking tasks are huge accomplishments for me! Any time I'm in the kitchen and nothing is set on fire is a win! Haha! )

The pumpkin seeds in a pumpkin dish!! I was really amused by this Monday night...

So, that was our Fall Fun weekend! It was great to spend time together and share these new experiences with Laura!

Tomorrow Laura and I fly to PA! I've got everything packed (and I think I've over packed again...not sure I will actually NEED those nine pairs of shoes...haha ) I've checked and double checked the diaper bag to make sure everything we could possibly need for any situation is in there! I think we're ready to go! Very excited to be back in PA!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

It looks like the three of you had a really nice day.

Hmmm it might be a toss up who's bigger that pumpkin or Laura... although Laura is certainly cuter...

That wine certainly has a cute label... I'd love to know what it tastes like...

Is that a little camo sleeper....lol...cute....

I don't follow football or basketball so I can't say I'm particularly sad about the Eagles-Steelers game but baseball and to a lesser extent hockey are a different story... The Phillies made me so sad this year...

John did not look like he was messing around while he was cutting that pumpkin... he looks like a man on a mission...

 

[PrincessInOz]

Another audience member pulling up a chair for the ring-side Oct 2013 planning!

I think I'll be there the same time you and your beautiful family will be there.

Looking forward to the countdown....and the planning, planning, planning.



Your pumpkin patch kid is adorable!

 

[DMGeurts]

Hi!!!

I am loving your PTR so far~! I love your story.

Laura is just precious! I can't believe how much dark hair she has... Both of my girls were baldies.

I think 15 months is a great first age to be in Disney - she won't remember it at all, but you will create some very wonderful memories with her.

Sorry, I can't comment about flying with an infant... I hope your flight goes/went well, and I am sure it will be awesome to be "home" among your family and friends.

Thank you to your DH for his service. We are a military family too (retired)... My DH was full-time National Guard, and then a DoD civillian, and now he is IT at the VA hospital here in MN. We only did one (16 month) deployment, but that was enough for me - since he wasn't deployed as his MOS (they were kind enough to make him a truck driver in Iraq) - so, yah - that was enough. I miss seeing him in his ACUs every morning, but it's so nice to not have to worry anymore.

My girls and I are also planning an October trip - DH is not a Disney fan - not sure if we will be there at the same time, sounds like we might? Our tentative dates are the 12-19th (POFQ).

I had so many other comments to make, but I can't remember all of them right now.

I can't wait to hear about more of your plans for your first trip with Laura - it's sure to be an amazing time.

D~

 

[Mousemommy1]

Great PTR so far!!!! You have a gorgeous family!!! It makes me think of our family. DH is NH Air National Guard and full time civilian DoD employee. We deal with deployments every two years or so.

My DH is my high school sweetheart as well and we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary in June, after 18 years of being together

I'll be reading along...I have a PTR as well going that I did have a link to on my siggie but took off because I wasn't keeping up as much as I wanted, but its pretty current now.

It's here: http://http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2981263