Shake and Bake! TR link up FINALLY!!!!

[AZMickeyfans]

Hi to everyone in PTR land! I’ve read some really fun ones lately and have been inspired to write my own. My kids are back to school now so I’m really excited to get to all the details of the upcoming trip planned out.

We are headed to the World Oct 2-14. This will be my kids FIRST visit to WDW! I’m so excited for them to see it all. I wanted this to be a surprise but I just couldn’t hold it in. Years of surprise DL trips has squeezed all of the secrecy out of me. So we plan together with all of your help of course!

I love Talladega Nights. Can’t stand NASCAR racing but love that movie. That and Wedding Crashers has the best one liners out there right now and are widely used in our house and will be used in this report frequently and sometimes inappropriately. I’m hoping Oct comes here with race car speed! I would put the Eleanor Roosevelt fake quote here in the beginning of the movie but it has some not so family friendly words in it. For those that have seen it, picture it here!

Let me skate on into the intros

"We go together like Chinese food and chocolate pudding" Cal Naughton Jr

Here is our last professional picture we had taken 2 years ago. I need go get a new family one but havent done so yet.

Me: Shawna, 34, Stay at home mom for 8 years , loving every minute of it. Sarcastic, spontaneous and full of unappreciated humor most of the time. I try to make my kids childhood full of wonderful memories like mine was. We believe in pixie dust and magic in this house. I’m also prone to violence in the form of socking dh in the arm when he thinks I am wrong or not funny. Believe me its justified when he doesn’t like my jokes! Remember I said unappreciated humor. My talents are interpretive dancing mostly to the ER theme song in my living room. Come to think of it that’s the best it gets for me. Broadway will not be calling anytime soon. I think I sing like Sarah McLachlin but only to “Arms of an Angel”. I also think I sound like Leona Lewis to “Keep Bleeding Love”. You should begin to see I’m delusional as well.

Me with my little man

15 years ago, this August, I met my husband on the WDW College program. I was 19, innocent, full of joy at the prospect of working for the Mouse and scared to death of moving away from my family for the first time. He was 22, looking for girls and the bars. Not into the parks much but loved to lay out in the FL sun at the pool. He was one hot tamale. We were total opposites back then. We have been married 10 ½ years. Lets introduce him

Dh: Jeff, 37, he’s awesome. I tease that man a lot but he really rocks. Not many a man could put up with my constant silliness. I’m like living with a 3 year old sometimes. Jeff is a great father. He buys his kids annual passes to Disneyland and takes them as often as he can get off of work. How cool is that?. He’s a restaurant General Manager and works about 60-70 hours per week. He needs this vacation. We need the time with him. Totally obsessed with landscaping. He should be a landscape architect because he has some mad skills when it comes to yard design. Our yard looks like a cross between the Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian. I know it sounds weird but its so cool. Not water friendly in the desert but its easy to spot. Directions to the house are “take the 2nd left and look for the house that doesn’t belong” He’s always out there to relax rearranging things or planting something he picked up from the local nursery. He’ll say things like “I’d like to make this area look like Big Thunder Mountain RR” THAT people is why I married him. Disney Love creeps into our every day lives.

"You remind me of me, precocious and full of wonderment" Ricky Bobby

DD: Morgan 8, well, 7 for 7 more days. She turns 8 next weekend. A dancer and a very talented one at that. I don’t know where she gets it. I mean I have my ER skills so I don’t want to sell myself short but I just don’t have the gift she has. She can do it all and does. Morgan wishes there were more hours in the day so she could do everything. She takes a million dance classes a week and wants to do more. She loves school. Loves math, bless her little heart. She is so sweet to her little brother and can be like a little mother to him. A girlie girl to the core. Absolutely no tomboy in her. Hannah, Miley, Nick, Kevin and Joe rock her world.. Thought I was the Queen of the earth when I took her to the concert last year for her birthday! She has danced at Disneyland twice this past year and wants to do it as a full time job.

First day of school pictures for the kiddos

DS: Jake 5, The man, The Stud. The master of the Shake and Bake fist bump. The comedian of the house. He is the funniest person alive. Used to be super shy but is coming out of it lately. Brace yourselves people!!! The man is letting the outside world see the real Jake. I’m telling you he is hysterical. I’ve decided there should be a mandatory living with a little boy law so that we swap boys around so everyone can experience the array of humor that comes from body parts and bathroom visits from 5 year old boys. Its just impossible to be in a bad mood around this guy. Absolutely believes he is marrying his sister. He worships her every move and hangs on her every word. The love he has for her melts my heart like chocolate and makes me want to weep. He is currently playing football. Only one week into it so I’ll keep you updated on how it goes. He also just got his yellow belt in karate. He is now the perfect height to hit his father in the family jewels when he practices his new moves. Thankfully we are done having kids.

Off to kindergarten sniff, sniff Group hug please

Honorary member of this vacation is our dog Samantha, Sammy, Sam or most commonly known as NoSamantha! She is a 12 year old Rottweiller that will be temporarily moving in with Grandma while we are gone. She dropped out of dog training multiple times. We gave up. Jake is her buddy. They are 2 peas in a pod. NoSamantha has the talent of biting a toilet paper roll like an apple. Jeff has a love/hate relationship with her because he feels she is old enough to stop rummaging though the garbage. But like any good senior citizen, she is throwing the rules out the window as she gets older (much like Grandma). Its like, I'm so old I'm willing to risk everything for that empty can of beef ravioli waiting for me to get it stuck on my nose. Here she is.

This PTR is also inspired by Jeff who is not as excited as he should be about our upcoming trip to the World. Its not that he isn’t excited, he loves Disney as much as I do, he is just not that excited about me talking about it NONSTOP. He is also too busy to plan with me. So here is where you all come in my fellow DISsers understanding that our Disney trip is all that I think about these days. Lurkers on this PTR, Unheard of! So sit down and introduce yourself, I’ve got 47 days!

Up next, past Disney experiences


Guide to Insanity

Where it all Began
Kids 1st trip to Disneyland!
The "Overview"
Real World of Male Modeling
Birthday distractions from the DIS
Yard distractions
Yard Distractions part deux
Disney Store finds!!
"If you ain't first you're last" Day 1 & 2 plans
Day 3 & 4 plans
To Do List
Day 5
Days 6 & 7 plans
Unplans Days 8-13
Happy CM Moment and General Update
Costumes has arrived!!!
Final ADR's

Trip Report in following link!

My Magical Quest for the Cupcake! 13 days of Craziness!

 

[XTinabell]

LOVING IT Shawna! You guys are too cute!!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

LOVING IT Shawna! You guys are too cute!!

Aww Christina, thanks for being the first to post! It helps you live in Scotland while the entire continent of North America is still asleep!

I'll be scanning in pre-digital camera pictures this morning of our past Disney trips to post today.

 

[Mkgaapril]

do you loan him out???? I would like a theme in my back yard....

 

[sameyeyam]

Can he do Splash Mt. in my yard? I live on a hill and have plenty of water!! Let's see I can divert the creek, fall a couple of trees for real log boats. Yeah that would work!

Great pre TR, looking forward to reading more Shawna.

I don't suppose you can get Grandma and NoSamantha to write a "stay home report", that should be interesting as well.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

do you loan him out???? I would like a theme in my back yard....

Of course. I'll send him the next time he gets annoying so I cannot schedule a consultation he will just show up on your door with a suitcase and shovel in hand.

Notice the Florida grass. I know it doesnt just grow in FL but that is what we call it. That does not normally grow here in the desert. Only a handful of houses had it when we planted it and the ummm for lack of a better word grass nursery we got it from said they would not guarantee it. It does quite nicely. Everyone touches it though like its fake.

Can he do Splash Mt. in my yard? I live on a hill and have plenty of water!! Let's see I can divert the creek, fall a couple of trees for real log boats. Yeah that would work!

Great pre TR, looking forward to reading more Shawna.

I don't suppose you can get Grandma and NoSamantha to write a "stay home report", that should be interesting as well.

I'll get him working on the blue prints!

A Grandma and NoSamantha stay at home report would get me banned from the DIS for sure. Maybe even from the internet There are some things I should not know. I picture Granda taking NoSamantha to the wine bars.

Thanks for joining in ladies. Wish these old pictures were digital. Scanning stinks!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I've been to WDW 2 times as a child and DLR multiple times. Jeff had never been before 1993. He had never left the state of Kansas actually. Well, maybe Missouri.

So lets go back to where this family began. Way back.

On the redeye flight to Orlando in August 1993 I was dreaming. Dreaming of working for WDW. I had been coached on tips and tricks from my fellow Disney Store Cast Members on what it would be like. I was scared and excited at the same time. I had never been away from home and I was going FAR away. Thank goodness it was Disney.

Being the glass is half full person that I am I tried to sink the fear deep down inside and concentrate on the dreams. I mean Dreams do come true at WDW right? I was dreaming small. Like, I cant wait to ride BTMRR everyday kind of dreams. And YEAH for lunch if I want! I was dreaming of all of the cute pictures I would have to send home and how the World would look during the holidays.

I was NOT dreaming of meeting a husband! That's usually when it happens isnt it?

When Jeff and I first meet my first impression was he was a conceeded jerk. He was rude. Later I find out he is just shy and I judged him harshly.

One day a week later after our first meeting I bumped into him at the pool with my girlfriends. Jeff is VERY TAN. I am PALE WHITE. I capitalize this because its very important. We had a blast together. I had sunblocked before leaving my apt like any good girl should but I had not intended on being so entertained by a good looking guy at the pool and staying 10 hours.

That day was significant for me. From then on Jeff and I were best friends. It was also the one and only time I got sun poisoning. I was at urgent care the next day throwing up. Not pretty. He brought me a Mickey helium balloon from the Magic Kingdom that remarkably lasted for months. We never dated during our college program but our wonderful friendship turned to a wonderful marriage 4 years later. I also went on 2 other alumni college programs and Jeff and I moved to Orlando to work there for good after we got married. In 2000 we decided we had enough humidity and came back to Phoenix and we have not been back since.

Here are some pictures from our college program.

Jeff and I on the what were called the water sprites back then

Yes we did go into the water!

I have to share this, on the back of this picture he had apparently sent me after we got home he wrote:

Shawna,

Thanks for all the great memories even though you almost killed me (HA HA). I'm really glad I got to know you. Now I know I'm not the only one with good luck Take care and hope you fulfill all your dreams in life.

Your friend,
Jeff


For the record me almost killing him meant I flipped us on a wave runner in the ocean and he thought we were going to die. I have no clue what the good luck comment meant!

So you see we really were just friends! I threw it at him on the couch!



Here we are in our costumes on stage

I worked at EPCOT

Jeff worked at Captain Cooks in the Polynesian

Mickey came to a pool party at the apartments. That was a blast!

Aww look 10,000 leagues under the Sea

Jeff in the Mexican pavillion

I remember loving this Aladdin breakfast. I wonder why.....

Stayin' at the Poly, Jeff wanted to put me in here

Port Orleans Riverside

So you see we've had some fun memories there, its where we met and we cant wait to go back and share it all with the kids.

Our Children's first Disneyland visit up next.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I forgot to put this picture in. I really wanted these. I love Bambi, its my favorite Disney movie. I looked at them every day. I look at that picture now thinking Thank God I never had the money to buy them because where on earth would I have put them?

Still cute though.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

So fastforward to 2003 and we have a 3 year old and an 8 month old baby. We decide to take them to DL. Morgan needs to see DL. Jeff and I debating taking her every year but something always came up. Real life stuff like work, money, family issues etc. Finally, we get our chance to go. This was a secret. I pulled out the old sing along videos that had the songs shot in the parks in them. I pulled out the vacation planning video and let her watch that. I wanted her to have an idea of what Disneyland was when we got there. Otherwise I could see her being like "umm, what is so big about this place" outside the gates.

So it was a flood of the Fab 5 at our house. I wasn't even sure she had been exposed to Donald Duck or Pluto. She knew the princesses. She had those in her heart. We had trained her without her knowledge. We had educated her and now we were ready.

Standing outside the A in the California sign at Disney's California Adventure.

First time on teacups

The teacups and I do not get along much as I get older. I think I am starting to not like spinning rides. My dad was like this. I didnt want to be but I see its happening.

Morgan would have NOTHING to do with the characters. Jake had no clue so we snapped pictures with him. Jake has yet to take another picture with a character. I'm hoping this Oct trip will be different for him. He says bravely it will be but time will tell.

Jake with Mickey

Jake with Minnie

He was not too sure about Goofy however. I kept thinking about the "Goofy's HUGE, He could beat up dad" commercial

Since we started off with Talladega Nights quotes let me show you some race car drivers

More firsts

Mickey Bar!!! YUMMY!

We always take a picture in front of this door in Fantasyland across from the Teacups. We should have held Jake up in it but he's in every other one.

Then across the prominade to DCA. We actually love this park

Daddy had his first ride on California Screamin'

The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area

My kids love this place and this was his first little adventure on the ropes! Now we cant get them off.

So that was our first with the kids. We spent 5 days at Disneyland and took things slowly. It was so much fun. I even loved taking Jake back to the baby care center to have some time to rock him and hold him quietly. Morgan and Jeff had a blast hitting the rides and bonding. That trip was the best.

Morgan came away loving Disneyland as much as we do. We totally brainwashed her just like we had planned. Jake was going to be easy. 3 against 1. He didnt stand a chance.

Up next: Disneyland over the past couple years as our Disney background continues.

 

[Philadisney]

My talents are interpretive dancing mostly to the ER theme song in my living room. Come to think of it that’s the best it gets for me. Broadway will not be calling anytime soon. I think I sing like Sarah McLachlin but only to “Arms of an Angel”. I also think I sound like Leona Lewis to “Keep Bleeding Love”. You should begin to see I’m delusional as well.

He also just got his yellow belt in karate. He is now the perfect height to hit his father in the family jewels when he practices his new moves. Thankfully we are done having kids.

Jeff has a love/hate relationship with her because he feels she is old enough to stop rummaging though the garbage. But like any good senior citizen, she is throwing the rules out the window as she gets older (much like Grandma). Its like, I'm so old I'm willing to risk everything for that empty can of beef ravioli waiting for me to get it stuck on my nose.

A Grandma and NoSamantha stay at home report would get me banned from the DIS for sure. Maybe even from the internet There are some things I should not know. I picture Granda taking NoSamantha to the wine bars.

Oh my you are so funny! (And I'm not just saying that because I am afraid you will sock me in the arm!) I love all the pictures from your time on the College Program too. Where in WDW did you & your husband work when you moved back to Orlando?
I can't wait to read more!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi Shawna! Great start to your report. I love all your old pictures and it is so sweet how you and DH met on the college program.

 

[sameyeyam]

Keep going Shawna, you don't need to sleep. Just stay up all night and work on the next installment!

 

[staley7580]

OMG.... I am so loving it!!!!

 

[jwwi]

What cute children, what fun to introduce them to Disney at DL. I am sure that they will love WDW too!

The pictures from the CP and your stories about meeting your DH are so sweet.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I'm in!

Your kids are ADORABLE!

It's so much fun to see all your old pics.

 

[XTinabell]

Of course. I'll send him the next time he gets annoying so I cannot schedule a consultation he will just show up on your door with a suitcase and shovel in hand.

Notice the Florida grass. I know it doesnt just grow in FL but that is what we call it. That does not normally grow here in the desert. Only a handful of houses had it when we planted it and the ummm for lack of a better word grass nursery we got it from said they would not guarantee it. It does quite nicely. Everyone touches it though like its fake.

I actually remember a picture you showed once of the front of your house and it was surrounded by all these homes with desert lawns and there was yours all bright and green. He does a great job, our lawns aren't even that green here and it rains every day.

Aww Christina, thanks for being the first to post! It helps you live in Scotland while the entire continent of North America is still asleep!

I'll be scanning in pre-digital camera pictures this morning of our past Disney trips to post today.

Oh come now, you know I got up in the middle of night just to be the first one to post on your PTR.

On another note, you look exactly the same as you did when you were working at WDW. And I love Jeff's side parted hair.

 

[tinkermell]

Yay!

A pre-trippie from Shawna!!

I love all of your pictures, and all of the history that goes with it. You guys are such a cute family!!

I am clueless about the movie quotes though.



Can't wait to hear and see more!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

Everyone! Thanks for joining in!

Oh my you are so funny! (And I'm not just saying that because I am afraid you will sock me in the arm!) I love all the pictures from your time on the College Program too. Where in WDW did you & your husband work when you moved back to Orlando?
I can't wait to read more!

There is a good chance someone might get socked in the arm on this pre-tr but hopefully it will be Jeff.

When we moved back to Orlando we worked in CRO (reservations). I have to tell you that was my worst job experience at Disney. Jeff wanted to get back to Mannequins Dance Palace. He worked there after the Poly. I wanted to get back into the parks. We moved without a job. Totally budget move too. It was hysterical. We checked NoSamantha into her cousin Pluto's dog house (kennel on property) and headed to casting looking for a fabulous job. They interviewed us at the same time which basically said "welcome back, this job pays the most for what we are hiring right now". Signed a letter so we could go get an apartment and we were off.

Every day I was there I was begging to be let out. It was like that song by John Fogerty "Put Me in Coach" I always felt like I was on the sidelines begging to get back into the parks. We somehow made it fun though.

Hi Shawna! Great start to your report. I love all your old pictures and it is so sweet how you and DH met on the college program.

Thanks! Everyone thinks he picked me up in the Splash Mountain line when I tell them we met at WDW. No kidding thats always the next response. I say "We met at WDW" "Oh cool, did he pick you up in the Splash Mountain line?" Its always SM. Why doesnt anyone ever get picked up on ToT? Dh thinks it must have something to do with them thinking he wanted to see me in a wet t-shirt!

Keep going Shawna, you don't need to sleep. Just stay up all night and work on the next installment!

Then I would really be delusional!

OMG.... I am so loving it!!!!

Thanks girl! Being pregnant with twins you are not obligated to have happy upbeat posts. I understand the hormones!

What cute children, what fun to introduce them to Disney at DL. I am sure that they will love WDW too!

The pictures from the CP and your stories about meeting your DH are so sweet.

Hey! I'm not sure they have any idea how large WDW is. We keep trying to explain this to them but they really have no clue. It will be so much fun to watch them discover it for the first time. I cannot wait!

Thank you! I honestly had such a crush on him but had to wait a year for him to feel the same way. Luckily it happened that way. I feel if we would have dated during the CP we would not have been married now. God answers our prayers in different ways sometimes.

I'm in!

Your kids are ADORABLE!

It's so much fun to see all your old pics.

Thanks! I think so too. They are sweetie pies most of the time. The old pics are fun to look through. I might have to go dig some more out. I just hate scanning them in. I have a bunch of DL ones that do not need scanning though.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I actually remember a picture you showed once of the front of your house and it was surrounded by all these homes with desert lawns and there was yours all bright and green. He does a great job, our lawns aren't even that green here and it rains every day.


Oh come now, you know I got up in the middle of night just to be the first one to post on your PTR.

On another note, you look exactly the same as you did when you were working at WDW. And I love Jeff's side parted hair.

Thanks I'll tell him you said that! Watch his chest puff up and his feathers spread out like a peacock! And I think he looks better with his hair a little longer and parted too. He insists on having it buzzed. The pic in the green shirt was taken last week and I just dont like his hair like that. Maybe if we all gang up on him he will start growing it out to longer than 1/8 of an inch!!

I totally pictured you setting your alarm for 2:54am just to post! Thanks for the dedication! Although I know it was really probably after your tanning apt in the afternoon!

Yay!

A pre-trippie from Shawna!!

I love all of your pictures, and all of the history that goes with it. You guys are such a cute family!!

I am clueless about the movie quotes though.



Can't wait to hear and see more!

Glad you are checking in!

Clueless about Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell? The shame of it all!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Told ya I was coming. I likie so far! You guys are all so cute too! I love the pics! I wanna see more pics of your yard! I have a Polynesian yard too. Unfortunately the grass here grows...too fast! Sometimes I wish we had the AZ "grass".

So what did you do at Epcot? Tell us some funny stories. I bet it's a blast working in the parks. You probably saw some hilarious stuff go on. Did you go through a training session on how to treat the um...how do I put this nicely....crazy insane Disney "fans".

My DH is sick of my "planning" too. He's ready to go go go. He likes it even better than me but he hates the planning part of it. The man would live right there in the castle if he were allowed. Is this going to be the kids first time to WDW? What's your plans???