ShellieMay, Slinky Dog, and the SCRUNCHIEST Thanksgiving Ever! - A Nov 18 TR *FINISHED! 4/28*

[Newsies]

What a fun night at MK and a super cute meet with Tink! I love all the details in her space.

So much fun!! The imagineers did an amazing job designing her M&G-- I love the teacup that mentions J.M. Barrie!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Anyway, we mah ehwaaaaaaaaah-ed through Na'vi River Journey

LOLOL! Perfect way to describe riding through

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So feeling kind of awkward that I left Chris with Orlando alone with the shirt I want to buy, I run back to Island Mercantile. Mom and Dad both yell at me because they had been looking for me, but I pull mom into Riverside Depot and we buy the shirt and then head back to the bus stop.

I'm glad they found the shirt for you! Definitely a great way to commemorate the day! My Mom, sister and I had a day like that in DHS last March! I was really not looking forward to the day because of how few rides they had at that time (pre-TSL) and it ended up being my favorite day! Perfect weather, low crowds, lots of M&Gs! Its funny how that happens!

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[missangelalexis]

Sounds like chaos trying to get your AK shirt but well worth it cuz its so cute!!

I'm sure you were beat but it sounds like a nice night at MK! The pics with Tink are adorable!

 

[evre13]

I have never really been a M&G person - usually much more commando in my park visits - but all of your adorable interactions have me considering trying to add more to my April trip. Hmmm. I just need to have unlimited time in the parks?

 

[Newsies]

LOLOL! Perfect way to describe riding through

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I'm glad they found the shirt for you! Definitely a great way to commemorate the day! My Mom, sister and I had a day like that in DHS last March! I was really not looking forward to the day because of how few rides they had at that time (pre-TSL) and it ended up being my favorite day! Perfect weather, low crowds, lots of M&Gs! Its funny how that happens!

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"Mah-ehwah" is definitely my favorite verb, I just need to learn how to conjugate it in every tense!

I'm so glad we got the shirt-- Chris was SO amazing, I wish I knew her real name so I could have given her a cast compliment!! Aren't they the best kind of days?

Sounds like chaos trying to get your AK shirt but well worth it cuz its so cute!!

I'm sure you were beat but it sounds like a nice night at MK! The pics with Tink are adorable!

Chaos, yes, but worth it? ALSO yes

It was definitely a nice night, I loved seeing Tink!

I have never really been a M&G person - usually much more commando in my park visits - but all of your adorable interactions have me considering trying to add more to my April trip. Hmmm. I just need to have unlimited time in the parks?

Unlimited time in the parks is simply the only feasible option for your predicament. But seriously-- I definitely consider trying a different one every day, especially if you can swing it where you won't be waiting very long for each character! Some of the lines can be very short and produce the best M&Gs (and the best pictures!)

 

[Newsies]

Day 5: Thanksgiving (Magic Kingdom/Contemporary Resort)
Meh-gic Kingdom​

So my family woke up on time for rope drop, which was miraculous to me! I didn’t think they would want to, but everyone seemed really on board with the idea, so we went over to the boat launch and got in line. We ended up having to wait for two boats to pass by before we were able to board, so we knew that we would be a liiiiiittle late to rope drop.

While we were on the boat, dad said that he wanted to head to 7DMT first. I told him no, that’s a bad idea, that’s where everyone is going to go and we should head to BTMRR. He said, no, let’s do 7DMT. So I obliged him.

When we got to Magic Kingdom, we headed to Mine Train and it was already at a 120 minute wait. None of us wanted to wait that long, especially since we had a FP+ for later, so we got in line for Winnie the Pooh. We walked up to the merge spot and they had us exit the queue. Pooh had a famous “hunny spill,” so WtP was off the table for us.

So then dad asks me what I think we should do next. I say, “you guys really want to try that cheshire tail croissant thing at cheshire cafe, and we’re right there! Let’s get some breakfast while the line is short and we’re hungry.” Again, dad doesn’t want to do that, so we head deeper into Fantasyland.

Once we walk past the Tangled restrooms, the family notices that Haunted Mansion is a walk-on. So we do that!

After Mansion, dad finally wants to do BTMRR. So we walk over there from Mansion, and as soon as we get in line, he starts complaining that he’s hungry and wants to know what we can eat in the area after the ride.

At this point, I won’t lie, I felt a little frustrated. I’m the sole planner of the family, and they are always asking me for advice, but they never want to take it. So I spent the majority of the morning giving my suggestions and having them get tossed away, now we’re in Frontierland where I don’t really know what to eat at around 11:00 in the morning, and I’m certainly not interested in going anywhere near Peco’s Bill with the crowds at the level they are. They were definitely picking up, even this early in the morning, and I wasn’t interested in staying much longer with a dinner reservation at California Grill at 5:00.

I tried to communicate my frustrations with my family, but mom and dad just didn’t understand. I think they interpreted it as me complaining about actually having to plan things out. I love planning our Disney Trips, it’s my favorite thing in the world. My problem is that they know I know what I’m talking about, then they ask me to do a lot of mental labor on the spot while we’re in the parks, and then throw out what I have to say and just do whatever they want anyway. Meh. Grace understood, though, which I appreciated. We share the same three brain cells, so it’s good to have someone like her in my corner. But the whole ordeal put me in a sour mood pretty quickly. Whomp-whomp.

After we got off of BTMRR, dad got it in his head that he wanted to eat at Gaston’s Tavern, which was all the way back over past where we just came from, and I just decided to go with the flow and follow them. The line for Gaston’s was huge! We waited in line for 5 minutes, then a greeter handed us a menu. Dad realized that Gaston’s was somehow not what he wanted, so we got out of line for Gaston’s.

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We start walking back towards old Fantasyland and stop by Be Our Guest. Mom wants to know if I think we can eat there for lunch. I tell her I’ll ask the CMs at the podium, and miraculously-- they send us right inside!

There was already a lunch crowd, but genuinely, it wasn’t half as crowded as I expected it to be. We were able to order in less than 5 minutes and found a prime table in the main dining room (the ballroom).

Mom and I got the same thing: the french dip sandwich.

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Ya’ll… the french dip sandwich hits different at Be Our Guest. It’s just roast beef on a baguette, but it’s amazing. Delicious, juicy roast beef. Warm, crusty baguette. And the au jus? Oh, that au jus… it pulls everything together. My ONLY complaint about this meal is that they don’t NEARLY give you enough of that succulent, wonderful au jus, so you may have some dry bites of your sandwich. Nevertheless, this remains the best QS lunch item at MK. I said what I said.

For my dessert, I got the master’s cupcake. I loooove the grey stuff. I mostly just licked the gray stuff off and took one or two bites of the cupcake.

With full bellies, it was time for us to head to our first FP+ of the day, which was for Peter Pan’s Flight. Once we got over there, dad said he was going back to the resort. He wasn’t feeling well. He was fine, he just got a stomach ache-- it happens when he eats sugar sometimes, and he finished all of his cupcake at BoG, so we all kind of saw it coming.

I surprisingly didn’t see any of my old coworkers at PPF, so it was a pretty uneventful (but pixie-dusted!) trip to Neverland for us. When mom, Grace and I got off of PPF, I realized that I was starting to get a headache. We all decided that maybe we should go back to the resort, too. But first-- I really wanted the cookie butter milkshake from Auntie Gravity’s this trip, and I didn’t know if I’d come back to MK at all during this trip, so we stopped there.

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So this milkshake has taken on several forms since it was introduced as the “millennial pink” milkshake at the beginning of 2018. During halloween, it was the candy corn milkshake, and for Christmas, it became the cookie butter milkshake. It had cookie butter ice cream as a milkshake base, and it was topped with green apple flavored cotton candy and a house-made marshmallow on the straw.

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(The pink thing in my hand is just my pack-and-go, I didn’t get to wear it this trip because it never rained!)

This was OK! It was very sweet, and I wasn’t expected the green apple flavored cotton candy. I liked the milkshake, but the marshmallow was kinda nasty-- it was very dry. But it was something I really wanted to try, so it was worth it to me.

On our way out of the park, Grace wanted to stop at Uptown Jewelers so that she could get a present for her best friend. The three of us each ended up with a souvenir of our own. Grace got a princess tiara ring from Pandora, mom got a charm for her Pandora bracelet, and I got…

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The Rebecca Hook Rose Gold Minnie Headband Necklace! I was so happy. I didn’t know if it would be in stock this trip, but I fell in love with it and I knew it had to be mine. I wear this necklace all the time now-- literally, my day feels incomplete until I’ve put it on.

Once we got back to the resort, that headache I was talking about was pretty bad. So I immediately changed back into my pajamas and took a nap, setting my alarm for 3:00 so I would have time to do my makeup and get ready for dinner.

(Click here to continue!)​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Eh, I'm sorry that the parentals were not listening to you. Like did they forget that you worked in MK once upon a time ago and planned the whole trip? I would've been irritated too if it were my parents, but knowing me I would've just stormed off ahead of them into a crowd and gone where I know we should've gone. I'm a great son.

Glad to hear BOG ended up saving the morning. What a reliable queen.

OMG THAT NECKLACE GURL. STUNNING. Imma make this about me again, but IMAGINE me at Uptown Jewelers *happy sigh*

 

[Newsies]

Eh, I'm sorry that the parentals were not listening to you. Like did they forget that you worked in MK once upon a time ago and planned the whole trip? I would've been irritated too if it were my parents, but knowing me I would've just stormed off ahead of them into a crowd and gone where I know we should've gone. I'm a great son.

Glad to hear BOG ended up saving the morning. What a reliable queen.

OMG THAT NECKLACE GURL. STUNNING. Imma make this about me again, but IMAGINE me at Uptown Jewelers *happy sigh*

Honestly, I almost envy the "do-what-I-want-when-I-want-and-not-care-about-a-touring-plan" attitude they have. Couldn't be me, but they're set in their ways so there's really nothing to do about it. I think I've finally identified it as like, the root of every problem we encountered this trip, so I'll be planning 100% around it for August. I REALLY got close to doing exactly that and separating from them, but it was Thanksgiving so for once, I kept my head straight and my mouth shut. Kinda.

I didn't realize how hard I STANNED BOG until this lunch came in and saved the day. The french dip sandwich really does have every other QS sandwich on property shook (other than EoS)

THANK YOU GURL!!! You BELONG at Uptown Jewelers. You'd fit in perfectly with the other shiny gems.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

He said, no, let’s do 7DMT.

Ugh Dad

Again, dad doesn’t want to do that, so we head deeper into Fantasyland

UGH Dad

they are always asking me for advice, but they never want to take it

I feel like this describes every Disney planner's life. We stand in solidarity, sister.

Grace understood, though, which I appreciated

Bless you, Grace

We share the same three brain cells

Dad realized that Gaston’s was somehow not what he wanted, so we got out of line for Gaston’s.

UGH DAD

and miraculously-- they send us right inside

Wait whaaa??? That's amazing!

I said what I said

Bold of you.

With full bellies

FINALLY

Once we got back to the resort, that headache I was talking about was pretty bad.

Ah bummer! I hope the nap helped!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Ugh I've been on that train before. Its so frustrating when people look to you for suggestions and then make up their own mind anyway lol I've definitely had my family do stuff like this before and then once they've realized how their plan turned out they point the finger at me for not telling them how bad their plan is

When we went down for the Osborne Lights my cousin insisted on having us all park at the Boardwalk to go in through the International Gateway for EPCOT and then we'd be close to our car after Hollywood Studios that night. Well low and behold when we had to get from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios the wait for a boat was probably around 2 hours so the only option was to walk and you would have thought I made them all walk through the Sahara desert! And when they all look back its my fault we made them walk and not wait for a boat (I told the others they could wait but I was definitely walking) and not my cousin who made us park our car in a random spot to begin with! So I definitely feel your pain! haha

 

[cinderaimee]

oh man, that sounds like quite the frustrating morning, but I'm glad BOG came through to save the day, and that necklace certainly makes up for the less-than-ideal start to your day!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sorry it was a tough morning It's hard when trip companions don't understand you are trying to be helpful!

Wow, nice luck getting into BOG for lunch!

Love the necklace you bought, it's gorgeous!

 

[jhoannam]

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The Rebecca Hook Rose Gold Minnie Headband Necklace! I was so happy. I didn’t know if it would be in stock this trip, but I fell in love with it and I knew it had to be mine. I wear this necklace all the time now-- literally, my day feels incomplete until I’ve put it on.

So pretty!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

At this point, I won’t lie, I felt a little frustrated. I’m the sole planner of the family, and they are always asking me for advice, but they never want to take it. So I spent the majority of the morning giving my suggestions and having them get tossed away, now we’re in Frontierland where I don’t really know what to eat at around 11:00 in the morning, and I’m certainly not interested in going anywhere near Peco’s Bill with the crowds at the level they are. They were definitely picking up, even this early in the morning, and I wasn’t interested in staying much longer with a dinner reservation at California Grill at 5:00.

I tried to communicate my frustrations with my family, but mom and dad just didn’t understand. I think they interpreted it as me complaining about actually having to plan things out. I love planning our Disney Trips, it’s my favorite thing in the world. My problem is that they know I know what I’m talking about, then they ask me to do a lot of mental labor on the spot while we’re in the parks, and then throw out what I have to say and just do whatever they want anyway. Meh. Grace understood, though, which I appreciated. We share the same three brain cells, so it’s good to have someone like her in my corner. But the whole ordeal put me in a sour mood pretty quickly. Whomp-whomp.

Oh man, same for me too! I do so much planning in advance and its sooo frustrating when people just don't respect it or discount any ideas and come up with their own that don't work!

After we got off of BTMRR, dad got it in his head that he wanted to eat at Gaston’s Tavern, which was all the way back over past where we just came from, and I just decided to go with the flow and follow them.

Sometimes that is the best bet. Let them make the decisions/mistakes/whatever!

 

[Newsies]

Ugh Dad


UGH Dad


I feel like this describes every Disney planner's life. We stand in solidarity, sister.


Bless you, Grace





UGH DAD


Wait whaaa??? That's amazing!


Bold of you.


FINALLY


Ah bummer! I hope the nap helped!

UGH DAD!!! It's okay, though. He's made up for it ten-THOUSAND-fold since this incident. He really is the best, even if he can be aloof sometimes.

I will absolutely 100% stand in solidarity with you and the rest of us #plannersisters. Do you think there's a support group?

"bold of you hskskskskskskssksksks"

It helped for a little while!!

Ugh I've been on that train before. Its so frustrating when people look to you for suggestions and then make up their own mind anyway lol I've definitely had my family do stuff like this before and then once they've realized how their plan turned out they point the finger at me for not telling them how bad their plan is

When we went down for the Osborne Lights my cousin insisted on having us all park at the Boardwalk to go in through the International Gateway for EPCOT and then we'd be close to our car after Hollywood Studios that night. Well low and behold when we had to get from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios the wait for a boat was probably around 2 hours so the only option was to walk and you would have thought I made them all walk through the Sahara desert! And when they all look back its my fault we made them walk and not wait for a boat (I told the others they could wait but I was definitely walking) and not my cousin who made us park our car in a random spot to begin with! So I definitely feel your pain! haha

It's really frustrating, but it's definitely something everyone here can relate to!

Oh, YIKES! That's a frustrating story! I would have walked, too! We need a support group for people who are the sole planners of their travel parties!!

oh man, that sounds like quite the frustrating morning, but I'm glad BOG came through to save the day, and that necklace certainly makes up for the less-than-ideal start to your day!

It was a little frustrating-- but like you said, BOG and the necklace made everything better!

Sorry it was a tough morning It's hard when trip companions don't understand you are trying to be helpful!

Wow, nice luck getting into BOG for lunch!

Love the necklace you bought, it's gorgeous!

It was tough, but it's definitely a situation most of us on the DIS can attest to!

I felt so lucky to be sitting down for lunch there!!!

I love it too, thank you so much!!

So pretty!!

Thank you so much, it's my favorite!!

Oh man, same for me too! I do so much planning in advance and its sooo frustrating when people just don't respect it or discount any ideas and come up with their own that don't work!


Sometimes that is the best bet. Let them make the decisions/mistakes/whatever!

Yes!! Such a frustrating thing to deal with-- luckily, we have the DIS to vent our frustrations out to!

It was definitely the easiest route this morning. It ended up (eventually) working out for us, so sometimes, that really is the best thing to do!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

I'm glad you were able to get the shirt after all that confusion! I think its so cute - very "classic Disney"!

Love the Tink photos! She is so much fun to meet!!!

 

[Newsies]

I'm glad you were able to get the shirt after all that confusion! I think its so cute - very "classic Disney"!

Love the Tink photos! She is so much fun to meet!!!

Thank you so much-- I'm wearing it now! It definitely became an instant favorite

She's my girl!! Love her so much!!

 

[Newsies]

Thanksgiving Dinner at California Grill
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I woke up from my nap a little while later, and then did my makeup and hair really quickly. I don't have any photos of myself from this evening, but I have this photo from Christmas Day, where I wore the same dress and scrunchie. The baby in this image is my cousin's daughter:

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As we left Moorea, I snapped this image of a small bunny! The trip had been lacking WDW bunnies, I love seeing them run around the grounds:

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We got on the monorail and after a short ride, arrived at the Contemporary.

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We checked in about 10 minutes before we were supposed to be seated. They told us they could take us up right away if we wanted to sit and have a drink at the bar, which we did, but that we'd get an official text when our table was ready.

After a private elevator ride to the top of the Contemporary, I realized that while I was on the elevator, the text had been sent to me! Essentially, the conversation with the host greeting us once we stepped into CG went like this:

Host: Hi, is your table ready?
Me, as I'm looking down at my phone: No, we're just... Oh, yes it is. It is ready.

Our seater brought us directly to our table and we were all immediately floored at the view:

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We were tucked in a corner, right up against the window. We couldn't have asked for a better view in the entire restaurant, it was so magical!

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Grace wanted a picture.

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Our server was with us shortly. We had Jason from Pittsburgh, and he was really great! He was very kind, very attentive, highly knowledgeable on all the menus, and made great conversation with us while we were waiting for our dinner. He definitely gave us Signature attention, which is great for the Signature price we're paying!

I don't know a lot about wine, but I knew I wanted a glass of wine from CG! I asked Jason for a white wine recommendation and he came back with the perfect wine for me-- and he was kind enough to write it down on a note for me to take home! It was a German 2016 Selbach Spatlese Riesling. It was sweet and light, and it didn't have a "vinegary" aftertaste that a lot of white wines have.

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With our drinks, he also brought out tonight's bread service-- sourdough bread with a tomato olive oil. A good bread service at WDW is definitely the mark of a good restaurant, and this was a fantastic service. The bread was warm and crusty on the outside, with a nice "tang" to it, and the olive oil was made in house and garnished with fresh tomatoes. I prefer olive oil to butter for my bread to begin with, so this was an amazing start to our meal.

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Here's a pic of the special Thanksgiving Menu:

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We did order an appetizer OOP tonight! Dad really wanted to try one of the artisanal pizzas, so we ordered the Pepperoni pizza with house-made pepperoni, tomato conserva, fontina, asiago, parmesan, mozzarella, and a drizzle of basil-oregano pistou.

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I'm gonna be honest and say that this pizza missed the mark for me. I'll start off by saying this was a very strong-smelling pie, and when anything smells that strong, it always puts me off. As you can see, it was also very oily, so I questioned it a little bit. However-- despite the oil, the delicious crust stayed crunchy underneath, which is a pro! The house-made pepperoni was fantastic, as was the dough and the tomato conserva, but on the whole, I could have done without this pie. Dad really loved it.

Everyone except for dad ordered the Rotisserie All Natural Joyce Farms Turkey.

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I could not have asked for a more beautiful or delicious plate of food anywhere in the universe, let alone in Walt Disney World Resort. Seriously, let's deconstruct: we can start with the turkey. It was so moist you would have thought it was chicken, and it had a nice, smokey flavor to it. Other than those nice slices of white meat on top, there was some form of dark meat shredded and served with some sort of delicious au jus peeking out underneath them. The dark meat was better than the white meat, and I appreciated not having any "bones" on the plate... I would have felt awkward trying to wrestle with a wing or a leg at CG, so the presentation was very smart!

I could do without gravy in general, but it was fine here so I overlooked it.

The potatoes were incredible. So rich and creamy, with this nice milky aftertaste to them that reminded me of the potatoes at Homecomin'.

Green beans were also fantastic, they were nice and crisp.

I think the cranberry sauce and the stuffing were tied for my favorite part of the meal. Mind you, I don't like cranberry sauce from the can-- but this house-made stuff, which tasted like a cranberry applesauce, was out of this world. The stuffing was incredible, I think it was baked in a little muffin tin or something, and the edges were nice and crusty which I really loved.

All in all, this was a 10/10 meal. We want to return to California Grill in the worst way. If you'd like a more in-depth review of our dinner at CG, I will post the link to my blog post about it here.

... However, as I was enjoying my amazing dinner at California Grill, my headache returned with a vengeance. I really thought I was going to throw up. I took some aspirin about 30 minutes before our dinner arrived, but I couldn't make it to dessert. My head hurt so bad, I needed to go to sleep. So I unfortunately left CG before dessert.

Jason was nice enough to send my dessert home with my parents! He selected the Warm Valhrona Chocolate Cake for me, which my parents put in the fridge when they got home. I ate a few bites of it the next day, and it was really great. It was nice and rich with a dark chocolate, I'm sure it would have been even more fabulous served warm.

I got on the monorail to TTC, then walked off and over to Moorea. I took my makeup off, took a quick shower, changed into my PJs, and climbed into bed at around 7:00. I could not believe how bad my head hurt. Thankfully, it was nothing serious, but I went to bed feeling like I had almost wasted the day? I would have liked to get more done, especially with it being our second to last day at the parks, but I felt so sick that I knew I couldn't really do anything else. My family tried to be as quiet as possible when they came back in. The last thing I remember about Thanksgiving at WDW was some Animal Planet documentary about tigers lulling me to sleep.

I gave our Thanksgiving a 7/10, with MOST of that 7 being related to how much great food we ate that day and one additional point for snatching my necklace. It definitely felt like the shortest day ever!

(Click Here to Continue)​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Glad to hear your CG meal was as great as you expected! I'm sorry to hear you weren't feeling well enough to finish your meal. That is rough, but how sweet they sent a dessert home for you with your parents and Grace. Hope you were well rested enough to have a super magical last day.

 

[Newsies]

Glad to hear your CG meal was as great as you expected! I'm sorry to hear you weren't feeling well enough to finish your meal. That is rough, but how sweet they sent a dessert home for you with your parents and Grace. Hope you were well rested enough to have a super magical last day.

It was such an amazing evening, ugh, can we do drinks and appetizers this summer???? Maybe BRUNCH if we feel fancy at work a 60 hour week two weeks beforehand?

Jason was the sweetest, and yes-- I felt amazing for our last day in the parks!!! I have a story that I ABSOLUTELY cannot wait to share.