The Crazy Life of a New Floridian & Ongoing TRs

Cammie - We need to talk. It's not you, it's me. I'm just not ready for this relationship. I can't be tied down ..... yada yada yada... :rotfl2:
You and Ellen are killing me! :lmao: Just what I needed to lighten up my morning! I spent an hour working last night - just crazy busy! And my back was killing me last night! I think it's stress related though. Cause as the night wore on, it got better, but during the day yesterday it was horrible, and then gradually just faded away...

Oh, and I think Ally and I are gonna be at MK all day on Saturday! She has her BBB appt in the afternoon and then we have 1900PF for dinner that night. So we'll definitely hook up somewhere there, too! But of course we'll still have our slushie in France on Sunday!!! :thumbsup2

So will all the parks have their Christmas decor up?

Gee - that sounds familiar!:rolleyes:

MK will DEFINITELY be decorated - MVMCP starts on the 11/10 (which means you'll get to see the beautiful castle lights!). As for the other parks - it's anybody's guess. I know Epcot doesn't start it's "Holidays Around the World" celebration until after Thanksgiving but I'm hoping we'll at least see some of their decorations going up. I had read on one of the other boards that the day after Halloween, the fall decorations come right down and they start putting up the Christmas ones. Keeping my fingers crossed we see alot!
 
Oh, and you need to just relax and give in to "y'all." It's a great word! It's both singular and plural. And it rolls off the tongue much easier than youse guys! :lmao:

Just to be clear- I do not, nor do any of my NJ gal pals, use the phrase, "Youse guys" in ANY situation not involving the Bada Bing Club.:snooty: Which is maybe once, two tree times a month at most.
 
Gee - that sounds familiar!:rolleyes:

MK will DEFINITELY be decorated - MVMCP starts on the 11/10 (which means you'll get to see the beautiful castle lights!). As for the other parks - it's anybody's guess. I know Epcot doesn't start it's "Holidays Around the World" celebration until after Thanksgiving but I'm hoping we'll at least see some of their decorations going up. I had read on one of the other boards that the day after Halloween, the fall decorations come right down and they start putting up the Christmas ones. Keeping my fingers crossed we see alot!

Yea! I'm kinda hoping for a Christmas Around the World at Epcot!

Just to be clear- I do not, nor do any of my NJ gal pals, use the phrase, "Youse guys" in ANY situation not involving the Bada Bing Club.:snooty: Which is maybe once, two tree times a month at most.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Can't laugh too loud or I might get "whacked!" :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:
 
Help!!!! I'm getting ready to make shirts for me and Ally - the big question is short sleeve or long sleeve???

I think we're gonna roll out of here around 6:30am on Friday morning. Either that or wait until around 8 when the traffic clears. Otherwise we will get majorly stuck in traffic. We'll head to CSR and check in and then straight to MGM to grap FPs for TSM. Then of course I know she's gonna want to hit TOT. I really want to hold off on RNRC so Jeff can ride that with her.... which brings me to.....

I think Jeff's gonna join us on Saturday. Ally is so torn though. She's really been looking forward to Girls Weekend, but I told her we'll just have to plan another one! So it'll just be us gals until around noon on Saturday. Then Jeff will join us and be there for dinner that night.

Next question. I have an ADR for 1900PF on Saturday night. Do I call them and try to change to 3? Or just play dumb when we get there and act like I originally made the ADR for three. I know that is terrible, but I'm afraid that if I call now, they won't have a table for 3 and then we're stuck. I know, I know! I'm a baaaaad girl! Really?
 

Oh, we're not leaving for 2 weeks. But I'm already planning ahead. Of course. It's only 3 days but of course I'll pack for 6 and include parkas, snow shoes, and camis and sandals. That's just me. Never a boy scout, but always prepared.
 
Hi, Kara! It's so hard to predict what the weather will be like. It's been SO cold lately! I guess I'd be tempted to do long sleeves, but I'm a FL native so I get cold easily.
 
Help!!!! I'm getting ready to make shirts for me and Ally - the big question is short sleeve or long sleeve???

I think we're gonna roll out of here around 6:30am on Friday morning. Either that or wait until around 8 when the traffic clears. Otherwise we will get majorly stuck in traffic. We'll head to CSR and check in and then straight to MGM to grap FPs for TSM. Then of course I know she's gonna want to hit TOT. I really want to hold off on RNRC so Jeff can ride that with her.... which brings me to.....

I think Jeff's gonna join us on Saturday. Ally is so torn though. She's really been looking forward to Girls Weekend, but I told her we'll just have to plan another one! So it'll just be us gals until around noon on Saturday. Then Jeff will join us and be there for dinner that night.

Next question. I have an ADR for 1900PF on Saturday night. Do I call them and try to change to 3? Or just play dumb when we get there and act like I originally made the ADR for three. I know that is terrible, but I'm afraid that if I call now, they won't have a table for 3 and then we're stuck. I know, I know! I'm a baaaaad girl! Really?

I'm always cold, so I'd vote for long sleeves, and roll them up if I'm warm.

I would just play dumb on the ADR - they can pull up a 3rd chair at alot of tables.

Oh, we're not leaving for 2 weeks. But I'm already planning ahead. Of course. It's only 3 days but of course I'll pack for 6 and include parkas, snow shoes, and camis and sandals. That's just me. Never a boy scout, but always prepared.

One day you're planning a shorts and sandals day, and the next packing your parka!
 
OK, getting ready for next week! I need some advice though. These are the designs I'm using for our t-shirts (at least for the day and a half before Daddy shows up!) and I can't decide if I should make them full size prints on the front of the t-shirts, or smaller pocket size prints on the shirts. Any ideas?

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I like them both, but prefer the second one just because it has both of your names. See, I would just have to do both of them.

Actually, what about putting the MH one on the back of the shirt and on a pocket have Kara and Ally's Mother Daughter Trip '08?
 
I like the first one ... but then again I :love: things that sparkle:thumbsup2
 
Kara, we did the pirate princess ones with the 3D looking crowns - I liked them full size, because we bought embleishments to put on the crown and make them even more 3D. But we ended up deciding not to, as we were worried the baby would be eating them from hers.

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I guess you can see the size here. I think for embleshiments, I would have gone a little larger. As for the Marie one, I agree with jm skinner about putting it on a pocket, or small on the shoulder.
 
Ohhhh Tammie, I love the idea of adding embelishments to the crowns!!! I think I'm gonna run to AC Moore at lunch and get some "diamonds" to add to it! Ally will love it!
 
Well, here we go again!!! We just got back from a FABULOUS three day jaunt to our favorite place on earth!

This was supposed to be a Girls Weekend – just Ally and me. But Daddy ended up coming down and joining us for the second half of our long weekend, which turned out great!

We were up before the sun, the birds, the worms, and even before the early birds catching the worms! We left about 6:45am on Friday afternoon, a full 15 minutes after my scheduled departure time – and I do NOT like to be late. Sure enough, leaving 15 minutes late got us caught in Jacksonville rush hour, so it took us a little longer to get to I-95, but before long we were on our way!

Not a single stop on the way, even as I longingly drooled as I passed Starbucks after Starbucks. A) times are tough, haven’t you been watching the news??? C’mon, get off Disboards for awhile and pick up a newpaper, watch the news!!! Time to cut back on the little things! And B) I didn’t want to waste precious Disney time!

Even though we hit Jacksonville rush hour, that hold up actually saved us from hitting Orlando rush hour, so I think it balanced out.
We pulled into Coronado Springs Resort around 9:30am and all I wanted to do was check in and hop on the bus. I knew our room wouldn’t be ready until later…. Or would it!

Surprise! Believe it or not we were checked in, unloaded and unpacked by 10am! We got a room in Casitas 1 which was right by El Centro and a short walk to the buses, gift shop, food court, etc. Great location!
AND we got a corner room! We’ve gotten so lucky with this lately – just that extra window makes a huge difference in the “size” of the room – it feels so much larger!

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I’d stayed at CSR once many moons ago when I was in Orlando for a convention. I’ve always found it to be a fabulously themed resort, even though we didn’t take advantage of a lot of the amenities this trip. I still enjoyed the views to and frm the busses each day.

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We were on the bus to Magic Kingdom by 10:00 and on our way!!!!!
We have never been to WDW during Christmas time so I have never seen the decorations at any of the parks. It was breathtaking! So much so that I cried even MORE the first time I turned down Main St and saw this!

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Yes, I cry EVERY time I enter Magic Kingdom. I can’t stop the emotions when I see the castle. It’s all about the magic. And I can forget EVERYTHING bad in the world when I make that turn. I love the way the entrance was planned so you can’t see the castle when you first pass through the gates. You literally have to make that turn onto Main St. Love it!

Don't judge me! You know you do it too! And if you don't, well what's wrong with you heartless people???

First stop – must find matching Minnie ears for Ally and me. As we’re in the shop, I hear Ally yell, “Daisy!” and disappear out the door! My first thought is OMG, my child has just run off! Until I followed her out and saw her running for the line to meet Daisy Duck. She was right in front of the fire house.

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Through all our trips, Daisy is the only one of the classic characters that we have never met. It’s become something of a mission for us. And Ally was not going to be stopped.

Then of course, we had to show off our matching shirts and take the obligatory photo that MUST be taken on every trip, no matter how frequent!

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Up next, Tinkerbell! And why she’s my new favorite!
 
great photos..BTW I sobbed (not a whimpper or a light cry but sobbed on the way down to Palm Beach---my family laughed) for a good 45 min when we left WDW in May. why you ask, because there is not place like Disney.

I am clicking my heals right now wanting to go back. (The girls are wrestling upstairs) aghH!
 
Welcome back Kara!! I thought you got lost:lmao:

I admit I cry every time I see the castle for the first time every trip as well as every time I see it for the last time every trip. After almost 25 years of marriage DH doesn't say anything other than ... "You know you'll be back.":wizard:

Love the matching shirts and ears!

Congrats on seeing Daisy Duck ... she is quite elusive.

Looking forward to morepopcorn::
 
Yay - you're back! It looks like you had a great time. I love the shirts!

The corner room at CSR looks really nice. That extra window does seem to make a huge difference.

The Christmas decorations look so pretty! I get to see them in 2 weeks - I can't wait!
 
great photos..BTW I sobbed (not a whimpper or a light cry but sobbed on the way down to Palm Beach---my family laughed) for a good 45 min when we left WDW in May. why you ask, because there is not place like Disney.

I am clicking my heals right now wanting to go back. (The girls are wrestling upstairs) aghH!

It really is the happiest place. I just don't get people who don't get it. I get lost in my own little world. And seriously, I don't need to ride anything. It's just BEING there!

Welcome back Kara!! I thought you got lost:lmao:

I admit I cry every time I see the castle for the first time every trip as well as every time I see it for the last time every trip. After almost 25 years of marriage DH doesn't say anything other than ... "You know you'll be back.":wizard:

Love the matching shirts and ears!

Congrats on seeing Daisy Duck ... she is quite elusive.

Looking forward to morepopcorn::

Yeah, Jeff doesn't say much either. He does give me the little chuckle though.

Yay - you're back! It looks like you had a great time. I love the shirts!

The corner room at CSR looks really nice. That extra window does seem to make a huge difference.

The Christmas decorations look so pretty! I get to see them in 2 weeks - I can't wait!

It's funny about that window. When Jeff first saw the room it was about 11pm on Saturday night - cause he came, parked, and hopped a bus to meet us at MK - and the first thing he said was, "wow, this room seems a lot bigger than the one at POR." Even at night, it just "feels" bigger in a corner room.

We've decided to head down the first weekend in December just for the Osborne lights at DHS and Christmas around the world in Epcot. We're gonna use some Hilton points that Jeff has to use or lose, and I think our neighbors are gonna meet us there. I told Jeff I'd be willing to plan a big ADR with them somewhere but I'm not touring with them the whole time. Don't get me wrong, they're a lot of fun, but I just like it with our family.

We have our way of doing things and everyone else does it wrong! :rotfl2:

I took over 400 pics this trip - yeah, in just 3 days, and I'm working on editing them in order in photobucket. So as I get them done, I'll be able to post the next installment.....
 
When I put on my watch to leave on Friday, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t changed the time on it, since it’s not a watch I wear all the time. So I couldn’t understand why it took us so long to drive to Disney, and why Ally wasn’t hungry for lunch!

So when she told me the first thing she wanted to do was meet the fairies, we walked toward Toontown and I saw the line was 75 minutes, I about passed out! It was already noon by now and I was starving! I didn’t eat breakfast because I thought we could grab a snack as soon as we got to MK.
But the child was running the show and we were NOT stopping for food! There were fairies to meet and that’s final!

I asked the CM if the sign showing 75 minutes was accurate and he said absolutely. The family that got into line a couple of spots behind us said they had changed it to 90 minutes already.

Oy vey!

We struck up a chat with the mother and daughter in line behind us. And the mother and daughter behind them. Seemed to be a mother/daughter event. Guess daddies didn’t want to wait 75 minutes for fairies. And I’m not talking about the CM who described in detail the events that were to unfold in preparation for fairy meeting! If ya know what I mean! Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

All I know is that the time is slowly ticking away, I’m famished, I’m out of water, and I don’t think I can survive another minute. My mouth is dry, my stomach is growling. Seriously, I might as well have been dropped in Jeff Probst’s lap somewhere in the next Survivor season. Not that that would be a bad thing. Jeff Probst’s lap, that is. But I digress.

Parched. Starving. And still the line is moving two spots ever 10 minutes. I’m not kidding. It was S L O W!!!

Finally we got to the rope. We were next! Yea! Lunch was in my sights!
Then the CM took Ally and me, and the next two families. He gave us tiny photopass bracelets, cause, well, everything is tiny when you meet the fairies.

He explained to us that fairies are only 5 inches high and when they talk, it sounds like bells ringing. So the only way to meet them and hear them, is if we shrink down to their size. Duh. Like who didn't know this? :rolleyes1

So we begin the process. As we walk down the corridor, everything starts getting larger. Or are we getting smaller? I was waiting for Gene Wilder and the Oompa Loompas to appear!

Ally’s eyes continued to get wider too as she realized what was happening.
I had read about the process to meet the fairies. I knew we had to shrink. Again, duh! I told Ally about it and she didn’t believe me. Where is the magic, child???

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Jeff told me not to push it. I needed to prepare myself for the fact that she might not buy into this. I would have to tell her <gasp> that Tinkerbell was just a gal dressed up. Say it ain’t so!!!

So I was prepared. But when the fairy handler CM told us about the shrinking process, Ally looked at me with eyes that said, “I can’t believe I doubted you, mother, oh intelligent goddess” or something along those lines. The magic was working. Ha ha ha ! My baby is still a believer!

Then Mr Fairy Handler came and got just Ally and I and took us through a door into the most wonderful fantasy ever! There were only two other families in this room, set up like the Princess meet and greet in Toon Town, where each fairy has her own backdrop. It was so intimate.

So Iridessa sees us enter and walks up to us and takes Ally back to her spot. She let me feel her wings. I’m not gonna kid you, it made me feel kinda dirty! She was so sweet and chatty with us.

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But the whole time I could not take my eyes off this one!

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She was wonderful! If I could cast someone to be Tinkerbell, it would be this gal. She was sweet and sassy, and just as cute as, well, as cute as Tinkerbell!

See the sass here?

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I grew up with Tinkerbell – there was no Jasmine or Ariel or Belle when I was little. It was Cindy, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Tinkerbell! In fact, I remember one of my first Halloween costumes was Tinkerbell. But she kinda went by the wayside until recently.
And now here she is. In the flesh. For real. And yes, she’s real!!!! Can you tell how much I enjoyed meeting Tinkerbell???

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That pic made me feel so big! She was soooo tiny!

Then there was Rosetta. Eh. No big whoop.

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Both Tink (she lets me call her that now - we go way back...) and Rosetta admiring that they each had their own page for autographs. Mama came prepared. Of course, I'm also prepared if I ever run into the Country Bears! Cause that really WOULD be a Jamboree!

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As we left, Ally said, “I wish we could have met Silvermist.” The CM overheard her and said, “Oh, Silvermist will be here later!”
I looked at Ally and said, “NO.” There is no way I’m waiting in line again. Not even for the perfectly wonderful Tinkerbell.

We get to lunch and as hungry as I am, I then realized that I never turned by watch back so it's only around 12:30 by this time. Whew! That whole shrinking thing really did me in. I think it did a number on Ally, too.

So, did Ally truly believe?
Sitting at Pinnochio’s Village Haus for lunch a few mintues later, she said to me, “Mommy, are your legs shaking?”
“No, why? Are YOUR legs shaking?”
“Mmm hmmm”
“Ally, why are your legs shaking?”
“I think it’s from the shrinking. Maybe they haven’t got back to their normal size yet.”
Woo hoo! Hook. Line. And sinker. The magic is still alive!

I was so excited when I saw Jeff the next day, I told him I really wished he could have seen Tinkerbell, too. His response?

"No thanks, I have a problem with the whole shrinkage thing. I don't want anything to shrink." :rotfl2:
 
Your back! Actually I can't believe your Mother-Daughter trip has already come and gone. Sure you are feeling the same way.

I agree, corner rooms are the best. We have lucked out both times at POR and received one. I need to put in that request at CBR for next Sept.

Love the tshirts and your minnie ears.

I so want to go and check out the Christmas decorations. I don't plan on going back until after Thanksgiving, but maybe DH would let me make a daytrip this weekend.
 








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