The Imaginary Vacation.....is no longer imaginary! (7/20-Daily plans w/ADRs)

[Vacation Lover]

Wow, that's great news! You must be so excited!

Thanks--I am. Now it's time to have some fun with planning!

Congrats! Let us know how you and Kate like Disney on Ice!

We had a great time. I took tons of pictures. Hope to post about it soon.

/Congratulations on making your plans official. You're dining at alot of the places we have planned for Sept.

Enjoy Disney on Ice, hope you have a great time.

Is your trip still on at this point? I hope so.

Headed to Springsteen tomorrow!

Can't wait till I can use ink on my calender. I'm still in the imagine days, it'll happen, just gotta wait.

Congratulations, kinda makes ya go siiiiigh and smile.

It's definitely sigh-worthy. Especially after the stress of figuring out where to stay & when to go, then changing my mind back and forth!

 

[tink1957]

Yes, it may be financially irresponsible on my part, but I'm still planning on our Sept trip. I have the money to go & I promised DD to take her for her graduation present like I did for DS last year(oh the sacrifices we make for our kids) If I find a job before then it may change though, I have until August to cancel.

Have fun with the Boss.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Yes, it may be financially irresponsible on my part, but I'm still planning on our Sept trip. I have the money to go & I promised DD to take her for her graduation present like I did for DS last year(oh the sacrifices we make for our kids) If I find a job before then it may change though, I have until August to cancel.

Have fun with the Boss.

I think it's good that you have something to look forward to after this past year. Especially since you've already budgeted the money and it's DDs graduation present.

Hangin' at the hotel right now while my friend sleeps in. Tonight's the big night.

 

[Vacation Lover]

I'd heard on the radio that you could go early to "meet the princesses" before the show started. We ran into a friend at the entrance, who told us that "meeting the princesses" actually consisted of following a herd of people into a room and waving to Cinderella as you walked past her to see princess dresses on dress forms. We walked up to the front of the (incredibly long) line and I held Kate up to see Cinderella. You could just barely see her in the room and Kate waved to her. I asked the girls if they wanted to go get in line to see Cinderella and the dresses and Kate said, "No. I already waved to her." Sarah Anne didn't want to wait in line either (After all, we'll be dining with them in just 6 short months.) We got some dinner and found our seats. It wasn't long before the show started...

Minnie and Mickey drive onto the ice. (Sorry, blurry picture. The rest are a lot better.)

Everyone cheers, including Kate...

They drives the car near us...

And I hear Kate yell, "Hi, Minnie!" It was great to see her enjoying the show with no inhibitions. She kept pointing and telling Sarah Anne what was going on. "There's Minnie!" "Mickey is funny!"

In walks Donald...

And Goofy...

Uh Oh...Minnie and Mickey's car broke down. Look who comes to help!

And in rides the star of the moment...Lightening McQueen

Despite having never seen the movie, (and having shown no interest in it whatsoever) Kate gets excited to see him.

They rode around on the ice and sang songs (I guess from the movie.)

Sarah Anne enjoyed the show too, but she was a little more subtle about showing her excitement.

Guess who just came onto the ice?

Stay tuned to find out!

 

[Vacation Lover]

When we last left off, Kate was excited about something she saw on the ice. What was it?

Flounder and Ariel!

Lots of singing and skating...

Ariel skated right up to the audience and interacted with them.

The story was pretty much the same as the movie. Beautiful skating!

I wish I'd gotten some pictures of Ursula, but I guess I got so caught up in the show I forgot to take pictures. She looked really cool, spinning around and was only a little scary. All the costumes were amazing.

Hooray! Ariel has found her prince.

Oh Yeah. The girls were really into this show.

The Kiss

And some spins...

Ariel and Flounder wave goodbye

Sarah Anne poses before the next act comes out.

More to come.........

 

[Vacation Lover]

Next act...The Lion King

This one is definitely a little more "adult" than the last two acts.

Kate gets a little scared

And jumps on my lap

Okay, now the non-scary characters show up.

Like Little Mermaid, this story also pretty much follows the movie.

Also like Little Mermaid, some amazing skating.

They look so graceful, even in full costume.

Well, some shots don't look so graceful, but the full movement was.

As usual, the theatrics were amazing.

Simba claims his rightful throne.

The end.

Time for intermission, then guess what act is the finale? Definitely the highlight for my girls. Stay tuned...

 

[tink1957]

Great pics, thanks for sharing. Love that pic of scared Kate.such a cute face.

 

[Vacation Lover]

FAIRIES!!

Guess who's excited to see the fairies?

A little fairy in white arrives in Pixie Hollow and meets all of the fairies.

She finds out what the other fairies talents are.

Vidia, with the talent of speed.

Sarah Anne was really into this one. She loves fairies.

The little fairy in white can't wait to find out what her talent is.

The lights go down and the little white fairy is magically transformed into...

Tinkerbelle!

She has a tinker talent. These are the Tinker fairies.

Tink and her friends

Vidia fools Tink into chasing thistles, which wreak chaos in Pixie Hollow

Uh Oh, Tink ruined everything.

Now spring won't come.

But Tink has an idea.

After all, she is a Tinker Fairy. Tinkers fix things!

The fairies all work together and...

Ta Da!

Spring will come after all.

Great choreagraphy.

And for the grand finale

Tink flies in the air!

Stay tuned for a few more pictures.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Mickey & Friends join the fairies.

Kate is absolutely enamored.

Look at those costumes!

Every detail was perfect

Wow! Great show!

The girls love, love, loved it!

 

[Vacation Lover]

Great pics, thanks for sharing. Love that pic of scared Kate.such a cute face.

She was half play-acting, half really scared. Once she climbed on my lap she was totally fine. I feel like she's really taken a step toward feeling comfortable around characters. A baby step, but a step nonetheless! Hopefully by the time we get there she'll be okay with interacting with them or at least being in the same general area as them.

 

[Vacation Lover]

So I made my first purchase in anticipation of the Disney trip today.

Actually I made three purchases, because I couldn't decide. (Who, me? Having trouble deciding on something??)

I want a good, easy bag to carry my stuff in the parks. We'll have the stroller, but I want to easily be able to get to my camera, sunglasses, money, etc. What I really wanted was something like a mini-bag that will clip to your belt or belt loop, but apparently that doesn't exist. (Business opportunity? Hmmm, maybe I need to invent one!) Anyway, I want something that will allow me to keep my hands free so mini-backpack seems to be the way to go. I'm chaperoning Will's all-day field trip tomorrow and want to go ahead and get my hands-free stuff-carrier so off to the mall I went.

Here are the options. Which one have I decided to keep and which ones will go back?

Option #1
Lots of Pockets!


The first one I found on my shopping trip and I was so excited. It's almost exactly what I had in mind--fairly lightweight and lots of pockets for organizing my stuff. On sale for $25, I snagged it up.


Option #2
Streamlined leather!

I was so excited when I found this one, because it was exactly what I was looking for. I like the sleek look, plus it's real leather and has a few strategically placed pockets. It was on clearance for 50% off--$35.


Option #3
The Quilted Look?!?!??

Totally not my style at all, but it was so lightweight that I thought I'd put it to the test. It only has one small pocket on the inside and isn't particularly easy to open or close. This one was only $20.


So I brought all three home and put them to the test: I filled each one with my basic Disney & field trip necessities: camera, phone, sunglasses, pen, wallet, etc. and walked around the house, back and forth from mirror to mirror.

Option #1, "Pockets" was convenient and fairly lightweight. It had a pocket for everything and the outside pockets were perfect for things like my camera and sunglasses, which I'd need to get to more often. Even though it was somewhat lightweight, the straps were not comfortable and were itchy on my shoulders.

Option #2, "Leather" was quite obviously the highest quality of the three. I love the look and the outside pocket will easily hold my camera. The leather straps felt soft--no itching there--but there wasn't much "give" and they bothered my arms when I walked. Plus, when I put it on, it felt heavy.

Option #3, "Quilted" was the most lightweight of all and nice and soft on my sensitive skin. But the lack of an outside pocket could prove to be annoying, and, as I mentioned, the quilted look is totally not my style.

So, which will it be? Did I go for #1 convenience, #2 style or #3 comfort? You might be surprised to know that the winner is...

COMFORT!

Yep, I went for the quilted look. The other two will be going back to the store. I'll let you know how it does for me on the field trip tomorrow.

 

[Vacation Lover]

The quilted backpack did just fine on the field trip, although the lack of pockets was a little irritating. I think it will be good on the Disney trip. I did find out that Coach makes a little purse and the strap can convert to be worn around your hips, kind of like a bag attached to a belt like I was describing in the previous post. Now there's no way that I'll be shelling out the big bucks for a Coach purse for this trip, but maybe if I'm lucky someone will come out with a knockoff before the trip in October.

Guess what? Exactly 5 months from today we will be on our way to Disney!!

 

[Vacation Lover]

We interrupt this Disney Pre-Trip Report to bring you a mini-trip report on my Bruce Springsteen weekend.

To really appreciate the weekend, we have to go back in time. Back about 25 years, to be exact. I met my best friend, Jane, in 9th grade. Actually I'd met her the summer before 9th grade, but we didn't particularly like each other at the time. But our freshman year of high school we had 4 out of 6 classes plus lunch together and, knowing no one else in those classes, we clung to each other. Once we got to know each other, I began to appreciate Jane's sense of humor and her ability to put others at ease, characteristics that have only grown over time. Toward the end of 9th grade we became friends with Kim, the irritating smart girl in our English class. We figured out that, despite Kim's obnoxiousness and know it all attitude, she could be really funny. Kim introduced us to Springsteen. We spent the summer laying out, eating cookies and chocolate covered strawberries and listening to Bruce. We spent out sophomore year going to dances, having slumber parties and listening to Bruce. We spent out Junior year driving around to the high school hot spots (for us it was McDonalds and parking areas along the DC Parkway) and listening to Bruce. Summer after Junior year "Born in the USA" came out and Bruce and the E Street Band were THE concert to attend. I didn't go. Why not? The truth is, I was a something of a dork trying to be a cool kid. I loved the music, but I didn't have any idea how to go about buying tickets (back in the day before internet and Ticketmaster.) I had a boyfriend who wasn't a big Bruce fan; Jane and Kim went and I hung back with my boyfriend instead. Senior year we all used Bruce lyrics as our Senior Quotes. (Mine was from Rosalita: "Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny.") College rolled around and we all went off to different colleges. If I ever felt homesick, I'd pop in a cassette (no CDs back then), and listen to "Thunder Road" or "Badlands" or "Jungle Land" and reminisce.

Fast forward 25 years from that first summer we hung out together and here we are: 40 year old moms approaching middle age and still just as hung up on Bruce as we were in high school. If not even more! I finally went to one of his concerts about 6-7 years ago, when he was on "The Rising" tour. Jane met me and we had a wonderful girls weekend. Last year I saw him twice. The first time was with Jane and a group of her friends. We had tickets for the floor and were half way to the front; pretty good spot, but I had a 6 foot tall guy right in front of me (I'm 5'1"). Awesome concert, despite having to jump up to see the stage, and such fun to go with a big group. The second time last year was a girls weekend with Jane and Kim. We included a day at the spa and shopping and the trip culminated with the concert. Bruce was stellar, as usual.

When he announced that he was doing another tour this year, we couldn't believe it. Jane and I looked at our schedules and decided to meet in Greensboro, NC. I'm so glad this is the concert we choose to attend! It was, literally, the BEST concert I have ever been to, Springsteen or otherwise. He played just the right mix of old stuff and new stuff. The fans were pumped, ready to hear Bruce and the E Street Band. He started with a favorite of mine and Jane's, "Badlands" and the audience went crazy. It only got better from there. He took requests from the audience, including the non-Springsteen oldie, "Hang on Sloopie" and the whole coliseum sang right along with him. He sang song after song and the audience never sat down. Toward the end, Bruce commented, "There must be something in the water in Greensboro!" He fed off of the fans excitement, and the fans fed off of his exuberance. Each song was better than the last. During the encore, he grabbed a sign from the audience that said, "Steensboro" and the crowd went wild. Then he then sang my all-time favorite Springsteen song, "Thunder Road" and my night was complete. But it wasn't over yet, folks! He went on to sing 2 more songs and just when we though it was over, he busted out with "Glory Days." In all, it was a 3 hour concert. Best concert EVER!

The next day it was back to reality. Jane and I said our goodbyes and hit the road, blasting Bruce on our car stereos. As I type this, my kids are playing "High School Musical" and Miley Cyrus songs in the background. Time to break out the iPod and put on "Thunder Road."

 

[tink1957]

What's up, no Bruce pics? I'll bet you were too busy jamming out to take any pics. I think we are kindred souls, Thunder Road is my favorite Bruce song too. Now I'm going to have to dig out my cd & listen to it. "The screen door slams"...

 

[PookieB]

Great PTR! So glad your girls loved Disney on Ice! Great pics! I've seen 3 shows and I can't get enough.

 

[Vacation Lover]

What's up, no Bruce pics? I'll bet you were too busy jamming out to take any pics. I think we are kindred souls, Thunder Road is my favorite Bruce song too. Now I'm going to have to dig out my cd & listen to it. "The screen door slams"...

Jane took a couple with her Blackberry, but they're pretty fuzzy.

We had GREAT seats.



Here he is, singing "Cadillac Ranch." He grabbed a cowboy hat from someone in the audience and jammed.


When he started singing Thunder Road in the encore, Jane just looked at me with this excited expression on her face, because she knew I was hoping he'd play it. "Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk..."

 

[Vacation Lover]

Great PTR! So glad your girls loved Disney on Ice! Great pics! I've seen 3 shows and I can't get enough.

Thank you.

Disney can put on a great show, can't they?

 

[Vacation Lover]

Hello everyone! It's been so long since I made an installment that the mods thought I was done and moved this report to the completed section! I'm back though and am getting excited about our trip. Less than 3 months now...

We've had a busy summer and I can't believe it's already almost over. Some highlights...

We spent a week at the beach with my parents and my brother and his family for my parents 50th anniversary. It was a great time and my kids loved playing with their new baby cousin. Most of the extended family came for a day to celebrate and we went to the beach then ate a wonderful dinner at my parents house.

Here's a family picture


And here's the picture that didn't make the cut. Will was playing with his loose tooth instead of posing for the camera. Just before the camera went off my dad grabbed his hand, telling him to quit making silly faces and his tooth flew out of his mouth!


We went back to the beach for the 4th of July weekend and Bill's best college buddy and his family joined us. My parents were kind enough to babysit for us and we went out for a wonderful dinner at The Rice Paddy in Georgetown, SC. Very good restaurant! My parents community holds a parade every year on the 4th. Anyone can participate and most people decorate golf carts or get dressed up and ride in the back of pick up trucks throwing candy or squirting the spectators. The kids love watching the parade and catching all the candy or beads that get thrown to us. It's so hot every year that the parade has evolved into a big water fight, with spectators soaking the parade people and the parade participants bombing people with water balloons. This year we came armed with super squirters and a big bucket of water. It's a hoot, and the kids are good about obeying the rule that you only squirt people who are already armed with water. The only problem was we ran out of water before the parade was over! As one of the golf carts slowed to a crawl Bill noticed that they had plenty of water in their bucket and suggested that Will use his super soaker to suction up some of their water. (As you can tell, it's not just the kids that get excited about these annual water fights!) So Will ran up to the cart just as it started moving and it ran over his foot!! He had a sore foot for a couple of hours but thankfully no broken bones or anything. He was riding the boogie board and building sand castles later that morning with the new nickname of "Hop-along."

The kids have done some half-day camps this summer: Will did a sailing camp, Sarah Anne did an acting camp, and Kate went to a dance camp put on by the local high school dance team. They had a performance for the parents on the last day of dance camp complete with a visit from.....the school mascot. Kate was sitting with her little group, playing with the teenage instructors when "Foxy" walked in the room. She froze and then made a beeline out of the room. Panicked for the rest of the time and refused to dance when it was her turn. When Foxy left the room she visibly relaxed, but it was over by then; she was so nervous that she didn't even eat any of the refreshments they served. So we're quite possibly back to square one with the character issue. I'm hoping that she'll do better with the Disney characters (she still says that she will wave to them from a distance). I think part of the problem with the Foxy character is that she didn't know he was coming so she didn't have time to prepare herself and she panicked. This week she's doing a cheer camp at the same high school; we'll see how she does if Foxy shows up at this end of the week performance.
Even after it was over she was nervous...


In June I had a surprise birthday party for Bill. It was his 41st and he was totally surprised! I had it at our house and told him that I was hosting a girls night out happy hour our house. This was a good tactic because he didn't think anything of it when I was preparing food and stocking up on wine. It wad so funny--earlier in the week he was so excited when he opened the door to the fridge to find it stocked with beer. And he STILL didn't clue in--I told him that there was a great sale and I'd stocked up! I had him take Kate out to get her out of the way during my supposed girls night. Will and Sarah Anne stayed home and helped me set up (I didn't tell them about the surprise until about an hour before the party; otherwise they would've spoiled the surprise for sure.) Guests arrived at 6:30 and he came home around 7:00. He pulled in the garage and we waited in the kitchen to yell "Surprise." And waited...and waited. He is fastidious about his car and was cleaning out the trash that Kate left in it from their outing. Here he is *finally* walking in the door with Kate's Build-a-bear box and a handfull of trash. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights!


We had a great time and the last guests didn't leave until after 11:00.


In addition to beach weekends, parties and camps, our house has become the "go to" house for the kids in the neighborhood. The kids have been running back and forth between our house and the neighbors playing and doing all those summertime things. I generally have 6-8 kids at my house at any given time during the summer!

This is a typical summer day at the Vacation Lover household...


At night the kids stay up late and cook smores in the neighbors fire-pit or play flashlight tag. It really has been a great summer, but I'm excited to finally have all 3 kids do a camp at the same time this week (3 camps at the same time = alone time for mom!) And on Friday we head back to the beach for a week with another old college buddy and his family. Can't wait!

Now that I've caught everyone up on our summer I'll let you know that......last week was the 90 day mark for our trip!! Since we're staying offsite, I had to make ADRs every day last week. It was really easy though and I LOVE the online system! Got everything I wanted and pretty close to the times I wanted. I'll be back soon with details.

One more family picture

 

[tink1957]

Welcome back, it sounds like a busy summer.

 

[erika412]

Followed you over from Shannn's PTR. Subbing so I can read it once the kids are down.