There's a First Time for Everything! A Christmas In November TR

[MeMom]

So, so sweet.

Your family is in our thoughts and prayers as you deal with the loss of your beloved family member. I've watched three cancer deaths in my family, and they were ugly and difficult for everyone. In time, good memories will overshadow the pain.

 

[sjs314]

Loved all the pics of MVMCP, I do so hope they do it early in November this year so I can finally get to go to it

 

[brookelizabeth]

Congratulations to your DD for her award!!! And what an AWESOME award! Christlike character - that is the best thing a mother can ask for in her child!

I love these two! They were all great though - and for $25, what a bargain! Like you said though, $75 is still pretty good especially when you get the rights to the photos to make into cards, etc.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

So sorry to hear about your aunt!

What a blast you must have had at both 1900 Park Fare and the Christmas party! I love those Christmas balloons!

Thank you!

I loved the balloons too. Only at Disney would they think to change out the balloons for Christmas ones! They really do think of everything!

I finally got my pearl carriages for our July trip. I am keeping them a secret and giving them to the girls when we get there. I even ordered chains from the same ebay site for them, and actually got a longer one for myself for Mickey Charm I bought at WDW in November. I did not realize it would be like a choker on me and have been looking for a longer chain. That ebay store had great prices. Thanks!!
I hope you have other trips to report about because I don't want them to end!

So glad you liked the pendants! I hope you have a wonderful time doing the PAP. It really is a special treat.

Right now there are no more trips for us. But things can always change! I'm holding out hope for something at least by 2011!

I'm so sorry about your Aunt, cancer is horrid isn't it

Looks like you all had fun at the party and even better that you got in practically free

Yes it is. I hope that some very bright person can find a cure soon.

We did have a good time other than the crowds. And free is always a good thing!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry to hear about your aunt. It sounds like she had quite the battle.

Great flashback! I too am going to be super sad when they are over. I love your exchange with Lady Tremaine. That is hilarious!!!!! Great Christmas party pictures!

She did. I am just so happy for her that her suffering is over.

Lady Tremaine was a HOOT! She played right along. I think DD was really baffled by it. It really had her convinced that she was the real thing!!

So sorry to hear about your aunt. Cancer is so hard. My dad died of cancer (a year ago this thursday) and it was only a year between when he found out he had cancer and when he died. Your aunt sounds like she fought quite the battle making it five years...I am glad her suffering is over, although I'm sure you will miss her greatly!

I'm very sorry to hear that about your dad. It is so hard to see someone suffer so much. It is sad to think that you are relieved for someone when they die, but that is the only way to describe how you feel seeing a person suffer to that extent. Here's a for you on the anniversary of his passing.

On to the trip!

Lady Tremain and the Step Sisters crack me up. They do some great casting for those parts!

I agree. They are great characters and the CM are wonderful. They really look the part too!

MVMCP looks so beautiful! I hope some day I get to Disney for this. The shows look like so much fun, and I love their snow. It looks really realistic until you see some bubbles clumped together! But most of the time, it looks great! (And I'm from Buffalo, I know what snow looks like! )

I love the ice skaters on rollerblades. That's so smart!

MVMCP is fun, but if you can't afford it or you can't squeeze it into your schedule, don't sweat it. There is more than enough Christmas cheer throughout the parks. The snow is great though, but you can see it for free at the OL at HS!! That's funny...... I said the same thing to my DH about the rollerblades! Very smart!

Great update!

Only one more day?

YES, I KNOW!!!!

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[RinkyTinkyTinky]

about the loss of your aunt. I lost both my parents, and many other relatives, to cancer. Nasty beast of a disease. My heart goes out to you and your family.

I loved all your Christmas party photos. Those balloons were wonderful!! 1900 PF looks like so much fun. We're going there for breakfast in June but dinner will be soon!!

I am so sorry to hear that about your parents. That must have been devastating for you. It is a horrible disease and such a terrible way to leave this world. Here's some hugs for you too.

I want to do breakfast at PF too. I think the Mad Hatter would be fun!

Just joining now. I was in tears reading you entire trip report. And when she met Tink...lord I needed kleenex! How magical! I can't wait to bring my princess to Disney in June!

I am so sorry that I made you cry! I know they are happy tears though. I know you must be so excited about taking your little one to Disney. They are some wonderful, precious memories that are made in that place! I'm so glad you are joining in and I hope you will stick around for the end!

Sorry about your aunt !! I am a survivor and feel soooo blessed !!!

I'm sorry to hear that you had to experience such an awful thing as cancer. I am very glad to hear that you beat it though. I pray that you will stay cancer free for the rest of your life!!

My condolences on the loss of your aunt.

Thank you!

Your Christmas Party pictures are great as always! I can't wait to see your SeaWorld pictures, because we are going there in August. I've never been-but I will get a chance to scope it out a little next month. I get to go to Orlando with DH for two nights!

Oh how exciting! I'm jealous! I hope you have a great time!

I also wanted to offer some kind thoughts flower3 to you as you and your DH are tossing up the idea of you going back to work. My DH and I have had that conversation many times, and it is a tough decision to make. I have been thinking I'd wait until Jo started Kindergarten and then maybe work as a substitute. Then today it seems that another door may have opened....I'll wait to see how things play out before I say more, but God does have a plan for each of us. I just wanted to say I was thinking of you.

Thank you! Only a fellow SAHM would understand the struggle we are going through in our minds right now. It really is a tough choice. I know we could use the extra income, but I want balance for our lives. I don't want the laundry piling up and us eating out every night because things are so hectic. And I want to be there for her parties and field trips at school. DH and I have gone around and around for the last several weeks and we still feel undecided. If only I could clone myself, everything would be fine! You can't leave me hanging like that though. You've got to tell me what you have decided. You have my couriosity up now! But you are right, God will lead me (and you) in the right direction. I just need to learn to be patient and listen!

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So, so sweet.

Your family is in our thoughts and prayers as you deal with the loss of your beloved family member. I've watched three cancer deaths in my family, and they were ugly and difficult for everyone. In time, good memories will overshadow the pain.

Thank you Memom! Cancer is about as ugly as death gets, isn't it? I'm sorry to hear that you have lost loved ones to cancer as well. It would be hard to find someone who hasn't I suppose. I am so happy though for my aunt that she is pain free and will never suffer again. It makes me so thankful for what Jesus did for us so that we could enjoy heaven for eternity! I will be even more thankful this Easter season when I think about her.

Loved all the pics of MVMCP, I do so hope they do it early in November this year so I can finally get to go to it

You will have a great time at MVMCP. It is a great party, full of Christmas cheer. You will get plenty of that for free in the parks as well. It is such a wonderful time to go. I hope you have as much fun as we did!

Congratulations to your DD for her award!!! And what an AWESOME award! Christlike character - that is the best thing a mother can ask for in her child!

Yes it is and I am so proud of her. I hope she continues with that kind of attitude, especially in her teen years!

I love these two! They were all great though - and for $25, what a bargain! Like you said though, $75 is still pretty good especially when you get the rights to the photos to make into cards, etc.

Thank you! The CM really did a great job. I am not photogenic at all, but she did very good with what she had to work with! $25 was a steal! Too bad it went up, but I agree that it would still be worth it even with the increase. It is the best souvenir you could buy!

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[cdotla]

So sorry to hear about your aunt.

Your dinner with the StepFamily looked fun - aren't they a hoot?!

Loved your photos of the MVMCP. My dream is to one day be at WDW for the Christmas festivities. How great that you managed to see the Twas the Night Before Christmas show before they pulled it this year. Looks like you guys had a great time!

 

[lexmas]

I feel like we haven't heard from you in awhile, so just checking in! Hope everything is going alright there! We're thinking of you over here! Check in when you get a minute!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Well, I really thought this would be my last update, but surprise, surprise............. I took A LOT of pictures at SeaWorld! I know you are shocked! So I will have to split it up and make two updates out of it.

I was very hesitant about using one of our vacation days to go to SeaWorld. I was afraid I would regret it because of the cost and because it took a day away from doing things at Disney World. But there was one thing that just kept nagging at me that finally caused me to cave in and go....................the DOLPHINS!!!!!! I have loved those sweet creatures my whole life, and it has always been my dream to get in the water with them. Well, I knew I couldn't swim with them at SeaWorld but I could feed them and touch them. That alone was reason enough for me to go. And I knew that DD would flip out when she realized that she could touch them. She is an animal lover just like her mom! DH was all for it as well because he has always wanted to see the Shamu show.

I am glad that we went to SeaWorld, but I do have one regret. I wish we had gone on the first day of our trip and not the last. I really liked SW, but it is not Disney. After nine days of pure bliss at Disney, SW just didn't seem very magical. After much thought, I figured out what it was that made Disney feel more special, the cast members and the characters! The staff at SW were hard to find (not nearly as many employees walking around) and they were not friendly like they are at WDW. They don't do anything special for you like give you stickers or throw confetti in your hair. I know, I sound like a spoiled brat. I don't mean it that way. It's just that WDW has that magic in the air that no other place has. My advice to a first timer would be to do SW first, and then you probably won't have that disappointment that I did.

Ok, let's get to it................... I want to see those dolphins!

It was a very quick drive from WDW and we found it very easily.

When I have to park in a huge place like SW, I always take a picture of the section we parked in so that we can find our car when we leave. Well, I kept this picture to remind me of our "lost in space" moment! You see how it says "D 11-19?" You would think that would be easy right? WRONG! When we came back out that night, this "D 11-19" section went on for what seemed like miles!!! Why did they do it that way? It was insane. We walked forever and it still said "D 11-19"!!! It was infuriating!!! It took us forever to find our car! We finally had to set off the car alarm with the keyless remote to be able to find it! It is funny now, but we were so ticked off at the time!

They had a beautiful, ocean themed tree.

The scenery at SW is gorgeous.

Look at the color of this bird! I had never seen an orange bird before.

A pretty Mandarin duck

We grabbed a map and I searched for the dolphin area. We just had to do that first. I knew we didn't have time to see everything at SW so I wanted to make sure we did the dolphins and Shamu before time ran out. Well, this is where my frustration began. The map did not match the park!!!! I am not kidding. They were doing construction and several of the normal walkways were closed off. The problem was that you could not tell there was construction being done because they had covered it with rock walls and decorations. So I was standing there looking at a map and looking at the park and the paths that were listed on the map did not exist!!!! I couldn't find an employee anywhere who could help us, so we walked on aimlessly trying to find the dolphin area. We stumbled upon this and I thought we had it, but it was just the dolphin nursery.

There were 3 babies swimming in here! So sweet!

We came across the manatees who were having a lettuce lunch. How do you get that fat eating lettuce? I must have the same genes as those manatees!

Continued in next post.....................................

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We watched these birds for quite a while. They reminded me of Nigel from Nemo.

Then his friend decided to get in on the paparazzi action.

DH aggravating DD by threatening to throw her in with the big beaked boys!

Still wandering aimlessly, we came up at just the right time to see the Clyde and Seymour show. This was soooooo good!!!! I am very happy we accidentally made it to this show. It really is great!

They brought one of them out right in front of us. They are HUGE!

This is the stadium for the show.

This bird kept wanting to get in on the fish treat action!

They found the treasure, matey!

She told him to walk the plank and he did it!!! He really jumped!

I think you will be amazed at all those trainers can do with them. It is an awesome show and so funny!

After C&S, we found our way to Shamu Stadium (still no dolphins..........).

This is why people love this show!!!! What beautiful animals they are!

Cont. in next post...............

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

For those of you who have never seen this show, let me make something clear.......... the section that is BOLDLY marked as the "SPLASH ZONE" is called that for a reason!!!! It was a very cool day, yet we watched people filling in that whole area after we sat down at the top. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they would sit there. There were plenty of open seats elsewhere. Maybe they just didn't take it seriously, but I assure you that you SHOULD believe what the signs say. Here's proof! You will see this..........................

immediately followed by this....................

and then this..............................

Those people got drenched! Almost all of them got up and moved! Some of them were even mad!!!! Come on people! We personally thought it was hilarious!

Surfing on a whale!

I'm not sure if the lady in these photos is the one who was recently killed. It looks like her, but I can't tell. Such a sad thing to happen to her.

The "Shamu" show is called "Believe". It is excellent and you really should see it if you get to go. We all loved it!

We decided to skip this since it was too cold and I was too chicken!

DD played the steel drums. Does anything sound more tropical than that?

DD and DH rode the Shamu coaster. You see that little white "fin" in the seat? They thought those were seat dividers, but the CM made them move and told them it goes between your legs. Well, after DH got off, he informed me that he would never ride that again and that those seats were not designed for men!

He's the one waiving. He said he was barely clinging onto his manhood!

By this point I was very frustrated about not being able to find the dolphins. We had actually found an employee and asked him for directions, which is how we found out that there was construction going on and that the maps were not correct! Wish I had known that four hours ago! But he only added to my mounting anger by giving us the wrong directions. I will admit that I was so irritated that I was on the verge of tears. So DH suggested that we get some lunch and try to calm down a bit. His answer to every problem is food! Anyway, that is exactly what we did. We ate a very expensive lunch that was just ok (I think the free dining at Disney had really spoiled me), but it came in a cute Shamu lunch box so that made it a little better!

After lunch, we forged on in search of my dolphins. DD saw the Polar Express attraction and wanted to do it. We decided that we better go ahead and see it since we would probably never find our way back!

A lazy polar bear

It was actually pretty neat. They showed a clip from the movie and then had you walk through the arctic exhibit where the polar bears, arctic foxes and whatnot are located. Santa was back there and they had him surrounded by real mounds of snow.

It was getting late in the day when we came out and I was in a panic. There was no way I was leaving there without feeding and touching those dolphins. We paid $200 to get into that park for one day, and DH knew I was going to be crushed if we didn't make it to the feeding tank. So off he went in search of another CM to get directions, AGAIN! The guy he found told us.............................................

To be continued......................................

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

So sorry to hear about your aunt.

Thank you.

Your dinner with the StepFamily looked fun - aren't they a hoot?!

Yes they are! It was a very memorable meal for sure!

Loved your photos of the MVMCP. My dream is to one day be at WDW for the Christmas festivities. How great that you managed to see the Twas the Night Before Christmas show before they pulled it this year. Looks like you guys had a great time!

You really must make it a priority to go at Christmas. It is so magical!

I am very glad we got to see the show. I wonder why they got rid of it? It was so cute.

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I feel like we haven't heard from you in awhile, so just checking in! Hope everything is going alright there! We're thinking of you over here! Check in when you get a minute!

I'm still here. Life always gets hectic again in the spring. And I have had some unexpected things going on as well. I keep thinking that maybe next week things will slow down a bit but so far that hasn't happened. Thanks for asking about me though!

I'm on page four of your report. Every time I sit down to read on it, I get interrupted! I will finish getting caught up soon though.

 

[pooh'smate]

Just wanted to let you know that I am loving your report. It is making me really excited for our trip this Nov. I would be frustrated too if I had it map but it wasn't correct. I hope you finally find your dolphins.

 

[MeMom]

Incredible Sea World pictures! I love seeing the animals up close. The birds are beautiful, in my opinion.


We plan to take a Sea World day during one of our trips, but we're thinking maybe next year, when Bella is two and can enjoy it more. Brooklynn would love it, no doubt. It's just kind of hard to add more money onto a trip when Disney is all paid for. The last time we were at Sea World, Jill and Trent were probably about 6 and 3, so it's been over 20 years!

I think it's about time to go back again.

 

[sjs314]

Totally enjoying your newest update about SeaWorld, went years ago when the kids were little, not going this year but DS and his wife are planning on going when we vacation this November since she has never been there before. Can't wait to see the dolphins , hurry up and find them

 

[englishrose47]

Oh Boy how frustrating !!! DD is a lso a Dolphin fanatic and we went to Seaworld in 2007 !! Had no trouble finding it first thing in the morning ,trouble was getting DD outta there
I agree No where compares to Disney for the MAGIC!!! DD wants to do Universal next year as well ..I think she may be dissapppointed !! No where has it ALL together like Disney!!!

 

[sharonW]

Loving your sea world adventure. Its a fabulous park but your
right its not disney, nothing tops the magic of WDW. Again,
great pics....hope your find those dolphins!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

You losing your car just brought back the memory of my family doing the exact same thing when I was a child in the Sea World car park, we however were in a rental that looked exactly like every other car there and we waited until the car park was literally empty before we could find it

What a pain about the map problems, I hope you get to find the dolphins, from memory they were one of the first things we did when we went there

 

[stace208]

Way to leave us hanging....LOL! I sure hope you do get to see the dolphins!! Great pictures, as always. We went there in 2006 and are going back in June. Ben wants to ride that new coaster-Manta-where you lay down. His momma ain't going on that with him, no way, no how!

I know what you mean by hectic. Looking forward to the rest whenever you have a chance to post!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Please.....leave me hanging no more!!!Love the updates.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Just wanted to let you know that I am loving your report. It is making me really excited for our trip this Nov. I would be frustrated too if I had it map but it wasn't correct. I hope you finally find your dolphins.

I'm glad you have enjoyed the TR. It has been so much fun writing it and chatting with everyone!

I was totally frustrated. And the park was practically empty that day so there were very few employees out and about to help! It drove me nuts!

Incredible Sea World pictures! I love seeing the animals up close. The birds are beautiful, in my opinion.


We plan to take a Sea World day during one of our trips, but we're thinking maybe next year, when Bella is two and can enjoy it more. Brooklynn would love it, no doubt. It's just kind of hard to add more money onto a trip when Disney is all paid for. The last time we were at Sea World, Jill and Trent were probably about 6 and 3, so it's been over 20 years!

I think it's about time to go back again.

I loved the birds at SW too. They had some really unique ones.

I think it is time to go back for sure!! I know what you mean about the cost though. It was really hard for me to pay the extra money to get in when we could have just gone to another Disney park that day for less than $10! But I am glad we went. It was worth it in the end. Now I want to go to the new park where you can swim with the Dolphins!!!!

Totally enjoying your newest update about SeaWorld, went years ago when the kids were little, not going this year but DS and his wife are planning on going when we vacation this November since she has never been there before. Can't wait to see the dolphins , hurry up and find them

I think SW is worth a visit. They have some really great shows. The park itself and the employees don't compare to Disney, but the shows are wonderful. I think your DS and his wife will have a great time!

Oh Boy how frustrating !!! DD is a lso a Dolphin fanatic and we went to Seaworld in 2007 !! Had no trouble finding it first thing in the morning ,trouble was getting DD outta there
I agree No where compares to Disney for the MAGIC!!! DD wants to do Universal next year as well ..I think she may be dissapppointed !! No where has it ALL together like Disney!!!

I agree. Disney is really special. I am trying to plan a small trip for us for this year and I have to admit that nothing is really calling my name. I am so spoiled after two years at Disney that nowhere else seems interesting to me! Shameful, I know!

Loving your sea world adventure. Its a fabulous park but your
right its not disney, nothing tops the magic of WDW. Again,
great pics....hope your find those dolphins!!!

We are all so spoiled by Disney, aren't we? Nowhere else even comes close in my opinion. It makes it very hard to enjoy going someplace else for vacation!

You losing your car just brought back the memory of my family doing the exact same thing when I was a child in the Sea World car park, we however were in a rental that looked exactly like every other car there and we waited until the car park was literally empty before we could find it

What a pain about the map problems, I hope you get to find the dolphins, from memory they were one of the first things we did when we went there

Oh no! Not you too! Isn't that the most frustrating feeling, especially when you are tired at the end of a long day. I wanted to scream to the top of my lungs that night! I think it was the aggravation of the map ordeal on top of not being able to find the car that just pushed me over the edge!

Way to leave us hanging....LOL! I sure hope you do get to see the dolphins!! Great pictures, as always. We went there in 2006 and are going back in June. Ben wants to ride that new coaster-Manta-where you lay down. His momma ain't going on that with him, no way, no how!

I know what you mean by hectic. Looking forward to the rest whenever you have a chance to post!

I am with you on that! No way would I get on that thing either. That must be the HUGE coaster that DD saw and wanted to ride. I could tell by the size of it that she wasn't big enough so we didn't even go over there. I can't wait to see your pictures from SW in you TR!

Please.....leave me hanging no more!!!Love the updates.

Sorry! I had to stop somewhere, so I thought I might as well throw in a cliffhanger while I was at it! My last post will be coming up soon... maybe tomorrow.