There's Always Too Much Sauce - A July 2022 TR *Updated 3/23

[piglet1979]

This sounds like a perfect day. I loved the character interactions. When you get one like Evie with Ray, you never forget them. We have 2 for our first trip. Nick was 6 and not happy that the first thing we did on the first day was see a bunch of princesses. Cinderella was first and he told her he was only there so he could do what he wanted to next. She got to his level and told him that he needed to meet the princesses so he could who was his princess. The second was right after this (might have been right before, It has been too long and I can't remember for sure). Elizabeth loved Rapunzel (the move had only been out for a short time). She was 4. It was in the spot right next to the castle and the kids were coloring. As soon as Rapunzel came out she just stood by us with her jaw to the ground. She had to take her hair down (it was about to her butt at that time) because she needed to show her how long her hair was. They had a whole conversation about this. It was very cute.

 

[rdkeim]

Wow - what a day you had! Your kids were real troopers to make it thru a marathon day. Nice you could treat your DH's brother to such great experiences and time with his family. Loved reading about your DD's interactions in Galaxy's Edge. Memories! Absolutely love the last picture - perfect.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Just letting anybody know
Trip reports are worth reading always especially this one !
Thank you so much!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Sounds like you all had an amazing day in Galaxy’s Edge! Love the pics of your daughter meeting Rey. Priceless!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh my goodness this last update has made me tear up on more than one occasion. Thank you so much for sharing. What an absolutely amazing day for you all

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Awe what a special day for Evie.

 

[Counting Stars]

Love reading your trip reports! Disney is a strange mixture of anticipation, aggravation, excitement and awe. But every now and then there is that one magical day and its so much better when that magic envelops your children. We have had a couple of those and they are cherished memories.

 

[cindianne320]

What a fun time at DHS! I love all the interactions, and the pictures you took are amazing!

 

[khertz]

What a great day! The joy on Evie's face comes through the screen. It's pretty amazing how something that doesn't interest us at all completely turns around once our kids enjoy it a lot. I actually just updated and said the same thing about Fantasmic! I used to absolutely dislike it until my kids fell in love with it, and now it's a must-do! That's great that the characters interacted with her so much too, those moments are just pure Disney magic.

Evie swore she didn’t fall asleep on the way home that night. She was awake the entire time.

THE ENTIRE TIME, GUYS.

This made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. My kids will do the same thing!

 

[vamassey1]

This was Evie’s time to shine! She loves Star Wars. More the creatures and bots than the actual storyline, but either way. The girl has the Little Golden Books of all 9 movies plus the Mandolorian, and she reads them whenever she’s bored. She might not know how to read “disclosure” (a word she stumbled over during yesterday’s reading) but she can recognize and say Qui-Gon-Jinn.

I love that she is such a fan.

Naturally, Evie had a Star Wars shirt at the ready for this particular day. Plus a hair scrunchie. Plus a bow.

She did great at accessorizing.

We cut it close with TSMM. As soon as we were done, Alex had to pick Evie up and run her over to Eddie in Galaxy’s Edge. He had a 1:30 reservation for building a lightsaber, and Evie was going to be his Plus One.

What a great Dad for running her and Uncle for taking her on the experience.

Toy Story Land in July is just about the worst place to be in Florida.

Totally agree. It is too hot in Studios period, but TSL is the worst.

That picture is the epitome of Dad life. Alex spent such a long time getting the costume perfect for his daughter. Even looking up the exact spots the arm bands go on the arms.

What a great Dad!

While everyone was waiting for Eddie at the lightsaber shop, the group sort of set up shop in a shady area we had found near Smuggler’s Run. It kind of became home base.

We ended up camping out in the general area too. Not too far from restrooms and drinks.

Rey and Chewie saw Evie in her outfit and came right over to her. Rey got down on her level and spoke to her for several minutes, discussing how difficult piloting the Millenium Falcon is and how important it is to have engineers. Even warning Evie to watch out for Stormtroopers, joking that if they saw Evie, they would think she was Rey and get confused.

I love this! This is the BEST! I'm so happy she had some Character Magic!

Then, while we were tucked into our little corner, using our handheld fans to create a breeze, chit chatting, two more stormtroopers came up to us!

They came all the way to our little corner just to speak to Evie.

Blew our minds!

Very cool. I'm betting Rey said something backstage.

While waiting for our name to be called at Oga’s, Kylo Ren and several stormtroopers made an appearance.

And Evie…

“HIDE ME!!!”

Oh nooooo! I don't blame her. He's a little too intense.

I did not like Oga’s.

Not a fan either. I've been 3 times and only had 1 ok experience.

Thank you Galaxy Edge Cast Members. My kids now feel like you all are the epitome of best Cast Members ever.

There's that Disney Magic!

It was time for way too many pictures!

Love all of these.

As we were packing up and getting ready to head out, I decided to make the kids pose for one last photo.

But this one is the BEST.

All in all, this was an amazing day. We packed so much into our time at Hollywood Studios, and I feel like we really explored Galaxy’s Edge. Yes, we spent a lot of time in that one area, but we don’t feel like it was a waste of time. My group went on 4 attractions, met 3 characters, undertook 2 build experiences, all in 1 day.

You really did have the best GE day every.

Evie swore she didn’t fall asleep on the way home that night. She was awake the entire time.

THE ENTIRE TIME, GUYS.

 

[afwdwfan]

As per the usual with Walt Disney World, Alex and I were awake and on our phones before seven a.m.

Stupid genie+

She might not know how to read “disclosure” (a word she stumbled over during yesterday’s reading) but she can recognize and say Qui-Gon-Jinn.

Landon and Evie also informed me at this point that they’d forgotten their backpack with their waters and applesauce and snacks in the car.

The joy of traveling with kids!

At least in this case, you know where they left it. We're trying to figure out logistics for our trip... who can carry what so I don't have to carry a big huge backpack everywhere this time. And I just know something is going to get left somewhere.

No more losing by a thousand points!


No, instead I got absolutely crushed!

Toy Story Land in July is just about the worst place to be in Florida.

Our last trip we were doing the rider swap thing on Slinky. My dad had a really hard time finding a spot to sit and wait.

Then, because Alex spent ten minutes getting the costume perfect, Evie declared she needed to use the bathroom.

Sounds about right.

This will forever be: THE TRIP WHERE EVIE MET REY.

This is awesome. Not gonna lie. I think there was some dust in the room when I started reading about her interactions as Rey and saw the picture with her.

When Landon came back to us, I asked if he got to be the pilot, and he said:

“Yeah, but I did real bad.”



“I think I’m going to stick with engineer from now on.”

I kind of would have liked to have been along for that ride!

While waiting for our name to be called at Oga’s, Kylo Ren and several stormtroopers made an appearance.

And Evie…

“HIDE ME!!!”

Too bad... that could have been a fun one, but I can clearly see how a 6 year old girl dressed up as Rey might not be up for that interaction.

“What’ll you be having? Any food? Are you having one or two drinks?”


Uhhh, I literally just got the menu, I have no idea.


Thirty seconds later, “What are the kids having?”


Uhhh, I don’t know, I am still trying to read the menu.


Thirty seconds later, “Made a decision yet?”

NO. NO I HAVE NOT!



I did not like Oga’s.

This is actually pretty accurate. It is pretty rushed and it feels like you're supposed to know what you want right away... however, I will say that DW and I went on New Years Day and we were being served by 2 of the bartenders. One of them was awesome and she actually chatted with us for a couple of minutes and made some recommendations for us. Honestly, she made the experience for us the way she was "in character" and still wonderfully personable and relatable. I turned in a compliment for her. But I can definitely see where if you don't have a server going that extra mile, it would absolutely be overwhelming.

Needless to say, Oga’s is NOT somewhere we need to visit again. I wasn’t expecting much, but I definitely thought it would be better than that.

We have an ADR for our upcoming trip. I'm on the fence whether we will keep it or not. I kind of want to go have another Jet Fuel, but I'm also not sure about $20 non-alcoholic drinks for the kids. I think kids being there is all about attitude of not only the kids, but the other adults too. We were next to a family with kids and I was actually entertained by the kids just being wowed by the drinks and taking it all in.

Evie swore she didn’t fall asleep on the way home that night. She was awake the entire time.

Just resting her eyes...

 

[suse66]

This was Evie’s time to shine! She loves Star Wars. More the creatures and bots than the actual storyline, but either way. The girl has the Little Golden Books of all 9 movies plus the Mandolorian, and she reads them whenever she’s bored. She might not know how to read “disclosure” (a word she stumbled over during yesterday’s reading) but she can recognize and say Qui-Gon-Jinn.

Sweet!

Toy Story Land in July is just about the worst place to be in Florida.

I would add August is equally as special.

Rey and Chewie saw Evie in her outfit and came right over to her. Rey got down on her level and spoke to her for several minutes, discussing how difficult piloting the Millenium Falcon is and how important it is to have engineers. Even warning Evie to watch out for Stormtroopers, joking that if they saw Evie, they would think she was Rey and get confused.

I love it!

Then, while we were tucked into our little corner, using our handheld fans to create a breeze, chit chatting, two more stormtroopers came up to us!

They came all the way to our little corner just to speak to Evie.

Blew our minds!

Oh my gosh, that is amazing!

My party had snagged an ADR at Oga’s Canteen, and it was time to head that way. On the walk over, we had not one, not two, but three guests call out, “Hi Rey!” as Evie walked by.

Thank you, random strangers, for enhancing my daughter’s day.

Kindness cannot be underappreciated. Something as small as saying hello can mean so much.

Love it!

Needless to say, Oga’s is NOT somewhere we need to visit again. I wasn’t expecting much, but I definitely thought it would be better than that.

So sorry your Oga's experience was disappointing.

Alex and I thought it a win because we got some time to ourselves.

Win, win, win!

Thank you Galaxy Edge Cast Members. My kids now feel like you all are the epitome of best Cast Members ever.

So awesome!

One of my favorite shots from the trip!

That's a keeper for sure.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Evie was completely starstruck. When we talk about kids and them getting swept away in the Disney magic, this was the perfect example. I’ve never seen Evie so happy in the parks before. Her smile was ear to ear, and you could tell from her expression she couldn’t believe this was happening.

So glad she found something to truely love in Disney! That is the smile of true joy!

And Evie…

“HIDE ME!!!”

Too funny! Reminds me of when Morgan and Gwen would run away from the storm troopers.

This is a great photo!

THE ENTIRE TIME, GUYS.

Ha! Totally awake!! wink wink

 

[rdkeim]

 

[amazingact21]

Sorry for the long absence! My family was in Scotland over the weekend for the kids' Spring Break. And Alex FINALLY found out where we are moving to this summer, and the plans for that are happening sooner than expected. We thought we would be leaving June 25th, now it's more like the kids will have to finish school earlier than the full year.
Hopefully, this week I'll have some time this week to write an update.

 

[rdkeim]

Scotland - awesome! We were there last May. Loved it! Wow - can't wait to hear where you're moving!

 

[cindianne320]

Ooh- can't wait to hear your news, but sorry the kids won't be able to finish their term.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hope you spotted Nessie while in Scotland. It is stunning there!
It must be a bit frantic for you all when you’re moving sooner than expected but I’m glad you’re getting to go somewhere you want go.
Can’t wait to hear all about your latest move as well as your trip to WDW. Take care of yourself- we will all still be here when you have time

 

[amazingact21]

Hi friends! How are you all doing? Is it spring yet where you live? Over here, we are just beginning to get the first glimpses of nicer weather. The daffodils came out about two weeks ago, which is always the first sign for me that spring is around the bend. I joke that they bloom right before one last big winter storm comes along and drowns them.


I just wanted to pop in and give a quick little life update before I get back to the report.

The wildest thing about the military life is that you spend months and months waiting for, well...anything. New assignments, referrals, promotion notifications, etc. But then when what you're waiting for finally drops, the ball starts rolling and there's no stopping it. Everything happens quickly!

Last fall, Alex applied for a special duty position that would take him out of his current career field and put him in more of a leadership role. It was a long shot, because the specific area he's currently in didn't even need to submit anyone for this job. But, he managed to make it through to the next level and then he underwent an extensive application process. It was so in-depth that even I had to be interviewed.

Once the application was sent in, we had to sit around and wait almost 2.5 months to find out what was going to happen. With the application, they sent out a list of possible locations we could be sent to. So, Alex and I were keeping those in mind. But then, when our normal list for his regular job dropped, we also had to consider that we might be going there.

It was NOT a fun time. The spots ranged from Washington State to Florida, so we were literally in limbo, thinking we could be going anywhere within the continental United States.


Fortunately, Alex did get the job and was told we would be moving to(a place not on either list)....


TEXAS!!!

We are perfectly fine with this assignment. Is it someplace we want to live forever? Doubtful.
But is it warm most of the year?
YESSSSSS.

This was my one hope in all the options. Just send me somewhere where there's not a lot of snow.



The new job brings a lot of new factors into our lives. For one, it changes the trajectory of Alex's career and opens up the possibility of him staying in longer than we originally thought.
The second, it changed our move plans!

If we were just doing a regular move, we would have stayed in England until the end of June. Which is the timeline we kept in the back of our heads when planning. Well, unfortunately, because of classes and training Alex needs at this new job, we're losing a month, give or take a few weeks.

Everything got pushed up quick!

So, we have stayed busy trying to get rid of our European appliances and gadgets (treadmill, freezer, crockpot, etc) and outdoor essentials. (The kids were so sad to see their swingset go.)

The most complicated aspect has been preparing both our vehicles to ship back to the states. Lots of paperwork and requirements go into that! Not to mention coordination with ports and shipping dates.


Then, on top of all the logistics, Alex and I are trying to make this as smooth as possible for the kids. We've been taking them to all their favorite spots, revisiting places they enjoyed, and scheduling SO. MANY. PLAYDATES. Evie's social calendar is full to bursting.
We're doing as much as we can to help the kids transition to life back in the states. This is the first move Evie is really aware of, and she's not handling it well. It's been tough for her. There's about five kids she has been in the same class with since preschool, and since they go to a very small school (170 kids total from PreK-5) she's gotten to know everyone really well. Landon is more of a laid back kid and is taking everything in stride. He's also hit the tween years and grouchy is what he sets his default mode to.


Between making sure we go to our favorite pubs as much as possible (because who knows if we'll ever be back overseas) and scheduling movers, it's been a whirlwind year!



However!
My race weekend is only a few weeks away. Pretty soon, I'll be hanging out at WL with my mom, spending a week eating at the Flower and Garden Festival, running through Epcot, and watching Happily Ever After again.
I can't wait!

I managed to get most of the dining reservations I wanted. The only one that alluded me was a Steakhouse 71 breakfast the morning I fly out. The times were just not conducive to my schedule. I keep checking, but if it doesn't work out, I'm content to miss it. Gives me more park time.

I'm not sure if I'll write a TR for this April trip. It seems I'm having a hard enough time finishing last summer's. But either way, I'll come back here and say how the races went.

And tomorrow or by Sunday at the latest, I'll get my next update posted!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Exciting changes for all of you!
I hope we can meet up at WL!