). Honestly, we had to work to get her to loosen up. lol.
It was fun formal dress shopping! I haven't really done this since my last sister's wedding. DD bought her 8th grade formal shopping with friends so I didn't get to participate. Wah.
. Yeah, you, . Lurkers! 
Over here!!! Or laugh at my kids' antics. 
(Yeah, I know, that's pixiedust, but still... he disappears, right?)
Cricket's chirping.... 
I thought tickers were supposed to make the time go faster. That really doesn't work when you keep changing the dates. yikes, am i really considering making last minute changes to the plan? Why, yes, this time, I am.....)
).
I am not sure if you have come up with a solution on how you can surprise your kids with Universal and still use the GPS but I think I have thought of one. Why don't you research a store or restaurant or something in the area that is right next to Universal. Then you can tell your kids that somebody recomended this "store" and you wanted to check it out before you leave. You can put the stores address in the GPS but by the time you get close to it the signs for Universal will guide you the rest of the way in. What do you think? (I am not going to lie...I was pretty impressed with myself
). 
Maybe I'll remind her how rough the waves can be at the beach. Or suggest a trip to The Beach or Kings Island waterparks locally this summer, then remind her how NOT appropriate bikinis are for water parks. Eh, I'll think of something.
Perfect. There is a Denny's on the loop right behind the Doubletree Hotel at the entrance to Universal (we stayed there for a couple nights once so that's where I centered my search). That will work perfectly for getting us there without giving anything away! Thanks so much for the tip! Perfect idea!!
And since we've stayed at the RPR before and did a lot of walking between the Doubletree and Universal on a prior trip, I'm confident we can follow the Universal signs to the RPR once we get that far.
Problem solved. And mission accomplished! Thanks again!
Woh! I almost fell off the face of the Dis! I was back to page three oblivion. AGAIN!
Hey, you...
Don't just read and laugh at my ridiculous mistakes and mishaps. Don't just ogle my handsome hubby.
Join in. Come. Chat. I promise I don't bite.
I need all the help I can get before I lose the few readers I've got.
Help a girl out here, okay?
I don't want to DISAPPEAR!!!
That's alright. I'll wait....
Okay, okay, enough pathetic begging.
I short update. I put in for our original trip dates at work. Boss seemed fine with it, which is great. So, now, DH needs to arrange his time off. Then, finally, I'll re-schedule our reservations and I think we'll have this trip set in stone.
Which, of course, means changing my ticker again.
Back to square one.
I've been trying to think about our plans for Day One at the Ft. That's a "no park" day.
We'll need to set up our base camp and pick up some of the groceries, and I didn't want to feel rushed, so I left the day open.
But, we'll be arriving bright and early, so we're going to have plenty of day left for some extra-curriculars. Obviously, we'll go to the Ft. pool, which the kids are going to love. But, I think we'll have a lot more time than that.
There's always Downtown Disney, but I'm wondering about maybe trying something new this year.
Has anyone done the putt putt courses? If so, which did you like the best? What's a good time of day to go? (I'm not really worried about the heat, we'll be dealing with that no matter what we do. I just don't want to get there and have to wait forever.)
Any other suggestions for some fun, simple activities for this day??
We'll probably have two early evenings on our trip also (after the water parks). I'm sure we'll be done there by 4 p.m. both days which means plenty of time to explore.
Here are a few ideas I've been throwing around:
Exploring:
Art of Animation
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Any other resorts worth just a walk through. (We've done all the monorail resorts, so probably not those.)
Obviously Downtown Disney is an option. I'd be surprised if we didn't go at least once.
Anything else that would be fun for a quiet afternoon? We're open to anything really. Even outside the Disney Bubble. No idea is too big or too small. I just need a few to consider that other people have enjoyed.
On a side note, I think I'm going to walk my husband through all the attractions at each park. I was really kind of surprised at how small our "must do" list at DHS was. Honestly, we may reconsider and decide to do MK, just because there are so many more attractions.
I'm not fussed either way, but I don't want DH and the kids to feel like it's a wasted day, so I think I'll walk through it with him (Or all of them once we get there.....
Well, that's probably enough rambling for one day. Feel free to share you expertise, advice, suggestions, crazy ideas... I would love to hear all of them.
You too, Lurkers!
. Which make the page end up on page three very quickly after posting an update.
The only ride we do not do is Summit Plummet but I have seen tons of people come down that one in a bikini. So if you can not talk her into a tankini then I think she will still be ok.
On a side note. I got a scare today. Like maybe Emily is on to something. She made a comment that got my radar up......
Anyway, as we were walking through the store, Emily noticed the swimsuits and stopped to check them out. (She found out just this morning that we are going to have to buy a new one for our "camping trip" because she's been running, dropped a few pounds, and now the two suits we bought last year are too loose
Anyway, she saw one she liked, then said, "Oh, but it's got metal on it. I can't where it on a water slide."
WHAT????
I haven't said a word about water slides??? We're going "camping" and "maybe to the beach." That's it.
What is this about water slides????
I hope I haven't given anything away or left anything laying around that gave her a tip!
I feel the same way about my lurkers. I can tell that lots of people look at my page but very few comment
One suggestion I would give is to check out the Boardwalk. It would be especially convenient if you decide to putt putt. You could drive over to the Boardwalk and spend some time there and then walk over to the course that is right next to the Swan/Dolphin. I love the Boardwalk the most in the evenings. It is cooler and has a wonderful energy to it. You can also watch the high fireworks from Illuminations from most any where on the Boardwalk. We love to sit on the Beach at the Beach Club and watch from there.
About the bathing suit. My DD has always worn a bikini and never came close to losing it on any of the water slides. Heck I even wore a bikini during our trip in 2011.
) 
Completely off topic rambling. Feel free to skip this post if you like. 
I'm so tired of the stained, old, ratty siding. I can't wait to get started. We're going with a darker gray color to match the detach garage we built a few years ago.). 
I can't wait. I know from the past that it will be over before I know it. But, it always feels like the wait takes For-E-V-E-R... Wow...that really sounds like a big job! How great that you have the skills to do the work yourselves. That is a huge money saver!
Yay for a summer off!
So that job really isn't as bad as it sounds. (Actually, we have another friend who expressed an interest in the pea gravel last year, so if they still want it, we'll be off the hook for removal. Then, all we'll have to do is level the yard and re-seed the area.)
We've got some other big plans for the spring and summer this year. Our house is a century old and was quite the fixer-upper when we first bought it. We updated most of the interior, the electric, the plumbing, all the windows and doors over the last 10 years.
And, FINALLY, after all this time, we're ready to replace the nasty white siding I've hated since Day One. Woo Hoo!
Since we'll have to rent a bin to collect all the trash, I've also asked DH to tear out and replace the front sidewalk, front porch posts and rails, and the pea gravel that was under the kids play area in the yard (we sold the play set when I closed my day care, but the gravel is still there
I figure we might as well get these projects done at the same time, since we'll have a place to go with the garbage and they aren't pricey add ons. Just a bit of manual labor. DH would also like to replace the roof, but that will depend on how far our budget will stretch. It's still got a few years of life in it, so we don't have to get it done this year. But, if we can stretch it, it would be nice to get all of the work done at once... Either way, by the end of the summer, my house and yard should look 100% better!
It would be really great if we could have all the projects done and the new grass growing well before our trip. Dh has some construction experience and my dad is a retired contractor, so we plan on hiring another pair of hands and doing the work ourselves. This will save us some cash, but may slow down the timeline a bit.
Due to all these projects, the vacation, and my work schedule, I decided to take the summer off from school. I'm looking forward to the change of pace. I'll still be busy, but it's all exciting stuff that I've wanted to get done for a decade, so I don't mind a bit!!!
so I really learned alot. Now it just goes against my grain to hire any work out
You have a beautiful family! I hope you post about the zombie cake that your daughter wants for her birthday! My son and I are into all things zombie, too, so that cake sounds pretty cool! I dont know if I could eat a zombie cake, but it would be fun to look at OK, I just got to the part where you posted a picture of the cake. That is repulsive! And so cool! Ooh, cute sandals! Im glad you gave into temptation and got the other two pairs too! I am really enjoying the scheming going on in this PTR: forgetting the laptop, going to Dennys, buying a tankini or a one piece for the local water parks
Oh, and I almost forgot, getting your hubs to use his domestic side while you guys are camping! 
That is awesome. I have never been camping, but I love the country and I would be up for camping in an RV one day. My kids want to go tent camping, but I am way too prissy for that 
I have considered getting them a tent so that they can camp in the back yard. Maybe Ill work my way up to a real camping trip one day. It looks like fun especially camping at Fort Wilderness but you are a brave lady to be doing it in July! You guys are experienced campers, though, so it looks like you have great plans to deal with the heat and the rain Good luck with your daughters eye issues. I will keep her in my thoughts. Oh and I forgot to mention that your resort choice of RPR is great! I cant wait to hear about more of your plans!
