Followed you over here from my own PTR. I'm all caught up now!

I'm so jealous of you staying at the Yacht Club! It's so gorgeous over there with the boardwalk and everything. You and your mom are going to have so much fun!
I hope your California trip works out. It would be a total bumski (Enchanted Princess speak for "bummer"

) if your plans fell through.
Randomness: Jon and Kate +8 is one of my FAVORITE shows. I adore those kids, they are too funny.

And I totally respect Kate for everything's she's been through. Also, I love hearing your stories about the kids you teach. They sound adorable!
Your "what if" game is fun! I'm going to look into the actual book, and maybe Mom, Aunt C, and I will play it during our 17 hour drive!
Ooh! I'll answer the "what if..."
I was thinking WoD too, but I choose the Wyland gallery at the Polynesian. A cool G would be a nice down payment on this:
DH has a 250 gallon saltwater fish/coral tank built into the wall in our office/den. He would love this!
I would also choose either the Wyland gallery or the art store at DTD. The artwork, especially the paintings, at those places always take my breath way.
As for your second "what if" about being "friends" with the characters, I would also choose Belle as one of my picks. Like you, she's my favorite princess. But Alice would be a close second. She is hysterical, especially when she's with the Mad Hatter. I would totally love celebrating unbirthdays with people and just generally acting like I'm off in my own little "Wonderland" like the other friends of Alice do.

Also, I LOVE her outfit.

Jasmine would also be fun just because I've always had a crush on Aladdin so it would be nice to hang out with HIS friends if you know what I mean....
Finally, I would go for the bangs. I've had them several times, and I got tons of compliments on them. Personally, I think they're the easiest way to change up your look. Also, they're supposedly really in right now because Jessica Alba just got them.

Remember, you don't have to go totally dramatic and get blunt bangs if you're not comfortable with them. If you've never ever had them, it may be better to ask for "swoop" bangs, which just sort of swoop across your forehead from your part. These are usually long enough to pull back if they're annoying you.

I might have some pictures to demonstrate, I'll have to look through my files tomorrow and report back.
Looking forward to reading more!
Emily