This is your 24th Anniversary? But you're so young!~A 5/12 TR!*PTR link pg 49, 9/14!*

[teekathepony]

YAYYYY For sticking with November! Sounds like an awful lot of fun to me.
Apple stores don't carry... iMac cords? That seems pretty strange to me. Hope your new cord comes in soon!
I hope Brandon recovers easily and as pain free as possible from his surgery!

 

[amazingact21]

I've had to be absent from the DISboards for several days now, and so I completely missed all the Disney trip decisions. Oh well...I think you ended up making the right choice. Makes life simple, plus getting 2 WDW trips that close together just feels wonderful. Plus....I must say, I'm super jealous that you get to see the holiday decorations twice!


Hope Brandon gets to feeling better soon. And aren't cats great? It seems like power cords make the best toys; my cat would chew on my surge protector whenever she wanted me to wake up and feed her.

 

[smile4stamps]

I think you also made the right decision. You had picked that time for a reason in the first place!

I hope your hubby recovers quickly from his surgery!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

After a longer-than-expected vacation from the Dis, I'm back and SO happy to find your TR! I love all the Friends references...it is seriously the BEST sitcom EVER (although How I Met Your Mother is creeping up to a close second)!

Just a few random comments...

How nice that you were able to switch to your dream room at BC...and celebrate your 24th anniversary in it!

I still haven't ridden TSM, but I'm determined that it's a MUST DO for our next trip.

Leaving Disney property? THE HORROR!

And finally, a bonus Disney trip? You must be living right! Congrats!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

hi,
hope Brandon is getting better every day...
Glad you made a decision...yes, Disney planning should not make you stress...I'm glad the decision making part is over!

Your silly kitty!

I saw Salty in person last night!!!...well, he was playing on the field and I was in the stands...if that counts as seeing him in person - lol
the rain delay just sucked the energy out of the Sox...oh well....I can't imagine tonights game wont be called off as its POURING here right now..
Wondering about Youk...kind of sad he is being traded

 

[MHTeacher]

YAY for having your decisions made about your trips!

Hope Brandon recovers from his surgery, and hope you make it playing nurse!

 

[therussells08]

Yay! I'm glad you were able to decide. It sounds like you've got a really good plan!

That stinks about your cord. My mom's cat (used to be mine, but I disowned her) LOVES to chew on any kind fo cord. My mom had to buy this stuff that tastes like sour apples to spray on everything so she wouldn't eat it.

I hope Brandon recovers quickly! I'm sure you'll take great care of him!

 

[KatMark]

Jen, I'm still here and reading, just haven't had time with everything going on with my mother-in-law to post like I like to do. DHS day sounded great, and for F&W/Christmas trip. n

 

[Mrs T 2009]

I hope Brandon gets to feeling better soon!!! For your sake and his

I think keeping your november trip sounds good less stress of figuring out ADRs if you switched and its so close to your other trip you won't feel bad if you don't get around to do something becuase you have the following trip to make sure you do!

And BOO to chewed up power chords BUT I'm glad you have a new one coming soon!!!

 

[Queenofallthings]

ACKKKK, can't believe I didn't see that you started this....I am seriously behind but I promise to catch up this evening!!!!

 

[PixieMama]

I've been off the grid for the last week, so just now catching up. Yay for 2 trips this fall, that's awesome!

Glad Brandon's surgery went well and hope he gets better soon.

 

[Simba22]

Glad you were able to make that October vs November decision without me! I've been so busy lately and I've been neglecting The DIS!

If you WERE to change you mind again and opt for October....do NOT go that last week. It was WAY more crowded that when we've gone earlier in the month.

Glad Brandon's surgery went well! BTW - did he ever have surgery on his foot? I remember him having an injury but I can't remember what the deal is with it now?

 

[wakica]

ew Sorry about the torn labrum and surgery anxiety

But I'm happy for you to have 2 upcoming Disney trips to look forward to!! You lucky girl you!!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Hello I'm back after my long break from the boards lol and catching up with your new TR.

Ugh at having to get up so early and eek at Brandon leaving his AP behind! Whew on quick thinking and being able to rectify that situation

Loving the Disney sign but makes me want to book a trip.

Yay on being at the Beach Club but a shame that you didn't get your balcony request.

Mmm another yummy meal at Le Cellier and love the pics of Epcot :thumbsup

Am happy that you managed to switch rooms and got a really good one...the pics look great!

Your day at DHS sounds great...oh no on losing at TSM. Hope you managed to win later on in the trip. Just read on and saw that you did lol!

Mmm that red velvet cupcake is bringing back happy memories

 

[Nermel9]

Hi everyone! I finally have my computer back! We ordered a cord from Apple and it was supposed to get here Monday, but they were taking forever, so Brandon called UPS and they said we would get it tomorrow. So just for fun, we went to this random computer store and asked if they had any power cords that we could use, and apparently you DON'T need a special Apple cord, just any one that fits is fine! So they had one, and guess what? It was $2! Brandon paid $20 for the one he ordered from Apple! So he's going to send that one right back tomorrow when he gets it! I'm so happy to not be computerless anymore, I was starting to lose my mind, doing everything on my phone!

Thank you all for the well wishes for Brandon! He is doing ok, he is in a lot of pain, but he's managing, when his pain pills wear off, he is NOT happy, but luckily, when they are working, he's ok. He will get his stitches out this Thursday, so we'll see what happens from there!

I'm so excited I finally get to do a trip update! I'd like to try to get the whole 2nd day finished, but I'm not sure if that will happen! If not, I will finish it in a few days and get moving with this, I'd like to finish it up sometime in July so I can start a PTR for November in August! And I promise to get caught up on everyone's PTR's/TR's in the next couple of days, I know I'm really behind on almost all of them!

The One With the Desserts!​

When we left off, we were about to venture offsite! So we went to Walgreens and I got my Advil, Gatorade and water. I have serious issues with the heat and migraines and I was realizing that Gatorade keeps me hydrated much better than water for some reason, so I kept buying it in the parks and it's just so expensive! (Well actually they have Powerade in the parks, but same thing!)

We finished up at Walgreens and were thinking about what to eat for lunch. We wanted to go back to the Beach Club to swim, so we wanted something quick and preferably cheap so we could just eat be finished. We thought about Mc Donald's or Burger King, but then I saw that there was a Steak 'N Shake across the street from Walgreens! My sister and her family love this place, and I've wanted to try it for a while, so we decided to go there!

It's a cute, simple place, with burgers and shakes, basically! I was tempted to get a shake, because OMG they looked fantastic, but I figured I'd drink half of it and throw the rest away so I didn't see the point. Brandon and I both got burgers and fries, he got some burger with mushrooms on it and I got a bacon cheeseburger

YUM! I loved the seasoning they have at the table for the fries, you can actually buy a bottle of it there, and I kind of wanted to, but Brandon read the ingredients on the back and told me I could make it at home. So I didn't bother, but I'm thinking next time I go there, I'm getting some!

We finished eating and hurried back to the Beach Club, and got into our bathing suits. I felt really awkward walking from the room to the pool, because all I had on was my bathing suit and a cover up...you all know I have issues with my weight, so walking around like that in public was really hard for me. I hated not having a towel to wrap around me or carry in front of me, so I kept my arms in front of me the whole walk down. Hopefully I'll be a little skinnier on my next trip, so that won't be as big of an issue (I already lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks ).

When we got to Stormalong Bay, it was pretty packed, but surprisingly, a lot of people were sitting around on the chairs, there weren't a lot of people in the pool. I didn't get that, it was SO hot that day, why you'd want to sit in the sun and read your Kindle when you could be in that pool is beyond me, but I'm just not one for sunbathing!

We looked for some empty chairs to stash our stuff, and we found some right in the middle, they were actually kind of secluded. Again, I felt horribly awkward taking off my cover up to get in the pool, so I had to look for the closest way to get in, rip my cover up off, run over to the steps to the pool and get right in. I just didn't want anyone to see me. Brandon kept telling me not to worry about it, that no one is even paying attention to me and that I look fine, but I just worry about those kinds of things.

However, once I was in the water, I forgot all about it, it's such a fun pool! We just swam around, went in the hot tub for a minute (it was SO hot!), went down the slide a few times, and just hung out! It was so much fun, I remember when we stayed there the first time, I didn't really like SAB as much as I thought I would, but this time, I loved it!

We stayed in for about an hour, and when we got out, we grabbed some drinks from Hurricane Hanna's, and started the walk back up to our room. I don't remember what Brandon got, but I finally got a pina colava, and it was amazing! It was a lot stronger than I thought it would be!

When we got to our room, we opened the door, and found a surprise waiting for us:

I was so surprised, I assumed it was from Brandon, but I figured he had no idea how to order a little mini cake like that from Disney! I asked him and he said no, so I read the card, and it was from my sister and my niece! When I read it and showed Brandon, I actually got a little teary eyed, it was just such a nice surprise from them, and so unexpected! Thanks again!

Here is another closer look at the adorable cake:

We didn't know how to divide it up, so we just cut it down the middle and dug in! The cake and frosting were so good, chocolate cake and I think whipped cream frosting! It was also very filling, for such a tiny cake, perfect for 2 people!

When we were finished with our cake, we both fell asleep for a little while, and when we woke up, it was time to get ready for California Grill! I was so excited for this ADR, I've always heard such great things about CA Grill, so I thought this would be our official "anniversary" dinner!

I took a lot of time getting ready, I wanted to try to look nice, and surprisingly, when I left BC, I did...my hair was perfectly straight and in place, my makeup was nice, my dress was cute...unfortunately, I had the brilliant idea to walk through Epcot to take the monorail over to the Contemporary. Do you know how long of a walk that is? Long. When it's hot and humid and you can see the rain clouds looming in the distance, it seems like it takes forever. By the time I got on the monorail, my hair was wavy and frizzy, and I felt my makeup melting off of me! Oh well!

Space Mountain from the monorail
​

We arrived at the Contemporary a little early for our ADR and kind of had no idea where to go at first...I knew the check in counter was separate from the actual restaurant, but I didn't remember what level. It was a little confusing, but we found it and within minutes, we were on the elevator and in the restaurant!

When you get off the elevator, they encourage you to walk around the restaurant, get a drink at the bar, go outside to the places you can watch Wishes from, while you wait for your table. We walked around a little, but we mostly stayed at the bar while Brandon watched the sushi chef prepare everything!

We were seated after a few minutes, and our server came over to get our drink orders. I got sangria, because I couldn't decide on anything else

and Brandon got a glass of red wine.

We took a while looking at the menu, I was having a hard time deciding what to get, and Brandon wanted sushi, but didn't know if he should get sushi as an appetizer and then get an entree, or just get sushi...we finally decided and it seemed like forever until we got our food! We weren't annoyed or anything, that place is SO busy, and we were right near the kitchen, so we could see the chefs working really fast and the servers walking quickly to take their food to the tables. We were just SO hungry by that point that maybe it seemed like it took a while!

Finally, Brandon got his sushi-

I believe he got the California Roll and the Spicy Kazan Roll (not sure if the California Roll is right, but I know he got the Spicy Kazan Roll!). He couldn't decide between the two, so instead of getting an entree, he just got both rolls!

I, on the other hand, got the Grilled Pork Tenderloin:

O.M.G. This may be one of THE best things I've ever eaten in my life. I wish I was good at dining reviews, but I'm not, so trust me-it was amazing! The pork was absolutely perfect, and that goat cheese polenta is to die for! I wasn't sure how I'd like the polenta, because I've never had it before, but it was my favorite thing. It reminded me of stuffing on Thanksgiving almost. Weird, right? I was taking such small spoonfuls of it while I was eating it, because I wanted to make it last.

Brandon loved his sushi, especially the Spicy Kazan Roll. I tried a piece of both, and they were good, but I'm not a big sushi person, so I couldn't tell what the big deal was, but he said it was some of the best sushi he has ever had.

When we were finished eating, our server came over and cleared our table, and a few minutes later, brought out our dessert-the Cinderella Glass Slipper that Brandon ordered for me!

Isn't it so pretty? I didn't want to eat it, I just wanted to look at it, it was adorable! I got over that quickly, and we pretty much devoured it, it was so yummy! The best part of it was the chocolate mousse behind the slipper, but the slipper itself was good also!

We finished our dessert, and we had to decide what to do at that point. I wanted to walk over to the Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes, but it was pretty late by then, and I thought maybe we'd miss some of it as we were walking over. Brandon wanted to watch Wishes from the roof, so we went outside to check out the view, and it was beautiful! I can't believe you can actually see into the Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary! I want to stay there now, which is something I never thought I'd say! (Although if I did, I'd rent points for Bay Lake Tower, because I like their pool a lot better!) I think Brandon wants to stay there someday too, because he asked me how much it would cost to stay there on our next trip!

Up next...Wishes from the roof...and magic hours?

 

[Joyciemc]

I totally do the same thing with hurrying up to get in the pool once the cover-up is off. I hate bathing suits. But I love pools (especially when it's a million degrees out!)

How cute is that cake??? Soooo nice of your sister and niece to do that for you! And Cali Grill is always delicious, glad you both enjoyed your meals so much!

 

[marDgreen88]

There's a Steak n Shake in my college town and let me just say girl... you should have gotten a shake! They are DELICIOUS. If you ever happen upon a Steak n Shake again, make sure you get one!

Glad you had fun at Stormalong Bay! Agh that pool looks like so much fun and the Beach Club is perfect.

Aww!!! That little cake is just precious! How sweet of them to get it for yall! I love the little sauce heart/balloon things hahah.

GOOD LORD. Brandon's sushi looks unbelievable. OMG. I haven't had sushi in so long and now I'm just craving it. SIGH.

CONTEMPORARY.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

You need to come to Chicago for multiple reasons: 1. To visit me! 2. To eat some great steak! 3. So I can take you to Steak N' Shake to get a SHAKE! They are delicious!!!!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Oh my god, if you come to Chicago, the three of us (you, me, and DisneyCrafter) should hang out!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

AH, I'm the same way about swimming in public! I totally understand!!!

I like steak and shakes shakes, but not their food. Probably because the few times I've gone, the food has not been great

SOOO glad that you enjoyed CA Grill We enjoy going there!!! Yes, they are super busy, but the food is delicious!!!