Three Crazy Women Stormed the World!!! 10/9 - Pictures...

[mvazul]

Sorry - most pictures are now gone since the trip was so long ago.

The trip report starts on Page 32 Post #475. The Index for the trip report is on Page 32 Post #474.

INDEX

Chapter 1 - I have a Plan!! Well...Kind of. Who's Coming With Me???: Page 1 Post #6
Chapter 2 - The Cast of Traveling Characters (With Pictures): Page 1 Post #8
Chapter 3 - The Planning & Itinerary: Page 1 Post #11
Chapter 4 - Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Page 1 Post #15
Chapter 5 - Let the Shopping Begin!!: Page 2 Post #20
Chapter 6 - Miscellaneous Ramblings: Page 2 Post #23
Chapter 7 - More Pictures: Page 3 Post #41
Chapter 8 - Crystal Palace: Page 4 Post #46
Chapter 9 - A Few Questions: Page 5 Post #63
Chapter 10 - Happy Belated 4th!! (An ER Visit): Page 5 Post #73
Chapter 11 - Misty Mates: Page 6 Post #90
Chapter 12 - Shoe Purchase: Page 7 Post #99
Chapter 13 - More Pictures: Page 8 Post #112
Chapter 14 - Packing List: Page 9 Post #129
Chapter 15 - Picture Overload: Page 9 Post#134
Chapter 16 - Revised Packing List: Page 11 Post #154
Chapter 17 - Monday's Musings: Page 11 Post #164
Chapter 18 - Another Shoe Purchase???: Page 12 Post #171
Chapter 19 - Pictures of Grace's Arm: Page 12 Post #179
Chapter 20 - A Wish List for the Parks: Page 13 Post #184
Chapter 21 - Disney's Magical Express: Page 13 Post #191
Chapter 22 - Ramblings: Page 14 Post #201
Chapter 23 - Move Over FL Gators...Crocs Are Moving In!!: Page 15 Post #215
Chapter 24 - The Un-Update...: Page 15 Post #219
Chapter 25 - Exactly One Month...: Page 16 Post #226
Chapter 26 - ER Update & Camping 101 With Pictures: Page 17 Posts #248 & 250
Chapter 27 - 25 Days!!!: Page 18 Post #260
Chapter 28 - 13th Birthday Video: Page 19 Post #283
Chapter 29 - 19 Days and Counting!: Page 20 Post #296
Chapter 30 - Crazy Busy: Page 21 Post #308
Chapter 31 - Puppy Pictures!!: Page 22 Post #318
Chapter 32 - Magical Express - Round Two...: Page 22 Post #328
Chapter 33 - A Wrench Thrown in the Plans - Just for Good Measure: Page 23 Post #334
Chapter 34 - Second Time is a Charm!: Page 24 Post #349
Chapter 35 - Single Digits & Random Pictures: Page25 Post #364
Chapter 36 - One Week From Today...: Page 26 Post #380
Chapter 37 - 5 DAYS!!: Page 27 Post #396
Chapter 38 - 4 Days - Anything Missing???: Page 27 Post #405
Chapter 39 - A Sad Realization...: Page 28 Post #412
Chapter 40 - Two Days Left!!: Page 30 Post #436
Chapter 41 - One More Day!!: Page 31 Post#455

Okay, so - I'm not too sure how to start. This is my very first pre-trip report. I am not the best at getting my thoughts written down for others to actually comprehend - and enjoy reading at the same time!!

Okay, let's see.....how it all started.

My husband, Steve, and I took our daughter, Grace, to Florida in June, 2002. She was 5 months old and we were only able to make it to the Magic Kingdom. Steve had been to Disney on a few occasions - I had never even been to Florida. It was a wonderful trip, but went way too fast. I knew I wanted to get back but had no clue if it would ever happen, again. Well, it did. This time, we went the end of January, 2007. We were also able to take my son, Andrew (12), with us this time. Also, we were able to go to the Magic Kingdom AND Epcot!! I was disappointed that we were only able to do two parks, but I was soooo excited to be back and with all four of us to boot! If you're extremely bored, you can read our family trip report here.

Okay, now that all four of us have been together, I really didn't think we would ever get back. It's so expensive and takes so much planning. Steve is not a planner. Anytime we do plan a trip or outing, it always gets canceled. Never fails. We planned the trip in January in a week and a half. Also, Steve took a trip to Hungary in October, 2006. He planned it in one day. (A little more on that in a bit.)

But, after our trip in January, I just knew I had to get back. I was hooked. Disney is so good at doing that! So, I started working on a plan. I had been a stay-at-home-mom for the last 5+ years. Finances were getting tight. I knew we couldn't go back if I wasn't working. I am a professional photographer and have been trying to get my business off the ground with little success. So, I went in search of a "real" job!! "Real" meaning I would get a steady paycheck.

I am now a professional nanny and loving it. It's hard not being home with the kids, but it's nice knowing I'm helping contribute finacially to our family. Steve works at home, so the kids still have one of us there with them all day. If he didn't, I wouldn't be so okay with having to care for someone else's child while mine sit in daycare. Plus, Grace will start all-day kindergarten in the fall and Andrew will be in 8th grade. And on a good note, I am still doing photography on the side. I took pictures of 109 T-Ballers a few weeks ago - that's 109 children ages 3 to 6!!! It was soooo much fun.

Okay - now I am working, bringing in a good paycheck and reading the DIS...alot! I found out I could book a Disney trip, pay a deposit and pay off the rest over time. Who knew??? Well, of course, everyone here, but I had no idea! This could be dangerous! I need another trip to Disney - only this time I want to do it right. I want to stay on-property and make it to all 4 parks. So, I start scheming - I mean planning!!

Next up: I Have a Plan! Well...Kind of. Who's Coming With Me???

 

[rentayenta]

Count me in!

 

[Avivasmom]

I am here too!!! Ready for more!

 

[DreaGirl]

I'm in! I am currently a SAHM and we are counting our pennies and dimes for our trip. We actually had a yard sale this weekend and all profit is Disney Money!

 

[mvazul]

Count me in!

I'm glad to have you here!!

I am here too!!! Ready for more!

Thanks for joining in!!

I'm in! I am currently a SAHM and we are counting our pennies and dimes for our trip. We actually had a yard sale this weekend and all profit is Disney Money!

It's so nice to have readers - and responders!! Yard sales can be a very good thing. When is your trip?

 

[mvazul]

I Have a Plan!! Well...Kind Of. Who's Coming With Me???

So, I realized I could actually pay for a Disney trip over time - without having to put money into one of my bank accounts that I knew I could still have access to. Now that I have learned this - and have found a decent paying job - I decide it's time to plan another trip. I decide I have three options:

1.) Steve, the kids and I all go back for a week of Disney only.
2.) Fly my mom out to Chicago to watch the kids while Steve and I go alone - especially since we have never even had a honeymoon.
3.) I take my mother and sister.

I talked to Steve about it and I decided on option number three. This was a very hard decision. I was extremely torn between option two and three. Option one was good, too, but I knew the kids would be in school when I wanted to go. We could have taken them out, but it just wasn't as appealing as an adult only trip this time.

The thing that put me over the edge for option three was the fact Steve had gone to Hungary to visit his family this past October. It was the 50th anniversary of the Russian/Hungarian Revolution and he was planning to meet his father there. His dad was born and raised in Hungary and was a huge part of the Revolution at the age of 16 - then moved to the United States. So, it was a big deal. We weren't 100% sure if Steve would be able to make it, but we had just sold our house and made enough for him to afford the trip. He bought his plane ticket on Monday night and left less than 24 hours later. He was gone for 10 days and had a fabulous time. His father ended up not being there and was back here in Chicago and never told us, but that's another story for another time!! Steve saw family he hadn't seen in about 28 years. He even met a cousin who was born after his uncle and family moved back to Hungary.

So, I started taking to Steve about a trip to Disney and asked if he would mind if I went with just my mother and sister. My mom was was very young when she got married and I was born. We never took vacations when I was growing up. We just couldn't afford it, but I never felt like I was missing anything. Steve encouraged me to go. He decided he would plan to take the kids camping the week I was gone.

I brought up the subject to my mother and sister and I think they thought I was crazy or joking. I assured them they already knew I was crazy but I most certainly was not joking!! Once they realized I was serious, they were all for it. Now we needed to decide when.

I wanted to go either the end of September or the second week of December. Mom was pretty much okay with anything, but Jennifer is going to be heading back to school this fall for her PhD. December was out, because she would be getting ready for mid-terms. September wasn't good, because she would just be starting school. So, over Easter weekend, we decided on Saturday, August 25th to Thursday, August 30th.

Of course, just after we decided on a date, there were all kinds of rumors here on the DIS about Free Dining being offered around that time. I wanted to make our reservations but was curious about the Free Dining offer. I have never stayed on property and had no idea how it all worked. But, I knew if we could get free food, why not try it and save some money? The dates came out for Free Dining and it started one day after we were planning to arrive. What to do? I could make a room only reservation for that Saturday night, but why do that when our dates are flexible for that week?

I changed our dates. We decided we will arrive the first day of Free Dining - and hope it was a good move. Our dates are now Sunday, August 26th to Friday, August 31st. I didn't want to get back any later than that, because my and Steve's anniversary is on September 2nd and we have tickets to the Cubs' game that day!!

So, we will be staying at POP Century August 26th to August 31st with Free Dining!! We have the basic Magic Your Way park tickets (no hoppers, etc.) and will be using Magical Express. I am sooooo excited!!!

Next Chapter: The Cast Of Traveling Characters - With Pictures!!

 

[mvazul's sister]

I am Michelle's sister, Jennifer. I really do think she is crazy and had no idea that her plans would actually come to fruition.

When she initially proposed going to Disney to my mother and I, I thought she was nuts and agreed to explore the option in order to appease her. Both times Michelle had suggested weren't great for me. December would be too close to finals and August was too close to the beginning of school. Thankfully the week we are going works out well and will definitely be time for a vacation.

I really have no idea what to expect. I have always loved Disney, but go in spurts of being really interested and then not so interested. She has driven us a little batty with all of the preparation, but I know that her heart is into it and I am getting more excited as the time comes.

Michelle keeps asking weird questions like "What are your top three Disney characters?" I have no idea what she has in store for us, but if her enthusiasm is any indication of how things will go I know the trip is going to be fantastic!!

I think it is just awesome that my mother, my sister, and I get to spend five days together with just the three of us. We've never had that opportunity and that may be what I am most looking forward to!

 

[mvazul]

Yay!! My sister is here!! She deserves a dancing banana!! (which means I must really like her considering I am allergic to bananas!! )

Okay....on with the report...

The Cast of Traveling Characters - With Pictures!!

(Note - for some reason, the picture link isn't working. I'll see if I can fix it in a bit. For now, I'll post the actual link.)

Mom (MaryAnn - 51 - lives in Pennsylvania near Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)

What can I say about my mother? She is a wonderful, hard working, caring person. Things were not easy as I was growing up, but she always made the best of things. She is affectionately known as "The Witch" by my son. At Halloween time, Andrew will see a witch and say, "Hey, look! It's Grammie!!!" I'm not really sure how she got that nickname. Mom is very easily amused. All we have to do is say, "bugs in a jar" and she will lose it!! (Long story there.) She is looking forward to riding Finding Nemo, seeing It's Tough to be a Bug, using Magical Express and enjoying Extra Magic Hours and the fireworks. Also, once she found out about the Free Dining, she was wondering if we could use one of our table service credits at just the dessert cart in DownTown Disney!! She can be a bit of a blonde sometimes - even though she's not truly blonde!! After watching The Patriot, she commented she didn't know we fought the British during the Civil War. (However, in her defense, there really aren't that many movies made about the Revolutionary War and many more about the Civil War.) So, I really wasn't very surprised when I asked Mom and Jenn for their three favorite Disney characters for Mom to come back with "Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Cinderella". Ummm...Mom...that's four! She decided Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore counted as one!! Okay, well then, that only makes two in her reasoning!! Scary thing is, I understand her reasoning!!

My Sister (Jennifer - 32 - lives in New York state near Seneca Falls)

Jennifer is awesome!! We couldn't stand each other as kids, but became very close as teenagers. We have had our falling outs and misunderstandings over the last couple years, but have patched things up - thankfully. I couldn't imagine my life without my sister. She is my best friend. Jennifer is smart, very quick witted and extremely funny. Jenn is not married yet and quite frankly is too busy to be worried about it. She has been running her butt off - literally!! She graduated from Penn State and went on to get her Master's. This fall, she is going to be starting her PhD program. I am so proud of her. Jennifer has two fur babies (Scout and Nala - both cats). Unfortunately, she had to put her beautiful Maggie M'Eh? to sleep last month. Maggie was a beautiful, 4 year old Chocolate Lab. Maggie had kidney problems and got sick very fast. So, Jenn needs this vacation. I keep telling her there are healing properties in Disney!! Jenn is looking forward to visiting the Animal Kingdom and eating Marshmallow Fluff stuffed French toast at the food court in POP. When I asked for Jenn's top three favorite Disney characters, I got an e-mail back saying, "Simba, Mary Poppins and Crush". A few days later I got a phone call from Jenn saying she is a moron!! They're not her three favorites. Her top three would be Pumba, Mary Poppins and Elliott from Pete's Dragon. Well, they are the three I originally thought she would say, but who am I to question?

Me (Michelle - 35 - live in Chicago)

I am the wife to Steve and Mom to Andrew (12 - almost 13 ) and Grace (5 1/2). I am the total opposite of Jennifer. We are seriously like night and day. My goal in life was to be a wife and mom. I had no interest in college - although some days I regret it and am toying with the idea of going back to school someday. For right now, I am a nanny to a 6 month old baby girl. I am also a professional photographer (Michelle Vazul Photography) . My music tastes are much different from Jenn's. I listen to Rush, Billy Joel, Boston, Styx, Bon Jovi, etc. Jenn listens to Indigo Girls, Dave Matthews, etc. We are at complete opposite ends of the political scale. I am worried about visiting the Hall of Presidents with her. But, I think we have agreed to just enjoy it for what it is and leave politics at home for this trip. I am looking forward to this trip very much. I feel so lucky to have this time with just my mom and sister. I think the biggest thing I want to to see is their faces as we enter Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. I am also excited to see Muppets 3D. Plus, it will be nice to go without kids. I don't have to worry about potty breaks or cutting someone's food. Sorry, Mom and Jenn - you're on your own for both of those!!

This could be a very interesting trip. When the three of us get together, we get silly. We have been asked to keep it down while shopping. I thought we were going to get kicked out of Bath & Body Works one time. All of us live too far away from each other and don't get enough time together. Mom and Jenn get to see each other quite a bit, but I am lucky to see them once a year. This year I will get to see them at least three times!!! This trip is not coming fast enough - and once it's here, it will go too fast!

Next Chapter - The Planning & Itinerary

 

[mvazul's mom]

I'm not much of a movie/cartoon buff, but I'm getting excited about this trip. Put me on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, I'll consume the popcorn and fall asleep half way through the movie!! Right girls?

I, too, am looking forward to spending five days with my girls. I have never been on a vacation like this, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have a "first" with! Guaranteed, we'll get into some kind of trouble!! Michelle has done a tremendous job of getting this all put together for us. Kudos to her!!

It will be the first time EVER that I have had the opportunity to get away and not have to do any kind of "waiting" on people or making sure that everything is taken care of. CAN'T WAIT!!!

So, watch out Disney, HERE WE COME..........(how many more days, Michelle?! Maybe I can get emuducated while I'm there!!

 

[mvazul]

I'm not much of a movie/cartoon buff, but I'm getting excited about this trip. Put me on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, I'll consume the popcorn and fall asleep half way through the movie!! Right girls?

I, too, am looking forward to spending five days with my girls. I have never been on a vacation like this, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have a "first" with! Guaranteed, we'll get into some kind of trouble!! Michelle has done a tremendous job of getting this all put together for us. Kudos to her!!

It will be the first time EVER that I have had the opportunity to get away and not have to do any kind of "waiting" on people or making sure that everything is taken care of. CAN'T WAIT!!!

So, watch out Disney, HERE WE COME..........(how many more days, Michelle?! Maybe I can get emuducated while I'm there!!

Yay!! Mom's here, too!! A dancing banana for you, too....

You crack me up!! And can you believe I am crying??? Yes, I'm sure you can. They are happy tears, though. Just wait until we actually make it to the Magic Kingdom. I will be bawling like a baby!! I had to choke back tears many times while we were there in January. It's an awesome place and I can't wait to enjoy it with both of you.

According to my calculations (and we all know my math skills stink) looks like we have 67 days left!!!!

 

[mvazul]

The Planning & Itinerary

As I said earlier, we decided on our dates over Easter weekend. Once we had our dates, I immediately wanted to make our reservation. I came to the DIS first and read about rumors of Free Dining starting in August. So, I waited - very impatiently.

April 12th was the day Free Dining was confirmed. I called Disney reservations as soon as I possibly could. Since I'm in Chicago, I'm already an hour behind. Then I had to wait until my bosses left and the baby was down for her morning nap. Reading the boards, I started getting very worried. I called and was on hold. That was fine, because I love their hold music!! Around 44 minutes, I started getting really worried, so I pulled up the reservations area on-line. I put in what I wanted - 8/26 to 8/31 standard room at POP Century. I got my confirmation number just as a CM picked up. I told her I had just reserved on-line, but I didn't see anything to get the free dining. She pulled up my reservation and added it for me. She was so nice to work with and made all of it go smoothly.

I let Mom and Jenn know we got our reservations with free dining and we needed to make our dining reservations ASAP. I sent them links to the restaurants and menus. They thought I was crazy to make reservations so early, but they went along with me. I think it was just to shut me up!! We sent e-mails and phone calls back and forth and finally decided on our restaurants. I let them know we were not getting Park Hopper tickets so we would need to pick one restaurant per park. It was much easier picking restaurants than I thought it would be. Here are our plans with our ADR's:

Sunday, August 26th - arrive in Orlando. I arrive late morning. Mom and Jennifer arrive mid-afternoon. Get checked in and decide what we want to do. Magic Kingdom has evening Extra Magic Hours, so maybe we will head there. We might head to Downtown Disney for a alte lunch/early dinner since Mom wants to eat at the Rainforest Cafe.

Monday, August 27th - MGM has EMH, so we will head there. We have dinner ADR'S at the Brown Derby with the Fantasmic! package. Jennifer and I have both decided we are too chicken to try Tower of Terror. I thought she would want to do and had decided I would try if she wanted to. But, she said no way!! Whew!!!

Tuesday, August 28th - Morning EMH at Epcot. Dinner ADR's at Coral Reef. I was told there is going to be a Dive Quest during our dinner. Very cool!! Mom is hoping to have seats right next to the tank. When I made our ADR's, I asked if I could request those seats and I was told we need to ask when we arrive. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Wednesday, August 29th - Evening EMH at Animal Kingdom. Since they don't have a table service restaurant, we will be having dinner at Wolgang Puck's in Downtown Disney. We originally had a decent time for our ADR, but then I realized there were EMH that night, so I changed them. Now, our ADR is for 10:00 PM!!! Jennifer said we will be falling asleep on our plates!! I don't doubt it.

Thursday, August 30th - Morning EMH at the Magic Kingdom. This is really the only day I am worried about. Since we have such a late night planned the night before, I'm worried we won't get up in time. I'm tempted to say we can sleep in, but I would absolutely love to see the castle with very few people around. I think it's a can't miss. We have dinner reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Friday, August 31st - Time to go home. Mom and Jenn's flight leaves around 3:00 PM and mine leaves around 6:00 PM. We might try to make it to another park in the morning and if we have time, head to Downtown Disney. We have tickets for that day and don't want to waste them, but I don't want us to feel rushed. We'll have to see what happens once we are there.

Okay....

Next Chapter: Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

 

[DreaGirl]

What a fun report! I hope all three of you keep reporting!

Your plans look great. I wish I could take an all girls' trip. That would be a blast.

 

[mvazul]

What a fun report! I hope all three of you keep reporting!

Your plans look great. I wish I could take an all girls' trip. That would be a blast.

Thank you! I tried to follow the link in your signature to your report, but I keep getting an error message. I would love to read it if you have it up!!

 

[DreaGirl]

Thanks for the heads up! I'm not sure what it going on. I added the link, under the link...hope it works.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1486131

 

[mvazul]

I need to make a quick correction. Apparently, I have been spelling my sister's name wrong. She told me last night it's Jen, not Jenn. How could I not know that? She has been my sister for 32 years!! Of course, I normally call her Jennifer - and I know I'm spelling that right! Sorry Jen. I'll get it right from now on!! I promise!

On with the report...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles!!

So, when I brought up the subject of a trip to Disney, I told Mom and Jen that I would take care of the hotel and park tickets, but they would have to take care of their food and airfare. No problem!! Disney offered free dining, so food is pretty much taken care of. Thank you, Disney!!

Getting to Orlando turned out to be a slight headache. We started looking at airfare and I was finding some really good rates but didn't have the money at the time to buy it. I had found roundtrip from Chicago to Orlando for $143 total - including taxes and fees. I waited to buy it, because I wanted to talk to Steve first. He told me I would be crazy to let it go. I got on-line the next day and the exact same flight was now at $265!!!! I find that crazy.

Finally, a few weeks ago, Mom and I got on-line and on the phone and started looking, again. She found one website (I can't remember the name) with some awesome deals!! I found airfare from Chicago to Orlando - with the times I wanted - for $39 one way!! I still didn't exactly have the money that week to buy it, but I knew if I didn't, I would regret it. So I tried to buy two one way tickets. The site wouldn't let me do anything. I put in what I wanted, clicked on the purchase button and it kept kicking me to the home page. I was so frustrated. I gave up on it and kept looking.

I decided to go onto CheapTickets and found a roundtrip flight that looked good. The price wasn't what it was a couple weeks before, but it wasn't too bad. I sat looking at the price, looking at other sites and finally decided on the one on CheapTickets. In the 5 minutes it took for me to decide, the price went up $30!!! It was still better than anything else I could find, so I bought it. So, I got my roundtrip airfare for $222 including taxes, fees and travel/flight insurance. I am going to be flying United. Now I need to figure out how I'm going to get from my place to the airport. I have to leave around 4:00 AM and don't want to make the kids get up that early. There is no way I will leave the van parked in long-term parking. I think I will probably just have to take a taxi.

Well, I now have my flights reserved next step is to help get Mom and Jen booked. Mom and I spent about an hour and a half one day trying to figure out what they could get. One flight had them coming back through Chicago with a layover overnight. I tried to talk her into it, but she didn't want to fly in and out of Philadelphia. Prices just kept going up. So, I told her I would check into Amtrak. That was $235 per person one way!! That would be a no. I suggested they drive down. That didn't work, because my aunt and uncle's 25th anniversary party is the day before we arrive in Orlando. We just couldn't seem to find anything that worked. Mom told me she would keep looking.

The next morning she called me and told me they had their flight booked, too!! They will arrive in Orlando about three hours after me and will have to leave about three hours before me. We were hoping to have our flight times closer together, but this worked. Yeah!! This was real. We are going to Disney World!!!!

Next Chapter: Let the Shopping Begin!

 

[mvazul's mom]

And yes, the shopping has begun. Jen has gotten us all "look alike" Zapo flip flops. And they're purple (Michelle's favorite color....not!) Next thing is a trip to the store for a fan/water sprinkler! Michelle has heard they're an absolute necessity at the end of August

.....who'da thunk we'd ever be going to Florida at the end of August......uggggggggghhhh! Oh well - if the three of us can deal with each other's sweaty arm pits and baseball caps, and sunglasses, that's all that matters!!

Michelle, you are out of control!!! I can't imagine what it will be like a month from now!!! We'll have to put you on ridlin!! You go, girl...........it's going to be a wonderful time!!!

 

[mvazul]

And yes, the shopping has begun. Jen has gotten us all "look alike" Zapo flip flops. And they're purple (Michelle's favorite color....not!) Next thing is a trip to the store for a fan/water sprinkler! Michelle has heard they're an absolute necessity at the end of August

.....who'da thunk we'd ever be going to Florida at the end of August......uggggggggghhhh! Oh well - if the three of us can deal with each other's sweaty arm pits and baseball caps, and sunglasses, that's all that matters!!

Michelle, you are out of control!!! I can't imagine what it will be like a month from now!!! We'll have to put you on ridlin!! You go, girl...........it's going to be a wonderful time!!!

Okay, first let's get one thing straight...they're not Zappos flipflops. Zappos is a website where you can buy the flipflops. They are Keen Antigua flipflops!!



Yes, they are purple, and I really can't stand purple. But, as I told Jen, if they are comfortable, I will wear them - especially since she found them for $20 when they are normally $60!!! At that price, I can deal with the color.

My next purchase is going to be Misty Mate fans and ponchos. You may not believe me, Mom, but you will thank me when we have them!! About the sweaty armpits - at least it will be everyone in Disney and not just us!! I don't wear baseball caps - you should know that! I can't mess up my hair. Plus, they are way too hot.

So, have you bought anything for this trip yet? I am going to post some pictures of my two most recent purchases soon. Also, I keep forgetting to tell you...if you buy stuff in the parks, you don't have to carry it around with you all day. They will deliver it to our room!! And, if you don't want to carry it home on the plane, they will even ship it home for you. This could be dangerous!!!

 

[jbmom]

Love it! It's great you are going with your mom and sister. I had many great times with my mom and sis at the world when I was younger. My dad and brother would go their ways and we would go ours. More trip report please, we get to Pop on the 25th, hope to see you there!

 

[mvazul]

Love it! It's great you are going with your mom and sister. I had many great times with my mom and sis at the world when I was younger. My dad and brother would go their ways and we would go ours. More trip report please, we get to Pop on the 25th, hope to see you there!

I am really looking forward to this time with Mom and Jen. However, I have a feeling we're going to end up getting into trouble for having too much fun!! That would be cool if we ran into you at POP!

 

[mvazul]

Let the Shopping Begin!!

First on the list....comfortable shoes. I know Jennifer has plantar fascitis and talking about her symptoms, I am almost poisitve I have it, too. So, I need shoes that are comfortable, have support and will let my feet breathe in the hot, muggy Florida summer. Sneakers are out. I starte researching and kept coming up with Crocs. I find Crocs to be extremely ugly. However, they do have some new ones out that look better. But, I also wanted something that would wear well and I could wear with shorts, skirts, khakis, etc. I decided on the Birkenstock Rios:

I am in the process of breaking them in. It's taking awhile. The straps are very stiff and are hard to tighten. I'm hoping to get them broken in before we arrive. Otherwise, Mom or Jennifer will have to buckle my sandals for me, because I just can't get them tight enough by myself yet. Once I bought my Birks, I realized they may not be the best thing if they get wet - as Jen tried to warn me on a couple of occasions. So, I started looking at Crocs, again. Then, Jennifer called last night and said she had found the Keen flipflops for $20 and asked if I wanted her to pick up a pair for me. I said absolutely. I am waiting to try those before buying any other sandals.

Next on the list......a slim, comfortable bag with enough room for my camera.

I looked and looked at bags. I was originally going to get a Baggallini Messenger. Then, I found the Overland Equipment Donner. I got a great price on it since I bought my shoes from the same place (shoebuy.com and bagsbuy.com). I just got it and I think it's going to work well.

My camera and extra lens fit nicely inside. It will also have room if I want to stick my shoes inside when we do wet rides. (I am packing Ziplocs to put my camera, lenses, cell phone and shoes in.) It also has a pocket on the back that will be perfect for a park map. It has a pocket on each side and will easily hold water bottles or a small umbrella. It has a nice, long strap and is good quality. As I have read someone else describe themself, I am "Pooh sized". This bag hangs comfortably at my hip. The bottom of the bag is about 2 inches below my fingertips.

Third on the list......clothes!!!

I went shopping on Monday and picked up a few clothes. I bought four shirts and a pair of shorts. I didn't take any pictures! Two of the four shirts are tank tops. I really don't care for tank tops, because I don't like how my arms look, but I really don't care this time. I am going to be in FL. It's going to be HOT and STICKY!!! My plan is to be comfortable. If other people don't like how I look, too bad!! I still need to get some more clothes. I will do it in small purchases. I don't need to make my husband angry with all my shopping!!

Okay, that's all for now.

Next Chapter: Miscellaneous Ramblings!