Two moms get away to act like teenagers...or do they? The End! (Feb 18-21, 2011)

[SimmerBaggins]

Now, I had been in BLT rooms before, when we looked at them (possibly to buy into) right before they opened the facility, and I was in awe of the decor.

I was still in awe of it. This was so exciting!! But what was even more exciting, was that Melissa had settled on buying these for a surprise for me:

Aren't they AWESOME?? I was instantly in love with my balloons. She had put some streamers on them, and tied them down with a heavy blue star. The streamers were the colors of our high school and college!

She had also bought me a Magic Kingdom 40th Anniversary pin. I was overwhelmed, and so totally surprised! But, that wasn't all.

Also in the room was a very special Mickey -- sure, she said the words to you, but when she said them to me, that's what got me. I was due to go under the knife the next week. We weren't sure of a lot of things, but I knew my best friend was always there for me. And when she said, "I know I can't be there, but he can," talking about the stuffed Mickey, that got me. Okay, I'm stupidly crying right now, because we both got emotional.

And, I kept that Mickey with me all through my ordeal -- his home was our couch when we got back -- and that couch was where I stayed after every chemotherapy event. It kept me in the circle of the family, and when there was no family around, there was Mickey. He reminded me of my trip, and my BFF. Sure, I know God was always there with me, too, but Mickey was a bright spot in my otherwise not-so-pleasant bedridden time.

At that moment, I didn't know what role he would play, but Melissa and I looked at each other after she said that, and then she said, "Okay, I wanted to get that over with -- now, let's have fun!"

And we both laughed through our tears, and that was it!!

My next thing was, "what's our view like???" And the curtains opened, and the door opened -- well, after I figured out how to open the blasted thing -- and there was our view...aaahhhhh!

I love her. I'm so glad we've stayed friends for so long.

Next was the kitchen...beautiful. Now, I remember before they remodeled these, that some people were doing bathroom sink things right in the kitchen...eww. Thankfully, we got a remodeled studio.

That loooooong bar in the back opens up one of those huge shelves that just pull out -- that's where the liquor went.

Liquor?? Did I just say LIQUOR? Oh, Melissa came prepared. That's right -- that was CHEX MIX SNAX on the counter. Don't mess with us.

She also brought us some Krispy Kreme donuts, and some pastries. Oh, yes, all the bad girl stuff. WITH the chocolate Chex Mix.

It was at this time, after discovering all the goodies that Melissa had brought us, that I must have felt beautiful. Or, at least cute enough to take another picture of myself, up close. That's right, folks -- no liquor even needed at this point.

And now...

What you are about to see...

Boggles the mind...

Enter now...

Into the Twilight Zone Toilet.

WTH?? Who came up with the spotlight on the pot? LOL Melissa and I laughed our asses off at this!! "Do we turn this light on at night to spotlight our midnight jaunt to the pot?"

I'm just glad that neither one of us ever got drunk enough to snap a surprise pic...

Next up: WHERE ARE WE GOING??? We gotta get going!!

 

[TinksThree]

You totally had me bawling! That is the sweetest that Melissa did! How awesome to remain good friends for so long!!

BLT looks really nice! I really wonder at times what they think (a spotlight???). I remember the first time I saw a telephone by the toilet. Why?!

 

[jmskinner]

What a special trip! I'm looking forward to reading all about it. My BFF and I took a no-families trip together and had a blast. We're planning another for our 50th birthdays.

Welcome!!! Vickie, 50th birthday trip?

I'm not going to do an update due to Game of Thrones if about to start and the DH will be upset if he hears typing. Plus, I'm buzzed after a margarita, I could end up merging TR's. Plus, we are stressed waiting on a response on a house.

But I will respond on Vickie's portion of the trip. I was sitting here tearing up myself reading about Mickey. I was trying not to cry when I purchased him. So glad it did bring you some comfort. Sure wish I could have been there for you in peron.

I had forgotten about the toilet...throne lighting it. It was too funny. I believe I have a pics with and without the light. And that pullout pantry was crazy. Seriously, would anyone staying at BLT bring enough food to fill that up? The room was nice, but don't think I would want to be in there with 4 people.

We were laughing the old time, just like a couple of high school girls. Such great memories.

Oh, it wasn't Krispy Kreme's, it was Dunkin Donuts. I went with those because they had those special chocolate ones and I wanted to try them, but DH never would let me. "Don't bring those in the house, I'll eat them!" I also had some pastries from Panera. Trying to save a little money.

Ok, showtime, will hopefully do an update later.

And Vickie, you know I love you too and can't wait for another trip, ok two trip, one with family and one without.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

You totally had me bawling! That is the sweetest that Melissa did! How awesome to remain good friends for so long!!

BLT looks really nice! I really wonder at times what they think (a spotlight???). I remember the first time I saw a telephone by the toilet. Why?!

Okay, I knew I was crying as I wrote it, but I didn't know if it would come across that way!! She is awesome, and that was perfect -- we had our moment, then for fun!

But -- you totally had me going for a second -- I thought at first you said you saw a telephone in the picture by the toilet, and I was like, WHAT? How did I miss that? Yes, I believe in elementary school, we were taught to READ THOROUGHLY...!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Welcome!!! Vickie, 50th birthday trip?

I'm not going to do an update due to Game of Thrones if about to start and the DH will be upset if he hears typing. Plus, I'm buzzed after a margarita, I could end up merging TR's. Plus, we are stressed waiting on a response on a house.
But I will respond on Vickie's portion of the trip. I was sitting here tearing up myself reading about Mickey. I was trying not to cry when I purchased him. So glad it did bring you some comfort. Sure wish I could have been there for you in person.
I had forgotten about the toilet...throne lighting it. It was too funny. I believe I have a pics with and without the light. And that pullout pantry was crazy. Seriously, would anyone staying at BLT bring enough food to fill that up? The room was nice, but don't think I would want to be in there with 4 people.
We were laughing the whole time, just like a couple of high school girls. Such great memories.
Oh, it wasn't Krispy Kreme's, it was Dunkin Donuts. I went with those because they had those special chocolate ones and I wanted to try them, but DH never would let me. "Don't bring those in the house, I'll eat them!" I also had some pastries from Panera. Trying to save a little money.

Ok, showtime, will hopefully do an update later.

And Vickie, you know I love you too and can't wait for another trip, ok two trip, one with family and one without.

50? Of course! And, many in between!!

Yes, you're right -- old age and bad memories creeping in -- Dunkin' Donuts it was. See, I guess I am partial to Krispy Kremes, so I just added them in. We ended up cutting them in half, most of them, so we could each try the different ones! It was a great money-saving idea, eating our breakfasts in.

What are you doing the week before Christmas?

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

I'm in - now that I'm through crying, I can't wait to hear about all the fun!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Okay you kind of had me tearing up over the Mickey too!

That twilight zone toilet is kind of weird. Good to know since I will be staying there in July.

Cannot wait to hear about the fun!

 

[heaven2dc]

What BFF's you both are I have also shed several tears and have smiled so much already and day 1 has hardly begun!

Loved the pic of the "throne"

 

[lbuzz52]

I'm just glad that neither one of us ever got drunk enough to snap a surprise pic...

what a sweet friend you have! i'm glad to hear that you treatments have been successful!

this seems like it will be a lot of fun! i can't imagine a better place to giggle with my best friend than WDW!

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I'm in - now that I'm through crying, I can't wait to hear about all the fun!

I was so hyped up and ready to go -- and I almost feel that way when I'm telling this story!!

Okay you kind of had me tearing up over the Mickey too!

That twilight zone toilet is kind of weird. Good to know since I will be staying there in July.

Cannot wait to hear about the fun!

Melissa had actually pointed out the "Throne" to me -- I guess I stole her thunder! I'm hoping I can get to a next installment today, although I feel badly that Melissa is still away from home and can't properly access SmugMug.

What BFF's you both are I have also shed several tears and have smiled so much already and day 1 has hardly begun!

Loved the pic of the "throne"

Awww!! Thanks!! It was truly a "feel-good" time for us -- all excitement, and yet we just fell right into our friendship like an old glove. It was awesome.

what a sweet friend you have! i'm glad to hear that you treatments have been successful!

this seems like it will be a lot of fun! i can't imagine a better place to giggle with my best friend than WDW!

She is the best -- even when she's mad at you, she's sweet! And yes, treatments are kind of a preventative thing for me, and everything is looking good.

Count me in!!

Yay -- hi, MelMel!! Awesome to have another reader who'll comment and enjoy the "show"!

Okay...will begin working next installment...!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Well, now it was time to switch from “arrival mode” to “park mode”. I was eager to get out there and ride something!! I won’t tell you yet what, but it was a very specific ride.

I had my backpack to rearrange, and Melissa had to figure out what she was taking. She had her nice SLR camera, but also had another video camera that she and her DH had just bought. I was surprised that she had that one, too, because her other camera also took good video. I can’t remember if she took it with us – and this becomes significant, later. She had bought some bottles of water and had them iced – so we grabbed a couple.

We figured out where we were going to distribute our stuff in the room, and gathered up our backpacks and headed out of the room. She needed to go back to her truck to get her phone, if I remember right (her only charger was the one in the vehicle), then we went over to the bus stop.

Those of you familiar with Disney transportation now know our choices have just narrowed!!

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. I stress this because as I was reading someone else’s TR for earlier in February, it was cold and wet. And now-a-days when a lot of temps are climbing into the high 90’s and 100’s, it’s hard to imagine it NOT being beautiful outside – but it was a true blessing that day for the weather to be as sunny, warm and beautiful as it was. I felt like God was just shining on us and everything was as perfect as it could be.

That was reinforced when, not 5 minutes after we got there, our bus arrived.

One thing I’d like to mention, if you aren’t already familiar with Melissa’s other TRs – she takes awesome pics and tells great stories. I’m a little intimidated by her ability to recognize a “picture moment” and be ready with the camera. Therefore, I found myself wanting to snap some random pics when I knew she wasn’t “on point.” Turns out that this isn’t a very effective method of getting those “special moments.”

And now – for the moment that we arrive – my very first goal for this trip is:

What am I anxious for? Expedition Everest!!! It is my very, most favorite ride. Before that, though, I had to turn in my certificate for my military WDW pass. We walked up to the window and chatted up the slightly sluggish CM, who took my identification, my certificate, and gave me a fancy little card with a Mickey head and flag in the background – we were good to go!

As we go in, I remember I said something very stupid to the baggage checker. It was actually something embarrassing, and he didn’t waste a minute catching on. Too bad I really don’t remember what it was I said. (it was something like "he was going to check me out," or some such) I’m thinking Melissa probably doesn’t remember, either…

We were in the park!!

 

[MademoiselleKel]

WTH?? Who came up with the spotlight on the pot?

Ahaha!! I guess it is called the throne for a reason.

 

[lbuzz52]

Yeah for being at the park! EE is my very favorite too!

I'm tge dame way with my camera. I never have it out at the right moment!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

My goal – and Melissa was happy to oblige it, I believe – was to ride EE twice. That, my friends, was all I wanted to do at AK. Nothing else. However, it’s a looooooong walk from the front of the park to that ride (you don’t think they planned it that way, do you? ), so we did some obligatory sight-seeing, trying to act like we weren’t going commando at this point.

It’s funny to try not to do the very thing you are doing.

As it was, we were immediately accosted by not only a walking duck, but I believe, a flying one, as well. The flying one narrowly missed a lady, and we all got a laugh. Melissa got a great snap of the walking duck who welcomed us to the park, and I got a great shot of what it looked like after the great shot.

In other words, not a great shot.

Feeling a little unworthy, I tried to find a worthier shot to take, and liked the blue of this – whatever it is, area. No one was about, and there isn’t anything to really look at, so…fail, again.

This time, I took a picture of Melissa taking what is probably a GREAT picture. At least I got of picture of a great picture in progress.

We moved along further into the park, and I heard Melissa say, “Oh, I like to take pictures of these birdhouses – I didn’t even know they existed for the longest time!” Great!! Now I can get a picture of something that she is getting a picture of, and maybe it will turn into a great picture of mine!

Not. They are all washed out, and uninteresting from this distance. I’m hoping Melissa will post her far-superior pic.

As we are crossing into the Tree area, Melissa convinces me to get a picture together with a photopass photographer. Now, I had a card that had been mailed to me, so I handed it over. I think she got those pictures moved onto her account, but I never bought any of them. Maybe she has some? In any case, here is my version…without us in it.

In fact, I wonder what the dude with the cup is thinking. Does he know he has just been immortalized as a central figure in my TR?

We hit into overdrive after this, abandoning any pretense of “taking a stroll” through the park. Our goal was near…! And then, suddenly, a sense of randomness overtook me – I had to do something unexpected! Even as I stopped to take this picture, Melissa’s attention immediately zoomed back at me, with a “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” focus. Sheepishly, I explained I just had to have this picture…but why? I could not answer for it. But, here it is.

What will the line be like for EE after all this time? Will we accomplish the 2 ride-goal??

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Ahaha!! I guess it is called the throne for a reason.

Seriously, when you sit down with the spotlight on you like that, it's some serious pressure to perform.

Yeah for being at the park! EE is my very favorite too!

I'm tge dame way with my camera. I never have it out at the right moment!

Omgosh, there are so many things I like about that ride !! I just wish we had a longer glimpse of the Yeti!

Hopefully my last installment just further proved how inept my camera skills are!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Ha ha, I love how you keep talking about taking random pictures. I tend to do that too and people always ask me what I'm doing!

I'm telling you, Disney ducks are dangerous (excluding Donald of course)!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Ha ha, I love how you keep talking about taking random pictures. I tend to do that too and people always ask me what I'm doing!

I'm telling you, Disney ducks are dangerous (excluding Donald of course)!

Somehow I keep thinking I'm going to come away with something really profound...but I keep forgetting that there's usually a level of skill that needs to be involved!

I love how wildlife just roams around in AK, especially around the eating areas! Perhaps Disney should do a short movie on a waterfowl character who lives in the parks? Can you imagine the extra focus that children would suddenly give to all those creatures!

...whatever you do, never suggest something like that to Disney. You'll get a nice letter/email from their lawyers, saying that they do not ask nor will they accept suggestions from the public. And "this conversation never happened!"

 

[jmskinner]

just started,but LOVE,cant wait for more

Hey there!! Good to see you too!! I hope that house hunting is going well!! I know you are super swamped!!

What an awesome beginning!! I love the whole picture/monorail thing...priceless!!

Melissa--your little shopping trip sounds like something that would happen to me! But glad you made it in time!!

House hunting went well, just emailed all the addendums to our realtor.

Vickie had me so stressed, a good stress, but stressed. Arriving early by air and then catching that monorail. I know I was all sweaty when she finally got there.

You totally had me bawling! That is the sweetest that Melissa did! How awesome to remain good friends for so long!!

BLT looks really nice! I really wonder at times what they think (a spotlight???). I remember the first time I saw a telephone by the toilet. Why?!

I could never do enough for my BFF!!!

I almost looked for a phone by that toilet when I read this.

I'm in - now that I'm through crying, I can't wait to hear about all the fun!

Thank you for joining us!

Okay you kind of had me tearing up over the Mickey too!

That twilight zone toilet is kind of weird. Good to know since I will be staying there in July.

Cannot wait to hear about the fun!

Sorry we spoiled the surprise about the throne.

What BFF's you both are I have also shed several tears and have smiled so much already and day 1 has hardly begun!

Loved the pic of the "throne"

We giggled like schoolgirls the whole time, even though we were crying at the same time.

what a sweet friend you have! i'm glad to hear that you treatments have been successful!

this seems like it will be a lot of fun! i can't imagine a better place to giggle with my best friend than WDW!

Your right, no better place than the happy place to be with your BFF!

Count me in!!

Thank you for joining us too!

WTH?? Who came up with the spotlight on the pot?

Ahaha!! I guess it is called the throne for a reason.

Hey, there's a reason those deluxes cost so much.

Yeah for being at the park! EE is my very favorite too!

I'm tge dame way with my camera. I never have it out at the right moment!

I never get the shot I want, part of the reason I begged the DH for a DSLR. Of course now I can't blame it on the camera.

Seriously, when you sit down with the spotlight on you like that, it's some serious pressure to perform.

Ha ha, I love how you keep talking about taking random pictures. I tend to do that too and people always ask me what I'm doing!

I'm telling you, Disney ducks are dangerous (excluding Donald of course)!

I use to post on the "Is this you?" thread, so I was always taking random crowd photos.

Those ducks were nuts, guess it was almost closing time and they knew it.

 

[jmskinner]

Ok, I am home now and am going to attempt to catch up to Vickie.

Here are some of the shots I took while driving:




Now, I tried to get a pic of the DTD sign when you enter the parking lot, but all I got was the sky. Can I blame that on the camera?

POR is my favorite resort, so I tried to get a good pic of its sign as I drove by:


And then the Contemporary:


Space Mountain:


Somehow I didn't take one of BLT. I think at this point I was so excited I figured I better concentrate on parking. Which I was excited to find a close spot. Walk up to the door, only to learn I had to check in at the Contemporary. I was so glad I didn't grab those balloons until after I had the room key.

Which I had the CM checking me all confused because I was so excited my mouth was running about 100mph.

Finally had the key, got the stuff out of my truck and was off to find the room. Vickie texted me about taking the monorail while I was in the room, so cleaned up the mess I had created and took off.

I got to the monorail line and realized you could only enter. I asked a CM where I could wait for my BFF (yes I said that, everyone knew I was waiting for my BFF). He had me wait by one of the gates, which then everyone kept walking up behind me and stopping. I kept telling everyone, to go on, that I was waiting for my BFF on the monorail. Again, so excited I couldn't shut up.

Took a couple of shots while I stood there:







I'm sure I am at my limit, so will continue in the next post.