WDW Summer 2013 - Asian Invasion: "LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS..." UPDATE x1 01/07/'14

[meyemai]

(Less Than) One Month!

So I planned on writing this post yesterday when it was our actual one month mark...but that didn't work out because I was busy having a life (for once). SO I'm celebrating the belated one month mark now because I'm just really excited.

Today, my family received confirmation stuff in the mail, check in information, and luggage tags (for the luggage we don't use)! THAT MAKES EVERYTHING SO MUCH MORE LEGIT. Haha.

Thanks to all who follow this report. Things will start to pick up soon! I promise! Only a few more weeks to go. UNREAL. In the wise words of my dear Hatter, have a very merry unbirthday! 'See' you all on Tuesday!

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[meyemai]

Four Weeks, Four Parks? It's Meant To Be! Park of the Week: Disney's Animal Kingdom

So as of today, I have three weeks and six days until I leave. Yesterday was the four week mark so happy belated four weeks to me, haha. Whoo.

In honor of my (now less than) four week mark, I'll post about one park for the next four weeks leading up to my favorite on the day I leave.

Park of the Week: Disney's Animal Kingdom

As a child, my family didn't frequent Animal Kingdom as often as the other parks. It never really took their interest but once we started going to it, it just became a tradition. We never explored much of it like you're supposed to so that probably explains why I don't like it as much as the other three. During this upcoming trip, I do hope to explore all corners of this beautiful park. Confession: I've never been on Kilimanjaro Safari before. So I'm VERY excited! I just road Dinosaur for the first time this past April, haha.

Something that I DO treasure about this park is the fact that Russell and Dug meet at their Wilderness Oasis spot every single day. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't meet my adorable Dug!

I'm excited because guess what? OUR LUGGAGE TAGS CAME A FEW DAYS AGO! THEY MAKE EVERYTHING THAT MUCH MORE LEGIT. Though...we won't actually use them...because we're staying in an RV so all of our clothes and whatnot will be packed away in drawers and cupboards haha. BUT STILL.

We got our confirmation in the mail and everything that all of our reservations and campsite = ready to go. Not to mention the fact that we got two full day admission vouchers for Disney Quest. I WAS SO PUMPED WHEN I SAW THOSE. LIKE OH MY GOD.

Because I'm bringing along my dearest McKenna, I need to type up an itinerary for her mother to have while we're off adventuring in Disney. I should probably do that sometime soon. IT'S SO CLOSE. IT'S ALMOST HERE. IT'S LIKE I CAN BARELY REACH IT BUT I'M SO CLOSE. AFLIDJSFL;KDJSFLKSJD
Until next Tuesday, ttfn!

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[meyemai]

20 Days and Counting!

As of yesterday, we had 21 days until we leave for Disney (three weeks) but because I'm not responsible, I'm posting on our 20 day mark. EVEN BETTER. Here's a picture celebrating our belated 3 week mark:

I've been really focusing on how I'm going to spend my money on the trip. I have so many things to buy for so many people that it's honestly a complete system in itself, haha. Here are just a few things that are on my merchandise list:

Three weeks from this second, I'll be on my way to Disney World. That. Is. Insane. I'm so very excited.
Until next Tuesday, au revoir.

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[meyemai]

Four Weeks, Four Parks! Park of the Week: Disney's Hollywood Studios

In celebration of (less than) three weeks to go, I'll be recognizing my third favorite park. Now, I love all of the WDW Parks with a deep passion like no other but if I HAD to prioritize them, this is where Hollywood Studios would rank.

As a child, we didn't often visit Hollywood Studios. We visited it more than Animal Kingdom but I never really got the entire concept of it until I got a little bit older.

One of my favorite rides was probably the Studio Backlot Tour because I wasn't tall enough to go on the 'big kid' rides (ie. TOT and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster) until 2007, haha.

I've also always had a deep appreciation for The Great Movie ride because as a kid, everything seems that much more real. Where did the tour guide go? Oh no! We're all alone without a guide through the world of movies! What!

All in all, Hollywood Studios has slowly been growing on me every time I return and I couldn't ask for a more glamorously star studded park.


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[meyemai]

Lucky Number Thirteen, Resorts, and Four Weeks, Four Parks!

First thing's first, as of yesterday (Tuesday, August 6th) I have TWO WEEKS until I leave for Disney World. WHAT. THAT'S CRAZY.

And as of now, I have just UNDER two weeks (aka 13 days)! SO MUCH TO DO AND NOT ENOUGH TIME.

My family and I plan on "Resort Hopping" this trip which means we're going to be checking out some of our favorite resorts on our day 'off' just for fun. Here are some that we've put at the top of our Must See list:

Disney's All-Star Movies Resort

Disney's Pop Century Resort (In honor of my dear Alex who just recently stayed there.)

Disney's Art of Animation Resort (Pop Century's across-the-water neighbor)

Disney's Port Orleans - French Quarter and Riverside

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

and many more.

This week's Four Weeks, Four Parks! segment is about Epcot, my second favorite park on WDW property.

This park definitely has a spot in my heart regarding anything World Showcase related. As a kid, everything was so legit. I'd walk from being 'in' China to Mexico in less than five minutes. The way it immerses people completely is what amazes me to this day.

My favorite ride in all of Future World would have to be Soarin' just because it's so realistic. You know? You honestly feel like you can conquer the world just from soaring all over California. Hence the name, haha.

Epcot is definitely somewhere I would go if I wanted to learn something without even realizing it. And that's why I love it.

Until next week, ttfn!


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[Lei]

Getting closer! So exciting! I'll be staying at Pop as well, and our snack list are almost exactly the same. Except mine has Kakigori and funnel cakes

 

[meyemai]

Getting closer! So exciting! I'll be staying at Pop as well, and our snack list are almost exactly the same. Except mine has Kakigori and funnel cakes

Ahhhh Disney food is too great. And I can't wait to visit Pop for the first time. I'm excited to explore, haha.

 

[meyemai]

One Week Until I Begin to Make My Way Home

I honestly can't even begin to express my level of excitement for this trip. I was excited when we still had 72 days to go. THIS IS ABOUT 50X MORE EXTREME.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I've got all of our ADR info, lists of different things I have to buy for everyone, etc. etc. etc. NOW ALL WE NEED TO DO IS LEAVE. That's really all there is to it.

In regards to Fours Weeks, Four Parks!, this week's park is indeed the one and only Magic Kingdom.

When I was little, this was basically what I would dream of returning to every single night. I've been visiting the 'Real Disney World' (as Alex calls/called it) since before I can remember.

I love the magic and the atmosphere, the characters and the street performers (IE. DAPPER DANS), and everything in between. Nothing could be more perfect than a day at the Magic Kingdom. From the moment you ride in on the monorail to the second you leave the dock on the ferry after Wishes!, it's all perfect.

It's funny. Usually, I'd say, "Until next week, ttfn." BUT NEXT WEEK I'LL BE ON MY WAY TO DISNEY WORLD. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. But I'll post on Monday just to keep things updated. So until next Monday, ttfn.

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[meyemai]

One More Night

I can't fully grasp the fact that I have one more night until I leave for Disney World. This is just so darn insane. Oh my gosh.

I'm updating now because I have the feeling that I probably won't be able to until I return home. But I PROMISE my actual TR will bring greatness, haha. I cannot WAIT to return Home. Pictures, parks, dining, food. All of it. Just days away. I can't wait.

I just can't wait (to be king) because I'm ALMOST there. falksdfjls;kdjfsadl

Until it's all over,
adios. ​

 

[wiigirl]

Just caught up!

 

[meyemai]

Mixed Emotions

Well everyone, I'm back. I've actually been back for like, three weeks (to the day). BUT school started so that's my explanation for the whole "TR delay" thing, haha. NO WORRIES.

My trip was absolutely phenomenal in every way. I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was and I'm pretty sure McKenna (our newbie) had the time of her life. I need to transfer my photos to Shutterfly first, and believe me, I've got 4,000+ but I promise an update of some sort before tomorrow.

With over 30 character selfies, a solid Triple Mountain Whammy, lots of attraction photos, beautiful food, and many memories all at the place where dreams come true, I couldn't have asked for more.

I'm a bit bittersweet because I missed my DBFs like no other (Abe and Alex) but I don't think I ever want to leave Home, ever again. But at the same time, going to school gets me that much closer to the DCP. Sigh. What a rough conflict.

Either way, I'll be working on getting some updates done soon enough. I DID keep a trip journal so majority of our days are covered. Kind of. Because I got super behind once stuff started to pick up, haha. I'm just suffering from some hardcore homesickness. No big deal. Yay for post-WDW updates and "see ya real soon!" (feels.)

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[WildernessExplorer04]

I am highly anticipating the official start of your TR, gurl.
CAN. NOT. WAIT.

 

[meyemai]

August 20th, 2013 - Part 1: Getting Up Early Is Not Fun...At All


So begins the first of many updates about an anything but mediocre trip to the place I call home, Walt Disney World. I indeed kept a Trip Journal with the intentions of documenting everything with precise detail and whatnot...but then we actually arrived in Disney and writing was the least of my priorities. So, some updates may be in present tense, some may be in past tense, others a mix of both. I promise Im not just terrible at managing the English language, haha.

The initial plan: McKenna would sleep over the night before we departed (April 19th) with all of her luggage/belongings loaded into the R.V. at 7:30 p.m. and then we would get up and leave at around 6:00 a.m. the next morning. The way it actually happened: McKenna didnt end up arriving at our house until 10:15 p.m. because she and her family were indeed wrapped up in the fun and exciting process of purchasing a new car! (Props to them for acquiring such a beautiful color, Black Cherry Pearl.)

Because she arrived so late, we ended up not going to bed until about 12:30 a.m. that night/day. Oh shoot...we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready to leave...whoops. Not the GREATEST decision but we also knew that we would have two solid days to do nothing but sleep. (It means) no worries (for the rest of your days). We indeed managed to be up and dressed by 4:15 a.m.

Heres a nice shot of McKennas abundance of bags and things.

Since we were indeed travelling by R.V., we had no use for suitcases or luggage! Hurrah for drawers and cabinets!

While standing in my kitchen, I decided that it was time for our first selfie of the trip. Little did I know, it would become number one out of at least five hundred between then and the last day of our journey. I must admit, we did look back on this picture several times in the heat of the South and say, Look at how non-sweaty and gross we were at one point&

Mom and Hannah were getting all of their personal belongings ready and once they were ready to go, we said goodbye to the pets and left the house. With luggage at our feet and sleepy optimism in our hearts, the four of us waited patiently on the front sidewalk in front of the house for grandma and grandpa to pick us up in the R.V. The moment they turned down our road, my heart began to race and I knew I was ready for this vacation to finally start.

After everyone got all of their stuff loaded into the recreational vehicle, we were finally off and running (driving slowly down the residential road).

I got this nice picture of McKenna grinning her face off because if anyone shouldve been excited; it would have to have been her. I mean, her first time to The Place Where Dreams Come True...with her best friend? Perfection, haha.

We went to the back bedroom and took some pictures and video of our departure from town. Just as we were about to return to the front of the R.V., this beautiful sunset came into sight and I HAD to get a picture. Stunning, really.

We began to travel along and so, everyone found something to do. McKenna and I played card games such as Go Fish, War, Slap Jack, and Egyptian Rat Screw. We also took several selfies. Hannah watched Cinderella III: A Twist In Time on one of our portable DVD players and my mom played Candy Crush Saga on her phone. Snazzy. Grandma and grandpa were up in front navigating the way like usual.

We decided to take a nice-ish R.V. selfie as well, haha.

On Instagram, I posted: Duffy and Pooh are ready for Disney! #DisneyWorld #onourway #yes

Pooh is McKennas favorite stuffed animal and Duffy, mine. Theres nothing wrong with sixteen year old girls having teddy bear friends, right? We were both a little sleepy so playing card games that required good reflexes was not in our favor.

McKenna was tired enough to make silly faces the entire morning. Who am I kidding? Even when shes not tired, she still makes creepy/silly faces.

Hannah was pretty into Cinderella III so we didnt bother her much. Though at one point, she decided that watching it without earbuds would be a good idea. Yeah, we put a stop to that as quickly as possible.

I was lending one of my cameras to McKenna for her to document her trip. Fun Fact: I broke the flash on it. And it used to be waterproof. Key phrase, used to.

Without flash, this is how our first selfie on her camera turned out.

Then we turned towards the window for some light and received this mediocre improvement, haha.

I then whipped out my phone and we took yet another selfie. It's all good, though; this one turned out fine!

After we gave up on our crazy amount of card playing, it was time for some much needed sleep.

Two and a half hours later, we arrived at the first rest stop (of many).

This is me not wanting to get up from my glorious sun nap. It was just so much work to move, ya know?

Eventually, McKenna managed to drag me into the reset stop for a highly needed breath of fresh air and bathroom break. It was only around 8:30 a.m. so the sun wasnt too high in the sky, yet.

We went to the upstairs portion of the rest stop and enjoyed the view.

We even spotted grandpa down below, haha.

Deciding to head back to the R.V., we went back downstairs and outside to walk around for a few more minutes before getting back on the road.

McKenna and I sat and chatted for about forty-five minutes before going back to dreamland.

Look at that attractive face. What a girl.

I slept for another two hours and McKenna read Lord of the Rings. Did I mention that shes completely and utterly obsessed with that? Yeah, that small detail will indeed be important later on.

We arrived at the next rest stop and took part in our usual routine: fresh air, bathroom, explore, leave.

While looking at the vending machines inside, we found Guacachips and couldnt help but laugh. I mean...who thinks of these kinds of things? Maybe they were just hilarious because we were tired. But either way, we got a good laugh out of 'em, haha.

After reboarding the R.V., McKenna and I decided that Mancala would be a good game to play. Too bad neither of us really knew what we were doing.

The only positive thing that came out of that game session was the set of Hidden Mickey marbles, haha. Yeah, I was really really really desperate to see something Mickey related.

We became bored enough to start playing with the plush animals we brought along. Art accompanied me and Hannah got her hands on him. She took her pink sparkly Minnie ears and put them around him and this is what came of it. Quite the sight, haha. Art was actually a gift from Alex from her Walt Disney World trip in June so of course I had to bring him back to his home.

I posted on Instagram: This is what we do with our spare time. #Disney #traveling #Art #OK

We decided we would give NintenDogs a shot after not playing the game in forever. To the back bedroom of the R.V. we went! Sadly, there was too much background noise to get much done. I ended up naming my dog, Poop out of frustration and that was the end of that activity.

Next on the agenda came napping and we were perfectly fine with that.

After our nap, we had arrived at another rest stop. This one being for lunch, though. McKenna, Hannah, and I cleared out of the R.V. so that mom could get the lunch food out. Grandma and grandpa headed to the bathrooms.

We stepped out of the R.V. and were hit by our first (but definitely not last) blast of heat. Hence, McKennas disgusted facial expression.

By the time we actually made it into the rest stop, we were all sweaty and gross.

I knew it was time for a bathroom selfie. Im just the coolest kid ever.

While perusing the vending machine area, we came across this machine for Phone Cards. Love, love, love.

After browsing a bit more, we decided that it was time to eat some food. Back to the R.V. for lunch we went!


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[meyemai]

August 20th, 2013 - Part 2: First Food Photos and Night Swimming

I think saying we were hungry is an understatement. Lunch had been highly anticipated for a few hours, haha. I had a yummy ham sandwich with potato chips while McKenna and Hannah both had turkey. After we finished cleaning everything up from lunch, it was back on the road for the R.V.!

While on the road, I spotted the giant cross. I don’t think there’s ever been a road trip to Disney World or anywhere down South where I haven’t taken a picture of this cross. The opportunity is just too great.

McKenna and I may or may not have had a small obsession with Disney Channel’s movie of the summer, “Teen Beach Movie” soundtrack. I CAN’T HELP IF IT’S RIDICULOUSLY CATCHY, OKAY? So we decided to go into the back bedroom and jam out hardcore.

I then sang a large amount of Disney songs out loud until we fell asleep.

After waking up at around 3:00 p.m., we were pleasantly surprised by grandma and grandpa treating us to some yummy fifty cent cones at McDonald's. Whoo!

We had just left and were almost to our destination for the night when suddenly the R.V. had a wheel that started to come loose. Like...what. Really. WE WERE SO CLOSE. No worries, we stopped at a nearby auto repair shop and waited in the nicely air conditioned lounge-thing. We sat there for two and half to three hours eaiting for everyone to figure out what was going on with the R.V. and its random damaged tire.

I kept myself busy by writing in my trip journal and McKenna hung out and read Lord of the Rings.

Eventually, we made it out of there. It was already 7:00 p.m. by then and our original plan of brats and chips wasn’t lookin’ so hot. A dinner vote was taken and we decided to eat somewhere around our destination for that evening which meant we had another hour or two before we had to do anything.

Getting back on the road with a fully functioning R.V. was glorious and I had to celebrate by taking an unattractive selfie with Duffy.

We were about to cross into Kentucky and I got this beautiful shot of the river.

Entering Kentucky was nice and I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the sign stated that it was the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.

The sun was setting and McKenna and I decided that it was an appropriate moment for a Kentucky selfie. This one actually looks good. Majority of our selifes don’t look visually appealing. At all, haha.

It was drizzling while the sun was out and I’m a huge sucker for moments in nature like that. I love taking pictures of water droplets up against sunlight. Too great.

I got bored eventually and took a solo selfie. I don’t think I actually took too many of those on the trip so this is a rarity in itself, haha.

We had finally arrived near our destination for the night and Fazoli’s was right in the area. It was decided that dinner was to be held there and it was absolutely fabulous. I was SO excited to take my first food pictures of the trip. Good practice, right?

I ordered the normal spaghetti entree and Hannah ordered the kids’ portion of spaghetti. (Shout out to Abe who loves spaghetti so much that he hates it. Ha. Ha ha.)

McKenna had the Four Cheese Baked Ziti and mom decided to get her favorite sandwich, the Italian Club.

Grandma and grandpa each ordered Pizza Baked Spaghetti. PIZZA AND SPAGHETTI ALL IN ONE? (Literally.) Now that's a deal!

We left Fazoli’s with happy stomachs and happy thoughts.

Outside, the moon was absolutely beautiful. Picture = necessary.

We drove down the road to the campground we would be spending our first night of the trip.

I had to capture a selfie of us as we waited to pull into our campsite. This picture describes our friendship.

McKenna and I made the executive decision that swimming would be a good idea before we went to shower for the night.

As you can see, McKenna does not deal well with heat. Little did she know, Kentucky heat was nothing in comparison to Florida in August.

Us three girls threw our suits on as soon as we could and ran to the pool. Thank goodness our campsite was close by. McKenna was so very excited to swim. Add in the fact that it was nighttime and it was a perfect vacation moment.

I own a nice little blue Fujifilm camera that’s waterproof. I got it for Christmas and was so excited to use it on this trip. McKenna and I took several selfies above and under water, haha.

The nice thing about the pool area was that it was all aglow with white Christmas lights for people to see. Very charming, really.

At around 10:15 p.m., we hopped out of the pool and went to the showers. Once being hygenic was done and over with, everyone went to bed. We had to get a good night’s sleep for another full day of travelling and sleeping (at least on our part)! What did tomorrow have in store for us?


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[meyemai]

August 21st, 2013 - Part 1: Introducing McKenna to August Heat in the South

We woke up at 6:30 a.m. and had breakfast. I was in such a surprisingly good mood for being up that early but I guess that’s just what happens when someone knows their final destination (aka DISNEY). It was really beautiful outside and sadly, already a little muggy.

By 7:15 a.m., we were back on the road with more distance ahead of us than behind.I got a really nice sun photo from the R.V. with my blue camera and I knew it would be a pleasant enough day. Though, how pleasant can it really get when you’re travelling for twelve hours?

Up next? Nashville, Tennessee! We crossed the state lines into Tennessee and stopped at the ‘official’ Welcome Center. Grandma and grandpa decided to finally eat breakfast themselves. We stepped out and it was so ridiculously hot out for so early in the morning.

It was necessary for a bathroom selfie because we were finally in air conditioning. THANK GOODNESS.

There were rocking chairs and cozy rugs all over. So adorable.

We had a nice little hang out session in the rocking chairs and watched some weather radar on the t.v.’s around us.

It was said that thunderstorms were coming all across Nashville and the top of Georgia which did not sound fun at all.

So we sat there some more and read the most interesting facts about Tennessee’s involvement in the Civil War. How riveting.

We even found a little diorama of a war battle. I would call it cute, but it’s a war model.

I really enjoyed the flowers right outside the entrance and had to take a picture of them. I’m a sucker for pretty flower photos, haha.

McKenna and I realized that we finally had to brave it and go back outside. Yuck. Once we made it back to the R.V. and its glorious air conditioning, we had to take a satisfied selfie!

Grandma resumed her rightful place in the passengers’ seat and we were all ready to go.

Once back on the road, it was time to go through Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I don’t know why but, McKenna and I found this “All My Sons” billboard so hilarious. It’s not even that funny but I guess we were just so sweaty and tired that it was the funniest thing in the world.

I took a picture of this road sign for Grandpa because he was a Korean War veteran and it instantly reminded me of him.

McKenna got ahold of my camera and decided to take some dramatic poses of Whoopie gazing at the world as it was literally passing her by, haha.

Then she took her camera and captured a semi-candid selfie with Hannah. It wasn’t a hot and sweaty climate at all!

Eventually, we came upon another rest stop and everyone’s ears popped because we were slowly beginning to ascend up into the mountains. Exciting!

While McKenna and I were taking our routine exploration run of the rest stop, we came across this vending machine that had been robbed and rigged so many times that it had crossbars and a list of coins not to use. Classaaay!

After deciding that it was time to go back to the R.V. for lunch, we met up with Hannah and Grandpa. Adorable moment we’ve got here.

Here’s a picture of the sign out in front of this sassy rest stop.

As we were leaving, we came across this ridiculously contradictory signage. What a place.

Once we got back on the road, we realized that we few hours away from Atlanta! My mom spotted a billboard on the highway after we got back on the road that advertised four dollar cast iron skillets at a Lodge Cast Iron outlet store at the next exit. Oh jeeze. Off to the Lodge store we went!

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[meyemai]

Touching Base and Happy Holidays!

Ever since October, I have been running nonstop with several theater performances, a job, and everything in between which means my Trip Report has really suffered the consequences. We have just recently (as in today) begun our two week long Christmas Break which means I will certainly have more time to get this report rolling!

Being my second Disney vacation in one year, I don't think I'll be visiting Home anytime soon. Though it's a very sad concept, it just means I will put more effort into finishing this report in a reasonable and timely manner. Stay tuned for more in the coming days and have a Merry Christmas.

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[meyemai]

August 21st, 2013 - Part 2: Almost, Almost There!

According to the road sign near the rest stop we were currently leaving, we were near Sewanee University of the South.

As we went higher up into the mountains, the clouds rested closer and closer to us. It was so cool! Especially for people like us who live around such boring plains and rolling farmlands.

McKenna and I decided that playing cards again would be a good way to keep us occupied while we decided not to appreciate the scenery. What cool kids.

Eventually we made it to the Lodge Cast Iron Factory Store and Mom was ecstatic.

We were a bit hesitant to even go in...but...air conditioning. When we walked in, we were greeted by a little lady with one of the strongest Southern accents Ive ever heard and I couldnt help but be overwhelmingly charmed.

Apparently these things called Big Green Eggs are popular south of Indiana? I mean, if they give you the Ultimate Cooking Experience, I guess I could see why theyre so popular.

We played around with some cooking gadgets (and gizmos aplenty) for a while and came across this super hot kabob. I think McKenna was 'scared' of burning her hand. Oh no!

Then, I saw this little bin of frying pan covers and had the insane urge to put one on each of my fingers like a snowman with gloves!

We saw this nice little tutorial about how to make a steak using your oven and stove in under thirty minutes! Whoa! Thats nifty!

As we kept browsing and wandering around the store, I stumbled upon this really adorable Princess travel cup. I had to take a picture of it for Alex because those were two of her favorite princesses AND we were so close to Disney, making it was a given. I really wanted to buy it...but McKenna thankfully reminded me that we would be in a haven of authentic merchandise in less than a few days.

We observed a man with the largest afro Ive ever seen ever and got our taste of the first Southern accents on the trip. Mom finally got her beloved frying pan on sale and a little pan handle cover for preservation and heat sensitivity. What a bargain.

McKenna, Hannah, and I decided it was time to head back out to the R.V. while Mom and Grandma were checking out. We came out to the beauty of this amazing parking job. I just had to document the moment.

Once we got back in the vehicle, I got a nice photo of McKenna and her reaction to the insane heat. She was a real trooper, I tell ya.

We got going and then quick stopped at a Pilot gas station to refuel. McKenna and I didnt bother getting out that time. Wed had our share of the Great Outdoors (nod to the Country Bears) for the time being.

During that time, I managed to boot up my laptop and load all of our photos so far so I could clear the memory cards in preparation for our Atlanta adventures the next day. After that, McKenna and I headed to the back bedroom and took a solid two hour nap. Oh the struggle of traveling.

We stopped at this rest stop about 75 miles from Atlanta and oh my gosh was it hot. I didnt think it was humanly possible to sweat that much. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Another bathroom selfie was indeed necessary (as always) and I found it extremely amusing that they had to bar off the air freshener so people wouldnt steal it. High class place, guys.

Look at these BEAUTIFUL blossoms. I couldnt resist the photo opportunity.

We came upon this tipped over bench and broke out in shameless laughter. Its like someone just got really angry and decided to rip the bench out of the ground and tip it over.

Once back in the R.V., I took a commemorative photo of our bags because they were crucial players in our adventures throughout the week.

Cue selfie time! We took a bunch but I chose the best of the large amount, haha.

I gave Hannah my camera and she decided to have fun with Art and Whoopi. #photographyislyfe

We finally arrived at our home base for the night. It was located just outside of Atlanta for location's sake because we had special plans for the next day. Sadly, it was next to an airport which meant we had very large planes flying over us until the wee hours of the night. Oh well.

Then McKenna took over the writing in my journal for a little while:

"After we got all settled, me (McKenna), MaiLei, and Hannah went swimming. The water was muy frio. After many failed underwater selfies, we finally got a few good ones and left the pool after about an hour or so.

When we got back to the R.V., dinner preparations were being made. What a spectacle that was. 1) Grandpa dropped a brat on the ground outside. 2) That brat then started on fire after it was placed back on the grill. 3) MaiLei, Hannah, Grandma, and I laughed really hard watching them trying to cook.

Good times. Then we showered. BUGS IN THE SHOWER. Not cool. And now I am sitting in bed keeping everyone up. The rolls have reversed."


We eventually went to sleep and anticipated the next day's adventures!

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[meyemai]

August 22nd, 2013 - Part 1: Arriving in Atlanta!

Today we woke up around six o'clock a.m. and got ready for our big day at…*drum roll*...CNN Headquarters! I know it can sound a bit boring but it was actually an amazing experience. My family and I had already toured it in 2009 but I made it a necessary stop for McKenna because that is totally her thing. No worries, she loved it.

We planned on eating breakfast once we made it into Atlanta so it would be a while until my rumbly tumbly was silenced. We ended up giving up on traveling in the dark after driving a few miles down the road from where we stayed because it was already an epic challenge in itself to be driving a huge R.V. into an even larger city during morning rush hour, let alone without daylight.

McKenna’s early-morning enthusiasm was obviously through the roof. Whoo. Hoo.

It was a stunningly beautiful sunrise that morning and I was in a stellar mood to match.

After about two hours and a solid half an hour of navigating our bus-like vehicle through the traffic of Atlanta, we made it to the part of the city we needed to be in.

We even passed the giant Olympic Torch from when the Olympics were in Atlanta! I thought it was really awesome.

Though we weren’t stopping in at Coca-Cola this trip, I took a photo of the parking sign and structure in honor of our great experience there in 2009.

Maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t completely awake yet or that I was almost delusionally hungry, but this billboard made me laugh so hard. McKenna gave me a solid look of shame. It’s fine.

Then we passed this billboard with the Big Green Egg on it and McKenna and I wondered what was so great about it! It was obviously a Southern celebrity in its own right.

As we approached the surrounding area of the Olympic Centennial Park, the sun was slowly rising higher in the sky and I captured this gorgeous wrinkle in time.

After being directed away from parking garages like this many a time (due to our large size), we eventually found a good spot to set up ‘camp’ until our scheduled tour time at CNN. We were there two hours early, though.

Look at how huge that building is. It holds so many people and important things in it. To think that it looks so basic on the outside. Crazy.

This was McKenna’s “THANK GOD WE FINALLY FOUND A PLACE TO PARK AFTER FORTY-FIVE MINUTES OF SEARCHING” smile.

We decided to eat breakfast (FINALLY) and then took a nice exploratory stroll around Centennial Park to pass the time before our tour time.

McKenna decided to be artsy and take photos at many different angles with her cute green no-longer-waterproof camera.

This was the randomly placed ferris wheel we parked right by. It was kind of cool being able to stand almost directly under it while it moved. Almost hypnotic.

I took some obligatory photos of the fountain which was in the shape of the Olympic rings (how clever!) and the adorably commemorative one-hundred engraved in the pavement to celebrate the Centennial.

The flowers were thriving and healthy so I couldn’t help but think of our home state and the insane amount of heat that was currently habitating my very brown and dry backyard.

We got a nice Atlanta selfie while we were still clean and showered. We knew all too well that our currently pristine level of hygiene would only last for a few hours with the heat that was already creeping up on us mid-morning.

We decided as a group that it would be a good idea to go into the CNN building and see if we could catch an earlier tour for the sake of time. If we could get in and get out earlier than planned, we’d have a better chance of making it to Florida that day.

Once we walked in, it was obvious that we had to get some photos in front of the giant CNN logo in the lobby. First with Grandma and then we swapped Grandma out for Mom.

Our original tour time was going to be at ten o’clock in the morning but because we arrived an entire hour early, we managed to slip into the nine o’clock session. Onto the tour!

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[meyemai]

August 22nd, 2013 - Part 2: Exploring the World of CNN and More

We went on the tour and it was phenomenal as ever. I convinced McKenna to write a summary of it and what she thought of the experience, so here it is! Anything in parentheses is an interjection from me in terms of explaining a picture or vague commentary. Enjoy.

"So. The CNN tour. It was awesome but I was absolutely amazed by the building. The main “lobby” is this huge open room surrounded by offices on the upper floors, some studios, and restaurants on the lower floors.

And there’s also the largest free standing escalator (suspended by the fixtures at the beginning and end only) in the world connected to a giant plastic-y canvas, hollow globe. So that’s chill.

So the tour started with a small bag check and then up the escalator.

The view of the lobby was amazing. When we got to the top, we got our picture taken (more on that later).

And then off to our first stop! The tour guide opened a fancy hidden door and we stepped into a replica director’s room. (This part of the tour was a no-photography stop.) We sat in nice chairs and enjoyed seeing the live t.v. directing process.

We then went to a replica HLN set. We got to see how a teleprompter and green screen works. Our tour guide donned a green cloak and “disappeared” from the screen. Whoa!

From there, we went to a real studio. (This portion of the tour was deemed camera-prohibited.) A news program was being filmed and we got to see behind the scenes. Apparently remote controlled cameras are a thing!

After that, we headed into the main research room. We had a view from above. Each person had two monitors and the room could fit something like one hundred to two hundred people.

We then went to the Editors’ Room. Smaller, but just as important. We also had an “aerial view”. Apparently everyone is used to being looked at so it was nbd (no big deal).

We then returned to the lobby, but on the second level, we saw the outside of the CNN International studio.

(This was a picture I took of the cafeteria floor. From ground-level, it looks like a bunch of colored tiles but from up above, it turned out to silhouette the globe! I had to get a picture of North America, of course.)

THEN we went outside of an HLN studio. (This portion of the tour had a strict no camera policy.) They had a show going on so we got to see more of the off screen magic.

We were then directed to the gift shop.

So back to that picture. The lady who took it noticed it was WAY overexposed. So she gave us the whole package free! Two little photos, one big one, and one in a CNN frame. Yay!

I got my first key chain of the trip and was very tempted by a Game of Thrones shirt.

Finally, we got flattened pennies and headed to the R.V."

On our way back to the R.V., we noticed that the sun had come out, so I took the opportunity to snap some last-minute pictures before we took off for our final destination.

We hopped back in the R.V. that Grandpa so graciously pulled around to pick us up in (because he didn't join us at CNN) and headed out.

McKenna and I took some pictures together just for the fun of it. If you couldn't tell by now, we were big advocates of Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year on this trip. We took tons of selfies but I'm only publishing the better ones, haha.

Before we even knew it, we found ourselves on the straight and narrow to the coveted Sunshine State! Our journey was only just beginning.

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[meyemai]

August 22nd, 2013 - Part 3: Welcome to the Sunshine State; have some orange juice!

Once we hit the road again, everyone settled into their comfy spots knowing that we’d be driving for quite some time after such an exciting morning. We quickly stopped at a Pilot gas station to fill up on gas and then proceeded to travel some more.

Hannah listened to music on her iPod and as you can see, her enthusiasm was through the roof.

I listened to some Disney music and read my book Modoc (from McKenna) while McKenna listened to music and slept.

We stopped at a Walmart when we were closer to Florida and picked up some food to sustain us throughout the coming week for breakfast because once we set up at Fort Wilderness, we wouldn’t be able to just quick drive to the nearest Publix for we decided not to bring a car along on this trip.

I had to document our WalmartVenture with at least one selfie while we were on the go. How fun.

Back on the road we went and soon enough, we made it to the one and only...Florida Welcome Center!

Which meant only one thing, WE WERE FINALLY IN FLORIDA. THIS WAS A MOMENT WE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR FOR OVER ONE HUNDRED DAYS AND IT WAS FINALLY HERE. WE WERE JUST THAT MUCH CLOSER TO DISNEY WORLD AND I WAS MORE THAN ECSTATIC.

Anyway, I never remembered going here in our past vacations to Florida, but according to Grandma, we HAD to stop in for the free orange juice, haha.

Us girls took some time to pose with this creatively artsy dolphin that represented Florida’s culture and whatnot.

*cue dolphin selfie* I admit, it looked very weird if you didn’t know me.

We walked in and found this adorable little photo frame that fit the mood of our vacation quite well. I made McKenna and Hannah pose behind the posh postcard and then we decided to explore some more.

I was very impressed with how new and spacial this Welcome Center was. I mean, it’s Florida so they had plenty to advertise but I was still charmed.

We found a cute cardboard cutout of Ponce de Leon, the explorer and McKenna decided she would woo him with her grace and poise. They were meant to be.

Suddenly, from afar, the juice dispensers were spotted and we bee lined all the way across the room to the nice lady distributing it all. We had our choice between grapefruit juice and some good ol’ Florida orange juice. Looks like Grandma was right! And mmm was it good.

There was actually a giant silhouette on the floor of Florida and I made them stand on it because guess what? WE WERE FINALLY THERE. SO EXCITING.

Eventually, the family decided mosey on out of the Welcome Center back to the R.V.

I even documented the first Florida palm tree in sight. How wonderful was this?

Once we jumped back in the motor home, it was time to make the last trek to an area just outside of Orlando so we could stay the night until it was time to check in at Fort Wilderness the next day.

We were so glad to be back in the air-conditioned environment that was our R.V. because the Florida heat was already beginning to attack and none of us were quite prepared.

This picture of Duffy and Pooh really describes their friendship. Just kidding, I made them pose together.

Eventually, I ran out of interesting things to do and sunk to the level of taking a selfie with Art. Shout out to Alex for buying me Art when she was in Disney World earlier that June. He was finally returning home, just like me!

At some point along the way, McKenna got a hold of my camera and took some very very attractive selfies. I was proud to say I knew her.

By the time dinner rolled around, our roving R.V. had made it about one hour outside of Disney property and Grandpa was highly congratulated for being such a trooper. Cracker Barrel was the chosen destination for our last evening meal not in Disney and I was actually okay with it.

We of course, threw in a quick Cracker Barrel selfie because our excitement for food just couldn’t be contained.

I had a fried chicken tenderloin dinner plate with mac ‘n’ cheese and some really good steak fries. The perfect filling meal to kick off our stay in Florida.

McKenna had chicken ‘n’ dumplings with baked sweet potato and some fried rice. She has a very interesting palette which you’ll see as our trip progresses.

Mom had a cheeseburger with coleslaw, steak fries, and water with lemon. A classic choice on Mom’s behalf.

Grandma’s ‘naked’ hamburger was pretty humorous because I’m ninety percent sure she didn’t even want the tomatoes. What an interesting sandwich. But hey, whatever works.

Grandpa really went all out and had grits with gravy and an over easy egg with some coffee to wash it all down.

Of course, the complimentary biscuits with gravy made everything even better.

After a deliciously filling meal, everyone head on out to the R.V. that was patiently awaiting our return in the parking lot.

A quick stop at a Sam’s Club gas station was on the agenda and then we were off to Ocala for the night. McKenna and I got in our daily dose of Teen Beach Movie (guilty pleasure = Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’) and by the time we knew it, we had arrived at our destination for the night.

We took one last selfie for the day before it was time to go to bed. Props to Hannah for successfully creeping in the background.

It was nine p.m. (*gasp*) but we had a long, high-temperature-filled day ahead of us tomorrow, FULL OF DISNEY! What more could you ask for?

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