(WE ARE BACK! TR LINK!) The-BFF-Birthday-bash PTR turned ANNIVERSARY trip

[-Hope-]

I'm so excited for you guys! You have had a really exciting couple of days between this trip and the new camera.

CS is a beautiful resort and always has a really adult feel so I'm sure you guys will love it!

I'm up for eating wherever- I'm not picky and I also feel no need to mark my territory.

 

[-Hope-]

I totally cried while reading the Hunger Games! I guess I'd better bring lots of tissues to the movie....

OMG Karen! I hope you get to go! That pic of the resort is amazing!!!
We've often found that Disney is less expensive than many "equivalent" places we've considered.

Amanda

You better bring tissues! I didn't cry reading the books (I think I was too "in my head" about the plot) but the movie had me crying almost immediately. Such a sap, I know!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm so excited for you guys! You have had a really exciting couple of days between this trip and the new camera.

CS is a beautiful resort and always has a really adult feel so I'm sure you guys will love it!

I'm up for eating wherever- I'm not picky and I also feel no need to mark my territory.

I think I must be bored, I always spend money and plan to spend money when I'm bored! I have no idea how I could be bored, but I digress...

Totally forgot to announce the new camera! I purchased a D90, which I have wanted for a long time now! I got one refurbished to save on money, but it's refurbed through Nikon, so I'm pretty confident it will be like new! I'm so excited, but since it has not arrived, it doesn't seem quite REAL to me yet, so I've been trying not to think about it...ahem...so why not plan another trip to Disney!

 

[ditsypixie]

Yay! for another possible trip! I hope it works out for you! I love the picture of the resort!

Sorry your foot has been bothering you

Happy Easter to everyone!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yes, Happy Easter to everyone!

 

[Tinker326]

We are staying at Coronado for a few days this summer prior to our cruise. I will share our experience when we get back! It looks pretty cool & I'm excited to stay there!

Congrats on the new camera. I'm still on a mission to convince my DH of getting me that 55 Prime for the Canon that Hope was talking about. I think I'm almost there...........

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We are staying at Coronado for a few days this summer prior to our cruise. I will share our experience when we get back! It looks pretty cool & I'm excited to stay there!

Congrats on the new camera. I'm still on a mission to convince my DH of getting me that 55 Prime for the Canon that Hope was talking about. I think I'm almost there...........

Oh yay! You must take LOTS of pics and post them for me when you get back! AND...that's perfect reason to get that prime! I LOVE my prime, I rarely ever take it off my camera, it's just SO sharp, totally worth having to move around to get the shot I want instead of zooming!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Karen, I’m so happy to hear that you and Rey are planning a trip to WDW!!! I feel very attached to Coronado Springs since that was the first resort where the kids and I stayed. You’ll love it, I’m sure!

Hope, I finally saw the trailer for the other Snow White movie. I wonder what the deal is with Hollywood’s new obsession with Snow White? Although the kids and I are enjoying watching Once Upon a Time on ABC.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Karen, I’m so happy to hear that you and Rey are planning a trip to WDW!!! I feel very attached to Coronado Springs since that was the first resort where the kids and I stayed. You’ll love it, I’m sure!

Hope, I finally saw the trailer for the other Snow White movie. I wonder what the deal is with Hollywood’s new obsession with Snow White? Although the kids and I are enjoying watching Once Upon a Time on ABC.

Ack! No colored font on the new server?!?!?

Love that they finally have the smilies on the side though...but this will just cause me to overuse them!

Thanks Erin! I'm pretty excited about it and have a big petsit starting next week that may enable me to put down the deposit!

Hope very graciously told me that if I have to choose between the two trips, that it's ok to choose Rey. I want BOTH though! So, I'm on a mission to pinch pennies. Now that I have my new camera, I have no excuses about having to spend money to entertain myself.

Wanna see some fun shots from the homeschool skating rink playgroup yesterday?? Let me upload a couple...

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hmmmm, I tried to at least change my font style, but not sure that's working either. (edited: typed in the color manually and it works still! Shew!)

Anyway, I took tons of shots yesterday at the rink, it was fun to challenge myself to get some good shots b/c it's so dark there, I have rarely had luck getting anything worth keeping. It also made me feel more like I was getting to share in the fun with the kids!

This is our local skating rink, they have just remodeled and we like it a lot more now! We won't be back until fall, our homeschool group goes once a month fall through spring.

Savannah with her friend and her friend's niece.

Savannah, Kya (Hope's dd), and a friend

Savannah speeding around the rink

How low can you go?!?!?

Savannah & her BFF

Arm wrestling!

So, life is pretty good around these parts! My calendar is really starting to fill up, that is a good thing for business AND Disney planning, just doesn't give me tons of time to update! I guess I could post Rey & My Itinerary for our November trip?!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Oh there I go again, posting in GREEN when that is Hope's color! Apparently I cannot help myself. Back to purple!

So, I thought I would post Rey & my itinerary that we have come up with for the November trip! Besides, I have it scribbled on a piece of paper that is bound to get lost, so putting it here to save makes more sense.

We'll be headed to WDW Monday, November 5th and returning home on Thursday, November 8th.

We chose Coronado Springs Resort b/c it's romantic. It just seems perfect for evening walks! I sent Rey pics of the Casitas, Cabanas, and Ranchos and he said he liked the Casitas best. I was shocked, considering that was my first choice as well and we never agree! So, we'll request Casitas!

We plan on Flying as early as possible to Orlando. The flights are not released yet, but just a week previous are and they have 8:30am flights. So, we hope to get there and drop our bags at the resort around 1pm-ish! Ok, this isn't the "normal" itinerary b/c we decided that we won't be rushing to rides, we aren't making list of must-do's, just getting away together and going with the flow. Sounds PERFECT to me!...especially since I have another trip planned!
(came back to edit a few things already because we changed a couple things!)
So:
Monday 11/5-
flight to Orlando
AK! (can you believe this? Rey doesn't like AK but suggested it? He wants a Tshirt and knows I want to ride EE)
DTD for the remainder of the evening/night
ADR at Raglan Road

Tuesday 11/6-
breakfast at Crystal Palace
MK for a while, back to the resort for a rest and CS lunch at CSR
Epcot in the afternoon and Eat dinner around WS F&W! Yum!

Wednesday 11/7-
breakfast at Kouzinna
boat to DHS for the morning
back to the resort again (lunch and a nap b/c we will be up late that night!)
Epcot for the remainder! We will eat around the world yet again, I think we can certainly eat everything in two different nights, right?
I believe this will be a PM EMH at Epcot! WOOT! Stay until midnight!!!!

Thursday 11/8-
breakfast at the resort
DTD before leaving hopefully
flight home

 

[KatMark]

What's THAT a picture of, you say? Why that is Coronado Springs Resort if you didn't know. What does that have to do with this pre-trip report?? Well, I've decided that I need a couple nights away with my husband, and after pricing just about everywhere, including the city we live 100 miles from, we decided that we can't get more bang for the buck anywhere but Disney! Sooooo...and it's still a big so...it will greatly depend on my summer petsitting and if my business is as good as last summer...Rey & I are planning a short 3-night getaway to CSR November 5th!

I realize this doesn't have a ton to do with THIS PTR, but it does a little b/c I will be able to upgrade my ticket when there to an AP so that I get AP discounts for my BFF trip!

So, as you can imagine, I have been scouring the DIS for pics of CSR and I have fallen in love. It looks perfectly romantic and I'm hoping we can pull this off b/c we deserve a little time alone!

I've been biking since I cannot run, and that makes me feel better, it's really all I can do with my feet like this. Spring is in full force here, so I know we haven't been too busy updating b/c Hope & I are both busy, but if you are still reading...thank you!

Uh...Hope...Rey wants to go to Raglan Road. Can we go somewhere else? Again, he steals me away...

Any CSR questions, ask away. We have stayed nine times and it has been our home away from home until we moved to renting points at OKW. But we still hold CSR close to our heart and we have celebrated both of our 50th birthdays and our 25th wedding anniversary there.

Back to the other reason for this PTR , the plans are sounding great. I'm trying to keep up but it has been hard with wedding plans (even though it is two years away the kids want to get a lot taken care of with her in school) and we leave for Florida tomorrow.

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Karen,

It had been SO long since I have had the time to read PTRs/TRs. I started a new job about this time last year and WOW have I been busy! I finally feel like I have found a good balance and have added some daily DIS-time into my schedule.

The last time I had read your PTR you guys were considering not going to WDW. I am so glad that you decided not only to go to WDW in January, but that you also had a fantastic trip! I just finished reading your TR from January... so fun! Makes me want to go back to parks... I would love a cupcake from Starring Rolls, a stroll through the WS, and a ride on Peter Pan!

And now, I am reading that you are in the midst of planning not one, but two trips! That is fantastic! I'm just a little jealous.

I hope your training picks back up. I would love to run a half-marathon, especially the Princess Half. My DH and I are currently doing the Insanity program. Maybe after we finish, we can start training for a half. There is one nearby us in December. I would love to be able to talk him into going to WDW for the PH- like you I have an early March b-day. It has been my dream for a long time to be at WDW for my b-day! Maybe one day

I can't wait to read more of your plans!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Karen,

It had been SO long since I have had the time to read PTRs/TRs. I started a new job about this time last year and WOW have I been busy! I finally feel like I have found a good balance and have added some daily DIS-time into my schedule.

The last time I had read your PTR you guys were considering not going to WDW. I am so glad that you decided not only to go to WDW in January, but that you also had a fantastic trip! I just finished reading your TR from January... so fun! Makes me want to go back to parks... I would love a cupcake from Starring Rolls, a stroll through the WS, and a ride on Peter Pan!

And now, I am reading that you are in the midst of planning not one, but two trips! That is fantastic! I'm just a little jealous.

I hope your training picks back up. I would love to run a half-marathon, especially the Princess Half. My DH and I are currently doing the Insanity program. Maybe after we finish, we can start training for a half. There is one nearby us in December. I would love to be able to talk him into going to WDW for the PH- like you I have an early March b-day. It has been my dream for a long time to be at WDW for my b-day! Maybe one day

I can't wait to read more of your plans!

Hey!!! I know how it is, I was reading SO many PTR/TR's and lost touch with almost all of them and now feel lost! I'm spending a bit more time here now, so getting caught up, but DISing takes time!

Yep, planning two is pretty crazy, actually! I have no idea if we'll pull it off, but I'm a big dreamer. I dreamed and dreamed of our family trip and eventually I MADE it happen, so I'm hoping I will find a way. It's actually still cheaper for the two trips I have planned than the whole single family trip we took in January. The price really goes down when you have less people...go figure!

I'm definitely healing, there are days where I will go a few hours before I realize that I was walking and not hurting. My inserts in my running shoes work really well. In the mornings and if I sit too long, I'm still sore and I know I have to wait until the pain is totally gone before trying to run again. I'm trying to busy myself with other things though! I would love to hear more about your Insanity Program. Is it a workout program?

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Any CSR questions, ask away. We have stayed nine times and it has been our home away from home until we moved to renting points at OKW. But we still hold CSR close to our heart and we have celebrated both of our 50th birthdays and our 25th wedding anniversary there.

Back to the other reason for this PTR , the plans are sounding great. I'm trying to keep up but it has been hard with wedding plans (even though it is two years away the kids want to get a lot taken care of with her in school) and we leave for Florida tomorrow.

Ooooh! Tell me everything! Is that specific enough? The more I have looked at pictures and read about CSR, the more I know I will love it. It just sounds so romantic to me, the grounds are gorgeous!

Have a great time in Florida!!!! Can't wait to hear more about the wedding plans, what fun!

 

[DrMomof3]

Love your plans!!!!
I'm really excited for you Karen!

Amanda

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Love your plans!!!!
I'm really excited for you Karen!

Amanda

Thanks Amanda! I'm pretty excited as well!

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Insanity is a workout program. It is very similar to P90X (if you are familiar with P90X), except it is much more cardio based. We are just 2 weeks into it (its a 60-day program), but we are loving it. We decided over the weekend to sign-up for a half-marathon in December. I am really excited!

I know what you mean about the cost of 2 people vs the cost of a family. On our first trip to WDW, Porter was not 3 so we only had to pay for DH+ me. We started having to pay for Porter on our last trip and will have to start paying for Audrey Anne after September... our costs have gone WAY UP! We still find it to be a reasonable price for what we get.

I can't wait to read more of your plans. Hope you had a GREAT weekend!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Very nice pictures, Karen! Is it the rollerblades, or is Savannah getting a lot taller?! Kids grow up so fast. Your plans with Rey look really nice. As you know, November is my favorite month to visit! The weather will be beautiful, you will be there for F&W and you will have really low crowd levels so you can pretty much ride any rides whenever you like!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Insanity is a workout program. It is very similar to P90X (if you are familiar with P90X), except it is much more cardio based. We are just 2 weeks into it (its a 60-day program), but we are loving it. We decided over the weekend to sign-up for a half-marathon in December. I am really excited!

I know what you mean about the cost of 2 people vs the cost of a family. On our first trip to WDW, Porter was not 3 so we only had to pay for DH+ me. We started having to pay for Porter on our last trip and will have to start paying for Audrey Anne after September... our costs have gone WAY UP! We still find it to be a reasonable price for what we get.

I can't wait to read more of your plans. Hope you had a GREAT weekend!

Nice busy weekend! Today and tomorrow are the quiet before the storm b/c I have a crazybusy week/weekend coming up with petsitting, bday parties, and Earth Day festivities! Looking forward to it though.

The program sounds interesting and congrats on signing up for a half! My feet are still giving me trouble, so right now I've just let go of worrying about it and I'm focusing on getting back to eating raw vegan, which always makes me feel better, and biking!

Very nice pictures, Karen! Is it the rollerblades, or is Savannah getting a lot taller?! Kids grow up so fast. Your plans with Rey look really nice. As you know, November is my favorite month to visit! The weather will be beautiful, you will be there for F&W and you will have really low crowd levels so you can pretty much ride any rides whenever you like!

You know why I'm laughing, right? Do you know how many people told me that the crowd levels would be super low for January??? Uh...you've seen the pics I have for proof! I won't hold my breath about low crowds, but I'm not worried about it. I know this sounds crazy, but Rey & I probably won't be riding much! I have maybe 3 or 4 things at each park we are going to but we're spending tons of time at F&W, shopping, and exploring the little things on this trip. Rey is not a ride junkie like me, so he wants to just relax and enjoy. I will TRY to remember this at rope drop!

Yes, Savannah has gotten taller, her jeans from fall were dragging on the ground and now fit perfectly! Think she's going to be tall like her mama.