RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,533
As a former English major and a current middle school English Language Arts teacher, I have decided to start off my long-awaited trip report using literary terminology! Readers of my PTR (It's Better Than Stuffed Mezzaluna with Sausage!) will remember that I like incorporating Disney in my lesson plans, so it only makes sense that I would incorporate lessons in my Disney TR!
SETTING
My family has a timeshare at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee, Florida, so we've never actually stayed on WDW property. Though it is my plan to stay on property for my future Disneymoon with my future DH Weird (definitely a MK monorail resort so most likely Polynesian!), I do very much enjoy having so much space at our condo. I'll post pictures when I write about our arrival day, and I get them from Weird.
Some days were spent on WDW property, of course. That's definitely the kind of setting I like! We typically don't do all 4 parks; MK and Epcot are the ones we do nowadays, but now that my DBF went with us, I was able to add DHS to the mix as well!
And of course, let's not forget that setting is not just the place. The definition is time and place! That means I need to include our dates! We were on vacation from Saturday, April 3rd to Saturday, April 10th, but that included travel time (driving to and from NY!). It wasn't one of those long 10-day vacations that allows for repeat park visits, but it was definitely a dose of Disney that was greatly needed!
CHARACTERS
Rachel (25, I think just had a conversation with DBF about how old I am because neither of us can seem to remember) Thats me!
I'm a middle school teacher who covers a ton of subjects (ELA, math, Bible, verbal coach, math coach). It's 9 separate classes because I do 6th-8th! It's tiring and exhausting, and gosh oh gee, that middle school age makes me want to pull my hair out. But when I think about teaching elementary or high school, it just doesn't make sense at this point. I think it requires a certain kind of crazy to stay with the pre-teen age, so ... call me crazy! My life revolves around my job, which isn't extremely healthy, I know, but Disney helps me get through it. I'll have DIS open as I work so I can read TRs as I plan, and I also like listening to Disney soundtrack music or park area music! The dose of Disney makes lesson planning way more fun.
Don't be mistaken though; I'm not "just" a teacher. On Virtual Magic Kingdom (when it was still around), I was known as Ninja. I tell students I'm a ninja (or a spy) to prove points. I made up this whole story once about how I had to break into a library to get these books, and it made sense because I had my ninja skills. The point of the story was to help them remember perimeter since I had to get over the perimeter fence; they're always mixing up area and perimeter. I just like making the boring things more interesting.
The funny thing is that there are students in the lower grades who truly believe I'm a ninja at night. The reason for the name started when I was still in college. There was an episode of 24 where Jack Bauer was kidnapped by Chinese ninjas. Since I was one of the few Asians on campus, my friends joked around and asked me where I took him. Then a few months later when I was depressed because I had to wear a heart monitor for 3 weeks, my friend Lauren made a WeeMe online for me with an MP3 as a heart monitor and named it RachelNinja. That name stuck!
Other than Disney and my ninja status, here are a few other things about me:
I can relate almost ANYTHING back to Gilmore Girls. If someone mentions a word that was on GG, I'll have to quote the show! Weird does that with The Office!
Going to IKEA or flipping through the catalog gets me really giddy. Of course, going is better because it ends with a plate of Swedish meatballs.
Im extremely eager to get engaged and get married to my DBF!
Howard (24) - My DBF who is HowWeird on DIS but Weird for short.
Hes a multimedia/audiovisual technician at his former college. Um, is it weird that I had to look that up on Facebook? Haha. Im really bad; Im the kind of person who knows the names of professions as long as they were the ones that can be found in the Richard Scarry books. You know what Im talking about teacher, doctor, artist, plumber. Those are easier to remember. I usually just say that Weird works with computers and IT stuff. Its definitely a skill that comes in handy though since he has had to get rid of viruses and also reformat my computer.
The computer help doesnt just show you how much he knows about technology. It also shows that hes extremely kind and patient with me! I remember calling him on the phone in a panic one day, waking him up from his day off from work because something had happened to my computer, and I needed it for my lesson plans!
He recently purchased a Canon DSLR camera as its been something hes been eyeing for ages. Since we had the WDW trip planned, he decided to spring for it since hed be able to use it on the vacation! Might as well get it before and start getting use out of it! Youll just have to wait and see if he starts to master this new chunky device! Ill be posting his pictures along with mine since hes not as big on the writing aspect of trip reports. I imagine that in the future, hed do more of a photo trip report, but for now, Id rather steal his images and add them here!
Here are a few random things about Weird:
He loves watching things like the Discovery channel because hes very interested in knowing how things work. He loves animals too, so I know hell be the one to take our future kiddies (if we have any) to the zoo and aquarium!
In the same way that I can reference anything back to Gilmore Girls, he can reference anything back to The Office! Its a good thing I got into the show too because otherwise I wouldnt have a clue as to why he finds some things so funny!
He gives the best foot massages! Sore feet after being on them all week from teaching or after a day at the parks (and taking a shower first, of course!) really makes me love em even more!
Together we make a good couple, if I do say so myself, not because we're particularly interesting or fun to be around or anything of that sort. I think we're a good couple because we understand each other so well. We are very alike when it comes to what we want to do in our time together; we'd rather sit at home and enjoy each other's company by watching DVDs (Disney movies, The Office) and playing board games. Going out is not something we like to do unless it means we're stopping by the Disney Store or getting dinner at Chili's or our favorite local sushi spot.
We're very easygoing and laidback for the most part; we're not the type to complain about things when we're out (ex. we're sometimes too lazy to send back food that's not hot enough!). However, there are times when we can each get extremely heated and angry, and the other person needs to help the other calm down (ex. people who are mean or rude do this to us)! Lastly, we both absolutely love love love Disney!
And now some random things about HowRae:
We both love listening to High School Musical 3, and we get such a kick when we play it in the car and sing along! Sometimes we get silly and sing the opposite parts too, mainly because I tend to know the words to the guy parts more!
Were both lactose intolerant, so we cant enjoy many of the things that other people enjoy. Thankfully, were not severely lactose intolerant, so cheese is still okay to some degree. We joked about getting ice cream during the whole trip. I mean, those Mickey bars really look good!
We dont really fight or argue since we had plenty of time to do that when we were apart for those 2 years. Of course, it was bound to catch up with us at one point or another and being with each other 24/7 did create an issue at MK! Youll have to wait to read about that.
Momsicles
Shes my best friend in the whole entire world! The funny thing is that she and Weird are actually very alike! Their personalities and their comments are so similar that its just plain uncanny! My mom has her favorite things to do in Disney, mainly ride Peter Pan, Living with the Land, Soarin and hmm, I dont really know what else she really wanted to do except for those things and The Hall of Presidents! She doesnt like fast rides or loud things or anything that might be startling, so that really eliminates a lot. She easily gets dizzy, so shell never have the opportunity to try many of the rides we want her to try. Thankfully, shes also very laidback, so shes willing to just go with the flow and isnt in a rush to get from one thing to the next.
Popsicles
My dad surprised both my mom and me when he invited Weird to come along on our family vacation. That story can be found on my PTR in the following entry: Possible Guest Appearance. Hes the kind of dad who only went to Disney for this long because he knew his kids enjoyed it. He doesnt like crowds, which meant going during the week after Easter probably wasnt that good of an idea! He also likes the rides that allow him to nap for a short while (ex. Carousel of Progress, Living with the Land, Hall of Presidents, etc.).
Matthew / Matt (11) My younger brother who is now also my student!
Matt = basketball. That's all he seems to care about lately. He's not into school at all and doesn't find the joy in learning anything except for basketball stats! He's still into his PSP and video games. I wish he could be into reading more! He's extremely picky when it comes to eating, and he's definitely the baby of the family since he gets away with a lot (we have an older brother, so he was a surprise baby). He transferred to my school at the end of February, so he actually didn't miss any school! Mom was ecstatic about that. He did say at the end of vacation that this was his favorite vacation EVER.
Just a quick note on the TR title. Before the trip, I had thought of these two: Looking Up! (so many details can be found if you just look up! I forgot to do that a lot though, so it definitely wouldnt be a good title) and I Want To Go To There! (from one of my more recent favorite shows, 30 Rock!)
Throughout the entire trip, Weird and I were trying to come up with a good title since it does draw people in. Every time something funny happened or something big happened, we were like, THAT should be the TR title! For example, I kept on saying, I love my bag! the entire time, so that was in consideration. Then Weird kept taking pictures of everything, so I was joking with him and going, Wall! Take a picture! Light! Take a picture! so that was a possibility as well. Then there were all the titles that I spouted out that included Lou Mongellos name in it, but youll have to keep reading until the end to find out why.
In the end, I stuck to something basic. I was thinking about it when it was Weirds turn to drive yesterday when we were coming back. Its basically because Weird and I never thought wed be at Disney together until we were married. Thankfully, we had the chance to go now instead of having to wait until our Disneymoon! It was definitely something we were extremely excited about because we may not be able to go on our Disneymoon for a while. It just made sense to call it our Pre-Disneymoon!
I'd like to close with an added note that I feel is completely necessary because I'm ... particular. As I write this TR, I have to preface it by saying that I may not follow the grammar rules all the time. There ... I admit it! As much as I may correct my students at work, and as much as I dislike it when people butcher the English language in speech and in writing, I too might write with fragments. I might be ending sentences with prepositions. I may even use more than one exclamation point when I feel it is warranted!
Anyway, I hope that you'll join me as I write about our wonderful vacation in WDW! There will be a ton of pictures (both Weird's and mine) and lots of stories! All the MINUTIAE will be included for your reading pleasure!
Haha, I'm just happy I got that word in because that too was another trip report title consideration!
SETTING
My family has a timeshare at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee, Florida, so we've never actually stayed on WDW property. Though it is my plan to stay on property for my future Disneymoon with my future DH Weird (definitely a MK monorail resort so most likely Polynesian!), I do very much enjoy having so much space at our condo. I'll post pictures when I write about our arrival day, and I get them from Weird.
Some days were spent on WDW property, of course. That's definitely the kind of setting I like! We typically don't do all 4 parks; MK and Epcot are the ones we do nowadays, but now that my DBF went with us, I was able to add DHS to the mix as well!
And of course, let's not forget that setting is not just the place. The definition is time and place! That means I need to include our dates! We were on vacation from Saturday, April 3rd to Saturday, April 10th, but that included travel time (driving to and from NY!). It wasn't one of those long 10-day vacations that allows for repeat park visits, but it was definitely a dose of Disney that was greatly needed!
CHARACTERS
Rachel (25, I think just had a conversation with DBF about how old I am because neither of us can seem to remember) Thats me!
I'm a middle school teacher who covers a ton of subjects (ELA, math, Bible, verbal coach, math coach). It's 9 separate classes because I do 6th-8th! It's tiring and exhausting, and gosh oh gee, that middle school age makes me want to pull my hair out. But when I think about teaching elementary or high school, it just doesn't make sense at this point. I think it requires a certain kind of crazy to stay with the pre-teen age, so ... call me crazy! My life revolves around my job, which isn't extremely healthy, I know, but Disney helps me get through it. I'll have DIS open as I work so I can read TRs as I plan, and I also like listening to Disney soundtrack music or park area music! The dose of Disney makes lesson planning way more fun.
Don't be mistaken though; I'm not "just" a teacher. On Virtual Magic Kingdom (when it was still around), I was known as Ninja. I tell students I'm a ninja (or a spy) to prove points. I made up this whole story once about how I had to break into a library to get these books, and it made sense because I had my ninja skills. The point of the story was to help them remember perimeter since I had to get over the perimeter fence; they're always mixing up area and perimeter. I just like making the boring things more interesting.
The funny thing is that there are students in the lower grades who truly believe I'm a ninja at night. The reason for the name started when I was still in college. There was an episode of 24 where Jack Bauer was kidnapped by Chinese ninjas. Since I was one of the few Asians on campus, my friends joked around and asked me where I took him. Then a few months later when I was depressed because I had to wear a heart monitor for 3 weeks, my friend Lauren made a WeeMe online for me with an MP3 as a heart monitor and named it RachelNinja. That name stuck!
Other than Disney and my ninja status, here are a few other things about me:
I can relate almost ANYTHING back to Gilmore Girls. If someone mentions a word that was on GG, I'll have to quote the show! Weird does that with The Office!
Going to IKEA or flipping through the catalog gets me really giddy. Of course, going is better because it ends with a plate of Swedish meatballs.
Im extremely eager to get engaged and get married to my DBF!
Howard (24) - My DBF who is HowWeird on DIS but Weird for short.
Hes a multimedia/audiovisual technician at his former college. Um, is it weird that I had to look that up on Facebook? Haha. Im really bad; Im the kind of person who knows the names of professions as long as they were the ones that can be found in the Richard Scarry books. You know what Im talking about teacher, doctor, artist, plumber. Those are easier to remember. I usually just say that Weird works with computers and IT stuff. Its definitely a skill that comes in handy though since he has had to get rid of viruses and also reformat my computer.
The computer help doesnt just show you how much he knows about technology. It also shows that hes extremely kind and patient with me! I remember calling him on the phone in a panic one day, waking him up from his day off from work because something had happened to my computer, and I needed it for my lesson plans!
He recently purchased a Canon DSLR camera as its been something hes been eyeing for ages. Since we had the WDW trip planned, he decided to spring for it since hed be able to use it on the vacation! Might as well get it before and start getting use out of it! Youll just have to wait and see if he starts to master this new chunky device! Ill be posting his pictures along with mine since hes not as big on the writing aspect of trip reports. I imagine that in the future, hed do more of a photo trip report, but for now, Id rather steal his images and add them here!
Here are a few random things about Weird:
He loves watching things like the Discovery channel because hes very interested in knowing how things work. He loves animals too, so I know hell be the one to take our future kiddies (if we have any) to the zoo and aquarium!
In the same way that I can reference anything back to Gilmore Girls, he can reference anything back to The Office! Its a good thing I got into the show too because otherwise I wouldnt have a clue as to why he finds some things so funny!
He gives the best foot massages! Sore feet after being on them all week from teaching or after a day at the parks (and taking a shower first, of course!) really makes me love em even more!
Together we make a good couple, if I do say so myself, not because we're particularly interesting or fun to be around or anything of that sort. I think we're a good couple because we understand each other so well. We are very alike when it comes to what we want to do in our time together; we'd rather sit at home and enjoy each other's company by watching DVDs (Disney movies, The Office) and playing board games. Going out is not something we like to do unless it means we're stopping by the Disney Store or getting dinner at Chili's or our favorite local sushi spot.
We're very easygoing and laidback for the most part; we're not the type to complain about things when we're out (ex. we're sometimes too lazy to send back food that's not hot enough!). However, there are times when we can each get extremely heated and angry, and the other person needs to help the other calm down (ex. people who are mean or rude do this to us)! Lastly, we both absolutely love love love Disney!
And now some random things about HowRae:
We both love listening to High School Musical 3, and we get such a kick when we play it in the car and sing along! Sometimes we get silly and sing the opposite parts too, mainly because I tend to know the words to the guy parts more!
Were both lactose intolerant, so we cant enjoy many of the things that other people enjoy. Thankfully, were not severely lactose intolerant, so cheese is still okay to some degree. We joked about getting ice cream during the whole trip. I mean, those Mickey bars really look good!
We dont really fight or argue since we had plenty of time to do that when we were apart for those 2 years. Of course, it was bound to catch up with us at one point or another and being with each other 24/7 did create an issue at MK! Youll have to wait to read about that.
Momsicles
Shes my best friend in the whole entire world! The funny thing is that she and Weird are actually very alike! Their personalities and their comments are so similar that its just plain uncanny! My mom has her favorite things to do in Disney, mainly ride Peter Pan, Living with the Land, Soarin and hmm, I dont really know what else she really wanted to do except for those things and The Hall of Presidents! She doesnt like fast rides or loud things or anything that might be startling, so that really eliminates a lot. She easily gets dizzy, so shell never have the opportunity to try many of the rides we want her to try. Thankfully, shes also very laidback, so shes willing to just go with the flow and isnt in a rush to get from one thing to the next.
Popsicles
My dad surprised both my mom and me when he invited Weird to come along on our family vacation. That story can be found on my PTR in the following entry: Possible Guest Appearance. Hes the kind of dad who only went to Disney for this long because he knew his kids enjoyed it. He doesnt like crowds, which meant going during the week after Easter probably wasnt that good of an idea! He also likes the rides that allow him to nap for a short while (ex. Carousel of Progress, Living with the Land, Hall of Presidents, etc.).
Matthew / Matt (11) My younger brother who is now also my student!
Matt = basketball. That's all he seems to care about lately. He's not into school at all and doesn't find the joy in learning anything except for basketball stats! He's still into his PSP and video games. I wish he could be into reading more! He's extremely picky when it comes to eating, and he's definitely the baby of the family since he gets away with a lot (we have an older brother, so he was a surprise baby). He transferred to my school at the end of February, so he actually didn't miss any school! Mom was ecstatic about that. He did say at the end of vacation that this was his favorite vacation EVER.
Just a quick note on the TR title. Before the trip, I had thought of these two: Looking Up! (so many details can be found if you just look up! I forgot to do that a lot though, so it definitely wouldnt be a good title) and I Want To Go To There! (from one of my more recent favorite shows, 30 Rock!)
Throughout the entire trip, Weird and I were trying to come up with a good title since it does draw people in. Every time something funny happened or something big happened, we were like, THAT should be the TR title! For example, I kept on saying, I love my bag! the entire time, so that was in consideration. Then Weird kept taking pictures of everything, so I was joking with him and going, Wall! Take a picture! Light! Take a picture! so that was a possibility as well. Then there were all the titles that I spouted out that included Lou Mongellos name in it, but youll have to keep reading until the end to find out why.
In the end, I stuck to something basic. I was thinking about it when it was Weirds turn to drive yesterday when we were coming back. Its basically because Weird and I never thought wed be at Disney together until we were married. Thankfully, we had the chance to go now instead of having to wait until our Disneymoon! It was definitely something we were extremely excited about because we may not be able to go on our Disneymoon for a while. It just made sense to call it our Pre-Disneymoon!
I'd like to close with an added note that I feel is completely necessary because I'm ... particular. As I write this TR, I have to preface it by saying that I may not follow the grammar rules all the time. There ... I admit it! As much as I may correct my students at work, and as much as I dislike it when people butcher the English language in speech and in writing, I too might write with fragments. I might be ending sentences with prepositions. I may even use more than one exclamation point when I feel it is warranted!
Anyway, I hope that you'll join me as I write about our wonderful vacation in WDW! There will be a ton of pictures (both Weird's and mine) and lots of stories! All the MINUTIAE will be included for your reading pleasure!
Haha, I'm just happy I got that word in because that too was another trip report title consideration!
Since my trip's over, yours is closer!
). We love, love, love that show. 
