Weird and Ninja’s Pre-Disneymoon [Completed!]

[LilAnn]

Well, if it turns out that you need to incorporate some of the more traditional chinese traditions, we went through it all. My husband's family is very traditional and my parents are Thai with a Chinese background as well, so they were happy with all of it. I didn't want the red dress either, but had to change, so I found a gold/ivory toned one instead that made me a lot happier. Also did the whole big roast pig "engagement" thing. They kept springing more and more details and traditions on me, including one on the wedding morning! Eek!

I can't wait to hear all about your wedding planning details. Maybe you'll have to do a PTR for it somewhere so we can read along! Like I said, I've been through all that traditional stuff so feel free to message me here or on FB. We tried to modernize as much of it as we could while still meeting all the requirements.

 

[Bridora]

Congratulations!

I have been a bit behind on all my subscriptions and just now read your engagement news. I think it was so special how Weird proposed to you in a place that has such special memories for the two of you! And I'm glad you got a sparklier ring! It's very pretty. I agree with you, that's its something between you and Weird and you don't need to have a ring of a certain size just to meet someone else's approval.

I can't wait to see what kind of Disney touches you come up with to incorporate in your wedding!


Ooooh, I didn't know they still had divers in the tube. We haven't caught one in there in a while, so I though maybe they stopped doing it for some reason. I'm glad to know they are still there!

 

[oboedm]

Congrats on the engagement! I agree with Bridora--it's great that he proposed in such a special spot. My hubby proposed on our college theater stage-- where both he and I performed concerts, plays, etc. It was a great place to propose, especially when the house lights came up and all our friends were there! We were able to have a private moment (or so I thought), but then celebrate it right after, like you did.

 

[RNBelle]

Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you, Ninja!

 

[therussells08]

In reply to your comment:

I have to say that when you said, "Maybe my ring isn't up to your standards, but I'm the one who gets to marry my best friend." it brought a tear to my eye! That is so true and such a wonderful way of looking at it. I know that you and Weird are going to have a wonderful life together, and it doesn't need some huge dentist ring weighing it down!

Speaking of dentist ring, I cracked up at that. I remember going to the dentist and picking through that treasure chest too! I used to get so offended because they would put packs of floss and toothbrushes in there. I would think to myself, "Do they really believe this is a good prize?" So I would end up choosing the cheap plastic frog that jumps when you press its butt or whatever. Looking back now I realize I probably should have gone with the toothbrush.

I'm exactly like you. If it wasn't for having to dress up for work, I would be in jeans and a Disney shirt all the time. I wear my e-ring, my wedding ring, and a necklace John bought me for Christmas when he was in Iraq. That's all the jewelry I wear, and none of it is that big fancy stuff. I'm just not that kind of girl! I wouldn't worry too much about when you add your wedding ring. I was afraid that mine would feel "chunky" too, but it's really not bad. I picked a pretty thin wedding band, so I barely noticed. It's funny now though, because if I take of my rings I have these ridiculous (There's your word again! I guess I use it more than I realized!) tan lines.

Disney really is a lifestyle! And I agree with you- people don't think it's strange to incorporate horses or golf or whatever they love into their wedding, so why not Disney?

In reply to your update:

Awwww, I love the manatees! When we were there last summer we saw the one who was injured by the propeller. I'm not sure if it was Lou or if they had a different one then, but I seem to remember his name being Lou. Anyway, I felt so bad for him because he had big scars all down his side. It broke my heart.

I love learning at Disney! It is so much better than just going to a regular amusement park where all they want to do is rattle your brain with their intense rides. Disney actually wants you to have a good experience beyond thrill rides. It's such a wonderful vacation!

 

[stacy347]

Congratulations!! What a perfect way to propose ~ he knows you very well! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness and magic!

 

[dancin_princess]

Even though I don't have an e-ring my boyfriend did give me a ring for our first valentine's day. It wasn't big and flashy but it was perfect. Even though sometimes I like to accessorize with jewelry every now and again, big and flashy rings aren't everything. If i find a picture of my ring, I'll post it. Sadly my fingers got fat over the past few years and it doesn't fit comfortably anymore.

While you can't wait to share your wedding things with us, I can't wait for YOU to share them. I look forward to hearing about your planning and subtle Disney touches.

The fun part about growing up in Central Florida was that some field trips could be done at Epcot. I vaguely remember a field trip in Elementary school when we studied Sea Life at Epcot. If I'm a teacher in Central Florida, I'm looking forward to these Disney related field trips. There was also a manatee specific one somewhere else but I only remember the Disney one.

 

[RachelNinja]

Great updates! I love the engagement story. I love that you got pics from it all. Your ring is awesome!

The manatees at Epcot are so beautiful to me. I like that you told the story of how they were rescued.

Looking forward to more!

Thank you! The pics are great; nothing will beat having them taken at that location.

The manatee thing is just a reminder to me why I really should have taken more notes for my trip report! I like it when things are explained in a TR, but after the first few hours or so, I don't think I took any notes. Haha, was too busy enjoying myself.

Well, if it turns out that you need to incorporate some of the more traditional chinese traditions, we went through it all. My husband's family is very traditional and my parents are Thai with a Chinese background as well, so they were happy with all of it. I didn't want the red dress either, but had to change, so I found a gold/ivory toned one instead that made me a lot happier. Also did the whole big roast pig "engagement" thing. They kept springing more and more details and traditions on me, including one on the wedding morning! Eek!

I can't wait to hear all about your wedding planning details. Maybe you'll have to do a PTR for it somewhere so we can read along! Like I said, I've been through all that traditional stuff so feel free to message me here or on FB. We tried to modernize as much of it as we could while still meeting all the requirements.

Right now we're discussing whether or not we want a local wedding or a destination wedding (including WDW). We keep going from one to the other. I think a destination would totally mess with our families' minds! Haha, it'd really be getting away from the traditional Chinese traditions since we wouldn't even have everyone there!

Ooo, I'm curious to know what your gold/ivory dress looked like! Do you have a pic of it? And what tradition did they spring on you on the day of your wedding?!?

I did start a blog to track my "new" life as an engaged girl! I didn't post an update yet except for the intro; when I eventually post something there, I'll add the link so you can follow along!

Congratulations!

I have been a bit behind on all my subscriptions and just now read your engagement news. I think it was so special how Weird proposed to you in a place that has such special memories for the two of you! And I'm glad you got a sparklier ring! It's very pretty. I agree with you, that's its something between you and Weird and you don't need to have a ring of a certain size just to meet someone else's approval.

I can't wait to see what kind of Disney touches you come up with to incorporate in your wedding!

Ooooh, I didn't know they still had divers in the tube. We haven't caught one in there in a while, so I though maybe they stopped doing it for some reason. I'm glad to know they are still there!

I love that you put the "congratulations" in our colors! That got me all excited, thanks!!!

I showed the ring to some more people at church today (I was sick last Sunday so I had to stay at home), and I didn't even think that people might think it's too small. All you DISers reassured me of what I already knew but started to forget ... it's for me and Weird! And I love it!

Yup! I wonder if there's a schedule for the diver because I had never seen it beforehand.

Congrats on the engagement! I agree with Bridora--it's great that he proposed in such a special spot. My hubby proposed on our college theater stage-- where both he and I performed concerts, plays, etc. It was a great place to propose, especially when the house lights came up and all our friends were there! We were able to have a private moment (or so I thought), but then celebrate it right after, like you did.

Thank you!!! Awww, I love how your DH proposed! That's so sweet, and it's definitely a thing for you guys. You can't just pull anyone onto a stage to propose. I love the unique ideas. The fancy-shmancy overdone movie-type proposals just aren't my thing. You know, roses and candles in the apartment and all that. Haha, I'd get so nervous if that happened. Especially since neither of us have apartments so I don't know where I'd be if we were in an apartment ... haha.

Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you, Ninja!

Thank you thank you!!!

In reply to your comment:

I have to say that when you said, "Maybe my ring isn't up to your standards, but I'm the one who gets to marry my best friend." it brought a tear to my eye! That is so true and such a wonderful way of looking at it. I know that you and Weird are going to have a wonderful life together, and it doesn't need some huge dentist ring weighing it down!

Speaking of dentist ring, I cracked up at that. I remember going to the dentist and picking through that treasure chest too! I used to get so offended because they would put packs of floss and toothbrushes in there. I would think to myself, "Do they really believe this is a good prize?" So I would end up choosing the cheap plastic frog that jumps when you press its butt or whatever. Looking back now I realize I probably should have gone with the toothbrush.

I'm exactly like you. If it wasn't for having to dress up for work, I would be in jeans and a Disney shirt all the time. I wear my e-ring, my wedding ring, and a necklace John bought me for Christmas when he was in Iraq. That's all the jewelry I wear, and none of it is that big fancy stuff. I'm just not that kind of girl! I wouldn't worry too much about when you add your wedding ring. I was afraid that mine would feel "chunky" too, but it's really not bad. I picked a pretty thin wedding band, so I barely noticed. It's funny now though, because if I take of my rings I have these ridiculous (There's your word again! I guess I use it more than I realized!) tan lines.

Disney really is a lifestyle! And I agree with you- people don't think it's strange to incorporate horses or golf or whatever they love into their wedding, so why not Disney?

In reply to your update:

Awwww, I love the manatees! When we were there last summer we saw the one who was injured by the propeller. I'm not sure if it was Lou or if they had a different one then, but I seem to remember his name being Lou. Anyway, I felt so bad for him because he had big scars all down his side. It broke my heart.

I love learning at Disney! It is so much better than just going to a regular amusement park where all they want to do is rattle your brain with their intense rides. Disney actually wants you to have a good experience beyond thrill rides. It's such a wonderful vacation!

I used to hear people say, "I'm marrying my best friend" and I used to think, how true is it because you become close when you start dating. But now that I've lived through it, I understand why it really means a lot. Weird and I were friends first, dated for 6 months, and then were friends again for 2 years. We had to learn to be friends again minus the feelings (haha, and the fighting, which we did for a bit after we broke up ...). Then when we got back together, it really was such a blessing to us because we knew what life was like NOT being together. Showed us that we really did need each other! Love him <3

HAHAHA, I chose those frogs too!!! I used to have a ton of them, and I'd stack them on of each other when I got bored making them jump. The dentist used to have stickers in the box too, and I didn't understand why one sticker was at the same level as a "beautiful" ring! Haha.

A ridiculous ring tan line would go with my ridiculous watch tan line! I got that from Florida in April!

I would love to live in Florida and take kids on a field trip! Haha, just not when it's hot.

Congratulations!! What a perfect way to propose ~ he knows you very well! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness and magic!

Thank you! It definitely was such a wonderful place. I also love that it was fairly isolated from everyone else at the retreat site and then the entire retreat site was also isolated from the city. We're definitely not city people!

Even though I don't have an e-ring my boyfriend did give me a ring for our first valentine's day. It wasn't big and flashy but it was perfect. Even though sometimes I like to accessorize with jewelry every now and again, big and flashy rings aren't everything. If i find a picture of my ring, I'll post it. Sadly my fingers got fat over the past few years and it doesn't fit comfortably anymore.

While you can't wait to share your wedding things with us, I can't wait for YOU to share them. I look forward to hearing about your planning and subtle Disney touches.

The fun part about growing up in Central Florida was that some field trips could be done at Epcot. I vaguely remember a field trip in Elementary school when we studied Sea Life at Epcot. If I'm a teacher in Central Florida, I'm looking forward to these Disney related field trips. There was also a manatee specific one somewhere else but I only remember the Disney one.

Ooo, hope you can find a pic of your ring! I love simple yet beautiful rings. It just seems more appropriate!

I'll let you know when I eventually get that blog started! I know I want to keep you guys filled in, but I can't do it on this TR because it'll definitely be getting too off topic!

Jealous of the field trips! One of my dad's friends lives in Cali, and his kids used to go to Disneyland on trips all the time. They went so often that they actually got bored with it!!! That would never happen with me!

 

[RachelNinja]

Monday, April 5: Waiting for Crush on the Floor!

Our next stop since we were still in The Seas with Nemo & Friends was to watch Turtle Talk with Crush. I remember seeing it for the first time 2 years ago and just being so amazed! I thought it was really funny.

Mascot Mickey was liked the fact that we had to wait a bit on line because he got a breather out of my bag ("I love my bag!" if you haven't heard, haha).

There were a ton of bubbles around the entrance sign, so Weird was looking for Hidden Mickeys. I think I've said it before, but I really don't like HMs that are among a bunch of circles. I like ones that are CLEARLY Mickeys. Haha, too many shapes!

We didn't see anything so Mascot Mickey decided to jump in a pic as if to say, "Hey, I'M here; who cares about the hidden ones!"

I was excited for Weird to see the show because it's "new" technology. He's never seen Monsters Inc either, so this was all new to him. I was thrilled because he'd be there to protect me from the SCARY part of the show!

We stood around Crush for a bit, and HE actually started getting a bit scary. Haha, can you tell which pic is from my camera and which pic is from Weird's camera?

It's not that difficult to see!

We checked out the Hidden Mickeys book and read that there was one in this sign. Haha, or at least that's what we thought it said; we might be completely wrong.

Weird took a pic of it so that we might be able to look for it at home, but we never did. Haha, it might be another one of those HMs among a lot of things that MIGHT be Mickeys.

I wasn't very thrilled with the sharks on the wall.

Since we just missed getting in the previous show, we had to wait an entire show and more. We were close to the tanks when we were let into the waiting area (not the line part, the part where everyone just hangs around). I thought it was cool to have the animals there to provide some entertainment. Mickey thought so too.

Mickey didn't want me to keep asking him to turn around to take a pic. He just wanted to watch along with the other kids.

When we realized that we would be squished near the entrance doors for a very long time until the next show, we backed away from the crowds and sat with our backs on the divider that separates the people in the waiting area and the people waiting in line to get into the waiting area.

In the past, I normally would never have sat on the floor, but I guess I'm getting over the germaphobia. I mean, how clean are the seats we sit in at Disney? I'm sure kids are climbing all over those seats too. Plus, there was really no way I would've been able to last that long standing in one place, especially surrounded by so many others! I liked having some time and space to just relax and stretch out my legs.

Here are our matching New Balance sneakers! Okay, they don't match because they're the same style, of course. They just match because they're NB. I remember about 2-3 years ago when the podiatrist (I had an ingrown toenail) told me to get shoes with support. He didn't like my Reeboks or my Skechers or my flip flops! He told me to get NB, but at the time, I thought that all NB were all white and what the old people wore. Now I LOVE them because I can last SO much longer on my feet without any pain!

Oy, looking at the feet of all these people standing gets me tired even now!

We really did have a lot of time to sit. Weird definitely understands the "look up" concept better than I do because he looked up and took a picture of this:

As Weird and I talked and took pictures, my dad did this. You can't see it because his face is covered, but he leaned up next to the jellyfish exhibit and slept. I knew he fell asleep because his mouth fell open.

I was watching this CM. It was cool to see him "count" the people he was letting into the waiting area. He had this little clicker in his hand, and he clicked it for each person he let in. Way easier than counting in your head and possibly losing count!

Matt eventually sat down on the floor too, and my mom didn't say anything. If it were years ago with my older brother and me, she definitely would have! Of course, Matt's the one who cares the least about cleanliness and germs. He'll touch things and rub his eyes or eat with his hands or something like that. He had a bad habit for a while with putting his hands in or around his mouth too! YET he rarely got sick! I guess his body built up the tolerance to fight the germs!

After a good amount of waiting, the doors finally opened. I wasn't in a rush to get in because I didn't want to be squished with everyone. While they were filtering in, we actually had a chance to play one of those trivia games on the touch screens. They were mobbed beforehand.

And ... haha, it's late and I should go to sleep. I had this written about a week ago but never finished the part about the actual show. I didn't post it because I never had time to write! Now that it's late, and I've had this document open for a while, I see it's just not going to happen, so I'll what I have so far! See you guys soon!

 

[stacikristine]

I'm going to go back and get all caught up, but I wanted to reply to this first!

Strangely, it's not that weird having my brother as a student. There have been other students in my school who had their parents as teachers. I guess it's not that weird because it's a small Christian school. He doesn't really call me by name though. The one time he said "Miss Ninja," we both kind of started laughing!

Oh wow! How did that happen that your dad was always your principal?

I have to watch 24! I haven't watched one episode because I know that I must start from the beginning! I remember when my older brother was watching it on DVD; he stayed up night after night going through them all, and he'd be exhausted the next day! My dad is obsessed with it though. He was trying to figure out what to do last Monday since we were in Epcot!

Weird and I would've brought The Office DVDs on vacation except for the fact that we've both watched them way too many times! Haha. I have all of his first 4 seasons, and he has my 5th. I never gave them back to him! It's pretty fun though because when I watch it now, there are still some things that I just happened to miss the first or even second time I watched it! I think it's like Gilmore Girls. They make so many references that sometimes they just fly over my head, and I don't realize it until much later!

Did you ever try watching the BBC version? I couldn't get into it.

That's too funny about your brother calling you "Miss Ninja"! My brother is almost 21 and still calls me "Sissy" so I know that'd be what he'd call me. That's really neat that you get to teach your brother though!

Well, my dad was my PE teacher from 2nd-4th grade. Then he went to a different school to be an assistant principal. Then we moved towns and he was my principal at the Intermediate School (6th and 7th). We moved again and he was the HS principal when I was in JH (8th and 9th) but the schools were only separated by a sidewalk and in 9th grade, a lot of my classes were in the HS. And then he was my principal from 10th-12th grades. I didn't like it when I was in 6th and 7th, but by the time we moved again, I loved it. I got out of class at least once a day in HS to go leave him a note or something. And he'd try to embarrass me by skipping down the hall or something silly like that, and I'd just go right along with him!

You really do have to watch 24!! I miss it, now that it's over. But you're right--you should start at season 1. We ended up buying all of the seasons, because you can get them for less than $15 each on Amazon, and it would have cost more than that to rent the different disks. And now we have them to loan out.

We started watching LOST last month, too. It's really good!! It's completely different from 24 (we feel like it's more like a long, character-driven, good novel) but we're definitely hooked. And the good thing is that all but this last season are on Hulu, so we watch them for free. I bet you and Howard would love them!

The Office is great! I'm so glad this past season was good again. I was really disappointed with season 5--too much drama. That's awesome that yall have all of the seasons too! I have an Office calendar at work (it's hilarious to read all of the quotes...Jim is this month) and Michael has the same one at our desk at home. And we have a tear-off calendar at home with quotes. They crack us up! I can't wait for next year's flip calendar, because some of the funniest quotes came from this past season! No, I've never seen the BBC one, but Michael said it was hard to understand.



Now, off to catch up!!

 

[Bridora]

Those pictures of/in front of the Turtle Talk sign are great! My kids would have found 1,000 'hidden Mickeys' in those bubbles!

I've heard that about New Balance shoes, too!

Your poor Dad, he must have been tired to fall asleep while leaning against that.

I always forget to look up! My DH remembers, though. It was nice this year because I took a small camera in my VB and he took our big one in the backpack. Kind of like your pictures & Weird's--we each took pictures of different things. It's neat to see things in a different way!

 

[therussells08]

Great update! I am trying to take notes on how you amused yourself while waiting in line when I read your TR, because I know I am going to be doing a whole lot of waiting when I go in December! I'm going to try to notice all the little details like you do so well!

Okay, that close up of Crush's face is a little scary! He looks really tired, haha! I must admit, Finding Nemo is not my favorite Disney movie. Now don't get me wrong, I still love it, but it just wasn't didn't really stick out to me like some of the others. As far as the Disney Pixar movies, I love Toy Story (all of them, although the second one is my least favorite) and Up the best. But thye are all great!

Your New Balances look so comfortable! I have been searching forever for some comfortable dress shoes I can wear to work and I have had absolutely no luck. I feel like with dress shoes you either get cute or comfortable, but you can never have bother. I use the shoe inserts sometimes, but they just don't seem to help as much as I'd like them to. Maybe I'm asking too much from my work shoes!

 

[stacikristine]

I finished Day 1! Great job!! I really like how you've split them up into little bite-sized posts. I would always neglect the TR for so long that when I did update, it'd be a million posts long. This way is fun!

Let's see if I can remember everything I want to comment on...

1st off, your LGMHs are so cute! I know you weren't thrilled with how they turned out, but I really like them! I "stole" some, and then didn't even end up using them. Maybe next time... And I guess I'll have to wait and see if anyone stopped you to introduce themselves because of your LGMHs!

Where did you get your adorable bag/purse? It's so cute! You might have said it during the PTR, but I can't remember. I love having my VB purses for Disney and Six Flags and things like that--your purse looks really similar to them. Now that I sell purses, I have WAY more than I need--but it's a little constraining because I feel like I can't buy any other ones because then I'd be a bad rep...

Your outlet shopping pics are adorable. I love that you and Weird have so much fun together. Looking at your pics makes me think about how goofy Michael and I are too. I think we'd all get along really well!

I want to be one of the 3 silly girls that love Gaston too! I think it'd be such a fun part to play. When I told Michael about that a while back, he said, "You would." What's that supposed to mean?! Oh--and I don't think I've mentioned this, but we're going to see Beauty and the Beast in Dallas on Friday!!!!! I can't wait!! It's (traveling) Broadway! B&tB is my absolute favorite Disney movie, and I am super excited!!

I actually lived in a log cabin house! My great-grandpa bought it when my grandpa was 12. He lived there until he couldn't take care of himself anymore, and then my parents bought it when I was in 8th grade. They moved a little over a year ago, but Michael and I live right next door to it now. As far as it being warmer...I guess it depends on the kind of log house it is. Ours had the mortar in-between the logs (I think that's what it's called) and there were little cracks (you can't really prevent these) and it was really drafty at times! It was SOO hard to keep it warm/cool--whichever you wanted for that season. But I bet the ones that are just logs on top of each other are better.

I love Classics too! Little Women is so great, and all of Jane Austen's books are some of my favorites! I read Robinson Crusoe a few years ago, and I loved it as well. I just love reading, period.

I'm with your dad on CB. It's ok, but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat there. But I'm SOOO happy that you got to since you were wanting to so badly! I should try some of their "normal food" because I've only ever had their breakfast. And if we do go back there someday, I'll have to order the chicken and dumplins and think about you!

You've done a great job on your TR so far! I'm anxious to finish catching up!!

 

[RunningGirl]

It seems like I always end up sitting on the floor somewhere in Walt Disney World! So far I haven't picked up any strange diseases...

Congratulations on your engagement! You two are great together and can look forward to many happy years.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Great update! I wish they had more to do in that waiting space - or at least seats. Glad you found a nice comfy seat on the floor. I like the picture of pal Mickey watching the rays. Very cute!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Turtle Talk! I love this show! It is kind of cool how they have the stingrays outside in the waiting area.

hahaha I definitely would've been sitting on the floor. Well...maybe not. I'm not worried about the germs, I'm more afraid of getting yelled at by a mean CM. LOL! I know people try to sit down on the floor all the time in Universe of Energy and get yelled at. haha

 

[stacikristine]

Ok...finished day 2!! Great job!

The thing that stuck out to me this day is that things are SOO different from NY to OK!

1. Your breakfast sounded yummy...do all of the hotels have the waffle makers? Pretty much all of ours do. And I'm with you on the hot syrup--I usually put mine in the microwave!

2. I can't believe you'd never seen/had biscuits and gravy before!! That's a staple in OK! I don't like white gravy at all (only my Meme's brown gravy for roast), but most people eat it all the time. You can get it at any restaurant or pretty much any person's house. Do yall eat biscuits and butter or jelly?

3. The all-purpose towel description is great! How creative! I love it when people/companies take a different spin on things and cause themselves to stand out.

4. Do you all not have cookie-cutter houses? Where I live, there aren't many, because most of the houses are older, and there aren't many "neighborhoods," but we still have 3 new neighborhoods that have cookie-cutter houses. I feel like a lot of true neighborhoods (where there's an entrance to the neighborhood instead of just houses on a street) in OK and TX cities are cookie-cutter houses.

5. The picture of the semi trucks in front of you made me think of Dallas. There are SO many times that I'll be driving (or riding) and there will be 2 or more semis in front of me, one to the side, and 2 behind me. Even though I don't get as freaked out anymore, I still don't like being surrounded by them.

6. That's SO neat that you and Weird came full-circle and he was with you the next time you saw that building that made you think of him. Michael and I were broken up for 3 months (after we'd only been dating for 3 months) and it's so neat to think about where we are now and what all we went through to get here. I can't wait to read about your Disney adventures together!

7. Even though I know you're already engaged, I was SO happy to read about yall picking out an engagement ring!!

8. No Cici's pizza?? When I was little, there was one year when every Saturday, we'd go to the YMCA and swim and then to Cici's to eat. Talk about cheap pizza...

9. I love Olive Garden too!! It was always my favorite place to eat when I was little. My parents tease me because most kids would pick McDonald's--but not me! I'd pick OG!!

10. Your condo looks great! A good home away from home!

 

[stacikristine]

And I skipped ahead to read about your engagement! SOOO SWEET!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm so happy for you! That's so neat that he proposed at a place that meant so much to you. And what better way to start your engagement than at a church retreat with so many of your friends and family? The pictures are gorgeous, and your ring is perfect! It'll be so exciting to hear how your wedding and story unfold.

 

[stacikristine]

I'm finally all the way caught up!!

I loved reading about your Epcot morning so far! Epcot is probably my second favorite park. We could have spent at least one more day there. We just love it!

Weird takes great scenery pics--especially the first time in the Soarin' queue. It's also fun seeing your two different perspectives. I'm the one with the picture camera and Michael's the one with the video camera, so we never get to see what the other would have captured.

And I completely agree about how fun it is to see it through the other person's eyes! Even though Michael had been to WDW before, it was SO long ago, and so much was new. I loved getting to ride everything with him again/for the first time. It's SOO great that Weird got to go with your family!

And I know what you mean about the Disneymoon. We couldn't have afforded it either. But we actually liked how it worked out much better. We just went to a little cabin in the mountains for our honeymoon (it was GORGEOUS!) and then we went to Disney the next fall when we had enough money saved up. We liked the fact that we could just relax after the wedding, and then have a tourist-y vacation later. I'm sure whatever you choose to do will be perfect!

YUCK. I do NOT want to try brussel sprouts. I can't even stand the smell of them! But I hope you get to try them sometime. Living with the Land was closed when we went (and we probably wouldn't have ridden it anyway) but I want to ride it next time! Oh--and your picture of strawberries made me think of my Pawpaw. He has a big garden, and Michael and I went and picked strawberries for him a couple of times this summer. Each time, we'd get over a gallon of fresh strawberries!

Even though the Nemo ride isn't a must for us either, I really enjoy it. It's just cute--and I like how they project the fish onto the real fish too! We didn't see the manatee. But when we saw one (eating lettuce!) at the Dallas Aquarium, we sang the "Barbara Manatee" song too! That's one of my favorite Silly Songs with Larry.

Great morning so far! Can't wait to read more--especially now that I'm caught up!

 

[RachelNinja]

I'm going to go back and get all caught up, but I wanted to reply to this first!

That's too funny about your brother calling you "Miss Ninja"! My brother is almost 21 and still calls me "Sissy" so I know that'd be what he'd call me. That's really neat that you get to teach your brother though!

Well, my dad was my PE teacher from 2nd-4th grade. Then he went to a different school to be an assistant principal. Then we moved towns and he was my principal at the Intermediate School (6th and 7th). We moved again and he was the HS principal when I was in JH (8th and 9th) but the schools were only separated by a sidewalk and in 9th grade, a lot of my classes were in the HS. And then he was my principal from 10th-12th grades. I didn't like it when I was in 6th and 7th, but by the time we moved again, I loved it. I got out of class at least once a day in HS to go leave him a note or something. And he'd try to embarrass me by skipping down the hall or something silly like that, and I'd just go right along with him!

You really do have to watch 24!! I miss it, now that it's over. But you're right--you should start at season 1. We ended up buying all of the seasons, because you can get them for less than $15 each on Amazon, and it would have cost more than that to rent the different disks. And now we have them to loan out.

We started watching LOST last month, too. It's really good!! It's completely different from 24 (we feel like it's more like a long, character-driven, good novel) but we're definitely hooked. And the good thing is that all but this last season are on Hulu, so we watch them for free. I bet you and Howard would love them!

The Office is great! I'm so glad this past season was good again. I was really disappointed with season 5--too much drama. That's awesome that yall have all of the seasons too! I have an Office calendar at work (it's hilarious to read all of the quotes...Jim is this month) and Michael has the same one at our desk at home. And we have a tear-off calendar at home with quotes. They crack us up! I can't wait for next year's flip calendar, because some of the funniest quotes came from this past season! No, I've never seen the BBC one, but Michael said it was hard to understand.

Now, off to catch up!!

It was so much fun reading all your comments, and I’m so glad that you’re caught up! Now I have to get moving with my updating! Work just takes over sometimes, and I still have the desire to write here, but I never have the time (hehe, especially since I’ve been spending the free time I do have looking for wedding dresses and such!).

It’s funny that I’m replying to this now because I JUST watched episode 1 of season 1 of 24 yesterday! I’m in the middle of episode 2 right now. Weird got a free month to Netflix, and we both really love it (it’ll be our $9 splurge every month when we’re married too!), so I’m watching it through that. It’s definitely something I know I’ll enjoy; I just never had the time to devote to it. Plus, I knew a few people who said it was easier to watch it once the season was over because then there’d be no waiting for the next episode!

We love LOST! He loves it now more than I do. I was more of a follower for the first 3-4 seasons, but then I missed a few episodes in one of the later seasons and never had a chance to catch up through ABC or Hulu. By the time I got back to it at that point, the episodes were gone. I’m glad I have access to them now. I’m dying to know what happened in the final season!

Sad thing about The Office … Michael Scott, er, I mean Steve Carrell is leaving the show! When Weird sent me the link to that article, I was devastated! And I agree, the BBC version is hard to understand. From that one episode I saw, the only things that I found funny were the things that were redone in the American version. Weird and I do think that Ricky Gervais is hilarious though, mainly due to Night at the Museum!

Those pictures of/in front of the Turtle Talk sign are great! My kids would have found 1,000 'hidden Mickeys' in those bubbles!

I've heard that about New Balance shoes, too!

Your poor Dad, he must have been tired to fall asleep while leaning against that.

I always forget to look up! My DH remembers, though. It was nice this year because I took a small camera in my VB and he took our big one in the backpack. Kind of like your pictures & Weird's--we each took pictures of different things. It's neat to see things in a different way!

Those “bubble” Hidden Mickeys are too frustrating! As were the ones at Living with the Land. Once I saw that it said there was a HM among the trees in the mural, I was like, “Um, that’s not happening.” Give me an obvious one like the hose shaped as Mickey!

I had terrible back pain for a while due to my flats for work (Steve Madden and then Blowfish) that had absolutely no support as well as my flip flops for the weekends (Old Navy). Once I switched to crocs flats and New Balance sneakers, my lower back pain disappeared. I can’t believe I’ve been treating myself so harshly for so long!

Yeah, the funny thing is that he’s really not that tired. If we told him to go play tennis, he’d have no problem doing that! He’d be wide awake! It’s just something at Disney that makes him suddenly tired. This factors in with Magic Kingdom on Wednesday … (although at this rate, it’ll be 2012 once I post about that!).

YES, having 2 different cameras for the perspectives was great! It’s normally only me who has the camera. If you look at my first TR, I did have a good amount of pictures for a first trip report, but it’s nothing like this one!

Great update! I am trying to take notes on how you amused yourself while waiting in line when I read your TR, because I know I am going to be doing a whole lot of waiting when I go in December! I'm going to try to notice all the little details like you do so well!

Okay, that close up of Crush's face is a little scary! He looks really tired, haha! I must admit, Finding Nemo is not my favorite Disney movie. Now don't get me wrong, I still love it, but it just wasn't didn't really stick out to me like some of the others. As far as the Disney Pixar movies, I love Toy Story (all of them, although the second one is my least favorite) and Up the best. But thye are all great!

Your New Balances look so comfortable! I have been searching forever for some comfortable dress shoes I can wear to work and I have had absolutely no luck. I feel like with dress shoes you either get cute or comfortable, but you can never have bother. I use the shoe inserts sometimes, but they just don't seem to help as much as I'd like them to. Maybe I'm asking too much from my work shoes!

Any time I have to wait a long period of time at Disney or even when we were driving there, I kept telling myself, “At least it’s a line in Disney” or “At least we’re stuck in traffic going to Disney!” We could easily have been back at home on a line at the bank or something, haha. I used to get bored waiting on line, but now that I’m learning to look at the details, I really start thinking about how every inch of the place was designed with a purpose! I love watching people load and unload in the ride vehicles and think about how their day is going or whether it’s their first trip to Disney! Haha, but that’s a habit because I do that while waiting on line at a supermarket. I look in their carts and think about what they may have planned.

Yeah, Finding Nemo was great when I first saw it, but then there were so many others that came out that I loved even more! UP was great. So sad though! Weird and I still haven’t watched Toy Story 3 … haha, I know, what are we waiting for?!?

YES, that’s my issue. I do not want to wear shoes that on their own look like they belong to a teacher! I mean, I’m on my feet all day, but I’m not about to wear “ugly” shoes (especially since I have students who look at my shoes and what I’m wearing!). I did get a pair of crocs flats (Lily Winter). Of course, they don’t make it anymore so I can’t get another pair to keep for the future. The only bad part is that on hotter days, my feet sweat and in crocs … hehe, they stink.

I finished Day 1! Great job!! I really like how you've split them up into little bite-sized posts. I would always neglect the TR for so long that when I did update, it'd be a million posts long. This way is fun!

Let's see if I can remember everything I want to comment on...

1st off, your LGMHs are so cute! I know you weren't thrilled with how they turned out, but I really like them! I "stole" some, and then didn't even end up using them. Maybe next time... And I guess I'll have to wait and see if anyone stopped you to introduce themselves because of your LGMHs!

Where did you get your adorable bag/purse? It's so cute! You might have said it during the PTR, but I can't remember. I love having my VB purses for Disney and Six Flags and things like that--your purse looks really similar to them. Now that I sell purses, I have WAY more than I need--but it's a little constraining because I feel like I can't buy any other ones because then I'd be a bad rep...

Your outlet shopping pics are adorable. I love that you and Weird have so much fun together. Looking at your pics makes me think about how goofy Michael and I are too. I think we'd all get along really well!

I want to be one of the 3 silly girls that love Gaston too! I think it'd be such a fun part to play. When I told Michael about that a while back, he said, "You would." What's that supposed to mean?! Oh--and I don't think I've mentioned this, but we're going to see Beauty and the Beast in Dallas on Friday!!!!! I can't wait!! It's (traveling) Broadway! B&tB is my absolute favorite Disney movie, and I am super excited!!

I actually lived in a log cabin house! My great-grandpa bought it when my grandpa was 12. He lived there until he couldn't take care of himself anymore, and then my parents bought it when I was in 8th grade. They moved a little over a year ago, but Michael and I live right next door to it now. As far as it being warmer...I guess it depends on the kind of log house it is. Ours had the mortar in-between the logs (I think that's what it's called) and there were little cracks (you can't really prevent these) and it was really drafty at times! It was SOO hard to keep it warm/cool--whichever you wanted for that season. But I bet the ones that are just logs on top of each other are better.

I love Classics too! Little Women is so great, and all of Jane Austen's books are some of my favorites! I read Robinson Crusoe a few years ago, and I loved it as well. I just love reading, period.

I'm with your dad on CB. It's ok, but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat there. But I'm SOOO happy that you got to since you were wanting to so badly! I should try some of their "normal food" because I've only ever had their breakfast. And if we do go back there someday, I'll have to order the chicken and dumplins and think about you!

You've done a great job on your TR so far! I'm anxious to finish catching up!!

I felt “cool” that I had the DIS ID on, haha, like I belonged to this “secret” group of Disney fanatics. I was hoping someone would see it and go, “Huh, Disboards? RachelNinja?” I spent a lot of time on my own scouring the backs of people’s bags in search for a hint of that alien green!

My bag (that still makes me say “I love my bag!” when I use it even now) is a Lesportsac Madison bag in Paprika print. I bought it on Zappos because it was the only site that was still selling the print! I spent a good chunk of change on it, but I had received a money order gift from my homeroom class for Christmas and figured I’d spend it on myself instead of just sticking it in the bank. It was definitely something I debated for a while, but I’m glad I did it! I can’t imagine using a backpack at WDW anymore. It gets to be so annoying trying to get things out or having to stow it during rides. I could just keep it on at all times, even in the bathroom! What I love most about it is that the material can’t really get dirty. If it does, I can just wipe it down, so it’s perfect for vacation!

I agree that we’d get along well! That’s why I loved your TR so much because you two were able to get goofy yourselves! It helps not to take life so seriously all the time! Plus, we have fun in our own way, and as long as it makes us happy, we’re good! For example, sometimes we match colors on Sundays when we go to church, especially when we’re on the worship team (he leads, I sing with him). People point it out and a few of them think it’s silly, but it’s just a simple thing that makes us happy!

YAY for seeing Beauty and the Beast! I don’t know if I wrote it here, but I saw it on Broadway twice. The first time was a treat from my aunt. She got tickets from work and invited me to go. The second time was with my mom. Even though we had seen it already, she HAD to see it because Donny Osmond was playing Gaston, haha.

I thought that I’d be getting a lot of reading done this summer especially since I bought a nook. However, this job came out of nowhere (which I’m grateful for!), so I haven’t had as much down time. It’s better this way though because the extra cash is necessary and it’s not TOO stressful of a teaching job. I still have my Fridays off to relax.

We’ll definitely be back to Cracker Barrel, but we’ll know to order the fish. We really enjoyed it! The fried catfish was so yummy! Once in a while my mom asks how far away the closest one actually is because she thinks about it too!

It seems like I always end up sitting on the floor somewhere in Walt Disney World! So far I haven't picked up any strange diseases...

Congratulations on your engagement! You two are great together and can look forward to many happy years.

It’s so much easier to sit on the floor or ground these days. As a kid, my mom got us all paranoid about things! I probably still wouldn’t sit in such a high traffic area, and I’m still grossed out by the bathroom floor (I don’t like when women put their bags on it, yuck!), but I’m learning not to be such a germaphobe!

Thank you! We look forward to those happy years even though we try to focus on the fact that we’re already having our happy years now 

Great update! I wish they had more to do in that waiting space - or at least seats. Glad you found a nice comfy seat on the floor. I like the picture of pal Mickey watching the rays. Very cute!

I agree! There’s such a big space, that I’m sure they could add something more there. Even if they put seats along the perimeter of that area, it would be helpful. Or they could put up a screen where they could just play the Finding Nemo movie all day long. At least it’ll be something to do.

Mickey was very content to be out of the bag for a breather!

Turtle Talk! I love this show! It is kind of cool how they have the stingrays outside in the waiting area.

hahaha I definitely would've been sitting on the floor. Well...maybe not. I'm not worried about the germs, I'm more afraid of getting yelled at by a mean CM. LOL! I know people try to sit down on the floor all the time in Universe of Energy and get yelled at. haha

I thought it was cool how they had the stingrays and sharks in the tank with nothing covering it. I guess I don’t trust everyone because I was thinking, “What if a kid (or an adult!) decides to cause trouble and tosses something in the tank?”

People get yelled at when sitting at Universe of Energy? I mean, I understand not sitting in the middle of the floor, but that’s a long time standing! I don’t get why they don’t add more seats there either. From what I remember, they only had a row of seats against the back wall?

Ok...finished day 2!! Great job!

The thing that stuck out to me this day is that things are SOO different from NY to OK!

1. Your breakfast sounded yummy...do all of the hotels have the waffle makers? Pretty much all of ours do. And I'm with you on the hot syrup--I usually put mine in the microwave!

2. I can't believe you'd never seen/had biscuits and gravy before!! That's a staple in OK! I don't like white gravy at all (only my Meme's brown gravy for roast), but most people eat it all the time. You can get it at any restaurant or pretty much any person's house. Do yall eat biscuits and butter or jelly?

3. The all-purpose towel description is great! How creative! I love it when people/companies take a different spin on things and cause themselves to stand out.

4. Do you all not have cookie-cutter houses? Where I live, there aren't many, because most of the houses are older, and there aren't many "neighborhoods," but we still have 3 new neighborhoods that have cookie-cutter houses. I feel like a lot of true neighborhoods (where there's an entrance to the neighborhood instead of just houses on a street) in OK and TX cities are cookie-cutter houses.

5. The picture of the semi trucks in front of you made me think of Dallas. There are SO many times that I'll be driving (or riding) and there will be 2 or more semis in front of me, one to the side, and 2 behind me. Even though I don't get as freaked out anymore, I still don't like being surrounded by them.

6. That's SO neat that you and Weird came full-circle and he was with you the next time you saw that building that made you think of him. Michael and I were broken up for 3 months (after we'd only been dating for 3 months) and it's so neat to think about where we are now and what all we went through to get here. I can't wait to read about your Disney adventures together!

7. Even though I know you're already engaged, I was SO happy to read about yall picking out an engagement ring!!

8. No Cici's pizza?? When I was little, there was one year when every Saturday, we'd go to the YMCA and swim and then to Cici's to eat. Talk about cheap pizza...

9. I love Olive Garden too!! It was always my favorite place to eat when I was little. My parents tease me because most kids would pick McDonald's--but not me! I'd pick OG!!

10. Your condo looks great! A good home away from home!

Haha, love that you caught up and added long comments!

I so belong in the south! Give me a waffle maker and biscuit and gravy, and I’ll be a happy (haha, and slightly heavier) girl! All those carbs, yum! Ever since then, I’ve been mentioning biscuits and gravy. I don’t know where I can possible get it here. Maybe I should find a recipe to try or something, but I’m sure it won’t be the same. I don’t know that many people eat biscuits here unless it’s part of a breakfast sandwich from a fast food restaurant (ex. McD’s). Haha, that’s weird … I’m trying to think of when I come across biscuits, and I don’t think I do!

I guess to save space, we don’t really have separate cookie cutter houses. There are a lot of townhouses and complexes, so it’ll be an entire strip of houses stuck together. My neighborhood has similar houses, but each one can be slightly different (ex. some have garages while others made it into an extra room, some have balconies and some don’t, some are 2 family while some are one).

Those 2 years apart were good and bad at the same time. We liked each other again at different points of the 2 years. When I started liking him again, he was interested in another girl and somewhat pursuing her. Then the reverse happened. It gave us more time to be apart, and it also gave us a glimpse of what it would be like with someone else. Though we never officially dated those people, we did hang out with them, so we were able to somewhat see who else was out there.

The engagement ring we picked in that update actually isn’t the e-ring I have! We went back to change it to a smaller diamond with much better clarity. It sparkles so much more than the first one! I’m really happy about it, and I’m so glad we went back! They were so nice about it too; they understood why we wanted to change it. I’m sure they’ve had people do it before, but we were nervous! But thankfully, we’ve had nothing but excellent service at Helzberg!

Yeah, it’s so funny that we get those commercials on TV and there’s nothing near us! Part of me is intrigued, and I’d like to try it. But then I think I’d much rather try Souplantation or Sweet Tomatoes. I think I’d love all those soups and salads!

And I skipped ahead to read about your engagement! SOOO SWEET!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm so happy for you! That's so neat that he proposed at a place that meant so much to you. And what better way to start your engagement than at a church retreat with so many of your friends and family? The pictures are gorgeous, and your ring is perfect! It'll be so exciting to hear how your wedding and story unfold.

The pastor who spoke at our retreat last year was there again this year to run some workshops and just spend time with our church. He commented that there must be something special about that place and about the church family if Weird proposed to me there. It definitely was the perfect proposal. Even though it wasn’t something that others would like (I’m sure they’ll think, church retreat? How romantic is that?), it was just right for the two of us!

I'm finally all the way caught up!!

I loved reading about your Epcot morning so far! Epcot is probably my second favorite park. We could have spent at least one more day there. We just love it!

Weird takes great scenery pics--especially the first time in the Soarin' queue. It's also fun seeing your two different perspectives. I'm the one with the picture camera and Michael's the one with the video camera, so we never get to see what the other would have captured.

And I completely agree about how fun it is to see it through the other person's eyes! Even though Michael had been to WDW before, it was SO long ago, and so much was new. I loved getting to ride everything with him again/for the first time. It's SOO great that Weird got to go with your family!

And I know what you mean about the Disneymoon. We couldn't have afforded it either. But we actually liked how it worked out much better. We just went to a little cabin in the mountains for our honeymoon (it was GORGEOUS!) and then we went to Disney the next fall when we had enough money saved up. We liked the fact that we could just relax after the wedding, and then have a tourist-y vacation later. I'm sure whatever you choose to do will be perfect!

YUCK. I do NOT want to try brussel sprouts. I can't even stand the smell of them! But I hope you get to try them sometime. Living with the Land was closed when we went (and we probably wouldn't have ridden it anyway) but I want to ride it next time! Oh--and your picture of strawberries made me think of my Pawpaw. He has a big garden, and Michael and I went and picked strawberries for him a couple of times this summer. Each time, we'd get over a gallon of fresh strawberries!

Even though the Nemo ride isn't a must for us either, I really enjoy it. It's just cute--and I like how they project the fish onto the real fish too! We didn't see the manatee. But when we saw one (eating lettuce!) at the Dallas Aquarium, we sang the "Barbara Manatee" song too! That's one of my favorite Silly Songs with Larry.

Great morning so far! Can't wait to read more--especially now that I'm caught up!

I think one day I’ll get to explore all of Epcot! Innoventions is never fully explored and neither is World Showcase. There’s just so much to do!

There’s still a tiny part of me that’s very sad about not having a Disneymoon because it was the idea in our minds for quite a while. I know wherever we go will be a lot of fun because we can actually take our time on our vacation away instead of rushing to get to each park in the morning. It’ll be better this way, I’m sure. Haha, I just always wanted to wear the bride ears and the “Just Married” pin!

Mmmm, fresh strawberries are so good! I remember going strawberry picking one time when I was a kid. My Keds got all red from it!

I like that people know what I’m talking about when I say “Barbara Manatee”! I wasn’t sure that anyone would!