What Are You Celebrating?? Air Conditioning!! A July 2010 TR UPDATE 12/11 p24

[Mndisneygirl]

Congrats on your contract going through! It's a great feeling. And, yes, it will be no time until you get addonitis. My add-on is on permanent hold until we get our kitchen remodeled. But this time next year all bets are off!

Thanks Mary Ellen - I know I want more, but I have so many things I have to spend money on first! Bills, car payments, taxes... We might be looking to do some adding on to our kitchen area too.

WOOT WOOT!! Congrats on becoming DVC owners!! That is fantastic!!!!!

Thanks Jen!! Fueling my Disney addiction, that's what we're doing! Luckily, DH shares my addiction. (this was his idea!)

Just for you Sheree! Had a little inspiration while I was digital scrapbooking...

KIM! That is AWESOME!!!! DH is going to want to print that one and make a shirt or something! HA! Thanks!

I think I will go work on my next update! More fun at Epcot and Beach Club coming up!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I left off after our lunch at Coral Reef.
We headed toward World Showcase intending to go back to Beach Club for a swim and some fun.
Since we had to walk right by it, we stopped in the Point of Entry gift shop. No one objected, since it was air-conditioned and we were celebrating A/C!!
I found a super cute Epcot Mickey hoodie jacket which had all the countries' Mickey heads on it and I got a Mickey tank top (on sale!) I will post pictures of them in a souvenir post later on. Dave got a t-shirt and Paige bought a toy Cinderella phone.
As we headed toward the International Gateway/private entrance, we stopped by Canada! I wanted to try to explore more in the pavillions this trip, and talked the family into a little side trip in the store and up around the building. I'd never been up those stairs before!
Isn't the garden area cute??

I wish these buildings were actual stores - but they're just facades! They are really cute!

Hello, Mom, can we stop taking pictures and go to the pool now?
Sorry, kids, we have one more stop to make first!
United Kingdom, here we come!

Trying to look cool with soccer balls on their heads?!?!?!

Oh look- a Photopass photographer!! Wonder who's in here?

continued in next post...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Stopping by the pub for a pint...

We did not actually order anything, just posed for fun. No children were provided any alcoholic beverages. I didn't even have one!

After we wandered around the UK, we headed back to the Beach Club and got our swim suits on. Filled up the refillable mugs and headed to the pool! We made tye-dye Mickey shirts at the pool ($17 each). It was so hot doing that in the sun - with sweat dripping in my eyes! The pool felt much better after that, even though the water was rather warm.
We hung out there for a bit, and by 4:45 we headed back to Epcot! We had dinner ADR at Chefs de France @ 6, and thought we could visit the American Adventure first.
We caught this lovely feline friend outside of France on the way.

Mo Rockin' was playing outside Morocco too!

I think Dave took this one!

We made it to the American Adventure and caught a bit of the Fife and Drum Corps on the way in!

We were just in time for the 5:00 show of Voices of Liberty before AA. As we entered the building, we were stopped by a CM (Ironically, she was from Minnesota!). She asked us if we would like to be the First Family!!!! At first we paused, and said, uh, what does that mean? Then she told us...
We would get to have special balcony seats to watch the Voices of Liberty performance and get to go into the American Adventure show first and have our pick of seats! Well, SURE! we said!!
So she tooks us to a side elevator, asked us our last name and how to pronounce it. She told us when we went upstairs, there would be a bench and two chairs to sit on. A CM would then escort us into the theater after VOL was done. She gave us a Magical Moment certificateThen we went up in a CM elevator (by ourselves!), found the bench and enjoyed the show.
Here is our view of VOL:

You can see they are doing some work in the rotunda.

Empty theater:

The CM told us he thought the best seats were front and center (I asked). So that's what we took! Actually we were in the second row. So when people came in, and the CM started making his routine announcements, he actually introduced us as the First Family and we had to turn around and wave! It was funny - I didn't know whether to be embarassed, or act like a celebrity. I think it was a little of both!
We enjoyed the show quite a bit - I don't think I'd seen it since the kids were babies or before!!! Paige and Sarah kept asking if the people and things in the show were real! I guess the animatronics were pretty dang good!
We had to hustle right out of there to get to France for our ADR! I was getting hungry!

 

[jenjolt]

Oh wow!! YAY for being the First Family, that is so cool!! I just adore the Voices of Liberty and the American Adventure!!!!

YAY for spending more time in the pavillions! Next trip I hope to really explore the shops more and find some unique things to bring home with me!!!

Love that you celebrated AC everywhere you went

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hi Jen! Happy Birthday!! I baked you a cake!

Hope you're having a great birthday!
Yeah, the Magical Moment was pretty cool! And none of you on FB guessed what it was!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

One quick thing I forgot to include in the last update:
The Sounds Like Summer concert series was going on while we were at Epcot. Sadly, I missed out on Slippery When Wet, the Bon Jovi sound alike band. But this was the Chicago wannabes, whose name escapes me at the moment. The sounded pretty good, but we only listened as we passed by on our way to Chefs.

 

[manntra]

for being first family!!
Did you use your princess wave when you were announced?
I think someone else may have been FF once....maybe Mary Ellen?

Looking forward to your Chefs dinner....and don't forget to post pictures of the tshirts you made

Tracy

 

[jenjolt]

Hi Jen! Happy Birthday!! I baked you a cake!

Hope you're having a great birthday!
Yeah, the Magical Moment was pretty cool! And none of you on FB guessed what it was!

Awww...thank you Sheree! I had a great day!!!!!! You are so sweet!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a fun time around World Showcase! Do we get to see the tie-dye t-shirts later on, too? Woo hoo for being the First Family! That's awesome!!! What a magical moment!!! Sheree, you look fantastic in the picture!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

WOW!! First Family!!! I didn't even know they did that at AA....I really want to get over there for that again this trip...my long Epcot day is so we can reaally enjoy each pavilion..we always seem to take sooooo long getting over there..... DD is so excited about getting a pic with Marie again this trip...she is the cutest cat EVER!!! The girls look like they are doing ok in that heat!! I would be half dead!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Wow what a great Epcot day! First family and everything! It looks like you guys had such a nice time. We plan to really take our time in World Showcase this time and see all (or most of) the shows/films.

Loving your TR! Can't wait for more!

 

[2kids2luv]

Congrats on being the First Family! Despite the heat, it sounds like a wonderful day at Epcot.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Hey Girl!!

GREAT update!!! I really appreciate that you took some time to explore my Country's pavilion!! You will have to come up and see the REAL one some time!! You know you are ALWAYS welcome!!

I think that Marie is n must see list of Characters to meet next time - she is sooo cute!!! Love that you got chosen as First Family!! What a cool experience!

Can't wait to hear about Les Chefs - it is on our list of places to try sometime!

 

[Monny2AE]

Wow First Family!!!! I guess that means I can officially say I know a celebrity!

 

[Queila]

Congratulations on becoming DVC members. That is awesome!

And the pictures from World Showcase look great. There are so many corners there that usually go unexplored... definitely a lot to see. You guys seem to have had a great time and I am sure being called the fsrts family added a great touch to your day.

Have a great week!
Q

 

[Mndisneygirl]

for being first family!!
Did you use your princess wave when you were announced?
I think someone else may have been FF once....maybe Mary Ellen?

Looking forward to your Chefs dinner....and don't forget to post pictures of the tshirts you made

Tracy

HA! Yeah, we were totally the celebrities!! It was fun.
I will dig out the pictures of the shirts - I may not have uploaded them to photobucket yet. It's on my to do list (as well as update the TR someday!)

What a fun time around World Showcase! Do we get to see the tie-dye t-shirts later on, too? Woo hoo for being the First Family! That's awesome!!! What a magical moment!!! Sheree, you look fantastic in the picture!

Why, thank you Jackie! I told my DH that you said that!
I will find the shirt pictures. They could have been better, but I didn't want to melt while I was out there, so I rushed!

Awww...thank you Sheree! I had a great day!!!!!! You are so sweet!!

Aww, 'twas nothing really! Glad it was a great day for you!
All birthdays should be!

WOW!! First Family!!! I didn't even know they did that at AA....I really want to get over there for that again this trip...my long Epcot day is so we can reaally enjoy each pavilion..we always seem to take sooooo long getting over there..... DD is so excited about getting a pic with Marie again this trip...she is the cutest cat EVER!!! The girls look like they are doing ok in that heat!! I would be half dead!!!

We didn't know it either! I love to putter around in the pavillions and browse, shop, visit with CMs. Marie is super cute!! We saw her in December too, but had never seen her before that. The girls were awesome about the heat! We kept going into stores to cool down at Epcot. It was tough, but now we know we can handle it. I wish the pools weren't so hot though - hardly refreshing!

Wow what a great Epcot day! First family and everything! It looks like you guys had such a nice time. We plan to really take our time in World Showcase this time and see all (or most of) the shows/films.

Loving your TR! Can't wait for more!

Lots of fun was had!! It had been a while since we really slowed down to see things - last trip it was just all the holiday stuff and we crammed it all in!
I hope to get going on this TR again soon - it's been crazy busy with work and home!

Congrats on being the First Family! Despite the heat, it sounds like a wonderful day at Epcot.

Thanks! We really did enjoy it - we just got used to being sweaty and drank a lot to keep hydrated. I love Epcot!!

Hey Girl!!

GREAT update!!! I really appreciate that you took some time to explore my Country's pavilion!! You will have to come up and see the REAL one some time!! You know you are ALWAYS welcome!!

I think that Marie is n must see list of Characters to meet next time - she is sooo cute!!! Love that you got chosen as First Family!! What a cool experience!

Can't wait to hear about Les Chefs - it is on our list of places to try sometime!

Canada was just so pretty!! I have been to the real thing a number of times! My family used to vacation up north of MN in a tiny little town on Lake of the Woods (Sioux Narrows) and I have family in Toronto but haven't been there since I was little. Of course, we have been to Niagara Falls with the girls (2007). Some day we'll have to visit some of our buddies in Thunder Bay!
Marie seems to be hanging out in France more often now.
I hope to get through the rest of this day over the weekend. I don't have too much planned.
So you'll get my Chefs review!

Wow First Family!!!! I guess that means I can officially say I know a celebrity!

Of course! Maybe it will get you a good spot for Illuminations! HA!

Congratulations on becoming DVC members. That is awesome!

And the pictures from World Showcase look great. There are so many corners there that usually go unexplored... definitely a lot to see. You guys seem to have had a great time and I am sure being called the fsrts family added a great touch to your day.

Have a great week!
Q

Thanks Q! We're pretty psyched about DVC!!
It seems every time we go to WS we find more cool things to see. Doing the Kim Possible missions is a fun (for the kids) way to explore the countries a bit deeper too.


Sorry there are such long delays between updates. It seems lately that I only have large chunks of time on the weekends! Hopefully by Saturday I can get another update together and finish our Epcot day!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

All caught up! What a great day at Epcot!!

 

[MEK]

How did I miss that last update?

Awesome, awesome day at Epcot. You got some great pictures in Canada (and all over the world). The girls look like they are having a blast.

Ohhhhhh.....I can't wait to stay at the BC in May so when I get hot and tired I can just skip right on over to the pool.

I think its great that the girls were allowed to sit at the bar and get their pictures taken in England. Where else could they do that just for fun?

Yeah to first family! When Denny and I went there with our anniversary pins we got to do the same thing and it was pretty cool. Plus I love that show!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

All caught up! What a great day at Epcot!!

Thanks Meghan! I was really just waiting to update for you to get caught up! It was a great day and there's still more!!

How did I miss that last update?

Awesome, awesome day at Epcot. You got some great pictures in Canada (and all over the world). The girls look like they are having a blast.

Ohhhhhh.....I can't wait to stay at the BC in May so when I get hot and tired I can just skip right on over to the pool.

I think its great that the girls were allowed to sit at the bar and get their pictures taken in England. Where else could they do that just for fun?

Yeah to first family! When Denny and I went there with our anniversary pins we got to do the same thing and it was pretty cool. Plus I love that show!

We really had fun with the pictures - luckily they were in a good mood and posing despite the heat! It was Dave's idea to go into the pub - the bartender was busy with others and didn't say a word to us. It would have bugged me if I was actually going to order, but we were just there for fun. Dave saw a fake beer on top of the tap and went to grab it for posing, but it turned out to be real!! He quickly put it back up there!
We got a kick out of being first family. We haven't usually been to WDW for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary so this was one of the only things like that ever. When they did the Year of a Million Dreams, we stopped at WDW for ONE DAY at MK before going on a cruise (not Disney). When we walked off Pooh, they handed each of us a lanyard with a special Evening EMH pass on it. We got to spend extra time in the park after closing. I think there were maybe a thousand people there. It was the Friday of MLK weekend too!! Amazing.

Going to do an update to hopefully finish up this Epcot day!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hey everyone! Thanks for being so patient with my SLOWNESS in updating! It has just been so unbelievably warm and beautiful, I couldn’t bring myself to sit inside at the computer!! Plus I had to watch and suffer with the Twins and their pathetic playoff run. I hate the Yankees!

Anywho, on to more EPCOT!!!

I believe I left off and we were heading to France!
We got seated quickly and were off on the right side. I had my back to the windows, but could see the people passing by in the mirror. I know they were all jealous of us eating there!! Our server’s name was William and he was very nice. He was also from Nice! (hee hee) We ordered our drinks (sodas) and apps first. I got the onion soup, and DH got the cheese plate. The girls each got a cheese puff pastry. It was ALL DELICIOUS!!! Sarah even ate hers! We all shared and tried a bunch of the cheeses. We agreed that the Chevre (I think) goat cheese was the best! (although I don’t think Sarah tried it). After this, William seemed to disappear and forget about us! He did make a mistake on DH’s order. He ordered the beef shortribs, and ended up with the tenderloin, which I also had. We didn’t bother to correct it, since it was a good alternative and he liked it. The girls got chicken strips and pasta. Sarah declared the chicken “the best she ever had”!!!
About 40 minutes later (I told you William disappeared), we ordered dessert: Paige got the raspberry and coconut sorbets, Sarah got a chocolate chip cookie (so French!), Dave got the chocolate moose cake, and I got vanilla creme brulee. It was all really good!
I had said something about how our server must not like us, and about 10 seconds later he showed up!! I was worried that he had been standing right behind me and heard me say it!
It was a great meal and it would have cost us over $150 for what we ordered. Love the DXDP!!

I thought I had more pictures from Chefs, but apparently I was too excited to eat dessert and did not pause for a picture!!

We finally left France at 7:40! I had a big surprise for the girls next! We headed to Japan...
Anyone know what we did there? I figured you did!

Yup - it was time to Pick a Pearl!!! Earlier, the girls had seen the booth near the Stormalong Bay at BC and wanted to do it. I had made some excuse about maybe some other day when we had time and let them look a minute and leave. I had ordered the carriage necklaces from eBay for the three of us and actually remembered to bring them along! So I had them in my bag this evening!

Sarah got a 7/14mm white pearl when she picked! It’s beautiful! I got a 7 1/2 mm white one. Paige picked twin whites and they were little, so the lady let her pick again and she got a silver/blue one that was about 6 1/4. She let her trade again and picked a bigger silver one! They were really excited. The lady let her keep the twins, so someday I will have them made into earrings. Paige doesn’t have pierced ears yet, so no hurry. Someday it will make a nice gift for her. I gave them the necklaces and they thought they were pretty cool!

This is what she did with Paige's pearls!! Isn't that cute?

We shopped a bit in Japan and they each bought nesting Tigers dolls.
Some random pictures:
We stopped and watched these fish go nuts for a while! They were pretty wild!

And sometime in there, we stopped at Morocco for a quick picture!

We went back toward France and I stopped at the drink kiosk and got a drink. Nope, not the Grey Goose, not the Grand Marnier slushie, I got a French Kiss! It’s pomegranate liquer and sparkling wine. I love pomegranate, so I had to give it a try. It was pretty good, but I’m going GG next time!

Paige got a little purple parasol at the neighboring stand and had it personalized for her American Girl doll, Elizabeth!

We watched Illuminations from down below the bridge between France and UK (on a little deck/landing). It was a pretty good spot. I really love this show - the music is so good!! No pictures! I just stood there with my drink and enjoyed it. Plus, most of you probably have better pictures of it than I could take anyway!! I have yet to master the fireworks setting on my camera!

Then we had a nice easy walk back to BC!! That was awesome! I was too tired even to shower. The kids crashed about 10:15 and I wasn’t too far behind.

I wrote in my journal - I want more World Showcase!! We never even used our FPs for Test Track! We couldn’t give them away since we waited so long to see if we’d go back over there. I felt bad about that. I also felt bad the night before when I didn’t cancel my backup ADR at the GF cafe (in case the luau got rained out). Oops. 
My feet were a little sore, but I noted that the Teva Mush flips were so much cooler than my other sandals (even though they were black - my feet could breathe!)!