Where have you people been? NEW! We're on a PODCAST + MNSSHP 05/20

[buffy0214]

Okay, since we are waiting for me to get some sewing finished, here is some background info on the trips I've taken to WDW....

The early Years

Having lived in Florida since I was in first grade I am no stranger to WDW. My parents say that we took yearly trips when I was young but for some reason I vaguely remember them I do remember listening to my record and flipping through the book that came with it. I had four of them and I memorized Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, and The Fox and the Hound. It's funny to watch those movies with my kids now because I still know them by heart.

My earliest memory of a trip was probably the ones I took when I was in Girl Scouts. I remember Disney's Tencenial Celebration and I kept the gift bag from the small purchase I made for many, many years. I also remember going to EPCOT the year it opened. I took some pretty bad pictures but am unable to locate them, at least not without some serious digging. Again, I kept the map forever. I now wish I still had it. What a great memory that would have been.

When I was 15 my parents bought me and my three siblings Season Passes for Christmas. I think my mom said they were about $60 at the time for Florida Residents On the back it says that the Worldpassport allows you the following during January, May and September 1986: Transport between TTC, the MK and EPCOT Center. WDW MK and Epcot Center admission and use of attractions. I was able to dig this one up...

 

[buffy0214]

The Teen Years

After obtaining our wheels (mine was a Nissan Pulsar with sunroof which I loved ) my friends and I would occasionaly take trips to WDW. Here's the car. Can you spot me?


I recall skipping school (don't listen kids) once and hitting MK with my BFF, Tracey, only to meet up with a couple of guys from our school doing the same thing. I wish I had pics from that trip. Here is one I took with Tracey in '88. I'm the short one in the Tigger picture. We are still BFF after knowing each other since 1st grade Oh, these are my early scrapbook pages. I'm better now. Although looking at them, they were'nt half as bad as I thought they were.



Senior Trip with Tracey and a couple of friends...I'm the one in the lime green! See I was a DISer even then Oh yeah, I'm cool






Oh, I almost forgot about Grad Night. Doh! Here we are... I remember riding Dumbo a lot because the best band was playing at Fantasyland. I can't remember their name, though, so obviously they didn't go on to bigger/better things.




Here's a couple from Spring Break 1990. We were in college then. Tracey had already met the man she would marry. He is all the way on the left. He would probably kill me for posting this! Not his best picture. I had to do it, though, because I love this mural. Oh, the guy on the far right was my other best friend I met in HS. He was a Disney fanatic and so much fun to go to WDW with. Truely, the last time I spoke to him he was still trying to land a job there. He also LOVED Madonna back then and enjoyed tormenting us by making us star in his music videos. No I don't have any pics of that as his brother tapped over it



Here's me and Tracey the same trip. I love this picture of us and still have it framed.




Well that ought to keep you occupied for a while. If you are lurking go ahead and post! I would love to make some new DIS friends.

Next up...the married-sans-kids-years

 

[andiepie]

Definitely take pictures of your meals! Everytime I look at them, though I get hungry, but it's so worth it. The food looks so good!

I love your early scrapbooking pages. Funny, I did yearbook in high school and college, but can't seem to put together a simple layout since then.

My best friend and I have been friends since first grade, too. She lives in Alabama, so I'm trying to convince her to take a girls only WDW trip with me that way I could just pick her up along the way there. I love her husband; it's just been forever since it's just been the two of us anywhere.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[buffy0214]

I feel a little embarassed about taking food pictures, but I'm going to go for it anyway. I'm also going to be taking more pictures of signs/achitechture. I see so many awesome pictures of WDW posted on trip reports. I keep thinking, "I should have done that!".

I hear ya about the scrapbook pages. I blame the popular magazines now. It seems I can't make a page without feeling like I need a degree in graphic arts. I have joined a kit-of-the-month club that has helped me out. Much easier to throw together a page when all the stuff is together for you.

A girls trip would be so fun! I'd feel too guilty about it, though, until my youngest is about 5. He should be able to do without me but he is very attached right now. I'd spend the whole time worried about him.

 

[luvfigment]

Wait until he realizes that you are going to take pictures of your food for your trip report

Thanks to the DIS, I'll be taking my food pics this trip.

Oh DFi is going to LOVE that one. Ha ha ha I can just hear him now "Kerri are you serious? You are taking pictures of the food? Please put the camera away and just eat!" All very lovingly of course and he will be laughing and shaking his head.

I love that you had that Lime green shirt on even back in the day! You were destined to be a Diser!!!

 

[buffy0214]

Oh DFi is going to LOVE that one. Ha ha ha I can just hear him now "Kerri are you serious? You are taking pictures of the food? Please put the camera away and just eat!" All very lovingly of course and he will be laughing and shaking his head.

Hopefully, he won't try to ban you from the DISboards Just kidding, of course. It's so silly but fun! It's a great way to have be a kid again.

I love that you had that Lime green shirt on even back in the day! You were destined to be a Diser!!!

I know! I've got a bunch of lime green stuff now.

 

[buffy0214]

Well, I was tuned into QVC yesterday for their scrapbooking day. While I didn't get anything, they kept hawking the Disney Jewelry Show for today. So I got online and I'm debating these two items...


I had my eye on this one last time. It comes in small and large. I'm drawn to the large of course, but is it too large I will check it out on the show today at noon...



Here are the earring that I like...They have a matching necklace, too, but I like the one above better.



Oh, and some cute piratey ones...

 

[buffy0214]

Okay, so I got the big Mickey head necklace. It is so cute

 

[nts4wdw]

Well, I was tuned into QVC yesterday for their scrapbooking day. While I didn't get anything, they kept hawking the Disney Jewelry Show for today. So I got online and I'm debating these two items...


I had my eye on this one last time. It comes in small and large. I'm drawn to the large of course, but is it too large I will check it out on the show today at noon...



Here are the earring that I like...They have a matching necklace, too, but I like the one above better.



Oh, and some cute piratey ones...

Ohhhhh! I love them all. I'm a sucker for jewelry, but especially Disney jewelry.

 

[luvfigment]

Hopefully, he won't try to ban you from the DISboards Just kidding, of course. It's so silly but fun! It's a great way to have be a kid again.



I know! I've got a bunch of lime green stuff now.

He knows better than try to ban me from the DISboards!!! He has tried but he knows I am addicted!

BTW I really like the Mickey head necklace...hmmm maybe I need to head over the QVC and see if it is available.

 

[winkers]

I love all the old 80's pictures! I'm just waiting for big hair to come back, because my hair does big really well!

 

[buffy0214]

Ohhhhh! I love them all. I'm a sucker for jewelry, but especially Disney jewelry.

I know, aren't they so cute! I have bad alergies to most jewelry so it usually has to be gold for me. I wish I could get more. They had a great ring, too!

He knows better than try to ban me from the DISboards!!! He has tried but he knows I am addicted!

BTW I really like the Mickey head necklace...hmmm maybe I need to head over the QVC and see if it is available.

Ah, so he has already tried, huh? It's a good thing he understands (or at least accepts) the addiction. The necklace looks so cute on TV, I hope it looks as good in person.

I love all the old 80's pictures! I'm just waiting for big hair to come back, because my hair does big really well!

Aren't we all ready for the big hair to make a comeback! I think we should just start doing it and it will become a trend. After all, the clothes are back: leggings, bubble skirts, tunic tops with belts, jeans tucked into boots. I've been going crazy getting clothes for my girls. Now we just need some mall hair.

 

[buffy0214]

The married, sans kids years

Just before the start of my second year of college I met the love of my life. He is funny, very outgoing and loves life and people. I, on the other hand, am shy, sarcastic, and would rather be at Disney or home with my family. I'm not sure how he puts up with me really. We do have some things in common: political views, family background (not to say we have the same family background just very stable/loving), and our love of Disney, of course.

We had a whirlwind courtship and were engaged on April 1. No, he didn't even say "April Fools". Either that or it's the longest joke in history, 15+ years. Here we are at WDW during those times.

Not only did we have big hair back then, but big glasses, too. Sorry honey. He hated those glasses because he parents got him the cheap pair. Not his best pic, anyway. But look how cute I am. I watched Little Mermaid over and over. I loved it so much. It was my stress relief in college. So I took home this little sebatian souvenir. I think this was Spring Break 91?

Prince Charming looked right at me this trip as well. He was totally going to leave Cindy for me. I prefer Prince Phillip, but any prince will do in a pinch.


Just so you can tell how hot my DH really was at that time. Here is a better photo of us...



Yada, yada, yada, we get married. I tried my hand at the video thing, so I hope this comes out right. It was valentine's Day 1992. Here we are announcing where we are going for our honeymoon.



As explained earlier, we have no pics of our honeymoon. It was only later that I became a photo fanatic.

A couple years into our marriage we splurged on Season Passes. I haven't been able to find pictures of this time, either. I think I have a ToT one. If so, I will post later.


We really enjoyed those 2 years with our passes. Some couples would do dinner or movie, we would go to Epcot. It was a good thing we got the passes because we moved to North Carolina in 96. While we loved NC, it would be a while before we returned to see the mouse....Next up, our 10-year anniversary and return to WDW...with kids.
Announcement Things are progressing nicely on the lime green shirt reconstruction. I've finished mine and DD7's. I just have to do DD9's. I have been very busy with DD7's b-day. She had a party yesterday that lasted 4 hours. I am so tired now but we still have 2 hours of gymnastics tonight. I will have to catch up on everyone else's reports later. I don't know how some people keep caught up on their own report, other reports, and have time for kids/work/housework. I'm just not that talented.

 

[buffy0214]

I just can't seem to stop getting stuff for this trip.

I got my Mickey from QVC and he is adorable. The problem is, I really need a bigger chain. Argg! I'd hate to spend more just to get a chain.

I got some glow bracelets, mini sharpie-like markers (from Target-Thanks to PolyPrincess), cute little antenna topper, and waterproof camera. I also ebayed three autograph books. Flowers is not pictured because she took hers off somewhere. Gotta find that! It's a pink minnie mouse one.



Here's a pic of Flower at her bithday party...What do you guys think about writing my kids real names? This "code" stuff is confusing for me and I know who they are I figured it would be safer but I've noticed some people write out the real names and others don't.

 

[nts4wdw]

OMG! That wedding clip is too cute!! And our wedding dresses are almost exactly the same!! I had a tiara with the veil on the back of it, though. It's probably a good thing Chuck and I didn't catch the Disney bug until after kids. We would have been dangerous.
About the kids' names thing, you know we have our kids names in the reports, but there are tons of Jakes and Ems out there. I think it's what ever makes you comfortable. How vague is that, huh?

 

[buffy0214]

OMG I so loved that dress! I had narrowed down my dresses to three and my Dad came with on the last try-on and he said, "This is the one". He was very adamant. "But Dad, what about the first one." "No, no, no. this is it". A great memory I have of my Dad and me. I never pegged him to care about the wedding dress. Fergie's wedding was a major influence with the styles then. Lots of bows. For the younger readers that is the Duchess of York, not the singer. Even the Little Mermaid's dress had those puffy sleeves. Very princess like.

I think I will stop using the "code" names in my official trip report. Mainly I'm driving myself crazy.

 

[buffy0214]

The Married with Kids Years, First Trip

Our move to NC definately slowed down the trips to WDW. Within the first few months of our move we found out we were going to have our first child We were on Instead of saving for Disney we saved for our first home. Within 3 months of moving in, we had kiddo #2.

We had been wanting to return but obviously busy. Our 10 year anniversary was looming so we started to plan a return trip for Feb 14, 2002. Ranger would be 4 and Flower would be 18 months. We had no qualms about doing Disney with a toddler. Well, I did worry about nap times but she just napped in the stroller so no biggie. Just threee short days spent on this trip.

Highlights of the Anniversary trip include:

• Flying to Orlando
• First on-site stay at All-Star Music
• First trip to Animal Kingdom---Pete's parents tour with us
• First ride on Rock n Roller Coaster & Buzz
• First visit to the Harmony Barbour Shop
• Anniversary Dinner at Tony's
• Eating at Cinderella's Castle with Pete's sister and her family

We thought we knew everything there was to know about MK. Then I got the Unofficial guide. I was so suprised to learn about the barbour shop. I also found out that you had to call in advance to get a dinner at the castle DOH! I had always wanted to eat in the castle and could never figure out how all those tourists did it! Now I know!

I've got the AK photos scrapbooked but that's it! I was into my stamping and bead phase.







The next day we did MGM in the morning. No pics of that for some reason and MK at night. We arrived in time to see the parade and for Pete and Ranger to get their hair done. With pixie dust, too.






No line for face painting nor to see the characters in toontown. We just went from one to the next.



Our last day was spent at MK. Pete's parents stayed for the morning and then his sister and her family arrived to eat with us in the castle and stay through til the fireworks.

Here's Ranger taking a crack at Excalibur.

Sportin' her Eeyore ears

And my personal favorite of the trip, the Ariel pose...


The most important thing I learned on this trip was that research was very important! We had so many more magical experiences than we would have "had we not known". It started my love of learning the insiders secrets.

The year 2002 brought many highs and lows. DH lost his job in June due to the popular downsizing of technical jobs. By Christmas his new boss had called with a job offer so we were on the move to Georgia. Next up...our two 2004 trips.

 

[buffy0214]

Married with Kids, trip 2

One of the good things about moving to GA is our proximity to the mouse We moved into our new home in July 03 had a baby boy in Sept. We were itching for a trip and in Jan 04 we planned a day trip for February. We decided a quick trip didn't warrant the expense of an on-site hotel, but we were so wrong. We had a very inexpensive hotel and there was a reason for it! Bleech! We only did MK since it was just a day trip to get a Disney fix.

Highlights of this trip include:

• Vowing to never stay on-site
• First trip to Downtown Disney
• First Character Meal with the kiddos
• Baby's First trip to WDW

Here are my scrapbook pages that I actually finished. My thought was to do it as a rainbow, one color for each spread.













Next up.....MVMCP 2004

 

[winkers]

I love your scrapbook pages! I'm so far behind on mine. Wanna do mine for me???

 

[luvfigment]

Great job with the scapbooking pages!!! I like the little review of your past trips. It seems like everytime you move you have a baby. LOL.