Do As Dreamers Do PTR May 2018

[tzeitel]

You are going to get me into so much trouble! I try to stay away from Etsy, my favorites list (and my Disney list) is huge. A couple of years ago I went a little crazy and got some (Etsy) ears - we have Lilo & Stitch, Haunted Mansion, Donuts, and a graveyard. DD gets stopped so many times when she wears her Lilo & Stitch ears. Between those and DDs collection of "official" Disney ears I really should not look for more - but I can't help it

I am big on Disney shirts - love the P&F tee!

 

[BrerMama]

Hahahahaha. I love it!

Oh, me too! This week has brought new clothes -- although probably not for our trip. Mostly for my classroom, which is freezing. I did buy Ches a new Lilo&Stitch shirt.

Following along! Loving all the Disney outfits and accessories. Isn't Etsy the best?!

Etsy is the best and the most dangerous at the same time. I have a serious addiction. I used to be a planner (still do it a bit) and buying stickers was a huge addiction.

We might be the same person because I love Ben Platt (unfortunately I had to relinquish my future husbandship to him to one of my besties because I steal all the other men oops) and Pitch Perfect. They are my jam... my lady jam. So glad there's someone else on these boards who finds them relevant.

All your Etsy purchases are amazing. I especially love that Tiana flower crown ears and shirt ensemble. Gonna make note to get those even though I kinda want pink flower crown ears so I can Disneybound as her gal pal Lottie aka my spirit animal. Oh, you going to be serving some lewks this trip, I'm not ready!

OK, first... look at this pin.

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The minute I saw it, I knew I had to have it... even though I'm not a pin collector. (Pin from MouseMadeMagic on Etsy.) The Pitch Perfect love is real.

Ches definitely has enough shirts that she can wear a different one every day. She's going to be adorable. I am planning on dresses/tunics and leggings most of the time and great accessories. Accessories are my thing.

following

Welcome!

Disneyland Murderinos unite! Following! I can't wait. My trip is in July, so our planning/dreaming/counting the days coincides a little as we build up to summer 2018.

Wow. I didn't know I needed glittery shoes until now. I gotta find some for men!

Hey! Welcome, fellow Murderino. I have not listened to it in a few weeks... I'm obsessed with Last Podcast on the Left's Jim Jones series and a new one I found about Top Chef. So I'll have fun catching up when those shows are done. Also Atlanta Monster, which Georgia recommended. Very well done.

Everyone needs glitter shoes. I got these on ebay. There's other places to buy them, but ebay is the place I found them cheapest.

You are going to get me into so much trouble! I try to stay away from Etsy, my favorites list (and my Disney list) is huge. A couple of years ago I went a little crazy and got some (Etsy) ears - we have Lilo & Stitch, Haunted Mansion, Donuts, and a graveyard. DD gets stopped so many times when she wears her Lilo & Stitch ears. Between those and DDs collection of "official" Disney ears I really should not look for more - but I can't help it

I am big on Disney shirts - love the P&F tee!

We have Lilo, Tiana, Classic Minnie, Rose gold, and a pair of black and white polka dot ears. Plus a bunch of head bands for me. I really want some Small World Ears to go with my Small World outfit, but I'm trying to tell myself I do not NEED them. I just want them. I find myself hoping a pair just drops in my lap. I'm mostly leaving the Disney shirts to my daughter... I want to wear comfy, classic clothes in the parks. I do have 2 or 3 tees, but I think my plan is to wear them in the evenings just to get photos in them (they were gifts).

Hope I got everyone. Welcome! I'll get the next part posted later today. I had a little disclaimer... I only post on the weekends right now. Y'all seriously don't know what a very long week this was. I saw these funny memes going around about the triple full moon we had the poor teachers, but I'm hear to tell you that stuff is real. My students are young, and severely involved, and this was one very long week. So most days it was all I had to get off work, stumble to my Nox, plug in a podcast and drive home. Then I still had to cook dinner (and Ches is doing theater tech for one act plays at her school and Kiah is starting clinicals and working 12 hour shifts) and then crawl into bed. Writing and posting was at the bottom of my list. In fact, I try to write on the weekends, and write ahead, and then edit on weeknights. It's easier for me to see errors if I walk away and come back. Anyway... expect regular updates on the weekends for now. When it comes time for a trip report, that will be different. Because summer.

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 5: I Want Adventure in the Great Wide Somewhere


A few weeks ago we had a snow day (more like a cold day… it was -20 with the wind chill) and Ches and I laid around watching Disney movies and I decided I’m going to step into Fantasyland and sing “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere….” and twirl. Just like Belle.

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Is there anything better than the live action Beauty and the Beast? I get all the feels when I watch it. The animated version was one of the first movies (on VHS) that Dan and I bought after we got married. I can still remember watching it when Dan was working late. I thought remaking it live action was a completely stupid idea and then I’ve gone and totally fallen in love.

An off topic aside: I have some serious issues with most of the newer Disney movies. Like… who locks up their daughter for years just because she’s got a little (ice-making) disability? And are we all really OK with the whole Punzie getting kidnapped and brain washed for years and years and that’s the kind of story we show young children for entertainment?

Whatever happened to girls who are bored with their small town life and yearning for more? Or simply wanting legs when you’re a mermaid? Or how about a lion cub who just can’t wait to be king?

That’s some classic Disney right there. Of these, Belle gets me in all the feels. She loves to read (me too!) and she looks behind the rough exterior of the Beast to see the heart underneath (also me… I’ve got to look beyond my students’ special needs and find the child underneath.)

OK, the beast does spend most of the movie holding Belle captive and that’s a little problematic. I’ll give you that. Doesn’t change that Belle is my favorite princess.

OK, this scene is pretty killer. If I have to pick a modern princess, I'll go with Punzie.​

Am I getting a little off track? This chapter was going to be about our rough plans for our first full day.

First, I plan to purchase MaxPass every day. I don’t like standing in lines, I have little patience for crowds, and I’m at a point in my life where it isn’t about vacationing as cheaply as possible, but more about enjoying the trip I’m taking.

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We all kind of have a list of what we want to do that first day. I’ve taken it and turned it into a rough touring plan.

Right now, my plan is to start at California Adventure. That may change based on park hours, but that’s the plan for now. We’ll enter and I’ll buy MaxPass. As soon as I get that done, I’m getting a FP for Radiator Springs. Cars Land was being built when we were last in CA in 2009 and it’s our priority.

Then we’re going to do Soarin via standby. Here’s a secret -- I’m deathly afraid of heights, but I can ride Soarin as long as I close my eyes until we’re in the air. In the past I’ve also had some issues with motion sickness on this one (the old version) but I’m pretty good at just closing my eyes and telling myself that I’m not really moving the way I think I am. So hopefully that all works fine.

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Then we make our way back to RSR, riding whatever has a short line on the way there. Maybe stopping to take pictures or whatever it takes to get us to our FP time. As soon as that one comes up, I’ll probably get a Guardian’s FP for Dan and Ches. I am not doing Guardians, and my plan for occupying myself while they ride is to do Monster’s Inc and meet characters. I am not going to sit and read a book while I wait for them like I do normally.

This will require us to have two phones and keep them on and communicate. Dan hates using his phone pretty much all the time because he’s a) not social at all (the man has NO social media accounts!) and b) uses it for business and he will get calls from customers while we’re on vacation. He doesn’t want to even take his phone to the parks. I know. He’s insane. However, Ches should have hers and hopefully the finding each other after we split up thing goes smoothly. Pray for us. We had a bad experience with this at Epcot six years ago and it ruined our day.

Anyway, I assume there will be a significant amount of time before they can use those Guardians FP so good time to have a snack, ride a few non-FP rides, meet characters, etc.

My favorite character meet and greet. I have a *thing* for monsters. See also abominable snowman. But Sully? I almost cried.​

As soon as I can grab another FP, I’m going for Indy. Dan has a thing for Indy, and although it’s not my favorite, I don’t hate it. So I’ll send them off to Guardians, grab Indy, and waste my own time enjoying myself. (Too early in the day for a glass of wine? Probably.)

After we’re done with Guardians, we’ll move over to Disneyland. Here the list goes Haunted Mansion, Pirates (please let it be open) and using our FP for Indy. I’m pretty loose after this, knowing the only other ride I really, really want to get done on this day is Splash Mountain (assuming it’s open by then). I have Big Thunder listed, but that’s basically for Dan.

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I’d like to end our day back in CA and see Cars Land at night if it all works out right. I am not at this time planning for a midday break in the room. We’re adults. We can go see a show or grab a table in an out of the way place, or in some way give ourselves a break. I do not particularly want to walk all the way back to the hotel to take a nap when I know my naps usually don’t last more than 20 minutes and make me sleep worse that night. I’d rather just stay and enjoy the atmosphere. Dan thinks we need a break, but is open to trying to relax in the parks. I think we’ll just see how much we get done and how we feel.

That’s pretty much all the planning I’m going to do. I want to hit those specific rides the first day and then I’m willing to plan our days while we’re eating breakfast in the morning. I think once we knock out those things, what else we want to do will become clear. For example, I know Dan and Ches will want to ride Space Mountain. I know we’ll want to reride most of those things I listed. I am definitely getting pictures in front of the Small World wall (which should be completely open by the time we are there) and instagramming the heck out of them (@kimberlydlund if you’re interested).

I’m pretty loosey goosey about this whole trip. Last trip I had index cards and a touring plan and we used it faithfully. This trip? I’m going to use MaxPass as much as I can and let things go.

I totally don't know how that gif fits, but my spirit animal for this year is the sloth and my priority for this year is taking care of myself. And a sloth dressed as Elsa is super cute, you've got to admit. Bottom line? Taking care of myself is what I'm going to do, and if that means letting some things go on this trip and sitting back with a glass of wine and letting my travel companions run around like tourists, that's what I intend to do.

Chapter Six: Story of My Life​

 

[RedHotMama]

I decided I’m going to step into Fantasyland and sing “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere….” and twirl. Just like Belle.

Oh, do it!!

 

[momtohms]

I LOVE the live action Beauty and the Beast. I saw it a ridiculous amount of times in the theater, and still watch it weekly and the soundtrack hasn't left my car since I bought it last March. Lol. I still love the animated too, of course!

Sounds like you have a great first day planned!

 

[BrerMama]

Oh, do it!!

I probably will. I have no shame.

I LOVE the live action Beauty and the Beast. I saw it a ridiculous amount of times in the theater, and still watch it weekly and the soundtrack hasn't left my car since I bought it last March. Lol. I still love the animated too, of course!

Sounds like you have a great first day planned!

I maybe find a way to work in singing Beauty and the Beast songs into playtime at least once a week while teaching. I have reg ed buddies in the room for play every day and the girls love my princess Little People so I'll start asking them about their favorite princesses (Rapunzel was a favorite until one of my students suddenly was terrified of our castle) but the discussion inevitably ends in me singing "There goes the baker with his tray like always..."

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter Six Story of My Life


Seriously, teaching pre-K sped will someday be my downfall. I have had stomach flu three times since just before the holidays and now I have pink eye. Caught it super early because I knew I had it in my classroom, but I have had almost every student out for over a week since we got back to school after Christmas. This flu is some nasty stuff, people. And that flu? I haven’t gotten it yet. I also didn’t get a flu shot because on the day they were giving them over our lunch hour, it had been a very screamy day in my classroom and I just didn’t feel like getting stabbed by a needle. Fingers are completely crossed. I’ve had a cold/sinus infection for almost two months, but darned if I’m running a fever. So not the flu.

This was Thursday. I had an asymmetrical bob, so the side that looks longer is actually my short side, with my hair parted on the opposite of my usual side (so that's my long side flipped over the top of my head). My hope is to grow it out enough by our trip that I can get it caught in a normal bob. I've been growing it since July. Sigh. ​

You know what kinda snuck up on me?


We’re down to double digits, baby!

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Did you hear my audible sigh? There is so much happening in the next 3 months. I have so much paperwork to do. End of year IEPs, three students going to Kindergarten (extra paperwork), two sets of progress reports… How can the end of the year be so close?

My daughter has senior prom. We still haven’t decided on a dress. A lot of this is because we both hate shopping so we just look online and nothing has popped for her. She wants this feature and that style and she liked this dress but then when it dropped in price she didn’t.

Another sigh.

Last year was so easy. She looked on Macys.com and found a dress she liked and I bought it. Done.​

And then we have the great weekend of graduations. Over one weekend, my middle daughter will have her nursing pinning ceremony (and will also have her college graduation, but we’re doing the pinning ceremony only because…). My son will graduate with his master’s at a school an hour from here. And then the youngest will graduate from high school (ceremony to be held at middle daughter’s university). It’s going to be insane.

This whole mess is slightly helped by the fact that I have only agreed to host a graduation party for Ches (youngest) -- the older two have already had their graduation parties -- and she wants to have a laser tag or bowling party, not a big family party. This works on a lot of levels. First, my sister-in-law informed me that I can’t have a party the weekend of the actual graduations because she’s busy and we’ll have to have them the weekend after.

Sorry. I’ll be on a plane for California the weekend after.

And maybe I’m a mean mom for saying only a party for the youngest, but middle is engaged and we’ll be hosting a wedding for her in 2019. Oldest is not a party kind of guy and I’m pretty sure he’s still emotionally scarred by the fact that I made him have a graduation party for high school. He didn’t even walk in his bachelor’s graduation ceremony and has said that when he gets his doctorate, we can have a party then, but he wants Ches to have her party this year.

So renting an hour or two at Laser Tag or a bowling alley for my daughter and her friends and ordering a bunch of pizza sounds totally fun. And also like I don’t have to clean up afterwards.

Let’s see, what else? I’ve worked out that our 60 days is going to fall right during Spring Break. We’ll be in Branson and I don’t usually take my laptop, so I guess I’ll be reserving on my phone/app. Which should be fine, right? I’m guessing I’m going to have to wait for the actual times to be loaded on the app to figure out when we can do Fantasmic and World of Color. Definitely leaning towards River Belle for Fantasmic and dessert party for WOC.

In 2009, we did the dessert party for Wishes at MK at WDW and oh man, what an experience. It was amazing. And I know WOC isn’t run like the Wishes party (no buffet, so Ches can’t eat a dozen chocolate covered strawberries) but I also know I can get alcohol at WOC. Seems like a fair exchange.

Not exaggerating about the number of chocolate covered strawberries she ate. To be fair, I'm not sure we ate dinner. We were also in the middle of a Tropical Storm and it had started raining in the early afternoon and rained nonstop through the party. We were seated under a roof (thank heavens) and got to see everything while dry, but it made for a fairly miserable couple of days at the parks.​

And while I would love to eat at Blue Bayou just for the atmosphere, the food doesn’t not sound like anything our Kansas palates would enjoy. It sounds like something the Top Chef loving side of me would love, but to be honest… I wouldn’t eat 10% of what they make on Top Chef. We’re a Chili’s/Applebee’s/Sonic-if-we’re-in-a-hurry kind of family. Fine dining is really not our thing. But the menu at River Bell Terrace does seem to fit what we like. I kind of debated about trying to get the one where you can stay in your seat and watch from the restaurant, but I think we’d do better with a lunch/early dinner thing and then just sitting on the ground for Fantasmic.


Fun fact -- I’ve seen Fantasmic twice and both times walked away thinking I had no idea what I’d just watched. Couldn’t tell you if there was even a plot line or just a bunch of water screens and characters. I’m hoping this time I can understand it.

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So yeah, that’s the current state of planning here. I did discover that the new Deadpool movie is going to be released the day before we get to Disneyland, so it’s looking like seeing it may be our day off thing. I’d like to do a tour of Hollywood, but I may also like to sleep in and relax one day, and Deadpool is the best, so that may work. Now I have to add praying the AMC theaters at DTD don’t close before we arrive to the list of things I hope either don’t close or are finally open by the time we arrive...

Chapter Seven And A Voice Keeps Saying This Is Where I'm Meant To Be​

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter Seven And A Voice Keeps Saying This Is Where I'm Meant To Be​

Hi everyone. I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself here. I get it. You're reading, you just haven't commented. That's what I'm gonna believe, OK? But... you know, if you're reading can you just drop me a little thumbs up or something down there to let me know I'm not boring everyone to death?

I decided that for this week's update, I'm gonna tell you this story about my job. Just as a reminder, I teach very young (3-5 year old) children, most of whom have nonverbal autism. It's the most rewarding job ever and I love it, but some days can be rough. [Rough is my generic word that I use to describe everything from a 45 minute screaming episode to a child who has scratched me multiple times to a child who is biting to a child that just seems cranky.] But those days when it pays off, it really pays off.

So one day this week, I knew we were having a birthday party for one of my students. [Sometimes parents go all out for a school party because their child can't tolerate an actual party due to the noise, chaos, etc. and we can have it within the routine and still celebrate.] I knew the party was Disney themed, so I wore a Disney shirt, a bow band and sparkly shoes. I mean… you say Disney theme and I’m going to show up like I’m Ben Delacreme on the runway.

The party was scheduled at the end of the day and I was bringing a wayward student in late from recess when I looked out the front of the school and saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse walk by.

I am not lying.

You can imagine my complete freak out. Not just because Mickey and Minnie, but I have a classroom full of students who may not react well to a ginormous mouse in the room. I waited in the hall knowing they were coming (mom did not mention the fact that she was bringing costumed characters) and held the door open with my foot while I took pictures of my students' reactions from behind.

I so wish I could share one photo with you. It makes my Disney heart sing. Just imagine complete, wordless joy. I have one little boy who just radiated that joy the minute he saw those characters.

It was the craziest half hour of my recent teaching career and I loved every minute of it.

Anyway, I didn’t take a picture of myself with the characters because it wasn’t my birthday and I try to be all about my students when they’re in the room. But here’s a selfie from that day:

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PS -- my entire family asked if they really looked like Mickey and Minnie. No. Just no.

Let's see... other Disney related updates....

I got emails from our travel agency telling me to book my Fastpass + because I'm at 90 days. Except I'm not going to Walt Disney World. It was vaguely annoying.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on with World of Color and Paint the Night. I know I've mentioned it above, but we haven't seen World of Color and for some reason, I'm dying to see it. When we go to WDW, we rarely do the night time stuff. Usually just one per trip. Last trip it was the Wishes Dessert Party, from which we caught glimpses of Main Street Electrical Parade.

Did I mention that on our last Disneyland trip, I made my family watch MSEP at California Adventure, and then we crossed over to Disneyland and watched Fantasmic? It was a pretty crazy night. My family will not forget it. In fact, here's a great photo.

Look how excited my kids look. It's crazy.
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It has been specifically requested that I not try anything like that again (by Ches, not Dan, who likely doesn't remember it). So I'd like to plan some evenings in the park. I need to plan them and likely even make reservations with a penalty becuase otherwise Dan will talk me into going back to the hotel and he'll start watching TV and I'll fall asleep and what are we even doing? Disneyland is across the street, people!

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So that's about the extent of my decision making/worrying this week. I bought three new Disney related shirts this week (I know, but it was Valentine's day and I got a fitbit. I need a little treat) but I'm not even sure I'm taking those to Disney. My plan right now is for leggings and dresses with bow bands and rocking a retro kind of vibe.

And now, my husband is going to take me out to Red Robin for lunch for Valentine's Day. I know. We're so unbelievably romantic. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Next up: Chapter Eight Thinking Out Loud​

 

[RedHotMama]

Hi everyone. I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself here. I get it. You're reading, you just haven't commented.

I'm here! Hi! I'm loving this report!

I looked out the front of the school and saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse walk by.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What a surprise! Totally crazy that the mom didn't tell you though. Even with a "normal" preschool classroom, she really should have. But with your students, she should have known better.

I so wish I could share one photo with you. It makes my Disney heart sing. Just imagine complete, wordless joy. I have one little boy who just radiated that joy the minute he saw those characters.

Oh great. You've got me crying first thing on a Saturday morning. Thanks a lot. Lol. But really, that is so incredibly sweet! I'm glad the character surprise went over so well with the kids. (Yes, it's 10am here and I just woke up. The baby had a hard night.)

I got emails from our travel agency telling me to book my Fastpass + because I'm at 90 days.

I know I've mentioned it above, but we haven't seen World of Color and for some reason, I'm dying to see it.

Because it is awesome!!

Keep updating. We're reading. You have an interesting life and you're a great writer.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Awwww, that's such a sweet story (that P.S. though, in my head I was like "Yeah, my guess') and that reference to De La... I get you lol But what a magical celebration, you really were in heaven.

On the note of seeing World of Color, I suggest you do not try to make that a point of interest. It's a lovely show, but it's not that great in my opinion. Spoiler alert, but I saw it twice back in January and kinda wish I had seen Fant twice instead. It doesn't compare. It is pretty and beautiful, but knowing your feelings on Fant, you might be SUPER underwhelmed by it. Just forewarning.

 

[DenGrampy]

Enjoying you PTR. I'm taking my wife for our 40th in late april. Also staying at the Fairfield. She still doesn't know about this trip and I am planning to surprise her during our spring break trip the end of March. Hope you all have a great time.

 

[StarlitNight05]

I'm here and I'm following along! We (DH and I) are going at the end of April. Super excited! Love reading about your planning

 

[BrerMama]

Woot woot for unexpected ice days! We had a holiday Monday, inservice on Tuesday but I had doctor's appointments and didn't go, had school yesterday, and now an ice day. Tuesday we actually got ice (Ches didn't have school -- she goes to a different district) and then last night we got ice on top of the ice that was still left from Wednesday, so no school for anybody again. I'm pretty sure I'm getting really sick so I'll take it. I have a cough and super sort throat. The throat used to just be after sleeping and I was pretty sure it was just from drainage, but it's pretty constant now. I've managed to avoid getting sick for six weeks while my students had all kinds of stuff. And two days after I see the doctor and she tells me I look great.

I'm here! Hi! I'm loving this report!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What a surprise! Totally crazy that the mom didn't tell you though. Even with a "normal" preschool classroom, she really should have. But with your students, she should have known better.

Keep updating. We're reading. You have an interesting life and you're a great writer.

I keep thinking how horribly wrong that afternoon could have gone. I had one sweet little guy who was not sure about the characters but we put a cupcake in front of him and that became his focus.

And thanks for the nice words about my writing. I miss my blog sometimes just because I like telling stories.

Awwww, that's such a sweet story (that P.S. though, in my head I was like "Yeah, my guess') and that reference to De La... I get you lol But what a magical celebration, you really were in heaven.

On the note of seeing World of Color, I suggest you do not try to make that a point of interest. It's a lovely show, but it's not that great in my opinion. Spoiler alert, but I saw it twice back in January and kinda wish I had seen Fant twice instead. It doesn't compare. It is pretty and beautiful, but knowing your feelings on Fant, you might be SUPER underwhelmed by it. Just forewarning.

I'm so rooting for Ben. And thinking about channeling him with my Disneyland looks. I used to do this retro hair vibe with a side swipe of bangs and then the rest backcombed to the heavens. All held back by a headband. Probably going to go there for my Disneyland look and use ears instead of headbands.

As to the second part, you really made me think about what I love about the Disney parks. I loved Wishes on our last trip and Philharmagic and Festival of the Lion King (and Aladdin the last time we were in CA) make me cry every time. Shows like Fantasmic and Illuminations are always kind of meh to me. I still want to give Fantasmic a good chance, but maybe World of Color is not as big a priority. I'm thinking fireworks should be at the top of my list, too. Especially since we didn't really have a good viewing spot last trip to DL.

Enjoying you PTR. I'm taking my wife for our 40th in late april. Also staying at the Fairfield. She still doesn't know about this trip and I am planning to surprise her during our spring break trip the end of March. Hope you all have a great time.

What a fun surprise! I hope you have a magical trip!

I'm here and I'm following along! We (DH and I) are going at the end of April. Super excited! Love reading about your planning

I'm super excited for you! We're all going to have trips full of pixie dust and rainbows!

Now that I'm caught up, I'm going to go crawl in bed and read the rest of the day. Doesn't that sound like a good way to spend a Thursday?

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 8 Thinking Out Loud


So last weekend it was absolutely gorgeous here. Like 60 degrees in February, which wasn’t quite the 72 we got on Valentine’s Day, but still gorgeous for Kansas right now. I let Dan take me to Red Robin for lunch, which I shouldn’t love but do, and then we picked up Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner and headed home.

But… I just got a Fitbit (Charge HR 2) and I couldn’t just go home and sit all day. Trust me, that’s what I wanted to do. Instead, we picked up Ches and went to find a park/trail to walk.

We ended up at the zoo. We almost always have a membership but ours had expired last summer and we hadn’t yet renewed. I got a TPT payment and actually Dan said he’d use his Christmas money to pay for it and we renewed. Because you know what? It’s more fun to walk at the zoo. We have an amazing zoo for the size of our town and we’ve got a newborn orangutan, two new lion cubs, 2 gorillas that are 18 months old and less, plus your usual assortment of elephants, tigers and giraffes.

I'm all "Dan, take my picture" and in every picture except this one, there's a giraffe growing out of my head. And in this one, I'm rolling my eyes at him because he's taking so many pictures.​

Anyway… two things I realized while at the zoo that may impact our Disneyland trip.

One, my stride is way shorter than either Ches or Dan’s. (Because they are significantly taller than me.) Which means they are constantly walking in front of me and I’m playing catch up. Since neither of them know their way around the parks (Ches because she doesn’t remember and Dan because he doesn’t remember anything… and that’s a whole side thread but I swear he just knows I’ll remember EVERYTHING so he doesn’t bother to remember anything), this could be a problem. I’ve got to up my fitness level a bit so I can keep up. I mean… not totally out of shape, but I could improve.

I tried to find a gif of someone running to catch up with someone else, but I found this gif of Pluto chasing a pigeon instead and it's adorable.​

I also became super aware of how much I hate crowds. I would wait to enter an exhibit area until the families in front of us were done. I’ll just say it -- I love kids, but I put everything I have into them 5 days a week, six or so hours a day. I have discovered that for my own mental health, it’s better if I then walk away from then when I’m off work. So a bunch of kids at the zoo? We did a lot of waiting until it cleared out and making choices to be a little apart from the younger children. Which is not to say I’m rude about it. I have some kind of pre-K teacher pheremone that I give off and little ones just come up to me and say hi or start talking and I’ll reply and explain to the parents that I teach and it happens all the time, but if I can avoid a group of people, I usually do. That’s for my mental health.

This realization just had me thinking in terms of Disneyland and what we’ll do when we need a break from the crowds. I’m not sold on the idea of hiking back to the hotel just to have Dan turn on the TV and zone out to Cash Cab or House Hunters. (True story… last trip to CA, Dan and the kids got addicted to Cash Cab during our afternoon breaks.) I’d rather stay in the parks and find an out of the way spot where we can relax.

I was a happy, happy girl to read this week that Cove Bar will likely be open during our trip. I’m not going to Lobster Nachos (I’m afraid of fish in any form) but a nice adult beverage for me and Dan while Ches gets a fancy non alcoholic drink sounds like a great idea. If we’re in Disneyland and it’s time for a break, we likely won’t be heading to the play area of Toontown, either. Maybe a little out of the way New Orleans Square corner with some beignets or getting a slush and chilling on a curb on Main Street (those walls are gonna be down by then). I am trying to be mindful of the choices I make with my time every day, and it’s something I need to do even more for myself on our trip. It is supposed to be my vacation and I am leaving for this trip two days after my last day of school and going back to teach less than a week after we return.

I'm an introvert. I've met a lot of my "friends" via the internet either through scrapbooking or a shared interest in Branson or Disney.​

Anwyay, after we were done at the zoo and I had 5K steps on my record, I made my husband take me for frozen custard. Which is awesome.

So not really much planning wise, but things to think about. I am committed to walking for the foreseeable future -- it would help if we’d quit getting ice and below zero windchills every other day -- and thinking about self care. Seriously, take care of yourself.

PS -- Have you guys seen the new Queer Eye on Netflix? If you’re in the mood for a show that will open your heart and probably make you teary in a good way, it’s as good as the original. It’s a great way to take care of yourself and make your heart full.

Chapter 9: The Land of In Excess​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I've been meaning to watch Queer Eye since they dropped it on Netflix. I thought I'd beat everyone to the punch and now I still haven't seen it and everyone else has. I need to watch so so bad. (Lowkey sad that Carson Kressley wasn't ask to rejoin because he's one of my faves.)

Also, I think for some reason I've gotten a bit of "teacher pheremone" because of how much I've worked with kids (Disney, swim lessons, volunteering at preschools, etc.) and how much I'm around other people who have worked with kids (LOTS of education major friends) so I always get the long stares from them until I say hi. I love it sometimes, but other times... I'm just not in the mood for social interaction especially with a child lol

 

[Zarina_Stardust]

Anwyay, after we were done at the zoo and I had 5K steps on my record, I made my husband take me for frozen custard. Which is awesome.

​

Did you go to Freddy's for your custard? That's where we went yesterday. I was just reading through your trip report and realized we lived in the same city.

I'll be following along with your report while I try to figure out the planning for our trip. Mostly I'm procrastinating my planning by reading everyone else's reports.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Chapter 8 Thinking Out Loud
But… I just got a Fitbit (Charge HR 2) and I couldn’t just go home and sit all day. Trust me, that’s what I wanted to do. Instead, we picked up Ches and went to find a park/trail to walk.

I got a Fitbit Charge HR 2 for Christmas! I absolutely love it. The sleep feature is a nice bonus too. Ugh, why do I get such little deep sleep? I need to try to find a solution for that -- probably explains why I'm always so tired.

The only downside is when I'm all about getting my steps in for the day. Sometimes I find myself jogging in place to make my goal. I probably look like an insane woman (but at least it's in the privacy of my own home).

 

[BrerMama]

I've been meaning to watch Queer Eye since they dropped it on Netflix. I thought I'd beat everyone to the punch and now I still haven't seen it and everyone else has. I need to watch so so bad. (Lowkey sad that Carson Kressley wasn't ask to rejoin because he's one of my faves.)

Carson was always one of my favorites (along with Ted Allen) and I was so thrilled when we started watching Drag Race about a year ago and I found him there. And Ted's on Chopped. I can see them whenever I want. But the new season of Queer Eye is amazing. I want to nominate my son -- khaki pants, polo shirt daily uniform -- for the show. He'd hate me, but I'd love to see what they could do.

Also, I think for some reason I've gotten a bit of "teacher pheremone" because of how much I've worked with kids (Disney, swim lessons, volunteering at preschools, etc.) and how much I'm around other people who have worked with kids (LOTS of education major friends) so I always get the long stares from them until I say hi. I love it sometimes, but other times... I'm just not in the mood for social interaction especially with a child lol

It has been such an amazing week for me at work. We had daily dance parties in the afternoon and dressed up and I loved every minute of it... but man, I don't want to go to the zoo today. Or to Target or Walmart. I'm just peopled out and I'm really child-ed out.

Did you go to Freddy's for your custard? That's where we went yesterday. I was just reading through your trip report and realized we lived in the same city.

I'll be following along with your report while I try to figure out the planning for our trip. Mostly I'm procrastinating my planning by reading everyone else's reports.

While I will do Freddy's if we're also having a meal, I'm an Andy's girl. I've been loving Andy's for years in Branson and when they built the one here at 21st and Maize, we were one of the first customers and still manage to have it once a month or so even though it's at least a half hour from where we live. We need an East Side Andy's.

I love reading trip reports. Sometimes you find these little trips and tricks and think "I've gotta try that." And even if there's nothing in common with the trip you're planning, it's a good escape from reality.

I got a Fitbit Charge HR 2 for Christmas! I absolutely love it. The sleep feature is a nice bonus too. Ugh, why do I get such little deep sleep? I need to try to find a solution for that -- probably explains why I'm always so tired.

The only downside is when I'm all about getting my steps in for the day. Sometimes I find myself jogging in place to make my goal. I probably look like an insane woman (but at least it's in the privacy of my own home).

Ugh. The sleep feature is my downfall. I hate knowing how awful I slept. I do get plenty of deep sleep (thank you Ambien) but I'm awake a lot too. As for steps, I walk during both AM and PM recess at work and then take a half hour on my lunch hour to go walk the playground as well. I get my 10K pretty easily. Unless I have a bad day (like Thursday) and I go grab some Popeye's for lunch and drink a huge pop (not something I usually do) and then I end up doing laps around my living room just to get those fireworks. I am loving the Charge though. It at least keeps me moving. Of course, today's Saturday and I just have it sitting on the charger so I don't have it tell me I'm being super lazy....

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 9: The Land of In Excess

I will add this sort of silly chapter to my trip report, but first, I have to announce that I have figured out what we're going to do on our "day off" from the parks.

I have to admit something I'm a little ashamed of... my family loves Dave and Buster's. They love to sit there and play those arcade games for hours on end.

I personally am not a huge fan. It's loud. And it's filled with children. And it's loud. It's pretty much everything I want to avoid when I'm not working inside one building.

Despite this, I have been known to go to the place on vacation (even going out of our way to visit one) because Dan and Ches love it SO much.

This is the one in KC when we were there for the Ed Sheeran concert. We really like that one.
​

Anyway, we're planning to use our "rest day" to see a movie (also Dan's favorite thing in the whole world... games and movies and rides, that's him). I know there's a theater in Downtown Disney, but I also have heard it's not the best theater in the area. So I was reading a thread this morning about where to see Infinity War (is that the right one? I'm rough on Avengers -- although I loved Thor: Ragnorak) and discovered there is a place called The Outlets at Orange. It has a big AMC theater (love AMC) and outlets (my jam) AND a Dave & Buster's.

You should know that Dan is very anti-doing anything other than walking to Downtown Disney on our day off. "We don't need to do anything. We'll just lay around the hotel..." this means he wants to watch TV "and then walk over and see a movie."

The prospect of going to a Dave & Buster's? I might actually get him out of the area. Of course when I told him about my discovery of a D&B nearby, he said it might be too far and we'd have to get an Uber and that would probably be expensive and I had to pull up the map to show him it's literally a 12 minute drive from the hotel, down that big highway. I figure I have a 50/50 chance right now of at least getting him out of the general Disneyland area on that day. It will take me sitting in a restaurant going into sensory overload in order to do it, but I may have a chance.

P.S. My tip for surviving that place? This salad:

And that's an adult beverage slushie in front of it. I'd do almost anything for a good Cobb salad.​

And now back to our regularly scheduled trip report... OK, I’m bored and have run out of topics for writing, so let’s discuss this:

Celebrity sightings at Disneyland.

On our last trip, we happened to be in the parks for the first night of the summer kick off. Dan and I sat on a bench (waiting for fireworks only to get kicked out for VIPs, move, again get kicked out and finally watched them in Fantasyland) while our young teens ran around the park watching Selena Gomez greet fans.

They also got on Big Thunder Mountain just as Mitchell Musso exited. Like literally in the same seat. He was on Hannah Montana. Her brother, maybe?

My mom points were high that year.

Dan and I? Just stoked to see Slash with a plaid near the Matterhorn.

​

You know who I’d like to bump into on this trip?

One Direction. Any combo of Louis, Niall, Harry and/or Liam. Or they could be there alone. I just need a wave, boys.

​

I confess. I’m a huge fan of the boy bands. I didn’t actually discover 1D until after they’d broken up because I’m hip and with it like that. But then… I got obsessed. Like super obsessed and I know way too much about these boys. Mostly, I want to slip them in my pocket and carry them around and make sure they’re well rested and get plenty of hydration.

I figure my chances of this happening are pretty low.

I’d also settle for any contestant from Project Runway or Top Chef or Drag Race. Or Queer Eye.

I’m probably going to be happy with Mickey Mouse.

​

Or maybe just a pair of chipmunks in a tropical storm.

On our 2012 trip, we were caught in a tropical storm. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Not really, but we were in Orlando for 2 weeks and it rained for an entire week. Those ponchos were our best friends and I took such delight in throwing them away on our way home. Brady refused to wear one, so he was just always soaking wet. The morning this was taken was our last morning at Disney before we moved over to Universal. We were at Magic Kingdom and it was just pouring. So much so that there was no opening ceremony, they just let us in. What people were there took off running for rides, but we ran from character to character with no line and just had the time of our lives. The characters spent a lot of time with us because no wait. Then we went to brunch at Ohana (which is the best ever) and then back to MK to see Philharmagic one last time. By then the rain had stopped, the sun was shining and the park was packed. We told MK goodbye and went back to our condo to pack up. So when I see these photos, I get so nostalgic for that perfect last day.​

So… back to the topic, what’s your celebrity sighting? Please share. I love reading those stories!

Chapter 10 I'm All About Self Care​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

YAS GO SEE INFINITY WAR! I'll most likely be seeing it a million times so maybe I'll meet you up for that lol I'd recommend seeing Black Panther before then btw, it's SOOOOO GOOD and you'll need to see it to understand Infinity War, probably. Ragnarok's cliffhanger ending though will be resolved so you gotta be there for that.

Omg wow, all those celebrity sightings in one trip? Back then, I would've died to see Selena Gomez (not so much today). Mitchell Musso was on Hannah Montana, he played one of Miley's best friends. The brother was someone else. I forget his name. But again, wow. I didn't even see nearly that many surprise celebrity sightings during my whole CP over a year ago.

I do have a few. I think my favorite was my last night in Epcot and I ran over to the American Adventure pavilion to get an American Dream (a red and blue slushy mixed with vanilla ice cream, so good) and turned around to see Jodi Benson meeting with guests. I wanted to meet her and get a photo but I left my phone back in Germany with my family. So mad. I never saw any while working, but one time apparently I had turned the other way and just missed Kourtney Kardashian & fam. There also was a day where Chris Evans was in the park and all my friends in Tomorrowland were on the hunt for him, no such luck (I would've fainted on the spot though if I saw Cap in person, seriously). I saw Neil Patrick Harris do the Candlelight Processional, which was cool (apparently I barely missed him when he was out in TLand with his family so another missed opportunity). I was in Disney during the Christmas filmings, which made for easy sightings in MK. I watched Sofia Carson and Cameron Boyce perform for the Descendants Holiday Special (if you stopped in the right place you probz can see my Christmas Mickey ears (that I had bought as a gift for my mom and sisters when they came down a week later)). I saw Julianne & Derek Hough during their little spots. I watched Kelly Clarkson warm up then perform "I'll Be Home For Christmas" on the Cinderella Castle stage. I got a glimpse of Alessia Cara about to perform in Hollywood Studios, but I wanted to ride RnRC so I scooted past.

So yeah, those are all mine. I agree with you on seeing any of 1D. I just watched Dunkirk and fell in love with Harry Styles again so I'd die for a hug from him or Zayn (Zayn's always been my fave). I've heard Brendon Urie (of Panic at the Disco) frequents Disneyland so that one would kill me. Omg if the fab five from Queer Eye showed up... my heart would be full. Same with most anybody from Drag Race (apparently Raven from season 2 is a frequent park goer, but that might just be WDW). I also have this dream of casually running into Lady Gaga, Julie Andrews or Kristin Chenoweth and just crying over them, but I'm going on a tangent now. I approve your list of who you'd want to meet. Maybe if I run into you in the parks, you'll bring me the luck to actually meet a celebrity for once in my life.

(Lol, this comment got long WOW. Oops. Sorry.)