Forget the Plans, We'll Just Play It By EAR! (Sept 2013)

[Jackiemarie21]

Hi I just wanted to let you know I am following along!
I went back and read your PTR and your TR. I live in the St. Louis area so it sounds like we are neighbors! Your trip so far sounds great! We took our 2 year old DD back in July and it was so much fun. I can not wait to read all about the fun you all have in the parks!

 

[TMGosizk]

Welcome back! I'm glad you had a great couple weeks with Laura. And I belatedly want to sincerely thank your husband for his service to our country!

Hi Brenda! Thanks! I am so happy that Laura didn't get sick and we could just enjoy the visit! And, John appreciates the thank you A BIG thank you to your son as well...I think I missed posting to your TR last Monday, too!

So sorry about dinner turning out not as expected. Raglan Road is a loud restaurant anyway but you would think a side room would maybe be a little quieter. Sounds like Laura did well with mommy time.

Thanks, it was definitely a bummer! I really wish we would have changed tables...even into the middle section, because she wasn't at all bothered by the live music. It was just the fright she got at our table! We did have fun back at the room though

At least the stroller made it back safe! I was waiting to see how that turned out.

It really was amusing once I found out it hadn't been stolen! And John was such a good sport about having to go all the way back!

I LOVE Big Bang Theory - especially Sheldon! That's the perfect gift for your mom being the big fan she is.

Absolutely! I think she may be finding a couple more Big Bang themed additions under the Christmas tree this year as well!

Happy Belated Birthday to your mother.

You're sweet! I'll pass that on to her!

That's a real shame about Raglan Road. We did eat there during this trip and enjoyed our meal very much. I'm glad you got your meal in the end, even if it was cold. We sat outside and came inside to catch the dancing. I'm not sure if Laura would have been happier there because shortly after the dancing, we had a group/band come play outside. But at least it was open air.

Thanks! I was dissappointed for sure since it was one of the places I was looking forward to the most, but I'm sure we'll get back there again someday! She actually WAS fine when I took her outside and probably would have been much happier there. She didn't mind the live music going on in the main room at all either, it was just that room we were seated in! Typing that makes me REALLY wish we would have moved somewhere else!

I'm not sure if you remember....but when we were planning our respective trips, I said I would remember to think of you on the 17th as it was your first night at WDW.

Well....at the time you were heading back to the resort with Laura, I was thinking of you....over my dinner.

That looks amazingly delicious!!! And I definitely remember saying we'd think of each other on the 17th and it's odd you say that this was the moment you did, because I actually remember thinking of you ON the bus back, as well! Laura was calm, so I was just looking out the window and letting my mind wander and you definitely crossed my mind!

Oh wow Reglan Road! We've never eaten there. We keep meaning to try there, or at least Cooke's of Dublin for CS Irish food.

I think it's definitely worth a shot! My food was good...a bit cold...but good! So it was probably even better AT the table!

I'm sorry the experience was less than stellar and Laura was out of sorts. It's so upsetting when they can't be comforted! I'm glad she did well once you left the restaurant. Poor John! I'm glad everything worked out with the stroller. What a great hubby and daddy John is! The Mickey PDA looks really cute, that's a bummer that it didn't work.

Thanks, it IS so hard when she gets like that...it just makes me feel so terrible that I can't make her feel better! Leaving was definitely the right decision.

I'm ALSO glad we didn't lose the stroller...I was so nervous waiting for news! But, John really IS an amazing dad and husband...Laura and I are incredibly lucky there. He was just such a good sport about it all and decided to just enjoy his unplanned alone time Downtown!

I love the Bazinga shirt! I found one after we got back from Disney at Target, but mine is navy blue.

Thanks! Oooohh never thought to check Target! Good find on the Navy blue, too!

Can't wait to see what else you did that night! Hope it ended on a better note than dinner.

It definitely did!

Toni-Marie, welcome back.

Thank you, Kathy!

I'm so sorry that Raglan Road didn't go the way you wanted with Laura being fussy, etc. As for the room with the demos, they do that in all the rooms off from the main stage (the kids get to participate with the dancers).

Oh, okay! That's good to know...I'd like to think Laura would have been okay with it if the situation had been different-just waking up and already in a not-so-happy mood and all! I'm sure it's really neat to watch under normal circumstances!

I hope you'll give it another try...we really like it there...try the scallops on the appetizer men...they are very good.

I do think it's worth another shot, so we'll keep it on the list for future trips, definitely! And, I'll keep the scallops in mind, too!

What a sweet hubby trying to get your food back to you semi-warm and not knowing about the bus stop. And what a nice gift he picked up for you too.

He is the best! It was definitely nice of him on both counts!

Our oldest son loves that show that your mom likes (we prefer NCIS a whole lot), and would love that t-shirt.

It definitely is a funny show! And we got the shirt at Sears if you're in the market (Amazon has a bunch of Big Bang things, too)! And I also prefer NCIS-it's the only show I make time to watch "new." Speaking of which, there's a new one on tonight!

***Oh, and the Bailey's Shake. THE ABSOLUTE BEST. I had two this trip...so, so good.

Delicious! I could really go for one now!

Wow, a Bailey's shake?! That sounds great! I'd love one right about now.

Oh, it IS!! Definitely try one if you get a chance on your trip!

That's too bad the meal went so badly for Laura. Good call on taking her out, though, since it cheered her up so much. Glad the rest of the evening went okay.

It really was too bad, but just knowing she was so much happier leaving made it better!

Great Bazinga shirt!

Thanks!

Hi I just wanted to let you know I am following along!
I went back and read your PTR and your TR. I live in the St. Louis area so it sounds like we are neighbors! Your trip so far sounds great! We took our 2 year old DD back in July and it was so much fun. I can not wait to read all about the fun you all have in the parks!

Hi neighbor! and welcome! I hope you didn't have any problems with those nasty storms that moved through this weekend! John had to drive over into St. Louis on Sunday and was caught in a pretty bad storm on the drive back We only had wind and rain here, but I know it was a lot worse almost everywhere else!!

Thank you for reading along here AND for reading my PTR!

Aw, that's so wonderful you had a fun trip with you DD!!

I do promise we get to a park in the next day of the trip! So, not too much longer to wait!

---------

Hi Friends!

Just wanted to add that another update will be coming along soon! We have been busy little bees this weekend! We bought a new dining room table, which may not seem too exciting, but we've needed a bigger one for the past two years (we were still using the small round table I bought for my very first apartment during college, SIX years ago!) so, it's VERY thrilling! It was just something we kept putting off, but we finally decided we really didn't want to have to squeeze five adults and one high chair around the small table for Thanksgiving again, so we spent Saturday shopping around and found a bigger, beautiful new seven piece set!

Along with the new dining set, we have been further preparing for the arrival of Mom, Dad, and Buzzy, who all get in on Saturday! So, I'll be working on cleaning and getting the house all ready for Saturday the rest of this week! I just love all the family time we get around the end of the year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

I know I'm behind (again) on my subscribed threads so I'll catch up on those before I post my next update!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm hopping on board.

Laura is just absolutely precious, I have to say.

The whole thing with the lady on the plane was just insane! I know it would have been crazy if I was there. I'm not the best at keeping my mouth shut....

Can't wait to hear more. I'm glad that even though your dinner from Raglan Road was cold, that it was still yummy.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congrats on the dining table. I hope we get to see it.

 

[TMGosizk]

I'm hopping on board.

Thank you so much for reading along!!

Laura is just absolutely precious, I have to say.

Aww, you're sweet, thank you!

The whole thing with the lady on the plane was just insane! I know it would have been crazy if I was there. I'm not the best at keeping my mouth shut....

She was just ridiculous! I'm both surprised and impressed with how we all handled it so calmly!

Can't wait to hear more. I'm glad that even though your dinner from Raglan Road was cold, that it was still yummy.

Thanks, it really was!

Congrats on the dining table. I hope we get to see it.

Thank you! I'll definitely post a picture in the next couple days!

 

[TMGosizk]

Chapter 7: “I'm So Sleepy, but I Want to See the Whole Thing!” (Part 1)

Once our surprises were delivered, we discussed what we were going to do next. Originally, Mom, Buzzy, and I had planned to give each other manicures in preparation for the rest of the trip, but we decided to just wait and do it the next night!

Instead, Dad wanted to walk down to Landscapes of Flavor and get a snack and Buzzy and I wanted to walk around the resort a bit!

John, who was such a trooper all day, couldn't stay awake any longer, so he turned in for the night.

Mom was also ready for bed so we helped her and Dad turn down the living room couch before we left. John and I tried to talk them into sleeping in the bedroom, but they adamantly refused!

Once Mom was settled, Dad, Buzzy, and I headed toward Landscapes of Flavor where Dad got some chocolate gelato and Buzzy and I got a four pack of mini cupcakes that we saved until the next day! Dad's gelato was very good he said!

We left Dad at the outside entrance to Landscapes of Flavor and started our tour of the resort at the Nemo Pool!

For the most part, I'll let the pictures do the talking here (Sorry for my lacking photography skills, in advance!) :



Children's splash area!








Cute little play area!


Then we walked straight, over the bridge, to see another resort we'd never been to: Pop Century!






I was surprised to find I wasn't a fan of this resort's themeing. I expected to really like it, but I just didn't...not really sure why

We didn't stay long since we were starting to feel the effects of our long day, but were determined to see the rest of the resort before going to bed! So, we crossed back over the bridge and continued.

Art of Animation is pretty impressive from a distance!





Continued in Next Post...

 

[TMGosizk]

Continued from previous post...

Chapter 7: "I'm So Sleepy, but I Want to See the Whole Thing!" (Part 2)

Next, we went through the Cars section of the resort.














The details were just amazing! Even the quiet hour notices were themed to match the resort's sections!


Cozy Cone Pool!





Taken with Buzzy's camera!








The walkways were roads!!












Continued in Next Post...

 

[TMGosizk]

Continued from previous post...

Chapter 7: "I'm So Sleepy, but I Want to See the Whole Thing!" (Part 3)

We crossed back through the Nemo section



See, cute signs!

Soon we saw this guy!
















Through the Lion King section and into the Little Mermaid section we walked!



That's one big dinglehopper!














At this point, Buzzy and I were really losing steam, so we decided to head back to the room. We'd seen pretty much the entire resort and we were hoping to get an early start the next day!

When we got back to the room, Buzzy went right to bed, but I took some time to jump in the shower so I didn't have to spend the time doing so in the morning.

It was exactly 11:17pm when I got in bed and I drifted off into a very deep sleep..which is incredibly rare. I am not a sound sleeper, but that night I didn't even move until my alarm buzzed the next morning! In fact, I think this was true of the entire family!

And so ended our first day in the World! It had it's ups and downs, but definitely more UPs! I was still in a state of awe that we were really there and I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the trip brought!

 

[PrincessInOz]

What an amazingly themed resort! It all looks amazing and I love the shots you took. Thanks for sharing.

Glad that you still had the energy to get round to capture all those pictures. And I loved the quiet signs. They made me laugh.

 

[Imagineer5]

Jumping in too! Excited to see your TR, just read the whole thing! Your DD Laura is adorable. I have a 21-month old DD and have been doing TR's from our trips and am just about finishing up one from when she was 16m old. Amazing how much they change and can't wait to hear all about your trip with her!!

 

[TMGosizk]

What an amazingly themed resort! It all looks amazing and I love the shots you took. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! It really is a very well done resort and there's just SO much of it to see!

Glad that you still had the energy to get round to capture all those pictures. And I loved the quiet signs. They made me laugh.

Those signs were really cute touches! I was bound and determined to see the whole resort, even if it meant having to take a little power nap in one of the cozy cones or something! I'm glad it didn't come to that, but it would have been great to have just a BIT more time there so as not to have to do it all in one night!

Jumping in too! Excited to see your TR, just read the whole thing! Your DD Laura is adorable. I have a 21-month old DD and have been doing TR's from our trips and am just about finishing up one from when she was 16m old. Amazing how much they change and can't wait to hear all about your trip with her!!

Hello!! Thank you

Aw, that's awesome to be able to look back and see how she's grown! I'll have to jump over to your TR and check it out!

Thank you so much for reading along

 

[TMGosizk]

Good evening friends!

I've been working on my next update, but needed a break, so decided to quickly post a picture of the new dining table we acquired last Saturday! It is set up and looking pretty just in time for my parents and Buzzy to arrive tomorrow morning!!

The picture shows the table without the additional leaf and two chairs! This is the everyday set up that we use and will save the leaf and other chairs for holidays and larger dinners!

I am probably not going to be able to post too many updates over the next week or so because I know we will be super busy, but am going to try to get a couple in during down time

This Sunday is my 27th birthday and I am so excited my parents and sister will be here for it! Last year Buzzy was in Germany, so she was here via Skype, but I'm so thrilled she'll be here in the flesh this year!!!

Thursday is Thanksgiving which will be different this year! Normally Mom does the turkey and stuffing (insists even though she's here) which is always SO delicious! But this year John has asked to try something new that he found! Hopefully it all goes well and tastes yummy! I'm sure it will; he's an amazing cook!

I'm hoping to get the house decorated for Christmas with the help of my Mom while she's here as well! We LOVE Christmas, so this has become a tradition for their visit this time of year! Since I'm not able to be in PA to help decorate like we used to, we do it all together here! It is so fun getting John into decorating, too, which is not really his thing! He loves the end result but not the process! It'll be interesting having Laura mobile this year also! Last year she just hung out in her swing and watched, so I'm excited to see how she is with everything this year!!

We celebrate our little family Christmas here the weekend before going to PA to be with the rest of our families, so that'll be the 14th of December this year! So, it's nice being able to enjoy the decorations for a few weeks!

Alright, so it wasn't just a "quick" post for the picture, but I thought I'd share what we've got going on over the next week since I was already typing

And now, I'll say good night and hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great looking table!


Happy Birthday for Sunday and I hope you have a great day with the family.

 

[Dugette]

Love all the Art of Animation pictures! Really makes me want to go wander around and see it!

Nice dining table!

Happy birthday in advance!

 

[KatMark]

Toni-Marie, your pictures around AoA are terrific. I love how well they did with that resort. It is just spectacular in my mind. I have to agree about Pop...I wasn't impressed with the themeing at all.

I love your new dining room set...very nice.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I wish you a very Happy Birthday. Enjoy your family time.

 

[TMGosizk]

Hello everyone!!

I hope you all had a great end of November and Thanksgiving! In my last post, I said I would try to get an update done during down time while the family was in town...but, that just didn't happen. We were SO busy! There WAS no downtime!

It was overall, a fantastic visit! I had a lovely birthday; Thanksgiving was fun and John's turkey turned out delicious!! We got all the Christmas decorating done at the house; did quite a bit of shopping; and was even able to get Laura's Christmas pictures taken! Even though she wasn't in the happiest mood, thanks to some incoming teeth, I was able to get some really pretty shots! Now, I just need to do some editing and get them printed!

We were able to set in stone our Christmas travel the past week as well! I booked flights to and from PA on Tuesday at a decent rate (If I had booked a day earlier I would have paid $10 less, but still came in under budget, so I can't really complain!). So, Laura and I fly out of St. Louis on December 18th and then return Januray 15th! John only has ten days of Leave left for the year, so he's driving through the night December 22nd to arrive in PA the 23rd sometime and driving back to IL the night of January 2nd. I am SO excited for all three of us to be in PA together with our families! I look forward to this ALL year!

In other news, we still have NO idea where we're moving, even though we were supposed to find out around the 14th of November. John's had his Code 50 removed (this was a detail on his orders stating he HAD to be here in IL a mandatory 3 years-no more, no less-after his return from Korea to re-acclimate to life in the US) so, we have no idea how much longer we'll be here now. It could be a month, it could be six months. We're not sure WHY it was removed, since he wasn't given much of a reason (or at least none that I'm aware of), but it just puts things MORE in the air now.

Anyway, that's what's been going on the past couple weeks in my absence, but I'm back here now and ready to get moving (again) on my TR! I do apologize for the way it's been really broken up and moving at a snail's pace! It will definitely pick up after the holidays! I forget how busy this time of year is around here and never seem to have enough time to do all that I need (or want) to do! I sincerely thank you all (again) for sticking with me and I'll try to get a few updates done before Laura and I leave on the 18th! I'll catch up on my subscriptions next, as well!

And, now, some responses!

Great looking table!

Thank you! It was great with the extra people the last couple weeks!

Happy Birthday for Sunday and I hope you have a great day with the family.

Aw, thank you so much! It was a very fun day!

Love all the Art of Animation pictures! Really makes me want to go wander around and see it!

It's certainly worth a visit if you can make it over there on your trip! The whole resort is just so larger than life!

Nice dining table!

Thanks! We just love it!

Happy birthday in advance!

Thank you so much!

Toni-Marie, your pictures around AoA are terrific. I love how well they did with that resort. It is just spectacular in my mind. I have to agree about Pop...I wasn't impressed with the themeing at all.

Hi Kathy! Thank you! It is indeed spectacular! I was really blown away by how well all the themeing is done! And yeah...Pop...definitely not my cup of tea!

I love your new dining room set...very nice.

Thanks! It was great actually having room for all the food and elbows when the family was here last week!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I wish you a very Happy Birthday. Enjoy your family time.

Thank you! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving as well! I know you're down in Disney right now and I hope you are having an amazing time (which I'm sure you are!!)!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

just live real life, TM. There really isn't any rush on this.


Hope you get some clarity soon on where you're heading to.

 

[TMGosizk]

just live real life, TM. There really isn't any rush on this.

**Thank you I really need to remember this and not put so much pressure on myself to write at the moment...I will have more time after the holidays and I don't want to rush through them, that's for sure!!

Hope you get some clarity soon on where you're heading to.

**Thanks! Hopefully it's not too much longer!

 

[KatMark]

Toni-Marie, I'm glad you had a great Thanksgiving and birthday.

Yes, we had a marvelous time at Disney and wish we were back there (we went from 83 degrees to 20 degrees with windchills minus 0); I hope to start my TR this weekend.

 

[TMGosizk]

Toni-Marie, I'm glad you had a great Thanksgiving and birthday.

**Thank you, Kathy!!

Yes, we had a marvelous time at Disney and wish we were back there (we went from 83 degrees to 20 degrees with windchills minus 0); I hope to start my TR this weekend.

**That is just so great to hear! I don't blame you for wanting to stay in the nice warm weather! I've had enough of this Winter already, as well!! Looking forward to reading about your trip!