There's Always Too Much Sauce - A July 2022 TR *Updated 3/23

[luvpoohandcompany]

I never thought it from that perspective before.
I remember back when my brother got married (in 2021) after the rehearsal dinner my brothers, parents, and I found ourselves at the pool late at night. None of the extended family (husbands/grandkids,etc) were with us and it was very surreal. It was like we were back in the 90s and no time had passed at all. I'm sure my parents cherish that memory.

I’m sure your parents love thinking back to that night. There is something wonderful about liking who your kids have grown into and being able to have adult conversations though I will happily admit my mother could still wither me with “the look”,Alzheimer’s and all, when she disagreed with whatever I was saying. My children inform me I have also perfected this trait

It is sure an adventure raising such a daughter!

It really is! Funny my granddaughter is so like her mum and she’s not even 2 yet. Best bit is I get to enjoy it all without any angst. Love these determined wee girls. Someday they will rule the world ( or at least not be swayed by rogues ).

Evie tells me when she draws pictures of me: "All those squiggles I have to draw on your cheeks."

Oh Evie! You’ll never be allowed to get big-headed with Evie to keep you grounded

The poor kids are going to have a massive culture shock.

Do they remember much of their time in Germany? Hopefully between having eachother and a wee bit of time before school they will seize the adventure and take it in their stride though I’m sure it’s hard on you all

"Hopefully we'll get another house next to the train station again."
Oh honey.....

Showing my ignorance here but do houses not exist near train stations or is it just not a likely thing in Texas

And last week in the grocery store, Landon commented, "They've got an entire aisle for chips, cookies, and granola bars here. This store is huge!"
....Wait until we take him to Cotsco.

Now I want to go to Costco just to see how huge it is. We were amazed at CVS though mostly that was because they had a pharmacy and beer under the same roof

Texas is going to be a big change,

I was watching a detective thing set in Texas just yesterday. It was a lot greener than I thought it would be. I hope you find it easier than expected for everyone to settle in and make it home

 

[Steppesister]

Hi Alicia,

My life is rather chaotic right now, but I finally had a mostly free day to get onto some others' threads. I'm all caught up as much as I can be and loved reading about your Potter Day at Uni. I bought a wand too and had so much fun. I love the kids' faces all lit up with awe and wonder. Makes me smile so much!

 

[amazingact21]

I was watching a detective thing set in Texas just yesterday. It was a lot greener than I thought it would be.

It amazes me just how big Texas is. Pretty sure it could encompass all of the U.K.

I bought a wand too and had so much fun. I love the kids' faces all lit up with awe and wonder. Makes me smile so much!

In hindsight, taking the kids last summer was the perfect time. Landon's lost a little of the "magic" and has more attitude nowadays, so we got to enjoy his awe and watch him be impressed by everything right before the tides turned.

 

[amazingact21]

Just wanted to pop in and say that I'm off! Race weekend is finally here, and I'll be flying out soon to join my mom at Disney.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. Wish me luck! The forecast calls for some pretty ugly storms the morning of the races, so let's hope I don't have to swim through these miles. (Who knew training in rainy England would come in handy?!)

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

It amazes me just how big Texas is. Pretty sure it could encompass all of the U.K.

Yup. I googled it-
Texas is about 2.8 times the size of the United Kingdom.

(Who knew training in rainy England would come in handy?!)

Wishing you the best of luck

 

[DLo]

Good luck and safe travels. Hope you have a magical time.

 

[vamassey1]

Good luck and safe travels!

 

[afwdwfan]

Have fun and go fast!

 

[rdkeim]

Have an awesome trip! Enjoy the time with your Mom.

 

[cindianne320]

I hope you're having a great weekend! <3

 

[amazingact21]

Hi friends!

It's moving season here in my household. Alex and I are swamped trying to get everything organized and ready to go. Our poor phones....the Reminders App, Alarm App, and Calendar App are getting a lot of playing time. Landon and Evie are also busy with several end of school year activities. Both are performing in an upcoming talent show (Landon for singing, Evie for dance club) and the rehearsals are in full swing this week. Poor Landon is spending all morning taking state tests and all afternoon and evening in the gym (where the show is set). I think they are just as ready for summer break as Alex and I are!


All that was a longwinded way to apologize for not having an actual update to post. There's not enough hours in the day. However, I wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the well wishes before my trip.

The Springtime Surprise Challenge trip was pretty special. It reminded me why I love Disney so much. This was the first time in a very long time where I returned from a trip genuinely sad it was over. I know a lot of it had to do with the fact that I got really lucky this time around. Everything seemed to work out exactly like I wanted it to. Down to timing, weather, food, etc.
Heck, I even got bumped up to premium on my flight home! (Found that out as I was sitting at the bar at Geyser Point and promptly ordered a beer to celebrate.)



The races were crazy humid, which did effect my time a little. But I had an absolute blast:












To be frank, I think I'd rather go back to Disney to do runDisney events than for just a regular vacation. I found that sweet spot where my enjoyment of running meshes with my affinity for the parks.



On this trip, I solifidied my suspicion that Wilderness Lodge is my favorite WDW resort.





I got to enjoy my beloved Gideon's treats.
TWICE.





Happily Ever After is back where it belongs:




My mom and I had a wonderful time together. We make good travel partners, and I enjoyed watching her experience a lot of the newer attractions and lands for the first time.




And, naturally, we ate our traditional Via Napoli dinner:




The Flower and Garden Festival was as beautiful as always. The great thing about the Springtime Surprise races is that you get to see a lot of the topiaries up close when the park isn't as crowded. And since all three races ran through Epcot, I really felt like I got the full festival experience:




I'm not sure if I'll post a full trip report for this vacation. I guess a lot depends on how quickly I can finish this current one and what my summer looks like. (Pssst....don't tell the kids, but it looks like they might be returning to the parks MUCH sooner than any of us thought.)

All in all, though, I have to say, if someone were to make me pick one set of parameters for the rest of my Disney vacations, I wouldn't hesitate to say:

Wilderness Lodge in April.

I would go every single April and be perfectly happy.
This was my third experience in the parks during this month, and it's been, hands down, my best experiences.


All right, I hope all of you are doing well. Enjoying spring? We went down to London last weekend (before the Coronation craziness got to be too much, and it was lovely). I apologize if I haven't been very active on your reports. If I don't comment, just know I'm reading the updates when I can!

 

[disneyAndi14]

It was very nice to meet you! You are a beautiful young lady! I’m impressed with your Disney run events! I’m jealous you ran through Epcot during all the races, how amazing that would be!
I wouldn’t be running rather being swept up by the balloon ladies, lol
I agree about The Wilderness Lodge in April, it was just perfect in so many ways!
I’m jealous you saw Mando and Grogu, we tried several times and never saw them out!
Good luck with the moving this summer and welcome back to America

 

[afwdwfan]

All that was a longwinded way to apologize for not having an actual update to post.

Nah... we get it. You have PLENTY on your plate right now! Good luck with the end of school year things and the move.

To be frank, I think I'd rather go back to Disney to do runDisney events than for just a regular vacation. I found that sweet spot where my enjoyment of running meshes with my affinity for the parks.

I'm glad that it was such a great experience for you!

On this trip, I solifidied my suspicion that Wilderness Lodge is my favorite WDW resort.

(Pssst....don't tell the kids, but it looks like they might be returning to the parks MUCH sooner than any of us thought.)

Oh, this should be fun!

I know you have a lot going on but I hope that you will find time eventually to write a TR about this trip or at least a summary about it. I want to know about the races and how much you managed to do in the parks on wobbly legs! I mean if I did all that running, I'd be renting a scooter the rest of the day.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Delighted for you Alicia that your trip was such a success! Amazing collection of medals! You have some crazy busy time ahead and I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with it all
Hope the kids enjoy the school show and it will be wonderful if you get back to the world earlier than you hoped.
You and your mum look so happy in your photos. I’m sure many memories were made and laughs were had

 

[rdkeim]

Glad you had such a fabulous trip! Nice you could get away for some fun and time with your Mom before the big move. Good luck with it all!

 

[Disney102015]

Those medals are so cute! Congrats on all the races. I love your TRs! Best of luck with all the changes coming up!

 

[piglet1979]

It looks like you had great weather. The week prior (the week I was there) is was 70 and misty like rain almost all week. I am glad you had a great time with your mom.

 

[cindianne320]

Looks like you had an amazing trip with your mom! Can't wait to hear when you are headed back!!!

 

[vamassey1]

It's moving season here in my household.

Your life is so busy right now. Good Luck!

The Springtime Surprise Challenge trip was pretty special. It reminded me why I love Disney so much. This was the first time in a very long time where I returned from a trip genuinely sad it was over. I know a lot of it had to do with the fact that I got really lucky this time around. Everything seemed to work out exactly like I wanted it to. Down to timing, weather, food, etc.
Heck, I even got bumped up to premium on my flight home! (Found that out as I was sitting at the bar at Geyser Point and promptly ordered a beer to celebrate.)

So happy to hear you had such a great trip.

On this trip, I solifidied my suspicion that Wilderness Lodge is my favorite WDW resort.

Absolutely Beautiful!

 

[amazingact21]

It was very nice to meet you! You are a beautiful young lady! I’m impressed with your Disney run events! I’m jealous you ran through Epcot during all the races, how amazing that would be!

Running through Epcot during the festival was a highlight of race weekend for me! I felt like I really got to experience the special sights, more than I ever have before.

I agree about The Wilderness Lodge in April, it was just perfect in so many ways!

I loved walking around WL and enjoying the beautiful weather we were having. At one point, I walked by the cabins that your room was facing, and I could see how you had a peaceful view. It was was quiet and serene there.

I’m jealous you saw Mando and Grogu, we tried several times and never saw them out!

My mom really wanted to see them, so I was grateful luck was on our side and we could. We waited around twenty minutes for them to pop out, and we actually only had one or two minutes left before our Rise ILL were due, so it truly was lucky. As I said, this was the trip where everything seemed to go our way. (If only the same could be said for this move. )

Oh, this should be fun!

I know you have a lot going on but I hope that you will find time eventually to write a TR about this trip or at least a summary about it. I want to know about the races and how much you managed to do in the parks on wobbly legs! I mean if I did all that running, I'd be renting a scooter the rest of the day.

I think training and planning correctly helped make this race weekend a success. I intentionally scheduled all my long runs on days where I was super busy. My longest one, specifically, were on days where I helped out with Evie's basketball practices. So, I'd get an extra hour of running and chasing balls across the court (because heaven help 6 and 7 year olds, but there were A LOT of rogue passes.)
Plus, on my second run, I didn't go into a park that day. Just ate a lot and meandered around Disney Springs.
Honestly, it was the lack of sleep that was the hardest to endure. The night before the last race I didn't end up sleeping at all, so the fatigue was tough.