"I Wanna See My Castle!" October 2013 TR *COMPLETE* **NEW TR LINK!!** 7/3

[amazingact21]

Great wrap up! October seems like such a good time to visit, and the less humidity the better.


That Gaston interaction looked amazing. I laughed out loud at Gaston bench pressing Paxton and had to show Alex those pictures. What a memorable meet and greet.


Hooray! A Dole Whip. You really can't pass up a trip to Aloha Isle when there's no line. That just doesn't come around too often!

 

[khertz]

I enjoyed your TR so much! Thank you for taking the time to write it! I hope one day I can go to the world in October it seems like the time to go!
Can't wait to read your next one!

I'm so glad you joined in! If you ever have the opportunity to visit WDW in October, I can't recommend it enough. It's so wonderful and we have loved it for the past 2 years!

Oh my gosh. That Gaston meet is PERFECT!! I had to get up and show my mom the pictures and read her the dialogue since I loved it so much! Shaking my head at the Photopass photographer though...really?!?!

I am glad you finally got a Dole Whip! I am not a big pineapple person so I've never had one either but maybe someday...

Thank you so much for writing this wonderful TR! I can't imagine how much work it was to use 1600 photos. I love your family and think your DS is one of the cutest kids ever, so I loved following along!! Can't wait for the May TR!

We had so many amazing character meets that week, but I think we saved the best for last. n Gaston was so on point! The Photopass photographer situation was just WEIRD. So unimpressed with her.

Lately I'm OBSESSED with pineapple, I go through a whole one a week on my own! So I definitely love the Dole Whips, and if you don't get the float, they are not overwhelmingly pineapple-y, especially when swirled with vanilla. Convince someone in your family to get one so you can take a taste.

Awww, thank you!! I think he's the cutest kid ever but I'm a little biased, so it's really nice to hear other people think so as well. Thanks for being such a great commenter! I'm hoping to start the new TR very soon!!

Ok, that seals it - I'm lining the kids up for Gaston in October. That video is so hilarious. And score on the Dole Whip with no line!!

Great wrap up! Had fun following your TR and reliving some of the scenes from MNSSHP! Looking forward to reading about your May trip!

Great idea! He was fantastic! I can think of several times we went by to check to see if Gaston was out and he wasn't, so he was definitely worth the wait by the time we finally got to see him on the last day.

Dole Whip with no line was kind of miraculous!!

Thanks for following along, Dave! It was so great reliving the party in writing the TR, and it was really fun getting to meet you & hang out with you on our trip! Hopefully we will be seeing you soon if we can get the DC trip together for next spring.

That Gaston video was priceless. Seriously awesome! Paxton is having too much fun and Gaston is playing his part so well. How the heck did he raise his eyebrow like that. Love it! I have never visited with him, but I think from now on its a must!

I am so jealous of those pirate pictures! Amazing.

OMG - We have TOTALLY had the getting gas fiasco. It's awful. One time we were so far away I thought we would never find the airport. I am so glad you were able to get right on your flight with out any problems.

Love your recap. I have to agree with you on the weather. It is just So perfect.

Your HP recap has me wanting to stay in one of their resorts, especially now that I am staying at VWL and the pool will be closed this October.

Loved your TR and can't wait for the next one.

Paxton kept spacing out during character meets, but he definitely stayed engaged when meeting Gaston, and I think that's what made it an even more fun meet! He is really hilarious, and even if you don't wait in line for a picture, it's worth hanging around for a few minutes and listening to him interact with other guests.

Ugh, the gas fiasco! I was ready to just eat the cost of returning the car without a full tank, but DH wasn't having it.

I already loved visiting in October, but this trip solidified that. I am just longing for October 2015 when we will hopefully be back!

The Universal resorts are great, we have only had wonderful stays at both the Hard Rock and Royal Pacific. Beautiful rooms, great service, and you can't beat the in-park perks!

Thanks for following along, Mary Ellen! It was so wonderful getting to meet you & Denny on our trip, and I hope it's not the last time we overlap!

Gaston is hilarious! Loved meeting him! That photopass photogopher needs to get with the program. Don't they know we take our own and get those too!

No line for Dole Whips! Yep never happens!

OMG airport fiasco! We almost missed ours one trip. We go through security and we always use AirTran and always go through the same gate but that one time we were off and so we go back on the fake monorail and the security already took forever, I kept beeping and forgot about my celebration button. The guard says we have to go through security again! Luckily we were not the only ones who went the wrong way so he takes us and about 5 other families through security where employees go through. One guy said he lives here and flies out 3 times a month for work and the sighs are confusing. Anyway, as soon as we get of the other fake monorail, our names for last boarding comes on over the intercom and were started running like crazy! We made it just in time! OMG never again! We vowed to never have plans other than breakfast on departure day!

Thanks for sharing with us! I always love your reports!

He was even better than I could have imagined. Worth the wait! The photographer was a mess. DH and I were both dumbfounded when she handed the card back and said she hadn't taken any. What the heck?

Oh my gosh, you had to be panicking hearing your names being paged!!! We weren't at that point yet, but I was terrified we were going to miss the flight and at that point I was so worn out I was just ready to get on the plane and get home. That's probably a good idea to stick with just breakfast. Somehow I just can't help trying to sneak in some park time and it usually leads to a stressful departure. I guess I should just stop doing that!!

Thanks for following along!

Whew - I spent my spare moments this weekend reading this TR from start to finish!! Guess I picked the right time, since you just finished up. I've been meaning to get caught up with this forever, but better late than never...I'll be more on top of things for your next one. Anyway, love the report and love how much Paxton enjoys Disney! I just read WAY too much to remember what all I wanted to comment on, but the Gaston update is still fresh on my mind...that's got to be one of the most fun jobs at WDW. Oh, also, love all those pictures your DH got...just beautiful! Looking forward to your May report!

I am so happy Paxton ended up being a Disney nut just like us. He is still talking about it constantly and asking when we can go back! So I'm enjoying it now while I can until he gets to be a tween/teen and it might not be cool anymore to enjoy WDW with his parents.

I bet the friends of Gaston do consider themselves to have a really awesome "job"! It seems like a lot of fun and a great way to interact with guests.

 

[khertz]

Nice TR! Love the stuff with Gaston, though I couldn't watch the video. Looking forward to your WL trip report! I'll be checking in for that one to get started.

I'm really hoping I can get it started this week! Thanks for joining in, Pete.

Omg Gaston! So amazing that you got it on video, what a perfect interaction!

But um the photographer didn't take any pictures? That's really really odd

Great family photos in front of his statue though!

I'm so sorry your trip home was so stresssful! I am glad you didn't end up missing your flight.

Thank you for sharing yet another wonderful trip! I can't wait for you to start the May one!

Even though I missed out on a couple of fun character moments, I'm so glad I did better with taking videos this trip because I still got some great interactions on video! Gaston's was definitely up there for fantastic meets. The photographer situation was very confusing. We were both dumbfounded when she handed the card back and said she didn't take any.

Thanks for following along, Alexis!! I'm really hoping to get the May TR up and running this week.

Amazing Gaston meet! Love it! ( couldn't see the video but loved the pics!). YES! I had some photopass photographers act like that too, since I was always down taking pics. Not sure what is going on with them, but it's super annoying that they have stopped doing their job?!

Anyway, it was a wonderful last day - no line for dole whips? awesome! Glad that Paxton got to ride IaSW too! Phew! Glad you made your flight though I hate that feeling!

Uh oh, was the video not working for some reason? DH is always snapping away, but he does like to interact during the meets too, so we depend on Photopass to fill in the gaps. She totally dropped the ball, and that was the first time that had happened. Luckily we got some good pictures and I had the video camera rolling. She was useless!

Ugh, rushing through the airport and thinking you'll miss your flight is an awful feeling! We will definitely not cut it that close ever again...not worth it!

I've LOVED reading along with your TR. You guys seem to hit so many rides and character meet and greets, and it's fun to see all of it, especially with Paxton as I know how fun it is with my nephews at Disney! Your Gaston meet was great!! I'm glad Paxton was able to ride Small World again. That stinks you had so much trouble getting to the airport, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

Looking forward to your next TR.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Looking back, I can't believe how much we accomplished in a week's time with a toddler, especially considering how I thought we'd have to slow down our touring a ton from what we were used to. But even with a break almost every day, we managed to do so much!! I was so scared before we had Paxton that visiting WDW wouldn't be as fun with a kid as it was just the two of us, and we couldn't have been more wrong!

Well, I'm glad for your sake at least that Small World was open.

Gaston never fails to disappoint. Easily one of the most entertaining characters to watch. And what a GREAT interaction with Pax. That video is HYSTERICAL!!!

Oh yeah, even if you're not hungry, you simply cannot pass up a line-less Aloha Isle.

Aww bummer you missed seeing Lia by so little.

Oy. I love the Monorail dearly. But often I wish there wasn't that separation of parking lot and park at times like that. I know it sounded good in theory, but it can really cause some serious delays.

Perfect summary and wrap up. It really is hard to compare the 2 new lands, but overall, the clear winner is HP. I am looking forward to finally seeing NFL completely done and without construction walls though.

THANK YOU for sharing your wonderful trip and DH's wonderful photography. Really looking forward to your upcoming TR!!!!

I'm sure DH shared your enthusiasm for Small World being open finally, but it definitely made DS happy!

Gaston is amazing! Even if you aren't meeting him, he's so fun to watch interacting with other guests. So glad we persisted in checking out his meeting spot until we were able to see him!

After we had rushed down Main Street and onto the monorail, I saw a pic she posted on Instagram of her standing in the middle of Main Street. Such a bummer!

YES! When the monorail is working fine, I don't mind that separation between the parking lot and the park at all, but on a day like today, I was absolutely cursing it! Next time we will either skip the park on departure day or give ourselves an insane amount of time to get to the airport instead of cutting it close like we did.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all of NFL open and no more walls, and getting to ride the Mine Train. But then there is that whole Diagon Alley area open to explore...just can't compare!!

Thanks for following along and being such an awesome commenter, Rob!!

That Gaston meet was perfect - what a great character!

Another fantastic TR - thank you for sharing your vacation, looking forward to the next

Emma x

It was TOTALLY perfect...we absolutely loved meeting him, even more than I would have thought!! He's fantastic. We can't wait to meet him again!

Thanks so much, Emma!! I'm hoping I can get the new TR up and running this week.

Well thank goodness he finally got to ride it!!!! I'm sure mom and dad were just as excited.


I've heard great things about Gaston meets. I'm glad he didn't disappoint for you.

Here, could you hang onto the Photopass card for us please? But don't worry about taking pictures. We've got that covered. Just hold onto the card.

Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of these days...

Sorry about the stressful end to the trip, but I'm glad you made your flight and got home on time. I think if I were you, I'd have given up after the delay on the monorail and just taken that as a sign that I'm missing the plane... then just get on the ferry at the TTC and go back to MK to get Tiana's autograph.

I'm not even a Harry Potter fan and I have to agree. The mine train could tilt the scales the other way on this one. Either way, Universal definitely out-Disneyed Disney on the theming.

I always enjoy your TR's and your DH's pictures. I look forward to it!

Hey, I'm always a fan of a nice relaxing ride on It's a Small World... But I'm sure DH was less than thrilled!

I was so nervous about what to say to Gaston, but no need to worry, he has it under control. He's awesome! One of the best meets of the trip, no question.

RIGHT?! It was the weirdest thing!!!

UGH, now it's just a challenge. I am GOING to get a book completely filled if it kills me!! What made it worse was that at some point when we were split up, DH considered taking DS to meet Tiana because they passed her with a short wait, but he didn't because I had the book with me.

Looking back...I probably should have done just that!!!

Universal completely outdid themselves on the HP theming, and I can't WAIT to see the expansion. I'm excited about Mine Train too, but I gotta say, I'm more excited about Gringott's!

Thanks so much for always being around for a good laugh with your comments, Andy! I hope I can get the new TR up and running this week!

Great wrap up! October seems like such a good time to visit, and the less humidity the better.


That Gaston interaction looked amazing. I laughed out loud at Gaston bench pressing Paxton and had to show Alex those pictures. What a memorable meet and greet.


Hooray! A Dole Whip. You really can't pass up a trip to Aloha Isle when there's no line. That just doesn't come around too often!

October is a total gem for weather and crowds. I'm always psyched for low humidity! My hair is eternally grateful.

Definitely a memorable moment, and an amazing character meet. I was so happy we were able to fit it in on our last day!!

I have literally never seen the line that short, so a Dole Whip is an absolute must when you come across it!!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Thank you for writing such an incredible TR! I loved every moment of it, you guys always have so much fun!

I'm just gonna catch up real quick here:

LOVE that you were riding the monorail right next to the train with all the characters on your last MK morning! That must have been so cool!

Boo for unenthusiastic Ariel. She works at the happiest place on earth, as a PRINCESS. You think she could have been friendlier.

OH THOSE TANGLED BATHROOM PICTURES. MUCH FLAWLESS. I hope you don't mind that I made one of them my phone background, because they're absolutely breathtaking. Far better than the ones I searched for on Google images.

I'm glad you got the White Rabbit's autograph after all!

That Gaston meet & greet is so hilarious and precious! Hahaha I swear everything that man says is pure gold.

NO LINE AT ALOHA ISLE!?! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY!?! I'm glad y'all took the opportunity to get a Dole Whip! Yum!

Ugh, I'm so sorry that you had a stressful afternoon trying to get to your plane. At least you made it on time, even though it was cutting it pretty close. Three years ago, we nearly missed our plane, too, because of the long line at check in. They had apparently overbooked our plane and were asking guests if they'd be able to give up their seat and fly the next day and they would be given money for a hotel room and such and it was just awful. If I remember correctly, there was one group at the desk for over half an hour and I don't even know what they were doing. We couldn't wait another day because school literally started the next day, and thank goodness we were able to get on that plane. We made it through security and to the gate right as they began boarding, just like you guys. But there were still so many people behind us in the check in line when we finally left it so they probably all missed the plane. I don't think they ever told us if they were delaying the departure for them or if we just took off, but we all felt really bad for the ones stuck at the airport. It was all just such a mess, so I'm glad y'all were able to get on!

I absolutely cannot wait for your next TR! Once again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your trips with all of us!

 

[PippiDancer]

I loved your TR, as always! Can't wait for the next one

 

[khertz]

Thank you for writing such an incredible TR! I loved every moment of it, you guys always have so much fun!

Aww, thank you!!!

I'm just gonna catch up real quick here:

LOVE that you were riding the monorail right next to the train with all the characters on your last MK morning! That must have been so cool!

It was really one of the coolest things we could have stumbled across. It not something that we could ever duplicate, I'm sure! Just really perfect timing.

Boo for unenthusiastic Ariel. She works at the happiest place on earth, as a PRINCESS. You think she could have been friendlier.

I was really bummed, especially because I really adore Ariel as a character & princess. Hopefully we can give her another try next time and have a better experience.

OH THOSE TANGLED BATHROOM PICTURES. MUCH FLAWLESS. I hope you don't mind that I made one of them my phone background, because they're absolutely breathtaking. Far better than the ones I searched for on Google images.

Don't mind at all! DH is pretty happy to hear of another one of his photos being used for a phone background.

I'm glad you got the White Rabbit's autograph after all!

That Gaston meet & greet is so hilarious and precious! Hahaha I swear everything that man says is pure gold.

Aside from a couple of duds and a no-show from Tiana, we had some really amazing character interactions!!

NO LINE AT ALOHA ISLE!?! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY!?! I'm glad y'all took the opportunity to get a Dole Whip! Yum!

I KNOW!! Who would have thought we'd stumble across an empty Aloha Isle? Pure pixie dust moment!!!

Ugh, I'm so sorry that you had a stressful afternoon trying to get to your plane. At least you made it on time, even though it was cutting it pretty close. Three years ago, we nearly missed our plane, too, because of the long line at check in. They had apparently overbooked our plane and were asking guests if they'd be able to give up their seat and fly the next day and they would be given money for a hotel room and such and it was just awful. If I remember correctly, there was one group at the desk for over half an hour and I don't even know what they were doing. We couldn't wait another day because school literally started the next day, and thank goodness we were able to get on that plane. We made it through security and to the gate right as they began boarding, just like you guys. But there were still so many people behind us in the check in line when we finally left it so they probably all missed the plane. I don't think they ever told us if they were delaying the departure for them or if we just took off, but we all felt really bad for the ones stuck at the airport. It was all just such a mess, so I'm glad y'all were able to get on!

I absolutely cannot wait for your next TR! Once again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your trips with all of us!

Oh my gosh, that's awful for all the people stuck behind at the airport!! So good that y'all were able to make it on. I remember a similar situation when we had to leave California unexpectedly early to get back to New Orleans because of an impending hurricane. Thankfully we were able to be confirmed on the flight, but there were so many people on the standby list left behind.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments!!

I loved your TR, as always! Can't wait for the next one

Thanks so much!!

 

[khertz]

Since I have a 3.5 day weekend (got off early today at lunchtime!) I decided to kick it off with starting my newest Trip Report from our short May trip! Don't think it has EVER taken me 2 months to start a TR before, usually more like less than a week. But now that October is wrapped up, I was itching to get started on this one. So here ya go...

Adventures at 40"! May 2014 TR​

I hope I'll see y'all there!!

 

[marDgreen88]

I loved this TR! I've been so bad about commenting lately but I really did enjoy reading! Y'all are such a cute family and I'm glad I got a chance to say hi in May... speaking of which, be there in a minute!

 

[MEK]

I loved this TR! I've been so bad about commenting lately but I really did enjoy reading! Y'all are such a cute family and I'm glad I got a chance to say hi in May... speaking of which, be there in a minute!

And where is your newest TR Missy? Have you started one yet?

 

[khertz]

And where is your newest TR Missy? Have you started one yet?

+1!!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Just finished reading your final updates!

The Gaston meet sounded fantastic! Paxton looks so adorable posing with him and showing his muscles in front of the fountain!

Thanks for sharing your trip and all your gorgeous photos! Heading over to the new report now.

 

[stacy~**]

I finally carved out some time to finish your report! I really enjoyed it and sorry I didn't comment much along the way. I usually get so far behind in reports and by the time I can comment I have so much to say it is overwhelming!

Your character hunts were great...and that characterpalooza looked awesome! We have been lucky enough to meet Bolt twice at DHS but would love to meet him again. One of my recent movie favs!

Love your meet with Gaston. He was our absolute favorite in May. I hadn't planned to meet him but after our two daughters did he said "isn't the 3rd sister going to come meet me"...then once I did he called out to the crowd "see how I did this men, she is clearly the mother but by calling her the sister she did exactly what I asked of her!" Is was perfect! And true! LOL

Your true confessions of Splash poncho wearing is the best. Really I adore Splash but rarely ride because of the unknown wet factor. I see some shameful poncho wearing in my future too!

Sorry for the last minute panic on the way to the airport. Glad it worked out in the end without missing the flight!

I will be following along on your May report!

 

[scottny]

Hate last day.
That is great White Rabbit came out.
Sad that Push is gone.
Nice pics as you walked.
What? A poncho. Oh that is unacceptable. LOL. I do understand why being you had a plane to catch.
The Gaston meet sounds like it was fun. Love good character interaction.
That is horrible the CM didn’t take any pics. Even if you were taking them she still should have. I would have reported her.
Love those Dole floats.
Too bad the last bit got a little messed up with getting back to the airport. It did sound like a great trip.
I do agree about Harry Potter. I cannot wait to see Diagon Alley. The wait today for Escape from Gringotts got to 450 minutes which is nuts.
Off to the next tr.

 

[khertz]

Just finished reading your final updates!

The Gaston meet sounded fantastic! Paxton looks so adorable posing with him and showing his muscles in front of the fountain!

Thanks for sharing your trip and all your gorgeous photos! Heading over to the new report now.

He REALLY loved meeting Gaston! It's funny to me too because he was (well, still is) such a busy little kid, but Beauty & the Beast was the very first movie he sat down to watch! I guess his love for Gaston started early.

Thanks so much for the kind words!! I love sharing my trips, and would probably do it anyway with no readers, so it's nice to see that so many people enjoy it.

I finally carved out some time to finish your report! I really enjoyed it and sorry I didn't comment much along the way. I usually get so far behind in reports and by the time I can comment I have so much to say it is overwhelming!

Your character hunts were great...and that characterpalooza looked awesome! We have been lucky enough to meet Bolt twice at DHS but would love to meet him again. One of my recent movie favs!

Love your meet with Gaston. He was our absolute favorite in May. I hadn't planned to meet him but after our two daughters did he said "isn't the 3rd sister going to come meet me"...then once I did he called out to the crowd "see how I did this men, she is clearly the mother but by calling her the sister she did exactly what I asked of her!" Is was perfect! And true! LOL

Your true confessions of Splash poncho wearing is the best. Really I adore Splash but rarely ride because of the unknown wet factor. I see some shameful poncho wearing in my future too!

Sorry for the last minute panic on the way to the airport. Glad it worked out in the end without missing the flight!

I will be following along on your May report!

No worries! Happy to have you here whenever!! I understand getting behind, I'm trying to keep up myself with all of the ones I read...and then I keep getting hooked on new ones too! lol

Ever since doing it the first time, I am completely obsessed with Characterpalooza. Thank goodness for the DIS or I likely never would have known such a thing existed!! We have become such big character hunters now that DS is with us, so it's really a perfect way to spend the afternoon for us in Disney World.

That's such a great memory with Gaston! I know he's the REAL Gaston and all, but on the down low, they did some great casting with that character. He always seems to be hilarious, even if he looks a little different from day to day! So many people were just hanging around watching him interact with other guests because he was just so darn funny & entertaining.

I am so obsessed with Splash despite the fact that I really don't enjoy getting super wet. Most times I just plan it well to where we can leave the park to change if needed, but somehow on this trip it just ended up that I didn't have the chance to get on until the last day. And you NEVER know how wet you're going to get on there, so I just couldn't chance it. Thanks for understanding my plight!

Hate last day.
That is great White Rabbit came out.
Sad that Push is gone.
Nice pics as you walked.
What? A poncho. Oh that is unacceptable. LOL. I do understand why being you had a plane to catch.
The Gaston meet sounds like it was fun. Love good character interaction.
That is horrible the CM didn’t take any pics. Even if you were taking them she still should have. I would have reported her.
Love those Dole floats.
Too bad the last bit got a little messed up with getting back to the airport. It did sound like a great trip.
I do agree about Harry Potter. I cannot wait to see Diagon Alley. The wait today for Escape from Gringotts got to 450 minutes which is nuts.
Off to the next tr.

Ahhh, I know, I always considered ponchos on Splash to be lame, but I couldn't take the chance!!!! I'm glad all of you are so understanding.

Gaston was so great. I hope he's around awhile because we definitely want to meet him again. Now that you say that, we probably should have reported that CM. She needs some retraining!

DH told me about the wait times...that's insane!!! As badly as I want to get there to see it for myself, I'm kind of glad it will be awhile before we go so maybe it can calm down a bit before we go.

 

[PrincessFelisha]

Just wanted to say I love your reports! I'm reading the trip before this one too. Paxton is adorable! I'm expecting in August and your reports make me soooooo excited to take my little boy to the parks one day! We live near Disneyland so he will go there first - but I grew up going to WDW so I cannot wait to take him there!!!

 

[khertz]

Just wanted to say I love your reports! I'm reading the trip before this one too. Paxton is adorable! I'm expecting in August and your reports make me soooooo excited to take my little boy to the parks one day! We live near Disneyland so he will go there first - but I grew up going to WDW so I cannot wait to take him there!!!

Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoy the reports!! I had lots of help and inspiration from reading about other DISers experiences with taking little ones. There is just no expressing in words how amazing it is to take your little one to the parks and see them light up over this or that. So lucky that you live near DL for lots of "practice" for a World trip!!

 

[Molly812]

I know this is an old tr, but I just spent the past 3 days reading it. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure, you did an amazing job! We are staying at bonnet creek next year-so I started reading to hear about your hotel experience but thoroughly enjoyed your whole report! Thank you!

 

[khertz]

I know this is an old tr, but I just spent the past 3 days reading it. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure, you did an amazing job! We are staying at bonnet creek next year-so I started reading to hear about your hotel experience but thoroughly enjoyed your whole report! Thank you!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it & thanks for commenting!! We have always had fantastic stays at Bonnet Creek. I think you will definitely enjoy your visit there. It's close enough to the action of WDW but so much more space to spread out and relax.