If we can DREAM it, we can do it! ..... another 30 day vacation Update 02/07

Hi Karin! I missed your updates, but I see them now! We have Steak N Shake here, but ours has a smaller menu and the shakes are in foam cups. I think they look way more special in the glass parfait cups like you had! :thumbsup2 It is very delicious for sure! My fav is the Guacamole.

So cool that you got to get a sneak peek at NFL! There was so much excitement around what was behind those walls. I can't wait to see how the mine train turns out. Nice to see the low crowds.

Thank you to you and Tom for sharing the calendars again!:santa:
 
I love to sit upstairs at CHH. It is one of my favorite places to eat.

I am so glad you got to preview Storytime with Belle! Such a cute attraction. I am in awe of how the mirror turns into a walk way. It just seems like magic.

Yay for the spontaneous dismeet. Sometimes those are just so special...since they are unexpected. :goodvibes
 
Hi Karin! I know I haven't been on here for a long time but I just wanted to say that my daughter just asked me the other day if there was going to be an advent calendar again this year like we have done the last couple years from those people on my web site. And I was so excited to see it this morning! Can't wait to tell her tonight when I get home from work. It is a great thing that we have done together in the mornings before school/work. Thank you and Tom so much for doing this! :goodvibes

I am glad you enjoy the calendars and your daughter does so as well. So fun to know that our photos are enjoyed all over the globe. :goodvibes

We are enjoying the calendars Karin! Tell Tom we said thank you! Still waiting on our Grand-baby Otto, he is taking his time. Lol!

We are both happy you and Mick are enjoying the calendars as well. And Otto is too cute - thanks for sharing the good news with us. :hug:

How nice to meet up with some fellow disers!!!

Wow! For a moment I felt really important :rotfl2:. But honestly it was awesome to meet someone who reads my TRs! I love all my DISmeets but this unexpected one made it very special. :goodvibes

Hi Karin! I missed your updates, but I see them now! We have Steak N Shake here, but ours has a smaller menu and the shakes are in foam cups. I think they look way more special in the glass parfait cups like you had! :thumbsup2 It is very delicious for sure! My fav is the Guacamole.

So cool that you got to get a sneak peek at NFL! There was so much excitement around what was behind those walls. I can't wait to see how the mine train turns out. Nice to see the low crowds.

Thank you to you and Tom for sharing the calendars again!:santa:

I have been slow in updating lately and VERY slow here! So, I am real happy you are still with me. :goodvibes
I read about Steak and Shake in a trip report and we tried it and it was real nice. It is even nicer after all the cruise food - something really hearty and down to earth. We loved it.
The shakes look great and taste awesome. I always try a little sip (milk is not my friend :lmao:) and those shakes are just awesome.

We felt pretty special being able to go behind the fence and it was so worth it - such a cute little show.

You are most welcome to the calendars! :goodvibes


I love to sit upstairs at CHH. It is one of my favorite places to eat.

I am so glad you got to preview Storytime with Belle! Such a cute attraction. I am in awe of how the mirror turns into a walk way. It just seems like magic.

Yay for the spontaneous dismeet. Sometimes those are just so special...since they are unexpected. :goodvibes

Isn't it so nice and peaceful up there? We just love to sit by the windows and people watch.
Storytime with Belle is a really cute show. We were really impressed.

I couldn't agree with you more on the spontanious DISmeet! It was so awesome to be recognized and meet new people. They are a lovely family and it made the day even more special. :thumbsup2
 


Day 25, September 4

A look behind the scenes - Part 4

We sat out on the balcony for a while, waiting for the laundry to be done and when it was finally done around 6am we decided to head over to Epcot to spend a little more time in a park.
We parked the car, then headed into the park. We looked at some of the shops, and then got in line for Mission Space.





The wait was pretty short, so once we were done, we turned around and got in line again. Next stop was Mousegear.



What a nice spot to chill and have a good look at the merchandise. There were a few things we wanted to have a look at, Dooneys and some jewellery, but the cast members were too engaged in their private conversations to ask if we needed something, so after some time we gave up. We then headed outside and decided to go over to Spaceship Earth.





The line was non existant so we hopped on the ride and soon were going through past and future.













Once we got off we headed over to the art shop and browsed for a while. After that we walked through part of the countries, before we decided not to stay until park closing and head back to Old Key West right now. We went back to our car and in just a few minutes we were back in our villa.
We could not see the fireworks from our location, but could indeed hear them when we arrived.
We watched a little TV before we were sure the day had been long enough and we were going to bed.


Don't forget .......... the advent calendars are open now. Don't miss fun pics and yummy pics!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar

To be continued ............
 


Day 26, September 5

Let’s be lazy today - Part 1

Again, we slept in a little, but around 8am we got up, made ourselves a little breakfast with things out of the fridge and by 9.30 we were out the door. We had a little more shopping to do, so we wanted to get that out of the way. A friend had asked us to pick up some Harley Davidson stuff and we finally wanted to get it before heading to a park.
We had looked up where the nearest store was, programmed the GPS and off we went. Well, once at the store they did not have what we were looking for, so we went to the next address, which funnily enough was the Prime1 Outlet. So we went there, checked the store, asked for the items and heard that they didn’t have it either, but they called another store in Kissimmee and they said they would put the articles aside for us to be picked up in the afternoon. And since we were at the Mall anyway, we just paid the Character Warehouse a visit. And guess what, we did find quite a few things we needed to buy.



Most of all another Thumper for little cousin George, whose “first” Thumper was really showing some wear and tear.



Purchases in hand we headed back to our car and programmed the new address into our GPS and off we went. The shop was at the far end of Kissimmee and it took us quite a while to get there. But once we had found the shop we were greeted in a very friendly way and when we explained what were there for they went and got the things we needed from a back room. They then told us that they had a special offer, a duffle bag, which we could buy very cheaply as we were going to buy something at a certain amount.
We didn’t think long about it, and agreed on buying it, not knowing HOW high the bill would be. When we finally were confronted with it, it took us quite a bit by surprise. Tom paid with his credit card for it, we picked up the bags and put them into the boot. While driving through Kissimmee we stopped a few times to check out a few stores, then before we headed back to Old Key West, we stopped at another Walmart to have a look if they offered some souvenirs, jeans and children’s clothing. We found quite a few items and picked up a few things for lunch as well.



At around 2pm we were back at our retreat, baked some frozen pizza and tried the new salads we had gotten.







We were both very hungry and had a really nice feast. And while Tom had gotten lunch ready I had started some more laundry, which we now put into the dryer. And while the dryer was on I started getting our Owner’s Locker box started.




There are so many things we can now leave in the US, but packing the box needs some thinking about. Tom made notes of what had gone inside, so we would know what was in it and it took quite some time until we were done. Around 4.30 we put on our swimsuits, grabbed some beach wear and headed over to the pool.
We got some towels and found some chairs, then headed into the pool. After a while I pointed out some people to Tom as I was not sure if I was right or not. Low and behold it were Carole and her husband who we had met the previous day while leaving the Magic Kingdom. We swam over and spent quite some time together in the pool.
It was past 6pm when we finally headed back to our villa, showered and then thought about what to do. Well, we didn’t really feel like driving anywhere, so we plopped down onto the couch, put our feet up and enjoyed some TV. Around 9pm we prepared a late night snack,



some baked Mozzarella sticks and some



garlic bread and some of the left over salads in our fridge. It was a really lazy afternoon and evening, but we enjoyed it very much and went to bed at around 11pm.


Don't forget .......... the advent calendars are open now. Don't miss fun pics and yummy pics!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar

To be continued ............
 
Karin - those calendars are AWESOME! How creative! I just love all the pictures, especially the funny hats (and beer goggles).

Sometimes a relaxing day is just what is needed. Glad you were able to get some shopping done.

I don't have an owner's locker, but it is cool to see how they are set up. I'm sure it would take me forever to organize one. Cynthia and I thought about sharing one, but honestly, I seem to do fine as far as getting what I need there and back. It does look like a nice convenience.
 
What a great idea, to take photos of the owner's locker while packing it. Even though I try to make lists when packing I always leave out items. From now on I am going to take pictures while packing. Thanks Karin!

Kate
 
I am all caught up finally !!! Sounds like a great relaxing day, shopping and eating and swimming !!! I am also up to date on the calendars !! I look forward to it every year and share them with the guys at the house I am working at !!They love the Hats !!! They have even become followers of Mark and his Hats !!:rotfl2:
 
Karin - those calendars are AWESOME! How creative! I just love all the pictures, especially the funny hats (and beer goggles).

Sometimes a relaxing day is just what is needed. Glad you were able to get some shopping done.

I don't have an owner's locker, but it is cool to see how they are set up. I'm sure it would take me forever to organize one. Cynthia and I thought about sharing one, but honestly, I seem to do fine as far as getting what I need there and back. It does look like a nice convenience.

I am glad you like the calendars, Mary Ellen! Tom takes great pride in making them every year.

We really enjoy those "day offs" so much. For us even going to Walmart is something different, as we don't have that kind of superstore.

I never even thought about getting an Owner's Locker. But then Lufthansa started to only allow one suitcase each and it made MUCH more sense to "leave" some things back in the US.
To be honest we EASILY fill ours, so we could not share it with anyone. ;)
We have just started to take pics of whatever is in there, as the first year we had it, we didn't make a list and I ended up carrying a lot of stuff over that was in the Owner's Locker as well. :rotfl2: Life and learn. ;)


What a great idea, to take photos of the owner's locker while packing it. Even though I try to make lists when packing I always leave out items. From now on I am going to take pictures while packing. Thanks Karin!

Kate

We have now started to take "layer photos" as it is easier to remember what we have in there.
We keep lists as well, but the pics help a lot to remember. :goodvibes


I am all caught up finally !!! Sounds like a great relaxing day, shopping and eating and swimming !!! I am also up to date on the calendars !! I look forward to it every year and share them with the guys at the house I am working at !!They love the Hats !!! They have even become followers of Mark and his Hats !!:rotfl2:

No problem falling behind, Rosie. You have a great excuse having been to WDW this month. ;)
And I am glad that you like the calendars too. I told Tom that you show them to your guys and he was happy to hear that they enjoy them too!


Ohhh SURE.... you know we'll follow you ANYWHERE!!! :dance3::dance3::dance3:

Ah, how nice of you! I hope you'll enjoy all the planning (and a few mini TRs thrown in as well. ;)
 
Day 27, September 6

You’ve got a friend in me - Part 1

After the lazy day the day before we were up early that day. Again, we had breakfast out of the fridge and around 8.30am we were out the door.



We drove over to the Animal Kingdom, went through the entrance and when it was our turn to park they left the last parking spots open and we were diverted to the VERY end of the line. Well, thanks, but NO thanks, I don’t want to hike that far, so we left the parking lot, turned around and tried our luck again.
This time we were luckier. We scored a spot in the lower third of the row. We were tempted to walk up to the park, but a tram was just pulling away, so we got in line. What a mistake. It took quite some time for another tram to arrive, then once it arrived it pulled a lot further up than the other one, so everyone was running after the tram and people were pushing and shoving to get on. We did find a seat eventually and were finally on our way to the park.



Once we were at the entrance it didn’t take long to get inside and we headed up the path. We saw part of the opening show and joined the masses that were streaming into the park. We headed to Expedition Everest and went to pick up a Fastpass which was good in about an hour. Then we got in line and were surprised that it was more or less a walk on. Tom asked for row 1 and we stepped aside and got right onto the next train out. We had a blast













and once we had gotten off we looked at the wait time and it was just 5 minutes, so we got in line again. This time we didn’t try for front row, we just took the row that was assigned to us. We had fun none the less.







When we got off we just thought about it for a minute before we got in line again.







Row one again and we repeated the process 2 more times, the last time we used our Fast Passes.













So after an hour of riding Expedition Everest we were done with it and walked back to the Tree of Life and tried to get in line for “It’s Tough To Be A Bug”, but it was down so we decided to just check out the shops and then stroll over to Africa to join on of the Safaris.



The sign said 35 minute wait which was quite long, but we got in line anyway.

Don't forget .......... the advent calendars are open now. Don't miss fun pics and yummy pics!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar

To be continued ............
 
I love that you had a relaxing day! Sometimes those are the best!!

I was just thinking of asking you how your owners locker works and low and behold you show us a nice picture! Thank you!! Not sure that we really need to do that... but it seems we always tend to bring the same things...things that just stay in a suit case until the next trip. Then I am lugging the stuff back and forth. But...all in all I guess it isn't so much stuff. But dh is getting tired of all my bags. Some how he would like to only have to bring one bag per person. :scratchin Not sure how to make that happen when I have basics that have to tag along each and every trip.

I am in awe that you rode EE that many times in a row! That is AWESOME! Course... I might have needed a break in there being the ride wimp that I am. I can ride EE... but not sure i could for an entire hour. ;) Great pics!!
 

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