This Bridge is Old, Like You! - A July 2017 and April 2018 TR *Completed + New TR Link Posted

[cindianne320]

It looks like it was a fun wedding- you all look so happy! I Love your purse from AK! So glad Alex had that idea- and that the kids did well. Can't wait to hear more about your time at Disney!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I will say now, though, if anyone ever decides to splurge and go to the Paris parks then it’s worth the extra money to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. There is nothing like sleeping steps away from Main Street!

OMG I agree so much! Everyday I walked under it and headed the 15 minutes back to Sequoia, I regretted not paying a bit extra for DLH! I think it would have helped with mid-day breaks or evening shows, since I never did end up seeing Illuminations after I left you guys that night! I went back, packed a bit, lied down, and realized I did not want to leave!

I ended up liking the print placement on the first bag the Cast Member showed me and bought it.

It was love at first sight:

Very nice! And cross body bags are so much easier to be able to keep the rest of your hands free!

When brunch was finished, we all walked next door for manicures and pedicures. And just like Holler and Dash, I have nothing but positive things to say about the nail salon we used. They knew we had a large party and were prepared with lots of employees on hand and they actually sent anybody that showed up away or booked them for a later time. The salon was filled with the girls in our party, and the workers took their time making sure everyone’s nails looked perfect.

That’s always great when they treat you guys like you are important to them, not a burden.

but we left out the fact that Alex wanted to drive to Downtown Disney and buy the shirts he’d seen at UNICLO the other day.

Haha! Love it!

 

[amazingact21]

Awsome bag! I am in love with the Orange Bird bag. If DH doesn't get it for me for my Birthday, I am determined to get it when we go in February again.

They are so cute!!!!

Oooh, the Orange Bird bag is really cute!!! I saw some when I was there in May and can understand why you want one!

Thank you. It took a lot of work to get them to get that fancy!

Finally got a chance to read your last few updates and get caught back up. Glad the wedding was nice in the end despite a few meltdowns. And it sounded like a nice stroll around WS despite the heat and grumpies. I think you ended up with some nice food booth choices! I've not tried any of the ones you've chosen, but hope to make another dent this October.

Thanks. The wedding was fun and ultimately it was nice getting to see all the family together.
There's so many food options at the festivals that it's hard to even make a dent in the list!

It looks like it was a fun wedding- you all look so happy! I Love your purse from AK! So glad Alex had that idea- and that the kids did well. Can't wait to hear more about your time at Disney!

Thank you! We all had a blast at the wedding; it had been a really long time since Alex and I cut loose and had some fun. And fortunately there were about 50 other adults who were begging us to let them watch the kids so we could dance and socialize, so it worked out great.

OMG I agree so much! Everyday I walked under it and headed the 15 minutes back to Sequoia, I regretted not paying a bit extra for DLH! I think it would have helped with mid-day breaks or evening shows, since I never did end up seeing Illuminations after I left you guys that night! I went back, packed a bit, lied down, and realized I did not want to leave!

Aw, sorry you never made it back to the park that night! That trek through the Disney Village can get old really quick. I think Sequoia is a logical resort choice for the first time visitor, and then you get there and see the proximity of the DL Hotel and realize what could have been...

 

[rdkeim]

Caught up! All things considered, sounds like a good trip so far. My DH has a big family so I can relate to the family tension when there's too much togetherness. Your satchel is awesome! And you all looked great in your wedding outfits - love your hair!

 

[pooh'smate]

Reading and posting on my phone but just want to say I love your new bag and I am glad you had fun at the wedding. It is always nice when others want to watch the littles so parents can relax and have fun.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I just finished reading through your report.

I am so jealous of your time living in Germany and all your European adventures.

My brother was like Evie when he was a toddler, would scream and cry when he saw the characters. My mom said it was so bad that out of the two day trip to Disneyland on the second day my Dad had to stay at the hotel with him while my Mom took me to the park. We even have a picture of him hiding behind a stroller during the parade.

 

[mommaof3boys]

Great choice!

You all looked great for the wedding.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Ooh Disneyland Paris! I'd love to go someday! Can't wait to hear about your trip. And I totally know how you feel working with multiple cameras/phones and trying to get things sorted in order. I wish there was a good app or program or something for that that could sort photos from different devices by the moment they were originally taken or something.

Best of luck with your 5K and the rest of your running goals!

What a beautiful coin for Alex. That's such a neat collection he must have. Nice that he was able to find a souvenir to match his interests while you also got your bag...and speaking of which...I'm in love with the bag you bought. It's marvellous! So glad you got the chance to pick it up that day.

I laughed at your photo of all the shoes because I always pack about twice as many pairs as I need. I just hate blisters, and not having the right shoes for any particular occasion. I need at least two pairs of shoes I can wear in the parks on a given trip, and preferably ones that fit differently (like comfy sandals and also sneakers) in case one pair starts to give me blisters. And then usually a pair of something waterproof, like flip flops or crocs. The wedding trip was much worse because I had my wedding shoes as well! PLUS water shoes for the beach and waterpark! I've been trying to learn to pack lighter, but it's a challenge. Lord help me if I ever have kids!

Your nails from the salon looked great! So nice to be able to take a little time for pampering.

Landon and Evie were so sweet in the wedding! Your whole family looks stunning!

 

[petals]

Is Happy Hippo a candy or cake? I've never heard of it.

Is like a crispy wafer with creamy stuff in the middle and white chocolate on the bottom and little white chocolate kind of sprinkles around the bottom. They're yum

 

[petals]

Joining in alot late! I think I read one of your other reports on Disneyland Paris before

So much for that good mood Evie had on the way to the park. One look at Chip and she freaked. The strangest part of it all was that I wouldn’t say she was scared. She was more angry and confused. Like, it wasn’t part of the natural world to have an animal that big. We were upsetting the balance of nature and she was not okay with that. Not one bit.

That made me LOL. Poor Evie!

Sorry for the loss of your FIL but that day you had with him at Magic Kingdom is one I'm sure you'll remember forever.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Well you certainly had a busy old time of it on this trip and considering the number of people you did amazingly well to all get along
I’m glad you got your bag and that you love it. It sounds just perfect for you though I laughed when I saw it Ak is your favorite and your hubby’s least favorite Park!
You all look gorgeous in the wedding photos. My dad would have said “ you scrub up well” The photo of you and Alex is beautiful. Definitely one to frame and Evie and Landon are adorable as always
Isn’t it nice to let your hair down and have some grown up fun once in a while

 

[missangelalexis]

Your bag is gorgeous! I'm glad you were able to get it! And that Alex found something for himself too!

All the wedding festivities sound like they were really fun. I'm glad you were able to get pampered You all looked so nice at the wedding!!

 

[Steppesister]

Beautiful update, Alicia! The pictures turned out so nice! Every wedding has its tense moments so it doesn't surprise me that this one had a few bump in the road as well. A few tiffs are to be expected.

I love that you guys headed back to DTD to grab those shirts- good way to find some time away from the crowd!

Sounds like such a nice time too getting your nails done; that's always a special treat to get pampered a bit and have some girl time away.

 

[amazingact21]

Caught up! All things considered, sounds like a good trip so far. My DH has a big family so I can relate to the family tension when there's too much togetherness. Your satchel is awesome! And you all looked great in your wedding outfits - love your hair!

It's always interesting when you put a large group of people together; I considered it a win that everything went pretty smoothly!
Thank you! One of the bridesmaid's sisters was a hair stylist so she did everyone's hair as a wedding gift.

Reading and posting on my phone but just want to say I love your new bag and I am glad you had fun at the wedding. It is always nice when others want to watch the littles so parents can relax and have fun.

Thanks, I'm really glad I was able to grab one of the bags before they sold out!
And yes, it was so nice knowing the kids had about two dozens sets of eyes on them at all times. Alex and I appreciated the break!

I just finished reading through your report.

I am so jealous of your time living in Germany and all your European adventures.

My brother was like Evie when he was a toddler, would scream and cry when he saw the characters. My mom said it was so bad that out of the two day trip to Disneyland on the second day my Dad had to stay at the hotel with him while my Mom took me to the park. We even have a picture of him hiding behind a stroller during the parade.

Thanks for reading; I know it's a long report!

We love our time in Germany so much. We're going to be heartbroken to leave next year.

Oh no!!! Your poor dad, that's rough. You just never know with kids, though. That was kind of him to stay back rather than make your brother spend a day doing something that made him miserable, though. You can walk through the parks nowadays and see that not all parents follow that philosophy...

Great choice!

You all looked great for the wedding.

Thanks! It was fun getting dressed up with all our loved ones and having a night to dance and socialize. Alex and I figure we won't get a chance to get that fancy again until he makes the next rank and has to go to a big ceremony, which will be at least 3 years away. So we were living in the moment that night!

 

[amazingact21]

Ooh Disneyland Paris! I'd love to go someday! Can't wait to hear about your trip.

I hope you get the chance one day! It's a beautiful park with great versions of the classic attractions.

What a beautiful coin for Alex. That's such a neat collection he must have. Nice that he was able to find a souvenir to match his interests while you also got your bag...and speaking of which...I'm in love with the bag you bought. It's marvellous! So glad you got the chance to pick it up that day.

As a fellow giraffe lover, I knew you would appreciate the beauty of the bag!

I laughed at your photo of all the shoes because I always pack about twice as many pairs as I need. I just hate blisters, and not having the right shoes for any particular occasion. I need at least two pairs of shoes I can wear in the parks on a given trip, and preferably ones that fit differently (like comfy sandals and also sneakers) in case one pair starts to give me blisters. And then usually a pair of something waterproof, like flip flops or crocs. The wedding trip was much worse because I had my wedding shoes as well! PLUS water shoes for the beach and waterpark! I've been trying to learn to pack lighter, but it's a challenge. Lord help me if I ever have kids!

Hahaha, the shoes can add up quick and the worst part about them is that they take up so much space! On our trip to France last month, we had a carry on just filled with shoes. But you're right, the last thing you want is to not have the right footwear when you're doing so much walking. It's an important aspect of a Disney trip!

Joining in alot late! I think I read one of your other reports on Disneyland Paris before


That made me LOL. Poor Evie!

Sorry for the loss of your FIL but that day you had with him at Magic Kingdom is one I'm sure you'll remember forever.

Thanks for joining in and reading! It's a long report so I appreciate it!
I'm excited to write about my most recent Disneyland Paris trip; it was a different experience than our first time there and I really came to know the parks well.

Well you certainly had a busy old time of it on this trip and considering the number of people you did amazingly well to all get along
I’m glad you got your bag and that you love it. It sounds just perfect for you though I laughed when I saw it Ak is your favorite and your hubby’s least favorite Park!
You all look gorgeous in the wedding photos. My dad would have said “ you scrub up well” The photo of you and Alex is beautiful. Definitely one to frame and Evie and Landon are adorable as always
Isn’t it nice to let your hair down and have some grown up fun once in a while

Haha, I like that phrase. We say "you cleaned up well" but I prefer yours! But thank you, we (okay, I) was excited to get the chance to have everyone dress up and have a night of dancing and visiting with friends. I couldn't remember the last time I wasn't planning my outfits around the best thing to pick up a toddler in. I'm sure we won't get another chance to look that fancy again until Alex makes his next promotion and they have a ceremony for it, which will be at least 3 more years down the road. So it was a special treat for us that night.

Your bag is gorgeous! I'm glad you were able to get it! And that Alex found something for himself too!

All the wedding festivities sound like they were really fun. I'm glad you were able to get pampered You all looked so nice at the wedding!!

Thanks! I'm still in love with my bag and use it whenever I go out. And I was very excited to have my whole family dress up and look nice for a night. That's definitely not our everyday style.

Beautiful update, Alicia! The pictures turned out so nice! Every wedding has its tense moments so it doesn't surprise me that this one had a few bump in the road as well. A few tiffs are to be expected.

I love that you guys headed back to DTD to grab those shirts- good way to find some time away from the crowd!

Sounds like such a nice time too getting your nails done; that's always a special treat to get pampered a bit and have some girl time away.

Living far away from family, it's rare that either Alex or myself get some time off to spoil ourselves, so having the wedding and everything that surrounded it was a real treat. It was such a treat to get to do my nails, have brunch with my female in-laws, and get dolled up for the wedding. Broke up the monotony of the parent life a bit.

 

[SarahDisney]

First of all ... can we talk about that DLP Half Marathon medal? I love it! (The castle to chateau medal is also really pretty)

Second ... I love that Animal Kingdom bag! All the animal patterns! And Alex's coin is really cool too.

Sounds like the wedding was fun. I love the photobooth pictures!

 

[amazingact21]

First of all ... can we talk about that DLP Half Marathon medal? I love it! (The castle to chateau medal is also really pretty)

Second ... I love that Animal Kingdom bag! All the animal patterns! And Alex's coin is really cool too.

Sounds like the wedding was fun. I love the photobooth pictures!

All the medals for the DLP races are pretty cool. I like how they embraced the villains theme and made all but the half marathon ones fit into that category. I absolutely love the 31k race medal, because it's based off the steampunk Malificent dragon that Paris also uses in their parades. However, I'm sticking to just the half!
Alex was trying to convince me to fly to the states for a weekend so I could participate in the Wine and Dine Half and therfore get the Castle to Chateau medal, but the only race that had availibility was the 10K + half combo. And there's no way I could do two halfs and a 10K in a 6 week time period...

 

[amazingact21]

Monday, April 30th, 2018 Part 1:

The biggest downfall that comes with staying somewhere off property is that we never get to the parks when we intend to. Alex and I were up and moving by 5:45 on this morning, yet we still didn’t get on the road until eight a.m. Part of it was because we were saying our goodbyes to family, but another part was because it was hard to get motivated. When I’m at a Disney resort I’m surrounded by Disney so the parks aren’t far from my mind. Whereas at the condo, the lure of the laptop and a fresh pot of coffee was distracting me. This might not be an issue with a lot of you guys, but now that I’ve had kids it’s hard to get me to break away from other folks to head into the Disney bubble.

I gotta work on that…


Anyways, Alex and I drove straight to our resort for the night – the amazing Polynesian Village – parked our car and went inside to check in. There are no photos of our trek to the reception desk because I always like to absorb the feelings I get when I step into our temporary “home.” Especially when the resort is a splurge.

When you only get one night on property, go big or go home, right?


We had a nice English Cast Member check us in, and we had a fun conversation about Europe when she read our contact information and recognized our address. (It’s kind of unique to military people living overseas.) I made her laugh when she asked where our favorite place we’d been to was and without hesitation I said: “London.”

“Are you saying that just because you heard my accent?”

“Not even a little bit. She’s obsessed with the place,” Alex answered, shooting me his beloved side eye.

The conversation shifted to other popular European hotspots, then she finished getting our room squared away and we were free to be on our way. Our room wasn’t ready, at eight thirty in the morning we weren’t expecting it to be, but all we had on us was the stuff we needed for the parks so we headed upstairs and out to the monorail station.

This was the first time Alex had gone through the new bag check system, and he admitted that it was a lot less hectic at the monorails. We both agreed that Disney had gotten the Magic Kingdom figured out.

They just gotta put their heads together and figure out Epcot now…


The ride to the front of the park was uneventful and soon we were walking below this beautiful sight:



After Alex went and retrieved a rental stroller and I lathered sunscreen on the kids, we made a beeline for Main Street to catch a good glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle.




The kids had just settled themselves into their seats and had no desire to vacate, so Alex and I had to settle for some family photos with them in the stroller.





And then I had to get one of Alex and myself to pretend for a split second we were there without kids.


Man how I miss those days! There’s something to be said about walking around the Magic Kingdom without worrying about tiny fingers touching handrails or the snack count in the backpack.


Moving on, Alex and I walked through the castle and into Fantasyland to do our Must Ride of every trip.

Small World!

The park had been opened for about twenty minutes by this point, but thankfully the lines hadn’t built up yet for the attraction. We walked right on and sat down and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we traveled from country to country.

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


And at the end we got a special treat:


Landon and my name popped up on the goodbye screen! I got way more excited than Landon did; I think he was too busy reading all the different languages on the flowers to notice his name. Silly kid…


Once we waved adios to Small World, my family walked across the street to use our first Fastpass of the day:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


I don’t know why, but I plan our MK mornings the same way ever since we had Landon. We start off at It’s a Small World then Fastpass Peter Pan’s Flight. Every. Single. Trip.

I’m like a broken record. Once I find a way that works with my kids, I stick to it without fail.
Maybe the next trip will be different. Landon’s getting older and Evie’s beginning to hit height restricted rides, so I’m sure our touring plans will shift again.


Once we’d ridden our second attraction of the morning, the kids were ready for a snack break. Spotting familiar countries and keeping an eye out for Captain Hook works up an appetite in a child, so we hit up everyone’s favorite bathroom spot to sit down and refuel.

While eating, Evie insisted on wearing her sunglasses and lei and kept brushing her hair out of her face in the most casual manner, that Alex and I just looked at each other and went, “Oh boy.” And then when she saw me pull out my phone, she stood up, spread her arms, and went “CHEESE!”



It was then that I walked over to her and asked her, “Evie, do you like the rides?”

“No!”

“Do you want to meet Pluto?”

“No!”

“Do you like wearing your Ariel shirt and being in Rapunzel’s area?”

“YES!”

Well. That was that. I couldn’t tell my daughter what to like, she’s a girl with her own preferences and opinions. Despite the fact that I’m going off zero frame of reference here, if dressing stylishly and taking fun photos inside the parks is what she likes than I’ll do my best to make her happy. I have a feeling she will have a lot to teach me over the years, but if that’s her happy place then I’ll learn.

If I can adapt to Alex’s Disney shopping addiction and Landon’s deep rooted love of Peter Pan then I can fit Evie’s designer eye into the equation.


The four of us ate enough animal crackers to fill our bellies then walked over to Frontierland. On our way, we passed Haunted Mansion and Alex looked over at it longingly. It had been years since he’d gotten to ride it, which was a shame since it’s one of his favorites. Since I had been able to go on it during my solo night last summer, I told him he should run and go do it really fast. I’d stay with the kids while he called on the spirits, wherever they were at.

He was hesitant to leave, though. Alex isn’t one to hit anything solo. For him, what makes a Disney trip is the experiences with loved ones. Which, I guess if I was the one leaving my family as much as he has to for work I’d probably have similar feelings.

I still wanted him to get a turn on Haunted Mansion, though.

But I knew Landon would fight us the whole way. He’s got a fear of ghosts that he picked up from someone at school and would freak if we asked him to go on it for his dad.

But wait!

It was then that I had an idea.

A brilliant, crazy idea.

Quickly, I pulled my phone out and checked my messenger app. I saw that my good friend in Germany was active (it was about 4:30 in the afternoon there) so I shot her a message and asked if her daughter was busy at the moment.

Landon and E (her daughter) are best friends, go everywhere together, draw each other pictures when they’re apart, and swear they are going to get married at Disney when they get older. And it just so happens that they are massive Disney fans as well, and E’s favorite ride is Haunted Mansion.

*Don’t worry, they are all going to play a bigger role in my trip reports later this year. My friend’s husband is also running the Disneyland Paris half marathon, and we’re all spending the weekend in the parks with each other!*

My friend said E could talk, so I video called them and had E convince Landon to give HM a shot.

Photograph proof of the call:



I’m not sure what magic words E used to convince Landon, but by the time I hung up and put my phone back in my pocket my son was ready and excited to give the attraction a shot!

So to summarize so far…my Disney morning consisted of my daughter doing her best to be as glamorous as possible and my son following the advice of his favorite girl.

I was really feeling the parenting win that morning. *Insert palm to the face right here.*


No matter the route taken, we got Landon to try Haunted Mansion and only waited about twenty minutes to get inside the building. While walking up to the entrance, a Cast Member spotted Alex’s shirt and became really excited. It was one of his new Marvel shirts that he bought from Disney Springs, and the CM wanted to discuss the Avengers movie that had been released over the weekend. Alex had to hastily tell her, “I’m seeing it on Wednesday! Please don’t tell me anything!”

She kept saying, “Oh, I understand. No spoiler here.” But then she’s start to say something about the movie. Alex was trying to rush a quick goodbye because he was sure she was going to slip any second. It was hilarious and showed us that you can’t wear that kind of shirt without people expecting you to be current on the films.

He wore it at his own risk…



f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


E had asked me to send a picture of Landon’s reaction to the ride after he got off. The best I could get was:


Hard to tell, but he was fine with the overall attraction. I wouldn’t say he loved it, and when asked he said he didn’t want to go again, but there was no screaming or ensuing nightmares. Hooray!


Once HM was complete, I walked Landon down to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was time to use our Fastpasses, and I was really looking forward to going on this again with Landon. We had such a blast last summer, that if Thunder wasn’t my favorite coaster before it would definitely would have been after that.

Unfortunately, as we were walking up, we saw a mob of people standing in front of Cast Members. Moving in a little closer, we heard them telling everyone that Thunder was down for the unforeseeable future.

Nooooo!


No sooner did I turn Landon around then I got the email on my phone telling me I had an anytime Fastpass or a new pass I could use later on Thunder. It was a little disappointing to have missed such a beloved attraction, but there was a small chance we could still ride it. We’d be back in the parks later that night, and if I wanted to bad enough, I could make the walk back to Frontierland to use the passes.

Armed with that small ray of hope, the four of us kept walking until we hit Adventureland. Alex and I had agreed to leave the park and go back to the Polynesian for lunch, and we would have stuck to that plan.

Had we not seen this show and realized we wanted the kids to watch it:
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


One of the most underrated things in the Magic Kingdom! I love the Tiki room and its singing birds.

It turns out, so did Landon and Evie.

Of course, Evie had the advantage of power nap while we waited for the next showing:


I try to go to the Enchanted Tiki Room every trip, but it rarely ever works out. Between Pirates and Jungle Cruise and the sheer mass of humanity trying to fit onto the narrow Adventureland sidewalks, I usually forfeit the show to save my sanity. So I was really pleased that we made the time to stop and watch and that they kids had fun watching the animatronics. Hopefully, when they are older they’ll want to visit the classics like I do.


Up Next…Walk, Walk, WALK!

 

[petals]

The message in Small World is cool. I would be so excited about that

 

[missangelalexis]

Small World and Peter Pan are 2 perfect rides to start the day! Why fix what isn't broke, right?

That's so cute that Evie is such a girly girl! And that she's always ready for her closeup!

Woo hoo for finding a way to get Landon on HM! Glad he didn't completely hate it!

Bummer about BTMRR