WDW Summer 2013 - Day 8

So just over half way through our vacation and today was a gentle sort of day.

We started it off by meeting someone who we'd known for a long while but had only met in person a couple of days ago...Lou Mongello!

Simon had a couple of paintings for Lou so we had agreed to meet up at our hotel to chat and pass on the paintings.  Now Lou knew we had one painting for him but he knew nothing about the second...that was our little surprise!

So we met Lou and sat outside in the morning sun and passed over the first painting. This was a painting of Mickey Mouse as Peter Pan and was for the WDW Radio upcoming charity auction which forms part of the Dream Team Project that raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The painting went for $75

The second painting was a surprise for Lou and was one that Simon had done especially for him as a way to say thank you for all the Disney magic he has brought into our lives, and all the new friendships we have made as a result of the Disney community that he is such a part of.

(You can see more of Simon's fabulous artwork on his webiste www.simonphipps.com)

Suffice to say Lou was blown away, I think he was even speechless at one point and there may have even been an odd tear or two - a job well done I think :)

Me, Simon and Lou

After we had said our goodbyes we decided to head to Downtown Disney for a spot of lunch and retail therapy!! Lunch was at one of our favourite quick service restaurants, and if you're on the Quick Service Dining Plan one of the very best value places to eat - Wolfgang Puck Express.

The food here is always amazing and always feels more like table service than counter service.  This is always a big must do when at Downtown Disney.

So once we were full off we set on a bit of shopping!  It was a pretty successful shopping trip and my haul included; a dress, top, 3 t-shirts, bracelet, 2 pairs of earrings, handbag and a matching purse.  Molly spent her money on some key-chains whilst Ethan bought more food...an enormous piece of fudge from Disney's Candy Cauldron!!

View from Downtown Disney West Side across to the Marketplace - beautiful day!

We had a lovely few hours at Downtown Disney; I just love wandering around and checking out all the merchandise even if I don't buy anything!  It's a great place to spend sometime away from the hustle and bustle of the parks whilst still getting a big hit of all things Disney!

We then headed back to the Wilderness Lodge and whilst the kids messed about in the pool Simon and I spent a little while uploading photos and videos and just generally chilling out.  A lovely day to re-charge our batteries ready for another full day tomorrow!

Out with the old and in with the New!

Here we are nearly at the end of one year and the beginning of another.

The run up to Christmas was a mixture of last minute shopping, present wrapping and catching up with friends. We finally got around to seeing friends Phil & Lauren who we had met for the first time during our visit to WDW this past Summer.  We had met during a WDW Radio Meet of the Month at Blizzard Beach and discovered that we only lived just over an hour away from each other!  It really is a 'small world after all'!

I then spent a few hours chatting with my good friend and podcast co-host Michelle as we recorded our second official podcast for the Disney Dream Girls podcast.  We talked Disney Dining plans and took a tour of the New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom...go on have a listen :) find us on i-tunes and subscribe for future episodes!

Christmas Eve is a special day in our house as it's our eldest's birthday so to celebrate we had a trip to the local cinema where we divided and conquered...the boys saw the next installment of The Hobbit whilst us girls saw Frozen - which we both loved! Fabulous music, beautiful storytelling and enchanting animation; a winner all round.  We finished the day off with a gigantic chocolate cake!

Christmas Day was a day for family as we all came together to celebrate the season, exchange presents and eat too much food.

Our Boxing Day (for any non-British out there this is what we call the day after Christmas Day, it has its origins in days of old when servants who had to work Christmas Day would be allowed home the following day carrying boxes of gifts)...anyway this Boxing Day we jumped in the car and headed a couple of hours South to see some more friends made through our love of Disney to partake in a BBQ!  Yes that's right a BBQ in the middle of Winter...thankfully the food was brought inside to eat so we all stayed nice and warm. A big thank you to Mark and Tara for providing the hospitality, food, drink and Disney based games :)

The last few days have been a lot quieter and have given us all the time to relax and chill out and enjoy a few days not doing very much at all!  Although Michelle and I did manage to get together to chat all things Disney and prepare for our next podcast, I even had a few lessons in audio editing!

And that brings us to today...New Years Eve...and the end of 2013.  We have an evening planned at my best friends New Years Eve party which should be an evening of fun, laughter, food and drink and I can't think of a better way to see one year out and another year in than spending it with people you love and care about.

I don't know what 2014 will have in store but I do know one thing it will be shared with friends and family who mean the world to me.  So wherever you are I wish you all every happiness for the year ahead, I hope the year is filled with dreams come true and spent with those you love - see you in 2014 and whatever it may bring xx

WDW Day 5

So here we are on day 5 of our WDW vacation and today was a bit of a special day for us, because today we got to meet a good friend for the first time in person.

Through the wonder of the internet we had become friends with a certain Mr Lou Mongello of the WDW Radio Show. Over the years we had emailed the show and got involved through Simon's artwork with various charity auctions organised by Lou raising money for the Make-a-Wish foundation.  But despite visiting WDW a couple of times since listening to the WDW Radio Show we had never been able to time our visits to coincide with a 'Meet of the Month'...until now!

Today's 'Meet of the Month' was to be at Blizzard Beach, meeting at 8.30am/9.00am at the entrance, so this meant an early start.  So being prepared we had bought donuts the evening before and had a breakfast of coffee, powerade (the kids drink of choice) and donuts sat on the balcony to our room - a fine way to start the day I think you'll agree!

So by 8.00am we were ready to set off for Blizzard Beach.  When we arrived at the hotel bus stop we found that an Animal Kingdom bus had just turned up.  Now usually this bus displayed that it would be stopping at Blizzard Beach but this one didn't.  So Simon jumped on board to find out from the driver what best to do.  She explained that it was too early for the buses to start going to Blizzard Beach.  So Simon explained that we were meeting people at park opening and that was why we thought we would get an early bus. The driver then said 'get on board and I'll drop you after Animal Kingdom'.  Brilliant and how kind of the driver...and then she dropped us off first before even getting to the Animal Kingdom!!  Another bit of Disney magic!!

So we arrived at Blizzard Beach and made our way to the park entrance and the group of people already lining up to get into the park and there amongst them was Lou and his family and other WDW Radio friends (after all we are all friends those of us that listen to Lou, even if we haven't actually met!).

We then had a fun packed few hours (in fact probably the best time we've spent in a water park!) hanging out with our WDW Radio friends and going on plenty of rides together.  We met a large number of fellow British WDW Radio listeners who have now joined our list of 'Disney Friends' :)

Simon was armed with the Go-Pro camera and managed to capture some great footage of us plummeting down various rides.  We had great fun riding down Steamboat Springs a couple of times and why is it that I always end up going backwards?! We rode Runoff Rapids as well as Toboggan Racers and Downhill Douple Dipper and the kids had a float around Cross Country Creek whilst we got to know our new friends.

Runoff Rapids

Teamboat Springs

Lunch was turkey legs for the kids, BBQ pork and slaw dog for me and caesar salad for Simon - how come messing about in water makes you so hungry!!  The kids finished off with ice-creams too!

Our day was brought to an end by the weather, what started out as a small shower soon turned into an absolute downpour.  So we bid our farewells and returned to Wilderness Lodge.

New friends :)

So back at the hotel we got showered and changed and waited out the rain by sorting out some photos and the Go-Pro footage and then hooking up with new friends via social networking!  But as the rain eased we decided to venture out to Downtown Disney for the evening.

Waiting for the bus to Downtown Disney

View from the bus stop towards the hotel main entrance

When we arrived in Downtown Disney it was extremely busy and we decided to keep food nice and simple by visiting one of our favourite places...Earl of Sandwich...

The famous gold wrapper :) yummy!

After eating we had a wander around the shops but it was so busy...so busy in fact that we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel.  So we jumped on a resort bus and off we set...but boy was the traffic bad.  It took what seemed forever just to get out of Downtown Disney, the traffic was horrendous so by the time we got back we were all ready for our beds, ready to re-charge for another busy day ahead.

9...

9...days to go!

Well today has seen us talking and testing tech!  Simon has been busy sorting through old vacation video formatting it into a digital copy as well as testing some new tech.  We are fortunate enough to have access to a 'Go-Pro'camera; this is a very small compact digital camera that is often used to capture video of extreme sports.  So today Simon went out for a run with our eldest on his bike and the 'Go-Pro' attached to either Simon's chest or our son's bike helmet.  We're hoping that we can then use this on vacation to capture some of the rides, and even some of the water park rides as we have a waterproof case for it - should be interesting!

And talking of extreme sports we have also been debating whether or not to do some parasailing this vacation.  This is due to us listening to a WDW Radio podcast where Lou Mongello was discussing the numerous ways to enjoy the water whilst at WDW...so watch this space to see if we decide to go ahead and who out of our family decides to go for it!

We have also had a bit of a Disney movie weekend to get us in the mood!  Last night we watched 'Teen Beach Movie'...the sing-a-long version no less and I have to confess it was my second time of watching and I rather enjoyed it!  It's fun and easy to watch with catchy tunes and produced to the usual Disney standards.

Tonight we have watched for the first time 'Frankenweenie' and we were all really impressed by it.  Now I have to confess to being a bit of a Tim Burton fan anyway but I just loved the storytelling and all the references to the classic horror movies.  A definite must see would be my recommendation.

I wonder what tomorrow will be bring!!

10...

10....days to go!!

So here starts the final countdown to our vacation.  Today has mainly seen us getting to grips with jobs that need doing before we leave.

Simon has a couple of paintings to take with us to pass onto Lou Mongello of WDW Radio for their upcoming auction and so we have been figuring out the best way to transport them.  We have a portfolio case which they fit into lovely and so I have been chatting online with our airline as to whether or not we could take them as a carry-on piece of luggage.  Thankfully we can but it does mean that the portfolio case will take the place of a normal piece of carry-on luggage...a bit of careful organisation will be needed I think!!

I was supposed to have our dollars delivered yesterday but thanks to our postal service something appears to have gone awry.  According to the 'Royal Mail' our package was delivered and signed for...but we have had nothing!  Suffice to say I'm not overly pleased with the situation...got to wait for their system to upload the signature of the person who signed for it before we can go any further.  Very frustrating!

I am trying to get ahead with all the washing and ironing so that when it comes to packing in a few days time everything will be sorted and ready to go in the bags...I hope...remember I have two teenagers to cope with! Simon, as tech support for the trip, is getting his head around all that we will need with us and making sure that we have all the right chargers and adapters and enough video tapes and memory cards.

My excel spreadsheet is beginning to take shape quite nicely and seems to be expanding as I add new bits to it.  At the moment I have transferred all my lists onto the one spreadsheet so that everything is in one place and I can just add to as I think of something we need to pack or shop for or a change to our itinerary; it is ever evolving!

Two Weeks to Go!!

That's right it is only 2 weeks to go until we see that 'Welcome Home' sign!! This vacation was booked approximately 16 months in advance and although at times it has seemed a long way off it really is nearly here!

So we are now down to the finer details in the planning process; from those last minute purchases to making sure all bills are paid before we leave to actually deciding on which park we will visit on which day (I keep putting it off because it's hard to decide).

So the Excel spreadsheet is up and running and I have key dates already marked out. Our first and last days are in my mind a 'no-brainer', it has to be The Magic Kingdom; it is after all the epitome of all that Disney conjures up, and nothing beats that feeling of walking under the railroad and down Main Street USA heading towards Cinderella Castle. I then have dates put aside for a few other things;

• We have our ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) at Teppan Edo
• We will be attending WDW Radio's Meet of the Month at Disney's Blizzard Beach
• We shall be joining Michelle of The Minnie Minxes for a 'Drink Around the World' at Epcot
• And another date with Michelle will be over at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop when we will hopefully tackle the infamous 'Kitchen Sink Ice-Cream Sundae'

I have sorted our Photopass+ and ordered new raincoats for the kids as would you believe it they have grown somewhat since our last trip back in 2011.

I am hoping to book at least one more ADR, this time for Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge so I need to make some decisions as to where we are going on which days so that I can tie this reservation in nicely.

I am also, along with the help of my daughter, going to make up some envelopes ready for tipping 'Mousekeeping' - a creative few hours with pens, envelopes, glue and more decorating envelopes for those oh so important tips.

So over the next few days I shall let you know how the planning is coming along and just how excited we are all getting!

Getting Closer

Well that vacation of ours is getting closer, only 37 days to go as I type.  But life seems so busy at the moment that I don't seem to have had chance to think or plan or anything...let alone write a blog post!

Working in education at this time of year is busy, busy, busy. Not only is it the end of the academic year so there are reports to write and end of year concerts to plan and rehearse it is also the ideal time of year for fundraisers. A Summer fair a few weeks ago and a 'Back 2 School Disco' last night!

Plus having two teenagers whose school lives also seem to impact on everything that I do - reward trips, school plays, work experience etc etc I don't know whether I am coming or going at the moment.

Work has also meant completing staff appraisals, sorting new contracts for the next academic year, planning the coming years curriculum and even talking about Christmas concerts, parties and visits from Santa - no seriously Christmas has been planned in July!

I have also had a couple of personal things happening with close family members that thankfully are sorting themselves out and now beginning to look really positive.

So now I am beginning to get a bit of my vacation mojo back, in fact typing this is beginning to re-invigorate my vacation vibe.  Everything is booked and paid for including the overnight hotel at the airport, the car parking at the airport and the ESTA's for travelling to the US.

I have even booked one ADR at Teppan Edo and we are debating booking at least one more...possibly the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge resort.  This desire to make another ADR is partly the fault of Lou Mongello and his WDW Radio podcast; we were catching up on old episodes and heard his live review of the restaurant and it reminded us of our visit back in 2008.

We had done the Backstage Magic tour, taking advantage of my parents being with us to look after our then young children.  We had a day exploring behind the scenes with lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe; we really enjoyed both the food and the experience and are very tempted to book for our kids to experience it all first hand.

Then would you believe the next WDW Radio podcast we listened to was also a live review of a restaurant; this time Via Napoli at Epcot (anyone would think Mr Mongello liked his food!!), so this is now also on our list of possible places to eat at!

Decisions, decisions!!

I also joined Touring Plans awhile back and have their 'Crowd Tracker' printed off so I can see which parks are best to visit on which days.  On our first full and our last full day I always like to visit the Magic Kingdom and the good thing is, according to Touring Plans, it's the best park to visit on those days.  Now I just need to figure out where we go in between!!

On our last vacation to WDW in 2011 our two children decided which parks we would visit on which day; they even completed an Excel spreadsheet!  So I think I shall arm them with the Crowd Tracker, the date of our meal at Teppan Edo and let them plan again.

My brain is also starting to go into overdrive about the mundane aspects of taking a two week vacation; things like the shopping to be done before hand, making sure bills are paid that are due whilst we are away, when can I book a grocery shopping delivery for when we return etc etc.  But this is all part of the fun of taking a vacation, all part of the build up, the anticipation, the excitement...Oh and did I mention only 37 days to go :)

Forward Planning...Part Two

So a few weeks ago I did a little post about planning for my WDW vacation and in that post I had a list of things that are on my family's 'Disney To Do List'...well we have a few more to add;

• Characters In Flight - balloon ride at Downtown Disney
• Visit the new bakery in the France pavilion at Epcot - Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie, pictures and reviews online look lovely!
• Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
• Phineas & Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure
• Try a drink called 'Beverley' at Club Cool at Epcot (this is a result of watching Lou Mongello and friends drinking this during WDW Radio's 6th anniversary live broadcast!)
• Boardwalk at night (only ever visited during the day before!)
• Visit the Belle Vue Lounge at The Boardwalk Inn Resort to see the working carousel model - heard about this on Episode 310 of WDW Radio when Lou Mongello was chatting with Jim Korkis, and it sounded fascinating
• Splitsville - bowling & food
• Must buy shopping items - Dooney & Bourke bag of some description, car antenna toppers (I'm sure I've seen a seasonal pack so I can theme my car to whatever time of year it happens to be!

So what else should I be planning on doing?

Disney Friends are the Best!

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the day with some like minded individuals at a hotel in Nottingham....don't worry these were just fellow Disney fans!

Friends that have come together through the power of social media and podcasts, friends who share the common denominator of being fans of the WDW Radio show and a certain Mr Lou Mongello.  A fan group that was formed by the lovely Emma over at Daydreaming Disney and now supported by the laughter loving Michelle and Kim from The Minnie Minxes.  We had a great day of quiz's, do-nuts, satellite link-ups, sharing memories, muffins, lots of laughter as well as raising money for WDW Radio Dream Team Project.

It was great to spend time with people who 'get' what going to WDW is all about, who share a passion and a love for all things Disney and who all have amazing tales to tell about their experiences visiting various Disney parks around the world.

And although we may have been relatively small in number we still managed to raise $200 for the WDW Dream Team Project through a small raffle of donated goodies, look what I won :)

Raffle prizes :)

My goodies from the meet!

So a big thank you to everyone who came along yesterday, to those who helped organise it and those who graciously donated raffle prizes the only thing I want to know is when are we doing it again??

Running...nowhere!

I thought it was about time to put finger to keyboard and write another little post.  Now ideally I would like to be telling you all about my running, how far I've been, how many times I've been out running all that sort of thing...but unfortunately I have nothing to report.  So without wanting to turn this post into a weather report lets just say that the British weather has not really been favourable to running.  This has been my view up and down my road for nearly 2 weeks now.





And although I have some lovely cold weather running gear to keep me warm it's not going to help keep me on my feet!!  So, for the moment, the running is on hold but I promise first chance I get I shall be out there.

I really enjoyed reading all the tweets over the WDW Marathon weekend (10th - 13th January) and the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend in Disneyland (18th - 20th January). They were truly inspiring and conjured up some wonderful images of running down Main Street USA and around Epcot in particular.  Now whilst at the moment running a half marathon never mind a full marathon are outside of my comprehension I think that a 5K would be within my grasp, and if that 5K were in a Disney park what better motivation could I ask for?!  Now I don't think that's going to happen any time soon but I am looking to see if there is something closer to home that I could run, and perhaps raise some money for charity at the same time.  It would be nice to help the 'Make-A-Wish Foundation' as Simon and I have previously supported the WDW Radio Show's Dream Team Project in their endeavours to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.

Ironically the next time we are in a Disney park there will be a Disney running event happening but on the opposite coast to where we are!  Oh well, I shall just have to add it to my list of Disney wishes :)

Besides I will still be able to complete what was my initial target of running around Lago Dorado at Coronado Springs Resort!

Goodbye 2012 and Hello 2013

As we get ready to see the old year out and the new one in I thought I would take the time to reflect and look forward.

After a couple of years mulling over various ideas 2012 saw me finally pluck up the courage to get my very own blog up and going.  My chance to share with all of you my thoughts about Disney, my vacation planning journey and my adventures into the world of running!

And talking of running, 2012 saw me put on a pair of trainers and get out for a run - well more like jog-walk-jog! - but after a shaky start back in April I eventually built up to a 25 minute run (about 2 miles), which I was really rather pleased about.  However, the onset of cold (and very wet) weather plus dark nights has seen my running come to a stop...but only a temporary one, I am determined that 2013 will see me out and about again.  Now armed with cold weather running gear (thanks Simon!) I have no excuses and need to get back out there and get moving - I shall keep you informed of my endeavours.

The power of Disney and the internet has opened up a 'whole new world' this year and introduced me to new people, new friends and new communities, for which I am very grateful.  It is good to know that there are so many people out there that have the same silly obsession as I do :)

So as we look forward to 2013 I already have a few things planned - a WDW Radio UK Fan Group meet up, friends getting married and as from tomorrow I will be able to say 'this year I'm going to WDW', so lots to look forward to and plan for, bring it on!

Happy New Year!

Countdown to Christmas - Day 15

15th December

So the observant amongst you will notice that despite this post being titled Day 15 it is actually being published on Day 16!  So first I shall apologise for being a day late and then I think my post will explain why.

Christmas is always a time for family and friends, a good excuse to get together with those we love and care about, and this weekend for us has been no exception.

Through the common interest of all things Disney we have over the last couple of years, and especially this last year, begun to find other liked minded individuals through the medium of the internet.  By following podcasts like WDW Radio or The Minnie Minxes we have been introduced to a 'whole new world' of all things Disney, and subsequently along the way have made new friends.

So this weekend has been spent with one of the hosts of the The Minnie Minxes, Michelle, and other Disney obsessed people and we even managed to connect with long time friend Emma by the power of Skype!

And at the same time our friends at WDW Radio were posting a blog all about 'My Best Disney Present Ever' and one from our friend Christy Viszoki, right at the bottom of the blog post, caught our eye - couldn't have said it any better Christy.

Disney and the spirit that it embodies brings about a kindness and warmth among people and ultimately new connections, friends and adventures.

Mickey Art

I am very fortunate that I live with an artist, my husband Simon, which has meant over the years that my knowledge and appreciation of all things 'arty' has considerably improved.

No visit to WDW is complete without a visit to the 'The Art of Disney' at Downtown Disney Marketplace; a chance for Simon to become awestruck by all the fabulous art and me to wish I had the money to spend on figurines and other collectibles.

Simon can always be found 'doodling' and when work allows, loves nothing more than creating art of all kinds - have a look at his website for the range of work he produces www.simonphipps.com.  Back in November of 2010 Simon was spending a quiet Sunday afternoon 'doodling' away drawing Mickey as various Halloween monsters in different styles - they were amazing.  I happened to comment that he should do some more....so Simon issued me a challenge 'if you can give me a theme I'll draw you a Mickey a day for a year' and so began '365 Mickeys'.

We had a whole year of 'so darling, what's todays Mickey then?' which to start off with was quite easy and straightforward; simply pick what had happened that day a birthday, karate lesson, broken boiler, girl's night out and off Simon would go and produce a piece of art.  But as the year went on it became apparent that the usual day-to-day stuff wouldn't be enough to keep us (sorry Simon!) going.  So the latter months took on themes - movie month, classic Disney character month, Halloween monster month as well as mini themes like 'superheroes' or limiting the colour palette.

Part way through the year I said 'you really ought to do something with these' - it seemed such a shame that the only people to see this growing collection of art were family and close friends, so Simon decided to dedicate part of his website to the project - 365 Mickeys - please take the time to have a look I promise it will be well worth your while.

Me and all 365 Mickeys!

365 Mickeys has brought a great amount of pleasure to both Simon and I, especially when seeing the response of someone looking through the art for the first time, and in turn has enabled Simon to use his powers for good!  In September of 2011 he was approached by the lovely team at WDW Radio Podcast to produce a piece of artwork based on the WDW Radio Dream Team Project logo that would then be auctioned off on 1st October 2011 as part of their marathon 40-hour live broadcast from WDW to celebrate its 40th anniversary.  All proceeds from the event, which totalled near $17,000, went to support the Make A Wish Foundation.

'Disney Dreams'

And so to September 2012 and Simon has been approached once again to help out the WDW Radio Dream Team Project to produce a piece of artwork to mark the 30th anniversary of EPCOT, once again the artwork will be auctioned off over the weekend of 28th - 30th September 2012 with all money raised going again to the Make A Wish Foundation.  What do you think?

'Mickey as Dreamfinder with Figment'

Pretty good eh?!!