Thanksgiving Break

Our Thanksgiving week kicked off last weekend even, with the Festival of Trees parade. This is the largest helium balloon parade in the midwest and C was absolutely delighted! 

I did not attend. Because it was COLD. And I am not a big parade gal. But I did watch from my phone for a while to spot the kids. 

Anyway, it set the festive mood up just right before two days of school. 

Thanksgiving break was good to us! I am always so thankful for time to slow down and enjoy my family. And also sleep. I love sleeping. It's my favorite hobby. That's sad, isn't it? I don't even care. 

Wednesday we took it easy and just hung out. Then that evening we went to the dinner theatre to see White Christmas! 

It was honestly so much fun and I am glad we went. The perfect way to tamper down the excitement for Thanksgiving. Which is big business at our house. 

Thursday morning we had our monkey bread as per tradition. 

And we watched the parade.

Please note C is in his Macy's pajamas. As I said, the parade is his Super Bowl. After the dog show... did you know they air the parade again? Well, they do. And we watched it for a second time. (We did skip the preshow stuff to sneak in Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. Please don't judge me for how much TV they watched on Thursday.) 

We went traditional with the food this year. Rotisserie turkey which was pretty darn good, mashed potatoes, rolls, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing from a box, and pumpkin pie for dessert. 

And you know what? It was tasty and I am glad we had it. I still like my non-traditional meals for Thanksgiving. And it will never be my favorite holiday. But it is C's so I can lean into it for him a bit. 

Thursday night we tucked the kids in and then I stressed watched the Vikings game. I am going to get gray hair just for being a Vikings fan. I swear. It's still a LONG road for them and I am not going to get my hopes up, because of the Eagles. No matter what though, I will likely look back and remember this season as a pretty good one. 

Friday we took it easy during the day and then we went to the Festival of Trees. 

And that was okay. Next year we will look at the entertainment schedule before we go. There was a dance company there and their music selections were not super Christmasy or kid-appropriate really. Also it was quite loud. The experience was less than we had hoped for but the pictures are cute so it's all good. 

Saturday we went back to the theatre for Santa Claus the Musical. It was cute. 

And yesterday I took no pictures but it was also low-key and a good one. Ending in my stress watching the Eagles-Packers game. My kids wanted to know who to root for. I know some wanted a Packers to win to help the 1st seed chances for the Vikings but I just couldn't do it. I can't stand them. Or Smarmy Aaron. (I understand he used to be a good football player. But with his attitude, ego, and the looks on his face, I cannot. Plus he is a liar.) Somehow Tom Brady, even with all his scandals and family issues, still seems like a nice person. Aaron never has to me. 

I had told my children before they went to sleep that the best outcome would be an Eagles win but that Aaron Rodgers would break his knee early and be out for a while. Honestly, I wanted to see how Love would play. Got my wish, only with obliques I guess! Personally, I hope that Rodgers is out for good and Love can just do his thing. Let's be real, even a third-string QB in the NFL is still an elite player. I will still dislike the Packers, but I will dislike them significantly less with Smarmy Aaron gone. 

Jalen Hurts is my Fantasy quarterback and Eagles are my D/ST so that was extra motivation for me to root for the Eagles last night. And they pulled it out well! I am going to win my game this week! 

Now here we are, Happy Monday and Happy Advent everyone! 

Day 8 (The Last Day)

This is the last trip update! Thanks for hanging in there with me and my memories!

Saturday morning we had to wake the kids up after the party, which seems crazy I know but we had a good reason... we had a farewell to Disney breakfast at Ohana! It turns out it was CRAZY foggy that morning so the boats weren't running. So in order to get to our reservation we took a Minnie Van! 

This was such a splurge since you can get anywhere in Disney World for free, but it was worth it for the ease of everything. While this isn't something we would do to travel frequently, it sure was nice to get to breakfast quick and easily. Plus, the novelty factor was excellent as well. 

Ohana was delicious and I am so glad we went. It was the perfect capstone to our trip. Meeting Stitch, Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto, while filling our bellies up was the best ending. 

After we went back and chilled in our hotel room. The fog lifted so we went back via boat. Which was really nice to do one last time. We had asked for late checkout so we didn't have to rush, which I appreciated. 

We said goodbye to our beautiful view. And then spent some time in the lobby while we waited for our bus. 

There was a photopass photographer taking pictures in the lobby, and you know we had time to kill and I love pictures so... 

Then we had a terrible bus ride on a very full bus to the airport. Our driver was very jerky with the pedals and it wasn't fun. But that was the penance for a smooth sailing security experience. On my list of biggest worries for the trip probably in the top 3 was about going through security in Orlando. But all told it went pretty quick and wasn't too bad. 

Our flight to Chicago was fairly uneventful. 

Our flight home was fast! 

And we got to our car and there was snow on our windshield, a far cry from the beautiful Florida weather we had been in just hours before. 

We made it home quick and easy and I ran upstairs first thing to check on Waldo because that was the #1 worry of the trip: that the fish would die while we were gone. But, he was fine! A little grumpy but his vacation plan worked out great and it's now been over a week since we came home so if he should meet his maker now it will not be the vacation's fault! 

So that was our trip. I am so very thankful for the time with my family. I really love them and spending time with them. Getting off the socials and just delighting in their presence without worrying about school and work was so nice too! 

Days 6 and 7

Sorry if you're sick of hearing about our trip. This is for me too you know, so when I look back on it I will remember how it all went down. Feel free to skip any recaps. :) I won't be offended! 

Thursday started out slow. And you know what? I loved it. Hurricane Nicole gave us a great opportunity to sleep in and be cozy. It wasn't too bad at any point. Rainy and windy sure but at no point did it seem scary. 

Thursday morning the castle was still there and that was comforting. 

After a while, we went out and about to see what activities the resort had. They had Bingo in the lobby with the Country Bears. 

Epcot opened at 1:00 that day. We decided that going for a while was better than not going at all. Disney would have extended our ticket until September 2023 but it is very very unlikely we will be back before then so a few rides is better than a wasted ticket. 

We got to Epcot and immediately walked onto Spaceship Earth. Thanks, Greeks for coming up with math I guess. 

Then we rode Journey into Imagination and afterward met Vanelope. 

We rode Living With the Land, our favorite place to find Hidden Mickeys. (I think 10 was the final count.) 

Then we rode Soarin' and it was time to leave Epcot. We walked back to the International Gateway and to the Boardwalk resort. Where we happened upon Goofy! What a nice surprise that was! Then we got on a bus to Disney Springs because we had tickets to see Drawn to Life, the Disney Cirque du Soleil show! This was Husband's birthday present. If you're keeping track, I gifted the whole group experiences at Disney as their gifts in 2022. 

The show was really great. I think overall the storyline was beautiful! I wasn't expecting to cry almost immediately but I did. I think because the plot was so linear it lost some of the Cirque magic, and I thought the acts maybe weren't as "extreme" as they are in other Cirque shows, but given the audience of a good blend of ages I get why that is. 

Anyway, my kids loved it! And they were very good audience members. It was truly SHOCKING to me, how many grown men had to leave to use the restroom. It's 90 minutes. You can probably make it. While I thought it was exceptionally rude that so many people left so frequently, I am sure this is normal for them. We had fantastic seats, my past experience at Cirque has taught me where to sit, and since I had seen La Nouba twice I felt confident in my seating choice. I was right! 

After we had dinner at Raglan Road. Which is one of my favorite Disney Springs Restaurants. 

Unfortunately, it took them a long time to seat us even with our reservation and Husband wasn't feeling great (he got a little Disney cold) and I think I was the only one who really enjoyed it. But there are very few places one can get Magners/Bulmers Cider on tap and this was it. I enjoyed that at least. After we ate we hit the massive Disney store and got a few things. 

Friday was a second slow start. We ate our breakfast in the room like normal and we did another load of laundry while we swam. The weather had fully rebounded from the hurricane and it was BEAUTIFUL! 

The pool at Wilderness Lodge is so lovely and relaxing! I love it so much! The kids loved the slide and I enjoyed watching them. They were however a little mad that I didn't pack the goggles. So next trip I will need to remember goggles. 

After swimming, everyone showered and we dried hair so it would look nice, and then we had a mandatory nap time. Because Friday night was the CHRISTMAS PARTY! (This was my birthday gift to myself!) 

After our nap, we went downstairs to the Whispering Canyon Cafe for a late lunch. (And hopefully, fill everyone's bellies enough to not really need dinner.) On the way down we got the best surprise! A boatload of characters were in the lobby!! 

And not everyday characters either. The kids got to meet Gepetto. 

And Rafiki!

And Pluto, Goofy, Tigger, Eeyore, Captain Hook and Foulfellow (the fox from Pinnochio)! It was very exciting! Lunch was good! C was so excited to get an all-you-can-eat skillet with a drumstick, rib and waffle. (He loves meat on the bone!) 

After lunch we went back to get dressed in our Christmas party outfits and then on the way out the door ran into Chip and Dale! 

With our Christmas party tickets we could get into Magic Kingdom at 4:00 but the party didn't start until 7:00. I had read the party lines could be long right at 4:00 and we had something else we wanted to do too... so first we rode the monorail loop to the Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house. 

You know how we love gingerbread houses. No way were we going to be right there and not even see it! Plus... did you see our gingerbread shirts for the party?! 

It was super cool!! And huge. I loved it! But then it really was time to party. And oh how truly wonderful it was. Total bucket list item for me to go to the Christmas party and even though I came home and immediately started preparing for Advent, I am so so glad we had some merry and festive time together at Disney. 

The Christmas parade with the snow on Mainstreet USA was so great! So so great! We were able to meet Christmas Mickey, Moana, and Santa. Enjoy the "free" cookies and cocoa and ride so many rides with short wait times. Moana is what took the longest of the whole party but was totally worth it because you cannot usually meet her. (And after Rapunzel, she is my second favorite!) 

While we were there for the Christmas party we rode: the People Mover, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, it's a small world, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. Plus characters, the parade, and the Christmas fireworks. 

As we were walking to ride Peter Pan, I saw the Rapunzel Lantern Pictures were out and available. This was my "must-do" thing for Monday. Every day, each person in our family picked the thing they wanted to do the most, and then we made that happen. 4 things every day is totally manageable and we decided that anything else after that was gravy. 

Only we didn't get to do it on Monday because M was so tired and we left during the fireworks. And she was even sad and kept apologizing to me that I didn't get the picture of her and C in their Rapunzel-themed outfits with the lantern. And, yes, it would have been so so cute to have that picture. But to stumble upon the lanterns and get a second chance... was very exciting to me. I was so so so happy. We got such great pictures too. (This is not the best one. Which may make an appearance on the Christmas card because I love it that much!) 

Another story for you. We walked right onto Winnie the Pooh there was NO line. And when we came around at the end there was still no line so we asked to go around again and they said YES! And then, right as we were getting to Heffalumps and Woozles... the ride stopped. This happens often enough at Disney that I didn't think anything of it. But then a minute later the lights came on and there was an announcement that a cast member would be with us shortly to rescue us! We got stuck on Pooh! 

It has, not even kidding, been a dream of mine to have to be evacuated from a ride sometime, and gosh darn it, Pooh is the best-case scenario because it's not even a little bit scary nor is it up high! It was so neat and C even found a Hidden Mickey that wasn't in the book!! 

We watched the final 11:55 stage show and then took a final family picture of the party! And we walked out down a snowy Main Street. Absolutely wonderful. I would recommend the Christmas party to anyone. My kids had SUCH a good time and even made it to Midnight. (and that was kind of crazy to me!) Everyone at the party, cast members and guests, was in such good spirits and it definitely felt like a manageable crowd size. No one was rude or grumpy, it was a Christmas and Disney miracle! So totally and completely worth it. 

I am so very thankful and blessed we were able to go and make these memories!