Day 2 Part 2

The first thing we did when we got to Epcot was ride Spaceship Earth. We had missed this ride last time we were there because it had been closed, so we were both excited to ride it this time. There was a little bit of a line, but because it moves pretty fast, it only took a couple minutes before we were loaded onto the ride.

We both enjoyed our ride and we liked watching our little video at the end.

We took some pictures of the fountains on our way to check the line for Soarin.

 

There wasn’t much of a line at Soarin, so we went ahead and rode it.

This ride was even better than I remembered! I was so glad that we decided to ride it, because it really wasn’t on the itinerary for that day. I actually hadn’t planned on us riding many rides at Epcot on this day because I knew we would be back a couple of times throughout the week, but the lines were so short, we had more than enough time.

After that, we rode Journey into Imagination. This was another ride that we had missed on our last trip to Disney World. There was no line at this ride at all. We actually walked all the way through the queue and up to the ride vehicle and just got on. It was pretty cool, although it looked like there was some cool stuff to see while you wait in line, but we just had to walk past it all. This was a really fun ride, and I had hoped that we would get to ride it again later in the week, but we never did.

We were getting hungry, as it was lunch time, so we headed to Paris to visit the pastry shop they had. We knew we didn’t want a really big lunch because we had reservations at a buffet for dinner that night, and we didn’t want to be full when we got there.

We each ended up using a snack credit (we were on the dining plan) to buy a ham and cheese croissant. We ate our lunch outside in the little seating area. We both enjoyed our lunch, it was very good. Also, one of the things I love about the World Showcase is that you can kind of lose yourself in the countries. We were sort of in the back of the France pavilion and it wasn’t crowded at all. It was easy to forget you were at Disney World, and imagine being outside a little shop in France. It was wonderful.

 

After we ate, we walked through the shops for a bit. I had heard about a Grand Mariner Orange Slush that I had wanted to try, so I got one of those while Luke got an ice cream cone and we found a seat by the lagoon so we could relax and just take in the atmosphere. It had been 3 years since we had been here, and it was a lot to soak in.

While we were sitting, a cute little show started up right in front of us. It was basically a guy balancing on chairs, and it was very impressive.

*Notice that the chair on the bottom is balanced on bottles.

*That yellow and red balloon is something that we plan on riding later in the week. We were impressed that we could see it from there since it’s actually located in Downtown Disney.

Next, we were headed to Canada, because there was a band called Off Kilter that was getting ready to play and I thought that Luke would like their music.

It was hot that day, so we were glad when we got a seat in the shade. We kind of felt bad for all the people sitting on the other side because they really didn’t have much shade.

The group was really good, and I think Luke enjoyed the music. We only stayed for a few songs and then we got out of there. It was just to hot to sit there with all those people around you.

We headed to the front of the park because we needed to catch the monorail to Magic Kingdom, as that is where we would be eating that night.

It was so hot, that by the time we made it to the front of the park we were ready for another break, so we rode Spaceship Earth again just so we could sit down and get out of the heat. We pretty much walked on the ride this time, and we enjoyed our little trip through history.

Then it was off to the monorail so we could get to the Magic Kingdom.

Day 2 Part 1

My alarm went off at 3:00am. It didn’t take us long to get our stuff together, and we were checking out by 3:30.

Checking out mainly consisted of us turning in our key because their systems were still down from the blackout. We had paid for our room in advance, so it wasn’t a problem for us.

We only needed to drive 6 hours today. I drove first and by the time the sun came up, it was already time to switch.

For some reason Carl (our gps...we named him) took us to Disney some weird back way. We did finally get there, but I was a little upset that I didn’t get to see the big sign welcoming us to Disney World. It wasn’t a good start to the day, but then as we started getting closer to our resort, I saw this:

That helped my mood a little bit. Who cares about not seeing a sign? I was at Disney World and that was all that mattered.

We found our resort. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter.

We went inside to check-in. I had done the online check-in before we left home, so our packet of paperwork was already put together. We got pins that said we were celebrating our anniversary and we got our tickets/room key.

Our room wasn’t ready, but they would text us the room number when it was. The guy did tell us we would be in building 5, so we went ahead and found a parking spot near that building. We made sure that we put anything valuable in the trunk, I grabbed my bag, and we headed to the bus stop. Our first park of the day would be Epcot.

Day 1 Part 2

Day 1 part 2


We didn’t have any traffic problems until we got to Atlanta. We think the traffic was mostly due to a couple of accidents we passed, although there did seem to be a large number of cars on the road for a Saturday afternoon. Luke thought there might be a game that day, but we never did find out for sure.

Our hotel wasn’t too far past Atlanta, so once we got through the traffic, we were there. Check-in was easy, they had our room key and paperwork ready. After we got our room key, we got our bags from the car and headed up to our room.

Our room was nice and it was clean. I know it was clean because every time I walked into the room the smell of cleaning chemicals smacked me in the face. It smelled pretty bad, but we were only going to be there for one night and after being in the car since 3:00am, we were just glad to be there.

We were hungry and the hotel’s website said there was a subway close, so we headed out. We planned to fill up the car while we were out, but when we stopped at the gas station by the hotel, we noticed that the pump said $2.99/gal. We debated if we should just pay it or look for something else. We said forget it, we would find something after we ate.

We went to Subway, which ended up being across the street. We took our food and went back to the hotel. After eating, I looked online to find the cheapest gas close to us. As it turns out there was a Quik Trip less than a mile away with gas for (I think) $2.61/gal.

I’m not sure why there was such a difference in price at two stations within a block from each other, but I’m glad we decided to wait and find something else.

After that, Luke went downstairs to take advantage of the fitness room for awhile, and I showered and watched some tv. When Luke got back, he showered and then watched some tv with me. We were hoping that watching tv would put us to sleep, and it was working until..

the power went out.

Of course as soon as the power goes out and I hear the rain outside, I suddenly can’t remember if my window got rolled up all the way after we got back from getting gas. Luke went to look. Of course, he couldn’t use the elevators, so he took the stairs..in the dark.

Turns out, everything was fine, so we had nothing left to do but try to get some sleep, as we would be up early again the next morning.

Eventually we fell asleep, and I think I remember the electricity coming back on between 12 and 1 in the morning. Just a couple hours before we would be getting up.

Day 1 Part 1

My alarm went off at 2:00am. The first thing I did was fold the towels that had come out of the dryer and put them away. I was doing my best to make sure that I would come home to a clean house. Then I got myself dressed and ready.

It was about 2:30 when I woke Luke up. He got up and ready while I made sure I had everything I needed in the car. We ended up leaving the house a little before 3:00am.

We would be driving for about 13 hours to get to our hotel and I had the first shift. That meant that I would be driving for 6 1/2 hours and I knew that Luke would probably fall asleep, so a few weeks before the trip I made a playlist for my ipod that would cover my entire shift. It wasn’t until I started driving that I realized that I had never synced my ipod after I made the playlist, so I didn’t have it. I was pretty upset, but there was nothing I could do, so I just listened to random songs while I drove.

The time seemed to pass pretty quickly. I was excited when the sun started coming up about half way through my shift, driving at night can be hard on the eyes. Also, the sun coming up seemed to wake up Luke, which meant I would finally have someone to talk to.

Eventually, my time was up and we stopped at a gas station get gas, use the bathrooms, and switch drivers. I think by now we were in Illinois, but I am not sure. It might have been Kentucky. Actually, it was Illinois, I’m pretty sure.

We didn’t stop again until we got to our hotel in Stockbridge, GA.

Since I was in the passenger seat for this portion of the trip, I do happen to have some pictures. They aren’t too terribly exciting, but pictures taken from a car rarely are.

This post is becoming longer than I thought it would be, so I am going to end it here for today and pick it back up tomorrow. I’m thinking I might have to do this a lot, because this is probably the least exciting day of the whole trip, so you know the rest of the posts will be long too.

Anyways...to be continued.

2010 Disney Vacation Trip Report

* I thought it might be fun to write up a trip report for the vacation my husband and I just got back from. It will help me get down all the details while I remember them so I can remember them years from now. Also, it gives me an excuse to blog.*


 
Who: Jenn- Me      The Husband- Luke

What: Vacation!! (Duh!)

When: Leaving September 11 - coming home September 23

Where: Florida- first Disney World for a week, then to visit grandma


Basically we are driving to Florida. We will be stopping at a hotel on the way there and on the way back, that way we do not have to drive the entire way without a break.


Night Before:

Luke got off earlier than usual this afternoon, so we were able to go together to pick up some little last minute things from Target for the trip. I think we mostly got snacks for the car ride, but Luke also needed deodorant.

We went home, and I finished packing up Abby’s stuff so that she could go to her grandma’s house. (Abby is the dog) After dropping Abby off (and having dinner with Luke’s mom) we came home and I finished packing. I had to stay up a little later to wait for the laundry in the dryer, but after that it was time for bed. We would be getting up early.

What day is it?

I can't believe it's already Sunday.

That means that tomorrow is Monday.

What happened?

This weekend went by way too fast.

The game last night was fun. We didn't win, but we did all get snuggies, which we actually used. It was a little cold last night.

Today was just a lazy day, just hanging out with the husband.

I did a little work in preparation for NaNoWriMo today. I feel like maybe I'm starting to get an idea, but I have no idea how I'm going to pull it off. Of course, that is part of the fun.

That's all for today. See ya tomorrow.

Take me out to the ball game.....again

We're going to the Royals game tonight. These tickets are the ones we got in exchange for the game they canceled because of rain a couple of months ago.

This game is also the reason for the short post today. I need to get ready.

I think I will probably start posting the trip report on Monday. I have started writing it, but this will give me a chance to get a little bit further.

Also, the are giving out Royals snuggies at the game tonight...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited.

IT'S FALL!!!

I love this time of year.  I love everything about it.

I love when the leaves change colors.

I love when the leaves fall.

I love waking up to a chilly house and making coffee and then reading other peoples blogs while I drink that coffee.

Part of my excitement might come from the fact that this has been our first week back home after 2 weeks in Florida. It was HOT in Florida. A little too HOT.

Another exciting thing about fall? Nanowrimo is getting close and I can't wait. Even though I have no idea what my novel will be about and even though it is only my second time participating, I am excited!

I know I haven't updated this blog a lot lately, but that will be changing this month. In fact, right now I am working on writing up a trip report for our vacation, which I will post here as I go. I hope to be ready to start posting that tomorrow or the next day. 

Also, we are going to a royals game tomorrow, so I might have pictures from that to share too. We'll see.