disney world

The Lazy Days of Summer

17 July 2009 / aidan, books, disney world, vacation

I don’t know about you, but for me, the summer is SPEEDING by. Why is it that winter drags and drags but summertime is gone in a blink? It makes me sad. I really do NOT want snow and ice and frigid cold. I am so OVER WINTER it’s not funny. Oh well, I still have at least four months to worry about that stuff.

I’ve been catching up with Kate Brian’s PRIVATE series. I’d started reading them when they first came yout ears ago (Columbus libraries are AWESOME about getting things in quickly) but lost interest in all the murdering and such. But I picked it back up recently from the Chicago library and I am hooked again. I just want poor Reed to catch a break. I finished Revelation today and now I’m reading Paradise Lost. I also have some Disney books to check out. The library had THREE 2009 guides available. That never happens.

Speaking of Disney, I am thrilled because they added another Spectromagic parade. I thought I’d have to miss it this year, but nope. They added on on August 16th and 11pm. During Extra Magic Hours. That means the park will be less crowded, the weather will be cooler and the parade MORE AWESOME. In addition, the crowd level predictions on touringplans.com are 5s and 6s. SO much better than the 7s and 8s I was anticipating. Now our biggest worry is the heat. But plenty of water should take care of that. You should see the spreadsheet I made!

Aidan’s getting really excited about Disney World. I’m tying it into the drama that we’ve been dealing with. I told him for every day that he’s good, and that he goes to bed and stays in bed (except to potty), he gets a Disney Dollar. That’s a potential $31 to spend on whatever he wants at Disney World. He already lost last night’s (we told him that we were using that dollar to pay for the laundry he peed on again), but so far so good tonight. Plus he tried zucchini, so that’s a bonus $1. So now he’s up to having earned $2. I also told him he can earn bonus bucks by doing special things that are extra good. There is a lot of stuff he wants, and I told him it’s up to him to earn the money to get it.

Tonight, I read him a chapter from Ramona the Brave. The chapter is called Alone in the Dark and it describes Ramona being scared to sleep in her own room. I saw so many of Aidan’s patterns in it, and he recognized himself in the narrative as well. I think that I will read Beverly Cleary books for child-rearing advice. It’s like she gets inside the kid’s heads in a way that I just… can’t.

That’s all for now.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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What a Week! (Pictures, Long)

4 April 2009 / aidan, disney world, friends, life, living in chicago, pictures

Lots have gone on since I’ve last updated. I’ll try to make it simple for simplicity’s sake. This post is long!

· Riley has a friend! I went online looking at AG dolls just to see what was out there, and to decide which one I would eventually purchase. Well, last Sunday, I was Googling QVC and American Girl and came up with a random lucky link. Ruthie, one of the dolls I was considering, was being sold with her accessories, a book, a hair brush, and an extra pair of pajamas for $76. Whoa? The doll and paperback book is $95 when purchased through regular channels. All that extra stuff with the doll? You’re looking at about $160 right there. Factoring in shipping and tax, she came to $86. I couldn’t pass her up. (I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to stumble upon this link–it is not searchable at QVC.com.)

She arrived yesterday (4 days before she was scheduled to!) and she and Riley took to each other right away!

· This morning, my friend Kari, who I’ve known online for years now, flew into Chicago to visit with some old college chums. This morning, we all met up for brunch at Le Peep. I had the Belgian Waffle Combo like I always do when I go.

Of course, Kari and I took some pix!

· Earlier this week, Joey and Rory were at my work singing for us and chatting with us. Joey’s voice is so amazing and unbelievably beautiful. She makes it sound easy and effortless. They’re both very nice and I wish them the best tomorrow at the ACM Awards!!

· Today, I got to see RENT!!! They’re in Chicago until April 12, and Adam and I popped into a matinee. We were in the orchestra seats, row W, which was pretty good. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal were amazing as Mark and Roger, and Justin Johnson was absolutely STUNNING as Angel. Lexi Lawson was amazing as Mimi. Actually, they all did a wonderful job and this production was OFF THE HOOK. I was smiling and clapping while tears were streaming down my cheeks.

Afterward, Adam and I met up with one of the stage hands and we waited in line while a few of the cast members came out. I got my picture with John Watson, who plays Mr. Jefferson and other roles, and Adam Haplin, who plays Gordon other little roles.

After all of THAT excitement, I got to pretend I was Mimi when the theatre was almost empty:

What a rush, let me tell you! I’m no Lexi Lawson or Rosario Dawson or Daphne Rubin-Vega, but it was fun anyway.

· I booked another Disney trip!!! Disney is offering Free Dining starting in August, and it took me about 20 minutes to decide to think about SERIOUSLY taking Aidan. He’s at the perfect age and I really want to do this for him. I got a quote from Mouse Fan Travel instead of going directly through the Disney site this time. Why have I never done this before? My agent, Suzy, is awesome. This place allowed me to hold a spot for three days while I waited to hear back about getting the time off work. Then once I put down the deposit, she told me the day my ADR window will open, and said she’ll make them for me! If a special deal comes up, this agency will apply the savings proactively. No fees, so hidden little leprechauns to catch me by unpleasant surprise. So, Aidan, Adam and I are going in August for a few days. We’re staying at Pop Century. I like the theming at the place. So cool. It won’t be a terribly long trip, and it’ll be crowded and hot, but the food will be free and we’ll make the best of it. We’ll be at DISNEY WORLD!

Naturally I am very excited. Aidan doesn’t know yet. I’d been debating on how and when to tell him. Some people tell me to wait until just a few weeks or days before. Others tell me not to tell him until we get there–but Aidan is way too bright to fall for that one. Someone else asked me why not tell him when he’s here in a few days? That way he can help me plan! We’ll do some sort of countdown, some activities, and just get ourselves totally worked up. So, I think I’ll tell him when he is here… but I’m not sure how yet. He’s really into guessing games lately, so I think I’m going to go that route. Should be awesome.

OK, I think that’s all from this week. My first week of April has been crazy! But crazy in an amazing, I am very grateful and extremely blessed way. ♥ I am truly happy, and so excited for Thursday evening!!!!

Until next time!

—————-
Now playing: Perry Farrell – Going All the Way (Into the Twilight)
via FoxyTunes

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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My Disney Trip! (Lots of Pictures, Very Long)

28 September 2008 / disney world, food, happy, pictures, vacation

I’m going to try to make this as concise as possible, but so much happened and it was such a FUN time! Here are some highlights. At the end of this post, I will give you a link to all my posted pictures and video.

We arrived in Orlando at a bit after 12pm EST, checked in with the Magical Express guys, and then we were on our way. We were getting “congratulations” left and right because we were wearing our bride and groom Mickey ears:

We stayed at Pop Century, which is a cool hotel featuring many decades of pop culture. There are displays on the wall that feature so many things that I had or was into. We checked in, and they gave us “Just Married” buttons. Our room number was 1234, in the ’50s building (earmarked by a GIANT statue of Lady)! Easy or what?

There was a towel animal in the window:

He stayed with us the whole trip.

Adam changed into shorts, we slathered on sunscreen, and we were on our way. I was in jeans because Magical Express hadn’t brought my luggage yet. First stop, MAGIC KINGDOM!

It was all decorated for Halloween!

Disney characters, I noticed, seem to like running off with newly wedded spouses. Chip was the first one to try to steal me from Adam, and when Adam caught on to what he was doing, he quickly surrendered:

We’re all friends, though.

Here it is:

We’d arrived just in time for the Dreams Come True parade. The parade started with the grand marshal, then a commercial. YES, a commercial for the new Sleeping Beauty DVD coming out soon.

After about 15 minutes, the actual parade began. Mickey pointed me out and told me that my dreams will “especially” come true.

Obligatory shot of Adam and me in front of the castle.

That day, we ate at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe for dinner, went through Mickey’s and Minnie’s houses, rode Mickey’s Philharmagic twice, rode The Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Cinderella’s Carousel (I rode on Cinderella’s horse!), Space Mountain (a couple of random girls came up and handed us their fast passes!), It’s A Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Peter Pan, however, had a 40 minute wait which seriously confused me. We watched Wishes, the fireworks show.

As the day wound down and the Extra Magic Hours started, we were pretty much walking on rides.

We met Pooh, Tigger, Darby (who tried to run off with Adam–apparently she was feeling him up at one point), and Goofy (notice anything weird about that picture?).

The next day, we ate breakfast at the Pop Century food court, then headed to Epcot.

There, we rode Soarin’, Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth. Adam enjoyed some hands-on activities at Innovations, and we watched Honey I Shrunk the Audience and the Circle of Life. We tried different pops at that Cool Club place. We had lunch at The Garden Grill, one of my favorite places to eat:

Mmm, yum!

We also met a motherload of characters! Chip cried when he saw that I was married. All the guy characters were giving Adam thumbs up for picking me.

After we ate, it was RAINING like CRAZY. We hung out a bit in The Land, trying to wait for it to let up, then finally braved a few drops to make our way to one of the gift shops to buy ponchos. I also got a pair of earrings, and Adam got a new watch! Once we were in our ponchos, we were ready to go. The park was emptying out at an alarming rate, and we walked right on to Test Track. This was good because we’d had to forfeit our others when the time for our lunch reservations bumped up with our fast pass time. (Now I know that we can get on anytime after the initial start time, no need to go in that specified hour).

We made our way to World Showcase, where we walked right on Maelstrom (twice) and enjoyed leisurely walking around looking at the countries. Adam had a strawberry preserve crepe which was yummy! Then we watched Illuminations, then headed back. I had the famous Tie Dye cheesecake from the Pop Century food court, and it turned my tongue blue! It was yummy, though.

The next morning, we were back at Epcot. Had a hard time finding something to snack on for breakfast, which made Adam cranky. But I found an apple danish, and Adam drank a milk shake. We did World Showcase again. Characters came out to play around 11. We rode the ride in Mexico, and we rode Maelstrom again.

As were talking with Aurora, she asked what our plans were. I told her we’d planned to party that night, and she said “Oh, you will be getting your grooves on, yes?” AWESOME!

The highlight of my day, though, was meeting BEAST! I’d just missed him the last time I was at Disney World. While we were in line for Belle, Beast came out and joined her. I was SCREAMING with happiness. And to make matters even better, the couple in front of us gave me a pin you can only get at Tokyo Disney!

Soon, it was time for lunch at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. This place is not easy to get into because it’s full of princesses and very popular. I was surprised that we got a reservation. I loved the place. First, they started off by photographing us with Belle:

Then they seated us. The food was great, and we got to dine with four other princesses! They came around with photos for us, and then the manager gave Adam and me complimentary champagne as congratulations for our marriage!

After lunch, we headed back to Pop Century for a nap before Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

I was a wood fairy.

The villains mixed and mingled, we were treated to a special parade kicked off by the Headless Horseman, saw special fireworks, and we trick or treated at various stations throughout the park. Adam couldn’t resist going on Haunted Mansion, which was extra spookified that night.

We met Cinderella’s wicked relatives, who were HILARIOUS by the way, and Pooh and Eeyore all dressed up, the Wicked Queen, Claude Frollo, and Minnie looking extra cute!

We also got our grooves on, yes, at Ariel’s Grotto.

Wednesday, we headed to Hollywood Studios. Adam was excited to meet the regular, non-dressed up Donald Duck, and to meet the awesome Sorcerer Mickey.

We rode the Backlot Tour (where we starred in the feature show!) and The Great Movie Ride. We hung out with flappers on the main strip and got marriage advice. (Say “Yes, dear, you’re right dear” and “She’s always right.”) I met Kim Possible and her boyfriend Ron, and we watched Muppet Vision 3D. After dinner, Stitch walked by and wiped a booger on my shoulder. The highlight of the day? I GOT TO MEET Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen!

We also hung out with Mike and Sulley of Monsters Inc. fame!

A cast member at the Indiana Jones kiosk gave me a “diamond” upgrade on my ring. We popped on Rockin’ Roller Coaster, which I’d always wanted to try but never made it over to where it is in the Studios. That ride is crazy! And then Adam talked me into riding Tower of Terror. I’d never ridden Tower of Terror before. I was VERY nervous. And for the first few seconds afterward, I HATED it. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And… wanting to go on it again!

We had dinner at the ’50s Prime Time Cafe, where they singled us out and had people from all over the restaurant give us marriage advice. More of the same: “She’s always right.” Ha. That night we went to Downtown Disney and it was CRAZY. Not a lot of fun with the crowds everywhere, but I got some cool pins and souvenirs.

The next morning was Magic Kingdom. We had a breakfast date with Pooh and Friends, but before that, we ran into Jiminy Cricket (who incidentally, tried to run off with me)!

Then we headed to Crystal Palace for breakfast. YUM! There, they’d put a heart of confetti on our table!

At Crystal Palace, I got a Mickey waffle (can’t have a trip to WDW without a Mickey waffle!), and I ate about 10 pieces of bacon. Piglet was WAY too cute, and so was Pooh and sweet Eeyore, who is sooo cuddly. Tigger tried to run off with me, telling me that he was WAY better than Adam.

After breakfast, we headed back to Town Square to meet more characters! We ran into Horace and Clarabelle where scandal ensued (mostly characters trying to run off with spouses AGAIN–and vice versa).

While we were waiting for them, I noticed this in the sky:

Sky Writing Chick Tracts?

Anyway, on to the shenanigans:

After Horace and Clarabelle, we ran into Daisy Duck, who we’d *just* missed in Hollywood Studios the day before, and Mary Poppins and Burt!

We watched the Dreams Come True show.

We also met Snow White, Frontier Donald, Peter Pan and Wendy, Jessie and Woody, and Captain Hook and Smee. We then spent the rest of the day wandering around Magic Kingdom doing whatever stuck our fancies. Now, MK was VERY crowded (relatively) because of morning Extra Magic Hours, so now we know to AVOID parks that have morning hours. Still, we got to ride the Mad Tea Party, Liberty Bell, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice in a row, and Splash Mountain. It was my first time riding Splash Mountain. “You won’t get that wet,” Adam had said. Oh yeah?

At one point, Adam got very distraught.

This was why:

We also did Stitch’s Great Escape and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (which is BRILLIANT!), the Hall of Presidents, and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Lunch was at Columbia Harbor House, where I got a free dessert for being a newlywed! We watched Spectromagic (where Adam freaked out over Chernabog) and Wishes again, then hung around more than an hour after official close to people watch and to just enjoy the castle. It did a special good night around 10pm with sparkles and music. It was lovely.

The next morning was Magic Kingdom again! Told you, we ♥ that place! First, though, we had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. I enjoyed it greatly. It was a lot less busy than Crystal Palace and they had yummy strawberry soup. We got to meet Mary Poppins, Pooh, Tigger, Alice, and the Mad Hatter there.

At the Kingdom, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean (where there was a message waiting for me from Mickey and Minnie congratulating me on my marriage and encouraging me to eat lots of cake) and Haunted Mansion (he’s obsessed!). The guy at the Dole Whip counter gave us free pineapple floats with a congratulations!

We met Rafiki and Timon, who BOTH tried to run off with me. The cast member there said “I’d tell you congratulations but I think Rafiki is jealous!”

On our way out of Magic Kingdom, we ran into a vendor who’d talked to us a the day before. She gave me a special and exclusive Pixie Dust pin! And then the Family Fun Day Parade started, which was very cute and a lot of fun. A great way to end our Magic Kingdom Adventure of 2008.

We hopped over the Hollywood Studios, and got there just in time for the Block Party Bash, which was colorful and beautiful! We also watched the Beauty and the Beast show which made me teary eyed. We rode Tower of Terror twice in a row and wanted to go a third time but the wait time had gone up. FYI, Tower of Terror is TOTALLY my favorite Hollywood Studios ride now!

We were wandering around and meandered over to the place where you check wait times for rides. The cast member there caught on that we were interested in riding the new Toy Story Midway Mania ride, but didn’t really have time to do the 60 minute wait. SHE GAVE US FAST PASSES! Win Win Win!! They were all out of them for the day, too. The ride was FUN! It’s like Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin on steroids. I loved it. Then, we hit Sounds Dangerous, and then it was time to eat at Hollywood & Vine, which was very tasty, especially the desserts!!!

After dinner, Adam bought this cel he’d had his eye on for days. I’m glad he got it, it looks great in our room. I shopped like crazy, buying pins and stuffed things and stuff for Aidan. We got back to the hotel about 730pm or so, used up the last of our snack credits, and commenced packing. We had an EARLY start the next morning.

What a magical, amazing, and fun trip. We got loads of extra attention from cast members and park guests alike. We had fun, and I got to do a bunch of things I’d never done before. I noticed things I never had before, and I got to meet a bunch of characters I never DREAMED I’d meet! This is a great time of year to go. The weather isn’t too ridiculously hot, and the crowd level is dreamy. We’re already making preliminary plans for next 2009!

I leave you with two photographs I took:

Click to see more pictures of our adventure:

Ronni & Adam’s 2008 Trip to Disney World/Honeymoon

Hope you enjoyed this. We certainly enjoyed our trip and are excited about going back soon! ‘Til next time!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Disney Bound! (Picture)

20 September 2008 / disney world, dork, pictures, ronni

It’s just hours away now!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Starlight, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight (Picture)

18 September 2008 / aidan, conversations with aidan, disney world, pictures, shopping, to do, work

!!! Disney in just a couple days !!!

And I’ve been SO busy, I haven’t even had time to make lists of the stuff I need to do before and for the trip. I’m hoping that Saturday, after my hair appointment, I can come home and square things away. I’m supposed to work late tomorrow night, so that’s out. Eeek. However, my paycheck next week will be very nice! I’m purposely waiting until near the end of the trip to do the bulk of my souvenir shopping. (Don’t worry, Rosa, I haven’t forgotten about your Alice pin!)

I think I’ll get it together, though. I am almost done with all the shopping I need to do. I’d like to get another memory card for at least one of the cameras (although we’ll have at least three cameras total!), I got some cute new shirts and a pair of shorts (for $5!), a new necklace, and some earrings. I am so happy we have an Aeropostale downtown now. SO HAPPY! Hmm… I want to get more sunscreen, although I do have a can of nice spray on stuff. It’s a few years old, though, so I don’t know if it’ll still be any good. I do NOT want to get burned!

Here are some things I need to do:

– clear off memory cards
– recharge camera batteries
– buy sunscreen
– load and recharge iPod
– sync iPhone (although I tend to do this every night anyway)
– choose a bag to carry around the park
– gather up Disney stuff (confirmations, Disney dollars, Magical Express tags, ears, etc.)
– PACK!!!!

Yes, EARS! Melissa and Eli bought us the bride and groom ears! I’m so happy about that! Adam looks SO cute in his. I’m sure I’ll look cute, too.

I’m so very excited to be going to Disney World. I have the Wishes song on my iPhone as my default ringtone.

Tonight, I talked to little Aidan on the phone. He and his dad were on speaker, and Aidan was getting tired and a little bit grouchy. Anyway, he was trying to say he wasn’t sleepy.

Aidan: I’m not sleepy. I’m like an owl.
Ronni: Aw, he’s a night owl.
Chris: Yes, just like his mommy. Aidan, are you nocturnal?
Aidan: Yes, that means I wake up in the night.
Chris: Do you hibernate?
Aidan: No, I’m not a bear!

He’s so freakin’ smart. I miss him so much. Earlier this week, I mailed him a package full of cool stuff, and he got it today. He said he likes everything in there. Among the things I put in the package:

– butterfly bath bomb from Lush
– 2 shirts from Old Navy (he said he LOVES them and can’t wait to wear them!)
– sour gummy worms
– fruit snacks
– blue self-stick notes in the shape of an A

Schawk! is still going well. Fourth quarter officially starts this weekend, though, so they’re already asking people to do overtime. I can’t this week–I’ll be preparing for Disney World. But soon enough, I’ll be working 10 hour days and Saturdays too, probably. I’ll be loving my paychecks as a result of all that work. It’s a decent place to work. But I am glad tomorrow is Friday. This week was a bit tiring.

Hmm, what else? I want to get it all out while I’m here, because I don’t know if I’ll have time to blog again before I go!!!

OH, I know. Check this out:

See the big giraffe? Yeah, I TOTALLY want it. I went up to it in the store today and hugged it. So cute.

Oh, I know. Yesterday, I went and saw Romney at her job. She works a BLOCK from me. Takes me like, 2 minutes to walk there. She’s SO CUTE. I adore her.

OK, I need to go because I’m typing like crap and losing my train of thought, AND I am getting sleepy. Plus Crookshanks just plopped his big butt on my lap. Please forgive any typos. I’ll try to blog tomorrow or Saturday, if I have some time. But for now… good night!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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