A Cause For Celebration: A Wedding, A Marathon & A 30th Birthday - January 2018 Update:12/28

We still haven't officially agreed that we are keeping the kitten who has been living in our basement since August (the extremely feral one), but we have tamed her and she is one of the sweetest little things!

You are so keeping her.

(we've actually been calling her BK since we haven't named her yet).

:laughing:

You've named her. She's there to stay now.

I am the crazy person who dresses my dogs in costumes for Halloween haha. This year Jax was a lobster...

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:laughing: Great costume!

We sadly said goodbye to another one of our degus:( We have now lost 3 of them this year, all littermates.

Sorry to hear that. :hug:

We received some Disney Fairytale Wedding mail the other day!

Yay!
 
You are so keeping her.

Sigh. I know. I feel like I'm bordering on crazy cat lady status now though...

:laughing:

You've named her. She's there to stay now.

She's started responding to the name BK (because I guess it took us too much energy to say Basement Kitten).

:laughing: Great costume!

I own way too many costumes for that dog... he has a shark, a dinosaur, a Hot Dog of course....

Sorry to hear that. :hug:

Thank you!


I was so excited! I thought they only sent that stuff out to the couples with the more expensive wedding packages, but apparently not!
 
Day Two Plans - Sunday, December 31st, 2017

The night before will be a late night, we probably won't get to bed until 2am or so (I figure it will take us awhile to get out of Magic Kingdom after the fireworks). We will get to sleep in a bit on this day, before getting up and getting ready for our fancy brunch reservation at Narcoosee's! I really wanted to do one of the Sunday brunches they offer (at California Grill or Narcoosee's), and this was the one we were able to get a reservation for. After reading more reviews of both, Luke has decided this is the one he'd prefer to do anyways, so hopefully it lives up to our expectations!

We have time to enjoy our meal and relax before calling an Uber to take us to the Give Kids the World Village :) We both signed up to volunteer for a 3 hour shift on New Year's Eve (since we really wanted to avoid going to the parks on this day). I forget exactly what we signed up for, I think it might be the ice cream place? This was something we both really wanted to do, and part of the reason we decided to extend our trip.

After volunteering, we will catch another Uber back to WDW. Depending on the time, we will either go back to Pop Century for a bit, or head straight to Disney Springs. We figure Disney Springs will be quite busy this night, but we do have a reservation at Homecomin' at 8:50pm. We've budgeted quite a bit of money for this meal, we plan on enjoying some of those amazing moonshine cocktails haha.



After our meal and drinks, we will probably just head back to Pop Century. We need to pack up anything we've unpacked, since we'll be jumping to a new hotel the next night :)

Park(s) Planned:
None

Fastpasses:
None

ADR's:
Narcoosee's Brunch 11:25am
Homecomin' 8:50pm


Day Three Plans - Monday, January 1st, 2018


As soon as we wake up, we need to give all of our stuff to Bell Services to deliver to our new hotel for the night. We are heading back to Give Kids the World for another volunteer shift today, from 11:30am-2:30am. I think we're doing pizza delivery for this shift? Luke has all of that information in his email.

Once our shift ends, we will catch an Uber to go check in for the night at.... the Grand Floridian! I'm so excited for this, it's a hotel that is so far out of my price range I'd never thought I'd get a chance to stay there. However, we set up a room block as part of our wedding trip, and by having a minimum of 10 confirmed room night we were eligible to receive a complimentary night in any hotel of our choosing - obviously we chose the one we can't afford on our own haha! Also, since most of our guests are coming for a week, we have over 70 confirmed room nights - but we still only get 1 night free. Oh well, we'll make the most of it, and enjoy it!

We'll check in, and go to see our room before our supper reservation at 1900 Park Fare (so we don't have far to travel for this one!) We had booked supper at this restaurant on our first trip in 2016, but I ended up getting really sick that day and we had to cancel it, then we just couldn't squeeze it in anywhere on our 2017 trip - so I'm looking forward to finally getting to eat there with Cinderella and her step-sisters.

We'll spend the rest of the night enjoying the hotel, and its beautiful lobby :love:

Back to back days without the parks will probably drive me crazy haha - especially being on the monorail and so close to Magic Kingdom, but Luke only has 10 day tickets and this day would require adding on another day (which I know would be super cheap, but it also gives us a reason to just stick around the Grand and explore).

Sorry, the plans for these two days are pretty boring, but it might be nice to relax before the craziness of the next 12 days...

Park(s) Planned:
None
Fastpasses:
None
ADR's:
1900 Park Fare 6:35pm
 
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Sounds like a nice relaxing way to ease in and enjoy the first couple days of your long trip!

Yes, we're staying at Pop, too! So we'll keep our eyes peeled for you :)
 


Plans look great! I love that you're volunteering at GKTW for two days ... such a great thing to do on your non-park days.
Grand Floridian ... enjoy being super fancy for a night! I'd love to stay there some day ... even though it's way too fancy for me.

I love that Disney sent you boxes of stuff. I mean, the contents are a little weird (don't shirts that need collar stays usually come with collar stays?), but ... it's cool.
 
Sigh. I know. I feel like I'm bordering on crazy cat lady status now though...

"bordering"


:rolleyes1

She's started responding to the name BK (because I guess it took us too much energy to say Basement Kitten).

Plus.... free food at Burger King when you tell 'em the cat was named after them.
:rolleyes:

I own way too many costumes for that dog... he has a shark, a dinosaur, a Hot Dog of course....

:laughing: Of course!

our fancy brunch reservation at Narcoosee's!

oooh... nice. Want to got there. Some day.

We have time to enjoy our meal and relax before calling an Uber to take us to the Give Kids the World Village :) We both signed up to volunteer for a 3 hour shift on New Year's Eve (since we really wanted to avoid going to the parks on this day). I forget exactly what we signed up for, I think it might be the ice cream place? This was something we both really wanted to do, and part of the reason we decided to extend our trip.

What is this?

we do have a reservation at Homecomin' at 8:50pm.

Heard mixed reviews. Good, but not great. (Mostly in reference to the fried chicken)

We are heading back to Give Kids the World for another volunteer shift today, from 11:30am-2:30am.

Again! Very good of you. :)

Once our shift ends, we will catch an Uber to go check in for the night at.... the Grand Floridian!

Very nice! :)

we were eligible to receive a complimentary night in any hotel of our choosing - obviously we chose the one we can't afford on our own haha!

Obviously!

Back to back days without the parks will probably drive me crazy haha

:laughing: It would, me!
 
Luke and I are taking off to Disneyland tomorrow for the long weekend, so I know I wont be able to get any updates done this weekend, so I thought I'd try and squeeze one more in before our trip :) Also, if you are interested, Luke and I will both be running in the 5k on Friday as part of runDisney's Super Heroes Race Weekend (which is the last runDisney event on the West Coast for at least a few years). Luke will also be running in the half marathon on Sunday - his make-up race from the cancellation this past January in Florida. I will be posting pictures on my instagram, my user name is fallonkendra on there as well :)

Day Four Plans - Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018

We'll be starting the morning bright and early. We need to hand over all of our luggage to bell services in preparation for our third and final hotel move, before catching an Uber to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our breakfast reservation at Boma at 7:30am (ugh, so early!!). Boma was one of our favourite breakfasts we've ever had at Disney, so it was a must-do on our list for this trip as well.​

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After drinking way too much POG juice (or Jungle Juice - whatever they call it there), we will catch the bus over to Animal Kingdom. We're hoping to be there as close to rope drop as possible, and try to walk on a few things with low wait times - we might start with Dinosaur since we don't have a Fastpass for it and let all the other rope droppers rush to Pandora.

Our first Fastpass is my all-time favourite Disney ride: Expedition Everest. After our roller coaster ride with a Yeti, our next Fastpass window is immediately following for the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Hopefully there will be lots of animals out that day!

For lunch, we have a reservation at Tiffin's at 1pm. The menu is a little adventurous for my picky-eating habits, but we wanted to give it a try anyways. Some of the desserts have caught my interest though...

At some point, I'd like to meet up with @xlsm since she will be in Animal Kingdom that day as well :)

That afternoon we can relax and enjoy the beauty of Animal Kingdom, before we head into Pandora for our third Fastpass - Flight of Passage! I've been hearing so many great things about this ride, I'm really looking forward to trying it out!

Rivers of Light is currently scheduled for 6:30pm that evening, and we plan on being in the crowd to watch it. I've read mixed reviews, but we want to watch it to make our own decision on if it is great or not.

That park is open until 8pm that evening, however we will need to leave a little earlier than that to make it to Kidani Village for our 8:15 reservation at Saana. I think that was my favourite meal of our January 2017 trip, and it was another absolute must-do for this trip. The bread service, the chickeas, the drinks...mmm...

IMG_3995.jpg


After stuffing ourselves with all the delicious Indian-African inspired food we can fit into our bellies, we will call an Uber to take us to our hotel for the rest of the vacation - Old Key West! We stayed there for 5 nights earlier this year and loved it, so we are excited to be spending 11 nights there this time! It'll probably be after 10pm by the time we get to our room after a super early morning, so it'll be time to crash for the night.

Park(s) Planned:
Animal Kingdom

Fastpasses:
Expedition Everest 10:55-11:55
Kilimanjaro Safaris 11:55-12:55
Flight of Passage 5:10-6:10

ADR's:
Boma 7:30pm
Tiffins 1pm
Saana 8:15pm
 


Just caught up. Whew, that is a lot of planning. Congrats on your engagement. Love what you have planned up to now.
Can't wait to hear more!:thumbsup2
 
Luke and I are taking off to Disneyland tomorrow for the long weekend

Oh, sure. Like it's nothing. "Just popping out a bit to Disneyland!"

Also, if you are interested, Luke and I will both be running in the 5k on Friday as part of runDisney's Super Heroes Race Weekend

Cool! Dressing up (I hope?)

which is the last runDisney event on the West Coast for at least a few years

Why?

Luke will also be running in the half marathon on Sunday - his make-up race from the cancellation this past January in Florida

I don't judge.
Whether he wears make-up or not is totally his choice.

We'll be starting the morning bright and early.

Good for you! I can only manage the "early" part.

Boma was one of our favourite breakfasts we've ever had at Disney, so it was a must-do on our list for this trip as well.

I've heard such good things about their brekkie.

we might start with Dinosaur since we don't have a Fastpass for it and let all the other rope droppers rush to Pandora.

Hmmm... I wonder how busy (or not) it will be.
Interested to see what you report.

After our roller coaster ride with a Yeti, our next Fastpass window is immediately following for the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Hopefully there will be lots of animals out that day!

Mornings. It's where it's at in the jungle.

Flight of Passage! I've been hearing so many great things about this ride, I'm really looking forward to trying it out!

::yes::
 
Have SO much fun in Disneyland!!!!! I have never been, but hope to SOME DAY!!! Can't wait to hear all about it :)
 
Now, for wedding/trip updates! We received some Disney Fairytale Wedding mail the other day!

img_7873-jpg.281568

Yay! Disney wedding mail! Nathan loved the Prince Charming coin. I remember it saying something about how you could give it to a kid in/at the wedding or something, and Nathan was like, "Nope! Mine!" haha

We have time to enjoy our meal and relax before calling an Uber to take us to the Give Kids the World Village :) We both signed up to volunteer for a 3 hour shift on New Year's Eve (since we really wanted to avoid going to the parks on this day). I forget exactly what we signed up for, I think it might be the ice cream place? This was something we both really wanted to do, and part of the reason we decided to extend our trip.

I love this!! I'd really like to do this on a trip sometime!

Also, since most of our guests are coming for a week, we have over 70 confirmed room nights - but we still only get 1 night free. Oh well, we'll make the most of it, and enjoy it!

That totally doesn't seem fair! haha
But still, that night at the Grand will be fabulous!

We'll check in, and go to see our room before our supper reservation at 1900 Park Fare (so we don't have far to travel for this one!) We had booked supper at this restaurant on our first trip in 2016, but I ended up getting really sick that day and we had to cancel it, then we just couldn't squeeze it in anywhere on our 2017 trip - so I'm looking forward to finally getting to eat there with Cinderella and her step-sisters.

We're at 1900 Park Fare the next night! I'm excited for the characters!

Luke only has 10 day tickets and this day would require adding on another day (which I know would be super cheap, but it also gives us a reason to just stick around the Grand and explore).

Hard not to go to a park when you're so close, but it's good to have an excuse to make the most of your night at the GF.

before catching an Uber to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our breakfast reservation at Boma at 7:30am (ugh, so early!!).

Yum! We also love Boma! And if it helps, we've always found that first 7:30am reservation is really great for it being quiet and relaxed in the restaurant, and the service being good since it's not usually very busy. Also, the food on the buffet is freshest!

The menu is a little adventurous for my picky-eating habits, but we wanted to give it a try anyways.

I'm fairly picky, too. But I really liked our meal here when we went!
 
Sounds like a nice relaxing way to ease in and enjoy the first couple days of your long trip!

Yes, we're staying at Pop, too! So we'll keep our eyes peeled for you :)

It would probably make more sense to have a few down days in the middle of our trip as opposed to the beginning, but it'll be fine :)

I'll keep my eyes open for you too! Hopefully we cross paths!

Plans look great! I love that you're volunteering at GKTW for two days ... such a great thing to do on your non-park days.
Grand Floridian ... enjoy being super fancy for a night! I'd love to stay there some day ... even though it's way too fancy for me.

I love that Disney sent you boxes of stuff. I mean, the contents are a little weird (don't shirts that need collar stays usually come with collar stays?), but ... it's cool.

Yeah, we both really wanted to spend some time at GKTW volunteering, and out original trip dates just didn't allow us to do that (with Race Expo, 5k, full marathon, family park days, etc), so I'm really glad we added on the three extra days at the beginning of the trip :)

Yeah, most of the stuff they sent for the wedding isn't really super useful, but it's the thought that counts I guess? Hahaha - most of it is a little fancy for me, I'm realizing now I'm such a plain-jane person.
 
"bordering"


:rolleyes1

I know, I know - I just need to embrace my title as crazy cat lady...

Plus.... free food at Burger King when you tell 'em the cat was named after them.
:rolleyes:

This would be great, except Burger King sucks...

oooh... nice. Want to got there. Some day.

I'm excited for this! We really wanted to do one of the fancy brunches (either Narcoosee's or Cali Grill, and this was the one we were able to get a reservation for).

What is this?

Give Kids the World is the complex they've built for Make-A-Wish children and their families (like a big hotel, but with a Merry-Go-Round, food courts, etc). Everything on site is free for the families for the week they are there, and they rely on lots of volunteers to make everything run smoothly :)

Heard mixed reviews. Good, but not great. (Mostly in reference to the fried chicken)

We ate there on our trip last January and loved it so much we have it booked as our wedding reception :)

Very nice! :)

I'm not a fancy person at all, but it'll be fun to pretend for a night!

Obviously!

It just made the most sense!

:laughing: It would, me!

Luckily I do have 11 park day planned for myself on this trip, so hopefully that will be enough to keep me satisfied :)
 
Just caught up. Whew, that is a lot of planning. Congrats on your engagement. Love what you have planned up to now.
Can't wait to hear more!:thumbsup2

:welcome: Thanks for joining in!

Oh, sure. Like it's nothing. "Just popping out a bit to Disneyland!"

In the grand scheme of things, California really isn't that far from Edmonton...

Cool! Dressing up (I hope?)

Of course we did!


Seems like a combination of ongoing construction in/around the Disney Resort area (Star Wars land, new parking garage, new hotel breaking ground next summer, etc), and disagreements with the city of Anaheim over permits?

I don't judge.
Whether he wears make-up or not is totally his choice.

:rotfl:


Good for you! I can only manage the "early" part.

Yeah, I tend to be a bit of a grumpypants in the mornings hahaha.

I've heard such good things about their brekkie.

It was really good! And prices are decent (on a Disney scale of pricing)

Hmmm... I wonder how busy (or not) it will be.
Interested to see what you report.

Hopefully it won't be too crazy!

Mornings. It's where it's at in the jungle.

:thumbsup2


Have you been on Flight of Passage yet?

Have fun in Disneyland - I look forward to following along on Instagram!

Thanks for following along on instagram all weekend! Also, congrats on adding more hardware to your race medal collection!

Have SO much fun in Disneyland!!!!! I have never been, but hope to SOME DAY!!! Can't wait to hear all about it :)

Thanks! It was a great trip (minus the food poisoning I got one day...). You need to go check out Disneyland sometime! I'm starting to think more and more that it is my favourite of the two...
 
Yay! Disney wedding mail! Nathan loved the Prince Charming coin. I remember it saying something about how you could give it to a kid in/at the wedding or something, and Nathan was like, "Nope! Mine!" haha

Haha, yeah Luke seemed to like it too! Did Nathan have it on him the day of the wedding?

I love this!! I'd really like to do this on a trip sometime!

It's something we've talked about for awhile now, so I'm glad we're actually going to do it!

That totally doesn't seem fair! haha
But still, that night at the Grand will be fabulous!

The complimentary room at the Grand you guys received looked great! I'm looking forward to it!

We're at 1900 Park Fare the next night! I'm excited for the characters!

Same! I really want to meet the Step-Sisters!

Hard not to go to a park when you're so close, but it's good to have an excuse to make the most of your night at the GF.

We'll probably never stay there again, so I figure we might as well take advantage of everything it has to offer!

Yum! We also love Boma! And if it helps, we've always found that first 7:30am reservation is really great for it being quiet and relaxed in the restaurant, and the service being good since it's not usually very busy. Also, the food on the buffet is freshest!

I think our reservation last January was also for the 7:30 time slot, and our service was really great and the food was all nice and hot! I'd have to imagine it's a great buffet for you and your food allergies!

I'm fairly picky, too. But I really liked our meal here when we went!

Yay! Hopefully we enjoy it :)
 
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Haha, yeah Luke seemed to like it too! Did Nathan have it on him the day of the wedding?

He did! He kept it in his pants pocket, I believe. And when our photographer saw him flipping it while he was waiting for her to set up a shot, she took a picture. :)

oerQMgT.jpg


And yes, you're right. Boma is awesome for allergies! I've had one bad allergy experience here with a chef who wasn't very knowledgeable about cross-contamination of gluten, but I kept on him and asked lots of questions so I was fine. And otherwise it's been amazing!
 
Day Five Plans - January 3rd, 2018

We don't have to be awake crazy early on this day, which will be nice. We are starting our day off with a breakfast reservation at Trail's End over at Fort Wilderness (so we'll either Uber it over there or take a bus to Magic Kingdom then a boat to Fort Wilderness).

From there, we will catch the Fort Wilderness bus that is heading to the runDisney Expo. Last year it opened at noon and I assume it'll be the same this year. We'll be picking up 5k race packets for both of us, as well as Luke's full marathon stuff. We always enjoy taking a bit of time to look around the Expo and buy a few things, before we head back to Old Key West to drop off our new goodies. We'll do a quick drop of everything in our room before heading back out to catch a bus to Epcot for the rest of the day.

Our first Fastpass is for Frozen Ever After at 2:50pm. We also have a Le Cellier reservation at 3:40, but we will probably end up canceling that - Luke wanted to try Crew's Cup Lounge at the Yacht Club Resort and this is really the only time we have to fit it in. Our 2nd Fastpass is for Mission Space at 4:40, and then at 6:40 we have our third Fastpass for the Character Spot - and it overlaps with @MeghanEmily so we can meet Mickey together (and get Photopass pictures to prove our dismeet actually happened haha).

We will have an early bedtime that night in preparation for the 5k race the next day :)

Park(s) Planned:
Epcot
Fastpasses:
Frozen Ever After 2:50-3:50
Mission Space 4:40-5:40
Character Spot 6:40-7:40

ADR's:
Trail's End 9:45am
Le Cellier 3:40pm
 
Luke's Wedding Party

Luke has had his three people set for months now, but he just got around to writing this up for our wedding website a few weeks ago - so this is in his writing, if I add anything I'll make it red :)

Jill – Best Woman

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I met Jill on the day she was born. She had a smushed nose. She’s been my sister ever since. She’s bossy. I don’t remember specifically asking her to be best man. In all likelihood she muscled her way into it because that’s how Jill is. But she’s also the life of the party, extremely loyal, caring, considerate, uncomfortable with being praised like this so I’ll deviate and say she’s had my back my entire life and couldn’t be prouder to have her on my team.

When she’s not being a Best Gal, Jill can be found chilling with her #tinysweetheart watching NFL action (Go Steelers!), kickin’ it on the 1s & 2s as an amateur DJ, cooking, book clubbing, and living her best life.

Lisa – Groomswoman

lisapoutine.jpg


The unstoppable force that is Luke and Lisa was forged in the fires of conflict from mid-to-late-2000s MTV reality shows, specifically ones focused on identical twins who were into girls and dudes. Their shared passion for potatoes – even baking cakes with perogy-shaped cookies on them, karaoke and Metric shows is unrivaled. Whether it’s yelling “sports” at Oiler/Eskimo games, or saying “Woooooooooo!!!” at concerts, this cat-loving duo has been an immense force of awesomeness going back to ’05. This has nothing to with anything but The Gaslight Anthem is a great band. Luke recently acted as the attendant in Lisa’s wedding to Handsome Trevor and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive somehow. In all seriousness though – Lisa saved my life and I couldn’t be happier that she’s going to be at my side as I marry Fallon. Lisa is one of my all-time favourite people, a pickleball champion, and I’m proud to have her in our party.

(*This is Fallon - Lisa and Trevor had a food truck show up during their wedding dance to serve free poutine to everyone. It was amazing.)

Devin – Groomsman

devin.jpg


2005 was a very good year. That’s when i had the fortune of meeting Devin. I was new to Edmonton from then Regina. We worked at the station together and lived blocks apart. What started as Onowayan hospitality over Ugandan magic Pepsi cocktails has led to a lifelong friendship. I know I can always count on Devin if I need help. He’s as honest, hard-working, genuine and kind a person as you’ll ever meet. Fun fact: one night in summer ’06 Devin was at a wedding near my Whyte Ave apartment. He called me to come meet up. I arrive at the venue and Devin’s all the way up a tree. I call him on my cell and he says “When Chuck Norris jumps into water, he doesn’t get wet… the water gets Chuck Norris’d” then jumps down almost onto my car. It’s like midnight and we head back to my place. Devin decides he’s not ready to crash so we head out to Hudsons. Devin gives the doorman $20 and we walk right in. While inside we meet some mutual friends and he starts hitting it off with this Matthew Good fan named Larissa. A few of us head back to my place, snack on Premium Plus crackers and peanut butter, then head out onto the roof to mess with tipsy passers-by. All in all a good night. In 2010 – I was a groomsman in Devin and Larissa’s wedding. I’m so happy the tables have turned and they both get to be here for me.

Isabella – Flower Girl

izzy.jpg


Look at my niece! Isn’t she cute? Just wait till she’s a flower girl. Oh man. So much damned cute!!!

I also need to add in Luke's other sister, Callie. We didn't give her an official title in the wedding party, but she'll be carrying Isabella (her daughter) down the aisle. My three members of the wedding party, as well as Jill and Lisa will be wearing full-length black dresses, so Callie will be in a short black one and will also be wearing Converse sneakers like everyone else in the wedding party (she asked if she could, and I had no issues with that at all!).

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Sounds like you have a fun group of people in Luke's wedding party! (Which is really not at all surprising ... you guys are fun, so I'd expect your friends to be fun too)
 

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