This Bridge is Old, Like You! - A July 2017 and April 2018 TR *Completed + New TR Link Posted

What an amazing time at home with your family! I could tell from your writing how meaningful and fun it was for you and your kids! That's the best!

The jet lag won that evening, and Landon ended up passing out shortly after the entrees arrived at our table:

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Oh dear! Poor Landon! Jet lag's the worst.

Had a shopping spree at Target.

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Oh, Target… I miss this store so much. I actually put money aside specifically for this store.

:rotfl2: Fantastic!! We get pretty excited to cross the border and hit up stores like Target, too.

The amusing story behind this photo is that there was a father at the park with a kid around Evie’s age, and he was so nervous watching Evie climb on the structures. I couldn’t figure out why he was constantly standing guard near her, then it clicked in my brain that I have just grown accustomed to German parks which are like mini death traps. Seriously, that ladder Evie is climbing up in that picture is nothing to the rope walls, tall slides, and long bridges with no sides that are at the parks here. This little realization amused me to no end.

Haha oh my goodness! Amazing how different things can be in another country. Little Evie probably thought that was way too safe and easy for her tastes! She's a tough cookie resident of Germany now!

Our last day before our Disney trip had to be my favorite. More fun than my Disney days, even. I know, I know that’s blasphemous but it’s the truth. We all woke up early and went to our favorite beach, which ended up not being crowded yet and not too humid and was everything I remembered it to be and more.

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Wow, this is beautiful!! Looks like you had an awesome time...except Evie. :P Where is this? (Unless it's a secret you can't share. :angel:) We're always talking about how one on of our trips we'll branch out and explore more of Florida than just the Orlando area.

Meanwhile, over in Alex’s neck of the woods, he found out he was promoted to the next rank in his career. That was a huge deal and much cause for celebration.

Wow! Yay Alex! Congrats to him, that's excellent news!

Up Next…I Think the Bellhop Got Lost

Uh oh...
 
It's always nice being able to visit with the family.

Congratulations to Alex on being promoted. Please thank him for his service.
 
I'm sure the kids and the adults enjoyed all of the family fun time! It's definitely a nice way to get accustomed to the time change before heading to Disney World. You don't want to still be suffering from jet lag while there!
 


The time flew by! I had such an amazing time, it was arguably better than Disney. But ssshhhh, I didn’t say that.

Family time really is the best.

The jet lag won that evening, and Landon ended up passing out shortly after the entrees arrived at our table:

Poor Landon.

I hadn’t had a filet since I got to Germany

That's just not right. They don't like beef over there?

We visited our local aquarium (called the Gulfarium).

I've been here but it's been many years ago.

Had a shopping spree at Target.

Love Target!

We went to a local zoo, where poor Evie got sprayed by a lion.

Poor Evie. That's a terrible lion.

The amusing story behind this photo is that there was a father at the park with a kid around Evie’s age, and he was so nervous watching Evie climb on the structures. I couldn’t figure out why he was constantly standing guard near her, then it clicked in my brain that I have just grown accustomed to German parks which are like mini death traps. Seriously, that ladder Evie is climbing up in that picture is nothing to the rope walls, tall slides, and long bridges with no sides that are at the parks here. This little realization amused me to no end.

We really do coddle our kids compared to when I was growing up.

Landon was a beach bum from the day he was born and didn’t hesitate to dig into the sand and play. Evie, naturally, hated it.

If it makes you feel better, Danielle hated the beach the first time we took her. She still doesn't like to be on the beach. She's quite happy watching from the room. Her first trip she staying in a big pink bucket that was used to carry out beach toys back and forth. We put some water in it and she was good to go.

In this picture, you can kind of see the fat lip Evie gave herself the day before.

Evie really did have a bad time of it.

The epitome of decadence

We really do have it too easy here.
 
Not sure I've ever shared it on the DIS before, I usually just post about it on my facebook.
It's here: An Awfully Big Military Adventure
Thanks!

The time flew by! I had such an amazing time, it was arguably better than Disney. But ssshhhh, I didn’t say that.
I can understand that. Especially after you've been living overseas from "home."

The jet lag won that evening, and Landon ended up passing out shortly after the entrees arrived at our table:
Poor guy!

Oh, Target… I miss this store so much. I actually put money aside specifically for this store.

And I still ended up going over that amount.

By a lot.

When I told Alex over the phone to guess how much I’d spent, he threw out a number he believed to be exorbitant.

And I had to tell him he was off by a hundred bucks.

Whoopsies.
:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: Never have I seen such high praises for Target.

And if being off by a hundred bucks seems close, I can only imagine... :eek: :scared1: :faint:

I couldn’t figure out why he was constantly standing guard near her, then it clicked in my brain that I have just grown accustomed to German parks which are like mini death traps. Seriously, that ladder Evie is climbing up in that picture is nothing to the rope walls, tall slides, and long bridges with no sides that are at the parks here.
In other words, German kids in 2017 are still using the playground equipment we used in the 80's and 90's?

Landon was a beach bum from the day he was born and didn’t hesitate to dig into the sand and play. Evie, naturally, hated it. She screamed when I set her down and clung to me like a monkey when I attempted to take her in the water.

A beach fan she is not.
Sounds very, very familiar.

No hospital trips (for the kids)
Well, that's a little concerning that you had to qualify that...

Meanwhile, over in Alex’s neck of the woods, he found out he was promoted to the next rank in his career. That was a huge deal and much cause for celebration.
Congratulations, Alex!!!
 
Thanks for joining, and I have to say, I love your kids' names! I don't know if you've ever watched it, but Supernatural is one of my favorite television shows, and the main character's name is Dean.

My four year old would disagree with you on the main character. He calls it "The Sam Show."
 


I loved this last update. You all look so happy to be back home. Have to say the photo of you and Evie in target is priceless :goodvibes and as for that beach- wow!! Such perfection!!
Jetlag is the pits isn't it! Poor Landon is out for the count:faint: My older son fell asleep on the table waiting for our food at ESPN a few years ago and the youngest concked out standing up in Martha's Vineyard when we'd called in to catch up with friends on our arrival day at the Yacht Club! He had put his wee head on his dad's lap and was softly snoring instantly lol:rotfl2:
Needless to say we didn't stay long with our friends for fear of winning the "parents of the year award":confused3:rotfl2::rotfl:
Wise move to get over your journey before your Disney trip.
Funny how you mention the dad at the park worrying about safety. My son-in-law is Danish and he thinks we are nuts as we are so cautious compared to the Danes :eek:

I was really happy to be back home for those 8 days, more than I thought I'd be, actually.
Oh no! I shouldn't chuckle at your story about your son falling asleep, but I was just picturing the poor guy fast asleep in the restaurant. It can be tough transitioning to a new time zone, and I think it's harder going to the states than it is coming back to Europe.



I read this sentence and it instantly took me back to my German exchange program from high school! Pretty sure we got kebabs every other day and I would love one right now!!

Sounds like it was a great family vacation. I'm from the Midwest and my husband and I were down in Disney in early September and it was so hot I felt like I was melting. I don't know how you did it in July but I'm excited to read about your Disney adventures!

I can understand the desire to have a kebab! They are delicious, and it didn't take me long to figure out which places around me have the best ones.
It was hot, I won't lie. But it was in the mid 80s when I left Germany, and there's no air conditioning here. So I was just really grateful I had A.C. to walk into when I got too uncomfortable.



Your time home with your family sounded amazing! You guys really got to do a lot of things (Target of course is a must!!). I'm with you on chain restaurants, I have so many favorites!

I'm glad it was a wonderful time :-D

Target was number 1 on my list! I miss it!

It really was a great time, and I'm happy I got to do a lot of my favorite things with the kiddos.
 
I was really happy to be back home for those 8 days, more than I thought I'd be, actually.
Oh no! I shouldn't chuckle at your story about your son falling asleep, but I was just picturing the poor guy fast asleep in the restaurant. It can be tough transitioning to a new time zone, and I think it's harder going to the states than it is coming back to Europe.

We definitely find jet lag hits us hard on arrival day in the states and for the first few mornings we get to see the sunrise which is gorgeous (photographic proof provided lol) Sometimes it wallops us when we're coming back too! I think our excitement helps us going stateside :goodvibes

Target was number 1 on my list! I miss it!

It really was a great time, and I'm happy I got to do a lot of my favorite things with the kiddos.


Confession time- I've NEVER been to Target!!:eek:
I love the look of sheer heaven on you and Evie's faces though lol
 

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Oh, Target. There's really nowhere else in the world quite like it ...

Sounds like you guys had a nice relaxing time with the family, which is amazing. Sometimes those little moments are even better than the big Disney trips. Those moments that seem like everyday occurrences can really stick with you and remembering them can help you a lot when you're feeling lonely.

Congrats to Alex on his promotion - that's awesome!
 
What an amazing time at home with your family! I could tell from your writing how meaningful and fun it was for you and your kids! That's the best!

Wow, this is beautiful!! Looks like you had an awesome time...except Evie. :P Where is this? (Unless it's a secret you can't share. :angel:) We're always talking about how one on of our trips we'll branch out and explore more of Florida than just the Orlando area.

This was along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Destin, to be more specific. Anywhere to the west of Disney will give you those white sandy beaches, since it's not on the Atlantic Ocean side, but I'm biased and think the Panhandle of Florida is the best part. If you ever decide to venture several hours (like, 6) away from Disney, let me know and I'll tell you the best spots to hit up!


Great update! Loved hearing about your hometown fun.

Thanks! I was happier than I thought I'd be to go home and visit family.


It's always nice being able to visit with the family.

Congratulations to Alex on being promoted. Please thank him for his service.

Thank you, and I will.
I have really come to appreciate family a lot more since living so far away from them.



I'm sure the kids and the adults enjoyed all of the family fun time! It's definitely a nice way to get accustomed to the time change before heading to Disney World. You don't want to still be suffering from jet lag while there!

It would have been rough dealing with the jet lag at Disney. The kids adjusted pretty quickly, but it actually took me about a week. I would fall asleep with the kids around 8 and wake up at 3 a.m.!



That's just not right. They don't like beef over there?

We really do coddle our kids compared to when I was growing up.

If it makes you feel better, Danielle hated the beach the first time we took her. She still doesn't like to be on the beach. She's quite happy watching from the room. Her first trip she staying in a big pink bucket that was used to carry out beach toys back and forth. We put some water in it and she was good to go.

They just prefer pork over beef. And typically the beef they serve is like a rump roast.

Kids have a lot more freedom here than in the states. You're actually allowed to let your 4 year old walk to the bus stop or the park by themselves. Not that I'd EVER let Landon do that. Yikes! (Although, truth be told, all my neighbors know who Landon is and would send him back to my house if need be...but still.)

Oh no! Don't say that, Evie is supposed to be my beach buddy. Her and I were going to take beach vacations with my mom when she got older. Haha.


:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: Never have I seen such high praises for Target.

And if being off by a hundred bucks seems close, I can only imagine... :eek: :scared1: :faint:

If you could see the stores here, I think you would understand. There's no variety and there's not many places that have everything in one place. For example, I would need to go to Kik for some new pants for Landon, then drive to Lidl for my milk, and then drive over to DM for some diapers for Evie....I REALLY miss having huge department stores with everything under one roof and a large variety. I like my options.


In other words, German kids in 2017 are still using the playground equipment we used in the 80's and 90's?

Sounds very, very familiar.

Well, that's a little concerning that you had to qualify that...

Congratulations, Alex!!!

The playgrounds here are something else. They are actually pretty cool. Kind of death traps, but cool nonetheless.

Hah, glad someone picked up on that. I did have to make a trip to the hospital a few days before I left Florida, but it wasn't for anything serious. (Just a recurring ear issue.)


My four year old would disagree with you on the main character. He calls it "The Sam Show."

:rotfl2::rotfl: That's hilarious! We might have to agree to disagree. I just think Dean steals the scenes, but then again, I might just be partial to the actor. :laughing:


Oh, Target. There's really nowhere else in the world quite like it ...

Sounds like you guys had a nice relaxing time with the family, which is amazing. Sometimes those little moments are even better than the big Disney trips. Those moments that seem like everyday occurrences can really stick with you and remembering them can help you a lot when you're feeling lonely.

Congrats to Alex on his promotion - that's awesome!


I was surprised at how much I had missed that time with my family. I guess spending a year overseas where EVERYTHING was new and unfamiliar really made me appreciate coming home again. There's something to be said about walking through a loved one's front door and knowing where the pantry is, the tv, etc.
As well as walking into your favorite Target and knowing the layout and where your favorite departments are. :rotfl:
 
This was along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Destin, to be more specific. Anywhere to the west of Disney will give you those white sandy beaches, since it's not on the Atlantic Ocean side, but I'm biased and think the Panhandle of Florida is the best part. If you ever decide to venture several hours (like, 6) away from Disney, let me know and I'll tell you the best spots to hit up!

:thumbsup2
 
Hope everyone has been enjoying their week so far. It's been beautiful fall weather here, so that's been really nice. Alex made it home to us last week, and we have all been busy enjoying life with Dad back in the picture and making grand plans for the future.
Speaking of which, we have our next trip planned! In November, we'll be taking a long weekend trip to Ireland!
Hooray!!
This was Alex's number one pick on places to see while in Europe and since I got to choose the last two destinations, I felt it was time we did what he wanted.

It's been an exciting few weeks for us!
All right, on to the report...




July 20th, 2017:

Finally, the update you guys have been expecting! No more of this crazy airplane talk, no more beach photographs, from here on it’s time to get to the good stuff.

It’s Disney time.

I got the kids up and fed them breakfast around six in the morning, and while I was doing that my dad was outside loading everything into the car for us. He wasn’t coming with us – boo – but he couldn’t resist helping us arrange our suitcases and bags.

It was a bit of a tight fit.

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Toddlers require a lot of junk…


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Yep. My dad tied the stroller down with bungees.


Safety first.

My mom had come up with the brilliant idea of packing all the food and baby essentials in a suitcase to make it easier for us to get it into our hotel room, so that large black suitcase in the far right of the trunk was actually filled with juice and baby wipes and waters and animal crackers and food pouches. After Disney, I was going to my in-law’s house, so I needed certain items to last almost 10 days.

The suitcase was necessary.


My mom and I started the drive a little after seven, when we stopped at a local gas station to top off our tank. We’d agreed that I would pay for the gas down to Disney and she would cover her return trip, so I hopped out of the car to go use my credit card and had a super embarrassing moment at the pump. Over here in Germany, we get gas a little differently and so I hadn’t needed to type in my zip code for fuel in a very long time. When the machine prompted me to do it, my mind completely froze.

What was my zip code?!

Oh gosh!

For some reason, my mind was only coming up with my German address and then it could only bring up my parent’s zip code because that’s where I had been staying. For one mortifying second I thought I’d have to ask my mother to spot me the gas money because I couldn’t use my credit card, but fortunately the number came to me and I pressed on. But talk about awkward!


My group stopped for lunch in Lake City at Chick-Fil-A where Evie began this absolutely maddening trend of only wanting to eat what I ordered. I got her the kid’s nugget meal, but she ended up eating half my sandwich.


Everyone loaded back up and drove the last leg to Disney property. As we were finishing our meal, we let Landon in on where we were headed. He had been under the impression we were going straight to MiMi’s house, and when we let him know he was going to Disney, he got very excited.

His exact words were, “I get to meet Tinker Bell.”

So when we drove up and saw the iconic welcome sign and I took a terrible photo of it:




Then I turned around to capture Landon’s reaction. Because, you know, it’s Disney and he’s my park buddy. Surely, he would be just as excited as me to see the entrance.


Yeah?

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Nope. Kid had fallen asleep. As was the other one, but since she was rear facing I couldn’t take a picture of her.

But that’s about right. Get the children hyped up for Disney and they miss the beginning.

Fitting.


My mom drove us to our resort, which was Shades of Green.




Old Reliable.

My third time staying at Shades and my mom’s second, this place has kind of become the easiest choice for us when booking a Disney trip. The rooms are as large as the deluxes, the prices similar to the values, and the amenities fit our hotel needs. With my mom and I splitting the cost, the room is almost a steal and as we were somewhat close to the park we intended to visit the most; we didn’t even consider staying anywhere else.


Check in took a bit of time since we arrived right around 3 o’clock, but the guy who took care of me was efficient and answered a few questions I had with confidence. Our room was located on the opposite end of the where the parking garage was, but was somewhat close to the pools so we had to take the win where we could.

The first time I stayed at Shades, it was just Alex and myself and we were in a beautiful room with double vanities and a pristine interior.

We’ve never gotten that since.

I don’t say that in a mean way, but after this last trip I am really starting to believe they stick families with young kids in the oldest, most run down rooms. The quality of our rooms seem to go down with every stay. Last time, we had a place with a little bit of wear and tear, but at least the shower and toilet area were separated with a door from the sink and dressing room. This time around everything was in the one location, which drove my mom and I crazy. Even the bathrooms at Pop provide two areas! It never failed that one of us would be in the shower when the other needed to wash their hands after changing a diaper or one of us had to wait to get ready in the morning until the other was completely finished.

That and the fact that the wifi never worked (I ended up using 2 GBs of data during my stay because I could never get the internet to work, something I found infuriatingly annoying.) were my only real complaints about Shades. Everything else was normal and what I expected it to be.


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As soon as we got to the room, I called the bellhop to bring our luggage (my mom and I definitely opted to use the service this trip) and the kids did their very best to destroy the room while we waited for our things to be brought up.

Our view was of one of the golf courses:



On several occasions, we saw wild turkeys wandering around which was pretty cool. I’ve got sheep, donkeys, and cows at my house but no turkeys.

Turkeys were new.

Forty five minutes crept by and still no sign of our bags. The kids were really starting to lose it.

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Eventually, an hour later, a knock came on our door and we saw our lovely possessions on a cart. Thank goodness! I had planned to be in the room for a while, but I was expecting to sanitize and unpack in that time. Couldn’t do any of that without the cleaning supplies (we’d accidentally forgotten to pull out of the suitcase) and our clothes.

It was a tad bit frustrating, but my mom and I couldn’t do much else besides accept the delay and move forward as quickly as possible. The two of us tossed our clothes in the drawers and our shoes in the closet and were ready to leave the room at 5 p.m.


It was dark and cloudy outside, so I opted not to bring the stroller in order to keep it dry. The Shady Shuttle, a little golf cart that takes guests to the end of the resort property, was operating so we decided to take it and save ourselves a few minutes of walking. I was beginning to worry that it would start pouring on us, so I held Evie and dragged Landon as fast as he would go across the street and onto the Polynesian Resort property.


The plan was for us to eat a quick dinner at Captain Cook’s and then head over to the ticket center to activate our tickets. We barely made it inside the Great Ceremonial House before the heavens opened and the beginning of a storm hit. Of course, this negated all the outside seating in Captain Cook, so the inside of the restaurant was extremely crowded. I don’t know how we lucked out, but my mom found a table and sat down with the kids while I went and ordered.

Since Evie had shown such a hatred for chicken nuggets at lunch, I got her the turkey sandwich and she seemed to like that a tad bit more than the chicken.

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However, Landon spotted the goldfish shaped bread and suddenly his chicken nuggets were unacceptable.

Oh, kids.

I ended up deconstructing Evie’s sandwich and gave the bottom piece of bread to Landon while Evie kept the top.


My mom and I, meanwhile, ate the pork sandwich with fries.

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I love this dish, and I’m not even a pork fan. The slaw and pineapples on top tame the pork taste and give the food a nice tangy flavor. Every time we stay at Shades I try to make it over to Captain Cook’s in order to get that menu item, which I guess is another perk to staying at the resort.


Evie is probably the slowest eater on the face of this Earth, so by the time she finished with her food the rain had slowed to a drizzle and we walked to the monorail station right outside the Poly. This was our first experience with the new security checkpoints, and I had mixed feelings about it. Every encounter with the guards was nothing but great at the resorts. They all were very laid back and friendly, making a point to talk to the kids and ask about our trip.

I liked that.

I also thought the setup was more convenient for getting into the MK. It seemed like a shorter line than the ones at the park used to be, and it was really nice just hopping off and going straight to the tapstiles.

Buttttt….for Epcot purposes and ease with kids it wasn’t so great. I could go into it now, but I think I’ll save that for when the complications actually arose.


My mom had asked at concierge if the TTC was still open (it was after 7pm by this point) but the Cast Member didn’t know, so we decided to just get off at the MK stop and activate our tickets at the guest relations window by the park entrance. This should have been an easy process, because we’ve done it about a dozen times in the past. Unfortunately, the Cast Member we got was snippy and wouldn’t listen to what we were saying.

With the military tickets, the active duty person or their spouse is allowed to get up to 6 tickets. Well, since my ticketing center here doesn’t carry WDW tickets, my mom had gone ahead and bought the tickets for her, me and Landon that way we could link them to MDE and book our FPs 30 days out. Well, the Cast Member had somehow heard that my husband was also military and was insisting I activate mine and Landon’s tickets separately.

It wasn’t a big deal. The only way it would have posed a problem would have been if I wanted to purchase 6 tickets myself at a later date, but it did mean we had to go through the whole process twice rather than just once. My mom and I both had to give our addresses, our bases, etc. The girl just wouldn’t listen to us when we tried to explain the easier route.

And then she got a bit of an attitude when we asked her to link Landon’s ticket to two MagicBands.


My kid is four.

He could wake up one morning and insist on wearing his blue band and if he wasn’t able to then I just walked myself into an hour long meltdown. I wanted to save myself the grief.

Let the kid have a red and blue MagicBand.

Please. I pick my battles and that wasn’t going to be one of them.


Once that was over, my mom and I dragged the kids back on the monorail. But not before Landon spotted the train station and it clicked in his brain where we were.

“Mom, this is the Magic Kingdom!”

“Mom, we’re at Disney!!!”

“Let’s go in, let’s go in!”


Yeah. It’s fun when your kid is old enough to recognize the parks and make the connections on his own. Not as much fun when you’ve got to explain to him that we weren’t entering the parks until the following day. Because in a four year old’s mind, the next day might as well be the next year.

All Landon knew was that Small World was right on the other side of that tunnel and I was being a terrible, mean, cruel Mommy and making him leave.

Not the greatest moment of the trip, but my mom and I did manage to pry Landon away from the entrance and get him and his sister back to the room.

Us two adults had decided to make it an early night so we’d be fresh for the following day’s adventures. There were morning Magic Hours at the MK that we wanted to attend, so we needed our beauty rest.


Up Next…It was Fun While it Lasted.
 
Glad Alex is home and that you guys have a trip to Ireland planned!

Aww Landon missed driving under the sign! Oops!

I'm sorry to hear your room wasn't the best and the wifi was crappy.

Phew at least you missed the rain and made it to the Poly just in time!

How unfortunate to encounter such a rude CM, but I'm glad it all worked out!

Being right outside the MK and not being able to go in would be tough for anyone!!
 
Aw poor Landon missed the big entrance :(
Sorry things weren't straightforward with getting your bags and tickets ( why do some people simply not listen:confused3) but wow those are really good sized rooms :thumbsup2
It must have been so hard for Landon to be so close and yet so far from his favorite ride :)
Sounds like a busy first day but at least you were all set for the rest of your trip by the end of it and you'd eaten Disney food so that's always good lol. My holiday only ever feels like it's started when I've unpacked and got my first meal in my tummy :rotfl::thumbsup2

Exciting times ahead for you all to with Alex home and a trip to Ireland planned. You're definitely making good use out of your time this side of the Atlantic. What are your plans for Ireland?
 
Hope everyone has been enjoying their week so far. It's been beautiful fall weather here, so that's been really nice. Alex made it home to us last week, and we have all been busy enjoying life with Dad back in the picture and making grand plans for the future.
That's fantastic!!!

Speaking of which, we have our next trip planned! In November, we'll be taking a long weekend trip to Ireland!
Another place I've always wanted to visit! It's great that you're taking full advantage of this time in Europe to explore!

Toddlers require a lot of junk…
::yes:: ::yes::

Over here in Germany, we get gas a little differently and so I hadn’t needed to type in my zip code for fuel in a very long time. When the machine prompted me to do it, my mind completely froze.

What was my zip code?!

Oh gosh!
:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao:

My group stopped for lunch in Lake City at Chick-Fil-A where Evie began this absolutely maddening trend of only wanting to eat what I ordered. I got her the kid’s nugget meal, but she ended up eating half my sandwich.
Well, I was going to say that you should just order her the same thing you order for yourself. That way you can just eat hers when she steals yours. But it looks like your idea at dinner worked out ok.

Then I turned around to capture Landon’s reaction. Because, you know, it’s Disney and he’s my park buddy. Surely, he would be just as excited as me to see the entrance.

Yeah?
:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: Looks about right.

My third time staying at Shades and my mom’s second, this place has kind of become the easiest choice for us when booking a Disney trip. The rooms are as large as the deluxes, the prices similar to the values, and the amenities fit our hotel needs.

That and the fact that the wifi never worked (I ended up using 2 GBs of data during my stay because I could never get the internet to work, something I found infuriatingly annoying.) were my only real complaints about Shades.
Well, I'd say you certainly can't go wrong with the price or the location. But it sounds like they could do a little bit to improve the amenities. Having a separate area for the bathroom is a huge help!

Eventually, an hour later, a knock came on our door and we saw our lovely possessions on a cart.
An hour? :faint: No need sanitizing the room now. The kids have already touched every square inch of the place.

However, Landon spotted the goldfish shaped bread and suddenly his chicken nuggets were unacceptable.

Oh, kids.
:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: I laugh because I've been there.

I also thought the setup was more convenient for getting into the MK. It seemed like a shorter line than the ones at the park used to be, and it was really nice just hopping off and going straight to the tapstiles.
::yes:: It certainly made for a better situation at MK.

Buttttt….for Epcot purposes and ease with kids it wasn’t so great. I could go into it now, but I think I’ll save that for when the complications actually arose.
But clearly not all parks do it as well. I'm definitely interested to see what you have to say about this one. EPCOT is a mess...

The girl just wouldn’t listen to us when we tried to explain the easier route.

And then she got a bit of an attitude when we asked her to link Landon’s ticket to two MagicBands.
:sad2: Must have been a rough shift.

All Landon knew was that Small World was right on the other side of that tunnel and I was being a terrible, mean, cruel Mommy and making him leave.
I mean, yeah! How could you resist the siren's call when you're standing right outside the entrance??? Landon was right, you know.
 
We ran into the same thing with all the different magic bands this past trip. So they can activate the two colors?
 
So sorry the cast member was snippy with you. Clearly she wasn't having a magical day. Someone in guest services just needs to be on at all times. I know that is a very busy position but for some people this is their first interaction with Disney and having a grumpy person assist you just doesn't start the vacation off on the right foot.

I'm so happy for your family that Alex is home. Enjoy Ireland!
 
Alex made it home to us last week, and we have all been busy enjoying life with Dad back in the picture and making grand plans for the future.
Speaking of which, we have our next trip planned! In November, we'll be taking a long weekend trip to Ireland!

So exciting!!

For some reason, my mind was only coming up with my German address and then it could only bring up my parent’s zip code because that’s where I had been staying. For one mortifying second I thought I’d have to ask my mother to spot me the gas money because I couldn’t use my credit card, but fortunately the number came to me and I pressed on. But talk about awkward!

Oh no! Close call! Yeah, using your zip code (postal code for us) isn't something we do for gas in Canada, at least not in our neck of the woods. I have a credit card here that has my Canadian billing address, but it deals in US funds so we don't have to pay exchange fees whenever we deposit US money, or if we use a Canadian credit card in the states, etc. We had intended to use it for all our gas on our road trip, etc. But we ended up having to go inside the gas station and prepay for gas every time, because we didn't have a US zip code to enter at the pump. SUCH a pain.

As we were finishing our meal, we let Landon in on where we were headed. He had been under the impression we were going straight to MiMi’s house, and when we let him know he was going to Disney, he got very excited.

His exact words were, “I get to meet Tinker Bell.”

This is so cute!! Landon is growing into quite the little Disney fan!

On several occasions, we saw wild turkeys wandering around which was pretty cool. I’ve got sheep, donkeys, and cows at my house but no turkeys.

We saw wild turkeys for the first time on our recent trip, too! So neat!

I also thought the setup was more convenient for getting into the MK. It seemed like a shorter line than the ones at the park used to be, and it was really nice just hopping off and going straight to the tapstiles.

Buttttt….for Epcot purposes and ease with kids it wasn’t so great. I could go into it now, but I think I’ll save that for when the complications actually arose.

I agree. On both the pros and cons. They really need a solution for the Epcot issue. Sounds like you guys had some frustration there...

Yeah. It’s fun when your kid is old enough to recognize the parks and make the connections on his own. Not as much fun when you’ve got to explain to him that we weren’t entering the parks until the following day. Because in a four year old’s mind, the next day might as well be the next year.

All Landon knew was that Small World was right on the other side of that tunnel and I was being a terrible, mean, cruel Mommy and making him leave.

Not the greatest moment of the trip, but my mom and I did manage to pry Landon away from the entrance and get him and his sister back to the room.

Aww poor Landon! It's hard for little ones to reason those things out. I hope it was all worth it when you went the next day!
 
This was along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Destin, to be more specific. Anywhere to the west of Disney will give you those white sandy beaches, since it's not on the Atlantic Ocean side, but I'm biased and think the Panhandle of Florida is the best part. If you ever decide to venture several hours (like, 6) away from Disney, let me know and I'll tell you the best spots to hit up!
:rotfl:

We visited Panama City Beach this summer. I loved the white sandy beaches and clear water. We want to make it to Destin for our next beach vacation, but 2018 is Disney year. Sometimes living in Kansas stinks. Everything seems so far away!
 

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