Hi All. I know it has been a while. I'm sorry about that.
I wish my topic today were more light hearted, or fun, or anything but what it is. I just had to get my thoughts on this topic heard, and as my blog is my forum, for my opinions, this seemed like the "duh" way.
The explosions...I know at this moment nobody knows why. What for. Who. All of the questions we all want answered. There are so many scenarios running through my mind, just like everyone else I'm sure. Was it political? Religious? It could be so many things.
I have a lot of opinions on politics AND religion. But I mostly keep them to myself, other than in my very close circle. It's not as much of a "I'm scared to let my opinions be heard", though there is always that thought of offending somebody in the back of my head. It's more...that I don't want step on anybody else's beliefs, and I'm not about to push mine on somebody. I wouldn't want those thoughts pushed on ME, because I am strong in my own opinions and there isn't a lot that's likely to sway me. So I figure why try and sway anybody else, who has every right to their own beliefs and every right to be strong in them? To me, there is no definite, absolute right way. There are SO MANY beliefs in this world, and I just wish we could all be respectful of each other.
So to think that somebody put a bomb at the Boston Marathon, where thousands upon thousands of people would be to support each other in a completely innocent way sickens me. Like I said, I don't know if politics or religion were the source of the guilty party's reasoning. Of course those are the two main ideas out there right now. But to go to such lengths that you are willing to hurt innocent people in the name of your beliefs...I just don't get it.
This hit close to home, because my aunt is a runner. She could have easily been there. She's run races in other cities before. I'm not sure if she's run one in such a big arena before. But what if she'd been there? What if she'd been hurt by this person? The people who were killed and injured were at a race, for crying out loud. And even if they had been at some sort of political rally or religious event, that is their right, their right as a HUMAN BEING, to stand up for what they believe in. Nobody deserves to be hurt for what they believe in, not in my eyes.
I just hope that whoever is guilty doesn't hurt anyone else, and that maybe we as a people can learn from this. I hope that the world can one day learn to respect each other. We may not believe in the same things, or think the same way, but that's okay. It's what makes the world go round.
And I'll end with what I began with. #PrayersForBoston.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Countdown to Disney! Part Two
I'm going to go ahead with the second part of my Countdown to Disney post. Wow, two blogs in one day! I'm on a roll! :)
Day Four
A full Magic Kingdom day! I'm most looking forward to this day. You'll see why in a minute.
The first thing we'll hit here is Enchanted Tales with Belle. It's a new attraction in New Fantasyland, and my research points to the lines getting crazy long, and fast! You can't fastpass this one, and it has limited capacity, which is why the waits are so long if you don't go first thing. Once this one is done we'll hit the rest of Fantasyland. Depending on crowds, we'll decide where we want to go next..Adventureland or Frontierland. I don't think there is a single attraction in any of these that we don't want to do, but our must do's are...everything in Fantasyland, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Carribean. We're really bummed that the Teapots are going to be down for refurb while we're there. :( Oh well...reason for another trip, right? :)
Early afternoon on this day, our little girls have reservations at...Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! They are so excited to become princesses. We've gone all out and booked them the Castle package, where they will be able to have their hair, make-up, and nails done, and they'll get to select a princess dress and accessories. This is a once in a lifetime experience for us and them, so we're not wasting it. I don't know which princess they'll pick once they get there, but I have a pretty good idea. I'm almost certain I'll end up with a 5 year old Sleeping Beauty and a 3 year old Snow White.
Where are we eating dinner after this magical princess experience? Well, Cinderella's Royal Table of course! With (from what I'm heard) Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and I've recently learned they've taken out Belle and replaced her with Jasmine. I guess this is because of the Belle attraction I mentioned earlier. My mother also really wanted to eat in the castle, so this meal is for her, too. :)
Day Five
We'll follow up our Magic Kingdom day with a trip to Epcot. First attraction here? Soarin! Love that one. We also want to experience Test Track, and I'm sure the girls will enjoy the Innoventions pavillions. I'm thinking our mothers will love World Showcase, so I'm excited for that. My favorite pavillion there is Canada--it's just so beautiful! We'll be there during the Flower and Garden Festival, and this year they have food kiosks there. Yum!
I hope we'll be able to see the mime in Italy, the acrobats in China, and the juggler...I can't remember where he is. But if we miss them it won't be the end of the world. I definitely want to the show the girls the trains in Germany, and let them pick a pearl in Japan. I've told my husband that after they pick their pearls, I would love to have my Mother's Day gift be a piece of jewelry containing said pearls. So we'll see!
We have dinner reservations at San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavillion. My mother-in-law loves Mexican food, so we selected this for her. When hubs and I were on our honeymoon, we also like the Mexican pavillion a lot and thought we might like to eat there one day. Well, the day has come! Almost.
Day Six
This is our Animal Kingdom day. We have pre-park opening reservations for a character buffet at Tusker House, which I'm really looking forward to. When we're finished eating we'll go straight to the Safari. I can't wait for that! Also at Animal Kingdom we want to experience Flights of Wonder, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, all of DinoLand EXCEPT Primeval Whirl, and the Jammin Jungle Parade. And I want to meet Pocahontas! She's my favorite princess, and I've never gotten to meet her, because she is practically nowhere! AK is the only place. :(
We plan on heading over to Downtown Disney for the evening, b/c Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks. We have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe, and I hope for relaxing evening of strolling around and shopping.
Day Seven
Our last day. Boo :(. Maybe my husband will let me book a bounceback while we're there, though. I LOVE Disney. I would go there every year if I could. I don't care if anybody thinks I'm crazy because of that, either. It is my happy place.
Anyway, we'll be hitting up the other water park this day, Blizzard Beach! I had a surprise planned for my husband, but he found out about it. Oh well. I booked us a Polar Patio! It was pricey, but I think it will be worth it. Blizzard Beach, I think, gets much hotter than Typhoon Lagoon, because there isn't nearly as much shade and because the sun really bounces off all of that white! The Polar Patio will give us a shaded place for the day, with a cooler stocked full or cold water, a service attendant, and towels and a locker we don't have to pay extra to rent. So, that sounds like a win to me.
For our very last night of course we'll head over to Magic Kingdom again. You really do need to set aside a lot of time for that park, because there is so much to experience there. If there is anything we haven't gotten to yet, this will be our time to do it. Or, if not, we'll do our favorites one more time. Our dinner reservations are at Crystal Palace, where we'll be dining with Pooh and friends. We'll watch Wishes and say good-bye to Disney. :(
Okay, hope you've enjoyed my Disney obsession. It won't be long until we'll be there! I promise to post some pictures when we return.
Until Next Time,
Ryann
Day Four
A full Magic Kingdom day! I'm most looking forward to this day. You'll see why in a minute.
The first thing we'll hit here is Enchanted Tales with Belle. It's a new attraction in New Fantasyland, and my research points to the lines getting crazy long, and fast! You can't fastpass this one, and it has limited capacity, which is why the waits are so long if you don't go first thing. Once this one is done we'll hit the rest of Fantasyland. Depending on crowds, we'll decide where we want to go next..Adventureland or Frontierland. I don't think there is a single attraction in any of these that we don't want to do, but our must do's are...everything in Fantasyland, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Carribean. We're really bummed that the Teapots are going to be down for refurb while we're there. :( Oh well...reason for another trip, right? :)
Early afternoon on this day, our little girls have reservations at...Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! They are so excited to become princesses. We've gone all out and booked them the Castle package, where they will be able to have their hair, make-up, and nails done, and they'll get to select a princess dress and accessories. This is a once in a lifetime experience for us and them, so we're not wasting it. I don't know which princess they'll pick once they get there, but I have a pretty good idea. I'm almost certain I'll end up with a 5 year old Sleeping Beauty and a 3 year old Snow White.
Where are we eating dinner after this magical princess experience? Well, Cinderella's Royal Table of course! With (from what I'm heard) Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and I've recently learned they've taken out Belle and replaced her with Jasmine. I guess this is because of the Belle attraction I mentioned earlier. My mother also really wanted to eat in the castle, so this meal is for her, too. :)
Day Five
We'll follow up our Magic Kingdom day with a trip to Epcot. First attraction here? Soarin! Love that one. We also want to experience Test Track, and I'm sure the girls will enjoy the Innoventions pavillions. I'm thinking our mothers will love World Showcase, so I'm excited for that. My favorite pavillion there is Canada--it's just so beautiful! We'll be there during the Flower and Garden Festival, and this year they have food kiosks there. Yum!
I hope we'll be able to see the mime in Italy, the acrobats in China, and the juggler...I can't remember where he is. But if we miss them it won't be the end of the world. I definitely want to the show the girls the trains in Germany, and let them pick a pearl in Japan. I've told my husband that after they pick their pearls, I would love to have my Mother's Day gift be a piece of jewelry containing said pearls. So we'll see!
We have dinner reservations at San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavillion. My mother-in-law loves Mexican food, so we selected this for her. When hubs and I were on our honeymoon, we also like the Mexican pavillion a lot and thought we might like to eat there one day. Well, the day has come! Almost.
Day Six
This is our Animal Kingdom day. We have pre-park opening reservations for a character buffet at Tusker House, which I'm really looking forward to. When we're finished eating we'll go straight to the Safari. I can't wait for that! Also at Animal Kingdom we want to experience Flights of Wonder, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, all of DinoLand EXCEPT Primeval Whirl, and the Jammin Jungle Parade. And I want to meet Pocahontas! She's my favorite princess, and I've never gotten to meet her, because she is practically nowhere! AK is the only place. :(
We plan on heading over to Downtown Disney for the evening, b/c Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks. We have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe, and I hope for relaxing evening of strolling around and shopping.
Day Seven
Our last day. Boo :(. Maybe my husband will let me book a bounceback while we're there, though. I LOVE Disney. I would go there every year if I could. I don't care if anybody thinks I'm crazy because of that, either. It is my happy place.
Anyway, we'll be hitting up the other water park this day, Blizzard Beach! I had a surprise planned for my husband, but he found out about it. Oh well. I booked us a Polar Patio! It was pricey, but I think it will be worth it. Blizzard Beach, I think, gets much hotter than Typhoon Lagoon, because there isn't nearly as much shade and because the sun really bounces off all of that white! The Polar Patio will give us a shaded place for the day, with a cooler stocked full or cold water, a service attendant, and towels and a locker we don't have to pay extra to rent. So, that sounds like a win to me.
For our very last night of course we'll head over to Magic Kingdom again. You really do need to set aside a lot of time for that park, because there is so much to experience there. If there is anything we haven't gotten to yet, this will be our time to do it. Or, if not, we'll do our favorites one more time. Our dinner reservations are at Crystal Palace, where we'll be dining with Pooh and friends. We'll watch Wishes and say good-bye to Disney. :(
Okay, hope you've enjoyed my Disney obsession. It won't be long until we'll be there! I promise to post some pictures when we return.
Until Next Time,
Ryann
Countdown to Disney! Part One
I don't know if there are any Disney obsessed people out there reading...but I am going to Disney World very, very soon, and lately it's all I can think about! Everybody I know, especially my husband, is probably getting tired of listening to me talk about it, so I thought I'd blog about my upcoming trip. And I'm sure I'll blog about it again when we get back...but then, with pictures!
We are lucky enough that soon we will be experiencing a week long stay at the Art of Animation Resort, in a Finding Nemo suite! Art of Animation is considered a value resort, but the suites are far from value prices. We opted to stay here because not only will our little family be going (my husband, myself, and my two daughters, 3 and 5) but my mother and my mother-in-law will also be going. So, we needed space for six people. We didn't want to have two separate rooms, we definitely all wanted to be in the same room. Which meant our options were limited. The deluxe villas were out, they were way above our budget. Which pretty much left the cabins at Fort Wilderness, the suites at All Star Music, or the Art of Animation suites. The cabins were something I thought about for a while. I liked the idea of them. But, I didn't want to have to rent a golf cart to get around the resort, and I wasn't crazy about the set up of the sleeping arrangements. So, it was between Music or AoA. AoA won due to theming and being new. From there, we let the girls select the theme of our suite--they got to choose from Cars, Lion King, and Nemo. Nemo won, and I was very happy because it was my favorite theme as well! My husband could care less. Haha. Anyway, it was a little hard to swallow that the suites are a bit MORE expensive than we would have paid at some deluxes for just the 4 of us (including Animal Kingdom Lodge--my dream resort). But, having our moms here to experience this trip with us and our girls is priceless, so it's worth it to us. There will be plenty more trips and plenty more resorts to stay at. ;)
We have a jam packed schedule! If you're a Disney fanatic like I am, so you probably won't think I'm crazy and are interested in what we're planning on doing. Haha.
I'm not a park commando, I don't have a by the minute or even by the hour plan for us to follow. I've researched via the Disboards, and EasyWDW (great tools for Disney vacationers!) and I do have certain parks planned for certain days. Beyond that, the only things I have planned are ADR's for where we'll be (dining reservations--the good Disney restaurants are impossible to get into if you don't make a reservation in advance, USUALLY) and what ride we will go to first--the most popular rides get lines fast, and sice we plan to arrive at the parks at Rope Drop, we'll go to these first and get them out of the way. Other than that, we'll wing it. See, I'm not TOO bad. And away we go...!
Arrival Day
We hope to be pulling into AoA's parking lot around noon. This is the time we figure my mother-in-law will be getting there--she's flying in and will be riding the Magical Express bus from the airport. Disney is about 7 or 8 hours from us, so we'll start driving the night before and spend the night about 5 hours into the trip.
After check-in, we'll head to Magic Kingdom. I can't be at Disney and my first park (and the one introducing my girls to WDW) NOT be Magic Kingdom! Hopefully we'll be able to spend a good 6 hours in the park that night, depending on when the kids start to get tired. We're definitely renting a stroller, so that will help their stamina, and if they need a quick nap they will probably sleep while we roll them around. But, if they NEED to go back to the room, I won't hesitate to take them. I'm going to try and avoid melt downs as much as possible.
We have reservations at the Plaza for dinner on this night. It's new to us (as are all the restaurants we'll be dining at on this trip), but it is supposed to be a great little sandwich shop/ice cream parlor. We did purchase the Disney Dining Plan, but we will be 2 table service credits short for all of the meals we want to do, so the Plaza is going to be an out of pocket dinner, and the price point here is perfect for this. We'll still get a relaxing sit down meal and yummy food!
Since this is not a full day at the Magic Kingdom, I know we might not get a lot of attractions in. I'm planning on hitting Tomorrowland for sure, because it's so pretty at night. We'll be skipping Astro Orbiter and Stitch. AO scared the crap out of ME last time, b/c it's so high, and I don't think the girls would like Stitch. It's pretty harmless, but they're little and it's an attraction where they won't be able to sit terribly close to any of the adults, so I'm going to play it safe and not do this one. We'll have to use rider swap or fastpass for Space Mountain, which is fine. And all of us will be able to enjoy Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Speedway, Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!
I'm also hopeful that we'll be able to hit Liberty Square this night, because there are only three attractions. We might skip Hall of Presidents, unless one of our moms really wants to see it. It's not one of our favorites, but defnitely not something we dislike, so we can take it or leave it.
Day Two
Hollywood Studios Day! We'll be up bright and early so we can be there at rope drop, to join in the crowds heading to Toy Story Mania. That's the most popular ride at HS, so it's the one we want to get done first thing. Other than that, we'll meander and hit things as we pass them. I know for sure we will want to see some of the shows: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets 3D, Indiana Jones, and Disney Junior. We'll let the girls enjoy the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and the adults will ride Tower of Terror (my FAVORITE) and Rock and Roller Coaster (Hubby's favorite). I'd love to get to the Great Movie Ride, too if we have time, and the Animation Academy. One thing I know I won't ride is Star Tours! My husband and I both had terrible headaches after this ride when we were on our honeymoon. If our moms want to ride it we'll wait on them, but they'll be on their own! We have reservations at 50's Prime Time Cafe this night, which will be our other out of pocket dining experience. It's supposed to be so fun, but not a terribly expensive place, so I think it's a good option to just pay for instead of using our dining credits.
Day Three
This will be a pretty relaxing day, I think. My husband LOVES water parks, so on this day we'll be headed to Typhoon Lagoon. It doesn't open until 10, so we can sleep a bit later! Once I'm there I'll have one thing on my mind...Crush N Gusher! That ride is so much fun. I think hubs and I literally went on it like 20 times during our honeymoon. Ah, the memories.
Our dinner on this night is the Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Club resort. Another of my husband's request. He loves seafood, and so does his mom. We may stroll on the Boardwalk if we feel up to it after dinner, and just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy being on our vacation.
Okay, this one is probably long enough! I'm write a 2nd post with the rest of our plans. :)
We are lucky enough that soon we will be experiencing a week long stay at the Art of Animation Resort, in a Finding Nemo suite! Art of Animation is considered a value resort, but the suites are far from value prices. We opted to stay here because not only will our little family be going (my husband, myself, and my two daughters, 3 and 5) but my mother and my mother-in-law will also be going. So, we needed space for six people. We didn't want to have two separate rooms, we definitely all wanted to be in the same room. Which meant our options were limited. The deluxe villas were out, they were way above our budget. Which pretty much left the cabins at Fort Wilderness, the suites at All Star Music, or the Art of Animation suites. The cabins were something I thought about for a while. I liked the idea of them. But, I didn't want to have to rent a golf cart to get around the resort, and I wasn't crazy about the set up of the sleeping arrangements. So, it was between Music or AoA. AoA won due to theming and being new. From there, we let the girls select the theme of our suite--they got to choose from Cars, Lion King, and Nemo. Nemo won, and I was very happy because it was my favorite theme as well! My husband could care less. Haha. Anyway, it was a little hard to swallow that the suites are a bit MORE expensive than we would have paid at some deluxes for just the 4 of us (including Animal Kingdom Lodge--my dream resort). But, having our moms here to experience this trip with us and our girls is priceless, so it's worth it to us. There will be plenty more trips and plenty more resorts to stay at. ;)
We have a jam packed schedule! If you're a Disney fanatic like I am, so you probably won't think I'm crazy and are interested in what we're planning on doing. Haha.
I'm not a park commando, I don't have a by the minute or even by the hour plan for us to follow. I've researched via the Disboards, and EasyWDW (great tools for Disney vacationers!) and I do have certain parks planned for certain days. Beyond that, the only things I have planned are ADR's for where we'll be (dining reservations--the good Disney restaurants are impossible to get into if you don't make a reservation in advance, USUALLY) and what ride we will go to first--the most popular rides get lines fast, and sice we plan to arrive at the parks at Rope Drop, we'll go to these first and get them out of the way. Other than that, we'll wing it. See, I'm not TOO bad. And away we go...!
Arrival Day
We hope to be pulling into AoA's parking lot around noon. This is the time we figure my mother-in-law will be getting there--she's flying in and will be riding the Magical Express bus from the airport. Disney is about 7 or 8 hours from us, so we'll start driving the night before and spend the night about 5 hours into the trip.
After check-in, we'll head to Magic Kingdom. I can't be at Disney and my first park (and the one introducing my girls to WDW) NOT be Magic Kingdom! Hopefully we'll be able to spend a good 6 hours in the park that night, depending on when the kids start to get tired. We're definitely renting a stroller, so that will help their stamina, and if they need a quick nap they will probably sleep while we roll them around. But, if they NEED to go back to the room, I won't hesitate to take them. I'm going to try and avoid melt downs as much as possible.
We have reservations at the Plaza for dinner on this night. It's new to us (as are all the restaurants we'll be dining at on this trip), but it is supposed to be a great little sandwich shop/ice cream parlor. We did purchase the Disney Dining Plan, but we will be 2 table service credits short for all of the meals we want to do, so the Plaza is going to be an out of pocket dinner, and the price point here is perfect for this. We'll still get a relaxing sit down meal and yummy food!
Since this is not a full day at the Magic Kingdom, I know we might not get a lot of attractions in. I'm planning on hitting Tomorrowland for sure, because it's so pretty at night. We'll be skipping Astro Orbiter and Stitch. AO scared the crap out of ME last time, b/c it's so high, and I don't think the girls would like Stitch. It's pretty harmless, but they're little and it's an attraction where they won't be able to sit terribly close to any of the adults, so I'm going to play it safe and not do this one. We'll have to use rider swap or fastpass for Space Mountain, which is fine. And all of us will be able to enjoy Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Speedway, Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!
I'm also hopeful that we'll be able to hit Liberty Square this night, because there are only three attractions. We might skip Hall of Presidents, unless one of our moms really wants to see it. It's not one of our favorites, but defnitely not something we dislike, so we can take it or leave it.
Day Two
Hollywood Studios Day! We'll be up bright and early so we can be there at rope drop, to join in the crowds heading to Toy Story Mania. That's the most popular ride at HS, so it's the one we want to get done first thing. Other than that, we'll meander and hit things as we pass them. I know for sure we will want to see some of the shows: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets 3D, Indiana Jones, and Disney Junior. We'll let the girls enjoy the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and the adults will ride Tower of Terror (my FAVORITE) and Rock and Roller Coaster (Hubby's favorite). I'd love to get to the Great Movie Ride, too if we have time, and the Animation Academy. One thing I know I won't ride is Star Tours! My husband and I both had terrible headaches after this ride when we were on our honeymoon. If our moms want to ride it we'll wait on them, but they'll be on their own! We have reservations at 50's Prime Time Cafe this night, which will be our other out of pocket dining experience. It's supposed to be so fun, but not a terribly expensive place, so I think it's a good option to just pay for instead of using our dining credits.
Day Three
This will be a pretty relaxing day, I think. My husband LOVES water parks, so on this day we'll be headed to Typhoon Lagoon. It doesn't open until 10, so we can sleep a bit later! Once I'm there I'll have one thing on my mind...Crush N Gusher! That ride is so much fun. I think hubs and I literally went on it like 20 times during our honeymoon. Ah, the memories.
Our dinner on this night is the Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Club resort. Another of my husband's request. He loves seafood, and so does his mom. We may stroll on the Boardwalk if we feel up to it after dinner, and just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy being on our vacation.
Okay, this one is probably long enough! I'm write a 2nd post with the rest of our plans. :)
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