Wishes, Fairies and Magic Kingdom

After a fun time in Epcot and the cold closing in, we had no choice other than back to the hotel for more clothes.  Even in March the weather can be quite chilly at the Mouse's House.  Coats in hand, we met up with our crew and back to the Magic Kingdom we were bound.

Ali and Eli kisses

Uncle Travis and Eli watching WISHES!!

Experiencing Wishes was number one on our itinerary of things to do.  Since Duffy now had clothes, we could not leave him at the hotel.  Dressed in his Mickey Mouse club outfit he too was ready for some Wishes in the night time sky.  We were a little late in getting back to the park so all the great spots were taken, but we made the best of a not so good spot.  My pictures were okay but not great but Aunt Cassi to the rescue and we have this really fabulous shot to remember our time enjoying the fireworks.

Aunt Cassi took this!  Thank you!!! :)

Not having eaten since earlier in the day at 50's Prime Time Cafe we were all starving and everyone wanted something different. Realizing we were close to Pecos Bill's Cafe in FrontierLand we dipped in there and rustled us up some grub.  (ha that is funny) Fat and happy we waddled out and decided it was the perfect time to take a Magic Carpet ride all the way to Agrabah.  Here are a few smiles from that trip.

Uncle Travis, Eli & Aunt Cassi!

The Diva!

The Princess and her Prince!

We also enjoyed the night time jungle cruise.  If you have not had the opportunity to try this ride at night its a lot of fun and a good skipper makes it even better.  A short jaunt over we found ourselves shivering our timbers with good ol' Cap't Jack cruising around the Caribbean.

We are all characters!

With our love for Tinkerbelle we decided it was the perfect time to visit with her and her friends.  Kevin was not real sure about Terrance and Ali thought it was hilariously funny that Terrance wears an acorn on his head for a hat.  Eli, however was not real impressed he did not want them to touch him at all.

We *heart* you Tink!

We close with a photo in front of the castle.  As you can tell we were quite cold.

My Prince, My Diva, My Castle!

Next up breakfast at O'hana with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto...

Vacation...Part 2

Little Cloudy and a little cool but beautiful sight to behold

Day two dawned bright and early at Walt Disney World.  The Eastern Time zone always whacks out our internal clock the first day or so and day two was not an exception.  The Diva was completely excited about her first glimpse in a year of the Magic Kingdom.  We arrived early to see Mickey Mouse ride in on the train.  Eli loves Mickey Mouse and Choo Choo's so it was the perfect combination. I know I was beyond excited and I think the rest of the crew was as well.  Making our way through the crowd, we headed straight to FantasyLand.  I will tell you it was odd not seeing Dumbo the Flying Elephant as we walked through the castle.  We have never been the family who felt Dumbo was the very first thing you have to do; but knowing it was closed due to the move to Storybook Circus was a little saddening.  Peter Pan’s Flight is more our style. 

Ali and Eli EXCITED!

FantasyLand was a lot of fun. We saved Mickey’s Philharmagic and The Mad Tea Party for another day and made our way to Liberty Square.  Funnel cake was at the top of the list for this Royal family, with a small detour made to The Haunted Mansion.  I have to say I really like the improvements and we truly had a good time checking out the new graveyard.  (That is not something I thought I would ever say or write…)  After our dose of grim grinning ghost and picking up our very own hitchhiking ghost we were more than ready for that promised funnel cake.  Sleepy Hollow bound and it totally lived up to its delicious promise, bellies full and we were off again.  

Crossing over to FrontierLand we realize we are in the middle of an impromptu show and the elusive … well elusive to us because we have never seen him other than maybe in a parade… Brer Rabbit.  Now let me tell you this excited my Diva immensely.  Song of the South is one of her favorites (it’s no longer available in the US but you can see parts of it on you tube) and she loves Brer Rabbit.  Unfortunately the show was ending and we were unable to meet him, she was disappointed but was happy none the less since she was able to see him.  Onward to the Choo Choo was our next destination, passing the Brer Rabbits Laughing Place we boarded the LilyBelle.  An old steam engine from the 1920’s named after Walt Disney’s wife Lily.  We made our way from FrontierLand with a stop in the boarded up FantasyLand for more water and departed at the Train Station at the entrance to Magic Kingdom. 

Me and the Diva on the Monorail.

Having a lunch at 50’s Prime Time Café at Disney’s Hollywood Studios we needed to make our way from the Magic Kingdom over there.  With Eli’s love of trains and Ali’s love of the monorail and the Polynesian we decided to take the Resort Monorail to the Polynesian and hop a bus from there to Hollywood Studios.

Now 50’s Prime Time Caféis one of our favorite places to eat.  We usually eat there at least one time a trip. We truly love the décor and the atmosphere not to mention the food was fabulous as usual.  One of the things that I love that Disney does so well is deal with allergies.  Unfortunately for anyone dining with me that is always something that causes a wait.  But that is because Disney wants to make sure it is safe for me to eat what I want.  You would not believe the things that are unsafe for me to consume because of fish or shellfish and there is always the risk of cross contamination. So hats off to Disney for making things easy.  The food was great as always.  You can not beat that fried chicken.  Just typing about it makes me want more of it. 
Tummies full again we decided one more ride before we left the park for a nap.  

Ali loves this ride. 

At this point we decide we are on our way to room for a nap.  Or at least the was the plan.  Uncle Travis, Aunt Cassi and Eli go back to Pop and at the last minute we decide to go to Epcot by way of the Friendship Boats.  Disembarking at the Swan and Dolphin we cross over to the Boardwalk and do a little shopping.  Duffy needed clothes and we were able to find the cutest Mickey Mouse Club outfit for him at The Boardwalk. He had the sailor outfit and since they were three for $30 he needed the Woody and Pirate Costume as well.

Duffy Bear Wear! 

From there we went into Epcot and made a stop in our favorite country the UK!  We love all things British.  

UK... lane.

Coming soon the evening and WISHES!!!!

Vacation...

Vacation was absolutely lovely!  We had so much fun.  There is nothing better than seeing this sign after 5 hours driving!

Dreams really do come true or at least mine always have when I visit.

We stayed Pop Century and it's always a lot of fun. We love pop culture at our house so this perfect for us.  Sure we like other places too, but this year we let the Diva choose and Pop Century was her choice.    

What you see entering the resort.  

We stayed in the 80's decade on the 4th floor.  The Diva loved it because of Roger Rabbit and I loved it because there was not anyone above us.

Our room was next to Roger and his turpentine. :)

After a few delays with the keys not working and then our tickets not working properly we finally make it into Epcot, of course.  I swear my Diva always wants to go to Epcot 1st.

SpaceShip Earth:
Journey with us now to the dawn of recorded time as we
explore the amazing story of human communication.

Seeing as how we hit a few snags before we made it to the park; we were sprinkled with Pixie Dust and with the help of some fabulous fast passes we were able to go straight to Test Track.  Or at least that was the plan.  Just walking in the first thing you see is SpaceShip Earth, so here we go, back in time to visit the past.  Next the Diva notices there is not a wait to ride Mission Space Orange, we make a beeline for Mars.  After our astronaut training and making it to Mars safely we headed straight to Test Track.  The Diva is not very brave when it comes to trying new things and but since I was able to browbeat talk her into riding it last time, she loves it now.  

We left the house at 3am and by 5:30pm we were dragging.  Stopping off in Mexico for a Strawberry Margarita for me and a Lime Margarita for Kevin we were able to make it to the American Adventure.  All the Diva had talked about was a turkey leg which happens to be available right there in the American Adventure.  Bellies full and happy we decide if we are going to make it up and manage rope drop at Magic Kingdom we better make our exit to the hotel.  Besides by this point the Diva is dying to see her cousin Eli along with Aunt Cassi & Uncle Travis.  Here are a few pictures from our 1st day at the Most Magical Place on Earth. 

the Diva, Daisy Duck & Me

the Diva, Stitch & Me

The Diva unhappy about genies in
lamps for some & not for others.

the Diva with Duffy Bear ears!!!

So there is our first day, more to come!!!  xoxoxo

Products

Hmm… as I begin the laborious task of packing for our trip to Disney World, Kevin asks me if I really need all of that.  “That” he is referring to are products.  Products for me range from makeup and hair stuff to smaller things like q-tips and tissues.  Of course, I unequivocally answered with a resounding YES!

Although my answer was yes, it has made me think; do I “really” need all of that?  At first glance I want to say yes, I need every single solitary bit of it.  But maybe not, now I am thinking what could I not go a day without.  Seeing as how I have a wide assortment of stuff I am going to sort it into groups and start with the hair group.

Hair is such a small word that takes up so much of my time.  As a girl with naturally wavy/curly hair, I tend to attempt to tame my mane into submission.  Ha! Each day I have choices, would I like to be nice and straight, my preferable hair?  What about embrace my natural waves/curls and letting them fly free, the easiest hair.  Last but not least, Kevin has a soft spot for those big soft waves created by a curling wand.  (Reminder he is a product of his 80’s environment: big hair, bad fashion, great music.)

Since I am talking hair, there is no way I could possibly discuss it without giving a shout out to the best stylist ever: Nikki!  She is like Mary Poppins.  You never know what she can make happen and practically perfect in every way.   Not to mention she manages fabulous with the definitely unmanageable and unfabulous.

Like any fashionable chica good shampoo and conditioner are a must.  I swap back and forth between Biolage – love that smell and Pantene- love that price.

For that poker straight hair, which I absolutely adore, my flat iron is an essential.  I could never even attempt a half way decent straight look without it.  I used to swear by my beloved chi, but one to many drops to the floor and alas it had to be laid to rest.  I have yet to find one just like that one so I am using my old standby.  It’s been with me a long time and she’s PINK!  To keep the frizzies at bay I use G&K serum and it is off the chain when it comes to frizz.  Last but not least is my brush.  Nothing special about her, she is just an average drugstore hair brush, who does her job well. 

For that natural wavy/curly wild look, Bumble & Bumble surf spray is the way to go.  Soon as hair has air dried a little, spritz it in and follow up with some Big Sexy hair and I am DONE!  I like to pull the front back a little from my face with small bobby pins. Like I said easiest of all to maintain and when the day calls for 99% humidity sometimes it is the only option.

Some days though I just feel the need for those soft waves.  For those I start with got2be mousse in wet hair.  Blow dry, separate and section with clips then use my curling wand on each section.  It really does not take any longer than straightening it; sometimes it’s actually faster because I don’t feel the need for it to be completely perfect.  And finish it off with again my favorite hair spray Big Sexy hair.  The bobby pins come into play here as well.  I just find that I can not stand my hair in my face while I am trying to accomplish something.

Wow.  Okay, sure that seems like a lot of products, but each does a different job and I need each one of them to accomplish something completely different.  And while, I am not one to branch out about many things, I do like to wear my hair in many ways.  So all in all I need each one of those products.  You can see each hairstyle in the post below.

My second group is makeup, but I fear if I was to show the entire word how much makeup I have I may be judged harshly.  I have a small obsession with eye shadows.  I feel the need to have LOTS of them in a wide assortment of colors.  So rather than put it out there, that group must wait for another day.  This post is long enough, anyway!

Those are my favorite hair products.  What about you?  What do you need to make your world function?  

New Hair!

You may remember this post from last year, when I could not decide what I wanted to do with my hair. Well I finally made something happen...

New BLONDE waves

The Diva and me with my natural curly BLONDE hair.

The Diva and Me with straight BLONDE hair. 

For the record I have never been BLONDE in my life.  This is something completely new for me.  I do like it, however I am completely OVER Kevin now constantly referring to me as BLONDIE!  LOL

On our way to DISNEY

I know I have been a bad blogger, life has seen that I have many things to do and not enough time to accomplish it all.  This week we are getting ready for our trip to Disney.  The Diva is beyond excited and well I certainly will not complain about a week off work spent at “The most magical place on earth.”  This is our annual trip and it coincides with our 12th anniversary.  It is still hard to believe we have been married nearly 12 years. I still look the same… okay, okay I do look a little different.  We have our share of good and bad times but somehow we have managed to make it through to the other side. 

Now about this trip to Disney.  We have some things planned and some things to play by ear.  We are eating at the following: 50’s PrimeTime Café in Disney’s Hollywood Studios; Ohana’s at the Polynesian Resort; Tony’s Town Square in the Magic Kingdom and the Rose and Crown in Ecpot. Mostly all the Diva’s favorites. 

The Diva has favorites at all 4 parks and does not mind making you a plan of what you should do next.  Kevin and I joke we could rent her to Disney to make itineraries for first timers.  She knows each park like the back of her hand and rarely uses the maps for anything other than to see the times of shows or the parades.

Here are a few pictures from our past visits to Disney and yes, that six foot tall grown redneck man sports his matching mouse wear proudly. 

2010 at Epcot

Mouse wear

Miami Mouse... this was before
the Diva decided she is an Auburn Tigers fan.

Everyone in their matching mouse wear.

We enjoy our family time with the Mouse and think it's a great vacation for us.  We know it is not for everyone, but we do what makes this royal family happy. 

All A's and the Bee

Reports cards are currently being proudly displayed on the fridge, all A's again for the Diva.  As her Mommy, I know I am ecstatic she makes the effort in school and that is shows on her report card. Following her report card was the Spelling Bee! Now, my Diva is not one for the limelight.  Okay, let me re-phrase that, she is only one for the limelight if she knows everything can be perfect. In the end she did not win, which [her words] was great.  Her BFF was also in the Bee with her, she did not win either so to make it up to the both of them we had a BFF photo shoot!  Here are a few of the pictures!

 I think they turned out great.  To see the whole shoot you can check it out here.  The girls had a blast and it was a great weekend even if they did not win the Spelling Bee!