Our step by step planning to Disney!

I have found numerous sites that offer tips and advice to first time Disney vacations and haven't really found one that laid it out as plain and simplie as http://www.mousesavers.com/ did. I used their instructions found HERE to guide me with the first part of the planning.

Here is our outline of our trip so far. There's still a lot of details to work out in the plan!

1. When you're going. We have decided on May or June 2012. We have not yet picked a date because we need to know when Logan and Iggy's last day of school is. As well as what days work for me and my vacation at work. I have narrowed it down to a date range in May and June. Those dates are May 1st-24th or 30th-31st or June 1st-10th or June 16th-21st. We also need to compare the dates with dates suggested to go to Disney based on crowds and weather.
2. What you're going to do when you get there. I know the park I want to see is Magic Kingdom. It is just what I think of when I think of Disney. Iggy really wants to go to Animal Kingdom. I think two parks in one day is probably possible. I've been thinking about two days at Disney possibly so we will see if that works out or not. I hope to eat lunch and dinner in the park as well as one or two snacks. That's a lot of food in one day but we will also be so active that day that we will work up an appetite. I have to get Mickey ears and the all you can fill Mr. Potato Head box for souviners in WDW. And see the parade. There is a great option to make a custom map of what you want to see in Disney that they will actually mail to you. I hope to get that started today because it takes 3 weeks to recieve it.
3. How long your'e staying. We are staying at our hotel (located in Downtown Disney) for 4 days/3 nights. But how many of those 4 days we are actually visiting Disney World so far is just one. I have read about people doing all four parks in one day but I want to be able to take in the magic of WDW and I dont think running from park to park that I would be able to do that. Again, I am going to try and convince the husband that two days are better than one, but we will see what he thinks.
4. How you're getting there. Thankfully I was able to decide this yesterday and even confirm it with the husband. We are renting a car and driving. To save towards this we are going to start buying gas cards for big name gas stations like BP or Shell to use on the trip. We plan to buy a $25 gas card each paycheck he gets to save towards this and make the gas less out of pocket up front. We are going to try and rent a Prius though because the economy car offered would be too small for the three of us cramped together for so long.
5. What kind of theme park tickets to buy. This one is sort of easy to decide upon. We do not need tickets to the two water parks. But if we go just one day then I want to get the park hopper tickets so we can see both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom in one day. If we decide on going for two days then it will be just a regular ticket each day to spend the entire day at one park at a time. I did find out that our hotel has the Extra Magic Hours that allows you either early entrance to a specific park by an hour or extends the closing time of a park by three hours. It's park specific daily so this may change our plans slightly.
6. Where you'll be staying. I am most excited about finding out exactly which hotel we will be staying at. It is the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista located in the Walt Disney Resort in Downtown Disney! Our park offers free parking in WDW and free shuttle service to Disney! There is a Sunday breakfast with characters as well! I can't wait to find out who is going to be at breakfast! I'm even more glad we are leaving on a Friday to get to enjoy this perk on the Sunday we are there!

Needless to say, I'm very thankful for this planning tip for first time Disney visitors. As you can tell, there are still a lot of details to be worked out. I want to have a Disney planning day with my bff to go over her details as well. Unfortunately we will not be vacationing as a family to Disney World but she is going with her family is March and another great friend is going in February. I hope to get some tips from them when they return as well!Pin It Now!

Driving vs Flying.

This budget is a work in progress and tonight I plan on spending some time with the husband to figure out some more ideas on what we want to spend. Right now I'm trying to decide if driving or flying is a better option. Mainly because of the tire problems we had when we went down the first time and how awful it was!

Things to consider for driving vs flying:

Driving it is estimated that it will 1796 miles round trip. We will not be taking Iggy's car no matter what so we need to factor in a rental car, gas, and hotel for the first night of driving.

• Rental car $132 for the week
• Round trip gas $244 approximately
• Hotel in Georgia $100 approximately
• Need to include food for on the way there and back approximately $100

Total for driving: $576

Flying would be my preferred option since we do not have to get a hotel room halfway through the first drive, no risk of flat tires in the middle of no where, plus it's much quicker than a forever long drive.

• Round trip flight that will get us in Florida early afternoon and leaving in the evening is $270 per person
• Rental car for 4 days we are there $120 (includes pick up and drop off at airport)
• Need to include some gas for the driving we would do approximately $100

Total for flying: $1010

Obviously, driving looks way better at this point. And thats including the rental car. I think we know which one we are going to chose.

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This Disney post turned more into a Muppets post.

Lately I have been obsessing over all things Disney. I know this is because we are going to Disney World this year but I mean it's getting bad. I read Disney blogs daily (more than once a day even), I read about the rides, and browse the Disney store website. Last night I was lucky enough to be at Kenwood Towne Center and stop in at the Disney store. We spent over 30 minutes there but we still walked out without purchasing anything. And a few weeks ago I went to the Disney Store Outlet. I want to buy everything that I see! Haha.

I have decided that the ten days counting down till we leave I want to surprise Logan with a small Disney gift, just something small that he can use while we are there or on the ride (hopefully flight) to Florida. These are some items I have thought about getting for him.

I love these Vinylmations Muppets for Logan. He's obsessed with the Muppets more than I have ever been and he can collect all of these. The greatest part is when you get one, you don't know which one you have until you open the box. And if you already have that one, you can just swap it out for a different one! There are a lot other cute series of these out too.

He  needs a shirt to wear while there and this one just seems perfect! He thinks Gonzo is really cool. I'm still not sure which Muppet is his favorite though.

Then there's stuffed animals. I hated them growing up and for some reason they are Logan's favorite toys to play with. He has a huge collection of what he calls his "cuddlies". Some of them he actually won't go to sleep without having in bed with him. A new Fozzie cuddlie would be perfect for sleeping in Florida and preparing for Disney!

And this one is just for me. I need a new bag for when we are there. Something big enough to hold souviners when we buy them and to carry some snacks around for when we get hungry and aren't ready to stop for an official snack in the park. Plus, isn't this Kermit bag adorable?

As you can tell, I'm so excited about Disney. I plan on figuring out a schedule for when we are actually in the park and what attractions I don't want to miss that are a must! And where else is a better place to track the Disney planning than my blog? Haha.Pin It Now!

18 days into 2012.

I am happy to say that I'm glad this year has been going pretty slow so far. It usually feels like time moves way too fast and I hate that feeling. I look back at 2011 and realize that the year flew by. I did so much yet not enough. I went out of the country twice, got married, and that is about it! I can't believe it. I hope this year goes a little slower and I have time actually do things and enjoy them.

I know that the Mayan's were probably wrong, right? The world won't end this year. It just can't. But let's be honest, I've been terribly afraid of it as we have gotten closer and closer to this year. And then after seeing 2012 in theaters, that scared me even more! I just keep thinking it won't happen. But it could end at any moment without warning and I (not just because of the whole world ending 2012 mess) want to make sure I make the most of this year and those to come!

We have some plans for this year already. February 24th we fly out of CVG and are having a (hopefully wonderful) vacation in Mexico. Last year we went to Mexico for the first time and it was amazing. One of the best experiences I have ever had! We went whale watching, played in the water, and even got massages right on the beach. This year should be just as great. We are also going to Disney World! Yay. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. So much to do to prepare! I need to make Logan's character autograph book, make a countdown of some kind, and make a plan for when we are there! I hope to spend one day at Universal and then one day at something else. It's going to be a nice (but only 3 nights) trip. I'm sure we will all be worn out when we return! I also want to go on another cruise this year but this time with my bestie and her husband. A nice kid free vacation for some old married people. Haha. I'm a little worried though with the recent accident a cruise liner had last week. I don't want to be on a cruise ship that wrecks and lands on its side.

Our little family has even more exciting news regarding this year. Logan will be starting kindergarten in August. I can't believe he will be five this year and so grown up! I told him the other day that I was sad he was getting so big. His reply? "Wait till I'm five, then I'll be even bigger." Why do kids want to grow up so fast? It's like he wasn't even a baby for long. Off of his bottle right when he turned one. Potty trained before he his second birthday. And speaking in full sentennces before then as well! He makes me want to have baby number two. It's an idea I've thought about again and again. I've made pros and cons lists too many times to count. My IUD has to be removed and replaced by November of this year. I have some time to think about it again before I replace it with another 5 year IUD. Iggy says he's ok with a new baby. But is he? I have no idea!

Iggy started back to college two weeks ago. I'm so excited for him and he's loving it so far. I just hope he feels this way for the next six years or so about it! He isn't always the happiest about working in the office one or two days a week as he has been doing. But he's just filing papers. Maybe that will change as he starts doing more human resource work. He liked his HR class he did last semester but you can just tell he's doesnt seem as happy as he is with working in the store. Whatever he decides to do and ends up doing, I hope it just makes him and keeps him happy! We don't need two people in our house unhappy with their jobs!Pin It Now!

Lots of posts to make up for missed time!

The original reason I blogged was to have a way to keep tracking I wedding things and have a way to always remember the planning. Now that the wedding is over, I need to find a new direction to take the blog. I have a couple of things I have decided to post about frequently but nothing as to where I want this blog to go. I hope to have a weekly post to update my resolutions and to track my progress on them. Thy will keep me accountable to them, at least I hope! Other than that, I'm not too sure what else to do. The blog may seem a bit lost for awhile as I decide what I'm doing here. But it will find a purpose soon! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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Why not have a resolution? Or several!

I always say I don't have a new years resolution, but I always secretly do. I fear telling anyone because I will end up failing as I do year after year. I decided this year that this year I will make several resolutions so I have a couple of things to work on throughout the year. Let's hope I can keep up with at least one of them!

My Resolutions.

1. Be healthier. This isn't just the lose a number of pounds this year. It's all around healthier me. Yes, I want to work on losing weight (trying out a gym next week) but I also want to eat healthier and become healthier mentally. I want to learn to manage my stree, anxiety and depression better and without medication.
2. Take more photos of Logan. And more family photos. When I look over the last year or two, I notice that I have taken a significantly less amount of pictures of Logan than I did in his first few years of life. I don't want to ever forget how amazing he is at this age and I want to capture it as much as I can. I hope to take a photo daily of him so I can look back and remember just how stinking cute he was when he was four!
3. Stop ripping out my hair. It's crazy sounding, but I suffer from trichotillomania where I pull hair out my head. I don't notice that I am even doing it sometimes until I end up with a pile of hair in front of me. Iggy will bring it to my attention that I'm doing it and have me stop. Sometimes it's just not that easy though. I once tried an online support group for it and that didn't help since I didn't put any effort to stopping. This year I hope to get closer to quitting even though it's so hard. I need to since I noticed  some spots on my head were thinning. Not something I'm proud of and if I don't stop, it's only going to get worse.
4. Floss more. This kind of goes hand in hand wit h the be healthier since there are some crazy scary things that can happen from poor dental hygiene but this is specifically about flossing! My teeth in in fine condition and my breath doesn't stink but I should be better at flossing. I also want to make sure Logan flosses more so I'll throw that one in there for him. Haha.
5. And last I want to always have painted nails. I swore up and down as soon as I started wearing my wedding band that I would always have my nails done. And since I've been married, they have been painted twice and that is it. I need to keep them painted because my natural nails are just ugly, they break easier when they are not painted and my ring looks prettier when they are painted.
6. Coupon more! I'm not talking like I use to coupon and stockpile 30 something boxes of jello that were given away/sold at a yard sale. I am very thankful for what I did manage to stockpile in regards to shampoo and so on because that saved us money for the past couple of years. But I want to just coupon enough to save money on the things we need. I don't want to use a certain kind of shampoo just because it was free!

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Apparently I'm terrible at keeping up on my blog.

It's official, I'm the worst blogger in the world since I have not posted since November. Since then, I've gotten married, went on the honeymoon, had a total of 3 Christmas celebrations (1 more to go), and celebrated New Years!

Let's catch up quickly.

The wedding was amazing. I had so much fun. Even with the awful stress that started the Tuesday before the wedding and didn't end until the photographer showed up at the house on the day of!

We spend some time in the morning running around like crazy finishing up last minute details. Three of the four girls got our hair done together. Then two of the four girls got ready together. Three of the four boys came over to get ready. We took some photos. And headed off to the wedding in the limo (one of my favorite parts of the night was the limo ride).

After the reception, we spent some time with the maid of honor and one of the groomsmen. Then Iggy and I stayed up way too late talking about the wedding. We woke up bright and early and headed off for our honeymoon! Yay for long drives to Florida for our cruise to the Bahamas!

Our tire blew out on the way, we almost got stuck spending the night at a creepy Motel 6 or 8 or something equally gross looking. We met some nice kids who were working at a tire store to put a new tire on the car and we were on our way again.

The cruise food was delicious, the shows were great and the comedy clubs on the cruise were hilarious! Freeport was nice (the beach was kind of small) and Nassau was ridiculously amazing! We took too many naps, had a ton of sushi, and just had a fantastic time!

Then there was Christmas. Logan said that Santa knew everything that he wanted and even some things Logan had forgot to ask Santa for. It was a great time to watch him open his gifts and love everything (besides the pajamas) that Santa brought him! Christmas with my dad and sister was fine. Nothing eventful but nothing terrible either. Christmas with Iggy's family was great as well. I have some fantastic socks that I'm still obsessed over!



Im frustrated with this photo because it refuses to rotate.

 New years came and went very quickly. Our little family rang in the new year with my old roomie Patty and Matt (who works with Iggy). They are dating, or kind of, or not. I really don't know and I'm not sure if they do just yet. We had food, watched the NYE countdown, and Logan threw some confetti.

And I rang in the new year on my own by chopping off my hair. My last official hair cut was before going to Mexico in Februray. I decided to go short again with lots of choppy layers. I'm much happier with it now since before I was only able to wear it up and that just looked like a mess.

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