Trip Report 2025 The Year of Last Minute Trips

Still having computer issues so please tolerate my slowness LOL. The last post I did was for our last minute Disney Wish trip in February. What I don't think I've posted is anything for our May and July trips. Horrible I know. These two trips will be more of a quick summary because 1. my short term memory now sucks and 2. I can't differentiate between the two trips But this report is more of a start of a trip planning/report for the last trip of the year - the Disney Treasure in November!!!

Who: Me and my husband R
When: Friday, May 16th - Tuesday, May 20th
Why: Flower and Garden redo attempt, if you remember what happened during last year's Festival
Where: Coronado Springs, standard room

We only had one day tickets for either Sunday or Monday for Epcot. I think it was on a Sunday because I was concerned about Festival crowd levels. I didn't take many pictures during this trip because I just wanted to soak it in. I really needed the mental break going into this trip. Most of the pictures are of food, I think LOL. And the same goes for the July trip

Friday, May 16th

Our plane was waiting for us when we arrived so we were lucky to not have a delay.

We had to change our entire trip dates when Jetblue cancelled the flight we were on so we ended up taking the last flight out a day before on a Friday so that we wouldn't lose Disney time. Luckily, there were still available rooms at CSR to allow us to do that cheaply. Because JB cancelled the original flight times, we got free upgrades to Boarding Group A. Which wasn't fantastic for one of our travel days because the airplane had gotten hot and they stopped boarding the plane after Group A boarded so that the AC could cool off the plane. I had a hand travel fan so I was able to stay cool in the meantime. And our pilots for both trips were fantastic. One pilot had such a smooth take off that I didn't even know we were in the air. And the pilot on the return trip had one of the best landings I've ever experienced. Can't ask for more when you're a scared flier.

We landed early and got to Mears check in. Where we waited. And waited. Then waited some more. After an hour of waiting, we finally got on the bus. And then ended up being the very last stop. Again. I did complain in the survey and the CSR gave me a refund for a portion of the trip, which I did appreciate.

The dance/cheer competitions were ending so we would not be there with the large, loud groups. And a professional conference was starting on Tuesday so people were starting to trickle in on Monday. It was a great weekend at the resort with low crowds and it was very quiet. I had asked to be close to a bus stop but I didn't make any other requests. I got the room request while waiting in the lobby. I think they honored that request

This was the first time we've stayed in the Ranchos section since 2018. They used to keep the cheerleaders in Ranchos but after Gran Destino opened, the cheer groups are in every section except Destino. In other trips, I would request a section away from them and it was always honored and we would get quiet rooms. So I was so excited to stay in Ranchos again, which is my favorite section at CSR.

This was the view from our room.

And this was our room placement.

The one thing I did notice this trip is that some of the foliage was getting really overgrown and unkept. I guess they haven't been able to hire the people they had prior to covid. But the rooms are still in great order.

 

[LeighM]

And the required room pictures

I still prefer the rooms at CSR over those at the other moderates. But I'll wait and see how I like the new rooms at French Quarter before making a final judgement. We were starving so we went to the resort food court to pick up something quick.

We both got the chicken rice bowl which was still as great as last time. This is probably my favorite option from their food court! We wanted to take a quick trip to Disney Springs so we headed off to the main bus stop and saw a pin trading event. Had to stop and check out a few collections and I was kicking myself for not bringing my trading pins with me!

And I never actually paid attention to the ceiling in the new section of the resort until this trip

 

[LeighM]

And I just remembered that when we first entered the lobby when the Mears bus dropped us off, the door actually tried to closed on me. It hurt because that automated door is heavy when it hit my right arm. The bruise I got lasted weeks! And the other thing I noticed this trip is that CSR is the home of the rabbits. I have never seen so many walking around any other resort. This was a pair of itty bitty bunnies that we saw one day. I wanted to pick them up and cuddle them so bad LOL.

I don't think we had a long wait for the DS bus. The only thing I wanted to do was get my favorite slice of cake, gluten be darned! We got there and the wait was only 15 minutes. On a Friday night!

The rainbow cake was tempting because my Rainbow Brite era self still loves a good rainbow but I stuck to my guns, and discipline, and got my chocolate with marshmallow icing.

R said he didn't want any of my cake until he had a bite and ended up eating half. This has to be in my top 5 favorite cakes ever.

This was our view while was enjoyed the cake and my little bottle of milk.

After this, we went back to the room because we were exhausted.

Up next, Saturday and Disney Springs

 

[Swissmiss]

Glad you got a little “do over” of last year’s trip.

 

[jmunzert]

And I just remembered that when we first entered the lobby when the Mears bus dropped us off, the door actually tried to closed on me. It hurt because that automated door is heavy when it hit my right arm. The bruise I got lasted weeks! And the other thing I noticed this trip is that CSR is the home of the rabbits. I have never seen so many walking around any other resort. This was a pair of itty bitty bunnies that we saw one day. I wanted to pick them up and cuddle them so bad LOL.

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I don't think we had a long wait for the DS bus. The only thing I wanted to do was get my favorite slice of cake, gluten be darned! We got there and the wait was only 15 minutes. On a Friday night!

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The rainbow cake was tempting because my Rainbow Brite era self still loves a good rainbow but I stuck to my guns, and discipline, and got my chocolate with marshmallow icing.

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R said he didn't want any of my cake until he had a bite and ended up eating half. This has to be in my top 5 favorite cakes ever.

This was our view while was enjoyed the cake and my little bottle of milk.

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After this, we went back to the room because we were exhausted.

Up next, Saturday and Disney Springs

the cookies are fine but you are not kidding, the cakes are the only way to go! never tried this cake before, can not wait!

 

[LeighM]

Glad you got a little “do over” of last year’s trip.

Well that was the plan, at least

 

[LeighM]

Saturday, May 17 - Disney Springs

We woke up early and went to Disney Springs. We popped into a few shops like Savannah Bee Company, which has become one of our must dos whenever we are there. R had to have this sticker for his laptop

He used to make his own meads until we moved into this house and we had no more space for it. But he's kept all his supplies so he can start again at the next house.

We headed to Polite Pig (where else would he go??!) for lunch and a line was already forming.

We ordered both of our favorites, no need to tell again but I will share the food pictures because that's what it's all about LOL

That beet salad was soooo good! Another heat wave with extremely high temps and heat index decided to make an appearance. We discussed what to do about Epcot because we would not be able to eat all of the food at the Festival that we wanted to do. So we made a last minute pivot and changed our tickets to Magic Kingdom from Monday to Sunday since thunderstorms were expected on Monday. It's coming back to me now. I miss the days of easy flexibility when buying Disney World tickets!

After changes were confirmed and lunch was finished, we headed down to World of Disney which was packed to the gills. I thought about buying this shirt but had no space in my luggage.

So I bought a near identical magnet on Etsy, which is now on our fridge. The heat was getting to us so we made our way back to Coronado.

Saw this mural on the way there and it was my favorite of the bunch.

I really can't remember what we did the rest of the day but my pictures told me we shared the nachos and street corn at the food court at Coronado.

The slide at the main pool was closed (AGAIN!) during our stay so we didn't get to enjoy that. So skipping ahead to Sunday and Magic Kingdom lol....

 

[LeighM]

Sunday, May 18th - Magic Kingdom

We woke up bright and early to rope drop MK before the heat got to be unbearable. We had minimal wait for the bus stop and soon were off to my favorite park.

The crowds were low this morning. We were able to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Little Mermaid, the People Mover, Peter Pan, and maybe Winnie the Pooh all with standby lines. We skipped Jungle Cruise because of the heat. We even had time to have breakfast at Gaston's so that we could finally (!!) try the creme brulee croissant. And yall this was fantastic!!!

I did not like LeFou's Brew which was way too sweet for me but something else I've checked off the Disney list. Even better, we were able to enjoy it inside an empty Gaston's! Because no one else was there, I was able to get this picture easily. R refused to pose for me though.

We had a lunch reservation at Steakhouse 71 around noon so after a few more rides, we headed out of the park. But at some point we had to stop for the spring rolls when there was no line and they actually had all the sauces

We also saw the Dapper Dans on the way out and stopped to listen

We got in line for the monorail to get to the restaurant and had about a 15 minute wait. I was surprised by the number of people who showed up without a reservation expecting to be seated immediately. At this point, I could feel the heat starting to get to me and I knew we had a made a great decision to switch to MK instead of doing Epcot, as originally intended.

Our names were called and we were seated in a very chilly AC section that we both enjoyed at first. But after the end of the meal it was like all of our jointed had locked up from the cold and didn't want to function when we stood up. It was actually hilarious. I had made the ADR so that R could get the bacon and eggs he's talked about for years but when the time came to order he got something different.

Another boring chicken sandwich Their GF menu wasn't appealing to me and I needed something not hot so I ordered the turkey club with side salad.

Yall I was not expecting the sandwich to be this big and so much turkey. My body was going to hate all this gluten, I just knew it. But it was extremely good even if I did almost dislocate my jaw trying to eat it. R ended up helping me finish it. I guess his chicken sandwich wasn't as filling. We had an Ohana dinner reservation but knew we couldn't eat enough to justify the cost due to the heat and I should've have all those noodles either after having this for lunch. So we cancelled that and I made a reservation at Skipper's Canteen instead since I've had to cancel all my other ADRs for it.

We discussed heading back to the resort but didn't want to stay in the heat waiting for buses multiple times so we just went back to MK. While waiting for the elevators, we saw a model of the Wish and had to get pics of the stats.

This was our first time really exploring the Contemporary and it didn't connect with me. I'm fine if I never stay here. It just wasn't for me.

 

[LeighM]

We got back to Magic Kingdom and took our time in the gift shops. I saw these figurines at Arribas and fell in love with them. But the price is mind boggling. If anyone wants to surprise me with the Tinker Bell one message me and I'll send my address LOL.

We purchased some pins and did some trading. Rode a few more attractions that were low wait times. Watched Chip and Dale, along with Horace Horsecollar and Clarabell Cow line dance. There was one father who didn't get a crap about other people filming and taking pictures while he was doing some detailed production recording his own child. Sorry to all the other parents that wanted good pictures of their kids having a special moment - it was all about him

We made our way back to Skippers Canteen about 30 minutes before our reservation to see if they could seat us early as the heat was making me sick and luckily they were able to accommodate. I took no pictures of the interior at all as I was busy trying to survive

I ordered the GF brazilian cheese bread for the appetizer and I can see why everyone raves about them. They were delicious!

I ordered the GF pad thai which was better than I was expecting it to be

R ordered the duck fried rice which he loved. He usually doesn't eat duck but he wanted to try something different. He enjoyed it but it wasn't the most memorable Disney entree he's had.

I think the prices are ridiculous but it's a MK table service so it's to be expected. We did both enjoy it but not sure we would go back until after we try more new to us places. After dinner, we decided to skip the nightime shows and just head back to the resort.

But first, I wanted to see the new Poly tower. I didn't like it. The colors were nice but it felt like it was lacking something. The crowds at the Poly quick service were bonkers and I felt sorry for the resort guests who had no room to sit to eat or had a long wait because of the additional number of guests. It used to be a place I would dream of staying one day but the DVC tower ended those dreams. The only thing I really liked was this mural, mainly because teal is my favorite color.

It was relaxing and fun and we got to do everything we really wanted to do with minimal waits. I was sad about missing the F&G Festival again but I finally received the message the universe has been sending me and I will only do that event in March or April. Lesson learned - no more May trips.

We both became a little peckish at the end of the day and shared a personal pizza from the food court.

I had to get a lot of grease off the top before I could eat it. But it was tasty for a typical Disney doughy pizza.

Up next - Monday - Resort Day

 

[Swissmiss]

Yes, now I understand how I spoke too soon

 

[LeighM]

Yes, now I understand how I spoke too soon

Maybe I'll get my true "redo" trip next March or April LOL

 

[LeighM]

Monday, May 19th - Resort Day

I think we had lunch at Polite Pig one more time. No picture to confirm because it was probably the exact same thing we had earlier in the trip. I actually have very limited memories of this day outside of the resort because I had so much fun just relaxing at Coronado. When we got back we filled up our mugs, which we got a lot of value from because we were drinking so many Powerades and lemonade due to the heat. We saw this little Bruno.

I wish we had known to look for it when we first checked in. R went to the desk and they gave him this button.

Day 1, you'll get the button. Each day after you find Bruno and they will stamp it and then you'll get another button as a reward. We obviously weren't able to do that since it was our last day. But good to know for future, longer stays. I also picked up this brochure in the lobby.

R decided to go to the gym in the Casitas section so I had to shown him where it was. I did some of this along the way.

After R came back we went to the food court to get a (mango?) Dole whip and try the other resort scavenger hunt

It wasn't working earlier in the trip so they got it fixed right before we checked out.

It gave us a good laugh when we saw the first one. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this ceiling in the old CSR lobby though.

Or the hidden Mickey in the fountain.

We did a few of these until it was time to go to Dahlia Lounge

 

[LeighM]

This was our first time at Dahlia's Lounge and I was sad to see that the items I most wanted to try were off the menu. Toledo wasn't open that day so Dahlia's wasn't very busy and we were able to find seats at the bar. We had great conversation with the bartenders and servers although I think the couple sitting next to us were annoyed I don't think I appreciated how high this floor was until I got up there. I would hate to be there and have to do all of those stairs during an emergency!

We weren't very hungry due to lunch so we shared the sliders

They were very good and I would definitely have them again. R also did the Design Your Own Old Fashioned

I think he went with the Buffalo Trace with blueberry syrup and he let the bartender choose the bitters and she picked the black walnut. Loved it! The black walnut was a surprising hit with the blueberry sweetness.

Afterwards, we went outside and took some pictures. You can really see how large the convention center is from this angle! And that's Blizzard Beach behind it.

And the Blizzard Beach close up

You can see the humidity in these pictures. And this is the Swan/Dolphin and Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror.

And close up of Galaxy's Edge

The bathroom had "fancy" hand towels

It looked like it was going to rain so we headed back to our room. We made it back just in time before the rain came. I started getting hungry around 8PM so we headed back to the quick service where I got the gluten filled mushroom and sauteed onion alfredo, which was actually very good. I never expect much from Disney pasta. I can't remember what R ordered, it looks like another Chicken Tinga bowl.

After eating, we headed back to the room to start packing.

 

[LeighM]

Tuesday, May 20th

We had an early afternoon flight so we had time to sleep in a little bit and get breakfast. We both got the kids scrambled eggs with bacon.

On the way out, we gave our refillable mugs to a family just checking in since it was good for 2 more weeks. We didn't have long to wait for Mears to pick us up. There was no wait at the TSA precheck so we had plenty of time to go through the gift shops. I went to the 2nd floor of the Universal Store once I was told there was an elevator I could take (the stairs can trigger my vertigo). Here are some pictures of the dragon's fire breath at Hogwarts LOL. People kept walking in front of my each time the dragon approached so I just gave up.

We must've had a smooth flight home because I have no residual bad memories of it. We got home safely and it was time for me to unpack and do laundry.

 

[LeighM]

So about my July trip I had seen the Disney+ room discount offer with the low rate of $168/night at PO Riverside for the 5th sleeper room. I was being responsible due to the upcoming cruise and didn't jump at the chance. I did bring it up to R because I couldn't believe that price! But the closer we were getting to July 4th the more anxious and depressed I was getting. I was trying to find places to stay locally to give me that mental distraction from my grief but the prices were outrageous. And my husband told me to just book the Riverside room. Which was no longer available. So I stalked the website every day and got it as soon as it was bookable. The flights with JetBlue were low and there was still seat availability so I bought tickets and the trip became real.

Who: Me and my husband R
When: Thursday, July 3rd - Monday, July 7th
Why: July 4th Weekend Getaway
Where: PO Riverside, 5th sleeper Alligator Bayou

We were on the first flight out leaving our town but we were delayed for almost 2 hours due to storms in New England where our flight was originating. They didn't leave Hartfort until the time we were supposed to be boarding. Which was affecting all of our plans. I tried cancelling our dinner reservation at Boatwright's but was unable to. I couldn't get a call to go through to Disney. So I was like I'll just deal with it when we land. When we were able to start boarding, the loud obnoxious people near us in the waiting area were sitting behind me in the plane. Not a great start to the trip LOL. But the pilot was great and hauled a$$ to MCO to try to make up time. We ended up landing early. The Mears bus picked us up within the 20 minutes quoted, which was a nice change.

We were the last people to get on the bus so we got seats in the front. We dropped off at AoA. Then Yacht Club. Then the Poly. Where we had to wait a while for the valets to move all of the cars so that the buses could get through. No hurry at all on their part.

Then POFQ. And, yet again, we were the very last stop. We were 5 minutes late for our ADR but they were able to accomodate us. We asked for a 4 top since they weren't busy and we still had our luggage with us. But they told us it would be a 20 minute wait. It didn't make any sense because I was looking at an empty 4 top that stayed empty four our entire dinner.

There have been a few things at Riverside we still hadn't done - Boatwrights, the main pool, and slide. So we wanted to get as much checked off as possible. This was the view outside as we were waiting for our table.

It started to rain soon after. We were seated at probably the worst placed 2 top in the place but I did have a nice view of the boat model.

I ordered the GF corn bread while R got the regular.

The GF was really lovely! Not dry at all but a little dense, which is to be expected. Both of them are the sweet cornbread that many Southerners don't like but I've always preferred it to the typical country cornbread. I had heard glowing reviews about the GF French Onion soup so I had to try it.

Yall..! This was some of the best French Onion I've ever had much less GF. I would go back to Boatwright's just to get this soup!

I ordered the shrimp and grits

It was good and spicier than I was expecting Disney to offer. Riverside's food court also has a shrimp and grits option but I never had to compare to what is offered at the table service. R wanted to try to skillet.

It was underwhelming but still tasty. He said he enjoyed it but he wouldn't order it again or go out of his way for it. We were planning to have dessert but we still had stress from traveling and dehydration so we skipped it. There was a downpour while we ate but had finished by the time we needed to go to our room. I knew I was going to be in Alligator Bayou because of the room I booked and I had requested near a bus stop. And they provided again.

 

[LeighM]

I prefer the atmosphere of Alligator Bayou but R prefers the Mansion section because it feels more open. Personally, I think he still feels a little trauma of getting lost in AB alone during our last stay there

This was our view walking to the building

We were in building 34 with a great view on the second floor so we had no one above us. We got lucky with quiet neighbors around us too!

This was our view outside of the door

The bus stop was behind the trees on the right so it was only a couple minute walk to the West Depot.

They did remove a lot of the rustic furnishings in these rooms and it was kinda sad. But they did keep the table and chairs!

The washboard sink almost made the cut

The shower was clean even though there was still a used towel hanging behind the door from someone else's previous stay.

I checked the sheets and mattress for bedbugs and it was all clear. I went to get the spare pillow out for my use later and saw an old blood stain on it.

I called and requested more pillows. The man who answered told me to stick that pillow outside and he would put in a request that we would get 4 more pillows delivered to make up for the issue. By the time we were thinking of going to bed, we still hadn't received the pillows. So we decided to go to the main lobby and talk to the front desk and fill up our mugs one more time and get something to eat. The woman who helped us was very friendly. She said that housekeeping doesn't deliver anything if lightning was in the area but she would put in a special request to have it done ASAP since we had already been waiting a while.

We both had a slice of pizza (not GF for me lol)

The pillows were waiting for us by the time we got back. I'm glad we did go to the front desk though because we never did get room service on the 3rd day (according to the flyer in our room) and the used towel stayed in the corner by the sink the entire trip. That's not how it used to be during all of our previous stays. But clean pillows in bed, we called it an early night and were asleep by midnight.

Up next, 4th of July (and we only did a resort only trip so no parks for us this trip!)

 

[LeighM]

Friday, July 4th - Disney Springs

I woke up with very low expectations of the day just because of what the day means to me. But R wanted Polite Pig so off we went and I was trying to make the best of a horrible, frickin day. We had a minimal wait in line and I decided to get something different. I had the hot honey chicken sandwich.

The picture doesn't do the size justice. I don't know why I was thinking it would be the size of a Chick-fil-A sandwich but I could NOT have been more wrong It was tasty, it was messy, and I could not finish it. R assisted after he finished his slighly modified half chicken - with a salad side instead of a veggie.

While waiting for the food to be brought, I looked over the Flavors of Florida pamphlet.

I decided after lunch, I wanted to go to the Patisserie. And that's what we did. Plus we were able to actually eat inside on a table. I struggled to make a decision because it all looked so good but ultimately when with this special event dessert. Don't ask me what it was because I no longer remember anything except it was wonderful and had a genuine taste of orange, not artificial orange. The worker who helped me said they never use artificial flavoring.

We started some of the Orange Bird scavenger hut.

Then we stopped at the Corkcicle kiosk so R could buy something he regretted not getting the last time. While there, this happened.

We knew it was supposed to be a rainy trip so we were prepared with Tevas, rain jackets, and quick drying clothes. I'll never understand people who don't prepare for the weather. Please, people don't trying running in flip flops in this kind of rain! The person we saw fall was lucky he wasn't injured. Once, it let up we made our way to the buses. Saw a drenched woman squeeze herself into a too small available seat and ended up half sitting on a completely dry lady. When she stood up at FQ, half of her dress was soaking wet. I hope that other lady felt bad about that. We hung out in the lobby for a while, did some pin trading, did some more eating. The 4th of July trivia board they had up.

I wanted the daily special for the 4th, which was the turkey dinner but they were out of turkey. So I happily settled on the gumbo.

R had no idea how I was able to eat again so soon after our early lunch. We went back to the room to relax since it looked like more rain was on the way (it was).

 

[cgersic]

I haven't stayed at French Quarter or Riverside in quite awhile, your pictures are reminding me of how wonderful they both are and that I should stay there soon!

 

[LeighM]

I haven't stayed at French Quarter or Riverside in quite awhile, your pictures are reminding me of how wonderful they both are and that I should stay there soon!

I'll always love Riverside but R says he wants to stay at Coronado more in the future because they have 2 gyms for him to use. I reminded him though that he hates staying at CSR when the cheer/dance groups are there and that our trip in May was after they had left. So we will probably still choose Riverside if we go during the months those competitions are happening LOL.

 

[LeighM]

After the rain, passed we headed back to Disney Springs. I was feeling hungry (again, I didn't understand how either) and I had been wanting to try Cooke's of Dublin for a while so we headed there. There were no crowds at all and we were able to sit in the lovely AC space.

Here is the GF desserts that had - I didn't even know they had GF options.

I had the fish and chips child option

And R had the adult options

We both highly enjoyed it and I would definitely go back if I were able to eat inside. After we finished eating, we went some stores we hadn't seen yet one of them was the Spice and Tea Exchange. They had this copycat recipe for the AK corn on the cob on display

Since we were on that side of DS, we took the boat to French Quarter to get the beignets. Not GF this time either I couldn't remember if we ordered the 3 or the 6, R was in the bathroom and couldn't confirm, so I ordered the 6. And R had a conniption when he saw I had ordered the 6 LOL.

He only ate 1, I ate 3, and we took 2 back to the room with us, which I ended up throwing away because he no longer wanted them. I followed him to the bus stop to take the internal bus back to Riverside. He assumed the Disney Spring bus was going to take us back to POR and I didn't even pay attention. So we rode back to DS, had to get off the bus, go thru security where one security guard was hilarious with his "just keep swimming spiel", walk to PO bus stop which is thankfully first, and then wait again because it just drove off as we got there. We did end up talking to a lovely family from KY though who was going to FQ to get the beignets.

The bus arrived without a long wait and we stopped off at the main stop to get a drink refill. While there I noticed that the entree of the day was available again so I hopped in line for that because the typical Thanksgiving dinner is always one of my favs anywhere I go.

The turkey was actually moist, the string beans were garlicky in a good way, the mashed potatoes were on point, the cornbread dressing was the norm, and the cranberry sauce was okay. I couldn't eat all of the turkey because it was cut very thick but everything else was wolfed down. At this point, I could only assume that I was eating my feelings and I knew without a doubt that all that gluten was going to cause me some joint pain the next day.

We watched a little Yehaa Bob playing to a fully packed space, as is typical.

I went back to the lobby to check the pin board one more time. I saw this gem and started to get teary.

The lovely CM said that it was just placed there and he knew it wasn't going to last very long. Eeyore was my Mom's favorite Pooh character. So it felt like it was her way of letting me know she was still there. I knew I was about to have a good cry but I wanted to check the pin trading board outside at Bell Services. And we arrived just in time to see the ending of Epcot's July 4th fireworks. Sorry for the pixelated pictures but I still haven't been able to figure out how to fix those settings.

I never even knew that you could see any fireworks from Riverside and I've stayed here a lot. Originally, we were going to have dinner at one of the monorail resorts so that we could be close by and see the MK 4th fireworks but the weather had been iffy all day so we decided against it. I was very happy with how this July 4th turned out and the fireworks at the end was just the cherry on the icing of a fantastic cupcake. It got me thinking though that next year will be the 10 year anniversary of Mom's death. Now I'm thinking of either another WDW trip or a Disney cruise. Getting away from the drama of our neighborhood and the sadness of the day was a great decision and I was so thankful R was okay with doing it. I know it was a pity trip, but I'll still take it

Up next - Saturday, July 5th