Thanks for taking the time to read my first trip report! A little disclaimer before we begin: my camera started acting a bit funky on this trip – shutting itself off, flash totally blowing out faces on indoor shots, etc. – so my report will not be super “photo heavy”. Although totally disappointed by the camera performance on this trip, one good thing has come out of it – I have FINALLY convinced DW that a new DSLR camera is in order! I detect a father’s day gift on the horizon so I’m ready to go for our next trip in early December! Disclaimer over….now on with the report!
The Cast
Since this is my first report, I thought I should introduce the “players” and give you a little of our story!
Me: Mike – I’m an event manager at a local college and, therefore, suffer from the inability to do anything without going over-the-top. Holidays (we have 10 full-sized, fully decorated/themed Christmas trees in our house – my grandma always says our house looks like Macy’s!), birthdays (DD’s 1st b-day party was pretty crazy and about pushed my wife to the edge!) and just about anything else I can do bigger than it needs to be!
DW: Chrissy – Assistant professor of nursing at a local nursing college in addition to wrapping up classes and starting a dissertation for her PhD. She has learned to accept my crazy ways and indulge my madness!
DD: Addison – Our 16 month old bundle of energy. As the title of this report suggests, she did not accompany us on this trip. Her first trip was last summer (7 mos) and will be going again for her 2nd b-day later this year. She’s a total riot, makes us laugh on a daily basis and has completely brightened our lives.
Our little family in June 2010 - DD's first trip!
Our love of WDW:
How did it begin? Well, we were set up on our first date by mutual friends. Sometime during that first dinner together (late July), the topic of WDW came up and we both confessed a “Disney obsession”. Our friends were also fans of the parks and we all decided it would be fun to take a trip together. Within the first month, the trip was booked. Less than two months after that, I knew she was the “one” and made a fateful call to the (now defunct) Disney Fairytale Engagement Center. It was booked and the plan was in place. In late March, we all traveled to Disney together and had a fantastic time. Four days into the trip, we walked into the Rose Garden at Cinderella Castle, which was roped off just for us. On the boat dock, the Engagement Center cast members had setup a Victorian loveseat and a small table with a chilled bottle of sparkling cider, a dozen roses and the toasting flutes I had shipped down in advance. We posed on the loveseat so our friends could take our picture and 30 seconds later I was down on one knee. She said “yes”, sealed the deal with a kiss and all the guests waiting for the fireworks cheered as they watched the scene unfold. It was a perfect evening and solidified the fact that WDW was now “our place”. We tied the knot 18 months later and returned to the World for a week stay at AKL and a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise. In the 9 years since the proposal, we’ve traveled to WDW at least once, if not twice a year. We have a digital countdown clock that we used before our wedding…now that clock is used to countdown the days until our next WDW trip. It is typically reset the day we get home from the most current trip so the new countdown can begin!
The Cast
Since this is my first report, I thought I should introduce the “players” and give you a little of our story!
Me: Mike – I’m an event manager at a local college and, therefore, suffer from the inability to do anything without going over-the-top. Holidays (we have 10 full-sized, fully decorated/themed Christmas trees in our house – my grandma always says our house looks like Macy’s!), birthdays (DD’s 1st b-day party was pretty crazy and about pushed my wife to the edge!) and just about anything else I can do bigger than it needs to be!
DW: Chrissy – Assistant professor of nursing at a local nursing college in addition to wrapping up classes and starting a dissertation for her PhD. She has learned to accept my crazy ways and indulge my madness!
DD: Addison – Our 16 month old bundle of energy. As the title of this report suggests, she did not accompany us on this trip. Her first trip was last summer (7 mos) and will be going again for her 2nd b-day later this year. She’s a total riot, makes us laugh on a daily basis and has completely brightened our lives.
Our little family in June 2010 - DD's first trip!
Our love of WDW:
How did it begin? Well, we were set up on our first date by mutual friends. Sometime during that first dinner together (late July), the topic of WDW came up and we both confessed a “Disney obsession”. Our friends were also fans of the parks and we all decided it would be fun to take a trip together. Within the first month, the trip was booked. Less than two months after that, I knew she was the “one” and made a fateful call to the (now defunct) Disney Fairytale Engagement Center. It was booked and the plan was in place. In late March, we all traveled to Disney together and had a fantastic time. Four days into the trip, we walked into the Rose Garden at Cinderella Castle, which was roped off just for us. On the boat dock, the Engagement Center cast members had setup a Victorian loveseat and a small table with a chilled bottle of sparkling cider, a dozen roses and the toasting flutes I had shipped down in advance. We posed on the loveseat so our friends could take our picture and 30 seconds later I was down on one knee. She said “yes”, sealed the deal with a kiss and all the guests waiting for the fireworks cheered as they watched the scene unfold. It was a perfect evening and solidified the fact that WDW was now “our place”. We tied the knot 18 months later and returned to the World for a week stay at AKL and a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise. In the 9 years since the proposal, we’ve traveled to WDW at least once, if not twice a year. We have a digital countdown clock that we used before our wedding…now that clock is used to countdown the days until our next WDW trip. It is typically reset the day we get home from the most current trip so the new countdown can begin!
