Mickey, Harry Potter, and Shamu Walk Into a Bar

Welcome, y’all, to my trip report. Now some of you may be disappointed in the (somewhat distasteful) name that I chose for this particular trip report, while others may be upset in the lack of actual bars in the trip report. However, you will not be disappointed in the amount of photos, fun, and new adventures that my family went on during our 10 day stay from May 5- 15. I won’t waste too much time on the introductions because I plan on getting into more detail as the report continues.

The cast again, in case you forgot, included: myself (Rachel); husband, Jordan; mom, Disneybird; pops; grandmother; sister, Amanda; brother-in-law, John; nephew, Victor; niece, Julia. Yep, that’s a big ‘ole party to travel with.

Now on with the show.

May 5, 2012

I’m including this day for one very special reason: my husband graduated from college on this day! Three years after returning to school I was very proud to watch my husband walk across the stage to receive his Bachelor’s in Bible and Theology. Many people often ask if I am older than my husband considering that I have my Master’s. He is actually three years older than me, but he lived a much cooler life than I did before he went back to school. He backpacked through Scotland, traveled the country playing music, and traveled to different parts of the world doing missions work. On the other hand, I went to school…fun.

Still, I was very proud to see him receive his diploma, and this entire trip was planned to celebrate his graduation, as well as his new position at the church where we attend. He worked very hard leading right up to graduation. Trust me, writing exegetical papers, memorizing hundreds of years of history from the Nicean Councils, and debating Calvinism vs. Arminianism made for a very exhausting last semester. So, I was excited to spend a relaxing 10 days with a stress free husband.

We were hoping to have an additional reason to celebrate while we were in WDW, as well. Last July I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching. I am certified to teach History 7-12, with an add-on in Language Arts. For the past year I have worked at the high school where I did my year long internship in the testing department and as a tutor in English and U.S. History. Unfortunately, the school did not have a teaching position for me, but I was blessed to have a job regardless. Honestly, the best way to get a job in a school is to stay in the school. Rumors started circulating about three months ago that a position would be opening in the Social Studies Department. The department rallied behind me to be the person to fill the position in case it came open. I even had several meetings with members of the administration to discuss job opportunities. However, as it got closer and closer to our trip it seemed less and less likely that there would be a position open. The week before we left for vacation two different people on two different occasions approached me and suggested that I start looking at other schools for jobs. They were both looking out for my best interests and wanted to make sure that I could find employment. While I appreciated it talk about a devastating blow. On top of it all this came during my busiest week of the year, the week of End of Course testing (I was able to take off the entire next week because my job is based on hours, which I built up enough of during the week of testing.). So, I was so ready to just get out of town and away from the craziness for awhile. I planned on using these 10 days not having to or wanting to think about jobs.

The day and a half leading up to Jordan’s graduation were very hectic in our little household as Jordan’s mother and brother came down from Maryland to stay with us. Packing and resting beforehand became a little rushed. Still, Saturday morning I was ready to pop out of bed and get going with everything. Fortunately, Jordan’s graduation was early in the morning because we had a very long drive ahead of us.

034.jpg


Blurry but this was the best I could do.

042.jpg


All smiles afterwards

045.jpg


047.jpg


Once graduation was over, my parents met us over at our place for lunch before hitting the road. We hit the road around 1:30 for a long journey ahead. The ride down was uneventful, and traffic wasn’t bad at all. We stayed off-site for the night at a Comfort Suites. My mom was nice enough to get Jordan and me our own room for the night. Once we got there we were so excited to be starting our vacation that we literally jumped up and down on the bed.
 

popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It's a little unnerving whenever I read that someone made a restaurant reservation because of a recommendation I made. I always worry that someone will have a worse experience than me or not enjoy the particular restaurant as much as me.

Luckily, it sounds like you had an exceptional time at Bistro de Paris (despite them letting in the riff raff! ;) ). Smart move ordering the mushroom crusted tenderloin, I thought it was amazing, too. It's not all that photogenic of a cut of meat, but you can't always judge a book (or piece of meat?) by its cover. Anyway, glad to hear that you enjoyed the restaurant! Here's hoping it remains great after the refurbishment.

Congratulations on landing the teaching job, too! Best of luck with it!!!

I understand that it can be unnerving. Fortunately, we had an amazing experience.

I have to admit that I was surprised to see white visors and cotton tank tops inside of Bistro. I know, I know theme park - hot - not a typical way to enjoy such cuisine. Too bad I couldn't speak to everyone who was eating there with us ahead of time and say, "Excuse me. I'll be here for my anniversary. Please dress accordingly." :D Yes, the tenderloin is far from pretty to look at, but it was delicious to eat.

Thank you! And thank you again for the awesome recommendation!


Wow! That was a great report! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for reading! Glad you like it!

that was a wonderful report! and the photos were amazing! we will be there for the first time ever in 17 days and your photos have made me even more excited. I love the interplay between you and Jordan and your competitiveness, the funny faces on SM (and his manly bodily functions!) and you are both two of the most gorgeous people I have ever seen! Stunningly beautiful, both of you! Makes looking at photos of you even better! thank you, have a wonderful life, whether in America teaching or overseas missionairing (is that a word?)

Enjoy your trip! I'm so excited for you. Thank you so much for the sweet compliments. That is really kind of you! Be sure to let all of us on here know how your trip went. I hope you have so much fun!

Loved your trip report and congrats on the teaching Job!!

Thank you so much! I appreciate it!

Rachel, your trip report is so good. I laughed out loud at the pictures on space mountain. Sometimes I look at Jordan and think, "We let her marry him!".

You know you love him. During our last photo on Space Mountain we needed you there to complete the Monkey See, Monkey Do.




Well, y'all, I can't confirm for sure yet if I am going back in November, but mom is trying to talk me into going over my Fall break in October. So, more than likely I'm either going in October or November, but if I play my cards right with my husband I'll be going both times.
 

harveyt0206

Well-Known Member
What a wonderful trip report Rachel. I was tearing up at the end. To hear that you did get the coveted teaching position was just a magical cherry on top of what appeared to be a magical trip. Congratulations!!
 

popsicletrees

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What a wonderful trip report Rachel. I was tearing up at the end. To hear that you did get the coveted teaching position was just a magical cherry on top of what appeared to be a magical trip. Congratulations!!

Thank you so much! It really was the cherry on top. I've been busy with our first week back to school, and I've been blessed with such great classes of students, which is good because I have over 100 of them!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom