When You Wish Upon A Star...POOF your teens vanish!

Disneyfalcon · Feb 3, 2013

sweetpee_1993 said:
Reflections of sweet little moments:

That is just adorable! I love this picture!!
Still cracking up that you took a nap, but on the other hand, it did sound kind of perfect.

I love your queue pictures! We blitz through with no pictures, and it's so nice to see details!

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 3, 2013

joanna71985 said:
Wow! I must be the exception to the teen rule, because I never stayed up that late. I was always the first one asleep at sleepovers

Oh not me! I was the evil Houdini child heaving my best pals over fences finding mischief at every turn.

I did just have a long Q & A with Brian on the exact details of a 5 a.m. morning. He said mostly they go to the sports deck because they don't have to worry so much about being quiet there and it never closes. Makes sense. He says mostly it's just talking. Sometimes they play basketball. Brian is my natural night owl. He comes by that honestly. My natural body clock is geared to the night as is my mother's. It's a good thing we homeschool because his normal schedule is staying up late and getting up by 7 or 8 (whenever I wake up). Most week nights he'll do his school work for the next day during the night because that's when he's the most active and alert. I even talked to the pediatrician about the wisdom of allowing him to follow his body clock. She said as long as he's up by noon and keeping up his studies, who's to say he's wrong? He can still take care of daytime appointments/commitments and he's doing his schoolwork on time. Some people are just like that. Okee-dokee! I can tell ya, it's been a lifelong battle for me to function on "regular people" hours. It's a constant losing battle.

tiaragirl · Feb 3, 2013

LOVE THIS TR, KELLY!

So many things happened that I can't remember and what I do remember is probably out of order but whatever.

Your dress looked STUNNING on you! And your shoes were great despite your mishap with them.. might I suggest moleskin? Just a thought! So cute that your boys were ready to slap a b... for ya!

You raised them right!

Which reminds me, cutest Christmas morning video. It's so fun now that I can imagine your accents! Way too amused.

I feel so bad for the girl that got quarantined! I'm SO LUCKY that I didn't go to medical when I was sick on the Wonder last February because I would have written the whole trip off. Thank goodness for Glen taking care of me and warning me not to call them!

Cabana day looked ideal.. so proud of your un-beachy girl living it up! You've really done a 180 since your first Castaway experience.. I thought there was no hope for you!

How cool that they give you a free parks day - lame that you had such a questionable Disney day but part of growing up is knowing what you prefer, and if you ALL prefer to cruise now it makes more sense to cruise! We had this discussion while talking about our trip that's in the works for May. Mom wanted to cruise, Dad wanted to golf, and Carly wanted all parks.. stress! (I'm like.. MICKEY? WALT? I'LL GO ANYWHERE AS LONG AS I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT - brokest).

ANYWAY keep it up!

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 3, 2013

Disneyfalcon said:
That is just adorable! I love this picture!!
Still cracking up that you took a nap, but on the other hand, it did sound kind of perfect.
I love your queue pictures! We blitz through with no pictures, and it's so nice to see details!

Awwww, thanks, Tammy. The reflection was much brighter and hard to capture in a picture at all. Brian was sleepy and feelin' cuddly. Gotta cash in when the opportunities present themselves, right? Getting up at 4:30 a.m., we wouldn't have even made it to the first buses returning to the ship (starting at 3 p.m., I think ?) without a nap. The idea was to make it to fireworks and park closing but we ended up changing our minds on the fly. Still don't regret the stop at Pop. Pop will always hold a special place for us being our first WDW resort as a family and all.

The LM queue was so detailed. I really liked it. Heck, I wish I could've gone slower thru the outside portions! Tracey was shooing me along because other guests were coming in behind us.

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 3, 2013

tiaragirl said:
LOVE THIS TR, KELLY!

So many things happened that I can't remember and what I do remember is probably out of order but whatever.

Your dress looked STUNNING on you! And your shoes were great despite your mishap with them.. might I suggest moleskin? Just a thought! So cute that your boys were ready to slap a b... for ya! You raised them right!

Which reminds me, cutest Christmas morning video. It's so fun now that I can imagine your accents! Way too amused.

I feel so bad for the girl that got quarantined! I'm SO LUCKY that I didn't go to medical when I was sick on the Wonder last February because I would have written the whole trip off. Thank goodness for Glen taking care of me and warning me not to call them!

Cabana day looked ideal.. so proud of your un-beachy girl living it up! You've really done a 180 since your first Castaway experience.. I thought there was no hope for you!

How cool that they give you a free parks day - lame that you had such a questionable Disney day but part of growing up is knowing what you prefer, and if you ALL prefer to cruise now it makes more sense to cruise! We had this discussion while talking about our trip that's in the works for May. Mom wanted to cruise, Dad wanted to golf, and Carly wanted all parks.. stress! (I'm like.. MICKEY? WALT? I'LL GO ANYWHERE AS LONG AS I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT - brokest).

ANYWAY keep it up!

Thanks, Kenzie-love!

I loved my dress, too! I probably would never have even gone for the idea of it had you not pushed me in that direction. No regrets. Worth it to have my guys all handsome'd up just for ME! I'm such a princess, aren't I? LOL!

Ah, the Disney parks day. Talked to my brother for like an hour today about the parks and all. He's where we were on parks several years ago. He loves it. First and formost, I definitely think inserting a wild, hectic, running-of-the-parks in the middle of the laid back cruising vaca is like trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. It's just a very different rhythm altogether. Having only the 1 day we really did try to do too much at the wrong times of day. I knew better. But the timing being there off the ship isn't at all like the timing when you're staying there for a parks vaca. We should've strolled World Showcase and sipped drinks. We should've maintained relaxation rather than trying to pound the pavement to see the new stuff (which we really didn't end up seeing much of anyway). Shoulda woulda coulda. What can ya do? Right?

I'm with you, tho. If it's free, I'm going! Who cares where?! It's FREE! LOL!

Trip in the works for May. Like WHEN in May??? I ask because I'll be in the neighborhood it's lookin' like the afternoon of 5/23 through the morning of 5/25 pre-Fantasy cruise. I think it's pretty unanimous at this point (Tracey, me, my brother, my boys, and my 2 nieces) that we're staying at Pop and hitting up Typhoon Lagoon on 5/24.

LuvsTheMouse · Feb 3, 2013

Following along....lovin' this report. Great pictures, love them all! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Its too bad the Parks were so busy on the day you went. TLM is my daughters new fav ride, well ToT still at the top too! I do agree, great job on the theme, when we were there in December we went on it like four/five times in a row!

The cabanas look awesome, and the view priceless!

The "cruise" is coming soon! Can't wait!!!!

epcotisbest · Feb 3, 2013

Thank you for sharing. Great family photos. We have got to do a cruise soon.

Uncle Lupe · Feb 4, 2013

Ahhh!! Loving the Goonie's tee shirts! That is one of my favorite movies. Whenever Katie asks if I am ready to go or leave I usually respond with, "This is my time, my time right here!" or some variation.

Seems like the cruise is a great way for your kids to get some "freedom". As long as they don't pull a fire alarm how much trouble can they find?

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

LuvsTheMouse said:
Following along....lovin' this report. Great pictures, love them all! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Its too bad the Parks were so busy on the day you went. TLM is my daughters new fav ride, well ToT still at the top too! I do agree, great job on the theme, when we were there in December we went on it like four/five times in a row!

The cabanas look awesome, and the view priceless!

The "cruise" is coming soon! Can't wait!!!!

In retrospect, I knew better than to try to do anything in the MK mid-day the day after the MLK holiday. I just wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. LOL! The music on TLM was really infectious. I loved that part and was totally singing along.

Yay! More cruisin' goin' on!!!!

epcotisbest said:
Thank you for sharing. Great family photos. We have got to do a cruise soon.

Thank you! Yes, we definitely love cruisin' with Mickey and recommend it. It's so fun. Hubby was telling me about emailing one of his good friends today who had asked how the trip went. I think it really says something when this particular man describes the Disney cruise as "the most relaxing vacation ever"....yet we did so much!

Uncle Lupe said:
Ahhh!! Loving the Goonie's tee shirts! That is one of my favorite movies. Whenever Katie asks if I am ready to go or leave I usually respond with, "This is my time, my time right here!" or some variation.

Seems like the cruise is a great way for your kids to get some "freedom". As long as they don't pull a fire alarm how much trouble can they find?

We love the Goonies, too! Definitely children of the 80s here! I mean, who didn't want to be one of those kids??? The water slide part and then the pirate ship...are you kidding me?!?! That was the epitome of COOL! We're most definitely Goonies. And you're right. When we're on a cruise this is our time, our time out here. Heck yeah!

Definitely the cruises are a big way our kids get their freedom which is part of why it fits us so well. We don't forbid them from going and doing what they want at home. If Chandler wants to go somewhere he's more than welcome to take the keys and go. Believe me, I was a nervous wreck when he was off by himself doing his Christmas shopping in Houston traffic. It's just the rhythm of our lives at home. On the cruises it's different. The rhythm there is to go explore and have fun. Nope, no fire alarms. In fact, you'll see a bit of what the kids are doing veeeery shortly. I did sorta question Brian about what would he do if the kids he was with came out with a bottle of liquor? I asked did any of the other kids smoke. He said there was a 17 year old kid on the May cruise who smoked but that's the only one he knows of. Drinking? Brian says he's never seen other kids drinking. Mostly they just hang out. I think the worst thing he said they did was climb out on the Mickey slide in the wee hours to take a picture. Uh yeah, if that's the worst thing... counting my lucky stars! LOL! The worst stuff I've heard of on cruises period (not necessarily ours) is the hyper-hormonal kids sneaking off to..uh..get "physical". Both my boys have acknowledged that those things go on but it's not like The Bunny Ranch or anything. I've heard reference to "so-&-so making out in the elevator", etc. But, ya know, it's all part of growing up in today's society and I've done all that I can to raise mine to not phlock with the masses, to think for themselves. They know it's what kids do. They know it's not what THEY have to do. Ya know? Oh I could go on and on all day but I've got a TR to be writing here! LOL!

Pooh'sBuddy · Feb 4, 2013

sweetpee_1993 said:
Oh I could go on and on all day but I've got a TR to be writing here! LOL!

Yes, yes you do. I can't help but vicariously cruise with your reports.

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

Thursday, January 24 - Killer Key West...again!

Today was the second most anticipated day of this adventure for me (next to Castaway Cay, of course). Can't speak for the rest of my family but for me it was a BIG one! That said, I still had a hard time dragging myself from my heavenly Magic bed at 5:45 a.m. Half-dazed still half-slumbering, I rolled through my bath (geez, I never take this many baths at home) and chased everyone else out of their beds.

We hit the buffet at Parrot Cay for breakfast just after 7. Brian, having had virtually no sleep at this point, sat at the table like a zombie. Even after 2 cups of coffee the gal waiting our table asked him if he was okay or did he need a pillow. Tracey & I both knew that even though Brian would never complain (for fear of having a curfew put on him) he'd be a ball 'n chain if we made him go out onto Key West with us this morning. It didn't take much of a discussion at all to agree that we should make this venture optional for our little party animal. I bet you can't guess what his choice was. Here's my Instagram shot of Brian's forray in Key West today:

Like I said, we homeschool. You gotta pick and choose what's best each day. Key West will always be there. Right now Brian needs to be a teenager.

So, Tracey, Chandler, and I headed ashore around 7:45 or so. Again, I know we got off on the deck 1 forward gangway from my photographic evidence. There's just something about stepping off the ship. You step onto the pier and you can't help but look back and marvel at the thing. Honestly, "Magic" is a very fitting name for this girl.

As was the case when we ported at Key West last May, we were at the Navy pier again even though we were the first ship into port. I guess I thought first ship in got the main pier that lets out right in the middle of all the action. Nope. Not the case. Back onto the trolley for a quick ride into the thick of the fun.

Last time we ported in Key West all-ashore was at 12:30 in the afternoon. The area where the trolleys drop-off was crazy chaotic with so much going on all around. Not today. It's still early and the island was still trying to wake up. I. Was. Mesmerized. I had imagined being here in the early-ish morning would be a whole other perspective. I didn't expect to be instantly in LOVE. I snapped pictures like mad.

The Shipwreck Museum:

I loved how there was nobody about. I was enchanted by the way the early sunlight peeked into these usually bustling tourist areas.

This would be Tracey turning to make some smart@$$ comment about if I stopped every 2 steps to take pictures I wasn't going to see or do much on the island today. I love my old man! If nothing else, he's consistant!

I would love to tell you what this memorial and little garden was for but I wasn't allowed to go find out. I was lucky to get a picture!

So where could we possibly be headed with such intent before 8:00 in the morning??? Is anything even open??? Well, the place where we rented our electric cart last May was open so we could at least cruise around a bit and get our bearings while we waited for things to come to life, right??? I'm so glad Tracey has such a great sense of direction and memory because he knew exactly where to go back to. I would've been wandering for hours trying to figure it out. LOL! Electric cart rented, it's time to ride!

I'm sooooo counting the minutes until THIS place opens:

That's the post office on the left:

We stopped at a stop sign and I noticed this place. I have GOT to go spend a week on Key West! Better Than Sex, A Dessert Restaurant. First of all, they had me at "A Dessert Restaurant". The first part? Tell me more! Too bad all-aboard is 12:45 p.m. today.

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

As we rode along we ooh'd and aah'd over how different the world looks here from back home. And, again, had some good giggles at the free-roaming chickens we both heard and saw rather frequently:

We hit up a drive-thru ATM at a local bank. They had some real estate foreclosure postings on a bulletin board right by the ATM machine. We were focused on deciding how much money we should get out of the bank and from which account. Chandler was in the back seat tripping-out over the pictures of the modest-looking $850k+ foreclosures posted. Yes, son. Supply & demand. It's a small island and lots of people would love to live here. ((Me included!)) Doesn't this kid ever pay attention when I'm constantly watching 'House Hunters'??? LOL!

Cash in pocket(s), we cruised around a bit more. We passed the Southernmost Point (been there, done that) and the Hemingway House which wasn't yet open. Then we saw 2 roosters fighting and Chandler had a full-on wildlife experience. "What are they doing?! Is that a real fight?!" Yeah. Reminds me of my 2 sons, actually. Good timing on this one, though, because just a week or 2 previous Chandler had asked me if fighting was real and how roosters could "fight". When I explained about their spurs and the way they physically fight he totally didn't believe me. Well, here ya go. I know I'm not the all-knowing 16 year old anymore but I'm not stupid. LOL!

Riding along on the still peaceful streets it hit me that the thing I needed right now was coffee! I whipped out my iPhone, touched my Starbucks app, and voila! We are HERE!

While in line there was a local fellow next to me talking to the baristas about what he got a common friend for their birthday. He got the friend a gift certificate to "Better Than Sex"! I couldn't stop myself from blurting out, "Oh I wanna be YOUR friend!" giggling in my standard friendly/flirtatious way. So the nice fellow asks if I've been there. No, but we just passed by and I wish I could go. He said it was amazing and recommended going if for no other reason than to read the menu. I was dying laughing. Really?! I hadn't even thought of that! So, yes, I've looked online. It IS a very...er...descriptive menu! ((See link above!))

By now we've pretty much scoped out the few things we wanted to accomplish in our short visit (or at least I had because Tracey & Chandler had nowhere in particular they wanted to go today) and it was almost time for things to start opening (9:00 a.m.). We returned the cart and took to the streets on foot. Everything is very close. It's not far to walk at all. Hoofin' it back to Duval...I'm in Key West...and this is BLISS!

Still haven't made it inside Sloppy Joes but it's on the list when I get back. And I WILL get back, I promise!

Irish Kevin's Bar & Mercantile. Took this one for my dad who will no doubt inquire as to why I didn't go in and have a beer. Too early in the morning, Dad. Plus, I'm workin' on my iced coffee:

This is what the Hard Rock Cafe looks like in Key West. Pretty different from the other Hard Rock's I've seen & been to:

Then Chandler spotted this '66 Shelby Cobra (he says it's a replica for several visible reasons) across the street at the Key West Harley Davidson and had his little gear-head geek-out:

Oh! St. Paul's Episcopal church is very impressive when you're standing next to it:

If you look carefully, it's hard to see, in the vegetation behind and to the right of the sign is a momma hen and her chicks. I thought it was really cute that they had made their home inside the church yard:

We giggled at the many things we saw in the shop windows on our way to our first destination. I had to take a pic of this for Tracey's mom. This would have been the perfect shirt for all the grandkids when they were littler. There's a reason Chandler told Mimi he wanted to ask her for ice cream instead of me when he was 4 years old.

Sans Souci · Feb 4, 2013

I am snickering over the "Better than Sex" menu and it's prices. Hilarious!

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

Continuing on we happened across a shop called 'Crazy Shirts'. I would never have gone in but right up in front the shop keeper wisely had a display of Disney tshirts. I'm in! We went inside and browsed a bit. The Disney collection was great but we were drawn more to the Key West shirts. These aren't run-of-the-mill 2 for $20 tees. It's nice stuff. They dye a lot of their shirts with natural things...like the Kona Coffee dyed shirts. Tracey got one and it smelled so yummy right off the shelf! We ended up with 2 shirts for Tracey and 1 for me. I'm definitely going to order more from them, too. Highly recommend Crazy Shirts. AND, you really should check out their original Disney collection, too. It's good quality stuff. We chatted up the shop keeper for quite a while. Very helpful guy with making our shirt selections and sizes. He was retired from the oil industry (something in common) and we were able to talk horrible-canes (something more in common). Fabulous guy. When we get back to Key West I will definitely get back here.

Pressing onward we finally arrived at our destination, Kermit's Key Lime Shop on Duval. I'm so sorry I didn't take any pictures but they were pressure-washing the exterior of the store. There was a worker out on the sidewalk signaling the guy pressure washing to stop whenever someone wanted to go in or come out. I was a bit focused on not getting hosed. I was on a quest for the famous chocolate dipped key lime pie on-a-stick as seen on the Food Network:

Yes, I made it in. Yes, I had the key lime pie on-a-stick. And, yes, it was incredible. I only wish I'd taken a picture! Nope, we didn't get hosed either. Woot!

Unfortunately, Kermit's on Duval didn't have a public restroom. That trenta iced coffee was punishing my bladder. I think I might have enjoyed my pie-on-a-stick more if my bladder hadn't been screaming at me. We pushed back down the opposite side of the street back towards Margaritaville where we KNEW we could rest our legs for a moment or two and relieve our coffee-aching bladders. Tracey sat at the bar & ordered us some refreshments while Chandler & I ran the maze back to the restrooms. When we came out it was Tracey's turn. So here I am sitting at the bar of the original Margaritaville Cafe (built before the mega-tourist magnets you see plastered with the over-the-top Margaritaville theming in the tourist meccas) and I had a little geek moment from way back in the day when I was totally enthralled with all things Jimmy. I was here.

Reminded me of the Myrtle Beach Margaritaville hurricane except it wasn't turning and a giant bottle of tequilla wasn't dumping out of the ceiling into a giant blender. But it brought back memories of a helluva good weekend with my cuz & his wife before his second deployment. I'm smilin' at y'all @Kerby626. Love you guys!

Then I looked down at the bar where I was sitting and thought, "Gawd, we are pathetic." Here I am sitting at the bar at the Margaritaville and all we ordered was a bottle of water, a Sprite, and a Coke.

What were we thinking?!?! Guess this means we have to go back. Right? On a side note, we purchased a bottled water, a Sprite, and a Coke then tipped the bar tender. How much do you want to guess that cost?

$25.

Easy come, easy go, I suppose. It was worth it for the potty alone, though. LOL!

Onward we pressed towards the 2nd of my two goal destinations for today. Chandler's knee was starting to hurt him pretty bad (remember his bum knee from the November 2010 trip?). Tracey flagged down the next rickshaw guy that came along. The 3 of us fit perfectly on the seat and for $6 + tip we had a nice ride with a friendly German transplant right to the doorstep of our final destination. Where else did I have to go today???? I'm so glad you asked....

flynnibus · Feb 4, 2013

@sweetpee_1993 tell me more of this personalized christmas ornament from the MK...

tiaragirl · Feb 4, 2013

CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR SHOPPING SPREE?!

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

...becasue if you recall back in May when we were here in Key West there was a little boutique that I was absolutely dying to go into but didn't have or take the time. Ever since last May I have kicked myself for not going when I was there. I wasn't missing another chance. From the day we booked this cruise my one main thing that I wanted to do in Key West was go to the Lilly Pulitzer store and SHOP! Ask Tammy (@Disneyfalcon)! I made a big to-do about it in our emails even making fun of how pathetic I am to go all the way to Key West, Florida to SHOP! I don't know what it is about Lilly that beckons to me. Maybe it's the whimsy of the colorful patterns that are used for the fabrics. Maybe it's the simplicity of the design of the pieces. Maybe it's the company's rich history and interesting story of origin. I mean, Jacqueline Kennedy wore Lilly's stuff! That makes Lilly historical, too, in the fashion world, right?! Maybe it's a little bit of all these things. Sure I could've ordered from the website whenever but I don't normally spend a fraction of the prices of this stuff on my clothing when I do buy clothes for myself so it never felt okay to do. Yeah, I'm a value kinda girl. If I'm going to spend big bucks on clothes I want to see them, touch them, observe the contruction, feel the quality of the fabrics, know that I'm getting something good for that kind of money. I may be spoiled by my man but I'm also a voracious penny-pincher, too. Having this opportunity to actually see and touch the Lilly clothes was huge for me. My fellas were straight-up champs, too. We walked in and they both found seats out of the way. They didn't hover or anything. They simply sat and let me go to it. I carefully selected 2 dresses, 2 tops, and 2 pairs of shorts to try on. Of course, when changing I was also inspecting the details of the construction of the pieces. Both dresses were fully lined. The fabrics were all so vibrant and of good quality. The finishing of the pieces was top-notch. This stuff is very, veeeery well-made. What was best is that the clothes weren't just cutesy for the little stick-chick younger set. Nope, these things could even be worn by those of us who are too old for the latest, cutting edge stuff but too young to concede to our mother's and grandmother's fashion choices. Perfection! And each time I came out of the dressing room to model something Tracey, Chandler, and the sales girl gushed. It was so. stinkin. awesome. When I finished Tracey gave me one of his stubborn looks and asked almost accusingly what I was going to purchase. He was ready to battle if I replied with, "Nothing. It's too much." I said quietly, "I like this dress better than this one. Can I?"

"Yes. What else?"

"Maybe I should get this shorts and top instead because I'd probably get more use out of them."

"You're getting all 3."

"Okay."

And that was that. I shopped at Lilly! I stopped for pics outside by the sign on the building and, of course, Instagram'd one with the caption: "Bucket List, #119: Shop Lilly Pulitzer in Key West. CHECK!!!"

Fellas, y'all can move on if you like. I gots ta show my girls what I GOT! I got the Logan Dress in the Shorely Blue Lazy and Hazy fabric:

Then I got the Tina Top Solid in the Shorely Blue color to go with the Callahan Short in the Mini Coral Cocktail print:

Dontcha just love even the names of the fabric patterns?!?! Squeeeeeeee!!!!

I have never in my life spent that kind of money on 3 articles of clothing so it was a huuuuuge splurge. Since I've been home I've been combing eBay for Lilly clothes and think the bulk of what I get if I get more from here on out will have to come from there. But, ya know, I wanted to have the experience and I did. It was an awesome, awesome thing to do and I'll never regret it. Worst case, the stuff does hold some amount of value and I could easily get more than just a couple bucks back outta the pieces if I ever needed to. Right?

Best yet was that while I was shopping and trying on clothes Tracey was able to talk to his mom and got a positive report about his dad's radiation & chemo treatments. It was shaping up to be a stellar day indeed.

Big bucks spilled, it was about 11:15. We were instructed to be back at the trolley pick-up where we were dropped off no later than 12:15. We were getting hungry and wondering how Brian's rest was shaping up so we started making our way back towards the trolley pick-up. Still leaving me to my obsessive picture-taking:

The Conch Republic flag outside a shop by the trolley pick-up:

As we pulled up to the ship on the trolley I noticed that these tugs, the Ocean Atlas & the Ocean Wind, were both out of Pensacola, Florida. Hello! That's our official hometown!

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

flynnibus said:
@sweetpee_1993 tell me more of this personalized christmas ornament from the MK...

Certainly! Personalized ornaments are our favorite souvenir dating back to our first family trip in January 2004 as can be seen here and here. The little Christmas shop in the Magic Kingdom does the custom painting, too. Since we were only there the 1 day there was no way we would be able to get our customizations done same day so we had them shipped to our house when complete. We got them in the mail just last week. This is the one that is ours, the other I can't show you because it's in a box on it's way to UPS. Perhaps the recipient will be so kind as to come here and share a pic of it when they receive it since I was a dipstick and didn't think to take a pic. LOL!

Over the years, the glass Mickey icon balls have gotten smaller and the prices bigger. I may have to start making my own artist originals in the future since it's not going to be common for us to be in the parks. LOL!

DisneyWall-E · Feb 4, 2013

@sweetpee_1993. I love reading your trip reports. They make me even more excited for my future cruise. Pics are awesome. And by the way did anyone ever tell you that you kind of look like a strawberry blonde Keira Knightly. JMHO

sweetpee_1993 · Feb 4, 2013

tiaragirl said:
CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR SHOPPING SPREE?!

Done! Great minds shop and think alike, eh? <--See?! I used my Canadian accent for ya!

When You Wish Upon A Star...POOF your teens vanish!

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