Our Walt Disney Adventure - Day 2 Epcot, Disney Springs, And Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

We woke up on Tuesday ready for our first full day in Disney.  The weather was cold and rainy.  That was such a disappointment.  After experiencing chilly, snowy weather in Pennsylvania I was really looking forward to warm and sunshine in Florida.  I was also nervous because our daughter had an appointment later that day to get dressed up as a princess.  With all the money we were spending on that I just imagined her getting all fixed up and then stepping out into the rain and having her hair and makeup ruined.  The weather had me start the day in a really bad mood, which I later regretted.

We headed to Epcot first thing in the morning.

 Our travel agent suggested that we ride Frozen Ever After and since we didn't have a Fast Pass it was best we get in line for it as soon as the park opened.  We walked through the park in the rain and became wet and cold.  Luckily the ride was inside so we were able to stay dry for awhile.  The ride was incredible.  It really took away the stress for a moment.  So well done.

Then we left Epcot and took a bus to Disney Springs.  Disney Springs is a really big outdoor shopping center.  We were still cold and wet and all I could do was pray that the rain would stop in time for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Appointment.  We had lunch reservations at The Rain Forest Cafe.  The kids really loved it and it was like eating in a jungle.  My son loved sitting next to an animatronic elephant, his favorite animal.  The food was delicious and when we were done we had to rush to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to make the  12:30pm appointment.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has two locations, one at Disney Springs and the other inside the castle at Magic Kingdom.  It would have been so great to have had the appointment at Magic Kingdom and I had planned to take pictures of her in front of the castle all dressed up but that place was booked and we were lucky to get an appointment at Disney Springs.  If you plan on taking your little girl to this place make sure you book as far in advance as possible.  If you aren't familiar with what this place is it's where girls can transform into Disney Princesses.  Boys can become knights too.  This was something our daughter had been looking forward to for a really long time.  It's the only thing she was talking about.  That's why the weather was such a disappointment for me.  I didn't want this moment ruined for her.

She started by picking out which princess dress she wanted.  She was planning on being Belle but those dresses in her size were sold out.  Of course, what else could go wrong?  So, she decided on Rapunzel.  After putting on the dress she was taken into a room where she met her Fairy Godmother who did her hair and makeup.  It was such a neat experience and she did nothing but smile the entire time.

Another mess up was that I forgot to pack her nice shoes and instead she had to wear her sneakers.  Ugh.  I was mad at myself for that.  Especially when finding out they were going to do a professional photo shoot.  There are so many of those pictures but here are just a few.

Look at my little girl?  Oh, and once it was all over the rain had stopped.  Thank you, Lord!  The rest of the day was still chilly but dry.  We spent a little more time in Disney Springs and our son wanted to check out the lego store.

Then we took the bus back to Epcot and that's where we spent the rest of the day.

We had Fast Passes for Spaceship Earth, which is inside the big ball.  That was a ride that took us from the beginning of time until now explaining how electronics started and how far we've come.  It was a slow ride but educational.  We also had a Fast Pass to The Seas With Nemo & Friends, which was pretty cool.  You sat inside a sea shell and it took you around and you saw a televised Nemo on the fish tanks.  It was done well.  Later in the day we had a Fast Pass to Test Track and that was a ride my husband and son were looking forward to the most.  You start by designing your own car on the computer and then you jump into a six-seat simulated car.  At first you go through a series of tests for traction, response, efficiency and speed.  Then you start to move fast and the door opens and you blast down an outdoor track going at a fast pace.  It was so much fun but our daughter hated it.  She didn't like the speed and she didn't like how it messed up her hair.

The night ended with dinner At Chip 'n' Dale Harvest Feast.  What we didn't realize at first was the restaurant was spinning at a very slow pace.  It wasn't until I noticed the wall was changing designs and sometimes you could see the door to the kitchen and all of a sudden it was gone.  You couldn't feel the movement.  The food was delicious but there was so much of it.  It was a character meal with Chip 'n' Dale and Mickey Mouse.

The food was good but we couldn't finish it all.  Then my husband suddenly felt sick and did get sick in the bathroom.  We didn't stay long and headed back to the hotel where he crashed in bed and we all called it an early night.  

Our day had it's bumps but we did have some fun times.  My daughter loved the Frozen ride and my son loved the Test Track.  Our son said Epcot was his favorite park.  So, even if the day wasn't completely wonderful we still found joy in it.  That's what's so great about Disney.  No matter the weather or disappointments in the day there is always some magic to be found.  Florida sometimes does see chilly weather and we just happened to be there during that time.  I guess it's better than the humidity they usually have.  And my husband did wake up the next morning feeling a lot better. 

Stay tuned for Day 3 Back to Magic Kingdom 

Our Walt Disney Adventure - Day 1 Airplane Delay, Hotel mix up and Magic Kindom

I've been wanting to update on our adventure in Disney World but I've been so busy and haven't had the time.  So, I'll be writing this little by little and adding it in separate posts.

I have had the desire to take my kids to Disney World for the longest time.  It's an expensive trip.  I'm sure we could travel the world and back for what it costs to go to Disney, but the experience is so worth it.  We finally were able to make the vacation happen with using a chunk from two tax returns, some saved money and ... well ... we have more to pay off.  My husband kept telling us this would be the only trip to Disney we would take but now he's saying he would love to go back someday.  The magic of Disney certainly knows how to suck you in.  You really do feel like a kid again when you are there.

Our trip was from Monday, March 4th - 8th.  My husband and I both took off work and the principal approved the vacation for the kids.  The first day was somewhat of a disaster, though.  Our first flight  from Harrisburg didn't take off at the scheduled time because when they were deicing the plane (we had a snow storm the night before) they discovered a few screws were missing.  Once maintenance came to fix the problem we were off.  My kids were nervous about their first trip on an airplane but they ended up loving it.  Our daughter laughed the entire time.  Being above the clouds is so breathtaking.  Our daughter said, "I love flying.  Where can we go next?  I want to travel the world."  I told her she's going to have to get a really good job or marry rich.  Hey, my kids being able to see the world seems like a dream.  I want them to have as many experiences as possible.  This was also a first experience for my husband as well.

Because the first plane was delayed we missed our connecting flight from DC to Orlando.  Thankfully the airport was so quick to get us on another flight.  That one went much smoother even though we arrived in Orlando later than originally planned.  Once we got to the hotel my husband and I were both frustrated to find that somehow we were booked for two rooms and because of that the luggage hadn't been delivered to us yet.  The hotel seemed to have trouble figuring out how it happened and how to fix it and my husband spent every day at the front desk making sure the problem was fixed before we checked out.  Because of waiting for them to straighten it out and because of now having our luggage on time we were late for our first park visit - Magic Kingdom.  The hotel gave us extra fast passes because of the trouble.  I'm sure it was just a glitch in the system but it's aggravating when you spend so much money on a vacation and expect it to go perfectly.

Finally we got our luggage and was able to change into shorts.  What a mistake!  Orlando was 80 degrees that day but by evening it dropped to an extremely cold temperature.  We were freezing.  My dad warned me that Florida's evenings can be brutal.  I was really looking forward to soaking in the warm Florida air.

So, our first day was a disappointment but we did manage to enjoy an evening at Magic Kingdom.  I would have liked to have had the entire day there but we were able to cram in enough fun even for a few hours.  Because of the chaos we missed out on a few of our fast passes that were scheduled but we did manage to do the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and that was worth it.  A great pick for the first ride of our visit.  It's a roller coaster but even the kids loved it.  The roller coaster takes you around some rocky areas much like Big Thunder Mountain but you go into the mine and see the Seven Dwarfs and then you can see the cottage where Snow White is inside dancing with Dopey.  That ride helped to get rid of the stress from earlier.

 We walked around and checked out some more rides.  Of course, we had fun on the infamous tea cups and Dumbo ride.

I forgot to mention when first arriving at Magic Kingdom once we walked down Main Street we got to see the famous Cinderella's castle.  That's when it hit me we made it. 

And we got to experience the beauty of it at night.

 The evening ended with taking a boat ride to The Grand Floridian Hotel where we had a chance to dine with Cinderella and her family.  It was a buffet style dinner and the food was delicious.  We had a chance to meet Cinderella, her stepmother and both of her stepsisters.  The prince was there too but he never made it to our table.

By the end of the night we were tired and our son didn't feel well.  We took the bus back to the hotel and crashed.

I can't say it was the best start to the vacation but it wasn't all bad either.  I also have to say that I'm not much for sleeping in hotels but that bed was so comfortable and I did manage to have a good night sleep.

We stayed at the Pop Century Resort and I would highly recommend it.  They had themes from the 50's up until the 90's.  The nostalgic decor throughout the buildings were so cool. 

Stay tuned for Day 2 Epcot and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. 
                       Day 3 Magic Kingdom
                       Day 4 Animal Kingdom
                       Day 5 The Journey Home

Always Changing

I'm also posting this on my other blog Dawn Marie Writes.  My writing style on that blog is more formal and I will be using that more when it comes to future writing and sharing with the public.  


 I've been in this life for 40 years.  That's 40 years of mistakes, wrong choices and a lot of learning.  I'm still learning.  I will keep on learning.  I've also done a lot of changing.  Who I was twenty years ago is not the person I am today.  I'm even different from the person I was ONE year ago.  I can't tell you the number of times I've looked back and thought wow what was I thinking?

I'm also a woman of faith and have taken so many of my concerns to God.  In the last few years I've been very consistent in praying for God to change my heart and He's constantly working with me on doing just that.  The changes are already taking place.  Having once been someone who could have so easily lashed out on someone for saying something to make me mad has now been replaced with a subtle giggle and my feet leading me away from the situation.  When I used to be so sensitive to the opinions of others I'm now finding myself caring less.

I used to spend my time posting a lot of controversial things on my Facebook page.  It was only when certain political or news topics came up and a lot of people were posting about it.  I decided to share my two cents for a few reasons: one, I wanted those who share the same views as me to see that they aren't alone and two, I wanted those on the opposing side to see a different point of view.  Even though social media has become such a great platform to share thoughts on certain matters I've realized that it's just not worth it.  Are people really listening anyway?  I can say that anytime I log onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagram I become annoyed whenever someone is sharing a political thought or a current news story.  Social media should be fun.  If I'm having a stressful day I want a place to go to for a moment where I can escape reality and cheer up for a bit.  I took a few breaks here and there from Facebook and came back with a much different attitude.  Unless it's an update about my life or something positive, I'm not posting it.  It's the same as if I don't have anything nice to say I'm not saying it.

I also realize that we all come from different backgrounds, families and experiences.  What I feel is right may not be what someone else feels is right and that's okay.  Someone may be making some really bad choices and we naturally feel quick to want to judge them - but remember - we all mess up at one time or another.  God doesn't judge one sin worse than the other.  I also believe we all have the ability to change.  If we mess up, as Christians we know we can go to God and ask for forgiveness.  Once he forgives us we are washed clean of it and can move on to better ourselves.  At that point what we had once done doesn't matter anymore.

Why am I writing all of this?  Because I'm tired of being judged by others in regards to who I used to be.  I recently was being insulted (and maybe he meant it jokingly but I still get tired of it) on the kind of person I was eighteen years ago.  He brought up things that really didn't matter anymore and this particular person seems to want to do that every time I see him.  Trust me when I say, I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to beating myself up over all the things I've done.  I do not need a reminder from others.  Besides, I'm not that person anymore.  I'm not perfect now but I'm so much better than what I used to be.  I'm still maturing, still growing, and still learning.

During a time when these people were talking very rudely about me (mostly behind my back but I heard about it) I felt very hurt and confused.  Then my husband said something that I try to implement now, "If they don't live here with us then their opinion doesn't matter."  Truly, that's so important to realize.  If you aren't with me every single day then you have no right to judge how I live my life.  If you don't know the battles I'm fighting in my head and what God is working with me on then you have no right to judge the kind of person I am - even my husband doesn't know what I pray about and we share the same bed.

I'm a work in progress so please respect that and don't continue to hold me accountable for the person I was yesterday.  I'm learning not to judge others too.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." -- 2 Corinthians 5:17

A Quick Hello

It's been almost a month since I updated.  Life has been busy.  The house is always in need of attention and it doesn't matter how much time I spend on house cleaning there is ALWAYS a mess everywhere.  Also, we spent a week vacationing in Disney World and I can't wait to update on that.  I've started on some spring cleaning, doing just a little bit at a time.  In the midst of everything we also bought a new car.  All of this I will update soon, I promise. 

As for my last post, I'm doing a lot better.  The week after the surgery had me feeling really down and depressed.  The wound has become a scar and it's slowly fading.  The unfortunate thing is that the doctor found more skin cancer spots that will need surgery.  Ugh.  I can't believe it.  I'm hoping that those surgeries can be done in the summer when I'm off work.  I'll have more than just one scar on my face but eventually covering it with makeup should do the trick.  So far I've been applying vitamin E during the day and wearing a scar patch at night. 

I just wanted to take a moment to jump on here but now it's time to get back to the cleaning before the kids get home. 

Oh, and this is the last day of winter and I can't express how happy I am about that.  I'm enjoying the sunshine and the return of the robins and doves. 

Actions And Words Can Hurt

I was not looking forward to going back to work after my procedure and each day this week was exactly as I knew it would be.

It was nothing but the kids staring at me.  Some of them bumped into walls or almost spilled their trays because they were staring directly at me with a look of shock on their faces.

There were a lot of "what happened to your face?"

Then there were a few who felt the need to tell me my face looks disgusting.  Those two girls are in my daughters class and I didn't keep quiet with their teacher about it.

I don't mind the questions and the curiosity from children.  My face really does look horrible.  In the beginning of the week I kept a big bandage on my face but by the end of the week when the stitches came out I felt okay about just leaving it open.  I'm trying to make this healing process go as quickly as possible; however, I know there will be a scar for a very long time.  I just don't understand why anyone thinks staring at someone is appropriate.  I also find the "disgusting" comments to be very disrespectful and very inappropriate.  By the time you are in second grade you've heard it said enough times that bullying or any mean comments is not okay.  It was very hurtful, especially coming from kids I've worked with while volunteering in the classroom or being so nice to them during lunch.  I'm already feeling so depressed and down in the dumps over this whole procedure.  I look in the mirror and want to cry.  In fact, I have.  Then I dread those hours at work when I know the kids are going to stare and ask questions.  It reached a point that so many kids have asked and I just tell them to not worry about it.

It's not hard to show others kindness.  We have enough mean people in this world.  That's what I always tell my kids.

I also realize that a small spot of skin cancer on my face is nothing compared to what others go through.  I'm actually very thankful that it wasn't some other form of cancer or something else that could be life threatening.  I still have my health.  This was just the effects of loving the sun too much. 

Skin Cancer

I had a post written about my experience with having surgery to remove skin cancer but then I deleted it.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to have it posted publicly but here I am posting it again.  My blog is to share my experiences as something to look back on so this experience is a major part of my life.  It also makes as a good reminder of the importance of taking care of skin and protecting it from the sun.  I failed to do so and now I'm paying for it. 

Today was my first day back to work and back in the public since the surgery.  As expected there were a lot of stares and "what happened?" questions from the students.  It didn't bother me because I know children are curious.  I told them I had surgery and was covering up a boo boo.  I wonder why some kids think it's okay to stare but I just looked away and carried on with something else.  Plus, the job is only three hours so I was in and out of there.  It's a little embarrassing and a little uncomfortable to walk around like this.  But it is what it is.  I'm also kicking myself for having this surgery done just a few weeks before our big trip to Disney.  I'm going to have a nice looking scar for all the photos. 

The surgery was last Thursday.  Valentine's Day.  I made sure I bought some chocolates for the husband and kids but that's as far as I went with celebrating.  My husband did a wonderful job of taking care of me and spoiling all of us that day.  We woke up extra early and they dropped me off at the doctor, and then my husband made sure the kids made it to school before returning to the doctor's office.  I was scheduled to have the Moh's Surgery and it went well.  I was told it could take 2 - 4 hours.  First the doctor had to remove the cancer that he saw, spend some time looking under a microscope to see if it was all gone while I was in the waiting room for an hour and a half and then I was called back to see if more needed removed.  Luckily it only took that one round and all they had to do was stitch me up.  When it was all over my husband took me home and I was just too exhausted and depressed to do anything so I crawled in my bed and turned on the television.  A nap would have been nice but I wasn't able to fall asleep until a few hours later.  The kids had an early dismissal and my husband kept them entertained while I rested.  I spent the rest of the evening laying in bed with ice on my face.  Except for when I enjoyed a delicious dinner made by my sweetheart. 

Friday was a scheduled in-service day so the kids were home from school.  I was still feeling very tired but did my best to be there for the kids while I rested.  My daughter did a great job at wanting to help out and made sure I didn't do any housework.  That was my entire weekend.  Just resting in bed with an ice pack on my face.  I also wanted to just hide from the world.  I missed my son's last Pinewood Derby with the cub scouts and I also missed church.  I just hid in my room watching Gilmore Girl episodes on Netflix.  That was a pretty horrible weekend.

Today is President's Day and we were supposed to have the day off but because of missing a day from snow last week today was the makeup day.  I would have really loved that extra day off.  I went into work and tried my best to hide as much as I could in the kitchen but I was also working at the trash can so I would have to see every student that threw out their lunch.  I received a lot of stares and some "what happened to you?"  I explained that I had surgery.  They understood.  It didn't bother me as much as I anticipated.  I have a white bandage covering the incision and it's pretty ridiculous looking.  It's only temporary.  Then I'll have a scar for awhile.  I would have really like to have waited until summer vacation to get this done but it's done now.  At least the skin cancer has been removed.  There is no guarantee it will not come back but from this point on I will do a lot better at taking care of myself.

And here it is, if you can stand it.

The mark is lightening up and the dissolvable stitches are starting to come off.   I'm hoping this experience will teach my children that when I tell them they need to put sunscreen on before going outside that they will now understand why. 

It's Time To Write

It's the second day in a row where the kids are off school due to weather.  My kids are currently absorbed in an old episode of Garfield and I'm sitting here on the couch next to them typing this up.  It's been a mess of snow and freezing rain outside and the days of school missed will be made up next Monday and in April.  I love the quality time with my kids these days off brings but I also like a normal routine.  Tomorrow will be a normal schedule, hopefully.  On Thursday will be a scheduled early dismissal and we've arranged to have my parents watch the kids.  I will be going under the knife finally getting the skin cancer on my face removed.  Everyone expects me to be scared and I don't feel scared.  I feel annoyed at myself for not having taken better care of myself.  I'm so adamant with my kids about wearing sun screen every time they step outside but I've neglected myself.  Now I'm paying for it.  Friday is a scheduled teacher in-service day and I'm thankful for that.  With a big bandage on my face I plan to go into hiding for awhile.  I have other spots of skin cancer too.  Ugh. 

In the middle of so much chaos that's going on in my life I've been feeling strongly led to start going forward with a childhood dream of mine.  I have always wanted to be a writer.  I mean, a novelist.  I have put that dream on the back burner for a long time but when I turned 40 I realized that if I'm going to make this dream a reality I better do so now.  I have many ideas in my head but it's hard to figure out how to make a story go from beginning to end.  I took some time to really think about an idea and have even prayed about it.  Then it hit me.  I have a book idea in my head.  Every word and every detail.  It has a purpose.  It's inspirational.  It's exactly what my first novel should be.  I'm excited. 

I've already managed to get through most of the first chapter and I know where I'm going to take the story next.  It's so amazing.  My problem is finding the time to get it all down.  It's going to take some time and when the writing part is done it's going to be an adventure finding a publisher.  I'm prepared for heartache.  I'm prepared for failure.  But I'm not going to give up.  I also would love to see this accomplished while my parents are both still alive to see it and, considering my mother's condition, time is ticking. 

This book is going to be an inspiration fiction novel for the young adult audience, but I'm hoping even older adults can take something away from it.  This will be a faith-based book but I promise not to get too preachy in it.  In my book I outline the question that we all have asked at one time or another - Why does God allow certain things to happen?  In doing so, I'm creating a sixteen year old character who is going through some tough things. 

I'm going to take some of my own personal experiences and mix it with others.  Everything that could be relatable to anyone.  I feel this is a story I'm really called to write and I'm excited about it.  I'm giving myself to the end of the year to have it all finished, which gives me enough time to write a little here and there.  I have far too many priorities that come first; however, this is on my bucket list. 

This week we celebrate Valentines Day and even though I'll be spending the morning in surgery I am going to do my best at making it a good day for the husband and kids.  My parents are going to join my daughter for lunch in the classroom (it's a surprise) and then take both kids home.  I'm not sure what kind of mood I'll be in after the surgery and I'm sure I'll want to hide my bandaged face but I'll have some goodies waiting for everyone.  Wish me luck!

By the way, HI ROB!