Our 2010 Trip, Our Romantic Engagement!

I can't even begin to describe how incredible this vacation was for us. ..You can bet your silly bottom I'm going to give it my very best shot though!

We set out on our magical journey early on the 4th of December to Dallas where we'd be flying out the next morning. We saw some pretty strange and laugh-worthy things along the way. Just passing through we came across a small town called Canton, we saw a man dressed as a clown holding a wine tasting sign right out in the middle of no where and a store that I assume is notorious for it's flea shampoo:



And oh my goodness, Dallas. Dallas is inSANE! Doug is a great driver though, so I felt at ease the whole time. We had paid for a room in advance at DFW's Hyatt Regency Hotel so we drove to, checked in in all of its fancy shmancy gorgeousness and went up to drop off our bags and check out our room. -- It's funny, I'm more like my mom than I thought! Growing up, anytime my family and I would travel somewhere, she would always overpack. We'd tease her by saying she must have thrown everything but the kitchen sink in the car, but whenever we'd get to our destination she'd always have everything right there in her bag that the rest of us had forgotten to pack. She would put everything right in its place as soon as we got to wherever we were going and it would always make things more comfortable. Me, I totally over packed... I didn't even realize the similarity until I had put all of our little toiletries safely near the sink and in the shower where they belonged. It was instinct! Then I curled up on one of the most comfy beds imaginable to relax and catch my breath for a few with my sweetie pie.



After freshening up we decided it was time to do a little shopping! We made our way over to the Galleria and let me tell you, it was B-E-A-U-teeful! The Christmas decor was up and looked amazing. Took a while to find a parking space, we had to park at the very top level which really wasn't a big deal, the view was well worth it. =)
So we started from the top level and worked our way around to the bottom, stopping here and there to do a little browsing. The place was amazingly packed, but that tree, wow. I stared at it in awe each time we passed it.



Here is where I found a passion for the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino (huge fan of the hot, MAJOR fan of the cold), a craze for See's Candies and oh man, we had the most amazing cheeseburgers at Five Guys. I'm sure you know the type of place. They serve your food in the bown paper bag with the greasy spots covering the bottom? Deliciously divine, the goopy melty cheese, saute'd mushrooms and onions and A1 sauce, not to mention the yummy fries. I'm drooling right now!

After filling our bellies, we stopped to admire the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the ice rink, it was gorgeous! (Okay okay, I'll shush about the tree, but seriously it was incredible!) There were also a few special guests there to sing carols which was really cute and festive.
It was getting late out so we looked just a bit more and figured we'd better get a move on, we made plans to see Black Swan at The Magnolia! -- First though, I have to tell you, the view from the top level of the galleria was awesome! Incredibly cold up there for sure, but so beautiful!

Alright so I have a pretty funny story to tell here. We were both full of Five Guys, so in my defense it was going to happen sooner or later. I thought I was doing right by my love for waiting til we got out into the breeziness so he didn't have as much chance of smelling it. We took a few pictures of the view and as he unlocked the car I let one go. Yes, I farted. It was one of those quiet and cloudy ones that you know is going to reek. I get into the car and what happens? The wind blows it directly in with us. I was so embarrassed that I denied it at first, but shortly owned up to the dastardly scent hovering the car. Doug was such a trooper, I ended up calling my little sister and telling her about it on the way to the movie so that I'd feel better. I must have been blushing scarlet, it was so bad!

So we headed over to the coolest little college town where we were going to be seeing the movie. Everyone was walking up and down the sidewalks, couples hand in hand, friends shopping and having coffee together at the little bistros and cafes and a huge Borders (we're major book/music lovers) in the middle of it all. So we go into the theater and find that the 7 o'clock showing of Black Swan is sold out, we barely had time to be bummed because we asked the man about the 8 o'clock and he told us we could purchase tickets in advance. Perfect! We'd have plenty of time to check out Borders and take in a little bit of the scenery. It's the greatest feeling being out in 30-40 degree night air and having your sweetheart's arms around you. it could have been 40 below zero and the smile on my face would have been just as big. =) Found a few interesting things in the ever so warm and cozy Borders:



After a bit of walking around we headed back to the theater. We were still pretty early so we ended up waiting in line for about 30 minutes. Really made no difference to us because this place was so cool. They show a lot of the more obscure movies, and ones like Black Swan with limited release. The line behind us went down a whole flight of stairs and then some so luck was definitely on our side that night. They had a bar where you could order cocktails. We didn't drink anything other than bottled water, but we were definitely entertained by all the silly and very tipsy folks staggering along and giggling with their friends.

So, how was the movie, you ask? Outstanding! We had a blast, Natalie Portman was wonderful, as was Mila Kunis. Totally blew our minds and also helped me see ballet in a whole new light.
We kept our tickets and a flier to put in the scrapbook I'm going to make. Really excited to get started on that!

After we got back to the car, we decided it was time we get back to the room. We had a very early flight the next morning and needed some rest. Decided room service and a hot shower (and it was an amazing, romantic and steamy shower together, by the way!) and room service was an excellent idea. I've never had such a tasty room service pizza. I think it had mushrooms and bacon, very thin crispy crust. Super yummy. It was after 2 by the time we got to sleep, poor people staying in the rooms next to us probably had a tough time sleeping. I'm a screamer.



Just a few hours later we'd be waking up to get ready for take off to Jacksonville!

Phew, 3 hours of sleep is tough to work on when you're not quite sure where paid parking is and what terminal you need to be in. Doug is an absolute genius though and had us there and relaxing with half an hour to spare. I was so nervous, my tummy was full of jitterbugs. I hadn't flown in over 10 years! He held my hand tight though, and had me laughing the whole time. it was a very nice flight, only 45 minutes or so was the first plane to Houston, and about an hour layover before setting off to J-Ville, I believe this was an hour and 15? Didn't even feel that long. He had several Celebrations magazines that we busied ourselves with along the way. We landed and went straight to baggage claims where Doug waited and I ran right over to the car rental desk. I was extremely nervous that this part wouldn't work out for us. We had never rented a car before and I wasn't sure how the whole debit thing worked. The lady that helped me out was as sweet as she could be though and we had the keys in our hand within 15 minutes. She also had me pumped for St. Augustine's Nights Of Lights!

I figured the car would be our main obstacle, so with it turning out to be a complete piece of cake, we were absolutely thrilled! We loaded our bags into our brand new little silver 2010 Chevrolet Aveo (it was adorable and was all ours for the remainder of our vacation!).



We headed out to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. We had about a 15 minute wait before we were led out to dine on the patio. It was a beautiful breezy day so it was really great. Our waiter was super attentive and didn't have us wating too long for anything. We had the tex mex eggrolls for our appetizer, very spicy but super yummy. They were served with this avocado cream sauce and freshly made salsa. Doug had the Grilled chicken and Avocado Club sandwich with fries and I had The Navajo which is pretty much the same thing only everything is stuffed in ths warm fry bread that's really good. I also had a side of fries. We were so sleepy so we ate quietly giving one another cutesy smiles here and there. The lack of sleep was really starting to get to us at that point so we agreed to get our dessert to go. Doug ordered the Snickers (his favoritest candy ever) bar cheesecake and I got the Reeses (my favoritest candy ever) peanut butter chocolate cake cheesecake and believe me, when we finally tried them later, they were absolutely delicious!
Doug told me to rest my eyes and so I did for a bit while he drove us to our room for the night at the amazing Courtyard Marriott in the everso charming St. Augustine. We checked in and he had me comfy out while he got our bags and brought them in (I know, he's incredible =). It was still pretty early so we took a little nap together and let me tell you, I've never felt more refreshed from a nap. I'm super bad at taking naps, LOL. They usually end up being 4 hours long.

We roused up and started getting ready for our wonderful night out together. Doug hopped in the shower and I changed into something nice and prettied up a bit. We hopped in our rental and set out for the blast to come! Still a bit full from lunch earlier we decided to head over to St. Augustine's Cathedral plaza to get our walk on. I was so stoked for him to finally get the chance to see these lights I'd been telling him about for the previous numerous months leading up to our trip. Everyone was out strolling with their families and friends to marvel over the lights. We found a place to park and we were off. They had horse drawn carriages and people were dressed in historic costumes. Doug is a bit of a history buff so he really enjoyed the plaques on the different shops and buildings describing the years they had been built and the details within the walls. It was such a cold night but the charm of the area really made things cozy.



After a while of gazing we were ready to get dinner. We found a place online a while back called Cap's On The Water that really sounded like fun. St. Augustine love's the water, so when in Rome do as the Romans do, right? Cap's is all about the seafood. Oh my goodness, I knew it the second we walked into the place. It smelled of fish, LOL. It was so funny though, we parked in this teeny tiny lot and began walking up to what I seriously thought was some hermit's old shack.. Or what doug says, he expected someone named Billy Bob to live in. I was pretty hesitant, but when we got inside there was a small bar with people quietly talking as music played in the background. We stated it was just us two and were led to a very dimly candlelit dining area. It was so simple but elegant at the same time. I was absolutely crazy about the atmosphere. Huge picture windows covered the background where you could see the water glisten a bit from the moon. White tablecloths covering the tables, the candles lit ontop of every one. It was great!
Our waitress introduced herself and brought us our teas we'd ordered, then gave us a chance to name our appetizer: fried alligator tail with a citrus sauce. I know, I know! But we had to! You can't just walk into a place that serves something this nutsy and not order it. Well, I suppose you could, but I had talked Doug into it months ago so it was a done deal. She brought us bread and butter which was nice, then our alligator came. It was.. definitely different, LOL. it looked like little chicken nuggets but tasted like a thin shrimpy porkchop. I wanted to like it so much. So much that I ate 3 or 4 pieces but then sort of just left it alone. We weren't big fans but are glad we tried something new and crazy!



Doug had the Honey Rosemary Glazed Salmon (really looked pretty!) and I had the Seafood combo. It wasn't the greatest meal ever, subpar. There were some things we liked and some things we didn't. Oh man, Doug cracked me up! Okay so there was a sprig of rosemary sticking out of his salmon for looks, I was eating when I noticed him make a funny sound and wrinkle his nose spitting out something spiny and green. He'd tried to eat the sprig of Rosemary. "I don't think I'm supposed to eat that.." LOL, I love him so much!
We finished, got our check and left after getting a quick look of the deck. Gotta love the smell of that Florida water.





My throat had been acting a little funny so we stopped at a K-Mart and bought some Zicam and it was back to the room we went. We both comfied out and crawled into bed together to wind down in front of Minority Report on TV.
I am absolutely head over heels for this guy. He took my leg and brought it over him and began massaging my feet. Every rub, every touch, anything he does with his hands, I melt like butter. He told me I should get some sleep but though I felt so relaxed and sleepy I turned over and climbed ontop. I couldn't resist. He deserved every single moan and scratch I gave him that night. He introduced me to the legs over shoulders unfin's and oh. my. DEAR. goddddd. I was in such a hot and horny state that he said I laughed moniacally. I just remember moaning the words new favorite position in the beat of his thrusts, the rest I couldn't think clearly enough to remember at the time. He's so insanely good at making me cum, masturbation to me now is a complete bore. Unless, of course... it's in front of him.

After an incredibly amazing sleep, we roused ourselves from the comfyful bed and I hopped in the shower to begin my wake-up regimen. A great shower in the morning is like a hot cup of coffee for anyone else. Doug went down to the Starbucks in the lobby and got us both breakfast artisan sandwiches (delicious, by the way!), he also added a cupful of fruit to mine and orange juice which was also really good. His morning quencher of choice was a vinti Caramel Macchiato.

We gathered our things together and he took our luggage out the back exit to load the rental while I went up front to check out. I absolutely LOVED my very first stay at the Marriott!
By the time I walked out, Doug was finished loading us up and we were both ready to hit the road.

Okay, so the night before we had drove to the naughty but well-known adult novelty shop, Adam & Eve. It was closed for the evening but Doug discovered another one less than a mile from our room. ...What? Of course we went inside! What are we, innocent and pure or something? Somewhat angelic, you say? Well, okay... I suppose I kinda am. =)
But still, we went inside and went straight for the porn selection in the back where we weren't the only ones browsing around. A man in business attire and a much creepier and older individual holding a corset up in front of himself. Something told me he was pondering whether or not it would fit. *shudder*
I was on a hunt for anything and everything Cytherea but had no luck. Saw plenty of titles with the words "Black Booty Sisters" in them though. It's insane, there were like 17 sequels.
We ventured off into the toy selection and it was stupendous, man. Simply stupendous. We found these really cute fuzzy pink handcuffs and a teeny tiny clearish pink butt plug.

I asked one of the ladies working there about a toy I had on my Christmas list and she didn't really know what I was talking about until we checked out and it was too late (more on that later, though.. . They had THIS though:



This thing has 10 levels of vibration and pulsation, will work from up to 75 ft. away, is wireless (ZING!) and it's one of the cutest little things I've ever seen! I thought it was only available in the UK so I was stoked when I saw it on the shelf. *sigh* The precious.

The lady that I spoke to about the toy I'd mentioned before, she was pretty funny. She talked to me like I was maybe 13 and just discovering my lady parts. "Now with these *holds up butt plug*, it's best to use lots of lubricant, honey!" Pfft, I aint no amateur! =p
So we paid for and took our goodies out to the car and off to the infamous Ripley's Believe it or Not Odditorium we went!

I'd been to the Odditorium before in 2008 with my family on our short vacation to the World, but the second time around was definitely my favorite. Doug had a blast and we took part in the fun interactive games they had (Ask Zoltan, the Love Seat, etc.) in one of the upper levels of the building. There was so many strange and odd things to check out, we were there for maybe an hour and 15 minutes before we hit the gift shop at the end. They had the cutest little souvenirs, but I had to get us a St. Augustine Ornament (Will explain why soon enough!) for sure.
I remember it being a beautiful day out, super nippy though. Doug was always warm, not sure how he does it. It's amazing.

I have this thing with cupcakes and Doug knows this about me. Anything that looks, smells or tastes like a cupcake I adore and want. He found this little bakery called Luli's Cupcakes before the trip during the planning process, so you better believe it was in our plans to check it out. We went inside and it looked exactly as I imagined it, little pink cupcake ornaments decorated a small tree in one corner, a few small bistro tables were set to the side of one wall and then there was a big showcase with the specials in the middle. They all looked absolutely delicious! We decided to pick one big cupcake each to go. Doug picked the Godfather: Tiramisu sponge cake layered with mascarpone cheese frosting and espresso syrup, and I got the Peppermint cupcake: Dark chocolate cake with mint chocolate frosting and two small candycanes to garnish the top. I think we both liked mine the best, but they were both pretty yummy... And HUGE! I dug into mine as we drove to the nearest Target on the way to Orlando. It was very close by because I remember my fingers being sticky and my mouth full of candy cane. =p

So about the ornament mentioned before, our plan was to buy a christmas tree and decorate it in our room while at Disney World. Using ornaments from wherever we had been or were going to be, we wanted to fill the tree up with all kinds of goodies. I found a stocking (or actually, Doug did for me, it was hot pick and said 'Naughty' on one side and "Nice' on the other), and Doug saw one he liked with this adorable little snowman guy with a funny nose, but it had some things he didn't like about it (why oh why do they have to put girly sequins on everything these days?).
We found some pretty light teal ornaments to go on our tree that we still had yet to buy, but our still had yet to buy tree didn't get bought at Target because none of the ones available really stood out to us. We decided to buy it somewhere else once we got to Orlando.
We parted ways because I had to buy one of his presents, so I took the buggy straight down to the electronics boat to pay for his mystery gift. I felt bummed about the stocking he wanted though, so I was going to try and improvise. I found these little cups with the same little character on the front, bought some of his favorite candy Christmas-style and gave him one of his two cards to go along with it (yes, I bought him two cards. I'm sentimental, what can I say? =p). I was worried we wouldn't be able to find eachother, I didn't have my phone on me. I went out to the car and he was walking towards me. Perfect, just as everything had been going for us! He gave me the keys and gave me a little space so that I could fix up his little gift in the trunk of the car to give to him once he came back. He thought it was very cute! =D

I had taken forever shopping so it was time for us to get back on the road. We had such a good time, we even sang Bohemian Rhapsody together. We're the most badass duet in the universe. We drove a ways before we decided we should go ahead and get a quick lunch, so we stopped at a Subway and got a couple of subs and chips to munch on. I must've been really hungry because that was such a delicious meal to me. Filled us right up for the bit of trip left to take to Orlando. We were so close, I was bouncing allover, just ask Doug!

The advertisements and billboards for Disney World and Universal Studios were popping up more and more frequently and we were cracking eachother up. This is how it would go, literally every 30 seconds-minute: Me: WHOA! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? *sigh* I sure wish I could go there. Doug: Well have I got news for you! Me: What ever do you mean?? Doug: We're going to be going there tomorrow! Me: Tomorrow?? Doug: Tomorrow! And we'd crack up, same with every WDW sign, ride ad or attraction that would be coming up in the next several days we'd be staying within the area.
Then we came across this beautiful archway that welcomed us in with open arms. What was this special place, you ask? Was it heaven? To many, quite possibly so. It was the entrance to Walt Disney World.
When I was here with my family, my dad got us so lost, we were looking for our resort for 45 minutes easy, 3 calls later to the front desk and we were there. Doug found The Poly what felt like instantly. We parked and went inside to the lobby and the smell of this place is magnificent. Chlorine, Gardenias and barbecue! There was a christmas tree decorated in a sort of hawaiian theme as was the rest of the place. A huge fountain, that of which everything else revovles around, is placed in the middle of the lobby and it's amazing! You can hear the water rushing down all of this beautiful tropical foliage and flowers and you can feel the mist as you walk by.
Together we walked up to the front desk and after a very small wait, we were greeted with alohas and congratulations on our "new marriage" which... apparently took place at my parents' place in Houston? I don't know, man. it just came out of my mouth. Then the cutest thing happened. We were given a blue and pink lei, in which the guy behind the desk told us that I was to put the blue around Doug's neck, he was to put the pink around mine and the tradition is to kiss. So adorable! We did that and then we were given celebration and congratulation buttons plus maps and all the other information explaining our stay. We went back to the car to get our things and then it was finally time. We were going to get to see our new home for the next 7 nights!

Doug had been here before just to walk the grounds and check out the sites, so he actually knew a bit about where we were going. Everything was happening in our favor, we got the longhouse (Tahiti) that we wanted, a bottom floor room which I had requested, literally steps away from seeing a view of the stunningly beautiful castle right on the incredibly quiet beach. The walk wasn't that bad at all, not even close. There's so many wonderful things to see that the time just seems to fly by in a flash. We walked up to the automatic doors and went inside to a warm hallway to find room 1012. Slipped the key card in the slot, the teensy tiny light turned green and then it was GO time! We went inside and it was like this choir of angels began to sing. Sounded a bit like a luau and I'm pretty sure they were all wearing grass skirts and coconuts, but the room was outstanding! The lighting when turned on was warm and dim, the balcony led out onto a soft grassy area where you could sit and relax if you wished, the bathroom was spacey and had the his and her sinks that I had previously seen in pictures and adored, the beds were very comfy and there were towel animals waiting for us both on one of the beds and our sink. Such a cute little detail. =)
We dropped our luggage off and decided it was time to head out to Celebration, Fl to see Now Snowing. Doug had found out about this many months before our trip, as soon as he brought the idea to my attention it was concrete. We were definitely going!
We walked hand in hand back out to our car and he held the door open for me, just as he always does and as soon as we tapped the address into the GPS we were on our way.
It was such a quick drive! 20 minutes maybe? We parked and snuggled our way to a snack before our late dinner reservation from a small pizza shop called Uppercrust pizza. Doug got a slice of pepperoni and I had a slice of something kind of like Margherita only with Feta, was really yummy! We saw some men spraying what looked like white soap foam allover a big area in front of Uppercrust. It was getting colder as it got later into the evening, we began making our rounds around the different shops and found a really cute shop with a christmas tree in the window decorated with all sorts of little ornaments. We were on a mission to find a special ornament for our tree so we went inside. Thw CUTEST little penguin ornament ever. She held skiis and wore a pink stripey scarf and snow hat to match. We had to get it, it was so ours from that second on. I looked around the tree a bit more and then I saw a little boy penguin to match. His and hers skiing penguins! Couldn't have been anymore perfect. =) We saw this classic Mickey, I can't recall the exact price but I remember us both saing "wow" after hearing the numbers, haha. I would have given anything to have been able to afford something like that for Doug. He loves classic Mickey memorabilia.
We bought the ornaments and took them with us to the area where they were going to hold the Now Snowing event. Everyone was gathered along the sidewalk with their children all bundled up like little eskimos. All of a sudden we heard voices overhead that began to sort of tell a story, music began to play and this white foam started snowing down on us all. The kids went nuts! It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. One little boy stands out to me the most, we were cracking up over him. All the kids were frolicking in the foamy gushy stuff where as he was down in it making foam angels! He had white goop allover him and his mom was not a very happy lady. He ran up to her with it allover his face and said, "ho, ho, ho, I'm santa claus!" I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. It was such a charming event, we loved it.
It was about time to get back to our resort, we wanted to freshen up a bit for our dinner reservation so we drove back in the hot hot heat of our warm rental and did just that. We were pretty stoked about Ohana. it's notorious for being uh.. very filling. I'll explain why in just a bit. =p

On our way to the Great Ceremonial house, I noticed one of my most favorite things about the resort. They have these flame torches they light every evening that line the walk ways. They're so romantic! -- So we reached the GCH and went inside. We decided we'd like to hit up Magic Kingdom later that night so we went over and purchased an extra ticket. Doug went back out, he had forgotten something back in the room so I sat and enjoyed the area while I waited for him. All of a sudden Wishes began and I did everything I could to look away so that the experience wouldn't be ruined. It was tough!
Doug returned and we went straight upstairs to where we would check in for our reservation. We were given a beeper and told it would buzz for us when our table was ready, so we walked around and looked in the gift shops and stopped to admire the fountain, this time from the upper floor and play a game of WWYD (what would you do?). It was silly and of course the questions were impossible but we laughed like crazy.
Our buzzer went off and it was time to get our grub on! We made our way back to the check-in desk and a host greeted us, giving us a bit of Ohana's background, he guided us over to these loaves of what he called Pineapple "Welcome" bread. He picked the squishiest (what he referred to as the best) loaf and took us to our table. We sat next to a window and across from one another which felt strange but later, we understood the reason for the extra space between us. Our waiter, Arturo, greeted us with an aloha and asked us what we'd like to drink. I chickened out for a moment and just asked for unsweet tea, Doug ordered his Lapu Lapu (Myers rum and tropical juices served in a pineapple and topped with a cherry) right away. I was instantly jealous! Arturo came back with a delicious and crisp salad dressed with honey lime dressing and I told him I would like to go ahead and have one of those as well! He brought it with 3 dipping sauces (house made peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and pineapple sweet and sour sauce), honey coriander chicken wings, pork pot stickers, lo-mein noodles and mixed veggies, including broccoli, snow peas and carrots. Delicious, delicious and MORE delicious on a plate. I was crazy about every thing they brought out to us, they must have re-filled each thing before they brought out the meat. Oh yes, lots of meat. These really long skewers chock full of oak-grilled chicken, barbecues pork loin (to die for!), marinate sirloin steak (my absolute favorite, I now love my meat cooked medium and nothing longer) and these huge spicy peel-n-eat shrimp. I ate until I was beyond the point of stuffed, and that's when Arturo says, "Oh, so you guys are ready for the main course!" Oh dear... He brought out this big dish of this heavenly bread pudding, had a big scoop of vanilla ice cream over the top and he spilled this warm bananas foster caramel sauce over the top. No words, people. I have none. In fact, if I did, I don't think you would understand them because I'd be drooling too much for it to be coherent! Goodness gracious I was in pain, that's how full I was. But it was such a good pain at the same time. *sigh*

We finished up and decided to deck ourselves out a bit more in Disney style. We both bought hoodies to snuggle in before we got to Magic Kingdom. With full tummies and awesome new hoodies to hide them, we made our way up to the upper most top level to take the monorail to MK!

You can probably imagine how I was beaming at this point. Here it is, my first time riding the monorail, and not only that, but also my very first time going to Magic Kingdom--with my sweetheart! Luckiest girl on the planet. Yep, that's me!
The monorail is so much faster than in looks, and it takes these crazy turns where it feels as though the vehicle is going to lean right over the rails. Talk about scary, but it was great I loved it!
We arrived and I was still in my boots. Those suckers are comfy for what they are but not nearly as comfy as a good pair of sneaks would have been. Either way, it was time to walk off the food baby (a large meal you've just eaten, often making the tummy protrude). We make our way to the area where you slide in your key to the world and give your finger print, all goes well and we're finally in!
This place is absolutely fantastic. I had stars in my eyes from the moment we stepped foot onto MK property. The castle was literally covered in these beautiful bright icicle lights and was so much closer to the entrance than I thought it would be judging from all the pictures I had seen before. Breathtaking. Doug was giving me all sorts of great trivia and facts on the park, it was really cute. He knows so much about WDW! Main street looked beautiful even in the dark, I couldn't wait to see what it was like during the day.





My love asked where I'd like to go first, so we made our way over to Mickey's Philhar Magic and it was a definite treat! As much as I liked Donald Duck before, I have to say I'm a much bigger fan of him now because of of this attraction. For sure one of my favorite 3D shows that I've seen while at the World. But next up is something that I had held up at the very top of my MK to-do list: The Haunted Mansion!!! We walked up to the end of the line of people waiting, which was extremely short. We were the second group to go inside. The queue to The HM was fantastic, the spider webs, the old and tarnished look of the pictures and details that fill the areas leading up to the main event. Greatest ride ever to me, it was so full of spook and thrill but maintained the magic that Disney is all about. I would have gone on this ride 5 times more back to back! It was getting late though, and we had such an amazingly full day ahead of us so we both decided it was time to get back to our room and rest up for the journey ahead.



We took the monorail back, but did we go straight to our room? Oh no, of course not. Doug had to be reacquainted with the other, OTHER woman. The Dole Whip (that hussy...). We used one of our snack credits to get her. This was my very first taste and I have to admit, it was delicious. You should have seen the look in Doug's eyes when I'd ask for another bite, or reach my spoon over to dip into the pineapple goodness. He held her close by but far, far away from myself. This would not be the last time we saw the dole whip in all of her provocativeness... This wouldn't be the end.

We went back to our room and oh my goodness did that feel good. It was so cold out, so slipping into our comfy stuff and crawling into a warm bed was the perfect ending to another wonderful (such an understatement!) day together. =)

After another amazing sleep, we woke and I had my morning "coffee" ..gotta love that morning coffee. =p We got dressed and loaded ourselves into the rental to catch our breakfast reservation at Wilderness Lodge's Whispering Canyon Cafe. We were a bit early, so we ventured a bit in one of the gift shops. I found the perfect ornament, it was so cute (picture of that later)! We decided it'd be best to fill our tummies before purchasing anything so we didn't have to cater to any bags. We checked in and was handed a beeper, and went over to comfy ourselves out on one of the couches to wait for it to go off. I LOVE this place! The whole log cabin-ey campy theme is such a blast to look at. We even caught a pic of the big Christmas tree set up in the middle of the area:



After a bit of cutesyness and cuddles, it was time to eat! We walked up and handed over the beeper and soon we were taken to our table. Tabletops were filled with delicious food, the scent of waffles and bacon filled the air. Our waiter introduced himself as Jeffro and took our drink orders. We both decided on OJ, and it was brought to us in mason jars, I love it!



Our minds were already made up on breakfast, it was going to be none other then the infamous Canyon skillet: Scrambled eggs, oven-roasted red bliss potatoes, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles, buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy. DELICIOUS! Our waiter was pretty hilarious so that just added to the experience. He made a joke about how you could tell the tourists in New York apart from the ones at Disney World. All the ones in NY are looking up while the ones in WDW enjoy taking pictures of their food, LOL. Doug gave him the inspiration for this, I'm guessing, 'cause he was right in the middle of taking a picture of my plate when Jeffro pointed us out! My babe had a pretty good laugh about it, and even brought a lady extra jam when one of the waitresses asked everyone willing to do so. The food was yummy, the atmosphere was fun and the company was a blast. Jeffro introduced the table next to us and I found out they were right down the street from Cherry Hill! I lived in Cherry Hill, NJ for 4 years!
They had crayons and napkins placed on the tables for the kids, our waiter was so great I left him a fun little drawing and some thanks from us before we left to get our ornament and head out. We'll definitely be seeing that place again!



On our way back to the car, Doug found this:



If you know of Doug's love for H.P. Lovecraft, you'll find this as trippy as we did!

We had off-property plans for the rest of the day, first up though? Titanic: The Experience! We've always had a thing for 1997's Titanic growing up together. Know how couples usually have their own special song? Well Titanic is our special movie. We purchased tickets online for the museum months before the trip so everything was in order and ready to go. We walked inside and there was a british man... or, at least a man speaking a british accent, he told us the next tour would begin shortly so we had a look around to make the time pass. There were newspaper clippings from the original sinking of the Titanic, many different artifacts of the event as well as souvenirs to purchase. After a few minutes more we were guided into a dim, soon to be darkened room and were shown a short video, given a few small rules and then our tour began!
We were guided by a big guy in a chefs' get-up playing the part of someone that had worked on the ship. He was really great and so in character! I had been taking video of the tour for about 20 or so minutes when he called me out on it, oops... I felt like I'd just been scolded by a teacher or something when he didn't even make a big deal about it. Sheesh, Doug is so bad. He sneakily continued with video..tsk tsk.
Each room had really interesting things from the real Titanic. Old Victorian furniture, plating and silverware, even things from the set of the movie. One of the really cool effects I noticed. Each room we went into, it became colder and colder as if we were on the ship itself. We were all given cards that represented a person that had been on board the Titanic, close to the end there were big screens with names listed. Some lit up and some not. I believe the ones that weren't lit were the ones who didn't make it alive. I sadly did not but Doug did, it was such a sad feeling seeing so many people's names who had passed. Gave me chills.
At the end of the tour we were shown more on-set movie memorabilia of the 1997 movie we all know and love plus some of the others. It was such an awesome experience, I'm glad we did it and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that digs history, movies or something new!





We'd been saving for a while for our vacation, but I'm a complete worry wart when it comes to money and having enough of it, it's horrible! We stopped by a gas station and drew out a bit of cash to find that I had plenty... too much, in fact. Nothing I was charging to my card was coming out! No worries though, I found out later on in the trip that everything being charged to my card would come out in one lump sum at the day of our departure. We were good to go!
It was time to check out Universal's Islands Of Adventure! We buckled ourselves in and were there in no time. Doug is a big fan of Jurassic park. We ended up parking in the JP section of the parking garage. Coincidence? I think not!
We were complete newbies to Universal Studios and had purchased 2-1 day base tickets in advance. We were pretty stoked for JP and the new Wizarding World. We made our way through Suess landing, one of my favorite areas. The people in character as the people of Whoville were the cutest things I've ever seen! They were extremely silly and so much fun to watch. Onward through The Lost Continent, the architecture of Mythos was too cool. That's one of the places I'd want to check out if we were to ever go back. Next up was The brand spankin' new Wizarding World Of Harry Potter! It looked amazing, that's for sure. It looked exactly as it should have. We went straight over to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The Queue was extremely long and was just as eventful. The details in the moving pictures and the sculpting of the castle was just amazing. The ride was fun, lots of dips and a drop that tickled my tummy. All in all it wasn't as great as I had imagined it being, but I don't regret a single second of it. =)
Afterwards we scoped out one of the concession carts. You know what that meanssss... Doug got himself a Butterbeer and I got a bottle of Pumpkin Juice. They're both absolutely delicious! Butterbeer is a cross between cream soda and butterscotch, topped with a neverending creamy foam. It reminded me of cool melty marshmallow in a way. The Pumpkin Juice came in the most adorable bottle with a pumpkin-shaped topper. It tasted like an ice cold bottle of fresh apple cider but with notes of pumpkin (I've got to find a recipe for this!).
We sat down for a bit on one of the benches nearby to relax in the warm sun and enjoy our yummy beverages. Jurassic Park River Adventure was up next and we were minutes away from being on board! We made our way to the short queue where only a handful of people were waiting. We climbed into one of the boats and Doug tells me we're gonna get wet. CRAP. It's cold outside! People start climbing in wearing panchos and I pull my hoodie's hood up and zip up tight. I hugged on tight to Doug's arm and the ride began. He was disappointed in the way the gates were already open instead of greeting us with an opening on cue, let alone welcoming us in voice. Some animatronic dinos squirted at us and the T-Rex was pretty nuts. The drop I thought would make me wanna toss my cookies but it really wasn't all that bad. Neither was the splash. We didn't get wet much other than my butt.. and that was just from a damp spot on the seat. I don't think JP was what my love had hoped for, but we had a look around the gift shop anyway.



By then we were ready for some lunch! We headed to Three Broomsticks not really knowing what to expect. Doug ordered our food, Shepherd's pie with a side salad for him and Cornish Pasties, also with a side salad for me. He got another Butterbeer and Pumpkin juice for us while I found us a place to sit. The food was... well, let me put it this way, it was dry. Kind of bland and left much be desired. Definitely not worth the 20 bucks we spent for it. ..The drinks were still yummy though! It was time for a bit of shopping at this point, we were expecting great things. We found Zonko's and I was truly bummed. I really thought they'd have somenew and great things to buy as stocking stuffers that I could take back home with us, but I could find most of these things at the Card & Party Factory (a party store nearby). They did have a showcase full of yummy looking treats though. I got a big piece of Treacle fudge (I kept munching on this throughout the rest of our stay at IOA. Pretty nummy stuff. Hmm, then again maybe I was still hungry from the meal, or lack thereof, we had at Three Broomsticks), a couple boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and a Box of Chocolate frogs.
We went into Ollivander's to check out the whole wand shabang and hot damn, these shops are flippin' tiny. I wish the scarves had been a bit cheaper than say uh.. $50.00 a piece, otherwise we would've gotten some, LOL. So we finished up in the Wizarding World and backtracked our way through The Lost Continent and Seuss Landing. We rode The Cat In The Hat. I was crazy about it. It was so animated and silly! It was actually one of the highlights of my time in IOA. After checking out one of the Seuss shops we found Marvel Super Hero Island. SO. MUCH. FUN. We were both pretty stoked to ride The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman and oh man.. Favorite ride of the day, by far. They interacted with you more than the Forbidden Journey. My favorite part was.. uhm.. the guy with the fire? You felt the heat from it while you were being topsy turvied allover. Wow, I'm no good at this comic stuff, especially when I'm trying to describe it. =p It was a blast though, we both loved it! Doug is a comic book fan so we checked out the comic shop. I found this adorable Spidey keychain, it was so cute we bought two of them so we could each have one on our keyring.
We stopped in one last gift shop on our way to the exit and we lucked out for sure. Doug found a Spiderman Christmas stocking and I found us a Grinchmas ornament for our tree! I gotta say, we were a bit let down by most of the things we were looking forward to, but overall we had a great time together and that's all that mattered. =)

Our original idea was to have dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville but we didn't much feel like coming all the way back later that evening, so we built a new plan. We drove back home, oh I uh.. I mean the Polynesian. *ahem* Dropped off our goodies and freshened up a bit. We wanted to find a Target in the area to pick up a few last minute gifts for one another. We typed the store name into our GPS and we tapped the closest location. We were led into the middle of no where! We decided to just try for Wal-mart and we found one about 10 minutes from where we'd ended up, LOL. We headed towards the garden center where we knew all of the Christmas trees would be. Doug was being cute and helping me push the buggy while standing behind me, making us walk all awkward-like and silly, I love the way he makes me laugh. =) We at first put an artificual 6 ft. tree in the buggy, but later when we saw ornaments shaped like snowflakes, Doug let me have a tree with white lights instead and went to trade them out. We found some hooks and some rolls of wrapping paper that we liked and headed towards the front. Somehow I forgot to pack enough socks and a decent pair of walking shoes, so we got a pack of socks and looked over the shoes. No luck on shoes, argh. We put a few other things in the buggy that we needed and then split up. I went to get in line at the check out and Doug met back up with me. We paid for everything and he took it out to the car so I could go back to grab his mystery gift! I walked out right after buying it and he was pulling the car up for me in the front. Perfect timing, huh? =)
We tapped Payless into the GPS and once again, luck was on our side. There was one right across the way waiting for us! We drove over and I gladly found just what I was looking for. I took my boots off in the car I swear to you, my feet sang in the new tennies.

It was dark by now and we both had Wolfgang Puck Express on the mind, so yep, you guessed it! It was Downtown Disney time for us! We made our way over to the Disney's Days of Christmas store and went on a little shopping spree, we bought several ornaments plus we picked out one to be personalized (we had the same ornament back in the room but wanted to have it in the process of being personalized since we weren't sure when we'd be back to DTD). We filled out a personalization form and by then we were feeling pretty hungry. We made our way over to Wolfgang Puck Express and went hog wild! We both each ordered a barbecued chicken pizza, a large side of garlic mashed potatoes and another large side of mac and cheese and took it back to our room to comfy out in our PJs and grub down on some goodness in front of Glee and Raising Hope. We were able to kick back and relax for the rest of the night and believe me, it was exquisite!
Doug randomly let me open one of my gifts early! So the story behind this is, I was on a mission to find some really comfy pajama pants before our trip to take along with us, but the place that carried the ones I liked most only had larges and extra-larges. His sneaky self sneaky sneakstered a pair with snowflakes allover and they were the absolutely perfect. I wore them to bed almost every night and they were wonderfully cozy. I love this man!!!

We had an 8 o'clock breakfast reservation for Animal Kingdom's Boma the next morning, so it was rise and shine, up n' at 'em for us! Boma was one of the most memorable experiences from the 2008 trip I took with my family. I remember the place being unique and delicious, the staff were incredibly kind and the resort was absolutely breathtaking.
We roused ourselves and dressed for the day, which let me tell you, it was a very cold one! We took the rental to AKL and the second we made it inside I swear I could feel the heat from one of the fire pits in the back of the lobby. The Polynesian is by far my favorite (I know, I know! I've only stayed in two of the many resorts available! It doesn't matter because just know it! =p), but there's just something so incredibly warm and inviting about AKL during the holidays. The Christmas tree was gi-normous and all lit up, the place was decorated to a tee and the smells that fill the resort are enough to make your mouth water! We took the stairs to check in for breakfast and shortly we were taken to a small table (not far from the table my family and I sat at) and brought that delicious juice that anyone who's been to Boma is sure to have found truly amazing. We got up right away and headed to the beauteous (is that a word?) buffet of glory to over-fill our plates. Unfortunately the last thing we were thinking about while noming ourselves silly were pictures, but I remember getting a helping of the roasted potatoes, grilled tomatoes, sausage biscuit casserole (SO good!), bobotie, eggs with goat cheese and chives (Doug isn't a big fan of eggs at all, but I remember him digging these). Doug found some really yummy pumpkin bread and delicious muffins, which of course, we totally loaded up on and we were in food heaven. I believe he got a pot of the Kenyan coffee to go along with the meal. Everything was scrumptious!
We decided to walk around a bit to admire the inner-parts of the resort and stopped in one of the gift shops. I spotted a vinylmation display and saw a cheetah figure that would be perfect for our tree! I snatched it right away to find out with help from the back of the box that there's an existing giraffe vinylmation. Doug took all the boxed figures down to find the giraffe for me but there wasn't a single one. I was bummed but he was the sweetest most greatest ever to pull everything down for me just for one silly giraffe. Turns out though, they're extremely popular so maybe next time we're at the World we'll have better luck in finding one!
We made our way back to our rental and headed to Hollywood Studios. Talk about excited, we were extremely! We parked and got through the gates to find a sort of Walk of Fame. my love is a huge Michael Jackson fan, so we couldn't leave without getting a picture of his prints.



Okay, so this was my very first time at the Studios, I really had no idea what to expect as far as the shenanigans go. We're walking through admiring all the sites when all of a sudden a man holding a microphone and another guy holding a big video camera up, all on me mind you, comes up, handing me the mic and telling me to sing whatever it was I felt in my heart. I, stupidly, didn't think for once that the camera was actually rolling! I paused for a moment, looked around, and I did it... Twiiiinkle twiiinkle liiiittle starrrrr....? *long pause, man urges me to continue* uhh..how I wonder what you arrrree.. I sang the whole flippin' thing! They applauded me and we moved along. I was embarrassed enough, then Doug tells me it's going to be footage used for The American Idol Experience! Oh my gosh, I was mortified. He knew all along what those people were up to! Some day... I don't know how. I don't know when. But I'm going to get him, and it will be good! Hmph.
We figured Toy Story Midway Mania would be an excruciatingly long wait so we headed for the fast pass machines. We got a couple but then decided what the heck? We would like to check out the queue line anyhow so we did. Oh well, we at least have souvenirs right? The queue was adorable! The detail is so cool. I loved how the crayons all looked different, as to show different amounts of use. We kept looking around for hidden mickeys but no luck. Mr. Potato head was hilarious, I liked that he could point out specific people in a crowd and joke with them. ..Okay, so this is kind of a uhm, sore subject for Doug. But I want to make my trip report as complete as possible, that means including every possible detail I can muster up so here goes: I won. I won so hardcore it isn't even funny. I got off the ride and everyone applauded my awesomeness and I just felt this rush of pride...okay, no they didn't, but I did win. =D Doug says by barely but I could've sworn the difference between our score was in the 1,000's! The world may never know... until next time, that is. But all silliness aside, we loved it! I can't wait to ride it again. =)
We picked The Great Movie Ride next, and lucky for us there wasn't much of a line to wait behind. The girl guiding our tour was so loud! The gangster was pretty jokes though, he made me giggle with his "mehh, can't catch me copper!" ..was afraid the alien towards the end would jump out at me! We did Walt Disney: One Man's Dream and normally, I'm not a big biography person but I really enjoyed this one. I found out a lot of really interesting things about Walt and the journey into his career. We took a few pictures of the things in the gallery. I loved the showcased models of the park!



Walking around we could hear Playhouse Disney, I couldn't help but shake my butt. It was so cute seeing all the kids having a blast and getting into the music!
Up ahead was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and I must admit, I had extreme butterflies flying around up in this. I knew it was one of the more extreme rides Disney had to offer but I had no idea what I'd be getting myself into! This is Doug's favorite ride so I wasn't about to hold him back. We walked up to the queue and it looked so spooky! The graveyard, the weathered look of the building and all the creepiness from within! A few minutes from boarding, I was whining about how my heart was probably going to pop out of my ear in mid-drop and Doug pointed out a little girl about to get on with her dad. He said, "Hey, you sound a lot like her!" and we sort of coached one another through the whole process. It was fun! We got on and oh my damn, I barfed my heart and then swallowed it again on the way back up. I only remember the doors opening, seeing how high up we were and that massive first drop. My hands were shaking like I'd just had a stroke when the ride ended. The little girl was sitting next to me and said, "Is that all?" Doug says, "Yep!" and little miss thang goes, "Awwwee!" LOL. She was really cute, glad we ran into eachother for sure. =) We went into the gift shop at the end and started looking at all the ToT tees. Doug let me pick out a really great red one for him and I found this really awesome black one with a girly glittery applique on the front. We had the man at the counter help us fill out a form to have the tees sent back to our resort for us.
With one crazy ride under our belt we were gonna try for another with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Doug mentioned on the way that every time he had been to the Studios the ride was either broken down or down for refurb. Unfortunately it was down again this time. Secretly... I didn't mind all that much. I wasn't too thrilled on the idea of riding something that was always broken down! =X
We shopped around and we found some more really awesome tees, but there was one in particular that he'd seen and wanted but it was pretty tough finding it in his size. He had his eye on the really cute PJ pants though, dark blue with white mickey silhouettes allover. I was determined to make them his before the trip was over! We stopped in Once Upon A Time and they had the cutest Disney nerd stuff, all the characters in braces or wearing nerdy glasses. I found a wallet, which coincidentally (I think not!), I was in dire need of. I ended up getting it for myself because I just couldn't resist. =p
It was about time for our 1 o' clock lunch ressie so we made our way through the rest of Sunset Boulevard to find Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. I just knew Doug was going to love this one, I felt he was still pretty skeptical though. We checked in and sat for a bit to wait for a table, then were assured they'd try to get us in earlier than scheduled and seated in one of the vehicles (WOOT!). Soon we were guided into the starlit lot of the drive-in. A big screen featuring sci-fi clips, shiny convertibles in every color gleaming from the silliness on the screen, dimly lit dashboards had people dining behind them. It was such a blast! Our waitress introduced herself as Tula and took our drink orders down, Doug had an Orbiting Oreos; Oreo shake mixed with Godiva chocolate liqueur, spinach and artichoke dip; a blend of monterey jack, swiss, and asiago with spinach, artichokes and corn tortilla chips, an angus chuck burger with cheddar, sauteed onions and mushrooms with a side of fries and a bottle of water to go. I had a Space Monkey; chocolate shake, malibu rum, and banana liqueur, Crispy onion rings and the angus chuck burger with swiss, sauteed onions and mushrooms with a side of fries and also a bottle of water. Doug absolutely loved it! I felt so achieved, I really did. We cracked up over the goofy sci-fi clips, and oh man was the food yummy. Tula kept referring to me as "princess" and stayed so perfectly in character, she was great! I would make this a must for any WDW trip. It did just the trick! =)
With another great meal to smile about, we felt a show was in order to further let our tummies settle. Muppet Vision 3D was going to be just that! Doug is crazy about the Muppets and I loved them as a little girl so we were both really looking forward to this one. The queue wasn't too bad, the movie playing inside kept us busy and laughing. We were led inside the theater and the show began. It was so much fun! I forgot how funny these guys really are, and I'm a born-again Miss Piggy fan, she's such a diva! We wandered through the Stage One Company store and Doug found a movie clapboard frame for his little sister, they had a lot of really great muppet merchandise.
Voyage of The Little Mermaid was charming, Ariel could have sang a bit less rushed and I'd love to see a real Ursula in the show. But all in all it was a lot of fun. Then it was time to check out the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme stunt show. We climbed the bleachers and found the perfect spot for the two of us. Doug leans in and mentions the guys next to him, I look over and he's really kind of creepy. He was moving in closer and closer and doing this weird little diddy with his hands. We both felt it would be uhm.. good for our health.. to move up higher and away from the man so we did. He kept like, chattering his lips together like he was mumbling to himself. We thought this was the perfect setting for a game of WWYD? We had a little wait before the show began so we had eachother cracking up over this poor guy 5-7 stands below us. It was one of the greatest times I've ever had (the others are also with Doug, of course . The show began and it was pretty thrilling, I really liked it a lot. Especially the explosion at the end and the heat of the fire rolls up over the crowd.
It was starting to get dark at this point, and a lot colder! We made Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We made little bets on who we thought the actor among the bunch of volunteers was going to be. It was pretty obvious to the both of us! I enjoyed it but it wasn't what I had expected. I thought it was going to be a full-on stunt show, not one showing how the stunt are performed. The boulder stunt was my favorite. =D
It was time for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights but we had our mind on a treat we'd heard about pre-trip. The Carrot Cake Cookie. Oh yes.. This decadent, yet sinfully tasty treat can be found at The Writer's Stop. We went inside and parked ourselves in line. Several people were asking for the delicious cookie as well, we lucked out by getting the last one in the showcase! I was surprised at it's coolness to touch rather than warmth. I think I would have preferred it that way. The cake of the cookie was moist and chewy, with just enough spice to its sweetness. The thick cream cheese frosting in between was pure love. We stood in the crowd of people sharing our sex in cookie form. I must have creamed my panties thrice. I couldn't make sense of all the people pushing their way through such massive crowds when here we were making perfect sense of the situation. Oh yeah, and the lights were really pretty!
We figured it would be best to start moving away from the crowd so we started for the exit... until we saw Fairfax Fare. Doug wanted me to try one of the massive turkey legs. I thought it sounded really good, it definitely smelled delicious. We bought a bottled water with one using credits from the dining plan and sat together in an empty area full of tables and chairs. This is one of the best things I've ever wrapped my lips around (Doug owns the #1 spot . It was salty, hot, greasy goodness in a cardboard container. I simply do not comprehend the people who won't touch them because they 'look gross' ..That's just preposterous!
It was time to head back to the Poly, we hadn't done everything but that only leaves more reason to come back soon, right? Exactly. So we made a pit stop to the tinkletorium and off we went. We had a late 9 o' clock dinner reservation for Kona Cafe. ..What? You think we'd be finished eating by now? You, my friend, are a funny one!
We returned home and dropped off our souvenirs of the day, freshened ourselves and lazied up a bit before dinner. We figured since we had this big un-opened tree sitting in our room that it would be wise to put it up! Doug put it together for us and began hooking ornaments so that I could hang them, talk about pretty! We had to make it quick with the last few, it was eatin' time. =D
We've heard so many great things about the place, we had to add it to our list of ADR's. Plus, it was a part of the Poly so it had to be good, right? Our waiter took our drink orders, Doug had a Kona Long board Lager and I thought the Black Cherry Twist looked pretty sexy. We ordered sushi to start out. Doug had the California Roll and I had the shrimp tempura roll with lilikoi sauce. We both shared each one and felt the same. Shrimp tempura with lilikoi>California roll. Doug ordered the Shrimp pasta which he let me try, it tasted really fresh and light. I liked it a lot. I decided on the Teriyaki-style new york strip and to top it all off, the banana-chocolate creme brulee. The meal was okay, nothing magnificent but decent. Doug had his first taste of wasabi, poor baby. His sushi was served with a dollop of wasabi. He asked me what it was and I told him it was supposed to be very hot, he tried more than he should have and oh man. He LOVES hot food, so he figured he could take it. It made his eyes water like crazy! I think my drink made me a little silly because I couldn't stop laughing. I'm not very nice. =\ I'm so sorry, Sweetheart!!
After dinner we went to one of the gift shops, Trader Jack's, and I found the most perfect coffee mug for my mom. It was pink with hearts allover, a just-woken Minnie in her PJ's on one side and on the other, "Mornings Aren't Pretty!" Mom's a coffee fiend so I knew she would for sure appreciate it.

My love needed a nightcap before heading back to our room, so we made a quick stop at Captain Cook's to get his nightly dose of pineapple goodness, the orgasm-inducing Dole whip. Yes folks. it's that amazing.

It was the morning of the 9th, and we had an incredibly special day ahead of us. Little did I know just how truly special it was going to be. =)
We had an 8:40 breakfast reservation for Kona Cafe. That's right folks, again, right there in the comfort of our own home. We checked in and were brought to a table to ponder over breakfast options. ..Yeah right! We knew exactly what we wanted, TONGA TOAST! So uh, Mr. Bob comes along and introduces himself, in a very Ben Stein sort of way. I don't know if his problem was that he just wasn't a morning person or what, but he didn't smile a single time we were there! Buck up Sunshine! This is Disney World for crying out loud, show some gratitude! He took down our drink orders; Lilikoi juice for the both of us. He was a tad bit strange, Doug ordered sausage with his toast but he came back to check on us and repeated his order back as Tonga toast with a side of bacon. I corrected him nicely but he seemed to get a little defensive, but in a nonchalant sort of way. Any-who, he brought our food to us a short while later and it was delicious. The thickness of the toasted bread was gargantuan, dusted allover with cinnamon sugar. You cut into this beautiful thing and warm, squishy banana oozes out in all of its sweet glory. If I remember correctly, I nearly downed the whole thing. The sausage was good too, as was the juice. ..Doesn't beat Boma's, but hey!
Bob stood around as though supervising the area, nothing but seriousness on that face of his. We didn't complain over it as much as make fun, because really it was pretty funny. Awkward but totally laugh-worthy. It was time to get outta Bob's hair (or lack thereof) and get on with our plans, so we left him a tip (he did bring us food after all) and did just that.



We took the rental to Epcot's Future World, a place that was actually familiar to me! I was really excited for Doug to ride Spaceship Earth. For once I'd experienced something that he hadn't here at WDW. =p There wasn't much of a line if I remember correctly, we were on board in a flash. The stars alone (end of ride) are enough to make me love it, let alone the great animatronics taking us on the journey through history. Doug was being naughty, of course. He rubbed my naughties on the way up. Let's just say he really enjoyed this one. We cracked up over the little thing they did with the pictures of our faces on the animated bodies. We tried to e-mail it to ourselves but for some reason I never received it. We walked around a bit and Doug sat down to play a driving simulation game.



I wasn't too interested in the Innoventions stuff during my 2008 trip with my family, but they included something new that I was excited to try: Sum of all Thrills Presented By Raytheon! Now, the idea is to custom-design your own thrill ride using mathematical tools, an innovative touch-screen table and a robotic simulator. We received a card that was supposed to allow us to view our specific ride online at home after we rode, but the code isn't working! Grrr... Oh well, the coaster we created was pretty tame, but it was definitely a new experience. Maybe next time we'll create something a little crazier. =)
After innoventions we saw Ellen's Universe of Energy was just about ready to start. We made our way over and found a vacant bench inside. I forgot how long the movie stuff was! We both dozed off, it was funny. The Dinosaur part was awesome but the rest was pretty boring. Universe of Energy is definitely a ride you only need to see once. And if you're short on time it really isn't a must-see at all.
I could have sworn I had done Mission: Space before, but couldn't recall a single detail. Reason being? My memory isn't what it used to be. I didn't ride it all all! So Doug asked if I wanted to go easy or all the way. I pondered for what felt like forever but decided to go easy, I was still feeling the Tonga Toast googling around in my tummy. We got in the line on the left and made our way to the entrance. This Italian girl behind us seemed to have been scared out of her wits! She was all questions and I could see the fear in her eyes. Poor girl was seconds from running. We got on board and from then on there was no turning back. Miss Nervousness saw the barf bags and she couldn't believe it! We were given instructions to push certain buttons on the dash once we were called on and that was easy as pie, it was fun! The weightlessness gave me flutters but it felt great. It was like.. Hmm, how can I explain it. Like swinging on a swing and leaning backwards to see everything upside down. Yeah! That's what it was like. Best. Feeling. Ev-AR! I may consider doing the more extreme version next time. Maybe. =p



We were ready for a snack by then, so we headed towards the entrance of World Showcase... Nuh uh uh, no siree. We were just going to grab a pretzel from Promenade refreshments. World Showcase comes tomorrow! So using our snack credits, we got ourselves a bottled water, a delicious salted pretzel and some cheese dip for it. I'm not sure if it was because I was sharing it with my sweetheart, probably so, but this was the greatest pretzel I've ever put into my mouth!
Soarin' was a massively long wait all day so while keeping our eyes on the wait times we sort of just did everything around it. Next up? Captain EO! I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a film featuring Michael Jackson and that it was going to be in 3D, but that's about it. We went inside and waited to the right until the theater emptied so that we could vacate seats. We had our 3D shades and were ready to go! I gotta say, this was a total treat for me. Doug is a huge fan of MJ, and after Captain EO I saw why. Sure it was cheesy and what, 80's ish? But it was so completely full of charm. And who couldn't love HOOTER!
We did Living with the Land whic-snoooooooooooooore, and of course Journey Into Imagination with the adorable Figment. Anyone who is anyone knows what this is so I won't go into detail. =p And then it was time for The Seas with Nemo & Friends, I was stoked for Doug to see the aquarium!
The ride itself is the cutest thing ever, I believe we even made out a bit during it. Afterwards we searched around for the aquarium and spotted the dolphin I'd seen before. He's so amazing! There was a trainer assisting him and having him perform tricks. He looked so happy and got the majority of the tricks right. We made our way around the aquarium, scoping out huge sea turtles and beautiful fish of all species, and then we did Turtle Talk with Crush. I laughed until I cried! The kids were hilarious. Crush asked a little boy what he liked to eat and he said, "Well, if you're asking me what my favorite food is, I'd have to say steak... with A1 sauce!" We cracked up it was so funny! For sure my favorite part of Future World this trip. =) We had to grab something to remember our time here, so we found the Sea Base Alpha gift shop and looked around. We found a great Nemo ornament and purchased it on the way out.
Our last half hour or so in FW was spent shopping. We went into Mouse Gear and Doug bought me the cutest Nerd Minnie nightie and a beautiful silver necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a key with Mickey ears and a few little diamonds encrusted. I felt like I had my own little key to the World. =p I bought Doug his PJ pants that I'd mentioned before. He looks quite sexy in them, if I do say so myself.





By then it was after 3 o'clock and there was a bit more fun to be had in DTD! We took our things and left the park to our...rental. Uh oh, we couldn't find the rental! What do we mean we couldn't find the rental?! It's a small silver Chevrolet! ...Every vehicle out there seemed to be a silver Chevrolet, people. Doug took one aisle and I took another, we must have been looking for over 20 minutes and then we found it. From then on we vowed to keep a much better eye on where we park. LOL.
We bundled ourselves back in the car and drove to Downtown Disney. We were getting pretty hungry by that point, it was after 4 and all we'd had since breakfast was that yummy pretzel. Meal of choice? Earl of Sandwich! I heard so many great reviews about this place and let me tell you, I'm a big toasted sandwich fan. We went up to the counter where our orders were taken. Doug had The Italian; salami, capicola, roasted ham, mortadella, mozzarella cheese, roma tomato and Zesty Italian dressing on Artesian baked bread, a brownie with vanilla creme and an iced tea. I had the Hawaiian BBQ; ham, grilled chicken, Hawaiian BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese and pineapple also on the Artesian bread, a cupcake and bottled water. The sandwiches were served in this foil that kept them hot and oh man, they were delicious! The bread was almost like biscuit, it was so good! I definitely recommend it to anyone in the area.
We looked around in all the shops, walked through the used-to-be's and leftovers of Pleasure Island and saw plenty of really awesome stuff along the way. We checked out the Sosa cigar shop and it smelled really good. I love the smell of cigars! We bought a beautiful star for our tree at Disney's Days of Christmas and then went inside an art gallery shop who held some of the coolest paintings. They reminded me of my little sister. She's as big of an art fan as I am! I would have LOVED to get her one of the pieces I had seen but they were hundreds to thousands of dollars. Insane! We went into the Lego store, this really great shop full of Vinylmation and of course the very girly Basin!





Our last stop was Goofy's Candy Co. Talk about ecstatic! We made our own treats! We both chose pretzel rods with mixtures of chocolate, reeses, peanuts, m&ms and crushed butterfinger. I got Doug a piece of Snickers fudge and I found a jumbo Mickey PB cup! We used a couple of snack credits to get them in the bag and we headed back to the resort. Talk about a full day ...The night was just beginning.

We went to our room and warmed up for a bit. We had a late dinner reservation for 9:30 at the Contemporary's California Grill. We freshened up and dressed to impress. My baby looked so friggin' hot! We left to take the monorail to get to our destination and oh man, this place was amazing. Huge isn't even the word! We had to check in on the 4th floor and have someone escort us up to the very top (California Grill). We went to the exit to go out onto the balcony but the door was locked, jammed, something or other. We walked back to the desk and the lady there told us our table was ready but took us to the exit and let us out anyway. The view was gorgeous!! Doug took my hand and guided me down towards the end of the balcony as I stared in complete awe. I heard Doug say "I know I already asked but I wanted to make it official.." I turned to him and he was holding this little black felt box with a beautiful ring placed inside that held the most perfect sparkle under the night sky. I was all over him from that point on, I wrapped my arms around him and I'll never forget that kiss. It's what every girl dreams of and I was the luckiest one in the world. =)
We walked back inside, hand in hand and we were taken to our table. Our waiter came over and introduced himself as Ron. Most fantastic waiter ever! He caught a glimpse of the box Doug was holding and he grinned and asked, "So uh, what's that?" I threw my hand in the man's face and said "Ain't it purty!" I was on cloud 9! Doug wanted to celebrate with wine and it was exciting getting to pick. We chose a dessert wine called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. And it's a darn good thing I'm getting to type this because it'd be impossible for me to pronounce it. It was white with a tart but bittersweet tang to it. Really delicious stuff! He explained the menus and how our dining plan worked with it. We each chose one of the flatbreads to start us off. Doug; the wild mushroom flatbread with truffle oil and me; a triple cheese flatbread with pecorino, asiago, and provolone with sun-dried tomato and arugula pesto. They were both outrageously yummo but Doug's was definitely my favorite. =)
Ron told us we could take our glasses of wine out with us when Wishes began, so we did. The fireworks were so beautiful. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect setting. We were both shaking up there in the cold, I don't think I've ever been colder than I was that night. But at the same time I was the warmest I'd ever been too.
After the show we went back inside and Ron had complimentary champagne waiting for us! We sipped at it's yumminess and finished off our flatbreads while we waited for our main courses. Doug ordered the Grilled pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta, button mushrooms, zinfandel glaze, and sage, and I had the oak-fired filet of beef with dauphinoise potatoes and smoked bacon, ginger scented carrots, and teriyaki barbecue. To DIE for were these meals. Ron kept swinging by to check on us, giving us advice on how to keep a marriage healthy, etc. At one point during dinner he gave me a handful of celebration Mickey confetti! He was really funny! After our main courses, we decided on sharing a dessert. We were going for the Valrhona Chocolate cake; dark chocolate cake with a molten center, and a side of rich vanilla bean ice cream, all served with a congrats on a chocolate plaque. I have no words. You know the tingle you get in your lower back when you orgasm? It was like that, only it happened in my panties and with every bite. It was succulent, it was sweet, it was creamy and it was sex on a plate. The best dessert I've ever had. Valrhona, I miss you Honey!!!



Ron said since we were only going to get one dessert, he was going to pack up an extra special dessert for us to take back to our room. It was a huge piece of chocolate cake with a sweet cherry glaze. He was outstanding so for that reason, we gave him an outstanding tip of $50.00. He came by and basically told us since we took care of him he was going to take care of us and slipped his business card in Doug's shirt pocket. He said anytime we wanted in and had trouble to give him a call and he'd pull some strings!
After such an amazing meal it was time to head back, we made our way to the elevator and Ron ran over to say goodbye to us and thank us and then added a few really nice notes on our engagement. The man had several tables he was waiting on, so to take the extra time to do that it really meant a lot to us. The tip was very much well-deserved. =)

We took the monorail back to our resort and snuggled our way to our room. Doug called his parents and told them the great news and I called my mom and little sis, everyone was thrilled and so excited for us!
I told Doug to comfy out, I was going to take a hot bath and freshen myself up for him for the rest of the night. I bathed and put on the adorable nightie he bought for me earlier from Future World and came out. He had dozed off. I turned off the tv and dimmed the lights. I hugged onto him, giving his neck soft little kisses and roused him up for some amazingly incredible sex.

Most amazing night of my life, no question!

We had an early morning ADR set up for 8:35 at Animal Kingdom's Tusker House Restaurant, but considering the amount of excitement and naughtiness that took place the night before, we were in no way, shape or form for a reservation that early in the morning. It was nice being able to curl up in bed together and be lazy before getting up and readying ourselves for the day ahead. We decided we were going to just skip Tusker House and grab a quick bite at Captain Cook's. We got to catch a bit of scenery on the way in (those little ducks were cute as a button!):



We were down by 9 and munching a hot breakfast. Not bad for what it was! Doug had a breakfast croissant with a side of breakfast potatoes and OJ, and he ordered a deluxe breakfast platter for me, which consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes and a biscuit, also with an OJ. He got us each a water to go, so we filled up and set out on a new adventure to Animal Kingdom!
Our original plan was to cut out AK completely, but I'm SO happy we decided otherwise. We had the greatest time! We parked (paying very close attention this time to our surroundings!), and headed inside. I forgot how beautiful the foliage was, it totally reeks of animals/animal poop, but the views are plenty enough to take your mind off all that. =p The sounds of the birds could be heard, as well as a couple of really nutsy monkeys up ahead. Speaking of poop, jeesh they were doing a lot of that. We watched them a bit and then hurried out just in case they started chucking their undesirables at us. We took the queue to Kilimanjaro Safair and were able to see I believe all but one animal. We uh.. came across some elephants. One of them looked to be very happy. When I say happy, I mean happy. Everyone was laughing 'cause this thing's schlong was hanging out, all 40 foot of it. I knew elephants were mighty creatures but daaaaaang...
We were thinking of doing Expedition Everest so we grabbed a fastpass for it. We never got around to hopping on but next time we'll be checking it out for sure. We tried going on DINOSAUR too, but for some reason there were issues with the ride. We were all given re-entry passes but never went back. Though it sounds like we hadn't gotten much done, we were famished at this point and ready to eat. We wanted to see the Finding Nemo musical but had a 12:15 ressie for World Showcase's Rose & Crown. We came across Yak and Yeti and decided to try our luck. We got in, and it's a good thing we did because this place was outstanding! We were seated near a window, it was nice being able to people-watch. The inside of this place was so cool. It looked like it had been there for decades and decades! The floors and walls looked disheveled which added a great touch to the theming. And the artifacts everywhere were so much fun to look at. Adriana, our waiter was really very nice. She took our drink orders, both iced teas. Next up were our appetizers. Doug had the pork eggrolls with plum chili dipping sauce (SO delicious!), and I had the wok-fried green beans served with a sweet Thai chili dipping sauce (also extremely yummy!). Adriana brought us our entrees of (Doug's) Sweet and Sour Chicken - tempura chicken, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, and pineapple served with rice and (mine) Crispy Honey Chicken - tempura chicken, broccoli, carrots, served in a honey sauce with rice. It was fun digging into eachother's plates. =p It was dessert time and we both ended up trying the Fried wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle. One of the most delicious desserts I've ever had. The sweet cream cheese inside of the wontons was warm and creamy, the pineapple went perfectly with the vanilla and honey flavors. I can't wait to have it again!
After dinner we made our way over to the Nemo musical. We were a teensy teensy bit late, the show had already begun but we didn't miss anything big. I sang Big Blue World the rest of the trip, just ask Doug. =p It was truly an adorable show though.



We made our way outside the gates and took the tram to our specific lot where our rental was waiting. We had a few things left to do in Future World before WS. We grabbed a fastpass for Test Track, saw Soarin' was still pretty nutsy on waiting times so we set out for Club Cool. We videotaped the whole thing here!

Beverly = tremendously cruel to the tastebuds. *wrinkles nose*

We entered World Showcase, started in Canada and went counter clock-wise. We didn't drink a whole lot and I didn't get candy from every country, but I did get some Turkish delight (Brooke describes it as chocolate-covered gumminess) and a Cadbury Flake bar (crumbly, flaky milk chocolate) in the UK. We stopped at La Mode Francaise shop and bought even more sweets; a french caramel lollipop and a single Valrhona french chocolate truffle called a Noisette Noir. *sigh* I loves me some chocolate, y'all. We saw a french wine kiosk that was serving up the Grey Goose Citron and Grand Marnier Orange slushes we'd heard so much about. We bought two of the orange slushes and lemme tell you now, YUM. It was like a creamsicle. You could taste the alcohol in it which normally I wouldn't like, but it wasn't strong. It was freezing cold, so trying to gulp down a slushee is tough. Our late lunch reservation for Biergarten was nearing and we had 4 countries to push through! I drank as much as I could and tossed the rest. ..So getting another one of those sometime... Once we reached Biergarten, the ADR line was so long it was ridiculous. We decided on grabbing some nachos and margaritas in Mexico. We found a table that we ended up sharing with a lady from the east coast. She and Doug talked about different shows they'd seen/would like to see and she said our goodbyes. I was battling jalapenos. I think I won, too! Doug was warning me but I couldn't let the hotness defeat me! The nachos were greasy, cheesy and yummy. The strawberry margarita was delicious of course. =p We tossed our garbage and continued backwards to Norway. Doug's favorite! ..*hides* We rode Maelstrom which seriously, it wasn't that terrible. The queue was a blast though because we flirted the whole time, haha. Afterwards we stopped by the Puffins Roost and I bought some Norwegian candy called Stratos (porous milk chocolate bar).
The German shops were definitely a blast:



We had a while left before IllumiNations, and after all those sweet splurges you'd think we'd be sick to death of sweets! Pfffft.. Yeah right. It was time for some Beaches & Cream! We walked to the International Gateway to board the boat that would take us to the boardwalk and walked for what felt like forever to find this place! Finally though, Doug got us there and I swear to you, once we entered I heard angels singing. I was about to have one of the most delicious sundaes man (or woman in this case) could possibly create. We found a place right up at the counter and watched the ladies create these extravagant ice cream masterpieces. First up, we ordered two cherry cokes and a plate of onion rings. I wanna say as far as rings go sci fi>b&c, but they were both really great and I'd have either any day of the week. Next up though.. oh man, are you sure you're ready for this? Okay, you're going to have to wait a minute because I'm not so sure if I am.

The No Way Jose, people. We're talking about a mountain of peanut butter and hot fudge with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate morsels and whipped cream all topped off with a cherry. ..I gotta tell you, I was smitten... Doug said I looked at this thing like I'd never looked at him before (not truuuue)! This sundae made me feel like a sinner, though. Like I was being such a naughty little girl and was in need of a good lashing!



We walked with full tummies back to the boating area (is that what you call it? haha) and waited. ..and waited. and waited until we decided to just go around to the opposite side of the boardwalk and catch the boat there. We finally boarded and snuggled the entire way back to Epcot. We have this inside thing now about it not being a banana. I forgot all the details that led up to it, but you have to say it in a really deep voice. Go on, do it... "It's not a banana.... stop tryin' to peel it. Don't cut it up and put it in your cereal, 'cause it's not a banana!" He cracked up like craaaazy. Best time ev-AR.
We rushed to get to WS so we could maybe find a decent place to watch IllumiNations. We eventually found a place to get, wasn't the most magnificent place to view the fireworks but it was sweet. He even said I could stand on his feet so that I would b e able to see. =p What I could see though was absolutely breathtaking, and he made it perfect. =)
After the show, we made our way over to my most favorite shop of all of WS: Mitsukoshi in Japan. I went hog wiiiiiild! I bought my little sister 2 small lantern candle holders, a few packets of incense and LOTS of treats from the candy/food room. I wanted to take things back home with me to use as stocking stuffers. The most unique thing I bought there though was a type of candy in a small pink package. It looked like separate puffs of cotton candy in different colors, it was very sour and once it hit your tongue it reacted like poprocks. It was yummy stuff. =D
We finished up and headed back to our car very slowly, enjoying seeing the park emptying and the walks being less crowded so we didn't have to force our way through. Our feet were pretty exhausted at that point, so the thought of getting back to our warm room was more than comforting.



I know one thing's for sure, we slept wonderfully. =)

After a much needed and well-deserved rest (my feets were ouchoachoochin'!), we rose out of bed and got ourselves ready for our breakfast 9:15 reservation at Coronado Springs' Maya Grill. Originally we were trying to replace this ADR with Cat Cora's Kouzzina. Unfortunately (and by unfortunate. I do mean extremely), after trying several times each day prior to our trip to book something with them, we ended up with Maya Grill. Oh well, we figured it was no biggie, we'd roll with it.
We drove to Coronado Springs and I'll admit, it was nice-looking. The grounds are really pretty (at least, from what I saw in the pictures online) but the service left much to be desired. We checked in and the lady told us we had a bit of waiting to do. Finally we were taken to our table and our waitress shows up. Talk about rude, we were the only table in that area and she acted as if she was finishing a 12 hour shift with one table left. I asked her whether the deluxe plan allowed us to have starters (usually consists of a bowl of fresh fruit or pastries, etc.) and she looked at me like I should have known better and said no. Doug had the Traditional Breakfast that came with eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes and a biscuit. He was disappointed in the crazy amount of eggs that took over the dish. I don't blame him, it was pretty bad. I had the Steak and Huevos Rancheros (*GAG* the little piece of steak was fine, but the sauce was bitter and the rest was completely bland), We both had OJ and I believe Doug might've had a cup of coffee as well. It was kinda funny seeing our waitress run around like a chicken with its head chopped off. Silly woman! After breakfast (if that's even what you'd like to call it =p) we left and caught a glimpse of some of the other resorts along the way. We were definitely proud to be staying at the Polynesian. I'll leave it at that!
Today was our relax-and-do-everything-in-a-leisurely-type-of-way day. We stopped by Captain Cook's and got yet another one of the yummy Dole Whips, and toured some of the grounds. (I took some video of it and will post it later!) It was SO cold, I remember my nose was dripping like a faucet, haha. It was nearing time for our 1 o'clock lunch reservation at T-Rex Cafe! Our hopes were high that we'd get something way better than the mess we had at Maya Grill (yuck!). We took the rental on over to DTD and parked (after waiting for what must've been 10 minutes for this chick to pull out =p) and went to check in for munchin' time. We were taken to a table seated right next to a huge triceratops animatronic. We kept petting it, haha. Our waitress, Lidia, who was very attentive and a huge upgrade compared to whatserface at Maya Grill. She took down our drink orders, and told us to feel free to walk around and take pictures so we did. This place was amazing! Doug was crazy about it, he loves dinosaurs. =) We SO have to get a table in the ice cave next time. We finished making our rounds and made it back to our table just in time to see Lidia bringing back our drinks. Doug had a 21 oz. Lava Flow (Pina Colada with strawberry puree all throughout) and I had the Cosmo Paleo Tini. She said mine came with a bit of a demonstrations. It was a martini glass with a big puff of pink cotton candy set inside. She held a martini shaker holding hot pink contents, so I knew I was going to love it. We sipped our own and then eachother's and they were both SO good.
For our meal we ordered the Supersaurus sampler which consisted of Spinach and pepper jack queso with tortilla chips, Brachiosaurus Bruschetta, T-Rexadillas, and onion rings. Then we added a side of ribs for 4.99. Talk about good... and filling! The display was awesome:











The meal was absolutely delicious, but it wasn't over yet! We still had dessert left. We ordered the Meteor Bites; warm chocolate and vanilla donut holes with powdered sugar, served with caramel and chocolate sauces. I couldn't imagine a more perfect dessert to top off our meal. It warmed us right up!



We ventured over into the gift shop and Doug was able to find a Raptor (can ya believe we could find one here but not the shop of the JP river adventure?) and I found a funny Thesaurus tee. We got back to the car after calling my bank to reassure ourselves that we still had the money to finish off the trip (we did, of course, but we'd find that out later). We were being a bit naughty and I was feeling extremely horny so we decided to get back to our room ASAP for some midday lovins.
We made it back and lemme tell ya, I was in a rush and my babe was noticing it. As soon as we closed the door I was taking off my jeans and crawling into bed. The sex was incredible, as always. And then we fell asleep together for a while. We didn't have anywhere special to be until later that night so we took full advantage.
The nap was amazing, we woke feeling refreshed and ready to go out on another little stroll. We went out to the beach and walked around on the sand. I love the way that felt. The sun was shining down on us but the sand was nice and cool between my toes. Though we've never stayed in any of the other longhouses, I'll forever prefer Tahiti on account of it's calmness and quietness. I loved being able to take the more 'scenic route' to the great ceremonial house, even if it is a few minutes longer of a walk, it was never too long.
We walked to one of the swings and sat down to watch the water, there was a family off to our far left taking pictures, but other than that it was just the two of us. We saw one of the hammocks was vacant so we walked over and crawled right in together, we totally dozed for a few minutes more right there under the sun! I could've stayed there the rest of the day and enjoyed myself. =p
We had some gifts to wrap and a bit more time to waste, so once we got back inside, I took Doug's gifts, the tape, scissors, bows and Christmas wrapping paper and locked myself into the bathroom. He kept knocking wanting in but I knew what he was up to. =p
I got them all wrapped and brought them out to set underneath the tree and noticed that one of the mousekeepers tucked a white towel underneath so it would look like snow (such a cute idea!). It was Doug's turn to wrap mine, I offered to help, but *sigh* he just wasn't having it.





Once Doug finished wrapping his last gift, it was opening time! We rushed over to the tree and took turns opening gifts:









Doug's gifts: a couple of tees from AE (he opened these early =p), Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of Madmen on blu-ray, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood on x box 360, Inception on blu-ray and Epic Mickey on Wii (which I completely forgot about wrapping until we were getting ready to leave!)!

My gifts: Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Wii, Comfy PJ pants (opened early!), Linkin Park - Waiting For the End, Puscifer - V is For Vagina, a fabulous Fairy mini wand massager, and Blood into Wine feat. Maynard of Tool!

t was getting around time for us to start thinking about our dinner reservation for Wilderness lodge's Artist Point. I grabbed Puscifer's V is for Vagina and we were off. We were pretty stoked for this place, we'd heard lots of really terrific things! I remember while we were walking to the restaurant Doug told me he liked the way my hips moved when I walked. *blush*
We checked in and were brought to a table near the window. Our waitress, Katie came over to introduce herself and took our drinks down. Doug had this really gnarly Sapphire martini. I don't know how he sipped it the way he did, I barely touched my tongue to the liquid and it just about knocked me over! I had a drink called a Raspberry rapids that was absolutely delicious! She brought us plenty of bread with sea salted butter while we waited for our apps.
Doug ordered the Smoky Portobello Soup... Oh my gosh this soup was to die for! Our waitress gave us the recipe for it (posted below) and I had the Pork risotto which was really great as well. There was a little accident right behind us, a few glasses were dropped but no one was hurt, phew!
We got our main entrees in, both were feelin' for the Grilled Buffalo Striploin with brown rice spring roll, house-made Kimchi, and Blackberry Gastrique. And finally, last but surely not least, we picked our desserts! Doug went with the Artist Point Cobbler served with Seasonal berries and housemade ice cream and I saw a chocolate cake that sounded yummy. Unfortunately I was too full to taste much, but everything was really great, it's place we'd love to come back to for sure. ...Katie even quoted Bond at one point!
I was worried the martini had been too strong, Doug and I were teasing one another about being too tipsy, but the truth was we were both really fine and more than okay to drive back safely. =)









We could see fireworks as we were walking back to the car, so pretty! Another great meal to end another wonderful night together. =)

It was the day before our departure and I could definitely feel sadness setting in. I was also feeling a bit yucky here and there through-out the trip but not enough to stop me in my tracks. Just a tickle in my throat here and a slightly runny nose there. Today it was a bit of both and a tad bit worse. I felt like my throat needed to constantly be soothed by something warm or really cold. We didn't have to be up at any specific time for a breakfast reservation, the plan was to grab counter service!
We dressed in our warmest and headed for the ticket and transportation center. I was so excited to ride the boat! We took some video that can be seen right here. The beach looked great from the water, but that castle moving in closer by the minute was getting more and more beautiful. =)
We touched land and found our way through the gates to the gorgeousness that is Main Street. This place, I swear it, is straight out of a storybook! Everything looks so beautiful and crisp, the colors are bright and happy and the landscaping is perfectly manicured to a tee. We looked around in a few of the shops and stopped in the bakery to get breakfast. My love ordered a breakfast sandwich with an iced espresso and I had one of their jumbo (and I mean JUMBO, people!) cinnamon rolls with a milk. It was warm, ooey and gooey, sweet and cinnamon-ey and the center of this delicious monstrosity was pure heaven. Let's have an adoring moment of silence for this precious baked good while I show some pictures...







We did Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor first, and it was a major highlight for me! There was even a little girl in the audience who looked exactly like Boo! The second we walked out I wanted to run back inside to catch another show. =p Next up was Stitch's Great Escape. I heard really bad reviews about the smells and stuff, but I never smelled anything, haha. My complaint was the expectation of a *ride* and it not being that at all, I think. It was cute, Stitch is adorable in all of his mischievousness, but I needed a little teensy bit more. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.... We can skip this one...
..OKAY OKAY. So, I let Doug beat me by like 10 points...
..OKAY OKAY. He beat me real bad, y'all. =\ It's so not my fault though, I couldn't even tell which laser was mine! Hmph... Personally, I think he rigged it while I was sleeping the night before. I believe it was major paybackf at its best for Toy Story Midway Mania. =p
Space Mountain was a blast. Gave me a bit of a whiplash but it was for sure thrilling and gave me just the right amount of tickle in my tummy to give it a thumbs up. Especially with the darkness and the lights resembling stars. I liked it a lot!
Doug had heard on the WDW Radio Show podcast, Lou speak highly about the People Mover. He said he'd never really even noticed it before and was really interested, so it was a must! He absolutely loved it, as did I. Very nice and relaxing, and gives you a bit of perspective from the inside of some of the rides (Space Mountain, Space Ranger Spin).
I gotta admit, I didn't think Carousel Of Progress would interest me much but I loved it! Seeing the changes in the settings, everything from the progressions of the oven to the sweaters the animatronics wore, it was totally charming and I really enjoyed it!



It was nearing lunch time and we we're thinkin' about Casey's. We backtracked a bit and I went off to find us a spot to eat while Doug got us some grub. Two hot dogs, two fries, two small bags of cracker jacks and a couple of waters. As simple as it sounds, it tasted great and the cool water was heaven on my throat. We were able to catch a bit of some behind the scenes stuff from one of the stage shows going on. ..I had to try very hard not to feed the big ol birds begging for food nearby. They would've probably taken one of my fingers with them anyway so I'm thinkin' I played it smart by keeping my hands to myself, haha. =) Snow White's Scary Adventures was up next. Snow White isn't up there with my favorite Disney fairytales, but I'd heard how much this ride was love and I could understand why. It was so animated, and captured the story perfectly. Kinda made me want to watch the animated film again. ..Hmm, that will be my homework before our next trip. It's a shame it won't be there this year. Doug told me it was going to be replaced with a mine cart ride and a meet and greet.
The clouds were rolling up and things were getting dark and gloomy, the wind began blowing like crazy and then it started. Rain! We stopped in one of the shops to buy a couple of panchos... I felt like a walking garbage bag! I know I looked hilarious, but it was a necessity. Any chances of looking cute at that point flew out the window, haha. =p
We got in line for the Mad Tea Party teacups and we spinned like MAD. It reminded me of a Tilt-o-Whirl, only way more colorful. I can't wait to get back and give it another go, because by then my throat was really starting to become a bother. I shrugged it off because we still had a bear named Pooh to see! I felt like a kid again going through the queue of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. They had Eeyore's hut, the kids were going bananas over the carrots and radishes that acted as drums and horns once you beat on them. My favorite though had to be the honey screens. You run your fingers along the screen and the honey clears way. I know, sounds silly but seriously, you gotta try it! =D The ride itself was so unbelievably cute, it was well worth the wait.



Afterwards we got a funnel cake and some much needed hot chocolate that felt like sex on my scratchy throat. There weren't any vacant tables so we stood by the exit of the Hall of Presidents and snacked on our cake while I sipped my cocoa. I don't think I've ever had a cup of hot chocolate as good as that.
We finished up and went inside the HOP, we took a few pics of the showcased items and relaxed a bit while waiting for the doors to open for us. Once they did we went inside and sat down together. The show was pretty much what I expected it to be. I respected it for what it was but I enjoyed being able to rest my eyes a bit as the show went on. I felt like such a downer afterwards though, because once I let Doug know how I was feeling he thought it was time we'd better get outta there. We had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that night but the chances of us making it were super slim. =\



We drove back to our room and rested up a bit before our early dinner ressie at the incredibly popular and much loved Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot's World Showcase!
We took the monorail to Epcot, and it was almost a sense of pride. We got to Le Cellier and there were people trying to take a chance at getting in without an ADR and failing. It was funny, at one point I said, 'I kinda feel bad for them' and Doug goes, 'I don't!' haha. We checked in and had a bit of waiting time, but one of the waiters kept us company. He was nice! We were taken to our table and our waiter introduced himself as Jared. I hear the people here in Canada talk a lot and they're not kiddin'! It wasn't so much as in a bad way though, he was pretty funny.
We ordered our drinks, both had iced teas. And then came the breadsticks... Whooaaaa mama, the pretzel bread is every bit of greatness and more that they say it is. Jared came back and wrote down our apps, Doug and I shared a big bowl of the Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup, it was outstanding, amazing, delicious and stupendous all rolled up into one. It's salty, warm and creamy, the pretzel bread bread dipped into this stuff I truly believe could cure cancer, people.
Our waiter was always quick to bring us more breadsticks, and I was very grateful for that. I believe each one holds a special magic within, like a wand or something. Ollivander shmollivander. Hmph. We both also had the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon. Oh my goodness gravy, this was fabuloussss. The steak was served over the creamiest mushroom risotto in the world. The filet mignon was tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. I was getting so full, but I didn't want to stop. I wanted dessert! Jared came around and did the funniest thing for us. He took a full order of pretzel bread and put it within an aluminum foil "purse"! We cracked up. I think that was our 4th refill of the pretzel bread, so looking back at it it was completely necessary. We had ordered a side of roasted mushrooms and they were delicious. They were brought out late so we got them free of charge. They were hot and sizzling!
For dessert, Doug chose the Seasonal Sorbet which he said was really tasty, and I picked the Blueberry cobbler, which I had a few bites of but could no longer eat anymore. After that you could've stuck a fork in me 'cause I was done.
We left proudly rubbing at our food babies and talking of the deliciousness that was Le Cellier. We can't wait to go back!

We took the monorail back to our resort and we stopped inside one of the shops to get some Nyquil for my yuckies and then we went straight to our room. Doug had me get comfy and crawl into bed. He called his mom and she told him to give me ibuprofen with my cold medicine so he did. He was the greatest doctor ever. I had a pretty high fever, I know this because when I woke a while later, my whole side of the bed and t-shirt was soaked with sweat. He had gone down while I was snoozing and gotten me some orange juice and a cold bottle of water and woken me periodically to make sure I was getting enough liquids in me. He took the most amazing care of me ever.
He had packed everything up for us so I wouldn't have to worry about it the next morning. How amazing of a catch is he?
Yup, I know. I'm the luckiest girl alive. =)

I was feeling great compared to the night before, thanks to my sweetheart taking care of me all night. My fever was down, my nose wasn't sniffly and my throat was feeling much better! I was so relieved to see that everything had been packed up, he even laid out something comfortable for me to wear for the day. Yes ladies, be jealous.
I took a hot shower and that felt amazing, we dressed and I felt like hitting up MK again to do some of the things we'd missed out on the day before. We got all of our luggage to the rental and packed it up tight and headed for the Contemporary to get some breakfast. That's right folks, our very last reservation was going to take place at Chef Mickey's! You know what that meanssss... CHARACTERS!
We waited in the ADR line for our beeper and went over to have pictures taken together:



There was a family of 4 behind us, a man, his wife, their little girl and little boy. The kids were acting out bigtime. We couldn't believe it when the man turned to his little girl and told her to 'enhance your calm' ...Really? I mean, she couldn't have been more than like 4 or 5. Now it's become a sort of inside thing for us. Everytime we're being silly or a smart butt we tell one another to 'enhance your calm,' haha. So we sat down on the couch and waited a while in complete comfort for our beeper to sound off. After about 10 minutes or so it was time! We went up to the podium and turned our beeper in and were taken to a table and told to basically have at it. We definitely did! We piled on everything from cheesy potatoes to pancakes and mickey waffles, biscuits and scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, veggie casserole and breakfast pizza. Not to mention all the cinnamon rolls and jams to pair up with toast and other pastries. Everything was really great, but the major fun was just ahead... First came the very mouse himself, Mickey!





The wondeful Goofy:



Adorable Mr. Pluto:



Cute-as-a-button Minnie:



and last but surely not least, (one of my top faves for sure now, thanks to Philhar Magic!) Donald Duck!



I love how he kept giving everyone kisses, sounding them out all high-pitched and squeaky, haha.
A lady came by and gave us our purchased Photopass pics from earlier. We paid 30.00 for 1-6x8 photo and 2-4x6 photos and 4 wallet size photos. Included in our folder were also a few recipes and photos of the characters themselves. most definitely worth the money!
I can't believe how chilly the wind was when we left! We loaded back up in the rental and made a quick pitstop at DTD to pick up our ornament which turned out absolutely perfect!



And then finally, last stop before the airport: Magic Kingdom. We decided on the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was pretty fun, the birds of Disney aren't usually something I think about when I think of major characters. They're almost kind of like the underdogs when it comes to popularity so it was nice seeing a show completely devoted to them. =)
Charm of the day though, most definitely belongs to Country Bear Jamboree, oh man it was a blast! They cracked me up with their hillbilly accents and banjos. The girly bear on the swing was by far my favorite though. =p
Next up was the bestest ride in the world: Haunted Mansion (yes, people. Again.. it's that good). What more is there to say about HM? It's spooky, it's haunting, it's full of surprises and if I could only ride one ride at the World, this would be it!
We had to swing by Pirates of the Caribbean again so my babe could get another ride in before we left. I LOVE the dude sitting on the bridge with the hairy leg, haha. And my favorite is the women chasing the men around with brooms. I laugh every time. =p
We got ourselves a couple of Dole Whips (sadly, our very last for this vacation) from Aloha Isle and sat for a bit to watch the last bits of the Dream Along with Mickey stage show going on behind us. It turned out to be such a sunny and beautiful day, especially after that crazy wind died down! A very nice change from all the rain and brrrr.




We said our goodbyes and see ya real soon's and took off in our rental to the Orlando International airport, we dropped it off with not a single scratch or bit of damage (phew, it's a good thing 'cause we didn't cover it with insurance). We found our gate and comfied out. We had a good while of waiting to do, but Doug took care of me once I started feeling gross again. He bought me a nice cold water and we called our parents to let them know that we'd soon be on our way back. We had an easy flight home other than my silly nose constantly running and the highschool wrestling team traveling with us. They delayed our trip a bit, but once we arrived in Dallas I felt relieved that the flying part was all over and finished with. Thank goodness it was a nonstop flight!
We found our baggage in the baggage claim and went out into the cold to find my car. Had a bit of trouble at first but with Doug's memory being way better than mine, we found it soon enough. I felt like hugging her (yes, the car) as soon as I saw her smooth bright red surface. She's small, yes the driver's window won't work and the tinting on the back windshield is peeling off. But she's mine, and I love her.
We loaded her up and began our small journey of figuring out where to pay for parking. We stopped to ask, the 200 or so on our minds that we knew we were going to have to shell out, but he gave us a little pamphlet and told us we basically only had to pay chump change (10.00) and gave us a kind "Merry Christmas!" ..Talk about luck, huh? We were very happy driving out of Dallas with a bit of money leftover.
Halfway home we got hungry and stopped at a Denny's. It was so empty! We both had iced teas, Doug ordered a chicken strip dinner with seasoned fries, mashed potatoes and gravy and I believe it came with toast. I had a Mushroom Swiss burger with a side of seasoned fries. It was really good, we were pretty hungry! We filled up and set out for the last half of our drive home. I kept dozing, but tried to keep awake for the sake of Doug not getting too bored. I had to of been the most boring company! The coolest thing happened though once we got to Tyler. We found Coast to Coast on the radio! I've never been able to find them anywhere other than online and in file form, so that was very cool.
We arrived after midnight and were extremely exhausted, we said our hellos and I miss yous to my little sister and got into bed to catch our Z's.

I had the most amazing time of my life with Doug. No matter what we do together, whether it's getting Peppermint Mocha fraps and walking hand in hand in the park, or spending nearly 2 weeks in Florida with Mickey and all of his friends, it makes me so excited knowing that this is the man I'm going to marry, and that there's so many more adventures ahead. =)