Disney Tips and Kathy Trips

So back in the day I worked at Disney and, at a bus stop, I met one of my now great friends - Kathy.

she needed a belated golden birthday/welcome cake

She visited from Illinois and this year we got to go back to our old stomping grounds. & the hubs got to join us :)

If you've never been to The Polynesian Resort's Kona Cafe - GO!

Not pictured is the incredible Hawaiian bread and whipped honey, macadamia butter. We definitely had more than one loaf.  Below is the best sushi - ever. You'll be tempted to order a different roll but trust us when we say to order their Crab Rangoon Roll.

  

We started the parks with Animal Kingdom. Their best shows, in my opinion: Birds of Wonder, Finding Nemo the Musical, The Lion King.

The Lion King

Jalapeno Cheese Pretzel -- yessss please.
I think only Animal Kingdom has these.

Next was Magic Kingdom -

Magic Kingdom MUSTS:

- A pineapple dole whip float. I made the mistake of getting just the dole whip (left) when for a dollar more I could have twice the whip...in pineapple juice! 



 

- Philharmagic (although the doc doesn't understand my obsession)
- Story time with Belle (try to figure the mirror out and if you do, tell meeeeee - please)
- The new Little Mermaid ride (if you're a fan otherwise you might be bored - it's one of those clam shell rides where you sit and watch)
- Wishes fireworks PRE-SHOW

I feel like I never noticed how pretty the back of Cinderella's castle is

The best part of the Magic Kingdom fireworks is the pre-show. I didn't take any pictures this time because for once I was trying to just enjoy it and fought the urge to capture it...but it is incredible. The castle becomes like a screen and a mixture of classic and modern Disney things play across it. The fireworks aren't so bad either:



Day two went Hollywood Studios - Epcot - Hollywood Studios -

sometimes their photographers will cut your feet off

probably his favorite ride 

We needed breakfast so out of desperation to avoid hanger we went to the little pastry cart right outside the Tower of Terror gift shop - it was actually delicious! We got this humongous donut and a perfect bear claw. I think I'm craving another bear claw right now.



There was one thing we HAD to do at EPCOT....ride Soarin' ...ok, and EAT.

We were attempting to recreate the photo below at Epcot from when we were dating...clearly the doc did a better job

After the wait at Soarin' we were ready for lunch. Since the doc and I have been on the hunt for pizza as good as what we had in San Francisco (here), we opted to eat "in Italy" at Via Napoli - success! It's the closest to San Francisco's Delfina pizza we've found.

Kathy, being from Chicago, preferred more cheese and "stuff"

The doc and I were VERY impressed. Except that it was $28.

I wasn't sure about putting it on my head considering all the other heads it's probably been on..

After lunch we headed back to Hollywood Studios and ended up running into an old friend who had extra tickets to the Frozen Sing Along -- it was so fun! It was funny for kids and adults - highly recommended.

HS has a lot to offer -- Toy Story is great if it's your first time or if you have kids. For us, the have to things at Hollywood Studios are Tower of Terror, Fantasmic show, and now pastries from that little cart. Other things I enjoy are the Beauty and the Beast play (although it tends to be hit or miss with the performers), Rockin' Roller coaster (though it can cause a headache), and something I haven't tried but seems neat is the Animation Academy drawing class.

Our "sad that Disney time is over" faces

More Disney Tips: 

- never buy water; if you go to any cart with a soda fountain, they'll have free ice water

- the Canada restaurant in Epcot is delicious..you just need reservations pretty far in advance

- you can take in your own food/snacks

- the bus system is the way to go...

- you can get a fast pass for Fantasmic and that way you don't have to stand in line an hour (or two) ahead of time!

- make sure you know when parades start so you don't get stuck

- wear comfortable clothes and shoes

- have fun :) 

Framed Mirror Tutorial

I'm FINALLY posting a tutorial for a framed mirror, like the one the doc made me last Christmas

**before starting, measure your mirror and figure out what length of wood you'll need. You want to add a few inches to the length and width of your mirror!!! 

 

0. Buy or acquire a mirror. Our good friends re-did their kids bathroom and were getting rid of the huge wall mirror

 

1. Go to your local lumber store and pick up wood. We prefer the 2x6 because we like the thicker look. We also usually end up getting 3 pieces and cutting the third in half (remember to do this prior to step 4)

2. Admire your hunk of a husband looking like a carpenter 

3. Gather supplies: 

- wood

- 8 flat corner brackets (to save money we only got 4 of the bigger ones and 4 smaller ones.)

- wood screws

- mirror clamps (I call them clam shell clamps)

- small can of polyurethane

- paint brush

- small can of stain (we LOVE Rust-oleum's color "Kona")

- gloves

- rags

 

We were lucky to have nice friends let us use their garage and skill saw:

4. Draw 45 degree angles on both ends of each piece of wood - make sure the angles slant away from each other (example \_____/  not \______\  or /____/ ) (you should have the two tall sides and the shorter top and bottom - make sure your measurements match from long point to long point!)


 

5. Cut your 45 degree angles - make sure the angles fit together

6. Sand each piece of wood (optional but a good idea if you bought the cheap wood like we did)

7. Use an air compressor, hair blow drier, leaf blower - whatever you've got - to blow off all the sanded debris

 

8. Arrange your frame - & let a cute two year old make sure it looks alright 

 



9. Attach the bigger flat corner brackets to the outermost corners

10. Attach the smaller brackets near the inner corners of the frame

 

11. Yay - stand it up and make sure it feels semi-sturdy. Don't worry if it wobbles a little bit - when you attach the mirror it shouldn't wobble.

 

 

12. Put on your gloves and gather your rags (this is my favorite part). We use pieces of an old t-shirt to apply stain.

...optional second coat of stain

 

13. [Take a lunch break and let the stain dry.] Use a soft bristle paint brush to apply a coat (or two) of polyurethane

14. Several hours later, place your mirror on the back of the frame and attach using the "clam shell brackets"

 

Voila! Please excuse the crappy image quality - iPhone pics.

 The one the doc made me last Christmas is now in our guest room

End of June Through July

I intended on using my phone to remind of what the heck has happened last month but when I did the last update, my phone went into "restore mode" (or something)...aka I lost everything on there. I cried. Yes, I know it's silly. What I do remember about the end of June and July is that:

- Rick started residency!! (I'm SO sad I lost all but one pic from his first day and the video of him). 

We became fast friends with one of Rick's fellow interns and his family and we've been exploring the city with them.

- We went on the hunt for alligators at Payne's Prairie but only saw one.

- My good friend Stefanie came to town for the 4th of July and we had a fun weekend consisting of Netflix, ward pancake breakfast, local Farmers Market juice, and roadside watermelon (I spent $3 vs. the $7 they charge at the grocery store!) (the doc was working, surprise)

- I GOT A JOB! pretty much my dream job to be exact.

- the doc and I took a spontaneous trip to Typhoon Lagoon and swam with the sharkies

- Andrew and Sarah came to visit, we played dominoes like the good ol days and explored the city. I'm really sad about losing the picture of us at this little popsicle shop called The Hyppo. We also all shared the worst cupcake we've ever had in our lives. Bonding moments.

- We enjoyed lots of movie and ice cream nights with the Hydes!

 

- Cow appreciation day!

The only pictures that survived (because they weren't from my phone or were posted online):

my sweet friend Deina made this before we moved. I love it.

He knows the way to my heart...

orange scented mini pound cake

 

strawberry cheesecake

 

 

 I've been really terrible at keeping up the blog ever since my computer died on me...but I'm really going to try to keep up...and I will definitely be making up for the lack of photos in the next post. Also, reminder to myself, I'll be posting the framed mirror tutorial soon...hopefully this weekend. :)