A Very Lurkyloo Christmas is FINISHED! New 3/16: Last Day of the Trip!

[PopArtGal]

I love the Christmas village at the GF! I'm a Christmas village nut! hehe

Yep.. when you stay at the Contemporary..and eat at the Contempo..birds are included lol

 

[PopArtGal]

I know what you mean about the Nemo show. The first time I went..I kinda stumbled on the guy screaming last call. So I got in and the show started. And I really liked it. This summer, I brought my dad to see it. And the when it first started he was like: what did you get me into. And after a while, he was really into it too.

 

[Aburns8]

How come my parade pictures don't look like that? Bow I need some lessons.

It looked like you had a great time. I remember you telling about your dad, I hope when you were writing this update you had some fond memories in your mind.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Oh man I feel bad for that guy…

Can you imagine?!? I would never tell my friends, family, or anyone I have ever come in any kind of contact with in my entire life, what I did for a living if I was him! I love the safety strap though . Heaven forbid, don't wave too enthusiastically that you fall the 2 ft. off of the giant plastic horse!

What a difficult thing to go through at WDW with your Dad!! Thank God Jensey was with you and thank you for sharing. I love the picture of your wedding day in your signature with your Dad. It's so sweet.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Carrie, I loved all the Root MVMCP pictures, they are gorgeous!! I showed them to Bill and told him I wanted to try to see the parade from Jensey's spot, it looks like a great one.

Jensey took some great shots of your BLT room, it was great that she got to spend the night with you especially after the phone call you received. I had the pleasure to run into her and Nate this past December at Epcot, and she just radiates light and warmness. Thank goodness she was there for you.

I remembered that your Dad has passed away during this trip but reading it made my heart break for you all over again . I don't think you ever really get over losing a parent you just learn to deal with it.

Thanks for sharing your report with us.

 

[PopArtGal]

The tomorowland terrace was our fave fireworks spot before it became the dessert party location.

 

[PopArtGal]

The "real hoot" costumes... well... they got me wondering... humm.. not Disney like lol

 

[PopArtGal]

I am so glad she was there with you when you got the news. I can't believe it happened so fast. All my love goes out to you.

 

[beatlesblonde]

Great update Carrie! I admire your bravery for posting about your dad, I agree with one of the previous posters who said it much have been fate that Jensey was there with you.

 

[MEK]

Carrie - It must still be very difficult to talk about your dad and how painful that evening must of been. Jensey was a god-send. Imagine if you had been alone. I am so sorry your vacation ended the way it did.


Now - as far as those pictures....OOOHHHHH......AAHHHHHHHH! Best...Parade.....Pictures.......EVER!

I am amazed as the depth of field the Roots get in their photos. I mean, I know they are professionals and all, but HOW THE HECK DO THEY DO THAT????

And you are right....most of those costumes definitely fall into the category of "What not to wear".

Thanks for the fun and poignant update.

 

[bambi0921]

I've been reading this TR all along, but don't think I've posted yet. Just wanted to say I'm so sorry for your loss and that I too think it was fate that Jensey was there. She sounds like an amazing person and so do you. Thanks for the wonderful TR.

 

[lurkyloo]

Okay...soooo not a good idea to read the last part of your update while incredibly emotionally and on the verge of tears. Especially since my dad has also passed away (3 years ago) and I have lots of unresolved issues and guilt about it and our relationship. But I can't think how lucky you were to have Jensey there with you! What if it had been the night before when you were alone? What a great friend! Again, my sympathies on the passing of your dad

So sorry to hear about your dad!

Enough of that, beautiful pictures as always from the Roots - looks like you girls had a great time at the party! How is it that they always seem to pose for your cameras, yet I always get the back of their heads? Or mid-wave with a hand in front of their face?

Sad this report is coming to an end, but happy that means you will be working on your other TR? Right?

You bet! I just have to figure out where to squeeze in our anniversary trip report and the one for the trip I'm going on, uh, today!

Bittersweet update!
I love the Christmas parade & man did the Roots pictures capture the beauty & fun of that parade. Also that Wendy looks like Amy Adams.
Love, love, love the artwork in the rooms at BLT.

I remember this hard time. Still so sorry for your loss but so glad that Jensey was there for you especially since Patrick was gone. What a wonderful friend!

Thanks for the hug! Jensey is definitely a very special lady!

Awesome parade pictures, I wish I had an ounce of creativity the roots have when taking photos. I have the creativity after I take the photos and are scrapbooking them but not while taking the photos.

This was such a bittersweet end for this day, I can't even imagine how you were feeling or what was going through your mind. I'm glad Jensey was able to help you through that very difficult time. Now your Dis peeps will always be here for you

Thank you so much! And I have to say, I wish I had your creativity with the scrapbooking. I'd love to have a more tangible memento of each trip that a trip report on the Internets!

I don't post too often, but wanted to drop in to give you a . Your trip reports are my absolute favorites because you are such a wonderful writer, very very funny (I laugh) and very very real and honest (I cry). And I wanted to thank you so very much for sharing.

Raising a glass of Dr. Pepper to your dad's memory!

That is so sweet! Thank you for that.

I'm so sorry for your loss, I can not imagine what you went through. I'm glad you have been able to find a great support group and friends in the Roots, it is almost like it was meant to happen. The world works in mysterious ways. I would have hated to been alone at the time, I'm glad she was there for you

By the way, the pictures of the windows are AMAZING! Gotta love Scrooge hanging on for dear life, the one poking his head out looks real!

I love those too! The detail is incredible! And thank you for your kind condolences.

I am so so sorry for your loss. It's good you had been able to speak with your dad on the phone earlier that day. How fortunate that Jensey was there with you when you recieved the news.

Thank you.

Beautiful and magical photos as usual! The paper snow is pretty decieving in the photos (well, except for the one flake in your hand ), I would have believed it was snowing there!

It's like the firefly effect at the Blue Bayou—simple and ingenious!

How come my parade pictures don't look like that? Bow I need some lessons.

It looked like you had a great time. I remember you telling about your dad, I hope when you were writing this update you had some fond memories in your mind.

You know, I did! Also, my parade pix don't look like that either. I think the Roots have a secret supply of pixie dust....

Can you imagine?!? I would never tell my friends, family, or anyone I have ever come in any kind of contact with in my entire life, what I did for a living if I was him! I love the safety strap though . Heaven forbid, don't wave too enthusiastically that you fall the 2 ft. off of the giant plastic horse!

Thanks for a great laugh!

What a difficult thing to go through at WDW with your Dad!! Thank God Jensey was with you and thank you for sharing. I love the picture of your wedding day in your signature with your Dad. It's so sweet.

I was just thinking that—how glad I am he was able to come to the wedding, and that I get to look at that picture every day!

Carrie, I loved all the Root MVMCP pictures, they are gorgeous!! I showed them to Bill and told him I wanted to try to see the parade from Jensey's spot, it looks like a great one.

Jensey took some great shots of your BLT room, it was great that she got to spend the night with you especially after the phone call you received. I had the pleasure to run into her and Nate this past December at Epcot, and she just radiates light and warmness. Thank goodness she was there for you.

I remembered that your Dad has passed away during this trip but reading it made my heart break for you all over again . I don't think you ever really get over losing a parent you just learn to deal with it.

Thank you for that. I think you're right. I'm definitely dealing with it better now, but every once in a while—whammo! It just hits me like a ton of bricks.

I am so glad she was there with you when you got the news. I can't believe it happened so fast. All my love goes out to you.

Thank you so much!

Great update Carrie! I admire your bravery for posting about your dad, I agree with one of the previous posters who said it much have been fate that Jensey was there with you.

Aw, thanks! I really felt like Jensey was an angel sent just for me that night!

Carrie - It must still be very difficult to talk about your dad and how painful that evening must of been. Jensey was a god-send. Imagine if you had been alone. I am so sorry your vacation ended the way it did.

Thank you. It was definitely the worst Disney vacation ending ever, but I am glad I have some happy memories of WDW with my dad to focus on now.

Now - as far as those pictures....OOOHHHHH......AAHHHHHHHH! Best...Parade.....Pictures.......EVER!

I am amazed as the depth of field the Roots get in their photos. I mean, I know they are professionals and all, but HOW THE HECK DO THEY DO THAT????

This is exactly what I'm thinking as I go through their photos to post them. I mean, I don't even like parades, and they made me like this one!

I've been reading this TR all along, but don't think I've posted yet. Just wanted to say I'm so sorry for your loss and that I too think it was fate that Jensey was there. She sounds like an amazing person and so do you. Thanks for the wonderful TR.

Thank you for the kind words, and for reading!

 

[lurkyloo]

When I woke up that morning, I knew I had a lot of phone calls to make before I caught the plane home. However, it was too early for anyplace in California to be open yet, so Jensey and I went downstairs to The Wave and met Nate for breakfast.

I asked Nate to take a picture of the place for me with my camera…


Much better!

Then I took my camera back and, well, THIS happened…

Breakfast was OK—not spectacular but at least they had slightly more interesting choices than the usual Disney breakfast.


Ham & Cheese Omelet with Breakfast Potatoes and a Biscuit

Breakfast potatoes: The Lazy Man's Hashbrowns


MultiGrain French Toast with Fruit Compote and Choice of Bacon, Pork Sausage or Chicken Sausage

It's healthy cuz it's got multigrains in it!


Eggs Benedict with Key Lime Hollandaise

Not shown: the soup bowl full of extra hollandaise I requested…


After breakfast, Nathensey left on their Christmas road trip to South Florida, while I checked out and then set up camp at my favorite conversational grouping of furniture in the Contemporary's convention center and started making phone calls.

Conversational grouping not pictured

Here, I'll use an old picture—pretend that guy is me!

After I'd tracked down and called all the people I needed to and made a ton of decisions on the fly over the phone, I didn't really know what to do with myself until my flight that night. I felt guilty about running around a theme park at a time like that. On the other hand, it was nice to be in such a happy place that held such fond memories for me. I finally decided maybe I could ride the train around the Magic Kingdom for a while.

On my way over there, I took a few more shots of those cute Small World character cookies and, again, inexplicably, the Contemporary's convenience store. Maybe cuz it had been redone to accommodate DVC clientele?

Um, this is what the inside of a monorail looks like…. Boy, I must really have been out of it!

I love this scene on Big Thunder Mountain

 

[lurkyloo]

Real live swamp!

Looks like I ended up at the candy shop on Main Street—didn't see that one comin'!

Ginormous Mickey Crispies

Ooooh! Tongue-dye cupcakes!

They were stockpiling glass slippers over at Glass 'n' Things 'n' Stuff, or whatever it's called…

As you can tell, at that point I was just sorta wandering around randomly pushing the button on my camera, not sure what to do next. I thought I didn't want to go to Downtown Disney because it's the sad place you go on your last day when you don't have any days left on your park pass. But the receipt for one of my purchases came with a 35% off coupon that could only be redeemed at Downtown Disney and the resorts, so I took it as a sign I should buzz over there and have a Ghirardelli sundae for lunch.


On the way, I finally figured out where the Car Care Center is!

Somebody else's lunch

My lunch

This coupon was burning a hole in my pocket, but it required a minimum purchase of $50, so I wandered all over looking for something, anything to spend $50 on. (I know I'm a sucker.)

 

[lurkyloo]

A-ha! Now HERE's a place I could drop fifty bucks, easy!

I could only drop $50 in here if they actually had park concept art, and not just "character jamboree" lithographs and figurines

Oh wait—that's cool!

And THAT's cool!

And that's SO cool I later got it for Patrick with a D23 discount!

That is so NOT cool… I found the same piece for about a third of the price on SandersArtStudio.com

From there it was back to Goofy's Candy Co.!

"I want it ALL, please!"

Had to get a peppermint one this time!

Mmmmm… pink….

I promise I didn't spend the 50 bucks on candy. Instead I went back to Tren-D and got Patrick a copy of The Art of Princess & the Frog for Christmas.

This was not on the way...

They must have been having trouble with spontaneous, unauthorized performances here. Dang that American Idol….

So empty… almost makes you miss the pin sharks!

Clever Christmas decorations!

 

[lurkyloo]

I'd planned to finally try Earl of Sandwich by picking up something to eat as dinner on the plane, but the line was way too long for my compressed schedule. My time ran out and I struck out for the then-off-site Hertz place to return my car and catch my flight. Yes, there are pictures of that too…

And you always have to get a shot of the last ride of the trip…

When I got to LAX, Patrick surprised me at the baggage claim! Nobody meets you in the actual terminal anymore—what a treat! And when we got home, he surprised me again with TWO completely decorated Christmas trees. AWWWwwwwwwwww!

And thus ends A Very Lurky Christmas: Holiday at Bay Lake Tower… of TERROR!!! Now get thee to Trick or Tweet! The Lurkyloos Do Food & Wine, Harry Potter, D23 & MNSSHP @ WDW & DL! (also available ad-free on my blog!) which I will resume just as soon as I get back from ANOTHER jaunt I'm gonna have to add to the trip report queue (the Disney Weddings "Platinum Soiree" press junket/Social Media Moms Conference combo trip)…. Right behind our anniversary…. And before Destination D… and D23 Expo 2011… man, I have my work cut out for me this year!

 

[Aburns8]

Looking forward to all of your upcoming trip report! I am being bad and not working that hard on mine.

I loved your sundae for lunch, that is my kind of lunch. And now I have to go eat my breakfast after looking at all of those wonderful pictures of food!

 

[PopArtGal]

Great trip report as always Carrie!

Once again, my condoleances for your dad. I know virtual hugs are not really great..but for now it's the best I can do

OT: Is the Art of Princess and the Frog worth it? I love those books...and well I am obsessed with that movie hehe

Awwwww.... your TR makes me want to go for Christmas again. By far the best WDW trip I ever had. It was so special.

 

[Beka]

for the loss of your dad. I cant imagine that it ever gets easier. I'm just glad he was closer to you in his last months.

I your tinsel table-top tree! LOVE IT! As much as I love live trees (and the needles, and the watering, and the allergies) I wish they came in all white.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Great trip report as usual!! Thanks SO SO much for sharing.

Now, on to the next one!