~~October 2016~~Sew, it was the greatest Stitch Experience ever!~~Final Update 3/19/2017!

[Terkina]

It's wise to take advantage of the nice weather and go for a power walk. Soon enough the weather force you to exercise inside.

It's wise of you to hold on to your $70 gift card until you find something you really want.

Pork ribs sounds delicious.

The shoes you found looks great. I can understand why you are super excited about them.


Today Ulf and I decided to take the car and do some geocaching on an island a 30 minutes drive from Tromsø. We don't have much daylight now a days so after lunch we got out of the door as soon as possible. The sun goes down at 2.16PM. It was nice weather outside no snow, but 28.4ºF. So we took a lot of clothes on and started on our trip. It's good to drive the car for a longer distance. It's easier to learn how much space the car needs on the road when driving a longer distance. We had a nice trip.

 

[Chicago Mo]

I love the pictures she really did an amazing job!

Love Epcot! Sorry you weren't that impressed with the new soarin yet i cannot wait to try it myself! LOL
Glad the pizza connoisseur approved! LOL we had met some people who knew Hegewisch. which freaked me out a little. No one knows how to say it let alone know where it is.

YOU are turning into the van hoarder!!! LOL! you go girl! they sure don't make your feet look fat

 

[missjackiemcg]

Ooooh, more new shoes!!!!! Oops--skipped to the end of things there, didn't I? But, I mean, c'mon!! Shoes are a priority They are totally cute! I'd really like to get a pair of the Toy Story ones, but haven't ventured to the Vans store yet. Maybe this weekend.

I was excited to read about Via Napoli. We'll be eating there on our trip, too, and I bet I'll be taking your menu advice. Both your appetizer and pizza choices sound AMAZING!!

I can't wait to experience the new Soarin' -- I bet I will be missing those orange groves, too. Is the soundtrack still the same? I really love that music.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I've read many of your trip reports and just found this one. At least you're still on day two so I'm not too far behind.

 

[branmuffin]

HI D! Just popping in to let you know I am here and catching up. Last week was super busy with Halloween, the Marine Corps Ball, Family pictures and dr appointments on top of all that. I'm loving the TR so far & I'll pop back in when I've caught up completely.

 

[branmuffin]

LOL, Ok- so I wasn't as far behind as I thought. I just wanted to comment that I am so happy for Allison going for her passion. Even if she does decide to go for a traditional degree later on- she will have a skill to support herself as she goes to school. Although, if she decides to stay in the beauty industry, I know she will do very well. There are several people here who do both salon & photography. They offer packages where they will do hair and make-up before a photography session. It's very lucrative on the base since many American women are nervous about having their hair cut by someone who speaks a different language. Anyway, your Epcot day looks amazing. It seems so relaxing to have just the 2 of you and being able to stop in here & there where you want to. I can't wait to read more!

 

[DMGeurts]

Cute shoes. They'll look good with your bag.
EPCOT is my favorite park. I could spend almost everyday there. I like the new Soar'n. I did jump when the whale came out of the water. V looks like she's having a great time. She's such a talented artist.
Our weather hasn't been as warm as yours. Wednesday it was warm enough for me to mow the front yard. The grass was getting to be higher than the lawn of the empty house next door.
We got our schedules for Thanksgiving and I got the early shift which is nice but I'll miss all the craziness later on. The good thing is I'll be able to shop able work if I want to. Although, I wish we were still closed until later on that day or all day long.
Today I'm hoping to start piecing my quilt unless I find something more interesting to do.
Have a good day.
Liz

Thanks! I am pretty excited about them!

Epcot isn't my favorite park - I love it, though I can't say it's my favorite... Besides MK - I think AK is my favorite! Epcot is V's favorite though - and I know she wishes we could have spent more time here.

It's still nice out - but not as warm as it was... Winter is coming - there's no doubt.

Target is holding our hours close to their chest - we still don't know anything... This is one thing I dislike about them - it's so hard to plan when they are so secretive... Just tell us - so we know how to plan this holiday with our families. The BF schedule is supposed to be out tomorrow - supposedly - hopefully it is.

I hope you had a great day and made progress on your quilting!

Same to you!

Love the cute, matching shoes! Now you have a reason to plan another Halloween trip (like anyone needs a reason!).

I know the trading post booth. I didn't know you could make your own bracelet--I'm guessing you pick out the beads? I first thought that she actually made the bracelet using the map! That's where I was confused.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I know - right? LOL I am hoping to go back next year - we really need to see how finances come together, as I still have V's airfare to Europe to pay for, her grad party and then Josh and I's trip to Europe the following summer... I am hoping to squeeze a trip in there - if not - it will be for Halloween of 2018.

Yes - you can pick out your own beads and they will make it for you while you wait... We didn't want to wait, so we were going to have it shipped back to our resort - however - by the time we had it all paid for and the forms filled out - she was done with V's bracelet, so we were able to take it with us.

Thanks - same to you!

It's wise to take advantage of the nice weather and go for a power walk. Soon enough the weather force you to exercise inside.

It's wise of you to hold on to your $70 gift card until you find something you really want.

Pork ribs sounds delicious.

The shoes you found looks great. I can understand why you are super excited about them.


Today Ulf and I decided to take the car and do some geocaching on an island a 30 minutes drive from Tromsø. We don't have much daylight now a days so after lunch we got out of the door as soon as possible. The sun goes down at 2.16PM. It was nice weather outside no snow, but 28.4ºF. So we took a lot of clothes on and started on our trip. It's good to drive the car for a longer distance. It's easier to learn how much space the car needs on the road when driving a longer distance. We had a nice trip.

Yes - I did - it was a great walk!

That's what I was thinking. LOL When I find whatever it is, I'll know.

They were... We still have leftovers of them to eat.

I am so excited about them - I cannot wait to start wearing them and break them in... I don't plan on wearing them often though - as I want them to look nice for Disney... When ever that may be. LOL

Yay!!! Glad you were able to get out for a long drive and get used to your new car some more... I feel your pain - however - it's not quite as bad here... We are dark by 5:30pm... It sure makes it easier to go to bed earlier - and I've been sleeping like a baby for the last few nights & finding it hard to wake up - which is quite unusual for me. LOL

I love the pictures she really did an amazing job!

Love Epcot! Sorry you weren't that impressed with the new soarin yet i cannot wait to try it myself! LOL
Glad the pizza connoisseur approved! LOL we had met some people who knew Hegewisch. which freaked me out a little. No one knows how to say it let alone know where it is.

YOU are turning into the van hoarder!!! LOL! you go girl! they sure don't make your feet look fat

Thanks! I am quite proud of her talents!

It's not that I wasn't all that impressed with it - I enjoyed it very much - I just wish they would have spent a little more time at each location, as it's fun to see those things so big and from those angles. I would have much rather had them visit fewer locations and spend more time at each one, for the sake of keeping the movie with in their time limit.

Yes! The pizza was delicious - I was really nervous about getting her approval.

Hahaha... I don't know how to say it... It probably has a slight MN accent coming from me... I'd pronounce it heg-a-wish.

Hahaha - I have 2 pairs... I really want to get a plain black pair, and maybe a plain red pair... Oh and maybe a plain blue pair to go with my Donald stuff. OK - maybe a little bit of hoarding going on... That's why I like them - they don't make my feet look long and they don't make them look fat. LOL

Ooooh, more new shoes!!!!! Oops--skipped to the end of things there, didn't I? But, I mean, c'mon!! Shoes are a priority They are totally cute! I'd really like to get a pair of the Toy Story ones, but haven't ventured to the Vans store yet. Maybe this weekend.

I was excited to read about Via Napoli. We'll be eating there on our trip, too, and I bet I'll be taking your menu advice. Both your appetizer and pizza choices sound AMAZING!!

I can't wait to experience the new Soarin' -- I bet I will be missing those orange groves, too. Is the soundtrack still the same? I really love that music.

I know - I just love shoes so much!!! I think I may have a problem? I really love the Toy Story ones - sadly all of the TS ones are sold out everywhere right now - I am told they will get restocked, but I am not so sure. I like many of them, and I have no idea which ones I would get if I could choose? I hope you are able to find them!

Yes - I would order and suggest those items again to anyone... Even though the one arancini was cold - it was still delicious.

I can't remember if the soundtrack is the same... It's similar... I think? Gosh - I don't remember. LOL I did enjoy it a lot though, it was just different.

I've read many of your trip reports and just found this one. At least you're still on day two so I'm not too far behind.

Welcome!!! It's great to have you here and following along! Thanks for stopping by to say hello. Yes - I am only on day 2, I suspect this TR will take me much longer to write, as I don't have the deadlines I had on the last 3. LOL So, get comfy... Grab some coffee.

HI D! Just popping in to let you know I am here and catching up. Last week was super busy with Halloween, the Marine Corps Ball, Family pictures and dr appointments on top of all that. I'm loving the TR so far & I'll pop back in when I've caught up completely.

Hi Brandi! I know - you've been super busy! I saw the pictures from your Ball on FB... Beautiful and fun - I hope you had a great time! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to catch up.

LOL, Ok- so I wasn't as far behind as I thought. I just wanted to comment that I am so happy for Allison going for her passion. Even if she does decide to go for a traditional degree later on- she will have a skill to support herself as she goes to school. Although, if she decides to stay in the beauty industry, I know she will do very well. There are several people here who do both salon & photography. They offer packages where they will do hair and make-up before a photography session. It's very lucrative on the base since many American women are nervous about having their hair cut by someone who speaks a different language. Anyway, your Epcot day looks amazing. It seems so relaxing to have just the 2 of you and being able to stop in here & there where you want to. I can't wait to read more!

Hehehe... No, I didn't get many updates done this last week - I was busy too.

Allison is having a LOT of fun... She is truly enjoying school and loving every minute of it... And I love hearing about it - every day she comes home and it's like Christmas with the fun things she gets to do. I do think she is hoping to combine her photography and cosmetology to some extent - It will be fun to see what she does with it! I do know that she also wants to do the nail portion - it drives her crazy that it's difficult to find someone who speaks English here, and does nails... I will gladly be her test dummy for that part.

Epcot was a lot of fun... It was fun to wander around and look at everything. I wish we would have had more time to explore the other half of w/s - next time.

******************************************************************************************************

I've had a busy and nice few days....

I did end up going for that walk on Sunday - it was nice. However, my shins are now killing me - which is strange - I typically don't have that problem from walking. So, I am not sure what is up with that? I am glad I went though and was able to enjoy the weather.

We all had a very nice Sunday... Josh and I have been able to spend a lot of time as "just us" these last few weeks - and it's been good.

I also worked in my sewing room for a little bit on Sunday - enough so that I don't feel like I am too far behind going into this week.

Yesterday was a Target day - so I didn't have time to check in here. It was a decent day and it went fast.

Allison had school last night and V worked - so Josh and I had leftovers for dinner. I was sooo tired due to the time change - I barely made it until V got home from work...

Today - it's a heavy lifting day...

Then I will be working all day.

I have to go to town this afternoon... I've given up Starbucks for the week - so far, so good... I am really trying to get away from having it so often - it was getting to be a daily indulgence. The Baristas at our Target chuckled when I told them, as they know how much I do love it.... but I need to back off a bit. I have a target goal of 1 week, but I'd be thrilled with 2...

While I am in town - I will pick V up from school and then I have a hair appointment this afternoon. It's really soon, considering that we just came home from WDW 2 weeks ago... But it was either I snag this appointment for a root touch up, or I wait until Christmas... And there's no way I'd be able to make it that long. LOL

So - that's about all for me today, I am also hoping to sneak out a quick TR update this morning too... Or maybe later today? As I got a late start this morning.

I hope you all have a great day! Sending Prayers and Pixie dust out to all of you!

D~

 

[ljcrochet]

I have to go to town this afternoon... I've given up Starbucks for the week - so far, so good... I am really trying to get away from having it so often - it was getting to be a daily indulgence. The Baristas at our Target chuckled when I told them, as they know how much I do love it.... but I need to back off a bit. I have a target goal of 1 week, but I'd be thrilled with 2

Good luck with no Starbucks. I'm pretty sure I'm getting Starbucks after voting, especially if both girls come with me.

Allison is having a LOT of fun... She is truly enjoying school and loving every minute of it... And I love hearing about it - every day she comes home and it's like Christmas with the fun things she gets to do. I do think she is hoping to combine her photography and cosmetology to some extent - It will be fun to see what she does with it! I do know that she also wants to do the nail portion - it drives her crazy that it's difficult to find someone who speaks English here, and does nails... I will gladly be her test dummy for that part

Glad Allison is enjoying school.


I moved Sydney's orthodox appointment from Friday to today. She is still in pain, which makes me think she needs a full cast. She is going nuts because it is her right arm and she can't do much.

 

[anniebean]

On the shin splints, did you have your laces tied too tight? I've had to deal with them a couple times in the past, and seems like someone asked me the same question. Not sure if that would cause it though.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The most common causes of shin splints are doing too much too soon and/or the wrong shoes.

 

[Terkina]

How great that you and Josh have been able to spend a lot of time just the two of you lately.

I'm glad to hear your Target day went fast.

The time change is tough. We did the time change the last Sunday in October. Many people in Norway including me thinks we should only have standard time. Manly because we have so much sunlight during the summer that it feels like we don't need the extra hour of sunlight in the evening. The other reason is because it's so difficult to get the sleeping /waking routine in order each time it's time to change the time.

Sounds like a good idea to give up Starbucks for awhile. Just think about the money you save that you can save up for your next Disney trip Good Luck

 

[DMGeurts]

Good luck with no Starbucks. I'm pretty sure I'm getting Starbucks after voting, especially if both girls come with me.


Glad Allison is enjoying school.


I moved Sydney's orthodox appointment from Friday to today. She is still in pain, which makes me think she needs a full cast. She is going nuts because it is her right arm and she can't do much.

Thanks! The "no Starbucks" didn't last long... However - I still want to cut back... It's getting out of control.

She is loving school a lot! It's like playing dress up every day for her.

I hope everything went OK with Sydney's appointment... Sending pixie dust!

On the shin splints, did you have your laces tied too tight? I've had to deal with them a couple times in the past, and seems like someone asked me the same question. Not sure if that would cause it though.

It is possible? I am not sure what I did wrong - they are feeling better though - which is nice... Lots of ice and lots of using the rolling pin. LOL

The most common causes of shin splints are doing too much too soon and/or the wrong shoes.

I am thinking it was more of the "too much too soon"? I am not certain - seeing as I was just walking at Disney for miles and miles per day... Maybe it was my shoes - but I walk in these all of the time - they are the only shoes I walk in. My shins are feeling much better though - so that's good. I'll take a few days off - and we'll see how the weather turns - I may be taking the whole season off?

How great that you and Josh have been able to spend a lot of time just the two of you lately.

I'm glad to hear your Target day went fast.

The time change is tough. We did the time change the last Sunday in October. Many people in Norway including me thinks we should only have standard time. Manly because we have so much sunlight during the summer that it feels like we don't need the extra hour of sunlight in the evening. The other reason is because it's so difficult to get the sleeping /waking routine in order each time it's time to change the time.

Sounds like a good idea to give up Starbucks for awhile. Just think about the money you save that you can save up for your next Disney trip Good Luck

It's been fun!

Yes - me too - it's nice when it goes fast.

It is tough - and I need to look at my alarm to see why it's not waking me now - I think I may have my am/pm mixed up on my clock?

Well, I didn't make it through yesterday without Starbucks, though I still intend to cut back.

****************************************************************************************************

My day didn't really go at all as I had planned yesterday...

I did my heavy lifting in the morning - which is good - I am glad that I, at least, got that done.

I had a good breakfast, and since I was done eating early - by almost an hour - I decided to take that time to clean the house... You know, dusting, vacuuming... All the fun stuff.

Just as I finished - my extra hour over - Josh calls to tell me that he forgot his wallet at home and needed me to bring it to work. Grrrr... Would have been nice to know that an hour previous - because then I would have gone up to work sooner and skipped the house cleaning.

So, I rushed upstairs to squeeze in a quick hour of work... Even set my phone alarm to stop on time, so I could jump in the shower and meet him for a late lunch...

I ran a few errands while I was there - as I was in the area and they needed to be done...

Then I ran to town to grab V from school because she wanted to go with me to my hair appointment... Long story short - she didn't go... So, I went home to sneak in another hour of work before my appointment...

My hair turned out great - as usual... It always feels good to have the ickey gray covered up... I wish I could afford to do it every 4 weeks, rather than every 6... Although - yesterday's was rather inexpensive, as I only had her do that - no cut or anything... So maybe?

Came home, Josh and I met Allison in town to go vote. I am not going to say anything about the election here... Only that I voted, and no matter who I would have chosen, I would not have been proud of my decision. I walked out - thankful that I did my civic duty, and that I was there to witness Allison's first Vote... That is all.

After - we went out for dinner... Allison chose Culver's. I've been doing sooooo good on my eating this last 2 weeks - I was not prepared to navigate the menu there though... So, as we were walking in - I was loading the menu in MFP (it's nice that they have that now) - so I was able to scroll through the menu and choose wisely... I had a salad that was surprisingly good and only a little of the dressing.

We came home- watched some of the election results and went to bed.

Today... I am going to do a TR update first thing...

Then I will work out.

I will go straight upstairs and work for most of the day... This may sound strange, but due to my error last week, even though I am behind - I worked ahead... So, once I get this bag out the door - I am actually ahead for the week. LOL

I wll work until about lunch time, then I will head to town... I need to get these nails taken care of - when I had them done for Disney - I had them done a bit longer than I usually do - now they are too long and impossible to work with... I've decided to have them filled and cut back... Since I don't have a Disney trip to pay for - I might as well have cute nails. LOL

ETA and FYI... I will be changing the title of this TR... V and I came up with a much better and more fitting one yesterday. So don't be surprised.

And that's all for today... I hope you all have a wonderful day - sending prayers and pixie dust out to all of you!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 2 Part 3

Victoria and I took a break until 4:30, I napped, she was restless and chose to go to the Poly - a decision that later in the trip, she would regret...

We were on a SoG bus to the TTC at 4:50 - and we hopped the monorail to Epcot.

The lines for bag check were a bit long, so we hopped into the shortest one... It was almost my turn, when someone came out of the crowd, recognizing me from my TRs here... She introduced herself as Jill, and she told me her DIS name, but I do not remember it. So, Jill - if you are here and reading along - It was so nice of you to say hello and to briefly meet you... I wish we could have chatted longer. I hope you'll chime in here, so I can officially meet you better.

Victoria and I headed straight to another Dismeet, my friend Star - I believe her Dis name is Starann? I am terrible with Dis names. LOL We met up just as her and her family were getting off of LWTL... She was so sweet and her baby was adorable!

Immediately after - we checked in to Garden Grill a bit early... Both V and I were hungry. We requested a booth at the bottom... The person checking us in said it may be a little wait - but we were happy to wait, as we had plenty of time before our next FP, or so I thought.

I passed the time taking a picture of my latest Alex and Ani "stack"... I thought they looked awesome with my Vans. LOL You'll be seeing a lot of these pictures as the trip progresses - I did a lot of adding on this time.

We were seated a short time later, in a booth at the bottom, just as we'd requested. Our server was anxious to see Chip and Dale's reaction to my gear...

The food came and it did not disappoint.... The salad was delicious...

Very soon after that, the characters started coming... Mickey was first...

And then our entree plate was delivered... Immediately - I'd asked for more beef and more potatoes & gravy... I've heard that it sometimes takes a long time to get extras, so I wanted to ask right away. I knew we liked the beef the most from previous trips.

Chip came shortly after...

At first - he sat on my bag... but then he asked me to stand up so he could see it better... He did NOT like Donald - and he kept trying to cover him up...

Shortly after that - Dale came by...

And then Pluto...

And Mickey stopped again - LOL - he must have been confused?

As we were getting ready to leave, I decided to check my MDE app to see what time our FP for the Character Spot was - it was at this time I realized it was BEFORE our ADR and not after - as I'd thought. So, we totally missed it. I was kind of bummed, but as V reminded me, we have meals with all of these characters yet to come - so it's not that big of a deal.

We settled our bill at Garden Grill, which had a 20% off discount for AP holders... Gosh I love this!

I wanted to show V the stars in the sidewalk - as it's pretty rare that we are in any park after dark - and we tend to miss things like this... So we searched them out.

We took some time to shop in Mouse Gear, V found a tee shirt - which you will see later in the TR...

We took a few photos...

We took the monorail to the TTC and the SoG bus back to our resort. We were so tired!

We got everything ready for our big day at Universal Studios tomorrow, and we were in bed by 10pm.​

Link to Day 3 Part 1

D~

 

[Terkina]

I'm sorry to hear your day yesterday didn't go as first planned.

I'm glad to Josh, you and Allison voted no matter who you voted for.

I'm glad to hear you found a salad you could it at Culver's that was good.

How great that you are ahead in your sewing room. It sounds like it's easier to get work done when you don't have to stress because you have to stay on schedule or are falling behind.


Sounds like you had a great time at Garden Grill with the characters.
What a bummer that you missed the FP for the characters.

The stars on the sidewalks looks great. What a great way to end your 2nd Day at Disney.



The USA election has gotten a lot of attention in the media in Norway. Last night there were a lot about the USA election on TV and at 9.30PM Norwegian time they started the election result broadcast. The first polling stations was closing at midnight Norwegian time. I went to bed then so I didn't get to hear anything about who had won any states when I went to bed. I woke up at 7.30AM and turned on the radio. Just 2 minutes after I turned on the radio they announced that it was clear that Trump won. They haven't talked about anything else on the news all day today.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Awww! The reaction from Chip and Dale is priceless! Who doesn't love garden grill?
The characters came around a lot when we were there too. one of the best interactions!
I am sitting on edge for the story about A and the Poly!

So glad you and Josh have your time together now! It's so sweet.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Your Alex and Ani stack is looking great...with those shoes I still have zero and also ZERO real Disney Pandora beads that I have been hinting pretty strongly at Rob that I would like to start collecting. Guess I'm on my own there!!!

I'm very curious about the Poly story, too!! Too much suspense here!

 

[kittylady1972]

So happy to read another great report. Love the GG photos. We have not been there in YEARS! In fact, I think the last time just may have been when we had only TWO kids...and they performed the re-hitching ceremony on my and DH (fitting since we were celebrating about 5 years together at the time). I don't ever remember being thrilled with the food, but maybe one day we'll give it another shot.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We loved GG dinner as well! Love your bag.

 

[KathyM2]

The food at GG looked really good. There are just too many great restaurants and never time for them all! I love your Chip n Dale bag...so cute!

 

[Llobal]

I've fallen a little behind! We had my son's 11th birthday this weekend and then afterward we all came down with a nasty stomach virus. Glad to be back reading. I'm curious about the Poly story as well!!