# A 2021 PTR: HHN30 & More Updated 9/26 HHN 30 TR & DTR Links



## Raeven

*For those of you who haven't read one of our trip reports before*

My name is Raeven! 



I'm 27, & this is my 5th year as a trip planner/TR writer on Disboards. I'm a theme park fan, who equally loves Disney & Universal. I spend all year counting down to HHN.  And I change my mind during vacation planning a lot.



I've loved Harry Potter since the moment I got the 1st book, & I'm a proud Slytherin. I grew up watching superhero movies with my dad, & my favorite is Guardians of the Galaxy. I love horror movies. And my favorite show is Supernatural which I'm super sad to see end this year (but I have exciting news related to that coming up in this PTR). & I love delicious food (I like to think of myself as a french fry connoisseur). 



I also like to think every trip I get a little better at Men In Black: Alien Attack, because there's no way I'm getting better at Buzz. 

My trip partner is my boyfriend of 6 years, Josh.






Usually on vacation he can be found wearing an Indiana Jones hat. Here's an artistic rendering of him in that hat if he were a puppy: 






Josh recently turned 34 which we celebrated with copious amounts of food at Texas De Brazil. He doesn't like the planning process or think researching vacation destinations is fun (which is shocking to me) so mostly he leaves the planning to me. Although he's learned to roll with the ever changing plans well, I do take his likes/dislikes into consideration; and he always enjoys the destination. 

He is much more of a thrill rider than I am, loves delicious gluten free food, & loves to watch boxing and stand up. He drinks more coffee than I've ever seen a human consume in a day, & our mutual love of HHN/horror movies/Halloween is what prompted us to start our trip taking. He isn't much of a Harry Potter fan (also shocking to me), but he would definitely be a Gryffindor. His favorite show is Spartacus, & his favorite band is The Who (he even has a tattoo of their logo).
*A little background:* We took our first Disney/Universal trip in September 2015. After that trip we agreed we definitely wanted to go back every year (especially to HHN). We bought AP’s to Disney/Universal & tried to squeeze in 4 trips in 2016/2017, but were  interrupted by Irma which led to another year of AP's in 2018. 

We decided to take a break from Disney AP's for the last 2 years to do some other traveling, and last year we went to California for the first time. 





But we've remained AP holders at Universal since 2016, and haven't missed an HHN since we started going even if we were only able to go for a weekend. Last year's HHN I was lucky enough to get to go with @xlsm & Josh, and spend 6 nights at the event






We also got to meet up with @amalone1013 & Zack for the 2nd year in a row. Hopefully our dates will work out this year too so we can see them again.






*Currently*: We have two trips coming up this year! 

The first is to California again. When we went to California last year we knew there was no way we'd possibly see everything we wanted, and we'd have to go back sometime to check off more things on our list. 

We'll also be back to Universal in September for HHN again! (I'm so excited to be going for another anniversary year since the first year we went I didn't know as much about HHN and it's history). Our trip starts on opening weekend and goes through the next weekend (depending on my day's off we'll be at HHN 5-6 days). 

There's also a Supernatural convention in Orlando the first weekend, and while obviously HHN takes priority, I'm really excited about that too. I've watched Supernatural for 10 years, but I've never been to a convention because they don't have them very close to where we live so it felt meant to be when I saw there was one in Orlando that weekend. 



*Up Next*
I'll talk about some ideas I've had for the trips & share a planning dilemma I've had.​


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## Raeven

*Table of Contents*

Trip Plans-1st Edition
Southwest Cancelled Our Flight/Flight Changes
Trip Plans-2nd Edition *Major Changes* 
FP's & Ticket Buying

Cancelling & Rescheduling Our Trip

April Is Cancelled/New Trips & Quarantine Updates
Quarantine Updates Vol 2 & HHN 30 Speculation
Quarantine Update Vol 3, Trip Updates, & More HHN 30 Speculation
Quarantine Update Vol 4 & Trip Changes/Cancellations
Quarantine Update Vol 5 
Quarantine Update Vol 6, New Trip Plans, & Tie Dye Results

Back to Work & Back to Trip Planning 
HHN Speculation, Trip Changes, & My Birthday
Bugs, Birthdays, and Alternate Trip Ideas

HHN Cancellation & 2021 Planning

Last Minute Trip Planning
Denver Trip & Life Updates

Real Life Update 12/7

It's 2021!-Travel Update
A Small Travel Update For Feb
An Actual Travel Update-March
Booking Hotels
May Trip-Park Plans
Last May Update & Dining Plans

May Trip TR & DTR Links

September Trip Planning & Life Update
HHN Trip Updates, ADR Day, & More 
Got My Rush of Fear Pass! & More
HHN Trip Is Tomorrow!!!

*Denver Mini TR *
Travel Day
Downtown Denver Aquarium
Bacon & Denver Museum of Nature & Science Pt 1
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Pt 2 & Cookies
Art Museum & 13th Floor
Shopping & Urban Putt/Vlog
Food & a Haunted Hotel Room
Denver Selfie Museum
Denver Zoo
TopGolf & Botanic Garden

*2021 Vlogs *
We Stayed at a Dracula Themed Hotel!

HHN 30 Travel Day Vlog
First HHN 30 Vlog​


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## schumigirl

YAY!!!! 

Always look forward to your reports......and you`re there for HHN opening weekend too......we have to try and say a quick hello this time.....


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> YAY!!!!
> 
> Always look forward to your reports......and you`re there for HHN opening weekend too......we have to try and say a quick hello this time.....



Thanks for following along! Yes, we have to find each other and say hello this year! ​


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## Tracy161

I'm here, wouldn't miss it! 



Raeven said:


> I also like to think every trip I get a little better at Men In Black: Alien Attack, because there's no way I'm getting better at Buzz.


 You and me both when it comes to Buzz.


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## macraven

Yaa, another trip report!


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## DLo

Popping over from your last trip report. Looking forward to reading out this year’s adventures.


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## crabbymom

Yay!  I can't wait to read about all your 2020 fun!  I will be attending Mardi Gras for the first time this year, but that is the only Universal trip I have on the books (so far!!).  I will also be heading to Disney for Food & Wine this year, I haven't been to Disney in four years.  And I am super excited to combine that with a couple of days at SeaWorld/Discovery Cove...I've never been to DC, and its been a solid decade since I have been to SeaWorld.  

Thank you so much for all of your PTR's & TR's, I use them often when planning, day dreaming, etc.!


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I'm here, wouldn't miss it!



Yay! Thanks for following along!



Tracy161 said:


> You and me both when it comes to Buzz.



I don't believe that anyone can be good at Buzz.  I just assumed all the guns were broken at this point. 



macraven said:


> Yaa, another trip report!



Thanks for following!



DLo said:


> Popping over from your last trip report. Looking forward to reading out this year’s adventures.



Hi! Thanks for following along! 



crabbymom said:


> Yay! I can't wait to read about all your 2020 fun! I will be attending Mardi Gras for the first time this year, but that is the only Universal trip I have on the books (so far!!). I will also be heading to Disney for Food & Wine this year, I haven't been to Disney in four years. And I am super excited to combine that with a couple of days at SeaWorld/Discovery Cove...I've never been to DC, and its been a solid decade since I have been to SeaWorld.



Ooo that sounds fun! I've always wanted to go for Mardi Gras. And I love Food & Wine! I'm pretty sure we're going again this year, but I don't know how many days we'll be spending at Disney yet. There's been so many things added over the last 4 years, you'll have so much to see! 

SeaWorld was really fun when we went! We didn't get to see everything though so sometime we have to go back. Discovery Cove has a lot of cool offerings, is really beautiful, and has free snacks! (We weren't crazy about it but I think that's because we don't really like swimming or relaxing on the beach but most people do like those things ).

It sounds like you have a lot of fun things planned. I always wish we can add more things, but it never feels like we have enough time! How long is your trip?  



crabbymom said:


> Thank you so much for all of your PTR's & TR's, I use them often when planning, day dreaming, etc.!



Aw thank you for reading! ​


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## crabbymom

Raeven said:


> It sounds like you have a lot of fun things planned. I always wish we can add more things, but it never feels like we have enough time! How long is your trip?



It's actually only a weekend in February for Mardi Gras, then a week in September for SeaWorld/DC/Disney.  Definitely putting the "No Sleep at Disney" to the test!


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## missangelalexis

Joining in! Exciting stuff lined up for 2020


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## Raeven

crabbymom said:


> It's actually only a weekend in February for Mardi Gras, then a week in September for SeaWorld/DC/Disney.  Definitely putting the "No Sleep at Disney" to the test!



That is going to be a very busy week! But who needs sleep on vacation?   



missangelalexis said:


> Joining in! Exciting stuff lined up for 2020



Thanks for following!​


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## DisneyLifePapioNe




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## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


>



​


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## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I don't believe that anyone can be good at Buzz. I just assumed all the guns were broken at this point.


Right?!?!?!?


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## lvcourtneyy

Following!



Raeven said:


> And I change my mind during vacation planning a lot (basically whenever an idea I think is better pops into my head).



Literally me. 



Raeven said:


>



This is so cute!

Can't wait to hear your trip plans for this year.


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## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> Literally me.







lvcourtneyy said:


> This is so cute!



Aw thank you!



lvcourtneyy said:


> Can't wait to hear your trip plans for this year.



They're coming soon! We're still working on them a little, but I think we've got it. ​


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## KathyM2

I'm here!! I've been a terrible DISer of late, but excited to hear about your planning as always. I may have to go back and reread some more of your TR's because we are hoping to hit US in March this year and I have not been for many years...

It's hard when you come back after a break from the DIS - I'm trying to catch up with everyone's most current news and PTR's etc...but it can be hard to locate everyone one my DIS friends!!

In any case happy planning!! I know you said this next CA trip would be more LA focussed so will you be going to San Diego at all? We loved idessert in San Diego - just thought I'd mention it if you happen to go because it's a really fun concept!


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## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> I'm here!! I've been a terrible DISer of late, but excited to hear about your planning as always. I may have to go back and reread some more of your TR's because we are hoping to hit US in March this year and I have not been for many years...
> 
> It's hard when you come back after a break from the DIS - I'm trying to catch up with everyone's most current news and PTR's etc...but it can be hard to locate everyone one my DIS friends!!
> 
> In any case happy planning!! I know you said this next CA trip would be more LA focussed so will you be going to San Diego at all? We loved idessert in San Diego - just thought I'd mention it if you happen to go because it's a really fun concept!



Hey! Glad you found me!  Universal will be so much fun! Are you going to Mardi Gras?

We’d like to go to San Diego again, but so far it doesn’t look like it’s in the cards. If we do DL (which so far we plan to) we probably wouldn’t have enough time so it’s one or the other right now. I hesitate to say no completely though because it was in our original plans & I change things up a lot. But so far just LA & a little Anaheim/various locations around there. Idessert was somewhere we looked at in San Diego but didn’t make it too! One of the reasons I’d like to return is we didn’t get to eat everywhere we had planned. ​


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## amalone1013

My trip plans for the year: put in pto to make sure we overlap at HHN 

I actually spent all day looking at a trip to Disneyland... I feel a need to get back there this year!

Cant wait to hear what's on your list this year! That's so great that the Supernatural convention works with your trip dates!


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## Raeven

amalone1013 said:


> My trip plans for the year: put in pto to make sure we overlap at HHN
> 
> I actually spent all day looking at a trip to Disneyland... I feel a need to get back there this year!
> 
> Cant wait to hear what's on your list this year! That's so great that the Supernatural convention works with your trip dates!



Yes! We need to meet up at HHN again! I also remember you saying your AP’s expire later in the month which was one of the reasons I chose the first week.

Meet us in Cali too  I haven’t done as much planning for Cali as I’d hoped to so far, but I’m going to update on what we have ao far tomorrow. 

I wouldn’t go super out of my way for a convention because idk how crowded it will be/if I’ll enjoy it (good tickets are waaaay too expensive) so this is a perfect way to try one out! ​


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## Raeven

*Cali Trip*-13 weeks
*HHN/Disney Trip*-34 weeks

*April Trip*

So as you know from the intro, we're going back to Cali! Last year I knew we wouldn't get to everything we wanted to do, and well...we really didn't. We did spend 3 days in Disneyland, saw almost everything we wanted to see in San Diego, and spent one night in LA. It was a very fun trip, but we did end up cutting a lot of our ideas out of it because we knew we wouldn't have time. (And we lost a day getting stuck in Denver). 

This year we tossed around some other ideas, but we ultimately settled on a more LA focused California trip. As for right now we're going to LA/Anaheim/various locations around those two areas. 

*Flights & Time off*: We booked the flights as soon as we could which is always before I get my time off, but a lot of flights into California were more expensive this year, and I found a good deal flying into and out of the Burbank airport. 

My time off for the year was approved near the end of December, and I got my first choice of weeks. We'll be going from April 17th-25th. Due to Easter being earlier this year I figured maybe April won't be as crowded (in the theme parks) as it would if it were still Spring Break. I also picked those dates because we'd like to experience something new at Disneyland, and Food & Wine in DCA will still be going on then. 

*Hotel:* We have 3 hotels booked, but if we change things around that could change. I have the Hotel Indigo in Downtown LA booked for the first few nights, then we'd be switching to the Ayres Orange again for a few nights (that's where we stayed last year when we did Disneyland). Finally for the last two nights I have Loews Hollywood booked because I think we'd be going to Universal Hollywood one of those two days. I'm thinking the beginning is fine (we can't go to Disneyland any earlier because of Dapper Day crowds), but the other hotels could be switched around by a day depending on plans. (Although we have to be back in LA the last night because we're flying out of Burbank, and I'd like to be close-ish). 

*Tickets:* I have bought tickets for nothing as of right now, though I have booked two rental cars for a day each. One for the day we head to Anaheim, and one for the day we head back to LA. This way while we have the cars we can change hotels, and maybe see some further away sights, but we can also return them before the next day so we don't have to pay to park them overnight. I'll probably buy DL tickets soon, but I was deciding if we were doing 2 or 3 days. I'm leaning towards 2 now so we can see some other things, but haven't fully decided.

*Attractions*: Aside from Disneyland and Universal Hollywood here's some other places we're looking at...

*LA*: Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory, The Grove, Melrose Ave, Runyon Canyon, Malibu (The Getty Villa/Beach), Downtown LA (The Broad, Last Bookstore, Walt Disney Concert Hall), Hollywood Blvd (Selfie Museum, Madame Tussauds, Hollywood Museum), Sunset Strip

*Other:* Redondo Beach (that's where the diner from The OC is & where it was often filmed  ),



the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana (the Disney Archive collection will be showing then), Newport Beach, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Huntington Botanical Gardens, & either Fashion Island or the Anaheim outlets.

Josh will probably want to go to a comedy show again, I know someone he likes is coming to La Brea Improv which is near(ish) Anaheim on one of our days so maybe we'll see that. 



*In Disneyland we're looking at:* Tortilla Jo's, Food & Wine booths, Black Tap, Lamplight Lounge, & various QS/snack places. I also thought it would be hilarious to review one of the worst restaurants, but Josh does not like this idea. 



*My general plan so far is a work in progress so here's the rough outline: *

Fri-Sun-LA
Mon/Tues or Mon/Wed-DL
Tues/Thurs or Wed/Thurs-Other area attractions/LA
Fri-USH
Sat-Leave

*September Trip*

*Flights & Time off:* I also thankfully got my first choice in week for this trip too, which is the first week of HHN. I'm hoping when we get closer I can get off the Thurs too so then we'll be there the very first night of HHN. Southwest flights for this time of year aren't on sale yet. 

*Hotel*: Because I already looked at hotel prices, and they seemed cheaper than usual, I booked RPR for our whole trip. 

 We'll have some Disney days in there too, but I'm not sure when/how many, and if it would be worth it to book at a Disney hotel during that time so I'm just keeping the reservation at RPR for now. We can obviously go back and forth, and if it's only 2-3 days that might work out fine. 

*Tickets:* Aside from our Universal AP, there's no tickets to buy yet. HHN tickets usually come out in June, and We’re thinking of getting the Rush of Fear with Express this year. Disney tickets we'll  buy when we know how many days, and I'm thinking about MNSSHP or an after hours event, but I haven't decided/those aren't available yet. 




As I think I mentioned in my intro (I'm too lazy to go back and check), there's a Supernatural convention that first weekend in Orlando, and that is something we'll probably have to get tickets for soon. I think we'll probably just do a 1 day ticket (maybe for Sat), and maybe a photo op (not sure for which actor though, Josh isn't really into the idea of photo ops, but I think we should do at least one). 



*Other attraction ideas:* Brevard Zoo, Tampa zoo/Aquarium or Busch Gardens or Sarasota (MOTE & Ringling Museum since we never made it there last time), & Top Golf. 

*Dining*: We'll probably dine at a lot of our favorites around Universal (Toothsome, Bice, Mythos, Cowfish), but I also want to try some new places (Today Cafe, Bigfire, Confisco Grille, Hard Rock, Strongwater Tavern), and maybe we'll give a few other places another try (Margaritaville, NBC Grill, Antojitos, Amatista, Islands/Bula Bar). For Disney I'm looking at: Three Bridges, Space 220, F&W, Boma, Brown Derby, Grand Floridian Cafe, Homecomin, Wolfgang Puck's, & Shula's. And outside of that: Another Broken Egg, Cocktails & Screams, & Bull & Bear.

Also we'll hopefully be meeting up with our HHN crew again and seeing @amalone1013 & Zack there this year too! 




​


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## Lesley Wake

Raeven said:


> There's also a Supernatural convention in Orlando the first weekend, and while obviously HHN takes priority, I'm really excited about that too. I've watched Supernatural for 10 years, but I've never been to a convention because they don't have them very close to where we live so it felt meant to be when I saw there was one in Orlando that weekend.


That would be fun to see it, especially since the show will be over by then! 


Raeven said:


> *Flights & Time off*: We booked the flights as soon as we could which is always before I get my time off, but a lot of flights into California were more expensive this year, and I found a good deal flying into and out of the Burbank airport.


Burbank is such an easy airport to fly in/out of! Sure, there's not very many amenities in the terminal itself, but when I can arrive 30 minutes before boarding and casually park the car, make way thru security, stop for a pastry, and still have time to relax before the flight, you know that's a good option! And LAX right now is just a nightmare because of the construction, which is worse than usual! 


Raeven said:


> I have the Hotel Indigo in Downtown LA booked for the first few nights


Haha, that is literally 2 blocks from my office! Though you will be there on the weekend, so it wouldn't matter anyways! 


Raeven said:


> I'll probably buy DL tickets soon, but I was deciding if we were doing 2 or 3 days. I'm leaning towards 2 now so we can see some other things, but haven't fully decided.


You could always buy 2 days and add on a 3rd day if you feel like it. 


Raeven said:


> Huntington Botanical Gardens


Definitely recommend this (it's relatively close to my house). My mom volunteers there, so if you wanted, she would be happy to sign you in for free and if you wanted, give a mini tour. She does tours for elementary school groups and last weekend she actually took our neighbors to show them around (but she is also cool with just signing people in without a tour).


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## macraven

If your readers get to vote in which other attraction you do, I say do the Ringling museum 
( and take pictures of it to share with us)


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## Raeven

Lesley Wake said:


> That would be fun to see it, especially since the show will be over by then!



I kind of wish I could go to one during the show, because depending on how satisfied people are with the ending I'm not sure if people will feel differently about the show, but we're only going for a day to check it out, and this one lines up so perfectly I'm not complaining. 



Lesley Wake said:


> Burbank is such an easy airport to fly in/out of! Sure, there's not very many amenities in the terminal itself, but when I can arrive 30 minutes before boarding and casually park the car, make way thru security, stop for a pastry, and still have time to relax before the flight, you know that's a good option! And LAX right now is just a nightmare because of the construction, which is worse than usual!



Yeah, we picked it to make things easier, and because it's smaller. Sadly though our flight there got messed up with Southwest canceling flights (see my next post) so now we're flying into LAX, but out of Burbank still. 



Lesley Wake said:


> You could always buy 2 days and add on a 3rd day if you feel like it.



That's true, I think we might have too many other things we want to do, to do three days. Once I figure out when we're doing things I should have a better idea of how many days we're going. 



Lesley Wake said:


> Definitely recommend this (it's relatively close to my house). My mom volunteers there, so if you wanted, she would be happy to sign you in for free and if you wanted, give a mini tour. She does tours for elementary school groups and last weekend she actually took our neighbors to show them around (but she is also cool with just signing people in without a tour).



Thank you, we're still looking into things we want to do, but I'll let you know! 



macraven said:


> If your readers get to vote in which other attraction you do, I say do the Ringling museum
> ( and take pictures of it to share with us)



If we go to Sarasota we'll go there for sure! I'm not sure how many things we'll be able to fit in, but I'd really like to go to Sarasota for the day. It was something we meant to do when we went in December 2018, but I had a bit of a headache that day, and we ended up not going so I still really want to go. ​


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## Raeven

*Southwest Cancelled Our Flight/Flight Changes*

So of course the day after I posted this something changed.   



But this one isn't my fault! 

I think I eluded to in the intro possibly taking another small trip to WDW/Universal if we could this year. That was because I saw some cheap flights into Orlando in early June, but sadly when I looked this week they were gone. This is because the Boeing Max planes still aren't ready to fly, and Southwest had a lot of them in their fleet. So they plan as though they're coming back, and when they still aren't ready they cancel hundreds of planned flights. This has been going on for about a year, and can be really frustrating, but I've never had a flight affected before. 

When I noticed those were missing from the schedule it wasn't a huge deal since it was just an idea I had, but then I decided to check on our current flights for California. And the flight in had been completely changed. 



This was frustrating because they didn't even try to contact me about the changes, they just changed it. So now we had 2 layovers instead of one, would be on the plane an additional 5 hours (about double our flight), get in later, and all the other flights into and out of California at the same time were now 500+ per person. It also wouldn't let me make any changes on the computer, so I had to call them to see what I could do. The person on the phone told me they had been rebooked as 2 separate one ways? (Which is probably why I couldn't change them since the system didn't know what to do). So we were on a flight from here to Chicago, then Chicago to Burbank stopping in Vegas. I have no idea why they would've change one flight into 2 separate flights, but they said I could pick out another flight to California. 

So now we're booked coming into LAX (with a layover in Baltimore), around 10-11 am (when our Burbank flight was due in). ISouthwest can be frustrating sometimes, but they've always been good to us in regards to fixing things, and we've never had to pay any additional fees when something like this has happened.​


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## schumigirl

Oh Raeven that would have been quite a change!

I know the flight you are isn’t the best, but sounds slightly better than their first option! And good to know you didn’t have to cough up any extra bucks for their changes!!!

Will keep hopeful you manage the extra little trip......you never know!

Some lovely food choices up there......I thought you had eaten in Strong Water before? I’m maybe thinking of someone else......but, yes, plenty of lovely places to choose from. And really hope you enjoy Confisco......


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## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> but then I looked at my PTR from last year, and I hadn't even worked out our April plans in March yet so now I feel like I am actually on top of things.


 See? You're WAY ahead of things!



Raeven said:


> As I think I mentioned in my intro (I'm too lazy to go back and check), there's a Supernatural convention that first weekend in Orlando


Yes! I'm certain I remember this, too, so you must have!



Raeven said:


> Ringling Museum


As I remember talking about when you were planning this originally, this place definitely has my vote! I loved it!



Raeven said:


> This was frustrating because they didn't even try to contact me about the changes, they just changed it. So now we had 2 layovers instead of one, would be on the plane an additional 5 hours (about double our flight), get in later, and all the other flights into and out of California at the same time were now 500+ per person. It also wouldn't let me make any changes on the computer, so I had to call them to see what I could do. The person on the phone told me they had been rebooked as 2 separate one ways?






Raeven said:


> Southwest can be frustrating sometimes, but they've always been good to us in regards to fixing things, and we've never had to pay any additional fees when something like this has happened.


I'm glad that it worked out, but geez. I would have been super frustrated, especially having to get on the phone and handle it.


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Oh Raeven that would have been quite a change!
> 
> I know the flight you are isn’t the best, but sounds slightly better than their first option! And good to know you didn’t have to cough up any extra bucks for their changes!!!



It’s definitely better! We did want to avoid LAX, but the flights there were also already expensive when we booked so it wasn’t really an option. But the flight is very similar and it didn’t cost us anything so it work



schumigirl said:


> Will keep hopeful you manage the extra little trip......you never know!



It could happen! We’ll have to see what prices look like.



schumigirl said:


> Some lovely food choices up there......I thought you had eaten in Strong Water before? I’m maybe thinking of someone else......but, yes, plenty of lovely places to choose from. And really hope you enjoy Confisco......



I keep saying we’re going to go but we never make it that’s probably whyWe meant to go last trip when we stayed at SF.



Tracy161 said:


> See? You're WAY ahead of things!



That’s something I usually don’t hear Well maybe in trip planning, but in life I’m a procrastinator.



Tracy161 said:


> Yes! I'm certain I remember this, too, so you must have!



Oh good I thought I did. Sometimes when it’s been awhile since I posted I accidentally repeat/explain things I’ve already said and I was pretty sure I already talked about it and didn’t want to repeat the same thing.



Tracy161 said:


> As I remember talking about when you were planning this originally, this place definitely has my vote! I loved it!



I’m hoping to get there! It’s near the top of my “things outside the theme parks” list.



Tracy161 said:


> I'm glad that it worked out, but geez. I would have been super frustrated, especially having to get on the phone and handle it.



It was frustrating, especially because on the phone the guy kept getting an error message too, and I was like does that mean it doesn’t work for him either.  & I have no idea why they’d have booked us 2 one ways. I know it’s not a big deal, but it’s so much easier to search through flights on your own. I looked through a lot of airports in California when I was first looking, but I did look around before I called & settled on one first. ​


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## missangelalexis

So annoying about Southwest! I had no idea they had been doing that! Glad you were able to get your Cali flight sorted without having to pay anything!


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## Raeven

missangelalexis said:


> So annoying about Southwest! I had no idea they had been doing that! Glad you were able to get your Cali flight sorted without having to pay anything!



It is! It doesn’t affect most flights, but it’s something they’ve been doing since last March. Apparently they’re one of the only airlines that used a lot of those planes. I know they can’t stop planning to use a large portion of their planes, but if they can’t be used for now I don’t know if the best course is to schedule the flights then cancel them when they get closer. I’m glad they let us exchange it. I know it was something they did, but I wasn’t sure if that mattered (because they did book us on an alternate flight). ​


----------



## Lesley Wake

Ugh, that sucks about the flight! At least you caught it ahead of time and not when you went to check-in! 

For LAX, don't know if you heard about their Uber/Lyft situation. Basically, you can't get picked up from the terminal directly. Instead you have to get a shuttle to a satellite lot where all the rideshare vehicles (and regular taxis) get sent. It can be a big annoyance - sometimes people get lucky and can immediately get a shuttle and car. Other times you may have a 30-45 minute wait. (Just to be aware of once you arrive!)


----------



## Raeven

Lesley Wake said:


> Ugh, that sucks about the flight! At least you caught it ahead of time and not when you went to check-in!
> 
> For LAX, don't know if you heard about their Uber/Lyft situation. Basically, you can't get picked up from the terminal directly. Instead you have to get a shuttle to a satellite lot where all the rideshare vehicles (and regular taxis) get sent. It can be a big annoyance - sometimes people get lucky and can immediately get a shuttle and car. Other times you may have a 30-45 minute wait. (Just to be aware of once you arrive!)



Yeah, I’m not happy that they didn’t even notify me of the change because that’s what could’ve happened if I didn’t check. (Although I’m pretty sure I’d have caught it at some point it could’ve been when the flights were all sold out for that time).

I’ve read about that before, it’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to schedule our flight for LAX. We probably will take Lyft, but I’ll have to figure it out. ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> That’s something I usually don’t hear Well maybe in trip planning, but in life I’m a procrastinator.


Trip planning is way easier to not procrastinate on... because it's generally better than normal life   



Raeven said:


> I’m hoping to get there! It’s near the top of my “things outside the theme parks” list.


YAY!!!


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> Are you going to Mardi Gras?



OMG I hadn't even considered this...I know so little about the Universal goings on...I will have to look...does it say the dates on the site? Is it just a parade or is there more Mardi Gras stuff?


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Trip planning is way easier to not procrastinate on... because it's generally better than normal life



 



KathyM2 said:


> OMG I hadn't even considered this...I know so little about the Universal goings on...I will have to look...does it say the dates on the site? Is it just a parade or is there more Mardi Gras stuff?



It runs from Feb 1st-April 2nd. So every night there’s a parade, music, and food stands. But on the weekends there’s concerts from bigger performers like this year they have REO Speedwagon, All American Rejects, etc. It sounds really cool, but we’ve never been out there at that time of year so I don’t have personal experience. You should be able to google it and find all the info. ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

On a selfish note, I'm happy you're going back to California because we're planning a trip for September and reading your trip report from last year helped me a lot so far! 

Ugh that flight situation is so frustrating. Good thing you checked and they were able to fix it but it just seems like the least they could do was send out an email about the change!


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> On a selfish note, I'm happy you're going back to California because we're planning a trip for September and reading your trip report from last year helped me a lot so far!
> 
> Ugh that flight situation is so frustrating. Good thing you checked and they were able to fix it but it just seems like the least they could do was send out an email about the change!



Oops! Not sure why this quote double posted. ​


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> On a selfish note, I'm happy you're going back to California because we're planning a trip for September and reading your trip report from last year helped me a lot so far!
> 
> Ugh that flight situation is so frustrating. Good thing you checked and they were able to fix it but it just seems like the least they could do was send out an email about the change!



Haha, I’m glad I could help! 

It was! And the app says they notify you, but I never got any email or text about it. Although I have that issue with them sometimes with other things too. I always put my number and to text about delays and for some reason they’ll send it to my email instead or send nothing. I’ve gotten to the airport before, and then heard about a delay. ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> It was! And the app says they notify you, but I never got any email or text about it. Although I have that issue with them sometimes with other things too. I always put my number and to text about delays and for some reason they’ll send it to my email instead or send nothing. I’ve gotten to the airport before, and then heard about a delay.



That's so frustrating. You'd think these big companies could get their IT to work appropriately lol


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> That's so frustrating. You'd think these big companies could get their IT to work appropriately lol



Lol you’d think! But if Disney can’t even get MDE to work, then I guess I shouldn’t be surprised Southwest’s alert system doesn’t work.   ​


----------



## Tink2Day

Looks like you have a great trip planned.   Stinks about the flight....

Redondo Beach is one of my favorite places.  I always go there whenever we go to California, it just speaks to me more than Malibu, Newport, Venice etc. Love the vibe there.


----------



## vrajewski10513

HI Raeven!! Excited to read another one of your trip reports. I've been off the boards for quite a bit (had a baby, so didn't have any trips last year) but, I'm looking forward to following along again! We will also be down for HHN the second week in September for a quick long weekend (17th-20th).


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> Because I already looked at hotel prices, and they seemed cheaper than usual, I booked RPR for our whole trip. (Probably because I looked like a year in advance  ). If we add on a night I'm thinking of just adding it on at Aventura. We'll have some Disney days in there too, but I'm not sure when/how many, and if it would be worth it to book at a Disney hotel during that time so I'm just keeping the reservation at RPR for now. We can obviously go back and forth, and if it's only 2-3 days that might work out fine.


Did you check back for APH rates? I was just able to get Endless Summer Dockside with an APH discount for September.



Raeven said:


> Bull & Bear


The food there looks phenomenal! I definitely want to try and get there in the near future.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Raeven

Tink2Day said:


> Looks like you have a great trip planned. Stinks about the flight....



I'm excited! Although we've made some changes to the trip...I've been meaning to post on here but I wanted to get everything all set first. The flight thing was a headache, but at least it worked out. Now I just have to hope when we book our September flights that the same thing doesn't happen again. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> HI Raeven!! Excited to read another one of your trip reports. I've been off the boards for quite a bit (had a baby, so didn't have any trips last year) but,



Hi! Thanks for following along and congrats! 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I'm looking forward to following along again! We will also be down for HHN the second week in September for a quick long weekend (17th-20th).



Yay I'm glad you're back! Maybe we'll see each other! 



vrajewski10513 said:


> Did you check back for APH rates? I was just able to get Endless Summer Dockside with an APH discount for September.



Yeah I've been checking every so often there's nothing for RPR and my dates yet, but the rate we got was so low for our time period that I'm not sure the AP one will be better. (I've always had trouble getting AP rates at RPR in the past the rooms so quickly and the really expensive suites are often the only thing left). 



vrajewski10513 said:


> The food there looks phenomenal! I definitely want to try and get there in the near future.



Me too! I really hope we finally make it there in Sep. 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


>



​


----------



## Raeven

*Cali Trip*-9 weeks
*HHN/Disney Trip*-29 weeks

Hey guys, long time no post! 



I didn't mean to abandon this PTR for a month, but truthfully we weren't sure of our plans yet, and I didn't want to do something like say change all of our plans completely and then do it again.  



I did tell you I was about as indecisive as Chidi in The Good Place, right? 



It's hard to stick with just one option for me when something else sounds good. 

My dad also broke & dislocated his ankle on the ice so I've been over there more after his surgery. But he's maneuvering himself around the best he can, and the cast comes off this week! (And the boot goes on, but he'll be a little more mobile). 

*April Trip*

So as I was saying, we changed everything for our April trip, even the week!



Ok, let's rewind to a month ago...

What ended up happening with LA/Disneyland is that things kept coming up on our planned theme park days. (Like Dapper Day was on a day we planned to be there). So while I thought the crowds would be smaller after Easter, I began to think we had picked a week that was just too close to spring break time. So I think we might save this trip for next year. We'll see if we actually end up doing it on the holidays or earlier, but that's the plan right now. 

All the festivals and events in Orlando at this time of year started to look really tempting. So I talked to Josh about it, and we ended up agreeing, but we also wanted to add something different to the trip. So we talked about doing the first 3 days in Chicago or maybe somewhere else. Josh said he'd like to go to Chicago, which I was excited about because I've wanted to bring him there ever since I went with Jenna, and there were so many places we hadn't got to. 

*Flights & Time off*: So something I'd said when planning this trip was that if we would've been going to Orlando instead of LA, I'd have never picked a week that's basically in the middle of April. Flights were also cheaper the following week (flights home were so expensive the week we had that we didn't have any choices for a flight home), and everything we wanted to go to was the next week. So we both were able to switch our weeks relatively easily at work. 

*Hotel:* When I came up with this plan booking hotels was the first thing I looked at. At 3 months out, there weren't a ton of choices left, and I knew they'd only get more expensive from there. Chicago was easy (as I don't really think that's a crazy time of year for them), and all the hotels were around the same price. We booked the Hyatt Centric Mag Mile since it's near a lot of things we want to do, had good reviews, and I'm a Hyatt member. Then I flipped the Disney and Universal portions around, and experimented with days until I found a good deal. 



The first 2 nights we were able to book the Gran Destino through Orbitz. (With a coupon code and some points I already had on there it was a pretty good deal). I'm excited for Josh to see the hotel because I loved it. We were also able to grab Royal Pacific for the remaining nights for a good price with our AP rate.

*Tickets:* The only thing we've bought tickets for so far is a comedy show Josh wants to see at the Hard Rock. If I want to make FP's in a timely way though I do have to buy Disney tickets in the next few days. I do also want to buy tickets to the Wndr Museum in Chicago ahead of time (a pop up museum with reserved time slots), tickets to Seaworld, and tickets to an after hours event at Magic Kingdom. 

*Attractions*: 

*In Chicago*: shopping on the Magnificent Mile, Wndr Museum, Skydeck, Shedd Aquarium (I went there last time and I know Josh would love it), the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and the Writer's Museum. 

You obviously can guess what attractions we'll be doing in Florida so I wanted to add in some new ideas. I'd like to do a Magic Kingdom after hours event.I'd like to go to Flower and Garden, but I'm debating if we should get a parkhopper ticket or not. I'd like to ride the new Runaway Railway ride, but I think getting a FP for that is a long shot. I've also thought maybe we can finally do one of the mini golf courses. 



We have AP's to Universal and will be staying onsite so we'll definitely spend time there. In Orlando we've also talked about doing Top Golf, and I'd like to try the Halloween themed bar, Cocktails and Screams, in downtown Orlando. Seaworld having their Food & Wine Festival was another motivator. We went to the one in San Diego last year, and I really liked it, but there's definitely more to do at the Orlando park, and both parks have completely different menus. 

I'm also thinking maybe we'll rent a car and do Tampa/St Pete's for a day. In St Pete's we'd probably go to the beach and check out the Dali Museum or Sunken Garden. And in Tampa I'd like to go to the Riverwalk.  We've also thought about doing Busch Gardens, but that would be a whole day itself, so I think we might hold off on that for now. 

*Dining*: 

*Chicago*: Brunch Restaurant, Wilde's, Frontera Grill (the only repeat from my last trip), Steak 48, Wheat's End, Giordanos, and Jojo's Milk Bar. 

*Orlando:* As usual I have a running list of places to eat in Orlando that I have to narrow down, so I'll just mention a few. At Disney, obviously Flower & Garden, Space 220 if it's open, it's been awhile since we did Homecomin', 

I've also been very tempted to try a place people think is bad like Tony's and see just how bad it is   (Josh thinks this is a silly idea, but I think it's a magnificent one for a review).



In Universal, I'd like to try Confisco Grille's new menu, we also haven't been to Antojitos or Margaritaville in a couple years, maybe Islands breakfast, and Green Eggs and Ham (if it's still open).  
Around Orlando, we still want to eat at Bull and Bear, but we might keep that in September still. 

*My general plan so far is a work in progress but here's the rough outline:*

Fri-Sun-Chicago
Mon/Tues-WDW
Wed-Universal
Thurs-Universal or Tampa/St Pete's
Fri-Seaworld/Comedy show
Sat-Disney Springs or Universal

*September Trip*

No updates for September, but I do think the first HHN announcement is right around the corner since the first one last year came at the end of Feb.

​


----------



## schumigirl

Glad to see you back Raeven!!! And some nice changes in there...

Chicago is somewhere I’d never think to visit (cold) but sounds like there is an awful lot to see.......and can recommend Confisco new menu!! Like it an awful lot......I do like the sound of your plans.....

And best wishes to your dad! Glad to hear he’ll be in a boot soon and be more mobile. He’ll have been so glad for all the help you’ve given him I’m sure.......


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> My dad also broke & dislocated his ankle on the ice so I've been over there more after his surgery. But he's maneuvering himself around the best he can, and the cast comes off this week! (And the boot goes on, but he'll be a little more mobile).



Yikes sorry to hear that! Hope he has a quick and easy recovery!



Raeven said:


> I'd like to try the Halloween themed bar, Cocktails and Screams, in downtown Orlando.



That's on my list too. 



Raeven said:


> I'm also thinking maybe we'll rent a car and do Tampa/St Pete's for a day.



Oo that sounds nice. A friend of mine goes to St Pete's once a year and it looks beautiful.



Raeven said:


> Fri-Sun-Chicago
> Mon/Tues-WDW
> Wed-Universal
> Thurs-Universal or Tampa/St Pete's
> Fri-Seaworld/Comedy show
> Sat-Disney Springs or Universal



Looks like a great trip! I can't wait to hear about Chicago. It's on my list to go one day too.


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> My dad also broke & dislocated his ankle on the ice so I've been over there more after his surgery. But he's maneuvering himself around the best he can, and the cast comes off this week! (And the boot goes on, but he'll be a little more mobile).


Oh no  I'm glad that he'll be out of his cast soon! Hope his recovery is fast 



Raeven said:


> So as I was saying, we changed everything for our April trip, even the week!






Raeven said:


> I've also been very tempted to try a place people think is bad like Tony's and see just how bad it is


Yes! I love this idea. And maybe you'll be super surprised and start off a new trend of everyone rushing for that used-to-be-bad restaurant  Anxious to hear more about your Chicago portion as it approaches... I have only been once - and it was a work trip, so a limited amount of time to explore - but I loved Chicago so much and I'd love to get back someday


----------



## amalone1013

Eeeeeee right around the corner for HHN!! We just narrowed down our dates this past week and DH talked to his boss and got the all clear. 

I did some serious digging on doing a short weekend next month, just to do a day at SW for their food festival and the concert that night, and the other time at Uni bc of our APs, but I couldn't handle the flights being last minute-ish for prime spring break time. I'm glad you were able to switch your PTO to the better week! And your Chicago ideas sound fun! I want to plan a trip to Chicago now!

Hope your dad's recovery goes well!!


----------



## missangelalexis

Your new plans sound great!


----------



## J'aime Paris

Your plan change sounds great!
Glad your dad is on the mend!

Chicago is not too far from me (Milwaukee area)...have a blast!!

We went to Top Golf in Las Vegas and had an awesome time!! Hopefully the Orlando location is fun too!


----------



## Monykalyn

Following along!
We are Supernatural fans as well, and that weekend has been our usual HHN weekend for past couple years. But my usual travel companion-my middle DD-starts college this fall and I don't know what dates will work for her yet!! It has been our annual Mom/daughter trip for her bday.  But DH is tired of hearing about Food& Wine and HHN so he got Uni and Disney Ap's in January and I'm thinking he might want to go too, or a different long weekend.

Love Chicago! Have been several times, favorite deep dish pizza is Lou Malnetti's though. Beats pants off Giordano and Gino's East (although thin crust is good at Gino's).   If not too cold/windy-consider an architectural boat tour-we did one with a bar (of course) and it was so interesting and fun. We did it in July an hour before sunset, and the setting sun off the buildings is gorgeous from the river.

Hope the parental unit's bones are healing speedily!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Glad to see you back Raeven!!! And some nice changes in there...



Glad to be back!   



schumigirl said:


> Chicago is somewhere I’d never think to visit (cold) but sounds like there is an awful lot to see.......and can recommend Confisco new menu!! Like it an awful lot......I do like the sound of your plans.....



Haha, we're hoping it's warmed up a little when we go. There is A LOT to do there! I'm very curious to try Confisco it looks good. 



schumigirl said:


> And best wishes to your dad! Glad to hear he’ll be in a boot soon and be more mobile.



Thank you! 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Yikes sorry to hear that! Hope he has a quick and easy recovery!



Aw thank you!



lvcourtneyy said:


> That's on my list too.



Ooo yay, it looks amazing! I've looked at Joysticks before and it seemed cool, but the Halloween theme works even better for me. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Oo that sounds nice. A friend of mine goes to St Pete's once a year and it looks beautiful.



Yeah if we do get away from Orlando that's where we'll go, I've heard the beaches are very pretty. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Looks like a great trip! I can't wait to hear about Chicago. It's on my list to go one day too.



It's really fun there! We didn't get to a ton of places the last time I went, but Shedd Aquarium was my favorite. 



Tracy161 said:


> Oh no  I'm glad that he'll be out of his cast soon! Hope his recovery is fast



Thank you! It's been progressing along, but not fast enough for his liking 



Tracy161 said:


> Yes! I love this idea. And maybe you'll be super surprised and start off a new trend of everyone rushing for that used-to-be-bad restaurant  Anxious to hear more about your Chicago portion as it approaches... I have only been once - and it was a work trip, so a limited amount of time to explore - but I loved Chicago so much and I'd love to get back someday



I just think it's such a fun idea for reviews  especially because I don't think anything at Disney would be crazy bad. That's how I felt about Chicago too! I can't wait to see how many things we get to over the weekend we're there. ​


----------



## Raeven

amalone1013 said:


> Eeeeeee right around the corner for HHN!! We just narrowed down our dates this past week and DH talked to his boss and got the all clear.



I'm so excited!! 



amalone1013 said:


> I did some serious digging on doing a short weekend next month, just to do a day at SW for their food festival and the concert that night, and the other time at Uni bc of our APs, but I couldn't handle the flights being last minute-ish for prime spring break time. I'm glad you were able to switch your PTO to the better week!



Ah the weekends were tough price-wise (especially since all the flights that were priced well seemed to be the ones that got cancelled). I really wished I could do a Mardi Gras weekend at Universal, but it was too much. I wish you were going to Seaworld when we were! (But our weekend didn't have a very good concert from what I remember). 



amalone1013 said:


> Hope your dad's recovery goes well!!



Thank you! 



missangelalexis said:


> Your new plans sound great!



Thank you, I'm excited! 



J'aime Paris said:


> Your plan change sounds great!
> Glad your dad is on the mend!



Thank you on both counts! 



J'aime Paris said:


> Chicago is not too far from me (Milwaukee area)...have a blast!!



Yes that's true! That's actually part of why I went there with my friend a couple years ago. She lived in that area, and we were trying to pick a trip that wasn't a far flight for either of us. Thank you! 




J'aime Paris said:


> We went to Top Golf in Las Vegas and had an awesome time!! Hopefully the Orlando location is fun too!



They look fun! And Orlando's has some really delicious looking food!



Monykalyn said:


> Following along!



Thanks for following!   



Monykalyn said:


> We are Supernatural fans as well, and that weekend has been our usual HHN weekend for past couple years. But my usual travel companion-my middle DD-starts college this fall and I don't know what dates will work for her yet!! It has been our annual Mom/daughter trip for her bday. But DH is tired of hearing about Food& Wine and HHN so he got Uni and Disney Ap's in January and I'm thinking he might want to go too, or a different long weekend.



If you get to go that weekend maybe we'll see you at the convention or HHN! 



Monykalyn said:


> Love Chicago! Have been several times, favorite deep dish pizza is Lou Malnetti's though. Beats pants off Giordano and Gino's East (although thin crust is good at Gino's). If not too cold/windy-consider an architectural boat tour-we did one with a bar (of course) and it was so interesting and fun. We did it in July an hour before sunset, and the setting sun off the buildings is gorgeous from the river.



I'll have to look at those! I'm open to other pizza ideas they just have to have gluten free ones for Josh. 



Monykalyn said:


> Hope the parental unit's bones are healing speedily!



Thank you! ​


----------



## DLo

My SIL lives in Chicago and we love visiting. So many things to do and great places to eat. Staying on mag mile will be great for walking everywhere . Hugo’s Frog bar is a of favorite ours but on the pricey side . My SIL recommends Eataly.  Original Pancake house for breakfast - yum . There are so many places hard to narrow it down


I am in St Pete right now . We stay downtown and there are so many amazing local restaurants. Beautiful here .  It doesn’t look like you are there on a Friday but the first Friday of every month they block some of the streets and have bands playing . Fun ! I have only gone to the aquarium in Tampa so don’t know much about there. ( I can’t recommend the aquarium as I thought it was small but I live in Atlanta where there is an amazing one ) I haven’t been to Busch Gardens since I was little but on my to do list. 

looks like some good changes and you will have a great vacation .


----------



## Raeven

DLo said:


> My SIL lives in Chicago and we love visiting. So many things to do and great places to eat. Staying on mag mile will be great for walking everywhere . Hugo’s Frog bar is a of favorite ours but on the pricey side . My SIL recommends Eataly. Original Pancake house for breakfast - yum . There are so many places hard to narrow it down



There are! Yeah, I stayed on the Mag Mile last time I went and I really liked it. We didn't get to do as much shopping as I wanted to then so hopefully we will this time    I did look at Eataly too there's so many choices! 



DLo said:


> I am in St Pete right now . We stay downtown and there are so many amazing local restaurants. Beautiful here . It doesn’t look like you are there on a Friday but the first Friday of every month they block some of the streets and have bands playing . Fun !



Ooo fun! It looks beautiful from what I've seen. But no unfortunately Friday is one of the only days we can't go because we have tickets to a comedy show that night and the show is on Citywalk. 



DLo said:


> I have only gone to the aquarium in Tampa so don’t know much about there. ( I can’t recommend the aquarium as I thought it was small but I live in Atlanta where there is an amazing one ) I haven’t been to Busch Gardens since I was little but on my to do list.



The aquarium was somewhere I considered, but since we're doing the Shedd in Chicago I dropped it as an idea since I had a feeling it wouldn't compare. But I'm glad to hear what you thought of it for future plans. Busch has always been on my "maybe someday" list because I know I won't ride any of the coasters, but the animal interactions look cool. I know they also have a Halloween event that a lot of people like, but I like HHN so much that I don't think we'd want to sacrifice one of those nights. 



DLo said:


> looks like some good changes and you will have a great vacation .



I hope so! ​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I'd like to ride the new Runaway Railway ride, but I think getting a FP for that is a long shot.



Sorry to say but yeah...probably a long shot. I keep checking back to see if anything opened up on our trip but no go. Also I'm hearing it's not a good one to even try to Rope Drop because it's so close to the entrance of HS. Sadly for me anyway this one may have to wait until I can actually stay at a Disney resort and have a shot at an FP for it...sigh...

Love your trip plans...Chicago is such a fun city, love it there. There are so many great restaurants - I love the ones that have a river view.


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Sorry to say but yeah...probably a long shot. I keep checking back to see if anything opened up on our trip but no go. Also I'm hearing it's not a good one to even try to Rope Drop because it's so close to the entrance of HS. Sadly for me anyway this one may have to wait until I can actually stay at a Disney resort and have a shot at an FP for it...sigh...
> 
> Love your trip plans...Chicago is such a fun city, love it there. There are so many great restaurants - I love the ones that have a river view.



So we ended up deciding on the one day no park hopper, but I looked yesterday and MMRR still had 2 Fps! I ended up grabbing one in case we decided to do HS. And instead of renting a car and going somewhere else for a day I think we may just add one more day to the Disney tickets so we can do Epcot & HS. That was what I originally wanted to do, so I think we’ll just leave going outside Orlando for our non HHN days in September.

Thank you! I’m excited for Chicago!​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Ooo yay, it looks amazing! I've looked at Joysticks before and it seemed cool, but the Halloween theme works even better for me.



I had Joysticks on my list too lol and the Christmas themed bar but the Halloween theme 100% is more up our alley! 



Raeven said:


> It's really fun there! We didn't get to a ton of places the last time I went, but Shedd Aquarium was my favorite.



That's on my list of places for whenever I finally make it there lol


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I had Joysticks on my list too lol and the Christmas themed bar but the Halloween theme 100% is more up our alley!



Same here!​


----------



## Raeven

*Chicago/Orlando Trip*-8 weeks
*HHN/Disney Trip*-28 weeks

We're under 2 months now! 



My dad got his boot on, and he's still not happy because he can't put much weight on it, but everything looks okay (he was worried about nerve damage within his foot). 

*April Trip*

So after my last post I immediately got on purchasing those Disney tickets...er I purchased them literally 12 hours before my FP's.



I ended up going with a single day ticket figuring we'd just be going to Epcot, but that changed when I saw FP's still available the next day for MMRR. I told myself that it wouldn't hurt to grab one just in case, and then next thing I know I'm looking up adding another day to our ticket.     Which I haven't pulled the trigger on yet, because Epcot FP's are a little easier to get, but I'll probably be adding on this week. 

My plans are really loose right now because I haven't sat down, and put them in order. But I do have ADRs for Brown Derby and Oga's Cantina on our HS day, and FP's for Alien Swirling Saucer, TSMM, and MMRR. I did also reserve Tony's before the MK After Hours, but didn't get those tickets yet either. Does anyone know if I can make FP's on those for before the event starts? 

*September Trip*

Still waiting on that first HHN announcement....





​


----------



## amalone1013

Raeven said:


> Does anyone know if I can make FP's on those for before the event starts?


Yup! Just like you could with a halloween or christmas party ticket!


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> We also celebrated my sister's 17th birthday a little early:



Happy Birthday!



Raeven said:


> So after my last post I immediately got on purchasing those Disney tickets...er I purchased them literally 12 hours before my FP's.



  Whatever gets the job done!



Raeven said:


> but that changed when I saw FP's still available the next day for MMRR.



Oo that's awesome. Gives me hope for getting one for May.



Raeven said:


> Does anyone know if I can make FP's on those for before the event starts?



Yes!



Raeven said:


> Still waiting on that first HHN announcement....



Same! I wanna know something already!


----------



## schumigirl

Glad your dad has no permanent damage to his foot, nerve damage is a big worry.

And a  to your little sister......

Yes, we need something to be revealed about HHN this year......cannot wait!!


----------



## Raeven

amalone1013 said:


> Yup! Just like you could with a halloween or christmas party ticket!



Yay thank you!



lvcourtneyy said:


> Happy Birthday!



I'll say thank you on her behalf   



lvcourtneyy said:


> Oo that's awesome. Gives me hope for getting one for May.



Yeah, I didn't think we'd get it, because our stay is only 2 days. I got it for the second day, and it was still available around 10 am ish. 



schumigirl said:


> Glad your dad has no permanent damage to his foot, nerve damage is a big worry.
> 
> And a  to your little sister......
> 
> Yes, we need something to be revealed about HHN this year......cannot wait!!



Yes, he was really concerned about that. He's still been having pain and tingling which was making him nervous, but the doctor said it was normal. 

Thank you!

I know! I think last year they'd already revealed the first house by now and I need to know! ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> We're under 2 months now!


 

Plans sound good! Let the countdown begin


----------



## Raeven

*Chicago/Orlando Trip*-6 weeks? 
*HHN/Disney Trip*-26 weeks

So since I last posted 2 weeks ago, things have certainly changed....



Anyone else kind of feel like they're living in a movie? Like when anyone planned their vacation this year did they think a pandemic would cancel it? At this point I've had vacations cancelled by hurricanes, delayed due to unpredictable weather, and I even had a piece of my car break off right after I committed to a last minute trip, so I thought I'd seen it all. 



Because of the time of year I didn't really expect to have any problems or issues with this vacation, and even when we first heard people were getting COVID-19 in NY; I didn't think things would get so crazy, so fast. And 2 weeks ago, I never would've thought the parks would close. (Or that we wouldn't be able to find toilet paper...every store in our area is out   ). 

I'm very doubtful in 2 weeks everything will be completely back to normal, and my guess is a lot of closures will be extended longer. I also think that when the parks do open again they might not be running at 100% (same with a lot of places). I'm also a little bit concerned about my work closing during this period. I know they're passing things to try and get people paid if they have to be out of work, and where I work hasn't talked about shutting down yet, but I can't really afford to be out of work for weeks at a time. We're a small local business so I don't know what the plan is. I've been seeing a lot of stuff online with people telling others they're risking everyone's health if they don't stay inside, but I wish they'd consider that a lot of people don't have that luxury, and can't afford to not work for weeks. (Josh works for the town so I have a feeling he'd get paid, and it seems less likely they'd close down the town services). 

*April Trip*

So far our trip is still scheduled, but I'm 90% sure we'll be cancelling this week. Also we've already paid for quite a few things, and if I am out of work the hotel payments/deposits are quite a bit of money and would be helpful (I paid for one hotel in full with Orbitz). We can reschedule our 1 day ticket to Sep (I didn't add on the extra day yet). I also bought After Hours tickets which I now wish I'd held off on. I don't know what they'll be able to do about those unless the park is still closed on that date. I also think the comedy show we planned to go to probably won't refund us until the event is actually cancelled, but I do have insurance on those tickets. I can use the flight credits for when we move the trip too. I haven't cancelled yet because I have until next month, and I don't want to call Disney about the tickets while everyone is trying to reschedule their trips for the next 2 weeks. But we've been talking about it, and I'm pretty sure that's what we'll end up doing. 

My plan right now is to move Chicago to June (I get a long weekend the first week). Flights are cheaper for those days than usual for Chicago, and that way we can go near(ish) my birthday. Our second trip will have to move to December. (I've thought about moving the whole trip to June, but I haven't really come up with a plan for that yet). I don't have a big selection of weeks to work with because other people at work might have selected them already, and Oct/Nov are blackout periods. When when we started planning, a Dec trip was something we considered. If we move to Dec we could still go to FL  (Would probably split things between Miami and the parks), or we could go to LA/Disneyland since that was my idea for next December. 

But what's everyone's opinion on this? Would you cancel if you had a trip planned the last week of April? Do you think my plan to move the trip is a better idea? 



*September Trip*

I don't think trips from the summer onward will really be affected (though I could be wrong). So I'm hoping HHN won't be affected. I'm really excited for HHN, and would be really upset if things were delayed or cancelled. I'm not upset about having to reschedule this April trip, but HHN is what I look forward to most every year. 

Sadly, I think we've also decided not to do the Supernatural convention. We would have to buy the tickets relatively soon, and I know there were some restrictions and cancellations with conventions before anything else. It's a lot of money for one day, and then to have it possibly get cancelled doesn't seem like a great idea. I'm also pretty sure our ADR's already opened for September too, but I honestly haven't been thinking about that, and I don't have our days planned out yet. ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Chicago/Orlando Trip*-6 weeks?
> *HHN/Disney Trip*-26 weeks
> 
> So since I last posted 2 weeks ago, things have certainly changed....
> 
> View attachment 480993
> 
> Anyone else kind of feel like they're living in a movie? Like when anyone planned their vacation this year did they think a pandemic would cancel it? At this point I've had vacations cancelled by hurricanes, delayed due to unpredictable weather, and I even had a piece of my car break off right after I committed to a last minute trip, so I thought I'd seen it all.
> 
> View attachment 480995
> 
> Because of the time of year I didn't really expect to have any problems or issues with this vacation, and even when we first heard people were getting COVID-19 in NY; I didn't think things would get so crazy, so fast. And 2 weeks ago, I never would've thought the parks would close. (Or that we wouldn't be able to find toilet paper...every store in our area is out   ).
> 
> I'm very doubtful in 2 weeks everything will be completely back to normal, and my guess is a lot of closures will be extended longer. I also think that when the parks do open again they might not be running at 100% (same with a lot of places). I'm also a little bit concerned about my work closing during this period. I know they're passing things to try and get people paid if they have to be out of work, and where I work hasn't talked about shutting down yet, but I can't really afford to be out of work for weeks at a time. We're a small local business so I don't know what the plan is. I've been seeing a lot of stuff online with people telling others they're risking everyone's health if they don't stay inside, but I wish they'd consider that a lot of people don't have that luxury, and can't afford to not work for weeks. (Josh works for the town so I have a feeling he'd get paid, and it seems less likely they'd close down the town services).
> 
> *April Trip*
> 
> So far our trip is still scheduled, but I'm 90% sure we'll be cancelling this week. Also we've already paid for quite a few things, and if I am out of work the hotel payments/deposits are quite a bit of money and would be helpful (I paid for one hotel in full with Orbitz). We can reschedule our 1 day ticket to Sep (I didn't add on the extra day yet). I also bought After Hours tickets which I now wish I'd held off on. I don't know what they'll be able to do about those unless the park is still closed on that date. I also think the comedy show we planned to go to probably won't refund us until the event is actually cancelled, but I do have insurance on those tickets. I can use the flight credits for when we move the trip too. I haven't cancelled yet because I have until next month, and I don't want to call Disney about the tickets while everyone is trying to reschedule their trips for the next 2 weeks. But we've been talking about it, and I'm pretty sure that's what we'll end up doing.
> 
> My plan right now is to move Chicago to June (I get a long weekend the first week). Flights are cheaper for those days than usual for Chicago, and that way we can go near(ish) my birthday. Our second trip will have to move to December. (I've thought about moving the whole trip to June, but I haven't really come up with a plan for that yet). I don't have a big selection of weeks to work with because other people at work might have selected them already, and Oct/Nov are blackout periods. When when we started planning, a Dec trip was something we considered. If we move to Dec we could still go to FL  (Would probably split things between Miami and the parks), or we could go to LA/Disneyland since that was my idea for next December.
> 
> But what's everyone's opinion on this? Would you cancel if you had a trip planned the last week of April? Do you think my plan to move the trip is a better idea?
> 
> View attachment 480996
> 
> *September Trip*
> 
> I don't think trips from the summer onward will really be affected (though I could be wrong). So I'm hoping HHN won't be affected. I'm really excited for HHN, and would be really upset if things were delayed or cancelled. I'm not upset about having to reschedule this April trip, but HHN is what I look forward to most every year.
> 
> Sadly, I think we've also decided not to do the Supernatural convention. We would have to buy the tickets relatively soon, and I know there were some restrictions and cancellations with conventions before anything else. It's a lot of money for one day, and then to have it possibly get cancelled doesn't seem like a great idea. I'm also pretty sure our ADR's already opened for September too, but I honestly haven't been thinking about that, and I don't have our days planned out yet. ​






HHN 30 WILL proceed and I WILL be in attendance..........

So will YOU!


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven, I’m so sorry about your April trip.

For what it’s worth (I don‘t know anything really) but I think you’d be right to cancel April. At least it takes the uncertainty out of it for you and you’ll probably feel more at ease, well, as best as you can be. We are resigned to not travelling in May. 

The eternal optimist in me would love to say move your whole trip to June, but......the realist in me wonders who quickly this will improve. It can’t go on forever.

We will be there in September.........

I refuse to think that’s not going ahead. It’s the 30th Anniversary......they can’t mess with that!!!

Sending hugs Raeven and best wishes on the job issue too, that’s got to be a huge worry.......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Raeven, I’m so sorry about your April trip.



Thanks Carole, this is all so unexpected. I'm sorry about your trip too if you end up having to cancel. 



schumigirl said:


> For what it’s worth (I don‘t know anything really) but I think you’d be right to cancel April. At least it takes the uncertainty out of it for you and you’ll probably feel more at ease, well, as best as you can be. We are resigned to not travelling in May.



With the new CDC guidelines saying 8 more weeks, and a lot of cities shutting everything down I'm thinking that's the right choice. 



schumigirl said:


> The eternal optimist in me would love to say move your whole trip to June, but......the realist in me wonders who quickly this will improve. It can’t go on forever.



I'm hoping by June things will have improved. But I also don't want to have to reschedule again if that's not the case. I feel like December is a lot safer of a choice. For December I'm pretty sure we'll choose LA, and then there'll be a lot of Christmas things to see and do. 



schumigirl said:


> We will be there in September.........



Us too! 



schumigirl said:


> I refuse to think that’s not going ahead. It’s the 30th Anniversary......they can’t mess with that!!!



That's what I was saying! The 30th is a big deal!



schumigirl said:


> Sending hugs Raeven and best wishes on the job issue too, that’s got to be a huge worry.......



Thank you! It's been a bit of a worry. So far things are operating as normal. We aren't a business that draws large crowds, and we've been cleaning very diligently. Most places that have closed aren't retail and are more in the entertainment realm and it's more in the big cities, but it's still a worry since everything's been happening so fast. ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Anyone else kind of feel like they're living in a movie?


Yes.  



Raeven said:


> But what's everyone's opinion on this? Would you cancel if you had a trip planned the last week of April? Do you think my plan to move the trip is a better idea?


Ugh, I really feel for you, Raeven. I think because I'm an anxious person and HATE uncertainty, I'd probably cancel/postpone the April trip just for peace of mind and not having to wonder for another month or so. I wish we all had a concrete idea of when this madness will stop so we can at least plan our lives again. My poor youngest sister lives in England and is set to come home next week with her bridal shower in April. If I were her, I wouldn't even try to fly home right now... it's all just so unbelievable still.



Raeven said:


> I don't think trips from the summer onward will really be affected (though I could be wrong). So I'm hoping HHN won't be affected.


I agree. I think this has to end by June... and certainly by September I think life will have returned to normal for sure. 

Keep us posted!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Ugh, I really feel for you, Raeven. I think because I'm an anxious person and HATE uncertainty, I'd probably cancel/postpone the April trip just for peace of mind and not having to wonder for another month or so. I wish we all had a concrete idea of when this madness will stop so we can at least plan our lives again. My poor youngest sister lives in England and is set to come home next week with her bridal shower in April. If I were her, I wouldn't even try to fly home right now... it's all just so unbelievable still.



Same here! I ended up cancelling today, and I'll do an update about that later this week. The money from the deposits was a lot to have tied up in a trip that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Also judging by the dates of some closures and recommendations, I don't think travel will be back to normal by then or that things will be open. 

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Can she fly home with the restrictions in place? I wouldn't either. 



Tracy161 said:


> I agree. I think this has to end by June... and certainly by September I think life will have returned to normal for sure.



Yeah, I'm thinking maybe May into June we'll start to see things open again if they aren't already. ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I ended up cancelling today, and I'll do an update about that later this week. The money from the deposits was a lot to have tied up in a trip that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Also judging by the dates of some closures and recommendations, I don't think travel will be back to normal by then or that things will be open.


I think that was the right call - you'll now have peace of mind and won't have that added anxiety about the trip. There's already enough anxiety around all this already   



Raeven said:


> Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Can she fly home with the restrictions in place? I wouldn't either.


Thank you  As of right now, she's set to fly home. I think because she's a US citizen she has more flexibility getting back to the US. Still, what I imagine airports are like right now... I'd pass altogether on traveling! But I also get wanting to be home right now too. It's a tough call.


----------



## TheLittleKatie

So sorry to hear about your April trip Raeven    hopefully everything works out with your job etc too. What a crazy time. You're right, hopefully everything is up and running again by September - it feels like such a long time away, my fingers are crossed for you!


----------



## missangelalexis

I'm so sorry about your April trip, it really is crazy times right now 

I honestly don't think things will be back to normal and you are probably better off rescheduling your April trip.

I really do hope by summer things are back to normal


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I think that was the right call - you'll now have peace of mind and won't have that added anxiety about the trip. There's already enough anxiety around all this already



Yeah, I feel like I made the right call because I really do think everything may still be closed then.



Tracy161 said:


> Thank you  As of right now, she's set to fly home. I think because she's a US citizen she has more flexibility getting back to the US. Still, what I imagine airports are like right now... I'd pass altogether on traveling! But I also get wanting to be home right now too. It's a tough call.



Ah, that makes sense. But oh yeah I've seen those pictures of the airport it looks awful! 



TheLittleKatie said:


> So sorry to hear about your April trip Raeven    hopefully everything works out with your job etc too. What a crazy time. You're right, hopefully everything is up and running again by September - it feels like such a long time away, my fingers are crossed for you!



Thank you! So far we're still open, but I think this coming weekend that might change. It really has been crazy. 



missangelalexis said:


> I'm so sorry about your April trip, it really is crazy times right now
> 
> I honestly don't think things will be back to normal and you are probably better off rescheduling your April trip.
> 
> I really do hope by summer things are back to normal



Thank you, it is! I don't think so either, I ended up cancelling. I hope so too. I don't think everything can be shut down for that long without causing serious problems. ​


----------



## macraven

You had some great trips and plans made. 
and you should be able to count on your fall hhn trip being a go

life changes come up suddenly and we get disappointed when we have to reroute our etched in stone plans

Luckily you have Orlando set up for the fall

Surely by that time period, things will lax off and it will be a carefree fabulous trip for you

Hope one of your earlier trips can be back in your plans

I know it is disappointing to scratch a few of your trips but your planned later ones should be on schedule as you have planned

wishing you the best!


----------



## Raeven

macraven said:


> and you should be able to count on your fall hhn trip being a go
> 
> life changes come up suddenly and we get disappointed when we have to reroute our etched in stone plans



I'm very excited for that one! It was a little disappointing to cancel, but not as bad as I thought it would be. 



macraven said:


> Surely by that time period, things will lax off and it will be a carefree fabulous trip for you



Hope so! 



macraven said:


> Hope one of your earlier trips can be back in your plans
> 
> I know it is disappointing to scratch a few of your trips but your planned later ones should be on schedule as you have planned



So far we're rescheduled for December! (But we'll be going to California). We're moving Chicago to June too, but we'll have to see how things go before we know if that one's for sure. 



macraven said:


> wishing you the best!



You too! ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> I'm very excited for that one! It was a little disappointing to cancel, but not as bad as I thought it would be.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope so!
> 
> 
> 
> So far we're rescheduled for December! (But we'll be going to California). We're moving Chicago to June too, but we'll have to see how things go before we know if that one's for sure.
> 
> 
> 
> You too! ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Anyone else kind of feel like they're living in a movie?



Yes. 100%. It feels so surreal. 



Raeven said:


> Or that we wouldn't be able to find toilet paper...every store in our area is out



I just don't understand the toilet paper stockpiling. 


Raeven said:


> I know they're passing things to try and get people paid if they have to be out of work, and where I work hasn't talked about shutting down yet, but I can't really afford to be out of work for weeks at a time.



I hope they work this out for you! I feel for the small businesses who are economically hurt the hardest during this. 



Raeven said:


> I'm really excited for HHN, and would be really upset if things were delayed or cancelled.



Same. My heart can't accept it.


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> But what's everyone's opinion on this? Would you cancel if you had a trip planned the last week of April? Do you think my plan to move the trip is a better idea?


IMO, I don’t think the parks will be up and running by the end of April. Even if they we’re, I’d still be cautious about being around a large crowd of people (which it would still be a crowd even at 50% capacity). I’d rather be safe than sorry.. so I’d reschedule to December.

I’m hoping as well that things are relatively back to normal by September. Even if HHN needs to scale back a bit I’m sure creative could still pull something off that’s worth the trip.

I read an article today that China has finally had a few consecutive days of no new cases. Their first known case was December 10th... so just over 3 months to get to some resemblance of getting back to business. They also have 4x’s the number of people the US has. So I’m hoping that if everyone practices their social distancing and proper hygiene, we will be out of the thick of it by the end of April. But, I’m no medical professional so until then one can only hope!!


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> Anyone else kind of feel like they're living in a movie? Like when anyone planned their vacation this year did they think a pandemic would cancel it?



I completely feel like we are living in a movie - Contagion. Scary stuff. It's gotten to the point where regular movies and TV don't seem real because people are acting normally. Ugh. I'm so sorry you had to cancel your trip, but I think it was the right call. You have saved yourself another month of should I or shouldn't I, and it was probably a lot easier to get it done now than closer to the date.


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I just don't understand the toilet paper stockpiling.



I don't either! I worked with a lady who bought 40 rolls...But we finally found some about a week and a half ago, and it should be enough to last us for another week or two. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> I hope they work this out for you! I feel for the small businesses who are economically hurt the hardest during this.



Ugh, sadly I have no idea what will happen. We stayed open till the state mandated we close, but after that they laid us all off. They said they'll start operating as soon as they can, but the fact that they didn't give us any guarantees on hiring us back freaked some people out. 




lvcourtneyy said:


> Same. My heart can't accept it.



Today I saw something from Universal creative that said they're still working on everything remotely. I'd think the actual construction of the houses is a very small part of what they do every year so, so far everything is proceeding. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> IMO, I don’t think the parks will be up and running by the end of April. Even if they we’re, I’d still be cautious about being around a large crowd of people (which it would still be a crowd even at 50% capacity). I’d rather be safe than sorry.. so I’d reschedule to December.



Honestly, I don't either. Either that or they will have just opened and they'll be tons of restrictions in place. We decided it wasn't worth it. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I’m hoping as well that things are relatively back to normal by September. Even if HHN needs to scale back a bit I’m sure creative could still pull something off that’s worth the trip.



Me too. I'm thinking it will be. Universal creative said they are still working on things remotely and everything is still proceeding for HHN. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I read an article today that China has finally had a few consecutive days of no new cases. Their first known case was December 10th... so just over 3 months to get to some resemblance of getting back to business. They also have 4x’s the number of people the US has. So I’m hoping that if everyone practices their social distancing and proper hygiene, we will be out of the thick of it by the end of April. But, I’m no medical professional so until then one can only hope!!



Yeah, I've been seeing that. Crossing my fingers!



KathyM2 said:


> Ugh. I'm so sorry you had to cancel your trip, but I think it was the right call. You have saved yourself another month of should I or shouldn't I, and it was probably a lot easier to get it done now than closer to the date.



Yeah, it made more sense to make that decision then instead of worrying about it. I figured even if things were opened it made more sense to wait, and it would be better to have the money from the deposits for now. ​


----------



## Raeven

Since I last checked in obviously things have gotten even crazier, and most people have been stuck inside for awhile now. 



This is actually my first week inside, because up until Sunday; I still had to go to work almost everyday. Since I work for a small business they stayed open as long as they could, but we were shocked to see the amount of people still coming in just casually shopping during all of this. On Friday the governor decided to close all non essential businesses on Sunday night. I came in for an extra day over the weekend, and we had many, many calls from people angry at us because we didn't have inside info on when the government would choose to reopen thing. 

While our state as a whole has the most cases, most of them are in NYC and there isn't many around here, so I don't think people were taking things seriously until everything had to close. While I don't want anyone to be exposed to the virus, and I'd love to be able to stay inside and protect myself; I also wanted to work as long as possible because we don't know how long this will last. And on Saturday they told us on Monday we'd all be laid off.

I'm sure that was done so we can get unemployment, but it also gave us no guarantees we'll get our jobs back. I think they intend to hire us back (if it's only a short amount of time), but some people started worrying that if it's longer they may not/may close for good because they were in the process of selling and I'm unsure where they were in that process. Josh's work has already closed for the next 3 weeks, but he gets paid through all of this because he works for the town.

I do want to say though that my boss seemed to think they're speculation about the business closing for good was a bit far fetched, and currently I'm not worried and we're fine financially. I'm just a little anxious not knowing an end date to this. 

Also we have found toilet paper since my last post.  



*Trip Planning*

Our April trip has been completely cancelled. I cancelled it a few days after I posted on here last. Everything was very easy to cancel or move, except a few ticket related things. I have to call Disney still about our After Hours tickets and moving our 1 day ticket (you used to be able to do it in the app, but mine won't let me now). But I've been putting off calling because I know they must be getting a lot of calls right now. 



The comedy show we were seeing got rescheduled for August today, and there's no way we can make it to that. For some reason because it was rescheduled they don't seem to be doing refunds, and because some areas of Orlando have closed all non essential businesses there's no one answering the phones for the Hard Rock box office so I can't get through to them and ask. (Ticketmaster doesn't seem to be taking calls either). So we may just have to wait till things settle down to get an answer on those. 

I booked the same hotel in Chicago for the first weekend in June, and moved our flights there. We have quite a bit of credit leftover that I can use when December flights open, and I booked hotels for LA/Disneyland in December. I'm not 100% sure if either of those trips is a go until this quarantine is over, so I'm crossing my fingers.

*September Trip*

We booked our flights for September! They opened recently, and I got an early morning one there, but a not-so-great one for the way home. The only choice for a direct flight on the way home was for the morning, and we usually like to try to stay as late as we can. But we ended up taking that one since there wasn't much to choose from. 

I also still haven't booked any ADR's or even have a solid plan for September yet. I did book RPR a long time ago, but might break things up into other hotels depending on if we plan to travel somewhere else in Florida. Obviously with all this going on it isn't something that's really been on my mind, but with the free time I now have I did plan to look at it this week. 

​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven I am so sorry to read about your job 

That‘s awful, even if it’s expected. Will keep fingers and toes crossed they take you back on as soon as they can.

I think you did the right thing with your April trip, hard as it is to do. I wouldn’t want to be travelling April or May yet......of course some will. At least your mind is settled on what you’re doing now. 

And that your December trip goes ahead too......what a shame if you need to cancel that one too......oh it’s dreadful what’s happening to so many people. But, glad to hear you’re doing ok.....it’s just awful.

I am glad to hear you got toilet paper!!!! There’s always a silver lining.......

As for HHN........it will go ahead.......they are carrying on and doing a lot.......plans are all coming together......we WILL make HHN this year........


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Raeven I am so sorry to read about your job
> 
> That‘s awful, even if it’s expected. Will keep fingers and toes crossed they take you back on as soon as they can.



Thank you, it's such a weird situation because at this time I've lost my job, but technically I could be called to come back in anytime so I guess I haven't really, but it's all so unsure with regards to how long this could go on. 



schumigirl said:


> I think you did the right thing with your April trip, hard as it is to do. I wouldn’t want to be travelling April or May yet......of course some will. At least your mind is settled on what you’re doing now.



Yes, I agree I wouldn't feel comfortable either. 



schumigirl said:


> And that your December trip goes ahead too......what a shame if you need to cancel that one too......oh it’s dreadful what’s happening to so many people. But, glad to hear you’re doing ok.....it’s just awful.



I'm hoping everything is all worked out by then! It's a little hard to plan anything when nothing is for sure, but if we have to put that trip off till the following year we're prepared to do that too. It is awful. 



schumigirl said:


> I am glad to hear you got toilet paper!!!! There’s always a silver lining.......



People are getting a little less crazy about hoarding it all and it's been a little easier to find from what I've heard   



schumigirl said:


> As for HHN........it will go ahead.......they are carrying on and doing a lot.......plans are all coming together......we WILL make HHN this year........



Yes! I've heard they are working on it remotely right now. HHN is our for sure trip this year, and I know we will both be there! ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Today I saw something from Universal creative that said they're still working on everything remotely. I'd think the actual construction of the houses is a very small part of what they do every year so, so far everything is proceeding.



I saw that too! I was just happy to see anything posted about it because the complete silence was making me nervous.



Raeven said:


> I came in for an extra day over the weekend, and we had many, many calls from people angry at us because we didn't have inside info on when the government would choose to reopen things, and many people were having things called "furniture emergencies" that were definitely not emergencies at all.



Oy people really have no sense of what an actual emergency is. 

It's so hard for people like us on these boards that are such uber planners in such uncertain times.


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I saw that too! I was just happy to see anything posted about it because the complete silence was making me nervous.



Yeah I was happy to hear that, and I've seen a few more tweets about them working on things since then. The first speculation map was also released yesterday which is exciting. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Oy people really have no sense of what an actual emergency is.



Nope   



lvcourtneyy said:


> It's so hard for people like us on these boards that are such uber planners in such uncertain times.



It is! Aside from the HHN trip which I feel pretty confident is happening right now, our other two trips this year are iffy so it's really hard to plan anything for them.​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Yeah I was happy to hear that, and I've seen a few more tweets about them working on things since then. The first speculation map was also released yesterday which is exciting.



i saw that too! I saw two different ones and one had a Billie Eilish house on it? I mean i have no clue what she’s saying in her song lol but seems weird


----------



## Raeven

So this week I've made Tiktoks, took a walk on the one day it wasn't raining or snowing (being outside in the middle of the day is weird   ), watched the Tiger King, found a section of movies on Netflix that are like Lifetime movies (and are so bad they're amazing), and done nothing on my to-do list yet.  But I'm pretty sure we still have some weeks to go so I have some time. Josh is already off work through April 15th, and I haven't heard anything from my job.



I saw yesterday that they released the first HHN speculation map. Almost all the guesses last year were 100% right, and this map had Beetlejuice, Gremlins, and Haunting of Hill House houses as possibilities (among others) which I'd be very excited for. 



*Trip Planning*

For Chicago flight prices are fantastic for booking into the summer, but it made me a little nervous that, that might be because they aren't anticipating very much travel at that time coupled with Disney not being open for bookings till June 1st made me think I should push it out. It was supposed to coincide with a comp day at work, but I don't even know if I'd be working on the day I'd get the comp day for or what will be happening with my job if our store is closed for that long so I just pushed it out to my birthday week. 

I still have to call about the Disney tickets, but I did hear back about the comedy show being moved. I couldn't reach anyone so I reached out to the Hard Rock Live's Twitter, and they got back to me and told me to e-mail them about a refund. ​


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> i saw that too! I saw two different ones and one had a Billie Eilish house on it? I mean i have no clue what she’s saying in her song lol but seems weird



I posted the one I saw in my post and yeah it was that one. That site was 100% right last year aside from one house that I think changed last minute due to a legal dispute. A lot of people were upset about the Billie Eilish house, but I can actually see that being pretty cool. (Although I kind of think like the Rob Zombie one last year it might make a better scare zone just because the songs are individual and not a unified story as far as I know). I haven't seen a lot of her videos, but I guess there's a lot of horror movie imagery in them so I feel like that makes enough sense. I like her music, but it can be hard to understand what she's saying sometimes because some of the songs are so quiet.   ​


----------



## missangelalexis

I'm so sorry you were laid off. I hope you will be able to maintain your job when this is all over 

It stinks that your trips are so up in the air. It's such a tough time and it makes it harder not being sure if you have a trip to look forward to or not!!


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Chicago Trip-*11.5 weeks
> *HHN/Disney Trip*-22.5 weeks
> *LA Trip*-34.5 weeks?
> 
> So this week I've made Tiktoks, took a walk on the one day it wasn't raining or snowing (being outside in the middle of the day is weird   ), watched the Tiger King, found a section of movies on Netflix that are like Lifetime movies (and are so bad they're amazing), and done nothing on my to-do list yet.  But I'm pretty sure we still have some weeks to go so I have some time. Josh is already off work through April 15th, and I haven't heard anything from my job.
> 
> View attachment 484556
> 
> View attachment 484557
> (From our walk earlier this week).
> 
> I saw yesterday that they released the first HHN speculation map. Almost all the guesses last year were 100% right, and this map had Beetlejuice, Gremlins, and Haunting of Hill House houses as possibilities (among others) which I'd be very excited for.
> 
> View attachment 484558
> 
> *Trip Planning*
> 
> As you may have noticed the Chicago trip moved again. Flight prices are fantastic for booking into the summer now, but it made me a little nervous that, that might be because they aren't anticipating very much travel at that time coupled with Disney not being open for bookings till June 1st made me think I should push it out. It was supposed to coincide with a comp day at work, but I don't even know if I'd be working on the day I'd get the comp day for or what will be happening with my job if our store is closed for that long so I just pushed it out to my birthday week.
> 
> I still have to call about the Disney tickets, but I did hear back about the comedy show being moved. I couldn't reach anyone so I reached out to the Hard Rock Live's Twitter, and they got back to me and told me to e-mail them about a refund. ​



How exciting to see the alleged map......I hadn‘t seen it yet.......have to admit I did have to Google who the darn Billie Eilish was??

Never heard of her.....I guess I am getting old!!!

We’ve become Netflix junkies too......tried Tiger King but hated seeing the animals caged up, but jeez......what a weird show!!

Hope you hear better news about your job sooner rather than later......


----------



## KathyM2

lvcourtneyy said:


> It's so hard for people like us on these boards that are such uber planners in such uncertain times.



THIS!!! Seriously, it is so hard not being able to plan any trips...let alone anything about life...for the foreseeable future. I think that is what is hardest right now all around. Normally a lot of my day is spent planning...planning for clients, planning for my own life...planning when to do what, and normally have a 4 month calendar up on my fridge at all times and enjoy filling it in and looking forward to things...and now it's just...blank and more blank other than the occasional Zoom meeting or virtual coffee with friends...oh I guess I can schedule in my dog walks now lol!!

Hope you are keeping well and sorry about the job!


----------



## Raeven

missangelalexis said:


> I'm so sorry you were laid off. I hope you will be able to maintain your job when this is all over



Thanks, I'm hoping so too. Supposedly we're going to hear something this week. 



missangelalexis said:


> It stinks that your trips are so up in the air. It's such a tough time and it makes it harder not being sure if you have a trip to look forward to or not!!



Yeah, for right now as long as things are open the HHN trip is for sure, the other ones aren't though and that makes them harder to plan for. 



schumigirl said:


> How exciting to see the alleged map......I hadn‘t seen it yet.......have to admit I did have to Google who the darn Billie Eilish was??
> 
> Never heard of her.....I guess I am getting old!!!



She's newer artist lol (and I think she was probably famous for quite some time before I knew about her). I only recently started listening to her.



schumigirl said:


> We’ve become Netflix junkies too......tried Tiger King but hated seeing the animals caged up, but jeez......what a weird show!!



It was a crazy show! 



schumigirl said:


> Hope you hear better news about your job sooner rather than later......



I hope so too! The person in HR said we're supposed to hear something this week. 



KathyM2 said:


> THIS!!! Seriously, it is so hard not being able to plan any trips...let alone anything about life...for the foreseeable future. I think that is what is hardest right now all around. Normally a lot of my day is spent planning...planning for clients, planning for my own life...planning when to do what, and normally have a 4 month calendar up on my fridge at all times and enjoy filling it in and looking forward to things...and now it's just...blank and more blank other than the occasional Zoom meeting or virtual coffee with friends...oh I guess I can schedule in my dog walks now lol!!



It is! It's a very weird thing to just have nothing at all on the calendar. I don't entirely mind it sometimes, but it's weird to not even know when I can reschedule my dentist appt for. 



KathyM2 said:


> Hope you are keeping well and sorry about the job!



Thank you, hope you're well too! ​


----------



## jnjusoioa

_Sorry to post on this thread but I know there are a lot of HHN people on here. I am in the same group as all of you, I don't write trip reports but like to follow along on yours Raven and I love to read Carole's and have talked to her. I was planning a trip for May 6-10th and thinking that it is going to have to be rescheduled, even if the parks open May 1st I am thinking there are probably going to be issues, etc. Thinking of going in October, but not a fan of HHN, as I get am afraid, so was just curious as to what the Universal parks look like during the day? Are there signs of the HHN around? I am sure the hours are shorter? Thank you ahead of time for advice._


----------



## Raeven

jnjusoioa said:


> Sorry to post on this thread but I know there are a lot of HHN people on here. I am in the same group as all of you, I don't write trip reports but like to follow along on yours Raven and I love to read Carole's and have talked to her.



Aw thank you! 



jnjusoioa said:


> I was planning a trip for May 6-10th and thinking that it is going to have to be rescheduled, even if the parks open May 1st I am thinking there are probably going to be issues, etc.



I'm sorry about your trip.   I do think at this point that things probably won't be open by then, but if they are it probably won't be what we're used to which is why I cancelled ours for around the same time. 



jnjusoioa said:


> Thinking of going in October, but not a fan of HHN, as I get am afraid, so was just curious as to what the Universal parks look like during the day?



I've never been in October during HHN only September. In my experience the crowds aren't too bad usually, a little heavier on the weekends though. 



jnjusoioa said:


> Are there signs of the HHN around?



Yes, but most the props will be covered up especially if they're gory. 



jnjusoioa said:


> I am sure the hours are shorter? Thank you ahead of time for advice.



IOA might be open a little longer, but usually Universal Studios does have shortened hours. I think they usually close around 5pm, because the event starts at 6pm each night it's on. There's no HHN on Monday and Tuesday for the most part though so the hours might be longer then. ​


----------



## jnjusoioa

_Thank you for all the great advice Raven, it is all very helpful. As much as I wanted to be hopeful, I am with you, thinking it is probably best to cancel the trip at this point, as you said even if the parks are up and running it won't be what it normally is. Just never thought in a million years that we would be living in times like this, like you said I feel like we are living in a movie, I keep waking up each day thinking that it was just a bad dream. 

That is good news about the HHN. I also forget that HHN is only at the Studios and not IOA, I keep thinking it is at both parks.

I hope things work out for you with your job, stay well and healthy._


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Raeven

jnjusoioa said:


> Thank you for all the great advice Raven, it is all very helpful.



You're welcome! 



jnjusoioa said:


> As much as I wanted to be hopeful, I am with you, thinking it is probably best to cancel the trip at this point, as you said even if the parks are up and running it won't be what it normally is.



Yeah, that's what really pushed me to cancel. We also had a Disney portion & Disney has cancelled everything up through June 1st so it would've ended up getting cancelled anyway. Even if they haven't said it yet, I feel like Universal's timeline will probably be similar. 



jnjusoioa said:


> Just never thought in a million years that we would be living in times like this, like you said I feel like we are living in a movie, I keep waking up each day thinking that it was just a bad dream.



Nope this was very unexpected! I feel the same way. 



jnjusoioa said:


> I hope things work out for you with your job, stay well and healthy.



Thank you! I hope things work out for you too! ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> So this week I've made Tiktoks



I still don't understand Tiktok lol



Raeven said:


> found a section of movies on Netflix that are like Lifetime movies (and are so bad they're amazing),



oo good to know!



Raeven said:


> Almost all the guesses last year were 100% right, and this map had Beetlejuice, Gremlins, and Haunting of Hill House houses as possibilities (among others) which I'd be very excited for.



Gremlins would be amazing! I was obsessed with that movie as a kid. We started watching the Haunted of Hill house the other night and I like it so far!



Raeven said:


> I haven't seen a lot of her videos, but I guess there's a lot of horror movie imagery in them so I feel like that makes enough sense. I like her music, but it can be hard to understand what she's saying sometimes because some of the songs are so quiet.



Oo I didn't know that! The old song i've heard of hers is the one that's always on the radio so I guess I have to look up more of them lol


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I still don't understand Tiktok lol



I don't think I do either lol, but it's fun. I wish I knew more people who had one. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> oo good to know!



Amazon Prime has actual Lifetime movies too   



lvcourtneyy said:


> Gremlins would be amazing! I was obsessed with that movie as a kid. We started watching the Haunted of Hill house the other night and I like it so far!



I can't wait to see how they'd do Gremlins if they do end up doing it! Hill House is so creepy! I couldn't stop watching once we started. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Oo I didn't know that! The old song i've heard of hers is the one that's always on the radio so I guess I have to look up more of them lol
> 
> I guess from the ones on the radio it would be hard to tell. Some have creepy lyrics, but some just have creepy videos. (I wasn't really aware of the videos till recently), but I do have some of the music downloaded.


​


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> I saw yesterday that they released the first HHN speculation map. Almost all the guesses last year were 100% right, and this map had Beetlejuice, Gremlins, and Haunting of Hill House houses as possibilities (among others) which I'd be very excited for.


I’d actually be pretty stoked if this ended up being the line up. I’ve seen a lot of people say if this comes to be they’ll be skipping the event this year. Cool, bro. Shorter lines and better social distancing for the rest of us.


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Amazon Prime has actual Lifetime movies too



Oo wow also good to know thank you!



Raeven said:


> I can't wait to see how they'd do Gremlins if they do end up doing it!



Me neither! They could make it really creepy with little Gremlins and Gremlin eyes everywhere if they wanted to.



Raeven said:


> Hill House is so creepy! I couldn't stop watching once we started.



It is! We haven't gotten that far because Mike and I are rarely home (and awake) at the same time but I'm dying to watch more of it.


----------



## Raeven

vrajewski10513 said:


> I’d actually be pretty stoked if this ended up being the line up. I’ve seen a lot of people say if this comes to be they’ll be skipping the event this year. Cool, bro. Shorter lines and better social distancing for the rest of us.



Me too! Haha you're right! I've seen people say that too, and I agree. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Me neither! They could make it really creepy with little Gremlins and Gremlin eyes everywhere if they wanted to.



Yes! I'm picturing they'll kind of how they did the critter puppets in Slaughter Sinema (idk if you went in 2018 but if you did do you remember those?) 



lvcourtneyy said:


> It is! We haven't gotten that far because Mike and I are rarely home (and awake) at the same time but I'm dying to watch more of it.



We had that problem too   Josh gets in about an hour a night before he falls asleep so we watched it much slower than I wanted to. ​


----------



## Raeven

We’re still under a stay at home order until May 15th so I haven't heard anything from work. Josh is back at work since Wednesday (they closed for a couple weeks to deep clean but are an "essential" town service so I think they always had the ability to open whenever). 

Since I last updated I have watched more movies I'd meant to see, online shopped, won 2 household Uno championships, & watched the show On Becoming a God in Central Florida (I really liked it. It was kind of Twin Peaks-esque and it was pretty funny in a dark way. Plus I loved the 90's fashion). Despite the abundance of free time I still haven't caught up on most of the shows I watch, but I still have about a month to do that (especially since there isn't new episodes coming for a lot of them). 

I have been watching more vlogs/podcasts than TV shows though since people are still posting new ones during this time. 

There's also another version of the HHN speculation map out: 







I think people will be a lot happier with this version since it looks like they no longer think there'll be a Billie Eilish house just that she'll provide the music for one of the other houses. I think musician theming is more suited to a scare zone, but wouldn't have minded a house either. I also didn't love the idea of a Sabrina house (I've watched a lot of the show but kind of gave up on the most recent season) so I'm happy to see that gone. But I am disappointed that they don't think Gremlins will be involved anymore unless that's the secret IP. 



*Trip Planning*

So last time I posted I had changed our Chicago trip to the week of my birthday around mid/late June. I'm now wondering if I'll have to move that again, as I'm wondering if we'll be in a phase where travel will be unrestricted at that time. NY is probably the state that's been hit the hardest, and I'm not sure how quickly we'll move through the phases to open again. I'm thinking my work would open in the earliest phase they could, and I do think most things will be opening by June, but I'm not sure if everything will be open and without restrictions regarding travel. So I'm wondering if we should move it to next year? 


*Oh! I also have the final update on our cancelled trip regarding refunds etc: *

We were also finally able to get a refund from Ticketmaster for the comedy show that was postponed. I'd heard recently that Ticketmaster was no longer giving refunds for postponed shows, which I think is a terrible policy; but once I got on the chat and spoke to someone they offered the refund. I don't know if they are actually offering refunds typically though or if it was because prior to that I was in contact with an assistant manager at Hard Rock Live about the refund (which she said I'd be able to get), and I let them know that I talked to her and she mentioned they were offering refunds. She was very helpful though, and if any of you are having trouble with a postponed show at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, I'd recommend reaching out to the venue via e-mail (or Twitter if you just have question that's where I first contacted them) because they'll help you out if they can. 

Our Disney tickets are now good till a later date so I don't think I have to call Disney, and our after hours tickets were through Undercover Tourist, and I've heard they've been refunding 95% of the E-tickets so I have to send them an e-mail. 

*September Trip*

For September I did start to do a little planning. It's still hard because we don't know what will be going on. For now I have it split up with 3 days at Disney, 4 at Universal, 3 in Orlando/the surrounding area, and 6 nights at HHN. I've also narrowed down dining ideas, but haven't reserved anything yet. 

The schedule would look like this:

*Thurs-*Universal/HHN
*Fri-*Universal/HHN
*Sat*-Top Golf & shopping/HHN
*Sun*-Mini golf & waterpark/HHN
*Mon-*Ak or Epcot/MK
*Tues*-DS/MNSSHP
*Wed-*HS/Epcot
*Thurs*-Tampa/St Pete's or Sarasota/HHN
*Fri*-Universal/HHN
*Sat*-Leaving (Our flight back is early).
*Disney dining ideas:* F&W, Tony's, Boma, Homecomin, Three Bridges, Grand Floridian Cafe, Wolfgang Puck's, Brown Derby, Space 220, Raglan Road, & Shula's
*Universal dining ideas*: Toothsome, Cowfish, Mythos, Bice, Confisco Grille, Islands, Antojitos, & Margaritaville
*Orlando/Tampa dining ideas: *Bull & Bear, Another Broken Egg, Toasted, Tampa Armature, Top Golf & Cocktails & Screams 

*December Trip*

I haven't really done any planning for December yet. Flights are supposed to open next week for December so I'll be looking at those then, but I'm not 100% decided on if I'll buy then. I'm a little hesitant to put any more money into the vacation (especially if it's nonrefundable) before we know more. 

California seems to be one of the states that has been pretty strict about the restrictions, and recently an article mentioned sports/concerts/mass gatherings being potentially delayed till 2021 there. That didn't specifically mention Disney, but made me think they might open up slower than WDW. 

*More Quarantine Pictures*

Another walk we took a little before sunset: 












Cookies & nachos:











Easter:





(Yes, my dad gave us toilet paper ).

Butter bunny:












​


----------



## schumigirl

How’d I miss this update this morning???

I‘m glad you got a refund from TM......I read that folks in the UK were still getting refunds but USA folks weren’t......seems unfair to refund one country and not another.....but good news.

Some nice plans for September and some lovely food choices too.....we keep planning to go to the Bull & Bear.....looks amazing from pics friends have showed us. And you’ll work your hotel choices out too.......it’s nice to have options.

Im sure your Chicago trip will happen when it’s supposed to.....it’s a place I’ve never thought to go as I just see “cold” whenever I think of it......lol.....

Nice pictures too......lovely gifts and the most precious of all.....yes, toilet paper......

Nice Goosebump top too.......yep, your trips are all coming together......


----------



## KathyM2

Great update. It's great that you have some trips to dream about. I so hope it all gets to happen for you. Who knows what will happen with California. I hope you can find a way to get to Chicago too, what a fun place. 



Raeven said:


> *Sat*-Top Golf & shopping/HHN



I love Top Golf!! I can't remember, have you been to one before? When my son was in school in SLC there was one and we went a lot. Very fun.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Looks like you have got some awesome plans!!!

I believe we’ll miss you guys we don’t check in until September 20th, otherwise it’d be fun to say hello!!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I‘m glad you got a refund from TM......I read that folks in the UK were still getting refunds but USA folks weren’t......seems unfair to refund one country and not another.....but good news.



I really think I only got it because I was in contact with the venue and mentioned that in the chat. I was putting off having to contact them because they were so busy for awhile I couldn't get through, but one day I read they were no longer offering refunds for postponed shows so I quickly got on the chat and spoke with someone and they offered it asap. It does seem unfair, and it seems unfair not to refund postponed shows because not everyone going to a show is from the same area the show is in. 



schumigirl said:


> Some nice plans for September and some lovely food choices too.....we keep planning to go to the Bull & Bear.....looks amazing from pics friends have showed us. And you’ll work your hotel choices out too.......it’s nice to have options.



Thank you! Yes I've heard really great things about Bull and Bear and it looks delicious. We usually go to Shula's which is really good, but I've heard Bull and Bear is even better. Yeah with the hotels I booked RPR a long time ago at a very good rate for the whole trip (besides the first night that I hadn't asked work about yet), because we thought we'd do the Disney hotel on the earlier trip and not need certain Fastpasses, but since we cancelled that trip we'll probably end up splitting up the hotels more. 



schumigirl said:


> Im sure your Chicago trip will happen when it’s supposed to.....it’s a place I’ve never thought to go as I just see “cold” whenever I think of it......lol.....



Yeah, I'm thinking it might have to be next year now. Just a shame because flight prices are really good for this year. Lol, it is cold and snowy for a good portion of the year which is why I only wanted to go in spring/summer. We could go in December, but if it's snowing then I'd rather not.   



schumigirl said:


> Nice pictures too......lovely gifts and the most precious of all.....yes, toilet paper......



Haha yes! 



schumigirl said:


> Nice Goosebump top too.......yep, your trips are all coming together......



Thank you!



KathyM2 said:


> Great update. It's great that you have some trips to dream about. I so hope it all gets to happen for you. Who knows what will happen with California. I hope you can find a way to get to Chicago too, what a fun place.



Me too! I'm most hopeful about the HHN trip, but I'm guessing at least one of the other trips may have to wait till next year. 



KathyM2 said:


> I love Top Golf!! I can't remember, have you been to one before? When my son was in school in SLC there was one and we went a lot. Very fun.



No we haven't gone yet, but it looks fun! We were going to go on the trip we cancelled and I think it's been in our plans a few other times and we never made it there.



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Looks like you have got some awesome plans!!!
> 
> I believe we’ll miss you guys we don’t check in until September 20th, otherwise it’d be fun to say hello!!!



Thank you!

Aw, yeah we'll miss you by about a day, but it would've been! 
​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> No we haven't gone yet, but it looks fun! We were going to go on the trip we cancelled and I think it's been in our plans a few other times and we never made it there.



It's definitely worth checking out. One time we actually went on a cold day and they have patio heaters. And it actually started snowing quite heavily while we were golfing, it was a weird experience, but in a cool way!


----------



## macraven

Avoiding Chicago in the winter is a wise decision
We moved away from there 4 years ago and do not miss their winters.


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Raeven said:


> Yes! I'm picturing they'll kind of how they did the critter puppets in Slaughter Sinema (idk if you went in 2018 but if you did do you remember those?)



Yess! I loved that house!



Raeven said:


> We had that problem too  Josh gets in about an hour a night before he falls asleep so we watched it much slower than I wanted to.



Literally the same here. Especially cause Mike is working longer days now, he comes home and we et and that's about the end and then I'm awake all night lol



Raeven said:


> I think people will be a lot happier with this version since it looks like they no longer think there'll be a Billie Eilish house just that she'll provide the music for one of the other houses.



I think this makes a lot of sense.



Raeven said:


> I think musician theming is more suited to a scare zone, but wouldn't have minded a house either.



I would've been interested to see how they did it!



Raeven said:


> I also didn't love the idea of a Sabrina house (I've watched a lot of the show but kind of gave up on the most recent season) so I'm happy to see that gone.



Same. I watched a lot of it but never really got into it.



Raeven said:


> But I am disappointed that they don't think Gremlins will be involved anymore unless that's the secret IP.



Me too    



Raeven said:


> We were also finally able to get a refund from Ticketmaster for the comedy show that was postponed.



Oo good!



Raeven said:


> Disneyland was only a small part of that trip, but the restrictions are obviously in LA as well. That's another trip that I've also been wondering if it would be better to do next year even though I want to do it this year.



I'm having the same debate about our Cali trip in September. It seems like it might just be best to put it off another year even though I'm dying to go.


----------



## missangelalexis

It would be great if you can add days at Disney in September!

Also, I lovedddd On Becoming a God in Central Florida!


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> Literally the same here. Especially cause Mike is working longer days now, he comes home and we et and that's about the end and then I'm awake all night lol



Lol same! 



lvcourtneyy said:


> Same. I watched a lot of it but never really got into it.



I watched all the episodes until the newest season, but after the 1st one in the new season I didn't really feel like watching further. 



lvcourtneyy said:


> I'm having the same debate about our Cali trip in September. It seems like it might just be best to put it off another year even though I'm dying to go.



Originally, I was going to do ours next year, since we were doing 2 Florida trips, but now that we're only doing one and with the 50th and everything it would fit better this year if possible.



missangelalexis said:


> It would be great if you can add days at Disney in September!



We have tickets right now that we had to move from the cancelled trip so we have at least one day that has to be used! And whenever we go next I had planned to add 1-2 days onto it.



missangelalexis said:


> Also, I lovedddd On Becoming a God in Central Florida!



It was so good! ​


----------



## Tracy161

Yikes, I'd fallen super behind! I find that even though I have more time on my hands, getting on the boards sometimes makes me sad. I'm sorry to hear about your job, and hopefully when things get back up and running, your job will be there waiting for you. I can't imagine they'd want to lose you, even if new owners took over. 



Raeven said:


> Also we have found toilet paper since my last post.


Thank goodness!!!!! 



Raeven said:


> (Maybe we'll look this cool when we're done?)


I sure hope so! What a great inspiration picture! 

Stay well, Raeven. Our poor state has been pounded by this, even though we are lucky to not be among the hardest hit areas... it's still scary!


----------



## xlsm

I'm impressed you're in planning mode!! I am being very negative about everything trip related right now, and know if I started planning again I'd just be mad or cry, LOL!!

It's hard b/c the other day, July flights to San Francisco were so cheap...and now they've gone up $500. We haven't bought any tickets b/c we don't really think we'll be able to go   I don't know why I am torturing myself by even looking at flights...see?? What did I say? mad and crying 

I have a tiny sliver of hope for NYE at Disney World, but it's very tiny. 

I'll just focus all of my hatred into painting!

And I saw the projected houses for HHN, and if Beetlejuice is involved I NEED to see it!!!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Yikes, I'd fallen super behind! I find that even though I have more time on my hands, getting on the boards sometimes makes me sad. I'm sorry to hear about your job, and hopefully when things get back up and running, your job will be there waiting for you. I can't imagine they'd want to lose you, even if new owners took over.



Aw I understand. It's been harder to watch the Disney stuff I used to watch like the podcasts and read the news because no one really knows anything, and it just kind of makes me sad that everything's closed. Thank you, so far everyone seems to think so it's just something I'm nervous about but they've been pretty bad about communicating after the first week so I don't really know anything. (But then again my work has never been the greatest with communication via technology   ). I also do think the sale never went through to new owners so I guess that'll be one less thing to worry about when they do open.



Tracy161 said:


> I sure hope so! What a great inspiration picture!



It should be here by next week! 



Tracy161 said:


> Stay well, Raeven. Our poor state has been pounded by this, even though we are lucky to not be among the hardest hit areas... it's still scary!



Thank you, you too! It is! 



xlsm said:


> I'm impressed you're in planning mode!! I am being very negative about everything trip related right now, and know if I started planning again I'd just be mad or cry, LOL!!



Haha, I have bursts of it. But I still haven't really booked anything besides hotels. I'm getting to the point where I'm unsure what's going to happen to most the trips and I'm kind of thinking preemptively I should cancel Chicago. I want to keep the HHN trip till the last minute, but I'm not sure what Disney will look like then so I probably won't add days to the ticket yet, and we're discussing if we can travel but if theme parks are heavily restricted is there somewhere else we want to look at. I also don't want to plan anything for Dec until we know more about my job though. 



xlsm said:


> It's hard b/c the other day, July flights to San Francisco were so cheap...and now they've gone up $500. We haven't bought any tickets b/c we don't really think we'll be able to go  I don't know why I am torturing myself by even looking at flights...see?? What did I say? mad and crying



Flights being so cheap but being unable to travel is the worst! Our Chicago ones are cheaper than they ever are, and I'm almost 100% we won't be going. (Also between this and the Boeing plane things all the Southwest flights end up getting moved around after you book them too). And if we do get to go, but have to move it things will probably be expensive again then. 



xlsm said:


> I have a tiny sliver of hope for NYE at Disney World, but it's very tiny.



I'm hopeful things will be operating by then, but not super hopeful about big celebrations like NYE so I understand.



xlsm said:


> I'll just focus all of my hatred into painting!



Stop making you paint, you! 



xlsm said:


> And I saw the projected houses for HHN, and if Beetlejuice is involved I NEED to see it!!!



I've wanted a Beetlejuice house forever! ​


----------



## PlutosRHM55

I was just stopping to see what I could find on the UO boards and saw that you had a PTR so I decided to jump in.

I'm sorry your trip got cancelled and that you lost your job too. Sounds all too familiar (can sadly relate). It's been so rough, but I agree it's for the better that we get to apply for unemployment benefits than not get paid at all. I wish you the best on that. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm so nervous about HHN30. I've been looking forward to it since HHN ended this year. All of my friends have, even ones who left FL and weren't going to be living there again. It's been dominating my life currently since I see it as the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been looking at the speculation maps, listening to podcasts about it and everything. Ultimately, I'm kinda coming to terms with it potentially being cancelled, since the opposite might be a VERY watered down HHN and that just seems sad on an anniversary year. If it gets moved to October, fine, I just want this year to be done right and if that's 2021, so be it. Even though it would suck to wait until 2021 for a Beetlejuice house and a Legendary Truth house, at least they would be in prime. 

Fingers still crossed though.


----------



## Raeven

PlutosRHM55 said:


> I was just stopping to see what I could find on the UO boards and saw that you had a PTR so I decided to jump in.



Hey there!  



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I'm sorry your trip got cancelled and that you lost your job too. Sounds all too familiar (can sadly relate). It's been so rough, but I agree it's for the better that we get to apply for unemployment benefits than not get paid at all. I wish you the best on that.



Thank you, I'm sorry again about your DCP ending.   So far they've been saying our job will open as normal when they can which I think might be before/during early June with the newest info about re-opening plans. The unemployment benefits have actually been very helpful with the added amount they've given during this crisis, but without that extra amount I'd be making very little. Luckily, Josh is still working too. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I'm not going to lie, I'm so nervous about HHN30. I've been looking forward to it since HHN ended this year.



I've been nervous here and there, but the official news has been optimistic so far, so I've been trying to stay optimistic. I really think things will be operating again by Sep (though maybe not at fully what they were). I spend all year looking forward to HHN so it would be very disappointing to not have it. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> Ultimately, I'm kinda coming to terms with it potentially being cancelled, since the opposite might be a VERY watered down HHN and that just seems sad on an anniversary year.



I am too. It was something I wouldn't have even dreamed of at first, but now with all this going on it seems like it could be a possibility, and depending on what's going on it could be the best choice; but I guess we just have to wait and see. I agree, I don't want it to be watered down, but I'm hoping if things start opening over the summer that maybe by then we'll have moved farther in the re-opening procedures, and it won't be super watered down? But I don't know. If it's going to have that many restrictions I think they would come to the conclusion that it isn't worth having. But even if it was watered down I think I'd still attend at least for a long weekend. 

Depending on what happens this year if theme parks are still operating with everything severely restricted (Disney too), but other tourist attractions and areas we want to travel aren't (because they don't see as many people as theme parks do), then we may change up our travel plans a little for this year or cancel some of them.



PlutosRHM55 said:


> If it gets moved to October, fine, I just want this year to be done right and if that's 2021, so be it



Ah, I didn't hear anything about October. My job doesn't let me take time off in Oct and my approved vacation was for the supposed opening week in Sep so I hope it doesn't come to that. We could find a way to maybe go in Oct for a long weekend if they did, but it would be kind of tricky. I really do think things will be operating by Sep, but I'm not entirely sure if they'll decide to have HHN this year or next. Either way I'll be there! ​


----------



## Monykalyn

I've been off the boards for a while, actually most social media-the amount of panic and sheer misinformation etc was just too much.
Sorry about your job - that has to be stressful. I'm still working from home-not as many hours but close enough. My hubs does fundraising with schools though, and with schools closed-just as spring fundraisers were kicking off---well I think we have over 500 cases of chocolate bars sitting in the lower lever right now LOL. But it means his income has pretty much evaporated. We were lucky enough to get that SBA loan that will be forgiven if the money goes to payroll-technically he is SBA with one employee with the way he works.

I hope your Chicago trip happens, but if not something to look forward to at a later date. We had a May Paris trip cancelled obviously-Disneyland paris got in contact a few weeks ago but still haven't gotten the refund, nor has the airline gotten back about the refund. But both these happened around beginning of April so hasn't really been the months it feels like. 

Your dates are for the first weekend of HHN? I've got booked 9/23-9/30 with the 23-27 at Universal. Was planning on the last couple days at Disney for F&W - really hoping things are nearly back to normal then! Well actually by August as our middle kid has decided on UCF for her college. Almost - almost - booked a couple other long weekend flight for october as Frontier was running $11 flights!!! If they do run that special again I think I will book-even if ends up I can't run off to Orlando I think I could spare losing $22! 

I'm keeping up the optimism that by end of summer most of this will be under control and behind us. DH's oldest daughter (lives in Jacksonville and works as researcher at Mayo there) has her annual conference at Disney in late August-and it is still on. It's a physician conference and if THEY haven't cancelled yet I see no reason to panic. 

Here's hoping the plans stay together and happen!!


----------



## TheLittleKatie

Hey Raeven! Hope you're keeping well, and trip planning isn't too stressful in these uncertain times. Great update as usual!



Raeven said:


>



omg YUM 



Raeven said:


>



Pretty couple 



Raeven said:


> (Yes, my dad gave us toilet paper ).



 what were you happier to see, chocolate or toilet paper?!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> I've been off the boards for a while, actually most social media-the amount of panic and sheer misinformation etc was just too much.



I understand, the threads on here with rumors about reopening etc have been too much for me to look at too often. 



Monykalyn said:


> Sorry about your job - that has to be stressful.



Thank you. It's been a bit, mostly because before we left some people were freaking out that we wouldn't open back up and they've had very little communication with us since then, but Josh is still working and I was able to apply for unemployment so currently it's not too stressful. 



Monykalyn said:


> I hope your Chicago trip happens, but if not something to look forward to at a later date.



I ended up deciding to cancel it, I think it might work better next year. 



Monykalyn said:


> Your dates are for the first weekend of HHN? I've got booked 9/23-9/30 with the 23-27 at Universal.



Yes we're booked that first weekend through the following Sat.



Monykalyn said:


> Almost - almost - booked a couple other long weekend flight for october as Frontier was running $11 flights!!! If they do run that special again I think I will book-even if ends up I can't run off to Orlando I think I could spare losing $22!



Omg wow that's a good price! Southwest has been running some $49 flights (esp to Chicago) and it's been hard not to book because typically they're a lot more. 



Monykalyn said:


> I'm keeping up the optimism that by end of summer most of this will be under control and behind us. DH's oldest daughter (lives in Jacksonville and works as researcher at Mayo there) has her annual conference at Disney in late August-and it is still on. It's a physician conference and if THEY haven't cancelled yet I see no reason to panic.



Me too. I'm really hoping for that. 



TheLittleKatie said:


> Hey Raeven! Hope you're keeping well, and trip planning isn't too stressful in these uncertain times. Great update as usual!



Hi! Thank you, hope you're well too. It's been hard to do any actual trip planning, but hopefully we'll know soonish.



TheLittleKatie said:


> Pretty couple



Aw thank you!



TheLittleKatie said:


> what were you happier to see, chocolate or toilet paper?!



  we actually haven't been having too hard a time of finding toilet paper so I'd have to go with chocolate. ​


----------



## Raeven

Josh has been working since my last post, but I haven't heard anything from my work yet. I don't believe they'd be able to open until we hit phase 2 in this area, but we aren't even in phase 1 of reopening yet so I'm thinking that may be more towards June. 

Since I last updated I've done a few projects with my sister like  baking the most elaborate cake I've ever made (pictures will be below). We haven't been able to do the tie dye yet because the shirts we ordered we're a little delayed and just got in.   

*Trip Planning*

Since last posting I decided it would just be easier to cancel Chicago. 

We received all our refunds for our cancelled trip finally. From both Ticketmaster and Undercover Tourist. We got a 100% refund because they were after hours tickets and not regular park tickets too. 

*September Trip*

I ended up keeping just RPR booked because I still don't really know how much time we'll spend at Disney, and it was easier than having 3 different deposits for 3 different hotels. I'm still pretty hopeful so far about September, but I'm also not really making many plans just in case. 

*December Trip*

I ended up cancelling all the reservations for California. Depending on what happens neither trip could happen, and this could end up a 2021 PTR.

*More Quarantine Pictures*
We decided to bake a cake inspired by Buddy (aka the Cake Boss) in honor of the Buddy Vs Duff finale (which took place in Disneyland and which Buddy won!) This is similar to a cake from his bakery, although we did use a mix because we figured the hard part would be the layers. 

**
(The hard part actually ended up being the sprinkles which was a huge mess ).

It came out really nicely though! 

*

*

​


----------



## PlutosRHM55

I think you're smart for cutting back and cancelling all of your trips. The uncertainty is still there even with Shanghai opening so soon. You're better off holding out for one trip than having your money spread out every which way. Fingers big crossed for HHN this year. Big BIG crossed.

That cake you made looks so so good. I also love the Killer Klowns shirt. I've been in the mood for a re-watch lately. That film is just the fun I need during this quarantine. Love the Aristocats shirt too!


----------



## Raeven

PlutosRHM55 said:


> You're better off holding out for one trip than having your money spread out every which way.



Yeah, it's hard to say if any of the trips will happen this year because just opening isn't enough. Both our state and whichever state we're traveling too will have to be doing ok, and that state can't have one of those quarantine bans on us. Plus things with my job have to be worked out, and if there's a lot of restrictions at first I'd rather hold off till we're in a phase where that's not the case. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> Fingers big crossed for HHN this year. Big BIG crossed.



Yes! 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> That cake you made looks so so good.



It was good! But very, very sugary   



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I also love the Killer Klowns shirt. I've been in the mood for a re-watch lately. That film is just the fun I need during this quarantine.



It was from HHN 2 years ago, I love all the Killer Klowns shirts I've acquired from HHN  It's such a good movie! And I'm pretty sure it's on Netflix.



PlutosRHM55 said:


> Love the Aristocats shirt too!



Thank you! ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> Yeah, it's hard to say if any of the trips will happen this year because just opening isn't enough. Both our state and whichever state we're traveling too will have to be doing ok, and that state can't have one of those quarantine bans on us. Plus things with my job have to be worked out, and if there's a lot of restrictions at first I'd rather hold off till we're in a phase where that's not the case.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes!
> 
> 
> 
> It was good! But very, very sugary
> 
> 
> 
> It was from HHN 2 years ago, I love all the Killer Klowns shirts I've acquired from HHN  It's such a good movie! And I'm pretty sure it's on Netflix.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! ​


----------



## TheLittleKatie

Sorry to hear about your trips. I don't know about you, but for me planning (not Disney but honeymoon) has just become so impossible with not knowing what we'd be allowed to do, that it's actually a relief to just cancel it for now. Hopefully by the time you take your trips things might be a bit more normal, and more enjoyable  

Also love the Aristocats shirt, and your cake is fanstastic! I'm imagining you trying to do the sprinkles, that sounds like absolute carnage


----------



## schumigirl

Cake looks fabulous!!!!!


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> I don't believe they'd be able to open until we hit phase 2 in this area, but we aren't even in phase 1 of reopening yet so I'm thinking that may be more towards June.


I live in WNY, which is apparently the only place in NY worse than downstate   I'm hoping that we wont lose out on the entire summer stuck in phase 1.



Raeven said:


> I've also waited in ridiculously long car lines for some very small things (like ice cream or Starbucks) because what else is there to do?


I spent 40 minutes in line for Dairy Queen last week lol Jeremy made a trip to home depot this morning so I think we're going to start sprucing up the exterior of our house as soon as the weather warms up a bit more!



Raeven said:


> We received all our refunds for our cancelled trip finally. From both Ticketmaster and Undercover Tourist. We got a 100% refund because they were after hours tickets and not regular park tickets too.


Thats great, I'm glad you were able to get refunds for everything!



Raeven said:


> I'm still pretty hopeful so far about September, but I'm also not really making many plans just in case.


We're still holding out hope for September as well. Although, since were only going for a long weekend, we decided in the event that HHN is postponed or cancelled we more than likely wont be making the trip this year.


Raeven said:


> I ended up cancelling all the reservations for California. The flights ended up not opening the day they were supposed to anyway. I think we'll go there next year like we originally planned.


We've actually decided that if September doesn't pan out we might use those funds to take a trip over to Disneyland next year!



Raeven said:


> It came out really nicely though!
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *



That looks amazing! You guys did such a great job! Its definitely not easy to layer cake.


----------



## Raeven

TheLittleKatie said:


> Sorry to hear about your trips. I don't know about you, but for me planning (not Disney but honeymoon) has just become so impossible with not knowing what we'd be allowed to do, that it's actually a relief to just cancel it for now.



I agree, I felt kind of relieved when we decided to cancel our April trip even though at the time it seemed like things might be okay by then. But by the time it rolled around we'd been under stay at home orders for a month so I was glad we cancelled it. 



TheLittleKatie said:


> Hopefully by the time you take your trips things might be a bit more normal, and more enjoyable



Yes that's what I'm hoping! 



TheLittleKatie said:


> Also love the Aristocats shirt, and your cake is fanstastic! I'm imagining you trying to do the sprinkles, that sounds like absolute carnage



Thank you! I got it from Boxlunch. 

As for the sprinkles I was trying a "throw them at the cake and hope they stick" approach which was very messy.    My dad's kitchen floor may have had quite a few on it before he suggested we do the sprinkling over the sink. 



schumigirl said:


> Cake looks fabulous!!!!!



Thank you!



vrajewski10513 said:


> I live in WNY, which is apparently the only place in NY worse than downstate  I'm hoping that we wont lose out on the entire summer stuck in phase 1.



I'm hoping we hear something soon! I don't want to be stuck in phase 1 for long either because I don't think I can go back to work till phase 2, and if we were closed that long I don't know what would happen. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I spent 40 minutes in line for Dairy Queen last week lol Jeremy made a trip to home depot this morning so I think we're going to start sprucing up the exterior of our house as soon as the weather warms up a bit more!



Our local ice cream place had an hour long line when we went recently  My dad said it was ridiculous to wait, but I said what else were we doing? 

That's a nice idea! 



vrajewski10513 said:


> We're still holding out hope for September as well. Although, since were only going for a long weekend, we decided in the event that HHN is postponed or cancelled we more than likely wont be making the trip this year.



If HHN is postponed or cancelled we probably won't either. Our trip was longer but entirely centered around going to HHN. If not for HHN we probably wouldn't travel to FL in September just because there's also that added worry of hurricanes at that time. We'd probably pick another destination or just do the Dec trip then.



vrajewski10513 said:


> We've actually decided that if September doesn't pan out we might use those funds to take a trip over to Disneyland next year!



Ooo that'll be fun! We were going to do DL/Cali again next year, but then when we cancelled our April trip I figured we'd just go this year. Now I'm not sure. I guess it could still be a possibility, but I'm thinking it'll probably have to wait till next year.



vrajewski10513 said:


> That looks amazing! You guys did such a great job! Its definitely not easy to layer cake.



Thank you! It's not  Some of the layers were a little bit off size-wise and we were afraid there'd be a moment when it all toppled over ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I've also waited in ridiculously long car lines for some very small things (like ice cream or Starbucks) because what else is there to do?


No kidding! Gone are the days of "ain't nobody got time for that".   



Raeven said:


> We decided to bake a cake inspired by Buddy (aka the Cake Boss) in honor of the Buddy Vs Duff finale


That's so awesome!!! I used to love both shows. I went into Buddy's place many years ago which was so awesome, and did a drive by of Duff's once too, but it looked almost nothing like they make it look on the show so that was disappointing but still fun. 



Raeven said:


> It came out really nicely though!


It came out beautifully!!! The colors are perfect!!!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> That's so awesome!!! I used to love both shows. I went into Buddy's place many years ago which was so awesome, and did a drive by of Duff's once too, but it looked almost nothing like they make it look on the show so that was disappointing but still fun.



I want to go to Buddy's so badly! That's so cool.



Tracy161 said:


> It came out beautifully!!! The colors are perfect!!!



Aw thank you! ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Any cake you need help cleaning up....

It does look great!

Came out nicely sprinkles and the layers, should have said so in my other post!

The killer klowns shirt is awesome also!


----------



## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Any cake you need help cleaning up....
> 
> It does look great!
> 
> Came out nicely sprinkles and the layers, should have said so in my other post!



Thank you!




DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> The killer klowns shirt is awesome also!



Haha, it was from HHN 28, I love it! ​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I've also waited in ridiculously long car lines for some very small things (like ice cream or Starbucks) because what else is there to do?



Yup, right there with you. Waited in a crazy line for donuts yesterday. 

Your cake looked amazing!! I have been baking a lot too. It's funny when you have this much time on your hands anything seems possible, I'd never have considered half the stuff I'm doing during regular life.


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Your cake looked amazing!! I have been baking a lot too. It's funny when you have this much time on your hands anything seems possible, I'd never have considered half the stuff I'm doing during regular life.



Thank you! I know I feel like I'm doing a lot of things I never thought about doing before  ​


----------



## Raeven

*Quarantine Update Vol 5 *

I don't currently have any planning updates, but I'll try to get another post up this week about our trips! ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Quarantine Update Vol 5 & Baking a Rainbow Layer Cake Vlog*
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> I don't currently have any planning updates, but I'll try to get another post up this week about our trips. I just wanted to share that I finally finished the vlog from when we were baking the cake!​



Cool vid!!!

Almost needed a drum roll for the cake cutting!!


----------



## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Cool vid!!!



Thank you!



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Almost needed a drum roll for the cake cutting!!



Haha yes we did   ​


----------



## Tracy161

Your cake came out absolutely beautiful!!!    Happy to see another vlog up


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Your cake came out absolutely beautiful!!!    Happy to see another vlog up



Thank you! Because the vlogs were usually travel based it's been a little harder to come up with ideas, but I really didn't want to go months without posting anything.​


----------



## Raeven

A few weeks ago my work told us that as we start entering a phase where we can open our managers will call us to come back to work, but so far I still haven't heard anything. Right now, I know they're operating on an appointment only basis with only like 2 managers working though so I'm not sure if I'll hear from them right when phase 2 starts or if it'll be more gradual. So I still haven't  heard anything, but I could by Wed when we enter phase 2. 

Since I last updated we finally got to do the tie dye! (Though I'm not sure how great it came out   ). I've been enjoying a free trial of Lifetime Movie Club , and since we can now gather in groups of 10 or less we had a small family BBQ last weekend. I also ordered my new phone finally (I can't wait for the camera on it), but Verizon accidentally sent out an empty box.



The lady on the phone seemed just as confused as I did, but they think it was because I tried to change the address it was going to. (I wanted it to go to my dad's so that someone would be home to sign for it). So I have to wait till next week to get it.

Also I don't think I've mentioned my dad's ankle in awhile, but unfortunately while it was healing it got infected. (I think it had to do with the screws rubbing against the skin and preventing it from fully healing). Due to what's been going on they wouldn't check it at an in person visit (it was earlier in the quarantine then) and they just prescribed antibiotics so it got a lot worse before it got better. They ended up having to do a second surgery on it, and decided to take out all the hardware. They also found MRSA in it, and finally put him on the correct antibiotics for that. That was less than a week ago, and I guess it was a much easier surgery. I think the wound itself is still healing, but he's been walking on it without crutches and they said it should be completely healed in about a month. 

*Trip Planning*

Since last posting I haven't done a ton of trip planning, but I've made a little more progress since we now know when some things will be opening. 



*September Trip*

I finally made some ADR's for this trip, but now Disney is cancelling them. 



I'm happy to hear Universal is opening soon, and while we're still waiting to hear about HHN and HHN tickets. I'm taking it as a good sign they're opening up about 3 months before the event, and by things that have been said it sounds like they still plan on proceeding. With the news about Disney re-opening in July, and how limited things will be (I'm guessing for awhile); I've decided to take the Disney portion out of this trip since it was only 3 days anyway. 


*December Trip*

Flights finally opened for this time period, and since we had a lot of credits from the cancelled trips I used those to book them so it doesn't really matter if we have to cancel them again. We booked to fly into Orlando on 12/4 and out of Ft Lauderdale on 12/12. 

*More Quarantine Pictures*

A strawberry banana smoothie I made:



Tie dying: 



The results:






(My dad asked us to do one of his work hoodies and because it was a thick material, and wasn't white I don't think it took the dye very well). 




​


----------



## macraven

Lots of food choices!
How are you ever going to be able to decide..


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Shirts are cooooool!!!!!

Some very good options for meals!!!

Cool nails!!!


----------



## schumigirl

You`ve been busy Raeven......what bad luck with the phone!!! What are the chances of an empty box!

Hope you hear about your job soon, it`s been such a long time for you now. And your poor dad!!! Must have been hard to see for you, but glad he`s on the mend now and should be healed soon. Fingers crossed. 

You have some nice plans for the trips.....I`ve only seen a friends pictures of Loews Miami and it looks gorgeous!!!! 

Some nice pictures.....and you`ve been quite productive with the tees.....they are so nice. 

Like the look of the smoothie too.......


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I booked the Loews Miami for the days we'll be in Miami,



I LOVE that hotel. The best location and such a lovely place. 

Great plans...makes me hungry looking at your list of restaurants. Looking forward to seeing the reviews!! One of the things I was most sad about our shortened trip in March was missing our Homecomin' reservation because I really want to try that place . I think there is one in Miami BTW - you probably know that, but just in case you don't have time for it in Orlando.


----------



## Raeven

macraven said:


> Lots of food choices!
> How are you ever going to be able to decide..



Well we have 10 days so I think we should be able to get to most of them! 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Shirts are cooooool!!!!!
> Cool nails!!!



Thank you! 



schumigirl said:


> You`ve been busy Raeven......what bad luck with the phone!!! What are the chances of an empty box!



I don't know what happened with that    they said that rarely happens, but I guess when I called to change the address they tried to cancel, but then they told me it shipped out but what they really shipped was an empty box. It was very strange.



schumigirl said:


> Hope you hear about your job soon, it`s been such a long time for you now. And your poor dad!!! Must have been hard to see for you, but glad he`s on the mend now and should be healed soon. Fingers crossed.



We just heard this morning that they will be calling us back in stages as soon as we go into phase 2 which they believe will be next week. 

He's been up and about for awhile (even though he wasn't supposed to be yet ), but I'm glad he's doing better now. 



schumigirl said:


> You have some nice plans for the trips.....I`ve only seen a friends pictures of Loews Miami and it looks gorgeous!!!!



It does! I've never been to Miami, but I love Loews hotels and I've always wanted to stay there. 



schumigirl said:


> Some nice pictures.....and you`ve been quite productive with the tees.....they are so nice.



Thank you! My dad's been tie dying with the kit after we made those 



KathyM2 said:


> I LOVE that hotel. The best location and such a lovely place.



Ooo good to hear. I liked the look of it and it had good reviews, but it's good to hear other people enjoyed it too because I've never been to Miami.



KathyM2 said:


> Great plans...makes me hungry looking at your list of restaurants. Looking forward to seeing the reviews!! One of the things I was most sad about our shortened trip in March was missing our Homecomin' reservation because I really want to try that place . I think there is one in Miami BTW - you probably know that, but just in case you don't have time for it in Orlando.



I can't wait till I can write some reviews on here again! I miss it. Whenever we can get back to DS, I do plan to try to get to Homecomin, but it's good to know there's another one I'll look into that! ​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Finally caught up.

I love the cake you guys made- it looks very complicated but it looks great!

I'm hopeful Universal has a good plan in place that HHN can still happen and fingers crossed that I can still go this year!


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I love the cake you guys made- it looks very complicated but it looks great!



Thank you! It wasn't as complicated as we thought, it just took awhile with the layers.



lvcourtneyy said:


> I'm hopeful Universal has a good plan in place that HHN can still happen and fingers crossed that I can still go this year!



I'm pretty sure they still do. I think it might be a little different, but not as bad as a lot of people are saying. We still plan to go as long as it's on.​


----------



## Tracy161

An empty box?!  Maybe it was someone's first day back after quarantine 

So glad to hear your dad is improving! 

Your plans look great, as does your tie-dye!  Love how many times you're going to HHN!


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> I also ordered my new phone finally (I can't wait for the camera on it), but Verizon accidentally sent out an empty box.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The lady on the phone seemed just as confused as I did, but they think it was because I tried to change the address it was going to. (I wanted it to go to my dad's so that someone would be home to sign for it). So I have to wait till next week to get it.


Do you need to send your current phone back to them? The last time I ordered a new phone from verizon they sent me an empty box to send back my current phone (I traded it in before it was completely paid off) once I received my new one. 



Raeven said:


> Also I don't think I've mentioned my dad's ankle in awhile, but unfortunately while it was healing it got infected. (I think it had to do with the screws rubbing against the skin and preventing it from fully healing). Due to what's been going on they wouldn't check it at an in person visit (it was earlier in the quarantine then) and they just prescribed antibiotics so it got a lot worse before it got better. They ended up having to do a second surgery on it, and decided to take out all the hardware. They also found MRSA in it, and finally put him on the correct antibiotics for that. That was less than a week ago, and I guess it was a much easier surgery. I think the wound itself is still healing, but he's been walking on it without crutches and they said it should be completely healed in about a month.


Wow, thats rough! I'm glad to hear he is finally on the mend!



Raeven said:


> I'm happy to hear Universal is opening soon, and while we're still waiting to hear about HHN and HHN tickets. I'm taking it as a good sign they're opening up about 3 months before the event, and by things that have been said it sounds like they still plan on proceeding.


I'm going back and forth with myself on whether or not to get the BOGO deal... we were planning on doing 3 nights, but i'm worried they might not have the option of multi-night tickets this year. I don't want to end up missing out on the BOGO deal and not be able to get RoF. 



Raeven said:


> As a replacement we may finally go to Volcano Bay


We love Volcano Bay!!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> An empty box?!  Maybe it was someone's first day back after quarantine



We think what happened is they cancelled the order and took the item out when I wanted to change the address, but then whoever packages them or something the next day didn't realize and because a label had been created they just shipped out a box? Or maybe it's that   



Tracy161 said:


> So glad to hear your dad is improving!



Thank you! 



Tracy161 said:


> Your plans look great, as does your tie-dye!  Love how many times you're going to HHN!



Thanks! I'm really hopeful we can go that many times like last year. I'm just waiting for the multi day tickets to go onsale.



vrajewski10513 said:


> Do you need to send your current phone back to them? The last time I ordered a new phone from verizon they sent me an empty box to send back my current phone (I traded it in before it was completely paid off) once I received my new one.



Yes. But it was supposed to come with the order and there was some confusion with an address change. They told me to throw that box out and they'd send me new trade in stuff, and now I can't get through to that page on the website to get it. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I'm going back and forth with myself on whether or not to get the BOGO deal... we were planning on doing 3 nights, but i'm worried they might not have the option of multi-night tickets this year. I don't want to end up missing out on the BOGO deal and not be able to get RoF.



I'm waiting to see the multi day tickets, it would be really expensive to do as many nights as we want with individual tickets. If it comes to that I guess we'll have to change our plans, but yesterday I thought I saw someone say multi night tickets were onsale for the UK (I could be wrong though) but that made me feel better.



vrajewski10513 said:


> We love Volcano Bay!!



I've always wanted to check it out, but we aren't big water parks people. ​


----------



## vrajewski10513

Raeven said:


> If it comes to that I guess we'll have to change our plans, but yesterday I thought I saw someone say multi night tickets were onsale for the UK (I could be wrong though) but that made me feel better.


Yeah I believe they released the FF and FF+ to the UK already.


----------



## Monykalyn

Shirts came out great!
Your poor dad! Ugh that is the problem with the push to telehealth-some things just really really need in person visits. Glad he is now on the mend!

Hope HHN is good to go. I still have my reservations, not planning on cancelling unless the mask situation is unbearable-will find out in a few days: we had extra weeks from our timeshare so we traded into an Orlando resort for 2 weeks, with Florida going into phase 2 today, and the resort pools are open. And now that Universal is open DH wants to go...we have cloth and the blue paper masks so will be testing them out.

Nice to be trip planning again! The only time I've been in Miami was when we drove down from Universal for our cruise. Looks like a neat city.
PS I found your youtube channel! It is great!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Shirts came out great!



Thank you! 



Monykalyn said:


> Your poor dad! Ugh that is the problem with the push to telehealth-some things just really really need in person visits. Glad he is now on the mend!



I know! I'm happy he's able to move around more now although he was a bit stubborn and has still be walking around even when he wasn't supposed to   



Monykalyn said:


> Hope HHN is good to go. I still have my reservations, not planning on cancelling unless the mask situation is unbearable-will find out in a few days: we had extra weeks from our timeshare so we traded into an Orlando resort for 2 weeks, with Florida going into phase 2 today, and the resort pools are open. And now that Universal is open DH wants to go...we have cloth and the blue paper masks so will be testing them out.



Me too! I'm not planning on cancelling unless the event is cancelled. We'll make the masks work for HHN if we have to. I just started back at work, and have to wear one all day anyway. It's not as hot obviously, but it was pretty warm, and it wasn't as much trouble as I thought to keep it on all day. For the foreseeable future I'll be wearing one for 8+ hours most days so I think I may get used to them. I'm trying out different ones too. The one I wore today I got off Etsy and it was pretty light. My problem is a lot of masks are big on my face (like not fitted to the chin), but when I shrink them in the wash then they fit too tightly to my nose/mouth. I haven't worn one of the blue paper ones yet, but I think those are the ones they gave out at my work. 



Monykalyn said:


> Nice to be trip planning again! The only time I've been in Miami was when we drove down from Universal for our cruise. Looks like a neat city



It is! Now that I've officially got my job back I feel better about planning, and as long as travel has resumed (which is looks like it's going back to normal in FL) we'll be going on our planned trips. 



Monykalyn said:


> PS I found your youtube channel! It is great!



Aw thank you! ​


----------



## Raeven

*HHN Trip*-12.5 weeks
*Disney/Miami Trip*-24.5 weeks

So we're in phase 2 now! (Well phase 3 by Wed). I've been back to work for about a week and a half now which is why I haven't been on here much. My first week I had to work 7 days straight, first at a different location than I normally work in, and then to prep our store to get ready; and now I'm back at my store and finally had a few days off. I found out I was going back about 2-3 days after my last post. I'm both happy things are going back to normal, and missing having so much free time  But I do feel a lot better planning vacations knowing things are opening up, and I'm back to work.  



*Trip Planning*

I haven't really changed any plans or made any new ones since last time, but I have been starting an itinerary for Sep by whittling down the food places I'd picked out. I also did some research on places in Miami we wanted to go and eat for Dec. Both trips look like they're going to go ahead, and I've found all the reports about Universal quite encouraging. This time of year HHN tickets are usually on sale, and I'm curious when we'll start to hear some announcements. (I'm thinking it'll probably be in the next few weeks). There isn't much more to plan until the tickets come out, but I'll keep you updated! 

I also got my new phone! The camera is great & I can't wait to take pictures on vacation with it. 

But for now here's some non vacation photos 

An acai bowl I got from a local place: 






We were going to go hiking at Thatcher Park, but the trails were still closed sadly so we just walked around the part that was open. 





























Also I may have ordered my first HHN shirt if Beetlejuice is one of the houses 

​


----------



## PlutosRHM55

Glad to hear things are back on the table for you! I know I have my ear to the ground on everything with HHN. Virtual auditions/applications for TMs are happening as we speak so hopefully that means we are just gonna get an onslaught of announcements soon. I'm also just hoping that second wave doesn't come through and everything shuts down again because if it does... I know the likelihood is pretty much nonexistent for the parks to stay open and HHN to happen. 

I love your shirt and the overalls! I just watched Sleepaway Camp for the first time so I'm kinda getting into a classic Slasher mood. Good thing I have Shudder now for all my Horror fixes


----------



## schumigirl

Good to see you back posting Raeven!!! 

Love your pictures, what a beautiful area you were visiting.......and love the clothes you`ve bought so far for HHN!!!! 

Glad you`re back at work, that was quite a long time you were out, and hopefully we should all hear something soon about HHN....lots of mutterings around for sure!


----------



## Tracy161

Gorgeous pictures! Glad you got a few days off and happy to see an update


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Raeven

PlutosRHM55 said:


> Glad to hear things are back on the table for you! I know I have my ear to the ground on everything with HHN. Virtual auditions/applications for TMs are happening as we speak so hopefully that means we are just gonna get an onslaught of announcements soon.



Yeah, I really wanted to wait till I knew for sure with my job. I've been reading all the HHN rumors I can find  and I heard about that. I'm hoping in the next few weeks. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I love your shirt and the overalls! I just watched Sleepaway Camp for the first time so I'm kinda getting into a classic Slasher mood. Good thing I have Shudder now for all my Horror fixes



Thank you! I love slasher movies. Shudder has some good ones. 



schumigirl said:


> Love your pictures, what a beautiful area you were visiting.......and love the clothes you`ve bought so far for HHN!!!!



Thank you! I can't wait for some announcements so I know what other shirts to get   



schumigirl said:


> Glad you`re back at work, that was quite a long time you were out, and hopefully we should all hear something soon about HHN....lots of mutterings around for sure!



Glad to be back! And I'm hoping we'll hear something in the next few weeks.



Tracy161 said:


> Gorgeous pictures! Glad you got a few days off and happy to see an update



Thank you! It was nice to have a day off after that week even though I'd had a few months off before that ​


----------



## Monykalyn

Yay for job return! I’ve posted on other threads about Universal and masks- May do a mini trip report when I get home as things did change a bit from one week to next.
Love the clothes!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> I’ve posted on other threads about Universal and masks- May do a mini trip report when I get home as things did change a bit from one week to next.



I'm curious to hear what you thought! I've been trying out a lot of different masks, maybe I'll talk about that in my next post. (But I haven't really been outside in them). 



Monykalyn said:


> Love the clothes!



Thank you! ​


----------



## Monykalyn

Raeven said:


> I'm curious to hear what you thought! I've been trying out a lot of different masks, maybe I'll talk about that in my next post. (But I haven't really been outside in them).
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! ​


I found the disposable masks were more comfortable as it felt good to change into new crisp dry ones every few hours,  The only ride I didn’t like the mask on was Hulk- I love the launch! But I felt I couldn’t breathe with the mask pressed into my mouth so only did it once- and it was literally a walk on- we could have rode over and over.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

I wish we could get a HHN update soon......!!!!!!!!!!

Not just a rumored thing......

A really real “Universal just dump the HHN 30 on us” update!!!


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> My first week I had to work 7 days straight, first at a different location than I normally work in, and then to prep our store to get ready; and now I'm back at my store and finally had a few days off. I found out I was going back about 2-3 days after my last post. I'm both happy things are going back to normal, and missing having so much free time  But I do feel a lot better planning vacations knowing things are opening up, and I'm back to work.



It must be strange being back after such a long break, and under these strange circumstances! It's good you're getting a chance to try out different masks. I am hoping it's one of those things that you get used to the more you do it! I don't love them either!



Raeven said:


> An acai bowl I got from a local place:



That looks delish! I've been trying to make these at home, but have to try some new ingredients as I'm in a rut already lol


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> I found the disposable masks were more comfortable as it felt good to change into new crisp dry ones every few hours, The only ride I didn’t like the mask on was Hulk- I love the launch! But I felt I couldn’t breathe with the mask pressed into my mouth so only did it once- and it was literally a walk on- we could have rode over and over.



Hm, I haven't tried disposable ones yet only cloth. But that makes sense for the heat. 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I wish we could get a HHN update soon......!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Not just a rumored thing......
> 
> A really real “Universal just dump the HHN 30 on us” update!!!



Me too! Although I'm not really sure if we'll be able to go anymore   



KathyM2 said:


> It must be strange being back after such a long break, and under these strange circumstances! It's good you're getting a chance to try out different masks. I am hoping it's one of those things that you get used to the more you do it! I don't love them either!



I guess it was a little bit weird at first because we were working in a different place, but once our location opened up it seemed pretty normal. It's already been almost a month though so I guess it doesn't feel too weird. Although I do miss staying up late and watching Lifetime movies   It hasn't been too terrible to wear them at work, but it's really cold in there. 



KathyM2 said:


> That looks delish! I've been trying to make these at home, but have to try some new ingredients as I'm in a rut already lol



I had an even better one the following week with a different base! Maybe if you could change up the base? They have A LOT of choices on the menus at places that have them, maybe that could give you an idea for new topping ideas. ​


----------



## Raeven

*HHN Trip-*11 weeks

I believe we're nearing phase 4 now, and a lot of things have opened back up. (Except malls which I miss  ). I've been back to work for about a month now, and it seems like everything's back to normal there. I've been trying out masks to see which are comfortable. Luckily, it's very cold where I work so it usually doesn't feel that weird.


*Trip Planning*

Originally I was going to discuss this new speculation map when I got on here to do an update. I think everything looks good on this one except I'm not so crazy about Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 






But right now I'm not even sure if we'll be able to go to HHN this year. 



Things kind of took a turn since my last post about a week and a half ago where things were going well. Since then cases in Florida have kind of been skyrocketing and while Florida has an order on NYers to quarantine still (which I thought expired 7/7 but apparently no one knows for sure), now NY/NJ/Conn is asking people coming from 9 states (one of which is Florida) to also quarantine upon coming back. 

That all adds an extra level of complexity to the trip even if we can figure something out. But if we'd have to quarantine on both sides, there's just no one way we have that kind of time. 

  I don't want to cancel anything yet because things can change really quickly. If the numbers go down and things proceed then we could go (our quarantine order isn't state specific it has to do with numbers which is both good and bad in my opinion. Good because it isn't specifically for FL, but bad because it could change suddenly even while we're already on the trip). 



We also cancelled our trip to Miami. I'm looking into other ideas for that trip. 



Sorry this is such a bummer of an update! Maybe things will change again before my next update and be looking good again, but I'm trying to plan for the fact that it might not. I really miss traveling and was hoping we'd get to go now that things are opening back up. 



If this does end up turning into a PTR for next year, I hope you all still follow along! If we have some unrelated trips I'll share a bit about those, but I miss writing trip reports for the parks. 


It was also Father's Day last weekend! We finally met my brother's new girlfriend at dinner, and I liked her a lot. She was really sweet. 





(My dad hates taking pictures so I don't have a lot of recent ones of him ). Sadly, we are also very behind on 90 Day Fiance since I went back to work, but we're trying to find a day to marathon it. We're having my family birthday party this Sun (I get out of work later now on most days because our hours changed), but I'll let you know about the cake my dad makes this year. 

My 28th birthday was on Wed! Here's a cute card from Josh: 






Restaurants just opened for indoor dining so we were able to go out to eat for my birthday which was nice because we haven't been to a restaurant since Valentine's Day. 











We went to a restaurant called Toro Cantina:











Indoor dining was very distanced, and not many people were inside. But the dining experience seemed pretty normal other than that. 

I got a strawberry margarita: 






We got queso fundito as an appetizer. This was verrryyy cheesy and I liked it a lot. 






Then I got a braised beef burrito and Josh got an enchilada. The entrees were good, but it seemed like so much food! I'm not used to restaurant portions anymore. 






I had to also get some dessert. They had a cool chocolate piñata one, but since it was just me I went with the churros. Which I didn't expect to come out in their own cart 





​


----------



## PlutosRHM55

I've already come to terms with the fact that potentially HHN might not happen. FL has not dealt with any of this well at all. I have a lot of friends who are down there, majority cast members, and they are all terrified about going back to work. Some have been going to Universal to get out of the house once it opened but as far as I know, they've all gone back into quarantine it's getting so bad. I know it's gonna come down to the wire with HHN since it's Universal's biggest source of revenue throughout the year, but I'm ready. I have zoom call ideas and mini party ideas just to fill the void. HHN quarantine style, I will make it happen. 

In terms of the map, I'm still pretty pumped but I agree Texas Chainsaw was here recently. I've never done a 3-D house at HHN, Klowns is probably the closest, but I'm kinda curious how that would work for that property. I'm sad Legendary Truth got booted but having an Icons house AND an Anniversary House sounds amazing. Also, I think that Billie Eilish house might be the sleeper hit. Something about her at this event at this point has me curious and really thinking it through. Also, there were rumors that the vortex tunnel is returning in Beetlejuice and that has me HYPE.

Glad to hear things are going well as we slowly transition back to normalcy! And happy belated!


----------



## Monykalyn

Raeven said:


> had to also get some dessert. They had a cool chocolate piñata one, but since it was just me I went with the churros. Which I didn't expect to come out in their own cart


Happy birthday! And OMG the churro cart!
I personally hint it’s too early to freak about florida and other states cases rising. This was inevitable when things started opening for one. And - cases have been rising for weeks now (although not as sharply) but the death rates have been steadily dropping.  Can’t go by just hospital rates either as the hospitals pretty much all shut down to make way for the gazillion covid cases coming (which didn’t happen).  The CDC has a tracker that shows hospital rates across the states and breaks it down to covid/non covid too.  Other than a few hotspots it really isn’t as dire as it sounds (yet anyway and hope it stays that way). Anyway choosing to be optimistic here .


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Happy Birthday!!!

The dinner looks great.

I have been a bit nervous myself with all the talk of a huge surge in cases, I guess they ordered all bars closed again in Florida and Texas.......

Fingers crossed that’s for sure....


----------



## schumigirl

​
Love your pictures Raeven!!! You have a lovely family. 

And the card from Josh is so cute.....food looks lovely too and nice you were able to celebrate your birthday eating out. You look very pretty in that dress and will look forward to your picture of the cake that`s being made by you by your dad!!!!

Oh don`t cancel just yet Raeven! You never know......keeping all things crossed you still get to Orlando. It`s true things can change so quickly. It`s a mess for sure, but I still think not knowing for sure is worse. I`m sorry for the trips you have cancelled....but completely understand, it does make sense.

Of course we`ll still follow along for next year if it comes to that....I just joked to mac my trip report will end up being the longest pre trip report ever for next May......lol......you`ve got to laugh at times!!!

But, enjoy your family celebration tomorrow.....hope it`s a good one!!!


----------



## Raeven

PlutosRHM55 said:


> I've already come to terms with the fact that potentially HHN might not happen.



Same here. I just want to know one way or another so I can start planning to go somewhere else if that's the case. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I've never done a 3-D house at HHN, Klowns is probably the closest, but I'm kinda curious how that would work for that property.



The first two years I went they had 3D houses and they were not great imo. I find the 3D paint all around a little gimmicky. Kind of reminds me a local haunted house instead of an HHN one. 




PlutosRHM55 said:


> And happy belated!



Thank you! 



Monykalyn said:


> Happy birthday! And OMG the churro cart!



THank you   



Monykalyn said:


> I personally hint it’s too early to freak about florida and other states cases rising. This was inevitable when things started opening for one. And - cases have been rising for weeks now (although not as sharply) but the death rates have been steadily dropping.



I've heard all of that and personally am not worried about travel. But the way that information is being put out there I see a lot of people putting pressure on places to close again, and I could see it happening. It's also not really up to us, but more to the states and what their quarantine orders are. If we had to quarantine on both sides we just don't have the time to do so, and Florida will have to see a big decrease in cases before they're off the list for quarantine here. But of course in the next 2.5 months things could completely change. 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Happy Birthday!!!



Thank you!



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I have been a bit nervous myself with all the talk of a huge surge in cases, I guess they ordered all bars closed again in Florida and Texas.......
> 
> Fingers crossed that’s for sure....



Yes I heard that too. Fingers crossed!



schumigirl said:


> Love your pictures Raeven!!! You have a lovely family.
> 
> And the card from Josh is so cute.....food looks lovely too and nice you were able to celebrate your birthday eating out. You look very pretty in that dress



Thank you!



schumigirl said:


> will look forward to your picture of the cake that`s being made by you by your dad!!!!



He said it would be chocolate but "spiced up" so I'm not sure what that means yet 



schumigirl said:


> Oh don`t cancel just yet Raeven! You never know......keeping all things crossed you still get to Orlando. It`s true things can change so quickly. It`s a mess for sure, but I still think not knowing for sure is worse. I`m sorry for the trips you have cancelled....but completely understand, it does make sense.



I definitely won't cancel HHN till the last minute (unless there's some kind of announcement). But I'm going to make alternate plans just in case. It is very hard not knowing. 



schumigirl said:


> Of course we`ll still follow along for next year if it comes to that....I just joked to mac my trip report will end up being the longest pre trip report ever for next May......lol......you`ve got to laugh at times!!!



Lol yes we'll both have very long PTRs for next year  Our first trip next year will probably be April/May too. Just not sure where yet. 



schumigirl said:


> But, enjoy your family celebration tomorrow.....hope it`s a good one!!!



Thank you! ​


----------



## macraven

Belated 

I do like long pretrip reports!

The longer. the better.


----------



## Raeven

macraven said:


> Belated



Thank you!



macraven said:


> I do like long pretrip reports!
> 
> The longer. the better.



 Good! This could be a long one!​


----------



## KathyM2

OMG your own Churro cart!!!! I love that!!!!


----------



## Lesley Wake

Raeven said:


> Luckily, it's very cold where I work so it usually doesn't feel that weird, but the ones with the elastic straps do hurt my ears after awhile.


Have you looked at Ear Protectors on etsy? They are pretty cheap and basically turn the elastic ones into full around the head versions! 


Raeven said:


> Ideally, I'd have swapped it back to California (we don't have to quarantine coming from there), but their cases are also going up so I don't want to do that yet.


Yeah, we just don't know how things are going to keep going here. Bars are already shut down again in most counties. The other ones aren't necessarily safer, just more stubborn! I don't know when we will get back to the office yet. 


Raeven said:


> My 28th birthday was on Wed! Here's a cute card from Josh:


So cute!


----------



## samheatherwhite

Raeven said:


> I've been trying out masks to see which are comfortable (mostly from Etsy and Fashion Nova). Luckily, it's very cold where I work so it usually doesn't feel that weird, but the ones with the elastic straps do hurt my ears after awhile.


G has an interesting way to help with the masks that rub on your ears. Most of them seem to have pretty long elastic and she has started to wear her hair in a bun and criss cross the straps in the back using her hair to secure the mask. It's funny but she swears that it is more comfortable.


----------



## Raeven

Lesley Wake said:


> Have you looked at Ear Protectors on etsy? They are pretty cheap and basically turn the elastic ones into full around the head versions!



No, but it's not really a big deal. I only have 2 masks with elastic straps and I can wear them for like 6 hours before they start bothering my ears. I mostly wear cloth ones, and those are fine. Or I change my mask partway through the day. I think those other masks will be good for stuff outside work, because for the most part I won't need to wear one for longer than a couple hours outside work. 



Lesley Wake said:


> Yeah, we just don't know how things are going to keep going here. Bars are already shut down again in most counties. The other ones aren't necessarily safer, just more stubborn! I don't know when we will get back to the office yet.



Yeah I read that earlier things are so unpredictable right now. It's really hard to plan anything because the situation changes so fast.




samheatherwhite said:


> G has an interesting way to help with the masks that rub on your ears. Most of them seem to have pretty long elastic and she has started to wear her hair in a bun and criss cross the straps in the back using her hair to secure the mask. It's funny but she swears that it is more comfortable.



A lot of the masks are big on me too! Sometimes I tie knots in the loops.​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> (Except malls which I miss  )


Me too! As a 90s teenager, not having access to the mall is just terrible for me   



Raeven said:


> (I finally found a fox mask )


So cute!



Raeven said:


> Sorry this is such a bummer of an update! Maybe things will change again before my next update and be looking good again, but I'm trying to plan for the fact that it might not. I really miss traveling and was hoping we'd get to go now that things are opening back up.


Ugh, I get it. It would be so much easier if we just *knew* when all this would go away. Because even if it was a terrible date way in the future, the anxiety of "will this happen, won't this happen?" would at least be gone. 



Raeven said:


> Sadly, I don't see us being able to go to Disney at all even through next year because of the reservation system.


I don't see me going back to Disney anytime soon either. There's just so much I'm not sure I want to deal with even if I could go. 



Raeven said:


> They had a cool chocolate piñata one, but since it was just me I went with the churros. Which I didn't expect to come out in their own cart


Happy belated birthday!!! LOVE your churros cart!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Me too! As a 90s teenager, not having access to the mall is just terrible for me



It's true! 90's me needs to go to the mall, even though I never find anything there and always end up ordering stuff online anyway. But there's nothing I hate more than mailing returns back so I'd rather try stuff on in person.



Tracy161 said:


> Ugh, I get it. It would be so much easier if we just *knew* when all this would go away. Because even if it was a terrible date way in the future, the anxiety of "will this happen, won't this happen?" would at least be gone.



Yeah, it would definitely make decisions and potential planning easier. 



Tracy161 said:


> I don't see me going back to Disney anytime soon either. There's just so much I'm not sure I want to deal with even if I could go.



Same   



Tracy161 said:


> Happy belated birthday!!! LOVE your churros cart!



Thank you! ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> It's true! 90's me needs to go to the mall, even though I never find anything there and always end up ordering stuff online anyway. But there's nothing I hate more than mailing returns back so I'd rather try stuff on in person.


Yes. Yes. And, yes.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Raeven

*HHN or Chicago Trip*-8.5 weeks

Sorry it's been awhile since I updated! I don't really have many travel updates. We've also been dealing with some bug problems. We've never really had bugs in our apartment. But 2 weeks ago, we had an issue with ants. 



(Which was actually pretty easily solved once we sprayed and put down some cinnamon. Yes, apparently ants hate cinnamon   ).

But for the last week we've been finding earwigs inside  It started out with a few, but last Thurs we found over 10 in one night.



Over the weekend we raked out the nest (it seemed to be under the porch, we don't really use our porch and it appears maintenance just throws all the debris under porches) and sprayed. (They seem to be coming in the cracks in doors and windows which sadly we can't fill all of and our maintenance isn't much help). If you following me long enough you might remember the Great Door and Window Debacle of 2017 where they replaced our doors and windows, but did such a crappy job that I knew we'd have problems down the road. I think we've reduced the number getting in, but we haven't completely solved the problem. 

Also they mostly come out at night when Josh is sleeping so I'm usually the one that deals with them, and last week one got up onto the bed  so I've had a bit of a hard time falling asleep at night . 

Oh, and we started watching the old Unsolved Mysteries because the new one just isn't as good! My favorite segments are the ones about hauntings  and the ones where they reunite lost loved ones. 

*Trip Planning*

In the last 2 weeks there hasn't really been a change to Florida's numbers. In fact they renewed the quarantine for the Tri State area coming to FL, and we now have to quarantine here coming back from 19 different states (of which Florida is one of). It looks like HHN will be going on (so far), and I'd really like to go, but I'm doubtful things will change enough to allow it. 

We aren't cancelling officially till Aug (because the hotel is all we booked anyway), so I'm hoping we have enough info to make the decision then. Right now I'm looking at Chicago or Boston for potential trips to take that trip's place. I probably won't decide anything until it's really close to the trip, but the only thing I can really do right now is book hotels and airfare.  I've booked a hotel in Chicago and flights to and from just in case we decide on that. I think we'd prefer to go to Chicago, but if we have to choose somewhere closer Boston is a good option too. 

We've decided to not go anywhere in Dec (unless Sep really really doesn't work out I guess).  

I know I pretty much said this in my last update. But I'll keep updating, and even do a small TR for wherever we do end up going this year, but as for theme parks I'll keep this going for next year.   

*Some photos from the last few weeks:*

My birthday cake! It was chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, and the colors were an attempt at tie dye. (The Lactaid in the back is my brother's ). 

*



*

My aunt got me these flowers: 

*



*

4th of July: 

*



*
(He was not looking which is probably good because he was driving ).

We can gather in groups of up to 50 now so my cousin had a family & friend BBQ on the 4th. 

A neighbor of theirs was setting off fireworks so here's one we could see: 

*



*

Last night we had my brother's birthday 

*



*

His cake was white with peanut butter frosting, and for some reason my aunt bought us all giant bags of random M&M flavors . 

*



*​


----------



## PlutosRHM55

There definitely must be some ant thing going on because we've been having issues with ants at my parents' house in NH and while we've controlled it (to a minefield of ant hills near our graden), bugs are just everywhere. Could it be the next plague coming through in this impending apocalypse? Who knows? I'm sorry you had to deal with it too though. It's all... so gross.

I've been hearing more things saying that HHN is going forward as long as the parks are opened, which they shouldn't all things considered, but that's neither here nor there. It seems like the parks are opened so HHN30 is gonna be one weird year. I'm personally holding off on doing anything as much as in normal circumstances I'd have my Frequent Fear by now (which is probz not gonna be a thing, rip until 2021) until I know for sure Florida has their you-know-what together. It makes one so anxious though, doesn't it?

Glad to see you've been still managing to enjoy yourselves as this madness has started to get ahold of itself. Hopefully, we see a good turn for the better soon.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *HHN or Chicago/Boston Trip*-8.5 weeks
> 
> Sorry it's been awhile since I updated! I don't really have many travel updates. We've also been dealing with some bug problems. We've never really had bugs in our apartment (except when our old window was rotting a few years ago and some carpenter ants started hanging out around it before they replaced it). But 2 weeks ago, we had an issue with ants.
> 
> View attachment 509701
> 
> (Which was actually pretty easily solved once we sprayed and put down some cinnamon. Yes, apparently ants hate cinnamon   ).
> 
> But for the last week we've been finding earwigs inside  It started out with a few, but last Thurs we found over 10 in one night.
> 
> View attachment 509702
> 
> Over the weekend we raked out the nest (it seemed to be under the porch, we don't really use our porch and it appears maintenance just throws all the debris under porches) and sprayed. (They seem to be coming in the cracks in doors and windows which sadly we can't fill all of and our maintenance isn't much help). If you following me long enough you might remember the Great Door and Window Debacle of 2017 where they replaced our doors and windows, but did such a crappy job that I knew we'd have problems down the road. I think we've reduced the number getting in, but we haven't completely solved the problem.
> 
> Also they mostly come out at night when Josh is sleeping so I'm usually the one that deals with them, and last week one got up onto the bed  so I've had a bit of a hard time falling asleep at night . We've been here for 5 years, and we plan to move (our lease is up in Dec/Jan), we've had so many issues here this year that we're definitely serious about this time.
> 
> Oh, and we started watching the old Unsolved Mysteries because the new one just isn't as good! (I'd say rewatching, but most the ones I saw I watched with my grandma when I was little). My favorite segments are the ones about hauntings  and the ones where they reunite lost loved ones.
> 
> *Trip Planning*
> 
> In the last 2 weeks there hasn't really been a change to Florida's numbers. In fact they renewed the quarantine for the Tri State area coming to FL, and we now have to quarantine here coming back from 19 different states (of which Florida is one of). My work has let me know we could do that (though the time would be unpaid), but it would not look favorable on my record. It looks like HHN will be going on (so far), and I'd really like to go, but I'm doubtful things will change enough to allow it.
> 
> We aren't cancelling officially till Aug (because the hotel is all we booked anyway), so I'm hoping we have enough info to make the decision then. Right now I'm looking at Chicago or Boston for potential trips to take that trip's place. I probably won't decide anything until it's really close to the trip, but the only thing I can really do right now is book hotels and airfare (which we wouldn't need for Boston). NY residents can enter and come back from both states without quarantining currently, and things look like they're opening in both places. I've booked a hotel in Chicago and flights to and from just in case we decide on that. I think we'd prefer to go to Chicago, but if we have to choose somewhere closer Boston is a good option too.
> 
> We've decided to not go anywhere in Dec (unless Sep really really doesn't work out I guess). I think we're going to use that week to move. If we don't go on a second trip, I can start looking for cars earlier next year, and I definitely would like to replace mine soon.
> 
> I know I pretty much said this in my last update. But I'll keep updating, and even do a small TR for wherever we do end up going this year, but as for theme parks I'll keep this going for next year. (Tentatively next year we'd like to go to Cali in May, and Florida in Sep. If we don't do Chicago this year we may do it in the same trip as Cali, and I'm not sure if we'll do a long trip in Sep or a weekend one and then do a longer one in Dec which would include Miami).
> 
> *Some photos from the last few weeks:*
> 
> My birthday cake! It was chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, and the colors were an attempt at tie dye. (The Lactaid in the back is my brother's ).
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> My aunt got me these flowers:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> 4th of July:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> (He was not looking which is probably good because he was driving ).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We can gather in groups of up to 50 now so my cousin had a family & friend BBQ on the 4th. Here's dad, me, my uncle, my aunt, and my cousins. (My brother was working).
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> A neighbor of theirs was setting off fireworks so here's one we could see:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> Last night we had my brother's birthday
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> His cake was white with peanut butter frosting, and for some reason my aunt bought us all giant bags of random M&M flavors .
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *​



As always, your family pictures are lovely.....and the cakes are fabulous!!!! I want a tie dye cake now!!!! And beautiful flowers too......

Love those Unsolved Mysteries shows too!!! It passes an hour or so some evenings.....I discovered some old shows about hauntings on some obscure channel a few weeks ago......completely addictive!!!

Oh the travel issues are just off the scale right now!!! You do right to not cancel just yet......Boston sounds a good option. I`d love to visit there.....it`s on the ever growing bucket list!! Every time I went to NY someone suggested I`d love it in Boston.

You`ll get sorted out I`m sure......you have some excellent Plan B`s......


----------



## macraven

Raeven, what part of Chicago is for your stay?

I lived in the city and there are some great places to go and do there.

Hope whatever plans you decide on will be great!


----------



## KathyM2

That cake is beautiful!! I hope it tasted as good as it looked!!

I'm so sorry about all the travel plans having to change or cancel. It would be nice to do a short trip to Boston or Chicago though, both amazing cities. I'm so itching to travel again too, but who knows when that will happen for us, in Canada we can't even leave our own province right now.


----------



## Raeven

PlutosRHM55 said:


> There definitely must be some ant thing going on because we've been having issues with ants at my parents' house in NH and while we've controlled it (to a minefield of ant hills near our graden), bugs are just everywhere.



I've heard that a lot this year! There does seem to be more bugs coming inside than usual. And it is gross   



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I've been hearing more things saying that HHN is going forward as long as the parks are opened, which they shouldn't all things considered, but that's neither here nor there.



I've been hearing that too. I'm also surprised by that. I've been thinking they'd cancel, and kind of think that's why they're holding off on announcements just in case. 



PlutosRHM55 said:


> I'm personally holding off on doing anything as much as in normal circumstances I'd have my Frequent Fear by now (which is probz not gonna be a thing, rip until 2021) until I know for sure Florida has their you-know-what together. It makes one so anxious though, doesn't it?



Me too! (well we get Rush of Fear) I've also heard no Express this year too. We were actually considering getting one of the passes with Express rolled in this year too  I don't feel as anxious about it anymore because I don't think it'll be happening, but it's hard not to have a trip fully planned this close. 



schumigirl said:


> As always, your family pictures are lovely.....and the cakes are fabulous!!!! I want a tie dye cake now!!!! And beautiful flowers too......



Thank you! 



schumigirl said:


> Boston sounds a good option. I`d love to visit there.....it`s on the ever growing bucket list!! Every time I went to NY someone suggested I`d love it in Boston.



We've been once before and it was lovely! But it was only for a weekend a couple years ago. You should definitely visit sometime! I prefer it to NYC actually. 



macraven said:


> Raeven, what part of Chicago is for your stay?



We'd be staying in the River North area. We won't have a car so we'll probably stay within a half hour of that area. Though if we went maybe we'd rent a car for a day to go a little further out. 

I stayed there last time I went with a friend and we did Shedd Aquarium, Millennium Park, and shopped on the Mag Mile. But I've always wanted to bring Josh back, and go for longer so I could show him those things and more.




KathyM2 said:


> That cake is beautiful!! I hope it tasted as good as it looked!!



Thank you! It was delicious.



KathyM2 said:


> I'm so sorry about all the travel plans having to change or cancel. It would be nice to do a short trip to Boston or Chicago though, both amazing cities. I'm so itching to travel again too, but who knows when that will happen for us, in Canada we can't even leave our own province right now.



Yes either one would be nice to go to. Hopefully when we get to that time one of those can work out! I miss traveling so much. Oh no that's terrible! We have 22 states we can't go to now without quaranting on the way back so they aren't travel options. ​


----------



## Monykalyn

I hear ya on the travel plans. I am so glad we were able to go to FLorida early June, and we got back last week from 10 road trip to/through South Dakota, and very glad we did that. Nature always helps-lots of hikes in National and State parks.
I still have my flights and hotel for HHN-but like you I'd normally be buying my ROF pass-last year we splurged for express with it-heaven!
When we did Universal in June I was perfectly comfortable in the parks, but the second day just got sad that this is the way we have to experience the parks right now-when I use the parks to shut out outside world. That feeling got re-enforced after the national park road trip. I am leaning more and more to cancelling my Disney AP.

Happy Birthdays to you and your brother!!

And hopefully you do get a getaway somewhere this year!!  Am also thinking with money saved from reduced trips will be nice! I have a cruise booked for January but will cancel/postpone that until later 2021 or 2022 when I feel like sitting on hold for hours .
And now second guessing if should even plan for Europe next year (after trip this year cancelled) or just plan for 2022 and not have the anxiety of "will it or won't it" happen...

The not knowing is so hard


----------



## lvcourtneyy

We're pretty much in the same boat for HHN. We have a trip booked for September for when we originally planned to be in Cali but if the quarantine situation is still the same, we won't be able to go either. My hospital was briefly offering the option of volunteering for a covid test if you travelled to one of the states and then you could return to work without quarantining but they aren't offering that anymore unless you can prove your absence would cause a "staffing disaster" lol.

I'm still hoping something will change by then but I've accepted there's a 95% chance it won't


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

I was looking up some info on a The Kitchen at HR and one of your videos was right there!!!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> That feeling got re-enforced after the national park road trip. I am leaning more and more to cancelling my Disney AP.



Aw yeah that's part of it too. I'm leaning towards cancelling my Universal one and then getting a new one next year. It seems pointless to pay for it this year and next and go 0 times. 



Monykalyn said:


> Happy Birthdays to you and your brother!!



Thank you! 



Monykalyn said:


> And hopefully you do get a getaway somewhere this year!! Am also thinking with money saved from reduced trips will be nice! I have a cruise booked for January but will cancel/postpone that until later 2021 or 2022 when I feel like sitting on hold for hours .



I hope so too! I hope you can go on a cruise next year. 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I was looking up some info on a The Kitchen at HR and one of your videos was right there!!!



​


----------



## Raeven

*Chicago Trip*-7 weeks
*First 2021 Trip*-9 months 

If anyone was wondering about our earwig situation, everything we did seemed to work and I haven't seen one in about a week.  We did see one here or there for awhile, but I think that was just the last of the ones that got inside. 

*Trip Planning*

Well by now we've all heard the news that HHN is officially cancelled this year. 



I feel like I got pretty used to the idea that it would be cancelled our we wouldn't be able to go in the last few weeks so it wasn't as much of a disappointment as I thought it'd be. I was reading a lot of speculation on it, and some people who said they had inside info had been saying for awhile it was going to be cancelled (and I kind of thought that's why they held off on announcing anything). 

I'm glad this year isn't the 30th though, I didn't want to miss it and I really wanted the 30th to be special. I don't know what that means for the IPs they had and it's probably too early to speculate, but Beetlejuice was what I was looking forward to the most. 


(All of us waiting for next year's HHN now ).

So that's the end of any potential Orlando trips for us. I already cancelled our flights. (I have a lot of flight credit for next year). And I cancelled our room at RPR as well on Friday. I'm also thinking of cancelling our AP's, and getting new ones before our next trip. There's going to be 2 years between our last trip and when we go next, and it seems pointless to pay monthly for passes that will only be used for a couple days, a year from now. 

I've been doing more trip planning and research on our backup trip ideas. Right now we're leaning towards Chicago unless quarantine rules change. There seems to be more open, and more we want to do. In Boston a lot of restaurants still seem closed, and right now we're one of the only states allowed in without quaranting, but that can change if numbers do. 

So this is now officially a 2021 PTR!


I'm going to pretty much keep the same title because HHN 30 has technically been moved to next year, and because we'll probably be doing very similar trips to what we were planning to do this year. But I have plenty of time to think about that. I'll still try to update about every 2 weeks, but I might not have any trip planning updates for awhile. 

*Some photos from the last weekend when we went to Pine Hollow Arboretum:
























*​


----------



## schumigirl

Yay for 2021!!!! 

It sucks, but least you know what you`re doing now Raeven........hope you get your Chiccago or Boston trip sorted, it`s nice you have options still, and hope no quarantine issues pop up for you. Always a worry right now.....

Lovely pictures as always, looks a beautiful place to visit. 

Now I`m looking forward to your 2021 TR........


----------



## DLo

So bummed for you with HHN being canceled.  
I would just watch Chicago’s restrictions. Several states will have to quarantine now - I don’t think you are effected but we are here in Georgia .  My in laws live there and we want to visit but who knows when that will happen.  Good luck with your planning and hope you get to get away.


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> It sucks, but least you know what you`re doing now Raeven........hope you get your Chiccago or Boston trip sorted, it`s nice you have options still, and hope no quarantine issues pop up for you. Always a worry right now.....
> 
> Lovely pictures as always, looks a beautiful place to visit.
> 
> Now I`m looking forward to your 2021 TR........



Yeah, I’m glad to know though. I hope we can go on some kind of trip!

Thank you!

I can’t wait till we can start planning 2021!



DLo said:


> I would just watch Chicago’s restrictions. Several states will have to quarantine now - I don’t think you are effected but we are here in Georgia .  My in laws live there and we want to visit but who knows when that will happen.  Good luck with your planning and hope you get to get away.



Yeah, that’s why we’re planning 2 trips in case quarantine orders shift. We have to watch on our end too because we can’t come back in from 31 states without quarantining now. Right now we can go into both (Boston’s is even stricter and we’re one of like 7 states that can go in). Both places are still open to us for now though. Thank you!​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> Well by now we've all heard the news that HHN is officially cancelled this year.



I'm so sorry to hear this. But....not a huge surprise unfortunately. You are lucky you still get to travel some though....I'm getting so desperate to go anywhere that I'm considering doing some more travel within Canada. Which hey, probably something more Canadians should do anyway, seeing more of our own country. Right now even that is pretty restricted for us...and people are getting their cars egged for going into different provinces when people see their licence plates....so....not sure about that either....

Chicago is amazing though, always a fun trip. I'm sure you have done this but have you gone on the architectural boat tour? I really loved that and recommend to anyone, I may have even said that to you before lol but just in case I haven't!!

I'm sure when HHN comes back it will be better than ever!


----------



## Jules76126

Hello. I have been a lurker, but I have to say I feel you on trips getting canceled. My husband and I had a bunch of different trips we were planning and we have had to cancel all of them. I actually live right outside Boston and we have decided just to go to Cape Cod for a few days so we don't have to deal with any quarantine orders. We could isolate for 14 days as we are both WFH right now, but prefer not to have to deal with that. 

Boston is very strict right now. You cannot walk anywhere without a mask. Since we live outside the city, it is a little more lax, but Boston is being very tight. Many times are open now with limited capacity and lots of restaurants have outdoor seating, including turning sidewalks into patios. Good thing here is everyone is pretty compliant with the measures. I don't see Baker restricting NY or other New England states unless things got really bad. I hope you enjoy wherever you end up.


----------



## missangelalexis

I'm sorry about HHN and no Orlando trips for this year  But hopefully Chicago or Boston will pan out!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> I'm so sorry to hear this. But....not a huge surprise unfortunately.



No it wasn't too big of a surprise for me.



KathyM2 said:


> You are lucky you still get to travel some though....I'm getting so desperate to go anywhere that I'm considering doing some more travel within Canada.



Well it's still all up in the air until right before we go, but I'd be very happy if we did get to travel somewhere. This general area isn't my ideal vacation, but we just don't have the time to quarantine coming back from anywhere else. 



KathyM2 said:


> Right now even that is pretty restricted for us...and people are getting their cars egged for going into different provinces when people see their licence plates....so....not sure about that either....



Oh wow, that seems a little much. 



KathyM2 said:


> Chicago is amazing though, always a fun trip. I'm sure you have done this but have you gone on the architectural boat tour? I really loved that and recommend to anyone, I may have even said that to you before lol but just in case I haven't!!



I'd love to go! Sadly, they just added Illinois to our list of places we can't go without quarantining so I'm not so sure it's an option anymore. They weren't doing badly before so maybe it'll go off the list, but I'm not sure. A boat tour of some sort was an idea I had, but I wasn't sure if they were all still running or would be on our dates yet. 



Jules76126 said:


> Hello. I have been a lurker, but I have to say I feel you on trips getting canceled.



Hi     it's been a very disappointing year for trip planning. I'm sorry you had to cancel yours too. 



Jules76126 said:


> I actually live right outside Boston and we have decided just to go to Cape Cod for a few days so we don't have to deal with any quarantine orders.



We'd be driving so we'd maybe go to Boston and some other areas. Cape Cod is one of our ideas! I hope you have fun! 



Jules76126 said:


> Boston is very strict right now. You cannot walk anywhere without a mask



Even outside? It's pretty strict here too.



Jules76126 said:


> Many times are open now with limited capacity and lots of restaurants have outdoor seating, including turning sidewalks into patios



Yeah, I saw that when I started looking. I'd really have to pay attention to times when picking restaurants. I'd probably try to go for restaurants where we can make reservations. 



Jules76126 said:


> I don't see Baker restricting NY or other New England states unless things got really bad. I hope you enjoy wherever you end up.



Yeah, I don't see that happening either. I've also thought of looking at NJ because we're in that agreement with them regarding quarantines so I don't think that would close to us either.



missangelalexis said:


> I'm sorry about HHN and no Orlando trips for this year  But hopefully Chicago or Boston will pan out!



Aw yeah I know it's sad  but thank you! Hopefully something works out  I guess we really won't know till the last minute. ​


----------



## Tracy161

Ugh, what a bummer about HHN, but I'm glad you took the news better than expected given you had suspected it for a while. I still cannot believe this is our reality, even many months into this pandemic. LOVE the pics of the arboretum though! (that's the reason for me "loving" your post... NOT because of the trip cancellation   ) Looks absolutely beautiful!


----------



## lvcourtneyy

Even though it's no surprise that HHN was cancelled, I'm still sad about it lol.

I agree with you though- it would stink if the event still went on and we couldn't go so that is one positive. 

We have a bunch of flight credits now too lol hopefully we can all use them in 2021!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> but I'm glad you took the news better than expected given you had suspected it for a while.



Yeah, I was pretty sure that was what they'd have to do for HHN, but wasn't sure because it looked like the event was going ahead.



Tracy161 said:


> I still cannot believe this is our reality, even many months into this pandemic



Me too.



Tracy161 said:


> LOVE the pics of the arboretum though! (that's the reason for me "loving" your post... NOT because of the trip cancellation  ) Looks absolutely beautiful!



Thank you!

[/QUOTE]


lvcourtneyy said:


> Even though it's no surprise that HHN was cancelled, I'm still sad about it lol.
> 
> I agree with you though- it would stink if the event still went on and we couldn't go so that is one positive.



Yeah it is sad, but I think I would've felt worse knowing it was going on but we couldn't go.



lvcourtneyy said:


> We have a bunch of flight credits now too lol hopefully we can all use them in 2021!



We probably won't end up using any at all this year. We still have flights to Chicago booked, but it looks like that may be out now so all our 2021 flights will probably be paid for   ​


----------



## vrajewski10513

I’m glad they decided to cancel. I just don’t see how they could have safely ran that event on the state Florida is in right now. I feel awful for the TMs who have been laid off due to the cancellation. We had already decided we were taking the year off, so selfishly, I’m glad we won’t be missing anything this year.



Raeven said:


> I don't know what that means for the IPs they had and it's probably too early to speculate, but Beetlejuice was what I was looking forward to the most. (I really like Hill House, but I'm not sure how relevant that'll be by next year? I know they're doing another season with a different ghost story so maybe it's still possible. But I did really like the first season).


I have to imagine that the licensing agreements have expiration dates and will need to be renegotiated if they want to use them next year. I don’t see them using Hill House as a stand alone next year, but possibly as a hybrid house with Hill House and Blythe Manor (like they did with AHS). I love Hill House, so i have high hopes for Blythe Manor! 



Raeven said:


> I've been doing more trip planning and research on our backup trip ideas. Right now we're leaning towards Chicago unless quarantine rules change. There seems to be more open, and more we want to do. In Boston a lot of restaurants still seem closed, and right now we're one of the only states allowed in without quaranting, but that can change if numbers do


It’s so hard right now to be a NYer trying to travel anywhere.. more so just to come home.. 75% of the country is under travel quarantine when we return home! We’ve been trying to find things within NYS that would be fun long weekend type trips.
Good luck! I hope you guys find somewhere fun to visit!


----------



## Raeven

vrajewski10513 said:


> I’m glad they decided to cancel. I just don’t see how they could have safely ran that event on the state Florida is in right now. I feel awful for the TMs who have been laid off due to the cancellation. We had already decided we were taking the year off, so selfishly, I’m glad we won’t be missing anything this year.



Yeah, I didn't see a way they could either. It looked for awhile like it might be going forward, but I guess maybe they just wanted to be prepared for either outcome. 



vrajewski10513 said:


> I have to imagine that the licensing agreements have expiration dates and will need to be renegotiated if they want to use them next year. I don’t see them using Hill House as a stand alone next year, but possibly as a hybrid house with Hill House and Blythe Manor (like they did with AHS). I love Hill House, so i have high hopes for Blythe Manor!



Yeah, I sadly don't see them using just Hill House so I hope that's what they do. I really want to see Hill House there still! 



vrajewski10513 said:


> It’s so hard right now to be a NYer trying to travel anywhere.. more so just to come home.. 75% of the country is under travel quarantine when we return home! We’ve been trying to find things within NYS that would be fun long weekend type trips.
> Good luck! I hope you guys find somewhere fun to visit!



Yeah, that's the problem. I think there's 31+ states we can't go to now or else we have to quarantine coming back. But some states you also need to quarantine going in. I feel like we've already exhausted things we had to do in NY and we don't want to go to NYC. Right now it's down to MA and NJ, but maybe Chicago if things improve there. ​


----------



## Monykalyn

Bummer about HHN but when Craig did the Unplugged show about it-I agree with him. I want to go and NOT have a diminished experience-and I will wait for the full experience next year. 
And so the flight credits rack up again...my original flights on one airline were outright cancelled a few days before the HHn announcement so I made bookings on another airline as prices were better and days fit better-and now i cancelled those too.

Still moving the kiddo into UCF in a couple weeks so we will be in Florida anyway and will probably go to Universal a couple days. With the low crowds it's better there than local grocery store!

Hope you get a getaway somewhere!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Bummer about HHN but when Craig did the Unplugged show about it-I agree with him. I want to go and NOT have a diminished experience-and I will wait for the full experience next year.
> And so the flight credits rack up again...my original flights on one airline were outright cancelled a few days before the HHn announcement so I made bookings on another airline as prices were better and days fit better-and now i cancelled those too.
> 
> Still moving the kiddo into UCF in a couple weeks so we will be in Florida anyway and will probably go to Universal a couple days. With the low crowds it's better there than local grocery store!
> 
> Hope you get a getaway somewhere!



Yeah I do want the 30th to be special. I would’ve tried to go to it if they had it this year even if it was diminished, but I’m glad they’ll be able to do it justice next year.

We had bought flights for 3 different trips, so lots of flight credits 

Ooo that sounds fun! & I hope so too! Still looking at places, but I’m not sure how good the probability of going anywhere is looking right now. It’s going to be really last minute when we know for sure since everything changes everyday.​


----------



## Monykalyn

Raeven said:


> Yeah I do want the 30th to be special. I would’ve tried to go to it if they had it this year even if it was diminished, but I’m glad they’ll be able to do it justice next year.
> 
> We had bought flights for 3 different trips, so lots of flight credits
> 
> Ooo that sounds fun! & I hope so too! Still looking at places, but I’m not sure how good the probability of going anywhere is looking right now. It’s going to be really last minute when we know for sure since everything changes everyday.​


Where do you fly from? 
If you listened to Dis Unplugged this week (i think it was this week-things are blending) you heard Silver Dollar City was in top ten amusement parks. Fall is gorgeous here, and Christmas season at SDC is really spectacular-although it can be cold!  We haven't had passes to SDC in a few years (got caught up in the disney AP/Universal AP) but would like to get back during Christmas season.


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Where do you fly from?



Albany.



Monykalyn said:


> If you listened to Dis Unplugged this week (i think it was this week-things are blending) you heard Silver Dollar City was in top ten amusement parks. Fall is gorgeous here, and Christmas season at SDC is really spectacular-although it can be cold! We haven't had passes to SDC in a few years (got caught up in the disney AP/Universal AP) but would like to get back during Christmas season.



I didn't, but I've heard about Silver Dollar City before. It was something we've looked at, but sadly that's also one of the states we can't go to. I hope you get to go though, it sounds really cool! ​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Trip*-4 weeks
*First 2021 Trip*-9 months


*Trip Planning*

Since I've last posted Chicago is now out as an option for us.



I was disappointed because that was the idea I had planned for the most thoroughly since we had been planning to go earlier this year. 

Right now we're looking at Denver, with the possibility that, that may have to change last minute.  Out of the ideas I researched, it ended up being our favorite and had a lot of attractions we were excited about. 



Our backup ideas are Connecticut, Boston/Salem, or some combination of the two. If we go on a roadtrip to one of those places we may also go to a few places in our state along the way. I haven't booked basically anything yet because I'm still looking at places. (Though I may book the flight and hotel for Denver tonight). So it feels weird to be so close to a trip, and not have much planned. 



Because of the timing of our trip there's not many other Halloween events going on which is kind of disappointing because when we go to FL everything for Halloween is already started by then. But Denver does have a haunted house that looks like it may open our 2nd weekend, Salem has Halloween stuff year round, and in NY the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze also starts the second weekend so we'll try to get some Halloween in! 



​


----------



## KathyM2

A little trip is better than no trip and I'm jealous of anyone travelling anytime soon!! Denver looks really beautiful, I've only passed through its airport, but the views were great!! I look forward to hearing about it if you get to go! Otherwise your backup plans look pretty fun too, I think any Halloween stuff anywhere will be new and different and also something great to look forward to!!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Denver looks really beautiful, I've only passed through its airport, but the views were great!!



It does!  We passed through the airport last year, but didn't get to see anything else.



KathyM2 said:


> Otherwise your backup plans look pretty fun too,



Yes!



KathyM2 said:


> I think any Halloween stuff anywhere will be new and different and also something great to look forward to!!



Hopefully we get to see something Halloween! ​


----------



## Tracy161

Ugh, I'm really sorry to hear about Chicago but I'm confident you'll find something fun to do... somewhere   I haven't been to Salem in many years but remember really loving it when I did go. Halloween just won't seem the same this year, that's for sure!  But we'll focus on the "I'm going on vacation" part of your update


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Ugh, I'm really sorry to hear about Chicago but I'm confident you'll find something fun to do... somewhere   I haven't been to Salem in many years but remember really loving it when I did go. Halloween just won't seem the same this year, that's for sure!  But we'll focus on the "I'm going on vacation" part of your update



Me too! I'm sure we'll find something wherever we go. The last time we went to Salem we went in Oct which was a poor choice because it was really crowded. But if we go in Sep, I'm thinking it'll be a little better. I'll miss HHN, but for Halloween we don't typically do much besides watch horror movies so that's mostly the same   Hopefully some Halloween events open up. ​


----------



## Monykalyn

Bummed about Chicago but Denver is nice back up plan! 
Salem sounds pretty neat too. 
So hard to make definitive plans right now, and frustrating.


----------



## missangelalexis

Stinks about Chicago, I hope you're still able to pull some kind of trip off!

The Jack O Lantern Blaze  is really cool- I hope you get to go!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Bummed about Chicago but Denver is nice back up plan!



Same here, but we've found a lot of fun things to do there too!



Monykalyn said:


> So hard to make definitive plans right now, and frustrating.



It is   



missangelalexis said:


> Stinks about Chicago, I hope you're still able to pull some kind of trip off!



It does, but I think we'll be able to pull off something!



missangelalexis said:


> The Jack O Lantern Blaze is really cool- I hope you get to go!



I wanted to go last year but we never made it there, I really hope we can this year! ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> But if we go in Sep, I'm thinking it'll be a little better.


Yes, I definitely think so!



Raeven said:


> I'll miss HHN, but for Halloween we don't typically do much besides watch horror movies so that's mostly the same


 At least that part will feel like normal life!


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Trip-*Tomorrow!
*First 2021 Trip*-8 months


*Trip Planning*

Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long!



I got busy with work and planning our trip, and forgot to update for a little bit. Obviously there isn't any planning going on for our next year's trips yet, and there isn't as much to plan for this trip so most of the planning has been last minute. But we're leaving for Denver in the morning! 



It's weird to not be flying out to HHN (I can't believe our last trip/trip report was a year ago  ), but it's also now about a year from HHN 30! 

We have a lot of amazing meals planned in Denver and some fun activities. We'll also be seeing @amalone1013 & her husband, Zack this weekend! So our HHN crew will be reunited even if it isn't at HHN. 

We also found a haunted house that's open and socially distanced to go to. It's going to be a little chilly when we get there (it snowed earlier this week   ), but it'll mostly be pretty warm. We'll definitely be vlogging this trip, and I'm planning to write a mini report in this PTR when we get back.

*Here's some photos from the last few weeks: *
Our 7th anniversary dinner: 





Which was delicious! Also those truffle fries are the biggest fries I've ever seen in my life 



​


----------



## Lynne G

Safe travels.  And yay, for finally going to Denver.


----------



## amalone1013




----------



## macraven

I am excited since you are excited for this great trip!

it will be full of adventure and fun for the two of you!


----------



## missangelalexis

Have a good trip!!


----------



## Raeven

Lynne G said:


> Safe travels.  And yay, for finally going to Denver.



Thank you!



amalone1013 said:


>



Can’t wait to see you!



macraven said:


> I am excited since you are excited for this great trip!
> 
> it will be full of adventure and fun for the two of you!



Yes it will be! Thank you!



missangelalexis said:


> Have a good trip!!



Thank you!​


----------



## schumigirl

Fabulous news Raeven.....glad you`re on the way to Denver....

And your pictures are beautiful, you both look wonderful in them......as does the food......congrats on your 7 years together......

Have a wonderful trip and looking forward to reading all about it......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Fabulous news Raeven.....glad you`re on the way to Denver....
> 
> And your pictures are beautiful, you both look wonderful in them......as does the food......congrats on your 7 years together......
> 
> Have a wonderful trip and looking forward to reading all about it......



Yes we’re excited! 

Thank you! ​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> But we're leaving for Denver in the morning!



 Just saw your pic on FB and realized it was time for your trip! So exciting and I look forward to living vicariously!


----------



## macraven

Woot!!

It is official..

Her trip is in process


----------



## Monykalyn

Hope you made it safely! We were in Denver Thursday night- stayed in golden actually. Driving the oldest to Seattle - actually arrived in Seattle yesterday. Drove through some snow flurries in the mountain passes Friday! Hope your weather holds and it’s nice for your trip!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Hope you made it safely! We were in Denver Thursday night- stayed in golden actually. Driving the oldest to Seattle - actually arrived in Seattle yesterday. Drove through some snow flurries in the mountain passes Friday! Hope your weather holds and it’s nice for your trip!



Oh cool that you were here too. Thank you we did! The weather looks like it’ll be hot here throughout our trip.​


----------



## Monykalyn

Raeven said:


> Oh cool that you were here too. Thank you we did! The weather looks like it’ll be hot here throughout our trip.​


Yeah enjoy the weather -and air quality! Awful in Oregon and Seattle-we were hoping to do some sight seeing on Sunday but just walked around UofW campus  a bit. Gorgeous campus even smoky haze. 
Denver has so many places with good food.

We did make a quick trip to Red Rocks Canyon before leaving as DH had never been there, then a 4 hour "detour" through ARches National Park in Utah on the way. Stunning places.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

@Raeven hope you have a great time!!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Monykalyn said:


> Hope you made it safely! We were in Denver Thursday night- stayed in golden actually. Driving the oldest to Seattle - actually arrived in Seattle yesterday. Drove through some snow flurries in the mountain passes Friday! Hope your weather holds and it’s nice for your trip!



Golden is where they make Coors beer!


----------



## Monykalyn

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Golden is where they make Coors beer!


A few year ago when my oldest was looking at colleges-she got accepted to Colorado School of Mines-the VRBO we stayed in was right across the street from the brewery! Gorgeous views of mountains.


----------



## Tracy161

I've been following along on your Denver trip via Instagram! Can't wait to hear about it


----------



## Raeven

We're back! & here's the....

*Denver Mini TR

Travel Day *

So I guess in a way this will be a mini TR because it's going in this PTR, and I won't go into as much detail as I do in my Disney/Universal TR's, and I also won't be doing full food reviews. 

My first installment is only going to take us through our arrival, because I want to edit the vlogs to match.  


On the day of I feel like we were running a little late, but the airport was obviously a lot emptier than normal so it didn't make us late. When we went to check our bag the lady asked if we had any loose batteries in our bag and Josh was ready to say no, but I was like yeah.  (I carry them around sometimes for the ring light I never end up using). It just made me laugh because it was the one time I did put them in there. Also I have no idea where I put them once I took them out, and I don't think I ever saw them again so they were really useful. 

At the airport I decided to try Chick Fil A for the first time. We don't have any in our area except for the airport, so I've never really had an opportunity to eat at one. They had a much more limited breakfast menu than I thought (probably because it's in the airport). I got a chicken, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel and tater tots. Although when she asked if I wanted any sauce I made the mistake of saying no, not thinking that they were counting ketchup as a sauce. 















(They were such cute little tater tots). 

I have a lengthy amount of footage of me talking about the food there so I won't talk about it too much here, but I have to ask...do other people consider chicken a breakfast food?  Because I honestly never have, and think it's weird to have breakfast sandwiches with chicken in them. I know that's what they do there, but it just seems weird to me.  

After boarding I watched some movies, and Josh somehow slept and chewed gum at the same time which I found rather impressive. 








Our layover was at Midway, and was about 1.5 hours. I mostly watched Youtube videos during that time, and tried to take discreet pictures of the Pomeranian next to us to send to Samantha. 






Our second flight was 2 hours, and Josh mostly slept again. It was nice to have the middle seat open because I could spread out a lot more. 






We stayed at the Kimpton Monaco Denver, and it was really nice. It was a good price for the amount of time we stayed, and it was really close to most of the places we were going. The minute I walked in I realized the lobby smelled like the Yacht Club, and then I saw there was a cow statue in the lobby and I was sold. 






Our room was actually a lot bigger than I thought. When you walked in we had a long hallway with benches, etc in it, and a full length mirror at the end. 











The bathroom was also off the hallway, and had a glass door shower (my favorite). 











Then there was the bedroom which was also bigger than it looked online. 





(The TV is in the corner to the right of this stuff, not sure why there wasn't a separate picture of that corner). 






Our view looked at what seemed to be an apartment complex across the street, but that's the view all the rooms had. 






I won't give a full review of the room/hotel yet because more things happened throughout the trip, but I would recommend this hotel if you want to stay in Downtown Denver.

*Next Up*

We go to the Downtown Denver Aquarium!

​


----------



## macraven

Nice


----------



## schumigirl

Love the start of this!!! 

Chicken and pizza I can never understand for breakfast.......bacon yes.......lol......

Your room is lovely, and very spacious.....looks very central for Denver. Looking forward to seeing more a I know nothing of Denver........the cow is an odd one for sure? 

Glad you`ve started this one.......


----------



## amalone1013

There was a cow?????


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe




----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Chicken and pizza I can never understand for breakfast.......bacon yes.......lol.....



Maybe like a pizza with breakfast items on it? But not a regular pizza lol 



schumigirl said:


> Your room is lovely, and very spacious.....looks very central for Denver. Looking forward to seeing more a I know nothing of Denver........the cow is an odd one for sure?



Yes it was a lot more spacious than I thought from the pictures I'd seen before booking, we were pleased with it. It was right in the middle of downtown, I didn't really know much about different hotel areas when I booked, but it was close to many things. The cow was interesting   



amalone1013 said:


> There was a cow?????



I thought I told you about the cow  Yes, it was by the elevators in the lobby. ​


----------



## KathyM2

Great mini TR so far, I too look forward to hearing more about Denver, as I've only been to the airport there and nothing else.



Raeven said:


> We stayed at the Kimpton Monaco Denver, and it was honestly really nice.



I stayed at the Kimpton in Salt Lake and I really liked it too, the outside looks quite similar.


----------



## macraven

Still reading along


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Monykalyn

Saw the vlog first. Glad you got to try Chik fil a!
Denver was gorgeous - wish we could have spent more time there.
Looking forward to more!


----------



## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Saw the vlog first. Glad you got to try Chik fil a!
> Denver was gorgeous - wish we could have spent more time there.
> Looking forward to more!



Thanks for watching! Yeah, it's definitely something I feel like you have to try if you haven't   ​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR

Downtown Denver Aquarium*

So when I last left off we were heading to the aquarium! 





(It was pretty cold the first day we were there, but it warmed up by Saturday). 

We were supposed to get lunch on the way, but we were a little shorter on time than we would've liked (our tickets had a timed entry) so I just grabbed a snack at Starbucks. 

First we have a cheese & fruit box: 






The cheeses and crackers were all really good. Even the brie was fine and I don't normally like brie. (It was kind of flavorless though). The apple didn't seem the freshest, but the grapes were good. I would get this again, and I actually wanted to get another one of these on the way home, but I didn't see any at the airport Starbucks.  

I also couldn't resist getting this fox cake pop: 






It's so cute! I actually tried to get one the week before at home, but they were all out. It's a pretty standard Starbucks cake pop (so it was pretty good), but you know, even cuter. 



We were a little late to the aquarium, but there weren't many people there so they didn't seem to care. 











Josh thought this snake wasn't real, and I was really confused by that. 
Did he think they had highly advanced animatronics in the cases? 








I even have video of it moving 

Sadly, the otters were out of their area because they were eating, and even though we went back through the room at the end they still weren't back out. 



I mostly took vlog footage, but here's some aquarium pictures: 
















Doesn't that shark on the left look like Dilbert? 


















Then we got a big surprise which probably wouldn't be a big surprise if we looked at any ad around the aquarium. THERE WAS A TIGER!!!









This setup was giving me flashbacks to the Tomb Raider game I used to play as a kid where 5 seconds in the tigers in the water would always get me, and I'd go back and play the training level again because you couldn't lose it 



Um well this tiger was less...square....






We got some really good pictures of the tiger, and he came right up to us (well as close as he could get since the enclosure had a glass dome around it). I, of course, talked to the tiger like it was a kitten even though he couldn't hear me at all . I have no idea what a tiger was doing in the aquarium, but it was cool to see.



More aquarium pictures: 











Jellyfish on the way out: 






Josh petting the rays: 






It was a pretty big aquarium, and took us about an hour or so to go through all of it. Our Lyft driver on the way back told us he hadn't been there since he was a kid, and didn't seem to think it was that great, but I thought it was a pretty nice aquarium, and we had a lot of fun. 

Also Josh pointed out this street when we went by 






We then we back to the room to nap a bit, and then we went out to dinner at the Blue Agave Grill. When we walked there it was like 9 pm and most things were closed so it was pretty empty everywhere. It was eerie sometimes how few people are out and about nowadays, and there were so few people on the streets that we could see and hear rats running around  Josh claims he's seen them in every city we've been to, but I've NEVER seen or heard rats running around the streets. I did let him know if one came up and ran over my foot, I'd be screaming.



At dinner, Josh decided to do something you've seen him do mostly in my dining TR's here, and order a salad without reading any of the ingredients .






*Blue Agave House Salad*
Spring greens with adobe vinaigrette, candied pecans, mandarin oranges, & fresh jicama






He said the oranges were "interesting" which to me sounds like code for "it's not very good".  I don't think I've ever had jicama, but it didn't taste like much. I didn't care for the vinaigrette in the bite I had.  

For our entrees he got the* Carne Asada Special* which had shrimp and carne asada. He said the carne asada was well cooked. 

I got the: 

*Avocado Tacos*
Tempura battered, green chile corn tortillas, asadero cheese, lettuce, chipotle vinaigrette with cilantro rice and black beans

& a side of *Red Pepper Pesto White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes *






The tacos were really, really good. But I do love avocado.  You're going to think this is pretty odd, but I thought the mashed potatoes tasted like a bowl of four cheese pasta sauce.  

Finally it was dessert time!  






Sadly, they were out of the GF dessert option , but they did have *Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bread Pudding*: 






It was really creamy and delicious. 

When we got back to the hotel room we watched Matilda, and then went to sleep. 

*Next up*


My next post will be about our time at the Nature and Science Museum (which I might have to split up into 2 parts because the museum was huge). 
​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR
> 
> Downtown Denver Aquarium*
> 
> So last I left off we were heading to the aquarium!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (It was pretty cold the first day we were there, but it warmed up by Saturday).
> 
> We were supposed to get lunch on the way there, but we were a little shorter on time than we would've liked (our tickets had a timed entry) so I just grabbed a snack at Starbucks.
> 
> First we have a cheese & fruit box:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The cheeses and crackers were all really good. Even the brie was fine and I don't normally like brie. (It was kind of flavorless though). The apple didn't seem the freshest, but the grapes were good. I would get this again, and I actually wanted to get another one of these on the way home, but I didn't see any at the airport Starbucks.
> 
> I also couldn't resist getting this fox cake pop:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's so cute! I actually tried to get one the week before at home, but they were all out. It's a pretty standard Starbucks cake pop (so it was pretty good), but you know, even cuter.
> 
> View attachment 528877
> 
> We were a little late to the aquarium, but there weren't many people there so they didn't seem to care.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh thought this snake wasn't real, and I was really confused by that.
> Did he think they had highly advanced animatronics in the cases?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 528878
> 
> I even have video of it moving
> 
> Sadly, the otters were out of their area because they were eating, and even though we went back through the room at the end they still weren't back out.
> 
> View attachment 528879
> 
> I mostly took vlog footage, but here's some aquarium pictures:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Doesn't that shark on the left look like Dilbert?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 528880
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then we got a big surprise which probably wouldn't be a big surprise if we looked at any ad around the aquarium. THERE WAS A TIGER!!!
> 
> View attachment 528881
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This setup was giving me flashbacks to the Tomb Raider game I used to play as a kid where 5 seconds in the tigers in the water would always get me, and I'd go back and play the training level again because you couldn't lose it
> 
> View attachment 528882
> 
> Um well this tiger was less...square....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We got some really good pictures of the tiger, and he came right up to us (well as close as he could get since the enclosure had a glass dome around it). I, of course, talked to the tiger like it was a kitten even though he couldn't hear me at all . I have no idea what a tiger was doing in the aquarium, but it was cool to see.
> 
> View attachment 528883
> 
> More aquarium pictures:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jellyfish on the way out:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh petting the rays:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a pretty big aquarium, and took us about an hour or so to go through all of it. Our Lyft driver on the way back told us he hadn't been there since he was a kid, and didn't seem to think it was that great, but I thought it was a pretty nice aquarium, and we had a lot of fun.
> 
> Also Josh pointed out this street when we went by
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We then we back to the room to nap a bit, and then we went out to dinner at the Blue Agave Grill. When we walked there it was like 9 pm and most things were closed so it was pretty empty everywhere. It was eerie sometimes how few people are out and about nowadays, and there were so few people on the streets that we could see and hear rats running around  Josh claims he's seen them in every city we've been to, but I've NEVER seen or heard rats running around the streets. I did let him know if one came up and ran over my foot, I'd be screaming.
> 
> View attachment 528884
> 
> At dinner, Josh decided to do something you've seen him do mostly in my dining TR's here, and order a salad without reading any of the ingredients .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Blue Agave House Salad*
> Spring greens with adobe vinaigrette, candied pecans, mandarin oranges, & fresh jicama
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He said the oranges were "interesting" which to me sounds like code for "it's not very good".  I don't think I've ever had jicama, but it didn't taste like much. I didn't care for the vinaigrette in the bite I had.
> 
> For our entrees he got the* Carne Asada Special* which had shrimp and carne asada. He said the carne asada was well cooked.
> 
> I got the:
> 
> *Avocado Tacos*
> Tempura battered, green chile corn tortillas, asadero cheese, lettuce, chipotle vinaigrette with cilantro rice and black beans
> 
> & a side of *Red Pepper Pesto White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The tacos were really, really good. But I do love avocado.  You're going to think this is pretty odd, but I thought the mashed potatoes tasted like a bowl of four cheese pasta sauce.
> 
> Finally it was dessert time!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sadly, they were out of the GF dessert option , but they did have *Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bread Pudding*:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was really creamy and delicious.
> 
> When we got back to the hotel room we watched Matilda, and then went to sleep.
> 
> *Next up*
> 
> I'll post my first Halloween themed vlog tomorrow! (I'm going to try to do one Halloween themed, and one vacation one every week). My sister and I went on a quest for some Halloween cookies:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I'll also post the aquarium vlog on Friday. *
> 
> My next post will be about our time at the Nature and Science Museum (which I might have to split up into 2 parts because the museum was huge).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​





I should really hate this update.......rats.....snakes......and scary underwater scenes!!!! I have honestly never heard rats scrambling about anywhere......and hope I never do!

But, as usual your pictures are lovely, you captured everything so well. Although I have no clue who Dilbert is  

Food looks lovely.......not sure about the potato though, sounds odd. I`ve had jicima in slaw before and it was nice, tried it on it`s own in the Club Lounge.......nothing.....tastes of nothing....weird. 

I love your face in the last picture eating a cookie........not sure if you`re loving it or going to spit it all out.......


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I would get this again, and I actually wanted to get another one of these on the way home, but I didn't see any at the airport Starbucks.



I love their snack boxes. They don't always have them, and I find them overpriced...but still get them when I want more than coffee at Starbucks!



Raeven said:


> I also couldn't resist getting this fox cake pop:



This is adorable. I assume you have tried the fox cookies? I haven't seen either here in Canada, but I tried the fox cookie once in the US.



Raeven said:


> there were so few people on the streets that we could see and hear rats running around



OMG. "hearing" the rats...would really creep me out. I have only seen them in subway tunnels...never just running around streets...ugh...


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I should really hate this update.......rats.....snakes......and scary underwater scenes!!!! I have honestly never heard rats scrambling about anywhere......and hope I never do!



 

It was so weird. I saw something dart across the street, and I was like oh whats that? I think I thought it was a little chipmunk or something, and Josh goes that's a rat  then I saw/heard a group of them. It freaked me out! 



schumigirl said:


> But, as usual your pictures are lovely, you captured everything so well. Although I have no clue who Dilbert is



Aw thank you! I wonder if Dilbert isn't a thing outside the U.S.? It's an older thing, it was a comic strip in the papers. 



schumigirl said:


> Food looks lovely.......not sure about the potato though, sounds odd. I`ve had jicima in slaw before and it was nice, tried it on it`s own in the Club Lounge.......nothing.....tastes of nothing....weird.



It was a really good meal, but the potato I'm undecided on that one too  Josh said that sounded good, but it's odd when you're eating potatoes, and it tastes like sauce. 




schumigirl said:


> I love your face in the last picture eating a cookie........not sure if you`re loving it or going to spit it all out.......



It was good, I promise! 



KathyM2 said:


> I love their snack boxes. They don't always have them, and I find them overpriced...but still get them when I want more than coffee at Starbucks!



Yeah, I don't know if I've seen them frequently, but I usually do the drive thru if we go to Starbucks so maybe that's why. (We don't really have any Starbucks close by). 



KathyM2 said:


> This is adorable. I assume you have tried the fox cookies? I haven't seen either here in Canada, but I tried the fox cookie once in the US.



NO WHAT?! I want one! 



KathyM2 said:


> OMG. "hearing" the rats...would really creep me out. I have only seen them in subway tunnels...never just running around streets...ugh...



It was really creepy! Luckily, I didn't see them any other nights. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> It was so weird. I saw something dart across the street, and I was like oh whats that? I think I thought it was a little chipmunk or something, and Josh goes that's a rat  then I saw/heard a group of them. It freaked me out!
> 
> 
> 
> Aw thank you! I wonder if Dilbert isn't a thing outside the U.S.? It's an older thing, it was a comic strip in the papers.
> 
> 
> 
> It was a really good meal, but the potato I'm undecided on that one too  Josh said that sounded good, but it's odd when you're eating potatoes, and it tastes like sauce.
> 
> 
> 
> It was good, I promise!
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I don't know if I've seen them frequently, but I usually do the drive thru if we go to Starbucks so maybe that's why. (We don't really have any Starbucks close by).
> 
> 
> 
> NO WHAT?! I want one!
> 
> 
> 
> It was really creepy! Luckily, I didn't see them any other nights. ​




I googled Dilbert.......yep, new one on me........and yes, potatoes shouldn`t taste like anything other than potatoes!



Raeven said:


> *Halloween Cookie Baking Vlog*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



lol......yes, maths in head is not my strong point! Although Kyle says put a dollar sign in front and I can work out anything!! 

Nice vlog!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Great report @Raeven, nobody can do it better!!!!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> lol......yes, maths in head is not my strong point! Although Kyle says put a dollar sign in front and I can work out anything!!







schumigirl said:


> Nice vlog!



Thank you!



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Great report @Raeven, nobody can do it better!!!!!



Aw thank you ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> but I have to ask...do other people consider chicken a breakfast food?


Nope!  I wonder if it's a regional thing?



Raeven said:


> Josh thought this snake wasn't real, and I was really confused by that.
> Did he think they had highly advanced animatronics in the cases?




Love your vlogs! The Halloween cookie one was funny - who knew it'd take so long to track down Halloween cookies this time of year?! Also, I think "weird salads with Josh" should be a regular feature


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Nope!  I wonder if it's a regional thing?



I’m guessing maybe it’s more popular in the South? Because whenever I go to Southern restaurants there usually are some fried chicken dishes. I’ve had dishes like that at brunch before, but just a chicken sandwich on it’s own still seems weird



Tracy161 said:


> Love your vlogs! The Halloween cookie one was funny - who knew it'd take so long to track down Halloween cookies this time of year?! Also, I think "weird salads with Josh" should be a regular feature



Thank you! It’s so weird! We did go more towards the end of September, but I’d still expect them to be there. Btw I went back to the place we found them at to get another pack, and they’re gone! The display and everything. It might feature again​


----------



## Raeven

Just a head’s up that I’m going to post my TR entry and vlog on Fri or Sat this week instead of the usual day. We had a massive storm in upstate NY yesterday. It was only 5 minutes long, but took down a lot of trees and power lines. I thought we’d be fine because we still had power afterwards (but no internet), then a tree fell on the power lines and our power went out at 10:30 pm. And it isn’t due back on until 11 pm tonight. 

​


----------



## KathyM2

Ugh!! Power out is the worst! Glad you are safe and looking forward to the next installment!


----------



## Raeven

Finally the tree is gone and the power is back! 

*Denver Mini TR

Bacon & Denver Museum of Nature and Science Pt 1 *

The next day I went to the gym in the hotel, and then we watched some trash tv. Soon we were off to brunch: 

*



*
We were eating at the Bacon Social House, but it was tucked away behind some other buildings so our Lyft driver had trouble finding it. We were a few minutes late which seemed to make the hostess annoyed with us. She told us she had cancelled the reservation, wouldn't seat us inside (it was really windy), and told us she was giving us the worst seat outside? (It was under a tent type cover and we were on the end where she said the tent cover would drip water on us depending on where we sat). 



I got the: 

*SANDIA SMASH*
fresh watermelon + lime juice, basil simple syrup, tequila






I thought this was ok, but I didn't really taste any watermelon. 

One of the reasons we wanted to go there was to get the: 

*BACON FLIGHT*
a selection of the best bacon available in the u.s. varieties: applewood + bbq + candied + habanero + paleo + featured






This was a little messy, but quite good. I liked a lot more of them than I thought I would. The applewood tasted pretty basic, a little on the sweet side. Surprisingly the BBQ was the best (normally I hate BBQ) but it tasted a bit like taco seasoning. It was a lot at the end of a bite, but it was definitely our favorite. Candied was sweet (obviously), but good. The habanero was the worst. Not because it was spicy (it wasn't at all), but because it had a weird flavor to it. The paleo was very crispy, and that was my second favorite. The french toast I thought would just be bacon with syrup on it, but it tasted more like bacon with a layer of french toast around it. I couldn't decide if that were a good or bad thing though. 

For brunch I got:

*HUEVOS RANCHEROS*
crispy corn tortillas, two sunny side eggs, pork green chile, black bean puree, cheddar, avocado, crema






This was amazing! The sauce was a little spicy, but it all tasted good together, and the tortillas were nice and crisp. 

Josh got the: 

*WHOLE HOG OMELET *
pulled pork, applewood bacon, ham, cheddar, tomatillo salsa with fries






He enjoyed this.

Upon arriving at the museum we were greeted with this very happy dancing dinosaur: 








The first exhibit we visited was the Lego Art of Brick exhibit. It's a traveling exhibit that's currently in Denver. All the displays were built by one guy and it's pretty impressive. 

The first room is recreations of famous works of art: 





















After that there were some other pieces: 





















Then what Josh called the creepy art room  






With the pieces that reminded us of Hellrasier 











This piece is his most famous work, and often is featured on the promotional material for the exhibit: 






I thought this one must've taken a crazy long time to make, but the plaque said it only took a summer. (Which is pretty long, but I would've thought it'd take years).






There was another room of pieces which I think will all be in the video, but I didn't take pictures of them. On the way out in the gift shop there was another piece you could take pictures with: 











I was unsure what to expect in this exhibit, and because it was an additional charge on top of the ticket I didn't know if it would be worth it; but it was really cool and had A LOT of pieces in it. I would definitely recommend checking it out if it ever comes to your area, and I think it was my favorite exhibit in the museum. 

*Next Up*

The vlog should be up on Sunday this week, then I'll be back to the regular posting. Then the next post will take us through the rest of the museum (it such a big museum that I have way too many pictures for one post)!




​


----------



## schumigirl

You hate BBQ???? How did I not know that........maybe we`re not related after all........lol......

The bacon flight looks very unusual, and lovely....I`d give it a go for sure.......but how rude of the waitress!!!! A few minutes here or there shouldn`t matter.....and to show she was annoyed is a huge no no......

That has got to rank as one of the oddest museums I have ever seen.......and we saw the #@# museum in NYC.......lol......it is stunning though and yes, the "creepy art room" is fabulous! 

Now I want bacon..........


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> You hate BBQ???? How did I not know that........maybe we`re not related after all........lol......



Lol yes not a fan   



schumigirl said:


> The bacon flight looks very unusual, and lovely....I`d give it a go for sure.......but how rude of the waitress!!!! A few minutes here or there shouldn`t matter.....and to show she was annoyed is a huge no no......



It was fun to try. I never understand when restaurants get upset over people being a few minutes late especially if there's plenty of tables available, but to basically tell us she was giving us a bad table was weird.



schumigirl said:


> That has got to rank as one of the oddest museums I have ever seen.......and we saw the #@# museum in NYC.......lol......it is stunning though and yes, the "creepy art room" is fabulous!



That's only one exhibit  It's a traveling one, that I guess is very popular. I wasn't sure we'd like it because I'm not into legos, but it was interesting. The museum was huge though, and had a lot more normal science exhibits. 

 I know which museum you mean! I haven't been there, but we almost went once. ​


----------



## Raeven

​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> *BACON FLIGHT*
> a selection of the best bacon available in the u.s. varieties: applewood + bbq + candied + habanero + paleo + featured



I think that watermelon drink looked delish...too bad it didn't have much watermelon flavour. I have never heard of a bacon flight...how fun!!! It would be a lot of work to make that many different types of bacon and compare them any other way lol...so that's really neat!!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> I have never heard of a bacon flight...how fun!!! It would be a lot of work to make that many different types of bacon and compare them any other way lol...so that's really neat!!



I don't think I've ever seen a bacon flight before this either. It was neat! ​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR*

*Denver Museum of Nature and Science Pt 2 & Cookies*

Next we walked into the gems and minerals exhibit. 






The beginning reminded me of Frontierland   , but it was a pretty long exhibit. A little ways in, we noticed the guy in the next room that was explaining every single individual gem to his girlfriend in excruciating detail as though he were a professor. We tried to wait for them to get ahead of us, but ended up going around them because in a room full of hundreds of rocks, he was spending 5 mins talking about each of them.



I would've felt sorry for the girl, but she was encouraging him to keep talking about each rock so maybe she was having a good time. I couldn't really keep a straight face while we were in the same room as them (one perk of masks at least was that they couldn't see), and you'll be able to hear some of it in the vlog. I'm all for learning and being excited about things, but this was really over the top.



Here's some pictures we took while waiting for them to hopefully move ahead....

It was on a timer so Josh didn't know what was going on at first 
















Unlike that guy I will not bore you with talk about gems and minerals anymore. These pictures may be out of order, because this museum was huge; but here's some of the animal exhibits. 






I promise that buffalo is rolling in the grass and not dying. 






We found some rocking chairs: 






There was also a room of interactive games. Some were closed due to Covid, and some you needed some kind of card to access, but there were a few we could try. 

One involved moving a ball into a circle with your mind. Josh wanted to psychic battle me, and well I lost horrifically.  Turns out it was not a test of psychic ability, but rather how calm you could become. (To which he has the unfair advantage because I am never calm and not exhibiting any psychic powers stressed me out even more ).








Then Josh posed as though this rock wall were scandalous: 








And I made a skeleton dance: 








We also found some llama chairs: 











And I became Sam Winchester: 








Finally what everyone looks forward to in a museum...dinosaur skeletons! 
















And this guy who Josh says looks like he'd be saying "duhhh":






More prehistoric skeletons: 











And I was very excited to see the mummy exhibit. However that ended up being the smallest in the whole museum. I was a little disappointed it was only one room and one had two mummies in it. 






But overall we had a great time at the museum, and it was a lot bigger than I thought. A lot of science museums are more geared towards children, but this one seemed perfect for all ages. 

On the way back to the hotel our Lyft driver played some kind of music that sounded like all instruments playing at once.



We decided to eat dinner in the hotel tonight even though we weren't going to originally eat there. The hotel staff mentioned it whenever we asked them anything, and made it sound like anyone staying there could just walk in. It was also Italian food, and I figured instead of walking to the other Italian place this would be easier. The menu did seem small, but they also had a gluten free menu. 

I was bold and wore a white shirt: 









But when we got down there they seemed annoyed we didn't have a reservation. There weren't very many people inside, but it was a small restaurant and they said they were already at capacity. The guy said if we waited in the lobby he'd come get us in 10 mins. 20 mins later, I went back inside to ask and they said a table just opened.  I made reservations at everywhere else all week, but since the hotel staff kept saying to just walk in I didn't really think we would have to. 

Josh started with another weird salad: 

*Panzanella Di Panzano*
Arugula | First Snow Local Goat Cheese | Sweet Peppers |Tomato Confit | Focaccia | Pepper Vinegar






He said this was a little spicy  (there were a lot of peppers in it). 

He also got: 

*Pasta Bolognese GF*
Rigatoni | Beef-wild Boar-pork Belly | Pomodoro | Ricotta Salata






He liked this, but felt like the portion was smaller than he expected. 

I got the: 

*Ricotta Ravioli*
San Marzano Brodo | Burnt Basil | Pecorino






This was good, but not filling at all. I definitely had even less food than Josh, because I think I had a total of 6 small raviolis. Sadly, though they're known for their pastries and desserts they only had tiramisu that night for dessert. The meal also came to around $70 with tip which seemed like a lot for the amount of food.



Disappointed and still hungry, and with everything around us already closed for the night. (Since things closed so early now, after we ate dinner around 9 pm nothing was open, not even the 7/11 across the street). I decided to order from somewhere that was only open late at night, called Insomnia Cookies. 

They have their own delivery service so we didn't need to use a food delivery app, however I'm not sure this was better as the driver called and told us to come outside. But Josh never saw him. So I went downstairs while calling the driver, and he told me that he dropped them on a table in the lobby and "was going to tell me, but forgot".  The door man was just staring at them in confusion when I came downstairs (he didn't say anything when he left them), and Josh was still outside. 

I got a S'mores cookie, 2 chocolate chunk, and a snickerdoodle figuring I'd save some for later. I got Josh two GF chocolate chunk cookies too. We enjoyed the cookies, (except for the s'mores one which I didn't think was that good). I don't think they kept super well in the fridge, but they were really good fresh. 






*Next Up*
Next post will be about the art museum and our first (and probably only) haunted house this year. 




​


----------



## schumigirl

I thought that first dinosaur had brown leather heeled boots on...... didn`t have my glasses on and thought maybe it was one of those weird artistic impressions of how a modern dinosaur would look!

Honestly, I`m giggling as we would have done the same with the boring wannabe professor guy and girl......the amount of times we laugh at the most inopportune of moments, and once you start...

Shame the food wasn`t so good at the hotel....although I have to say we had panzanella in Italy once and it was rank.....soaked bread was mixed through the other ingredients.....to say it was disgusting was an understatement.....it remained untouched. But the cookies looked good! Insomnia cookies reminds me of Ross being "Cookie Dude" in Friends.......lol......

Loving your report though......and your pictures are as always fabulous.....although not sure about the buffalo......that is a dead looking buffalo to me........lol.......


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*




​


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I thought that first dinosaur had brown leather heeled boots on...... didn`t have my glasses on and thought maybe it was one of those weird artistic impressions of how a modern dinosaur would look!



If you look quickly it really does  



schumigirl said:


> Honestly, I`m giggling as we would have done the same with the boring wannabe professor guy and girl......the amount of times we laugh at the most inopportune of moments, and once you start...



Yes it was so funny how seriously he was explaining all of them and each one he’d go “well this one’s very interesting”.  I couldn’t stay in the same room as them long because I just couldn’t stop lol. 



schumigirl said:


> Shame the food wasn`t so good at the hotel....although I have to say we had panzanella in Italy once and it was rank.....soaked bread was mixed through the other ingredients.....to say it was disgusting was an understatement.....it remained untouched. But the cookies looked good! Insomnia cookies reminds me of Ross being "Cookie Dude" in Friends.......lol......



Ew that sounds terrible! Lol



schumigirl said:


> Loving your report though......and your pictures are as always fabulous.....although not sure about the buffalo......that is a dead looking buffalo to me........lol.......



Thank you! Lol I swear the plaque said he was rolling in the grass or itching himself or something. Otherwise I would’ve thought it was a dead buffalo too​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*
​


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## lvcourtneyy

Caught up! I'm glad you guys got to take a trip and Denver sounds like a lot of fun so far.


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## Raeven

*Halloween Cake Pop Fail*

A few weeks ago, my sister and I, tried to make Halloween cake pops...and it didn’t go quite as planned 

They were supposed to look like this:



And instead we got this:






And I’ll be back later tonight to post about our first socially distanced haunted house in Denver! 

​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Halloween Cake Pop Fail*
> 
> A few weeks ago, my sister and I, tried to make Halloween cake pops...and it didn’t go quite as planned
> 
> They were supposed to look like this:
> 
> View attachment 533851
> 
> And instead we got this:
> 
> View attachment 533852
> 
> 
> 
> Here’s the vlog:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I’ll rate this one PG-13 for some language).
> 
> And I’ll be back later tonight to post about our first socially distanced haunted house in Denver!
> 
> ​



The ones you 2 made are scarier though.............


----------



## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> The ones you 2 made are scarier though.............


Exactly! And isn’t that what Halloween is all about? ​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> Exactly! And isn’t that what Halloween is all about? ​



The scarier the better!

Frightening


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Halloween Cake Pop Fail*
> 
> A few weeks ago, my sister and I, tried to make Halloween cake pops...and it didn’t go quite as planned
> 
> They were supposed to look like this:
> 
> View attachment 533851
> 
> And instead we got this:
> 
> View attachment 533852
> 
> 
> 
> Here’s the vlog:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I’ll rate this one PG-13 for some language).
> 
> And I’ll be back later tonight to post about our first socially distanced haunted house in Denver!
> 
> ​



Just watched the whole vlog.........

You and your sister are so funny!!! And I have to ask.......was the blender saved........

Those things are so resilient usually........have to admit I like the look of them, might give a similar thing a try but alter for a Christmas bauble maybe......small baubles.....how else do you change it from an eyeball!

That was fun to watch! Love your dad being so serious........lol......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Just watched the whole vlog.........
> 
> You and your sister are so funny!!! And I have to ask.......was the blender saved........



Yes the blender was fine afterwards, but he was very dramatic about it for a few days   



schumigirl said:


> Those things are so resilient usually........have to admit I like the look of them, might give a similar thing a try but alter for a Christmas bauble maybe......small baubles.....how else do you change it from an eyeball!



That could be really cute! I think for Christmas we may stick to cookies or cake 



schumigirl said:


> That was fun to watch! Love your dad being so serious........lol......



Lol he is very serious whenever it comes to cooking in his kitchen. ​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR

Art Museum & 13th Floor*

We started Saturday off with some brunch plans at a restaurant called Urban Farmer. 






I got the: 

*Avocado Benedict*
crispy black quinoa






This was really good, except for the fact that it wasn't very warm.  The potatoes were crispy and well seasoned which both sounds and looks good, but my notes say "crispy, well seasoned, weird" potatoes. Your guess is as good as mine, as to why they'd be "weird".  


(I googled "weird potatoes gif" and I feel like I should've known I'd just get nightmare fuel like this). 

Josh got a simple meal, but I don't think he found it too filling.

*Farm Eggs*
two eggs, crispy potato, toast, choice of: fennel sausage, *bacon *or shaved ham






The waiter came over when we were done and said the following: "WOW! Good job! Clean House over here!" 



This seemed odd, and more like something you'd say to children to praise them for cleaning their plates.  I always think it's a bit strange when a waiter compliments you for eating your food. My friend and I, had it happen at Disney Springs on one trip too, and it became a bit of a running joke on that trip.



Some decor I liked in Urban Farmer: 










(I had to ask a guy eating at this table if he could briefly duck so I could take a picture of the sign which is the most awkward thing I've ever had to ask someone to do in public, but I do think it looks really cool so I suppose that was worth it ).



We were down the street from Union Station so we decided to check it out.  






We were disappointed to see many of the shops were still closed currently, and the ones that were open (since they're small) had a 2 customer limit. And the ice cream place I’d wanted to go to was closed. 

And thus began my ice cream quest...



First I did some shopping at 16th St Mall.  But as we were walking inside a tiny area that had a restaurant, I spotted a gelato place! 

I got the dairy free strawberry shortcake (which was ok but lacked flavor), and the chocolate fudge brownie (which was delicious) before we went back to the hotel. 






Shortly afterwards we went to the Denver Art Museum.

This is what the building looks like: 






Some of the exhibits were closed, but there were still a couple floors of exhibits. 

We decided this painting was definitely haunted.






Pretended Josh was scared of these knives:






And I tried to get a picture of the view down the stairs, but my fear of heights did not like that idea.






This was my favorite piece: 






There was an exhibit on lights, that turned out to just be a gallery of different lamps...








And some mirrors:





And the Terminator: 






The view from the top floor: 






I have to say it was interesting to see, but as you can tell by my above pictures I don't think we're really art museum people as I don't think we were taking the art as seriously as everyone else  

On our Lyft ride back to the hotel we got in a very interesting Lyft:  






He removed his passenger seat, and put a box around himself. 

We didn't have a lot of time before our next stop so we Postmated some Shake Shack. The experience was actually much better than the other delivery because we actually got the food handed to us. 

We each got a burger (though I think Josh had more patties on his), two order of fries, and cheese sauce for the fries. 






It was all very good, especially the cheesy fries.  I wish we had a Shake Shack closer to us.

Tonight we were going to Floor 13! This is a popular haunted house attraction in Denver, and unlike all the other attractions was actually opening that weekend (in early Sep). This would be our first socially distanced haunted house so off we went!






I was surprised that it was in an area with warehouses and not in the middle of nowhere.  In upstate NY, it's pretty common for haunted houses to be in the middle of nowhere and to sometimes have to bus from lots to them because a lot of them are on farms/in more rural areas. 

This was the first night, and we were actually some of the first people. This was also one of the only places that took our temperature the whole trip. Josh was wearing his Killer Klowns shirt, and made friends with an evil clown there. 






I was surprised at how good the houses were. They had some pretty good animatronics, and some cool details. There were a lot less scare actors though, and you really noticed it in some parts. 






We got through all the houses in less than a half hour (there were 3). My favorite was the Floor 13 house (you're trapped on floor 13 of a hotel), and my least favorite was the Bloody Mary house since they mostly used projected images of a character in a mirror, and I felt they could've done more with it (plus it was a weird take on the story with Vikings). We did get to really stop and look at the details though since we were basically by ourselves, and were being encouraged to take our time so we didn't bump into another group which was nice. 

The line when we finished: 






Some cool photo ops: 










As we were leaving, we saw that for an additional price you could throw axes in this little building next door. 






Josh has done this once before at the Renaissance Fair, and he caught on rather quickly, and got a few to hit the target.






Me on the other hand...








I was a bit scared I'd somehow find a way to hit myself with the axe as I'm a bit accident prone  The guy insisted he's never seen anyone cut their own head off by accident, but I'd be the first.

 

You're supposed to hold it one handed, but it was a bit heavy, and that made me nervous so I decided to two hand it, and just kind of chuck it away from me. The guy was patient, and I did get a little closer, but I did not hit the target with this method.

*Next Up*
The next post will be about my day with @amalone1013! 

​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR
> 
> Art Museum & 13th Floor*
> 
> We started Saturday off with some brunch plans at a restaurant called Urban Farmer.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I got the:
> 
> *Avocado Benedict*
> crispy black quinoa
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was really good, except for the fact that it wasn't very warm. The food came very fast, so I'm not sure how that could be, and it wasn't really cold either; but the temperature surprised me a little. The potatoes were crispy and well seasoned which both sounds and looks good, but my notes say "crispy, well seasoned, weird" potatoes. Your guess is as good as mine, as to why they'd be "weird".
> 
> View attachment 533967
> (I googled "weird potatoes gif" and I feel like I should've known I'd just get nightmare fuel like this).
> 
> They seemed to have less gluten free options that we thought so Josh got a simple meal, but I don't think he found it too filling.
> 
> *Farm Eggs*
> two eggs, crispy potato, toast, choice of: fennel sausage, *bacon *or shaved ham
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The waiter came over when we were done (with our portions that were rather small when you think of how large most American restaurant portions are), and said the following: "WOW! Good job! Clean House over here!"
> 
> View attachment 533968
> 
> This seemed odd, and more like something you'd say to children to praise them for cleaning their plates.  I always think it's a bit strange when a waiter compliments you for eating your food. My friend and I, had it happen at Disney Springs on one trip too, and it became a bit of a running joke on that trip.
> 
> View attachment 533971
> 
> Some decor I liked in Urban Farmer:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I had to ask a guy eating at this table if he could briefly duck so I could take a picture of the sign which is the most awkward thing I've ever had to ask someone to do in public, but I do think it looks really cool so I suppose that was worth it ).
> 
> View attachment 533972
> 
> We were down the street from Union Station so we decided to check it out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were disappointed to see many of the shops were still closed currently, and the ones that were open (since they're small) had a 2 customer limit. I saw an ice cream place that looked good, but sadly when we got closer we realized that was closed too.
> 
> And thus began my ice cream quest...
> 
> View attachment 533973
> 
> Actually at first I wasn't really looking. We walked back over to the area near our hotel where 16th St Mall is. (It's not really a mall, but more of a bunch of shops in an outdoor area). I did some shopping, but I was planning to maybe go to the candy store or something. Well the candy store was closed too.  But as we were walking inside a tiny area that had a restaurant, I spotted a gelato place!
> 
> I got the dairy free strawberry shortcake (which was ok but lacked flavor), and the chocolate fudge brownie (which was delicious) before we went back to the hotel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shortly afterwards we went to the Denver Art Museum.
> 
> This is what the building looks like:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some of the exhibits were closed, but there were still a couple floors of exhibits.
> 
> We decided this painting was definitely haunted.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretended Josh was scared of these knives:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I tried to get a picture of the view down the stairs, but my fear of heights did not like that idea.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was my favorite piece:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There was an exhibit on lights, that turned out to just be a gallery of different lamps...
> 
> View attachment 533974
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And some mirrors:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the Terminator:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The view from the top floor:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have to say it was interesting to see, but as you can tell by my above pictures I don't think we're really art museum people as I don't think we were taking the art as seriously as everyone else
> 
> On our Lyft ride back to the hotel we got in a very interesting Lyft:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He removed his passenger seat, and put a box around himself.
> 
> We didn't have a lot of time before our next stop so we Postmated some Shake Shack. This was my first time ordering off a real delivery app (the Insomnia Cookies place had their own delivery service in house). And the experience was actually much better than that delivery because we actually got the food handed to us.
> 
> We each got a burger (though I think Josh had more patties on his), two order of fries, and cheese sauce for the fries.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was all very good, especially the cheesy fries.  I wish we had a Shake Shack closer to us.
> 
> Tonight we were going to Floor 13! This is a popular haunted house attraction in Denver, and unlike all the other attractions was actually opening that weekend (in early Sep). This would be our first socially distanced haunted house so off we went!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised that it was in an area with warehouses and not in the middle of nowhere.  In upstate NY, it's pretty common for haunted houses to be in the middle of nowhere and to sometimes have to bus from lots to them because a lot of them are on farms/in more rural areas.
> 
> This was the first night, and we were actually some of the first people. This was also one of the only places that took our temperature the whole trip. Josh was wearing his Killer Klowns shirt, and made friends with an evil clown there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised at how good the houses were. They had some pretty good animatronics, and some cool details. There were a lot less scare actors though, and you really noticed it in some parts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We got through all the houses in less than a half hour (there were 3). My favorite was the Floor 13 house (you're trapped on floor 13 of a hotel), and my least favorite was the Bloody Mary house since they mostly used projected images of a character in a mirror, and I felt they could've done more with it (plus it was a weird take on the story with Vikings). We did get to really stop and look at the details though since we were basically by ourselves, and were being encouraged to take our time so we didn't bump into another group which was nice. The last house did smell a little strange, and I did move a little faster when I realized it reminded me of that terrible scent they had in Nightingales last year.
> 
> The line when we finished:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some cool photo ops:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As we were leaving, we saw that for an additional price you could throw axes in this little building next door.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh has done this once before at the Renaissance Fair, and he caught on rather quickly, and got a few to hit the target.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Me on the other hand...
> 
> View attachment 533975
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was a bit scared I'd somehow find a way to hit myself with the axe as I'm a bit accident prone  The guy insisted he's never seen anyone cut their own head off by accident, but I'd be the first.
> 
> View attachment 533977
> 
> You're supposed to hold it one handed, but it was a bit heavy, and that made me nervous so I decided to two hand it, and just kind of chuck it away from me. The guy was patient, and I did get a little closer, but I did not hit the target with this method.
> 
> *Next Up*
> I'll post the vlog from this day, (next week will be 2 Halloween ones). And the next post will be about my day with @amalone1013!
> 
> View attachment 533966​



Wish I could give this post two "loves"!!!

My favourite update so far.......love love love the pictures.......the mirror ones are fabulous!!! 

I agree about art.....some folks take it far too seriously. If we ever meet up remind me to tell you about one of our experiences in the Louvre! Oh dear.......there did look to be some nice items to see, but have to wonder about the lightshade part though.....

 The haunted house looks a lot of fun. And not too busy which is good.....I`m with you on the axe throwing!!


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> To which he has the unfair advantage because I am never calm and not exhibiting any psychic powers stressed me out even more


  You could be describing me as well!



Raeven said:


> Josh started with another weird salad


I have come to expect nothing less 



Raeven said:


> "WOW! Good job! Clean House over here!"


This SO annoys me when a waiter - or anyone - comments on how much I eat. Let's leave those types of comments for children under 10 who finish their brussel sprouts 



Raeven said:


> And the experience was actually much better than that delivery because we actually got the food handed to us.


You mean instead of left randomly without explanation at the hotel lobby? 



Raeven said:


> The guy insisted he's never seen anyone cut their own head off by accident, but I'd be the first.


 I've seen these a couple times near where I live but have yet to try... I have 0% trust in myself that I wouldn't impale someone... or myself!


----------



## dlavender

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR
> 
> Art Museum & 13th Floor*
> 
> We started Saturday off with some brunch plans at a restaurant called Urban Farmer.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I got the:
> 
> *Avocado Benedict*
> crispy black quinoa
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was really good, except for the fact that it wasn't very warm. The food came very fast, so I'm not sure how that could be, and it wasn't really cold either; but the temperature surprised me a little. The potatoes were crispy and well seasoned which both sounds and looks good, but my notes say "crispy, well seasoned, weird" potatoes. Your guess is as good as mine, as to why they'd be "weird".
> 
> View attachment 533967
> (I googled "weird potatoes gif" and I feel like I should've known I'd just get nightmare fuel like this).
> 
> They seemed to have less gluten free options that we thought so Josh got a simple meal, but I don't think he found it too filling.
> 
> *Farm Eggs*
> two eggs, crispy potato, toast, choice of: fennel sausage, *bacon *or shaved ham
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The waiter came over when we were done (with our portions that were rather small when you think of how large most American restaurant portions are), and said the following: "WOW! Good job! Clean House over here!"
> 
> View attachment 533968
> 
> This seemed odd, and more like something you'd say to children to praise them for cleaning their plates.  I always think it's a bit strange when a waiter compliments you for eating your food. My friend and I, had it happen at Disney Springs on one trip too, and it became a bit of a running joke on that trip.
> 
> View attachment 533971
> 
> Some decor I liked in Urban Farmer:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I had to ask a guy eating at this table if he could briefly duck so I could take a picture of the sign which is the most awkward thing I've ever had to ask someone to do in public, but I do think it looks really cool so I suppose that was worth it ).
> 
> View attachment 533972
> 
> We were down the street from Union Station so we decided to check it out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were disappointed to see many of the shops were still closed currently, and the ones that were open (since they're small) had a 2 customer limit. I saw an ice cream place that looked good, but sadly when we got closer we realized that was closed too.
> 
> And thus began my ice cream quest...
> 
> View attachment 533973
> 
> Actually at first I wasn't really looking. We walked back over to the area near our hotel where 16th St Mall is. (It's not really a mall, but more of a bunch of shops in an outdoor area). I did some shopping, but I was planning to maybe go to the candy store or something. Well the candy store was closed too.  But as we were walking inside a tiny area that had a restaurant, I spotted a gelato place!
> 
> I got the dairy free strawberry shortcake (which was ok but lacked flavor), and the chocolate fudge brownie (which was delicious) before we went back to the hotel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shortly afterwards we went to the Denver Art Museum.
> 
> This is what the building looks like:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some of the exhibits were closed, but there were still a couple floors of exhibits.
> 
> We decided this painting was definitely haunted.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretended Josh was scared of these knives:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I tried to get a picture of the view down the stairs, but my fear of heights did not like that idea.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was my favorite piece:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There was an exhibit on lights, that turned out to just be a gallery of different lamps...
> 
> View attachment 533974
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And some mirrors:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the Terminator:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The view from the top floor:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have to say it was interesting to see, but as you can tell by my above pictures I don't think we're really art museum people as I don't think we were taking the art as seriously as everyone else
> 
> On our Lyft ride back to the hotel we got in a very interesting Lyft:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He removed his passenger seat, and put a box around himself.
> 
> We didn't have a lot of time before our next stop so we Postmated some Shake Shack. This was my first time ordering off a real delivery app (the Insomnia Cookies place had their own delivery service in house). And the experience was actually much better than that delivery because we actually got the food handed to us.
> 
> We each got a burger (though I think Josh had more patties on his), two order of fries, and cheese sauce for the fries.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was all very good, especially the cheesy fries.  I wish we had a Shake Shack closer to us.
> 
> Tonight we were going to Floor 13! This is a popular haunted house attraction in Denver, and unlike all the other attractions was actually opening that weekend (in early Sep). This would be our first socially distanced haunted house so off we went!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised that it was in an area with warehouses and not in the middle of nowhere.  In upstate NY, it's pretty common for haunted houses to be in the middle of nowhere and to sometimes have to bus from lots to them because a lot of them are on farms/in more rural areas.
> 
> This was the first night, and we were actually some of the first people. This was also one of the only places that took our temperature the whole trip. Josh was wearing his Killer Klowns shirt, and made friends with an evil clown there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised at how good the houses were. They had some pretty good animatronics, and some cool details. There were a lot less scare actors though, and you really noticed it in some parts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We got through all the houses in less than a half hour (there were 3). My favorite was the Floor 13 house (you're trapped on floor 13 of a hotel), and my least favorite was the Bloody Mary house since they mostly used projected images of a character in a mirror, and I felt they could've done more with it (plus it was a weird take on the story with Vikings). We did get to really stop and look at the details though since we were basically by ourselves, and were being encouraged to take our time so we didn't bump into another group which was nice. The last house did smell a little strange, and I did move a little faster when I realized it reminded me of that terrible scent they had in Nightingales last year.
> 
> The line when we finished:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some cool photo ops:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As we were leaving, we saw that for an additional price you could throw axes in this little building next door.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh has done this once before at the Renaissance Fair, and he caught on rather quickly, and got a few to hit the target.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Me on the other hand...
> 
> View attachment 533975
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was a bit scared I'd somehow find a way to hit myself with the axe as I'm a bit accident prone  The guy insisted he's never seen anyone cut their own head off by accident, but I'd be the first.
> 
> View attachment 533977
> 
> You're supposed to hold it one handed, but it was a bit heavy, and that made me nervous so I decided to two hand it, and just kind of chuck it away from me. The guy was patient, and I did get a little closer, but I did not hit the target with this method.
> 
> *Next Up*
> I'll post the vlog from this day, (next week will be 2 Halloween ones). And the next post will be about my day with @amalone1013!
> 
> View attachment 533966​



I love following yall's adventures. 

Denver has been on our list for a while of places to visit so I was stoked to see your mini trip report on it here!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> My favourite update so far.......love love love the pictures.......the mirror ones are fabulous!!!



 Thank you! 



schumigirl said:


> I agree about art.....some folks take it far too seriously. If we ever meet up remind me to tell you about one of our experiences in the Louvre! Oh dear.......there did look to be some nice items to see, but have to wonder about the lightshade part though.....



That sounds like quite the story  The lamp exhibit was quite large too, it was interesting...



schumigirl said:


> The haunted house looks a lot of fun. And not too busy which is good.....I`m with you on the axe throwing!!



Yeah, it was a lot of fun! 



Tracy161 said:


> I have come to expect nothing less







Tracy161 said:


> This SO annoys me when a waiter - or anyone - comments on how much I eat. Let's leave those types of comments for children under 10 who finish their brussel sprouts



I always wonder if they think it's a compliment or if it's their weird way of commenting on how much you've eaten and how fast. 



Tracy161 said:


> You mean instead of left randomly without explanation at the hotel lobby?



I laughed so hard at this 



Tracy161 said:


> I've seen these a couple times near where I live but have yet to try... I have 0% trust in myself that I wouldn't impale someone... or myself!



That's what I think will happen too!



dlavender said:


> I love following yall's adventures.



Aw thank you!



dlavender said:


> Denver has been on our list for a while of places to visit so I was stoked to see your mini trip report on it here!



That's awesome! It was a really fun place. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

The art museum looks cool but I don't think I'm an art museum person either because I wouldn't have taken it seriously either.

I went axe throwing once and I had the same fear you did lol. I didn't injure myself somehow but I also was awful at it.


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> The art museum looks cool but I don't think I'm an art museum person either because I wouldn't have taken it seriously either.



It was so hard not to laugh at some of the things people were being very serious about!



lvcourtneyy said:


> I went axe throwing once and I had the same fear you did lol. I didn't injure myself somehow but I also was awful at it.



Lol we should just not hold or throw axes ever   It's hard to properly throw something when you're focusing on not cutting your own head off.​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR*

*Shopping Day With Alyssa & Urban Putt*

So today was the day I got to meet up with @amalone1013! I was so excited because I hadn't seen her since HHN the previous year. 



We went to get brunch at a restaurant called Tupelo Honey: 






I got a Frose drink which had a fancy little design on top and was really good. (Alyssa got the sangria, but I don't have a picture of that).






For an appetizer we got: 

*Loaded Potato Cracklins*
melted pimento cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, garlic buttermilk ranch






We split these, but there was sooo much    These were incredibly delicious, and definitely my favorite part of the meal.

We also got the: 

*Banana Pudding Dream*
dollops of creamy banana pudding, crumbled vanilla wafer, served with whipped cream and powdered sugar with fried chicken 






These were good, but there was a lot less banana pudding than I thought. It seemed like it would be layered in between, but it was really only that little bit on the side. The chicken was also very crispy, and not very juicy. I guess crispy is good for going on top of pancakes, and it wasn't a bad dish; but it also wasn't quite what we thought. 



After that we drove to the Outlets at Castle Rock. At first we weren't having much shopping luck... 






Enjoy this rack in the Adidas store with clothes that look like they were made by accident. 






Like is this a running nightgown that someone sewed a skirt into by mistake? 








Eventually I spent way more money than I should've , and we sat down to enjoy some chocolate from the Rocky Mt Chocolate Factory. 

I got both a regular chocolate covered oreo, and a chocolate covered caramel oreo: 






These were both delicious. (I swear Alyssa got chocolate too, I just think we ate them before we got pictures. )

After we came out of the last store we realized every store in the next row over had suddenly closed while we were shopping. I think the store's closed earlier than we thought? But the store we were in had quite a few people, and they never said anything about closing time. In fact, the whole row we had been in had been busy, and then the next one over was completely closed.  Then we realized in the span of a half hour it seemed that everyone had left. It was really strange, and when I went to use the bathroom before our drive back, the janitor cleaning them didn't seem like he wanted to let me in.


(The janitor when he saw me heading for the bathroom. )

Now we were on our way to get Zack and Josh and got to Urban Putt!











Urban Putt is a unique indoor mini golf course and restaurant with locations in Denver and San Francisco. We opted to get food first, and here's what it looked like inside: 






It gave me Toothsome vibes. 

I got the: 

*MAC AND CHEESE *
with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Broccoli






This looked so good, but was so disappointing. There were so many breadcrumbs that it made every bite really dry and sapped it of any flavor, and the bacon was really thick and hammy. 

Everyone else got pizza, and I had some of the one Josh got: 






The menu has completely changed since we went, but I know he got a white pizza with chicken. 






This was actually very good, and I wished I just this instead of getting the mac and cheese because there was more than enough.

Even though our reservation was for 8:30 pm we were the last golfers to go through the course. It was fun to be the only people on the course, but also a little weird especially when they turned the music off when we were halfway through like they wanted us to leave. 



Some of the holes were different than your regular mini golf course: 






I was so bad at this one 

I took pictures of most of them, but I'll only put in a few. (Also these pictures are totally out of order). 











Had to get a group photo: 











Everyone got a hole in one at this one, except Josh. 






Some of the holes were really elaborate: 






This hole was virtual and you had to keep hitting the ball in. I can't wait to show you the vlog where I fail miserably at this and accidentally hit the ball into the other person's side. 











Little roller coaster:






There was a Denver airport hole, and Bluecifer had a mask on. 











I'll let you watch the vlog to find out who won. 



*Next Up*
I'll be posting the shopping vlog tomorrow and the Urban Putt vlog on Friday! 
Then we head to the Denver Selfie Museum!

​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Raeven

* Urban Putt Denver*





​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Enjoy this rack in the Adidas store with clothes that look like they were made by accident.


 What in the world?! I'm so confused... 



Raeven said:


> Like is this a running nightgown that someone sewed a skirt into by mistake?


Nailed it. I couldn't think of a better theory myself. 

Loved your latest vlogs! I was wondering when the banana swing thing would come into play - I love that addition to your vlog intro!


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> And instead we got this:



Did the cake pops at least taste good? lol Funny the way they make it look so easy....sigh!



Raeven said:


> It was all very good, especially the cheesy fries.  I wish we had a Shake Shack closer to us.



I LOVE Shake Shack and miss it so much since there used to be one near where my parents always stayed in South Florida. The cheese fries are the best. I actually could take or leave their burgers and would always get the cheese fries, with a Purple Cow to drink. My fave. Yum.

Loved your Denver vlogs and looked like a fun trip. My son is applying to college in Denver! If he ends up going...I will definitely re-read all your recos lol


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> What in the world?! I'm so confused...



The most confusing thing was they were only something like 30% off, I think they'd have to be free for anyone to take them.   



Tracy161 said:


> Loved your latest vlogs! I was wondering when the banana swing thing would come into play - I love that addition to your vlog intro!



Thank you! The banana swing is coming up 



KathyM2 said:


> Did the cake pops at least taste good? lol Funny the way they make it look so easy....sigh!



I didn't think they did. They were really thick, and too sweet. The chocolate on top just made the texture like glue. Other people told us they liked them, but I think they were just being nice. 



KathyM2 said:


> I LOVE Shake Shack and miss it so much since there used to be one near where my parents always stayed in South Florida. The cheese fries are the best. I actually could take or leave their burgers and would always get the cheese fries, with a Purple Cow to drink. My fave. Yum.





KathyM2 said:


> Loved your Denver vlogs and looked like a fun trip. My son is applying to college in Denver! If he ends up going...I will definitely re-read all your recos lol



Thank you, it was fun! There's still a couple more days coming too. ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> The most confusing thing was they were only something like 30% off, I think they'd have to be free for anyone to take them.


No kidding!!!


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR*

*Food & a Haunted Hotel Room *

This is going to be the post about the Selfie Museum, but there was a day in between, and I realized once I added it in that the post would be too long if I didn't split it in two. So here is Pt 1! 

On the day before we went to the Selfie Museum, Josh got a migraine so we didn't do too much. We went to a place called Illegal Burger for lunch: 






I got an Avocado Burger with truffle and truffle fries which was delicious and obviously very truffle-y. 

Here's Josh's burger: 






I don't remember which one it was, but he got the regular fries with chipotle mayo. These were very juicy and delicious. 

We also walked around Larimer Square a bit, but it didn't seem like a lot was open aside from other food places. 






Because our Firestick did not work at the hotel, and we had a lack of channels we ended up watching ID TV and The Office all day. Josh still wasn't feeling well around dinner so we decided to order in again. I think we used DoorDash this time, and ordered from a local place called Steuben's that had sounded good. 






Josh had roast chicken and a sweet pork appetizer, which he said were alright. I, on the hand, was really disappointed with the meal. The food was barely warm, they left out the cutlery, and the mac and cheese tasted kind of bad. (I wrote it tasted like bad home cooking ).



But the biggest disappointment was the "poutine":








(This was before I poured the gravy on it). But it was already soggy. The cheese was flavorless (and not the right kind), the fries were super thin and also flavorless, and the gravy was heavy on garlic and not much else. The saving grace of my meal were those fried little dough balls (they had cookie dough inside). 

The following morning when I woke up Josh told me when he went down to the desk to get more toilet paper that they'd told him we need to move rooms due to a leak. (Not sure why they put us in the room in the first place if they knew that because Josh didn't say anything to them). Basically the shower was leaking out of the wall next to it...(You'll see in the vlog). 

We had kind of noticed it the night before (not sure if it did it any day before that), but had not realized it was from the shower. (The floor was a little wet by one of the walls, but I didn't really look around to see the extent of it). We had to pack everything to move 3 doors down from our room. (Also one of my sneakers was soaked but the other one wasn't and that one was closer to the wall? ) 

This room had a different layout with a living room instead of a hallway. The living room was definitely more useful, but I kind of liked the hallway layout in the first room even if it was a lot of wasted space. The heat and air seemed to work better in this room (the other room was always cold no matter what), but we also kept having electrical problems (we'd had some in the other room too) with lamps randomly turning on and off and in the other room the day before the TV had randomly. My conclusion to that was that the hotel was perhaps haunted   



The next day for lunch we went to a place called D Bar. 

I got the: 

*Bailey's Bowl *
grilled chicken • brown rice & quinoa •tomato •cucumber • avocado • goat  feta cheese•lemon vin






This was good, and tasted like a salad I make for lunch a lot. We ate a lot of heavier meals on this trip, and my stomach was thankful for this lighter lunch. I also got some chocolate gelato on the way back to the hotel. 

Josh got a cheeseburger, and when I asked to get a picture of it, he made this face for some reason : 








Now that'll take us to...

*The Selfie Museum!*​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR*

*Denver Selfie Museum *

We had arrived at the Denver Selfie Museum. (In the museum you didn't have to wear a mask while you were taking the pictures, and there were very few people to a time slot so you were always far away from everyone else since the exhibits were all in different rooms). 

First up we have a wall of donut pillows  








I could not figure out for the life of me how I should pose in front of this wall of donuts so here's me  sitting awkwardly . 






Apparently this is how Josh would bite a donut 






Here's the one where I thought I might trip while getting in and out of it because the ground is made up of plastic balls. 







When there's giant bread pillows you have to have a bread pillow fight, right? 





There were numerous angel wings around, but I like these best because they reminded me of the angels on Supernatural. 






I love this picture because for some reason he is making wings while wearing the wings 






This room was cool because it had the infinity mirrors. We went into a room like this when we were at the Disneyland pop up exhibit last year, and I know Josh loves these so I offered to take his picture. But I'm not sure why he looks so traumatized 








This room was bigger than the one we went to in Disneyland. It also did have a time limit, but since no one else was waiting to go in we basically got to spend as much time as we wanted in there. 






It took me a minute to figure it out, but these are for sure those giant crayon piggy banks every kid used to have. 






We also sword fought with these. 








But my favorite part of the museum was this banana swing! 


It was a real swing, but there was a ring light in front of it so I was in danger of kicking it every time I swung. This did not stop me however from swinging from every angle and surely annoying Josh severely as he had to keep moving the ring light out of the way. But it was so much fun 






Josh wanted to swing upside down, but I don't think he quite got it...











The final room was clearly meant to remind me of where we weren't. 






It also had this cute sign: 











The Selfie Museum was a lot of fun, and I think we got some pretty good pictures from it although we also got our fair share of awkward ones too. 

That night for dinner we went to a restaurant called Happy Camper. This was the hardest to get of all of our reservations. I think it's because it's a very pretty place with a lot of photo ops, and it seemed like it was maybe near a college area. However I made the mistake of picking indoor seating instead of outside because it was really hard to tell what was inside and outside from the pictures (because it was all open air but some seats were outside in a front part, and some were under a roof). 

All the cute seats were outside, and mostly for groups bigger than two it looked like. A lot of the photo ops were also at specific tables that had people sitting at them so that was a little disappointing. 






We each got a pizza (the speciality here), and Elotes dip which was corn, chili powder cream cheese, chihuahua cheese, and peppers. 






Pizza photoshoot: 





















Josh wished the gluten free ones came in a bigger size, and seemed to think the pizza was ok. I was disappointed to find the pizza kind of tasted like Chuck E Cheese pizza. It was pretty basic and bland for a place that specializes in pizza. However I LOVED the dip. 

After dinner we walked over to an ice cream place I'd heard really good reviews of called Little Man Ice Cream. 






I got 16th St Chocolate (which was chocolate ice cream and fudge brownie). 






It was a good, but a little chocolate syrup-y tasting, and not quite as good as the Ben and Jerry's flavor that's similar.

Josh got a blackberry sorbet: 






He said this was thick for sorbet, but good. 

*Next Up*
I'll post the vlog from the Selfie Museum & the next day we head to the Denver Zoo! 




​


----------



## schumigirl

Love the updates......all caught up, and pictures are wonderful as always. 

That place did have a Toothsome vibe......most of your food did look so good....I just finished breakfast and now I want to eat again! 

Josh does make some wonderful faces with the food......what a shame about the mac n cheese, it sounded like it should have been so good. And the pizzas.....yep....I need a snack.......


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR*
> 
> *Denver Selfie Museum *
> 
> We had arrived at the Denver Selfie Museum. (In the museum you didn't have to wear a mask while you were taking the pictures, and there were very few people to a time slot so you were always far away from everyone else since the exhibits were all in different rooms).
> 
> (These pictures aren't pictures of everything, but it does cover most of the museum).
> 
> First up we have a wall of donut pillows
> 
> View attachment 537944
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I could not figure out for the life of me how I should pose in front of this wall of donuts so here's me  sitting awkwardly .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Apparently this is how Josh would bite a donut
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the one where I thought I might trip while getting in and out of it because the ground is made up of plastic balls.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the one I was afraid to touch because I felt like a lot of other people had put their head on it before. Resulting in an awkward picture, but one that is not inaccurate to the way I sleep (which is  that pose pretty much).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When there's giant bread pillows you have to have a bread pillow fight, right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Someone who worked there volunteered to take this one and the neon sign one that I think is further down in the post. I may have accidentally actually punched Josh a little which is why I'm laughing in the second picture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And he has strongly committed to acting this out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There were numerous angel wings around, but I like these best because they reminded me of the angels on Supernatural.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love this picture because for some reason he is making wings while wearing the wings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This one kind of looked a lot like Blink 182's logo to me, but I think they're supposed to be VHS tapes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This room was cool because it had the infinity mirrors. We went into a room like this when we were at the Disneyland pop up exhibit last year, and I know Josh loves these so I offered to take his picture. But I'm not sure why he looks so traumatized
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 537945
> 
> This room was bigger than the one we went to in Disneyland. It also did have a time limit, but since no one else was waiting to go in we basically got to spend as much time as we wanted in there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It took me a minute to figure it out, but these are for sure those giant crayon piggy banks every kid used to have.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We also sword fought with these.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 537946
> 
> But my favorite part of the museum was this banana swing!
> 
> View attachment 537947
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a real swing, but there was a ring light in front of it so I was in danger of kicking it every time I swung. This did not stop me however from swinging from every angle and surely annoying Josh severely as he had to keep moving the ring light out of the way. But it was so much fun
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh wanted to swing upside down, but I don't think he quite got it...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The final room was clearly meant to remind me of where we weren't.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It also had this cute sign:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Selfie Museum was a lot of fun, and I think we got some pretty good pictures from it although we also got our fair share of awkward ones too.
> 
> That night for dinner we went to a restaurant called Happy Camper. This was the hardest to get of all of our reservations. I think it's because it's a very pretty place with a lot of photo ops, and it seemed like it was maybe near a college area. However I made the mistake of picking indoor seating instead of outside because it was really hard to tell what was inside and outside from the pictures (because it was all open air but some seats were outside in a front part, and some were under a roof).
> 
> All the cute seats were outside, and mostly for groups bigger than two it looked like. A lot of the photo ops were also at specific tables that had people sitting at them so that was a little disappointing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We each got a pizza (the speciality here), and Elotes dip which was corn, chili powder cream cheese, chihuahua cheese, and peppers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pizza photoshoot:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh wished the gluten free ones came in a bigger size, and seemed to think the pizza was ok. I was disappointed to find the pizza kind of tasted like Chuck E Cheese pizza. It was pretty basic and bland for a place that specializes in pizza. However I LOVED the dip.
> 
> After dinner we walked over to an ice cream place I'd heard really good reviews of called Little Man Ice Cream.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I got 16th St Chocolate (which was chocolate ice cream and fudge brownie).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a good, but a little chocolate syrup-y tasting, and not quite as good as the Ben and Jerry's flavor that's similar.
> 
> Josh got a blackberry sorbet:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He said this was thick for sorbet, but good.
> 
> *Next Up*
> I'll post the vlog from the Selfie Museum & the next day we head to the Denver Zoo!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



I have to give you and Josh  for the cool shirts!!!!!

Bruce Lee and Homer!!!

Socks also!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> That place did have a Toothsome vibe......most of your food did look so good....I just finished breakfast and now I want to eat again!



  the pizza's were good! 



schumigirl said:


> Josh does make some wonderful faces with the food......what a shame about the mac n cheese, it sounded like it should have been so good. And the pizzas.....yep....I need a snack.......



It's always terrible when mac and cheese isn't good 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I have to give you and Josh  for the cool shirts!!!!!



Haha thank you! I actually found that shirt for him at the outlet mall. 



DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Socks also!



Oh yes he likes to match his socks when he can ​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> My conclusion to that was that the hotel was perhaps haunted


Seems like the only logical explanation to me 



Raeven said:


> I love this picture because for some reason he is making wings while wearing the wings





Raeven said:


> I know Josh loves these so I offered to take his picture. But I'm not sure why he looks so traumatized





Raeven said:


> This did not stop me however from swinging from every angle and surely annoying Josh severely as he had to keep moving the ring light out of the way. But it was so much fun


This whole post had me cracking up - particularly these sentences!


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> There were numerous angel wings around, but I like these best because they reminded me of the angels on Supernatural.


 
This made me think of Lucifer lol

The selfie museum looked like a lot of fun!!

Sorry about some of the disappointing food....that's too bad. That dip sounds amazing though, I could eat just that as a meal lol


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Seems like the only logical explanation to me



Exactly!   



Tracy161 said:


> This whole post had me cracking up - particularly these sentences!


I can't get over how he looks so traumatized in that picture and he asked me to take it 




KathyM2 said:


> The selfie museum looked like a lot of fun!!



It was! (For me at least ) they aren't really Josh's thing but he went along with it.



KathyM2 said:


> Sorry about some of the disappointing food....that's too bad. That dip sounds amazing though, I could eat just that as a meal lol



Yeah it was really disappointing esp the poutine. I did basically eat the dip for dinner lol it was soooo good. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR*

*Denver Zoo*

Before the Denver Zoo we stopped at a breakfast place called Syrup that was right down the street from our hotel.

Josh got the gluten free *Strawberry Field Pancakes*:

*



*

These were a little artificial tasting in my opinion, but I liked it better than what I ordered 

I got a *breakfast sandwich with smashed potatoes*: 

*



*

The smashed potatoes were just tater tots, which were good but not quite what I expected. The sandwich was ok, but the cheese never melted and the bacon was thick and not crispy. 

Next we headed to the Denver Zoo! (So this post will be mostly pictures of animals). 

Where we saw these cuties 

*








*

This baby Mandrill was one of the cutest things I've ever seen.



*








*

I also want to point out since this was in my notes that we saw a family taking pictures with a disposable camera. I do not think they were doing this to be retro, I think they were seriously taking pictures with a disposable camera. Maybe they were time travelers? 



*



*

The Red River Hogs marching in a line:

*



*

And the penguins swimming: 

*








*

Rhinos for @xlsm (she got lots of rhino pictures that day):

*













*

This gorilla put his butt in the air at one point, and apparently that greatly offended a woman. She told her kids that they would be leaving the area as that was inappropriate and they shouldn't have to see that.  



*



*

There was also a portion that was like an aquarium and an area that house reptiles. I finally got to see otters! 



*



*

And this proud and majestic turtle: 

*



*

The theming in this area reminded me of Animal Kingdom:

*













*

They also had Lego figures of the animals around the park:











Overall this was a really nice zoo and there was a lot to see. On the way back to the hotel we got the strangest Lyft driver. He was having a conversation, but I'm not sure it was with us.  It was like he picked up in the middle of a conversation he'd been having inside his head and expected us to know what he was talking about (it was about how expensive it was to ship a guitar to Poughkeepsie?) 

*Next Up*
My next post is about our trip to Cherry Creek Shopping Center & our first time at Top Golf! (And after that we only have one more day of our Denver trip left). 
​


----------



## schumigirl

Gosh aren`t people weird......a gorilla is offensive because it`s showing it`s butt.....jeez.....those poor kids being taught that!! 

And a disposable camera???? Who knew there even was still such a thing......lol....retro or not, no thanks......

You got some lovely pics again 

I never knew there was such a thing as a red river hog, and I love elephants, so enjoyed seeing that one. 

Weirdest smashed potatoes I`ve ever seen!! But, pancakes look good and I have to say I`d visit a restaurant called Syrup!


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I can't get over how he looks so traumatized in that picture and he asked me to take it


You'd think he'd be more... _excited_... given he asked for it?!  



Raeven said:


> I also want to point out since this was in my notes that we saw a family taking pictures with a disposable camera. I do not think they were doing this to be retro, I think they were seriously taking pictures with a disposable camera. Maybe they were time travelers?


I didn't even know they made those anymore?! 



Raeven said:


> This gorilla put his butt in the air at one point, and apparently that greatly offended a woman. She told her kids that they would be leaving the area as that was inappropriate and they shouldn't have to see that.


We wouldn't want animals to be acting like animals, now would we? What did she think, this was a zoo or something?!  



Raeven said:


> On the way back to the hotel we got the strangest Lyft driver. He was having a conversation, but I'm not sure it was with us.


HAHAHA! You really do have a knack for finding some strange drivers, don't you?!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Gosh aren`t people weird......a gorilla is offensive because it`s showing it`s butt.....jeez.....those poor kids being taught that!!







schumigirl said:


> And a disposable camera???? Who knew there even was still such a thing......lol....retro or not, no thanks......



Lol I haven’t seen anyone use one in so long, I don’t even know if anywhere develops them anymore



schumigirl said:


> You got some lovely pics again



Thank you!



schumigirl said:


> I never knew there was such a thing as a red river hog, and I love elephants, so enjoyed seeing that one.



I think I’ve seen them before at another zoo, but I couldn't remember their name at first and there was outside the exhibit that seemed upset people weren’t calling them by the correct name. 



schumigirl said:


> Weirdest smashed potatoes I`ve ever seen!! But, pancakes look good and I have to say I`d visit a restaurant called Syrup!



The name did sound really good 



Tracy161 said:


> You'd think he'd be more... _excited_... given he asked for it?!







Tracy161 said:


> I didn't even know they made those anymore?!



I didn’t think they developed them anymore either  We got one for a trip like 5 years ago because I didn’t want to buy a waterproof camera for Discovery Cove and it took forever to find someone to develop it.



Tracy161 said:


> We wouldn't want animals to be acting like animals, now would we? What did she think, this was a zoo or something?!



The gorilla must behave like a proper gentleman.



Tracy161 said:


> HAHAHA! You really do have a knack for finding some strange drivers, don't you?!



​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR*
> 
> *Denver Zoo*
> 
> Before the Denver Zoo we stopped at a breakfast place called Syrup that was right down the street from our hotel.
> 
> Josh got the gluten free *Strawberry Field Pancakes*:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> These were a little artificial tasting in my opinion, but I liked it better than what I ordered
> 
> I got a *breakfast sandwich with smashed potatoes*:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> The smashed potatoes were just tater tots, which were good but not quite what I expected. The sandwich was ok, but the cheese never melted and the bacon was thick and not crispy.
> 
> Next we headed to the Denver Zoo! (So this post will be mostly pictures of animals).
> 
> Where we saw these cuties
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> This baby Mandrill was one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
> 
> View attachment 538990
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> I also want to point out since this was in my notes that we saw a family taking pictures with a disposable camera. I do not think they were doing this to be retro, I think they were seriously taking pictures with a disposable camera. Maybe they were time travelers?
> 
> View attachment 538991
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> The Red River Hogs marching in a line:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> And the penguins swimming:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> Rhinos for @xlsm (she got lots of rhino pictures that day):
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> This gorilla put his butt in the air at one point, and apparently that greatly offended a woman. She told her kids that they would be leaving the area as that was inappropriate and they shouldn't have to see that.
> 
> View attachment 538992
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> There was also a portion that was like an aquarium and an area that house reptiles. I finally got to see otters!
> 
> View attachment 538993
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> And this proud and majestic turtle:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> The theming in this area reminded me of Animal Kingdom:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> They also had Lego figures of the animals around the park:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Overall this was a really nice zoo and there was a lot to see. On the way back to the hotel we got the strangest Lyft driver. He was having a conversation, but I'm not sure it was with us.  It was like he picked up in the middle of a conversation he'd been having inside his head and expected us to know what he was talking about (it was about how expensive it was to ship a guitar to Poughkeepsie?)
> 
> *Next Up*
> I'm posting a vlog tomorrow where my sister and I try Cheeto Mac & Cheese , and then I'll post the vlog from the zoo on Friday. My next post is about our trip to Cherry Creek Shopping Center & our first time at Top Golf! (And after that we only have one more day of our Denver trip left).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​





I like reading your stuff with a nice glass of Port and a nice stogie!!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Trying Cheeto Mac & Cheese*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



GOOSEBUMPS shirt!!!!!



Y’all have always got some shirt game going on......!!!


----------



## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> GOOSEBUMPS shirt!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Y’all have always got some shirt game going on......!!!



Haha yes! That's actually my shirt, but I let her borrow it   ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Tracy161

I still can't get over the lady who thought zoo animals should act like anything other than zoo animals?!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I still can't get over the lady who thought zoo animals should act like anything other than zoo animals?!



I am too   & the fact that you can hear her get upset about it in the actual video​


----------



## Raeven

I haven’t had time this week to write the post for when we went to TopGolf yet, so I may include it with the last post because we didn’t take too many pictures that night.​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I finally got to see otters!



Otters are the best! I could watch them for hours. They always look like they are having so much fun.

Also, Top Golf is the best!


----------



## Raeven

*Happy belated Thanksgiving!* 

​


----------



## Raeven

I’ll be posting the last PTR post tonight! ​


----------



## Raeven

*Denver Mini TR

Top Golf & the Denver Botanic Gardens*

So before we went to Top Golf we spent some time at Cherry Creek Shopping Center. (Which was kind of like the Mall of Millenia). Where I saw these socks I'd seen in like 4 different stores that look nothing like Adam Sandler: 








We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and I had a delicious Cobb Salad: 






This kind of reminded me of the one at the I used to love at Panera that they took off the menu and it was really good. 


(I'll never forgive you Panera!) 

Josh got the GF BBQ pizza: 






He said this was just okay, but the chicken wasn't as good as the bacon and it was very crispy.

I also bought some chocolate covered strawberries and oreos at Godiva that I think were very overpriced, but they were good. 

Then we headed off to Top Golf. I was happy to see our bay had a couch and not a table in it. It took me a little bit, but I managed to mostly hit the ball into the same hole and score some points. 






Josh kept saying he was playing for distance, which didn't really help his score in the game though. 






I also ordered these injectable donut holes, which I've had my eye on ever since I watched a video of the Top Golf opening in Orlando. I knew it would be too much for just me (since Josh can't have any), but I also knew I'd regret it if I didn't order them.



  It didn't surprise me at all, but I liked the cream filled best (although it tasted more like vanilla pudding than bavarian cream). The chocolate wasn't the best tasting, and it was really messy to use. The donuts were very crispy which was probably good for the filling, but made it a little harder to push the filling in. 






I won the first game! 






Then Josh won one.






Then he won another, but I don't have a picture of that.

We only had a little bit of time left in the bay (I think we had it for 2 hours, and Top Golf was closing around when our time slot ended). We quickly played one more game where the floor was gems, and I won that one. 






So we ended the night in a tie! (I highly recommend watching the vlog if you want to see more. Just explaining it sounds so boring, but I promise it was fun!) I'm not sure we'll be rushing back to play again asap (it was also a little pricey), but I'm sure we'll play again in the future. 

The next day was our final full day. We started out by going to the Denver Central Market (which is a food hall) in the Arts District. Where Josh got a cappuccino that he didn't know would be mini: 








And I got a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich: 






I was a little disappointed since I thought they'd make it fresh, and really they just pulled out a cheese lump (that looked kind of tuna in a can ), and heated it up. It was ok, but not the best grilled cheese ever.

I did however get the best ice cream I'd had all trip at another stand called High Point Creamery though:






There wasn't as much to see as I thought there, so we decided to head to the Denver Botanic Gardens which had been the last thing on my list. I wasn't sure if we should go because I didn't know if we'd enjoy it and it was kind of hot out, but I'm really glad we went because it was absolutely gorgeous!













































I think we only got through half of it because it was so big, but it was really enjoyable. 

Also I tried to take cute pictures, and then we had to run from a bee: 

























We were also next to a haunted park called Cheesman Park that was part of the inspiration for Poltergeist! But we didn't really get a chance to explore because we spent a lot of time in the gardens. 

For our last dinner we decided to go to a steakhouse called Guard and Grace that had really good reviews.






The food was delicious! Here's a view of the table: 






We each got steak of course. But I also got a Truffle Mac & Cheese, and Josh got these roasted potatoes that were a little spicy and had lime on top. Also the rolls were very good and I ate like 4. 


(I searched "more bread" and this came up. Now I'm afraid of bread). 

The next morning we had to pack up and go once we woke up. I know I had another Einstein bagel at the airport.  






On the plane I just watched Judge Judy and various other shows on Southwest TV. When we finally landed at home we had to fill out the world's longest form before we could leave the gate area even though we didn't fly in from one of the areas you couldn't go to at that time. (Now you can't go anywhere and come back without the results of a negative Covid test both ways).

And that's it for our trip! I really do feel like we got everything done we wanted to do, and I loved getting to see @amalone1013 again because we didn't think we'd get to see any of our Dis friends this year. 

Since this trip is over, I'll probably go back to posting real life updates (I actually have a lot of pictures and things I haven't shared while I was writing this) until we can get some planning updates in. It might be awhile because I'm not sure we're going anywhere until HHN next year (at least not theme parks wise). But I'll keep popping in.

​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Denver Mini TR
> 
> Top Golf & the Denver Botanic Garden*
> 
> So before we went to Top Golf we spent some time at Cherry Creek Shopping Center. (Which was kind of like the Mall of Millenia). Where I saw these socks I'd seen in like 4 different stores that look nothing like Adam Sandler:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and I had a delicious Cobb Salad:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This kind of reminded me of the one at the I used to love at Panera that they took off the menu and it was really good.
> 
> View attachment 541292
> (I'll never forgive you Panera!)
> 
> Josh got the GF BBQ pizza:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He said this was just okay, but the chicken wasn't as good as the bacon and it was very crispy.
> 
> I also bought some chocolate covered strawberries and oreos at Godiva that I think were very overpriced, but they were good.
> 
> Then we headed off to Top Golf. I was happy to see our bay had a couch and not a table in it. It took me a little bit, but I managed to mostly hit the ball into the same hole and score some points.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Josh kept saying he was playing for distance, which didn't really help his score in the game though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also ordered these injectable donut holes, which I've had my eye on ever since I watched a video of the Top Golf opening in Orlando. I knew it would be too much for just me (since Josh can't have any), but I also knew I'd regret it if I didn't order them.
> 
> View attachment 541293
> 
> It didn't surprise me at all, but I liked the cream filled best (although it tasted more like vanilla pudding than bavarian cream). The chocolate wasn't the best tasting, and it was really messy to use. The donuts were very crispy which was probably good for the filling, but made it a little harder to push the filling in.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I won the first game!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then Josh won one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then he won another, but I don't have a picture of that.
> 
> We only had a little bit of time left in the bay (I think we had it for 2 hours, and Top Golf was closing around when our time slot ended). We quickly played one more game where the floor was gems, and I won that one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So we ended the night in a tie! (I highly recommend watching the vlog if you want to see more. Just explaining it sounds so boring, but I promise it was fun!) I'm not sure we'll be rushing back to play again asap (it was also a little pricey), but I'm sure we'll play again in the future.
> 
> The next day was our final full day. We started out by going to the Denver Central Market (which is a food hall) in the Arts District. Where Josh got a cappuccino that he didn't know would be mini:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I got a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was a little disappointed since I thought they'd make it fresh, and really they just pulled out a cheese lump (that looked kind of tuna in a can ), and heated it up. It was ok, but not the best grilled cheese ever.
> 
> I did however get the best ice cream I'd had all trip at another stand called High Point Creamery though:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There wasn't as much to see as I thought there, so we decided to head to the Denver Botanic Gardens which had been the last thing on my list. I wasn't sure if we should go because I didn't know if we'd enjoy it and it was kind of hot out, but I'm really glad we went because it was absolutely gorgeous!
> 
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> 
> I think we only got through half of it because it was so big, but it was really enjoyable.
> 
> Also I tried to take cute pictures, and then we had to run from a bee:
> 
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> View attachment 541294
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> 
> We were also next to a haunted park called Cheesman Park that was part of the inspiration for Poltergeist! But we didn't really get a chance to explore because we spent a lot of time in the gardens.
> 
> For our last dinner we decided to go to a steakhouse called Guard and Grace that had really good reviews.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The food was delicious! Here's a view of the table:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We each got steak of course. But I also got a Truffle Mac & Cheese, and Josh got these roasted potatoes that were a little spicy and had lime on top. Also the rolls were very good and I ate like 4.
> 
> View attachment 541295
> (I searched "more bread" and this came up. Now I'm afraid of bread).
> 
> The next morning we had to pack up and go once we woke up. I didn't really take any pictures or videos, but I know I had another Einstein bagel at the airport. Also our Lyft driver listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers exclusively in the car, so I guess he really liked them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On the plane I just watched Judge Judy and various other shows on Southwest TV. When we finally landed at home we had to fill out the world's longest form before we could leave the gate area even though we didn't fly in from one of the areas you couldn't go to at that time. (Now you can't go anywhere and come back without the results of a negative Covid test both ways which is supposed to be easier but is actually harder for us because my insurance won't cover tests without a medical need and I don't even think we have rapid testing around here, so we probably won't be able to travel until that changes).
> 
> And that's it for our trip! I really do feel like we got everything done we wanted to do, and I loved getting to see @amalone1013 again because we didn't think we'd get to see any of our Dis friends this year.
> 
> Since this trip is over, I'll probably go back to posting real life updates (I actually have a lot of pictures and things I haven't shared while I was writing this) until we can get some planning updates in. It might be awhile because I'm not sure we're going anywhere until HHN next year (at least not theme parks wise). But I'll keep popping in, and I'm starting to upload my holiday vlogs so I'll share those on here too.
> 
> View attachment 541296​




Raeven, I`ve loved reading about your Denver trip........it was so much fun to be along with you. Your pictures are always brilliant, food choices top notch and you can see hwo much fun you both have together. 

Looking forward to your holiday updates......and any other updates till you next travel. HHN seems forever away right now.....but your real life updates are always so much fun too.......


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Raeven, I`ve loved reading about your Denver trip........it was so much fun to be along with you. Your pictures are always brilliant, food choices top notch and you can see hwo much fun you both have together.



Aw thank you!



schumigirl said:


> Looking forward to your holiday updates......and any other updates till you next travel. HHN seems forever away right now.....but your real life updates are always so much fun too.......



It does     I just feel a little bad because I know people read these most of the time for travel updates, and I won't have any for awhile. But I do think at this point we're all friends and enjoy hearing about each other's lives too. ​


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Aw thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> It does     I just feel a little bad because I know people read these most of the time for travel updates, and I won't have any for awhile. But I do think at this point we're all friends and enjoy hearing about each other's lives too. ​



Absolutely Raeven.....I think the folks who read and post on our trip reports are definitely friends and we all care for each other......so you absolutely have to keep giving us your real life updates. I think we`ve all been through a lot this year so the continuation of these reports have been fun!

Actually confession time.....I never watch vlogs from anyone......ever.....I usually prefer to read.....but I have so enjoyed your vlogs these last months since you began doing them all.....they are so entertaining, and you have the best laugh in them......


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## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> And I thought it was perfect because today I made it to 200 subscribers!


Congrats!!! 



Raeven said:


> Josh kept saying he was playing for distance, which didn't really help his score in the game though.






Raeven said:


> Also our Lyft driver listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers exclusively in the car, so I guess he really liked them.


With all your strange driver experiences, it's probably better he listened to music instead of talking


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Absolutely Raeven.....I think the folks who read and post on our trip reports are definitely friends and we all care for each other......so you absolutely have to keep giving us your real life updates. I think we`ve all been through a lot this year so the continuation of these reports have been fun!
> 
> Actually confession time.....I never watch vlogs from anyone......ever.....I usually prefer to read.....but I have so enjoyed your vlogs these last months since you began doing them all.....they are so entertaining, and you have the best laugh in them......



Yes I agree! 

Aw thank you! That’s really sweet



Tracy161 said:


> Congrats!!!
> 
> With all your strange driver experiences, it's probably better he listened to music instead of talking



Thank you!

I guess it could be worse, he could’ve been singing along too 
​


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Raeven

*I'm off work this week so I'll be back on to do a life update soon!*​


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## schumigirl

I need to get to a Dollar store! I love the first sign you brought out.....and am I the only one who thought that white tree skirt would make a gorgeous winter poncho????

Ok.....maybe it`s just me then...... 

That is a cute gnome too.....there are many folks in the UK who collect gnomes....they usually sit outside in the garden and I find them a little odd....they can look as if they`re fishing, cycling...do anything really. But, your gnome is cute......

Looking forward to seeing the decorations go in their places........

Nice vlog too.......


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## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I knew it would be too much for just me (since Josh can't have any), but I also knew I'd regret it if I didn't order them.



What fun!! I'm such a sucker for things like that!! I would have ordered it too.



Raeven said:


> I'm not sure we'll be rushing back to play again asap (it was also a little pricey), but I'm sure we'll play again in the future.



Yeah it is kind of expensive but a fun thing and sort of different night out. I wish we had it here.


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I need to get to a Dollar store! I love the first sign you brought out.....and am I the only one who thought that white tree skirt would make a gorgeous winter poncho????



Sometimes you find some good stuff there! It was very furry 



schumigirl said:


> That is a cute gnome too.....there are many folks in the UK who collect gnomes....they usually sit outside in the garden and I find them a little odd....they can look as if they`re fishing, cycling...do anything really. But, your gnome is cute......



Yes I have seen them often in gardens! I didn't realize there were Christmas ones too   



schumigirl said:


> Nice vlog too.......



Thank you! 



KathyM2 said:


> Yeah it is kind of expensive but a fun thing and sort of different night out. I wish we had it here.



Yeah, I agree. I'd probably go more often if we had it around here because there isn't a ton to do. ​


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## Raeven

*Real Life Update*

Since we got back from Denver we haven't been doing too much besides work and such. Though lately we've been preparing for the holidays! I have this week off, and normally we'd be going on a trip, but covid case numbers are going up again, and testing without a doctor's recommendation is both expensive and hard to find in our immediate area (what we'd need to do to travel outside the state). 

We were thinking of going on a little roadtrip in MA because it's one of the areas we wouldn't have to test to go to, but they aren't letting people from NY come without quarantining now. But I do have some plans with friends & family this week.

*So here's some holiday preparation/etc photos! *

 Christmas Starbucks: 






We had a small family gathering for Thanksgiving and my dad of course bought a butter turkey. 






Thanksgiving dinner: 






The pie we made: 






It actually turned out really good! 

Josh and I decorated:











We also went to a semi local-ish event called Frosty Fest: 







Why does it look like Santa and that dinosaur are about to kiss? 


























The animatronics weren't Disney level, but they weren't too bad. My favorite performer however was the guy in a full tree costume who was just swaying side to side while kind of bent over (I don't think he could see very well).  I did get some video of it. 

I got this chocolate covered pretzel donut: 






This was okay, but very messy and sticky. I had a red velvet cannoli cupcake too which was really good. So good, I apparently didn't take a picture of it. 

And I got another gnome. 






I also went to brunch today with my friend Tammy. It's the sister restaurant to one we've been to before, and also has the fabulous Grit Tots that I love: 






I got a Fried Chicken Eggs Benedict and she got Chicken & Waffles: 




​


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## schumigirl

Santa and the dinosaur are SO getting it on there!!! Love the name Frosty Fest!

I am so jealous of the turkey butter!!! Never seen that before, ever. Your food pictures again look lovely.....although I`m conflicted.....I love tots, but grits are a huge no no....but the pictures look lovely.

Looking forward to the videos coming up........


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## Tracy161

"I would wear this as an adult"--I would too, who doesn't love Rudolf pjs?!   

Sorry you're not able to go anywhere this week  but I think it'll be so nice to have the week off of work this time of year and just be home to get some things done and relax  I love all your new decorations, so I'm really excited to see that video!


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Santa and the dinosaur are SO getting it on there!!! Love the name Frosty Fest!



They are   



schumigirl said:


> I am so jealous of the turkey butter!!! Never seen that before, ever. Your food pictures again look lovely.....although I`m conflicted.....I love tots, but grits are a huge no no....but the pictures look lovely.



I haven't either (well before they got it last year). They seem to find butter animals for all the holidays (besides the Christmas tree ). Thank you! It's really good, the grits are inside the tots and then on top is hot sauce and sausage gravy.



Tracy161 said:


> "I would wear this as an adult"--I would too, who doesn't love Rudolf pjs?!



Yes!!



Tracy161 said:


> Sorry you're not able to go anywhere this week  but I think it'll be so nice to have the week off of work this time of year and just be home to get some things done and relax  I love all your new decorations, so I'm really excited to see that video!



Thank you, but yeah it is nice to have time off. The video is up now! ​


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## schumigirl

lol.....Josh is unintentionally hilarious in the tree decorating one.....his face is a picture at times...."two hours later" I laughed so much....but the tree is beautful and your decorations are so cute.....very tasteful......but my beautiful white poncho on the floor like that.......

Danny Glover??? I`m going to remember that one.......lol......never seen a gingerbread camper van before......you rescued it well!!! I did like the little penguin peeking round the side. But these things are never accurate.....15 minutes to set?? Yes, the experts make it look so easy....never made a gingebread house, and don`t think I ever will......

You and your sister are so funny.......good job!


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## Tracy161

Your video editing just gets better and better! 

I love childhood ornaments! 

"And the rest of the decorations are all foxes"    Who here is surprised!?

Your camper turned out super cute! But you're right, building gingerbread _anything _is hard! Mine always want to collapse onto themselves  Your apartment looks great - so festive!


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## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> and my dad of course bought a butter turkey.



Ha!! That's awesome! do they sell those in just regular grocery stores lol?



Raeven said:


> Why does it look like Santa and that dinosaur are about to kiss?



It totally does!! Wonder if they did it on purpose! 

Looks like you are having some holiday fun in this strange time!! There isn't a lot to do these days so it's good that you have found some adventures locally even if travel isn't possible. I hear you though...I miss travel so much and longing to go anywhere!


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> lol.....Josh is unintentionally hilarious in the tree decorating one.....his face is a picture at times...."two hours later" I laughed so much....but the tree is beautful and your decorations are so cute.....very tasteful......but my beautiful white poncho on the floor like that.......



Lol thank you!  Your poor poncho 




schumigirl said:


> Danny Glover??? I`m going to remember that one.......lol......never seen a gingerbread camper van before......you rescued it well!!! I did like the little penguin peeking round the side. But these things are never accurate.....15 minutes to set?? Yes, the experts make it look so easy....never made a gingebread house, and don`t think I ever will......



It's the first one I've seen too. It definitely didn't dry for hours! They always looked so easy to make.



schumigirl said:


> You and your sister are so funny.......good job!



Thank you!



Tracy161 said:


> Your video editing just gets better and better!



Aw thank you! I keep learning new stuff about editing as I go.



Tracy161 said:


> "And the rest of the decorations are all foxes"  Who here is surprised!?







Tracy161 said:


> Your camper turned out super cute! But you're right, building gingerbread _anything _is hard! Mine always want to collapse onto themselves  Your apartment looks great - so festive!



Someone told me to use glue, and I never thought of that so maybe if I make one ever again.  Thank you!




KathyM2 said:


> Ha!! That's awesome! do they sell those in just regular grocery stores lol?



I'm pretty sure they do haha.



KathyM2 said:


> It totally does!! Wonder if they did it on purpose!







KathyM2 said:


> Looks like you are having some holiday fun in this strange time!! There isn't a lot to do these days so it's good that you have found some adventures locally even if travel isn't possible. I hear you though...I miss travel so much and longing to go anywhere!



We're trying to! I definitely missed traveling this week, but we've found some things to do at least.​


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## Raeven

*post deleted*​


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## schumigirl

Yep, don`t think I`ll be trying any of those.......watermelon chocolate??? Yes, you did a good job telling us what not to try.......loved it! 

Love the Josh appearances.......


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Yep, don`t think I`ll be trying any of those.......watermelon chocolate???



Watermelon white chocolate I think 



schumigirl said:


> Love the Josh appearances.......



You'll see more of him in the next one!   ​


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## Raeven

​


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## Tracy161

YUCK! Omg the Ron Ron Juice looked and sounded disgusting... thanks for trying it so we don't have to   

I love how Josh randomly appeared in the background of the foods video.  He must have missed the "lights, camera, action" part 

"I'm pretty sure it's a real person swaying side to side because they can't see"  That cracked me up, but yes! It was so cute and would have prob been my fave too  How funny that you can clearly see the haunted aspects of the drive through, I think that kinda makes it all the better, and definitely funny


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> YUCK! Omg the Ron Ron Juice looked and sounded disgusting... thanks for trying it so we don't have to



It was terrible! You're welcome   



Tracy161 said:


> I love how Josh randomly appeared in the background of the foods video.  He must have missed the "lights, camera, action" part







Tracy161 said:


> "I'm pretty sure it's a real person swaying side to side because they can't see"  That cracked me up, but yes! It was so cute and would have prob been my fave too



Lol it was! ​


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## schumigirl

lol......just watched the latest vlog......

That giant teddy was a little scary, Josh looked a little wary of it.......

I did like the Donkey addition.....first time out of the basement  It did look a really good place to visit.......and anywhere that drops fake snow is a big yes from me!!!

And that was usually a haunted house place? There were certainly plenty of lights and displays. 

Josh definitely wins an award for being the most easy going star of a vlog ever......he is so cool!!!


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> lol......just watched the latest vlog......
> 
> That giant teddy was a little scary, Josh looked a little wary of it.......
> 
> I did like the Donkey addition.....first time out of the basement  It did look a really good place to visit.......and anywhere that drops fake snow is a big yes from me!!!
> 
> And that was usually a haunted house place? There were certainly plenty of lights and displays.
> 
> Josh definitely wins an award for being the most easy going star of a vlog ever......he is so cool!!!



He was wary of that bear and for some reason he thought it looked like a mouse  

The donkey did not like Josh  I love fake snow too!

Yeah that’s usually the trail for the haunted hayride so normally there’s a creepy village/haunted mine etc but they put wreaths and stuff over the outside of the buildings.

He really is​


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Tracy161

"I do what I feel in my heart, not what the actual measurements are"   That's pretty much my life motto! 

Super impressed with the rate at which you're cranking these videos out!


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Making Christmas Cookies *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​




I`ve never tried snickerdoodles, but now I want some! They did look good.....and look forward to your next one. As Tracy said, very impressed how quick you`re getting them out.....they are so much fun to watch! 





Tracy161 said:


> "I do what I feel in my heart, not what the actual measurements are"   That's pretty much my life motto!
> 
> Super impressed with the rate at which you're cranking these videos out!


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> "I do what I feel in my heart, not what the actual measurements are"  That's pretty much my life motto!



It makes cooking an adventure   



Tracy161 said:


> Super impressed with the rate at which you're cranking these videos out!



Thank you! It's been fun (to make them), but a little challenging (to get them all edited and uploaded on time). 



schumigirl said:


> I`ve never tried snickerdoodles, but now I want some! They did look good.....and look forward to your next one. As Tracy said, very impressed how quick you`re getting them out.....they are so much fun to watch!



They're so good! If you like cinnamon you'd like them. Thank you! ​


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## Raeven

*post deleted*​


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

Raeven said:


> *Trying Astronaut Ice Cream & More*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



You 2 are the best!!!


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Trying Astronaut Ice Cream & More*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​




Wonderful as always 

We tried the astronaut ice cream on our last visit to KSC.......none of us could make up our mind if we liked it or not. It was the vanilla one......yes, as your sister said, it felt weird not being cold......I don`t think we`d try it again, but you have to give it a go....

I thought the panera bun looked gorgeous......but if you`re expecting vanilla and get lemon, that`s a little odd.....wouldn`t put lemon with cinammon ever....

Looking forward again to the next one........


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## Raeven

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> You 2 are the best!!!



Haha thank you!



schumigirl said:


> Wonderful as always



Thank you!



schumigirl said:


> We tried the astronaut ice cream on our last visit to KSC.......none of us could make up our mind if we liked it or not. It was the vanilla one......yes, as your sister said, it felt weird not being cold......I don`t think we`d try it again, but you have to give it a go....



It wasn't something I'd probably want to eat again, but it wasn't as bad as I thought either. She seemed to like it more than I did though.



schumigirl said:


> I thought the panera bun looked gorgeous......but if you`re expecting vanilla and get lemon, that`s a little odd.....wouldn`t put lemon with cinammon ever....



I feel like so many sweets have lemon flavoring in the icing, and I don't care for it   ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## schumigirl

Oh lordy pizza candy canes looked a huge success......  I`m with Josh.....putting those words together ......no.

I don`t like peppermint anything (I know) so never eat candy canes, but, now I know to never try any of those ones.......they all sounded odd to begin with......but your faces conveyed a million reasons to bever eat them.......

Love the questions too......


----------



## Tracy161

Your reactions to the smells were almost as good as your reactions to the tastes! I love dill pickle chips, but I'm not going to be running out to try the candy cane version anytime soon (or ever)


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Oh lordy pizza candy canes looked a huge success......  I`m with Josh.....putting those words together ......no.







schumigirl said:


> I don`t like peppermint anything (I know) so never eat candy canes, but, now I know to never try any of those ones.......they all sounded odd to begin with......but your faces conveyed a million reasons to bever eat them.......



I'm not the biggest fan of peppermint myself, and don't really go for regular candy canes either. But those were so much worse   



schumigirl said:


> Love the questions too......



Thank you!



Tracy161 said:


> Your reactions to the smells were almost as good as your reactions to the tastes! I love dill pickle chips, but I'm not going to be running out to try the candy cane version anytime soon (or ever)



Lol they were sooo gross. The pickle one was actually the best one, but I still wouldn't recommend it. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## KathyM2

Loved the candy cane video. I love pickles too but...not sure in a candy lol. I think this may be the first year in history that I haven't eaten a single candy cane all season...may have to rectify that now that they are all on sale lol.


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Loved the candy cane video. I love pickles too but...not sure in a candy lol. I think this may be the first year in history that I haven't eaten a single candy cane all season...may have to rectify that now that they are all on sale lol.



Thank you! Lol pickle candy is interesting...I don’t think pickle anything should be sweet. I didn’t have any regular ones either ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Raeven

I’ll be going back to Wed & Fri posting next week & I’ll pop in here to do a Christmas update with pictures this weekend!!!

​


----------



## KathyM2

Oooh face masks are so much fun!!


----------



## Raeven

*2021 Travel Update *

So it's my first post of 2021! Sadly, I don't have any actual travel updates.



I've been wishing we knew anything at all because flights are so cheap now, but I haven't even asked for my vacation time off yet because I just have no idea what's going on. So far the plan is to wait and see, and hopefully we'll know in the next couple of months. 

I do have some ideas for places I want to travel this year though if we can.There will of course be our HHN/Disney trip in September whichever weekend HHN starts. I'd still like to go to Chicago too, but I'm not sure if we'll go for a weekend on it's own or in front of another trip. 



*Here's some photos from Christmastime!*

My dad and his girlfriend got a  hamster: 











This is my brother Ryan and his girlfriend Michelle, and me standing awkwardly in a picture with them  














I got 8 pairs of socks total between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I have no idea why everyone got me socks 








I also tried to make my own poutine at home, but it didn't come out quite like the Daily Poutine's: 






And Josh got me lots of chocolate covered oreoes for Christmas: 






​


----------



## Raeven

​


----------



## Tracy161

I LOVE this video! I love fast food fries and I 100% agree with your ranking. McDonald's will always have the superior fries in my book!  Unfortunately, my only options are BK and Arby's in my town (thank goodness for Arby's!) and I have to drive at least 25 minutes for Mickey Ds 

"If the Burger King spent less time sneaking around and being a creep"   Josh really cracks me up sometimes! Love frosties... love that you two had one of your first date  I hope you celebrate each anniversary with a trip to Wendy's


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> I've been wishing we knew anything at all because flights are so cheap now, and normally I'd be planning my trips for the year, but I haven't even asked for my vacation time off yet because I just have no idea what's going on. So far the plan is to wait and see, and hopefully we'll know in the next couple of months.



I hear ya...it is SO hard not to be able to plan things!! That's half the fun and while last minute will be great too....it's not as much fun as planning and looking forward to trips!! But...at least there are trips in your future!!! Hoping we will all know more soon...go vaccines!!!

I watched your fries video and totally agree, though I can't really comment about Arby's since haven't had them in ages. My absolute fave fries are the cheese fries from Shake Shack..but then...that's on a different level than standard fast food fries I think lol


----------



## Tracy161

PS - I went to Arby's for fries last night as a result of your video


----------



## schumigirl

Finally caught up with your face mask and fries videos.

I don`t really eat fast food from any of those places, but the Wendy`s ones looked so lovely.....and face masks......I took away.......human flesh and vivid blue! I did like the look of the one you use regularly...I like the cooling sensation too.

And lovely pictures of your family......


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> "If the Burger King spent less time sneaking around and being a creep"  Josh really cracks me up sometimes! Love frosties... love that you two had one of your first date  I hope you celebrate each anniversary with a trip to Wendy's



  we haven't, but we should lol 




KathyM2 said:


> I hear ya...it is SO hard not to be able to plan things!! That's half the fun and while last minute will be great too....it's not as much fun as planning and looking forward to trips!! But...at least there are trips in your future!!! Hoping we will all know more soon...go vaccines!!!



It's so hard not knowing when you can plan things! I wouldn't even mind if it was kind of last minute, but it's not knowing whether anything can happen at all. 



KathyM2 said:


> I watched your fries video and totally agree, though I can't really comment about Arby's since haven't had them in ages. My absolute fave fries are the cheese fries from Shake Shack..but then...that's on a different level than standard fast food fries I think lol



Shack Shake has such good fries! I wish we had a Shake Shack around here. But yeah if we had one I'd probably group it more with the fast casual restaurants like Five Guys.



Tracy161 said:


> PS - I went to Arby's for fries last night as a result of your video



I'm sorry I made you go to an Arby's.



schumigirl said:


> Finally caught up with your face mask and fries videos.
> 
> I don`t really eat fast food from any of those places, but the Wendy`s ones looked so lovely.....and face masks......I took away.......human flesh and vivid blue! I did like the look of the one you use regularly...I like the cooling sensation too.



I'm not much of a fast food eater either that video was rough on my stomach  The Wendy's ones are usually pretty good. The cooling one is so nice! 



schumigirl said:


> And lovely pictures of your family......



Thank you!​


----------



## TheLittleKatie

I've been stalking all of the cheap flights at the moment too, it's so frustrating not knowing what the world will be like, even in just a few months time! Hope you get some successful travel in soon, we've done a couple of trips nearby to our hometown (all within the rules) and it's been surprisingly fun! I guess this whole pandemic is an opportunity to explore some local areas


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I'm sorry I made you go to an Arby's.


I'm not


----------



## Raeven

TheLittleKatie said:


> I've been stalking all of the cheap flights at the moment too, it's so frustrating not knowing what the world will be like, even in just a few months time! Hope you get some successful travel in soon, we've done a couple of trips nearby to our hometown (all within the rules) and it's been surprisingly fun! I guess this whole pandemic is an opportunity to explore some local areas



Yes! And I’m hoping we do! We’ve kind of exhausted local travel (I have a few ideas for this year but things in more touristy areas of the state are still closed). I wanted to go to a i state in Dec but even that is out right now.



Tracy161 said:


> I'm not



It’s just everything except the fries at Arby’s seems so awful​


----------



## lvcourtneyy

I quoted a lot because I was a zillion updates behind lol- oops!



Raeven said:


> *Banana Pudding Dream*
> dollops of creamy banana pudding, crumbled vanilla wafer, served with whipped cream and powdered sugar with fried chicken



This sounds like it should be amazing!



Raeven said:


> These were good, but there was a lot less banana pudding than I thought. It seemed like it would be layered in between, but it was really only that little bit on the side.



That's very sad.



Raeven said:


> Enjoy this rack in the Adidas store with clothes that look like they were made by accident.



  I'm trying to imagine the design meeting where they decided this was something they needed to make.



Raeven said:


> This hole was virtual and you had to keep hitting the ball in. I can't wait to show you the vlog where I fail miserably at this and accidentally hit the ball into the other person's side.



that's 100% something I would do.



Raeven said:


> My conclusion to that was that the hotel was perhaps haunted



That's the only conclusion I would come to.



Raeven said:


> Resulting in an awkward picture, but one that is not inaccurate to the way I sleep (which is that pose pretty much).



Same!



Raeven said:


> When there's giant bread pillows you have to have a bread pillow fight, right?



100%



Raeven said:


> It took me a minute to figure it out, but these are for sure those giant crayon piggy banks every kid used to have.



Oo mine is definitely still in my room at my parents house lol



Raeven said:


> It was a real swing, but there was a ring light in front of it so I was in danger of kicking it every time I swung. This did not stop me however from swinging from every angle and surely annoying Josh severely as he had to keep moving the ring light out of the way. But it was so much fun



omg 




Raeven said:


> I also want to point out since this was in my notes that we saw a family taking pictures with a disposable camera.



wow! I can't remember the last time I saw one of those. Also, one of my first jobs was in the photo lab at CVS and I hated when people brought them in to develop lol- it was such a pain



Raeven said:


> This gorilla put his butt in the air at one point, and apparently that greatly offended a woman. She told her kids that they would be leaving the area as that was inappropriate and they shouldn't have to see that.







Raeven said:


> Where Josh got a cappuccino that he didn't know would be mini:



It kinda looks like he's a giant holding a coffee cup 



Raeven said:


> (I searched "more bread" and this came up. Now I'm afraid of bread).



Oh my that's disturbing lol


----------



## Raeven

lvcourtneyy said:


> I quoted a lot because I was a zillion updates behind lol- oops!



Lol hey! 



lvcourtneyy said:


> This sounds like it should be amazing!



It did!



lvcourtneyy said:


> That's very sad.



It was 



lvcourtneyy said:


> I'm trying to imagine the design meeting where they decided this was something they needed to make.



I imagine someone questioned it and someone else said. "Are you kidding me? People will love this!" 



lvcourtneyy said:


> That's the only conclusion I would come to.



Yes! I was really creeped out! 



lvcourtneyy said:


> wow! I can't remember the last time I saw one of those. Also, one of my first jobs was in the photo lab at CVS and I hated when people brought them in to develop lol- it was such a pain



It was the weirdest thing lol.



lvcourtneyy said:


> It kinda looks like he's a giant holding a coffee cup



He really does! ​


----------



## Raeven

​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Playing the Friday the 13th Game for the First Time *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I miss Halloween time so I thought I'd play this spooky game Josh bought me for Christmas.
> 
> Spoiler alert: I'm not very good at the controls and I get scared the whole time  ​



That was so funny! I had no idea there was such a game like that.....but I have to admit to never having played a computer game in my life. Although I once played a driving game when the PS1 came out back in the olden days......lol......I tried one time and that was enough for me.......

But, that does look so much fun.......I thought you did ok.......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> That was so funny! I had no idea there was such a game like that.....but I have to admit to never having played a computer game in my life. Although I once played a driving game when the PS1 came out back in the olden days......lol......I tried one time and that was enough for me.......
> 
> But, that does look so much fun.......I thought you did ok.......



Haha thank you! I think it's a slightly older game, but I just heard of it. This is one of the first I've played too lol I loved PS1 and PS2 games back in the day lol

I maybe cut out more of the parts where I got stuck in corners  ​


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## Raeven

*post deleted*​


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## Tracy161

These came out so good! I especially like the one with the safety pins--great job! I'm not very good at DIY, but I do like to watch other people make stuff


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## schumigirl

How`d I miss this post till today! 

Nice job......I`m with Tracy, like the one with the safety pins a lot.....but they`re all good. I`d never have thought they would look so good. 

I`m rubbish at things like that......


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> These came out so good! I especially like the one with the safety pins--great job! I'm not very good at DIY, but I do like to watch other people make stuff



Thank you! Usually I’m not much of a DIYer but this came out surprisingly good. It was pretty easy to do. Typically I have no patience for DIY



schumigirl said:


> How`d I miss this post till today!
> 
> Nice job......I`m with Tracy, like the one with the safety pins a lot.....but they`re all good. I`d never have thought they would look so good.
> 
> I`m rubbish at things like that......



Thank you! I was surprised too ​


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Tracy161

I laughed so hard when I saw your description for this video: "(We try both individual poses and extreme couples yoga poses  )"   I give you both two big thumbs up!


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I laughed so hard when I saw your description for this video: "(We try both individual poses and extreme couples yoga poses  )"  I give you both two big thumbs up!



Haha I put that in there because usually people in yoga videos will only do super hard couples ones and we knew we couldn't lift each other up   Thank you! Honestly it was so funny when we were filming too.​


----------



## Raeven

I will hopefully be on here with a travel update soon! We're still kind of in the wait and see phase of things, as things haven't improved too much in our state and the restrictions are still in place. Hoping to know something in the next month or two though. ​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Yoga Challenge With a Twist *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​





Raeven said:


> I will hopefully be on here with a travel update soon! We're still kind of in the wait and see phase of things, as things haven't improved too much in our state and the restrictions are still in place. Hoping to know something in the next month or two though. In the mean time...
> 
> *Josh Guesses Makeup Prices*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



Watched them both fully this morning........the yoga was so much fun to watch.....not like any yog I`ve ever watched before  but better as yoga looks horrific!

But, kudos to Josh on guessing some of the prices.......boy did well for sure........he`s so laid back and funny!

I need to join youtube to give you thumbs up...I have never bothered.....but then I don`t have Twitter, FB or even Instagram......lol......this is as much social media I do! 

But, do love your videos.......


----------



## KathyM2

I never used to YouTube either but during the pandemic with so much more time on my hands...I've become a bit of an addict. There are videos on absolutely every subject imaginable and it is an amazing time waster lol. Of course during normal times you don't necessarily want something to waste endless hours...but now? Yeah why not lol


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Watched them both fully this morning........the yoga was so much fun to watch.....not like any yog I`ve ever watched before  but better as yoga looks horrific!



Lol I don’t think we quite nailed some of those positions But one we saw was a five person yoga pyramid and I’m not sure how that’s physically possible



schumigirl said:


> But, kudos to Josh on guessing some of the prices.......boy did well for sure........he`s so laid back and funny!



I guess he was listening when I talked about makeup  He is very funny, he gets a little shy when I turn the camera on , but I think he does a



schumigirl said:


> I need to join youtube to give you thumbs up...I have never bothered.....but then I don`t have Twitter, FB or even Instagram......lol......this is as much social media I do!
> 
> But, do love your videos.......



I’d appreciate if you did! Lol but I understand, Josh doesn’t do much social media either. Thank you! 




KathyM2 said:


> I never used to YouTube either but during the pandemic with so much more time on my hands...I've become a bit of an addict. There are videos on absolutely every subject imaginable and it is an amazing time waster lol. Of course during normal times you don't necessarily want something to waste endless hours...but now? Yeah why not lol



I feel like I watch more on Youtube than TV since the pandemic started lol. I used to watch some Disney stuff sometime, but now I watch a lot of people’s vlogs and stuff. I think it’s because new content isn’t coming to TV as often. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Tracy161

I love the idea of trying different foods from different countries... it's like a mini-Epcot tour  One of my sisters has lived in England for 10 years so I figured I'd at least be somewhat familiar with some of the candy... nope! Only the Dairy Milks had I even heard about   I also vote for Japanese candy or food next! The Japan pavilion at Epcot is my favorite because of all the candy choices, so I'd be curious to see what else they might have to try!

Where do you come up with ideas for your videos? They're always fun and entertaining


----------



## schumigirl

lol.....love your views on the chocolate!! 

Buttons are definitely more for little kids as is curly wurly. Cadbury chocolate isn`t what it used to be since Kraft came into it. Now most is made in Poland and the recipe isn`t as nice as it used to be. It`s cheaper made, smaller sizes but prices have gone up.....lol.....

You missed one of the best.....Galaxy chocolate.......oh goodness, that is a treat! 

I hate peppermint flavours, so I`ve never had the aero, but the orange aero is lush! I`m not the biggest chocolate eater in the world, but enjoy the Twirl and wispa on occasion. And do like a munchie..haven`t had one of those for years! They used to do a similar one called Mintola, that were mint naturally.....I didn`t like them either.....can you guess I`m not a fan of mint!

Yorkie bars used to be huge.....they were designed and advertised as Not for Girls as they were so large....now they`re just normal, and again, taste has changed so much since they first came out.

I do think in all honesty the worst thing I ever tasted in America was Hershey`s chocolate.....someone gave us a piece and I swear I thought I had already thrown up! 

Enjoyed the video though......


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I love the idea of trying different foods from different countries... it's like a mini-Epcot tour  One of my sisters has lived in England for 10 years so I figured I'd at least be somewhat familiar with some of the candy... nope! Only the Dairy Milks had I even heard about   I also vote for Japanese candy or food next! The Japan pavilion at Epcot is my favorite because of all the candy choices, so I'd be curious to see what else they might have to try!
> 
> Where do you come up with ideas for your videos? They're always fun and entertaining



I wish we could go to Epcot right now  
It would’ve been easier to find the candy that way haha. I’d like to see what they have too and try it again there. To be honest I wasn’t sure how popular all those candy bars were but the website said they were the “most popular” and buying other ones separately was kind of expensive. Japanese candy is really easy to find in most stores so I think that one should be the easiest to find too. 

Haha thank you! I keep a list of ideas in a notebook. I write them down when I think of one. Most of them I come up with (although I’ve found pretty much all of them have been done by someone before lol) and some of them are inspired by other videos I’ve seen. (For instance I think trying British candy was a trend on youtube in 2016, and I’ve seen other videos of it. But I’ve always wanted to do it). If we’re doing something that’s been done before I try to kind of put a new spin on it. 
​


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> lol.....love your views on the chocolate!!



I’m so glad you liked it! I was actually a little nervous to post this lol. I searched similar videos beforehand just to see what others did and was surprised that one of the top ones had so many negative comments. Apparently many people were offended by the reaction this one couple had to the chocolate 



schumigirl said:


> Buttons are definitely more for little kids as is curly wurly. Cadbury chocolate isn`t what it used to be since Kraft came into it. Now most is made in Poland and the recipe isn`t as nice as it used to be. It`s cheaper made, smaller sizes but prices have gone up.....lol.....



I quite liked the buttons  I saw that about Cadbury while I was looking stuff up what a shame! We have Cadbury here too, but I’ve heard it’s different. I did used to like the Cadbury bars here with caramel.



schumigirl said:


> You missed one of the best.....Galaxy chocolate.......oh goodness, that is a treat!



We tried some Galaxy Minstrels is that the same? (I had to cut out a few for times’ sake). I think we liked those. We also did have some terrible crispy M&M’s too. Though I wasn’t sure if that was because the M&M is different or because of the crispy part. (We have crispy ones here but I’ve never had them).



schumigirl said:


> I hate peppermint flavours, so I`ve never had the aero, but the orange aero is lush! I`m not the biggest chocolate eater in the world, but enjoy the Twirl and wispa on occasion. And do like a munchie..haven`t had one of those for years! They used to do a similar one called Mintola, that were mint naturally.....I didn`t like them either.....can you guess I`m not a fan of mint!



I don’t mind mint that much in candy, but I don’t really look for it. I prefer it in gum. That was very minty. It’s the only one Nina spit out though she claimed to like it



schumigirl said:


> Yorkie bars used to be huge.....they were designed and advertised as Not for Girls as they were so large....now they`re just normal, and again, taste has changed so much since they first came out.



I would’ve liked some giant chocolate 



schumigirl said:


> I do think in all honesty the worst thing I ever tasted in America was Hershey`s chocolate.....someone gave us a piece and I swear I thought I had already thrown up!



I’ve heard that before of Hershey’s I don’t much care for the taste either. It’s far too sweet. I find most popular American candies are & I don’t really eat them. Which is why I really wanted to try UK chocolate. I mostly eat Lindt & Godiva chocolate. (Which aren’t American chocolates, but have U.S. factories so are probably still different than they are elsewhere). Oh and a local place called Uncle Sam’s has really good chocolate covered oreos, but they’re really local I think there's only one. 



schumigirl said:


> Enjoyed the video though......



Thank you! 
​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I’m so glad you liked it! I was actually a little nervous to post this lol. I searched similar videos beforehand just to see what others did and was surprised that one of the top ones had so many negative comments. Apparently many people were offended by the reaction this one couple had to the chocolate
> 
> 
> 
> I quite liked the buttons  I saw that about Cadbury while I was looking stuff up what a shame! We have Cadbury here too, but I’ve heard it’s different. I did used to like the Cadbury bars here with caramel.
> 
> 
> 
> We tried some Galaxy Minstrels is that the same? (I had to cut out a few for times’ sake). I think we liked those. We also did have some terrible crispy M&M’s too. Though I wasn’t sure if that was because the M&M is different or because of the crispy part. (We have crispy ones here but I’ve never had them).
> 
> 
> 
> I don’t mind mint that much in candy, but I don’t really look for it. I prefer it in gum. That was very minty. It’s the only one Nina spit out though she claimed to like it
> 
> 
> 
> I would’ve liked some giant chocolate
> 
> 
> 
> I’ve heard that before of Hershey’s I don’t much care for the taste either. It’s far too sweet. I find most popular American candies are & I don’t really eat them. Which is why I really wanted to try UK chocolate. I mostly eat Lindt & Godiva chocolate. (Which aren’t American chocolates, but have U.S. factories so are probably still different than they are elsewhere). Oh and a local place called Uncle Sam’s has really good chocolate covered oreos, but they’re really local I think there's only one.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> ​



Outside of galaxy, if I`m going to eat chocolate it`ll be Lindt. I didn`t mind Godiva and Kyle really likes it too. Cadbury Dairy Milk and Lindt dark usually are his favourites.

Yes, Minstrels are Galaxy too, and although I`m not fond of crispy shells they`re ok. But, Ripple is another galaxy product that`s so good along with just the regular galaxy bar......lush!!

Not sure how someone can get offended because someone doesn`t like their brands of chocolate.....lol......definitely each to their own. I did smile at your sister spitting out the aero but actually liking it......that was funny! 

Now, as a non chocolate eater usually, I`m craving some galaxy


----------



## KathyM2

schumigirl said:


> I hate peppermint flavours, so I`ve never had the aero, but the orange aero is lush! I`m not the biggest chocolate eater in the world, but enjoy the Twirl and wispa on occasion. And do like a munchie..haven`t had one of those for years! They used to do a similar one called Mintola, that were mint naturally.....I didn`t like them either.....can you guess I`m not a fan of mint!



Ha this made me laugh because I was gonna post that I love the Aero peppermint lol. We have a lot of the British candy here in Canada too, or you can get it in the International section at Walmart lol. 

I belong to this candy swap group on FB and you can swap boxes of candy and junk food with people from all over the world! It's kind of on hold right now because it's hard to go shopping with the pandemic, but it's been pretty fun! If you want to try some Canadian junk food I'm happy to send you some lol


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Ha this made me laugh because I was gonna post that I love the Aero peppermint lol. We have a lot of the British candy here in Canada too, or you can get it in the International section at Walmart lol.
> 
> I belong to this candy swap group on FB and you can swap boxes of candy and junk food with people from all over the world! It's kind of on hold right now because it's hard to go shopping with the pandemic, but it's been pretty fun! If you want to try some Canadian junk food I'm happy to send you some lol



lol......I`m doing a trying to be healthy phase.....trying being the operative word, but thank you! That sounds a good swap group...

We enjoyed some Canadian no bake treats over Christmas. I had been sent some recipes from relatives, that included Moose Farts, Chocolate Coconut Balls, various Nanaimo bars and one of our favourites cherry marshmallow balls.....they were all very, very popular in our house! I think it was something like Rock Recipes the name of the collection. And all uniquely Canadian apparently. 

We liked them a lot......


----------



## KathyM2

schumigirl said:


> We enjoyed some Canadian no bake treats over Christmas. I had been sent some recipes from relatives, that included Moose Farts, Chocolate Coconut Balls, various Nanaimo bars and one of our favourites cherry marshmallow balls.....they were all very, very popular in our house! I think it was something like Rock Recipes the name of the collection. And all uniquely Canadian apparently.



Hilarious!! The only one of those I have heard of (and tried) are Nanaimo bars...love them!! Moose Farts? LoL  @Raeven I think you need to try those lol


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Hilarious!! The only one of those I have heard of (and tried) are Nanaimo bars...love them!! Moose Farts? LoL  @Raeven I think you need to try those lol



lol.....before lockdown we had my friends granddaughter and made some with her, she said that was a rude word and we should instead call them reindeer balls.......

She‘s almost 5.


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Outside of galaxy, if I`m going to eat chocolate it`ll be Lindt. I didn`t mind Godiva and Kyle really likes it too. Cadbury Dairy Milk and Lindt dark usually are his favourites.



Lindt is so good! I wonder if ours is different here.



schumigirl said:


> Not sure how someone can get offended because someone doesn`t like their brands of chocolate.....lol......definitely each to their own. I did smile at your sister spitting out the aero but actually liking it......that was funny!



Lol that's what I thought, but some of those videos had such mean comments on them.   



KathyM2 said:


> I belong to this candy swap group on FB and you can swap boxes of candy and junk food with people from all over the world! It's kind of on hold right now because it's hard to go shopping with the pandemic, but it's been pretty fun! If you want to try some Canadian junk food I'm happy to send you some lol



That would be really cool! 



schumigirl said:


> We enjoyed some Canadian no bake treats over Christmas. I had been sent some recipes from relatives, that included Moose Farts, Chocolate Coconut Balls, various Nanaimo bars and one of our favourites cherry marshmallow balls.....they were all very, very popular in our house! I think it was something like Rock Recipes the name of the collection. And all uniquely Canadian apparently.



Moose Farts 



KathyM2 said:


> Hilarious!! The only one of those I have heard of (and tried) are Nanaimo bars...love them!! Moose Farts? LoL  @Raeven I think you need to try those lol



Lol yes I want to try Moose Farts! ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Lindt is so good! I wonder if ours is different here.
> 
> 
> 
> Lol that's what I thought, but some of those videos had such mean comments on them.
> 
> 
> 
> That would be really cool!
> 
> 
> 
> Moose Farts
> 
> 
> 
> Lol yes I want to try Moose Farts! ​



I think the Lindt in America is exactly the same as in the UK........it is so gorgeous! 



Here is the recipe for reindeer balls as we now call them.......or Moose Farts if you`re Canadian........the no bake recipes from this guy are gorgeous!! 

Mine ended up looking like footballs.....British footballs....I got impatient making them so small......lol.......

Little language difference......we call graham crackers digestive biscuits......yes, different type of biscuit!



*Ingredients*

1 can sweetened condensed milk, 300 ml Canada, 14 oz US
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried coconut, fine or medium cut
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Additional graham crumbs for rolling the cookie balls.
 
*Instructions*

Melt the butter and and combine it with the sweetened condensed milk & vanilla extract until well blended.
Add the graham crumbs, coconut and chocolate chips. Mix to combine well.
Refrigerate for an hour or so before rolling the mixture into 1 1/4 inch balls. You want to make these on the smallish side as they are quite rich.
Roll the balls in additional graham crumbs and once again chill until firm.
Refrigerate in a sealed container to store.







(Picture and recipe from Rock Recipes)


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> I wish we could go to Epcot right now


Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Raeven said:


> Haha thank you! I keep a list of ideas in a notebook. I write them down when I think of one. Most of them I come up with (although I’ve found pretty much all of them have been done by someone before lol) and some of them are inspired by other videos I’ve seen. (For instance I think trying British candy was a trend on youtube in 2016, and I’ve seen other videos of it. But I’ve always wanted to do it). If we’re doing something that’s been done before I try to kind of put a new spin on it.


Looking forward to what you come up with next   The naco looked delicious--and that cheese sauce!? Yum. That's a great idea for cutting/peeling avocados. I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I never know how to cut anything to begin with


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> (Picture and recipe from Rock Recipes)



Thank you for the recipe! This may be a video in the future   



Tracy161 said:


> Looking forward to what you come up with next  The naco looked delicious--and that cheese sauce!? Yum. That's a great idea for cutting/peeling avocados. I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I never know how to cut anything to begin with



Thank you! The cheese sauce is so good! It's Josh's secret recipe  It took a lot of trial and error. See I think it's a good way to peel them! Josh thinks I tear into them like an animal lol, but I'm terrible at cutting things too and I always get nervous I'll cut myself by accident (because it's happened before). ​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Thank you for the recipe! This may be a video in the future
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! The cheese sauce is so good! It's Josh's secret recipe  It took a lot of trial and error. See I think it's a good way to peel them! Josh thinks I tear into them like an animal lol, but I'm terrible at cutting things too and I always get nervous I'll cut myself by accident (because it's happened before). ​



I look forward to that video......you know you have to do it now.......


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Tracy161

Oh, the nostalgia in this video! I LOVED Oregon Trail and used to play it all the time! I don't remember there being so much math and strategy though...    Thanks for bringing back a taste of childhood for me!


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I just realized I forgot to post this the other day! There won’t be a video this weekend, because we’re celebrating Valentine's Day early but I’
> 
> *Playing Nostalgic PC Games*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



As a non computer game playing child of the 1980`s........you totally lost me on this one 

I heard of Pacman does that count .......and one of my brothers had an Atari in the late 70`s where we played some kind of tennis that was the slowest thing you ever saw in your life.......that`s my computer game heritage.....


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Oh, the nostalgia in this video! I LOVED Oregon Trail and used to play it all the time! I don't remember there being so much math and strategy though...   Thanks for bringing back a taste of childhood for me!



Haha yes! I wish I played it in school, I feel like I would’ve been very determined to play it till I won. The math though...maybe not. I’m glad you enjoyed it!



schumigirl said:


> As a non computer game playing child of the 1980`s........you totally lost me on this one
> 
> I heard of Pacman does that count .......and one of my brothers had an Atari in the late 70`s where we played some kind of tennis that was the slowest thing you ever saw in your life.......that`s my computer game heritage.....



  I did more gaming as a kid on consoles and handheld games too. We didn't get our first computer till I was a little older but I do think a lot of those games were generation specific because Josh hadn’t played the Lilo and Stitch one. Yes haha Pacman counts. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Tracy161

Yum! That looks super good. I've always thought that I would be so annoyed if I was in a cooking competition and the host was stressing me out by asking questions! (not that I would EVER be in a cooking competition ) So I literally LOLed when you said "I know you only have 5 minutes left, but I have some questions"   Another great video! Did you change up the intro a little bit recently?


----------



## KathyM2

OMG that pasta is flying around the internet lol glad you decided to try it!!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Yum! That looks super good. I've always thought that I would be so annoyed if I was in a cooking competition and the host was stressing me out by asking questions! (not that I would EVER be in a cooking competition ) So I literally LOLed when you said "I know you only have 5 minutes left, but I have some questions"   Another great video! Did you change up the intro a little bit recently?



It was so good! I’ve always thought about that too  and they’ll ask them stuff like “oh I see you’re making a pasta dish of sorts?” When they can see what they’re making! Thank you! I did, I thought you’d notice haha. After the holiday intro I did. Because the song I was using was from the imovie editor I wasn’t sure if it was copyright free (it never got flagged but a lot of the music in there is). So I tried another song but I didn’t feel like it fit as well, so I decided to change up the video and I googled the song and it seems to be a  copyright free song so I’m using it again



KathyM2 said:


> OMG that pasta is flying around the internet lol glad you decided to try it!!



Lol I had to! I love cheesy pasta. ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Thank you! I did, I thought you’d notice haha. After the holiday intro I did. Because the song I was using was from the imovie editor I wasn’t sure if it was copyright free (it never got flagged but a lot of the music in there is). So I tried another song but I didn’t feel like it fit as well, so I decided to change up the video and I googled the song and it seems to be a copyright free song so I’m using it again


I love intros, and your editing is great, so I'm always on alert for changes I guess   Glad the new song is copyright free so you won't have to worry! 

"I'm not going to do math" <--- this is so me for any reason, even when math is actually necessary 

Yum! These looked so good. Congrats on hitting almost 300!!!


----------



## KathyM2

Red velvet is my absolute fave...yum!! Looked like fun as always!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I love intros, and your editing is great, so I'm always on alert for changes I guess  Glad the new song is copyright free so you won't have to worry!



Aw thank you! It's the original song I was using before Christmastime but I was concerned since it was in the editor program that I should pick another one. But I really liked that one, and when I googled it, it didn't appear to have a copyright so I was excited! 



Tracy161 said:


> "I'm not going to do math" <--- this is so me for any reason, even when math is actually necessary



Lol all those years of math classes were meaningless for me   



Tracy161 said:


> Yum! These looked so good. Congrats on hitting almost 300!!!



I hit 300 since then! 



KathyM2 said:


> Red velvet is my absolute fave...yum!! Looked like fun as always!



It's so good! Thank you!​


----------



## Raeven

*A Long Awaited Travel Update *

So it's been a long time since I had an actual update for the trip report part of this, but I finally (sort of) do! 

I requested one of my weeks off for Sep 17th-25th. I'm pretty sure these are the anticipated HHN dates, and I'm still hopeful we'll be able to go. I'm thinking of booking RPR for that week just to have the reservation, but haven't done it yet. Parks-wise I'm not entirely sure what we'll do for WDW or Universal.

Flights aren't on sale for September yet so I don't have to worry about booking airfare yet which is good. 

*Here's some photos since my last update!*

My aunt's birthday: 

**

It's obviously been very snowy here 

**
My dad made french fry nachos the other day: 

**

For Valentine's Day we ate at Morton's Steakhouse for the first time: 

**

It was delicious! But I already ate half of that puffy bread thing before I took the picture 

I also got a chocolate souffle type dessert: 

**


​


----------



## KathyM2

Those french fry nachos look awesome!! Don't worry about no travel updates...I don't think there is much going on right now there for many people!! It's exiting that you can plan for September!! That will be so great after not being back to FL for so long!!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Those french fry nachos look awesome!! Don't worry about no travel updates...I don't think there is much going on right now there for many people!! It's exiting that you can plan for September!! That will be so great after not being back to FL for so long!!



They were good! I know, but I feel like people read these to hear about travel & I haven’t had any travel updates in almost a year lol I’m hopeful about Sep though! It’ll be 2 years since we’ve been. ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Lol all those years of math classes were meaningless for me


100%! Time I'll never get back either 




Raeven said:


> I hit 300 since then!


CONGRATS!!!!!!! 


Your Valentines Day dinner looked amazing! Another fun video--I remember the Gak and Floam years so well!


----------



## schumigirl

Your dinner out and celebrations all looked like a lot of fun, must have been nice to get out for dinner.

And those nachos looked very appealling! 

I never got the slime thing, and I never heard of gak and doodah......but it was fun to watch, I do love a bit of glitter! 

And as always hope the trip plans come to fruition.......


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> CONGRATS!!!!!!!



Thank you!



Tracy161 said:


> Another fun video--I remember the Gak and Floam years so well!



Thanks! I feel like those were superior to slime lol



schumigirl said:


> Your dinner out and celebrations all looked like a lot of fun, must have been nice to get out for dinner.



It was! The food was really good. I don't think we've been out to dinner in quite some time.



schumigirl said:


> I never got the slime thing, and I never heard of gak and doodah......but it was fun to watch, I do love a bit of glitter!



Yeah, I'm quite a bit past the generation that played with slime. I wonder if they had Gak and all that outside of the U.S., I remember all that stuff being advertised on Nickelodeon back in the day. Glitter is always fun, but messy    although the rhinestone things caused a far worse mess. 




schumigirl said:


> And as always hope the trip plans come to fruition.......



I really hope so! And yours too! ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Thanks! I feel like those were superior to slime lol


_Far _superior 

How fun to see your "old" vlogs! I remember them


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *A Weekend In My Life Vlog*
> 
> I feel like it's been forever since I did just a regular vlog so I wanted to bring you along on a weekend in my life! (Usually I don't do too much on the weekends   ). But this weekend was my dad's surprise retirement party, we did some shopping, & I bought the best chocolate covered Oreos ever!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



LOVE your real life blogs Raeven.......you do come up with some wonderful ideas for blogs.

Hope the surprise party was a big success, loved the cake. 

I also enjoyed knowing you had a very good time and over indulged a little......that is fun now and again......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> LOVE your real life blogs Raeven.......you do come up with some wonderful ideas for blogs.



I might mix more of these in! If we're ever doing something exciting   



schumigirl said:


> Hope the surprise party was a big success, loved the cake.



It was! He normally hates surprises but really liked the party. 



schumigirl said:


> I also enjoyed knowing you had a very good time and over indulged a little......that is fun now and again......



​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## Tracy161

I confess I've never heard of spaghetti tacos before   I think I may be a generation or two too old for iCarly though  I loved that you actually threw spaghetti on the wall! I've heard of that forever, but never have seen it actually done  Can't wait to see what you come up with next!


----------



## KathyM2

I've never heard of spagetti tacos either, but I'd try them!! Also, we always used to do that trick of throwing spagetti on the ceiling...when I was a kid. I will have to try it again, though I'm sure my kids will think I'm nuts.


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> I confess I've never heard of spaghetti tacos before   I think I may be a generation or two too old for iCarly though  I loved that you actually threw spaghetti on the wall! I've heard of that forever, but never have seen it actually done  Can't wait to see what you come up with next!



I didn’t really watch iCarly much myself but she seemed familiar with it & it was an intriguing idea  



KathyM2 said:


> I've never heard of spagetti tacos either, but I'd try them!! Also, we always used to do that trick of throwing spagetti on the ceiling...when I was a kid. I will have to try it again, though I'm sure my kids will think I'm nuts.



Lol you should! 
​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Today is Nina’s birthday!
> 
> I can’t believe she’s 18 already  In honor of her birthday here’s a video of us baking cupcakes with no recipe & almost destroying the kitchen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



I missed this one! 

Belated  to Nina.........Hope it was a lovely birthday for her......

I will catch up on the video later.......looks fun though!


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> Today is Nina’s birthday!


Happy birthday, Nina!!! Great video--and also brave!  Mine would have probably come out completely inedible


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I missed this one!
> 
> Belated  to Nina.........Hope it was a lovely birthday for her......
> 
> I will catch up on the video later.......looks fun though!



Thank you! I’ll show some of her birthday in the next video. I gave her an interesting gift  




Tracy161 said:


> Happy birthday, Nina!!! Great video--and also brave!  Mine would have probably come out completely inedible



Thank you! They were not as edible as they looked​


----------



## Raeven

I have a few life & planning updates so look out for an update this weekend about those! I’m so excited they announced the first HHN house. It’s given me a lot of hope about our HHN trip this year & made me want to start planning. & I know it wasn’t a big surprise but I love Beetlejuice!

​


----------



## KathyM2

Yay Beetlejuice!!! Love it too!! Happy belated to Nina!! I would want to jump on the planning too...it's been so long not being able to plan ANYTHING! Can't wait to start doing that again!!


----------



## schumigirl

Well.....interesting is one word for the pillow with the face.......

I have NEVER seen one like that........lol

Nice video though......hope you get the car sorted soon and that did look a lovely party for Nina......as always looking forward to the next one!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Yay Beetlejuice!!! Love it too!! Happy belated to Nina!! I would want to jump on the planning too...it's been so long not being able to plan ANYTHING! Can't wait to start doing that again!!



I'm so excited! And thank you! I haven't been able to do much planning, but even just starting to look at hotels is nice. 



schumigirl said:


> Well.....interesting is one word for the pillow with the face.......
> 
> I have NEVER seen one like that........lol
> 
> Nice video though......hope you get the car sorted soon and that did look a lovely party for Nina......as always looking forward to the next one!



It's hilarious I love it    The things they sell on Amazon...

Thank you! I did end up getting the car and I'm really happy with it! ​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Tracy161

"Yes, we did screw up a microwavable pancake"   I love your weird food commentaries!!! And--OH GOD!--how did I forget about the Ron Ron Juice?!   I definitely support doing more weird food vlogs!


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> "Yes, we did screw up a microwavable pancake"   I love your weird food commentaries!!! And--OH GOD!--how did I forget about the Ron Ron Juice?!   I definitely support doing more weird food vlogs!



Lol I can never forget about Ron Ron Juice  ​


----------



## Raeven

*An Actual Travel Update*

It’s time for an actual travel update! 

As of April 1st, New York state no longer requires a quarantine period or testing to leave and re-enter the state. So we’re now officially able to travel! This coupled with the first HHN 30 announcement is really great news.



I’ve pushed my requested vacation time to the second weekend of HHN into the third & have started looking at hotels. We won’t be staying in one hotel the whole time as we usually move around between Disney & Universal, but I’m already looking at booking Royal Pacific as we usually do. We also will be getting our Universal AP’s again since the cost evens out. And I’ve already made some plans with my friend Michelle (who you may remember from the HHN 27 TR) to meet up at Disney. So I’m very excited that the event will proceed at least semi normally this year.

I also got a new car this week! There’s much more technology than my old car had (because that car had none  ) but I think I’m getting the hang of it. 



I also may have gotten the idea after the quarantine requirements were lifted to possibly take a little trip to Florida in May too, but I haven’t planned anything yet.  (I did book flights though...lol) I probably won’t talk about it till I’m there in my vlogs (I want it to be a surprise). But I will give planning updates on here.
​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## KathyM2

Raeven said:


> As of April 1st, New York state no longer requires a quarantine period or testing to leave and re-enter the state. So we’re now officially able to travel! This coupled with the first HHN 30 announcement is really great news.



I heard this news and wondered who would be booking trips now lol!! This is great for you guys. Just hoping everyone is able to stay safe. But the US is doing so well with vaccines so hopefully will be ok!! I'm so excited for you to finally get planning!


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> So we’re now officially able to travel!


This is SUCH exciting news for NY!!! 



Raeven said:


> This coupled with the first HHN 30 announcement is really great news.


Amazing news!



Raeven said:


> I also got a new car this week!


More great news! Congrats! Love the color!



Raeven said:


> I also may have gotten the idea after the quarantine requirements were lifted to possibly take a little trip to Florida in May too


This is my favorite of the news pieces  Really hoping this works out 



Raeven said:


> enjoy some pictures of Elvis


How cute! 

OMG so jealous of your cookies! Cookies are my #1 FAVORITE FOOD and it would probably break the bank if I had a cookie store close to me


----------



## schumigirl

Love the new car......but especially love you get to travel soon!! Fabulous news and long awaited for news I know.....I`m sure you`ll get a May trip in the plans soon enough.......

Daft question, but what is Elvis?? I don`t know one furry creature from another.....

Some of those cookies did look so good!!


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> I heard this news and wondered who would be booking trips now lol!! This is great for you guys. Just hoping everyone is able to stay safe. But the US is doing so well with vaccines so hopefully will be ok!! I'm so excited for you to finally get planning!



Lol me for sure! I'm very excited & things seem to be improving a lot.



Tracy161 said:


> This is SUCH exciting news for NY!!!



It is! 



Tracy161 said:


> This is my favorite of the news pieces  Really hoping this works out



Me too haha I'm so excited!



Tracy161 said:


> OMG so jealous of your cookies! Cookies are my #1 FAVORITE FOOD and it would probably break the bank if I had a cookie store close to me



I think the shipping might be a little expensive, but I think they ship everywhere in the U.S. 



schumigirl said:


> Love the new car......but especially love you get to travel soon!! Fabulous news and long awaited for news I know.....I`m sure you`ll get a May trip in the plans soon enough.......



Thank you! I'm so excited for it. 



schumigirl said:


> Daft question, but what is Elvis?? I don`t know one furry creature from another.....



He's a hamster     My dad just calls him rodent lol​


----------



## Raeven

*post deleted*​


----------



## Raeven

*Travel Update & New Video! *

We are on a roll for travel updates lately...


(Idk why but this gif made me laugh so hard ).

First of all I have booked some hotels for May! 


For this trip we were trying to do a little bit of a shorter trip (like have the weekend then go), but expanded it by a day to go to Tampa for a comedy show Josh wants to see first. (I haven't booked anything for that portion yet). However right now the way the flights are we arrive the day of the show and have to drive there. Josh doesn't think that's a big deal, but I feel like that might be too much for one day. 

If we fly in the day before we will literally just get there and be going to bed (the only flight is later in the day whereas the other two days have morning flights and we're booking with Southwest because I have leftover credit from last year). So I'm not sure it's worth it to stay the extra night, and if we expand it into the day before it'll be just as long as our regular trips.   

 September was much easier and I'm all booked hotel-wise for that trip too. 

Also we have the first HHN speculation map! 



 I'm most excited about Beetlejuice and Haunting of Hill House, but I'm curious to know more about the original houses since they all sound good too. I also have to watch Creepshow and I think I heard that Texas Chainsaw house would be based on the 3-D one which I've never seen. 

And I got my hair done this weekend! I went to a new salon, and she completely fixed the color (the salon I was going to before kind of messed it up last time and it looked like I had 4 different colors in my hair but I'm not sure how because I've been going there for years and doing the same thing every time). 

Other than that I guess we're just getting ready for Easter by baking bunny cookies. 


​


----------



## KathyM2

It's so exciting to be reading about travel plans again!!! It's a tough call about extending the trip or not...I'm more in the camp of not wanting to rush around and really do too much on the first day of vacation because if you get exhausted it might put a damper on things for the next day...but then...I'm old lol so. I just think it would be nice if you have to fly in at night...maybe to just get a hotel on the way to Tampa to crash for a nice relaxing night...? Maybe that's just me lol


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> It's so exciting to be reading about travel plans again!!! It's a tough call about extending the trip or not...I'm more in the camp of not wanting to rush around and really do too much on the first day of vacation because if you get exhausted it might put a damper on things for the next day...but then...I'm old lol so. I just think it would be nice if you have to fly in at night...maybe to just get a hotel on the way to Tampa to crash for a nice relaxing night...? Maybe that's just me lol



It really is! I think we may just because I don’t want to rush and I do want to see some of Tampa/St Pete’s. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven....your hair is beautiful, it suits you and looks different which is what you wanted I think....

I always wondered why I don`t watch Lifetime Movies.........now I know I remember an actress from years ago, was in every tragic/lifetime movie you could think of...Meredith Baxter or Baxman.....goodness, she must have gone through every trauma known to anyone alive, and then some!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Raeven....your hair is beautiful, it suits you and looks different which is what you wanted I think....
> 
> I always wondered why I don`t watch Lifetime Movies.........now I know I remember an actress from years ago, was in every tragic/lifetime movie you could think of...Meredith Baxter or Baxman.....goodness, she must have gone through every trauma known to anyone alive, and then some!!



Thank you! Lol they're so funny though.   There is definitely a lot of overlap in the actors in these movies.​


----------



## Raeven

*Happy Easter!!!*​


----------



## CatNipRules

Raeven said:


> *An Actual Travel Update*
> 
> It’s time for an actual travel update!
> 
> As of April 1st, New York state no longer requires a quarantine period or testing to leave and re-enter the state. So we’re now officially able to travel! This coupled with the first HHN 30 announcement is really great news.
> 
> View attachment 563100
> 
> I’ve pushed my requested vacation time to the second weekend of HHN into the third & have started looking at hotels. We won’t be staying in one hotel the whole time as we usually move around between Disney & Universal, but I’m already looking at booking Royal Pacific as we usually do. We also will be getting our Universal AP’s again since the cost evens out. And I’ve already made some plans with my friend Michelle (who you may remember from the HHN 27 TR) to meet up at Disney. So I’m very excited that the event will proceed at least semi normally this year.
> 
> I also got a new car this week! There’s much more technology than my old car had (because that car had none  ) but I think I’m getting the hang of it.
> 
> View attachment 563101
> 
> View attachment 563102
> 
> I also may have gotten the idea after the quarantine requirements were lifted to possibly take a little trip to Florida in May too, but I haven’t planned anything yet.  (I did book flights though...lol) I probably won’t talk about it till I’m there in my vlogs (I want it to be a surprise & I want to make sure it actually happens) but I will give planning updates on here.
> 
> & finally enjoy some pictures of Elvis  (I tried bribing him with treats to stay still).
> 
> 
> View attachment 563104
> 
> View attachment 563105
> 
> View attachment 563106​


I'm so excited about us meeting up again!! It's going to be so much fun! I can't wait. 

Elvis is just so stinking cute.


----------



## Raeven

CatNipRules said:


> I'm so excited about us meeting up again!! It's going to be so much fun! I can't wait.
> 
> Elvis is just so stinking cute.



I’m really excited! I can’t wait to see you guys again. And I’m happy to see you back on the boards! 

Haha he really is! I love watching him store his little treats in his mouth ​


----------



## KathyM2

I love your new hair colour and cut! Looks great!! 

Your eggs are so cute too! What fun!!


----------



## alpal22

Hi Raeven! Fairly long time reader coming out to say hi and probably gonna start commenting more.


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> I love your new hair colour and cut! Looks great!!
> 
> Your eggs are so cute too! What fun!!



Thank you!



alpal22 said:


> Hi Raeven! Fairly long time reader coming out to say hi and probably gonna start commenting more.



Hey!  It’s nice to meet you! I look forward to reading your comments. ​


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## schumigirl

Oh lordy.....yep, you can`t go back to your original stylist now! That was a little awkward for sure......but looks like you`re happy with the new one, so at least you have one to go to. 

I like the products, some of my friends use purple shampoo and swear by it, never tried it.

I`ve still to be convinced about poutine......lol.....and cute dog with the treats. Another nice video......


----------



## Tracy161

OMG what are the chances your hair dresser would spot you TWO days later?! I guarantee that same thing would have happened to me somehow too, if that's any consolation--awkward _always _finds me


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Oh lordy.....yep, you can`t go back to your original stylist now! That was a little awkward for sure......but looks like you`re happy with the new one, so at least you have one to go to.



I definitely can't    Lol but I'm very happy with the new one. 



schumigirl said:


> I like the products, some of my friends use purple shampoo and swear by it, never tried it.



I feel like it's working so far! It's a bit of a pain to use because it has to sit for a couple mins, but I do think it makes it look a little brighter. I'm going to get it toned in between too because the stylist books pretty far out. 



schumigirl said:


> I`ve still to be convinced about poutine......lol.....and cute dog with the treats. Another nice video......



Lol I feel like it's so hard to find a perfect poutine! & Thank you!



Tracy161 said:


> OMG what are the chances your hair dresser would spot you TWO days later?! I guarantee that same thing would have happened to me somehow too, if that's any consolation--awkward _always _finds me



Omg I couldn't believe it! In all the awkward switching hairdresser scenarios in my mind that was never one of them  ​


----------



## Raeven

*A May Travel Update*

I just realized I haven't had one of these countdowns in my post in like a year! 



*May Trip-*20 days!
*Sep Trip*-21 weeks

*May Trip*

Because it's coming up so soon I mostly have updates on the May trip...and I have a lot of them! First of all we ended up extending the trip so now it's Fri-Sat.  



But I compromised and instead of a flight first thing in the morning, our flight is at 2:30 pm. 

For the extra 2 nights there wasn't a lot left and since we'll be a variety of places I ended up booking Universal's Endless Summer (Dockside). I thought it would be fun to check out, the parking wasn't bad (we'll have the car), we'd be close to a variety of things, and the price was good. (I wanted to stay at Surfside but it isn't open yet). In Tampa we're booked at the Hard Rock Tampa, for the Disney portion I found a good Orbitz rate for Gran Destino, and finally the last few days at Universal will of course be at Royal Pacific. We rented a car before the rates got too crazy for Fri-Mon. 

Before they ran out I was able to secure a HS reservation for Sat (this wasn't ideal, but it was all they had left). And one for Epcot and MK which was easier. I also booked us Baby Goat Yoga (which is super early on our HS day so hopefully we make it to everything) and got tickets to the comedy show Josh wanted. (We might also go to another selfie museum and Tampa's Aquarium, but I haven't bought tickets to those yet). We're also Universal AP's again! 



And this last week I started booking dining reservations. I've still got a few left to book, but I've almost got them all. 

The general outline for this trip is:

*Fri*-We'll get there at 530ish, so we'll probably just have dinner in Disney Springs.
*Sat*-Baby goat yoga & HS 
*Sun*-Either the selfie museum or aquarium, Comedy show at night
*Mon*-St Pete's, maybe whatever we didn't get to the day before. But we have to drop the car off around 6 pm, so maybe DS at night. 
*Tues*-Epcot
*Wed*-MK
*Thurs*-Universal/IOA
*Fri*-Universal/IOA
*Sat*-Maybe Universal or DS again

*Sep Trip*

I don't have any planning updates because there isn't much to plan yet. But I'm meeting up with Michelle (@CatNipRules) for a few days & we've been discussing which days to do which Disney parks and ADR's. She started a TR on here for the first time in awhile.
​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *A May Travel Update*
> 
> I just realized I haven't had one of these countdowns in my post in like a year!
> 
> View attachment 569013
> 
> *May Trip-*20 days!
> *Sep Trip*-21 weeks
> 
> *May Trip*
> 
> Because it's coming up so soon I mostly have updates on the May trip...and I have a lot of them! First of all we ended up extending the trip so now it's Fri-Sat.
> 
> View attachment 569014
> 
> But I compromised and instead of a flight first thing in the morning, our flight is at 2:30 pm.
> 
> For the extra 2 nights there wasn't a lot left and since we'll be a variety of places I ended up booking Universal's Endless Summer (Dockside). I thought it would be fun to check out, the parking wasn't bad (we'll have the car), we'd be close to a variety of things, and the price was good. (I wanted to stay at Surfside but it isn't open yet). In Tampa we're booked at the Hard Rock Tampa, for the Disney portion I found a good Orbitz rate for Gran Destino, and finally the last few days at Universal will of course be at Royal Pacific. We rented a car before the rates got too crazy for Fri-Mon.
> 
> Before they ran out I was able to secure a HS reservation for Sat (this wasn't ideal, but it was all they had left). And one for Epcot and MK which was easier. I also booked us Baby Goat Yoga (which is super early on our HS day so hopefully we make it to everything) and got tickets to the comedy show Josh wanted. (We might also go to another selfie museum and Tampa's Aquarium, but I haven't bought tickets to those yet). We're also Universal AP's again!
> 
> View attachment 569015
> 
> And this last week I started booking dining reservations. I've still got a few left to book, but I've almost got them all.
> 
> The general outline for this trip is:
> 
> *Fri*-We'll get there at 530ish, so we'll probably just have dinner in Disney Springs.
> *Sat*-Baby goat yoga & HS
> *Sun*-Either the selfie museum or aquarium, Comedy show at night
> *Mon*-St Pete's, maybe whatever we didn't get to the day before. But we have to drop the car off around 6 pm, so maybe DS at night.
> *Tues*-Epcot
> *Wed*-MK
> *Thurs*-Universal/IOA
> *Fri*-Universal/IOA
> *Sat*-Maybe Universal or DS again
> 
> *Sep Trip*
> 
> I don't have any planning updates because there isn't much to plan yet. But I'm meeting up with Michelle (@CatNipRules) for a few days & we've been discussing which days to do which Disney parks and ADR's. She started a TR on here for the first time in awhile.
> 
> Also because we're preparing for the trip & I'm planning to vlog a lot while we're there I've decided to cut back to 1 video a week up until we go. You guys will be the only ones that know the real reason.
> 
> View attachment 569016
> 
> But I've been putting all this planning into a kind of video form (I've been updating it weekly for the last month and a half), and that's how I'll announce the trip on my channel. So I'll probably post that after we get there just to make sure everything works out as planned. ​



Fabulous to hear of your plans Raeven.....sounds about perfect.

I`m very interested to hear your thoughts on Dockside when you go. We haven`t had many reports back, if any now I think on it.......hope you enjoy it. 

And now I have to Google Baby Goat Yoga.......


----------



## Dano the Pirate

Universal posted the HHN30 schedule I hope news on MNSSHP won’t be far behind.
https://www.universalorlando.com/we...s/halloween-horror-nights-dates-and-hours.jpg


----------



## alpal22

Exciting that your trip is so close.


----------



## KathyM2

So excited for you that you get to go in May!! Wow, amazing!!



Raeven said:


> *Sat*-Baby goat yoga & HS



That sounds like a busy day!!! Fun of course!! But I'd probably be ready for a nap by 2pm lol...


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Fabulous to hear of your plans Raeven.....sounds about perfect.
> 
> I`m very interested to hear your thoughts on Dockside when you go. We haven`t had many reports back, if any now I think on it.......hope you enjoy it.
> 
> And now I have to Google Baby Goat Yoga.......



Thank you! I made a few adjustments since then, but honestly any vacation plans sound perfect to me 

Yeah I’ve noticed that! Maybe because it opened during all of this? I’ve seen some room tours, but had heard more about Surfside. I’ll let you know what we think!





Dano the Pirate said:


> Universal posted the HHN30 schedule I hope news on MNSSHP won’t be far behind.
> https://www.universalorlando.com/we...s/halloween-horror-nights-dates-and-hours.jpg



Tha



alpal22 said:


> Exciting that your trip is so close.



Yes I’m so excited!



KathyM2 said:


> So excited for you that you get to go in May!! Wow, amazing!!
> 
> That sounds like a busy day!!! Fun of course!! But I'd probably be ready for a nap by 2pm lol...



I’m so excited. I can’t believe we really get to go so soon!

It does, I wanted to do it sun but it wasn’t offered. I reasoned if we wanted to get a boarding pass we’d be up early anyway There will be a break but hopefully we make it longer than that lol​


----------



## CatNipRules

Raeven said:


> *A May Travel Update*
> 
> I just realized I haven't had one of these countdowns in my post in like a year!
> 
> View attachment 569013
> 
> *May Trip-*20 days!
> *Sep Trip*-21 weeks
> 
> *May Trip*
> 
> Because it's coming up so soon I mostly have updates on the May trip...and I have a lot of them! First of all we ended up extending the trip so now it's Fri-Sat.
> 
> View attachment 569014
> 
> But I compromised and instead of a flight first thing in the morning, our flight is at 2:30 pm.
> 
> For the extra 2 nights there wasn't a lot left and since we'll be a variety of places I ended up booking Universal's Endless Summer (Dockside). I thought it would be fun to check out, the parking wasn't bad (we'll have the car), we'd be close to a variety of things, and the price was good. (I wanted to stay at Surfside but it isn't open yet). In Tampa we're booked at the Hard Rock Tampa, for the Disney portion I found a good Orbitz rate for Gran Destino, and finally the last few days at Universal will of course be at Royal Pacific. We rented a car before the rates got too crazy for Fri-Mon.
> 
> Before they ran out I was able to secure a HS reservation for Sat (this wasn't ideal, but it was all they had left). And one for Epcot and MK which was easier. I also booked us Baby Goat Yoga (which is super early on our HS day so hopefully we make it to everything) and got tickets to the comedy show Josh wanted. (We might also go to another selfie museum and Tampa's Aquarium, but I haven't bought tickets to those yet). We're also Universal AP's again!
> 
> View attachment 569015
> 
> And this last week I started booking dining reservations. I've still got a few left to book, but I've almost got them all.
> 
> The general outline for this trip is:
> 
> *Fri*-We'll get there at 530ish, so we'll probably just have dinner in Disney Springs.
> *Sat*-Baby goat yoga & HS
> *Sun*-Either the selfie museum or aquarium, Comedy show at night
> *Mon*-St Pete's, maybe whatever we didn't get to the day before. But we have to drop the car off around 6 pm, so maybe DS at night.
> *Tues*-Epcot
> *Wed*-MK
> *Thurs*-Universal/IOA
> *Fri*-Universal/IOA
> *Sat*-Maybe Universal or DS again
> 
> *Sep Trip*
> 
> I don't have any planning updates because there isn't much to plan yet. But I'm meeting up with Michelle (@CatNipRules) for a few days & we've been discussing which days to do which Disney parks and ADR's. She started a TR on here for the first time in awhile.
> 
> Also because we're preparing for the trip & I'm planning to vlog a lot while we're there I've decided to cut back to 1 video a week up until we go. You guys will be the only ones that know the real reason.
> 
> View attachment 569016
> 
> But I've been putting all this planning into a kind of video form (I've been updating it weekly for the last month and a half), and that's how I'll announce the trip on my channel. So I'll probably post that after we get there just to make sure everything works out as planned. ​


I'm super excited for our trip in September. I seriously can't wait. I think I'm driving Chris nuts. LOL!! I keep asking him about planning stuff.I should really know better honestly. He's like Josh. Hates planning anything. LOL!! That's why I like that we are going to be there at the same time. We can help each other plan. LOL!! 


I love watching your videos though. they are really great.


----------



## Raeven

CatNipRules said:


> I'm super excited for our trip in September. I seriously can't wait. I think I'm driving Chris nuts. LOL!! I keep asking him about planning stuff.I should really know better honestly. He's like Josh. Hates planning anything. LOL!! That's why I like that we are going to be there at the same time. We can help each other plan. LOL!!
> 
> 
> I love watching your videos though. they are really great.



I’m so excited too! Lol Yeah when I ask Josh he always says “you know what I like”  & thank you! ​


----------



## CatNipRules

Raeven said:


> I’m so excited too! Lol Yeah when I ask Josh he always says “you know what I like”  & thank you! ​


LOL!! I swear they could be related. Then I told you about his response to Yak & Yeti. I'm like just shut up. LOL!!


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*
​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> *May Trip-*20 days!
> *Sep Trip*-21 weeks


   Yay!!! This is SO exciting!!! And the May one is sooo close! Your travel itinerary looks great! Can't wait to read all about it


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Yay!!! This is SO exciting!!! And the May one is sooo close! Your travel itinerary looks great! Can't wait to read all about it



I’m so excited!!! Haha thank you! ​


----------



## Raeven

*Final May Travel Update

May Trip-*1 day!
*Sep Trip*-18 weeks



*May Trip*

So our trip is right around the corner! Our general outline hasn't really changed since our last post, but I did finish making dining reservations. 

*In Disney we're going to:* Splitsville, The Brown Derby, Cityworks, Shula's, Grand Floridian Cafe, & Raglan Road or Olivia's. 

I also want to try Chicken Guy and eat at Three Bridges. Of course we'll be going to Flower and Garden and I'll be getting my poutine. 

*Universal: *Toothsome, Mythos, Bice, and Confisco Grille

*Tampa:* Bartaco, Another Broken Egg, & Oxford Exchange

I'll update you when we get there! 

But if you want to follow along on the trip in real time I'll be posting on my Instagram during the trip. (The link is in my signature). ​


----------



## schumigirl

I`m so excited for you Raeven......

Hope you have the BEST time and can`t wait to read about it when you get back. I don`t have Instagram/Twitter/Facebook or any social media.....so I`ll be patient and wait........well, I have to really..... 

Have an absolute blast


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I`m so excited for you Raeven......
> 
> Hope you have the BEST time and can`t wait to read about it when you get back. I don`t have Instagram/Twitter/Facebook or any social media.....so I`ll be patient and wait........well, I have to really.....
> 
> Have an absolute blast



Thank you so much! I can’t wait to share the trip with you all. ​


----------



## Raeven

@schumigirl I’m getting lots of pictures of Dockside for you, we just got here and the room is gorgeous.​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *The surprise has been revealed!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @schumigirl I’m getting lots of pictures of Dockside for you, we just got here and the room is gorgeous.​






Our girl has arrived in Orlando........


Fabulous!!!

Loved the build up video and cannot wait to hear all about the trip and see your pictures.....thank you so much!!!

And have the BEST time......although I know you will.......


----------



## Tracy161

YAY!!! Have a wonderful time!!! Can't wait to follow along and hear all about it when you return!


----------



## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *Pack for Disney With Me!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *​



Nice one! You made packing interesting Raeven.......  

Love the dress with the ties on it, hope you wear it and it`s as comfortable as it looks....very pretty.

I love MiB 3 too....I think it`s my favourite of them all. And packing pizza....you gave me an idea.......lol.....

Hope you`re having a blast!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Nice one! You made packing interesting Raeven.......



Haha thank you! 



schumigirl said:


> Love the dress with the ties on it, hope you wear it and it`s as comfortable as it looks....very pretty.



Thank you! I did wear it to dinner one night. 



schumigirl said:


> I love MiB 3 too....I think it`s my favourite of them all. And packing pizza....you gave me an idea.......lol.....



Lol yes packing pizza! 



schumigirl said:


> Hope you`re having a blast!



We did! I'll be starting the TR soon! ​


----------



## CatNipRules

Raeven said:


> Haha thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! I did wear it to dinner one night.
> 
> 
> 
> Lol yes packing pizza!
> 
> 
> 
> We did! I'll be starting the TR soon! ​


I can't wait to read the trip report. LOL!!


----------



## KathyM2

Been following along on FB but looking forward to hearing more!


----------



## Raeven

I thought I posted the links to the TR & DTR here but I guess I didn’t 

So we’ve been back for about a week now & I’ll update this PTR as we get closer to Sep and I have more news but for right now I started the TR & DTR from the trip we just took:

“We Have to Go Back!” May 2021 Universal/WDW TR

A Disney Food Reunion! May 2021 DTR​


----------



## Raeven

KathyM2 said:


> Been following along on FB but looking forward to hearing more!



Not sure what happened but I thought I posted the links for my new TR here!​


----------



## Raeven

*Birthday Weekend Vlog & September Trip Planning *

I have a huge update post to write on here soon! So much trip planning for our September trip has happened, but I've been finishing up the TR from my last trip so I haven't had a chance to type up that post yet but I'd like to this week. We also did another fun little local trip that I want to share on here, and I'll be posting some vlogs for that too. 
​


----------



## Raeven

So it's been awhile since I updated this PTR! (I've been working on the TR & DTR from my last trip), but I'm almost done and have some planning updates for September. The countdown is almost at 9 weeks now! 

*September Trip Planning*

So I switched our Universal hotels around a little. We were going to stay at Royal Pacific, but I saw a good deal pop up for Portofino Bay and we'd just been talking about how much we liked staying there and how it's been awhile so I decided to book that. We haven't been to Portofino since 2018 so I think that's perfect. Plus we will definitely be eating at Bice. Our Disney portion is still at Saratoga Springs, and then the last two nights were at Aventura, but I switched to Sapphire Falls. I figured the water taxi system will be easier, and we'll still be right across from Aventura. 

Here's the newest spec map: 






Not much has changed and I'm still excited about this line up, and now about a possible show involving Jack. We haven't bought tickets yet because we need the Rush of Fear passes for the amount of nights we're planning to go. I'm hoping for an announcement soon though! A lot of people think Hill House is going to be announced tomorrow or Thursday, which I'm all for, I just hope we get more ticket options too then. The Icons Bar and stuff at Cabana Bay sounds awesome too, and I'm excited to check that out. 



On the Disney side we got tickets for Boo Bash! 



I'm going with @CatNipRules and her son, Chris. And unlike most people we actually didn't have a bad experience getting tickets. (Though none of the credit for that goes to me since Michelle was the one that called). But she got right through (which I heard wasn't the norm), and was only on hold for about 45 minutes (this was the first day they went on sale), and then we had them!  

I also wasn't planning on buying tickets to Howl O Scream (because Tampa is kind of far & we like HHN), but then they announced Howl O Scream would be in Orlando this year too so we also had to get tickets to that. We'll be going there on a Saturday. 

Also our Disney dining reservations are coming up next week! So I'll have to let you know if we get everything we're looking for. 

*New Vlogs Coming*

Starting tomorrow I also have some new vlogs coming! (There'll be 3 of them in this little series,). We took a spooky little trip recently to a really cool hotel in the Catskills, and I'll probably do a post about that trip too. The first vlog will be a tour of where we stayed, but here's a sneak peek:






























*& finally here's some pictures from the last two months!*

My cousin's wedding: 





A hike we took a few weeks ago to a gorgeous waterfall: 


























I turned 29 & Josh got me some chocolate covered strawberries: 






Plus we had dinner at my favorite local restaurant: 





















I had to work on 4th of July so I didn't get do too much that day, but I did swing by a family BBQ and on the way home I saw a gorgeous sunset: 




​


----------



## Raeven

& here’s the first vlog from our spooky little trip last week! We stayed at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls (it’s in Roxbury NY in the Catskills which is about an hour from us).

 Here’s a tour & review of the Dracula themed cottage we stayed in!





​


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> & here’s the first vlog from our spooky little trip last week! We stayed at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls (it’s in Roxbury NY in the Catskills which is about an hour from us).
> 
> Here’s a tour & review of the Dracula themed cottage we stayed in!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



That is an AMAZING cottage!!!! 

What a place.....I love it......the detail is immense and love the staircase especially......now that is a place I`d go tomorrow if I could. Not sure about the green on the outside though lol......but inside, wow.......was it creepyish at night???


----------



## amalone1013

9 weeks!!! I feel like time is going so fast!

Seriously though... Where are our ROF tickets??????


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> That is an AMAZING cottage!!!!
> 
> What a place.....I love it......the detail is immense and love the staircase especially......now that is a place I`d go tomorrow if I could. Not sure about the green on the outside though lol......but inside, wow.......was it creepyish at night???



It was! Yeah the whole outside had touches of that lime green around it. I think the owners just liked that color maybe. It did make the buildings stand out though so maybe it was also so you could tell it apart from other buildings in the area. (It was in a rural area and there were other houses and things between the motel area and those cottages).

It was kind of like being in a really decorated house, but it had a lot of lights in it so it wasn’t creepy at night. Although I did have a creepy dream, but I was watching Supernatural before be too.



amalone1013 said:


> 9 weeks!!! I feel like time is going so fast!
> 
> Seriously though... Where are our ROF tickets??????



I know I’m so excited! I haven’t really counted down the weeks in awhile so I was amazed at how close we are.

I know! They didn’t end up announcing anything today, and now I’m hearing the next announcement might be some kind of podcast.  I just want to buy the ROF tickets! But they did change the website to say “multi night tickets are coming” or something. 
​


----------



## Raeven

Our ADR’s are this week (& hopefully more HHN news is coming too)! 

​


----------



## Tracy161

Remember the "inadvertently hilarious" thing? When you said "I painted my nails in the car. And they probably didn't come out any worse than usual" was one of those times for me   

Wow! The Dracula castle looks SO cool!  What a unique place to stay.


----------



## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Remember the "inadvertently hilarious" thing? When you said "I painted my nails in the car. And they probably didn't come out any worse than usual" was one of those times for me
> 
> Wow! The Dracula castle looks SO cool!  What a unique place to stay.



I'm literally the worst at painting my nails I always end up painting around it too   

It was! ​


----------



## Raeven

I’m going to post how our ADR day went this weekend & hopefully we’ll hear about multi night HHN tickets this week (as I hope every week since regular tickets came out ). 
​


----------



## Raeven

*HHN Trip*- 6 weeks, 4 days 



*September Trip Planning*

We've had a few more houses announced since I last posted! I'm very excited for Hill House because I loved that show. And the trailer for the Bride of Frankenstein house looks really cool. I'm not really excited about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house (I don't really like that movie, and they did the same house in 2016), but I'm sure it'll still be cool. 

And hopefully Rush of Fear passes are coming soon. I heard they were supposed to come last week, but a server outage delayed them so I’m really hoping they come out this week. 

Howl O Scream also started making announcements, and I think the one I'm most excited about is the voodoo scare zone, and the themed bars sound really cool. They're also doing a Jack the Ripper musical show which I feel might end up being either really good or unintentionally hilarious. 



Our ADR day also came a couple weeks ago, and we were (mostly) successful in getting what we wanted  . We did have to improvise a little, but things worked out.  

*For Disney we're eating at: *Grand Floridian Cafe, Wine Bar George, Homecomin, Tony's, Shula's, Sanaa, Beaches & Cream, & Cityworks

*And at Universal: *Toothsome, NBC Grill, The Kitchen, Cowfish, Mythos, & Bice

Southwest also decided to change both of our flights.   They claim it's due to lack of demand, but I'm pretty sure our flight was full, and I find they do this sometimes with the direct flights coming out of our airport. Usually there's another one to switch to, but this time they only have one each day, and they're at terrible times.



The flights they switched us too are close enough to what we had (just with layovers added in), but I just think it's unnecessary to have a layover in such a short flight, and since it's hurricane season I just prefer to have one flight so I don't have to worry about potentially getting stuck in another airport. 

*And here's some photos from the last few weeks...*

My brother's birthday:







Some more pictures from our last trip. Here's Stratton Falls: 
















The Shimmer Spa: 






And some delicious sticky toffee pudding: 






And finally some french toast from brunch the other day: 




​


----------



## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> *HHN Trip*- 6 weeks, 4 days


 Yay!!!



Raeven said:


> They're also doing a Jack the Ripper musical show which I feel might end up being either really good or unintentionally hilarious.


So basically it'll be a win either way


----------



## schumigirl

Lovely pictures again Raeven......and a birthday celebration is always fun. 

Sticky toffee pudding......lush!!! 

I hope you enjoy HHN this year, I`m not sure what to think of how it`ll all work out with the crowds, but some interesting houses for sure. And that sucks with the flight change....yes, no need for that on such a short flight. 

Howl o scream does sound like it`ll be a lot of fun too!!!


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> So basically it'll be a win either way



Yes lol 



schumigirl said:


> Lovely pictures again Raeven......and a birthday celebration is always fun.



Thank you! 



schumigirl said:


> Sticky toffee pudding......lush!!!



It was so good! 



schumigirl said:


> I hope you enjoy HHN this year, I`m not sure what to think of how it`ll all work out with the crowds, but some interesting houses for sure. And that sucks with the flight change....yes, no need for that on such a short flight.



I hope so! I have no idea if things will be different this year, but the houses they've announced do sound great. 



schumigirl said:


> Howl o scream does sound like it`ll be a lot of fun too!!!



I can't wait to check it out! ​


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## Raeven

*post deleted*​


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## Tracy161

*walks into the room during "we want to see if it's really as bad as they say it is"*
Oh, must be Tony's    

Love your haul stuff! You're getting so close to your trip


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> *walks into the room during "we want to see if it's really as bad as they say it is"*
> Oh, must be Tony's
> 
> Love your haul stuff! You're getting so close to your trip





Thank you! We are! 35 days ​


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## Raeven

*HHN Trip*- 4 weeks, 6 days



*September Trip Planning*

I don't have very many planning updates today, but yesterday morning I woke up and Alyssa had texted me that Rush of Fear passes were on sale! So I immediately bought ours.    This is the first year we've gotten the pass with express, and I knew after 2019 that getting express for every night we're going vs buying it for a couple nights made the most sense. (Especially because buying express separately adds up quickly). I feel so relieved to finally get our passes, and it makes me so much more excited for the event.

They also announced an Icons house yesterday which I love, because when I went for our first year (the 25th) I didn't really understand the history of the event yet, and we ended up skipping the 25th anniversary house because we only had one night, and I've always wished we did go to that one. 

Aside from the usual nervousness about hurricanes/our flights, and about ever changing covid restrictions (hopefully none of that will affect this trip). We have 34 days to go, and I'm so excited to be back at HHN & Disney. I think next week I may even start to do a little packing. 



*Non Trip Stuff*

I tried to find some Halloween decor the other day because a lot of people were saying it's already in stores, but I haven't had any luck yet. But this weekend I'm supposed to go to a local theme park with Josh's cousin and his girlfriend so you'll get to see some pictures of that coming up! 

*And here's some photos from a hike we took last week:














*
(People told me this looked like Pandora ).

*



*​


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## amalone1013

I'm soooooo excited now!!


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## Raeven

*We’re at 29 days now for our HHN trip!*


​


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## Raeven

*We’re at 22 days now for our HHN trip!*



​


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## Lynne G

More and more props being seen, as in the parks this week.  Squeal, as I’m coming at closer to end of September, so can’t wait to hear earlier reports, particularly yours.  

And yay for a NY visit.  I live close enough to Six Flags Great Adventure, as my local high school kids always went there as part of their science class.  Took my kids there a few times, but not really a place I’d want to go now.  As now kids in their 20’s, they have no want to back there.  We tend to go to Dorney, which we’ve had season passes over the years, and same with Hersey.  But my youngest wanted to ride that dino coaster, so here we are now.  I’ve been a USO passholder for years.  Will be my sixth or seventh HHN.


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## schumigirl

Those are some scary cats in the theme park!! And that large ice cream looked so lush!!

Wax Museum did look a lot of fun. Was it too dark or could you see things ok, I couldn`t decide....and Lake George looks beautiful......one of those places you could go and chill out for a few days. 

And yes, HHN is just around the corner!!


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## Raeven

Lynne G said:


> More and more props being seen, as in the parks this week. Squeal, as I’m coming at closer to end of September, so can’t wait to hear earlier reports, particularly yours.



I'm so excited to see what they've been putting out in the parks! 



Lynne G said:


> And yay for a NY visit. I live close enough to Six Flags Great Adventure, as my local high school kids always went there as part of their science class. Took my kids there a few times, but not really a place I’d want to go now. As now kids in their 20’s, they have no want to back there. We tend to go to Dorney, which we’ve had season passes over the years, and same with Hersey. But my youngest wanted to ride that dino coaster, so here we are now. I’ve been a USO passholder for years. Will be my sixth or seventh HHN.



We live in NY so the Lake George area is pretty close to us. I'll agree that Six Flags is definitely a little different than I remember. I'd love to go to Hershey someday! We're a few hours away, but I haven't been there. 



schumigirl said:


> Those are some scary cats in the theme park!! And that large ice cream looked so lush!!



 

His ice cream was rather large, he had a little trouble eating it before it melted lol.



schumigirl said:


> Wax Museum did look a lot of fun. Was it too dark or could you see things ok, I couldn`t decide....and Lake George looks beautiful......one of those places you could go and chill out for a few days.



It was! It was easier to see in person. The camera didn't pick up a lot of it so I tried to lighten the clips as much as I could without them looking unnatural. It's a lovely place, but there isn't too much to do there so it's not a great place for a getaway. 



schumigirl said:


> And yes, HHN is just around the corner!!



I'm very excited for that! But I'm sad you guys won't be able to make it. ​


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## Raeven

*We’re at 15 days now for our HHN trip!*


​


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## DisneyLifePapioNe




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## schumigirl

Ouchy on the bumped head!

Beautiful place to visit…….and love the Halloween products…..Sam is so cute!

Nice update……


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Beautiful place to visit…….and love the Halloween products…..Sam is so cute!



It was! I kind of want that little Sam pillow now   



schumigirl said:


> Nice update……



Thank you! ​


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## Tracy161

Your trip is so close!!!  Wow, Thatcher Park is absolutely gorgeous! And OMG Halloween!!!!!!!!! We're getting so close! Thanks for taking us with you to Spirit Halloween


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## Monykalyn

Getting close! Safe travels! Thought of switching from Sapphire Falls to Portofino as rates keep dropping but I don’t need the express. And I love my SF.


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## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Getting close! Safe travels! Thought of switching from Sapphire Falls to Portofino as rates keep dropping but I don’t need the express. And I love my SF.



Yes so close! The rates were really good for the trip, we're actually staying at both hotels lol​


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## Raeven

*HHN Trip-*30 hours



*So we are leaving on our HHN trip very early Thursday morning so this is the post before the trip! *This PTR has been two years in the making (though I didn't know that when starting it), and it's crazy that we're finally there!

I'll post an idea of our itinerary, but I did have to change things a little. Josh had a family member have some health issues recently, and he wants to be able to visit them once they're moved out of the hospital (the hospital currently has a no visitors policy). So Josh is coming with me through the weekend and then I'll be spending time with Alyssa & Zack at HHN, and spending the week in Disney with Michelle and Chris. 

The only major change is we're no longer renting a car (which I'm not sure I even mentioned previously).

*9/9-Arrival day*
We'll probably explore the parks, especially the Tribute Store and Halloween store at IOA before going to HHN that night. I have a reservation for NBC Grill when we get there, that I may change to something else, and a long list of food I want to try at HHN. 

*9/10*
We'll probably relax in the morning, and head to Wine Bar George for a late lunch. Afterwards I want to check out the Jack experience at Cabana Bay before HHN. 

*9/11*
I know I say this almost every trip, but I want to get a wand and try the spells in the park. We may also see a movie or play mini golf before HHN. I have reservations at The Kitchen and Bice. 

*9/12*
I'm meeting Alyssa and Zack at Mythos for lunch and then spending some park time with them before HHN.

*9/13-Transferring to Disney *
I'll probably spend some time in Epcot or DS. Michelle and Chris come in that day and we're going to Homecomin' for dinner.

*9/14*
We plan to spend the morning in DS before heading to Magic Kingdom, and finish the night out at Boo Bash. We're going to try Tony's to see if it's really as terrible as they say  & catch Happily Ever After before it ends.

*9/15*
We'll spend the day in Epcot eating at F&W before dinner at Shula's, and go back for the night show. 

*9/16*
We're heading to AK, and have reservations at Sanaa & Beaches and Cream. At night I'll head back to HHN with Alyssa and Zack.

*9/17*
We're headed to Hollywood Studios, and have a lunch ADR for Brown Derby. After that I'll head back to HHN with Alyssa and Zack for the last time, and we have a Toothsome reservation beforehand. 

*9/18-Last Day*
Having brunch at Cityworks with Michelle and Chris before they take me to the airport. 



​


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## amalone1013




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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> *HHN Trip-*30 hours
> 
> View attachment 603024
> 
> *So we are leaving on our HHN trip very early Thursday morning so this is the post before the trip! *This PTR has been two years in the making (though I didn't know that when starting it), and it's crazy that we're finally there!
> 
> I'll post an idea of our itinerary, but I did have to change things a little. Josh had a family member fall ill have some health issues recently, and he wants to be able to visit them once they're moved out of the hospital (the hospital currently has a no visitors policy). So Josh is coming with me through the weekend and then I'll be spending time with Alyssa & Zack at HHN, and spending the week in Disney with Michelle and Chris.
> 
> The only major change is we're no longer renting a car (which I'm not sure I even mentioned previously).
> 
> *9/9-Arrival day*
> We'll probably explore the parks, especially the Tribute Store and Halloween store at IOA before going to HHN that night. I have a reservation for NBC Grill when we get there, that I may change to something else, and a long list of food I want to try at HHN.
> 
> *9/10*
> We'll probably relax in the morning, and head to Wine Bar George for a late lunch. Afterwards I want to check out the Jack experience at Cabana Bay before HHN.
> 
> *9/11*
> I know I say this almost every trip, but I want to get a wand and try the spells in the park. We may also see a movie or play mini golf before HHN. I have reservations at The Kitchen and Bice.
> 
> *9/12*
> I'm meeting Alyssa and Zack at Mythos for lunch and then spending some park time with them before HHN.
> 
> *9/13-Transferring to Disney *
> I'll probably spend some time in Epcot or DS. Michelle and Chris come in that day and we're going to Homecomin' for dinner.
> 
> *9/14*
> We plan to spend the morning in DS before heading to Magic Kingdom, and finish the night out at Boo Bash. We're going to try Tony's to see if it's really as terrible as they say  & catch Happily Ever After before it ends.
> 
> *9/15*
> We'll spend the day in Epcot eating at F&W before dinner at Shula's, and go back for the night show.
> 
> *9/16*
> We're heading to AK, and have reservations at Sanaa & Beaches and Cream. At night I'll head back to HHN with Alyssa and Zack.
> 
> *9/17*
> We're headed to Hollywood Studios, and have a lunch ADR for Brown Derby. After that I'll head back to HHN with Alyssa and Zack for the last time, and we have a Toothsome reservation beforehand.
> 
> *9/18-Last Day*
> Having brunch at Cityworks with Michelle and Chris before they take me to the airport.
> 
> View attachment 603025
> 
> I'll also put out a packing vlog while I'm there because I haven't finished filming it yet.  (Probably on Friday). (And after we get back I plan to post 2-3 times a week). ​



Raeven......have a WONDERFUL trip.....I`m sure you will though, yes, it`s been a long time coming this trip and I know I`m going to love reading every single things about this trip. 

Sorry to hear about Josh`s relative though, hope they improve and he gets to see them.......

But, have a blast!!!


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## Raeven

amalone1013 said:


>



Same!!! I can



schumigirl said:


> Raeven......have a WONDERFUL trip.....I`m sure you will though, yes, it`s been a long time coming this trip and I know I`m going to love reading every single things about this trip.
> 
> Sorry to hear about Josh`s relative though, hope they improve and he gets to see them.......
> 
> But, have a blast!!!



Thank you so much! & thank you for the well wishes with Josh’s relative. ​


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## Tracy161

Raeven said:


> This PTR has been two years in the making (though I didn't know that when starting it), and it's crazy that we're finally there!


Probably you were better off _not _knowing that  but SO happy for you it's finally here!!!  I'm sorry to hear about Josh's ill family member though--hoping that person is doing okay 

You've got an amazing itinerary! Happy travels!!! Can't wait to hear all about it


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## Raeven

*video is unavailable*​


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## Monykalyn

Sounds like a lot of fun! Exhausting but fun lol! You leave the day I arrive-get in at 5 or so. 
Will you be ranking the houses? Think Wicked growth is gonna be the one this year.


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## Raeven

Oops this was supposed to be the reply below​


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## Raeven

Monykalyn said:


> Sounds like a lot of fun! Exhausting but fun lol! You leave the day I arrive-get in at 5 or so.
> Will you be ranking the houses? Think Wicked growth is gonna be the one this year.



Lol yes! & I hope you have fun too. I definitely plan to! & I did really like Wicked Growth. ​


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## KathyM2

I'm so excited for you for HHN and all those great restaurants and food!! Looking forward to living vicariously as usual!


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## Raeven

I’ve been back for a few days now & plan to start a TR (& maybe a DTR) later tonight. So I can finally wrap up this 2 year long PTR.  I’m not sure when I’ll be writing a PTR again, but maybe I’ll start one early. 

*But for right now here’s the travel day vlog!*





​


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## KathyM2

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!!


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## shh

Was thinking about your trip...looking fwd to your impressions.


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## schumigirl

Love your travel day!!

Nice start and glad you enjoyed NBC this time.....hit or miss for us too.....

And yep, definitely looking for more!


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Nice start and glad you enjoyed NBC this time.....hit or miss for us too.....



We didn't go back for a long time after those terrible burgers  , but I was very happy with the food this time.​


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## Tracy161

Yay! "Weird salads with Josh" is one of my fave segments   

Super excited to see the rest of your trip!  Looks like you're off to a good start


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## Raeven

Tracy161 said:


> Yay! "Weird salads with Josh" is one of my fave segments



I had to include a weird salad for you   ​


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## Raeven

Ok one more vlog on here   I haven't had a chance to start the TR yet, but I will this weekend.

*First Night at HHN 30*





​


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## Raeven

*New TR Link:*

Jack's Back & So Are We!!!-Sep 2021 HHN 30/WDW TR

*New DTR Link:*

Food & Wine, HHN 30, & More (Sep 2021 Reviews from Disney & Universal)​


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