McCullough Land: 2019

Saturday, May 25, 2019

WDW Spring Break 2019: A Recap (My Pin Addiction Exposed)

Despite a few unfortunate incidents on our last day (because it's us and perfection is overrated), we had a great Disney trip. The weather was ideal (in my opinion), we tried new things (food, rides & attractions), I kept my anxiety in check for the most part (Early Morning Magic was overwhelming at first), ate good food (too much but it was good), only forgot one thing that we had to end up buying (sunscreen), didn't run ourselves ragged, enjoyed being together and even made time to watch the NCAA basketball tournament (was there any doubt?).

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Fun fact: Lilly has now ridden every ride at WDW to date. Primeval Whirl spun and jerked her to victory. Only Tower of Terror currently stands in Ellen's way but since she has vowed to never ride it, this is likely one milestone she won't reach. So close yet so far away. I dare say we have seen most of the shows and attractions as well but we aren't quite at 100% yet.

Phillip channeled his inner me (WWAD) and took Lilly's picture after she completed the ride every ride challenge. This looks like it could have been taken anywhere (like on any paved street anywhere in the world) and naturally, he included another family but hey, he took a picture! #beggarscanbechoosers #trustme

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Another fun fact: I am now a Disney pin collector. Kind of. I have dabbled. I am dabbling. I may have purchased a pin or two from eBay. I even have a few fantasy pins. I only plan to buy pins I like or that have special meaning. Not trying to acquire rare pins or buy and resell. It's a world I don't know much about but I do find it intriguing.

First purchase from the Disney Wisdom collection

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Family favorites!

Meal:

Lilly - Mickey Waffles

Ellen - Garden Grill

Phillip - Pizza al Taglio (pizza window at Epcot)

Alaina - Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge

Snack:

Lilly - Cotton Candy

Ellen - Cronut

Phillip - Torte from the booth in Mexico

Alaina - Flower and Garden Festival Booths (too hard to narrow down to one)

Ride:

Lilly - Slinky Dog Dash

Ellen - Thunder Mountain

Phillip - Slinky Dog Dash, Expedition Everest, Rock n Roller Coaster

Alaina - Slinky Dog Dash, Splash Mountain

Park/Day:

Lilly - Animal Kingdom

Ellen - Hollywood Studios

Phillip - Hollywood Studios

Alaina - Hollywood Studios

Character Meet:

Lilly - Scrooge McDuck

Ellen - Donald at Animal Kingdom

Phillip - Evil Queen

Alaina - Ralph and Vanellope

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That's a wrap!

Saturday, May 4, 2019

WDW Spring Break 2019: Day 8 - Magic Kingdom and Travel Home Day

Saturday, March 23rd, was our last day at Walt Disney World. We headed to the Magic Kingdom once our bags were checked. We rode over to Tom Sawyer Island (first time). We grabbed snacks from Aunt Polly's while there (I recently found out that it is rarely open).

It was a low-key last day with one major exception: we lost Lilly. And even though we found her and all was well, I never really recovered. I tried but the sobs would bubble back up and the tears would inevitably follow. I still think about it sometimes. Lilly does too (bad dreams). It's even hard to write about.

After landing in Atlanta after 9:00 p.m., we decided to drive back to Nashville. It would make for a long day but the idea of sleeping in our own beds was hard to pass up. We had originally planned to spend the night outside of Atlanta and eat lunch at Tony's Pasta Shop in Chattanooga on our way home. And we probably should have stuck to the part of that plan where we spent the night on the road because I got sick in the car, threw up in Phillip's jacket (which we ended up throwing away, even after multiple washes), and it was a miserable ride for all of us. [I originally started feeling bad on the way to the airport and it finally hit me once we landed (I slept the entire flight).]

Something always seems to happen on these Disney trips so it only makes sense that we would get separated from Lilly and that I would also be incapacitated the better part of a day due to heartache/trauma and physical illness. Yay!

But, spoiler alert, some of us are going back in less than 60 days and we are determined to keep it drama free.

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