Back Where I Belong...

Four weeks from tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane and making my way back to see him. It has been a long journey this year and I look forward to the reunion!

As I have been getting things ready, including working on the daily pages for this webpage (check the tabs above) I have been realizing that we are in for some very long days. We are not used to very long days right now. 6:30 bus rides to breakfast scare me. I tends to drag my lazy butt out of bud between 8 and 9. And then our nights go late too. With transportation we often won't be back until midnight. Theses are long hours for me.
But I do most certainly have proper motivation. My 10 Disney Days are something I look forward to (and obsess about) all year.
I can be exhausted when I get home!

What a Difference a DROID Makes???

I have made a lot of changes to the other Mickey pages attached to this site in preparation for our upcoming trip.  I've thought of it as a scrapbook online.
But now, it might be more than that. It might actually be kind of useful!
Today in the mail I got my Droid. Jim got his earlier this week. It is possible that using my blog might be possible on my phone and that the information I've spent hours putting into these sites will be available to us in the parks.
Note I say possible because I only have about a month to master the technology.
I still think if I'm going to attempt full entries while on vacation, I'll do it on the laptop. I'm not sold on those little keypad options yet.
But this does have possibilities!

Kalamazoo Re-cap

I know. I said I write from Kalamazoo and I didn't. I did do Disney things though. I just never got to blogging!

I had a great, relaxing trip. I think it was a trial run for Orlando (which is only 33 days away!!!) I got to see how my new stim does on the road and I have no complaints. It is also very happily pool and hot tub proof :)

So what did I do in Kalamazoo?

I worked on the autograph book, which has undergone some changes. This means the pages I have done need to be tweaked. I think it will be worth the time, if I can find it!

I also got most of the fabric cut for a cute little Mickey top with ruffles on it. I cut it from an old twin bedsheet. I think I'll make Jim a t-shirt that matches by fusing one of the Mickeys on a shirt for him. We'll be quite the pair.

I also sent an e-mail about my bill because strange things are going on with that but I think it will work itself out.

I did an awful lot of hot tubbing and when Jim wasn't working we explored Kalamazoo. That was my mini-adventure.

Now I need to get back to pre-planning our mega-adventure!

Taking the Show on the Road

Tomorrow, How I Visit Mickey Every Day goes Mobil. No it's not trip time yet. I get to go on on of Jim's business trips and I'll be in the hotel for 2 or 3 days. Perfect Mickey time.
We'll be in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I'll be swimming and working on web pages and autograph book pages.If that gets old I brought fabric to cut my next Disney project. Mickey can help me stay busy anywhere!
I'm hoping for an outing along the way for a great Disney find but that may have to wait for next weekends rummage sales!
Next time I write, it will be from Kalamazoo!

Something New Around Here...

If you look and click to the right on "Disney Crafts" you'll find a new feature I've started and hope to share with you on a regular basis. As much as I love Disney, I love to be creative and craft, so I thought why not combine the two here on my blog.

This week's entry is a skirt I made for my trip and it was really easy. I took a jean skirt I already had and just embellished it with ribbon that I bought a ton of on clearance.

I have also updated several of the trip sites though they are still under construction. Thanks for your patience on those. They are more work than I ever imagined but a lot of fun too.

I'd love to hear your feedback on the craft section so I know if I should put time into it or not.

Progress Report

I can hear the clock ticking constantly. For some reason I even hear the music from Jeopardy as if to stress that I am under a time crunch. 44 days now. As much as I'd like to leave tomorrow, you know there is still much to do.
But I have been busy since I last wrote here. Allergy eyes have kept me from posting but I have stayed busy.
First I am happy to report that after some confusion, our trip is paid in full. For me, the worry-wort, that is a big relief. Our room and meals are paid for. I still have to buy our Annual Passes but need to quickly decide if I'm having them mailed to me or if we will pick them up at the window down in Orlando. They have to be activated once we get there anyway so I may just have us pick them up there and not worry about losing them ahead of time!
Another thing I did with my time is started this year's folder. This folder contains any information we would need along the way such as flight info, restaurant menus and reservation numbers, park times, and anything else I think of along the way. I like to make it look cute with Mickey labels and stickers. Because I'm picky I like the menus ahead of time and this time there are a lot of them. I still don't know what our internet situation will be there because Disney charges $10 a day and I may not even take a laptop (the horror!). If I did I could just access my blog for the menus. My phone is too ridiculously backwards to access my blog on. My folder is a good back-up solution for now.
I have also started working on some of my Disney outfit. Yes, I need special clothing for the trip. Last year I was into tie-dye. Some of that will make the trip again but because we are doing five nicer restaurants, I need some nicer outfits. Nothing too fancy- just skirts and tops, but I want them to have a Disney theme to them. Once I get something done I'll post some pictures on here. Today was my first sewing day and I'm in the middle of three projects (sounds like me!) Jim is happy to be escaping the matching tie-dye look of last year. He was a very good sport about that one.
My last undertaking this week was to get a really good start on my window decorations for Pop Century. I decided to go with the restaurant theme and print signs for each restaurant we're eating at with our names on them. Food seems to be the big theme this time so I went with it. It's not done but it's close.
This is starting to feel real. I think that's why I hear that Jeopardy song again.

Window Decor?

Window 2010

I'm feeling a bit stuck, I must admit.

I decorate my Pop Century window but I can't come up with a theme for my decor. I have a few cute things to put up but nothing to pull it all together.Random usually isn't my thing.

Last year I did Fourth of July. I may have to repeat but I'd like to be fresh. I need something that is a big idea.I'm leaning towards dining since we're doing Deluxe Dining this time. Maybe a show of what we're doing while we're there.

I want fun and unique.

I'll let you know when I decide. This actually gave me some ideas!

Seven insane weeks

Seven weeks until we leave and time is rushing away from me! As excited as I am to go and be in the House of the Mouse, I have too much to get done in too little time. I am putting myself on a schedule to be sure I finish the important things by June 29th,

Autograph book, web site, clothing design, and window decoration are the big ones. I need to be more diligent about my Mickey time!

My other concern is being in park shape by then. Since my December surgery I've been way out of shape. We do lots of long days with longs of walking. I need to pick up the physical pace as well as put myself (and Jim) in basic training) I'd rather be sore now than in Orlando. We can walk here and just moving will help more.

Under 50-- I'm excited...but the pressure is on!!!

Sign right here please...

So along with designing the web pages for all the days of the trip I have lots of other Disney projects to complete before going. Some involve printing and cutting (getting the pages ready for our pin and penny books), others involve tie-dyeing Mickey heads onto t-shirts, yet others will require me to haul out my sewing machine and de-construct some clothing into some new, cooler clothing. I am one busy lady.
But my big non-web related project is finishing my autograph book.
No, no one wants my autograph. I'm getting ready to collect the autographs of almost 150 Disney characters. Now I know I won't get them all but we'll have fun trying!
The pages I'm designing are 8 1/2 x11 landscape and have the character's name, a color image, a small information box that tells a few facts about them, room for a signature, and room for a 4 x 6 photograph. I'm doing this for each character on my list.(Some of the information I'm using on the page I've taken out of books so I'm not showing you a page here, sorry!)
So far I have A- E done.
M scares me because there are 19 M's.
There are no I's, O's, V's, X's or Y's.
I plan to put the pages in a binder so they can be removed to sign. We're printing it on a color laser so it won't run. I'm excited to see the end  project.
Even if collecting all the signatures and photos is a multi-trip effort!!!

FYI

Just an update: my links for June 29th, June 30th, and July 1st are updated. You can always click there from here or subscribe to each one separately. They have pre-trip details now and will have post-trip updates later.