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M-Y Family trip report, day 11 "Happy Birthday to You!"
Today my first born turns 11, so today is all about her. Whatever she wants to do, that's what we're doing. We start the day off with a couple of little, unexpected gifts. She is not expecting any presents. The trip is supposed to be present enough, but I wanted her to have a couple of little things to open. She receives some new Disney pins, a Winnie the Pooh necklace, a Girl Scout sweatshirt and a tee shirt that I made for her to wear today. It's says "Birthday Girl" across the front and I have added two "Today's My Birthday" buttons I picked up at Guest Services earlier in the week.
Her perfect day looks like this: Spend the day at Magic Kingdom, ride all the "mountains" twice, have Italian food for lunch AND dinner, watch "Wishes" and get a Mickey/Minnie mylar balloon. I am happy to report she was able to accomplish her perfect day.
Lunch was at Tony's Town Square where our table was decorated with streamers and Mickey glitter. Dad, DS and DD all had pasta. I had the grilled vegetable panini. It was tasty, but could have used a bit more filling. The accompanying mixed greens with vinegrette was very good. When we had finished, DD was given a free dessert with a candle in it and several waitresses joined us in singing "Happy Birthday"
The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of fast passes and rollercoasters, with people wishing her a happy birthday wherever she turned.
Our last ride of the day was Winnie the Pooh. It wasn't on her "must do" list, but Pooh is her all time favorite Disney character, so it seemed a fitting final ride on her birthday. (Side note- 12 yrs ago DH and I vacationed at Disney World. We were already undergoing infertility treatment and being hopeful, I bought a small stuffed Winnie. 1 yr and 3 weeks later that Winnie was sitting in the crib waiting to welcome our new daughter home. During her toddler and preschool years he was her constant, faithful companion. She still has him and has brought him with her every time we visit Disney.)
Upon exiting Pooh we made our way toward the front of the castle and found a seat on a bench just past the bridge from Liberty Square. This was not the most perfect place to watch Wishes, but it was close enough.
We left the park with the crowds and headed for Olive Garden to complete her final birthday request. While driving to the restaurant, the alarm on DD's watch beeped. It was 9:05, her birth minute. She was now truly 11 and so we all sang the birthday song to her again.
Dinner at Olive Garden was rather dull compared to a day at MK. The food was ok, the service was a little slow. By the time we got back to our cabin we were full and tired and DD decided to save her birthday cake for tomorrow and go to bed.
M-Y Family trip report, day 12 "Lazy days and Mondays..."
We all slept late, really late, today. When we are finally awake we decide to have birthday cake for breakfast. Hey, you only live once, right? After puttering around the cabin for awhile we head for the swimming pool. It is mid-afternoon. The water is warm, but there is a breeze, so once in, we try to stay in. While the kids and I are swimming, Dad is doing laundry next door. When the clothes have been washed and dried, it's time for everyone to go back to the cabin.
After a quick shower and a little time to dry we go to EPCOT. We get there in time to catch the Living Seas before the front half of the park closes. After a little exploring at LS we walk to Norway and ride Maelstrom twice, get a snack at Kringla and finish the night off with a final ride on Spaceship Earth. I still don't get to watch Illuminations. No matter how many times we come to EPCOT, I always let what I want to do take a backseat to what the rest of the family wants. I swear, someday I am coming here by myself, getting a good seat early, and hanging out to see Illuminations!!!
Post-EPCOT we have dinner at TGI Fridays. Not bad, not spectacular, but not bad. This is followed by a trip to Publix for more batteries, more bottled water and more soda. Next time I will have a better idea of how much water to bring with us.
Part 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8
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