LifL and DW's TR

Okey dokey, I have added photo updates to all days through the end of AK. Will be adding more pictures, then continuing with the TR.

Sorry the quality of the pictures is inconsistent at best. We were using DW's five plus year-old PAS which I had never used. Needless to say some of the pictures did not turn out real well. That said, I was pleased with some of them.

As pretty as that dessert was, it tasted even better. Was one of the best desserts either of us have ever had, anywhere (and remember, DW hates raspberries).

That safari was outstanding. Was hard for me to pay any attention to taking pictures though because I was soaking it all in.

I appreciate that cdub.

Glad you guys are enjoying the pics. Wish we had taken more, but it was kind of a whirlwind trip. We were going non-stop day and night the whole week so there were many times we just didn't have the discipline to slow down and take out the camera

No, we didn't spend a lot of time at all relaxing. We were at the parks pretty much all day every day, and when we weren't we were at DTD. That said, we have no regrets. We still came home happy as can be. I planned it so we would have a day to recover when we got home, and boy did we need it.

I will be adding to it soon. I had planned on doing so today, after I did our taxes (with TurboTax). Sadly that process has proven a bit more involved than in the past (due to the sale of my former home, et al).

Alright, I've uploaded pictures for every day thus far. We didn't take a lot of pictures the latter half of the week. The two days at Universal parks didn't warrant as many, and Epcot was miserably hot. That said, there are a few more fun pictures and a lot of TR left.

DISCLAIMER - I don't want to give specific details on how the surprise was planned as that may ruin a surprise for anyone reading it (and I hope more of us "grown ups" have a chance to enjoy it). I actually started planning out something like this on my own, but wised up and got help. I had the same help some other users here did for their special events. If anyone would like to know more, just PM me. I'll be more than happy to tell you all about it.

Tuesday - Magic Kingdom pt 3

Once we left Liberty Square, it was about time for DW's special surprise. This was probably the hardest part of the trip for me (of all the surprises and such). This was my sweetie's big gift and it was to start at a prescribed time. We couldn't be early, as it would be hard to get DW to stand around doing nothing without getting wise. Accordingly, we headed over (to the Wishing Well) right on time but I was stressed and moving briskly but trying to hide both from DW.

As we approached the well, I could see that my contact (we'll call her Natasha) was already there. I felt like a secret agent in a cold war spy movie! After "just relaxing" at the well a few moments, Natasha engaged us is innocuous conversation (so as not to blow her cover). After gaining our trust, she informed us we had been selected (at random) to participate in a special trial where we would be given couple challenges to partake in all around the park. She gave us a few rules such as the time limit and advised there would be a prize in it for us. This was a memorable moment, as I certainly wanted to encourage DW to jump at the opportunity but was hoping she would take the bait on her own. I was acting like "...meh, I guess that could be fun." but inside I was yelling "YES, YES. SAY YESSSS, SAAAAY YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!" Thankfully, DW said 'what the heck, let's give it a shot'. From there, we were off on the most memorable Disney experience either of us have ever had (possibly ever will).

We were told we would find our first task at Pooh's Playful Spot, tucked away in a crevice beneath Pooh's honey pot. We tore off like two three year-olds bounding off the back porch to start their Easter Egg hunt! As we came jogging up to the play area DW instantly spotted not only the pot of honey, but the small crevice like it had a homing beacon. Man, she was really into it! She was already reading the clue and plotting our next course as I was trotting up behind her. This time we were directed into Pooh's shop to find a trinket hidden amongst a mountain (or several) of plush Eeyores. This is where it started to get really fun. As we're rifling through all these Eeyores (all of which, of course, are exactly the same), people looked at us like we had lost our ever-loving minds! Upon finding the trinket and learning our next destination, we eagerly headed off to the Swiss Family Treehouse. Again, DW spotted our target right away as we approached the treehouse. She hurriedly approached the spot our next clue was to be, worried someone else might get to it first. At this point, she asked me if I had anything to do with this. I said, "No. But this is awesome!". Being so preoccupied with all that was going on, she bought it.

We were both pretty excited about the next clue. We were to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean, and only then would we find our next clue. With that, we happily boarded Pirates again. We were thinking of what and where our next challenge would be found the whole time. This one was pretty tough to find, as it was in a particular window box outside the Crow's Nest. When we finally found it, this challenge really surprised us. It was labeled as being for the wife. She was to take her hubby's hand and ask for a dance. We were to dance as if no one was watching for one full minute, right there in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. So, that's just what we did. We danced, holding each other close like we were the only two people in the world. It was romantic and very special, though we couldn't help but giggle a bit toward the end.

From the piratey romance, I wiped a tear and we headed for our next clue. This one was for me. I was to take DW to the Christmas Shoppe and find three ornaments that made me think of her, telling her exactly why with each one. This was as much a surprise to me as it was to DW, so I really had to think on my feet. I was able to find the required three and enjoyed telling my sweetie precisely why she is so special to me. Our next challenge was a fun (and yummy) puzzle of sorts. Next we were directed to the Hall of Presidents where we were to find the name of the 21st president, and record it in our special challenge journal. Funny thing, it didn't tell us where exactly to find this information (and Googling it would not have been in the spirit of the game). After meandering through the hall, we realized we should head to the presidents shop. Once inside, we started looking purposefully for a book listing all the presidents. It came as somewhat of a surprise to us that we actually had to search for such a book. Once again the CM looked at us like we must have left our minds back at the resort and asked "Umm...is there something I can help you find?" About that time, we found what we were looking for. Looking up from the open book I said "Nope, we're good thanks!" as I put the book down ready for our next challenge.

To be continued...

I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. I will be adding to the TR this weekend. I'd like to finish it, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to as it is rather time-consuming.

Tuesday - Magic Kingdom pt 4

Our next clue directed us to the Haunted Mansion where it advised a 'ghost' would bring us our next clue. This intrigued both of us, but DW especially was on the lookout for anything fishy. She looked over all the other guests in line and even cast a watchful eye on the CM's as we entered the stretching room. We made our way towards the dead center of the room and DW took one more look around before the lights went out. She did not see anything out of the ordinary and no one had moved any closer to us. Low and behold, as we made our way to the Doom Buggies, DW now had our next clue neatly hanging around her neck. The ghost who delivered that clue was quite the pro, as neither of us sensed a thing.

After another great tour of the Haunted Mansion, we made our way back into the daylight to learn what our next destination would be; but before we could move on there was a task for me. I was to kiss my princess as though I was to awaken her from her slumber. I did my duty then we were off to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Mine Shop to find our next clue. This clue directed us to the Fairy and Princess Shop behind the castle where we would find our next challenge. This one was pretty tough to find. Once we finally did, we realized it was a puzzle! We had to put it together before we would find out what, exactly we were to do. Putting the puzzle together was pretty fun in and of itself, especially with the wind playing solid defense. Once we got it together, one of us had to hold it in place while the other read it. We were to each write the other a poem in the ABCB style (as in the 'Roses are Red' poem we all know). Now normally we are pretty private people, but I thought you guys might enjoy reading our poems.

DW read hers first:
I am so thankful,
that God made us two.
No words can express,
how much I love you

Mine followed:
Fire engines are red,
race cars are fast.
Each day with you,
is better than the last.

Next we were to hold hands all the way to Tomorrowland and ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. DW beat me this time and won back our special pin. She couldn't wait to put it on; as a matter of fact I don't even think we made it out of the building before she had it proudly displayed on her lanyard. When we found this clue it directed us to the Main Street Confectionary where we would find our next task mixed in with bags of cotton candy. We took off toward main street at a brisk pace since DW informed me we didn't have much time left, if we were going to win our prize! Once we found it, DW ran inside and started sifting through all the bags of cotton candy. I walked over to help and about that time a helpful CM came over and asked if we were looking for a full bag. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, but luckily DW found our next clue just in time yelling "FOUND IT!". The CM seemed a bit startled, but just smiled as she seemed to understand whatever it was we were doing we were sure having a good time. This clue had a key attached and read: "Have you completed your challenge? The answer is in a locker. Open the locker to learn what happens next."

We made the short trip to the lockers in what seemed like seconds and DW homed right in on the particular locker that our key would open. Then, with all the anticipation and excitement of Ralphie opening his official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle on Christmas morning, DW couldn't get the locker open! I unlocked it for her, and let her open the door. There she found a sign reading "Surprise Shauna! This was all for you!" Behind the sign she found her Wicked Witch of the West costume that I had mailed to my contact (Natasha) long before our trip along with another key and a note saying the rest of her surprise was in an adjacent locker. In that locker was my Flying Monkey costume. Both are licensed and stage quality costumes. When DW turned around, I handed her the tickets to MNSSHP for later that night. About that time Natasha mysteriously reappeared to see how we had done. She informed us she had been survailing us at several points during our challenge, but neither of us saw her even once. Even though I knew who she was and what to look for, I never saw her the whole time - she was in disguise. Since we had the lockers all night, we stowed our costumes away and went to watch the parade.

After the parade, we headed over to the Plaza Restaurant to "see if they had room for us". Of course, I knew the answer to that question since I made an ADR but DW didn't know that. As we made our way to the hostess and found that sure enough they did have room for us, we were given a buzzer. We had to wait fifteen minutes or so but we were early so it wasn't a big deal. We were seated next to the door to the kitchen (would not have been our first choice, but we were not too bothered by it). DW ordered the tuna salad sandwich and I had the grilled chicken sandwich. While both were very simple dishes, both were fresh and absolutely fantastic. This was one of the best meals we had the whole trip. After lunch we ordered a brownie sundae to share. The brownie was not extremely fresh, but it was still very tasty.

After a great meal at the Plaza Restaurant, we headed back to the resort to shower and change.

Still plenty more to come. I was kidding myself to think I could finish this over the weekend. There is still a LOT of vacation left!

bali, it was a blast! Hopefully it will be fun to read about.

I did my best to make the details of the big surprise fun while leaving a bit to the imagination for those who may want to plan something like that for a loved one. The event was pretty easy to plan (via "Natasha") and was worth every last penny.

No, it really wasn't me...and even though I knew 'something was up' I have no idea who did it.