Travel Talk | A Magical Birthday Celebration + My Real Birthday
As you’ll soon realize, I spend about one weekend a month in Orlando. Why? My sister Colleen works there. She moved away from me on an airplane over two years ago + part of me hasn’t forgiven her. But the other part of me is so dang proud of her for following her dreams so fearlessly. It’s actually one of the many things that inspired this website. I needed to find a passion that I could channel my inner Fearless-era Taylor Swift into. I miss her so terribly when I’m not with her so I jump at every opportunity I get to spend with her.
This year we celebrated my birthday a weekend early at Disney for the second time. (Colleen’s had three. I’m still a little salty.) I had a shirt made from a new favorite shop on Etsy, I packed a cute dress for our breakfast reservation + I was ready to go! Now, before I go any further, let me give it to you straight. I love Disney, but I only go there this frequently because Colleen works there. I’d go wherever she was in the world because she was there. That said, here was my weekend!
It actually started before I left. I got home from work + was throwing a few last minute things in my suitcase when I got a call from my dad who was already in Florida. Apparently I’d had a package delivered. Uh what? He wouldn’t tell me what it was + it’d be hours until I got there so I put it out of my mind. On our way to the airport, Mom + I got a text from Southwest telling us our flight would be delayed half an hour. That was great news! When we’d traveled to Boston at the beginning of August we didn’t have a lot of time to grab dinner + had to settle for grab + go sandwiches at a cafe in the airport. Granted, we’d still be eating at the airport, but there would be no soggy, sitting-all-day sandwiches for these gals. We grabbed individual pizzas from Home Run Inn + sat down two gates away at the stools with the tables so we could eat. Soon it was time to board the plane + start my birthday trip. Mom + I have been doing Southwest’s Early Bird Check-In to improve our boarding positions. Not only do we get to board earlier + get a better seat selection, we don’t have to be on Southwest’s website exactly 24 hours beforehand to hopefully find ourselves with positions in the early Bs. I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible because, surprise, I don’t like flying. How funny for a person who’s been on 23 airplanes this year alone + it’s only September 2nd. Mom + I are currently watching Cheers on Netflix now that I’ve been to Cheers. Eight and a half episodes later, we were on the ground in Orlando + I’m struggling to get my North Face off because it’s too humid. We grabbed our bags, boarded our bus + headed for our resort.
After hug tackling my sister + somehow not waking my dad up with our squeals, I noticed my “package.” Someone had sent me a birthday gift basket. It was unsigned + I have no idea who it was from! Not to mention It couldn’t have been cheap. But it was clearly sent by someone who knows me well. Inside the polka dot Mickey tin basket, I found a bottle of riesling, four bags of Goldfish, four Granny Smith apples + lotion. It was wrapped + tied with a princess balloon + a pink, a gold + a white balloon. It matched my bedroom’s + my desk’s color scheme so your guess is as good as mine. If you sent me this incredibly sweet basket, please let me know so I can thank you both for your kindness + for sending me my favorite snacks! They came in so clutch last weekend.
We slept quickly + arose early for our breakfast reservation at Cinderella’s Castle. If you’ve never eaten there, you should! It’s pricey but they’ve revamped their entire breakfast menu since the last time we ate there + it was fantastic. I had the tenderloin + eggs. My strips of beef were laid delicately on a bed of egg + potatoes + they were delightful. Before being seated, we got a family portrait with Cinderella + I asked her for some guy advice. If you meet a princess, ask them for relationship advice. It’s entertaining! Between our ordering + the arrival of our breakfast, we were greeted by Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine + Ariel. Then one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten arrived. After breakfast it was time for two of our favorite rides: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, an interactive ride where you’re trying to disarm Zurg’s secret weapon + defeat Zurg himself, + Haunted Mansion which describes itself. Trying to stick it out in the Florida heat, Mom, Colleen + I grabbed a quick drink at a snack cart on the border of Liberty Square + Frontierland before meeting dad at Space Mountain.
After Space Mountain I decided I needed a nap. Dad didn’t want to go back to the room so he headed to Epcot while we made our way to the resort, but not before snapping a coveted balloon photo! I was starting to get hungry + I knew our next planned meal wouldn’t be until at least 10:30 when we’d planned to go to Disney Springs. So we tried to order of the room service menu because we were too tired to grab something at to food court but no one was particularly excited about the limited room service menu so we decided to nap + just walk over when we were ready. Unfortunately we woke up to a TERRIBLE thunderstorm. Nothing that compares to Harvey’s devastation but just enough to scare me + ruin my hair. We decided it was going to be a hearty dinner for each of us. I ordered prime rib with green beans + mashed potatoes, mom had turkey with the same sides + Colleen had pasta (I think). I decided that as much as I wanted to see IllumiNations, Epcot’s nighttime show (it’s my favorite), I did not want to stand in the rain. I still needed to go to Disney Springs as I needed to make a Sephora run–this one was actually legit, not like the time I went + bought three mascaras just because. I don’t know who I think I am sometimes. But I ran in, got my sharpener, paid, was out the door + back on a bus in under 10 minutes. That is a record!
I was asleep before dad got in so I was much more ready for Sunday. We ventured to Hollywood Studios + I wore this year’s birthday shirt from TheMagicalFeather. Seriously guys, check them out. They were so great! I was able to customize my shirt at no cost, plus they reached out to me as I picked the fastest shipping when I didn’t need to. They are headquartered minutes from my sister’s apartment in suburban Orlando which I didn’t even realize. They confirmed when I needed the shirt + refunded me almost half of my total purchase because I didn’t need to ship it as fast as I’d thought. That’s some excellent, above + beyond customer service right there. If you’re looking for a custom shirt, check them out! I was so pleased with my finished product!
After hiding from the rain with Starbucks, we headed off to our fast pass for Star Tours, a Star Wars-themed simulator ride that’s been around as long as I can remember. I love it + would be so upset if it went the way of the Studio Backlot Tour, Streets of America + The Great Movie Ride aka gone. But with Star Wars Land opening in a few years, I’m hoping it’s safe. After getting to see a new ride package, we crossed the park to ride Tower of Terror. As we got off the ride, we noticed a PhotoPass photographer was taking photos at the entrance in front of the sign. Colleen + I love the PhotoPass photographers so we hopped in line. Recognizing the school on the woman’s name tag, I asked if she went to the one in Illinois + when she said yes, I told her one of my best friends had graduated from there last year. She asked who + I told her my friend Ashley, whom she knew as they did newspaper together. It’s a small world after all!
After a very long wait in line for Toy Story Midway Mania, another interactive ride where my sister + I get super competitive + basically trade off who wins, it was time for lunch. We had reservations for 50s Prime Time Café, my favorite restaurant at DHS. It’s themed as your mom’s kitchen in the 50s. The youngest people at the table are tasked with setting the table, the waitstaff yells at you if you have elbows on the table, you have to clean your plate + at the end you’re warned “No Tower for an hour or your chicken will fly.” I enjoy it. Their food, as is all of the other food at Disney, is fantastic. I, who can never make up my mind, always order the sampler platter that features a slice of meatloaf, fried chicken, pot roast, green beans + mashed potatoes. I never eat fried chicken normally so I don’t feel as bad about this cheat meal. Plus we average about 10 to 15 miles of walking per day when we’re there + it’s hot so I’m definitely still working out.
With just about an hour + a half left before we had to head back to the resort to go to the airport, we still had a scheduled fastpass + a paper fastpass. Our scheduled fastpass was for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, one of my all time favorites. Dad decided was not riding this one again so he left us to go ride it ourselves. As we walked off we decided to use our paper fastpass to ride one more time because we don’t always get a fastpass for this one. We then grabbed dad + zipped back to Star Tours to ride one more time so he could have a “last ride,” too.
After grabbing our bags that were being stored for the day, I sat + moped as I always do until our bus arrived. I hate leaving my sister + if you follow me on Snapchat, you know this all too well. I don’t ever mean for it to come off ungrateful to my parents when I mope, I just get really sad when I have to say goodbye. Our bus comes + mom + I cry even though we’ll see her next month for an extra special trip but you’ll have to wait for October to read about that one. Our flight home was uneventful, just more episodes of Cheers for mom + me. I had the best 27th birthday at Disney thanks to my wonderful parents! If you ever need Disney tips, give me a shout! I’m full of them.
But today is actually my birthday + I’ve reached my late 20s which is a very weird concept to grasp. My friend Katie has decided she’s still going to refer to this age when she joins me here in a month her mid 20s + I’m like you go girl! But I’m here trying to reality check myself all the time. I kicked off my birthday last night FINALLY seeing Annabelle with my best friend Ashley. I’ve decided to keep my birthday pretty low key this year as last year’s was anything but enjoyable. I actually wasn’t even going to acknowledge it until I discovered John Mayer would be in town for a show at a venue 20 minutes from my house. And so it was decided. This morning I’ll be getting breakfast in Lincoln Park with mom at a restaurant I’ve been dying to go to. Everyone else has been there so it’s not that big of a deal beyond whenever I want to go no one else can. But whatever. Mom + I are going to Summer House! I’m also getting my makeup done for the concert + I still have to decide what I’m wearing. What else is new? I’m not sure if I’ll post anything tomorrow beyond a style diary so if not, I hope you enjoy your weekend, especially if you have Monday off, too! I know I’ll enjoy a day with no alarms! 🙂
xo.
