What’s the craziest trip you’ve ever been on? Did you book a last-minute flight to see a friend? Go to a game? Attend a wedding? I’ve taken a few last-minute trips like I’m Julien Solomita + it’s been a whirlwind! I’m sharing three of those with you this week on the blog. The three I’m sharing this week might be tied for the craziest trips I’ve ever taken. I don’t mean that crazy things happened, I just mean my reasoning behind taking these trips have been deemed crazy by my circle, but it’s been so worth it.

(Feel like you’ve already read this paragraph? You might have. I used it as an intro for all three posts. Sorry not sorry!)

Three weekends ago, I hopped on two Southwest flights (and a quick layover in Atlanta) to Florida. If you remember, my sister lives there + I try to go down every chance I get to see her. She works at Disney + together we’ve slowly been checking off our Disney bucket list together. Please don’t ask me how many times I’ve been to Disney. I could sit and count but it’s an obscene amount. One item on our Disney bucket list has been the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. The Candlelight Processional is the story of Christmas as told by a celebrity narrator and accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and massed choir. Sounds like something you’d do if you’re already going to be there? That had been the plan for me until I found out from a friend that John Stamos would be narrating December 1^st and 2^nd. Seeing as Uncle Jesse (Full House, duh!) was one of my first crushes (the others being Michael Jordan and Peter Jennings, RIP), I had to be there to take it in with my sister!

I quickly took to Southwest’s website to find a flight. Surprisingly, there wasn’t anything super early to Orlando and the earliest I could arrive Sunday was 11:05 AM on a flight path that included a layover. This isn’t the most ideal situation, but the fight was affordable + cheaper than the first nonstop option that would get me to Orlando at 11:45. I wasn’t able to fly in the night before because I was house sitting for my aunt + uncle + wasn’t sure when they’d arrive home on the 1^st. So, I was going Sunday. Finding a flight home was a bit trickier, but I would save $200 by taking the first flight Monday morning. So, I was staying over. But since I was going to go straight to work upon landing back in Chicago, I needed to pack light. I threw the necessities in a tote + headed to Florida.

What I Packed

1. BeautyBlender
2. Kat Von D concealer brush
3. Marc Jacobs “Shape” contour brush
4. Kat Von D foundation brush
5. MyLittleSteamer
6. Wet2Straight Straightener
7. Round Brush
8. Benefit PoreFessional Primer
9. Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation
10. Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer
11. Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil
12. Tarte Gifted™ Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara
13. Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner
14. Tarte Sex Kitten Liquid Liner
15. Naked2 Palette
16. Tarte PRO Glow to Go Highlight & Contour Palette
17. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes
18. Secret Luxe Lavender

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My sister is the cutest—she always meets me as I leave the secure area. There’s always a big, dramatic run + hug, usually with one or both of us recording it for Snapchat, Instagram or our mom. We loaded my very large purse + stuffed to the brim tote bag into her tiny, old + loud Honda Civic + headed off to Epcot. We park + bypass the parking lot tram to get our steps in because we planned to spend most of our afternoon sitting on the ground in line in hopes of getting in to the first show. The show takes place at the stage across from the American Adventure building, so we had a bit of a hike to make on our way to get in line. We stopped to grab Bavarian pretzels + a bottle of water each in Germany before taking our place at the end of the line which was about 20 people deep. I also ran to the Tuscany stand to grab mozzarella grilled cheese for us to snack on as if we needed additional carbs. We sat, sweat in the sun (which I welcomed since it’s been so cold at home) + enjoyed each other’s company. A few times they moved us closer in line in an effort to get as many people in as possible.

When it was time to take our seats, we had to sit in the back half of this outdoor theater that has trees in the venue. Why? We chose a row in hopes of getting a seat closest to the middle only to find that the row ended at a tree + we had no choice but to sit behind it because you have to move all the way to the end of the row. If our row had extended all the way to the center aisle, we’d have been fine, but of course, we were in a shorter row that had room for a wheelchair, but no wheelchairs came. So, forgive my annoyance at spending the entire show craning my neck around this tree.

Despite the tree in our way, seeing John Stamos with my sister was amazing! The high schoolers who get to sing did a fantastic job + the orchestra was incredible. While we were nowhere near JS, it was such a treat to see him for Sunday Funday. My sister is convinced you can see us in the background of the selfie he took. I don’t see us. Must be my old lady eyes. She posted a very grainy photo of him on Instagram + he liked it! Clearly, we know who the cool one is. Spoiler alert, it’s not me.

After the show, we had dinner at Teppan Edo, a hibachi restaurant at the Japan Pavilion. This is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney World, but I love any good hibachi. We’d planned to stay for IllumiNations, my favorite nighttime show at Disney, but with my flight so early + needing to also run to the Sephora at Disney Springs to get an eyebrow pencil because mine had died that morning, we thought it best to pass this time. After a quick jaunt to the promised land, I mean Sephora, it was time to head home, grab a few hours of sleep + head to the airport. Sleeping over at my sister’s means one thing: watching + quoting the Parent Trap as we fall asleep. It’s one of our favorite movies, but I was knocked out before the poker scene. Typical.

What I Borrowed

 Pajamas, shower stuff, face wash + toothpaste. Sure, I could have brought my own pajamas, but it was that or my steamer + I knew the cardigan I packed would need to be steamed in the morning. I know I can’t be the only one who gets frustrated at the thought of putting my liquids into travel bottles. I’m not usually a carry on girl but if I was, maybe I could get behind it. But the thought of it already feels messy with me. I almost always have a travel sized toothpaste in my regular toiletry bag that I pack with me that houses  my three step facial cleansing system, contact solution, glasses, hair products + everything else besides shampoo, conditioner + makeup. So you won’t catch me with those dainty little bottles unless I’ve bought a mini shampoo + conditioner set that I know I’ll finish on the trip. But I rarely ever think about doing that so I typically  just check my bag.

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So I rolled on into work around 9:00 AM fresh from a plane, lacking caffeine but I’d have made the same choice in a heartbeat.