A change is gonna come....

Another week has gone by and we are a week closer to our next trip to the world, apologies about the lack of blogging action last week but we spent a lovely day with family in Portsmouth and I was a very tired little bunny when I got home so it was off to bed for me

So what has happened this past week, well its all been a bit strange.....I am the first to admit hating the unexpected and change and although I couldn't put my finger on it something just felt a little off for me. There have been tears and frustration but I have snapped out of it because after all none of that will make everything just how I want it to be so I just need to go with the flow

The question is if I can realise that now why can't I just live by my own advice? We have been going to Florida now for 15 years and the amount of rides I go on is quite limited because I don't like not being in control or the unexpected............I'm the person you see sitting there guarding the bags or taking the photo's of the rides (here's one of those shots - Expedition Everest from near Kali Rivier Rapids)

I have asked loads of questions on different Disney forums about ride advice for wimps and I still get no closer to conquering the completely irrational thoughts that go around in my head; I mean if a 6 year old can ride Splash Mountain why can't I?

Well next year (we will soon be able to say this year) I have promised Emmie Lou that I will do Splash Mountain with her; I'm going to try and gloss over the fact that I might have said that I needed to start taking my kalms now in preparation for it.

After all I think a lot of my thoughts are caused by apprehension and also the warning signs they post by the rides; now don't get me wrong I understand Disney are erring on the side of caution but for those of a nervous disposition they are like a red rag to a bull.

But saying that, we queued for about 30 minutes the first time we did Soarin and I was anxious all of that, then I read the warning signs and was already to head for the chicken exit where I would wait for James but no; I got on that ride and now rank it as one of my favourite things to do whilst we are there

So the whole point of this blog......a change is gonna come and we had just better hang on tight for the ride! xxxx

All the little things..........

Well Autumn has finally hit this fair land with a bang, this week we've had wind and plenty of rain; and this kind of weather makes you wish that you could go on holiday because at least in Florida the rain is usually warm and once it has thrown it down the sun comes out all over again

And to make matters worse the papers are full of talk of this being a really bad winter; I am sure I saw that it could be the worse winter in 100 years. Me personally I will take that with a pinch of salt because they have problems getting the forecast right for a couple of days time so the ability to forecast that far in advance makes me think someone might have paid a visit to mystic meg!

But back to this week, even though the sun didn't really shine there were bright moments  - James and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary and right on queue I got another email from the lovely wedding team at Disney just reminding me how truly special they could make the big day

I am sure that they are right in what they are saying, I mean everything that Disney does has that special bit of magic to it and a wedding ceremony would be no exception but for me the thing that would make the day for me is sharing it with people I love......which  if we did it at Disney would be James (obviously) and Emmie Lou

Not I've not gone all soft and this blog isn't going to turn into a mills and boon book its just when the chips are down, yes money can buy you things but a hug is priceless; and its the little things in life that make it special

There is magic to be found in Florida; but I think if you go with the mindset that you want/ actually expect something magical to happen it is highly likely that you will miss all of the magic happening around you. Just because it isn't your little piece of magic doesn't mean it isn't!

That's why I love people watching at Disney, yes you seem some pretty odd things - like the 2 families that nearly came to blows over a parade spot (just get there early people it saves lots of aggravation).

Last year while James watched the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular (yawn) at Hollywood Studios I sat in a nice air conditioned shop and had a lovely chat with Em on the phone; but there was loads of commotion in the street so I went outside and watched as a mum was reunited with her daughter who had been serving in the military

So take your time, not just when you are on holiday but also every day to see the little things that make this roller coaster we call life just that little bit more special

xxx

You can't judge a book by its cover.....

This week we have had a well earned week off, it wasn't until late last week that we actually decided what we were going to do after the crushing reality that a trip to Disney World wasn't really going to work when we only had 7 days off......poor James has had to put up with me sulking all week but I have come to terms with it; just

So what did we do with our week; no we didn't hop on an easy jet flight and pop over to Spain for a couple of days as if you have been paying attention you will by now know that I don't like little planes - they are just wrong!

Instead we went on a trip what seemed to be halfway round the country and visited quite a few service stations on our travels; no we weren't looking for Eddie Stobart lorries like a couple we saw (whatever floats your boat but not my thing) but we were off to visit some UK tourist attractions that were on our to do list.

Day 1 saw us drive up to Birmingham - I had booked a Travelodge in the city centre which made me slightly anxious but we were pleasantly surprised; it was in a great location and really clean and quiet. This was just a means to an end as we had tickets to Cadbury World the following day....

Tuesday morning it was an early start to get across the city to Bourneville and to say James was a little bit excited was an understatement. I wouldn't say it is the most thought out attraction but we had a good time; we saw loads of chocolate and got to eat a little bit too.....but this was in its liquid form which is a sure fire way to make you think like you've sat down and scoffed a whole bar it was that rich.

After Cadbury World it was a trip across the city centre to head towards our next destination for our second nights stay which was to be in Northampton....we were hopeful about the hotel as it had the same ratings as the one we had stayed in the previous night but lets say things didn't quite go exactly to plan

We arrived in Northampton prior to our check in time which was perfect because it meant that James could visit Franklins Gardens the home to Northampton Rugby.....I sat in the car playing candy crush while he popped to the shop cause after all rugby is just another game with men running around after a ball; albeit a funny shaped one

Back to the hotel, and we went to check in and to say this place was not good is an understatement; it was dirty and noisy not exactly what we had planned - so after much discussion we found a premier inn closer to where we needed to be the next day which although had the same trip advisor rating as the one we were in we decided couldn't be any worse so we were back in the car and off down the M1 to Luton

And what a great decision it was, the hotel was clean, quiet, great location and everything we needed. So it really does seem that you can't judge a book by its cover - if I had paid attention to the review we would never have stayed there; and this is quite true when it comes to any trip planning. One persons chocolate is another's marmite - yes read reviews before you go but be prepared to be open minded and make your own decisions (if some people listened to that advice they might just stop asking me why I go to Disney World after all isn't it just for kids?!?!?!?)

The last day on our trip meant a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour; now this is a well run attraction along the lines of the service you see in Florida. There is loads to see there and gave me a whole new appreciation for the films....although I am not convinced about Butterbeer but the cheese sandwich was good (easily pleased me)

Well I need to go and sort out some bits as its back to work tomorrow, until next week  xxxxx