We can fly......

Yesterday evening I settled down to take a major planning step - no I haven't paid the balance yet I think we have another week until that is due (but the worrier in me won't leave it that long) instead it was time to complete our ESTA's (which stands for Electronic system for travel authorisation) and if you don't have a US visa you have to apply for one of these before you travel

I know we don't go for a while but it's best to do them early because it's not a given that you will be approved straight away if at all (who knew this only confirms your eligibility to board a flight to the US and does not guarantee entry). As you have probably guessed by now I was slightly freaked out by doing this because although in the eyes of the law I am technically an adult this is one of those times when I could have done with my mum being there to do it for me.

So I sit down to complete 3 of them because apparently James' hands were broken and he couldn't do his own and nervously fill the forms in, checking and double checking and then just to be sure I checked again and then clicked the submit button. OH MY GOD - authorisation pending; what do you mean pending please don't do this to me.......

With my heart in my mouth I start to worry that even though I've checked it a few times that I've entered something wrong or my card payment hasn't gone through (don't forget they only cost $14 per person so if you go via a site that's more expensive they are a handling agent and you should search for the department of homeland security which is the correct one)

What to do, well I could have run round the living room screaming, start sobbing but no get me I decided to log in again and low and behold in a matter of no more than 5 minutes they had all been authorised - panic over.....so I could go back to stressing about something else

Last week I think I mentioned that I had fairy wings on my mind.....basically I have wanted a tattoo of fairy wings for a while (I can't grow my own so this was the only way) and I had finally found a good picture of Tinkerbells that I liked. So I bit the bullet and now have them on the inside of my right arm- in shades of pink and purple

So what was stressing me out about it, not the thought of a tattoo as I already have another 2; but more about what other people would think of me. What is that all about, why do we worry what other people think? I know I am exactly the same and am constantly judging people whether consciously or sub-consciously; but at then end of the day I am me and there is no changing me (many have tried and all failed)

As one of my favourite little people told me last year when we were talking about flying that Tinkerbell would be making sure I had a safe flight, now I have a set of my own wings we are good to go; bring it on (I am sure I won't be that brave on the day but it sounds good)

Until next week xxxx

Join me in a dance.....

This week has been a pretty massive week in holiday planning world, firstly I got the your balance is due shortly email and on top of that it was time to dance. For those of you who don't frequent Disney message boards when your holiday countdown goes past certain milestones you celebrate with a dance.

So my work colleagues were a bit shocked when I randomly started dancing as we were finally into double digits - that doesn't sound like much but considering when we first started our countdown it was over 500 days and now its beginning to feel very real. Which worries me a little, you see I'm a planner and a worrier which is never a good combination (just ask Emmie Lou, she will tell you how stressed I've been over a pair of fairy wings - I will explain all next week)

What's on my mind this week - well as I just said I'm a worrier so will probably spend quite a large amount of the holiday worrying if everyone else is having a good time and that has got me thinking that we really do need to plan in some downtime so that we don't end up over stimulated and finding it all a bit too much.

But how do you relax whilst on holiday - beats me; there are the obvious things like time at the pool and shopping but when there is so much to do and so little time how do you balance making the most of your precious holiday and taking the time to enjoy it? And now I'm a little confused.....well more than normal

If I ask the bloke he will always tell me he doesn't mind and he will go with whatever we decide which drives me to distraction; but if I asked myself that same question the little voices in my head would tell me it's your holiday you won't be back for a while to hell with it and make the most of every minute!

So it looks like a planning evening is going to be in order, Emmie Lou has been once so understands how big WDW is and how much there is to do so hopefully she will have some thoughts of her own and be the voice of reason (pretty please Emmie Lou)

And James, I know you will be reading this - you need to make your mind up not just about what rides you want to do but how you want to chill out; otherwise you might just find yourself in the queue to meet Tinkerbell more than once!

So the moral of this story - holidays make me more odd than normal and you need to plan some down time on your holidays otherwise you will just come back and think if only ............ until next time xxxxx

Customer service, I think not!

I have been with my mobile phone provider for years and although there have been a few ups and downs I haven't considered changing them so it can't be that bad that was until this week where they disappointed me

I love my Disney forums they are full of the most amazing people who share their highs, lows and advice freely with other like minded people ( yes, there can be disagreements but that's life) so I was really interested when people started posting about 3's feel at home plan.

I'm not sure if you remember last year where I ended up buying an old blackberry from eBay which I chucked a PAYG sim in so that I could text my mum & dad but it cost me to receive them (thank goodness most of the people I keep in touch with have an apple gadget or Facebook so my trusty iPod came in pretty handy)

So anyway back to 3's feel at home, basically you take your home plan with you so and don't pay costs when people contact you; yay! I pondered loads, do I buy a cheap unlocked phone and chuck the sim into that? The lovely guys in the 3 store instead of trying to sell me a phone said why don't you just yours unlocked and save yourself some money (wow, not the kind of service we are used to)

For the worrier in me this thought terrified me, but after reading loads of info it wasn't as terrifying as I thought and it wouldn't change anything on my phone apart from the network. So off I trot to vodafone, the easy part was putting in the request to get it unlocked but it was like twenty questions - why would you want to do that was one of them (umm, it's my phone what business is it of yours!)

All I had to do was wait for an email confirming it had been unlocked which I would receive within a week (which surprisingly they can refuse - how does that work when it's your phone and your paying for it?) . So a week later and no email so I popped into the store, amazingly vodafone had emailed the store back but failed to notify me and the girl in the shop couldn't have been more uninterested and I think she may even have said at least they've done it

So where did customer service go, apparently the same place as manners; all we need to do is be nice to people and it would make a whole load of difference! Anyway rant over. It's been a long day and all I want is my bed......until next week xxx

Dreams do come true xxx

Oh my goodness, I knew the time would come but I just wasn't prepared for it - I am having a blank moment and can't decide what to tell you about this week.....it's weird really my life is so full of Disney so you would think it would come easy but I have been sitting here staring at a blank page for a while.....

Actually maybe that's just a metaphor for life; it's just a blank page until we start filling in the words and pictures. I consider myself to be quite a creative person so you would think my pages would be brightly coloured and full of words but no it's all a bit muted (I do like making stuff though; poor James he has to put up with jewellery making, cross stitch, hot fixing - actually he should consider himself lucky I haven't blinged him yet).

But on the opposite end of the spectrum you have someone like Walt Disney who was phenomenally creative, not only did he made some of the greatest movies of all time but he dreamed of a place where families could spend time together and turned it into reality and that's how Disneyland was built.

I know that he wasn't alive to see Walt Disney World completed and the only one of the many Disney resorts across the world that he walked in was Disneyland but he won't be forgotten for the dreams that he had.....so is it wrong to be a dreamer?

Personally I say no, there is nothing wrong with keeping in touch with your inner child but maybe I am too friendly with mine....after all I don't suppose many other people my age curl up in bed on a Sunday night to watch Frozen (it was so much more appealing than the Magaluf weekender that James was watching, I guess I shouldn't complain at least it wasn't sport!)

Being a dreamer isn't just about how you feel it's also about having aspirations; I do like my job and have always said if I won the lottery I wouldn't just leave but if I'm honest it's not what I want to do if I had the choice. Every day I have different ideas that I'm going to learn how to make silver jewellery and start my own business or I could make a mountain of my Kumihimo bracelets and leave work....or I could train to be a nail technician cause I don't mind painting nails but then I'm slapped back into reality by another email

So hats off to Walt Disney who dared to dream and believe.....I'm off to believe I can think of something to tell you about next week.....sweet dreams all xxx