"Even the Garbage Cans Have Flowers!"-A September 2016 Mother-Daughter TR!- NEW TR LINK 9/13!

[VAtink]

We left the museum around noon, and headed to Alexandria, Virginia! It was a gorgeous day outside (pretty much the only nice day we had the whole trip), so we wanted to make good use of it. We shopped around on King street and looked in all of the preppy little clothing stores, where Mom got a purse and a necklace. There were so many people walking their dogs around, so we also stopped to pet like 923480938 dogs.
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Oh! That's my home town, so happy you enjoyed it!!! It's totally possible that my dog was one of the 923480938 dogs you petted that day!​

 

[Neverland_Girl]

Ever since I learned about the Holocaust in 8th grade English class, I have been both horrified and fascinated by the history and stories behind the Holocaust. I have probably read every book having to do with genocide and I even did a paper on Holocaust history in college. My mom thinks that it’s a morbid interest, but I just find it so intriguing.

I love history and I never know how to tell people the Holocaust is my favorite thing to learn about but it is.

It reminded me of the Disney Channel Original Movie “My Date with the President’s Daughter!” Does anyone else remember that movie?! I’m obsessed with Will Friedle (Boy Meets World is one of my favorite TV shows) so it’s a classic to me. #90slife

Back when Disney Channel was good

Loved your D.C. mini TR!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Looks like a fun mini trip to D.C., I remember Touring the Holocaust museum, so sobering. I remember all the shoes of the people and the number of the person you were while there.

Alexandria looks really quaint and fun. D.C. Is a fun place to explore for sure.

 

[ariane37]

I fell sooooo far behind on everyone's TR's! I had the same problem with photobucket and couldn't believe how much they wanted me to pay. Ridiculous! I hope NOBODY paid it and they lots tons of business So far I've just been using the upload a file button on here because I tried Flickr and Imgur but I can't seem to get either to work lol. Eventually I may try Imgur again but I doubt I'll go back and fix the pictures in all my old TR's, because I just don't have the patience or time! Glad you figured yours out, too.

Since it was late, we saw lots of children (and adults) melt down

We've eaten at Raglan Rd. a few times. Lunch was good; the couple times we've had dinner it was just ok and we don't feel the need to go back, especially now with all the newer restaurants.

The first stop on our agenda was the Holocaust Museum.

This sounds weird but I'm jealous you got there. Younger DS and I were in DC a couple weeks ago, we met my sister and her boys as they had a lacrosse tournament there. DS and I really wanted to get to the Holocaust Museum but it didn't happen.

I had wanted to see the Ford Theatre (where Lincoln was shot), but we were too late and all of the tickets were sold out for the day.

We all did this a few years ago when we visited DC, it's very cool! Then across the street is the boarding house where they took Lincoln after he was shot and it's where he died; very interesting.

 

[Raeven]

Hello friends!! HOLY CATS, 100,000 VIEWS!!

I’m so in the Disney-zone it’s insane!!

It's getting so close! I'd love to hear your September plans soon so we can plan a Dismeet!

It reminded me of the Disney Channel Original Movie “My Date with the President’s Daughter!” Does anyone else remember that movie?! I’m obsessed with Will Friedle (Boy Meets World is one of my favorite TV shows) so it’s a classic to me. #90slife

I do! Isn't that Casey from Greek too?

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like you and your mom had some great alone time the last 2 days of your trip!

Of course I remember My date with the president's daughter- great movie!

 

[cinderaimee]

I love seeing DC through the eyes of people from out of town! Looks like such a wonderful trip. I go through Union Station every day and it is really so beautiful!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

It sounds like y'all had an amazing time in DC!!

It reminded me of the Disney Channel Original Movie “My Date with the President’s Daughter!” Does anyone else remember that movie?!

OH MY GOSH YES!! I love that movie!!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Oh no Molly! I just came to catch up and a bunch of your Disney pictures have fallen victim to the photobucket curse I use flickr if you're looking for a recommendation for a new place to upload

 

[Mollydolly334]

Oh! That's my home town, so happy you enjoyed it!!! It's totally possible that my dog was one of the 923480938 dogs you petted that day!​

WHAT!! So jealous that you live there!! Alexandria is so adorable and Mom and I are dying to go back with my older sister!

I love history and I never know how to tell people the Holocaust is my favorite thing to learn about but it is.


Back when Disney Channel was good

Loved your D.C. mini TR!

Haha I know, my Mom LOVES to tell people "Molly loves reading books about genocide" just to embarrass me

Right?! I turned on Disney Channel randomly the other day just to see what was on and got about 5 minutes into it before I had to turn it off! I'm really excited to see how Raven's Home turns out though!

Looks like a fun mini trip to D.C., I remember Touring the Holocaust museum, so sobering. I remember all the shoes of the people and the number of the person you were while there.

Alexandria looks really quaint and fun. D.C. Is a fun place to explore for sure.

It was so fun! In hindsight, I wish we had about one more day there to really get everything done we wanted to. The Holocaust Museum was definitely a highlight; I think that everyone should see that at least once in their lifetime! Really puts things in perspective.

I fell sooooo far behind on everyone's TR's! I had the same problem with photobucket and couldn't believe how much they wanted me to pay. Ridiculous! I hope NOBODY paid it and they lots tons of business So far I've just been using the upload a file button on here because I tried Flickr and Imgur but I can't seem to get either to work lol. Eventually I may try Imgur again but I doubt I'll go back and fix the pictures in all my old TR's, because I just don't have the patience or time! Glad you figured yours out, too.




We've eaten at Raglan Rd. a few times. Lunch was good; the couple times we've had dinner it was just ok and we don't feel the need to go back, especially now with all the newer restaurants.


This sounds weird but I'm jealous you got there. Younger DS and I were in DC a couple weeks ago, we met my sister and her boys as they had a lacrosse tournament there. DS and I really wanted to get to the Holocaust Museum but it didn't happen.


We all did this a few years ago when we visited DC, it's very cool! Then across the street is the boarding house where they took Lincoln after he was shot and it's where he died; very interesting.

Photobucket is such a scam for doing this!! I'm pretty sure I still haven't gotten over it yet I hope that nobody paid $400 just to have their pictures rescued from hostage; nobody deserves that! I have been using Flickr and it has worked pretty well so far.

That's how we feel about Raglan Road! It was good but there are so many other places in Disney Springs to try!

The funny thing is, we didn't have tickets to the main exhibit at the Holocaust Museum and were feeling pretty bummed about it because it was sold out. 5 minutes later, a security guard came up to us and gave us 2 free tickets that someone had turned in! Pixie Dust in DC?! Sadly, the pixie dust did not carry over into the Ford Theatre, because that was sold out as well

It's getting so close! I'd love to hear your September plans soon so we can plan a Dismeet!



I do! Isn't that Casey from Greek too?

I've never watched Greek so I'm not sure! It could be?

I'm so excited girl!! I won't be doing a huge, in-depth post about our September plans, so I'll DM you our daily plans and we NEED to find a time to meet up!!!

Sounds like you and your mom had some great alone time the last 2 days of your trip!

Of course I remember My date with the president's daughter- great movie!

Aren't DCOMs the best?! I loved Double Teamed and Smart House too!

I love seeing DC through the eyes of people from out of town! Looks like such a wonderful trip. I go through Union Station every day and it is really so beautiful!

Ahhh so jealous!! DC was awesome, I can already tell you that I will be back (hopefully in the next 5 years!)

It sounds like y'all had an amazing time in DC!!



OH MY GOSH YES!! I love that movie!!

It was so fun!! GIRL I am reading along with your TR and I love it!! Hope you had the most amazing and magical graduation trip

Oh no Molly! I just came to catch up and a bunch of your Disney pictures have fallen victim to the photobucket curse I use flickr if you're looking for a recommendation for a new place to upload

YES I am a victim of the Photobucket Curse!! I have been using Flickr for the past month and I like it so far! I'm hoping to re-insert a lot of my old photos really soon so that I can get this TR back to normal and keep my online photo album!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 7: Part 1- “New, And A Bit Alarming! Who’d Have Ever Thought That This Could Be?!”


Hello Disfriends!!


I’m so sorry you guys...I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up with this TR this summer! My new internship has kept me so busy and we have been planning away for our September trip! What I’m hoping is that I will finish this TR and give you guys some general Disney plans by the time I leave for our September 2017 trip, then I will start my Sept 2017 TR once we return. I promise I will write my March 2017 TR eventually, but the family trip is going to take priority because it’s longer and will be harder to remember everything!


With that all settled, on with the show!


by Molly, on Flickr


This morning came way too early at about 8:30 AM. Even though we had been getting up early all week, this one was killer because we had to leave It didn’t help that it was a beautiful, hot, and sunny morning in the World!

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr



I was fine up until the very end, and then I started crying I know I sound like a baby, but ending a Disney trip is always so sad and sentimental for me! Planning Disney trips is such an exciting part of my life, and it feels like such a loss when the vacation comes to an end.


I pulled myself together by looking at our reservations for next year on My Disney Experience and taking some last minute pictures of the room


by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr



I loved looking at this picture every morning as I was getting ready! The GF is just so so magical.


As my mom was finishing up packing, she sent me down to Sandy Cove to pick up all of our souvenirs that we had sent back to the resort. It was so fun to unpack all of the bags and reminisce on what we had all bought on our trip!


We also packed up our new Mickey backpack with stuff we could use for the day. Since our Tragical Express didn’t leave until 4:50 PM, we still had the whole day to explore and do Disney things! We packed swimsuits in case we wanted to try Blizzard Beach, our refillable mugs, and some other stuff we may need for the plane ride. Once we packed up our souvenirs, we headed out of the room to check out.



Check-out was smooth and painless; the lady checking us out was super nice! My mom told her “I have a very sad girl with me today,” and she said “Leaving Disney is the worst!”


I took some last-minute pictures of the lobby while we checked out. Not ready to leave this beautiful place


by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr


by Molly, on Flickr


We were just about to head upstairs towards the monorail when something caught my eye! Could it be…. RICHARD?! With no line!!!





Finally, after 7 days at the GF, we found Richard out front with nobody crowding around! We had been checking periodically throughout the week but he had always had lots of people standing around him. So, we beelined it out the door to meet him!


You guys, Richard is such a gem If you’re ever at the GF and see him, you have to go over and talk to him! He is the sweetest man and has so many stories. We talked for a few minutes about the Grand, and then I got a picture with him as well! When I asked for a picture, he said, “What, with little old me?”


by Molly, on Flickr



It was such a fun way to end our time at the GF!!


Once we said our goodbyes, Mom and I walked upstairs and caught the monorail. We had a 10:50 ADR at Boma to get to! We caught a bus at Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom Lodge, and conducted a little experiment.


One of Mom and I’s biggest worries with AKL is it’s remote location from the parks. Since we were staying there on our next trip, Mom and I decided to time it exactly when the bus left the gates of Magic Kingdom to when it arrived at AKL, so that we’d have a good sense of when we’d have to leave for the parks next year. Well, from start to finish, the bus ride took only 22 minutes! Not too shabby at all


As we walked into Jambo House, Mom and I got SOOO excited! It was a pretty surreal experience, coming from the GF to the resort we would be staying at in a year! We visited AKL in 2015 to eat at Sanaa, but much of our time was spent at Kidani Village. Although both magnificent, these two resorts are polar opposites!


by Molly, on Flickr



Since it was 10:50 on the dot, Mom and I speed-walked to Boma, vowing to take some time after brunch to further explore the resort!


They gave us a pager when we checked in, but it went off about 5 minutes later. In the words of @TheLittleKatie , let the Boma-Coma commence!!


by Molly, on Flickr



As soon as we sat down, we ordered some Jungle Juice! Mom is not a big juice drinker, but I convinced her to order some since I had heard so many good reviews of it on the DIS. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint!! It was so refreshing, and Mom and I probably downed about 3 glasses each


by Molly, on Flickr


I’m disappointed to say that my first trip to the buffet was also my last. This had NOTHING to do with the food at Boma; it was wonderful and delicious and perfect. But, I think my stomach had hit a wall from all of the rich food we had been eating all week, and one plate was all I could muster


This was my plate!


by Molly, on Flickr


Clockwise from the top: goat cheese and chive scrambled eggs, sliced swiss cheese, pork sausage, biscuits and gravy casserole, a Simba waffle with caramel-pecan sauce, and a chocolate frosted Krispy Kreme donut


This was my Mom’s first plate!


by Molly, on Flickr



Clockwise from the top right: goat cheese and chives eggs, some sort of scone, a chocolate chip muffin, and a mystery food. I’m still not sure what this is but Mom claims it was all good I didn’t get a picture of her second plate, but Mom was very pleased with the food here!


Y’all, this was insane!! Everything was so delicious and flavorful. I can’t even choose what I liked most about this meal, from the eggs, to the waffle, to the biscuits and gravy casserole, it was all amazing! I was very sad that my stomach wouldn’t allow me to eat any more. If I had come on a different day I could probably put away 3 plates





Overall, it was an amazing brunch at Boma and we will definitely be back! Even though we don’t have an ADR scheduled here for our September 2017 trip, I can see us moseying on in there one morning for breakfast


With our tummies full, we went out to explore our resort home for next year!!


Coming Up Next- Day 7: Part 2- “They Say If You Dream A Thing More Than Once, It’s Sure To Come True!”



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[annie170]

Glad you got to meet Richard! Did you see the teddy bear lady (I can't remember her name) while you were there?

I've never been to Boma, actually, AKL at all. A stay there is on my bucket list.

I'll bet you're all getting very excited for your upcoming trip!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

It was so fun!! GIRL I am reading along with your TR and I love it!! Hope you had the most amazing and magical graduation trip

Aww, you are too sweet! It was really an amazing trip!

I was fine up until the very end, and then I started crying I know I sound like a baby, but ending a Disney trip is always so sad and sentimental for me! Planning Disney trips is such an exciting part of my life, and it feels like such a loss when the vacation comes to an end.

I understand this so so much. Knowing that you're coming back soon makes it easier, but it is still the WORST!


Aw, I'm so glad you got to meet Richard! I'll have to make sure to look for him the next time I'm over at the GF!

 

[Raeven]

Disney trip is always so sad and sentimental for me! Planning Disney trips is such an exciting part of my life, and it feels like such a loss when the vacation comes to an end.

Aw at least now when you type this, you can think about how soon you're going back!

 

[missangelalexis]

Last days are always so sad

Yay Richard! What a cute pic of you two!

I totally know what you mean about hitting the food wall at Disney, I always have big dreams of eating lots of different things but my tummy has a different plan!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Leaving Disney is the worst but yours is starting out really nice.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Glad you got to meet Richard! Did you see the teddy bear lady (I can't remember her name) while you were there?

I've never been to Boma, actually, AKL at all. A stay there is on my bucket list.

I'll bet you're all getting very excited for your upcoming trip!

No, we didn't!! I had actually heard of the Teddy Bear Lady (Lynn) right before the trip, so I was looking for her! I think she's mostly there during the day, and we were usually at the parks all day.

You should go to AKL just to visit!! There is so much stuff to do there for everyone, not just guests! It's one of those resorts that you can just explore for a long time!

Yes we are getting soooo excited! Day 7: Part 3 will be my final TR update, but then I will do one more update before we leave with some parting thoughts on our 2016 trip and some plans for our Sept 2017 trip!

Aww, you are too sweet! It was really an amazing trip!


I understand this so so much. Knowing that you're coming back soon makes it easier, but it is still the WORST!


Aw, I'm so glad you got to meet Richard! I'll have to make sure to look for him the next time I'm over at the GF!

Great to hear! We are doing a day at Universal in September, so I'm especially looking over those posts to see what we should/shouldn't do there!

I'm glad someone else (around my age) understands the sadness of leaving Disney!! And YES Richard is awesome and a Disney legend!

Aw at least now when you type this, you can think about how soon you're going back!

Very true! I don't know what I will do if we leave this September without another trip planned #firstworldproblems

Last days are always so sad

Yay Richard! What a cute pic of you two!

I totally know what you mean about hitting the food wall at Disney, I always have big dreams of eating lots of different things but my tummy has a different plan!

Richard is adorable! He definitely made the last day blues a bit better.. and YES the food wall is so real! If it were up to me, I would eat like 6 meals a day at Disney just to fit in all of the cool restaurants I want to try! My perfect new restaurant day would be breakfast at Kona Cafe, second breakfast at Trail's End, snack at Kringla Bakery Og Kafe, snack at a booth in Animal Kingdom, lunch at Biergarten, dinner at California Grille, second dinner at Artist Point, dessert at Ample Hill's Creamery, and second dessert at the HEA dessert party

Leaving Disney is the worst but yours is starting out really nice.

Couldn't have said it better myself

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 7: Part 2- “They Say If You Dream A Thing More Than Once, It’s Sure To Come True!”

Hi friends! Where we last left off, Mom and I had just enjoyed a delicious brunch at Boma over at AKL! Before last night, our original plan was to head right off to our next destination. However, since we had booked our trip for September 2017 at this very resort, we decided that it was necessary to explore!

Right when we got out of brunch, we saw a group of African ladies drumming and singing. It really set the ambiance of Animal Kingdom Lodge and reminded us of the band at the GF. We knew right away that this resort was going to be awesome

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

We looked at this little bar area right upstairs from Boma; I believe it is called the Victoria Falls Lounge! I remember seeing this back in 2015 when we ate at Sanaa. It was nighttime, and I thought that it was so sophisticated! Everyone there was really dressed up and it seemed so posh Of course, it was 11:30, so it was empty, but it still looks awesome! I can definitely see us having a nightcap here after a long day at the parks

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

I’m including another picture of this gorgeous lobby because

After oohing and aahing at the lobby area, we headed outside to look at the savannah!

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr


Untitled by Molly, on Flickr


The ambiance at AKL is on point. We absolutely adored the outside area where you can check out the animals; they had binoculars everywhere and lots of CMs to give you information on the animals. My mom especially loved the fire pits where you can roast marshmallows at night. That’s the main thing that we noticed about AKL- you could stay a whole week there, not visit the parks, and still have tons to do! It’s like a whole vacation in itself.

Finally, we headed out back to see the pool!

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

And...this was the only thing at Animal Kingdom Lodge that we weren’t blown away by. It’s not a reflection of the resort itself- the GF’s pool isn’t amazing either. If we were staying at a resort based on the pool area alone, we would stay at the BC/YC or Poly instead! One thing that Mom is worried about is that all of the foliage in the pool area will lock in heat and humidity. Just standing out by the pool, Mom and I were sweating up a storm! So, if anyone has stayed at the AKL and used their pool, please give me some insight if you think the pool area is overly hot or sticky!

It was definitely a scorcher today, I believe that it was 94 degrees with 100% humidity So, Mom and I stopped at the Mara to check out the menu and fill up our mugs with water. It was getting to be 12:15, so Mom and I decided to make one more stop before heading out: the Zawadi Marketplace!


Untitled by Molly, on Flickr


Mom and I always find something cool here. Last trip, Mom almost bought a potted plant for her office but decided against it at the last minute; she has regretted it ever since! Sadly, we didn’t find any trinkets to buy, but I had to keep up with my tradition!


Untitled by Molly, on Flickr


My last mystery pin pack of the trip

With my pin box nestled in my fanny pack, we headed out towards the bus to see where we wanted to head off to next! This was the fun thing about not having fast passes for our last day; we could be totally spontaneous with our plans and go wherever the wind took us! This is how we always used to be on our past trips; we would sit down in our hotel room every morning and decide what we wanted to do that day. I distinctly remember on our 2002 trip saying, “I want to eat at Chef Mickey’s tonight!” and Mom literally called up Chef Mickey’s on the room phone and booked us for dinner that same night Oh, how times have changed!

Anywho, while sitting on the bus stop bench, Mom and I both decided that we needed some more time at our favorite park before departing. That meant that we were Magic Kingdom bound!

We snapped this picture and sent it to my grandma, with the caption: “Last Day “

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

While waiting for a Magic Kingdom bus, I decided to open up my mystery pin pack. These were all of the options I could get…

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

And this is what I got…

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

Hades and Cruella De Ville! I was especially excited about Hades, because he is one of Tom’s favorite Disney characters! Tom is always sad about how obscure Hercules is and how it’s not really represented in the Disney parks. I know he will go insane during the “Go The Distance” part in Happily Ever After

Soon after, a bus arrived, and we arrived at Magic Kingdom just before 1:00! The whole day, we kept saying our “lasts” of the day, like “last Disney breakfast,” “last Disney park,” “last ride on Splash Mountain,” etc. We were even lamenting over the “last Disney bus” of the trip. Does anyone else do that?


Mom wanted to ride the train, so we headed on up to the train station, bound for Frontierland.

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

Even though I’ve never visited WDW during Christmas, I’d still have to say that Halloween is one of the best times to visit. I LOVE all of the fall decorations; the colors really pop against the castle.

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

I also snapped a picture of this cute decoration in the train station! I was extremely picture-happy today to cope with leaving. I usually never take pictures on rides because I want to enjoy the experience fully, but I even took a few on-ride pictures today!

Once we stopped in Frontierland, Mom and I decided to walk over to Adventureland to ride Pirates of the Caribbean! This was our first ride of the day yesterday as well

As we were in the 15-minute line, we realized that we hadn’t booked any fast passes today! So, we booked one in line for Haunted Mansion for right after Pirates. Mom and I were starting to like this FP+ experience…

Untitled by Molly, on Flickr

What a hunk!

After our boat docked, we beelined straight over to Haunted Mansion, and our FP extravaganza began! How many rides would we get on before we had to leave for our DME? You’ll have to find out next update

Day 7: Part 3- “How Lucky Am I To Have Something That Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard!”
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[disneyAndi14]

Oh the last day, we say things like this is the last time on Pirates etc... we did not use the pool at all in February at AKL and it was cool when we were there so I am not sure about that.

We saw Richard when we stayed at GF and talked with him for a little while, so nice, I asked if we could get a picture and he said sure a selfie? So cute, people must ask him for a selfie a lot.

Glad you enjoyed your Boma breakfast, excited to hear how many FP you were able to do before your ride to the airport.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Oh the last day, we say things like this is the last time on Pirates etc... we did not use the pool at all in February at AKL and it was cool when we were there so I am not sure about that.

We saw Richard when we stayed at GF and talked with him for a little while, so nice, I asked if we could get a picture and he said sure a selfie? So cute, people must ask him for a selfie a lot.

Glad you enjoyed your Boma breakfast, excited to hear how many FP you were able to do before your ride to the airport.

Haha that's so cute about Richard!! He's so popular

We loved Boma and will definitely be back!!