I'm going to find adventure in the evening air! An August '18 solo trip report! New PTR link 01/04

Sounds like fun at AK. You managed to hit some great highlights on your stop there. DeVine!!! Love Satu’li now that I got to try it earlier this month. And FoP....yes, that ride is soooooo amazing!!! :love:I almost didn’t make time to see Festival of the Lion King this time since I saw it with my family about 3 yrs ago. But I am so glad I did. I forgot how wonderful it is!

I also watched “Bug’s Life” on my recent solo trip...first time stopping for the show since my hubby and I visited the year AK opened. I didn’t bring my kids to the show when they were younger a few years ago for the very reason you stated! And now they are old enough that they don’t care to watch shows...they’re all about thrills. I did make sure to sit up with my back away from the back of the seat this trip b/c nearly 20 years later I remember how I hated the “stings”. o_O

Can’t wait to hear about your next fastpass. :-)
 
Following along. I got to 32k steps on my 4 Parks Day, easily my most steps of the trip. Phew. But it was a really good day! Might have to do one of those on every trip from here on out. Looking forward to seeing how yours shapes up.
 
Hi Susan!!!! Great trip so far. Love your room at the Poly. You totally have me wanting to stay there again soon. Glad we were able to bump into you in Epcot. Though I realized after we never took a picture. If two Dis'ers meet in WDW and take no photo, did it really happen :-) Can't wait for more!
 
Sounds like fun at AK. You managed to hit some great highlights on your stop there. DeVine!!! Love Satu’li now that I got to try it earlier this month. And FoP....yes, that ride is soooooo amazing!!! :love:I almost didn’t make time to see Festival of the Lion King this time since I saw it with my family about 3 yrs ago. But I am so glad I did. I forgot how wonderful it is!

I also watched “Bug’s Life” on my recent solo trip...first time stopping for the show since my hubby and I visited the year AK opened. I didn’t bring my kids to the show when they were younger a few years ago for the very reason you stated! And now they are old enough that they don’t care to watch shows...they’re all about thrills. I did make sure to sit up with my back away from the back of the seat this trip b/c nearly 20 years later I remember how I hated the “stings”. o_O

Can’t wait to hear about your next fastpass. :-)
We have always loved a Bug's Life so it was fun to go see it again! Totally agree with you about FoLK....it is a Broadway quality show. I just love it!

Following along. I got to 32k steps on my 4 Parks Day, easily my most steps of the trip. Phew. But it was a really good day! Might have to do one of those on every trip from here on out. Looking forward to seeing how yours shapes up.
It was super fun! This was my second 4 parks day and I would definitely plan on them being a fixture of future trips. :) 32K steps is seriously impressive!

Hi Susan!!!! Great trip so far. Love your room at the Poly. You totally have me wanting to stay there again soon. Glad we were able to bump into you in Epcot. Though I realized after we never took a picture. If two Dis'ers meet in WDW and take no photo, did it really happen :-) Can't wait for more!
It was so fun to see you guys too! I can't believe how tall Casey is now! Hope you enjoyed your lunch at Via Napoli. :)
 


Hi Kara! Thanks for following along! :)
I've heard it's better to go for Woody and Jessie in the morning vs TSMM anyway so smart choice! Plus the sun probably wasn't blazing down on you at that point
That's kind of how I felt plus I seriously suck at TSMM even though I think it's super cute and will go on it just to enjoy the theming.

That's my favorite part! So many people are genuinely terrified and it makes me laugh (I mean, I also do feel bad for the inconsolable little ones, but it's also just so amusing to hear the whole theater devolve into screams and panic)
It is kind of funny!

Yesssss that tofu is the BEST! I keep meaning to branch out but then I can't pass it up!
I know, right?? So yummy!
 
An Epcot afternoon.....
Do you ever find that some Photopass photographers are better than others? I had a great photographer as I entered the park and he made my little photoshoot so fun!
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So my refresh game was not at the level of other Diser's and I ended up going for the first FP I saw which was Nemo. I adore the Seas pavilion so I was very happy to enjoy a trip to the big blue sea! Afterwards I paid a visit to the manatees as they have always been a very special part of our Epcot visits.
My oldest DS has always loved manatees and no visit to Epcot would be complete without visiting Lou.
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Then it was fun to hang out with our friend Crush at Turtle Talk. I don't know why but I always love this show! The questions the kids ask just make me laugh! :)


I had a little time to kill before my character meet so I decided to head towards France for a snack at Les Artisans de Glacee. I chose the strawberry macaron ice cream sandwich with a strawberry and cream sorbet and it was so delicious!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this yummy treat.
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I popped into Vins de France for a browse around and picked up a lovely bottle of Pinot Gris to have in my fridge. Then I was off to England for a meet with Alice! I feel a little awkward meeting face characters at times but it ended up being really fun! The only disappointment was that they don't have a photopass photographer there so I ended up with a rather strange selfie instead.....oh well!
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Alice did tell me that I was wearing a rather charming little hat and she wondered if the Hatter had made it for me...lol!

Feeling pleased with meeting my goals of an attraction, a character meet and a snack, I decided to head back to the Poly for a little rest and some dinner before heading out for an evening adventure at Magic Kingdom!
 
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It's time to close out the day at MK!
As I strolled towards the monorail ramp, I was happy to see Monorail silver just pulling up. I made it on with time to spare and was soon walking through the tree lined paths back to my room. Imagine my surprise to find my Mousekeeper had left a little surprise on my bed......
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How sweet is that?? I loved it and it was especially touching to me as my dear friend's (who had only passed away two weeks prior to the trip) favourite shape was hearts. Do you know I kept finding hearts everywhere??? If you believe in signs, that definitely was one from her. I decided to pour myself a glass of my Pinot Gris and settled in on my patio to enjoy the view. Soon I was feeling peckish and decided I would head over for my favourite Polynesian chicken salad at Captain Cooks.
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This hit the spot! Fresh greens, cucumber, grape tomatoes, pineapple, chicken and blue cheese in a tangy dressing....yum, yum! I had devised my favourite mug concoction of unsweetened tea and light lemonade over ice which went down very well with my salad. I headed up to the monorail and was soon on my way to the Magic Kingdom!
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I headed to Adventureland as I had snagged a Jungle Cruise FP while at Epcot. I was very happy I had that FP as the posted wait time was 70 minutes! Our skipper that evening was hilarious and I really enjoyed myself. Prior to boarding Jungle Cruise I had grabbed another FP for Winnie the Pooh. First though, a certain new snack had my attention and I made my way towards Aloha Isle to try the Pineapple Upside Down cake with Dole Whip.
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The doors for the next Tiki room show were opening just as I got this little goodie so I decided to head in and enjoy my favourite show with my delicious treat! As I was walking through Fronteirland I loved how the light struck the back of the castle and had to snap a picture.
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Next up I thought I would head to Under the Sea as I had never ridden it before (I know, I know...). It was so cute!! Next up was a ride on the carousel before heading in front of the castle to snag a spot for Happily Ever After. I love this show (just as much as Wishes) and was very happy to experience it again. I love this photo of the castle with the fireworks overhead. Do you see the Hidden Mickey?
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After the show I fought my way through the crazy crowds to make it to Tomorrowland and my beloved People Mover. After enjoying a ride through Tomorrowland I headed towards Winnie the Pooh for my last FP. It was EMH tonight and crowds were starting to thin out a bit. Next up on my list was IASW which never disappoints. I headed off to Haunted Mansion and after enjoying my time with the Hitchhiking Ghosts and finally finding an elusive Hidden Mickey, I was beginning to feel the effects of the day. It was almost 11:00 at this point and my feet were feeling it! Still i was determined to fit Pirates as I wanted to check out the new redhead scene. You know, I didn't hate it. It's not great but not horrible either. I had hoped to stay for a kiss goodnight but I just had to head to bed. So I made my way to the front of the park and was soon enjoying a moonlit launch ride over the Seven seas Lagoon.

4 parks/1 day complete!
 


You got so much done during your 4 parks, 1 day adventure.
....and a ton done at MK alone to finish out the night. I cannot imagine how tired your feet must have been!

I do love the Poly! My family and I have been blessed to have stayed there. Captain Cooks! And I adore the resort boat launches. I have never ridden one under the moonlight. What a treat! And perfect ending to your day!

Sweet story about the hearts displayed throughout your trip....even better than hidden Mickeys. I am sorry for your loss of your friend.
 
Hi Susan! I'm here! Gonna get caught up soon! Love how you are loving the solo trip. I think I am due for another one! It was so much fun. Maybe even more fun than going with Steve, LOL.
 
Such an awesome day, you did many attractions in each park. I love MK in the evening, especially when you can get additional FP+

What did you think of the Pineapple upside down cake with the dole whip? I really liked it.
 
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What a fun picture! I don't think I've ever seen this one before. And love your shirt too BTW!

The only disappointment was that they don't have a photopass photographer there so I ended up with a rather strange selfie instead.....oh well!
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That's weird they didn't have a photographer. We've met Alice and Mary in the UK before and they always had one with them.

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How sweet is that?? I loved it and it was especially touching to me as my dear friend's (who had only passed away two weeks prior to the trip) favourite shape was hearts. Do you know I kept finding hearts everywhere???
So sorry for your loss. All the more special for you to find that. My best friend died 2 years ago and we went to Disney two months afterwards and there were so many signs for me too. Of course she loved Palm Trees and they are all over Florida but I don't think I'd ever realized how prolific they were and how each time it simultaneously saddened me but also warmed my soul. Sending lots of :love::love::love: way way

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The doors for the next Tiki room show were opening just as I got this little goodie so I decided to head in and enjoy my favourite show with my delicious treat!
What a terrific idea. I don't think I knew you could take food inside the Tiki room.

It was almost 11:00 at this point and my feet were feeling it! Still i was determined to fit Pirates as I wanted to check out the new redhead scene. You know, I didn't hate it. It's not great but not horrible either.
You are quite the trooper!!!! I didn't care for the new scene, largely because the new scene wasn't needed but every time we rode we never actually heard the red head talk. The timing was never right.
 
I'm following along! You share a love of desserts like I do!!! We went for one day in August and I was unable to fit the carrot cake cookie or dole whip into my day so both of those will be my priority when we go in October!
Welcome!! I hope you get to enjoy both of those yummy goodies in October! I would highly suggest the Pineapple Upside Down cake with Dole Whip as well...so, so yummy!

You got so much done during your 4 parks, 1 day adventure.
....and a ton done at MK alone to finish out the night. I cannot imagine how tired your feet must have been!

I do love the Poly! My family and I have been blessed to have stayed there. Captain Cooks! And I adore the resort boat launches. I have never ridden one under the moonlight. What a treat! And perfect ending to your day!

Sweet story about the hearts displayed throughout your trip....even better than hidden Mickeys. I am sorry for your loss of your friend.
Thank you so much for your kind thoughts...I really appreciate it! The launches are one of my favourite things about staying in the MK resort area. You are right, it was a real treat to enjoy under a moonlit sky. The 4 parks day was so fun!

Hi Susan! I'm here! Gonna get caught up soon! Love how you are loving the solo trip. I think I am due for another one! It was so much fun. Maybe even more fun than going with Steve, LOL.
Thanks for joining in, Su-Lyn! Yes, solo trips are super fun! My next big trip is with my DH for our 20th next July but I am secretly hoping I might be able to join you all in May too!

Such an awesome day, you did many attractions in each park. I love MK in the evening, especially when you can get additional FP+

What did you think of the Pineapple upside down cake with the dole whip? I really liked it.
Loved' loved' loved the PIneapple Upside Down cake. I think it is my new favourite!

What a fun picture! I don't think I've ever seen this one before. And love your shirt too BTW!
Thanks! I thought it was cute too. :) I found the shirt at the Disney store and loved it!

. My best friend died 2 years ago and we went to Disney two months afterwards and there were so many signs for me too. Of course she loved Palm Trees and they are all over Florida but I don't think I'd ever realized how prolific they were and how each time it simultaneously saddened me but also warmed my soul. Sending lots of :love::love::love: way way
Awww thanks Kari! I remember when you went to Disney shortly after your friend passed and you had drinks at Nomad in her honour. So special. :lovestrucIt is a really tough thing to go through. I am trying to live the way she would and find the joy in everyday things.
 
Do you ever find that some Photopass photographers are better than others?
YES

Alice did tell me that I was wearing a rather charming little hat and she wondered if the Hatter had made it for me...lol!
LOL

I loved it and it was especially touching to me as my dear friend's (who had only passed away two weeks prior to the trip) favourite shape was hearts. Do you know I kept finding hearts everywhere??? If you believe in signs, that definitely was one from her.
:love:

4 parks/1 day complete!
One heck of a great day.
 
Yummy, yummy Disney food!

How did I forget to talk about food???? As always, I was not using the DDP. I was curious to see if OOP costs would be in my favour with alcohol included this time around. I was aiming for a rough budget of $50 per day but knew it could be under/over depending on what struck my fancy.

Day 1:
Refillable mug ~ $20.23 (all prices include tax)
Dole Whip ~ $4.79 at Pineapple Lanai
Guacamole and Pink Peppercorn Margarita ~ $23.28 at Choza de Margarita.
Dark Sea Salt caramel ~ $4.25 at Karamel Kuche
Chicken Noodle soup ~ $4.69 at Captain Cooks
Day 1 total: $57.24
DDP cost: $75.49
Savings paying OOP:$18.25

Day 2:
Carrot cake cookie and Iced coffee ~ $8.82 at Trolley Car Cafe
Chili tofu bowl ~ $12.24 at Satuli Canteen
Strawberry macaron ice cream sandwich ~ $5.00 at Les Artisan des Glaces
Polynesian Chicken Salad ~ $11.71 at Captain Cooks
Pineapple upside down cake ~ $6.92 at Aloha Isle
Popcorn refillable bucket ~ $10.00
Day 2 total: $54.69
Savings paying OOP: $75.49 - $54.69 = $20.80

Food totals will be included with each day going forward. :)

 
A Polynesian poolside morning and a trip outside the Bubble!

After a spectacularly fun day yesterday, it was time to relax and put my feet up! I slept in until about 8:00, then grabbed some coffee and a banana. I had brought some protein bars from home so munched one of those as I got ready to hit the pool. I arrived at the Lava pool shortly after 9 am and snagged a sweet little spot right under a shady umbrella.
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I settled in happily and enjoyed my coffee and book. It was such a perfect morning and I thoroughly enjoyed taking in this lovely view!
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I spent the next few hours alternating between the pool and my lounger. I may have even snuck in a poolside nap! I was beginning to feel hungry but had absolutely no inclination to move from my spot. Luckily for me, there was a poolside server bringing around menus and taking orders. I decided on a super yummy Scofferhofer and the grilled chicken avocado wrap with citrus slaw. The Scofferhofer was the first to arrive and went down very well on this gorgeous sunny day.
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Ah! Is there anything better than a refreshing beverage enjoyed poolside? Next up was my awesome grilled chicken wrap. Juicy chicken, creamy avocado, crisp celery and peppers made for the perfect lunch. The citrus slaw was a nice, light accompaniment. This was a huge wrap and very filling.
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After finishing my lunch, I took one last dip in the pool and decided to head back to my room. I had my first ever foray outside of the bubble to get ready for! Upon arriving in my room, I found two delightful surprises! I love the creative design my Mousekeeper had left for me today! And she had pixie dusted me with some of the gorgeous H20 foot rub! How did she know my feet were still throbbing from my adventures of the day before? I was thrilled with my service and was sure to write a nice thank you note to leave the next morning. :)
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Now I was ready to do something I had never done on a Disney trip before.....set foot outside the bubble! I ordered a Lyft and went to wait outside the Poly for my pickup to the Character Warehouse at the Vineland outlets. I had never used a rideshare before and was a little nervous but the whole process was incredibly smooth and easy. I had seen the Orange Bird D and B bags at the outlets on a Vlog and was hoping they would still be available. Luckily, they had several to choose from and I was able to pick my perfect placement. I also snagged some other goodies; including a Minnie top, a cute Bambi infinity scarf and Up bandits.
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I decided to hop to Disney Springs on the way back and enjoyed a visit to Pin Traders, the Dress Shoppe, Uniqlo, World of Disney, Basin and Disney Style!! Whew! That was a lot of shopping! I popped into Starbucks for a Strawberry Acai refresher before heading to the bus stop. I was so happy to be back in the bubble, lol! I am an onsite Disney girl to the core. It feels weird to me to be out in the real world.

Next up..... a long anticipated dinner at a new favourite!
 
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I never seem to arrive on time to TRs, but I am so excited to be joining in for another report of your fabulous solo travels!


Yay! I was in my happy place with one of my favourite treats and I was just soaking up every moment! After finishing up my super yummy Dole Whip, I decided to head into Captain Cooks and grab my refillable mug. I had a few hours to just hang out and relax so decided to head to the Oasis Pool. It was a perfect day and I enjoyed my ice cold lemonade as I stretched out on a lounger and read my book. After a refreshing dip in the pool I checked my phone to see if I had received a message about my room. Sure enough, my room was ready and I was in Aotearoa rm 1224. I was so excited to check out my room and quickly packed up to head over. As I walked down the hall I noticed my room was on the lagoon side!! I was so happy about this bit of pixie dust!
Imagine my delight when I walked to the patio and saw this view!
Wow! That is so exciting! The Oasis Pool is my new happy place too. I've gotta figure out how to get back to the Poly soon. We had a little pixie dust upgrade and had a nice unexpected lagoon-side room too on our one night stay. Sounds like an amazing way to start the trip!

My first order of business was to upgrade my Canadian resident ticket to an annual pass!! Hurray.....more Disney trips for me!
Woo hoo!!!

Then it was time for a ride through history on Spaceship Earth. There are some terrific Hidden Mickeys on this ride so I had a lot of fun looking for those during my travels through time.
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What a lovely picture! I just love this ride, I've never thought to look for hidden Mickeys but I will have to remember this!

By this time it was almost 10 pm and I was feeling my 3:00 am wake up. It was time to head back to the Poly for a good night's sleep. But first a slight soggy end of the night picture decked out in my Canadian Mickey gear.

You are a trooper! What a long day!!!
 
all caught up now, which means... a million comments! :teeth:

By this point I was so hungry and was on a mission to get a carrot cake cookie! Time to head to the Trolley Car Cafe for my favourite piece of deliciousness! Once I had a yummy iced coffee and carrot cake cookie in hand, I settled in to enjoy it....so, so good! Now it was time to make my way to the Animal Kingdom bus for adventures at my second park!
One of my favorites! So glad to see that the Carrot Cake Cookie magnificence is just as good in its new home!

After enjoying a brief taste of Toy Story Land, it was time to head off to Animal Kingdom. This time I had amazing luck with the buses and was park to park in about 15 minutes!
Whoa! Sweet luck with that one!!!

The tofu had a nice kick to it and the rice and beans were delicious with the creamy sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.
That sounds so tasty. We still haven't made it to Satuli but everyone's reviews sound soooo good!!! Putting that on my "list"

Thankfully it was just as amazing as I remembered and I cried (again!) from sheer joy and awe! It is simply the best piece of Disney imagineering ever.
:cloud9::cloud9::cloud9: and the SMELLS! heaven!

Do you ever find that some Photopass photographers are better than others?
::yes:: absolutely! I love that this one included your friend Mickey there with you! Too cute.

I had a little time to kill before my character meet so I decided to head towards France for a snack at Les Artisans de Glacee. I chose the strawberry macaron ice cream sandwich with a strawberry and cream sorbet and it was so delicious!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this yummy treat.
Oh my gosh this is making me so hungry :rotfl:

How sweet is that?? I loved it and it was especially touching to me as my dear friend's (who had only passed away two weeks prior to the trip) favourite shape was hearts. Do you know I kept finding hearts everywhere??? If you believe in signs, that definitely was one from her.
I absolutely think your friend was sending you love. We have a thing in my family about birds - my grandmother always told us she'd send birds as her "sign". Now at Disney even my husband (who missed meeting my grandmother by about 20 years!) will say "Look, your Granny is here" when birds are around :littleangel:
The doors for the next Tiki room show were opening just as I got this little goodie so I decided to head in and enjoy my favourite show with my delicious treat!
Sounds like a perfect snack and air conditioning break! I am glad they let you bring treats in now so you're not just forced to be outside scarfing down dessert lurking (lurk lurk lurk) for the next show - haha

Luckily, they had several to choose from and I was able to pick my perfect placement. I also snagged some other goodies; including a Minnie top, a cute Bambi infinity scarf and Up bandits.
Okay that is a great haul! I had not had any luck my last few visits but think I may need to visit again on my next trip. :thumbsup2
 
I love your finds from the character warehouse! I love the Disney bubble, I have left for the dark side and Seaworld a couple times, haha!

Your pool time looked very relaxing. I think I will enjoy the pool in May when pool phobia Andi is still in school!:rotfl2:
 
I never seem to arrive on time to TRs, but I am so excited to be joining in for another report of your fabulous solo travels!
Thanks and :welcome:! Glad you are here, Melinda!

Sounds like an amazing way to start the trip!
It was so nice!

I've never thought to look for hidden Mickeys but I will have to remember this!
It's a great way to spend a little downtime in the parks.

Putting that on my "list"
You will love it!

and the SMELLS! heaven!
I know, right??

Oh my gosh this is making me so hungry
I can't wait to have this again!

I absolutely think your friend was sending you love. We have a thing in my family about birds - my grandmother always told us she'd send birds as her "sign". Now at Disney even my husband (who missed meeting my grandmother by about 20 years!) will say "Look, your Granny is here" when birds are around :littleangel:
That is such a sweet story, thanks for sharing! Yes, Sam has definitely sent signs to let me know she is present. :hug:

Okay that is a great haul! I had not had any luck my last few visits but think I may need to visit again on my next trip. :thumbsup2
Thanks! I was super happy about my goodies too! :) Especially snagging the Orange Bird Dooney for $113!!

I love your finds from the character warehouse! I love the Disney bubble, I have left for the dark side and Seaworld a couple times, haha!

Your pool time looked very relaxing. I think I will enjoy the pool in May when pool phobia Andi is still in school!:rotfl2:
We will hang at the pool for sure! Have you picked a resort yet?
 
Well it took me long enough but I have caught up!

There are some terrific Hidden Mickeys on this ride so I had a lot of fun looking for those during my travels through time.
You know, I send the Hidden Mickey books to clients but don't have one for us! I think I'll get one for our Nov trip because I know Ricky will enjoy looking for them (Chris enjoys nothing lol) and I'm always on the lookout but never have much luck!

Dark chocolate sea salt caramel, how I love you
My favorite :love:

I chose the strawberry macaron ice cream sandwich with a strawberry and cream sorbet and it was so delicious!!!
A snack I've never had which is surprising given my love for macarons. Also on my Nov list now :thumbsup2

I decided on a super yummy Scofferhofer
Perfect on a hot day!

Your 4 park day went so well and sounds like so much fun! I had one planned for Steve our last trip but all our days got switched around and it didn't happen, which was ok. So I stand at 1- 4 park day in the books so far and will eventually do another!
 

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