PHXscuba's TR: Summer Sweet 16 at DLR -- New Photos 8/19

OK, newsy update for my small band of followers.

1. DD15 didn't get the swim coach job. :( I am sad for her but the people who beat her out were truly more qualified. So that leaves the "summer job hunt" up in the air. I don't know if she'll get one; the labor market is tight for a 15-turning-16 year old, even a smart, motivated one.

2. I got through DD13's birthday yesterday, which included 8 12 and 13 year old girls running around my house all evening. :headache: I am going to admit here (but nowhere else) that I probably spoiled her a little more this birthday knowing that very soon I will have to tell her what DD15 is getting to do for her birthday. DD13 got almost all her requests for the party (they really weren't over-the-top) plus we redid her room -- new bed, curtains etc. -- for her big birthday gift.

3. The Disneyland calendar is up through the end of May, so only about 3 more weeks 'til I get official park hours. I am hoping people who see the new 60th anniversary stuff report back so I know what is worth our time for entertainment. I'm not a camp-out-for-parades person, but the combo of the new night parade plus a fireworks/projection show might make it worth my friend and me saving spots while the girls run around a bit more. Since we only have two days we will make the most of it, but we are getting old and tired! :crazy2:

4. BFF told me (without directly saying it, because DD13 was there) that she has booked us at the Paradise Pier hotel. Not sure if she got an AP rate yet, but we have a place to crash!!

So the trip is coming into focus. It seems like a long time away, but really it's just over 2 months away!

PHXscuba
 
Hi,

We worked around doing every bodies birthday by doing them on different days from their actual birthdays. Our one daughter Kody's birthday is July 5th and I absolutely don't want to be at the parks during that time! We did it at the end of June. For some reason they were all done on different days because of work or school.

Too bad DD15 didn't get the job. I can only imagine the craziness in the house for the party.

PPH should be nice for the trip! It's close and just nice for a party.
 
I'm here too! Looking forward to hearing more! DD (13) and I will be in DL on July 17th for the 60th and we can't wait! :yay: Nice to hear about others' trip planning! :-)
 
I'm here too! Looking forward to hearing more! DD (13) and I will be in DL on July 17th for the 60th and we can't wait! :yay: Nice to hear about others' trip planning! :-)

Yay for another girls' trip this summer! We didn't expressly plan it for the 60th anniversary summer, but it sure works out nicely to have everything spruced up and open for our trip. I am already making a list of the new or new-to-me stuff that I want to do. And eat!!

PHXscuba
 


This must be the year for girls only trips. My adult daughters and I are going on a girls only trip. We are doing a trip in September for Dapper Days. I'm really excited!
 
This must be the year for girls only trips. My adult daughters and I are going on a girls only trip. We are doing a trip in September for Dapper Days. I'm really excited!

DD (13) and I have been doing the girls only trips for the last couple of years! :-) DH and DD (18) are not into Disney as much as us but they will be joining us for our Christmas trip! We would love to try Dapper Days since DD loves to dress up but it's hard to pull her out of school since she is in a higher grade. I am sure that you will have a blast at Dapper Days - will you be staying at a Disney hotel with the more affortable rates?


Yay for another girls' trip this summer! We didn't expressly plan it for the 60th anniversary summer, but it sure works out nicely to have everything spruced up and open for our trip. I am already making a list of the new or new-to-me stuff that I want to do. And eat!!
PHXscuba

Yes, there are still lots of things that we haven't done or eaten yet! Like going over to Tom Sawyer Island, eating a Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans or doing the character dining at Minnie's Plaza. We always have plans to try certain things but once we get there, we just go with the flow and sometimes, we don't accomplish everything we set out to do. But then we just add it to the list for the next time! LOL We did plan to go for the actual 60th on July 17th - DD watched a Youtube video of the 59th celebration at DL on July 17, 2014 and the wheels were set in motion right then and there! :D In fact, we are such planners that we have our next 3 trips to DL planned already! :yay:
 
DD (13) and I have been doing the girls only trips for the last couple of years! :-) DH and DD (18) are not into Disney as much as us but they will be joining us for our Christmas trip! We would love to try Dapper Days since DD loves to dress up but it's hard to pull her out of school since she is in a higher grade. I am sure that you will have a blast at Dapper Days - will you be staying at a Disney hotel with the more affortable rates?




Yes, there are still lots of things that we haven't done or eaten yet! Like going over to Tom Sawyer Island, eating a Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans or doing the character dining at Minnie's Plaza. We always have plans to try certain things but once we get there, we just go with the flow and sometimes, we don't accomplish everything we set out to do. But then we just add it to the list for the next time! LOL We did plan to go for the actual 60th on July 17th - DD watched a Youtube video of the 59th celebration at DL on July 17, 2014 and the wheels were set in motion right then and there! :D In fact, we are such planners that we have our next 3 trips to DL planned already! :yay:

Yes, we decided to stay at the DLH. We decided that at that rate we couldn't go wrong.
 


We enjoyed our stay at the DLH, wish we can stay on site again but the summer prices are abit expensive for us! LOL

We've stayed there before and it's a favorite. The cost is usually so high we would rather spend the money other ways. But, with the Dapper Days deal of $209 a night we couldn't resist.
 
OK people, we are less than 2 months out!!:cool1:

I have noticed one thing different about this trip ... I am planning it with another planner! Usually I am in "Total Tour Guide" mode and am planning like a fiend for the whole family. Or like last fall, for DH and I to go to WDW. But this time my friend, who has been to DLR equally as many times, is doing some of the planning. In fact, SHE was the one who reminded ME last week that we were close to the 60-day mark and did we want any TS reservations! :eek: She is booking the hotel, with hopefully an eventual AP discount. It is just different that control-freak-OCD me isn't the only one psycho-Disney-worrying about this trip. I knew she was my best friend for a reason!

I think we are going to tell the younger kids this weekend about the trip. I'm sure I am over-worrying about their reaction, but stay tuned ...

PHXscuba
 
OK people, we are less than 2 months out!!:cool1:

I have noticed one thing different about this trip ... I am planning it with another planner! Usually I am in "Total Tour Guide" mode and am planning like a fiend for the whole family. Or like last fall, for DH and I to go to WDW. But this time my friend, who has been to DLR equally as many times, is doing some of the planning. In fact, SHE was the one who reminded ME last week that we were close to the 60-day mark and did we want any TS reservations! :eek: She is booking the hotel, with hopefully an eventual AP discount. It is just different that control-freak-OCD me isn't the only one psycho-Disney-worrying about this trip. I knew she was my best friend for a reason!

I think we are going to tell the younger kids this weekend about the trip. I'm sure I am over-worrying about their reaction, but stay tuned ...

PHXscuba

That's one of the things that made this trip so nice for me. My oldest daughter is treating her sister and I to this trip. I don't have to make any plans if I don't want to. Totally stress free!
 
OK people, we are less than 2 months out!!:cool1:

I have noticed one thing different about this trip ... I am planning it with another planner! Usually I am in "Total Tour Guide" mode and am planning like a fiend for the whole family. Or like last fall, for DH and I to go to WDW. But this time my friend, who has been to DLR equally as many times, is doing some of the planning. In fact, SHE was the one who reminded ME last week that we were close to the 60-day mark and did we want any TS reservations! :eek: She is booking the hotel, with hopefully an eventual AP discount. It is just different that control-freak-OCD me isn't the only one psycho-Disney-worrying about this trip. I knew she was my best friend for a reason!

I think we are going to tell the younger kids this weekend about the trip. I'm sure I am over-worrying about their reaction, but stay tuned ...

PHXscuba

It's always better to have a partner in crime! Like two peas in a pod! LOL :joker: My DD is getting to be like me as she gets older, she likes to plan along with me. She says that it builds up the anticipation when we talk about all the things we want to do plus all the food that we want to eat! :chat:

How exciting to be breaking the news about the trip to the younger kids! I am sure that they will be thrilled! A few years ago, we suprised DD with a DL trip by waking her up at 4:30 am to catch a flight - she rolled out of bed and then got right back in! It took her abit before it hit her that we are going to DL - and that started all these Mommy/Daughter trips! :lovestruc
 
They know!!

So I finally broke down and told the two younger kids (DD13 and DS10) last night about the trip their older sister and I were taking. Part of the reason I had waited so long to tell them was that I wanted to be sure the details for our OTHER summer trip -- that they do get to go on -- were for sure lined up. First I told them about Other Trip in July, which is fairly fun and not something we've done for awhile (in part because it will require a lot of my driving). Then I told them about the Disneyland trip, with the usual caveats, disclaimers, etc. about them not necessarily getting the same thing when they turn 16, yada, yada yada.

I am going to give the younger kids credit. Neither pulled a "no fair" like I had feared. Their questions were about Other Trip! I'm sure there will be more questions about both, but all in all the reactions I had feared and prepared for weren't there.

The trip is only 8 weeks away! Exactly eight weeks from now, we should be pulling into the Paradise Pier parking structure! But there is a lot stuffed into those 8 weeks!

I hope to share a Disney/trip project my daughter has been working on later this week or next. She definitely got the creative genes in the family.

PHXscuba
 
They know!!

So I finally broke down and told the two younger kids (DD13 and DS10) last night about the trip their older sister and I were taking. Part of the reason I had waited so long to tell them was that I wanted to be sure the details for our OTHER summer trip -- that they do get to go on -- were for sure lined up. First I told them about Other Trip in July, which is fairly fun and not something we've done for awhile (in part because it will require a lot of my driving). Then I told them about the Disneyland trip, with the usual caveats, disclaimers, etc. about them not necessarily getting the same thing when they turn 16, yada, yada yada.

I am going to give the younger kids credit. Neither pulled a "no fair" like I had feared. Their questions were about Other Trip! I'm sure there will be more questions about both, but all in all the reactions I had feared and prepared for weren't there.

The trip is only 8 weeks away! Exactly eight weeks from now, we should be pulling into the Paradise Pier parking structure! But there is a lot stuffed into those 8 weeks!

I hope to share a Disney/trip project my daughter has been working on later this week or next. She definitely got the creative genes in the family.

PHXscuba

That's good to know that the younger ones were okay with your plans. I totally forgot that you were going with your older daughter. The count down begins!
 
OK, new feature of my Pre-Trip Report: Disney in our Day. Unless we live right next to the parks, most of us only get to go to the parks yearly, or a couple times a year. But I think if you're enough of a Disney fan to be on the DIS and read trip reports, you have a lot of Disney in your life. So I'll give you a peek into our "everyday Disney life," which fills all of the other weeks when we are NOT at Disneyland!

Disney in our Day
yesterday would be:
-- Me, DD15 and DD13 watching Pirates of the Caribbean, DD13's first time! I think she thought it dragged a bit.:rolleyes:
-- Later, during some family time, we played Disney Charades. Easiest. Game. Ever. To. Play. Act out a Disney character for each other to guess (be sure to specify whether Marvel or Star Wars characters are acceptable or watch DS10 act out every character that has a lightsaber :darth:)
-- While playing charades, I noticed BOTH daughters and I were coincidentally wearing Disney T-shirts, DD13 and I in Tinkerbell and DD15 in Minnie. :tinker::tinker:::MinnieMo

Some days are more Disney than others ...

PHXscuba
 

DD15 is taking a design class at school and doing different fun projects (last one was a miniature decorated room diorama). This time it was decoupaged wooden blocks. So she decided to make Disney-themed ones for everyone going on our Summer Sweet Sixteen trip!! They have childhood photos and friendship photos. I can't believe how much my friend looked like her daughter as a little girl! She did a fine job on them.

IMG_1328_zpsx1mfh2j6.jpg

In other Disney-related creative endeavors around our house, DD15 also decided to make loaded baked potato soup yesterday, inspired by the Carnation Cafe recipe. Not the actual recipe -- no cream in this one. I had hoped to supervise her first attempt, but I got called down to the office just before she started on it, so she did it all on her own!!

DD15 and her BFF are watching a movie right now in my family room with some other friends, so I am hoping to talk to my friend when she comes to pick up her daughter later. I have to break the bad news that Peter Pan will still be closed for our trip the third week of June. Booo!

PHXscuba
 
Cute idea on the project! I make a loaded potato soup in my crockpot with chicken broth. Yummy! Good job for DD on the soup!
 

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