Nala & pride "A Bucket Full of Magic" TR - Page 23 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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That was an amazing Safari! Great photos of all the cats and the warthog. A truly magical day at AK. But you can't leave us hanging too long... what are Grumpy and Serafina up to??
Your safari sounded wonderful! Glad to hear that you caught the Chistmas edition of the AK parade - I can't believe we've never seen a parade at AK! Can't wait to hear about your surprise - what a cliff hanger!!
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I love the Animal Kingdom, so I enjoyed reading about your day there - your trip is full of magic, as always. Looking forward to seeing what surprise is in store for you!
Fabulous...as always, are your descriptions...felt like I was right there along side you, bouncing around the vehicle! So glad you could enjoy a refreshing drink while parade watching and then head off to some wonderful animal encounters. What a wonderful guide you had. Love the foursome shot of you at the AK exit....I am sure it has made it front and center on one of your scrapbook pages!
Looking forward to hearing about the results of all the conspiring....
danielle
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I always love your TR's especially when you're in AK. I wasn't too impressed with AK on my first visit but through the eyes of you and LaurieP it has grown to be my favorite park. It's my "slow down and enjoy the ambiance" park.
Can't wait to find out what's next.
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Finally all caught up on you TR!! What a wonderful job you have done!! So far it sounds like y'all had such a magical trip! I can't wait to read more and hear about your surprise.
I cried at FOTLK last year bc it was ds who is (2yrs old) first time & he was totally & completely in love with it. & I remember many years ago when I was chosen to participate in the parade at FOTLK my mom was crying her eyes out as well. So I'm sure all the parents around understood & didn't think you were crazy.
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Wow, what a day you had! I'm very jealous over your safari experience. The big cats (all of them) were what I was most looking forward to seeing on our safari in '09, and they were completely hidden. Here's to getting lucky and seeing them in September!
Glad you were able to enjoy such a great safari, Nala. I definitely agree that the back rows of the safari vehicles are extra bumpy. I always request a row up front when my DM is with me, since she actually gets sick in the bumpy back. Can't wait to hear about the surprise Grumpy and Sarafina seem to be cooking up!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
A bus came rather quickly for us, and once Sarafina’s scooter was loaded, the four of us took a seat in the back of the bus and made the quick trip back to the BC. The first stop our bus made was the YC, and since there was another scooter on board getting off there, we decided to make it easier on the bus driver and also disembark.
It was a short walk for us, and a short ride for Sarafina, to the BC lobby, but I was disappointed that it was a few minutes past six when we arrived home and we had missed saying goodbye to Teena by only about fifteen minutes. I so wanted to tell her about Kiara’s ride on PW and her staring role in the parade at FotLK! I accepted the fact that those moments would have to be shared via email when we got home, and the four of us headed to the elevator to catch a ride to our floor.
We made our way past the lounge, which was in full swing with the evening service, but for some reason I wanted to make a stop in the room first before heading there. As we made our way down the hall to our room, I heard Grumpy tell Kiara to walk with me. Kiara had been very out of character this trip, in that she had been very clingly to both Grumpy and myself, and I thought nothing of him telling her to go hang on me for a while as we walked down the hall. Kaira came up to me and hooked her arm in mine and as we approached our door, something caught my attention.
It took me a bit by surprise, (for some reason, oh I don’t know, perhaps because there was a huge banner on our door that said “SURPRISE”) and I stopped to look behind me at Grumpy and I saw him standing a few feet behind Kiara and I with Sarafina at his side. Both of them had this super silly grin on their faces and Grumpy motioned both of us to go through the door.
A bit bewildered as to what was going on, and who was behind it, (seriously, I really think I leave the vast majority of my brain on the nightstand next to my bed when I make a trip to WDW) I stuck my key in the door and turned the handle.
What I saw took my breath away.
The room, while dark, was all aglow with the soft light of flickering candles.
There was so much to look at, and I really was a bit overwhelmed at what I was seeing. The credenza was absolutely covered with gift after gift, as well as large snowflakes and shinny Mickey heads. There was an autograph book signed to Kiara from the big cheese himself, three flameless candles, that filled the room with their soft vanilla scent, a beautiful lantern with a bunch of winter looking berries at the bottom, a glass jar filled with peppermint candies, a matted Christmas picture of Mickey and Minne in front of the castle, and two very sill Christmas hats. Upon further inspection, I discovered one hat had Kiara name embroidered on it and the other had mine.
With a little prompting from the two members of my pride that were behind all this magic, I was instructed to look at the bed. On it sat a huge stuffed Mickey, a slightly smaller stuffed Minnie, some balloons, a beautiful, red throw with our last name embroidered on it and a rather large red, yellow and black box. I opened the box to find a digital photo frame inside.
After looking at everything that was in the room, it was time to get answers as to who was behind it. I looked at both Grumpy and Sarafina for an explanation and Grumpy was quick to point the finger at my wonderful momma. He told me that she had come to him looking for ideas of something to do, and he had pointed her in the direction of the in room celebration. The two of them worked together to customize the package to include things that both Kiara and I would love and what I was seeing was what they had come up with.
It was perfect!!!!!! As the tears filled my eyes, I ran to hug both of them and it hit me once again just how lucky I was to have them in my life.
Up next: Even more magic to an already magical day
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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So glad you could enjoy a refreshing drink while parade watching and then head off to some wonderful animal encounters. What a wonderful guide you had. Love the foursome shot of you at the AK exit....I am sure it has made it front and center on one of your scrapbook pages!
şOş ~*~ 
Upon further inspection, I discovered one hat had Kiara name embroidered on it and the other had mine. 
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