.disney trip recap, part two.

Picking up where we left off, we rope dropped EPCOT on the Tuesday of our Walt Disney World vacation and spent the entire day enjoying rides and, most importantly, all the food stalls at the Flower & Garden Festival!

After over-indulging at the food stalls, we rode the Monorail over to The Polynesian so my Mama could do some shopping for the Easter Bunny.  We had dinner at The Garden Grill at EPCOT and we were all less than impressed.  The character interactions were just so-so and the food was just awful.  I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

Mama and Daddy took Annabeth back to the resort and Coach and I spent the evening puttering around the World Showcase.  It was really nice.

On Wednesday, we spent another day at the Magic Kingdom.  We hit all of our favorite things and Annabeth was able to meet some of her favorite characters.  We enjoyed lunch at Cosmic Ray’s, caught the Festival of Fantasy parade, and had fun on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.

Meeting one of Annabeth’s favorites–Merida!

For dinner, we pretended to be Lady & the Tramp and enjoyed fresh pasta at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.  The food there is just okay–we like it mostly for the nostalgia.  Lady & the Tramp is one of my favorite Disney movies and when we ate there on our babymoon, we knew we wanted to bring Annabeth back.

Mama and Daddy took Annabeth back to the resort and Coach and I met up with our friends Chuck and Braden for some Extra Magic Hours fun.  We enjoyed shorter wait times during the fireworks and then Josh shocked me by electing to do a special PhotoPass opportunity that I’ve always wanted to try.

Tangled is one of our most favorite movies of all time and Rapunzel is one of Annabeth’s favorite princesses.  I hated she wasn’t with us for this priceless shot, but it made me so happy.

We got back to the resort around midnight (eek!) and woke up the next day ready for a morning at DHS and an afternoon//evening at EPCOT.

We met some of Annabeth’s favorite Toy Story characters and enjoyed dropping in at the Hollywood Tower Hotel.  Then we were picked up in the backstage area to make our Open House appointment with The Disney Vacation Club.  It’s not something we’re going to pull the trigger on right away, but Coach is very interested in the possibility of becoming DVC members in the future!

The PhotoPass Photographer was kind enough to lend Annabeth her shades so we could snap a pic with her personal hero.

We went to Disney Springs for a while and then headed back to DHS where we caught the boat to EPCOT.  We had an appointment with Annabeth’s favorite professional wrecking ball and she was so excited to meet him!

We ended our evening at EPCOT with a wonderful meal at Via Napoli.  We used to love Tutto Italia until Via Napoli opened up.  The pizza is out of this world and the pasta is top-notch, too.  My favorite part of any meal at Via Napoli has to be the zeppole (fried riccota cheese balls served with dark chocolate dipping sauce–yum!).  Annabeth (who will not eat a PBJ or macaroni and cheese) enjoyed the clams, mussels, and squid in my pasta dish.

We took one last whirl on Soarin’, Test Track, and (our family favorite) Spaceship Earth before heading back to the resort.  Annabeth kept waving to Spaceship Earth and saying, “Bye, my Disney World!  See ya!”

The next morning we woke up, packed up, ate some breakfast, and then headed back towards the land of cotton.  Traveling to Disney World by car takes seven hours going and 17 hours coming, so we were so glad when we finally got home to Atlas and the kitties.

The trip laundry is done, the car has been washed and waxed, and the Birkenstock tan lines on my feet have finally started to blend into the rest of my skin, but I’m still holding onto the precious, precious memories from this trip.  Being able to have four generations of family together was so special and definitely something I’ll never forget.

Did you have a calm or wild Spring Break?  I think next year we’ll just visit Charleston and run the Cooper River Bridge Race again for a slower change of pace 🙂

XOXO,

Court

.valentine flicks.

Valentine’s Day might be over, but the romantic feelings don’t have to be.  Here are my favorite (mostly family friendly) romantic flicks (and if you’re looking for The Notebook, you obviously don’t know me very well).

1. Funny Face.  Is there anything more romantic than Paris in the spring?  I’ve always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn films, but this one has been my special favorite for ages.  Fred Asaire is completely charming and the fashion (!) is Givenchy at his finest. Did you know that Hubert Givenchy designed costumes for nearly all of Hepburn’s films?  During Roman Holiday he was called in to design for Miss Hepburn and he assumed it was for Katharine Hepburn–he met and was delighted by Audrey Hepburn and they became a match made in fashion heaven.
2. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  Kidnapping?  Romance? Grown men dancing with axes?  This one has it all. In my opinion, this is Howard Keel at his very finest.  You’ve probably never heard of this musical and once you see it, you’ll know that you’ve been missing out.  Set in the American west before it was settled, this movie is sure to entertain everyone from your grandmother to your toddler.  Just be prepared to answer questions about shotgun weddings…
3. Sabrina.  Another Audrey Hepburn movie on the list, but can you blame me?  I can’t hear La Vie En Rose without dreamily thinking of Humphrey Bogart in a tux or (once again) Paris in the spring.  The original #glowup takes place in this film and *bonus* there’s a butt hammock that your tweenage sons will think is hilarious.  Just make sure you remove your champagne flutes from your back pockets before taking a seat. If you can’t stand a black and white flick, you have my permission to watch the updated version of Sabrina with Harrison Ford, but just be warned that Julia Ormond can never compare to Audrey Hepburn.
4. Father of the Bride.  This one is a rare case where the updated version is maybe better than the original one.  I especially love watching this one with my Daddy, mainly because he is George Stanley Banks and I fully expected to bail him out of jail when he started writing checks for my wedding.  I adore Steve Martin in this film because he does remind me of my dear Daddy and also of my sweet Coach. It isn’t necessarily heavy on romance, but the idea of familial love and the love between a father and a daughter is so special and strong.
5. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.  This movie cannot touch the book.  Not even close. But it is a sweet movie and it’s totally available on Netflix for your streaming pleasure.  I’d say this one might be a little too scary for kiddos just because WWII stuff can be kind of heavy.  I love Lily James–she’s one of my favorite modern actresses because she’s just so fresh and effervescent.  If you haven’t read the book, I’d definitely recommend it, but the movie is also very romantic.

What are your favorite romantic movies?  I think we’re going to curl up tonight and watch something sweet–maybe Father of the Bride if I can keep Coach from crying 😉

XOXO,

Court

PS:  This series is epically dramatic and romantic.  Have you seen it?

PSS:  Ben & Leslie’s wedding vows will always be my favorite.

.january favorites.

Now that January’s 850 days are finally over (why is January so long?), I thought I’d review my favorites for the month.  As always, the categories include food, clothing, product, media, and Annabeth.

Food:

• Breakfast Bowls.  This is our super simple go-to meal on busy weeknights and it’s a crowd pleaser.  We scramble up eggs, fry some thick-cut bacon, and build a mountain with the breakfast goodies + avocado, cheese, sour cream, and fresh salsa.  Annabeth goes nuts for breakfast bowls and we’ve added this into our weekly rotation (usually on Tuesday nights since those are especially busy).
• Siete Grain-Free Chips.  We’re about 98% grain-free in our household.  I say 98% because the occasional cheat happens (yesterday we had Bojangles biscuits for breakfast and it was glorious).  This means no chips and salsa which is just kind of sad.  These grain-free chips are so good.  I sneak them in my bag when we go out for Mexican food and we eat them as a guilt-free snack with Daddy’s homemade salsa in the afternoons.  Grain-free life is not easy…in fact, it can be downright inconvenient.  Regardless, I feel and look my best when I don’t have grains in my system (and the patches of eczema that have cropped up thanks to yesterday’s cheat are proof that cheats need to be few and far between!).  These chips are great and make life easier.

Clothing:

• UA Recovery Gear.  Just before Christmas, Josh did a leg workout that was so above and beyond what he normally does that he was complaining about it for days.  I love him, but the man can stub his toe and be incapacitated for a week.  I was annoyed at him hobbling around our home for days on end because of a choice he made, so in a majorly passive aggressive move, I researched recovery sleepwear to put in his stocking.  It’s pricey, but I found some on Amazon on a Deal of the Day and you can also find it at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s pretty readily.  My passive aggressiveness paid off because those doggone things actually work.  I don’t understand the science behind it, but if it keeps man flu symptoms from entering my home, I’ll pay any price.
• Nalgene Bottles.  Not really clothing, but I always have a Nalgene in my hand, so I’d consider it an accessory.  I try to drink at least two Nalgene bottles of water during my work day and one in the afternoon/evening.  We both have Nalgene bottles that we picked up at our favorite store in the mountains, but you can find them pretty much anywhere.  They have a lifetime warranty–last summer my brother’s lid shattered and Nalgene immediately replaced it (the bottle was at least five or six years old).

Product:

• Kristin Ess for Target.  The woman behind Lauren Conrad’s amazing hair has a whole line of haircare products at Target and they smell divine.  I’ve been using her purple shampoo for about a month now and I’m truly obsessed with it–I only wash my hair once a week so I need whatever product I use to be with me for the long haul and it does the trick.  I’m hoping to pick up some more of her stuff to try especially since Josh is so in love with the scent.
• Jade Roller.  I turned thirty last year and have since become a slave to my skin.  I’m all for aging gracefully, but the Lord invented products to make that a little easier.  I drink tons of water, avoid sugar and grains, and use a quality line of skincare products, but this jade roller is so great for working my lotions, potions, and serums into my skin and it feels so good.  I keep mine in the freezer and roll it up my neck towards my hairline and it instantly takes care of any puffiness.  I feel like it would also be great to use for headaches.

Media:

• Mary Poppins Returns.  I loved it so much I saw it twice in theaters.  I love Emily Blunt and I feel like she did the role justice.  It was super touching and the music was fantastic.
• Make Something Good Today.  This book was so good.  I cried and laughed and read parts aloud to Josh and then cried some more.  I love watching Hometown because Erin and Ben Napier seem so genuine and this book only solidified that.  If you live in a small town (like me) and want your little corner of the world to be a better place, definitely pick this up.

Annabeth:

• Castles & Crowns.  If you have known me for more than five seconds, you know I’m 100% traditional and also 100% extra.  Shopping for smocked outfits for Annabeth is one of my favorite things to do.  I discovered Castles & Crowns late last year and I have been so happy with the quality and with the prices of their products.  Seriously, y’all, they have SUCH good sales!  Josh was pretty resistant to smocked clothing until he saw a toddler who was dressed like a teenager, so now he’s all on board.  If you’re in the market for something sweet, give this brand some love!
• Buddies.  Shocker:  our kid is obsessed with Disney.  Most toddlers are, but Annabeth didn’t really stand a chance.  There will be no Dreamworks or other off brand stuff in our home–it’s Disney or bust.  My mom discovered these Disney play sets at Disney World last fall and they’ve become some of Annabeth’s favorite toys.  I think she likes them because they fit in her little hands and she can hide them all over the place.  She calls them her “buddies” and it’s super sweet.  We pick up a set each time we head down to Disney World, but you can also find them online.

What are your favorites this month?  Did you also feel like January was 1,000 days long?

XOXO,

Court

PS:  I’m still so happy with all of our Grove products.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to use this code for FIVE free products (including lots of Mrs. Meyer’s stuff)!

PSS:  Did you have pretty weather last week where you live?  It was amazing to have 80 degree weather in February!