DisneyLand Paris Vacation

It has taken me a whole week to recuperate from this last vacation! Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing vacation...but it is definitely a 'once a year' type vacation!

In typical fashion, we woke up at the time we were supposed have left for Disney. So the first day started out a bit hectic.
The drive was longer than usual because I had to stop to use the restroom every thirty minutes. No, I'm not preggo; I checked!
After a 4 1/2 hour drive, we finally made it to Disneyland!
K was so excited to meet up with her friends and visit the park! Before we even got inside the park, she spotted the Minnie Mouse ears and just had to have a pair!

As soon as we arrived inside and met up with our friends, a parade started! K had the chance to see many of her favorite Disney characters right away!
Right away we headed for the rides and even had a chance to take a quick family photo in front of Cinderella's Castle.
After a long day at the park, we headed to our hotel. WOW! Let's just say that I will never again decide to be 'thrifty' when it comes to hotels! The hotel looked great online, but when we reached our room, we found that our stroller wouldn't even fit inside the door. We were moved to THREE rooms because there was mold growing on the walls, yuck! Of course, D let me know how he felt since it was his idea to stay at the Resort the whole time. K didn't notice how horrible our room was, she was preoccupied with playing inside the cabinets!

The second day, we woke up early and had a great breakfast of yummy, melt-in-your mouth croissants. We spent the entire second day at the park, where K met Pooh Bear! D stood in line for two hours in order for K to get to meet Pooh, it was well worth it! She had the time of her life. We even purchased the photos that the park took and had them framed, K looks at them every day while she gives Pooh hugs and kisses!
We had a great lunch at one of the resort restaurants, where K had the chance to meet some more of the Disney characters!






Then we headed on over to the Disney Studios to check out what they had over there!


After a fun filled day at the resort, we decided to check out the shops and grab a few souvenirs! Of course, K picked out a Pooh Bear, which just happens to be bigger than she is!

On our last day, we took the train from the resort into Paris, where we did some sightseeing. Just a quick tour of the city to take photos and let K see the sights. This way she can never say she hasn't been!
Of all the times that we have been to Paris, we still haven't made our trip up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. D and I think that we may make one more trip into Paris before we leave so that we can make our way to the top. Plus, we haven't been able to find the Moulin Rouge, which I want to visit and take a photo of.
After a few hours of sitting in her stroller, we decided to let K stretch out her legs at a park across from the Eiffel Tower, she had a blast chasing the birds!


Then we took the subway to the Notre Dame, where we were able to get another family photo.

Inside the Notre Dame, K and I lit a prayer candle.
After touring the Notre Dame for a bit, we walked over to the Louvre. The Louvre is a place that you can spend a whole weekend in. We didn't have time to go in this time, but on our last trip, we were able to get a photo of the Mona Lisa. I'd like to go back and spend more time in the Louvre, you could really get lost in the beautiful artwork!




We have a few more trips planned, we are going to Prague later this month and Rome in September for K's birthday. There are a few more places I'd like to go as well, but for now, that is all we have planned. I will be sure to take lots of photos and share them with you!

My Birthday Surprise!

Yesterday was my birthday and D had a great day planned for me. I knew he was up to something, but he wouldn't even give me a hint as to what he had planned. All of my friends and family knew...except me! I am SO not a big fan of surprises, maybe it's the control freak in me.

So, D and K made me a birthday cake and presented it to me right at midnight. How sweet! D was bummed because he only had 1 of the 3 eggs that were needed for the recipe, but he made do with what he had. Note to self-3 eggs really are needed, 1 will not do. The cake completely fell apart! Poor guy, but I ate it anyway, it's the thought and effort that count.

My Birthday Cake

After we woke up, D told me to pack some clothes for overnight, because we wouldn't be coming back home. I thought, 'oh great, we are going camping!' D is an outdoorsy kind of guy, and while I like to camp...sometimes. I'm not the type of girl who does well 'roughing it.' So D starts packing food and drinks, and I'm really starting to dread this surprise! I ask him if this is going to be a long car ride and he states, 'Oh yea, it's a long drive!' You can imagine my excitement.

So we get into the car and he plugs the address into the GPS. We turn off of our street and drive up the next street. We just moved into this neighborhood and we've never been up this street before. Five minutes later, we arrive at this old castle, turned hotel. D looks at me and says 'Surprise, you're sleeping in a hotel tonight!'


Castle Turned Hotel

We checked into our hotel and then ventured out back, where they have a Wild Park. It was freezing and K wasn't too happy about being outside. But I think we all enjoyed the fresh air and watching the animals.


D and K Viewing The Horses From The Room

For dinner, D arranged for friends of ours to take K. Actually, they were going to take her for the night...but I was hesitant. It would have been really great, but I don't think I would have enjoyed myself. I would have been worrying about her all night.
So we had a great candlelit dinner, just the two of us. It was really nice to eat dinner and not feel rushed. Or have to worry about entertaining her so that she didn't act like a maniac! At first, we both just sat there, confused. What do we talk about? After appetizers, we were deep in conversation, laughing and joking with each other. Just like old times, before our conversations were full of talk about boogers, diapers, and discipline.

After three short hours, we picked up K. When we arrived back at the castle, we were surprised to see that all of the lights were off. It was only 11pm. So we go to the front door, only to find that it is locked. There is a sign on the door, in German. After thirty minutes of trying each and every door, we find one that is open. But how do we find our room? If you've ever been in a castle, you know how confusing they can be. It was a maze of doors, windows, narrow hallways and stairs. To make things worse, K was crying because it was cold and dark. It seemed like almost every door was locked, and the ones that were open led to dark narrow halls.

Finally, after an hour we found our way to our room. Vowing not to leave again until morning. By this time, we are exhausted and K is wide awake. We found out last night that she does NOT like castles! She finally fell asleep at 6am, just in time for us to get a few hours of sleep before our long drive home. It was definetly a birthday I will never forget. How many people can say that they slept in a castle? Even if it was just for a few short hours.

Russia...Here I Come?

A good friend of mine recently invited me to go on a trip with her to Russia. She will be gone for over a week, over Valentine's Day weekend. D doesn't want to go because, "He just isn't interested." He agreed to take leave from work to stay home with K, if I wanted to go.

Now, of course I want to go. I mean, the whole trip will only cost about $500.00! My friend is originally from Russia, so she knows the language and area very well.

My only concerns are, being away from D and K for so long. I know a week of being away from D, I can handle. We've already gone through one deployment. But I haven't spent more than a few hours away from K since she was born.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to 'get back to who I am.' Before I met D and had K, I was miss independent. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I was the girl who went on random road trips to various parts of the country with NO money and NO plan. Obviously, I can't do those things anymore. But a week away from responsibilities and work would be great.

It will be a nice little adventure. I would much rather experience this new adventure with D and K, but he isn't all that interested.

So I think I'm going to go. I won't stay a whole week though, maybe just a few days. D is just concerned about me traveling back on my own. How sweet of him to be so concerned. You know, before I met D, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT about the risks involved with traveling alone in a foreign country. Maybe I've grown up?

I guess I can say, I have a lot to think about. I also need to get a VISA and make sure my passport is good to go. Here n Europe you don't need a passport to travel inside the European Union. But, I'll definetly need one in Russia.