Michael's Visit!

I got to spend 5 days with Michael here. It was so great. I have really missed him. He got here Thursday afternoon. I headed straight over to the airport to pick him up as soon as I got off work. I was so happy to see him when he walked out of the airport. I almost started crying because I was so excited. Neither of us had eaten yet that day, so we went to Red Lobster for endless shrimp. The server we had was bored because of how slow the restaurant was, so he brought out every kind of shrimp offered....twice. There was so much food. The table was completely covered before he was done bringing out food! I did not know what to do. This was the first time I had been given a real meal since I have been in Florida, so I was a little overwhelmed. It was awesome though. It was definitely a great way to start off Michael's trip. That night, we went to Downtown Disney to watch Pitch Perfect at the AMC Theater. It was a pretty funny movie.

Friday, we spent the day at Islands of Adventure. That is where the Harry Potter world is. We had a lot of fun walking through there. We walked all through Hogsmeade Village, went into the shops, saw The Three Broomsticks, saw the Hogwarts Express, bought a chocolate frog, bought wands, and drank Butterbeer! I got the Hermoine wand and Michael got the Sirius Black wand. The Butterbeer was awesome. It's basically a milkshake. We didn't really ride any rides while we were there because it started pouring. That kind of put a damper on the day, but I didn't really care because I was just happy to finally have Michael here. We also got some wonderful news on Friday. Michael has been accepted into the college program for the spring semester! So I am going to do everything I can to extend my program and then he and I will be here from January to May! He will be working in Merchandise and his program dates are January 21 to May 17. I am so excited that he is going to get to work here. I think it will be great. I actually started crying when he told me because I was that excited. I had no doubt that he would get accepted, but I hadn't really thought about the fact that we could actually both be here at the same time.

Friday, we decided to make it an early night since I had to be at work super early the next morning. Another dining shift. Lucky me. After work, I took a quick nap and then got ready. Michael and I headed over to Downtown Disney that night to watch Cirque du Soleil, Michael really wanted to see it, so I thought that might be a nice birthday present for him. Turns out I was right. He loved the show. I did too. I had seen it before, but I think because I was so exhausted when I watched it before, all I could think about was sleeping. It was great this time. I have such an appreciation for the strength and talent all of the performers there have. We were in shock by what we were seeing for most of the show. We both really enjoyed it. After the show, we walked around Downtown Disney some more, ate at Earl of Sandwich, which Michael absolutely loves, and then called it a night.

Sunday was Michael's birthday. We decided that would be the best day to go to the Disney parks. We were determined to go to all 4 parks in one day. We planned it out very carefully. We began our morning at Disney's Animal Kingdom. We went to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see characters since the lines are never long over there. We saw Donald, Baloo and King Louie, Minnie, and Mickey. When we went to meet Mickey, Mickey pointed to his eye, then his nose, then to me. In character language this means, "I know you." Then he threw his arms around me and kissed my cheek repeatedly. I was cracking up. I have never met a character that told me they knew who I was, so I was completely caught off guard. While he was kissing my cheek, he put up his hand to let Michael know to go away. It was a pretty amusing encounter. I told Mickey I was happy to see him, but I was going to tell Minnie about his behavior, to which he replied by putting up his left hand to show me that he was not wearing a wedding ring. Shame on him. It was still really funny though. When we left Mickey, we stopped at Pizzafari for a quick snack and then headed over to the Festival of the Lion King. This is one of the best live shows Disney has. We love this show. It was really nice to be able to enjoy all of these things with Michael for the first time since I didn't really get to go to the parks much when he was here with my family. Once the show was over, we headed over to Epcot for lunch. Food and Wine Festival is going on right now, so we figured lunch would be the best idea for Epcot. We made our way around the countries, getting small snacks at various pavilions. It was really cool to be able to sample foods from all over the world. Neither of us had ever been to Food and Wine Festival before, so it was fun to experience it together. We were getting into the hottest part of the day, so we figured it was as good a time as ever for a nap. Later that night, we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios to watch Fantasmic! Fantasmic is our favorite show at Disney. I love seeing the characters all performing together, and the water and light effects are awesome. It's just a wonderful show. We split a turkey leg before the show started. I have always wanted to get a turkey leg at Disney, but never actually did. Now I want to eat one every time I'm there. It was super good. Michael wanted a chocolate banana, and since it was his birthday, the man at the counter let him have it for free! He was pretty excited about that.

After Fantasmic, we went straight to Magic Kingdom, which was open until 3 AM for Extra Magic Hours! I can honestly say that I really don't remember much of what we did at Magic Kingdom because I was already so tired, but I do remember buying his sisters gifts and riding a couple rides. We also went to Storybook Circus, which is part of the new Fantasyland. That's where my roommate works. Just last week, more of Storybook Circus opened so now they have a gift shop and some characters! Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy are all at Pete's Silly Sideshow. They each have a themed costume and they are so cute! Daisy is a fortune teller, Donald is a snake charmer, Goofy is the Great Goofini, and I'm not really sure what to call Minnie, but I know she has poodles that she trained! Regardless, all of the costumes are adorable! We got to meet Minnie and Daisy before the tent closed. Turns out Minnie knew me too. Michael was feeling a little neglected by the characters giving me so much attention. It was fun though! One of the things I am most excited about while Michael is here as a CP is the fact that he will be able to come see me at work. How cool is that? I think it is so awesome that he will be able to do that. I would love for him to come see me when I am friends with Minnie. Mostly just because she is my favorite! We get along so well.

Monday, we went back to Universal. We got to see the Shrek show, see the Twister show, ride the Despicable Me ride, and see a cool animal actors show! The animal actors show was probably my favorite. The had the falcon from The Mummy, the parrot from Pirates of the Caribbean, the bird from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and the dogs from the Proposal, Little Rascals, Beethoven, Men In Black II, and Beverly Hills Chihuaha. I thought that was pretty cool! After Universal, we went back to Downtown Disney to see Hotel Transylvania. That was also a funny movie. We did some last minute shopping in Downtown Disney, went to dinner, and that was the end of our day.

Michael left on Tuesday and I was very sad. I cried a lot that day. It's going to be really hard for me to not have him here for over 3 more months. I have to focus on the positives though. My roommates have been looking out for me and I am so grateful for that. I don't know how married couples can live apart for an extended period of time. I admire their strength because it really sucks not having Michael here all the time. I know I will be okay though. My family will be here soon and I am super excited! I know we are going to have a great time while they are here. Then in December, some friends are coming to Disney and since I am here, hopefully I will get to see them! And then Michael will be here! I would not complain if January got here a little sooner though.

I know I slack on the blogging sometimes. I have just been super busy! I will try to post again tomorrow about my class from yesterday. I get to be friends with Stitch tomorrow, so hopefully that will be awesome! I hope everyone is doing well and would love to hear how things are going for everyone back home.