Holding my breath...

I'm not able to post any details yet, but I might have some exciting news to post in the next few days!! Stand by tomorrow for some exciting news from the Hollinheads!

Betcha thought I wouldn't come back!

I was kind of thinking the same way! I have just had an apathy for wanting to do a post on this blog. Everytime I signed on so I could catch up on everyone elses blogs, I would literally sigh out loud because the thought of actually writing a post of my own sounded downright miserable. However, I THINK I am coming out of this lull. THINK is the word though... Only time will tell....

So I guess I need to update everyone with the many happenings of the Hollinheads over the post month or so.

1. I started my new job!! YAY!! I started at Children's Hospital of Alabama as an occupational therapist on January 4th. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Thank goodness they have been so great to let me mentor with other therapists and gradually letting me transition into being a tried and true OT. I, now, have my own patients, but still don't have a full schedule. This has definitely helped get me back into things without making me have small anxiety attacks everyday, haha. I am going to be so happy at Children's and love everyone I am working with!! Plus, having an extra paycheck ain't that bad ;) My first paycheck came in the mail last weekend (the first paycheck always has to come in the mail before they do direct deposit), and I was tempted to just hang it on the wall and never cash it... Yeah, that thought went out the window in about 5 seconds.

2. One of my best friends, Meredith Boggs (now Cleveland) got married to the love of her life, Brad!! It has been so special getting to play a part in my friends weddings. I especially feel honored with my high school best friends, who truly are the sisters I never had! We are all so close, although not in distance (2 in Bham, 2 in different parts of North Carolina, 2 in Atlanta, and 1 in New York.)I love these girls more than they will ever know and am so happy for their friendship. Here are some stolen shots (thanks Lelia!) from that weekend.









3. Our house is on the market! I'm not sure if this will stay excitement forever, but right now we are so pumped up! We have been in talks of putting our house on the market for awhile, but really thought it would be smart to wait until I started my job and got my first paycheck (to make sure it was really real, haha.) We have loved our little home for over two years, but are ready to MOVE ON UP! One of the big reasons we are moving is to be closer to family and friends. We currently live in Mount Olive, which is a little north of Birmingham. It really isn't that far from everyone, but it just sucks to make the 30 minute drive all of the time, especially when we eat and hang out with friends (which we do at least 2-3 times a week.) Another reason we are moving is to get some more house! This house has been great for the two of us, but we are looking for more space for the near future. So, just in case some blog reader is looking to buy a home in the Gardendale/Mount Olive area, here is our MLS listing on Realty South!
Our Home for Sale!

We would love it if you would pass our home onto friends who may be interested in buying a great starter home! We are also currently looking for a new house for us! We are primarily narrowing our search to Homewood and Vestavia. So, if you have a home you are selling in these areas, we would love to look as well!

Last Day at Disney!! :(

Our last day at Disney, we went to Magic Kingdom during the day and then went back to Epcot that night after dinner! We weren't able to do everything we wanted to at Magic Kingdom on our first day, so it was vital that we went back. It was so much better our second time around because we weren't as stressed trying to go to every ride! Here are some pictures of our last day!
Welcome to Mickey's Toontown!

Minnie's House!!

Oh.... Just doing a little pottery at Minnie's.....

Oh the weather outside is frightful!! Thank goodness for Minnie's fire!

Pete's Garage... Don't know who Pete is, but here's his garage.

I'm so obsessed with sewing that I borrowed Minnie's sewing machine to make her some clothes!

Mosing over to Mickey's house..


Here is his shopping list... Isn't that funny... A mouse like cheese? haha....

Even Mickey decorated for Christmas!

Mickey's wardrobe! He has plenty extra gloves!

Mickey's bedroom!

A Mickey-style pumpkin!

Can't go to Disney World and not get a picture with Mickey and Minnie!!


It's a Small World!!!




Clayton loved Briar Rabbit and Briar Bear growing up, so this picture is for him!

Country Bear Jamborbee!

The Tiki Room show of birds!


We had dinner reservations at Yachtman's Steakhouse, which was SOOO GOOD. Both of us love a good steak (I would say so, since I had 4 during that week!) Here are some pictures of us from the restaurant!




**After dinner, we went back to Epcot to grab a few bottles of wine for ourselves and for gifts, as well as space food for my younger cousins. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures while at Epcot because the weather was bad, my knee was hurting, and it was so crowded!!

We had such a great time at Disney World, and it was definitely a great decision to go there. We went back and forth on whether we should go to a more "grown-up" location for my graduation trip or to go to Disney World. I am so glad we stuck with our instincts and went to Disney. You can definitely make it a "grown-up" trip by doing nice dinners, staying up late, trying different wines and beers, and just having a great time. I am so glad we did this BEFORE we had children so we could really experience Disney World on our own. For anyone who is looking for a fun trip, THIS IS THE PLACE!!!

The Osborne Light Show at Hollywood Studios!

After we ate dinner at Brown Derby, we headed over to the section of Hollywood Studios that featured the Osborne Light Show. This light show was created by a family who used to make these incredible light shows at their own home! When they got too big for the towns liking, Disney contacted them and asked them to decorate Hollywood Studios every year! Check out some of the incredible lights!













Wasn't that beautiful!!! Last up, our last day where we went back to Magic Kingdom during the day and Epcot at night. Finally, my last Disney post!! ;)

Day 5: Hollywood Studios

I'm wondering if yall are as sick of reading these posts about Disney World as I am writing them. I feel like it is taking me FOREVER to write about all of these days! I know I will appreciate it later so I can remember every detail of this trip, but MAN it is not fun to write about!

**I also forgot to write about dinner on our fourth night! We didn't take any pictures (which probably means we were enjoying the food a little TOO much!) We ate at Jiko: The Cooking Place, which is located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is a fusion of African, Indian, and Mediterranean flavors! I was definitely nervous about this food because I typically don't like to try new things; however, Clay and I made a deal that we would step outside our box on this trip. I LOVED IT!!! I had a chicken meal with an African flair. This is definitely a place to eat at if you go to Disney (maybe not the setting for children though!)

Okay, so onto Hollywood Studios. This was the first day that the weather wasn't near perfect. There were scattered showers all day and it was pretty cloudy. I think this helped a lot of the lines though because we never sat in a line (actually, we rarely had to wait on ANY lines throughout the trip! This is a great week to go!) On with the pictures!
Two of the best rides in all of Disney World: Rockin' Rollercoaster (the Aerosmith ride) and Tower of Terror (although Clay thought it was lame....)



The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground! No, we aren't kids, but we did have a lot of fun! You can also see the result of the week: a knee injury... I have been to the dr. since Disney and he thinks it's just tendonitis, but maybe a meniscus tear... I will keep yall updated!


A film canister!

Clay sticking his hand in the dog's nose! YUCK! ;)

Playdough!

Do yall remember Super Soakers? We had a few when I was growing up!



Clay and I!

Barrel of Monkeys and the monkeys all hung together! Isn't that cute!


Indiana Jones Show!



We had lunch at 50's Prime Time Diner! It was so unhealthy, but soooo good! Just check out my dessert!!


The love of my life... ;)

The behind the movie set ride... or something like that...

THE BEST RIDE IN ALL OF DISNEY WORLD!!! The Toy Story Ride!!! Isn't the set incredible!


Star Wars Ride...

The organ from Pirates of the Caribbean!

The Lights, Motor, Action Stunt Show! So awesome!!!



The Little Mermaid Show!




We had dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby. We had heard rave recommendations about this restaurant, but really were a little disappointed. I mean, it was good, but not great. Guess it's all about the experience!


**Our night didn't end there, but I'm going to do a separate post on it. Overall, we loved Hollywood Studios, but I don't think it was our favorite. I'm not sure if it was the weather or it was getting towards the end of the week and we were just ready to be home. Either way, Magic Kingdom took the prize for best park!

Day 4: Animal Kingdom!

So Day 4 was at Animal Kingdom. I'll be honest... I was preparing for not a great experience because Animal Kingdom just doesn't sound as fun as the other parks. There are not near as many rides and it's really all about the... well... animals! I was SOOO wrong though. This park was INCREDIBLE!! One of my favorite rides, Expedition Everest, is located here and there are plenty more rides that can compete. All of the landscaping really makes you feel as if you are in a different country. Also, all of the animal habitats are just incredible. I definitely don't feel bad for any of their animals! Let's just tell a story with pictures, shall we?

Oh yeah... Going along with my other Disney posts, I need to talk about meals. We ate breakfast at our hotel in their dining hall, which was great. We ate lunch at Animal Kingdom at the pizza place, which was also very good. By using our meal credit for lunch, we got salads, pizzas, drinks, and desserts. YUM!! I miss the Disney food so bad. Real life food sucks!

Okay, back to the pictures!
Some fun musicians in Africa! There were all kinds of fun attractions like this throughout the park!


Don't you really feel like you are in another country? No? Well... I sure did!




Clayton and I at "It's a Bug Life" ride, which is located in the big tree that you always see associated with Animal Kingdom. This is perhaps the only picture of me with my hair down... It was SOOO humid there and my hair frizzed up in less than 5 minutes. This was, obviously, our first ride.

See?!? Didn't last too long down!

"Devine" the vine lady... So weird!

A real dinosaur... Just kidding! There is no such thing as a dinosaur!

This starts our safari! In true Disney fashion, I really felt like I was on a real safari in Africa. The animals are able to just roam where they want!
Hippos!

Look how big this gorilla is!! It was a female... You should have seen how big the male was!


Hippos fighting or kissing??

Have you ever seen this fat of a frog?? ME EITHER!

Check out that geiser in the middle of the safari!

Real Ostrich eggs! I didn't take a picture of it, but the male ostrich was not too far away from the eggs to protect them.

Elephants... Roll Tide!

A male giraffe! Isn't he beautiful!

Huge alligator!

The big tree! It was breathtaking!! I've included some up close shots of the woodwork. Check out all of the animals that were carved into the tree!!





The Lion King show!!





The Christmas, Animal Kingdom parade!





So that was our time in Animal Kingdom!! It was a great time! Up next, Hollywood Studios!!

Day 3 Continued: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

So, after dinner at California Grill, Clayton and I took the Monorail right back to Magic Kingdom to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This party is held on random nights at Magic Kingdom from 7:00pm until Midnight. You have to purchase extra tickets for this (I feel like I have said this about everything we did!!), but it definitely well worth the money. Some of the extra events during this party include: a smaller amount of guests, a Christmas parade throughout Magic Kingdom, snow on Main Street USA (fake, of course), a firework show, unlimited access to all rides with little wait, and here's the best part.... UNLIMITED cookies and hot cocoa!!! We thought this was one of the best things we did at Disney and it really put us in the Christmas spirits! Plus, it made us really excited about celebrating Christmas, ONE DAY, with children! Here are some pictures from the party!
Cinderella's Castle all decorated for Christmas!


Lots of pictures of the parade!!









The BIG GUY.... SANTA CLAUS!!


All of the decorations during the party were incredible!! Even the snow felt real... sort of... Christmastime is definitely a great time to visit Disney World!






So, after a long day, day 3 was complete! Up next: Day 4 at Animal Kingdom!