One Month until our Anniversary Trip!

The countdown is on, and we have only one more month to go until we leave for our anniversary Disney trip! Our excitement is continuously building as the day draws closer and closer. We haven't been to Disney World since May, and that's just too long. Luckily, we had a trip to Disneyland back in July to hold us over!

Love this little guy in Magic Kingdom!

Ean has never been to Disney World in the fall time. I've been several times, and it is one of my favorite times to go. We are super excited to check out the Food & Wine Festival this year! There are several new booths this year, and some new ones for me that have been added since the last time I was there.

Looking forward to my favorites from France and Belgium!

This trip we will be staying at the All-Star Music Resort. Neither of us have ever stayed there before, so we are definitely excited to try something new.

One thing I'm excited about is the fall decorations on Main Street. Fall is my favorite time of year, and the decorations just make me so happy.

The colors that make me so happy inside!

Get ready for some awesome posts to come after this very much anticipated trip!

Cades Cove Camping

With good camping weather right around the corner, I wanted to share photos of mine and Ean's first camping trip last fall.

View from our campsite

In the beginning of November last year, we went to Cades Cove in Tennessee on a Friday night so we could spend the night camping at one of the most beautiful places in the world (in my opinion!). It was absolutely gorgeous.

It was fairly inexpensive to spend one night on the campsites in Cades Cove. It was only $20 for one night, if I remember correctly. We were able to choose whatever site we wanted. We chose one that was near the entrance of the camping loop, was close to the bathrooms, and was near a group of older men and women who looked like they knew exactly what they were doing and could totally save us if we got attacked by bears in the night.

Ean, so proud, after he set up the tent. 

Our campfire pit

We chose campsite C3!

A peek inside our tent! I had to bring Sea Turtle along for the trip.

Super happy about our camping trip!

We went on a hike that night and on Saturday morning. The Smoky Mountains in the fall is breathtaking. We arrived later in the afternoon on Friday, so our hike took place right before sunset. The warm sun made the leaves on the trees look so crisp and full of color. It was very cold in the evening. I believe it got down below freezing in the night, which wasn't very fun. It was good snuggling weather, though!

Nature trail inside the campsite area.

Everything was so beautiful.

Ean picking up random sticks and stuff!

The captivating beauty of the nature trail left us overwhelmingly happy.

Breathtaking view

We spent a lot of time just staring at God's creation.

Ean loved this weirdly shaped tree.

We roasted Morning Star hotdogs on the fire that night, and then made some tasty s'mores later. We both curled up in our chairs and read books by the fireside. It was so calming and relaxing.

It's harder to roast fake meat! But it was definitely delicious.

On Saturday morning we drove around the Cades Cove loop and stopped for a picnic in a field.

Ean eating his muffin and fixing coffee before our hike.

We saw tons of deer in Cades Cove!

The weekend was so very relaxing. Though very cold, we still had the best time and plan on doing it again this year. It may end up being November before we go again this year, but this time we will be more prepared for the super cold weather that we might have. I look forward to a trip like this again *almost* as much as I look forward to a Disney trip!

Everything POP Shopping and Dining

When Ean and I visited Disney World in May of this year, we stayed at the Pop Century resort and ate at Everything POP Shopping and Dining often. They have SO MUCH to choose from there! There was a pizza section and a sandwich section. There was a section for burgers and a place to get bakery items and desserts. There are so many options there, every single person in your group is bound to find something they love. We even ate there for breakfast on our last day and the possibilities were endless!

During our many visits to this restaurant, Ean and I tried the Vegetable Burger, Turkey Sandwich, Roasted Vegetables and Tofu and some baked vegetable pasta.

Unfortunately we didn't take a picture of the Vegetable Burger before digging in because we went there on our very first night right after we checked in, and we were starving. We both shared the burger because we wanted to try other stuff later and it was mid-day, about 3:00, and it was a weird time to just go ahead and eat a full dinner. I do remember the burger being very tasty. I eat a ton of veggie burgers and I have to say, this one was different from all others I've had before! I always get excited when the veggie burgers are different from things I normally eat, because that makes it more special. I really loved it, as I do most veggie burgers (real hamburgers used to be one of my favorite foods and was one of the hardest to give up once I became vegetarian/pescetarian).

I obviously didn't eat the Turkey Sandwich, but Ean had it two or three times because he thought it was so good. Turkey sandwiches are one of his favorite foods!

The Roasted Vegetables and Tofu was one of my most favorite dishes. It was SO. GOOD. The roasted vegetables were covered in this marinara-like sauce and the tofu had a pesto oil on it. They were served over white rice. I thought the dish was amazing. It was fairly inexpensive and oh, so good. I should have chosen this dish when we went again because the baked pasta did not even come close to the delicious factor of this dish.

Heavenly vegetables and tofu... mmm!

I can't even find the vegetable pasta dish on the website now, so I don't even remember what it was called exactly. It was very good, but definitely not as good as the tofu dish. I liked the vegetable pasta a lot, but I felt like it could have used a little less cheese on top (half the dish was cheese) and maybe some more marinara sauce cooked in. I like my pasta swimming in sauce. It came with a delicious garlic roll.

Delicious pasta dish

Obviously, Everything POP Shopping and Dining was a hit for us. We ate there three times for dinner, once for dessert, and once for breakfast! Pricing was not bad at all and the food was very good. It was never TOO crowded when we went to eat and there is tons of seating. We loved the environment. At Pop Century, everything is heavily themed from the 50's decade to the 90's, so the music in the restaurant/shop matched very well. They had a good selection of 50's-90's music playing. I liked that the gift shop was basically part of the restaurant. We would walk into the gift shop from the busses, browse a little, then go into the restaurant. They had family game night going on during the weekend while we were there. Ean and I played Battleship while we ate ice cream sundaes one night! I REALLY enjoyed that. I thought it was a lot of fun and it was a really good time for the two of us to just sit down and bond while enjoying some dessert and a fun game.

Ean concentrating hard on the game.

We plan on staying at Pop Century again because it is a wonderful resort. We will definitely be eating at Everything POP Shopping and Dining again, even if we don't stay at Pop Century, because it is very good!

Lunch at Coral Reef

Ean and I like to try one pricier restaurant each time we visit Disney World. When we went a few months ago in May, we decided to try Coral Reef. I had been there once before with my family when I was younger and remember really enjoying it, so we were looking forward to this!

We had reservations so we got in really quickly. We waited maybe 10 minutes or less for them to get our table ready. Our server actually had the same name as me, but he spelled it differently. I don't remember exactly where he was from, but it was somewhere in the Middle East. He was super friendly, though!

We could look for these fish while waiting for our food!

When ordering drinks, I asked for a sweet tea and (*gasp!!*) they don't have that. So our wonderful server suggested I get the pomegranate lemonade, which was even better than sweet tea. I LOVE pomegranate, and I didn't know they had that as an option, so it's like our server read my mind and knew I'd enjoy that beverage. I was very pleased.

For an appetizer, we got Creamy Crab Dip for Two. It was one of the pricier appetizers at $13.99, but we both like crab dip, and this one did not disappoint. Since I grew up not liking fish, trying new fish options is always a little scary for me. I enjoy crab dip at several places we have here in Knoxville, so I wasn't too worried. However, there have been times where I haven't particularly cared for crab, so it could have gone either way.

For my entree, I got Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Vegetarian Chick'n Breast, and Ean got Baked Cheese Manicotti. Coral Reef is listed as a $$ ($15 to $29.99 per adult) restaurant.  Everything is definitely more on the $29.99 side of that dollar sign. It wasn't very cheap. Typically vegetarian meals are cheaper, and mine was. It was $19.99. Ean's entree was $29.99 because it comes with lobster! I thought that was interesting that the main part of the dish was the manicotti and not the lobster. You would think that it would be called Griddled Lobster Tail with Baked Manicotti, instead of the other way around... oh well. Was the food worth as much as it cost? Probably not. However, it was still very delicious.

Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Vegetarian Chick'n Breast

The marinade on my vegetables was incredible. It was kinda tangy and had a really good flavor. The vegetarian chick'n was very delicious, and kinda soaked up the delicious sauce that was on it. I had a bite of Ean's food and it was very tasty as well. The marinara sauce that was on top of the manicotti was unlike any marinara sauce I've ever tasted before. I thought it was incredible. The portions of both our meals was huge (probably why it cost so much). We could have gotten away with sharing for sure.

Baked Cheese Manicotti

We really enjoyed the aquarium view at Coral Reef. Unfortunately, our table wasn't right up next to the glass, but we were still able to see all the cool fish swimming around the tank. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant was very calming and relaxing, as you feel like you're just floating underwater. The reflection of the water was very soothing. I could have spent a lot of time in our booth, just relaxing.

Ean using the fish guide to spot some fish!

Coral Reef was definitely an expensive experience. We did enjoy every bit of it and had no complaints, except for how pricy everything was... but we are in Disney, so we didn't really expect anything different! This is a place we would like to revisit in the future. It probably isn't a place we would bring our kids (unless they were a little older) because I feel like the atmosphere is more mature and geared towards adults.

My Top 5 Disney Splurges That Are TOTALLY Worth It

There are a few things in Disney that you look at and wonder if it's worth the money or not. Many things, such as paying extra for those souvenir cups (that just sit and collect dust when you get home) or that delicious looking Starbucks Frappuccino (that you can get for like $2 cheaper at your local Starbucks) may not be worth spending your money on.

However, there are many Disney experiences, food options, and souvenirs that TOTALLY are.

Here are MY top 5 Disney splurges that are totally worth the extra buck.

#5: Character Dining

Me and Ean after getting engaged.

With prices up to $60 per adult at some of the restaurants, character dining can be a pricy splurge for sure. However, as a young couple in our 20's, we still absolutely love the experience. Our dream come true moment actually happened while meeting Minnie Mouse during a character breakfast at Chef Mickey! That place will forever hold a dear spot in our hearts. Not only do we love magical moments like that, but we definitely love the all-you-can-eat buffets, and getting to have that good interaction time with the characters. It's great to be able to see them without having to wait in line for an hour+!

#4: Cupcakes

A cookies and cream cupcake from Boardwalk Bakery

Cupcakes at Disney are huge, and about $5 each, which is kind of expensive for a cupcake if you ask me. However, getting a cupcake is not only worth the money, but it's worth the calories as well! Every single cupcake I've ever splurged on at Disney has been absolutely delicious. They're always moist and full of flavor. I crave the sugary goodness when I'm not there! You have to splurge on at least one cupcake each visit. It's good for the soul.

#3: Staying on Disney property

Disney's Pop Century Resory, 80's/90's area

Though it may be cheaper to stay offsite when vacationing in Disney, staying on Disney property has so many benefits. You get to hit up those Extra Magic Hours, you get free transportation (even though sometimes it is a PAIN, it is definitely worth it in the end), free wi-fi, early access to signing up for your FastPass+ experiences... just to name a few! You also get free parking if you decide to not use the Disney transportation system. In the long run, you'll end up saving money with all the free perks. Plus Disney offers some very decently priced resorts, like Pop Century, and the All-Star Resorts, and they offer pretty good discounts throughout the year.

#2: Memory Maker

A moment beautifully captured on our Memory Maker photopass

With just the ride photos costing about $15 each, getting the Memory Maker photo card saved us lots of money on our last trip. I visited twice without the Memory Maker and regretted it both times. I could only choose one ride photo to purchase and save, and we never stopped to get pictures made at any of the beautiful photo spots. Ean and I don't have good photos from our honeymoon because all we had were our phone cameras taking selfies the whole time. When we went this past May for Star Wars Weekends, we knew we'd be meeting lots of characters, and we knew we NEEDED to get GOOD photos, not just iPhone selfies. In our short three full days and one half day there, we got nearly 200 photos on that pass, all for just $169 (by purchasing the pass in advance, you save $30- price for the pass at the parks is $199!).

#1: Annual Passes

A trip well enjoyed because we are Annual Passholders

Though very expensive on the front end, annual passes to Disney can save tons of money in the end. If you are planning on visiting Disney World multiple times within one year, getting an annual pass could save you hundreds! I visited Disney World four times last year, and the passes paid for themselves by the second visit. Plus you get special perks like 10% merchandise, 10% off select dining, Passholder discounts on rooms, and early registration for marathons! Who wouldn't go for a deal like that!

Of course, these are just my top splurges. What are some of yours?