Day 0 – The Calm before the Storm – Friday 2nd May

It was one of those zip-a-dee-doo-dah days, where I couldn’t open my mouth without a song coming right out of it.

The day before the holiday was quite hectic, with tons of things building up that we hadn’t managed to complete in the days before. Each evening after work we seem to have had some list of things to sort out so we were properly fussing around and not relaxing in the run up at all.

We both had to work this Friday but luckily I have half days on a Friday anyway, so that brought me some time to finish some bits off. I left work at 12.15pm. The morning had taken FOREVER to go by, it was one of the worst days at work ever. I had thought the working week was going to crawl by but it ended up being quite a busy week where I was rushed off my feet barely at my desk! However, I had completed everything (I mean literally EVERYTHING) on my to do list by today so it was a morning of sitting around on the computer double checking, reading the news, and generally trying to make it look like I was up to something when I wasn’t!

Once it was time to go I said my goodbyes. It was just like a normal end of the week really, no big fuss. I think I’m the only person at work who appreciates the enormity of a Disney hol! SO GLAD I found Liam who appreciates it too! I was driving home as usual (I commute about 35 mins there and back each day) and all of a sudden there was a huge blockage on the M54. Obviously being the day before my big holiday I started thinking the worst, like, “OMG I’ll be stuck in this traffic jam until this evening and I won’t get to go to the airport hotel” Haha!

Anyway it’s quite unusual for a traffic jam on the M54 (spesh on a half day) so after 10 minutes of sitting still I rang my mom to see if she could find out what was going on. She must have had a half day too. She checked online but she couldn’t find any traffic reports on it at all. Then as quick as I had stopped we were moving again and everyone was going as fast as they had been a minute ago! Crisis averted!

After that I got off the motorway fairly quickly and popped into our local Sainsburys on the way home. It was one of the best shops ever. I felt that money was no object when it came to our pre-flight rituals haha. I grabbed a basket and trundled round the shop picking up every posh snack that took my fancy. I had told Liam I’d be buying us a huge feast and he wasn’t best pleased tbh. He knows how overboard I go with these things. I’d even threatened to buy champers but I was broke before the holiday so that was a no go. Anyway out with my purchases I dumped them in the car and drove home.

Once home I ate my lunch and then did a lot of waiting around. I must have been home about 1.30pm and was just waiting to get the ok that my sister was home so I could go and drop my car off at her house. I passed the time by messaging my mom and nagging her. Eventually I was given permission to leave my house about 2.30pm so I walked down to the car practically bouncing on a cloud. I put my car on my sisters drive, she lives about 10 minutes away, so that was going to be its home for 2 weeks. My parents and I stayed for a little and talked, then off we went home. My dad dropped me off (I live about 30 seconds from them) and I had about 15 minutes to wait before I needed to walk into the village (also about 20 seconds away) and get my eyebrows done.

I walked up to the salon and was in and out in about 10 minutes! I only have fair skin and light eyebrows so obviously I didn’t need them tinted too much. I was really pleased with the end result. Though she did wax them which I’ve never had done before and was worried about. I just had to go with it! Tbh, it hurt less than threading, which is what I usually have done. It felt so smooth as well, and I didn’t have any red blotches like I get with threading.


(Ok, I KNOW this pic is scary but I really did like my eyebrows )

Once I got home, it was about 3.15pm and Liam finishes at 3.30pm on a Friday but he was home about ten minutes after me. Early! We were super excited, and I wanted to get on with our chores but Liam said he wanted to sit down for a few minutes. So we had a little excited sit on the sofa!

After that brief interlude the rest of the afternoon was madness! Liam did the washing up that was leftover from Thursday while I had a quick shower and washed my hair. I was really worried about affecting the colour of my eyebrows but obvs it was fine. So I then dried and straightened by hair and made the executive decision that I really didn’t need to put make up on just for the hotel. Brought me some time anyway. I then finished packing my hand luggage (the task I put most concentration into as I was SUPER paranoid about forgetting something, I had lists of lists!) and made the finishing touches on my suitcase.



Liam finished packing his case too, and his hand luggage.
We then laid all the documents out ready for when my parents arrived to pick us up so we could check through together. Liam had a quick shower. At this point it was about 6.20pm and my parents were due at 6.30pm. Once they arrived Liam was still faffing having left his shower so late. So we sat down and looked through everything, and checked the passports (Liam’s responsibility, I can’t be trusted). Everything was in order.

We got all of our bags loaded up in the car. It was a tight squeeze! We pondered how we would manage on the way back with the extra case! The extra case was currently squeezed into my case ready to be filled with glorious Floridian purchases. It was a boring journey with quite a bit of traffic on the M6. This was due to an accident on the OPPOSITE side which people on our side were slowing down to look at. The sat nav tried to redirect us away from it but of course my dad knows better than it so ignored it (I don’t know why he bothers setting it up!). I annoyed everyone by talking excitedly and asking stupid questions. Liam was a little quiet and wouldn’t be excited with me at all I think he was tired from the hecticness of the week! Also, hungry. He’s grumpy when hungry.

Finally we arrived at the Hilton at Manchester Airport at 8.20pm. My parents parked up and I went ahead to check in. I was waiting for ages. Eventually Liam came and joined me and my parents went through to the on-site Costa. Liam commented that the lady would have checked us in faster had we been in suits! They really were not making a fuss or any effort to go fast though. Finally, checked in, we left my parents in Costa (but told them our room number) and went ahead up. We got comfy and let my parents in when they knocked. They looked around and my mom tried to steal our toiletries but I said, no! I’m stealing them… unfortunately I forgot to grab them the next morning. They also moaned at the cost of £3.80 for a small Costa – ha, well they paid it! We just watched TV for a bit and chilled out.





My parents headed off at about quarter past 9. Me and Liam waved goodbye as our window was on the back of the hotel overlooking where they’d parked. It was a really weird feeling. I had never been to Orlando without my parents and last time it had been with them and Liam. So them leaving was strange as up until that put it felt like they were coming too. It was my first long distance holiday without them and I’d never been through an airport without them. My mom messaged me and said she wished she was coming too!



After that we were hungry so we tucked into the first meal of the holiday. Our glorious Pot Noodles! Obvs I have chicken and mushroom which is the best and Liam had original curry. We are so classy. This is our go to meal when we have an overnight hotel stay! Then we cracked out the rest of the picnic which consisted of cous cous, veg crisps and houmous. I’d also brought a whole packet of strawbs which we didn’t have room to eat we couldn’t fit them in hand luggage either so we ended up leaving them unopened in the fridge. I hope the maid took them so they weren’t a total waste.





We then tried to sleep. I knew it would be a terrible night sleep for me as I was too excited but Liam said he’d sleep well as he was tired and had been fussing all night the night before (this is true, as we’d left the American sat nav on to charge and he doesn’t like leaving stuff on overnight ((loser)) so had been walking around checking if it was done and finally unplugging it!).

Just before we went to sleep Liam revealed he’d eaten a whole bag of apples during the course of the day. That’s right. 5 apples. He was basically a walking talking orchid. In his defence, and his own words, “They needed to be eaten up. I feel sick.”

Almost there, I'm almoooost there!

Tomorrow... We arrive!

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Yay you've started! I was exactly the same on my last day of work!

Ahh the airport hotel... What I wouldn't give to be back there againnn!

Can't wait for more!

Great start, looking forward to reading more :-)

Yaaaaay you started .

Getting to the Hilton at like 8.30pm seems soo late haha when we arrive its like 4pm haha!

Loved that Liam ate an entire bag of apples during today, how odd!

Looking forward to the big day

Great start.

great start

This made me laugh

Great start Looking forward to reading more.

Great start and pre travel day

An entire bag of apples

He can never moan at you again for buying a big feast!

Great start, really enjoyed reading it! Looking forward to reading more!x

Great start, I also have traffic jam nightmares