21 people, 2 ECV's, 3 strollers - My Dream Trip Update 8/16 Day 5, 6 & 7 The end

Trip 2 came about unexpectedly. I came into a small amount of money and had a choice - Europe with my parents alone or Disney with the family. Jim said Europe, I chose Disney. This was something I could give my kids but it became known as "The One where Mom Tried to stab the Babysitter with a Spork". I started planning. I bought the Birnbaum Guide to Disney, I bought the Unofficial Guide to Disney, I researched at the library, I over planned. We had spread sheets that the kids had to choose their favorite rides or attractions. I ranked them statistically. I was ready.

Somehow in the planning the babysitter became part of the trip. The previous year Jennifer was hit by a car in front of our house. She was in the hospital for 2 weeks with a badly broken leg and concussion. Thankfully she recovered. While she was in the hospital I spent everyday there by her bed as she was only 6 years old. I also felt guilty that I couldn't get to her fast enough to protect her. I just stood on my step and watched helplessly as it happened right in front of me. That is how we got the babysitter. She actually had watched the kids on occasion before Jennifer's accident but while she was in the hospital the babysitter picked up Beth from a friends house and Jamie from school and brought them to the hospital. It was actually a short walk from our house. She took them home and stayed with them until Jim came home from work if he was running late. At the time she was an angel from heaven. She also started watching them on a regular basis so Jim and I could have a night out for bowling. How she became a part of the trip still eludes us, seriously. I never directly said, "Come with us." Somehow she became a part of the plans. A week before we left she still hadn't told her mother she was coming with us. To be fair she was over 18 at the time but I insisted she let her mother know.

One week to the day before we were to leave Beth was pushed from the top of an 8 ft sliding board and had a buckle fracture of her wrist. We were at a softball game that I co-managed and kept score for, Jim played on the team. She wound up in a heavy plaster cast up to her shoulder and the ER doctor said, "NO Disney!" Right like that will stop me. We saw the orthopedist 2 days later and he ok'd the trip. So we were off and flew Delta Airlines - the official airline of Disney World. Why is this important you ask? We were greeted by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at the airport




We stayed at what we thought would be the same Ramada. I used a travel agent again and she assured me it was the same place. It wasn't. This was the Norman Bates Ramada, OK not really but the pool was a horrible shade of green the whole trip. We rented a Ford Aerostar and my kids LOVED it. They could control the radio from the back. The babysitter was not having that. The kids came into our room complaining about it at the end of our first day. We, or really I, set up a rotation schedule so they each had a turn playing with the radio. The next day my Beth, and she is my feisty child, said it's my turn ask my mom. I offered the babysitter a place in the rotation but she hoisted herself into the back seat for the rest of the trip.

Our first day in EPCOT we rode Maelstrom and then headed on to Germany. This was when the babysitter caused some more problems. She lost her camera out of the pocket of her muumuu. Jim took her back to Norway and I was stuck with 3 kids in the blazing hot son in Germany. I wasn't happy. Of course the camera was gone. She HAD to have a new camera and even though we were staying offsite she had to buy it in the camera shop on property. She spent close to $100 for a camera she could have gotten offsite for around $25. I know this because I looked it up when we got home. I had 14 rolls of film, seriously, and I used them all. I wouldn't have been as upset about this but she only brought about $250 with her to pay for her meals, souvenirs and any incidentals she needed. I would having to pay for all of her meals and she NEVER opted for anything cheap. She also yelled at the kids, especially my son, constantly. More on that though. Here are some pics from EPCOT




A rare picture of me and my girls in Germany


Jennifer got chosen to take part in the show


Jennifer, Jim and the babysitter, Beth refused to get in the picture


Magic Kingdom pictures
Alice signing Beth's cast. All of the characters signed the cast and she wanted to keep it forever. Only problem was she jumped into a swimming pool and (a) the names all faded away to almost nothing and (b) after being water logged it really SMELLED!!!


This was actually taken the last day and Jim refused to sit with us


Beth and Jamie.


We got to see Minnie Moo. The cow was a celebrity in her own right with 3 spots forming a Mickey


Splash Mountain opened just before we went on the trip. The CM's wouldn't let Beth go on it claiming she was to small. She just hit the mark but she did hit it. I think they were more worried about the cast. We had ride swap because of this so I could ride but I never got the chance. Beth was upset and crying. When she gets in that mood you can not calm her down, so I passed.

Hollywood Studios
We still had the problem with random people getting into our pictures. I wasn't happy about this one because the girl pushed my kids out of the way.


Of course my son would think up something like this


And Miss Piggy


We went to Sea World again this trip. By the time we got here a couple of days into the trip I was losing it. The babysitter yelled at my kids nonstop even after being told to back off. Jim was not doing anything to help and I was losing my grip on my sanity. I became that woman we all hate. The one who is so stressed she is yelling in the parks. I told Jim that was it I wanted a divorce when we got home. It was after the day at Sea World that I picked up my spork from breakfast and threatened to "stab" her with it.
That look on Beth's face is Ella. She has her aunts personality.




This was one of my favorite pictures from the trip


Thankfully after the luau and with some coffee in me I was in a better mood which reflected in the kids


We did go to West Palm Beach to visit my aunt and it did help me. She could tell that I was tense and we had a long talk on the way to my cousin's house. I did at least calm down enough to have some fun on the last couple of days.

Our last picture in the parks before we left


The kids wanted balloons so we bought them some when we left. Now this was before TSA so balloons were allowed on planes. The thing is balloons and planes do not go well together. Balloons explode from the change in cabin pressure. The babysitter freaked out, my kids laughed uncontrollably and Jim and I talked. I had some suspicions about the babysitter's character after the trip and sadly they were confirmed later that year. She accused me of being Abusive to Girls Scouts Headquarters but thankfully my parents took my side minus two or three. She set me up with them. One parent actually came to my house and threatened me physically. Thankfully my mom called the police as she was there when this happened. The biggest betrayal was when I found out she abused my kids - physically and emotionally. She is the reason I do so much for my grandkids. I will never trust anyone with them and it's a way to make up for letting my kids down. We did have some fun on the trip as bad as it sounds. I just knew that the next trip had to be better.
 
Trip update since nothing can ever go smoothly. After getting all of the airfare worked out and thinking I could relax I started getting emails from American. The flight home was changed. When I booked the trip I got the very last flight out, nonstop, at 8:30 PM. I was thrilled. American cancelled that flight and changed it to 7:15 PM. I wasn't happy because we lose some park time but only an hour or so, I could live with it.

Then a new round of emails started coming, they changed our morning flight. Same time, different plane but ALL of the seating assignments were changed and we were all over the plane. I had to call and complain because I was sitting on the WING!!! Seriously they assigned me a seat that did not exist. Plus they broke us up even by reservation numbers. I love my grandsons to death and think they are cute and amusing. I do not think that a 2 year old and a 3 year old should be seated by themselves with strangers. They are not as cute to other people. Spent another hour of my life on the phone dealing with that. Problem solved we are seated as a group again.

Things calmed down and I relaxed until Beth called and asked me why NOBODY can access anything on the My Disney Experience app. Spent 2 days and numerous calls and got that fixed, or did I??? I need to call again because now only some things are showing up. That app seriously needs to fixed.

The only other big thing to deal with was getting to Philly International and home again. I thought about an airport shuttle service for all of us but that was turned down. Beth's friends have worked out their own transportation. I talked to Beth. She is getting someone in Bill's family to drive them down in their van. That leaves the 10 of us again. I called shuttle services. They want anywhere from $500 to $1000 PLUS a 20% tip round trip. Yeah that isn't happening. Crystal and "Z" are being driven down by Z's father. They can take 2 or 3 of Jennifer's crew. I have a van so we can sit 6 people plus the driver. I called my son. No problem he'll drive us down and back.

Again nothing is that easy. He called to ask our dates AGAIN. He finally was sure of the dates and we had a ride. Right like it really worked out that way. He can't pick us up when we come home as he is going to a Krampus festival that night with my grandson Kyle. Kyle is autistic, and yes that means 3 of my grandsons are on the spectrum but Kyle is the most severe of them. He is almost 14 and fixates on odd things. He likes Freddy Kruger, Jason, Michael Myers and Krampus. I had to Google to find out what that even is but when Kyle gets it in his mind that he wants something it is very difficult, next to impossible, to get him to back down. In case you are wondering Krampus is a half goat/half demon that punishes bad children at Christmas time. Only my Kyle.

I am back to no way to get home. My mom offered to pick us up but I hate to do that to her. She goes to bed by 8 PM since she is a very early riser and will have church the next day. It also means getting dropped off at my house for my car and then loading the kids into it and getting them home. We are debating doing a park and fly at an off site location but that presents its own problems. I would need to get on the road by 4:00 AM. That means getting to Jennifer's to get the 3 kids and fighting with Ella. Then off to Jamie's house for Jay. The good thing is he lives seconds from I-95 which is the highway to get to the airport. We are also only about a 30 minute ride. But I need to get all of the luggage out of the van and Jim will not breeze through TSA. I may just take my mom up on her offer. Maybe some teas from United Kingdom will make her happy.

I am questioning my sanity at this point.
 
Love your past trip updates. Wow.. you have a great memory. That babysitter :sad1: . I hope she was punished!!!
 
I have really enjoyed reading all about your pre-trip plans and am so sorry that so much has happened prior to your vacation (especially with your husband)!! Love the pics from previous trips - our first trip wasn't until 1997 when the castle was decorated in that lovely pink birthday cake :crazy2:

You really are such a trooper with all that you do for your family - sometimes I guess it's what us moms do, right? Will be anxious to see how the rest of the trip unfolds :coffee:
 


Love your past trip updates. Wow.. you have a great memory. That babysitter :sad1: . I hope she was punished!!!

Thank you. I guess I can remember so much because the trips meant so much to me. The babysitter unfortunately never paid for what she did but I am a huge believer in Karma. I saw her about a year ago and she had a beard so I took pleasure in that. Seriously I have learned to let go. The anger can begin to consume you.

I have really enjoyed reading all about your pre-trip plans and am so sorry that so much has happened prior to your vacation (especially with your husband)!! Love the pics from previous trips - our first trip wasn't until 1997 when the castle was decorated in that lovely pink birthday cake :crazy2:

You really are such a trooper with all that you do for your family - sometimes I guess it's what us moms do, right? Will be anxious to see how the rest of the trip unfolds :coffee:

Thanks. We did go through a lot this year but my husband is healing and still with us so that is what is important. My next trip from the past is in fact from 1997 and there may be a picture or 2 of the pink castle.

I do a lot for my family because I can and am very thankful that we are still close. We have our differences from time to time but we get through them. We actually leave one month from today. I wanted the kids to do a happy dance with me and they just shook their heads and looked at me like I was insane. But these same people are wearing light up skirts and skipping through the parks at night!

+++++++++
Just a proud mom moment right now. Beth graduated in September from nursing school and finally took her state boards. Guess what we are celebrating - Beth PASSED!!! She is now officially Beth RN. I couldn't be prouder of her or happier.
 
Sorry you had such craziness to deal with in your flight situation, hopefully it all works out well

Just a proud mom moment right now. Beth graduated in September from nursing school and finally took her state boards. Guess what we are celebrating - Beth PASSED!!! She is now officially Beth RN. I couldn't be prouder of her or happier.

Awesome! Congratulations to her!!
 
Sorry you had such craziness to deal with in your flight situation, hopefully it all works out well

Thanks I am still working on it but I think I am going to do the park and shuttle. AAA recommended a place they have a discount for. My travel agent has used them and said they are really good and quick.

Awesome! Congratulations to her!!

Thank you. I am one very proud mom. She dropped out of high school for a lot of reasons. I wasn't happy but it was safer for her at the time. She got her GED, went to the Community College and graduated with honors and then was accepted at every nursing school she applied to. She did school with 2 babies and a child in school so it was definitely not easy but she did it. We will definitely be celebrating in Disney!
 


Thank you. I am one very proud mom. She dropped out of high school for a lot of reasons. I wasn't happy but it was safer for her at the time. She got her GED, went to the Community College and graduated with honors and then was accepted at every nursing school she applied to. She did school with 2 babies and a child in school so it was definitely not easy but she did it. We will definitely be celebrating in Disney!

Wow!!! Such a huge accomplishment. Congrats. Lots to celebrate this trip.
 
Let us travel back in time to another trip from the past. The year 1997. The cast: the 5 of us and my mother. Will this prove to be another mistake???
We went in August because I didn't want to take the kids out of school back then. The kids were getting older: Jamie was 15, Jennifer 12 and Beth was 10. I knew my days were getting numbered where they would want to travel with us. This was the first trip where we drove. I swore I would never do it again. From where we live in Philadelphia it's about 1100 miles and a 15-16 hour ride on a good drive. This did NOT fit that definition. We did figure with 3 drivers we would take shifts driving and could go straight through with few stops. Foolish mortals!

We hit the Delaware border 25 minutes after we left and had to stop. Jamie was sick to his stomach. My kids do NOT get carsick so I was worried he had a stomach bug. Not a good start. We stopped at EVERY SINGLE REST STOP all the way to Florida. Either Jamie was sick or the girls needed a bathroom break. Add to listening to MMM Bop for the entire trip I wanted to rip my ears off. Jamie's stomach woes continued the entire trip until we hit the Pennsylvania/Delaware border coming home. It turned out he had developed a severe anxiety disorder and agoraphobia that persisted for several years. This is of course where the issues with my mother started. She thought Jamie was faking and Jim babied him.

We stayed at the Ramada again. It could have been the same one as the last trip but I was never sure. It was nicer this time and included a free buffet breakfast. My mom forced Jamie to eat. We got to Magic Kingdom and he lost his breakfast. This was our first day on very little sleep so tempers were flaring. Jim finally drove my mom and Jamie back to the hotel while I stayed with the girls. We actually had quite a bit of fun without everyone with us. Thankfully mom didn't force Jamie to eat that much after this first day and we did meet them later in the day. We also visited EPCOT, MGM (Hollywood Studios) and Universal with a side trip to my aunt's again.

EPCOT
The girls with Rafiki in the Land where Soarin' is now


Food Rocks, also where Soarin' was.




Recreated the scene in China from the first visit




Jennifer was always my mom's favorite from the time she was a baby. Mom felt that Jim gave in to the other two all of the time at Jennifer's expense. Jim of course would burst into a chorus of Mother In Law. One of the lines is "The worst person I know, Mother in law!" Mom's solution on the trip was that Jennifer needed a wheelchair because her leg from when she was hit by a car still bothered her. Of course Jennifer made sure she complained about it.


Magic Kingdom

For those of you that don't remember 1997 was the year of what some have called a monstrosity


Jim recreated the bathroom scene


This was absolutely our favorite experience of the trip. I took the girls to see the characters the first day without Jamie. Beth had on a Mickey Mouse shirt. Well Donald did NOT like that. For the picture he covered Mickey. In her autograph book he wrote "Get a Donald Duck shirt." We still laugh about it


We also saw Merlin


Jennifer still loved her Pooh


Jamie was "dating" a girl at the time who loves Pooh also. He promised to get a picture with him. Well the day we saw Pooh he was at the hotel being sick. We remembered on our last day as we were getting to leave the park. I checked the meet and greet times and realized we had just a few minutes left, so we raced to the back of the park. We got there just after the line closed. He lost it and just started sobbing. The cast member at the end of the line overheard the dilemma and let us in the line. I will be forever grateful.


The girls with Max


The lovely pink "birthday cake" at night


MGM (Hollywood Studios)
Me and my girls




Sci Fi Dinner Theater for my birthday dinner and yes it really was my birthday that day. My kids spent the ENTIRE meal making fun of me. As we watched the clips of the movies my mom told them how I used to be so terrified of these types of movies that she paid my aunt to go to see it the night before she took me so she could cover my eyes. Of course my mom now denies this. My kids just thought it was the funniest thing they ever heard because these movie clips were comedies to them


My cousins house
We stopped so I could see the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. I love lighthouses


Mom with one of my cousins


My kids absolutely loved my cousin. He jumped off the roof of his house into the pool and that was all my Beth wanted to try and do for the rest of the trip


Universal Studios
At the Flintstone House


Beth was chosen to take part in the preshow for one of the rides, possible Disaster. I know it had something to do with a subway and an earthquake


Only my kids. People did follow suit after seeing this



Ride Down and Home

No trip on I-95 to Florida would be complete without a stop at South of the Border


We stopped at St. Augustine on the way home


And the Outer Banks. Me at Okracoke


And Cape Hatteras. I did climb to the top of this lighthouse and my legs shook for quite awhile after the climb. It's the tallest brick lighthouse and has 257 steps to the top, but I did it. Then couldn't wait to get back down because I have a fear of heights


We stopped at the other lighthouses too and then spent a day in Williamsburg. Jim likes the lemonade there. The last stop of the trip was at my brother's house for my mother. I could have skipped it since it took us an hour or so out of our way but it was nice for my kids to spend time with their cousins.

All in all it was a good trip although my mother swore she would never go anywhere with us again and she disliked Disney.
 
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Trip update

The countdown has begun in earnest. We are 26 Days from take-off. I got all of the travel documents from AAA on Saturday along with a couple of bonuses. Each room got a nice drawstring backpack type bag and a plastic documents holder. It will be so nice to have them in a bright red plastic case so I can find them with ease.

Magic Bands have shipped. Beth and her friends are managing their reservations so not sure whether they got theirs but I should get them for our 3 rooms by the end of the week according to the tracking numbers.

I have started a real love affair with the Dollar Store. I have 13 Christmas Light necklaces - 10 kids plus me, Jennifer and Crystal.

I have 6 strings of lights to decorate the ECV's and strollers along with garland. My Mickey lights needed some tweaking but they are working too.

The material for the skirts is bought and 8 sets of lights for the 4 skirts. My mom is a genius with a sewing machine and is making "tutu" style skirts with lights for some of the crazy people in my travel party to skip through the parks.

I got some clings for the room windows to be decorated. I figure I saved about $300 for the little extras going to the Dollar Store.

I also have 130 glow bracelets. That cost me a grand total of $6.00.

Airport travel has been solved. Beth's friends made their own arrangements. Beth is going in her van with one of her in-laws driving them down and picking them up. That solves the car seat problem. That left the 10 of us. Crystal's "boyfriend" (he's the father of her son and they are on/off all the time but together right now) is driving Crystal and Z along with Jen and Mike. They can also fit some luggage in their SUV. I will drive my van with Jim, Jay and Jen's kids. AAA recommended an offsite parking place that they also have a discount with. It's a mile from the airport, secured and they have a shuttle that will take us right to our area at the airport. My mom really was willing to pick us up but I worried about her. She has had issues with her blood pressure and the drs can't figure it out. I knew she and my dad were going to play Santa and Mrs. Claus at church the day we come home which means her BP will be high. If she takes the meds it will plummet but then can go to low. She is also going to be really tired at the end of the day. She argued with me but when I told her the cost was only around $50 and insisted that it was the best solution I could see the relief in her face. Transportation solved.

The only issue left is pets. My dog will go to my sons house for the week. She loves it there and my grandson swears she is his dog anyway. The only downside is they call her meatball all week, her name is Chewbacca. Jamie will come to my house once a day or so to bring in the mail and make sure the cat has water. I am hoping that Jack will be ok though. His brother died about a week ago unexpectedly and he is having a hard time without Barbossa. They were littermates and literally together every day of their lives.

Beth just has the one dog. That is not a problem as her in-laws live across the street and have his sister, littermates again. Riggs spends as much time there as he does at Beth's house. They can also keep a close watch on Riggs as he was just diagnosed with cancer.

Jennifer has a problem though. She has 2 dogs and no one in Mike's family likes dogs. Boarding the dogs would cost as much as taking them to Disney for a week. Seriously it is insanely expensive, partly because the one dog has a record. He bit Mikey. It was an accident but the school nurse saw the mark and called and reported it. I do NOT like that nurse. We are hoping Jamie can check on them and Mike is getting his nephews to come over after school to play with them for an hour or so everyday. If that doesn't work Mike may back out of the trip at the last minute.

Minor details but now to get through the next 3 1/2 weeks without Anthony finding out about the trip!
 
We are 15 days and counting. The excitement is building for some people, I call it stress. Anthony still doesn't know about the trip so we are good there. His football team is in the play-offs so I am secretly hoping they lose. Seriously I want them to win but if the final is the weekend we leave that will be an added stressor. Michael has a Science Fair project that is due while we are away so that has been fun getting it done in a hurry. I really HATE these projects as they are more work for the adults, especially with an autistic/ADD kid. Thankfully all but the experiment is done. He even wrote 2 conclusions, one proves his hypothesis and one shows it to be disproven. This means I can type up everything and we can start to assemble the board. It needs to be turned in the day before Thanksgiving.

On the sad side we found out that Beth's beautiful dog Riggs has osteosarcoma and has a few months left at best. It's an aggressive cancer that dogs get and we are all heart broken. He's just shy of 6 and that is what is hardest to take, he still had that many years left of life expectancy. Beth is hoping to get through the holidays before they have to put him down. I am hoping nothing happens while we are away so the boys, especially Anthony, can say good bye. This is Riggs


Jim has finally gotten his new shoe and brace. Flying will not be fun as there is little flexibility in it. He's not happy with it at all. I just want the foot to be better. Unfortunately I think we will be fighting this foot issue for a long time to come.

The skirts are almost done for the girls. I am in the process of adding the lights but it is not easy to work with netting. I even apologized to my mom for asking her to make them. They aren't quite what I had in mind but they are done and my granddaughters were happy so that is the important thing.

Another trip from the past will be coming next.
 
We leave in 11 days and of course nothing is going smoothly.

I found out today that Mike may not come with us now. Jennifer and Mike have 2 dogs. The Lab mix has a fear aggression issue we are working on but Mike does NOT want him boarded. He has decided he doesn't trust my son or his nephews to come to the house to take care of them, and he is worried the dog will bite if spooked, so he is thinking of skipping the trip. I expected this to happen but now I have to see if I can get any of the money for him back. I'm figuring I'm out that money but I'll try.

We have more to celebrate though, Beth got a job and starts work the Monday after we come home. I am glad because she has been cranky. Bill may get laid off as he is a concrete construction worker and winter is a slow time for them so it will help with the boys getting used to mom being gone at night.

I made my reservation at the Parking Spot so my transportation is taken care of but things are never that easy. If Mike does back out I could probably get a ride down and back. Why am I doing this again???

I did get the few last things I needed and may start packing this week. Yeah, Right, like that will happen. I say that every trip and I wait until the last second, it never fails.

As soon as I find my notebook I'll have that trip from the past. It was my first stay at a Disney resort.
 
Trip number 4 took place in October 2001. This was the trip that had me fall in love with staying on property and was a trip of firsts.
First trip at a Disney resort
First trip for Food & Wine Festival
First trip without my family
First MNSSHP

My aunt was turning 50 and she wanted to celebrate in Disney. She asked me if I would/could go with her. Um YES!!! Dumb question. Then I remembered I had a husband and kids. Jim said "GO!" My aunt and her partner had a falling out earlier that year and I was the next best thing. My aunt is not quite 5 years older than me and has always been my aunt/big sister/best friend.

Since this was my aunt's celebration she was making all of the plans which included staying at the Grand Floridian! I worried about the price but Jim just said "GO!" A couple of months into the planning my aunt called to tell me her partner had returned home and asked if I minded her going too. I didn't care as I always liked Lee anyway. The best part is I just had to pay the extra person in the room cost now so my price dropped significantly - $25 a night for the Grand Floridian and it included dining.

Then 9/11 happened a month before we were due to leave. My kids were terrified and begged me not to go, especially Beth. I told them I understood their fear but I was going. I could NOT let the bad guys win. Landing in Orlando was strange. We got off the plane to National Guardsmen with M-16's walking around the airport. It was also a little scary. Disney had also started bag checks so this was something new. The crowds were really low and lines moved quickly. It was a great trip but we had very different travel styles. I wanted to hit the parks and go til I dropped, they wanted to go to the parks for an hour and hit the pool. We parted ways quite a bit. I also found out how my aunt could be very judgmental which was not fun. She had no kids but liked to point out everything I did wrong as a parent. Beth was giving us a lot of problems at the time cutting school. Thankfully Lee told her to back off. Like I said I like her partner.

EPCOT

The Food & Wine Festival was taking place but I never had a chance to explore it


It was also 100 Years of Magic


This was Kronos. They were amazing to watch


More Food & Wine decorations. I think Disney has gotten much better at Topiaries


Me and Mickey Mouse. I am amazed at how skinny I was back then. I try to lose the weight but I have given in and accepted the fact that I am heavy because of my mobility issue. I still try and lose weight but it doesn't work.


Grand Floridian
One of the interesting things about staying here was all of the weddings we saw


We had breakfast at 1900 Park Faire. This is me and my Aunt Diane with the Mad Hatter


Me, Diane and Lee with Pinocchio


Staying here was amazing. Our room overlooked the water and the Polynesian.

Magic Kingdom
Another first - the Crystal Palace for breakfast. Me Diane, Lee and Winnie the Pooh


I got to see Joey Fatone in the parade


And Lance Bass. I knew who they were at least thanks to 2 teenaged daughters


MNSSHP. I got into the spirit and saw Grumpy. Diane and Lee couldn't wait to leave.


MGM, and yes it was still called that at the time
The Osborne Lights going up. I had no idea what they were at the time


The Big Sorcerer's Hat


Universal.
We went there one day and it was almost a total waste of money. We had to take Mears to get there and that was about $30 round trip per person. The cost of the park was lower then but we only stayed for about 4 hours and then it was back to Disney. I did manage to have a little fun. My shirt said "Out of my mind, back in 5 minutes" and I felt like it at times. I took a lesson from my kids.



On the way home we had a wait at the Orlando airport. I wound up with some issues. I was thirsty and left my bag with my aunt and Lee while I got a soda. The next thing I knew I had a machine gun pointed at me for abandoning my bag. They couldn't understand I left it with my aunt. When we were boarding the plane I was "randomly" chosen for a full search before I was allowed on the plane. Then my aunt kindly gave my seat up to someone else so I sat with strangers. She never did explain that move.

Overall it was a good trip, I did what I wanted when necessary. I fell in love with the ease of staying on property and couldn't wait to show this to my family.
 
Your trip is getting so close!!!! Hopefully all the rest falls into place so you can enjoy all your hard work.
 
Your trip is getting so close!!!! Hopefully all the rest falls into place so you can enjoy all your hard work.

I get to do the single digit dance tomorrow and can't wait. I did find out that I can get the money back from Disney for my son in law and may be able to get something from the airline so it won't be a complete loss of money at least. The kids will be upset if he doesn't go but I think they will get over it knowing the dogs are OK.

So much to do yet and so little time.
 
Countdown - 5 DAYS

Mike is definitely out but I did get a full refund from Disney - to my credit card. I guess I won't be using much cash or my Disney Rewards card. on the plus side he can now drive us to the airport and pick us up, on the down side I already reserved the parking facility so I need to cancel that now but it saves me money.

Less than a week to go and I got an ear infection. I am on meds but I can't hear out of the ear so I probably have to fit another drs. appointment in to the schedule to get it flushed. I get these Infections every time I get a sinus attack and ALWAYS before I fly. Add to it Jim has a really nasty stomach bug. We switched orthopedists because the office canceled yet another visit and doesn't seem to get that they can't keep doing that. I called the manager of the new practice they merged with to complain and we are seeing a doctor in another office, the good thing they have access to all records and can call the other dr to consult if necessary. because of the bug we had to reschedule his appointment. He will just have to listen to me and our daughter the nurse who will monitor a new sore on his foot. That is if HE goes now. I am hoping it is just a 24-48 hour thing. He is prone to them.

Anthony's team lost the playoff game. while I am sorry for the team I am happy it doesn't add to the anxiety. Mikey got in trouble in school on Friday. He said something dumb but got sent to the counselor. If you added 1 point to her IQ she would actually have one. Mikey is autistic and one of his issues is he says dumb things, no filters and anxiety cause it. This time he told the nitwit that he was nervous because Friday is the day of the beatings by his parents. My daughter and SIL NEVER hit the kids. of course the counselor called our version of child protective services so I had that to worry about all weekend. Thankfully the caseworker realized the situation and closed the case.

I have NOT begun packing, still have to finish the skirts for the girls and have report card conferences for the kids all week while my daughter works and meetings for church. Add Thanksgiving and Black Friday and I am going to be busy. I love packing hours before we leave with no sleep.

On a funny note my priests daughter thinks she is going with us. She is a funny little 4 year old who loves Minnie Mouse and wants to go to Disney to meet her. She knows we are leaving and told her parents that she will be leaving with us so no church for her. I would love to take her but I really think she should go with her family the first time. They are talking about possibly this summer so I promised to help them plan.
 
We are back and overall it was a good trip. We had some highs and some lows and some not great experiences. I need to organize all the pictures and notes but will be updating as soon as I can.
 
Your husband is a spitting image of my parent's neighbor. They could pass as identical twins.

I can't wait to read your trip report.
 

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