javamom
<font color=green>Rumored Avatar Fairy<br><font co
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2006
7 Stitches, Now 7 Years Later We've Come A Long Way Baybee!
Once upon a time almost 7 years ago, I started planning our very first family trip to Walt Disney World. We thought that it was going to be our one-and-only, but it turned out to be the beginning of a tradition of sorts. We made numerous trips since them, even joined DVC for a short-time, and eventually I took all of that passion and knowledge and started putting it to work for me as a Disney Travel Specialist. So, you see, our family has sort of come around full circle. Looking back at the 7 stitches that started it all (if you really want to hear that part of it, I can tell it later), I count each and every one as a blessing (scar and all). For various reasons, it has taken 7 years to make it back to Walt's 47-square miles for Christmas. We have wanted to return for Christmas over the years, but it never worked out that way.
All those years ago I described ourselves as the Kool-Aid Family in our first ever trip report, insinuating that we had drunk the Disney Kool Aid, and we were all-in for a Disney Christmas adventure! I supposed that was truer than we knew at the time! The last 7 years have brought a LOT of change to the world, and our family has been no exception. The simple fact of the matter is that (though we are working harder and making more money than we were) we had more expendable cash in 2006 than we have today. So, we make sacrifices in order to continue to afford our Disney vacations. We don't drive shiny new cars, I don't visit a manicurist or colorist, we rarely buy anything with a designer label, and we canceled small frills like digital cable. For these small sacrifices, we get to watch our kids grow up in images taken with childhood friends like Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh. Grown up they have.
Can't wait to see what this year's pics will look like...
I suppose now would be the correct point to introduce the family:
Javamom - Steph grew up going to Disneyland, official family travel planner, and now a Disney Travel Specialist. How's that for taking a passion and making it your own?
Crashdad - Mike My personal Mr. Incredible, and all around great guy. Disney is also his Laughing Place, although I suspect he'd like to make me go camping at least once. We all know it would be once, don't we?
Combat Carl - formerly known as Tigger, and then as Jack Skellington. He actually will only be with us in spirit because he is currently a Marine, stationed in Okinawa. Semper Fi, son!
Minnie - 15, formerly our Belle, as she has reached the age where shes not as into the princess thing, but still adores the whimsy of Minnie.
Wall-e - 13, formerly Tigger 2 and Peter Pan. The sweetness, resourcefulness, and curiosity of Wall-e describes him to a T.
Info:
Dates: Dec 18th-25th
Resort: Pop Century
I decided to book the exact same dates that we traveled in 2006. However, those dates had been chosen for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the 18th is Combat Carl's birthday. Secondly, it was cheaper to fly out of Disney on the 25th than the day before or after. I rebooked those dates this year, mostly out of nostalgia.
Obsessive Disney Planner Spreadsheet:
MVMCP on the 19th
Chip-n-Dale Sing-along on the 23rd
Dining Reservations:
Ohana Dinner
Mama Melrose Fantasmic Lunch
Cape May Clambake Buffet
Gospel Brunch at HOB
Flying Fish (just Crashdad and myself)
Biergarten CP Dinner Package
Chef Mickey's Christmas Brunch
I have had it in the back of my mind, that it would be really neat to try to re-create some of our favorite pictures from that first trip. I purchased a few of those big blown-up heads on a stick of our Marine. I am thinking that we will insert his big giant head as sort of a Flat Stanley approach at recreating the scene. Here is the pic that we are going to use:
Here are a few of the pics that I am going to try to recreate:
#1 Boarding the ME bus, this might be tricky depending upon whether we can get the seating arrangement.
This beauty of a pic where little brother seems to only be able to look at the camera if he is covering big brother's face.
Actually, it is one of my favorites from the trip because it is soooooo quintessentially Wall-e. You may be wondering why we are wearing Hawaiian shirts at the GF. Its because we had dinner at the Poly, and then took the monorail over to the see the Gingerbread House and tree.
Then later in the trip, I want to see what I can do about updating this sweet shot of my daughter:
I dont think we will schedule a BBB appointment, or sew another taffeta and tulle gown for her, but we will come up with some sort of updated version of this sweet picture.
PAGE INDEX of report:
Day 1: Cone of Shame!
Day 1 - Ohana
~Steph.. aka Javamom
Once upon a time almost 7 years ago, I started planning our very first family trip to Walt Disney World. We thought that it was going to be our one-and-only, but it turned out to be the beginning of a tradition of sorts. We made numerous trips since them, even joined DVC for a short-time, and eventually I took all of that passion and knowledge and started putting it to work for me as a Disney Travel Specialist. So, you see, our family has sort of come around full circle. Looking back at the 7 stitches that started it all (if you really want to hear that part of it, I can tell it later), I count each and every one as a blessing (scar and all). For various reasons, it has taken 7 years to make it back to Walt's 47-square miles for Christmas. We have wanted to return for Christmas over the years, but it never worked out that way.
All those years ago I described ourselves as the Kool-Aid Family in our first ever trip report, insinuating that we had drunk the Disney Kool Aid, and we were all-in for a Disney Christmas adventure! I supposed that was truer than we knew at the time! The last 7 years have brought a LOT of change to the world, and our family has been no exception. The simple fact of the matter is that (though we are working harder and making more money than we were) we had more expendable cash in 2006 than we have today. So, we make sacrifices in order to continue to afford our Disney vacations. We don't drive shiny new cars, I don't visit a manicurist or colorist, we rarely buy anything with a designer label, and we canceled small frills like digital cable. For these small sacrifices, we get to watch our kids grow up in images taken with childhood friends like Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh. Grown up they have.
Can't wait to see what this year's pics will look like...
I suppose now would be the correct point to introduce the family:
Javamom - Steph grew up going to Disneyland, official family travel planner, and now a Disney Travel Specialist. How's that for taking a passion and making it your own?
Crashdad - Mike My personal Mr. Incredible, and all around great guy. Disney is also his Laughing Place, although I suspect he'd like to make me go camping at least once. We all know it would be once, don't we?
Combat Carl - formerly known as Tigger, and then as Jack Skellington. He actually will only be with us in spirit because he is currently a Marine, stationed in Okinawa. Semper Fi, son!
Minnie - 15, formerly our Belle, as she has reached the age where shes not as into the princess thing, but still adores the whimsy of Minnie.
Wall-e - 13, formerly Tigger 2 and Peter Pan. The sweetness, resourcefulness, and curiosity of Wall-e describes him to a T.
Info:
Dates: Dec 18th-25th
Resort: Pop Century
I decided to book the exact same dates that we traveled in 2006. However, those dates had been chosen for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the 18th is Combat Carl's birthday. Secondly, it was cheaper to fly out of Disney on the 25th than the day before or after. I rebooked those dates this year, mostly out of nostalgia.
Obsessive Disney Planner Spreadsheet:
MVMCP on the 19th
Chip-n-Dale Sing-along on the 23rd
Dining Reservations:
Ohana Dinner
Mama Melrose Fantasmic Lunch
Cape May Clambake Buffet
Gospel Brunch at HOB
Flying Fish (just Crashdad and myself)
Biergarten CP Dinner Package
Chef Mickey's Christmas Brunch
I have had it in the back of my mind, that it would be really neat to try to re-create some of our favorite pictures from that first trip. I purchased a few of those big blown-up heads on a stick of our Marine. I am thinking that we will insert his big giant head as sort of a Flat Stanley approach at recreating the scene. Here is the pic that we are going to use:
Here are a few of the pics that I am going to try to recreate:
#1 Boarding the ME bus, this might be tricky depending upon whether we can get the seating arrangement.
This beauty of a pic where little brother seems to only be able to look at the camera if he is covering big brother's face.
Actually, it is one of my favorites from the trip because it is soooooo quintessentially Wall-e. You may be wondering why we are wearing Hawaiian shirts at the GF. Its because we had dinner at the Poly, and then took the monorail over to the see the Gingerbread House and tree.
Then later in the trip, I want to see what I can do about updating this sweet shot of my daughter:
I dont think we will schedule a BBB appointment, or sew another taffeta and tulle gown for her, but we will come up with some sort of updated version of this sweet picture.
PAGE INDEX of report:
Day 1: Cone of Shame!
Day 1 - Ohana
~Steph.. aka Javamom