The 2 Little C's drain the bank.....

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

INSTALLMENT ONE: WHY DID THE MOUSE-KA-TOOL TURN MY BRAIN TO MUSH?

Now, I couldn’t call this report the battle for my wallet because, one, that’s the infamous “Zzub” title, and two, it’s not really a battle, now is it? (Zzub, my man, just give it up already…..Disney won!) I willingly open my purse and toss it to the wind, going “Disney, take it all, have it, it’s yours”….

Because I’m generally nosy about other people in their report, I’ll give a rundown real quick of who we’ve got in this trip.

There’s me. First and foremost, I’m a mom. (I know, how generic, right?) Second, I sew clothing. I know, you’re thinking “Wow, how ‘Little House on the Prairie’ of you”, but that’s what I do. It keeps me out of trouble, keeps my mind active and even paid for part of this trip. So, when you see pictures of my 2 little C’s and ask yourself “Where did she find those outfits”, I’ll tell ya right now, I made them. Don’t ask again.

As Bill Engvall puts it, I am “15 degrees off cool”. There are the “cool people” that fit into the “cliques” (i.e., Zzub, Lala, 1000thHappyHaunt…C’mon…Ya’ll KNOW you are the “cool” ones and rule the trip report world!!) Then, there’s me. I am 15 degrees off cool. I’ve accepted the fact that I won’t have 100,000 plus reading my trip report and that’s okay. I’m fine with it. Really. I think. No, I am. Story of my life, really.

Then, there’s my husband. He’s the one in the group who just tolerates Disney and that’s fine with me. I’ll drag him along whenever I can. He’s happiest when he has a Mickey Premium bar in his hand, so we make sure we have plenty on hand. Last trip, he spent so much money on those melting, delectable delights, you’d think he’d gained 20 pounds….but, of course, he didn’t. He’s a man.

Case in point.....

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0906.jpg


Now, there are the stars of the group….or at least the stars of the title. My 2 little C’s.

The first little C is Courtney, or Cinderella as she likes to be called. She’s 6 and is obsessed with Cinderella. When she spills something on the kitchen floor, she grabs a scrub brush and goes “I’ll clean this, stepmother”…Yeah, you guessed it…She’s my BIOLOGICAL child. This little C is crazy in love with that blonde princess.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0624.jpg

The second little C is Collin. He really doesn’t like to be called anything except Collin because, quite frankly, he doesn’t really care. He’s only 21 months old. He’s quiet, reserved and pretty much the opposite of his chatty Kathy sister. His biggest worries are “peek a boo” and whether or not he gets his sippy cup.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0449.jpg


Moving on…

Now, this time around, the 2 little C’s aren’t draining my bank account…They’re draining my parents! (Do you feel it? The heavens are opening up and singing “Hallelujuah”)

Nana and Grandpa. They’re the ones who started me on this lifelong Disney obsession. They took me and my brother every year, sometimes twice a year. I secretly think they too are obsessed with the mouse. They turned me and my brother into Disney freaks…so much so that my brother works for Disney. Yup, he drives the monorail. How much more obsessed with Disney can you get than actually WORKING for them? Even on his days off, he heads to the parks. Lucky duck.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0894.jpg

Now Nana and Grandpa are pretty much exactly like my husband and myself. My mom checks her purse at the Disney property line and picks it up, empty, when she leaves. My dad is most happy with a Mickey premium bar in his hand...see above picture. (They’re 2 for $5, by the way…according to my husband). My husband and him stick together and let the “Disney nuts” go….well….NUTS.

For this trip, we’re staying at the Port Orleans Riverside. I always think of this hotel as the “Dixie Landings” and, for the majority of this trip, called it just that. Newbie Disney lovers looked at me like “Is that a new hotel she’s staying at?” Experienced Disney people would look at me like “did she have a brain fart?”.

To be perfectly honest, it’s the latter of the 2. I’m a mom. All day I watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I think the suspenseful “ooh, what kind of Mickey Mouse-ka-tools are they going to use today?” has really turned my brain to mush. I’m positive it’s the mouse-ka-tools that have done this. Mouse-ka-tool watching=brain into mush…or maybe I just like typing “mouse-ka-tool”…

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

WHO IS GENERAL MITCHELL ANYWAY AND WHY ARE THERE NO MICKEY PREMIUM BARS IN PRISON?


Our arrival day came as maddening slow as a woman trying to lose weight. (You ladies know what I mean….”2 weeks on this stinkin’ diet and I’ve only lost half a pound!!”) It seemed like forever and a day until this trip, but here we were.

Our flight left at a lovely 7:30 in the morning out of General Mitchell International Airport. (That’s Milwaukee, WI for those who don’t know their airports. Why is it called this? I don’t know. Someday I’ll find out who General Mitchell is…He’s got to be a pretty big important guy in the army to have an AIRPORT named after him, right?)

Ok, so it’s 3:30 in the morning and I’m up. I’m awake…sort of. Because I want to at least start out the day looking good, I get up early and do the normal girlie stuff. Yes, it takes me an hour to get ready versus my husband, whom it only takes about 10 minutes. BUT, in that hour, I have to get everyone else ready, versus my husband. He throws on some clothes and goes “I’m ready.”..All he does is show up…(kind of like conceiving a child..all he does is show up.)

ANYWAY…we finally go through the “Are we ready? Let’s go..C’mon, NO, we have to go NOW to make it to the airport 2 hours before the flight takes off…MOVE-MOVE-MOVE..” (That’s my General Mitchell impersonation, by the way)

All the way there, my husband and I are going “Did we turn the lights off? Did we lock the doors? Did we shut the coffee maker off?” HA, we don’t drink coffee…fooled you!

We get to the airport at the designated 2 hours before the flight takes off. My husband pulled up the curb, yelled "Tuck 'n roll" and we leaped out of the van, as he threw our suitcases at us going "I'll be back!!"

The whole drive there, I kept thinking "it's going to be dead. We're going to be the only ones there. We're going to have to pound on the doors to get in." Nope. Complete chaos.

(I know, you’re thinking “How busy can the airport BE? It’s located in MILWAUKEE, for goodness sakes”.)

I looked around and saw business men and women, running to who knows where, holding their cell phones, purses, man bags, extra foam double grande lattes, looking frantically for their gates and that's when it hit me.....What kind of idiot gets up at this ungodly hour to FLY of all things? US...that's who.

We check in and head up to the gate and sit….and sit….and sit. It seemed as if we waited longer to get on the plane than we did for this actual trip.

My first little C took great pleasure in taking everything OUT of her carry-on. All of the items I told her to keep in her carryon until we got on the plane were scattered through Gate 39.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0851.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0855.jpg

My second little C thought his Cars suitcase was the greatest thing in the world since his sippy cup. He wouldn't put it down for a second!

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0849.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0848.jpg

FINALLY, we jumped on our little puddle hopper and we took off.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0856.jpg

This is Courtney’s 4th Disney trip. She’s a seasoned (not like French fries) flier. She knows not to yell, scream, run up and down the isles…It’s my HUSBAND I worry about behaving. Normally, when we fly, he always instructs the kids to lift their feet up off the ground when we take off. It helps us get off the ground faster. He always does his feet routine and his “I’m a Bomb-ba-deer”…You Focker watchers know what I’m talking about…”BOMB, BOMB, BOMB---Take the little toothpicks out of your ears and listen…We are THROUGH with the checking of the bags conversation!”…Cracks me up everytime. (See? I really AM 15 degrees off cool!)

Well, he was actually quite behaved and didn’t get arrested this time. I reminded him they had no Mickey Premium bars in prison.

The flight was pretty uneventful and we landed. We used the Magical Express and during the entire pre-trip phase, I worried about our luggage making it there. I heard horror stories of the Magical Express and how it wasn’t so “magical” if you wanted your suitcase. ( My cast member brother called it the “Tragical Express”) I worried not only for the sake of our luggage (we’re weird…we’re attached to the actual felise---for those of you that don’t know, felise is a 6 letter word for baggage), but also for the sake of what’s IN the luggage. I made all of the C’s clothes. I didn’t want to lose all those man hours of sweat and pricked fingers.

I must have had an angel on my shoulder that day because <HALLELUJUAH> our luggage made it.

And so our trip begins....

[Avivasmom]

Just love love the beginning...you have a way with words...I too have a 6 year old not much a princess, rather do rides then see characters.

I love the clothes...so do you take orders? Would love an outfit or two if you make them for others.

Your kids are adorable...love the one of Collin with his Cars carryon just to cute.

I want more!

[jcc0621]

I love the start of your TR. Your kids are so cute and I love the snow white dress you DD is wearing and I am not asking, I know you made it:thumbsup2

Because I am a good Diser I found out the following for you:

General William Mitchell - (1879-1936)

General William "Billy" Mitchell, for whom Milwaukee County's airport is named, was born to a prominent Milwaukee family on December 29, 1879. His father, John Lendrum Mitchell, who eventually became a United States Senator for Wisconsin, was an only child to millionaire Milwaukee banker and railroad tycoon Alexander Mitchell.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Billy Mitchell returned to Milwaukee from what is now known as George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to enlist. Mitchell quickly rose through the ranks in the Signal Corps and in 1912 was appointed to the General Staff, the youngest person at that time to hold such a position.

In 1916, when Europe was on the verge of the first World War, Mitchell recognized the increasing importance of aviation in war and took it upon himself to learn to fly at his own expense. Mitchell was promoted to Major and appointed the head of the Army's aviation section. He was then sent to Europe, where he became a leader in establishing a United States aviation force. Mitchell was promoted again, this time to the rank of Colonel, and was appointed Chief of Air Service of the First Army. In the Battle of St. Mihiel, he was given command of more than 1,500 British, French, and American aircraft units. This was the largest air force ever assembled to that date. For Mitchell's action, he was promoted to Brigadier General and made Chief of Air Service of the Group of Armies, the top aviation command.

Returning to the United States in 1919, Mitchell was appointed Director of Military Aeronautics. He vigorously began promoting aviation, planning the building of a strong air force and fostering the budding aircraft industry to establish commercial aviation on a sound footing. But his opponents were not in sympathy with his efforts. His claims of air superiority over the sea led to a confrontation with the U.S. Navy. In July, 1921, in a test bombing of German warships, Mitchell proved his point when his men sank a battleship.

Inevitably, Mitchell's forceful promotion of his ideas led to a clash with the traditional forces. As his opposition grew stronger, Mitchell became more outspoken in his criticism. Finally in September 1925, he charged the administration with neglecting the national defense. He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of insubordination. He resigned from the service February 1, 1926, but his influence lived on as he carried his case to the people. He continued his work incessantly until his untimely death in February 1936.

On March 17, 1941, the Milwaukee County Board voted to change the County airport's name to General Mitchell Field. It is a source of pride for Milwaukeans that our main airport is named in honor of General William Mitchell, who, though impatient with those who did not share his beliefs, nevertheless retained until his death his boundless faith in aviation's future which he so unerringly visualized.

I :rotfl2: about your DH making the ids lift their feet off the ground during the take off. DS(4) did this on Soarin becasue he didn't want his feet to get wet:rotfl2:

Can't wiat to hear about the rest of your trippopcorn::

[eeyore3847]

Love the TR so far.. can't wait for day 1 at disney!!!!!!

Lori

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

[QUOTE=jcc0621;21420992]I love the start of your TR. Your kids are so cute and I love the snow white dress you DD is wearing and I am not asking, I know you made it:thumbsup2

Because I am a good Diser I found out the following for you:

General William Mitchell - (1879-1936)

General William "Billy" Mitchell, for whom Milwaukee County's airport is named, was born to a prominent Milwaukee family on December 29, 1879. His father, John Lendrum Mitchell, who eventually became a United States Senator for Wisconsin, was an only child to millionaire Milwaukee banker and railroad tycoon Alexander Mitchell.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Billy Mitchell returned to Milwaukee from what is now known as George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to enlist. Mitchell quickly rose through the ranks in the Signal Corps and in 1912 was appointed to the General Staff, the youngest person at that time to hold such a position.

In 1916, when Europe was on the verge of the first World War, Mitchell recognized the increasing importance of aviation in war and took it upon himself to learn to fly at his own expense. Mitchell was promoted to Major and appointed the head of the Army's aviation section. He was then sent to Europe, where he became a leader in establishing a United States aviation force. Mitchell was promoted again, this time to the rank of Colonel, and was appointed Chief of Air Service of the First Army. In the Battle of St. Mihiel, he was given command of more than 1,500 British, French, and American aircraft units. This was the largest air force ever assembled to that date. For Mitchell's action, he was promoted to Brigadier General and made Chief of Air Service of the Group of Armies, the top aviation command.

Returning to the United States in 1919, Mitchell was appointed Director of Military Aeronautics. He vigorously began promoting aviation, planning the building of a strong air force and fostering the budding aircraft industry to establish commercial aviation on a sound footing. But his opponents were not in sympathy with his efforts. His claims of air superiority over the sea led to a confrontation with the U.S. Navy. In July, 1921, in a test bombing of German warships, Mitchell proved his point when his men sank a battleship.

Inevitably, Mitchell's forceful promotion of his ideas led to a clash with the traditional forces. As his opposition grew stronger, Mitchell became more outspoken in his criticism. Finally in September 1925, he charged the administration with neglecting the national defense. He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of insubordination. He resigned from the service February 1, 1926, but his influence lived on as he carried his case to the people. He continued his work incessantly until his untimely death in February 1936.

On March 17, 1941, the Milwaukee County Board voted to change the County airport's name to General Mitchell Field. It is a source of pride for Milwaukeans that our main airport is named in honor of General William Mitchell, who, though impatient with those who did not share his beliefs, nevertheless retained until his death his boundless faith in aviation's future which he so unerringly visualized.
QUOTE]




:thumbsup2 :rotfl2: :rotfl: How funny! Now, ya think, being a cheesehead, I woulda known that. :rolleyes1

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

A LITTLE LINT, 2 LEVEL ONES AND SOME DISNEY BUS PROPAGANDA



So, we land our little puddle hopper after repeated requests from my daughter to the pilot not to “loop-dee-loop”.

We walked on the exit ramp (I know, I know, this isn’t the freeway, but what else DO you call the ramp that you walk on after deplaning? See…it’s not that easy coming up with the technical term, now is it?) and my husband turns to me and goes “It feels hotter here”. HA! Of course it feels hotter here. Didn’t you see my hair start to frizz the INSTANT we crossed the Florida state line!?!? I’ve been trying not to think about it because if I think about it, my hair will frizz even more and sweat will start raining down my face, but THANKS for bringing it up honey. Obviously, the look on my face read something not too pretty because he instantly closed his mouth.

We were in row 15 and my parents were in row 39. Yes, 39. I think they sat next to the engine the whole time, throwing in coals. My dad will do anything for a discount.

Needless to say, we “de-planed” first. We stood in the “gateway” for a few minutes when my husband poked my shoulder. Thinking to myself “if he tells me that it feels hotter here one more time……” All of a sudden, my husband points up. What? Is the sky falling? And if it is, who cares? We’re out of it, so we’re safe. Then, I look up.

Now, as a general rule, I’m not too picky when it comes to my airports and the way they look. Good grief, it’s an airport. Take me up, land me and get me to Disney. That’s all I’m thinkin’ when I’m there.

BUT, when I looked up at the ceiling of Orlando International Airport, a little shudder ran through me….and no, it wasn’t the Disney excitement that got me goin’. I looked up and the ceiling was gone. Poof! Gone in the night like Britney Spears’ hair. In its’ place were pipes, an assortment of pipes, weaving in and out of each other…and they were covered in…..mold….mildew….something really black and fuzzy. ICK! My husband turns to me and goes “Maybe it’s lint?” Lint? From what? From all of the flight attendants and pilots doing their laundry at the airport?!?!!?

I impatiently waited for my ‘el cheapo, coal throwing father and mother to de-plane so we could move to another part of the airport that wasn’t covered in mold. Every few seconds, I glanced up until finally mom and pops were the last to exit.

We made our way to the fake-o monorail to take us to Orlando International Airport’s other half. Ever notice that even though it’s not the “real deal”, in essence the monorail smells the same as the real one? Am I the only one that’s ever noticed that? Probably….. (I betcha right about now you’re kicking yourself for opening up this trip report, aren’t ya?)

We all hop onto the monorail in disguise, which was no easy task in itself. There were 4 adults, 1 child who kept going “Is Cinderella here? Where’s Cinderella? Are we there yet? I don’t see the castle” and 1 toddler whom we had to carry everywhere, plus enough carry-ons to make others that passed us shake their heads in wonderment. “Why do they have so many carry-ons? There’s only 6 people!”


Can you imagine trying to get all of these people, plus luggage to get on the M.I.D. (monorail in disguise) TOGETHER? My dad nearly lost his arm in the closing M.I.D.’s doors, but luckily we all made it on together. I mentioned to him what a travesty it would be to lose an arm. How would he get back home? He’d have to throw the coal with one arm.

So, we make it to the other half and pass the secuirty line of people wanting to get to the mold covered section of the airport. The line was out the door and reached Miami. It was that long. I made a mental note to self to leave extra time coming back and left to find the Tragical Express “window”.

Since this was a new experience to us, we had no clue where it was. My dad happens to mention that the Magical Express is on level 1. We were on level 3.

In a panic, my husband with luggage train in tow proceeds to push people left and right to make it onto the elevator. Did I mention that he had 14 suitcases? Yes, you read that right. 14 suitcases. We were only staying 4 nights. In an executive decision, my mom and I decided NOT to attach the Magical Express tags. My poor husband.

We all get on the elevator and make it down to level 1, where we ran smack dab into a Magical Express “cast member”. She goes “ya’ll here for the Magical Express?” Gee, what gave that away? Could it have been that almost everyone in the group was wearing something Disney and my husband was towing 14 suitcases with Mickey on them?

She then goes “You’re on the wrong level. It’s on level 1.”…..Uh-huh. Level 1.

“You need to go back up to level 3, over to the other elevator and then come back down to level 1”.

Ummmm….okay.

So, we did as instructed and sure enough, she wasn’t pulling our chain. I guess there are 2 different level 1’s at O.I.A. Who knew?

I guess the Magical Express people are really picky about who stands in line because “only one member from each party is allowed”, so my dad and I volunteered ourselves. The line was surprising fast, which is exactly what this tired party of 6 needed.

We made our way over to the PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE line and waited….and waited….and waited. I kept thinking in my head “At least it’s free, at least it’s free…” Eventually, our bus showed up and we all hopped on. I told my parents that this time they didn’t have to sit by the engine and we all sat down to watch the Disney propaganda unfold on the tv’s in the bus. They started out by trying to sell us something Disney... AHHHH…it was good to be home…

[OhMari]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

We live about an hour west of Milwaukee. I had no idea why it was called that either. I just refer to it as "the airport". I guess I learned somethin'. :teacher: :thumbsup2

[50 years Too!]

Darling kids. Love their plane outfits. You make great stuff.

Deb

[jcc0621]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

We live about an hour west of Milwaukee. I had no idea why it was called that either. I just refer to it as "the airport". I guess I learned somethin'. :teacher: :thumbsup2

Google is your friend:thumbsup2

[Avivasmom]

I think they sat next to the engine the whole time, throwing in coals. My dad will do anything for a discount.


That is hilarious....gave me a good laugh.

Hey I have been to Wisconsin...went inner tubing down the Apple River and had a blast.

[bumbershoot]

I'm on west coast time and am exhausted, but your report so far has given me many smiles while worrying my head off about my brother and sister in law in San Diego who live right next to what is currently a huge, shifting-with-the-wind, fire. So, thank you, and do keep telling us about your trip. :)

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

I'm on west coast time and am exhausted, but your report so far has given me many smiles while worrying my head off about my brother and sister in law in San Diego who live right next to what is currently a huge, shifting-with-the-wind, fire. So, thank you, and do keep telling us about your trip. :)

I hope everyone in your family is doing okay! Thanks for the kind words!

[GreatLakes5]

Great report! You've got me :lmao: already! Of course I won't ask who made the clothes but they ARE beautiful - do you list items online at all?

Anyway - can't wait for the next installment - the bank account isn't nearly drained enough yet. :)

[kellymary]

I have not laughed so much in my life.:lmao:

I'm on pins and needles for your next installmentpopcorn::

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Ack, can you believe it? My little trip report was way back on page 2. And only 344 people have read it? :sad:

I'm working on the next installment right now.....:cheer2:

[whogirl'smom]

Yay, another chapter soon! You are so funny; I can't wait to hear about this trip! Maybe there will be more when we get back from dance class later!

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Sorry, still working on it!

[lovegrumpy]

I'm loving it

[Illuminations_Rocks]

looking forward to following along!

[OhMari]

Found you on page 3, looking forward to hearing how the rest of your trip went.

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Found you on page 3, looking forward to hearing how the rest of your trip went.

Page 3? :faint: We can't have that! :scared1: :laughing:

I am trying to load my pictures and promise to have them up soon! Thanks! :thumbsup2

[nyyankeegirl]

I'll join in & try to keep you off page 3. ;)
You are quite funny!

[KYCruiseCrazy]

page 3 been there done that. your TR will catch soon. i love the histroy lesson too. we just got back. when did you go? great report so far:goodvibes can't wait to read more.:yay:

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

page 3 been there done that. your TR will catch soon. i love the histroy lesson too. we just got back. when did you go? great report so far:goodvibes can't wait to read more.:yay:

We went Oct. 10th-14th. No one likes me....:sad1: :laughing: That's okay, I like just reliving our vacation, so I guess it doesn't matter if I'm not famous. :cool2:

I'm still loading my pics, thank you for being so patient! :grouphug:

[snowwhite325]

I just found your TR and I love it! You did a wonderful job making Courtney and Collins outfits...I especially like Courtney's Snow White dress :goodvibes

[nyyankeegirl]

patiently waiting for more!

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Thank you everyone for waiting for me! :thumbsup2 I have my next installment written, just am waiting to upload photos. My scanner is being a real poop. (Can I say poop on the DIS?)

Also, this is a lame attempt to bump this off of page 3 again...:rotfl:

[kellymary]

Here's a bump to help keep you off page 3;)

Can not wait for your next instalment:hourglass

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

A pink shirt, some cranberries and bleu cheese and a french cast member...



It had been years since I’d been to the Dixie Landings, aka POR and it was just as beautiful as I remembered it. We pulled in and unloaded. The driver was nice enough not to tell us to “tuck ‘n roll”. I told my husband to take notes.

My husband was granted the suitcase train engineer and we all left to check in.

Checking in was a breeze. I stood next to my mom, she paid. How hard could that be, right?

The woman behind the desk had an accent which made it very difficult to understand what on earth she was saying. “Zat will be zee hundred dull-arz peez” Funny thing is, she wasn’t French.

She pulled out the map and I had a Zzub phrase flashback—“You’ll get the room that’s meant for you…..you’ll get the room that’s meant for you…” I let go of my room anxiety and waited for God to decide.

When she pointed to a building that was about an inch off the paper, with the main building being in the center, I knew we were in trouble. My mom looked nervously at me and I at her and we sighed. Rooms 3401 and 3402 were ours.

We went back out to the main lobby, looked around for my suitcase train engineer husband, and told him that we were just “a little bit away from the main building”. Hee hee. Of course, we were kidding and took our luggage to Bell services. Our rooms weren’t ready yet.

Since no one had eaten since yesterday, we were pretty much all starved. We are not light eaters and take our meals very seriously. Hey, we’re from Wisconsin, whaddya expect?

We basically RAN to the foodcourt, each took a tray and grabbed whatever was in sight. “Grab whatever you can, we’ll sort it out later!!”

We all met in the middle, with the exception of my husband of course. I forgot to mention that my husband is seemingly slower than the rest of my family. He was brought up differently. When I was a kid, we got up at the crack of dawn to get to the rope drop at the Magic Kingdom. He gets up at the crack of noon. My mom threw some money at my husband and said “here, pay for your tray when you’re done” and proceeded to pay for the rest of us. 5 food trays and $75 later, we all sat down and ate our first meal at Walt Disney World. For me, it consisted of a burger with a Chocolate Mickey Krispie. Not exactly Tonga Toast, but it will do.

Of course, my 2 little C’s, being children, sniffed out any and all toys within a mile radius and proceeded to the children’s area of the food court.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0857.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0858.jpg

After checking out the pool briefly, my mom decides to call the front desk to see if our rooms were ready. She got off the phone, gave me this weird look and said “Well, YOUR room is ready”. MY room? What about hers? They’re right next to each other. Why wouldn’t hers be ready?

She looked at her watch and goes “I’ll give it 20 minutes and call again. How long can it take to clean our room?”

We proceeded to walk to OUR room, the ready room…..not to gloat or anything, though. 

Don’t ya just LOVE when you open up your room door on your first day and you walk into your room and…..(whaddya do? C’mon….you know the answer) you run and LAY down on the bed! Why do we do that? Another one of lifes’ mysteries, I guess.

Of course, everyone in my family, but ME, ran and laid down on the bed. I was the one behind them all going “Don’t ruin the bedspread. I need to take pictures. Don’t touch anything until I get at least 2 good shots of our room before it’s destroyed.” My husband, being the oh-so logical one goes “Why do you need a picture of the room? Who cares?” Silly man…..he’s obviously never written a trip report before!

So, here we are. Home sweet home…..

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Here’s the view looking out….

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And here’s our room before we destroyed it….

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http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i13/myangelcourtney/100_0860.jpg

We waited about an hour for our felises to arrive at our room. Quick? No, but it sure beat watching my husband sweat as he pulled 14 suitcases by himself in 85 degree weather.

So, the big question was….what do we do now? Weeks before this trip, there were numerous discussions about “our first day”. Do we venture into the parks? Go to Downtown Disney? Go to a waterpark? Ahhh…decisions, decisions…..

Once everyone got settled into their rooms, we discussed what to do. (When I say “we” discussed, I mean my mom and I. My husband and dad stand off to the side going ‘whatever you wanna do’ and my first little C kept going ‘where’s Cinderella?’ ) Since it was already 5 pm, we decided not to waste a valuable ticket and venture into the park. We decided to go to Downtown Disney instead.

Now, the hard decision, how do we get there? Do we stand in the long lines to wait for a bus or do we hop on the boat? Again, executive decisions made by my mother and myself, we decided to take the boat.

We meandered our way to the boat launching area and waited….and waited….and waited…..At this time, my second little C was getting quite aggravated. He may be the quietest little boy I’ve ever known, but he is STILL a boy. He doesn’t take lightly to just standing in a line and waiting.

Thankfully, the boat pulled up and we loaded our bods on the vessel. The boat ride was beautiful and was probably quite enjoyable for those that didn’t have 2 little kids trying to crawl out the side of the boat. The entire ride, I had to grasp onto my second little C while telling my first in a voice that was a little bit above inside to keep her hands IN the boat at all times. Did she listen? Heck no! This is not a trip report with children that listen. Sorry to disappoint! The entire trip for her consisted of a thorough hand washing and every few seconds she would dip her hands back into the water. Eventually, my husband looked at me and went “Eh, just let her go over board. She can swim”….

After unloading our boat, the topic of conversation turned to food. (Need I remind you that we are from Wisconsin and take our food seriously?) Just picture a bunch of “pooh-sized” folks wearing wedges of cheese on their heads and that’s us.

“Where do you wanna eat? I don’t wanna eat pizza…Let’s go to Rainforest, No, I wanna go to Earl of Sandwich”….AHHH…it’s so interesting to watch a family of 7 discuss their meal options. My husband voiced his choice for Rainforest, so we decided to stroll that way. Once I saw the mass of people outside, I knew we were in trouble. There were more people outside the Rainforest Café than there were at a Ross Perot campaign party. It was that packed. My husband walked up to the podium and immediately the hostess went “90 minutes”…Yeah….move on…

So, we went to the second best choice…Earl of Sandwich. I don’t know if any of you have been there, but I had heard for months about how wonderful their sandwiches were. My mom used to work in Florida and would stop there everyday for lunch. I walked into this restaurant with high expectations.

Now, my husband and I aren’t picky eaters by any means. Give us some meat and cheese (not on top of our heads) and throw some mayo on and we’re good to go. I stood for what seemed like forever and looked at this menu with my mouth hanging open. All I remember seeing were cranberries and bleu cheese. I’m sorry but those 2 do NOT belong together on a sandwich. What would POSSESS to put those 2 together? Was the head honcho for Earl of Sandwich sitting around one day going “Hmm..I think cranberries and….and…and….bleu cheese would be good together…” YUCK!

Eventually, it was our turn to place an order and I drew a blank. There was nothing on the menu that my husband nor I would eat…except for the peanut butter and jelly on the kids menu. We did NOT come all this way for a PB&J. So, I went with the safest route and ordered an original. Yes, an original. It is a roast beef sandwich with cheese and horseradish sauce on it. I asked for 2 of those without the sauce, add mayo. The guy looked at me like I was nuts because my MOTHER just got done ordering 2 of those with EXTRA sauce.

By this time, my second little C has zonked out and had fallen asleep on my husband’s shoulder. Since he wasn’t too thrilled with the menu, he sat outside while the rest of us ate.

I bit into my Earl of Sandwich sandwich thinking that I would have to find a McDonald’s later. As I chewed and swallowed my first bite, I looked at my mom and she went “ See, I told you it was good”. It was the best darn sandwich I had ever had in my life. Who knew?

I finished, picked up my husband’s sandwich and walked outside. I plunked down next to him and started to unwrap his sandwich. I told him it was delicious and he went “You serious?” I guess the cranberries and bleu cheese threw him off too.

After everyone was done eating, we sat around in a circle and stared at each other……Now what? My mom grabbed my 2 little C’s and went “You two have fun, look around, we’ll take the kids back to the room”. I could’ve kissed that woman right then and there. She grabbed the kiddos, I grabbed my husband’s hand and we proceeded to walk through the shops.

Now, before we left on this trip, my husband was given instructions by someone he works with to pick up a pink Walt Disney World shirt. Yes, you read correctly. Pink. For a guy….I was a little surprised by this shopping quest, but shopping is shopping! My husband then let me in on the secret that the guy he works with is…..happy…with his husband. Ahh…that explained it.

After our hour of alone time and one pink Walt Disney World shirt later, we decided to head back…After all, we had parks to hit tomorrow…

[kellymary]

Linda,

It was worth the wait. I can not wait until your next updatepopcorn::

Kelly

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

NO MORE PAGE 3!! :cheer2:

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Page 4....:faint:...I guess it's time to finish my next installment!