Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[mickeystoontown]

Welcome to my trip report! Let’s get the introductions out of the way so that we can move on to the fun stuff......the details of what we did (just about everything), who we saw (celebrities and other Disers) and what we ate (thank you free dining).

Some of you may already know me and my family from my previous trip reports:

You’re the Best Parents in the Whole Wide World, I Gotta Pee Trip Report
Stop Making Me Laugh or I’ll Pee My Pants, Where’s My Tooth? Trip Report
Who Knew Choking Each Other Would Earn Us Fastpasses Trip Report

For those who are new to my reports, I think you can tell by my previous trip report titles that we are a pretty fun loving, boisterous family. Over our 16 trips to Walt Disney World, we have experienced some milestones in life such as our son taking his first steps on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, our daughter riding her first roller coaster and my husband and I celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

We have also funny memories (I guess I should rephrase that to say they weren’t funny at the time but are waaaay funny now) such as the time we got stuck in the cold section of Test Track while I had to tinkle so badly that I thought I was going to go on myself right then and there. :rolleyes1 Or the time we were eating lunch at the Electric Umbrella and my crown (tooth) fell out of my mouth. :eek: Let’s not forget about the time my husband got mowed down by a wild scooter driver and his toe was broken. :rolleyes: Oh and the time that we were pretending to choke each other and made the castmembers laugh so much that they gave us Fastpasses. :thumbsup2 Wait, wait....I can’t forget about the time that Hunter wiped a booger down the back of Lacey’s black shirt and didn’t say anything about it. :rotfl2:

As you read along, you’ll see that we enjoy spending time together as a family. This trip was special to us since it would be the last time our daughter would be going with us to “the world” because she is getting married in August. My mother also came along which meant our group consisted of three generations of family.

I’ll start off with my husband and myself. I am Lisa, a 45 year old paralegal who has Disney on the brain 24 hours a day. I love everything about Walt Disney World. I love planning the trips. I love looking at the menus. I love reading about the latest Disney developments. I love it all!

I have Bell’s Palsy which affects one of my eyes and side of my face. You’ll see in some of the pictures that I smile a bit lopsided and one of my eyes squints more than the other. Every once in a while, the muscles in my face kind of freeze or get stuck for a little while. I also sometimes have headaches and pain behind my ear because of the palsy. But, those are things that I can deal with so I try not to let it bother me. In fact, we laugh about it and the kids ask me if I want my face to freeze like that. Remember when your Mama used to tell you not to cross your eyes because you didn’t want your face to freeze like that? That’s what they are talking about.

Due to the fact that I have worked in the legal field since I was just 17 years old, I am very detail oriented with both pictures and words. Much to the dismay of my family, I take pictures of anything and everything. I also tuck away anything that I think would work in the scrapbook(s) that I say I am going to do every year. Having said that, I must confess that I have done one, yes one, Disney scrapbook. I hang my head in shame. :sad1:

My husband, John, is also 45 years old. We own and operate a cabinet shop located on the same property as our house. An old employer of his called him last year and asked a/k/a begged him to come back to work for him because they needed someone with experience to knock out several large jobs. John agreed to go back to work and it’s been a real adjustment for him because he’s been self-employed for many years.

The company that he is working for now is the same company he was working with when he suffered an on-the-job injury. He fell and hit his head and has a permanent bruise on his brain. He suffers from epilepsy and, as we speak, (or as I type) his new neurologist is changing up his medications. It’s going to be a long process but, if his dizziness and face twitching goes away, we’ll be happy as two muddy pigs in the sunshine.

John is a P.K. Know what that is? It’s a Preacher’s Kid. You know what that means. He did all sorts of wild and crazy things as a youngster and all under the scrutiny of his parents and the church goers. He drove a black and yellow Camaro when we started dating and had five, count ‘em five, speeding tickets when we got married. :smokin: When he told me stories of what he did as a kid, I told him I’d have a ball and chain wrapped around my kids if they did half of the things he did.

Guess you’re ready for me to shut up and show you a picture of the two of us:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/100_2121.jpg

Next, there’s our daughter, Lacey. She is 24 years old and is about to be married to a wonderful young man named Jesse. Lacey attended Mission Georgia Master’s Commission for 3 years and committed her life to serving God through the Mission. She has fed the hungry in shelters. She has ministered to the people living under bridges. She has shared her faith in front of tens of thousands of people at conferences. I smile widely because of the wonderful things she has done and flinch at the horrible things she has seen.

The one and only time we have ever had trouble out of her was.....get this......she skipped school! Holy Guacamole! Guess where she went when she skipped school. Prayer meeting at church. Yeah, she’s really bad to the bone. :laughing: How the heck do you punish a child for skipping school and going to a prayer meeting? :littleangel:

Lacey will be moving from Louisiana to Knoxville, Tennessee when she gets married. I hate to see my baby girl live so far from home again but that’s where Jesse and his family lives. She’s been living at home since August of last year and we’ve gotten used to her being at home again. It’s going to be hard seeing her leave.

Hunter is our 14 year old son. He is an honor roll student and will be going into the 8th grade next school year. He is all about video games, cup stacking and magic/illusions. Hunter is an accomplished musician and can play the keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar and is first chair in his orchestra where he plays the viola. To counter balance what some would call his musical nerdiness, he is a member of his middle school football team and has just started the Summer physical training camp.

In addition to having lots of talent, Hunter is one of the funniest guys I know. He can come up with one-liners that top anything I have ever heard. Hunter is absolutely hilarious and there’s never a dull moment when he is around. He’s always singing or telling jokes or simply making funny faces that make you belly laugh. :lmao:

Hunter is my Disney fanatic buddy. If others get tired of me talking about Disney, I can go to Hunter and know that he won’t tire of it. He thinks there is no better vacation destination in the whole wide world. I agree with him wholeheartedly. Hunter’s goal this trip was to ride anything at Walt Disney World that he hadn’t ridden before. Meaning......dun, dun, dun.....Tower of Terror! You’ll have to keep reading to see if he did. :surfweb:

Lacey and Hunter:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/100_2126.jpg

Last, but certainly not least, is my Mama, Edna. She is 77 years old and this was her 3rd trip to Walt Disney World,. We live right next door to my Mama and she dotes on my kids like they were a Prince pirate: (I know that's not a prince smiley but it's all I could find) and Princess princess:. Very rarely, do they do any wrong in her eyes. I often wonder why the batting of eyelashes or puffing out of a lip didn’t work for me when I was a kid but my children can do it and she is there at their beck and call. What’s the deal Lucille? :rolleyes:

Seriously, my mother is a great help to us as John and I are to her. We love her immensely and would do anything for her.

Mama has had quite a few health problems over the last couple of years with the most recent being diagnosis of a fatty liver, severe arthritis in her foot and a stomach ulcer. It came as no surprise to me when she said the doctor said she had a stress related stomach ulcer. The woman worries about anything and everything. If she doesn’t have something to personally worry about, she’ll borrow someone else’s troubles so she can worry about them. :sad2:

Mama is active in the church’s senior program, Prime Time, and also attends small groups. My aunt often has people over to play dominos on Friday evenings and Mama is a regular attendee even though playing games isn’t always her cup of tea. But, it’s not really about playing dominos, it’s about spending time with friends.

Because of Mama’s health problems, we knew that we would have to slow down a lot this trip. ...even more than we did last year. We were all fine with it and never let her in on the fact that we were skipping things that we knew she wouldn’t be able to do.

My Mama:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/103_0792.jpg

Now that you know who we are, how ‘bout I tell you where we were headed. Well duh Lisa, it’s obvious that it was to Walt Disney World since this is the Disney Trip Reports Forum. But, I haven’t told you where we were staying yet. Caribbean Beach Resort! We have stayed there five years in a row and this would be our sixth stay there. The resort is so pretty and we enjoy the laid back atmosphere that the resort has. :beach:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/100_2052-1.jpg

Hope that you all will stick around for the longhaul as my trip reports usually drag out for several months (insert a whole year). I think the report’s gonna be a pretty fun read.

So, sit down, buckle up and hang on ‘cause the McBrides are going to Walt Disney World! :car:

Trip report installment links:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41462488&postcount=70

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41462960&postcount=73

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41488345&postcount=116

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41489236&postcount=117

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41489249&postcount=118

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41548642&postcount=159

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41570061&postcount=193

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http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44397440&postcount=2167

We also took a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee and I wrote a mini-trip report about our travels:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41817898&postcount=366

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41892748&postcount=394

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41919208&postcount=423

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42009001&postcount=489

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42069874&postcount=515

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http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42169308&postcount=574

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42169952&postcount=577

Our daughter was married on August 20th and we did all of the wedding decorations, preparation, food, etc. ourselves. I have written a mini-report on that as well:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42459425&postcount=763

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42460616&postcount=766

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42461191&postcount=767

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http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42803563&postcount=997

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42803686&postcount=998

Wedding video:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42433268&postcount=726

Pillowcase dresses and fabric:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43754786&postcount=1714

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43755126&postcount=1715

[mommytothreeboys]

Woo-Hoo, I'm first!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Can't wait!

[KatMark]

Reporting for duty (now back to read). :)

**** I'm back. Great introductions, Lisa, and great pictures too. Your reports are always fun and I know this one will be the same.

[jenseib]

I'm here!

[deedeew80]

:banana: I'm Here! I'm Here! I'm Here! :banana: So excited to hear (read) all about your trip!!!! :surfweb: :dance3: :cheer2:

[jenseib]

HOLY COW!!!!! Hunter grew a foot!

[micandminforever]

I look forward to your fun report.

[PirateKate]

Great start! Can't wait to read all about this trip! :cool1:

[mickeystoontown]

Woo-Hoo, I'm first!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Can't wait!

Way to get in there first Missy!

Reporting for duty (now back to read). :)

**** I'm back. Great introductions, Lisa, and great pictures too. Your reports are always fun and I know this one will be the same.

At ease trip report reader Kathy :laughing: You, of all people, know that those pictures can be deceiving. We look so sweet and innocent in them. ;)

I'm here!

Welcome Jen!

[mickeystoontown]

:banana: I'm Here! I'm Here! I'm Here! :banana: So excited to hear (read) all about your trip!!!! :surfweb: :dance3: :cheer2:

And I'm extremely glad that you're here too!

HOLY COW!!!!! Hunter grew a foot!

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie! The child had a growth spurt and is now tall and slim again. It won't be long before I'm looking up to stare him in the eye.

I look forward to your fun report.

Welcome! I hope I'm able to provide you a few laughs along the way.

Great start! Can't wait to read all about this trip! :cool1:

Thank you and welcome!

[Caretames1]

Oh Yeah! First page baby:woohoo: Wait let me settle in for this :rotfl2:

[aprilisis]

I'm here!! I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

[mickeystoontown]

Oh Yeah! First page baby:woohoo: Wait let me settle in for this :rotfl2:

Welcome to the first page! You know how long my trip reports can last so sit down and relax 'cause I'm sure this will be a long one too.

I'm here!! I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Glad to have you April! I took tons of pictures and we did lots of stuff so there'll be plenty to hear about.

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Count me in (again)!:goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

Count me in (again)!:goodvibes

Consider yourself counted! Welcome!

[3LittlePirates]

Yeah!!!! I can't wait to read!! Your family reminds me of mine so much...you keep me laughing!! :rotfl2:

My hubby asked about you guys the other day...We were reminiscing of being at Disney this time last year..and he said...Hey how is that other crazy Louisiana couple? LOL!!!

[Bethislucy]

Yay! Now I have something to read while I wait on my disney trip. It's kind of funny we were just reading your trip from last year last month and the pictures of Hunter then and now we are on this trip and he's grown a ton.

[407-W-DISNEY]

I'm here, I'm here! can't wait to read all about your trip!

How exciting Lacey's showers are coming up!! How many days till the wedding???

Sorry your sick....I have a cold as well....there is definitely something going around :(
I hope you feel better soon

I LOVE your hair cut!!!!!

[longing2Batdisney]

already on page 2! you go girl...can't wait to hear about all the fun!!!

Love your new haircut! so cute/pretty!

I can't believe how tall Hunter is getting! and of course as always your family pics are great!

[PhoenixStrength]

I'm here too! Can't wait to read all about your trip, as I live vicariously thru your trip until my next trip :rotfl2:

Oh, and let me add a :eek: at how tall Hunter has gotten!

[Angies1274]

Yay! You started!!!:yay: I'm looking forward to reading all about your trip!!:thumbsup2

[Tiggerrn2]

I'm in!!

[Disneyfreak616]

I'm here! :wave: And I am soooo in!

Great start so far! :thumbsup2

You have a beautiful family. :goodvibes

[Disneymoon09]

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it!

[Cynthiagayle01]

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it! :woohoo:

[leamom2princesses]

Hi Lisa! I made it over. You're off to a great start. Ready to read more. popcorn:: Hope you're doing well!

[ddstratton]

Geez. Page 2 already! But I'm here!!

[rndmr2]

:wave: Hi! So glad to see you started your TR! Can't wait to hear all about your trip!

[charming23]

I'm here :wave: Can't wait to hear all about your adventures.

[TinksThree]

I'm here!! I'm here!! :goodvibes

And I knew what a PK is!! ;) They are T.R.O.U.B.L.E!!!!!!! :lmao:

Love the pics of your family...especially since I met everyone. You are "real" now!! :laughing: And Hunter left quiet the impression......:rolleyes1

Edited because I forgot to say...you are a DisBoard Celebrity! Your TR is up for only a few hours and you are quickly approaching page 3!!!!

[Mom2apirate&princess]

Yay! I'm so excited that you started your report. We are surprising our kids with a trip in December. I'm almost busting at the seams trying not to tell them, so I have to spend lots of time on the DIS.:lmao:

[lbuzz52]

I fOrget if I found you on the CBR thread or the May thread, but I've been waiting for this.
Looking forward to reading along!

[natebenma]

Yee-ha! So glad to see you have started. I'm so looking forward to your adventures!

Dee

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay you started your TR!!! I'm most definitely in!!! :cool1:

[lledman]

Lisa, I love your trip reports and can't wait to read along with this adventure.

[pasofan]

Yea! I can't wait to see your family's latest escapades.

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just your friendly neighborhood Canuck checking in for another one of your TRs.

[Woth2982]

I am here! Love the intro! Your trip reports are always so fun!

[johnsonmatt3]

WOW!!! Already 3 pages, but I'm here, not to worry, now the party can start. Cant wait to read more about it, I definitly want to know Hunters reaction to ToT if he did it.:upsidedow

[ronnmel]

I'm here!

[Bridora]

Hi Lisa! I'm here and can't wait to read all about your adventures. I never did see you...

[Marshay]

Joining in!! I'll come back to read it all...can't wait to hear about your trip!!:banana:

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

popcorn::Sorry I'm late, but I'm here too! Can't wait to hear more. :upsidedow

[KELLY]

I'm in can't wait for more.

[Trinity524]

Here!!!!

[mickeystoontown]

Yeah!!!! I can't wait to read!! Your family reminds me of mine so much...you keep me laughing!! :rotfl2:

My hubby asked about you guys the other day...We were reminiscing of being at Disney this time last year..and he said...Hey how is that other crazy Louisiana couple? LOL!!!

I'm glad that you're here for another one of my reports. It's funny that you said ya'll mentioned us the other day 'cause we talked about ya'll while we were in Disney. We were standing in the Magic Kingdom and my husband asked when "that other Louisiana couple" was going back to WDW.

Yay! Now I have something to read while I wait on my disney trip. It's kind of funny we were just reading your trip from last year last month and the pictures of Hunter then and now we are on this trip and he's grown a ton.

Welcome! Hopefully, the next five months will pass quickly for you. I know how hard it is waiting for a Disney vacation. Hunter has shot up in height over the last few months. It's amazing how much that kid has grown.

I'm here, I'm here! can't wait to read all about your trip!

How exciting Lacey's showers are coming up!! How many days till the wedding???

Sorry your sick....I have a cold as well....there is definitely something going around :(
I hope you feel better soon

I LOVE your hair cut!!!!!

Glad your here! Lacey is getting excited about the wedding. She's getting married on August 20th. She's going up about a week ahead of time so she can start getting things organized.

I'm such of having this cold. My head's not as stuff up right now but I am about to lose my voice which is not good when I have to answer the phones at work.

Thanks for the compliment on the hair cut. I am always saying "I want to let it grow out" but when it gets grown out, I can't wait to get it cut off again.:laughing:

already on page 2! you go girl...can't wait to hear about all the fun!!!

Love your new haircut! so cute/pretty!

I can't believe how tall Hunter is getting! and of course as always your family pics are great!

Hey Connie! I can't believe how many people have joined in on the report already.

I love the new hair cut too. My hair is naturally wavy and it likes to do it's own thing. With it cut short, I don't have to worry about it too much which is a good thing when you're on vacation.

I'm here too! Can't wait to read all about your trip, as I live vicariously thru your trip until my next trip :rotfl2:

Oh, and let me add a :eek: at how tall Hunter has gotten!

Welcome! I am already ready to go back to WDW. I can't wait for the 2012 rates to come out so I can book.

Isn't Hunter growing up fast?!?! It seems like he shot up over night.

[mickeystoontown]

Yay! You started!!!:yay: I'm looking forward to reading all about your trip!!:thumbsup2

Hey Angie! Any Disney trips in your future? I'd love to see pictures of your boys to see how much they've grown. Feel free to post a few here.

I'm in!!

Welcome aboard! Hopefully, I'll keep you entertained with lots of pictures and details.

I'm here! :wave: And I am soooo in!

Great start so far! :thumbsup2

You have a beautiful family. :goodvibes

So glad that you're here!

Thanks so much on the compliment! That's very sweet of you.

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it!

Welcome! I hope to get another update posted very soon.

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it! :woohoo:

Hey there! Long time, no chat. I saw that you sent a p.m. Let me get my two deadlines off my desk and I'll respond to it.

Hi Lisa! I made it over. You're off to a great start. Ready to read more. popcorn:: Hope you're doing well!

Hey! We are all doing fine....other than the head colds.

Geez. Page 2 already! But I'm here!!

Howdy! I was looking at the Port Orleans picture thread day before yesterday and saw the lovely ones you posted. How are the vacation plans going?

[mickeystoontown]

:wave: Hi! So glad to see you started your TR! Can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Glad to have you over! As I said, I took tons of pictures so you all will get to "see" everything we did while at WDW!

I'm here :wave: Can't wait to hear all about your adventures.

Welcome! Oh, we had a few adventures as you can tell from my trip report title.

I'm here!! I'm here!! :goodvibes

And I knew what a PK is!! ;) They are T.R.O.U.B.L.E!!!!!!! :lmao:

Love the pics of your family...especially since I met everyone. You are "real" now!! :laughing: And Hunter left quiet the impression......:rolleyes1

Edited because I forgot to say...you are a DisBoard Celebrity! Your TR is up for only a few hours and you are quickly approaching page 3!!!!

Hey there! Oh yeah....PK's are definitely T.R.O.U.B.L.E.! Well, that is until someone like me starts cracking the whip. :rotfl: Nah, I'm just playing. John did do quite a few things that startled me when I heard about them but they were all good honest fun....nothing criminal...thank gooness!

Oh my gosh, it's so funny to hear that Hunter left an impression because Madison did too! As a matter of fact, John asked him if he had gotten Madison's number so he could call and check in with her. When Hunter told him that he hadn't, John couldn't believe it.

You are too funny....a DisBoard Celebrity. I hadn't even thought about it until I was approached by a fellow Diser who called me that.

[mickeystoontown]

Yay! I'm so excited that you started your report. We are surprising our kids with a trip in December. I'm almost busting at the seams trying not to tell them, so I have to spend lots of time on the DIS.:lmao:

I'm glad to have you here! We surprised Hunter with a trip to WDW a few years back (he thought we weren't going that Summer because I changed jobs) and it was the best surprise! That's when he called us the official "best parents in the whole wide world". It was so hard to keep it a secret but well worth it.

I fOrget if I found you on the CBR thread or the May thread, but I've been waiting for this.
Looking forward to reading along!

No matter where you found me.....I'm happy that you're here!

Yee-ha! So glad to see you have started. I'm so looking forward to your adventures!

Dee

Hey Dee! How's the planning for your Universal Trip going?

Yay you started your TR!!! I'm most definitely in!!! :cool1:

And I'm most definitely glad that you are!

Lisa, I love your trip reports and can't wait to read along with this adventure.

Welcome! We had a great time this year and I have quite a few funny moments to share with you guys.

Yea! I can't wait to see your family's latest escapades.

Glad to have you aboard!

[mickeystoontown]

Just your friendly neighborhood Canuck checking in for another one of your TRs.

From a friendly Southern gal to a friendly neighborhood Canuck.....WELCOME!

I am here! Love the intro! Your trip reports are always so fun!

Welcome! I hope that this trip report will keep you as entertained as my previous ones.

WOW!!! Already 3 pages, but I'm here, not to worry, now the party can start. Cant wait to read more about it, I definitly want to know Hunters reaction to ToT if he did it.:upsidedow

Now that you're aboard, the party is officially started! We went to Hollywood Studios on our third park day so hopefully you won't have to wait too terribly long to find out.

I'm here!

And I'm glad that you are! How's it feel to be a newlywed?

Hi Lisa! I'm here and can't wait to read all about your adventures. I never did see you...

I looked all over the place for ya'll too. I just knew we would see ya'll somewhere.

[mickeystoontown]

Joining in!! I'll come back to read it all...can't wait to hear about your trip!!:banana:

Welcome! I think I took about 2,800 pictures so there's be lots to see.

popcorn::Sorry I'm late, but I'm here too! Can't wait to hear more. :upsidedow

Late? There's no such thing as late on my trip reports! Welcome!

I'm in can't wait for more.

Welcome! If we end up going with a value, I may be asking you lots of Pop Century questions.

Here!!!!

Consider yourself counted! Welcome!

[johnsonginad]

Count me in! I always love reading your trip reports! :thumbsup2

[Queila]

Signing up. Great intro. :thumbsup2
Congratulations on your beautiful family!

Q

[racefanof88]

I'm here, I'm here. Sorry so late :(. Work has been a bugger, but I'm in now and ready to read :surfweb:.

[mickeystoontown]

Count me in! I always love reading your trip reports! :thumbsup2

Welcome! I'm glad to have you here.

Signing up. Great intro. :thumbsup2
Congratulations on your beautiful family!

Q

Welcome and thank you!

I'm here, I'm here. Sorry so late :(. Work has been a bugger, but I'm in now and ready to read :surfweb:.

Hey Dana! Work has been hecka decka this week for me too!

[Happy Elf]

Saw your wonderful pictures on the CBR thread and headed over to hear about your adventures. We are headed to CBR next month for the first time. I can't wait!!!!!

[ronnmel]

And I'm glad that you are! How's it feel to be a newlywed?


It feels great! It's going to feel even better in 3 weeks when school is over, and 1000x better when we honeymoon in Disney. Less than 2 months, woohoo! :cool1: Until then, I'm getting my Disney fix by following TR like yours. :hippie:

[wild.zinnia]

Yay! I love your trip reports. Hopefully this will help to tide me over until August.

[MissLiz]

How did I miss 4 pages?!?!?!

Anyway, I'm here and I'm going back to actually read! Can't wait!




Okay, I read your first installment and it's great, as usual! You and John look lovely as ever! Lacey is so beautiful and how the heck did Hunter change from being a cute kid to a handsome young man?!?!?! It's crazy, I tell you!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

[CreightonsMomma]

Hi Lisa! :wave2: I caught the tail end of your last TR so I just lurked and have been anticipating the start of this one. I can't wait to read all about your adventures!

[PlutosRHM55]

Sounds like this will be a fun report... I'm in! (:

[bellebookworm9]

I'm joining in. I've read bits and pieces of your other TRs and they always make me do this: :lmao:. I'm sure this will be more of the same!

The way you feel about Lacey moving to Tennessee sounds like my mom. I want to go to Florida for grad school next year and she keeps freaking out that I'll be 1500 miles away.

Hunter has gotten really tall!

I'm excited to see more pictures of Caribbean Beach, it always looks so pretty. :goodvibes

[ddstratton]

Howdy! I was looking at the Port Orleans picture thread day before yesterday and saw the lovely ones you posted. How are the vacation plans going?

Thanks!! We really enjoyed POFQ. Our vacatin plans are CHANGING!!!! Again. :rotfl2: We're not going this year now. Not to Florida/Disney, anyway. We'll be taking a short trip to Virginia/Washington DC. Then next year - either May or October, haven't decided yet - we'll be making a Disney trip. And I haven't decided which resort for that! It'll either be Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs..... Trying to decide now.

[Marshay]

OK, all caught up!

I did recognize some of those other TR!! You have a very creative style -- I love it!

That is too funny about your daughter skipping school ... to go to church prayer meeting. If only that would be the worse thing our kids would do!

Love the picture of you and your DH! You both look so cute together!

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Can I join in? :flower3:

We are staying at CBR for the first time in October and I am really excited! I saw your pictures on the CBR picture thread so I thought I would come over and join in! I caught your last trip report at the very end, so I'm glad I got in early this time.

[mickeystoontown]

Good morning to all my Disboards friends! I'm coming back in a little while to reply to the new posts.

I thought I would write up an installment Friday afternoon or over the weekend but, life happened, and trip reporting didn't happen.

Since my boss is in court out of town this morning, I've started writing an installment and should have it up soon. Hang in there!

[Villainess]

Page 5 already? OMG! Well, better late than never. Cannot wait for your 1st installment!

[TinksThree]

Hey there! Oh yeah....PK's are definitely T.R.O.U.B.L.E.! Well, that is until someone like me starts cracking the whip. :rotfl: Nah, I'm just playing. John did do quite a few things that startled me when I heard about them but they were all good honest fun....nothing criminal...thank gooness!

Oh my gosh, it's so funny to hear that Hunter left an impression because Madison did too! As a matter of fact, John asked him if he had gotten Madison's number so he could call and check in with her. When Hunter told him that he hadn't, John couldn't believe it.

You are too funny....a DisBoard Celebrity. I hadn't even thought about it until I was approached by a fellow Diser who called me that.

I had really good friends growing up that were PKs and we always had fun getting them into "trouble"! LOL But like you said good honest fun....nothing criminal!! :rotfl:

That is really funny about Hutner too! Madison giggled all the way to the bus stop. Too cute! :)

[Angies1274]

Hey Angie! Any Disney trips in your future? I'd love to see pictures of your boys to see how much they've grown. Feel free to post a few here.

Hi Lisa!:goodvibes Yes! We are planning a Disney trip!:yay: We've decided to head back again next April for the F&G Festival. We're so excited...we really missed not being able to go this year. Oh and the boys are getting so big. Nick is as tall as I am and of course loving it!:rotfl: Noah isn't far behind either.:rolleyes1 Here's a couple pics from our quick weekend trip in April.
http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g445/angies1237/113-3.jpghttp://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g445/angies1237/278-2-1.jpg

[mickeystoontown]

Finally, finally May 24th had arrived. We had been counting down to this trip for a year now and were more than ready to hit the road. Unfortunately, hitting the road would come some eleven hours later than when our day started.

At the booty crack of dawn, John was off to work and I was lying in bed checking things off my mental "did we pack so-and-so" list. I didn't have to get up and get ready for work for another hour or so but I couldn't go back to sleep. After lying there for a while, I gave up trying and went ahead and got up. I threw the last load of clothes in the washing machine and turned on the dishwasher.

By that time, Lacey was wide awake and came in to ask what she and Hunter needed to be doing during the day. It was the standard....a) take out all garbage; b) clean the litter box at the very last minute; c) put out the food for both the cat and dog so that my sister and niece would have it handy; d) let Oddball (our dog) run around as much as he could during the day because he wouldn't be getting out much while we were gone; e) make sure all the rooms were tidy; f) toss my curling iron and the hair dryer in the overnight bag (couldn't do that before I left because they were still warm from my using them), etc. She said she'd make sure it was all done before I got home from work. It sure is nice having that extra set of hands around and I'll miss 'em when she gets married.

I was extremly proud of my family because we had, for once, gotten all of our suitcases packed a couple of days before we were scheduled to leave. That may not sound like an amazing feat to most of you but it is for us....especially, for John. Bless his little Southern heart, the man is as slow as molasses. He talks slow. He walks slow. He packs slow! :sad2: But, I love him and I've pretty much got him well trained so I think I'll keep him. :rotfl:

Anyway, I finished getting ready for work and was about to walk out the door when I remembered to snap a couple of pictures of some of our things we had gathered together:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0257.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0258.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0259.jpg

The hours at work seemed to draaaaaaag by! I talked to John at lunch time and he said that he'd take his shower when he got home and then start loading Mama's van.

Wait..........did I tell ya'll we were taking Mama's van to Walt Disney World? The van is at least ten years old but it only has 70,000 miles on it and she had it checked out a week or so before we were scheduled to leave. The guy at the shop said it looked like it was good to go. Yay! We initially said we would go in my car but decided to go in the van since there would be more room to spread out.

Anyway, John said he and the kids would load our stuff as well as Mama's stuff in the van. I reminded him to make sure the three overnight bags were on the top because we'd be stopping on the road our first night. Well, not literally on the road, we were going to stay at a hotel but........:laughing:

Fortunately for me, my boss had been moving from one house to another and had been a bit preoccupied, thus it made my workload a bit less than normal. His fiance was coming in from South Carolina the week that I would be gone so that was another plus and kept his mind off the office. That's not to say that I wasn't busy 'cause I was. I just wasn't as busy as I usually was.

At about 3:30 p.m., my boss said he was leaving to go meet some repair/installation/something-or-other guy at his new house and for me to have a good time on vacation. Adios Amigos! Get thy booty out of the office so I can start wrapping things up buddy! If he was leaving early, then by-golly, I was leaving early too! Sounds like a plan doesn't it? It was!

I had one set of papers on my desk that was waiting for a client to come by and sign. Of course, they called and said they were on their way and would be at the office at 4:00 p.m. 4:00 rolled around and they weren't here. They called and apologized and said they were about 10 minutes away. Come on already! Didn't they know that I was ready to leave? When the arrived, I got their signature on the paperwork and, in my nice charming way, walked them to the door so they wouldn't stick around and chat.

When they hit the door, I turned off the computers, copy machine, lines, etc., picked up my purse and out the door I went. I was in my car and over the bridge, headed towards the bank. (My boss wrote my check ahead of time and I was stopping by to deposit it.) There was a mail box at the bank so I put the office mail in it and, when I started down the road it was:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0260.jpg

Not a lot earlier than I would normally start home but at least I had gotten my errands run and was on my way. I called John and told him I was about 10 minutes from home. He said they had all of the luggage in the van and he was filling up the small collapsible ice chest as we spoke. All I had to do was come home, change my clothes and put the maps and snack bag in the van.

Last year, as I was driving home, there were dark ominous clouds in the sky. This year, there were just a few white fluffy clouds.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0262.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0263.jpg

I made it home and everybody was waiting for me. I changed out of my work clothes and threw on some comfortable riding clothes. We had a long drive ahead of us and I needed to be comfortable. After a quick walk through of the house, it was determined that everything was turned off and we were ready to go! :dance3: In between changing clothes and doing the walk through, I scarfed down a sandwich Lacey had made me before I got home.

We left our driveway at:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0265.jpg

I took this picture while we were at the redlight and before getting onto the interstate.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0266.jpg

As you can see, John was already getting cozy in the backseat. He had been up since 4:45 that morning and was ready for a nap. Lacey and Hunter were in the middle seat and Hunter was talking about pulling out the portable DVD player. By the time we were on the interstate, a grand total of 6 whole minutes, Hunter was in the snack bag and ready to eat some Life Saver gummies:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0269.jpg

As I said just a while ago, last year, the skies were dark and cloudy and it rained on us during our first leg of the trip. This year, it was totally different. The sun was shinin' and the birds were chirpin' and we were all talkin'. It's so exciting to start a road trip. Especially, a road trip to Walt Disney World!

Between our house and Vicksburg, Mississippi, it's pretty much all farm land. There's crops on the left and crops on the right. As we were driving along, I saw an eighteen wheeler in front of us pulling a trailer that was all twisted up. I mean, seriously twisted. It looked dangerous and shouldn't be on the road. Of course, me being me, I had to take a picture:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0270.jpg

Or two:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0271.jpg

And, a few pictures of the crops and the irrigation system they use:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0273.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0274.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0275.jpg

I also snapped a picture of the first water tower I saw on the trip. This one is in Start, Louisiana, the town where Tim McGraw grew up and still holds an annual fund raiser in.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0272.jpg

Round hay bales in a field:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0276.jpg

**Continued in next post

[407-W-DISNEY]

Yeah! The drive has begun!
What a GREAT idea to put shoes in the see-thru comforter bag!! I never thought to do that....will do from now on!!!

For some reason I didn't see the updated pic of Hunter...I kept seeing readers comment on how much he has grown....WELL, I saw the pic of him in the van....OMG....he has grown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW...he's turning into a very handsome young man!

Looking forward to reading more...

[ddstratton]

Looks like a great day to start a road trip! Sunny and gorgeous. :cool1:

[mickeystoontown]

As I mentioned in my pre-trip report, we usually stop in Vicksburg, Mississippi at McDonald's but, this year, we wanted to see the flood waters. We had seen pictures of the river and the flooding on television and in the newspapers but we wanted to see it for ourselves. Instead of spending the time at McDonald's, our plan was to stop at the Mississippi Visitor's Center and take pictures.

Our plans changed when we started seeing the Mississippi River bridge ahead of us. They had the right lanes blocked off.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0277.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0279.jpg

Right after that, we could see what my Mama called "backwater"....the water outside the banks of the river. I had never ever seen it that high. I bet we could have leaned over the edge of the ramp of the bridge and touched the water. It was unbelievable:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0278.jpg

It was a bit hard to take pictures since we were in the inside lane of the bridge. But, the water was so high that it looked like the barges on the river were almost even with us. Okay, I guess that's a slight exaggeration but, seriously, you usually have to look down to see the barges. Now, we only had to look straight out.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0280.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0281.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0282.jpg

It was simply incredible to see how high the water was. My 77 year old mother said she had no memories of it ever being that high.

Instead of getting off the interstate at the Visitor's Center, we decided to continue on and we soon saw the Welcome to Mississippi sign:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0285.jpg

It was then that I spotted another water tower and I got the idea to take a picture of each water tower I saw along the way to Disney. (You'll see later on that I didn't do so good at getting a clear picture but it was a fun game to spot them and try to take a picture before we were past them.)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0287.jpg

Somewhere between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Jackson, Mississippi, I took this one:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0288.jpg

And then we saw this:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0289.jpg

A closer one:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0290.jpg

We've always called it the mini Spaceship Earth/Epcot ball and, thanks to TinksThree, I now know that it's some sort of sports arena.

We made it to Richland, Mississippi:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0292.jpg

During the week before we left for our trip, I told Hunter that I was going to make a list of all sorts of crazy/random stuff to look for during our drive. I said something like a giant monkey and a purple van. Hunter said a fat bald guy sitting on a bench and a giant cowboy. Just random stuff. However, I forgot to make the list. That didn't mean, however, that we weren't on the look out for random things.

Random things like this giant can of paint:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0293.jpg

Or this church that looks like it ran into a lighthouse:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0294.jpg

Or a giant metal knight. Okay, so you can't really see it in this picture but if you squint your eyes really hard and look to the far right of the picture, you can barely make out his sword that's pointed downward:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0295.jpg

As you can see, it was starting to get dusky out and Lacey and John were out like a light. I saw another water tower and got Hunter to take a picture. You can see Lacey's reflection in the window and her head all sideways 'cause she's asleep:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0296.jpg

At some point in time between Jackson and Mobile, our tummies were telling us that they were hungry. Not really hungry for anything big but for something. We also needed gas so we stopped at a Burger King that was up on a hill and had the raggediess (that's crappy with lots of potholes) road leading up to it. We bounced our way up and into the parking lot. The gas station was right next door so that was convenient. The kiddos with their Burger King bags:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0297.jpg

***Up next, we've made it to Mobile, Alabama, home of racefanof88!

[PirateKate]

The drive seems to be going pretty well so far. That twisted truck looked pretty funny. I would have been nervous driving next to that. :eek:

[lbuzz52]

That river flooding was really something wasn't it? it was high enough near my house that it closed my husband's work for a couple weeks.

[longing2Batdisney]

Great start! great idea on the van....I always wish my parents would let us use their's for the trip....although, our next trip will only be the three of us so our car will be fine as long as the luggage fits....

awesome MS river pictures, too bad you were on the outside lane but great shots from where you were! our water was no where near as high as up that way. I remember as the cruise ship was pulling out I told Danny look at St Louis Catherdral it looks like the river is as high as it's spears.

[MissLiz]

Great start!!!

Awesome idea of the water towers! That had to be fun!

As always, I love all the pictures! It makes me feel like I'm on the trip with y'all!

[rndmr2]

Great Start! That's crazy how high the Mississippi water is.

[Queila]

Great start! I LOVE road trips! :) Great random pictures, specially the one about the church that ran into a lighthouse. ;)

Q

[Villainess]

Great start! Glad to hear you were able to get out of work a bit early and there were clear skies!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great start! That must have been so crazy to see the water so high! I'm glad to see you had clear skies so far for your road trip!

(oh, and I'm totally the person in the car breaking into the snacks while still in the driveway. One time my friends and I were driving home for a few hours, and I kept complaining that I was hungry. Hungreeeeee.

And so forth.

It wasn't until a long time of this (no my friends aren't cruel, we were just not passing any restaurants for awhile) that someone FINALLY remembered that we had chips and snacks in the car. That were conveniently located under my seat. And had been for all that time :rotfl:)

[Caretames1]

WOW, Hunter has for sure grown alot since last year! What a nice start for your trip. I love all the random photos.
Anyone for a road trip, Lisa sure makes it look like fun!

[PlutosRHM55]

I can't believe how high those waters were. I've seen some pretty bad floods, but that's crazy right there, wow! Luckily you weren't there when it happened. ::yes:: Anyways, I love the little half EPCOT ball you saw, so awesome you found something like that :thumbsup2 And the spilled paint can was pretty awesome as well. The things you can find on long driving trips. I think its great you get photos. Hopefully those photos are just as good as the photos you took in Disney (: Can't wait to see what else you found on the road trip! :mickeyjum

[CreightonsMomma]

What a great idea to take pictures of water towers. I always plan to do things like that and then I end up forgetting. :laughing:

[ronnmel]

It's crazy how high the water is in that picture.

Seeing John all stretched out in the back seat made me think of something that's bothering me. DH's DD (12) likes to sit in the middle of the back seat. When she's tired, she'll lie die on her side to sleep, so her head is on the seat close to the door. I hate it when she does that, as I'm always afraid that if we get hit sideways her head will take the brunt of the impact. (I was into a car accident 3 years ago and that's exactly where we got hit). Is it just me being an over-protective (step-)mother or do I have a reason to be worried?

[PhoenixStrength]

My first trip we took my Mom's Chevy Lumina minivan and drove through the night, starting at 10pm. I had the back seats and my younger sisters had the middle bench. My youngest sister (named Lisa :laughing: ) couldn't sleep so she talked the entire way down. None of us got a minute of sleep. :headache:

I love the pictures! The Mississippi River definitely looks high! I have only seen it once, and it was further north (I don't remember which state), but that looks very high. And I like the different shots of odd things, that is something I would definitely do. In fact, I'm driving from MD to Utah this October (over 3 days) and will probably do just that :goodvibes

[jenseib]

Yay, so happy you started. You are kind of maiking me want to go on a road trip. I haven't been on anything very far lately...but of course once we did go, I would complain the drive is too long. LOL!
I keep hinting to Skip to go to Wisconsin for a tractor pull, but he keeps saying no, so I guess we aren't. But that usually is a fun trip.
I love the water tower idea. That sound like a fun way to pass the time.

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Hi Lisa,
Great start! I love the pictures of the luggage/snacks ready for loading into the van - it's exciting to me when we pack up our car to go to WDW, after all the months of planning and counting down the days it's finally time to go! :) I also enjoy all your random road trip pictures - it does make it seem like I'm really along for the ride with your fun family. You are making me excited for our upcoming trip!

I'm so glad you got to take one last trip with Lacey before she gets married - maybe on an upcoming trip you'll have to request 3 rooms connecting/close together. One for you, John and Hunter, one for Lacey and Jesse and one for Mama. :wizard:

[ddstratton]

I love a van for a road trip! Much more comfy for five people than a sedan. I just got rid of my old van, though. We'll have to see how our next road trip goes -- four people in a Subaru Outback!

[Caretames1]

I keep hinting to Skip to go to Wisconsin for a tractor pull, but he keeps saying no, so I guess we aren't. But that usually is a fun trip.

OH, Wisconsin! You should go, it's a nice place and cool people live there!:lmao:

[jenseib]

OH, Wisconsin! You should go, it's a nice place and cool people live there!:lmao:

I've heard that! LOL!

We haven't gone in a few years, but I always enjoy it. How close are you to Tomah?

[Caretames1]

I've heard that! LOL!

We haven't gone in a few years, but I always enjoy it. How close are you to Tomah?


Tomah is a little more than 2 hours southwest of me. I live in Manawa.I guess if there is something we're know for, it's the big Mid-Western Rodeo every July (first weekend). Don't tell DH, but some of those cowboys are yummy:rolleyes1

[johnsonmatt3]

My father was a semi driver and without talking to him I can tell you that that trailer is actually legal. The company would have inspected it and the truck weigh stations would have inspected it. The only drawback is that they cannot haul anything in it. They were probably transporting it to get it fixed. Great start to the trip by the way.

[aprilisis]

Great update! Hunter has grown so much in a year! I love your photos of the random things & all of the water towers. I have to say- I love your reports of the drive as much as the reports in Disney!

[charming23]

Great Start! I love all the pics of random items you found along the road. What a great way to keep busy on a long road trip.

[Tiggerrn2]

Yay!!! You've started. Something good to do with my time until we leave for our Disneyland (oh, sorry, I guess it's supposed to be a Southern CA vacation) vacation.:lmao:

[TinksThree]

Love this update! I tried to take pictures but I was driving and everyone freaked out when I picked up the camera. So my road trip only had a couple of pictures for the trip down... We play games too in the car. I just love road trips!! They are so much fun!!!

It was a bit hard to take pictures since we were in the inside lane of the bridge. But, the water was so high that it looked like the barges on the river were almost even with us. Okay, I guess that's a slight exaggeration but, seriously, you usually have to look down to see the barges. Now, we only had to look straight out.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0280.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0281.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0282.jpg

It was crazy how high the water got!! And it still lingers in some places!!

And then we saw this:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0289.jpg

A closer one:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0290.jpg

We've always called it the mini Spaceship Eart/Epcot ball and, thanks to TinksThree, I now know that it's some sort of sports arena.

Hey that's me!! :banana: So glad I could help out with that bit of trivia!! Hee Hee!! :)

We made it to Richland, Mississippi:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0292.jpg

My neck of the woods!! You just passed "my" Wal-Mart!! Boy these things look familiar!!



Random things like this giant can of paint:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0293.jpg

Or this church that looks like it ran into a lighthouse:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0294.jpg

Or a giant metal knight. Okay, so you can't really see it in this picture but if you squint your eyes really hard and look to the far right of the picture, you can barely make out his sword that's pointed downward:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0295.jpg

Madison plays soccer not far from these lovely icons!! See them often...ahhh, Americana!! :rotfl:



Since we had a different starting point this trip we didn't get to travel these roads...I so totally missed it. I10 is BORING!!! I love 98 West eading to Mobile and getting into Wilbur, AL and Semmes....makes me really feel like I am on a road trip!! Can't wait for more!!

[mommytothreeboys]

I'm so glad your trip started with some sunshine after last year's rain. :thumbsup2 How nice that your kids helped so much with the getting ready to go process...I wish mine were so helpful! Maybe someday!

I love all the water tower pics. What a great idea! ;)

LOL.....5 minutes into the trip John is sleeping! When is his phone going to ring?? :lmao:

[TinksThree]

I meant to mention a little tidbit of info you may or may not know: you passed through Start, LA where Tim McGraw is from but you also passed through Star, MS where Faith Hill is from. It is just south of the Richland/Florence area on HWY49. The only thing really marking Star is a convenience store and a red light.

We have a friend from Rayville that grew up with Tim. She goes to the fundraiser every year and we keep saying we are going to go but have yet to make it. She gets back stage....I really need to make that effort to go!! :goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

Saw your wonderful pictures on the CBR thread and headed over to hear about your adventures. We are headed to CBR next month for the first time. I can't wait!!!!!

Welcome! I took so many pictures of the resort and will be posting more soon! I bet you are about to bust to get to Disney. If I could go again right now, I would.

It feels great! It's going to feel even better in 3 weeks when school is over, and 1000x better when we honeymoon in Disney. Less than 2 months, woohoo! :cool1: Until then, I'm getting my Disney fix by following TR like yours. :hippie:

I am sure you are ready for school to be over with and for the honeymoon in Disney to start!

Yay! I love your trip reports. Hopefully this will help to tide me over until August.

Hey there! I'm so glad that you decided to join me.

How did I miss 4 pages?!?!?!

Anyway, I'm here and I'm going back to actually read! Can't wait!




Okay, I read your first installment and it's great, as usual! You and John look lovely as ever! Lacey is so beautiful and how the heck did Hunter change from being a cute kid to a handsome young man?!?!?! It's crazy, I tell you!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

Welcome aboard again! Thank you so much for the compliments on the pictures. Hunter has grown so much the last year. He's getting "buff" from all of his football workouts and loves showing off his muscles.

Hi Lisa! :wave2: I caught the tail end of your last TR so I just lurked and have been anticipating the start of this one. I can't wait to read all about your adventures!

Yay for you getting in on the beginning of a trip report! I hope that I can keep you entertained along the way.

[Cory's Gal]

Hi Lisa! I have read a couple of your past TR so I was excited to see you started a new one! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I can't believe how high those floodwaters are, we had some flooding up here in MN but nothing like that! I like the idea of spotting odd things along the road and the water towers too! I will have to keep that in mind when we take car trips this summer!

So nice you are able to enjoy a wonderful family vacation all together before Lacey gets married :goodvibes Can't wait for the next update!

~Beth

[mickeystoontown]

Sounds like this will be a fun report... I'm in! (:

Thanks for joining in! We are a pretty fun loving family and I like to take lots of pictures so I hope I can keep you entertained.

I'm joining in. I've read bits and pieces of your other TRs and they always make me do this: :lmao:. I'm sure this will be more of the same!

The way you feel about Lacey moving to Tennessee sounds like my mom. I want to go to Florida for grad school next year and she keeps freaking out that I'll be 1500 miles away.

Hunter has gotten really tall!

I'm excited to see more pictures of Caribbean Beach, it always looks so pretty. :goodvibes

Welcome to the latest report! I think I'm going to handle Lacey moving pretty well. She's already lived away from home for three years in Georgia so I should be okay with Knoxville. Hopefully, you'll get to go to grad school in Florida. It'd give your mom a reason to come visit.

Thanks!! We really enjoyed POFQ. Our vacatin plans are CHANGING!!!! Again. :rotfl2: We're not going this year now. Not to Florida/Disney, anyway. We'll be taking a short trip to Virginia/Washington DC. Then next year - either May or October, haven't decided yet - we'll be making a Disney trip. And I haven't decided which resort for that! It'll either be Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs..... Trying to decide now.

My word, your plans certainly have changed. I'd love to go to Virginia/Washington DC. Lacey's been to DC and hated it but, she was working at a conference so she didn't get to see a whole lot either.

Oooh, if you go in May do you know what dates? We are going May 23rd through June 2nd. I'd love it if our dates overlapped and we could meet each other.

OK, all caught up!

I did recognize some of those other TR!! You have a very creative style -- I love it!

That is too funny about your daughter skipping school ... to go to church prayer meeting. If only that would be the worse thing our kids would do!

Love the picture of you and your DH! You both look so cute together!

I love writing and, fortunately, I have a pretty funny family so it's not hard to write about all of our adventures.

Yeah, I didn't know what in the world to do when Lacey's principal called and said she was skipping school. Then, I found out she was going to prayer meeting. You CAN'T punish a girl for that!

Can I join in? :flower3:

We are staying at CBR for the first time in October and I am really excited! I saw your pictures on the CBR picture thread so I thought I would come over and join in! I caught your last trip report at the very end, so I'm glad I got in early this time.

Well of course you can join in! Believe me when I tell you that pictures do not do the CBR justice. It's so much prettier in person. What I wouldn't give to be swaying back in forth in one of those hammocks right now!

Page 5 already? OMG! Well, better late than never. Cannot wait for your 1st installment!

Welcome! As you said, better late than never. You didn't miss much anyway besides the intro.

I had really good friends growing up that were PKs and we always had fun getting them into "trouble"! LOL But like you said good honest fun....nothing criminal!! :rotfl:

That is really funny about Hutner too! Madison giggled all the way to the bus stop. Too cute! :)

John did the typical rebellious PK things like speeding tickets, having a drink or two here and there, staying out past curfew. Not bad things per se but they were definitely bad in his parents' eyes.

Hunter was smitten too! Ahhh, to be young again.

Hi Lisa!:goodvibes Yes! We are planning a Disney trip!:yay: We've decided to head back again next April for the F&G Festival. We're so excited...we really missed not being able to go this year. Oh and the boys are getting so big. Nick is as tall as I am and of course loving it!:rotfl: Noah isn't far behind either.:rolleyes1 Here's a couple pics from our quick weekend trip in April.
http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g445/angies1237/113-3.jpghttp://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g445/angies1237/278-2-1.jpg

Oh my word! The boys have grown up so much! Isn't it amazing how they are turning from little boys into young men. Kinda makes a mama sad in a way.

I am so excited that ya'll are going back to Disney. You did see that the 2012 rates are out already didn't you. I can't believe that they released them this early. It's usually August when they come out. You simply must give me the details when you figure out where you're staying, dates, etc.

[jenseib]

Tomah is a little more than 2 hours southwest of me. I live in Manawa.I guess if there is something we're know for, it's the big Mid-Western Rodeo every July (first weekend). Don't tell DH, but some of those cowboys are yummy:rolleyes1

Darn. Probably too far then. I don't think we are going, but then again, he's famous for last minute decisions. Last time we went we had a car with us as well (usually do just the truck that pulls the trailor) and Claire and I took off for the day and went over to the Mall of America. Skip thought we were crazy for driving over 2 hours to get there, but I told him we were actually probably the closest we would ever be, so we wanted to go and see it. A girl I know from a parenting board lives there and she met up with us and we spent part of the afternoon together shopping. It was a fun day and we didn't get back to Tomah till late, and Skip was sleeping. It was a really nice getaway.

[GrammyJudy]

I have been waiting for you trip report...can't wait to hear all about it. I am one of your biggest fans! LOVE your reports make me feel like I am there

[mickeystoontown]

Yeah! The drive has begun!
What a GREAT idea to put shoes in the see-thru comforter bag!! I never thought to do that....will do from now on!!!

For some reason I didn't see the updated pic of Hunter...I kept seeing readers comment on how much he has grown....WELL, I saw the pic of him in the van....OMG....he has grown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW...he's turning into a very handsome young man!

Looking forward to reading more...

When I bought my last comforter, I told John I was going to save the bag. He looked at me like I was nutso. It's perfect for putting all your shoes in and, if they happen to get dirty (or perhaps stinky) during the trip, they don't get dirt all over the rest of your stuff.

Can you believe how much Hunter has grown! The boy is now taller than me!

Looks like a great day to start a road trip! Sunny and gorgeous. :cool1:

And I was thankful for that sunshine! Last year's trip was raining and I hate driving in the rain.

The drive seems to be going pretty well so far. That twisted truck looked pretty funny. I would have been nervous driving next to that. :eek:

I was giving the van the gas when I got next to the truck. I wasn't driving anywhere near that thing.

That river flooding was really something wasn't it? it was high enough near my house that it closed my husband's work for a couple weeks.

Oh my! How close are you to the Mississippi?

[mickeystoontown]

Great start! great idea on the van....I always wish my parents would let us use their's for the trip....although, our next trip will only be the three of us so our car will be fine as long as the luggage fits....

awesome MS river pictures, too bad you were on the outside lane but great shots from where you were! our water was no where near as high as up that way. I remember as the cruise ship was pulling out I told Danny look at St Louis Catherdral it looks like the river is as high as it's spears.

I was not used to driving Mama's van but it wasn't too bad. It did give us more leg room though.

I couldn't believe how high the Mississippi was. it was scary!

Great start!!!

Awesome idea of the water towers! That had to be fun!

As always, I love all the pictures! It makes me feel like I'm on the trip with y'all!

I wish I had more pictures of our random things but we would spot them and be past them before I could take a picture.

Great Start! That's crazy how high the Mississippi water is.

I know! I couldn't believe the water!

Great start! I LOVE road trips! :) Great random pictures, specially the one about the church that ran into a lighthouse. ;)

Q

The lighthouse church looks so odd to me.

Great start! Glad to hear you were able to get out of work a bit early and there were clear skies!

I was happy to leave work early even if it wasn't super early. I'll take any extra time I can get.

[mickeystoontown]

Great start! That must have been so crazy to see the water so high! I'm glad to see you had clear skies so far for your road trip!

(oh, and I'm totally the person in the car breaking into the snacks while still in the driveway. One time my friends and I were driving home for a few hours, and I kept complaining that I was hungry. Hungreeeeee.

And so forth.

It wasn't until a long time of this (no my friends aren't cruel, we were just not passing any restaurants for awhile) that someone FINALLY remembered that we had chips and snacks in the car. That were conveniently located under my seat. And had been for all that time :rotfl:)

We usually take bets on how quickly Hunter will take out: 1) the DVD player and, 2) the snacks.

There's something about knowing there are snacks in the car that make you suddenly hungry. :rolleyes:

WOW, Hunter has for sure grown alot since last year! What a nice start for your trip. I love all the random photos.
Anyone for a road trip, Lisa sure makes it look like fun!

I know! He's growing like a weed! I try to make the drive as fun as possible. Of course, most of my group was asleep while I was driving but that was okay too.

I can't believe how high those waters were. I've seen some pretty bad floods, but that's crazy right there, wow! Luckily you weren't there when it happened. ::yes:: Anyways, I love the little half EPCOT ball you saw, so awesome you found something like that :thumbsup2 And the spilled paint can was pretty awesome as well. The things you can find on long driving trips. I think its great you get photos. Hopefully those photos are just as good as the photos you took in Disney (: Can't wait to see what else you found on the road trip! :mickeyjum

I simply could not believe the flood waters. And, they had gone down some! I love looking for all those random things. It makes the drive so much more fun.

What a great idea to take pictures of water towers. I always plan to do things like that and then I end up forgetting. :laughing:

Yeah, I sometimes forgot too or we'd already be past one before I'd remember.

It's crazy how high the water is in that picture.

Seeing John all stretched out in the back seat made me think of something that's bothering me. DH's DD (12) likes to sit in the middle of the back seat. When she's tired, she'll lie die on her side to sleep, so her head is on the seat close to the door. I hate it when she does that, as I'm always afraid that if we get hit sideways her head will take the brunt of the impact. (I was into a car accident 3 years ago and that's exactly where we got hit). Is it just me being an over-protective (step-)mother or do I have a reason to be worried?

I remember when we were kids and my parents wouldn't even let me lean against the car door. They always told me it wasn't safe because it could come open. So, I am like you. I wouldn't like it too much if her head was that close to the door.

My first trip we took my Mom's Chevy Lumina minivan and drove through the night, starting at 10pm. I had the back seats and my younger sisters had the middle bench. My youngest sister (named Lisa :laughing: ) couldn't sleep so she talked the entire way down. None of us got a minute of sleep. :headache:

I love the pictures! The Mississippi River definitely looks high! I have only seen it once, and it was further north (I don't remember which state), but that looks very high. And I like the different shots of odd things, that is something I would definitely do. In fact, I'm driving from MD to Utah this October (over 3 days) and will probably do just that :goodvibes

We are all chatterboxes too. Well, at least everybody but John. He talks but only when it's a subject that's interesting to him. Most of the drive, he was catching up on his sleep.

You definitely need to look for odd/random things while driving. It's amazing what kind of stuff is out there.

Yay, so happy you started. You are kind of maiking me want to go on a road trip. I haven't been on anything very far lately...but of course once we did go, I would complain the drive is too long. LOL!
I keep hinting to Skip to go to Wisconsin for a tractor pull, but he keeps saying no, so I guess we aren't. But that usually is a fun trip.
I love the water tower idea. That sound like a fun way to pass the time.

I really don't mind road trips at all. Even though we live in a semi-large city, there's nothing to do besides shop, eat and go to the movies. So, if we want to do anything, we have to drive at least two or three hours to get there.

[Bridora]

And, a few pictures of the crops and the irrigation system they use:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0273.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0274.jpg



Growing up out in the country, we passed many fields and farms that used those for irrigation. My brother was always afraid of them and called them the monsters. They were pretty creepy looking, especially lit up at night!

Great start on your trip report! I can't wait to read more and figure out why we didn't see each other...:goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

Hi Lisa,
Great start! I love the pictures of the luggage/snacks ready for loading into the van - it's exciting to me when we pack up our car to go to WDW, after all the months of planning and counting down the days it's finally time to go! :) I also enjoy all your random road trip pictures - it does make it seem like I'm really along for the ride with your fun family. You are making me excited for our upcoming trip!

I'm so glad you got to take one last trip with Lacey before she gets married - maybe on an upcoming trip you'll have to request 3 rooms connecting/close together. One for you, John and Hunter, one for Lacey and Jesse and one for Mama. :wizard:

I am all about pictures and I love it when somebody else appreciates them along with me. ;)

I mentioned to Hunter one day that this was our last trip to Disney with Lacey. He immediately said "No it's not. Jesse can come too."

I love a van for a road trip! Much more comfy for five people than a sedan. I just got rid of my old van, though. We'll have to see how our next road trip goes -- four people in a Subaru Outback!

We have a Taurus and you'd think there's not a lot of room in it but there is. Especially in the trunk. I could fit a refrigerator in there. LOL! However, I didn't want to cram 5 people in my car so the van worked out well.

My father was a semi driver and without talking to him I can tell you that that trailer is actually legal. The company would have inspected it and the truck weigh stations would have inspected it. The only drawback is that they cannot haul anything in it. They were probably transporting it to get it fixed. Great start to the trip by the way.

That's scary! I certainly didn't want to drive anywhere near it and passed it as quickly as I could.

Great update! Hunter has grown so much in a year! I love your photos of the random things & all of the water towers. I have to say- I love your reports of the drive as much as the reports in Disney!

Aww, that's nice. I had to take pictures of something during the long drive.

Great Start! I love all the pics of random items you found along the road. What a great way to keep busy on a long road trip.

You know, you can only talk about so much while on the road for so long. Finding those random things helped perk up the conversation.

Yay!!! You've started. Something good to do with my time until we leave for our Disneyland (oh, sorry, I guess it's supposed to be a Southern CA vacation) vacation.:lmao:

Welcome! We've talked about going to Disneyland and I even bought a guidebook or two. Are you planning on doing a trip report when you get back?

I'm so glad your trip started with some sunshine after last year's rain. :thumbsup2 How nice that your kids helped so much with the getting ready to go process...I wish mine were so helpful! Maybe someday!

I love all the water tower pics. What a great idea! ;)

LOL.....5 minutes into the trip John is sleeping! When is his phone going to ring?? :lmao:

Lacey and Hunter were a great help getting all of the little things done at the house. Lacey is definitely a hard worker. You can give her any task and she'll get it done. Hunter, on the other hand, has to be told a few times before he'll get up and do it.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at John's resting and telephone habits this trip.

I meant to mention a little tidbit of info you may or may not know: you passed through Start, LA where Tim McGraw is from but you also passed through Star, MS where Faith Hill is from. It is just south of the Richland/Florence area on HWY49. The only thing really marking Star is a convenience store and a red light.

We have a friend from Rayville that grew up with Tim. She goes to the fundraiser every year and we keep saying we are going to go but have yet to make it. She gets back stage....I really need to make that effort to go!! :goodvibes

I tried getting a picture of the Star, Mississippi sign because I knew that's where Faith is from. I also wanted to take one in Magee since that's where Gerald McRaney is from.

Oh honey, you've GOT to go to Rayville and Tim's fundraiser. I would jump on that chance in a heartbeat and I'm not even a super big fan of his.

Hi Lisa! I have read a couple of your past TR so I was excited to see you started a new one! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I can't believe how high those floodwaters are, we had some flooding up here in MN but nothing like that! I like the idea of spotting odd things along the road and the water towers too! I will have to keep that in mind when we take car trips this summer!

So nice you are able to enjoy a wonderful family vacation all together before Lacey gets married :goodvibes Can't wait for the next update!

~Beth

Welcome Beth! The flood water was astounding to me and I can only imagine how the local residents felt.

It was so nice to spend quality time together as a family because I know that we won't see Lacey much once she moves to Knoxville. I see lots of trips to Tennessee in my future.

I have been waiting for you trip report...can't wait to hear all about it. I am one of your biggest fans! LOVE your reports make me feel like I am there

Hey there and welcome! I hope I can keep you entertained with my family's antics.

[mickeystoontown]

Growing up out in the country, we passed many fields and farms that used those for irrigation. My brother was always afraid of them and called them the monsters. They were pretty creepy looking, especially lit up at night!

Great start on your trip report! I can't wait to read more and figure out why we didn't see each other...:goodvibes

I can see how he would have thought they were monsters/aliens. Like I said, I looked for ya'll all over the place. Are ya'll going back next May? We've already set the dates: May 23rd to June 2nd.

[ddstratton]

We have a Taurus and you'd think there's not a lot of room in it but there is. Especially in the trunk. I could fit a refrigerator in there. LOL! However, I didn't want to cram 5 people in my car so the van worked out well.

We had a Taurus, too! We drove it on one of our Smokey Mountain vacations, with the four of us. We had enough space. I think the trunk on that was larger than the trunk/hatchback area on my Outback! If we end up going in May, we might overlap a few days! I'm not sure if it'll be May or October, though. DH and I both have birthdays near the end of October...

[mickeystoontown]

We had a Taurus, too! We drove it on one of our Smokey Mountain vacations, with the four of us. We had enough space. I think the trunk on that was larger than the trunk/hatchback area on my Outback! If we end up going in May, we might overlap a few days! I'm not sure if it'll be May or October, though. DH and I both have birthdays near the end of October...

I am always amazed at how much we can get in my trunk. And, really, we have a pretty good bit of leg room in the car too.

You'll have to keep me updated on your plans.

[Woth2982]

Loving the start of your report! I love taking road trips with my friends. We don't take a lot of pictures on the road for whatever reason, so I am loving all your road photos!

[Marshay]

All caught up! Love the pics of 'kooky' things along the way!

That water was high-- the barges seemed nearly even with the bridge (ok, not really but I can tell)

Also, like the way you escorted the client out the door so he wouldn't stay to talk! You got a vacation to do!!

[mickeystoontown]

Loving the start of your report! I love taking road trips with my friends. We don't take a lot of pictures on the road for whatever reason, so I am loving all your road photos!

Thank you so much! I have my camera with me 75% of the time because I love taking pictures.

All caught up! Love the pics of 'kooky' things along the way!

That water was high-- the barges seemed nearly even with the bridge (ok, not really but I can tell)

Also, like the way you escorted the client out the door so he wouldn't stay to talk! You got a vacation to do!!

The water was extremely high and it was super scary. I can't imagine what the residents of Vicksburg were feeling.

Oh yeah, the client was one who would have stayed and talked if I had them him. I had a vacation to start so I was gently nudging him out the door.

[mickeystoontown]

Once we had filled our tummies and our gas tank, we hit the road again and, at 10:35 p.m., we were in Mobile, Alabama, home of my friend, Dana (a/k/a racefanof88). As we approached the city, I tried taking a few pictures of the buildings but this is how they turned out:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0298.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0299.jpg

Yeah, not so good. Fortunately, my tunnel pictures turned out better:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0300.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0301.jpg

Being the dorkarama that I am, I had to blow the horn and the kids, being dorkarama offspring, held their breath. :rolleyes: Yeee haw! It's country come to town! :laughing: Seriously, we weren't that bad. I mean, we have been to the bright lights and big city and have even swum in a cement pond before. :rotfl2: (And, yes, I know there is no such word as swum just thought it'd bring out a laugh or two.)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0302.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0304.jpg

Workers in the tunnel:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0305.jpg

Ooops, sorry Mr. Workermen, I hope I didn't blow out your eardrums with my horn honking. :scared1:

As we drove across the water and on towards Pensacola, Florida, John and I talked about how badly damaged the bridges were after Katrina. It was horrible. When we went to Disney that trip, they were rebuilding/repairing the bridges and they were almost nothing but metal and pilings. When we drove across them, your car kinda wobbled back and forth. It was a bit unnerving.

We were approaching Pensacola, Florida and we quickly took a poll. Should we stop in Pensacola or go on to Crestview? Everybody voted to go to Crestview so we continued on. It was 12:44 a.m., when we pulled into the Jameson Inn in Crestview, Florida. I know because I have my handy dandy notebook with me and that's what I wrote down. :thumbsup2

John and Mama went in to get rooms while the rest of us waiting in the van and started gathering up all the stuff that had somehow gotten strewn around. They came out a few minutes later and we had rooms beside each other and they were $86.00 each. We got a AAA discount and Mama got a Senior discount. John can always get them to lower the price somehow so that's why I always send him in to do the sweet talking.

Because we knew that we would be staying somewhere overnight, we had packed an overnight bag so that we wouldn't have to unload everything. Smart thinking huh! What? Ya'll do the same thing? Heck, I thought I was being smart. :rolleyes:

Anyway, we get to our rooms and Lacey decided she'd sleep in Mama's room. Even though we were all tired, I was of a sane enough mind to remember to take pictures of the room. Who am I kidding? I would have been taking pictures even if they had drug me into the room and laid me down on the bed because I was so tired. :lmao:

Room pictures:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0308.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0311.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0307.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0310.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0309.jpg

More pictures. See I told you we were tired. Just look at our drooping eyelids and sagging shoulders. It was now after 1:00 a.m. for goodness sakes!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0313.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0314.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0315.jpg

Mama asked what time we wanted to get up and I said I had no idea. I didn't want to get up too early but I also didn't want to get up late. I think we finally decided on 7:30 a.m. Lacey and Mama went off to their room and John, Hunter and I fell into bed. With the television playing of course. I don't know why we always do that but we do. :confused3

The next morning, we all went down to the continental breakfast to see what was offered. They had three or four types of cereal (all sugar free of course so Hunter didn't want any), bagels, bread, biscuits, sausage gravy, bananas, oranges, apples, waffles, milk, orange juice and apple juice. We made ourselves toast, waffles and warmed biscuits. It was okay. Nothing spectacular but it filled us up. While we were eating, we saw a USA Today newspaper and I looked to see who had won Dancing With The Stars. Even though we knew she wouldn't win, we were rooting for Kirstie Alley.

We finished up our breakfast and went back upstairs to get our bags. John and Mama turned in our room keys while Lacey and I started putting our stuff back into the van.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0316.jpg



*** Continued in next post


[/IMG]

[mickeystoontown]

The Jameson Inn:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0317.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0318.jpg


I looked down and saw a penny on the ground. I have a knack for finding change on the ground and my family is always amazed when I find it. It's not like I am staring at the ground/floor constantly but I somehow find coins anyway.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0319.jpg

When John and Mama got to the van, Lacey and Hunter told them I had found a penny and we declared that to mean we would have good luck the rest of the trip.


We were back on the road at 8:54 a.m. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping and we were itching. Itching to get to Walt Disney World! We hit the interstate and didn't stop until somebody, probably me :rolleyes1, had to make a pit stop.

The rest areas in Florida are always so nice and clean. And, a lot of them have security which is an added bonus.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0320.jpg

Wait, I forgot something. When we were getting out of the van, Mama reached down to get her purse and said "the floor's wet". I felt of the carpet too and it was a little damp. Not overly so but it was definitely wet. Oh crap! I tried to play it off as if it were nothing. John said it could have been that the air conditioning was dripping because it was so hot outside. We had that happen in one of our other cars so we hoped that was what this was.

On with the pictures. Mama holding her wet-on-the-bottom purse:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0321.jpg

Despite the fact that we hadn't gone very far, (See this YOU ARE HERE map....Crestview, is waaaaay over to the left and we are at the arrow) it felt good to get out and walk around.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0322.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0324.jpg

What's a Mickeystoontown trip report without a picture of John on the phone?

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0325.jpg

He was checking in with his brother. I can't remember the details but I do remember that they had gone to Florida a day or two before us and they had run into severe storms. Storms so bad that they had to pull off the interstate and wait for the hail storm to pass. He chatted with him while we stretched our legs.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0323.jpg

I'm not real good at standing still so I walked around to see what was in the news stands and found this:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0326.jpg

And 15 cents in change lying on top of the machine. :thumbsup2

It was time to load up and start driving again. The kids were goofing off as usual.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0327.jpg

As we drove along, I continued my search for water towers. This one says something or other Park (I think..or does it say something or other Beach?):

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0328.jpg

This one does say something or other Distribution Park:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0329.jpg

Hunter acting silly.....too bad most of his face is too shaded to see. He was probably making some sort of weird face:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0330.jpg

Here's a tower with a weather station advertisement on it:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0333.jpg

Looks like we were entering Madison County about this time:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0338.jpg



**Continued in next post

[mickeystoontown]

Remember me talking about the water on the floor? Well, we were now noticing that it was getting a bit hot in the van. I turned the air up a notch and the air didn't seem very cool to me. I thought it was because Mama's van windshield is bigger and the sun was beaming down.

We continued on and saw some crops growing in the fields:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0340.jpg

Finally, we made it to Live Oak and were ready to start our way down Florida. Up until now, we were going across Florida.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0341.jpg

I think I am remembering correctly that we stopped somewhere along this part of the drive for lunch and to get gas. My notes say we stopped at 12:00 Noon but they don't say where. Once we had eaten and topped off the tank, we were back on the road and the van seemed to be getting hotter and hotter inside. The air was a blowin' but it wasn't a coolin'!

We drove with the air on full blast and we were sweating. John was in the back with his shirt off. Hunter was wiping his upper lip. Lacey had her shirt tucked under. Both my back and Mama's back were sticking to the seat. This wasn't going to work! About 2:30 p.m. or so, we started looking for a air conditioning repair shop. There was no way we could drive the rest of the way with little to no air. The air that was blowing now was just that AIR. Not cool air. I guess I should say that I was actually 3:30 p.m. because our clock was still on Louisiana time, not Florida time. We still had at least two hours of driving ahead of us and we were scared the shops would be closing soon. We had to find something fast or suffer the rest of the way there.

Anyway, after driving a little while and not seeing any repair shops, Mama spotted one up on a little hill off to the left side. We were driving along a four lane divided highway so we had to go on a little and then turn back around. The repair shop was advertising an air conditioning check on their sign outside. This was a good sign! John and Mama went in while we waited outside with the van and all of our stuff. A lady came out and wrote down the VIN and other information on the van door. She said they were going to work us in. Yay! :yay:

It was 3:10 p.m. (4:10 p.m. Florida time) when we pulled in. The people there were very friendly and so helpful. They said that there was a place by some valve that was leaking and they tightened it up and were going to recharge the air conditioner with freon. I got one of their business card and told them that I was going to give them glowing reviews on the Disboards. (Ummm, I need to find the card so I can give everybody their name and address.) They had the van fixed and we were on the road at.......get this...3:35 p.m. (4:35 p.m. Florida time). Can you believe that?

Oh my gosh! We had air conditioning again and it was downright frosty in the van now. The last leg of the trip passed by fairly quickly.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0346.jpg

The Citrus Tower and a museum which I think is called the President's Museum (but I could be wrong about the name):

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0350.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0351.jpg

Look at all these houses built so closely together:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0352.jpg

Giant ice cream cone:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0355.jpg

This fruit stand is pretty unique. It's a pick-it-yourself stand. They take you out in the orchards in this giant truck so you can pick the oranges yourself:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0358.jpg

Notice the big shark in the picture? I don't know how that fits in with picking your own fruit but it's there nevertheless. :confused3

Finally, finally, we saw a sign saying Disney World exit 1 mile:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0359.jpg

I can't believe that I didn't take any picture of the wild and wacky buildings on Hwy. 192. I was probably still feeling blissful from the sweet cold air and knowing we were almost to Disney.

Before long, we were seeing these signs:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0360.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0361.jpg

And, this, one of the most beautiful sites I had seen so far:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0363.jpg

More pictures as we continued on down World Drive:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0364.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0365.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0366.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0367.jpg

And, then, TA-DA! We were turning into the Caribbean Beach Resort and telling the guard at the guard station our names. She directed us to the Custom House.

Sweet Mother of Pearl, we were home!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0371.jpg

**Up next: Checking in and getting settled

[hcoker1]

Thanks for sharing your trip with all of us, I'm really enjoying reading about your driving adventures and can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes.


I think I've managed to convince DH that we we should go back to the World next March Break and he says that as long as we've saved, okay. YEAH!

[TinksThree]

We had air issues about the same place on the way home...but we did nto have to stop. Thank goodness! It was hot when it started acting all kooky on us!!

Just reading about your drive down makes me want to hop into the car right now!!!

[ronnmel]

Oof, a malfunctioning AC in Florida heat sure isn't comfortable. glad you got it fixed quickly!

[Villainess]

So glad they were able to fix the AC and in record time as well!!! (Although I have no idea how long it should take to fix the AC in a car).




Just reading about your drive down makes me want to hop into the car right now!!!

You're not the only one. I have a full tank of gas and just got an oil change, too!

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

Hey Lisa,

Just caught up on your new trip report, looks like it will be another fun read! Sure sucks about the a/c, but glad you got it fixed so fast! When did you go? I may have missed the dates if you wrote them. (Been away from the DIS for some time, slowly getting back.)

We are 10 days back from a DW trip. Stayed in Crestview going (Hampton Inn) and coming home (a nice new Comfort Inn). It's an almost half way place for us. Love your scenery pictures, we see the same sights. Makes me want to jump in my car and go back!

[pasofan]

Hopefully the minor AC problem was your only one and the rest was smooth sailin'!:thumbsup2

[Happy Elf]

Wow, can't believe they got the A/C fixed so fast...that was lucky! Can't wait to hear more!

[GrammyJudy]

You make the drive sound like an adventure! Not sure I could stand that long drive. But I keep wanting to drive down sometime so I can see parts of this beautiful country...our ride would be about 1500 miles!
lookinf forward to the next chapter of yout TR

[PlutosRHM55]

Yeah! You've finally arrived in Disney (in the TR I mean Haha)! (: That seemed almost too quick. I mean with the leak and the two days (I think I've counted right) of driving... well, it is a TR not real life so I think that is expected :teeth: I love the Beverly Hillbillies reference at the beginning! I'm sure most recognized it, but I just love the whole "cement pond" thing, one of the best parts of that show Haha I also love the picture of the ToT advertisement... I remembered how that used to scare me into not going on that ride... not anymore! (: Can't wait to read about what happens on your first day in the most magical place on Earth! :mickeyjum

[deedeew80]

Hi Lisa! I am just loving your trip report so far!!! Your trip reports sort of remind me of reading a book (with lots of pictures!)! LOL! Seriously they do! I keep reading & reading & just can't seem to "put it down"! Or...wait till the next installment anyway! Ha! Anyway. I know I have said it before, but your trip reports really make me feel like I am there with you! :thumbsup2

Sorry to hear about the air conditioning mishap! Hope they didn't charge you too much! Glad they were able to fix it so quickly!!! Ahhh.....CBR...Home Sweet Home!!!!!! :banana: :cool1: :worship:

BTW, on your drive "across" Florida, do you happen to go by a town called Niceville? (sp?) I have family that live there. They are in the airforce & stationed at the base near there. They said they love it there! Actually I have a lot of family in Florida. All cousins. In Niceville, Longwood (right outside of Orlando), and St. Pete Beach! Lucky people down there!! LOL!

Well, can't wait for the next "chapter" in this "book"!!!!!!!

[Caretames1]

I would have died if the A/C wasn't working! UGH. I start moaning about the weather when it hit 80 degrees:rotfl2:

I want to ride with you next time. It seemed like a blast! Silly you finding all those unique buildings:thumbsup2

[PhoenixStrength]

Yuck for the A/C needing to be fixed, but yay for getting it fixed so fast! :)

And Yay for being in WDW already (in the TR anyway). :banana: :cheer2:

[lbuzz52]

I'm too lazy to trim your post to quote your question on my phone;)
my city is on the Mississippi, but our house is about 15 miles away. DH works directly on the river.

Can't wait to hear your room assignments! We really enjoyed CBR!

[natebenma]

Woo-hoo! You have arrived!

Sounds like you all amused yourselves on the drive. I love your water tower and look for the strange stuff game!

I am very impressed that the airconditioning repair happened so quickly! That is great!

Can't wait to hear more adventures!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm so glad your a/c was fixed so fast!!! How annoying to have to stop for that so close to Disney, but that definitely sounds like it was necessary!!

[BPATSMouse]

Finally, we made it to Live Oak and were ready to start our way down Florida. Up until now, we were going across Florida.


Wow your there YIPEE. The picture of the Live Oak, Florida water tower brings back memories it's where I spent years 3-7, we lived there when dad worked for the University of Florida. Still have quite a few people there that we keep in contact with. FYI, there was a seafood joint in Live Oak that was in an old gas station. Best fried shrimp in Florida.:thumbsup2

[mommytothreeboys]

No pics of Lacey doing cartwheels at the Jameson Inn?? ;)

UGH...no air conditioning in a van with 5 people in Florida! YIKES! How AWESOME that you got it fixed so quickly. It hardly even put a wrinkle in your trip! :thumbsup2

Don't you just love those road signs.....Hollywood Studios, Epcot 2 Miles, Magic Kingdom! YAY! That's when you know you've ARRIVED! :banana:

[aprilisis]

That was FAST service on the van!!! I'm so glad you were able to get it fixed & be on your way in under an hour.
That fruit stand looks like fun! It is kinda weird that they have a shark hanging there. :rotfl:
Your photos are making me wish I was going back sooner. I can't wait to hear more & to see what Hunter thinks of the new Star Tours!

[ddstratton]

Being the dorkarama that I am, I had to blow the horn and the kids, being dorkarama offspring, held their breath. :rolleyes: Yeee haw! It's country come to town! :laughing:

Well, being the dorkarama's that we are, DH feels the need to rev up the truck (or whatever vehicle we're driving) while in a tunnel. Ya know -- makes it sound "cool". :rotfl2:


The next morning, we all went down to the continental breakfast to see what was offered. They had three or four types of cereal (all sugar free of course so Hunter didn't want any), bagels, bread, biscuits, sausage gravy, bananas, oranges, apples, waffles, milk, orange juice and apple juice. We made ourselves toast, waffles and warmed biscuits. It was okay. Nothing spectacular but it filled us up.

Gotta love those free hotel breakfasts!


When John and Mama got to the van, Lacey and Hunter told them I had found a penny and we declared that to mean we would have good luck the rest of the trip.

Sounds good to me!


It was 3:10 p.m. (4:10 p.m. Florida time) when we pulled in. The people there were very friendly and so helpful. They said that there was a place by some valve that was leaking and they tightened it up and were going to recharge the air conditioner with freon. I got one of their business card and told them that I was going to give them glowing reviews on the Disboards. (Ummm, I need to find the card so I can give everybody their name and address.) They had the van fixed and we were on the road at.......get this...3:35 p.m. (4:35 p.m. Florida time). Can you believe that?

So great that they got you in, fixed and out again so quickly!!


This fruit stand is pretty unique. It's a pick-it-yourself stand. They take you out in the orchards in this giant truck so you can pick the oranges yourself:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0358.jpg

Notice the big shark in the picture? I don't know how that fits in with picking your own fruit but it's there nevertheless. :confused3

We went to this place during our 2008 trip! It's called the Showcase of Citrus. We took the Monster Truck tour - which was actually really very neat. We rode around their orchards and such in a monster truck! We fed some oranges to their cows, too.

(view from the back of the monster truck at one point of the tour)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/3000618031_0fd24a7d5a.jpg

We got to pick our own oranges, and I got one of my favorite pictures -- DD with her hands on her hips because Grandma is eating an orange right in the orchard!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/3001526756_d1410bf51a.jpg

Not sure about the shark. It wasn't there when we were. There was a walk-bridge out to a little covered dock that you could stand on, but no shark.


Finally, finally, we saw a sign saying Disney World exit 1 mile:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0359.jpg

Woo Hoo!!!!! Love those signs!



And, then, TA-DA! We were turning into the Caribbean Beach Resort and telling the guard at the guard station our names. She directed us to the Custom House.

Sweet Mother of Pearl, we were home!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0371.jpg

Yay! You have arrived!!!

[GrammyJudy]

Lisa, which village do you like at CB?

[KatMark]

Lisa, I have no idea how I missed two updates. And one of them included a favorite picture -- John on the phone. ;)

Great pictures as you are traveling along. I cannot believe how high that water was. Was it like that still on the way home? This has been a very rainy spring (as it is not officially summer yet). Actually, the weather this year has been bizarre all around.

Sorry to hear about the AC in the van. But great job by the company you are going to brag on the DIS about for their quick, efficient and friendly service. :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

And glad to see you made it "home."

Can't wait for the next update.

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Another great update and again enjoying all the pictures. My goodness, ya'll did look tuckered out at the Jameson Inn! :faint:

I'm sorry the A/C in the van went out, but I think your lucky penny had something to do with the repair shop working ya'll in and getting it fixed so fast! I'm thankful it wasn't something more serious than a valve and a recharge of freon!

I also enjoy seeing your different driving route into FL. We always come down I-95 through Jacksonville and Daytona, so it's nice to see the different scenery. :)

Looking forward to your next installment.

[PittypatBR]

Hi, Lisa. No one can make a road trip as interesting as you can!! Wow, that AC thing could have been really bad, miserable, and time-consuming. How nice that you found such a great and helpful place to fix it. You must be living right, girl! Looking forward to more.

[MissLiz]

Great updates as usual!

I like the dead tired pics from the first night. If I would have remembered, we would have had a few of those ourselves on trips when we've left after work.

Congrats on next year's dates!!! We considered those dates once again, but I think we are leaning on what my husband calls a "real" vacation at that time. :confused3

I can't believe your AC went out! Thank goodness is was a quick fix and you got on your way!! I'm sure you were super antsy waiting. I know I would be.

Aaah, Caribbean Beach. Love it and miss it! Maybe someday we'll stay there again.

I can't wait to hear more and see more pics!

[Marshay]

yeah -- you arrived in WDW!

So glad the AC got fixed and so quickly!!

[3LittlePirates]

We also have to blow the horn and scream everytime we go through the tunnel in Mobile! We have the same drive to Disney.....so funny we point out alot of the same things you do!! Loving your updates!!

[Bridora]

We are going to do our very first Disney cruise next year. I'm pretty sure our departure date is May 24th...we are planning on staying a few days on property once we get back, but no parks planned as of right now. We decided we couldn't be that close to Disney World without a stay, even if we don't go to any parks; there will be mini-golf, wandering around resorts, pools, Downtown Disney, restaurants....you know, plenty to do!

One of the kids' (and my) favorite things about staying in a hotel is the breakfast! What is it about the continental breakfast?

What great A/C service on the van! That penny must have truly been "lucky", right!?

[jenseib]

I'm so glad the AC problem was a quick and easy fix. YAY! You are at DISNEY!!!!
More!! More!!! ;)

[longing2Batdisney]

I am so happy to hear you guys arrived with no problems this year and such a minor A/C problem! :yay: we would have to ride it out unitl we arrived at WDW for Danny to "work" on it! :rotfl2:

I cannot wait to see those signs in the fall! :mickeyjum

cannot wait to here how you guys spent your extra days!!!
:wave:

[PirateKate]

Driving through Florida in the summer with no AC sounds pretty miserable. I'm glad they were able to fix it so quickly.

I'll be eager to see more pics of CBR. :thumbsup2

[Angies1274]

Great updates!!:thumbsup2

Love all your road trip pics!:goodvibes I like your idea of taking pictures of the water towers!

Wow! I'm so glad that your A/C was fixed so quickly! What a beautiful sight...the WDW sign.:lovestruc You've arrived!!:yay: Can't wait for more...popcorn::

[Disney before Sally]

What a blessing that it was just a clamp. More so, that you found an honest mechanic. I am glued to your trip report.

[KatMark]

Happy Father's Day to John!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/Luvwrestling/nemofather.gif

[mickeystoontown]

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers who are reading! It's a toasty 100 degrees here in North Louisiana with a heat index of 105! It's hotter than hecka decka!

Hunter and I are going to grill steaks for John this evening. Lacey is in Knoxville so she's going to miss out. On the flip side, she's spending Father's Day with her future father-in-law so at least she's with a daddy today.

Lacey went to Knoxville on Thursday of last week and got to see the apartment that Jesse picked out for them. She had only seen pictures of it and said it's really nice and spacious. It's near Jesse's work and has a tennis court, pool and laundry facilities. The best thing about it is it is well within their budget. :thumbsup2

We've not spent much time outside this weekend because it's been so blessed hot. But, John and I did go outside for several hours later last evening to water the garden. I am excited to report that our garden is growing well despite the heat. We have tomatoes on the vine, purple hull peas blooming, have already gathered quite a few yellow squash and we have little bitty cucumbers and cataloupes. I'm anxiously awaiting the day that we can eat the fruits (and veggies) of our labor.

I'm hoping to get an update posted later this afternoon or early evening. Lord knows I aint' going out in this darn heat!

[Marshay]

sorry to hear it's so hot. We've been enjoying some cooler days -- in fact I haven't had the A/C on now for 5 days or so. (but I admit to save $ we don't turn it on unless temps are consistently above 85 degrees).

Glad your garden is growing nicely!

We garden too! Already got lettuce and radishes and mint tea from our garden. Waiting for the next crop to mature!

[Villainess]

Happy Father's Day to John!!!!


Stay cool in that heat. Glad to hear that the apartment received rave reviews from Lacey. How close is the wedding now?

We are having much more success with our garden this year compared to last. Our peppers, strawberries, and tomatoes are looking great!

[PhoenixStrength]

Happy Fathers Day to John!

Sorry Lacey cannot be with there with you, but, as you said, as least she gets to spend it with her future father-in-law. Glad they both love their new apartment!

Your garden sounds great! Our tomatoes are just starting to ripen here. We have gotten about a dozen of the cherry tomatoes off the vine so far.

Looking forward to the next installment! :goodvibes

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Fellow gardeners here too! Is there anything better than fresh vegetables in the summertime! :cloud9: The only problem is that we get really spoiled and when we have to go back to eating grocery store stuff in the winter.... well, it just doesn't compare.

We are also suffering in the very oppressive heat here too (NC). I think I could handle it much better if there was no humidity though! That is the part that sucks the life out of the air! :snooty:

Glad to hear that you guys had a good Father's Day!

[aprilisis]

Happy belated Father's Day to John! I'm glad to hear your garden is growing well, too. Sorry it has been so hot there. It sounds like Lacey & Jesse found a great apartment! Spacious, a pool, laundry, AND tennis courts??? That sounds fantastic!

[Bridora]

It's hot here, too...but not that hot! I've been having to water my flowers since we got back from WDW and my Mom started watering them while we were there. She said it pretty much turned summer right after we left. :scared1:
I'm glad your garden is taking the heat well! :goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

Finally, after 15 1/2 hours of driving, we were back at the Caribbean Beach Resort at last! :dance3: We pulled into the Custom House and Mama, Hunter and I went in to check in. For some reason, John and Lacey chose to stay in the van. Probably sucking up that cool air conditioning that came courtesy of the nicest repair shop we have ever encountered. (By the way, I have their name and I'll post it separately.)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0369.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0371.jpg

Mama and I got in line to check in and Hunter took a few pictures for me.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0373.jpg

Me at the check in window:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0375.jpg

The lady at the check in window was really nice even though she had a bit of a problem understanding English. Well, my English anyways. Being from Louisiana, I have a strong Southern accent. At times, it was hard for me to understand her thick accent too so I guess that made us even. But, after a few "excuse me's" being said by both of us, she understood that we had room only reservations and package reservations and we wanted to keep the same rooms if at all possible. Ohhhhhh, you want the same room? Yes!

After a little tapping of the computer keys and showing of our IDs, she said that we would, indeed be in rooms right next to each other and we would keep the same rooms. :woohoo:

We were given our folder of information about the resort and were told that we had been assigned to Jamaica 42. At first I was a bit bummed. This would be our third time staying in Jamaica and I had kind of hoped we would be assigned to another village. But, I had left it up to the room assigning gods and had only made the request that we be on the ground floor and close to each other. After a little thought though, I remembered why we loved Jamaica so much.....it was, often times, the first bus stop picked up and the first bus stop dropped off. Also, the year before, we were in Jamaica and Mama liked the location and knew her way around from there so we were happy with our room assignment.

Before we left the Custom House, I took a potty break and Mama sat down to people watch:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0372.jpg

Or was she secretly watching a Disney cartoon?

We walked back out to the van and told John and Lacey our room location. Lacey with our folder and posing ala Price Is Right:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0380.jpg

The pretty little pond/lake/water thingie we passed on our way to Jamaica:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0376.jpg

I parked the van in the circle unloading area and we all started grabbing bags. The less trips back and forth the better. Mama and I started out first and went in search of Jamaica 42 rooms 4230 and 4231 (I think that was Mama's room number. It was right next to our's.) We followed the path straight towards Jamaica 42 and found the sign on the building that told us to go this way. Well, we went this way and then had to turn that way and then, yet another way. We walked all the way around the building before we found 4230 and 4231. By the time we got there, we were giggling like schoolgirls. Why? Because after going through the maze of buildings and arriving at our room, we saw that all we would have had to have done was go down the pathway on the right and we would have been right at our doorstep. :sad2: Oh well, live and learn.

Lacey called just as we got to the door to the room. She was wondering where the room was and I directed her straight there. No need in them doing what Mama and I did. I could see them coming up the path just as I was opening our door. Home Sweet Home!

***Up next: What the heck keeps biting me?

[longing2Batdisney]

OH! no --don't like the sound of that!

too funny about the maze to the room; but, I bet after all the riding it probably felt good for a little walk around the beautiful CBR!

[ronnmel]

I don't like the sound of that either. :eek:

As for going all around for nothing, we did the exact same thing when we were at CBR 2 years ago. Went all the way left and gith and left and right, only to find out we could have gone straight then up the stairs.

[TinksThree]

You had language barriers at check-in too, huh?! Hmmm... :laughing: Yay for arriving to your resort!!!

Glad to hear your garden is growing despite this atrocious heat and dry weather we have been experiencing!! :eek: But currently we hear thunder and little sprinkles of water!! :yay:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Oh boy...I don't like the sound of that cliffhanger at all :scared1:...

[KatMark]

Lisa, glad you got your request of ground room floors and close to each other...I know you feel better having Mama ont he first floor and close by. Too funny that you walked the long way around (I've done that at CSR on an occasion or two ;)). But being the mean mama I am, I would have told the kids the long way around. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

I don't like the sound of "what keeps biting me?"

[ddstratton]

Sounds like a good room location, even with the confusing signage that made you take a little scenic tour :rotfl2:

As a human bug-magnet, I am kinda scared by the "what keeps biting me..."

[lbuzz52]

We stayed in Jamaica last month and did the same thing with taking the long path at arrival. We were happy to be on that early bus stop on a few occasions though.

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

When the boss is away (or has a client with him), the cats will play (or write a trip report). I can't promise how long the installment will be but I'll write until he bellows down the hallway that he needs something that is already on his desk.


:laughing: I got a chuckle out of this because it sounds exactly like my boss. I always make a daily folder for him containing his calendar and any documents he needs for his meetings and put it on his desk. On a daily basis he bellows (as you say) "where's such and such?", to which I always reply "it's in your folder" (where it is every day). Bosses, I swear! :rolleyes1

The picture of Mama watching cartoons is so cute! ;)

I'm happy you got your room requests met, even if it was Jamaica, but like you said it was probably best in the long run since Mama is used to and knows her way around from that particular "island" location.

I hope you have a good day! :goodvibes Looking forward to more.

[407-W-DISNEY]

HI Lisa,
Yeah, you have arrived!
The CB lobby looks beautiful...it kind of reminds me of a train station..??

Glad you like your location...looks like the room assigning gods knew what they were doing - LOL

Yikes, I agree...don't like the sound of your cliffhanger....:scared1:

[Marshay]

yeah, you have arrived!

We stayed in Jamaica one time, too! Sounds like it's really convenient for the busses.

Hmmm, I sure hope it's not bed bugs!

[pasofan]

Yea for the safe arrival home! Good job on the pics, Hunter. We need to see you as you are doing things like check-in, not just hear about it. You are training him right in the way of the trip report!

[Bethislucy]

I love the pictures of the resort, one day I'm going to stay there. :)

[reelmom]

I have read your other reports and y'all are a hoot! Can't wait to read about the latest adventures.

[PlutosRHM55]

LOL about the maze to the room. Isn't that how it always works? Just walk right by something then take 30 minutes to find it, when it was right there. But, it sounds like a good room location, since you've enjoyed that area for awhile :thumbsup2 And I love the picture of the entrance to Caribbean Beach, it looks so nice! (: Can't wait to read the next chapter, sounds like an interesting title! :goodvibes

[aprilisis]

Uh-oh...I'm interested to hear what was biting you!
I love the photos! I think Mama is watching that Disney cartoon. :)

[Bridora]

I'm glad you were able to get your room requests. Your mom was probably glad to be in the same location as last year. We stayed in Jamaica twice and loved it!

Too funny about the maze to your room...sounds like something I would do! :lmao:

[Angies1274]

:woohoo: for getting what you requested! Although, you have already stayed in Jamaica, it sounds like it worked out and being close to the buses is always a good thing!:thumbsup2

Oh no....on the cliffhanger.:sad2:

[jenseib]

I've done the long way around too. On our last trip with Skip to Pop, I swear we parked about as far away as we could, and I just wasn't in the swing of things yet to know my way to the room right off the top of my head.
So glad the room location worked out ok.

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry I haven't posted replies yet. Because I was on vacation, the monthly billing at the office was delayed and I started working on it last week and I'm still working on it. I HATE BILLING!

And, you all know how it is once you get home.....you start dinner and the chores start calling and then, all of the sudden, it's time to go to bed.

I did want to share our good news though.....I'm pregnant! :banana:








































DID YOU SERIOUSLY FALL FOR THAT? :rotfl2: My days of raising babies are over with.

The real good news is: I officially booked next year's trip just a few minutes ago. We are going back to Caribbean Beach. Like some of you know, I thought the family was onboard for changing resorts since we have seen and done everything there is to do at the CBR. But, when I mentioned it to John, he looked at me like I had three eyes, boogers coming out of my nose, and an extra arm. :rotfl: He simply loves the resort and enjoys going down to the beach every evening and relaxing.....you'll see this pattern as I get further into my trip report.

Next year's trip will be another 11 days/10 nights at Walt Disney World. We'll have two travel days added to that. I'm slowly but surely working my way to a two week Disney vacation. ;)

Hopefully, I can get a lot of billing done tomorrow so that I can post replies and do another update.

Hope ya'll have a good evening....well, what's left of it. Nighty night! Don't let the bedbugs bite! **Hint hint

[jenseib]

I about fainted when I read that!

Oh no...bed bugs! :scared1:

[ronnmel]

Oh no! Bed bugs are a HUGE fear of mine. DD had some (lots) almost a year ago at her mom's place (they've had such a hard time getting rid of it that they are still not back to sleeping there) and I've been scared to death that she could have somehow transferred them to our house ever since. :scared1:

Congrats on booking your next trip!

[PittypatBR]

Oh, my, two heart attacks in one installment! :scared1: I didn't REALLY think you were pregnant, but one never knows what surprises God has in store for us! And I surely hope those are imaginary bed bugs you are talking about - I would hate to have to worry about THAT in WDW!!

[MissLiz]

There was no way in heck that I was going to believe that you were pregnant! Why? Because I have a feeling that you are saner (is that really a word?) than that!!!! :lmao::lmao:

Glad you got your trip booked! That is awesome! New PTR!!!!!!




and bed bugs? Really?!?!?!? Ugh!

[aprilisis]

Don't DO that!!! :lmao: You totally got me! :rotfl:

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out! :scared1::scared1::scared1:

[deedeew80]

:scared1: Totally got me Lisa!!! :rotfl: I don't like this hint about bed bugs!!!! :eek:

[Happy Elf]

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out! :scared1::scared1::scared1:

I agree! We are supposed to stay at CBR next month! Please don't leave us hanging!

[MEK]

Wait - how the heck did I miss the start of this one (two weeks ago) Oh brother. I have no excuse. Welcome Back!

[mickeystoontown]

OH! no --don't like the sound of that!

too funny about the maze to the room; but, I bet after all the riding it probably felt good for a little walk around the beautiful CBR!

We didn't mind the little bit of extra walking at all. We had been on the road for a long time and it felt good to walk.

I don't like the sound of that either. :eek:

As for going all around for nothing, we did the exact same thing when we were at CBR 2 years ago. Went all the way left and gith and left and right, only to find out we could have gone straight then up the stairs.

We went all around the buildings to find our room but at least it was a pretty walk. :thumbsup2

You had language barriers at check-in too, huh?! Hmmm... :laughing: Yay for arriving to your resort!!!

Glad to hear your garden is growing despite this atrocious heat and dry weather we have been experiencing!! :eek: But currently we hear thunder and little sprinkles of water!! :yay:

Yeah, there were language barriers and, as I said, it went both ways. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes for the two of us to understand each other.

I am soooo glad that it is raining here. It's been so hot and dry that our yard was beginning to turn brown. :scared1:

Oh boy...I don't like the sound of that cliffhanger at all :scared1:...

Update is coming up soon!

Lisa, glad you got your request of ground room floors and close to each other...I know you feel better having Mama ont he first floor and close by. Too funny that you walked the long way around (I've done that at CSR on an occasion or two ;)). But being the mean mama I am, I would have told the kids the long way around. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

I don't like the sound of "what keeps biting me?"

Mama was happy to learn that we were in Jamaica because we had stayed there before and was even more pleased when they said we were in ground floor rooms.

Oh you are so mean! :laughing:

Sounds like a good room location, even with the confusing signage that made you take a little scenic tour :rotfl2:

As a human bug-magnet, I am kinda scared by the "what keeps biting me..."

The room location was fantastic. I took tons of pictures from outside our door because it was so pretty.

[KatMark]

Well, I have to say the pregnancy thing did NOT get me...I think I know you well enough. ;)

But the bug thing is driving me crazy. And I tend to think it is not bed bugs, but something else.

[mickeystoontown]

We stayed in Jamaica last month and did the same thing with taking the long path at arrival. We were happy to be on that early bus stop on a few occasions though.

The pathways at the CBR can be a bit confusing at first but, once you get a hang of it, it's not that bad. Jamaica is a great location.

:laughing: I got a chuckle out of this because it sounds exactly like my boss. I always make a daily folder for him containing his calendar and any documents he needs for his meetings and put it on his desk. On a daily basis he bellows (as you say) "where's such and such?", to which I always reply "it's in your folder" (where it is every day). Bosses, I swear! :rolleyes1

The picture of Mama watching cartoons is so cute! ;)

I'm happy you got your room requests met, even if it was Jamaica, but like you said it was probably best in the long run since Mama is used to and knows her way around from that particular "island" location.

I hope you have a good day! :goodvibes Looking forward to more.

Isn't it funny how the bosses can completely miss something that's right in front of them? If they want something off our desks, we are supposed to know right where it is. Of course, my desk looks tons better than his does. His is a mess!

I was a little disappointed when the castmember said we were in Jamaica. I wanted to try another location but I wasn't disappointed for long. Mama knew her way around from that village and it really is a great location to be in.

HI Lisa,
Yeah, you have arrived!
The CB lobby looks beautiful...it kind of reminds me of a train station..??

Glad you like your location...looks like the room assigning gods knew what they were doing - LOL

Yikes, I agree...don't like the sound of your cliffhanger....:scared1:

It does look like a train station doesn't it! I hadn't noticed that before.

An update is coming up soon so you don't have to wonder for too much longer.

yeah, you have arrived!

We stayed in Jamaica one time, too! Sounds like it's really convenient for the busses.

Hmmm, I sure hope it's not bed bugs!

I was so happy to finally get to the resort. I always forget just how pretty the resort is.

Yea for the safe arrival home! Good job on the pics, Hunter. We need to see you as you are doing things like check-in, not just hear about it. You are training him right in the way of the trip report!

Hunter is the one who tolerates my picture taking the best and will always offer to take pictures of things for me.

I love the pictures of the resort, one day I'm going to stay there. :)

You definitely should give the CBR a try. Like I said, I really thought we'd try another resort next year but John loves it so much that he doesn't want to change.

I have read your other reports and y'all are a hoot! Can't wait to read about the latest adventures.

Thank you so much! I hope that I can keep you laughing again with this trip report.

[mickeystoontown]

LOL about the maze to the room. Isn't that how it always works? Just walk right by something then take 30 minutes to find it, when it was right there. But, it sounds like a good room location, since you've enjoyed that area for awhile :thumbsup2 And I love the picture of the entrance to Caribbean Beach, it looks so nice! (: Can't wait to read the next chapter, sounds like an interesting title! :goodvibes

The signs were definitely pointed in the wrong direction if you ask me. The room was actually to the right but they had you going left and then right. :confused3 At least we found an easier way around later on in the day.

Uh-oh...I'm interested to hear what was biting you!
I love the photos! I think Mama is watching that Disney cartoon. :)

I'm betting Mama was multi-tasking and doing both. ;) She loves to people watch as much as John and I do.

I'm glad you were able to get your room requests. Your mom was probably glad to be in the same location as last year. We stayed in Jamaica twice and loved it!

Too funny about the maze to your room...sounds like something I would do! :lmao:


The most important request was the ground floor request. At 77 years old, I knew climbing up stairs would be a task for Mama.

:woohoo: for getting what you requested! Although, you have already stayed in Jamaica, it sounds like it worked out and being close to the buses is always a good thing!:thumbsup2

Oh no....on the cliffhanger.:sad2:

I quickly got over my room assignment disappointment when I remembered how great the village of Jamaica was.

I've done the long way around too. On our last trip with Skip to Pop, I swear we parked about as far away as we could, and I just wasn't in the swing of things yet to know my way to the room right off the top of my head.
So glad the room location worked out ok.

My brother-in-law got lost as a goose when they stayed at Pop Century. He went to fill up their mugs and got turned around. Of course, he didn't take his cell phone with him and couldn't call his wife to get directions. She had walked out of their room and was standing on the balcony/walkway thing and saw him walking around and called his name. There's no telling how long he would have walked around if she hadn't seen him there.

[mickeystoontown]

Well, I have to say the pregnancy thing did NOT get me...I think I know you well enough. ;)

But the bug thing is driving me crazy. And I tend to think it is not bed bugs, but something else.

You do know me well! No more babies for me....waiting on those grandkids to spoil one day though.

Wait - how the heck did I miss the start of this one (two weeks ago) Oh brother. I have no excuse. Welcome Back!

I haven't posted too much about the trip yet so you're not that far behind!

I agree! We are supposed to stay at CBR next month! Please don't leave us hanging!

Hoping to write up an installment as soon as I post replies.

:scared1: Totally got me Lisa!!! :rotfl: I don't like this hint about bed bugs!!!! :eek:

At least I was able to fool somebody. :rotfl:

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out! :scared1::scared1::scared1:

Bug update coming soon!

Don't DO that!!! :lmao: You totally got me! :rotfl:

Girl, you should know that I ain't havin' no more babies!

There was no way in heck that I was going to believe that you were pregnant! Why? Because I have a feeling that you are saner (is that really a word?) than that!!!! :lmao::lmao:

Glad you got your trip booked! That is awesome! New PTR!!!!!!




and bed bugs? Really?!?!?!? Ugh!

Saner is definitely a word....even if it's just a word that you and I officially recognize. :thumbsup2

Even though I know we are going back to Disney every year, I still get the warm and fuzzies after a trip is officially booked.

Oh, my, two heart attacks in one installment! :scared1: I didn't REALLY think you were pregnant, but one never knows what surprises God has in store for us! And I surely hope those are imaginary bed bugs you are talking about - I would hate to have to worry about THAT in WDW!!

Oh yeah, I know all about God's surprises. Hunter McBride was a BIG surprise!

I about fainted when I read that!

Oh no...bed bugs! :scared1:

Here, smell of these smelling salts. That'll wake you up. :lmao:

Oh no! Bed bugs are a HUGE fear of mine. DD had some (lots) almost a year ago at her mom's place (they've had such a hard time getting rid of it that they are still not back to sleeping there) and I've been scared to death that she could have somehow transferred them to our house ever since. :scared1:

Congrats on booking your next trip!

Oh my word! I would hate to have bed bugs in my household.

[mickeystoontown]

Before I post the next installment, I wanted to provide the name and address of the awesome auto repair shop we used.

Al's Family Auto and Air
7075 S. Pine Avenue, Unit 1
Ocala, FL 34480


It's not often that you encounter such honest hardworking people as those who were at Al's. They not only worked us in (even though they were closing in less than an hour), but they were quick and didn't overcharge us like some others would have done when they saw how desperate we were to have the air conditioning fixed.

I would highly recommend Al's for any of you who are driving to Disney and experience car trouble along the way.

[mickeystoontown]

After wandering aimlessly around the buildings, we found our rooms. We were all anxious to get our things unloaded so we could officially start our Caribbean Beach Resort vacation. I handed one of the room keys to Hunter and he did the honors.

Ahhh, the lush green leaf patterned carpets! Wow, the bright and beautiful colors of the tropics! Ooh, the pretty tile flooring! Yay, the cute Nemo character wall paper border! Oww, the sting of a bug! What the? Ouch! Slap! Ouch! Slap! Ouch! Slap! What the heck keeps biting me?

There were little flying gnat size bugs flying in the room. If you stayed still for even a little while, they would light on you and bite you. Don't get me wrong, there wasn't a huge swarm of them in the room but they were there and they were making their presence known. :headache:

Hunter said he'd stay in the room and swat and kill the bugs while we went and got the rest of the bags from the van. He was trying to act like it was a valiant thing to do but, I personally, think he was just being lazy and didn't want to carry the bags. :rotfl: Didn't matter to me though because somebody had to stay and kill those pesky bugs.

I told Hunter to take the camera out of my purse and, in between swatting bugs, take pictures of the room.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0384.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0385.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0397.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0383.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0382.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0386.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0388.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0391.jpg

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http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0392.jpg

Instead of trying to sort out Mama's stuff from our stuff while standing in the parking lot, we all started grabbing bags and took them to our room. We could sort them out there. Of course, Mama insisted that she carry something but we made sure we walked quicker than she did so she didn't have to make as many trips.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0396.jpg

By the time we had everything in the room, the majority of the gnats had either flown out of the room or had become victims of a rolled up travel magazine. The remaining few were taken care of quickly and efficiently thanks to our group efforts at exterminating them. It was odd that they were in our room in the first place because we never did encounter those pesky little boogers again, either inside or outside. :confused3

So, for those of you who had earlier feared that I was referring to bed bugs, worry no more! There were no bed bugs in our room!

**Continued in next post

[mickeystoontown]

We sorted through all the bags and separated Mama's from our's and took her's to her room which was, by the way, gnat free. Hum, what now? I'm not one who likes to relax on vacation. At least not while on a Disney vacation. I want to drop my bags in the room and take off. I have to do something, anything!

The sound of my rumbling stomach in a semi-quiet room was a message sent from God. The message that we needed to quickly go to the food court and find sustenance. If we happened to stop in the store and do a little shopping along the way, well that would be fine too. ;)

Because our first two nights were booked as a room only reservation, we weren't on the dining plan yet. Free dining would start on May 27th when we started our package reservation. I grabbed my purse and camera and we were off!

Pathway from our room:
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0399.jpg

Just a tip for those of you who have upcoming trips to Caribbean Beach and don't know your way around, always look for the beach. Once you make it to the beach, you will be able to find your way to Old Port Royale. There is a promenade that goes all the way around the resort. Old Port Royale is, roughly, in the middle of the promenade.

More pictures of our walk to Old Port Royale:

Pathway to the beach:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0400.jpg

View of the main pool from the Jamaica beach:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0401.jpg

The bridge from Aruba and Jamaica to Old Port Royale:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0402.jpg

Hello, my fine feathered friends:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0403.jpg

The new playground on the island:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0404.jpg

Main pool (taken from the walkway through the island):

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0405.jpg

The fountain in the courtyard outside Old Port Royale:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0406.jpg

Old Port Royale (taken from the pool side):

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0407.jpg

Inside Old Port Royale:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0408.jpg

Now, I know that I took more pictures of the inside of Old Port Royale and of our food but I can't find them. For dinner, Hunter had a cheese pizza as did Lacey. I had a Philly Cheese Steak with homemade chips. John had a Reuben sandwich with homemade chips. Mama had a Turkey BLT with homemade chips. For dessert, we had a huge chocolate cupcake, carrot cake, key lime pie and a big chocolate chip cookie. Everything was really good except for my order of homemade chips. They must have given me the last bit of chips in the container because they were a bit greasy and had a lot of seasoning on them. John's and Mama's were good though and they came out of the same container.

***Up next: Should we unpack or should we live out of our suitcases just in case.......

[lbuzz52]

i'm so glad to hear that they were only gnats! I bet someone had left some nasty food in there before you :headache:
your pictures are making me wish i was there right now!

[KatMark]

Lisa, so glad it wasn't bed bugs (although I'm sure you would have moved rooms really quickly if it had been). I've read of those gnats and people getting bit by them, but curious how a "swarm" of them got in the room. :confused3

Your pictures of the CBR and the grounds are, as always, really pretty.

[aprilisis]

Awesome update! Your photos are making me want to stay at CBR again! We stayed there one year when the whole family went & I loved just walking around the resort.
I'm SO glad that you didn't have bed bugs!!!

[mickeystoontown]

i'm so glad to hear that they were only gnats! I bet someone had left some nasty food in there before you :headache:
your pictures are making me wish i was there right now!

We thought the same thing because they were gone in no time and we never saw them again.

Lisa, so glad it wasn't bed bugs (although I'm sure you would have moved rooms really quickly if it had been). I've read of those gnats and people getting bit by them, but curious how a "swarm" of them got in the room. :confused3

Your pictures of the CBR and the grounds are, as always, really pretty.

If it had been bedbugs, we would have been outta there! I wouldn't really call it a "swarm" of them but it was quite a few and they were annoying as heck.

Awesome update! Your photos are making me want to stay at CBR again! We stayed there one year when the whole family went & I loved just walking around the resort.
I'm SO glad that you didn't have bed bugs!!!

Every time I see the pictures of the resort, I remember why we keep going back. It's so pretty. I'm not a full-on beach vacation kind of girl but a stay at the CBR gives us a taste of the beach and a Disney vacation all in one.

[mommytothreeboys]

CBR really looks beautiful. I wish we could stay there with our family of 5....**sigh**

I so did not fall for the "i'm pregnant" gag! :lmao:

Yay for a new vacation! SO exciting to have a new trip to look forward to....we're still working on that here. :sad1:

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

:thumbsup2 to Hunter for his pictures of the room and for his gnat exterminating abilities!

Aaaahhh the CBR beach - your pictures have me 2nd guessing my upcoming stay at POFQ. I really want to try the refurbished rooms there, but then I think I hear the faint sound of the palm trees in your CBR pictures calling my name (especially since I am sitting here at work). ;)

I like the looks of the Jamaica village and it's funny how your family ends up getting assigned there. We've stayed at CBR 3 times and always get put in Martinique (non preferred). It's all good though because the entire resort is beautiful!

Anxious to hear if you decided to live out of the suitcase or unpack. :)

[deedeew80]

:) So glad it wasn't bed bugs!!! You always have such great pictures of CBR! I can't wait to go back again. Just don't know when. I'm hoping/pushing for next year. This year just isn't in the budget :sad1: So I will just live through your trips for now! ;) Can't wait to read more! You left another cliff hanger in there.....just incase of what?????? :surfweb:

[longing2Batdisney]

Happy to hear is was a rouge swarm of gnats....I was not thinking bed bugs (as it was too early to find those) but I was thinking something just as bad; fleas.

sounds like things are going smooth and tasty (except for your chips)....can't wait to hear how you guys start your Disney Adventure...

:mickeyjum :donald: :goofy: so happy to hear you guys are booked for next year! :mickeyjum :donald: :goofy: a two week adventure now that sounds like an awesome adventure!

Oh! although, I did not fall for your little "scare"....unless you or John has some parts missing or tied up real good...better not joke too loud; remember my little "angle" surprise that turns "5" in about month! didn't think after 14 yrs it was possible for me either....(I told Danny the year before he came along to quit saying he wanted another one.... but, someone heard him! ;) )

[Bridora]

How exciting that you already have next year's trip booked! :dance3:

I guess I almost fell for your little pregnancy gag there...until I noticed that big empty gap under that sentence! :lmao: Good one!

I'm glad it was only gnats biting you; and that they were quickly dealt with. :goodvibes

[Happy Elf]

Yay no bed bugs! Glad the gnats didn't hang around.

Thanks for the tip about the beach. I can't wait to stay at CBR but the I'm a little afraid I will get lost....:rolleyes1 It is beautiful!

Congrats on the new trip! :thumbsup2

[PhoenixStrength]

Yay for gnats and not bed bugs. I'm sure the gnats were annoying, but bed bugs would have been so much worse!!

CBR looks beautiful. I'm debating where to stay my next trip, POP or a moderate. I've stayed at POP before and enjoyed it, but I love the extra theming and such of the moderates. I have to decide soon since they already released for next year and I want to get my reservation in soon! :lmao:

[rndmr2]

Getting caught up on your last couple of updates. Glad your trip is going well so far. thank goodness you were able to get rid of those gnats so easily. Your CBR pics are so nice, I love it there, I hope to stay there again someday.

[PirateKate]

How strange that there were gnats in your room. I hope Hunter managed to get the room bug free.

Congratulations on booking next year's vacation!!:cool1:

[Tiggerrn2]

Love that you have next year's trip in the works. It makes coming home so much easier when you know you are going back again soon. Glad there were no bed bugs. I always strip apart the beds and check them over before I think of crawling in.:laughing:

[GrammyJudy]

DID YOU SERIOUSLY FALL FOR THAT? My days of raising babies are over with.

Lisa you are never done raising babies, once yours are grown you will have grandkids to love and spoil and help with! And take to Disney:banana::banana::banana:

[Disney before Sally]

[QUOTE=mickeystoontown;41570420][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0386.jpg

I hope I have selected the right picture above; it should be the table in your room with a clock calendar flyer with print stating upto 40% off if you book a return trip before you check out. It seems that you must not have used this offer to book your long trip for next year. Did you have a better offer? Do you pick a time that is right for you, wait to see if an offer shows up during your reservation, and then call to have it applied?

I lived in Florida for about twenty years. Anytime I think of vacation, beach is hardly ever in the selected top five. But - that resort looks beautiful. I can't wait to see more of it through your eyes.

[ronnmel]

I didn't fall for the Baby thing because I noticed the white space just under. ;)

Thank god it wasn't bed bugs! Gnats (whatever they are, never heard that term before as English is my second language) seem annoying, but at least very easy to get rid of.

Those pictures of Jamaica are so pretty. I kinda wish we had taken more time to explore the resort when we were there, but then again we only had 6 (very packed) days.
That little playground on the island looks fun!

Homemade chips taste so good! They had some at the snack bar in Cuba and they were quite popular, with reason!

[TinksThree]

Whew! I have a huge fear of bed bugs! YUCK!!

What pretty pictures of CBR! I wish it had a boat to DTD for Keith!! I got a PIN for Value Resorts today but when I mentioned he made a snide remark about it not being as good as POR/POFQ...which actually is a huge plus for him!!

[Angies1274]

So glad it wasn't bed bugs!! It is strange about the gnats though.....:confused3

Love all the pictures of CBR! It's such a pretty resort!

:woohoo: for booking your next vacation!!!

[ddstratton]

Ewwww. Gnats. Not fun. At least they vamoosed quickly. :rotfl2:

Looks like they've done some revamping in the rooms, since we were there in October 2008. We had a Nemo themed room, but our beds didn't have the small green pillows. And it looks like they've put another section on the top of the dresser and given a flat-screen TV. I can't find one of my pictures off-hand, but I'm pretty sure our dresser had the small drawers on the top, and a regular TV sat on top. They now have little cubby-holes over the small drawers.


http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0385.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0396.jpg


In the second picture, it looks like the paint on the top section is a little different than on the bottom...

I'm loving your CBR pictures, by the way.

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

What a relief on the bed bugs! man you had me worried there for a while! :lmao: Gnats are bad, but MUCH better than bed bugs!

All your food from the food court sounds really good. I think we are going to enjoy it there. I was hoping to see the food court area in your pictures to see if the lanterns were still hanging across the ceiling. I saw a picture recently and it looked like they were gone, but it might have just been the angle. I hope they haven't taken them down because they make it look so neat in there! It really looks like you are outdoors. Can't wait to see the rest of your pictures!

[WHIT1]

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers who are reading! It's a toasty 100 degrees here in North Louisiana with a heat index of 105! It's hotter than hecka decka!

Hunter and I are going to grill steaks for John this evening. Lacey is in Knoxville so she's going to miss out. On the flip side, she's spending Father's Day with her future father-in-law so at least she's with a daddy today.

Lacey went to Knoxville on Thursday of last week and got to see the apartment that Jesse picked out for them. She had only seen pictures of it and said it's really nice and spacious. It's near Jesse's work and has a tennis court, pool and laundry facilities. The best thing about it is it is well within their budget. :thumbsup2

We've not spent much time outside this weekend because it's been so blessed hot. But, John and I did go outside for several hours later last evening to water the garden. I am excited to report that our garden is growing well despite the heat. We have tomatoes on the vine, purple hull peas blooming, have already gathered quite a few yellow squash and we have little bitty cucumbers and cataloupes. I'm anxiously awaiting the day that we can eat the fruits (and veggies) of our labor.

I'm hoping to get an update posted later this afternoon or early evening. Lord knows I aint' going out in this darn heat!


First of all I want to say I have enjoyed all your TR reports. I just have a question about your pics on Memories which I have just seen . I also sent my wedding day memory in and I got picked , but its not where everyone can see it. Its only in my Memory. What I am asking you is did I do something wrong and thats why its not on the Memory site. If so can you help me? Also like all of Lacey's wedding plans . I to did the same for my 2nd wedding. I had my cousin use artificial flowers for my wedding and they looked so real. I went to a cake decorating class and I made my own cake. My parents helped make the food for the reception and everything was great. Sorry to say the man I married was not, but I finally married my soul mate at WDW. So hoping you will write all about the wedding and lots of pics for us to see.

[MaryAz]

Another great report!! So happy that the whole family could come along!! SOrry about the car trouble on the way down. Glad the peeps were so great and fixed it up quick!! We also really liked CBR-so tropical. Love ur sayings and congrats for booking ur next trip!!

[__disneygirl]

Joining in!! Love your TR!

I love all your Southern references! I live right outside of NYC and I must say every time I visit the south I am shocked by how much nicer everyone is! Gotta love that southern hospitality.

Your pics are making me miss CBR so much! We stayed there last year and loved it so much. Pop Century is our favorite, but one thing it doesn't have are beaches, and the beaches are soo nice at CBR. But i must admit, I'm like you, I like to drop my stuff off in the room and get going!! I never relax at Disney.

Can't wait for more!:surfweb:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Oh man I'm exceptionally relieved you didn't have to deal with bedbugs!!!! I'm sooo grossed out by those. Gnats are pesky, but much less horrible. And I'm glad they got out of your way quickly.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Subbing! I thought your title sounded interesting!

Wow, the Mississippi River was really up! How scary.

How nice that the repair shop was so kind and helpful to you. :)

Caribbean Beach Resort looks so nice. We have never stayed there but I might have to give it a try. DS would love the swim area.

Too bad about the gnats but glad it was only gnats. So afraid it was bed bugs!

:surfweb:Can't wait to read more.


Erika

[Disneyfreak616]

Loving the CBR pics! :thumbsup2

[Caretames1]

YAY Check-in:yay: I love that "we're here" moment. I really like the rooms there. Maybe someday, after my DH gets over his love affair with POR, we may check it out.:lmao:

BTW, I have a huge fear of bed bugs, so thanks for the little scare!

[pocahontasgal87]

ALrighty, i am now all caught up:) I absolutely adore CBR, the theming is just awesome!, I love the pool, the banana cabana bar(i thats what its called), the nemo theme in the a room, etc:).

Also Congrats on booking ur next trip:goodvibes, we r planning to do a trip in Sept 2012 with me, my parents, sisters, there husbands and children, so one big trip, cant wait!:cool1: lol

[jenseib]

I've been reading this off and on today as I was a few pages behind and have been in and out all day. But I have to tell you, something has been biting my foot/ankle/leg ALL day and reading this made it feel 10 times worse. LOL! I have to admit, I think I have a flea. I mowed the dogs pen yesterday and the grass was shin high, and even though I was on a rider, it flew everywhere. I too ka shower yesterday, but this morning it started and has been going all day. I don't know how to get of that bugger. I will bath again tonight and really scrub...maybe i should go change my sheets too. It's driving me bonkers!

Anyways, I loved your update. And I am so excited to finally tour CBR this Aug. It's just looks so pretty from all your pictures! :love:

[teacher1717]

Jumping in! You family seems like a lot of fun, and not a hint of crankiness even in the hot van!

[mickeystoontown]

CBR really looks beautiful. I wish we could stay there with our family of 5....**sigh**

I so did not fall for the "i'm pregnant" gag! :lmao:

Yay for a new vacation! SO exciting to have a new trip to look forward to....we're still working on that here. :sad1:

When you guys make it back to Disney, you should plan a day to visit different resorts. I made ADRs at several resorts so we could take a short tour of them.

I'm so happy to have next year's trip booked!

:thumbsup2 to Hunter for his pictures of the room and for his gnat exterminating abilities!

Aaaahhh the CBR beach - your pictures have me 2nd guessing my upcoming stay at POFQ. I really want to try the refurbished rooms there, but then I think I hear the faint sound of the palm trees in your CBR pictures calling my name (especially since I am sitting here at work). ;)

I like the looks of the Jamaica village and it's funny how your family ends up getting assigned there. We've stayed at CBR 3 times and always get put in Martinique (non preferred). It's all good though because the entire resort is beautiful!

Anxious to hear if you decided to live out of the suitcase or unpack. :)

Hunter did pretty well killing the gnats. Those little suckers liked to bite and they hurt!

The CBR grounds are so pretty and relaxing. We've stayed at the resort when it was at full capacity and we never felt crowded at all.

:) So glad it wasn't bed bugs!!! You always have such great pictures of CBR! I can't wait to go back again. Just don't know when. I'm hoping/pushing for next year. This year just isn't in the budget :sad1: So I will just live through your trips for now! ;) Can't wait to read more! You left another cliff hanger in there.....just incase of what?????? :surfweb:

Maybe ya'll can book a trip back to the CBR soon. I'm glad that Disney released the 2012 rates earlier than normal so I can start paying on my vacation a couple of months early.

Happy to hear is was a rouge swarm of gnats....I was not thinking bed bugs (as it was too early to find those) but I was thinking something just as bad; fleas.

sounds like things are going smooth and tasty (except for your chips)....can't wait to hear how you guys start your Disney Adventure...

:mickeyjum :donald: :goofy: so happy to hear you guys are booked for next year! :mickeyjum :donald: :goofy: a two week adventure now that sounds like an awesome adventure!

Oh! although, I did not fall for your little "scare"....unless you or John has some parts missing or tied up real good...better not joke too loud; remember my little "angle" surprise that turns "5" in about month! didn't think after 14 yrs it was possible for me either....(I told Danny the year before he came along to quit saying he wanted another one.... but, someone heard him! ;) )

Oh I know about all about little surprises.....Hunter is one! I told John that I'm tired of being the one who takes care of the "let's make sure we have no babies". It's his turn and I'm thinking he's going to get a little snip snip soon.

How exciting that you already have next year's trip booked! :dance3:

I guess I almost fell for your little pregnancy gag there...until I noticed that big empty gap under that sentence! :lmao: Good one!

I'm glad it was only gnats biting you; and that they were quickly dealt with. :goodvibes

Even though I know that we are going back to Disney every Summer, it still makes me happy to know it's actually booked.

The gnats were annoying as heck but they were gone pretty quickly.

Yay no bed bugs! Glad the gnats didn't hang around.

Thanks for the tip about the beach. I can't wait to stay at CBR but the I'm a little afraid I will get lost....:rolleyes1 It is beautiful!

Congrats on the new trip! :thumbsup2

It is easy to get turned around in the CBR pathways but, like I said, if you can find the beach, you'll be able to navigate around the resort. If my 76 year old mother (she's 77 now but was 76 on the 2010 trip) can find her way around, so can you. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it.

[mickeystoontown]

Yay for gnats and not bed bugs. I'm sure the gnats were annoying, but bed bugs would have been so much worse!!

CBR looks beautiful. I'm debating where to stay my next trip, POP or a moderate. I've stayed at POP before and enjoyed it, but I love the extra theming and such of the moderates. I have to decide soon since they already released for next year and I want to get my reservation in soon! :lmao:

The gnats were annoying. They would fly around our ears and noses. It was hard to slap them when they were on your face. :rolleyes:

The CBR is beautiful. The grounds are so well maintained and lush. It was so nice to walk down to the beach and relax.

Getting caught up on your last couple of updates. Glad your trip is going well so far. thank goodness you were able to get rid of those gnats so easily. Your CBR pics are so nice, I love it there, I hope to stay there again someday.

The gnats were annoying but they were pretty easy to get rid of. Just a swat here and a swat there and ta-da :wizard: they were gone.

I really thought we'd change resorts next year but, like I said, John looked at me like I was an alien when I mentioned changing.

How strange that there were gnats in your room. I hope Hunter managed to get the room bug free.

Congratulations on booking next year's vacation!!:cool1:

I'm thinking like another poster said....I bet somebody left something in the room (like fruit or a banana or something) and the gnats were in the trash. When the housekeeper left, they stayed.

Love that you have next year's trip in the works. It makes coming home so much easier when you know you are going back again soon. Glad there were no bed bugs. I always strip apart the beds and check them over before I think of crawling in.:laughing:

Amen to that! If I didn't know that we were going back to Disney the next Summer, I'd be sittin' in a corner sucking my thumb because I was in withdrawals. :lmao:

DID YOU SERIOUSLY FALL FOR THAT? My days of raising babies are over with.

Lisa you are never done raising babies, once yours are grown you will have grandkids to love and spoil and help with! And take to Disney:banana::banana::banana:

Oh I totally agree! I can't wait to take my grandkids to Disney! I've already told Lacey and Jesse they can be prepared for that.

[mickeystoontown]

[QUOTE=mickeystoontown;41570420][SIZE="4"]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n526/disneytripreport/102_0386.jpg

I hope I have selected the right picture above; it should be the table in your room with a clock calendar flyer with print stating upto 40% off if you book a return trip before you check out. It seems that you must not have used this offer to book your long trip for next year. Did you have a better offer? Do you pick a time that is right for you, wait to see if an offer shows up during your reservation, and then call to have it applied?

I lived in Florida for about twenty years. Anytime I think of vacation, beach is hardly ever in the selected top five. But - that resort looks beautiful. I can't wait to see more of it through your eyes.

The bounceback offer that was on the table just went through 2011, not 2012. If it had included my 2012 dates, I would have jumped right on it! I booked next year's trip without any discounts or special offers. I hope that they come out with something to save me some money because of the rate increases. If they don't, then I may have to sell a internal organ or something. :lmao:

I didn't fall for the Baby thing because I noticed the white space just under. ;)

Thank god it wasn't bed bugs! Gnats (whatever they are, never heard that term before as English is my second language) seem annoying, but at least very easy to get rid of.

Those pictures of Jamaica are so pretty. I kinda wish we had taken more time to explore the resort when we were there, but then again we only had 6 (very packed) days.
That little playground on the island looks fun!

Homemade chips taste so good! They had some at the snack bar in Cuba and they were quite popular, with reason!

Gnats are little flying buts. These looked like a big flea with wings. When they bit you, it felt like a sharp pinch. Stupid GNATS!

I can understand why you didn't explore the resort more. If you only have 6 days, you're trying to pack in as much park time as you can. That's why we keep adding days to our vacations. John likes to spend "down" time. If he wants it, then we have to add more time. Not that I'm complaining. ;)

John and Mama's homemade chips were delish. Mine...not so much.

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Whew! I have a huge fear of bed bugs! YUCK!!

What pretty pictures of CBR! I wish it had a boat to DTD for Keith!! I got a PIN for Value Resorts today but when I mentioned he made a snide remark about it not being as good as POR/POFQ...which actually is a huge plus for him!!

When I was a little girl, I was attacked by a huge swarm of honeybees. I had them in my hair, in my nose, in my clothes....they were everywhere. I had so many bee stings that my parents slept in the car outside the hospital just in case I had an allergic reaction. So, you'd think that I'd be scared of bugs but I'm not.

I remember Keith saying he didn't like the CSR because it was spread out. From what I understand, the CSR and the CBR have very similar layout.

So glad it wasn't bed bugs!! It is strange about the gnats though.....:confused3

Love all the pictures of CBR! It's such a pretty resort!

:woohoo: for booking your next vacation!!!

The gnats went away pretty quickly (and the ones that didn't fly away were squished :laughing:) thankfully.

The CBR is a very pretty resort. That's why it's so hard deciding if we want to change resorts or go back year after year.

[shelbys mommy]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! And now I am going catch up!!!

[shelbys mommy]

Ok, I am all caught up! That really bites that the a/c went out, but what amazing service! I will have to add that in our Disney Plans for next June just in case something happens. So glad to hear that it was gnats & not bed bugs!!!

So glad to be back on your TR! They are always so much fun! Can't wait for more!

[Kathy Jetson]

Hi I'm here and trying to get caught up on all my subscriptions!

Thats great you got such great service with your ac and so quick I guess you got a little early Disney magic.

You really got me with being pregnant after I picked my jaw up off the floor I kept reading.:laughing:

It looks like you will be checking out the day we check in next year. I haven't fixed my ticker yet because I can't figure out how. But its close enough for now.

I can't wait to read all about your trip!

[MEK]

Well, I'm still pretty far behind, but I finished reading about your car trip. I love seeing pictures from parts of the country I have never been too. Thanks for the fun pix. Glad you were able to get the AC fixed so quickly. That was a blessing.
:cool1: to CBR Arrival!

[goofy's_gurl]

Im in! I love your reports. There always entertaining!.

[Mommy2BnB]

Joining in. I've mostly lurked through your last trip reports. We hope to stay at CBR for our next trip, so I am excited to hear more about your stay there, minus the biting gnats! I am also looking forward to hearing about more wedding plans. :goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

I hope that everybody is having a good weekend....what's left of it anyways. As usual, it's been busy around the McBride household which is the reason I haven't finished posting replies yet.

As I said in my last installment, I'm not good at sitting still for long. We like taking road trips every few months just to spend time together as a family and to get away from reality for a day or two. Last night, I planned a last minute July 4th weekend trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. You may remember that that is where Lacey and Jesse will be living when they get married. She is there now and she and Jesse have gotten their apartment and are in the process of getting things moved in.

I told John that I was going to see if there were any hotel rooms available in Knoxville and there were! We are leaving Friday after we get off work and will drive for 5 or 6 hours. We'll get up Saturday morning and drive the rest of the way. It's a 9 3/4 hours long trip which is nothing for us since we our drive to Disney is about 16 hours. I'm hoping to get to Knoxville around lunch or a little after. Lacey took a load of her stuff with her to Knoxville and we're going to take a load when we go. So, I'm sure we will be helping unpack the boxes and maybe spend some time with Jesse's family that evening.

We aren't sure what we are going to do Sunday, July 3rd. The drive to Gaitlinburg, Tennessee is about an hour from where Jesse lives so we may make a trip over there. Last Summer, we took a one day trip (a 3 1/2 hour drive from where Lacey was living at the time in Georgia) to Pigeon Forge and we drove through the Smokey Mountain National Park. Every since we came home, we've said we'd like to go again and it looks like this is a good opportunity to do that.

I'm looking forward to seeing Lacey and Jesse's apartment and the area where she'll be living. Oh, I forgot to tell ya'll something. Mama's going with us too. She's been a bit anxious about Lacey moving and this will give her (and us) a chance to see the apartment.

I'm so happy to have a trip planned even if it's not a Disney trip. It's going to be a busy/fast trip but I'll milk every minute of it. Lacey was scheduled to come home next Friday so she's happy that she's able to spend more time in Knoxville before heading home. Once she's back here, we'll be back in wedding mode.

I'm off to go buy groceries. Maybe I'll have time to post replies later this afternoon.

I forgot something! Somebody dropped four kitten off near our house and they somehow ended up on our back porch. This was on Thursday. I guess two of them have wandered off because we can't find them. I'm not real worried though because there's a large baseball park near our house and I'm sure that, if they went there, somebody took pity on them and took them home.

The other two don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. I have already named them....O'Malley (the boy) and Lilo (the girl). I'm thinking I'll have to give the girl away because I don't want to have a bunch of kittens any time soon and I'm not willing to pay to have it fixed right now (wedding expenses, about to buy a new truck expenses, etc.) . They are the cutest things and I have already fell in love with them. John just looks at me and shakes his head when he sees me cuddling with them.

Okay, so I really really have to go. It's already 1:00 p.m. here and I gotta get to the grocery store.

Wait....one more thing. Please send up prayers and positive thoughts for one of our counselors at church. Our song leader tried to get in touch with him for several hours and couldn't reach him at all. He got worried and he and another guy went to his house. When they got there, the counselor had no idea who he (himself) was or where he was. He has no family here in Louisiana so there's no one to help him but his church family. Needless to say, it's very upsetting and they are trying to find out what caused this memory loss and disorientation. Prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Kathy Jetson]

How exciting you get to see where Lacey and Jesse will be living and it will be a nice trip for you also!

I hope you find the kittens a good home (that is if you don't decide to keep them) its very easy to get attached.

I hope everything works out for your church counselor thats terrible he doesn't have any family to help him.

[pocahontasgal87]

hope you have a great july 4th weekend trip:) and sending prayers for your church counceler

[micandminforever]

Prayers and thoughts for your Church counselor. Have a great time in Knoxville and the Mountains.

The pictures CBR made me homesick for Disney. They brought back great memories of our trip in March.

[CreightonsMomma]

Lots to catch up on....

I'm so glad they were able to fix your AC quickly. I live in S.FL and my AC in my apartment has been broken for 2.5 weeks. They fixed it on Thursday but I was MISERABLE! Ugh.

I have never stayed at CBR before. It looks beautiful. All those gnats in the room is really weird. I wonder how they got in there. Glad they never made another appearance. I know how annoying the bugs in FL can be.

Speaking of the 4th of July, I just realized today that it is next week. :scared1: Where have I been???!! lol. Life is just flying by, I think I need a slow motion button.


Thoughts and prayers to your church counselor.

[GrammyJudy]

I agree with you Lisa...I love planning trips....even just for a weekend and try to get away every couple of months. I am still waiting for deals to come out for my winter trip to Disney. But meanwhile we ar going over to the Maine coast for a week July 2-9. My parents used to live there and my kids grew up loving to go there. Now we take the grandkids. We have rented a 2 bedroom cottage and me, my husband and my grandson who is 10 will go for the whole week. My daughter is coming with the 2 year old Sat thru Wed. She works at a daycare and that is all the time she could get off that week. Her husband works at a large dairy farm and they are very busy this time of year so he will be working. My son just got a new job so he is not coming this year either. The boys are looking forward to the beach and the other things we do there. We live in a very rural part of Vermont where it takes 45 mins. to get to a movie so they like it over there. It is only about 3 hours from here and very beautiful so I am stating to get excited....but is is not DISNEY, my favorite place!

Hope you have a good trip to see Lacey and Jesse. Can't wit to read the rest of your report...entertaining as usual~!

[Woth2982]

So sorry about the prayer counselor. Hate to say this, but depending on his age it sounds like alzheimer's. My grandmother was diagnosed with it around 60 and she would have the same issues at the beginning. I am currently running races with the Alzheimer's Association to raise money for a cure.

The weekend trip sounds fantastic! It will be nice for the family to see where Lacy's new home is. You all must be getting so excited with the wedding just around the corner!

[PhoenixStrength]

First of all, I hope everything winds up okay with your song leader at church. Sometimes dehydration or other things can cause the confusion so I hope it is something simple like that. Prayers heading his way.

Yay for a trip to Tennessee! I understand the itch to travel. I love going places and doing things outside the normal routine to break up the monotony of everyday life.

I understand the kitten issue too well. We have fostered over 200 kittens in the past 3 years, many were found or dropped off on our doorstep. It is difficult to say goodbye, but it is wonderful to know that they will bring such happiness to a family. I'm sure everything will work out well for the 2 you found.

[deedeew80]

Hi Lisa! Hope you have fun on your trip!!!! I'm sure you will enjoy getting to see Lacey's apartment! Lots of thoughts and prayers for your church counselor! :grouphug:

[Caretames1]

Have a safe & fun trip! Hope the moving goes smoothly. I will keep him in my thoughts, I hope he regians his memory soon!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I will definitely be sending good thoughts to your church counselor. I hope he is feeling better soon!

Have a great time on your road trip!! :goodvibes

[Bethislucy]

Thoughts & prayers for you church member. How sad and scary.

Sounds like a fun 4th of July trip. We'll be having a 3 year olds b-day party at our house this weekend. I trip to TN sounds a lot more relaxing lol.

[TinksThree]

Ok, I am all caught up! That really bites that the a/c went out, but what amazing service! I will have to add that in our Disney Plans for next June just in case something happens. So glad to hear that it was gnats & not bed bugs!!!

So glad to be back on your TR! They are always so much fun! Can't wait for more!

Glad to see you have a ticker!! :banana: I followed your last TR and was so sad when you had to cancel the trip for this summer! I know how much you wanted to take your kids back! :goodvibes

I am so jealous you will be in Knoxville!! We have been trying to plan little trips too. I have to book a hotel for New Orleans today and we are trying to find a beach local. Plus our annual Thanksgivign trip to Gatlinburg...those little trips help me make it through the sumemr doldrums! Keith even mentioned an "Epcot" trip last night which made me do two things: :scared1: and :yay: I think I need to pursue that one! ;)

CSR is spread out and I thought CBR's layout looked similar. I think the lack of shade added to the vastness to making it not tops on Keith's list. CBR looks like it may be shaded a little more(?).

[momof2TNboys]

Joining in the TR late! I have been reading along, but have not had time to post. I see you are coming to my wonderful city this weekend. It is supposed to be nice. I hope you enjoy it! I hope Lacey enjoys living here. It is a really family-oriented place.That is one of the reasons I moved here. We are probably heading to Pigeon Forge this weekend too. We have season passes to Dollywood and we are going to take our little ones this weekend.

[walt's girl]

I loved your previous trip report!! I look forward to hearing all about this trip, now to get all caught up...