G'day, one thing before we get started;
I've only just begun reading...but MUST finish! Bookmarking so I don't miss out on a great report!
Katy
Katy? You're kidding me, right? Qatar? You're in Qatar? G'on! Jaime, is that you?
Well, nice to have you with us Katy.
I'm another stranger, joining this sandbox to play!
My DH and I are 50ish couple (well, I'm almost there), but with the worst timing! We're not empty nesters yet. We've got one in the 4th grade and one in the 6th.
You too, welcome to the sandbox Rozz.
You know, when I was little, we never had a sandbox. Uh uh.
We had a quicksand box.
I was an only child.
Eventually.
Hey, when you have a chance to quote Steven Wright, you have to go for it.
They say, " The journey of a thousand miles begins with a few small steps."
Well, in this case, it was a few small stops.
Things started to go wrong, even days leading up to the trip.
I guess I'm going to have to be redundant and repeat some history here for new readers, but some background is important.
The day before we are to leave, I got the bad news.
Really bad news.
Curl into a ball in the corner bad news.
While sucking my thumb.
"Ok, ok, what was so bad?" "What happened?"
It's simple, really.
No drugs, I can't get any drugs.
It's like this;
Five operations on my foot from an accident at work have given me a continuing ressie at Walgreen's for vikes. As in Vicodin. And I'm sure you can just imagine what all the walking around down there does to an icky foot.
But that's not the real problem. The real problem is the drive down.
I'm good for about 3 hours before my back starts going all spazzy on me, and I end up trying to crunch up jackets, jeans, or small children and stuffing them behind my back on the seat.
Of course I can never tell my doc I need them for the drive, ,,, however,,,, I need them for the drive.
Do I have a problem with painkillers? Like Brett Favre, Rush Limbaugh or Mathew Perry?
Nope! None, whatsoever.
Unless I can't get any that is.
Diane once asked my how I feel when after all these years of taking them, I suddenly have to stop. What goes through your body, how do you feel?
"Sad."
Which brings us now to well, now.
Timing is everything, and I really blew it this time.
I am all out of them, and they won't let me refill it too early. So far we have driven down there 9 times, and not once have I had to do it without the real thing.
You talk about SAD! The very earliest I can maybe refill them is when we're in Kissimee, on thursday. The problem is, this is only tuesday.
SAD, SAD, SAD.
And scared. I honestly don't know if I can make it without a stop every 15 minutes to stretch.
And that's the first thing I thought of when the alarm went off at 1:30 tuesday morning. Not a nice thought to begin a trip with.
We did get lucky in one respect. Originally we were to leave on wednsday, stay in Georgia and check in to Disney around noon thursday. But due to the lack of daylight in December, we thought it would be better to take our time getting there and leave tuesday. We also considered just flying down on thursday, but we ended up nixxing that idea.
Good thing on both accounts. We had a mini blizzard wednsday and thursday, to the point where O'hare was shut down for a few hours even.
Leaving tuesday we just missed it!
Again, we also had the daylight issue. I"m not really crazy anymore driving at night in places I'm not all that familiar with, especially when it comes to checking into a motel in a strange town. I prefer to at least be able to check out my surroundings a bit.
So we decided to upload the dark into the front part of the trip, where I'm more familiar with. That's why we shooted to leave at 2:30 in the mornig.
Shooted?
As we're getting ready that morning, and I'm trying to stuff the crate of aspirin and the barrel of ibuprofen into the car, I tried to smile at Smidgy, but she wasn't buying it.
"I never would have married you if I'd known you were nocturnal!"
"Hoot." I said.
Almost ready, a last check around the house, all looks good. "Ok," I said, "Final potty party."
And then it started.
You know where I'm going, right?
Sure you wanna hear this?
Twenty minutes later I finally emerged. "You ok? she asked.
"Don't know, think so, hope so, better be so or I'm a so and so."
Holding hands for a small prayer in the driveway, and I finally got you yell it.
"ANNNND, They're OFFFFF!!"
Two blocks down the road and I did it again.
"AAAND, they're turning around!"
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Forgot my sunglasses on the tv."
This time Mischief, our cat almost made the break for freedom, but I caught her just in time.
"AAAND, they're offff!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Hmm, guess it's losing it's effect.
Normally, this part of a trip I'm in a great mood, but right now I'm worried and you know why.
About a block from the tollway, on a really pitch black road, Diane decides to try expedite that which has me all concerned right now.
She screams.
And grabs the dashboard.
I have always found this most helpful when I am driving, haven't you?
Hmm, let us rationalize about this. My passenger, my wife, has just taken it upon herself to scream in my ear, on a lonely dark road at 2:40 in the morning. Now, what could it be that would necessitate such a response, considering she is completely aware of the FRAGILE state my internal organs are in. Could it be:
A: She forgot HER sunglasses?
B: The sky is falling?
C: Sale at Walmart? or,,,
D: Then I saw it, and sure enough, it did! This deer was by the side of the road, (which she saw and ergo, the scream), and then bolted right in front of me, which I saw.
I just swerved, wasn't even close, but it did get your attention though.
"Please, next time if you must scream, at least scream "DEER!" Ok, DEAR!?"
I politely explained this to her as we waited for the stoplight that leads us down to the tollway.
She was feeling a bit foolish, and when the light changed, she tried a little levity:
"AANND!, they're OFFFF!"
"Stick it."
30 miles down the road, we're on the tristate, and I'm not doing any better.
Panic is setting in now, genuine panic. Even if I was to hold out till Indiana, what then? It's not like they have little porta-potties lining the highway.
Then the big one hit me.
The clench your teeth, grasp the steering wheel, double over in pain with a hot poker in your belly one, and I knew this game was just about over.
And I saw the sign, the wonderful, wonderful sign.
Hinsdale Oasis, one mile.
Around the Chicago area, we don't have rest areas, but a couple of the highways have these McDonalds oasisis, oasises, oasii, yeah, oasii, that's work, that go over the tollway.
"Get your Big Mac and Gas TOO!"
Well, I won't mention the first, but I'd like to get rid of the other, thank you very much, and I shot up the ramp!
The car was still rolling to a stop, when I was through the door already.
Ten minutes later and it's time to repeat the conversation. "You ok?"
"I don't know, I think so. "
"Do you need more time?"
"Probably, why don't you come back friday?"
That's just it with these types of "problems". You never know when it's "All Clear". For right now though, whew! She gave me a couple of immodiums, which I usually hate to take, but this time I'm not arguing.
Yeah, I may not go again until Christmas, but anything is better than what I just went through.
Back in the car, I started the engine. Again.
And I looked at her.
"Don't"
"Even"
"Thinkit."
See? Isn't sharing overrated?
And on they went.
Ten minutes after hitting rt. 65 in Indiana, she was dozing.
And I'm looking for DEER!
And porta-potties. Just in case.
Finally, rest area coming up.
Two miles.
Next rest area,,,,,,,,,,,
I couldn't read it. By the time I get that far in a sign, the headlights are now off of it, and the rest dissapears. I don't need this rest area just yet, if it ain't broke, don't fix it kinda thing.
But it would be nice to know when the next one is. Crap, could be a matter of life and death.
So to say.
I made it to Indianoplace, and she woke up. Now she's a flurry of maps flipping every which way. It was just beginning to get light out, and we just barreled right through downtown and on to Louisville.
Just south of Louis, I pulled over in Shepherdsville for gas, it wasn't even nine yet.
She made me a coffee inside while I pumped and checked this one tire.
All done, she was gazing out the window at a pickup truck next to us as I was figuring out the mileage.
"Boy," she said, "You can tell we're in Kentucky." "The guy next to us is slugging down a beer already."
We have friends that moved down here about six months ago, but she wasn't thinking of them right now. So I said, " Did Mike at least wave to you?"
I guess the timing was just right, cuz she laughed her butt off.
And on we went.
One thing nice about this drive this time, is that even though there is so little light, it was 21 degrees when we left this morning, and the further we drive, the warmer it gets.
By Nashville, I'm up to 5 ibuprofens and 4 aspirin. But it's holding out better than expected.
After Nashville, comes the part Smidgy just hates.
It's an extremely steep decline of 6 percent , with runaway truck ramps on the sides, and a cloud of fear over Diane's head.
You don't touch the gas pedal for about 7 miles, and that's no bull.
Remember when she screamed earlier in the car?
Well, I thought of paying her back right now, oh BOY would it have worked! But I kept my mouth shut.
Who wants to be in Disneyworld by themselves?
Hit a rest stop in Chattynoogies, then the Georgia welcome center to get some motel brochures.
Gas in Dalton, then right through the center of Disneydad99 land, Atlanta. On through Stockbridge, and Marietta, and Forsythe and Macon. Byron and Ashburn and Perry and Blitzen.
Sorry
We did land that night in Perry, a really good haul for the first day, tomorrow will be a snap now. Stayed in an America's Best Hotel.
43 a night, including tax.
And says, "Free HOT continental breakfast"
Hmm, can't wait to see what THAT is.
Or can I?
Woe is me.
this morning b/c the water line froze up in the mud room--8 degrees here last night--so more Dis'ing time!
). Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm sure you'll be back in the grind soon. 
Nice to meet you. 
Whatisit?whatisit?whatisit?
But I thought since this is a brand new thread I'd get up the nerve and post! Can't wait to hear about your holiday trip. I have never been to the World during the Holidays. 
Now if I could just figure out how to change my title to update date and chapter post...
