A Much Needed Trip for the Mominators...10/12 NEW! Much Ado About Nothing! #80

[askelton]

No idea it was that insane! Definitely you need another vacation. But you get to drive by Turner Field every day? Seen any Braves hanging out?

 

[PrincessV]

I know I've sent and given about a bazillion of these over the past 6 months, but I don't think it'll ever be enough. You're doing a FABULOUS job in the face of insane conditions - you ROCK my friend! Love ya babe.

It goes from bumper to bumper at 85 mph to a parking lot in the blink of an eye and then back again.

This is the best description of ATL traffic I've seen - it's so true! Here, it's just a parking lot. No joke - I manage the 5 miles home from work... in up to 45 minutes.

You know the one...caused by too much stress and that little goody called "addonitis"?

Is that the one that keeps calling "Labor Day Weekend!"???

Could I be on that blacklist now?? Is my name right next to V or have I bumped her from the top of the list???

Uuuummmm....

YES!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Oh honey! I knew your life was hectic, but when you put in it in black and white.... O.M.G. You needed this vacation... NO, you deserved this vacation... all of you!

No idea it was that insane! Definitely you need another vacation.

I know I've sent and given about a bazillion of these over the past 6 months, but I don't think it'll ever be enough. You're doing a FABULOUS job in the face of insane conditions - you ROCK my friend! Love ya babe.

Oh L...what they said! EXACTLY what they said.

 

[Lauralee131]

Oh honey! I knew your life was hectic, but when you put in it in black and white.... O.M.G. You needed this vacation... NO, you deserved this vacation... all of you!

Awww...Thank you my friend And right back atcha...yeah, I guess when you see it in B & W it looks really bad...good thing I made it the short version, otherwise we'd all be in tears...

No idea it was that insane! Definitely you need another vacation. But you get to drive by Turner Field every day? Seen any Braves hanging out?

Yep - I get off on Exit 246 which goes right along side of the stadium and then make a right on Fulton to Capitol so I go by the Blue lot, and by all the Olympic torches/statues, etc going toward Grant Park and the Zoo...Haven't seen any Braves...I'll keep an eye out for ya though. Usually when I go by it's dark except the outside lights and the giant spinning coke bottle, but one morning on a day there was a 1pm game, the whole stadium was all lit up - Turner Field sign and all...it looked awesome against the dark sky but I didn't have my camera. I must admit, it's a nice looking stadium...I keep saying I'm going to bring my camera one morning pull into the blue lot and take some front-on pics of the stadium, etc...

I know I've sent and given about a bazillion of these over the past 6 months, but I don't think it'll ever be enough. You're doing a FABULOUS job in the face of insane conditions - you ROCK my friend! Love ya babe.

Thank you sweetie...you've been a rock for ME all these months...all three of you girls have I wouldn't be able to do it without my greatest cheering section.

This is the best description of ATL traffic I've seen - it's so true! Here, it's just a parking lot. No joke - I manage the 5 miles home from work... in up to 45 minutes.

It's ridiculous!! And it's amazing how 5 minutes can add 30 to my commute...I fill up just about every other day and my nice new car - well, 1-1/2 yr old car...now has 22,000 miles on it...my poor baby...it'll never last as long as the terms of the loan, that's for sure

Is that the one that keeps calling "Labor Day Weekend!"???

That very one indeed. M keeps saying he wants to go home that weekend though. I tried pushing the HHI Reward deal...OMG, cheap cheap cheap, and far closer than home is, but he wants to see his friends and sleep in his own bed and play with his toys...

Heck...me too...I'm terribly homesick here. More than one occasion have caused Tony & I to discuss just going home and getting local jobs. I don't want to give up my job though. They'd have to lay me off first...crossing fingers that doesn't happen though...just sayin'....

Oh L...what they said! EXACTLY what they said.

Thanks Kate...Love you!!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

You guys really needed this vacation! I can't wait till we get to the happy ending of this story!

 

[Lauralee131]

You guys really needed this vacation! I can't wait till we get to the happy ending of this story!

Thanks! That which doesn't kill us, right? At least that's what I tell myself...

 

[Lauralee131]

But now, I'm all verklempt... AGAIN!

Talk amongst yourselves...

I'll give you a topic...

Guinea pigs are neither Italian nor pork...

Discuss....

Sorry - I know I've used that one before, but I'm on my way out the door to see G-Force...seemed appropriate...

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Thanks! That which doesn't kill us, right? At least that's what I tell myself...

Ummm, doesn't that go "That which doesn't kill us makes us....book a trip"? That's how it goes in my house.

 

[lazydoxy66]

LL, I can see why you, T and V get on so well! You are too funny.

I am sorry about all the stresses for you this year. I can't wait to read about your much needed vacation!!!

 

[puggymom]

Just sent you a PM, let me know if you have any ????

Ok, wow what a ride your real life is huh? you really did need an escape!

Atlanta traffic

My college roommate moved there several years ago and closest I can tell the only time there is no traffic is about 3 am and even then it is a carp shoot. I refuse to drive in that town, though I have had lots of fun, just make sure someone else is driving!

ETA, I love the binder!!!!!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Ok, so when we last left off, we had just moved in to our 3rd temporary living place and as we set our few boxes and suitcases on the floor, my husband left for a job in Florida.

Michael and I were on our own in a new state, a new city, a new apartment.

And the only thing in the fridge was a big ole’ jug of Kinder, Gentler Kool-Aid.

Yep – that’s right. I wasn’t just sipping the Kool-Aid this time. I was practically chugging it from one of those 5 gallon jugs. I just didn’t have it in me to plan every moment of this trip. I was too stressed out and too darn tired.

And too busy frankly. Finding daycare #3 for Michael. And hoping our house would sell so we could move to place #4. And commuting to job #2. And playing the single parent on top of it just left me worn out and not at all inspired to plan.

Off Topic for a moment – Mad, mad props and applause for you real single parents out there…I don’t know how you do it. Tremendous respect for all of you. You don’t just deserve a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day…you seriously deserve an entire month for a holiday and not just one day. I am in awe of you. And not worthy.

That said, back to our TR…

In fact, by 3 weeks prior to the trip we’d been basically planning for just shy of a year, the only ADR I made was O’Hana’s. For real. I had let my subscriptions to TGM and UG lapse and hadn’t renewed.

I couldn’t focus on planning. Can you believe it? Me. The Mominator.

I decided that The Plan was…there would be no Plan. I knew where T & V would be. That would be good enough for me. I’d just go wherever the girls would lead me.

And seriously…since we’re all usually drinking from the same planning trough anyway, my Plan would be virtually the same as theirs.

Except for Animal Kingdom.

Yeah, I hate going there in summer. ICK. I may as well just go out into the hotel parking lot, get in my car and sit with all the windows closed and no A/C running.

At noon.

On a clear, cloudless day.

UGH.

So coming into this trip, my dates were August 2nd thru the 8th, slumming it in a studio at SSR. With the 2nd thru the 5th on points and the 6th thru the 8th on cash at the DVC member discount.

But, with school starting early in Georgia, I needed to tweak my plans a bit. BUT...that’s where it gets sticky. Tweaking the dates meant having to borrow more points, which A) I really didn’t want to do and 2) Would I be able to pull the wool over the Mouse’s ears a second time? Doubtful…very doubtful.

So…I had to do some shuffling around.

First the dates. I’d change my dates to the 31st thru the 6th and leave at the crack of dawn to get to Michael’s new school for orientation on the afternoon of the 6th.

So I called Member Services and altered my cash dates. Booked the 31st thru 2nd and the night of the 5th on cash. No problem.

Then it was brought to my attention by my friendly neighborhood enabler (coughcoughVcoughcough) that there was a great rate on Mods.

When I priced it up, I could get pretty much get 2 nights at a Moderate for the price of 1 night – at the DVC discount – in a studio at SSR.

So…yet another change needed to happen.

I called CRO and booked the 31st thru the 2nd at CBR – requesting a water view in the Jamaica section. Then I called Member Services and cancelled the 31st thru the 2nd cash nights at SSR.

V and Leo would be staying at CBR so the location was the obvious choice. Although I must admit, I had my moments of weakness and almost booked AKL. Booking a Moderate was the smart, sensible thing to do anyway. I was watching my money anyway, remember?

Then V told me the extra money for the water view was no necessary so I called the following day and changed my reservation again.

Phew…finally set my dates…it feels so good when everything’s finalized.

Then it started.

The itch.

You know the itch right? It’s nearly as bad as the itch that Morphine gives…and scratching it feels so darn good…

Yep – addonitis. Worse than dry skin in a New England winter, it wouldn’t stop itching.

And it only got worse when the planets seemed to align for me. Turns out that my jobsite was going to be closed on the 31st so I’d have the day off.

Seemed like a perfect waste of a good vacation day, right? I didn’t need to use a vacation day so I felt like I had a perfectly good vacation day just burning a hole in my pocket.

Obviously I couldn’t add on to the end of my trip…thanks for nothin’ State of Georgia…so I decided to use it on the 30th rather than bank it for later. See? I’m not good at saving money OR vacation days…

So, I casually mentioned this idea to the girls. Probably looking for validation of my insanity. Which they usually gladly provide.

Then the email came.

Michelle (TheDISneyFamily) said that she knew a DVC member who’d rented her points, but the person cancelled and she was trying to re-rent them.

Hmmmm…using Fuzzy Disney Math, I was able to deduce that renting the 13 points necessary for 1 night in a studio at SSR was actually cheaper than the DVC member cash price.

So…I considered adding the night of the 30th at a studio at SSR.

But that was just silly. Moving 3 times in a week? Even me, a big fan of split stays, couldn’t justify that.

So I asked the DVC member to see if she could book me a studio at SSR for the night of the 5th. If she could, I’d cancel my cash night, link the 2 reservations and add a cash night at CBR for half the price of the cash night at SSR.

You’re all keeping up right?

So sure enough, it worked out. I rented the points from this awesome DVC member, cancelled my cash night and booked the 30th at CBR.

Now, you might think that I was actually spending more money by renting points and booking another night, but theoretically, I’d already paid for the initial cash night with my deposit so I considered the money already spent. And the money saved by renting the points would pay for the night of the 30th.

I was actually ending up with money left.

A virtual refund if you will. Heh heh.

That’s how I justified it anyway. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Fuzzy Disney Math at it’s finest.

So within 10 days of departure, I did the online check-in. Sweet.

All I needed to do was pack and show up.

Tony, already working in Florida, would meet us at CBR after work on the 31st. I may or may not have mentioned that Michael and I would be arriving a day earlier to enjoy some pool and drink time with V and Leo.

Alone.

Ok, so I didn’t mention it. There. I said it.

Until ummm…the night of the 28th.

When I started itching.

Yep. Addonitis was back.

You know when you have an itch that you can’t quite reach to scratch? Well, it was now suggesting that if I left right after work on the 29th, drove until I got tired and grabbed a cheap hotel somewhere, I’d have a super short drive on the 30th, thereby allowing me nearly a full day to enjoy myself and the company of my little man and my dear friends.

Almost an extra day was how I justified it to myself, since really it’d take at least 7 hours to get there on the 30th. I’d almost be wasting my added day just driving there.

Crazy? Yes. But foolish? No.

I have a problem.

I need to take a meeting. I know this.

But it’s all part of my charm.

Perhaps my addonitis was so bad this time due to my lack of planning. I needed something to occupy my head.

I don’t know.

In the end though, I ended up deciding to keep to the plan and leave the morning of the 30th. Michael and I could use a good night’s sleep. Desperately actually.

So we ordered a pizza, packed the car and relaxed. We checked in with Tony and that’s when I sprung my added night on him.

He wasn’t surprised.

At all.

I think he’s gotten to the point where he just becomes numb to my itchy/scratchy issues and lets me work them out myself.

And of course, as usual, I couldn’t sleep that night.

I was too excited.

As was Michael.

And so, the next morning we slept a bit later than I’d have liked. I wanted to be on the road by 7, but we didn’t even walk out the door until 9.

But…having had some Kinder, Gentler cream in my coffee that morning, I didn’t care. I was on vacation as of 4pm the day before really.

No waking up at 3:30am, no rushing around for me and my boy this morning. No fighting 6am traffic.

We were Southbound and Down baby!!

It was all smooth sailing on this bright, sunny morning…

Or was it???

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

OMG, I think that all gave me a headache! Or maybe it was those Mojitos last night?

Either way, that was a whole LOT to process, LL! How the heck did you keep your head straight? But I do think you're right - you didn't have "A PLAN", so you had to keep yourself occupied. And that, my friend, is why I LY/MI!

 

[Lauralee131]

OMG, I think that all gave me a headache! Or maybe it was those Mojitos last night?

Either way, that was a whole LOT to process, LL! How the heck did you keep your head straight? But I do think you're right - you didn't have "A PLAN", so you had to keep yourself occupied. And that, my friend, is why I LY/MI!

Yeah...ummm...I can almost guarantee you it was the Devil's Juice that gave you the headache T...call it a hunch...

Actually all the resort changes and stuff are pretty easy to keep straight in my head...it's the every day crap that I have a hard time keeping straight!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Conversation overheard at the Grandstand pool this August...heh heh....

 

[PrincessV]

Off Topic for a moment – Mad, mad props and applause for you real single parents out there…I don’t know how you do it. Tremendous respect for all of you. You don’t just deserve a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day…you seriously deserve an entire month for a holiday and not just one day.

But, in truth, for me, being a single parent is about 1000% easier than it was being a married parent, lol!

I’d just go wherever the girls would lead me.
And seriously…since we’re all usually drinking from the same planning trough anyway, my Plan would be virtually the same as theirs.

Next time, I'm just letting T plan it all out, and then I'll follow her Plan!

Then it was brought to my attention by my friendly neighborhood enabler (coughcoughVcoughcough) that there was a great rate on Mods.

Fuzzy Disney Math at it’s finest.

You put me to shame, oh Great One!

 

[Craftydawn]

OMG! I am loving this! I just found your trip report and am sitting here reading with the biggest grin on my face my DH must think I am losing it

I love how diligent you were in getting exactly what you wanted! (you SOOOO deserved this trip).

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Lauralee131]

But, in truth, for me, being a single parent is about 1000% easier than it was being a married parent, lol!

I'm sure I'll be thinking that if my husband ever comes back... I just need someone to tag me out once in a while so I can have a break...just a little "me" time, that's all I ask...

OMG! I am loving this! I just found your trip report and am sitting here reading with the biggest grin on my face my DH must think I am losing it

I love how diligent you were in getting exactly what you wanted! (you SOOOO deserved this trip).

Can't wait to read more!

Why thank you! This trip is filled with much less drama than other TR's I've written, but also filled with much more fun

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Next time, I'm just letting T plan it all out, and then I'll follow her Plan!

Pshew! I'm throwing in that planning towel, sista! Next time, I'm only going to worry about best park days and leave it all up to the kiddo's. They've yet to steer us wrong!

 

[lazydoxy66]

I was with you until you wrote, "That said, back to our TR…"












Everything is fuzzy after that!

 

[Lauralee131]

Pshew! I'm throwing in that planning towel, sista! Next time, I'm only going to worry about best park days and leave it all up to the kiddo's. They've yet to steer us wrong!

And there it is. In writing.

To be referred to in next year's TR...

I was with you until you wrote, "That said, back to our TR…"












Everything is fuzzy after that!

My mind is a scary place to be!