birthday trip report...now finished!

[bumbershoot]

Yes yes yes, me again! (that was for those who have read my other reports).

Hello! (that was for those new to my reports)


I'll come back later and write more about my just-decided-to-go birthday trip, but I just wanted to get this started.



Trip starts on page 14. Trip-related posts are in bold after that point. Blather is not. Lots of blather. Lots of ranting about MDs and even NDs and healthcare, and discussion of all sorts of stuff that probably doesn't interest many. But the trip report parts are good.

 

[Hawleys]

Yea! Love to read about your adventures.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just for fun:


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Past trip reports!
Sept 20, '05, Oct 5, '06, & Sept 17-23, '07 at Paradise Pier Hotel and HoJo

Dec 5-9, '07 at Anabella

Jan 25-26, '08 solo at Carousel

May 26-30, '08 at HoJo

solo day Nov 5, '08 & family family Dec 5-8, '08 one night at the Hilton then "Big Kahunas" at PPH (upgraded to a suite!)

(I didn't do a trip report for the Ladies Trip, but I was there, early March, '09!)

DLH for HoJo fans

One day in DCA with newbies starts here.

Two days of mudder 'n son mainly at DL starts here!


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

[kaoden39]

You know I am here.

 

[Hawleys]

Just for fun:


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Past trip reports!
Sept 20, '05, Oct 5, '06, & Sept 17-23, '07 at Paradise Pier Hotel and HoJo

Dec 5-9, '07 at Anabella

Jan 25-26, '08 solo at Carousel

May 26-30, '08 at HoJo

solo day Nov 5, '08 & family family Dec 5-8, '08 one night at the Hilton then "Big Kahunas" at PPH (upgraded to a suite!)

(I didn't do a trip report for the Ladies Trip, but I was there, early March, '08!)

DLH for HoJo fans

One day in DCA with newbies starts here.

Two days of mudder 'n son mainly at DL starts here!


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Work productivity just went out the window for the rest of the day.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hello, to you, and you (and you and youuuuu, once 2 more people show up).

Before running off to do more cleaning etc etc and so forth....

It's gonna be my birthday! Woo! I don't normally celebrate b'days, but this year is special. I'm just slightly younger than Haunted Mansion, and this year is a big b'day, so I figured "why not?" Plus, it will make son and husband very happy. They love birthdays.

Somehow, in the last few years, we've become extreme Disney fans. Not sure if anyone's noticed that.... So extreme that I actually feel a physical pang when I think about Disneyland or DCA. The other week we rented the live action Peter Pan, with Mr Malfoy as Mr Darling (poor actor), and realized that the music they use in Disneyland ads is actually music from that movie...through the whole movie, whenever they played the song, I was just yearning to be at the parks. I can barely watch a bug's life, b/c it makes me long to be in bug's land in DCA. It's a physical pang, or even pain sometimes, a yearning, a longing. If I know I can GO, it's OK. But thinking of not going for a long time...like what will likely happen after this trip...it's painful.

I know some will understand...I know some will not. Both are OK.

OK gotta go earn my keep a bit more (by cleaning)!

 

[bumbershoot]

Work productivity just went out the window for the rest of the day.

You never saw the old reports? Oh you poor poor dear (that you're going to be subjected to me all at once).

Warning...I repeat myself a lot. And it's possible that history gets re-written every so often.

 

[bumbershoot]

I sometimes wonder, if there were a contest for the most dramatic difference between Replies and Views, if I would win...

Then again, I know that most of my posts are absolutely useless, so probably people just check out the latest bit in my reports, then go off and do something more fun...like clean the bathtub or something scintillating like that.

Oh happy day, Eamon has finally given in to my pleas to watch Wall-E! I mean, we looked at big maps of the world, I gave him a sneak-peek of the books we're going to use to help him learn to read this year (his request, I remain chill about the whole subject, since teaching myself to read at 2 (which is, I might add, is a fact...my brother has somehow managed to take MY reality and turn it into HIS, which just cracks me up...brother is much smarter than I am, but he learned to read at a more normal time, unlike his older sister the freak) has really done me no good), we've cleaned up a bit, he's made General Grievous out of Bendaroos (or was that yesterday? it was VERY cool, whenever it happened), we've had joy, we've had fun, we've had seasons in the sun (oh wait, that's a song about suicide or something like that, nevermind)....we've had a day filled with laughing and learning and silliness and some TV, and some of me sitting on my butt at the table that NEEDS to be cleared, and some robot games on the special features disc from the 3 disc edition of Wall-E...and he is FINALLY letting me put the movie on.

Whew.

 

[kaoden39]

I love Wall E. It is such a sweet love story. I was reading before 4, and I haven't stopped since. I think it's great that he wants to learn so much. Enjoy it while you can. Trust me.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh yeah, I'm glad he wants to. I just don't want to push him. Robert's parents and teachers didn't realize that there's a big range of ages for people to learn to read, and made it miserable for him. On top of that, when he describes why reading takes him so long, it's clear he has some form of dyslexia, and no one ever picked up on that. No one ever offered a different form of test (oral instead of writing) for essays, etc. I'm not sure if it was offered while I was in high school, but by college I knew plenty of people who were able to take tests verbally! And since he's 3 school years younger than me, when I was in college he was just a soph in high school, so it really should have been something available to him.

Anyway, I just don't want to push him.


Watching wallE gives me this feeling that...I'm going to remember this period of my life with a pixar background. Actually wallE is pretty much the last one that I know I'll have this feeling about... The last 2 years have been filled with watching those movies, watching the special features (aka the "ads" according to E), really getting into them...but now...finally I know how my snooty HS friends felt when they had been buying the expensive Import album singles of European bands, and then a few years later America finally got the albums and the bands got all popular...I felt like Pixar was a little subset that not *that* many people got, but now with Up...sigh. I hate being snooty, but I understand the feeling now.

And before that was the period of time of watching Lord of the Rings (haven't shown that to E yet...pirates and davey jones are one thing....orcs are another!) an Harry Potter...I think back fondly but wish I had enjoyed it more...so I'm trying to really super-enjoy it all now.


Sorry about that! I keep trying to change the way I write reports, not get into all of that gunk, but I guess my brain's got a lot of gunk in it.


I told Robert about the reservations. He's excited about it.

I haven't cleaned up the stroller, but I have been working on the learning-work bookshelf! So that's something.


So earlier, I called Member Services of DVC, and while there were no villas available, he told me what hotel rooms they had, and their point cost. Although we are very happy with PPH and DLH was good too, I just couldn't help it. It doesn't hurt that the lobby of GCH now has good feelings for me! Before, I had only walked through at Yuletime, when the natural light is sucked up by the gigantor tree. But now that I've seen it without the tree, I realize it's not just a dark, shadowy place. Then on our last trip, it was in that lobby that hubby got the true offer of the contract work with Microsoft, in the last week of his amazon department's existence (for the newbies, YES we took a pre-planned pre-paid vacation to Disneyland after layoffs had been announced, in the last week the dept would be open! yes we were crazy! yes it was fine.), which allowed us to take deep breaths after almost two months of worrying....so now the lobby feels GOOD to me.

If my b'day were in December and that's when we were taking the trip, I wouldn't have done it to myself, not with my stupid Lasik vision that makes seeing in dark/light situations very difficult. I would have gone with DLH. But it's Halloweentime and the tree should not be there, so why the heck not? I mean, there wasn't a hojo entertainment rate for that weekend, so again, why not.

The only issue is that it's going to be a DTD view. I'm not the biggest fan of DTD, as it's just a big mall and I don't like malls. Oh well! I will pretend that we're on one of the HUGE RCCL ships with the promenade-view rooms, and just be happy with it.

 

[kaoden39]

I know what you mean about it being one big mall, but I loved having a DTD view. The trees have the lights and the Mariachi bands playing down there and being able to watch the fireworks from the balcony make it so worth it. And in the morning as the world comes alive watching them clean it and the employees and other guest scurrying around then make it a fun view.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh man oh man, SOLD.

 

[Hawleys]

Sorry about that! I keep trying to change the way I write reports, not get into all of that gunk, but I guess my brain's got a lot of gunk in it.

The "gunk" is what makes your reports so interesting. You share more than some other folks but personally, I like it.

 

[bumbershoot]

True, I do share a lot. I think I need to continue to live in a totally secure building as long as I'm talking online!

I've said it before, I need another journal. I started my internet life with a journal around what I felt to be trusted people, and then it all went to heck. And now I'm left without that outlet.

And I've always had a brain to mouth (or in this case, fingers) filter problem, LOL.

OK, gotta put kiddo to bed (yes he has a late bedtime)!

 

[bumbershoot]

Got the reservation email and confirmation number already! That's amazing.

Started writing up the things we "need". Earplanes, earplugs for E to wear when he wants, cheapie glow sticks...

Figure out food, figure out what I'll want with my birthday funcard.

Sigh, this whole hubby in another country thing is a bummer. I always knew I'd be a bad military wife, and he chose to NOT go into the shipping industry (despite LOVING being on ships and tankers in his 20s) so he could be at home, and it turns out we're both kinda bad at him being gone. Gotta develop a routine for me and E that doesn't involve Robert coming home at a certain hour!

So we're going to the Y in a little while, for me to work out and to sign him up for Fall classes. And do errands. And pick up the free 8x10 collage at Walgreens that's offered today (code: FUNDAY)...I did one of E's summer (even though summer is not done with) b/c it's been a particularly fun one!

I just got an email from disneystore....seems they are selling Vinylmation online now! If only I were into collecting things that end up being dusty....


E has agreed to go on Skellington's Haunted Mansion! This will be his first time on the ride. I hope he goes through with it. The earplugs should be helpful for the line, especially the people-screaming-randomly room (stretching room). Glowsticks, too, I think.

 

[kaoden39]

That was quick. My daughter Kody absolutely hated the Haunted mansion until she went on the NBC version. She fell instantly in love. Hopefully it is the same way with E. I would make a terrible military wife, I know this for fact. Several years ago back when we first had gotten married Scotty talked about going back in the military. I am so glad he didn't. I hope R being gone like this gets a little easier.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I'm here and glad to be part of the enabling.

Yay for 40th birthday trips. You will have a BLAST!

How fun to have tried out all of the DLR hotels. It gives you such a nice rounded experience to share with others, especially since you also have done HoJo.

When do you go? How long are you staying??

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, you know, I don't really *enjoy* all these trips...I do it solely for the purpose of helping others.

So where's my check from all of you???? Oh, in the mail, I see, I'll check for it tomorrow, then!

***********

Yes I'm reading other peoples' trip reports again. That always changes the way I write. It works on the way I talk, too, if I hang out with people with obvious manners of speech. Drove my mom batty. Though it was useful for her, b/c she always know who I'd been out with! Went like this... "ah, so you spent lots of time with Alisa, hmm? At least it got rid of the stutter you developed when your stepsisters stayed with us all summer!"

True story, my stepsisters, at the time (before useless stepdad divorced the family and disappeared, never to be found again, well, until a few months ago when I googled him and found him and have been in constant confusion as to whether I should contact him or not), stayed with us one summer. One of them stuttered naturally. By the end of the summer, I had picked it up.

And you should have heard me when I got back from Ireland... I really should do voiceover work, just in case they can't find someone famous...just let me hear their voice for a week and I'll imitate them!

***********

I've done something rotten to my foot. I think it's chickens coming home to roost...or however that phrase goes...you know, where past misdeeds find you? While in college I hurt my foot while running for Crew. Yep, Crew. Shrimpy me. Rowed. Anyway, I have wide feet (hence my username on micechat and mouseplanet...hobbitfeet), and back then there were very very FEW wide width running shoes. So I bought an $80 pair of Nike cross trainers that "ran wide" (thanks, Footlocker lady). Went running. Halfway into my run, while down on the waterfront, I started getting blisters on the inside edge of my sole of one foot. OUCH. So I started running on the outside edge of my foot. Not so ouch on the blisters, but...yeah, tore my peroneous longus tendon, which goes down the outside of the lower leg, around the ankle area, and under the bottom of the foot. Cue weeks of PT (thankfully our school has a PT and Athletic Training program, and Varsity athletes got it for FREE).

Then I went running again, once I was off the crutches.

Running in the same shoes.

Oh, I was careful enough with the already injured foot...

Came home having torn the OTHER peroneous longus tendon.

Thank goodness it was off season.


So I think that my foot problem is the great great great grandchild of that college era foot problem, compounded by the stupid stupid weight I've let my self put on (going through pictures recently, I can see the pounds pack on back in Fall/Winter of '06 going into '07, which is when FIL died and I was baking ALL the time while living in the Worst House Ever and I never left the house if I could help it). Sigh.

Who the heck do I see for this???? Just pointing my foot causes screaming pain.

Not good.


What WAS good today about working out? I wore my this-year's amazon picnic's t-shirt, which has an image of a Kindle on it, while reading Pride and Prejudice on...a Kindle. (hubby brought it home from work, it doesn't belong to us, but I'm allowed to use it) Ooh I'm hooked! So much easier than a big bulky book.

And then I stood up and nearly screamed. Whoops.



So I'm going to have to do something about this before October 10th, which is when we leave for Anaheim. A brace of some sort? Amputation? Oh no, that won't heal by then, I proved 5+ years ago that I do NOT heal well when scalpels are involved. Perhaps I should stop sitting on the ankle? Nah, how would I sit at the computer table, then? Hmm? Sacrifices must be made. Let's refer to the above bit where I remind us all that I don't enjoy trips, but take them for your edification.

Yep. I promise!

 

[kaoden39]

Is it possible you have tendinitis in your foot? My DD Kody does and every once in a while it gets terribly painful and it hurts her to do anything. I hope you get it all worked out before your trip.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Geesh, take a day or two off from the boards and look what happens! I am so stinkin glad you are going! Yeah Molly! Will you be there when I am there???? We must have a run in! I am dying to meet E and am sure that he and Nathan will hit it off.