NoAlice?Rabbit,Hatter&Chessie Do a HolidayTrip.NEW11/27 1 More Day&I crush on Snowmen

[PracPerfPatricia]

Welcome to "No Alice? White Rabbit, Mad Hatter & Chessie Do a 3/4 Holiday Trip"...

(with a Through the Looking Glass Flashback to California/Disneyland Road Trip...)

No Alice-is literal, there will literally be no Alice on this trip...

White Rabbit, Mad Hatter & Chessie Do a 3/4 Holiday Trip-refers to a long pre Holiday Weekend-November 29th -December 3rd ... where 3/4 of our family plan to have 5 days and 4 nights of pre holiday frivolity and festivity and experience some new -at least 3- Disney experiences in a variety of categories...


The Place: A Beach Club Villas Studio

The Cast:

Alice (Who will be there in spirit if not body) Currently 17-soon to be 18, Great daughter, awesome big sister, smart as a whip, kind and empathetic, a bit (or more) dramatic and a senior working hard on her last year of high school and getting into college next year...

The White Rabbit- 10, Sweet son and doting little brother, also smart as a whip, sometimes actually brilliant, compassionate, creative thinker and frequently lovably eccentric.

The Mad Hatter-Husband and Father Extraordinaire, great dry sense of humor, likes to stick to the plan but fairly tolerant of the craziness around him.

& finally me, the Cheshire Cat who tends to wear a semi permanent smirk or I prefer to think of it as a smile. And Depending on the day and circumstances I can channel my inner Alice or my inner Queen of Hearts.

To give a little insight how we got to this trip, I'll give a little Disney background and go back to our California/Disneyland road trip and the path to this trip...

So grab your beverage of choice...coffee, tea, an adult beverage...or a combination like the Irish coffee I was drinking in San Francisco and come on Through the Looking Glass with me...

​

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I'm here and anxious to read along. I've missed you!!!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm here too!!! You've been missed, can't wait to see what you've all been up to!

 

[MEK]

Here! Your kids are as adorable as ever! Looking forward to more!

 

[MEK]

I'm here and anxious to read along. I've missed you!!!

Where have YOU been? I can't even get you to visit my TR and you-re in it!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hi, Patricia!!! I'm here for all the fun!!! I can't wait! Like others have said, you've been missed! Looking forward to all your adventures.

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm in!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am here!! So glad to see you back here!!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I'm here and anxious to read along. I've missed you!!!

Hey Anita... I'm so glad you're here. I did clearly remember all of your raving about the BCV and all of that Dis enabling had its impact -we're now owners of 80 points...based at BCV and we have points to use for our upcoming trip... (We're hoping to add 25 more in the next couple of months to take us to 105...) So excited-I've always wanted to stay there...

I'm here too!!! You've been missed, can't wait to see what you've all been up to!

Welcome Cynthia ... Is is absolutely stunning right now in the Pacific Northwest? I'm betting you aren't experiencing the lovely humidity we've had in the mid Atlantic......me no likey...

Here! Your kids are as adorable as ever! Looking forward to more!

Thanks Mary Ellen... Yep...they do clean up pretty nicely... We've decided to keep them...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hi, Patricia!!! I'm here for all the fun!!! I can't wait! Like others have said, you've been missed! Looking forward to all your adventures.

Hi Jackie... I missed being here... but am really glad to be back... Connor's sense of humor reminds me so much of David in relation to his sister...

Hey btw... I'm looking for a good Halloween read... anything come to mind?

I'm in!

Hey Amy... Happy that you here for the ride... Hope Alex and Zach are continuing to have a great beginning to school...So far Mr. David, 5th grader seems happy but you know... 5th grade is a whole new world...

I am here!! So glad to see you back here!!!

Magdalene Guten Tag or not since it might be night in Germany right now... I'm very happy that you're here...

 

[wigdoutdismom]

You are going to love the location of Beach Club! I hope the weather is good for swimming because the pool is so much fun!!! We stray from home and stay at other resorts from time to time, but every time we walk into the Beach Club we feel like we have truly come home....

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Warning: This first portion of this post may be boring or melancholic if you haven't read my trip reports before or maybe even if you have...

Hmmmm... I have so much I want to write about that I'm having a hard time trying to organize my thoughts...

The last trip report or ptr I wrote or was in the process of writing was back two years ago... when I was writing about Em's tentative 16th birthday trip at WDW... while simultaneously writing about our Trip to Paris and our day trip to DLP...

Wellllllllllllll......The 16th Birthday Multigenerational WDW trip didn't turn out exactly how I had planned...to make a long, incredibly twisted, frustrating extended family story- simple...We didn't do it. Emily did have an opportunity to go to Universal for several days (the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had just opened) and we took several friends and I got to chaperone ... which was actually pretty fun and she had a great time.

(I would like to reopen my PTR if just to finish the Paris portion and the Disneyland Paris part- I'd like the closure and I know how much great info I glean from other's trip reports...I just have to see if I can reopen it...??? Has anyone ever done this before...???

I think looking back I was just getting so frustrated and sad and upset that I stopped writing my report...

I was reading and lurking around the boards but I stopped writing for a bit because I didn't want to sound whiny and annoyed (with my extended family...)

Anyway the experience did teach me that you really can't control anyone else's behavior just your reaction to it and learn to breath deeply...

Then a bunch of other life issues just happened... illnesses, other stresses-work, child development stuff, more family and honestly I was in a little bit of a funk...

I started lurking around the boards again about six months ago and realized how much fun and support was always here in addition to it just being a really positive place with lots of lovely upbeat people who all have a disturbingly intense interest in all things Disney and are quite possibly addicted to Disney...

I missed everyone very much and am really glad to be back...

And that's my 30 second pity party so now I can hopefully resume the fun stuff...

Warning lifted...Ok... boring part over-at least I hope...

I am going to primarily talk about the plans for this upcoming trip...

Go back and talk a little about what we did in California and Disneyland last summer...

and maybe threw in just a little bit about our road trip to Maine, Quebec and Cooperstown this past summer...

Next UP... Talking about this upcoming trip... ​

 

[eandesmom]

Wellllllllllllll......The 16th Birthday Multigenerational WDW trip didn't turn out exactly how I had planned...to make a long, incredibly twisted, frustrating extended family story- simple...We didn't do it. Emily did have an opportunity to go to Universal for several days (the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had just opened) and we took several friends and I got to chaperone ... which was actually pretty fun and she had a great time.

Oh Patricia, I am so sorry. Herding cats is just plain exhausting, hopefully teenagers were better at Universal. Sounds like a decent replacement, if not the trip your dreams were made of. I'm facing a semi similar boat and struggling with the question of trying to force something to happen or to just walk away and see if anyone else picks up the ball.

(I would like to reopen my PTR if just to finish the Paris portion and the Disneyland Paris part- I'd like the closure and I know how much great info I glean from other's trip reports...I just have to see if I can reopen it...??? Has anyone ever done this before...???

Probably email a moderator? I've never done it though...I'd love to read about that trip though!

I think looking back I was just getting so frustrated and sad and upset that I stopped writing my report...

I was reading and lurking around the boards but I stopped writing for a bit because I didn't want to sound whiny and annoyed (with my extended family...)

Anyway the experience did teach me that you really can't control anyone else's behavior just your reaction to it and learn to breath deeply...

Then a bunch of other life issues just happened... illnesses, other stresses-work, child development stuff, more family and honestly I was in a little bit of a funk...

I started lurking around the boards again about six months ago and realized how much fun and support was always here in addition to it just being a really positive place with lots of lovely upbeat people who all have a disturbingly intense interest in all things Disney and are quite possibly addicted to Disney...

I missed everyone very much and am really glad to be back...

Oh whine away. I'm a big fan of the good, bad and the ugly. It's not all sunshine and ponies out there, as much as we wish it was! I am very very glad you are back and can very much understand the desire to be away for a bit and regroup.

Warning lifted...Ok... boring part over-at least I hope...
I am going to primarily talk about the plans for this upcoming trip...

Go back and talk a little about what we did in California and Disneyland last summer...

Love love love that picture of Emily! I can't wait to hear about DLR, Cali, Quebec, all your adventures AND your upcoming trip! Fun stuff

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Like Cynthia said, that is a beautiful picture of Emily! I want to read about it all! We all know that life isn't perfect and we have to accept the good and the, well, not so magical times....
Sad but true, the drama can make for really good reading.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hi Jackie... I missed being here... but am really glad to be back... Connor's sense of humor reminds me so much of David in relation to his sister...

Hey btw... I'm looking for a good Halloween read... anything come to mind?

I have a feeling that David and Connor are kindred spirits.

Have you read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern? Perfect, perfect, perfect fall/Halloween read! It is one of my favorite books I have read in a long time.

I am so sorry to hear about the trip not panning out -- I know that feeling. Like Cynthia said, it is hard to plan with extended family.

Great pictures of Emily and David!

 

[MEK]

[Anyway the experience did teach me that you really can't control anyone else's behavior just your reaction to it and learn to breath deeply...​

I learned that lesson oh so well with my June trip. You missed out on all that pre trip saga, but at one point my brother was literally going to stay home. He had refused to go.

So, I agree that you can't control anyone's behavior and sometimes planning a trip for other people is just NOT meant to be.

I started lurking around the boards again about six months ago and realized how much fun and support was always here in addition to it just being a really positive place with lots of lovely upbeat people who all have a disturbingly intense interest in all things Disney and are quite possibly addicted to Disney...​

"disturbingly intense" I love that description. It's so true! I love the TR boards because I have met some of the nicest people from here. People that live literally across the country (Cynthia eandesmom) and people that live practically in my backyard (Captain Oblivious) and people at many points in between. I never would have had the chance to know any of these people if I had not starting visiting the TR boards. And knowing them has enriched my life and made me step outside of my comfort zone.

I missed everyone very much and am really glad to be back...

​

I know I am not alone when I say that I am very glad to see you back!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Doing some Dising while eating my leftover Chinese takeout for lunch...I don't know why but sometimes I prefer the leftovers...

Oh Patricia, I am so sorry. Herding cats is just plain exhausting, hopefully teenagers were better at Universal. Sounds like a decent replacement, if not the trip your dreams were made of. I'm facing a semi similar boat and struggling with the question of trying to force something to happen or to just walk away and see if anyone else picks up the ball.

The kids were actually really good and pretty funny...You know how teenagers sometimes forget you're there and come out with great stuff... ...They really were/are great kids...


Good luck with your dilemma ... I think sometimes everyone get really used to the responsible one carrying the ball...they forget/don't realize what's involved...


Probably email a moderator? I've never done it though...I'd love to read about that trip though!

I'm going to try to do that I think when I've got a solid grip on this...it would be therapy for me-I hate it sitting uncompleted in cyber world...(MY ocd is coming out) and also I do like to finish them cause I really have gotten some fabulous trip ideas from others reports and I'd like to pass it forward...



Oh whine away. I'm a big fan of the good, bad and the ugly. It's not all sunshine and ponies out there, as much as we wish it was! I am very very glad you are back and can very much understand the desire to be away for a bit and regroup.

Thanks...for the permission to whine sometimes... I remember reading somewhere that elephants-I think- go off to die on their own... and sometimes instead of looking or asking for support /comfort I can have a tendency to go into my head... I'm working on it...



Love love love that picture of Emily! I can't wait to hear about DLR, Cali, Quebec, all your adventures AND your upcoming trip! Fun stuff

I think its pretty cute photo...ummm she's not down with it 100%...something about her not looking right...hair...something...Seriously? Can you hear that? that's the tiniest violin in the world... She's a bit hard on herself...shall we say...

Like Cynthia said, that is a beautiful picture of Emily! I want to read about it all! We all know that life isn't perfect and we have to accept the good and the, well, not so magical times....
Sad but true, the drama can make for really good reading.

Thanks... Do you know what else is kind of cute/funny about that photo? It's front of the Chateau Frontenanc in Quebec and I believe that that's the building the Imagineers chose to anchor the Canadian pavilion in Epcot...the thing that's funny is that when I was looking at some of my travel photos this weekend, I realized that every place I've been outside of the country...is in World Showcase! England-mostly London, France-mostly-Paris, Italy-Venice and Florence and Canada...I'm thinking I should do a photo comparison... Maybe it's a conspiracy...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I have a feeling that David and Connor are kindred spirits.

Have you read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern? Perfect, perfect, perfect fall/Halloween read! It is one of my favorite books I have read in a long time.

I am so sorry to hear about the trip not panning out -- I know that feeling. Like Cynthia said, it is hard to plan with extended family.

Great pictures of Emily and David!

Yes not only do Connor and David seem to have similar interests but definitely the humor-the way Connor plays the straight man to Chelsea-very much like David and Emily...

Writing down Night Circus right now...saw you recommend the Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson to LL I think,... have to check that out as well...love my phone...It's so easy to just type up all kinds lists-especially book lists...

Yes it is VERY hard to plan with extended family but I really have to learn to just let some of it go... It isn't worth the stress....(That's today's sage statement -we'll see if it holds up next time around...

I learned that lesson oh so well with my June trip. You missed out on all that pre trip saga, but at one point my brother was literally going to stay home. He had refused to go.

Yeah that's pretty stressful and then you feel like this...

So, I agree that you can't control anyone's behavior and sometimes planning a trip for other people is just NOT meant to be.

So true... deep breathing...


"disturbingly intense" I love that description. It's so true! I love the TR boards because I have met some of the nicest people from here. People that live literally across the country (Cynthia eandesmom) and people that live practically in my backyard (Captain Oblivious) and people at many points in between. I never would have had the chance to know any of these people if I had not starting visiting the TR boards. And knowing them has enriched my life and made me step outside of my comfort zone.

I wholeheartedly agree... there really some very lovely people here and how cool is it to get to know people from all over the country???



I know I am not alone when I say that I am very glad to see you back!

Thanks so much......

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hmmm...So How Did this Trip Get Planned? Why isn't Alice Going? & What Will We Do Without Her?


How Did this Trip Get Started?

Well it all began last fall (2011). We had just barely finished our California/Disneyland trip (August) when I mentioned to Eric that we hadn't been to Disney for a while...

Me: "Hmmm...you know honey-we haven't been to Disney in a while" (kind of smiling and batting my eyelashes...)

Him: "Are you kidding me-we just got back from California and we had 3 days at Disneyland and last year (2010) we went to Disneyland Paris!"

Me: "But Disneyland Paris was really just a daytrip and Disneyland was awesome but it's still different..."

Him: "Seriously? Is this a joke?"

Me: "No...Disneyland made me want to go..."

Him: "OMG"...

Well now really he's pretty into Disney too, but for a variety of reasons he wasn't sure...but what we decided was during Spring Break of 2012 (March) we would combine some Disney with some College Road Trip... There were some Southern Schools that Em wanted to see...UVA, UNC, Emory, so we would drive down stopping in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia before heading to Florida... the Disney deal was that since we would have a car we'd also go to the Space Center (David needs to go there-his words) and try one of the Value Resorts - probably Pop Century. So that was the plan.

Well...

Unfortunately my mom got sick and then very sick and her spirits were very low. She needed to move, she needed surgery and treatments. A lot was happening. (She is as of now, (the present) doing much better...).

So spring break was out. I was able to get Ems to her college visits but a full fledged trip couldn't happen for the obvious reason. The spring went by, things got better and we decided to take a road trip to cooler climes this past summer (2012) and went north to Maine, Quebec and hit Cooperstown on the way back home.

Then the DVC talk began and to make a long story short...we purchased them at the end of the summer-there were points left for this year and we needed to figure out what we were going to do with them.


Why Isn't Alice Going?

Alice has been going to Disney World since she was 3 1/2 and we stayed at Port Orleans- It wasn't divided yet...

(I think she thought the hotel pool was a ride/attraction...)

When she was six, Eric had a work conference at the Boardwalk so she and I went along...

At this point, what she really wanted was her own White Rabbit, a brother or sister to really hug ( and so did her mom and dad) and when we went back the next time when she was 8, she had her own brother, David to hug...

and now 3 became 4...

And everytrip to Disney since then, Alice, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter were a team...

​

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Continued...


And the trips, and the fun and the memories continued to grow...


& so did Alice and Rabbit

Alice and Rabbit were 11 and 4 in 2006

& When Alice was 12 we celebrated Rabbit's 5th Birthday... in 2007

Wow was he blissed out...I really miss that Character Meal at the Liberty Tree Tavern... The food was ok but the Characters in their Colonial Constumes were Awesome!



& It's a funny thing-when you feed children and take care of them they just keep growing...

Alice was 14 and Rabbit 7 in 2009

So with all of this fun and amazingly good times, why isn't Alice coming on this trip?

Simply, she is growing up and has a lot of work-a lot, a lot of work, (6 classes- 4 APs, tons of activities with leadership roles, colleges apps to fill out, tons of commitments for school this upcoming term... Additionally, she has a lot of great relationships with friends and an awesome boyfriend... ... She's trying to balance a lot of things all at once- You know work and family balance. For this trip she isn't coming and actually ...

I'm Ok with it... I'd like her to always be with us but I know she's growing up and I'm proud of her and her choices to date and I know next year at this time she'll really be away...at college...

But...it's going to be ok... because even though somethings are changing...some things never will and she'll always be with is in spirit even if she's not in body...(Plus I know we have two big trips next year that she will be coming with us...)

Also I realized she had 7 years with Eric and I alone before David came along...and it might be nice for three of us to have a trip...

(And yes I've had lots of time to adjust and deal with all of these upcoming changes...so I'm a lot cooler with it at this point... )

So now what kind of trip should the White Rabbit, Chessie and Mad Hatter do without Alice...​

Well I've given it a lot of thought- (no big surprise)...This is going to be a trip of 3's

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3​